News & Events

he 80th annual International Six Day Enduro (ISDE) event concluded recently in Slovakia and Moose-sponsored KTM rider Kurt Caselli finished with "Top American" honors for the third year in a row. His determination and dedication shined through as the young KTM rider placed sixth overall in the competitive Enduro 2 class.
     Caselli said, "This is very exciting for me. Going to Europe really helped me to prepare for this event.      Placing second in the Enduro 2 class on the sixth day was incredible! This year, the conditions of the track were different; a lot of steep hill climbs and descents, rain, and water crossings. It felt like it was in touch with past events; back to the roots of the ISDE."
     Kurt continued, "This gold medal means a lot to me. KTM's late President Rod Bush had a strong history in the ISDE and I'd like to dedicate this one to him."
     The U.S. World Trophy team consisting of Kurt Caselli (KTM), Jason Dahners (KTM), Aaron Kopp (KTM), Jimmy Jarrett (Gas Gas), John Barber (Gas Gas) and Fred Hoess (Gas Gas) finished 10th with a time of 1:32:05. Gold medal winners were Caselli and Hoess, while teammates Dahners, Kopp and Jarrett celebrated with silver medals. Also, Team USA was honored with the Watling Trophy, which is awarded by the ISDE International jury to the country that puts forth the best effort under adverse conditions, showing the true sprit of the event.
     British KTM rider David Knight swept all 27 of his special tests in the Enduro 3 class becoming the events' prestigious overall winner. Last years' winner Stefan Merriman placed second.

od Bush, President of KTM America, passed away the evening of September 12th after a brief illness. A resident of Vermillion, Ohio, he was surrounded by his wife Cheri and their children Robbie and Stacy. In addition to his immediate family, Rod's countless friends, colleagues and worldwide KTM family mourn his passing. He was 50 years of age.
     Rod Bush was born in Huntington, West Virginia on July 6th, 1955. As a young man he was drawn to the sport of off-road enduro/cross-country racing, immediately becoming one of the sport's most accomplished competitors. Rod's six ISDE medals along with his countless enduro and cross-country victories place him in an elite group of national caliber off-road racers from the 1970's and early 80's. From the very beginning of his career Rod Bush was synonymous with Penton/KTM motorcycles.
     In 1971 Rod began his motorcycle business career as a Penton motorcycle dealer, after which he joined forces in 1978 with KTM America as a service technician. By 1988 Rod was appointed President of KTM America and helped lead the company through a worldwide corporate restructuring, eventually becoming President of KTM North America. Rod was not only the driving force behind KTM's rise to prominence in North America, but he has played a central role in KTM's development as one of the most prestigious manufacturers of motorcycles in the world. As a Managing Director for the KTM Group parent company and the KTM factory in Austria, Rod's legacy is evident throughout every aspect of KTM's global organization.
     Rod Bush was a true KTM "Orange Bleeder" long before KTM became synonymous with the color orange. He truly defined KTM's leadership values and the essence of a passionate family and motorcycle life.
Our condolences to Rod's family and friends, and to the entire KTM organization.

n early September, Ivan Tedesco clinched the AMA 125cc Championship at the season finale at Glen Helen, in spite of crashing in both 125 motos on his Parts Unlimited/Thor-sponsored Monster Energy Drink/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and finishing a season worst 17th overall. It was the first national championship for Tedesco, a native of New Mexico who is in his sixth year as a pro.
It was an exciting day in the class that's being renamed AMA Motocross Lites next season. Tedesco's fall in

the first moto gave new hope to Red Bull KTM's Mike Alessi, who won the first moto after apparent winner Grant Langston was penalized for cutting the track.
     It went flat wild in the second moto when Alessi and Tedesco tangled and went down. A shoving match ensued between the two and the tussle was joined by Tedesco's Kawasaki teammate Matt Walker when he was caught up in the mess.
     The resulting reviews of video by officials kept the 125cc results from being immediately available after the race, but in the end Langston took the overall with a 2-1. New pro Ryan Villopoto scored his first podium with a 3-2 for second overall and Andrew Short was third scoring a 4-3.
     "It feels great to finally win a national championship," Tedesco said. "I wouldn't have put my money on me before this season started, but the hard work I put in during the off-season really paid off. I'm going to be moving on to the 250 class next year to see how I can do against the big boys."
     Editor's note: At press time we learned that Alessi was disqualified from the event, Walker was disqualified from the 2nd moto and both received fines and other sanctions for their actions at Glen Helen.

