PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) today announced changes to the organization’s structure designed to increase the Association’s effectiveness in its core mission of promoting motorcycle “rights. riding. racing.” The changes, which were announced following the February 17 meeting of the AMA Board of Directors, will create three new standing committees of the Board — Rights, Riding and Racing — each designed to focus on one element of the AMA’s mission. These committees will consist of Board members and other experts who will meet at least twice a year for the purpose of strategic planning within each core area. “The AMA is the leading voice of American motorcyclists in a wide variety of areas,” said AMA Board Chairman Rick Gray. “We are at the forefront of efforts to defend the rights of motorcyclists. We create riding opportunities through our calendar of more than 1,000 sanctioned road-riding events each year. And we are the largest motorcycle racing organization in the world, with a yearly schedule of more than 3,000 races at the amateur and professional levels. “This new structure allows us to use the expertise of our Board of Directors most effectively,” he added. “By allowing these committees to work on the Association’s long-term direction in each of these critical areas, we can be more responsive to the interests of all AMA members.” The AMA Board consists of 12 members, half elected by individual AMA members from six regions of the country, and half elected by the AMA’s corporate members. The new committees will be in addition to the Board’s existing Executive Committee and Finance Committee. Assignments to the new committees will be made in the coming weeks by the Board chairman. The American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing. Founded in 1924, the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than 270,000 members. The Association’s purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com, or call 1-800-AMA-JOIN.

AMA ANNOUNCES NEW RULESMAKING COMMITTEES FOR PROFESSIONAL RACING

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — As part of its overall reorganization unveiled today, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced the creation of a new rulesmaking procedure for its professional-racing programs.

Direction for the AMA’s professional road racing, motocross/supercross, flat track, supermoto and hillclimb programs has been in the hands of a single AMA Pro Racing Board. That Board will be replaced by independent working committees that will propose equipment standards and rules for on-track competition. Proposed rules would then be ratified by the AMA Board of Directors.

“The goal of this new structure is to allow the Association to be more responsive to all of the groups with an interest in our professional-racing programs,” said AMA Chief Executive Officer Patti DiPietro. “That includes everyone from the manufacturers and team owners to the racers, promoters, aftermarket suppliers and fans.”

The size of these committees will vary depending upon the racing discipline. Each will include one representative from every AMA corporate member manufacturer with a motorcycle homologated for competition in that discipline. In addition, the AMA president will appoint enough other members of the committee to assure that the manufacturers cannot constitute a majority.

In motocross racing, for instance, six manufacturers — Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha — currently have motorcycles homologated for AMA professional competition. The AMA president will appoint at least seven other Motocross/Supercross Committee members, who could include racers, promoters, aftermarket manufacturers and others with an interest in the sport.

These committees will hold at least one formal meeting every year, although it is anticipated that additional, informal meetings may take place more often. Working with representatives from the AMA Pro Racing staff for that discipline, committee members will develop racing rules and equipment standards that will be sent to the AMA Board of Directors.

The AMA Board will have the power to accept or reject the committee’s recommendations, but it will not be allowed to alter those recommendations. A veto by the AMA Board will require support by a supermajority (nine members of the 12-member Board).

Rules that are approved by the AMA Board will not go into effect for at least a full racing season, so that riders and teams will have time to develop their programs. Modifications to rules that are required during the course of a racing season will be handled by an executive committee consisting of chairmen elected by members of each committee. Those rules will apply only for the current racing season. As is the case now, emergency rules changes, if necessary, will be implemented by the AMA Pro Racing staff.

“We are creating a system designed to increase the transparency of the rulesmaking process for AMA professional competition,” said DiPietro. “By opening up these rulesmaking committees to all parties involved in our racing programs, we will make sure that everyone’s voice is heard on these important issues. And we will make public all written reports from the rulesmaking committees to the AMA Board, so that anyone can monitor the process of creating new racing rules.”

Rules for amateur competition run by AMA Sports will continue to be made by the AMA Congress, which brings together representatives from AMA recognized districts across the country each year. As with the new rulesmaking committees for professional racing, the AMA Congress sends its recommendations to the AMA Board for ratification.

The American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing. Founded in 1924, the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than 270,000 members. The Association’s purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com, or call 1-800-AMA-JOIN.

More, from another press release issued by AMA:

BACKGROUNDER: AMA ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES Q & A

-Why is the AMA announcing these changes in structure?

