The Ups and Downs of Print Media by Bandit and a handful of Editors
I thought I might check in on the Motorcycle Magazine industry, specifically the chopper guys. F***, I didn’t know what I was diving into. A couple of years ago only one magazine survived the cost issues, the internet competition and the distribution expenses, Cycle Source.
Some magazines went sorta underground, changed their formats and dropped out of the retail market. Then Chopper Magazine returned with a large glossy format, quality printing but subscription only.
Chapter 25 of latest Bonneville Effort by 5-Ball Racing by Bandit
Getting Ready for the Salt We’re beginning to prep the Salt Torpedo for the BMST event from August 27 until September 2 in Bonneville, Utah on 65-square miles of salt.
This event will take place just a couple of weeks after the historic Bonneville Speed Trials for everything on wheels. The BMST was developed by Dennis Manning solely for us grubby bikers.
I had to dig up and test various chain hoists and trolly apparatus to work with our new gantry in Sturgis, South Dakota. –Bandit
MUBADALA CAPITAL BACKS SX GLOBAL
TO LAUNCH NEW FIM SUPERCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Queensland, Australia (March 1st, 2022) — Mubadala Capital, the asset management subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, one of the world’s leading sovereign investors with US$243 billion of assets under management, today announced its investment in SX Global, an Australian company established to develop, promote, and commercialize the FIM Supercross World Championship.
Mubadala Capital has established a track record of successfully investing in category leaders across sports, media, and entertainment—including EMI Music Publishing, Endeavor Group Holdings, Reigning Champs, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES Network), among others—and this investment continues its history of backing world-class management teams in building differentiated global sports, media and entertainment businesses.
Mubadala Capital’s investment will support SX Global’s expansion plans for supercross and its efforts to capitalize on the exclusive rights it has secured from the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) to manage and promote the new FIM Supercross World Championship, bringing the exciting sport of off-road motorbike racing to fans across the globe in a new competitive format.
“Our commitment to SX Global and the FIM Supercross World Championship builds on our strategy and track record of selectively investing in premier content properties with strong global appeal,” said Adib Martin Mattar, Head of Private Equity at Mubadala Capital. “We expect that our investment in SX Global will introduce the exciting sport of professional supercross to a global audience and build lasting value by delivering an authentic, exciting and fan-centric experience.”
SX Global’s President, Tony Cochrane, added, “We’re proud to partner with Mubadala Capital, a company that shares our vision and global aspirations for the FIM Supercross World Championship. With the international reach, resources, and business building experience of Mubadala Capital alongside us, we’re looking forward to establishing FIM Supercross World Championship as a leading global motorsport and entertainment property.”
Representing Mubadala Capital on the SX Global Board of Directors will be Matt Kim and Russ Pillar, who collectively bring decades of experience backing and leading global sports, media, and entertainment companies. They will be joining Tony Cochrane, SX Global’s President; Adam Bailey, SX Global’s Managing Director (Motorsport); Ryan Sanderson, SX Global’s Managing Director (Commercial); Tom Potter, Rush Sport & Entertainment; and Tavo Hellmund, Founder, Event Partners Marketing, on SX Global’s Board of Directors.
In December 2021, the FIM awarded SX Global the exclusive organisational and commercial rights to stage, manage and promote the FIM Supercross World Championship. Under the leadership of the SX Global Team, and with the financial backing and support of Mubadala Capital, Supercross will become a true global sports property, competing on a legitimate international platform for the first time in history. The FIM Supercross World Championship will commence in late 2022.
Mubadala Capital is a wholly owned asset management subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, a leading global sovereign investor headquartered in Abu Dhabi. In addition to managing its own balance sheet investments, Mubadala Capital manages over $10 billion of third-party capital on behalf of institutional investors in all its businesses, including three private equity funds, two early-stage venture funds, a public fund, and two funds in Brazil focused on special situations.
Mubadala Capital and its affiliated entities have a long track record of owning and/or operating globally recognized sports, media, entertainment and premium content and services properties including EMI Music Publishing, Endeavor Group Holdings, Reigning Champs, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network.
SX GLOBAL – BOARD
Matt Kim – Non-Executive Board Member
• Matt Kim is a Senior Principal at Mubadala Capital and leads the team’s sports, media and entertainment investment activities. He possesses over a decade of investment experience, and prior to joining Mubadala Capital, Mr. Kim was an investment professional at Bank of America Capital Advisors, where he focused on evaluating private equity investment opportunities globally.
