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/128152
More than 2500 riders turned out for the 31 st annual NMA World Mini Grand Prix at Las Vegas Speedway in Las Vegas. Nevada. April 11-14. Davi Millsaps (Suz) was the big winner. capturing four class titles ,n the 85cc Stock and Modified (14-16) 85cc Open and Supermini classes Suzuki was the top manufacturer. with seven class titles in all. Following on the heels of the broadcast of the opening round of the 2002 AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship from Daytona '3each. Florida. Speed Channel will 31so televise four more rounds of the ;hampionship. including the mile at Clare'are. Oklahoma: the half-mile at Colum. ::>us. Ohio: the mile and IT races from Springfieid. Illinois: and the half-mile races from Charlotte. North Carolina. Televising select AMA Flat Track races is part of AMA Pro Racing's ongoing plan of maintaining vitality In the oldest and most traditional form of motorcycle racing in America. ·We·re pleased to be able to bring the exciting action of AMA flat-track racing to 50 million households Speed Channel broadcasts to.' said Scott Hollingsworth. CEO of AMA Pro Racing. These races are typically among the • closest and most thrilling form of racing in all of motorsports. We hope to bring in a broader audience for the senes and these broadcasts should go a long way in makIng that happen." The Claremore race will be the first race shown of this quartet of e\·ents. The race. which was held on the "i1e of Will Rogers Downs. will be part of :he Two-Wheeled Tuesday line-up on Aay 7 and again on May 21 \ccording to American Honda team manIger Chuck Miller. reports posted on Neb sites of Kurtis Roberts undergoing surgery to repair a muscle problem with his injured right leg are false. "He's on his way to DdArthurJ Ting's right ",ow," Miller said last week. "He's undergoing an ultra-sound because he's had a slight blood-clot problem that can be fixed 'vith medication. We'll know more in 24 The Columbus Half Mile, scheduled to take place on April 21 at the S/8-mile Scioto Downs south of Columbus, Ohio, was rained out. The race has been rescheduled for September 22. After a dry Saturday, heavy rains hit the area in the early moming and continued through Sunday, washing away any chances of completing the event. The situation hits hard on several fronts, as this will already mark the second time this season that the Grand National teams will have to drive to an event twice in order to race it once. Worse yet for the currently suspended factory Harley-Davidson team, the Columbus rainout means that team rider Rich King will not be elJgible to retum to AMA competition until the Granite City, Ulinois, Half Mile on June IS, whereas the completion of the Columbus race would have meant that King would be able to race at the Hagerstown Half Mile on June 1. The situation increases the likelihood that King and Harley will focus their efforts on the Formula USA National Dirt Track Series present· ed by Drag Spedalties, which kicks off its 2002 season on April 28 at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. hours and an official release will come then. The tests today will determine the severity of the problem and will determine the length of rehabilitation. It's not correct that there is a muscle problem. He had surgery. but it was related to the blood clot and not muscle. Ting cleaned out some scar tissue and other things while he was in there.· Roberts was injured during a qualifying crash at California Speedway in Fontana. California, on Friday, April 5. Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division has announced a change in the 2002 Formula USA National Dirt Track Series presented by Drag Specialties. The previously announced July Oklahoma City Moto IT Dirt Track National, round five of the Formula USA National Dirt Track Series, has been moved to Saturday. June 22. Harley·Davidson. Inc. 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, according to a release issued by Harley. "We are proud to announce another out· standing 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 HarleyDavidson motorcycles to 261.000 units. up from the previous target of 258.000.• 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 HarleyDavidson 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 2100 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. Retail sales for HarleyDavidson 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. OPENED: Kawasaki s redesigned home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at tlie follOWing address; http://www.kawasakl.com. OPEN HOUSE: At the Dan Rouit Flattrack Museum in Clovis. Califor- nia. For more infonmatlon. call 559/291-2242. RESIGNED: Ron Foster from hiS position of Vice president of marketing at Vance & Hines. Foster was With the company for 20 years. OPENED: Kelly Baker's Perfonmance Unlimited in Rosamond. Califor- nia. Baker was fonmerly the service manager at Pro Italian Motors. For more Infonmation. call 661/256-7246. SIGNED: A deal that will see European Motorcycle Accessones. and PVM wheels of Genmany. sponsoring the HMC Ducati team to run PVM wheels for the remainder of the 2002 superblke season. Sears point will see the HMC team and Doug Chandler running forged PVM wheels for the first time. according to European Motorcycle Accessories. HIRED: Stuart Castle. as general manager of TP Engineering. effective immediately OPENED: The AMAIChevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship's home page on the World Wide Web. The site can be found at the follow· ing address; http;www.mxnationals.com. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Plaza Cycle ,n Salt Lake City. Utah. on April 26 from 6;30 to 7:30 p.m. Team Chevy Trucks Kawasakl's Ezra Lusk. Stephane Roncada and James Stewart and Team Pro Circuit/Kawasaki/Chevy Trucks' Matt Walker are scheduled to appear. For more infonmation. call 801/972-8725. OPENED: Rivard Speed Moto-X Battlefield. in Tracy. California. For more information. call 925/216-0960. or visit their Web site at www.rivardspeed.com. CORRECTION: An item In this section in our April 17 issue incorrectly stated that OMS Ltd. had tenminated its agreement with AMA Sports and the All Terrain Vehicle Association. This is incorrect. Although OMS did send us a letter telling us that the relationship had been tenminated. OMS was not the one who terminated the agreement, according to OMS. SIGNED: Sponsorship contracts between freestyle motocrossers Clif- ford Adoptante and Jeff Kargola with Etnies. effective immediately. cue •• At this time, only limited industry data is available for these markets. The HMC Ducati Racing team finished three successful days of testing at Road Atlanta Raceway last week, according to the team. Doug Chandler clocked an impressive best lap time of 1;24 flat. although a minor crash spoiled his dash to better Nicky Hayden' s fastest time of 1:23.7. The team walked away with setup information for the race there in midMayas well as a good base setup for the next round in Sears Point. which sports a similar track layout. "We've made a lot of progress in the last three days.· said Chandler. "I'm happy with how the bike worked today and I think we' re ready when we come back here for the race. Atlanta is very similar In layout to Sears. When we started here. we were out in left field, but we've gone In the right direction on everything and a lot of this information will help us at Sears as well. " Chandler received only minor bruising and a small burn from the crash. and a new best friend in Mat Mladin. who stopped to rescue him. "I moved my focus up the track. trail-braked too much into the tum. tipped it in and tucked the front," Chandler said. "We were trying new brake pads and they were a bit grabbier than what I am used to. It was a combination of grabby brake pads and not remembering to get off the brakes. I'm a little bruised and burnt. I got wedged up under the tire and muffler and Mat [MladinJ had to stop on the track. drop his bike and come over and get mine off of me. My boot was smoking from the exhaust pipe! It was a successful test. Each day we got better. making progress and running with the top guys. I think we've got things right and I'm sure we'lI come up with some stuff to make it even better yet." Jim Lewis, 55, the producer of the Hot Rod and Performance Trade show. and publisher of Hot Rod and Performance trade magazine. passed away on April 18. Lewis was a long-time member of the motorcycle industry and had been president of Malcolm Smith Products. working there from 1972-1990. FollOWing his tenure there. he and his wife, Debbie, started their own company, Lewis Communications Inc., producing the Action Motorsports trade shows during the 1990s. An avid motorcycle enthusiast, and car (Ford) fanatic. Lewis was bom in 1947 in Colton. California. Married for 22 n • _ S • MAY 1, 2002 1