Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
2002 AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Chuck Sorensen is seeking a wild card entry into the 250cc Grand Prix at Valencia, Spain November 1-3, according to Rocky Stargel, co-owner of Team Stargel Aprilia.
Stargel Aprilia’s plan started as a discussion among team members through the first half of the 2002 AMA season. After Stargel and Sorensen met with Aprilia officials during the AMA/World Superbike weekend at Laguna Seca in July, Aprilia representatives arranged for Stargel and Sorensen to run the race on spare machines belonging to Aprilia-supported teams already in the 250cc Grand Prix series–providing Sorensen is granted a wild card entry. Soon after Laguna Seca, Sorensen requested a wild-card entry for Valencia through the AMA, the FIM’s U.S. affiliate.
“That’s such a tough thing,” said Stargel on Monday, when asked what his team’s performance goals would be if Sorensen is accepted as a wild-card entry at Valencia. “I mean, the level of competition there, that you’ve never been a part of before, in addition to a racetrack that the rider has no time on. We feel just to qualify and compete would certainly be an honor. To put more Americans on the starting grid for Grand Prix competition is an accomplishment right there. In terms of lap times or placing or whatever, I think it would be a situation of us getting over there to see how practice times went.”
Stargel expects to hear something on Sorensen’s status from AMA officials by Friday, October 4. “It should be a very interesting week for us in a lot of different respects,” said Stargel. “I was on the phone with some sponsor folks when you called, as a matter of fact. Hopefully, we’ll be getting some news in the next week or so. That’s what the conversations are bouncing around about. I can say right now, from what they’re telling me, it looks really good. We’re trying to land a major sponsor, and it looks like they would be a name sponsor for the team next year.”
Jason DiSalvo, who finished second to Sorensen in the 2002 AMA 250cc Grand Prix Series, was granted a wild-card entry for the September 19-21 Rio Grand Prix. DiSalvo missed the race because AMA Pro Racing did not notify him that his wild-card request had been granted until September 17, even though AMA Pro Racing had received notification from the FIM on September 6.