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/314586
IN THE WIND P22 SIMON ANDREWS PASSES B ritish road racer Simon Andrews passed away on Monday, May 19, the result of his crash in the Superstock race on Saturday in the North West 200. The 29-year-old Andrews died at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Ireland, with his family by his side. Andrews was the second rider seriously injured in the Irish road race with Frenchman Franck Petricola listed in critical condition on Monday after crashing in a practice session last Tuesday. "Road racing was in his blood and Simon preferred the roads to short circuits," his father Stuart told the Belfast Telegraph on Mon- day. "He was fully aware of the dangers involved, but he loved the challenge that that offered. Simon always said, 'Once you've been on the roads there's nothing else to compare with it.' " Andrews was riding for the Penz13.com BMW team. Andrews had raced in World Superbike, World Endurance, British Superbike and British Supersport. Michael Dunlop was the big winner of this year's North West 200 event with victories in Superbike and the shortened Superstock races. Simon Andrews passed away on Monday from injuries suffered in the North West 200 in Ireland. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE TRAILS PROGRAM UPDATE T he transportation bill an- nounced last week by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Califor- nia) and the Senate Environ- ment and Public Works Commit- tee includes a reauthorization of the Recreational Trails Program, according to the AMA. The Recreational Trails Pro- gram (RTP) is an $85 million initiative that funds motorized recreational trails. The program is funded by the excise tax that off-highway-vehicle users pay when purchasing fuel for their vehicles. The RTP was also included in the administration's trans- portation proposal, the GROW America Act. "We are very happy to see the RTP included in the Senate bill," said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president of government relations. "But we recognize that this represents just one step in the approval process. And, it is only one of the many proposals we would like to see included in the final bill." In addition to reauthorizing the RTP, the AMA seeks an end to federal funding of motorcy- cle-only checkpoints; measures that ensure anti-distracted driv- ing provisions are implemented; language that includes motorcy- clists in vehicle-to-vehicle com- munication studies; and formal recognition of the benefits of motorcycling. "We hope that the Senate Commerce Committee and the Committee on Banking, Hous- ing and Urban Affairs, as well as the House of Representatives, also recognize the importance of all of these measures to the future of motorcycling," Allard said. "We look forward to work- ing with the committees to en- sure the motorcycling commu- nity's priorities are met," Allard said.