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/1542398
VOICES "Nicky has shown that he has the mental strength to endure. And that is why he will also prevail." telters lo lhe editor ould be senr lo Voicas, Cyd€ Nsws, PO Box 5084, Costs Meso, CA 92628J084;foxsd to 7l!-7516685 or emo;led to edib@c/cl6n€ws.com. Published should lnc. 204 Everyone Needs An Atlas ln the May 24th (lssue 20) lnside Line arti- cle titled "Legend ofthe Motorcycle," Steve Atlas relates that "The World's Fastest lndian" was raced at Bonneville by Australian Burt Munro. Please note that Burt lYunro is not Australian! As often happens with New Zealand icons like Munro, Phar Lap and Pavlova, our neighbors across the ditch have a habit of laying claim to them. So let's keep it straight. You don't want Motorcycling New Zeolond y.ttting Owensboro iust ouBide Toronto do you? Eill Skefton Lyttekon, New Zeolond The Parking Spot There is an alternative entrance to Hangtown, and lwould love to tell Steve Edmonston where it is, but then all of the thousands of Cyde News readers would flnd my secret parking lot and it would not be so secret anymore. I have been going to the Hangtown National for only about seven years and found this parking lot only in my second year. Furthermore, it is only about 150 yards from my seat, the one I tape off with "Police Line do not cross." I have also been doing this for about six years. So next year find me on the "Hill By the Gravity Cavity" and follow me to my truck - you might get to find out my secret park- ing lot and exit are. I left after the race was over and was on Highway 50 in about 15 minutes - not bad. Steve Ai€rlo OoUey, CA Ritter Had Us Covered Terrific Larry Lawrence piece in your May 3l lssue abolrt Paul Ritter ''The Ringer". Ritter and Dale Newton were friends of mine and Phil Schilling's. When the 1977 season ended, and I retired from racing, the California Hot Rod (a.k.a. "Old Blue") ended up in Dale's hands. He and Paul used it - or parts of it - to good effect through the 1978 season. I would like to clear up one little part of Larry's story however. Larry writes that Old Blue's clutch problem led to Rifter't Superbake National win at Sears back in '77. It's true that we did have a problem with the clutch, but I'm sure that Paul would have whipped us anyway. His Newton-tuned Ducati was almost a match for Old Blue, and I think Ritter was a better rider than I was. Besides that, Paul was an absolute master of Sears. We had gone up there a few weeks earlier for an AFM race (l needed to familiarize myself with the track, which I had never seen), and Ritter absolutely cleaned our clock, and of course he did it again in the Superbike National heat race, then again in the final. I think if I raced Riner at Sears 100 times, he'd beat me 100 times. He'd probably beat me at a lot of other tracks too - he was very very fast. Coot Neilroa Dorset, YT Nothing Wrong With Nicky When Mr lshi of Honda Racing, Valentino Rossi, Henry Ray Abrams, and most all of the people connected to lYotoGP think of Nicky Hayden as a top competitot I believe that speaks for itsell The recent remarks of ,lohn Thomson and D.R Wann must mean they are living on another planet! Nicky is leading the poiots in the tough- est class in motorcycle racing in the world right now. He may not win the number-one plate, but don't think for one minute he is not working his ass off! Also thousands of his fans are pulling for him each race and remembering him carrying the American flag around Laguna Seca last year. Fronk vduEhn Sdn Diego, CA Nothing Wrong With Nicky l! lohn Hopkins is riding well, I'll Eive you that, but for someone who is getting "passed" and who has not yet won a race this season, Nicky, Hayden is doine just as well - rf not, better. Hopkins is the veteran compared to Nicky, and unless you can get the two on the exact same machinery (which is not likely to happen), there is no way we'll know for sure. Vr'hat I do know is that Nicky has had