From a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:

Harley-Davidson Moves to Bolster China Presence

Motorcycle Maker Announces Relationship with Chinese Company

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson, Inc. today announced the signing of a memo of understanding with the Zongshen Motorcycle Group which could facilitate Harley-Davidson’s entry into the Chinese motorcycle market and enhance Zongshen’s capabilities in its home market. The announcement came during a visit by Harley-Davidson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Bleustein and other company officials to Zongshen’s headquarters in Chongqing, China.

Both companies emphasized that the memo of understanding provides a framework for a potential relationship, but that many details are yet to be discussed before the two companies commit to a formal agreement.

“Harley-Davidson’s primary objective is to export our American-made motorcycles to China and to develop political and motorcycle industry alliances in anticipation of the market becoming more accessible,” said Bleustein. “We do not believe it will be necessary for Harley-Davidson to manufacture its motorcycles in China in order to be able to sell them there,” he said.

Under the contemplated relationship, Harley-Davidson would work with Zongshen to gain a better understanding of the business practices, markets and distribution channels it will encounter in China. Zongshen is a recognized leader in the Chinese motorcycle industry. “We believe there is a lot we can learn from working with a company that has intimate market and industry knowledge in China,” said Bleustein.

Harley-Davidson would share certain technology of a non-competing nature, as well as marketing philosophies and practices with Zongshen, under the contemplated agreement.

“In China, there are hundreds of motorcycle companies. However, Harley-Davidson is known around the world and throughout China for its outstanding reputation,” said Zongshen Motorcycle Group Chairman Zuo Zongshen. “Harley-Davidson’s status as an American-made motorcycle has a strong appeal here, and we believe an association with Harley-Davidson holds solid value for us in China,” he said.

While in China, Bleustein is also pressing Harley-Davidson’s case for market entry with government officials. The day before his visit to Zongshen, Bleustein met in Beijing with China’s Vice Minister of Commerce, Wei Jianguo, to urge the easing of official and unofficial trade barriers that limit Harley-Davidson’s ability to sell its premium American-made motorcycles in China.

Those barriers include a 50 percent import duty on motorcycles. The duty is scheduled to drop to 30 percent by January 2005, a level which is still onerous according to Harley-Davidson. In addition, local governments in China often limit the number of motorcycle licenses they will grant, and motorcycles are singled out for outright bans from operating in many of China’s largest cities.

Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel, and general merchandise. Buell Motorcycle Company produces sport motorcycles in addition to motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel. Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs to Harley-Davidson dealers and customers.

From a press release:

PACIFIC SUPER SPORT RIDERS TO HOST TRACK SCHOOL AT THE BMW MOA INTERNATIONAL RALLY IN SPOKANE, WA

Portland, Oregon, June 9, 2004. The Pacific Northwest’s premier riding school, Pacific Super Sport Riders, will be hosting 3 days of trackday schools at Spokane Raceway Park on July 14, 15 and 16 in Spokane, Washington during the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association’s 2004 International Rally. The trackdays will be open to all makes of bikes, as well as non-rally attendees.

Pacific Super Sport Riders (PSSR) offers an enjoyable way to improve riding skills safely while having fun and meeting new riding friends. Quality track time is combined with instruction by some of the best riders in the Northwest. Riders will be grouped together by skill level into one of three groups, from first-time track riders to seasoned track junkies. Experienced instructors will lead classroom sessions and will provide on-track instruction, with the emphasis placed on providing tips for those new to track riding.

“Three-quarters of our customers are street riders looking to improve their skills in a controlled environment. Many of them are repeat customers who like our unique blend of balancing instruction and ‘positive throttle therapy’ in a controlled and safe environment,” says Dan Batz, a founding partner/instructor for PSSR. “The less-experienced riders appreciate the safety guidelines and pointers, and the more experienced ones enjoy the maximum use of track time made possible by our organized track management.”

Cost, which includes instruction, lunch and beverages, is $150 for one day and $125 for each additional day.

