Ups & Downs

Ups & Downs

DOWN: To Death, for claiming one of roadracing’s greats. David Jeffries, nine-time Isle of Man TT winner, crashed his Suzuki GSX-R1000 this past May during practice for the 2003 event, suffering fatal injuries. The 30-year-old Brit held the outright lap record around the 37.73-mile public-roads circuit.

UP: To the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Department, for giving Glamis the green light. The federal agency decided the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to allow off-highway vehicle use in that part of the southern California desert doesn’t pose a risk to threatened and endangered species there. If the reopening goes through, it will partially reverse a closure enacted by the BLM in late 2000 that affected more than 49,000 acres in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area.

UP: To Arturo Montero, for taking touring to the extreme. The Costa Rican rode his 2001 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to Coldfoot, Alaska, paralleling the Pacific Ocean on the route up and the Atlantic Ocean on his return. During his eight-month “Tres Americas” loop, Montero visited 21 countries and amassed more than 47,000 miles.

UP: To Ricky Carmichael, for achieving the unimaginable. This past May, at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, the Floridian scored his 90th victory in AMA competition. In doing so, the 23-year-old unseated the recently retired Jeremy McGrath for top honors in the “all-time wins combined” category. For perspective, Carmichael’s closest active competition is fellow Honda teamster Mike LaRocco, who has 28 career wins.