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/127772
r-----------------------------------------------, .'" 1 1 I. ward position during th e tw o-monthlong infection phase, his ankle has next to no movement and he still can' t move his toes. Now when he downshifts, Mladin has to stomp the lever with his heel. Although h e visi ted th e s a m e Queenslan d orthop edic su rg eo n who trea ted Mic k Dooha n's rig h t leg, and fo u n d a good p h ys ical thera p is t, Mladin's afflictions are likely to be permanent. Luckily, the '95 national ch ampionships d idn 't start until Jul y, but Mladin only began r id ing a month before the first round at Eastern Creek. With the aid of a walking stick and a ca rbon-fiber ankle brace, Mladin was able to mo unt and dismount th e bike. Wha t fo ll o wed was indeed a b ra ve comeback. He qualified fourth in his fir st race in ov er eigh th mon ths, then suffered from a blown engine in race o ne. In race two he engaged Ducatimounted Shawn Giles and Honda rider Kirk McCarthy in a fierce dice to finish third . Th en a t th e fina l round of the Shell Superbike Sprint Series a month later, Mlad in dom inated his race-hard ene d opposition , ba gging pol e before ta king victory in both le gs. La te r he broke his wrist at the d angerous lakesi de circuit in Queensland after sla mming into an embankment, but throu gh it all, Mlad in finished second in the Aus tralia n cham pionshi p behind a very consiste nt McCarthy. Asked how d evas ta ting his run of luck ha d been, Mladin si m ply said, "There's still plenty of racing left in me, and I love rid ing. Retirement has never crossed my mind." For 1996, Mlad in will be based in Anaheim, California, and will have former Muzzy and Team Kawasaki Australia w rench Reg O 'R ou rke workin g with him. Dismissin g fears he may suffer bouts of homesickness, Mladin said, "No way. I love America . It's a lot like Au stralia but every thing is bigger, better an d cheaper. Yeah , I'm gonna get myself a pe rsona l tra iner, because it's a long season, and I'll need to get 100 percen t fit. I'm read y to go." Mlad in was very impressed wi th the speed of the new Suzu ki GSXR750 at his first ride at Sears Point before the Ne w Year, and is confiden t it will have the horsepower to do the job. His bu ild-up has not been in tens ive, since team mate Pascal Picotte has undertaken the majo r testing duties. Mladin goes to the Daytona 200 without ever having d one a lap there, and said he was su rprised by the dangerous nature of Sears Point. The othe r downsi de in his U.S. campaign will be that he does n't know a lot about his rivals, except for two of the favorites - Miguel DuHamel, and his old GP buddy Doug Chand ler . "I raced Miguel at the 1991 Philip Island 6-Hour, a nd Doug in Europe. The standard in the U.S. is obviously very high, so I'm unde r no illusions. It's going to be tough." , For American race fans , an in-form Mladin will be a sight to behold. A holeshot specialist - borne out of his early motocross days - he can d estr oy the opposition with his raw aggression and forceful style. He wa s accused of dangerous rid ing last year, a charge he and Doyle vehemently deny. And when he gets on a roll, he's hard to stop. In 1992, Mladin set an Australian record of 13 consecutive su perbike wins tha t was only broken by Cors- • e r rid ing a Yam aha aWOl in a damp race in Western Australia. For Mladin to p roduce that form , he will need to gel w ith the Suzuki and the team, and put the las t three years behind him. As he says, it's going to be tough. ~ mARCH eVenT/: March 16 Astrodome Houston, TX Tickets by phone: (713) 629-3700 -- II:=- March 23 Texas Stadium Irving, TX Tickets by phone: (214) 647-5700 March 30 RCA Dome Indianapolis, IN Tickets by phone: (317) 239-5151 ./XDUN.£OP ~~ ~ Simply the best lor your bilu. MotoWoI'fd SCOTTU~ AlIA I AN C TI O N E D ' - _• • • • • •""111111/ ~----------- ------------- .---------------------------~ OfFICIAL IUPERCROII RE/ULT I HOTLinE 1 1 1 1 1 1 FORMERLY 1-900-HOT-RACE 1996 SERVICE BEGINS JANUARY1 -900-PIO RACE 776-7223 1 L. 1 $2.00 FIRST MINUTEI$1.DO EACH AoomONAL MINUTE - MUST BE 18YEARS OR OLDER ' W" 'V I D E O RELEASES Now Available Through Cyc le News Video Theater MOTOCROSS WIPEOUT (#63) It's "Wipeout," the all-new motorcycle crash video series from Motovideo. "Motocross Wipeout," the first tape in the series, features the most outrageous supercross and motocross crash footage ever assembled . You'll see hundreds of "moments" comp iled in this one video . Narrated by Larry Maiers and his buddy Gus Larrsion, this current and spontaneous production is full of new wild and crazy crash footage. 60 minutes from Motovideo. To Order Videos, Call (310) 427-7433 - Charge to .J