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/128375
More on the Incident T he opening round dust-up between MotoGP stars Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibemau continued to get play in Estoril at the Portuguese Grand Prix. There were a number of letters, the first of which was from FIM president Francesco Zerbi. Zerbi's letter admonished both riders equally, a stance that upset Telef6nica MoviStar Honda MotoGP team owner Fausto Gresini. A letter denigrating Zerbi's letter soon appeared on the Gresini team "I think we all have to respect each other, and it's all about racing, and we can all understand for sure a last hard lap," he said. "It's for sure understandable to win the World Championship, but no one can understand losing respect. So you know I've been struggling, and it's not nice to be like this, and here, the crash for sure didn't help the whole situation... Rossi had more than one chance to address the issue. The first came in a Friday "If I have the same experience in the last corner the next race, I make the same." - Valentino Rossi website. Zerbi shot back with a missive that openly condemned Gresini. "I am not going to enter into a controversy - an easy one given the ridiculous arguments in your letter," Zerbi wrote, signing off by writing "With much bitterness ... It didn't end there. As a postscript he wrote, "I am sending this letter to the press because your employee, by violating all principles of education, more so than of law, did not hesitate to betray the confidence that had been granted to him." Gibernau's response to the controversy came in the front-row press conference. postpractice briefing when he spoke of reading Zerbi's letter and the original Gresini response. "Yes, for me I read the letter on the press of Gresini team and for me is very positive because also didn't say, didn't have anything to say about the rules," Rossi said. ''All is normal. And to stay in these limit for the competition and don't make worse. For me is very positive is the real situation. Not have this happen again." Rossi's understanding was not that he was told not to do it again, but rather that it not be more severe. "Zerbi only say he know everyone want Telefonica MoviStar Honda team owner Fausta Gresini traded letters with FIM president Francesco Zerbi last week. to win and give I00 percent, but stay into the limit and don't make worse, especially to make after this overtake, don't make worse in the next race. He later repeated the response in a teleconference call to promote the U.S. GP at Laguna Seca. "[Zerbi] say everyone want to win and It everyone try very hard for arrive at the victory," Rossi said. "He said the overtake was hard, but not over the limit, He said not don't do it again; don't make worse. Because if I have the same experience in the last corner the next race, I make the same." Henny Ray Abrams Bridgestone: No AMA Yet AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Starved Rock Harley-Davidson/Buell in Ottawa, Illinois, on May 21 from 9 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Grand National dirt tracker Jared Mees is scheduled to attend. For more information, call 81 S/43 1-1900. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Houston Yamaha Motorsporn in Stafford, Texas, on April 29 from 6 to 7 p.m. Factory Yamaha riders Chad Reed, David Vuillemin and Tim Ferry, factory supported rider Heath Voss, and Yamaha of Troy riders Brett Metcalfe and Danny Smith are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 281/S30-86OO. At the moment, Bridgestone has no plans to enter the AMA Superbike Championship, or any other National Championships, but that could change according to Hiroshi Yamada, Bridgestone's manager for motorcycle racing. "The first point is we like to concentrate for MotoGp," Yamada said. "On the other hand, the example is World Superbike, only now it's one tire company. Of course, we cannot change this regimentation. Before when we started this project [in 200 I], this was possible to enter the World Superbike. But of course [at the time], the priority of MotoGP or GPSOO 16 was much more than Superbike. That's why we decided to race here. And AMA, yes, United States is one of the good markets for us, of course. And we are interested to go there. But at the moment, we like to concentrate on MotoGP." Yamada also said it was impossible for his team to build tires ovemight, as Michelin has done recently for one-off specials. '1\t the moment, all of our tires are made in Japan," he said. "We need a minimum one or I I/2 days from Japan to Europe. We can not do the same way, of course." Henny Ray Abrams APRIL 27,2005 • CYCLE NEWS ACCEPTING: Desser Tire and Rubber Co. is currently accepting racer resumes for sponsorship. Resumes can be e-mailed to peter@desser.com or faxed to the marketing department at 323/721-7888. NAMED: Undsey Murillo to the sales and marketing department at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Califomia, effective immediately. Murillo has been named sales and marketing coordinator. OPENED: Joe Rocket's redesigned homepage on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: 'NWW.joerocket.com. "We want W'NW.joerocket.com to be representative of our drive to succeed in the showroom, on the street, and of course on the racetrack," said Bruce Parker, marketing director for Joe Rocket. "This newly revamped site invites interaction from our customers and fans. It is important for us to hear from the Rocket Nation; we want to know what is happening out there. By accepting our customers' photos, stories and general accounts of their Joe Rocket experiences, this new website will prove to be an invaluable tool as we reach out and connect with the Rocket Nation." HIRED: Steve Fales as sales representative and technical specialist by VP Fuels, effective immediately. Fales will join the sales and technical support staff in VP's Atlantic region, which includes Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Eastem Ohio, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Maritimes. ACCEPTING: 196 Cycle Products is currently accepting racer resumes for the 200S season. Resumes can be sent to Beet Chemical Co., 200 1 Leymone Ave., Syracuse, NY 13208 or to bect 196@yahoo.com.