Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"Where do I send that 50 bucks? !s KRRR taken yett" Liked Test, Bought Bike I purchased a Ducati S2R1000, based to a good extent on your evaluation. The 636 was tempting, but most of the multibrand .lapanese dealerships are frustrating. So, after 36 years of street riding, I have my first non-Japanese bike, and the honey- moon has been a kick, lt feels like a minibike on steroids - great fun. lf I lind myself riding the Monster exclusivet, I may sell the FZ and revisit the 636 issue. although the Yamaha has been wonderfully reliable and stimulating. Thank again for your help, I am looking ,orward to the lirst issue of my renewed Clcle News subscription. lock MollL vid the ,rfarnet Keep The Kids I wanted to respond to a reader who said they should take out the KTM Challenge and put in Mike Metrger and Brian DeeSan. lfollow freestyle iust like everyone else, and I think they are awesome. That said, maybe they could put them in the show before or after, but the little guys need to stay regardtess of someone's silly opinion. l'ly son did this and h was the most excit- ing thing that could possibly happen to him. lf that reader thinks Supercross is boring, maybe he shor-rld find something else to do. Holli Bechord io tha lnlerncl Not Stoked On Chase I bought six tickets in August 2005 for the lanuary 14 Supercross at Chase Field in Phoenix. They were great seats (section 202, row 9, seats one through six, club sec- tion). We got to our seats and could not wait Ior the show to begin. \ryhat a beautiful opening ceremony - except you couldn't hear a word spoken (l dont know if the speakers weren't working or if someone had forgotten to turn them on). Then the races start. There was no lineup showing who was in the race, and the tote board did not work for about three races. They get it working finally, and they only put up the bike number - so if you don't have a program, you are watching the race not knowing who is who - and you can't hear anythinS because the speakers are still not working. Finally they start putting live racing order of the race on the Jumboscreen at the bot- tom - and they shgw two names and bike numbers of the placement they are in: except you cant read it because they change the card so fast- Then it finally doesn't v/ork at all with about three races left to go. So, all in all, I was very disappointed with Chase Field for not having everfthing in working order. I think the AMA should look for another venue next year. The seats, however, were great because of the view- ing - and we could see the entire track. Wdltf Arm,sarong ScotBdorc, lZ Wants To Help KR Where do I send nry 50 bucks? - the 50 buck l'd like to put in the kitty with the bucks donated by the tens of thousands of other Kenrry Roberts fans with 50 buck. The 50 bucks that gets my ertry in the hat to help name the KR Racing MotoGP bike for the 2006 season. The 50 buck that gets me a KR Racing boll (+ with "friend sponsor" embroidered on it. The 50 bucks that puts me in the lottery to win a trip with MP treatment to the U.S. round of MotoGP 2006 at LaSuna Seca to watch KR Jr. goinS for it - God willing that good health is his. The 50 bucks that shows I think KR and KRlr. are champions. Where do I send that 50 buc}s? ls KRRR taken yet? Dovc Co&tts Anchorogc, Al< Onq Man's Laguna 5uggestrons ln regard to the changes being made at laguna Seca, many are good but some are not, Here is my take on the place and what the article said, having been a member of "The Corkscrew Crew" for over 30 yearc: l. A dedicated road for motorc/clists: sounds, at first glance like a good idea, but unless the capacity of the road is made up somewhere else, it will exasperate the traf- fic problems. 2. Shuftles: Laguna has used shuttles but "Doin' l-aguna" by shunle is simply not pos- sible for many - think kids, ice chesB, chairs, etc. Tg motivate many to use a shut- tle, the place should discount or offer some other perks. Laguna, at least lor me, is not a "plunk it down in a grandstand" event. (l have never. even when I had tickets to do so, even sat in the grandstands,) 3. Direction of travel during the exit: The cars that enter the facility should be parked in lots dedicated to the direction they will go home. For example, the north- bound fans should be parked so their most direct route is through the old Fort Ord and then north. 4. Tunnels and pedestrian crossing of the track: build a tunnel just before turn l0 - just like Daytona. 