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/128319
D ealing with pain is noth ing new to team KTM/Red BulVThor's Grant Langston. But the "Zulu Warrior" finally got to the point with his sore wrist (throttle hand) that surgery was required this past week. "Grant's been struggling with carpal tunnel all year long ," KTMteam manager Larry Broo ks said. "We began outdoor training a couple weeks ago, and the problem magnified. His hand would be numb after five laps." Broo ks said that the surgery was planned for after Pontiac, however, the inflammation got so bad that Langston decided to have it done last week, prior to Pontiac. Broo ks said that Langston might be back for the Dallas Supercross on April 17. The opening ceremonies belonged to Suzuki priva teer Tyler Evans . Blasting out from the main stage underneath a shower of fireworks , Evans pinned it across the darkened main floo r; hit a small kicker between two Tuff Blocks and sailed completely over the handlebars and into the A-frame banner uprights . The crash certainly caught the large crowd's attention. Evans got up and took a bow. "First time I've ever been on my feet during the opening ceremonies," said spectator Travis Pastrana. " It was pretty stup id," Evans said. "There was a bit of miscommuni cation [between the promoters and Evans). One dude said, 'Go straight .' Another one said, 'Go down the straightaway.' So I too k off and hit this berm that wasn't there during practice, threw a huge flying-Wand ended up crashing into the banne r towers. I think everybody was shocked when I got up. I'm really bru ised up, but I guess I pretty much took the opening ceremonies award." Team Yamaha's David Vuillemin came out next - carefully riding over the berm that sent Evans flying- and executed a Knievel seat stand wheel ie down the main straight, finishing it off with a textbook stoppie. "T here's some worn-down crayons out there," said Team Suzuki's Nick Wey of the inaugural Nick Wey/MSRlRacer X co lo ring contest that came to a close at the SiIverdome on Saturday. With something like 800 entries, Wey was take n aback by the amou nt of effort kids put forth in coloring the image of him jump ing his RM2S0. ''I'm kind of in awe that that many people would color a picture of me," Wey said. "I was bummed I didn't have something to give back to all of them. " The Pontiac Amateur Day brought out another large turnout of riders . Nearly 1000 amateur motocrossers fro m all over the Midwest showed up on Sunday to race on the same track that the stars competed on the night before . The jumps, however, were mellowed out. The amate ur event has always been a big part of the near- 30-year running of the Pontiac Supercross at the Silverdome.