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/128215
• .... .... _: • • -1• ..... ...,-"--.I'I~ ~ - Happenings In Motorcycling Aprilia Motorcycles is joining Porsche Cars North America on its third annual Cayenne Crossing Drive for Hope - a program to reclaim paved and unpaved historic roads. The chairman of the Porsche Cayenne Crossing Initiative is actor James Brolin (pictured), who joined the opening ceremonies for the 2003 event. This year's Cayenne Crossing Drive for Hope will connect some of the projects associat· ed with Porsche North America's "Cayenne Crossing lnltiative," a multiyear program. Accompanying a fleet of high-performance Porsche Cayenne Turbos on a quest to raise funds for The Hope Foundation, a leading cancer research organization, Aprilia will offer participants a chance to sample adventure of the two-wheeled variety as a 2003 Aprilia Capo Nord sport touring motorcycle and four all-new Aprilia Rally 50 scooters (pictured) will participate in the cross-country trek. Aprilia's Rally 50 scooter will actually make its North American debut during the Cayenne Crossing Drive for Hope. The clean and fuel-efficient Rally 50 is ideal as alternate transportation for .anyone exploring the country's highways and byways this summer, according to Aprilia. The Initiative includes a variety of U.S. road restoration and maintenance projects along a route that stretches from coast to coast, such as recent construction of a crossing over Peter's Mill Creek, a historic trout stream that lies in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Due to Porsche North America's efforts, both riders and drivers can now enjoy this trail without threatening the stream, Aprilia says. For more information, visit www.driveforhope.org. By ALAN CATHCART • • What About Cannondale Will Cenponale emerge with a Victory, or is it all just Bologna? The a.s. company apparently taking a close look at Cannondale is Harley·Davidson's much smaller but very serious rival Victory, whose general manager Mark Blackwell of course has serious off-road form as the first-ever U.S. 500cc MX Champion 30 years ago, before he traded boots and body armor for a business suit and polished wingtips as the entry ticket to what has proved to be a very successful business career. Blackwell broke corporate ground with SUzuki, then Arctic Cat, and is now atop the twowheeled di,vislon of the billlon-doUar Polaris Industries corporation. Adding an off-road range 100 per<:ent "Made in the USA" to the company's re-engineered V-twin street cruisers would be popular with Victory dealers as wen as add depth to the company's range, and would certall'll» be affordable for a corporation with the resources that Polaris has. But definitely also looking at Cannandale is Taiwan's huge Kymco scooter conglomerate, liS WlIiII as an unspecified European company which Is relillbly understood to be - Ducati. The Italian sportbike specialist is eager to grab a slice of the growing off-road market, in which jt stands to be left behind by its Aprilia rival, particularly as a counter to KTM, which represents a growing threat to Ducati thanks to its expanding V-twin streetbike range that is due to be joined later in the decade by a V4 spinoff range derived from its forthcoming MotoGP entry just like Ducati. "Ducati would not be in existence today if the Castiglioni brothers had not had the nerve and the foreslght to take on the Japanese fours with a twin, so now it's the tum of the current management to take a deep breath and de<:cide if they really want to take on KTM and the Japanese motocrossers, enduros, supermotos and even four cylinder 600 streetbikes, with a single." says a London-based merchant banker who is a close observer of the world motorcycle industry. "11"s not as if it's a difficult decision for Ducati to make, just that they seem to be taking a very long time to be actually taking it • which may be a function of as well as help explain the recent upheavals in the <:company's top management. Either way, they have to do something soon, or else they'll get left behind." That being the case, perhaps Cannondale may tum out to be the best option, especially as what is understood to be the main cause of the U.S. company's demise - the very high cost of manufacturing the firm's high-tech four· stroke engine, which is understood to cost over $2000 per unit to build, against around half that for the equivalent KTM motor and about $1300 for a Hus.aberg engine - could be addressed by switching production to Italy. Contrary to the denials of Claudio Castigliono, il"S now apparent that Ducati already tried very hard at least twice in the past year to wrest Husqvama away from his MV Agusta operation. without success, lind now the Cannondale alternative appears to be a serious a1temdtive. Watch this space... To cast your vote, log on to "---~http:/ J.;.wWw::tYtlenews.com. It would toke Scott Pork.r coming aut of rdirltml!ntl ......•..........•23.62% K.vin Ath.rton ..............•..•........ 17.23% Joy Springst••n ...•......•..•..•........ 12.79% Rich King ...............•..•..•........ 1 1.37% Jo. Kopp ..................•..•........ 1 1.37% Johnny Murphr!!1! ............•..•..•..... 10.12% Based on what the fact that Bubba stewart is likely to miss ilt least one mar round.f the 125cc National. IDS. ChariijriOn.hlp. what do you think hiS chances of winning the hne are? A. Slam dunk B. Filt chance C. It'll be close 6 MAY 21, 2003' iiiiii;;;;;;;;;====----- I Kenny [Dol both ....•.....................'1.97% Jok. Johnson .........•..•.........•.....2.'19% r.rry Poov.y .........•............•.....3.D2% Shoun Run.1I ....•••••..•..••..•.•...... 1.78% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2'1% 563 cue • e n e _ s