Mr. Kim graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship and is a CFA charter holder.
Russ Pillar – Chairperson
• Russ Pillar is a Senior Advisor and Operating Partner of Mubadala Capital where he initiates, evaluates, and manages investment opportunities globally. He is a tenured sports/media/consumer CEO, with executive roles across the Virgin Entertainment Group, Prodigy Internet, the CBS Internet Group, the Viacom Media Group, the Los Angeles Marathon, and Reigning Champs, among others.
Mr. Pillar previously held directorship roles for more than three dozen private and publicly traded sports, media, retail, entertainment, and technology/tech services companies. A Phi Beta Kappa cum laude graduate of Brown University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies, he also is a Henry Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Tony Cochrane AM – President
• Tony Cochrane’s passion and experience forge a formidable combination and have ultimately resulted in some unforgettable milestones in entertainment and sport generally over the past 45 years both in Australia and on the global stage.
Over the past 45 years with partners and solo, Tony has produced and promoted over 400 sporting and entertainment events throughout the world, sold in excess of 25,000,000 tickets with gross sales exceeding two billion dollars, and written nearly $250,000,000 in sponsorship sales.
In his time as Executive Chairman of V8 Supercars, Tony Cochrane was considered the founding father of the ‘modern’ era of motor racing in Australia, the touring car category that was arguably amongst the world’s best. During this period, V8 Supercars had an extraordinary rise to the top of sport within Australia and on the world motorsport scene. It became a multi-million dollar industry under his strong leadership. His credits and performance in world motorsport are uniquely recognised both in Australia and overseas. He holds an FIA acknowledgement and an Order of Australia for his contributions.
Adam Bailey – Managing Director – Motorsport
• Adam’s experience in Supercross began as a competitor in the early 90s. He established an athlete and event management agency in 2005 that represented some of the most respected athletes and brands in this space. These networks led to valuable and unique international industry relationships.
Launching AME Management with Ryan Sanderson in 2012, the duo combined their experience to establish a boutique sports marketing agency in Australia and launched AUS SX Holdings and the AUS-X Open event in 2015. The events went on to achieve sell-out crowds annually for five years including the successful creation and expansion of the FIM Oceania Supercross Championship into New Zealand in 2018 and 2019. Adam leads key aspects of brand creative strategy, content, industry partnerships, international talent and operations.
A creative marketer, many of Adam’s unique PR, marketing and content strategies have helped see the events become recognised and respected, globally.
Ryan Sanderson – Managing Director – Commercial
• Ryan spent five years at V8 Supercars Australia under Tony Cochrane’s reign. In Ryan’s tenure as Sponsorship Manager, he serviced some of Australia’s largest sponsorship properties, managing over 20 V8 Supercars Championship partners, with over $22M in annual spend.
Ryan and Adam launched AME, a sports marketing agency together in 2012 and then sold-out Supercross events in Australia & New Zealand from 2015 – 2019.
Ryan secured major commercial partnerships for both AUS-X Open & S-X Open Auckland Supercross events including Monster Energy, Australian Tourism & State Government funding, Boost Mobile, Michelin, Komatsu, Castrol & Repco/NAPA. Ryan developed leading entertainment, fan engagement and innovative commercial experiences, as well as international TV broadcast distribution including IMG, Seven Network, Fox Sports Australia, CBS, Eurosport & Fox Asia to over 382 million homes.
Ryan brings a unique skillset to SX Global and has extensive international broadcast, promoter and commercial partnership networks globally.
Tom Potter – Non-executive Director | Europe
• Tom is a former racing driver, and a commercial veteran of the McLaren and Williams F1 Teams. Tom founded Rush Sport & Entertainment in 2010 which has grown internationally to become one of the most successful businesses in motorsport sponsorship and marketing services whilst also delivering record-breaking deals for other major entertainment properties such as The Rolling Stones. Rush is responsible for placing over $700million sponsorship of F1, Formula E and IndyCar properties since 2016 alone. Rush has helped identify, structure, negotiate, activate and measure sponsorship investments for brands including Petrobras, Mercedes-Benz, Prudential, IHG, Marriott, Avis, Renesas, Adecco (Modis), Progressive and Saudi Aramco.
