AMA Team Press Releases From Road America

AMA Team Press Releases From Road America

© 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

RAIN DAMPENS SECOND ROAD AMERICA SUPERBIKE RACE

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA – A heavy rainstorm prior to the start of the second AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship race at Road America, brought about a contrasting set of circumstances that saw yesterday’s opening race winner Mat Mladin slip to tenth place in today’s race held in slippery and difficult conditions.

Starting from pole position and with one win already under his belt for the weekend, Mladin chose to run a pair of full wet weather tyres on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, but the choice proved not to be as suited to the conditions that he expected.

With the track conditions changing throughout the race from one that was wet at the start, but provided a dry line at it’s completion of the 16-lap journey.

After struggling in the difficult conditions, Mladin chose to make an unscheduled pit stop to change tyres at the commencement of lap eight. After rejoining the race, the three-times AMA Superbike champion was able to work his way forward before completing the race in tenth place. His decision to pit and change tyres proved to be correct as he recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 2:25.235 on his final circuit.

Team Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom took victory in today’s event his second for the season, and finished 32.823 seconds clear of Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates, with Larry Pegram (Dream Team Ducati) third.

“I chose the wrong tyres at the start of the race, came in and put the right ones on and got going after that, but I guess it was all too late,” said Mladin, a six times race winner in this years championship. “It was a bad call right from the start. I went out on full wets front and rear and from the start it just wasn’t happening with the wets. I pitted and put on a set of lightly cut slicks which did work and suited the conditions.”

“From what I understand, Eric (Bostrom) used an older version wet tyre than the rest of us and just rode a better race than the rest of us. He handled the conditions well and chose the right tyres while the rest of us did it tough.”

Bostrom’s win today gives him a one point lead over Mladin (294 – 293) as the championship moves into the second half of the season. The battle for third has closed right up after the weekend’s results, with Yates (276) holding a two-point advantage over Ben Bostrom (274) and another couple back to Kurtis Roberts (272) in fifth.

“We arrived here with a ten point championship deficit, but leave here with a win and trail Eric by just one point. It could have been better, but it could also have been worse. It’s been a tough weekend with the changing conditions for all of us.”

The weekend had started off well for Mladin. He extended his record of AMA Pole positions to 28 after setting the fastest time in qualifying, before taking out his sixth race win of the season yesterday afternoon after a thrilling three way battle with Miguel DuHamel and Kurtis Roberts. The win took his AMA Superbike race win tally to 20, equal second on the all-time winners list with multiple AMA and World Superbike champion Fred Merkel and six shy of DuHamel’s all time record of 26.

The championship now heads to Brainerd International Raceway, Minnesota, for round 12 on June 27 – 29.

RESULTS
Round 10, 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship – Top 10
1. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki) 16 laps
2. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki) +32.623 seconds
3. Larry Pegram (Dream Team Ducati) +42.818
4. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda) +46.090
5. Ben Bostrom (American Honda) +46.588
6. Jason Pridmore (Attack Suzuki) +47.917
7. Shawn Higbee (KWS Suzuki) +51.126
8. Michael Barnes (Hooters Suzuki) +102.022
9. Kurtis Roberts (Erion Honda) +122.400
10. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) +122.802

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (Points after 10 of 18 Rounds)
1. E Bostrom (294); 2. M Mladin (293); 3. A Yates (276); 4. B Bostrom (274); 5. K Roberts (272); 6. M DuHamel (246); 7. L Pegram (211); 8. S Higbee (207); 9. J Pridmore (200); 10. V Haskovec (159).

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Weather: Cool, overcast, wet
Temperature: 13 degrees
Crowd: 40,000

Mixed Weather, Mixed Results at Road America

There was no questioning the dominance of the Honda RC-51 on the high-speed four-mile Road America track, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the machines taking a shadow second, third and fourth on Saturday’s first race of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike doubleheader. American Honda’s Miguel DuHamel was second, just 0.280 seconds behind the winner, with Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts less than half a second behind in third, followed by American Honda’s Ben Bostrom.