ark Burkhart, 25, of Pickerington, Ohio, wrapped up the 2005 AMA Supermoto Lites Championship with a victory on Sept. 24th at the Music City Motorplex in Nashville, TN. Burkhart, who rode for the Parts Unlimited/Thor-sponsored Graves Motorsports Yamaha team, becomes the first champion in the inaugural season of the AMA Supermoto Lites Series.
     Burkhart dominated his class this season, winning all five rounds leading up to the series finale in Reno. "Tonight is special," said Burkhart on the podium at Nashville. "This is what I've worked hard all year for. It's great for Graves Yamaha and all the people that helped me get this championship. It's just too bad Doug (Henry) got hurt, I know he would have won (his) class for the team too." Burkhart was speaking of his Graves Yamaha teammate Doug Henry, who led the AMA Supermoto Championship earlier in the season before being forced to miss the rest of the year after suffering injuries in a crash at the Copper Mountain, CO. race.
     Despite getting a relatively poor start in Nashville, Burkhart quickly diced his way to the front of the pack and ran away to claim his fifth consecutive Supermoto Lites victory. Even though Brandon Currie -- his closest competitor in the points -- finished second, Burkhart's win elevated him into a 25- point lead, meaning the best Currie can do at the season finale is tie Burkhart (and lose the tiebreaker due to Burkhart's five victories).
     Report courtesy of AMA Pro Racing

TM North America, Inc. announced several major changes to its corporate management structure. KTM North America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of KTM Sportmotorcycle AG, is the exclusive distributor of KTM Sportmotorcycles, KTM OEM parts and KTM Hard Equipment accessories in the U.S. and Canada.
Jon-Erik Burleson, formerly V.P. of Finance for KTM North America, Inc. will assume the role of President. Mr. Burleson will be responsible for all day to day U.S. and Canadian operations including sales, marketing, parts/accessory distribution, administration and finance. Mr. Burleson will continue to serve on the KTM North America, Inc. Board of Directors, a position he has held since 2003.
     Winfried Kerschhaggl joins KTM North America, Inc. as a Member of the Board as well as Vice President. Mr. Kershhaggl has been a member of the KTM Sportmotorcycle AG Austria executive management team since 1999, serving most recently as Worldwide Marketing Director. He recently assumed a new role for KTM Austria as Strategic Product Planner responsible for future development of the KTM model line.
     John Zolikoff, KTM North America, Inc. New Business Development Director joins the Board of Directors of KTM North America, Inc. In addition to managing new business opportunities for KTM North America, Mr. Zolikoff will focus on further developing the strategic partnership between KTM North America and Polaris.
Also joining the KTM North America, Inc. Board of Directors is Patrick Pruegger. Mr. Pruegger is a member of the KTM Sportmotorcycle AG Board of Directors.
     Mr. Stefan Pierer, the CEO of KTM Powersports AG, remains an active member of the Board for Directors for KTM North America, Inc.
     Jakob Branner is named to the position of Vice President of KTM North America, Inc. Mr. Branner is responsible for coordinating KTM production planning with U.S. and Canadian model year sales plans and dealer order deliveries. Jakob has been an integral part of the KTM North America team since 2000 with responsibility in both finance and sales planning.
     These new corporate officers join the existing KTM North America, Inc. executive management team consisting of Scot Harden, V.P. of Media Relations, Selvaraj Narayana, V.P. of Amateur Racing and Event Promotion, Michael Turner V.P. of Corporate Training, Mario LaJoie, V.P./General Manager of KTM Canada and Tom Muzilla, Secretary of KTM North America, Inc.
     KTM North America, Inc just ended its 2005 fiscal year with a record, exceeding 21,000 unit sales and turnover in excess of $100 million. This concludes a ten-year growth period where KTM sales in North America averaged nearly 20% annual increase in sales per year.
     In his first comments on the new corporate structure as KTM North America President, Jon-Erik Burleson had this to say: "Rod Bush's passing is a huge loss to us all. We were fortunate that in the past several months Rod had already been working on this restructuring not only in response to the tremendous growth we've experienced but to take advantage of several new opportunities that lie before us. The strength of our company lies in the strong management team Rod assembled and in our close ties to our colleagues in Austria. Thanks to Rod, KTM is truly a "global" company and these moves will take us further in that direction. I, along with the entire KTM organization, look forward to fulfilling Rod's vision for KTM and all the success that it embodies."

FMF Racing invites riders all ages and skill levels to join their winning support team roster by accepting resumes for the 2006 racing programs. Whether youÕre a 4 year-old 51cc 4-6 class winner like FMF support rider Alec Lopez or one of the fastest females on the planet such as 4-time LorettaÕs champion Sara Whitmore, FMF would love to hear from you. For specific program details and information check out the FMF Racing website www.fmfracing.com.

