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/1542338
Superman himself, "crazy" Dave Aldana, appeared on the cover of lssue #4, which served as our Houston Astro- dome results issue, Rick Hocking f/am) won the Houston fi held on .lanuary 23, and David "Bubba" Rush (Bul) wound up winnhg the Houston Short Track held rhe ne-rt nigh!,., We ran a fea- ture on Triumph hot rodder Bill Kennedy, who wa' working on a myste- Tious new street motorcTcle model called rhe Kennedy Thoroughbred. Kennedy was intent on producing the machine... lohn Gennai (Bul) won an indoor shon track at the San Jose Fairgrounds on January 4... We offered a photo and a few words about a preproduction Suzuki RMl25- eO Yedrs Ago... Febnrary 5, tgBE Broc Glover, "The Golden Boy," iumped across the cover of lssue #4. lnside was a featur€ interview with Glover, the man who Yamaha racinS manaSer Kenny Clark called, "Race for race and dollar for dollar. the best in the business"... Rkk lohnson (Hon) won the 250cc Pro class at round four of the CMC/Skoal Bandit Golden State Nationals at Carlsbad Raceway, .lanuary 24-25.., Down South, Kees Yan der n (KTM), Billy Liles (Kaw) and Guy Cooper (Hon) wrappd up the 500cc, 250cc and 125.c Pro tides, respectively, in the Florida Winter AIYA MX Series. Cooper and Liles won their classes, while van der Veh linished founh overrll to wrap up his title. lO Yeats Ago.-. January 31, 1996 While the cover of lssue #4 served up olr marn storY, which took a r6/erent look at the past two decadei of rport- bike d*lopnrent, "ln The Wind" brought that sad news of the passin8 3:',ffi :i{: Jfi [. !x.:5:5':t.:ffi1 cations resulting from a rare blood disease known as aplEtic anemia- He war 29 years old... Furthermore, our "Voices" section continued to carry letters r%ardinS reiSning Al4A Supercross Champion leremy Mcc6th's decision to purchase a home in the Canyon Lake, Calitornia, a Sated community thar banned all motorcycle trav- el within its perimeter. Pro-rnotorcycle- rights folks condemned Hccra$ for hls decirion, while Mccrath supporteE reton- ed dlat tho6e folks ouglt to get a life. Max Biaggi still has a .hance of becoming a world Superbike rider in 2005, bu! now i! is certain that there is only a Suzuki offer on the table, from Francis Batta's Alstare team. After the work put in by Honda Europe and Klafli Honda to land Alex Barros, and with BiagSi's deadline to siSn as a third rider under the Ten Kate Honda umbrella now firmly passed, Honda has closed oll that option ao Biaggi, "One possibility for Max [Biaggi] was to have a third bike with Ten Kate, because of the .lTl link," said Honda Europe racing man- ager Carlo Fiorani. 'But we didn't get any answer from Ma)( before the deadline. Now it is technically impossible. The Ten Kare team has just enough time after the Almeria test to pack eveq/thing up and send it to Doha. So we have to give up the possibility of Max rid- ing a Honda." The Suzuki link is reported to be still alive, but that also has to have a shelf life that must surely soon run out, even if iust for lotistical rea- sons. Repons that BiagSi had already siSned appear to be inc.easingly premature, and with Fabien Foret already a third Astare Corona Extra Suzuki ridet attempting to bring in such a high-profile founh cannot help the cause a great deal. ln terms of Biaggi signing for the ofllcial Alstare Corona Exlm team, even World Champion Troy Corser believes that he would not get access to the same equipment as Kagayama and himself - even if he would be happy for the ltalian to add another dimension to the series itsell "l think a lot of it is iust,ournalists writint stuff," Corser said. "We haven't got the struc- ture or the equipment to run another rider, really. l've 8ot no problems with either Barros or BiaSgi coming to the championship - it would be good for the series, for sure - but I don't think the best place is in our pit box. We've got everything we need. lt seems a shame to brinS in something new and tD/ to 8et that to work as well." "l know there is taik of Biaggi coming to our team," Corser was quotd as sayinS midway throuSh the recem Phillip lrland tests- "He mi8ht be riding a Suzuki, but he definitely won't be in our box-" Gordon Nt ,hic Biaggi and Suzuki? "l know there is talk of Biaggi coming to our team. He might be riding a Suzuki, but he definitely won't be in our box." -rroycorser All Okay At Clear Creek? Motorized recreation will continue to be a signilicant use at a popular Califomia area, despite the desire of some to eliminate that use entirely, according to the BlueRibbon Coalition. The Clear Creek Management Area (CCl'iA), managed by the Bureau o{ Land Mana8ement (BLM), has been under attack for several years by anti-access groups seekint to (lose one oI the most popular oft road ridin8 areas in Centml Califomia and an area identified as one of lhe best riding areas in the