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/128170
.if Travis [Pastrana] wants to race, do freestyle and run for president, he should be able to." W•• VIR Fan few issues back, you kindly printed y scathing denunciation of the way verage road racing fans are treated t various venues, particularly Lagua Seca and California Speedway. My elings were echoed the following eek by reader Randy Dawes, who lated having to park in "Tora-Bora" nd being bused into Sears Point. It eems Sears Point's much ballyhooed provements were to benefit ASCAR at the expense of the loyal ns ot motorcycle road racing gain! I just returned from Virginia Interational Raceway, the site of the final ound of the AMA/Chevy Trucks uperbike Series, and the "good old" oys know how to treat their cusmers. It's ironic that, in the heart of ASCAR country, you would find a enue seriously dedicated to the leasure of every paying customer. o begin with, the three-day super ass was $55, compared to California peedwayis $80 and Laguna's $95. For a paltry $10 (for the entire eekend), we parked our rental car ight in the grassy infield (with all the endor displays next to the parking rea). While it is true that VIR doesn't ave much in the way of grandstands rom which to view the action, foot ccess to any place on the track was ninhibited. With acres of forest surounding the track layout, one might e concerned with having to hump heir ice chests around the area (what concept: Bring your own refreshents instead of paying California peedway $7 a beer, which you are rohibited from carrying around the enue). Well, not to worry. Southern hospiality prevailed, and a track security fficer actually gave my (admittedly ttractive) girlfriend and ice chest a ide in his "security" golf cart to the rea we staked out for viewing the ction. Later that afternoon, while eating a ot dog with a couple of off-duty corer workers at the snack bar, one of he officials pointed out a woman eated at the table next to us also ating the track food. She was a cowner of the damned track - eating ith the public and not parked in an ir-conditioned luxury box. In Dawes' response to my letter, e lamented that he is no longer oing to suffer the indignities that ypified his racing experience at ears Point. Randy is going to be one f the ever-increasing number of fans ho stay home and watch the excellent Speed Channel coverage on TV. I 00 am a huge fan of the Speed Channel broadcasts of AMA road racing. Brian Drebber and David Sadowski are without peer in motorcycle road race coverage. In closing, I have two questions: Does anyone really think Eric Bostrom needs another 250cc to be competitive? And with Mat Mladin's boycott of the podium at VIR, after being top dog the last three years, do you think the Australians have a colloquialism for "sniveling bitch"? Disappointment is one thing; outright poor sportsmanship is quite another matter. Rene LaPrevo~ Novato, CA Since his letter was already on the lengthy side, I elected to edit a portion of LaPrevotte's insight into the Speed Channel shows. According to LaPrevotte, Sadowski and Drebber don't have contracts for next year. He suggests sending an e-mail to Speed Channel at SpeedTV.com if you'd like to lend some support to the two broadcasters... Editor Streaming Rules I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Cycle News for the hot tip about the streaming video feed of the Suzuka 8 Hours. The race coverage was great. Though I am a weekly Cycle News subscriber, I check your website for breaking news and Virtual Grandstand live race coverage. Keep up the good work. Also, I would like to commend Racer X for the live internet broadcast of the Outdoor Pro National Motocross Series. I enjoy having the track brought into my living room. I hope that the future brings supercross, motocross, Superbike, MotoGP, etc., via streaming video through my high-speed internet connection. The technology and the audience exist. I travel to as many different racing venues as logistically possible, and I would never forego a chance to personally spectate a race, but I feel that streaming video feeds would only help to increase my enthusiasm, which motivates my spending. Alas, if the sponsors, promoters, and sanctioning bodies would grasp this concept, then the growth of two-wheel motorsports would flourish. Many of my friends and I subscribe to digital cable for the express purpose of watching motorcycle racing on Speed Channel because it is unavailable on standard cable. Finally, I would like to personally thank James Stewart for letting Chad Reed by, and then passing him back for the moto win. That unsportsmanlike move will prove to be a great motivator for the rest of the 125cc class. It sounds like a great way to get parked going into the first turn of a future race. Nobody likes dirt kicked in their face. Winning friends and influencing