Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing Inc.
Sources close to Ducati revealed today that Ducati Corse wants its National Superbike teams to run Bridgestone tires in 2005.
Ducati Corse is switching its MotoGP program to Bridgestone and is asking all its factory-supported teams to do the same, including Ducati Austin.
Ducati’s factory team in the World Superbike series cannot switch to Bridgestone due to rules requiring the use of Pirelli tires.
From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
AMA RED BULL SUPERMOTO A-GO-GO LOADED WITH WORLD CLASS TALENT
MotoGP rider Hoffman to ride Kawasaki KLX400 in its AMA Supermoto debut
The AMA Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go this Saturday, Nov. 13, will not only feature the top riders from the AMA Championship such as Jeff Ward, Doug Henry and Jurgen Kunzel, but will also introduce U.S. fans to a number of top level riders who don’t regularly compete in the AMA Supermoto Championship.
Perhaps the most intriguing entry is that of Kawasaki’s MotoGP rider Alex Hofmann. The 24-year-old German started his career as a motocross racer before switching to road racing so he should feel right at home in supermoto racing. Hofmann will ride a specially prepared Kawasaki KLX400, a motorcycle that has never been raced in AMA Supermoto competition.
Ben Bostrom came to a last-minute agreement with Honda to race in Las Vegas. The defending AMA Supermoto champ is a natural on a supermoto bike. He showed that last year by taking victory in the action-packed championship finale over Doug Henry and Jeff Ward. Bostrom solidified his claim to being one of the best supermoto riders in the world when he made a riveting last-lap pass on Eddy Seel to win the inaugural X-Games Supermoto final. Bostrom will have an advantage of a factory-prepped Honda CRF450R, which promises to be one of the fastest bikes in the field.
Eddy Seel is eager to exact revenge for the ruthless move Bostrom pulled on him in the X-Games. Seel, a Belgian who is the defending S1 Supermoto World Champ, is expected to make a major impact in Las Vegas on the Pacifico Husqvarna.
Boris Chambon will return to AMA competition in Las Vegas on a Red Bull KTM. Chambon made a few appearances in the AMA series last year and had an unfortunate early exit from the Supermoto A-Go-Go last year after crashing in the dirt section on the second lap. The 29-year-old French Supermoto champ will be looking to make up for last year’s error.
Leighton Haigh is a British Supermoto Champion and he could sneak under the radar and surprise some folks at Las Vegas. Ditto for Swiss ace Daniel Muller. Both have raced in AMA prior to the weekend, but are better known for their exploits across the pond.
Headlining the Supermoto Unlimited entries is Gerald Delepine. Delepine, comes into this Saturday’s race ranked fourth in the S1 Supermoto World Championship. The 34-year-old factory Husky rider was the runner up in the world championship in 2002 and is definitely favored to give the dominating KTM duo of Jurgen Kunzel and Kurt Nicoll a challenge on the big bikes.
Frederic Fiorentino is another fast Belgian and a former top-10 rider in the world championships. Fiorentino will ride for Fast 50s. Another name rider in the Supermoto Unlimited class is Graham Cheney, who won the Queensland Supermoto Championship in Australia earlier this year. Cheney will ride a Husaberg.
All of these international riders added to the mix are certain to make for the most exciting AMA Supermoto race in the short two-year history of the series.
The AMA Red Bull Supermoto-a-Go-Go at Bally’s will feature practice and qualifying on Friday, Nov. 12 and heat races and finals on Saturday, Nov. 13. The race is open free to the public and pit passes are available for purchase. The races will be telecast nationally on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) on Nov. 17.
From a press release issued by NASA:
VETERAN ASTRONAUT DUANE CAREY LEAVES SPACE TO SEE THE WORLD
After fulfilling one dream to pilot a Space Shuttle and see the world from space, Astronaut Duane G. “Digger” Carey (Lt. Col, USAF-Ret) has left NASA to pursue another — to see the planet up close from the open road.
Carey plans to begin a motorcycle tour of the United States and eventually the world, camping along the way. He and his wife, Cheryl, are moving to Colorado Springs, CO, to prepare for the trip. They plan to launch their travels with a break-in expedition to Alaska.
Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996, Carey served as pilot of Space Shuttle mission STS-109 in 2002, a maintenance flight to the Hubble Space Telescope. STS-109 orbited the earth 165 times, traveling about 3.9 million miles.
“Duane is an exceptional Shuttle pilot, but years ago he was bitten by the motorcycle touring bug, and he always wanted to return to near-Earth exploration of our country aboard a motorcycle,” said Ken Bowersox, Director of Flight Crew Operations. “We’ll really miss his skill and expertise, but we all envy him in some way for heading off in a new direction.”
