INDUSTRY INFOBITES

PROGRESSIVE IMS OUTDOORS TOUR PARTNERS WITH STRIDER AND NON-PROFIT ALL KIDS BIKE TO GET KIDS ACROSS AMERICA ON TWO WHEELS

The nation’s leading consumer motorcycle tour, Progressive IMS Outdoors, has announced two new partnerships with Strider and non-pro t organization All Kids Bike to lead a two-part initiative designed to excite young kids about the thrill of two wheels by engaging children at an early age and teaching the younger generation how to ride.

The Kids Zone with Strider, the latest addition to Discover the Ride, will elevate the industry-leading new rider program by introducing two experiential courses geared toward all riders ages two through 15 at each stop along the 2021 tour. Furthermore, to complement the onsite attraction and extend support to the local community, the organizers of the Progressive IMS Outdoors tour join the All Kids Bike movement dedicated to teaching all children in America how to ride in kindergarten PE classes.

Collectively, the two initiatives spotlight the Progressive IMS Outdoors tour’s dedication to nurturing young riders and building the next generation of Powersports enthusiasts, while also providing more young kids the opportunity to learn balance, develop essential riding skills, build con dence, and foster a love for two wheels.

For the full 2021 tour schedule and to purchase tickets, please visit them online: motorcycleshows.com/schedule.

JASON DUPASQUIER • 2001 - 2021

Jason Dupasquier, a 19-year-old Swiss Moto3 rider, has died after being involved in a serious crash during the qualifying session at the Italian Grand Prix, MotoGP announced.

“Dupasquier was involved in a multi-rider incident between Turns 9 and 10, with the session Red Flagged thereafter,” the statement read. “FIM Medical Intervention Vehicles arrived at the site immediately and the Swiss rider was attended to on track before being transferred by medical helicopter, in a stable state, to Careggi Hospital in Florence. Despite the best efforts of circuit medical staff and all those subsequently attending to the Swiss rider, the hospital has announced that Dupasquier has sadly succumbed to his injuries.”

ALMOST GONE IN 60 SECONDS In Great Britain, the owner of Hampshire-based off-road bike garage, R Spec MX, foiled an attempted theft after a Transit was used to ram the shutters at his premises. Richard Mead was woken up at home by text alerts from his CCTV and alarm systems in the early hours of Monday, May 25. He jumped straight into his car and headed for the garage, which is a couple of miles away, and rang the police to report the crime. Mead explains what happened: “I always planned if this happened to use a railway bridge up the road to block them in but they were already too far gone for that to work so we waited in a layby for them to come past.

One of the guys who works for us tried to block the road further up and they just sideswiped his van and barged through with a 4x4. They had the van with ve bikes in it and then the 4x4 had a Kawasaki KX250 hanging out the back, too.” All of the stolen bikes were restored vintage crossers, including a 1990 Suzuki RM125 and the 1994 KX250, which eventually fell out of the rear of the 4x4 before being recovered. “We carried on chasing them along country roads until we could see above the hedgerows that the van had stopped around the next corner. I didn’t know what to do because it was just me and my girlfriend and I didn’t want us to get attacked but then the police came up behind us so we carried on. It turned out the thieves had abandoned the van and made off in the other vehicle with several police cars and the police helicopter in pursuit, leaving the bikes to be recovered.”

KAWASAKI LAUNCHES 2022 Z900 RS IN CANDY TONE BLUE

Kawasaki introduced the retro-styled Z900RS to much fanfare in 2018. Harking back to the original Z1, Team Green designers not only replicated the ‘70s silhouette but also lifted the iconic orange and brown colorway from the superbike of yore. Now, the brand is following in its own footsteps by releasing a new color scheme that imitates a later iteration of its 900 Super Four platform. Launched in 1972, the rst Z1 aunted a candy orange and brown livery in the U.S. that earned the nickname “ reball” from Kawasaki enthusiasts (a second candy yellow and green colorway was available in Europe and the U.K.). Encapsulating the era with its warm hues and two-tone paint, the reball colorway timed its return perfectly, giving Kawi an instant competitor in the hotly-contested modern-classic segment

NEW DAKAR RALLY

A new rally has been set up for classic cars and bikes that will roughly trace the route of the Dakar before it moved to South America.

Called the Dakar Enduro Rally, the event is being run by Bespoke Rallies, who have been involved in the world of rallying for over 20 years.

It will start at Brooklands, before making its way down through France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and nally Senegal roughly three weeks later. The route covers more than 4000 miles of A-road, Broad, gravel track and sand dune. Just like the Dakar the route navigation will be done by roadbook.

Any classic machine is welcome to enter but it’s primarily aimed at the early Dakar bikes that inspired the rst range of ‘adventure bikes’ as we know them now, such as Africa Twins, GSs, Ténérés, Elefants and XTs.

Taking part in next year’s event on one of his many classic off-road machines is Dakar bike collector Harry Metcalfe, a former performance car magazine owner who runs a popular YouTube channel called Harry’s Garage where he shows people around his two and four-wheeled delights.

Ahead of the event’s start next year, some of the entrants met up at Harry Metcalfe’s farm for a brie ng and bit of practice.

The rally starts in March next year with places still available, priced from £5850 (Around $8,500). For more info head to www.bespokerallies.com.