From a press release:

Oklahoma City Formula USA Dirt Track Goes to a Cooler Date

New date is June 22nd for Oklahoma City Moto TT Dirt Track National

AURORA, Ill., (April 18, 2002) – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announced today a change in the 2002 Formula USA National
Dirt Track Series presented by Drag Specialties.

The previously announced July Oklahoma City Moto TT Dirt Track National, round 5 of the Formula USA National Dirt Track Series has been moved to Saturday June 22nd.

“The date change puts the Oklahoma City Moto TT event onto a better weekend for weather, fans and for the riders’ routing needs. It’s a great move for the series and we’re looking forward to going to Oklahoma City in June” said Bob Moran, director of dirt track racing for Clear Channel
Entertainment’s motor sports division.

The 2002 Formula USA National Dirt Track Series schedules is as follows:

Sat, Apr 27 Baytown, TX Houston Raceway Park

Sat, May 4 Mesquite, TX Devil’s Bowl Speedway

Sat, June 8 Plymouth, WI Sheboygan County Fairgrounds

Fri, Jun 14 Rochester, NH Rochester Fairgrounds

Sat, June 22 Oklahoma City, OK State Fair Speedway

Sat. Jul 20 Duluth, MN Proctor Speedway

Wed, Aug 7 Rapid City, S.D. Black Hills Speedway

Sat, Sept. 14 Sacramento, CA Cal Expo *

Sept. 21-22 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome

Sat, Sept. 28 Boise, ID Les Bois Park

Sat, Oct 5 Del Mar, CA Del Mar Fairgrounds Short Track

Sun, Oct 6 Del Mar, CA Del Mar Fairgrounds Mile/Grandstand *

* (No 80cc class)

From a press release:

Superbike World Championship
Round four: Sugo, Japan
Wednesday 17 April 2002
Event preview

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing in the land of the rising wild card

Britain’s number one World Superbike rider, Neil Hodgson, and his increasingly successful team-mate James Toseland enter the final leg of the fly-away phase of the 2002 championship. The HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing team arrived in Japan well before Friday’s initial practice session and have been busy preparing for the fourth round of the series in Sugo.

As well as facing their regular adversaries, both riders are fully prepared for the event and are looking forward to doing battle with the factory-mounted wild card riders that so dominated last year’s competition at the 3.73km circuit.

“I really want to close the points gap before the series returns to Europe,” said Hodgson. “I love Sugo and have challenged myself to secure a podium finish here. After coming so close at Kyalami, it would be extra-special for me to do it this weekend. The Japanese wild cards are incredibly competitive, but we found a great set-up for this circuit in 2001, and this year we’re in an even stronger position than before. So, it looks like everything’s in place to help me achieve my goal.”

James Toseland is determined to maintain his recent run of form: “Things are going really well for me at the moment and I’m not planning on letting up now. Sugo is a great track – very challenging and technical – and last year I managed to beat some of the top WSBK riders around it. I’ve had plenty of time to acclimatise to the conditions and I feel on top form. Physically and mentally, I’m more than ready for the weekend.”

2001 results
Race one:
1. M. Tamada (Hon) 37:45.090; 2. T. Corser (Apr) +4.090; 3. H. Izutsu (Kaw) +7.668; 4. S. Ito (Hon) +12.117; 5. A. Ryo (Suz) +12.431; 6. G. Lavilla (Suz) +18.697; 7. N. Hodgson (GSE Racing) +19.091; 8. P. Chili (Suz) +19.224; 9. B. Bostrom (Duc) +25.008; 10. W. Yoshikawa (Yam) +25.307; 11. J. Toseland (GSE Racing) +36.006

Race two:
1. M. Tamada (Hon) 37:43.033; 2. H. Izutsu (Kaw) +3.122; 3. T. Serizawa (Kaw) +4.303; 4. B. Bostrom (Duc) +5.988; 5. N. Hodgson (GSE Racing) +9.022; 6. T. Corser (Apr) +11.788; 7. A. Ryo (Suz) +17.504; 8. P. Chili (Suz) +17.810; 9. S. Ito (Hon) +10.088; 10. Y. Kagayama (Suz) +19.238; 16. J. Toseland (GSE Racing) +54.583

Lap record: M. Tamada 1:29.522 (2001)
Superpole: M. Tamada 1:28.797 (2001)
Qualifying: M. Tamada 1:28.658 (2001)


In other HM Plant Ducati news:

We are proud to announce the launch of a very special credit card. GSE Racing has teamed up with MBNA to offer you the chance to aid Neil Hodgson and James Toseland in their bid for World Superbike glory.

