Racer Ben Bostrom is featured in a photo shoot in the Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine. The photos are also posted at: ~http://www.alpinestars.com/_lp/scoop_clothes.htm~
© , Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Yamaha’s Haga, Pitt Tested Updated Ohlins Suspension At Valencia
Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt were on track yesterday at a two day test at Valencia circuit, arranged by championship tyre supplier Pirelli for its official development teams. Running time was limited after Monday’s action was washed out due to heavy rain. Pitt was one of only four riders to brave the conditions, completing just a handful of laps on the slippery surface. Day two saw the arrival of sunshine but the track failed to dry out in the morning, leaving just three hours of dry running. Both riders ran their R1s in virtually the same specification they finished the 2005 season with, the main evolutions being updated Ohlins suspension, which was tested for the first time, and some new specification tyres from Pirelli. Despite the limited running time, both riders were comfortably faster than their times from April’s race. Haga concluded the test with the fourth fastest time of the 12 riders present, a 1’36″6, while Pitt was seventh fastest with a 1’37″2. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) was fastest overall with a 1’35.7. Team Coordinator Massimo Meregalli commented: “The bad weather reduced the time available and we were only able to get through a small amount of the work we’d planned. However it went well and this test has given us the opportunity to work with three new team members and for them to become familiar with our working practices. Next we have a test in Qatar early next month where we hope to have more track time. We ended the 2005 championship growing in confidence and for 2006 our intention is to be one of the main challengers for the championship title.”
Fifth Annual Toy Ride For Kids Scheduled For December 4 In Anaheim, California
Its our 5th year and we have a lot going on at the event. With 1500 to 2000 sportbikes expected to be at the event and hit the streets this should be our biggest year ever. Kawasaki will be bringing out the all new XZ14 to display at the field for riders to look at. The event is Rain or Shine (if it rains come in a car and take home more prizes!) Registration is open and things are a little different this year. Pre register here ~http://toyride.org/pre-reg.php~ It is that time of year again! ToyRide 2005 is scheduled RAIN OR SHINE for Dec 4th 2005 at Angel Stadium under the Big A. Registration is open. Remember if you pre register you will get an extra Raffle ticket! With over $10,000.00 in prizes to win, make sure to get as many tickets as you can. Registration is only $10 and an unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more, the more you give the better your chances are at winning a cool prize. We are sponsoring approximately 200 children for Christmas this year, which is substantially more than in years past. So spread the word and come for a day of fun, riding, food and camaraderie. We are excited to announce that we are not only providing Christmas presents for the LA county Foster Children, we are also making a cash donation to Celebration One. Celebration One is a program that awards college scholarships to children of the foster program. We are proud to join the ranks of other charities such as the Annie E Casey and Disney in helping these children become successful adults. ToyRide, in conjunction with DCFS has made arrangements for this year’s donation to Celebration One to be matched with grant money to make it even larger. All the donations made by ToyRide go directly to benefit the children, with no overhead charges associated with the donation to Celebration One. In addition to your registration and bonus ticket, additional raffle tickets will be given for each toy in $10 increments. Since we are working with Celebration One, cash donations are being accepted in Lieu of gifts and raffle tickets will be awarded in the same $10 increments. Credit card payments will only be accepted through the website and will not be available the day of the event. Should you wish to put your entire donation on a credit card please do so prior to the event and bring your receipt with you to receive your raffle tickets. Below is the link to pre-register. ~http://toyride.org/pre-reg.php~ See you on the 4th!