We want to more effectively use the expertise of the members of the AMA Board of Directors while increasing responsiveness to all parts of the motorcycling community.

-What are the structural changes to the AMA Board?

The changes will create three new Board committees devoted to the three core parts of the AMA’s mission: rights, riding and racing. These will be in addition to the Board’s existing Executive and Finance committees. These committees will be composed of existing Board members and may also include outside experts in an advisory role.

-What are the responsibilities of these new committees?

They will be responsible for setting the long-term direction of the Association in those areas, while AMA staff and other groups work on implementation of those long-term decisions.

For instance, in the area of professional racing, the AMA is creating new, independent rulesmaking committees charged with developing equipment standards and on-track rules for road racing, motocross/supercross, flat track, supermoto and hillclimb competition. Working with AMA Pro Racing staff, those independent committees will focus on racing rules, while the AMA Board Racing Committee will focus on long-term strategic planning for the Association’s racing series.

-Who do the new professional-racing rulesmaking committees report to?

The rulesmaking committees will be independent entities charged with developing rules in conjunction with the AMA Pro Racing staff. They will send their proposed rules to the AMA Board’s Racing Committee for review and recommendation. The Racing Committee will forward the proposed rules to the full AMA Board for ratification. The AMA Board Racing Committee will not be directly involved in the rules-development process.

-Who will serve on the new rulesmaking committees?

Committee sizes will be variable. Each committee will include one representative from each AMA corporate member manufacturer with a motorcycle homologated for competition in that discipline. In addition, the AMA president will appoint enough other members of the committee to assure that the manufacturers cannot constitute a majority.

In motocross/supercross racing, for instance, six manufacturers-Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha-currently have motorcycles homologated for AMA professional competition. The AMA president will appoint at least seven other Motocross/Supercross Committee members, who could include racers, promoters, aftermarket manufacturers and others with an interest in the sport.

-How long will those rulesmaking committee members serve?

Terms for rulesmaking committees will be three years. However, if a manufacturer no longer has a motorcycle homologated for that type of competition, it will lose its committee position even if the term has not expired.

-Can AMA Board members serve on rulesmaking committees?

Members of the AMA Board cannot also hold positions on the rulesmaking committees. An AMA corporate member could have a representative elected to the AMA Board and could have representatives on the rulesmaking committees, but the individual who serves on the AMA Board cannot serve on any of the rulesmaking committees.

-How will new racing rules be adopted?

Working with the AMA Pro Racing staff, the rulesmaking committees will develop proposed racing rules and equipment standards that will be sent to the Racing Committee of the AMA Board of Directors for review. The Racing Committee will forward the proposed rules, with its recommendations, to the full AMA Board.

The full AMA Board will have the power to accept or reject the committee’s proposed rules, but it will not be allowed to alter those proposed rules. A veto by the AMA Board will require support by a supermajority (nine members of the 12-member Board).

Rules that are approved by the AMA Board will not go into effect for at least a full racing season, so that riders and teams will have time to develop their programs. Modifications to rules that are required during the course of a racing season will be handled by an executive committee consisting of chairmen elected by members of each committee. Those rules will apply only for the current racing season. As is the case now, emergency rules changes, if necessary, will be implemented by the AMA Pro Racing staff.

-At what point will racers and fans be able to learn about new rules proposals?

All written recommendations from the rulesmaking committees to the AMA Board will be made public.

-Will these new rulesmaking committees determine rules for AMA amateur competition?

No. Amateur competition rules will continue to be developed by the AMA Congress, which includes representatives from AMA recognized districts. As with the new rulesmaking committees for professional racing, the AMA Congress sends its recommendations to the AMA Board for ratification.

AMA THANKS PRO RACING BOARD FOR SERVICE

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Board Chairman Rick Gray today thanked the members of the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors for their service to the organization. The single Pro Racing Board is being replaced by a group of rulesmaking committees that will each focus on a single racing discipline.

The Pro Racing Board has been in existence since 1994. It currently consists of Chairman P.J. Harvey, along with members Cary J.C. Agajanian, Ray Blank, Mike Buckley, Paul Dean, Jeff Nash, Kevin Schwantz and John Ulrich.

“These individuals have volunteered their time and effort for years to help improve the AMA’s professional-racing program,” said Gray. “Much of the progress we have made in gaining wider exposure and recognition of our sport is directly attributable to their contributions.”

In coming weeks, the AMA will announce the members of the new committees that will develop equipment standards and rules for AMA pro competition in road racing, motocross/supercross, flat track, supermoto and hillclimb.

