Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Abbott Dusts 'em at Lucerne Continued from page 9 Kawasaki's Destry Abbott collected his second win of the AMA FMF National Hare & Hound Series in Lucerne Valley, California, April 24, The win puts him in a tie for the series lead with Montclair Yamaha's Russell Pearson, who finished second, Third place went to Honda rider Norman Kendal, followed by Honda-mounted Steve Hengeveld and Kawasaki's David Pearson, Abbott started the race off in third but had the lead by the halfway point of the first loop, Abbott continued to lead into the second loop when things got close again because of course-marking problems. While Abbott searched for the course, Kendal and Russ Pearson rode up, and then they all looked for the course together. Once they figured things out, it was a three-way shootout to the finish. Abbott led the way to the checkered flag, while Pearson finished a close second. With two rounds left to go, Abbott and Pearson are dead even with I 10 points each, and both riders have two wins. Hengeveld is third with 72 points, followed by David Pearson with 62. Norman is fifth with 55 points. After a brief shutdown of the site to integrate new order and shipping methodologies, mxgear.com is back up and running, according to the company. "During the Christmas season, we learned that our current system was unable to handle the extremely large order load we were experiencing," sald Rick Campagna, president of mxgear.com. "Hence, our customer service on processing orders in a timely fashion was not where I wanted it to be." Former National and Supercross Champion Donnie Hansen will be conducting his annual motocross schools at the Washougal MX track in Washougal, Washington, on May 19-20 and May 21-22. For more information, call Donnie Hansen Motocross Academy at 7I9/49S-2624 or visit www.DHMA.com. Destry Abbott led most of the way to record his second win of the AMA FMF National Hare & Hound Series. Abbott and Russ Peorson ore now tied for the series points lead. Arenacross Ticket Sale Date Announced Talking Turkey Clear Channel Entertainment-Motor Sports announced that tickets will go on sale for the 2005-06 AMA National Arenacross Series on july 25. Individuals who register through the "Cross Club" option at the AMA National Arenacross official webSite. www.Arenacross.com. can purchase tickets on July 15. The AMA National Arenacross Series and its affiliated AMA Regional Arenacross program will kick off the new season on Friday night, October 28. at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York. In 2004-05, the AMA Arenacross Series made 26 stops across the United States with riders competing for championships at both the National and Regional levels. with Richmond Kawasaki rider Darcy Lange winning his second consecutive National title, while jeff Willoh rode his john Burr Cycles Honda to the Regional title. The AMA National Arenacross Series will also be returning to Speed Channel for 2005-06. This year's AMA National Arenacross Series has been featured on Speed with more than 26 hours of event broadcasts with average ratings more than double last year's ratings on OLN. A major highlight of the 2005-06 National Arenacross Series will be an updated event format designed to bring a new level of Yamaha Motor Germany's Turkish superstock rider Kenan Sofuoglu had the honor of taking the first lap of the newly built racetrack of Istanbul, Turkey, which will hold the first-ever Turkish MotoGP race on October 23. Despite the fact that the circuit is far from ready, about 1000 men are still working nonstop to get it finished. Sofuoglu rode a lap on a standard YZF-R I to get a first impression on its layout. According to the 20-year-oid, who has become a major star in his home country, the circuit will provide a stiff challenge for the MotoGP stars. "My first impressions are very positive. It seems to become a great circuit and very challenging," he said. "It's undulating, and there is even a section similar to the famous Corkscrew corner of the Laguna Seca racetrack in the U.S." Also in attendance was Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The statesman and a delegation of the parliament were not only impressed by Sofuoglu's wheelie antics, but Erdogan also showed big interest in motorsports and Kenan's function as role model for Turkish motorcycle racers. He has promised to try to find a gap in his busy schedule to visit one of Sofuoglu's races this season. While Sofuoglu has ambitions to race in MotoGP himself on day, this weekend he starts his quest to win the 2005 FIM Superstock 1000 cup. The winner of the 2002 German Yamaha R6 cup. Kenan finished third last year in his rookie season on the RI, behind his fellow YZF-R I competitors Lorenzo A1fonsi and Gianluca Vizziello. With both the Italians moving on to the Superbike class, Sofuoglu will start the year as one of the favorites for the title. "I want to win