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/128218
C Elm G'G:K9EJ - dO C\Xl [i) - - eTAS Suzuki rider Adrian Archibald won his first Isle of Man n event on Saturday May 31 st - the Formula One in a perfect tribute to his late teammate David Jefferies (see Sidebar). Archibald I took his first win in convincing fashion by more than a minute over his nearest rival. As soon as he got off his Suzuki GSX-Rl000 Superbike, the emotionally charged Archibald dedicated the victory to David Jefferies, who tragically died following a high-speed crash during practice for the Formula One race on Thursday afternoon. The race start was C C D O o delayed by one hour as thick mist on the mountain reduced visibility for the riders. Archibald, 33, from Ballymoney, took the lead early on and never looked back again in the six-lap long grueling roadsbased endurance race. John McGuinness celebrated his third Isle of Man TT victory with a win in the Lightweight 400 race on Monday, June 2nd, over four laps of the 37. 73-mile mountain circuit. taking his 400cc Honda to victory in a race he didn't expect to compete in. "We only put the deal together three days before the n," explained McGuinness. "The bike arrived in the middle of practice week, I did a couple of laps on it and parked it. I knew it was capable of winning." McGuinness led from start to finish but was forced to hold off the early challenge from Ulster pairing Ryan O O O O O o O O O O O O D 0 0 advantage. G C C C C C C o o JUNE 1 1 , 2003' cue I Defending 540cc and 800cc National Champion Dave Watson captured his second straight win at Round 2 of the 2003 AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series. Watson rode his Honda up the White Rose Motorcycle Club hill in 7.007 seconds to top Triumph twin riders Chad Disbennett and Phil Libhart. The big news in the 800cc class at York, Pennsylvania, was that Walter NTiger" Strank Jr. on the Yamaha Rl. like Watson, needed only one pass to record the win, an 800cc class record eighth in a row. Strank clocked a 6.667 second effort to edge James Large and his Harley-Davidson and Watson' s Honda. Geoff Aaron (GG) won both rounds of the AMA/Ryan Young Products Observed Trials Series in Tillamook, Oregon, May 31-June 1. Young. however, almost didn't get Saturday's win after trailing Ray Peters at the end of the day, but Peters was disqualified for timing out on the extraordinarily long 16mile loop, Ryon Bell (GG) ended up second on Saturday, followed by Chris o o 2 Florin (Mon). On Sunday, Aaron took the win outright, followed by Bell and Wilson Craig (GGJ. Peters ended up fourth. SCORE rules require that to receive points for a race, the driver/rider of record must either start or finish the race. Steve Hengeveld and Johnny Campbell combined efforts to win the 35th Tecate SCORE Baja 500, May 31. The Honda XR6qOR-mounted team also took overall honors, finishing the race in 9:33:48 with a speed average of 47.36 mph. Former motorcycle Baja winner Larry Roeseler teamed with Troy Herbst to be the first four-wheel vehicle to cross the finish line. finishing approximately 20 minutes behind Hengeveld and Campbell. In winning, Campbell r--. earned his fourth overall crown, and Hengeveld became the first rider to capture four consecutive overall motorcycle championships. With five career class wins, Hengeveld, who won in 1999 and Roeseler for the most class wins on a motorcycle with 11. O'Neal's win in Class 40 (for riders over 40) was bittersweet, as he sustained a serious injury while pre-running Tuesday for the second straight year. Breaking his right collarbone in addition to other internal injuries. O'Neal started the race and rode only a few feet before turning his bike over to one of his three co-riders. David Pearson (Kaw) captured the overall win at the Idaho City 100 TwoDay ISDE Qualifier in Idaho City, Idaho, May 31-June 1. The Kawasaki KX250 rider posted the qUickest times in nine out of the 10 special tests. Kurt Caselli (KTM) and Brian Garrahan (KTM) were next best over the weekend, Caselli finishing second overall and Garrahan third overall. Rounding out the top five overall were Ben Hall and Brian Schmelzle. o sport all-rounder. "The death of David has left the team shocked and devastated: TAS Suzuki team manager Phillip Neill said. "Not only had David become a very close personal friend of the whole team, but he was a fantastic motorcycle rider and a real ambassador for our sport. Our thoughts are now with Pauline, Tony and the rest of David's family circle, • Suzuki GB director I. Kondo released the follOWing statement "Obviously, we are very shocked and saddened by the tragic news about the death of David Jefferies at the TT races, He was a great rider, but above all he was a great man. We pass on our deepest sympathies to his family on their immense loss.' 2000 with Jonah Street before winning the last two years with Campbell, was tied at three straight overall motorcycle wins with Roeseler (1975, 1976 and 1977) and Paul Krause (1994. 