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/128087
C) o C) The third annual Crossover Challenge took place on January 5 at the Edison Field in Anaheim, California, the site of the opening round of the 2001 EA Sports Supercross Series. The Crossover Challenge is a Supercross race in which athletes and celebrities from outside the motocross industry competed head-to-head on the very track that McGrath, Carmichael, Pastrana, Lusk, Windham, Vuillemin and Co. did battle the next night. This year's Crossover Challenge, which was sponsored by Suzuki, featured 24 riders competing aboard identical 2001 Suzuki RM125 motocross bikes. Competitors in this year's event included World Champion surfer Sunny Garcia, actor Mark Paul Gosselaar, musician Robbie Van Winkle (better known as Vanilla lee) and multi-time ITonman Triathlete winner Scott Tinley. The 24 riders who competed in this year's race were divided into eight teams of three riders each, with the combined finishes of the riders on each team counting toward the overall win. It was Robbie Van Winkle (lee, h;:e Baby) grabbing the holeshot, but it was road racer John Hopkins who quickly took control of the race. Hopkins led the early portion of the race before being passed by Transworld' Motocrossbacked rider Randy Lawrence - the same Randy Lawrence who wrenched for Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath for the past few seasons. A crash cost Lawrence, who is now a mountain bike racer, his lead. With Lawrence now back in the pack, Hopkins appeared to be on his way to victory, but in the dosing laps the hard-charging Lawrence moved back into the lead as it was Hopkins' turn to crash. Freestyle motocrosser Trevor Vines had the misfortune of coming up short on a 1OO-foot jump while doing a photo shoot for CTi on Thursday, January 4, and suffered a break to his left distal radius (wrist). Vines underwent surgery with a plate being inserted into the break to expedite his recovery, which is expected to be some six weeks. The Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee, will be hosting a Women Only cross-training 101 School on January 27-28. The instructor for the school will be former AMAINATC National Women's Trials Champion, Laura · . Bussing. o o o o o o For more information, call Former National and Supercross Champion Donnie Hansen will hold a Donnie Hansen Motocross Academy session at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, on January 25-26 and at Canyon Offroad Park in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 25-26. For more information, call 719/495-2624. Motorcyclists and others involved in recreational activities could be left without vital health-care coverage as a result of new regulations released by a group of CORRECTION: Here is the complete sponsor list for Jeremy McGrath's Mazda Yamaha Supercross team: Mazda, Yamaha. Hot Wheels, Tyco RIC, Hansen's energy drink, Renthal handlebars and grips, 1-800-Collect, Boyesen, One Industries, Pro-X. Bridgestone tires. AFAM sprockets, Motion Pro, Uni-Filter, D.I.D chains, GYT-R, Hinson clutch baskets, Cometic gaskets, Mechanix Wear, VP Fuels, Kicker, and AGP Publishing. OPENED: Graves Motorsports' home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.gravesport.com. CORRECTION: The Hardrock Cycle advertisement in our last issue contained the wrong dates. The correct dates are as follows: March 2 night motocross; March 3 - Grand Prix; March 4 - motocross. For more infonmation, call 352/732-6697. JOINED: Four-time 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson, as a mem- ber of the Joe Rocket racing team. Joe Rocket is currently producing a limited edition Eddie Lawson replica jacket. Joe Rocket has also signed Tommy Hayden to a contract for the 2001 racing season. For more infor· mation, call 519/945-7200. APPOINTED: 'Corky" Root, as the mid·western states sales manager 8 o "I got tired towards ~e end there," Hopkins said. "Me and Randy got in a lillIe battle there, then when I tipped over, I fell behind. Supercross is definitely more athletic [than road racing]. It takes a lot more out of you than road racing does." Lawrence went on to take the win, followed by marathoner Kevin Barda. Van Winkle ended up third. When the final moto finishes were tallied, the team of mountain bike racer Brian Lopes, snowboarder Tex Davenport and Barda were awarded the overall Victory. Second place went to the team of BMX racers Alan Foster and Aaron Cook, and Van Winkle. Finishing third overall was the team of Hopkins, Garcia and BMX Plus magaZine editor Adam Booth. 423/942-8688. .~~~ · o o o J o ~ federal agencies last week. according to the AMA. Ironically, the rules, written in response to federal legislation banning health-insurance discrimination. could end up having precisely the opposite effect. The new regulations, issued jointly by three federal agencies. are the culmination of a rulemaking process that has dragged on for nearly five years since Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. And, the AMA notes, the final version of the regulations appears to directly contradict the will of Congress in passing that law. The purpose of the original legislation was to protect workers from discrimina- .. