CgcleNews
Volume
XXXXII
Sharon Clayton - President
Mithael Klinger - Publisfter
EDITORIAL
Paul Carruthers - Editor
Kit Palmer - Off-Road Editor
Scott Rousseau - Managing Edieor
Blal(e Conner - Auociote Editor
Brendan lutes - Off-Road Assistant Editor
Henny Ray Abrams - Contributing Editor
Alan Cathcart - European Editor
David R. Halther - Regional Events Edicor
Kimberly Pellman - Copy Editor
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BUSINESS AND CIRCULATION
DEVELOPMENT
Kirk Holland - Manager
"Ricky Carmichael is one of the
most profeSSional athletes I've'
ever heard in an interview."
letters do not necessorily reAeet the fX>sition of Cycle News, Inc. Letters should not exceed 200
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.....,_...". words, ond all ore subject 10 editing. Anonymous letters will nol be considered for publica~on.
All letters should contain the writer's nome, address and daytime phone number... Editor.
I got the last issue, #50, and was reading
it cover to cover as I always do, but to
my surprise there wasn't a Chris Carr
interview. What gives? Was he just too
busy to stop for an interview, or are you
guys starting to snub the dirt trackers
like all the rest?
All the riders you had in the issue
deserve to be highlighted, but to leave out
the champion of the oldest form of motorcycle racing (in the U.S.) and a multi-time
champ is just plain bad motorcycle journalism, especially for a paper that covers all
forms of bike events.
So, let's get this paper back on the right
track again and get the dirt track riders
their fair share, like a full front cover, more
interviews and a Bike of the Stars.
Jim Molloy
via the Internet
Kory Klinger - Site Manager
GRAPHICS· PRODUCTION
Kathleen lawlor - Production Manager
Sunju Kwon, Robert Martin,
Christina Pendon - Graphic Artisu
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of this issue for an update with
Chris Carr. .. Editor
See page /4
Daytona Changes
Is it just me, or was the track at
Daytona supposed to be repaved and
redeSigned for the upcoming 200? I
just came from the Daytona website
(daytonainternationalspeedway.com) and
they have done some great stuff with the
paddock area. We are looking forward to
the new garage area and the view atop
the garages toward the tri-oval and out
of turn four. It all looks great. But I was
thinking that I recall something about a
track layout change (for safety) and the
repaving of the entire NASCAR track none of which is evident in the track renovation pictures.
Maybe they can do all that in four weeks.
Cliff Williams
via the Internet
The track changes have been made. See In the
Wind for more information ... Editor
Loved Canadian SX
Wow! What a fantastic show, the Toronto
Supercross was awesome. The track was
great, the layout, the condition and the
viewing. And Ricky Carmichael is one of
the most profeSSional athletes I've ever
heard in an interview. He spoke highly of
his competition, the city of Toronto, the
track and the efforts of everyone involved
in the event.
He made the fans feel like he was happier to see us than we were to see him to
race. And what racing we got to see.
Grant Bond
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Flat.rack
The schedule for the AMA Grand National
Championship just came out, and 10 and
behold - there is not one Single West Coast
race! What happened to the good old days
of West Coast Oat track? I mean, the West
Coast amateur Oat track scene is booming,
with tracks such as the famed Lodi Cycle
Bowl still cranking out loads of great riders
and great racing.
And don't forget all of the historical West
Coast tracks that hosted years of great professional racing, such as San Jose and
Sacramento, and also Del Mar, which was
on its way to becoming one of the greatest,
and certainly the most spectated, of the Oat
track races in the history of the sport. The
West Coast, and California in particular, is
truly the "hub" of motorcycling - a result of
haVing great weather, which plays a huge
part in the equation.
So please, a plea to the AMA: Please
look at the West Coast for next year. It is
without a doubt the biggest U.S. market for
motorcycling, and motorcycle racing.
Look at Supercross - they have four races
in Southern California alone, and two more
(San Francisco and PhoeniX) within a six-hour
drive. And they sell out, or very nearly sell
out, every Single race. That is a lot of money.
And a message for all of the readers of
Cycle News: If you have never been to a Oat
track race, especially a mile, you have
absolutely no idea what you are missing. It is
by far the most exciting, bar-to-bar, highspeed racing you will ever witness - with
three to five (or more) passes for the lead, in
every corner. At 140 mph. It is freakin crazy'
And it is also an American tradition. The
greatest riders in the history of road racing,
riders such as Kenny Roberts, Eddie
Lawson and Freddie Spencer, just to name
a few, all came from a Oat track racing background. And there are many more young
racers Oat tracking right now with the
potential to become America's, and the
world's, next great road racer.
We need West Coast flat tracking to sustain and nurture the sport. Bring it back,
and they (the spectators and their money)
will come. If not, the sport may wither and,
eventually, die. We don't want that.
Howard Halterman
Fairfield, CA
Lock-ed Out?
Thank you for the nice interview with
Michael Lock of Ducati. It's obvious that we
loyal ST4 owners are truly "orphans" Without one mention of sports touring models
in this three-page piece.
Michael can only imagine the effort and
expense involved in trying to ride and main-
tain a 1999 ST4 with 20,000 miles a year for
true sport touring without the support of a
decent local dealer. It's too bad you need a
mass-market bike for backup.
Ed Fickess
Pittsburgh, PA
California Trails
If we the off-road community continue to
ignore the closed route signs, cut fences
and enter wilderness areas, the BLM and
USFS will have no choice but to close more
trails and areas to avoid lawsuits from environmental groups.
Sparked by recent reports from the BLM
rangers operating in the Dove Springs area,
(Red Rock Canyon), several fences bordering special management and wilderness
areas were cut by our fellow off-road users.
We can no longer allow others that disobey
the law to continue to jeopardize our right
to recreate. We must re-educate ourselves
and these law-breakers about our deSignated trail systems.
The Friends of Jawbone have produced a
detailed map that shows all of the local riding areas north of Mojave, California, and
there is no, repeat no excuse for not using
the maps and staying on the trails. The maps
also show "open" riding areas where one
can ride anywhere within the boundaries.
To get these maps, or get involved, contact the Friends of Jawbone at the Jawbone
Station, 760/373-1146, or on the web at
www.jawbone.org.
Or come by KTM of MOjave, in MOjave,
California, and pick up a map - the cost is
only $2!
Get a map and stay on the trails. We have
lost thousands of acres to damage caused by
mismanagement and politicians catering to
the emotional cries of environmentalist
groups for more "wilderness." No state in the
Union has as much publiC land for off-road
recreation as California -let's keep it that way.
Paul E. Duke
Tehachapi. CA
Why Rossi Wins?
I think it is hilarious that you called in the
experts - Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards,
Garry Taylor, Kenny Roberts, Freddie
Spencer, Kevin Schwantz, etc. - to find out
why Valentino Rossi wins so easily.
Not one of them were right. Take a
look at Rossi. He looks exactly like Alfred
E. Newman from Mad Magazine. He also
has the same outlook as Alfred: "What'
Me worry?"
I thought it was about time that the
world knew the truth. Keep whipping them
Alfred, eh, I mean Rossi.
Jerry McDonald
Corpus Christi, TX
CYCLE NEWS • JANUARY 12,2005
5
