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/128353
Repsol Teams Ready for Dakar Rally D eps ol introduced its Dakar Rally team l'on November 25 in an eve nt held at th e Palacio Municipal de Cong resos de Madr id in 5pain, th e Spanish pet role um company backing Isidre Esteve , Marc Co ma and Giovann i Sala on factory KTMs for th e even t, as well as last year 's motorcycleclass win ner N ani Ram a, the Spaniard now moving to cars and a facto ry Mitsubishi. "Eve rything is very different in a car," Roma said in a release fro m the event. "I fee l like a little kid with new shoes and w ith a w hole lot of things to learn . I've been racing on motorbikesfor nine years, and I achieved a special sensitiveness on two w hee ls. But this is some thing different and so me how I'm starti ng anew, from ze ro. I'm rea lly lucky to have a navigator like Hen ry Magne , a very expert man w ho has alrea dy taken part in 23 editions of the Dakar. His co ntributio n is fundamental. This year is going to be difficult, but my first and only aim is to finish th e race and co-operate as muchaspossible for a victory of my teammates . Team Repsal KTM was introduced ta the media last week in the weeks leading up ta the Dakar Rally. "I wish the best of lucks to my friends of th e KTM team. I'm sure that they 'll do a great jo b and I even feel a bit nostalgic , but I know that th ey have pre pared th e race well and the y have already a large of the eve nt. "It's been a very intense year;" Este ve said. "I became daddy, a landmar k in life, and now I'm facing o ther challenges. Nani [Roma] has left an important hole in th e team experience . Th ey have to take the start of the race without thinking abo ut the victory, and th e results will com e, bit by bit. Finally, I wo uld like to re me mber and we're going to miss him, but I man , Richar d Sainct, who left us th is year. Th e quality of a victory dep end s on th e quality of the rivals, and Richard was always a first- level competitor. We all rem ember him and the only com fort we have is th at he lost his life do ing what he loved most to do . I wa nt to Roy Wins Irish Supercross In front of a sellout crowd, Canadian JeanSebastien Roy cap tured the Inte rnat ional Supercross O pen, held at the magnificent Odyssey stadium in Belfast, Ireland, o n Friday and Satu rday nights, November 26-27. Th e Ho nda-mo unte d rider prod uced a near- perfect weekend, going 1- 1-1-1DN F-I -I -I in the SX I races and two Super Finals. Roy on ly missed o ut on direction of Jordi Arcaro ns, is aiming for a know th at he has chos en the right pat h. We have been wo rking re ally hard, harder than any other year, to reach the Dakar under the best possible co nd itions. It's difficult to talk about rivals; I wish Richard Sainct wo uld be w ith us, but I cannot say any name. We'll get to know seco nd Spanish victory in the 26-year histo ry them as the race moves on." an extraord inary sports- Brit ish ride rs than k him for all he did." Esteve, Com a and Sala will form the Repsol KTM team that, under the sporting Hacker Back With SuperTrapp wi ll att e nd anothe r Inte rnational Supe rcross in England next weeken d. Included in this event, to be run at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, will be the Alessi brothers, Mike and Jeff, and Brown . Geoff Meyer SuperTrapp Industrie s has annou nced that it has signed dirt tracke r Mike Hacker to a deal for t he 2005 AMA Grand Nat ion al Championship, with Hacker slated to team up with tuner Car l Patrick. "Th is year was a rebu ilding year for me ," said Hacker, who finished seven th in the points chase. "I felt better and bett e r as race . My main goal for 2005 is has a lot of experie nce, tr ains hard and races each race to win. I'm looking forward to making great things happen this year." With the expe rtise of Carl Patr ick, Mike 's talent and the planned improve ments to our to the team. just to w in races - take it one race at a time and let the rest of it fall into place ." Friday and Sat urday night's finals. "It's a small track," Roy said. "I knew it wo uld be difficult without a Ted Bradley is excited abou t this Supertra pp race coor dinator signing and w hat it means for the 2005 season. "Mike showed the industry his hunger and dedica tion in 2002 at DuQ uoin," Bradley said. good start , and on most occasio ns I Jean -Sebastien Ray wan the International Supercra ss Open in Belfast, Irel a nd. A number of Am er ican riders and "H e has been gaining momentum ever since. Lazzarini To Husky Wor ld Supermoto star Ivan Lazzarini has signed a contract with MV Agusta Motorcycles that w ill see the Italian race o n the Husqvarna team in the 2005 Supermoto World Champio nship. The 2S-year-old ne phew of Eugenio Lazzarini, a three -time road racing World Champ io n, recen tly won the new Supe rmoto Italian C hamp ionship and is currently fourt h in the World Champio nship on a facto ry KTM. "My choice is due to the desire of winning o n an Italian bike to show that the Made in Italy has no competito rs," Lazzarini said. ''I'm ent husiastic about the opportunity Husqvarna is giving me and the con- fidence and es tee m that everybo dy in the team is sho wing me, including Mr. Claudio Cast igiioni, to whom I due my best thanks. I can't wait to start." Lazzarini will join Davide Gouini, Eddy Seel and Gerald Dele pine on the team, riding in the S I class aboard a Husqvarna SMR 630 . DECEMBER 8, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS Patrick, along w ith team members Kenny Mohler and De nnis Town, w ill build fo ur new bikes for Hacker for the 200 5 season, with th e support of Lombard i's HarleyDavidso n of State n Island, New Y rk, and Schott Harleyo Davidson of Lou iston , Maine . On e of Hacker's new bikes will include the engine from th e bike Joe Kopp rode to the title in 200 I. Clayton Oliver, who has tuned for Hacker in the past , will also lend his expertise class, wi nning all but one of his heat races and finishing second to Roy in 6 number-o ne plate holders, chose to w ork with Hacker because of his "w ill to win. Mike the year wen t on and gained more co nfidence with each maximum results w hen he crashed out of his opening heat o n Saturday night. Mike Brow n, riding for the RWJ Ho nda team, do minated the SX2 was able to get a sta rt. It' s bee n a fun wee kend, and I loo k fo rward to com ing back in the future ; Ireland is a great place." racing syste ms, he has an excellent chance to win a champion ship in 2005." Carl Patrick, who has tuned for three 40th Anniversary