Press Release –

FMF International is thrilled to announce the addition of Malcolm McCassy to the FMF family. “I have known Malcolm and his family for many years and have always appreciated the enthusiasm Malcolm brings to any team. Malcolm will be a great asset to the FMF family. I built this business on the love for motorcycles and the freedom to ride, and 35 years later and I am bringing someone on who shares that same vision. We are excited to have him on board,” stated FMF founder and owner Don Emler Sr.

In his new role as Director of Marketing, Malcolm will identify new methods to enhance company brand and product awareness while maintaining relationships with existing partners and athletes.

McCassy also plans to expand FMF outside of the motocross industry. “After 10 years of friendship, I am very excited to welcome Malcolm to the FMF family. Malcolm will be heavily involved with the FMF brand as a whole, with special attention towards the development of our new apparel line: FMF International,” stated FMF Racing’s VP of Marketing, Don Emler Jr.

McCassy has spent the past eight years with Alpinestars, building relationships with athletes and industry executives alike. “After fifteen years in the action sports industry, I am excited to begin a new venture with such an amazing brand as FMF,” commented McCassy adding: “Don Emler Sr. and Jr. have built a strong brand on which I am very excited to help expand and grow. I couldn’t ask for a better team.”

Visit FMFracing.com

Press Release –

KTM, the company that’s “Ready to Race” and EVS, the Original Protective Gear Company, have teamed up to bring our riders some authentic, KTM inspired EVS gear.

With the coined orange and black color scheme, EVS has given two of its greatest products a facelift and handed them off to KTM.

The WEB knee brace, one of the industry’s leading products, is now a KTM original and featured in its 2009 PowerWear Catalog. The WEB, which features a newly designed TM5 hinging system, is a sure winner both on and off the track. It provides ultimate protection and stability without limiting mobility.

In addition, the BJ22, part of EVS’ Ballistic Jersey line, is also in the product lineup for KTM. It’s lightweight, cool ballistic fabric with mesh stretch panels ensure a superior fit. With an easy to adjust double-closure kidney belt, the BJ22 is the ultimate all-in-one piece of upper body protection.

These two products have been made exclusively for KTM by EVS.

Visit www.evs-sports.com for more information.

Press Release –

KYMCO USA has announced the promotion of Marketing Manager Rick Pawelka to Director of Marketing. The position will give him increased responsibilities for strategic planning as well as execution of the company’s U.S. marketing, advertising and public relations plans.

Pawelka has been with KYMCO USA for 4 years, serving in a variety of roles including establishing a web presence for the brand and coordinating participation in a full nationwide schedule of industry shows and events. Before joining KYMCO he was associated with motorcycle importers Moto Guzzi, Aprilia and MZ Motorrad.

The company also recently named veteran motorsports executive Steve Lazoff as Director of Sales. Lazoff comes to KYMCO USA after a five-year stint as National Sales Manager for Triumph Motorcycles.

Both Pawelka and Lazoff will report directly to Eric Bondy, President/CEO of KYMCO USA.

Through the efforts of Bondy and his team, the KYMCO dealer network has now grown to more than 700 dealerships across the country. In May the company held its first full-blown national dealer meeting in Greenville, SC, where the company introduced several new scooter models and the MXU 375 ATV and UXV 500 UTV.

The MXU 375 features KYMCO’s first fully independent rear suspension and electronic, shift-on-the-fly 4WD system. The UXV 500 also represents a breakthrough – KYMCO’s first entry into the growing side-by-side utility market.

For more visit KymcoUSA.com

Press Release –

Despite inclement weather conditions and lots of mud that plagued round nine of the NEATV-MX series, BCS Performance’s Mike Pilotte came away with the Pro win while Kawasaki’s Joe Haavisto claimed the number one position in the Pro-am class.

Rain and mud was the name of the game at the Capeway Rovers Motocross Park. Even though it had been raining off and on all morning, there were many racers that still showed up to maintain, if not improve their points standings, but at 9am, just as practice was about to get underway, the skies opened up and heavy rain began to fall.

Track conditions deteriorated quickly and became so poor due to all the water that officials decided to move all of the youth classes to the end of the day in hopes that things would clear up a bit. Just as conditions appeared to be improving, Mother Nature once again let loose with a heavy down poor.

