Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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Supermotard Madness (Above) One of the coolest things about the Super TT races Is that there's a class for everyone. This is practice for the Sportsman class, where participants must run a bike's stock 21·lnch front rim. It keeps costs in check and requires minimal changes to the bike. that these guys were carrying into the corners was unbelievable - talk about getting it in hot. When I asked Pegram what it was about Supermotard that got him out and competing, he smiled and said, "It's a good time, but it's just like anything, you know, it gets serious come race time. Me and Schwantz and Gobert were just having fun last week, but then we started bumping and banging - it gets serious. It's good racing, you have to be a good all-around rider to do well at it. I like it, it's a lot of fun." Hayden concurred. "I just do it for fun, I'd seen it on T.V. and stuff. I just thought I would come out and kick it, have a good time. It's been fun· I like to road race and dirt track, and it's right in between, a little bit of both. McAlister Motorsports had a bike and said I could ride it. It's a really nice bike, a 450 Honda - the thing works good. I'm having fun - every time I go out I get a little more comfortable and adjusted to it. n The course consisted of six turns, with a dirt section between turns two and three - the dirt section also had a gentle left curve to it. The back straight was the fastest section on the course and led into the hairpin - and that was definitely the place to watch. The riding styles of the three fast guys had similarities to a certain degree, but the dirt-track-derived styles of Hayden and Pegram were the most spectacular. While Schwantz would get it sideways entering the corner, his style was much smoother than the youngsters', proving that, even close to a decade after retiring, Schwantz still has the skills of a champion. While watching Hayden practicing, I realized that half the time he was just screwing around • and was also the fastest guy out there. Nicky would sometimes back it in, and then get on top of the bike dirt-track style and slide it out on the exit. Then, on occasion, he would back it in and then go to his knee road-race style just for kicks. However, when he was really flying, he would back it in so hot that he would loose the front and the rear simultaneously - and I mean by a foot - and then save it by giving it full throttle on the exit, lighting the tire up. It was truly breathtaking to watch· to anyone else it was a crash, but to Nicky it was the fastest way around the track. Practice is one thing - and if that was all there was to see, that would have been fine - but the Open-class final was awesome. When the green flag dropped, the three guys that you would've predicted to shoot to the front, did· Hayden, Pegram, and Schwantz. It stayed close for the first couple of laps, and then Hayden and Pegram just cleared out. Schwantz slipped a few seconds back behind the two leaders by the halfway point, (Left! Larry Pegram leads Casey Yarrow through tum one. (RIght) The Open. class podium looked more like a transgeneration Superbike podium than anything. 26 MARCH 6, 2002' cue I III n __ s but seemed to hold the gap there, and never fell back any further. Up front, the racing was awesome, with Hayden and Pegram in a class of their own. Those two diced in close quarters for the entire 16-lap main event - in what could only be called incredibly good racing. In the end, it was Hayden taking the win over Pegram, with Schwantz closing the gap near the end of the race and finishing third over Mark Cernicky in fourth. You couldn't ask for more entertaining, competitive racing, and as the sport continues to grow, I think it will only get better. One of the coolest things about the STTARS series is that the class structures are set up so that anyone with a dirt bike can compete without breaking the bank on special equipment. There's even the minimotard class for kids, and adults who like to act like kids. Trust me, there is nothing more entertaining than riding a TTR125 Yamaha or Honda XRI00 around on pavement with knobbies. If the STTARS series interests you, you can find more information at www.supertt.com. eN