Speed Dating: June 30 - July 5

June 30

Jamie Hacking (US) was born on this date in 1971. Born in Britain and now an American citizen, Hacking has been competing in AMA Pro Road Racing since 1997. Hacking is a two-time AMA Supersport champ (2003 and 2006) and an AMA Superstock champ (2006). He has ridden for Monster Energy Kawasaki since 2007, and currently sits second in AMA Pro Daytona SportBike points. Recently, Hacking has served as a replacement rider for the injured Makoto Tamada at Kawasaki SRT in the World Superbike championship. Despite solid finishes at the Miller Motorsports Park round, Hacking struggled at the Misano and Donington Park events. At last weekend’s round in the UK, he finished twenty-first in race one and crashed out of race two.

July 1

Jim Allen (CA) was born on this date in 1945. Allen is the senior manager of Dunlop’s U.S. road racing activities and a former AMA racer himself. Allen has been a part of Dunlop since the early 1980s, and before that raced TZ Yamahas in the AMA for Yamaha of Canada. His daughter, Laurel, happens to be senior editor of Road Racer X.

The four-time Superbike World Champion Carl Fogarty (UK) was born on this date in 1966. With fifty-nine WSBK race wins, Fogarty is also the winningest WSBK rider ever. All of his WSBK championships (1994, 1995, 1998, and 2000) came with Ducati, though he rode a Honda in 1991 and 1996. Fogarty retired from racing in 2000 after a massive crash at Phillip Island. He later formed the Foggy Petronas WSBK team, which competed in World Superbike with limited success from 2002 to 2006.

American Supercamp head instructor Danny Walker (US) was born on this date in 1963. A former racer in the AMA 250cc GP championship, Walker has operated the Supercamp training program since 1997. The camp runs bike-control and balance classes using small-displacement Yamaha trail-bikes for both street riders and racers.

July 2

Happy birthday to Tripp Nobles (US), who was born on this date in 1963. Some success in the AMA Superbike and Supersport championships during the 1990s took Nobles to appearances in the World Superbike and World Endurance championships. Nobles then turned his focus to drag racing and competed in the AHDRA V-Rod Destroyer class. Nobles returned to road racing in 2008, racing in the AMA Moto-ST championship for the Richie Morris Buell team.

Former Ducati Motor Holding SpA president Federico Minoli (IT) was born on this date in 1949. Minoli came to the company after Ducati was purchased in 1996 by the Texas Pacific Group. He guided the company from the verge of collapse to success, increasing revenue and overseeing vast improvements in quality control. Minoli left the company to pursue charitable work in 2007.

Joey Dunlop (IE) was killed on this date in 2000 in a road racing accident in Estonia. Considered to be one of the greatest real-roads racers of all time, Dunlop won twenty-six Isle of Man races, thirteen North West 200s, and twenty-four Ulster Grand Prix events. Dunlop was killed during a 125cc road race in Tallinn, Estonia, when he lost control and crashed on the tree-lined course. Fifty thousand mourners descended on his funeral in his hometown of Ballymoney in Northern Ireland, and a statue of Dunlop was erected overlooking Bungalow Bend on the Isle of Man TT course.

July 4

Takeshi Tsujimura (JPN) was born on this date in 1974. Tsujimura began his Grand Prix career in 1993, finishing third in the 125cc world championship. He scored four wins and another third place in the standings in 1994. Tsujimura spent four seasons in the 250cc championship with limited success and retired from the Grand Prix championships in 1998. Tsujimura has since competed in Japanese superbike racing, and he won the 2006 Suzuka 8 Hours with Shinichi Ito on a Honda CBR1000.

Daijiro Kato was born on this date in 1976. Kato began his career in the All Japan Road Racing Championships, but shot to fame by winning the 1997 250cc Grand Prix at Suzuka as a wildcard. He entered the 250cc World Championship full-time in 2000, and won the championship in dominating fashion the following year. Kato entered MotoGP in 2002 with the Gresini team, finishing the year in seventh, but in the opening race of 2003 at Suzuka, Kato was fatally injured when he impacted a concrete barrier at speed. Kato spent two weeks in a coma, and succumbed to his injuries on April 20, 2003, at the age of 26. His iconic #74 is still worn in force by fans at the Japanese MotoGP round.

Freddie Spencer (US) won the 500cc Grand Prix at Spa in 1982, becoming the youngest 500cc world championship race-winner. Riding for the Honda factory team, Spencer won the Belgian round at the age of 20 years, 196 days old. This was Honda’s first 500cc Grand Prix win in fifteen years. Spencer would win the championship the following year.

Ducati Scientific Radio Patent Company was formed on this date in 1926 by brothers Adriano, Marcello, and Bruno Ducati. The company manufactured radio components in their Bologna factory, making the Ducati business a frequent target of Allied bombing during World War II. After the war, the company partnered with SIATA to develop a motorcycle powered by SIATA’s Cucciolo 60cc engine, debuting the motorcycle in 1950. Ducati was split into two separate companies in 1953, Ducati Meccanica SpA (motorcycles), and Ducati Elettronica (electronic components). Ducati Elettronica remains in operation to this day, now known as Ducati Energia SpA.

July 5

Roberto Locatelli (IT) was born on this date in 1974. Locatelli currently rides for the Metis Gilera team in the 250cc world championship. The Italian has competed in the Grand Prix championships since 1994, and won the 125cc world championship in 2000 on an Aprilia. Locatelli is currently ninth in the 250cc championship, and finished fifth at last weekend’s round at Assen.