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/1545725
The Rizla Suzukis ridden by Shane "Shakey" Byrne in the British Super- bike Championship were stolen last week from a locked garage inside the Croft circuit where the team was testing. The following day, however, the North Yorkshire police recovered the bikes and Byrne was able to continue his test. "The theft has cost the team dearly, not least because of the development time lost by Shakey," said team manager Robert Wicks. "It has also raised serious ques- tions regarding circuit security at Croft and we will be working closely with the British Superbike organizers to make sure this cannot happen to us or any other team in the future. I would like to thank all the members of the media and the fans of the series who lent us their support after the bikes were stolen. I can promise you that Rizla Suzuki will be stronger as a result of this and we are already looking forward to getting back to the racing at Knockhill next week." Daryl Hurley's Australian Motocross Championship defense ended in disaster at round eight of the 2006 Motocross Nationals in Broadford, Victoria, on July 9. After leading the Motocross Nationals Series from the first round, the Team Shift Motul Suzuki rider suffered a seri- ous knee injury in race one. He was rushed to hospital in Melbourne and is yet to find out the extent of his injury that will determine if he is able to contest either of the remaining two rounds. "Daryl qualified quite strongly and was on target for a good result this weekend, so obviously the Suzuki team is pretty devastated," said Jay Foreman, the team manager. "We are yet to find out how badly Daryl has injured his knee, but at this stage we don't expect him back for the final two rounds." Braun Entertainment LLC, the producers of The Amateur Open of Motocross, have announced the '06 event will be held November 7-12, three weeks earlier on the calendar than last year. It is the third annual Amateur Open, and will again be hosted by the Arizona Cycle Park just west of Phoenix. Event nanager, Zya Braun, stated several good reasons for the schedule change, but most important- ly - travel safety. Braun said, "In the past two years, the families, factories, and MX industry that traveled from Gainesville, Florida, to The Amateur Open, had only three days to make the trek. We know that's a strain on all concerned. This year's time slot will be more accommo- dating for early arrival, comfortable travel time to other events, warmer mornings for racing, and a more relaxed atmos- phere for everyone attending." Braun Entertainment's president, Erv Braun added, "With this 'move-up' in time, I will be able to stay throughout the entire event, and my schedule will no longer clash with Toronto's opening round of World Supercross." For more informa- tion, visit www.BraunEntertainment.com or call 607/742-9428. Promoters of the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at Virginia International Race- way will again host the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Chal- lenge, in which 10 fans got to compete with and against some of the stars of the AMA road-racing series at VIR's Planta- tion Valley Kart Track. Event promoters M1 Entertainment have announced that the event will not only return in 2006, but will be bigger and better than ever. This year's kart race will take place on Thurs- day, August 17. The concept is this: There will be 12 teams of four drivers each. Each team will be comprised of one fan, one Superbike racer, one media member and one staff member from VIR, AMA, M1 Entertainment or a sponsor. Each driver will get seven laps of the five- eighths-mile Plantation Valley Kart Track in one of 12 equally prepared 50cc Zip karts. Each driver's fastest lap will be recorded, and the team with the lowest elapsed time (arrived at by compiling the team's four fastest laps) will win the event. The winning fan will receive a tro- phy and a group photo with all the partici- pants, plus a free three-day pass for the 2007 Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals, and the winning team will have a guaranteed entry in next year's Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Chal- lenge. "The Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge was a huge success last year," said M1 Enter- tainment president Cameron Gray. "Not only was it popular with the fans and rac- ers, it got a lot of coverage on Speed Channel and in the motorcycle media. The competition was fierce but fun, and we've been getting calls from a lot of the Superbike racers who want to be a part of the big race this year. We'll be announcing the Superbike participants in the next few weeks, but you can be guar- anteed that the field will include some of the biggest names in the business." To purchase tickets, visit www.m1event.com or www.gettix.net. Oakland Valley Race Park (OVRP) in Cud- debackville, New York, is getting set to host NASMOTO GP of New York, July 15-16. This will be a doubleheader qualifi- er for the NASMOTO AMA Supermoto Grand Championship at the Queen Mary, November 4-5 in Long Beach, California. Activities will start on Friday, July 14 with former AMA National Motocross Cham- pion and current AMA Supermoto star Doug Henry hosting his new supermoto school