Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A Renton, Washington motorcycle dealership has moved into a 120,000-square-foot building formerly occupied by a HomeBase store and has built an indoor track run by former AMA short track great Mickey Fay.

The new home of Renton Motorcycles, (which sells Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, Indian and Swift products) also includes a cafe and bar and meeting rooms available for use by local clubs.

The indoor track can be configured for either short track or motocross racing and has seating for 1000 spectators. The track is open seven days a week for practice, and which configuration will be in use at any given time is posted on a website, www.wideopensportsarena.com.

The dealership and its service department are also open seven days a week, and an area above the service department features a display of Vintage motorcycles.

Renton Motorcycles is celebrating its grand opening through April 25th.

More information is available at www.rmcmotorsports.com or by calling (503) 572-6635.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.


Total purse for the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship Presented By Parts Unlimited, AMA Kawasaki Showdown, Presented by Cycle Gear, featuring Sunday’s Supercuts Superbike Challenge, April 30-May 2 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California is $105,000.

Individual class payouts follow:

Superbike
$70,500 purse
Half paid for each of two races
1. $6500
2. $5400
3. $4300
4. $3700
5. $3300
6. $3000
7. $2800
8. $2700
9. $2600
10. $2500
11. $2400
12. $2300
13. $2200
14. $2100
15. $2050
16. $2000
17. $1950
18. $1900
19. $1850
20. $1750
21. $1650
22. $1550
23. $1450
24. $1350
25. $1250
26. $1000
27. $900
28. $800
29. $650
30. $600
31. $500
32. $450
33. $400
34. $350
35. $300


Formula Xtreme, Supersport, Superstock
$11,500 purse per class
1. $1600
2. $1400
3. $1100
4. $900
5. $775
6. $700
7. $650
8. $600
9. $550
10. $500
11. $450
12. $375
13. $325
14. $300
15. $275
16. $250
17. $225
18. $200
19. $175
20. $150

From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

DUCATI CONFIRMS INTEREST IN MOTO GUZZI

Bologna, Italy, April 22, 2004 – Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (NYSE: DMH and Borsa Italiana S.p.A: DMH), a leading manufacturer of high performance motorcycles, in response to news recently published in the press, today confirmed – as it has done in the past – its interest in Moto Guzzi.

At the end of the due diligence process, Ducati will formally make an offer in the next few weeks. Any additional information published in the press is without foundation.

Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. Ducati has won twelve of the last fourteen World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. 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 40 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European and North American markets. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at http://www.ducati.com.

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, as described in documents previously filed by the Company with CONSOB and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Ducati Marlboro Team GP preview
MARLBORO SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Jerez, April 30/May 1/2 2004

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN ENTER EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN

The Ducati Marlboro Team comes to Spain looking forward to making more progress with its new-for-2004 Desmosedici GP4. Riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss gave the bike a promising race debut in South Africa two weeks ago, with plenty more to come from the 230-plus horsepower machine.

A new bike’s debut race is always a learning exercise, and Ducati Marlboro Team engineers learned plenty at Welkom, knowledge that they aim to use to good effect at Jerez, traditionally the first European GP of the season. The team was particularly pleased with how the GP4 used its tyres over full-race distance, one of the major aims of the 2004 redesign.

“At this stage of the season we are just learning how to work with the new bike in a race scenario,” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “The first race showed some of the bike’s potential and gave us a lot of data. Both our guys were happy with the way the bike worked with the tyres at the end of the race. We’ve made a big improvement in this area, and that was one of the main goals of the GP4. The bike’s heat management is also much better, which was another of the big ideas for 2004. This weekend the machine will be basically the same as it was at Welkom, then we stay on at the track to continue development on Monday and Tuesday.”

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli believes that Jerez is a well-balanced circuit, where tyre management is crucial.

“It’s not an easy track for the right side of the tyres, but it’s less demanding than Welkom, and our rear tyres finished that race in perfect condition,” he reveals. “It seems that the new bike uses its tyres more consistently over race distance, and we’re pleased about that. Jerez is difficult because it’s full of fast corners. Riders need a lot of confidence to go through these turns quickly, plus they need good power delivery because you use a lot of gas through these corners. Riders also need big confidence in the front end so they can attack the turns. The track is a good mix – it’s got no long straights but plenty of fast turns and some hairpins, so you need a well balanced bike.”

CAPIROSSI IS READY TO UP THE ANTE
Loris Capirossi goes into round two with some confidence after his promising ride to sixth at Welkom. The Italian Ducati Marlboro Team man came back from a sluggish start to set the fifth fastest lap of the race and finish just 0.28 seconds behind fifth-placed Nicky Hayden (Honda).
“We are working hard,” he says. “I would say the new bike is at 85 to 90 per cent of its potential, but we need to be at 110 per cent to battle with the guys at the front. Jerez was great for our team last year, even though I fell in the race. We were first and second on the grid and Troy made the podium. I like the track a lot, it’s got a lot of fast corners and it rises and falls. But what I really like about Jerez is the people – the fans are fantastic! And it’s always the first race in Europe, so it’s the first time the paddock really gets together.”