The American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing. Founded in 1924, the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than 270,000 members. The Association’s purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com, or call 1-800-AMA-JOIN

(Roadracingworld.com Editorial Note: Blank and Ulrich remain members of the Board of Directors of the AMA, the parent organization of AMA Pro Racing.)

Tom Tunstall is delighted to confirm that he will be racing in the World Supersport Championship in 2006 onboard the Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport Honda. Tom, aged 27, from Huddersfield enjoyed one of his best season of racing in the highly regarded British Supersport Championship in 2005. On the strength of his results along with his World Supersport wild card performances at Brands Hatch and Silverstone he has received increased backing from his sponsors Hardinge Bridgeport Machine Tools and Ice Valley Natural Mineral Water. This has enabled him to become a full time professional motorcycle racer, live his dream and race a full season in the world championship. “It’s a dream come true to be a full time rider competing at this level in a world championship.” explained Tom. “I’ve ridden as a wild card in a number of World Supersport events and have achieved strong results and a lot of attention from the media. We’ve proved we can be competitive at the UK tracks so now I’m well up for the challenge and can’t wait to start racing on some of the best circuits in Europe and the rest of the world.” he continued The 13 round season gets underway in the Middle Eastern desert of Qatar on 23rd to 25th February before heading to round two at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit in Australia. The team, once again backed by sponsors Hardinge Bridgeport, the global machine tool company and Ice Valley the fastest growing mineral water brands in the UK, have only been able to complete a single days testing on the new 2006 bike at Cartegena in Spain due to poor weather, but are optimistic about their fourth coming season. “It would have been nice to have got more time on the bike before we had to ship them to Qatar, but the combination of bad weather and an early start to the season, meant we couldn’t test as much as we’s have liked. I’ve ridden a CBR600RR for the past two years, so at least I know what to expect from the bike and with help from the Ten Kate Racing engine developers I’m confident we can be competitive.” explained Tom. Tom and the Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport Honda team are set to receive additional support from the title winning Ten Kate Honda engine tuners after building a strong relationship over the past two years. Ten Kate produce are arguably the best Supersport bikes in the world and have won the last four World Supersport titles and Tom will be able to benefit from their knowledge of engine development and bike set-up throughout the course of the season. Tom will be the only British entrant in to the World Supersport Championship in 2006, which will guarantee him prime coverage on British Eurosport television in addition to national and regional press. The World Supersport Championship runs alongside the prestigious World Superbike Championship, which received over two billion television viewers and a million spectators in 2005. For further information on the teams racing activities and photographs please contact. Tom Tunstall on [email protected] Rider Profile Age: 27 Date of birth: 21st June Height: 1.80m Weight: 70kg Marital Status: Single Nationality: British Place of birth: Huddersfield, UK Home: Denby Dale Occupation: Motorcycle Racer and Turbocharger Development Engineer Hobbies: Cycling, Running, Supermoto, Gym 2006 Calendar February 25 Qatar Doha March 5 Australia Phillip Island April 23 Spain Valencia May 7 Italy Monza May 28 Great-Britain Silverstone June 25 San Marino Misano July/ 23 Czech Rep, Brno August 6 Great-Britain Brands Hatch September 3 Netherlands Assen September 10 Germany Lausitz October 1 Italy Imola October 8 France Magny-Cours October 22 South Africa/ Tba

