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/128365
Briefly... Continued from poge 7 I, prosecutors announced that they would not se"k the death penalty against Goodwin. The defense is seeking to release Goodwin on bail and the next court date is scheduled for February 14 in Los Angeles, California. The West Coast Supermoto School will be holding a two-day school at the Stockton Motorplex in Stockton, California, March S6. The level-one class will be held on the Saturday with level two slated for Sunday. Free overnight camping is available on Saturday night, and both motorcycles and gear are available for rent through the school. For more information, visit www.westcoastsupermoto.com. Jeremy McWilliams heads to the British Superbike Series. Isterman Jeremy McWilliams has signed a two-year contract with Paul Bird Motorsport that will see him aboard a Stobart Honda CBR IOOORR in the British Superbike Championship this year and next. McWilliams will race alongside Gary Mason and Michael Laverty in the three- U man team. Riding for Honda, Yamaha, Proton and Aprilia, McWilliams (originally from Belfast, Ireland, but now living in England) has spent just over a decade in Grands Prix with over ISO GP starts to his name. At the age of 40, McWilliams turned down a number of lucrative offers to stay in MotoGP for 200S, according to his new team. "British Superbike is second only to MotoGP in status, and I'm thrilled to be racing here this season," McWilliams said. "I've been wanting to race in ass for a couple of seasons now, but it was a case of waiting for the right ride with the right team, and Stobart Honda is the one that fits the bill perfectly. I can't thank Paul [Bird] enough for hanging on whilst it was all being sorted out, and we're both in it for one reason this year, and that is to win the title. We'll do whatever it takes to achieve that." Having not raced regularly in the UK in recent years, many of the tracks will be new or will need relearning, but it's a challenge that McWilliams is looking forward to. "There are some places I've never seen before and even those tracks I do know have changed so it is going to be interesting." McWilliams said. "But one of my main strengths in the World Championship was my ability to learn them quickly, so I don't see that being a problem. In fact I'm relishing the task. The other factor is that I'm delighted to be back and riding for Honda again, and I genuinely believe we have got the right package in order to challenge for the crown." "Jeremy was always my number-one target, and I offered the ride to him in the first place," team owner Bird said. "Of course, we were interested in both Shakey Byrne and Gregorio Lavilla, as I didn't think we had a chance of signing a rider of Jeremy's caliber, and it has taken a lot of time and patience, but I'm absolutely thrilled to have secured his services. He is a rider with so much experience, and he will bring a new dimension to the team." After testing for his new team, McWilliams will race the Stobart Honda in the opening round of the series, which takes place at Brands Hatch on Monday, March 28. The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame has announced that tickets are now available for its 200S raffle. The 200S raffle prizes are: 2005 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe, sponsored by Black Hills Harley-Davidson and Sturgis Harley-Davidson; Henry 44-40 Rifle; and a Scott Jacobs '~fter the Ride" limited-edition giclee on canvas, donated by Scott Jacobs. There are three chances to win on one ticket, according to the museum. The museum begins by drawing for the Scott Jacobs giclee. The winning ticket stub will be thrown back in with the remaining stubs and then drawn for the rifle. The winning stub is once again put back in with the remaining stubs for the final spin and drawing of the Softail, according to the museum. Each raffle ticket costs $10, with the drawing scheduled for August 13, 200S, at the museum in Sturgis. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sturgismuseum.com; by mailing a check or money order to SturgiS Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame, 999 Main St., Sturgis, SD S778S; or by telephone with a credit card by calling 60S/347-2OOl. Pirelli recently issued a press release regarding its 2004-0S National Arenacross Championship. Darcy Lange won the title on his Richmond Kawasaki while using Pirelli tires. It was Pirelli's first year of teann sponsorship in the series. "It couldn't have been better," said Jeff Adams, Pirelli off-road product manager. "We didn't back in. We took it to them. Darcy and Tim and the crew all pushed like crazy, and we had the tires they needed." Pirelli Arenacross riders have won over 80 percent of the main events thus far and have swept the podium in six of them, according to Pirelli. U,S. MiniGP, in collaboration with Infinity GP Racing, Ozbike USA, Sava tires and Metrakit, is stepping up its National mini road racing program in Central USA through CMRA with a $SooO contingency program, according to U.S. MiniGP. The money will be paid through third place for any riders aboard a Metrakit machine using specific equipment as required by U.S. MiniGP. For more details, call Cycle Imports at 305/8B91800 or visit www.minigpSOcc.com. The second annual Fast Guys Karting race at Fast Times Indoor Karting on February I0 is all set to go and spots are filling up fast, according to even promoters. This event will be held in conjunction with the THQ World Supercross GPfTHQ AMA Supercross Series, which makes its return to Indianapolis, Indiana, on February 12. Participants will compete in multiple heat races, qualifying drivers for a final that will include the eight fastest drivers. Each racer will receive a "swag bag" provided by Mechanix Wear filled with items donated by our industry insiders. The race entry fee is $200. Last year's participants included: Chad Reed, James Stewart, Grant Langston, Daryl Hurley, Joe Ohelof, Jason Thomas, Clark Styles and Michael Byrne. Proceeds from the event go to The Road 2 Recovery Foundation, a foundation dedicated to helping AMAlicensed motocross members with financial assistance if they sustain career-ending injuries, as well as providing motivational, emotional and spiritual support to these individuals and their families. The Road 2 Recovery is recognized as a SO 1-c3 tax-deductible charitable foundation. For more information, call Chuck Baldwin at 765/42S-7191. American Suzuki has signed up to be the Grand National Cross Country Series' firstever title sponsor, with the series now known as the Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series. "Suzuki has a diversity of product, from supersport bikes, to motocross, to kids' bikes and ATVs. We have a lot of stories to tell," American Suzuki advertising manager Glenn Hansen said. "We love to use racing to help us talk about the high-performance machines we build. That story is well known thanks to Mat Mladin and our supersport GSX-R line, but we're continuing to work at the off-road side. We've had a lot of success over the last few years in GNCC racing, and we hope this will do an even better job of telling our story." Suzuki logos will adorn GNCC racetracks at all 13 rounds of the 200S series, which kicks off with the Lone Star GNCC in Gilmer, Texas, on February 6. Traction Enterprises has announced a deal that marks traditional sports medicine's first venture into the action sports arena, with Team Makita Suzuki's Broc Hepler set to endorse UPMC Sports Medicine for the 200S season. ''I'm very happy to be working with UPMC Sports Medicine," Hepler said in a company release. "It's good to see them stepping things up and getting more involved with the sport. I know Traction has worked very hard building this relationship and closing this deal. Thanks to Traction, I've been working with the people at UPMC Sports Medicine for the last two years. UPMC's medical expertise has meant a lot to my program." Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, UPMC Sports Medicine is the official sports medicine provider of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Panthers. In 2002, UPMC Sports Medicine conducted a study on the fitness requirements of both professional and recreational motocross athletes. The study has provided sports medicine professionals with a foundation for understanding the physical requirements of Continued on page CYCLE NEWS • FEBRUARY 16, 2005 rr 9