THE GSE RACING MASTERCARD



The GSE Racing MasterCard carries a fantastic image of Britain’s number one Superbike rider Neil Hodgson in action. Not only does it look the business, but it could help you save money with it’s competive interest rates.

The best thing about the deal is that when you take out the GSE Racing MasterCard and make purchases with it, you are helping the team. MBNA has pledged to make a donation to the team every time the card is used.

To find out more about this fantastic deal check out http://www.hmplantducati.com

Get ready for a big prize competiton, being launched around the card in the very near future.

From AMA Pro Racing:

Thursday, May 2

3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Tech Inspection

Friday, May 3

7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tech Inspection

8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Practice (in the following order):
Pro Honda Oils Supersport
Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock
MBNA 250 Grand Prix

10:40 –11:40 a.m. Chevy Trucks Superbike Practice

11:40 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. Lunch break

12:40 – 2:30 p.m. Practice (same order as morning session)

2:40- 3:30 p.m. Chevy Trucks Superbike Qualifying

4:20 – 4:40 p.m. Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Qualifying (even #s)

4:50 – 5:10 p.m. Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Qualifying (odd #s)

Saturday, May 4

7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tech Inspection

8:00 – 9:40 a.m. Practice (in the following order):
Pro Honda Oils Supersport
MBNA 250 Grand Prix
Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock
Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme

9:50 –10:50 a.m. Chevy Trucks Superbike Qualifying

11:00 – 11:20 a.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport Qualifying (even #s)

11:30 – 11:50 a.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport Qualifying (odd #s)

11:50 a.m. – 12:40 p.m. Lunch break

12:40 – 1:00 p.m. Chevy Trucks Superbike Practice

1:10 – 1:45 p.m. Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying

2:00 p.m. Chevy Trucks Superbike Race One (100K – 26 laps)

MBNA 250 Grand Prix Qualifying (20 minute session)

Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Race (60K – 16 laps)

Sunday, May 5

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

9:00 a.m. Tech Inspection Opens

9:00 – 10:50 a.m. Practice (in the following order):
Pro Honda Oils Supersport
MBNA 250 Grand Prix
Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
Chevy Trucks Superbike

11:00 a.m. Lunch Break

12:00 p.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final (60K – 16 laps)

MBNA 250 Grand Prix Final (60K – 16 laps)

Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final (60K –16 laps)

3:00 p.m. Chevy Trucks Superbike Race Two (100K – 26 laps)

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Bidding on an autographed Miguel Duhamel helmet has reached $1225, with approximately 24 hours remaining in the auction to benefit the Roadracingworld.com Action Fund. The highest offer for the unobtainable helmet reached $800 on the first day but then stalled at that amount for the next three days. Interest renewed when “compms2” joined the process, and seven new bids later, the highest bid of $1225 is held by “steph9985”. With five bids each, it appears that this auction will be a two-horse race between “compms2” and “steph9985” unless a new bidder appears in the closing minutes of the sale.

The auction is due to close at 3:11 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday, April 18.

The original web posting announcing the auction appears below:

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This Miguel Duhamel Shoei motorcycle helmet was donated by Shoei Safety Helmet Corporation to be auctioned off to benefit the Roadracingworld.com Action Fund, a new non-profit corporation which has taken over the work previously done by the informally-organized Roadracing World Air Fence* Fund. Autographed by all-time AMA Superbike and 600cc Supersport win leader Miguel Duhamel, this helmet is technically not a replica, but instead is an actual Miguel Duhamel helmet.

Shoei only makes the X-SPII model in Duhamel’s Troy Lee-designed paint scheme for Duhamel himself to wear in races. Duhamel replicas that are sold to the public are only made in the less-expensive, entry-level RF900 model.