“Cheryl and I will attempt to consummate a dream we first envisioned over 25 years ago,” Carey said. “Our 22-plus years of public service in the United States Air Force and NASA have been incredibly rewarding, and we hope we’ve contributed something useful to our country over those years. Please join us in our hopes that America will continue her push for the stars, a quest that represents the single best hope for all of our futures.”
As a young man, Carey discovered motorcycle touring and traveled the U.S., Mexico and Canada. He met his wife during that time, and they traveled together. Later, they settled down to raise a family. Carey began a career in the Air Force.
“I was lucky,” Carey said. “In the Air Force, I learned to fly jets, and I did pretty well at it. I love flying. When I was able to join NASA and fly in space, I realized one of my greatest dreams.”
But despite those pinnacles of success at his chosen profession, the dream of traveling the road and discovering the world along the way has always remained. “Many people would be amazed, but every day, every day, since those days on the road, I’ve had moments thinking about that experience. It’s a passion for me,” he said. “Even while looking down from space, I would imagine moving across those green expanses on a motorcycle. Now, I’ll be traveling those roads and looking up to where I once was.”
During his travels, Carey plans to talk to young people about the importance of math and science and the wonder of space travel.
“I owe a lot to my country,” he explained. “I’ve been an Air Force jet pilot, and I’ve been an astronaut. And now, I want to tell people the importance of space flight, especially in the smaller, more rural communities I expect to visit.”
Around campfires, there will be great surprise, and probably disbelief, when Carey relays to fellow campers his background as an astronaut, an astronaut far from the beaten path.
“To explore, we must always take some risks. We have to explore new territory. We don’t know what we’ll find out there, but we have to go out and find our future,” he said.
From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:
Aussies rule for Foggy PETRONAS Racing
Carl Fogarty has signed Australian pair Garry McCoy and Steve Martin for his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team’s 2005 Superbike World Championship campaign.
The two riders will have their first taste of action on the PETRONAS FP1 at a three-day test in Valencia, Spain, next week.
Carl said: “I am very pleased to have been able to replace our riders from last year, who finished 9th and 11th in the championship, with two guys who finished 6th and 7th. We were very impressed by the standard of riders that were interested in joining us next year, which provided a few headaches. But, out of all of them, I felt Garry and Steve were the hungriest for success – and with points still to prove.
“Garry is a very exciting rider, with a proven pedigree, who I think will adapt well to our bike. He has a radical style and he has won GPs on a high revving two-stroke machine. The FP1’s power characteristics are probably closer to that type of machine than the Ducati he rode last year.
“Steve is probably the most under-rated rider on the world scene. He wants to be noticed and now it’s up to him to make people sit up and take notice. He is a gutsy competitor, with good set-up abilities, who suffered with reliability problems last year so he was the name that nobody mentioned – but they will now!”
McCoy, 32, completed his first season in World Superbikes last year, finishing sixth in the championship and winning his home race at Phillip Island. Brought up in speedway, McCoy is known for his exhilarating riding style, sliding the back wheel into corners. During his career in Grand Prix racing he won three 500cc GPs in 2000, when he finished fifth in the championship. Before switching to superbikes he achieved a total of 17 GP podiums, including five victories.
Garry said: “I am really looking forward to it. It is still only early days for the FP1 but, from the results the team has been achieving lately, it’s clear it has potential. I never set myself targets, I just go out to win. But I am really hoping to do better than last year as I now know a lot of the tracks that I didn’t know in my first season, which made it really tough. I am also really pleased to have Steve as a team-mate and the chance to share information in trying to get the bike up there challenging for podiums.”
Martin, 35, is a former Australian Superbike champion, who spent three years in World Superbikes with a Pirelli development team before the single-manufacturer tyre rule came into force last season. Despite a series of agonising technical failures during races he finished seventh in the championship standings, including five podium finishes. His natural talent was also underlined with three pole positions in 2004.
Steve said: “I am really excited by this opportunity and I am going to give it everything I have got. I know the team has a great bunch of guys and a great bunch of technicians who will be right behind me and I am sure that we can challenge consistently for podiums and better my seventh place in last year’s standings. I have seen the FP1 out on track and it clearly handles really well and had good pace for only its second year of racing. It improved a lot during last season and I am sure that the improvement will continue and that we will be on the pace for 2005.”
Steve and Garry replace Troy Corser and Chris Walker, who were 9th and 11th in the championship respectively.