from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday kicks off with practice at 10 a.m. and heads straight into the qualifiers and finals at 1 p.m. "We are pleased to be going to New York and OVRP," says Ted Baker, VP of NASMOTO. "Craig and his crew have been the longest-running supermoto track on the East Coast and we are proud to support his program. He has put a lot of work into his new dirt section and is really planning to attract some new riders to his great facility and the sport of super- moto." For times, rider registration, directions and more information on Oak- land Valley Race Park, Doug Henry Super- moto School, and the AMA NASMOTO Grand Prix of New York, visit www.OVRP.com. The 15th annual Los Angeles Calendar Motorcycle Show Weekend will be held July 15-16 at the Queen Mary Event Park in Long Beach, California, with event promoters billing it as "the biggest custom and performance street motorcy- cle show in America and possibly the World that focuses on the custom, cruis- er and high performance sport/streetbike markets." According to its owner and operator, Randy Dean, MotoRadio.US is a web- based radio station providing informative announcements and information about a wide range of motorcycle events, news, and motorcycle safety reports, mixed with an eclectic blend of mostly upbeat classic rock and oldies music. Dean han- dles most of the announcing duties while a rather rustic "Papa Wheelie" lends a hand introducing the "Garage Band" music and special oldies known as "Rusty Nuts." MotoRadio.US is served up out of Los Angeles, California, as an affiliate of WebCastSales.com. Programming can be collected from virtually any motorcycle event or gathering in the country, accord- ing to Dean, who operates MotoRadio.US out of his studio in Green Bay, Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.motoradio.us/promo. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the AMA/Air Nautiques Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn's, MX Sports is looking for Loretta Lynn's success stories. For the next month, the MX Sports crew will collect stories and photos of former Loretta Lynn's riders who have gone on to successful careers both in and outside of the motocross industry. "Thousands of extraordinary people have passed over the gate at Loretta's since 1982, so we know there are great stories out there," says Tim Cotter, MX sports director. "We know there are doctors or CEOs out there who once passed through the program - people who have done great things with their lives off of the race track. We want to find those people." If you or someone you know is a Loretta Lynn's success story, email success@mxsports.com, or just call the MX Sports office at 304/284-0081. MX Sports will feature the best success sto- ries through stories and interviews on the MXsports.com website. They also plan a special presentation of the success stories during opening ceremonies on Monday, July 31. The AMA/FIM International Women and Motorcycling Conference was held in Athens, Georgia, June 30 through July 3 with some 900 participants, mostly from North America but there were also rep- resentatives from South Africa, Australia, France, Great Britain and Switzerland. After three national conferences organ- ized by the AMA, the FIM - represented by a delegation of five, including the chief executive officer, Guy Maitre - was asso- ciated with the AMA for this 2006 edition at international level. The four-day con- ference allowed participants coming from very different backgrounds to meet, to share experiences and to attend numer- ous seminars given by top-level women in various fields such as competition riders, journalists, writers and managers in motorcycling organizations, according to the FIM. During the course of this confer- ence, the motorcyclists had the opportu- nity to try out motorcycles of different brands, to make hosted or self-guided motorcycle rides and to visit the booths proposing articles relating to motorcycles and motorcycle users. "This first interna- tional conference was very successful enabling the FIM to become better known and to state the aims of the new FIM Commission for Women in Motorcy- cling," the FIM says. Round seven of the Supermoto USA Nor Cal Series will be held at Reno Fernley Raceway in Reno, Nevada, August 12-13. This will also be round four of the Supermoto USA two-man team race series. This event will also be a qualifier for the NASMOTO final to be held in November in conjunction with the AMA Supermoto finals in Long Beach, Califor- nia. For more information, visit www.supermotousa.com. Clarity Research, a company specializing in motorcycle research, will be conduct- ing a research project that will give you an opportunity to share your opinions regarding current and future motocross motorcycle designs. They are looking for owners of 250 and 450s as well as those who may be considering a motocross bike in the future. You must be between the ages of 18-27. The project will be tak- ing place Saturday, July 15 in Fullerton. It will take about 45 minutes and you will receive $75 in cash if you qualify and par- ticipate, according to Clarity. You will not be contacted for sales purposes as a result of your participation. For more information, call 866/622-3119. JULY 19, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 8