Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Indianapolis. IN . Februery 1 a. 2000 AMA/EA Sports Supercross Series Round 6: RCA Dome night," the Floridian said. "The way I chance to be top three on the podium, but things didn't work out my way. I rode good and I came from behind. I put in a strong ride. I think I'm getting stronger and stronger Eraldo Ferracci was busy doing what he's done all his life, fretting over motorcycles, organizing race team and making sure everyone was well fed. But instead of standing under the awning of the red Fast by Ferraccl Ducati transporter at a World Superbike race, Ferracci was in the shadow order ever. of a dark blue FBF/Husqvama semi in Ferracci said he'd already begun develthe pits of the Indianapolis Superopment of the MV, but had to shelve it when cross. he began work on the Husky 250. The amiable Italian is taking the Ferracci's son, Larry, runs the business of year off from road racing, and the Ferimporting the Husqvarna, MV Agusta, and racci family has moved into superCagiva brands for North America. Larry Fercross and motocross full-time, though raccj felt that the situation wasn't right to they've gotten off to a rocky start. continue in road racing for 2000, so they World Champion Alessio Chiodi decided to take a year off. injured himself before the season "I was concerned last year with the situastarted and continues to be out of tion that was around multiple teams," Larry action. In his place, the team's other Ferracci said. "Ducati made it right for us, two riders, Robbie Skaggs and Paul but this year, unless they made it real right, Carpenter (right), began their assault it was better to take a year off and look at on the 125cc Eastem Regional title at possibilities for the future. We didn't cut any the RCA Dome. ties with Ducat!. We'll probably come around Chiodi will be out another month somewhere during the course of the year and is recuperating at home in Brescia, Italy, according to Ferracci. testing something, we just don't know what yet. We've kept the relaOriginally it was thought that the two vertebrae he fractured would tionship going with everyone. We've had a long relationship with keep him sidelined, but a lingering wrist injury is what's now holding Ducat!. It's not going to end overnight. Those people are real helphim back. ful. They reaUy like my father and the way we do business." "He broke the wrist and they put on the cast, but they didn't Of the three brands that Ferracci currently imports, "Right now bother to fix it," Ferracci said. "His back is better than the wrist." When he's ready to start riding, Ferracci will fly to Califomia to meet . the focus of attention is on Husky, because we're-reintroducing it into the marketplace, where it was really a famous name at one him at a supercross track they've built and maintained near Glen point and it kind of went down. We're trying to get it back in the Helen Raceway. limelight. Ferracci was making his first appearance at a Supercross after "We've sold 1100 units, which is probably the highest it's been in years spent on the road race circuit. "This is a little more relaxed," 10 years. What we tried to do first is try to re-establish a parts distrihe said, "because it's not one week at a time, every moment you bution center for them based out of our facility and then make the have a different problem. Here, if you have a problem in one day it's marketplace accessible to them, because a lot of dealers had conall over." cerns about the old regime. It's been a long road. There's a lot of Ferracci said he built the engines on the Husqvarna 125s that competition, but it's fun." Chiodi, Skaggs, and Carpenter race. Even though he hasn't worked The program began with Chiodi racing the first three ] 25cc on two-strokes for a long time, it was nothing new. Western Regionals last year, with an eye toward a full season this "I used to work on Bene"is," the former Benelli factory road racer year. With Chiodi's injuries, though, the team has re-focused on the said. Eastem Regionals with Skaggs and Carpenter, The team will also contest the ] 25cc motocross nationals, and every week. I got a bad start in the a heat, and all night I had to play catch-up. " The battle for fifth raged for much of the race, a pack of five being whittled down to a few, with Huffman emerging from the group. Like Carmichael, Huffman wasn't happy with his starts, but also Ferracci said they were working on a 250cc Husqvarna for next year. In 200], Ferracci will return to road rae· ing, most likely racing the MV Agusta 750. "Not this year, next year for sure," Ferracci said of road racing. "I was trying to do it this year, but my son was thinking it was too much. I have a lot of other private teams to take care of." In addition to building the motorcycles for the newly formed Competition Accessories team of Larry Pegram, Ferracci builds motorcycles for over a dozen riders in both North and South America. The shop recently took delivery of 40 engines, their largest [?@[ff?CfJ@@D (][f@ft(lDUD[jL see it, that ruined my night. I had a like Carmichael, he had the stamina to keep up the heat late in the race despite dropping back as far as ninth place. His reward was a fifth place. "I had a really good line in the whoops, and that's where I made a lot of my passes after getting really close to people and setting them up," Huffman said. "I felt strong to the end. I need to get out with those first five people in the very beginning. I know I can run the pace and stay up there. "I started flowing in the middle pClrt of the race, and toward the end I rode well," Huffman added. "It feels like when we ride in the domes, there's like zero air movement, and you really start to burn up and really get hot. And a lot of times people will get tired and start fading and crashing. Some other people, like Windham, got tired. It worked out toward the end, but I need to work on my first five laps more." The last rider he passed was BRIEFLY. •• There was moment a brief when it appeared that Mazdal Chaparral Yamaha's Jeremy McGrath (left) might have been penalized for the way he was riding. It came on the fifth lap of the main event. Planet Honda's Isaiah Johnson and Great Lakes Aviation's Heath Voss had crashed just after the finish jump. Voss re-mounted, but Johnson ended up on the ground just past the forward base of the jump attracting a crowd of Raggers and track workers. McGrath was the first on the scene and flew the jump. then ran wide on the outside berm. a line that Honda's Kevin Windham. second at the time. followed. Most of the ensuing riders. seeing the trouble ahead and the waving yellows. slowed and took the inside line. "I know that there were yellow fiags. and I know that a lot of people probably saw that as a little bit of an iffy move." McGrath said. "I knew exactly where the guy was. and I knew what was going on. The flaggers may not have known what I was doing, but we're allowed to ride as long as we ride cautiously on the yellow. I didn't see a red-cross flag. I knew exactly where those guys were at. prOVided a ftagger didn't jump out in front of me. I was fully in control out there. They left the outside line open, they left the inside line open. I don't know if Kevin [Windham] was jumping it or not. I knew exactly where the guy was. As long as you know what's going on in front of you and you're focusing on that. and you're paying attention. it's reasonably okay to jump the double. " this was something special. The Mazda/Chaparral Yamaha team manager was a little bit worried when McGrath took sick the previous Sunday night. "It happens to everybody," Brooks said. "He's human like everybody. He laid in bed for a couple of days. Finally. we figured out what was going on and sent him to the doctor and gave him some antibiotics. and it took him three days to get out of bed. He was in bed until Wednesday night. Thursday he got up and walked around a little bit and Friday he got on an airplane. The guy's incredible. He does such an incredible job. He's almost super-human." As for what to expect from McGrath in the Pontiac Silverdome next week. "He'lI just rest up a little bit and then go out and do a couple of days of riding. He's a healthy guy, he trains a lot and he eats right. and that's what's important. " Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's John Dowd had a rough night at the Houston Supercross. where he finished 11 tho At Indy things didn't go much much better. The difference was in how he rode. Dowd got tangled up in a first-turn scrum and ended up going through the hay bales and over the berm. along with Great Lakes Aviation's Heath Voss. At the end of the night he was 13th. "The worst part about tonight is that I felt like I was riding good," Dowd said. "Last week. I just rode kind of crappy. But this week I felt like I was pretty fast." As for the start, Dowd explained that he was on the outside on the start. "And I didn't have any choice but to try to just charge in there and ride in high in the comer." he said. "I got pushed off the berm, I just went Rying right out of there. I was right there. I almost might have had the start. I think it was Jeremy on the inside. I just kind of got pushed up and bounced. I'm a little sore. but nothing major. so that's the good thing." American Honda's Ezra Lusk will take time out from promoting the Atlanta Supercross to fly to Los Angeles for a television taping. The Bainbridge. Georgia. rider will be taping "The Roseanne Barr Show" on February 23. just three days before the Atlanta race. In order to minimize his time away from Georgia, Lusk will Ry out on the day of the taping and fly back on a red-eye. Lusk continues to recover from injuries suf· fered in the opening round of the SuperLarry Brooks has seen the best of the Jeremy McGrath. but 8 FEBRUARY 23, 2000' cue I e n cross series in Anaheim. eVIl's 989 Sports took advantage of the popularity of South Bend's Mike laRocco to promote their games. The Amsoil/Competition AccessorieslJack in the Box Honda rider made an appearance at Game World, a video game store in Indianapolis, which attracted a steady flow of fans who wanted his signature on his image. LaRocco's picture is featured on the front of the 989 Sports Supercross circuit game. The store also had copies of EA Sports Supercross 2000 and the THQ game featuring Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Ricky Carmichael. FMF/American Honda's Brock Sellards was back on a 125, racing for the Eastem Regional title after competing in the 250cc class at the first five Western Regional races. According to FMF's Danny laPorte. Sellards is a little small for the 250. "He needs to put more pounds on," laPorte said. "You need more power to run the 250 than the 125." laPorte said Sellards looked a little stiff in practice. "After doing so well on the 250. he needs to relax." Michael Brandes, another FMF IHonda rider. came into Indy to contest the Eastern Regional Series at a slight disadvantage. "He crashed a while back and crashed again. His wrist is bothering him. It's a little thing, but it bothers him. It's not the way you want to start the series." La Porte said. Later in the evening. after Brandes and Brock Sellards finished 1-2 in the Eastern Regional maln, laPorte was all smiles. The winner of Saturday night's Racer X Gas Card was privateer Jason Thomas, who finished third in the 250cc last chance qualifier, earning him the distinction of being the highestplacing qualifier not to make the main event. Thomas is the sixth different rider to earn the $250 that comes with the Racer X Gas Card at each round of the 2000 EA Sports Supercross tour. The other reCipients were. in order of the events: Shaun Perolio. Shayne King, James Povolny Jr" Heath Voss and Grayson Goodman. Nathan Ramsey. the 1999 Western Regional 125cc Supercross Champion. was back on the track again after breaking his arm just before the series opener in January. The injury has forced him to compete in the East Coast Series. At Indy. Ramsey competed with this bulky brace but still finished a strong sixth.

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