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/128362
Briefly... 3D YEARS AGO... January i!8. 1975 "":'.'::1."'::==':" I \ Jack Penton won ;-;n·r the first cwo-day ISDT qualifier in Forked River, New jersey. Heavy rain on the first day caused special tests to be canceled, and on the second day, only the first loop was run ... We checked in with Don Jones, who was Conrinued lrom poge 9 A benefit dinner and fund-raiser for injured flat track racer and racetrack builder Richard Clark will be held on january 22 a the Fort Owen Inn in Stevensville, Montana. Clark suffered severe head injuries on August 30, 2003, in a race at Castle Rock in Washington, and his recovery has been long and expensive. In addition to the fund-raiser, a benefit fund has also been established at Richard Clark Benefit Fund, c/o First Interstate Bank, P.O, Box 16291, Missoula, MT S9806-1629. Pikes Peak Intemational Hill Climb. "Falken Tire is extremely excited about our continued title sponsorship of the 2005 Pikes Peak Hill Climb event," said Richard Smallwood, the vice president of sales and marketing for Falken Tire Corporation. "We are looking forward to an exciting event in 2005 and continuing our relationship with the Hill Climb for the B3rd running of this historic international event." The 83rd running of the event in 200S will mark Falken Tires' third year as title sponsor of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. busy building innovative motocross bike parts. One such part he created was a cylinder that had three exhaust ports.. Tommy Croft won the I2Scc Pro class at a local Southern California motocross race. He also got second in the 2S0cc Pro class, behind Marty Smith. Randy Rogers and his son J.D. are no longer part of Racetown 395, according to the Rogers. Rogers says he sold his half ownership in the Adelanto, California, racetrack and plans to open another track in the near future. Rogers can be reached at 9S 1/965-20 16. i!D YEARS AGO... January 3D, 1985 The Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club, Fairfield Cycle Center and Suzuki have reached an agreement that will make Fairfield Cycle Center and Suzuki the official sponsors of the opening round of the AMA National Motocross Championship at Hangtown, May 20-22. For tickets, visit www.fairfieldcyclecenter.com or www.hangtown.com. JJ.1ill'.ILt.:fJl Ricky Graham .- -~-, _.- •• showed up on the cover aboard his factory Honda TT bike. Inside, we took an in-depth look at .." 2&5,;.'55 Team Honda's dirt _-==- j track effort for that year, in particular its bikes ... A.j. Whiting, Ron Lechien and Mike Fisher were the big winners at round three of the CMC Golden State Nationals in Adelanto, California. Whiting won the 12Scc Pro class, Lechien the 2S0cc Pro class and Fisher the SOOcc Pro class ... We rode Chris Crandall's Barstow-to-Vegas winning ATK S60 four-stroke. It was a beast, but definitely fast. Not many people expected him to win aboard the heavy bike. He, however, proved them all wrong. 10 YEARS AGO... January i!5, 1995 Chaparral Motorsports, the title sponsor of the Amsoil/Chaparral/Honda/Factory Connection team, will hold its annual Fan Appreciation Event for supercross fans on January 19 from 6 to 8 p,m. Members of Team Honda, Team Amsoil/Chaparral/ Honda/Factory Connection, Team Makita Suzuki, Team Yamaha, Team Cernics/Suzuki and Team Motoworld Suzuki will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. Chaparral Motorsports is located at S55 South "H" Street in San Bernardino, California. The Falken Tire Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the second oldest motorsports event in the United States, has announced the continuation of Falken Tire Corporation as the title sponsor for the 200S Falken Tire Three-time AMA Superbike Champion Reg Pridmore's CLASS Motorcycle Schools has released its 200S school schedule. CLASS will visit nine racetracks around the country. Highlights from the CLASS schools for 2005 include: a trip to Italy that will include a week of touring on motorcycles plus a day of CLASS at the Misano Circuit; a new price structure featuring First Time Friends Days (save $50 when you bring a friend that's never been to CLASS), Honda Riders Club of America members discounts, etc.; Friends of Reg's CLASS Experience (FORCE 5), a brand-new club dedicated to the love of sportbikes and track riding; the CLASS Safety First Challenge, where Pridmore will offer $50 toward