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/128183
Team ECC's Tyler Evans (Suz) won the Indoor Supercross at the Vlaanderen Stadium in Gent. Belgium. on November 25. The Suzuki rider won both main events on the night, topping runner-up French rider Johnny Aubert. Belgian Steve Ramon finished third. "It was fun racing in Belgium." Evans said. "The circuit was very soft and rutted out something terrible. In the first race. Casey Johnson fell and I was able to get the win, while in the second race I passed Steve Ramon on the last lap. which again gave me a win. I will go back to America now and prepare for the American series. where I will race the East Coast 125cc series. I will also ride some of the West Coast 250cc rounds ... Honda's Steve Hengeveld. Johnny Campbell and Andy Grider took top motorcycle honors and were also the overall winners at thiS year's SCORE/Tecate Baja 1000. finishing in a time of 16 hours. 17 minutes and 28 seconds. The trio edged out the first four-wheeled vehicle. Dan Smith, by a mere minute and 35 seconds. Hengeveld. Campbell and Grider's 62.45 mph average was the fastest average speed in the history of the Baja 1000. For Campbell, it was his sixth straight Baja title. and the duo (Hengeveld and Campbell) finished the SCORE season undefeated with four wins in four events. The win for Campbell marked his fifth Class 22 and fifth overall SCORE motorcycle points championship. while Hengeveld won his second straight Class 22 and first overall points championship. Grider completed his rookie season racing with SCORE and his first year with Honda. Dani Oliver Bulto. grandson of Bultaco founder Francisco Bulto and cousin of MotoGP star Sete Gibernau. clinched the first-ever Spanish Formula Extreme Championship at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit of the Valencian Community in Spain on Sunday, November 17, in spite of a strong Yamaha effort to deny the Suzuki rider the title. Luis D·Antin. owner of the Antena 3 D'Antin MotoGP team, drafted GP regular Jose Luis Cardoso to ride an R1 along with his regular rider Jose Oriol Fernandez in an attempt to keep title hopes open for Yamaha rider Josep Sardo. Fernandez won from Cardoso. who came through the pack from 12th after a bad start. but Bulto was third and Sardo seventh. Sardo, a former 125cc GP rider. was then disqualified for unauthorized airbox modifications to his Portuguese-backed Yamaha Rl. This made Bulto champion with a round still to go. American Kenny Noyes was 12th on his Honda CBR954 RR. the first Honda in a championship dominated by Suzuki and Yamaha. The following weekend, November 24, Noyes very nearly wrapped up his first podium finish of the season as he was holding down third place less than a mile o o o o o o 8 8 2 DECEMBER 4, 2002' cue I fPD[fjJ IlDD[f@&J71@fiD0 Il@ §n[jJ@D IlDD@ 5j[ljJ5j The AMA announced on Monday, November 25, that it has been threatened with expulsion from the FIM, the world-wide motorcycle sanctioning body based in Geneva, Switzerland, by Francesco Zerbi, president of the FIM. Zerbi's threat to expel the AMA, which Is the sole U.S. affiliate of the FlM, was contained in a November 20, 2002, letter to AMA president Robert Rasor. The letter was Zerbi's response to AMA Pro Racing's objection to the FIM's efforts to unilaterally impose its authority, rules and sanction on the 16-event 2003 AMA Supercross series, according to the AMA. The AMA and AMA Pro Racing haye sanctioned Supercross since 1974. Under the terms of a contract with Clear Channel Motorsports, the primary promoting organization for AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Racing has the exclusive rights to sanction and manage the series, the AMA says in a press release dated November 25. Neither the AMA nor the FlM is party to that contract, according to the AMA. The FIM, however, notified AMA Pro Racing that it must conduct those events according to FIM rules and under the direction of an FIM official. AMA Pro Racing's objection to the FIM's demands resulted in Zerbi's expulsion threat. "The AMA has been a loyal, supportive member of the FIM for over 30 years and has always placed the interests of motorcycle sport among our highest priorities. We intend to continue in our role as the national federation representing American motorcyclists to the FIM: said Rasor. "If the FIM management persists in this extreme and unjustified approach, we'll vigorously fight those efforts to expel the AMA from the FIM." "The AMA agrees with AMA Pro Racing's position that the FIM lacks the authority to hijack AMA Supercross for its own interests: said Rasor, "and we'll sta'nd behind AMA Pro Racing's efforts to use all necessary means to protect AMA Supercross, the world's premier Supercross series, from unwarranted interference." from the finish on the final lap at Jerez when he was taken out by MotoGP regular Jose Luis Cardoso. Both riders escaped injury. Barber Motorsports Park will host the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship