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/646962
IN THE WIND P32 QUALIFYING TIRES ARE BACK IN MOTOAMERICA! U ltra-soft qualifying tires will make a return to the Mo- toAmerica series in 2016, fol- lowing an announcement made by the series organizers and Dunlop earlier today. Those that are close fans of the sport in MotoGP will know the excitement the last few laps of qualifying brings, when all the fast guys throw on an ultra-sticky rear tire and give it everything in the hopes of stealing the pole position. That edge-of-the seat viewing is now headed for MotoAmerica, with company president Wayne Rainey particu- larly excited about the move. "There's nothing like having more grip," said the three-time 500cc World Champion. "More grip means faster lap times and Dunlop qualifying tires provide that grip. I think it's important for our rid- ers to get used to man- aging the qualifying tires. They provide a sensation like no other and you can use the extra grip to find new ways to go faster. Our fans are going to enjoy the extra excitement that having the qualifying tires in the final Super- pole session bring to the show, and I think a lot of track records will be broken this year." Dunlop will provide tires that are good for four laps in Super- pole 2, according to Dunlop Mo- torsports Technician Tony Romo, with gains of up to one second if the rider times his run jut right. All 10 Superbike riders who transfer directly from Free Prac- tice 3 to Superpole 2 will have the opportunity to use the Dunlop qualifying tire in an effort to com- pete for the top 12 spots on the starting grid. Ditto for the two rid- ers who transfer from Superpole 1 to Superpole 2, which means all 12 riders in Superpole 2 will get the chance to use the soft tire. The 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/ FIM North American Road Rac- ing Championship kicks off at Circuit of The Americas, April 8-10, in Austin, Texas. CN Soft-compound tires set for 2016 and Superpole just got a whole lot more interesting! BROC HEPLER TO RACE AGAIN F ormer factory Yamaha and Suzuki Team MX rider Broc Hepler, who had his racing career cut short due to a series of concussions, has signed with Gas Gas North America, and its coop partner Spec- tro Oils, as a Regional Support Rider and Enduro Development. Hepler, who has competed in select National Enduros the past few years, will be attending the Aces Enduro series in 2016 along with select National Enduros and possibly a couple of Full Gas Sprint Enduros with the support of Team Manager John Barber and key sponsors Lunova, Spectro Oils and FMF Racing. "Broc has been making the transition away from the national motocross world to the off-road market and will be a great asset to help us continue to develop our enduro models," said Mark Berg of Gas Gas Motos NA. "He's already been testing the bike and feels very comfortable on the EC250. We look forward to working with Broc and John Barber on bike development along with racer growth in the east coast." CN Broc Hepler (left) and team manager John Barber plan to reignite Gas Gas' off-road effort in the U.S.