Conditions became so poor that officials decided that the track would be impassable for the smaller quads, and cancelled the kid’s races for the day. Adult classes were also cut down to a one moto, winner take all format.

With the massive amounts of mud flying everywhere off the starting line, whoever took the holeshot, and was able to keep their vision somewhat clear, had a definite advantage over those who were following. In the Pro class, Mike Pilotte was the lucky one that took the holeshot, with Joe Haavisto right behind him, while several other riders got hung up in the first turn due to the slick conditions.

The slippery track and poor visibility made passing difficult if not close to impossible, so the order that riders left the gate stayed virtually the same throughout the entire moto.

The mud claimed several victims over the course of the race with Myles Santaniello and Vincent Mofford all taking DNF’s. “It was really slick and visibility was poor. I ended up losing traction off the line and didn’t get the start I wanted. You definitely wanted to be the guy getting the holeshot this round,” said Kawasaki’s Joe Haavisto.

Out of the eight Pro’s on the starting line, only five were able to finish the race. Of the surviving racers, Pilotte was first to cross the finish line, with Joe Haavisto in second, and the Halo Suspension backed #40 Yamaha of Dave Payne claimed the final podium position. Thomas Mofford held on to take 4th place and BCS Performance backed Justin Hoffler finished in 5th.

In the Pro-am class, it was Kawasaki’s Vincent Mofford edging out Joe Haavisto for the holeshot and the early lead, but it would take long for Haavisto to make the pass to take over the lead followed by Vincent Mofford and Mike Pilotte. Just as in the Pro class, the order of the race did not change much due to the inclement conditions. Joe Haavisto rode away with the Pro-am win with Vincent Mofford taking second and Mike Pilotte taking the final podium position. Thomas Mofford ran a solid race to claim 4th, while Justin Hoffler, finished once again in 5th place.

Even with massive amounts of mud, there was a large turnout in the Women’s class with 12 riders lined up at the gate ready and waiting for their chance to get down and dirty. Halo Suspension’s Amy Thompson, who has been putting on a solid performance all season on her #103 Yamaha, took the holeshot and the win. Thompson, who had the advantage of clear sight, pulled ahead and kept a comfortable lead all the way to the finish line. Tiffany LaClair took an impressive second place, while class points leader Paige Whipple finished in a strong third place.

In the 25+ class, #122 Yamaha of Matt Atkins took the holeshot and the win, gaining some points on current points leader, Chris Lane and second in points, Casey Loring as both Chris and Casey decided not to race because of the conditions. In the Youth 200/300 class, Cody Gould braved the elements to take the win with Joshua Mondo in second and Mike Troiano taking the final spot on the podium.

The 4-Stroke Expert A class was not without its challenges as well with only four out of nine racers crossing the finish line. Jonathan Hansen was the first to reach the checkered flag, with class points leader Ralle Rookey in a close second. Jono Normandin found his way to the 3rd spot on the podium and Anthony Pugliese rode in at a solid fourth.

The next round of the NEATV-MX will be held at MX207 in Lyman, Maine. Round 10 will be a special event that is to include a fundraising benefit for the American Cancer Society. The benefit will begin at 4PM with games and prizes, including a Guitar Hero contest. Luminary bas will also be sold at the event with 100% of the proceeds donated to the American Cancer Society.

Press Release –

Injured Hiker Rescued From Canadian Rockies After Sending GPS Coordinates and Distress Message From His SPOT Satellite Messenger

Globalstar Canada Satellite Co. reported today that on August 22, 2008 experienced hiker and Canadian oil analyst Michael Ervin, set off to enjoy a backcountry wilderness trip to the base of Mount Assiniboine, one of the highest and most distinctive peaks in the Canadian Rockies outside of Banff.

A bad fall under the weight of his forty-five pound backpack left Mr. Ervin with a ruptured quadriceps tendon to his knee, unable to put any weight on his leg and 10 kilometers from the nearest road with no cell phone coverage.

“I heard a loud snap from my leg and could see my knee cap hanging loose, lower than usual,” said Michael Ervin, President of fuel-analysis firm MJ Ervin & Associates of Calgary. “I was experiencing shock and knew I was unable to walk. I needed real help and pressed the 9-1-1 button on my SPOT Satellite Messenger to notify emergency responders of my GPS location coordinates.”

The SPOT Satellite Messenger™ is a personal safety device which enables users to communicate via satellite technology from remote locations around the globe and initiate check-in and emergency response calls independently of cellular networks.

