Cycle News

Cycle News 2013 Issue 41 October 15

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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P26 WIND was ever closer to the Aspar team, with its own close Aprilia links. Now the top independent team's hopes of support and a serious technical upgrade have been dashed, and they have been forced into a drastic rethink. Tenuous discussions with Honda about the new production-racer have become an urgent reality, with HRC demanding a firm answer by the end of the Malaysian GP weekend. Another option would be Ducati, which plans to offer this year's machine to satellite teams while forging ahead with an all-new ma- PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE IN THE Will Gigi Dall'Igna's departure from Aprilia force Nicky Hayden down a different path for the 2014 MotoGP season? chine for the factory squad. This would be the supreme irony for Hayden, for whom the bright side of being sacked by Ducati was to escape from the ever-troubled Desmosedici. "Ducati aren't doing me any favors. Not only have they fired me, they've taken the guy who was going to be my new engineer," Hayden said. Hayden also said: "I was very close to a deal, so I was very shocked to see him leave. I need to understand what Aprilia is going to do without Gigi. He has achieved a lot, and that is why the Aprilia option was looking so good." Hayden "hadn't signed anything yet," and admitted that "the Honda thing came back up. There is a lot to sort out, like bike prices and sponsors." Michael Scott T he AMA Pro Hillclimb Series crowned Jay Sallstrom, John Koester, and Nick Bleau as the 2013 Champions in Unlimited, Xtreme, and Pro Sport classes, respectively, at the final round on the Devil's Staircase hill at Oregonia, Ohio, on Sunday. Sallstrom came into the final round as the Unlimited class heir-apparent after points leader Vinny Nuzzolilli's round-seven injury knocked him out of the title chase. Sallstrom's ninth-place finish on the day was enough to keep him ahead of rivals Koester and Phil Libhart, the pair finishing second and third in the series, respectively. continued on page 28 Phil Libhart won the Xtreme Class hillclimb finale with one perfect ride. PHOTOGPAPHY BY JEFF WHITEHEAD HILLCLIMBERS CROWNED!

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