German motorcycle manufacturer MuZ, or Motorrad – und Zweiradwerk GmbH, announced its MotoGP plans to the media today in Leipzig, Germany.

MuZ displayed the rolling chassis of a four-stroke MotoGP bike with a mock-up engine that will be occupied by a 990cc, 90-degree, V4 engine that will feature pneumatic valves. The chassis shown has a tubular steel frame although MuZ team members said that an aluminum version is in the works.

MuZ officials said that they plan to begin track testing the bike within the next months and are hoping to race it in a Grand Prix during the 2002 MotoGP season.

Also introduced at the MuZ press conference were riders Jose Luis Cardoso and Ralf Waldmann. Cardoso had already been announced by the factory, but Waldmann was a surprise considering he said he had retired at the end of the 2000 Grand Prix season.

Waldmann, 34, is a veteran of 167 FIM Grand Prix race starts, but had only 12 starts on a 500cc machine while riding for Kenny Roberts’ Modenas team in 1998. Although he has never won a World Championship title, Waldmann has finished on the 250cc podium 35 times during his long career and finished second to Max Biaggi in the 1996 and 1997 FIM 250cc Grand Prix World Championships.

A press release from the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, the charity of choice for many motorcyclists and one supported by Honda through the Ride for Kids series of road rides:


Asheville, NC – The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States (PBTFUS) is proud to present the first Informed Parent Internet Series conference for 2002, “Growth and Development”- Endocrine Issues Facing Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors, on February 27, 2002 at 8:00 PM EST. The “Growth and Development” conference will address the wide range of endocrine issues facing survivors of pediatric brain tumors.

Now in its second year, this unique web-based broadcast reaches out to pediatric brain tumor patient families, the medical community, and social workers throughout the world. “The Informed Parent Internet Series brings the latest information on pediatric brain tumors to people who otherwise could not access it,” said PBTFUS President Mike Traynor. “We are very pleased that thousands of people from many countries are participating in these valuable broadcasts.”

Dr. Alan D. Rogol, M.D., Ph.D., of the Medical College of Virginia at the University of Virginia, will answer email questions during the live internet broadcast. Dr. Rogol holds certifications in Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrinology. He is a member of the Lawson Wilkens Pediatric Society and is the Associate Editor of the Year Book of Endocrinology.

For more information about the PBTFUS internet conference series, log on to: http://www.pbtfus.org/Informed%20Parent%20Internet%20SeriesFeb27.htm and follow the instructions to access the live broadcast on February 27, 2002 at 8:00 PM EST. Archived Informed Parent Internet Series broadcasts are also available at: http://www.pbtfus.org/informedparentindex.htm.

The PBTFUS Informed Parent Internet Series are made possible by a generous grant from American Honda Motor Company, Inc. Internet audio services are provided by INB Radio.

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States is a national organization dedicated to supporting the search for the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors. More information about the PBTFUS and its Ride for Kids program can be found at www.pbtfus.org and at www.ride4kids or call 1-800-253-6530.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.


A made-to-order set of Barnacle Bill leathers has sold for $1325 to benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence* Fund.

The auction started on the auction website eBay Friday, February 1 with an opening bid of $300 and blew right past our reserve price of $750 on the first day. The weekend saw the most bidding activity of the seven-day auction with 10 of the auction’s 11 bids coming in the first two days.

On February 7, we threw in an added half-page of exposure (for the winning bidder) in Roadracing World magazine to the prize. Shortly afterwards, the high bid of $1325 was reached. The winning bidder was “outrace” or Andre Espaillat as he is known around the racetracks of the South-Central U.S.; Espaillat couldn’t be reached for comment at post time.

Five Air Fence Fund benefit auctions of racing memorabilia and products have raised over $10,800 and brought the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund’s total to nearly $170,000 raised in just 10 months.

The original posting about the auction of the Barnacle Bill leathers can be seen below.

Custom leather suit maker “Barnacle Bill” Burns has donated a custom-made set of his motorcycle leathers (in road race, flat track, speedway, drag race or street style) to be auctioned off with the proceeds, minus the cost of the eBay service, going to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund.

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Burns is offering to make a suit to the specifications of the winning bidder, as if they were a customer ordering one of his standard racer package deals, and Burns says, “The most important suit that I will ever make is the suit that I make for you.”

All of Barnacle Bill’s suits are custom-made from hand-selected 3.0-3.5-ounce leather, feature triple-stitched and glued seams from the inside of the garment to increase durability, come with plastic composite body armor, have optional venting, an optional aerodynamic hump, includes the rider’s name on the front and back and road race suits come with knee sliders. Additional lettering is available at an additional cost.

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Virtually any design, color or combination of colors is available to the winning bidder. And the suit can be made in either a one-piece or two-piece design.

After their bid is received, the winning bidder’s name will be forwarded to Burns by Roadracing World. The bidder and Burns will then begin to work on the winning bidder’s new suit. Burns says that the suit will be ready to wear in approximately four weeks, if not earlier.

“Hurt racers don’t come back as customers,” said former racer Burns on why he is donating a suit to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. “I’ve hit something solid before, and it doesn’t feel good.”

