Ups & Downs

Ups & Downs

ROUNDUP

UP: To Universal Studios, for giving Woody Woodpecker a really wild ride. Billed as one of biking’s biggest-ever non-endemic backings, the feisty red-haired cartoon character will adorn Honda motorcycles, personnel and transporters at AMA motocross and roadrace events during the 2001 and ’02 seasons. The moviemaker will also sponsor two MX and two pavement events this year, with one-off gear and graphics promoing Jurassic Park III, which is due out in July. “Cross-licensing between entertainment and motorsports has been a very successful combination for Universal,” said company VP Elliot Lederman. Could a Huckleberry Hound Harley-Davidson be far behind?

DOWN: To loud pipes, for spoiling a good ride, at least in Lockport, Illinois. According to a report published in The Sun, city merchants petitioned police “to alleviate the noise nuisance caused by open-pipe bikes.” Said one shop owner, “I’m sure the bikers are nice people. We welcome them and their business, but the noise from the bikes is just too much. When there are more than a few, it becomes unbearable.” Police Chief James Antole has proposed setting up checkpoints similar to those used to inspect over-the-road semis.

UP: To BMW, for making good on its promise. Last year, the German bike/car-maker pledged it would donate $1 for every mile driven in its annual Ultimate Drive for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. When everything was totaled, more than 29,000 people in 218 U.S. cities had driven 38 vehicles a combined distance of 1 million miles. “BMW’s Ultimate Drive is a program in which we can all take tremendous pride,” said Patricia Tosi, foundation CEO. “Over the past four years, BMW employees, customers and friends helped raise more than $4 million for our foundation-and the support keeps growing stronger every year!”