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/128123
Team Cycle News takes on the 24 Hours of Glen Helen off the Katoom just days before the race, mounted fresh rubber, changed oil, cleaned the filter, and installed higher-watt bulbs. Sure, a stuck carb slide surfaced following a late jetting change, and true, a broken headlight wire reared its head as we were loading up the Fun Mover, but again, that just fit the spirit of a good off-road escapade, as far as I was concerned. In fact, I'd have been nervous if there was no last-minute tweaking to do on the bike at the race site, and besides, the nervous glances Kit and I noticed between the other four team members actually gave us a certain amount of satisfaction. Chris Jonnum By THE CYCLE NEWS STAFF PHOTOS BY KINNEY JONES AND THE CYCLE NEWS STAFF lsewhere in this issue, you can read about how the heroes fared in the IMS Pro Series/Dirt Bike 24 Hours of Glen Helen, a unique event that features some of the Baja 1000's ambiance without the long distances, dangerous highways or overwhelming preparation work. This story, on the other hand, is about the trials and escapades of a decidedly different and nonheroic group of riders - Team Cycle News. Editor Paul Carruthers, Associate Editors Kit Palmer and Scott Rousseau, Managing Editor Chris Jonnum, and FOPs (Friends of Pablo) Steve Bobrofsky and Lance McRoberts. Having heard what a cool event the 24 Hours was, we decided to take a whack at it this year, so we threw together a squad, lined up a loaner Fun Mover motorhome from EI Monte RV, and sent in our entry. Again, our effort was laughable when compared to those of the top teams, and their riders will probably laugh at some of the travails we recount below (or wonder if we were even on the same course as them). Nevertheless, the adventures were real for us, and we hope you enjoy reading about them. E my idea in the first place. I probably threw out the "Hey, let's do this Glen Helen 24 Hours thing" in jest. But somebody took me seriously, and the next thing I knew, I was thrown in the deep end. Paul Carruthers Just typical. Some tarmac jockey at Cycle News gets all gung-ho about dipping his pavement-scraping toe in the realm of off-road, and I find Associate editor Kit Palmer takes his first three-lap stint on the KTM 400 EXC, which never missed a beat throughout the entire 24 hours. ,.,.,.,.,."",." I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, though I was later reminded that the whole thing was 14 SEPTEMBER 26.2001 • cue I • n • _ s myself making the foray possible. Never mind that Kit and I were busy juggling the CRF450R debut test, National MX season-end coverage and 2002 MX shootouts; these guys wanted an adventure, and that meant that my off-road cohort and I were responsible for prepping the bike and pit supplies. Well, fine, but we would be doing it in true, old-school off-road style - in other words, light on the organization. I hosed Colorado mud I could see the excitement in Lance's face when I told him of our big plan to do the 24 Hours. "Excitement" is perhaps an understatement. He started foaming at the mouth, so I opted to invite him to join Team Cycle News. I even promised him that I'd actually ride a motocross bike at least tlNice before the event. Lance, you see, is one of those extremely patient, organized types - the complete opposite of myself, and the majority of my staff. If I'm three parts Red Bull, one part coffee, then Lance is warm milk. He's calm. I'm not. He wanted to know that we were prepared. I lied and told him we were. It took a few weeks, but he eventually figured us out. We were winging this whole thing, and I could tell it made him nervous. He'd never done an event Cycle News-style. Now he was thrown in the deep end with guys who were doggy-paddling like mad. P.C. I'd left all bike preparations to Chris Jonnum. He had the KTM in his