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/127802
INSIDE lHE·T.EXASTORNADOII By Colin Edwards ello again, Cycle News readers. I haven't had a.lot of excitement lately, so this is going to be a little different than my normal column. This one will talk about my likes, dislikes and other things that you guys don't know about me and racers in general. First of all I'll tell you about my last few races. I had a good weekend in Sentul, Indonesia, finishing fourth and fifth in the two races. Even cooler was the fact that I had pole position for the first time in two years. I was over three and a half mph faster down the front straight in the second race after my guys played with a different eXhaust. I rode my butt off and at the end of the day I was happy. Sugo, Japan, on the other hand, was not so nice to me and that's why I'm laid up with a broken collarbone. In the second qualifying session I was going good on a 20-lap race tire, so I pulled in for a qualifying tire. That's when the trouble started. I scrubbed it in out of the pits and started a hot lap. Turn four is a l80-degree hairpin left that doesn't normally present a problem. This time the tire let go and it was beginning to look like a giant highside, but when the tire hooked up it spit me off the fow side instead. A plate and seven screws was the answer to a snapped collarbone. I'll be ready -for Albacete, so don't you worry. Now for the thiflgs I don't like: collarbones; rude people; people with big heads; peop1e who joke at the expense of others, especially when that person is present and humiliated; Ducatis, although I do admire the progress that the factory has made with its window of opportunity. And I· don''t like Wayne Rainey's quotes about American riders racing in the States. I'm not slagging Wayne, but I think you'll agree that it doesn't look too good when he says that nobody here has what it takes. . Well, to all you racers reading this, here's a little hint: Wayne said the same thing about me when I was at Vance & Hines and I hated him for it. Even though I rode 100s with him at Kenny H Roberts' ranch and knew him well enough to call him a friend, it didn't set too well with me. I took the anger of the bad press he gave me and turned it into three wins, pole positions and lap records. That's the other side of the story. Are you catching on? Wayne's secret plan is exposed. He says these things because he wants you to be pissed off and give that extra 10 percent. This game of road racing is 100 percent mental and 10 percent physical hence 110 percent and that's what Wayne wants from each and everyone of us. . I also don't like the fact that in th'e United States it's almost impossible to get outside sponsorship. Chesterfield loves Max Biaggi; Repsol wants to stick with Alex Criville, and Marlboro, on the other hand, wants to stick with Kenny Roberts Sr. no matter what. What do we have in the States? Smokin' Joe's wants Honda. That's it. The United States simply isn't interested in road racing. The Harley and Gold Wing riders may be motorcycle enthusiasts, but hard-core race fans they are riot. For those of you who are serious fans, please don't take that to heart. But we need all of you and all of your friends to come to every race so the sport can grow. This is the only way our young talent will get outsidethe-industry sponsorship. Now for some things that I J!.ke: my girlfriend Alyssia, naturally; the trust and friendship I have in my manager, who also happens to be my father; chocolate-covered' cheesecake; my dogs; wakeboarding; snowboarding and anything with an engine in it. I also love TV. In fact, I might go crazy without Home Improvement, Dream On, The X-Files and Seinfeld after a long day. I do believe that the thing I like most is serious race fans. I view myself as the same as anyone else in this world - I just happen to' have the talent to race motorcycles. Don't get me wrong, I've worked my butt off to get where I am and I'll continue to do so until the game of life is over. I like the fans because we are all the same, and ~ I've been able to stay in touch with a lot of them along the way. Fans want to talk to racers, to get to know who they are not just how they are portrayed as in the press. An example comes to mind: Everyone always asked me if Woody Harrelson was really stupid like his character he played in the TV show Cheers. He's not. He's just a normal guy like you and me. For those of you who don't remember, Woody sponsored Southwest Motorsports when we won the AMA 250cc Grand Prix Championship. Speaking of 250s, Kenny Roberts Jr. comes to mind. I'm so happy for him because his 500cc GP career is really corning together. I know what all of you were saying to yourselves when Kenny got the ride because I was saying the same things. Now you have to admit that he deserves the ride as much as anyone. Opportunity is the key word here and he was really given a good one. There are