the title this year as a step to greater things to come, but the competition will be hard," Sofuoglu said. "We have had some very good tests, but only the first race this weekend at Valencia will prove exactly where we stand." excitement to each evening's racing. In the past, a rider accumulated points for the National Arenacross Championship by competing in two separate displacement classes each night. For the all-new 2005-06 series, riders competing for the AMA National Arenacross Championship will earn points from a single main event each night. According to Todd jendro, senior director of operations for Clear Channel's Arenacross and supercross programs, the change will enhance the experience for both riders and spectators. "By focusing the championship from a combination of classes to a single class, we also focus the entertainment experience for our fans with a single, winner-take-all evening race format, patterned after the THQ AMA Supercross Series. By dropping the requirement for riders to compete in two separate classes each weekend, we also make it much easier for individual riders to compete for the National title. I am excited about the plan to modernize the AMA National Arenacross Series and to bring its structure more inline with the supercross program. AMA National Arenacross has always been a complimenting program to the THQ AMA Supercross Series. and the changes that will be adopted in 2005-06 only help to reinforce that relationship. "The AMA National Arenacross Championship will be open to Pro riders competing on any size approved motorcycle from 125cc two-strokes to the thundering 450cc four-strokes," Jendro further reported. "This displacement range has been used for many years for the National Arenacross Series, and we're simply allowing riders to make the choice for themselves as to what size machine they feel best meets their performance needs and riding style." In addition, Jendro explained. ''As we put the finishing touches on the plans for the 2005-2006 Arenacross programs, we are working on a schedule for the AMA National Arenacross Series that is coordinated with the schedule for the THQ AMA Supercross Series that would have the National Arenacross Tour wrap up prior to the start of the 125 Eastern Region Supercross Series, which will allow riders to compete for titles in both programs by avoiding overlapping schedules." The complete schedule for the 2005-06 AMA National and Regional Arenacross Series' will be released prior to the announced on-sale date, and fans can keep up on all the latest Arenacross news at www.Arenacross.com. the official Internet site for Arenacross. The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame is excited to announce it wiil open its most recent exhibit, "Hollywood on Two Wheels," in May 2005. The exhibit will consist of 40-plus motorcycle film posters from the '60s and '70s, the height of the B movie era. "This collection of posters represents films that, by today's standards, would seem outrageous. However it's undeniable that they are an important part of our history," museum director Pepper MasseySwan said. "The poster art depicts ridiculous stereotypes and uses outlandish descriptions, but at the same time, it's a wonderful trip down memory lane!" The collection is owned by local motorcycle restorer Lonnie lsam, Jr. and will be on loan to the museum through the 2005 Rally. The World Enduro Championship round::;, scheduled in the Czech Republic for July 23 will now take place in Most (instead of _"'. q Dvur Kralove). In addition, the last round of the season, scheduled for Italy, October 1516, will now be held in Schilpario, which is roughly 38 miles from Bergamo. The online signup for the Racing 2 Save Uves (RlSL) Children's Charity event, scheduled for May 11-13 at Pikes Peak International Raceway, is now ongOing at the R2SL website. By registering via the website, participants can create a profile for themselves, reserve garage spaces in PPIR's pro-level paddock, and even prepay their minimum donations online. "We have also integrated our transponders with the web site, allowing us to provide daily tracking of miies, goals and donations," explained Ralph Forsythe, operations director for R2SL. "This new system will streamline the sign-in and participation process, and give participants more time to ride. Of course, anyone is welcome to sign up and ride when they arrive at PPIR. and preregistration is not mandatory." For more information, visit www.racing2savelives.org. Former I980s professional motocross racer Loch Names was badly injured while riding his motorcycle on Friday, April 15. Loch, was riding his Honda CRF450 at a private motocross track when he cross-rutted and shot off the side of a jump. Names landed on both feet, badly shattering both ankles and his left tibia/fibula. and also breaking Continued on poge 15 CYCLE NEWS • MAY 4,2005 11 ~

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