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Bert's Mega Mall in Covina. California, on January 19 from 7 to 8 p.m. Team Suzuki's Supercross team is scheduled to appear. For more infonmation. call 626/974-6600. ~ J J J "' . · · · APPOINTED: Daniel Lance, to a position with Motion Pro and Braking USA, effective immediately. For more information. call602/329-0427. PROMOTED: Thomas B. Post, to president and chief operating officer of Lemco & Associates, a motorcycle dealer consulting firm. Post was formerly the vice president of Lemco & Associates. · OPENED: Erico Motorsports in Denver, Colorado. Erico is Denver's exclusive Triumph dealer. J J OPENED: Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Texas, by Tom Miller of the Miller Electric race team. For more information, call 713/880-5533. BORN: McKayla Marie Krolczyk, to SFX Motor Sport Group senior director of marketing Dan Krolczyk and his wife, Tara. on January 4, in Chicago, Illinois. HIRED: Nine-time Woman MX Champion and 1995 Mountain Bike Downhill World Chamionship silver medalist Mercedes Gonzales. by Troy Lee Designs to head up the advertising and publiC relations department. For more information, call 909/371-5219. l · · · · · · . ....................................................· ACCEPTING: Plano Honda is currently accepting racer resumes for ACCEPTING: Pit Pro Cycle is now accepting race resumes for the the 2001 season. Resumes can be sent to Plano Honda, 202 W. Parker Rd.. Plano, TX 75075, attn: racer support. ~ ~ U ~ J AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Hahm Motorsports in Anaheim, Califor· 616/402·4679. · ·. . . U CHANGED: GNC Motocross' phone number. to 214/366-7660; the new fax number is 214/956-6773. nia, on February 2. starting at 6:30 p.m. Team Suzuki's Travis Pastrana. Kevin Windham, Danny Smith, Rodrig Thain and Roger DeCoster are scheduled to appear. For more infonmation, call 714/563·1700. for ATK motorcycles, effective immediately. For more information, call tion in the health insurance they receive through their employers. As written by Congress, the bill would have prohibited employers from denying health coverage based on a worker's pre·existing medical conditions or participation in legal recreational activities. The official language in the Congressional Record from that time noted that the law 'is intended to ensure. among other things, that individuals are not excluded from health-care coverage due to their participation in activities such as motorcycling, snowmobiling, all-terrain vehicle riding, horseback riding. skiing and other similar activities." The AMA worked hard to get that language included in the Congressional record after uncovering incidents in which employers were discriminating against motorcyclists, leaVing them without coverage any time they were involved in recreational pursuits. The AMA noted that the cases of discrimination it had uncovered extended healthcare protection to employees involved in illegal activities, like driving a car while drunk, but cut them off from many legal activities. Since the passage of the original bill, the AMA has repeatedly called on the federal agencies involved - the Intemal Revenue Service, the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, and the Health Care Finance Administration - to release the re~ulations that would govem enforcement of the law. The agencies delayed the process until the closing days of the Clinton administration, finally releasing regulations on January 5. The new regulations at first state that an employer cannot refuse health-care coverage to an employee on the basis of participation in recreational activities. But they go on to say that health-care benefits can be denied for injuries sustained in connection with those recreational activities. 'To say that an employer can't deny health· care coverage to motorcyclists, but can deny coverage of any injury related to motorcycling makes this entire law meanI ingless," said Ed Moreland, the AMA's vice president of government relations. --.J 'Instead of creating a law specifically end) ing health-care discrimination, as Con· gress intended, these agencies have legalized discrimination. These rules open the door to the elimination of health coverage for all types of legal recreational I activities, from motorcycle riding to run· ) ning or walking. That's the exact opposite of what Congress had in mind." The AMA is urging all motorcyclists - and those involved in any other type of recreational activity - to protest these regulations during a public-comment period that remains open through April 9. However, the AMA notes that by the time comments are sent in, the new Bush administration will be .:=:., taking charge in Washington, meaning that different officials may be in charge at "') these agencies. Comments can be sent to the following three agencies. Comments sent by regular mail should include '1 a Signed original and three copies; Internal Revenue Service, P.O. Box 7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC 20044. 2001 season. Resumes may be sent to Pit Pro, 24509 Spruce St.. Newhall, CA 91 321, or faxed to 661/799-3348, attn: Brooke Wageman.. Due I e n Armed with a pair of brand new 2001 RS250 Hondas, 16-year-old road racer Jason DiSalvo will contest the European and Spanish as well as selected rounds of the British and American 250cc --------Continued on page 72 e _ S • .JANUARY 17, 2001 3 ] J ] J 1