Reg Pridmore’s CLASS Motorcycle Schools, in conjunction with Erion Racing and the Honda Riders Club of America, will be holding an Open House at the CLASS school offices at Santa Paula Airport in Santa Paula, California February 23, 2002 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

There is no charge for admission for the short riding seminar or to see Pridmore’s collection of cars, motorcycles, airplanes and memorabilia.

For additional information on CLASS Motorcycle Schools or the CLASS Open House, call (805) 933-9936 or go to www.classrides.com.

From a press release:

HONDA HEADS BACK TO MAGIC ISLAND

Honda has confirmed its plans to contest the 2002 Isle of Man TT races, returning to the island after a two-year break due to the cancellation of the 2001 event.

Honda will field a full team of works machinery and riders in every solo class and in the two sidecar races during the festival. Racing gets under way on the 37.73-mile Mountain circuit on Saturday June 1 with the six-lap Formula One TT.

“Quite simply, Honda loves racing. We race more products in more events worldwide than anybody else and it all started on the Isle of Man,” said Honda UK general manager Mark Davies.

He continued: “For us the Island is part of our heritage and with 113 TT wins we have no intention of stopping yet. As long as there’s an annual Isle of Man Tourist Trophy festival Honda will be there.

“Honda¹s history goes back to Soichiro Honda¹s first visit in 1954, we have as much enthusiasm for the TT races now as Mr. Honda did then.”

Davies is also aware of the meaning of the 2002 TT, the first without the late record TT winner Joey Dunlop.

“I’m sure there will be poignant moments during the course of this year’s event, the words Joey and TT can never be separated. Honda’s first TT for more than 20 years without Joey cannot go unnoticed. We hope everyone will be able to celebrate his 26 TT memorable victories in some way.”

Honda will race fully race-prepared versions of it’s new 954cc Fireblade in the prestigious Formula One and Senior races with riders Adrian Archibald and John McGuinness.

Manxman Dave Molyneux will race a CBR600F Sport-engined sidecar while riders for the other races during the 2002 TT festival are still to be confirmed. Practice gets under way on Saturday May 25.

“We’ve also one or two treats in store for the TT fans with Superbike champion Colin Edwards coming over to join us,” added Davies. “In all, we’d like to make the 2002 TT one to remember, and help people forget the disappointment of last year’s event being cancelled.”

Former World champion Edwards commented: “The TT is an event I’ve known about since I was a child. I’ve been close to going there in the past and I can’t wait to visit the Island this year.”

2002 Isle of Man TT race schedule:

Saturday. June 1
Formula 1 (Superbike), 6 laps
Sidecar Race, 3 laps

Monday, June 3
Lightweight (400)/Ultra-Lightweight (125), 4 laps
Production (700 – 1010), 3 laps

Wednesday, June 5
Junior TT (Supersport 600), 4 laps
Sidecar Race, 3 laps

Friday, June 7
Production TT (600cc), 3 laps
Senior TT (Superbike), 6 laps

AMA Pro Racing Chairman Mark Tuttle, an advocate of turning the AMA Supercross Series over to JamSports starting in 2003, has resigned.

An AMA press release on the subject follows:


Tuttle resigns as AMA Pro Racing Board chairman

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing has announced that Mark Tuttle resigned from its Board of Directors late Tuesday, for personal reasons. Mr. Tuttle had served in the role of Chairman. AMA Pro Racing’s professional staff and Board of Directors express their thanks for Mr. Tuttle’s service and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Joseph Piazza, the newly-appointed CEO of Ducati North America, spent his first day on the job Tuesday, February 5 greeting 25 members of the motorcycling press in La Jolla, California as part of the 2002 Monster M620 i.e. North American launch.

Piazza was introduced to the media by out-going interim Ducati North America General Manager Nicola Greco. Greco will return to his permanent position as Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Ducati.

A former executive with Custom Chrome, an aftermarket parts supplier for American cruiser motorcycles, Piazza told the press that his former co-workers have teased him saying that he is “going from tattoos to cappucinos”.

“I will be truly dedicated to improving the North American market share, getting a lot more intimate by improving the service to our dealers, to be able to improve the communication to our dealers, to offer marketing programs that are in sync with our actual timing of delivery as well. I look forward to exchanging business cards with you and making a relationship with each of you as well,” Piazza told the group of reporters.

