Cycle News - October 11, 2011

Transcription

QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 16 AMATEURS ATTACK PUTNAM PAR
FIRST LOOK:
2012 KAWASAKI
ZX-14R
MEANER
THAN
EVER!
1 Cover.indd 2
10/10/11 2:42 PM
M PARK 66
VOL. 48 ISSUE 35 OCTOBER 11, 2011
POMONA PREVIEW
3 RIDERS, 8 POINTS!
FIRST RIDE
SUZUKI RM-Z250
DUCATI HISTORY
25 YEARS OF THE
DESMOQUATTRO V-TWIN
INTERVIEW
THE MAN BEHIND
NORTON
1 Cover.indd 3
10/10/11 2:42 PM
RYANVILLOPOTO
2011 AMA 450 MX CHAMPION
IT ALL ADDS UP
The AMA and WMX Motocross seasons lined out as nicely as 1-2
Ryan Villopoto won his second 450 championship of the year,
captured her third Women’s Motocross crown. And consider this
yet Dunlop-sponsored riders filled 95 of 96 overall podium pos
season-long sweep. We could bombard you with even more imp
ASHLEYFIOLEK
2011 AMA WMX CHAMPION
Dunlop.indd 2
DEANWILSON
2011 AMA 250 MX CHAMPION
10/10/11 7:27 AM
P
Click here to watch the Geomax video
®
as nicely as 1-2-3 in 2011 as Dean Wilson claimed his first 250 Motocross Championship,
p of the year, taking the MX title to accompany his Supercross win, and Ashley Fiolek
d consider this stat: In these three series, racers could choose between six brands of tires,
ll podium positions, including winning every race in every championship for a complete
even more impressive numbers, but here’s the bottom line: With Dunlop, it all adds up.
For more Dunlop tire information go to dunlopmotorcycle.com or call 800-845-8378. ©2011 Dunlop.
Dunlop.indd 3
10/10/11 7:27 AM
CONTENTS
P4
38
REVEALED
28 2012 KAWASAKI ZX-14R
Faster still.
PREVIEWED
32 POMONA HALF MILE
Eight points, three riders. Bring it.
FEATURED
38 THE DUCATI V-TWIN
A look back at the powerplant that put Ducati on the map.
TESTED
46 2012 SUZUKI RM-Z250
What’s new on the yellow bike.
RACED
52 POWERLINE GNCC
Kailub Russell gets his first.
66 AMA ROAD RACE GRAND
NATIONALS
Youth is served at Putnam Park.
72 NHRA READING
The kid strikes again.
INTERVIEWED
58 NORTON’S STUART GARNER
Meet the man behind the brand.
DEPARTMENTALIZED
6CAPTURED
8CAPTURED
10CAPTURED
12VOICES
14 THE INSIDE TWEET
16 IN THE WIND
76 PRODUCT REVIEW
78STUFF
82 BIKES OF THE STARS
84ARCHIVES
86 CLASSIFIED ADS
88 IN THE PADDOCK
90 WHAT’S NEXT
4-5 TOC.indd 4
QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 16 AMATEURS ATTACK PUTNAM PARK 66
POMONA PREVIEW
3 RIDERS, 8 POINTS!
FIRST RIDE
SUZUKI RM-Z250
DUCATI HISTORY
FIRST LOOK:
2012 KAWASAKI
ZX-14R
MEANER
THAN
EVER!
25 YEARS OF THE
DESMOQUATTRO V-TWIN
INTERVIEW
THE MAN BEHIND
NORTON
On The Cover:
Kawasaki’s ZX-14R… and you didn’t
think it could get any faster.
10/10/11 2:40 PM
4-5 TOC.indd 5
P5
10/10/11 2:40 PM
P6
CAPTURED
The Front Row
The World Superbike Championship
often has one over MotoGP by
being able to boast many different
manufacturers that participate, and
often times there are four different
manufacturers on the front row. For
this photo at least, MotoGP was able
to put umbrella girls from six different
team sponsors on the front row.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
6-7 Captured.indd 6
10/10/11 2:00 PM
6-7 Captured.indd 7
P7
10/10/11 2:00 PM
P8
CAPTURED
Gobsmacked!
Brit Tommy Hill celebrates after
winning the British Superbike
Championship on Sunday at Brands
Hatch. The Swan Yamaha rider beat
John Hopkins by just two points in a
thrilling finale. “I am gobsmacked to
have won the title for Swan Yamaha;
this has been my goal and I was trying
to stay as relaxed as possible in that
final race. It has just been a complete
shock for me and I feel like we should
be having another race next weekend
now. At the moment I feel like I need
someone to punch me or something to
bring me back to reality.”
8-10 Captured.indd 8
10/10/11 10:48 AM
P9
10/10/11 10:48 AM
P10
CAPTURED
10/10/11 2:01 PM
P11
Sea To Sky
Competitors in the Red Bull Sea To Sky
Enduro in Turkey get to the sea portion
of the race in Kemer on Saturday,
October 8.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKASZ NAZDRACZEW/
RED BULL CONTENT POOL
10/10/11 2:01 PM
CN III VOICES
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
P12
“It’s past time these loud four-strokes
stop sounding like Harleys with straight
pipes anyway.”
You must make the Giacomo
Agostini shot of him wheelieing (Captured, Issue #33,
September 27) over the
railroad tracks available as a
poster!
Robert J Henry P.E.
Philadelphia, PA
Unfortunately, we don’t own
the rights to the photo. But
maybe Gold & Goose would
consider the poster option…
Editor.
DUNGEY VS. BARCIA
What Ryan Dungey had to
say about Justin Barcia after
Unadilla (I was there) was
way out of line, insinuating
that he is royalty and Barcia
should just pull out of his way.
I immediately dropped out as
a Dungey fan. I’d love to see
Barcia get into the 450 class
and whoop Dungey’s ass.
As for being a Wild
Child, Barcia’s riding style
is calm and courteous compared to Bob Hannah, who
I watched at the same track
years ago. Hey Dungey, this
is a contact sport!
LEAD CUPS?
I enjoyed the Japan MotoGP. I
wonder if the riders wore lead
cups?
Chuck Palmer
Concord, CA
THE INDY MILES
If my memory serves me
correctly, in the late 1970s
the Indy Mile event was
always two races. One race
was on Saturday night and the
second race was held Sunday
afternoon. Oh, and they were
held in conjunction with the
Indy Fair.
My wife and I went several years to these events and
killed three birds with one
stone. Mainly we went to see
the two mile events. Thirdly,
we saw a great fair with some
very good entertainment.
Having the race(s) when
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOPPENWORLD.COM
WHEELIE GOOD AGO
Rober Echard
State College, PA
12-13 Voices.indd 12
10/7/11 12:28 PM
there was a fair going on
seemed to be no problem back then. Why is it such
a perceived problem now?
Frederick C. Lohn
Pasadena, MD
The Indy Mile did run as a
doubleheader as late as
1986. One of the problems
with running the race during
the fair is the conflicts with
other forms of entertainment using the facility… i.e.
concerts, etc. Let’s hope the
promoters can get it sorted
out so there is an Indy Mile
next year in conjunction with
MotoGP… Editor
FEEL THE NOISE
Michael Gorman (Voices, Issue 34, October 4) referenced
Chad Reed’s Tweet, “Sound
testing at the highest professional level is so lame. From
a rider’s view it takes even
the fun out of riding.” Michael
also related his personal
experience where he helped
a neighbor make his quad
quieter and then the neighbors’ complaints stopped. Coexisting with neighbors isn’t
rocket since - whether it is a
personal track or a pro track
like Washougal that has been
contending with sound issues
for quite some time.
Long before this Tweet I
was aware of Reed not being
a fan of sound limits, but this
still strikes me as a bit odd
given the issue he has had
with his neighbors complaining about the noise from his
personal track. Given the
choice between having my
track shut down or making my
bike quieter, I know which one
I’d opt for. I would also want
to practice with the same exhaust systems I’m racing with.
Rather than rehash the pros
and cons of sound limits, I will
just say I’m looking forward
to going to professional
Supercross and motocross
races next year with the bikes
P13
now having to comply to 2 M
Max. From my work supplying
Bristol Core muffler packing to
various exhaust manufacturers, I’m aware this new test is
much more difficult to comply
with but the end result is the
bikes are quieter. Some of these pipe manufacturers’ Motocross of Nations experiences illustrated
just how challenging 2 M Max
is. Some had to go to a longer muffler, some had to use
a smaller insert, while some
raced the mufflers they arrived
with.
At the Monster Energy Cup
in Vegas if you don’t pass 2 M
Max they’ll allow competitors
to test under the same static
94 db test that has been utilized for years now, but come
Anaheim I you either pass 2 M
Max or you don’t race.
The static 94 db test has
been skirted by the top teams
for so long, but the 2 M Max
test means there’s a new sheriff in town. It’s past time these
loud four-strokes stop sounding like Harleys with straight
pipes anyway. Michael Rigdon
Via the Internet
Letters to the editor can be sent to [email protected]. 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
12-13 Voices.indd 13
10/7/11 12:28 PM
P14
America’s Motorcycle News Source
Volume XLVIII
EDITORIAL
PAUL CARRUTHERS
EDITOR
[email protected]
KIT PALMER
OFF-ROAD EDITOR
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
HENNY RAY ABRAMS
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
SHAN MOORE
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
ALAN CATHCART
EUROPEAN EDITOR
COPY EDITORS
MICHELLE BAIRD
COPY EDITOR
MARY KETTLES
COPY EDITOR
ADVERTISING SALES
SEAN FINLEY
GM, AD SALES MANAGER
[email protected]
SUZZIE SMITH
NATIONAL AD SALES MANAGER
[email protected]
ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN
SUNJU KWON
ART DIRECTOR/ART MANAGER
[email protected]
OPERATIONS
DOUGLAS BRINEY
OPERATIONS SPECIALIST
[email protected]
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
17771 Mitchell North, Irvine, CA 92614
949-863-7082
P.O. Box 16121, Irvine, CA 92623
The Inside
tweet…
Kendall_Norman Kendall Norman
Rize and shine and thank you mother nature. Brandnew tires on the 450 and headed straight to the hillz
to ride all damn day:)
JoshGrant33 Josh Grant
Heading to therapy so wishing I could ride in the hills
today… #greasebuckets
eugenelaverty Eugene Laverty
I’ll be at Brands Hatch BSB this weekend. If you
want to buy a set of my leathers they’ll be auctioned
by @CJRidersFund on Saturday evening.
KenRoczen94 Ken Roczen
@RyanDungey even if it is late. Welcome in the
team bud =)
BTNFLY Jimmy Button
On the couch cruising the Internet on my iPad.
Thanks for the technology that will forever change
our lives Mr. Jobs. You made a difference.
TravisPastrana Travis Pastrana
Make no mistake, I’m doing X Games and I’m doing
it in a Rally car! win.gs/nE6qBP
Meligirl13 Melissa Paris
Mini-Moto at Kinsham raceway with @hayes131 and
new world champ @chazdavies and Joey... Trail riding too =] life’s good!
Make sure and follow @CycleNews on Twitter and also on Facebook.
14 Tweet.indd 14
10/10/11 2:00 PM
For discerning motorcycle enthusiasts.
1.2mm (body) to 1.4mm (impact
areas) premium, top-grain
leather construction for optimum
protection, durability and comfort.
Multiple stitched main
seam construction for
maximum tear resistance.
Pleated leather panels are used
in multiple locations for the
finest non-binding fit possible.
Moisture wicking neoprene is
used in the collar and cuffs for
maximum rider comfort.
8mm thick memory
foam back protector.
External titanium shoulder caps.
Molded plastic air vents are
positioned on the shoulders
and sides of the suit.
Aerodynamic and protective
vented back hump.
Pre curved arms for a
perfect look, fit and for
maximum riding comfort.
Perforated chest, belly, upper
legs, front of lower legs
and front of upper arms for
maximum cooling on hot
race days.
Reflective features are
used on the rear of the
suit for safety.
Removable and
washable mesh liner.
Genuine YKK zippers.
Extra long zipper
pull is used on the
2-way main zipper.
CE approved dual-density
knee, shoulder and
elbow protectors.
Teramid Kevlar fabric is used
in the crotch and under the
arms for maximum comfort.
5
A lighter yet durable nylon
fabric is used behind the
knees and rear calf area.
PRO-GEAR
WARRANTY
year
Extra padding is also
provided in the tail bone,
shoulders and hip areas.
Equipped with replaceable
knee pucks.
Laguna
Leather 1 Piece Suit
Like us
Win FREE Gear
Ask Product Questions
Preview New Releases
Blue, Red, White or Black,
$999.00
To find your local dealer log on to:
Toll Free 877.789.4940
11AGV_LagunaSuit_Cyclenews.indd
Motonation.indd
1
1
10/6/11
10/6/11
1:22:02
3:33 PM
PM
P16
IN
THE
WIND
195 HP FROM PANIGALE!
W
ith the full release of its new Superbike – the 1199 Panigale –
scheduled for the Milan Show in Italy,
November 10-13, Ducati released some
technical details and engine photos on
Monday of the bike it claims puts out 195
horsepower.
Here are some of the basics: It’s still
a 90-degree V-twin using desmodromic valves; bore had increased 6mm to
112mm with the stroke decreased 7.1mm
to 60.8mm; the size of both the intake
and exhaust valves have grown with the
intake valves now titanium instead of steel to handle the extra rpm; the belt-drive concept has been a
combination chain and gear-drive system; the bike gets dual-stage fuel injection and larger 67.5mm
throttle bodies; the throttle will also be controlled electronically via a ride-by-wire system.
The engine is more compact than the 1198, but is slightly taller because of a deeper oil sump.
Chassis wise, the engine is a fully stressed member of the new carbon-fiber frame with the engine
being rotated some six degrees backwards, which allows it to move forward 32mm for better balance.
The six-speed transmission gets larger diameter gears to handle the engine’s extra power; and
Ducati has finally gone with a wet-style slipper.
In addition to claims of 195 horsepower at 10,950 rpm, Ducati says the new engine produces 98.1
lb-ft of torque.
WHAT’S UP WITH THE
MONSTER
ENERGY CUP?
eld Motor Sports is hyping Supercross finals a few years
F
this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup as, “unlike any other
Supercross event.” Cycle News
went straight to the top, asking Feld’s senior director of two
wheel operations, Todd Jendro
just what fans can expect at this
weekend’s race.
How did the idea for the
Monster Energy Cup come
about?
We were meeting with Monster Energy at our Las Vegas
16-25 Wind.indd 16
ago and we were discussing a
way to create an entirely new
and unique event that was the
perfect blend of motocross and
Supercross. Both companies
wanted to create a special, larger-than-life race that had a little
bit of something for everybody.
The must-haves were a unique
track, a huge purse, and an
exciting race format, and that’s
where the brainstorming began.
We started throwing some
Feld Motorsports’ Todd Jendro.
10/10/11 2:55 PM
ideas around with Monster Energy Communications Director
Eric Johnson and Monster Energy Director of Sports Marketing
Bruce Stjernstrom. Finally in late
2010 we got serious about doing
a special event in Las Vegas in
October. We really wanted to do
something at Sam Boyd Stadium,
but we knew it was going to have
to be really special to bring race
fans to Vegas in October.
Who is putting up the $1 million prize and how will it be
dispersed?
Feld Motor Sports is actually
putting up the million dollars to
any rider who wins all three 10-lap
main events. The event itself has
a hefty purse of $250,000 that
will be split up based on each rider’s combined overall score over
the three main events. After the
first main, riders will return to the
gate based on their finishing order, and likewise for the second
and third main. Combined points
from all three will give an overall
score with the winner walking
away with a check for $100,000.
If one rider can sweep all three
main events, he’ll pocket $1 million. The Monster Million!
Talk a little about the format. What is different about
this race from a regular SX
and from the U.S. Open?
The format is unique in itself
especially with three 10-lap main
events and any rider to win all
three will win the Monster Million, but most importantly is that
this event is truly our all-star race
where Lites riders compete on
the same level playing field with
the 450cc superstars.
16-25 Wind.indd 17
First, the riders will qualify during the day in timed practice sessions to narrow down the field to
40 qualified riders. Next, riders
will compete in two heat races
with four riders in each heat
transferring to the mains. We
brought back the semis where
the remaining riders will battle it
out. Two semi-finals will be run
where riders 1-5 will transfer to
the main event and the balance
will fight it out in the LCQ where
riders 1-4 advance to the main
event for a total of 22 riders in the
main event.
What will the fans see that is
different from a regular SX?
This is not your typical Supercross format. For starters it
is an open-class format and the
only two rules that must be met
from the Supercross rulebook
are sound and fuel. No homologation is necessary, and the engine displacement must be at
least 125cc. Beyond that, nearly
anything goes - two-stroke, fourstroke, singles, twins. Weight
restrictions are gone. Large-displacement two strokes are welcome. That said, it’s important to
stress that all safety and soundrelated regulations will remain in
place. The elimination of nearly
all technical restrictions, with
the exception of sound and fuel
regulations, will allow riders and
teams the opportunity to develop
and test new technology during
race conditions without being
restricted by the current Monster
Energy AMA Supercross an FIM
World Championship rulebook.
Tell us about the track.
Our idea was to commission
P17
the greatest riders in the two disciplines, Supercross and motocross, and design a hybrid track
that is symbolic of the years of
experience between these two
legends Ricky Carmichael and
Jeremy McGrath.
One of the coolest elements,
reminiscent of several iconic old
races, is that the track will actually go up into the stands before
catapulting riders back to the
floor.
We decided that bringing the
track into the stands would be a
spectacular addition for the riders and fans. The biggest factors
for us are making sure this section of the track enables the riders to push the limits of gravity,
all the while encouraging them to
pass one another in the process.
An event this exciting deserves
something special, and we’re going to bring back this iconic element of the track design, which
was made famous at the L.A.
Coliseum and the Pontiac Silverdome. The goal was not to make
this just another Supercross
event. We will create obstacles,
corners, and the start straight
to help the 250cc machines
compete against the 450cc machines, which will in turn level the
playing field.
