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Yamaha Looks East: Lin Jarvis Explains Why MotoGP Needs To Be Racing Outside Europe

January 27, 2012

MotoGP is looking eastward. As the involvement and interest from and in Asia has continued to grow in recent years, the importance of the region – beyond the historic role that Japan has played in the series, that is – to both the MotoGP series and the manufacturers has become increasingly evident. With Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies visiting the region a couple of times over the winter, and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta hinting at more races in Asia in coming years, the Asian dimension in MotoGP is set to grow in the near future.

The addition of “Semakin di Depan”, the slogan used by Yamaha’s subsidiary in Indonesia, to the factory Yamaha M1s back in 2010 was the first sign of change, and Honda followed suit in 2011, with the addition of the “Satu Hati” slogan, used by Honda’s Indonesian subsidiary, to the factory Repsol Honda machines. Meanwhile, Yamaha’s factory riders have been making marketing trips to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries in the region on a regular basis since 2008.

Series owner Dorna also understands the necessity to look further abroad. At the recent Wrooom! event, where Ducati launched their 2012 MotoGP project, Carmelo Ezpeleta said that he expected to have races in India and in South Korea – both countries with F1-standard circuits, and a new track currently under construction in South Korea – in the near future. To make way for the new circuits, races are to be dropped in MotoGP’s traditional heartland. Spain will not have four races from 2013 on, Ezpeleta told reporters, and the race at Estoril is also likely to disappear off the calendar. Although a MotoGP season without Mugello is unthinkable, the same could not be said for Misano. And while Brno is a firm favorite with the fans, pulling massive attendance numbers, a lack of support from regional government makes its continued existence uncertain. An extra race in Austin, Texas is to be added in 2013, along with a race in Argentina. And only a lack of suitable facilities prevents Dorna from looking at other racetracks in Indonesia and Thailand.

With Yamaha playing such a high-profile role in opening up markets in Southeast Asia, we contacted Yamaha’s MotoGP team to ask them how important that region was to the Japanese manufacturer’s marketing strategy, and whether they had switched their attention away from Europe and the US, especially with the sportsbike market in strong decline – a fact underlined by Yamaha Europe’s withdrawal from the World Superbike series. Did Yamaha

It was not that Yamaha had stopped using their MotoGP team to promote the brand in Europe and the US, Yamaha told us, but that the MotoGP schedule itself dictated where Yamaha did its promotion. With the series spending so much of its time in Europe and visiting the US twice a year, promotional activities tended to be tied in with race events. With Assen, Laguna Seca, Misano and Mugello so close to Yamaha’s European, US and racing headquarters respectively, PR work for Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo tended to be scheduled in around the races.

As MotoGP spends so little time in Yamaha’s key Asian markets – Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam – promotion there had to be planned at other times of the year. The preseason tests at Sepang is an ideal time to organize PR events with the riders, as is the long winter break in December and January. That is why Jorge Lorenzo went to India earlier this month, and was joined by Ben Spies a few days later in Indonesia.

Yamaha’s MotoGP boss Lin Jarvis was keen to emphasize the importance of Southeast Asia to the factory. He said that there were several reasons for Yamaha to be in MotoGP. “Racing at the top level in a prototype category helps us ‘improve the breed,’” Jarvis said. “It gives us the platform to develop new technologies which can be applied both directly and indirectly to our future production bikes.” MotoGP as a technology platform was also important as a part of Yamaha’s training program, he added. “This same process also allows us to train our young engineers and to challenge and develop their engineering skills.”

But brand exposure and marketing in key regions was also a major part of Yamaha’s rationale for racing in MotoGP. “Another key reason to be involved in racing activities is to expose our brand name and promote our brand image around the world. In many of the developed and mature markets such as in Europe, the USA and Japan this process has been ongoing for many decades and our brand is firmly established and well known,” Jarvis explained.

The future lay elsewhere, in some of the emerging markets in Asia and South America, Jarvis added. “The exposure of the Yamaha name and promotion of our brand image in the developing markets is a high priority for the future.” While the current global recession meant that the mature motorcycle markets – particularly Europe and the US – were either flat or shrinking, emerging markets were different. “We still see significant growth opportunities in many developing markets,” Jarvis said. “In the past years we have put a lot of effort into SE Asian markets and we have seen a very positive benefit to our business by exposing our MotoGP activities to these markets.”

This promotional push in emerging markets would continue, Jarvis told MotoMatters.com, and was crucial to Yamaha’s future in racing. “For the future we plan to continue these activities in SE Asia but we will also support other growth markets in South America and India etc. This is fundamental for the continuation of the MotoGP project within Yamaha.”

Those emerging markets were not just important to Yamaha, Jarvis explained, but also to the sport as a whole. In the future, it would take more than just PR events in countries such as India or Chile to sell bikes. Races would have to be organized there as well. “In my opinion we must also look to these developing markets to continue to develop the sport of MotoGP and to attract new investment and new commercial partners to secure the future of the sport.”

Formula 1 was an example that MotoGP needs to follow, Jarvis said, pointing to the fact that car racing’s premier series had gone from a calendar dominated by European events to a series where just 8 of the 20 races were set in Europe, while the 12 other races including key markets such as Korea, Singapore, India and the Middle East. “I would like to see a similar development for the future calendar of MotoGP,” Yamaha’s MotoGP boss emphasized, “and I believe we should be present in South America, India and Indonesia too, while still retaining a strong presence in Europe and the other global venues where MotoGP has always been present.”

The world was changing, Jarvis said, and MotoGP needs to change with it. “The development of the sport to move with the times and to be present in those markets and economies which are still evolving and expanding will be very important to secure its future prosperity.”

MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Jeff Leisk Victor Leloup Aigar Leok Tanel Leok Billy Liles

British Supercross Championship Final ? Tickets Available!!!

January 27, 2012

If you haven’t purchased your tickets for the British Supercross Championship final yet you better get on the phone or mobile and ring the The Ticket Factory at the NEC now. Tickets are selling extremely well for the LG Arena event scheduled for February 18th and for good reason.

The stellar lineup of British star riders is sure to provide unbelievable action in the beautifully renovated Arena as title fights go down to the wire.

South African import Neville Bradshaw sits at the top of the combined British Supercross Championship standings by just 3 points and is looking for a big payout with the combined series points fund set to payout large. French Supercross ace Nico Aubin has other ideas and is looking to deliver Dave Thorpe’s Buildbase Honda team it’s first titles in it’s first series outing. Defending champ Red Bull KTM UK’s Tom Church looks to claw back into contention for the combined championship and claim his second British SX class title. The stage is set for some very exciting racing through all classes of British Supercross.

Contact The Ticket Factory on 0844 338 8000. For more information on the British Supercross Championships visit www.fwsx.com

BRITISH SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS OVERALL COMBINED POINTS

Position # Rider Name Total

1 272 Neville Bradshaw 84

2 131 Nicholas Aubin 81

3 1 Tom Church 58

4 133 Ashley Greedy 56

5 1 Jack Brunell 54

6 60 Brad Anderson 47

7 407 Adam Chatfield 45

8 162 Stuart Edmonds 45

9 50 Martin Barr 43

10 200 James Dunn 40

11 2 Stephen Sword 30

12 3 Ryan Voase 24

13 27 Lewis Gregory 22

14 73 Luke Norris 19

15 7 Gordan Crockard 18

16 311 Lewis King 12

17 42 Nathan Parker 12

18 141 Damon Strydom 11

19 751 Matt Bayliss 11

20 40 Luke Burton 10

21 123 Edward Allingham 9

22 25 Jamie Law 9

BRITISH SX
Position # Rider Name # 1 # 2 # 3 # 4 # 5 Total
1 60 Brad Anderson 22 25    47
2 1 Tom Church 20 20    40
3 272 Neville Bradshaw 15 22    37
4 131 Nicholas Aubin 18 16    34
5 162 Stuart Edmonds 16 13    29
6 133 Ashley Greedy 11 15    26
7 407 Adam Chatfield 25 0    25
8 1 Jack Brunell 10 14    24
9 50 Martin Barr 13 10    23
10 7 Gordan Crockard 0 18    18
11 200 James Dunn 14 0    14
12 42 Nathan Parker 12 0    12
13 2 Stephen Sword 0 12    12
14 3 Ryan Voase 0 11    11
15 27 Lewis Gregory 9 0    9
16 25 Jamie Law 0 9    9

BRITISH SX LIGHTS
Position # Rider Name # 1 # 2 # 3 # 4 # 5 Total
1 272 Neville Bradshaw 25 22    47
2 131 Nicholas Aubin 22 25    47
3 133 Ashley Greedy 16 14    30
4 1 Jack Brunell 15 15    30
5 200 James Dunn 14 12    26
6 407 Adam Chatfield 20 0    20
7 50 Martin Barr 0 20    20
8 73 Luke Norris 10 9    19
9 1 Tom Church 18 0    18
10 2 Stephen Sword 0 18    18
11 162 Stuart Edmonds 0 16    16
12 27 Lewis Gregory 13 0    13
13 3 Ryan Voase 0 13    13
14 311 Lewis King 12 0    12
15 751 Matt Bayliss 11 0    11
16 141 Damon Strydom 0 11    11
17 40 Luke Burton 0 10    10
18 123 Edward Allingham 9 0    9

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Marvin Musquin Brian Myerscough Maximilian Nagl Kurt Nicoll Bill Nilsson

F1: Raikkonen puts rally hobby on hold for Lotus

January 27, 2012

Jan.27 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has admitted he will sideline his rallying hobby now that he has returned to formula one full-time.

Podium: Kimi Raikkonen and Kaj Lindstrom

Photo by: Citroën Communication

F1′s 2007 world champion moved to world rallying two years ago after losing his Ferrari seat.

In the meantime, Lotus (formerly Renault) struggled last season in the wake of lead driver Robert Kubica’s horror injuries sustained in a minor Italian rally.

The Enstone based team, having now signed Raikkonen, has insisted its drivers will not be covered in cotton wool, even though the 32-year-old recently hurt his wrist in a snowmobile fall.

“Kimi is Kimi and it will be difficult to change the way he lives,” said Group Lotus’ Dany Bahar last month.

Around the same time, Raikkonen’s former world rally co-driver Kaj Lindstrom said he hopes the Finn keeps rallying in 2012 “as a hobby”.

Kimi Raikkonen tests the 2010 Lotus Renault

Photo by: Lotus Renault GP

“If I could continue with rallying at the same time as competing in formula one, I would,” Raikkonen is quoted by Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat in Zurich this week.

“But I will have to wait a little while before I do some rallies again,” he admitted.

“These days the teams are always a bit nervous about these things,” said Raikkonen.

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Mike LaRocco Jason Lawrence Ron Lechien Jeff Leisk Victor Leloup

Coppins has NZ Motocross Woodville event in his sights

January 27, 2012

A repeat performance is the aim for Yamaha teammates Josh Coppins and Darryll King at the 51st annual Honda New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix heldd at Woodville. Motueka’s Coppins and Hamilton’s King won the two main senior classes at Woodville last year, although with more than 700 riders expected to race over the weekend they’ll have a fight on their hands to defend those GP titles this time around.

Woodville is the biggest event on the Kiwi motocross calendar for many reasons. In addition to offering GP titles across several different bike categories and attracting the cream of talent from New Zealand, as well as many leading riders from overseas, the stand-alone event caters for entrants from as young as four years old, to senior men and women in their 40s and 50s.

Five-time winner at Woodville, Coppins has put his many world championship campaigns behind him as the 34-year-old scales back his career at the top-level, but it would be a foolish rival who writes off the Yamaha ace repeating the feat on Sunday.

However, fellow Kiwi internationals Ben Townley (Honda), Christchurch’s Justin McDonald (Honda), Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper (Suzuki) and Papamoa’s Mason Phillips (Kawasaki), as well as hot domestic prospects such as Hamilton’s Hayden Clark (KTM), Taupo’s Brad Groombridge (Honda) and Gisborne’s Matt Hunt (Yamaha), for example, all loom as serious threats to Coppins and his MX1 class ambitions.

“I won Woodville last year and the aim is to win it again this time around too,” said Coppins.

“I don’t really know what to expect because my build-up has not been great. I have been sidelined with injury, and the surgery that followed, for close to five months and only got back on the bike just after Christmas.

“Training has been going well though and I expect you’ll see a fired-up Coppins at Woodville this weekend. I believe I’ll be on the pace that’s for sure.”

The MX2 (250cc) class is no less dramatic, with last year’s winner of that class, Waikato’s King – the current national MX2 champion and a five-time previous winner of the main prize at Woodville – equally determined to retain his No.1 status at Woodville.

The now 43-year-old King will need to be wary of leading MX2 riders such as Queenstown’s Scott Columb (Suzuki), now back to full fitness after a nearly two-year absence from the sport because of injury, and other top MX2 racers such as Peter Broxholme (Honda), of Tauranga, Masterton’s Luke Burkhart (KTM), Mangakino’s Kayne Lamont (Suzuki), Waitakere’s Ethan Martens (Yamaha) and Australia’s Geran Stapleton (Honda), to name a few.

Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley (Yamaha) will use the Woodville event to sign-off at home before he heads back to the United States to again tackle the American cross-country scene.

He is currently ranked No.2 in the US and hot favourite to win the novel river race on Sunday afternoon.

There is a liberal sprinkling of Australians in the junior ranks, adding to the international flavour of the event.

Minis and juniors race on Saturday with the senior racing set to dominate the programme on Sunday.

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Tanel Leok Billy Liles Ove Lundell Sten Lundin Jeremy Lusk

Marseille ? Ten plus one

January 27, 2012

When the 2012 FIM X-Trial World Championship rolls into Marseille for tomorrow’s third round two-day clash, it will be the eleventh consecutive time that the Palais des Sports has staged a top level competition. Present in the calendar as far back as 2002 it was Marc Freixa – Sherco who was the victor on that occasion, which was to mark the start of a decade plus of Trial action in this French port city. Adam Raga – Gas Gas was then to make this event his own over the next five years, winning all five on the bounce from 2003 to 2007 inclusive on route to him claiming his four FIM Indoor Trial World Championships. Runners-up to Raga over that period included Dougie Lampkin on a Montesa, Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa, Albert Cabestany – Sherco and Jeroni Fajardo who was then Gas Gas mounted. Although Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa was to dominate the sport from 2007 onwards, ironically Marseille was to prove a bogey venue for the Repsol rider as he was defeated three times in a row by Cabestany from 2008 through to 2010 inclusive. So Bou had to wait until late last January to record his first triumph in the Palais des Sports, and will want to add to that tally starting with a solid qualification tomorrow evening.
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme : News EN

Nicolas Aubin Rene Baeten David Bailey John Banks Mark Barnett

GRANDAM: TRG heads in strength to the Daytona 24H

January 27, 2012

TRG Rolls Out Strong for the 50th Running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona

#68 TRG Porsche GT3: Chris Cumming, Kevin Estre, Damien Faulkner, Carlos Gomez, Ben Keating, #67 TRG Porsche GT3: Steven Bertheau, Marc Goossens, Wolf Henzler, Spencer Pumpelly

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

Daytona Beach, FL (January 25th, 2011) – The Racer’s Group (TRG) arrived in Daytona five cars strong, 24 drivers deep, and prepared to battle 45 of the best GT cars in the world for 24 hours straight. The team returns fresh off of two very strong tests, looking for its fifth win at this historic running of one of the world’s most famous races, the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Having won this event in 2002, 2003 (overall), 2009 and 2011, TRG is no stranger to the top step of the Daytona podium. Returning as defending champions, places a huge target on TRG’s back.

The team shares its successes with its manufacturer of choice, Porsche, who has elevated itself to the winningest manufacturer in the 49-year history of the event. Racing five identically prepared 2011 and 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, TRG feels more than adequately equipped to do battle come the drop of the green flag on Saturday afternoon.

“We are ready!” exclaims TRG team owner Kevin Buckler. “In every sense of the word- we are ready. The whole team has come together, day-after-day, long-night-after-long-night. Countless hours of work on the cars, on the computers, livery, pit equipment with the drivers and all of the folks on the business, marketing and PR end of TRG. They say that there’s no such thing as luck in racing. I believe you make your own luck. We certainly can’t predict the future, but we can go in confident knowing that we have done absolutely everything in our power to prepare for this race… our signature event, The Rolex 24. We are ready to defend our 2011 victory!”

TRG’s lineup of drivers will include defending champions, current veterans, Porsche Factory drivers and more. According to team owner Kevin Buckler, this is the strongest five-car team TRG has ever fielded.

In early December, the team put all five Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars through the tests on the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the Rolex 24, leading nearly all sessions in the GT category. TRG returned January 6-8th for The Roar Before the 24, where they backed up their initial findings and again led nearly all of the sessions.

The 2011 GT champions, No. 67 Sargent & Lundy/TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, will be driven by TRG regulars Spencer Pumpelly and Steven Bertheau alongside Porsche factory driver Wolf Henzler, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Champion Jeroen Bleekemolen and prototype veteran Marc Goossens, who recently celebrated four wins in the 2011 Belgian GT Championship. The No. 67 was at the top of the charts in both of the official test weekends and will certainly be in contention in the Rolex 24 with this driver lineup.

Pumpelly and Bertheau who each started 2011 with the Daytona 24 victory, had career seasons in 2011. Pumpelly celebrated three ALMS wins (among seven podiums), two GRAND-AM wins and a trip to Le Mans for the 24-hour European race. Bertheau had a break-out GRAND-AM season with two wins in the GT Category in his inaugural season.

The TRG No. 64 car will be driven by Formula One veteran, Eliseo Salazar, who will be sharing driving duties with TRG regular and Venezuelan touring car champion, Emilio Di Guida and his Venezualean co-driver Gaetano Ardagna. They will partner with Salazar’s fellow Chilean racer Eduardo Costabal and Columbian native Santiago Orjuela, making the No. 64 an all South American entry. Salazar looks to make history, by being the only driver to compete in Monoco F1, Dakar Rally, The Indianapolis 500, Le Mans and The Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The TRG No. 65 will be piloted by experienced racer and owner of one of the Northeast’s largest tuning shops, Spencer Cox; Mike Hedlund, who recently earned his first GT3 Challenge win and showed his strength in the early tests; Jack McCarthy, a PCA standout who’s enjoying a bit of family rivalry with his cousin who is in one of the team competitors’ rides; Jim Michaelian, sports car veteran and President of the Long Beach Grand Prix, who just competed in the 24 hours of Nurburgring finishing 36th of 160 teams; and Dr Joe Castellano, returning to TRG and a veteran of over 20 major endurance races and just finished running the 24 Hours at Dubai in preparation. All of these drivers have been working extremely hard in the off season preparing for this years event.

TRG’s famed No. 66 Porsche will be driven by Viper Cup Champion Ben Keating, Dominik Farnbacher, Allan Simonsen and Porsche factory driver Patrick Pilet. Farnbacher and Keating shared the pole-sitting GT car at Daytona last season, and anticipate another strong attack. Keating, who recently announced plans to run the GRAND-AM Endurance Championship, has been very strong in the official test sessions. He earned the 2011 Dodge Viper Cup Championship and had an impressive drive at the 2011 Petit Le Mans with TRG.

Keating will run not one, but two entries in this year’s race, sharing the seat of the No. 68 911 with 2011 GT3 Challenge Series standouts Carlos Gomez and Chris Cumming, Kevin Estre, 2011 Rookie Champion of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, and one of Ireland’s top International racing drivers, Damien Faulkner. The No. 68 showed that it certainly has the speed to compete in this years endurance race. This group will be one to watch to contend for the podium at this year’s historic event.

