Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Superbike-Only For Factory Hondas America, it will mark the With the exception of the Daytona 200, the American Honda factory team of Miguel Duhamel and jake Zemke will concentrate its efforts entirely on the AMA Superbike Championship in 2006, leaving the Formula Xtreme class and one other support class to who needs to agree, but it could change." Erion has already signed a deal with former Superstock Champion josh Hayes and is expected to sign Australian Ben Attard as the second rider, though Christopher could not winless in AMA Superbike racing since 1994. "Our guys have made lots and lots of progress this year with our taking the develop- American Honda's satellite Erion Racing team. confirm Attard as the second rider. "We've got a basic plan, but plans could change," Gary Christopher, the senior manag- "It's in the process, but it hasn't been done yet, so I think I should defer to Kevin on that one," Christopher said. er motorcycle press and motorcycle sports for American Honda, said at Virginia International Raceway on August 2B. "Our plan is, if we are able to stay on this track, is for our team to do the Daytona 200 Formula Xtreme, which we definitely want to do, and then let Kevin [Erion] carry the Formula Xtreme banner the rest of the year while we concentrate on superbike. The other class that Kevin would do, we're still talking about it - whether that should be Supersport or Superstock. But that plan could change. I think we have agreements with almost everyone Erion wasn't in attendance at VIR and was unavailable for comment. The reason for the factory team concentrating its efforts on Superbike-only in 2006 is a simple one: Honda feels that's what it will take to get back to the front in that class. The 200S season has basically belonged to the Yoshimura Suzuki team with its GSX-R I000 first time the team has gone ment on all ourselves," dJ ~ Christopher said. "What we want to do, frankly, is run up front all the time. In order to do that, we have to concentrate on Superbike and not dilute our efforts in two classes. As you know, Formula Xtreme, since the rules are basically the same as superbike, you're diluting your resources between two programs that are Superbike-like in their needs and so forth. We'd really like to go back to concentrating on Superbike and getting us to the head of the pack in Superbike. ,\ , .-.-/ • r or .... , , , structure change a little bit to make for a better show, and we'd like to see how that plays out as welL" In addition to Erion, there may come a time when we see more Honda satellite dominating the series and winning I I of the what we want to do. I think probably we will teams participating in AMA racing, according to Christopher. "We're looking at expanding our effort:' he said. "We'd like to see more Hondas on the grid in all the classes, and so we need to look toward expanding our effort and look toward IS rounds thus far. And if Honda fails to win either of the two final rounds at Road see the class structure - not next year - but in bringing more teams on as satellite teams." After that, we can make some decisions on Paul Carruthers subsequent years, I think we may see the class MotoGP Sponsors In Shuffle VW Agusta? or part of Proton. If it does so, it will also Already a part of an automobile empire, the so-called Ferrari of two wheels, MV Agusta, of which Malaysian car manufacturer Proton has owned a controlling 57.S-per- MV Agusta. This happens at a time of upheaval in Proton's top management, with the two key executives responsible for approving the purchase of MV Agusta last November, as well as continued sponsorship of Kenny Roberts' MotoGP team, both leaving the company. Proton chairman Abu Hassan Kendut resigned in February, following a media report that he felt Mahathir was interfering too much in the company's affairs, while Proton CEO Tengku Mahaleel Ariff, S9, is set to depart on September 30 after eight years at the helm of the group his contract not being renewed by the Proton board. Instead, two other executives in the Proton Group have been promoted acquire a controlling interest in Lotus - and cent majority interest of since last year, may soon find itself part of the largest European automotive company, Germany's Volkswagen - at least according to reports from Southeast Asia. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Mahathir, who has acted as an advisor to the Kuala Lumpur-based Proton that also owns SO percent of British sports car manufacturer Lotus, confirmed in july that VW was "willing" to buy the Malaysian company. "If we want to, we can sell more than 50 percent to Volkswagen," he said. "They are quite willing, I think, to buy even 100 percent of Proton." Proton, a brainchild of Mahathir's that became Malaysia's dominant carmaker as part of a government industrialization drive that included imposing import duties of 300 percent on foreign-made cars, had been looking for an overseas partner since japan's Mitsubishi ended a 21-year-old alliance in March last year. In November 2004, Proton signed a cooperation agreement with VW aimed at helping its bid to speed development of new models, in order to lift overseas sales and regain market share at home. The home market had fallen, with