Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... World Champion Showdown , Continued from page 9 recent motorcycles (less than 20 years)," the T he battle of 500cc World Champions beg ins anew th is weekend, with Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson facing off in the World Superkarts season opener, part of the 2004 Road & Track U.S. Sports Ca r Invitational that opens the 2004 racing season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, April 30-May 2. release states. "Historic motorcycle events of a sporting nature shallalso remai n within the exclusive com petence of the FIM, its memb ers and promoters. The FIVA remains as the international authority over all nonsporting aspects (including the authentications, documentations.restoration and Rainey's anxious to see the results of the preservation) of historical motorcycles. work that he and tuner Brian Turlree did to his P I-framed Yamaha TZ -2S0-powered Moreover this agreement sets up the base kart over the wi nter. organizations in several areas. For example, "We can kind of see where we 're at as far as how last year went," Rainey said. "I think my kart's about 3S pounds lighter than it was the last time I drove it. I'm hop ing it accelerates and stops bett er," Part of the changes came with a new sh ifting mechan ism Turlree found in England. It we ighs 16 pounds less than the old unit and works off a battery pack. Rainey said the kart's bulked up by developme nt over the years . Now that this kart is at its limit - he has a new Track Magic following this agreement, in this year of the FIM Centenary, the FIVA act ively supports the FIM Rally, which will take place in Amhem, in the Netherlands , from 8 to 10July frame comi ng for the next race - they 're able to cut some brackets off. He and Lawson have also taken delivery of their new 2004 TZ-250 motors. "Not that they we igh anything less, but they 've got a bunch more torque than we 've had in the past," Rainey said. "We're constantly developing at our slow rate. We try to have fun but try to be serious at the same time . It can get expensive." for a closer coo peration between both next, and w ill introduce on this occasion Rai ney and Lawson are on track for prac tice on Thursday, with qualifying on Friday. Saturday is the 20-minute heat race , about 12 laps, Rainey says. Sunday 's final is 30 minutes, around 18 laps. "We'll have plenty of time to wear them [the carts] out ," he said. Geoff Crust, the former manager of Yamaha's MotoGP team, who also worked with Rainey's 500cc GP team, is com ing over to le nd a hand. Bubba Shobert will also be in town. The day after the race, Rainey's taking the team to Lake Tahoe to "goof off," he said. He nny Ray Abrams one," said Wood, a 22-year-old Virginian z whose family roo ts run deep in g NASCAR. "This should be pretty ~ entertaining chance to win a date wi th a professional racer. for everybody -; involved. I'm loo king forward to :Ji it - it should be a lot of fun." gj Fans from across the country "We've bee n loo king for a way to com bine elements ~ have been sending in three- of the popular reality genre 5 minute videosexplaining. in w hat- with our viewers' passion for racing, but with a fun twist ," said Robert Ecke r, Spee d Channel vice presi dent of programming. "This is one of those ideas that seemed a little crazy at first but that just got more trac tion as we kicked it aro und . Wanna date Ben Drive rs have respo nde d Bostrom? e nthusiastically and we 're , sure the fans will, too," The Air Force has announced plans already in the works to allow base motorcycle clubs worldwide des igned to promote riding safety. "Riding moto rcycles is fun," said Major General Ken Hess, Air Force chief of safety. "If it wasn't , nobody would be taking the risks that are involved. The key is to make safety go hand in hand. That is what motorcycle clubs will do. " Clubs began forming at bases througho ut the Air Force this year with an added emphasis on me ntoring, engaging those expe rienced motorcycliststo mentor new riders and help them develop their skillsand knowledge about riding. Motorcycle clubs are Date Ben, Date Eric Speed Channe l has signed a dea l to produ ce Iou r one-hour programs that will offer contestants a the Prize ' FIVA Challenge : This Trophy will be awarde d to the national team w inner in the class of historical motorcycles ." i1: ever manner they choose, why they deserve a chance to date a racer. From those tapes and tapes recorded at multiple events , drivers and a small group of their friends, family me mbers, crew members or someone else of