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/128121
o c c c Continued from page 3 that he was an easy pick for our award. Congratulations, Kyle. C O'Brien Racing Products will be f\ On home soil, the French World Trophy team took top honors at the Intemational Six Days Enduro in Brive la Gaillarde, France, August 27-September 1. In the early stages, the French team battied the Swedes, only to pull away later in the week and take the gold. The always-powerful Italian team, came on strong towards the end and finished out the week in second place to take the silver medal, while the Swedish team eventually suffered problems and dropped back to eighth before all was said and done. Taking the bronze medal in third was the team from Spain. Rounding out the top five was Australia and the Czech Republic. The U.S. team, made up of Nick, Russ and David Pearson, Brian and Patrick Garrahan, and Fred Hoess, finished out the competition in sixth. In the Junior World division, Italy took top honors, followed by Sweden, Spain, France and Great Britain. The U.S. Jr. World team - trackside providing racer support sales & services at the Formula USA Portland Half-Mile on September 8, Sacramento Mile on September 15-16, and at the Seattle Mile on September 22. Goodyear Dirt Track Tires, Racing Gasoline, and a full line of dirt-track parts and accessories will be available. info call 541 /318-0493. For more A police officer in Tennessee has been charged with vehicular homicide for allegedly killing a motorcyclist by running him off the road with his patrol car, was patrolling old Knoxville Highway in the Rockford area just south of Knoxville when he got a report from a Blount County deputy sheriff that a speeding motorcyclist was coming up behind him. Johnson told investigators he turned on his emergency lights when he saw the motorcycle approaching, hoping to get the rider to slow down. Instead, Johnson said, the rider lost control of his machine, hit a guardrail and then slid into according to the AMA. A grand jury in Blount County, Tennessee, on Wednesday indicted Rockford Police Sergeant James Ray Johnson on the criminal charge. If convicted, the officer could face three-to-six years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Johnson is free on a $25,000 bond pending a September 10 court appearance when a trial date will be set. On March 10, Johnson John Beal, Craig Wesner, Ben Hale and Rob Zimmerman - finished 11th. The top three-rider Club team was Club France I, while the topfinishing U.S. Club team was the Timekeepersmc.com team, made up of Brian Sperle, Tim Stowe and Glenn Martinson. Class winners included Frenchman Marc Germain (KTM) in the 125cc class, Frenchman David Fretigne (Yam) in the 250cc TwoStroke class, Frenchman Cyril Esquirol (Hus) in the 250cc FourStroke class, Italian Mario Rinaldi (Yam) in the 400cc Four-Stroke class and Finn Mika Ahola (Vor) in the 500cc Four-Stroke class. The overall individual winner was Ahola, and the top American finisher - based on overall time - was David Pearson, who finished 24th in the 250cc Two-Stroke class. The top U.S. class finisher was Hoess (Hus) in the 250cc Four-Stroke division, where he placed ninth. Philip Laton, 27, a father of three and a corrections officer at the Juvenile Detention Center in Knoxville, was killed instantly. Later, a witness came forward to say that the police car had swerved into the path of the approaching motorcycle, killing Laton. The investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol included a review of videotape from a camera mounted on Johnson's cruiser, which, investigators said, confirmed the witness' account. Johnson has been on paid administrative leave since the crash. Meanwhile, a $3 million wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the Blount County Sheriff's Department and the Rockford Police Department. Motoworld Racing.com has announced that it has signed with American Suzuki Motor Corporation for the 2002 AMA Supercross and US Motocross Championship Series seasons. The team also reported they have signed riders Justin Buckelew, Ben Riddle, Andrew Short and resigned Damon Huffman for the 2002 AMAlEA Sports Supercross Series and the AMA US Motocross Championship Series. The team additionally signed agreements under which they will be using RG3 Sus- Harley-Davidson announced last week that the company has chosen to end its factory VR 1000 Superbike racing program and retire from the AMA Superbike series after the final round of the 2001 season at Virginia International Raceway on September 28-30. "Our development team took a hard look at rebuilding the program this year, and what it would take to bring the VR I 000 to a competitive level and replace it with a new design," said Harley's director of racing John Baker in a release issued by Harley. "HarleyDavidson has determined the resources required to do that are simply too costly to pursue given our other business priorities: After four years of hard rides on the underpowered Harley-Davidson VR1000, Pascal Picotte got word on August 29 that his run at Harley was over. "It could be worse," Picotte said. "I did expect it, but it's still tough. I kinda feel like they let me down a little bit. I'll keep training, keep working hard and hopefully I'll get a good seat for next year. Then I'll try and do like Miguel [DuHamel] and Doug [Chandler] and have a good year the year after Harley.' So how does one motivate himself to put in J 00 percent effort in the final two races with a team that will no longer exist? "I like Willow," Picotte said. "The bike works fairly well there. It's been tough all season. At Brainerd we were 13 mph slower than Kurtis' [Roberts] Honda... I'm not a magician. The team is working on stuff so maybe we will have more speed. I'll try hard for myself and for my guys. I can't let them down - I never have and I never will. I never, ever gave up on that program. I've pushed it to the limit and crashed - I've never quit: As for next year, Picotte is hoping for the best. "I do want to ride," Picotte said. "Hopefully, I get a full Superbike ride, but I could also deal with an Xtreme and/or 600 ride - or both. I'd like to do both. I was pretty competitive in 600cc Supersport in '97 - nine podiums in II races. I just want to get on a good team and get the results I expect to get. Riding good equipment would definitely bring a smile to my face: For more on the VR 1000 program, see page 60 c. D. 120 rDblems SEPTEMBER 12, 2001 • cue I _ n __ s pension and Bill's Pipes exclusively in 2002. 'We are very excited about the opportunity to work with Suzuki because they are really behind us for next year. With the help of Suzuki, Bills Pipes and RG3, we are confident that we will be on the best equipment possible. We are also very honored to have the chance to work with the riders we have signed. The combination of our riders and sponsors create exciting possibilities for next season. All in all it looks like 2002 will be a great year for us,' said team owner/manager Paul Lindsey. eN