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
30 YEARS AGO... AUGUST 14, 1973 Nils-Arne Nilsson (Hus) grabbed his first Cycle News cover on Issue #31 after winning an International 125cc motocross event in St. Charles, Missouri. Nilsson went 1-4 for the win, while Bob Grossi (Hus) finished second overall with a 5-1 score. Bryar Holcomb (Bul) won the 250cc Support event over Bob Harris (Mai) and Doug Grant (Bul) ... We received a letter from R.R. Orth, the vice president of U.S. Suzuki Motor Corporation, which announced that, regretfully, team road racer Geoff Perry was killed in a commercial plane crash on his way to the Laguna Sec a Road Race via Tahiti. He was 22 years old ... Rex Staten won six of nine Expert events at the final race at Deadman's Point in Apple Valley, California. Over 400 riders entered the track's final event. o KTM T he balance of power changed in Grand Prix racing last weekend, I'm not talking about the fact that Valentino Rossi showed himself to be merely human, got flustered into a clumsy-looking last-lap error and now has only three victories this year to Sete Gibernau's four. After all, the boy wonder still has a massive World Championship lead and just as much talent as he started with. If he really is at the start of a crisis of confidence, he has enough of a cushion to be able to come out the other side still in front. The upset came from elsewhere, from the little Austrian KTM factory. Because it revealed that it will not now be joining the MotoGP class 20 YEARS AGO.•. AUGUST 17, 1983 Yamaha's new TT600 thumper jumped across the cover of Issue #31. We were impressed with the machine, even saying "TT" stood for "Tough Thumper." It retailed for $2299 ... Broc Glover (Yam) won the AMA Supercross Season Finale at the Pasadena, Califomia, Rose Bowl, but David Bailey (Hon) did exactly what he had to do in order to clinch his first National title, finishing sixth. Mark Barnett (Suz) and Danny Chandler (Hon) rounded out the top three in the race, while Bamett and Glover did Likewise in the championship. After the race, Bailey sat just two points behind Barnett in the Grand National MX Championship ... Jimmy Filice (H-D) won the Hawthorne Mile AMA Dirt Track ahead of Ted Boody (H-D) and Randy Goss (H-D) ... Hakan Carlqvist (Yam) swept both motos at the British 500cc MX GP, taking over the points lead in the process. off-~oad 10 YEARS AGO•.. AUGUST 11, 1993 The 1994 Honda CR250 was featured on the cover of Issue #31 in honor of its first test inside. We were impressed with the "refined package" that it offered, and handling was still its strongpoint. It reta lied for $4899 ... Mike LaRocco (Kaw) won his first 250cc National at the Glen Helen "Supercrossformat" motocross, winning the main event over Steve Lamson (Hon), Phil Lawrence (Suz), John Dowd (Yam), Guy Cooper (Suz) and Donald Upton (Yam) for double points. Doug Henry (Hon) won the 125cc National over Ezra Lusk (Suz), Damon Huffman (Suz), Jeff Emig (Yam), Ryan Hughes (Kaw) and Jeremy McGrath (Hon) ... We received a letter against the double points in the main event at Glen Helen, and the editor's response said the plan was for all Nationals to be run with one main event in 1994... Doug ·Polen (Duc) won the Brainerd AMA Superbike I event over Pascal Picotte (Duc), Jamie James (Yam) and Colin Edwards (Yam). had it discovered that it was all going solidifying a sense of purpose. It's in 2005 after all. to be a lot more expensive than antic- also the opposite way of working This changes things for a lot of ipated, but KTM realized that all this from that adopted by the Japanese, people beyond the (now highly disil- extra money would in all likelihood In the case of both Kawasaki and lusioned) engineers Harald Bartol and only put it in a position to get its arse Suzuki, and to an extent Yamaha, the Warren Willing, who were hired to kicked by Honda. And why should we factories are directly involved with push the proposed V-four through pay $25-30 million a year to suffer the teams, but they leave the actual from drawing board to starting grid. that for two or three years? asked one The factory has said it will complete of the orange-shirt men. its five planned engines but won't be running of them to Westerners. This makes it rather difficult to find any- Bringing this question into the investing the money in the electronics open like this is rather scary, because needed to make them run. They will the others have to face it, too. Proton, be museum pieces, without ever hav- of course, is already into a major ing done anything to earn that status, one actually prepared to take the redesign of its all-new motor after It affects the non-factory franchise past for both of them, at the same time relieving the factory men of wise Suzuki, whose bike should be guered WCM outfit, now reduced to that has given good results in the taking part in just three races. like- holders, for example. Like the belea- blame for mistakes. This is a system direct public responsibility. clever enough to be competitive but Aprilia, meanwhile, used outsiders racing 10-year-old privateer-level is instead just too clever for its own for its engine development - Cos- two-strokes; and the Spanish d'Antin good. Aprilia is somewhat the same, worth. Again, the chain of responsi- team, who currently lease one of their to a slightly lesser extent. And also bility is blurred. It may be significant entries to Pramac Honda and the Kawasaki, whose problems are the that Suzuki has followed Yamaha in other to Yamaha, for Shinya Nakano. opposite. Its Superbike-based Ninja internal reshuffles that have put new With KTM on the way, their franchis- is basically a hotted-up street-bike. men in top positions in the racing es had a significant resale or lease And it's a clunker. The fact that Garry departments. They are still shadow-y_ value, because the new factory had to McCoy came close to beating Suzuki find one or another way onto the grid. at the Sachsenring simply demon- Now one customer is no longer in the strates that there are more ways than market. one to get it wrong. But it also affects several of the figures, but there is the chance for them to bring a different personal style to the whole business. It remains to be seen, and even their I've written before that one reason successful rivals must be hoping it factory teams as well - the ones who for Ducati's success is the clarity of aren't Honda or Ducati. Both of these its management. The top man of have bikes capable of winning races. Ducati Corse, Claudio Domenicali, is Of course Honda and Ducati want will all work out. Yamaha would like to think it does not afraid to take personal responsi- to stay on top, but there is more stim- too, though we have yet to see much bility. At lower levels, there are also ulation and more kudos in beating proof. The others can't even dream clearly identified human beings who somebody good rather than some- about it, right at present. That's have to answer not only to their boss, body merely average. Just ask World because of one of the reasons that but also to the press if things go Superbike Champion-elect Neil KTM gave for pulling out. Not oniy wrong. This is a wonderful way of Hodgson. In an upcomIng issue at Cycle flews eN Virginia AMA Flat Track Czech Wor1d Supennoto Colorado National Enduro eye I e n e _ S • AUGUST 6,2003 103