Custom-made leather suits typically range in cost anywhere from $800 to well over $2000.

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Although leathers are the most effective safety clothing worn by motorcyclists on the street and the racetrack today, sometimes well-made leathers are not enough. As a result, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund was established 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.

To go directly to the auction on eBay, click here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1802522825

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

Custom-made by Bates, this set of motorcycle racing leathers was worn by 1994 AMA 600cc Supersport Champion Jamie James in print and television advertisements for Yamaha Motor Corporation during the mid-1990s. The Public Relations Department of Yamaha generously donated this item to be auctioned with all proceeds of the sale, minus the cost of the eBay services, going to benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence* Fund.

The suit is purple with orange and yellow patches that are meant to resemble flames. The color scheme of the leathers is a replica of the suit James wore while racing with the Vance & Hines Yamaha factory team in the AMA National road race series.

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The American-made garment has James’ last name across the upper back, his first name on the left breast and Yamaha on each forearm and the collar. The original soft armor is still in place in the shoulders, arms, hips, legs. Some perforation and stretch panels are strategically placed on the leathers, which retain its perforated liner and female Velcro knee slider patches. The one-piece suit is made from heavy-grade leather with heavy-duty zippers.

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The suit has been crashed in by James during a photo session and has been lightly scuffed on both elbows, the left hip, the seat area and across the upper back. The integrity of the suit has not been compromised, and it could be used to ride in.

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Although the suit was custom-made to fit James, it should fit someone in the area of 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds.

James also won the 1989 AMA Superbike and AMA 750cc Superstock Championship. James nearly own the 1994 AMA Superbike Championship but was beat out by Fast By Ferracci’s Troy Corser in the last event at Road Atlanta.

To go directly to the auction on eBay, click here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1803857317

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 $167,000, with over $9000 coming from the auctions of donated racing memorabilia such as this suit. 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 www.roadracingworld.com.

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

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

According to a press release issued by series promoter Octagon Motorsports, the 2002 Endurance World Championship Series will open April 28 at Imola, and will include a 200-mile Endurance World Championship race along with Italian National Superbike, Supersport, Stocksport, 250cc GP and 125cc GP races.

The event weekend is expected to draw about 350 riders, according to the release.

From a press release:

Team America Grand Prix Racing is testing at the North Florida Motorsports Park, Jennings FL on February 21 & 22. Any teams or riders interested in testing with us these two days may contact Jim DiSalvo at 1-800-447-7717.

From a press release issued by Dennis Smith of Sport Tire Serivices”

Goodyear/Dunlop Tires N.A. posts over one million dollars in motorcycle road racing contingencies for U.S racers! That’s a increase of 60% over 2001 and the most ever posted by Dunlop in their history for motorcycles racers in the U.S.!

More information is available from Sport Tire Services (west of the Mississippi)(800) 776-8473 or Race Tire Services, (east of the Mississippi) (800) 772-8473.

From a press release:

Torrance, CA — American Honda Motor Company’s Motorcycle Division announced today the release of its AquaTrax F-12, low-emission, 4-stroke-powered personal watercraft (PWC) to all approved dealers in the initial distribution areas.

For the first year of retail distribution, American Honda has selected a limited number of Honda dealers from the four states with the largest markets for PWCs: California, Florida, Michigan and Texas. To locate their closest authorized Aquatrax dealer, customers can check the Honda web site at www.hondamotorcycles.com.

“Initial customer satisfaction is crucial to the long-term success of the Honda AquaTrax line,” said American Honda Vice President Ray Blank. “We must ensure that the quality of the Honda AquaTrax ownership experience is the highest possible, from product quality to the dealership sales and service experience.

“Customer and dealer satisfaction are the focus of our product and dealer network launch, a focus that will emphasize ‘pure performance’,” Blank continued. “Our plan to satisfy these needs is a ‘start-small-grow-fast’ strategy. In future years, we anticipate a rapid expansion into other states.”

The F-12 has a suggested retail of $8999 and should be on dealer’s showroom floors in the four states later this week.

The 125 horsepower AquaTrax F-12 is one of two models Honda announced on September 19 at its annual dealer meeting in Las Vegas. The second model, to be released later this month, is the highly anticipated, 165 horsepower, turbocharged F-12X.

A press release from Gearbox International, U.S. importers of Suomy helmets, announced that Anthony, Aaron and Alex Gobert will all wear Suomy Gunwind helmets in the 2002 AMA National series.

Anthony, 26, will ride in the AMA Superbike and Supersport series for the Yamaha factory team. Middle brother Aaron, 21, will also ride a factory Yamaha YZF-R6 in the AMA Supersport series along with a Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 in the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme class. Alex Gobert, 18, will ride Hondas for the Bruce Transportation Group team in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme Championships.

Suomy plans to develop a Troy-Lee-designed Anthony Gobert replica helmet that will be available around the time of the Laguna Seca round of the AMA series July 11-14.

To view Suomy’s entire line of helmets, find your local dealer, purchase a Suomy helmet online or find additional information, go to Gearbox International’s website at www.gearboxinternational.com.