FACTFILES
GARRY McCOY
Personal
Nationality Australian
Date of Birth 18 April 1972
Place of Birth Sydney
Lives Andorra
Marital Status Girlfriend, Gemma
Height 168 cm
Weight 58 kg
Eyes Green
Hair Brown
Hobbies Speedway, jetskiing, supermotard, motocross, trials riding
Website www.garry-mccoy.net
WSBK Stats
WSBK Debut 2004 Valencia, Spain
WSBK Race Starts 22
Superpoles 0
Podium finishes 3
Race Wins 1 (2004 Phillip Island race 2)
Thirds 2 (2004 Monza)
Fastest Laps 2 (2004 – Valencia, Phillip Island)
STEVE MARTIN
Personal
Nationality Australian
Date of Birth 2 December 1968
Place of Birth Adelaide
Lives Switzerland
Marital Status Girlfriend, Sandra
Height 172 cm
Weight 72 kg
Eyes Blue
Hair Brown
Hobbies Running and cycling
WSBK Stats (as at start of 2005 season)
WSBK Debut 1988 Phillip Island, Australia
WSBK Race Starts 113
Superpoles 3 (2004 – Misano, Laguna Seca, Brands Hatch)
Podium finishes 5
Race Wins 0
Thirds 5 (2004 – Valencia, Misano, Laguna Seca, Brands Hatch, Imola)
Fastest Laps 2 (Lausitzring 2001, Magny-Cours 2004)
Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing Inc.
American teenager Garret Carter, 16, will race a Honda RS125 in the final round of Spain’s National CEV 125cc GP series at Jerez, on November 21st. The trip to Europe will be the second for the Michigan teen in 2004; in June, Carter raced in three rounds of the English MRO and BMRS Series.
Carter won the 125cc Grand Prix Sportsman Championship at the WERA GNF in October.
Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Attack Performance, which fielded Josh Hayes under the Attack Kawasaki banner in the 2004 AMA Superbike series, has launched a new website at www.attackperformance.com.
Attack Performance’s new website offers online shopping for its selection of rearsets, triple clamps and other high performance sportbike parts, plus online technical support and detailed instructions.
A 10 percent discount is currently available online, according to a press release from Attack Performance.
From a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
The Red Bull KTM Team has confirmed it will enter four riders in two classes, 250cc and 125cc, in the FIM Road Racing World Championship for 2005.
Australian rider Anthony West will spearhead the assault in the 250cc world championship on an all-new KTM machine.
For the 125cc world championship current Red Bull KTM rider Mika Kallio will be joined by Spanish teenager Julian Simon and Hungarian Gabor Talmacsi in an expanded three rider squad.
Both the 125cc and 250cc KTM racing projects will be supervised by Austrian engineer and race team manager Harald Bartol.
“KTM is delighted to have secured the services of Anthony West as we embark on the new 250cc project,” Bartol said.
“Anthony is a talented and committed rider who brings a great deal of experience to our team.
“The 250cc bike will be a development project for 2005 although in the second half of the season we hope to have a competitive bike on which Anthony can challenge the top riders.
“And 125cc world championship is a primary goal for next year.”
The expansion of the KTM road racing activities comes after a successful 2004 campaign when both Kallio and Australian rider Casey Stoner finished in the top ten of the 125cc championship and Stoner won the first GP for KTM .
In the 125cc championship KTM’s goal is to challenge for the world championship in 2005 with three fast and strong riders in Kallio, Simon and Talmacsi.
The KTM 125cc team now has a strong platform to work from as it enters its third season of GP competition after first racing the 125cc GP in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 2003.
The KTM 250cc machine is a new bike currently being designed and developed by Bartol with track testing scheduled to commence prior to the start of the 2005 season in April.
The plan is for West to be racing the KTM 250 in the opening race of the season, the Spanish GP at Jerez.
West, 23, has emerged as one of the brightest talents in grand prix racing over the past two seasons riding outdated privateer bikes.
West won the Dutch TT at Assen in 2003 with a superb wet weather performance and during the 2004 season regularly finished ahead of rivals on full factory bikes.
After starting his career in junior dirt-track racing and winning two national titles in Australia, West made his grand prix debut as 125cc wild card in the Australian GP at Phillip Island in 1998.
He moved to the 250cc class in 1999 on a Honda was sixth in the 2000 world championship. West raced one season, 2001, as a privateer on a Honda v-twin in the 500cc world championship.
For the 125cc championship Finland’s Mika Kallio, 22, will be in his second full season with KTM in 2005. The Flying Finn made his grand prix debut in Germany in 2001.