finale. the AMA announced at its annual awards banquet on Saturday night. November 23. The Birmingham. Alabama facility will host its first AMA professional race the weekend of September 20. The 2.3-mile. 16 turn circuit was designed by noted track designer Alan Wilson. With the addition of the Barber date, the championship expands to 17 rounds. The previous round of the championship, and the original season finale. will be at Virginia International Raceway three weeks earlier. August 30-31. News out of Belgium is that a Belgian Motocross Grand Prix will go ahead. Despite the fact that a Belgian Grand Prix was not on the original 2003 calendar issued by Dorna and the FIM. the race will go ahead in either Nismes (where the 1997 Motocross des Nations was held), Genk (where the last couple of Belgian G rands Prix were held. or Lommel - one of the most famous Motocross tracks in Belgium). Johan Maris, the spokesman for the 2003 Belgian Motocross Grand Prix, told a Belgian newspaper that while no track or date is assured. the event is 100 percent going to happen. "We have spoken to Doma." Maris said ... It is sure we will have a Belgian GP this year. We are still working out which circuit will run the event; however. everything has been organized, and we have made an agreement with Dorna ... The favorite for the Belgian Motocross Grand Prix would probably be Lommel. Not only is it in the center of Belgium, it was for many years one of n D _ S • the most highly-anticipated Grands Prix due to its tradition - being a track which spawned many great Belgian champions. Lommel last held a Grand Prix back in 1997 when Estonian Avo Leok shocked the worid by winning the 500cc Grand Prix ahead of Joel Smets. Lommel also held three 250cc Grands Prix in the 1990s, which were won by Stefan Everts (1994). Marnicq Bervoets (1993) and Pekka Vehkonen (1990). Nismes is another track which does not offer too much in the way of viewing. although it is situated only 100 miles from Brussels and has the potential to attract a very good crowd. The last Grand Prix in Nismes was held in 1999. when. FrederiC Bolley won the 250cc GP. David Vuillemin. meanwhile, won the last 125cc Grand Prix played out in Nismes. back in 1998. Nismes also held Grand Prix races in the 1980s. Genk is very much an unpopular site for a GP, due to the poor facilities and very ordinary circuit. Yamaha Belgarda Supers port rider Paolo Casoli has been given the allclear to return to Italy, according to his team. Casoli is currently in the neurosurgery department of ValenCia hospital after his crash during testing on November 13 that left him with head injuries. Casoli is still suffering the consequences of his cranial trauma. and when he retums to Italy, he will go straight to the Villa Serena Clinic at Forii and begin his rehabilitation, the team says. The clinic is renowned for its work with motorcycle racers and is extremely well-eqUipped. At Forli. Casoli will be able to make use of a wide range of experienced specialists. including orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists and physiotherapists. As soon as each one has examined Casoli, a special program will be organized to get him to full recovery in the shortest possible time, according to the team. At Valencia on November 22. Casoli was visited by Supers port World Championship series doctor - Massimo Corbascio - from the Clinica Mobile. He organized Casoli's transportation back to Bologna after consulting with neurosurgeon Dr. Bollini. Bollini has examined Casoli's MRI scans in Valencia to make sure that no lasting damage has been done and has carried out checks to ensure that Casoli will be able to retum to racing without any risk. Further news as to Casoli's condition will be issued after he has arrived at Forii. according to the team. According to his mother. Becky, motocrosser Josh Hansen was scheduled to be released from Palomar Hospital in Escondido, California. on November 23 after undergoing surgery to repair a hole in his small intestine. The Yamaha of Troy rider crashed while riding with friends in the desert last week. and the handlebars hit him in the lower intestine. causing the damage. Doctors expect Hansen to be out of action for six to eight weeks. World Champions from various motorsport disciplines will put on a show as nine countries enter the World Cup of motorsport. the 2002 Michelin Race of Champions Nations Cup. Spain, Finland and Team USA were the first to declare their ambitions to win this year's Michelin Race of Champions Nations Cup title. when they announced their three-pronged (circuit racer, rally/offroad driver, bike racer) attacks a month ago. Now the organizers have received star-studded team line-ups from nine nations. with the UK, France. Germany. Italy and first-timers Brazil and Sweden joining the fray. The annual Michelin Race of Nations Cup attracts the best of the best from the world of motors port and thiS year's teams are no exception. Among