Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Continued from page 9 30 YEARS Alia... March lB, 1975 champion Mark Barnett at the Orlando Watersports Complex in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, March 16. The grand opening will be held the week between the Daytona and Orlando Supercross rounds. OWC has long been known as the premier wakeboard facility in the world. Now, this new venture will compliment the ultimate action sports complex with a state-of-the-art minibike track, according to Fox Racing. Fox Racing has joined forces with Hyperlite and Nautique as the primary sponsors of the complex. For more information, visit orlandowatersports.com or call 407/251-3100. Gene Romero ~~..~ graced the cover of this issue. He was the winner of the prestigious Daytona 200. At the time, it was one of the biggest victories of his career... Jimmy Ellis won the 2S0cc class at the second round of the Yamaha Super Series of Motocross. Aboard his Maico, Steve Stackable did the same in the SOOcc class... The United States Speedway team trounced the world at Costa Mesa Speedway. It was the second of three rounds to be held where the U.S. team took on any challengers from around the world. Leading the U.S. team to victory was 1973 National Speedway champion Mike Bast... Mike Bell won the 12Scc-Pro class at a motocross race in Irwindale, California. His class was the only one to run a full schedule after rain caused everything else to be cancelled. Plano Kawasaki in Plano, Texas, will host a Dallas Supercross Party on Friday, April I, with Team Kawasaki's James "Bubba" Stewart and Michael Byrne and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders Grant Langston and Matt Walker scheduled to be there from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Plano Kawasaki will also be giving away a 2005 Kawasaki KLX I lOin a draWing at 8 p.m., and you must be present to win. For more information, visit, planokawasakisuzuki.com or calI972/422-4111. 20 YEARS Alia... March 20, 19B5 The new Yamaha 'E' ;4 TY350 appeared on the cover with Man Hilgenberg aboard. We did a full test on .'.' ~ .. ,'. "r;(1« "",' the groundbreaking fi/~ . .., bike, and we couldn't "~I'::~~'~; ('If) ~ ' . ..... find too much to .,.,- .. complain about. We liked it... Bob Hannah won the grueling Daytona Supercross. Taking second behind him was Jeff Ward, while Ron Lechien completed the podium ... Off-road legend Larry Roeseler was a double winner at District ]7's Viewfinder Grand Prix in Riverside, California. Despite talk that this was its last year, the Viewfinders con" '~ AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Champions Yamaha in Oakland, Florida, on March 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. Team Yamaha's Chad Reed, David Vuillemin and Tim Ferry, factory-supported rider Heath Voss, and Yamalha of Troy riders Brock Sellards and Kelly Smith are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 407/877-60S I. firmed that there would be one more in Riverside... We got to swing a leg over Enduro Champion Terry Cunningham's automatic Husqvarna 500AE. We liked it. It was an easy-to-ride, fast bike. 10 YEARS Alia... March 15, 1995 Jeremy McGrath won his first AMA National Motocross at Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainesville, Florida. It was the series opener. and with the win, McGrath proved to his critics he could go fast outdoors, not just in supercross... Scott Russell won both the first and second rounds of the North American Superbike Championship Series at Daytona International Speedway... Ty Davis won his second National Enduro in as many tries at the second round of the series in Wickenburg, Arizona. Davis went on to win the title that year... Ricky Carmichael won the Senior Mini and 12Scc Youth Classes at Hillbilly Hills Motocross Park in Roberta, Georgia. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Cycle Sports Center in Orlando, Florida, on March 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. Team Kawasaki's James "Bubba" Stewart, Michael Burne, Grant Langston and Matt Walker are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 407/299-9191. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Performance Honda in Winter Garden, Florida, on March I8 starting at 5:30 p.m. Team Honda and Team Factory Connection Honda riders are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 407/905-9330. HIRED: Andy Leisner as vice president of marketing for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, effective immediately, according to CEO/general manager Gill Campbell. Leisner has been a vice president with AMA Pro Racing since 2002. "We are very pleased to be able to bring on board someone of Andy Leisner's caliber to further enhance the development of our corporate marketing program," Campbell said. ':Andy has a diverse background encompassing a wide variety of areas that will boost our efforts to continue Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's growth pattern." AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth remarked the series' loss was Laguna Seca's gain. "We are sorry to lose Andy as an employee," Hollingsworth said. "But, we are glad he is staying within the racing community and are