American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 238 May 2019 | Page 6

NEWS
BRIEFS
The AMA 2019 Supermoto National
Championship series kicked off in
Nevada in April, one of two new
venues for a 6-race 2019 schedule
that includes stops at Grand Junction,
CO., Austin, TX., (ROT Rally), Trois-
Rivieres, Quebec, Canada, and Sturgis,
S.D., before winding up in October at
Tucson, AZ.
Riding an FX 350, American
Colton Haaker (Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna Factory Racing) has
won the 2019 FIM SuperEnduro
World Championship at the 5th
and final round at Bilbao, Spain -
the third such crown for the
Perris, California based racer.
Registration is open for a third
iteration of the biennial Ducati Custom
Rumble - the international contest for
Ducati Scrambler specials. In
2017/2018 the contest attracted 132
international entries competing in
Dealer, Customer, Customizer and
Rookie Rumble categories, reaching a
crescendo with a final prize-giving at
World Ducati Week in Italy in 2018.
A new law in Utah allows 'lane
filtering' for motorcycles on
roads with speed limits of 45
miles per hour or less at a
maximum speed of 15 mph.
Jesse Rooke: 1974-2019
More sad news with the
passing of another of the
market's influential custom
bike builders - Jesse Rooke was
killed in a motorcycle accident
in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 5th
at the age of just 45.
Jesse was one of the leaders of a new
breed of customizers and a regular at
the AMD World Championship of
Custom Bike Building from its
inception in California in 2004 -
participating in one of the event's
seminal moments, one that
encapsulated the spirit of the custom
market, helping Brian Klock wheel his
proven runner but suddenly
uncooperative 'Hobo' on to the
awards stage.
That moment spoke to both the
passing of the baton to a new
generation and the eternal qualities of
togetherness that builders like Jesse
have carried forward from the
market's earliest days to the future it
now enjoys.
Jesse began building custom
motorcycles in 2002 and brought his
own very individual story and
experience to his Rooke Customs
business as a former go-kart and
motorcycle racer.
Pirelli Tire North America has
announced the launch of an online
training site, 'Pirelli Academy', using
the Brandecation platform - to give
"our distributors, sales reps and dealer
staff the tools they need to succeed
behind the sales counter," said Emily
Grannis, Director of Marketing, Pirelli.
"This platform is available 24/7/365
and gives us the ability to intuitively
train and educate our sales force in
real time." In a parallel
announcement, sister company
Metzeler has announced the 'Metzeler
Academy'. Pirelli Metzeler was
acquired by Chinese state owned
conglomerate ChemChina for € 7.1bn
($8bn) in 2015.
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Along with bikes from the likes of Gard Hollinger and Roland Sands, Jesse's
2009 'Shavonna' modified Sportster was way ahead of its time - a highly
individual, race-bred pointer to the market that would emerge in the coming
decade
2006 Freestyle Class, 'Slowtard' -
a 72 ci S&S 'single' showed in
which direction his ideas were
headed
BRP has won seven prestigious Red
Dot product design awards for its Lynx
Radien-X Platform X-trim SC, Sea-Doo
FISH PRO, Sea-Doo RXT-X, Can-Am
Ryker, Can-Am Maverick XRS Max,
Can-Am Maverick Sport Max and Can-
Am Maverick Sport Accessories. In
2018 BRP scooped 15 design awards
in total.
MPN is reporting that the off-
road motorcycle market is
anticipated to reach 412,000
units by 2026, according to Wise
Guy Reports. In 2017, the
recreation application dominated
the global market in terms of
revenue. North America is
expected to be the leading
contributor to off-road
motorcycle market revenue
during the forecast period.
Jesse at the
V-Twin Expo
in 2016
2006 Metric Class World Champion - the
950 cc KTM engined 'Darla'
In 'AMD' competition terms, Jesse
announced himself with a brand
new style and an 8th place in the
Freestyle Class at the inaugural
2004 World Championship in
California
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - MAY 2019
2004 - Brian Klock's bike was a
proven runner but chose the awards
stage to have an 'uncooperative
moment'. Jesse Rooke, Jesse Jurens
and Fred 'Krugger' Bertrand to the
rescue!
Jesse took part in the 'AMD' five
times, and we saw his design oeuvre
morph in that time from his own
distinctive and personal retro
influenced take on the chopper to
being one of the earliest of early
adopters of what eventually became
the tracker and scrambler crossover
moto culture scene that is so popular
now with 'New Gen' builders and
riders.
Our thoughts are with his partner
Ashley Blair and their daughter
Scarlett.
www.AMDchampionship.com