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/128607
At the second stop of the FIM World Championship Trials Series. Brit Dougie Lampkin continued his perfection from the opening round. winning on both Saturday and Sunday in Pacos de Ferreira. Portugal. March 26-27. Lampkin's Spanish and Japanese Montesa/HRC teammates Marc Colomer and Takahisa Fujinami were second and third. respectively. on day one. On day two. Fujinami notched second. but for the first time so far this year. a non-Montesa/ HRC rider broke the top three. with Beta/Kenny's Kenichi Kuroyama finishing third. d c o G C Luceme Valley. California. was the site of the second round of the AMA National Hare & Hound Series. and Ty Davis (Yam) was the winner. On Sunday. March 26. approximately 350 racers turned out to do battle in dusty conditions, but after 87 miles of tight racing Davis beat out Open c1assers Brian Brown (Kaw) and his teammate Destry Abbott (Kaw). Finishing fourth was Dan Richardson (Kaw), who garnered Vet honors. Dave Ondas (Kaw) rounded out the top five, followed by sixth place. first 250cc finisher Shane Esposito (Kawl. Kurt Caselli (Kaw) won the 125cc class, finishing an impressive seventh overall. 8 o 8 o 8 o Shane Watts (KTM) won the third round of the Grand National Cross Country Series in Cross Keys. South Carolina, March 26. Finishing second was Paul Edmondson (Kaw) and third was Steve Hatch (Suz). Watts leads the series point standings with 58 points, followed by Hatch with 52 and Rodney Smith with 39. Edmondson has 38 pOints. o o o o o o James Stewart (Kaw) won four classes at the FMF/Honda of Houston Lake Whitney Sprin9 National in Lake Whitney, Texas. March 24-26. Stewart topped the 85cc (14-16) Stock and Modified classes, the 85cc Open. and the Supermini division. 8 o Buddy Antunez (Suz) was the bi9 winner at rounds 31 and 32 of the National Arenacross Series at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washin9ton, March 24-25. Antunez won three out of the four main events, while Canadian Darcy Lang (Kaw) won the other. Antunez owns the series points lead with 1100 to Denny Stephenson's 1043. Jeff Willoh (Ho'n) is third with 765 points. . o o o O O The opening round of the AMA Westem Region National Four-Stroke Motocross Series in Phoenix, Arizona, March 26, saw three different brands in the top For all the pre-season speculation (including some in this publication) as to this being Ryan Hughes' chance to win the 250cc World Championship, it's beginning to look as if America's best hopes for 2000 GP title may lie in 125cc contender Mike Brown. One week after being forced to sit out the season's first moto when his mechanic got his Pamo Honda to impound late, Hughes fell in Saturday's free practice for the March 27 second 250cc round in Agueda, Portugal, and injured his wrist. After a pair of injections, Hughes tried to ride in Sunday morning's warm-up, but the pain forced him out after one lap. "We didn't see any break on the X-ray," said Hughes, who won the only moto he's contested this year. "On Monday morning [March 271 I'll return to Germany for more tests, because we need to know if a bone is broken or not. I hope I can race in the Netherlands in two weeks [for round three], because I've missed three motos now." Meanwhile, Caterpillar/Honda's Brown won the second moto of the 125cc series-opening round in Bellpuig, Spain, , on March 26, and he sits tied for second in the point standings, just one point out of the lead. In Hughes' absence, Frenchman Mickael Pichon, who three. Yamaha-mounted Spud Walters was the overall winner. with VOR-rider Gordon Ward finishing second and KTM's Scott Myers takin9 third. Ryon Bell (Mon) won the first and second rounds of the North American Motorcycle Union (NAMU) National Trials event in loco, British Columbia. Canada. March 24-25. Bell topped Wilson Craig (Mon) and Geoff Aaron (GG) on the first day, with Aaron and Craig swapping second and third place finishes on the second day. John Reynolds (Duc) and James Haydon m.uc) split wins in the opening round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch on March 26. Reynolds topped Chris Walker (Suz) and Steve Hislop (Yam) in the first leg with Haydon beating Hislop and Neil Hodgson (Duc) in the second race. Reynolds leads the championship after one round. 