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/1546134
The 2006 Rockstar U.S. Open, held inside Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena, October 13-14, will feature, for the first time, a different track design for each of the two nights of racing. Dirt Wurx will re- sculpt the track after Friday night's competi- tion, giving racers and fans alike a new look for Saturday night's racing. The course will be laid out on the floor of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, featuring six unique lanes and the traditional outdoor portion of the track. The starting gate has been moved to the south end of the arena, which should foster faster starts, according to Live Nation. "We are excited to challenge the riders with a different track for each night of racing. Not only will Saturday night's event have a different track, it will be run in the opposite direction," said Todd Jendro, sen- ior director of operations, Rockstar U.S. Open. "This is an exciting enhancement for the fans as well, as it completely changes the strategy with the Toyota Trucks Trifecta on the line." To view the tracks for the 2006 Rockstar U.S. Open, visit: www.ussx.com/track.asp. For ticket infor- mation, visit www.ussx.com, www.ticket- master.com, or call 702/474-4000. Racetown 395 and the Fire and Police MX will host a benefit ride day on August 17 at their facility in Adelanto, California, with all proceeds to go to David Bailey. Mototown, USA has opened in Windsor, Connecticut, with claims of being the largest indoor motocross stadium in the world. The facility will cater to motocross and Supercross enthusiasts throughout the Northeast who purchase memberships. The building is designed for motocross, according to the owners, with proper and safe ventilation of exhaust. The building is also climate controlled and features restau- rants and a gym, in addition to motorcycle storage and maintenance facilities. For more information, call 860/678-0078 or visit www.mototownusa.com. The FIM performed random drug tests on the following riders at the World Motocross Championship round in Udde- valla, Sweden July 2: Ken de Dycker, Jonathan Barragan, Joshua Coppins, Christophe Pourcel, Marc de Reuver, and David Philippaerts. According to the FIM, they all passed. LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda has announced a new sponsor for its AMA Superbike team - Theaterseat.com. This sponsorship took effect at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As part of the marketing agreement, Theaterseat.com will have sample home-theater furniture for fans to experience in the pit area of the LeoVince Pegram Racing Honda team at all of the remaining AMA Superbike Championship races this season. "We are really excited to have Theaterseat.com join our team as a sponsor and look forward to a mutually rewarding relationship," said team owner and rider Larry Pegram. "It is great to see companies from outside the industry decide to sponsor our team. The Super- bike fan is a highly desirable demographic for companies looking to target affluent males. Theaterseat.com is a perfect exam- ple of the type of company that can benefit from getting involved in Superbike racing." Motocross Vacations has put together several riding dates as well as a race pack- age for Amateur riders who wish to race the Glen Helen National track and attend the year-end race on September 10. For more information, visit: http:/www.mx- vacations.com/glenhelennationals.html or call 909/772-8082. Pro Italia Los Angeles will hold its Cafe Desmo on Saturday, August 12 - its annual Italian bike show. Cafe Desmo features a little of everything: restored vintage bikes, tweaked custom bikes, exotic two- wheeled art, beautiful stock machines, and a bike show with winners chosen by enthu- siasts. The event will run from 3-7 p.m. Kick off the Castle Rock race weekend with the stars of the AMA Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford Flattrack Championship Series at Johnny's Steak House & Saloon for a fan autograph session to benefit Aid to Injured Riders (AIR). This free event will take place August 11 from 6-9:00 p.m. and includes a live radio broadcast with KUKN Country 105 FM and an autograph session. Top AMA dirt trackers scheduled to appear include Bryan Bigelow, Chris Carr, Kenny Coolbeth, Nick Daniels, Tim Eades, A.J. Eslick, Mike Hack- er, Jethro Halbert, Sam Halbert, Jake John- son, Joe Kopp, Paul Lynch, Jared Mees, Rob Pearson, Bryan Smith, Dan Stanley, Kevin Varnes, Scooter Vernon, Henry Wiles and Raun Wood. The festivities will also include a flat-track-themed raffle with donations set to go to Aid To Injured Riders. For more information, call 360/274-3166. Rolling Hills Cycle Park will host the 2006 Southeast Motocross Reunion on August 19-20. There are several notable factory riders who have come from the Southeast and the reunion is a chance for them to get together. Events planned for the weekend include vintage racing, pit- bike racing, a barbecue cookout and social, and a modern motocross. The weekend is being billed as the Rolling Hills Classic - "Where the MX past meets the MX future." For more information, visit www.rollinghillscyclepark.net or call 336/346-0032. Deluge Water has stepped up to sponsor both women motocrossers Tarah Gieger and Sarah Whitmore for the remainder of 2007. "Some people think water is water, but Deluge actually tastes better than the other brands," Whitmore said. " I realized this when I first tasted Deluge, and am glad they have supported the team and now will be supporting me as an individual. Having a water sponsor comes in handy during - especially during the summer months." For more information about Del- uge Water, visit: www.ampm.com. For more information on Gieger and Whit- more, visit www.richardsonsracing.com. The entry deadline for the Legend of