Will this be something that
will happen on a yearly basis?
Yes. We are excited and have
finalized our plans with Monster
Energy to make this an annual
must attend event each year. The
Monster Energy Cup will make
its return next year back to Sam
Boyd Stadium.
Shan Moore
10/10/11 2:55 PM
P18
IN
THE
WIND
HOPKINS LOSES TITLE BY .006!
J
ohn Hopkins lost the British
Superbike Championship on
Sunday by .006 of a second,
the Samsung Suzuki rider finishing third in the series finale
at Brands Hatch - beaten to the
line and to the championship by
Tommy Hill as the two battled for
second place behind race winner Shane Byrne.
Although Hopkins lost out to
Hill on the run to the flag in the
finale, it was the second race of
the Brands tripleheader weekend that truly cost Hopkins. With
HM Plant Honda’s Shane Byrne
taking the race win and Hill finishing fourth, Hopkins had an
electrical problem with his GSXR1000 that forced him to shut
it off to reboot the system. He
would ride through to 12th, but
the championship lead he’d padded to 11 points with a third place
on Saturday was reduced to just
two points. That set up Sunday’s
finale and Hill came out on top.
By two points.
The second race on Sunday
was again won by Byrne, the Brit
leading from the get-go to earn
his second win on the
day. But the focus wasn’t
on Byrne so much as it
was on the championship
contenders - Hopkins
and Hill. And those two
circulated together, with
Hopkins ahead until the
17th of 20 laps when Hill
made his first pass. A lap
later and those two would
both pass sorrymate.com
Honda’s James Ellison
to make their battle one
for second place. Ellison John Hopkins came up just two points
would stay close, but it short in his bid for the British Superbike
was all about Hill/Hop- Championship.
kins.
As the pair started their final empty either,” Hopkins said.
lap, Hopkins was just .060 of a “This has been a great season.
second behind Hill with every- I gave it everything I had, but it
thing on the line. At the finish line just wasn’t to be. So hats off to
that margin was just .006, but it Tommy [Hill] for taking the title.
was enough to make Hill and his
I couldn’t be more grateful to
Swan Yamaha teams the chamthe Samsung Crescent Racing
pions while preventing Hopkins
from becoming the first Ameri- team: They gave me everything,
can to win the premiere British including the best bike out there.
I came into this year on a makeChampionship.
“Well I don’t feel great obvi- or-break basis and I’m hugely
ously, but I don’t feel completely grateful.”
PAY FOR RIDE IN, HAYDEN OUT!
T
ommy Hayden has been left
without a ride following cutbacks at American Suzuki and
the Yoshimura Suzuki race team.
Hayden, who won three races
and finished third in the AMA
Superbike Championship, had
16-25 Wind.indd 18
a “real good idea” at the end of
August that the team was downsizing to one rider - Superbike
series runner-up Blake Young
- and was more certain at the
AMA season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
American Suzuki recently laid
off more than 30 people, including the final three race team
members, in what continues
to be a depressed motorcycle
market. The race team also lost
Rockstar as a sponsor for 2012.
10/10/11 2:55 PM
Chris Clark is expected to take Hayden’s seat in a
pay-to-ride deal.
“I mean, it’s just the way it is,” Hayden, 33, said
in a phone conversation from his home in Owensboro, Kentucky. “It’s really a bummer, but I don’t
know what to do about it. It’s just the way the sport
is right now. You either have money or bring money.
I’m not sure if I’d won the championship this year I’d
be in any different position.”
Though he’s currently without a ride, Hayden
said that, “Even now they’re still trying to find sponsors and stuff.”
If that happened, Hayden would likely return to
the team.
“Right now, everything’s done.”
Hayden has spoken to the Jordan Suzuki team
“a few times” and “they act like they’re interested,
but I’m not sure. I think they’re interested in keeping
Ben [Bostrom] and Roger [Lee Hayden].”
If the Jordan team were to run three riders,
they’d have to find additional sponsorship, Hayden
believes.
“Nothing’s been confirmed. They’re still working
on that.”
Bostrom and Roger Lee Hayden are going to
Daytona for a Dunlop tire test on October 17-18.
“And I’m not going, so it’s not a good sign,” Tommy Hayden said.
There has been interest from teams from both Superbike and Daytona SportBike teams, but “nothing super-interesting right now,” he said. “People
are feeling it out, asking questions. Nothing really
solid right now. Just people talking, asking what I
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREA WILSON
P19
At this point, Tommy
Hayden is rideless for
2012 after losing his
job with the Yoshimura
Suzuki team.
want to do, what I’m interested in. Everybody’s trying to put deals together to sign sponsors.”
What teams are interested in is money. If Hayden
could bring a sponsor, or if he wanted to pay for the
ride, there’d be plenty of interest. For the two-time
AMA Supersport Champion, who’s been a factory
rider since 1997 when he joined the Muzzy Kawasaki team, it’s an unappealing option.
But the news out of the Hayden household isn’t
all bad. Tommy’ wife, Christie, gave birth to the
couple’s third daughter, Vera Claire Hayden, on
September 27. Older sister Claudia will be two on
Thursday, October 6 and Olivia, the oldest of the
couple’s children, is eight.
Was there another Hayden in the future, possibly the next generation of Earl’s Racing Team?
“For sure there’s not going to be any more any time
soon,” Hayden said. “A few years down the road.
We’re leaving it open.”
Henny Ray Abrams
BEN SPIES: BURGER FLIPPER
F
lipping burgers is a job for young people starting out in life, not a globe trotting, millionaire
sportsman. Don’t tell that to Yamaha’s Ben Spies.
The Texan is about to open Stackhouse Burgers,
which he describes as a “gourmet burger place” in
the heart of Dallas, Texas. Unlike the sushi restaurant in which he’s a minority investor, Spies is a 50
percent owner of the burger joint, which will have
16-25 Wind.indd 19
its grand opening while Spies is plying his day job
as a factory MotoGP rider at the Australian Grand
Prix on Phillip Island.
“It’s something cool because I’m trying to get my
hands into other things, because I know racing’s
not forever and I’m having fun and it’s something
that I really don’t have to worry about either,” he
said of the restaurant close to the Baylor Hospi10/10/11 2:55 PM
IN
THE
WIND
tal. “It’s something pretty cool. I’m into real estate
stuff. The sushi restaurant for me actually is a small
ownership. It’s not really anything to do with us. I’m
just a small owner. The burger place I’m 50 percent... a big owner. It’s a good property thing for
me, but also a really good opportunity with some
people I’m working with in the industry.”
With Spies at the 16th round of the MotoGP
World Championship on opening day, and the
Malaysian Grand Prix the following weekend, it
won’t be until the end of October before he gets
to check it out.
Spies has no previous burger flipping experience, but that’s about to change.
“I told the guys that I want to learn how to make
some burgers, how to make a shake and just be
there and have fun,” he said. “It’s not going to be
my job, but I don’t mind doing some work.
“Like I said, it’s going to be a cool little hangout
place, too. We’ve got beer and wine and a bar. It’ll
CLEAR CREEK
UPDATE: GOOD
NEWS
T
he San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 today in favor of a Resolution to restore
public access and OHV recreation at the Clear
Creek Management Area (CCMA) located in the
Central Coast Mountain Range of California. The
county’s petition asks Congress to designate the
currently closed 70,000-acre CCMA as a National
Recreation Area (NRA).
The BlueRibbon Coalition, during its presentation to the supervisors, urged use of the 2005
Clear Creek Travel Management Plan as the guiding document for the NRA. The Plan identified
about 243 miles of motorized roads and trails, 400
acres of open riding areas and authorized a number of permitted OHV events.
16-25 Wind.indd 20
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BEN SPIES
P20
Ben Spies’ new burger joint in Dallas, Texas.
be nice. It’s definitely not a crash place, but it’s
not an uppity-got-to-wear-a-suit-to either. It’s going
to be fun. And like I said, the people I’m working
with are great people and it’s something I can look
forward to in the off-season.”
Henny Ray Abrams
“The San Benito County Board of Supervisors
showed courage and determination today when
they passed this Resolution asking Congress to
bypass an unresponsive land agency,” said Don
Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition. “The Board Chairman also said the
Hollister Field Office continues to waste taxpayer
funds by destroying existing OHV campgrounds.”
Brian Hawthorne, Public Lands Policy Director
for the BlueRibbon Coalition, said, “The public will
not tolerate federal land managers using junk science to impose a political agenda. And as more
and more of our public lands are mismanaged, it is
reasonable to assume the public will demand the
sort of solution that San Benito County is proposing.”
“I think we all understand the designation process could take several years. But left with the option of a permanent area closure, this legislative
proposal is our only path,” Amador concludes.
10/10/11 2:55 PM
P22
IN
THE
WIND
CORSE EDITION
HYPERMOTARD FOR 2012
D
ucati’s
Hypermotard 1100EVO
SP will be available
in a Corse Edition for
2012. The bike will
get higher ground
clearance, up-rated
suspension, a new
seat and higher handlebars. The bike will
come in the red, white
and black Ducati
Corse official colors.
Ducati has also
announced that its
Ducati Multistrada line
will feature the Multistrada 1200, 1200 S
Sport Pikes Peak Special Edition and 1200 S
The 2012 Ducati Hypermotard 1100EVO SP is available in a Corse Edition.
Touring. In addition to the
currently available red and
arctic white color schemes,
the Multistrada 1200 S Touring will also be offered in a
brand new “race titanium
matte” color scheme with
a “racing black” frame. It is
scheduled to arrive in dealerships in December.
The Multistrada 1200 S Touring is offered in a
new titanium matte color scheme.
16-25 Wind.indd 22
10/10/11 2:56 PM
The Only Steering Stabilizer With
17 BAJA 1000
Overall Victories!
Scotts Steering Stabilizer
• Available in top, sub (under bar)
and low (fender mount)
• Easy to install, less than an
hour in most cases
• Adjustable damping on the fly
• 3 fully adjustable circuits - Low
speed, high speed and sweep
(range of motion)
• The competition claims to have a
high speed valve, ask them to show
you how it works with the main valve
turned off or on zero
• Designed for all types of riding or racing
without internal changes
• Only the highest quality materials used for
construction
• 30 years of experience building the best stabilizer
in the world!
Congratulations Team JCR Honda
for their 2010 Championships
• Kendall Norman - Baja 1000
• National Hare & Hound
• Catalina Grand Prix
• Quinn Cody - Baja 1000
• Vegas to Reno
• 9th OA Dakar
Scotts Stainless Steel Oil Filter
• The finest oil filter money can buy
• Cleanable and reusable - one filter lasts a lifetime
• Impervious to heat, water and pressure - unlike
paper filters
• Beware of cheap imitations! Demand the
Scotts Performance brand!
Made in the USA
EE_Seat_Ad_CycleNewsWebMag-1.75x2.
818-248-6747
or contact your local dealer
www.scottsonline.com
2012 KTM Seats IN STOCK NOW
Our seats offer all-day riding comfort.
We have redesigned the shape of the seat
providing a wider top and larger radius on the
edges and when combined with our innovative
injected memory foam, our seat will keep you
happy all day long. We have Standard and Tall,
Soft and Firm for most KTMs. Made in the USA.
www.enduroeng.com
517. 393.2421
23 Ads.indd 1
10/10/11 9:52 AM
P24
IN
THE
WIND
VIDEO OF THE
WEEK: EYES
ON THE ROAD?
It’s never a good idea to take your eyes
off the road – even if it is to steal a glance
at a pretty girl. This guy finds that out with
his target fixation leading to a date with the
back of a mini van. It’s much easier to feel
sorry for the two unsuspecting moped’ers
giving chase…
DOVI TO MONSTER TECH 3 TEAM
I
16-25 Wind.indd 24
talian MotoGP star Andrea Dovizioso
will ride alongside Cal Crutchlow on the
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team in 2012
after signing a one-year deal with the
French team.
The 25-year-old Dovizioso is currently
third in the 2011 MotoGP World Championship with five podium finishes, including four second-place finishes for the
Repsol Honda team. Dovizioso, who won
the 125cc World Championship in 2004
and has finished second twice in the
250cc World Championship, has nearly
always raced Hondas.
“I’m happy to have reached this agreement with Tech 3 for next year and I want
to thank Hervé Poncharal for the opportunity he is
giving me,” Dovizioso said in a team release. “I am
excited to become part of Hervé’s squad and to be
teamed with Cal. I am sure this new challenge will
be exciting, motivating and fun. Now that 2012 is
sorted out I want to focus on finishing the season
in the best possible way.”
Team owner Herve Poncharal is also pleased to
have found a replacement for Colin Edwards, the
Texan set to move to a CRT team for 2012.
“I am delighted that a rider of Andrea’s stature
has decided to commit his future to Tech 3 and
Andrea Dovizioso will be on a Yamaha next year.
Yamaha,” Poncharal said. “He is without doubt one
of the fastest riders in the world who has proven
on a regular basis that he is capable of challenging for the podium in MotoGP. I am thrilled that he
trusts the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team to take his
career to the next level and we can look forward
to 2012 with high expectations. I am convinced
that with Andrea and Cal we have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid in 2012 and both of them
will demonstrate the potential of Yamaha’s new
1000cc machine.”
10/10/11 2:56 PM
N
ate Redmann took his third
AMA Pro Hillclimb Xtreme
Championship title in a row when
he won the 2011 series at the
“Devil’s Staircase” Hill at Oregonia, Ohio, on Sunday. Teammate,
Jay Sallstrom clinched the Unlimited Championship and Ian Lau
won the Pro Sport title - a first
for both riders. Sadly, the event
was cut short due to a bad crash
that severely injured veteran rider
Shawn Farnsworth.
Each champion capped off
their seasons with victories at Oregonia. Redmann set the fastest
time among Xtreme class riders
with a 7.18 for his first ride; Sallstrom did likewise in the Unlimited class with a 7.071; and Lau
bested the Pro Sport
Although he posted a 7.565
that was good enough for third
in his first ride, Farnsworth’s second ride ended in a bad crash after the finish line. The remainder
of the race was canceled while
he was treated and airlifted to a
local hospital. His condition was
not known at presstime.
Jeff Whitehead
NORMAN WINS, CASELLI
CROWNED
T
hough he had no chance of
retaining the number one plate
on his CRF450X, Johnny Campbell Racing Honda’s Kendall Norman showed that he certainly
could have been a contender for
the title had a knee injury not kept
him off the bike earlier this year.
The defending series champ led
from start to finish at the So Cal
Motorcycle Club National, round
eight of the AMA Racing/Kenda
National Hare & Hound Championship Series, at Lucerne Valley,
California, on October 9, marking
his second victory of the season.
But race runner-up Kurt Caselli
of the FMF/KTM Factory Offroad Racing Team had the most
to celebrate. By finishing ahead
of Purvines Racing Honda’s David Pearson, Caselli clinched the
2011 series championship with
16-25 Wind.indd 25
Kurt Caselli celebrates his National
Hare & Hound Championship.
one round still to run, mimicking
Norman’s feat last year.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s
Destry Abbott finished a strong
third followed by Kawasaki of Simi
Valley’s Jacob Argubright and
Pearson.
After nabbing the holeshot,
Norman enjoyed a nearly dustfree race (except for a brief time
following the hare).
“I just rode really consistent and
smooth, and just rode my own
race,” he said. “I knew Kurt was
there the whole race and Destry
[Abbott] was the same distance
behind him; they rode awesome,
but it was just kind of one of those
things: The guy that doesn’t get
lost, the guy that doesn’t crash
and that doesn’t have any bike
problems, if you can do those
Nate Redmann won his third AMA Pro
Hillclimb title in a row on Sunday in
Ohio.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK KARIYA
THREE FOR REDMANN
P25
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF WHITEHEAD
things, you’re going to be looking
pretty good and that’s how today
went.”
“Kendall was riding good,”
Caselli said. “I’d catch up to him
then he’d pull me a little, I’d catch
back up, and we were going back
and forth. It was kind of relaxed. I
told myself a couple times, ‘Okay,
you’re doing fine. Just stay here.
The championship’s more important [than winning this race]. I’m
happy to get the championship not just for myself but for KTM as
well.”
Mark Kariya
10/10/11 2:56 PM
VanceHines.indd 2
5/9/11 4:56 PM
VanceHines.indd 3
5/9/11 4:56 PM
NEW BIKES
P28
Power
Struggle
2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R
THE NEW ZX-14R IS ALL ABOUT
POWER AND PERFORMANCE
28-31 New Kawis.indd 28
10/7/11 3:09 PM
e
P29
A
s if the ZX-14 wasn’t powerful enough! Evidently,
Kawasaki didn’t think so.
Not only did the 2012 ZX-14R get
what Kawasaki says is “massively more power,” it also took on
so many performance-minded
changes across the board that
it now gets the “R” designation
tacked on to the end of its name.
Some of the standout revisions include more displacement (1352cc to 1441cc) from
the 16-valve, DOHC, in-line fourcylinder motor, KTRC tractioncontrol, new exhaust, revised
slipper clutch, redesigned aluminum monocoque frame, longer