TRG’s full driver lineup:

Car 64: Gaetano Ardagna, Eduardo Costabal, Emilio Di Guida, Santiago Orjuela, Eliseo Salazar Car 65: Dr Joe Castellano, Spencer Cox, Mike Hedlund, Jack McCarthy, Jim Michaelian Car 66: Dominik Farnbacher, Ben Keating, Patrick Pilet, Allan Simonson Car 67: Steven Bertheau, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Marc Goosens, Wolf Henzler, Spencer Pumpelly Car 68: Chris Cumming, Kevin Estre, Damien Faulkner, Carlos Gomez, Ben Keating

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Stefan Everts Jaroslav Falta Claudio Federici Tim Ferry Ashley Fiolek

Bowers Captures his Eighth Win in Dayton

January 27, 2012

2012-01-25 00:49
Babbitt?s Monster Energy/Amsoil Kawasaki?s Tyler Bowers collected his astonishing eighth win of the AMA Arenacross Series on Saturday night at Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. After a fifth-place start, Bowers cautiously made his way to the front of the field on the rutted, technical track. Bowers would get handed the lead after the leader crashed, giving Bowers his eighth win of the season and a comfortable 15-point lead in the points standings. Bowers? teammate, Chad Johnson could only manage ninth in the main event, but remains third in the points standings with two wins.

Taking Advantage
Bowers is known for hunting down the leaders by pushing the limits, but Saturday night?s track did not allow for that. The dirt in Dayton, Ohio was very soft which made for a very rutted track that was difficult to pass on. Bowers got off to a fifth-place start and slowly made his way to the front of the field. There is a fine line between going fast and going out of control as showed with the technical track claiming riders every lap. Once into second, Bowers was happy with his position until the leader lost the front end in one of the corners, handing Bowers the lead.

?The track was really fun this weekend, but it wasn?t the easiest to race on,? said Bowers. ?I got a good start around fifth and wanted to make my way to the front, but it was difficult to find a spot to make a pass due to the ruts. The rhythm sections and corners were so rutted that you had to be on your game or you would end up on the ground. I didn?t want to risk pushing it and jeopardize my points lead, but the leader ended up pushing too hard and going down, handing me the win.?

Taking the Punches
After last week?s win in Topeka, Kan., Johnson was ready to carry the momentum into Dayton, Ohio and put his Kawasaki KX?250F back on the podium. A prepared and confident Johnson hit the track for practice, but quickly found himself on the ground in one of the rhythm sections. In the heat race, he would crash in the same rhythm lane which gave him a poor gate choice for the main. Bruised and sore, but never defeated, Johnson pushed through the main event and ended the night in ninth place. Johnson struggled with the track all night, but still sits third in the points and looks forward to next weekend.

?I was excited coming off last week?s win,? said Johnson. ?But first thing in practice I went down in a rhythm section and in the heat race I threw myself on the ground again. The track was really rutted and slippery, which made it tough to keep your line in the corners and jumps. I was disappointed there wasn?t much for whoops because I like to make a lot of my passes there. You had to capitalize on other rider?s mistakes in order to make a pass.?

Tricky Conditions
The track at the Nutter Center was well received by the riders even though it made racing difficult. The soft, rutted dirt became slippery as the night went on which meant riders had to have their bikes dialed and pay close attention to line choice.

?The track was tricky enough to ride by yourself,? said Johnson. ?Making passes was pretty sketchy because the ruts on the jump faces would send you from one side of the track to the other, which made it difficult to say the least. Most of the passes happened when riders made mistakes, so I just tried to stay flawless. A lot of guys struggled with the soft dirt, but my KX250F was a rocket ship out there and pulled so hard in ruts.?

Back to the West
Next weekend, the AMA Arenacross Series heads from the East coast back to the West coast at Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Tex., for a double-header weekend. Bowers is looking to stretch out his 15-point lead and tack on another win to his tally, while Johnson will be looking to bounce back to the front of the field and challenge his teammate for the win.

Results
AMA Arenacross Series
Nutter Center ? Dayton, Ohio
January 21, 2012

Arenacross Class Results
1. TYLER BOWERS, DANVILLE, KY., BABBITT?S MONSTER ENERGY/AMSOIL KAWASAKI
2. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda
3. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda
4. ZACH AMES, PROSPECT, OHIO, KAWASAKI
5. Cole Siebler, Emmett, Idaho, Honda
6. Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM
7. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
8. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
9. CHAD JOHNSON, RHINELANDER, WIS., BABBITT?S MONSTER ENERGY/AMSOIL KAWASAKI
10. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM

Arenacross Class Points
1. TYLER BOWERS, DANVILLE, KY., BABBITT?S MONSTER ENERGY/AMSOIL KAWASAKI, 260
2. Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda, 245
3. CHAD JOHNSON, RHINELANDER, WIS., BABBITT?S MONSTER ENERGY/AMSOIL KAWASAKI, 218
4. Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM, 186
5. Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda, 173
6. ZACH AMES, PROSPECT, OHIO, KAWASAKI, 164
7. Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM, 128
8. JOSH DEMUTH, NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS, BABBITT?S MONSTER ENERGY/AMSOIL KAWASAKI, 127
9. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM, 101
10. Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki, 86

Source: KMC

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Bob Hannah Donnie Hansen Torlief Hansen Marcus Hansson Doug Henry

Shoulder injury forces TT legend Amor to retire

January 27, 2012

26/01/2012
Amor burrowing his way through Barregarow

By Road Racing desk
Image by Tony Goldsmith

TT legend Keith Amor has been forced to retire from racing after a visit to his surgeon revealed the shoulder he injured at last year’s Isle of Man festival hasn’t healed sufficiently enough to allow him to continue.

The Falkirk man fell at Quarterbridge and Union Mills in 2011 and then aggravated the acromioclavicular damage with a crash at the Ulster Grand Prix later in the season. He had expected the joint to heal better after extensive surgery to re-build it but it hasn’t done so.

?Unfortunately even though I have had the first round of operations, there is still damage that is resisting treatment. My right shoulder is proving difficult to keep under control,” he told The Belfast Newsletter.

?The left shoulder is less trouble but it’s painful and in need of more treatment. Because of my ongoing injury problems I’ve decided to retire completely. My decision has been a difficult one and one which I have agonised over for the past three months.”

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Carl Nunn Johnny O Mara Zach Osborne Trampas Parker Travis Pastrana

First look at Joel Roelants on the Pro Circuit Kawasaki

January 27, 2012

Could Joel Roelants be the 2012 MX2 underdog of the year? Lets wait to Valkenswaard to find out.

In the meantime here’s cool video of Joel out testing his Pro Circuit Kawasaki ready for the new season.

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Shayne King Heinz Kinigadner Dusty Klatt Arne Kring Brad Lackey

RJ Says ? Supercross safety 2012

January 26, 2012

Anyone who saw what happened with Trey Canard and Ryan Morais at Dodger Stadium Saturday night knows that it was a horrendous crash. Nobody likes to see that. Unfortunately that?s part of our sport, and crashes do happen.

I?ve heard opinions from everybody about how it could have been prevented. What it comes down to is that two guys were trying to occupy the same space at the same time and wound up going down very hard. It was a scary crash – it affected a lot of people in addition to the two riders.

What I would like to talk about is how Feld Motorsports, the AMA, track personnel, and the Asterisk medical crew handled the whole situation.

RJ Says… – Supercross.com

Gerard Rond Jean Sebastien Roy Alex Salvini Donny Schmit Fritz Schneider

Honda?s Tomac: Red Plate in Oakland

January 26, 2012

Click the images below for bigger versions:

2012 AMA Supercross

Eli Tomac has a bright new addition to his GEICO Honda CRF250R motorcycle for this Saturday’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross race at O.com Coliseum – the coveted red number plate.

After capturing the points lead following his win in last week’s Supercross Lites West race down the coast in Los Angeles, Tomac earned the right to use the special plate on his bike, which signifies the current points leader. It’s an add-on Tomac would like make a permanent fixture of his bike.

Eli Tomac (GEICO Honda CRF250R Supercross) says: “It’s definitely going to be cool to run that red number plate. I wanted it, and now I have it and I want to hold onto it. I really feel like I should have been in this position all season but I wasn’t getting the starts. Now we’ve got that part figured out and we can move forward.”

With three of nine Lites West races in the books, the title chase is developing into a three-man race with Tomac leading Dean Wilson by one point and Tyla Rattray by three. The two riders sharing fourth place are 13 points out of third.

Tomac said following the formula that led to success at Dodger Stadium is still the best course of action for Oakland and beyond.

Eli Tomac says: “I’ll stick with the same program I’ve had all season. We’ve had the fastest bike in all three races. If I can get the starts and limit my mistakes on the track, just clean it up a little bit, we can stay out front. I like being in the lead. I worked hard to get here; I’m going to work even harder to stay here.”

GEICO Honda’s Supercross rider Kevin Windham is looking to rally from a down finish at Dodger Stadium last week. Windham is currently in sixth place in the season standings, but is only five points out of fourth.

Kevin Windham (GEICO Honda CRF450R Supercross) says: “I doesn’t get any easier out there. The competition is as tough as it gets, so the key is to be as flawless as you can on every lap. The slightest mistake will give the other guy an opportunity to close the gap or pass you.

“We did a pretty good job of riding that way in Phoenix when we finished fourth, so we’ll try to use that template in Oakland.”

Windham also expressed relief that American Honda rider and good friend Trey Canard wasn’t injured more seriously in a scary crash during the first lap of last weekend’s race. Another rider landed on Canard causing both to fall hard from their bikes. Canard suffered a broken back and is scheduled for surgery this week.

Kevin Windham says: “Trey was a member of this GEICO Honda team when he was starting out. It’s always terrible to see another rider go down like that, but when it’s someone who was a teammate, it hits you like a punch in the gut.

“Myself and everyone on the GEICO Honda team are praying for Trey to make a quick recovery.”

The team’s other Lites West rider, Gavin Faith, is looking to make another step forward in his progression as a rider. Faith’s first Supercross experience last weekend was long on education but short on results when he finished 18th in his first race filling in for injured rider Wil Hahn.

Gavin Faith (GEICO Honda CRF250R Supercross) says: “Things really didn’t go like I wanted so I’m more determined than ever before to pick it up. I can do this for sure. I felt pretty good all night in L.A. I got little tight in the middle of the main but got through it. I actually learned a lot in one race and having some time to think about it will be good for me.”

Faith got limited practice time leading up to his debut last week, and he said the extra time aboard the bike this week is going to make a world of difference.

Gavin Faith says: “I need to get more comfortable on the bike. Having a full week of practice will help. I know what I want to work on. I learned from my teammates that the starts are crucial. I have to get better there. I also plan to be a lot more aggressive. I let people get by me that I shouldn’t have let by, but I learned from that.”

Practice for Saturday’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Race at O.co Coliseum begins at 12:30 p.m. PDT with opening ceremonies starting at 7 p.m. The Supercross race will be televised on CBS affiliates nationwide at noon EDT on Sunday. The Lites West race will air at 5 p.m. Sunday on SPEED.

Jim Pomeroy Christophe Pourcel Sebastien Pourcel Wyman Priddy Alessandro Puzar

New KTM Adventure spied on test

January 26, 2012

By MCN -

New bikes

26 January 2012 16:29

This is the all-new KTM Adventure with a 1290cc V-twin engine which is expected to produce around 130bhp – 25bhp more than its arch-rival, the BMW R1200GS.

The bike was spotted while undergoing road development in the Canary Islands by keen-eyed MCN reader Colin Crewther and appears to be a very early hand-built prototype.

These are used to set basic engineering parameters and generally precede finished bikes by at least 18 months.

KTM Product Manager Jorg Schuller said: “The bike in the pictures is one of the prototypes KTM is currently developing. As you know, our development centre is working intensively on several projects, and the new Adventure is one of these.

“It is planned to introduce two new Adventure models onto the market in 2013.”

For all the info on the new KTM Adventure, pick up a copy of the January 25 issue of MCN, out now.

| Motorcycle News

Jamie Dobb Gert van Doorn John Dowd John Draper Doug Dubach

Zach Osborne interview ? British Championship doubt??

January 26, 2012

Dan Lamb from MotoXaddicts caught up with American Zach Osborne last weekend and the American racer gave his feelings of his SX performance and also mentioned he might not do all the Maxxis British Championship rounds in 2012. Here is the very cool interview by Dan Lamb.

Over the last few years, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, has been in the middle of a foreign invasion. GP riders coming to the U.S. to compete in the AMA has become less and less rare.

This year, though, one rider who has recently been racing the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship in Europe came over to the Western Regional Supercross Lites Championship with a slightly different story?he?s American.

Zach Osbourne left the States in 2008 because he could not find a ride, packing his bags and heading to England to compete in the FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship for Steve Dixon?s Monster Energy/Yamaha team. Zach has been a solid Championship contender over there ever since.

This year, though, before competing in the 2012 MX2 Championship, Zach was given the green light by Steve to show his Supercross skills in the first four rounds of the Westerm Regional Supercross Lites Championship.

With a ninth in Anaheim, a sixth in Phoenix and a podium finish in Los Angeles last weekend, Zach has done exactly what he set out to do. If team managers and race fans in the U.S. did not know who Zach was three weeks ago, he has definitely enlightened them. We hear that several teams are already interested in Zach?s services for 2013.

We talked to Zach after his podium finish in L.A. and asked him about the race, what it meant to him and his plans for the rest of 2012. Here?s how that conversation played out.

Q: Where have you been living and training while racing Supercross?

Osborne: I?m staying in Wildomar [California].

Q: Nice, perfect spot for Supercross training. Where have you been riding and testing?

Osborne: I?ve been training and riding everyday at the Alessi?s and also at the Yamaha track.

Q: While you are here, you have some support from the Yamaha factory?

Osborne: Yeah, they?ve been doing a lot for me. Also I?m pitting with the Rock River team, and they?re doing quite a bit for me. I?m really thankful for their support.

Q: You definitely held up your end and made it worth it for everyone involved.

Osborne: Yeah, I?m trying my best to for sure. It?s been good for me so far, and I hope to make this wekend go well too.

Q: Nice. Can you take us through your L.A. Supercross? You qualified out of the gate with the second fastest time. Was it a perfect day from the beginning?

Osborne: Yeah, it was a good day. I got on with the track right away. That?s probably one of my stronger points of getting things dialed in pretty quickly. I was fine with having only that one twelve minute practice to get it done. I think I learned it and made some good selections for the Main Event and for the heat race and made the most of my opportunities.

Q: Yeah, it was an incredible ride. The big difference that I saw in L.A. as opposed to your first two Main Events was that you went after it right out of the gate.

Osborne: Yeah, the first race [Anaheim 1]?obviously, it was a lot of nerves for me. I wasn?t nervous going in, but when I got in the moment, I was pretty nervous. It?s been a while since I had been in that situation, so it kind of overcame me. Then last weekend in Phoenix, I thought I rode well and had a good opportunity to possibly put in on the podium. I wasn?t aggressive enough and kind of just lulled around in the middle of the race. This weekend, I learned from Phoenix and attacked and made some good passes on the first few laps, and I just tried to keep it in their for the fifteen.

Q: Once you got by Martin Davalos and into second, you were able to keep some good distance on Dean Wilson for most of the race, but he reeled you in throughout laps six thru nine before passing you. Did you get a little tight when you saw Deano coming?

Osborne: I did get a little bit tight to be honest. Then, I took a few laps and regrouped. I saw Marvin [Musquin] getting quite close to us, and I knew I was going to have to either wick it up or make something happen. Then I realized he had gone down, and Dean was pressing pretty hard on me. I knew I didn?t want to get cleaned out by him. You know, he?s going for a Championship, and I respect that. He made a pretty aggressive pass on me which was fine. I would have done the same, probably even a little more if I were in his shoes. I just kind of settled for third at that point.

Q: Did you think about going back after him, because after Deano went by, your lap times actually picked up.

Osborne: No, I just wanted to stay with him because I didn?t want to get off my pace and started doing stuff that I wasn?t doing or missing sections. Tyla was coming as well. He caught both of us, and he was even gaining on Musquin before he crashed. I knew that I needed to stay with Dean and take it to the finish line, so that?s what I did.

Q: We have talked before about GP?s, and it is weird talking AMA Supercross with you, hearing you talk about having to hold off Musquin and Rattray who are two FIM MX2 Motocross World Champions.

Osborne: Yeah, it?s a pretty international cast right now. It?s pretty cool to be racing with those guys on my side of the world.

Q: Was standing on the podium with a third in L.A. kind of sweet redemption for everything you have been through to get there? I noticed emotions seemed a bit high for you up there.

Osborne: Ah, definitely! It?s been a long road, like I said on the podium. It?s definitely sweet to come back and have a good result. I know it?s just one good results, and I need to keep it going, but still it felt really good. Just to have that moment with everyone was awesome for me.

Q: How did this podium compare to your first Grand Prix win in Turkey?

Osborne: It?s a different feeling, I guess you could say. To win a GP is a big deal for an American, but also to come back and to do well in a Supercross on a European team [Monster Energy/Bike-it/Cosworth/Yamaha] is big. We came here to race out of my van, but Rock River/Yamaha stepped up and gave us a spot under the tent and their semi. But to do it the way we?ve done it and to get a good ride for Ohlins [suspension] and all the people involved is really good for us. It feels really awesome.

Q: Yeah, your success is huge for Ohlins. At this point, they don?t have a huge U.S. presence.

Osborne: No, but I think they?re building. They got the team with Grant Langston this year, and I think they?ll have some good results on the east coast. They?re putting in a big effort, and they have awesome stuff. When we started this year, we started without really any settings. We started with stiff outdoor stuff, and we have made a lot of gains and improvements over the past few months. We?re working with Sweden and the guys back in North Carolina?Marty [Lange] and Stacy [Berger] and everyone.

Q: I hate to use the word ?sick,? but you?re bike is sick.

Osborne: Yeah, honestly it?s one of the fastest ones out there. I?m pretty confident with that. The reason I?m not getting starts is definitely not because of my bike. If anything, it?s because my bike?s a little too fast, and I can?t keep the front wheel down. It is good, and I have to give it up to my mechanic Ben [Poperwell] and my team manager Steve [Dixon] who put a lot of effort into this. And Cosworth too. It?s come a long way.

Q: Speaking of Cosworth, they have a lot of Lites Supercross motor building experience working with the Star Racing team. Did you start with their settings for motor?

Osborne: No, pretty much all of our settings for that stuff pretty much came from England. We didn?t really use any of Star?s stuff at all. We started with the Cosworth stuff three years ago now and developed a lot of it, so we are on are own settings. It?s their parts, but not their settings.

Q: I know Monster Energy has a huge presence in the GP?s, but in 2011, they were with the Monster Energy/Rinaldi/Factory Yamaha team with guys like David Philippaerts, Steven Frossard and Gautier Paulin. When did your team sign on with them?

Osborne: At the end of the year, Steve made the decision to take the Factory Yamaha deal, which comes along with Monster Energy. It?s Monster Energy Factory Yamaha racing. They decided to go with that, so Monster is our new title sponsor for this year.

Q: So your team will now be under the same umbrella as the Rinaldi/ Monster Energy Factory Yamaha team in 2012? That?s a powerful merger.

Osborne: Right, they pretty much have the MX1 effort, and we have the MX2 effort, even though they have one MX2 guy and we have one MX1 guy.

Q: Nice. So who are your teammates for 2012?

Osborne: Yeah, the same teammate I had last year: Arnaud Tonus?and Shaun Simpson on MX1.

Q: Tonus was impressive all of 2011, but I was really impressed?maybe a bit surprised?by his Supercross skills over the off-season in Europe this year. The kid was flying.

Osborne: Yeah, he?s a good Supercross rider. I think with some time and work he could be a really good Supercross rider.

Q: I have read that Steve Dixon might actually try to put together a full U.S. effort around you so you can come back next year?

