From a press release issued by M3 Racing USA:

Who cares where Rossi is going?

Two-time AMA Grand National Champion Gary Nixon has just signed on with M3 Racing USA to race at the Daytona 2004 AHRMA Classic bike events.

Gary be will riding the new and improved Honda CR750 that he garnered third place on last year in the “Battle of the Nines”…that saw him dicing with Jay Springsteen in the rain at 136 MPH!

For more information please go to www.m3racing.com

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yamaha Racing Division Manager Keith McCarty says AMA Pro Racing officials ignored his opinion regarding the new requirement that Superstock machines run on slick tires in 2004.

McCarty told Roadracingworld.com, “No. I wasn’t asked, I delivered it un-requested because I think it’s important and I think it’s the silliest thing in the world to allow the Superstock class to have slicks. The reason I think that is that all the tire companies we talked to said it isn’t an issue for them whether it’s a slick or a DOT tire, that it isn’t a safety factor—-they’re going to do what they have to do to provide tires that will work and that are safe for all the riders. Why wouldn’t you want a DOT tire, that’s what they sell, that’s what they make money on, that’s what they advertise? It seems silly that you would allow somebody to run a slick when a DOT tire could be just as good and competitive out there.”

From a press release:

Metzger Steps Up to AMA Red Bull SuperMoto Podium

It seems that Mike Metzger has always had a flair for drama. In what can only be described as a dramatic race performance on Saturday night The Godfather turned around his 2003 SuperMoto season and is now headed into the final winner-take-all round in Las Vegas with his sails full of confidence.

His day started off with a high speed crash on the banked corner at Irwindale Speedway that saw him slide some 200+ feet on his Alpinestars leathers. He came through the crash unscathed but more determined than ever. In his qualifying race he pulled what he thought was a great hole-shot but the race officials had a different opinion and pulled him into the pit area while he was leading for a stop and go penalty for jumping the start. He still managed to finish the race in 3rd and that was good enough to put him in the main event.

Starting from the third row Metzger completed the first lap in 9th position. By the 8th lap he had worked his way up to Jeff Ward who was in 6th position. Passing Ward on the next lap allowed him to set his sights on the leaders. Working his way around Joe Kopp and Ben Carlson put him in the number three slot where ultimately finished with a front row seat to the Jurgen Kunzel/Doug Henry battle that ended with Henry claiming the victory.

When he found out that he had finished third on his Honda CRF450R he was ecstatic and said “I’m going to the podium right now because I want to be up there as long as possible”. He truly enjoyed sharing the podium with one of his motocross heroes Doug Henry and expressed his gratitude to all of his fans and sponsors who’ve supported him while he struggled to overcome injuries and the challenges of SuperMoto racing this year.

Coming up for Metzger is the grand opening of his Metzger Action Sports facility this weekend at 1800 Goetz Rd. Unit B Perris, CA 92570 (909) 657-7870 then it’s on to the LG Mobile World Championship of FMX at the Pomona Fairplex on November 15th. That’s followed by the season finale of the AMA Red Bull SuperMoto Championship at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV on November 21st.

From a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM TESTS
Valencia, Spain
Tuesday November 04 2003

FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM COMPLETE DAY ONE OF VALENCIA TEST

The Fortuna Yamaha Team stayed on at the Valencia circuit in Spain to complete the first of a two-day test today. Carlos Checa and Norick Abe took advantage of the clement weather to continue to test the new evolution of Yamaha’s Deltabox frame on their YZR-M1 machines, having both raced with the new chassis in the final round of the 2003 World Championship in Valencia on Sunday.

Carlos Checa, who concluded his 2003 season on Sunday seventh in the championship, switched between the new chassis spec and his existing chassis today, completing a total of 81 laps, with a best lap time of 1:33.78. The Spanish rider enjoyed the opportunity to continue set-up on the new chassis, and will continue testing it tomorrow.

“We tried the current spec chassis this morning to confirm that we’re heading in the right direction when we compare it to the new chassis, with which I raced on Sunday,” said the 31-year-old. “Then this afternoon we went back to the new one to improve my race set-up. We reconfirmed today that the new one is good – we only had a couple of hours using it during the race weekend, and today we can see more clearly that it has a lot of potential.

“I was here at the Valencia track yesterday as well because Yamaha had invited some journalists to test my bike. It was really interesting to hear their comments when they got off the bike, even though they generally rode about 10 or 15 seconds slower around the track than the MotoGP riders do!”

Norick Abe, who replaced the injured Marco Melandri during the race weekend, spent the day testing some new parts for Yamaha. Also present at the Valencia track today were riders from Ducati, Aprilia, Kawasaki, Pramac and
Proton KR.

The Fortuna Yamaha Team test will conclude tomorrow.

