Ups & Downs

UPs & Downs

UP: To the Winter X Games, for adding motorcycles to the mix. A spin-off of ESPN's popular Summer X Games, the winter sports festival this year rolled out "Moto X Big Air," a freestyle jump competition using snow-covered take-off and landing ramps. Amidst frigid temperatures and strong winds, “Mad” Mike Jones won the event with his front-fender-smooching “Kiss of Death.” Jones later told reporters, “This is the sickest thing I’ve ever done on a bike. If you don’t do it right, you are going to have some problems, especially on snow.”

DOWN: To J. Scott Thorton, for playing fast and loose with the truth. Last September, the then-president of the AMA wrote an entire column in American Motorcyclist about his alleged military adventures in Vietnam. Shortly thereafter, a website that specializes in exposing people who falsely claim to have served in Vietnam revealed that although Thorton was in the Air Force, he never set foot in that Southeast Asian country. According to industry scuttlebutt, the AMA was already unhappy with Thorton’s performance in various areas during his first year on the job, and this Vietnam issue simply brought the situation to a head. During a meeting last October in which these matters were broached, Thorton “retired.”

UP: To Roland DeLauney and friends, for their patriotism. Stationed in Spain while in the Air Force, the Grand Prix roadracing fans read that Kenny Roberts Jr. wanted to carry a U.S. flag on a victory lap. “I decided I was the man to get the job done,” DeLauney says. Not only did he and his buddies provide Roberts with a flag at the Spanish GR they did so wearing full stars & stripes body paint. Roberts was so impressed, he gave the servicemen a tour of the Suzuki pits, autographs and VIP treatment all around.