swingarm, lighter wheels and revised settings for the fully adjust-
able suspension.
The bike did, however, pack
on some weight. According to
the spec sheets, the ‘12 ZX-14R’s
curb weight is 584.3 pounds versus the ‘11’s 566.7 pounds.
Retail price jumped, too, from
$13,599 to $14,699, an $1,100
difference.
Here is the list of changes:
NEW FOR 2012
•1,441cc inline-four engine features a
4mm longer stroke, reworked cylinder
head assembly, polished ports and
lighter, stronger pistons for more power
across the rev range
•KTRC traction-control system features three different modes for varying
conditions and is controlled by a switch
assembly on the left handlebar
•All-new slipper clutch
•All-new exhaust system
•Redesigned aluminum monocoque
frame is narrow, strong and rigid
•All-new swingarm assembly is longer
and stronger
•Transmission gears are more durable
thanks to new temperature and surface
treatments
•All-new bodywork
•All-new 10-spoke wheels are more
than 3 pounds lighter
•New disc material and pads
•Revised suspension settings
•Higher overall finish quality than
before, including hidden bodywork
fasteners
10/7/11 3:09 PM
NEW BIKES
P30
2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650
NEW-LOOK
NINJA
MORE PRACTICAL THAN EVER
10/7/11 3:09 PM
P31
K
awasaki’s super practical - but still sporty - Ninja
650 parallel-twin is backbut with a host of changes. It
features an all-new perimeterstyle frame, revised suspension,
more angular bodywork, new instrumentation, improved engine
performance, a more comfortable seat, and lower seat height,
among many other things. Unlike
the ZX14R, the ‘11 Ninja 650R
loses its “R” designation for ‘12.
The new Ninja 650 weighs 11
more pounds than the previous
model and costs a little more too
at $7499, formerly $7199.
Here is the list of changes:
NEW FOR 2012
•Redesigned twin-pipe perimeter frame
•Stronger twin-pipe swingarm
•Redesigned exhaust system
•Redesigned bodywork
•Easier-pull clutch cable design
•Revised suspension settings and
increased wheel travel front and rear
•Improved brake pads
•New instrument cluster assembly
•20mm wider handlebar
•Redesigned 2-piece seat assembly
features thicker and wider foam
•Dunlop Roadsmart II tires are standard
•Increased fuel capacity
•More compact battery
10/7/11 3:09 PM
PREVIEW
P32
AMA HARLEY-DAVIDSON INSURANCE GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION
POMONA PRESS
THREE RIDERS WILL VIE FOR ONE TITL
Jake Johnson
32-35 Pomona Preview.indd 32
Jared Mees
10/7/11 1:37 PM
P33
AMPIONSHIP FINALE
SSURE COOKER
TITLE ON SATURDAY NIGHT IN POMONA
Sammy Halbert
10/7/11 1:37 PM
PREVIEW
P34
AMA HARLEY-DAVIDSON INSURANCE GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION
The three protagonists: Mees (9) leads Halbert (7) and Johnson (1).
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY YVE ASSAD AND LAWRENCE
A
t the Fairplex on Saturday, October 15
things will come to a boil when the 2011
AMA Grand National Championship campaign comes to a thrilling conclusion at the
Pomona Half Mile. This year’s Grand National
Championship comes down to three riders –
Jake Johnson, Jared Mees and Sammy Halbert – with just eight points separating the trio.
Two have already won Grand National Championships (Johnson and Mees), and the other
(Halbert) is looking for his first official title, even
though he was once declared mythical overall
champion.
In addition to the down-to-the-wire championship battle, Pomona will also mark the final race
of seven-time AMA Grand National Champion
Chris Carr, the winningest active rider in the series. So in terms of reasons to attend a Grand
National race, few events in the 58-year history
of the series have matched this one in importance.
The season leading up to the showdown on
the Pomona Half Mile was fairly steady early on,
but then things got fast and furious in the homestretch. Halbert (who was the mythical champion in 2009, when the series was still split between a GNC Singles and GNC Twins titles, but
no overall winner) started off with a bang, scoring a sweep in the Daytona Short Track Doubleheader back in March. That immediately gave the
Kings Kustoms-backed rider a solid lead in the
standings.
Mees, the 2009 champ, hadn’t won a Grand
National in nearly four years when he finally broke
through to win the Memorial Day weekend Springfield Mile on his Rogers Lake Racing/Blue Springs
Harley-Davidson. Mees kept chipping away at Halbert’s lead, but every time he would make progress Halbert seemed to step up with a big race
(i.e. Lima and Castle Rock) to pad his points advantage. Then with his photo finish win over John32-35 Pomona Preview.indd 34
son in Knoxville, Iowa, last month Mees took over
the top spot in the standings.
Defending champ Johnson, meanwhile, was
turning in a typical Jake Johnson season – meaning he was steady all the way on his Zanotti Racing machines. While Johnson has fewer wins (with
three) then Mees (five wins) or Halbert (four wins),
unlike his two main rivals he never had a major misstep. That meant when Mees crashed at the penultimate round at Calistoga earlier this month, it was
Johnson who stepped up, earned the win and for
the first time this season took over the points lead.
Now it all comes down to Pomona. Johnson’s
10/7/11 1:37 PM
P35
HAMPIONSHIP FINALE
ohnson (1).
five-point margin over Mees gives him very little
breathing room. Never has the five points up for
grabs for winning the Dash for Cash, or even the
single point for leading the most laps, meant so
much. Should Mees or Halbert score those points,
you virtually have a winner-take-all final. If Johnson
could earn them he would have just a smidgeon of
breathing room in the National.
If history is any indication Halbert, who finished
third at Pomona in 2009, has the best chance to
do well this coming weekend.
“I’ve owned the cushion tracks this year,” said
Halbert, who dominated on the cushion tracks at
Daytona and Lima this year. “Pretty much those
guys have had good results on the clay tracks,
but I feel really confident at Pomona and am
looking forward to the race. Being eight points
down I’m going to have to be perfect, so that
means going out and trying to win the Dash as
well as the main. If I can do that I still have a
good chance to win the championship.”
For Mees’ part, he knows what it feels like to
be leading going into the final round. That happened to him in 2009 and the pressure was intense.
“I think I’d rather be in the position I’m in now
than be leading coming into that last race,” Mees
said. “I mean I’m only four points down so basically it’s a toss-up. I think the pressure is more
on Jake than it is on me or Sammy. I’ve done
well on cushion tracks. A lot of people don’t remember that my first win came on a cushion at
Lima and I backed that up.
“This year we’ve really only had one cushion
track on the big bikes and Sammy smoked us
and I finished ahead of Jake, so if you look at it
that way really anything can happen at Pomona.
One thing is for sure, it’s going to be interesting.”
It’s true that of the three leading contenders
Johnson has had the biggest problems racing
on the track surface they’ll encounter at Pomona, but he’s counting on his consistency to
pull him through to his second national overall
championship. Listening to Johnson you’d never
know he was the one leading the series going into
the final round and you can sense that he’s a bit
nervous about ending the season at a track he
wouldn’t consider a favorite.
“The situation with the points the way they are,
it feels good to be able to win,” Johnson said after
scoring the victory at Calistoga. “That’s all we can
do right now. We made up some points on Jared
and we have a little bit of a fighting chance going
into Pomona. We just have to go there and do the
same thing. Hopefully, a little more luck swings our
way.” CN
10/7/11 1:37 PM
FMF.indd 2
10/10/11 3:53 PM
FMF.indd 3
10/10/11 3:53 PM
TECH
P38
The Ducati Desmoquattro
FAMILY HIS
The way it was: August of 1986 and
the 750cc prototype breaks cover with
Fabio Taglioni (far left) and Massimo
Bordi (right of Taglioni) posing with
the crude beginnings of Bordi’s Ducati
desmoquattro.
38-45 Ducati History.indd 38
10/7/11 2:56 PM
ISTORY
P39
A look back at the
history of the Ducati’s
Desmoquattro
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALAN CATHCART
ARCHIVES
A
page will soon be turned
in motorcycle history, with
the debut at the Milan
Show in November of the Ducati 1199. Powered by the Italian
company’s all-new superquadra
ultra short-stroke motor, the new
Ducati will owe nothing to previous Ducati Superbike engine
designs – other than its overall
90-degree V-twin desmo architecture. And it will even be fitted
in a minimalist monocoque chassis design – again an important
departure from previous Ducati
V-twin motorcycles that have all
employed the company’s trademark tubular steel trellis frame.
Yet at the same time, 2011
marks the 25th anniversary of
the creation of the legendary
Ducati desmoquattro V-twin, a
powerplant whose days are numbered. But one that nonetheless
is arguably the most significant
motorcycle engine design of any
kind since the CB750 Honda,
and surely the most remarkable,
and successful, volume production engine format ever used in
competition by any European
manufacturer. With Carlos Checa
just wrapping up the 2011 World
Superbike Championship title on
the Althea Ducati 1198R - pow38-45 Ducati History.indd 39
10/7/11 2:57 PM
TECH
P40
ered by the ultimate evolution
of this iconic powerplant – it’s a
suitable epitaph to this family of
engines.
Yet it would have been hard to
imagine at the start of the 1980s
that a decade later, Ducati would
end up defeating Honda and Yamaha to win the World Superbike
Championship with a twin-cylinder motorcycle. For by 1983 the
company was at a low point, with
less than 3000 bikes a year trickling out of the Bologna factory.
With worldwide bike sales
crumbling, and twin-cylinder
models neither commercially
desirable nor technically chic,
Ducati’s future looked bleak.
But that changed in 1985. With
the marque literally days away
from being consigned to the
scrapheap of history, a deal was
struck with the late Claudio Castiglioni and his brother Gianfranco,
owners of the flourishing Cagiva
factory that had risen from the
ashes of Harley-Davidson’s Italian operation. The Castiglionis
acquired the Ducati name and
factory.
With this all coinciding with
the scheduled retirement at age
10/7/11 2:57 PM
Marco Lucchinelli and Ducati
showed up at Daytona in
1987 and came home with
the ProTwins victory.
nis transformed Ducati’s model
range, manufacturing facilities,
PR image and racing fortunes.
Determined to create a new generation of desmo V-twins, they
commissioned Bordi to produce
a mold-breaking new engine
Eraldo Ferracci and Doug Polen
brought Ducati plenty of World
Superbike glory. The two survey the
Ducati Polen raced in 1991.
65 of the company’s legendary
technical guru Fabio Taglioni,
and his replacement as the company’s chief engineer by his brilliant youthful understudy Massimo Bordi, this was a significant
watershed in Ducati’s history - in
more ways than one.
With the energy and flair that
had driven them to make such a
success of Cagiva, the Castiglio38-45 Ducati History.indd 41
that set many new benchmarks
for Ducati. For, while still retaining the firm’s trademark desmodromic 90-degree V-twin format,
Bordi’s desmoquattro was the
first-ever Ducati motor employing liquid cooling, electronic fuel
injection, and more than two
valves per cylinder. Its four-valve
desmo cylinder heads, each with
eight rockers and belt-driven twin
P41
overhead camshafts, made it the
direct forerunner of today’s 1198
testastretta motor – even though
it employed the same vertically
split crankcases as its air-cooled
desmodue predecessor, complete with blanked-off kickstarter
boss.
With input from British F1 engine gurus Cosworth, this break
with the past duly made its public debut in September 1986 - in
prototype 748cc (88 x 61.5 mm)
endurance racing form for Marco
Lucchinelli, Juan Garriga, and
Virginio Ferrari to ride in the Bol
d’Or 24 Hours at Paul Ricard,
where it retired with a broken
connecting rod bolt after 13 hours
after running as high as seventh.
Producing 94 horsepower
in endurance guise at this early
stage of development (compared
to the 87 hp of the equivalent
air-cooled, carbureted 750TT1
desmodue with identical engine
dimensions), the future potential
of the prototype desmoquattro
was evident. This was confirmed
when Bordi took the engine out
to 851cc (92 x 64 mm) for Lucchinelli to ride in the ProTwins
race at Daytona the following
March, where with 115 hp now
available at 11,500 rpm - the first
time any Ducati had ever broken
the horsepower ‘ton’ - he scored
a decisive victory with the prototype 8V/851.
In doing so, the Ducati registered lap times and top speed on
a par with the four-cylinder factory 750cc Superbikes contest10/7/11 2:57 PM
TECH
P42
in-hell twins a capacity edge vs.
the 750cc fours.
Yet the irony is that the bike
that kick-started Ducati’s long
and glorious roll call of Superbike
wins at the world level didn’t take
full advantage of that - nor did it
follow the prevailing fashion for
aluminum beam frames.
Instead, the prototype Ducati
desmoquattro that exploded
onto the world stage with Lucchinelli’s upset victory in the first-ever World Superbike race at Donington Park in April 1988, only
Then…
ing the Daytona 200 that week,
giving the first hint of what was
to come. Later, this was followed
by a pair of victories in the 1987
Italian Superbike Series (then
conveniently open to prototype
machines), defeating future
World Superbike Champion Fred
Merkel’s Team Rumi RC30 Honda, and the fuel-injected Yamaha-engined works Bimota YB4EI
of the man who would ironically
later become Ducati’s Superbike
team manager, Davide Tardozzi.
All of this convinced the Castiglionis to develop a V-twin road
bike to form the basis for a desmoquattro contender for the
new World Superbike Championship, which was set to begin in
1988. The tricolore-liveried 851S
(for ‘strada’ - street) was duly
launched at that winter’s Milan
Show.
While Superbike grids have
until recently been dominated
by twin-cylinder bikes, it’s hard
Now…
to appreciate just how scorned
any racer who showed up with
less than four cylinders was back
in 1987. Those who raced twins
were considered diehard romantics merely content to make up
the numbers. And that’s probably
why, in concocting the rules for
the new Superbike class, the FIM
gave the presumed no-chance-
measured 851cc. And the hardheaded decision was taken to
persevere with the tubular steel
space-frame chassis format.
This not only further enabled
the desmo V-twin to stand out
from the Superbike pack, but it
also yielded improved heat dispersal from the rear cylinder,
was more robust in accidents
and easier to repair if it did get
10/7/11 2:57 PM
damaged. It also gave more responsive handling with improved
feedback - a fact that Honda in
particular later grasped when
building a better Ducati, with
the ‘controlled flex’ deliberately
introduced into its title-winning
VTR1000 SP-2 V-twin.
In due course during that debut ‘88 season, the new Ducati
engine received a 2mm overbore
to 888cc (94 x 64 mm), but the
first 500 or so desmoquattro
customer bikes built that first year
were all 851s. And, like the works
racer, the customer bikes suffered more than their fair share of
development problems, with their
unfortunate buyers treated as involuntary guinea pigs.
But the lessons learned were
parlayed into the 851 Strada
streetbike that in 1989 featured
revised detail styling and was
now painted all-red like the works
racers being campaigned by
Raymond Roche and Baldessare
Monti under Lucchinelli’s team
management. The bike was also
built in growing numbers as the
world’s first volume-production
fuel-injected Superbike, acclaimed for its impressive performance and excellent handling.
The desmoquattro era had
dawned.
Even so it wasn’t until 1990 that
Ducati’s eventual dominance of
the Superbike class was asserted. That’s when Roche, on his
888 racer, won the first of what
was 13 straight World Superbike titles and 16 Manufacturers’
crowns for the Italian marque.
The SP2 production racer that
followed was closely based on
this, and formed the basis of the
privateer Superbike prepared
by American-based expatriate
Eraldo Ferracci (along with longtime Bologna-based tuning shop
NCR) to compete in the 1991
World Superbike Series. Fitted
with Dunlop tires (whereas works
Ducati Superbikes always used
Michelins) and ridden by Doug
Polen, the Fast by Ferracci privateer bike beat all factory entries
to win the title.
The fact that the Ducatis were
now close to the 319-pound twincylinder class weight limit, then a
massive 44 pounds less than the
750 fours (though this would be
progressively reduced until, by
1996, it was the same for both),
didn’t hurt.
“This is the true spirit of Superbike racing,” declared Claudio
Castiglioni at the time. “Where
a customer’s bike can beat the
factory machines. It’s also good
for business – it shows that we
at Ducati can sell you a bike you
can win a World Championship
with.”
Polen repeated in 1992, this
time racing for the factory team
now run by another former 500cc
World Champion, Franco Uncini,
but riding an 888cc bike that was
little changed from the previous
year. Then he switched back to
riding for Ferracci in the USA the
following season, to finally win
the 1993 AMA Superbike title for
Ducati in potentially a key market.
By then a whole range of street-
P43
legal 888SP models were available, establishing as never before
Ducatis’ stratagem conceived by
Bordi of offering its customers a
choice of spinoffs from its worldbeating Superbikes, alongside
the base-level 851 Strada model. That bike finally received the
888cc engine in 1993 - just as
the long-rumored replacement
for the first-series desmoquattro
was finally unveiled at that year’s
Milan Show: The iconic 916 – the
