Kory Ellis is not sponsered by Cannondale. Cannondale is sponsering the Nac's/Cannondale team only. The following is from the cannondale web site:

11/26/01) Get Ready To R-R-R-U-M-B-L-E!!! We’re totally psyched to announce the 2002 roster for the all-new Nac’s/Cannondale ATV Racing Team! The four-man squad will feature Kim Kuhnle and Tyson Thomas racing GNCC events, with Ben Jackson and Nate Leverenz competing at GNC races.

 

YoDaddy is right I think. I mean Ellis finished 6th overall at the end of the season. He raced a quad (YZ426) that everyone knows is very competitive and could win a championship. Kory has never won the GNC championship title. Why would he chose a different quad if he didnt think it would or could help him do better this year? Factory sponsorship? From what Ive read Cannondale isnt giving him sponsorship. His main sponsor is a C-Dale dealership. Money does talk, but would any PRO racer give up his dream of being THE MAN for a couple more grand? I beleive all of the PRO's like Kory who havent captured the title still have the same dream as the Amateur racers and will do what it takes to make that dream come true. Any way we will see. Next season is going to be exciting. I do agree though about every thing being for sale if the right amount can be come up with. If Honda started giving the money they gave Carmichael, I bet there would be alot of PRO's running a quad Ive never seen race a PRO Class GNC event before (400EX). So Money does talk but, I wouldnt think Kory is getting the kinds of $'s (especialy from a dealership) to make a BAD change.

 

whats he got to lose. he was sixth not bad. thats why c-dale grabbed him up. they could offer him more than he was making on a sixth place team. but cdale didnt want to put up the money or they could of just bought travis spader. its a money game no matter what anyone says in the pro ranks. do you think when they trophy they ramble off all there sponsers beacuse they love them so much? when magrath wins do you think he rambles his sponser of hotwheels off because he plays with them?
heres a EX...magrath always rode honda. then a few years ago his contract runs out and poof hes on a yamaha. is it because he loves the bike so much? he rides crappy on it since he switched. but let me tell you did you see his house? one nice place there jeremy.

also charmicheal ran his contract out,why would he leave KAWAsaki after such a great year and go to honda??? no doubt big bucks. ricky is cool he would probably tell you if you asked him [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Yeah but I don't really know how much $ John Burr (The dealership that is sponsoring him) could really give him. Then again, I got to thinkin about what I said when I said, "He wouldn't give up a YZF 440, a 330R, and a 250R." and realized that even though I really like his Cannibal, there is no way in hell I would give up those three quads for that one. Think about it... why give up three $20K + quads for one Cannibal... Unless he couldn't afford them. Maybe he did it to race in the production quad class too. More classes that you can win = more money that you can win. I don't know, to many different possibilities for me to figure out. If I was a hippie, I would think it was a conspiracy. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Dang! evhwg now you've realy got me to thinking hee. hee. O well anyway I see what your saying, but I think the quad he has chosen has to be to be a PRO caliber quad, dont you? And also a lot of people say the C-dale are'nt reliable. Would a racer want to be on a quad that he knows will blow up or break two turns into 1 out of 3 races. That would look real bad for the manufacture as well as the racer and his sponsors. Well I guess if the money is good (Charmicaels.. hee! hee!) I wouldnt mind it, but I would rather have say..averaging a just out of 10th place every race, MX bike racers $'s and get to finish every race and have alot more fun on the track instead of more fun after I got home type of deal. Thats just me though and every one is different.

Now back to the real subject. Cannondale could go many different ways. Big bore- dunes type of quad. Small bore quad to go after the 300ex, blaster class. or even a 4X4. Did I just say that! I think they will make something smaller than the 440 for the racers or just for play riding before they go over 440cc.

 

You can't compare MC and RC to guys on quads. We are talking a million bucks to thousands. It is a totally different situation. As for RC switching to Honda-he was interviewed on RacerX website and he says:

Ricky Carmichael riding for Honda. How’d that all come about?

Well, first of all, it wasn’t about the money. A lot of people are talking about that, but it wasn’t an issue. The main reason I decided to go with Honda was that I liked the direction they were going. I really felt like Honda was always moving forward with technology, more than anybody. Look at it. They’ve got a four-stroke now, and maybe some day I’ll look to be riding a four-stroke. I really felt that making a career move with them would be in my best interest. It’s all done now and it’s time to go out and kick some butt.


My personal opinion is that Kory wanted to ride the Dale, and not because of money. But I guess he is the only one who knows for sure.

 

hey good job guys you have some good points to. thats why i like to come to the cannondale forum less BS in here so far and more facts.

 

Let's face it - two strokes by design will never be as clean burning as 4 strokes, even if their fuel efficiency is comparable (which it is not). Their racing (power to weight ratio) efficiency is not disputeable specially if they were given the development time which the newer 4 stroke have received. But we do live in an environment which suffers from hydrocarbon pollution, and their are lots of people who feel that the use of quads, and snowmobiles as well as power watercraft should be substantially limited along with automobiles. This lobby does not go unheard, nor should they. There is some validity to the concerns about the air we breathe.

So if manufacturers are taking the time to produce 4 stroke sport bikes which are competitive with 2 strokes or even superior in performance, why antagonize the opponents of all atv's by promoting these smokers.

By the way - of the fastest 5 bikes at our local flat track where we race , 3 were 4 strokes. The season winner was a modified Raptor 725 kit pulling an estimated 72 hp. This bike solidly defeated a brand new 330r campaigned by Sue Parker. her 330 r easily defeated all the other "r's" at the track. The other fast 4 strokes were a 490 kitted 400ex, and a DS 650, as well as a modified 350X/250x.

 

Factory support or not, no one in ATV racing is making any kind of real money - this isn't motorcycle racing (our money goes to support those guys)...

Factory support at the quad level (from what I understand) means a free race quad, a free practice quad -- and maybe your travel expenses.

That said, no one's going to accept a sponsorship deal on a machine that won't win... People in ATV racing are in it for the love of racing - not dollar signs & to score a big sponsorship deal. Anyone that thinks any differently is not involved in racing.

Magazine advertisements, however, are a different deal - you'd be amazed at the dollars the ATV rags are pulling in.

 

Think about this, now............If you were Cannondale and wanted to hire some riders to secure a title for an unproven quad, it wouldn't make sense to hire a "Travis Spader". If he won, most would say "Heck, Travis could win on a three wheeler!"..All it would prove is that the bikes didnt fly apart...On the other hand, Find yourself a rider who is top 10 and needs a little more bike to win the title...Now people will say that Kory's yz426 didn't have what it took to win (6th place) but the 'Dale did!... THAT'S why they didnt want the top rider..........When Kory starts winning people will be MORE likely to credit the bike as much as the rider!
Make sense? Now that's using your head Cannondale.... I expect at least 1,maybe 2 c'dales in the top 5 this year!