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/217065
P28 IN THE WIND When opened in 2007 as part of the company's expansion program on the back of its sponsorship of Max Biaggi, Troy Corser and Loris Capirossi, this saw a 30 percent increase in production to 600 helmets each day made by its 110-strong workforce, 70 percent of whom were female. But Suomy's 2012 turnover had slumped by 60 percent in five years to Euro 6.8 million, yielding a net loss of Euro 200,000, resulting in the workforce already being cut to 52 people. Only 30 of these will be retained, says Monti, with production of scooter and low to medium cost helmets moved to Indonesia by the new owners. Most of the most expensive competition motorcycle and car racing helmets will continue to be made in Italy, however. The new owners have committed to maintaining Suomy's R&D as well as sales and marketing operations at its Como HQ. Monti said he had explored a joint venture with SK Sport, but this came to naught. "They said no, because they wanted to purchase a strong brand linked with competition," he says. "They foresee a return to racing as a means of promoting their products, but by supporting riders and drivers in new markets like India, Brazil and Asia, not at world level." Under Monti's continued ownership, Suomy Motorsport will expand into the cycle market, with a new range of products that will shortly be announced, the first of which were on display at EICMA Milan. Alan Cathcart MOVING ON UP: JD BEACH TO YAMAHA A s expected, JD Beach will team with Garrett Gerloff in the two-rider Yamaha Extended Service (Y.E.S.)/ Monster Energy/Graves Yamaha team for the 2014 AMA Daytona SportBike Championship. The team was announced last week at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin, California, in a joint announcement that Y.E.S. had renewed its title sponsorship agreement with Yamaha. "I'm really excited," Beach said. "I think it's going to be great. It's a great team and I've been working really hard for this and I'm just glad that I'm finally getting a chance. I'm really looking forward to it. The new year can't come fast enough. I've been riding the R6 basically the whole time I've been road racing. And it's a great bike. I had a year JD Beach will ride for the Y.E.S./ Graves Motorsports Yamaha team in 2014. where I didn't ride one, but going to Graves is really… I'm just going to be learning kind of a new bike. 'Cause it's completely dif- ferent to what I'm riding now, but I don't think it's going to be too hard." Beach finished fourth in last year's Daytona SportBike Championship behind Cameron Beaubier, Jake Gagne and Gerloff on a RoadRace Factory Yamaha R6 so the move to the factory team keeps him on equipment he's familiar with. Beach is taking over from Beaubier with the Daytona SportBike Champion moving to the Graves Yamaha Superbike team with three-time AMA Superbike Champion Josh Hayes. Road racer/dirt tracker Beach won the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2008 and in 2010 he won the AMA Supersport East Championship. "We've got a very strong and talented lineup of Daytona Sport-