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/127996
No Knievel fan After watching Robbie Knievel's jump across the Grand Canyon on Fox, [ had to write. ot only was the jump pathetic, but his sport manship after he crashed was anything but professional. If you watched closely, "Captain" Knievel yelled at the EMTs who were trying to help, then said, "Let's get away from these idiots." I bet they were thinking the same thing about you, Robbie. I am a Pro motocrosser and I am sure I speak for all the supercross and motocross Pros out there when I say that the Grand Canyon jump and any other jumps that Robbie has done before are -jokes. Money and his father's name are the only reasons that Robbie is famous. Oh, another thing, Robbie: Try standing up - it might just help. I'm sorry, but I know that crash would not have happened if he had been standing up instead of sitting down. I'm sure many people weren't impressed with Robbie's jump or his attitude that day - I sure wasn't. So if he wants to turn heads, he should try a jump with Seth Enslow. Dustin Evans Victorville, CA Speedvision rules Thank you, Speedvision. I want to personally thank the Speed vision network for finally bringing motorcycle racing to the television like it was meant to be. I have watched racing on TV since the 70s, when r trudged through the snow to watch the U.S. GP from Carlsbad in January at a friend's house - even though it was six months earlier and we knew that Gerritt had spanked them again. Talk about a tape delay. Then, in the late '80s, we gathered around to watch Flyin' Fred beat the world in World Superbike racing. Lately, however, it's like playing program roulette with espn2. You never really know whether you'll get racing or women's Bohemian soccer from Yugoslavia. Trying to guess when MotoWorid is going td be on has made me abandon the show. Now along comes Speedvision and broadcasts that are shown when scheduled and that are scheduled consistently. They are also broadcasts that feature commentators who have a clue (this does not apply to David Bailey, who just happens to be stuck on the roulettewheel network). Watching Kenny Roberts win his first race and Mick Doohan come up alongside and be the first to congratulate him was a great moment in motorsports history. I got to watch it that evening - wow! We sure have come along way, haven't we? ow if we can just get Bailey off the programming roulette-wheel network. Alex Rossborougb Cleveland, OH men's racing recei ves, the numbers for female competitors is grOwing. It was great to see a complete article witJ:Un the pages of your magazine. r am a 42-year-old female competitor and I have been involved with motocross for the last six years. The WML/ AMA put on an excellent event here in Colorado and I was able to compete with other women my age in the Vet class (and I won!). I hope that more women will experience the fun and challenge of racing and will be a part of . the growing network of women in the sport. Hats off to Cycle Nl!Ws and Greg Corns, who wrote the article. Dawn Winczewski dl w@amigo.net Amazing? After reading the report from the Glen Helen MX National, I'm amazed - and I bet I'm not alone. How do jeff Emig, Ryan Hughes, jimmy Button, Greg Albertyn, Robbie Reynard and Larry Ward face their fans, or their bosses, for that matter? I didn't go to the race, so my opinions are based on what I've read. I can't believe what I read. Button: "I got a great start, but ettled into a little too slow a pace." Settled? Settled? What happened to charging the whole race, jimmy? Emig: "Hughes was pushing me pretty hard (this in itself brings a chuckle), so I was trying to protect the inside." Protect? Protect? How old is the race at thi point? Two laps into the race and jeff is riding defensive? Emig again: "The pace was fast, [ rode hard, but did not flow." Jeff, you have been full of these excuses since the start of the supercross season. "I did not flow." What do you think you are - lava? These riders all had their reasons crashes, bad starts, no brakes, not flowing, etc. Getting a bad start blew your chances? Of course, just ask TorteIli. I'm not lumping all the factory or nonfactory riders into this category LaRocco, McGrath and Lusk still how that they want to win. Phillip Alamangos Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Better purses I'm an avid road racing fan who ju t enjoyed seeing some of the fine t in the sport at Willow Springs, Sears Point and Laguna Seca. I even rode to Sacramento for Sportbike Night at [n Cahoots, since I knew that most of the AMA regulars would be there between the Sears Point and Laguna Seca rounds of the AMA Superbike Series. What I noticed is that almost every front-running road racer is riding hurt. They limp from the paddock to their bikes, then they limp back after the race. With that in mind, does anyone know how much Anthony Gobert earned for his victory at the Laguna Seca ational? Try a disgusting $1200. Second place paid $800 and Doug Chandler banked $500 for third place in the Superbike National. Five hundred dollars! I paid that much More Tyler, more Tyler Frenchwoman Stefy Bau is a top-ranked woman motocrosser who competes in the WMUAMA Series. for my motel space in Monterey that same weekend to watch the races. Golfers play tournaments for threequarters of a million dollars, and the only injuries they are exposed to is gout and arthritis. Bass-fi bing tournaments pay more than the victors receive at an AMA ational road race. As a multi-decade member of the AMA, it sickens me to see these brave athletes risk their weH-being for peanuts while the AMA fritters our dues money on defending themselves against milliondollar lawsuits (unsuccessfully) and suing Southern police agencies for unlawful searches. How about the AMA spending some of the dues paid by its quarter of a million members to supplement.the piss purses the track promoter pay? Either that, or maybe the racers should remove their "AMA Pro" tickers from their bikes. TIle AMA is anything but "Pro." Rene LaPrevotte Novato, CA Although the purses don't come close to golf and, perhaps, bass fishing, you have the wrong information on what was paid at Laguna Seca. Gobert won $7000, Mladin took home $5000 and Chandler earned $3500... Editor Women kudos T would like to thank Cycle Nl!Ws for the full-page story on the Ladies International Cup. Even though women's racing doesn't seem to get the attention that I'm disappointed in the amount of exposure you give to the hometown guys in supercross. I'm mainly referring to your coverage of the 125cc main event in Las Vegas. Tyler Evans, from my hometown of Salinas, California, was allover those other well-known riders in the main event, and when was his name finally mentioned in the story? At the very end. You spend most of the story talking about Pingree and Wey. Where were they in the main? Oh, yeah, fifth and third. This is why upercross is becoming such an "elite riders only" sport. If your name isn't well-known to the public, then the sponsors won't even give you the time of day because TV and the press don't acknowledge you. This needs to change if the sport is to grow and claim the advertising dollars of bigger outside sponsors and bring in more riders. The millions of privateers and local riders are the ones who support this sport anyway. [t's time they got their share of the spotlight, especially if they finish on the podium like Evans did. Jim Blinkenberg Salinas, CA Unfortunately, our reporter couldn't find Tyler after the race, so he didn't get the publicity he deseroed ... Editor Letters to the editor should be sent 10 Voices, Cycle News, P.O. Box 5084, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-5084, faxed 10.714/751-6685 or email, editor@cyclenews.com. Published let· ters do not necessarily refleclthe position of Cycle News, Inc. Letters should not exceed 200 words and all letters are subjeclto editing. Anonymous letters will not be considered fOT publication. All letters should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number ... Editor. • 8l Q) N CI> c :::> .., 5