Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Cycle News 2001 02 14

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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o D • ,-., Local favorite Brian Garrahan (KTM) ~ emerged from a race-long duel with his brother Patrick Garrahan (KTM) to win the Heart On Classic at Hollister Hills SVRA near Hollister, California. on February 4. The event served as the first round of the AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series. Desert specialist Shane Esposito (Kaw) took third overall after leading early on, and defending series champ Paul Edmondson (Kaw) took fourth ahead of Russell Pearson (Yam). D D D D Q D D D D D Destry Abbott (Kaw) took the .$10,000 Pro Race victory at the Desert Vipers Adelanto Grand Prix in Adelanto, California. during the weekend of February 3-4. Ty Davis (Yam) raced to second, while Steve Hengeveld, Paul Krause (KTM) and Larry Roeseler (Kaw) completed the top five, respectively. o Round one of the 2001 AMA District 37 FMF Big-SiX Grand Prix Series took place on February 3-4, at LACR in Palmdale. California. and the team of Kurt Caselli and Jonathan Davis (Yam) took the victory in the premier $3000 Pro-Am Team Race. The team of Oakley Lehman and Jimmy Roberts (Kaw) raced to second, while Scott and Brent Harden (KTM) rounded out the top three. C D 8 D With Grand Prix Motocross racing set to begin March 18 in Bellpuig. Spain, Smith Sport Optics announces its 2001 World Championship Grand Prix line-up. Wearing Smith eyewear this D C o [?il\!l@ D year in the tripleheaders for the first time will be Freetime Yamaha's Alessio Chiodi and Alex Belometti. Motorex Kawasaki's Chad Reed and KTM's Thomas Traversini. Returning to Smith will be Yves Demaria, Gordon Crockard. James Dobb, Carl Nunn, Jeff Dement, Paul Cooper. Shayne King. Miska Aaltonen, Kevin Strijbos. Brian Jorgensen. Danny Theybers. Javier Garcia Vico. Leon Giesbers and Scott Sheak. We spotted Italian female racer Stefi Bau in the Anaheim III pits, where she informed us that she will be attempting to qualify at the Daytona Supercross on March 10. Bau. who is being supported this year by Honda. also plans to ride the entire AMAIChevy Trucks National Motocross Series in hopes of qualifying for an outdoor program. While dropping off a test bike at Honda. we ran into Johnny Campbell, who recently returned from Africa folloWing his debut ride in the prestigious Dakar Rally. Campbell was contesting the race with full support from Acerbis. and he finished eighth overall on an almost completely stock Honda XR650R (only the triple clamp was changed, according to Campbell). "It was a leaming experience. so I was just kind of riding along at a good pace. between the factory riders and the other guys." Campbell said. "One day I thought. 'Maybe I should turn it up a little bit,' but when I did. I broke a wheel. After that. I just kind of cruised. and a lot of guys in front of me started to take themselves out with injuries or @rzDil[fiJ@)@~9~g~ Honda introduced a new chapter in motorcycle engine design on January 29 when it unveiled its new four-stroke Grand Prix engine, called the RC211 V. which will be used to compete in the World Road Racing Championship in 2002. RC211 V is the first four-stroke racing engine designed by Honda for the first year of the 21st century, hence its coding. The engine design is a five-cylinder in a V configuration. made up of three front cylinders and two rear cylinders. Honda arrived at the unique V-5 engine configuration after examining the revised Federation intemationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM) regulations for 2002. This engine was selected because Honda believes that it will best satisfy two design requirements that Honda has historically pursued: "concentration of mass" and "reduction of projected areas." The five cylinders have round pistons and four valves each. For the intake system, PGM-A (programmed fuel injection) has been adopted. The minimum weight as stipulated by the regulations for four- or five-cylinder engine motorcycles is 145kg (approximately 320 pounds). This new chapter follows the storied history of four-stroke innovation for which Honda is famous. The last four-stroke milestones in Honda motorcycle racing were Mike Hailwood's ultimate victory with the four cylinder RC181 in 1967 in Canada, and Freddie Spencer's final outing on the oval-pistoned NR500 in 1981 during the British Grand Prix. Honda also has a special Grand Prix history with five-cylinder engines - Luigi Taveri won the manufacturers' and riders' championships for Honda in 1966 with the 125cc RC149. 