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Superfan
Race quiz: What is 36.7 years old, 90-percent male and is never far from a fully loaded ice chest? Answer: The average race fan.
According to a recently released AMA poll, the largest percentage of motorcycle race fans fall in the $30,001-to-40,000-per-year income bracket, are married, have attended college, and are in a professional occupation. A yuppie, by any other name.
Indian giving
Do you have what it takes to be national motocross champion of In-
dia? If you do, the Motorcycle Federation of India is looking for you. According to the AMA’s Pro Report, India has just joined the FIM and is actively developing a national motocross and supercross program. All they need are riders. If you can ride or teach riding, contact Surjit Singh, President, Poona Auto-
motive Racing Association, Block 16, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Pune 41 1 002, India.
A fresh start
The 500cc GP roadraces in Europe have been turning American for several years. Now, not only are many of the top riders coming from America, but so are some of the rules. For example, instead of using the traditional dead-engine, push-starts next year, the GPs will have American-style live-engine starts.
“We’ve been pushing for this for a long time,” says 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson. “Live-engine starts are a lot safer. The way it’s been, it gets pretty hairy when you’re pushing your motorcycle and someone rips past you at 65 mph.” Lawson also thinks it will improve his odds. “It doesn’t do you much good to qualify fastest if you get a terrible start. This way, the fast guys will start out in front.”
Spare hardware
E very good enduro rider carries a selection of spare nuts and bolts with him, and national champion Terry Cunningham is no different.
In fact, he carries a considerable supply of hardware wherever he goes. But he didn’t know just how much until he set off the metal detector at the Houston airport when returning home from a recent national enduro. After Cunningham emptied his pockets and ultimately was strip-searched, he and the security guards realized the problem: The detector actually was reacting to the collection of screws, pins and plates that were put in Cunningham’s femur when he broke it in 1982.
Lawson’s picks
Who are the best up-and-coming riders on the GP circuit? Eddie Lawson pays attention to such things. “Niall Mackenzie and (Tadahiko) Taira are doing real well,” he reports, showing that America might not hold all the cards for next year’s world championship. Then he adds, “The guys that usually go fast will be going fast, too.” That translates to Americans Lreddie Spencer, Randy Mamola and Mike Baldwin, plus Australian Wayne Gardner—and of course, Lawson himself.
Revenge of the small-bores
When it comes to winning fast desert races, there’s never been an easy way, but the least hard way is on a big, powerful Open-class bike. The really hard way is on anything else.
Take the Barstow-to-Vegas race, for example. It’s been won by lots of different brands—Triumphs, Yamahas, Husqvarnas, ATK
Thumpers, etc.—but they’ve almost always been of the Open-class variety. In the most recent B-to-V event held in December, though. Cliff Thomas, a truck driver from Canoga Park, California, uncrated a new Yamaha YZ250 two weeks before the race, made minor changes to jetting, gearing and fuel capacity, and became only the second 250-class rider in history to win the classic desert race. The first was J.N. Roberts in 1969, who borrowed a 250 Husky just before the race when his 400 broke.
Thomas didn't seem to mind the horsepower disadvantage. “I had a few problems in the deep sand after Check One, and the big bikes were able to pass me. But it wasn’t too bad.” he said later. It wasn’t too bad for Mike Baker, either; he also was on a YZ250 and got second overall. A 125 Yamaha was even able to get fourth overall with Eric Hallgath on board, making it a very good day for small bikes, and a great day for small-bike riders. 03
