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/128206
o Lll:u G'G:Jee o\V o o o Angelle Savoie (Suz) and her brandnew Team 23/Bonewear entry defied the odds to win the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season-opening Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida. on March 16. Savoie defeated Geno Scali (Suz) in the final after Scali redlighted. Savoie ran a winning time of 7.240 seconds at 182.33 mph. o ~ o The AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship will not end the season as a support race for the U.S. Formula One Grand Prix lit Indianapolis Motor Speedway because of problems within the F-1 community, according to Scott Hollingsworth, the AMA Pro Racing CEO. "There were discussions with Indianapolis Motor Speedway about a Superbike race," Hollingsworth said. "There are ongoing discussions. We'd love to run Superbikes there. It's something we've discussed. No deal has been done." The discussions with IMS reached a critical point late last year. The race would have been the 19th round of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship. Rumors surfaced that a deal had been reached between the AMA and IMS. But a sti<:king point arose over the makeup of the race program. "There are logistical issues with a third party," Hollingsworth said. "It's all contained between the FIA (Formula One's sanctioning body) and F-1." Though Hollingsworth wasn't more specific, it's likely that F-I boss Bernie Ecclestone scotched the deal, and, just as likely, over financial concerns. The deal was to run Superbikes only as a support class on the morning of the late September Formula One race. The 2000 crowd of 200,000. the largest ever for a Formula One race, has been steadily eroding, with large losses each of the past two years. The o o o o o Team Honda's Steve Hengeveld and ~ Johnny Campbell combined efforts to win the 17th Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 on March 16. Hengeveld and Campbell shared a Honda XR650R and completed the race in four hours, six minutes and 14 seconds, averaging 55.56 mph. The winning duo had about a 15-minute lead over the second-place team. The runner-up team was made up of Andy Grider and Quinn Cody who crossed the finish line in 4:23:30. Third place went to Christopher Blais, who finished the race in 4:39:50. The top three teams were all Honda XR650R-mounted. lands/Pays-Bas Valkenswaard; May 4 - Germany/Teutschenthal; June 1 Italy/Montevarchi; June 8 - Bulgaria/Sevlievo; June 22 - Austria/Karntenring; July 6 - Sweden/Uddevalla; July 20 - Belgium/Namur; August 10 Netherlands/Pays-Bas Lierop; August 24 - Germany/Gaildorf; August 31 Czech Republic/Loket; September 14 . France/Ernee. o o o o o ~ Other class winners included Ricardo Malo and Greg Bringle (Hon) in Class 30, Eddie Zeller, Greg Fountain and Mike Martin (Yam) in Class 22. and John Kuhlken (Hon) in the Sportsman Motorcycle class. The race was marred by the death of Sportsman motorcycleclass rider David Bills of San Diego, California. According to a press release from SCORE. Bills crashed at race-mile 55, and SCORE officials reported that Bills died from injuries sustained in the accident. In a press release issued by his publicist after the Daytona 200, Ben Bostrom described the race as one that he "really, really wanted to win." As for the 600cc Supersport final; "The thing that ended up killing us was the Supersport race. My hands fell asleep during the second or third lap. My hands just went numb. And I couldn't feel the brakes so I had to follow everybody. The high frequency of that little motor is what did it. The motor is just singing, revving so o o o o Steve Reed (Suz). a regular in the SE&TRA Enduro Series, pulled off a big win at the Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia, on March 16. But it was close. Reed and defending National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty (KTM) actually tied on points when all was said and done, but Reed came out on top via the tie-breakers. o ~ o o much on the banking. It just put my hands to sleep. I ended up just following everyone, and that was a disappointment. And naturally, losing the 200 race, well, that was a disappointment, too. It was a race that I really, really wanted to win. Man, that was heartbreaking. I just didn't know where those guys were going into the last chicane there, so I hit the brakes and tried to stall them out and then gas it back up. Obviously, that was the wrong move to do. And Miguel [DuHamel], I set it up perfectly for him. With Kurtis' [Roberts] draft, the lapper's draft, and my draft, it couldn't have been any nicer for him. As a teammate, Miguel's great. He's a really funny guy and definitely a hard charger. But he beat us because he was smarter. But I came home to win races - to win a championship. That's why I'm here. And my bike... it is so fast. It's going to be a fun championship. " Both riders dropped 50 points, but Reed had 48 seconds on Lafferty. Third overall went to another SE&TRA regular Mike Grizzle (KTM), who dropped 55 points. Robbie Jenks (Yam) came out on top of a three-way tie for fourth with 56 points dropped. Barry Hawk (Yam) and David Lykke (Yam) finished fifth o o o o o o o and sixth, respectively, with 56 points