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This special lid is in brand new, never-worn condition. It is currently set up for a “Small” size, but Shoei’s Motorsports Manager Rob Vallejos says that the helmet can be re-fitted for any size, up to Large, with a swap of the helmet’s 3-D Liner internal padding system. Vallejos said he would be happy to help re-fit the helmet for the winning bidder.

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Like all new Shoei X-SPIIs, this helmet comes with a clear and a smoked CX-1 face shield, a breath guard, a chin curtain, a maintenance kit, owner’s manual, fleece-lined carrying bag, original box and a five-year warranty. Of course, only this helmet comes with Miguel Duhamel’s signature in white paint marker on the back!

Normal Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for a Shoei X-SPII replica helmet is a little under $800.

The auction is due to close at approximately 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Thursday, April 18. To go directly to the auction, click on the following link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1820700776

Roadracing World has a couple of items remaining that will be put up for auction in the near future, but we are always looking for more pieces of racing memorabilia, collectibles, products and/or services to be donated to benefit the Roadracing.com Action Fund. If you have an item that you would like to donate for auction, please call Roadracing World’s David Swarts at 909-245-6411 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

The Roadracing World Air Fence Fund was established in April 2001 to raise money to purchase and deploy Air Fence and Air Module soft barriers to protect crashed riders from hitting walls and other hard objects at racetracks. In less than one year, the Fund has raised over $174,000, with over $11,000 coming from the auctions of donated racing memorabilia such as this helmet. For more information about the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund, including a full accounting of the collections and disbursements and stories about racers being saved by soft barriers, go to the www.roadracingworld.com home page and click on the Air Fence headline.

The Roadracingworld.com Action Fund has taken over the work of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund and will continue to use donations to buy and deploy Air Fence and Air Modules to improve racetrack safety.

*Air Fence is a trademark of Airfence Safety Systems of Australia.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

The second day of AMA team testing at Road Atlanta got started late for the same reason as the first day: Turn five had water flowing onto it from the saturated ground beside the track. Road Atlanta’s maintenance crew put oil dry down to soak up some of the water, but the turn remained damp throughout the morning. Most teams sent out representatives to go inspect the turn themselves and bikes did not get on track until 10:30.

Damon Buckmaster was the first rider on track this morning. Buckmaster was not able to ride during the first day of testing because all of his gear was in the Graves Yamaha transporter, which just arrived last night. He spent the day testing both his YZF-R6 and his R1-powered Formula Xtreme YZF-R7.

Anthony Gobert has new suspension components on his Yamaha YZF-R7 Superbike this season, and spent the day trying to find the right set-up for Road Atlanta. “We got new suspension parts earlier in the year and it’s kind of frustrating because now everywhere we go we have to waste a lot of time getting it dialed in,” explained Gobert. “It’s frustrating because I want to go fast, and I’m in and out, in and out, changing (the set-up).” During the afternoon sessions, Gobert ran 22 laps on the same tires before putting in a fast time of 1:24.6.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Jamie Hacking spent most of his time riding his Supersport GSX-R600 with his mechanic making adjustments to the engine tuning. Hacking posted the quickest 600cc time of the day with a 1:27.6, nearly an entire second faster than Tommy Hayden’s fastest time on the Kawasaki. Hacking spent the afternoon riding his GSX-R750 Superbike.

Mat Mladin continued working on his Superbike’s race set-up, running in the mid-to-low 1:24s today. He is determined to repeat his prior success at Road Atlanta. “I expect to win. I never expect anything less than to come to a race and win,” said Mladin. “We have to win, anyway, because we need to catch up, so there’s really nothing else we can do.”

Aaron Yates spent the entire day on his Suzuki GSX-R750 Superbike, posting a fast time of 1:24.6 and working on race set-up.

Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden is concentrating on getting used to riding the Kawasaki ZX-6 for the first time at Road Atlanta and making suspension changes. Hayden felt that the bike was uncomfortable on the first test day, but that the team is heading in the right direction now with the current set-up of the bike.

Tony Meiring is feeling more confident on his Kawasaki. After making extensive changes on the bike, he says he feels good and he dropped his lap times for the second day of testing.

