Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Whitelock On The Block A MA Pro Racing's new SX/MX ma nager Steve Whitelock made a we're going to have a big discussion about it." Ride rs were warned of the pe nalty at Phoenix. ':A.t the ride rs' /""\somew hat controversial decision regarding Kevin W indham and David Vuillemin's collision during the AMA 2S0cc Supe rcross main event on Saturday, January 10, at Ban k One Ballpa rk in Phoe nix, Arizona, penalizing Windham 10 championship points for the collision. He re's what he had to say abou t it. "We're trying to improve the image of supercross, and with our partner Clear Channel, we've made a commitment to make the racetracks a bit safer and a lot less demanding on the riders, so this is all part of that same package," Whitelock said. "We need to have riders in condition to finish races, and if people slam into each other, meeting at Anaheim, we said that we we re going to be watc hing them, and I made it very clear that I was going to be watching it," White lock said. ':A.t the riders' meeting in Phoe nix, th ey were told what was going to happen if they did it. In the race, it became a reality. I need them to understand that it's a bit different this year. " I thi nk that, based on what we watched and based on everything I hea rd , I stand by my decision, " Whitelock add ed . " I know it's a very difficult decision, but I stand by it. I feel I was quite correet in it." MPS has announced that it will re tu rn as a con tingency sponsor to the AlMA Prostar drag race series. MPS will pay riders in all classes of AlMA Pro star competition that use its products. including the MPS Air Throttle Stop. Dealers anending the Powers p orts Expo in Ind ianapolis in Fe bru ary may have difficulty finding accomm o dations downtown. Travelcraft, however, has a block of rooms that are now available - within walking dis- we're not going to have riders in condition to finish races. tance to the show. For more information, "I'm not saying that we take the bar-banging and a little bit o f the pushing and shoving out of the game. I'm never go ing to do that, but when a guy blatantly parks in a corner and pushes a guy off of t he racetrack, t hat' s pre tty rough." Whitelock said they used Yamaha's footage of the incident, which was taken adjacent to the Honda camera in the press box, and weren't privy to the footage fro m ESPN2, taken fro m a reverse angle. 'An d also, I t hink if you run t he audio ta pe fro m the podi um and you have the audio tape fro m upst airs, Win d ham essentia lly acknowledges that it was an intentional collision," he said. W hitel o ck also said t hat the line being d raw n o n aggressive rid- call Travelcraf t at 800/24 I- 1223 . Little Known Fact Dep t: When Honda' s Nate Ramsey finished sec ond in t he AMA 12Scc Wes tern Regional Supercross Series at Angel Stadium on January 3, it was t he first time ever that a rider wearing Acerbis gear had been on the podiu m in a supercross event . Ca lifornia S peedway in Fo nta na , Ca lifornia, w ill hos t th e se co nd an nua l Ca liforn ia Speedway SOOO Run/Walk o n Sunday, Fe brua ry B at 7 a. rn. Th e race wi ll highligh t co m petitors o n foot - running or wa lking - t hrough a 5000-meter (3. 1 mile) co urse t hat w ill uti lize par t of the speedway 's oval and infield road course . A kids ' fun run will also be co nducte d along Pit Ro ad . T he event will benefit the California Highway Pat ro l 11-99 Foundation , whic h supports the families of officers killed in the line o f duty or in t imes of need . The entry fee is $20 per person prio r to January 31 and $ 30 after. The kids ' fun run entry is $10 and $ I5 after January 3 I. ing is not clear-cut. "It's such a subjective thing, and it's really hard to say," he said . "Reta liation has always been a probl em , and t hat's the o ne that we're going to work on the mos t. But, o n the other side, a blatant takeout wi ll also be addressed. It depends on how... You see, now we're in a subjective area here. It's hard to say. H ow do you decide whether a move is a racing move, a small bit of blocking, or I'm going to knock this motherf"#$er off his motorcycle? I mean, I'm sorry fo r the language , but I'm just trying to make you understand that there's a place where it goes to that po int, and that's when Honoring BSA Mark Reynolds, 1969·2004 The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum vvill honor BSA with a new exhibit entitled "BS" s Greatest Daytona," according to the AMA. Opening March 12, this installation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the historic Brit ish marque's legendary victories at the 19S4 Daytona 200 - the greatest performance ever for a single brand on the sands of Dayto na Beach. That year, factory BSA motorcycles, piloted by Bob by Hill, Dick Klamfoth, Tommy