With a best result of second place in this year’s Portuguese GP at Estoril Kallio has shown he has the talent and experience to be a title contender in 2005.
The new faces in the 125cc KTM team are Simon and Talmacsi.
Simon is a 17 year old Spaniard who broke through for his first front row qualifying performance in the Czech GP at Brno this year. His best race result was a sixth place finish in the Malaysian GP at Sepang.
Talmacsi, 23 from Budapest, made his grand prix debut at Brno in 2000 and brings four seasons of GP experience to the KTM team.
Editorial Note: Stoner was originally slated to ride KTM’s new 250cc machine in an August 24 press release.
From a press release issued by Yoyodyne Titanium:
Ducati Monster Support
Morristown, -Yoyodyne, a long time supporter of Professional and Amateur motorcycle racers is now adding Street Riders to their support program. Yoyodyne products such as our improved clutch slave cylinder, slipper and lightweight clutches, Lightech carbon Fiber and billet accessories and Marvic wheels have been favorite upgrades for Monster owners and enthusiasts.
The Ducati Monster Challenge will take place at selected Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows across the country. The Monster Challenge will be featured at these shows: San Francisco, Dallas, Long Beach, Seattle, Atlanta, New York, Montreal, Detroit, and the grand finale will be held in Daytona, Florida during Bike Week.
Yoyodyne has upped the program with $14,750 in additional cash and gifts to our customers whose bikes are considered the top three in the show.
More details can be sound on our website, at http://www.yoyodyneti.com/monster_challenge.aspx
Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Yamaha will offer 500 special-edition 2005 YZF-R6 models with graphics packages designed by MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, but the unique machines will only be available in Europe.
According to Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. Media Relations Manager Brad Banister, the Rossi-edition YZF-R6 (which resembles Rossi’s helmet design, with a yellow sun logo on one side and a black moon scheme on the opposite side of the bike) will be a Europe-only model and will not be available in America.
Banister said he had received several inquiries about the bike from U.S. reporters.
From a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport:
MACAU RACE TO MARK THE END OF MONSTERMOB’S SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP WITH DUCATI CORSE
MonsterMob Ducati team owner Paul Bird wishes to announce that his highly successful four-year partnership with Ducati Corse will come to an end with the Cumbrian-based team’s participation in the 38th running of the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix race on November 20th.
MonsterMob will enter two Ducati 999 superbikes in the classic Far Eastrace for riders John McGuinness and Stuart Easton, after which the team will take another direction for the 2005 season.
Paul Bird Motorsport has had a truly successful relationship with the Italian manufacturer over the last four years, during which time it consolidated its position as Ducati’s satellite team in the competitive British Superbike championship, which it won twice in successive years. It also won a total of 34 BSB races, in addition to two World Superbike races at Brands Hatch in 2003.
After the late Steve Hislop’s title success (together with Stuart Easton taking the British Supersport crown) in 2002, followed by Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne lifting the crown again in 2003 before moving onto MotoGP, the MonsterMob Ducati squad finished fifth overall in this year’s British Superbike championship with the experienced Sean Emmett aboard the factory-supported Ducati 999RS04, winning two races and finishing on the podium a further six times.
“It was an extremely difficult decision to take to leave Ducati” declared Paul Bird, “and it really left a lump in my throat when I thought of what we have accomplished over the last four years. However we realised that the time had come to do something different. Quite simply we needed a new challenge for 2005, when we aim to extend our team to run three Superbikes in BSB and that is going to be one really big task”.
He continued “I would like to thank Ducati Corse, and in particular Paolo Ciabatti, for everything they have done for us since the start of our relationship, because without their contribution none of this success would have been possible and a big thanks also to Ducati UK, who have given us their help and support over the past four years.”
Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Superbike Program Director, added: “We are really sorry that our collaboration with Paul Bird Motorsport has come to an end. In winning two BSB titles with Steve Hislop and Shane Byrne, they have given us a lot of success in the UK and proved to be a very capable and professional team. But above all we would like to thank them for bringing honour and credit to Ducati in BSB over the past four years. We wish Paul, Phil, Stuart and everybody in the team all the best for the future.”
Plans are at an advanced stage for Bird to run the three riders in the 2005 British Superbike Championship using Honda machinery. Already signed is Gary Mason who will be joining the team’s junior rider Michael Laverty on the Fireblades with the third rider still to be announced.
“We are speaking with a number of riders about the vacant position and we have had lots of interest. Hopefully, we can conclude this deal in the next few weeks and we can look forward to getting back to our winning ways next season. I’m really looking forward to working with Honda again with whom we’ve enjoyed a very successful relationship in the past” concluded Bird.
Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing Inc.
Sources close to Ducati revealed today that Ducati Corse wants its National Superbike teams to run Bridgestone tires in 2005.
Ducati Corse is switching its MotoGP program to Bridgestone and is asking all its factory-supported teams to do the same, including Ducati Austin.
Ducati’s factory team in the World Superbike series cannot switch to Bridgestone due to rules requiring the use of Pirelli tires.
From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
AMA RED BULL SUPERMOTO A-GO-GO LOADED WITH WORLD CLASS TALENT
MotoGP rider Hoffman to ride Kawasaki KLX400 in its AMA Supermoto debut
The AMA Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go this Saturday, Nov. 13, will not only feature the top riders from the AMA Championship such as Jeff Ward, Doug Henry and Jurgen Kunzel, but will also introduce U.S. fans to a number of top level riders who don’t regularly compete in the AMA Supermoto Championship.
Perhaps the most intriguing entry is that of Kawasaki’s MotoGP rider Alex Hofmann. The 24-year-old German started his career as a motocross racer before switching to road racing so he should feel right at home in supermoto racing. Hofmann will ride a specially prepared Kawasaki KLX400, a motorcycle that has never been raced in AMA Supermoto competition.
Ben Bostrom came to a last-minute agreement with Honda to race in Las Vegas. The defending AMA Supermoto champ is a natural on a supermoto bike. He showed that last year by taking victory in the action-packed championship finale over Doug Henry and Jeff Ward. Bostrom solidified his claim to being one of the best supermoto riders in the world when he made a riveting last-lap pass on Eddy Seel to win the inaugural X-Games Supermoto final. Bostrom will have an advantage of a factory-prepped Honda CRF450R, which promises to be one of the fastest bikes in the field.
Eddy Seel is eager to exact revenge for the ruthless move Bostrom pulled on him in the X-Games. Seel, a Belgian who is the defending S1 Supermoto World Champ, is expected to make a major impact in Las Vegas on the Pacifico Husqvarna.
Boris Chambon will return to AMA competition in Las Vegas on a Red Bull KTM. Chambon made a few appearances in the AMA series last year and had an unfortunate early exit from the Supermoto A-Go-Go last year after crashing in the dirt section on the second lap. The 29-year-old French Supermoto champ will be looking to make up for last year’s error.
Leighton Haigh is a British Supermoto Champion and he could sneak under the radar and surprise some folks at Las Vegas. Ditto for Swiss ace Daniel Muller. Both have raced in AMA prior to the weekend, but are better known for their exploits across the pond.
Headlining the Supermoto Unlimited entries is Gerald Delepine. Delepine, comes into this Saturday’s race ranked fourth in the S1 Supermoto World Championship. The 34-year-old factory Husky rider was the runner up in the world championship in 2002 and is definitely favored to give the dominating KTM duo of Jurgen Kunzel and Kurt Nicoll a challenge on the big bikes.
Frederic Fiorentino is another fast Belgian and a former top-10 rider in the world championships. Fiorentino will ride for Fast 50s. Another name rider in the Supermoto Unlimited class is Graham Cheney, who won the Queensland Supermoto Championship in Australia earlier this year. Cheney will ride a Husaberg.
All of these international riders added to the mix are certain to make for the most exciting AMA Supermoto race in the short two-year history of the series.
The AMA Red Bull Supermoto-a-Go-Go at Bally’s will feature practice and qualifying on Friday, Nov. 12 and heat races and finals on Saturday, Nov. 13. The race is open free to the public and pit passes are available for purchase. The races will be telecast nationally on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) on Nov. 17.
From a press release issued by NASA:
VETERAN ASTRONAUT DUANE CAREY LEAVES SPACE TO SEE THE WORLD
After fulfilling one dream to pilot a Space Shuttle and see the world from space, Astronaut Duane G. “Digger” Carey (Lt. Col, USAF-Ret) has left NASA to pursue another — to see the planet up close from the open road.
Carey plans to begin a motorcycle tour of the United States and eventually the world, camping along the way. He and his wife, Cheryl, are moving to Colorado Springs, CO, to prepare for the trip. They plan to launch their travels with a break-in expedition to Alaska.
Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996, Carey served as pilot of Space Shuttle mission STS-109 in 2002, a maintenance flight to the Hubble Space Telescope. STS-109 orbited the earth 165 times, traveling about 3.9 million miles.
“Duane is an exceptional Shuttle pilot, but years ago he was bitten by the motorcycle touring bug, and he always wanted to return to near-Earth exploration of our country aboard a motorcycle,” said Ken Bowersox, Director of Flight Crew Operations. “We’ll really miss his skill and expertise, but we all envy him in some way for heading off in a new direction.”
