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/128324
Kawasaki Reorganizes Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A (KMC) announced on Friday, May 7, that it was reorganizing the way its consumer products business will be operated. Leaning heavily on a streamlined approach to increasing pro ductivity, the company will focus on strengthening its competitive position in both the short and long term, according to Kawasaki. This will primari ly be accomplished through the integration of functions that have operated independently, rather than in a synergistic mode that shortens many of the extended lines of communication Kawasaki said. , According to Steve Hamada, president, the new structure "will increase the efficiency and improve coordination of all aspects of our interna l operations." Hamada said the new organization will become effective May 10and will "prepare KMC to better meet our current and future business needs. II Among the new directions cited by Hamada is a reduction in the lines of communication that report to the president's office , allowi ng for more involvement with the company 's programs and policies, while also improving responsiveness to the needs of Kawasaki's dealers and consumers. " It is very important that any organizational changes offer a Briefly... Continued from page II motocross we bsite to offer live trackside announcing of the races - mxnationals.com. As in years past, the NPG is working in cooperation with Clear Channel Motorsport's supercross we bcast provi der - Akamai . '~mai is the largest streaming provider in the world," said Karin Colucci, director, Inte rnet communications for Clear Chan nel Moto rsports . ''Akamai's clients include General Motors, Harley-Davidson, Inc., and Yahoo!" The remoteness of the nationals presents a tricky techno logical situation for the NPG's web expert, Tim Cotter, and Colucci. Last year, the NPG attempted to wo rk with a high speed Internet connection, only to run into some technical difficulties- mainly in part to the rural location of the tracks. So this year the NPG will go back to a standard phone line feed which, according to Colucci, will work just fine for all rnxnationals.com listeners. "The end user won't know the difference," said Co lucci. "Eve rybody, no matter what computer you're using, will get a good stream from the nationals this summer. The output stream is lower than supercross, due tangible benefit to our dealer network and to Kawasaki's retail to the absence of a high speed Int ernet connection, but not purchasers," said Hamada in a press release . "T his new approach to our internal operationswill significantly improve our of any less quality when cons idering the audio," The streaming audio broadcast of the nationals on mxnationals.com - dubbed the "Racer X Nationa ls Web Cast" - will begin at approximately 12:30 p.m. on race day and last in the area of 4 1/2 hours - until the race and postrace interviews are com piece. abilities to rapidly respond to market changes and ultimately achieve greater efficiencies and profitability." KMC will reduce the numbers of operating divisions and layers of management that have grown broader as the company's product categories have expanded and it has cont inued to expe- rience upward growth, according to KM C. Currently, 12separate operational groups report to the office of the president. In the newly restructured look, that numbe r will be reduced to seven . Similar conso lidations will occur in middle management areas that will complement the changes being made at other organizational levels, according to the release. Among the key adjustments in the reporting structure will be the combining of both sales and marketing into a single, blended operational group, and the consolidation of several produetrelated functions underneath a product operations group. "We 've addressed all of the functional areas that can help us to grow and achieve our targets over the ne xt several years ," said Hamada . "This is an opportunity for KMC to move the bar of accomplishment and one from which we are ant icipating great results," ETC • OPEN HOUSE: At Metro Racing in Brackney, Pennsylvania, on May IS, starting at 12 p.m. The shop is just a few miies from Lawton, the site of the AHRMA Northeast Regional on Sunday, May 16. There will be re freshments. food, shop tours and lots of bench racing. Attendees can also suit up and take some laps on Metro's new natural ter rain motocross track. For more info or direc- The United Stat es C lassic Racing Association, in conjunction with the North American Motorcycle Union, has secured the No rth Ame rican FIM 125cc C hampionship to be held August I at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hannpshire . This race will bring together the best 12Scc Grand Prix riders from across the United States and Canada to compete for a $4000 purse, according to event promoters. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing has finalized an agreement for STAR Motorcycle School to be the presenting sponsor of the 2004 WERA National Challenge and Endurance Series events at Virginia Inte rnational Raceway, May 20-23, and Barber Motorsports Park, September 24-26 . In addition to the event sponsorships, STARSchool will also award a free STAR School day to the winner of the National Challenge 600 Superstoc k Novice class at both rounds . "The STAR School is pleased to continue our relationship with the WERA program," said Mark Gallardo, co-owner of the STAR Motorcycle Schoo l with 2002 AMA Formula Xtreme champ ion Jason Pridmore . "It's a great way for us to reach racers, fans and sportbike enthusiasts of all levels and expose them to the benefits of attending a STARschool near them." For more information on the STAR Motorcycle Schoo l, visit www.starmotorcyde.com . tions, contact Don or Peg Miller, Metro Racing. B77/746-3B76 or e-mail info@metroracing.com . M etro Racing's website can be reached at www.metroracing.com. MOVED : Pro Moto Billet to 1146 1 Lone Star Road, Nampa. ID B36S I, B66/466 -4P MB. MOV