Osborne: That?s what he says. We?ll see. It?s something different for him. He?s obviously ambitious to try to run a GP and an American effort, so we?ll see.

Q: I wanted to ask you about A1 when everyone was thinking the #338 was Jason Lawrence. You guys wrote ?This is not Jlaw? on a pit board and placed it in front of your pits (laughs). Was that all in good fun, or was it pretty annoying to have everyone think that you were him?

Osborne: It was kind of funny. My cousin actually did it, because everyone kept coming up and asking if it was Jlaw or if it was Jlaw?s bike, so he just wrote a sign on one of the Toyota things and it kind of spiralled from there.

Q: That was probably the best part of A1 (laughs). How hard was it to get the #338 from the AMA?or were they just happy to give it to someone other than Jlaw? The AMA never liked him much (laughs).

Osborne: It wasn?t that bad. He didn?t sign up for a number this year, and he had #54 last year, so it wasn?t so bad.

Q: This coming weekend in Oakland is your last Supercross for 2012 before heading back overseas to prepare for your job of winning the MX2 Motocross World Championship. Is the plan to get a win in Oakland before you head back overseas?

osborne: I don?t know. Another solid effort or solid podium. I would love to win a heat race. I want to keep building on what I?m doing, and every weekend I?ve gotten better and better. I?d like to get a pole or a podium, put my name out there a little bit more, and it should be good.

Q: Overall, do you think this Supercross effort is going to help you in your GP effort for 2012?

Osborne: Yeah, for sure. That fifteen minutes of high heart rate and intensity on a man made track with all the obstacles and stuff will be really good for my GP program, as far as that initial fifteen minutes of intensity and obviously the emphasis on getting good starts and race time under race pressure will really help me.

Q: One last question. A lot of people wonder why you are only doing four rounds of Supercross, but they probably don?t realize how many different Championships you race all over the world in a season. What Championships will you compete in over seas this year?

Osborne: This year I?m going to do some British [Motoross Championship] rounds, a few Dutch Championships before the first Grand Prix. I?ll obviously do all the Grand Prix?s and we?ll do most of the British Championships.

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RickyÂ Carmichael Danny Chandler Eric Cheney Alessio Chiodi Jaromir Cizek

Stoner: Honda switch vindicated ability

January 26, 2012

By Michele Lostia and Sam Tremayne

Tuesday, January 24th 2012, 15:22 GMT

Casey Stoner says his dominance of the 2011 MotoGP championship with Honda – and Valentino Rossi’s struggles after replacing him at Ducati – have given him a credibility he never attained while riding for the Italian marque.

Stoner won his first MotoGP crown with the Desmosedici in 2007 and was a race-winner in the subsequent three seasons, never finishing lower than fourth. Rather than approbation, however, the Australian said he received ‘nothing but mistrust’ from the media.

He says the situation changed following his move to Honda, with whom he dominated in 2011 ? taking 10 wins, 16 podiums and 12 pole positions on his way to a second MotoGP title.

That coincided with a first winless season for Valentino Rossi, who moved across to Ducati as Stoner left ? something the Australian believes has helped vindicate his ability and prove he could have won more titles.

“Everything has changed very quickly,” Stoner told Motosprint. “In previous years I would get nothing but mistrust from the media, and generally very little consideration for what I was doing and the effort I was putting in.

“But then Valentino and I changed bikes: he took the one I had had for four years, while I took the bike of my dreams to show what I’m able to do.

“This change of situations has allowed me to let everyone understand that I could have fought for the title in previous years too, and that I could have won at least another title.”

Stoner also said Rossi’s claims that Honda operated on a huge budget in 2011 were not just wide of the mark, but also disparaging of his title success.

“Valentino [Rossi] is saying and doing everything to belittle what was done by myself, my team, and Honda last year,” Stoner declared.

“It’s not true Honda spent so much money, because it’s not a company of stupid people. It made no sense to invest a lot on a bike, the 800cc, on the verge of being retired, while in the meantime the new 1000cc was being developed.

“As a matter of fact Honda in 2011 didn’t do much more than usual and the proof is that the 2011 bike wasn’t so different from the 2010 one, except for the gearbox. Moreover, my bike remained practically the same throughout the season.

“The truth is that Honda already had a good bike even before my arrival: it just needed new strength coming from the outside, fresher strength able to make the difference without being frightened by this role.”

MOTOGP news – AUTOSPORT.com

Yves Demaria Gilbert De Roover Clement Desalle John DeSoto Tony DiStefano

Bowers Captures his Eighth Win in Dayton

January 26, 2012

Results
AMA Arenacross Series
Nutter Center ? Dayton, Ohio
January 21, 2012

Source: KMC

Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story

Bikeland :: News

Brian Myerscough Maximilian Nagl Kurt Nicoll Bill Nilsson Jorgen Nilsson

Canard & Morais SX Crash: Injury Update

January 26, 2012

Click the images below for bigger versions:

Los Angeles Supercross Injury Report

There was a scary moment during the first lap of Dodger Stadium Supercross in Los Angeles Saturday evening.

It all began when Muscle Milk American Honda’s Trey Canard, who just returned from a broken-collarbone injury sustained during practice for 2012 Supercross, got tangled up with a tuff block in the first corner, creating a sloppy landing on the triple jump.

While Canard attempted to regain his rhythm, Star Valli Yamaha’s Ryan Morais landed on Canard, sending both riders hard to the ground, bringing out the red flag.

Canard laid unconscious on the track, and was taken to a medical center. MRI reports showed that Canard fractured some vertebra in the back. Luckily, Canard has 100-percent feeling in his legs. Doctors are evaluating whether Canard will need surgery or not. American Honda is expected to release the updates soon.

As for Morais, the Rockstar Energy rider was transported to a local hospital, where he received treatment for a broken jaw, several fractured vertebrae and some broken ribs.

Rockstar Energy reports that there is no sign of spinal cord damage at this time and Morais is continuing to be evaluated. A full recovery is anticipated.

This is not the first time Canard was sidelined; the Oklahoma native, who pilots the No. 41 Honda CRF450R in the Supercross/Motocross Championship, fractured his femur while training towards the end of the 2011 AMA SX Championship; although he was forced to miss the final three rounds, he still finished fifth with 255 points.

Canard was forced to miss the first half of 2011 AMA MX due to the injury, but returned at Round 7 in Spring Creek to finish third. But misery followed Canard at Round 8 in Washougal, where he re-broke his femur, forcing him out of the remaining races.

Then Canard broke his collarbone while practicing for the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship.

The staff at UltimateMotorCycling wishes both riders a speedy recovery. Stay clicked to UltimateMotorCycling.com for updates as the information is released.

Jimmy Ellis Jeff Emig Harry Everts Stefan Everts Jaroslav Falta

Motocross e-magazine ? 216,452 Readers!!!!!!

January 26, 2012

News Wednesday 25th January 2012 By Geoff Meyer

Our FREE e-magazine has again improved it’s readership with issue 12 having around 216,542 readers after a month of being online. With internet taking over from print media it is no surprise that our FREE Motocross mag has become the most read Motocross magazine in Europe.

Back to previous page

MxLarge

Marvin Musquin Brian Myerscough Maximilian Nagl Kurt Nicoll Bill Nilsson

NASCAR-CUP: Stewart-Haas Racing Media Tour at Charlotte, day 1

January 26, 2012

Stewart-Haas Racing Media Tour visit

Tony Stewart: Driver/Owner, Stewart-Haas Racing
Steve Addington: Crew Chief, No. 14 Chevrolet
Ryan Newman: Driver, No. 39 Chevrolet
Tony Gibson: Crew Chief, No. 39 Chevrolet
Danica Patrick: Driver, No. 10 Chevrolet
Greg Zipadelli: Director Of Competition, Stewart-Haas Racing & Crew Chief, No. 10 Chevrolet
Matt Borland: Vice President of Competition, Stewart-Haas Racing

Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

MODERATOR:?From Columbus, Indiana, the three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, entering his 14th year on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala, Tony Stewart.

?From South Bend, Indiana, a winner of 15 races and 49 poles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, entering his 11th full year of Sprint Cup racing, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans Chevrolet Impala, Ryan Newman.

?From Roscoe, Illinois, the first woman to win a Major League open wheel race in a North American series with her win in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Indy Japan 300 at the twin ring oval in Japan, entering her first year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a ten race schedule, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com Chevrolet Impala, Danica Patrick.

?Now their crew chiefs. From Spartanburg, South Carolina, the crew chief for Tony Stewart, the No. 14 Office Depot, / Mobil 1 team, Steve Addington.

?From Daytona Beach, Florida, the crew chief for Ryan Newman, and the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans team, Tony Gibson.

?And from Berlin, Connecticut, the director of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, and the crew chief for the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com team, Greg Zipadelli.

?The glue that keeps all of this together, from Haslett, Michigan, the vice president of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, Matt Borland.

?Excellent. Thank you, everyone.

?Tony Stewart, driver/owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. We’ve said it once, we’ll say it a lot. You’re now the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. First off, how’s the view from the top of the mountain, and more importantly from behind the wheel of that Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet??

TONY STEWART:

?I’m scared of heights, so I don’t try to get up too high. But, no, it’s felt good this winter. It’s definitely been a short off season, but had a lot of changes, obviously, having Steve Addington on board and having my great friend, Greg Zipadelli back on board. We’re very excited about it.

?It’s been a short off season, but we’re having fun watching the changes of Stewart-Haas Racing and how it’s going to help us be better this year.?

Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

MODERATOR:

?Ryan, you came off another strong chase performance, and a pretty historic day where you led Stewart-Haas Racing to a one-two qualifying effort, and a one-two finish at New Hampshire, and Quicken Loans coming on board and joining the U.S. Army, as well as a host of sponsors, as well as Aspen Dental which was secured over the weekend joining Outback Steakhouse, WIX Filters, Tornados and Haas Automation, how pumped are you for the 2012 season to begin??

RYAN NEWMAN:

?Really excited. It’s a great list of sponsors, and obviously to have the U.S. Army back, one of our founding partners with the team at Stewart-Haas, it’s a great feeling. To have Quicken Loans, and like you said the whole list of them ? with Outback Steakhouse, new sponsors to the sport, and then Aspen Dental, new sponsors to our team ? just really look forward to having an opportunity to get each and every one of them a shot at victory lane.?

THE MODERATOR:

?Danica, the year that stock car racing takes center stage is finally upon us, and after balancing IndyCars and stock cars last year, it’s all stock cars all the time, including this Memorial Day weekend. For the first time you’ll be in Charlotte for the Coca Cola 600 instead of Indianapolis for the Indy 500. So what’s it going to be like for the GoDaddy girl??

DANICA PATRICK:

?I don’t know. You tell me. I’m very fortunate to be in this position with this team and these people. I’m very fortunate. I’ve been wanting to race stock cars full time for a little while here, and it’s happening.

?We’ve added another challenge with the Coke 600 or Coke 6,000 as I’ve been told. It’s quite long. So I just want to thank everyone for making it happen at Stewart-Haas, and thank GoDaddy for supporting me the whole way through. I even have my own GoDaddy microphone. That’s pretty clever. So life is good.?

THE MODERATOR:

?We’ll reintroduce the folks behind these drivers, starting off with Steve Addington. Steve, welcome to Stewart-Haas Racing. How has the transition been as you sort of rejoin the family that you once knew at JGR??

STEVE ADDINGTON:

?It’s been awesome. To come in and work with a group of guys like Tony Gibson has made the transition of just asking me or telling me everything that I need to know and give me the information that I need to get started and where I need to look for stuff.. Matt Borland’s got a great group in the engineering department and those guys have been very, very welcoming in getting me started and seeing where we’re at and see what direction we need to get going.?

THE MODERATOR:

?Tony Gibson, crew chief for Ryan Newman, you’ve been at Stewart-Haas Racing since the beginning. Can you talk a little about how Stewart-Haas Racing went from a relatively unknown that people really didn’t know what would happen to, to an organization that consistently wins races and contends for a championship and finally won a championship this past year??

TONY GIBSON:

?I think it’s just being surrounded with good, old fashioned racing people. You know, Stewart’s just an old redneck guy that loves to race and will drive everything. Everybody at our place, we just love racing. We grew together and things happened probably a little faster than most expected.

?But when you put a bunch of guys together that all they want to do is win and perform and run up front, things like that happen, partnered up with Chevrolet and they make things easy too. They give us all the things we need to improve our race teams and our company. We have great sponsors.

?So when you put all that in a Bowl, it’s got success written all over it. Really fortunate to be associated with Stewart-Haas Racing from the beginning and great drivers. Like I said before, Ryan’s one of those guys you want driving, because he’s going to give you 110% whether you’re two laps down or leading a race by half a lap. Doesn’t matter, you get the same effort out of him.

?So it’s a privilege to be hooked up with him, and Matt Borland. I’m looking forward to working with Steve and Greg and Danica, new people in our organization that are going to help us grow and be better. Already we’ve seen huge gains in our company since they’ve come on board. Looking forward to it.?

THE MODERATOR:

Danica Patrick, JR Motorsport Chevrolet

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

?Excellent. And Greg Zipadelli, you’re reunited with Tony, but in a different way, as the competition director here at Stewart-Haas Racing. But still not far away from that pit box as Danica’s crew chief for this ten race schedule.?

GREG ZIPADELLI:

?Yeah, it’s a great opportunity for myself. Next chapter in my life, maybe stepping back a little bit as a crew chief goes. I was excited to find out I was going to have the opportunity to do ten races and kind of help put this deal together.

?We had a really good test. I have enjoyed working with Danica. A good group of guys. I can’t say enough about the people at Stewart-Haas. The heart and the passion that every individual that I’ve met that works there is truly amazing. Very warm welcomes. Everybody has been very good to work with.

?They have done so much to help me make the transition. The people in the shop, Tony Gibson and his guys preparing cars for us, Matt Borland in engineering, a phenomenal place. We’re very, very excited about the future there.?

THE MODERATOR:

?Matt Borland, the vice president of competition wore many hats in 2011, oversaw a lot of change, and also oversaw a lot of success. How did you manage it all?

MATT BORLAND:

?I think it’s pretty easy. You look up here and we’ve got three new people up here along with all the people that have been here, each one brings a different talent and experience level to our program. We’ve got Steve who comes from Penske and Gibbs and a lot of new fresh ideas, things to look at, things to try.

?We’ve got Greg that’s come on board and he’s got new ideas from JGR that are all things we can try and try to make our stuff better than it’s been.

?Danica comes on board, another driver with open wheel background. So she’s got a lot of new ideas, new thoughts and new ways of thinking about things, and that just helps everybody come up with new ideas, new thoughts, new processes and hopefully out of that we’ll get a lot of wins and a lot of poles.?

THE MODERATOR:

?Well said. We’ll open it up to questions.?

Q. I guess sometimes I miss things, but I don’t think I missed this, Danica. That’s news that you’re running the Coca Cola 600? Where does that leave the Indy 500? I assume you won’t try a double. Is that a difficult decision to race in that event this year?

DANICA PATRICK:

?No, you didn’t miss it. I’m going to do the Coke 600. I’m not going to do the Indy 500. I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500, that is. Maybe it will be a double. But at this point in time after a lot of conversations, it’s just going to be the Coke 600. It’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it, and especially a hometown like Charlotte for NASCAR.?

Q. How did you make the decision?

DANICA PATRICK:

?The decision? Well, it was just something that didn’t work out as far as the business side of things. It just didn’t work out. I’m hopeful to do it in the future, but for this year, it just didn’t happen.?

Q. With the fuel injection system, how does it affect this race strategy? And, I think you still get your engines from Hendrick Motorsports. Is there still space left for your own modifications and changes to get ready for the race?

TONY GIBSON:

?As far as the engines we get from Hendrick, they do a fantastic job, first of all, and they have done a great job of getting prepared for the EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) stuff this year. They’ve done a lot of testing. They’ve really kept us involved in it, and we’ve done a lot of stuff with Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas.

?We get the engines from them. When they come, we put the headers and transmissions and stuff on it. But their engine tuners come over in our shops twice a week, three times a week. So we don’t actually build them, but they keep us in the flow of things. We’re hands on with it. They’re very open about it. They want our ideas and especially from those guys. Borland on the engineering side making harnesses and stuff for us that go in and sink in with the Hendrick side of it. They’re very welcome to our ideas.

?So on that side of it, it’s been a great partnership, and pretty smooth so far.?

Q. Matt, can you talk about the whole development of Stewart-Haas Racing, and people talk about the projects you have going on back there. Can you talk about how you’ve seen the evolution of Stewart-Haas Racing?

MATT BORLAND:

?Yeah, Gene Haas and Joe Custer started Haas back in 2002. They put a great program together and when Tony came on board, he added a whole other level of capabilities to the program. It’s allowed us to get a lot more people, get a lot more what is the word I’m looking for? We have a lot more people to do a lot more things to be more specialized at what we’re looking at and refining things.

?I think the biggest thing that’s come about with that is we’re able to dive down into the details of the program. With the cars the way they are now, there’s not huge gains to be made. There are small gains to be made in a lot of areas. So it takes a group of very strong people that can go and try to find all those little things.

?To Tony Gibson’s point, to have a bunch of racers that that’s all they want to do. They want to race. They want to beat everybody. They want to find those little things that gets them that much better than the next team out there.?

Q. Ryan, your whole team comes back intact. You have a lot of new sponsors associated with the 39 this year. Are you in the best position in terms of your career with Stewart-Haas than you’ve ever been before in the last couple of years there?

RYAN NEWMAN:

?From a sponsorship standpoint, without a doubt. We’re really proud to partner up with these new sponsors. Like I said in my opening, sponsors that haven’t been a part of NASCAR at all, like Quicken Loans and Outback has a little bit of history.

?But just from our standpoint, when you have great sponsors, you’re allowed to get the great people and do the great things. Without a doubt, the sponsorship is a big part of that.

?So, yes, from that standpoint, no doubt. From a team standpoint, it’s great to have all our group back. We had a great run to get into the Chase. Our Chase was a bit of a struggle for us as a team. But those are the things that you get through them, work on them, build them, and make yourself stronger as a team and an organization for the next years.

?Tony can attest to this too, you can win a championship one year, doesn’t mean you’re going to win it the next year. You have to work really hard. Other teams, when you win, you build fire and desire within them. So you have to have that same fire and desire within yourself to go back and do what we did as an organization last year.

Q. Tony, the spotlight’s going to be bright on your team this year. Not only are you the defending champion, but with the addition of Danica Patrick and with Ryan, how best is the team able to deal with that? From the very beginning, there is a lot of attention given to your team.

TONY STEWART:

?Yeah, we’re not worried about that. It’s a good thing with our partners on board. It helps us from the marketing side and the sponsorship sides to make sure we’re fulfilling what our partners need.

?When it comes time to being at the racetrack and doing what we do on the track, this group of people up here are really good at focusing on the task at hand. I think we’re all up for the challenge. It’s a good way to start the year. We came off of a great finish to the year last year, and we got a lot of new exciting partners on board this year, and a new teammate that’s going to be fun to work with. And a teammate that’s always fun to work with over on this side.

?We’re excited. We’re probably as excited to start the year as I can remember being in a long time.?

Q. This is a special championship. What did you do personally to celebrate it?

TONY STEWART:

?Stayed at the shop until the Wednesday of Christmas. I didn’t really do anything, to be honest. Like I said, with the addition of Steve and Greg and Danica, we wanted to make sure that we were kind of there to make sure that everybody was getting started off in the right direction. I wasn’t really there for anything more than moral support.

?These guys are the guys that make it all happen, for sure. But honestly, I didn’t really do much of anything. I went and raced a couple of times through the winter here, but for the most part, it’s been business as usual.?