Doug Chandler was running consistently in the 1:24.6-24.7 range, matching his fastest time from yesterday. He felt good on the HMC Ducati and enjoyed running with Nicky Hayden and Miguel Duhamel during one of his sessions.

Nicky Hayden spent much of the day on the track, and his lap times showed that his efforts were worthwhile. He posted the fastest time of the day with a 1:24.0, beating Mladin’s fast time by 0.2-second.

Miguel Duhamel continued to work on the set-up for his Honda RC51, coming into the pits frequently for adjustments. His fastest time of the day was a 1:24.8.

Chris Ulrich spent the entire day on his Valvoline Suzuki GSX-R750 and used most of the morning track time to test brake pads. After some minor suspension changes, Ulrich went back to the brake pads he normally runs and continued practicing throughout the afternoon, turning a total of 59 laps.

Tom Kipp rode his Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 Formula Xtreme bike all day, although he has not yet settled on the best set-up for the bike. Both Kipp and Ulrich said they will focus on testing different compounds of Michelin tires tomorrow.

FAST TIMES, SUPERBIKE:
Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:24.0
Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.2
Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R759, 1:24.6
Anthony Gobert, Yamaha R7, 1:24.62
Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:24.8
Doug Chandler, Ducati 998, 1:24.6

FAST TIMES, SUPERSPORT:
Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:27.6
Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:28.9
Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:28.5
Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.4

FAST TIMES, SUPERSTOCK:
Chris Ulrich, GSX-R750, 1:27.7

FAST TIMES, FORMULA XTREME:
Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R7/R1, 1:25.2
Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.77

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

This just in, from Daytona 200 winner, former racer and television commentator David Sadowski:

Just had to drop you a line regarding Michael Hannas’ commentary on Sears Point.

Knowing that the circuit is in the process of a “major face-lift” and the management has been open about communicating with the motorcycle racing industry leaders reporting the new changes, with rider approval. Michael Hannas steps up three weeks out of our visit to Sears and reports a detailed evaluation of the new changes that is troublesome. Hannas’ report is obviously unbiased and you know he will continue to ride at Sears Point. Despite the fact that he has risked not winning the popularity contest at this year’s event (I commend his bold honesty) is Hannas on the level with his observations? Raises some questions in my mind that I have to ask.

First–Why have the other riders that commented on the track not seen what he sees? (I know the answer, but plead the 5th!)

Second–Who is sought after from the AMA to inspect and suggest motorcycle-racing-related safety issues. (Usually it is the local hero who is contracted by a factory team and is apprehensive to “Rock the Boat”)

Third–Most of what is suggested by the chosen pro is just that, a suggestion. There is no standard established in America that specifies what a racetrack needs to look like to have a professional motorcycle racing event. In my experience with track evaluation, having been the “Chosen One” on numerous occasions, and having written proposals with drawings before the construction process began, I know the battle lines pretty well. Despite my suggestions to have concrete walls and Armco Barriers not erected or moved away from the track at almost every venue in the U.S., they (racetrack designers & engineers) keep building the circuits in America to suit the sanctioning bodies of automobile racing, and their track standards. Specifically to attract an F-1 or IRL car race to the track under construction in most cases.

Questions–Can a standard be established in America that suits both the auto & motorcycle racing communities? I’ll answer:

A. Hell No! We (the motorcycle racing community) can’t agree in one accord about much, and we give conflicting, off-the-cuff assessments when inspecting the tracks. Motorcycle races are low priority when safety is concerned at most tracks. Decision makers have no idea what a Superbike, 250 GP, Supersport, Pro Thunder or (OH MY GOD) a Formula Xtreme bike is like in anger around their tracks.

B. Who will spend millions of dollars to make necessary changes for Motorcycle events? (Especially those who have just overhauled a facility)

What can we do?

1. Buy more Air Fence and have a respected cornerworker (Non-butt kisser) involved with a retired Pro (Non-butt kisser)working on solutions to these safety issues.

2. Stop accepting a single row of haybales in front of a wall that is on the outside of a 140-mph corner.

3. Look at every turn with “catastrophic brake failure” in mind when assessing run-off and intersecting traffic. (Bikes highside and “Right” themselves most of the time and brake failure is a reality!)

