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Indian Motorcycle has recalled certain Challenger , FTR 1200 and Pursuit motorcycles . Some 11,648 units may be affected by brake lights that may illuminate unexpectedly .

The 2024 AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship is slated for August 2-4 . The three-day event will be hosted by Indianhead Motorcycle Club at Red Wing , Minnesota . The nation ' s best amateur hillclimb competitors will do battle for AMA National No . 1 plates , plus several special awards - such as Hillclimb Racer of the Year , Vet / Senior Hillclimb Racer of the Year , ATV Hillclimb Racer of the Year and AMA Youth Hillclimb Racer of the Year . In addition , the fastest competitor in a run-off race will be crowned King of the Hill . Riders with the ten fastest times during the weekend will compete for the title in a one-run class at the end of the event on August 4 .

BRP announced retail sales increased by + 8 % in FY23 and continued to gain share in a market that only saw a 1 % increase . While the mild winter slowed snowmobile sales to a crawl , BRP says its silver lining was an uptick in SxS and ATV sales - " our performance in the side-by-side category was very impressive , as we reached a market share of 30 % one year ahead of plan ."

Kawasaki ' s Ninja H2R-powered unmanned drone prototype is a VTOL machine that can reportedly carry a 200 kg ( 441 pound ) payload . The Kawasaki K-Racer project is a multidisciplinary effort put together by Kawasaki Heavy Industries . Taking some of the best technological advancements , it ' s come up with it across its various child companies , like Kawasaki Motors and Kawasaki Robotics . KHI has been working to advance its vision for what it calls " Near-Future Mobility " in the 2020s ; www . rideapart . com

Akrapovic and Ducati are expanding their collaborations into off-road racing with the announcement that the Slovenian company will supply the official exhaust of the Ducati Corse Off-Road team .

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali has been reconfirmed for a third term as President of Motor Valley Development - the unique promotional business charged with promoting the Bologna area of Italy as an automotive and powersports industry center of excellence .

The MotoGP World Championship is now under American ownership , with Formula 1 owner Liberty Media acquiring Madrid based Dorna Sports , S . L ., the exclusive commercial rights holder to the MotoGP and World SBK World Championship , from the joint ownership of British private investment company Bridgepoint and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (" CPP Investments "). MotoGP will now become part of Liberty Media ' s Formula One Group , with Carmelo Ezpeleta remaining as CEO . He has led the organization since 1994 and the business will remain headquartered in Madrid . Liberty Media will acquire 86 % of Dorna , with Dorna management retaining approximately 14 % of its equity in the business . The transaction reflects an enterprise value for MotoGP of € 4.2bn and an equity value of € 3.5bn , with the existing Dorna debt balance expected to remain in place after close . The equity consideration to sellers is expected to be comprised of approximately 65 % cash , 21 % in shares of Series C Liberty Formula One common stock ( Nasdaq : FWONK ) and 14 % of retained MotoGP management equity . Carmelo Ezpeleta is quoted as saying : " This is the perfect next step in the evolution of MotoGP , and we are excited for what this milestone brings to Dorna , the MotoGP paddock and racing fans . " We are proud of the global sport we ' ve grown , and this transaction is a testament to the value of the sport today and its growth potential . Liberty has an incredible track record in developing sports assets and we could not wish for a better partner to expand

The MIC is reporting that among leading brands , 2023 sales of new motorcycles and scooters in the United States increased by + 2.6 % over the previous year , while ATVs decreased - 5.2 %. Motorcycles and scooters accounted for 74.8 % of the 2023 sales and ATVs represented 25.2 %. " Small displacement bikes have taken centre stage with remarkable growth in 2023 ," said Buckner Nesheim , MIC Director of Research and Statistics .

“ This is the perfect next step in the evolution of MotoGP , and we are excited for what this milestone brings to Dorna , the MotoGP paddock and racing fans ,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta , CEO of Dorna .

MotoGP ' s fanbase around the world ." The acquisition is expected to be completed by year-end 2024 and is subject to the receipt of clearances and approvals by competition and foreign investment law authorities in various jurisdictions . In a conference call with analysts , Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei suggested that he expected no issues with clearance for the deal , but history would suggest otherwise . CVC Capital Partners , who sold Formula One to Liberty in 2017 , had to sell Dorna in 2006 as a condition imposed

" Leading the pack , smalldisplacement ADV (' dual-purpose ') motorcycles recorded a significant 62 % increase from 2022 , highlighting the continued preference for adventurous riding experiences . by the European Commission in its then purchase of F1 . For that reason alone , some observers think it likely that the deal may well face regulatory headwinds , especially in the EU . Liberty will be filing with the EU , UK , Brazil and Australia for anti-trust clearance and making FDI ( Foreign Direct Investment ) filings in Spain and Italy . Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ( CPPIB ) bought a 39 % stake in Dorna from Bridgepoint in 2012 . The remaining shares were owned by Dorna management , whose stake now drops to 14 % following the takeover . Dorna Sports , which was roughly 40 % owned by British private investment company Bridgepoint Group , also promotes the World Superbike Championship and all-electric MotoE , as well as the Moto2 and Moto3 junior categories . MotoGP currently has one U . S . race on a 21-round calendar that includes Asia and the Middle East , with a European heartland dominated by Spain and Italy . The Liberty Media Group is a threedivision conglomerate , a multinational telecommunications company with headquarters in London , Amsterdam and Denver , and had an annual revenue of $ 8.95bn in 2023 ( down from $ 11.5bn in 2019 ) and over 20,000 employees worldwide .

" Moreover , small-displacement sport bikes , with the 0-500 cc category increasing 26 %, secured the secondhighest growth in motorcycle categories , and may be signalling a trend of road-going newcomers ."

26 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - MAY 2024 www . AMDmag . com