Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

iN THE W INDJ 3D YEAR5 AGO... March i!5. 1975 ~ .11&=::;iliiii;'-;:;:"'J We got a chance to !iI~r..:.!..:J <.l_"riodi~' test the state-of-the ''".''W\\~· art Husqvarna 250 CR. At the time, this bike was one of the only true production works bikes. Only experts could truly appreciate the full capabilities of it... Carl Cranke narrowly won the Shamrock Qualifier Enduro held in California City, California. Cranke beat out Mark Adent by 70 points... The V.O.T:E. two-day trials competition went off in Texas Canyon, California. The event was the first of the California State Championship Series and over the years became known as one ofthe toughest around ... We took a look at a fork kit that Mike Bell was running on his Honda 12S. The kit increased travel from 7 to 8 inches. i!D YEAR5 AGO... March i!7. 1985 rrc""''''''''''''''!''I''!'l':"I Gaston Rahier 1~"iII~l!II~graced our cover. He had just won his second consecutive Dakar Rally aboard his mighty BMW He was also a multi-time World Motocross Champion. Rahier passed away this year (2005) at the age of 58... Frenchman Jackie Vimond won the opening round of the World Championship Motocross Series in Corobrik, South Africa, after going 1-3 in the two motos to take the overall... We got a chance to take a look at some military KTM motorcycles. These bikes were ecuipped with skis that could be removed if needed. The bikes were being made for the Austrian army... Geoff Ballard won round one of the National Hare Scrambles Series in Lake Wales, Florida. Taking second was John Martin, while Randy Hawkins finished third. 10 YEAR5 AGO... March i!i!. 1995 This issue was all about Daytona Bike Week, and Mr. Daytona himself Scott Russell appeared on ~~i!J~~1L1 our cover after taking his third consecutive win in the prestigious Daytona 200. Even a crash didn't stop Russell. .. Kawasaki rider Mike Kiedrowski nabbed his third win in as many years at the Daytona Supercross. Kiedrowski's teammate Mike laRocco settled for a distant second... Ty Davis won the opening round of the Grand National Cross Country Series in Ocala, Florida. Davis overcame pressure late in the race from Scott Summers to take the win. Summers finished second ... The first round of the Grand National Championship Series in Daytona Beach, Florida, was won by third-year Expert Brett Landes. It was the first win of his young career. :Briefly... Continued from page 13 www.supercross.cc.com. they will receive free transportation from Sam Boyd Stadium via charter buses after the race. According to the FIM, the final round of the 2005 Indoor Trial World Championship has been moved to Sunday, March 27 instead of Saturday, March 26, following the request of the local authorities and the promoter of the championship. The event wiil be held at the Poliesportiu Insular de Blanca Dona. According to the AMA, Simon Milward, a leading motorcycle rights advocate who traveled the world to raise money for charity, died on March 4 as a result of a motorcycle crash in the West African country of Mali. Milward, a native of the United Kingdom, was a former secretary general of the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Association (FEMA) who helped organize European motorcyclists in the I990s. "Simon was one of the men most responsible for taking the motorcycle rights movement international," AMA president Robert Rasor said. "He brought motorcyclist rights organizations from various countries together and improved their lot in the European Union." But Milward's advocacy work was just a prelude to a bigger adventure. On January I, 2000, he set off on a homemade motorcycle for an around-theworld trip. He initially raised donations for Riders for Health, a charity that uses motorcycles to bring health care to residents of remote regions, and Doctors Without Borders. In the United States, Milward joined with Rasor and other concerned motorcyclists to form Motorcycle Outreach, which funneled donations to motorcycle-related charities in other countries. Through Milward's influence, organizations aimed at using motorcycles to provide health care to poor populations in remote areas have been formed in countries from Indonesia to South Africa to Argentina. "Simon had an enormous impact on the motorcycling community," Rasor said. "He will be missed by motorcyclists everywhere." On Friday, March 4, thieves broke into Mike Metzger's trailer while it was parked at his Metzger Action Sports facility at 1800 Goetz Rd., Unit B, in Perris, California. The entire contents of the trailer were stolen including: three tool boxes, four custom-painted Bell helmets, multiple sets of his custom Alpinestars riding gear and a Honda Foreman quad. Anyone with any knowledge of the theft can call Metzger Action Sports at 951/657-7870. Team Suzuki MotoGP has announced a sponsorship deal with Mac Tools. "Mac Tools' state-of-the-art eqUipment will give the Suzuki technicians an edge on the competition when it comes to fast work in the MotoGP pits. The high-performance tools will allow swift alterations to the setup of the GSV-R race bikes of Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins, ensuring the racers can get , back on track as quickly as possible," the release states. Mac Tools will produce a limited-edition toolbox to mark its partnership with Team Suzuki MotoGP. These toolboxes will be available through the fleet of Mac Tools franchised distributors. "Mac Tools are delighted to be joining Team