bike to counter Ducati’s ill-felt
loss of the World Superbike title
that year to Kawasaki and Scott
Russell.
Designed by legendary progettista Massimo Tamburini, the
916 established Ducati in the first
flight of world brands - as much
for its stunning, ground-breaking
styling and lean, lithe looks (especially compared to the tubbier
851/888), as for the impressive
performance of its new, longerstroke 94 x 66 mm 916cc engine.
This engine was housed in an
all-new space-frame designed
by Tamburini, with a single-sided
cast-magnesium (or steel, depending on the model) swingarm
pivoting in the engine cases, and
with the exhaust system sweeping aggressively up the opposite
side to exit beneath the seat.
These and its many other unique
technical and styling features immediately stamped the 916 as a
must-have motorcycle - although
it took a while to refine the handling (eventually sorted on the
factory racers via a 25mm longer swingarm, though this was
10/7/11 2:57 PM
TECH
P44
Fabrizio Pirovano won the World Supersport Championship
on the 748 version of the desmoquattro.
strangely never transposed to the
street models!).
Ducati’s determined team
leader Carl Fogarty regained the
coveted World Superbike crown
for the marque aboard a 955cc
(96 x 66 mm) race version of the
new model, to bring added luster
to what was by now the world’s
most desirable motorcycle.
Fogarty repeated his title win
with an uprated version of the
955 in 1995, the year in which
the 916 was joined by a kid brother - the 748. Retaining the same
dimensions as the 1986 endurance prototype that began the
desmoquattro saga, this was
Ducati’s attempt to build a junior
Superbike to take on the 600cc
Japanese fours in the Supersport
class, which now also permitted
750cc twins.
Producing 115 horsepower
at 11,800 rpm in the form that
Fabrizio Pirovano won the FIM
Supersport title on the Corona
Ducati in 1996, the 748 was both
a commercial and sporting success. It dominated the Supersport World Series for a hat trick
of seasons, as well as earning
the approval of a band of customers who preferred it to the biggerengined V-twin.
However, demand for the 748
alongside the back-ordered 916
only exacerbated a growing problem, as problems elsewhere in
the Cagiva Empire drained Ducati of much-needed cash to pay
suppliers. As components dried
up, so did the means to complete bikes and earn the money
with which to keep the company
afloat - the worst kind of vicious
circle that Bordi, by now promoted to General Manager of Ducati,
was powerless to redress. Ducati’s cash flow, such as it was, was
bailing out Cagiva - and he wasn’t
signing the checks.
Troy Corser’s victory in the
1996 World Superbike series
with the 996cc (98 x 66 mm)
version of the 916, to complete
Ducati’s second hat-trick of titles
in a championship where the
356-pound twin-cylinder weight
limit was now the same as for
four-cylinder bikes, came against
a dark backdrop of shrinking production - down from 21,000 bikes
10/7/11 2:57 PM
in 1995 to just 12,500 in 1996.
In September of that year
came the announcement that
the Castiglionis had sold 49 percent of Ducati equity to American
venture capitalists Texas Pacific
Group, and while the brothers
initially retained 49 percent with
the balance held by an Italian
bank, it wasn’t long before TPG
and their associates assumed total control.
Under the leadership of company doctor Federico Minoli,
a U.S.-based Italian who was
himself an enthusiastic rider,
the company was transformed
in the space of just a couple of
years via American investment.
Things resumed to normal and
by 1998 Carl Fogarty had not
only regained the coveted World
Superbike title for Ducati (which
Honda’s ex-Ducati rider John Kocinski had wrested from them in
1997 on the Castrol RC45), but
production was up 250 percent
since the Cagiva days.
At the same time, the overhaul
of the existing line-up had begun,
with South African progettista
Pierre Terblanche supplanting
Tamburini (who’d opted to remain
with Cagiva and complete his MV
Agusta F4 project for them) as
the company’s design chief.
The transformation of the
Ducati range came under new
technical boss Gianluigi Mengoli, Bordi’s right-hand man who
replaced him when he left the
company in late 2000. Heading it was the 2001 debut of the
testastretta, a new-generation
998cc short-stroke variant on
Bordi’s ground-breaking desmoquattro engine, which in its
debut 15 years earlier had set
so many new benchmarks for a
Ducati V-twin motorcycle.
Careful empirical development
of Bordi’s original design had
seen the 115 hp at 11,500 rpm
produced in 1987 by Lucchinelli’s
8V/851 prototype increase to the
173 hp at 12,100 rpm of the 996
that won the SBK Manufacturer’s
crown in 2000. That was the year
that Honda regained the title by
building a better Ducati, in the
form of the VTR1000 SP-1 V-twin.
With this, Colin Edwards took
the title in a season scarred for
Ducati by a serious injury to their
four-time World Champion Fogarty, which ultimately led to his
retirement. But although Ducati
fought back with Troy Bayliss
in 2001, the Aussie star wresting the World Superbike crown
back to Bologna, he did so riding a 996R powered by the new
testastretta motor – a motor that
was essentially the same engine
at heart as the first of the Ducati
desmoquattro line back in 1976.
In terms of details, it was an allnew design, with more aggressive 104 x 58.8 mm short-stroke
dimensions, compared to the 92
x 74 mm format of Lucchinelli’s
original 8V/851 prototype.
Ducati had walked a turbulent
path over the previous 15 years
of the desmoquattro’s existence
- but one factor had stayed unchanged: the unique essential
format of its desmo V-twin en-
P45
gine, which others copied in
terms of overall architecture but
without ever matching it for desirability and allure - or the extra cachet of having won a succession
of World Superbike titles with the
result.
That process continued with
the testastretta motor, which after powering Bayliss to that debut
world title for man and motor, repeated the achievement in 2003.
This time, however, it was slotted
into Terblanche’s controversially
styled but better laid out 999.
While Bayliss took a sabbatical
on the MotoGP grid, Neil Hodgson (2003) and James Toseland
(2004) continued Ducati’s domination of the World Superbike
title roster on the testastrettapowered 999, before Bayliss resumed the mantle of champion in
2006 in the 999’s final flourish at
the head of the field.
The move to 1200cc twins for
Superbike racing resulted in the
development of the 1098R with
its 106 x 67.9 mm 1198cc engine producing 197 horsepower
at 11,900 rpm – the ultimate
evolution of the desmoquattro concept. It allowed Bayliss
to complete a hat trick of World
Championship titles in 2008,
clocking up lucky 13 for Ducati’s
iconic engine format.
Now Checa has given Ducati
its 14th World Superbike title this
year – just prior to the start of a
new chapter in desmo V-twin history in 2012. CN
10/7/11 2:57 PM
RIDING IMPRESSION
P46
2012 SUZUKI RM-Z250
48-51 Suzuki RMZ250.indd 46
10/7/11 2:59 PM
P47
RM-Z250
REVISITED
WE RIDE THE
2011…ERR,
2012 SUZUKI
RM-Z250
The RM-Z250 makes
turning fun.
BY JASON ABBOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
T
he Suzuki RM-Z250
has had an interesting
past few years. Starting
in 2010, it was the talk of the
town. The all-new and completely redesigned RM-Z250
featured fuel-injection for the
first time and was, overall, well
liked by most of those who got
the chance to ride it. Problem was - there weren’t many
who ever got that chance. Because of the wacky economy
and such, Suzuki only made a
few of them and couldn’t make
them readily available until it
was too late to really matter,
because the 2011s were about
to be launched.
By that time, Suzuki fans
were simply champing at the
bit to get their hands on the
EFI-fitted RM-Z250 they had
been hearing so much about
and were happily expecting
the ‘11 to be basically a ‘10 with
new graphics. But to everyone’s surprise, the 2011 RM-
Z250 got another major overhaul. In fact, it took on more
than 30 changes!
Nothing was left unturned.
The motor got a major tweaking that left it with more topend power and over-rev. The
suspension was revalved and
beefed up at both ends, and
the electrical system was refined. And topping things off,
much focus was paid on increasing durability throughout
the entire motorcycle.
The 2011 RM-Z250 was a
hit. So much so that Suzuki
left the 2012 RM-Z250 alone,
(also figuring that this might be
a good time so to save some
cash). Oh, there are a few
changes, but none of them will
improve your lap times, unless
a slightly elongated engine
breather tube, a fuel-pump
with a new chemical coating,
a new red stripe on top of the
seat and new graphics gives
you a certain mental edge, or
more confidence, or something.
10/7/11 2:59 PM
RIDING IMPRESSION
P48
2012 SUZUKI RM-Z250
The RM-Z250 went from 34
changes last year to basically zero
changes this year.
Motor changes or not,
the first thing that we always
seem to notice after throwing
a leg over the RM-Z250 the
first time is the way it turns.
It’s no secret that the Suzuki
corners like it’s on rails. It
carves an inside or outside
line like no other 250F on
the market. With the RM-Z,
there’s no second guessing
its cornering capabilities. It
has such great balance that
it can make any beginner
rider feel as though they just
blasted through a corner like
the great RC!
Upon entering corners,
the bike stays straight and
stable, allowing you to get
into the desired rut and carve
your way through it fluidly
without having any kind of
front-end knifing, or having
the bike wanting to stand up
mid-corner. Whether the corner is rutted, hard-packed,
off-camber, high-speed or
low-speed, the RM-Z eats
them all up. In a sport where
corner speed is crucial, it’s a
major plus being on the RM-Z.
Suspension settings are
again in the ballpark, thanks
to the revised spring rates
and valving it received last
year. Aiming at the 170-pound
range, Suzuki was looking to
give the real-world rider better
overall stability and smoother
fork/shock action - bull’s-eye.
The bike handles a variety
of obstacles very well, soaking up the braking bumps and
larger jumps with aplomb.
Heavier riders, however, will
want to stiffen things up a few
clicks, front and rear, but the
suspension still works fairly
well right out of the crate. We
did experience some headshake in high-speed situations, but overall the RM-Z’s
suspension is night and day
better than it was a few years
ago. Of course, it could still
be better, but for right out of
the box, it’s pretty good for
your average rider.
The RM-Z has always felt
light and agile, and it still
does, which makes it easy
to maneuver the bike both
on the ground and in the
air. Compared to some of
the other 250F’s that we’ve
ridden so far this year, the
RM-Z feels a bit on the small
side, a lot of which has to do
with very a slim seat/shroud
area. But we found that even
though it seems geared towards the smaller rider, our
bigger and taller test riders
still felt right at home on the
bike.
Front brake felt solid but
quickly developed an annoying squeal. The rear brake
has good feel too and has
held up fine so far, no problems.
We also like the standard
aluminum Renthal Fatbars,
and the gripper seat helps
keep you planted. Handlebar
grips are okay but difficult to
replace. The throttle-side grip
is basically “welded” onto the
throttle tube and will never
come off. To replace the
grips, it’s much easier just to
replace the throttle tube and
re-install new rubber.
Up until 2010, the RMZ250 was powered by what
many considered a “bottom-
10/7/11 3:00 PM
P49
In ’11, the RM-Z250 went
from a low-end bike to a
top-end bike. Same can
be said for ’12.
10/7/11 3:00 PM
RIDING IMPRESSION
2012 SUZUKI RM-Z250
SPECIFICATIONS
2012 Suzuki RM-Z250
ENGINE:....249cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled,
single-cylinder, DOHC
BORE x STROKE:........77.0mm (3.03 in) x
53.6mm (2.11 in)
COMPRESSION RATIO:...................... 13.4:1
FUEL DELIVERY:....................Fuel-injection
CLUTCH:................ Wet multi-plate, cable
actuation
TRANSMISSION:....................... Five-speed
FRONT SUSPENSION:......... Showa telescopic
inverted, coil spring, oil damped
REAR SUSPENSION:.Showa link type, coil
spring, oil damped
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL:...................12.2 in.
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL:.....................12.2 in.
FRONT BRAKE:...................... 240mm disc,
double-piston caliper
REAR BRAKE:.240mm disc, single-piston
caliper
HANDLEBAR:...................... Renthal Fatbar
TIRES:...... Dunlop 80/100-21, 100/90-19
WEIGHT:.........................................234 lbs.
WHEELBASE:....................................58.1 in.
LENGTH:..........................................85.4 in.
WIDTH:............................................ 32.7 in.
GROUND CLEARANCE:.....................13.6 in.
SEAT HEIGHT:................................. 37.6 in.
FUEL CAPACITY:.............................. 1.7 gal.
MSRP:...............................................$7,399
P50
Excellent ergonomics
and a slim chassis
makes the RM-Z250
feel light and agile.
10/7/11 3:00 PM
Pre-calibrated EFI couplers make it
quick and easy to alter ignition mapping.
end” motor, which made it
fun and easy to ride, for sure,
but when it comes to racing,
top-end is where it’s at when
it comes to 250Fs, and that’s
what it got in ‘11 and still has
in ‘12. The ‘11 was a major improvement over the ‘10, but,
unfortunately, it still isn’t perfect. Power off the bottom is
on the sluggish side and a bit
slow-revving, and there is little
real torque to speak of, and
this forces you to keep the R’s
in the middle and near the top
of the powerband where the
this motor likes and needs to
be ridden. Done right, and the
motor works quite well. The
harder you ride it and the more
momentum you keep on the
yellow bike the better it works.
But luckily the Suzuki’s powerband is “adjustable.”
Suzuki offers three plastic
“power couplers” for the RMZs to alter the computer’s ECU
and ignition mapping, thus
changing how the power is
delivered. Besides the stock
coupler, you have a “leaner”
coupler for a bit more aggressive powerband, and you have
a “richer” coupler for a softer
powerband, which works well
on hard-packed and tractiondeprived terrain. We usually
went back and forth between
the stock plug and the leaner
plug, which definitely woke
up the sleepy bottom-end and
made for an improved power
delivery, at least for our liking.
You can still customize and
fine-tune the RM-Z’s mapping
even further via an aftermarket
controller, but the little plastic
coupler makes adjustments
much easier, simpler and
quicker to accomplish. You
can swap out a coupler in just
a few seconds. The couplers
are handy when it comes to
trail-riding and different condi-
P51
tions, too. You can even carry
them in your pocket.
When it comes to fueling,
Suzuki hit the nail on the head
with its FI system. Just like it
did in ‘10, the new RM-Z’s FI
system is phenomenal, delivering spot-on throttle response
from the crack of the throttle to
all-out pinned.
Holding the throttle wide
open won’t blow out your eardrums, either, since the RM-Z
is noticeably quieter these
days now that it complies to
the AMA’s new 94 db sound
limit, which it did in ‘11 as well.
Initially, the six-speed transmission felt a little tight but
seemed to break in a bit as
we put more time on the bike.
Shifting is a bit notchy under
a load, but this is nothing new
with the RM-Z. Neutral is still
hard to find at idle but not while
you’re doing laps, which is a
good thing.
Overall, there’s not much
to report, other than the 2012
RM-Z250 is a mirror image of
the ‘11. For some bikes, that
would be a death wish, but not
so with the RM-Z250. It was a
great bike last year and...well,
is a great bike this year, but
can it still hold its own against
the Yamaha YZ250F, Honda
CRF250R, Kawasaki KX250F
and the KTM 250 SX that got
significant updates for ‘12?
Our prediction is, yes. CN
10/7/11 3:00 PM
ROUND 12/OCTOBER 9, 2011
ITP POWERLINE PARK/ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OHIO
OFF-ROAD
P52
CAN-AM GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SERIES
russell’s
first
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
SHAN MOORE
F
or many who follow the
GNCC series, it wasn’t a
matter of if Kailub Russell
would get his first XC1-class win,
but when he would get it. After
all, the talented son of former
off-road great Jeff Russell came
into this year - his rookie season
in the premiere class - with plenty
of fanfare and expectations after
52-57 GNCC.indd 52
It was only a matter of time, but Kail
Russell recorded his first GNCC win
dominating the XC2 class for two
straight years. However, even
Russell himself was disappointed in his early season performances, which prompted him to
rededicate himself to his training
regime during the summer break.
The result was a leaner, meaner
Kailub Russell, who vowed to get
to the center step of the podium
by the end of the year.
At the ITP Powerline GNCC in
St. Clairsville, Ohio, Russell did
just that, running away from the
competition after passing points
leader and FMF/KTM teammate
Charlie Mullins on the opening
lap when Mullins stalled his bike.
At the end of three hours of racing, Russell crossed the finish
line with a little over a minute
cushion on runner-up finisher
Mullins.
The victory not only marked
the first-ever win for Russell in
the XC1 class, but it was also
10/10/11 2:39 PM
Kailub Russell captured his very first
GNCC win.
Briefly...
For Charlie Mullins, a
second-place finish
was almost as good
as a win.
Thad DuVall enjoyed his best finish of the year.
ut Kailub
CC win.
the first win for the
new KTM 350 XCF, which Russell has
been riding all year.
“I’ve been putting
in a lot of hard work
here lately, and I just
want to win,” said
Russell. “I’m pretty
disappointed
with
how the beginning
of the year went, but
I’ve turned it around