When asked about the circumstances that brought about the re-structuring of Ducati North America, Greco told Roadracing World, “Companies go through periods where they need to reassess what they are doing, and we looked at what we were doing in the States and we came the conclusion that the time for change had come.

“If you look at the share we have worldwide, Ducati has 6 percent within the above-600cc market. In the United States, we have 3 percent. After many years of growth, we came to a stop (in growth) last year, and there were many reasons for that.

“We looked at our marketing approach. We basically took advantage of the fact that Michael McMahon was leaving the company, and so we looked at the entire thing. That’s basically what I did for the last few months–re-engineering and restructuring. We have today an organization that is leaner and meaner than it was before.

“I was not happy with the overall performance of the U.S. operation, and so, since it is our most important market, I just put by my side my global sales and marketing role and took over the States for a couple of months to select a new manager and to re-structure the company. These things happen. They’re normal things.”

As another example, Greco said that worldwide, Ducati set a new company record in 2001 with the sale of 40,000 motorcycles with 20,000 of those being Monsters, including 10,000 Monster 600s. In the U.S. in 2001, Ducati sold 2200 Monsters and only 350 Monster 600s. Part of Ducati’s new marketing strategy included the large introductory “celebration” of the completely reworked Monster M620 i.e. in California resort town of La Jolla.

In addition to the hiring of Piazza, Greco said that he added a new Press Relations Manager, Myrianne Gaeta, a new Sales and Apparel Marketing Manager and will begin adding more field representatives “to look after our dealers.”

From a press release:

Vicky Jackson-Bell will campaign a Cruise America/Spectrum Motorsports Aprilia RS250 in the Aprilia Cup Challenge Series at regional qualifying races in 2002, and with luck at the Aprilia Challenge final which is part of the Formula USA season ending National at Daytona. Vicky will also try to regain her National 125GP title in 2002, after sitting out most of the 2001 season with a back injury. In 2002 USGPRU will host the National 125 title with 12 qualifying races and a final at Virginia International Raceway in October.

Vicky Jackson-Bell 37, of San Clemente, California, won the HRCUSA 125cc Grand Prix National Championship in 2000, the 1998 WSMC 125cc Grand Prix Championship, was second in the 1998 AMA 125GP Exhibition Series and second in the 1996 and 1997 NASB 125cc Grand Prix Series.

Spectrum Motorsports is an Aprilia/Honda dealer located in Lake Forest California. To contact Spectrum Motorsports go to www.spectrumotorsports.com or call 949 859 3186.

Cruise America with 150 rental centers across the country is the largest renter of Motorhomes and motorcycles in the United States. Cruise America also sell and rent Motorhomes with garages like the Fun Mover and Mega Mover. For more information call 480 464 7300 and come and see the Cruise America Fun Mover at all vjb racing team’s events.

See team schedule at www.vjbracing.com

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Despite the official PR stance being taken by the FIM and denials issued by AMA President Rob Rasor and AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth, top FIM officials have already signed off on a deal with CCE and DORNA to sanction a Supercross World Championship Series held largely in the U.S. starting in 2003. Although it still faces the normal procedural process, the Series will happen because the AMA opposition does not have enough votes or influence to derail the deal, sources close to the FIM said today.

The same sources said that FIM CMS (motocross committee) Chairman Wolfgang Srb is currently in Japan discussing the new Supercross World Championship Series with motorcycle manufacturers, along with Carmelo Ezpeleta of DORNA and Charlie Mancuso and Jeff Lewis of CCE. Japanese sources confirmed the meetings.

There is some resistance to the World Championship Series concept from U.S. distributors of the Japanese brands, who say the extra three or four races held outside the U.S. would shorten the current motocross/Supercross off-season too much, eliminating the time riders currently use for R&R and for having operations to fix various physical problems like compartment syndrome.

From a press release:

AMA PRO RACING RE-SIGNS CHEVY TRUCKS AS SERIES’ SPONSOR

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing, the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the U.S., announced today that Chevy Trucks has signed on for three more years as title sponsor of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship and the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship. Chevrolet will also continue as the official truck of the AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship and as a sponsor of the U.S. Motocross des Nations Team.

