Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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VOL. 50 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 3, 2013 P105 thrust of his team's development work has been to solve this difficulty, and internal fork changes and alterations to the balance have made some progress. The tires are the same for all, and other riders have found a way around this problem. They've adapted themselves as much as their motorcycles. This is the important point. Adapting gets harder as you get older. Rossi is hardly a geriatric at 34, but in MotoGP terms it is certainly a ripe old age. Only Colin Edwards, now 39, is older. And 20-year-old Marquez – damn his eyes and bless his cotton socks – is only three years past half Rossi's age. The time will come when he too is unable to adapt to changing technology. But it's not going to happen next Wednesday. And for several hundred Wednesdays after that. At Brno, Rossi made a single remark that showed signs of serious cracks. Condemned once again to a third-row start in the new 15-minute dash-for-it qualifying procedure, he dubbed the system "unfair." Slower riders gaining grid positions by following others. As if that didn't also happen when there was a full hour of qualifying or even before that, when there were four full qualifying sessions. As for unfair, last time anyone checked it was the same for everybody. Rossi's target was Alvaro Bautista, on the front row ahead of Marquez after tailing him. He had the satisfaction of beating the Spaniard in the race, albeit by only a few feet. Getting older myself, as one does, I'd love to see Rossi kick all these young upstarts where it hurts. But I fear his legendary luck may have deserted him. I recall, also at Brno many years ago, a plague of wasps. Several riders were stung; Loris Capirossi had to be rushed to the medical center suffering anaphylactic shock. A wasp got into Rossi's helmet also in the race. He opened his visor, and it flew away. He won. I have a bad feeling that if it had happened this year, it would have stung him on the eyelid. The Joker wouldn't care a bit. CN LOOKING BACK 40 Years Ago September 11, 1973 We featured a cut-away view of the new Can-Am rotary-valve motor… Roger DeCoster, Sylvain Goebers, Jaak Von Velthoven and Raymond Heeren led the Belgian team to victory at the Motocross des Nations in Switzerland. Team USA – John DeSoto, Jim Pomeroy and Mike Hartwig – finished fourth… Kel Carruthers led a Yamaha sweep at Talladega. 30 Years Ago September 14, 1983 The brand new 500cc World MX Champion, Hakan Carlqvist, was featured on the cover 30 years ago… Mike Baldwin clinched his second consecutive US Road Racing Championship at Brainerd… Ted Boody topped the Hamburg Half Mile… Dan Smith and Dan Ashcraft teamed up to win the Frontier 500 in the Nevada desert. 20 Years Ago September 8, 1993 Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey were featured on the cover 20 years ago to accompany our preview of the US Grand Prix... Miguel DuHamel was the man at Sears Point… Mike LaRocco (500cc) and Doug Henry (125cc) were victorious at Binghamton's Broome-Tioga… Ricky Graham grabbed his 10th win of the Grand National Series at Parkersburg. 10 Years Ago September 3, 2003 We featured Stefan Everts on the cover 10 years ago for winning the German Grand Prix… Ricky Carmichael (250cc) and James Stewart (125cc) were the big winners at Binghamton… Kenny Coolbeth won the Sedalia Half Mile in Missouri… Jeremy McGrath competed in the Great American Hillclimb in Montana and finished second to Travis Whitlock. Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives