Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Picotte Crowned J ordan Szoke claimed his first win of the season , but Pascal Picotte wrapped up his second-straight Part s Canada Superbike Championship title in round seve n of the series at Le Circuit Mont -Tremblant on August 22. Riding the Honda Canada/Fas t Company Honda CBRI OOORR, Szoke took the lead on lap eight of the IS-lap race aro und the 2.65mile Mont-Tremblant track and then with stood constant pressure from Steve Crevier, who crashed his DXS Diablo Racing Team Suzuki GSX-RI000 on the final lap, leaving Szoke clear to take the win. Clint McBain finished second on the Coors Li ht Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki GSXg RI000, while polesitter and early race - crown. "We've wrapped up both championships, and that was the goal this weekend ." Kevin Lacombe was fourt h on Sunday aboard the Lacombe Racing/Brooklin Cycle YamahaYZF-RI and is th ird in the standings with 249 points. In Pro 600 Sport Bike, Picotte claimed his fifth win of the year to clinch his second straight title , taking his Yamaha YZF-R6 past Crevier's Suzuki GSX-R600 on lap th ree of 12. Szoke claimed second on his Honda C BR600RR, and Francis Martin was third , riding the Cana dian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Crevier faded to fourth. The top competitors in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship will take part in a nonchampionship Invitational race at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 29 before concluding their season at Shannonville. ---------- """"'----- Continued from page 7 Lopez, the w inne r of the Arroyo Cycle Park MX National. Anyone with info rmation on Lopez can call White at 714/692 3404 , ext . 204. The AMA has announc ed that Bill Am ick , its vice pres ident of events and entertai n- ment since 1997, tendered his resignation on August 19. The resignat ion takes effect August 26. Amick, 53, completed his 30th year of service to the AMA in May Prior to . his trans fer to head up the AMA's Events and Entertainment Department, Amick had serve d as editor of American Motorcyclist magazine and as de partment head in AMA Communications and AMA Pro Racing. In his letter of resignation, wh ich was accepted by AMA Preside nt Robert Rasor, Amick cited a de sire to take time off to recu pe rate leader Picotte survived tire trouble to place third on the Team Yamaha/P icotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R I. Picotte's result gives him 328 points in the Parts Canada Superb ike stand ings, compared to the 266 of second-placed Szoke. With only one ro und remaining, at Park on Shannonville Motors port September S, no one can overtake Picotte , "Overall, it's a great finish," said Picotte, who earlier in the day secured his secondconsecutive HindleExhaustPro 600 Sport Bike from a series of successful cancer-r elated surgeries be fore opening a sm all business. Amick will re main as an AMA delegate to the Motocross Commission of the FIM, wher e he has served for IB years, through the completion of the FIM's 2004 Centenary Congress in October. Amick's future plans include the launch of an indepen dent com pany specializing in communications, media rel ations and event man agement. Yamaha Still Undecided on Superbikes the D aytona question - now that it's been guess, is that speed sells exciteme nt . It is exciting. Is everybody comfortable with the prem ie r class if it ever turned to that be ing slower, than say, a Supe rstock class? Those announced that the 200 will featu re Formula bikes are running pr etty fast right now . You Xtre me equipment . run that risk. There's a hundred ot her th ings going on there with tires and tracks . It's a lot Although Yamaha had a successful first test of their R-I Superb ike in June, they won't decide if they 'll return to the class until sorting out "We wanted to be Supe rbike , we 've always wanted to be in it," Yamaha race manager Kei th McCarty said. "We want to be w here the most exposure and the pinnacle of racing is. I don 't think the re's any question that it's in the Superbike class. But that's not to say there hasn't been great racing in the classes we've been in either." McCarty said he was trying to get the same answe rs as everyone else. "What is the time line for this? Is this the futur e ? I fully unde rsta nd where the AMA or Daytona or w hat the tho ught proce ss is, but I guess what I'm saying is, if this were the thought pro cess, it would have been nice to be a little bit more on the inside of it and to have a timeline that everybody knows this is what's going to happen. I think that's the major crux right now. I don't disagre e that 600 might be a goo d class. The only hurdle, I of questions that you just don't answer with the snap of the fingers." McCarty said changing the Daytona 200 to a Formula Xtreme race had comp licated the picture. They 're likely to rem ain in Supers port and Superstock. If they ente r Superbike, it would be a burden to build a competitive Formula X treme machine for one race. "T hat' s what it