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/128131
III loved watching R6 as much as everybody else and I miss not seeing that plate out there. l 11 fan of the great am also among that have seen Joe's greatness the track. It's a missed it. More On #3 I was a friend and fan of Ricky Graham for many years [in reference to a letter published in Issue #44, November 7, 2001]. Ricky was one of the best flat trackers ever - even the die-hard Harley fans loved him. In the last several years of his career, Ricky loved to help out young up-and-coming riders such as number-43 Joe Kopp, who eventually became number-one Joe Kopp. Joe is a class act on and off the track. I know this firsthand because Joe is also a friend. Joe did not pick number three by thinking that he is as good or better than Ricky Graham. He chose it out of due respect and admiration for Ricky, just as Jay Springsteen chose number nine out of due respect and admiration for Gary Nixon. As for Mr. Allen's thinking that Joe hasn't "paid his dues", I would suggest that Mr. Allen start going to more races, because he must be thinking of another form of motorsports. Jim 'OZZle' Osbome Norma,IL More On #3 II My feelings are not the same as you, Bill. Joe Kopp paid his dues when he won the number-one plate in dirt track and he deserves to be able to pick any single number. Who's to say he didn't pick number three to keep Ricky Graham in our thoughts when we see the number go around the racetrack? What ever his reason was, I'm sure it wasn't to offend anybody. Jim Haas VIa the Internet More On #3 III Let #3 ride again. There were plenty of Ricky Graham fans who asked Joe Kopp to use the #3 for next year. Joe asked for help in picking his single digit and he got huge support to take the number three. I loved watching RG as much as everybody else, and I miss not seeing that plate out there. Good luck" Joe. Tom Schwab More On #3 IV Bill Allen says he speaks for others when he takes exception to Joe Kopp's selection of the number three. Well, I guess I'm not one of them. To me, #3 is Burrito, #2 is Dick Mann, Ricky Graham. I the many others and recognized both on and off shame you have Dave Fussner VIa the Internet KTM Kudos Joe Kopp will be National Number 3 in '02 #7 is the flying flea, or Gary Nixon, #5 is DuHamel, #4 is Black Bart, #12 is th~ Squirrel, and so on. Ricky Graham was one of the greatest, but he wasn't the best role model. I think it's great to see these numbers out there on the track again instead of tucked away in a drawer somewhere. It links the present with the past and is a healthy way to start conversations. If you knew Joe, you wouldn't say that he is trying to state that he is better than Ricky. In fact, a controversial move by Ricky G. put Joe in the hospital a few years back. This fact did not diminish Ricky's accomplishments in the eyes of the current Grand National Number 3. Joe has my support - he is a remarkable man. John Johnson VIa the In~met The last On #3 In response to Bill Allen's comments about Joe Kopp selecting National Number 3, I must say that I am more than "somewhat offended.' Joe did indeed choose this number out of admiration, but also out of inspiration. He did not "take" this number. Obviously, you do not know Joe personally, or you wouldn't have written this. Joe is a credit to this great sport, and I am sure you wouldn't find a fellow competitor of Joe's that thinks he is "just not there yet.' And to think that Joe doesn't remember Steve Eklund, Gary Scott and the others is ridiculous. Your comment involving Will Davis doesn't deserve a response. I am a died-in-the-wool dirt track fan (I was there when Carroll Resweber won his first National at Columbus, Ohio, in 1957). I am also a great I would like to thank KTM for jumping through the environmental hoops to give Californians the ability to purchase a true race bike that is green- sticker compliant. Right now, the only serious offroad bike with a green sticker is the XR650R (especially if your over six-foot and over 200 pounds). The XR is a great bike, but it's heavy. Now if Yamaha and Suzuki would just step up to the plate like KTM, off roaders would have a choice again. With the KTM, I'm trading in 277 pounds for 246 pounds - with electric start. I know a lot of people say the KTMs are pricey. They are, but by the time you make your similarly weighted XR400 competitive, the price won't differ much. In fact, the KTM is a bargain. date. Several years ago, a certain manufacturer decided to fire a sixtime National Champion and follow the GNCCs, and the media and other manufacturers followed. While the GNCC is a great series, the grassroots of the off-road world is still enduros. Here in the south, SETRA, SERA and FTR are still drawing great crowds at enduros, and how about the other series across the country NETRA, ECEA, Black Jack, Texas enduros, Rocky Mountain, and all the other regional series? While we may not have television or motorcycle magazine coverage, these series are continuing to grow, in spite of land closures and limited help from the mi,lnufacturers. I think it is time to thank the ones that have supported enduros - companies like KTM, Gas Gas, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Husaberg (my personal favorite). Keep up the good work, because enduro riders don't quit regardless of what the media or certain team captains say. We will endure. Shannon DIcus Hespet1q, CA Art Of The Motorcycle Your "U.ndeniably Art" story [Issue #43, October 31, 2001] works for me. I've been a reader (for the ERA, then WERA and AMA road racing coverage) since the mid '70s, and anyone who doesn't understand that some motorcycles are indeed art... well, they're incompetent. And that goes double for art critics. I have an art collection dating from the 13th century to the present (from Della Robbia to Andrew Wyeth), and one of my prized objects is a 1975 BMW R90 S with one mile on the odometer - it's parked in my front hall. Even its gas tank, by itself, is art. I'm no gambler, but I need to get to Vegas for that show since I missed it in New York. Thanks for the story. Jeff Hams VIa the In~met Bikes of the Stars I just received my November 7 issue today and flipped to the Bikes of the Stars section. Wow, it was my bike. I was thrilled to see it in there. But as I started reading everything about it, I noticed a few errors. I wanted to have those few items corrected if possible. My motor was ported and polished by Edge Sports out of Modesto, California. And along with Cycle Gear, I wanted to thank and acknowledge sports-center.com out of Seaside, California. Pe~Brady Port Orange, R. We Endure Sheena Pafmrson VIa the In~met I want to write you and brag on your coverage of the National Enduro Series. While the other magazines have all but turned their backs on enduros, you guys keep us up to cue •• n Patterson ;s the Women's Motocross League's number·three-ranked rider... Editor • _ so • NOVEMBER 21. 2001 5