1995, 1996). Second overall in the motorcycle race was the Class 30 (for riders over 30 years old) winning team of Ricardo Malo and Greg Bringle. Malo and Bringle also rode a Honda XR650R. Picking up their fourth straight class wins in the race on Honda XR650R motorcycles were Richard Jackson and Jim O'Neal. Jackson won Class 50 for riders over 50 years old. tying Farquhar and Richard Britton. An ecstatic Chris Palmer took his first n win as he blasted his RS 125cc Honda to victory in Monday's Ultra-Lightweight race on the Isle of Man. Shaun Harris took his second Isle of Man n win with success in Monday's Production 1000cc race over three laps of the course on Monday. Harris led from start to finish but was challenged in the early stages by fellow New Zealand rider Bruce Anstey before a qUick pit stop at the end of the second lap handed Harris the O O o D ~ Nine-time Isle 'of Man TT winner David Jefferies was killed during practice for the event, the 30-year-old Brit crashing his Suzuki GSXR1000 at high speed at the Crosby section of the mountain road course on May 29. According to reports published by the BBC, Jefferies was on his second lap, traveling at over 160 mph, when he hit oil, crashed and struck a wall. Another top Isle of Man racer, Jim Moodie, also crashed when he hit debris that was on the track following Jefferies' crash. Moodie was air-lifted to hospital but was removed from the critical list later on the same day of the accident. Following the crash, a red flag was shown at the start/finish line with those already on their lap being stopped at Glen Vine, the BBC said. Jefferies was the outright lap record holder at the TT and had lapped at 125 mph on his first lap. The organizers have instituted an immediate inquiry into the details of the incident. Jefferies started down the path to TT fame in 1999 when he won the Formula One, Senior and 1000cc Production races on V&M Yamahas. The follOWing year, with similar machines, he again won the Senior and Production events and added a first place in the Junior Supersport race. Following the cancellation of the TT because of foot and mouth disease in 2001, Jefferies joined Suzuki for last year's event and added more victories, in the F1 , Senior and Production races, Also last year, Jefferies won the Superbike race at the North West 200 and the production 1000cc race at the Ulster GP on TAS GSX-R Suzuki machines. Jefferies, from Baildon, West Yorkshire, ran a BMW motorcycle dealership in Shipley and came from a family long associated with the motorcycle trade and sport. This dated back to the early postsecond World War days when his grandfather was a motorcycle e neVIl's Takahisa Fujinami (Hon) and Graham Jarvis (She) split wins in the Twin Ring Motegi, Japan. round of the World Trials Championship on May 31-June 1. FUjinami won on the first day, topping Jarvis and World Champion Dougie Lampkin (Mon). On the second day, however, it was Jarvis taking the win over Fujinami with Lampkin again finishing third. FUjinami's 1-2 result puts him at the top of the overall standings, by virtue of having the most victories, after draWing even with Lampkin on 131 points. This marks the first time in six years that Lampkin has been headed in the championship point standings. Angelle Savoie (Suz) defeated Reggie Showers (Suz) to win the Pro Stock Bike final during the Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet. Illinois, on June 1. Savoie ran a lap of 7.123 seconds at 187.16 mph, Showers lost with a 7.238/184.30. Casey Yarrow (Hon) was a double winner at round one of Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series, the at Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, California, on May 31. Yarrow held off Frank Nye (Hon) and Jesse Sanchez (Yam) for the Open Pro win and defeated Chris Canepa (Hon) and Mike Besemer (Hon) in a Honda sweep of the Honda Top Gun 450cc class, which is open to all MX-based 250cc and 450cc four-stroke brands. Defending class champion Rick Hocking (Yam) won the Saddlemen Open Vintage main. Steve Hall (Yam) was second, and Paul Rusin (Yam) was third. Robbie Cadwallader (BSM won the Classic Vintage Twins exhibtition, over John Proto (Yam) and Ray Byrnes ITn"). n Greg Comstock of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, won the Crystal Helmet, an international veterans speedway event in Jarnovica, Slovakia on May 25. Comstock, who normally races in America at Indianapolis International Speedway in Indianapolis, became the first winner of the event. which mandates veteran riders on vintage equipment. The 55-yearold Comstock rode to victory aboard a 1976 Jawa two-valve, amply qualifying both for the prestigious accolade. No-Toil Filter Oil will be on hand at the Mammoth MX from June 23-28, proViding air filter cleaning and re-oiling for those currently using the No-Toil Biodegradable Air Filter System. The No-Toil race support crew will also provide pre-oiled foam air filters at a minimal cost. For more information check: www.mammothmotocross.com. According to a release issued by his publicist, Sobe Suzuki's Sebastien