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BRIEFS
For the second year in succession , H-D Europe has canceled its 29th annual European H . O . G . Rally . It had been slated for 10th to 13th June at Portoroi on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia , close to the Italian and Croat borders . An international highlight of the international H . O . G . calendar , the Rally regularly attracts riders from more than 60 countries .
Pied Piper has reported Harley dealers as ranked # 1 in 2021 for responding to website customers . The Indian Motorcycle brand was ranked second , followed by BMW and Polaris . Dealers for top brands were found to have improved their website response behaviors dramatically over the past two years , while dealers for other brands failed to improve . The 2021 internet lead effectiveness ( ILE ) study results show that dealers selling Harley , Indian , BMW or Polaris sent an email or text answering a website customer ' s question about 50 % of the time on average - in 2019 , the figure for the same dealers was only about 35 % of the time . In contrast , Honda , Kawasaki , Triumph or Yamaha dealers sent an email or text answering a website customer ' s question only about 30 % of the time .
The Custom Bike Show , an AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building Official Affiliate planned for the Motorama Expo in Madrid , Spain in June has had to be postponed for 2021 . It had been slated for the first weekend of June , and while the pandemic is largely under control in Spain , with the Madrid City authorities issuing a permit for Motorama itself to go ahead , organizer Expo Motor Events has had to conclude that time was too short to be able to prepare the custom show to the required international standard . It is hoped that it will go ahead in its usual annual slot in March 2022 instead .
NHRA Announces New Electric Vehicle Class
NHRA has announced the creation of an all-new electric vehicle ( EV ) racing class that will join the NHRA Summit Series in 2022 . For decades , NHRA ' s Member Tracks have seen EVs , hybrids and alternative-energy vehicles use their racetracks as a proving ground . Creating an EV class within the NHRA Summit Series accelerates the NHRA ' s commitment to its racers and partners looking to develop new technology . With the rise in performance of electric street vehicles also comes the need for the NHRA to provide a safe place to race and a platform for competitors to evolve and demonstrate their capabilities . " We are thrilled for this new opportunity for our NHRA competitors ," said NHRA President Glen Cromwell . " NHRA Drag Racing is about performance and innovation and we look forward to seeing how these vehicles perform in 2022 ."
Vance & Hines has announced a contingency sponsorship program offering payouts to riders in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle ( PSM ) class who use the new Vance & Hines VHIL18504V Suzuki-based engine and Vance & Hines carbon pipe . Riders that meet the requirements will receive $ 500 for a race win and $ 250 as a runner-up . " Terry Vance and Byron Hines made a name for themselves and started this company at a racetrack . We do everything we can to support racing with great engines and components , and this contingency payout is our way of saying thank you to our riders ," said President of Vance & Hines Mike Kennedy . To qualify for the contingency payment , riders must run the appropriate equipment and have Vance & Hines
" Summit Racing Equipment supports all forms of motorsports , and we are excited to help bring EV technology to the track through our longstanding partnership with the NHRA ," said Jim Greenleaf , Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports and Events Manager . " This is a great opportunity to expand on one of the most successful grassroots sportsman drag racing programs in the country ." The NHRA ' s EV race car initiative was launched to bring automakers , racers , the safety industry and the performance aftermarket together . Multiple meetings between the NHRA and global OEMs during the past four years have discussed the technical challenges and opportunities that come with EV drag racing . During that time , NHRA fans have seen the debut of the Chevrolet eCOPO , a match-race between a supercharged Ford Cobra Jet Mustang and the allelectric Cobra Jet 1400 all-electric
Vance & Hines NHRA Pro Stock Contingency identification on their bike . The NHRA will determine who is awarded the payments . Vance & Hines Team riders are not eligible for this prize money . In other news , Vance & Hines is to add six-time NHRA PSM champion Andrew Hines and four-time champion Eddie Krawiec to its NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Racing Team for the remainder of the 2021 Season after sitting out the first two motorcycles in the hands of Vance & Hines , and a 200-mph EV-record breaking pass by an all-electric dragster . " The NHRA will continue to foster EV development as drag racing is the motorsport best suited to demonstrate the electrification of vehicles ." Rules for the all-new Summit Series EV class are in discussion and will be released as soon as possible to give builders and racers ample time to prepare for 2022 .
PSM events . Both Hines and Krawiec will ride motorcycles equipped with Vance & Hines ' recently announced VH160VT engine and NHRA-approved Buell 1190RX bodywork . They join three-time champion Angelle Sampey as part of the " winningest team in NHRA PSM history ." " It was hard to sit out the beginning of the 2021 NHRA Season ," said Hines , " but both Eddie and I had our hands full at the RDC ( Vance & Hines Racing Development Center ). It was important for the business that we launch our two new racing engines and the components that our customers need . When we went to the NHRA events in Florida and Nevada it was great to see our engines perform , but I really wanted to grab my gear and be on the track ." www . vanceandhines . com
10 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JUNE 2021 www . AMDchampionship . com