domestic to replace him in a move that is sure to dilute the power of the CEO post. Ariff was the man who clinched the deal with Claudio Castiglioni to purchase a controlling interest in MV Agusta, as well as continuing the Proton Group's decade-long Team KR MotoGP sponsorship. However, he was also the one who in january of this year decided against seeking a stake in Ducati in favor of focusing 100 percent on MV Agusta. This came after Proton's prolonged negotiations with American control- our trip to japan [for the Motegi GP] will be very important, and we can meet at our headquarters... The second major sponsorship threat is ing the pack. Never keen on promoting tobacco, he currently hopes to run next year in his own sponsors' colors - expected to be Alice (Italian telecommunications company) and Nastro Azurro, although the latest rumors are of an offer of 12 million euros from McDonalds. The stumbling block is Gauloises, current sponsors of the factory Yamaha team, who are reported to be not overly pleased over the prospect of losing racing's biggest star. Gauloises' contract is with Yamaha for the factory team, but no riders are named. Rossi's move could be supported by the fiction that he is in a satellite rather than the full factory team. Rossi referred questions on the topic to Yamaha team manager Davide Brivio, who said: "I can't explain very much at this stage. We have confirmed Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards for 2006, and we have a contract the withdrawal of MoviStar, as revenge for losing Dani Pedrosa to fellow Spanish company Repsol, after shepherding the teenager through one 12Scc World Championship and one (shortly to be two) 2S0cc title. At the same time, the telecommunications giant is having massive success in F I with current points leader Fernando Alonso, with the car sport booming in Spain as a consequence. No announcement has been made, but the withdrawal from MotoGP and the 2S0cc class is already being reported as fact in the Spanish press. This would leave Fausto Gresini's satellite Honda team, fielding Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri, looking for money - with Spanish cigarette brand Fortuna tipped to make the jump from the second Yamaha team over to Honda. But Gresini is also tipped to snatch the Camel sponsorship from Sito Pons, with the Fortuna money then steered over to the with Gauloises to sponsor the factory team. Who the riders are has not yet been announced." Spanish-owned team. If Fortuna does go to Gresini, this might be bad news for Gibernau, who in spite of his Asked if Gauloises was putting pressure race wins and runner-up position in the on them for Rossi, he said: "We are waiting to hear from them. We are discussing the whole championship last year has "a loser's image," situation for 2006. There is no deadline, but according to one sponsorship insider, and is furthermore very associated with MoviStar. ling shareholder TPG to purchase its equity in the company were revealed. Malaysian sales numbering in excess of How this change in Proton management 400,000 cars annually, dropping to 'IS percent in 2003 from 73 percent in 2000. And it has continued to plummet since then. In return, Proton will begin assembling the VW Passat in Malaysia later this year, followed by the Fox city car in 2006. Analysts say that a foreign partner is pivotal to Proton's fortunes when Malaysia opens its long-sheltered car market to foreign competition by 2008, when tariffs will be cut to promote free trade, and speculation is building that VW may want to buy all will affect MV's operations remains to be seen. Although Proton's continued support of Team KR's MotoGP team is certain to end after this season, it had previously been confirmed that the Malaysians had given the okay for MV Agusta to enter the World Superbike Championship with a factorysupported team in 2006. The plan was to compete in five races as a wildcard in preparation for a full onslaught on the World title in 2007. Alan Cathcart 12 MotoGP is facing a massive reshuffle of sponsorship, if current disputes are not resolved soon. And as usual, it is Valentino Rossi lead- SEPTEMBER 7, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS Ducati vs • MV In 20061 a detailed proposal: GSE wouldCorse would develop the • chasSIS and MV Agusta Reparto With james Toseland out at Ducati for next year's World Superbike Championship and Regis laconi still in negotiations for next year, the man Ducat! wants to lead the team is Troy Bayliss. But Bayliss' manager, Darrel Healey, who is also the GSE team manager, is currently in negotiations with MV Agusta for a deal that would see GSE run the MV Agusta team with Bayliss as its rider. Claudio Castiglioni, the MV Agusta presi- develop the inline four-cylinder. The MV team would hope to take to the track by the midway point in the 2006 season. However, Ducati has put Bayliss at the top of its wish list for 2006. "We can offer a winning machine, and MV has a bike still to develop:' Ducati Superbike boss Paolo Ciabatti said. "I don't think that Bayliss will accept to be the tester. We can win again the World title, and we have the potential to do it." dent under new owner Proton, has received Paolo Gozzi

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