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/128203
• 1.1_:-1.1'1 ... • • ~..I •• 1- Happenings In Motorcycling - [ffJ[?@fi][fx(]fi]071 @(f @[}f)fi]DfJD[f2J-CC--~D---=-@_[fD---=--0 _ A total of $17,000 was raised at the BlueRibbon Coalition Breakfast of Champions event which was held in conjunction with the recent Indianapolis Trade Show. Among the items auctioned was a photo of Bob Hannah and Heikki Mikkola (shown with Hannah and JT Racing owner John Gregory), though organizers ran out of time, and several other items will be sold through eBay, according to the BRC. Ducati Corse and Fila launched their 2003 sporting program with a presentation and dinner attended by 600 media, ViP and sponsor guests in Milan, Italy, on Monday, February 24. The event took place in the Gilli Cube structure and marked the start of the partnership between Ducati Corse and Fila. The Italian sportswear clothing manufacturer becomes the title sponsor for the official World Superbike Championship team, now known as Team Ducati Fila, and the Fila logo will also appear on the bikes and overalls of the riders of the Ducati Marlboro MotoGP Team, presented 10 days ago, also in Milan. "It gives me great pleasure to give a warm welcome to Fila, the new title sponsor of the team: a company that is a worldwide symbol for 'made in Italy' sportswear and which has decided to support our commitment to Superbike for the next two years," declared Ducati's Claudio Domenicali. "We have prepared a dedicated, self-sufficient Superbike structure, which can count on the managerial capacity of Paolo Ciabatti, the track experience of Davide Tardozzi, the engineering abilities of Ernesto Marinelli for technical direction and a completely new project with great potential: the Ducati 999, as well as two talented riders, Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus. The new structure and a new bike will make use of the experience accumulated in aU the previous Superbike championships, which have always seen Ducati as one of the main protagonists. U By E ALAN CATHCART u r o • 1 f 1 e MV Back Under Steam Though exact details of its January 10 deal with BCI Intesa merchant ba'nk are still sketchy, MY Agusta's continued existence was made possible by the Italian equivalent of U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy (the same as United Airlines is currently undergoing). The financial terms were approved by Yarese bankruptcy judge Marco Lualdi last November, after determining that the backlog of orders for MY's products, the quality of those products, the historic significance of the marque, the interests of its 400-strong workforce (all located within the Yarese region) and Castiglioni's projected business plan for regaining profitability, which all justified the company's being handed a lifeline in order to try to trade its way out of insolvency. This suspended MY's accumulated debts until 2006, believed to total in excess of $250 million, and placed the company in what is known as "amministrazione contro/lata, U whereby three court-appointed officials will supervise its running for the next two years, subject to the provision of the finance to underwrite this. Hence the importance of the January 10 agreement with BCI, which was the final link in securing MY Agusta a new lease on life - albeit celebrated with a drink at the last chance saloon - even if the bank itself will almost certainly have sought an equity in the company in order to monitor th.ings. However, MY Agusta does appear to have been recapitalized at last and is thus gearing up TD casl YDur vDle, IDg Dn ID hllp:/ I ww:l:yclenews.cDm. .~-t-.James A. Ruben Xaus J. Qlhe B. Neil HDdgsDn C. TrDy CDrser D. Regis LacDni 6 MARCH 5, 2003 eye I e n e _ s Dseland to recommence production at its Cassinetta plant in February, with an initial timely run of Husqvama models aimed at meeting pent-up demand for the marque's MX and enduro products. Some 15,000 Husqvamas are slated for production for the 2003 model year, say company sources, with production of MY Agusta and Cagiva models set to begin again in March after a one-year interruption, once suppliers have been persuaded with hard cash to restart the flow of parts. It's understood that the long-awaited Brutale four-cylinder streetrod, which first saw the light in public more than two years ago at Intermot 2000, will finally reach production in April - and it's believed that the thousands of firm orders for the Brutale, which MY's sorely tested but still loyal importers around the world were prepared to sign up for, were a key factor in persuading BCI to underwrite the company's future. So, it's certain that getting these into customer's hands will be a top priority for the refloated company. MV's recent bailout means that the muchanticipated Brutale naked sportster (pIctured) may finally see the light of dar as a production model. First, though, MY plans to fill orders for Its Husqvarna motocross and enduro models.