Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/103448
VOL. 48 ISSUE 44 DECEMBER 13, 2011 P165 in a hard-fought battle that went to the bitter end; and there's a beaten and bruised John Hopkins almost bringing a British Superbike title home to California. And that's not even mentioning some of the others – like Chaz Davies proving once and for all that nice guys can finish first in the World Supersport Championship. Ditto for flat track where Jake Johnson came out on top of a battle with Jared Mees and Sammy Halbert that went to the very last race of a long season of racing that started in Florida and ended in California. And Eddie Krawiec… this guy didn't just ride the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to the NHRA Pro Stock Championship – he also runs the engine department back at the shop in Indy. In off-road racing, the list is again long. Kurt Caselli won both the WORCS and National Hare & Hound titles – even though those are significantly different forms of offroad racing; Russell Bobbitt won a fourth AMA National Enduro Championship; Charlie Mullins took his first GNCC crown in a series widely perceived as the most prestigious offroad championship in the country; and Taddy Blazusiak went unbeaten in a series that really seems impossible not to screw up. But for 2011, Hancock is our man and he becomes the first Speedway rider to win the Cycle News Rider of the Year – an award we brought back to life in 1992 when Wayne Rainey won his third 500cc World Championship. Since then, Hancock has won two world titles – 14 years apart - and next year he could move out of a tie with his hero Bruce Penhall and become the only American to ever win three World Speedway crowns. If he does so, he'll be 42 years old. Win or not, Hancock proved his mettle this year and when you talk to him he's as excited about racing as he was all those years ago. Even though– his words, not ours – he's "no spring chicken." CN 164-165 Backpage.indd 165 LOOKING BACK 30 Years Ago January 13, 1982 We were "zooming into 1982" 30 years ago and to celebrate we featured a reproduction of David B. Mattingly's poster Flying High on the cover… Inside our year-end issue, we hung out and interviewed several '81 champs, such as Dale Singleton, Mark Barnett, Broc Glover, Dick Burleson and Kent Howerton… For the fourth year in a row, Louis McKey, aka Phantom Duck of the Desert, was voted Cycle News West Rider of the Year, and Hank Scott was voted CN East Rider of the Year. 20 Years Ago January 8, 1992 Our feature story 20 years ago was the evolution of the "most expensive street bike" – the Honda NR750, which was pictured on the cover in our 1991 year-end issue… We interviewed champions Mike Kiedrowski, Thomas Stevens and Ryan Young… We covered the 13th Laugh-In Trophy Trials at Glen Helen Raceway that was won by Bill Manley. Malcolm Smith won the Balls class… Danny Hamel won the Laughlin Hare Scrambles. 10 Years Ago January 2, 2002 The 1991 National Motocross and Supercross Champion, Ricky Carmichael, was featured on the cover of Cycle News 10 years ago. We voted him the 2001 Cycle News Rider of the Year… We interviewed '91 champs Valentino Rossi, Mat Mladin, Mike Brown, Stefan Everts and Mike Brown… Shane Esposito and Kellon Walsh teamed up to win the Vegas 200… Josh Woods was top dog at the Florida Winter Olympics. 12/12/11 2:28 PM