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/128397
Rod Bush, 1955-2005 30 Yean< Ago•.. 5eptember 30. 1975 ........P.I'!I!'P!~ Jay Springsteen and Hank Scott dicing at the San Jose Mile graced the cover of Cycle News 30 years ago. Neither one of them, however, won the race; instead, that honor went to Rex Beauchamp... More than 2500 riders turned out for the Hook & Ladder Enduro in California City, located i1 the high desert of Southern California... The Long Beach Arena in California hosted an indoor short track...on ice! Bulcacomounted AI Gaskill won the main event... Brent Wallingsford won the Jackrabbits Hare & Hound in Lucerne Valley, California... We tested the 1976 Husqvarna 125 CR and thought it was a pretty decent bike. i!0 Yea", Ago... CJctnber i!. 1985 r.~:nF.iffi~~i1 We featured a bright red BMW K75 sitting in a grassy field in Germany on the cover 20 years ago. We road-tested the new threecylinder Beemer and took a tour of the BMW factory in Berlin... Ronnie Jones topped the Ascot Half Mile in California... Robert Naughton, Johnny O'Mara and Micky Dymond were the stars at the Trans-Cal MX Series held at Laguna Seca... We sampled the 19B6 Yamaha yz motocrossers at Perris Raceway... Congressman Larry Craig called on a member of the CPSC to Withdraw from the agency's investigation of three-wheeled ATVs. 10 Yea", Ago... 5eptember i!7. 1995 The MX des Nations, Max Biaggi and the podium from the Brazilian Grand Prix made the cover 10 years ago. Luca Cadalora won the race but Biaggi was crowned champ. In Slovakia, the U.S. team, made up of Jeff Emig, Steve Lamson and Ryan Hughes, finished second to Belgium ... Scott Parker rung up another win at the Rossburg Half Mile in Ohio... We tested the 1996 Kawasaki KX 125 and said it "...has a lot of potential." ... In Denmark, Hans Nielson was crowned World Individual Speeway champ. Rod Bush, the president of KTM North America, died on September 12 near his home in Vennillion, Ohio, after a bout with cancer. Bush was 50 years old. Born in Huntington, West Virginia, on July 6, 1955, Bush's career in motorcycling began with a successful off-road racing stint, his six ISDE medals and countless enduro and crosscountry victories placing him in an elite group of national-caliber off-road racers from the I970s through the early 'BOs. Erom the very beginning of his career, Bush's name was synonymous with Penton/KTM motorcycles. In 1971, Bush began his career in the business end of the motorcycle industry as a Penton dealer, after which he joined forces in 1978 with KTM America as a service technician. By 1988, Bush was appointed president of KTM America, and he helped lead the company through a worldwide corporate restructuring, eventually becoming president of KTM North America. Bush was not only the driVing force behind Briefly... Continued from page " Motocrosser Stephane Roncada has signed up with manager Steve Aldaco to "take care of the business part of racing." "We have been speaking to a few teams who are very interested in Stephane for the upcoming season, both for the 250 class [AMA Supercross) and the 125 class [AMA Supercross Utes)," Aldaco said. "We should have something to announce shortly, as soon as the details get hammered out. Stay tuned." "I am very excited about the upcom· ing year," Roncada said. '" know I can be very competitive in either class I race in, so long as I have a good team behind me and a solid bike under me. In anticipation of the upcoming season, I have been training and riding a lot. The guys at MDK have really been helping me out a lot by providing me with a bike to ride. I want to send a special thank-you to Mark Kvamme and Danny Pal· adino of that team. I really appreciate the help." For more information, call Aldaco at 951/205-3348. KTM's rise to prominence in North America, but he has played a pivotal role in KTM's development as one of the top manufacturers of motorcycles in the world. As a managing director for the KTM Group parent company and the KTM factory in Austria, Bush's legacy is evident throughout every aspect of KTM's global organization, according to KTM. Bush was a true KTM "orange bleeder" long before KTM became synonymous with the color orange. He truly defined KTM's leadership values and the essence of a passionate family and motorcycle life. In addition to his duties at KTM, Bush was also a corporate member of the AMA board of directors, joining the AMA board in February. "Rod Bush made· significant contributions during his brief service on the AMA board of directors, but even more significant were his contributions to the entire motorcycling community," said AMA president Robert Rasor. "His commitment and enthusiasm for motorcycling will be missed by all. The AMA offers its condolences to Rod's family and his extended family at KTM." Bush is survived by his wife, Cheri, and two children, Robbie and Stacy. American Supercamps