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RACE WATCH
Paris to Dakar
Despite the bad press, papal condemnations and truly frightening reputation generated last year, the 11th annual Paris-to-Dakar Rally happened as scheduled, getting started on Christmas day. This year, no Americans were allowed to participate because the rally passed through Libya.
When it was all over, there were no deaths, just the usual spectacular crashes. The winner of the motorcycle race was French ISDE legend Gilles Lalay. It was Lalay’s first win in many tries, and it might well be his last, as his sponsor, Honda of France, announced that it would not compete next year. Suzuki also said it would not be back.
Supercash in Supercross
Never have so many ridden so hard for so little. That’s been the unofficial motto for the AMA supercross series in the past. Basically, the purse that supercross racers ride for has been embarrassingly small—the winner usually gets somewhere just over $ 1000 for his efforts. The riders earn their real money from factory contracts and bonuses, not from the races themselves. So racing is a losing proposition for the unsponsored rider, no matter how well he does.
This year, that’s in the process of change. The 1989 supercross series will be called the Camel Supercross Series, as R.J. Reynolds is putting up $ 125,000 in a year-end point fund. The individual races will be sponsored by Adolf Coors Co., and so there will be a significant increase in purse at the individual races as well.
How serious is Suzuki?
Pretty darn serious. At least judging by its 1989 GP roadrace team. Last year, nobody expected Suzuki and Kevin Schwantz to do as well as they did, but Schwantz won two GPs, including the prestigious series opener in Japan. This year, few would consider a world championship out of Suzuki’s reach. Joining Team Pepsi Suzuki this year is a perfect counterpart for Schwantz— British rider Ron Haslam. Where Schwantz is young and relatively inexperienced, 32-year-old Haslam has two major championship titles (World Formula TTFl and TTF3) and IO GP seasons to his credit. Haslam also is known to be an excellent developmental rider—he hud to be in his years riding the Elf project bike—and with the V-Four Suzuki still suffering slightly in comparison to the Hondas and Yamahas, his value could go far beyond his ability to win races.
Who’s the Best?
litho’s the best motocrosser in the world? Is it Rick Johnson? Jeff Ward? Young Damon Bradshaw? If you put any stock in what Roger De Coster has to say, it’s Jean-Michel Bayle, the 19-year-old Frenchman who came out of nowhere to win the 125cc world championship in 1988. “Bayle has more talent than anyone,” De Coster says. “He just needs to become stronger. Right now he doesn’t want to work out, but he will ride all day long.” With Bayle already beating the Americans on occasion, just think of how fast he would be if he did work out.
