Cycle News

CN III VOICES L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R "Kevin has the potential to be the Jackie Stewart of motocross…" Kevin Windham And Track Safety The Kevin Windham piece on safety in the last issue was a real eye-opener and I'm so glad that K-Dub and Cycle News are taking on the topic. He's right that off- road motorcycle racing will always be dangerous, but the sport and the industry should constantly be looking for ways to make it safer. Unfortunately the sport doesn't appear to be as diligent about it as NASCAR, F1 or IndyCar is after a tragedy on the track. Kevin has the potential to be the Jackie Stewart of motocross and I sure hope that the people who gather around him to try and solve some of the problems come up with some bril- liant solutions like the auto racing people have over the past couple of decades. Major-league auto rac- ing has never been safer, but the same can't be said for motocross. Steve Casper Eden Prairie, MN Sorry, I respect [Kevin Windham] but disagree with him. You can tame tracks down, slow bikes down, and we will still have very bad crashes. Justin Mead Via the Internet It's really a no brainer to make the sport safer. Yes, a redesign of tracks is needed at this point, and it seems that the four-strokes are having trouble making transitions in technical sections and once they nosedive or skypoint, it's all over. Too many top riders are paying the price with injuries that needn't occur (in my opinion). And if this is happening to the pros, what about the amateurs coming up? I really think that the AMA and industry need to take a hard look at bringing the two-strokes back in 125 and 250 format. Lighter, more agile and less complicated…period! Olde Scott Saint David, AZ I love the sport of MX/SX, but I don't want my kids involved. The risk is just too great now. I used to race and ride but since having kids I do neither. My kids are just two and three now, but I wrestle with the question should I get them a motorcycle someday or push them as far away from motorcycles as possible. They see me watching motorcycle racing on TV, they see the motorcycle magazines lying around, they see the motorcycles in the garage, so they are intrigued by motorcycles. Motorcycles both on road and off road have provided me some of the best times in my life, but they have also taken great friends from my life. In the long run, the decision may be out of my hands as they may choose the alluring path to motorcycles, but for now I think we will just go fishing. Hopefully the motorcycle industry will put their heads together and figure out how to make motocross racing safer before more parents like myself choose different hob- bies. Jason B. Brimfield, IL Here's a simple fix—take away landing ramps. Landing ramps promote big air like at Freestyle circus events. Moto is not a circus event. Fabian Dressler Via the Internet Remembering Dane Westby Dane was a great racer and always exciting to watch on the track. I admired him for many reasons and the way he built his own team last year and won was most impressive. I was so looking forward to seeing him on the new R1 Su- perstock bike from the moment I heard he was switching classes and wasn't surprised when he was the fastest of the 1000 Superstock racers at the COTA Dunlop test ahead of even the highly rated Jake Gagne on his RoadRace Factory Red Bull R1. Dane was more than a talented and gutsy racer, he was a genuine character not afraid to be his own man and go his own way. My con- dolences go out to his family and friends for their loss and for all who enjoyed following Dane Westby in our sport. Like Tommy Aquino taken from us just over a year ago, you will be greatly missed. Lance Holst Via the Internet Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor P18

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