Racing, industry partnerships, and community causes are taking the headlines this month. As things change quickly, we’ve got you covered so you can stay up to date. Here’s another installment of the latest news in the world of motorcycling from Cycle Trader.
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Bill West Passes Away
William (Bill) Carroll West, 88, passed away recently, after a lengthy illness. Considered a pioneer in motocross and supercross, West bought his first motorcycle in the 1950s after returning from Germany where he was stationed with the U.S. Army. As his passion for motorcycles grew, he opened Cycle Village in St. Petersburg, Florida, and began competing in flat track, enduro, and motocross events. Not long after, he ventured into promoting motorsports events, starting with the Florida Winter-Am Series he co-created with Russ Coe.
In 1971, West also helped convince Daytona International Speedway into adding a motocross event to run in conjunction with the Daytona 200 and serve as the final round of the Winter-Am tour. That event eventually became the Daytona Supercross. That same year, he began organizing a youth event called the Winter Olympiad—a multi-discipline event taking place over the week of Thanksgiving—that continues to be the single largest amateur competition in the sport.
Later, West began hosting Southeastern rounds of that AMA-sanctioned series at tracks like Sunshine Speedway in St. Petersburg, Road Atlanta, and Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainesville. The success of those events led West to create SuperSports, one of the most highly respected motorsports promotional businesses in the world. When the promoters of the Supercross tour decided to consolidate in the mid-’90s under one roof, West’s SuperSports company became a part of Pace Motorsports, and eventually became what is now Feld Entertainment. West served as an advisor for both supercross/motocross and monster truck events for the rest of his life.
Busto Re-Signs With GasGas Factory Racing
Jaime Busto recently re-signed a multi-year contract with GasGas Factory Racing team in TrialGP and X-Trial. After joining the team at the end of 2022, Buston won an X-Trial win on just his third outing with the team. He finished as runner-up in both TrialGP and X-Trial in 2023. Nearing the end of his second season with GasGas Factory Racing, Buston is currently in third overall in both the indoor and outdoor series standings. With one win and five other top-three finishes this year, Buston is looking to secure a podium in the overall championship this year.
Repsol And Honda Part Company
Repsol S.A., a Spanish multinational energy and petrochemical company based in Madrid, has confirmed they are parting ways with Honda HRC MotoGP at the close of 2024. The partnership has been one of the most successful in history since it began in 1995. In that time, Repsol Honda has won 15 premier class titles, 183 races, and 455 podiums.
The relationship between the two giants has changed since the loss of Spanish superstar Marc Marquez to Gresini Ducati at the close of 2023. Honda is also looking ahead to the future, with riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini currently sitting in 21st and 25th in the MotoGP World Championship standings this season.
The split appears to be mutually agreeable, though Honda is rumored to have already found a new title sponsor to fill the gap left by Repsol.
Indian Charity Ride Raises $114,000
Indian Motorcycle recently hosted a charity ride in partnership with Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the families of fallen or disabled service members and first responders with educational scholarships. The nationwide charity ride raised more than $114,000, far surpassing their goal of $50,000.
The ride featured multiple Indian Motorcycle Riders Groups from across the United States and included hundreds of riders, garnering more than 1,200 total donations. Every $5,000 raised fulfills one full scholarship, resulting in nearly 23 awards from this one event alone. Indian is grateful to the generous support of participants, sponsors, and local communities, and thankful for the overall success of the ride.
For nearly 20 years, Folds of Honor has provided educational support to the families of fallen or disabled service members and first responders. Folds of Honor has awarded more than 52,000 educational scholarships totaling approximately $244 million in educational impact. A total of 91% of the donated funds go directly to scholarships. Providing 45% of all scholarships to minority students, the organization is significantly impacting educational opportunities by fostering diversity and empowerment within academia.
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