Q. Can you assess the different dynamics in the shop with the addition of Danica, and Zippy, and Steve Addington, and then the fact that Tony won the championship last year, the mood of the team and the dynamics in the shop?

MATT BORLAND:

?I think in general, the dynamics are very positive, very excited. Like Tony was saying, everybody’s looking forward to Daytona, looking forward to a great new season. As well, there are so many influx of new ideas this year, that we’re able to look at so many different things and find hopefully some more gains that will elevate us even better than we were last year.

?It’s been very positive. All the people on the team are pumped up and excited. It’s a great deal right now.?

Q. Tony, you won your third championship last year, five of 10 Chase races, and in a driver / crew chief relationship that you ended up changing, how much pressure does that put on the guy to your left when he walks in the front door?

TONY STEWART:

?You’re asking the wrong guy. You need to ask him. I feel just fine.?

STEVE ADDINGTON:

?I do too.?

TONY STEWART:

?I think he’s thinking he’s on vacation now. Just saying. It’s kind of like what Tony Gibson was saying earlier. We’re just low key, down to earth racers and hard core racer that’s want to race. That is the attitude that Steve has coming in here.

?And as far as from my side, I’m not putting any pressure on him. I’m looking forward to going out and racing again. We both know there is going to be a period of getting to learn each other, and just little things that we’ll have to get sorted out to where we get into that weekly routine.

?Daytona’s not going to be? that ten day period’s not going to get it done. It’s going to take more of that. It’s going to take getting through Phoenix and some of those races to really get in tune with each other. But he’s been easy to work with so far.

?We’ve been able to work with him directly at Gibbs. So we kind of know him a little bit. I think it’s going to be pretty laid back, and we’re going to have a lot of fun. I don’t think it’s a big stress situation for either one of us right now.?

MODERATOR:

?Steve, do you want to chime in on that as well??

STEVE ADDINGTON:

?No, look at what the organization did. One guy’s not going to make the big difference. I’ve got to keep the communication with him going as far as the race car’s concerned, and having that supporting cast, the people that are around you through the organization makes you successful. That’s what I’m looking forward to.

?Everybody that I’ve run into or worked with in the organization, I’ve worked with them at some point or beside them at some point that they’ve welcomed me with open arms. Asking me everything that I need to go racing with them, and that’s it. You’ve got the supporting cast there that’s going to be successful.?

Q. Tony, could you explain to fans how life changes and how life doesn’t change after becoming a champion for the first, second, and third time?

TONY STEWART:

?It hasn’t changed at all, honestly. I think the first time it changes a little bit because you’ve accomplished that goal. But after the first one, it really doesn’t change your life so much the second and third one. Like I said, it’s kind of been business as usual. We’ve enjoyed the whole off season with the team, and it’s been fun being at the shop to see how excited the guys are. Guys that three years ago had never won a race, and now they’re celebrating their first championship together.

?It’s been fun to be at the shop around those guys and see how excited they are to have Danica come on board and Zippy and Steve. It’s been fun to watch everybody have fun in the off season. You’ve got these two guys to the right that are always keeping you on your toes and making it fun, too.

?So we’ve just got a great group of people that have made it fun, and it really hasn’t changed my life any. Like I said, I probably took less time this off season to go enjoy myself than any other time. But I’ve had fun doing what I’ve been doing.?

Q. Tony Gibson, the last 30 years we’ve had two owner/drivers win the championship, Tony and Alan Kulwicki. You worked with both of those drivers. Can you talk about what similarities there are between them and what differences there are?

TONY GIBSON:

?I think the differences may be the engineering side of it. Kulwicki was more like Newman on the engineering side of it. But he loved the race. He loved all about racing, and all about winning. In his heart it was win, and the grass roots of racing whether it was in Wisconsin doing the late model stuff or in a Cup car.

?Stewart has that same desire. He has in his heart all he wants to do is race. Every time he’ll text you he’s at a racetrack somewhere racing, and that’s all he wants to do. So the difference is probably maybe on the schooling. I don’t know where you went to school at.?

TONY STEWART:

?High school.?

TONY GIBSON:

?He went to high school.

?When it comes to strapping the belts down and putting a helmet on and taking the green, it’s all with your desire to win. Him and Alan, as far as I’m concerned, had the same desire to win and that’s why they’re both champions.

Q. Tony, will you divide up your time now any differently between the Cup side and the short track team now that you’ve got more people? You’ve got more people to supervise. Are you asking more people to supervise to give you more time for your other ventures?

TONY STEWART:

?No, it’s pretty much business as usual. We’re adding more to the program, so you want to make sure that you’re keeping that time to make sure that everybody’s where they need to be and making sure that everybody is comfortable with what we’ve got. So as far as the time that I divide running the short track stuff versus what we’re doing here, it’s pretty much the same balance.?

Q. Tony, the economy has been down the last couple of years, but it seems to be doing a bit of a rebound. You guys have been doing well signing on new sponsors. Can you talk about your efforts signing new sponsors and the economy of your team?

TONY STEWART:

?I’ll be honest, I’m really, really proud of our marketing team. Mike Verlander has done a great job introducing some new partners in the sport. I think it’s one thing from day one when we brought Tornados on board with Ryan’s car, and now Quicken Loans and Aspen Dental to bring new partners like this into the sport and introduce them to NASCAR is something that I take a lot of pride in.

?Like I said, it’s our marketing stuff that’s done it. I can’t take the credit for it, but I’m really proud of them. It’s been a tough economy, as we know. But to show these new companies that there is this value in NASCAR is something that we’re proud of. I think Tornados has had a great experience . I think it’s been the same way for Quicken so far.

?We finished up the year last year with them, and I think they enjoyed the first trip in the sport. Looking forward to having Aspen Dental on board.

?I’m really excited about it. It’s the best position sponsorship-wise that our company has been in, and we still have races to sell. But it’s the best position that we’ve been in since I partnered up with Gene three years ago. So we’re really excited about it.

?I think it’s a sign that hopefully things are starting to turn around and work their way back up now.?

Q. For Tony, Zippy, and Danica, what is a reasonable expectation or goals for this season? Danica, when you answer, if you could also address the Nationwide Series.

DANICA PATRICK:

?I think that first starting out with the Nationwide stuff, very much it depends on the individual weekend itself. There are still some tracks that I haven’t raced at before, so probably a little bit different expectations for those. But for the most part, solid top-10. Getting into the top-five more consistently through the year would be a goal, and I’d like to get to victory lane.

?As far as the Cup stuff, I think that it would be good if they answered as well on this. But I’d like to know what I should expect. But I think that at Daytona, the cars are very fast as you guys can see, and as we saw already at the test. So I feel good about that race. I feel good about? I mean, I was lucky enough to get to run with Tony in the Nationwide race last summer, and that went pretty good. So I feel good about Daytona.

?I think there is a real chance if luck falls our way to perhaps win. I think that’s a real chance. I mean, a guy like Trevor Bayne last year showed that.

?So those are the expectations for the first race, but then beyond that. I don’t know. Top-20 or so, I guess, would maybe be a good goal. I feel like longer races are good. I like long races. I feel like I learn, I get more comfortable out there and we keep tweaking on the car and making it a little better on each pit stop, so I’m hoping that plays into my favor with the length of these races.?

GREG ZIPADELLI:

?For myself, it’s just good solid days. Give her as much track time as we can, and support, and just trying to teach her as much as we can about this sport and this series for the following year.?

TONY STEWART:

?I’m excited about it. From my standpoint, I crashed everything I drove from the Nationwide cars, and it ? on the Cup side ? it got better obviously. But looking at it, these ten races for her this year, for me it’s just finishing the races and getting the track time.

?In the short amount of time that I’ve worked with her, she’s so good at processing information and what she learns on the racetrack. She can explain it to you right away and very accurate. I think her feedback is excellent.

?Just getting the time on the racetrack and, I guess are from my standpoint, I’m not worried about the finishes at the end of the day. It’s just finishing the race, getting the laps and getting that experience in the car. Five hundred mile races are long races, especially in the Cup series when you’re dealing with a 3,400 pound car. It’s a learning process.

?I think the success at the end of the year won’t be judged by where the finishing position is at the end of the day as much as what she’s taken away from race weekend. So that’s what my goal is for her.?

THE MODERATOR:

?A couple other story lines that are definitely worth asking these folks in their one ?on-one sessions. Danica Patrick in the Super Bowl. While the New England Patriots and New York Giants are making a return to the Super Bowl in two weeks, so does Danica. This will be the eighth straight year GoDaddy has run a Super Bowl ad campaign, and the sixth in which Danica has starred.

?So all told, Danica has appeared in ten GoDaddy Super Bowl ads dating back to 2007, giving her the title of most commercials of any celebrity in the history of the event.

?Not to be lost on television, Tony Stewart spent part of his off season doing a little acting himself. He made a guest appearance on ABC’s ?Last Man Standing? with Tim Allen. That episode is slated to air Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

?Tony is also running the season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race. He’ll be in the No. 33 Oreo 100th anniversary Chevrolet Impala. He’ll be looking for his fifth straight win in that event, and his seventh in the last eight season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Daytona.

?Again, from a sports business story, I know we’ve touched about it a little bit, in addition to all the sponsors that have returned to Ryan Newman in the No. 39, new to the sport, Quicken Loans, Aspen Dental, Outback Steakhouse coming back to NASCAR, all affiliated with Ryan and that No. 39 team.?

Motorsport.com – ALL – Stories

Ashley Fiolek Ernesto Fonseca Lauris Freibergs Paul Friedrichs Steven Frossard

Parity Reigns Supreme as Monster Energy Supercross Heads to Oakland

January 26, 2012

2012-01-23 21:40
With three Supercross Class winners through the first three races of the season, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, is shaping up to be another epic season. TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Honda?s Chad Reed became the newest face to stand atop the podium this season, and just the second in Dodger Stadium history, after a dominant effort last Saturday night. By virtue of a runner-up effort, Red Bull KTM?s Ryan Dungey remains the championship?s point leader, and will wear the red number plate for the second straight week as the schedule heads to California?s Bay Area, with a stop at Oakland?s O.co Coliseum on Saturday night.

Media day is Thursday, January 26 from Noon-2:00 p.m., featuring Team Honda Muscle Milk, TwoTwo Motorsports/Bel-Ray Honda, and Supercross.com Honda.

A red flag marred the start of the Supercross Class Main Event, after a hard crash involving Team Honda Muscle Milk?s Trey Canard, Star/Valli Rockstar Yamaha?s Ryan Morais, and R2MX Kawasaki?s Weston Peick, on the opening lap. Peick was able to walk away under his own power, but both Canard and Morais received medical attention.

Canard suffered fractures to his back, according to an official statement from American Honda, and although he has feelings in his extremities, further evaluation will determine if surgery is necessary.

Star Valli Yamaha rider Ryan Morais was involved in a crash during the first lap of the main event at the Los Angeles stop on Saturday night. The Rockstar Energy rider was transported to a local hospital and is being treated for a broken jaw, several fractured vertebrae and some broken ribs. There is no sign of spinal cord damage at this time and Morais is continuing to be evaluated. A full recovery is anticipated.

Once the Supercross Class Main Event restarted, Monster Energy Kawasaki?s Jake Weimer grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz® Holeshot. Reed, who quickly moved into second, made short work of Weimer out front, moving into the lead on Lap 6.

A short time later, Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX?s James Stewart made a pass on Weimer for second, making contact with the Kawasaki rider who subsequently fell to the ground, losing considerable positions. On Lap 12, Stewart encountered his own misfortune, losing his balance and dropping his bike, which allowed Dungey to assume the runner-up position.

Reed checked out on the field for his 41st Supercross Class victory, while Dungey maintained control of the points lead in second. Stewart held on for his first podium of the season in third, fighting off a late charge from Monster Energy Kawasaki?s Ryan Villopoto, who fought his way from an opening-lap mishap that left him at the tail end of the field, to finish fourth. Villopoto shared the points lead with Dungey heading into the race.

Dungey?s advantage in the Supercross Class standings over Reed and Villopoto, who currently sit in a tie for second, is four points. Dungey, the 2009 Monster Energy Supercross champion, is the only rider in the Supercross Class to finish on the podium through the first three races.

The Western Regional Supercross Lites Class championship received a shakeup on Saturday night as well, with GEICO Honda?s Eli Tomac becoming the third different winner in as many races. Tomac, who has set the fastest lap in each of he three Supercross Lites Class main events this season, grabbed his first strong start of 2012, and made quick work of Nuclear Cowboyz Holeshot winner Martin Davalos, who rides for Rockstar Energy Racing Suzuki.

Once out front, Tomac pulled away from the field while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki?s Dean Wilson, winner the week prior in Phoenix, fought his way to a runner-up finish. Monster Energy/BikeIt/Cosworth Yamaha?s Zach Osborne claimed his first-career podium effort in third.

Tomac?s win helped vault him from fifth to first in the championship standings, holding a one-point lead over Wilson. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki?s Tyla Rattray, the points leader coming into Dodger Stadium, sits an additional two points back in third. Tomac will be the third different rider to carry the red number plate this season.

Last year at Monster Energy Supercross? return to Oakland, Stewart grabbed his second win of the 2011 season inside O.co Coliseum, with Reed and Dungey rounding out the podium. In the Supercross Lites Class, eventual Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Champion Broc Tickle secured his only win en route to the title.

The first race was held in Oakland on January 18, 1979, and Jimmy Weinert won on a Kawasaki. Last year was the first inaugural Supercross Lites class race at O.co Coliseum.

CBS will broadcast the Supercross Class race at 12:00pm EST on Sunday January 29, 2012.

Tickets are available at the O.co Coliseum Box Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000, www.supercrossonline.com, or online at www.tickmaster.com. Practice and qualifying begin at 12:30 p.m., and the main event starts at 7:00 p.m. Club Level tickets are $ 75 Adult/Child; Trackside $ 45 Adult/Child; Lower View $ 35 Adult/Child; Upper View $ 25 Adult/Child; Extreme Value $ 10 Adult/Child. Fans can also get into the Pits for FREE from 12:30-6 p.m. Race Day when they recycle a Monster Energy Can at the stadium Pit Entrance (valid only with event ticket).

Supercross Class Results: Los Angeles
1. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM
3. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
4. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
5. Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki
6. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
7. Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki
8. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Kawasaki
9. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
10. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki

Supercross Class Season Standings
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM ? 67
Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Honda ? 63
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki ? 63
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki ? 48
James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha ? 48
Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda ? 43
Brett Metcalfe, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Suzuki ? 38
Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda ? 36
Josh Hansen, Elbert, Colo., Kawasaki ? 36
Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha ? 28

Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Results: Los Angeles
1. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda
2. Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki
3. Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Yamaha
4. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki
5. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki
6. Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Honda
7. Michael Leib, Menifee, Calif., Honda
8. Matt Moss, Sussex Inlet, Australia, KTM
9. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., Suzuki
10. Billy Laninovich, Riverside, Calif., Honda

Western Regional Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda ? 63
Dean Wilson, Menifee, Calif., Kawasaki ? 62
Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki ? 60
Cole Seely, Murrieta, Calif., Honda ? 47
Zach Osborne, Chesterfield, S.C., Yamaha ? 47
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki ? 44
Marvin Musquin, Murrieta, Calif., KTM ? 42
Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Honda ? 32
Nico Izzi, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha ? 32
Billy Laninovich, Riverside, Calif., Honda ? 27

Past Winners in Oakland

Supercross Class

January 29, 2011: James Stewart

Supercross Lites Class

January 29, 2011: Broc Tickle

Tune into the enhanced exclusive weekly video content from Supercross LIVE! during the entire 2012 season on SupercrossOnline.com, the Official Website of Monster Energy Supercross. This week, Jim Holley talks to Bakari Howard of Falken Tires, the Official Truck Tire sponsor for Monster Energy Supercross, during the Toyota Tailgate Talk segment.

Weekly Supercross LIVE! Video Content Schedule
The Official Supercross LIVE! Pre-Show Race Days at 11 AM Local Race Time
Behind the Scenes with Supercross LIVE! All Day on Race Days
2 Minutes on the Track Race Days at 3:30 & 5:30 PM Local Race Time
And on the Podium Tonight Following Each Round?s Main Events
The Official Supercross LIVE! Post-Show Saturday Nights at Each Round
Toyota Tailgate Talk Wednesdays at 5 PM ET
After The Checkered Flag Thursdays at 5PM ET

For more information on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, please log on to www.SupercrossOnline.com, the official website of Monster Energy Supercross. For all media requests, please contact Denny Hartwig dhartwig@feldinc.com or 630-566-6305. To follow Monster Energy Supercross on Facebook and Twitter, log on to http://www.facebook.com/supercrosslive and http://twitter.com/supercrosslive.

About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world?s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

Source: Feld Motor Sports

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Bikeland :: News

Darrell Schultz Tommy Searle Gary Semics Andrew Short Shaun Simpson

DUKE ROAD RACE RANKINGS NEWCOMER AWARD PRESENTED FOR FIRST TIME

January 26, 2012

2012-01-25 00:33
A star-studded audience of motorcycle sport?s biggest names was on hand to watch the 2011 Duke Road Race Rankings awards being presented.

Duke Managing Director Peter Duke handed over the prestigious Geoff Duke Trophy ? named after his illustrious, multi-World Champion father ? to the 2011 rankings winner Ryan Farquhar.

He also presented the Duke Road Race Rankings Newcomer Award to Ronan Pentony, whose performances on the roads during 2011 ensured he was the top-placed new name in the rankings. It is the first time the rankings has featured an award for newcomers.

The presentations were made on stage at the Adelaide Motorcycle Awards in Belfast on Friday (January 20), in front of a 500-strong audience which included leading racing names such as reigning British Superbike Champion Tommy Hill, reigning British Supersport Champion Alastair Seeley, World Superbike race winner Eugene Laverty and road racing greats John McGuinness, Phillip McCallen and Steven Cull, the latest entry to the Bridgestone Hall of Fame.

Mr Duke said: ?We were delighted to once again be asked to present the Geoff Duke Trophy at the Adelaide Motorcycle Awards, which is rightly regarded as one of the leading off-season events in the motorcycling world.?

?The Duke Road Race Rankings were established more than a decade ago to recognise the dedication of true ?between-the-hedges? racers, ensuring their commitment to pure road racing events was acknowledged.?

?The Geoff Duke Trophy is now regarded as one of the great accolades in road racing, and the rankings are hotly contested every year ? not least in 2011 when Ryan Farquhar was chased all the way by Dunlop brothers Michael and William.?

?It was, as ever, wonderful to see the reception winner Ryan received from the other greats of motorcycle racing during the presentation, and to be able to recognise one of road racing?s new stars in Ronan.?

Dungannon?s Ryan is no stranger to the Duke Road Race Rankings ? 2011 was the sixth time overall, and
fourth time in a row, he has claimed victory in the series, which features international road race meetings like the TT and North West 200 alongside smaller events such as Skerries and Walderstown.

After his 2010 win, Ryan was allowed to keep the original Geoff Duke Trophy, meaning it was a specially-
commissioned new trophy which he was handed at the Adelaide Motorcycle Awards.

Ronan, of Drogheda, finished the season 10th overall in the Duke Road Race Rankings after a year which saw him take three race victories and 15 other podiums. His trophy was a replica of the now famous glass ball which sits atop the Geoff Duke Trophy.

Both were delighted with their awards, a humble Ryan dismissing suggestions he could retain the rankings title for an incredible fifth year in a row and Ronan suggesting his award could see his racing programme for 2012 expanded.

Mr Duke said the Duke Road Racing Rankings continues to go from strength-to-strength, and details of the new-look 2012 calendar will be unveiled next month.

