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/128317
"This is David triumphing over Goliath." Letters to the editor should be sent 1 Voices, Cycle News, PO Box 508A, CastoMeso, 0 CA92628-5084; foxed to 714-751-6685 or emoiled 10 edilor@cydenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reRect the position of CycleNews, Inc. L etters should notexceed 200 words,and all ore subject 10 editing. Anonymous letters will nol be consideredfor publication. All letters should contain the writer's name, addressand daytime phone number... E ditor. The Plight Of Daytona The clear consensus of all the most profound experts (t he racers! ) is that, in its present configuration, Dayton a is far too dangerous to continue as a venue for motorcycle racin g. Even those who believe Daytona must remain as American motorcycle racing 's premier event (Duhamel and Zemke) maintain that any miscue of judgme nt or mechani cal failure on that track's high banks would be catastrophic. The AMA's position (Scott Hollingsworth) would do the Bush administration proud with its noncommittal dancing around the issue. The AMA does not need "two or three months" to "gather information." Mr. Hollingsworth does not need time to "digest all the data." The racers have already given him all the information he needs: Daytona's surface is deteriorating (which doesn't affect cars as it do es motorcycles) , the speeds keep rising, putting huge technological demands on tire development, and the racers, normally some of the most fearless people you could ever meet, are "te rrified" every lap. Daytona should be told what changes are needed, given a reasonable timeline in which to accomplish those changes, and , if not done, dropped like a live grenade. The AMA and Daytona International Speedway are not the stars of the event Mladin, Duhamel, Bostrom, et al. are the stars. If the AMA, Daytona, sponsors and team contracts force their riders to participate in an event for wh ich they have been duly informed is of an unacceptably elevated level of danger, they (t he AMA, etc.) must surely be putting themselves in a position of legal liability. It's too late when something tragic happens, and that's exactly when the AMA and Daytona would begin deflecting the blame in every conceivable direction . By the way, I've often read of the increase of purses over the years . Mladin received approximate ly $16 ,000 for his win this year, while Giacomo Agostini received $14,960 for his Daytona 200 win - 30 years ago! I guess the AMA has been making progress on all fronts . Eric P. Maurer Tucson, AZ The Plight Of Daytona II There's a gathering consensus among Dayton a riders - the shared sense of relief that they were able to walk away afterward . And it's a sentiment that hasn't changed (nor has the track) for 40 years. I encourage those who agree that it's past time to scratch th is event to register their objection with American Honda, 6 ."."..9'"- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - American Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha. Do it now, well before next year's racing budgets and sche dule s are planned . Before somebody dies. Ifthe factory teams opt out, the race is history. Dayton a Beach will carry on as a rite of spring destination, and the racers and fans can go to a safer venue that has something to do with actual road racing Birmingham, Alabama, perhaps . Uphold ing a dubiou s "t radition" in the face of potential carnage is myopic and will only lead to serious liabilitydown the road. Let's do the right thing. Dump Daytona . Tad Rafferty via the Internet appalled by the lack of sportsmanship on behalf of a factory-sponsored , professional rider. The real hero of the 200 was # 12 - privateer Ricky Orlando. Not only did he lowside in the chicane wh ile in 10th place, but he ran back, picked it up and finished sixth! True grit . Did I mention that he's 47 years old - proving once again that old age and treachery beats youth and enthusiasm every time out. Congratulations, Rick; than ks for the history lesson. My son and I were very impressed . Art Delor via the Int e rnet Daytona Money Okay, One More The AMA should hope Mat Mlad in, Jake Zemke and Miguel Duhamel do not read your "Loo king Back" column. In 1974, first place paid $14,960, second place paid $7995, and third paid $4800. This year 's race - in 2004 - paid $ 16,000 to win , with second earning $10 ,500 and third tak ing home $7500. For putting their lives on the line at the world's most dangerous road course, that doesn't seem like enough. The AMA should be embarrassed. Don Pengra via the Internet Before all you Aaron Yates haters start your complaining and being busters (punks ) and