Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 9 MARCH 4, 2014 P21 Briefly... Moto2 Racer Injured Moto 2 racer Alex Mariñe- larena has been placed in an induced coma after crashing his Tech 3 entry during a private test at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the south of France last week. Mariñelarena was initially knocked unconscious in the accident, though he reportedly regained con- sciousness at the scene and was able to speak to doctors. After further ex- amination of the 21-year- old Spaniard at the Saint- Anne hospital in Toulon, the medical staff opted to place him in a medically induced coma. Noyes For Spanish Superbikes American road racer Kenny Noyes has signed with the Palmeto Kawa- saki team to contest the 2014 Spanish Superbike Championship. For Noy- es, who spent the last four seasons riding in the World Moto2 and CEV Moto2 Championships, this will be a return to 1000cc bikes and to the team he last rode with in 2009 (1000cc Extreme Stock) and 2012 (Moto2). CoTA Camping Circuit of The Americas is selling reserved camping spaces during the 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, April 11-13. An upgrade is now avail- able for those wanting a camping experience with amenities similar to those offered to CoTA's premium trackside RV spots. For $600, fans can receive electricity and water and waste services. For more information on camping, parking and tickets, visit http://circuitoftheameri- cas.com/motogp/. Joey's TT The Isle of Man Govern- ment, Department of Eco- nomic Development, has launched an appeal for people to come forward with bikes formerly ridden by Joey Dunlop to ap- pear on the Isle of Man at this year's Classic TT Fes- tival. The theme running through this year's Classic TT is titled 'Joey Dunlop - Road Racing Legend' and the department's mo- torsport team is sourcing relevant bikes that the leg- endary Northern Irelander raced during his career to go on display in what is hoped will be the larg- est collection of his race bikes ever in one place. Gray Has Surgery Former speedway racer and actor Billy Gray underwent quadruple bypass surgery in Janu- ary. The 76-year-old star of "Father Knows Best" was operated on at the note that Lee Acree will serve as his crew chief in Daytona nearly a decade after the two were paired up as teammates with the Millennium KWS Suzuki team. "I got the phone call to go test the bike and I wanted to get down there and check out the bike and the team," Young said. "I also wanted to talk with [team manager] Brad Rutherford about his thoughts and the direction they wanted to take the team. "It went pretty well. It's a new team and it's still pretty green, but I think with myself in the program and getting some of the right guys put into place, with the great equipment that they have, we can be right up front. Do I think it's going to happen the first couple of races? Probably not. We're prob- ably going to be learning for a while. It's just about trying to eliminate all of the little stuff and get us going up front as quick as possible. But we have a great, great motorcycle and a team that's will- ing and wants to win. We'll see how quick we can bring that all together and get the thing up toward the front." Young, 26, is a two-time AMA Superbike Cham- pionship runner-up with 13 premier-class wins to his name. That resume firmly establishes him as one of the most decorated riders in the paddock and arguably the most accomplished among this year's SportBike crop. However, he's coming off a season spent largely on the sidelines (with just a handful MotoGP and World Superbike wild card rides in '13) and will be a Daytona SportBike class rookie in '14 while making his first AMA Pro appear- ance on middleweight machinery since 2008. Asked what it was like to put some laps in on the R6, Young laughed and said, "Oh boy… It was pretty different. Right away I just wanted to just rush all the turns. I've ridden a few 600s at [Kevin] Schwantz's schools and done a few endur- ance rounds with him, but riding on one that is this competitive and quick and set up that proper - it's quite an experience. It's going to take some get- ting used to, that's the biggest thing." Chris Martin continued on page 27

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