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/128222
.. . • • 1. 1.1_:...1.1"'1 . . . . . . . Happenings In Motorcycling ..I.~- u[}f)@ [jJ[fD[fiJ@@~~ !Z[fiJ@ll\!lDDD@ fX]@D~@~ @ll@Dr{)f]f] flj]@@71~ u[}f)@ !ZD[fiJ@~_ The third annual Knoxville Ride for Kids, which was one of the featured activities of the 10th annual Honda Hoot raised a record $70,422 to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Over 325 participants joined forces on the picture-perfect summer day in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to raise money to help find the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors. Otis and Tina Bishop, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, were the Top Individual Fund Raisers bringing in $10,131. The Top Club was the Tennessee Honda Riders Club, raising $21,254 for childhood brain tumor research. The Top Dealer was Sloan's Honda with funds totaling $21,809. Britain's Princess Anne toured the MotoGP paddock at Assen this past week as the teams geared up for the Dutch IT at the Circuit van Drenthe in Holland. Proton Team KR and King Kenny Roberts (pictured) greeted the princess, as did the Ducati team in their immaculate garages. Princess Anne is patron to the Riders For HeaLth charity to which former riders Mick Doohan and Randy Mamola are heavily involved. She was particularly interested in the new generation of MotoGP four-strokes that the two teams put on display for her visit. Later that evening she was escorted to a Riders For Health charity dinner by Doohan and Mamola. By ALAN CATHCART • • Voxan Is Back Another born-again marque risen from the dead in recent weeks is France's Voxan, which in spite of II healthy order book has been in the hands of the receivers since June, 2001. Founded at the end of 1995 by millionaire industrialist Jacques Gardette, Voxan's range of three ~t models (Roadster, Cafe Racer and the innovative Scrambler) powered by the firm's own fuel-injected. eight-valve, 72-degree V-twin 996cc engine. designed by renowned French QP engineer Alliin Chevallier, succeeded in carving a healthy slice of its home French market after production began in July, 1999, as well as commencing export sales to Germany, Switzerland and Benelux. But persistent problems with suppiiers in a country with no modern history of four-stroke motorcycle production brought Vox"n to its knees, and in spite of successive injections of fresh capital by Gardette and his DasSllult aviation industry partners, Voxan was put into liquidation two years ago and closed its doors. A subsequent rescue plan in early 2002 by a Swiss-bllSed. tndustrilll conglomerate nllmed MerkerYshlma came to naught when it was found to have Mafia connections. resulting in an intematlon2l)~rrest warrant for the company's p.rincipalsl Now, however, Voxan is back in business, with the first examples of the back-ordered Scrambler rolling off the company's production lines at Issoire, just south of Clermont-Fer· rand in Central France, on April 14, as the flfSt of a total of 800 bikes split among the three different models which it's projected will be built this year by Voxan's 32 employees, all drawn from the 160-strong previous workforce. The man responsible for the firm's comeback is Bordeaux-based industrialist Didier Cazeaux, a dedicated motorcyclist since his youth, who made his fortune in property before acqui.ring boat manufacturer Guy Couach in 1996, since when he's built up the French company into a significant - and profitable. force in the world· wide luxury yacht market. Since acquiring VoxlIn from the liquidator in June, 2002, Cazeaux has pumped 2.5 million euros ($2.85 mllIion) into the company to restart manufacture and plans to invest even more as he expands production and adds to the range of models. TD cast YDur vDte, IDg Dn tD http://www.cyclenews.cDm. l.r.my McGr.th Mik. M.tzg.r • . -- - •• • • Which Df the fDIIDwing riders will walk away frDm the laguna Seca rDund Df the WDrld Supertiike ChampiDnship willi tlie most points? A. Eric BDshom B. PierfrancescD Chili C. Troy Corser D. Neil Hodgson 6 JULY 9. 2003' eye • e n e __ s .13.0 1%1 I.R. Schn.b.1 ~~~ 11 q.qO%1 T.rry Poovoy ~~~ lqO.S6%J II.aq%1 Kevin Schwllntz .................................................• 12.93%1 Mik. Smith .11.32%1 Thom .. St.v.ns IO.qq%1