Lanzi, Charpentier Were Fastest At Valencia World Superbike, Supersport Test
Only one month after the final Round of Magny Cours the World Superbike riders are back on their bikes for a test of major interest. This appointment opens the 2006 season, the third with Pirelli as official tyres supplier delivering its Diablos for the whole paddock. The development teams are called to test on the Spanish track the new tyres developed by Pirelli technicians to face a ’06 season that announces to be exciting and extremely battled. Many news in the grid with the two Ducati Xerox riders of last season approaching the fight for the Title with team Kawasaki PSG-1 (Laconi) and Honda Ten Kate (Toseland), leaving their Italian red bikes to Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi. Another interesting news is represented by Fonsi Nieto, ready to ride the third Kawasaki, while Yamaha Motor Italia and Suzuki Alstare have confirmed their riders, and Petronas lines up Craig Jones with the still convalescing Steve Martin. These are the riders now in Valencia, representing all the Manufacturers and thus the whole paddock in the two days intended for testing the new Pirelli solutions that will be brought at the races for every rider. The first day of test was unfortunately ruined by the bad weather that in the last years is always coming with the winter tests in Spain and that allowed only a few laps with rain tyres. A pity because the new solutions to be tested were a lot, and Pirelli was waiting to know the comments on the important news brought for the different classes, the 17″ slick and the Nationals. The second day was somehow better, with 5 hours of dry testing but with the absence of Troy Corser. The fastest at the end of the day was Lorenzo Lanzi, that made a great 1’35″7 with the new Race tyres achieving the same laptime of Corser’s pole. Behind the Italian his team mate Troy Bayliss took the second position even if he’s not yet in perfect shape and still suffering his wrist. 1’36″1 for the Australian, comfortly back on his 2 cilinders. Kagayama and Haga (1’36″3 and 1’36″6) could also improve of almost a second their race time proving the great performances of the new solutions. In the Supersport the new World Champion Charpentier is again the fastest guy with 1’38″2 preceding Vizziello (1’38″6), Foret (1’39″5), Van de Goorbergh (1’40″0) e Chambon (1’40″5) In the SuperStock best time for Roccoli with a good 1’37″9. Appointment now in Qatar for the next tests in December.
Updated Again: WERA Releases 2006 National Endurance And National Challenge Series Schedule
WERA is pleased to announce the 2006 WERA National Challenge and National Endurance Series schedules. The ten-race series will begin at the Jennings GP track in March and conclude at the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta in October. In between, the series will visit the new Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah as well as many of the other traditional events the series has established in its long history. The much-anticipated WERA Cycle Jam will move to Road Atlanta with a four-day event from June 29th through July 2nd, and the popular 8-hour endurance race into darkness introduced in 2005 at Nelson Ledges is back for 2006. Each round will feature a dedicated day of practice, usually Friday, with the National Endurance Series event on Saturday and the National Challenge Series races on Sunday. March 24-26 – Jennings GP, Jennings, FL April 7-9 – Talladega Gran Prix, Talladega, AL May 12-14 – Autobahn Country Club, Joliet, IL June 9-11 – Miller Motorsports Park, Salt Lake City, UT June 29 – July 2 – Cycle Jam at Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA July 14-16 – Grattan Raceway, Grattan, MI August 11-13 – Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point, WV September 8-10 – Nelson Ledges Roadcourse, Garrettsville, OH September 22-24 – Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds, AL October 11-15 – Grand National Finals, Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA The tentative WERA Sportsman regional schedule is currently available for viewing on the WERA website at www.wera.com, however a few dates are being finalized and the entire Sportsman schedule will be announced soon.
Jones Debuts On Foggy Petronas FP1 Tuesday At Valencia
Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s new signing Craig Jones made his debut on the PETRONAS FP1 during a trouble-free day of testing at Valencia, Spain, today. Any hopes of commencing the Pirelli-organised two day test as planned yesterday, were ruined as continuous heavy rainfall resulted in waterlogged and dangerous conditions. A handful of riders from the six other World Superbike teams present took to the track for a few laps each to ‘test the water’, but were unable to achieve anything valuable. So the team decided to wait for the expected improved weather conditions today in order for Craig to get the most from his first outing on the FP1. Drying and bright conditions enabled the young Brit to maximise his four hours of track time this afternoon and complete over fifty laps to familiarise himself with the circuit and bike, making minor adjustments to riding position comfort factors and basic bike set-up to suit his riding style. Craig said: “We’ve had a trouble-free day and it’s been great to get out there and familiarise myself with the track, the bike and how the team works. My first impression is amazement, to feel the power of a superbike after coming from a 600cc. “I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved today and I feel comfy on the bike. I’ve also found a good base setting so we’ve now got a direction to work towards to tune the bike to my preferences in areas such as the clutch, geometry and suspension. I could have done without my little ‘off’ towards the end of the day when the back end spun round on me, but me and the bike are okay and it was good that I was able to go back out and complete a few more laps after that. “Although getting a good lap time wasn’t part of my plan at all, I’m really pleased that each time I went out I was able to improve my times and know that there’s a lot more to come. Mostly, I’ve really enjoyed the day and had fun, so now I can’t wait to get to Qatar for our next test.” Team manager Jack Valentine commented: “Considering we lost the first day of the test due to the weather and that Craig only had four hours on track today, I’m very happy with the day’s work. We set each of his two bikes up with different settings so that he had two options to work from and compare directly, and he already has a clear preference for one of the bike set-ups. We wanted to come away from this test with Craig feeling comfortable and happy on the bike, and having a good direction to pursue at Qatar, and we’ve achieved both of those things. Other than a small crash towards the end of the day which only caused minor damage to the bike and fortunately no injury to Craig, it was a trouble-free day. He’s also been able to steadily reduce his lap times throughout the day and is nowhere near his limit, so we’re looking forward to what’s to come.” The team expect to be back to full complement for its next test at Doha, Qatar, in December, when Steve Martin returns to the FP1 seat following his recovery from surgery a few weeks ago.
