Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"Thank to all the racers for a great show and especially to Miguel Duhamel - talk about overcoming obstacles." elite level in MotoGP and F I is the domain of wealthy children. Domon Moton vid the lnternet Liked Shootout You folk did it again, - fantastic article. Your "Open Class Shootout" set a new benchmark in accurate rePorting, Sreat writing, and numbers that really mean something. By far the best of its type l've seen, and I subscribe to virtually every U.S. motorcycle publication and buy the worth- while UK mags as well- There are times when I wonder why I waste my money on some of them- The only publication I have never questioned is Cycle News. Once a week is great, but quality is what counts and you do that in spades. .lust keep doing what you're daing, and I'll be a lifetime sub- scriber and 6ycle Nervs promoter. A couple quick questions: l) Will you have the Daytona 675 in your 600 shootout (please)? 2) Do you have any plans to compare the GSX-R750 to the liter bikes or 600s; or do an indePendent in-depth test of it? The reason I ask is that l've been ridinS sportbikes for 42 years, with several years of road racing thrown in iust for grins, and my two biSgest consider- ations for a new bike this year are the Daytona and Gixxer 750. I've owned a bunch of the fastest-of- their-time liter bikes, and my current steed is a 2004 GSX-R600. Since the sensation of lean angles is what I live for, I am having more {un on it than any of the bi8ger bikes I owned (including an '03 Gixxer 1000). I got to thrash an '05 GSX-R750, and it may have spoiled me for life, hence my leaning toward the Triumph or Suzuki 750. Thanks in advance and keep the great stuff coming, Enjoy the ride. Jocft Roe vio the loteroet We will be includinE the Triumph Ddytono 675 in our "MiddleweiEht Shootout thot will be feotured in on ulcoming issue. And the ftst ide stoty on the new Suzuki GSX-R600 ond GSX-R750 ,s feotured on Poge 28 of ahis issue... Editot Road Race lunkie Thank to Speed ry for the outstanding coverage of Daltona and kudos to Cycle News for reporting the events in detail. I watched, read and enioyed every bit of it, I do have a question or two about why the AMA continues to shoot themselves in the foot with its decision making (i.e., the pace car) during these races- lf they were my employees and continued to make poor decisians affecting the well being of my organization, they would be fired and replaced by someone who knew what they were doin8. Make no mistake about it, motorcycle road racinS as a sport is up against some very stiff competition. lf it were a stock in my retirement portfolio. I would be very upset with its earnings and growth during the past 20 years. Take a look at the number of people in the stands at an AMA race at Fontana for example and compare those numbers with, say, a NASCAR event at the same place. That being said, who has been in charge of all this for decades? Why, it's the AMA. Make no mistake about it, the AMA is run by incompetent fools who (at the least) continue to shoot the sport in the foot with poor decision making, irrational and coun- terproductive behavior. They are consis- tenu l'll give them that- Thank to all the racers for a great show and especially to Miguel Duhamel - talk about overcoming obstacles. Too bad you couldn't overcome the AMA. see you at Fontana... l'll be in the stands. Stev€ Lo[8 Temeculo, CA Rossi And Ferrari, Again I think Buddy Ford misunderstood my remarks concerning Valentino Rossi and his flirtations with Fl. Firstly, I firmly believe Rossi is better than all the current lYotoGP riders. I'm sure he is better than all the greats of the 1980s and '90s, includ- ing Mick Doohan. lwill also go out on a limb and say he is better than any talent in the pipeline. He will win this year's title, despite seeminEly closer competition, and I hope he stays to win more. My belie{ that a single, Eroup test session does not make someone a champion overnight is not leal- ousy if I believe the person in question is a genius. Travis Pastrana is the most incredible dirt-bike rider I can imagine, since he wos a competitive Supercrosymotocross rider, and is the best freestyle rider globally (he double backflipped a 220-pound bike in Nitro Circus 3!), lt breaks my hean that he can't race competitively anymore due to his innumerable iniuries, because he would be a great ambassador for the sport. As far as being a backyard or street- racing champion, I can't even claim to be that since I'm too poor to afford more than the 1998 YZ I 25 I bought used. The only claim to fame lhave is having my technical anwork appear in Cycle News among others. Remember. racing at the The Daytona 200 ls there any chance that someday the Daytona 200 will mean something a8ain, aside from awarding points to rhe riders in their quest for a championship in the class that is currently featured? This race used to mean a lot more. How corjld a race that !s supposed to be so siSnificant, so historically important, be reduced so far in stature that they now run 600cc motorcycles? lf the powers to be are so interested in parity and reduced operational costs, I can only surmise that it won't be too long before the Thruxton Cup will be the fea- tured class. This race has become a bore, We desperately need an international flavor. We need this race to become bi8 a8ain. It would be absolutely appropriate for this to b€ World Superbike event. As much as I like the MotoGP class, the World Superbikes are a better fit, And if they aren't agreeable to a 200-mile race, so be it. Make it a 1oo-mile race, At the very least, it needs to feature l000cc bikes. This year I was more interested in the outcome of the Supercross mce than I was in the 200. Does that not speak volumes about a race that at one time stood alone? Get with the program Daytona, you've embarrassed yoursell Dan HenrY Encinitos, CA The Daytona 200 ll While it ma/ not have impacted the final results, it is unbelievable that the Al4A would cite a "manpower" shortage as th€ reason that only Ron Barrick was in the pace car, and subsequently screwed up the pace laps. lt's the most prestigious race on the AMA calendar, and they expect all their dues-paying members to believe that they couldn't get one more AMA staffer to Daytona to sit in or drive the pace car? I try to read the various articles/letters regarding the AMA with an open mind, but they seem to consistently invite criti- cism with their boneheaded decisions, These pro-AMA people (usually staffers or ex-staffers) who write in to defend the AMA should channel their energy toward advising the AMA to stop screwing up such simple things. Rondy Renner Chlcago, lL 6 MARCH 29, 2006 . CYCLE NEws Egrclellews Volume XLlll EDITORIAf Prul Cflth6 - Editoi Kit hlmr - o,Fi@d Edn r s

• Cover