From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Ducati Austin Rider Eric Bostrom Keeps Daytona 200 By Arai Pole

Miguel Duhamel Adds On To Daytona Victory Total
With Victory In Formula Xtreme

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 4, 2004) — Nobody could touch Eric Bostrom during the second day of Daytona 200 By Arai qualifying on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

Bostrom’s track-record qualifying lap of one minute, 46.835 seconds, 119.961 mph, set during Wednesday’s qualifying session, wasn’t broken during the final day of qualifying for Saturday’s 63rd Daytona 200 By Arai and the Ducati Austin rider held onto his first Daytona 200 By Arai pole.

“If the conditions maybe had been a little bit better, we’d probably slapped a qualifying tire on it and try to best our time yesterday,” Bostrom said. “It was windy out there. We felt fairly confident we had a pretty good lap yesterday and we could rest on that.”

The Ducati Austin rider from Las Vegas, Nev., earned his first pole position on the 3.56-mile road course and delivered Ducati its seven Daytona 200 By Arai pole. Ducati has yet to win the Daytona 200 By Arai.

Eric joins his brother Ben as the first brother combination to win poles for the Daytona 200 By Arai. Ben Bostrom captured the pole for last year’s race.

Rounding out the front row for the Daytona 200 By Arai was Honda’s Ben Bostrom, Suzuki’s Mat Mladin and four-time and defending Daytona 200 By Arai champion Miguel Duhamel.

On the disappointing end of Daytona 200 By Arai qualifying was Rick Shaw, who failed to qualify for what would have been his record-breaking 23rd start in the race. Shaw, a privateer rider, is tied with Warren Sherwood with 22 starts and is the mileage record holder for the Daytona 200 By Arai.

Following Daytona 200 By Arai qualifying, the inaugural Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme event and the Repsol Superstock final took centerstage at the “World Center of Racing.”

The Lockhart-Formula Xtreme event was dominated by Hondas as Duhamel held off a hard-charging Ben Bostrom for his 11th career victory at Daytona. Besides his four Daytona 200 By Arais, Duhamel owns six Pro Honda Oils Supersport triumphs.

In Repsol Superstock, the last lap featured a five-bike duel with three Yamaha riders and two Kawasaki riders. Aaron Gobert nipped teammate Jamie Hacking at the start/finish line by a half-a-tire for his second AMA National victory.

“That was the most incredible draft that I’ve ever had,” Gobert said. “I wasn’t sure the bike was geared to go that high. I just kept on wheeling by.”

In final BMW BoxerCup qualifying, Thomas Hinterreiter claimed the pole with a lap of two minutes, 3.727 seconds. Sebastien Legrelle, who was fastest in BMW BoxerCup first-round qualifying on Wednesday will roll off second.

Daytona International Speedway takes a day off from road racing on Friday for the inaugural nighttime running of the Daytona Supercross By Honda. For tickets to all motorcycle races, log on to www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist:

2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship – Round 1, Daytona 200
Daytona International Speedway, Florida, USA
Final Qualifying Session Report

MLADIN THIRD FASTEST IN QUALIFYING – THIRD DAYTONA 200 TITLE IN HIS SIGHTS

Daytona Beach, Florida, USA (Thursday, 4 March) – Mat Mladin will start Saturday’s 63rd running of the Daytona 200 from the front row of the grid after posting the third fastest overall time between the two qualifying sessions at the Daytona International Speedway, host of the opening round of this years American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship.

Mladin got down to business today, blasting his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike to a best lap time of 1-min 47.640 around the 5.729km (3.56 miles) famed banked circuit in Florida. Pole position for this Saturday’s 200-mile Superbike classic went to Ducati’s Eric Bostrom, whose time of 1:46.835 remained unbeaten today. Honda’s Ben Bostrom will start alongside his brother after being the fastest rider in today’s second session and setting the second fastest overall time of 1:47.318. Completing the front row of the grid is Canadian Miguel DuHamel (Honda) who set a best lap of 1:47.679 today.

After being sixth fastest at the end of yesterday’s opening session, it was a different Mladin who turned up at the circuit today. He set the fastest time during the morning’s free practice and then elevated himself up the leader board to past the second fastest time in today’s second and final qualifying position.

A back-to-back winner of the Daytona 200 in 2000 & 2001, Mladin knows all to well what it takes to win the most prestigious race on the American calendar. Strategy will be a major factor in the outcome of the race as the juggle of speed, tyre wear and reliability all play a role.

