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/1488031
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 13, 2022 P181 Roczen and Suzuki, how it might change the way star riders man- age their careers in the future. Maybe smaller teams are the way to go? If Roczen has a success- ful 2023, it will be interesting to see if others follow in his foot- steps. And it just might work out well for Roczen. After all, the last time Roczen rode a Suzuki was on a satellite team (RCH Suzuki) in 2016, and he won the 450cc MX Championship. And he suc- cessfully rode a Suzuki in his early days in MXGP racing. As we say goodbye to 2022, there are several things I'm look- ing forward to in 2023, especial- ly when it comes to racing, such as Jett Lawrence moving up the 450cc class after he fulfills his duties in the 250SX West Super- cross Championship and Chase Sexton who seems to be hitting his stride right about now. Are we about to see the start of some- thing great from this guy? I'm also anxious to see Adam Cianciarulo getting back in ac- tion. It's beginning to look like it's now or never for this fan favorite. I'm also looking forward to the new SuperMotocross World Championship. It seems like a win-win situation to me in that nothing changes as far as the individual Supercross and Motocross Championships go, and finishing off the year with a single overall champion seems like a good idea, especially for sponsors and television, which will benefit everyone, including us motocross/supercross fans. It might take a few years to catch on, and I'm sure there will be bugs to work out, but I like it. And it might even convince Eli Tomac to race outdoors again. He said after this year's Nationals that he doesn't plan on running outdoors again, but that was be- fore the SuperMotocross World Championship announcement. Let's hope so. And then you have MotoAmer- ica! Cameron Beaubier will be back in AMA Superbike. How can you not get excited about that? He will be battling for the championship that he once owned and doing so against the current MotoAmerica Superbike king Jake Gagne. It will also be interesting to see how Beau- bier does on the HVMC BMW. Okay, that's not official yet, but it sounds like that might happen. Hey, that's something else to look forward to next year. MotoGP is always interesting and exciting, especially with the top two championship contend- ers—defending champ Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini—on the same Ducati team. We could see some fireworks. And you know Marc Marquez will have something to say about the championship if Honda can sort out his bike in time. I'm also looking forward to the American Flat Track season. Will Indian announce it will be pull- ing its factory effort or not? The rumors are out there, so that will be interesting to see how that all unfolds. On the magazine side, I'm excited to finish out my 39th and start my 40th year as a Cycle News staffer, but I won't be excit- ed to start the new year without one of our longest-running con- tributors Larry Lawrence, who recently notified us that he has decided to retire from full-time freelancing. Unfortunately for us, that means he will no longer be submitting words for our weekly Archives section of the maga- zine, which has been his baby for several years now. I'm sure we'll still be hearing from Larry from time to time but no longer regularly. I know I will miss edit- ing his stories, which was always a highlight of my week. It always amazes me how he comes up with these pieces of historical gems. Thanks, Larry, for all you have done for Cycle News over the years, and enjoy retirement. I hope you never have to out-race another deadline ever again. Well, that's it for another year. Cycle News will be back on January 9 with issue number 1, 2023, which will have our cover- age of the Anaheim 1 Super- cross. Can't wait for that, either. Between now and then, however, we will still be working. In fact, check your email boxes next week for a special issue we are working on right now, focusing on all things adventure motorcycles. Just another little something to keep your eyes busy during the holidays. Here's to the past and future. See you next year. CN