people, huh. What a shame! I was a huge fan before that unprecedented move. Hopefully, age had something to do with that decision. I have a feeling James regrets that compulsive maneuver. Doug Holt Nashville, TN No More Unhappy Readers First off, let me say that I really appreciate the job you guys do with your paper. It says a lot in this day and age of technology when I have to hide a newspaper from myself that has the results from a motocross race a week earlier so that I don't see the winner before I can watch it on television. The second thing is this: I read all the letters in your Voices section, and it always seems like someone is unhappy about something or trying to tell someone how they should live their life. I don't think the writers of these letters would like anyone watching their every move and then telling them what they think they should be doing. The letter that finally sparked me to write to you was the Enough Already in the August 21 issue. This guy says he's a huge fan of Travis Pastrana, but then goes on to say that he can't do both, referring to racing and freestyle. Well, it's my opinion (and, yes, just my opinion) that if Travis wants to race, do freestyle and run for president, he' should be able to. Who are we to tell anyone that they should only do one thing? The guy is 16 or 17 years old (actually 18... editor). Give him a break. Until you can walk in his shoes and ride in his boots, just enjoy everything he does and support him and anyone else in their dreams. I grew up racing and riding with Larry Ward in the Pacific Northwest, and I can remember one of the first times I met him he was probably about 12 or 13, and we were at our local race on a Thursday night up in Bellingham, Washington. He pulled in with a factory Team Kawasaki box van. I was obviously in awe, but it wasn't until they pulled a modified KX 100 out of the van and he went out and whooped the 125cc Pro class on it that I realized just how fast he was. From that moment on, I have watched Larry and I just wanted to tell him that I am really proud of all of his accomplishments over the years. He has always been a role model for the sport. He may not have won many races over the years, but he was and still is a threat to do so at anytime. I have a feeling that he will be retiring soon and I just wanted to tell him and his family thank you for allowing me to live my dream through him. Good luck to all who sit on the starting line, and we will see you at the races! drives me crazy. Two things are clear to me: World Superbike, aka the Ducati Cup, needs new blood - so how about Bostrom on an Aprilia and young Nicky on the Honda? Second, the AMA Superbike Series can easily replace them with the latest up-and-comers - Jake Zemke, Damon Buckmaster, Kurtis Roberts and others. Keep on working your magic, Cycle News, and help me sleep at night. :lonny Frttzlnger OakIan4CA Go Yatesy I'm so happy that Aaron Yates finally got the AMA 600cc Supersport Championship. Yates is about the most aggressive road racer there is, but what makes him really special in my eyes is that he has a great passion for racing that is all joy and no anger. Maybe he loses his temper sometimes, but in a post-race interview he's courteous and laid back - a perfect southern gentleman - whether he finished first or crashed out. On the track, he is the epitome of aggressive racing, yet he's still a gentleman and sportsman. At Mid-Ohio, he crashed and got stitches in his elbow. At Virginia, he crashed out of second place going for the lead. The following day, he was taken down by a falling Kurtis Roberts and he ran and lay down on the track to make sure there was a red flag so he could get his bike fixed and restart. They couldn't get it fixed in time to start from the grid, so he started dead last from the pit lane on a bike with a tweaked subframe. Then he went out and passed everybody but Bostrom and MIadin to finish third. What a racer. He's been giving away 40 pounds and 20 horsepower to the Honda RC51 riders. Next year, it's going to be 1000cc fours, and I predict Nicky's reign will be a short one. However much Blimpie/Yoshimura Suzuki is paying Double-A-Ron, he's worth every penny and then some. Bob Cole LaConner, Washington Nicky and Honda The fate of Nicky Hayden is driving me crazy, to the point where it's almost stressing me out. How much talent and value to Honda does he need to prove he has? Let Nicky finish the season alongside Colin Edwards on the Castrol Honda team. I've always believed you're only as good as your peers - Nicky and Eric Bostrom need to move up to World Superbike racing as soon as possible. This season of AMA Superbike racing has proven to be incredibly entertaining; however, the danger these valuable young riders endure while passing lappers with zero runoff room cue I • n III _ S • 8rentMeeker Camarfllo CA 93070 SEPTEMBER 4, 2002 5