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/128226
The AMA has announced the names of all 49 riders who will represent the United States in the 78th International Six Days Enduro, scheduled for November 3-8 in Forteleza City, Brazil. Riders chosen as Team USA had to meet selection procedures previously announced by AMA, The top level of competition at the ISDE is among six-rider teams competing for the World Trophy. Racer Productions, producers of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series, formed "GNCC ISDE 2003: a project that will provide full support for the U.S, Trophy Team, which has been dubbed "Amerjca's Team." The six riders who make up America's Team are Rodney Smith (team captain), Fred Andrews, Mike Lafferty, Mike Kiedrowski, Jason Raines and Ty Davis, The top four riders under the age of 24 to represent Team USA as the Junior Trophy Team are Kurt Caselli, Wally Palmer, David Pearson and Andrew Justin Shea, The remaining riders who qualified for this year's ISDE have. been placed on three-rider teams named for clubs contributing to the 2003 ISDE fund. They are: Boise Ridge Riders: Eric Bailey, Luke McNeil, Jason Webb; ECEA Stars: Greg Gillian, Aaron Kopp, Richard Lafferty; ECEA Stripes: John Burgard Jr., Steven Kreis, Ben Smith; GNCC: Barry Hawk, Randy Hawk;ns, Chuck Woodford; JAFMAR Racing: Pat Flynn, Jeff Fredette, John Wells; Merced Dirt Rid- Georgian Brian Stokes was named the 2003 AMA Road Race Horizon '-' Award winner after earning wins in two ,-. premier classes of the AMA Road Race Grand Championships and taking podium finishes in three others at the MidOhio Sports Car Course, July 23-24, Stokes has been racing AMA professional races sporadically over the last I.....J six years and is campaigning his full season in AMA Superbike and Superstock this year with Team Embry. Stokes entered the Grand Championships with the goal of trying to win the Horizon Award as well as to prepare for this weekend's AMA Chevy Trucks U,S, Superbike Championship event at MidOhio, "It's a big honor to win the Horizon Award," said Stokes, a 29-year-old from Kingston, Georgia. "My goal was to win the award, but this is my first time at'Mid-Ohio, and there were a lot of lough riders here this year. My friend Opie [Chris Caylor] won the award last year, and it was a boost to his career, and I wanted to try and do the same thing. It been a dream to race professionally in the AMA, and hopefully this will help my career along," Stokes J J C r C C " u C n LJ C McGrath, riding a Honda CR500, crested the hill, selling the stage for a fairly successful weekend. McGrath competed in three classes and finished in the money in all of them. In the Rubber Tire o o o Class, McGrath finish as high as fifth. McGrath ended up qualifying for the championship run-off and ended up battling Travis Whitlock for the overall title but came up just short. Whitlock, 8 o riding a Honda CRSOO, ended up taking the championship, while McGrath took second. Off-roader Shane Watts also made an appearance. He rode in the exhibition demonstration and nearly crested the hill. Had it not been for a broken swingarm, he might've pulled it off. opened the two-day Grand Championship with a runner-up finish to Texan Mike Sanchez in the Mediumweight Superbike class. He then took another podium in Wednesday's Superstock race. It was during Thursday's premier races when Stokes really picked up the pace. He won both the Supersport and Formula Xtreme finals with dramatic lastlap, last-turn passes. Stokes beat out a strong field of leading Horizon Award candidates including fellow AMA Pro rid'ers John Dugan, Greg Moore and Matt Furtek and leading club racer Mike Sanchez. Stokes is the seventh rider to win the HOrizon award in the road-racing category. He follows in the footsteps of past recipients such as Eric Wood, Jason DiSalvo and Ben Spies. o [l [ r L.... r w A WERA team made up of riders Reuben Frankenfield. Matt Furtek and Greg Moore won the inaugural Road Race Club Challenge. Furtek was the leading scorer for WERA's entry. Squads from CMRA and WMRRA tied for second in the team competition. Eight club teams entered the Challenge. The FIM has announced the two European rounds that will make up the 17round 2004 Supercross World Championship calendar. Prior to the Anaheim kickoff in California on January 3, those contesting the World Supercross Championship will race in Seville, Spain, on December 6 and a week later will do battle in Arnhem, Holland. on December 13. Steve Hatch (Suz) recorded the overall win at the AMA/FMF National Enduro in Del Norte, Colorado, July 27. The former National Enduro Champion topped David Lykke (Yam), who finished second, and Colorado's own Kelby Pepper (Yam), who captured third overall. Series leader Mike Lafferty (KTM) finished fourth, while Ron Schmelzle (Yam) rounded out the top five overall. Sixth place went to Randy Hawkins (Yam), followed by Colorado's Mark S\evens, Elmer Symons (KTM), and locals Dave Neumeister (Kaw) and Ben Jansma (Hon). Despite finishing fourth, Lafferty extended his series points lead over Hawkins, 181-147. Lykke is third with 134, followed by Robbie Jenks with 110 and Stephen Reed with gO, According to reports in the July 25 edition of the Capital, a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, police plan to cite Travis Pastrana with reckless driving for causing a crash last month that left his friend, Matthew Bigos, paralyzed. The report says that Cpl. Charles Brown said he's written Pastrana citations for reckless driving, negligent driving and speeding. He plans to serve them on the 19-year-old Davidsonville reSident when he returns from an out-of-town trip. If convicted of the misdemeanor offenses, Pastrana faces a maximum fine of $1 000 for reckless driving and $500 