Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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VOL. 53 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 20, 2016 P185 6. Nicky Hayden Moves To World Superbike We had an American in the FIM Superbike World Championship again this season and it was former MotoGP Champ Nicky Hayden. The move to Honda's World Superbike squad wasn't a total surprise, but it did provide a boost to the se- ries and Hayden earned a victory in Malaysia on the aging Honda CBR1000RR SP. A new generation Honda is on the way and American fans continue to hope Hayden can become the first rider in history to win both the MotoGP and WorldS- BK Championships. 5. Marc Marquez Wins Back The MotoGP Championship It's easy to forget now, but at the beginning of 2016 pundits were calling for a Yamaha battle for the 2016 FIM MotoGP Championship between Jorge Lorenzo and Valen- tino Rossi. Some were even saying one of the Ducati factory riders might challenge for the title. Honda was supposed to be at a low point and Marquez was almost a forgot- ten man. After wins in Argentina and Austin, suddenly everyone seemed to remember the extreme talent of Marquez. He went on to win a series-leading five races en route to his third MotoGP title in four years. Any bets against him for 2017? 4. Jason Anderson Wins At MX of Nations And Then Gets Landed On Jason Anderson spent much of the summer out injured, but the Husqvarna rider came back just in time to get ready for the Motocross of Nations in Maggiora, Italy. An- derson had just scored a stunning victory in his MX of Nations debut and had barely crossed the finish line when another rider landed on top of him. It knocked Anderson out of the event and while Team USA teammates Cooper Webb and Alex Martin turned in solid results, Ander- son's misfortune ended up costing the team a win at the international competition. And how can we forget the heartbreak on Cooper Webb's face afterward, following his minor tip-over on the last lap that—had that not happened—would've made up for Anderson's misfortune. 3. Indian Motorcycle Comes Back To Racing When the original Indian Motor- cycle went under in the mid-1950s, it looked like the Wigwam had won its final AMA Flat Track National. But with Polaris' resurrection of the Indian brand and it's 2016 re-entry into the AMA Pro Flat Track Cham- pionship, Indian's racing squad was back in the headlines for the first time in 60 years. Veteran Joe Kopp put an Indian FTR750 into the lead of a Grand National for the first time in probably well over 50 years, but the big bombshell came late in the season when it was announced the 2017 Indian Wrecking Crew would consist of Jared Mees, Bryan Smith and Brad Baker. The team instantly had the three most talented racers in the championship and in one fell swoop put Harley-Davidson on its heels. 2. Charlotte Kainz And Kyle McGrane Die At Santa Rosa Grand National It will go down in history as one of the darkest days in AMA Pro Flat Track history. Up-and-coming GNC2 riders Charlotte Kainz and Kyle McGrane died as results of in- juries suffered in separate incidents, Kainz in a heat race and McGrane in the final. Kainz, 20, from West Allis, Wisconsin, earned her profes- sional license in Pro Flat Track in the GNC2 class during the 2015 season. The beloved rider won her first GNC2 semi this year at the Black Hills Half-Mile and brought smiles to the faces of everyone she met in the paddock. McGrane, 17, joined the Pro Flat Track ranks in the GNC2 class last year and showed promise both on and off the track. McGrane was born in Gap, Pennsylvania, but had a growing fanbase nationwide with main event appearances and a heat race win at the 2016 Law Tigers Arizona Mile. 1. Team USA Wins ISDE It was one of the things the American off-road community has been trying to accomplish since the early 1970s. And while it took longer than any ever thought, the U.S. Tro- phy team of Taylor Robert, Kailub Russell, Thad Duvall and Layne Mi- chael accomplished something that no team of American motorcyclists had done before: They won the Fédération Internationale de Mo- tocyclisme's International Six Days Enduro. In addition, Taylor Robert won the individual overall at the event, only the second time in his- tory an American has accomplished that goal. The achievement of the 2016 U.S. World Trophy team will surely be remembered for as long as that prestigious competition runs. The team collectively was named the AMA's 2016 Motorcyclists of the Year, an award well deserved. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives