Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

o J Shane Watts CKTM) won the second round of the AMA National Championship Hare Scrambles Series, which also served as round three of the Grand National Cross Country Series, in Morganton, North Carolina, on March 25. Finishing second was Jim Jarrett CSuz), with Chuck Woodford CKaw), defending Hare Scrambles champ Paul Edmondson CKaw) and Fred Andrews CKaw) completing the top five. Watts now leads Edmondson in the points standings, 39-33. Dustin Miller CHon) picked up his eighth and ninth wins of the season in the IFMA FMX Freestyle Series stop in Hampton, Virginia, March 23-24. Nate Adams CSuz) and Jake Windham CSuz) each scored a second-place finish, and Mike Jones CKaw) collected a pair of thirds. Miller's single, two-minute Saturday-night run included three new tricks Ca one-handed Hart attack look-back, a double seat grab to no-hander lander, and a one-handed crack nac), and may have elevated the sport of freestyle motocross. The team of Ty Davis and Terry Fowler CYam) completed 41 laps to top the competition at the eighth annual Six Hours of Glen Helen on Sunday, March 25, in San Bernardino, California. Finishing second overall and first Ironman, and completing 40 laps, was Russell Pearson CYam). Multi-time Six-Hour champs Jimmy Lewis and Tad Sciacqua CG-G) finished just behind Pearson to claim third overall. As of March 23, Scott Russell appeared to be making some progress with the injuries sustained in his horrific startline crash in the Daytona 200 on March 11. Russell has been airlifted from Halifax Memorial Hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, to a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, and there is a chance that the former World and AMA Superbike Champion will be released sometime this week. According to Russell's sister, Sheri, the Georgian is now able to put 50 percent of his weight on his injured left leg and has , taken several steps with the aid of a walker. Doctors are keeping Russell on antibiotics for another few weeks to prevent infection, then they plan to begin bone grafting on his broken left arm. Russell was given the option of allowing the arm to heal for several months and then grafting, or the more aggressive method of grafting straight away. Russell has chosen the aggressive method, according to Sheri Russell. For those of you with a strong stomach, Russell has posted rather graphic photos of his injuries on his website at: www.screamingchief.com. HMC Ducati team owner Mitch H~nsen will soon be paying his star rider Scott Russell a visit in his Atlanta hospital. and at they will shortly be deciding what to do in Russell's absence from the team. -At this time we really don't know what we're doing, - Hansen said about the team's plans. "I'm going down there to see Scott and see what his feelings are and what the doctor's feelings are. If he wants to come back and it's only going to be a few months, we won't replace him. It's Scott's bike and if he's coming back we will have the bikes ready for him. Everything is just up in the air right now." Hansen said that rumors of Russell's crew chief Slick Bass leaving the team are untrue. "He's in Europe right now finishing work on some !:likes he was doing for the Isle of Man," Hansen said. "He'll be back in two weeks." With Russell's injury, Steve Rapp is currently HMC's lone rider on the factory-backed Ducati Superbikes. What will happen with the second Competition Accessories Ducati ride is also still up in the air, folloWing confirmation that Aaron Slight will definitely be racin9 touring cars in England this season. That leaves the team with just one rider: Larry Pegram. The two likely candidates to replace Slight after his one-ride stint with the team at Daytona are former AMA Superbike riders Tom Kipp and Mike Hale, though Hale also has carracing commitments. The FIM has announced that the final round of the World Championship Road Race Series, the Rio Grand Prix, in Jacarepagua, Brazil, will take place on Saturday, November 3, and not Sunday, November 4, as originally scheduled. Practice sessions will be held on the Thursday and Friday prior to the race. Students will benefit as a result of an effort between Chevrolet. Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki and its star motocross rider Ricky Carmichael with the auction of a special package on eBay. An autographed 2001 Kawasaki KX125 motocross bike and the opportunity to meet Carmichael are part of a Ricky Carmichael "experience" being auctioned off to raise money for a student program called SAV.E. CStudents Against Violence Everywhere). The auction package was donated to S.A.V.E. under the auspices of Chevy R.O.C.K" an initiative dedicated to young people. "R.O.C.K." stands for Reaching Out to Communities and Kids. "Chevy R.O.C.K. is Chevrolet's way of helping provide children with safe schools and communities," said Chevrolet General Manager Kurt Ritter. "Our focus on youth is one that is true to our values, and gives us the chance to truly make a positive impact in our communities and on our country's future." The package includes a Ricky Carmichael-autographed Kawasaki motorcycle, two VIP AMA/EA Sports Supercross seating passes, a photo opportunity with Ricky Carmichael, the chance to meet members of Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki, and a racing-pit/behind-thescenes tour. The experience will take place on Saturday, April 7, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Interested bidders can log on to www.ebay.com Ccharity section), or the direct link is: http://members.ebay.com/ebayrnotors/ aboutme/s-a-v-e. One-hundred percent of the auction proceeds will go to S.AV.E.: a program created by stude~ts who promote safe schools and communities by educating students about the effects and consequences of violence. S.AV.E. has nearly 80,000 members in 33 states. American Honda recently announced the availability of the new XR650R HRC Power-Up Kit. Designed for competition, the kit brings HRC's development and engineering expertise to riders seeking the latest