He explained: ?The addition of the Macau Grand Prix in 2010 took the rankings beyond the British Isles and proved exceptionally successful. We are hopeful of announcing the rankings will become even more international in 2012 during the coming weeks.?

Other awards handed out on the night included the Red Bull Young Rider of the Year (John Simpson), Black Horse Short Circuit Rider of the Year (Eugene Laverty), IFS Global Logistics Road Racer of the Year (Michael Dunlop) and the Enkalon Irish Motorcyclist of the Year, which went to Alastair Seeley.

Source: Duke

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Bikeland :: News

Sylvain Geboers Broc Glover Rui Goncalves Josh Grant Billy Grossi

Huge Ducati auction at Monaco Grand Prix

January 26, 2012

By Sam Loveridge -

General news

25 January 2012 09:48

One of the world?s largest collections of classic Ducatis, comprising over 100 bikes, is to be sold at auction.

The collection includes a 1970 Ducati 450 Desmo ‘Corsa’, which was on display in the Ducati Museum until recently and an ex-race 1974 Ducati 750 SS.

They all belong to Carlo Saltarelli, an ex-Ducati factory test rider and Ducati dealer who has been carefully amassing the collection for over 30 years.

The bikes are to be sold at the prestigious RM Auction at the Monaco Grand Prix in May.

Chairman of Ducati Motor Holding, Gabriele del Torchio, says: “We are delighted that such a prestigious auction house as RM Auctions will be auctioning the Saltarelli collection ? a piece of Ducati history.

“I am also proud to report that, to complete the event, we will offer some very special bikes, directly from the Ducati Corse team. This unique sale will allow collectors to be able to obtain some models from Ducati’s history?.

For more information visit: www.rmauctions.com

| Motorcycle News

John van den Berk Marnicq Bervoets Fritz Betzlbacher Dave Bickers Anthony Boissiere

MXlarge and Motocross e-magazine ? Advertising Specials

January 25, 2012

News Tuesday 24th January 2012 By Geoff Meyer

Do you need to sell more product, or maybe get the message out about a new project you have going. MXLarge and Motocross e-magazine have some special deals for companies looking for a cheaper way to advertise but to a bigger audience.

With around 150,000 people reading MXlarge a month and around 215,000 looking at Motocross Illustrated each month it might be time to look at your advertising plans. For a two month period we offer a banner spot on MXLarge and a double page ad in our FREE e-magazine Motocross Illustrated for just 250euro per month, so 500euro in total. That is two months worth of major exposure to a large audience for a very good price.

For more information contact us on meyer716@planet.nl or mxlarge@live.nl.

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Craig Dack Roger De Coster Ken De Dycker Yves Demaria Gilbert De Roover

Scott Jones 2011 Retrospective: Round 10, Laguna Seca

January 25, 2012

Over the hill and far away

King Kenny rode Laguna on an M1. And hated it.

GP Eleven. Point One.

Loris’ Last Laguna

BBoz represents for Jumpman

Yamaha’s heroes

There’s nothing quite like the view over the Dry Lake

Casey Stoner gets it turned at Laguna with the rear. Just like every other track…

Item: rock catcher. Location: Ducati GP11.1 lower exhaust

Ciao Marco

Hector Barbera kicks back with some tunes

MotoGP. LOUD, BABY, LOUD!

Laguna Seca saw Valentino Rossi reunited with Jerry Burgess, who had missed a couple of races to be with his recuperating wife

Nicky Hayden, looking to the future

Irony, MotoGP-style: all those super-advanced electronics, and HRC fit a cheap-ass analog tacho

He who pays the piper, calls the tune

Home Boy

What happens when you put a fast rider on an electric motorcycle? Steve Rapp lapped at Supersport pace on the Mission Motors Mission R

If you’d like to have desktop-sized versions of Scott’s fantastic photos, you can become a site supporter and take out a subscription. If you’d like a print of one of the shots you see on the site, then send Scott an email and he’ll be happy to help.

MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

John Draper Doug Dubach Ryan Dungey Vic Eastwood Daryl Ecklund

US racer Ricky Dietrich Confirmed for 2012 Husqvarna British Sprint Enduro Championship

January 25, 2012

dietrich 220x147 US racer Ricky Dietrich Confirmed for 2012 Husqvarna British Sprint Enduro Championship

CH Racing Husqvarna?s new signing Ricky Dietrich will compete in the 2012 ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship.

With the opening two rounds of the 2012 Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship rapidly approaching American off-road racer Ricky Dietrich has confirmed his participation in the series, which starts in Aldershot, Hampshire on February 11/12.

Recently signing to race for the Italian Husqvarna CH Racing Monster Energy team where he will contest the entire Enduro World Championship, Dietrich?s decision to also compete in the Elite class of the BSEC series injects further excitement into an already hotly contested championship. Formerly residing in California, Dietrich is one of the State?s top off-road racers having won titles in both the AMA Endurocross and AMA WORCS series.

In 2011 Dietrich switched disciplines to compete in the AMA National Motocross championship finishing 14^th overall – his season best result coming at round two in Texas where he claimed a superb fifth place. A rider with an excellent pedigree in both enduro and motocross, Dietrich is certain to prove a welcome addition to the 2012 BSEC series.

Ricky Dietrich: ?I?m excited to be competing in the British Sprint Enduro Championship for Husqvarna. I?ve heard many good things about this series and feel that it will be perfect preparation for the Enduro World Championship. It will give me the opportunity to put in some real special test training under race conditions. My experience in enduro racing is limited but I?m keen to learn and I feel the BSEC will be the perfect place to do that.?

?The championship has attracted a lot of talented riders so getting to compete against the top UK talent will give me a good indication of where both my speed and fitness is at. It will also be my first experience of the UK so I?m excited to see a little of the country, meet some new people, and maybe try out an English breakfasts I?ve heard about!?

The opening rounds of the 2012 Husqvarna ACU British Sprint Enduro Championship take place Nr Aldershot, Hampshire on February 11/12.

Spectator info

Directions:
The event is situated off the A323, Fleet Road. Follow event signs to the start/finish and parking areas.

Postcode: GU11 2HL

Entry Fee:
Adults £10.00 each. Under 14 year olds free. Overnight camping £10.00

Parking:
Vehicles will be parked on a generous, flat parking area joining onto the rider?s paddock and start/finish area.

General info:
Racing starts at 9.30am both days. A sighting lap (starts 9.00am) and four timed laps will take place during the morning session before a 30-minute break and paddock autograph signing session. A three-lap afternoon session will then take place. On Sunday the event will end with a prize giving ceremony.

For more information visit www.enduro-sprint.com

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Victor Arbekov Les Archer Nicolas Aubin Rene Baeten David Bailey

Matrix Concepts Rider Chad Reed Wins LA Supercross

January 25, 2012

By MichaelAntonovich
Mon, Jan 23 2012 10:16 pm | 0 Comments

California, USA (January 23,2012) ? Matrix Concepts would like to congratulate Chad Reed of Two Two Motorsports/Honda on his 450 main event win at LA Supercross. James Stewart from JGR Yamaha/Toyota got his first podium of the season with a third place finish. Matrix Concepts team riders hold 9 out of top 10 in point standings.

MatrixRacingProducts.com

Monster Energy AMA Supercross Point Standings:

1st Ryan Dungey ? KTM ? 67
2nd Chad Reed – HON ? 63
3rd Ryan Villopoto ? KAW ? 63
4th Jake Weimer ? KAW ? 48
5th James Stewart ? YAM ? 48
6th Kevin Windham ? HON ? 43
7th Brett Metcalf ? SUZ ? 38
8th Josh Hansen ? KAW ? 36
9th Andrew Short ? HON ? 36
10th Davi Millsaps – YAM ? 28

Get the latest SX news at http://www.facebook.com/matrixconcepts and if our riders sweep the podium a lucky fan will receive a FREE product from Matrix Concepts.

About Matrix Concepts:
Matrix Concepts is based in Valencia, California founded in 2009 and is used by the top MX/Off-road race teams in the world and offers a complete range of track/garage necessities that include personalized off road motorcycle Stands, Loading Ramps, Tie Downs, Utility cans and Worx Mats. For more information on Matrix Concepts products, visit: MatrixRacingProducts.com

Transworld Motocross » | Transworld Motocross

Marty Smith Steve Stackable Jeff Stanton Rex Staten James Stewart Jr

Chad Reed Party-Rocking at LA Supercross

January 25, 2012

$ 1.41 AN ISSUE + FREE GIFT

ON THE COVER: Geico Honda?s Justin Bogle made the trek from Oklahoma to race the 2011 TransWorld SLAM, and it paid off big time. Not only did he yield his first professional win, but he also scored the cover of the December issue. It seemed fitting that we capture his self-proclaimed patented “Granny Smith Apple Turndown” whip for his inaugural cover shot. A little old mixed with a little new. cover photo: Brendan Lutes
Transworld Motocross » | Transworld Motocross

Paul Cooper Josh Coppins Cody Copper Gordon Crockard Craig Dack

F1: New Toro Rosso duo admit Red Bull seat target

January 25, 2012

Jan.24 (GMM) Toro Rosso’s new drivers have admitted a seat at senior team Red Bull Racing is an obvious target for the future.

Jean-Eric Vergne

Photo by: xpb.cc

Mark Webber’s contract expires at the end of this season.

For 2012, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne have replaced Red Bull rookie team Toro Rosso’s former lineup of Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari.

“Of course I’d be happy to drive for Red Bull — that’s the big goal of all the Red Bull juniors.

“If we do everything right and we get the right results, then perhaps we will succeed in a year or two or three,” Australian Ricciardo told Austrian Servus TV.

He admitted his half-season with HRT is an advantage over Frenchman Vergne, whose first grand prix will be the Melbourne season opener in March.

“I think it will be perhaps a little easier for me to get into the season, but the advantage will not last long.

Daniel Ricciardo, Hispania Racing Team, HRT

Photo by: xpb.cc

“I’m sure it will help me but there is a lot of testing before Melbourne and we’ll both be prepared,” said Ricciardo.

On the plus side for Vergne, he is known for having an extremely feisty racing style and is highly rated by Red Bull’s influential Dr Helmut Marko.

Known in the paddock as ‘Jev’, Vergne said he will not lose focus by eyeing Webber’s seat prematurely.

“Since my karting days I’ve always had the philosophy to think only of the present. For example, I’ve never thought about formula one, but only the season I was in.

“In 2012 I drove for Toro Rosso; 2013 does not interest me now. I will give my best and then we’ll see what comes up.”

Motorsport.com – ALL – Stories

Josh Coppins Cody Copper Gordon Crockard Craig Dack Roger De Coster

2012 Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show

January 25, 2012

Click the images below for bigger versions:

The Whimsical, the Quirky and Motorcycles

For two days in April, the Half Moon Bay Airport will become one of the oddest places on earth due to a display of many quirky contraptions and flying machines at the Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show.

But it’s not just these oddities present at Half Moon Bay April 28-29; also present will be some cool cars, and of course custom motorcycles.

The shows promoter, Miramar Events, says: “One of the west coast’s biggest shows, this remarkable exhibit will feature hundreds of motorcycles representing every era and style complete with rumbling engines, impeccable detail work, and sparkling chrome – from antique turn-of-the-century models, high-performance sport, racing and off-road bikes to the hottest custom bikes of the modern era.

All motorcycles and two-wheel club riders are expected. Mirmar says all brands will be represented, from “turn-of-the-century Indians to customized modern-day Harleys,” to motorcycles from Ducati, Norton, BMW, Moto Guzzi and more.

With the motorcycles are the “whimsical, fascinating, amusing, curious and absolutely unique show and tell spectacle” will feature 2,000 magnificent driving, flying and working machines from the 20th and 21st centuries. Also present will be the world’s “coolest” cars, from Model T fire engines to historical aircraft to vintage buses.

The 22nd annual Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show, which will benefit Coastside Adult Health Center, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28-29 at the Half Moon Bay Airport, 20 miles south of San Francisco.

To show a motorcycle, the registration fee is $ 30 ($ 40 for entries postmarked after April 15) and includes a commemorative pin and admission for two people.

Spectator admission is $ 20 ($ 30 for 2-day pass) for adults, $ 10 ($ 15 for 2-day pass) for ages 11-17 and 65+, and free for kids age 10 and under. Tickets are available at the gate only.

For information and registration forms, call 650-726-2328, or visit miramarevents.com/dreammachines.

Jeff Emig Harry Everts Stefan Everts Jaroslav Falta Claudio Federici

AMA Supercross Video ? Main Event Los Angeles

January 25, 2012

Video Monday 23th January 2012 By Geoff Meyer

The third round of the AMA Supercross Championship was played out in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and it was the Aussie Chad Reed who took home the victory. Here is a cool video of the complete 450cc Main Event. Check out the battle with Reed and Stewart and the performance of Ryan Villopoto.

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Danny Chandler Eric Cheney Alessio Chiodi Jaromir Cizek Guy Cooper

GoPro Footage From Los Angeles Supercross

January 25, 2012

By MichaelAntonovich
Sun, Jan 22 2012 8:21 pm | 3 Comments

Now that this past weekend?s LA Supercross is officially in the books, the crew at GoPro have been able to compile and publish a few clips from the sport?s fastest riders.

James Stewart Main Event

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Ryan Sipes

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Nico Izzi

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Josh Grant

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Transworld Motocross » | Transworld Motocross

Doug Dubach Ryan Dungey Vic Eastwood Daryl Ecklund Erik Eggens

Racing Steps Foundation Riders Switch To Moto3 For 2012

January 25, 2012

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The Racing Steps Foundation backed motorcycle racing squad is switching from the 125cc category to Moto3 for 2012, it announced today.
The KRP-run team – comprising John McPhee (Oban, Argyll), Fraser Rogers (Chippenham, Wilts) and Wayne Ryan (New Romney, Kent) – is swapping its recently retired Aprilia and Honda two-strokes for the new 250cc four-stroke machines which will be campaigned across Europe.

The extensive test and race programme takes in the three main continental championships for the Moto3 class – the CEV Buckler, CIV and IDM series in Spain, Italy, and Germany – along with the single-round UEM European Championship at Albacete in October.

The squad also hopes to earn wildcard entries to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in June and two other European rounds on the World Championship calendar.

The RSF riders – who competed in Spain’s CEV Buckler and British 125GP Championships last year – will step up to the new category astride KRP’s own-design Hondas.

The KRP M3-01 machines – which are being built by the Buckinghamshire-based team to its own Moto3-compliant specification – feature innovative chassis and swingarms designed by long-time KRP associate BORA Specialised Fabrications. KRP team boss-turned-constructor Mark Keen and RSF motorcycle racing co-ordinator Peter Ball are also working closely with ex-Honda and Ferrari engineer Osamu Goto’s Lausanne-based Geo Technology on engine supply and race kits.

The prototype chassis are at an advanced stage awaiting delivery of the NSF 250R powerplants and add-ons. Keen and Ball have scheduled the riders to put the prototype through its paces at Albacete in early March following preliminary test runs in the UK in mid to late February.

“The step up to Moto3 is an exciting challenge,” said Ball. “Our preparation is going well, albeit it’s going to be a race against time to get the bikes ready and tested for the start of the season due to delays in the supply of Honda engines and other essential components.

“But practically all the other teams are in the same boat so it’s going be a more or less level playing field for the majority of us.”

Team boss Keen added:

“It will be interesting see how the other teams and bikes perform on the basis that we’re all starting from scratch. As a constructor our hope is that we’ve built a better bike than the others. But only time will tell.”

The RSF riders will compete in all seven of the CEV rounds in Spain together with selected non- clashing rounds in the Italian CIV and German IDM Championships. McPhee, aged 17, and Rogers (16), return to action after their debut seasons in the CEV 125cc Championship in which they finished 10th and 18th. McPhee will also draw on the experience gained from three 125cc World Championship rides in 2010/11.

Ryan (15) hits the continental series with two years’ experience in the British 125GP Championship under his belt. The teenager – who finished the 2011 UK series as Vice-Champion – also competed in three of the 2011 CEV rounds.

RSF founder Graham Sharp has singled out Dorna’s CEV Buckler Moto3 Championship as the team’s main focus over the course of the season.

“Dorna has shown time and again that it’s the best proving ground for the MotoGP riders of the future,” he said. “And MotoGP is where we want our riders to be. That was our aim when we added motorcycle racing to the RSF’s remit and that’s what we’re working hard to achieve. Consequently the CEV Championship is an essential part of our plan.”

The team’s first race will be round one of the CIV Championship at Mugello on March 25. The opening round of the CEV Buckler Championship takes place at Jerez on April 1.

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The Latest Motorcycle News

Gert van Doorn John Dowd John Draper Doug Dubach Ryan Dungey

Ducati Revamps American Retail Identity

January 25, 2012

2012 Honda NC700X | Preview 23 Jan 2012 – 21:01 KTM’s Caselli Wins Opening Hare & Hound 23 Jan 2012 – 20:55 2012 Dayton AMA Arenacross | Results 23 Jan 2012 – 20:47 Motorcycle Armor for Harley Tourers/Trikes 23 Jan 2012 – 20:39 Isle of Man TT: Hillier Set to Crack 130mph 23 Jan 2012 – 20:26 LA Supercross | Monster Girls Wallpaper 23 Jan 2012 – 19:38 2012 Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show 23 Jan 2012 – 19:09 2011 BMW R 1200 GS: UK Best Seller 23 Jan 2012 – 18:33 2013 Victory Judge Breaks Cover (Video) 23 Jan 2012 – 17:31 MotoGP: Mugello Wins 2011 IRTA Award 23 Jan 2012 – 17:10 NYC Motorcycle Show: Top 10 Sightings 23 Jan 2012 – 11:38 2012 MotoGP Pre-Season Test Schedule 23 Jan 2012 – 11:31 Reviews Favor CruiserWorks Motorcycle Boots 23 Jan 2012 – 11:17 Dakar: Avia Pays Tribute to KTM’s Coma 22 Jan 2012 – 17:32 Win a Trip to 2012 Isle of Man TT 22 Jan 2012 – 14:54 2012 Geneva X-Trial: Another Bou Victory 22 Jan 2012 – 14:46 Dodger Stadium AMA Supercross | Results 22 Jan 2012 – 14:20 2013 Victory Judge | Preview 21 Jan 2012 – 13:17 Husqvarna Unveils Concept Baja 21 Jan 2012 – 00:11 2012 Aprilia Shiver 750 | Quick Look 20 Jan 2012 – 12:31 Coriano Celebrates Simoncelli’s Birthday 20 Jan 2012 – 12:01 GEICO Honda Revs Dodgers Stadium SX 20 Jan 2012 – 11:44 Teens Awarded Following Fatal Motorcycle Hit & Run Case 20 Jan 2012 – 11:32 MotoGP: Ducati Wraps GP12 ‘Shakedown’ 20 Jan 2012 – 11:15 Dakar: Speedbrain Husqvarna Report 19 Jan 2012 – 17:29 Ducati North America: 2011 Sales Up 43% 19 Jan 2012 – 16:42 2012 Honda Shadow Aero | Quick Look 19 Jan 2012 – 11:46 Road Atlanta AMA: Historic Moto Grand Prix 19 Jan 2012 – 11:34 Rea & Aoyama: WSBK Test Wrap (Video) 19 Jan 2012 – 11:19 2012 Dakar: KTM’s Cyril Despres Wallpaper 18 Jan 2012 – 21:19

Carl Nunn Johnny O Mara Zach Osborne Trampas Parker Travis Pastrana

James Hillier Prepares For Busy Season With Bournemouth Primo Kawasaki

January 24, 2012

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Leading short circuit and road race performer James Hillier has confirmed he will once again contest the 2012 Isle of Man TT races, fuelled by Monster Energy, with the 26-year old leading the attack for the Bournemouth Pr1mo Kawasaki team.
It will be the 5th consecutive year that Hillier has competed on the Mountain Course and the winner of the prestigious Newcomers Trophy in 2008, has now firmly established himself as one of the leading racers at the TT.