Yoshimura Suzuki Riders Open Two-day Test At California Speedway
Team Yoshimura Suzuki will begin a two-day test at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., today. Newly crowned AMA Superstock Champion Aaron Yates and AMA Superbike frontrunner Ben Spies will be putting the first of many miles on their 2006 GSX-R models at the 21-turn, 2.36-mile circuit. “We have a basic plan of attack and then we’ll play it day by day and see how it goes,” said Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura. “We’ve got three engineers from the factory and the Showa engineer and we’re going full-steam ahead.” According to Sakakura, Yates will spend most of the two days riding his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike. He explained, “We’ve got some test items from Japan, some revisions of components that we had some problems with last year. Some improvements, for both engine and chassis. As for the GSX-R1000 Superstock bike, Aaron will ride some but that will be mainly just suspension testing.” Although Spies will also ride his GSX-R1000 Superbike, the young phenom will spend much of the two-day test becoming acquainted with his 2006 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600. “Ben will be riding the new GSX-R600 so that we can get his initial impressions,” said Sakakura. “This way we’ll have a better idea of the direction we want to go in as far as settings for the chassis and engine.” Current AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin had hoped to test at Fontana, but he’s still in Australia recovering from surgery on his ankle. Said Sakakura, “It’s really unfortunate that Mat can’t be here because we have a lot to get through and it would be helpful to have a rider who could focus totally on Superbike for two full days. But he’ll be back in December for the Daytona test.” Team Yoshimura Suzuki will test Nov. 15-16 at the Fontana facility and then again toward the end of the month. After that, the Yoshimura Suzuki crew will travel to Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., to test Dec. 10-12.
Yamaha Seeking Injunction Against, Damages From Distributor Of Chinese-made ‘Copycat’ Motorcycles, ATVs
YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, U.S.A. FILES TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT SUIT AGAINST YAMOTO MOTOR CORPORATION AND PATRIOT MOTORCYCLES CORPORATION YAMAHA SEEKS PERMANENT INJUNCTION AGAINST YAMOTO FOR KNOCKING OFF YAMAHA’S RAPTOR ATVS AND TT-R125 OFF-ROAD MOTORCYCLES Los Angeles, CA. Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. filed suit yesterday in Los Angeles Federal Court against Yamoto Motor Corporation and Patriot Motorcycles Corporation [Pink Sheets: PMCY] for trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false designation of origin, false advertising, copyright infringement and unfair competition. Yamaha is the original designer, manufacturer and seller of the Raptor™ line of ATVs and TT-R125 off-road motorcycles and seeks a permanent injunction against the Defendants, alleging that they are flooding the marketplace with inferior, copycat products. Yamaha seeks both treble and punitive damages in its Complaint and will ask the Court to compel Defendants to deliver to Yamaha for destruction all products, containers, packages, labels and advertising materials that infringe Yamaha’s trademarks. Yamaha is represented by Robert C. Weiss and Michael A. Tomasulo with the Los Angeles office of Jones Day. Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., et al. v. Yamoto Motor Corporation, et al., Case No. CV05-7351 RSWL (JTLx). Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. was founded in 1955, is the second largest manufacturer of motorcycles and ATVs in the world and enjoys an international reputation for selling unique, high-quality products. Based in Cypress, CA, its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., distributes motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, golf carts, outboard engines and water vehicles all under the Yamaha® brand name. Yamaha owns and holds trademark rights in connection with the shape, style and overall appearance of Yamaha’s Raptor™ line of ATVs and its TT-R125 line of off-road motorcycles. Many of Yamaha’s ATVs are manufactured at its plant in Newnan, Georgia. Yamaha alleges in its Complaint that Yamoto entered the United States market in 2003 by advertising, promoting and offering for sale the Yamoto line of ATVs and off-road motorcycles, which are of lower quality but bear strikingly similar resemblances to Yamaha’s Raptor™ line of ATVs and its TT-R125 line of off-road