On Sunday, the track was half wet and half dry and tire choice was critical. No one was totally happy with their choice as the track continued to dry out, except DuHamel, whose experience and savvy nearly paid off with a podium finish. DuHamel chose cut slicks front and rear, the choice tenuous in the beginning, but certain at the end. Rushing towards the podium, he finished fourth after turning in most of the fastest laps of the race.

Ben Bostrom and Kurtis Roberts chose full wets, Bostrom taking the spot behind DuHamel with Roberts in ninth.

Sunday’s wet/dry race was won by Ben’s brother Eric on the Kawasaki. Suzuki’s Mat Mladin had won Saturday’s race, held under cool overcast skies.

The trio now stands fourth, fifth, and sixth in the title chase after 10 of 18 laps. Ben Bostrom in third, just four points out of third and only two up on Roberts. DuHamel, almost fully recovered from the broken collarbone he suffered three races ago, is sixth.

Roger Lee Hayden, the youngest brother of Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden, finished just behind his brother Tommy, of the Kawasaki team, in the very wet Pro Honda Oils Supersport race. Roger Lee led most of the race, only to get passed by his more experienced older brother on the penultimate lap of the 10-lap race. Still, it was his best career finish in the class. Teammate Alex Gobert was fourth, tying his best of the year.

Miguel DuHamel, Second Place, Race One
“I just made a few mistakes. I made a mistake going into turn three when I had 0.2 of a lead, which is pretty significant when you’re running at that pace. And then Mat (Mladin) got on me, then he was all over me and it was pretty tough. It’s kind of strange to say, but I’m still riding a little cautious. Not a lot. But on the brakes, where you need to be assertive to make a pass, you could see where the lapped riders were, I was cautious. Even passing lapped riders I had trouble. Passing Mat Mladin is a bigger trouble. At the end that was just my plan, that kind of backfired on me because I went so hard for four laps, I burned up a bit of my tire. It was still good, but I burned it up just enough to give Mat that breathing room that he got at the end and he was able to go out and do that really fast lap there.”

Miguel DuHamel, Fourth Place, Race Two
It was pretty dry out there. I said, ‘OK we’ll take intermediates and go real slow at the beginning.’ Not 500 yards off the start line it started raining. I said on my radio to (crew chief) Al Luddington, “It’s raining here.” For a while it was pretty sad, I was pretty far back. I was getting passed by a lot of guys, but my hat’s off to those guys to be honest with you. They didn’t do nothing crazy around me. I just put my head down when it started drying, but don’t forget there’s a line. And you get off that line, you’re off. A few times I just hit the water and trying to catch Ben (Bostrom) on the last lap when he caught a slower rider in Canada Corner, I went a little wide and I touched the water and I got the thing all sideways. It was a big risk.”

Kurtis Roberts, Third Place, Race One
“Mat (Mladin) and Miguel (DuHamel) and I rode every lap as hard as I think we could. It was definitely a hard race. I just had a few little things that prevented us from winning. But no excuses. The guys were awesome today and we just did the best we could. Just little things that weren’t as good as I’d want them for the race. No excuses. The guys rode really well. I think that just by looking at the race pace we were definitely riding 105% the whole race. The tires were great. I think the last lap was my fastest lap of the race for me. So they obviously hung in for me.”

Kurtis Roberts, Ninth Place, Race Two
“They (Dunlop) had new rain tires here that we tried and I actually thought the old ones were a bit better. The new ones were cold when I tried it, so I thought that could be it. With the weather, I didn’t want to go with a gamble on tire choice. I had to go with what Mat (Mladin) and Aaron (Yates) are running because we all three are close enough in the points. I could have gone with the gamble and who knows? I could have fallen off. We made it through and got a point or so back, not as much as we’d like for the day. The way the thing was working, we did everything we could.”

Ben Bostrom, Fourth Place, Race One
“Just no rear grip. I don’t know if I’m setting the bike up too stiff in the back or what. Somehow the Honda RC-51 doesn’t like it because (last week’s race at Pikes Peak International Raceway) was the same story but worse. This time we shortened the bike up. I thought it was going to be good. After the first couple of laps, I thought this thing was going to be good. Then we started losing grip, losing grip, (Mat) Mladin passed. He went a little bit slower, then he was able to really gas it up and I tried to gas it up and I lost the rear and it broke away a little bit and I started riding a little bit over my head and I just couldn’t make any time.”

