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RACE WATCH
1993 U.S. MX teams set
With spring approaching and the silly season behind us, the Big Four’s motocross teams are set for another championship chase.
Reigning supercross and 250cc national champ Jeff Stanton is back with Honda, and, like last year, will contest three classes: supercross, and both the 250cc and 500cc outdoor national series. Joining Stanton in the supercross arenas will be Jeremy McGrath and Steve Lampson, who will also compete in the 125cc national series. Doug Henry will join McGrath and Lampson on I25cc machines, and will also ride 125cc supercross events.
Though it dropped Jeff Matiasevich from its roster for ’93, Team Kawasaki remains a contender, with Mike LaRocco and Mike Kiedrowski riding a full schedule of supercross, 250cc and 500cc outdoor nationals. Mike Craig will join them in supercross events, and will be paired with Ryan Hughes in the 125cc national series.
Suzuki will field a massive team in ’93, which includes newly signed Matiasevich, Brian Swink and MX vet Guy Cooper, all riding supercross and the 250cc outdoor series. Joining them will be Damon Huffman and Phil Lawrence, riding East Coast 125cc supercross races, with Jimmy Button and Ezra Lusk aboard 125s for West Coast events.
Yamaha’s motocross team has remained intact for ’93, with 1992 supercross runner-up Damon Bradshaw and Jeff Emig scheduled to ride stadium events and 250cc nationals. Holeshot artist Doug Dubach will also ride supercross events, and will chase the 125cc outdoor title for Yamaha.
And what of ex-champion JeanMichel Bayle? Rumors had him riding a Kawasaki in the opening supercross events of 1993 after Honda Japan yanked Bayle’s roadrace deal, though he has reportedly signed a contract with Aprilia to contest the 250cc grand prix series.
Flyin' Fred ready for take-off again
According to Fred Merkel, three-time AMA Superbike champion and twice the winner of the World Superbike Series, the 1992 WSB season was “a disaster.” A preseason crash left him with two broken feet, which took a long time to heal, and when he finally got back on a racebike, a BYRD Yamaha-backed OW01, he had difficulty readapting.
“There’s nothing more frustrating
that riding with an injury,” Merkel said recently. “It was also hard for me to get fit after the injury-you can’t jog or cycle with bent feet.”
1992 behind him, Merkel is looking forward to the ’93 World Superbike season with renewed interest, and conditioning his 30-year-old body has been a priority.
“I’ve been working hard at getting fit-real fit. I’ve done a lot of mountain biking, and I reckon I’m probably as fit as I’ve ever been in my whole career,” he says.
But Merkel’s enthusiasm is due to > more than his updated physical condition. Yamaha’s all-new YZF750SP, which will form the base for an OWOlreplacing machine, is also cause for Merkel’s gusto. “I rode a kitted version of the new bike at Sugo after last year’s Superbike race,” says Merkel, “and it’s a weapon. It was fast and handled well, so I’m very excited to ride a works version. If it performs as well as I hope, I’m gonna worry those Ducatis and Kawasakis for sure.”
Still, there are doubters, and Merkel is aware of them. “I know that a lot of people have written me off, saying I’m past it and that sort of thing,” he says. “But I want my number-one plate back, and I’m going to do everything I can to get it.”
New AMA Superbike, supersport rules for '93
The AMA has announced several rule changes for both Superbike and AMA/CCS 600 and 750cc supersport racing in 1993, changes designed not only to reduce the cost of racing, but to make it more competitive.
For Superbikes, carburetor and front-fork assemblies no longer must meet homologation requirements, and though that gives teams freedom to use whatever components they desire, the AMA has put a $3500 (for carburetors) and $4500 (for forks) claiming rule in place to keep teams from using exotic, ultra-expensive parts. In addition, the AMA has relaxed its connecting-rod-material requirements, though carbon-fiber wheels have been outlawed, the organization citing massive cost as the reason.
Displacement rules have changed, as well; limits for Twins will be reduced from 1200cc to lOOOcc, and while four-cylinder displacement remains at 750cc, no overboring whatsoever will be allowed.
Absolute displacement limits will also be enforced in supersport racing in ’93, again in an effort to keep costs down. Prior rules had allowed as much as a 1mm overbore, a mod that increased compression, displacement and horsepower. This year, any overboring of cylinders-even to repair damaged liners-is prohibited. Also, any valveseat replacement must be the exact duplicate of the original seat, which puts the special heads used last year by certain factory-backed teams on the workbench for good. U
