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/128095
o c r; Continued from page 3 L June 9 - 6 Hours of Brands Hatch (Brands Hatch, England); July 1 - 6 Hours of Nurburgring (Nnrburgring, Germany); July 14-15 - 24 Hours of Liege (Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium); August 5 - Suzuka 8 Hours (Suzuka, Japan); August 11-12 - 24 Hours of Oschersleben (Oschersleben, Germany); September 15-16 - Bol d'Or (Magny Cours, France). o 'l o ,....., Alpinestars is now offering race fans with the opportunity to submit questions for interviews with some of its top riders. Each month on A1pinestars web site (www.alpinestars.com). riders as diverse as Kenny Roberts Jr.. Jeremy McGrath, Max Biaggi and Travis Pastrana will have their own "homepage" featuring pictures, interesting facts and an interview \....I with the rider. Fans will be able to choose some questions for the interview by sending them to interview@alpinestars.com. Those fans who have their questions chosen will receive a signed poster from Alpinestars. .U o o o 'l " U o o C Kawasaki Team Green will be attending the Best in the Desert's Terrible' s Town 250 and will offer pit support r G o o o o o By for those who will be riding Kawasakis in the race. For more information, call Reid Nordin at 949/770-0400, ext. 2222 or 2223. The next National Forest of Southern California Public Workshop will be on Friday, March 9 at the Wrightwood Community Center in Wrightwood, California, at 6 p.m. The workshop will focus on the Angeles National Forest. For more information, call 626/574-5200. Malcolm Smith Motorsports is hosting the Death Valley Weekend Adventure Ride, April 20-22. Pure street and street-legal dual sport riders are invited with Malcolm Smith himself choosing to lead the dual sport ride. For more information, call Tom Reece at 909/6871300. Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, has announced that its Tuesday practices will not begin until May 22 due to the track preparation that will need to be completed in time for the AMA Motocross National at Glen Helen. For more information, call 909/880-3090. ALAN CATHCART .. • Exceptions to the Rules Benelli is on course to retum to the race track in 200 I. with the factory race team payIng several VISits over the winter to the Misano race circuit located just 12 miles north of the firm's Pesaro factory. There, Australian rider Peter Goddard and former Bimota/Aprilia tester Gianluca Galasso have been testing the Superbike race version of the three-cylinder Benelli 900 Tornado. As reported preVIOusly in this column, the Tornado's 12·valve DOHC engine has been short-stroked to dimensions of 88 x 49.2 mm from its original format of 85 x 52.5 mm, which raises the potential rev ceiUng to 14,000 rpm or more. This is In search of top-end power from the Sagem fuel-injected motor. while relying on its unique bigbang layout to deUver torque and traction. . Cioddard " a thinking rider who is widely acclaimed as the most effective R&D exponent in the World SUperbike paddock (he was instrumental in bringing the ApriIia RSV 1000 to competitive pitch in Its first season of racing) - has been signed to debut the Benelh in its first World Superblke race at Moma. on May 13, This was made possible by BeneIIi being granted a waiver by series promoter Octagon from the first round in Valencia early in March. as well as the following three overseas races. in order to be ready to join the SBK series when It kicks off the European rounds on horne ground in Italy. But, just as with ApriIia, whose short-stroke MIlle SP raced for a whole season In World Superbike before the streetbIke it was based on went Into produc:tIon. BenelU will be permitted by the FIM to take part in the first part 01 the 8 o o c c o o G (I If ltmt:t--rttUlltH!t'I-f1I:H11Htt-t~IHtt!-1!'