From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway:

Help Feed the Hungry at Infineon Raceway Thanksgiving Food Drive

SONOMA, Calif. – Race fans and community members will again get the opportunity to help feed the less fortunate this holiday season with the 3rd annual Infineon Raceway Thanksgiving Food Drive. And, as a gift for their generosity, participants will be rewarded with tickets to the 2004 AMA Superbike event at Infineon Raceway.

Infineon Raceway will partner with Mary’s Pizza Shack, Froggy 92.9 FM, Infineon Technologies, Inn Marin, Destination RKA and Friends in Sonoma Helping (FISH) to help ensure that needy families in Sonoma County have enough to eat this winter. Infineon Raceway and its partners have raised 2,200 pounds of food combined over the last two years, and this year’s goal is set at a lofty 1,500 pounds. The public is encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the raceway during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) from November 3-21. Items can be dropped in bins located in the main office. The raceway is located at 29355 Arnold Dr., Sonoma, CA 95476 (800-870-RACE).

Those who cannot make the trip to Infineon Raceway still have a chance to participate in the food drive. Satellite food drop-off locations will be located at:

· Destination RKA in Healdsburg at 1423A Grove St. RKA is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For directions, please call (707) 433-3727.

· Froggy 92.9 FM located at 1410 Neotomas Ave., Suite #200 in Santa Rosa. Call (707) 543-0100 for directions.

· Ten Mary’s Pizza Shack locations in Sonoma County. Please visit www.maryspizza.com for restaurant locations.

· The Inn Marin at 250 Entrada Dr. in Novato. Call (415) 883-5952 for directions.

Food items can also be mailed to: Diana Rose, Infineon Raceway, 29355 Arnold Dr., Sonoma, CA, 95476.

Those who donate four or more non-perishable food items will be rewarded with a free ticket to AMA Superbike qualifying on Friday, April 30. To receive your ticket voucher, simply present a photo ID with your non-perishable food items to the employee at the front desk at Infineon Raceway. Only two tickets are allowed per family. Those who donate food at any of the satellite locations, or by mail, will receive their ticket vouchers by mail.

All food items will be delivered to FISH, which works to provide emergency and temporary assistance to Sonoma Valley residents experiencing times of need. Each year, FISH supplies more than 2,100 households with three days of groceries, and calls for assistance continue to come in at a rate of more than 18 calls per day. For more information on FISH, call (707) 996-0111.

For more information on the food drive, please contact Diana Rose at (707) 938-8448 ext. 118 or by e-mail at [email protected].

From a press release issued by White Brothers:

WHITE BROTHERS ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH MOTO-MASTER

Yorba Linda, Ca. — White Brothers announced that the company has been awarded exclusive distribution rights for the Moto-Master brand of braking products throughout the United States. Moto-Master, a leading European performance brake manufacturer headquartered in The Netherlands, provides braking systems for the Super Moto, Dual Sport, Trail, Enduro, Street and ATV markets. Moto-Master brakes are strongly represented in the US supermotard series and are used by riders such as Jeremy McGrath, Jeff Ward and Jean-Michel Bayle. Moto-Masters Ultra-Lite rotors are a great success in Superbike road racing but especially in the Motocross and SX World Championships as the Kawasaki and Honda factory teams endorse them.

Mike Bell, White Brothers COO stated, “White Brothers is extremely pleased that Moto-Master has chosen our company to represent their fine line of braking systems throughout the country. Our dealer network continues to grow with the expansion of our proprietary exhaust system sales and distributed products. This exclusive partnership with Moto-Master helps to solidify White Brothers as a performance leader in the powersports market and we’re excited to have the opportunity to provide this awesome line or products to our customers.”

Albert Katgerman, Moto-Master Sales & Marketing Director added, “We feel confident that White Brothers is the most qualified company to help grow the Moto-Master line of braking systems here in the US market. Our decision to provide this exclusive line to White Brothers was based on the companies reputation as a performance leader and our confidence that White Brothers strategies to grow the business in the US corresponded with what Moto-Master was working to achieve as well. We feel this will be a winning partnership for both companies.”

Moto-Master products will be available exclusively through White Brothers dealerships nationwide beginning October 29th.

From a press release:

Lone Star Track Days (LSTD) releases 2004 Schedule

Houston, Texas – LSTD is looking forward to 2004
with 16 total track events scheduled and enabling the motorcycle enthusiast/racer access to both Texas World Speedway and The Motorsport Ranch. For more information, please visit our website, www.lonestartrackdays.com, or call (713) 253-2966.

LSTD has also partnered with the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association (CMRA) and is offering its racing license curriculum. To date, LSTD has helped close to 100 riders get prepared for racing and the class is offered at every track event LSTD holds.

