From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway:
Top AMA Riders Invited to Infineon Raceway,
Give Input on Two Areas of Track
SONOMA, Calif.- Several top riders on the AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Championship Series circuit were invited to Infineon Raceway on Monday to offer their expertise on two areas of the circuit that will be modified for safety purposes.
Aaron Yates (Suzuki), Eric Bostrom (Kawasaki), Ben Bostrom (Honda) and Miguel Duhamel (Honda), along with Ron Barrick, Road Racing Manager for the AMA, spent most of the day at Infineon Raceway, at the request of track President and General Manager Steve Page.
Miguel Duhamel and Steve Page
“I think that the commitment the raceway is showing the riders is great,” said Eric Bostrom, who placed second in AMA Superbike last season. “This place is going from one of the most dangerous tracks in the past to becoming one of the more safer tracks. The track is showing that it wants to make a commitment to rider safety and that’s important. We don’t see that everywhere we go.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen a track ask the opinion of riders. It kind of surprised me but I think that’s the way it should be,” added Ben Bostrom.
Barrick and the riders spent the day with Page, as well as track architect Bob Davis and Jere Starks, vice president of facilities, looking at Turns 1 and 9 on the 12-turn, 2.32-mile road course. The riders offered various options that will both increase rider safety, as well as maintain fan excitement when the series visits the Sonoma Valley in 2003 for the Supercuts Superbike Challenge, presented by Honda of Milpitas (May 2-4).
Track officials will incorporate the riders’ input when designing alternative track configurations for those two corners. There will be a manufacturer test date once the work is complete for teams that are interested. That date has not been determined.
Ron Barrick, Aaron Yates, Eric & Ben Bostrom, and Steve Page
“It’s definitely a good thing and it makes me feel good that the track is interested in what we have to say,” said Yates, one of the most vocal riders regarding safety when the series visited Infineon Raceway last season. “It makes you feel like the track appreciates what you have to say. Whatever they do will be an improvement safety-wise.”
“I think the input from the riders is going to help make this placer safer, and that’s the important thing,” said Duhamel, who was the last rider to leave the track with Barrick at 7 p.m. “We want it safer and more fun for the riders but we also want it to be exciting for the fans. That’s the ultimate mix. I’m just glad the track took the time to get our input.”
The work continues the commitment by track officials to make Infineon Raceway as safe as possible for motorcycles. Increased run-off was added at virtually every turn on the road course during a $50 million Modernization Plan, and the racing surface was also permanently separated from the slick drag strip.
“We are very appreciative that these riders took the time to travel here and spend the day with us,” Page said. “Nothing we do with engineers around a table can match the perspective of the guys who are actually out riding this track and the input they provided has helped to bring our alternatives very much into focus.”