Ben Bostrom, Fifth Place, Race Two
Intermediates were the right choice. I chose wets, actually, because someone said it was going to rain. Another storm’s coming. That’s the only reason. Otherwise I would have put on intermediates. We were real tempted to put on a little different rain tire, which is the one Eric (Bostrom) ran. It’s not so cut up. I’ve never had that little grip in the rain in my life. That’s the worse I’ve ever, ever had it. Only cause the track started to dry out. I couldn’t get enough grip to chew up the tire. The thing would sit on top and just spin. The best part for my tire is when it was half wet, half dry and it’d hit those dry lines.”

Saturday Superbike Race:
1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
2. Miguel DuHamel (Honda)
3. Kurtis Roberts (Honda)
4. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
5. Anthony Gobert (Ducati)
6. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki)
7. Shawn Higbee (Suzuki)
8. Jordan Szoke (Suzuki)
9. Mike Ciccotto (Suzuki)
10. Geoff May (Suzuki)

Sunday Superbike Race:
1. Eric Bostrom (Kawasaki)
2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
3. Larry Pegram (Ducati)
4. Miguel DuHamel (Honda)
5. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
6. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki)
7. Shawn Higbee (Suzuki)
8. Michael Barnes (Suzuki)
9. Kurtis Roberts (Honda)
10. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)

Superbike Points:
1. Eric Bostrom (294)
2. Mat Mladin (293)
3. Aaron Yates (276)
4. Ben Bostrom (274)
5. Kurtis Roberts (272)
6. Miguel DuHamel (246)
7. Larry Pegram (211)
8. Shawn Higbee (207)
9. Jason Pridmore (200)
10. Vincent Haskovec (159)


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

JIMMY MOORE FIGHTS TO EIGHTH PLACE FINISH IN FORMULA XTREME AT ROAD AMERICA

Corona Extra Suzuki’s Jimmy Moore fought back to eighth place in the Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme race at Road America after dropping back to tenth during the first two laps of the race with front brake problems. Moore acclimated to the brakes and started to move forward, passing Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking with two laps remaining.

“The brakes were my biggest problem,” said Jimmy, “but we also changed the gearing, and we should have left it the same. I just couldn’t trust the front brakes, Jason (Pridmore) and Steve (Rapp) both got me going into turn one.” This finish moves Moore up another place to seventh in Formula Xtreme points.

Jimmy’s teammate Adam “Crusty” Fergusson finished a lonely fifth in the race.


More, from a press release issued on behalf of Dream Team Racing Ducati:

Dream Team Racing Ducati’s Larry Pegram gave Ducati and Michelin their first podium of the year in the hotly contested, AMA Superbike Championship Series.

Larry Pegram bounced back from his 11th place in Saturday’s Race 1 to finish 3rd in Sunday’s Race 2, his first podium of the season. Pegram was able to take advantage of his strong wet weather set-up today to give he and his team a long overdue top 3 finish. Larry chose full wet Michelin tires for the race which gave him the ability to charge through the field all the way to 2nd place, even though a bad start placed him in 12th on the 1st lap. Towards the end of the race as the track began to dry, Pegram came under attack from Aaron Yates, who was only able to pass the Ducati rider after a hard fought battle.

Pegram: “I got a bad start from the 3rd row and found myself in 12th after the first couple of turns. The Michelin wets allowed me to pass all the guys ahead of me in the championship, except for Eric Bostrom, who was already on a tear by the time I got to the front runners. I settled into 2nd place until the race track started to dry out which caused my tires to heat up a little. At that point Yates caught me and we fought it out for a while until he finally got past me. I want to thank everyone involved with our team, there are alot people behind the scenes that have believed in me, and this podium feels really good.”

Larry finished by saying. “We have been talking to a potential Title Sponsor since Fontana, and now we have something really good to show them.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Concludes Road America Weekend

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki wrapped up their activities at Road America on Sunday. Saturday Superstock victor Steve Rapp had a less memorable afternoon Sunday, retiring from the Formula Xtreme final after running in the top 10, due to mechanical problems.

