Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

• Us Yankees are left out ,n the cold ('itera"y/) CBS and Supercross No speedway would like to offer a belated thank au to CBS for airing the U.S. round f the World Supercross Champinship. Not only was it aired during he weekend of primetime sports, but Iso it offered a well-informed and raiseworthy look at both Supercross nd the development and growth of otocross from some of the finest uropean and American racers of the ast. To repeatedly hear such words as role model" used to describe some f today's racers was welcome commentary indeed - and long overdue. hank you for such a positive and informative look at a great sport. I hope this leads to more mainstream network coverage of racing in the I have never been so disappointed as with your year-end issue of Cycle News (Issue #50, January 5). You listed every possible "Best of" rider within the past century with the exception of the most exciting form of motorcycle racing on the planet Speedway. Does the name Sam Ermolenko deserve some credit for his contribution and accomplishments in speedway racing? If Sammy doesn't have enough history for you, do the names Ivan Mauger and Barry Briggs have any meaning? Come on, guys, speedway struggles to stay alive, especially in the U.S.A, and not giving coverage future. Erik Carter San Rafael. CA When a Brit isn't a Brit II I found your display of will power in the January 19th "Voices" column most commendable, refusing to be a sarcastic smart-ass with regard to Sean McGloin's letter "When a Brit isn't a Brit." I would, if I may, like to take this opportunity to be sufficiently sarcastic and smart-ass for the both of us. With all due respect to McGloin, it would appear that he has been in the Land of the Free a little too long and he requires a geography lesson - as those distant memories of the Emerald Isle must be fading fast. Ulster is the Province also known as Northern Ireland that falls under the banner of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or indeed the British Isles. If anybody hailing from the Ulster Province (Northern Ireland) would care to turn to the back page of their international passport, they will find, under the citizenship heading, the words: "British Citizen." I would therefore conclude . that "Brit" would not be an inaccurate reference for the talented Mr. McWilliams. Andrew Betts Scuntnorpe. England 'Rip-off? eighth wonder of the world). I hope their ratings draw a big zero. Sam Kistler Jkistler5150earlhlink.net Don't forget New cngfand I enjoyed Eric Johnson's interview with PACE's Gary Becker (Issue #1, January 12). It's nice to see that there's someone at PACE who really cares about the future of supercross, and it seems that PACE and supercross are heading in the right direction. However, I still don't understand why PACE doesn't hold a supercross in the Northeast. Us Yankees are left out in the cold (literally!). I remember going to the Meadowlands (Giants Stadium) back in the '80s for supercross, and those races were always awesome. With all the motocross/supercross fans in the New England area, I don't see how PACE can lose. Come on, PACE bring back the Meadowlands. you who don't know, the Charlotte race is going to be a half-mile on a brand-new racetrack. So tell your friends and let's make this race a huge success. Those of us who love Grand National dirt track racing and live in the south, hundreds of miles from most of the racetracks, would love to see GNC racing come here. So, many thanks to Humpy for breaking ground for what I hope will be many more GNC races down here. Gory Krause Albemarle. NC Atherton update Thanks for the update on Kevin Atherton. I was relieved to hear of his improvement. Many readers were perhaps not aware of his constant struggle against great odds and discouraged doctors to save his injured leg. Kevin never gave up. The fans and riders of dirt track racing can learn a great lesson from Kevin through courage and determination, the recent obstacles and tragedies this sport has endured can be over- Vincent La "Presti Bruce Penhall: Cycle News' belated Speedway Rider of the Century. come. Let Kevin's struggle and triumph be an inspiration to save this great Huntington, NY Kudos to Humpy (which you are often guilty of) certainly doesn't help. Please give equal time and recognition where it is due. I hope that one of your New Year's Resolutions is more speedway coverage. A 20-year dream of mine is to see speedway racing expand to the East Coast. A little help from you guys could go a So the last round of the Supercross Series is going to be on pay-per-view. What a rip-off. Maybe, if we're lucky, they'll include a steel-cage death match between Art Eckman and Chyna (the be held in England's Wembley Stadium - and in front of a CBS television audience in 1981. As for our lack of speedway coverage, we think that's where your dreaming starts. We cover each and every World Speedway round, every U.S. Speedway National, not to mention all of the local speedway venues that have come and gone over the years. Rest assured, it hasn't been our lack of coverage that has caused a decline in speedway... Editor long way towards making my dream come true. 'Robert Arms Taylars.5C We've just decided our Speedway Racer of the Century is Bruce Penhall, the man who elevated America's consciousness of the sport when he won the last World Speedway final to sport. It looks like the Grand National Dirt Track scene has gotten a new ally. Humpy Wheeler (the PT Barnum of NASCAR) is bringing GNC racing to Tammy Griner Gaines, MJ The dirt tracker North Carolina. This is great for myself, being that I only live about 30 miles from the track and that I usually have to travel at least 350 miles to enjoy a GNC race. Also, it sure can't hurt the sport in general with the chance to gain new fans as well as hopefully allowing the racers to get a cut of the money and influences of NASCAR. Humpy is a great promoter with his NASCAR shows being some of the finest in the world of auto racing. With his talents he should be able to put on a great dirt track. For those of cycle I thought your series on converting an XT500 into a dirt tracker was interesting. I finally figured out why that motor is so interesting. It has one cylinder with one carburetor. The carburetor has one barrel and one slide. The head has one cam actuating one inlet valve and one outlet valve. The exhaust exits through one exhaust pipe. All this in a package reminiscent of a Gold Star with a higher level of durability. David Bell Castro Valley. CA n B VV S FEBRUARY 2, 2000 5

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