5. One-way bridges: The bridges should either have rails all through them and each side made one way, or a second bridge con- structed next to the existing ones and both made one way. Oh, by th€ way, whoever moved the bridge up to the corkscrew screwed up the view of the track! - horri- bly. One last thoughr - how about moving conveyors on the bridges so the sides can be opened up for a moving view when crossing? That would be really cool! 6. Camping: Hey, I was one of about 40 camperc who, after 500 or so were allowed to enter the turn 9, l0 and I I camping, were held up for four hours! We were told of all kinds of ha\oc in the camping area. but this simply was not true! I uralked down and there were zero problerns that would have preventd us from goinS to our site. I did this wdk numerous times duringthe four hours. I also san people (campers) who had entered the main gate being allowed to enter aherd of us. We had waited to get a spot all night and these guys and gals were albwed to go in ahead of us! Plus, the guys at the very front had been there since Mondal Hey, that too is not fair! Open the gates on Thursday - not Wednesday. And by open them, I mean do not allow a staging to occur. Keep the hiSh- way gate closed and the road clear until the gatEs open - no initial line - and empower dle personnel who are runninS the parking. The guys and gals holding us back should have been able to let us go! Do you know ho\,/ pirsed ofr I was to see hundreds of other carnpers goinS ahead of us ,10 (of 500-plus) camperc? Plus, we were ooty,l0 unisl 7. Convenient porta-potties: \MEt use are pgra-Potties if they are not convenient? 8. Clothing (or lack there of): Hey, last year the evem was sold out months before race day. .leez! Didn't anybody know this? Where was the surp/ise? 9. Helicopters: Th€ riders haye to pay for a 'copter ride! You've got to be kiddinS! These are the stars of the show! 10. Tum six: Good changes, because it seems like six has alwa;,s wiped out riders when they crash! I l. Turn one: Kenny Robefts said, of the gld conliguration, that turn one "separates the men from the boys!" But I cannot recall many (if any) crashes there. 12. New paving: Scaty - sometimes it works, sometimes it screws things up! 13. Kenny Roberts was responsible for the FIM and riders being partners and not adversaries. But it took a heck of a fight to get therel Kenny also fought the AMA, but got nowhere. 14. [YotoGP] Rider Safety Commirsion should have all the riderc on it. 15, "The Plan": release it now - for pre- liminaD/ comment. 16. The Corkcrew (and boring race tracks): Do not eliminate the dip! Hey, these guys are pros. lf they 8et in too fast, it is iust like any other tum, they crash. lt is a skill! Do we want boring tracks like many of the new ones? Hey, why not just bulldoze down "The Hill" and callthe Corkscrew a chicane! Finally, tellValentino Rossi that this is not Italy (or Spain) and that there were less than a 100 fans in the paddock so please, stop and sign a few autographs! Dovid BeI Oaklond, CA 6 FEBRUARY 1,2006 ' CYCI,I NEWS EgrclelUews volume XLlll EOITORIAL P.ul C.mth.E - €dlt t Kn Pdm.r - O,I-8o.d Edtor S.ott i.u$€u - Aaoaaizg E.l,rrd BLk€ Conn.r - Aso.dr. E [.or H.nn, iry ADaB, Sh.n H@re - Colnrlrltht Edil@ A.n C.thaft - &@P.@ ECnd Drld R. Hol6.r - A.gidd, En . Ed,.o. l.ith.ll. B.H - C.ry Edtrd ADVERTISING . WESTERN STATES 17 | 4) 7St -7131 lirrt lEtt - Nriindl tc@"tt /unrgc/ Mz,L Thom., foGt H.Iahl RFr M.rd[ - W.r..d 5.16 /Uoqa.6 Rhond. Crw'ord - n dilr.l AtuifiI Cordln.ror &hl.i8h Xl.ln -,As&rn ADVERTISING . EASTERN STATES (770)t79-0101 C.na Ald - olfe fld@ir & A.h.r7bt gc6rdti"ro? Shed iuse[ Suzi. Smidr - E6't m Sal.t MMog.B I{EW ]'{ EDIA DEVELOPI.,I ENT K.ry Xllnrer - StE Mn"s.. 6RAPHICS. PAODUCTION KrthlEn Lawlor - Prcdvctl /ra,.F, soi0 Xwo., Rok il.rtlh, chriniM Psd6. - 6r.PrL &dnr ADI'IIHISTRATION ludy rcin8Er - C@rdirotor Prm KEi. - 4dm,,ir..dtirc Arind. ACCOUNTING ' DATA PROCESSING DoDna Errrn-Dlnod -rR Co6,4,.1, G.n.v. R.p.s - Arrl]ndl St ., RFn - c4.ir. ir d8r. CIRCULATIOT{ Am. Arauhm - CiEglotio, iuncFr Cel H.dio - Pr.siEg Corditu 6r S.nda RadnF.r - O.dL. C@.dldr.t SERVICE . SUPFORT Robert Ecn.ron - S..nE dd SuPPon NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS tlot-H C:dille At.., Corta H€., CA 916?6 PO. Ad 504a, Cott. M6, CA 152&5044 Ol{) 751-7,131 . FAX Ol4) 751-6685 EASTERN OFFICE 7775 Cru* R6d, SoitE 2a0l lrwE..nill., GA 3OO,r4 (rr0) 279-0!04 . tAx O70) 27r"0360 E.MAIL.INTERNET iw,.rd.n*.@n .dtd@.r.l6.E..oh iuhrib.@

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