From a press release:

NO LONGER PUBLICITY AS USUAL: POPULAR MOTORCYCLE SERIES HIRES SCHUTTE/HPPR TO BOOST PR PUNCH

Santa Ana, CA – December 2, 2004 – Advanstar’s Powersports Group today announced a new partnership with PR specialist Pat Schutte of High Profile Public Relations (HPPR). The goal is to further boost the series’ already prolific publicity efforts for the remainder of the 2005 Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® Presented By Toyota Trucks tour.

Schutte, who possesses a wealth of experience in powersports media relations – as well as existing mainstream media contacts within the markets hosting the motorcycle shows – is excited to get started.

“The Powersports Group has been producing the shows for nearly a quarter century, so the brand is already in place with the core consumers,” said Schutte. “I’m here to jump in and create some additional hype for these already popular events – to mine a fresh image for the media and generate local buzz for the tour.”

“The motorcycle community is a close-knit, fun-loving fraternity,” continues Schutte. “These motorcycle shows are the embodiment of this high-spirited lifestyle – with cool new products, the latest vehicles from major OEMs, stunt features, bike giveaways, demo ride, the Kids Cycle Center and more! There’s something for riders at any level, at these family-oriented events.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with Pat Schutte and HPPR,” said Jeff D’Entremont, Show Director for the Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® Presented By Toyota Trucks. “Pat has a wealth of industry knowledge and a proven track record for getting results. His job, in a nutshell, will be to get out and bang the mainstream publicity drum for the nation’s biggest and longest-running consumer motorcycle shows.”

The partnership between HPPR and the Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® Presented By Toyota Trucks goes into effect immediately.

ABOUT THE SERIES
The Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® offer an unparalleled opportunity for bike buffs, along with casual enthusiasts, to experience the cutting-edge of powersports vehicles, products, and services. The show boasts long-term relationships with both its title sponsor, Cycle World (12 years), the world’s foremost motorcycling magazine, and with its presenting sponsor Toyota Trucks (7 years), the world’s leading manufacturer of light trucks. For a full 2005 show schedule, please visit: www.motorcycleshows.com.

ABOUT THE POWERSPORTS GROUP
The Powersports Group is the biggest producer worldwide for trade and consumer shows in the powersports industry, including the single largest aftermarket trade-only event: the Dealernews International Powersports Dealer Expo. In addition to Dealer Expo, our powersports shows encompass nearly every product in all segments of the industry. Our Big Twin East and West shows represent the passion of Big Twin, bringing together the manufacturers, builders, and buyers who power the marketplace. Dirt Expo is the premier event for the off-road powersports industry, which runs alongside the Maxxis U.S. Open of Supercross in Las Vegas. Targeting key motorcycle markets across the country, the Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® Presented By Toyota Trucks draws more than 615,000 eager powersports consumers of all levels.

ABOUT HPPR
High Profile Public Relations (HPPR), LLC, is a multi-faceted communications agency specializing in strategic media relations – both industry and mainstream – for the powersports and action sports communities. Dialed in with all forms of power and action sports, its participants, manufacturers and live event promoters, HPPR’s Pat Schutte can be reached at (734) 369-2170 and [email protected].

More information is available from the InfoLine at (800)-331-5706 and (218)-723-9130 or to www.motorcycleshows.com.

From a press release issued by series organizers:

NATIONAL SERIES ADDS THUNDER

TORONTO, ON Three of the most famous names in motorcycle history will join the Parts Canada Superbike Championship on a regular basis beginning next year.

BMW Motorrad Canada, Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada, through its Buell brand and Ducati North America have reached an agreement with Professional Motorsport Productions to add the Thunder class to the national road racing series in 2005 and 2006.

The Thunder series will run at all events on the Parts Canada Superbike tour in 2005 except for the rounds at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park and the Montreal Molson Indy Superbike Invitational. The two-year agreement provides for the addition of a race in Calgary in 2006.

Thunder joins the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship and International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Championship as a national support category to the feature Parts Canada Superbike Championship chase.

The Thunder division will run to national series standards and feature guaranteed prize money of $3,000 per round. The organizing sponsor group is also looking into arranging a title sponsor to provide a year-end point fund.

Thunder is designed for air-cooled twin-cylinder production-based sport motorcycles. The series ran with selected national and regional events in 2004 under the organization of RACE Event Inc. with backing from Buell.

The new national class will run Pro and Amateur divisions.

