Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... KTM Unleashes 250 SXF Continued from page 9 T he wait is finally over for the 2005 KTM 250 5XF. KTM introduced its long-awaited 250cc four-stroke motocrosser at Perris Raceway in California on April 26. Even though the bike arrived late and well into the 2005 model year, KTM says it will not be much different from the 2006 model. The 250 SXF is impressive, to say the least. The new double-overhead cam titanium-valve motor boasts an abundant amount of torque yet still revs out with the best of them. We tried a few secondgear starts and found that the new KTM wants to wheelie out of the gate and pull hard down the straight. Simply put, this bike is fast. The 250 5XF's handling is just works extremely well, too. Right out of the crate, the KTM felt solid down the fast straights and soaked up the hard landings nicely. We also liked the way the bike railed through ruts and berms and got us through the turns quickly. Like the other bikes in the KTM family, the 250 SXF comes equipped with alu- Team SC Caracchi World Superbike rider Lorenzo Lanzi underwent surgery in the Imola Central Hospital in Imola, Italy, on April 27, to repair the broken left collarbone suffered in a crash during race one of the World Superbike Championship round at Valencia, Spain, on April 24. Surgeons plated the collarbone, and Lanzi was released the next day. Lanzi is expected to be at the Monza, Italy, round of the series on May 8, though his race status is questionable. minum-oversized bars, a gripper seat and a hydraulic clutch. The SXF does, however, have a new gas cap unique to the 250 thumper in that it takes just a quarter turn to twist it on and off. Fox Racing, in conjunction with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, has developed and introduced five motocrossthemed slot machines. The casino invited the top brands from each of the action . The frame is painted black and, like the rest of the bike, is all new. The swingarm is also an updated version of the ones found on the other 2005 KTMs. as impressive as the motor, and our initial Keep an eye on an upcoming issue of feeling is that it rates right up there with the best of them, including the Cycle News 250cc four-stroke shootout-winning Honda CRF250R. The WP suspension Cycle News for a more in-depth look and impression of the KTM 250cc four-stroke sports segments, and Fox was chosen to represent the motocross industry. Look for the motocross-inspired Fox Slot Machines on the main noor in the Hard Rock adjacent to the Hard Rock's "Circle Bar." motocrosser. Brendan Lutes Daniel Richard Moore, who oversaw operations and operated large machinery for the last 15 years at Glen Helen Raceway, passed away on April 4 at his residence at the raceway. Moore, 77, had been with the track from its first days of operation. Stobart Honda rider Jeremy McWilliams missed round four of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park on May I due to injury. The 41-year-old Ulsterman suffered an injury to his right shoulder in a crash at Thruxton in round two of the series, and the former GP win- ner struggled throughout the Mallory Park meeting on April 24, which led to him retiring in both races. McWilliams has since sought medical advice and has been advised to rest the injury. As a result, he will not be taking his place on the grid at Oulton. "Jeremy's injured, so the sensible thing to do is for him to rest this weekend," team owner Paul Bird explained. "We've taken this decision so that he has time to recuperate and hopefully bounce back to the kind of form that that we know he is capable of when the series visits his home circuit at Mondel- lo Park in two weeks time, providing he is fit enough. His absence will also allow us to concentrate more time and effort into Ford Fences Flat Trackers oped an excellent working relationship with In an effort to improve safety and bolster relations between the sport of nat track's used at the Springfield Mile and DuQuoin flat track series over the past three years and Mile," said Tommra Luparell, executive direc- are looking forward to the positive feedback sponsors, promoters and racers, the Ford tor of the IMDA. "That is twice the number of Airfence modules that has ever been used in the history of nat track racing." According to its website, Airfence Safety Systems is an Australian-based, global company committed to providing the highest quality, affordable and practical safety systems for motor (and other) sports, particularly motorcycle racing. "As the series sponsor, Ford Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned wanted to strengthen our partnership with the AMA and Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned program - title sponsor of the 2005 AMA Flat Track Series - announced that it has arranged a sizable grant for the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association (IMDA) in order to purchase additional Airfence-brand safety barriers for flat track racing. The Ford Quality Checked grant to the IMDA, a not-for-profit trade association for the Illinois motorcycle dealers, comes in addition to existing Airfence modules (on loan from the AMA), providing additional safety measures above and beyond that which the rules dictate. "Thanks to the Ford Quality Checked 'Rider Safety Improvement' grant, the IMDA has purchased 30 Airfence modules to be series promoters by simultaneously taking steps to assist the series financially while also improving rider safety," said Mike Dennis, Ford's Quality Checked Certified PreOwned program manager. "We have devel- the IMDA through our involvement with the ensuring that both Gary Mason and Michael Laverty continue the progress we made at Mallory, and we are hoping for some good results this weekend." from the riders on the series' access to the additional Airfence." Flat tracker Henry Wiles, who got a firsthand look at how well the Airfence works when he crashed into a turn-three section of the barrier during the Labor Day 2004 running of the Springfield Mile, welcomed the news that more Airfence would be available. ':

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