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/128197
ris Raceway. the oldest track in the state oLCalifomia. A KTM press release gives KTM's view on the Jeremy McGrath retirement. KTM's vice president of marketing and communications, Scot Harden. had the following comments regarding the future of KTM and McGrath Racing: .. KTM Sport motorcycle fully supports Jeremy McGrath's recent decision to retire from the sport of Supercross. While we are certain it was very difficult for Jeremy to cross this bridge. KTM respects him for recognizing the level of commitment it takes to remain at the top of the sport. We are confident that he has made the most appropriate decision for himself. his family and his sponsors." The release continues: .. Like fans everywhere. we are sad to see the McGrath 'on track' era come to an end. However. KTM also sees this as the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the McGrath legacy. KTM looks forward to working with Jeremy and McGrath Racing in the years ahead as the next phase of Jeremy's involvement in the sport unfolds. As a team owner. mentor and spokesperson. Jeremy's impact on the sport will continue to be felt. In this capacity KTM intends to remain on board as the motorcycle partner with Jeremy and McGrath Racing. This new aspect of the McGrath/KTM relationship is already in development. In the meantime. all of us at KTM wish to congratulate Jeremy on a truly outstanding career. Our entire sport and industry is grateful for the contribution he has made not only as its most prolific champion but as a superb role model and ambassador for our sport as well. Simply put. supercross would not be what it is today if not for Jeremy McGrath. We wish him well. " Ducati Austin has named Tom Bodenbach as its race team manager for Ducati's factory-backed team. featuring top racer Anthony Gobert. Boden- Italian Fabrizio Meoni and his factory KTM capitalized on his 21 st starting position to win the 11 th stage of the Dakar Rally on Sunday, January 12, winning the 271-mile stage from Sarir to Siwa by over nine minutes from Richard Sainct. Meon;'s win reduced Sainct's iead in the overall standings to 28 minutes. Frenchman Cyril Despres crossed the line 11 minutes and 17 seconds behind Meoni to consolidate his second position overall, while the winner of stage 10, Per-Gunnar Lundmark, finished fourth, two minutes slower than Despres. Repsol KTM's Nani Roma, meanwhile, crashed 80 miles into the January 10 stage and was forced to retire from the rally. "I was riding along a road at 160 km/h [100 mph) and entered a right-hand comer that had car tracks," Roma said in a team press release. "I was driving on the inside, but a stone forced me to the outside, and there was a big rock. I tried to avoid it tuming left, but bach, 36, worked in 2002 as Ducati Austin's data acquisition engineer. Prior to that he worked in Harley-Davison's race department for seven years. "It's a great opportunity to be able to work with Ducati, the premier motorcycle in Superbike racing. and Anthony Gobert. who's one of the greatest riders out there," said Bodenbach. A former amateur motocross racer. Bodenbach will again handle the data acquisition for team Ducati Austin. In addition. he'll handle the logistics of running a major league road racing team. work on personnel decisions with team owner Terry Gregoricka and. according to Bodenbach. "Keep everything within budget." Bodenbach, who hails from Menominee Falls. Wisconsin. has a degree in mechanical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division has announced the times and dates for amateur supercross races to be held during the 2003 THQ World Supercross GP season. Selected sites will be Anaheim and San Diego. with each event to be held on Sunday following the Saturday night professional races. The amateur supercross races will be solely produced by Clear Channel the rear tire did not pass. 1hit against it, and the bike threw me off. 1 guess I must have been driving at 130 km/h [100 mph) and 1spun several times. "I remember that I got up and then fell on the ground. Meoni arrived and pulled the safety beacon, then Richard Sainct and Marc Coma stopped. It's a real shame because I've been riding very carefully throughout the rally, without taking too many risks, and a small mistake in a single second messes up the work of a whole year. I neither crashed nor had frights during the whole rally so far, but such is this race." The doctors on site examined Roma, and they infonmed him that he had no serious injuries. He was taken to Sabha on a helicopter and from there, on the medical plane, to the bivouac in Zilla. X-rays were taken at the organization's field hospital, showing a fracture at the top of his ulna in the right anm. Entertainment - Motor Sports and sanctioned by Formula USA. "With a very admirable job of explaining it all in his Howl column in the back of this week's strong amateur Arenacross program held nationwide. it seemed time for us to expand into amateur supercross." says Mike Kidd. vice president of arenacross. "Our goal is to use our experience and Cycle News. American Suzuki has finally confirmed the long-swirling rumors