HOT NEWS – January 1, 2003

Bombardier ousts Brown as president
Bombardier, Inc., the diversified Montreal-based maker of powersports equipment, jet aircraft and railroad equipment, abruptly dismissed Robert E. Brown, president and CEO, Dec. 12.
Brown was replaced by Paul Tellier, 63, who has served as CEO of Canadian National Railway Co. for the past decade. Tellier has been a director of Bombardier since 1997.
Investors hope the move will boost Bombardier stock, which is down nearly 80% from its peak in August 2000. “The status quo is not acceptable to shareholders,” Tellier said. “Bombardier needs to be re-energized, and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
Brown, 57, succeeded Bombardier Chairman Laurent Beaudoin as CEO in 1999 after successfully running thecompany’s aerospace division.
White Brothers To Build pipes for polaris Predator
White Brothers, Yorba Linda, Calif., and Polaris Industries, Medina, Minn., have formed a partnership in which White Brothers will develop a line of performance exhaust systems targeted for Polaris’ Predator.
“The first product to be offered will be a slip-on performance muffler based on the technology used in development of the White Brothers E-Series systems,” said Ron Inman of the Polaris ATV Accessory Development team. The system allows riders to select noise output in different riding conditions.
Along with the slip-on muffler, White Brothers also will produce a stainless steel head pipe to further increase performance of the ATV.
Bush Joins KTM Board
Rod Bush, president of KTM Sportmotorcycle USA, Inc., has been elected to the Board of Management of the KTM Group GmbH – the parent company of KTM Sportmotorcycle AG, Husaberg Motor AB and WP Suspension. Bush, who also previously served as president of KTM America, Inc., will continue to oversee the development of the KTM motorcycle, parts and accessories sales in North America.
Harley History in ohio
The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, located on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in Pickerington, Ohio, has announced plans for “Heroes of Harley-Davidson, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance,” an expansive new exhibit scheduled to run from February 2003 to December 2004.
The 8,100 sq. ft. installation, the largest ever in the museum’s 12-year history, will chronicle a century of Harley-Davidson people, personalities and products that transformed the company into a billion-dollar success story. Twenty-two exhibit areas are scheduled to include displays of the bikes, photographs, biographies, and rare artifacts that trace the company from its1903 backyard shed to its Buell XB9R.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit, the Motorcycle Hall of Fame is planning a number of special events and activities, including an exclusive charity preview to be held on March 4, 2003, during Daytona Bike Week.
For more information regarding the exhibit or the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, call 614/856-2222, or visit the museum’s web site at www.motorcyclemuseum.org .
DUNLOP Offers Test Site
In a rite of winter, Dunlop Tires tests its goods at Daytona International Speedway with the aid of the top AMA Superbike teams. This year, the normally closed event was viewable to the public via Dunlop’s Web site, www.dunlopmotorcycle.com. The site went live on Dec. 4, 2002 featuring a four-part interview with Jim Allen, of Dunlop’s racing team.
Michael Iams Joins Avon
Michael Iams has joined the Avon Tyres motorcycle sales team for North America. Iams will be responsible for distributor education, sales, service and relations. Iams has more than 14 years of industry experience. He is a graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in marketing and may be contacted at 800/624-7470.
Bombardier Makes Splash
Bombardier recently unveiled a portion of its web site dedicated to owners and enthusiasts, dubbed the Splashzone.
“The new Splashzone section offers Sea-Doo enthusiasts a place to visit to find out how to get the most out of owning a Sea-Doo watercraft or sportboat and enhance the Sea-Doo lifestyle,” said Sea-Doo watercraft Communications Manager David Martise. In the new Splashzone section visitors can see ‘Who’s been caught doing it,’ which includes celebrities from the world of professional athletics and entertainment.
White Brothers reviews brands
Mike Bell, Chief Operations Officer of White Brothers, said the company is focusing theWhite Brothers brand to position the company as the “Performance Source.”
As part of this effort, Bell said, the company will emphasize those lines of performance oriented applications or products it feels “benefit the consumer directly as a performance modification to their machine. Exhaust products are what White Brothers is known best for and along those lines we will be supporting and promoting our partner brands and proprietary White Brothers E-Series and R4 systems aggressively.” These include Pro Circuit, Big Gun, Yoshimura, Bills and Supertrapp, along with the White Brothers systems.