has some openings in its fall camps. The dates are as follows: San Bernardino/Cokon, California - October 7·8 (nonracer), October 9-10 (racer), October 11-12 (Supennoto); Harrington, Delaware (guest instructor - Chris Carr) • October 21-22 (nonracer), October 23-24 (racer), October 25-26 (combined); SpringfMlld, Illinois - November 11-12 (nonracer), November 13-14 (racer). For more infonnation, visit www.americansupercamp.com. KTM North America has announced several major changes to its corporate man· agement structure. Jon·Erik Burleson, formerly VP of finance for KTM North America Inc., will assume the role of president. Burleson will be responsible for all day-today U.S. and Canadian operations, including sales, marketing, parts and accessory distribution, administration, and finance. Burleson will continue to serve on the KTM North America Inc. board of directors, a position he has held since 2003. Winfried Kerschhaggl joins KTM North America as a member of the board, as well as vice president. Ker· schhaggt has been a member of the KTM Sportmotorcycle AG Austria executive management team since 1999, serving most recently as worldwide marketing director. He recently assumed a new role for KTM Austria as strategic product planner, responsible for future development of the KTM model line. John Zolikoff, KTM North America's new business-development director. joins the board of directors of KTM North America. In addition to managing new business opportunities for KTM North America, Zolikoff will focus on further developing the strategic partnership between KTM North America and Polaris. Also joining the KTM North America board of directors is Patrick Pruegger, who is a member of the KTM Sportmotorcycle AG board of directors. Stefan Pierer, the CEO of KTM Powersports AG, remains an active member of the board of directors for KTM North America. Jakob Branner has been named to the position of vice president of KTM North America. Branner is responsible for coordinating KTM production planning with U.S. and Canadian model year sales plans and dealer order deliveries. Branner has been an integral part of the KTM North America team since 2000, with responSibilities in both finance and sales planning. These new corporate officers join the existing KTM North America Inc. executive management team consisting of Scot Harden, vice president of media relations; Selvaraj Narayana. VP of amateur racing and event promotion; Michael Turner, VP of corporate training; Mario Lajoie, VP/generai manager of KTM Canada; and Tom Muzilla, secretary of KTM North America Inc." Rod Bush's passing is a huge loss to us all," said Jon-Erik Burleson. "We were fortunate that in the past several months Rod had already been working on this restructuring, not only in response to the tremendous growth we've experienced but to take advantage of several new opportunities that lie before us. The strength of our company lies in the strong management team Rod assembled and in our close ties to our colleagues in Austria. Thanks to Rod, KTM is truly a 'global' company, and these moves will take us further in that direction. I, along with the entire KTM organization, look forward to fulfilling Rod's vision for KTM and all the success that it embodies." Continental AG and its U.S. subsidiary Continental Tire North America Inc. announced its intention to donate $50,000 to Transitional Assistance to Survivors of Katrina (TASK), a charitable fund established at the Foundation for the Carolinas. In addition, Continental AG and its U.S. subsidiary Continental Automotive Systems will donate $50,000 to assist Katrina evacuees to the Western North Carolina region, for a combined donation of $1 00,000. Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division has announced that the Mld·Ameri· ca Powersports Expo will kick off at HyVee Hall, November 4-6, in conjunction with Des Moines round of the AMA National Arenacross Series at the Wells Fargo Arena. '~dding the Mid-America Powersports Expo at Hy-Vee Hall to the 2005 AMA Arenacross Series date [in Wells Fargo Arena) continues to show what Clear Channel Entertainment Motor Sports and Global Spectrum are trying to do with today's entertainment eXperience," said Andy Long, general manager of Global Spectrum. "You need to make it a full-blown, overall entertainment event to cater to the expectations of today's fan. With the Iowa Events Center being a multi-venue facility, this combination of events caters exactly to what we are trying to do - complement and grow our events and enhance the overall entertainment experience." nckets are $5, and adults can save $5 off their tickets to arenacross when they purchase a ticket to both events. nckets are currently available at the Iowa Events Center ticket office, Dahl's grocery store locations, and www.dahlstickets.com. or charge by phone at 866/55-DAHLS. CYCLE NEWS • SEPTEMBER 28, 2005 13