each. The following changes were made to the 2003 calendar of the World Motocross Championship: the round scheduled in Rushmoor Arena (Great Britain) has been cancelled and will not be replaced. The round in Russia on July 20 has also been cancelled and will be replaced by a round in Namur, Belgium. The calendar, with ~o 12 rounds, is as follows: March 30 Spain/Bellpuig; April 13 - Nether- o 2 MARCH 26, 2003' cue • Racer X issued the following information regarding an inventive and very impore n e _ 50 thinking was thllt Superbikes would bring in a different crowd, even as a sideshow. "If we do it, we would do it right," Hollingsworth said. "It's a weDthought-out strategy to go there. It's not a haphazard approach." There was also the possibility that the morning Superbike CllCe would be televised live on the same broadcast networi< as the F-1 race. "Our objective would be to maxirnize the exposure for the AMA Superbike series. Television would play a strong role in that," Hollingsworth said. Hollingsworth was aware of possible safety concerns w~ the F- I layout. The cars run backward through the first tum of the oval, with no run-off, a condition thlIt wouldn't work for motorcycles. "We've looked at the track slnce they built it," Hollingsworth said. "We know there are a couple of issues thllt we have to address to run motorcycles. We know that. Indy knows that. Tum one is the most slgnlficant issue. " Though Hollingsworth hasn't been told the deal won't be done, he said it was too late in the year to make the race work. But the door isn't closed on the Speedway holding an AJoIIA Superbike race. "We want to do business with Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Hollingsworth said. Henny Ray Abrams tant use for the Racer X Gas Card. According to Racer X publisher Davey Coombs: "Last month, we promised to use the Racer X Gas Card to help Tom Carson get the new Asterisk Mobile MediC Unit out to California. When Carson put the call out that he needed some help, former AMA 125 National MX Champion Guy Cooper and his wife, Wanda, agreed to drive Guy's personal truck from Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Elkhart, Indiana. From there they would pick up the new trailer, which was loaded with medical equipment, and drive it directly to San Diego, California, Don Emde, the author of "The Daytona 200. The History of America's Premier Motorcycle Race," recently sent us the updated all-time mileage leader list for the Daytona 200. The list is as follows: 1. Rick Shaw, 3365 miles (22 races); 2. Warren Sherwood, 3187 miles (22 races); 3. John Ashmead, 2893 miles (20 races). Also. Ricky Orlando moved up to seventh. with 2393 miles (1 6 races). Larry Pegram now has 1822 miles (10 races) and is ranked 22nd, while 2003 race winner Miguel DuHamel is 23rd, with 1783 miles (12 races). in time for the sixth round of the THQ World Supercross GP Series. Cooper, ever the hero, volunteered his services and even put all of the fuel on his own credit card with the promise that Racer X would pay for everything once the bills came back in. The total cost of all that fuel, tolls and associated fees? $1,048.20. We were glad to pay the bill and would like to commend Tom Carson and everyone at Asterisk, the Coopers, and Steve Bruhn for helping to get the word out about the Asterisk Mobile Clear Channel Entertainment - Motor Sports has announced that Snap-on Tools will be the title sponsor of the Snap-on Short Track National to be held during Harley-Davidson's 100th Anniversary Celebration. This event will be part of the K&N Filters Pro Dirt Track Series on Saturday, August 30, at The Raceway at Powercom Park in Beaver Dam, Medic Unit. Our riders need and deserve the best medical treatment, and everyone here at Racer X is proud to have been given the chance to help out. " opportunity to show our support for America's purest form of motorcycle racing while helping celebrate HarleyDavidson's 100th Anniversary. We are committed to the development of high. performance tools and equipment. and we enjoy supporting these racers, as Seals Communications Corporation (Sealsco) announced the production of a special edition "MotoWorld" on ESPN2 that reflects on the career of Supercross/Motocross legend, Jeremy McGrath. The 30-minute tribute show will air on ESPN2, Thursday, March 20, at 2 p.m. (Eastern) and will re-air Sunday, March 23, at 6:30 a.m. (Eastem). The sport of Supercross has never seen another personality like "Show Time." From his humble beginnings through his illustrious career and the end of an era, MotoWorid covers every inch of Jeremy McGrath's reign. Wisconsin. "We are very pleased to take part in thiS exciting motorcycle event," said Carl Johanson, Snap-on manager of motorsports. "This is a great well as delighting our customers, with the quality and value of the Snap-on brand." "We are thrilled to have Snapon as the title sponsor of the Snap-on Short Track National," said Mike Kidd, a VP of Clear Channel Motor Sports. "Snap-on. one of the best toolmakers in the world, is actively involved in supporting racing and promoting professionals in the industry, so thiS partnership will proVide a huge boost to the event." California-based Expert dirt tracker Michelle DiSalvo has landed a new