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/128309
"Let 'em shove, let 'em bite, let 'em scratch, let 'em fight!" In Defense Of Mladin I never thought I'd write a letter to any magazine, but I've finally read one ignorant enough that I fe lt I needed to write. Robert Wahl of South Carolina seems to be suffering from a se rious case of selective amnesia or just doesn't see the facts . Mat Mladin, ego or not , is always the first to admit that it can't be done without the proper team and bike. He obviously made the right choice of brand and team. Eve ry manufacturer had t he same chance wit h the new ru les. Reliability of the bike goes the same way_ As for Honda being inconsiste nt wit hout Nicky Superman? Did Mr. Wahl see any 2002 World Superb ike races? I also think that any racer would feel defensive if, every time he wins, the competitors try to blame the bike instead of rising to the occasion and saying, "He was just the better guy today." I like Eric Bostrom and Kurtis Roberts, but I hate when they seem to be on the verge of tears every time they don 't w in. What really tops it off is somebody claiming that titles were eas ily won after tires blow up on a ride r, costing him several races. Also, Mr. Wahl might be interested to know that in 2000, Honda (wh o owns Showa) took Mat's suspension guy away and move d him to , you gues sed it, Honda . Remem be r 1998 when Mat's engine gave out every second race? I th ink the guy has had his fair share of bad luck. Also , to clarify the 600cc Supersport issue : Mat did exactly one race on the 600 in Phoen ix, and that was it. He neve r wanted to be in that class but was asked to give it a shot. With no prac tice , I think you can't blame the guy for being less than enthusiastic abo ut it. As far as Anthony Gobe rt goes, yea h, part of w inning a championship, even o n a supe rio r bike (again see World Superbike) , is be ing consistent. Be sides that, eve n Mat, who doe sn't seem to like Gobert, has ad mitted that the guy has tremendous talent. I think it can be said w ith certainty that a winning effort takes the right rider who is capable of riding hard and building a team around himself w ho can bring the best out in everybocly. Whether you like Mat or not , he has obviously done a great job in doing just that . There is a reason that he is the only one with four AHAchampionships under his belt. In order to win on the level that these guys do , I think one has to have a certain ego . Just look at Kenny Roberts Sr., Max Biaggi, Carl Fogarty, etc. Th ey're all a Iinle off the beaten path in co mparison to us mere mortals. Unfortunately, we will never find out if Mat's as good as "The Doct o r," but befo re spewing ignorant, mindless garbage onto the publ ic, one ought to try to be at least somewhat informed and think for a few minu tes first. Peter Feller Carmel, NY From The MSF Regard ing an item that ran in the January 14 "Briefly" section of Cycle News, I wou ld like to clarify that the safe and responsible use of moto rcycle s is the top priority of t he Moto rcycle Safety Foun dation, its funding me mb e r co mpa nies, and many ot her organizatio ns in the motorcycle indust ry. Since 1973, the Motorcycle Safety Foundatio n has set internatio nally recogn ized standards that promote the safety of motorcyclists with rider educat ion courses , operator licensing te sts, and public information programs. MSF works w ith the federal government, state agencies, the military and others to offer train ing for all skill levels so riders can enjoy a lifetime of safe, responsible motorcycling. MSF-developed RiderCourses are available at nearly 1200 sites in all SO states, including 47 state-legislated programs. There are more than 5500 MSF-certified RiderCoaches nationwide. The M5F provides comprehensive curricula, supporting mate rials, technical assistance, RiderCourse insura nce , Ride rC oach certification and traini ng-site/training-sponsor standards. A nati o nal to ll-free hotline, 800/446-9227, links callers w ith the nearest RiderCourse training site in their area, or they can visit www.msf-usa.org . More than 2.7 million motorcyclists in the United States have learned basic riding skills or boosted their existing skills by participati ng in Moto rcycle Safety Foundation RiderCourse programs. Last year it was annou nced that the Motorcycle Safety Foundat io n and t he Nationa l Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) w ill jointly fund a $1 million landmark multiyear rider education study named the "M5F Rider Education and Training 5ystemSM (RETS) Discovery Project." Clearly, M5F continues to be heavily committed to and invested in improving motorcycle safety for riders nationwide. TIm Buche via t he Internet 8uche is the president of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation... Editor leners 10 theeditor should be sent10 Voices, Cycle News, POBox 5084, CosioMeso, CA92628-5084; foxed 10 714-751-6685 or emoiled 10 editorilcyclenews.com. Published Ieners do not necesso,ilyreflect the posi~on of Cycle News Inc. Lellers should nol exceed200 , words, ond 011 ore subject 10 edinng'.