One of the new breed of youngsters racing on both the roads and the short circuits, Hillier has a busy schedule at this year?s TT Races and will line up in all six solo races in June later this year having also secured a Lightweight TT machine. He was running fifth in the opening stages of the 2011 Dainese Superbike race and is clearly establishing himself as a potential TT winner of the future. He will be hoping to improve upon his best finish of 8th and a fastest lap of 127.661mph, which makes him the seventeenth fastest rider in TT history.

He originally made his name in the Virgin Mobile R6 Cup, and enjoyed success in the British Supersport Championship before moving on, firstly to the Metzeler National Superstock Championship and then in 2011 to the British Superbike Evo Championship where he finished 8th overall and a solid debut year in the Superbike division.

On the roads he made his TT debut in 2008 for the Martin Bullock Racing team when he took 17th and 19th in the two Supersport races, lapping at over 119mph and picking up two silver replicas and the Newcomers Trophy for his efforts. Since then, his road racing credentials have gone from strength to strength and he now has 15 finishes inside the top twenty at the TT with five of those top 10 and has 15 replicas. He finishedeighth place overall in the 2011 TT Championship, a stunning effort given the vastly more experienced riders he was up against.

James hopes to get a run out on his ER6 Kawasaki in February before undertaking a full testing programme in Spain in March as he also contests the premier British Superbike Championship this season. In addition, he also hopes to return to the North West 200, Ulster Grand Prix and Macau in what promises to be a busy season for the Hampshire rider.

Speaking about the season ahead, James said:

?I?m really looking forward to the year ahead and with regards to the TT I simply want to keep on improving and build upon the results I?ve achieved thus far. No-one?s getting slower so it?s not getting any easier but I?ve been steadily getting faster and would like to think I?ll be there or thereabouts this year. I?ll take it as it comes though as that?s the approach that?s served me well thus far and although I haven?t set myself many targets, I would like to crack the 130mph barrier on the Superbike.?

?I?ll also be contesting the new Lightweight TT and am really excited about that. Ryan (Farquhar) has done all the chassis work for us with the ER6 Kawasaki and the bike sounds really good so it could be the one that gives me my best result. It should be a bit more of a level playing field and promises to be a really good class.?

Peter Extance, Team Owner at Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing commented:

?James Hillier is a real credit and asset to Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing. We have supported him fully for four years and for us he is the reason why we are involved in Racing. James is a local lad and we have seen his potential grow over the years into what we hope will be podiums and wins at the TT. James has been a real team member and not just a Rider turning up and riding the bike. You will still see James putting up the awning and pit garage and taking it all down again at the end. For 2012 we have invested heavily in trying to give James the best machinery possible for the TT and we believe it is the time for James to be pushing on to the top steps and with seven races at this year?s event we are really excited that he can fulfil his and our dreams in 2012.?

Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, Isle of Man Government commented:

?James was one of the potential stars of the future that we highlighted in our 2008 ?Young Guns? campaign and he?s really starting to fulfil his potential. I have no doubt that he will be a TT star for many years to come and will be challenging for a podium place sooner rather than later.?

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Paul Cooper Josh Coppins Cody Copper Gordon Crockard Craig Dack

Tyla Rattray ? His Los Angeles AMA Supercross

January 24, 2012

A week is a long time in professional sports. Anything can happen and, as the saying goes, it usually does. Motocross, a sport that represents the pinnacle of man-machine interaction, is not immune to this. On the contrary. It’s tough and physical, treacherous to boot, and generates squirts of adrenalin by the gallon. The potential for disaster looms ever-large, and the margin between the ecstasy of winning and the…

A week ago, Tyla Rattray took possession of the red number plate of the AMA Lites Supercross series. This marked him as the current leader of the championship, marking him as one of the very few riders in the world ever to have held a red plate in world championship motocross, AMA motocross and AMA supercross. Pleased as he was, he remained with his feet firmly rooted in reality. The championship is not decided in January. A lot of fumes still need to be pumped through the exhausts before the championship is over.
Coming into the third round of the series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the South African knew he had a huge target on his back. The racing is competitive throughout, but it’s the man in the lead that everyone is gunning for, that everyone wants to dethrone. He is never one to shirk his duties or shy away from a challenge, though, and he made the trip to the stadium ready for all comers. Some intermittent – and sometimes heavy – rain had brought the covers onto the track, and in order to maintain the track in as good condition as possible, the organizers dispensed with two of the training sessions, leaving a single pre-qualifying session. Tyla is never going to go down in history is the world’s greatest exponent of the single qualifying lap, and he was pretty satisfied that his seventh time overall had given him enough view time of the track to stand him in good stead for when the real business took place.

A less-than-perfect start in the qualifying race got the championship leader’s evenign going on his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki. Even though his laptimes were still not the most quasar-like of the field, he has oodles of racecraft and recovered well to finish fifth, for a comfortable transfer into the main event. The fans, undaunted by the early rain, had again arrived in mnumers and there was a proper cacophony of appreciation as the class took to the field for the main race. Tyla’s lightning starts of the previous event were packed away somewhere in his kit bag, but he got away in a top five position nonetheless. He latched onto teammate Dean WIlson, and the two Kawasakis made their inevitable progress to the front. A serious battle was brewing on Tyla’s rear flank however, as former double world champion Marvin Musquin set up his artillery. Musquin found a hole to squeeze through, and Tyla was momentarily demoted ot sixht spot, but he disposed of Martin Davalos in turn and reclaimed fifth spot.

As the race progressed, Tyla was getting into a good race rhythm. He actually set his fastest race lap on the tenth lap as he was homing in on Musquin again. The Frenchman made things easy for him by succumbing to the effects of gravity, and the Kawasaki moved into fourth spot. Meanwhile, Eli Tomac had typed in a winning address and emailed himself off into the distance at the front, and Wilson finessed his way into second spot. Tyla had the sights set on Zack Osborne in third spot, and made serious inroads into Osborne’s lead, but time ran out, and he had to contend himself with third spot.

As predicted before the first wheels were turned in anger, the 2012 season has turned into a real good old-fashioned humdinger. In three rounds, the series has seen three different leaders, and with fourth place on the evening, Tyla had to bid his red plate adieu for the moment. He is still very mcuh in the running though, lying in third position, just 3 points adrift of series leader Tomac, and two shy of teammate Wilson.

“I knew that this was going to be a tough run,” he said after the race. “I need to be consistent throughout the season and get the best possible result on a race by race basis. There are a good few riders who can win on any given night, and the championship points can get mixed up quite a bit with one bad result. I’m looking forward to fighting for the top spot again at the next round.”

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Dusty Klatt Arne Kring Brad Lackey Arthur Lampkin Steve Lamson

Chad Reed And His Dance Career ? The Video

January 24, 2012

News Tuesday 24th January 2012 By Geoff Meyer

Chad Reed has always been known for looking good and riding smart, but what many people don’t know is the Aussie can also dance. Check out this funny video of the AMA Supercross legend dancing his way to victory last weekend in Los Angeles.

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Willy Bauer Jean Michel Bayle Pit Beirer Christian Beggi Mike Bell

AMA Supercross Action ? The Video

January 24, 2012

News Monday 23th January 2012 By Geoff Meyer

Here is a cool video of James Stewart crashing in his heat race and also the heat race action. Seems like this series is getting wilder and wilder as the best Supercross riders in the World try and better the other. At times scary and little wonder so many riders get injuried doing it.

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Warren Reid Pierre Renet Marc de Reuver Michele Rinaldi Joel Robert

Race Report: Los Angeles SX

January 24, 2012

By Jordan Powell
Sun, Jan 22 2012 2:53 am | 2 Comments

Lites Qualifying

When the gates dropped for the first heat race of the night, Max Anstie blasted out front on his Martin Honda. Close behind was Rockstar/Valli-Star/Yamaha?s Ryan Sipes. Sipes quickly started to make passes at Anstie, and on the second lap the move stuck on the young British rider. Anstie tried to keep hold of second, but Dean Wilson blocked Anstie on the same lap and took the spot. Meanwhile Zach Osborne and Cole Seely were moving quickly through the pack and they eventually climbed into third and fouth. The top four riders pulled away from the rest of the pack as Sipes took the win in heat number one.

Heat One Results

1. Ryan Sipes (Yam)

2. Dean Wilson (Kaw)

3. Zach Osborne (Yam)

4. Cole Seely (Hon)

5. Michael Leib (Hon)

6. Max Anstie (Hon)

7. Vince Friese (Hon)

8. Scott Champion (Hon)

9. Billy Laninovich (Hon)

Eli Tomac quickly jumped out front in heat number two of the Lites class, but Martin Davalos moved his way into first after a couple of turns. After two laps, Davalos, Tomac, Nico Izzi, Tyla Rattray, and Marvin Musquin held down the top five positions. Rattray faltered and dropped back to seventh as Musquin moved up to fourth. Tomac kept the crowd on their feet as he consistently searched for lines to pass Davalos. The two riders ran in to one another multiple times, but Davalos was able maintain his position and he took the win in the second Lites heat race.

Heat Two Results

1. Martin Davalos (Suz)

2. Eli Tomac (Hon)

3. Marvin Musquin (KTM)

4. Nico Izzi (Yam)

5. Tyla Rattray (Kaw)

6. Teddy Maier (Hon)

7. Moss (KTM)

8. Travis Baker (Hon)

9. Nick Paluzzi (Kaw)

Lites LCQ

After a dismal heat race Rockstar Suzuki?s Jason Anderson found himself on the line for the night?s LCQ. Anderson handled the field from the moment the gate dropped, leading every lap and gapping the field in the process. Gavin Faith would take second and the final transfer spot in to the main on his debut ride for the Gieco Powersports Honda team.

1. Jason Anderson

2. Gavin Faith

Lites Main Event

Martin Davalos dashed ahead of the pack to the first turn and bypassed the carnage that claimed a slew of competitors, including Cole Seely and Nico Izzi. Davalos? lead would be short lived as Eli Tomac swooped past the Suzuki rider and tore away on the open track. Tomac would lead the entire fifteen lap affair, taking both the overall win and point lead in the process. The struggle for the remaining podium spots raged on behind the Honda rider, as American export Zach Osborne and Dean Wilson both made passes on Davalos before engaging in a battle of their own. Osborne, who has limited Supercross experience since his move to Europe, set a high cadence that Wilson easily matched, and the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider stole second position in the waning moments of the race.

Jason Anderson would carry the momentum gained from his dominant appearance in the LCQ to the main event, finish fifth behind Tyla Rattray. Only two Lites riders, Anderson and winner Tomac, were able to triple-triple a difficult rhythm section that ran alongside the starting line, with Tomac being the sole rider capable of consistently landing it in the main event.

Overall
1. Eli Tomac
2. Dean Wilson
3. Zach Osborne
4. Tyla Rattray
5. Jason Anderson
6. Max Anstie
7. Michael Leib
8. Matt Moss
9. Martin Davalos
10. Billy Laninovich
11. Nico Izzi
12. Ryan Sipes
13. Vince Friese
14. Teddy Maier
15. Cole Seely
16. Scott Champion
17. Nick Paluzzi
18. Gavin Faith
19. Marvin Musquin
20. Travis Baker 250 Class West Coast Championship Standings (After 3 of 7 rounds)

1. Eli Tomac (63pts/1 win)
2. Dean Wilson (62pts/1 win)
3. Tyla Rattray (60pts)
4. Cole Seely (47pts)
5. Zach Osborne (47pts)
6. Jason Anderson (44pts)
7. Marvin Musquin (42pts)
8. MAx Anstie (32pts)
9. Nico Izzi (32pts)
10. Billy Laninovich (27pts)

Top Lap Times
1. Eli Tomac 53.915
2. Martin Davalos 54.380
3. Dean Wilson 54.705
4. Marvin Musquin 54.889
5. Zach Osborne 55.018

Transworld Motocross » | Transworld Motocross

John Dowd John Draper Doug Dubach Ryan Dungey Vic Eastwood

NASCAR: Evans, Inman, Waltrip, Wood, Yarborough join Hall of Fame

January 24, 2012

The NASCAR Hall of Fame inducted five new members during its annual induction ceremony in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday. Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough officially became members 11 through 15 of the Hall by being inducted as the third class.

“I’m kind of familiar with this ring,” Inman said of the momento that is given out to all inductees. “For the last two or three years,” Richard (Petty) has put it in my face a bunch of times.”

This is not just about me being inducted in the Hall of Fame, it’s also about the Wood Brothers.

Glen Wood

As a cousin of Richard Petty, Inman became the third member of that family to be inducted, with Petty being a part of the first class of inductees and his father, Lee Petty, being inducted in 2011.

Inman was Richard Petty’s wingman, of sorts. He served as crew chief at Petty Enterprises throughout most of Petty’s driving career. Petty may have seven Cup titles, but his cousin, Inman, one-upped him in that category, claiming an eighth championship as crew chief for Terry Labonte in 1984 during a period of time that Petty and Inman went their separate ways and Inman crew chiefed elsewhere.

“Tonight, Dale Inman and Richard Petty are together again as Hall of Fame members,” ceremony host Mike Joy said.

Dale Inman

Photo by: Getty Images

Evans may not have been a fixture in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series but he was to modified racing what Hall of Fame member Richard Petty was to Cup racing — king. Evans claimed NASCAR’s modified championship nine times in 13 years, eight of those coming consecutively between 1978 and 1985. The 1985 championship was awarded to Evans post-death, as he was killed in a crash a few weeks earlier at Martinsville Speedway. After posting 12 wins that season, Evans clinched the title several weeks prior to the season finale.

Evans’ widow, Lynn, accepted her late husband’s Hall of Fame ring.

“I know you’re here in spirit as the No. 61 appears often in my life,” she said. “Even as I checked into the hotel, the No. 61 came up. I’d especially like to thank the Hall of Fame voting panel for stepping outside the box and making Rich the first driver inductee not to have raced in NASCAR’s top series full-time.”

Richie Evans, a nine-time NASCAR champion, heads the NASCAR Modified All-Time Top 10 drivers

Photo by: Motorsports Images and Archives

Waltrip is a three time Sprint (then-Winston) Cup champion, claiming consecutive titles in 1981 and 1982, and then another one in 1985 while driving for fellow-Hall of Famer Junior Johnson. He is tied for fourth with another Hall of Fame member, Bobby Allison, on the Sprint Cup all-time win list with 84 trips to victory lane. He moved to the television broadcast booth after his retirement from competition at the end of the 2000 race season.

“I was telling (wife) Stevie earlier this week that I hoped I wouldn’t get emotional tonight, but she reminded me ‘Honey, you always get emotional about the things you are passionate about,’: Waltrip said. “This night, these men, and the people in this room, they’re what inspire me.”

Waltrip is the second member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame to find a home in the broadcast booth after a career behind the wheel, following in the footsteps of second class inductee, Ned Jarrett.

Wood, along with brothers Leonard and Delano Wood, started what is now the longest-running team in NASCAR — Wood Brothers Racing. Wood began his racing career driving for the family team and found success behind the wheel. He was still a competitive driver when he opted to climb out of the famed No. 21 car and took on other duties within the team that got its start in 1950. Altogether, Wood Brothers Racing has 98 wins at the Sprint Cup level, the most recent being the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne behind the wheel. Other Hall of Fame members, including Cale Yarborough and David Pearson, are among the lengthy roster of drivers who won races in the No. 21 car.

Cale Yarborough

Photo by: Getty Images

“This is not just about me being inducted in the Hall of Fame,” Wood said. “It’s also about the Wood Brothers. And it’s about NASCAR, and I’m proud to have been a NASCAR driver and car owner for the past 60 years, and I’m proud of this great honor.”

Yarborough set a NASCAR record in the late 1970s that stood until Jimmie Johnson put together a string of five championships to top it. Yarborough’s Cup titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978 made him the first driver to claim three-consecutive Cup championships. Johnson has been the only driver to meet or exceed the accomplishment. Yarborough has 83 Cup wins to his credit, including four Daytona 500 victories. The only other driver with more Daytona 500 wins is Petty with seven.

“Racing is like a big, tall ladder,” Yarborough said. “When you begin, you’re at the bottom, and it’s a long, hard climb. And tonight, I feel like I’m standing on the top step.”

Motorsport.com – ALL – Stories

Jonathan Barragan Andrea Bartolini Willy Bauer Jean Michel Bayle Pit Beirer

2013 Victory Judge Unveiled

January 24, 2012

Top Stories Right Now

Relates Stories

American muscle never died, it just needed handlebars
All-New Victory Judge rules the Street, with Muscle Car inspired styling & American Power. At the intersection of exhilarating American V-Twin power and dynamic musclebike styling is the all-new Victory Judge. This is a new cruiser from Victory, the only brand that can combine such powerful new styling with dominating V-Twin power and smooth, confidence-inspiring handling for riders of all sizes.

STYLE

- The Victory Judge has a powerful silhouette and details that evoke visions of classic American muscle cars. Deeply sculpted bodywork and blacked-out components give the bike a strong purpose. Three paint options including a sinister Gloss Black, Sunset Red, and a signature Suede Nuclear Sunset, host the minimal graphics. No frills, no excess, no excuses.

Lots of bikes look good when parked, the Judge looks like it?s just resting up for the next challenge. The fuel tank features signature Victory styling, the new headlight has crisp design lines and the side covers have oval faces just waiting to be customised .

The frame, dual exhaust, triple trees, cases, cylinder heads and more are blacked-out. The Judge says, ?Just drop the polish and pull thetrigger.? The drag bars and bodywork are all new, as is the styling of the taillight, fender struts and new EFI covers between the cylinders.

The Victory Judge features new 5-spoke cast wheels that evoke memories of performance mag wheels seen at racetracks in the 70?s. These 16? rims are shod with premium Dunlop Elite II tyres with raised white lettering, the perfect look on this performance cruiser.

PERFORMANCE

- The Judge pulses with Victory Engineering DNA, delivering premium power and braking, and a smooth ride and handling. A Judge rider is in an engaged riding position, on top of the action, and in total command of the bike. The mid-mount lower controls create comfortable, confidence-inspiring ergonomics. A rider?s intuitive, natural leaning produces easy, responsive handling. Roll smoothly through tight turns and carve twisties on the gas as the premium suspension and semi-floating brake rotors blend into seamless performance.

With the rearward control positions and 25.9? (658 mm) seat height, the Judge is an ideal cruiser for riders with modest inseams. Its incredible balance and low centre of gravity invite riders of all heights to get on and go.

Street-owning power flows from within the Freedom® 106/6 V-Twin. It serves up loads of torque that let the rider punch through the gnarliest traffic, hustle through the curves and decimate any straight. Helical cut gears in the proven 6-speed transmission deliver consistently smooth shifting. The true overdrive of 6thgear delivers smooth highway cruising, and a positive neutral finder simplifies the stoplight-to-stoplight battles.

The 4.5-gallon (17.0 L) fuel tank offers great range and is coupled to a high-end fuel injection system that can handle any riding conditions.

Pure Victory Gear, available from Victory dealers and 24/7 at www.purepolaris.com , features Judge-specific accessories so every rider can make their Judge truly their bike.

