From a press release not quite announcing the motorsports sponsorship deal we’d really like to see:

U. S. Air Force to Sponsor the IFMA Freestyle Motocross Series

AURORA, III. – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announced that the United States Air Force will sponsor the IFMA Freestyle Motocross Series and select USHRA Monster Jam events in 2005. The agreement provides the U.S. Air Force with prominent on-site presence at the live events. Additionally, local recruiting squadrons will be stationed at highly visible locations to promote U.S. Air Force career opportunities.

“We are thrilled to announce the U.S. Air Force sponsorship,” said Scott Mendel, national sales director, Clear Channel Entertainment – Motor Sports. “Not only are they a great fit to our high-flying events, but our events offer a great forum for the U.S. Air Force to reach young men and women.”

“The Air Force’s relationship with Motocross allows us to broaden Air Force awareness with motor sports fans across the country,” said Brig. Gen. Dutch Remkes, commander of Air Force Recruiting Service at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. “It provides an opportunity for fans who share the excitement of Motocross to learn about the diverse team of Air Force men and women who serve their nation.”

About Clear Channel Entertainment

Clear Channel Entertainment, the world’s largest producer and marketer of live entertainment events, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide (NYSE: CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books 135 live entertainment venues, including 44 amphitheaters in the U.S. and 28 venues in Europe. Each year, more than 62 million people attend approximately 26,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including: Live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; and specialized sports and motor sports shows.

In addition, Clear Channel Entertainment owns leading talent management businesses that specialize in the representation of athletes and broadcasters, including independently operated baseball, basketball and football businesses. Clear Channel Entertainment is headquartered in New York City.

Copyright 2005, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Last week my 2001 GSX-R600 and several thousand dollars in tools were stolen out of my garage in broad daylight. I was unfortunately uninsured for that as funds have been thin.

The bike is blue/white with blue Sharkskinz plastic. It has a softball-sized dent in the right side of the gas tank and right frame spar. It has a full Micron Serpent exhaust, Sunstar floating rotors, EDR Performance stickers, PPTuning rearsets, and had Dunlop 208GP tires with a 190 rear when it was stolen. It also still had the license plate on it, an LED tail light, and a small PIAA type headlight in the bottom of the front fairing. It had no numbers on it at the time, but does still have a racing type paint job with white front and rear number plates. I can be contacted at 503-679-3907 or e-mail [email protected]

It was stolen in East Gresham Oregon between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Luke Morgan
OMRRA #311
East Gresham, Oregon

Copyright 2005, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing Web Development Manager Matt Ringlien will resign his position with the organization effective January 14.

In a January 10 e-mail to Roadracingworld.com, Ringlien, who has been with the sanctioning body for nine years, wrote that he has made the difficult decision to “move on to new opportunities.” He plans to join the management team of a Columbus, Ohio automobile dealership.

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

SUZUKI STAGES GSX-R SEMINARS

Team Suzuki Press Office – January 10, 2004.

Suzuki is staging a series of four specialist Yoshimura GSX-R Seminars this month, the first of which kicks off at Crescent Racing in the UK today, Monday.

The aim of the seminars is to improve tuning techniques and racing kit knowledge amongst dealer-supported race teams and also enhance the brand image of the highly-competitive GSX-R range of motorcycles that has dominated both the AMA and British Superbike series’ last season in the hands of Yoshimura Suzuki star Mat Mladin and Rizla Suzuki’’s John Reynolds.

The seminars will focus on the new GSX-R1000K5 and the “EM-Pro”,– a brand new kit part for the setting tool of the engine management system.

After today’’s seminar, which was attended by more than 40 UK dealers and teams, Suzuki will move to Germany (January 13th), France (January 18th) and then Italy for the final seminar on January 21st.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Haga returns to Yamaha for 2005

10/1/2005

Yamaha has signed popular Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga to complete its line-up for the 2005 Superbike World Championship season.

Haga will race a YZF-R1 for the Milan-based Yamaha Motor Italia team, reuniting him with the brand on which he made his name in the late Nineties. The Japanese ace was a Yamaha rider between 1994 and 2001 and during this period he won 11 world superbike races, taking a best championship finish of second in the 2000 season, Yamaha’s last year of official participation in the series.

Last year Noriyuki rode a privately-entered Ducati to six wins and third in the series, a result bettered only by the Italian manufacturer’s factory entered riders.

Haga will have his first experience of the R1 when he joins team-mate Andrew Pitt in a three day test at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia later this month. Pitt has already completed two tests with the R1, both at Valencia in Spain, which Haga was unable to attend for contractual reasons.

In addition to Yamaha Motor Europe’s officially-supported Italian squad, a number of other long-standing Yamaha teams have announced their intention to independently enter the 2005 Superbike World Championship using race-kitted YZF-R1 machinery. Among the teams due to line-up on the grid this year are: Yamaha Motor France, who will enter former Grand Prix riders Norifumi Abe and Sebastien Gimbert; European Superstock Champions Lorenzini by Leoni, who are running Italian rider Gianluca Vizziello; and reigning Endurance World Champions Yamaha GMT94, who are intending to enter selected rounds with Spanish rider David Checa.

Noriyuki Haga
“I’m looking forward to returning to Yamaha and turning the R1 into a winner! I am on holiday with my family just now so I should be feeling good when I meet up with the team for my first ride on the bike, at Phillip Island later this month. I’m very happy to be staying in superbikes and joining this good team. As everyone knows, I love this championship and I’ve also worked with many of my mechanics before, and also the people at Yamaha Europe, so it will not feel all new to me. It should be fun!”