Chris Ulrich was unable to participate in the race after aggravating a nagging shoulder injury this weekend. He flew back to California early to get checked out by his orthopedic specialist.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry reflected on the weekend with Rapp’s Superstock victory on Saturday at the forefront. “We were looking for that win … we really needed it. We found a good set-up that Steve liked and the Michelins were great. He was getting a super drive out of all the tight corners and the tire kept getting better as the race wore on.”

Unfortunately, Sunday’s race wasn’t a repeat win for Rapp. “Today we encountered clutch problems with Steve’s bike,” Perry said. “A combination of things including that uphill start might have caught us out.

“As for Chris, he’s struggling with his shoulder and knows he’s not riding as well as he can at the moment,” Perry said about the two-time Superstock race winner and polesitter for last year’s Road America Superstock race.

Perry also commented about the return of teenager Matt Furtek to the fold. “Matt just came back from a surgery he had to help cure some problems with his hand. He had been experiencing numbness in his hand and the surgery completely cured two out of the four fingers. It might take a combination of things to get him back to 100%, and he has another test and possible surgery scheduled on Tuesday,” Perry said.

Still, Perry is convinced Furtek’s ability will show in his results soon. “Matt hasn’t shown his full potential yet. We he gets things figured out, he’ll really come up.”


More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki:

SOLID FINISHES BY CORONA EXTRA SUZUKI RIDERS AT WET ROAD AMERICA AMA SUPERBIKE EVENT

Once again it was the weather that was the talk at Road America. Rain most days had practice sessions sometimes running in both wet and dry conditions. The track was slippery when wet and saw both Jimmy Moore and Jordan Szoke fall during SuperStock practice. Both were uninjured but Jordan suffered considerable bruising from his “highside” which put him out of the Superstock event.

The Suzuki Genuine Accessories Superstock event was run in drying conditions. Fergusson started from the third row in 10th position. Jimmy Moore stated at the very back of the grid, 31 riders behind pole, having failed to qualify due to the earlier crash and then losing an engine on his backup bike at the start of qualifying. His was able to grid by using a once-a-year “Provisional” start for past champions. In the race, Moore got a fantastic start and rode like the Champion he is. By lap two he was in 14th, by lap three10th and by lap six4th after fighting through six riders battling for the position! Thereafter he kept after the leaders but they had got sufficiently away and he could not make up the distance by the end of the race. Fergusson finished 7th. Fergusson is currently third in the Superstock Championship with Moore now 6th.

Jordan Szoke qualified 18th in the Superbike event having been slowed by his bad bruising after his SuperStock get-off! In the first Superbike race Szoke ran very well, more than three seconds a lap faster than his qualifying time, to work his way up to eighth by the finish. In the second of the “Doubleheader” Superbike events he was in 11th position when an engine problem put him out. He is 12th in the Superbike Championship.

In the Lockhart-Phillips Formula Extreme “event” Fergusson started from 7th with Moore right behind him on 8th position. Both riders felt the varying conditions had impacted their qualifying performance. Fergusson rode a lonely race to finish fifth with Moore in eighth. Fergusson said after the race “I got a poor start and lost touch with the leaders”. Moore said: “I had a brake problem and just did not have the confidence to go in deep in the corners”. Fergusson is 4th with Moore 7th in the Formula Extreme Championship.



More, from a press release issued by Team Stargel Aprilia:

Rain, Rain Go Away…

Every round of the AMA 250GP season has been met with rain. Some events have hardly been affected by it, where others have faced schedule changes and poor track conditions. This past weekend at Road America, the rain slowed the track, altered the schedule, and proved to be a factor in the outcome of Sunday’s 250GP race.

Thurday’s promoter practice day greeted Team Stargel Aprilia with somewhat temperate and dry weather. During the day, the teams unofficial lap times had rider, Chuck Sorensen as the fastest 250 on the day. The Team Stargel Aprilia RSV250 registered the highest top speed on the team’s radar gun of any of the 250 or 600cc machines in the practice group.

