There she was, the first African stage. And she was quite cruel. One of the
young Spanish matadors had to already give up today. Jordi Duran’s dream of
arriving in Dakar suddenly vanished in the Moroccan sand. Going high speed,
Jordi happened to fall really hard off his bike just before CP 1. He broke
his thigh and additionally has an open fracture in his forearm. Because of
this, he was flown to a hospital in Agadir right away.
It is a sad moment for Jordi who had planned so much more. Also a great
shock for his teammates Marc Coma, Isidre Esteve and Gio Sala. “It was a
typical Moroccan stage”, said Marc Coma later in the bivouac. “Stones
everywhere. If you don’t pay attention for one single moment, then this is
it. I know exactly how Jordi must feel now. Last year I dropped out after
falling badly as well. Not only am I really sorry for Jordi because he is my
friend but also because he is a great teammate. He has always livened things
up and always smiled. It is such a pity.”

Coma himself did great on the rocky track. He came in second in today’s
ranking. Only 3 seconds faster than him was the Australian Andy Caldecott.
Caldecott had been on a few top places in the previous year already. But
today he was quite surprised of his success. “Actually, I drove very
carefully due to the sharp stones. Additionally, there was an instruction in
the road book every couple of meters, therefore one needed to be very
concentrated. That’s why I really didn’t expect this result.” Andy Caldecott
had to give up the race after falling down and breaking his ankle a year ago
in Atar. This year he definitely wants to reach Dakar. “That’s my first
priority. And if everything goes well, I would like to be under the top 5.”

Alfie Cox was just as satisfied with his race as Andy Caldecott today.
Coming in almost six minutes behind Caldecott he ranks 4th place. But:
Everything still went well. My shoulder doesn’t hurt anymore which was most
important on this first real stage. I also had to slow down 40 km before the
finish line. The mousse in the back wheel was damaged.”

Scott Harden was fighting against the material- consuming- course, too. 160
km before the finish he had a stone flying into his back break disc. Thus,
he couldn’t use the break anymore. “That obviously was a huge drawback”, as
claimed by the American team manager. “I wasn’t able to risk anything
anymore and I lost almost half an hour.”

Although he came in third, Cyril Despres walked through the bivouac really
unsatisfied. His two trip masters played a trick on him and indicated
different data which didn’t quite facilitate the orientation on this rather
fast track. And then he felt he was put at a disadvantage by the organizers.
Claudia Patuzzi, team manager, explains: “Cyril claims to have been at the
CP 2 one minute before Marc Coma and to have gotten gas just as everyone
else. But the commissioners supposedly put him back on track together with
Marc. We will now check this on the basis of the course records.”

Nevertheless, due to his fast speed Marc Coma took over the lead in the
overall standing today. On the following places are Andy Caldecott (+ 0´43)
and Cyril Despres (+2´45).

Tomorrow there will be a very difficult and also long course of 492 km
waiting for the drivers. Zouerat, Mauritania, is the destination. Whoever
loves dunes and knows how to navigate quite well will love that challenge.
The others could be loosing a lot of time within the dunes…
…

Fans of MTV, custom cars and motocross will all have something to be excited about when they visit Moto XXX in the supercross and motocross pits in 2005. West Coast Customs (WCC)—the shop behind MTV’s “Pimp My Ride”—has signed on as a sponsor of the Honda-backed privateer team and will make a very visual impact. The Los Angeles-based outfit will apply their skills and artistic vision to a very large palate—the Moto XXX team transporter.

Initially, West Coast Customs will handle the semi’s exterior, wrapping it with graphics that reflect the cutting edge style that they and Moto XXX have in common. As the season progresses, modifications will continue. WCC has a new line of semi wheels being developed by Giovanna. They will be available toward the middle of the year and installed on the team hauler at that time. WCC’s signature line of audio equipment will be gracing the rig’s interior.

According the Mike Megdal, President of Marketing and Public Relations at West Coast Customs, getting involved with the motocross community was an easy decision to make. “People who race or go to the races will really enjoy what we do at West Coast Customs”, he says. “This is a great opportunity to cross promote. The motocross community will appreciate the work that we do in the shop and on “Pimp My Ride”. Similarly, our clientele and TV audience is made up of people who will love motocross once they’re exposed to it.”

The Moto XXX transporter is sure to be a big draw in the race pits this year, but WCC is upping the ante just to make sure that everyone comes by for a look. A genuine West Coast Custom car or truck will be parked alongside the semi at the Anaheim, San Diego, Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas rounds of the THQ World Supercross series. Additional cities may be added to the schedule at a later time.

Any media members interested in touring the new rig at one of the upcoming races are welcome to contact Eddie Graveline by phone (559-259-0851), email (eddie@motoxxx.com) or in the pits on Fridays or Saturdays.

The success of Moto XXX would not be possible without the help of American Honda, Akrapovic, O’neal, Honda Genuine Parts, Sidi, Tag Metals, West Coast Customs, Polisport Plastic, Pro Honda Oils & Chemicals, Pro-X, Utopia Optics, N-Style, Lucky 13, Ready Filter, VP Fuels, Braking, Motion Pro, Hinson, Metaltek, Ogio, Dunlop, Fat Wreck Chords, RK Chain, Excel Wheels, Vortex, ARC, Ti Lube, Carbon Fiber Works, SDG Seats, Engine Ice, PPG, Asterisk, Lockhart Phillips, and V-Force.

AMA Pro Racing and Clear Channel Motorsports have announced that Friday practice for this weekend’s opening round of the THQ AMA Supercross Series in Anaheim has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

Steady rains have prevented crews from being able to load-in the dirt at Angel Stadium resulting in a delay in track construction.

While Saturday’s schedule, including practice and qualifying heats, is expected to run as planned, severe weather could impact the event schedule further.  Additional information will be issued if necessary.

About AMA Pro Racing

AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the THQ AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship, the AMA Superbike Championship, the AMA Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access AMA Pro Racing’s online Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom.