Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Kurtis Roberts Forced Out Of Opener we're just not ready. We're testing; Kenny Roberts and his Proton team manager Chuck Aks land dan't have much to be happy about thus far in 2004. P ro to n KR's Kurtis Ro be rts made on ly nine laps be fo re pulling ou t 01 his MotoGP debut in South Africa with lingering right shou lder injuries. "I was con cerned about my shoulder before I came here , and it' s definitely not right at the moment," Ro be rts said befo re leaving the track to re turn home to Turlock, w e' re bum py, and he just feels like it's going to pop out right there," Kenny Roberts said. "So if it does, that it wou ld just put it back another three months. " "We don 't have the tires yet ; we don't have the bike yet. Go home," Roberts to ld his son , be fore jokingly adding, "I shou ld be the re in about an hour. We 're down to two not racing. W e're just behind. We're two months be hind." Kurtis will resum e therapy on his re turn to Califo rnia with an eye toward be ing healthy for the next Gp, at Jerez in two weeks time . "It's either stop racing this year and have surgery, wh ich means no racing th is year, or try to build it up, try to build it up and yo u may be able to be 80 to 90 perce nt this season and that's wh at we 're dealing with, " Kenny Roberts said. Th e dec ision on Jerez would come two days before he'd have to leave, Roberts added. "He knows now what strength he needs at that position 01 riding, so now he has some idea. Th e only co rner he had tro uble with was turn one, beca use it was bumpy. and his shou lder was just in a ce rtain way. We didn't know that unt il today," Because Kurtis is out with an injury. Kenny Roberts doesn't have to replace him on the grid immediately, a good thing since the team won 't be ready for Jerez. "I would say it's going to be about Assen [June 26] befo re we're hitt ing o n all cylin- "That's the first time he's rode it for more than half a lap without a barbecue." - Kenny Roberts California. "Espec ially after turn one where you have to lean off the wrong side setting up for the nex t turn over some bumps and the handlebars are moving arou nd. It puts my sho ulder at a weird angle w here it feels it might pop out again, the same angle where it popped ou t before , That would be the worst th ing to happen right now. I'll go home and continue with physiotherapy and come back; it is all right." Team owner Kenny Roberts knew that there was a low-percentage chance that Kurtis wou ld be able to ride and d idn't want his so n to exacerbate his injury. "Co ming out 01 turn one, it' s rea lly e ngines. We lose two more, I go home," Kurtis first injured the sho ulder trail-rid ing at Sco tt Russe ll's spread outside of Atlanta , Georgia, but d idn't th ink it was se rio us. It was exacerbated by a cras h during a tes t in Valencia, Spain. in March . That crash forced him to miss the two official IRTA tests in Bar celo na and Jerez, Spain. The first day 01 practice in Welko m was the first time he'd been back on the Proton KR V-fIVe, th ough it was in an equal state 01 readiness to Kurtis. "We're not ready yet ," Kenny Roberts said. "I don't think that we wou ld have got to the race anyway had he been hea lthy. But Pe t e rse n To Return? Lon gt ime road race fans w ill reme mber Robb ie Pet e rsen as the cheerful and last Zimba bwean who raced with Rich O liver o n Kenny Roberts' Marlboro Yamaha Formula USA team in the early 1990s. He also competed in the 250cc Grand Prix class, finishing sixth in 1992, the yea r Colin Edwa rds won the title and Kenny Roberts Jr. was fourt h. 11 things work out, Petersen may be retu rning to the United States nex t year. Petersen now runs First Technology Honda, Ho nda's factory Superbike team in the Sout h AIrican Superbike Championship. He has a promising young South African rider, 19-yea r-old Sheridan Mo rais, who m he'd like to bring to the USA or Europ e . Petersen was at the South AIrican GP alo ng with his brother, Dave, a former 500cc racer and cur re nt television commentator. Robbie Petersen left his native Zimbabwe in January lor Johann esburg, South Africa, his lamily just now joining him. Petersen's own U.S. career ended with a horrific crash on a Commonwealth/Two Brothers Ho nda in the 24 Hours 01 Willow in 1992. Seeing his daughter at his hosp ital bed side conv inced him it was time his racing career ended. Soon after, Roberts offered ders," Kenny Roberts