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/128369
Briefly... Team Green Rules Laughlin Vawasaki Team Green's David ~earson and Shane Esposito, aboard a KX250, combined efforts to win the Kawasaki Team Green Laughlin U.S. Hare Scrambles in Laughlin, Nevada, on March 5. It was Pearson's third at the event and Esposito's first. "I grew up riding in tight stuff like this up in the trees," said Pearson, who hails from Nevada. "I don't know, it just seems like it's normal (or Pearsons to do good in the tight stuff." Pearson and Esposito finished the three-lap, 140-mile team race in 4 hours, 48 minutes and 17 seconds. The race was the second round of the Best in the Desert Silver State Series. Pearson and Esposito battled with fellow Team Green racers Destry Abbott and Lance Smail for the first part of the race, which was held in nearly perfect conditions. A cooked rear brake. however, forced desert veteran Abbott and desert newcomer Smail into the pits, where they lost time and, ultimately, one position. Instead of fighting for second, they'd finish a solitary third, nearly 10 minutes behind the first-place team. The runner-up team involved another Pearson - Russ - of the Montclair Yamaha/Zip Ty Racing team. Russ Pearson teamed up with Ty Davis to finish the race in 4 hours, 49 minutes and 25 seconds. Honda got in on the action as well, with CRF4S0R pilots Robby Bell and Kendall Norman, and Johnny Campbell and Steve Hengeveld filling out the fourthand fifth-place positions, respectively. Mark KDriya jared Mees was a double winner at the AMA Hot Shoes Series round at Vol usia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, on March 6. Mees (H-D) won the 7S0/l OOOcc Expert main event, with johnny Murphree (H-D) second and Paul Lynch (HD) third. Mees also won the 505cc Expert main event. john Raun Wood (Hon) was second, and Sam Halbert (Hon) was third. Clayton Riggle (H-D) won the 883 main event, and Gary Conklin (Hon) won the 505cc Pro Sport main event. David Pearson teamed up with Shone Esposito to win the Laughlin U.S. Hare Scrambles in Nevada. josh Hayes for Daytona 2001 Maybe so. Maybe not. Attack Kawasaki's Hayes will ride a Formula Xtreme bike during Bike Week at Daytona International Speedway, but he's not sure if he'll take part in the Daytona 200 or not. "I'll be riding an FX bike to get some data for the team because my teammate [Ben Attard] is struggling with it a little bit," Hayes said. "I'm not sure about the race, with it being on the same day as the superbike race. We'll play it by ear and see what happens." Reigning British Motocross Champion josh Coppins will miss the first round of the British Championship due to an injury sustained to his right shoulder in Hawkstone Park, England, recently, according to his team. Coppins has been given the green light to race in the second round of the series a week later after an extensrve medical examination with Belgian orthopaedic specialist Dr. Toon Claes. "That's great news," Coppins said. "I didn't quite know what to expect, and to be honest I was a bit worried about the outcome. The scan showed that there is no major damage to the shoulder and the muscles, ligaments and cartilage are all okay. I have to take it easy for a few days, but I can start riding next Tuesday [March 15]. Top priority is the first Gp, and I'm not too worried about missing the first round of the British - I can still catch up those lost points and defend my title. Last year I won the title with a round to spare, so it should make things more exciting." Honda Sponsors the 200 Honda will sponsor the Daytona 200 on Saturday, March 12, Daytona International Speedway officials have announced, with the race now called the Daytona 200 By Honda. The 64th running of the race will feature the Formula Xtreme Series in a 68lap event on the Speedway's redesigned 2.95-mile road course. "We're thrilled to announce Honda as the sponsor of the prestigious Daytona 200," Speedway president Robin Braig said. "We've had a long-standing relationship with Honda, and we're excited to extend that with one of the premier motorcycles races in the country." "The Daytona 200 has a rich and exciting heritage in American racing," said Ray Blank, American Honda's Motorcycle Division vice president. "We won our first Daytona 200 35 years ago with Dick Mann and the CB750. We look forward to great racing this year and a continued relationship with Daytona International Speedway." Honda also serves as the sponsor of the Daytona Supercross by Honda, sched- uled for Friday night, March I I, and is the official motorcycle of Daytona International Speedway. Araj Helmets was the former sponsor of the Daytona 200. Suzuki has announced that with the help of Team Makita Suzuki Racing's Ricky Carmichael, the DMXS Charity Ride for Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-l) raised $23,580 on the Sunday following the THQ AMA Supercross Series in Atlanta at Bremen Race Park, in Bremen, Georgia. "I'd really like to thank Ricky Carmichael and his sponsors such as Suzuki, Fox Racing, Makita USA and Oakley for helping out," event organizer Heath Hamrick said. "My daughter Savanna suffers from this disease, and I just can't explain how grateful I am to everyone who participated in the DMXS Charity Ride4AT." In spite of freezing rain and gusty winds, almost I000 race fans showed up to meet their favorite racers and raise money for the A-T Children's Project, according to Suzuki. "I had a great time on Sunday," Carmichael said. "The fans weathered the cold wind and rain to show a lot of support to the riders who attended and, most importantly, to the Ride4AT project. I was honored to be a Conrinued on page 9 CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 16,2005 7