McDermott, Ken Eggers and AI Gunter achieved a fiveplace sweep, giving BSA recognition and status that it had not previously en joyed in the North American motorcycle sport. The new exh ibit not o nly pays homage to the machines and the men who rode them to victory, but includes artifacts , mem o rabilia, o rigi nal photographs and mo re. "BSI>:s Greates t Daytona " joins the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum's main ex hibit, "Heroes of Harley-Davidso n, pre sented by Progressive Mo torcycle Insurance ." Bot h exh ibits are open through the end of 2004 . " In t he early 19S0s, BSA did not have t he perfo rm - OMS Sports account executive Mark Reynolds died on January 9 after being attacked by a mountain lion in Orange County, Californ ia. Reynold s was 3S years o ld . Reynolds was riding his mountain bike in Whit ing Ranch , a po p- Race day registration opens at 6 a.m . For more infor mation or to register online, go to www.spectrumsports .net or call 909/399-3S5 3. S o boba Trai l Riders has announced that its 2Sth annual trail ride w ill be held on Fe brua ry 22 . A new 20,000 acres have bee n alloca ted fo r t his yea r's ride, incorporating new trails never use d in the pas t 2S years, according to the Soboba Tra il Riders. To pre reg iste r or for more informa tion , ca ll Bo b Graz iano at 90 9/6S4-9 43 6 (Bob Graz iano). ular riding and hiking area near his Foothill Ranch home , w he n he was atta cke d by the lio n whi le apparently working o n his bike's bro ke n chai n. Later the same day, a w oman It's said t hat " Yo u can't fight City Hall." But the fact is, yo u ca n - es pecially with th e help o f the AMA, accord ing to t he AMA. T he AMA is ho st ing a Washingt on , D.C .. was attacked by w hat autho rities be lieve was the sam e I 10-pound mo untain lion t hat killed Reynoids - and that mountain lion was later seminar for motorcyclists who wa nt to learn how t o infl ue nce governmental decisions, whethe r it' s in Cong re ss or at their own local councils. T he seminar, to be shot and killed by she riffs. Th e w oman, Anne Hjelle, remained hospitalized in fair condition on ance image it needed to penetrate the impo rtant - and Monday, January 12. "I can't begin to te ll you th e lucrative - North American market," Mark Mederski o f amount of grief and pain our com- the museum said. "With its success ful assaul t at pany and clients are suffering right now," sa id O MS Spo rts president Fred Bramblett in a release issue d by the management company. "l'rn numb. This is so unreal. Mark was a very loyal, very hard-working employee here at OMS Sports and will be sorely missed by all of Daytona in 1954, BSA established itself as a fast, exciting motorcycle, capturing the attention of America's perf ormance-orien ted enthusiasts." BSA was also the last British brand to win the Daytona 200 when Dick Mann rode a Roc ke t 3 to victory in 1971. Ed Youngblood, curator o f both the "Century of Indian" and " He roe s of Harley-Davidson" exhibits at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, will also serve as curator for " BS" s Grea test Dayto na: ' Prior to its debut at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, portions of "BSI>:s Greatest Daytona" will be shown in Daytona during Bike Week - February 29-March 7. those he came across. Such a tragic, tragic event. " dirt criteria race and second-place podium finishes in the cross country and hill climb events. "Th is isn't just a loss to O MS Spo rts , it's a loss to the mo tocross industry in relationships w ith government-agency om· cia ls and on lob bying elected officials. The friends." Yamaha's Tim Ferry was Reynolds ' most notable client, and a moment of petitive mountain bike racer. Just this past summer he won the Californ ia Race silence was held in his honor at the Phoenix Supercross on January 10. fU'ynolds i urvived by his parents, Do na ana of St. Jose ph, Missouri . ic Stage Race's 3S-39 I Itle - caPturing the political experts. Besides learning about state and fede ral issue s facing motorcyclists today, participants will ge t tips on building general," added Bram ble tt . "O ur heartfelt prayers go out to Mark's fam ily and Reynold s was an avid cyclist and com- Series' Rim N ex pert class 0 held Marc h 6-9 at the Phoen ix Pa rk Hotel , allows part icipants to meet and learn fro m the AM"s Washington staff as well as other .cy cl enews .co m instructors will also prepare participants to meet face-to-face wi th members of their own congressional delegations . But the seminar isn't all work . There will be a welcome reception as well as a luncheon and a banquet over the course of the training. The seminar registration fe e is $7S . The registration dead line is Fe b ruary I I. AMA CYCLE NE WS • JANUARY 2 1,2004 7

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