IN
THE
WIND
P34
TRIUMPH SURGING ON
IN NORTH AMERICA
Triumph Motorcycle America is cheering at the
moment, after the company posted a growth of
more than 16 percent in the first quarter of 2015 in
the 500cc-plus on-road and dual sport categories.
The result continues the forward progress of the
brand in North America, as the last 13 consecutive
quarters have seen year on year growth.
"The positive sales trend is only possible through
the commitment of our retailer network," said Matt
Sheahan, COO of Triumph Motorcycles America. "The most recent quarter nearly doubles the units
sold compared to just four years ago for the same quarter."
The top selling North American dealers will be rewarded with an all expenses paid trip to the UK to
visit the Hinckley factory and then head over to the Isle of Man TT on June 6.
Bikes like the Tiger
XCx are doing very
good things for
Triumph in North
America.
RACING JOURNALIST
TRACY HAGEN PASSES
T
racy Hagen, a long-time motorcycle racing
journalist best known for his coverage of the
Suzuka Eight Hour, died Thursday, April 16 in
Rochester, Minnesota. His wife confirmed his
passing. He was 57
Hagen covered the Suzuki Eight Hours for sev-
eral publications, including Cycle News, during the
height of the race's popularity. He was considered
one of the foremost experts on that event. He also
was technical writer for American Roadracing
and later Roadracing World. Hagen was holder of
numerous patents and often discovered many of
the technological breakthroughs in motorcycling
through his frequent patent searches.
In 2011 it was Hagen who discovered and
revealed Honda's revolutionary MotoGP seamless
transmission.
A good friend and fan of fellow journalist Henny
Ray Abrams, Hagen painstakingly compiled all of
Abrams' columns, edited them and put them in
book form.
"Tracy was the epitome of a good guy," said
friend and fellow journalist Dean Adams, of Super-
bikePlanet.com. "He was a generous and forgiv-
ing friend, supportive and kind."
Hagen had been battling a rare liver disease for
over a year. He leaves a wife and daughter.
Larry Lawrence
Long-time motor-
cycle journalist Tracy
Hagen passed away
at the age of 57.