THE VERDICT

The all-new Victory Judge presides where American V-Twin power intersects with dynamic muscle bike styling that only Victory can deliver. The Judge opens a new chapter of outstanding Victory cruiser performance. It serves up incredible handling and street-dominating power for a phenomenal riding experience.

www.victorymotorcycles.co.uk

VICTORY JUDGE SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE TYPE 4-Stroke 50° V-Twin

COOLING SYSTEM Air / Oil

DISPLACEMENT 106 ci / 1731 cc

BORE X STROKE 101 x 108 mm

COMPRESSION RATIO 9.4 : 1

VALVE TRAIN Single Overhead Camshafts with 4 Valves per Cylinder, Self-adjusting Cam Chains, Hydraulic Lifters

FUEL SYSTEM Electronic Fuel Injection with Dual 45 mm Throttle Body

FUEL CAPACITY 4.5 US gal / 17.0 ltr

EXHAUST Staggered Slash-cut Dual Exhaust with Crossover

OIL CAPACITY 5.0 qts/ 4.75 ltr

CHARGING SYSTEM 38 Amps Max Output

BATTERY 12 Volts / 18 Amp Hours

PRIMARY DRIVE Gear Drive with Torque Compensator

CLUTCH Wet, Multi-plate

TRANSMISSION 6-speed Overdrive Constant Mesh

FINAL DRIVE Carbon Fiber Reinforced Belt

CHASSIS DIMENSIONS

¡¤ Length 92.0 in / 2337 mm
¡¤ Wheelbase 64.8 in / 1647 mm
¡¤ Seat Height 25.9 in / 658 mm
¡¤ Ground Clearance 4.7 in / 120 mm
¡¤ Rake/ Trail 31.7° / 6.7 in / 170 mm
¡¤ Dry Weight 660 lbs / 300 kg
¡¤ GVWR 1151 lbs / 522 kg

FRONT SUSPENSION

¡¤ Type Conventional Telescopic Fork
¡¤ Travel 5.1 in / 130 mm

REAR SUSPENSION

¡¤ Shock Absorber Single, Mono-tube Gas
¡¤ Swingarm Cast aluminium with Rising Rate Linkage
¡¤ Travel 3.0 in / 75 mm
¡¤ Adjustments Preload Adjustable Spring

BRAKES

¡¤ BrakeSystem Type Conventional
¡¤ Front System Type 300mm Floating Rotor with 4-piston Caliper
¡¤ Rear System Type 300mm Floating Rotor with 2-piston Caliper

WHEELS

¡¤ Front 16 x 3.5 in
¡¤ Rear 16 x 3.5 in

TYRES

¡¤ Front 130/90 B16 67H Dunlop 491 Elite II-RWL
¡¤ Rear 140/90 B16 77H Dunlop 491 Elite II-RWL

COLOUR OPTIONS

Gloss Black, Suede Nuclear Sunset, Sunset Red

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The Latest Motorcycle News

Chad Reed Warren Reid Pierre Renet Marc de Reuver Michele Rinaldi

2012 Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show

January 24, 2012

Click the images below for bigger versions:

The Whimsical, the Quirky and Motorcycles

For two days in April, the Half Moon Bay Airport will become one of the oddest places on earth due to a display of many quirky contraptions and flying machines at the Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show.

But it’s not just these oddities present at Half Moon Bay April 28-29; also present will be some cool cars, and of course custom motorcycles.

The shows promoter, Miramar Events, says: “One of the west coast’s biggest shows, this remarkable exhibit will feature hundreds of motorcycles representing every era and style complete with rumbling engines, impeccable detail work, and sparkling chrome – from antique turn-of-the-century models, high-performance sport, racing and off-road bikes to the hottest custom bikes of the modern era.

All motorcycles and two-wheel club riders are expected. Mirmar says all brands will be represented, from “turn-of-the-century Indians to customized modern-day Harleys,” to motorcycles from Ducati, Norton, BMW, Moto Guzzi and more.

With the motorcycles are the “whimsical, fascinating, amusing, curious and absolutely unique show and tell spectacle” will feature 2,000 magnificent driving, flying and working machines from the 20th and 21st centuries. Also present will be the world’s “coolest” cars, from Model T fire engines to historical aircraft to vintage buses.

The 22nd annual Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show, which will benefit Coastside Adult Health Center, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28-29 at the Half Moon Bay Airport, 20 miles south of San Francisco.

To show a motorcycle, the registration fee is $ 30 ($ 40 for entries postmarked after April 15) and includes a commemorative pin and admission for two people.

Spectator admission is $ 20 ($ 30 for 2-day pass) for adults, $ 10 ($ 15 for 2-day pass) for ages 11-17 and 65+, and free for kids age 10 and under. Tickets are available at the gate only.

For information and registration forms, call 650-726-2328, or visit miramarevents.com/dreammachines.

Jean Michel Bayle Pit Beirer Christian Beggi Mike Bell John van den Berk

NASCAR: Evans, Inman, Waltrip, Wood, Yarborough join Hall of Fame

January 24, 2012

The NASCAR Hall of Fame inducted five new members during its annual induction ceremony in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday. Richie Evans, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and Cale Yarborough officially became members 11 through 15 of the Hall by being inducted as the third class.

“I’m kind of familiar with this ring,” Inman said of the momento that is given out to all inductees. “For the last two or three years,” Richard (Petty) has put it in my face a bunch of times.”

This is not just about me being inducted in the Hall of Fame, it’s also about the Wood Brothers.

Glen Wood

As a cousin of Richard Petty, Inman became the third member of that family to be inducted, with Petty being a part of the first class of inductees and his father, Lee Petty, being inducted in 2011.

Inman was Richard Petty’s wingman, of sorts. He served as crew chief at Petty Enterprises throughout most of Petty’s driving career. Petty may have seven Cup titles, but his cousin, Inman, one-upped him in that category, claiming an eighth championship as crew chief for Terry Labonte in 1984 during a period of time that Petty and Inman went their separate ways and Inman crew chiefed elsewhere.

“Tonight, Dale Inman and Richard Petty are together again as Hall of Fame members,” ceremony host Mike Joy said.

Dale Inman

Photo by: Getty Images

Evans may not have been a fixture in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series but he was to modified racing what Hall of Fame member Richard Petty was to Cup racing — king. Evans claimed NASCAR’s modified championship nine times in 13 years, eight of those coming consecutively between 1978 and 1985. The 1985 championship was awarded to Evans post-death, as he was killed in a crash a few weeks earlier at Martinsville Speedway. After posting 12 wins that season, Evans clinched the title several weeks prior to the season finale.

Evans’ widow, Lynn, accepted her late husband’s Hall of Fame ring.

“I know you’re here in spirit as the No. 61 appears often in my life,” she said. “Even as I checked into the hotel, the No. 61 came up. I’d especially like to thank the Hall of Fame voting panel for stepping outside the box and making Rich the first driver inductee not to have raced in NASCAR’s top series full-time.”

Richie Evans, a nine-time NASCAR champion, heads the NASCAR Modified All-Time Top 10 drivers

Photo by: Motorsports Images and Archives

Waltrip is a three time Sprint (then-Winston) Cup champion, claiming consecutive titles in 1981 and 1982, and then another one in 1985 while driving for fellow-Hall of Famer Junior Johnson. He is tied for fourth with another Hall of Fame member, Bobby Allison, on the Sprint Cup all-time win list with 84 trips to victory lane. He moved to the television broadcast booth after his retirement from competition at the end of the 2000 race season.

“I was telling (wife) Stevie earlier this week that I hoped I wouldn’t get emotional tonight, but she reminded me ‘Honey, you always get emotional about the things you are passionate about,’: Waltrip said. “This night, these men, and the people in this room, they’re what inspire me.”

Waltrip is the second member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame to find a home in the broadcast booth after a career behind the wheel, following in the footsteps of second class inductee, Ned Jarrett.

Wood, along with brothers Leonard and Delano Wood, started what is now the longest-running team in NASCAR — Wood Brothers Racing. Wood began his racing career driving for the family team and found success behind the wheel. He was still a competitive driver when he opted to climb out of the famed No. 21 car and took on other duties within the team that got its start in 1950. Altogether, Wood Brothers Racing has 98 wins at the Sprint Cup level, the most recent being the 2011 Daytona 500 with Trevor Bayne behind the wheel. Other Hall of Fame members, including Cale Yarborough and David Pearson, are among the lengthy roster of drivers who won races in the No. 21 car.

Cale Yarborough

Photo by: Getty Images

“This is not just about me being inducted in the Hall of Fame,” Wood said. “It’s also about the Wood Brothers. And it’s about NASCAR, and I’m proud to have been a NASCAR driver and car owner for the past 60 years, and I’m proud of this great honor.”

Yarborough set a NASCAR record in the late 1970s that stood until Jimmie Johnson put together a string of five championships to top it. Yarborough’s Cup titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978 made him the first driver to claim three-consecutive Cup championships. Johnson has been the only driver to meet or exceed the accomplishment. Yarborough has 83 Cup wins to his credit, including four Daytona 500 victories. The only other driver with more Daytona 500 wins is Petty with seven.

“Racing is like a big, tall ladder,” Yarborough said. “When you begin, you’re at the bottom, and it’s a long, hard climb. And tonight, I feel like I’m standing on the top step.”

Motorsport.com – ALL – Stories

Auguste Mingels Marty Moates Guennady Moisseev Bobby Moore Blair Morgan

New Victory Judge unveiled

January 24, 2012

By Phil West -

New bikes

23 January 2012 15:16

This is Victory?s new Judge ? the latest bike to follow the trend for blacked-out, minimalist, hot rod-style cruisers.

Unveiled this week at the New York Motorcycle Show, the Judge is a mean ?n? moody, performance-orientated cruiser with minimalist styling.

It?s based around Victory?s familiar 1731cc, fuel-injected, ?Freedom? V-twin, , but with fat, 16-inch tyres, low ?drag? bars, blacked-out components and a moody, minimalist styling incorporating new body work.

The Judge will get its UK public debut at MCN?s London Motorcycle Show at Excel next month and will go on sale in June for an estimated £11,500.

More details in this week?s Motorcycle News, on sale Wednesday.

| Motorcycle News

Andrew McFarlane Brett Metcalfe Heikki Mikkola Auguste Mingels Marty Moates

Riders named for 2012 British motocross championship

January 24, 2012

The ACU have released their rider list for the 2012 Maxxis British motocross championship which starts at Fat Cats on March 11th.

Looking at both MX1 and MX2 lists we can’t really see any controversial rider selections or riders that’s really should have been there, sure you will get riders saying I deserve to be racing but unfortunately not everyone can.

2012 looks on paper to be one of the strongest years yet and team MOTO are buzzing to get to Fat Cats to do our thing.

Series Manager, Brian Higgins commented, “We took great lengths to investigate the background and results of all of the riders who applied. This year it was over fifty in each class, which is not enough to go back to the old qualifying system, but does leave a headache for the selection process. I would urge the unsuccessul applicants to consider entering single rounds later in the year when spaces become available as a good haul of points over three races may make a difference for 2013″.

MX1
3 Tony Craig Mickey Oats Motorcycles Honda
5 Josh Waterman Dyer & Butler Suzuki
6 Brad Tomlin (Reserve) G H Motorcycles Yamaha
8 Stephen Sword Tyco Suzuki by TAS Suzuki
14 Brad Cavill (Reserve) S J Hodder Ltd Honda
17 Jason Dougan Route 77 Energy MVRD Honda Honda
18 Josh Spinks Redline KTM UK KTM
20 Harry McKenna Buff Honda Honda
22 Kevin Strijbos HM Plant KTM UK KTM
24 Shaun Simpson Monster Energy Bike it Yamah… Yamaha
25 Jamie Law D 3 Racing KTM
26 Aston Bird Gateway Kawasaki Kawasaki
27 Lewis Gregory Apico Suzuki Suzuki
31 Alex Snow Oakleaf Kawasaki Kawasaki
33 Wayne Garrett JAR Honda Honda
35 John May St Blazey MX Honda
36 Matthew Moffat Team Dean Moff Star Racing KTM
37 Gert Krestinov Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasak… Kawasaki
38 Daniel Hutchinson Bikesport Newcastle KTM
41 Alfie Smith JK Rinaldi Yamaha Yamaha
42 Nathann Parker Team STR KTM KTM
50 Martin Barr Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasak… Kawasaki
51 Luke Blanchard (Reserve) Yamaha
90 Michael Mahon VMX KTM KTM
91 Mattis Karro Team STR KTM KTM
106 Will Worden Gibbs Performance
111 Kelvin Townsend (Reserve) Suzuki
118 Jamie Smith Regent Motocross Honda
129 Ross Hill Danger UK Suzuki
180 Maarten Cremers Phoenix Tools Honda Racing Honda
190 Luke Benstead Colchester Kawasaki Kawasaki
212 Marc De Reuver Lanes Kawasaki Kawasaki
221 George Baldwin (Reserve) GB MX Racing Honda
227 Kristian Whatley PAR Honda Honda
293 Ryan McLean Yamaha
295 Ross Rutherford Bikesport Newcastle Honda
311 Lewis King TM UK TM
331 Ashley Greedy TM UK TM
355 Ross Flashman (Reserve) Colin Flashman Motorcycles Honda
438 Jackson Evans Phoenix Tools Honda Racing Honda
700 Sam Simmons Motoward Yamaha Yamaha
701 Dorron Coutts PAR Honda Honda
704 Ashley Wilde Sandbach Scrap Metal Kawasaki
731 Jake Shipton (Reserve) Poole Yamaha Yamaha
911 Peter Mitchell Rockstar KTM KTM

MX2
5 Graeme Irwin Samsung Yamaha Yamaha
7 Arnaud Tonus Monster Energy Bike it Yamah… Yamaha
11 Matt Burrows SBW Honda Honda
12 Luke Hawkins Apico Suzuki Suzuki
19 Ryan Houghton Buildbase Honda Racing Honda
24 Luke Remmer (Reserve) MX Protech Yamaha
26 Carlton Husband (Reserve) Dixon Racing Academy Yamaha
44 Elliott Banks Browne HM Plant KTM UK KTM
50 Sean Mitchell HM Plant KTM UK KTM
51 Alan Keet Dyer & Butler Suzuki
63 Jordan Divall Evotech Stevens Honda Honda
66 Lewis Tombs John Banks Honda Honda
68 Shane Carless Rockstar KTM KTM
71 Alexander Eriksson Twisted 7 Kawasaki Team Gre… Kawasaki
73 Luke Norris MNE Kawasaki Kawasaki
87 Michael McCammond (Reserve) JAR Honda Honda
92 James Dodd Oakleaf Kawasaki Kawasaki
99 Nathan Watson PAR Honda Honda
100 David Goosen Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasak… Kawasaki
111 Ray Rowson Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasak… Kawasaki
114 Jordon Booker Buildbase Honda Racing Honda
119 Mel Pocock Monster Energy Bike it Yamah… Yamaha
121 Bryan MacKenzie Rockstar KTM KTM
125 Mark Perfect (Reserve) Rockstar KTM KTM
131 Nicolas Aubin Buildbase Honda Racing Honda
141 Damon Strydom (Reserve) Apico Suzuki Suzuki
144 Luke Mellows Meredith MX Suzuki
151 Matt Bayliss Wooldridge / Helyar MX Honda
162 Stuart Edmonds Tyco Suzuki by TAS Suzuki
177 Sunny Thompson Lanes Kawasaki Kawasaki
200 James Dunn HM Plant KTM UK KTM
214 Lewis Trickett (Reserve) Twisted 7 Pro Circuit Monste… Kawasaki
271 Tom Kelly Rev Racing Honda Honda
272 Neville Bradshaw Evotech Stevens Honda Honda
303 Jake Millward Oakleaf Kawasaki Kawasaki
321 Bradley Pocock Route 77 Energy MVRD Honda Honda
338 Zach Osborne Monster Energy Bike it Yamah… Yamaha
356 Anthony Reville Rev Racing Honda Honda
444 Jim Davies TM UK TM
511 Kieran Scheele Dirtbike Gym Eastwood Honda Honda
571 Ryan Pottenger (Reserve) TM UK TM
685 Steven Lenoir Samsung Yamaha Yamaha
711 James Cottrell Pulse DB Racing Honda
811 Adam Sterry PAR Honda Honda
871 Connor Walkley Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasak… Kawasaki

MXY2
3 Christopher Bayliss Wooldridge / Helyar MX Honda
5 Ben Howell KTM
6 Gradie Featherstone WPR KTM Team KTM
10 Oliver Osmaston MXW Racing Honda
11 Sam Winterburn Yamaha
14 Daniel Maxey Kawasaki
17 Fraser Wakeford Dixon Racing Academy Yamaha
18 Ryan Monckton Honda
19 Jamie Ellis Honda
20 Alec Carefoot Carefoot PLC Honda
23 Luke Newman Kawasaki
34 Liam Knight Mavrick Racing KTM
44 Simon Booth Hammond Racing Suzuki
54 Joe Bamfield Samsung Yamaha Yamaha
69 Jacob Joyce Bubblitex KTM
74 Jordan Martin Yamaha
77 Arminuas Jasikonis Route 77 Energy KTM
84 Connor Clark Grizzly Racing.NL KTM
92 Jordan McClelland JRM Pallet Solutions Suzuki
94 Zac Wood Bikesport Newcastle Kawasaki
95 Dan Thornhill Suzuki GB Youth Team Suzuki
99 Ben Watson PAR Honda Honda
100 James Rutter Spectrum Hose Honda
102 James white TMC Moto X Honda
108 Oliver Townsend N P Racing Honda
111 Lloyd Pettett Motocross Racing Services Honda
114 Robert Davidson Honda
117 Mark Carvill Carvill Developments Ltd Kawasaki
122 Jonathan Cole (Reserve) Dextra Crescent Suzuki
131 Jack Gardner MX Racing KTM
148 Michael Eccles WPR KTM Team KTM
152 Matthew Callaghan (Reserve) Honda
153 James Harrison Lanes Kawasaki Kawasaki
179 Duarte Claro (Reserve) KTM
311 Jack Kelly Malin Honda Honda
313 Murray Clunie Scorpion Site Services KTM
337 Glen McCormick WATT Kawasaki
360 Nathan Dixon Feehily MX Honda
511 Jay Lamb KTM
591 William Wall (Reserve) Honda
681 Tommy Alba Oakleaf Kawasaki Kawasaki
714 Brad Todd Rev Racing Honda Honda
735 Dima Fricks (Reserve) Motoward Yamaha Yamaha
888 Conor Campbell Yamaha
994 Damon Brooks Kawasaki UK Kawasaki

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Moto

Mike Kiedrowski Darryll King Shayne King Heinz Kinigadner Dusty Klatt

WRC: M-Sport Monte Carlo Rally leg 3 summary

January 23, 2012

M-Sport Crews Continue Monte Carlo Charge

Evgeney Novikov and Denis Giraudet, Ford Fiesta RS WRC

Photo by: Ford Motor Company

On day 3 of the 80th Rallye Monte-Carlo, the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team crews showed further progression over three competitive stages totalling 77.3 kilometres. On target for his best ever WRC finish, Russia?s Evgeny Novikov lies fifth. Monte Carlo specialist, François Delecour lies sixth overall with Ott Tänak eighth on this his first ever appearance in the Principality.

Once again, tyre choice proved pivotal. With four super-soft tyres on his Ford Fiesta RS WRC for the opening stage (SS11), Novikov put in a sterling performance to set the third fastest time overall. Just 8.5 seconds adrift of pace-setter, Petter Solberg, the Russian took 8.2 seconds out of eight-time world champion Sébastien Loeb. The impressive time saw Novikov and co-driver Denis Giraudet leap-frog the Citroën DS3 WRC of Mikko Hirvonen for fourth place overall with a 6.3 second advantage.

With only two studded tyres in a diagonal configuration for SS12, Novikov lost out to Hirvonen who had opted for four studded tyres, which paid dividends in the treacherous conditions. Despite finding himself on the wrong tyres for the tricky and unfamiliar roads, Novikov cleared the stage safely with the fifth fastest time overall.

SS13 saw Novikov make another intelligent tyre choice to set the third fastest time once again. The Russian now lies fifth overall as the crews embark on Day 4 in Monte-Carlo.