his share of bad luck and criticism throughout the last few seasons, but he has handled himself in a much better fashion. He has not blamed his RCY his crew, or anyone but himself. He hasn't punched his gas tank or kicked his bike or stomped on the ground when he has been down and out- He has sincerely looked at himself and admitted his strengths and weakness - learned from it and moved on. lfyou look at Rossi and past champions, they've all been passed and beaten, and it's how you handle the down times that will help build rhe character of a true champion - whether you've won the charnpionship or not, Rossi hasn't had the best of seasons so far (conSrats on Mugello!), but he hasn't thrown a fit about it, which is why he will prevail. Don't forget that Nicky and Hopkins haven't had the track experience that the rest of the paddock has had, so they'll need to rely on their mental strength to carry them through - and, so far, Nicky has shown that he has the men- tal st.ength to endure, And that is why he will also prevail. Did you see Nicky at l',lugello? He shouldn't 8o back to AMA, because he's still got a lot to do here in MotoGP Besides, why would he go back to the AMA when he's having such a good time coming in ahead of Hopkins in f1otocPl Paul Ngu'leo Norwoll<" CA Egrclel1ews volume xLlll Sh&n Clartd - Prd/d.,. RobEh t{drr.ll. - Pu6lrh.t CDITORIAL Paul C.mth.6 - E.lh6 xi. F.llB - otriood Edlrd Sre Arla - tuerfi. EdL.r H n, nry Ab6mr - Cd.rDsi,rt E4to. Shrn M.ore - Co,!.iturrra Edid A:n Cath..rt - Ewqdn Edtr.r D ld R. tdtlEr - ,Liim.l EErtr Edlt . tlktElL Biid - copl Ediror AOVERTISING . WESTERN STATES (1 | 1) 15t -f1r1 lern ?n 1 - Ndttdal A.@!Dr, M@.a.. RF, H.rrill - Wtrt h Sor.r /l'l.da!, Rhond. Cawford - N.t,orl rd$d,n.! C@r(,Dior A.li6llh Xl.in -,a.rri.nr AOVERTISIT{G . EASTERN SIATES (t7o)21943c{ gEi hrrr.ll, SEL Snith - Edt6d Sabt Muei8 c.rt Alm -onlc itldos..a ld!.ilgIt Cqrf,Et6 MARKETING' PROI.TOTION Rya tlcnill - rld.is CLASSIFIED ADS GRAPHICS . PRODUCTION l(athLen Lrwlor - P.q,u.rlo, /U oF. Sunju Xw, R.h€rt iidn, Christid P..diE - GEPr',. Ltirtt AOl.IINISTRATION Frm Kl.in - Ad,DJnirrdiE lsino,n ACCOUNTING . DATA PROCESSING Oonn. BrFDDi.mod - A/R Cdrdrard GEncE Repls - Asirt.nt Stey BFn - Cftd,t ,Unoa.r SERVICE . SUPPORT Rotah C.sdon - &-,.. dnd Srppod NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS l5o5-lil C.dille Av.., co.ta M*, cA 9:1626 Po. Bar 508a, Cdr. ii e, CA 9262a'5044 (714) 751-7atl . FAx (? l4) 75 I -6685 E.HAIL.INTERNET s*cy(l.es-.om editor@cFLn.s.@m {bxritE@En*com .(lv!nirirt@.r.1€n.E.(om c1lri x* lrsPs 1ai.nO L! Biirlrla w0dd, qrot Ub rast b. {Dt! ol iE cdrnr yer rr l$rE !d r.e q qd. ilN Yr, J505d C.drrtu AyrN!, C6Ir x!!.. cA s2t. 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CYCLE NEWS Brymer Memories Larry Lawrence's Archives stories (lssues l9 and 20) brought back some memories of the good old days of racing in the Nonheast (New York and New Hampshire) and Don Brymer was indeed responsible for some of this area's pro dirt-track .acin8, but let's not make him out to be a saint. The Syracuse Mile was his and also the three other races he held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. But one too many rain- outs and he was through, and off he went with the money. No refunds and not a word. That left Mike Kidd holdinS the ba8 when he promoted the race rhe following year. Kidd did honor some sort of discount, but that left him broke and we lost the race for several years. Now the race is back, but it's on Father's Day weekend when most motorcycle people are up in London, New Hampshire, for our bike week. And if the Madison Square Garden and the Roosevelt Taces were so successful why were they never brought back? I wonder why. lim Molloy Eoncrrester, NY CIRCULATION Am: ArSul.m - C/E rr.rro, /t d.!.r C.rol M.tlio - Ptu din8 C@rdi,.rtr S.nda Rodngu.r - Ddlc. C@rdirdru .I EASTERN OTFICE 2775 C,us Re4 Suit€ 2alr! Laftr(dill!, GA ! ,44 o?o) 279{rx r fAx o70) 27D.ol6{, rHPA trllrll,,.^