“Cheryl and I will attempt to consummate a dream we first envisioned over 25 years ago,” Carey said. “Our 22-plus years of public service in the United States Air Force and NASA have been incredibly rewarding, and we hope we’ve contributed something useful to our country over those years. Please join us in our hopes that America will continue her push for the stars, a quest that represents the single best hope for all of our futures.”
As a young man, Carey discovered motorcycle touring and traveled the U.S., Mexico and Canada. He met his wife during that time, and they traveled together. Later, they settled down to raise a family. Carey began a career in the Air Force.
“I was lucky,” Carey said. “In the Air Force, I learned to fly jets, and I did pretty well at it. I love flying. When I was able to join NASA and fly in space, I realized one of my greatest dreams.”
But despite those pinnacles of success at his chosen profession, the dream of traveling the road and discovering the world along the way has always remained. “Many people would be amazed, but every day, every day, since those days on the road, I’ve had moments thinking about that experience. It’s a passion for me,” he said. “Even while looking down from space, I would imagine moving across those green expanses on a motorcycle. Now, I’ll be traveling those roads and looking up to where I once was.”
During his travels, Carey plans to talk to young people about the importance of math and science and the wonder of space travel.
“I owe a lot to my country,” he explained. “I’ve been an Air Force jet pilot, and I’ve been an astronaut. And now, I want to tell people the importance of space flight, especially in the smaller, more rural communities I expect to visit.”
Around campfires, there will be great surprise, and probably disbelief, when Carey relays to fellow campers his background as an astronaut, an astronaut far from the beaten path.
“To explore, we must always take some risks. We have to explore new territory. We don’t know what we’ll find out there, but we have to go out and find our future,” he said.
From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:
Aussies rule for Foggy PETRONAS Racing
Carl Fogarty has signed Australian pair Garry McCoy and Steve Martin for his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team’s 2005 Superbike World Championship campaign.
The two riders will have their first taste of action on the PETRONAS FP1 at a three-day test in Valencia, Spain, next week.
Carl said: “I am very pleased to have been able to replace our riders from last year, who finished 9th and 11th in the championship, with two guys who finished 6th and 7th. We were very impressed by the standard of riders that were interested in joining us next year, which provided a few headaches. But, out of all of them, I felt Garry and Steve were the hungriest for success – and with points still to prove.
“Garry is a very exciting rider, with a proven pedigree, who I think will adapt well to our bike. He has a radical style and he has won GPs on a high revving two-stroke machine. The FP1’s power characteristics are probably closer to that type of machine than the Ducati he rode last year.
“Steve is probably the most under-rated rider on the world scene. He wants to be noticed and now it’s up to him to make people sit up and take notice. He is a gutsy competitor, with good set-up abilities, who suffered with reliability problems last year so he was the name that nobody mentioned – but they will now!”
McCoy, 32, completed his first season in World Superbikes last year, finishing sixth in the championship and winning his home race at Phillip Island. Brought up in speedway, McCoy is known for his exhilarating riding style, sliding the back wheel into corners. During his career in Grand Prix racing he won three 500cc GPs in 2000, when he finished fifth in the championship. Before switching to superbikes he achieved a total of 17 GP podiums, including five victories.
Garry said: “I am really looking forward to it. It is still only early days for the FP1 but, from the results the team has been achieving lately, it’s clear it has potential. I never set myself targets, I just go out to win. But I am really hoping to do better than last year as I now know a lot of the tracks that I didn’t know in my first season, which made it really tough. I am also really pleased to have Steve as a team-mate and the chance to share information in trying to get the bike up there challenging for podiums.”
Martin, 35, is a former Australian Superbike champion, who spent three years in World Superbikes with a Pirelli development team before the single-manufacturer tyre rule came into force last season. Despite a series of agonising technical failures during races he finished seventh in the championship standings, including five podium finishes. His natural talent was also underlined with three pole positions in 2004.
Steve said: “I am really excited by this opportunity and I am going to give it everything I have got. I know the team has a great bunch of guys and a great bunch of technicians who will be right behind me and I am sure that we can challenge consistently for podiums and better my seventh place in last year’s standings. I have seen the FP1 out on track and it clearly handles really well and had good pace for only its second year of racing. It improved a lot during last season and I am sure that the improvement will continue and that we will be on the pace for 2005.”
Steve and Garry replace Troy Corser and Chris Walker, who were 9th and 11th in the championship respectively.
