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/128164
11 ••• 8835 for riding to the 7/11 for gum../ ar~ Letters to the editor should be sent to < 0 _. n Voices. Cycle News. I P.O. Box 5084. Costa Mesa. CA 92628- I Love Big Jumps I CannotUe 've been noticing some letters on the 'ssue of unsafe track obstacles. I'm 19 and I love big jumps, but I have to agree with people who feel that some f the doubles out there could be esigned a little more forgivingly. ust 15 feet of flat area on top of the landings instead of a steep backside ould mean everything for a rider coming up short. I've seen and heard of riders breaking legs and even vertebra due to crashes on peaked landings. I myself cased a double last spring that sent a crack up my leg bone. The doctor said it looked exactly as if I had jumped off a tall house onto concrete. Obviously, you can't make all the riders back their own intensity down, but I think something should be done to help lower the number of injuries. eeing a guy with a permanent limp or in a wheelchair - who will never ride again should silence anyone who isagrees. Why put ourselves at such incredible risk? You wouldn't go bungee jumping without making sure the lock is secured that will stop you at the end. Motocross will always be inherently dangerous, but I think that track owners should take a look at their layouts and what they could do to make the jumps safer - not smaller or less fun, just safer. Wesley Holderby Okemah. OK Jim Kelly It is a well-known fact that the dirt track racing community is made up of a lot of great people who give it so much heart and soul. Your article on Jim Kelly, the XR750 engine builder, is another great example. Thank you. Doug Stewart Castle Rock, CO Sad Day Condolences to Larry and Terry Schleich for the very tragic loss of their son, Reece, age 15, during the Inyan Kara Enduro on June 30, in Upton, Wyoming. Paul, Debbie and everyone with the Inyan Kara Riders wish to thank their group, the landowners and the Upton Fire Department and EMTs for the wonderful job they performed in searching for Reece. God's blessings to the Schleich family. Please include them in your prayers. Paul Douglas VIa the Intemet Reece Schleich died on the course during what was his first enduro after reportedly suffering from heat-related problems. Paul Douglas is the promot- er of the Inyan Kara Enduro. Cards and letters or condolences can be sent to the Schleich ramify at 832 Mcintosh, Powell, WY 82435... Editor. pion beat the world on a CR500. How about it, Mike? In Defense Of Alessi 5084. faxed to Track Safety, Again I am a motocross fan who attends both professional and amateur races regularly. I want to comment on the stab that Greg Robertson made on fellow Cycle News reporter RC Dohan/Tony Alessi. Greg has an issue with Dohan/Alessi's article from a race in Hollister that featured Jeff Alessi winning three classes (all on different-sized bikes - 80, 125 and 250). I was there, and it was amazing. What I wonder is, what would Greg Robertson have written about, since objective journalism should highlight amazing performances like Jeff Alessi's at Hollister? Or maybe not. I witnessed Mike Alessi win six different classes at the AV Fairgrounds (a story Robertson was covering) while Robertson was both running his photo-selling business and covering the race for Cycle News. Somehow, he failed to notice or mention that Mike Alessi won six different classes in his article from that night. So much for objective journalism. I think credit should be given where credit is deserved. If your rider or a rider you know wins multiple classes and is a victim of questionable journalism, here's a thought for you: Get a Cycle News contributor kit and do like Dohan/Alessi has done cover the race yourself. SergIo Castro Fullerton. CA Just Say No To 883s As a Grand National Championship fan since the days of Sammy Tanner, Black Bart and Gary Nixon, I know what kind of machine it takes to handle all the different types of tracks across the country - from very loose to very hard and fast, not to mention all the hazardous ones. That's why GNC machines cost $50,000 and more - to assure riders that the best possible machine is on the track, for safety and stability. My point is: How many more riders have to die or get seriously injured before someone realizes that 883s are for riding to the 7/11 for gum? Bring back the 600s. Ken HolI/han Valendq,PA Bring Out The CR500 I have been a Mike LaRocco fan since 1992 and am pumped to see that he's been chosen for the Motocross des Nations team. Now, all I want is to see the last 500cc National Cham- 714/751-6685 or Chris Read Keizer, OR I was pleased to read both John Cox's and Mike Tandberg's responses ("Voices," Issue #28, July 17) and welcome their opposing views to my call for safer tracks in Issue #27. I respect everyone's opinion on this controversial subject but would like to share some additional information that has shaped my opinion that the tracks are a major part of the problem. In April at Gorman (California) on a Saturday morning, I hooked up with some friends for some practice action. After practice had been open for a little over two hours, all riding was stopped and an announcement was made over the PA that there had been three fractures since the track opened that morning. The request was made that everyone tone it down a bit, but no more than 20 minutes went by before someone else was carried off the track with a suspected lower-leg fracture after failing to negotiate the big step-up. It would be interesting to know how many of these injured riders will return or retire. Apologies to Mike Tandberg for bringing this up, since it appears he's equating my concern for keeping the sport growing as whining. Personally, I don't agree that people who ride over their head should walk with a limp for a few weeks. I only wish the injuries from jumps were just a matter of walking with a limp for a few weeks. The reality of misjudging jumps too much of the time results in a trip to the hospital, followed by extended time on crutches provided the rider hasn't sustained an upperbody injury as well. John Cox cautions that if the tracks are made safer, tracks are going to lose business, but presently tracks are losing the business of riders who get injured and wind up retiring from the sport. Don't we care about keeping people in the sport? In the case of Competition Park and Lake Elsinore, both facilities are to be applauded for having two separate tracks, for both the jump fans and the non-jump fans. More so than a difference in opinions, the issue here is a philosophical question of what motocross is and what constitutes a motocross track. For going on 40 years, motocross across the pond meant long motos on rough tracks with high-speed sections through the trees on courses like Namur. Now, with Dorna having control of the GPs, the facility requirements of parking and pit areas are more important than the actual track. As the saying goes, nothing lasts cycle e-mailed to editor@ cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Inc. Letters should not exceed 200 words and all are subject to editing. (D Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. All letters should contain the en writer's name. address and daytime phone number .. Editor. forever, but to me it is still a bummer that tabletops, step-ups, and whoops today represent motocross to most people. In this process, tradition is ignored while the risk factor is increased unnecessarily. MIchael Rigdon VIa the Internet The 12-Hour In response to the article on the Glen Helen 12-Hour: First, I'd like to say congrats to my friends, Lee Bacon, Philip Zeiger, Freddy Willert, and Jimmy Salazar, on the overall victory_ They rode fast and kept the bike out of the pits; second, I'd like to say that KTM's Ryan Dudek is officially my hero. After his partner KO'd himself, he held the overall lead, solo, for about six hours. Eventually, it was mechanical problems that slowed him down. He actually finished the race on the lead lap - insane! Even though the event was a success, I would like to point out several blunders by the Glen Helen staff. I was a member of the Scott Myers, Mark Tilley, Erik McKenna, Temecula Motorsports Honda team. According to the article, we clicked off 57 laps, which should have given us the overall victory. Unfortunately, the "officials" decided to dock us one lap for "lopping off a small section of the track." The line in question saved about one second, and the corner was not marked. The "official" should have installed some sort of course marking in that area. Or he should have sat there for all 12 hours, penalizing every team that used the line not just us. Worst of all, in the four days it took to post the results, not once were we contacted to discuss the "situation." Hopefully, next year's event will be run in a more professional manner. Ron Wilson VIa the Intemet n .. _ os • JULY 24, 2002 5