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RACE WATCH

Doug Polen on hold

Roadracer Doug Polen suffered a serious injury when he crashed during a practice session at Willow Springs Raceway in California. Polen, who won the 1989 Japanese F-1 and F-3 national championships, lost four toes on his left foot in the crash, and spent a week in the UCLA Medical Center before returning to his home in Texas.

Polen was preparing to race in the Daytona 200—his only U.S. race before heading back to Japan to defend his titles—when the throttle stuck open on his Yoshimura GSXR750 Superbike as he entered Turn Five at Willow.

Even though it appears Polen will miss Daytona and the first two races in Japan, his team is hoping for a quick recovery. “It looks like Doug will be able to walk without a limp, and ride with no problem,” said Polen’s manager, Rodney Sheldon.

Polen added, “Fm taking it one day at a time, and learning all over again what 1 can do.”

Move over Mamola

It used to be Randy Mamola who set the limits for wheelies and kneestretching hang-offs. But now he has to make room for two European roadracers from the 250 GP class who have stepped up to 500s: Juan Garriga and Jean-Philippe Ruggia. These riders became famous, or notorious, last season when they would drag their elbows during fast cornering. Ruggia went so far as to put scape pads on the elbows of his leathers.

In early-season testing this year, both men were at it again. At a track in Jerez, Spain, Ruggia clipped his elbows in the corners, and Garriga soon followed suit, both men hanging wav off their motorcycles and getting farther forward than other riders.

While their style looks great to fans, and should result in thousands of photos being taken, other riders believe it to be dangerous. Eddie Lawson, for example, says, “When you hang that far off, you can’t control the bike if it starts to get out of shape.”

Shobert goes corporate

Bubbii Shobert has taken another large step in the recovery from his serious Laguna Seca crash last April by signing a consultant agreement with American Honda. Shobert says: “It’s a way for me to take a little more time with my recovery. I plan to do a couple of races, but I still will not race until I'm ready.” His racing plans include a possible ride in the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race. Honda officials say that they have no interest in Shobert racing again until he is 100 percent recovered, and that their agreement with Shobert is for promotions and personal appearances.