Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

c [ LJ press release. With the MotoGP season currently enjoying a month-long break from racing, Checa and Mamola appeared on Saturday and Sunday, while Biaggi jetted in from holiday in Corsica on Sunday only. Also present were Ferrari test drivers Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti for a series of spectacular laps in the Fl Championship-winning car. Badoer managed to break the circuit record he set dUring last year's event. "It's my third time here, and it is always good fun, " said Checa, who has recently signed a new two-year agreement to ride for the factory Yamaha MotoGP team. "It is great to spend time with the fans in a relaxed atmosphere. I don't think the engineers in Japan would be too happy to see what we were doing with the bikes, but it's all part of the show!" Four-time 250cc World Champion Biaggi said, "I was enjoying a fantastic holiday on a boat with friends around Corsica, but the Masters has now become a traditional part of our calendar, and I enjoy coming. There is a fantastic crowd here, and it was good to have a few laps back on the bike. In two weeks, we're back to work in Brno. We have some new things on the bike, and I hope all this wheelie practice can be put to good usel" with 17-inch wheels that are the standard on today's popular motard machines, and the installation of front and rear lighting, allowing the 600 DTM owner to comply with individual state motor vehicle licensing requirements (the 600 DTM is not 50state legaD. Standard equipment includes a steering stabilizer valved for motard use. ATK says the 600 DTM is easily converted back to a dirt-tracker with the addition of an optional set of 19-inch dirttrack wheels and removal of the lights. The new 600 DTM model will be sold in very limited quantities. Among the first customers will be several local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies that have already contracted with ATK to produce variations of the new 600 DTM model to fit their growing Homeland Defense needs. C r u " L " LJ o Marlboro Yamaha's Spaniard Carios Checa and Italian Max Biaggi were joined by former-rider turned-TV-pundit Randy Mamola for a series of crowd-pleasing demonstration laps at the recent Marlboro Masters Formula 3 race in Zandvoort, Holland. With Checa and Biaggi riding their four-stroke Yamaha YZR-M 1sand Mamola on a 2001 YZR500 two-stroke, the trio performed the customary wheelies, stoppies and bum-outs in front of 45,000 Dutch race fans, according to a Marlboro Yamaha 8 o o o o o o o By The August 31-Septemver 1 WORCS round in Gorman, Califomia, in conjunc- Motorcycle-accessory retailer Cycle Gear is teaming up the BlueRibbon Coalition to help in the fight to keep our trails and riding areas open, according to a BlueRibbon Coalition press release. Cycle Gear, which has 26 stores from California to Connecticut, will be actively promoting this pOint-of-purchase program in all aspects of it operations. The stores have offered to match any donation that a customer makes at the time of purchase (either at the counter, through the catalog or online). Cycle Gear owner Dave Bertram said, "I'm excited that Cycle Gear has teamed up with the BlueRibbon Coalition to protect and promote the sport off-highway vehicle recreation on public and private lands. I'm proud that Cycle Gear is the first major retailer to launch a national POP program that is specifically geared to benefit an activity that we all enjoy." Don Amador, western representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, said, "I know the many Cycle Gear customers that recreate on public lands will appreciate the fact that Cycle Gear is also a strong supporter of the fight to keep our roads and trails open. " With one round to go of the 2002 Wortd Endurance Championship, Suzuki has already secured first and second places in the title chase through the efforts of the Zongshen Endurance organization. Following the recent penultimate round of the series at Oschersleben, the Suzuki GSXR1000 Zongshen 2 team of Igor Jerman and Warwick Nowlan can only be equaled on points by the similarly mounted Zongshen 9 team of BonhuiliCristobalNanstaen. However, before the tie-break rule book comes into the play, the Zongshen 2 team must DNF and the Zongshen 9 team must win the final race of the series in Vallelunga, Italy, on October 6. CN ALAN CATHCART • o tion with event sponsors Maxxis and Top Speed Productions, will present Cory Nastazio's Nasty Jam. A top BMX dirtjumper, Nastazio will be accompanied by TJ Lavin, newly crowned Gravity Games gold-medalist Stephen Murray, Joey Marks and Jerry Bagley for an exhibitionstyle event in which the riders will determine who pulls the sickest trick. In addition, musical group Ribsys Nickel will perform. The Nasty Jam will take place immediately folloWing Saturday's WORCS amateur racing, when Maxxis will have a barbeque and autograph signing with Team KTM riders Brian and Patrick Garrahan and Nastazio. In addition, two Nastazio-signature Huffy MBO bicycles will be raffled off, with proceeds going to Steve Michael's Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation. For more information, log on to www.topspeed.tv or www.worcsracing.com. • Update: Triumph's Trial By Fire f\ ......J " Triumph is set to recommence production in late September alter battling to overcome the effects of the disastrous fire suffered at its Hinckley base last March. The British company says it's on schedule to complete rebUilding the areas of its original factory that were damaged in the blaze by then, with the new building's structure now being finished off with external brickwork and roof cladding, prior to being re,equipped with new machinery, enabling the first new motorcycles to start rolling off the lines in the week alter Intermot. Once manufacturing recommences this autumn, a priority will be to catch up on production of existing models, especially the new Speed Four, which was Just about to enter volume production when the fire called a halt. Intermotwise, Triumph will be concentrating on getting back up to speed with its current range rather than launching anything new just yet, so the huge Twenty Two cruiser with its lengthwise three-cylinder 2200cc engine. the Bonneville Cafe Racer, Street Scrambler, and other twin-cylinder niche models known to be under development • and especially the redesigned, restyled Sport version of the TT6oo, which will power Triumph's long-awaited entry into Supersport racing in the second half of next year - will aU come on line progressively during 2003, rather than appear at Munich o J u o J J ,,'e.e' 8 ~ Ta cast yaur vate. lag an ta ",.---

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