comes down to , yo u have "Some of the peop le here at Yamaha look at me like I'm some kindof wacke, ' McCartysaid. Canadian Pascal Picotte was impressed by R-I in a two-day test at California Motor Speedway. The Fre nch Canadian, who just wrapped up the Parts Canada Pro Super bike and Pro 600 Sport Bike Champ ionships on Yamahas, lapp ed withi n two-tent hs of American Honda's Miguel Duhame l's be st times from the April race . "We 've got some good guys here, " McCarty said. "They put together a grea t package. I think in racing, you're always trying to determine you r shortcoming and how you can improve things. And unfort unately, w ithout the factory support, you move at a lot slower pace . T hat 's kind of ou r situation. AU to make that decision," McCarty said. "Do the focus is on MotoGp, and it's a very difficu lt you want to give some thing else up? You're th ing for us just to switch gears and go in one going to spe nd this much money to get direct ion or another without some lead time . .involved in it for on e race . Does that make any sense ?T here's so many questions that we sizeable investment there. It's just a lot of have to answer. It's just a really, rea llydiffi cult task to say what we rea llywant to do ." Yamaha sta rted dow n the path of Superb ike th inking of the 200, now they 're Now we 're re -evaluating all that. We' ve got a things to consider. I feel bad rea lly for everybody that's put in allthe work they have to get it going in one direc tion and to find out that we charted a course for the wro ng island." He nn y Ra y Ab ra m s changing dir ection w ithout much notice . "My time at the AMAhas bee n e xtremely rewa rding and has provided opportunities , experie nces and friendships I never imagined whe n I joined the staff in 1974," Amick said. "The AMAwillalways be a big part of my life, and I will cont inue to be supportive of its work in any way I can." Contingency sponsors have posted $459,100 so far in the 2004 A MA Su permoto Cha m pions hip in the form of event contingencies and championship bonuses , according to AMA Pro Racing. KTM leads the way in contingency money available, offering a total of $ 14,900 per event in the Supermoto class and an equal am ount in Super moto Unlimited. KTM offers over $200,000 to its AMASupe rmoto ride rs w hen championship bonuses are Included . Yamaha and Honda are the ot her O EMs lend ing major support to se ries riders. Maxxis Tires leads the way for nonmanu factu re r spons ors of the cham pionship , posting nearly $3000 per race in both classes . Other continge ncy and champi onsh ip bon us spon sors for this year's AMA Supermot o Champio nship include Dunlop Tires, Shoei Helmets and Troy Lee D esigns. "C o ntingency sponsor s are very Carmichael In for World Rounds According to Clear Channel Enterta inme nt's Motor Sports division, three-ti me T HQ AMA 5uperc ross Cham pion Ricky Carmichael will wit h his e ye on his first THQ World Supercross GP Champ ionship. "THQ World Supercross GP gives us a race in th e two international rou nds of T H Q chance t o showcas e ou r talent on an inte rna- World Supe rcro ss GP that kicks of at the SkyDome in Toro nto on Dece mber 4 and concludes at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on May 7. Car michae l was sche duled to race in the THQ World Super cr oss GP last season, but a knee injury side lined t he 10-t ime AMA Nat ion al Champion. T his sea son , C arm ichael re turns to supercr oss racin g tional level," Car michae l said in a Clear C hannel release . " I am exci ted to comp ete for my fi rst THQ World Supercr oss GP title against a field of very talented riders. The two races in Toron to and Vancouve r gives me a chance to help expose the great sport of supercro ss to the inte rna tional ma r ke tplace." "W e are very pleased to start announcing the ride rs w ho are committing to ride the international ro unds of THQ Wo rld Supe rcross Gp," said Charlie Mancuso, preside nt of Clear Channel Entertainme nt- Moto r Spo rts . "Show casing superc ross on an inte r- national level is a huge marketing op portunity. Ricky [Carm ichae l] is the first of many annou ncemen ts tha t are soon to follow. W e important in a new cham pionship like Superm oto," said Chris Bradley, AMA Supermoto Series manager, "We're pleased to have such great support from these companies, and this money is going to be a major he lp to the riders particip ating in the ser ies." C ont inge ncy postings are up nearly cross track in Toronto. " $100,000 from the inaugural season of AMA Supe rmoto. For more information, contact AMA Pro Racing. The two internati onal races coupled w ith IS of the do mestic races (excluding the nonC lear C hanne l-pro mote d Daytona Supe rcross) comprise the 17-rou nd THQ World Supe rcross GP. AMA Pro Racinghas anno unced that Parts Unlimited will become title sponsor of UrbanCro ss sections at the AMASuperContinued on page 13 look forward to see ing Ricky back on a supe r- www.cyclenews.com CYCLE NEWS • SEPTEMBER 1,2004 9

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