Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Newly appointed AMA Supercross/Motocross Series Manager Steve Whitelock is at the tire test at Daytona International Speedway Monday to help AMA Pro Racing evaluate the information from the test and determine a course of action for the Daytona race.

“I do have a lot of experience with the road race stuff,” Whitelock, the former FIM Technical Manager for World Superbike, told Roadracingworld.com. “Scott (Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing) asked me to come down and maybe be a little bit of an advisor to Scott, help him understand.

“Scott and I don’t get enough time to always get together, and this was a good occasion because he was coming, and I had the time, and tomorrow we’re going to have a big AMA Pro (Racing) meeting. So it worked out really well.

“I’m here just because I know all of the European tire engineers who are here. I’m just kind of being an expert witness, if you want to call it that.”

Asked for his understanding of the current situation with tires at Daytona, Whitelock said, “I think what’s happening here is we’re making sure everyone’s going to be safe for the race. That’s all. They’re (Dunlop) just here to make sure. They had a problem, yeah. They fixed one of the problems. Now they’re working on fixing the second part. I think it’s going to be OK. I think we’re going to be alright. It’s just to err on the safe side then err on the wrong side.”

Whitelock said he would not regularly serve as an advisor to the road racing side of AMA Pro Racing because he is “far, far too busy” with his Supercross duties.