Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Continued lrom page I I the pit lane from where the sign 60 kph is placed up to where the sign 60 kph crossed out is placed; any rider found to have overtaken during the practice will be subject to a fine of $170, and any rider who overtakes in the pit lane during a race will be penalized with a ride through. The Race Direction must communicate the offense to the pit of the rider after having received the information from the official in charge. San Diego's House of Motorcycles will hold its 15th annual Spring Expo benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. On Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Spring Expo will showcase the latest motorcycles, watercraft and ATV along with parts and accessories displayed by factory and manufacturer reps. A raffle will be held in the afternoon for a brand-new motorcycle, with proceeds of the ticket sales going toward St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The House of Motorcycles is located at 4904 EI Cajon Boulevard. For more information, visit houseofmotorcycles.com or contact Bryan Ney at 858/752.6095. While BMW continues to sell strongly worldwide, motorcycle soles in its homeland of Germany slipped in 2004, allowing Italy ta regain its title as the leader in the European market. While thanks to its significant scooter segment Italy has long represented the largest European market for powered two-wheelers of all kinds (and has seen sales of motorcycles increase by 12.7 percent in 2004), Germany has traditionally been the largest pure motorcycle market, with 127,614 bikes over 125cc in capacity sold in the 2004 calendar year. But that's an B-percent drop in sales year on year compared to 2003, which has allowed Italy to regain its number-one status in both the motorcycle and scooter sectors. This inevitably concerns manufacturers worldwide, even if the continuing sclerotic state of the German economy, with the highest level of postwar unemployment, is the key factor in this decline, as much as any motorcycle industryrelated issues. Three companies have bucked this downward trend: MV ,b..gusta recorded a 54-percent increase in sales (though this is a false picture, owing to the company's uncertain future and limited production one year ago) with one percent of the total market. Same with Buell, which enjoyed a heartening 41.B-percent leap in volume, though its parent Harley-Davidson brand, with 3.9-percent market share, saw sales drop by 14.6 percent. But the big winner was Honda, which alone of the major mainstream manufacturers (sorry, H-D) recorded a 7. I-percent increase in sales to 22,962 motorcycles in total, en route to an 18.0-percent market share, with its CBF600S budget-priced model topping the hit parade with 61 32 units sold in the 12-month period. BMW nevertheless was the overall biggest-seiling manufacturer, with 25,720 machines sold in its home market, a 4.7-percent drop in numbers but equivalent to an industry-leading 20.2-percent slice of overall sales. Its new R1200GS was the second-best selling individual model, with 5918 units under the hammer, followed by the Yamaha FZ6 Fazer in third place, with 3872 units sold. Biggest losers were Suzuki, market leader a year ago but now relegated to third place with 20,435 units sold, a 23. I-percent drop in volume, and Ducati, which saw sales fall by 20.2 percent overall to 3255 units representing a 2.6-percent market share. Alan Cathcart A Suzuki Privateer Appreciation Practice Day will be held at California Speedway on Thursday, April 28 - prior to the April 29May I Suzuki Superbike Challenge AMA Nationals at the Fontana, California, racetrack. The practice day is open to all AMA Pro Racing-licensed riders who are competing in the weekend's AMA Nationals on any brand motorcycle. The practice day is sponsored by Suzuki and is being presented by Fastrack Riders. in conjunction with Team Hammer. The day will be organized with 30minute sessions alternating between two groups, 600cc Supersport and Formula Xtreme machines in one group. Superbike and Superstock machines in the other group. Practice sessions will run from I I a.m. to 7 p.m., and the track will be set up just as it will be for the start of official AMA practice on Friday, with soft barriers and hay bales in place. Secondary rider medical insurance is included and corner workers and ambulance crews will be on site. Riders can pre-enter for $175 and avoid a $50 postentry fee; signing up to run in both practice groups will cost another $1 00. Charges are per rider, per practice group, and not per bike, which means a rider with a primary and a spare race bike can practice on both machines without any extra charges. Advance registration is available online at Fastrackriders.com, and more information is available by calling 877/560-2233. American Suzuki has announced the new GSX-R Owner Appreciation Celebration in honor of this year's 20th anniversary of the Suzuki GSX-R. This program will be held in conjunction with select Suzuki-sponsored races across the country. "The GSX-R line has helped Suzuki become the number-one sportbike manufacturer," said Mel Harris, ASMC vice president of the motorcycle/ATV division. "From its inception in 1985, the GSX-R has come to represent Suzuki in that its high-performance 'DNA: is carried over into all of our products. It's no surprise to us that the GSX-R has not only helped Suzuki corner the market share on sportbikes on the road but that the GSX-R has also won us numerous championships on racetracks worldwide. We look forward to sharing the celebration of GSX-R with our customers." Suzuki will implement this GSX-R Owner Appreciation Celebration at various Suzukisponsored events across the country. Currently, the following races have been selected to host the program: April 30-May I, AMA Superbike, Suzuki Superbike Challenge - California Speedway, Fontana, California; June 4-5, AMA Superbike, Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader - Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin; August 20-21, Suzuki CyclefestCopper Mountain, Colorado; August 27-28, AMA Superbike, Big Kahuna National Virginia International Raceway, Danville, Virginia; September 3-4, AMA Superbike, Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Makita - Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia; September 17-18, NHRA Pro Stock - Reading Dragway, Reading, Pennsylvania. The GSX-R Owner Appreciation Celebration is aimed at Suzuki GSX-R owners and includes preferred parking at the events, pin, gear check, a parade lap on the track and more. For more information on the GSX-R Owner Appreciation Celebration and 20 years of GSX-R, log on to suzukicycles.comlgsxr20. British Superbike Champion John Reynolds met with his doctor last week and was told his broken right leg is healing well, according to his team. Reynolds broke his right leg in five places during a testing accident in February. His most recent examination at the Queens Medical Center in Nottingham was the first time his doctor has noticed significant evidence of the bones knitting together. The good news came just days after a difficult second round of the British 5uperbike Championship at Thruxton. Reynolds was hampered by treacherously windy conditions at the Hampshire circuit and came away with only two points to show for his efforts. "Now I know for sure that my leg is healing, I can tune my thoughts into racing and focusing on the British Superbike Championship rather than worrying and fretting over my injury," Reynolds said. "I am on the road to recovery!" The third round of the British Superbike Championship will be held at Mallory Park on Sunday, April 24. Yamaha has announced a two-year deal with MotoGP series promoter Dorna that will see Yamaha become the scooter supplier of the MotoGP World Championship. The agreement, which was sealed on the eve of the opening round of the 2005 season - held in Jerez, Spain - includes Yamaha supplying Dorna with a fleet of limited-edition 50cc BW scooters that will be used through the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The IMDA (Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association) has announced that Yamaha Motor USA, through its Star Motorcycles brand, will sponsor selected races in the AMA Dirt Track Championship. Star Motorcycles has agreed to sponsor eight key events, including the Springfield TT, short track and mile events, Peoria TT, Du Quoin short track and Continued on page 'T CYCLE NEWS • APRIL 27, 2005 13

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