Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Cycle News 2002 10 16

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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By 311 YEARS ASlJ••• tlCTllBER 24, 1972 A helmetless Lisa Wright was photographed crossing a stream on the new 175 Puch for the cover of Issue #41. Inside, we tested the new Puch 125 motocrosseT, and we found that the Puch was almost too stable, as it would stick in any line the rider chose for it... like Jonsson (Mai) won the Road Atlanta round of the Trans-AMA 500cc International MX Series. His teammate Hans Maisch finished second but was later disqualified, handing second to Suzuki's Roger DeCoster. Jim Weinert (Yam) was the top American ever in the series, finishing third overall. Bob Grossi (Hus) won the 250cc Support race... Tom Brooks (DKW) rode a 125 right past big-bike riders Larry Pfutzenreuter (Bul) and Tom Smith (Yam) to win a flat, fast desert race in Four Corners, California. Apparently, nobody told Brooks it was a big-bike course. 20 YEARS AGO••• OCTIlBER 27, 1982 Honda's new 1983 VF750 was placed on the cover of Issue 141, as we had the scoop on all the 1983 Hondas inside. Included in the bunch were some of Honda's 1982 works MX bike designs, which had been duplicated for the public for '83 ... It was announced in the "Latest Poop" that Bob Hannah had signed with Team Honda for 1983... The Brentwood, California, round of the CMC Trans-Cal MX Series saw a slew of sweet racing. David Bailey (Hon) got his first major Pro victory in the 250cc class over Yamaha pilots Broc Glover and Rick Johnson. Scott Burnworth (Yam) beat Ron Lechien (Yam) for the 125cc Pro win, Mike Bell (Yam) defeated Larry Wosick (Hon) for the 500cc Pro victory, and Larry Brooks (Suz) topped the 80cc Expert class over Danny Storbeck (Yam), Bob Moore (Yam) and William Surratt (Kaw) ... The U.S. team topped the last team event on the International Speedway calendar in England. 10 YEARS AGO••• OCTOBER 21, 1992 Chris Carr (HoD) shared the cover of Issue #41 with Scott Russell (Kaw), after the two each earned National titles - Carr the AMA Grand National Dirt Track Championship, and Russell the AMA Superbike... Carr clinched the series championship at the Pomona Half MUe, where he finished third. Race winner Scott Parker (HoD) won the race but lost the title by two points. Rick Graham (Hon) finished second in the race, first in the championshIp... Russell won the College Station, Texas, AMA Superbike National, and with it the championship. It was his third win of the season. Doug Polen (Duc) and Thomas Stevens (Kaw) went 2-3 in the race and 3-2 in the championship, respectively. Colin Edwards (Yam) won the last AMA 250cc Grand Prix race of the season over defending champ Jimmy Filice, finishing off his championship season with a bang ... Fabrizio PIrovano (Yam) won both legs of the wet Monza World Superbike event. H LCD STEVE COX ow exactly does it come to pass that Ricky Carmichael and Mike LaRocco are deemed unpatriotic, selfish, and/or uncaring about American motocross because they refused to ride in the World Cup of Motocross? I'm having a hard time understanding. First off, the Motocross des Nations (I'm refusing to call it "of Nations" in protest) was canceled through no fault of theirs. There is a bit of speculation as to who exactly is at fault, but you'd have to be completely out of your gourd to say that the cancellation of the Motocross des Nations was in any way the fault of these two riders - or any riders, for that matter. So, how is it that they were somehow considered proud, patriotic American stars of our sport who were willing to represent the States before the cancellation of the event, and now they're evil, American-motocross-hating prima donnas because they didn't want to ride the "replacement race"? I don't get.it. The World Cup of Motocross was a fun event to attend. The racing was mostly solid, the track was first-rate, the fans were fans in the truest definition, and the mood was typically very good, until someone brought up Carmichael and LaRocco's absence. Then the mood often turned to cold, hard hatred. I don't get it. To say that either of these men doesn't care about American motocross is a total farce. Ricky Carmichael trained harder than at least anyone in this country (but probably the world) this season, raced most of the best motocross riders on the planet, and won everything. He was able to beat everyone else all year because he has loved the sport so much for so long, and spent so much time practicing and training, that he reached a level previously unattained by anyone. Oh, yeah, but he hates American motocross. And LaRocco: This year, he wins his first supercross in years, gets injured and knocked out of the series while challenging for the title, misses the beginning of the outdoor s<;!ries while working hard to rehabilitate said injury, then comes back with no hope of winning the title and rides his heart out for the rest of the season. Yeah, he only cares about himself. Let's try to understand these two super heroes of our sport for a minute. Both riders were ready and willing to race the Motocross des Nations at Competition Park on September 29. When most other American motocross stars were taking some time off after completing (or not quite completing) a grueling 28-race schedule (much longer than in Europe), Carmichael and LaRocco were testing their Hondas, getting proper settings for the required unleaded fuel, and more. But they are prima donnas. It's all about money to them. They don't care at all. Give me a break. Besides, I'm sure both of them were a bit disillusioned by the cancellation of the MXdN, and why would they take another promoter's word, on a week's notice, that the "replacement" race would run as was being planned? I'm sure both of them had thoughts of waiting around in California, away from home, only for the Ricky Carmichael has signed up for every MXdN team since 1998, but somehow many are billing him as an unpatriotic, selfish, uncaring prima donna, lust because he didn't want 10 ride the World Cup In the wake of the MXdN cancellation. replacement race to go under as well - after all, it already happened once, and to a race with much more prestige and development time. Besides that, the World Cup wasn't the Motocross des Nations. The race is not in RC or LaRocco's contracts. It wouldn't go down in the FlM history books. And the top European riders .(Le., Mickael Pichon, Joel Smets and Stefan Everts) weren't coming. RC reportedly said he would have raced the World Cup if those three would have shown up. Another related issue for RC was, What exactly would he have to prove by going out to Glen Helen (where he's won every race he's raced except one) an.P absolutely smoking everyone there - again? Is there anyone who thinks he wouldn't have destroyed everyone there? After all, he had less potential competition at the World Cup than he did in the Nationals, and in case you've been living under a rock, he didn't lose outdoors in 24 attempts this year. We should thank RC for not showing up, because at least in his absence there was racing to be seen. You know what? We should thank them both. We should thank Mike LaRocco for all the years he's spent chasing championships in the United States, the injuries he's endured, the bad seasons he's overcome, the time he was on the "B" team at the des Nations and brought home the gold, the other times he went but came home defeated, for being gracious in defeat when plain bad luck ruined what no other person could and cost him his first National Championship, for coming back to win two other National Championships (including the last-ever 500cc National Championship) in spite of the previous failure, and for all the things he'll do for us in the future. And we should thank Ricky Carmichael for becoming undeniably the fastest motocross racer on the planet, and thus giving all of us flagwavers in this country confirmation that this is, after all, the greatest MX country in the world, no matter who does their best to ruin that image. And we should thank him for putting 100 percent into every race he has ever raced, for having the gumption to mix it up with Jeremy McGrath when no one else would, for signing up for the Motocross des Nations team every year he has been invited - which is every year since 1998 (that's right, every year, and he was a rookie in 1997) - for working so much harder than everyone else that he's amazingly undefeated in Outdoor National Championships, and for all that he can and will do for the sport in the future. Unpatriotic? Selfish? Uncaring? You've got to be kidding. CN U.s. Open In IIfIJd ......'. Cycle'" ..,.MotoGP Del Mar RJSA Dirt Track finale cue' _ n __ S • OCTOBER 16,2002 103

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