MAD MAX MONSTER WINS AT CHICAGO SHOW Cupertino, CA – Monster owners from throughout the upper Midwest braved freezing temperatures this past weekend to show their creations before a huge crowd at the Chicago round of the Ducati Monster Challenge. Chris Platzer hauled away top honors with the narrowest margin of victory in the two-year history of the Monster Challenge. Platzer, from Eagan, Minnesota, and Bill Keros, of Commerce Township, Michigan, presented bikes that were polar opposites. At show’s end, Platzer’s creation eked out a scant two-point victory of the 122 possible points available from the judges and public voters. Nearly 1,100 individuals cast their votes for a “People’s Choice” winner, and the crowd agreed with the judges when they narrowly voted Platzer’s bike best of show. Without the aid of sophisticated power tools and machining instruments, Platzer built aluminum bars, grips and fenders that gave the bike a look as if it was direct from the set of a Mad Max film. The scaled and layered front and rear fenders made some call the 1996 M900 the “Lizard Monster.” “I don’t have any sophisticated tools at all,” said Platzer, “so I mostly used hand drills and saws to make the fenders, grips, head and tail lights, bars and turn signals. It was a long trip down here and even if I hadn’t of won, I had a great time. Going to dinner with the other owners and Ducati staff Friday night was a blast!” offered the obviously elated Platzer. Keros presented a 2005 S4R that was as different as one could possibly imagine, and between the two machines the huge Chicago International Motorcycle Show crowd saw just how diverse the Ducati Monster can be. Keros created a bike that was highly refined and extremely powerful, featuring a two inch stretched frame powered by an extensively modified, nitrous enhanced motor. A massive 7.5 inch, 210mm wide rear wheel and exceptional paint scheme attracted crowds all weekend. Cycle World and Road & Track Editor at Large Peter Egan was one of the three contest judges charged with crowning a winner, and summed up his reaction to the collective bikes when he said “I’d love to just go out and hear the rattle and boom of these bikes and go on a ride with the guys.” “There are some great bikes here, and the scaled bike won out for me because of the personal touches, immense amount of time he put into it and the creativity he showed. It’s amazing that he made most of those parts himself with little more than a drill and saw. That bike makes me smile,” added Egan, who gave a slight nod to Platzer’s “Lizard” Monster over the stunning machine built by Keros. John Margiolas, creator and moderator of SportBike.Net, went the other way, giving Keros a very slight edge over Platzer. “I love the story behind The Lizard Bike,” said Margiolas, “it’s an awesome interpretation of the Monster, which is simply beautiful to begin with. But the powerful visual statement and incredible workmanship on the other bike gave it the edge. Man, these are both amazing bikes, and the rest of the entries are great as well. This is a tremendous way to show off the Ducati Monster,” added Margriolas. Taking the third spot was a 2001 S4 owned and built by Ben VanderKinter of Green Bay, Wisconsin. VanderKinter’s bike featured a one-off airbrush painting of a shark’s head and gills and also grabbed the attention of the crowd. Coupled with the one-of-a-kind paint job, his bike sported a serious riding side, with lightened flywheel, full spaghetti exhaust system and Superbike vented front fender. VanderKinter summarized his Monster by saying, “this is the first bike that I’ve owned that has a life of its own! It’s 100% fun to ride.” Platzer and his bike will join the winners of the previous six rounds of the Monster Challenge at the event finals at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama in April. The next round of The Ducati Monster Challenge will be held February 24-26 in Montreal, Quebec. The winner of the finals will receive a 2006 Ducati Monster S2R 1000 and the second place finisher will win a trip to a Moto GP race. Third place will receive a $1,000.00 Ducati Performance gift certificate.

Yamaha GMT94 rider David Checa will miss the opening rounds of the 2006 Supersport World Championship after breaking his wrist in a testing accident on Wednesday. The Spaniard had only completed a few laps at the Albacete circuit in his homeland when he crashed the YZF-R1 he is due to race at the Le Mans and Bol d’Or 24 hours endurance races alongside his supersport commitments. “David is very disappointed,” commented team owner Christophe Guyot. “He can’t understand why he lost the bike but he has kept his iron will. He knows that even if he has to miss a few races there will be a lot more opportunities to prove how well he can race with GMT throughout the season.” With doctors recommending a four-week lay-off, Checa will miss the Qatar and Australian rounds of the Supersport World Championship, due to take place on February 25 and March 5 respectively. David is planning to return to the saddle for the Le Mans 24 hours race on 22-23 April. As this clashes with round three of the Supersport World Championship, Checa’s first race outing on the R6 is expected to be at the Monza race on May 7.

AMA SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED PICKERINGTON, Ohio (February 17, 2006) AMA Pro Racing released the schedule for the 2006 AMA Supermoto Championship today. The nine-event season will begin on April 29 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and conclude at a gala, season-ending finale planned for Nov. 4 at the historic Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif. Along the way, the championship will visit a variety of new and returning tracks. AMA Pro Racing Supermoto Series Manager, Todd Eagan commented on the 2006 calendar, “This year’s schedule is an interesting mix of stand-alone races combined with events held in conjunction with existing, high profile AMA Championship races. In addition to tying into three AMA Superbike events, we’re thrilled to be adding a race at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the home of the Detroit Pistons, and a double-header event in Denver.” The Denver event replaces the event formerly held in Copper Mountain, Colo., and was moved in the hopes of generating increased attendance and awareness. Eagan also noted the possibility that another event may yet be added to the schedule. “We’re still in negotiations with a couple of additional venues but didn’t want to hold up the schedule any longer,” added Eagan. “If either of these additional events develop the way we expect them to we’ll issue an updated calendar.” The 2006 AMA Supermoto Championship Schedule is as follows: Date, Location April 29, California Speedway – Fontana, CA June 3, Road America – Elkhart Lake, WI June 10, USA International Raceway – Shawano, WI June 17, Miller Motorsports Park – Tooele, UT July 8, The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI August 26-27, TBA – Denver, CO (double-header) October 14, Music City Motorplex – Nashville, TN November 4, Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship and the AMA Supermoto Championship. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.

