VOLUME 59 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 11, 2022 P115
time, Bruce talked about how
someday he'd like to form a race
team, and then in mid-1999 our
discussion about a new team
started turning more serious.
Finally, he asked, 'How do we
start?' and basically we were in
business."
Bruce Transportation Group
Honda team was formed ahead
of the 2000 season.
Lyskawa was a hard-core
road racing enthusiast and even
though the sport was thriving in
the late-'90s and early 2000s,
one element he felt was missing
was sponsors from outside the
motorcycling industry.
"We were building up a first-
rate race team, but even more
important, we were building up
the image of motorcycle competi-
tion outside of the mainstream
industry," Lyskawa explained.
"We wanted to open the door
to outside support for the entire
paddock, and we were proud to
be in the forefront of that move-
ment."
The team now had sponsor-
ship, a shop and backing from
an established racing squad.
What it needed next was a crew
chief and they found their man
at Vance & Hines in Joey Os-
owski. Osowski was a national
championship-winning endur-
ance racer from the 1980s. He'd
raced for both Team Hammer and
Cycle Tech Racing, so he knew
how well-organized teams were
run. It turns out Osowski was the
perfect man for the job, and he
quickly assembled a solid team.
"I wasn't looking to leave
Vance & Hines," Osowski recalls.
"I really enjoyed working there,
but when they talked to me about
being crew chief, I got excited
about the possibility of getting
back involved in racing."
Then the team signed riders
Jake Zemke and promising Ca-
nadian Kevin Lacombe. Zemke
came from the Cycle Gear Suzuki
team and his signing turned out
to be a brilliant move. Zemke was
immediately a Formula Xtreme
contender for the new Bruce
Honda team and was also a solid
top-10 runner in Supersport.
Lacombe finished 10th in the
Formula Xtreme Series with a pair
of top-10 results on the season.
The series culminated with
Zemke taking his first-ever FX
victory at Willow Springs. He
finished runner up in the series.
To have a first-year team come
out with a victory and placing a
rider second in an AMA National
Championship Series was a re-
markable accomplishment.
"I look back on my time with
Bruce Transportation with a lot
of fondness," said Zemke who
TRANSPORTATION GROUP HONDA
Satellite Teams had Satellite Teams
Alex Gobert's first full-time
ride in America was with
Bruce Transportation Group
Honda. This photo clearly
shows the school-bus-themed
livery the team sported.
