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/128024
Denny Stephenson (Suz) was the big winner at the National Arenacross Series round in Fort Worth, Texas, January 7-8. Stephenson won both the 125 and 250cc main events, over Buddy Antunez Friday night and the 125cc main over Jo~h Demuth (Yam) Saturday night. Antunez won the 250cc main event Saturday over Stephenson. o n LJ r) l IJ According to team owner Kenny Roberts, there may not be a Modenas team in 500cc Grand Prix racing this year - and if there is it is highly unlikely that that team will field John Kocinski. Rumors circulated last week that Kocinski was in line to get the Modenas ride, but Roberts said that isn't true. "Not that I know of," Roberts said. "I haven't personally talked to John and I don't think that Chuck [the Modenas team managerJ has even thought about that. Right now we're just bUilding engine parts. I don't see how it [the team] can happen right now, We still have some things that aren't done yet." Contrary to the 2000 Buyer's Guide that ran in Cycle News Number 50. the real '00 Husqvarna CR125 and CR250 are not composed of an aluminum subframe, nor do they mysteriously look like Hondas, We goofed and placed photos of the Honda CRl25 and CR250 in the Husky specification boxes. Rest assurecL 125cc World Motocross Champion Alessio Chiodi will not be riding red in '00, a c c [J would like to get back to the 250cc GP class. Last year, the Italian raced a Ducati in World Superbike, but suffered a broken leg dUring the Italian round in Monza. "I rode for many years the GP machines and now I know that the heavy and low handling superbikes aren't my bikes," Romboni said. ''I'm searching the pOSSibility of retuming now [to 250cc GP racing] - now that I have my own racing structure. I just need a factory bike and some money. Noted tuner Erv Kanemoto will likely not have a team in the 2000 World Championship Road Race Series, according to Cycle News contributor Henny ,Ray Abrams, Kanemoto, the man who tuned Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Luca Cadaiora and Max Biaggi to World Championships, said that a return to the Grands Prix for 2000 is highly unlikely. "Right now, I'm just working on trying to find a sponsor and probably not working on this year, so probably 2001," Kanemoto said from his home in San Jose, Califomia. Kanemoto has often had trouble finding sponsorship and this year he struggled financially through a season with John Kocinski and Honda, "There are three factors other than the team, " Kanemoto said, listing the rider, the motorcycle and the sponsor, "I don't have any of those, It looks kind of grim, My thought is to go to some races, A lot depends on having some discussions with people at the end of the month or the first of next month." o o o o The completion of manufacture of the 300 indiVidually numbered versions of the MV Agusta F4 Serie d'Oro has left many disappointed customers around the world - those who had hoped to acquire one of the limited-edition bikes, but had their hopes dashed, One who wasn't prepared to take this lying down is ex-Ferrari Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine, second in the F1 World Championship in 1999, who has now joined the rival Ford-owned Jaguar team (ex-Stewart), according to Cycle News European editor Alan Cathcart. Unable to persuade the London MV Agusta dealer to arrange for him to join the F4 Seir d'Oro owners club, Irvine contacted his former colleagues at Fenrari for advice, and they put him directly in touch with Claudio Castiglioni (who ironically of course sourced the radial-valve cylinderhead design of the F4 from his mate Piero Ferrari's design studio back in 1989), The result: one Irish-owned MV Agusta F4 will built soon and delivered to the Ulsterman wben he takes to the track in the F1 Jaguar for the first time in 2000, 8 o o o o o 8 o Former two-time 125cc World Champion Haruchika Aoki will race a factory Ducati in the 2000 World Superbike Championship, according to Cycle News contributor Paolo Gozzi. Aoki, who won the 125cc title in 1994 and 1995 before switching to 250cc Grand Prix racing, will ride in the one-man R&D Ducati satellite team, owned by Doriano Romboni and his manager Roberto Camolei. Aoki will have a factory 996 at his disposal and full technical support from the factory, As for Romboni, the former Grand Prix racer o o o o Cycle News was honored recently in a news item in the sports pages of the Los Angeles Times, Noted motors ports editor Shav Glick wrote the follOWing, "Kenny Roberts, who won two AMA Grand National Championships before winning three World Championships, has been named rider of the century by Cycle News, motorcycling's definitive publication," Glick went on to mention our Motocrosser of the Century Roger DeCoster, our Dirt Tracker of the Century Jay Springsteen and Malcolm Smith, our Off-Road Rider of the Century. Spy Optic has announced an Amateur Contingency Program in which the company will offer financial awards to all Amateur racers who wear Spy goggles and display a Spy sticker on their helmet. Eligible riders must sign up for the program and compete in the follOWing events: PACE Arenacross Series: World Mini Grand Prix: Amateur day at any of the AMA Motocross Nationals; Ponca City; and Loretta Lynn's. A total of $40,000 will be up for grabs, according to Spy. For more information, call Jason McCormick at 7601734-6779, In addition, Spy has hired former FMF team manager and 1994 125cc World Champion Bobby Moore to be its Spy Pro and Amateur race-team manager. According to a press release from Team Obsolete, 15-time World Champion Giacomo Agostini and six-time World Champion Jim Redman will represent Team Obsolete at the Autosport 2000 Show, scheduled to be held near Assen, Holland, January 27-28. The Grand Prix Commission met recently in Spain and made the follOWing decisions in regard to the 2000 World Championship Road Race Series: The medical center at each race track must have X-ray equipment: the protest fee is now 1000 Swiss francs: riders will be permitted to practice starts on the startline during the slow-down lap after the checkered flag at the end of each practice session; the paint used for the white lines and for the curbs must comply with FIM specifications and will be tested prior to the start of each Grand Prix. Seth Enslow jumped his Honda CR250 245 feet and 2 inches in Apple Valley, Califomia, on December 22, a jump that resulted in Enslow crashing and being knocked unconscious. In addition to a concussion, Enslow suffered a broken collarbone. Enslow was attempting to break the record of 251 feet set by Doug Danger in 1991. Naturally, it'll all be featured in an upcoming video, titled .. Seth The Hard Way," scheduled for release in February. George Corwin, 54, was killed at the Bithlo Motocross Track near Orlando, Florida, on December 26. An avid rider for over 25 years and an AMA member for 17 of those years, Corwin was practicing his jumping technique when the accident occurred. The Edge.com FreeRide Moto-X Championships will be held January 22 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Brian Deegan leading the championship point standings in the World Freeriders Association with 190 points to Mike Cinqmars' 176 points, Mike Jones, who has been injured since last summer, will make his comeback in Las Vegas. For more information, call 310/589-0022. According to a press release issued by Castrol Honda, Colin Edwards II pre- ~ ~(!J[wO)(8[?---------- o ~ u o 2 JANUARY 19, 2000' cue • e n e .... s