Ups & Downs
Ups & Downs
UP: To Jeremy McGrath, for showing that even in retirement he’s still capable of raising the bar. The seven-time AMA Supercross Champion cleared 33 feet, 6 inches to win gold in the Moto X Step-Up competition at the X Games, held this past August in Los Angeles. Incredibly, it was his first attempt at the sport. McGrath also finished third in the games’ inaugural Supermoto race behind factory Honda roadracer Ben Bostrom and Supermoto World Champion Eddy Seel of Belgium.
DOWN: To terrorists in Thailand, for sullying the motorcycle riding pastime by planting a bomb in the fuel tank of a bike parked next to a nine-story hotel. Police found the bomb, and a Reuters photo showed a gang of Thai police strip-searching a moped in search of explosives.
UP: To Victory Motorcycles and the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, for raising more than $200,000 for Victory Junction Camp, the Randalman, North Carolina, facility that allows youngsters 7 to 15 with chronic illnesses to enjoy all the activities of a traditional summer camp. The camp was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty to honor the memory of their son, Adam, who died at age 19 in a NASCAR practice crash.
DOWN: To Death, for taking motocross pioneer Rich Thorwaldson before his time. The Southern Californian was one of the stars of the formative years of AMA MX, riding for Suzuki in the early '70s. A lifelong racer with experience in MX, desert, flat-track and, latterly, roadracing, Thorwaldson perished this past summer at the age of 58 following an accident in an AFM roadrace at Sears Point.