FACTFILES
GARRY McCOY
Personal
Nationality Australian
Date of Birth 18 April 1972
Place of Birth Sydney
Lives Andorra
Marital Status Girlfriend, Gemma
Height 168 cm
Weight 58 kg
Eyes Green
Hair Brown
Hobbies Speedway, jetskiing, supermotard, motocross, trials riding
Website www.garry-mccoy.net
WSBK Stats
WSBK Debut 2004 Valencia, Spain
WSBK Race Starts 22
Superpoles 0
Podium finishes 3
Race Wins 1 (2004 Phillip Island race 2)
Thirds 2 (2004 Monza)
Fastest Laps 2 (2004 – Valencia, Phillip Island)
STEVE MARTIN
Personal
Nationality Australian
Date of Birth 2 December 1968
Place of Birth Adelaide
Lives Switzerland
Marital Status Girlfriend, Sandra
Height 172 cm
Weight 72 kg
Eyes Blue
Hair Brown
Hobbies Running and cycling
WSBK Stats (as at start of 2005 season)
WSBK Debut 1988 Phillip Island, Australia
WSBK Race Starts 113
Superpoles 3 (2004 – Misano, Laguna Seca, Brands Hatch)
Podium finishes 5
Race Wins 0
Thirds 5 (2004 – Valencia, Misano, Laguna Seca, Brands Hatch, Imola)
Fastest Laps 2 (Lausitzring 2001, Magny-Cours 2004)
Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing Inc.
American teenager Garret Carter, 16, will race a Honda RS125 in the final round of Spain’s National CEV 125cc GP series at Jerez, on November 21st. The trip to Europe will be the second for the Michigan teen in 2004; in June, Carter raced in three rounds of the English MRO and BMRS Series.
Carter won the 125cc Grand Prix Sportsman Championship at the WERA GNF in October.
Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Attack Performance, which fielded Josh Hayes under the Attack Kawasaki banner in the 2004 AMA Superbike series, has launched a new website at www.attackperformance.com.
Attack Performance’s new website offers online shopping for its selection of rearsets, triple clamps and other high performance sportbike parts, plus online technical support and detailed instructions.
A 10 percent discount is currently available online, according to a press release from Attack Performance.
From a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
The Red Bull KTM Team has confirmed it will enter four riders in two classes, 250cc and 125cc, in the FIM Road Racing World Championship for 2005.
Australian rider Anthony West will spearhead the assault in the 250cc world championship on an all-new KTM machine.
For the 125cc world championship current Red Bull KTM rider Mika Kallio will be joined by Spanish teenager Julian Simon and Hungarian Gabor Talmacsi in an expanded three rider squad.
Both the 125cc and 250cc KTM racing projects will be supervised by Austrian engineer and race team manager Harald Bartol.
“KTM is delighted to have secured the services of Anthony West as we embark on the new 250cc project,” Bartol said.
“Anthony is a talented and committed rider who brings a great deal of experience to our team.
“The 250cc bike will be a development project for 2005 although in the second half of the season we hope to have a competitive bike on which Anthony can challenge the top riders.
“And 125cc world championship is a primary goal for next year.”
The expansion of the KTM road racing activities comes after a successful 2004 campaign when both Kallio and Australian rider Casey Stoner finished in the top ten of the 125cc championship and Stoner won the first GP for KTM .
In the 125cc championship KTM’s goal is to challenge for the world championship in 2005 with three fast and strong riders in Kallio, Simon and Talmacsi.
The KTM 125cc team now has a strong platform to work from as it enters its third season of GP competition after first racing the 125cc GP in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 2003.
The KTM 250cc machine is a new bike currently being designed and developed by Bartol with track testing scheduled to commence prior to the start of the 2005 season in April.
The plan is for West to be racing the KTM 250 in the opening race of the season, the Spanish GP at Jerez.
West, 23, has emerged as one of the brightest talents in grand prix racing over the past two seasons riding outdated privateer bikes.
West won the Dutch TT at Assen in 2003 with a superb wet weather performance and during the 2004 season regularly finished ahead of rivals on full factory bikes.
After starting his career in junior dirt-track racing and winning two national titles in Australia, West made his grand prix debut as 125cc wild card in the Australian GP at Phillip Island in 1998.
He moved to the 250cc class in 1999 on a Honda was sixth in the 2000 world championship. West raced one season, 2001, as a privateer on a Honda v-twin in the 500cc world championship.
For the 125cc championship Finland’s Mika Kallio, 22, will be in his second full season with KTM in 2005. The Flying Finn made his grand prix debut in Germany in 2001.
