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/128151
o o o o o At the 18th Annual White Brothers FourStroke World Championships on April 1314, at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, Doug Dubach (Yam) raced to his fourth World FourStroke title with 4-1 moto finishes, Brock Sellards (KTM) finished second, despite sickness, with 2-4 finishes, and Spud Walters (Hon) rounded out the podium with 1-6 results. 5J[]j]5Jf) ©D@CfJf? ©DDCfJ[JiJ[JiJ@D ©@[Jf]D@U@@.,.L.....C:::.@:........=..fJDD=-=--=--@f?-=--- o Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division and AMA Pro Racing announced on April 12 a seven-year agreement for the 2003-2009 AMA Supercross seasons, extending the 28-year relationship between the two organizations. The agreement provides that AMA Pro Racing will continue to sanction aU supercross motorcycle races produced and promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment in the United States. After lengthy discussions, both groups concluded that working together was in the best interest of supercross riders, fans, sponsors, television viewers, race teams, AMA Pro Racing and Clear Channel Entertainment, and positions supercross for significant future growth. Charlie Mancuso, president of Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division, said: "We are proud to announce the continuation of our long-standing relationship with AMA Pro Racing and are thrilled to focus all of our efforts on taking the sport of supercross to the next level and beyond. Our job is to work hand-in-hand with AMA Pro Racing to continue the rapid growth and development of the most successful motorcycle racing series in the world. We want to thank the riders, fans, race teams and sponsors for all of their patience and support during the past few months.· PJ Harvey, newly elected chairman of AMA Pro Racing, said, "The last few months have felt a bit like a !ap around a supercross track - fast, furious and with its fair share of bumps. But, in the end, we have come to realize that continuing our relationship with Clear Channel Entertainment most effectively meets the needs of AMA Pro o o o o o o o o o Reigning U.S. National Speedway Champion Chris Manchester won the Scratch main in the Coors Light Spring Classic at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, on April 13. Bobby Schwartz finished second, and Josh Larsen finished third. Former World and National Motocross Champion Danny LaPorte is planning to make a return at the Unadilla. New York, National Motocross, according to a press release from FMF (the company which currently employs LaPorte). laPorte, 45, often tests and trains with top FMF riders like David Vuillemin, Chad Reed and Brock Sellards, and he feels he is ready for the National that will run on July 21. LaPorte has never raced a National at the facility, as it didn't host a round dUring the period that he was campaigning the National circuit. As a past champ, laPorte is assured a spot on the gate for the final motos, so he will not have to qualify, but his goals are much higher than merely making the program: "While I do not expect to run at the very front of the field. I think my experience, training and tenacity should easily place me in the top 15, and perhaps the top 10 in each moto" LaPorte said in the release. FMF has started up an office pool on how laPorte will finish. c c c Destry Abbott (Kaw) and David Pearson (Kaw). Many of the riders who competed in the Utah National Hare & Hound also competed in the follOWing day's AMA National Hare Scrambles in Milliken, Colorado, on April 14. Ty DaviS led until his bike broke on the last lap. Matt Karlsen (Yam) took over the lead and went on to win, followed by Russell Pearson (Yam) and Brian Garrahan (KTM). Fred Andrews (Kaw) and Destry Abbott (Kaw) rounded out the top five overall. o o 8 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Tatsuya Yamaguchi will contest the fourth round of the World Supers port Championship at Sugo in Japan, on April 21, replacing John McGuinness in the Honda UK team. Yamaguchi, 26, is a former 250cc and Superbike rider, racing for the official HRC Superbike team in 2000 and 200 1. He is racing in Superbike and Supersport classes in Japan in 2002. Team manager Roger Harvey said: " John's had a nightmare start to the season but he's recovering and doing very well and it's great to be able to call on Yamaguchi for this week's Japanese round. Honda in Japan has assisted in finding a replacement for John for Sugo and we're very grateful for that. The Sugo circuit is very technical and difficult to learn, so it was important to find a rider with circuit knowledge." McGuinness is recovering from pneumonia and expected to be fit for the next round at Monza, Italy, on May 12. "John's doing very well," Harvey added. "The pneumonia has obviously been affecting him for some time without him realiZing. He returned from South Africa last Wednesday and he's well on his way to being fit for round five at Monza. " At the opening round of the Parts Unlimited Off-Road Championship Series in Kahoka, Missouri, on April 14, Chuck Woodford (Kaw) came away with the win over Doug Blackwell (Hon) and Matt Stavish (GG>. Fourth went to Craig Holasek (KTM), while fifth place went to Charlie Duestcher (Hus). World Champion Dougie Lampkin (Mon) swept the opening round of the World Trials Championship in Calvia, Majorca, April 13-14. Lampkin topped Takahisa Fujinami (Hon) and Albert Cabestany (Mon) in Saturday's event before coming back to beat Adam Raga (G-G> and Cabestany in Sunday's trial. Lampkin leads the World Championship by 30 points over Raga and Cabestany, 40-30, after the first round. Steve Hislop (Duc) swept both races in the second round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in England on April 14. Hislop topped John Reynolds (Suz) and Paul Brown (Duc) in the first race before beating Sean Emmett (Duc) and Reynolds In the second race. Hislop now leads the series standings by 21 points over Emmett. 