said. "His bike wasn't far off. He was very happy with his bike. That's the first time he's rode it for more than hall a lap without a barbe cue ." Kurtis crashed early in the Valencia test, the new Proton KR being engulfed by names. "He was like, 'Wow, so much comer speed , so much nicer,' I said, 'Right, that's the new bike,' So he was happy with his bike, wh ich is different that Nobu 's IAoki] a little bit. We 'll probably put his in the lineup. We nee d six to get through the wee kend. We o nly have tw o left.' H en n y Ray Ab r a m s him a jo b working on his dirt track schoo l outside 01 Barcelona, Spain. Eventually he mo ved back to Zimb abwe, and five years on fro m his crash, he was back at it and as compet itive as always. Pet ersen bro ke the 600cc lap record at the Kyalami circuit a week alter th e World Supersport Championship event, but that second career end ed w ith ano ther horrible cr ash , this tim e training on a mo toc ross track wh en another rider landed o n his left shou lder. For a time he tho ught the arm woul d need to be amputa ted. But nea rly th ree years on , it's approach ing full strength. Th e po litical climate in Zimbabwe forced th e move to Jobu rg, and now South Africa is in dange r 01 spiraling into de spair, w hich is prompting thoughts 01 Petersen returning to the United States . www.cyclenews.com Erion Racing released the lo llow ing info rmation on Tuesday, April 13, regarding the status of An thony Gobe rt, who was recen tly arrested on suspicion of driving w hile intoxicated . When pre ssed fo r further detail, Erion Raci ng team owner Kevin Erion stated, "The press release speaks for itself," The release is as lollows : "Erio n Racing announced today that it is releasing rider Anthony Gobert from the Erion team effective immediately. Gobert was hired by the Honda-supported Erion Racing team to compete in the new AMA Superstock class in 2004 . 'T here is a level 01 commitment and ded ication that is req uired to be a rider on our team: said team owner Kevin Erion. 'Unfo rt unate ly, Anthony was unwilling to demonstrate the level of commitment and ded icatio n required to get the job done. We wish Anthony well. He has displayed great talent over the years,' No further comment is available at this time ." No Limit Motorsports Suzuki rider Jimmy Moore had surgery on Monday, April 5, to repair the arm he previously broke in a fall last June in Brainerd International Raceway. Moore re injured the arm in a near-crash at round two 01 the AMA Chevrolet Supe rbike Championship at California Speedway on Apr il 2. Moore had a near highside on his GSX-R I000 in a Friday morning practice session , impacting his left arm on the top tr iple damp and forcing him to sit out the rest of the race weekend . The lo llow ing Monday, he flew to San Jose, California, to see Dr. Arthur Ting for consultation and subsequent surgery. Ting spent over two ho urs repairing the arm , attaching a larger, highe r-stre ngt h compression plate than was previously used . Moore returned to his home in Eugene , Oregon, at the end 01 the week, and will return to Ting's clinic on a regular basis. Moore will begin rehabilitation on the arm soo n and should return to action for the Brainerd round, June 25-27 . The Powersports Group [a subsid iary 01 Advanstar Communications], a producer 01 trade and consumer shows worldwide for the motorcycle, big tw in and ATV markets, has announced that the group has hired on 35-year powersports industry veteran Mike Kidd as business development director. Kidd, most recently a vice president in the motorsports division 01 Clear Channel Communications, will now be focuse d on finding an d pursuing key growth opportunities lor the Powersports Gro up. "Mike Kidd embodies the lorward-thinking att itude the Powersports Group is known for," says vice president Mike Webster. "O ur visio n as a gro up doesn't just apply to making our present products the best they can be . It extends to our idea of where the industry is headed and how our group can best serve the industry'S needs. Mike will be a valuab le asset to the group as we work to bring th is vision for the future to fruition." Kidd comes to the Powersports Group after seven years serving as a vice president in the motorsports division at Clear Channel Communications . Kidd is perhaps best known for launching Arenacross racing in the U.S. in 1984. Kidd is also a fo rm er AMA Continued on pose 9 CYCLE NEWS • APRil 28, 2004 7

• Cover