Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

. "This 15 the best Cycle News J have ever re~d." that basically matches the tuning specs outlined in this series. There is a special reward when you create your own racer. Thanks again for the support. Bob Heywood Doyton.OH Rider of the Century King Kenny Roberts as Rider of the Century - yes! I, along with millions of fans, felt the electricity of being at races when Kenny rode. It seems like only yesterday when he was wheelying down the front straight at Laguna Seca, landing the front wheel with a puff of smoke. Thank you, Kenny Roberts, for all your work and for all the memories you've given us. D.R Wonn Whittier. CA The Roadless Initiative No arguments here Regarding Issue #50 - what an issue! This is the best Cycle News I have ever read. In fact, it's in my top10 list of best-ever magazine issues. I have to hand it to you; you've outdone yourselves this time. You won't get any arguments from me on your choices for Off-Roader of the Century, Dirt Tracker of the Century, Motocrosser of the Century and Rider of the Century. You picked guys who have been around a long time, have proven themselves through good times and bad, and are still proving themselves worthy today. I'm sure we could name other people who are worthy, but since you could only pick one, you did a great job. Again, let me tell you congrats on a great issue. I may be getting too nostalgic in myoid age, but I just can't put the issue down. This is my kind of read and I haven't even gotten beyond page 32 yet. I can't stop reading about King Kenny, Springer, The Man and Malcolm. I may have to buy an extra issue just in case mine is worn out before I'm finished with it. Did I mention that I like Issue #50? Do it again - if you can. Wes Baca Albuquerque. NM More compliments I just want to compliment you on the best issue of Cycle News ever. I've been in the sport for over 30 years now and there would never have been any doubt in my mind as to who is the greatest ever. I watched King Kenny do things on a motorcycle at San Jose, Golden Gate Fields, Sears Point and Laguna Seca that amazed me. I've met Kenny at many races, where he was sometimes aloof - but he was always approachable. I hope that Ray Abrams runs the Cow Palace race again this year so I might get the opportunity to say that I raced on the same track as the King. It may be time to break out those old Super 8mm movies again. Springer the best dirt tracker? Tough call. Both Scotty Parker and Jay Springsteen are record breakers and incredible ambassadors for the sport. I also have to say that Springer Cycle News Rider of the Century Kenny Roberts: The readers approve. is definitely the most personable of the dirt trackers. DeCoster, Malcolm Smith, Chris Carr - they were all great. And who in motorcycling wasn't affected by Evel Kneivel somehow? Mike Hallwood incredible. All I can say is, Good job. Let those snivelin' typo finders say what they may, because everyone on staff should be proud of a great job. This one's a keeper. If I can find an extra issue, I'm going to frame the cover. Only the King's autograph could make it better. Eric Bickel ebrcke/OaZzbizsys.com The TT500 Just a note to let you know how much I both enjoyed and appreciated Scott Rousseau's series on the Yamaha TT500 dirt tracker conversion project. Cycle News can always be counted on to provide the support dirt track racing needs from the enthusiast press. This one is a keeper, just like Jerry Greer's December 3, 1980 "Saturday Night Fever" feature. Project articles such as this provide a wealth of information. The benefits of this effort extend beyond having directions to create a copy. Sources for parts and services are identified that can apply to any project. This is especially important for dirt track racers, since we rely on small, specialty and cottage-industry suppliers. Tracking down these folks can be a frustrating task for a new racer. I agree that the Yamaha TT/SR 500 engine is a decent base to develop a club or amateur entry-level machine. I'm putting one together around a locally sourced 4130 dirt track frame I recently attended a U.S. Forest Service-sponsored meeting to discuss President Clinton's Roadless Initiative, a plan to close over 50 million acres of forest land to off-highway vehicles. The meeting was one of a series of grossly under-publicized forums to educate the public on the President's initiative. Unfort- unately, the meeting was held only four days before the deadline for public comment. The time for us to act is now. As off-highway vehicle users, we must take control of our own destiny. That includes everyone who has ever thrown their leg over any type of motorized vehicle - two-wheeled or four, motocross or enduro. For if this initiative is allowed to pass, it is the end of dirt bikes as we know them. The OEMs cannot continue to build dirt bikes for the very small percentage of riders who ride them on private land. I feel that it is time for the AMA to shift their thinking from helmet-law legislation to access legislation. The AMA has spent many years and millions of dollars fighting for motorcyclists' rights to choose. It's a worthy fight, but not the only one affecting our sport. It is also time for the OEMs and aftermarket companies to support the fight for access before the end of our sport causes the decline of the industry. Public comment on the President's Roadless Initiative ended on Decem· ber 20, 1999. Our best course of action is for each of us - one and all to contact our congressmen and ask them to lobby agajnst this initiative. Our way of life depends on it. cannot remember him making very many mistakes. To write that Toby didn't belong on a 750 in the Grand Nationals does not only show a complete lack of respect for Toby and his family, it also shows ignorance. If you look at the history of racing, you wiU see countless racers who raced when they were Toby's age or younger. You will even come across guys like Randy Mamola, who raced a 700cc road racer when he was only 16. Toby was ready to race in the Grand Nationals. What he wasn't ready for is the one thing that no racer will ever be prepared for, regardless of his age or experience - hitting a wall or aluminum fence at over 100 mph. If something needs to change, it is track safety - not the minimum rider age. By definition, racing pushes the limits, and crashes are inevitable. What can be improved is the protection surrounding the tracks. AirFence has been available for years, and Andy Coffey, the new owner of AirFence Ltd., has developed a special kind of AirFence designed specifically for the turn-two/turn-four side-impact situations that are characteristic of oval-track racing. This system, in combination with standard AirFence for protection in turns one and three, is currently being used with great success in Australian speedway racing. Toby was a great racer, and he should be remembered as nothing less. His father, Kim, helped him with everything and never held him back. I will never forget how well Toby rode a motorcycle or how hard Kim worked to give him the best. I did not want people to read a letter like the one that Timmie Leque wrote and think that Toby was just some kid that was being pushed by his parents and did not belong in the Grand Nationals. He loved to race, he was ready for the highest level of competition and he deserved to be there. Sttlven Adams Corona, CA Adams is the marketing director {or Malcolm Smith Racing... Editor One more on Toby I am writing in response to a letter about Toby Jorgensen that was published in Cycle News (Issue #47, December 1). Toby Jorgensen was one of the best motorcycle racers that I have ever seen. He was smooth, confident, fast and on his way to becoming one of the best racers in the world. In the five years that I raced with him, I CUD. e Kenny Noyes Pacheco. CA n .. vv s JANUARY 12, 2000 5

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