~ymous lellers will not be considered forpublcotion. i All letters should conknn the wnter s nome, addreu anddaytime phone number... Editor. The Movie Critic Keep sending Henny Ray Abrams to more bad bike movies . His movie critic skills are both hilarious and sat irical. Brian Halton San Francisco, CA Helmet Laws What is the deal with the AHA fighting he lmet laws? That is just stupid . Nobocly is fighting sea tbelt laws in cars. I do not ride road bikes. I race mo toc ro ss and always wear a helmet . I don't t hink there is a reason for anyone to risk not wearing a helmet. Tha t should be the minimum , but most obvious safety equipment. When they change the law, it almost da res many to show how to ugh they are by not wearing a helmet . I don 't understa nd w ho th is helps. I can't even believe I had to write this letter, Isn't th is obviously a bad idea? I can't be alone on th is. Michael Parker via the Internet Thanks All Around On July II of 2003, I suffered serious leg and foot injuries on the opening lap of the 60Ccc Supersport Nat ional at Laguna Seca . I have spent a total of 2 1/2 months in Stanford University Hospita l and have undergone four surgeries - the most recent to remove hardware from my leg and to deal with two separate infectio ns. I have started to walk again and have begun physical therapy in hope of increasing the movement of my ankle, allowing me to have a normal stride. I am at home again but have IV lines inserted in my arm to inject antib iotics five times a day. Needless to say, 2003 was not my year. Wh en m y dad and I put together ou r racing program last year, we signed on with tho se spon sors we felt we could be st rep re se nt and who, in turn, could provide us the necessary support. At that time we did not know we had chosen a gro up of individuals who wou ld go "above and beyond" the call of sponsorship. Immed iately afte r my crash, it was quite apparent that my racing was done for the yea r, and the phone began to ring with calls of support and assistance fro m these same spo nsors. I also got calls from friends and ove r 100 e- mails from race fans who saw the incident on Speed Tv. I would like to thank those sponsors and friends who stepped up when things looked bleak and the racing was ove r. Jeff No rman of GPR Stablizers , you are "da man ," - thank you so much ; Sco tt Link of A1 pinestars and www.cyclenEWs.com Bruce Port e r of Arai Helmets ; Te rry Newby and De nnis Smith of Dunlop Tires; Sandro Milesi of Galfe r Brakes ; and Mike Doran of D&W Images. Additionally, I would like to thank Chuck and Co ry Eato n, Tony Meiring, Steve Rapp, Umbrella Girls USA, my crew chief Rich Serne, Wayne Rainey, David Pe rez, PCP Moto rspo rts , Kenny Robe rts Jr., and Rick Briggs of Offbeat Prod uct io ns. And, of course, thanks to my family for their love , suppo rt and cou ntless hours at the hospital. This incident has shown me what a great grou p of peo ple are involved in our sport and how much they care about folks on an individual basis. They are not "just sponsors." I hope to be back on a bike by the e nd of Februa ry and racing soon afterward. I'll be the guy limping aroun d on the starting grid. Come on by and say hello. Again, thank you all. Shoun Summers via the Intern et Aggressive Riding I think I have a solution to the aggressive riding problem in supercross. The problem is, there are too many riders on the track at o ne time. Let's have each rider do five laps all by themselves, and at the end of the season whoever has the lowest overall time will be crowned the champ. It cou ld be called the ':A.MA Sissycross Serie s." I bet Steve Whitelock w ould be all for it. First the AMA comes up with se mipe rmanent numbe rs and flushes the whole "ban ling for the number-one plate " ideal down the toilet, and now this. Maybe I'm oversensitive beca use I have lived in California my whole life where everything seems to be against the law now - but a supercross track is one place we do n't nee d cops! W hat's ne xt - riders suing each other in the Over 40 Novice class? I do n't know w ho Steve Wh itelock is (or if he has ever bee n in a race himself), but I hope someone talks so me se nse into the boy pro nto! Let 'e m shove , let 'e m bite , let 'e m scratch, let 'e m fight! I swear to you the whole thing makes me want to rip out what's left o f my hair. Hopefully, someone will ta lk to Mr. Whitelock and get his feet back on the ground . If you eve r happen to talk to Whitelock, tell him to take a deep breath, relax and remember this: every one of those guys got to the level they are at now by racing aggress ively week in and week out. I am quite sure they can take care of themselves w ithout someone saying "O kay, none of this and none of that." Bil/Bouman San Clemente, CA CYCLE NEWS • FEBRUARY 4,2004 5