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/128202
A total of nine riders have signed up for the 2003 Team Hammer Talent ' - Search presented by Alpinestars, according to a release, The final four ridu ers accepted into the program include first-year Expert Ivan Garza, 26. of EI Paso. Texas; second-year Expert Paolo Mariano, 22, of Canyon Country, California; second-year Expert Darren Luck, 28, of Bonita Springs, Florida; and Jack Pfeifer, 35, of Las Vegas, Nevada, They join previous program signees Matt Elliott. 17. a first-year Expert from Blountville, Tennessee; Greg Moore, 25. a first-year Expert from Brookwood, Alabama; John Ross, 39. of San Antonio. Texas; Chris Siglin, 22, of Clayton. California: and Mathew Wise. 24, of McKinney, Texas. Two program finalists will be seeded into the GSX-R750 heat races and will enjoy full rides at the 2003 Suzuki Cup Finals. including the use of a Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R750 tended by a team mechanic, Michelin tires, entry fees and a complete set of Alpinestars leathers, boots and gloves in team colors. The best-finishing participant at the Suzuki Cup Finals will go home with a race-ready Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R750 racebike. Judging of finalists will be based on a number of factors. including the ability to be competitive at a variety of racetracks. rider improvement over the course of the season. and race results in 2003. One of the two finalists will be considered for a 2004 ride with Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki. The talent search program starts with a set-up and practice day February 26 at Daytona. airport, hotel and the racetrack. Packages start at $895. For more information, log on to www.gptours.com or call 800/400-1998. C A new study by a noteworthy economist found that emissions standards for highway motorcycles recently proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) neglects thousands of small businesses and could cost tens of thousands of jobs in America. According to Garrett A. Vaughn, Ph.D .. the EPA's cost estimate approach, "inherently favors a few large manufacturers at the expense of smaller manufacturers, and totally ignores the far more numerous smaller firms ... of the U.S. motorcycle industry." Thereby. Dr. Vaughn found, the EPA did not meet its obligations under the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA) and Executive Order 12866 (which requires federal agencies to consider less stringent alternatives to rulemaking) when developing thiS proposed rule. Because the EPA seeks to adopt California's emissions standards nationwide, Dr. Vaughn looked at the impact in that state. He discovered that motorcycling in California has sharply declined since its standards were adopted. while motorcycling increased everywhere else in America. In fact, Dr. Vaughn's study found that California experienced a 7.7 percent reduction in motorcycle registrations between 1996 and 2001, while motorcycling increased by 32.2 percent in the other 49 states. "In addition to the economic impact. the study also examined potential safety hazards of equipping street motorcycles with catalytic converters, from bum hazards to rider fatigue due to heat stress," observed Tom Wyld, vice president of government relations for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), the organization that commissioned the study. The Vaughn study was paid for solely with emergency contributions to the MRF by individual motorcyclists and State Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations nationwide. "America will pay the steep price of needlessly restrictive street bike emissions standards in human currency." said Wyld. "By imposing Virtually no road wear. easing traffic congestion. and dramatically increasing fuel conservation. motorcycling is an answer to America's most pressing surface transportation problems. In fact. if encouraged. motor- o o o o o o 8 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o n o Dark Dog Energy Drink has announced that it will be the presenting sponsor of the popular AMA professional motorcycle doubleheader at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia: a round of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Series will now be known as the Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Dark Dog. Originally known as the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals, the May 16-18 event is a doubleheader. Aher 20 years of delivering trackside excitement for car racing fans. Grand Prix Tours moves into the MotoGP series with an inaugural event planned for Estoril in Portugal. September 5-8. The Estoril trip includes three or four nights at the coastal Pestana Atlantic Gardens Hotel, a welcome party hosted by a top American rider. and all transfers between cycling can cut U.S. reliance on foreign oil. But motorcycling can't do it if a federal agency is allowed to impose needlessly restrictive standards that will reduce motorcycling in America. " Zamp & Associates LLC has announced that Kawasaki Motors Corp.. U.S.A. will offer the complete line of Zamp Helmets. Kawasaki will be able to service Kawasaki dealers nationwide with their three locations in California, Michigan and Georgia, according to a release. For more information, call 800/423-5729. This summer in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Honda Hoot's 10th anniversary, when a rider brings a special Hoot Buck to the Dunlop tire check and takes advantage of a complete tire safety inspection. Dunlop will donate $5 to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's