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/128398
Lion Racing's john Haner is living a lifestyle that hundreds of racers before him can relate to. The 28-year-old from Pearland, Texas, travels the AMA Superbike circuit in a van, making it week to week off of the previous weekend's payout. Haner is hoping all the hard work pays off in a factory ride, like so many Texas racers before him - in particular his close friend Ben Spies. Despite running a privateer effort, Haner turned some heads in 2005 with some quick rides against the factory boys, and he finished the year with a credible fifth overall in the final AMA Superstock standings. cn: You ended up fifth for the year In the Superstock class, How would you assess your year? johnhaner: We didn't get the motorcycles from Suzuki until about six or seven days before the second round at Barber, and then everything was a learning process. We had a lot of issues with setup to get the bikes to last the whole distance. Sometimes the tires wouldn't last the whole race because of setup or whatever. We were really good for the first half of the race, but myself and my teammate jake Holden were getting reputations as faders, which wasn't the case. That was as fast as we could run, because the bikes wouldn't be there anymore. We could run fast for four, six, sometimes eight laps, but then it was over with and we would start dropping back. So it was an uphill battle all year. cn: What was your program like for this year? johnhaner: It was just me and my mechanic, Brett Champaign, against the factories. We had Carry Andrew at Hyper-Cycle building the motors, but that was about it. He built and maintained the bikes. We could get up there and battle with those guys, but at that point, a lot of it boils down to equipment. The equipment we had was really good, Suzuki makes a really good bike, and the tires are really good for the first half of the race, but it is the total package that counts. All of the top racers in the United States are close, but it just boils down to the equipment. If you've got the team and equipment behind you, then look what Ben Spies did. If you get on that equipment, then you are going to go faster. cn: It looked like your comefrom-behind ride at the final round In Atlanta proved your ability. [Haner took fifth In the Superstock class.] johnhaner: Yeah, in the race, I didn't get a great start and got up to seventh on the first lap and just tried to put my head down, but I took a little too long to get around Michael Barnes. When I finally got around, I was able to make a move, and I caught Steve Rapp on the last lap and [Damon] Buckmaster, as well. I was about a half a bikelength behind Buckmaster at the finish. Pirelli had given us some new tires for the last part of the season, and we were finally coming to grips with them. We were really fast out of the box, and our race times were faster than almost everybody. Uason] DiSalvo put in some fast times but could never really back them up. I went out and qualified with Roger [Hayden], and I towed him around the first three laps, and I was on a new front and used rear, just trying to get warmed up. I came in and put qualifiers on, and Roger had gone to first on the gird and I was fifth at that particular point in qualifying. We go back out and he towed me around, and we came out of the last corner and got ready to go into our flyer, and I went into tum one and with new pads - I ended up tucking the front. So the qualifying time I had, pushing the wind by myself, was only good for ninth. So, I put myself in a hole. cn: Do you have anything lined up for next year? johnhaner: No, there is a lot of talking going on right now, but nothing is on paper. I think we turned a lot of heads this year, which helped, but falling back at the end of the races really makes us look bad. But, if someone can look past that and take a gamble, then I think their gamble will payoff. Adam Raga: Spanish Hero sports figures in Spain after recently winning the 2005 title. cn: How does it feel to wrap up the title early? adamraga: It is a dream come true. When you are so close to a goal, sometimes you are afraid that something may prevent you from becoming the champ, so it feels very good to win it. Up until this past September, it had been nearly a decade since the trials-fanatical country of Spain had been able to boast of haVing an Outdoor World Trials Champion. Undoubtedly, Spain is, and has been, the trials capitol of the world and has consistently placed more riders into the top lOaf the world standings each year than any other country. Though Spaniards dominated the sport from 1987 to I99S, more recently Great Britain's Douggie Lampkin and japans Takahisa FUjunami have won, leaving the Spanish public desperate for a champion to call its own once again. So it is no wonder that these days Adam Raga has become one of the most celebrated cn: You started the year with a strong win In Spain after takIng a second In Portugal. but then you seemed to struggle In Japan and In the U.S. What were the differences in your finishes in those countries? adamraga: It was just small things. Each time, for different reasons, I finished fourth when it could have been firsts and seconds. cn: Were there some conditions during the year that greatly favored the four-stroke motorcycles - the factory Montesas? adamraga: Not really, what favored them was the great abilities of their riders, Lampkin and FUjinami. cn: You are certainly the undls- putable king of indoor trials. but what has been the difference this year to make you the champion In the outdoor events? adamraga: A little bit of everything. I rode better in wet conditions, and this year I had more experience and less bad luck. I finished well, despite the fact that there were more riders capable of winning an event. cn: It has been nine years since Spain has had an outdoor champion. How important is this victory to the Spanish public? adamraga: Very important. My country needed this championship. The press, the government and the public in general have taken good notice, and they appreciate it greatly. cn: You have always finished well in dry conditions. but you were better this year In the wet conditions. Did you work on this during the off season? adamraga: Not as much as I wanted, because it does not rain much in Spain. cn: Have you become as recognized to the Spanish public now as Tarres is? adamraga: Well, I suppose I will be when I will have seven World titles. cn: You seem to be of the same mold as the great Jordi Tarres. You have brought a new riding style to the sport, as did Tarres. that is now being emulated by the young riders. How much influence has Tarres had on your career? adamraga: A lot. jordi is my adviser, my friend, my sporting father, my minder, etc. He has helped me in every aspect, but mostly in the mental parts of trials. cn: What are your plans for 2006? adamraga: To try to keep the number I on my plate and to win as many events as I can. cn: Are there any plans to test the Gas Gas four-stroke? adamraga: The bike will be tested first by other riders on the Gas Gas team. later on, I suppose I will test it. S""" Moorel Trials Competition Newspaper