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/127759
VOICES America's weekly motorcycle newspaper Letters to the editor Volume XXXII Sharon Gayton, President Michael Klinger, Publisher Editorial Paul Carruthers, Editor Kit Palmer, Associate Editor • Donn Maeda, Associate Editor Scott Rousseau- Associate Editor Mark Hoyer, MJlnaging Editor Keith Bush, Copy Editor Advertising Terry Pratt, National Accounts Manager Mark Mitchell, Eastern Accounts MJlnager Mark Thome, Western Sales Manager Thomas Gonter, Westenl Sales Manager Forrest Hayashi, Western Sales Manager Greg MitchclI, Eastern Sales Manager Rick Matheny, Eastern Sales Manager Rhonda Crawford, Western Ad Coordinator Carla Allen, Eastern Ad Coordinator Laurie Snow, Assistant Marketing & Promotion Mark Thome, Manager New Media Development Mark Mitchell. Director Rick Matheny, Operatiolls Gassified Ads Sharon Van Hazelen Graphics and Production Ree Jolmson, Productioll Supervisor Mandy Loo, Productioll MJlnager Dennis Greene, lAb. Tech. Stacey Guest, Graphic Artist Amy Faught, Graphi<: Artist Administration Judy Klinger, Coordinator Peggy Rivera, Secretary to the Publisher AccountinglData Processing Donna Bryan-Diamond, NR Coordinator Geneva Repass, Assistallt Herlane Lewis, Credit Circulation Rheba Smi th, Manager Alma Anguiano, Processing Coordillator Pam Klein. Billing Coordinator Carol Begovie, Dealer Coordinator Service and Support Bridgett Bobrofsky, Receptionist Leonard Herring, Service and Support National Headquarters 2201 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 90801-0498 (310) 427-7433; (213) 636-8844. FAX (310) 427-6685 Eastern Office 4188 First Ave., Tucker, GA, 30084; mailing address P.O. Box 805, Tucker, GA 3OOSS-{)805. (770) 934-7850. FAX (770) 934-3112 e-mail ec!jtor@cyclenew .com subscribe@cyclenews.com advertising@cyclenews.com Internet http://www.cyclenews.com Cycle News,(USPS 141·340) is publBhed weekly e>cept the last two weeks of the ca'endar year for $50.00 per year by Cycle N...... lnc., 2201 O>erry Avenue. Loog Beach, CA 9OIlO6. Second class postage paid at Long Beach, CA and at addition· aJ mailing office. Canada Post International PubLicat'ioM Mail '546615. pQSTMASTEl(, Smd addmls chan3'S 10 Cyclo ows, P.O. 80x 498, Long 8each. CA 9080HJ498. To drtmnine the uplration date of your subscription, chedc the four numbers on the firslline of your address label. The first two digits indkate the bst issue number you'D receive and the Lut Iwo characte.1I indicate the yeM of the bst lssue. Su~prion rates: Rntes for the United States and i~ p0ssession! for one year. (SO issues). 551100; two years (100 iSl!lues1 595.00; six months. (25 issues~ 526.00; trial sub (15 i5!ues1 $19.00. Canada and Foreign. one year (SO issues). 591100; two yOOlll (100 issu..). $175.00; six months (25 i5sues~ 541iOO; trial sub (15 issues~ $38.00, Cycle News welcomes unsolicited editoriaJ material including stories. cartoons. photos, etc. Such milte-riaL if published, becomes the exclusive property of Cycle News. Reprinting in whole or part only by permission of the publisher. Advertising rates and circulation infonnation will be sent upon request. ~ S.R.DS. W!!r.8 ~~noN Printed in U.S.A. Co~yrigh Cyclo Nows, Inc 1995. Trademark Cyclt Nows reglSter!d U.S. P,tont Oflk.. All rights reserved. Wanting San Jose I am writing in concern about this year's AMA Supercross schedule leaving off the San Jose Supercross. Thousands of people were disappointed last year that there wasn't going to be a supercross, but a last-second change made thousands of people have a change of heart. Taking out the San Jose Supercross is like taking a pacifier from a baby. The riders love the crowd response and most of the time the racing is fast paced and fun. I think they should add another Supercross and bring it back to the San Jose Stadium. J know people will be thankful. Matthew Bernal mbemal@odowd.pvt.k12.ca.us Stephenson says... This is a public letter to Bob Varsha and Art Eckman of MotoWorld, in response to their biased reporting of a post-race interview at the Des Moines Arenacross. First, I'd like to give some facts. J've had some unfortunate luck in Arenacross, and this race was the one-year anniversary of me breaking my leg. eedless to say, I en.tered the weekend a little cautious. Going into Saturday's mains, I was feeling confident that J had survived Friday's racing and was hoping for a win. After giving everything I had in a battle with local Chad Pederson, I pulled out the win in the l2Scc main. What a feeling. I was really ~xcited and happy for myself. And what did [ receive for my hard work? As you could hear on MotoWorld, a very loud ovation of boos and finger gestures from the Iowa crowd. Well, all J can say is that emotions run deep and I didn't appreciate or d~e to get booed. So all I said was, "If Chad's not upset with me, then ya'll can kiss my ass." No more, no less, nothing that couldn't be heard on regular TV. And as far as the fans go, [ sat and signed autographs and tallced to many kids and families for well over an hour after the races. I received nothing but kind words and many wished that they had the opportunity to say the same thing I had. All I'm saying is that it all got blown way out of proportion by MotoWorld. And until what happened to me actually happens to you, don't sit behind your desk and pass judgment on