52-57 GNCC.indd 53
P53
The day after the Powerline
GNCC, Jesse Robinson is
scheduled to fly to Milan, Italy,
where he will tour the Beta factory
and compete in a round of the Italian Enduro Championship the following weekend. “I think it’s more
of a meet and greet with the factory,” said Robinson, who talked
with Beta last year about a ride
but couldn’t come to terms. “It’s a
chance to talk to those guys about
next year and to let them see me
ride. The Italian Enduro rounds
are the same format as World Enduro, so I’ve been working on my
sprint speed. I’m excited about
going, no matter what happens, it
will be a good experience.”
Kailub Russell has been very
close to capturing that elusive first
win two other times this year. At
the John Penton GNCC, in Millfield, Ohio, Russell led Paul Whibley into the final few miles of the
race and held the advantage when
the duo entered the motocross
section of the course. However,
Whibley surprised Russell when
he made a daring pass in the final
few yards over a double jump to
take the win. More recently, at the
Unadilla GNCC, Russell and Mullins gapped the field when they
engaged in a fierce battle for the
lead. However, Russell pumped
up midway into the race and Mullins pulled away to an easy win.
Cory Buttrick returned to action
after sitting out a few races after
suffering a concussion at the Unadilla round. “It feels good to be
back,” said Buttrick. “I made a lot
of progress this week and I got
some time on the bike, which felt
good. I hit the gym and did a little
cardio, too. I’m not where I was
continued on next page
10/10/11 2:39 PM
OFF-ROAD
P54
My Own Race:
1
JOSH STRANG
5TH
Josh Strang suffered through a day he would rather forget.
The FMF/Makita Suzuki rider has had more than his share
of bad luck the last few races and the Powerline was an extension of that trend. Strang got off to a good start and was
sitting third when the frontrunners entered the woods for the
first time. But when the course cut through one of Powerline
Park’s notorious mud holes for the first time, Strang picked a
bad line. “When we came to the mud, there were two different lines and I took one and just clipped a tree and went off
line and ended up going off a five-foot embankment,” said
Strang, who lost valuable time getting back into the race. “I
finally hooked up with Whibley and DuVall, and I got pretty
close to Mullins, but then Whibley got stuck in the big mud
hole on the last lap, and I was in the same line. I couldn’t go
anywhere. I ended up losing a lot of ground.” Strang eventually salvaged a fifth, but lost valuable points to Mullins in the
title chase. “It was just a disappointing day, and at this point
I just want to win races,” added Strang. “I just want to have
a clean race and get a win. It’s been tough since before the
summer break, so I just want to get back down to business
and start winning again.”
989
THAD DUVALL
3RD
Thad DuVall had one of his best finishes of the year with
a third. Like Russell, the Am Pro Yamaha rider has been
steadily improving since the summer break and he is much
stronger now at the end of the race, which helped the West
Virginia rider hold off Whibley at the finish. “I got a good
start, and we went down in the woods. Strang went down
and everyone bottled up behind him,” said DuVall. “We finally got going and I told myself I was staying with Josh all
day, no matter how hard I had to ride. I did and it paid off
in the end. There at the finish, I’m sure I didn’t make a lot
of friends today, but racing is racing, and I had the inside
line and Whibley tried to pass me around the outside. I don’t
think he knew that tree was there, but I wasn’t going to give
any. I grew up riding motocross and I wasn’t going to let that
happen. I tried to give him a little room, but he ended up hitting that tree. I was strong at the end and it helped.”
and I want to finish off the season
by winning more races.”
After his performance in Ohio,
there’s little doubt he will.
In the meantime, Mullins did
just what he needed to do without
taking too many risks. The Ohio
rider is hoping to claim his first
GNCC title this year and came
52-57 GNCC.indd 54
118
MICHAEL LAFFERTY
7TH
9
JESSE ROBINSON
9TH
116
NATE KANNEY
8TH
Michael Lafferty turned in another solid performance, despite riding with a busted hand that he hurt at the Indiana
National Enduro one week before. The eight-time National
Enduro champ rode his factory Husaberg TE300 two-stroke
to seventh. “I had got off to a decent start and I just tried
to stay out of trouble,” Lafferty said. “A couple of guys got
around me at the end of the first lap, and I just tried to stay
with them. I didn’t go real fast, but I didn’t go real slow either. I just kept my momentum up and tried to ride. The bike
worked great, and that’s what I’m most happy about.”
Jesse Robinson has been riding the Beta 350 vacated by
Chris Bach who took time off to have knee surgery. The
Powerline GNCC was Robinson’s second race on the bike
where he finished a respectable ninth. “I didn’t get off to a
very good start, but I worked my way up into about seventh
or eighth. I was there with about five guys,” said Robinson.
“The first three laps were good; I felt comfortable and was
finding a good pace. But the track got a little rougher and
only being on the bike for three weeks, the setup is not there
yet, and these guys have been on their bikes all season. We
are three weeks on the bike and we’re there for half the race,
so all we have to do now is get it dialed in and put the other
half together.”
WMR Racing/Clockwork/Planet Fitness KTM’s Nate Kanney had a rough day and ended up in eighth. “It was a really
difficult day for me,” said Kanney. “It was not a track that I
particularly enjoyed. I managed to kind of get in the groove
during the middle part of the race, me and Lafferty and Jimmy Jarrett hooked up - kind of a veterans day out there. It
was pretty nice, Jimmy was really being aggressive, and it
was good to see him and Mike riding so fast. It kind of towed
me along. But I fell in the mud and it seemed like I lost 30
or 40 seconds getting back to the pits to get new gloves.
Then I was like I couldn’t get in my groove again. It was really bizarre, it was like I put someone else’s eyeglasses on,
I couldn’t see, and it was like I had someone else’s suspension on my bike. It was just one of those days and I just fell
apart.”
into the race with a 17-point lead
over defending series champ
Josh Strang, so it wouldn’t have
been smart to take too many
chances chasing down an obviously determined Russell. In the
meantime, Mullins knew that
Strang was locked in a three-way
battle for third, and all he needed
to do was keep the Suzuki rider
behind him, which he did.
“I made a few mistakes after
the gas stop but I felt I rode pretty
good overall,” said Mullins. “Kailub rode a good race and I didn’t
really have much for him. I just
did the best I could to keep it on
two wheels, and luckily I did what
10/10/11 2:39 PM
P55
Briefly...
before Unadilla, but I’m making a lot
of progress. I was just having trouble
keeping my focus and that’s a lot better this week.”
After riding a Husqvarna all year for
FAR Racing, Louisiana rider Morgan
Moss showed up at the Powerline
on a 2012 YZ250F backed by Keith
Obermeyer of Obermeyer Yamaha in
Indiana. “I’ll be riding the Yamaha for
the rest of the year,” said Moss. “This
is an option for next year, everything
is still up in the air though. I struggled
all year on the Husky. It wasn’t a lack
of effort on anyone’s part; everyone
on that team does a great job. I just
think the bike didn’t suit my style and
it wasn’t good enough for me to be
out front where I want to be.”
Pennsylvania KTM rider Andrew
DeLong returned from France just
in time to compete at the Powerline
GNCC after riding the final round of
the World Enduro Championships in
France at the invitation of the Beta
Boano Team. Despite competing
on a four-stroke for the first time,
DeLong finished a respectable 19th
on the final day. “It was a good experience, although the World Enduro
rounds are a lot different from what
we ride over here, even in our enduro
series,” said DeLong. “The tests are
short and fast and the transfers are
very technical, almost like a trials
course.” DeLong, currently a privateer, is a hot commodity among the
I had to and finished ahead of the
people I needed to.”
With three rounds remaining
on the schedule, Mullins holds a
26-point lead over Strang in the
series standings.
Thad DuVall rounded out the
52-57 GNCC.indd 55
many teams looking for riders for next
year, and he says he is getting phone
calls from several team managers.
After the race, Cory Buttrick picked
up a new 2012 KTM 450 XC-W,
which is what he plans on riding in
GNCC competitions next year. “The
XC-W motor is a single-cam engine
and it has more torque over the twocam engine,” said Buttrick, who has
been riding the fuel-injected 350 this
year. “I’m looking forward to riding it;
it should give me a bit more power for
next year.”
The JG Off-Road/GEICO Powersports Honda team changed things up
for the Powerline, moving XC2 rider
Scotty Watkins up to the XC1 class
and relocating Rory Mead to the
XC2 class. “Scotty’s going to move
up next year and he is at a place in
the XC2 points where he can’t gain
or lose any positions, so we decided
to start getting him ready for the big
class,” said team manager J.T. Bennett. “Rory’s good on an XC2 bike
anyway, so we wanted to see what
he could do in that class, too.”
Charlie Mullins helped his championship hopes immensely with the
finish - especially since Josh Strang
finished fifth. After settling into a safe
second behind Kailub Russell, Mullins maintained a healthy lead over a
raging battle for third, featuring Strang
and Am Pro Racing Yamaha riders
Paul Whibley and Thad DuVall, the
three swapping positions throughout
the three-hour race. On lap four, Mullins lost considerable ground when
he got stuck on a nasty hill, but he
managed to get going without losing
a position and made it to the finish
with a little over 10 seconds to spare
to grab the runner-up finish.
JG Off-Road/GEICO Powersports
Honda’s Jimmy Jarrett turned in a
solid ride for sixth, beating out eighttime National Enduro champ, Husaberg’s Michael Lafferty and Nate
Kanney on WMR Racing/Clockwork/Planet Fitness KTM.
Steward Baylor Jr. got back on
track in the XC2 class with an impressive flag-to-flag win after grabbing
the $100 Motosport.com Holeshot
Award to start the race. The KTM
rider was in contention for the overall
during the early going and finished
off the XC2 race a full two minutes
ahead of second-place finisher Jordan Ashburn on the Am Pro/FMF/
Yamaha YZ250F.
In the morning race, Masters A (50+)
winner Mark Patterson took the
overall win on a Suzuki, with Women’s class winner Maria Forsberg
taking second overall on a KTM.
Third overall and first in the 200 C
Schoolboy (12-15) class was Dalton
Cross on a KTM.
podium, but had to stave off a fourth, but collapsed after crosslast-turn pass attempt by Am ing the finish line in obvious pain
CN
Pro/FMF Yamaha teammate Paul from the collision. Whibley, who tried to take away
the inside line from him, but ran
into a tree in the process and injured his leg. Whibley held on for
10/10/11 2:39 PM
OFF-ROAD
P56
ey.
GEICO all
?
s number is…
Cory Buttrick’
Reed really wasn’t dreading
Josh Strang was hoping
Millvi
lle.
for something better than a
fifth-place finish.
52-57 GNCC.indd 56
10/10/11 2:39 PM
Mike Lafferty’s 300cc
Husaberg.
P57
Kailub Russell was confident
before the race.
For good reason, the Powerline
GNCC is known for its mud.
Paul Whibley worked
hard for his fourthplace finish.
52-57 GNCC.indd 57
10/10/11 2:39 PM
INTERVIEW
P58
NORTON’S STUART GARNER
COMEBACK
COMMANDO
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KYOICHI NAKAMURA
A
fter some well-publicized
hiccups, Norton’s comeback seems to be gathering pace again, with Stuart
Garner, who in 2008 purchased
the UK’s most historic sporting
motorcycle brand from its American then-owners, having finally
58-64 Garner Interview.indd 58
sourced bridging finance to underwrite production of the acclaimed Commando 961.
This began in April of 2010 at
Norton’s Donington Park plant,
but problems with the quantity
and quality of the OHV air- oilcooled parallel-twin engines
furnished by Norton’s sub-contractor Menard/MCT, meant
production ground to a halt after
fewer that 100 bikes were built.
Garner then brought the engine
manufacture in-house, but that
took time in setting up. Plus, he
wasn’t able to secure any financing from the banking community.
The situation at Norton now
appears to have been righted,
however, after a visit to the Donington headquarters in August
by UK Business Minister Vince
10/7/11 3:01 PM
THE MAN
BEHIND
NORTON
TALKS
ABOUT ITS
COMEBACK
Stuart Garner
purchased Norton
in 2008 and has big
plans for the iconic
British brand.
Cable, as part of a campaign
to publicize a new government
scheme aimed at promoting
growth through exports.
“Trade and investment are essential to driving our economy,
and encouraging small businesses to export is at the heart
of that,” he said in a televised
interview at the Norton factory.
“This iconic company, whose
brand once inspired a generation of motorcycle enthusiasts, is
a prime example of British business innovation. I hope that many
more companies are inspired by
what Norton is going to achieve
through this funding.”
So what does it all mean in
terms of Norton’s future prospects? We went to Garner himself for answers in this exclusive
interview.
First of all, how many motorcycles has Norton delivered
up to date?
We’re not giving a precise
number, but though we’ve done
the first few hundred, it’s less
than 500 so far.
Why you haven’t been able
to build more than that, given
the fact that you’ve now been
in production for two years,
and have many unfulfilled orders?
I would ask you the question instead of how have we got into production so quickly? We’ve taken
a lot of stick for slow delivery, but
in essence we got to market very
fast, having got our supply chain
well primed. However, we had all
the well-documented problems
with our former engine suppliers
MCT, and they’ve had a long-term
knock-on. We got to grips with
our engine issue by taking it inhouse, and building our own first
engines at the end of last year but we had a six-month delay getting started doing that, and the
lack of these stopped everything
else dead in the water as far as
all the other 160-odd companies
P59
in the Norton supply chain were
concerned. We had to ask them
all to stop making deliveries while
we’d suspended production because of the engine problem. But
then, having re-started production at the beginning of the year,
we had to try to give our suppliers
the confidence in Norton to start
supplying us again. It took quite
a few months to get good quantities of stock built up again, and
we’ve had some problems build
planning for components that we
don’t have, while organizing deliveries of them. Pretty well up until the last few weeks, we’ve been
in a position of recovery, but now
everything is sorted, and we’re
back in full production again.
How many bikes does that
mean you’re going to be building weekly?
Tens for the next few weeks,
and then in October/November,
that steps up to 15-20 weekly.
But I’m not going to be drawn into
precise numbers, and then slip
on my own self-thrown banana
skin again - that’s our own internal plan, what we’re aiming to do,
and what we’re priming suppliers
to do. We plan to build 1000 bikes
in the next 12 months, and by the
end of this year to have caught up
with all of our back orders.
How many back orders have
you got under deposit at the
moment?
Hundreds.
More than 500?
I can’t tell you that exactly,
because while we with our UK
customers dealing direct with the
10/7/11 3:01 PM
INTERVIEW
P60
Norton factory, and some of our dealer network,
do take deposits, others don’t. But we have a few
thousand bikes on order from our overseas distributors, all without yet touching markets further
afield that will surely do very well for Norton, like
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and so on.
Our representative Dan Van Epps in the USA is putting together the dealer network there, although
we don’t envisage shipping any bikes there for
some months. We’re in the hands of the 49-state
approval process there.
Okay, but you now have Euro 3 compliance for the Commando 961. What have you
changed on the bike to achieve that?
We’ve fitted two lambda sensors delivering an
entirely new fuel calibration process. This also
dictated a new ECU, a new wiring harness, a new
exhaust with two new larger catalytic converters,
new fuel injectors, and new throttle bodies, but
with the same diameter as previously. In achieving
Euro 3 compliance, we haven’t lost any significant
power or torque, because as we’ve re-mapped the
engine and spent more time with it, we’ve better
understood the optimum fueling strategy. So we
lost on the swings and gained on the roundabouts
- the homologated performance is still 80 bhp,
which is what we had before.
If Norton now has Euro 3 compliance, now
that you’re in a position to start building up
production, how many more British orders do
you have to satisfy before you can start looking at Europe and the USA?
There are only a few dozen back orders for the
UK. We’ll have those sorted in the next few weeks
– we’ll have bikes or, if they prefer, full refunds
on their paid deposits, for all those people by the
New Year. As the build plan gets under control,
we’ll then start to look at overseas orders, starting to move on our Euro 3 markets like France,
Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and
Spain first, then the USA.
When can people from those countries expect to start receiving bikes?
We’ll get to a few of the countries this year, but
certainly by early in 2012 we’ll be in every one.
The two Commandos: The new 961
and the original 850.
You’re in the enviable position of having a
product that people want to buy, and yet it
