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/993191
CN III VOICES W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G "Sometimes people get things right." Nicky Hayden Statue Sometimes people get things right. This is a great tribute to an amazing racer whom I have personally watched kick butt on flat track. He was truly a great person. Well done, people. Steve Ferraz They did a good job with his image. Sometimes statuesque works of art look nothing like the person being honored. Well done! Chris Crawford America's champion. The Ken- tucky Kid. #69. Forever in our hearts as a true ambassador to the sport. Thank you for the memories and ride on forever! Jesse Morgan Well, now Nicky you're immor- tal! I know I'll always remember you. God bless your family and we will all come to see you soon. Brian Hudnell Lorenzo to Yamaha I did not see that coming! I love surprises like this. It keeps it interesting as I look forward to future seasons. Although obvi- ous, even with Lorenzo's last victory, I did anticipate Lorenzo making a move, but HRC? It'll make for some incredible press and racing in the next 2-3 seasons. John A. Stockman Lorenzo couldn't take the heat! Rossi bailed, too! Casey Stoner was the only master of the Ducati when it was a total POS. Yet the fans always made fun of Casey. I thought he did amaz- ing things with that bike! Michael Jacobs Petrucci To Ducati Great move, Ducati. Dovizioso with zero MotoGP titles joined by Petrucci with zero MotoGP titles, and a factory with one world title. Honda, the stron- gest team in history, signs the two best riders in the world. Those two have dominated the class for the past 10 years. Burt Munro Elias Fastest to 20 Here's my take on this feat. The first few riders on the list started their careers here, at a time when American riders used AMA racing as a stepping stone on their way to GP and/ or WSBK success, or they raced against other riders who were on that path. The last time an American won in GPs was 12 years ago (Nicky Hayden), and before that it was 18 years (Kenny Roberts Jr). Ben Spies was the last to win the WorldSBK title in 2009. Hayden and Spies, along with Colin Edwards, had limited success on the world stage after that, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say it's been slim pickings for U.S. riders at the world-championship level since. I would also argue that Josh Hayes (who I like) didn't face the same level of competition as (Fred) Merkel and (Miguel) Duhamel. Mat Mladin mostly had his way once Spies left for Europe. I guess what I'm getting at is that a tested GP rider such as Elias coming over to the U.S. at this point in time—while argu- ably good for the series—mostly proves that the racing on this side of the pond has a ways to go to again approximate the level seen in European road racing. (And kudos to Wayne Rainey—a member of the true golden age of American road racing—for his efforts to breathe new life into the series). Elias' MotoAmerica com- petitors have little or no experi- ence, let alone success, at the world level. Under those circumstances, his record shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Stephen Farenell Letters to the editor can be sent to voices@cyclenews.com. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the position of Cycle News. Letters should not exceed 150 words and are subject to editing. Anonymous letters won't be considered for publication and each letter should contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor P6