Spokane Raceway Park is a 2.5 mile road course located west of downtown Spokane. Tire and brake services will be provided at the rally. Camping is available at the track.

PSSR has been operating track days in the Pacific Northwest since 2001; its instructors include MSF instructors and national road racing champions. For more information on our group or how to sign up for a track day, visit the PSSR website at www.pssrtrack.com, or phone 503-614-1965.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

GIBERNAU ON SPANISH SOIL WITH SLIM TITLE ADVANTAGE

Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) races at Montmelo near Barcelona where his ‘home’ crowd will be willing him to victory in what is shaping up to be a momentous season. The Spaniard leads the World Championship points standings with Valentino Rossi lying second and Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) third.

With the 16-race season now a quarter of the way through with four races run, Gibernau has posted two wins and Rossi has matched him with two victories. The Catalan race now becomes pivotal as both men seek to gain an advantage both in terms of points and perhaps almost as important at this stage – psychologically.

Rossi won here in 2001 and 2002, while Gibernau has yet to record a victory here, but history will count for little as both riders seek to gain the upper hand in what is turning out to be a compelling fight for World Championship honours. Gibernau has 86 points to Rossi’s 76, while Biaggi is still right in the reckoning with 72.

The Montmelo track lies 20km north of Barcelona and has two significant straights where the 990cc MotoGP bikes will attain speeds well in excess of 325km/h (200mph). But there is more to the demanding 4.727km track than mere top speed.

Two of the 13 turns have negative camber which means the track drops away towards the outside of the corner making lean angle increase for a decrease in grip. The rest of the corners are largely constant radius turns where the tyres are worked hard, especially on the right hand side.

Machine set-up calls for a well-balanced chassis, steady on the brakes going into the turns, neutral when leant hard over and then able to translate horsepower into traction when the riders twist hard on the throttle on the exits. A relaxed, flowing style is required to link the turns seamlessly into a fast lap. And with lap records tumbling again this year, Rossi’s fastest race lap of 1m 45.472s is unlikely to last the weekend. Nor is his pole time of 1m 43.927s likely to survive.

Gibernau is ready for action. “It feels like home here,” he said. “And I really want to give the fans something to cheer about, their support always gives me a huge boost. There’s a long way to go in the title race still, but this is a key stage of the season and I’m ready to give it my best shot.”

Biaggi said, “Barcelona is the home track of our team and for certain they’ll be wanting to do well and will do everything they can to get a good result. I also can’t wait for next Friday to come because the third place in Mugello, which was a good result after the weekend we had had, didn’t satisfy me at all. I want to win, and I hope that this Catalunya circuit will be the one for me. During the March tests we had some difficulties, but since then with the team and with Honda’s support we have worked a lot, and Mugello apart, the bike has always worked well. In Italy the bike was so quick down the straight and this will be useful for us on a fast circuit like Barcelona. We just have to find the right track to get the set-up on
Friday.”

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) lies fourth overall with 48 points and is confident he can get on terms here. “The good point from last weekend is we have found a good base set-up,” said the Brazilian. “The machine now feels very balanced and I we can be competitive in Barcelona. We did some good tests here at the start of the year and we have improved a s team since then.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) needs to get his season back on the rails after failing to score at Mugello last weekend. “I just want to get back on the bike,” said the American. “Last weekend the bike was feeling strong but I didn’t give the team anything to smile about in the race. I’m really hoping to get a result here and the race can’t come quick enough for me.”

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres, who was forced to abandon his race in Mugello said, “In Barcelona I want to do a race just like I did in Mugello, even if it means retiring from the race again. Obviously I would prefer a different ending but what I’m trying to say is that I love riding like that, fighting with the front group for the lead. I don’t have the best memories of the Catalunya circuit, but I like the track, it’s fast and appealing. I like nearly all the European tracks because they allow for very dynamic riding. The bike is very competitive and continues to improve.”