“Everything went fine for us today, we’re on the front row for Saturday and that’s pretty much where we wanted to be by the end of qualifying,” said Mladin. “We’ve actually had two good days of qualifying here. We’ve achieved a lot, so there’s no complaints at the moment. I think we are looking okay for Saturday and that’s all we can ask for at the moment.”

“Things are definitely different here this year with the tyre battle between the two top brands. Last year we didn’t use soft qualifying tyres, but this year we are and look at the times. Eric obviously had a very good tyre for that lap he did yesterday. But at the end of all that though, we’ve got 57-laps to run on Saturday and score some points in the championship.”

“As usual tyre strategy will play a part in the race. There’s been a lot of talk about tyres here over the past few months, now we get to see the outcome. Pit stops will be crucial for sure as they always are, so it will be interesting to see who does what in the race.”

“The race will probably follow the same sort of pattern as usual where it will be fast early, possibly in the 49’s and gradually slip back to 52’s as the race goes on. We’ll see who can sustain their speed at the end.”

With qualifying for the Daytona 200 now complete, the riders will have a day off before the opening round of this years 18-round AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship gets underway.



More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

SHORT WEEKEND FOR HAS/SHOGUN AT DAYTONA

HAS/Shogun Racing rider Heath Small crashed during qualifying for the AMA Lockart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme event on Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway, separating his right shoulder. The injury ruled Small out of further competition at Daytona, however doctors estimate a fast recovery and he should be fit and ready to race at the next round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at California Speedway in Fontana, CA.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

JOHN HANER FINISHES A SOLID TENTH IN DAYTONA SUPERSTOCK EVENT

Texan John Haner finished a fine tenth place on his Hooters Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the AMA Repsol Superstock event at Daytona International Speedway today. In his first race for the team, Haner got a blazing start and ran in fourth place on the first lap. After being passed on the banking by three of the over 20 factory-supported riders in the race, John settled into a somewhat lonely eighth place.

“I just got a good start and everybody checked up,” said Haner, who started on the third row of the grid. “I said, ‘This is my only shot to make sure I can stay with the leaders.’ I stayed with them and then I tucked the front in turn six. I passed Josh (Hayes) in the International Horseshoe and I led him until six and tucked the front. Then they gapped me a little bit and I just tried to maintain. A couple of laps from the end I felt a vibration, and I knew something was there. The bike went sideways at start-finish at the checkered, that’s about as far out as I ever want it, dude!”

Haner is planning on competing in the Daytona 200 by Arai on Saturday, March 6th.

John’s personal sponsors include Speez Racing, Shogun Motorsports, Oasis Fire Protection, Keith Cherry, HJC Helmets, Joe Rocket, Hooters Racing and Unleashed Clothing.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

SUZUKI ON FRONT ROW IN DAYTONA

Team Suzuki Press Office – March 4 2004.
Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki opened their 2004 AMA race season at the Daytona International Speedway yesterday, posting solid qualifying positions in each of their classes.

The team kept up their momentum from last weekend’s excellent results at the Formula USA weekend that saw Steve Rapp and Vincent Haskovec win races and Chris Peris finish on the podium.

On Wednesday, Haskovec made a good first impression as a member of the squad in AMA competition, with a front row qualifying performance on his Michelin slick-shod GSX-R600 Formula Xtreme racer.

The Czech rider will start from the third spot on the grid in tomorrow’s 15-lap race, thanks to his fast lap of 1:54.213 aboard the still-developing 600 ‘mini-Superbike’, after out-qualifying several riders on factory machines.

“It’s going well so far. The Michelin tyres were giving me grip around this track and the team gave me a good bike to ride today,” said Haskovec.

Vincent backed up his Formula Xtreme showing with a third row qualifying effort aboard his GSX-R1000 in the extremely competitive Superstock class with a best time of 1:50.873.

His teammate Steve Rapp will line up in tomorrow’s twelve-lap Superstock race two rows behind Haskovec.

Unfortunately, his best lap time on the fire-breathing Suzuki GSX-R1000 – one that would have put him inside the top ten – was disallowed after he missed turn one.

“Those are the rules,” Rapp said after the session, held in warm, sunny weather. “I didn’t gain an advantage by missing turn one, but all it really means now is that I’ll just have to charge even harder in the race.”

The 31-year-old Californian fared better with his GSX-R600 in Supersport practice, ranking tenth with a best time of 1:54.674.