38-36, over Hislop. Mitch Friedman (Hus) took time away from his motorsports photography duties to eam a World Championship in the Pre'84 Novice class at the SVRG Husky World Championships MX held at Carlsbad Raceway in Carlsbad. Califomia. on March 25. John LeFevre used a 1986 Husky 510 to become the Unlimited World Champion. Former Baja racer Gene Fetty (Hus) came away with the 125cc Amateur World Championship. West Coast Flat Track Series promoter Gene Romero has signed an agreement left the American Honda team midway through last season, won both 250cc motos on his factory Corona Suzuki RM250, and he moved into the series points lead. "This is a dream come true," said Pichon. "Always when I raced in America, I dreamt about returning to Europe and winning two motos and taking an overall in a Grand Prix. Today it happened, and on one of the most difficult tracks, I think, in the championship." Finishing behind Pichon in the first moto were Kawasaki-mounted German Pit Beirer and defending champ Frederic Bolley of France. Beirer was again runner-up to Pichon in moto two, with Frenchman Mickael Maschio third. KTM-mounted Brit James Dobb took the overall 125cc win in Spain, via consistent 3-2 moto finishes. Italian Husqvarna rider Thomas Traversini won moto one over South African Grant Langston and Dobb, with Americans Jeff Dement and Brown following. Moto two saw Brown win over Dobb and Italian Eric Cameriengo. Dement was 12th in moto two. Other Americans in the 125cc class include former champ Trampas Parker, who went 12-8 on a TM, Suzukimounted Scott Sheak, who went 10-11, and Bader Manneh, who went 26-31. with e-communications corporation emoola.com that will see the nine-round West Coast Flat Track Series be known as the e-moola.com West Coast Flat Track Series. "What appeals to us is what the West Coast Flat Track Series is doing at the grassroots level," e-moola.com founder and CEO Pete Rovazzini said. "I love dirt track racing, and I think that it has needed a sort of Busch Grand National Series [j.e. NASCAR stock cars1 for a long time. We're behind what Gene is doing 100 percent." Part of the title sponsorship package will include the posting of an unprecedented $7500 series points fund by e-moola.com. which was founded in 1998 by Rovazzini with the mission of providing the future generation of communication technology. integrating eCommerce, Point of Sale and Digital Media. The company is already a major player in the motorsports world, sponsoring the e-moola.com NHRA funny car owned by Alan Johnson and driven by Bruce Sarver. In the past, Rovazzini sponsored former speedway motorcycle racers Kelly Moran. Phil Collins and Bruce Penhall dUring their heydays in the sport. The FIM has released the official World Supercross Championship calendar for the 2000 series. The series will open on October 7 at the Stadio Delle Alpi in Turin, Italy, before moving to a yet-to-beannounced location in France for a race on October 21. On November 4, the series will head to Brazil for a race at the Salvador de Bahia Stadium. The FIM lists a to-be-announced event on November 18 with Germany hosting a race on November 25th in LeipZig. The U.S. will play host to the final round of the series at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 2. Former World Superbike Champion Doug Polen will race a Ducati 996 at the Willow Springs Raceway round of the PACE Formula USA National Road Race Series on April 30. "I'm finalizing some sponsorships and should have that handled within the next week or so." Polen said. "My main goals are to put the Ducati on the box and remind everyone that I'm still around. Winning the $50,000 championship prize wouldn't be bad either. Tickets for the Willow round are available through Ticketmaster at 661/322-2526 or 805/583-8700. Polen has also made amends with Ducati and now has a deal with his former employer to race Ducatis as well as become a corporate spokesman for the company. According to a release from Ducati, Polen has been formally retained as a Ducati spokesperson and will appear on behalf of Ducati North America at a variety of corporate and Ducati dealer events, including Ducati open houses. consumer motorcycle shows. Ducati owner hospitality events at selected AMA road races and World Ducati 2000, June 9-11 in Misano, Italy. Polen will also race 996s in the PACE Formula USA Series. Polen won two World Superbike Championships and an AMA Superbike 8~QJ[illD)(B[?----------- 8 8 o o o 2 APRIL 5, 2000' .. U .. I e n e _ s