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| Reeling In the Gears
by dean adams Friday, November 20, 2009 It wasn't riding a dirt bike for the first time in a while or the multiple motos the event featured, or the jet lag or late nights with Rossi and company that put the Texan on his back, it was bad case of the flu. Schwantz was a little beat up by Sunday night after not racing motocross "in years" and thought he'd just over-extended himself in racing against the likes of World Champion 125cc Aprilia rider Julian Simon, Marco Melandri and Rossi, but when he arose for his early Monday morning flight out of Bologna he suspected he'd caught something major in terms of a communicable disease. "I stayed at the track on Sunday night for a dinner with Rossi and a bunch of riders. During that I started coughing and just started feeling progressively worse," said the former RZ350 Cup Champion. By the time his plane landed in Atlanta, Schwantz was barley able to walk. He spent most of the week flat on his back and reports he's just now returning to normal. The Rossi-organized event was an amazing off-road spectacle, Schwantz reports. "I was going up the mile long road to the track at 8:30 on Sunday morning and at that early hour there must have been five-hundred people walking to the gates. By the time the race started at 12:30, there were over ten thousand people there, all paying 50 Euros each for a good cause. "It's amazing to see what Valentino can accomplish with even just a little promotion," Schwantz said. Judging from the fan video from the event, James Stewart won't have to fear a cross-over threat coming from the MotoGP ranks. Marco Simoncelli, Melandri and Rossi are competent off-road riders but won't have much of a future in professional motocross if MotoGP suddenly vanishes. Well, with the possible exception of World Champion 125cc Aprilia rider Julian Simon, who Schwantz reports is "unbelievably fast". ENDS Post this story to: digg PRIVACY POLICY | HOME | RETURN TO TOP © 1997 - 2009 Hardscrabble Media LLC |
