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/128245
Sc ali , li ke everyone else in the cl ass, also had to deal with the new infrared LED bul bs o n the Christ mas Tree. T he new high -intensity bulbs cause dri ve rs to re a c t quicker, t h ereby increasing the chances for a red -ligh t. A ll NHRA racers were affected , but non e m or e than the Pro Stock Bi k e riders , . most of whom were already capable of red -lig hting. Th e same q uick refl exes th at helped m ak e Sca li a cha m pions hi p co nte nde r a lso m ad e him pron e to foul sta rt s. In 15 races, he red -lighted six times, but most of those foul s came in th e lat e rounds and did not signi fic antl y aff ect his title hopes. "The LED lights we re a fact or fo r all of us this yea r," Sca li said . "I caught a lot of grief for peopl e over th ose red -lights, but I never let 'it bother me. We tri ed some things to 'm ak e the bike react a little sl ower, but yo u can only do t h at t o a point. You don 't want to do anything to hurt performance. "Th e one pos itive th ing I can ta k e from them is that we ha ve room for im provem ent," he continued. "I magi ne if I had only red -lighted once or twice . I'm sur e I would have clinched the c ham pionship wa y befo re I actua lly did: Scali went winless fo llowing the Sonoma race but managed to maintain his lead in th e points standings through a numbe r of consistent late-round fin ishes . The co m peti tiveness of the cl ass, where nine d ifferent rid ers won titles in 15 rounds, m ade it d iffi cult for anyone to m ak e a m ov e against Scali .. _ T he titl ~ -cha se c ame to a head at the pe ;~lti m at e ro und in Las Vegas. Sc ali lost in rou nd tw o and had to watch helplessly as Savo ie, his closest pursuer , advanced to the fi nal ro und. Matco Too ls rider Cra ig T reble ultimately beat Savoie, but she m an aged to m ak e li fe uncomfortable for Sca li. " Las Vegas was the only time that I really fel t th e p ressur e of the poi nts battl e," Sca li said . "I m ean , I sti ll had a big lead, but when I got beat, I cou ld just see her wi nning the race and m ak ing it close again . Whe n I go t a big lead , I guess I started to get a little at th e plush Kodak Theater. Durin g the cerem on y and in 'the days that followed , Sca li had a cha nc e to refl ect on his dream seas on. "For one, I'm glad we had some problems al ong th e w ay because tha t way, no o ne cou ld say th i s came easy ," he said . "If I had it to do over, I wouldn 't cha nge a thi ng . I'm someone who appreciates the j ourney as much as the pot of gold at th e end of it . Sh awn Gann , Fred Coll is and Antron B ro w n gain ex perience. One thing that Sca li has in his favor is histo ry . Of th e six riders who have won the National Ch am pi ons hi p si nce 1985 , o nly one, 19 8 9 cha m p " Pizza J oh n " Mafaro , did not wi n m ul tiple t itles . Sa vo ie, Matt Hines and late legends Dave Sch ultz and J ohn M y e rs all won at least three titl es during the ir cocky. Th en Angelle go t her sponsorship w it h th e U.S. A rmy, and her tea m started rolli ng. I guess I was j u st p7 et th-.rt;"e-~is sed an o ppo rtunity t; seal t he d ea l rig ht the re. Needless to say, I was rea lly happy when T reble beat her in the final: Sca li needn't have wo rried. All he had to do was q ual ify fo r th e 16 -b ike fie ld at the final eve nt in Pomona in order to secure th e title, and he did so w it h littl e trou b le. Sca l i e n de d the se as on w ith anothe r ro und-two loss, but by the n he didn't care. He had already accom pli shed the biggest goal he'd ever set for himself. It' s on ly fitting t hat Sca li's storybook seaso n ended in Holl y wo od , as he acc epted his champi onship trophy and the $5 0 ,000 first -place check during the lavish NH RA Powerade aw ards banquet Now, my life is comp lete . I've got a g reat wife who g an d s. b es jde .!!le. ev_~ry_ step c;>.f th e way, a nd I couldn't ask for a better team to be a part of. "We were successfu l this year because everyone knew their role , and we played to ou r strengths," Scali continued . "I know there is a responsibility that goes with being a champion . I want to be someone who makes a difference. I want to be a role model for kids and a hero to our fa ns. I underst and that a tr ue cham pion is someone who help s the sport grow, and that's defin itely o ne of m y goal s." An other of Sca li's goals will be to defend his title in 2004, though he rea lizes that it won 't be easy. As tou gh as the cl ass w as this year, it is lik ely to be even toug her next season, as the Ha rley - Davidsons c onti nue to improve, and up-and-coming riders like caree rs , a feat Scali wo ul d like to equa l. "We know that this winter , we 've got to work even harder tha n we d id last year," Sc ali said. "It' s not a two- or th ree -rider show anymore. We had nin e different ri ders win this sea son, and there' s ev en more o ut there that are capable of wi nning. We're bu ild in g a new bike this wi nter, which should hel p us stay ahead, and I've just got to co nti nue work ing to be the best ride r I can be. All m y li fe, I've wanted to be a part of a cha m pionship -winni ng team . Now, I've got it, and I don 't want to let it go . I plan to enjoy this cham pio nship for a short tim e and then get focused on next year. I ce rta in ly don't want to be the guy who c am e ou t and won the cham p ion ship this yea r and then fell flat on his face the next. I want to ri de this eN for as long as I can." u 38 J ANUARY 7 , 2 004' c ue I e n e Scali and his crew show off the champion sh ip ha rd w are at the sea son fi nale in Pomona, where he nee de d only to qualify in order to clinch the title. vv so