A Chance, If Done Properly, To Put Cessnock On The Map
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday June 21, 1991
Cessnock City Council has shown how blinkered local government can be by declining to fund a mayoral familiarisation trip to the International Six Days Enduro to be held later this year in Czechoslovakia.
The 1992 ISDE has been awarded to
Cessnock Motorcycle Club has been appointed host club for the 1992 ISDE, which will be run in the Cessnock district.
The ISDE has a huge European following with tens of thousands of spectators attending events each day. In addition to spectators, riders from all around the world make the pilgrimage to what is essentially the world championship of off-road motorcycling.
Australia - particularly Cessnock and the Hunter Valley - stands to gain huge benefits from this event if the necessary organisation, promotion and backing are provided.
For this to happen, it would be prudent for the Mayor, Marie Callaghan, to ignore her fellow ALP councillors, who seem to have a dog-in-the-manager attitude to these things. In this correspondent's opinion, she should venture overseas to see what is in store for Cessnock next year.
Then perhaps Cessnock will be able to begin preparing for what may be the biggest single event, short of a non-ALP member being elected, ever to happen in the town.
HELP FOR GARDNER
Wayne Gardner cannot be happy with his performances in the World 500cc Road Racing Championship after the first half a dozen rounds. To be frank, the old Wollongong Wonder looks like he has had his day.
Never in contention in any race this year to date, Gardner has been squabbling over minor points with riders who, in the past, have not been able to hold a candle to the former champion.
What is wrong with the man? More pertinently, why can't he stay with the likes of Doohan, Rainey, Schwantz and Kocinski?
Much of the problem might be traced to psychological worries Gardner has with his machine preparation. Though there can be no doubt as to the qualifications of Gardner's mechanical backup, the man seems to lack confidence in his machine. Consequently, he seems reluctant to push that little bit extra that would take him from a mid-field runner to being pacesetter.
To counter this, Honda has lined up a mechanical maestro, American Erv Kanemoto, acknowledged as the best in the business, to put some spirit back into Gardner.
Kanemoto has been dealing solely with the 250cc Championship points leader, Luca Cadalora, this season as he felt Honda was asking too much of him in handling Doohan and Gardner also.
Apparently, Kanemoto was persuaded to help Gardner after lengthy discussions with Honda Racing Corporation boss Mr Hoichi Oguma.
Kanemoto is known for his totally professional approach to motorcycle racing with every minute detail attended to. He is a perfectionist with a string of championship wins to his credit, particularly in domestic US motorcycle racing.
Gardner recently indicated that he intended to continue racing next year thereby scotching rumours that he was only going through the motions this season preparing for retirement.
FRETTEN TO THE FORE
Castrol recently held a media day at Eastern Creek Raceway to acquaint motoring writers with Superstreet Series and some of the front-running riders
In attendance was one John Fretten, a former racer and now motorcycle dealer of Blacktown.
He is the mechanical whiz responsible for the missile Honda CBR600 used so effectively last year by Lightweight Superstreet winner Shawn Giles.
It was a stunning win as the CBR had never been a popular mount here and had been deleted from Honda's line-up. Nevertheless, Fretten went to work, strictly within the rules, and turned what was a run-of-the-mill sporty middleweight into a racing machine with no peer in its class.
Fretten said nothing special was done to the bike, by which he meant the innards were carefully gone into to extract the optimum performance within the rules. Giles's input cannot be ignored, either. The lad is now racing in Japan and moves up the ladder with every ride.
The CBR is not running this year which is a pity as it would possibly stack up handily against the Yamaha FZR600s, which are running away with the show in the lightweight class.
GALVIN GOES OS
Team Driza-bone has returned to Europe for year two of a three-year campaign in the 125cc Grand Prix with increased funding and a larger support crew. After placing 14th in the Australian Grand Prix at Eastern Creek, rider Peter Galvin knew that the difficult part of the season was still to come.
"If you think the other classes are competitive and the 125 class is a breeze, you are wrong," he said. "In 1991 the 125 class is so tough you have to qualify within two seconds of the polesitter to be sure of the start."
In addition there are large distances to travel between races but this year Team Driza-bone better knows its way around.
At the recent Spanish Grand Prix, the competition for grid positions was frantic. Galvin qualified in 37th position with a time which last year would have put him 12th on the grid.
Galvin was unfortunate enough to be involved in a collision. He restarted and finished 27th.
Team Driza-bone now has two mechanics, Don Atkins and Dave Stewart, to work on Galvin's Honda RS 125, which has been a great help in giving him more on-track time. Last year, the team functioned with only one mechanic.
Because the FIM has dropped free practice for 1991 it is vital to get the race bike set up quickly so that good times can be achieved in qualifying. Team Driza-bone also has two bikes this year.
Galvin said he knew most of the circuits, which was handy in setting up the bikes. Based on last year's information, the team knows what is likely to work at any given track.
BIG KAWA WIN FANS
The Castrol Superstreet function underlined just how sophisticated sports road bikes have become in the last few years. These motorcycles - 750cc, 600cc and 250cc - offer razor-sharp handling characteristics, raunchy power and incredible braking.
The racetrack is an ideal place to explore their limits. But none of the riders present could resist a few high-speed laps of the circuit on the hugely powerful Kawasaki ZZR1100. Huge grins could be seen behind visors as the ZZR was launched down the main straight and ripped up to 240km/h and beyond. The Superstreet bikes are fast but not in the same league as the ZZR1100.
CHANGE OF VENUE
Because of political instability in Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav GP, due to be held this weekend at the Rijeka circuit, will instead be held at Jarama in Spain.
Some teams had trouble obtaining adequate insurance coverage for travelling in Yugoslavia so representations were made to the FIM to have the venue changed. They were successful.
MAGEE MYSTERY
Kevin Magee has hit the headlines again, this time about a possible ride with the Yamaha team. Magee has been pulled from pillar to post this year as three of the major Japanese manufacturers - Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha -grapple with his career prospects.
So, who is Magee to ride for, Kawasaki or Yamaha? And will we see him on the domestic racing front or will he disappear overseas every few weeks?
© 1991 Sydney Morning Herald
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