onstruction has begun on nearly $7 million worth of improvements to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, part of an ongoing safety and facility upgrade for the world-renowned circuit. These improvements are scheduled for completion in time for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix July 21-23, 2006.
     The most dramatic improvements include an entire surface repaving, as well as creating additional run-off at Turn 1. Adding runoff at the fast first turn requires removing a portion of the hillside as well as the former media center building that sits atop it. A state-of-the-art hospitality center will replace the former media center building. Additional runoff will also be added at turns 3, 4, 6, and 7.
     The improvements are being made with input from the Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM) and the MotoGP Rider Safety Commission. These new changes follow a Yamaha Motor Corporation-funded $2 million upgrade that occurred one year ago making it possible for MotoGP World Championship to return to the United States for the first time since 1994 as the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
     “This is a significant upgrade for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and continues to push us toward our goal of leading racetrack safety, not only compared to tracks in the United States but around the world,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/General Manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “These changes are only possible through the assistance and support we get through our partners and sponsors like Red Bull, Yamaha and Mazda.”
     The 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix drew a weekend attendance of 153,653, the largest event attendance in the 49 seasons of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Tickets for the 2006 event went on sale in September. At press time General Admission tickets, general camping, and grandstand seats were still available for the July 21-23, 2006 event weekend at www.laguna-seca.com or by calling (800) 327-SECA.

     Yamaha Motor Company, USA has announced the 2006 Graves/Yamaha Factory Supermoto team. Returning racers Doug Henry and Mark Burkhart will be joined by Brandon Currie, the newest racer to the growing Graves/Yamaha Supermoto effort.


X Games Supermoto winner Doug Henry. Kinney Jones photo

     Perhaps the most famous face on the Supermoto circuit, Doug Henry has his sights on capturing yet another AMA championship. Henry, a former Yamaha motocross champion, had a season of highs and lows in 2005. After winning X-Games gold in Los Angeles, Doug carried momentum back to the AMA Supermoto series where he had a commanding lead in the championship points race. A practice crash injury derailed Henry’s championship hopes in 2005 but, true to form, Doug is back with a vengeance and plans to stay in front of his competition, mainly teammate Mark Burkhart.
     Mark Burkhart will make the move to the premier Supermoto class on the all-new 5-speed Yamaha YZ450F. Burkhart, who clinched the AMA Lites Championship at the penultimate round, moved to the Supermoto class for the last race of the year in Reno, Nevada and absolutely dominated the field. Burnishing his resume’ with a Lites Championship and 1-1 finishes in his only Supermoto race of the season, Burkhart was quickly promoted to the Supermoto team for 2006. 
     With the addition of Burkhart to the Supermoto class, the Graves/Yamaha team wanted to expand its efforts and find a racer to join its championship pedigree in the Supermoto Lites class on the YZ250F. Brandon Currie, 2nd place overall in the 2005 AMA Supermoto Lites series, will be rewarded for his efforts with full-factory support. Currie has a new team, a new aluminum-framed YZ250F, and the best wrenches in the business behind him as he battles for his first AMA championship.
     “In our first year, we won the Lites championship, finished 1st and 2nd at X-Games, and led a majority of the Supermoto series until Henry’s unfortunate crash,” explains Chuck Graves of Graves Motorsports. “With Henry and Burkhart testing, practicing, and pushing each other and the speed Currie has shown in his first few rides, we feel Yamaha should again be out in front of both packs next year.”
arts Unlimited has announced that Blake Dimeff has been hired as a Product Specialist for SBS and Ohlins. While growing up, Blake has lived in Colorado, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Germany. Blake went to school at Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Oregon and also studied cooking in Paris. He then attended school in Germany at Fachhochule Mannheim where he studied Bio-Technology.
     Blake began working at a German cancer research institute where he was involved in creating competent cells for micro-array testing against various cancers. He was also the editor for every student’s doctoral thesis paper.
     Though Blake has loved bikes and racing since he was little, he began his riding 4 years ago. He competed here in the U.S. as well as in Germany. His riding and racing led him to begin his career working with the AMA Hooters Suzuki team. When not riding you can find Blake surfing, skiing, cliff jumping or kayaking. Welcome to the team Blake.

MA Pro Racing has announced that nearly 12 million dollars is available as part of the 2006 AMA Supercross Series contingency program. To date, 33 companies have posted $11,981,610 in the form of event contingencies and championship bonuses. American Honda Motor Company leads the way in available contingency money by offering over $125,000 per event in the Supercross class and over $75,000 in the Supercross Lites class. Honda offers over $3,248,000 to its Supercross riders, including championship bonuses. Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha are also lending major support to the series by making over $5.2 million available to riders.
     For a complete list of sponsor postings, log on to www.amaproracing.com/ridersonly or contact proinfo@amaproracing.com.