“Chevy Trucks has been a great sponsorship partner in our U.S. Championships,” said John C. Farris, Jr., vice president commercial development, AMA Pro Racing. “They have successfully integrated motorcycle racing into their marketing plans, supporting the sport with print, Internet and television advertising and sponsoring two top level teams –Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki and Team Pro-Circuit Kawasaki — both of which compete in the AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross U.S. Championships. This is the ideal partnership in our business model for the future where well-established mainstream brands participate in the sport through both series and team involvement.”

Jeff Haag, Chevy Trucks brand promotional manager said, “Motorcycle enthusiasts are a hugely important segment of the market for Chevy Trucks, and we are delighted to commit to three more years with AMA Pro Racing. Chevy Trucks has big plans to improve our on-site presence at most of the AMA Chevy Truck U.S. Superbike and AMA Chevy Truck U.S. Motocross Championship rounds. We’ve taken what we’ve learned from AMA fans and promoters the last two seasons and are stepping up our display to make it even more exciting for the fans.”

Chevy’s sponsorship of AMA Motocross and Superbikes began in 2000. Since then, Chevy Trucks has benefited from increased growth in AMA Pro Racing events — both in live attendance and television audience. Attendance at motocross events has risen 18 percent, while road-racing attendance is up 19 percent. Live television coverage for AMA Superbike has also increased, shooting up more than 100 percent in the last two years.

Contrary to what AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth and AMA Pro Racing VP John Farris have said or implied in media interviews, the deal splitting Supercross into an AMA-sanctioned, JamSports-promoted National Supercross Series versus a CCE-promoted, FIM-sanctioned World Championship Supercross Series has not been finalized.

So far, all that exists between AMA Pro Racing and JamSports is a Letter of Intent, which expired last week and has been extended while contract details are negotiated.

But even as this is posted, members of the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors are discussing finalizing a contract with JamSports.

Based on what JamSports representatives told stadium operators as early as last summer, AMA Pro Racing counted on CCE abandoning Supercross altogether when it lost the AMA sanction. Instead, CCE has forged an alliance with the FIM and DORNA and, starting in 2003, all 15 CCE Supercross events in the U.S. will be rounds of the FIM Supercross World Championship.

If you have any opinion regarding the Supercross situation–and any Supercross success or failure will greatly impact all AMA operations, including road racing–now is the time to make them known.

You can do so by sending an e-mail to AMA President Rob Rasor at [email protected]. If you wish, send a copy to [email protected].

From a press release:

FORMULA USA ROAD RACE SERIES TRAINING SEMINAR IN PA

AURORA, Ill. – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announces that Formula USA National Road Race Series will be conducting a cornerworker training seminar on February 9, 2002, at 7:00 p.m. at the Reading Motorcycle Club in Oley, Pennsylvania. National Safety Director,
Roger Lyle will be reviewing procedures for flagging, worker priorities, motorcycle pick-up, proper dress, and communications. This seminar is free and open to anyone with interest in learning how to cornerwork at the Formula USA National and CCS road races.

Local fast guy and National Champion Chris Carr has been invited to welcome all corner marshals and explain the importance of having trained safety personnel at the races. For more info contact Roger Lyle at [email protected] or 301-933-2599 or Keith Landis in Pa. at
[email protected] or 610-683-6049.

We thank the Reading Motorcycle Club, RMC, for opening their clubhouse and hosting this event.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth has denied allegations made by OMS Ltd.’s Fred Bramblett that Hollingsworth is trying to exact revenge on SFX/CCE for a failed business deal Hollingsworth was personally involved in.

On Saturday, Bramblett told roadracingworld.com that Hollingsworth, prior to going to work for the AMA and while working as an investment banker involved with the talent agency FAME, structured a deal to purchase another company and won a bidding war to do so. But when a Letter of Intent to make the purchase expired before the contracts were signed, the then-owner of SFX swooped in and bought the company, leaving Hollingsworth holding the bag, according to Bramblett.

But on Tuesday, February 5, Hollingsworth told cyclenews.com “There is not a shred of truth to it. I was never involved with FAME and there was no letter of intent with any company. It is something that is being spread by an agent of Clear Channel with the intent of harming my reputation. There’s not a shred of truth to it and that’s all I can say at this point.”

Bramblett has been out of the country for several days and could not be reached for further comment.