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KYMCO USA is joining the ranks of NASCAR sponsorship this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Virginia. In Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series Sharpie MINI 300 race, the company will be primary sponsor for the #56 KYMCO USA Chevrolet driven by last year’s Busch Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year, Danny O’Quinn.

The car’s hood will be splashed with KYMCO’s colors and logo and under that hood will be over 700 horsepower.

“Naturally we’re excited to be a part of the NASCAR family,” said Bruce Ramsey, KYMCO USA Vice President for Sales and Marketing. “And it’s great to be associated with an up-and-coming driver of Danny O’Quinn’s stature, and the Mac Hill Motorsports team, which is located just up the road from us in Mooresville, NC.”

O’Quinn won the Busch rookie award last year driving for the perennial NASCAR heavyweights at Roush Fenway Racing. This season Roush is permitting O’Quinn to drive a limited schedule for Mac Hill Motorsports, owner of the #56 Chevrolet, as well as two entries in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup series. The Mac Hill Motorsports team is owned by Jack McNelly, who says he’s very pleased to have KYMCO USA on board for the Bristol Race.

“We’re going to give them the biggest bang for their buck we can,” McNelly said. “Building a relationship, that’s what it’s all about.”

Racing at Bristol is a homecoming of sorts for McNelly’s driver. Danny O’Quinn was born in nearby Coeburn, Virginia. He’s still a young driver who won’t turn 22 until May, but, in addition to being last year’s Busch rookie of the year, he also won big on the ARCA and USAR Hooters Pro Cup circuits.

The half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway has long been one of the most popular tracks in NASCAR. Its steep 36-degree banking makes for a lot of “swapping paint” in action that has drawn comparisons to being stuck in a washing machine.

As the #56 KYMCO USA Chevrolet’s owner, Jack McNelly, puts it, “If you come home from Bristol and you’re not marked up a bit then you didn’t run very good.”

For more about Mac Hill Motorsports, see machillmotorsports.com. For more information on Danny O’Quinn Jr., visit dannyoquinn.com.

A fabulous collection of exotic cars, motorcycles and watercraft is set for display at the Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg. The Festivals of Speed takes place over two days, Friday, March 23rd and Saturday, March 24th. Friday evening will see a “Jet Port Reception” and Saturday will feature a display of 150+ exotic automobiles, motorcycles and watercraft displayed throughout beautiful Vinoy park. The charity is the Children’s Dream Fund.

With this being our Fourth year in St. Petersburg and the addition of our Orlando event at the Ritz-Carlton we could not be more excited, this year we have decided to cap the car count to just the ‘Best of the Best’.
Collectors of these rare machines are referring to the gathering as the ultimate lifestyle event. In addition to the display of rare and exotic machines, examples of the finer things in life are also on site. Products include fine wines & spirits, cigars, jewelry, confections, artwork, luxury real estate offerings, crystal and other luxury items.

The festival starts with a “Jet Port Reception” on Friday evening presented by the Grand Bohemian Hotel & Residences of St. Petersburg. The theme will be “James Bond-Shaken not stirred”. It takes place in a massive aircraft hanger amidst a surreal display of luxury aircraft, fine automobiles, custom motorcycles and stylish race boats. Aircraft scheduled to attend include everything from contemporary jets to vintage WW II fighter plane. In addition to the display of exotics guests will enjoy a premium brands open bar, themed food stations, a special display of the AUDI R10 race car and R8 street car, a silent auction to benefit the Children Dream Fund, DUCATI fashion show, displays of fine jewelry and other related items, smooth jazz and more.

Saturday will see a fantastic display of 150+ exotic cars combined with motorcycles and watercraft. Manufacturers product scheduled for display include Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, Jaguar, Ducati, as well as many others. Vehicles will be placed for display amidst the waterside setting of Vinoy Park. Attendees will have the ability to stroll throughout the property while enjoying fine wines and sumptuous offerings from the onsite cafes while taking in the beauty of the “rolling sculptures”. Vehicles from the American Le Mans Series & the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be on display as well.

According to festival founders, The 2007 Festivals of Speed series will be a must see for any true enthusiast of speed. “With this being our Fourth year in St. Petersburg and the addition of our Orlando event at the Ritz-Carlton we could not be more excited, this year we have decided to cap the car count to just the ‘Best of the Best’.” Organizers feel this will guarantee a fantastic display of both raw power and elegant coachwork displayed by some of the finest manufacturers.

