Ups & Down

Ups & Down

UP: To Chris Blais, for making history. The Red Bull KTM rider finished third overall at the 2007 Dakar Rally, improving upon the fourth he recorded last year and becoming only the second American to score a top-three placing in the grueling offroad event. Crossing Portugal,

Spain, Morocco, Mauritania and Mali before finally arriving in Senegal, the 15-day, 5411 -mile event was won by fellow KTM rider Cyril Despres but marred by the deaths of Elmer Symons and Eric Aubijoux.

DOWN: To dirty crooks, for taking three collectible, sentimentally priceless moto lids from the Troy Lee Designs showroom in Corona, California, last December. Stolen were Jeff Ward’s blue 1989 Shoei VFX Motocross des Nations helmet featuring Uncle Sam on top with “Oakley,” “I Want You,” “Shoei” and “Ward” on the visor; Ricky Johnson’s blue 1988 Bell Moto 4 Motocross des Nations helmet with “Bad Boy Club” logo on top, #2s on the sides and the American flag on the visor; and Mike Metzger’s original “flying eyeball” full-face Bell with a stubby blue-and-purpleflame visor and silver leaf #1 speed wing on the back. TLD has posted a $2000 reward for each of the hot helmets. Got info? Call Kevin Williams at 951/371-5219.

UP: To LoJack, for taking a (small) bite out of bike crime. In 2006, the tracking system was used to recover 292 stolen motorcycles valued at almost $2.8 million. In the ensuing investigations, police uncovered 76 professional theft rings and were able to reclaim an additional $2.1 million in stolen bikes, parts and accessories. Figures released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau show a 135 percent rise in motorcycle thefts over the past five years, with some 70,000 machines reported stolen in 2006. Most-popular targets for bike burglars are newer repli-racers, with Suzukis leading the hit list.