Friday morning’s first office practice was dry and once again, Sorensen was at the top of the time sheets. The next two practices would be wet and Sorensen was displaced for the top position.

Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session was dry (at least the majority of it), and Sorensen once more recorded the fastest lap time, securing pole position for Sunday’s race. Unfortunately, the team awoke Sunday morning to find more rain falling and a wet and foggy race track. The team went back and forth on tire choices, and which Aprilia RSV250 to race, as the weather see-sawed all morning and into the afternoon.

As the delayed race start approached, the track was neither totally wet, nor dry. Still injured rider Sorensen made a determined effort, but wisely remembered the diminished traction that the cold damp track offered. In the end, he brought his Aprilia home in second place.

Team Stargel Aprilia hopes that the next AMA 250GP round at Brainerd, Minnesota on June 27-29 is warm and dry and that rider, Chuck Sorensen, is free of surgical steel.


More, from a press release issued by Graves Yamaha:

Another Buck-masterful victory at Road America
makes Yamaha Hat-Trick

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
June 7, 2003

There is no racing motorcycle in professional racing in the US that approaches the power output of an AMA Formula Extreme specification motorcycle. Couple this with the breathtaking speeds of the three long straightaways of the Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and you have all the makings of an awesome spectacle. These machines, which give in the neighborhood of one hundred and eighty horsepower, reach speeds approaching one hundred and ninety miles per hour at the end of Road America’s long straightaways.

Last week’s victory by Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster at Pikes Peak closed the title chase considerably, with Jake Zemke still topping the table, Ben Spies five points behind, and Damon third, thirteen points in arrears. All three of the title protagonists were on the pace in qualifying at Elkhart, with Spies quickest and Damon, working on his race setup, close behind.

The race start was fraught with tension, as earlier rains which had soaked the track were quickly giving way to a dry line all the way around . Drizzling rain just prior to the start made some second guess, but all the runners opted for dry weather slick tires. Spies was quickly out front and trying to make an escape, but Damon and sixth place qualifier Josh Hayes hung onto him gamely. Pushing hard early Spies struggled for grip, while Buckmaster smoothly kept his Yamaha R1 looking like it was on rails.

After sizing his opponent up for the first two laps, Buckmaster made his move forward. He would lead across the stripe for the rest of the race. Points leader Zemke, trying to make up for a bad qualifying position, made a critical mistake trying to pass teammate Roger Hayden, and ran off the track, falling in the mud, unable to restart his machine. Hayes also passed Spies, and even tried Damon on the brakes a few times only to have Damon quickly repass him under acceleration.

Damon’s smooth as glass riding style and the power and grip of the 2003 Yamaha R1 would see him gracefully sliding both ends into the tighter corners and outdriving his opponents out of them. The top speed of his Graves R1 kept him ahead of his rivals as they hurtled down the long Road America straights.

Buckmaster’s victory completes a hat trick of wins for the 2003 Yamaha R1 at Road Atlanta, Pikes Peak, and now Road America.

Zemke’s mistake coupled with Spies third place now puts Damon into the championship lead at the halfway point of the season.

Following a two week layover, the team will head back into battle at Brainerd International Raceway, in Brainerd, Minnesota, hoping to carry on Yamaha’s winning tradition.



More, from another press release issued by Proforma:

CONNELL LEARNS MORE AT ROAD AMERICA

Annandale Honda’s Craig Connell made progress on the set-up of his CBR600RR at Road America. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, and Connell was not able to take advantage of the improvements when he fell relatively unhurt in the rain-soaked Pro Honda Oils Supersport race. Connell lost the rear end exiting turn eight, quickly picked the bike up to continue, but found the clutch inoperable due to cable damage. Connell strained the same arm that he injured at Road Atlanta.

Craig fared better in the Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme event, finishing 11th on a drying track. Craig is still refining the set-up on his Annandale Honda CBR954RR, concentrating on front end feel and stability. “My arms were knackered after about five laps, we made some changes and went the wrong way,” said Connell.

Craig’s teammate Ty Howard continues to mend after hip injuries suffered at Pikes Peak, and has been hand-cycling with Justin Meaders, a paraplegic friend who competes in hand cycling races.

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