America is starting to become a hotbed for wild card Claiming Rule Team entries in MotoGP. First there was Attack Performance getting awarded a wild card for the U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca and the Indianapolis Grand Prix at The Brickyard. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will see another U.S.-based wild card, this time it’s Indiana-based GP Tech preparing its own CRT machine.

GP Tech has drawn wild cards at the Indianapolis Grand Prix before, in the Moto2 class. In 2010, GP Tech prepared an FTR chassis for Jason DiSalvo and in 2011, GP Tech prepared another FTR race machine for Jake Gagne. DiSalvo finished ninth in the 2010 race while Gagne (pictured above) was 31st in 2011.

This time, GP Tech is taking advantage of the new CRT classification to compete in the premier MotoGP class. While Attack Performance is mounting a Kawasaki ZX-10R engine in a custom-built frame, GP Tech is teaming up with the Vesrah Suzuki/MCJ Motorsports team to build a race bike powered by a Suzuki GSX-R1000 engine with a billet aluminum frame by BCL Motorsports. Continue Reading »

BMW earned its first-ever World Superbike race win at the U.K.’s Donington Park, but missed out on sweeping the round after teammates Leon Haslam and Marco Melandri crashed on the final corner while battling for the lead in the second race.

Melandri earned BMW its landmark first win in Race One leading Haslam in a one-two finish. They could have repeated that finish in Race Two but Haslam low-sided after making contact with Honda‘s Jonathon Rea trying to pass on the inside. That sent Haslam skidding into Melandri, ruining the chance for another double-podium.

The Race Two incident could have overshadowed the milestone victory in Race One, but BMW must be relieved its flagship S1000RR superbike finally earned a race win in its fourth year of competition. Continue Reading »

Barni Racing‘s Lorenzo Savadori led for nine of 11 laps on his way to earning the first every Superstock 1000 Cup victory for the 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale.

Racing in mixed weather conditions at Italy’s Monza circuit, Savadori took the lead on Lap 3 from his teammate Eddi La Marra.

Savadori would hold that lead until the end, crossing the finish 1.651 seconds ahead of BWG Kawasaki‘s Christoffer Bergman and 1.884 seconds ahead of La Marra. Continue Reading »

Ryan Dungey scored his fourth win of the season but it was not enough to take second place in the points race behind champion Ryan Villopoto. That honor went to JGRMX Yamaha‘s Davi Millsaps who placed second to Dungey in the season-ending race at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

Dungey took the holeshot and led every lap to take the win for Red Bull KTM. The victory was his fourth in 12 rounds, giving him 257 points on the season. Dungey also missed five rounds due to injury, during which time Villopoto scored four of his nine victories for Monster Energy Kawasaki. The championship would have been much closer if Dungey had remained healthy. Instead, Villopoto ran away with the championship and clinched the title back in March at the Houston round. Continue Reading »

Harley-Davidson dealerships topped the rankings for the 2012 edition of the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, an industry benchmarking study examining how well dealerships treat customers, and turning shoppers into buyers.

The Pied Piper PSI rated different manufacturers’ dealerships in a number of categories to produce an overall score. The study was conducted between July 2011 and April 2012 with 1,653 anonymous “mystery shoppers” gathering information at different dealerships across the U.S.

The study gave Harley-Davidson dealers a score of 108, a four-point improvement from 2011 and five points above the industry average. According to researchers, Harley-Davidson dealers scored the highest of all brands in 16 different categories, including offering test rides, obtaining contact information and asking customers if for the sale. Continue Reading »

It was supposed to be a weekend of celebration. The World Superbike Championship was celebrating its 25th anniversary of racing at Italy’s Monza circuit. Promoters Infront Motorsports brought out 30 landmark Superbikes from the series’ history, while greats such as Fred Merkel, Doug Polen and Carl Fogarty were in attendance for what was supposed to be a weekend to remember. Spec tire supplier Pirelli was also in the celebratory mood  with special silver-striped tires for the Superpole qualifier.

Unfortunately, the 2012 Monza round will be remembered for heavy rains, a cancelled race, a near boycott of Pirelli tires and the series’ largest team issuing a scathing rebuke to race organizers. Continue Reading »

Ryan Dungey returned to the top of the podium for the first time since late February with a victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. With the injured Ryan Villopoto already crowned the 2012 AMA Supercross Champion, the win put Dungey back in contention for second overall.

The Red Bull KTM last tasted victory Feb. 25 in Atlanta, Ga., but missed five rounds due to injury. Dungey returned to action last week in Seattle, Wash., placing sixth, but staged a late come-from-behind win in Utah for his third victory of the 2012 AMA Supercross season.

For most of the race, it looked like a sure victory for Davi Millsaps. The JGRMX Yamaha rider took the holeshot and led the opening 18 laps. Monster Energy Kawasaki‘s Jake Weimer was second for most of the race with Dungey biding his time in third. Continue Reading »

Kawasaki reported a slight increase in sales while reducing the operating loss from its motorcycle and engine division during its fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.

According to its year-end report, Kawasaki‘s motorcycle and engine business generated 235.2 billion yen (US$2.9 billion) in sales, a slight increase from the 234.4 million yen reported the year before. Kawasaki still suffered a loss from the division, though the loss of 2.959 million yen was still an improvement from the operating loss of 5.0 million yen reported the year prior. The motorcycle and engine division includes motorcycles, quads, jet skis and general purpose engines. Continue Reading »

Reigning champion Ryan Villopoto will not compete in the 2012 AMA Motocross Championship after injuring his knee at the recent Supercross race in Seattle, Wash.

Villopoto has won the last three indoor and outdoor championships, capturing the 2011 AMA Motocross title as well as the 2011 and 2012 AMA Supercross titles. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider will not be able to stretch that run into a fourth consecutive title.

The Washington-state resident injured his knee in a crash on the opening lap of the main event, and retired unable to complete a lap on his home race. Villopoto will also miss the remaining two rounds of the 2012 AMA Supercross season, though that matters little considering he already clinched the title. Continue Reading »

Mark Miller, seen here aboard the MotoCzysz electric race bike, won the 2010 TT Zero. Team Segway Racing MotoCzysz will again return to the TT Zero with past TT Zero winners Mark Miller and Michael Rutter as its riders in the 2012 race.

The Isle of Man TT press office today announced a total of 18 entrants in the 2012 SES TT Zero electric motorcycle race — a record number of riders according to the IoM TT website.

Eighteen is a record number of entries, at least for TT Zero it’s a record, but more have entered in a previous race as you’ll read below.

Continue Reading »