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On March 5th, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) announced its condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and in that announcement, it suspended the Motorcycle Federation of Russia (MFR) and the Belarusian Federation of Motorcycle Sport (BFMS) from FIM-sanctioned events.

This action also banned Russian and Belarusian from FIM-sanctioned events, and recommended that affiliated members of the FIM and FIM Continental Unions take similar action.

The FIM North America is going to heed that request, which means that Russian and Belarusian riders are banned from events that are operated by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and Canadian Motorcycle Association (CMA).

The FIM has made the decision to condemn publicly the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and as a result of that condemnation, Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials will no longer be able to participate in FIM-sanctioned motorcycle events.

The FIM is also canceling any FIM events, meetings, or races taking place in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, and if applicable, relocating them to another country.

Lastly, the FIM is also recommending that all of its affiliated members and continental unions, like MotoAmerica, take similar measures in barring Russian and Belarusian riders from racing at their events.

Before there was an Asphalt & Rubber, I spent some time working for the United Nations, prosecuting war criminals from the Balkan and Rwandan conflicts. These we massively devastating events, where neighbors found ways to dehumanize each other and through that process, commit acts that rose to the level of genocide and crimes against humanity.

While those crimes unfolded, the world stood by and watched, and in the case of the massacre done in Srebrenica, forces of good were forced to stand idly by and watch evil perpetrated right in front of them.

My work then at The Hague was part of an effort to correct the wrongs of indifferent nations, who suffered the guilt of not doing more – not interceding, largely because their toolbox of remedies was so limited and complicated at the time.

For the past weeks, I have found myself watching once again as neighbors attack neighbors, and heinous acts are perpetrated against the innocent. It is as deeply troubling this time around as it was before, but it is also different.

The past few days have seen a new front against evil emerge, one that spans outside the realm of politics and non-governmental organizations. In Thomas Friedman’s flat world, economics and business have just as much influence as armies and politicians.

Companies that are willing to draw a line in the sand between profits and people are showing that they can influence the world in new ways, and that we have shared goals of prospering together. This is a new kind of modern warfare.

So, it is warming to see that those in the motorcycle industry who have a voice and influence over the events surrounding them are using that platform, and I am sincerely thankful to see in my inbox today the following open letter from MV Agusta CEO Timur Sardarov, himself a Russian national.

Californian regulators have voted to ban the sale of new gas-powered generators, starting in 2028.

The news comes as part of a larger crackdown on “off-road small-displacement” motors, which includes lawnmowers and leaf blowers, which will become outlawed starting in 2024.

Gas generator have their provisions, which give them an extra four-year reprieve, and none of this legislation outlaws the use of currently owned equipment.

The European Union is pushing hard to become the first continent that is carbon-neutral, with a self-imposed deadline of achieving that goal by 2050.

To help reach that end, the European Commission (the EU’s executive branch) has aimed for a 55% reduction in CO2 by 2030, and that cars and vans have a 100% CO2 reduction by 2035.

With initiatives in place to bolster electric charging points throughout the European Union, our friends across the pond are poised to make some drastic shifts in their transportation sectors.

The world’s fourth most-populous country is set to mandate that new motorcycle sales be only electric by 2040, so says Arifin Tasrif, Indonesia’s Minister for Energy & Mineral Resources.

The move comes as Indonesia aims to reduce its notable air pollution, and is part of a larger plan that will see on new-car sales reduced to only electrics by 2050, with the government planning incentives to make citizens switch from internal combustion engines.

Today was a big day for motorcyclists traveling in Oregon, as the Oregon Legislative Assembly has now passed Oregon Senate Bill 574, which allows lane-sharing under certain conditions on Oregonian highways.

On May 5th, the lane-sharing bill passed the Oregon Senate by a vote of 18 to 6; and now today (May 17th), the Oregon House of Representatives approved the bill with a vote of 42 to 14.

The lane-sharing bill now goes to Governor Kate Brown for signing, and if signed, it will go into effect later this year.

The State of Oregon has gotten one step closer to passing its lane-sharing bill, Oregon Senate Bill 574.

We say this because SB 574 passed a vote in the Joint Transportation Committee on April 1st (7 to 4), and now is ready for a vote on the Senate floor.

For those who don’t remember, SB 574 proposes legalizing lane sharing for motorcycles in Oregon when they are riding on a highway with a speed limit of 50 mph or higher; the flow of traffic is 10 mph or slower; and so long as the motorcyclist does not go faster than 10 mph than the traffic around them.