Few can boast the level of energy, insight and understanding of global motorsports’ commercial landscape and entertainment value. Tom is an expert at leveraging sports marketing and the sports business environment to create value and accelerate growth.
Tavo Hellmund – Non-executive Director | North America
• Tavo Hellmund was the founder of the FIA Formula-1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the co-founder of the FIA Formula-1 Mexican Grand Prix and a co- founder of the Circuit of the Americas race track in Austin, Texas. Tavo Hellmund has been the founder and President/Managing Partner of Full Throttle Productions, LP, Event Partners Marketing, LLC, Grand Prix Partners, LLC and Tavo Hellmund Inc. since 1994.
These companies manage and provide event project management, day of event oversight, staffing/volunteer services, venue planning, consulting and logistics support, marketing, sales, sponsorship, public relations and consultation services for sporting and special events around the world. Tavo Hellmund’s global event production experience includes brokering, sanctioning, producing or promoting over 150 sporting and entertainment events, which have generated more than 1.5 billion dollars in sales.
New and returning riders, more races and a bigger BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. program for 2022
Milwaukee, WI (Wednesday, February 9, 2022) – The field is set for the 2022 Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) season, and as promised, the new program is the largest yet. The BTR Road Race roster doubles in size from the previous season, with 15 women on the grid, and the Royal Enfield exhibition is set to visit six MotoAmerica venues in 2022. Professional road racer and crew chief Melissa Paris also returns to Royal Enfield BTR as the mentor to the women through each phase of the program.
“The excruciating process of selecting the participants from hundreds of applicants is now over, and we have our BTR Road Race field in place,” said Breeann Poland, Marketing and Communications Lead – Royal Enfield Americas. “We are excited to welcome back four women from previous seasons, plus one making the switch from flat track, along with 10 new faces. Royal Enfield, MotoAmerica and all the BTR sponsors are looking forward to sharing the stories, personalities and progress of these amazing women from different backgrounds and experience levels as they go through the season.”
Each of the 15 participants receive a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 motorcycle that they will spend the next three months (the “Build” phase of the program) designing and building. Melissa Paris will work with each rider to create a design and build their race bike before they begin training.
THE RIDERS
Kayla Thiesler, Michaela Trumbull, Alyssa Bridges, Trisha Dahl and Bridgette LeBer make their return to the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program, with LeBer crossing over from the flat track side and returning to her road racing roots. They will be joined by 10 new women joining the program, which was opened up to racers of all experience levels for 2022, rather than focusing on new riders. Find bios on all 15 women coming soon at the Build. Train. Race. website.
2022 BTR Road Racing Roster
· Kayla Thiesler, 26, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
· Michaela Trumbull, 29, Sheridan, Wyoming
· Alyssa Bridges, 31, Orange County, California
· Trisha Dahl, 31, Minneapolis, Minnesota
· Bridgette LeBer, 29, Port Angeles, Washington
· Ash Truxal, 31, Oakland, California
· Chloe Peterson, 31, Steger, Illinois
· Cora Tennyson, 36, Brandenburg, Kentucky
· Crystal Looy, 34, Thousand Oaks, California
· Hannah Stockton, 23, Kansas City, Missouri
· Jenny Chancellor, 46, Tumwater, Washington
· Jessica Martin, 38, Savannah, Georgia
· Kayleigh Buyck, 30, Sodus, New York
· Nicole Pareso, 34, Carrolton, Ohio
· Patty Paul, 57, Berrien Springs, Michigan
“Holy smokes, I get to do this again!” exclaimed returning BTR Road Race rider Alyssa Bridges of Dana Point, California. “This program has changed so many things in my life and I can’t believe we get to do it again. I’m honored to be asked to return for a second season. This time last year I had never modified a motorcycle to such a great extent, and never set foot on a racetrack. I’m sure this year will be different from last, but I’m so grateful to be asked to join again.”
“This whole experience is a dream come true,” said BTR Road Racing newcomer Kayleigh Buyck of Marion, New York. “I never would have thought I would be chosen to be a part of something so inspiring and motivational. I only hope this encourages many more women to chase their dreams and help the sport grow!”
The 2022 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is the base motorcycle for BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. Road Race at MotoAmerica.
THE SPONSORS
Along with a number of riders, many sponsors are back for the 2022 Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. program. The Road Racing program sees the return of S&S Cycle, Maxima Racing Oils, BOXO USA and Öhlins USA Suspension while new sponsors Arai Helmets and AGV come on board for the 2022 season.
