Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

IICarmichael is a Cyborg Moto Terminatorlll Four-Stroke Fun I wanted to take the time to write this letter to tell your readers about the great experience that I had at the AMA Four-Stroke National held in Lakewood, Colorado. My kids and I had a great day and it's always nice to spend the day with family while enjoying good, clean entertainment and competition. Since Colorado lost their Pro National Motocross back in the 1980s, the state has been deprived of a ational-caliber motocross event. Until now! The promoter of the FourStroke National did a fantastic job of planning a race which allowed riders and fans alike to enjoy participating in some incredible racing. The race was held in the same location as the national back in the '80s, and it's evident the track has seen some firstrate improvements. My understanding is the promoter has spent some $750,000 on upgrades to the track and facilities, and it was money well spent. The passion the promoter has for our sport can be seen not only in the track upgrades, but in the countless advertisements seen around Denver prior to the race. And it worked. The track was lined with over 7000 energetic fans. Colorado has recently gotten a bad rap because of other poorly promoted National off-road races. The race at Thunder Valley was as professionally run as any 125/250cc Outdoor National. I think it's about time that the AMA considers bringing a Pro National back to Colorado. Currently, they are on the east and west coasts and nothing in between. My thanks to the promoter for showing what a great state Colorado is and the enthusiasm our fans bring to any sport. Until then, I hope to see you all at Thunder Valley! M/keHeber lJttfeton, CO A History Lesson, Again It would appear lowe Peter Bonner of Placitas, New Mexico, an apology. I mis-spoke in my August 14 letter regarding "classic marques" vs. "twowheeled products like the Japanese." Ducati was, as Mr. Bonner rightly pointed out in his August 28 reply, founded well before Honda. In 1926, the Ducati brothers built radios and cameras under the Ducati name until declaring bankruptcy in 1947, when a "joint Government and Vatican financial consortium came to it's rescue in 1948, when control of Ducati passed from the brothers to... government control." Soichiro Honda spent the same pre-WWII era, as Mr. Bonner pointed out, apprenticing in an auto repair shop. In 1924, Honda, then 18, built a Curtiss aircraft-engined openwheeled race car and acted as its riding mechanic. This said, I'd request Mr. Bonner favor me with a second reading of my August 14 letter, wherein he'll discover that it's Cathcart's interviewee, Carlo Talamo, I refer to as a twit, not Mr. Cathcart. Mr. Bonner goes on to state that "Honda did not start making motorcycles until 1948, which of course was after Ducati." In fact, Ducati took over an existing engine design (the "Cucciolo" or "puppy") from Siata of Turin after its (Ducati's) bankruptcy reorganization. "By 1950, almost 200,000 Cuccio10 engines had been manufactured, and Ducati decided to extend their range further by marketing a complete motorcycle ... " Like Ducati, the first engines sold by Honda were of someone else's design; Soichiro Honda "rebuilt and sold engines ... which had been used to power army transmitters during WWII." This was 1946. The first engine designed and built by Honda debuted in 1947, and the first all-Honda motorcycle, the Model C, was introduced in 1949. This review of history is not a Ducati put-down; I've owned five Ducks, still have a 750SS under wraps and am proud to say I have both Soichiro Honda's and Fabio Taglioni's autographs! Rather I write this to expose the mischief folks like Triumph's Carlo Talamo and Peter Bonner get into trying to distance themselves' from Japanese makers, and Honda in particular. Mr. Bonner goes on to credit "huge infusions of cash from the government that Honda and other Japanese manufacturers received ... in order to succeed." While Ian Fallon highlighted Ducati's post-WWII cash "infusion," I've come across no such record regarding various Japanese makers. Perhaps "those close to the industry" will come forward with details in support of Mr. Bonner's contention. In fact, only four of the dozens of post- WWII Japanese motorcycle makers were not voted off the island. Additionally, the Japanese government stood idly by in the late '90s as Nissan, Japan's number-two automaker, went down, only to be rescued at the last minute by Renault! Quite unlike our government's treatment of