4. Become united on track safety issues by mandating factory riders to take the AMA and OEM leaders on a “Hot Lap” around the circuits with overheated tires.

I have other thoughts and questions, but this will do for now, I’m getting too excited, or am I?

Hannas–You’re OK in my book!

David Sadowski

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

Team Yoshimura Blimpie Suzuki is hosting three days of AMA team testing at Road Atlanta this week in preparation for the double-header Superbike race scheduled for the track May 16-19. Tuesday was the first day of the test.

Track conditions were good, with the exception of water seeping up through the track off the line in turn five, and ambient temperature was what one rider called “f–king hot”. According to Kevin Schwantz, who spent some time on the course, the track surface seemed slick.

Besides Yoshimura Suzuki, participating teams splitting the hefty bill for the practice session included the factory Superbike efforts fielded by Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki as well as the HMC Ducati Superbike team. The sole non-Superbike team present is Valvoline EMGO Suzuki.

Most riders were concentrating on bike set-up, both for Road Atlanta and the upcoming race at Sears Point.

Honda’s Kurtis Roberts and Valvoline’s Josh Hayes were both absent due to injuries they sustained in crashes at Fontana the weekend of April 5-7. Kawasaki’s sole Superbike rider, Eric Bostrom, was also missing, having already left for next weekend’s World Superbike race at Sugo, Japan.

Bikes did not get on-track until after 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, giving riders less than two hours of track time before the lunch break. The entire day was run without any major incidents.

Team Honda brought two RC51s for Miguel Duhamel to test this week. “Our one bike is going really well,” explained Duhamel. “I’m already going faster than I did last year, I think, so I feel really good and now we’re going to try the other one and see if there’s something to that one. Different triple clamps, different suspensions, front and rear, different links that hold the shock in the back. We’re going to throw a lot of things at it and hopefully the weather will cooperate and we’ll be able to get the maximum data out of our bikes.”

Duhamel and teammate Nicky Hayden were both running mid-1:25 lap times by the afternoon sessions, with Hayden turning a fast lap of 1:23.8 late in the day; pole time last year was 1:22.7.

Aaron Yates, a local favorite at Road Atlanta, spent most of the day concentrating on his Supersport Suzuki GSX-R600. “Right now we’re just riding the 600, just trying some different options and things you don’t really have time to try on a race weekend,” said Yates. “For the Superbike, we don’t really have a lot of new stuff to test. We’re going to do some fine-tuning and try to do some laps out there.” Yates was the only crasher, falling in turn 10, entering the chicane, early in the morning; he was uninjured.

Mat Mladin seemed unhindered by the elbow he injured at Daytona, spending as much time on track on his Superbike as the other riders.

Kawasaki’s Tony Meiring, on the #56 Kawasaki ZX-6R, is riding at Road Atlanta for only the second time in his career. His focus is becoming more familiar with the track itself. His teammate, Tommy Hayden, is looking for set-up data.

HMC Ducati’s new rider Doug Chandler was working on getting his bike set-up for the Road Atlanta round, but he was also looking forward to a chance to get some quality time working with his new team. “It’s a double-header and we’re only going to have Friday (for practice) and no telling what the weather’s going to be like, so it’s good to get here and kind of get things sorted out, that way we know when we come here we’ve got something we could race on if we need to,” said Chandler.

Anthony Gobert rode his Supersport YZF-R6 in the morning and his Superbike in the afternoon. Damon Buckmaster didn’t get on the track Tuesday.

Kipp rode his Supersport GSX-R600 for most of the day, trying three sets of forks and various Michelin tires, then went out on his Formula Xtreme GSX-R1000 for 14 shake-down laps. Kipp will spend more time on both bikes tomorrow, with a large selection of Michelin slicks to try on the Formula Xtreme bike, as well as several new rear shocks. Kipp turned a total of 87 laps during the day, 73 on his 600.

Chris Ulrich rode a GSX-R750 Superstock bike all day, turning 49 laps while chasing set-up and testing various brake pad compounds.