The BTR Road Racing women will each build out their own unique sponsor deck that can extend to include a different number of sponsors and/or parts. Stay connected for more information on each race bike throughout the Build phase of the program at https://buildtrainrace.com/road-racing/.
“It means the world to us to have such generous support from these great companies,” said Poland. “Being able to send the Royal Enfield BTR women out onto the track with premium parts, support and protection is everything. Huge thanks to everyone who is behind our 2022 BTR Road Racing program. We can’t wait to see it all come together this season.”
THE SCHEDULE
Up from the previous year’s schedule of three rounds, BTR Road Racing is slated to run six rounds within the MotoAmerica FIM North American Road Race Championship for the 2022 season. Along with a return to Brainerd, Pitt Race and Barber Motorsports Park, BTR has added VIR, Road America and New Jersey to the 2022 schedule.
“The Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. racers and crew were a pleasure to have in our paddock last year,” said MotoAmerica Communications Manager Paul Carruthers. “The series was embraced by our fans, the rest of the paddock and the industry. We’re excited to welcome them back this year for twice as many rounds, and with even more racers.”
2022 Royal Enfield BTR Road Racing Schedule
May 20-22 (Rnd 1) Virginia Int’l Raceway, Alton, VA
About Royal Enfield
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous production in the world, Royal Enfield made its first motorcycle in 1901. Royal Enfield is a leading player in the global middleweight motorcycle market.
Royal Enfield North America (RENA) is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is developing a growing network of more than 140 dealers in North America, including the contiguous U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. RENA currently offers the all-new Meteor 350, Himalayan and the 650 Twins (INT 650 and Continental GT 650) motorcycles, along with a range of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories and apparel.
Drag racers of American-made V-Twin motorcycles collectively rejoiced two months ago when news broke that beloved racing organization AHDRA was firing back up and heading to the racetrack.
Now AHDRA is announcing a complete schedule and class line-up, showing the tremendous sponsor response and sponsorship opportunities still available.
The season opens at the traditional nitro Harley headquarters of Rockingham Dragway, moves north to Numidia, to the midwest at Cordova, west to Sturgis, north of the border to Quebec, then heads south to Atlanta, Orlando and Gainesville.
2020 AHDRA schedule
May 15-17 Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, North Carolina, USA
presented by Cox Double Eagle Harley-Davidson
May 30-31 Numidia Dragway, Numidia, Pennsylvania, USA
presented by Vreeland’s Harley-Davidson
July 3-5 Cordova International Raceway, Cordova, Illinois, USA
August 10-11 Sturgis Dragway, Sturgis, South Dakota, USA
August 29-30 Napierville Dragway, Napierville, Quebec, Canada
Nitro by invitation
October 2-4 Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Georgia, USA
October 15-17 Orlando Speed World, Bithlo, Florida, USA
presented by MTC Engineering
November 6-8 World Finals at Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Florida, USA
including a $5000 All-Star race on Saturday night and the AHDRA banquet in Gainesville on November 9th
Current classes and sponsors
Top Fuel
Pro Fuel
Pro Dragster
Extreme Gas by GMS Racing Engines
Extreme Bagger by A-1 Cycles
Extreme V-Rod
Pro Mod by T-Man Performance,
Modified by Zippers Performance
Street Pro 9.70 by Vreeland’s Harley-Davidson
10.30
10.90
11.50 by Crete’s Performance
ET
Trophy
But wait, there’s more! “At our first race, the one in Rockingham, we will be giving away a 2020 Harley-Davidson Street Glide by a raffle,” said AHDRA President Bill Rowe Jr.
Rowe also notes there are many sponsorship opportunities still available for performance companies to hop on the AHDRA bandwagon. This one’s gonna be big!
Mike Davis of Moto Lenz will be handling media relations.
“Thank you everyone for the amazing outpouring of support,” said Rowe. “I really didn’t know what to expect when we got into this, but the response has been amazing. Stay tuned for more news to come.”
AHDRA is owned by Pulse Marketing, the Hellertown, Pennsylvania-based motorsports promotion company run by veteran drag racer Rowe and his family.
Bikernet.com is celebrating 24 years of Riding Free as the online website of choice for motorcycle news, tech and adventure. Bikernet Blog has a Free Weekly Newsletter.
MUBADALA CAPITAL BACKS SX GLOBAL
It’s all about doing it the hard way