“This is where I’ve got to get my season together,” said Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V). “I’ve modified my training methods a bit and hopefully I can get myself dialled in early here.”

In the 250cc category super-consistent Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) leads home hope Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) by just three points. De Puniet has scored in all four rounds so far and has 73 points to Pedrosa’s 70. But Pedrosa will be going all out to wrestle the title advantage from the Frenchman at his home race.

Pedrosa won here in 2003 on a 125 and few would bet against the diminutive local repeating that success on a 250 – but it won’t be easy. : “I’m very happy with the results in Italy,” he said. “Because Mugello was a very difficult track for us and a second place is very good. I’m in good shape and my feeling for Barcelona is the same. Catalunya is a fast track. So I want to work hard on Friday and Saturday and find the best setting for the race.”

Pedrosa’s team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) can’t wait to race either. “I like the Catalunya track, but it’s not so easy for me. I’d never been to Mugello and I improved every time, so I think that Barcelona should be a bit easier because I know the track. In Mugello Porto had an advantage of five seconds over me on Friday and I think in Barcelona I shouldn’t be more than a couple of seconds slower on the first day. I can adapt to the track much quicker.”

Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) is eager to atone for his lacklustre race last weekend. “I like the circuit very much I have always done well there whatever bike I have raced at the track,” he said. “If we find the reason for my engine problem at Mugello we can do well. The settings we found in Italy were not so far off. The track at Barcelona is like Mugello- if you have no power you have no chance.”

The 125cc riders will be likely to repeat the thrills of last weekend’s race at Mugello in Italy. Montmelo’s two straights will provide ample slipstreaming opportunities where the cut and thrust of close-quarter racing makes for spectacular viewing. Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) leads Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) by a mere three points.

“Catalunya is a circuit I like a lot,” said Dovizioso. “In some ways it’s like Mugello. In Catalunya, like some other tracks, there will be a big group racing for the lead, nobody will be able to get away. Some parts of the track are really good for me. I love the long right hand corner after the first turn and also the last two corners onto the front straight. It is very important to get those two corners right for the drive down the straight.”

One man who could well feature in the race is Julian Simon (Angaia Honda RS125R). The young Spaniard races on home-ground has every intention of making Sunday a day to remember. He said. “Catalunya is a home grand prix for me and I really know the circuit well so I’m looking forward to the race a lot It will be good for me and the best way to forget my bad luck with the rear brake at Mugello.”

Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) will not race at Catalunya. The young Swiss broke his right collarbone in a race crash at Mugello. Luthi will make his return at Assen in two-weeks time.

Raymond Schouten (Molenaar Honda RS125R) will race despite multiple bruises sustained in his spectacular crash at Mugello.

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Corser in a twist over Silverstone

Foggy PETRONAS Racing star Troy Corser has suffered a dramatic late twist to his preparations for this weekend’s sixth round of the Superbike World Championship at Silverstone.

The Australian former world champion, who qualified in pole position at the previous round in Germany, will start Friday’s practice sessions still suffering the effects of a high-speed crash in the last race at Oschersleben.

Troy sustained neck and spine injuries when he hit the tyre wall and, in order to be fit to take part at the team’s home event, has undergone radical medical treatment at home in Monaco. He and team-mate Chris Walker are separated by just one point at eighth and ninth in the rider standings.

Troy said: “The specialist said the third and fourth vertebrae in the neck were locked one way and three vertebrae in the lower back were locked in the other direction. So my back and neck were effectively twisted in opposite directions. So I have been having treatment to realign my neck and spine by placing weights on those areas and letting the body adjust itself rather than cricking them back into place. The treatment was not painful but he warned me that it would be sore afterwards and I could hardly get out of bed the next day! Now they feel okay. He also did some work on my shoulder, which has been causing trouble ever since I crashed at Magny Cours last season and was aggravated at Phillip Island and Oschersleben. He said that a ligament had flicked over the top of its normal attachment to the joint and was causing a cramping spasm in my arm. My hip is bruised as well and my wrists are sore when I push down on them, but I am hoping that none of this will cause too much of a problem. I won’t be having painkilling injections unless I have to as I don’t believe in them.