motorcycles. Yamaha states in its Complaint, for example, that the Yamaha® Raptor™ 50 ATV and the Yamoto 70 ATV are so similar that the poorer quality parts on the Yamoto copy are interchangeable with the parts on the Yamaha®. Yamaha further alleges that Yamoto not only attempted to confuse the public through the adoption of names, logos, colors and appearances that are confusingly similar to Yamaha’s, but also by copying Yamaha’s website, using a web address almost identical to Yamaha’s web address and failing to disclose the Chinese origin of the Yamoto products in violation of United States law. Yamaha claims that the distribution of these products is an obvious and deliberate attempt to trade off of Yamaha’s reputation and goodwill in the industry. “For over 50 years, Yamaha has invested serious money into researching, developing and promoting its brand of motorcycles and ATVs and can rightfully claim pride in its reputation for quality and innovation,” stated Russell D. Jura, General Counsel for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. “Consumers have come to associate the Yamaha brand with superior, reliable products. Yet, the Defendants are trying to undermine and sabotage our hard-earned reputation by deliberately copying our products, from body design and shape to customized logos, in an attempt to confuse the public and sell them inferior products.” “Yamaha, not Yamoto, holds the appropriate trademark registrations for all of its products,” explained Jura. “Our distributors, wholesalers, retailers and customers know that they can always expect quality from us. Yamoto’s imitation of our products has been fraudulent and deceptive from day one, and this is simply unacceptable to us, and that’s why we will assert our legal rights against anyone knocking off what is rightfully ours.”
Muggeridge, Toseland Test Winston Ten Kate Hondas In The Dry At Valencia
WEATHER AND LAP TIMES IMPROVE IN VALENCIA Day two of the Pirelli SBK test saw a distinct improvement in the weather after rain and low temperatures affected the Ricardo Tormo circuit near Valencia in Spain yesterday. Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Karl Muggeridge took to the 4km circuit his first time back on the Honda CBR1000RR after his dramatic crash in the final race of the 2005 World Superbike championship at Magny-Cours in France. After 30 laps yesterday, Muggeridge’s new team-mate, James Toseland, spent a more productive day familiarising himself with the Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR in readiness for his debut with the team at the first round of the 2006 series in Qatar next February. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “I’m happy that we’ve had a day in which we’ve been able to complete a lot of laps with both riders. With Karl, we’ve tested quite a few parts and tyres while James has simply been getting used to his new machine. He’s developed a good approach by making longer runs and every time he goes out he’s getting to know the CBR1000RR’s characteristics better. Of course, he’s not fully used to it yet but a positive sign for me is that I see him with a constant smile on his face. We will build on today’s progress in our next outing at Qatar in three weeks.” Karl Muggeridge best time 1m36.9s “We haven’t really touched the bike at all today; just trying some new braking components and lots of different front tyres, although there doesn’t seem to be a lot of difference between them. Physically, I’m not in bad shape after the crash in France. My foot and ribs seem to have healed pretty well but my neck is sore. I twisted my back in the crash and my spine is out of alignment so I’m going back to Australia on Monday and I’ll try to get myself straightened out before Qatar. There’s a positive mood in the team and it’s good to have James on board, so we’re all looking forward to some more good testing and the start of next season.” James Toseland best time 1m37.5s: “It’s gone really well today. The bike’s not doing anything it shouldn’t and I’m just gradually getting used to it. There’s plenty of time to get some more testing in and plenty more to learn about the bike, which we haven’t changed at all really. I’m just getting more familiar with it and more comfortable on it each time I go out. I’ll do some more training before we go to Qatar and make a lot more progress there hopefully. The team structure is really sound and we’re working well together. But until I get more of a genuine feeling for the bike there’s not much useful feedback I can give. The bike feels excellent so far though, and I’m really looking forward to the start of the season.”
