Ups & Downs
Ups & Downs
DOWN: To the American Motorcyclist Association, for really truckin' things up. Okay, we're willing to give the goofy new AMA logo a pass, but somebody back in Pickerington is so enamored with the "Members Tour 2005" program, hauled around the country in a flashy new Peterbilt semi, that show-goers are handed out pins.. .featuring the truck! Uh, guys, we ride motorcycles, remember?
UP: To mainstream magazines, for finally recognizing motorcycle racers as bona-fide athletes. The month of April was a good one on newsstands as roadracing brothers Nicky, Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden were featured in Men's Journal and motocrosser James "Bubba" Stewart was profiled in Sports Illustrated-for the second time. What can we say? Stick-andball sports are just so passé...
DOWN: To misadventure, for taking the life of globe-trotting dogooder Simon Milward. The former General Secretary of the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations left his home in England on January 1,2000, to ride around the world in support of health charities. The Millennium Ride was supposed to last 18 months, but turned into a five-year odyssey that ended tragically when the 40-year-old was killed in a road accident in Mali, West Africa, this past March. To honor Milward, FEMA has created an online memorial at www.fema. ridersrights.org.
UP: To Aubriana Dunn, for becoming the first woman to qualify for the Premier Pro class at the AMA 4Stroke Nationals. The Team MX Girls rider was the third female to make the attempt, Sherri Stephens having done so in 2002 and Tiffany Reid missing by a single spot in 2003. Competing against a full field of 40 men at Arizona’s ET Motopark on April 3, Dunn posted 30-30 finishes for 32nd overall. You go, girl!
