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/128337
Guthrie Goes 25 1.148 mph Carlsbad Raceway, 1964·2004 According to a release issued by Scott Guthrie, the Tallahassee, Florida, rider rode a Yancy Racing stree tlegal, turbochraged Suzuki Hayabusa, tuned by Rich Yancy, to a track record at the Texas Mile with a standing-start mile exit speed of 25 I,148 mph. Guthrie broke the track record three times in road racer as oppose d to a full st ream liner (according to Gu thrie), Th e 251 mph was Guthrie's personal best on motorcycles. "I'll be 60 yea rs old in Novem ber," said Guth rie in his re lease. "Maybe I should let this be my four funs at the so ut hw est Texas airfield, includi ng Guthrie has been land speed racing - and setting wo rld records - since 1973. Yancy rode the bike before Guthrie, with a 237 mph "off the trailer" run to break the old track mark of 2 10 mph, also held by a Suzuki Hayabusa, Ya ncy's second run of 244 runs of 247 mph, 241 mph, 248 mph and 251. 148 mph, The 251, 148 mph run is the fastest speed record fo r a streetbike anywhere in the world and is also the fastest record of any ope n-wheel bike (land-speed racing talk for a bike that looks like a career best ." mph was a pe rso nal best. and another track record . O ne of the most historic mo tocross ra cetracks in America , Carlsbad Raceway in Carlsbad, Calif ornia, officially passe d into history on August 8. O perations at the venerable facility , home of the United States 500cc Grand Prix of Motoc ross from 1973 to f986 , have ceased. Th e ISO-acre site, wh ich first opened as a dragstrip in 1964 and hosted its first mo tocross under the direc- tion of C MC's Stu Peters in 1969, had ope rated under the constant threat of land devel opment for over 10 years . But a recen t pending sale of the race- Smets on the Mend Team Suzuki's joe l Smets has finished his course of antibiotics and will return to the hospita l in Leuven, Belgium, in the next two weeks for furt her tests to see if his bacterial blood infection has comp letely cleared , accor ding to his team. If it has, the forme r five-time World Champion will go ahead with surgery o n his torn anterio r crucia te ligam ent . Since spectating at the Grand Prix of Belgium at Nee roet eren in june, Smets has been taking some quiet time with his family but being back in the pad, dock at last weekend's Czech GP at Loket was not the easiest place to be. "I have had some time relaxing after a difficult period," Smet said. "I was mentallyprepared to end the season, and I still felt fine about coming back to the race in Belgium because I was weak and had little strength. Now though, being her e this wee kend, it is hard for me. 1feel that I can ride a bike again, and while I would be not even close to the speed required, I have an itch to race. I am close to the point of being able to ful lytrain again, and getting the okay from the doct or is the next goal." The th ree-week break for the ride rs was also the beginning of a holiday period for Smet s, who venture d into France w ith his wi fe and son. "The most exciting part of the holiday period has been the fact that I could go to bed without thinking abo ut appointments or places I had to be 12 the next day," Smets said. "It has been so long since life was like that. We spent two weeks in France and visited an adventure park with rock climbing and ot her small activities, which was fun. I also watched som e of the Tour de France. O ne of the stages involves a mountain climb that all ama- teu r cyclists wa nt to achieve, and I was happy to be able to make it to the top a few days ago. Iwent very slowly, but it was satisfying that I didn't put my foot down at any stage." Prep aring himself for the next hurdle of knee surgery is not as daunting as many may think for way property and concurrent sale and development of the acreage to the immedia te south of the dragstrip crea ted a condition in wh ich both the U.S. GP trac k and the dragstrip had to be razed in or der for the land developers to install th e pro per sewage and drainage lines as well as an extension of existing city street s. the veteran . "Th ese types of injury are quite commo n in motocross, so I am aware of the recovery process and what I need to do ," Smets said. "I want to get to the point so I can begin to regain my condition to be like my oid self. It will take more months and maybe until the end of the year, but even at the start of the seaso n I knew this period would come ." Although early into his rehabilitation after the knee surgery, the re is still a very good chance that Smets will be able to playa role for the Belgian team at the Motocross des N ations on October 3. "I've hea rd that joel [Robert] will not be running the team, but ther e has been an offer for me to come along and help." Smets said. "I am interested, but it de pend s on the state of my mob ility in early O ctober, and I want to be an active part, not stuck at the back of the box getti ng in the way." AUGUST 18, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS 40th Anniversary According to the raceway operate rs, Car lsbad Raceway's Texas-based landlord issued a cease and desist order to them after recent publicity campaigns th rough the local media by track supporters bent on keeping the facility open while the sale of the property is still pending (see Briefly), An impro mptu far ewe ll barbecue was held on Sunday, attended by several key figures in Carlsbad Raceway's history, including former U,S. GP promoter and Superbiker s inventor Gavin Trippe ; Marty Moates, the first American ever to win a 500cc U.S. GP on home soil; and the Grismer family, who founded the facility in 1964 and owned it unt il 19B8. Moates rode the official farewell lap of the GP track and then re moved the num ber two starting gate, the gate from which he scored his histo ric 1980 U.S. GP win, to kee p as a souvenir. Scott Rousseau