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/917325
CN III ARCHIVES P202 ing his factory Ducati teammate and three-time MotoGP Champ Jorge Lorenzo struggled on the same machine. 5. Bruce Brown, "On Any Sunday" Cre- ator Dies – An argument could be made that Bruce Brown had as much to do with the explosion of motorcycling in the 1970s as any single individual. His movie On Any Sunday was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, showing the sport for what it truly is—people with a passion for riding having fun. His film helped reset the image of motorcycling that so much of America held in the previous decade. On Any Sunday also inspired a generation of Americans to take up motorcycling for the first time. 4. Ken Roczen Injured – Coming off his 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Ken Roczen moved to Honda and was one of the pre-season favorites to win the both the 2017 AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross titles. But then came his sickening crash at Anaheim II that shattered his left arm. Roczen was not only out for the rest of the season, but it initially looked serious enough to be a career-ending injury. How we'll remember Roczen's crash will ultimately have a lot to do with how he does in his return. 3. Ryan Dungey Announces Retirement – Going out on top. It's a goal that champion racers always seem to have, yet rarely accom- plish. Ryan Dungey wrote his own ending to an outstanding career. After winning the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross Championship (his fourth) Dungey decided to call it a career. The grind that is the life of a pro motocross racer took its toll. "I've gone as hard as I can for as long as I can," Dungey said, "but the reality is that our sport is tough, the seasons are long and it takes a huge amount of sacrifice, hard work and discipline to stay on top." During his nine-year pro career Dungey compiled Hall of Fame stats. He won nine national MX and SX titles, in addition to a being a member of three winning Team USA Motocross des Nations teams. 2. Indian Dominates American Flat Track in Debut – There's no other way to describe it other than stunning. Indian's almost total domination in American Flat Track took almost everyone by surprise. It was easily the most impressive debut of any racing motorcycle in the long history of the series. Indian's FTR750 is a marvel of engineering, seemingly concentrat- ing the combined knowledge in flat track racing into the most potent racing machine ever to turn a wheel on a dirt oval. It was appropriate that Jared Mees, the rider most responsible for helping develop the FTR, came away with the number-one plate. 1. The Tragedy of Nicky Hayden's Passing – No story even came close to the magnitude, not to mention heartbreak, the en- tire motorcycling community felt with the death of former MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden. Hayden was beloved the world over and it was almost impossible to believe in May when we heard the tragic news of the bicycle acci- dent and his passing a few days later. Tributes poured in by the thousands. Athletes in all forms of motorsports honored Hayden with #69 stick- ers on helmets, cars and motorcycles. Hayden was the best-known motorcycle racer in Amer- ica and his passing was mainstream news. He was one of the true greats of the sport and we'd hoped to have him with us for many years to come, but fate intervened. That's why, for motor- cycle racing enthusiasts, we will forever remem- ber the year 2017 with a tinge of sadness. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives