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/1125433
CN III VOICES W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G P6 Empire Of Dirt: Gate-Flinch-Gate A week and a half ago I rode a small local motocross race and the gate malfunctioned at one of my starts. Some gates dropped while mine and a couple oth- ers didn't. The race was not restarted and I was really mad, frustrated. Racers go to a lot of trouble to race. From training, eating right, working on bikes to long drives, and gate and race fees. We are okay with getting beat by faster/ better riders, but it is infuriating to do poorly because of unfair fac- tors outside of our control. This race at Pala and any race should absolutely be restarted if there is an equipment malfunc- tion. Sure the fans, sponsors, TV, etc. are important, but the riders always come first. Rider safety and fairness are the high- est priorities to race promoters. If racers are not treated well, there may not be any racers next time. Mike Smith Totally agree. I saw it on TV and commented that they will restart. John Pezzi They all got the same start, flinch or not. Mark Clemence I think that since the start of a motocross race is so important that the Pala race should've been restarted. How many times have you heard the riders say that the key to the race is the start, even the commentators say that for almost every single race. If the start is so important, then there should be no doubt as to the fairness of the start, especially when it comes to a mechanical malfunction. If there is, restart the race. It doesn't take that long. Yes, TV is important but shouldn't the chance of a restart be factored into the overall programing anyway? Heck, I could do without the after-race interviews if needed since the question being asked is usually longer than the riders' answers, which winds up being just a run- down of their sponsors anyway. But that's another topic. Anyway, when in doubt, re- start the race. Ron Harrington What Are They On? It appears to me that the mighty H-D still can throw its weight around. It is great that American Flat Track is shown on NBCS, but am I the only one who has noticed that the results column does not show the brand of bike? So we finally have a variety of manufacturer's products being raced but not getting the credit on TV. Also, the Winston Girl on the podium with Jay Springsteen in the Looking Back page looks like actress Allison Janney from the "Mom" show. Tony Lenard Science I only had to open to the first content page of this week's issue to be dismayed (though not shocked) by all the letters from the I-don't-believe-science crowd, with their full-throated disagreement with the vast ma- jority of climate science. Stephen Farenell "Sure the fans, sponsors, TV, etc. are important, but the riders always come first." Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor