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/128126
o Road racer Kurtis Roberts will compete in round 15 of the FIM 500 World Grand Prix Championships in Sepang, Malaysia on Sunday. October 21. Roberts will be racing in his first-ever 500cc GP on his father's - Kenny Roberts Sr. - Proton Team KR threecylinder 500cc race bike, according to a release from Honda. "American Honda and I worked out an agreement that allows me to compete in this one race." said Roberts. "I will be on a different set of tires, which will be a major adjustment for me, but I am excited with the challenge, and look forward to giving my dad and the team 100 percent." Kurtis' older brother is Kenny Roberts Jr., the current 500cc World Champion. The two brothers have never competed on the same road-racing course before. so this will be something new for the whole family. "I'm not going to carry too high of expectations going into the Malaysia event, but I would love to race with my brother if it comes down to it," said Kurtis Roberts. Next season. Roberts will campaign an Erion Racing-liveried Honda RC51 fulltime for the 2002 AMA Superbike Championship. It's official: Jeremy McGrath, the seven-time Supercross Champion, will .race the 2001 THO U.S. Open. While McGrath has a long list of motocross ~nd supercross accomplishments, the THO U.S. Open remains one of the few .races he hasn't won. The Encinitas, Califomia, resident finished the 2001 Supercross second behind Ricky Carmichael, marking the second time in nine years that McGrath has not won the championship. He is ready for revenge. "Basically. Jeremy just plans on coming and I winning $100,000," said Tim Clark, Director of the THO U.S. Open. "I met with him and Larry [Brooks. Mazda Yamaha team managerl a few weeks back, and I've got to tell you. Jeremy is on a mission. He's in the best shape. He's training incredibly hard. No question, he wants the title back. I think the Open will be the start of his comeback. One thing for sure. it's going to make for some very interesting betting odds." In addition, McGrath is creating a once-ina-lifetime souvenir T-shirt to help aid the victims and families affected in the Sep- o o o USC Racing/lstlegal.com's Terry Poovey locked up the Formula USA National Dirt Track Championship in spectacular fashion with a win at the Del Mar Short Track, and Team Harley-Davidson's Rich King landed a big $20,000 bonus by winning the Del Mar Mile and coming home first in the 1stlegal.com Grand Slam of Dirt Track to cap off the 2001 Formula USA National Dirt Track Series in Del Mar, California, October 6-7. The 43-year-old Poovey needed eighth or better to clinch the National title, but Instead he wound up adding to his legend as one of the best short trackers ever to play the game as he bumped and banged his way past early leader Brett Landes and then stuck to the pole like glue. That might have been all she wrote, but another legend, Team Honda's Nicky Hayden, emerged from the pack aboard a practically stock Honda CR450F motocrosser to challenge Poovey for the lead in the last few laps of the race. It all came down to a showdown off the last curves, as Hayden bumed it in on the outsi~e and swung around Poovey in an attempt to cut off the Texan's escape to the finish line_ Poovey would not be denied, however, and he drove Hayden straight to the wall, beating the 19-year-old to the line by inches in a thrilling finish. There were more fireworks after the checkered flag, too, as fourth-placed Brett Landes and fjfth-placed Bryan Bigelow collided behind third-placed Rich King in tum one during the cooldown lap. tember 11 tragedies. All proceeds from the T-shirt will be donated to the clearchannel.com relief fund in McGrath's name. The only place to purchase this shirt will be at the event. McGrath's only appearance at the THO U.S. Open was in its inaugural year, 1998, when he finished third. Damon Huffman was the overall winner. According to Honda, Jake Zemke will anchor the Honda-supported Bruce Transportation Group team in next year's AMA Formula Xtreme and 600cc Supersport Series. Zemke, who finished the 2001 AMA Formula Xtreme series tied for fourth in points with Erion teammate Josh Hayes, will ride Honda's new CBR954RR next year and will campaign a Honda CBR600F4i in the AMA 600cc Supersport series. Joining Zemke on both the 954 and F4i will be Australian Alex Gobert. The 18-year-old Gobert first gained attention in the U.S. when in 1998, at age 15. he finished second at Laguna Seca in the Aprilia Cup Series. Gobert finished eighth in the 2000 Australian Superlbike Series riding for Team Mobil Honda and is completing a strong · · · · : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It · : • : A L..) · · : · CORRECTION: In our Bikes of the Stars feature on Destry Abbott's : · : : : : · · · · National Hare & Hound Championship-winning Kawasaki KX500 in last week's issue, we inadvertently failed to include the manufacturer of the bike's steering stabilizer. Abbott's long-time stabilizer sponsor is Scott's Performance. HIRED: Brad Cameron as a territory manager for Renthal America. effective immediately. Cameron preViously worked for Factory Effects. The normally reserved Landes lost his cool and leaped over his own downed motorcycle, landing on top of Bigelow and putting the hard-riding Michigander in a choke hold as the crowd went wild. The two were quickly separated without further incident_ The big mile on Sunday was practically a Rich King benefrt. The Iowan was unstoppable aboard his Bill Werner-prepared XR750, running away from the field in the first 10 laps of the 20lap National before the race was halted by a red flag - a planned move prior to the start of the race - so that the field could change helmets or add tearoffs due to the visibility problems that are encountered with the Del Mar racing surface. Once back underway, it was more of the same for King, who fended off a brief challenge by 2001 AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr and Kevin Atherton to pull another big lead that would stretch to nearly a straightaway at the finish. By taking the win, King also eamed a lion's share $20,000 bonus from the lstlegal.com Grand Slam series fund. Kenny Coolbeth caught and passed both Carr and Atherton to finish second. Carr was third, followed by Atherton and Bryan Bigelow. In Pro Singles action on the mile, Davey Durelle barely outran Steve Murray to score a win aboard his Suzuki DR-Z-powered machine. Murray was second, followed by Yamaha-mounted Willie McCoy. 2001 season riding for Honda Australia's Redwing HRC Racing team in the Formula Xtreme and 600 Supersport series. The Honda lineup is now complete and features the follOWing riders: Nicky Hayden, Miguel DuHamel, Kurtis Roberts (Superbike); Roger Lee Hayden and Mike Hale (Erion Honda - 600 and Formula Xtreme); Zemke and Gobert (Bruce Transportation Group - 600 and Formula Xtreme). overall I rode very well. I feel really good about coming back strong next year." Aaron Gobert and Formula Xtreme runner-up Buckmaster will compete in 600cc Supers port on factory prepared Yamaha VZF-R6 motorcycles run out of the factory Yamaha transporter. The pair will continue to compete in Formula Xtreme on the all-new fuel injected 2002 R1 powered motorcycles for Graves' Motorsports. Yamaha has also announced that It will field a three-rider factory team in 2002. Anthony Gobert will return to Yamaha to make an assault on both the Superlbike and 600cc Supersport Championships and joining him in the 600cc David Lamberth, of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, has been selected executive director of AHRMA, effective November 1. Lamberth, 39, has 16 years experience as a finance professional. A certified public accountant, he Supersport class will be younger brother Aaron Gobert and fellow Aussie Damon Buckmaster. The deal will also see Buckmaster and Aaron Gobert riding the Formula Xtreme class under the Graves' Motorsports banner, according to a release issued by Yamaha. "Both the Yamaha R7 and R6 were very competitive," Anthony Gobert said in the release. "And despite the bit of bad luck early on with my injuries. I think that currently is vice president of finance for a Nashville-area logistics company. He has been an avid motorcyclist since age seven and has competed continually since 1977 in motocross and hare scrambles. Lamberth also has been instrumental in the growth of the AMAsanctioned Mid South Hare Scrambles Series. He began his involvement as scorekeeper in 1986 and in 1995 became responsible for the overall operation of the series, which maintains a mailing list of over 2000 riders. . . . . . APPOINTED: Doug Powers. as area sales manager for Triumph . : " "" " . AMA Pro Racing has announced that Motorcycles' Area 1. which consists of New England. New York and : • New Jersey. effectively immediately. : its 27th annual AMA Pro Racin9 Champions Awards Banquet will be held on December 7. 2001. at the luxurious Desert Springs Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Springs. Fans are invited to join AMA Pro Racing staff as they honor America's best motorcycle racers from the fields of road racing, Supercross, motocross, flat track, speedway. hillclimb, drag racing and more. The banquet has been in Las Vegas since 1995, but is moving back to the heart of the . . . OPENED, Bamett Clutches' home page on the World Wide Web. The site : . can found at the following address: http://www.bamettclutches.com. : . : CORRECTION: In our "Local Talent" feature in Issue #39, Donnie: Gritton's name was misspelled as Donnie Britton. regrets . : . the error. : . . be Cycle News OPENED: Performance Honda, a Honda-only dealer in Orlando. Florida. For more information. call 407/905-9330. · ............................................................................................................... ................. III U III I ~ e . n Continued on page 92 e _ S • OCTOBER 17,2001 3 8 o o o o o o ~o o o o o o o o o 8 o o o o o o o o o 8 o 8