Rapp’s other new teammate, 18-year-old Chris Peris, was just one position behind him in the Supersport free session. The Canadian posted a best mark of 1:54.928 in his AMA racing debut with the team.


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

RAPP, HASKOVEC BATTLE FOR RACE GLORY AT DAYTONA

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki claimed a pair of top ten finishes today in the opening races of the 2004 AMA season at the famed Daytona International Speedway.

Vincent Haskovec piloted his Michelin-shod GSX-R600 to sixth in the first race of the new era of Formula Xtreme racing. It could have easily been much more. After winning a race at the Speedway last weekend, Haskovec came out on the wrong end of a four-man battle for third and finished less than a half-second off a podium placing.

“My bike was on rails out there, but we missed out by just a little bit,” said a disappointed Haskovec at the end of the day. “I could see the other guys spinning up out there but I was holding my lines well with the Michelin tires. I had the double draft perfectly set-up at the end, but we hit the rev limiter as I tried to pass. It unfortunately happened at the worst possible time.”

Teammate Steve Rapp took eighth in the hotly contested Superstock final, despite starting from the 18th spot on the grid after losing his best lap in Wednesday’s qualifying session. Rapp worked his way up from 17th after the first lap into a top-ten spot in the twelve-lap final.

He said of his race: “I passed nine riders in twelve laps, so there was quite a bit happening on the track for us. I was happy about the pace we ran in today’s race. My times were in the 1:50 range, which would have kept me close to the race leaders. Eventually, I was out on my own on the last lap and ran a 1:51 without any one to draft. Despite the tough luck this weekend, the race was very promising for the rest of the season.”

Steve’s teammate Haskovec was 23rd in the Superstock race.

In Supersport qualifying, Rapp was tenth and the Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s young gun Chris Peris was 13th. The Supersport race will be held Saturday.


More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

BOSTROM TO START DAYTONA 200 IN POLE POSITION

Eric Bostrom’s track lap record, which he set yesterday, stood throughout final qualifying today to give him and his Ducati 999 pole position for Saturday’s Daytona 200 race. Today’s qualifying session was marred by two crashes, which cut heavily into practice and made it difficult for teams to focus on long distance testing. The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin rider used the limited qualifying time to focus on final tire selection for the race.

“Had the conditions been a little bit better we might’ve slapped a qualifying tire on and tried to better our time from yesterday, but it was windy out there,” explained Bostrom. “We felt fairly confident we had a great lap yesterday and could rest on that. We’re here to win the 200 miler, not to just see it on pole position. I’ve never been on the front row here at Daytona. It’s a great showing for the 999 for its first time here at Daytona. I’m really confident with it because it’s been great all throughout testing and in practice. I think we’re in a great position to win – we’ve got the bike and the tires and the team to do it.”

Ducati Corse’s Paolo Ciabatti declared, “We’re very happy. We have a lap from yesterday that was hard to beat so today we didn’t bother with the qualifying tire. We used the race tires so we could focus on the race set-up because the most important thing is winning on Saturday. We’re happy to be back here with Eric, the 999 and Michelin on pole position. He’s the first rider ever below 1.47 – it’s a good start.”

Team owner Terry Gregoricka was pleased with his team’s efforts. “I’m not happy – I’m ecstatic! This has been a great weekend. We feel ready for Saturday. I know it’s going to be a tough race, but Eric’s been riding well and the team has been completely on the ball. I’ve been at Daytona a few times, but nothing compares to this year so far.”

The 57-lap Daytona 200 race is scheduled to take place Saturday at 2:00 p.m.


More, from a press release issued by Michelin:

POLESITTER BOSTROM PREVIEWS DAYTONA 200

Parts Unlimited-Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom says he’s pleased with the record-setting performance of his Michelin Pilot tires in qualifying for Saturday’s Daytona 200, but harbors no illusions about the challenge of finishing the longest race on the AMA Superbike schedule.

Bostrom set a Daytona track record of 1:46.835 in qualifying Wednesday. With the 200 scheduled for Saturday rather than its traditional Sunday slot, the timetable for the entire race weekend has been compressed. Track time is at a premium, so with a margin of 1.3 seconds over his nearest rival after first qualifying, Bostrom and technicians from Michelin and Ducati used Thursday’s second session to concentrate on race set-up of Bostrom’s Ducati 999.