for negli- o 8 ~ " Jeremy McGrath competed at the 85th annual Miller Great American HillI.....J climb Championships in Billings, Monf j tana, July 26-27, and the seven-time U Supercross Champion certainly turned some heads. In only his second attempt. gent driving, according to the report. The newspaper said that prosecutors who reviewed the case said the law n U n 2 AUGUST 6, 2003' c u e I e nu'UVs ers: Brian Garrahan, Patrick Garrahan, Ron Schmelzle; Missouri Mudders: Russell Bobbitt, Mike Monroe, Lars Valin; Mt, Scott Motorcycle Club: Bryan Penney, Morgan Crawford, Jonathan Seehorn: Team Washington: Aaron Wilson, Eric Bee, Paul Neff; Oregon Motorcycle Riders Association: Alan Deyo, Jeremy Puma, Derek Steahly: Ridge Riders Motorcycle Club: Dylan Debel, Josh Lojak, Mark Thompson; SKUNKWRx.net: Rod Kreiss, Bryce Olson, Rob Zimmenman; Women's Club: Lissa Arsenault, Heidi Landon, Amanda Mastin. The ISDE is one of the world's oldest and most historic motorcycle events. The USA won The Vase Trophy in ] 973, while The Junior Team from 1991 brought home the Junior Trophy. In 2001, Team USA was presented the Watling Trophy, awarded to the country that puts forth the best effort under adverse conditions. Two corporate sponsors also support Team USA: PJ] Lubricants and Arai Helmets. The public can help support Team USA by purchasing the 2003 ISDE t-shirt, available online in the AMA Gift Shop - log on to www.AMADirectlink.com and click on "Gift Shop." For complete package details about the AMA Travel excursion to the 2003 ISDE, call AMA Travel & Tours at 614/856-1900 extension 1196. makes it impossible to charge Pastrana with more serious felony charges. "There's still no jail for someone who drives recklessly with a flagrant disregard for the traffic laws and inju res someone seriously," deputy state's attorney William D. Roessler told the Capital. Pastrana was driving a black 2003 Chevrolet Corvette on Rossback Road on June 10 at about 12:30 a.m. when the vehicle went airborne after cresting a small hill near Overlook Glen, according to police. The car went onto a steep embankment and struck a large oak tree. The force of the collision flipped the Corvette and threw Pastrana from the vehicle. Firefighters had to rescue his passenger, Bigos, who is 20, from the wreckage, the paper says. According to the Capital, Bigos remains paralyzed from the waist down. Pastrana was unavailable for comment, according to the Capital. Pastrana has said that a deer jumped out of the woods, forcing him to dart into the oncoming lane and then lose control when he saw car lights coming over the hill. He also admitted to driving too fast. Cpl. Brown said he estimated Pastrana was driving between 85 and 95 mph in a 35 mph zone. According to the newspaper report, Brown never talked to Pastrana but said Bigos never mentioned a deer in' a statement he gave through an attorney. According to the newspaper report, prosecutors will lobby the General Assembly next year to change the law and allow them to charge drivers in serious crashes with reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor that carries five years in prison. "There are any number of situations where that would be a very appropriate charge for us to use, but we're precluded from using it," assistant state's attorney William Katcef told the Capital. According to the newspaper, court records show police twice stopped Pastrana while driving his Corvette in the months leading up to the crash. On March 3 he was clocked driving 81 mph in a 65-mph zone on westbound Route 50 near the Route 424 exit. He received probation before judgment after paying $53 in fines and costs. And three days before the crash, Pastrana was cited for failure to show his license when stopped by police. He paid a $30 fine, according to the published report. Speaking of Travis Pastrana, Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division announced on July 28 that the Team Suzuki star has officially entered to race the 2003 Maxxis U.S. Open at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, October 10-12. Pastrana has already begun training for the race. .. Travis has deCided to do the Maxxis U.S. Open because it's a fun, one-off event that involves no stress," said his agent, Steve Astephen, in a press release. "The great thing about thiS race is that he can go to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, race and not have to get ready for another race the next weekend." The Maxxis U.S. Open is a way for Pastrana to ease his way back into competition. Since winning the 125cc Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Series in 2000, he has struggled with injuries. "Travis will be able to compete without a points race involved," said Astephen, "He's currently taking advantage of some opportunities that have come out, such as freestyle motocross, rally car racing and doing some public relations work." Pete Whitney, who, along with his brother - and teammate - Scott, made his name famous racing sidecar motocross during the 1980s in California, passed away on July 17 as the result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident on July 6. Whitney, a former Pikes Peak Hillclimb winner, is survived by his mother and father, Ralph and Rachel, his daughter, Jessica, and son, Craig, and three brothers. Whitney was 45. Corona Extra EBSCO Media Suzuki's Jimmy Moore has begun physiotherapy to recover from the injuries suffered in a turn one fall last month at Brainerd International Raceway. Moore, the defending AMA Superstock Champion, fell in the ultrahigh-speed turn one when a gust of wind took away his front tire. He slid an estimated 230 yards before hitting a tree, the impact breaking his left humerus, hip joint and several ribs and causing internal injuries. His team origi-