not having the guts to call him names to his face, the man had a shot at winning the Daytona 200 . Anthony Fania did not . Aaron 's been close to winning this race before and didn't - because of a lapper being in the wrong place and pushing him wide enough to miss turn one. Aaron is out there to win races and not just "ride around " and collect a paycheck for it! I'm not saying what he did after was right. He 's made mistakes before, but he's human , too. I just don't want to hear from a bunch of people who have never been in the position of being that close to winning one of the biggest races judge him for how he "reacted." He said he was sorry and wrong for doing it. That's enough for me . Allen Matlock Rockford, IL Polar Opposites Mike laRocco and Travis Pastran a are polar opposites of each other. Anybody who doesn't know what I'm talking abo ut hasn't been following thei r respective career paths lately. Brian Phillips via the Internet No More Factories? If the AMA really wanted to make Superbike racing more interesting and competitive, then they need to kill the factory rides like NASCAR did. Isn't that why they went from GP bikes to Superbikes in the first place? To make the field more competitive? Daytona with 37 riders? Just because a select few have $300 k one-of-akind bikes to ride? Fairness only goes as deep as the AMA can stuff their hands into your pockets. Don' t get me wrong, the AMA tries to do good for all, but Bill Boyce (Godspeed, Bill) is really missed and needed . He always got the job done well. Buddy Keller via the Internet The Last Word On Yates I was an observer of the Aaron Yates incident first hand at the Dayto na 200 this year - with my 10-year-old son . He was MARCH 31 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS Let Bubba Celebrate Regarding the letter from Shawn McAtee rega rding Bubba Stew art 's celebrations, say let him celebrate as he sees fit. Do you bash Stewart when he pulls off a Nac-Nac to pay respect to his idol, Jeremy McGrath? As for giving away helmets after he races , why should it matter if it's not his race helmet, as he stated - I wou ld prefer a nonsweaty helmet anyway. Being a racer from Florida, I've watched the Stewart familycome to the races in trucks and vans pulling a small trailer just to compete and pay their dues for many years . And recenty' I had the pleasure to stop at Bubbaland in Haines City and helped Sr. resolve a con cern with a warranty repair on his vehicle. There were no egos at the complex - just some down-to-earth people. Also, the semi tour at Atlanta for my daughter is a memory she won 't ever forget ! Let Jr. be an 18-year-old! Scott Walker Port Charlotte, FL 40th Anniversary Give Pfeifer Credit Cycle News , AMA's US Superbike and the other propaganda machines of Suzuki and Honda were quick to downplay the achievement of Jack Pfeifer finishingfourth in the Daytona 200 . The med ia swags seem to th ink that anyone with a Suzuki GSX-R I 000 and a little "luck" could have finished the Daytona 200. The fact of the matter is this is the culmination of 15 years as a professional road racer for Pfeifer. No one credited Jack with four weeks of 20-hour days preparing his bikes , including doing all the engine work himself. And a well-worn, year-old bike at that - a bike that's been totaled three times at Willow Springs and twice at Pike's Peak, with lesser crashes at Road Atlanta, Sears Point and Laguna Seca. While the nonfinishing million dollar factory riders were snug in their beds , Jack was working under Sears-quartz spotlights powered by his portable generator, unde r the protection of an easy-up, in the 50-degree rain that preceded bike week and hampered testing during CCS races. No one mentioned the quick-change rear-end that was homemade from a 1997 GSX-R750 swingarm and weeks of sleepless nights in the home garage of orthopedic surgeon and mechanical engineer Paul Canale to mill and lathe a quick-change system that put the factory pit stops to shame . How many of the nonfinishing, million do llar factory riders welded their own dry brakes to their quick-fill endurance gas tanks ? And, after the race was ove r, the nonfinishing million dollar factory riders were flying home in first class while Jack and his sister were loading the trailer by themselves for the 40-hour drive back to Las Vegas so sister Lauri could be back to work on Tuesday to start paying down her credit cards she had maxxed out just to get Jack to Daytona. And this is what Henry Ray Abrams calls "a joking matter"? No, this is heart. This is love of the sport. This is David triumphing over Goliath . This is a feature story that Cycle News could never tell. Dr. Ernie Louk Topeka, KS