Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Castrol Honda's Aaron Slight (below), finally diagnosed as suffering from arteriovenous malformation after months of problems with concentration, balance and visual focusing, has undergone a successful four-hour and 15- minute surgery to repair the condition, which had caused bleeding within his brain cavity. Slight's operation, conducted at Dale Cross Hospital in Sydney, Australia, on February 18, was deemed a success, with the ultrafit 34-year-old Kiwi rider being moved Denny Stephenson (Suz) was the big winner at the National Arenacross Series rounds held at the Denver Coliseum in Denver. Colorado. February 18-19. Stephenson won both 125 and 250cc main events on Saturday night. while series points leader Buddy Antunez (Suz) and Josh Demuth (Hon) scored the 125 and 250cc main event wins on Friday night. Stephenson went 2-4 on Friday night. A day before the opening round of the National Enduro series, FMF announced that it would be the title sponsor for the 14-round series, making this year's Quicksliver event in Coalinga, California on February 20, the very first AMA/FMF Racing National Championship Enduro. Multi-time series champion Randy Hawkins (Yam) carded the lowest score in windy, rainy and snowy conditions after 120 ground miles of racing. Ty Davis (Yam), the series' defending champion, finished second with Mike Lafferty (KTM) filling out the podium. Washington's David Lykke added yet another Yamaha to the top five by finishing fourth and beating out Brian Garrahan (KTM), who rounded out the top five. The fourth and finai round of the GFI Winter Series took place at Penris Raceway in California on Sunday, February 20. Taking 125cc Pro class honors was Michael Sleeter (Yam), followed by Dusty Walter (Yam) and Kevin Townsend (Han). When the 250cc Pro class took to the track, Mike Corder (Kaw) ended up the fastest, with Bryan McGavran CYam) and Sleeter in tow. from intensive care a full two days early. The long-term prognosis for the New Zealander is unknown, according to a report in a Sydney newspaper. His agent, Ian Miles, claimed that doctors say it is unclear whether it will take him two days or two years to get back on his feet after the surgery. Miles said Slight's recovery would be a "long slow slog" with no guarantee of a return to racing. "There is an immensely long way to go, and it's very slow progress," Miles said. "They don't know whether he'll be jumping around in two days, two weeks, two years. It's far too early to contemplate a return to racing. There's nothing to say that he couldn't, but there's nothing to say that he could, either." On February 20, Slight told visitors that he is determined to attend the opening round of the World Superbike Series in Kyalami, South Africa, on April 2. Slight's Castrol Honda team manager Neil Tuxworth commented: "The doctors have already said that they can look favorably towards Aaron making a return to racing. ObViously that is a long way away Nitro Harley-Davidsons competed in Australia recently to crown the first true World Champions in motorcycle drag racing. Americans dominated the final rounds at each of the three events. The champion was crowned based on the victory at the final event where Bill Furr of Orangeburg, South Carolina, won the final pass at 6.902 and 192.06 mph. Going into the event. Furr stated that consistency would win the event, and then his results proved him right. Through the day he clocked the qUickest qualifying pass. then ran a 6.78, a 6.91, and a 6.979 in the semi-final, to win by .01 of a second a second. He then clocked a yet. Right now we have to consider Aaron's health for the rest of his life and ensure he is allowed to recover in the manner the medical staff advises." Although awaiting definitive medical advice on whether or not Slight will be fit to race his all-new RC51 in the 2000 World Superbike Championship, even at a later stage of the season, it seems certain that HRC and the Castrol Honda team will be forced to look for a replacement for Slight, even in the short term. Although unconcerned with anything other than a successful conclusion to Slight's operation until now, Honda - faced with the season-opening race in just a month - will have to find a replacement for Slight sooner rather than later. Likely candidates for the temporarily vacated RC51 saddle include John Kocinski, Simon Crafar and Stefano Perugini, although any decision will depend on a final prognosis of Slight's recovery schedule. Gordon Ritchie/Darryl Flack 6.902-second run in the final. Mark Conner of Canyon Lake, Texas, ran against Furr in the final. Jim McClure. by virtue of the 6.86 he ran at the second event and the 6.89 tumed in at the opener, won the first two events, with Steve Moore finishing second. Moore, however, crashed during qualifying for the third and final event, and he will undergo surgery on a damaged shoulder before he netums to the States. Johnny Mancuso, the only American not in the finals, turned the fastest pass in Australian motorcycle drag racing history at 205 mph and was one of the two bikes in the first side-by-side Australian 200-mph run. Although PACE Motor Sports has not yet released a full schedule, the multi-motorsports promotion company officially announced what many people had already known, namely that it has acquired all of the dirt track events that are promoted by Chris Agajanian Presents, Inc. for its forthcoming dirt track series, the Wrenchead.com National Dirt Track Series, sanctioned by Formula USA. In addition, PACE announced that it has hired Agajanian as President of the new SFX/PACE Motor Sports Dirt Track Racing Division. "I am tremendously honored and pleased to join the SFX/PACE Motor Sports team, and look forward to participating in the continued growth and development of the sport of dirt track racing for years to come," Agajanian stated in a prepared release. The acquisition gives PACE promotional rights to the Agajanian races that were held in Dallas, Texas: Seattle, Washington; Sacramento, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Del Mar, Califomia; and a new Agajanian event, Rapid City, South Dakota. "This compl.etes another chapter in our continued investment in motorcycle racing properties for SFX/PACE Motor Sports," said PACE CEO Gary Becker (right), who was recently spotted laying Mancuso also crashed during the series, during round two. Aprilia's Troy Corser completed a successful test on his factory RSV in Phillip Island, Australia, on February 16, according to Cycle News correspondent Paolo Gozzi. The Australian lapped at 1:34.5 to better Suzuki's Pier-Francesco Chili, though Chili didn't participate on the final day. The lap times were still significantly slower than those recorded by HRC's Shinichi Itoh on the new Re51, but the track conditions had deteriorated because a car race was held at the facility just days earlier. -This time the track was out some of PACE's plans to former AMA Grand National champions Mert Lawwill and Kenny Roberts, and reigning AMA Grand National Champion ChrIs Carr. "Based on our continued growth strategy, we believe our team can work together with Chris toward building the sport of dirt track motorcycle racing to new levels. We will do this through improved safety standards, upgraded racetracks and venues, live event ticket sales, acquiring new broad-based sponsorship participation, providing competitive and cost-efficient racing, and devloping targeted television programming to broaden the appeal of dirt track racing throughout North America. We have consistently shown our ability to grow the other motorcycle properties we are involved in, and look forward to doing the same with dirt track.• This announcement comes on the heels of an earlier announcement whereby PACE named Bob Moran as the Director of Dirt Track Operations for SFXjPACE Motor Sports. PACE officials say that the schedule for the Wrenchead.com National Dirt Track Series will be announced before the end of February, and will include the acquired Agajanian events, as well as other premier facilities across the nation. cue I e n ... _ S • MARCH 1, 2000 1

• Cover