Ben Bostrom Photos In Italian Edition Of Vanity Fair
Racer Ben Bostrom is featured in a photo shoot in the Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine. The photos are also posted at: ~http://www.alpinestars.com/_lp/scoop_clothes.htm~
Yamaha’s Haga, Pitt Tested Updated Ohlins Suspension At Valencia
Yamaha Motor Italia riders Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt were on track yesterday at a two day test at Valencia circuit, arranged by championship tyre supplier Pirelli for its official development teams. Running time was limited after Monday’s action was washed out due to heavy rain. Pitt was one of only four riders to brave the conditions, completing just a handful of laps on the slippery surface. Day two saw the arrival of sunshine but the track failed to dry out in the morning, leaving just three hours of dry running. Both riders ran their R1s in virtually the same specification they finished the 2005 season with, the main evolutions being updated Ohlins suspension, which was tested for the first time, and some new specification tyres from Pirelli. Despite the limited running time, both riders were comfortably faster than their times from April’s race. Haga concluded the test with the fourth fastest time of the 12 riders present, a 1’36″6, while Pitt was seventh fastest with a 1’37″2. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) was fastest overall with a 1’35.7. Team Coordinator Massimo Meregalli commented: “The bad weather reduced the time available and we were only able to get through a small amount of the work we’d planned. However it went well and this test has given us the opportunity to work with three new team members and for them to become familiar with our working practices. Next we have a test in Qatar early next month where we hope to have more track time. We ended the 2005 championship growing in confidence and for 2006 our intention is to be one of the main challengers for the championship title.”
Fifth Annual Toy Ride For Kids Scheduled For December 4 In Anaheim, California
Its our 5th year and we have a lot going on at the event. With 1500 to 2000 sportbikes expected to be at the event and hit the streets this should be our biggest year ever. Kawasaki will be bringing out the all new XZ14 to display at the field for riders to look at. The event is Rain or Shine (if it rains come in a car and take home more prizes!) Registration is open and things are a little different this year. Pre register here ~http://toyride.org/pre-reg.php~ It is that time of year again! ToyRide 2005 is scheduled RAIN OR SHINE for Dec 4th 2005 at Angel Stadium under the Big A. Registration is open. Remember if you pre register you will get an extra Raffle ticket! With over $10,000.00 in prizes to win, make sure to get as many tickets as you can. Registration is only $10 and an unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more, the more you give the better your chances are at winning a cool prize. We are sponsoring approximately 200 children for Christmas this year, which is substantially more than in years past. So spread the word and come for a day of fun, riding, food and camaraderie. We are excited to announce that we are not only providing Christmas presents for the LA county Foster Children, we are also making a cash donation to Celebration One. Celebration One is a program that awards college scholarships to children of the foster program. We are proud to join the ranks of other charities such as the Annie E Casey and Disney in helping these children become successful adults. ToyRide, in conjunction with DCFS has made arrangements for this year’s donation to Celebration One to be matched with grant money to make it even larger. All the donations made by ToyRide go directly to benefit the children, with no overhead charges associated with the donation to Celebration One. In addition to your registration and bonus ticket, additional raffle tickets will be given for each toy in $10 increments. Since we are working with Celebration One, cash donations are being accepted in Lieu of gifts and raffle tickets will be awarded in the same $10 increments. Credit card payments will only be accepted through the website and will not be available the day of the event. Should you wish to put your entire donation on a credit card please do so prior to the event and bring your receipt with you to receive your raffle tickets. Below is the link to pre-register. ~http://toyride.org/pre-reg.php~ See you on the 4th!
