Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128023
On the heels of the announcement that Chevy Trucks had signed a multi-year deal to be the title sponsor of both the AMA Superbike and AMA National MX Championship Series comes the news that Kawasaki's factory motocross team will be backed by the same company_ Team Chevy Truck Kawasaki, as it is now calJed, consisting of Ricky Carmichael, Larry Ward and John Dowd, will prominently feature the logo shown here on its rider and personnel uniforms, bikes and transporter (all of which are expected to be ready for the first EA Sports Supercross in Anaheim, California, January 8). As part of the partnership, Chevy Truck is the official team sponsor of Kawasaki's Team Green amateur support program, and the "official truck" of Team SplitFire/Pro Grcuit Kawasaki (formerly sponsored by Mazda). At a recent lunch (appropriately at Chevy's restaurant), team manager Bruce Stjemstrom and Freeman McCue Account Executive Tony Gardea explained the scope of the deal to us in more detail. "They only know how to do things one way - big," said Stjernstrom of Chevrolet, the number-one auto seller in the world. "My initial fear was that it was too corporate, but honestly, I sent them a logo and literally the next day they said, 'Run it.''' Stjernstrom mentioned that the deal is perfect for both companies since Kawasaki is looking to reach a broader range of the public, while Chevy Trucks wants to focus on increasing its credibility in a CHEVYTIiCKS~ member of the AHRMA Board of Trustees. passed away on December 22. in Salinas. California. He was 51. lightfoot also worked for Hap Jones Distributing and was one of the main forces behind the rise of the Hollister Vintage Motorcycle ClassicSpeed & Sport AHRMA National Motocross. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Linda, two daughters and grandchildren. l l~ [ KSWBIiiiId. o A public hearing wilJ be held on January 13 to discuss the Myles Standish Trails issue in Massachusetts. For more information, call Mark Bettencourt at 508/587-1701 or 508/947-4450. C r The Castrol Honda World Supersport team has been picked for the 2000-racing season with Shinya Takeishi slated to join Pere Riba on the two-man team. Takeishi will be making his debut with the team while Riba retums for a second season aboard the CBR600. Takeishi has been racing in the All-Japan Superbike Championship for the past nine years, finishing second in the title chase twice. The series begins - along with the World Superbike Championship - on March 12 in Valencia, Spain. really went well." Carruthers said. "We mainly did suspension testing. Damon concentrated on the 600, and Roger Lee rode both the 600 and the 750, and he seemed to like the bikes. Roger Lee did well. and he did a lot of laps. Damon also had a good test and he did some good lap times. We were lucky in that it was cold out there but there was virtually no wind. " t c o Motocourse, the annual road racing motorcycle publication, has picked Kenny Roberts Jr. as its" Rider of the Year." Roberts won four races en route to finishing second in the 1999 500cc World Championship. He topped Valentino Rossi and 500cc World Champion Alex Criville. "It's good to have the accolade, but I want the championship as well," Roberts said. "It's my aim to win the title for Suzuki next year. and to defend it in the years after that." Roberts recently signed a contract extension with Suzuki that will see him on the team through the 2002 season. Kawasaki road race team manager Mike Preston said that the team's extended stay after the Dunlop tire tests at Daytona were well worth it. "We got a lillie better, a little quicker," Preston said. "It's good to let everyone work together, because B o o o c ,. .. ,. · "" • " " 10 " " " 6 • OPENED: Impact Video's home page on the World Wide Web. The site • can be found at the following address: http://www.videoxsports.com. OPENED: Rider Apparel's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.riderapparel.com. Rider Apparel is also accepting rider resumes for the 2000 race season. Resumes should be sent to: Rider Apparel. 41 1 Maxham Rd .. Suite #900. Austell. GA 30168. OPENED: MotorAuction's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://VV'N'W.motorauction.com. The site offers a choice of either "classified" -type ads or online auctions to move motorcycles and related parts. CHANGED: The name of the San Diego Flat Track Association. to the Southern California Flat Track Association. effective immediately. BORN: Kendal Reece Fowler, to WERA South Central road racer Colin • Fowler and his wife, Karin, on December 20 in Houston. Texas. SIGNED: A contract between the FIM and Spanish company Esedos. to organize and promote the 2000 Individual World Trial Championship and • the Trial des Nations. SIGNED: A four-year contract between "Motocross Professor" Gary Bailey and the Honda Riders Club of America. Bailey will attend all the • major Amateur events to offer support for HRCA members at the race track. · HIRED: John Driscoll. by Yuasa Inc.. as director of marketing for the • Sport Utility Business Unit. effective immediately. • HIRED: Cheryl Bames. as communications director for Road America in Elkhart Lake. Wisconsin. Prior to joining Road America's staff. Barnes • was responsible for public. media and govemment relations for Northeast Communications of Wisconsin Inc. Chaparral Suzuki tested at Willow Springs in Rosamond, Califomia. on December 14, with team