Riders present at the test include:

Honda
Miguel Duhamel
Nicky Hayden

Kawasaki
Tommy Hayden
Tony Meiring

Yamaha
Anthony Gobert
Damon Buckmaster

Valvoline EMGO Suzuki
Tom Kipp
Chris Ulrich

Yoshimura Blimpie Suzuki
Mat Mladin
Aaron Yates
Jamie Hacking

From a press release:

TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES UK MANUFACTURING FACILITY FULLY OPERATIONAL BY SEPTEMBER 2002

Triumph Motorcycles Begins Construction Work Today to Rebuild Production Areas Affected by Recent Fire in Hinckley, UK to Create Most Advanced Motorcycle Assembly Line in the World

NEWNAN, GA.— April 16, 2002 – Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., released that construction starts today on rebuilding production areas which were affected by the recent fire at Triumph Motorcycles in Hinckley. Triumph Motorcycles Limited Managing Director, Karl Wharton has announced plans for a rebuilding program which will enable new Triumph motorcycles to be rolling off the assembly line by the start of September, 2002.

Triumph will be working around-the-clock to rebuild the factory on Jacknell Road to create the most advanced motorcycle assembly line in the world.

Triumph has been able to react and commence reconstruction so quickly due to the prompt and supportive response from their insurers, led by the Zurich and with co-insurers Royal Sun Alliance, GroupAMA and Allianz-Cornhill. Working together, Triumph and their insurers have been able to plan and agree to a speedy recovery plan for the company, as set out below, to minimize disruption to Triumph’s business and customer support.

To enable construction to start quickly, Triumph has appointed the same firms of architects, structural engineers and project management team who were responsible for the original building. “Their previous experience and knowledge of the site will support Triumph’s goal of producing new motorcycles in Hinckley at the start of September,” says Karl Wharton.

Key stages in the reconstruction are:

– Demolition of the damaged area will be complete within the next seven days

– Steel work order has already been placed

– The rebuilding of the factory is planned to be complete within 14 weeks from today

To enable production to start in September, 2002 all processes need to be back on line concurrently, so a number of production processes and machinery are being relocated to other areas within Triumph’s manufacturing facilities.

This means machinery which was only affected by smoke, as well as new equipment which is being installed as required, can be commissioned prior to completion of the rebuilding works.

Meanwhile, Triumph is maximizing resources at their three additional sites in Hinckley to build up components ready for the new assembly line, and to ensure a continuous supply of spare parts to Triumph dealers worldwide.

Design and development facilities are unaffected and continue to operate as usual on Jacknell Road. The assembly line paint shop is expected to be back on line by the end of April.

Spare parts, accessories and clothing distribution operations are unaffected and supplying stock as usual. For some years, due to Triumph’s paint shop being mainly used to meet production requirements, spare parts have been predominantly painted at an outside facility.

In addition, the company has rented an additional building at Magna Park in Lutterworth as a temporary store. The unit, which is fully computerized and linked to the main Triumph systems, will receive all deliveries of production stock until new warehousing facilities are rebuilt on Jacknell Road. “This will enable us to receive all parts deliveries that were scheduled for the next few months without interruption, thus building up the stock needed for production to recommence starting September,” adds Karl Wharton.

Triumph, who manufactures more than 33,000 motorcycles in Britain a year, supplies bikes, parts and accessories to over 25 different countries, including those in western Europe, the United States of America, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and several markets in Latin America.

Said Karl Wharton: “Triumph, which dates back to 1902, is one of the oldest and most recognized names in motorcycling. Many famous models have been built in the last 100 years and Triumph plans to continue to produce more great motorcycles when production is up and running again at Hinckley at the start of September, 2002.”

Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triumph Motorcycles, Ltd., the manufacturer of Triumph motorcycles and accessories. Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., is located in Newnan, GA and services the Triumph dealer organization throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.


Internal Arrangements

While they are rebuilding the Jacknell Road factory, Triumph is making internal arrangements to enable motorbike production to come back on stream at the earliest possible date.

