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
Pi cotte h a s w on AMA Supe rb ik e Nationals, so he knows how to win. If the new Suzuki is as good as its prerace hype, Picotte could end up on top again in '96. Teething problems may set him ba ck a bit in his first season on the Suzuki, and for that rea son w e d idn't p ick him h igher than fourth. lee h as to o ffer, he'll be a better racer because of it. Be in g in a team that is truly Dul-lamel's may not prove to be an easy task, but this is all Crevie r ever wan ted the best equipment. Let's see how he does with it. don't know if he still has the desire. If he does, this pick will be way off and James will finish in the top fou r. ~ ~ > ~ > z z w - wi th Erald o Ferracci an d th e hot -rod Du cati - bu t both come w ith no superbike racing experience. It coul d be a lon g year for Ferracci and his crew, but then again he coul d come out of this looking like a genius. Thom as Wil son is the second of the two factory Harley-Davidson riders, an d he too is a superbike-class rookie. A rookie racing a VRl000 against the very best... it may take him a little while to adjust. ::: Other so-called Experts Thomas Stevens - 1 9 9 0 AMA Superbike Nat ional Champion 9. Chris Carr - #74 - Age : 28 Hometown: St ockton. California Team: Harley -Davidson Best result in 1995: 9th (Fireb ird) 7. Mat Mladin - #66 - Age: 24 Hometown : Camden. Aust ralia Team: Yoshimura Suzuki Best resu lt in 1995: Did not race in the AMASeries. 5. Mike Smith - #68 - Age: 29 Hometown: Atlanta. Georg ia Team: Muzzy Kawasaki Best result in 1995: 2nd (Brainerd. Sears Pointl till the FMTNWAN (Fastest Man ToNever Win A National), Smith may end up ridding himself of that label in 1996. Together with Doug Chandler, the Muzz y Kawasaki team should end up producing results that will make the mustachioed Rob Muzzy forget about Scott Russell. Many thought th at 1995 w ould be Smith's season to thrive. He was on a Fast By Ferracci Ducati, and it seemed to be his tim e. It wa sn 't. Smith never reall y go t it going until it was too late. He very nea rly w on in Road Ameri ca - a n d perh aps shoul d h ave - before endi ng up th ird behind DuHamel and Hale. He was close again in Brainerd and Sears Point, but he just nev er had enou gh to beat DuHamel but then again, not many did . There are a few riders in AMA racing that ar e fast approaching put-up-or-shut-up time in _ their careers - Smith is one of those. S t' s rare when you can sa y that a 24yea r-old is rebuilding .his career, but that' s exactly what Australi an M at Mladin is doing. The former Cagiva 500cc Grand Prix rider and Australian road racin g champion is trying to get b a ck to where he w as just three short years ago. Once touted as the next great Australian road racer, Mladin found himself virtually kicked o u t of Grand Prix racing. His ca ree r rebuild st arted la st yea r with Kawasaki Au stralia and he proved once again that he's capable of winning races. H e'll co m pete ab oa rd th e ne w Su zuki GSXR750 al ongside Pascal Picotte an d Aaron Yates in 1996. He'll be facing new competition, new race tracks and he'll be doing so on a new motorcycle. Who really knows how well he'll do ? I his much can be said of Carr: He will finish each and every race th at the H arlev-Dav idson VRIOOO allows him to. Alth ough he is only beginnin g his second year of road racin g. Carr doesn 't tread over the line, and he doesn't make many m istakes. As a former AMA Grand N ational Champion, he has as much racing experience as anyon e in the field. His pe rforman ces will be dictated by how much better the Harley has become over the winter - Carr has alread y proven that he is capable of bein g a top-level road racer. T no th e r who co ul d s urprise in 1996 is yo ung Aaron Yates . The Ge o rgian is b ig , talented a n d brave . H e fin ished in the top 10 in one AMA Superbike race last yea r, despite riding what am ounted to not much more than a Superspo rt-spec Suzuki GSXR750. H is hard rid es in the 750cc Super sport class netted him the opportunity of a lifetim e as a full factorv rider o n the Yoshim ura Suzuki team.' He is destined to make mistake s, and that's why he wasn't picked higher. A 6. Steve Crevier - # 14 - Age: 28 Hometown: Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. Canada Team: Srnokin' Joe's Honda , Best result in 1995 : 2nd (Pomona) uch like Kipp, Crevier could end up jumping to the top third of the cha mpionship by season's end. The comedic little Canadian will benefit greatly fro m being in the Smokin' Joe's Racing team, and he'll also profit from the tutelage of tuner Merl yn Plumlee. If Crevier listens to even half of what Plum- M e will all find out quickly ju st how serious Jamie James is about motorcycle racing in 1996. Injured for most of the 1995 season, James returns to battle in his last year of a twoyear contract with Vance & Hines Yamaha. And this m ay be his final season of motorcycle racing . James wants to go car racing full time, and his performance in 1996 will tell just how quickly he get s to pursue that avenue. He still has the talent an d sheer s pee d to w in races, but w e W 1. Miguel DuHamel 2. Pascal Picotte 3. Doug Chandler 4 . Tom Kipp 5. Steve Crevier 6. Mike S mith 7. J amie J ames 8. Aaron Yates 9. Larry Pegram 10. Ch ris Carr 1. Migue l DuHamel 2. Tom Kipp 3. Pasca l Picott e 4 . Matt Mladin 5. Do ug C handle r 6. J am ie J ame s 7. S te ve Crevie r 8. Mike S mith g. Aaron Yates 10. S hawn Higbe e Hometown: Miliedgeville. Geo rgia Team: Yoshimura S uzuki Best result in 1995: 8th (Sears Pointl Hometown : Prairieville. Louisiana Team: Vance & Hines Yamaha Best result in 1995 : 4th (Pomona. MidOhio) Larry Lawrence AMA Pro Racin9 D ale Q ua rter ley - recently retired top AMA Superbike rider 10. Aaron Yates - #20 - Age: 22 8 . Jamie James - #2 - Age: 34 1. Miguel DuHamel 2. Tom Ki pp 3. Doug Chandl e r 4. Mike Smith 5. Jamie James 6. Pascal Picotte 7. Steve C revier 8. C hris Carr 9. Aaron Yate s 10. Mat Mladin Wi ld Cards: Lany Pegram, Thomas Wilson. Shawn Higb~... These three riders could very easily be the Dale Quarterleys of our previous seasons of Top 10 picking . Pegram and Hig'bee both come to the races well-equipped Martin Adams - S mok in ' Joe's tea m owner 1. Miguel DuHame l 2. Steve C revie r 3. Tom Kipp 4. Mike S mith 5. Doug C handle r 6. J amie J ames 7. Pascal Picott e 8. Matt Mladin 9 . Aaron Yates 10. Larry Pegram Henny Ray Abrams - Cycle News contributor 1. Doug Chandler 2. Miguel DuHamel 3. Pascal Picotte 4. Tom Kipp 5. Mike Smith 6 . Steve Crevier 7. Mat Mlad in 8. Jamie James 9 . Aaron Yate s 10 . Larry Pegram 17