Claudio Consonni – Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Italia
“We’re all very excited about Noriyuki joining us for this year. He is one of the all-time greats of world superbike and a very popular rider. Already there is a great spirit within the team after Andrew’s valuable feedback and performances in our early tests and now we’re looking forward to getting out to Australia for our first test with both riders.”

Laurens Klein Koerkamp (Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe) “We’re looking forward to working with Nori-chan again. His performances last year showed that his is as fast as ever and he is also such a popular rider – that is good for us, the championship and our fans.

“Andrew has already had two good tests but our bike is still an unknown quantity at this level and we will be going to each circuit without a base set up. We have set a target of being able to win races in the latter half of the season and we believe that we will be able to challenge for the title in 2006.”

Rider profiles

Noriyuki Haga
Date of birth: 02.03.1975
Place of birth: Aichi, Japan
Marital status: Married with two sons
Height: 168cm
Weight: 65kg

Career history
2004 Superbike World Championship (third)
2003 MotoGP World Championship (14th)
2002 Superbike World Championship (fourth)
2001 500cc World Championship (14th)
2000 Superbike World Championship (second)
1999 Superbike World Championship (seventh)
1998 Superbike World Championship (sixth)
1997 All Japan Superbike Champion
Superbike World Championship (13th)
1996 All Japan Superbike Championship (eighth)
Won Suzuki 8-Hour (with Colin Edwards)
1995 All Japan Superbike Championship (10th)
1994 All Japan Superbike Championship (ninth)
1993 All Japan 250cc Championship (13th)

Andrew Pitt
Date of birth: 19.02.1976
Place of birth: Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia
Resides: Douglas, Isle of Man
Marital status: Single
Height: 178cm
Weight: 65kg

Career history
2004 Supersport World Championship (12th)
MotoGP World Championship (27th)
2003 MotoGP World Championship (26th)
2002 Supersport World Championship (fifth)
2001 Supersport World Champion
2000 Supersport World Championship (10th)
1999 Australian Supersport Champion
Australian Superbike Championship (second)
1998 Australian Supersport Championship (second)
1997 Victorian Supersport Champion
1996 Australian 250cc Production Championship (second)

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

CARLOS CHECA MAKES FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO DUCATI

Bologna (Italy): Spanish rider Carlos Checa started off the New Year and his new career in Ducati with a first-ever official visit to the Italian manufacturer’s factory in Borgo Panigale.

After positive tests last November in Spain and first contact with the new Ducati Marlboro Team and his new Desmosedici machine, Carlos came to Bologna to personally get to know the Ducati Corse engineers and technicians who will be following him from the factory, the Ducati employees, who gave him a warm welcome, and to see where the most famous Italian twin-cylinder motorbikes in the world are produced.

Before leaving for Sepang, where he will test for the first time in 2005 from January 23-25 together with team-mate Loris Capirossi, Checa will be taking part in the Wroom MotoGP press meeting, where he will spend a few days on the snows of Madonna di Campiglio.

From a press release issued by Motonation, the U.S. importer of Sidi boots:

Ben Attard changes teams but stays with Sidi.

New Zealand’s Ben Attard decided to change his bike team for 2005, now a part of the Attack Kawasaki squad, but there was one area of his program he did not want to mess with–his boots!

Having used Sidi in his first season in the USA and helping to develop the new Vertigo Corsa model Ben thought it would be crass to even consider listening to other boot offers. Staying with Sidi, Ben can look forward to the best in protection and control in his Sidi Vertigo Corsa boots as well as many off-weekend trips to Mexico with the Motonation team and company mascot Tony the Burro.


More, from another press release issued by Motonation, which apparently has a fixation on donkeys:

Motonation’s new 2005 catalog is almost here!

The new 2005 catalog is on press right now!

Available late January this is Motonation’s largest catalog ever with over 65 pages of the finest rider protective products in the world! Throughout this high quality piece you will find page after page of the finest boots in the world from Sidi, one of the most value based boot lines in the USA – Set Up and the most extensive selection of Spidi road apparel ever offered in the USA!

Consumers can view the catalog on line at www.motonation.com or can get a hard copy by sending $5 to Motonation c/o Tony the Burro who will kick one your way within hours of receipt.

Motonation
1100 North Magnolia Ave, ste A
El Cajon CA 92020
Phone (619) 401-4107
Fax (619) 401-4108
www.motonation.com

From a press release:

Mike Sullivan Road Racing and Performance Riding School has finalized its 2005 schedule.

Held at three Northwest racetracks, the school features instruction for street riders who would like to try track riding all the way to the advanced racer who wants to get to the next level.

Our popular All Women’s Day will is scheduled for July 28th at Pacific Raceways. Other dates are: Spokane Raceway Park: May 26th, July 21st, August 20th and September 1st; Pacific Raceway: June 23rd and August 24th; Portland International Raceway: June 23rd.

For more information, please go to SullivanRaceSchool.com or call (360)736-2791.

From a press release issued by the FIM:

Superbike & Supersport World Championships

Final calendar

The following changes were made to the 2005 calendar of the Superbike & Supersport World Championships. The round scheduled in Brno, Czech Republic, will take place on July 17 (instead of June 12). The round scheduled in Imola, Italy, will be held on October 2 (instead of September 25). The final calendar is the following:

February 26 Qatar Doha/Losail
April 3 Australia Phillip Island
April 24 Spain Valencia
May 8 Italy Monza
May 29 Great-Britain Silverstone
June 26 San Marino Misano
July 17 Czech Rep. Brno
August 7 Great-Britain Brands Hatch
September 4 Netherlands Assen
September 11 Germany Eurospeedway Lausitz
October 2 Italy Imola
October 9 France Magny-Cours

Note : A Superstock FIM Cup event will be organised at each round in Europe.