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/128351
Melandri To Honda ne more piece of the 200S MotoGP puzzle fell into place on Wed ne sday, November 10, when Italian Marco Melandri inked a con trac t to ride a Telef6nica MoviStar Ho nda RC21 IV alongside Spaniard Set e Gibemau. Melandri signed his deal with team O owner Fausto G resini. The 22 -year- old former 2S0cc World Champion will take over the te am's spot left vacate d by Colin Edwards when the Texan signed to ride a factory Yamaha alongside Valentino Rossi for 2005 . "I'm very satisfied and proud to announce that Mar co M elandri will ride for us next season," Gresini said in a team release. "We tried to do something together since M arco moved on fro m the 2S0cc class, but we never succeeded . Now we have finally reached an agreement, thanks to the sup port of Telef6nica MoviStar and H onda. I'm sure that we can offer Mar co the right atmosphere to work and that he will give us many sat isfactions. Being an Italian team , we are very happy to have an Italian rider. The last time it happe ned was in the 1999 with Lo ris Capiro ssi. Today starts a new adventure and we are ready for it." Melandri, w ho rode a factory Yamaha to 12th in the 2004 MotoGP World Champ ionship, is also pleased to be w ith the Misano Adr iatico -based team. ''I'm enthusiastic to becom e part of this team," Me landri said. "It's more than a tea m for me - it is a family. We have worked hard to reach this agreement , and now that we made it, I'm much mo re serene. I'm motivate d and ready for this new challenge. I look forward to it and wo uld like to start as soon as possible." Melandri will ride the Honda for the first time in a test sched uled for Jer ez in Spain, Novem be r 24-26 . Savoie's Race, Hines' Title U.S. Army Suzuki's Angelle Savoie came up just short in her quest to win the 2004 NHRA Powe rade Pro Stock Bike title, but that doesn't mean she left the season-ending event at Pomona Raceway in Pomona, California, on November 14 disappointed . Savoie wo n for the fourth time this season and the 35th time in her career whe n she defeated her team mate Antro n Brown in the final round . Savoie made the quickest run of eliminations in the final w ith a 7.036-second elap sed time , whi ch was well ahead of Brown's 7.14 1. "For a little while, I tho ught he was actually ahead of me, but obviouslythat was not the case:' Savoie said. "I race so we ll against Antron. He brings out the best in me, and I need to figure out how to run every race like that one ." Savoie, a three-time N HRA Pro Stock Bike Champion, won three of the last seven races and scored two additional runner-up finishes during the season, but it wasn't enough to overtake Screamin' Eagle HarleyDavidson's Andrew Hines, who wo n the first NHRA C hampionship for a V-Twin by just 38 points - or the equivalent of two ro unds of NHRA com pet ition . Coming into the final event in Pomo na, Hines nee ded only to qua lify for the 16-bike fie ld to clinch the title. Hines did qualify in the 14th position , but lost in the ope ning roun d for just the third time 10 NOVEMBER 24, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS this season. Hi nes was also involved in a scary incident in qualifying when he broke a chain at halftrack. The chain broke the wheelie bars, dented the frame and dest royed the team's fiberglass V-Rod body. Hines was also bruised when it struck him in the ankle, hip and thigh. "This was a horrible race for us, but we got the champio nship locked up, and that was the most important thing," said Hines, w ho at 2 1 is NH RA:s youngest-ever professional champion , eclipsing the record held by his older bro ther, Matt , who won the first of his three titles in 1997 at the age of 25. ''A lot of thingswen t wrong for us, but in the end, my team Scream in' Eagle team pulled together and we did what we needed to do ," Tho ugh he lost to Savoie in the final round for the third time in 2004, Brown, who fin- 40th Anniversary ished third in the points standings, was also no t discouraged. ''As soo n as I dum ped the clutch, the bike went sideways and I knew I was all done," Brown said. "We had a rear tire that was going away and we probably should have changed it before the final, but we didn't . I th ink we left it on at least one or two run s too long. I'm like everyone else out he re : I hate losing. But if I have to lose , it's best that Angelle is in the other lane." For the second time in the last fou r races , G-Squared/S&S /Buell's Chip Ellis led the field in qualifying with a 7.06. Ellis, who w ill be eligible for the 200S NHRA Rookie of the Year award because he competed in just four events this season, reached the semifinal but s lost a close battle against Savoie, 7.08 to 7.12. Kevin M cKenna