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/128316
HU§ky High School Thanks to years of racing experience, Husqvarna has decided to open its own off-road riding school called the Husqvarna Off Road School 360-degrees. The creators and managers of the project are Martino Bianchi and Fabrizio Carcano, who have been associated with the Husqvarna brand for a long time and posses a huge amount of experience in the off-road field. The Off Road School will consist of courses designed to resemble natural terrain conditions, with three different tea ching levels. The first course is for beginners, while two additional co urses are designed for intermediate and then advanced riders . The disciplines will be Minicross, Motocross, Enduro, Rally and Supermotard, with the courses divided into different classes according to the riders ' designated numbers, to kee p class size manageable. Anyone can enroll , regardless of the motorcycle brand. Furthermore, a wide range of 2004 Husqvarna motorcycles will be available for rental . The school will take place in such scenic areas around Italy such as Sardine, Umbria and Emilia Romagna. For mo re information go to www.offroadschool.it - you'll have to bust out your Italian/English dictionary to do so; you've been warned. Bo§trom and Smart Party at Daytona After qualifyingin po le position for the Daytona 200 with the fastest lap eve r, Eric Bostrom met with Ducatisti at the Ducati Day Daytona party. On Wednesday, March 3, the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team and Bostrom proved the speed of the Ducati 999 by breaking the Superbike lap record at Daytona. Bostrom and the Ducati 999 are the first ever to break the 1:47 barrier at Daytona International Speedway, making the 999 the fastest AMA Superbike to lap th is track. On Friday Eric joined his fans and fellow Ducati riders at the Ducati Day Daytona party across from the track to celebrate the accomplishment. Paul Smart was on hand at the event as guest bike-show judge and wished Bostrom the best of luck for the race. Smart qualified in pole position at Daytona three times in the early 19705. Ducati owners have graciously welcomed Bostrom to their family and were on hand to cheer him on during Saturday's race. In addition to Bostrom and Smart , Ducati North America sponsored a fashion show featuring the latest in Ducati Performance Apparel. Both racing and casual wear were modeled, including the incredibly popular Old -Times-style jacket and pants. The vintage Ducati bike show and exhaust sound off are regular events at the Ducati Day Daytona party. The bike show focuses on historic Ducati motorcycles. This year's best bike was Iowa resident Robert Bennett's 1974 7S0SS. The Desmodromic Monster Club of Rome, Italy, judged the exhaust sound off competition . Denn is Liebrecht wo n the "best-sounding Ducati"' award with his 1978 900SS. To cast yo ur vote, log on to www.cyclenews.com. WEb INSiYE Cy clenews.com r eader poll qu est ion of the w eek ~ • What need s to be done to t he Daytona 200 to ma ke it exciti ng again? A. Institute a mandatory pit stop minimum. B. Make Superstock or Supersport the premium class for Daytona only. C. Make improvements to the track to improve racing and reduce the risk of tire failures. D. Just don't race there. On-line poll results from last week What's your reaction to the Aaron Yates/Anthony Fania Jr. incident during the Daytona 200? Vates lost his cool and should be dealt with accordingly. 4130 (81.38%) The altercation after the crash has been blown out of proportion. 571 (11.25%) Both are equally guilty for their inappropriate behavior. 374 (7.37%) Total Replies : 5075 www.cyclenews.com C Y CLE NEWS • MARCH 24, 2004 107