8 D D D D D D D D o UNo, DlId. My nllme's not Michllel lInymore. ClIlI me ClIrmichael." An unid~ntlfi~d J1aungst~r av~rheard in th~ Edison Internalianal Ff~ld parking lot af~r th~ Anah~im III EA Sports Sup~rcrass. Jeremy McGrath held a press conference on January 31 at Edison International Field in Anaheim, California, to officially introduce Hansen's Energy Drink as one of his major sponsors for the 200 I Supercross season. The deal, which was put together by helmet-painting legend Troy Lee, was formally announced at an intro put together by Lee ' and his staff, Including former motocross and mountain biking champion Mercedes Gonzalez-Natvig. Hansen's Mark Hail said that the link between his company and McGrath was a natural one with the demographics of those ) who purchase Hansen's products being the exact same as those who watch McGrath on a weekly basis in stadiums across the country. Hansen's also backs freestyle motocrosser Brian Deegan and Troy Lee does design work for the company. Hansen's not only produces the energy drink for which they are famous, but also high-energy, low-fat bars. and Hard e, an alcoholic beverage. Hansen's decals are now prominently displayed on McGrath's truck, Yamaha YZ250 and helmet. '-- .....iT British newspaper Trials & Motocross News reported in a recent issue that, starting with this year's event in Italy on September 30, the FIM will open the MX des Nations to four-man teams. The article, written by Alex Hodgkinson, quoted a report from the recent FIM annual congress in Portugal, stating that each country may enter a reserve rider, who may start at any time during the event. This would help in situations like the one France faced in 2000. when Frederic Bolley had a rock smash his nose in the opening moments of the first moto, as an injured rider could be' replaced. Freddie Spencer High Performance Rid- ing School. Broadhead has worked with3 the AMA SFX/Formula USA. WERA", and hundreds of racers across the United 8.tates. He also manages Team Vesrah Suzuki's Mark Junge and Vincent'. Haskovec. Broadhead will be responsi-' ble for overseeing all aspects of vendor3 relations, sponsorship, contingency", training and marketing of Freddie Spencer's High Performance Produc Line. Racer support plans include additional tire application and suspension-l ~ setup training for trackside vendors, and a regional level contingency programi that will be run through Freddier. Spencer's High Performance Productt" Line. For more information, call Broad.;) head at 949/500-8695. 2 Freddie Spencer has agreed to terms that will see newly formed Freddie Spencer's High Performance Product Line handle Michelin's race tire distribution throughout the Western United States, according to a press release issued by Spencer. Spearheading the effort will be new national product line sales director Morgan Broadhead, who will work with local sub-distributors to ensure trackside sales and support of Michelin tires at all AFM. CCS California. CCS Southwest, MRA ORMRRA. WMRRA and WSMC events. Michelin has been associated with Spencer throughout his racing career and more recently as a sponsor of the successful Pursuant to rumors of the same, Chris Carr has told Cycle News that he will in fact make a return to road racing inl 2001. Carr intends to contest twO' rounds of the Formula USA/Wrenc-' head.com National Road Race Series aboard an Aprilia RSV Mille R owned by' Blackman Cycles of Emmaus. Pennsyl-1 vania. "I'm only going to do the Daytona> race before Bike Week and then the one' in the fall [Biketoberfestl," Carr said. "It chose to do these rounds because theY' do not conflict with any dirt track races. ~ still plan on contesting for the 2001 AMA Grand National Championship, but this was just an opportunity for me to tryD road racing again. It's just another expe- mechanicals. I had a good time. I'd do it again "";ith the right support. " 8~(!J[W[bffi[?----------~ c c c o D D 2 FEBRUARY 14. 2001 • cue •• n • _ s

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