Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Fr e 30 YEARS AGO... MARCH 13, 1973 Our test rider jumped the Montesa Vehkonen Replica Cappra VR 250 motocrosser across the cover of Issue 419, and we found the machine to be extremely easy to ride fast. It cornered, had plenty of power, and made a really good motocross weapon. It retailed for $1200 ... As the Winter-AMA MX Series continued in Fort Pierce, Florida, Pierre Karsmakers (Yam) won the Open Expert class ahead of a contingent of Americans, with Brad Lackey (Kaw). Jim Weinert (Kaw), Bob Grossi (Hus) and Mike Hartwig (Hus) rounding out the top five. Karsmakers, Lackey and Marty Tripes rounded out the top three overall in points. John Dallaire (Mai) won the 250cc Novice class... Roger DeCoster (Suz) sped through the Belgian goo to win his first International motocross of the season. T esting is always something of a false situation. This past weekend at Jerez, where the MotoGP rivals met for the first time, was the phoniest of phony wars. The enemy didn't turn up. False But we don't know that for sure in what may not necessarily be a false sense of security. Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi and At Jerez, there were several winners of a contest without prizes. Alex the Honda henchmen were half a Barros set the pace yet again, mak- world away instead, testing alone in ing top factory man Carlos Checa Malaysia. look less than glorious. The others enjoyed their absence. sive, challenging for top times and "When we get to Catalunya with the sounding superb. And Colin Edwards was simply Hondas there, we'll all be seven sensational on the Aprilia on its new places lower down the list." Michelin tires, only deposed from the top of the list at the end of the final Group testing has become a wellestablished practice in recent years, Inside, our impression of the machine was enthusiastic but is not universally popular. On the down side, it prolongs an already - even claiming that the "650" on the side of the machine was a misprint and should've read "750." It retailed for $2798 ... Round four of the AMAfWrangler Supercross Series saw Mark Barnett win the extremely muddy race that was called the "Soup-er bowl" in Atlanta. Bob Hannah (Hon) and Broc Glover (Yam) rounded out the top three, while Hannah extended his series lead to 11 over ninth-place finisher David Bailey (Hon) ... Mike Melton (Hus) won round two of the AMA National Enduro Series ahead of Terry Cunningham (Hus) and Kevin Hines (Hus) in Pelion, SC ... Pat Brown (Mai) won the Hare Scrambles Seriesopening Hollister Hare Scrambles in Hollister, California. Dave Wood (Yam) and Duke Dowell (Suz) finished second and third, respectively. pared with 319 pounds for a four/five cylinder). The good news is simply that there is innovation, and variety. And the even better news is the session. There were some sad losers. Suzuki was troubled, more than a second off the pace, and obliged clear. Well, the fast guys went home happy enough, but the shadow of Honda was looming large. Especially with the rumor flying around the Jerez pits - that more than merely talking about it, Honda has actually built and tested a V -six MotoGP bike range of noises released by all these different configurations. The maximum noise allowed has been increased this year from 125 to 130 decibels. Which may not sound like very much ... until you hear it. The difference is vast; and the Ducatis and one of the Aprilias were running at Jerez completely unsilenced and were still within the limits. The war may have been phony, but the soundtrack was fantastic. And if Honda take the cans off its V-five to release the full range of that engine's hitherto sadly muted range of sounds, it will be better still. One last thought. If Honda's role is to make all the rivals feel bad about their own efforts, it can thank in Japan and has it just waiting in the wings, in the unlikely event that its Kawasaki. So far, it has done exactly the opposite. eN means your secrets will be revealed Honda's new CB650 Nighthawk sat alone on the cover of Issue 419. and maximum cylinder number. But there were also rumors that Honda has built a three-cylinder variation on the theme, reinforcing Aprilia's belief that this is the best possible format. Except that it is difficult (i.e.: expensive) to get down to the minimum weight of 297 pounds (com- The Ducatis were hugely impres- But there was a common refrain in the dark corners of the pit garages: grueling racing season and also 20 YEARS AGO••• MARCH 16, 1983 current V-five will turn out to be inadequate. This may come as something of a shock to those who, like Kenny Roberts, surmised that the five-cylinder option was the best way to exploit the combination of minimum weight just yet, and the others - or some of the others - can bask for a week while to remind itself that this was still that much earlier. Then again, it gives only the third outing for an all-new factories and teams a chance to assess their potential against the motorcycle. The Kawasakis were slower still, opposition for the real racing to with Garry McCoy almost three sec- come. It gives the fans extra chances to see their heroes in action. And at onds off. Though it was not clear how much this was a function of the cur- Jerez last weekend, it gave us a rently ill-favored Dunlop tires or the chance to see the new GP Ducatis. Teams tend to look at the positive aspects. They have to. Attendance is more or less compulsory. It was not always that way. These Spanish tests were started some years ago by IRTA, with attendance entirely voluntary. The main aim was to help impecunious teams, especially in the smaller classes, who were unable to afford to rent circuits just for them- apparently primitive chassis was not selves. In the last couple of years, however, Dorna has applied very heavy pressure to make sure that everyone turns up in order to have a show on its hands. 10 YEARS AGO••• MARCH 10, 1993 Mike Kiedrowski (Kaw) was photographed for the cover of Issue 419 on his way to the win at the seriesopening 250cc National at Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainesville, Florida. Jeff Stanton (Hon) finished second overall, while privateer John Dowd (Kaw), Phil Lawrence (Suz). Damon Bradshaw (Yam) and Cliff Palmer (KTM) rounded out the top six overall. AMA Supercross points leader Jeremy McGrath (Hon) won the 125cc class ahead of Erik Kehoe (Hon), Mike Craig (Kaw), Doug Henry (Hon) and Damon Huffman (Suz) ... Also on the cover was a group of endurance racers competing in the Daytona Endurance event. The event was won by Fastline/MCM Racing, followed by Two Brothers Racing and Team America ... Joey Hopkins (Kaw) won his first-ever AMA National Enduro event at round two in Maxeys, Georgia. Kevin Hines (Hus) finished second, while George Waller Jr. (KTM) finished third. But they're not as compulsory as all that, as breakaway Honda proves. While most of the others will do three tests, moving from Jerez last weekend to Estoril, then to Catalunya in mid-March, Honda will only attend Catalunya, the official launch of the 2003 series. And even then, reluctantly. Rossi's crew chief Jeremy Burgess is dead against showing his hand. Because the way things are, Honda doesn't seem to have much catching up to do. Off the pace: So far the Suzuki team, with junior member John Hopkins (pictured) and Kenny Roberts Jr., has lagged behind in preseason testing. In an upcoming issue at Cycle IIBws Valencia World Superbike Opener Indianapolis Supercross Iowa Arenacross Louisiana National Enduro cucle n e _ s • MARCH 5. 2003 91

• Cover