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/128167
the season. According to Yamaha, an MRI last week showed that his shoulder blade is broken. A small piece of bone is broken off and floating around, causing pain and allowing the shoulder to pop out when moved in certain ways, according to a release issued by Yamaha. "For the first time in my life, I will have surgery," said Vuillemin from his home in France. "I am not happy about it. but if that is what I need to do to make it better and be ready for '03, then I am going to do it." Vuilleminis recovery should take 6-8 weeks. The Frenchman is under contract to ride for Yamaha through 2003, along with teammates Tim Ferry and Chad Reed. Red Bull Yamaha rider John Hopkins returned home after his crash during qualifying for the German Grand Prix and underwent surgery to have his injured hand pinned. "Hopper" was operated on in San Francisco, Califomia, on Monday, July 29 by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting. The 45-minute operation on his left hand involved the insertion of three permanent screws into the metacarpal bone of the middle finger. The screws will assist the metacarpal bone in knitting back together. (The metacarpal bones extend from the wrist to the knuckles of each finger.l A threeweek recovery time is needed following this surgery, and Hopkins will spend that time at his home in Ramona. Califomia. "After the crash in Sachsenring. I went to see a surgeon that Red Bull recommended for me in Innsbnuck in Austria." Hopkins said in a team release. After some X-rays on the Wednesday, he told me the hand would definitely need surgery to heal correctly. I wanted to get the surgery done in the U.S .. I think that's in my best interest. so I planned to come home to the States and see Dr. Ting. The X-rays showed that my knuckle was completely busted in half and shoved back into my hand by 4mm. The bone was totally misplaced, making my middle finger shorter than it should be by 4mm. So I came to Dr. Ting's clinic in San Francisco for the operation. Now, it's the second day after the surgery and my hand is in a fibereglass-molded splint to support the bone. I have to keep it solid like this and not mess around with it for 10 days to give the bone time to knit together. I've had the dressing changed again today. and I've got just a small incision in the top of the hand and the doctor tells me its healing up nicely and on schedule. I'm only on light painkillers at the moment and the pain has dropped dramatically since yesterday. I'm flying home to Ramona, California, tonight [July 30] so I'll spend my time at home training and getting a few things sorted with my house. I'm still building the second story, so I can use the time to get that advanced. If there is one good thing about all of this, the timing was perfect. I've got time to heal so I'm 100 percent for Brno. I am really looking forward to Bmo, I like everything about that circuit - the flOWing track, surrounded by the trees, it's unbelievable and really suits my riding style. So, I'll be training hard as soon as I can so I can be 100-percent fit for that. " Yamaha has confirmed that .it has retained the services of Spanish rider Carlos Checa in its factory-owned MotoGP team for 2003. Checa signed a two-year deal with Yamaha on Tuesday. July 30 to ride the YZR-M 1 four-stroke bike in the MotoGP World Championship. The news comes two weeks after the announcement from Yamaha that Marlboro sponsorship of the team, currently known as the Marlboro Yamaha Team, would cease from the end of the 2002 season. Commenting on the announcement, 29-year-old Checa said: "I am very happy to have reached an agreement so soon with Yamaha. I believe in Yamaha. the team and the people involved in the four-stroke project. We have done some excellent work together, and now I really want to continue with that and create a winning package to fight for the Championship. Being part of that process from the beginning will make it even more satisfying if we can achieve our goal. I had a number of approaches from different teams for next year. It's never easy to decide, but Yamaha was my first choice because of the people and because I believe it gives me the best chance for success. My goal since 1999 has been to win the championship with Yamaha, and I hope that we can achieve it next year. Now that my decision is made. I can concentrate on my racing for the second half of the 2002 season and be relaxed and confident in my preparation for 2003. " Checa has ridden for Yamaha since the beginning of the Marlboro Yamaha Team project in 1999. He finished seventh in the World Championship that year, and then sixth in the next two seasons. He currently lies fifth in the inaugural MotoGP World Championship on the M 1. with three podium finishes to his name. 1998. the middle of the time period cited by the IIHS, show there were 19,600 motorcycles licensed for street use in South Dakota. But during August, when the Black Hills Rally and Races attract riders from across the country, the motorcycling population of the state surges to more than 400.000. "That's a 2000-percent increase in the number of motorcyclists riding South Dakota's roads," noted Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations, "while the fatalities reported by the IIHS amount to a 360-percent increase over the monthly average during the riding season in the state. Failing to make the connection between that enormous increase in the state's motorcycling population and the much more modest increase in motorcycle accidents indicates that the IIHS either doesn't understand this situation or chose not to reveal