Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Annandale Racing has announced a deal that will see the team race Hondas in the 2003 AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme Championships.

“We submitted a proposal to Chuck Miller (American Honda Racing Team Manager) at Laguna Seca,” said Anna Johnston, the Anna in Annandale Racing, in a July 29 telephone call to Roadracingworld.com, “and he came back with a proposal for us at Mid-Ohio. The whole team has worked so hard for this. We’re very excited!”

Johnston said that Jeff Haney and Freddie Spencer were instrumental in making the contacts needed to put together the deal, which will result in American Honda providing enough bikes and parts for two riders, including current Annandale rider Ty Howard.

Howard is currently 11th in AMA Superstock and 12th in AMA Supersport point standings in his first full year of AMA racing.

Johnston’s team will now be known as Annandale Honda Racing. “But we’re still looking for an outside-industry sponsor,” said Johnston. “We’re hoping that our new factory support will help attract a sponsor that wants to replace the Annandale in the team name with their own.”

Johnston says that talks with all three major tire manufacturers – Pirelli, Michelin and Dunlop – and talks with current crew members are ongoing and will hopefully be sorted out by the end of the AMA season finale at VIR August 9-11.

Aside from impressive results for a privately-owned, rookie AMA team and running racebikes in bright orange colors, Annandale Racing’s main claim to fame has been the fact that the team employs four, full-time, female crew members. Johnston said that having an all-female crew was not a goal, but that the team will continue to offer opportunities to crew members new to the sport. Johnston also said ex-racer/team mechanic Ryan Landers and current racer/lead mechanic James Compton have been great assets to the team and are sometimes overshadowed by media attention on the women.

“James’ greatest talent is his ability to teach the other team members,” said Johnston, adding that Compton is being pursued by other AMA teams for the 2003 season. “The girls on the team are setting new goals for themselves over the winter, too. They want to learn how to ride the bikes and they want to learn how to build engines.”

Johnston ended her phone conversation with Roadracingworld.com by saying that she has heard Honda will introduce a new CBR600 at a dealer show in September.

In other Honda-related news, Bruce Transportation Group Honda Crew Chief Joey Osowski confirmed that the team will return to AMA racing “as big as ever” in 2003 despite rumors to the contrary.