that it will step up with a true factorybacked dirt track effort for the 2003 AMA/Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships. thus becoming the first Japanese factory to field a full-fledged team since Honda in 1987. In a phone interview with Cycle News. Suzuki's Pat Alexander announced that Suzuki has entered into a contract with Missouri-based Dave Burks Motorsports to field an all-Suzuki team with backing from Corbin seats and Samson exhausts. Suzuki has signed Pennsylvania's Kevin Varnes - formerly of the Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimted squad. and Oklahoma racing duo A.J. and Danny Eslick to the team. Varnes and A.J. will contest the Progressive Insurance U,S. Flat Track circuit full-time. while Danny will split his time between the dirt track effort and an as yet to be named Suzuki road race team. "We're still getting some of the details sorted out," Alexander said. "The reason why we have gone in this direction is because we weren't gelling the support of the riders. You can have all the contingency in the world. but if the riders aren't riding your bikes ... We also want expertise to insure a fun-filled event for every rider and family member that attends. in addition to developing new amateur talent." Entries will be limited to 40 riders in each of the 18 classes. For entry information call 817/332-4822. Schedule for amateur events: Sunday. February 2 - Edison International Field. Anaheim. California: Sunday. February 9 - Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego. California. The Grand Prix Commission. composed of Carmelo Ezpeleta morna - chairman). Claude Danis (FIM), Sito Pons «RTAl and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA). in the presence of Paul Butler (secretary of the meeting). unanimously decided to introduce modifications to the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix regulations. among which the introduction of the neutralization of the race in the MotoGP class for climatic reasons. with safety car, pit stop and rolling start. Dennis Noyes does an Miami-Hollywood Speedway In Pembroke Pines, FlOrida. to show the performance of Suzuki in AMA dirt track, showcase our twins. The Grand National is the right place to do that. We have been looking at the Grand National series for a number of years. Now we want a piece of It." The factory effort will include DR-Z-based equipment for the singles events. With TL 1000powered twins for the mile and half-mile races. Alexander said that while the team's main focus is the AMA title. it would be free to contest select rounds of other events "for testing purposes." AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Malcolm Smith Motorsports ,n River- side. California. on January 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Team KTM's Jeremy McGrath. Grant Langston. Ryan Hughes. Billy Lanlnovich. Steve Boniface. Ben Townley. Josh Woods and Joaqulm Rodrigues. and OPENED: Flat Out Group's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address, http://wwwflatoutgroup.com SIGNED: Chuck Sorensen to a sponsorship agreement With Regina Chain for the 2003 AMA 250cc Grand PriX Series season. No Umit Motorsports to a Similar deal for the 2003 AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme Series: and Ducati Austin racing to a Regina Chain deal for the AMA Superbike Series. MSM riders Paul Kraus. Michael Lelb. DaVid Rees. Cody Padmos and Cale Wallace are scheduled to appear. For more Information. call 909/687-1300. PROMOTED: Tonya Hams and Chandra Welte, to new pOSitions within the OMS Sports organization. effecttve Immediately Hams, who has been with the OMS foundation from the beginning, was recently promoted to the newly formed senior client and customer service asso- APPOINTED: Cal Frye. as Virginia International Raceway's new gen- eral manager. Frye, a 46-year-old native of Landis, North Carolina. comes to VIR from Phoenix. Arizona. where he has operated an inter- Testing is something that Kevin Varnes, 28. is looking forward to doing. and he may be just the right rider for the job, He won the Charlotte Half Mile en route to fourth overall in the 2002 Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships standings. and he is one of the few riders with extensive experience on Harley-Davidson and ciate for OMS' road race department: Welte. the first line of communication at OMS headquarters, moves up to the assistant office manager position. Her duties will cover the entire spectrum at OMS, national consulting and training business since 1994. He formerly served as general manager and instructor of the Bob Bondurant School AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Casey's Cycle City In Newport News, of High Performance Driving at Firebird Raceway In Chandler. Arizona, Virginia. on January 25 from 11 a.m. to noon. Team Suzuki's Buddy He has also worked in management at Summit Point Raceway in West Antunez and 2002 AMA Horizon Award winner Evan Laughridge are Virginia and for the Brands Hatch America driver training facility at scheduled to appear. For more information. call 757/595-9721. cue I e n e _ S • Continued on page 76 22. 2003 3 JANUARY