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 »

Suzuki declared a loss of 2.4 billion yen (US$30.0 million) from its motorcycle division over the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. Though still a loss, it’s an improvement on the loss of 10.8 billion yen reported the previous year. Suzuki attributes the loss to an appreciating yen and the financial impact from heavy flooding in Thailand.

Motorcycles generated 254.8 billion yen (US$3.2 billion) in net sales for Suzuki, down from 257.7 billion reported in the previous fiscal year. 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 »

James Stewart and the Joe Gibbs Racing MX (JGRMX) Yamaha racing team have agreed to cut ties, ending their multi-year contract after a single AMA Supercross season. Stewart almost immediately signed a new multi-year deal with Yoshimura Suzuki to compete in both the AMA Supercross and AMA Motocross Championships.

Stewart had a promising start to the season with JGRMX but wasn’t as competitive as eventual champion Ryan Villopoto or Ryan Dungey. After winning the Daytona Beach, Fla., round, Stewart was injured in a crash at the following round in Indianapolis. Since then, Stewart has missed several rounds, scoring only a single point in the final seven rounds. 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 »

McCarthy’s wit isn’t as quick as his motorcycle.

“A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.” (Proverbs 12:23 KJV)

According to reports, New York State Police arrested Nikkolaus McCarthy, 25, of Charlton, N.Y., this past Wednesday afternoon after he was “clocked” riding his motorcycle at 166 mph on the New York State Thruway in Ravena, N.Y.

But it seems McCarthy needs to learn the simple concept of avoiding self-incrimination.

Continue Reading »

Former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz headlines a star-studded group of racers taking part in a parade lap during the 2012 Isle of Man TT.

Schwantz leads the group of six racers, past and present, selected by helmet-maker Arai to take part in the parade lap of the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course. Schwantz has visited the Isle of Man before, but this will mark his first closed lap of the circuit.

Joining the 1993 World Champion will be fellow American Randy Mamola, former TT racer Phillip McCallen, former British and World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson, eight-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson, and MotoGP racer Cal Crutchlow. Continue Reading »

Suzuki announced it will construct a new production facility in Gurgaon, India.

The new facility, slated to open 2014, will produce models specifically for India, whose two-wheeled market scooped 13 million units in 2011 and likely more this year.

Suzuki already has a facility in Gurgaon which opened in 2006, producing the Access and Swish scooters as well as the Sling Shot Plus and the GS150R (pictured above) motorcycles. The existing factory produced 350,000 units in 2011 and the new plant, once it is completed, is expected to produce 500,000 units a year, with room for expansion. Continue Reading »

The Netherlands hosted a dramatic weekend of World Superbike racing that featured a red-flagged wet race, several riders crashing while leading, a first-time race winner, a photo finish between two teammates and the reigning World Champion finishing out of the points because of a poor choice of tires.

The 2011 WSBK Champion Carlos Checa arrived at Assen with the lead in the championship and a three-race winning streak, but opting to run wet tires in Race Two cost him the lead and may have contributed to a crash that severely injured Liberty Racing‘s Brett McCormick. Continue Reading »

Yoshimura made a name for itself tuning championship-winning Suzuki racebikes, but for the first time, the company is producing a run of limited edition Gixxers for the public.

Yoshimura R&D of America is offering a number of 2011 and 2012 Suzuki GSX-R600s, GSX-R750s and GSX-R1000s equipped with a host of upgrades.

Each individually numbered GSX-R comes equipped with EPA- and CARB-compliant Yoshimura R-77 carbon fiber slip-ons and a number of aluminum CNC machined components. Continue Reading »