manager/crew chief Kel Carruthers reporting that the test went well with the retuming Damon Buckmaster and newcomer Roger lee Hayden. "It U The first of five PACE Motor Sports Freestyle Motocross Series events will be held January 14-1 5 in the Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Arkansas. As well as the five freestyle events. PACE wilJ also promote two IFMA Big Air Shoot-Out events. scheduled for the Houston Astrodome on January 22 and the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. on March 11. " ,. " .. " " " " .. " " " " "" .. : · .. MOVED: K&N Engineering. to 1455 Citrus Ave.. Riverside. CA 92507. • · RETIRED: Jeff and Sue Phillips. from their posts as race steward and office .. C r U O O O D O o "" " " 10 According to a press release issued by Erion Racing, the team will definitely field a second team - known as Bruce Transportation Group - at the AMA Road Race Nationals this year. The team will feature Jake Zemke and Kevin lacombe. The two will compete in the AMA 600cc Supersport and Formula Xtreme Series. MARRIED: Castrol Honda' s Colin Edwards II, to his longtime girlfriend, Alyssia Henson. on December 11 in Montgomery, Texas. Edwards finished second in the 1999 World Superbike Championship. Brit Jeremy McWilliams will team with Tetsuya Harada on Aprilia's factory 500cc Grand Prix team in the 2000 500cc World Championship Road Race Series. "I wouldn't have considered moving back to the 500cc category with any team other than Aprilia," McWilliams said. "The 500cc bike is very compact and is not too dissimilar to the 250 except that it produces a lot more power. I don't expect to have too many probiems adjusting to the bike. and I'll be running on Dunlop tires again." Aprilia had offered McWilliams a 250cc ride if he wanted it, but he opted instead to move up to the 500cc class. JANUARY 12, 2000' " Californians Rick Pearce and Don Howard will compete in the Guidon d'Or in Paris, France, follOWing their wins in the third and final round of the STTARS Super TTriple Crown Series at Mesa Marin Speedway in December. merly served as the AMA's marketing vice president. o o o o o o 2 " everybody is new. Eric [Bostrom] got qUicker every lap and I think we reached our goal. We also dispelled the rumors about us being behind and unorganized." The Kawasaki team is made up of Doug Chandler and Eric Bostrom. Museum at the AMA headquarters in Pickerington, Ohio. Mederski for- Excelsior-Henderson Motorcycle Manufacturing Company filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota on December 21. ExcelsiorHenderson has ceased manufacturing operations and has been forced to lay off roughly 101 of its 116-person wor~ force. O O O " " : hard-core (and presumably loyal) market (the truck ownership/motorcycling crossover is number two only to fishing). He added that one of the clinchers for Chevy Trucks was the opportunity for involvement in Kawasaki's amateur program, since it allowed access to a young, grass-roots group of motorcyclists. The Chevy Trucks/Kawasaki partnership is yet another sign of the new influence of supercross and motorcycles in general on the mainstream, and it's also a feather in Kawasaki's cap. "I won't drop any names, but we were up against everybody in the industry that knew Chevy was looking for sometbing," said Stjernstrom. NAMED: Mark Mederski. as executive director of the American Motor• cycle Heritage Foundation. which operates the Motorcycle Hall of Fame · : .......... e n .. .. eVIl's ,. manager. respectively. at the Best of the Desert. to start their own business. HIRED: Hylton Beattie. as brand manager of Parts Unlimited. by Jeff Fox, president of Parts Unlimited. Beattie formerly worked for FMF. · · • PURCHASED: A 10,400-square-foot technical center from Cabot Corporation. the world's largest supplier of carbon black and other materials to the rubber industry, by Maxxis International USA. The new Maxxis USA Tech- Center will allow the company to conduct research and development : and provide technical support to its customers, according to Maxxis. SIGNED: A multi-year agreement between Jason Pridmore's Star Motorcycle School and Two Brothers Racing. Pridmore's school will use Two Brothers exhaust systems on all Star school bikes. • .. RESIGNED: Marco Liconti. as press officer of the World Superbike Championship. effective immediately. Liconti is going to work for a .. major Italian editorial group." : OPENED: Evel Knievel's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: http://www.evel.com. MOVED: WERA Motorcycle Roadracing. to 2555 Marietta Hwy.. Suite #104. Canton. GA 30114. 770/720-5010.770/720-5015 (fax). effective January 3. • OPENED: Fast Line Cycle's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the follOWing address: http://www.fastlinecycles.com. NAMED: VP Racing Fuels as the official racing-fuel supplier to the National Hot Rod Association (NHRAl. CORRECTION: The correct phone number for Vallejo Speedway 2 is 707/554-3140. • MOVED: MT Racing. to 7505 Jurupa Ave.. Suite C. Riverside. CA 92504, 909/353-1253. 909/353- 1259 (fax). • AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Chaparral in San Bemardino. Califomia. : on Wednesday. January 12. from 6 to 8 p.m. Team Yamaha's Jimmy But- • ton. David Vuillemin, and Yamaha of Troy's team riders are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 909/889-2761. OPENED: Impact Video's new home page on the World Wide Web.• The site can be found at: http/IINWW.videoxsports.com. .. It """ . ..