any class if you purchase a new 2005 sportbike; a return to Virginia International Raceway; and more. For more information. visit www.c1assrides.com. AMA Grand National number 20 Johnny Murphree has announced the addition of RTD Motor Sports as a major sponsor in his 2005 AMA Flat Track Championship Series, "RTD Motor Sports has joined the Coziahr Harley-Davidson/National Cycle team," Murphree, 26. said in a press release. "They will provide Honda CRF4S0s for our campaign toward the AMA Grand National title. Their addition brings another key elementto our program," RTD Motor Sports is a full-service Honda, Kawasaki and KTM dealership located in close proximity to the most famous venue in all of flat track, the lIIi- nois State Fairgrounds, home of the Springfield Mile, TT and Short Track races. "We have had a pretty strong singles program, but with the addition of RTD Motor Sports supplying Honda CRF450s for the Short Tracks and TTs, we should be even stronger," Murphree said. "Everyone at RTD is very enthusiastic about flat track racing and being a part of our team. With their dealership in Springfield, Illinois, it should give us an extra boost there for the Short Track, TT and the Mile, Last year, we finished second at the Springfield TT and wound up second and third on the Mile, so a win there is like the carrot on the string for us. I want to win Springfield this year." Murphree said that he is very determined to win the AMA Flat Track Championship in 2005. He finished second [0 reigning champion Chris Carr in two of the last three seasons. He was fourth in the series standings in 2004. "With the addition of RTD Motor Sports, we have the team to do it," Murphree said. "Our equipment is the best out there and should be up front week in and week out. If I do my job, win more races and be more consistent, then the title is in our reach." RTD Motor Sports president Mike Sinnot said that the shop was looking forward to adding its support to Murphree's 2005 campaign, "We are excited about this opportunity, and along with our customers, we will be cheering for johnny, especially at the Springfield Doubleheader Race weekends this year," Sinnot said. For more information on Murphree, check out www.johnnymurphree.com on the Internet. Motorcycle racing fans from the I970s who witnessed the massive mudslide on TV that killed 10 people in the small community of La Conchita, south of Santa Barbara, California, may have seen a familiar face being interviewed on television: Keith Mashburn. Mashburn, a former AMA Grand National dirt track racer, is the Ventura County Fire Department's chief investigator and was the man in charge of the rescue in La Conchita. Supercross king Jeremy McGrath was winning every- thing in sight when this issue came out. With the big, shiny number-one plate on his bike, McGrath had just won the Supercross series opener in Orlando, Florida... Buddy Antunez was the top-finishing privateer at the Supercross opener. Today he has hung up his boots and is working with top arenacross and 5upercross riders... We got a chance to ride Team Belgarda SDA Yamaha's World Championship YZF750 road racing bike. As expected, we came away quite impressed with the bike. It wasn't part of a full factory effort; however, Yamaha did support the team Repsol Honda Team and Max Biaggi - It's Official I na much-anticipated move, it has been confirmed that Max Biaggi will be the official 2005 Repsol Honda Team rider, together with American Nicky Hayden. An agreement has been reached between Honda Racing Corporation and the highprofile Italian. The four-time World Champion Biaggi, from his house in Monaco, said, "Riding a Honda factory bike is the dream of every rider, even those who race for other teams. I always wanted to be an HRC pilot. Today, Honda is the best way to express all my potential and all of my skills. My life as a rider restarts today.o, One of racing's all-time greats, the determined and smoothriding Biaggi has scored 42 GP wins and 56 pole positions. The 33-year-old from Rome has his sights set firmly on the 200S Mota GP crown. Biaggi, still recovering from a badly broken ankle sustained in a supermoto accident last November, will ride the 200S factoryspec Honda RC21 IV for the first time in Sepang, Malaysia, january 23-25 in preparation for this season's 17-round championship that starts in jerez, Spain, on April 10. with factory parts. CYCLE NEWS • JANUARY 26, 2005 13