Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

By 30 YEARS AGO•.. APRIL 27, 1971 'Actor Steve McQueen and AJS factory racer Doug Grant shared the cover of Issue 'in5. McQueen was featured in an interview, in which he was asked who he thought was the most important person in the microcosm of motorcycling. He responded, "Everyone who's got a dirt bike in the back of his ,pick-up and is looking for a place to ride. Grant was pictured on his way to winning the Viewfinders Grand Prix, and the only rider to beat Grant all weekend was Gary Jones (Yam), in the 250cc Expert class... Jody I'licholas (Nor) beat John Hateley (Tri) by approximately three inches at the line to win the Ascot Half Mile Dirt Track. Fast qualifier and track-record holder Gene Romero (Tri) finished a close third... At the rain-shortened short-track event at Sacramento, California's Capitol Speedway, only the first three heats were run, and the winners were Jim adorn (Yam), Ken Roberts (Yam) and Dick Mann (BSA). 20 YEARS AGO••• APRIL 22, 1981 Team Kawasaki's first diminutive, frecklefaced speedster Jeff Ward was photographed racing his works KX 125 across the cover of Issue it15. Inside, we took a close look at some of the trickest MX machinery in America, including: Kent Howerton's Suzuki RH250, Donnie Hansen's Honda RC250A 1D, Erik Kehoe's . Yamaha OW43 VZ125 and Jeff Ward's works Kawasaki KX125. Kawasaki was the only one of the manufacturers to include dlsc brakes on their works equipment... Alex Jorgensen (H-D) won round five of the AMA Grand National Championship Dirt Track Series at the Sacramento Mile, Scott Parker (H-D) and Hank Scott (H-D) finished second and third, respectively... Team Suzuki's Mark Barnett and Kent Howerton swept all the National motos at round three of the AMA 125/250cc National Motocross Series at Lake Whitney MX Park in the 125 and 250cc classes, respectively. Both led the points after the event, and Barnett had won all six 125cc motos run so far in 1981. Rick Johnson (Yam) and Bob Hannah (Yam) finished second overall in the 125 and 2!iOcc classes, respectively. 10 YEARS AGO••. APRIL 24, 1991 Cycle News European editor Alan Cathcart twisted the new Triumph 1200 Trophy sports-touring bike around a British bend for the cover of Issue itl5. The Triumph featured an inline fourcylinder engine that also served as a fully stressed chassis component, which helped keep the weight down while still keeping enough chassis rigidity to allow for the "sports" part of the sportstouring moniker... Rounds 10 and 11 of the AMA Camel SUPeTcross Series took place at the Pontiac Silverdome Doubleheader in Pontiac, Michigan. Saturday's 250cc main was dominated by Jean-Michel Bayle (Hon) and, with the win, he took a commanding lead in the points race when his teammate and series rival Jeff Stanton separated his left shoulder and couldn't compete. Mike LaRocco (Suz) finished second on Saturday. Team Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw, narrowly defeating second-place finisher Bayle and thIrd-place man LaRocco, won Sunday's main. The 125cc mains were split by SplitFire/Peak/Pro Circuit Honda teammates Brian Swink and Jeromy Buehl... Geoff Aaron (Apr) outrode all comers at round one of the NATC National Enduro Series and backed that up by riding to victory at the EI Trial de Espana XXI the following day as well. GEOFF MEYER GU • rile S _. . . . .r T o say that the World Championship Motocross Series is currently in a state of upheaval would be an understatement. Back on March 18, it was announced that next year's series would be run with just two classes - a premier Open class that included both 250cc two-strokes and the big-bore thumpers, and a 125cc class (possibly at a support level). This news came just before the new tripleheader, single-format (which has garnered its own share of criticism) had even been officially unveiled, and many team owners and riders knew nothing of the plans until they were informed by journalists. The fact that series promoter Action Group International was taken over in the off-season by Dorna (known best for its involvement in GP road racing) has only added to the confusion and dissatisfaction, as has the fact that the GPs have not gotten the television coverage that the new format was expected to assure. It's a situation which has sent the once-noble series into a whirlwind, with people complaining all over the pits. While covering the first two GPs of the 2001 season, I've heard more than a few of these opinions, so I thought I'd collect them and present them in this column: Wolfgang Srb, the FIM Motocross President, feels the riders and team managers should all accept that the change would be good for the sport. "What I want, is to see the best against the best," Srb said. "I have a passion for motocross; if we want the most brilliant motocross in the world, then we have to have the best all together... In Spain the racing was good, but we can have better racing. I want to see [Joel] Smets, [Stefan] Everts, [Frederic] Bolley, [Mickael) Pichon and [Gordan] Crockard - all these riders together. It would be marvelous. We have an Open class in America, and in many European countries, so why would it not work in the World Championships?" (The U.S. Series does not technically have an "Open" class, though it does allow big-bore four-strokes to compete against the 250cc two-strokes.) There are many arguments about how many motos to have with the proposed format and, at the moment, this issue is not decided. Srb said that while he would like to ask the industry its opinion on matters such as this, doing so is complicated by the fact that there are very few real