Monday, February 16 @ Texas World Speedway

Friday, March 12 @ Texas World Speedway

Monday, March 22 @ The Motorsport Ranch

Monday, April 5 @ Texas World Speedway

Monday, April 26 @ The Motorsport Ranch (backwards)

Monday, May 10 @ Texas World Speedway

Monday, June 7 @ The Motorsport Ranch

Monday, July 5 @ Texas World Speedway

Monday, July 26 @ The Motorsport Ranch (backwards)

Monday, August 9 @ Texas World Speedway

Monday, August 23 @ The Motorsport Ranch

Sat. & Sun., September 18 & 19 @ Texas World Speedway

Monday, October 4th @ The Motorsport Ranch (backwards)

Sat. & Sun., October 23 & 24 @ Texas World Speedway

From a press release issued by the AMA:

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION HEALTH-INSURANCE BILL MOVING IN U.S. SENATE

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports that a bipartisan bill to end health-care discrimination against motorcyclists and all-terrain vehicle riders has cleared a key U.S. Senate committee.

By a unanimous voice vote, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Oct. 29 approved S. 423 that would bar health plans from denying benefits to people injured while riding motorcycles, ATVs, horses, or engaging in other legal recreational or transportation activities.

“This legislation closes a loophole that allows insurance companies to deny coverage for someone who is hurt while snowmobiling, but covers someone who is injured while drinking and driving their car,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who co-authored the bill. “Americans pay enough for their health insurance that they should receive the same coverage and benefits whether they break their arm skiing or from falling down the back stairs.”

“U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), the measure’s other co-author, said: “Millions of people participate in these legal recreational activities every day. I am thrilled to see this bipartisan support to close a loophole that may have prevented people from enjoying these legal activities out of fear they may be refused health coverage because of it.”

A similar measure, HR 1749, is being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We must press on,” said AMA Washington Representative Patrick Holtz. “The Senate bill will move to the floor for consideration. Meanwhile, the House bill still needs to get out of committee.” The House bill has been referred to the Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and the Education and Workforce committees.

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which prohibits companies from denying access to employer-sponsored health insurance for motorcyclists and those who participate in other recreational activities. However, federal regulators created a loophole that allows the denial of benefits under various conditions.

The AMA is among a number of groups working to get this legislation approved.

“This is an important step in ensuring that the original intent of the HIPAA legislation is upheld,” said U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.), who is on the Ways and Means committee. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to see this important clarification through.”

U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio), who sits on the Energy and Commerce committee, saw the Senate move as a hopeful sign for the House legislation.

“Now that this important bill has taken a major step through the Senate, I hope the House leadership will finally move forward on this issue,” Strickland said. “This legislation is a bipartisan effort to end the discriminatory practice of denying benefits to millions of Americans who participate in recreational sports.”

From a press release issued by California Speedway:

Hundreds of residents, including many race fans, came to support the “Race for Relief” at California Speedway this weekend. During the two-day effort to aid those displaced by the Southern California wildfires more than $20,000 was raised in addition to four 24-ft. Penske Truckloads and numerous Toyota Tundra loads of clothing, diapers, blankets, food, toys and personal hygiene items. With all the trucks loaded with items, speedway workers also filled one garage bay in Garage 3 in the infield.

“On behalf of all the people we serve, staff and volunteers of the American Red Cross we would like to thank California Speedway for the support and commitment to the community,” Sandy Silva, Inland Valley Chapter CEO of the American Red Cross, said. “The speedway should be commended for helping the fire victims rebuild and get back on their feet.”

The “Race for Relief” was an opportunity for many residents to show kind-hearted gestures of generosity to those who effected by the fires. One such gesture was from the Wheeler family of Running Springs, Calif., who were evacuated earlier this week from their home. Despite not knowing whether their home still stands they made an incredible donation of $1,000 to the Southern California Fire Disaster Relief Fund, which benefits the American Red Cross.

Another goodhearted gesture was when a little girl dropped off bags of brand-new toys. The toys were partially wrapped in birthday wrapping that the seven year-old girl received and then gave her own birthday presents to children displaced by the wildfires.

A group of UCLA medical students made the trek to the speedway from Los Angeles to donate items. As well, a trio of members from the Pomona Chinese Christian Church donated approximately 300 hand-sewn blankets for the cold nights. Henry Hung, Kevin Yao and Felicia Yao brought the blankets from their church, which gathered together this morning for church service and collected the blankets.

Monetary contributions will continue through mid-November as many speedway partners and companies associated with racing, such as Bridgestone, have made financial commitments and the deadline for speedway ticket holders to donate the purchase price of their ticket from the King Taco 200 and King Taco 500 is November 14.

For more information on the “Race for Relief” please visit www.californiaspeedway.com. For more information on the Southern California Fire Disaster Relief Fund and the American Red Cross visit their website at www.crossnet.org.