Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Strijbos and Cairoli Win in Loket I Strijbos won the Grand Prix of Czech everything went perfect." Everts worked hard coming through the Republic with consistent 4-1 results in pack in the second race after taking an excit- Loket, August 7. Second place was Rinaldi Yamaha rider Stefan Everts, who also posted 1-4 finishes, while third place went to CAS Honda rider josh Coppins with 3-2 results. Strijbos, who has missed most of ing win in moto one. The Belgian legend was fighting hard to make up ground after a fall in the second moto and did an admirable job working his way inside the top five. Third-placed Coppins was happy with his results, although he was disappointed to lose n pouring rain, Suzuki factory rider Kevin the season due to injury. returned to the GP scene just recently but lacked the results of the previous season. At the Loket circuit, however, the youngster turned things aground drastically. "I have not realized that I have won today; maybe on Monday it will sink in," Strijbos said. "I just practiced harder after last week's race in Nismes. It was a bad Last weekend was not good. I had started bad, but today season for me until now. more points to Everts in the championship battle. In the MX2 class, it was De Carli Yamaha rider Antonio Cairoli who won with 1-2 Cairoli, who re-signed with the De Carli Yamaha team and will remain in Europe in 2006 and 2007, was more than happy with his win, as it closed the series points to just one with four rounds remaining. Pourcel finished a brilliant second and took his first-ever Grand Prix race win after a battle with Cairoli. McFarlane was happy with his third-place overall despite suffering a painful toe injury. Geoff Meyer results, leading home Freeman Kawasaki rider Christophe Pourcel, who scored his first-ever GP moto win and finished with 5-1 results. Third place was series leader Andrew McFarlane of the Ricci Yamaha Kevin Strijbos went 4·1 to win the MXI class at Laket, Czech Republic. team. Amateur MXers Crowned at Loretta Lynn's Of the nearly 23,000 entries, 33 AMA Amateur National Champions were crowned at the 24th annual AMNAir Nautiques poor middle moto lefthima 1-5-1 second overall. locked up by California riders. Honda's Daniel Sani won the 250cc A Pro Sport class, and Kawasaki's Scott Simon won the 250cc A pete in three 20-minute motos at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, National Champions. Oregon's josh Hill, riding Yamaha YZ250Fs, collected his sixth and seventh AMA National Championships at Loretta Lynn's by taking the 125cc B Stock and Modified titles. Honda rider justin Barcia took titles in both the Stock and Modified divisions of the 85cc (12-13) classes back to his New York home, and Ohio's Mike Katin won both the 25-Plus and 30-Plus Vet Championships on his Suzuki. Pro ranks. (Lawrence was ineligible for the Michigan's Sarah Whitmore returned to to determine the 2005 champions. All 99 Tennessee's Kevin Walker rode into the award because he is already competing on take the Women's Championship on her motos were held in near-perfect conditions history books by clinching his 1Ith National Championship with a win in the 35-Plus class. Walker is now tied atop the all-time Championship list with James Stewart and Mike Alessi. But Walker, a heavy favorite in the 30-Plus class, lost the title to Katin after a the Professional AMA Motocross National circuit.) Yamaha after another series of duels with rival Honda rider Jessica Patterson. Like Katin was awarded the Vet Horizon Walker in the Vet classes, WMA Champion Patterson had a bad middle moto, and her 19-1 meant third overall at Loretta Lynn's. Joson W;egon.~ Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynn's Ranch presented by Amsoil, August 16. The entries at the Area and Regional qualifying levels were narrowed down to 1386 finalists - 42 per class - all of who would com- throughout the week, with the podium finishers in each mota receiving gold, silver and bronze medals from event organizers MX Sports. The big winners included three double Vermeulen: Suzuka Rookie Though Chris Vermeulen rides a Honda in the World Superbike Championship, he is not contracted to Honda Racing Corporation. "[fhe Suzuka 8 Hours] is just a one-off," Vermeulen said at the 8 Hours. "HRC needed some riders, and we came for a test for the ride initially in the end of April. We had to test for the ride. HRC liked us [Fujiwara and Vermeulen], and they put us into one team together. HRC didn't say anything after the April test, but then we had to come back for another test. Then we got a notification a couple of weeks after that, and then it was just like straight into a two-day test, and then the race. It was quite hectic." Although most of the great road racers from Australia have competed in the Suzuka 8 Hours, the japanese classic was not a big personal goal for Vermeulen before he got the call from HRC. "It's not something I felt 1had to do, but it Though Vermeulen rides a Honda CBR IOOORR in the World Superbike Championship, that bike is significantly different from the CBR IOOORRW 8 Hours bike. "The World Superbike team is not factory," Vermeulen said. "We have support from Honda Europe, and that's financial. The actual machine is built in Holland by Ten Kate. This is a really different bike. To start with, the tires are different, from Pirelli to Michelin; suspension is different, from WP to Showa; brakes are different, from Nissin to I 25cc A Pro Sport class, and Kawasaki's Ryan Villapoto, the Washington native who won his first title with a 125cc A Championship. Villopoto was awarded the coveted AMA Sports Horizon Award, given to the Amateur graduate who shows the most promise in the Award, and Barcia received the Youth Horizon Award. Two other Expert-class titles were also class. Lawrence missed out on a chance to win two titles due to a crash and trouble restart- ing his bike in the 250cc A Pro Sport class, while his Suzuki teammate, Mike laPaglia, also of California, won the Four-Stroke Championship but crashed out of the third and final 250cc A moto while leading. test. They just tested our physical strength and endurance. Then they gave us training regimes to do. Obviously, that's hard to do when you're traveling between japan and my races in Europe for the World Championship. 1 have just extended my train- ing from when 1 would normally run for 45 minutes. I run for a bit over an hour now." humid Japanese summer engine-Wise. I wouldn't say it has more weather, but this did not power than my superbike, but it's fairly strong. I do know that they detune them for seem to Vermeulen. these races because, obviously, they have got "[fhe weather] is not too bad," he said. "I said. "I'm really enjoying it - not only the race, but to work with a factory team. It's the first ers, a point HRC made with Vermeulen. time in my career I've had that opportunity. "HRC have got trainers," he said. "When we first came for the test we did a physical It's been a great experience." career title by winning the highly competitive Brembo; and this bike is built by HRC, and my bike is built in Holland. I might as well be getting on a completely different motorbike, it's so different. The bike feels quite strong, to get fuel consumption and reliability. Eight hours of full gas on a bike is hard work for it." The 8 Hours is also hard work for the rid- would be a great experience," the Australian Other riders to note included Suzuki's Jason Lawrence, who notched his fourth 10 AUGUST 17,2005 • CYCLE NEWS Part of the physical difficulty is the hot and bother Chris Vermeulen and his Suzuka 8 Hours teammate, Katsuaki Fujiwara. grew up on the sunshine coast in Australia, just north of Brisbane, and it's quite warm there. Our summer's just like this. Okay, I haven't spent the last few years there, but the conditions here are not too bad. I did speak to a few guys when I found out I was doing the 8 Hours - Peter Goddard, Mick Doohan, people like that. They're like, 'It's qUite hard work, but you'll enjoy it when it's done.'" Tracy Hogen

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