IN
THE
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Team USA To MXoN?
T
he AMA's Director of SX/MX Mike
Pelletier was at RedBud for the
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champi-
onship in Michigan, July 3, and he
confirmed that Team USA is in for the
2021 FIM Motocross of Nations, set
for late September in Mantova, Italy.
Pelletier said he spoke to several
top American riders as well as the
OEMs about their interest in returning
to the race after it was canceled in
2020 due to Covid-19.
"We hope to make an announce-
ment on the lineup by Budds Creek in
August," said Pelletier.
He also reported that the feedback
from the vast majority of people he
spoke with about the recent break-up
between Feld Motor Sports, organizers of Monster
Energy AMA Supercross, and the FIM was "over-
whelmingly positive."
CN
It appears that the U.S. will send a team to Mantova, Italy,
for the 2021 Motocross of Nations in September.
Drake To Undergo Heart Surgery
B
ar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki rider Derek Drake says he will
undergo heart surgery to rectify a rare heart condition that has
been affecting his condition in the outdoor Pro Motocross
Championship.
He revealed the news via social media: Alright, time to set the
record straight. Since I can remember, I've had to manage and live
with a rare heart condition. I never knew this condition would affect
me so much when it came to my fitness and health as a pro athlete.
The last two years I've been training and suffering every day, and
I've been getting nowhere, I just thought I needed to train harder,
and I just buried myself. In amateurs, I could get by because the lon-
gest motos we had to do were 20 minutes at [Loretta Lynn's]. But as
a pro athlete, it's holding me back from getting to the level of fitness
I know I need to train at and be consistent with. I decided to put my
health first and this month I plan to undergo heart surgery in hopes
that I can move forward with ease and heal my body properly. I am
taking some time off to get better, and I will be back.
CN
Bar X/Chaparral/Ecstar Suzuki
rider Derek Drake has plans to
undergo heart surgery.