Energica (Italy) has signed Autohaus Hofmann (Bad Saulgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) as a new dealer. In 2021, 199,132 motorcycles were registered in Germany and 3,541 of these were electrically powered (about 2.6% market share). Energica, now owned by New York based Ideanomics, already has 12 dealers in Germany and has a monobrand showroom in Munich.
Rumors suggest that a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Raid model could be headed to the next Dakar Rally. The ambitious Indian manufacturer has been in new model overdrive in recent years. An Indian media outlet recently described a prospective new, liquid-cooled 450 cc model as "the upcoming Himalayan 450 Raid". It will expected to feature "next level tech and performance" that will take it closer to models from established Dakar competitors such as Honda, KTM, and others.
SBS Friction has returned as the Official Brake Pad of Progressive AFT in the United States. Always a major race supporter, the 2022 season marks the fifth consecutive year in which SBS has served in that capacity in AFT racing. Founded in Denmark nearly 60 years ago, the company boasts a glorious motorsports tradition with dozens of two-wheel world championships, including in WorldSBK and MXGP.
With production at its Russian plant on hold, historic motorcycle and sidecar specialist IMZ-URAL has announced that it is to set up production at Petropavlovsk in Kazakhstan - some 400 miles southeast of its Irbit HQ.
Nominated for its new Ott Architekten, Augsburg designed office and logistics building, German specialist SIP Scootershop has been awarded a prestigious 'Best Workspaces Award'. Best Workspaces is the first international architecture award for intelligent working environments. "Callwey Publishing House and its partners bring together the best workspace interiors judged by an independent jury of experts. The vision of the award is to recognise pioneering workspace design internationally".
Sweden's Trelleborg Group has agreed to sell its Wheel Systems unit, incorporating its entire global Trelleborg off-road tire business, to Japanese tire giant Yokohama Rubber for $2.3bn in a deal that will more than double Yokohama's existing $970m off-road tire sales. Yokohama will absorb Trelleborg tire plants (ten of them) in seven countries - China, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Serbia, Sri Lanka and the USA. The brands sold include Maximo, Cultor, Interfit and, the best known in the motorcycle market, Mitas - which Trelleborg has only owned since 2015.
Owner Kinderhook Industries, LLC flipped its Mentor, Ohio based Race Winning Brands (RWB) subsidiary in November 2021. The new owner is New York based MiddleGround Capital. Headed up by industry veterans Bob Bruegging as President and Bob Romanelli as acquisitions lead, RWB was originally carved out of Dover Corporation in 2017. It had "completed eight strategic acquisitions" under Kinderhook ownership. RWB numbers Wiseco Performance Products, Manley Performance, ProX Racing Parts, Rekluse Motor Sports and JE Pistons among its best known powersports industry "units".
Dorna Sports has partnered with owner Meta to launch a new game on Facebook, "the MotoGP Pick & Play game brings fans into the action on one of the world's largest social networks". Launching exclusively on Facebook in 2022 it will be available to play free worldwide on mobile devices.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com
