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/128196
By 30 YEARS AGO.•. JANUARY 23, 1973 An artist's rendition of the number-one road-racing machine in America graced the cover of Issue #2 in announcement of. well, nothing. There wasn't really anything roadracing related in the issue. Puzzling ... We tested the Bultaco Alpina enduro machine, and we found that it had the power and handling of comparable trials machines of the day. It was 250cc and had a retail price of $997 even... We also tested a Boyd & Stellings frame. which could be adjusted for everything from flat track to motocross by increasing the steering rake and/or lengthening or shortening the swingarm. The kits began at $525... We even tested the new Triumph 750 x 75 Hurricane. which it was said looked as good standing still as it did in motion. The three-cylinder street machine was $2350. 20 YEARS AGO•.. JANUARY 26, 1983 Two sets of motocrossers and Terry Poovey shared the cover of Issue #2. Poovey was on the cover for his win at the Fort Worth Regional Indoor Concrete ST. Bubba Shobert (Kaw) and Mike Kidd (Hon) rounded out the top three overall... Warren Reid (Yam) won the 500cc Pro class at the second round of the CMC Golden State Series in Lake Madera. California. Bob Hannah (Hon) won the 250cc Pro event, ahead of Broc Glover (Yam) and David Bailey (Hon). while Jeff Ward (Kaw) topped the 125cc Pro event ahead of Ron Lechien (Yam) and Johnny O'Mara (Hon). Larry Brooks (Suz) won the Mini Expert class ... Honda teammates Goat Breker and Bob Hannah won the 500 and 250cc Pro classes, respectively. at Saddleback MX Park. Rick Johnson (Yam) finished second to Hannah in the 250cc class. 10 YEARS AGO••. JANUARY 20, 1993 Six-time National Champion Jeff Stanton was placed on the cover of Issue #2 in honor of our Supercross Preview Issue. We broke down the 1993 season and predicted that Damon Bradshaw would win the championship. followed by defending champ Stanton. We said that Jeremy McGrath would win more than one main event in J993 and finish inside the top five in the championship... Round one of the AMA Supercross Series took place in Orlando, Florida. with Mike LaRocco taking the win for the second year in a row. Mike Kiedrowski (Kaw). Damon Bradshaw (Yam), Jeremy McGrath (Hon) and Jeff Stanton (Hon) rounded out the top five. Ezra Lusk (Suz) beat Doug Henry (Hon) to the checkered flag in the 125cc main... Jeff Emig (Kaw) won the 250cc main at the Perris [nvitational Supercross. Erik Kehoe (Hon) won the 125cc main. LCD STEVE COX r t:• • ~ac~ ewsflash. Motocross and supercross are contact sports. If you're a fan. you should know this. If you aren't one. you should learn this. "There's some aggressive riding. but that's our sport. This isn't a noncontact sport; this is a contact sport." The words of Tim Ferry last Saturday night. As you may have read elsewhere in this issue, our sport's Champion. Ricky Carmichael. got booed at the Anaheim Supercross basically because he was racing. Here's the scenario. Carmichael's got the inside on Travis Pastrana in a left-hander - the following turn is also a left-hander. If Carmichael lets Pastrana back on his left. Pastrana would likely stuff him. In order to secure the position. Carmichael applies a timeproven technique - the brake-check. He slows up. hoping that Pastrana's position on the outside will keep him from making the cut back underneath, giving Carmichael the preferred position going into the following corner. Pastrana may not like it. Heck. since he's a racer. he probably hates it. But it's not dirty pool. It's old-school moto. Two guys. man to man. duking it out. Pastrana just happens to take Carmichael's over-the-shoulder look the wrong way. Carmichael is purely looking to see that he keeps Pastrana where he wants him. but Pastrana takes it personally and apparently tries to wheelie into the number four and knock him down - but the move has the opposite effect. Now Carmichael's the bad guy. and Pastrana's the innocent victim/ hero. But Pastrana's speech after his semi win showed that he actually was trying to knock down RC. not necessarily the other way around. "I really want to say Ricky is a Weeble Wobble. You can knock him. but he doesn't fall down at all." Pastrana said. "He came into the corner. he tried to brake-check. and I swore to pretty much everybody if he ever N stopped and looked at me in a corner to be like 'Hey. ['m good· ... Well. I wheelied and it didn't work. It worked out for him." Pastrana took it personally and tried to down Carmichael for the move. It's natural for a rider who has as much desire. competitiveness and L talent as Pastrana to be upset about a move like that. Being upset shows he wants it. But that doesn't make it a dirty move on Carmichael's behalf. Then the booing ensued. RC was booed all night. except when he fell then he was cheered. Have some class. people. The only time I've ever witnessed people getting booed for falling was at a supercross at a soccer stadium in Ensenada. Mexico, and they were cheering because they didn't get it. They cheered everyone who fell. It's fine to have your favorite riders. but have some class about it. If you feel you have to boo people for rough riding. at least be consistent about it. During the 250cc LCQ. Mach 1 Yamaha teammates Heath Voss and Nick Wey were battling it out for the last spot in the main event on the last lap. Here's Voss' take on it: "Going underneath the tunnel. we were side by side, and he [Wey] just didn't let people on the other side of the fence don't see my side. or a racer's side, to know where ['m coming from." Carmichael said after the races Saturday night. "But it definitely fuels you a little bit to go out and put it to •em. But I never seem to have any problems with any other riders except [Pastrana. referring back to the incidental contact between the two at Indy last year]. But that's water under the bridge. You've got people that are . behind you 100 percent. and as soon as you do something wrong then they shut it down on you and, 'I hate him.' So hopefully they'lI come around ... "I was just fed up. At Indy [ don't think it was my fault. and tonight I don't think it was my fault. When he came in on me. I hit the brakes and waited for him to get in front of me. When I passed him. it's not like I went in there and hit the crap out of him - 1 didn't hit him like I hit Windham at Vegas in '97 - [ went in there. slowed off. He drilled me so hard. it stood me straight up. and he kind of slid out. and I cut underneath him. Then I went to the inside for the finish line. and he just blew the turn out. I ended up getting the better end of the deal. "I told Nick that I admired how hard he tried. I would've done the same thing." Those were two guys making contact in the exact same area of the track. but nobody booed Wey for hitting his teammate. In fact. he was Widely cheered for his efforts. "When the crowd reacts like that. it definitely bums you out. but some In next week's Cycle News down so he wouldn't tuck underneath me. and then he gassed it and hit my back tire. He got a little overanxious. and it made me look like the bad guy." The mechanics of the conflict are viewed the same by both riders. Carmichael brake-checked. Pastrana ran into him and fell. and yet it's Carmichael's fault somehow. If you. as a fan. don't like contact on the track. maybe badminton would be more to your liking. but some of us live for racing like that. eN Phoenix Supercross Eurofile World Superbike Special Report Guthrie, Oklahoma Arenacross eye I e n e _ S • JANUARY 15. 2003 75