the ir choosing, will select four contestants. These four contestants will then compete for the date . Each show will consist of th ree outra- expected to increase mentoring, as we ll as encourage responsible motorcycle use and Forty Indians For Sale e njoymen t thro ugh education and tra ining. A recent review of mishap data showed Air Wh en Gilro y, California-based Indian Motorcy cle Corporation abruptly halted pro duction and closed it doo rs in fall of 2003 , the compa ny had manufactured 40 brand -new bikes for its 2004 line. Bill Melvin - CEO of Na tional Retail Equipme nt Liquidators (N.R.EL) in Grand Rapids, Michigan stepped in and acquired the entire 2004 product ion grou p, plus all of Indian's hard assets, including parts, manufacturing equipment and more. "This group of 2004 bikes is the rarest er rider. Livesey fractured two verteb rae in the T-6 region and also suffered a bro ken "Unfort unately I can't keep all 40 of the 2004 bikes, no matter how te mpting it is. 50 The new 5peed Channe l show will be pro duced by Nashville-based High Five ticipate. Entertainmen t. Fans interested in participating in the new tion in the deal. For more information or to view the Indians, visit www.nrel.com or call program can visit www.speed tv.com for details. 8oo{613-6865. "I've see n a few rea lity shows on television, but I never thought I'd be the subject of people - even when it goes w rong. it's fun." Popular Washington motocross racer machines representing the entire year's production of an Ame rican-made mo to rcycle. Melvin did acquire one of the '04 bikes for his personal collect ion , a blue vintage -style Indian. "If you're a collector, an enthusiast or a fan of the Indian brand like me, do n't miss this opportunity to acquire one of only 40 bikes prod uced for the 2004 line - because whe n they 're gone, they're histo ry," Melvin said. Melvin's com pany also acqu ired Indian Motorcycle's corpo rate mo torcycle collec- "My first thought when they came to me about the show was , 'This is going to be intere sting," said Ben Bostrom , w ho just turne d 30. "It's always great to meet new major com mands ide ntified interested units to set up test clubs for abo ut a year before engaging bases worldwide. never been such a small quantity of ex quisite geous events that determine the overall win- for additional scoring twists. to stem the rise in accidents, Air Force Bryce Uvesey was critically injured April 15 during practice at the World MiniGrand Prix at LasVegas Moto r Speedway when he fell in practice and was landed on by anoth- production run of Ame rican motorcycles ever made," said Melvin in a release. "T here 's With the work ing title "I Wanna Date a Race Car Driver," the first show is scheduled to air June 9 at 9 p.m. (Easte rn) and will be hosted by Scott Lasky, a veteran of E! programs , including Search Party, Ce lebr ity Adventures, Talk Sou p and Wild O n. "Scott brings just the right degree of hip personality to the show," Ecker added. "He's quickwitted, funny and very agile at drawing great responses from the drivers and contestants." NASCAR Cra ftsman Truc k Series driver Jon Wood, AMA 5upe rbike racers Eric and Ben Bostro m, and Late Model new comer Leilani Munter will be the first race rs to par- ner. Events will be developed based on the driver's "wish list" of what he/she is loo king for in a potential dat e. The contestant's ability to co mplete and win the se eve nts will det er mine who goes on the date. But watch Force motorcycle mishap on the rise, s resu lting in 72 fatalities between 1999 and 2003 . More tha n half of these fatalities were the result of single-vehicle cras hes involving riders who exe rcised poo r judgment and made risky dec isions. In an effort our com pany is liquidating the entire gro up on a first-come, first-serve basis." www.cycienEWs.com w rist and serious-impact trauma. He remains in good spirits w hile he gains e nough strength to unde rgo surgery to support the back. A medical expense fund has been established to assist the family. Support can be sent to Bryce Livesey Medical Expense Fund, GE5A Bank, 825 Goethal s Drive, Richland, WA 99352 , 509/946-161 1. The Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club, pr omoter of the Ha ngtown Motocross Classic, round one of the AMA Chevy Trucks Motocross National Series, has announced that it will selt the Ha ng t ow n Hospitality Supertlcket for $299 . The ticket includesadmission to a special view - ing area and cater ing for the May 14-16 Continued on page 13 CYCLE N EWS • NlAY 5,2004 11

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