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/1319485
AFT DAYTONA DUNLOP TIRE TEST P130 Feature XG750R pilot, runaway AFT Pro- duction Twins champion James Rispoli, although it doesn't seem like there should be at this point. All signs point to Rispoli continuing on with Latus Motors as they graduate to take on the speed to make waves in the premier class in Florida, clock- ing a nearly identical time to Vanderkooi to rank fifth-best overall (20.155). "We're not really focused on the other guys," the multi-time, multi- tion Twins, I considered them my peers. I was on essentially the same motorcycle and doing similar lap times. "Is it going to be a tough task? 100%. You've got to respect the level those guys are at. I want to train like I did last year and come in like we're going to war. We know the Harley isn't the best motorcycle, everybody knows that. For us, it's more about tak- ing the momentum from last year, moving it forward, and keep on improving." The Daytona Tire Test didn't only offer a glimpse of the sport's future in terms of tires, rider/ team combinations, and new rules under discussion. It also provided the first professional appearance of a rider that many have projected could be the sport's future in his own right: 2020 Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award winner Kody Kopp. Kopp did nothing to diminish the hype, clocking extremely competitive times that ultimately saw him lap faster than every 450cc-mounted rider, save AFT Singles' dominant defending champion Dallas Daniels. The son of 2000 Grand Na- tional Champion Joe Kopp, the racing prodigy is well aware of the lofty expectations. However, Kopp refuses to allow them to impact his approach to his rookie campaign one way or the other. "We're going to be training hard all winter down here in Florida to prepare for the opener, Shayna Texter participated in the test on the only factory KTM present. But will she have a teammate in 2021? The buzz is she will. premier AFT SuperTwins class on a dealer-backed Harley in 2021. Rispoli, George Latus, and even H-D have openly discussed that intention in the press. However, they are not yet officially committed to the Herculean task with deals in both directions yet to be signed. Rispoli, however, flashed the discipline national champion said. "We know, yeah, I'm going against the top guys in the world—Briar Bauman, Jared Mees, B-Rob, all the boys. But that doesn't really bother me. At the end of the day, I'm a racer myself, and I've raced at a really high level in road rac- ing. Even when I was in Produc-