~ would it be'? A. Daytona i!DD D. Alligator Enduro 88 MARCH 14.2001 • cue •• n • _ brances and thoughts for his family can be posted at the VDTRA Vintage Forum at: http://www.hotboards.com/plus/ plus.mirage?who=broz and at the Flattrack.com Forum at: http://www.hotboards.com/plus/plus.mirage?who=hos The first hearing on bill #H3409, which could restore off-road access to Massachusetts' forests and parks, will take place on March 29 at 10 a.m. in hearing room A2 of the State House in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, call Mark Bettencourt at 508/587-1701. Fantasyracer.com is now offering free fantasy leagues for motorcycle racing and is now accepting sign ups for the 2001 Fantasy Superbike League. For more information, visit the website at www.fantasyracer.com. The Ride For Kids series kicks off its 20-event nationwide season with the traditional opening event, a dual sport ride in San Bernardino, Califomia, on March 18. The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the U.S.. along with AMA District 37 Dual Sport and Glen Helen Raceway Park, have again joined forces and will try to exceed last year's ride total of $48,000 in charitable contributions received. The ride will go rain or shine. Registration and a pancake breakfast start at 7 a.m. For more information, call 800/253-6530 or 818/249-2141 . Glenn L'Heureux, 48, the VDTRA Pro 600cc Champion, died on March 3 from a bacterial infection. In addition to his VDTRA racing, L'Heureux was also a regular competitor at IMI short track events in Denver, Colorado, where he participated in numerous other Pro series as well on his vintage 500 Yamaha. Remem- Race Tech will be at Daytona Intemational Speedway throughout Bike Week, offering full suspension services and support through the Ricci Motorsports trailer. In addition, Race Tech will also be at all of the GNCC rounds, offering services and support through the SCR Yamaha box vans. 1:111 200 J World Superbike Series with what is effectively a prototype. (Production of the first series of limited-edition Tomado SP streetbikes to be retailed at a common worldwide price of 36,000 Euros [$33,5(0) is now unlikely to take place until September, with manufacture of the volume-production lower-spec Strada version now slated for the beginning of 2002.) With the arrival of the first-ever three-cylinder World Superbike contender certain to enhance worldwide interest in what is already shaping up to be a vintage SBK season, it's unlikely that any of Benellrs rivals will object to the bending once again of the homologation rules. Nor will many protest the similar arrangement projected for the next historic Italian trophy marque to enter World Superbike - Mondlal. The .... ce version of its Honda SP 1-engined Plega V -twin was launched in mid-January at the Padova Show. and the prototype bike wiU be demonstrated on-track during the lunch interval of the opening World Superbike round at Valencia on March 11, Thereafter, according to inside sources. the company's website (WW\I/.mondialmoto.it) will be open to take order for the limited-edition 01 250 street versions, retaJting at a price of 55 mOUon lire (about $25.000) when production 01 these begins in May, Development will continues on the Superbike race version. utilizing Mondia!'s own in-house engineering facilities. According to chief designer Nicola Bragagnolo (the former Aprllia development engineer responsible for the bike)., only around 60 percent of the SP·1 engine used in the Plega wBI remain stock - new pistons, conrods, clutch and a revised cylinder head, as well as a completely different fuel injection system developed in -house at Mondial. wiD result in an altematlve engine package from Honda's own. On-track development 01 the race version of the Piega. says Bragagno10, has already been under way for the past six monlhs in the hands of two test riders, Massimo Bartolini and Robin Radmen, with encouraging results. u h Kawasaki has announced that it has lowered the prices on the 2001 ZX-6R and the ZX-9R by $200. The new suggested retail price on the 600 is $7899 while the ZX-9R will now carry a suggested retail price of $9999. s SBK boss Paolo F1ammini confirms that a place has been assigned on the grid to Mondial for the Piega to make its World Superbike debut in the final three races of the 2001 season. commencing with the Oschersleben round in Germany on September 2. RIders are as yet undecided - though it's known that MondJal has been talking to former Castrol Honda star Aaron Slight, discarded by the British-based factory team for this season in favor of GP refugee Tady Okada Slight's experience In making a V-twin Honda go fast could be valuable to the Mondial project, but he is scheduled to contest at least the Daytona 200 for Competition Accessories Ou<:ati. Still, anything's possible... Series organizers are bending the rules to allow the Mondial Piega to debut toward the end of this World Superbike season. A similar arrangement is being made with Benelli.