BAYLISS RETURNS TO HAPPY HUNTING GROUND
Third at Jerez last year, Troy Bayliss had a tough start to his second MotoGP season at Welkom, but still came away with two crucial points for 14th. The Aussie had decided to make major changes to his Desmosedici GP4 before heading to South Africa, so he spent much of the Welkom weekend sorting out a new set-up.
“It’s like my year started when we began practice on the Friday,” says the Ducati Marlboro Team rider. “But the bike got better every day at Welkom, so I’m looking forward to getting to Jerez. We did well last time – I was second to Loris in qualifying, finished third in the race and came away with a real good feeling. I like the track because it’s really flowing, especially the section from turn two to turn five, you’ve got some really fast lefts that lead into a fast right, where you use all the ripple strip on the exit.”

THE TRACK
Constructed in 1986, Jerez hosted its first Grand Prix the following year and has remained on the World Championship calendar ever since. Through the nineties the event grew to become the most popular GP of all. Last year it attracted a crowd of 203,324 fans.

Riders love the Andalucian venue because it’s a track that rewards rider talent over machine performance. Many of the circuit’s 13 corners flow into one another, placing the emphasis on smooth, neat riding and stable, all-round machine performance. The circuit character places particular emphasis on front-tyre grip, though the many slow-speed turns also require MotoGP riders to control wheelspin as they power out of the corners. Two years ago the track underwent resurfacing and total reconstruction of its infrastructure.

JEREZ: 4.423km/2.748 miles
Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Honda) 1m 42.788s, 154.909kmh/96.256mph
Pole position 2003: Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team), 1m 41.983s

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 31 (April 4, 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 201 (31xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Jerez 2003 results. Grid: pole. Race: DNF

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 35 (March 30, 1969)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 18 (17xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Jerez 2003 results. Grid: 2nd. Race: 3rd.

From yeat another press release issued by Ducati North America:

DUCATI ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE COMPETITION ‘DESIGN YOUR DREAM DUCATI’

Our panel of judges has just announced the winners of Design Your Dream Ducati, the competition launched one year ago to offer all enthusiasts of the marque the chance to submit their own interpretation of the Ducati bike of the future.

Bologna, April 2004 – Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (NYSE: DMH, Borsa Italiana S.p.A. DMH), the motorcycle manufacturer, is proud to announce the winners of ‘Design Your Dream Ducati’ , the first ever national competition dedicated to the passion, talent and imagination of Ducati fans all over the world.

The overall winners of the two categorise “bike” and “non bike” are:

Bike – ‘Flat Red’ by Jems Von Brauck



Non bike – ‘Artificial Heart’, by Steve Gummer, a small, strong, lightweight, highly tuned and perfectly engineered artificial organ built around Ducati’s desmodromic system, capable of exhilarating performance.



The jury, made up of Decio Carugati, journalist and design expert, as well as Miguel Sal, head of one of the most important Italian advertising agency, also awarded prizes in the categories listed below with their respective winners:

Ducati Corse Special Prize:
‘Ducati 1000 UL’, by Paolo De Giusti
Click to view

Design Special Prize:
‘Ducati Arc’ , by Gerard Baten
Click to view

Ducati.com Special Prize:
‘Velocità Coffee Maker’, di Garry Sammons
Click to view

Chairman Special Prize:
‘S2 Braida’, by Paolo Tesio
Click to view

Press Special Prize:
‘CD Player’, by Federico Verardi
Click to view

Ducati Finance Special Prize:
‘Cucciolo 03′, by Fabian Eilingsfeld
Click to view

Creativity Special Prize:
‘Bilancia Ducati’, by Federico Verardi
Click to view

Ducati Performance Special prize:
‘Shoes for Ducati Ladies’, by Richard Pfeiffer
Click to view

Ducati R&D Special Prize:
‘ Ducati Roadster’, by Massimo Zaniboni
Click to view

The finalists hail from a number of different countries and a variety of academic and professional backgrounds; Steve Gummer, for example, is a designer from England, 28 years old, and currently a member of the Blue Marlin team (London); Federico Verardi from Italy, who at age 23 is one of the youngest to take part in the competition, is a student at the University of Reggio Emilia and lives in Bologna; Garry Sammonsis, a thirty-year old New Zealander, is a student of industrial design at Massey University (Auckland); Richard Pfeiffer and Fabian Eilingsfeld, two forty-year olds from Germany with degrees in cybernetic and aerospace engineering. They are people from very different walks of life united by a common passion for the Ducati marque.

