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/128316
Watts Tops OMA Opener V TM's Shane Watts won the opening ro und of the I'new ly formed Part s Unlimite d Off-Road Motorcy cle and ATV Nationals (O MA) in Decatur, Arkansas , on March 14. The Austra lian managed to hold off Team Gree n Kawasaki's Cole Calkins and II: W Z " ~~ constant pressure from Joine r, Calkins and Jarrett kept me on the gas," Watts said. ''At times we were just railing. It really got interesting once we started running into lappers . It could have easily gone eithe r way. "I' m so glad to see that this ser ies is now standing "I'm so glad to see that this series is now standing on its own. All of the events are just -Valenti no Rossi awesome. " Yamaha-mounted Jimmy Jarrett to take his first win since last year. The trio finished the PJI Wildcat 100 w ithin four seconds of one another following the tw ohour-plus race . After getting off to a fifth-place start, Watts soon esta blished himself as the sole leade r, but he was challenged early on by Y amaha riders Tony Joiner and Natha n Kanney. Joine r and Kanney wo uld finish out the race in fourth and fifth, respectively. Watts came away with $1000 for winning. "Having on its own [last year it was part of the WORCS East series] ," Watt s added . ''All of the events are just awesome . I've got the w hole se ries alre ady on my ca lendar." The next OMA Series race is scheduled for April 242Sth in East Rocheste r, O hio. Steve Berkner Sha ne Watts returned to his winning ways in Arkansas. Pro Circuit Mechanic Killed Orlando, Duhamel, Pegram Move Up Neil According to Don Emde, author of The Daytona 200. The History of Americo 's Premier Motorcycle Race, Ricky O rlando moved up from sevent h to fifth overa ll in career mileage in Daytona 200 races following his sixth-p lace finish in this year's Daytona 200. He now has 2S8S career miles, and if current mileage leader Rick Shaw did not complete any mo re laps in the future and Orlando finishes each event, Orlando would surpass Shaw in 2008. Shaw who attempted but failed to qualify for this year's race, has indicated, however, that he will be back next year to try to increase his total . He has thus far completed 336S miles. Other riders in this year's Daytona 200 who also moved up were Miguel Duhamel, up fro m 23rd place to 18th, and Larry Pegram , up from 22nd to 19th. Marri ott , supercrosser!motocrosser Matt Walker's Pro Circuit/Kawasaki/C hevy Trucks team mechan ic from South Africa, was killed early Saturday mor ning, March 6, in a head-on collision in O ntario, Californ ia. According to California Inland Empire newspaper T he Press -Enterprise, Marriott was driving north on the southbound side of 1 -15 in his 1988 Toyota pickup when he hit 18-year-old Lauren Marie Daciolas, who was driving a 1998 Ford Mustang, on an interchange from the lOWest to the IS South at about 2:30 a.m. Both died instantly. Daciolas' two passengers, Kaycee and jessica Smith, suffered broken bones in the accident and are recovering in a San Be rnardino County hospital. For more information, log onto: don- Raga Takes Title emde .com . Gas Gas ride r Adam Raga clinched the World Indoor Trials Championship with a victory in the penultimate round of the series, held in Granada's Palacio de De po rtes. Raga won the event with his score of 17, four be tter than Montesa-HRC's Marc Freixa. Third place in Granada went to Montesa-HRC' s Takahisa Fujinarni. The trial began with a moment of silence for the lives lost in the terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday, March I I, and the riders wore black armbands in memory of those who lost their lives. Fujinarni beat Dougie Lampkin, also Montesa-HRC Cota 315R-mounted, in the overall standings. Those two willgo to the final round separated by just three points in the battle for second in the championship. The series concludes on March 2 1-22 in Nice, France , and Riesa, Germany. 20 MARCH 24, 200 4 • CYCLE NEWS Ador Matt leBlanc spun some lops at 'nfineon Raceway last week. LeBlanc Rides Infineon Actor Matt LeBlanc,who plays Joey on the hit television show "Friends." visited Infineon Raceway in Sonoma , California, on Tuesday, March 9, as a guest of the Robb Report-Motorcycles and Cycle World. Both publications were at the raceway for photo shoots for upcoming issues. LeBlanc, an avid motorcyclist. rode a Aprilia NERA on the 12-turn, 2.22-mile road course all day, reaching speeds approaching 100 mph . "I've seen this track on tele vision, but I didn't realize it was going to be this calibe r," LeBlanc said. "It's an awesome track for motorcycles." 40th An niversary w > ~ > lD 5 I 0..