the Motorcycle International Coucours d'Elegance is December 31. The event date has been set for May 5, 2007 at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California. For more information, visit www.legend- ofthemotorcycle.com or call 415/673-7980. The Wild West Motorcycle Company has announced that its motorcycles will now be available with Patrick Racing's 120, 125 and 128 cubic-inch engines. "For over a decade, we've been engineering and crafting some of the most exotic motorcy- cles in the world. In the tradition of offer- ing only the best in motorcycles, we've stepped up our powertrain to include the finest of V-twin engines," said Wild West CEO Paul Seiter. For more information, visit www.wildwestmc.com. On the 5th anniversary of the New York Twin Towers Catastrophe and in honor of the fallen firefighters and police personnel, Braun Entertainment will produce a two- day Fire/Police Motocross Tribute Race at Frozen Ocean Motorsports Complex just south of Auburn, New York. The 911 MX- Race will be held on Monday, September 11, and Tuesday, September 12, with both days being independent of each other and open to the general public. All motocross racers are encouraged to participate at the memorial tribute in the many age-, and rank-level support classes. They do not have to be firefighters or police personnel. Points will be awarded both days as rounds seven and eight of the 10-round 2006 Fire Police MX National Series. The final rounds (9 and 10) will be held October 16 and 17 in Mesquite, Nevada, with an awards banquet for all participants and guests the evening of the 17th, at the Casablanca Hotel and Casino Resort. All participants of the 911 MX-Race will have their names listed in a Tribute Registry. Red Bull Last Man Standing will return to North Texas on Friday and Saturday, December 1-2, once again aiming to sepa- rate the men from the boys in one of the world's toughest tests in off-road racing. Last year, the UK's David Knight showed why he is the World Enduro champion by leaving the rest of the competitors in his dust on a course that saw only 14 of 88 riders complete all four rounds. New this year will be online registration, rather than entry by invitation. The registration period will be open from Wednesday, August 9 to Friday, September 8. The first 300 Pro, A level riders to register at www.redbulllast- manstanding.com will gain entry to the Last Man Standing qualifier on Friday, December 1. There is a $100 registration fee, of which 100 percent will go toward the prize purse. If additional openings are available, A-level riders will be able to reg- ister after September 8. All 300 registered riders will get two runs on a high-speed qualifying course on Friday, December 1 - using the same bike that will be ridden on Saturday. The fastest 100 riders will advance to Saturday's main event. On Sat- urday, December 2, the 100 qualified rid- ers will line up and blast toward the first corner of the ultra-demanding 40-mile loop, which will feature car-sized boulders, dirt, loamy sand and high-speed straights, in addition to technical elements that will test even the top riders. The field will be reduced for the second and final round, which will take place when the sun goes down, and this time, with the course reversed. The remaining riders will have the chance to take Knight's title of Last Man Standing. For more information, log onto www.redbulllastmanstanding.com. The future of the World Superbike technical regulations seem to be in a state of suspended animation right now, with the proposed 1200cc regulations on hold. Some parties involved in the most recent discussions on the subject have a major problem with the con- cept of a 1200ccc twin. Not with the details, but the proposed air-restrictors-for-all idea, favored by some members of the MSMA, and it looks to be on rockier ground than was first imagined. It appears that only Honda, of the Japanese manufacturers, truly favor the idea, with most believing that restrictors for the twins only would be more workable. With the current rate of progress of Superbike-engine perform- ance, there will soon be a time when World Superbike machines will be very close to MotoGP outputs, even for privateers - a situ- ation that few want for reasons of safety and also for development budget. But still many voices in the MSMA and National series feel air restrictors are not the way forward. It appears that the World Superbike side of the discussion favors the status quo for the immediate future, as does British Superbike, for the time being. Soon, the British Superbike Series will limit the cost of tuning by adopting somewhere between Superbike and Supersport rules for engine tuning, but with full World Superbike chassis specs. This, they believe, would limit the cost for Superbike teams per engine, but still keep them out front of the rapidly advancing Superstock lap times. The one thing that appears certain for all is that not much is expected to change until Ducati or another manufacturer actually pro- duces a real 1000cc-plus machine - not just the idea of one. With Ducati expected to show off a bigger-than-1000cc twin at the end of this year, even if it is not a road-going model with immediate effect, then reality will then probably allow the whole subject to proceed to another stage. With a December deadline for the homolo- gation of any new model in World Superbike, and only new components being re-homolo- gated in the midsummer deadline - unless any- one comes out with a new 1000cc-plus bike for the December deadline, and then every- one agrees to allow bigger than 1000cc twins into the rule book before the start of the World Superbike season - we will not see any big-bore twins on a racetrack until 2008. Gordon Ritchie World Superbike Rules On Hold AUGUST 16, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 8