VOL. 51 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 21, 2014
final choice will depend largely on the
performance of the control ECU software they will try for the first time.
On the down side, Crutchlow has
joined a runaway train, going in the
wrong direction. The margins in MotoGP may be small, but they are magnified in the rarefied atmosphere, and
the Ducati's only strength – horsepower – is continually overwhelmed
by all those other niceties of overall
machine refinement that the Japanese
rivals do so well.
But there are potential positives,
beyond the fact that if Ducati take the
Open option they will have almost a full
extra gallon of fuel and 12 against five
engines, playing to the bike's strength
by unleashing yet more power.
The best hopes lie in the latest configuration of personnel, after the major change at the top. The new boss is
the bearded Dall'Igna, whose record
at Aprilia is impressive, who will hold
technical and managerial sway over
returned formerly successful Ducati
men Paolo Ciabatti (back as team
manager last year) and now also Davide Tardozzi. Tardozzi ran the Superbike team in the glory years of seven
world titles, with riders like Fogarty,
Bayliss, Corser, Toseland and Hodgson.
In a twist of fate, Tardozzi left Ducati
to run the BMW superbike team, only
to be ousted before the end of his first
year. His replacement was Gobmeier,
who then joined Ducati, only to suffer
the same fate.
New faces, new hopes. New results? Nobody will be more anxious
to find out than the new British rider
and his well-seasoned former Yamaha
teammate Dovi.
Let's hope, for our sake as well
as theirs, that the new direction will
help them rejoin the main circuit once
again.
CN
LOOKING BACK
40 Years Ago
January 29, 1974
We featured a photo of the latest Yamaha
YZ125 motocrosser in action on the cover to
accompany our test of the new machine… We
also tested the Penton 250 dual sport bike and
questioned its big $1600 asking price… Yamaha hosted a school for trials riding that we covered and attended… Sixty-one riders zeroed the
Iron Horse Enduro in the Southern California desert.
30 Years Ago
February 1, 1984
Motocross-racing action from both coasts were
plastered on the cover 30 years ago, when we
highlighted both California's Golden State and
Florida's Winter-AMA Series. Johnny O'Mara
and Kenny Keylon were the big winners… We
interviewed drag racer Elmer Trett.
20 Years Ago
January 26, 1994
Jeremy McGrath was pictured on the cover
in all his glory for winning the opening round of
the 1994 Supercross Series with a win at Orlando; Ezra Lusk won the 125 main… Honda
announced its new Supercross team sponsor –
1-800-COLLECT… Ryan Hughes was the top
guy at the GFI MX Series at Perris Raceway…
John Dowd and Kevin Windham were the big
winners at the Florida Winter MX Series.
10 Years Ago
January 28, 2004
We traveled to Arizona to test ride the all-new
Honda CRF250X, which we featured on the
cover being ridden by Steve Hengeveld...
Yamaha's Chad Reed took top honors at the
Anaheim III Supercross; Ivan Tedesco won the
125 class… Kawasaki's Lance Smail won the
WORCS opener in Laughlin… Destry Abbott
and Brian Brown teamed up to win the Parker
250.
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