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
Hamblin Takes Prequel Drag Specialties has announ ced that it has ente red into a pres enting sponsorship agreemen t with the American Harley Drag Racing Assoc iatio n, adding to the long list of racing series and event support. The affil iatio n with the AHDRA joins Drag' s natio nallevel series spon sors hip of the AMA Pro gre ssive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Cha mpionship. "It' s so me thing that we're ve ry excited abo ut, ano ther fine venu e to show o ur be lief in how racing promotes e nthu siasm with the buying public - and maybe even mo re importantly, to demonstrate ou r connection to o ur deale rs that may have an event in their area," said Jim Matchette, nationa l sales manager fo r Drag Specialties. "We' ve got multiple even t trucks o n the road traveling to over 40 events this year, w here we can set up and show case our pro duct and provide hospitality fo r o ur dealers. Given some of the horsepower-producing parts in ou r prod uct line - Rinehart and Vance and Hine s exhaust systems, Power Co mmander fuel-injection programm ing modules, Edelbrock's extensive product line, and many others - we feel that the AHDRA drag races will be a great place to reach a vast number of enthusiasts who love power and performance just as much as they do billet and chrome. Our goal is to drive consumers to our dealers, and this series is a great way to do that." Fo r mo re info rm atio n on upco ming Drag Specialties hos pitality events, visit the AHDRA website at ahdra.com or call Drag Specialties at 606/756-11 I I. uzuki's Sean Hamblin and Yamaha of Troy's Mike Brown were the big winners at the Primm Mx Prequel motocross race at Glen He len Raceway in San Bernardino, California, on May 6. Hamb lin won the 250cc Pro class with I- I finishes. Moto rspo rt Outlet Honda's Craig Anderson finished second with 2-2 finishes, and Suzuki-mounted Craig Decker was third with 3-3 finishes. Red Bull KTM's Grant Langston contested the first moto, finishing fourth , but the South African elected not to ride moto two. Brown led a Yamaha sweep of the 125cc Pro class. After w inning the first moto, Brown crashed early in the second moto and dropped to the back of the pack . He then fought his way through the field to finish third and clinch the overall win. Yamaha of Troy's Brock Sellards finished second overall after go ing 4-2 . Brown and Sellard's YOT teammate KellySmith was third with a 3-4 performance. S Sea n Hamblin won the Preq u el Motocross, h eld at Gl en Helen. the wee kend festiv ities and will participate in the AMA's Marque of the Year Pre sentation. In addition to these BMW events, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days wi ll feature AHRMA road racing, two days of AHRMA motocross , plus observed trials and dirt -track racing . The on-track competitions shou ld draw mor e than I 100 competitors . AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2004 also w ill feature two vintage bike show s; the Will Stoner Swap meet; a slate of guest speakers, includ ing ren owned designer Cra ig Vetter; an array of vendors feat uring new products from top manufacturers and de alers ; the annual Motorcycle Hall of Fame Auct ion of motorcycles and memorabilia; and the return of Rhett Rotten's o riginal 1941 "Wall of Deat h" drome. Spec tator t ickets for AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2004 are available from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 1-600-MIDOHIO or www.midohio.com . Foggy Rides The road version of the Petronas FP I was seen for the first time outside of Malaysia wh en Foggy Pet ron as Racing team own er Carl Fogarty led a biking convoy through London , England . on Saturday, May 6. The "Foggy Bike Ride" - spo nsored by British bike insurance specia list Footman James - kicked off from Lo ndo n's Ace Cafe and, esco rted by the Met 's "Bike Safe" team , cruised IS miles to the Houses of Parliament . " I am so pleased that I will be riding the Petronas FP I on the Foggy ride ," Fogarty said prior to the event . "The bike has not been see n in public outside of Malaysia, and I am sure this will attract even more inte re st. I was really sur prised by the number of people w ho came along last year, and hopefully we can raise eve n more money for the NSPCC th is year with an eve n greate r t urn-out. It was an amazing feeling to ride through the streets of Lo ndo n, with all the traffic stopped by our Met Police escort. I was always known as KingCarl when I was racing, and I certainly fe lt like a king all the way from the Ace Cafe to Westminster. " Bostrom Tries The Ducati at Pikes A beautifully sunny and warm day greeted Ducati Austin's Eric Bostrom on May 6, the Californian ta king part in a Miche lin test sessio n at Pikes Peak Inte rnatio nal Raceway w ith mixed resu lts. Th e Du cati team wasn 't alone at the test, as bot h Ho nda (o n Dun lops) and the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki te am were also on hand. While Bostrom en ded up running fairly consistent laps in the mid -56 range, Miguel Duhamel was pulling do w n low to mid-5Ss. T he following lap times we re record ed on hand -held watches by the reporter; Eric Bostro m (56 .07); Ben Bost ro m (55.26); Migue l Duhamel (55. 12); Steve Rapp (S7. 16); Vince nt Haskovec (57.67) . Ku r t von Ahnen www.cyclenews.com Pirelli has announced that it has signed on as a co ntingency sponsor for the 12th an nual Yamaha AM A Dealers Se r ie s of mo tocross races at Gle n Helen Raceway Park in Devor e , California. The company is offering $5 I20 per race in possible continge ncy payouts fo r each of the five races in the series, fo r a total of $24 ,650 . Pirelli will pay down to fifth place in all MX classes. The forms for the contingency will be availab le during registration at Glen Helen. They must be filled ou t and taken to the authorized Pirelli MX vendor at the track for the "Trackside Vendor" signature . Racers can find complete details and requirements on Pirelli's U.S. we bsite at www.us.pirellimo to.corn, Racers will be required to register on line to receive their con tingency certifi cates via emai l, but this can be do ne after the races. All competitors must run Pire lli tires , fron t and rea r, and d isplay Pire lli stickers on fro nt forks or fender and the swingarm, o r rear fe nder of the bike. And there must be at least eight com peti to rs in the class at th e start of the race in o rde r to qualify for conti ngency certificates. Pire lli has signed Dave Stephens to provide trackside su ppo rt fo r the Yamaha series. Stephens can be rea che d at 909/ 360- 2557. The United States Grand Prix Riders Union (USGPRU) has anno unced the addition of two new series spo nso rs - Acid Cigars and Rev'lt! USA, bringing the com bined co ntingency and cash value of the series to over $100,000 . Acid Cigars of Ho usto n, Texas, has ente re d into a two-year agreeme nt to suppo rt the USGPRU with $4000 Continued on p'oge J J CYCLE NEWS • MAY 19, 2004 9