factory teams in GP motocross at the moment. There are, however, many teams, and their personnel are tired of not being taken seriously - British Husqvarna team manager Trevor Avery among them. '" have never been treated with such disrespect in anything I have ever done," Avery said. "If it does not change, then I will go and race in America. I'm looking at doing a couple of American championship races this year and, if· all goes well, that's what we will do in 2002. I'm not going to hang around and take this. There is even talk of a new series being organized. " Several riders are also considering moving to the States, including C~rona Suzuki's Josh Coppins. "It might just make me go to America a little earlier than I first wanted," Coppins said. "I feel sorry for the manufacturers. They are the ones who put the money in· and are getting messed around. We were told last year that the single-moto format will be around for a few years. Now, before the season is even underway, they change it ." Team Honda RMJ boss Colin Reed is not necessarily against the changes, but he is concerned about the sport's future. "I like the idea of an Open class," Reed said. "It works in England, and I think in other countries like Sweden, it is also a success. What I think they need to do is take care of the young riders comin'g through. If they don't, then we could get into trouble with depth." Four-time World Champion Everts is not even convinced the new changes will happen. "So many things have been changed," Everts said. "We might get to next year, and something else will happen. I don't trust these people; they don't give us confidence in them. First they must leam about motocross, then look at the situation." Like so many others, CAS Honda racer Crockard said he is not sure about the way Doma is going about it. "I don't think I'll have a problem with it," Crockard said. "Their timing was bad, but otherwise it's all about what sort of team you're in. I would not like to race a 250cc bike in with the Open bikes; that's going to be scary." Harry Ainsworth, Crockard's team manager, is not sure the series is heading in a good direction. "I do this because I enjoy doing it," Ainsworth said. "To be honest, I'm not sure about all this. What is going on? It's a mess, and we all have to work together and make sure that the sport remains enjoyable for the riders, team owners and spectators." Defending 500cc World Champion Smets is one of the most vocal in his opposition to the changes, and can often be found speaking to other riders about the problems. "I want to know what they are doing with this sport," Smets said. "I want to do what I enjoy. At the moment, the sport is not as enjoyable. The new rules for next year, the new single-moto rule for this year - they have not thought about any of it. It's just been done [like], 'Let's see what happens.' One moto does not make for competitive motocross - it's Coming up In Cycle News not testing the riders. I'm very disappointed that the riders have not been asked what they think - or maybe they ask, then don't listen." Kurt Nicoll, the team manager of the KTM effort, is also not sure how to take the news on next year's Open class. "We have invested a lot of money into the 250cc machine - a lot of time, also," Nicoll said. "It's just not going to happen. I don't think these changes for 2002 will go ahead. KTM are backing the singlemoto format, and we were told that it would be good for a few years. That's why we invested in a 250cc machine." Sylvain Geboers, the team manager of the Corona Suzuki team, doesn't have a competitive big-bore machine "Look around the pits," Geboers said. "I don't think anyone is happy. Everyone has to get together and work this all out. For Suzuki, we are not sure how to take all this. This year we have a very strong 250cc machine; next year we don't know which direction we will go." Rinaldi Yamaha team spokesman and namesake Carlo Rinaldi is also quick to point out what the veterans of GP Motocross wanted. "Two 45-minute motos, n Rinaldi says. "That's real motocross. We [Yamaha] have good bikes in all classes; [three classes] is obviously what we want." Pichon agrees "I want to race Grand Prix motocross - two motos and 45 minutes," Pichon says. "What we are now doing is a joke - it's for boys. Motocross in Europe is falling apart at the moment." Tony Skillington, the Vice President of the FIM Motocross Commission, has a perhaps unexpected suggestion regarding the number of motos. "Maybe we could go back to the three-moto format which we had in the 250cc class back in 1993," Skillington says. "It was tough, but the crowd loved it. Personally, I enjoyed the single-moto format [at the 2001 opener] in Spain. Everyone I talked to enjoyed the format. The riders put themselves under a lot of pressure. I've never seen anything like that before, and it was incredible how they reacted to the new format, with the arm pump and fatigue." Suzuki racer Justin Morris is concerned not only about abbreviated racing time, but the lack of qualification and practice time. "We sit around far too much," Morris said. "I spend so much time waiting that I'm sick of being at a Grand Prix; once my moto is over, I'm out of there." Not everyone is against the singlemoto format. "I hope they stick with the one-moto format," said KTM's 125cc points leader James Dobb. "I think it's easier for the crowd to follow one winner. It's also nice to watch the other motos." CN • Australian MX GP • KTM Desert Adventure • Trials Tour • South carolina GICC • Las Vegas Best In the Desert cue. e n e "" S • APRIL 18. 2001 103

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