looking forward to working with him in his new capacity at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca." The last round of the 2005 Indoor Trials World Championship will now take place on March 26 in Eivissa, Ibiza, Spain, as the Gelsenkirchen round in Germany has been cancelled, according to the FIM. The Dpnnie Hansen Motocross Academy will be conducting schools at the following locations: March 16-17, Hard Rock Cycle Park, Ocala, Florida; April 7-8, Sandy Valley MX, Las Vegas, Nevada; and April 27-28, Cycle Ranch. San Antonio, Texas. For more information, call 719/495-2624 or visit DHMA.com. ESPN2's THQ AMA Supercross Series reporter Jamie Little will part ways with motocross for a month in order to cover the Indy Racing League's season-opening rounds for ESPN and ABC television. "My heart's definitely with Supercross and it will be hard to move over to car racing, but it's part of my contract with ESPN that I must fulfill," Little said. "It's funny: So many people involved with the IndyCar series know me from Supercross and are always asking things like, 'How's Windham doing on the fourstroke: and, 'Will Carmichael and Reed take it right down to the last race for the title?' You'd be amazed at how many people I run into at an IndyCar race that are into Supercross." Little will actually miss three Supercross rounds on ESPN2, the fourth - Daytona - is not broadcast on ESPN2. Filling in for Little will be Davey Coombs and Robbie Floyd. ':Again, I've got mixed emotions about leaving Supercross for a few races - especially considering how amazing the racing's been," Little said. "But you can bet I'll be tuning in to the races on Saturday night in whatever city I happen to be in, along with fielding all sorts of questions in the IndyCar pits on Supercross from the all people in the auto racing community that are interested in our sport. On a side note, stay tuned for the release of Jamie's video game - MX World Tour: Featuring Jamie Little - set to hit the store shelves in April. For more informa· tion on Jamie Little, visit jamielittle.com. II AMA Sports, the amateur and pro-am competition division of the AMA, has announced that Ken Saillant will join its staff as track racing manager, effective March 21. In his role with AMA Sports, Saillant will oversee operations of flat-track, supermoto, road racing, ice racing and speedway disciplines. He'll report to AMA Sports senior director Douglas Neubauer. "Ken has a wealth of knowledge and experience to contribute to AMA Sports, along with his passion as a true racing enthusiast," Neubauer said. ''Adding Ken to our team is the next step in shaping our programs to better serve the racers, who are the lifeblood of motorcycle competition." A racer himself in the I980s, Saillant became a race promoter under the name Fast Track Racing. He promoted the 1997 AMA Amateur Nationals and co-promoted (with the AMA) the 199B and 1999 events. In 2000, he became race director for the AMA Sports Dirt Track Grand Championships. Since then, he's worked with regional and nationaJ ice racing, dirt track and speedway competition, and as an assistant director of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. Saillant also has represented AMA Sports on the AMA Congress track committee. After a season at the famed Perris Raceway in Perris, California, it has been decided that the use of the oval will go in another direction for the 2005 season, according to the Southern California Flat Track Association. The SCFTA has thus cancelled its eight rounds scheduled for the track. "It is with much regret and heavy heart, after 10 years of promoting and keeping nat track alive in California, that I have decided to announce my retirement," SCFT.A:s Bruce Sanford said. "I felt that at the young age of 71 I've given all I can to our sport. I hope to continue to see aJl my friends and races in coming years and encourage you all to keep nat track alive. Thanks for the memories." Pearl Hoel, who along with her husband, Clarence "Pappy" Hoel, created the Sturgis Rally, died on February 7. According to Rally insiders, if it wasn't for Pappy and Pearl Hoel, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally would not benefit from the notoriety it enjoys today, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame, in all probability, would not exist. Hoel was 99 years old. Infineon Raceway will host a two-day motorcycle test session, March 17-IB, in advance of the upcoming Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Supercuts. The six manufacturers that have signed up for the March test are: Kawasaki, Yamaha, American Honda, Erion Racing. Austin Ducati and Yoshimura Suzuki. Race fans will have free admission to watch the test session from the main grandstand, according to Infineon. This will mark the only test session of its kind in advance of the Kawasaki AMA Superblke Showdown weekend, slated for May 13-15, over the 12-turn, 2.2-mile road course. A promoter's practice will be held at the raceway on Thursday, May 12. Testing will take place from B:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days (March I7- IB). CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 16, 2005 11

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