While at the show, attendees will visit with a Varity of lifestyle companies to see the latest and greatest luxury items. Names include Mont Blanc, Tag Heuer, Xellent Vodka, Cohiba and many others. The luxury salon display was conceived to form the ultimate complement to the magnificent display of exotic vehicles. Smooth jazz and fashion displays will also add to the excitement. The day will end with an awards presentation to recognize those vehicles that receive awards. “Best of Show” will receive a crystal award from the Paris based company, Lalique as well as an elegant timepiece.

The festival is expected to attract a capacity turnout much the same as the companies other events do in Orlando and Manhattan. Ticket information is available online.

What: Festivals of Speed.
Where: St. Petersburg, Vinoy Park.
When: Jet Port Reception, Friday, March 23rd 7:30pm-10:00pm.
Vinoy Park display of exotics. Saturday, March 24th. 10:00am-4:00pm
Contact Information: Joe Sabatini/ 352-385-9450.

Elegator is a patented trailer gate lift system used by landscape professionals, ATV users, and municipalities to relieve the strain of lifting and lowering heavy trailer gates and ramps. After successfully marketing its trailer gate lift system to landscapers and municipalities, which use utility trailers, eLegator was asked to design a version of its lift system to be used on gates and ramps used by the ATV ramp trailer market. Because of this innovation, women and children as well as dads, are able to lift and lower their ATV ramps with safety and little effort.

On landscape trailers the gates are generally 48 inches and higher. This is necessary in order to accommodate the smaller tire sizes of lawn mowing equipment, therefore providing a gentler slope for loading and unloading landscape equipment. Many ATV trailers use shorter gates giving a much higher pitch since an ATV is able to climb these gates. Also many ATV trailers are equipped with both rear and side gates and ramps. Gate Flexor, the inventors of eLegator, has addressed the needs of both rear and side gates with the release of their newest product.

Most utility trailers are used to move ATVs and landscaper equipment. The rear gates and side gates, which function as loading ramps, often weigh 100 lbs or more. This report, http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2005/mar/wk4/art05.htm, by the U.S. Department of Labor reports alarming statistics in reference to back injuries, which can occur while attempting to lift these heavy gates.

This new product line of eLegator is designed to be safe, easy to install, with an exceptionally long lifespan and zero maintenance. Furthermore, there are no dangerous configurations such as are often found on other similar products which opt to use cables. All eLegator products are manufactured in the USA, using only the highest quality materials and manufacturing standards. Videos of these systems can now be viewed online.

Cupertino, California (February 26, 2007) - Ducati North America announces an exciting series of events surrounding the 2007 edition of Daytona Bike Week.

This year Ducati is making the Daytona experience better than ever, with a four day celebration of the company’s culture and roadracing heritage. From Wednesday, March 7 through Saturday, March 10, Ducati will transform the area located directly beneath Daytona International Speedway’s Nextel Tower Grandstand into “Ducati Village” - featuring Desmo-only parking, hospitality, live TV feeds, the 2007 Ducati model range and a place to meet fellow Ducatisti.

On Friday, March 9, the Village will host non-stop entertainment as Ducati.net presents the annual DucatiDayDaytona party (DDD). DDD 2007 will feature favorites such as the Concorso DucatiDayDaytona; the longest running Ducati-only motorcycle concours in North America, a contest for the best sounding Ducati and two rounds of the exciting Fashion Show.

This year’s event also marks the 30th Anniversary of Cook Neilson and Phil Schilling’s historic 1977 Daytona Superbike win on a Ducati. To commemorate this occasion, Cook Neilson and Phil Schilling will once again return to the Speedway. On Friday they will attend DDD to meet fans and celebrate their legendary success at Daytona.

Another special guest of the festivities is Gianandrea Fabbro, the Senior Designer of the new 1098 Superbike. Gianandrea is making a special trip from Italy to attend DDD on Friday afternoon where fans can learn first hand about the development of the 1098 during a special presentation. Gianandrea will be available at the event for the duration of the day to answer questions, sign autographs and enjoy all that bike week has to offer.