Susuzki MotoGp," said Adrian O'Nion, managing director of Mac Tools Europe. "This new partnership provides us with further endorsement of the high quality of our professional hand and power tools. It brings to three the number of major motorsport partnership arrangements that the Northampton-based tools specialist now has in place. To be associated with such a high-profile MotoGP team is of major importance for Mac. The MotoGP series is the pinnacle of professional motorcycle racing in the world. This agreement shows our commitment to racing and puts us a~ the forefront of tool technology by meeting the needs of a premier race team. We look forward to working with the team and a highly successful and rewarding season." Brock Harden is trying to organize a fundraising effort to aid his friend Ricky James, the 16-year-old motocrosser who suffered serious injury while racing at Lake Whitney in Texas last week. Part of the fund-raising will include an online auction, and Harden is looking for products. Donors wishing to contribute to the cause can send items to Brock Harden, c/o KTM North America Inc., 27635 Diaz Rd., Temecuia, CA 92560, or to Brock Harden, c/o Resource Marketing, 766 S. Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024. The Kawasaki Triples worldwide annual two-stroke meet at Deal's Gap will be held May I 1-15 at the Deal's Gap Motorcycle Lodge, formerly known as The Crossroads of Time. All are welcome, especially two-strokes, according to event promoters. For more information, visit kawasakitriplesworldwide.com. Idaho's motorcycle safety program, STAR, says it's in danger of going bankrupt, according to a recent press release. The program has been around for 10 years and says it has been maintained on the same funding it has had since 1995. Now, it says, it's not enough. The state-run program is actually considering taking legislative action. Senator Skip Brandt (Rep. - Kooskia) has agreed to sponsor a bill asking for a $6 increase in motorcycle registration fees. Presently, tuition for the class is $75. The extra $160 comes from money made from motorcycle licenses. The program reportedly needs another $300,000 a year to stay afloat, so STAR is proposing to raise motorcycle registration fees from $9 to $15. The director of the Motorcycle Safety Program Ron Shephard says if STAR does not get legislation passed this year, it will most likely have to raise tuition or limit the number of classes offered. California's Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, also referred to as an Open Area, is now requiring user permits. Annual permits of $60 are available by phone from Western Maintenance Company at 760/72660SS, on-site from the vendor on duty, or in person at the Barstow Field Office - 260 I Barstow Rd., Barstow, California. Seven-day permits of $20 are available on-site only from vendor on duty. All fees collected are used to support activities and projects at Dumont Dunes. For more information about Dumont Dunes, call 760/252-6000. South Dakota's Supreme Court has rejected former South Dakota Congressman Bill Janklow's appeal to overturn his convictions in the death of a motorcyclist in 2003, according to the AMA. The high court released its decision stating that Janklow received a fair trial. The court also said there was enough evidence to convict him. janklow, 65, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter, reckless driving, speeding and running a stop sign in the death of motorcyclist Randolph Scott, SS, of Hardwick, Minnesota, in August 2003. As a result of the conviction, janklow was sentenced to 100 days in jail and ordered to pay $1 1,000 in fees and fines. He began his jail term February 7. In his appeal, Janklow argued that there wasn't enough evidence to prove he was reckless at the time of the crash. Months earlier, a federal judge ruled that janklow was on duty when he ran a stop sign on a rural road and caused the deadly collision with Scott. That means that taxpayers would have to pick up the tab for any civil damages in a wrongful-death lawsuit. According to law enforcement officials, on August 16,2003, janklow was driving a Cadillac at more than 70 mph on a county road in eastern South Dakota when he ran a stop sign and collided with Scott, who was riding his Harley-Davidson on a road that did not have a stop sign. Scott died at the scene. Janklow was a first-term congressman who had served 16 years as South Dakota's governor. He also served as the state attorney general. Scott was a farmer, Vietnam veteran, volunteer firefighter and former American Legion post commander. The Janklow crash has focused attention on a nationwide problem related to offenders who get off with light sentences after killing or seriously injuring others on the road. The opening round of the Western FourStroke Nationals presented by VP Racing Fuels was held this weekend in Surprise, Arizona, at Speedworld Motocross Park. A total I 12 Pro riders turned out to make this the largest opening round ever. On Saturday, Ryan Hughes went I-I for the overall in the 2S0 F Pro class. Second was Jesse Casillas with a score of 2-2, while third went to Steve Mertens with a 3-3 moto tally. In the Premier class on Sunday, Hughes again took the win with another perfect score. Second went to Casillas, with his score of 2-2. Completing the podium was Tim Weigand with 33 moto finishes. CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 23, 2005 15

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