Chrysler. If there was, in fact, a "huge infusion of cash" which helped post-WWII foreign auto (and motorcycle) makers, it was from our own government and its anti-communist foreign policy. In the decade of 1945-1955, America, as the war's physically unscarred victor, had the only consumer economy on earth. We opened this economy to any country, Virtually duty-free, that would declare itself anticommunist. The ensuing party rebuilt the auto industries of Europe, England and, later, Japan. It was easy money for VW, Triumph (both flavors), AJS, Renault, Fiat, and everyone else with the ability to build anything other than a 4000-lb. Oldsmobile or flathead V-twin. The pickings were so easy that, by the time the Japanese arrived in strength 35 years ago, European and American makers were fat, arrogant and ripe for the picking! The Japanese swept all before them, the French and Italian auto industry all but abandoning our shores, the British motorcycle industry collapsing completely, and many famous brands pushed back to near-extinction. If GM doesn't wake up soon, they will be second to Toyota as number one by the end of the decade. Carlo Talamo, along with the likes of Peter Bonner, hopes to convince enthusiasts that all non-Japanese brands can, with the proper publicrelations campaign, ascend to the rank of "classic marque." It's just those pesky dates, race results and innovative products from those outside the "club" that keep muddying the message. Bruce Armstrong Santr:J Barbara, CA the action! Does he expect to watch the race in the air-conditioned comfort of his car? Did he think they were going to let him park on the inside of tum two? With his couch-potato mentality, he should just stay home and watch Speed Channel if walking is too much effort. I've found Laguna to be an extremely spectator-friendly track where you're very close to the action along most of the course. There are several crossings that let you easily go from one side of the track to the other. For the less- ambitious folks like Mr. Dawes, you can just park yourself at the turn-II or turn-four grandstands if you want to pretend you're at the ballgame for the day. Most spectators, however, prefer to take advantage of the fact that so much of that track is accessible. If you're not too lazy to walk up the hill, you should check out the corkscrew sometime, Mr. Dawes! He even admits that he brought his own cooler, yet still complains about the cost of beer at the racetrack! What do you care what they charge if you bring your own beverages? At least they let you bring a cooler. Try doing that the next time you go to an NBA, NFL or NHL game! Man, some people just gotta complain. Quit Complaining I don't understand the complaints voiced by Randy Dawes (Issue #33, August 21) about spectating at Laguna Seca. Granted, I've only been going there since the mid-'90s, so maybe I don't remember the goodold days that he refers to. I can't believe that his experiences were that much worse than everybody else's and I have to wonder if he was at the same racetrack. I elected to take my car this year, but had no trouble finding parking that was less than a five-minute walk from turn lIon both Saturday and Sunday of the AMA/World Superbike weekend. He says that "traffic control was absolutely outrageous," but all I had to do was follow along with where everyone was being directed to park. In fact, on Sunday, I didn't arrive until II :45 (my choice), yet I was in the turn-II grandstands in time to watch the start of the first World Superbike race at noon. On Saturday, I also arrived after most of the other spectators, but found parking to be surprisingly close and easy for an event with such a high attendance. When the last World Superbike race ended Sunday afternoon, I was in my car and gone from the parking lot 15 minutes later, although I admit that I ran back to the car to beat the traffic. As for his grumbling that he has to "walk his butt off," if he wants to do more than just hang out in his car ("we had to park our car outside ... turn two. You couldn't even see the track") then, yes you do have to actually walk around the track to see cucle n Brtan """"1'$ VIa thelnffHn« Carmichael vs. The World I find it comical and amusing that, in recent statements, Mickael Pichon and Stefan Everts were foolish enough to even suggest that they might run with Carmichael at the Motocross des Nations. They'll do well not to get lapped by him. Carmichael is a Cyborg Moto Terminator! • _ S • SEPTEMBER 11, 2002 5

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