Machinery which was affected by smoke and soot in the Jacknell Road factory – known as T1 – is currently being cleaned by a combination of specialist and Triumph staff. The areas affected include the three and four cylinder crankcase and cylinder head lines, the engine assembly, chrome plating plant and the paint shop.

Once cleaned, to allow affected machinery to be recommissioned before rebuilding work is complete, the layout of T1 and that of the company’s latest factory in Normandy Way – known as T2 – will be reorganized so that some equipment can be relocated from T1 to T2.

As the crankcase and cylinder head lines for the twin cylinder engine are already located in T2, this will combine all engine manufacture and assembly processes in T2.

The paint shop, which will remain in Jacknell Road, is expected to be back on line by the end of April. This does not affect the supply of spare painted parts, which are painted by an outside source.

Plans for recommissioning the areas destroyed in the fire – the chassis and final assembly, powder coating and production stores – prior to completion of the new building, are also in place.

The powder coating and chassis assembly will be relocated to areas of T1 that were unaffected by the fire, which will be available because of the move of certain equipment to T2.

The majority of the rebuilt area will become the new production stores and assembly line.

Temporary Stores Arrangements

In preparation for recommencing production in August, Triumph have rented a unit at Magna Park in Lutterworth as a temporary stores facility. This unit is fully computerized, including links into Triumph’s systems.

It will receive all deliveries of production stock until the rebuilding of T1 is complete and new racking is in place.

This means that Triumph can continue to receive parts deliveries that were scheduled for the next few months without interruption, thus securing the stock necessary for production to recommence starting September.

This policy will also protect Triumph’s suppliers against loss of business and ensure the future supply of components, particularly those from smaller, specialist companies.

To ensure that Triumph’s high quality standards are maintained within this period, company inspection staff will be working at the Magna Park facility.

Once the new warehousing is in place at T1, stock will revert to being delivered into T1. The Magna Park facility will continue to feed production until stock is exhausted by which the time the T1 facility will be fully stocked and operational.


Manufacturing Arrangements

Manufacturing at T2 has not been interrupted and is ongoing to ensure the continued supply of spare parts and to build adequate stocks of components for when production recommences.

Design and development facilities were unaffected and continue to operate as usual. If anything, development of new models may be slightly accelerated, as the department currently does not have to respond to any production issues.

The spare parts, accessories and clothing distribution operations are unaffected and are supplying stock as usual.

Office functions are fully operational and working from temporary offices at T2.

Plans for the company’s limited component manufacturing facility in Thailand were unaffected by the fire. As announced last September, this facility will be producing some components towards the second half of this year, controlled by Triumph engineers and personnel.

Production Arrangements

Production will recommence starting September. Initially, the plant will operate at 25% capacity, building up to full production over a twelve week period.

During these initial weeks, Triumph will produce a mixture of all models and all market specifications to ensure a fair distribution of product.

While Triumph have stock of most models at the present time – except the Speed Four and Bonneville models, which are in very short supply – they anticipate that stocks will run very low by the time production recommences. In fairness to customers, delivery of stock within each market will be prioritized to meet retail orders.

Staff Arrangements

Staff in many areas are working as usual. There was, for example, minimal interruption to Triumph’s spares operation, which was despatching orders by close of business on the Monday immediately following the fire.

Bike dispatch resumed the Tuesday after the fire and all IT systems and temporary offices were functional by the Wednesday.

Staff in the areas specifically affected by the fire are working on a rotating basis to assist with the clean up operation. They are keen to be involved and team spirit remains high.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA 250cc Grand Prix regular Greg Esser called Roadracingworld.com with an update on his condition, saying that he will race again.

Esser was injured in a crash at California Speedway on Friday, March 5 and was airlifted to a local hospital for treatment of a fractured ankle, dislocated shoulder and what was believed at the time to be a concussion. Shortly after arriving at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Esser underwent surgery to insert a metal plate and eight screws in his left ankle. The doctors who operated on Esser at Loma Linda told him that he might lose so much mobility in his ankle that he would not be able to race motorcycles again.

But after flying home to Florida, Esser saw his family physician of nearly 30 years, Dr. John Bodden, who told Esser that the doctors at Loma Linda did an excellent job of putting the ankle back together and he should expect only a small loss of range of motion.

