VRM Spa, the owner of the storied Italian suspension brand Marzocchi, has confirmed that it is moving production to China in a partnership deal with Benelli owner Qiangjiang's QJMotors subsidiary, creating a new company called Zheijang Mazhouke Machinery Manufacturing. The new business will manufacture Marzocchi branded forks and shocks for sale in China and export worldwide. Production will be based at a new "state-of-the-art" facility in Zhejiang province. Florenzo Vanzetto, CEO of VRM, says that his company has grown Marzocchi turnover from € 8m a year when they saved the brand from liquidation in 2008 to € 32m now. Marzocchi was acquired by the € 8bn turnover Tenneco - the Monroe shocks owner - just as the global financial crisis started to bite. The U.S. conglomerate quite quicky decided to divest itself of what it judged likely to become an expensive and 'troubled' asset.
An end of February Derby Crown Court date in the UK, that would have decided if ex Norton owner and convicted pension fraudster Stuart Garner would face prison time, was postponed to an as yet unconfirmed alternate date.
British specialist R&G Crash Protection will again be an Official Partner to MotoAmerica, North America's premier road racing series, for a third consecutive year. Additionally, R&G will be a team sponsor for the Vision Wheels M4 ECSTAR Suzuki squad that will field Richie Escalante and Jake Lewis in the 2022 MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike series.
Italian helmet manufacturer Locatelli (Airoh) has extended its MXGP partnership with Infront Moto Racing for a further five years.
The self-proclaimed 'safest motorcycle rally in the world' - The '1000 Dunas' (1000 Dunes) Rally - returns for a third year in 2022. Starting at Granada, Spain, on October 22nd, then finishing back there on October 29th, having navigated the most arid parts of Morocco through exclusive motorcycle trails to reach the Merzouga desert. The first '1000 Dunas' was staged in 2018.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has reached a settlement agreement with North Las Vegas based Dynojet Research (and its Dynatek ignitions subsidiary) for $2.1m for violations of CARB's air quality regulations. This is the second enforcement action against Dynojet. In 2007, CARB settled with the company for $1m for selling non-exempt aftermarket vehicle parts in California that violated the state's air quality regulations. CARB says the latest violations were discovered in part due to CARB's relationship with the U.S. EPA. The infractions are said to have revolved around Dynojet's Power Commander. "While Dynojet received approval for exemptions of several add-on or modified parts from its product lines, the company also offered products such as the Power Commander and Dynatek ignition system that have not received exemptions from CARB and failed to meet California's regulations".
The Yamaha factory team has announced that it is to exit the Dakar and FIM Rallies. As the only manufacturer that has been in each Dakar Rally since motorcycles started to participate in 1979, its early years and 1990s success hasn't been replicated - its last Dakar win was in 1998 and last podium seven years ago. It has therefore pulled out of the 450 cc class at the Dakar and the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Of the 168 motorcycles in the 2022 Dakar Rally, only nine of them were Yamahas. It will continue with its UTV effort, however. The company has also hinted at a possible return if it can develop its Ténéré 700 into a Rally-capable platform.
Described as building on the success of its 'Yard Built' custom bike projects, Yamaha has launched a youth rider facing ambassador led 'Free Spirits' campaign for the lightweight Yamaha XSR125. The youngest member of the Faster Sons family, the programme will be operated in Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Spain and Portugal. "The ambassadors themselves lead the design and changes to their XSR125 custom builds, visualising their unique requirements to create a new breed of 'Yard Built' with a real-world practical value to enhance their daily lives". The ambassadors will be drawn from a wide variety of specialties, including musicians, wakeboarders, surfers and artists.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com