“The Thunder class will be an exciting addition to the Parts Canada national tour,” said series producer Colin Fraser of PMP. “All the sponsors and supporters of our series are looking forward to helping Thunder develop. Thunder will add a new element to the program, with a close-running field of bikes that look and sound different from our existing Sport Bikes.”

Buell, Ducati and BMW have agreed that a minimum of 25 machines will attend each event and each constructor has specially-priced new models reserved for the series. BMW will offer the “Boxer Cup” R1100S and Ducati its 1000SS. Buell will apply the special pricing to any of its models eligible for the series. Existing models are also legal for the Thunder series under the revised 2005 rules, which will shortly be posted on the official Parts Canada Superbike website, www.cdnsuperbike.com.

Minimum weight for Thunder machines will be 395 lbs. and the series will have a maximum horsepower of 95 hp. Weight and horsepower will be measured immediately after each race on the official series scales and Dynojet Dyno, respectively.

The series will be administered by PMP staff under the guidance of event director Brian Williams and technical director Mark Orchard. The national event staff will be expanded to include dedicated Thunder management personnel, including registration and tech officials.

As in 2004, Thunder results, stories and point standings will be featured on the Parts Canada Superbike website.

“All three manufacturers are excited to see Thunder go to the national level,” said Chris Duff, events and promotions co-ordinator for BMW Motorrad Canada. “We are looking to showcase our motorcycles in the ultimate sport bike environment and show the sport bike buying public that our models are dynamic, energetic and fast.”

Joining Duff as manufacturer representatives for the series will be Ric Marrero of Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada and Steve Hicks of Terminal Velocity for Ducati North America.

Vancouver’s Darren James took the 2004 Thunder title, clinching the crown in the final event at Shannonville Motorsport Park. James also placed second in the Amateur 600 Sport Bike national series, winning the round at Mosport International Raceway.

2005 Thunder Schedule

May 20-22, Shannonville Motorsport Park (Pro Track), Shannonville, ON

July 15-17 Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, ON

Aug. 5-7, Atlantic Motorsport Park, Shubenacadie, NS

Sept. 2-4, Shannonville Motorsport Park (Long Track), Shannonville, ON

Sept. 9-11, Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, QC

From a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki:

JR and Scott kick-off Crescent’s winter sale

BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPION John Reynolds and new for 2005 Rizla Suzuki team mate Scott Smart will be at the Crescent Performance Centre in Verwood, Dorset, this Saturday December 4th to launch the dealership’s biggest ever winter sale.

It will be the first time that JR and Scott make a public appearance at the Crescent Performance Centre, the home to the Rizla Suzuki British Superbike team and Europe’s number one Suzuki and Performance Tuning dealership.

On Saturday December 4th, visitors will also get to meet new Suzuki MotoGP team manager Paul Denning, glimpse the BSB title winning Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000, enter to win two VIP passes to the first round of the 2005 BSB series and browse through a host of winter offers with plenty of money off top-of-the-range names like Alpinestars, RS Taichi, Oakley, Spy and many more!

The sale starts at 9am and runs until 5pm on Saturday December 4th. The sale itself will continue until January 31st so there is plenty of time for bargain hunters to make a visit. Please note Crescent will be closed from 25th December and will re-open on January 4th.

Saturday, December 4th, main attractions:

· Rizla Suzuki Championship winning GSX-R1000 on display – for sale at £55,000
· Rizla Suzuki GSX-R600 race bike on display and for sale at £15,000
· Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP racer on display (not for sale)
· 2005 model GSX-R1000 on display – soon to be developed into JR’s Rizla Suzuki race bike
· Free to enter competition – Win VIP tickets to the opening round of BSB 2005 courtesy of Rizla Suzuki, worth £600
· Best road bike in the world (MCN) Kagayama Express for sale, offers over £35,000 – best bid secures
· Crescent loyalty card, get 10% off all items when you join up (excluding bikes and sale items)
· MCN Sofa – you could feature in MCN the following week, debating what is better, the Rizla Suzuki Superbike or Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP racer
· New bike offers: 1: JR Championship winning GSX-R1000 Replica Limited edition – only 3 left! 2: Rizla Suzuki SV1000S Replica, including lower fairing, just £5995. 3: Exclusive Rizla Suzuki GSX-R600 Replicas for £6995. 4: GSX-R1000K4 from £6995. 5: GSX-R600K4 from £5695. 6: SV1000SK3 from £4995 including free lower fairing. 7: SV650S from £3995 and many more on the day – make a sensible offer!
· Christmas stocking fillers: 50% off selected lines, including Spy sunglasses, Oakley, Alpinestars, RS Taichi and many more!!!

