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/128197
• .• 1- 1.1_:.-1."-1 . . . . . . . . . I ... ...I.~- Happenings In Motorcycling ADucatiMan With his contract with Sito Pons finally expiring, Loris Capirossi was able to appear in Ducati colors for the first time recently when he visited the Italian manufacturer's factory in Borgo Panigale, Bologna. Capirossi and Australian Troy Bayliss will spearhead Team Ducati Marlboro in the 2003 MotoGP Championship with the Desmosedici as they bring the famous Italian name back to the elite class of motorcycle racing for the first time in over 30 years. "We are very proud to have Loris officially with us," declared Ducati boss Federico Minoli. "It is a great moment for Ducati because it opens up a very bright future. The real test, however, will be the racetrack, and the entire company will be cheering for him in April at the first round of the championship in Japan. Having an Italian rider on an Italian bike is a dream come true; we are both from Emilia-Romagna, and we both share the same passion for radng." After setting excellent times in preseason testing at Jerez and Phillip Island in November and December, Capirossi spent a couple of weeks in Australia on holiday with his wife, Ingrid, and the 29-year-old from Castel San Pietro returns to Italy justifiably upbeat about his first season with an official factory team in the second year of MotoGP. "I have, in fact, felt part of Ducati since the start of the year," declared Capirossi. "I have had an excellent reception here. The company is really well-prepared - full of professionals and we are making a lot of pr09ress together. It is a pleasure to form part of a motorcycle manufacturer like Ducati, and I am sure we can obtain some great satisfaction together. " By ALAN CATHCART • • A Whopper of a Deal A Ducatiburger, anyone? In a deal concluded just before ChrIstmas which has been cooking since summer, Ameri. can venture capitalists Texas Pacific GroupfTPG • which rescued Ducati from insolvency back in 1996 and still remains the It.alian bike manufacturer's major stockholder - has acqUired the Burger King hamburger ch:ain from its British owners Diageo (owners of Smi/noJ'f vodka and Tanqueray gin) for an agreed price of $1.5 bWion. In fact. this represents a substantial discount from the $2.25 billion purchase price agreed upon I'ast July, before due diligence, between the British premium drinks company and TPG, together with its fellow Celn. sortium members Bain Capital (for whom Ducati :president Federico MJnoli formerly worked To cast your vote, log on to http://,www.cyclenews.com. Who do .~ou think will win his first career 12Scc supercross this year? A. B. C. D. E. 6 Craig AnClerson Shane Bess Steve Boniface Michael Byrne Tyler Evans JANUARY 22. 2003.' cue I e neV'ls It's called the Tomahawk, and according to Chrysler, it shatters all the barriers of conventional thlnking about personal transportation. The Tomahawk is a motorcycle-like, four-wheeled, single-passenger vehicle that utilizes a 500-horsepower, 505 cubic-inch (8300cc) version of Dodge's Viper Vl0 to power the rear wheels. Estimated top speed is somewhere in the vicinity of 400 mph - not that anyone has gotten up the hair to test it yet. A product of the Chrysler Group design team, the Tomahawk made its public debut at the North American International Auto Show. For more information, check out www.dodge.com. Specifications 2003 Chrysler Tomahawk DISPLACEMENT: 8300cc ENGINE TYPE: ......•.. Liquid-cooled 90-degree 8.3-liter, OHV, 20-valve SMPI Vl0 BORE x STROKE: ........................ . .. 102.4 x 100.6 mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 9.6:1 FUEL SYSTEM: Sequential, multi-port electronic with individual runners OIL SYSTEM: Dry sump OIL CAPACITY: 8 quarts COOLING SYSTEM: Twin aluminum radiators (mounted atop engine) EXHAUST SYSTEM: .Equallength headers with dual collectors and central rear outlets EST. PERFORMANCE: 0-60 mph: 2.5 seconds TOP SPEED: .300+ mph before being parachuted into Ducati to orchestrate what turned out to be a dramatically suc· cessful turnaround opecatiori) and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. Thi.s reduction reflects the deteriorating fast food market, where Burger King's chief rival McDonald's has just announced its first·ever annual loss in its 37- year history as a public company, as well as the current adverse stock market conditions which have pertained in the meantime. Burger King will thus join 60-year-old TPG's chief David Sonderman's impressive portfolio of tumaround operations, which kicked off back In 1993 with a $40 million stake iI' bankrupt Continental Airlines, which asMe management transformed into a $400 million profit. TPG has since invested in brand,s like Ducati, PiaggJo (in which it holds a 1O-percent stake), Del Monte frUit, Switzerland's Bally shoes, Ireland'" leading European low-cost airline Ryanair, BritaJn's Punch Taverns pub chain, and many more, giving Bonderman a well-earned reputation as the "Buyout King," en route to a $6 bj]Jion personal fortune. That financial solvency helped pay for the $15 million party he threw last year to celebrate his 60th birthday. The party included a live performance by the Rolling Stones. So maybe now they'll start giving Burger King coupons when you buy a Vespa scooter - or perhaps with purchases of Ducati merchandise? Either that, or maybe they shou~d rechristen Ducati's new Desmosedici MotoGP bike a Desmo Whopper. after all, it has twice as many Cylinders as the stock Super· bike burger...