     AMA Pro Racing has announced that, beginning with the 2006 racing season, new class names will be in place for the THQ AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Motocross Championship presented by FMF and the AMA National Arenacross Series.
     Instead of relying on displacement to define classes, the new names define each class within the overall championship in a clear, more easily understood manner. In the THQ AMA Supercross Series the two classes will now be known as AMA Supercross (for 250cc two-stroke and 450cc four-stroke machinery) and AMA Supercross Lites (for 125cc two-stroke and 250cc four-stroke equipment).
     Similarly, in AMA Motocross Championship presented by FMF the classes will be AMA Motocross and AMA Motocross Lites. The AMA National Arenacross Series will follow suit with AMA Arenacross and AMA Arenacross Lites.

Memphis Shades/Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties/Saddlemen-sponsored JR Schnabel continued his domination of Short Track and TT events at Springfield, Illinois over the Labor Day weekend. He rode his Yamaha 450 single to victory in the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship Short Track national there.

     The Parts Canada Superbike Championship has concluded a deal with Pirelli to supply a spec tire for its three major classes beginning with the 2006 racing season. The arrangement, which puts the Canadian tour on the cutting edge of a worldwide racing trend, will apply to the Parts Canada Superbike feature class, along with the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike and International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike national support divisions. The agreement is for three years.
     The feature Superbike class, which uses slick tires, will offer the most choice and a specific tire will be independently selected from event to event. The series will conduct fall testing with a select group of riders to develop product for the headline category.
     The Amateur 600 Sport Bike classes will likely have a single DOT tire option. The Canadian Thunder class is not included in the spec tire deal yet. The Suzuki SV650 National Cup already runs with a spec Pirelli tire and that arrangement is expected to continue.
     For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com

     Tickets for the 2006 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix July 21-23, 2006 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca went on sale September 1st. All general admission, grandstand seats, paddock passes and general camping are available by phone at (800) 327-SECA or on-line at www.laguna-seca.com. All remaining tickets, including Flagroom and Laguna Club hospitality areas, are available by telephone only.
     A three-day general admission ticket for next year's event remains $90. A weekend paddock pass is $40 and must be purchased in conjunction with an admission ticket. Grandstand seats are $15 on Saturday and $25 for Sunday's MotoGP World Championship Race.
     More information on the ticket process is available by calling (800) 327-SECA or logging on to www.laguna-seca.com. Information on the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is also available at www.RedBullUSGrandPrix.com.

arts Unlimited has announced the addition of Neil Zander to the sales team. He will represent the

company in northern Indiana. Neil worked previously as a parts manager in a motorcycle retail store and is he also a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast. His current ride is a Honda CBR954. Welcome Neil

n the heels of Ricky Carmichael's sponsorship of John "Junk Yard Dog" Dowd for the 2005 Millville Motocross National, a group of fans decided to raise money to do the same for the Steel City National on September 3rd.
     Over 90 fans from all over the world came together to donate money and provide inspiration and support to one of their favorite riders, who this year announced that this would be his final year of full time professional motocross racing.
     "John has done so much for the fans, and the sport. How could we not step up?" said John MacGugan, a member of Mototalk, an internet message board that coordinated this outstanding effort. He added, "We received letters and donations from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France and New Zealand and it's been amazing to be a part of this historic effort."
     John Dowd was sponsored in 2005 by Parts Unlimited, as well as Suzuki, VRM, TSS Graphics, Alpinestars, Renthal, Pirelli Tires, Tri-Star Racing, Moose Off-Road, Pro Circuit, Smith, Asterisk, Spectro and, at Steel City, his fans.
     An email address has been set up to send John best wishes for a happy retirement. Send to: johndowd@email.toast.net.

he Fay Myers Suzuki Supermoto Classic in late August, rounds five and six of the 2005 AMA Supermoto Championship saw Parts Unlimited-sponsored riders sweeping the Supermoto and Supermoto Lites classes both days of the doubleheader weekend. What should have been a great occasion to celebrate was anything but, unfortunately, as series star Doug Henry was seriously injured in practice.
     Henry, who will be inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in October and was fresh off his Supermoto victory at the X Games, came up short in a jump section and was hit by his machine as he tumbled on the ground. He sustained a number of season-ending injuries, including a collapsed lung, cracked pelvis and some cracked ribs.
     In the race action, Jeff Ward of the Parts Unlimited-sponsored Troy Lee Designs Team had the Supermoto class covered all weekend, while Henry's Graves Motorsports Yamaha teammate Mark Burkhart swept the boards in the Supermoto Lites class.
     Congratulations to Jeff and Mark for their success in Colorado and best wishes to Doug for a speedy recovery.

Doug Henry, fast and smooth just prior to his season-ending crash.

With Doug Henry out, Jeff Ward barely broke a sweat in the Supermoto class.

Mark Burkhart has been the man to beat this year in the Supermoto Lites class.

Parts Magazine
Volume 12 #10