Elsewhere, Delecour displayed some exceptional speed in SS11 to prove what makes him so legendary around the Monte stages. With the second fastest time, just 3.3 seconds shy of Solberg in the factory Ford Fiesta, the Frenchman?s bold choice of tyre paid dividends.

With the conditions worse than expected over SS12, Delecour and co-driver Dominique Savignoni lost some time to their competitors, a diagonal tyre configuration of two super-soft and two studded snow tyres leaving the pairing seventh fastest on the 24.13km stage.

In a departure from SS12, SS13 was much cleaner for the Frenchman as he set the sixth fastest time to leave him sixth overall heading into Day 4.

Similarly on four super-soft tyres for the first stage of the day (SS11), Tänak proved himself to be a real star of the future with the fourth fastest time on his first ever run through the 23.28km stage. The impressive time saw the young Estonian climb to seventh in the overall standings, with a 15.9 second lead over Pierre Campana in the Mini Cooper WRC.

Tänak and co-driver, Kuldar Sikk?s rally-long battle with Campana continued into SS12 where the pairing found themselves on the less optimal tyre choice. With the Mini driver on full studs and Tänak restricted to a diagonal configuration of two super-soft and two studded tyres, the 24-year-old did well to recover the eighth fastest time despite losing out on the overall classification.

SS13 provided the backdrop for yet another mature drive from the young Estonian. Despite finding himself on the super-soft tyres as opposed to the optimal soft, Tänak set the ninth fastest time, leaving him eighth overall as the crews embark on Day 4 of the competition tomorrow.

Evgeny Novikov (5th) said:

?Stage 13 was quite difficult. It was a very fast stage. We had the right tyre choice with the soft tyres so we could push. We got a good time so for sure I am happy. All is good and we will work hard to maintain this pace tomorrow.?

François Delecour (6th) said:

?SS13 was so fast and dry. It was just like being on the Tour de Corse ? it wasn?t like Monte Carlo at all! It was a nice stage and I?m happy with our performance. I wasn?t that far off Loeb?s pace. I was losing only about 0.6 seconds a kilometre.

?I really enjoyed today. Ok, the rally isn?t over yet, but I think everybody is up to speed now and there probably won?t be any more surprises. I?m looking forward to tomorrow.?

Ott Tänak (8th) said:

?SS13 was a dry and clean stage. I was surprised the conditions were so good ? it wasn?t what we had expected. I had four super-soft tyres which didn?t work out for me in those conditions. It wasn?t possible to go any faster than we did.

?We?ll keep pushing on tomorrow. As it has been every day so far, everything will be about the tyres. If the weather is fine, it should be good fun on the Col de Turini. I?ve heard a lot about it! If we make it to the end of the rally, I?ll be happy.?

Motorsport.com – ALL – Stories

Arthur Lampkin Steve Lamson Grant Langston Danny LaPorte Mike LaRocco

Party like a rockstar at CSG Open House

January 23, 2012

Corona Sports Group, home to MSR, Answer, and Pro Taper, hosted their annual open house last night. The festivities included food, drinks, music, and appearances by Ronnie Faisst, Lance Coury, Nate Adams, Brian Deegan, Kevin Windham, Eli Tomac, Nico Izzi, Nick Wey, Austin Stroupe, Ryan Morais, James Stewart, Malcolm Stewart, Matt Moss, PJ Larsen, and Jimmy Albertson.

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Rob Herring George Holland Jeremy van Horebeek Kent Howerton Neil Hudson

Corona Sports Group Party

January 23, 2012

$ 1.41 AN ISSUE + FREE GIFT

ON THE COVER: Geico Honda?s Justin Bogle made the trek from Oklahoma to race the 2011 TransWorld SLAM, and it paid off big time. Not only did he yield his first professional win, but he also scored the cover of the December issue. It seemed fitting that we capture his self-proclaimed patented “Granny Smith Apple Turndown” whip for his inaugural cover shot. A little old mixed with a little new. cover photo: Brendan Lutes
Transworld Motocross » | Transworld Motocross

Jorgen Nilsson Graham Noyce Carl Nunn Johnny O Mara Zach Osborne

Bowers Make Late-Race Move to Take Eighth Win of the Season in Dayton

January 23, 2012

2012-01-22 08:33
Babbitt?s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis? Tyler Bowers, of Danville, Ky., made a late-race pass to take his eighth win of the season on Saturday night, as the 2012 AMA Arenacross Series hosted its seventh round of action from Dayton?s Nutter Center. In the Arenacross Lites Class, Gateway Cycles Kawasaki?s Steven Mages, of Sardinia, Ohio, grabbed a hard-earned victory.
Team Faith KTM?s Kevin Johnson, of Spring, Texas, took the holeshot in the 25-lap main event with FMF Power/Poynt TUF Honda?s Jeff Gibson, of Blacklick, Ohio, and Foremost Insurance/Spinechillers/Storm Lake Honda?s Nathan Skaggs, of Chillicothe, Ohio, in tow. It didn?t take long for Gibson to make his move on Gibson, taking over the lead before the completion of five laps.

Once out front, Gibson looked to check out on the field, but Bowers was making his move forward from a fifth-place start. By the halfway point, Bowers was in second and proceeded to set his sights on Gibson, his closest rival in the championship. Gibson fended off Bowers for several laps, until he crashed in a rhythm section, allowing Bowers to move into the lead on Lap 20. From there, the defending series champion never looked back.

The win extended Bowers points lead over Gibson to 15 points. Gibson secured the runner-up spot, while Skaggs held on for third.

In the 18-lap Arenacross Lites Class Main Event, Mages grabbed the early lead, with Dragon Racing Fuels/AG Motorsports KTM?s Michael Willard, of Newark, Ohio, following closely behind. Mages outran his rival throughout the main event and despite Willard?s efforts, he wasn?t able to get close enough to challenge for the win.

Mages and Willard finished out the night in the top two spots, while Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Championship points leader Michael McDade, of Oklahoma City, Okla., finished third aboard his Motostar Kawasaki.

In the Dash for Cash, Gibson grabbed the win in the exciting four-lap shootout. All proceeds went to A Kid Again.

AMA Arenacross Series continues next weekend, with two nights of action from Cedar Park, Texas, and the Cedar Park Center, on Friday, January 27, and Saturday, January 28. The action kicks off at 7 p.m. CT.
Arenacross Class Results (Dayton, Ohio)

Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki
Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki
Cole Siebler, Emmett, Idaho, Honda
Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki
Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM
Arenacross Lites Class Results (Dayton, Ohio)

1. Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki
2. Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM
3. Michael McDade, Edingburg, Pa., Kawasaki
4. Chad Cook, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kawasaki
5. Patrick Massie, Washington Court House, Ohio, Honda
6. Michael Lang, Saugerties, N.Y., Honda
7. Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda
8. Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM
9. Kevin Markwardt, Freeport, Ill., Honda
10. Jake Locks, Dixon, Calif., Kawasaki
Arenacross Class Points (After Race 12 of 19)

Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ky., Kawasaki (8 wins) ? 260
Jeff Gibson, Blacklick, Ohio, Honda (2 wins) ? 245
Chad Johnson, Rhinelander, Wis., Kawasaki (2 wins) ? 218
Kelly Smith, Ludington, Mich., KTM ? 186
Nathan Skaggs, Chillicothe, Ohio, Honda ? 173
Zach Ames, Prospect, Ohio, Kawasaki ? 164
Willy Browning, Pleasantville, Ohio, KTM ? 128
Josh Demuth, North Richland Hills, Texas, Kawasaki ? 127
Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., KTM ? 101
Cory Green, Nowata, Okla., Suzuki ? 86
Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Class Points (After Race 9 of 10)

Michael McDade, Indiana, Pa., Kawasaki (1 win) ? 176
Michael Willard, Newark, Ohio, KTM (3 wins) ? 159
Dave Ginolfi, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., KTM (2 win) ? 150
Steven Mages, Sardinia, Ohio, Kawasaki (1 win) ? 140
Kevin Johnson, Spring, Texas, KTM ? 102
Travis Sewell, Westfield, Ind., KTM ? 91
Austin Coon, Spencer, W. Va., Honda ? 77
Daniel Blair, Lodi, Calif., KTM ? 75
Kyle White, Freeport, Ill., Honda ? 72
Maxx Malatia, Itasca, Ill., Honda ? 58

Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series returns for the 2012 season! To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com.

For more information on the 2012 AMA Arenacross Series, log on to www.Arenacross.com. For all media requests, please contact Brandon Short brandon@nextlevelsportsinc.com or 949-365-5750.

Never miss out on the latest news! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter! Log on to http://www.facebook.com/AMAarenacross and http://twitter.com/arenacross today!

About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world?s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

Source: Feld Motor Sports

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Craig Dack Roger De Coster Ken De Dycker Yves Demaria Gilbert De Roover

BTCC: ES Racing acquires Vectra cars for 2012 championship contest

January 23, 2012

Chris James purchases 888 Vectra cars

Team ES Racing has announced that they have acquired both Vauxhall Vectra cars previously belonging to Triple 8 racing to compete in this year?s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

This will mark ES Racing?s second year in the big time after last year making the big step up from the John Cooper Challenge to the BTCC with team boss Chris James running a Chevrolet Lacetti.

Once again James will continue to race this time being joined by 2010 Clio Cup champion Dave Newsham who made his debut in the BTCC last season first driving for Geoff Steel Racing and then for Special Tuning Racing.

We?re delighted to get the deal concluded…

Chris James

The Vectra has had a winning pedigree within the series since its introduction in 2007 which have included 2 drivers titles for Fabrizio Giovanardi and numerous Teams titles whilst last year in the hands of James Nash, he proved that the car still has what it takes to win races and championships with Nash taking one outright win on his way to the Independents crown and Triple 8 taking the Independent Teams award.

Enthusiastic racer James is clearly delighted to have secured a race winning car after a year spent learning at the back of the field in his normally aspirated car, now fitted with a NGTC Turbo engine he clearly has very high hopes for the season and said, ?They?re race winning cars and they will continue to be highly competitive in 2012. We?re delighted to get the deal concluded to run the Vectra?s and look forward to pushing hard at the start of the season. They come with a great spares package and a massive amount of data so we should be able to hit the ground running. We will get podiums and maybe even sneak more than that, certainly in the first half of the season. NGTC will get stronger but I truly believe that like football it will be a game of two halves – the first half will be S2000 and the second NGTC.?

Chris James, ES Racing

Photo by: Pat Cranham

James has also not ruled out the possibility of running a third car for the season and finished off by saying, ?There is still the option for us to run a third car so if the right driver with the right budget comes along then it will happen.?

As for Triple 8 racing there have been some very interesting rumours over the last few weeks about their plans for the coming season. Within this period these rumours have been getting stronger and stronger and it now seems almost certain that this will happen with some people saying that work has already started on the project. If these rumours are true then this could be one of the biggest announcements in recent years within the Championship. So be sure to keep logging back to Motorsport.com for news on this as soon as any announcement is made.

Motorsport.com – ALL – Stories

Jaromir Cizek Guy Cooper Paul Cooper Josh Coppins Cody Copper

AMA Arenacross Series Notebook: Buckeye Battle in Dayton

January 23, 2012

2012-01-20 21:23
The second half of the 2012 AMA Arenacross Series season is set to kick off tomorrow night from one of the sport?s most treasured venues. For many years, Dayton, Ohio, and the Nutter Center have served as hosts to some of the most memorable races in series history. The state of Ohio is a hotbed for arenacross, with eight full-time competitors calling the state their home.
The highest profile of those riders is current championship runner-up Jeff Gibson and his FMF Power/Poynt TUF Honda. The 2009 AMA Arenacross Series Champion lost control of the points lead last weekend, but with a return to his home state, one can bet he?ll be ready to battle back in front of his hometown crowd.

A Buckeye Battle is brewing, with Gibson and current series points leader Tyler Bowers, who rides for Babbitt?s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki presented by Maxxis, leading the way. However, fellow Babbitt?s Monster Energy/AMSOIL Kawasaki rider Chad Johnson is looking for more success after capturing his second win of the 2012 season last weekend.

Moreover, the large contingent of Ohio natives ? including Foremost Insurance/Spinechillers/Storm Lake Honda?s Nathan Skaggs, Bella?s Cupcakes/Club MX Kawasaki?s Zach Ames, and Foremost Insurance/Spinechillers/Storm Lake KTM?s Willy Browning ? are all looking to turn their seasons around and get the ball rolling over the final six rounds of the season.

While Bowers has garnered the most victories with seven, the competition for a podium finish has been incredible. Beyond Gibson and Johnson, who each have two wins apiece, several other riders have taken their shots at landing on the box, including Skaggs, Ames and Team Faith KTM?s Kelly Smith.

With only six weeks remaining in the 2012 AMA Arenacross Series season, it?s go time for every rider in the premier Arenacross Class. Bowers? advantage currently sits at 12 points over the field and with eight main events remaining; there is still ample opportunity for a championship shakeup. With so much additional motivation to succeed tomorrow night in Ohio, the Buckeye natives will be a group to keep an eye on as the night unfolds.

The Eastern Regional Arenacross Lites Championship will host its penultimate round in Dayton. Ohio native, and Dragon Racing Fuels/AG Motorsports KTM rider, Michael Willard has controlled the championship throughout most of the season, but a late surge by Reed & Reese KTM?s Dave Ginolfi has made this championship much more intriguing.

Currently, Motostar Kawasaki?s Michael McDade leads the way in the standings. Despite having just one win, as opposed to three for Willard and two for Ginolfi, McDade has been a picture of consistency throughout the season. His six-point advantage might not be much, but every point matters with only 36 laps of competition remaining in this championship. Both Willard and Ginolfi are likely to come out firing tomorrow night, but McDade still controls his own destiny. While a win would make a huge statement to his rivals, McDade?s consistency has gotten him to this point. All eyes will be on this trio as the tension builds tomorrow night.

This weekend, the intimate and exciting action of the AMA Arenacross Series will be showcased at the Ervin J. Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University. Serving as southwest Ohio?s premier sports and entertainment complex, the Nutter Center is home to NCAA Division I Wright State Raiders athletics.

The Nutter Center opened in 1990 and is named after famous Ohioan Ervin J. Nutter. The main arena of the center seats a maximum of 12,000, but the facility also houses four basketball courts, a recreation running track, a fitness center, classrooms, and 60,000 square feet of exhibit space.

The action commences for the Dayton Arenacross on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Amateur Day concludes an exciting weekend of action on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. ET

Live timing and scoring from each round of the AMA Arenacross Series returns for the 2012 season! To follow the intense racing action live, log onto www.Arenacross.com.

Never miss out on the latest news and updates from every stop of the 2012 season! Follow the AMA Arenacross Series on Facebook and Twitter! Log on to http://www.facebook.com/AMAarenacross and http://twitter.com/arenacross today!

For more information on the 2012 AMA Arenacross Series, log on to www.Arenacross.com. For all media requests, please contact Brandon Short: brandon@nextlevelsportsinc.com or 949-365-5750.

About Feld Motor Sports®
Feld Motor Sports®, Inc. is the world leader in specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz®, and IHRA® Nitro Jam®. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world?s largest producer of live family entertainment. For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

Source: Feld Motor Sports

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Bikeland :: News

Gaylon Mosier Marvin Musquin Brian Myerscough Maximilian Nagl Kurt Nicoll

WRC: Ford Monte Carlo Rally final summary

January 23, 2012

Solberg steers Ford to podium on his stunning Fiesta debut

Petter Solberg, Ford World Rally Team

Photo by: xpb.cc

Ford World Rally Team?s Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson have secured their first podium at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RS WRC after an exceptional performance at this week?s Rallye Monte-Carlo. What’s more, the Norwegian, returning to the Ford camp for the first time since 2000, celebrated a personal best with third place at the iconic event.

Rejoining the FIA World Rally Championship calendar for the first time since 2008, Rallye Monte-Carlo provided the WRC crews with five gruelling days of competition covering more than 433km. It has been the longest WRC event since Kenya?s Safari Rally in 2002, and was primarily based in Valence before relocating south to the glamorous Principality of Monaco on the French Riviera.

Renowned as a rally with ever-changing road and climatic conditions, this year?s demanding event proved no different as the 18 speed tests challenged the WRC crews with a mix of wet and dry roads compounded by snow, fog and black ice. Tyre choice proved critical and played a pivotal role from the outset as the WRC teams could select between five types of new-for-2012 Michelin tyre.

After team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala?s retirement from the lead on the opening day, a cat-and-mouse battle for second place ensued between Solberg and Dani Sordo. Without studded tyres, 2003 World Rally Champion Solberg struggled with grip on the treacherously slippery roads on Friday morning and was knocked back into third.

Three stage wins on Saturday, however, saw the 37-year-old driver slash Sordo?s advantage from over one minute at the start of the day to less than 20sec by the time the WRC crews reached the overnight halt at Monte-Carlo?s harbour front. With a short 5.16km Power Stage concluding the WRC curtain-raiser on Sunday, Solberg applied a measured approach to ensure a podium spot.

?I?m over the moon. I?ve absolutely loved this rally from start to finish and this is the best start to a WRC season I?ve ever had,? said a delighted Solberg at the finish line. ?It is my first rally in the Ford Fiesta RS WRC with so little testing beforehand, and we improved our speed all the way through. For me, this rally was mainly about getting some kilometres in the car, improving our speed and getting to the finish.

“I love the car ? it is really fast, I can tell you! It suits my driving style very well. I?ve been waiting for a long time to get into a situation like this, and to have the full support from the Ford team feels fantastic.

?You need to have a good start to the season if you want to fight Seb [Loeb],? continued Solberg. ?I understand the car is even better on gravel and snow, so I?m looking forward to moving onto those surfaces next. To finish this rally in the top three is the perfect start to the season ? I couldn?t have asked for anything more. Now I can concentrate solely on the driving, and I can?t wait to get to Sweden!?

Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson was encouraged by Solberg?s first outing in the Fiesta RS WRC. ?Petter?s experience has shone through as he has delivered a superb performance. The car has been 100 per cent faultless throughout the rally, and Petter has been really happy with it and has settled into the team very well.

?To leave here with his best-ever Monte-Carlo result is a great platform to build upon over the rest of the year,? Wilson continued. ?This has given us a lot of confidence going forward. We had the fastest driver on this rally with Jari-Matti leading early on and Petter has done a great job, so looking to the future we know we?ve got a really strong team. We have a test before Sweden, and I?m confident we?ll come away with another positive result next month.?

Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn was delighted with Solberg?s drive. ?This has been an extremely challenging start to the 2012 season, considering we?ve covered 433 stage kilometres over the last five days. We?re thrilled for Petter and Chris finishing on the podium on their first outing in the Fiesta RS WRC. There was obviously disappointment with Jari-Matti going out of the rally so early on, but from the pace he showed, I?m confident it?s going to be an exciting season for the Ford World Rally Team,? he said.

News from other Ford teams

Evgeny Novikov matched his best-ever WRC result by finishing fifth in his M-Sport Ford World Rally Team-run Fiesta RS WRC alongside experienced co-driver Denis Giraudet. François Delecour / Dominique Savignoni came home sixth following a polished performance in another Fiesta RS WRC. A consistent drive left Rallye Monte-Carlo debutants Ott Tänak / Kuldar Sikk eighth in a similar car. Martin Prokop / Zdenek Hr?za finished the iconic Rallye Monte-Carlo ninth, a personal best for the duo in the Principality. New-for-2012 Go Fast Energy World Rally Team?s Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin finished 11th in a Fiesta RS WRC, whilst team-mates Henning Solberg / Ilka Minor claimed 13th.

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Warren Reid Pierre Renet Marc de Reuver Michele Rinaldi Joel Robert

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