Ride for Kids program. Plus, each rider who gets his bike inspected will receive a complimentary high-quality air-pressure gauge, courtesy of Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. The Honda Hoot is sponsored by the Honda Rider's Club of America and is an all-brand rally. The event runs from June 18-21. The AMA Pro Racing Hall of Fame Grand National dirt track will be held at a new location on August 2, according to event promoters. The Oak Ridge race course. a mile track located in Virginia, will host the event. This is the richest and most prestigious race on the dirt track calendar, according to promoters. The Hall of Fame banquet will be held on Friday night. August 1, at the mansion at Oak Ridge. For more information, call 304/749-8418 or 434/263-8676. For fans of the fabled Hodaka marque: Hodaka Days in Athena. Oregon. (June 19-22) is expanding its events for 2003. The swap meet and parade will still be part of the fun, and a trials event is again scheduled. In addition, plans are that Jimmy Pomeroy, motocross Hall of Famer. will layout the course and run a scrambles event. There will also be a fun ride for all vintage bikes that are street legal and can handle both gravel and pavement. Strictly Hodaka will be contributing a running, good condition Hodaka to be raffled. For more information, visit www.jhmand.com/hodaka. Team Simpson is back, according to a u 'I LJ n u MOVED: Motorsports Marketing Strategies (M2S), the public relations and marketing agency headed by Russ Stratton, to 8778 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069, 323/8227834, 323/822-7835 (fax). C r F APPOINTED: Anita Helmin, to director of marketing, supercross, for Clear Channel Entertainment - Motor Sports. Helmin, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Minnesota, Morris, in 1998, earned her master's in Sports Administration and Facility Management from Ohio University in 1999. Aher brief stints with the Cleveland Rockets (WNBA) and ESPN corporate. she began working as a promotion manager for supercross in November 1999. 2 FEBRUARY 26. 2003' cue I e n e _ RESIGNED: Dave Widell. deputy director of the OHV Division of State Parks, will resign from that position, effective July 1. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Tim O'Neill Motorsports in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on February 22 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon Team Suzuki's Buddy Antunez and 2002 AMA Horizon Award winner Evan Laughridge are scheduled to appear. For more information, call 712/366-8400. s press release issued by the long-time safety apparel manufacturer. The company is stepping into the motorcycle industry. producing a new line of on- and off-road helmets. Simpson has also teamed up with GS3 to produce a full line of off-road apparel. Simpson has already put an AMA contingency program in effect and is fOCUsing heaVily on other motorcycling programs. For more information. check out www.teamsimpson.com or www.gs3c1othing.com. Chapman Motorsports in Bridgeton, New Jersey, will open shortly, according to a release from the company. Chapman Motorsports will be located at the site of the former Tom Gogel Honda of Bridgeton motorcycle dealership. They will sell and service Honda motorcycles. "Our goal is to provide the South Jersey community with the best selection and service possible," said Joe Purshock. general manager of Chapman Motorsports. "From families to hunters and even competitive racers, we will have something for everyone." For more information. call 856/391-7433. Dunlop Motorcycle Tires has announced its donation of $5000 to the AMA Pro's new-for-2003 Asterisk Mobile Medical Center CAMMC) for Supercross and outdoor National motocross series. The funds will go toward defraying the operating expenses for the unit's staff. While the AMA is funding the cost of the driver to transport the AMMC from race to race. there are still many other expenses to be covered. The AMMC itself is a Renegade trailer that is built up as an emergency room on wheels, according to Dr. John Bodnar. the AMA's Medical Director. The AMMC will travel to all of the AMA Pro Racing's Supercross and outdoor National races in 2003. It will be staffed with a doctor, a registered nurse and a certified athletic trainer. "We are very proud to contribute to the AMMC program, as thiS effort will add another measure of safety and professionalism to our sport," said Dunlop vice president Mike Buckley. Nationally known motorsports photographer and frequent Cycle News contributor Dan Mahony has begun the process of cataloging the estimated half a million negatives in the Mahony archives, the photos having been shot by Mahony and his late father, Dirt Track Hall of Famer Walt Mahony. Dan is starting with the so-called "modem era" which covers 1969 through 1975. The negatives cover most AMA Nationals. as well as several West Coast Class C events. Dan told us that if anyone out there wants to purchase photos of themselves or other riders. now would be a good time to do so. He will begin cataloging negatives from other time periods shortly. For more information. contact Dan Mahony, P.O. Box 139, Urbana, MO 65767. You can phone him at 417/993-5798, or e-mail him at mahonyphotos@hotmail.com FantasyRacer.com is now taking Sign-ups for the 2003 Fantasy Superbike League. Overall prizes will be awarded to the top finishers, and the league is free. For more information, visit its website at www.fantasyracer.com. The Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association will host a round of the AMA Pro- Continued on page 98