Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Albert Cabestany (Bet) won the Lis· bon Indoor World Trial round on February 17, topping Adam Rega (G·G) and Dougie Lampkin (Mon), Cabestany now leads Lampkin in the World Champi· onship by four points, 101·97. Defendin9 AMA National Enduro Champi· on Mike Lafferty (KTM) picked up where he left off last year with a dominant win on his 400 EXC at the first round of the 2002 AMA National Championship Enduro Series in Coalinga, California. on February 17, where heavy rains turned the loops into a muddy m~ss. Lafferty fin· ished with a score of 23. Randy Hawkins (Yam) was second overall. with a score of 30. Fred Hoess (Hus) was third overall. carding a 42. Staab update: We spoke with Honda's Chuck Miller at the Minneapolis Super· cross. and he got us up to date on the recovery of Tim Staab, the desert racer who suffered head injuries in a crash late last year in the Las Vegas 200. "He's having continued improvement," Miller said. "He's off ventilation, breathing on his own. He's not talking much, but part of that is due to the tube from the ventila· tor having scratched up his throat a little bit." According to Miller. Staab is staying awake for most of the day. and being moved around in the wheelchair. "One side is more responsive than another. but he's coming along," Miller said. "He's ready to begin another level of therapy." Staab is currently in the UCSD Medical Center in La Jolla, California. Cards or letters can be sent to: Tim Staab. 5232 Cassandra Ln .. San Diego. CA 92109 Clear Channel Entertainment's Charlie Mancuso confirmed on February 12 that he and CCE Chairman Jeff Lewis attended a meeting after the Anaheim III event with Dorna, the FIM and the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers in Japan. "Jeff Lewis and I attended a meeting that was chaired by the FIM and Dorna to announce to the Japanese manufacturers the relationship between the FIM and Dorna. and Dorna's contract with Clear Channel," said Mancuso. the president of CCE Motor Sports. today. "They told them of our intent to produce a Supercross World Championship. It was a good meeting. The Japanese manufacturers definitely stated that their American distributors make the decision on where their race teams race," Dorna was represented at the meeting by CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, COO Enrique Aldama. and managing directors Manel Arroyo and Jordi Pons. Those four also attended the Anaheim Supercross on February 2 as guests of Clear Channel. Yamaha's Anthony Gobert led the way in the three-day test session that began on February 12 at California Speedway in Fontana. California. Gobert ripped off a time of 1:27.120 to best Kawasaki's Eric Bostrom by over half a second on the first day. and he would conclude with a 1:25.186 in the afternoon session on the final day. a time marginally faster than his countryman Mat Mladin (Suz), who topped the rest with a 1:25.429. Bostrom was the third fastest Superlbike rider at the test. with a best time of 1:26.090. With Aussies Anthony Gobert and Mat Mladin testing at California Speedway for the first time. both were in agreement that the chicane that makes up the first comer was better on the first day of the test than on the second day. The temporary chicane was changed in an effort to make it more similar to the way it was at the last test session there a few weeks ago. "I don't like it." Gobert said. "It was more open yesterday, but the Kawasaki guys complained about it. It's just my opinion. but I liked it better before. Now it's a lot tighter and it puts a lot more stress on the front tire. I think it's a bit more dangerous this way. We just need another foot. foot and a half." Mladin concurred. "It was better yesterday," Mladin said. "I guess [Eric] Bostrom was complaining that it was too fast. Now there are two places in the first tum that you can run off and they'lI have to police two spots for the race. plus the one in the back. It was heaps better yes· terday. " Speed Channel will feature over seven hours of racing coverage from Daytona International Speedway in March, featuring the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship and the Daytona 200, which will air live on Sunday, March 10 at 12:30 p,m. (eastern), The Daytona Supercross and Daytona Short Track are also slated for coverage on Speed Channel. "Speed Channel's live coverage commJtment to Daytona's AMA Pro Racing events events is validation of the growth and appeal our motorcycle racing properties: said John C. Farris, Jr" vice president commercial development, AMA Pro Racing, in a release jssued by the organization, "Riders, teams and sponsors will all benefit from the increased coverage and the strong appeal of live racing coverage, it's a win-win situation for all stakeholders involved in the sport." This year's coverage kicks off with AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike final qualifying from 1-2 p.m. (EST) on Friday, March 8. The starting grid for the Daytona 200 will be determined dUring this coverage. The coverage then moves right into the opening round of the 2002 Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock class starting at 3 p.m. on Friday. Cappjng off the coverage on Friday is live coverage of the 16th running of Daytona's opening race of the 2002 Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Championship, from 3-4 p.m, On Sunday, March 10, the MBNA 250 Grand Prix race gets things warmed up live at 10:30 am, The Daytona 200 by Arai wraps American Honda Motor Company's Motorcycle Division has reported yearend retail sales of 219,584 motorcycles, an increase of 54.640 over 2000. Honda motorcycle sales grew 33.1 percent and Honda retains the number-one market-share position at 28.8 percent. The entire industry continued a growth streak. shOWing a 19.6·percent gain over 2000, according to Honda. "'Performance First' means we are continuing to give our customers what they want," said Ray Blank, motorcycle division vice president. "With the strongest and most diverse line-up in the industry, we expect 2002 to be another banner year for Honda." on right now. and we will be making more announcements in the near future, though there's nothing we can discuss right now. Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd. has announced plans to celebrate its mile· stone 100th anniversary with a ride in June titled "Triumph Across America." With its rich legacy and current robust sales. Triumph is one of the most famous names in motorcycling on the streets today. according to Triumph. The first Triumph motorcycle emerged from a small factory in Coventry, England in 1902. Today, Triumph's factory is located in a modem facility in Hinckley, England· just a short distance away from its birth· place. From its beginning, the popularity of Triumph grew· becoming the number· one selling big·bore motorcycle in the '60s, according to Triumph. Triumph struggled and ultimately in 1983 closed its doors dUring the decline of the world· wide motorcycle market. That year, John Bloor. a successful English entrepreneur, acquired the Triumph brand name and began to assemble a team of designers and engineers to rebuild one of the world's most prominent names in motor· cycling. While attending the 34th annual Dealemews International Powersports Dealer Expo. PJH Brands president P.J. Harvey confirmed that he has been elected as the new chairman of the board for AMA Pro Racing. The change was made official on Saturday, February 17. Harvey said that he is looking forward to the challenge of reaffirming the AMA as the premier motorcycle sanctioning body in America, "There is so much more to do with AMA Pro Racing. to bring it in line and make some real progress with it." Harvey said. "We have some real quality people on the board, including (former 500cc World Champion) Kevin Schwantz and Mike Buckley from Dunlop. We're going to do everything we can to make thiS the best motorcycle sanctioning body in the world." According to Harvey. Schwantz and Buckley have joined the board, replacing Rick Gray and Mark Tuttie. "Rick did an excellent job for us. and he has been retained as the chairman for the AMA." Harvey said. Tuttle resigned his position as chairman of the board some 10 days ago for personal reasons. Harvey also said that the tasks that lie before AMA Pro Racing are not solely limited to the current supercross controversy. "We fully intend to take a look at all of our disciplines up and down the line to make sure that they are up to speed. and if they're not. to work hard to get them up to speed." Harvey said. "Obvi· ously. supercross is what we're focusing The Honda Hoot returns to Knoxville, Tennessee. June 19·22. according to Honda. Last year's Hoot saw over 18.000 motorcyclists travel to the mountains of eastern Tennessee to enjoy spectacular riding. great food, a variety of events and activities along with lots of Southern hospitality. according to Honda. Speed Channel's Dave Despain has been named Grand Marshal for Hoot IX and a very special event for thiS year's Honda Hoot will be "An Evening with Lyle Lovett. in Private Concert." The four·time Grammy award winner and avid motorcy· c1e enthusiast will perform solely for Hoot attendees in the Knoxville Civic AuditOrium. Primary based at Chilhowee Park, joining Honda thiS year with manufactur· er's demo rides will be Aprilia, BMW, Buell. Kawasaki, Suzuki. Victory and Yamaha. Returning for the 2002 event will be Youth Familiarization Rides pre· sented by the Motorcycle Safety Founda· tion on units proVided by Honda. Kawasa· ki. Suzuki and Yamaha. Registration for the Hoot may be made by calling 800/347·1289 for a brochure with regis· tration form or by registering online at www.hondahoot.com. up Speed Channel's live coverage of the 2002 Daytona Bike Week. The network will prOVide f1ag-to-flag coverage of the 61 st running of the prestigious race. The 2002 AMA Supercross at Daytona will be given sarne·day coverage on Saturday, March 9, on Speed Channel, though there is still a chance the race may end up being shown live, Both the 125 East and 250 main event races will be shown in a three-hour pro· gram at 8 p,m, (eastern). "Three hours of same·day programming on Speed Channel pro· vides a great platform to showcase the Incredible athletes competing In AMA Supercross: Farris said. "Fans also benefit by being able to watch the coverage within hours of the actual races," Speed Channel will also broadcast the opening round of the 2002 AMA Progressive Insurance U,S. Flat Track Championship from Daytona Beach, Florida, The race, held on Daytona Beach's Munici· pal Stadium's short track, will be shown on Tuesday, March 19 at 8 p.m, (eastern), "Prime·time television coverage of AMA Flat Track is a great kick-off to this year's championship battle," Farris said, Two·time Daytona short track winners Terry Poovey and Chris Carr will attempt to tie the late Will Davis' record of three wins this March. Carr won the race in 1992 and 1994, while Poovey took the honors in 1997 and 2000. Carr is the defending series champ and will be opening his title defense at Daytona. cue I • The AMA has also announced that five major motorcycle manufacturers will offer demo rides at the 2002 AMA Women & Motorcycling Conference. sched· uled for June 29 through July 3 at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhan· non, West Virginia, BMW. Harley·David· son/Buell, Honda. Kawasaki and Yamaha will bring fleets of new models to the event, offering free demo rides to confer· ence participants. according to the AMA. Retired British road racer Steve Parrish recently announced his retirement from European Truck Racing. During his 17 years of racing, Parrish won five Euro· pean and five British Championships rac· n • _ S • FEBRUARY 27, 2002 1 o o o j J o o o o C) CJ o 8 C) J I -.J \...J <""'"' I ~ o o B n o (' u CJ ~ J 8 o o o o o

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