edge in big-bore competition. Riders from all over Southern California and western Nevada converged on Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California on March 18 for the start of the annual 90-mile dual-sport Ride for Kids event. The riders, 300 strong and aboard all brands of motorcycles, raised $45,064 to find the cause and cure of pediatric brain tumors. Ed Schneiderhan led all fundraisers with $5,265. Top club honors went to the Orange County Dualies, who raised $16,340 to fund the programs of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the U.S. Fine Line Motorsports was the number-one dealer, with $11,156 raised by its customers. Ray Mock was the winner of a new XR 100 Honda motorcycle. Cannondale and Cernic's Cannondale will be holding a Demo Day on April 28th, at Pleasure Valley Raceway in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. All three of Cannondale's motorsport models will be available for demonstration rides. The MX400 and XC400 will be available to ride on the motocross course and hare scrambles course, and the FX400 ATV will be available for use on the hare scrambles course. Demos are scheduled from 11 :00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Anyone interested in riding must be at least 18 years old and have a valid AMA membership card or motorcycle driver's license. The rider must provide his or her own gear, including helmet. goggles, long-sleeved jersey, pants, gloves and boots. For more information, call 814/944-7435. Jaraslav Falta, and four other Czechoslovakian former GP and ISDT riders, will be coming to the U.S. for the motocross portion of the AHRMA National weekend in Sonoma, California, April 28-29. According to SFX Motor Sports, the Sacramento Mile and the Boise National Dirt Track, rounds 10 and 8 of the Drag Specialties National Dirt Track Series sanctioned by Formula USA, have been rescheduled. The preViously booked date at Sacramento Cal Expo was September 29, but the race will be moved to September 15. The Boise race, which was previously scheduled for September 15, is being rescheduled for another date in 2001 that is expected to be announced by.April 15. "Cal Expo's management recently contacted us requesting a potential date change," SFX director of dirt track Bob Moran said. "Given the landscape of existing national dirt track events available to both spectators and riders, we found September 15th to more beneficial for the sport of dirt track." Event tickets for the Sacramento Mile will be on sale at HarleyDavidson and Ticketmaster locations on March 30th. For further information, contact Tracy Furlong at SFX Motor Sports Group, 630/566-6100, or visit dirttrack.com. Japanese star Norick Abe and his Antena 3 Yamaha set fastest lap time on the final day of GP testing at the Suzuka cue I e circuit. in Japan, on March 21. Abe was less than a tenth of a second faster than the Honda NSR500 of Brazilian Alex Barros CWest Honda Pons) with Italy's Max Biaggi CMarlboro Yamaha) a further tenth of a second adrift. Weather conditions deteriorated on the third day of the test leaving the riders to cope with high winds and a dusty track surface. Consequently, lap times were almost a full second down on the best times set over the first two days. Valentino Rossi CNastro Azzurro Honda) sat out the third and final day of the test haVing achieved all he had set out to on the first two days. Repsol Honda's Alex Criville, returning after a hand injury, was two seconds off the pace set by his fellow NSR500 riders. Criville, 500cc World Champion in 1999, has just two weeks to get up to speed before the first qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix, at Suzuka on April 8. Rookie 500cc GP rider Tohru Ukawa and his Repsol Honda set fastest time on the second of the three-day test. The Japanese rider's lap time was over two seconds faster than his best time from the previous day. Marlboro Yamaha teammates Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi finished the day in second and third places, respectively, with both men faster today than on day one of the test. Rossi, fastest on Monday, ended the day in fourth place and very happy with the progress the team has made at Suzuka. So happy that he decided to sit out the third and final day of the test. Daijiro Katoh CTelefonica MoviStar Honda), topped the 250c time sheets during all three days of the test. J B CJ o o o o o 8 o C) J J 8 r J ] 1"""\ Aprilia introduced its 2001 Grand Prix rTeam in Noale, Italy, on March 20. According to the company's official press ("' release: " A golden lion on a traditional black background is the new aggressive look of the MS Aprilia 2001 Racing Team. \. In the heart of Aprilia's Racing Division, in front of the garages where the bikes for the World championship rounds are being prepared, near the powerful computers where frames, engines and electronic systems are designed, the wild, overbearing beauty of three real lions matches technology with instinct, courage and planning. The lions roar for Aprilia, which wants to race and win in the 125 ar;td 250cc World Grand Prix racing championship that kicks off on April 8 at Suzuka, Japan." One hundred or so journalists and invited guests were present to witness the line-up of the internal factory Aprilia squadron, which will be racing with official Rsw 250 bikes. Team MS Aprilia Racing will be made up of three riders: Marco Melandri from Italy, Klaus Noehles from Germany and Tetsuya Harada from Japan, while Italian Marcellino Lucchi will continue as test rider. The Aprilia launch was a spectacular affair, with the bikes in the lion cage, while, for the first time ever in circus history, a lioness jumped over a bike. J 8 o J J J CJ J Aprilia President Ivano Beggio was reportedly excited and happy over the launch, which was held right in the heart of Aprilia' s racing territory - and he also confirmed the company's plans to participate in the 500cc Grand Prix class when it adopts four-stroke rules in 2002. "This n • _ os • APRIL 4,2001 1 o o o J o o

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