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/128381
rom pa Interesting Sight: Most of the time, riders usually depart the track when they get a Continue Nationals, Narita said - in broken English that High Point is his favorite track... and then smiled real big. Motosport Outlet team boss Bill Tanner was asked if there have been any communication problems with Narita and the team. "Both Akira and his mechanic, Adam Walters, speak moto," Tanner said. ride on the Asterix Mobile Medic cart, but Team Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Grant Langston got a ride to the track for the start of the first I25cc moto. Langston, who dislocated his left ankle in that last-lap, last-tum incident with Mike Alessi the previous week at Hangtown, did all he could to stay off the ankle until the very last minute. He later pulled out of the moto after twisting the ankle. Getting ready for Southwick, 125cc class points leader Mike Brown will head down to Ricky Carmichael's compound in Florida for some serious sand training. "It's always Last week at Hangtown, Ricky Carmichael mentioned that he still has some things to work out on the new RMZ450, leaving some to question if the bike is actually any good. He cleared up all doubts at High Point: '" think the way I meant it to come across was, I believe that the bike is going to get better," Carmichael said. "It is really good to be running the speeds that we're running. I feel that I can go faster on it, but I just think it's going to get better. We're testing every single week. We had a new setup this weekend, and it was IO-times better. The bright side of it is, I'm doing really good, and it is just going to keep getting better. That's how I meant for intense - very intense," Brown said of the it to come out." and Kawasaki, as they were the race's top privateers. Ricky Carmichael and Mike Alessi both moved a step closer to Monster Energy's $25,000 Triple Crown bonus, winning the first round of the three-round deal (Red Bud and Steel City being the other two rounds). If either rider sweeps, he gets $25,000. If both sweep, they spilt all the Monster loot. sand sessions at Carmichael's. Rain on Saturday delayed practice by an hour. Due to the muddy conditions, though, many riders elected to not participate. There were only 12 riders in the top20 practice session. "I knew that the Saturday practice was not going to simulate the race conditions, therefore I felt like, what would Ileam as a rider?" Kevin Windham said. "I could stand a chance of hurting myself and tearing up my bike. I don't think it hurt me at all." After riding, and struggling, in the 125cc class at Hangtown, Team Maestro/Suzuki rider Josh Woods decided that the 250cc class is the class for him. "I just needed to come to the realization that I needed to ride in the 250 class," Woods said. "It's probably been something that I needed to do for a little while now, and I'm really happy I did it now. I'm way happier on this bike than I am on a 2S0F. So, hopefully I can just build on it from here." You will be seeing a lot of James Stewart on the tube this year, and not all of it will be him on a motorcycle. The popular Kawasaki star will be on the new ABC reality show "World's Hardest Working Family," a deal that a Kawasaki employee won, and Bubba will make a guest appearance. Next up will be ESPN's "Timeless," which is set to run in early june. Then he is also going to be on "Ride With Funk Master Flex" on ESPN. Both Mike Brown and jean-Sebastien Roy walked away with brand-new Pro Circuitmodified Kawasaki KLX I lOs and a check for $500 from Monster Energy Drinks According to Reed's trainer, Dr. jeff Spencer, Chad Reed did not suffer a concussion when he fell during practice at Hangtown the previous week. "Though Chad didn't have a concussion, you never want to guess with anything," Spencer said. "Swift, accurate diagnosis was our top priority." Nathan "Nate Dawg" Ramsey may have a new nickname - "Skate Dawg." Ramsey, who is a fairly accomplished skater, recently built a skateboard half-pipe in his backyard and has been skating a bit in his spare time. "It's a 16-foot-wide, 4-foot-high mini half-pipe. And you can tell I built it," he said with a laugh. When asked what the KTM bosses think of his form of exercise, Ramsey said, "It's safe to say skating a mini-ramp's a bit less risky than the downhill sections at Glen Helen." So can a 12-time champion stilileam from other riders? According to Ricky Carmichael, he is leaming every weekend. "I think I gained a pass today by watching the 125 guys," Carmichael said. "I think you can leam from anybody; you are never good enough. I think you can always be better." Renthal has introduced a trick, new bar pad featuring newgraphics. The Team Kawasaki bikes were sporting the new pad, as were other RenthaJsponsored riders in the pits. The pad should After experiencing an engine problem that forced team rider Tim Ferry out of a moto at Hangtown the previous week, the call came in from Yamaha engineering to remove all the motors from the race bikes - including Reed's and Vuillemin's - and bring them back to Cypress, Califomia, to fix the problem, reportedly a crankshaft issue. japan's Akira Narita had some fond memories of High Point. Back in 200 I, Narita and Travis Pastrana engaged in an epic moto battle, with Pastrana eventually pulling off the win despite a spirited charge from Japan's number-one motocross racer. Settling into his first full season racing the be available to the public soon. With the muddy conditions, everyone was doing all they could to keep their shoes looking good. Some wore rubber boots while others elected to use different means. Paul Carpenter wore some stylish custom Vans shoes for walking around CYCLE NEWS • JUNE 8,2005 19