seems that another reason you’ve been slow
to delivery is finance. Is it true that you haven’t
been able to get the normal kind of financial
support by way of business loans that you’d
expect from a bank, with so many firm orders?
We’ve been looking for the past two years to get
10/7/11 3:01 PM
the needed financial package for Norton to drive
the business forward on a long-term basis. We’ve
had 11 different banks involved in discussions in
the past 24 months about loaning money to the
firm to underwrite its growth, but like many other
small to medium entrepreneurs in the same position, we’ve failed to get any financial backing at all
from the UK banking sector – I’ve had to bankroll
P61
the entire startup of the business out of my own
pocket, until now. It still appears to be the case
that the banks are so heavily laden with property
debt, that they’re still more concerned about rebuilding their capital base than supporting startup
trading and manufacturing businesses like ours.
However, we’ve finally just been granted a loan by
Banco Santander, which has been underwritten
10/7/11 3:01 PM
INTERVIEW
P62
(Above) Pierre Terblanche worked at
Norton for six months.
(Above right) Some of Terblanche’s designs
for future Nortons. He says he’ll see some of
the designs through to completion.
by the British government’s new Exports
Enterprise Finance Guarantee/ExEFG
scheme, which is a funding stream put
together for export-led businesses. We’d
already begun discussions with Santander
on January 7, 2010 about a business loan,
and originally they were unable to help us.
But we got a call from them the day after
the UK government’s Business Secretary,
Vince Cable, visited Norton in August this
year, saw what we’re doing, and unlocked
some doors for us. He’s tailored a package for the manufacturing industry to give
the banks the confidence to support companies like Norton that are job and export
creative and in the government’s eyes
can help the recovery, and made sure that Norton’s was
the first such export facility to be underwritten. The Minister was very interested in our staff and our apprenticeship scheme, our export markets, and how we can get
the brand generally waving the flag for Britain around the
world.
How much is this worth to Norton?
It’s worth £625,000 [$961,000] up front almost immediately, but it’s a rotating facility, so on an annual basis it’s
worth £7.5 million sterling [$11.5 million] in terms of cash
flow to the business. We will be using it to underwrite the
purchase of parts so we can manufacture more motorcycles for export overseas, but of course the profits from
these will underpin the build plan for British customers’
bikes, so it’s a win-win situation all round.
To do this, you’ll surely need to increase your workforce to produce the 1000 bikes that you’re targeting
per year? I guess that creating more jobs in manufacturing is a key element in the government’s strategy in
creating this scheme.
Exactly so. We’re mid-30s here at the moment, but we’re
10/7/11 3:01 PM
looking at almost doubling that to around 60 people. The
business grows exactly relative to supply in the production
side, so as we hand-build motorcycles and hand-build engines, the more volume we produce - it’s a direction correlation of production to people. At the moment we have two
guys who hand-assemble a given motorcycle on a single
ramp, taking the bike from the bare chassis right to completing the finished product, putting the key in the ignition,
and firing it up. One eight-hour shift for two guys means
one motorcycle made from start to finish. So to double production, we either need to grow shifts, or grow people, and
we’re permanently recruiting production staff now, so that
as the volume steps up, those boys are already there.
Pierre Terblanche worked here at Norton for six
months, but has now left. Why did he do so?
In essence, I think Pierre was probably ready to go his
own route, and do more independent work in his own time,
and in his own space. Having said that, Pierre left us an excellent legacy in the form of several exciting variants of the
Commando platform. He’s told me he’ll be happy to pick
up some of the design work he’s done, and see it through
P63
to completion and to prototype stage, and
I promise you that you’ll see some of his
sketches and designs coming to life on
two wheels in the future – exciting stuff
like a flat tracker, a scrambler, a Dominator
variant that’s a bit of an off-the-wall cruiser
that sort of grows on you – stuff like that.
Who’d have thought a few years ago that
the Diavel would’ve seen the light of day?
Well, the Dominator could be the Norton
equivalent!
So is the Dominator a kind of musclebike?
Yes, but it’s just one of four or five good
ideas around the Commando platform that
we’re playing around with at the moment to
see if we’ll go with one of them - but we do
feel that there are more legs to the platform
than just the existing 961 start-up model.
How long do you see the shelf life of
the Commando 961 platform as being?
Absolutely indefinite. It’s not an engine
that’s going to be outdated by the next
model or iteration that comes along. Its
styling is fairly classical, so by giving it a
facelift every few years, it’ll surely run for
a long period of time. It’s a good-looking
platform, with what’s turning out to be a
very solid engine, and I think we’ve already
got what may emerge as the core of the
Norton business going forwards.
Okay, but you’ve spoken previously
on the record about creating a modern
Norton motorcycle – one with more
than two cylinders. Is that still your
intention, or have you put that on the
back burner until you’ve ramped up
production of the present neo-classic
platform to significant numbers?
We will indeed be developing a modern
Norton, but equally we’ve all been surprised by the success of the Commando.
We’ve had unsolicited inquiries for distributors and dealers in just over 50 countries
around the world. There’s a huge aware10/7/11 3:01 PM
INTERVIEW
P64
ness of the bike globally, so at
first glance you’d ask - why bother
with a modern bike? The problem
is that our dealer network can’t
be expected to operate with just
a one-bike platform with a couple
of different variants. It’s difficult to
give the dealer volume in bikes,
and financially speaking, for him
to give up his floor space to take
a Norton dealership on, unless
we’ve got two or three more models/platforms, and we can offer
him some more volume.
So given that you’ve been
looking at it for a year or so,
what kind of modern liquidcooled, multi-cylinder motorcycle are you going to build?
We’ve narrowed it down now
to two engine platforms - and it
won’t be a six-cylinder!
So it’ll be either a V-four or
what - a twin?
It’s almost that the engine platform isn’t important, and this is
why we’re happy that the Commando is doing so well, as it
gives us more time to look at the
marketplace to pick the platform
that will provide the best basis
for a new range of models. The
motorcycle market has changed
hugely in the last 24-36 months,
and the time we’ve had over the
past 12 months has been time
well spent looking at the changing market.
What about your MotoGP
project? Is that still going
ahead?
We’re continuing to push on in
just a small way, just to develop
a racing platform, full stop. But
the underlying objective of that
spending on development costs
is the Isle of Man TT, without
which we probably wouldn’t be
developing a race bike in the first
place. The TT makes the whole
thing viable - we have sponsors
for that, and we actually generate income from the TT, so we’re
happy to invest in a motorcycle
that has positive cash flow for the
company.
‘‘
way that I’m going to gamble the
Norton brand, the factory, and
the jobs of its workers, on racing.
We’re talking to several sponsors
of the multinational size to take
MotoGP on, but until a company
has signed up and committed,
we won’t be giving the project the
green light.
Is it true that Norton’s working on a V-four racer?
Yes, it is – we’ve been doing
most of it in-house. We’ve got
I promise you that you’ll see
some of his [Terblanche] sketches
and designs coming to life on two
wheels in the future.
So Norton has a sponsor to
support its Isle of Man TT race
program? Is that only for the
TT, or is it for any other road
races?
Yes, in depth – and the sponsorship would roll over to the other, mainly Irish, road races.
Does this mean that your
idea of going into MotoGP
next year, when the 1000cc
rule comes in, has been cancelled?
No, we continue to leave the
door open to that, but the only
thing against us is the clock ticking. We won’t go MotoGP racing
unless it’s fully sponsored, and
we’ve said that from day one.
We want to do it, but until we can
get a sponsor to cover the cash
cost to the company, there’s no
’’
several good partners including
Primo for the engine, FTR for
the chassis, K-Tech suspension
and Austin exhausts. Our plan
is to test the prototype this year
at some point, with Chris Walker
riding, and to intensify development in the new year, ready to
compete in the Senior TT in the
Isle of Man next June.
Have you got a rider signed
up for that yet?
No. We’d like Michael Dunlop
to ride for us again, but while
awaiting the off-season to negotiate with him, there are a couple
of guys that we’re ready to talk
to. But inevitably, the fast guys in
TT racing will only ride fast bikes,
and until we prove that the new
Norton is fast, there’s no point
reaching out to anyone yet. CN
10/7/11 3:01 PM
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR APP?
4.5 STARS ON ITUNES &
ANDROID MARKETPLACE
available on
ANDROID
CN APP AD.indd 1
10/10/11 10:35 AM
OCTOBER 9, 2011
PUTNAM PARK ROAD COURSE/MT. MERIDIAN, INDIANA
ROAD RACING
P66
2011 AMA ROAD RACE GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
VALDEZ
VICTORIOUS
Jake Lewis takes
home Horizon Award
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAWRENCE
R
icardo “Ricky” Valdez, a
little known 31-year-old
club racer from Chicago,
had a breakthrough weekend at
the 2011 AMA Road Race Grand
Championships held at the scenic Putnam Park Road Course
in West Central Indiana. Valdez,
66-71 AMA Amateur RR.indd 66
racing a self-sponsored Yamaha
R6, scored three wins and a runner-up finish in four of the most
prestigious classes in the championships. Not only was Valdez’
skill as a racer obvious to anyone
watching, his effervescent personality won the admiration of
fans, racing officials and his fellow racers by the time the weekend was done.
Heading into this year’s Grand
Championships all eyes were on
racing phenom Jake Lewis. The
15-year-old Kentuckian, mentored by the famous Hayden family, has been one of the premier
club road racers in the country in
2011. He proved at Putnam that
the buildup is not simply hype.
He effortlessly set the pole for
the four races he entered on his
10/10/11 2:53 PM
P67
s
ward
Ricardo Valdez (109) used his
Yamaha R6 to outgun the 1000cc
bikes of Gene Burcham (94) and
Brian Healea (10) to win the Open
Superbike contest.
Jake Lewis won the Open Supersport race on a
Yamaha R6. He went on to win the Horizon Award.
Earl’s Racing Team/KWS Motorsports Yamaha R6, won his first
final and flirted with the outright
motorcycle track record before
making a simple mistake that resulted in a huge crash, a trip to
the hospital and an early exit from
the championships. Fortunately,
Lewis wasn’t seriously injured in
the crash and made it back to the
track in time to accept his award
as the 2011 AMA Road Race Ho- his onboard video camera.
“I messed up on the bus stop
rizon Award winner, an honor he
and
he went by me on that one,”
now shares with past winners like
Jason DiSalvo, Ben Spies and Valdez said. “The next lap we
were doing really good and we
Blake Young.
Lewis showed amazing speed came around turn six back there
in Saturday’s qualifying, win- and he [Lewis] just barely clipped
ning the pole for his four events that outside apex and the bike
and being the only rider to lap in came around so fast he had no
chance.”
the one minute, 10-second
bracket, not far off Mark
Nick McFadden, 14, is a neighbor to the
Junge’s nine-year-old track Hayden brothers and trains with them.
record of 1:09.6. Not bad Here he races his Moriwaki to victory in
the MD250 Final. He shared the Youth
for a 15-year-old on a 600cc Rider of the Year Award with Andre Ochs.
motorcycle.
Sunday’s finals started
off well enough for Lewis.
He took the victory over
Valdez in the Open Supersport race, with Brian Healea
scoring third on a Suzuki
GSXR1000. Then in Middleweight Superbike Lewis
and Valdez were again battling for the lead. Lewis
had just taken over the top
spot when disaster struck.
Valdez was right there and
captured Lewis’ crash via
10/10/11 2:53 PM
OCTOBER 9, 2011
ROAD RACING
P68
Ray Hofman started off the 2011
AMA Grand Championships with
a victory in the Middleweight
Twins Superbike class aboard his
Ducati 749.
Lewis suffered a concussion
and a broken right thumb in the
crash. He was transported to the
hospital and made it back to the
track later in the day, but was unable to race.
With the pole winner out, Valdez took full advantage and won
three races. Perhaps his biggest
challenge came in Open Superbike, where his Yamaha R6 faced
the 1000cc machines of Gene
Burcham (BMW) and Brian Healea (Suzuki). The top four, led by
Healea, Burcham, Matt Spannan
and Valdez, broke away from the
field. Burcham then took over
the lead from Healea and Valdez
moved up from fourth to second.
Late in the race came a dramatic
moment when Valdez made his
move around Burcham. Valdez,
coming around the outside, cut
the pass a little too tightly and
chopped the front wheel of Burcham’s BMW.
“I thought I had him,” Burcham
said of his race with Valdez. “He
passed me a couple of times and
I was able to get him back. Then
we came around turn nine and he
came around the outside and cut
in and took my front out. I bobbled and by the time I gained my
composure he was gone.”
Valdez acknowledged and
apologized for the tight pass on
Burcham. “We were really going
at it and Gene was riding really
well. I think I passed a little too
close and I told him I was sorry
about that. Once I got into the
lead I tried to turn in the best laps
I could. With those 1000s chasing me I never knew if they were
going to come back by me on the
straights. That was probably my
best race.”
It was a breakthrough weekend for Valdez, a construction
worker, who sells cars part time
just to scrape together enough
money to go racing.
“This is my best weekend of
my career so far,” Valdez said.
“Getting to race against a talented racer like Jake [Lewis] was
so much fun for me. I wished he
hadn’t crashed out and we would
have had some more races, but
I’m just very happy with the way
the races went for me. I hope to
go racing in AMA Pro next season, but I’m doing everything out
of my pocket, so it’s tough, but
I’m going to give it a shot.”
Valdez was awarded the AMA
Racing Vet/Senior Award for his
excellent weekend.
Californian Andre Ochs, 15,
from Fallbrook, was another
standout rider at the Grand
Championships. He won the
Moto3 and Lightweight GP. Nick
McFadden, another flat tracker
turned road racer who, along
with Lewis, trains a lot with the
Haydens at Earl Hayden’s ranch
in Owensboro, Kentucky, scored
a victory in the USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H race. McFadden, 14,
10/10/11 2:53 PM
Andre Ochs (46) came all the way
from California to win the Moto3
class. The 15-year-old earned a share
of the Youth Rider of the Year Award.
is another of the young guns
expected to have a bright future in the sport. McFadden
and Ochs shared the Youth
Rider of the Year Award.
Gene Burcham, who was
an AMA Superbike racer in
the 1980s and recently returned to racing, scored a win
in the Heavyweight Formula
40 over rival Brian Healea.
The two battled and traded
wins at last year’s championships at Mid-Ohio, where
Healea is a riding instructor.
This year Burcham had the
P69
home track advantage and
used it to earn victory.
Joel Spalding, Ray Hofman and Rob Hancock also
earned multiple expert titles
in the championships. Alex
Walker was the top-prize
winner in the amateur ranks.
Hancock took a come-frombehind win in the 250 Grand
Prix final on his Yamaha
TZ250. He had to get past
several riders and finally got
by Adrian Jasso to score the
win.
CN
Lewis Wins
Horizon Award
he hopes to be ready in time to race that
event.
AMA officials had a tough decision to
The weekend didn’t turn out exactly
make with Ricardo Valdez turning in such
how he planned it, but in the end Jake
a strong performance. In the end they felt
Lewis came away with the most covLewis’ overall weekend and his victory
eted prize of the Grand Championships
over Valdez in their first race was enough
- the 2011 AMA Road Race Horizon
for Lewis to earn the award. Valdez was
Award.
honored with the Vet Rider Award.
The 15-year-old third-generation
At the awards presentation Lewis said
racer from Princeton, Kentucky, might
he was happy to win the Horizon Award.
have dominated the championships.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to win for
He scored the pole in all four of the
Jake Lewis took home a long time,” he said. “I hated to end my
races he entered on his Earl’s Racing
the 2011 AMA Horizon day early, and I apologize to my parents
Team/KWS Motorsports Yamaha R6
Award.
for having to take a trip to the hospital, but
and won his first event in Sunday’s finals,
that’s the first time and hopefully I learned
but a crash in his second race caused a
something
from that.”
premature exit from the event.
Lewis,
who
turns 16 in November, said he expects
After coming back from being checked out at the
to
turn
pro
next
season. He will be a rider to watch
local hospital Lewis said the crash eventually came
in
the
future.
He
joins a prestigious list of riders who
back to him.
have
won
the
Horizon
Award including road racers
“That was the worst crash I’ve ever had,” Lewis
Jason
DiSalvo,
Ben
Spies
and Blake Young.