For further details, call the Crescent Performance Centre on 01202-820170, e-mail: [email protected] or visit www.crescent-suzuki.com.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A moratorium prohibiting testing by all teams in all classes of the FIM MotoGP World Championship begins today and will extend through January 20, 2005.

According to the 2004 FIM rulebook, this testing ban applies to: “all teams in all classes who participated in the preceding season and those teams that have been notified of acceptance for, or already have a contract of participation for, the following season. The restriction applies to testing by these teams of machines used in any class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix with riders nominated for the Championship or test riders.”

From a press release issued by Dorna:

MotoGP television audiences continue to grow in 2004

Television audiences around the globe for the MotoGP World Championship continued to grow in 2004, one of the most exciting seasons in the 55-year history of the series. In total, some 5,226 million viewers tuned in to the sixteen rounds of the championship as Valentino Rossi won the title in his first season with Yamaha, a staggering 121 million more than those who saw him win for Honda the previous year.

MotoGP coverage was provided in every corner of the world, with the average number viewers per Grand Prix boosted to 327 million in 208 countries, an increase of 2.5% on 2003. Almost half of that total (148 million) watched the races live in 185 countries, through 47 terrestrial and pan-continental broadcasters.

Improved exposure from free-to-air broadcasters saw the total broadcast hours for the season also increased, rising 4% to 3,729 hours. In addition, 270 million homes were reached by cable or satellite

Adding to established broadcasters, such as Mediaset (Italy), TVE (Spain), BBC (Great Britain), RTL (Germany), NHK and NTV (Japan), Ten and Fox (Australia), Globo (Brazil), RTL Club (Belgium), RTE (Ireland), Nelonen (Finland), NOS (Netherlands), TSI, TSR and DRS (Switzerland), ATV+ (Austria), Guangdong TV, Shanghai TV and Beijing TV (China) and Center TV (Russia), new channels in 2004 included Magic TV (Greece), Prime TV (New Zealand), Ten Sports (India and Pakistan), Channel 11 (Thailand), RTS (Serbia) and Al Jazeera Sport (Middle East).

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Do you think you could post something on your site for other racers to keep an eye out for my stolen leathers? They were stolen in the Los Angeles area. Pics are here:

http://www.yroui-racing.com/Leathers/front.jpg
http://www.yroui-racing.com/Leathers/back.jpg
http://www.yroui-racing.com/Leathers/left.jpg
http://www.yroui-racing.com/Leathers/right.jpg

I was headed to a Fastrack event at Fontana on November 27-28, but someone broke into my teammate’s trailer in Mission Hills, California the night before and stole my brand new custom leathers, spine protector, helmet, gloves, toolbox and tools. This was especially frustrating because I broke my leg pretty badly in February and have spent the last nine months going through multiple surgeries and trying to get back on the bike.

What a way to kick me while I’m down.

Lisa Birch
AFM/CCS/WERA #575
www.yroui-racing.com
Seaside, California

From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

TEXAS STYLE DUCATI MONSTER CHALLENGE AT DALLAS IMS SHOW

More Monster Challenge winners prove that Ducatisti in Texas know what makes the coolest Ducati Monster

Cupertino, CA – December 1, 2004 – Round 2 of the continued search for the coolest Monster in North America concluded the weekend before Thanksgiving in Dallas, Texas at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show. As with the previous show, each bike had a unique flavor and style. However, Kyle Diane Brussich, a Houston resident, tossed down the gauntlet to all the Monster men when she was judged best of show, winning the trip to Daytona. Her beautifully outfitted 2000 Monster 900 showed a staggering amount of creativity, hard work, and investment. She will definitely be a contender during the final round in Daytona.



Kyle says her bike is cool because, “Cool is watching the expressions on the faces of people when after seeing the bike they want to know whose it is and I get to tell them it’s mine. And I’m a girl. Then I get to spend hours answering their questions on how I came up with such an awesome bike. That’s way cool.”

Jim Gnitecki from Austin, Texas won second place with his 2002 Monster S4. The bike is mostly carbon fiber and you can see the attention to detail in the fit and finish. Jim’s bike flaunts a weight savings of more than 50 pounds compared to a stock bike. Jim was also selected as the “Dallas Wildcard” so he still has a shot at attending the final round.

Third place, Clifford Zeifman also from Austin, showed a beautiful 2001 Monster 900 Chromo. This bike was a limited edition model with a chrome fuel tank and Clifford’s bike was very cleanly punctuated with carbon fiber.