The competition, which was designed to foster, encourage and promote passion, talent and imagination in the world of motorcycle racing, has been an enormous success, with many thousands of designs sent in from all over the world. The two overall winners, Jems Von Brauck and Steve Gummer, will each receive a Ducati motorcycle as their prize.

The story of Ducati design is the evolution of industrial aesthetics and the experience gained on the circuits all round the world in over sixty years of building motorcycles. In recent times the Ducati design team has been led by three world famous designers: Miguel Galluzzi, Massimo Tamburini and Pierre Terblanche. Over the last decades these designers have created masterpieces of the modern art of industrial design: the Monster, the 916, the MH900e and, more recently, the new 999 and the Multistrada 1000 of Terblanche. These icons of motorcycling are the result of simple yet essential principles that lie at the heart of every Ducati: imagination, technical innovation and passion.

The winning designs will soon be on show in the pages of website www.ducati.com, and there will also be the opportunity to be seen first-hand during the World Ducati Week, the gathering of Ducati enthusiasts from all over the world to be held at the Misano circuit at the end of May, where the designs will be on display throughout the week so that everyone will get the chance to admire them.

From a press release:

Super Dave Previews Round Two in Wisconsin

Eagle, Wisconsin’s Dave Rosno will compete in the Formula USA National Road Racing Championship Series at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin April 23 ­ 25th on his Sportsman’s Park/4&6 Performance/ Michelin Yamaha R6. This is the second of eight rounds in this motorcycle road racing national championship.

“Our performance at Daytona International Speedway in February was great. I really exceeded my expectations in my placings. I didn’t think I’d be in the top ten so early, but we’re right there,” the thirty-six year old racer stated. ‘Super Dave,’ as he’s well known, competes in two classes for 600cc motorcycles, Sportbike and Superbike.

Additionally, he competes in Formula Sportbike, a class for 1000cc twin cylinder and 750cc four cylinder machines. “I’m ambitious in that I’m trying to race more classes to take home more purse money that I can apply to my program, Super Dave’s Race Against Childhood Cancer. It’s tiring, but certainly not as hard on my body as what it takes for a family to fight cancer. I¹m just trying to help with research funds to give to Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer through my purse money and sales of T-shirts.”

At Daytona, “Super” Dave finished 10th in Sportbike, 11th in Superbike, and 7th in Formula Sportbike.

“With all the races I’m doing, they end up being right on top of each other. I really have to thank Michelin for making tires that go the distance.”

Qualifying for the Formula USA National Road Racing Series events will take place on Saturday, April 24th. Racing action will begin at 1PM on Sunday, April 25th.

From a press release:

LeoVince USA Announces Opening of New U.S. Headquarters

Richmond, CA- LeoVince USA has opened a new 4,000+ square foot facility located in the city of Richmond in the San Francisco Bay area. It is now the headquarters of U.S. operations for the LeoVince brands of motorcycle and scooter exhaust systems. U.S. Sales and Marketing Manager Tim Calhoun states, “We are excited to have developed a very usable space to house our marketing, sales and racing efforts. A unique aspect of the facility is that we will have a complete R&D center including a dynamometer to enable us to quickly develop new products both for consumers and our racing partners.”

The facility houses offices for the sales and marketing department, the R&D center, a presentation and display area, a video conference center and of course, being a company with an Italian heart and soul, there is the mandatory espresso bar!

LeoVince is a division of Sito Gruppo Industriale based in Monticello d’Alba, Italy. Sito is the largest exhaust manufacturer in Europe. LeoVince USA brands include SBK for sportbikes, Silvertail for cruisers, Scoot for scooters, and X3 for off-road and ATVs. For more information visit leovince.com. LeoVince products are distributed to U.S. motorcycle dealers by Western Power Sports.

From a press release issued by Mid-Ohio:

SPRINT TECHNOLOGY INCREASES SPEED AT MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE

DUBLIN, Ohio (April 22, 2004) – Recent technology upgrades to the communications system at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, has created a more efficient and cost effective way for Mid-Ohio to communicate, both internally and with customers and participants at the race track.

Partnering with Sprint, the “Official Telecommunications Provider for the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course”, fully integrated two-way voice communications have been installed between the course in Lexington and the TrueSports, Inc. offices in Dublin, Ohio, helping the two locations communicate more effectively with one another.

As part of that package, the track now has voice over IP (VoIP) technology for voice communications. This allows the track to consolidate their voice and data networks into one, thus saving costs on wiring infrastructure and reducing communication costs between their distant locations. Users of the system will also have access to voice mail, e-mail, and the possibility for future use of wireless voice and data applications.

“The new Sprint telecommunication services have proven to be a tremendous improvement in the ease of communicating between our offices,” said Michelle Trueman Gajoch, President of TrueSports, Inc., owner and operator of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School. “As the season progresses, we’ll surely see more benefits. More importantly, the entire system should allow us to better serve everyone who attends our race track in the future.”