said. “I’d just gotten into the lead and was pushing
Lewis
grew
up
flat
track
racing and then began
hard. Evidently I dropped my rear wheel off the track
road racing when he was eight. He honed his road
into the dirt and it came around pretty hard and spit
racing skills racing with CMRA, WERA and USGPRU,
me off. After that I don’t remember anything. It was a
which ran this year’s AMA Grand Championships.
pretty bad wreck and I’m just glad I’m okay.”
Lewis was a two-time podium finisher in the USGPRU
Lewis suffered a concussion and fractured a bone
support races at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix
in his right thumb. He’s one of the pre-event favorites
at the upcoming WERA Grand National Finals and
in 2010.
10/10/11 2:53 PM
OCTOBER 9, 2011
ROAD RACING
P70
A Superwas an AM . Now
m
a
h
rc
u
Gene B
d in 1989
r
who retire
bike race
ond caree
d in a sec
n
n
a
o
s
w
0
4
e
H
is
in h
ent.
he’s resurg
e
r,
c
e
ra
c
0
ra
4
a
la
s
a
t Formu
h
ig
e
w
y
v
the Hea
BMW.
aboard his
scored three
Ricardo Valdez
nd Champion
wins in the Gra
named Vet
ships and was
ent.
ev
e
Rider of th
Andre Ochs (46) and
(18), here passing Cry
(56X), battled in the L
final with Ochs comin
ze
e top pri
er was th
lk
s.
a
k
n
W
x
ra
Ale
teur
the ama
in
r
e
.
n
2
1
in
0
w
2
expert in
He’ll turn
Reed really wasn’t dreading
Tea Figuric took the Miss
Millvi
lle.
Moto victory.
10/10/11 2:53 PM
P71
Veteran racer Gary Jeffries won
the Heavyweight Formula 50
class on his Kawasaki ZX10R.
Palmer Kling, a sixth-grader from
Augusta, Georgia, was the youngest
champion at the AMA Grand Championships this year.
hs (46) and Nick McFadden
passing Crystal Campagna
tled in the Lightweight GP
Ochs coming out on top.
Joel Spalding took victory in the
Heavyweight Twins Superbike race
on his beautiful KTM. Here he leads
Steve Palella and David Podolsky.
reading
e Miss
10/10/11 2:53 PM
COUNTDOWN/ROUND 3
OCTOBER 3, 2011/READING, PENNSYLVANIA
DRAG RACING
P72
NHRA FULL THROTTLE PRO STOCK SERIES
REMARKABLE
ROOKIE
Hector Arana Jr.
makes his bid for
the 2011 NHRA
championship
BY KEVIN MCKENNA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT POLITO
L
ast year, LE Tonglet accomplished a rare feat by
winning the Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship and the
Rookie of the Year award in his
72-75 NHRA Reading.indd 72
first season on the NHRA Full
Throttle tour. Turns out, that feat
may not have been so rare after
all, as Lucas Oil Buell’s Hector Arana Jr. is making a serious
bid to join Tonglet as a rookie
champion. Arana rode to his second victory of the season at the
NHRA Nationals in Reading and
in the process, moved to within
striking distance of Screamin’
Eagle Harley-Davidson’s Eddie
Krawiec, the current point leader.
“We have a lot of momentum right now,” Arana said. “My
runs have been improving and
10/7/11 3:02 PM
P73
Briefly...
Hector Arana Jr. moved into championship
contention with his second win of the season,
this one coming in Redding, Pennsylvania.
we plan to keep this streak going. This should help me for the
Rookie of the Year and give me a
good chance for the championship. I can’t believe how much
I’ve learned since the first of the
year, it’s like night and day. I learn
something new every time I ride
the bike. Hopefully that never
stops.”
Arana has been a monster
in qualifying this year and that
trend continued in Reading as he
claimed his fifth pole of the year
with a then career-best run of
6.824 seconds at 195.48 mph.
Geico Powersports Suzuki’s Karen Stoffer, once a serious contender in the championship battle,
has now all but tumbled out of the
race after losing her first round
battle against Kuryakyn Buell’s
Chip Ellis. Stoffer was on her way
to what her team believed was a record-breaking performance when
her bike wouldn’t shift into sixth
gear and she slowed to a 7.02.
“All the good luck we’ve had at the
beginning of the season, I think
the bad luck may be catching up
with us now,” Stoffer said. “It’s a
bummer in a couple of ways. One,
obviously, is because we wanted
to win the race. But it would have
also been a record run for us. It
was the best eighth-mile time for
this bike, ever. The championship
is getting further and further out of
the way. But if we can win some
races, set some records, and go
down the track consistently at the
last three races that’s what we’re
going to be focusing on.”
For the third time this season, it
took a six-second run just to qualify for the 16-bike field, and the
bump spot time of 6.94 by RumBum Buell’s Bailey Whitaker was
an all-time record. The other two
six-second fields came in Englishtown, New Jersey, and the recent
round in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Reading runner-up Matt Smith
noted that he’ll likely be fielding a
bike for Next Level Racing’s Justin
Finley at the upcoming penultimate round in Phoenix. Finley has
been aboard a Vance & Hinespowered Suzuki at every event
this season, but has had difficulty
continued on next page
10/7/11 3:02 PM
COUNTDOWN/ROUND 3
OCTOBER 3, 2011/READING, PENNSYLVANIA
DRAG RACING
P74
NHRA FULL THROTTLE PRO STOCK SERIES
Jerry Savoie reached the semi-final
round in Redding, the 53-year-old
alligator farm owner beating Angie
Smith and Eddie Krawiec to get there.
Arana Jr. was
all smiles after
beating Matt Smith
in the final.
Following a lengthy rain delay
that pushed the bulk of final eliminations into Monday, Arana maintained pace with crucial wins
against Kuryakyn Buell’s Chip
Ellis and Screamin’ Eagle HarleyDavidson’s Andrew Hines.
The final round between Arana
and former world champ Matt
Smith will long be remembered,
as both riders made the best runs
of their respective careers with
Arana taking a 6.78 to 6.79 win
in what was officially the quickest
side-by-side run in the history of
the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.
“We wanted to beat Matt, no
question,” Arana said. “Most
of all we wanted to win another
race. We’re in a tight battle for the
Rookie-of-the-Year deal and now
we have two wins so it’s going to
come down to these last three
events. Before the final, we fixed
a small electrical problem and we
took a big swing with the clutch
and it worked. I never saw Matt. I
was just focused on my lane and
making a good run.”
The good news for
Smith is he finally
corrected
the
engine issues
he’s
been
struggling
with in recent
weeks, and he
made the final
to move into third
place in the battle for
the championship with
three races remaining. .
10/7/11 3:02 PM
“We just made our quickest
run ever,” Smith said. “I’m ecstatic. I think we have a shot of
winning the [championship]. I
don’t know what else I could’ve
done today to beat Hector.
The bike did what it needed to
do. Now we have to get some
rounds back and earn some
points. We need to start running
better in qualifying to get bonus
points to really have a shot at
another title.” CN
P75
Briefly...
qualifying lately. In a related announcement, Smith also said there
is a possibility that his wife, Angie,
will not ride in Phoenix.
The silly season was in full swing
in Reading as the most current rumors involve a successful Suzuki
team adding a second bike for the
2011 season and the possibility of a
satellite team for one of the sport’s
most successful organizations.
For Angie Smith, the good news
is that she made the best run of her
career in the opening round with a
6.86. The bad news? She was late
leaving the starting line and lost to
White Alligator Racing Suzuki’s Jerry
Savoie, who ran just a 6.97. Savoie
left the starting line with a perfect
reaction time while Smith was more
an a tenth of a second behind, an
eternity in a quarter-mile drag race.
In the second round, Savoie also got
the jump on Screamin’ Eagle HarleyDavidson’s Eddie Krawiec and won
the round with a 6.94. Krawiec actually passed Savoie and appeared
to be on his way to a victory, but
slowed after his V-Rod encountered
an ignition problem. “That was a really bad time for that to happen,”
said Krawiec. “I’m still not sure what
it was. The bike just shut off for fourtenths of a second. By the time the
power came back on, he was gone.
That sucks because I really felt like
we could have won this race.”
The 200-mph run that some had
expected in Reading never materialized, as the top speed of the event
was Krawiec’s 197.97-mph run. Most
agreed that the lack of a suitable tail
wind kept performances in check.
While the battle for the championship is still wide open, one rider who
won’t be in the mix is current champion LE Tonglet. The Nitro Fish Suzuki rider suffered through another
bad race in Reading, losing in the
first round against Andrew Hines.
“We’ve got no power right now, it’s
kind of pathetic,” Tonglet said. “Last
year, everything went right for us and
now… we’re struggling.”
RumBum Buell’s Matt Guidera
collected his first round win in two
years when he upset Hector Arana
Sr. in the opening round. Guidera’s
run was short-lived as he damaged
an engine warming his bike in the
pits before his second round race
against Matt Smith and could now
answer the call.
He’s probably too far behind Hector Arana Jr., to even merit serious
consideration for the Rookie of the
Year award, but what White Alligator Racing’s Jerry Savoie has done
this year has been nothing short of
remarkable. The 53-year old, who
raises as many as 60,000 alligators at a time on his farm in southern
Louisiana, spent more than 30 years
away from motorcycle racing before
deciding to mount a serious comeback in 2011. In Reading, Savoie
reached the semi final round with
wins over Angie Smith and Krawiec.
“Lately, I feel like I’ve been riding
pretty well,” Savoie said. “We’ve had
a little adversity, but it’s all starting to
come together now. I said before the
season that my goal was to finish in
the top 10. We’ve done that and now
I think I can move up to fifth or sixth.
That would be great for a first year
team.”
10/7/11 3:02 PM
CN III PRODUCT REVIEW
P76
FLY RACING’S F-16 PANT
AND JERSEY
T
he F-16 pant and jersey from Fly Racing was designed for the weekend racer and off-road rider
looking for a great value without sacrificing style or durability. The lightweight F-16 pant features
600D nylon construction, adjustable belt, ratcheting fly closure, YKK-made main zipper, strategically
placed stretch ribs, mesh comfort liner, integrated thermotplastic rubber badges, pre-shaped,
ultra stretch knee/thigh construction for knee brace-comfort, inside 900D nylon knee panels for
protection from hot exhaust systems, and low-profile stretch cuffs with removable elastic band. The
jersey features multi-panel construction, fade-free sublimated graphics, “shorty” cuffs designed to
help avoid arm pump, soft stretch collar, and polyester construction. The F-16 pant and jersey combo
are offered in five different color combinations.
LIST PRICE:
F-16 Pant $69.95-$74.95
F-16 Jersey $24.95-$29.95
Website: www.flyracing.com
Standout Feature
Style and quality at a low price.
Rider Analysis
When Fly Racing sent us a set of its F-16 pant and jersey combo, we simply tore it out of the
package, threw it on and went riding. We were later shocked to discover that the F-16 combo
wasn’t Fly’s premier, top-of-the-line set (that honor goes to the Evolution line), because
it certainly feels and looks that way. We were immediately impressed by the pant’s solid
construction, excellent fit, vibrant colors, and roomy and re-enforced knee area. We also
liked the internal pocket on the waistline, handy for carrying a key to your truck while you’re
out playing. The lightweight jersey also fit well, and we especially liked the soft cuffs and
collar. Overall, we found little not to like about the F-16 gear, but one test rider did mention
that the thigh/crotch area was a little tight compared to some other pants he’s worn in the
same size. After four or five washings, colors and graphics haven’t faded one bit, even
our red gear. Value or not, we are very impressed with Fly’s F-16 gear and would definitely
recommend it to friends.
76-77 Product Review.indd 76
10/7/11 2:13 PM
P77
The F-16 jersey
has a loose and
comfortable fit.
Fly’s F-16 pant is
well thought out
and versatile.
Fly’s F-16 gear indeed offers
great value without sacrificing
style or durability.
• Well constructed
• Clean graphics
• No fading (so far)
• Excellent value for the money
76-77 Product Review.indd 77
some, possibly a little tight in upper
• For
thigh/crotch area
•Somewhat baggy around elbows
10/7/11 2:13 PM
CN III STUFF
P78
SCHUBERTH S1 MOTORCYCLE SPORT HELMET
Price: $TBA
Phone: 949.215.0893
Website: schuberth.com
Last week, Schuberth gave select U.S. press a sneak
peek of its all-new S2 Motorcycle Sport Helmet, which
will be unveiled at next year’s Indy Dealer Expo. The
S2 is the follow-up to the full-face S1, which was
introduced in 2002 in the European market, and
will feature many upgrades, such as a lighter
weight and more compact design, improved
ventilation and aerodynamics, and an upgraded
internal sun visor. No photos of the S2 are
permitted to be published yet, so for now, here
is the SR1 (pictured) with an anticipated arrival
in North America in late 2013, with the S2 to
follow later.
TOUR MASTER FLEX SERIES 3 CONVERTIBLE JACKET
Price: $219.99
Phone: 818.880.0000
Website: tourmaster.com or helmethouse.com
The Tour Master Flex Series 3 Convertible Jacket converts
easily from a 600 denier Carbolex jacket to an Armor-Link
mesh jacket and vice-versa. It has a water-resistant outer
jacket and incorporates waterproof zippered sleeve vents. It
has reflective piping and Tour Master’s signature reflective
rear triangle to help increase nighttime visibility. It includes removable, CE-approved armor and an articulated triple-density
back protector.
78-81 Stuff .indd 78
10/7/11 2:20 PM
P79
ALPINESTARS DUAL GLOVES
Price: $39.95
Phone: 310.891.0222
Website: alpinestars.com
Specifically engineered for enduro, the Alpinestars
Dual Glove combines the lightweight and durable
multi-mesh construction of a motocross glove, but
have additional material reinforcements to cope with
the rigors of cross-country riding. The gloves come in
sizes small to double XL in a variety of colors.
YOSHIMURA R&D HAYABUSA FENDER ELIMINATOR KITS
Price: $89.95
Phone: 909.628.4722
Website: yoshimura-rd.com
Yoshimura R&D of America has Fender
Eliminator kits for the 2008-11 Suzuki
Hayabusa to give it a sleek, race
look. These kits have an anodized
aluminum license-plate frame,
a laser-cut stainless bracket that
tucks discreetly under the bike’s tail,
and a CNC-machined
light holder, which
houses four LED
lights.
10/7/11 2:20 PM
CN III STUFF
P80
KIDDIMOTO FOGGY AND ELBOWZ KID BICYCLE HELMETS
Price: $52.49
Phone: 44 (0) 1749.871175
Website: kiddimoto.co.uk
Kiddimoto has two new bicycle helmets for youngsters painted
up with graphics of motorcycling heroes: one decked out with
Carl “Foggy” Fogarty logos and the famous Foggy eye graphic,
and the other one in American Ben Spies logo of red, white and
blue. The ABS hard-plastic BMX dirt-style shell meets ASTM F
1447, ANSI Z90-4, CPSC, CE bicycle-helmet standards.
WIN THE RACE OF LIFE AT 180 MPH
Price: $14.95
Phone: 949.421.7562
Website: WinTheRaceOfLife.com
Nadine Lajoie’s new 224-page book, Win the Race
of Life at 180 mph, tells of Lajoie’s personal-growth
journey that uses motorcycle racing as an analogy
for the readers to recognize their own dreams and
power, and motivate them to care more strongly
for themselves and achieve their goals. Nadine
melds her real-life inspirational story with self-help
exercises in this motivational book.
10/7/11 2:20 PM
P81
PRO CIRCUIT QUICK ADJUST FORK CAP & RAPID ADJUST PRE-LOAD TOOL
Price: $119.95 Fork Cap
Phone: 951.738.8050
Website: ProCircuit.com
Stock preload adjusters typically require turning 15
clicks to make a 2.5mm preload adjustment, but the
Pro Circuit Quick Adjust Fork Cap allows for the
same adjustment in just two clicks, or one full turn.
It comes with Rapid Adjust Pre-Load Tool, which
allows users to adjust the preload without having to
move the bar mounts or number plate. The Pre-load
Tool can also be used with a stock fork cap and
purchased separately for $19.95.
VP RACING MR-PRO6 FUEL
Price: Call for pricing
Phone: 210.241.1192
Website: VPRacingFuels.com
VP has a new fuel for pro and amateur Supercross
and motocross racers: the MR-PRO6. The MRPRO6 is unleaded and oxygenated, and engineered to generate maximum horsepower in conformance with AMA Pro Racing rules. VP Western
regional manager, Bruce Hendel, says that the new
fuel makes more power than any other AMA-legal
fuel on the market. According to Hendel, the need
for jetting/mapping changes are minimal and MRPRO6 does not require radical changes in ignition
timing, like other fuels on the market require.
10/7/11 2:20 PM
BIKEs OF THE STARS
P82
RED BULL/KTM 450 SX - SUPERCROSS
Rider: Ryan Dungey
Tuner: N/A
HARD PARTS: Akrapovic, Dunlop, Twin Air, D.I.D, Renthal, Acerbis,
Pankl, Athena, N-Style, Motorex, Selle Dalla Valle, WP Suspension,
GET, Brembo, RG3, XTRIG.
*Unlike the 2012 production KTM 450 SX that is carbureted,
Dungey’s race-bike features a homologated fuel-injected motor.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOPPENWORLD.COM
82-83 BOS.indd 82
10/7/11 2:55 PM
82-83 BOS.indd 83
P83
10/7/11 2:55 PM
CN III ARCHIVES
P84
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
ROAD RACING’S FIRST PERFECT SEASON
K
enny Roberts almost did
it in 1977, as did Freddie
Spencer in ’79, Doug Polen in
’87 and John Kocinski in ’88.
All of those riders came within
a single win of earning a perfect season in their respective
road racing classes, but the
first one to finally put it all together and sweep every round
of a national road race series
was Scott Russell.
In 1991 Russell won every
round of the AMA 750 Supersport Series. From Daytona in
March to the streets of Miami
in November, Russell raced his
Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-7 to nine
wins in nine rounds, becoming
the first road racer in AMA history to pull off a clean
sweep.
One of the interesting things about Russell’s
