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
Strank, Watson Win In Norton Shores Hillclimb I Briefly... ! Continued from page 9 designed by Brian Pecore (the designer of last year's series finale at the International Motorcycle Show event that took place in San Mateo , California) and will use the 3/8mile banked asphalt oval as well as the adjacent motocrosstrack. For more information, alte r "Tige r" Stran k and David Watson came out of Norton Shor es , Michigan, with victorie s in the S40cc and 800 cc classes , respect ively, in the AMA Hillclimb Ch ampio nship ro und on August I. Strank and his Y amaha to pped the Tr iumph of Ch ad Disb ennet in th e Muskegon Moto rcycle C lub-hosted eve nt, w ith Joh n Ham ilto n Jr. riding his Triumph to third place . Stran k climbed the hill in a be st of 4 .320S seco nds in his final atte mpt . Disbe nnet also saved his best for last, get ting to the to p in 4.4 13 in his th ird and final att empt . In the 800c c class, Wats o n rod e his W Honda to victory over the Yamahamo unte d Stra nk, with Disbenn et finishing t hird to com plete his successful weekend o n his Triumphs . Watson's best was a 3.9 I4-second ru n. After six ro unds, Stran k leads th e S40cc championship by a single po int over Watso n, 69-68 , after winning for a third time on the year. In the 800c c class, Watson has a four-point lead ove r Strank, 70-66 . Disbe nnet is th ird with S7 points . The win in Michigan was Watson's thir d of the season in the class. The next round is slated for August IS in Dansville, Ne w York. call CyciePro of Santa Rosa at 707/S27-B888 or visitwww.motorcyclepro.com or www.superrnotcusa.com. Team Valvo line EMGO Suzuki's C hris Peris w illmiss upcoming rounds of the Ca nadian Superbike Series and an August 10- 12 Michelin tire test at Virginia Internatio nal Racewaydue to injuries sustained in a crash during prac tice at Mid-Ohio. Peris, 18, is from Calgary, Alberta , Canada. Accor ding to his father, Fernando Peris, Chris Peris "has a third -degree tear of a ligament - just about disconnected - in his left ankle and a swolle n thumb. The cras h he had was worse than he thought. Hard to believe he was even able to ride. Basically, he has one good ligament on his ankle." Peris, who rode to a career-best eighth in the AMASupersport final at MidOhio after the crash , will be out of act ion for at least three weeks, according to the team. Gilles -Villeneuve on August 27-29. The race, which will not count for points toward the 2004 series championship, will be held in conjunction with the Molson Indy Montreal Cha mp Car World Series eve nt. The 12-lap race arou nd the famous 2.709-mile road course will take place on the Sunday morning of the race weekend as the last event before the Champ Car feature . In a first for Canadian motorcycle racing, it will be televised liveon Quebec's Reseau des Sports (RDS). The idea of adding Superbikes to the Champ Car schedule was conceived by Alan Labrosse, president of the Molson Indy Montreal and a former Canadian racing star on both two wheels and four. Motorcycle races ran at the track in 1981, '82 and '87. In 1981 and '82 the races were supporteventsto the Canadian Grand Prix Formula I World Championship car race . The 1987 event counted toward the Canadian National Superbike Champions hip and was won by Michel Mercier on a Suzuki. "It's a natural," said Labrosse, who competed in the motorcycle races at the circuit in 1981 and '8 2, and in a car support race in '87. "It is an opportunity for the series to take part in one of the biggest Canadian moto rsport eventsand in one of the motorcycle indus- try 's biggest markets. Peop le who own The television announcing team for the 2004 AMA Supermoto Championship has been announced, according to AMA Pro Racing. The team will include Robbie Floyd for play-by-play coverage, Jerry Be r nardo will do color commentary, and both will be joined by newcomer Erin Bates, who will provide feature and pit reporting. The championship will once again be telecast on Outdoor LifeNetwork (O LN). "We're excited about the personalities we've brought together for the AMASupermoto broadcasts th is year," said Brian Williams, vice president of series production for O LN. ':A three have ll great enthusiasm for motorcycle racing and are excited about being part of the up-andcoming sport of supermoto." This will be the second season of AMASupermoto and the second year that OLN has provided television coverage. The 2004 AMASupermoto Championship kicks off in Copper Mountain, Colorado on August 28-29. Races will be telecast nationally on OLN during prime time Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern starting on September 29 and air through the Las Vegas finale in November. The Chase Livingsto n Memo rial Classic motocross will be held on Saturday, September II at Chase 's FasTrac Motocross Park in Cairo, Georgia . The event will feature a three-moto format with all motos comb ined to determine the overall winner. There will be a guaranteed $1000 Pro payout , holeshot awards and prize drawings throughout the day. This event will also be part ofthe 2004 Fall Riders Shootout Series. For more infor- matian, visitwww.fastracmx.com. Livingston, a top-level motocrosser who earned the nickname "The Good Samaritan" from parents and other racers, died on April 17, and the FasTrac Motocross Park has been renamed Chase 's FasTrac Motocross Park in his honor. His number 96 was also officia llyretired on June 5 at the inaugural race at the newly renamed facility. An invitational event for competitors in the Parts Canada 5uperbike Championship has been annou nced for Montreal's Circu it www.cyclenews.com motorcycles are lookingfor destinations. Now they don't have to go to Daytona or Loudon. We will have our own 'Festival of Motorsports' right here in Montreal. We want to give people a total motorsport experi ence." The event will be open to the top 25 riders in the 2004 Parts Canada Superbike Championship point stand ings following the most recent event at Mosport International Raceway on July 18. Selected "promoter 's option" riders may also be included to complete the grid. Allstandard series rules will be in effect. A purse of $12,000 has been provided by Parts Canada for the race . KTMAmateur motocrosser Zach Osborne was recently invited to compete in the FIM Junior World Championships held in Riga, Latvia, and he came away w ith a sweep of the event to earn the title. The 14-year-old was only one of two invited American riders to contest the inaugural event, which was held July 17-18. Team manager and KTM Vice President 5elvaraj Narayana said: "The U.S. has such a vast history in motocross, and with Zach's overall win, we were able to show the world that we are still the leaders in the sport. Our champion has such fierce determination, it was amazingto watch him first try to adapt to the European environment In two days, communicatingto other internatio nal riders, and exchanging pleasantries, only to become friends by the end." "It was fun being overseas, and a little different from what I was expecting," Osborne said. "All the riders were great, and it seemed like everyone was rea llyexcited to be there, and it was pretty easy to talk with them." Three-time AMASidecar Championship passenger Ja ck Hart, 6 1, was killed in a car crash on July 28. Hart teamed up with driver Bruce Lind to win the AMA National Sidecar Championships in 198 1, 198 3 and 1985. The pair also finished second in 1982 and 1984. They also teamed together to win the 19851986 New Zea land Sidecar Championship. Services are yet to be dete rmined. CYCLE NEWS • AUGUST 11, 2004 13