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
Orange County Roc:k§ NY Vinnie DiMartino, one of the stars of Orange County Choppers, made an appearance at Hard Rock Cafe New York to celebrate its grand opening in Times Square. The event featured a concert by supergroup Velvet Revolver, memorabilia donations by Reverend Run and Darryl of Run DMC, and special appearances by celebrities ranging from Les Paul, Elvis Costello, Steven Van Zandt and Ace Frehley to Mike Piazza and David Wright of the New York Mets and fashion icon Richie Rich. The event, held on Saturday, September 17, raised $100,000 for Peace Games, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the trend of violence in the United States by teaching children to become peacemakers in their schools and communities. (Rijht) Vinnie DiMartino of Orange County Choppers takes time to walk the re carpet at the grand opening. All proceeds from the event, which featured memorabilia donations from Reverend Run and Darryl of Run DMC and a concert by supergroup Velvet Revolver, benefit the charity Peace Games. (Below right) Velvet Revolver rocks out at the Hard Rock Cafe New York in Times Square. In addition to welcoming the Hard Rock to the "Crossroads of the World," the event raised $100,000. Travi§ Wad§ Big. Block Fourth. The Vermont SportsCar Subaru team experienced mixed fortunes on the dusty high-speed roads near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at this year's running of the Colorado Cog Rally. Burgeoning rally star Travis Pastrana crashed heavily on day two while battling for the lead, which helped persuade teammate Ken Block to drive conservatively to a fourth-overall finish, just seconds from a podium spot. There was a high rate of attrition at the Cog Rally, with numerous cars rolling Violently off the road. This was most likely due to the combination of high-speed, flat-out roads and their loose, dusty, gravelly surface. Some of the narrow dirt roads featured long straights and fast-flowing curves that saw the top competitors routinely reaching speeds over I 10 mph. Amazingly, only 10 cars out of 31 entrants finished the event! Day one of the rally saw Pastrana set a blistering pace, finishing the day in third overall, just seconds behind reigning U.S. Champion Pat Richard and WRC legend Stig Blomqvist. Pastrana had a victory within reach for the first time this season and has now proved he has the makings of a future champion. But things went spectacularly wrong on the first stage of day two when Pastrana left the road at high speed and rolled numerous times, destroying his car in the process. Both he and co-driver Christian Edstrom walked away from the shunt uninjured and in good spirits. "What a wild ride," Pastrana said. "It's amazing how the roll cage kept us safe. I'm really upset, because I felt at this rally I closed the gap to Pat and Stig, but at the same time I'm happy that Christian and I walked away from this unhurt." DC Shoes co-founder and star rookie rally driver Ken Block began the race with the goal of just finishing after crashing his car at the previous rally. After seeing Travis' car off the road, he slowed up. "It may be part of rally, but it is still hard to see," explained Block. "Travis' wreck was a catalyst to remind me of my original goal, which was to finish - not to push, but to finish." Although driving conservatively, Block traded stage times with former factory Mitsubishi driver Lauchlin O'Sullivan and finished the rally only six seconds behind the veteran driver. Block is now a shoo-in for rookie-of-the-year honors and has a lock on third in the Group N standings. Vermont SportsCar heads next to Rally New York, Sept. 29-Oct. I, with Ken Block. Rally New York is not part of Rally America Championship, but Block will be competing to gain further experience. Pastrana and Block will drive together again at the final round of the Rally America Championship, the Lake Superior Rally in Michigan, October 21-22. DC Shoes coofounder Ken Block on his way to fourth in the Colorado Cog Rally. To cast your vote, log on to www.cyclenews.com. WEb INSi-YE Cyclenews.com reader poll question of the week In the next few weeks, we'll be publishing our annual 250cc four-stroke motocross shootout. Of the bikes set to compete, which one interests you the most? A. Honda CRF250R C. Kawasaki KX250F E. KTM 250 SXF D. Suzuki RM-Z250F B. Yamaha YZ250F Online poll results from last week Of the new 2006 sportbikes recently featured the most interested in? A. Honda CBRIOOORR 476 119 B. Honda Interceptor C. Honda599 80 D. Kawasaki ZX-I OR 247 477 E. KawasakiZX-14 F. Kawasaki Ninja 650R 186 G. MV Agusta 910 Brutale 244 109 H. SuzukiGSX-R600 J. Suzuki GSX-R750 224 J. Triumph Daytona 675 501 446 K. YamahaR6 643 L. Yamaha RILE 191 M. Yamaha FJRI300 223 N. Yamaha FZI in Cycle News, which bike are you (11.43%) (2.86%) (1.92%) (5.93%) (11.45%) (4.46%) (5.86%) (2.62%) (5.38%) (12.03%) (1Q.71%) (15.43%) (4.58%) (5.35%) Total Replies; 4166 CYCLE NEWS • OOOBER 5, 2005 89