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/128086
, ( 'l'1~iltl tIO'I'O XXX/l)(;Ylil'I'Otll(~ ManlgBr: Jarney Grosser BBld,ulners: Corona, California IllIBrS 250 24 tIO'l'O"OIU.)) IlA(~IN (; .(~O til ilNs"rl~1l YiltlilDil 22 Kyle Lewis Las Vegas, Nevada Michael Brandes Jarney Grosser Mlnller: Paul Lindsey BBad.uarters: El Cajon, Iiders 250 ....•......YZ250 Ukiah. California . . . . . . • . . . . . .YZ125 Minneapolis, Minnesota YZ125 20 68 125 Wist 43 .. _ 132 California Damon Huffman. _ Dustin Nelson Acton, California . . . . . . • . . . . . .YZ250 El Cajon, California YZ250 Greg Schnell Keith Johnson Rancho Cucamonga, California .. YZ125 Albuquerque, New Mexico YZ125 125W8I1 30 52 I.OWDOl\rN: As 21-year-old manager/rider Jamey Grosser puts it. this team is a case of "good versus evil," with against-the-grain Moto XXX and old-school DGY joining forces. Grosser. who has raced for a Portuguese factory team and has a knack for marketing. brought in the Lamont Marketing Group, which is heavily involved in NASCAR, to heip with the squad's effort. A new truck has been purchased, and Michael Brandes has been hired from FMF Honda. The team will ride Noleen-modified (engine and suspension) two-stroke YZs indoors, with former Japanese champion Kyle Lewis campaigning the 250cc class full-time and Brandes and Grosser doing the 125cc Western series (Brandes will ride the 250cc class in Eastern rounds). When the circuit heads outdoors, Lewis will switch to a YZ426F four-stroke, while Brandes and Grosser will campaign YZ250F thumpers. Yoshimura will perform the team's fourstroke motor work, and word has it the compaoy is coaxing some serious power out of the YZFs. 125 ElSt 49 .Isaiah Johnson Albuquerque, New Mexico _ .YZ125 I.OWDOWN: Thls team has switched to a totally different structure for 2001, going from a one-man shop team to a multi-rider, out-of-house squad. After two years with Planet Honda, Paul Undsey comes aboard as the team manager. The team has purchased the big rig of nowdefunct Chaparral Yamaha, and has access to the official Yamaha test track. One of the biggest moves by the team was the signing of Damon Huffman, who last year rode for Team Suzuki. Greg Schnell returns for another stint with Motoworld following a surprisingly successful 2000 season (which included two wins), and he's joined by New Mexico residents Keith and Isaiah Johnson. Riding the first five western rounds for the team as a guest rider will be Keith's younger brother (and Isaiah's) Kevin Johnson, 18, who will switch to Yamaha's amateur team when the serles heads east. All of the other 125cc riders wjJ( contest the 250cc class at rounds not in their region. The team will be Answer-clad for 2001, and will • be using FMF performance parts and mods. Dr. Martens is another sponsor. Z :I: ::> ill w ~ ~ [5 5: YAtlilDil Ol~ Miliger: Erik Kehoe !lBIII'UlnerS: Valencia, Iiders 125 WISI 25 38 '1'ItOY California Ernesto Fonseca Justin Buckelew San Jose, Costa Rica Albuquerque, New Mexico YZ250F YZ125 Nick Wey Nathan Ramsey Dewitt, Michigan Lake Elsinore, California YZ125 YZ250F 125 EISI 23 28 I.OlfDOWN: 'I'DOUSilN)) OAKS YiltIADA/I)E'n~'S ItVI IlEYNAIU) tIO))II~I(~A'I'ION 1lA(~IN(; MUlier: Robert Reynard 1111I'llnerS: Oklahoma City, IllIers 251 17 Oklahoma Robbie Reynard Oklahoma City, Oklahoma YZ250 Jacob Martin Edmond, Oklahoma YZ125 Jonathan Shimp Canyon Country, California 125 Wisl 139 125 EISI 236 I.OWDo"rN: Though he is incredibly fast on occasion, Robbie Reynard has suffered from injuries and Inconsistency, and the erstwhile factory Suzuki racer found himself without a ride at the end of the 2000 season. Fortunately, his father Robert (who has been modifying bikes since the '70s for fun and since '97 for money) stepped in, organizing a team and enlist109 the backing of California dealership Thousand Oaks Yamaha and Vermont-based Pete's RV. The team will wear Thor apparel and M2R helmets in 2001. and its bikes will feature FMF-modified motors and Erno-modified suspension. Structure-wise, Yamaha of Troy is pretty much going with what worked for them in the past, but the team does get the honor of race· debuting the highly touted new YZ250F for Yamaha, with whom it has developed a very close relationship over the past several years. Both Nathan Ramsey (who comes to the team from Pro Circuit) and Ernesto Fonseca are said to have taken to the thumper quite well, and team technician Dean Baker has been working closely with Yamaha factory engine man Bob Oliver to extract the most power possible from it. Nicholas Wey is also a Pro Circuit expatriate, while Justin Buckelew is the newly crowned Prince of Bercy. The team has switched from Pro Circuit to FMF for 2001 (it will run titanium silencers), with the four-strokes using DSP exhausts. CUD. e n e _ S • JANUARY 3,2001 17