“Silverstone reminds me of Assen as it is fast and sweeping but I struggled there last year as it was my first time at the circuit and we weren’t able to get too much set-up data because of limited time out on track. So in some ways we are starting afresh, although the FP1 is a lot better now. I think we should be finishing in the top five or six and anything else would be a bonus considering the strength of the Ducatis. For PETRONAS to be ahead of Honda and Kawasaki at this stage is already a real achievement.”

The second race on Sunday will be the 400th in the history of the Superbike World Championship, with FPR team owner Carl Fogarty having won a record 59. Troy holds the record for the number of pole positions with 29. Over the 17 years of the world championship, rounds of SBK have been held at 39 different circuits in 20 countries.

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ALSTARE LOOK FOR CHANGE OF LUCK
World Supersport Championship Preview. Round 6, Silverstone, GB – June 13, 2004.

Katsuaki Fujiwara and Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra are aiming for a change of fortune at this weekend’s sixth round World Supersport Championship round at Silverstone.

The Northamptonshire circuit in England hasn’t been one of the Team’s best venues in the past – with a previous best sixth place for the Japanese rider in 2002 – but Fujiwara is confident that the fast-flowing 5.094 kilometre circuit will suit the new 2004 GSX-R600 and get him the podium that has eluded him in recent years.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA:

“It was good to get second place in the last round – albeit in strange circumstances – but now I want a podium without any problems. Silverstone has not been very good to our team so this year will be a good time to change that luck. We are hoping that the sweeping nature of most of the track will suit our GSX-R600 Suzuki better then the twisty circuits and we can get some good results.”

STEPHANE CHAMBON:

“First place in the last round at Oschersleben was good for us – even though it came after some other riders were disqualified. I hope that the organisation sorts out the situation properly and we can just go out and race. I haven’t had particularly good luck at Silverstone in the past two attempts so it would be good to get a podium there this year. We shall have to see how our bike compares with the fast Hondas and Yamahas, but if they can go like they did at Monza, then we have a very good chance.”

VITTORIO IANNUZZO:

“Last year I was on a Superbike, so once again I’m having to learn how to ride Silverstone on a 600. Apart from the final part of the track, the rest is quite fast and I’m hoping that this suits our bike. My season hasn’t been so wonderful so far and, now that we are at the halfway stage, it would be good to restart it with a good performance.”

2003 results:

1 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda), 2 VD Goorbergh (NL-Yamaha), 3 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 8 FUJIWARA (J-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA), CHAMBON (F-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) DNF, IANNUZZO (I-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) DNS

From a press release issued by Speed TV:

Team Manager for Suzuki’s Motocross team, Roger DeCoster, will be SPEED Channel’s guest on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain on June 22 at 10 p.m. ET. As a five-time Motocross World Champion, four-time Trans-AMA Series Champion, and winner of 16 races in Europe’s two most prestigious series, the Trophee and Motocross des Nations, DeCoster’s name is synonymous with the sport of motocross. So much so that he is commonly referred to as ‘The Man’. When he retired from riding, DeCoster went to work for the teams, first as an advisor to Team Honda, then in 1995 he joined Suzuki as their Team Manager. Recently, he signed Ricky Carmichael to a deal that will bring the Honda ace over to Suzuki in 2005.

Viewers can submit e-mail questions to [email protected] or call 1-866-W-TUNNEL during the show to be a part of the LIVE call-in portions of the show.

In 2004, SPEED Channel is the exclusive U.S. cable home for many of the top motor sports series in the world. In addition, SPEED’s weekly programming schedule brings car enthusiast television to Prime Time Monday through Thursday. Now available in more the 66 million homes in North America, SPEED Channel is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country and the home to NASCAR TV.