VOL. 50 ISSUE 31 AUGUST 6, 2013
CRUTCHLOW TO
DUCATI!
T
he biggest piece in the 2014 MotoGP puzzle fell
into place last week when Cal Crutchlow put pen
to paper on a two-year contract with Ducati. What fol"Okay, the thing's not that bad, is it?" Cal Crutchlow
signed a contract last week to race a factory Ducati in
the 2014-15 MotoGP World Championship.
"not feature child or teen-oriented characters in our advertising
or promotional activities."
The Senate Committee went
on to directly ask Taylor, Sacks
and Janet Weiner of Rockstar
Inc. a number of questions, including whether or not the companies would be willing to restrict
the age of its social media outreach, whether they would include warning labels on its cans
indicating that the product was
not recommended for children
under 18. All three energy-drink
representatives replied, "No."
The next step in the issue is a
caffeine-safety workshop being
convened August 5-6 at the request of FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg M.D.
What could this mean for motorcycle racing? It's not yet clear.
But the idea of government regulations impeding the biggest current financial supporters of motorcycle racing should probably
have the industry's attention right
now.
For more on the committee
hearing, visit: http://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.
Jean Turner
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
can develop and, ultimately, turn
professional. We have over 90
athletes that have gone through
the Monster Athlete system and
have turned professional on our
riding. Our current world champion in motocross, Ryan Villopoto,
started in the Monster Army. So
we are encouraging the development of our own team of athletes.
Ultimately, when they
really gain exposure
is when they go professional."
Markey went as far
as comparing their
tactics to that of tobacco
companies
prior to government
restrictions.
"If tobacco companies put a cigarette in the mouth or
hand of one of those
children, their denials of marketing to
children would be
laughed out of this
building. I'm hard put
to accept that it was
unintended to reach
young people of that
age."
Similarly, a CNN
television show went on to point
out a cover of the Red Bulletin
– Red Bull's signature publication – which featured 12-yearold Enzo Lopez on the cover, a
young KTM motocross rider. The
cover seems to directly contradict Taylor's declaration of Red
Bull's voluntary commitments to
P25