the full story." The AMA also disputed the IIHS's contention that recent increases in the median age of motorcyclists who were victims of fatal accidents "isn't because of the aging of the population." In fact. according to figures from the MIC quoted by the IIHS, the average age of a motorcycle owner in America has risen from 24 in 1980 to 38 today. As a result, a much-larger percentage of the motorcycles on the road are being ridden by riders over 40, and that trend is reflected in accident statistics. In addition. the IIHS stated that changes in helmet laws in some states "are contributing to the increases in motorcycle deaths." But the group failed to note that motorcycle sales have increased by approximately 20 percent in each of the last four years, meaning that the number of motorcycles on the road has grown enormously. Meanwhile, fatalities have increased by about a third during the entire four-year period, and were actually down by 11 percent in the period from 1g90 through 2000, and down by nearly 50 percent since 1980, a better safety record than any other type of highway transportation. "For the IIHS to issue its opinions in the guise of a 'news release' is embarrassing," said Moreland ... Not only is this release full of old news and misused statistics, it once again exposes that the IIHS is willing to say virtually anything to support its preconceived conclusions. We're concerned. of course, about even one motorcycle-related fatality. The AMA encourages anyone who's truly interested in reducing motorcycling fatalities, and not simply promoting a political agenda, to join us in calling for a comprehensive, independent, nationwide study of motorcycle accident data." Moreland recently testified before a U.S. House subcommittee asking Congress to fund comprehensive research to determine the causes of motorcycle crashes. In 2000, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation released a National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety to serve as a blueprint for improving motorcycling safety in the future. Representatives of the AMA and other industry groups were part of a team that helped shape the plan, which The AMA, responding to a July 30 press release issued by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). has pointed out significant errors in the IIHS's arguments conceming crashes involving older motorcyclists. according to the AMA. In its release, the IIHS.c1aimed that the annual Black Hills Rally & Races in Sturgis, South Dakota, serves as a case-in-point illustration of the increase in motorcycle-related fatalities in recent years, notably among riders over age 40. Specifically. the IIHS said that 36 of the 69 motorcycle-related fatalities in South Dakota between 1995 and 2000 occurred in the month of August. when the Sturgis event is held. However. the IIHS neglected to take into account the enormous increase in the motorcycling population of South Dakota as a resultt of the rally, leading the group to erroneous conclusions, the AMA noted. According to figures from the IIHS release, there were six motorcyclists killed in South Dakota during the month of April over the six-year period, four in May. seven in June, eight in July, four in September and four in October. No motorcycle-related fatalities were recorded from November through March. The IIHS then said that the 36 motorcyclist fatalities in the month of August during the six-year period made it clear that older motorcyclists at the rally were raising overall fatality numbers in the state. An AMA analysis of the data, however, shows that the IIHS's conclusion is unsupported by the facts. The AMA pointed out that figures from the Motorcycle Industry Council for ................................ ............................................................................ II> .. BORN: A baby girl, Skyla Maria Yates, to Blimpie/Yoshimura Suzuki's Aaron Yates and his Wife, Heather, on July 31 in Milledgeville. Georgia. Skyla is the newly crowned 600cc Supersport Champion's second child, joining her 3-year-old brother, Ashton. CORRECTION: The Alex Puzar Husqvarna pictured in Bikes of the CORRECTION: Our Dunlop tire story from Virginia International Raceway in Issue #30 (July 31, 2002) contained a typographical break· down of incredible proportions when it came to the pricing of the D208ZRs. The actual retail prices are as follows: 130170ZR 16 D208F ($151.70; 120/60ZR17 D208F ($151.70: 120170ZR17 D208F ($156.20: 160/60ZR17 D208 ($187.43); 170/60ZR17 D208 ($192.08): 180/55ZR17 D208 ($200.84): 190/50ZR17 D208 ($234.13); 200/50ZR17 D208 ($265.05). OPENED: J.R.'s Machine Shop's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.jrs· machineshop.com. Stars of our July 31 issue (#30) was actually a TC250 - not a TC51 O. Puzar rode a 250 in the Italian Championship Series, but couldn't race it in the 250cc World Championship Series according to the 2002 rules. AVAILABLE: Official Johnny Munphree Racin9 merchandise. The 23- year-old Forsyth resident is competing for the Coziahr Harley-Davidson/Country Motor Trailer Sales Race Team in the AMA/Progressive Insurance U. S. Flat Track Championships. Available merchandise includes hats, mens and womens T-shirts. can N huggies." and car win- dow flags. Additional merchandise will be made available throughout • the season. Purchase official Johnny Munphree Racing merchandise by calling Coziahr Harley-Davidson/Buell. 217/877-7115. For more information about Munphree, log on to http://www.johnnymunphree.com. • . ' cue I e Continued on page 92 n e _ os • AUGUST 14, 2002 3 o o o o o 8 o o o o o o o o o o o o 8 o o o o o CJ [J l J ;-j J n U r u o c 8 o n