International Dealer News IDN 145 October/November 2018 | Page 64
news ROOM
Stefan Pierer backs FIM
BRIEFS “We, The Riders” campaign
NEWS
Organiser AMC Promotions has closed
what used to be known as the Salon de
la Moto, Scooter, Quad et Équipement
(the ‘Paris Show’ – itself formerly
known as Mondial du Deux Roues) and
folded it in with the Mondial De L’Auto
and Mondial De La Mobilité as the
Mondial De La Moto – at the Porte de
Versailles expo facility adjacent to the
Paris ring road (Périphérique) from
4–14 October 2018 – a clash with the
dates for INTERMOT at Cologne.
In response to an anti-theft
campaign supported by the MCIA
in the UK, Honda UK has
partnered with British security
specialist Datatool to become the
first manufacturer to provide free
motorcycle trackers. Tracking
equipment will be offered free-of-
charge to riders of every single
on-road Honda motorcycle on
purchases from Monday 2nd July
2018.
The free trade deal signed between the
EU and Japan is outstandingly good
news for the EU motorcycle industry.
The 6% import tariff on Japanese made
units will, eventually, go away. Less
good news for the UK though. Once
outside the EU, British bikers will still be
paying the tariff. Worse, one of the
primary incentives for Japanese auto
makers (Honda, Nissan and Toyota) to
produce in the UK will also have
disappeared.
Q1 Kawasaki results (period
ended June 30) show sales in its
motorcycle and engine division at
73.9bn yen (+8.8%) for a
marginally reduced operating loss
of -3.3bn yen. The company says
that the modest growth that they
saw in motorcycle markets, mainly
in Europe, is continuing with the
decline in demand seen in
emerging markets bottoming out.
Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM AG and
President of the European Association
of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM),
participated in August at the launch of
FIM’s global road safety campaign
“We, The Riders”.
The launch took place on the occasion
of the Austrian round of the 2018 FIM
MotoGP World Championship at the
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg.
With the support of ACEM, the
European Commission, Dorna, the Red
Bull Ring circuit and MotoGP stars
Andrea Iannone (Italy), Marc Márquez
(Spain), Jack Miller (Australia), Jorge
Lorenzo (Spain) and Johann Zarco
(France), the FIM said it was “looking
forward to raising the awareness of
road safety through the launch of this
campaign in front of recognised
international media and a large,
passionate audience of fans.
“The campaign is a call to action, a
new movement of responsible
motorcyclists from around the world,
who all share the joy of riding, and the
fight for change. In 2018, it is still far
more dangerous than it should be to
ride on our roads. That needs to
change – and it will only change if all
motorcyclists come together as never
before to demand it.”
Stefan Pierer explained: “As President
of the European Association of
Motorcycle Manufacturers, I reaffirm
that for all leading manufacturers and
member associations the most
important issue is safety.
“Motorcycle riders are vulnerable road
users. According to official statistics,
50% of the fatalities are caused by a
third party, and the biggest problem is
visibility. That’s why every action and
initiative that improves visibility is
supported by the industry.
“Manufacturers in Europe have shown
themselves ready to implement
fundamental safety tools to save lives,
such as when ABS became mandatory.
Road design, architecture and
furniture are also vital contributors to
safety, as are all ways of improving
rider visibility to other road users”.
The vision for “We, The Riders” is to
lobby for roads that are safe for
everyone - “roads where all are seen,
no matter their mode of transport.
Roads that are built and planned with
everyone in mind. Roads made for the
joy of riding – not the fear of
crashing”. The FIM says it will deploy
the “We, The Riders” campaign
through its 113 affiliated federations
worldwide
Vito Ippolito, FIM President, declared
“for more than 100 years, the FIM has
been representing the interests of
motorcyclists, both on and off the
track. Every day, road traffic crashes
claim nearly 3,500 lives and injure
many thousands more, 23% of all lives
lost are those of our fellow riders.
“At the FIM we do not have all the
answers and there is still much left to
do. That is why we are launching the
movement “We the riders” because
we recognise the potential of people-
powered change – the power of a
network of individuals with something
in common to create real change in the
world and improve road safety”.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna CEO,
commented: “Riders’ safety on and off
the track is our top priority, so Dorna
is extremely proud to support this
important initiative. The ‘We, The
Riders’ campaign is about raising
awareness among all road users to be
mindful of everybody they share the
roads with”.