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/128336
Ferry Out With Wrist Injury Bubba Stays Green ame s "Bubba" Stewart signed a two-year contract with Kawasaki ast week, ending speculation that that yo ung phenom would go elsewhere for the 200S season. "James has been part of the Kawasa ki family since he began under the Team Green banner," said Bruce Stjernstrom, Kawasaki's director of professional racing. "We agreed quite a wh ile ago that Kawasaki w as the best fit for James go ing forward. " The IB-year-old Stewart is well on his way to winn ing the 2004 AMA 125cc Natio nal Motocross Championship in a year that already saw him capture the AMA THQ 125cc Eastern Region Supercross Series title . The Haines City, Florida, resident signed his first contract with Kawasaki in 1993, when he was J seven years old . According to Stjernstrom, Stewart will race 2S0cc class Supercross Series. " Kawasaki has been like home for me since my earl y days as a Team Green r ider,n business Jame s " Bub ba" Stewart released last week by the FIM. It doesn't include the Daytona round, though the AHA's series schedule does. Here's your World Supercross Championsh ip Schedule: December 4 Sky Dome, Toronto, Ontario, Canada December 11 BC Place Stadium, Vancouver , Brftish Columb Canada ia, January 8 Angel Stadium, Anahe im, Camornia Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix, Arizona J anu ary 22 Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Calitor nia SBC Park, San Francisco, California Angel Siadium, Anahe im, Calllornia February 12 RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana February 19 Qualcomm Siadium, san Diego, Caiifornia Feb ruary 26 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia March 5 Edward Jones Dome, SI. Louis, Missouri March 19 Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida April 2 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas April 9 Silverdome. Ponnac, Michigan (),yest Field, Seattle, Washington April 30 Reliant Astrodome, Houston, Texas May7 6 Kawasaki. tive of the type of positive influence he brings to everyone associated with him, and it also is a solid indicator of what the future holds for him, and Kawasaki," said Stjernstrom. The series, consisting of 17 rounds. was April 23 with over the past several years is Indica- 20051 February 5 here Everyone knows that the 2S0s are the big leagues of our sport, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of winning at the next level." "Th e talent exhibited by James Apparently going to Canada and the U.S. constitutes a World Championship - at least that's the way it works with the 2005 Supercross World Championship calendar. J anuary 29 Stewart said in a Kawasaki release. "Th ey have a bike that I'm really co mfortable w ith and that will be a really big advan tage as I ma ke the step up to the 2SOcc class. I feel like I have some unfinished World Supercross J an uary 15 Team Yamaha factory rider Tim Ferry discovered last week that the wrist he injured at the third round of the THQ/AMA Supe rcross Series in Anaheim has degraded to a point where he is no longer able to compete at the level he is accustomed to , accordi ng to his publicist. "It hurts too much to do a single push up ," Fe rry said. "Iwas out of the cast for only a month before the first round of the AMA Chevrolet U.S. Motocross Championships opened in Sacramento, Califomia [Hangtown],' Ferry added. "I truly believed I could ride through the pain w hile the injury co ntinued to hea l. Howeve r, after the event in Troy [O hio], it was apparent I was putting too much strain on the wrist, and it has not healed properly. Ihave made an error in judgment regarding the injury and healing process , which has now put Yamaha. my other sponsors and myself in a difficult situation. I am very fortunate to have a strong grou p of supporters behind my program, and collectively we have all agreed the best option for us is to take what ever time is needed to allow for a complete reco very of the wrist. We are all op timistic we can be back before the end of the Nationals, but at this point only time willtell." Fe rry is cu rren tly in ninth place in t he overall 2S0 class sta ndings. motorcycles in both the 2005 AHA Chevrolet Motocross Championship and in the stad ium -based AMA THQ Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada MX, Dirt Track Rules Proposed AHA Pro Racing has ann oun ced prop o sed tech nical ru le changes for the 200S AMA Supercross Series/AMA Chevrolet Mo to cro ss Cham pionship and AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship . AMA Pro Racing licensed riders and credentia l holders may comment on proposed rule changes d uring a 30-d ay per iod beginning Saturday, July 31 through Monday, August 30, according to AMA Pro Racing. Commen ts ca n be made o n AMA Pro Racing's Ride rs O nly we bsite at www.ama proracing.com/ridersonly. At the co nclusion of t he 30-day pe riod, AHA Pro Racing will r eview submissions prio r to forward ing the package to the AMA Pro Racing Board of D irectors for ratifica- tion. Prop o sed tec hnical rule cha nges fo r t he 2005 AMA Supercros s Se ries/AMA C hevro let Mo tocro ss Championship are as fo llows: (The proposals involve various technical and competition aspects of Supercr oss and Motocross.) Proposal I: All helmets used by ride rs in on -track activities w ould be required to be equ ipped wi th a co mme rcially-manufactured emergency helmet removal device such as the Hats Off device or the Arai helmet removal device. Pro posal 2: Th is proposal would change the 125 East/West eligibility requ irements to be more consiste nt and fair. I . After a rider has chosen a region, transferring between regions would not be allowed ex cept under the following circumstances : AUGUST 11 , 2004 • CYCLE NE WS sen reg ion may transfer to the ot her region. Pro posed tech nical ru le changes fo r the 2005 AHA Pro gressive Insura nce Flat Track Ch ampionship are as follows: Pro posal I: All helme ts used by riders in on-track activities wo uld be required to be equipped w ith a co mme rci ally-manufac- T he rider must then remain in the new region. Riders are not permitted to ride in such as t he Hats O ff dev ice o r the Arai hel- practice and then not att empt to qualify fo r met removal device. the program at several events in order to Proposal 2: All riders would be req uired to wear a commercially-ma nufactured back brace in all on-track activities. Th is is the same regulation that currently exists in AM A Superbike series racing. • A rider wh o is injured and has not qualified for an evening program in his/her cho- avoid re strictions on changing reg ion s. • Riders competing in one region may ride in the other region, but only in the 250 Supercross class. tured eme rgency helmet removal device 2. Riders who have wo n a cham pionship Prop o sal 3: The res trictio ns regar ding the in their region may defend their title or attemp t to win the othe r region. Riders may do this one time only. Ho w ever, riders w ho are injured during a title defense and are unsuccessful in re taining their title may size of mo torcycles permi tted for use on the re que st a re view by t he Adviso ry Co mm ittee for co ntinued eligibility in 125 Supercro ss. The Series Manage r w ill co nsider the recom mendation from the Advisory Co mmittee and make a final decision on various lengths of trac ks wo uld be removed. Th e race manager w ould have the discret ion to determ ine the appropriate motorcycle size fo r each track con figuration. This w o uld create opportun ities for potential promoter s at many qu ality 3/B-mile tra cks aro und the country. Some of these promoter s have ex pressed an interest in producing an AM A Pro Racing eve nt if a "big bike " even t was an continued eligibility. 12S Supe rcross champi o ns pr ior to 2004 will not be cons idered and will re main eligible until such time that they beco me ineligible by the ir own res ults. 3. Riders who have earned an AHA 250 Nation al C hampio nship, an AMA 2S0 Supercross C hampio nship or a 250 Worl d C hampio nship would no t be eligible to ride in the 12S East/Wes t program. 4, Rid ers ea rning 100 o r more 125 Supercross regional cham pionship points in option. three consecutive seasons would become step in this important process is to open up ineligible for 125 Supe rcross. Riders who have lost their 12S Supe rcross eligibility but the proposed rules to our 30-d ay comment period. We expect to receive addit ional insight that will be considered before final rules are sent to the AMA Pro Racing Board o f Directo rs fo r approval. " failed to earn a Supercross or M otocross nat ional number (to p 100) for two consecutive seasons could regain their eligibility. 40th A nniversary Scott Hollingsworth, AHA Pro Racing CEO , said that these pro posed rules have been developed as a direct result of input made by the advisory boards o f each racing series. "W ith the valuable contributio ns made in part by our advisory board membe rs, we have produced refinements and improvemen ts to the technical rules for each of our disciplines," said Ho llingsw o rt h. "Th e ne xt