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/717711
VOL. 53 ISSUE 33 AUGUST 23, 2016 P123 place and AC never missed a beat, jumping back on his bike and rejoining the race. It was chill- ing, inspiring and, unfortunately, the beginning of a series of events that kept him from racing for most of the past two years. I am happy to report that his 2-5 moto finishes on Saturday were his best yet and a definite improvement. I hope that he can build on this perfor- mance. Austin Forkner has had the kind of successful year that Adam was supposed to have had back in 2014. The kid is the real deal and probably the only thing keeping Mitch Payton sane at this point. As frustrated as Mitch must be, his team has had a few moments, such as when his guys were in four of the top five places in the second moto on Satur- day. Unfortunately, they did not finish that way. I look for some shake-ups for next season at Pro Circuit's facility in Corona—you cannot miss the place; the widen- ing of the westbound 91 freeway comes within about 15 feet of their building! What has happened to the GEICO Honda team? They have completely fallen off the rails this year. As near as I can tell, their only podium appearance this season was when Jordon Smith placed second in the first moto at Hangtown. Yikes. I hope that they can turn things around before Anaheim 1, or it is going to be a long year. Congratulations to Rockstar/ Husqvarna rider, Zach Osborne for his first overall win at an AMA National. Zach has been knock- ing at the door for a long time and has won GPs in Europe, but a win over here has eluded him until now. I hope that this is the first of many more. In the 450 class, we all knew Dungey would be fast and consistent, just like he always is and Eli Tomac was a wild card after being off the bike for nearly a year. After taking nearly the entire supercross season to get his RCH Racing Suzukis dialed in, Roczen made it clear that he was the man to beat, winning 11 of the first 12 motos in humiliat- ing fashion. Tomac showed a glimpse of the speed he had last year, easily winning both motos in the Southwick sand. After winning 18 out of 22 motos by huge margins, it seems a shame and kind of silly that Roczen will be changing brands next year, but a deal is a deal. The suits at Honda have to be a bit nervous about the amount of time it took Kenny to get up to speed on the Suzukis, a brand with which he was quite familiar. Big Red has been without a champion since Ricky Carmichael and they broke open the piggy bank to land Roczen. With Seely already re- signed for next year, they will have a formidable team for both indoors and out. Speaking of teams, the AMA announced the USA team for the Motocross of Nations, to be held in Maggiora, Italy, on Sep- tember 24-25, 2016. Cooper Webb is team captain, riding the MX1 class, Alex Martin will be in MX2 and Jason Anderson will race the Open class. Dungey and Tomac will watch from home. They begged off due to other commitments and with the other top Americans in various states of healing, it is what it is. To be honest, I'm not sure we have three guys with their hearts and minds in the right place to win over there, but I think the three we are sending will leave it all on the track trying. I know I will be watching and cheering for them. I will also be at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Grand Prix of the Americas on September 3 and I'm looking forward to it. I sure hope some American fans turn up to watch, because I think that Tim Gasjer, Romain Febvre and the rest of the FIM riders will be phenomenal to watch. Those of you here on the west coast will have a chance to catch the spec- tacle a week later at Glen Helen. I hope to see all of you at one or the other. Congratulations and a personal thank you to Andrew Short for a stellar career and his support of my Big Air Kid's Fair at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital. Shorty has answered the call to attend and been a great friend to the event and myself. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Please, everyone pray, donate and think positive thoughts for Jessy Nelson. Be strong, Jessy! CN