Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

letters to the editor should be senl to Voices, Cyde News, PO Boll. 5084, Costa NIese, CA 92628·5084; faxed to 714-751-6685 or emailed 10 editar@cyclenew,.cam. Publi,hed letters do not necessarily (eRect the position of Cycle News, Inc. letters should not exceed 200 words, and all ore subject to editing. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. AU letters should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number... Editor. .. I will save my money next year and attend the MotoGP races instead." Daytona Recap Abrams for President? II What happens at a club race when the Honda factory team shows up? The Daytona 200. What a waste. MarvHage/e via the Internet Thank you, Henny Ray Abrams. Finally someone had the balls, your words not mine, to say what needed to be said. I wish I thought it would change something at AMA "Pro" Racing, but my money's on history repeating. Leigh Crawford via the Internet Daytona Recap II Not to take anything away from Miguel Duhamel, but this year's Daytona 200 was a given even before it started. Factory Hondas against everybody else, and Miguel has the experience. He shouldn't go in the same category as Scott Russell, because the 200 is no longer a Superbike race. It would have been great to see him against factory Suzukis, Yamahas and Ducatis. Remember the good old days when the World Superbike guys came and did the race? That was competition! The Daytona 200 is just not the same anymore unless more factory bikes get in on the action. Greg Colyer Hercules, CA Daytona Recap III The name of the race should have been changed from The Daytona 200 by Honda to The Daytona 200 for Honda. The only drama from the start of the race was in which order Hondas would fill the podium. How can the AMA make the premier race one in which only one factory participates? This is another example of the AMA taking three steps backward. I will save my money next year and attend the MotoGP races instead. Chris Kinney Atlanta, GA SXTV I just had to write in regarding all the squabbles people have been writing in about the coverage ESPN is giving the Supercross Series. While most of the opinions have made sense, all of that should be put to rest now that Speed just gave us the best coverage of any Supercross in the history of the sport. Three hours long, great racing coverage, interesting information between motos, two of the best riders in the history of our sport doing the commentating, and multiple camera angles. It really doesn't get any better. A big congratulations to Speed for its tremendous effort and hard work. And to ESPN, you don't just hand microphones to a football guy and a freestyle guy and tell them to talk. True motocrosser fans will see through that every time, and Speed just proved that. ESPN, you just got your butts kicked! Eric Roberts via the Internet Abrams for President? The column "A Farce" (Issue # I I, March 23) was the best assessment of the current situation ever. Henny Ray for President! Period. Marc Lambert via the Internet 6 MARCH 30, 2005 • Abrams for President? III I wanted to comment on Henny Ray Abrams' thought-provoking Chicanery column. In my opinion, the two biggest issues that cloud the direction of road racing by AMA Pro Racing are the number of classes that they run and the structure of the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors. First, it seems clear to me that the AMP:s goal is to have lots of classes so that most, or all, of the manufacturers can win a class championship. Kind of like the Olympics when the "Medal Count" is what teams shoot for rather than any single main event. I know some people don't like to hear "Back in my day," but... back in my day, yes, we had some preliminary races during Daytona Bike Week, but there was one big shootout on the last day with all the big dogs on the track at the same time. That's the kind of Daytona 200 that Iwon, as did Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, Freddie Spencer, Scott Russell and others in their day. There needs to be a main event, and that is what we didn't have this year at Daytona. There are two key classes of motorcycle sportbikes: 600s and 1000s. But we have four classes in the AMA series. Sure, some allowances need to be made for the Ducatis and other brands that emerge with less cylinders, but that can be worked out. But there is no need to have two classes each for 600s and two for 1000s. The fan confusion is really hurting the sport. Secondly, I don't have anything against Ray Blank or American Honda, as I think Honda makes great products. But it is totally wrong, in my opinion, that only a representative from Honda should sit on the AMA Pro Racing Board and participate on all the decisions that are being made, while the others sit by their mailbox waiting for the news to arrive about what