Banff National Parks, which maintains a 24/7 rescue office, immediately dispatched a local Parks helicopter to Mr. Ervin’s exact location. He was flown to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital and underwent surgery the next day.

“As a pilot, I learned about SPOT through my membership with COPA (Canadian Owners and Pilots Association) and purchased the device because it was more affordable than other PLBs and due to its GPS location capability SPOT is far more reliable than the 121.5 ELT,” added Mr. Ervin. “Because it’s small and lightweight, I take SPOT with me on my backpacking trips to stay connected with my family and friends at home. This time, it proved vital in getting me the quick medical attention that I needed.”

Mr. Ervin is no stranger to this wilderness area. This was his third attempt of reaching the base of Mount Assiniboine by foot along the 29 Kilometer Citadel Pass Trail. His previous attempts were never completed due to a forest fire one year and inclement weather brought on by an early winter storm during a later attempt.

“This is but a speed bump on the highway of life, and after I have completed my recovery in the next few months I will try to make it back to Mount Assiniboine.”

Press Release –

Kawasaki/Monster Energy’s Josh Creamer swept both the Pro and Pro-am classes of round nine of the NEATV series at Jolly Roger, which would be his final races of the season before undergoing surgery to repair a knee injury sustained earlier this year.

Jolly Roger is a favorite track of many NEATV racers and for round nine, racers were treated to a backwards run of the track, which included some whoops and jumps that are not included in the usual format. The racers were quite pleased with the change of pace and readily took on the challenge of running the track in the opposite direction.

In the pro class, Kawasaki’s Josh Creamer and Joe Haavisto both made an all night trek to Jolly Roger after racing at the AMA Motocross Invitational at Steel City the day before.

Both Creamer and Haavisto were riding injured due to crashes they were involved in at Steel City where, Haavisto hyper-extended his knee during practice and did not race in the main event.

Although he was still in a great deal of pain, Joe raced at Jolly Roger in order to salvage points and keep some distance between him and second place, Michael Pilotte. “I’m leading in points and I really want to keep it that way, especially in the pro class; that’s the one that really matters to me,” Joe stated.

Despite being a bit banged up himself, Josh Creamer came on strong in the Pro motos, taking the holehsot in both moto one and two and led the entire time.

Meanwhile, Canadian racer, Richard Pelchat also made an appearance at round nine, and ran a close second to Creamer in both motos, but since Pelchat is not a full member of the NEATV series, he was not eligible for points, which kept things in order for series regulars.

Even though Creamer and Pelchat checked out, the Pro motos had plenty of excitement as Michael Pilotte, Myle Santaniello and Justin Hoffler were battling it out as the end of their season draws near and the point race is heating up.

Pilotte is currently second in points with 313 points, which is only 56 points behind pro points leader, Haavisto. Santaniello has had a strong showing this season and is currently sitting in third with 278 points, while Thomas Mofford, who has been very consistent this season is close behind with 273.

In the Pro-am classes, it was Richard Pelchat, who grabbed both holeshots, but Josh Creamer made quick work of him, taking over the lead both times to claim the win in the Pro-am class as well. “It feels really good to come out here and end my season on a high note,” said Josh. “After I’m healed from my surgery, I’ll be getting back to training full time and hopefully come back even stronger next season.”

As Pelchat and Creamer battled it out up front, Jason Connell came on strong claiming a 2-2 finish and second overall. Michael Pilotte ran into problems in the first Pro-am moto and finished dead last, but the #748 Honda made a good comeback and took 4th in moto two, claiming 9th overall, which allowed him to hang on to second in the points race. Meanwhile a rather weary points leader, Joe Haavisto, was riding mid pack, taking a 9-7 finish, which was identical to his Pro moto finishes, claiming 7th overall and increasing his points lead to 352. Myles Santaniello rode strong to take a 3-3 finish, while Justin Hoffler’s 5-5 finish was enough to earn him 4th overall with Matthew Pomeroy rounding out the top five for the Pro-am class.

As the end of the 2008 NEATV season fast approaches, many racers are beginning to feel the pressure as the points battles begin to heat up and the weather cools down. Round ten of the NEATV series will head back to Middleboro, MA on September 14th, where Capeway Rovers Motocross will play host to the series for the third and final time this season.