ED: Motovideo has moved to 3120 W. Carefree Highway, Suite I, Box 449, Phoe nix, AZ. BSOB6-4449, 623/742-6S44. BORN: Gordon Michael Tarnow on April 30 to Galfer senior inside sales representa tive D ean Tarnow and his fiancee. Je nnife r Trahan. CORRECTION: In our coverage of the Terrible 's Town 2S0, we ran the wrong caption with a photo. T he cap tion read Christopher Biais when it should've read Matt Gosnell, who, along with teammate Clint Braun. won the 2S0cc Pro class. The AMA has announce d that it willtake its "Ju stice for All" initiative to South Dakota in August for the 64th annua l Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Justice for Allfocuses the public's attention on inadeq uate sente ncing of drivers who seriously injure or kill motorcyclists. The AMA advocates legislation esta blishing tougher pena lties w hen traffic offenses o r criminal actions by motorists resu lt in death or serious injury. ''Although Justice for All came out of mot orcyclists' reaction to a case in South Dakota, it's important to remember that inadequate sentencing is an issue nationwide," said Edward Moreland, vice president of AMA Gove rnment Relations. "That's why we're going to Sturgis - to bring this message to thousands of motorcyclists, who can the n take action in their home sta tes." Sturg is rallygoe rs can visit the AMA's Justice for All informatio n cent e r at the Sturgis Music Festival gro unds, locat ed one block off Main Street at the corn er of 2nd and Lazelle, fro m Tuesday, August 10, th rough Friday, August 13. Card -carrying AMA me mbers w ill have access to special parking (as space is available), as we ll as a 10 perce nt discount at the Sturgis Music Festival's food court and access to the Sturgis Music Fe stival VIP area. For www.cycl enews.com more information about Justice for All, or to order a Justice for All kit, visit www.AMADirectlink.com/justice. e-mail jusO-AMA-JOIN. tice@amadirectlink .com, or call BO Technology is making its debut at the Sturg is Motorcycl e Rally this year thanks to an agree ment between the City of Sturgis and one of its title sponsors, Snap-O n Incorpora ted. Officials with the City of Sturgis have partnered with SnapO n, a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of too l and equi pment solutions for professional tool users , to debu t a computerized registration process at the 2004 Sturgis Moto rcycle Rally. The 2004 registration system will collect infonnation through on-line computer terminals posi- tioned on bright red Snap-On roll cabs. "The new registration system wili allow the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to learn more about our Rally attendees ," commented Sturgis mayor Mark Zeigler. "We hope to gather information on their lifestyles and expectations in order to use attendees' responses and insights to enhance future Sturgis Motorcycle Rallies." Nine computerized registration terminals will be located at the Sturgis Motorcycle RallyHeadquarters in the Sturgis Armory near the corner of Junction and Main; the Motorcycle Expo in the Sturgis Comm unity Center at the corner of 4th and Lazelle;and the Snap-On Exhibitat the Motorcycle Expo at 4th and Lazelle.The registration process should take less than five minutes to complete, and each registrant will be eligible for a daily prize drawing. Staff will be available to assist registrants at each location. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is celebrating its 64th anniversary. This year's event, slated for August 9-15, brings hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts to the Black Hills of South Dakota for scenic rides, motorcycle racing and hill climbs, sightseeing, gaming, shopping, concerts and more. This year 's Rally also features the second annual Stu rgis Motorcycle Rally Mayor's Ride, presented by Jack Daniel's in cooperation with the JackPine Gypsies Motorcycle Club, Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Black Hills,TallGrass Buffaloand Grill'n Time Sauces. For information on the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, visit www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com . Multitime AMA Motocro ss and Supercross Champion Ric ky Car m ichae l has signed an endorsement contract with Trixter Developments Ltd. to use the Trixter X-Bike indoor mountain bike for traini ng and pre-race warm -ups. The X-Bike uses a patented articu lating X-Bar system that creates a "true-to-cycling" full-body workout, according to Trixter. "Trixte r' s North America 's performance director Jeannie Pruitt - came out and led me and my personal trainer A1don Bake r through a workout, and I could immed iately feel the benefits ," Carmichael said in a release. "It's an important tool in my training program, and I can't believe how well it works out my e ntire body." The X-Bike's freewheelingdrivetrain and X-Bar design allows ride rs to climb, sprint, and immediately shift gears to adjust pedaling resistance; as if riding a real mountain bike. "The X-Bike is ideally suited for me to use with Ricky" says Baker. "His heart rate goes up faster, we can isolate muscle grou ps, and overall we get much better inte rval training than befo re. This bike is really goo d for getting his w hole body prep pe d for the starti ng line, and for the finish line as well." The Trixter XBike reta ils for $ 119S, comple te with training manual, owner's manual, w orkout profiles and m usic. For more information, visit www.X- Biking.com . Fo r the ninth consecutive year, American Honda Motor Corp. has don ated over $7000 wo rth of Hon da Pro chem icals and lubricants to the HonTech division of the Motorcy. c1e Mechanics Institute in Phoe nix, Arizo na. According to HonTech chief instru ctor Eric Bartos ky, "O ur students get hands-o n expe rie nce with all of Hond a's che micals and the proper usage of such chemicals. This do nation every year to our school is priceless for the ongoing success of o ur students." For mo re information regarding MMIor HonTech, call 623/869 -9644. CYCLE NEWS • MAY 19, 2004 15