undefeated season in 750 Supersport that year
was he was almost totally focused on winning the
’91 AMA Superbike title – Supersport was almost
an afterthought, simply something that Kawasaki
wanted him to do to sell more ZX-7s. He’d already
won the title the year before and the biggest danger
he faced (besides some of the dangerous tracks
the series raced on that season) was becoming too
complacent.
“If I got bored it was because no one was challenging me,” Russell said of that year’s 750 Supersport season. “I had such a great bike and team
behind me, and I was riding at such a high level,
that those races almost became automatic.”
At the Daytona season opener Russell beat
Valvoline Suzuki-mounted Britt Turkington by 11
seconds in spite of battling a front-end push. The
only thing Russell raced at Daytona was the clock.
Archives.indd 84
He actually seemed a bit disappointed after the
race after asking about his race time, which just
missed eclipsing the race record set by Doug
Chandler the year before.
There was a ray of hope for Russell’s competitors at the second round in Brainerd, Minnesota.
His bike had blown up in Saturday’s practice preventing him from racing the qualifying heat race,
meaning he had to start at the back of the grid.
Turkington led the way early, but all eyes were
on Russell. By the end of the second lap he was
already up to 11th, and then on lap three he was
eighth. Russell had worked his way into the lead
by lap seven in one of the best come-from-behind
charges of the season. It was possibly the closest
he came to losing a race.
“It was crazy with everybody going everywhere,” Russell said of his march to the front.
“Coming through the pack I was making all my
time up holding it open through [turns] one and
two.”
10/7/11 2:48 PM
N
Loudon was a thriller. It was raining lightly at the
beginning of the race. Russell was cautious early
and gradually worked his way to second behind
Loudon specialist Jeff Heino. A dry line developed
late in the race and Heino was playing it perfectly,
staying squarely in the middle of the dry line giving
Russell no place to pass. With two laps to go Russell finally got the break he needed. The leaders
came upon a lapped rider in turn one – Russell
went high, Heino low and Russell got back on the
dry line first and that was all she wrote.
It was complacency that nearly got Russell at
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Coming from the tight
Loudon circuit, Russell never bothered to get his
Supersport bike set up for the wide-open Road
America. While Russell was taking a nonchalant
approach at mid-season, his eager Muzzy Kawasaki teammate Jacques Guenette was keyed up, riding strong and hoping to steal one. Guenette took
off at the green flag and held a two-second lead on
the field on the first lap. Russell, meanwhile, was
running fifth. As the race progressed Russell methodically worked his way up to second. His plan
was to wait until a lap or two to go and make the
pass on Guenette, but coming around the carousel mid-race Russell saw dark storm clouds on the
horizon.
“I didn’t want to be stuck in second place if they
threw the red flag,” he said.
So he made the pass on Guenette, but the
young Canadian wasn’t ready to give up the fight.
He actually came back and outbraked Russell a
few times to temporarily earn back the lead, but in
the end it was Russell holding off his teammate by
a bike length.
At Charlotte someone on the Muzzy team was
not paying attention. Russell was in the team transporter eating a tuna sandwich for lunch while the
rest of the Supersport filed was gridding for the
race. Suddenly a frantic team member found Russell and told him the race was starting. He quickly
got his gear on and made it just in time for the start
of the race. After a slow start, Russell made his
Archives.indd 85
P85
way to the lead and then toyed with second place
Steve Crevier in the closing laps. “Scott was playing with me,” Crevier said afterwards. “He knew
how fast he needed to go.”
At Mid-Ohio Heino was riding at 110 percent
early in the race trying to break Russell’s stranglehold, leading to one of Russell’s more infamous
quotes. “Heino was riding like he had AIDS and
didn’t care about living.”
Russell kept winning big. He easily won MidOhio and then clinched the championship by winning at a rainy Topeka, where much of the field
crashed.
Turkington had the home track advantage at
Texas World and hung tough for much of the
race, but in the end Russell won by nearly six
seconds. That set up the final round on a street
course in Miami, where Russell had the opportunity to close out the season undefeated. He said
he didn’t feel the pressure of the potential clean
sweep.
“When you get to that point where you have the
chance to go undefeated it was a pretty big deal,”
Russell recalls. “Especially at a track like Miami
where it was so dangerous. But at the end of the
day I was able to block it out and go to work. I
didn’t worry about going undefeated, or the walls
that I was racing past. I knew I could get it done
when it was time to go.”
Russell said the first undefeated season has
taken on more importance today in his retirement
than when he actually accomplished it 20 years
ago.
“When Nick Ienatsch introduces me at the riding schools he always mentions the undefeated
season,” Russell says. “I was so focused on winning the Superbike Series back then (he lost to
Thomas Stevens by two points, but came back to
win the championship in ’92) I really didn’t get to
enjoy what we’d accomplished in Supersport. It’s
definitely something that when I look back on I’m
proud of.” CN
10/7/11 2:48 PM
CLASSIFIED ADS
P86
2006 RM-Z450 RC EDITION
$3,000.00
Adult owned, adult maintained, not
raced. Ricky Carmicheal limited edition. Runs great! no issues! May Trade
for????
Read more...
YAMAHA TW 200 ENDURO
$2,500.00
I have a like new Yamaha TW 2OO enduro, it only has 1400 miles on it. Gets
70 mpg of gas. It is a 2002 with super low miles and in excellent shape
with electric start, etc.......asking
$2500.00 will consider any trades let
Read more...
1991 VMAX
$1,200
1991 Yamaha V Max runs and looks
good, its not perfect but is in real
good shape for a 91 it has 16k miles
consider guns,boats,jeeps,old cars
or trucks,atvs, you get the point just
please dont offer me junk, sorry dont
want to sound rude but i will not just
give the bike away will look at partial or
multiple trades? thanks for looking
Read more...
86-87 Classifieds.indd 86
SUZUKI DR200SE
$2,500
2007 Dual Sport Suzuki DR200SE -Very Clean and Well Maintained and I
am the 2d owner. Never ridden in the
dirt and has street tires mounted. Our
kids rode this bike to High School, Sierra College and work for the past 3
years. She has only 10,432 miles and I
have all maintenance records.
Read more...
2004 CBR 10K MILES WILL
TRADE
$3,250.00
this bike runs excellent has light road rash
from previous owner i bought this bike
and another for the boys a 01 gsxr and
10/10/11 10:31 AM
7X16 MOTORCYCLE TRAILER
WITH POP OUT
they managed to get in trouble with the
laws got bike impounded so since im
53 and these are not my style of bikes
im going to try sell get my money back
or trade everything for something for
myself.both bikes run great have light
road rash from previous owners, i have
a 55 chevy project car for sale or trade
also i will trade one bike both bikes
with or with out car pending on offers
Read more...
2009 RM 80
$2,700.00
Bought new 10-19-2010 to much bike
and to many other hobbies never
wrecked 2,700 obo Read more...
P87
NEW 7X12 MOTORCYCLE
TRAILER WITH WEDGE
$3,995.00
* ALUMINUM WHEELS *
* RADIAL TIRES *
* SCREWLESS EXTERIOR *
* 3/4” FLOORING *
* 24” WEDGE *
* 3500# DEXTER E-Z LUBE AXLE *
* 1 PIECE ALUMINUM ROOF *
* 5.2mm WHITE VINYL WALL LINER *
* WHITE CEILING LINER *
* 8 D-RINGS *
* (2) WHEEL CHOCKS *
* 24” DIAMOND PLATE GRAVEL
GUARD
*LED LIGHTS
* REAR RAMP W/ FLAP *
* TRANSITION FLAP *
* REAR STABILIZER JACKS *
* SIDE FLOW VENTS *
* BRIGHT ALUMINUM SKIRTING *
* 6’ INTERIOR HEIGHT *
* BRIGHT ALUMINUM CORNERS AND
WEDGE * Read more...
$3,995.00
AXLES AND TIRES:
Tandem 3500# Dexter EZ Lube brake
axles
15” new radial tires on 5 bolt wheel
Aluminum wheels
FRAME:
Tube main frame
16 inch on center floor cross members
16 inch on center wall posts
24 inch on center roof bows
Painted and undercoated frame w/ 5
year warranty
HITCH AND COUPLER:
2 5/16�� coupler
Safety chains
Breakaway kit safety system
7 way round plug for tow vehicle
DOORS:
Rear Ramp
Diamond plate ramp door w/ flap
36” SOLID RV DOOR
EXTERIOR:
1,000lb popout sleeper w/ mattress
Manual rollout awning
Screwless exterior Read more...
KAWASAKI KX 250F
$1,500.00
I have a 2006 Kawasaki KX 250F four
stroke dirtbike for sale. In great shape.
Very powerful. Has not been raced.
Normal riding scratches. Runs great.
Comes with helmet and riding boots
which are brand new. Read more...
86-87 Classifieds.indd 87
10/10/11 10:31 AM
CN III IN THE PADDOCK
P76
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
NO FEAR HERE
H
ow important is MotoGP?
On a world scale, not
very. It’s a boys’ game,
spending loads of money and
burning valuable fossil fuel to do
nothing more than arrive back
where you started from before
the next guy. Of course, we all
love it, or else you would not be
reading this and I would not be
writing it. But let’s keep a sense
of proportion here.
Motegi was rather different, a
point that was (perhaps willfully)
overlooked by many. It was very
much more than just another motorcycle race.
Let’s back track to the build-up.
The race was originally scheduled for April but was postponed
not only because of earthquake
damage to the Honda-owned
circuit, but more for fear of radiation problems from the stricken
Fukushima nuclear plant, about
60 miles away as the radio-active
particle flies. It was rescheduled
and later confirmed after all evidence, both official and independent, cleared the area of any danger. Even so, there were several
in the paddock who planned to
abandon their shoes and clothing
on leaving Japan. As if that would
make any difference – though
given the fashion sense of many
team designers, burning the gear
would be doing the world a service.
There was a small and (funnily
enough) almost exclusively Italian faction that stayed away. Only
two of them were riders, Moto2
grid-filler Claudio Corti and a
fellow-Italian 125 rookie. Neither
was missed, even slightly.
88-89 Backpage.indd 76
Rather
more
noticeable
(though not in the way they might
have imagined) was the absence
of the entire Italian press corps,
with one single exception. We
shall return to them, but meanwhile let’s consider what they
missed.
This was not the first event at
the Honda-owned circuit northeast of Tokyo since the March ’11
earthquake and tsunami. There’s
been a National bike race, a
World Trials Championship event
and a round of the Indy Car series.
But the Japanese motorcycle
GP was the first major international sporting event not only at
Motegi, but actually anywhere in
Japan since the ghastly March
’11 catastrophe that claimed an
estimated 20,000 lives and left
countless more homeless.
This imbued the rescheduled
race with a great deal more importance than usual. Our presence there really and very ob-
viously meant a great deal to
Japan. More than one person
told me that it made the nation
feel tangibly less isolated in its
hardship, while banners in the
grandstands and messages on
T-shirts repeated the message
over and over, in different ways:
Thank you for coming to Japan.
One hardly needs to be reminded about the links between
the motorcycle industry and racing and the nation of Japan. This
is something that bikes share with
electronics, automobiles and a
huge number of other products
used in our daily lives, but more
strongly than any of those, the
badges on the fuel tanks in the
local bike park prove that beyond
doubt.
Given this, there were many
more people who felt a sense
of responsibility towards Japan,
making it a sort of duty to play a
part in this first attempt at re-establishing pre-earthquake status
quo.
10/7/11 2:54 PM
Something that made the Japanese GP much
more important than just another motorcycle race.
So let’s return to the stay-away Italian journalists,
perhaps 10 or 15 in number. One can accept that
they succumbed to personal (if irrational) fear. One
would hope that they now feel a little embarrassed
about it.
But oh no. Quite the reverse. Google Translate
made that quite clear, from the newsprint and website reports emanating not from Motegi but from Bologna, or Rome, or Florence, or wherever.
Instead, disgustingly, they claimed the moral high
ground. They were the brave ones, it seemed... everyone who had gone to Motegi had done so only
out of fear, of losing contracts or jobs, or championship points.
Most offensive was one particular scandal-sheet
article headed “GP of Fear.” This compared the authorities who went ahead with the race to those of
the bad old days, uncaring officials presiding over
racetracks that by today’s standards were utterly lethal and frequently proved it. And accused modern
riders of cowardice, compared with the brave souls
of the 1980s whose concerted action played a big
part in making racing significantly safer and better
for all.
Not to be taken too seriously of course, as shown
on Twitter by one of Rossi’s mechanics, Australian
Alex Briggs, who wrote: “Some Journo wrote this is
‘The GP of Fear.’ If he came with us on Weds night
he would have called it the “GP of BEER” What a
Boofhead!’
At the same time, wildly inaccurate reports of
ghost-town pits and paranoid participants did no service to the writers or to racing, and most especially
not to the Italian readers, who will have gained a very
false impression of what was actually happening out
there in the mountains northeast of Tokyo.
There were others who stayed at home: Spain was
rather less represented than usual, for instance, but
to their credit they didn’t try to make a virtue of their
cowardice.
So here’s a message to those stay-at-home Italians.
You taught us all a good lesson... that GP racing is
not the same without you.
No. It’s better. CN
88-89 Backpage.indd 77
P77
LOOKING BACK
30 Years Ago
October 21, 1981
A photo of Bruce Penhall
made the cover of Cycle
News 30 years ago to accompany our interview with
the new Speedway World
champ. He also wrapped
up the U.S Speedway
Championship at Costa
Mesa… Broc Glover swept
both motos at the AMA Trans-USA MX at Rio Bravo
MX Park… Motorcyclists set 21 new records during
Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats…
20 Years Ago
October 23, 1991
Scott Parker got on the
cover by earning his fourth
Camel Pro Championship
at the Sacramento Mile.
He and Chris Carr tied on
points but Parker had the
most wins… Mike Kiedrowski (125cc) and JeanMichel Bayle (500cc)
wrapped up the AMA National MX titles at Unadilla. Bayle became the first
rider to win three (Supercross, 250 and 500cc)
AMA titles in one season.
10 Years Ago
October 24, 2001
His first ride on a Honda,
Ricky Carmichael, pictured on the cover with
World Road Race champ
Valentino Rossi, won the
U.S. Open at the MGM
Grand in Las Vegas…
Honda announced its new
MX team manager Erik Kehoe… Rodney Smith collected his third GNCC
Championship in Ohio… Just-turned-Pro James
Stewart topped the Kawasaki Race of Champions
at Englishtown, New Jersey.
10/7/11 2:54 PM
P90
WHAT’S NEXT
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Monster Energy Cup
October 15, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada
Many of the top stars of Supercross will
be competing for the $1 million prize at the
inaugural Monster Energy Cup taking place at
Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. The sort of
“run what ya brung” race will feature three main
events over a non-standard Supercross-type
track, and if one rider can win them all, he’ll
take home the $1 million check. Ryan Villopoto,
Justin Barcia and Kevin Windham are just a few
of the many stars scheduled to appear.
For more information, visit www.monsterenergycup.com
AMA Pro Flat Track Series
Final Round
Pomona, California
October 15, 2011
The AMA Pro Flat Track Championship will be
decided at the final round of the long series at
the LA County Fairplex in Pomona, California.
Three riders – points leader Jake Johnson,
Jared Mees and Sammy Halbert – all have a
chance of coming away with the prestigious
title. The Pomona Half Mile will also be Chris
Carr’s final race. Practice starts at 3:00 p.m.
For more information, visit www.amaproracing.com.
WORCS
Round 9
Adelanto, California
October 14-15, 2011
The penultimate round of the World Off-Road
Championship Series takes place in the Southern California high desert at Racetown 395 in
Adelanto. Than man to watch right now is Taylor
Robert who is making a run on points leader
Kurt Caselli. Robert won everything in sight at
the previous round and is hoping to do it again
on Adelanto’s desert terrain. Pros race both
Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, visit www.worcsracing.com
For a comprehensive schedule of events, visit
www.cyclenews.com/calendar
90 What's Next.indd 90
10/10/11 10:46 AM
TOUGHEST OFF-ROAD
RACING ON THE PLANET!
Bla zus iak ,
See X Gam e Med alis t Tadledyand
MO RE!
Mik e Bro wn, Jus tin Sou
REMAINING 2011
SERIES SCHEDULE
The FINALS
Nov. 19th!
Las Vegas, NV
Saturday Oct. 22nd
Idaho Center, Nampa, ID
Pits open all day to the public for FREE
Tickets available locally at these Dealers :
Tickets also available at: ICtickets.com,
Idaho Center Box Office and Endurocross.com
Endurocross.indd 1
Also sponsored by
10/7/11 10:18 AM

Cycle News - October 11, 2011

Transcription

Similar documents

the electric exoskeleton motorcycle

Inside Weddings Winter 2010 - International Event Company

APRILIA SHIVER, DUCATI STREETFIGHTER 800, MV BRUTALE 800

Unparalleled built into every home.

South Shore Stars

read a sample chapter

TestAS

fall activities - We Support Our Local Schools

Treatment Card_RZ.indd

End-matchEr - Stiles Machinery