by Gus Breiland
Issue #58-June 2003

*Very Boring Rally

*Carmichael survives to win Hangtown Motocross Classic ties all-time win record

*AMA Pro Racing confirms Team Kawasaki rider Tommy Hayden penalized

*George Roeder: 1936 - 2003

*Idaho governor writes NHTSA chief, joins call for motorcycle accident study

Very Boring Rally
Aerostich and the RiderWearHouse Catalog will be hosting a special 20th Anniversary Gala, Homecoming and Reunion: the Very Boring Rally, at their world headquarters in Duluth Minnesota on Saturday, August 16th. This lavish event is an occasion to meet lots of other riders and look at many other cool bikes. No tickets are required for attendance and there is nothing to purchase in advance. No new Aerostich products will be introduced.

It is also a once in a lifetime opportunity to receive a free 20th Anniversary Boring Rally pin. In addition there will be afternoon or evening entertainment at Duluth's Downtown Bayfront Park. All Boring Rally guests may choose to enjoy appetizers, refreshments, dinners, desserts, breakfasts, lodgings, and camping sites…at the areas many restaurants, hotels and campgrounds. The high point of the Boring Rally will be the awarding of a new Aerostich suit to the lucky individual who shows up wearing the worst looking old Roadcrafter suit. An impressive collection of discontinued, irregular and leftover RiderWearHouse catalog merchandise may be auctioned with proceeds to support a charitable organization. The State of Minnesota and the City of Duluth are poised to become the setting of this fabulous event. Join thousands of Aerostich fans from around the globe and the glory of local attractions like Lake Superior, the headwaters of the Mississippi River, the Iron Range, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Bob Zimmerman's birth place and many other wonderful attractions.

Special instructions for finding to the Boring Rally and for arranging accommodations are available online and by mail in the Boring Rally Flyer. This free multi-page guide/poster/flyer is the Official Commemorative Kit for the gathering. A glut of other tourists means advance hotel and camping reservations are essential. The Official Kit provides information about many hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, campgrounds and other accommodations. It does not contain limited edition or one-of-a-kind items like commemorative patches, pins, T-shirts, or embossed leather trinket boxes. Possession of the Official Kit is not required to participate in the Boring Rally. All journeys to the rally may be undertaken individually or in groups from any location, by an unspecified route, at unscheduled timetables and at any pace. Removes a lot of pressure, doesn't it?

For more information, or lack there of, and to receive the free Official Boring Rally Commemorative Kit, call Aerostich RiderWearHouse at 800.222.1994 or check the Boring Rally website at www.boringrally.com.

Carmichael survives to win Hangtown Motocross Classic ties all-time win record
May 18, 2003 SACRAMENTO - Ricky Carmichael lost his first moto in nearly two years, but came back to win the second moto on his factory Honda and the overall in the 250 class of the 35th Hangtown Motocross Classic, Round 2 of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship in Sacramento. The win was the 89th combined AMA Motocross/Supercross victory for Carmichael and tied him with Jeremy McGrath for the record in that category.

Kevin Windham continued his strong comeback from retirement by winning the first 250-class moto over Carmichael. It marked the first time Carmichael lost a 250 moto since July of 2001, when Windham defeated Carmichael at Washougal, Wash. However, Carmichael came back strong in the second moto and won by 10.443 seconds over Australian Chad Reed. Windham crashed in the second moto and took fourth overall.

Carmichael was gracious after losing the first moto and praised Windham. "Kevin is riding really well and you've got to give him a lot of credit," Carmichael said. "The guy sits out for a year and a half and comes back this fast. You've got to be wondering what's going through the minds of the rest of the riders out there that he can come back and be that competitive."

For his part, Windham paid back the compliments to Carmichael. "I've been able to train with Ricky," he said, "and that's helped a lot. It feels great to be back up here after all I've gone through." Yamaha's Chad Reed took the second overall with 4-2 on his Yamaha. Teammate Tim Ferry was third with a 3-3.

Ryan Hughes earned a popular victory in the 125 class on his KTM. It marked the first AMA National win for Hughes in nearly eight years, the second longest time span between wins in AMA Motocross history. Larry Ward won in 2001, nine years after his previous motocross victory. Hughes held off Frenchman Eric Sorby to take the victory in the second moto and pulled within one point of 125 series leader Michael Brown, who finished third.

"It's an incredible feeling to get back up here," said an emotional Hughes on the podium. "After all the injuries I went through I didn't know if this day would ever come. Sorby made me really work for it in the second moto, but when I saw the two-lap board I told myself there was no way I was going to lose this."

It was the fifth AMA Motocross win for Hughes. His last victory came at Unadilla in 1995.

AMA Pro Racing confirms Team Kawasaki rider Tommy Hayden penalized
May 7, 2003 At the conclusion of the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock race at California Speedway on April 5, 2003, AMA Pro Racing impounded cylinder heads from #22, Tommy Hayden and #56, Tony Meiring, for further investigation. This inspection was completed Sunday May 4, 2003 at Infineon Raceway (the next round in the series). Tommy Hayden's cylinder head was determined to have minor machining in the combustion chamber. A penalty of 20 points and a $2000 fine were applied. Tony Meiring's cylinder head was found to be within specification.

George Roeder: 1936 - 2003
May 9 &endash; Fans of the AMA U.S. Flat Track Championships and Harley-Davidsons were saddened today to learn that Motorcycle Hall of Famer George Roeder had passed away on Thursday, May 8. Roeder's fame came as a factory Harley-Davidson racer in the '60s, winning six national titles, and as a land-speed record holder piloting a Harley-Davidson-powered streamliner in 1965. Roeder was also named the AMA Most Popular Rider in both 1963 and 1965.

More recently, Roeder spent a lot of time with his sons, Will, George II, known as "Geo," and Jess, either on the road supporting his younger sons' racing efforts, or at the family's Harley-Davidson dealership in Monroeville, Ohio. This weekend was also to be the grand opening of the family's new Harley-Davidson dealership in Sandusky, Ohio.

Roeder was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Idaho governor writes NHTSA chief, joins call for motorcycle accident study
May 1 &endash; The AMA has learned that Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has joined the AMA's call for comprehensive research into the causes of motorcycle crashes.

In an April 21 letter to Dr. Jeffrey W. Runge, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Gov. Kempthorne said that, "Along with many other governors who are motorcycle enthusiasts, I am concerned about the upturn in motorcyclist fatalities over the past several years.

"Merely announcing fatality totals each year is not the way to gain credibility with motorcyclists or promote safer riding. It troubles me that motorcycle safety gets little attention nationally. When addressed at all, it is with an almost singular focus on helmet laws, a very divisive issue politically that distracts resources from other safety measures, such as skills training to prevent crashes from occurring in the first place and strong messages about not using alcohol when riding."

Gov. Kempthorne, an avid motorcyclist and an AMA member, then echoed the AMA's call for research: "Over the longer term, a comprehensive motorcycle accident causation study is needed to better understand the nature of crashes and the most effective countermeasures."

Reacting to the Idaho governor's letter, Edward Moreland, AMA Vice President for Government Relations, said, "Motorcyclists nationwide benefit from Gov. Kempthorne's eloquent advocacy, and we're gratified that he's added his voice to ours."

Moreland and his staff in the AMA's Washington, D.C. office are working to get $3 million for such a study, funding that would be part of congressional reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, commonly called "TEA-21."

The AMA urges motorcyclists to contact their members of Congress and ask them to support funding for a comprehensive study of motorcycle-accident data. Motorcyclists can use the AMA Rapid Response Center to send messages to their congressional representatives about this important issue.

M.M.M.