The track has also added high speed Internet access through the installation of Sprint DSL. This service, at 3 megabits per second, will allow users to access the Internet at lightning-quick speeds.

This service is available to teams participating in racing events each week through use of Mid-Ohio’s 28 garages, as well as to media members and guests working in the media center on the second and third floors of the Goodyear Tower.

“With the increasing number of media outlets on the internet, as well as the amount of information available on-line, the move to high-speed internet access only helps every working media member covering a race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course,” said Reece White, Media and Marketing Coordinator for TrueSports, Inc. “Not only will make it easier and faster for writers to file stories for newspapers and internet sites, photographers uploading their work should see a dramatic change in speed over the dial-up system.”

“Mid-Ohio was able to see the value of Sprint’s market-leading portfolio of products and our ability to integrate voice, data and wireless in the implementation,” said Mark Brunn, General Manager, Sprint Business Solutions. “The track now has the latest technology which will provide a new avenue for productivity improvements.”

The green flag waves on the 2004 season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with the Sprint Vintage Grand Prix, June 18-20. Celebrating the history of road racing, the event features the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s 10 group races, a Historic GTP race, and this year’s featured marque, Jaguar. Off of the racetrack, the 6th annual British Car Showdown and Mid-Ohio’s Concours d’Elegance feature the classic cars of hundreds of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course spectators. The 2004 season marks Sprint’s 15th year as the event’s title sponsor.

Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 65,000 employees worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual revenues, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States’ first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Inc. is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers.

More information about TrueSports, Inc., Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School can be found at www.midohio.com. Event and ticket information are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO.

From a press release issued by Road America:

Elkhart Lake Service Club: Save the Original Elkhart Lake Street Course

Elkhart Lake, Wisc. — The Elkhart Lake Service Club unanimously voted to support efforts to stop the Sheboygan County Highway Department from rebuilding County Roads A and P, which will destroy the character of the original street course. Elkhart Lake hosted the first street races in 1950, 1951 and 1952 and today is synonymous with road racing, generating more than $50 million in the area each year. Supporters are encouraged to contact the Sheboygan County Board 508 New York Ave., Sheboygan, WI, 53081 or via e-mail at www.co.sheboygan.wi.us/html/contact.html and ask them to halt the construction.

Consultants hired by the Sheboygan County Highway Commission failed to find adverse historical or economic impact by altering the road, according to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Further a dated Highway Commission plan calls the road a “major feeder,” but in fact traffic has declined between Glenbeulah (Pop. 375) and the Village of Elkhart Lake (Pop. 1100).

Art Parry, of Elkhart Lake, Wisc., introduced the resolution, which passed unanimously.

“While we don’t expect historians to be experts in motorsports, we do think they should have at least checked with the local historical group,” said George Bruggenthies, Road America president and general manager. “They missed on the historical impact and they missed on the economic impact. We think that’s enough of a reason to stop the construction before the road graders destroy an important part of the United States’ racing heritage.

“We have visitors from all over the world who come here and drive the original courses,” said Bruggenthies. “It’s an important part of our three vintage races and it’s an important point of interest.

“We encourage the Sheboygan County Board of Supervisors to revisit their decision and to look for another project that makes sense and that benefits Sheboygan County.”

Road America attracts between 500,000 and 750,000 visitors each year. Using a conservative metric of each guest spending $100 for one day results in a direct economic impact of between $50,000,000 and $75,000,000 annually. Road America race weekends are three or four days long.

“The State and County are losing manufacturing jobs,” Bruggenthies said. “Let’s work on our strengths, which includes tourism generated by Road America and Elkhart Lake. Let’s not destroy our assets because of a faulty Environmental Impact Statement.”

Road America’s 2004 spectator race dates are:

May 14-16, Sports Car Vintage Racing Assoc.; Road America Tailgate Party May 15

June 3-6, American Motorcyclist Assoc. Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader

June 17-20, Kohler/SCCA June Sprints® One of SCCA’s biggest races.

July 15-18, Brian Redman International Challenge featuring Historic Grand Prix F-1 cars, Formula Junior and the Nickey Chevrolet Reunion.

Aug. 5-8, Grand Prix at Road America featuring Champ Cars, the Motorock Trans-Am Tour for the BF Goodrich Cup, Toyota Atlantics and Formula BMW

Aug. 19-22, the Road America 500 featuring the American Le Mans Series, plus STRANA, the Super Truck Racing Assoc. of North America, racing 18-wheeler cabs

Sept. 17-19, the Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival, featuring Morgan cars and a tour of one of the original Elkhart Lake race circuits held on public roads.

The schedule is tentative and subject to change.

Road America hosted its first official race in 1955 and will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2005.