8 o Ty Davis (Yam) scored the overall win at the AMA National Hare & Hound in Springville, Utah, on April 13. Davis led from start to finish, while Russell Pear· son (Yam) took second. Third went to Brian Brown (Kaw), followed by o o o 2 APRIL 24, 2002' cue I • The Suzuki-Castrol Racing team of Jean-Michel Bayle, N. Dussauge and Sebastien Gimbert completed 798 laps to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans n __ • _ Racing to continue growing the sport. We're very excited to continue working together with Clear Channel and share Charlie's sentiments that it's time to focus on the future.· The following are the 16 events on the 2003 AMA Supercross Series schedule: January 4 - Edison International Field, Anaheim, California January 11 - Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Arizona January J8 - Edison Intemational Field, Anaheim, California January 25 • Pacific Bell Park, San Francisco, California February 1 - Edison International Field, Anaheim, California February 8 - Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California February 15 - Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota February 22 - Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia March 1 • RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana March 8 - Daytona Intemational Speedway, Daytona, Florida March 22 - Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri March 29 - Reliant Park, Houston, Texas April 5 - Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan April 12 - Texas Stadium, Dallas, Texas April 26 Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah May 3 - Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada The 16 rounds of the 2003 AMA Supercross Series, combined with two international events which will take place in December of 2002, will comprise the 18-round 2002-2003 FlM Supercross World Championship, according to Clear Channel. in Le Mans, France, on April 14. A second Suzuki-Castrol team finished second with Ch Lavieille, Brian Morrison and Ph Dobe. Third place went to the Yamaha Free Bike entry of JM Deletang, L. Holon and M. Lagrive. Jason Pridmore led the QB Phase One Endurance team to fifth place with co-riders Stephane Mertens and Warwick Nowland. Craig Treble (Suz) scored his second NHRA Pro Stock Bike victory in as many rounds at the O'Reilly Springnationals in Houston, Texas, on April 14. Treble defeated Geno Scali (Kaw) in the final round. Speaking of drag racing, Harley-Davidson Motor Company released the follOWing information regarding Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Racing's decision to skip the Houston NHRA Pro Stock Bike round: The Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock Bike drag racing team will remain focused on extensive testing and development efforts and, as a result, will not compete at the NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas, on April 11-14, 2002. The Screamin' Eagle team made its debut at the NHRA Mac Tools Gator Nationals in Gainesville, ROrida, in March, setting the quickest Vtwin run in NHRA Pro Stock history. "We know what the benchmark is to qualify for an NHRA Pro Stock National. and we knew this wouldn't be an easy mountain to climb,· said Mike Kennedy, director of marketing for Harley-Davidson Parts and Accessories. "The team has been working non-stop since Gainesville to solve the technical issues that kept us from making the show. We are committed to our goal of becoming the first V-twin to qualify, to make a final and to win. We have the best minds in the business working on our program and we expect to make progress through continued development." Screamin' Eagle team rider GT Tonglet, who recently turned 19, remains confident. "I know Byron Hines and the team are hard at work on this and I can't wait for the next race," he said. Mark Corsetti (W·R) won the Open Pro class during the opening round of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series, the Hanford TI at Kings Speedway in Hanford, California. Kevin Bricker (Rtx) was second, and Rod Spencer (Yam) was third. Spencer used the same TISOO-based machine to also post a runner-up finish, behind winner Donnie Harrell (Yam), in the Open Vintage class. Paul Herman (Yam) was third. Chris Canepa outran David Brown and Bradley Spencer in a Yamaha sweep of the Suzuki 250cc Novice class. FollOWing a difficult outing at the AMA/Progressive Insurance Claremore Mile in Oklahoma this weekend, AMA Grand National Expert J.R. Schnabel and Team Powell have decided to go their separate ways. The decision of both parties to discontinue their association was made official on Sunday, April 14. "It just wasn't working out," Schnabel said from his home in Wisconsin. "We just weren't quite clicking like maybe we could have anymore. It's really nobody's fault at all, and we're all just going to try something else.· The split means that the 22-year-old Schnabel, who won the Houston Half-Mile and finished 10th in the 2001 AMA/Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships standings, will now continue to campaign the 2002 series aboard his own Harley-Davidson XR7S0. Schnabel said that he is also looking at options in other racing series as well. "I'm going to ride as many AMA races as I can on my own Harley, and I plan to run Formula USA events," Schnabel said. "ObViously. it is very expenSive to do that. and I may have to only run a limited schedule. I have some great sponsors, but I don't have the type of funding to do the whole thing right now. I don't want to sound like I'm begging for a ride, because I'm not. If you look at the bright