With a best result of second place in this year’s Portuguese GP at Estoril Kallio has shown he has the talent and experience to be a title contender in 2005.
The new faces in the 125cc KTM team are Simon and Talmacsi.
Simon is a 17 year old Spaniard who broke through for his first front row qualifying performance in the Czech GP at Brno this year. His best race result was a sixth place finish in the Malaysian GP at Sepang.
Talmacsi, 23 from Budapest, made his grand prix debut at Brno in 2000 and brings four seasons of GP experience to the KTM team.
Editorial Note: Stoner was originally slated to ride KTM’s new 250cc machine in an August 24 press release.
From a press release issued by Yoyodyne Titanium:
Ducati Monster Support
Morristown, -Yoyodyne, a long time supporter of Professional and Amateur motorcycle racers is now adding Street Riders to their support program. Yoyodyne products such as our improved clutch slave cylinder, slipper and lightweight clutches, Lightech carbon Fiber and billet accessories and Marvic wheels have been favorite upgrades for Monster owners and enthusiasts.
The Ducati Monster Challenge will take place at selected Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows across the country. The Monster Challenge will be featured at these shows: San Francisco, Dallas, Long Beach, Seattle, Atlanta, New York, Montreal, Detroit, and the grand finale will be held in Daytona, Florida during Bike Week.
Yoyodyne has upped the program with $14,750 in additional cash and gifts to our customers whose bikes are considered the top three in the show.
More details can be sound on our website, at http://www.yoyodyneti.com/monster_challenge.aspx
Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Yamaha will offer 500 special-edition 2005 YZF-R6 models with graphics packages designed by MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, but the unique machines will only be available in Europe.
According to Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. Media Relations Manager Brad Banister, the Rossi-edition YZF-R6 (which resembles Rossi’s helmet design, with a yellow sun logo on one side and a black moon scheme on the opposite side of the bike) will be a Europe-only model and will not be available in America.
Banister said he had received several inquiries about the bike from U.S. reporters.
From a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport:
MACAU RACE TO MARK THE END OF MONSTERMOB’S SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP WITH DUCATI CORSE
MonsterMob Ducati team owner Paul Bird wishes to announce that his highly successful four-year partnership with Ducati Corse will come to an end with the Cumbrian-based team’s participation in the 38th running of the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix race on November 20th.
MonsterMob will enter two Ducati 999 superbikes in the classic Far Eastrace for riders John McGuinness and Stuart Easton, after which the team will take another direction for the 2005 season.
Paul Bird Motorsport has had a truly successful relationship with the Italian manufacturer over the last four years, during which time it consolidated its position as Ducati’s satellite team in the competitive British Superbike championship, which it won twice in successive years. It also won a total of 34 BSB races, in addition to two World Superbike races at Brands Hatch in 2003.
After the late Steve Hislop’s title success (together with Stuart Easton taking the British Supersport crown) in 2002, followed by Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne lifting the crown again in 2003 before moving onto MotoGP, the MonsterMob Ducati squad finished fifth overall in this year’s British Superbike championship with the experienced Sean Emmett aboard the factory-supported Ducati 999RS04, winning two races and finishing on the podium a further six times.
“It was an extremely difficult decision to take to leave Ducati” declared Paul Bird, “and it really left a lump in my throat when I thought of what we have accomplished over the last four years. However we realised that the time had come to do something different. Quite simply we needed a new challenge for 2005, when we aim to extend our team to run three Superbikes in BSB and that is going to be one really big task”.
He continued “I would like to thank Ducati Corse, and in particular Paolo Ciabatti, for everything they have done for us since the start of our relationship, because without their contribution none of this success would have been possible and a big thanks also to Ducati UK, who have given us their help and support over the past four years.”
Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Superbike Program Director, added: “We are really sorry that our collaboration with Paul Bird Motorsport has come to an end. In winning two BSB titles with Steve Hislop and Shane Byrne, they have given us a lot of success in the UK and proved to be a very capable and professional team. But above all we would like to thank them for bringing honour and credit to Ducati in BSB over the past four years. We wish Paul, Phil, Stuart and everybody in the team all the best for the future.”
Plans are at an advanced stage for Bird to run the three riders in the 2005 British Superbike Championship using Honda machinery. Already signed is Gary Mason who will be joining the team’s junior rider Michael Laverty on the Fireblades with the third rider still to be announced.
“We are speaking with a number of riders about the vacant position and we have had lots of interest. Hopefully, we can conclude this deal in the next few weeks and we can look forward to getting back to our winning ways next season. I’m really looking forward to working with Honda again with whom we’ve enjoyed a very successful relationship in the past” concluded Bird.