One hundred and seventy IMS show patrons voted Jeff Brooks’ 1998 Monster 900 the “People’s Choice” winner. Jeff’s bike boasts a unique white paintjob and has a very race bike appearance. His bike is clean, simple, and unique, an excellent recipe for winning the hearts of fans. Jeff is from Austin and works for Ducati Austin.

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 five market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport; Monster, Sport Touring and Multistrada. 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 www.ducati.com.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Ruben Xaus joins Toni Elias at Yamaha Tech3

The French based Yamaha Tech3 team has announced its 2005 MotoGP World Championship rider line-up with Ruben Xaus joining fellow Spaniard and former GP 250 rider Toni Elias on the YZR-M1. Xaus, who signed a one-year deal with the Tech3 team, finished his Rookie MotoGP season in 11th place, after having scored points in 11 of the 16 round championship – a result which secured the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title for the former Superbike and Supersport rider. He is set to join Elias for his first test aboard the 2005 YZR-M1 in Malaysia next year – January 22.

Tech3 team Manager Hervè Poncharal had this to say about the two new rider signings: “After having signed Toni Elias we decided with our partners of the Altadis group, to complete the package by recruiting Ruben Xaus. Ruben not only showed consistency during the 2004 season, by finishing 11 MotoGPs, but he also produced an impressive third place finish at the Qatar Grand Prix.”

After securing fourth place in the 2004 GP250 World Championship Elias sampled the 2004 YZR-M1 for the first time in a Valencia following the final round of the season. The young Spaniard is now looking forward to the season beginning in earnest.

“Elias is clearly a talent, evident from his impressive performance on the M1 during the Valencia test, and I’m sure he will make his mark in MotoGP in the not too distant future,” explained Poncharal. “He is a very promising young rider who is showing a real enthusiasm for this new venture, which is just the injection of life our team needs.

“It is Elias’ mix of youth, and the four-stroke experience that will come with Ruben which I believe will provide the balance for a successful season for the Tech3 team. We are confident that Xaus will take the next step in his MotoGP career and that we will see him fighting for more podium results in 2005, allowing Elias the opportunity to hone his skills aboard the more powerful M1 and develop into a future MotoGP Championship contender.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

We’re collecting nominations for the Eighth Annual Roadracing World Young Guns feature, highlighting up-and-coming young road racers from the United States and Canada.

To qualify for the Young Guns feature, a racer must be between the ages of 13 and 19, have finished in the top three in a sanctioned Expert-level road race or Championship on a 125cc or larger motorcycle with full-size wheels, and reside within the United States or Canada. Teenagers with paid professional rides may or may not be excluded to make room for up-and-coming riders, as required by space limitations.

The Roadracing World Young Guns series started as an answer to critics who said America lacked up-and-coming young riders.

Returning Young Guns should call David Swarts at 951-245-6411 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to quickly update their profile.

To nominate a new youngster for the latest Young Guns feature, obtain, fill out and return a Young Guns questionnaire to Roadracing World by February 1, 2005. Questionnaires may be obtained by downloading them from the link on this page or by calling Roadracing World headquarters at 951-245-6411 and requesting that a questionnaire be e-mailed, FAXed or mailed to you (e-mail is preferred).

Questionnaires can be returned via e-mail, FAX (951-245-6417) or U.S. mail.

In addition to their completed questionnaires, candidates should also submit an action photo and a head shot suitable for magazine reproduction; all submitted photos must include written permission to reproduce, from the photographer. Scans and photocopies of photos are not usable. Digital images must be high-resolution, or 300 ppi/dpi or higher at 4×6-inches. All photos must have the name of the rider and the photographer included, along with when and where the photo was taken, including the racetrack and race sanctioning body. Photos will be returned.

The mailing address is: Roadracing World, Attn: Young Guns, P.O. Box 1428, Lake Elsinore, CA 92531-1428

The Federal Express or other overnight delivery address is: Roadracing World, Attn: Young Guns, 581-C Birch St., Lake Elsinore, CA 92530

The seven Young Guns features to date appeared in the November 1997, March 1999, February 2000, March 2001, February 2002, April 2003 and April 2004 issues.

If you have any questions, call 951-245-6411 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. PST and ask to speak to David Swarts or e-mail [email protected].

Click here to download a pdf questionnaire that you can print out to mail or FAX in.

Click here to download a Word document questionnaire that you can complete and return via email.