Lanzi, Charpentier Were Fastest At Valencia World Superbike, Supersport Test
Only one month after the final Round of Magny Cours the World Superbike riders are back on their bikes for a test of major interest. This appointment opens the 2006 season, the third with Pirelli as official tyres supplier delivering its Diablos for the whole paddock. The development teams are called to test on the Spanish track the new tyres developed by Pirelli technicians to face a ’06 season that announces to be exciting and extremely battled. Many news in the grid with the two Ducati Xerox riders of last season approaching the fight for the Title with team Kawasaki PSG-1 (Laconi) and Honda Ten Kate (Toseland), leaving their Italian red bikes to Troy Bayliss and Lorenzo Lanzi. Another interesting news is represented by Fonsi Nieto, ready to ride the third Kawasaki, while Yamaha Motor Italia and Suzuki Alstare have confirmed their riders, and Petronas lines up Craig Jones with the still convalescing Steve Martin. These are the riders now in Valencia, representing all the Manufacturers and thus the whole paddock in the two days intended for testing the new Pirelli solutions that will be brought at the races for every rider. The first day of test was unfortunately ruined by the bad weather that in the last years is always coming with the winter tests in Spain and that allowed only a few laps with rain tyres. A pity because the new solutions to be tested were a lot, and Pirelli was waiting to know the comments on the important news brought for the different classes, the 17″ slick and the Nationals. The second day was somehow better, with 5 hours of dry testing but with the absence of Troy Corser. The fastest at the end of the day was Lorenzo Lanzi, that made a great 1’35″7 with the new Race tyres achieving the same laptime of Corser’s pole. Behind the Italian his team mate Troy Bayliss took the second position even if he’s not yet in perfect shape and still suffering his wrist. 1’36″1 for the Australian, comfortly back on his 2 cilinders. Kagayama and Haga (1’36″3 and 1’36″6) could also improve of almost a second their race time proving the great performances of the new solutions. In the Supersport the new World Champion Charpentier is again the fastest guy with 1’38″2 preceding Vizziello (1’38″6), Foret (1’39″5), Van de Goorbergh (1’40″0) e Chambon (1’40″5) In the SuperStock best time for Roccoli with a good 1’37″9. Appointment now in Qatar for the next tests in December.
Updated Again: WERA Releases 2006 National Endurance And National Challenge Series Schedule
WERA is pleased to announce the 2006 WERA National Challenge and National Endurance Series schedules. The ten-race series will begin at the Jennings GP track in March and conclude at the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta in October. In between, the series will visit the new Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah as well as many of the other traditional events the series has established in its long history. The much-anticipated WERA Cycle Jam will move to Road Atlanta with a four-day event from June 29th through July 2nd, and the popular 8-hour endurance race into darkness introduced in 2005 at Nelson Ledges is back for 2006. Each round will feature a dedicated day of practice, usually Friday, with the National Endurance Series event on Saturday and the National Challenge Series races on Sunday. March 24-26 – Jennings GP, Jennings, FL April 7-9 – Talladega Gran Prix, Talladega, AL May 12-14 – Autobahn Country Club, Joliet, IL June 9-11 – Miller Motorsports Park, Salt Lake City, UT June 29 – July 2 – Cycle Jam at Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA July 14-16 – Grattan Raceway, Grattan, MI August 11-13 – Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point, WV September 8-10 – Nelson Ledges Roadcourse, Garrettsville, OH September 22-24 – Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds, AL October 11-15 – Grand National Finals, Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA The tentative WERA Sportsman regional schedule is currently available for viewing on the WERA website at www.wera.com, however a few dates are being finalized and the entire Sportsman schedule will be announced soon.
Jones Debuts On Foggy Petronas FP1 Tuesday At Valencia
Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s new signing Craig Jones made his debut on the PETRONAS FP1 during a trouble-free day of testing at Valencia, Spain, today. Any hopes of commencing the Pirelli-organised two day test as planned yesterday, were ruined as continuous heavy rainfall resulted in waterlogged and dangerous conditions. A handful of riders from the six other World Superbike teams present took to the track for a few laps each to ‘test the water’, but were unable to achieve anything valuable. So the team decided to wait for the expected improved weather conditions today in order for Craig to get the most from his first outing on the FP1. Drying and bright conditions enabled the young Brit to maximise his four hours of track time this afternoon and complete over fifty laps to familiarise himself with the circuit and bike, making minor adjustments to riding position comfort factors and basic bike set-up to suit his riding style. Craig said: “We’ve had a trouble-free day and it’s been great to get out there and familiarise myself with the track, the bike and how the team works. My first impression is amazement, to feel the power of a superbike after coming from a 600cc. “I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved today and I feel comfy on the bike. I’ve also found a good base setting so we’ve now got a direction to work towards to tune the bike to my preferences in areas such as the clutch, geometry and suspension. I could have done without my little ‘off’ towards the end of the day when the back end spun round on me, but me and the bike are okay and it was good that I was able to go back out and complete a few more laps after that. “Although getting a good lap time wasn’t part of my plan at all, I’m really pleased that each time I went out I was able to improve my times and know that there’s a lot more to come. Mostly, I’ve really enjoyed the day and had fun, so now I can’t wait to get to Qatar for our next test.” Team manager Jack Valentine commented: “Considering we lost the first day of the test due to the weather and that Craig only had four hours on track today, I’m very happy with the day’s work. We set each of his two bikes up with different settings so that he had two options to work from and compare directly, and he already has a clear preference for one of the bike set-ups. We wanted to come away from this test with Craig feeling comfortable and happy on the bike, and having a good direction to pursue at Qatar, and we’ve achieved both of those things. Other than a small crash towards the end of the day which only caused minor damage to the bike and fortunately no injury to Craig, it was a trouble-free day. He’s also been able to steadily reduce his lap times throughout the day and is nowhere near his limit, so we’re looking forward to what’s to come.” The team expect to be back to full complement for its next test at Doha, Qatar, in December, when Steve Martin returns to the FP1 seat following his recovery from surgery a few weeks ago.