a handful cif riders I could name who, given the same opportunity, could learn to ride a 500. One more thing to those young racers who may be reading this: You can no longer ride on heart alone, something that used to be possible. You have to communicate with your team. You have to go into a race knowing that you have the best bike and the best tires. More importantly, you have to know that you are the best and that no one is going to beat you on that day. This may sound strange, but everyone says the same thing on race day: ''I'm going to give it my best and try to win this race." Well, what is try? Try is doubt! If you doubt you can win, you're not going to. Now read that quote again without the words "try to." Now that's commitment. The more you commit, the more you will realize that you're the best. That's the whole reason we are racing - to be the best. Some of you may believe we are doing this for the money. Well, for the risks we take it doesn't pay squat compared to the $10 or 20 million they pay guys to throw a ball through a hoop. Ask any of those ball players if they'd take a huge pay cut to race around at 180 mph on two wheels for a living. My purpose in writing this article was for you to get to know what makes me tick..I have no problem telling you about my personal life and my thoughts because I believe you want to know. And for those of you who want to know the real truth about Anthony Gobert and Aaron Slight, read on. The truth is, no fists were ever thrown despite what you may have read elsewhere. Gobert was drunk and Aaron was drinking a cup of tea. And it was Kirk McCarthy who actually pissed in Neil Hodgson's helmet - the thing that really got the ball rolling. Nobody ever pissed in Aar.on's helmet, although that was reported in another magazine. Gobert did throw pastries at Slight's motorhome and that's what got them started. What you don't know is that Gober~ and Slight had an incident at Sugo back in 1994. Aaron was leading the World Championship at the time and he was slammed in one of the final comers by Gobert, who ended up beating Slight. The twist is that they were both riding for Honda with Gobert only doing a few races while Slight was doing the whole championship. Aaron was pissed off, to say the least, because he lost a few valuable points to another rider who he felt was a little out of control. Gobert, out of control? Noway!! You can make what you want of the whole incident. But what you don't know is that later that same night Hodgson pissed in Gobert's helmet. In case you haven't realized it yet, Gobert doesn't have many friends in the World Superbike paddock. Well, it's time to close and go to sleep. I'll write again soon. Remember to be the best - believe it, smell it and feel it or do something else. Be safe and be happy. Peace. (N ,_ lOOKING BACK;. i~1 25 YEARS AGO... OCTOBER 5, 1971 t the 46th running of the International Six Days Trials the U.S. World Trophy Team showed the world they were for real by securing a fourth-place finish tied 'with Holland. Czchechoslovakia took .:. first, followed by Wesi e and East Germany...Tom Rockwoo was the winner of the Ascot National Half Mile held in Gardena, California. John Hately got second and Jody Nicholas finished third. Kenny Roberts won the l4-lap Junior FinaL.Gustav A Rabier won the 500cc International class Motocross des Nations (500cc) in Geron a CZ at the Trans-AMA Motocross many. Great Britain finished second held in Boise, Idaho. Torleif Hansen finand Belgium took third ...Husqvama's ished second on a Husqvarna and John Terry Cunningham celebrated his 23rd Banks took third on birthday in style by winning the Black CZ'-Tim Hart won thelr;~nr;:""!":lh,..,. _ Coal AMA National Enduro in _ 250 Support class on a • Lynnville, Indiana. CunningMaico. ham's team captain and defend15 YEARS AGO... ing National Enduro Champion SEPTEMBER 30, 1981 Dick Burleson finished second, rth Brow won and KTM's .Darryl Kuenzer he turnultuou earned third place. San Jose Mile riding the factory 5YEARS AGO... Harley of Ja OCTOBER 2, 1991 Springsteen, wh The American Team of Mike was out sick. Han Kiedrowski (125cc), Damon Scott and Mik Bradshaw (250cc), and Jeff Kidd got second Stanton (500cc) won the Dutch and third, respecMotocross des Nations, making it tively... The American team 0 eleven in a row for the United States. LaPorte, Johnny O'Mara, Donnie Belgitiin finished second and Holland . Hansen, and Chuck Sun backed up took third ...Fast by Ferracci's Doug their Trophy des Nations (250cc) win in Polen and Ducati's Raymond Roche Belgium a week earlier by winning the split wins at round 10 of the World Superbike Series in Hockenheim, Germany...Denmark smashed its opposition in the World Team Cup speedway finals at horne in Vojens, Denmark. Sweden finished second and the defending champion American team of Sam Ermolenko, Billy Hamill, Greg Hancock, Rick MiIJer, and Ronnie Cor(N rey finished third. G 75