Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"I just want to thank God and Mike Goodwin for changing my life." letters to theeditor should be sentto Voices, Cycle News, POBox 5084, Costa Mesa, CA92628-5084; foxed 10 714-751-6685 or emoiled to edttorfscyclenews.com. Published [etters do not necessarily reRect theposition of Cycle News, Inc. Letters should not exceed200 words, and all ere subject to editing. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. All letters should contain the writer's nome, add ressand daytime phone number... Editor. The Taxpayers Pay I've been following all the med ia on the Bill janklow incide nt and have my own op inions on what was proper o r not wit h his sentence and fine, but the one thing that nobody discussed was that the family of Randy Scott would be able to go after janklow civilly. Th is made me believe that janklow wo uld still have to pay for his actions. Well, I just checked the AMA we bsite, and it is reporting that jank low was on duty at the time of the incide nt, so now any civil actio n take n against him will be paid by.... the taxpayers ! The AMA repo rted: ''A fede ral judge rule d Tuesday that forme r Re p. Bill janklow was on duty when he ran a stop sign on a rural road and caused a deadly collision with a motorcyclist - and that means that taxpaye rs wou ld have to pick up the tab for any civil damages in a wro ngful-death lawsuit. "U.S. Magistrate Arthu r Boylan agreed with U.S. Attorney To m Heffelfinge r' s March ruling that janklow was 'acting within the scope of his federa l em ployment' on August 16, 2003, whe n he sped thro ugh a stop sign on a rural road and co llided with motor cyclist Randy Scott ." This is absolutely ridiculous! He's "on duty " when he co mmits a crime (spee ding and running a stop sign), he kills somebody, gets a mild se nte nce, and now taxpayers get to pay his civil pe nalties. I guess that lets us motorcyclists know how important we are to some of the courts. Some things just are n't right - and this is definitely on e of them. Dan Cameron Woodland, CA Pity The Worm Larry Pegram is we e k by week the top finisher on a Yamaha, and noth ing is said. You guys are missing the story. Why is Yamaha not helping the fastest Yamaha in the field? I realize this is not a questio n for you to answe r, but maybe there's a story here . We hear that Chuck Graves is heading up the Y amaha factory effo rt. If so , then someone in japan should open up thei r eyes and see how corporate Yamaha her e in the States is blowing it. Wait until no one is on a Yamaha for the story - come on , guys, you are better than that, or is corporate adve rtising making you balk at writing so mething about this? Pegram finishes in the top lOo n a privateer Yamaha with no factory help, on te levision at one of the biggest races of 6 the year... someone needs to talk about it. Come on , guys, go for it. Give some publicity were it is due. Ed Beckley via the Internet Nat sure there is a story there . Yamaha is (ocusing its effort on the Supersport and Superstoc k Series th is year. When it opts to go Superbike racing, it will do so with an inhouse team and with riders o( its choosing. Not yours ond not mine . We treat Pegram like everyone else who finishes in the top 10. We tolk to them , write about its efforts and move on. I( Yama ha want s to help Pegram , it will. I(it daesn't, it won't. And it won't have anything to do with what we write or don't write ... Editor become famous in th is sport that you wou ld report on the accomplishments of my riding, not an argument with my girlfriend. I hope to read your magazine in the future and see more about drag bike racing. Marcus Wadley via the Int ernet I om glad you like drag racing. I'm sorry you don't like to read bod news. I hope you read Cycle News and see that we don't only cover bad news about Savoie, but instead cover all o( her on-track accomplishments as well. I doubt you could _---"1 ESPN Blues In regard to jim Muglia on his lett er regard ing ESPN's inability to broa dcast spo rts , i.e. : t he motocross Nationals, I think that the World Ser ies of Poke r pro bably to ok pre cede nt. Tell me if I am wrong, but since when has pok e r become a sport? It see ms like they eve n have poker on Fox Sports channels. Someone in the fron t office bett er take note we want our mo to rcycle racing back! John Kerrigan Buena Park, CA Ron Nicoletti Glendale, CA Defending Goodwin I'm currently incarcerated in the O range County jail. I'm he re to tell you that I'm one of the very fortu nate and lucky people to meet Mike Good win. I know that Mike Goo dwin has done a tr eme ndous amoun t for the sport of motocross. Rece ntly, he was take n from O range Co unty jail to now face charges in Los Angeles County for a crime we allt hink he did not commit. But, in Goo dwin's wo rds , he' s one stop close r to freedom . Good win has changed a lot of peo ple's lives in motocross w ith his ideas on stadium racing, and he will never be forgotten. He's also changed a lot of people's lives while incarcerated in O range County jail through the Goodw in Prayer Circle, as we call it. I came to know jesus Christ as my personal savior, just like Good win. I just wa nt to thank God and Mike Goodwin for changing my life. Michael Villani Santa Ana, CA More Roundtable Hey, leave Johnny Tran and Doyle Brumson out o( this... Editor I, I, I I we nt to your we bsite to see what you cover for drag bike racing. I was disappo inted to see that the only thing on the re was Angelle's Savoie's personal pro blems. If I wanted to read that trash , I would read it in line at the supe rmarket in the tablo ids. I was going on to subscribe, but maybe I'm having seco nd thoughts. I have a love for all two-wheel motorsports, especially drag bike racing. I have been racing a bike since I was 14. I am running AMNPro Star Pro Stock bike now. I would like to think that I if were to AUGUST 4,2004 • CYCLE NEWS bike, and he can barely see over the bars. The kid has heart and the work ethic of both Bob Hannah and jeff Stanton - with talent that usurps both. The reader pointed out that jeremy McGrath was a good example of a class act. Bull - McGrath is a flake, and Alessi is a class act . Wait until August when he races his first National, a la Marty Smith, at barely 16. find anything about drag racing in the supermarket tabloids. I hope you subscribe. I hope you are someday (amous . I hope you don't "argue" with your girlfriend... Editor Defending Alessi Last week some reade r thrashed Mike Alessi about being arrogant. Alessi rules, and being the next Bob Hannah, and a kid, he is entitled to sow his oats. The kid comes off 80s and is smoking local Pros and Intermediates on an open 40th Anniversary Afte r the United States Postal Service held my june 9 issue of Cycle News hostage to its system. Ialmost skipped the roundtable interview. Fortunate ly it caught my interest, , and what a read it was . The cand id com men ts re po rted I'm sure wou ld be similar if the riders of the other com petitions had the sam e nerve to spea k up. Risking the w rath of the AMA shows the spirit and inte nsity of these riders and mirrors w hat th e others must be saying but are not . Today's machines in all upper levels of competition exce ed the tracks and facilities built years ago. So please, push the button, and ask the tough que stions until you get a respo nse. Ken Harris Port Hurt on, M I

• Cover