Yoshimura Suzuki Riders Open Two-day Test At California Speedway
Team Yoshimura Suzuki will begin a two-day test at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., today. Newly crowned AMA Superstock Champion Aaron Yates and AMA Superbike frontrunner Ben Spies will be putting the first of many miles on their 2006 GSX-R models at the 21-turn, 2.36-mile circuit. “We have a basic plan of attack and then we’ll play it day by day and see how it goes,” said Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura. “We’ve got three engineers from the factory and the Showa engineer and we’re going full-steam ahead.” According to Sakakura, Yates will spend most of the two days riding his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike. He explained, “We’ve got some test items from Japan, some revisions of components that we had some problems with last year. Some improvements, for both engine and chassis. As for the GSX-R1000 Superstock bike, Aaron will ride some but that will be mainly just suspension testing.” Although Spies will also ride his GSX-R1000 Superbike, the young phenom will spend much of the two-day test becoming acquainted with his 2006 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600. “Ben will be riding the new GSX-R600 so that we can get his initial impressions,” said Sakakura. “This way we’ll have a better idea of the direction we want to go in as far as settings for the chassis and engine.” Current AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin had hoped to test at Fontana, but he’s still in Australia recovering from surgery on his ankle. Said Sakakura, “It’s really unfortunate that Mat can’t be here because we have a lot to get through and it would be helpful to have a rider who could focus totally on Superbike for two full days. But he’ll be back in December for the Daytona test.” Team Yoshimura Suzuki will test Nov. 15-16 at the Fontana facility and then again toward the end of the month. After that, the Yoshimura Suzuki crew will travel to Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., to test Dec. 10-12.
Yamaha Seeking Injunction Against, Damages From Distributor Of Chinese-made ‘Copycat’ Motorcycles, ATVs
YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, U.S.A. FILES TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT SUIT AGAINST YAMOTO MOTOR CORPORATION AND PATRIOT MOTORCYCLES CORPORATION YAMAHA SEEKS PERMANENT INJUNCTION AGAINST YAMOTO FOR KNOCKING OFF YAMAHA’S RAPTOR ATVS AND TT-R125 OFF-ROAD MOTORCYCLES Los Angeles, CA. Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. filed suit yesterday in Los Angeles Federal Court against Yamoto Motor Corporation and Patriot Motorcycles Corporation [Pink Sheets: PMCY] for trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false designation of origin, false advertising, copyright infringement and unfair competition. Yamaha is the original designer, manufacturer and seller of the Raptor™ line of ATVs and TT-R125 off-road motorcycles and seeks a permanent injunction against the Defendants, alleging that they are flooding the marketplace with inferior, copycat products. Yamaha seeks both treble and punitive damages in its Complaint and will ask the Court to compel Defendants to deliver to Yamaha for destruction all products, containers, packages, labels and advertising materials that infringe Yamaha’s trademarks. Yamaha is represented by Robert C. Weiss and Michael A. Tomasulo with the Los Angeles office of Jones Day. Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., et al. v. Yamoto Motor Corporation, et al., Case No. CV05-7351 RSWL (JTLx). Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. was founded in 1955, is the second largest manufacturer of motorcycles and ATVs in the world and enjoys an international reputation for selling unique, high-quality products. Based in Cypress, CA, its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., distributes motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, golf carts, outboard engines and water vehicles all under the Yamaha® brand name. Yamaha owns and holds trademark rights in connection with the shape, style and overall appearance of Yamaha’s Raptor™ line of ATVs and its TT-R125 line of off-road motorcycles. Many of Yamaha’s ATVs are manufactured at its plant in Newnan, Georgia. Yamaha alleges in its Complaint that Yamoto entered the United States market in 2003 by advertising, promoting and offering for sale the Yamoto line of ATVs and off-road motorcycles, which are of lower quality but bear strikingly similar resemblances to Yamaha’s Raptor™ line of ATVs and its TT-R125 line of off-road