COSTUME NATIONAL AND DUCATI ON THE FASHION RUNWAY IN MILAN. Loris Capirossi to be present at C’N’C’s new collection of street wear the 06/07 Autumn-Winter Collection Bologna, 17 February 2006 The 2006/2007 Autumn-Winter shows in Milan, the fashion centre of the world, will mark the official confirmation of the partnership of collaboration between Ducati Corse and C’N’C Costume National. After the success of the first 2006 Spring/Summer collection with the “C’N’C Ducati” label, the Italian prêt-à-porter fashion company belonging to Carlo and Ennio Capasa, respectively managing-director and designer of Costume National, is now continuing along the same line, inspired by passion for motorbikes and dedicated to urban bikers. The synergetic and constructive rapport between the two companies has led C’N’C to cement even further its collaboration with the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer, by linking its brand and image with the world of racing and by becoming official sponsor of the Ducati MotoGP Team in the 2006 season. The C’N’C logo will be present on the clothing of the team in all rounds of the MotoGP World Championship, in what promises to be a hard-fought season where the red bikes from the Borgo Panigale factory are sure to be amongst the favourites for the title battle. Loris Capirossi, who has just returned from a successful winter testing session at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia together with his new Ducati MotoGP team-mate Sete Gibernau, will be present at C’N’C’s Milan fashion display, which will be held on Monday 20 February at the Arco della Pace in Piazza Sempione, where the new 2006/2007 Autumn-Winter C’N’C Ducati collection will also be presented. Founded in 1987 by the brothers, Carlo and Ennio Capasa, respectively managing-director and designer of the company, Costume National is one of the most prestigious prêt-à-porter fashion labels in the world. With a turnover in excess of 50 million Euro and flagship stores in Milan, Rome, Paris, Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo, the company directly controls the production and the distribution of clothing, shoes, accessories and perfumes. The C’N’C Costume National street wear line is produced and distributed by Ittierre SpA, while the sunglasses are produced and distributed by Marcolin. Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. The Company produces motorcycles in six market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport, Monster, Sport Touring, Multistrada and the new SportClassic. The Company’s motorcycles are sold in more than 60 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European, Japan and North American markets. Ducati has won thirteen of the last fifteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at http://www.ducati.com

Ducati Corse is proud to announce that its partnership with Shell Advance will extend until at least 2008. The relationship will ensure the development of tailored Shell Advance lubricant and Shell V-Power fuel for the Ducati Corse racing teams. Shell Advance will also continue as the first fill lubricant of every Ducati bike that leaves the factory. Since 1999 Ducati and Shell have won 6 World Superbike Constructors’ and 4 Riders’ titles which, together with the first exciting victories in MotoGP, represent the sporting history of this successful collaboration. Federico Minoli, President and CEO of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A: ‘Ducati has a great tradition of success. On the race track, Shell has been a fundamental part of this success enabling our bikes to achieve higher speeds while maintaining excellent reliability. It is for this reason that I welcome the extension to our partnership with Shell and the continuation of Shell Advance as the recommended lubricant for every Ducati around the world.’ Carlo Alberto del Mastro, Shell Advance Global Brand and Sponsorship Manager: ‘Shell and Ducati have had a very successful relationship since 1999. We have made great leaps in our Shell Advance lubricant technology as a direct result of the work we have done with Ducati Corse engineers in World Superbikes and MotoGP. So it makes sense, both with our hearts and our heads, to commit to Ducati as we move in to a new technical era of motorcycle development.’ Closer to the road, the agreement means Shell will continue to lubricate every Ducati that leaves the Bologna factory with Shell Advance and power them through the gates with Shell fuels. The combination of development with both the race teams and the road bike designers means that Shell’s commitment to motorcycle products will continue and every rider around the globe will be able to get more response from their bike using Shell Advance.