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/128368
Fillmore Wins in Aussie vs. Yank Battle ground his opposition into submission in the opening laps. After setting the pace all the way through qualifying, Fillmore missed the jump in the opening final but was able to force his way through the field, picking off his opposition one by one. While Andrew McFarlane (Husqvarna SMR630) snared the lead from the lights, it was short-lived as the smaller, more nimble 450cc S2class machines swamped him. By midrace, Fillmore had a commanding lead with hard-charging Aussie Stuart Bennett (KTM SMS450) giving his all to bridge the gap. Dymond (KTM SMS450) had recovered from a mishap on the dirt, but it had little impact on the final resuits. we didn't take the win, it's been fun all the same," Dymond said. "I'm already looking forward to next week, and hopefully we can go one better." The Husqvarna S I class for machines up to 700cc was all Team KTM's principal, Dr. Rob Twyerold (KTM 570S), as he put down the tools to take three straight wins. Josh McFarlane (Husqvarna SMR630) ended up with three second places, with Jason Kain (Honda CRF480) third with two thirds and a fourth. Team USA had a solitary pilot, Craig Mason (Husaberg 650), who showed some early form in scoring a third in race one, but a massive highside in race two cur- tailed his plans for the rest of the meet. The Bridgestone S2 class was a more mixed bag with Fillmore getting beaten in the second by the narrowest of margins. Bennett showed he had the widest KTM in existence throughout four harrowing laps. Fillmore, the Honda rider finally getting the jump from pole posi- trying as he might to keep Dymond and Fillmore at bay. The third race saw Fillmore get the holes hot and an easy win, but the The second race was all tion to never be headed. Dymond T he Yamaha International Summer Supermoto USA vs. Australia challenge lived up to expectations as Team USA struck the first blow at Sydney's Oran Park on February 27. Michigan youngster Chris Fillmore breezed to a straight-sets victory in the All Powers' challenge over two grueling 10-lap finals. "I could have raced all day on this type of minor placings went to team Husky's track," Fillmore said. "I just love to go fast, and this track really suited my style." Ex-AMA Supercross and motocross legend Micky Dymond was second, with Australian (and the series promoter) Mark Avard rounding out the top three. fared better but had to contend with the KTM duo of Bennett and Pro Utes regular Ryan Marmont (KTM SMS450) - as well as the Husqvarna's of Troy Hertoss and Chad Turnball (SMR450). In the end, Hertoss and newest recruit, Troy Hertoss (SMR450), with teammate Chad Turnball following closely behind. Bennett would succumb to mechanical unable to continue, two badly bruised Fillmore's impressive corner speed through the high-speed tarmac sections was gremlins and Dymond would slip underneath knees preventing him even thinking of get- Marmont for a deserved second. ting back on the bike. the telling factor. and it was also where he "I just love this type of racing, and while Casey Yarrow had a premature end to his weekend after a fall in race one. He was Phil Smith A Jawa in GP Racing - Again The Czech motorcycle industry was formerly one of the largest in the Eastern bloc during the Communist era - but post-glasnost, its various component parts struggled to survive in a market economy. CZ and Praga have both now closed, and the sole surviving brand is Jawa which some time ago split into two parts, with its Jawa Divisov competition division until now concentrating entirely on manufacturing the 500cc four-valve speedway bikes which for years have been the backbone of that sport the world over. In 2004, its latest model, a twin-cam four-valver, conveyed Aussie Jason Crump to the World Speedway title. And in an effort to encourage younger riders to take up the sport, Jawa Divisov has now intro- duced a 12Scc model called the Shupa lNK, powered by a Honda two-valve four-stroke engine specially tuned for speedway - with an optional three-valve kit also available. Now Jawa is also returning to off-road competition, with the introduction of a 624cc DOHC fourvalve engine producing 64 hp in motocross form. And there are already Supermoto and Enduro spinoff versions in the works. Meanwhile, jawa's street bike division - which in the Communist heyday produced upward of 300,000 bikes a year, a large proportion of which were exported to places as far away as India and Brazil - has seen its production drop to just 4000 motorcycles annually, with minimal exportation. Jawa has now been acquired by minimoto manufac- turer Pavel Blata and transferred from its previous rambling factory outside Prague to Blata's base at Branska It is there that Blata's company produces 18,000 minibikes each year. The plant is close to Brno, home of the GP circuit where Blata is planning to debut the V-six MotoGP engine, currently being developed with the aid of a Czech government subSidy, in the Czech GP in August. Blata has already cemented a deal with the American-owned WCM MotoGP team to develop a chassis to house the six-cylinder engine. The Blata engine will 12 MARCH 9, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS replace the team's inline four currently bringing up the back of MotoGP races in the hands of Britain's James Ellison, who will be joined this season on the new bike by experienced Italian 250cc GP racer Franco Battaini. Alan Cathcart