Full details of the week’s events, including a complete schedule, can be found at www.ducatidaydaytona.com and www.ducatiusa.com.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters

“We could save, we know, more than 700 lives each year if everybody put a helmet on every time they got on a bike,” Peters said. “But right now, unfortunately, only 58 percent of riders wear their helmets and that rate is 13 percent lower than it was just four years ago.”

Nashville, Tenn. (Feb. 17, 2007) – Bridgestone Firestone North American Tires is pleased to introduce the new Bridgestone Battlax BT-002 Racing Street, an aggressive Z-speed rated sport tire that performs equally well for aggressive sport riding or track-days. On or off the track, the BT-002 RS demonstrates a balance of stability, cornering, handling, grip, anti-shimmy and shock absorption needed to perform at maximum potential.

Developed from technology gleaned from years of successful MotoGP testing and race participation, the BT-002 RS offers exceptional front-end contact feel and cornering performance. Designed by Bridgestone Corporation to be the ultimate sport bike tire, the front tire was developed with Dual Tread Construction (DTC) – with a medium center compound and soft shoulder compound to ensure high grip, light steering and impressive feedback. Utilizing Bridgestone’s proprietary construction, compounds and patterns, including a newly designed fine cord breaker underneath a mono-spiral belt, the front tire ensures flexibility without sacrificing stability. The rear BT-002 is specifically designed to gain traction.

Designed much like the front tire, the rear tire is also manufactured with a High Tensile Super Penetrated Cord (HTSPC) mono-spiral belt. In addition, the silica rich compound enhances high grip in all conditions and low temperatures, ensuring excellent handling from the moment the motorcycle starts off.

“This introduction has been one of the more exciting developments since our continued experience in MotoGP is now having a direct impact on tires at the dealership level. In just a few short years, we’ve accomplished great strides in this highly competitive arena. Our participation is paying off with tires that can handle the most aggressive conditions,” says Bob Graham, Manager of Motorcycle and Kart Products, BFNT.

The Battlax BT-002 Racing Street is now available in four popular sizes 120/70ZR17, 180/55ZR17, 190/50ZR17 and 190/55ZR17 at dealers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.motorcycle-karttires.com.

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.

At TrailSource, you will find epic trails from around the planet! TrailSource is an online adventure guide to trail and travel related information, including guidebooks, maps, weather and lodging.

Behind the scenes, TrailSource is powered by a database of trail destination information. Initiated in 1993 as a manila folder of clippings, copies and notes, the vision was to provide a single-source for travel and exploration of wild areas around the planet by foot, bike, cross country skis and/or snowboard.

To organize the trail descriptions and travel related information, a database was created in 1994 and the accumulation of trail information became a labor of love for many involved. The trail information is an edited compilation from sources such as personal exploration, government publications, maps, regional trail guidebooks, local bike shops and regional websites.

The TrailSource focuses on trails which challenge one’s spirit & resolve while developing a deeper appreciation for the power & unpredictability of Nature. Generally, the trails are over five kilometers with good scenery & wildlife to be observed. The journal entries for each trail may include location, directions, map names, lodging, level of difficulty, season, and sources for additional information.

Due to the volume of requests for hardcopy listings, the TrailSource was printed beginning in the summer of 1997, and sold via this website starting in November 1997. For broader access to this repository, the TrailSource website was relaunched in the Summer of 1998 to provide direct access to the database of trail listings. Along with the trails, book and website links were also added for each region.

In the Winter of 1998, TrailSource was expanded to include Cross-Country Skiing trails.

In the Fall of 1999, the TrailSource website was redesigned again to incorporate weather and location maps.

During the Winter of 1999, the database was expanded to include hiking and snowboarding trails.

Starting in November 2000, the website now includes live daily snow conditions for snowboarding and cross-country ski areas.

In January 2001, the company which manages the website was reformed as TRAILSOURCE.COM, Inc. (a limited liability company in the State of Ohio).

In October 2001, the website was dramatically expanded to incorporate trail maps.

In November 2002, a paid subscription model was setup to require payment to access premium content.

In March 2002, the database was expanded to include snowmobiling, atv riding and horseback riding trails.

“Great website and service!”
from Mike in Montana

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