the rules of racing will be. A few years back, when it was announced that this one manufacturer would sit on the board, people wondered if decisions would be unbiased. Now, I think the answer is clear. As Keith McCarty said in the "Chat Room" interview on page 16, they were notified about the switch to Formula Xtreme machines for the 200 in August. Don't tell me that's when Honda first knew about it. And look at the number of rule changes that have affected the Superbike class in the past three or four years as Mat Mladin and Suzuki have continued to succeed. I could be wrong, I hope CYCLE NEWS I'm wrong, but that has always appeared to me to be "strategic." Whatever the reasons have been, the result was that this year the defending champion of the race was already on his way home when the Daytona 200 started. And the Yamaha and Kawasaki team trucks were somewhere in East Texas heading west. As a result of its "for-profit" corporate structure, the AMA Pro Racing board is not required to publish its meeting minutes, so we don't know what proposals are brought forward and how the voting goes. But I'd say the board should have been overly sensitive to the possible criticism of the bias issue, but they failed completely to do so. So how else should they think the public and industry would react to a "Daytona 200 by Honda" with only the four factory-support Honda riders pummeling a field of privateers? Even during Bike Week and since, I've had conversations that range from "we have to fix the situation at the AMP:' to "it's not fixable." Fixing what we have would seem to be the best direction as we'd hold everything together in one series. But if the latter is true, then the AMA and Honda can go do their series, and the rest of the sport can go do something else. I think there are some people and organizations out there who could run events that could be very fan-friendly - even with just three of the four Japanese brands. Whichever way this goes, the most important aspect is that there is a level playing field for all the participants and that everyone has an equal voice. As Henny Ray pointed out, big changes are needed, and it's going to take people with some bails to make them. Don Emde Laguna Niguel, CA Emde won the Daytona 200 in 1972... Editor Hannah Rules Kudos to Scott Rousseau on his piece, "The Hurricane Has RC's Back." Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching Bob Hannah race can surely recall a "magic" moment of his expertise on track. Whether it was the gnarly Unadilla and "Screw U" - later to be renamed the politically correct GraVity CaVity - the sand whoops of Gatorback in North Florida on the Pontiac Silverdome, you just knew that full throttle took on another meaning with Hannah on the bike. His feats of on the bike/off the bike miracle saves while totaily out of shape were gone in an instant but left everyone asking each other... "Did you see that?" Yeah, I did. And RC has that same innate artistry. Gary B. Van Voorhis via the Internet Von Voorhis is a former associate editor of Cycle News ond is currently the director of events ot Daytona International Speedway. .. Editor CgcleNews Volume XLII Sharon Clayton - President Michael Klinger - Publisher EDITORIAL Paul Carruthers - Editor Kit Palmer - Off-Road Editor Scott Rousseau - Managing E.ditor Blake Conner - Associate Editor Brendan Lute'i - Off-Rood Assistant Editor HerlOy Ray Abrams - Contributing Editor Alan Cathcart - European Editor David R. Holther - Regional Events Editor Kimberly Pellman - Copy Editor ADVERTISING· WESTERN STATES 1714) 751-7433 Terry Pratt - Notional Accounts Manager Marl< Thome. Forrest Hayashi. Dan Legere. Rod Hipwell. Aaron Austin - Western Sales Manogers Rhonda Crawford - Advertising Coordinator Ashleigh Klein - Auistont ADVERTISING· EASTERN STATES (770) 279·0304 Carla Allen - Office Manager & Advertising Coordinator Sheri Russell, Suzzie Smith - Eastern Sales Managers MARKETING' PROMOTION Mark Thome - Director Forrest Hayashi - Manager Aaron Austin - Support BUSINESS AND CIRCULATION DEVELOPMENT Kirl< Holland - Manager NEW MEDIA DEVELOPMENT Kory Klinger - Site Manager CLASSIFIED ADS Ashleigh Klein GRAPHICS· PRODUCTION Kathleen Lawlor - Production Manager Sunju Kwon, Robert Martin, Christina Pendon - Grophic Artists ADMINISTRATION Judy Klinger - Coordinator Pam Klein - Administrative Assistant ACCOUNTING' DATA PROCESSING Donna Bryan-Diamond - AlR Coordinator Geneva Repass - Assistant Stacy Ryan - Credit Manager CIRCULATION Alma Anguiano - Circulotion Manoger Carol Maggio - Processing Coordinator Megan Carmona - Deoler Coordinator SERVICE' SUPPORT Bridgett Bobrofsky - Receptionist Robert Escandon - Service and Support NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS ]S05-M Cadillac Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 P.O. 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