motorcycles. Yamaha states in its Complaint, for example, that the Yamaha® Raptor™ 50 ATV and the Yamoto 70 ATV are so similar that the poorer quality parts on the Yamoto copy are interchangeable with the parts on the Yamaha®. Yamaha further alleges that Yamoto not only attempted to confuse the public through the adoption of names, logos, colors and appearances that are confusingly similar to Yamaha’s, but also by copying Yamaha’s website, using a web address almost identical to Yamaha’s web address and failing to disclose the Chinese origin of the Yamoto products in violation of United States law. Yamaha claims that the distribution of these products is an obvious and deliberate attempt to trade off of Yamaha’s reputation and goodwill in the industry. “For over 50 years, Yamaha has invested serious money into researching, developing and promoting its brand of motorcycles and ATVs and can rightfully claim pride in its reputation for quality and innovation,” stated Russell D. Jura, General Counsel for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. “Consumers have come to associate the Yamaha brand with superior, reliable products. Yet, the Defendants are trying to undermine and sabotage our hard-earned reputation by deliberately copying our products, from body design and shape to customized logos, in an attempt to confuse the public and sell them inferior products.” “Yamaha, not Yamoto, holds the appropriate trademark registrations for all of its products,” explained Jura. “Our distributors, wholesalers, retailers and customers know that they can always expect quality from us. Yamoto’s imitation of our products has been fraudulent and deceptive from day one, and this is simply unacceptable to us, and that’s why we will assert our legal rights against anyone knocking off what is rightfully ours.”
Muggeridge, Toseland Test Winston Ten Kate Hondas In The Dry At Valencia
WEATHER AND LAP TIMES IMPROVE IN VALENCIA Day two of the Pirelli SBK test saw a distinct improvement in the weather after rain and low temperatures affected the Ricardo Tormo circuit near Valencia in Spain yesterday. Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Karl Muggeridge took to the 4km circuit his first time back on the Honda CBR1000RR after his dramatic crash in the final race of the 2005 World Superbike championship at Magny-Cours in France. After 30 laps yesterday, Muggeridge’s new team-mate, James Toseland, spent a more productive day familiarising himself with the Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR in readiness for his debut with the team at the first round of the 2006 series in Qatar next February. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “I’m happy that we’ve had a day in which we’ve been able to complete a lot of laps with both riders. With Karl, we’ve tested quite a few parts and tyres while James has simply been getting used to his new machine. He’s developed a good approach by making longer runs and every time he goes out he’s getting to know the CBR1000RR’s characteristics better. Of course, he’s not fully used to it yet but a positive sign for me is that I see him with a constant smile on his face. We will build on today’s progress in our next outing at Qatar in three weeks.” Karl Muggeridge best time 1m36.9s “We haven’t really touched the bike at all today; just trying some new braking components and lots of different front tyres, although there doesn’t seem to be a lot of difference between them. Physically, I’m not in bad shape after the crash in France. My foot and ribs seem to have healed pretty well but my neck is sore. I twisted my back in the crash and my spine is out of alignment so I’m going back to Australia on Monday and I’ll try to get myself straightened out before Qatar. There’s a positive mood in the team and it’s good to have James on board, so we’re all looking forward to some more good testing and the start of next season.” James Toseland best time 1m37.5s: “It’s gone really well today. The bike’s not doing anything it shouldn’t and I’m just gradually getting used to it. There’s plenty of time to get some more testing in and plenty more to learn about the bike, which we haven’t changed at all really. I’m just getting more familiar with it and more comfortable on it each time I go out. I’ll do some more training before we go to Qatar and make a lot more progress there hopefully. The team structure is really sound and we’re working well together. But until I get more of a genuine feeling for the bike there’s not much useful feedback I can give. The bike feels excellent so far though, and I’m really looking forward to the start of the season.”