Esser is planning to return to racing during the August 8-11 AMA National at Virginia International Raceway.

From a press release:

HARLEY-DAVIDSON REPORTS RECORD FIRST QUARTER

Milwaukee, Wis., April 16, 2002 — Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HDI) today announced record revenue and earnings for its first quarter ended March 31, 2002. Revenue for the quarter was $927.8 million compared with $776.9 million in the year-ago quarter, a 19.4 percent increase. First quarter diluted earnings per share (EPS) were 39 cents, a 30.6 percent increase compared with last year’s 30 cents.

“We are proud to announce another outstanding quarter and to report that demand for Harley-Davidson products remains strong as we begin our 99th year of operations,” said Jeffrey L. Bleustein, chairman and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Our worldwide network of independent dealers experienced a growth rate of 20 percent in retail registrations during the first quarter. Based on this demand and ongoing capacity improvements, we are raising our 2002 production target for Harley-Davidson® motorcycles to 261,000 units, up from the previous target of 258,000.

“I am also pleased to announce that our Dyna family of motorcycles is now being assembled exclusively in Kansas City, after successfully transferring these operations from our York, PA facility. This comes on the heels of a new five-year labor agreement with our Kansas City unions and is another step in executing our manufacturing strategy,” added Bleustein.

Motorcycles and Related Products Segment

Financial performance for the entire segment benefited from five percent more scheduled workdays in the first quarter of 2002 compared to last year’s first quarter.

First quarter revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles was $747.7 million, an increase of 21.9 percent over the first quarter last year. Shipments of Harley-Davidson motorcycles totaled 64,669 units, up 10,515 units or 19.4 percent over last year and approximately 2,100 units over the Company’s announced target. “We worked additional assembly line overtime during the quarter to help meet strong customer demand for our 2002 model year motorcycles,” said Bleustein. To support the new 2002 calendar year production target of 261,000 units, Harley-Davidson is increasing its second quarter production target to 65,000 units.

First quarter revenue from Parts and Accessories (P&A), which consist of Genuine Motor Partsä and Genuine Motor Accessoriesä, totaled $131.1 million, a 20.4 percent increase over the year-ago quarter. General Merchandise, which consists of MotorClothes® apparel and collectibles, had first quarter revenue of $42.3 million, up 7.9 percent over the same period last year.

For the long term, the Company expects P&A revenue to increase somewhat faster than Harley-Davidson’s motorcycle unit growth rate and expects General Merchandise to grow slightly slower than the motorcycle unit growth rate.

First quarter gross margin for the Motorcycles and Related Products Segment was 34.0 percent of revenue compared to 32.7 percent in the first quarter of last year. Gross margin improvements were driven by the effect of the greater number of workdays as well as a stronger product mix and a greater percentage of domestic shipments. Operating margin followed gross margin and was 18.7 percent of revenue, compared to 17.4 percent of revenue for the same period last year.

Financial Services Segment

Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. (HDFS), a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., reported first quarter income of $41.7 million, up from $32.9 million in the year-ago quarter. HDFS operating income was $12.2 million, compared with $5.0 million last year. The increase was due in part to continued strong acceptance of its consumer financing programs as well as growth across all product lines. Also contributing to the income growth was the January completion of the remaining $93 million sale of receivables from HDFS’ fourth quarter 2001 asset-backed securitization offering. The Company expects HDFS operating income to grow at a rate approaching 25 percent for 2002.

Harley-Davidson Retail Data

Retail sales for Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the United States were up 21.2 percent for the period January through March 2002, when compared to the same period last year. Harley-Davidson retail sales in Europe and Japan were up 16.6 and 3.7 percent, respectively, when compared with 2002. At this time, only limited industry data is available for these markets.

Income Tax Rate

The Company’s effective income tax rate was reduced to 34.5 percent for the first quarter of 2002 from last year’s rate of 35.0 percent. The Company expects to maintain the improved rate of 34.5 percent for the remainder of the year.

Share Repurchase

During the quarter, the Company repurchased approximately 575,000 shares of its common stock.

Company Background

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. 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 and sport-touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs to Harley-Davidson dealers and customers.