entire United States. ln November 2004, those groups filed a lawsuit in federal coort seeking the closure of the area and challenging the BLM's manage- ment of the CCMA. The BlueRibbon Coali(ion (BRC), a national nonprofit recre- ation group, spearheaded an effort by motor- ized recreation interests to intervene in this case in order to help to protect public access to the CCMA. The lawsuit remains pending, and oppo- nents to vehicle access have filed numerous motions seekint rmmedlate ludicial imposirion of travel restrictions, none of which have been Sranted, according to the BRC. "Recreationists appreciate the court's understandinS of the bitger picture aa the CCMA and its appropriare deference to the ontoing planning process," said Paul Turcke, a Boise, ldaho, attorney repre- sen[ing the Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club, AMA District 36, the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs. the California Off Road Vehicle Association, the Off Road Business Association and the BRC in the lawsuit. Before and during the lawsuit, the BLM has been working on a travel-management plan for the area. On.January 13, 2006, the BLM released its Record of Decision restricting vehicle travel in the CCI4A to desiSnated routes and areas. While the off-road comm!niq,, expr€ssed relief upon reviewing this latest federal man- agement action because it continues to allow recreational use of the area, the BRC and member organizations are dissatisfied by the accompanying planninS process that failed to incorporate many changes to the new plan recommended by the OHV communi+ The riders had provided input and suSgested alternatives that they hoped would provide greater resource protection while also enhancing the recreational experience. The organized recreation community does not oppose the concept of restricting travel to deritnated routes, but feh the proposed plan went too far, unnecessarily eliminatint access to many desirable areas, and could unlustifrably rncrease the likelihood of accF dents and injuries. Don Amador, western representa(ive for the BRC, said: "Our work is far from finished at CClvlA, and we encourage the BLM to open a dialogue with the OHV community to discuss the areas where this management plan can be improved. lt is far from perfect, but it gives us a baseline network that we hope to burld upon ro mee! a legilimale and Srowing recreatioo demand. "lt is always difficultfor riders and even the agency to move from 'open' or unrestrict€d travel-management prescriptions to'limited' plans where OHV r.rse is allowed only on des- i8nated routes. However, many successful federal recreation protrams have made such a move, includlng rhe BLH s Cow Mouncain Recreation Area, the Stonyford OFIV Area on the l'4endocino National Forest, and the Millican Plateau OHV Area near Bend, Oregon." Under ahe newly released decision, travel in rhe CCI'4A will be limited to about 270 miles of designated trails and 480 acres of designated "barrens." A hearing on "all pendint motions" in the lawsuit is set for February 24, 2006. Conlinued frcn poge I I motorcycling htalities. Last year, the AMA was in*rrrme al in securing $3 million in federal funding, as pan of the $286.4 billion transporEtion bill, for the first nationwide motorq/cle-crash study in almost 30 years. That itudy, which will be conducted by Oklahoma State University's Oklahoma Transportation Center, is expected to beSin soon, Nason cuafendy serves as atsistant secretary of transportation for Governmen- tal Atrairs. Prior to this, she served aa assis- lant commissioner ror the Offce of Con- grersional Affairs for th€ United States Cusroms Service. Ms, Nason also served as communications director and counsel to Representative Porterj. Goss. Ear{ier in her career'; she served as govemmental affairs counsel at l4etropolitan Life lnsurance Com- pary. l"ls. Nason received her bachelor's degr€e from the Arneaiaan Uni\crsity and herJD lrom Case Westem Reserve. lohn Reed, 68, who collaborated with let- endary tuner ShellThuettto form Shell Racing in the eady 1970s, passed away on ,anuary l0 after battlint cancea. Reed was instrumefital in the careers of several top llat-track and road-race stars, includinS Keith Mashburn, Kenny Robers, Gene Romero, Don Castro, Hank Scott, Gary Scott, Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson- Rred owned arld operated Gear Engineer- in8 for more than 35 years and manufac- tured gear and tnns components for lever- al applications. Gary Bailey will hold a tlvo-day motocross school at Lake Sugar Tree in Axton. Virginia, March 24-25. With just l3 spots available, the lessons are semiprivate and the cost is $525 plus track fees. For more information, c2,ll 2761650- 1759 . Briefly... Ir rtrS CYCLE NEWS . FEBRUARY ] , 2006 13 3D Years Ago... February 3. ,9DE ,TOIA o o o (, 6 P o I G +,= A I nlr Mox Bioggi 1{ F !