me. Dermy Stephenson Omaha,NE B·t~V Well, everyone should know by now that the Barstow-to-Vegas Hare and Hound desert race is back on for 1996. It will be INSIDE fssue #49, December 13, 1995 held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving as always. I think we need to say some thanks to the people who fought so hard over the years to bring this great event back. Going as far as to get arrested at the Barstow-toVegas protest ride, and taking the BLM to court on several occasions and winning. The people we should thank are Louis McKey (the Phantom Duck of the Desert) and Rick Sieman of Dirt Bike fame. These two are also known. as the founding fathers of the Sahara Gub. Also a thanks to the Desert Vipers M/C for putting on the ride for 1996. Give them a call on their Viperphone at 714/779-5313 to get on the 1996 B-to-V mailjng list and show your supporl Jim Toering San Jacinto, CA According to our sources, no permit aplicatioll has yet been submitted to the BLM, thus no permit has been granted to hold the B-to-V mce nextyear...Editor. Godspeed, Pop The motorcycle community suffered a great loss on November 18 when James M. Skinner, known to many as "Pop," suffered a fatal heart attack. He was well known in British bike circles for his expertise with Triumphs and BSAs and owned and worked at Skinner's Motorcycles in Auburn, Alabama, since 1957. Up until his death, he was still actively repajring, restoring and riding British bikes and was building racing engines for me, his son, John Skinner. Aside from motorcycles, "Pop" had an exciting military career, being a World War IT and Korean War veteran, inj tiallY enlisted in the Army Air Corp. He received the Purple Heart and was a member of the Flying Tigers. James Skinner will surely be missed by all who knew and loved him. The family would like to say thank you for the many wonderful people who have shown their concern. John T. Skinner Aubum,AL What if? What if World Supercross expanded its series to 20-25 races? What if some of those races overlapped with U.s. Supercross? What if the payouts were much greater than in the U.S.? What if fast privateers such as Larry Ward, Mike Craig and Brian Swink found it financially rewarding to race World Supercross instead of U.S. Supercross? What if McGrath. LaRocco and Ernig were forced to race against Arenacross squids because they are contracted to race U.S. Supercross? . FEATURES NEW PRODUCTS MOTOCROSS Florida Winter Olympics EVENTS ROAD RACING Dunlop Tire Test.. 6 20 DEPARTMENTS LEADERBOARD , 26 22 CALENDAR. 32 WANTADS 12 RACER TEST Loris Reggiani's Aprilia RSV400 .....16 TEST 1996 Suzuki RM250 14 36 GUEST EDITORIAL LOOKING BACK , .51 51 ON THE FRONT COVER First test: 1996 Suzuki RM250. Photo by Joe Bonnello. Burnin' rubber at the Dunlop tire test in Daytona. Photo by Henny Ray Abrams. John Kocinski rides again in Italy. Photo by Paolo Gozzi. What if the promoters of U.s. Supercross (whatever they are calling themselves this week) had the number-two show instead of the best? What if the factories saw global sales advantages in World Supercross and put it yen there instead of here? What if motocross god Roger DeCoster thought World Supercross was the wave of the future? What if the AMA pulled its head out of the sand before this happened? Greg Finley Wmfie1d,KS Live TV? [just read about AMA Superbike racing being live on TV for 1996. It's great to see that somebody is trying to make the righf moves to finally get live motorcycle road racing on TV. However, this is not going to work unless Prime Sports gets control of the format and schedules of the local networks they subcontract air time to. Let me explain. For the last three years that Prime has been broadcasting motorcycle road racing, we have not seen about 70 percent of the races that have been included in local TV guides or scheduled by major publications including the AMA magazine and the sponsors of the series, Cycle World. The level of frustration felt by local fans can only be imagined. After contacting the local channel in my area (ASP ), I was given the same reason I've been given for the last two years - ASPN doesn't have to adhere to the forma t of Prime Sports; they only broadcast what they feel is of interest to local viewers, and all of the ball games they broadcast instead of motorcycle racing are set up in a contract with local agencies well in advance. So for the AMA and First Auto Sports Television (FAST) to claim they are going to have "live" motorcycle racing on TV... well, it sounds like a broken promise before it even happens. I know that my area isn't the only one with this problem. Having had conversations with people from California and New York, J can. only assume that the problem is widespread. I am hoping, and I think I speak for many fans out there, that somebody is listening so that they can do something to correct this sad state of affairs. JoseObando Phoenix,AZ Letters to the editor should be nnt to Voi('es, Cycle News, P.O. Box 498, Long Beach, CA 908060498, faxed to 3101427-6685 or ..mail, editor@cycl.. news.com. Published letters do not necess.uHy refled the position of Cycle ews, Inc. Letters should not exceed 200 words and all lette.rs are subject to editing. Anonymous Idlers will not be considered for publication. All letters should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number ... Editor.