Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Miguel Duhamel, Ben Bostrom and Roger Lee Hayden set the pace Tuesday during AMA team testing on the revised 2.36-mile infield road course at California Speedway in Fontana, California.

Riders with American Honda, Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda, Annandale Honda and the Kawasaki Road Racing Team were greeted with reduced wind speeds, warm temperatures and a revised course layout when they arrived at the track Tuesday morning. The entrance to the first chicane on the infield straightaway, turns 10/11, has been opened up slightly, and on Tuesday afternoon speedway personnel tried an alternative version of the turn 7/8 chicane, which leads into right-hand turn nine.

The alteration to the turn 10/11 chicane was generally accepted as a good change, although the unusually tall curbing on rider’s left–which contributed to Josh Hayes’ crash during the AMA National weekend last year–is still in place.

The different turn 7/8 chicane, however, slowed riders’ times by an average of nearly two seconds and interrupted the flow of the track in exchange for increased safety in turn nine, the launching point of the crashed motorcycle that re-entered the track at turn four and killed racer Ricky Lundgren last April.

Track changes aside, American Honda’s Duhamel turned the fastest overall time of the test, a 1:27.17, on his 2002-spec RC51 Superbike Tuesday morning, faster than the 1:27.423 he recorded during qualifying for the AMA Superbike race at California Speedway in April 2002. Bostrom wasn’t far off Duhamel’s pace as he learned the track, running a 1:28.30.

In the afternoon, Duhamel concentrated on his CBR600RR, while Bostrom bounced back and forth between a 2002-spec RC51 and a RC51 updated with different brake, chassis and engine parts. In the end, Bostrom preferred and went faster on the 2002-spec bike with the second-best time of the afternoon, a 1:30.35.

The fastest overall rider in the afternoon–on the modified track–was Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden on his CBR954RR Formula Xtreme bike. Hayden said he picked up a few pointers by following Ben and Eric Bostrom around the track, mounted a new 240-compound (a “hard” tire, according to Hayden mechanic Danny Hull) rear Dunlop and did a 1:30.22 to lead all riders.

“When I came in they thought I cut a chicane, but the times were so close back-to-back that you could tell it was real,” said Hayden. “It definitely feels good to be quickest, especially with the Superbike guys here. It’s a confidence booster even though it is only testing. It’s really just hats off to my crew. The Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda team have really stepped it up this year.”

Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom wasn’t feeling 100 percent physically and said he never got comfortable on the Fontana track, which was still dirty from wind-blown dust.

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts also wasn’t feeling comfortable riding in the wind at the track where he had his worst crash. “He got pretty banged up here last year,” said Roberts’ Crew Chief David McGrath. “You just can’t dismiss that.”

Japanese racer Tamaki Serizawa made a surprise appearance at the test, riding a 2002 Erion Honda CBR600F4i to “see an American racetrack and see what we do,” according to Erion Honda Crew Chief Rick Hobbs. “It’s kind of a favor to some people we deal with in Japan, plus we had the extra bike.”

Serizawa, who speaks no English, is best known for his third-place finish in World Superbike race two at Sugo in 2001 (Ben Bostrom got fourth) and a third-place finish in the 2000 Suzuka 8-Hour with Peter Goddard. Both of Serizawa’s results came on a Kawasaki ZX-7RR. Serizawa rode a Yoshimura Tornado S-1 prototype machine in the 2002 All-Japan Superbike series and was not eligible for Championship points or finishing positions.

The next AMA team test is schedule for late January at Laguna Seca Raceway.

Morning Track Configuration Lap Times:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:27.17
2. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:28.30
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:29.48
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:30.43
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.52
6. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.86
7. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:31.40
8. Craig Connell, Honda CBR600RR, 1:32.44
9. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600RR, 1:32.60
10. Ty Howard, Honda CBR600RR, 1:32.65
11. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:32.74
12. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR600RR, 1:33.70
13. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR600RR, no times provided

Afternoon Track Configuration Lap Times:

1. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR954RR, 1:30.22
2. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:30.35
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:30.72
4. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:30.90
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:31.98
6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R (636cc), 1:32.00
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:32.17
8. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:32.79
9. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R (636cc), 1:33.94
10. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:34.30
11. Ty Howard, Honda CBR600RR, 1:34.40
12. Tamaki Serizawa, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:34.50
13. Craig Connell, Honda CBR600RR, 1:35.00