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/764997
CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE T he 2016 racing season is com- ing to a close and we pause for a moment to look back at the year in racing. What stories from 2016 will we remember in years to come? Certainly a few of the head- lines this year stand out, some for good such as major first-time wins, exciting new champions and racing motorcycles, but as always, some memories from 2016 will be sad ones. As in life, emotions from the unexpected turns in the road often lead to every conceivable direction in motorcycle racing as well. With that in mind we will take a look back at what at least one longtime racing journalist sees as the most important and lasting stories of 2016. 10. Bryan Smith And Kawasaki Crowned 2016 AMA Pro Grand National Champion He'd come close a couple of times, but Bryan Smith finally broke through in 2016 to earn his first AMA Pro Grand National Championship. It also marked the first AMA Pro Flat Track title for Kawasaki. It was the first time a rider racing something other than a Harley-Davidson won the prestigious number-one plate on the big dirt tracks of America since Bubba Shobert in 1987 with Honda. 9. Ryan Dungey Defends His Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Ryan Dungey had won the Mon- ster Energy Supercross Champion- ship twice before, but interestingly, 2016 marked the first time the Red Bull KTM rider defended a na- tional title in his professional career. Dungey was dominant winning nine supercross mains this season. Along the way, he made the cover of a Wheaties box and won an ESPY award for Best Male Action Sports Athlete making for a dream supercross season. An injury during the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Thunder Valley ended what otherwise might have been a perfect year. 8. Toni Elias Subs For Yo- shimura Suzuki And Becomes Instant Superbike Contender When Jake Lewis was injured before the MotoAmerica Superbike season it left Yoshimura Suzuki scrambling to find a fill-in rider. For- mer Moto2 Champion and MotoGP winner Toni Elias happened to be looking for a ride and the match was made. Many thought Elias would do reasonably well, but no one dreamed that the Spaniard would come out of the box sweep- ing both wins in the MotoAmerica season opener at the Circuit of the Americas. Elias was promoted from substitute to full-fledge team rider and was a title contender all season. He scored six wins in his first season in America and finished ranked third in the final standings, only seven points back from champion Cameron Beaubier. The addition of Elias also brought a lot of much-needed international attention to MotoAmerica. 7. Harley-Davidson Introduces The XG750R As Potential Re- placement For The XR750 It's mindboggling to think about, but the Harley-Davidson XR750 has been the state-of-the-art weapon on the flat tracks of America since 1970. Now a full 46 years later, Milwaukee finally responded to the rising power of the Kawasaki EX650 and the In- dian Scout FTR on the horizon with a next-generation flat track racing motorcycle, the XG750R. Launched towards the end of the season, the new XGR didn't set the world on fire this season; it had some respect- able finishes ridden by GNC1 rookie Davis Fisher. So far, we haven't heard who will race the factory Harley flat trackers in 2017, or which bike they'll run, but the intro of the XGR will be talked about, if Harley's race team stays to form, until about the year 2062. P184 A LOOK BACK (BUT NOT FAR BACK) Taylor Robert, the overall individual winner at the Six Days who led the U.S. World Trophy Team to victory in Spain, uncorks the champagne. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONTY EDMUNDS