WEEKEND NEWS ROUND-UP: AUGUST 6, 2000

EVERTS HUSKY CAREER OVER

Stefan Everts will sit out the rest of the 2000 season. After ridng part of one moto for Team Husqvarna this season, Everts has decided that he will wait until his arm is completely healed before racing again. That will not be until next year. Since Stefan announced earlier that he would leave Husqvarna at the end of this year, he has effectively ended his relationshiop with Team Husky after only 15 minutes of racing.

BIG GUN’S CANNONDALE CAREER OVER

Cannondale will switch from Big Gun exhausts to FMF exhausts on their MX400 after less than 100 bikes. Mike Young’s Big Gun company did some early prototype work for Cannondale, but the initial production contract went to FMF.

FMF SEMI’S CAREER ISN’T OVER

Even though Team FMF will be no more in 2001, their 18-wheeler will stay on the National circuit. It’s rumored that FMF’s semi will end up at Team Factory Connection as part of a sponsorship deal between Factory Connection and FMF. Factory Connection is rumored to be the new Team Honda 125 support team replacing Team FMF.

RONCADA’S CAREER TAKES AN UPSWING

Last year Stephane Roncada was lucky to keep his ride at Team Yamaha of Troy, but the fortunes of war have switched in his favor. Now, YoT will be lucky to keep Roncada. Stephane has been negotiating with Suzuki and Kawasaki for a 250 ride, while listening to offers from Team Yamaha to ride the YZ250F four-stroke in the 125 class. Insiders say that Roncada is leaning towards (NJMCDirect – Online Traffic Ticket Payments Methods) Suzuki.In the meantime Team Yamaha has started testing the YZ250F with Ernesto Fonseca.

JOEL SMETS HAS A RECORD BREAKING CAREER

As far as racing season go they don’t get any better than Joel Smets’ 500 GP season. Smets has already clinched the 500 World Championship on his KTM 520SX and in the process is set to break the records for the most-ever 500 GP wins (breaking Roger DeCoster’s record of 36 wins) and the most GP wins in a single season (11 by Harry Everts).

JEREMY’S BIG SPONSOR FOR 2001

Chevy may be the National sponsor and Toyota may be the Supercross sponsor, but it looks like Mazda will be the sponsor of the crown jewel of the sport. Jeremy McGrath’s new team will get big bucks from Mazda (which sponsored his effort at Chaparral for the last couple years). Jeremy’s list of associated sponsors includes Acclaim, Mattel, GT, Bell, Spy, No Fear, PJ1, Alpinestars and 1-800-Collect. Jeremy’s pre-season paycheck is in the two million dollar range.

A.M. LEONARD AND KTM IFFY

With KTM planning on fielding its own big-name 125 team in 2001 (with 125 World Champion Grant Langston moving over from Europe) the future of the KTM-mounted AM Leonard team is uncertain. There is a big push to have A.M. Leonard become the new Suzuki 125 Support team.

WHAT’S UP AT HONDA?

Mark September 13, 2000 on your calendar. Why? Honda plans to make a special announcement on that day. What is the announcement? No one knows. It could be the new four-stroke MX bike (or it could be a windshield kit for the Aspencade). Stay tuned.

LAMSON LEAVES FMF FOR PRO CIRCUIT

Exact details are still sketchy, but word on the street is after a small blowout with FMF, Steve Lamson will be running a Pro Circuit pipe come the Washougal National this weekend. It seems Steve wanted to go back to an old motor spec that FMF had used in ’99 (this includes running a ’99 cylinder) that Mike Hooker (formerly of Pro Circuit) had worked on. FMF didn’t like the plan and when Lamson asked for the old pipe, FMF balked. Lamy decided to sever ties and went to Pro Circuit for the pipe he wanted.

CAREY HART LANDS A BACK FLIP

He didn’t win (actually finished last) and it took 45 seconds of his second run to decide to do it, but Carey Hart’s back flip was by far the most memorable moment of this past weekend’s Gravity Games in Providence, Rhode Island. Insiders claim Carey says he’ll never do it again, but we have a funny feeling he will. You know the adage, “monkey see, monkey do?” Our guess is that in a couple years the back flip will be as old hat as the nac-nac.

GRAVITY GAME WINNERS

You heard about the back flip, but nobody is talking about who actually won the Gravity Games. Here’s the breakdown: 1. Brian Deegan 2. Mike Metzger 3. Kenny Bartram 4. Tommy Clowers 5. Trevor Vines 6. Ronnie Faisst 7. Mike Jones 8. Clifford Adoptante 9. Jeff Tilton 10. Carey Hart

WHAT MCGRATH DID DURING THE NATIONALS

You haven’t seen McGrath since Glen Helen, but that’s not because he hasn’t been working. Like last year, McGrath’s been on his own international tour with his buddy Grayson Goodman working on his first video for No Fear. The video is scheduled to come out in the middle of August and is titled “Chapter One.” It will feature plenty of action with McGrath and the rest of his No Fear cronies. Don’t dismiss this as just another jump video though, we’ve been promised there will be footage of the Supercross season and Nationals. Jeremy just went in for his yearly physical and the doctor decided to cut into his knee a bit. Is it serious? Nope. Just a little scope and he was off.

BOBBY BONDS SIGN ON THE SPLITFIRE DOTTED LINE

This may be old news to some of you, but Honda’s great white hope, Bobby Bonds has joined the dark side of Team SplitFire Kawasaki. Bobby had signed a letter of intent with Honda but got out of it to sign with SplitFire.

JAMES STEWART’S FIRST EVER 125

Living close to the Moto Triangle does have some serious perks, one of which is being able to walk in and out of Pro Circuit virtually unseen with a battery of top secret spy photography equipment. We spotted this pile of parts and initially dismissed it as someone’s practice bike. Shame on us, it turns out this is James Stewart’s first ever 125 before it gets put together by Shae Bentley’s mechanic Todd Dunn (who has a little free time on his hands with Shae out for the Nationals). The bike will be delivered at Loretta Lynn’s.

JEFF EMIG BACK IN BUSINESS


Don’t read to much into it, Jeff Emig isn’t going to start racing again, he’s full bore into his new professions: (1) Helping Shift get back into the thick of things and (2) Being team manager of his own Strategic 3 team. Emig will be making his first appearance, since breaking his back the week before Glen Helen, at Washougal with Phil Lawrence (photo on right) and Australian Michael Bryne riding out of the semi.

GRANT LANGSTON COMES TO AMERICA

KTM will be bringing Grant Langston to America for 2001. The easy going South Africa is poised to be the second World Champion for the small country in Africa. And like Albertyn, Langston will be leaving for the sunny shores of America. It has yet to be decided which coast Grant will race, but he will be a part of KTM’s 125 team.

ALBEE DECIDES TO CALL IT QUITS

Even after you give Greg Albertyn the respect he deserves for his three World Championships and one National title, you have to give him even more props for being a straight shooter. After Albee’s latest injury (a torn ACL) he decided he wasn’t willing to take the risks associated with motocross anymore. Rather than ride out the remainder of his contract, which goes through 2001, Albee is calling it quits. He will race till December making sure to hit a few of the big money European races, but after that, he will be hanging up his racing leathers. We wish Albee would take the advice of his team manager Roger DeCoster and race only outdoor nationals next year.

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