lear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division has announced that Dave Prater has been appointed to Director of Supercross Operations for the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series.
     Prater, a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Administration, was previously assigned to the position of Assistant Director of Supercross Operations for the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/ Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series and worked along side Clear Channel Entertainment - Motor Sports’ Senior Director of Operations, Todd Jendro.
     Clear Channel further announced that while Jendro will continue to oversee all of the company’s supercross, arenacross and freestyle motocross programs, this promotion leave much of the day-to-day supercross operational responsibilities to Prater.
     According to Jendro, “We are proud of the role that Dave Prater has played over the past three years as the assistant director of our supercross program and we are equally confident that Dave will continue to excel in his new role as the series director. Dave has been an active motorcyclist for most of his life and was a passionate fan of supercross before joining our team. His strong educational background and his professional skills have helped him to earn the respect of the entire supercross community.”
     Commenting on his promotion, Prater reported: “I look forward to the challenges and opportunity that comes with the position of director of the supercross program. With the guidance of Todd and the strong support of the Clear Channel staff, I know that we will be successful in continuing the strong tradition that has been part of our supercross program for more than three decades.”
     Furthermore, Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports has appointed Jayme Dalsing to Supercross Manager for the 2005-’06 Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series. Dalsing, who most recently worked on the AMA National Arenacross Series for three years, will oversee the logistical operations of Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series. Under the guidance of Director of Supercross Dave Prater, Dalsing’s responsibilities include track construction and show performance.
     “Jayme is very passionate about the sport and his work ethic is a perfect fit for the Supercross Manager position,” said Prater. “He brings a wealth of live event and production experience to the table from his years on the AMA National Arenacross Series. I look forward to having him on our team for many years to come.”
For more information about the Amp’d Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, log on to www.supercross.cc.com.

he World PowerSports Association has announced that all 10 of 2005/2006 PowerSports Snowmobile Tour events will air on ESPN2. The programs began airing in January and will run on consecutive weeks through the end of March. The one hour shows will feature Snocross racing action and will give fans the inside scoop on the Tour’s riders and teams.
     Series sponsors include Parts Unlimited and United States Air Force as Presenting Sponsors, Arctiva is the exclusive apparel sponsor, Z1R Helmets is the official helmet and Trukke Boots is the official boot.
Check local listings for air times in your area.

     Parts Unlimited kicks in support for a New Jersey dealer trail ride. Photos and details courtesy of Steve Hyde, Mike and Kathy Ego

ast November, dealer Steve Hyde of Mt. Holly Powersports in Lumberton, NJ put on an industry-only invitational trail ride in the southern part of the state known as the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Adding support for the event was Parts Unlimited sales rep Mike Ego who assisted in logistics and also paid for lunch at the Woodshed Inn. Lending the company’s support, Thor’s Napoleon Tetreault and Parts Unlimited’s Greg Blackwell and Don Gonzales flew in to participate. A great time was had by all.
Showing great camaraderie among the local competitors, ten dealerships were involved in the event. Participants were:

Mount Holly Powersports – Mount Holly NJ
Coopers Powersports – Hamilton Square NJ
East Hanover Honda – Whippany NJ
Ephrata Cycle – Ephrata PA
Yamaha City – Philadelphia PA
Touch of Class BMW Suzuki – Phillipsburg NJ
Hamilton Yamaha – Hamilton NJ
Rizzon Cycles – Middlesex NJ
Goodfellows Motorsports – Williamstown NJ
Leisure Equipment – Parkerford PA


Riders navigate their way down Steve Hyde’s single-track route through the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Surprise! Some sections, like the one shown, were under water!


Steve Hyde (left) welcomes his fellow dealers and industry associates to the ride with Parts Unlimited sales rep Mike Ego standing by.


The group awaits the start of a fun-filled Sunday ride through the woods.

arts Unlimited has announced the addition of two new sales reps. Jason Dunnagan has been hired as sales rep for the Southwest Region. Jason comes from Riders Choice, where he started as a floor sweeper and eventually became store manager. He was involved in designing and merchandising the showroom, along with overseeing service, sales, and parts promotions. Jason enjoys off road riding and has participated in two Rocky Mountain 400 rides. When not out riding the trails, Jason can be found playing softball and volleyball in his spare time.



     Eliot "Fish" Fisher has also been hired as a new sales rep in the Southwest Region. After high school, Fish attended UNLV for a couple of years before opening up Vegas Powersports. After 6 years, he went into independent sales for companies in Orange County, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Fish enjoys anything from desert riding to motocross, mostly having the best time on the sand dunes in such places as Glamis, Dumont, and Pismo. When not working, he can be found camping or just spending time with his wife Kim and daughter, Emma.


Photos courtesy of Kelly Brogger and Trail Boss Tours

f you're looking for someone to guide you on an adventure ride through Baja, Mexico, Trail Boss Tours is a great choice. Together, Chris Steward and Nancy Emde-Steward (sister of Parts Magazine publisher Don Emde) have created a business that delivers a great Baja experience for motorcycle riders. But for one weekend last November, the Trail Boss duo had another adventure of their own going on: they were racing in the famed Baja 1000.
T     his year's event was reportedly the most grueling ever in the race's history. A record 400+ entries went off the line in Ensenada, but 47% finished, including Team Trail Boss. Nancy, Chris and other team riders Brett Helm, Kip Busse, Mike Fowler and Tim Savin came home 5th in Class 40. Congratulations to the team for a great result in one of the toughest events in the motorcycle sport.
     And when you do get ready for a Baja experience of your own, check out Trail Boss Tours online at www.trailbosstours.com.


It's approximately 2:00 a.m. and Nancy takes off into the darkness of Baja, lit only with what can go on the bike. She completed her segment without incident and earned her first-ever Baja 1000 finisher pin.


Since Nancy's portion of the team race was in the middle of the night, she wore a bright yellow vest with fluorescent stripes so the ultra-fast Baja trophy trucks and others could see her when they came up from behind her at 140 mph+!


Outfitted in Thor gear, Team Trail Boss gets ready to rumble. On the back row (l-r) are Tim Lufer (mechanic) and Kip Busse. In the front are Mike Fowler, Nancy Emde-Steward, Chris Steward, Brett Helm and Tim Savin.

0510 COVER
Parts Magazine
Volume 13 #2