“We felt pretty comfortable that our lap time would hold up,” he says. Still, he believes that the Ducati had even more speed in reserve. “We could’ve improved the time if we had to. I felt like we could’ve gotten down to the bottom of the 46s. The tires are that great. But ultimately the 200 is what’s important to me and the team, not the pole.”

Bostrom expects the race itself to be an exciting one, in part because the restricted time for practice and qualifying has kept teams from testing bikes over the usual 20-lap distance between pit stops at Daytona. “The fact is that no one has been able to complete a full stint,” he says. “With the limited schedule, it will be interesting to see everyone’s strategy on race day.”

Michelin Road Racing Manager Jim Rhodes is satisfied with the results achieved so far. “Our lap times are consistent, and we have a good race pace,” he says.

Bostrom is confident that he has the right package to achieve the success at Daytona that has long eluded him. “From where we sit now, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he says. “Our lap times on race tires have been the times to beat.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

EMPIRE RACING SUZUKI GETS GOOD RESULTS IN FIRST 1000cc SUPERSTOCK EVENT AT DAYTONA

Teammates Lee Acree and Chris “Opie” Caylor of Empire Racing Suzuki finished 13th and 20th, respectively, in yesterday’s AMA Repsol Superstock final at Daytona International Speedway. Both riders were disappointed but not discouraged about their results, considering that the team only received their Suzuki GSX-R1000s three weeks ago, with no opportunities for testing prior to Daytona.

“I had a pretty lonely race,” said Lee, who started on the fifth row after crashing during qualifying on Wednesday. “I got a decent start, I made up a few spots, but by the time I got to the International Horseshoe for the first lap, I’d probably done all but one or two of the passes I did the whole race. I may have gotten a few people as the laps progressed. Between having such a late start to get prepared for the weekend combined with my little mishap in qualifying, we missed quite a bit of track time, quite a bit of access to time to try to get some stuff sorted out. We’ve got a month to make all our motorcycles good for Fontana.”

“I try not to make excuses, but to be honest, Daytona is not one of my favorite tracks,” said Opie. “I respect it a lot. Late in the race, I felt a vibration from the rear. Granted, the Pirellis haven’t had any issues, but with all of the well-publicized tire failures, I just wanted to play it cool. Kevin (Schwantz) talked to me right before the race, and said ‘Just get points and move on to the next round.’ I’m looking forward to Fontana, I’ve done well there the last couple of years.”

Lee will compete in Saturday’s AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport race on his 2004 Suzuki GSX-R600, then both Lee and Opie will line up for the 63rd Daytona 200 by Arai on their GSX-R1000s. Both events will be televised live on SPEED Channel.

Empire Racing Suzuki is proud to be partnering with American Suzuki, Pirelli Tires, Leo Vince SBK Exhausts, The XFactory Store, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, 1-888-FASTLAP, EBC Brakes, Silkolene Lubricants, Thermosman Suspension/Ohlins USA, Teknic Leathers, Pitbull Stands, Vortex Racing, Dynojet Tuning and the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School.

For more information, contact Empire Racing at (336) 343-4059 or visit their website at www.empireracingmx.com.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

SHAWN HIGBEE FINISHES 11TH IN DAYTONA SUPERSTOCK FINAL

Millennium Technologies Suzuki rider Shawn Higbee finished 11th in yesterday’s AMA Repsol Superstock event at Daytona International Raceway, running as high as ninth while battling with fellow Suzuki riders Steve Rapp and Eric Wood. The group was split up when factory Suzuki rider Ben Spies came through the pack after serving a stop-and-go penalty, allowing Rapp to move ahead with Spies.

“It wasn’t the race I was hoping for,” said Higbee, who started from the inside of the fourth row after making lots of changes to his 2004 GSX-R1000. “Constantly, every session, making major changes to the bike, trying to get
it to feel the way I want it to. We kind of stair-stepped up, we’d make an improvement and I’d go a little faster. We haven’t found the missing piece in the rear end, I just can’t get the bike to drive off the corner with consistency. During the race, not only was I lacking the drive, the bike was running wide, I was fighting it. Both Rapp and I were closing on Haner, then Spies blasted me in the chicane and I lost the draft of Rapp. That was on the white flag lap, so it hurt my chances of setting him up for the finish like I had planned.”

Earlier in the day, 17-year-old Millennium Technologies Suzuki rider Danny Eslick qualified 15th for Saturday’s AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport final. Look for Danny on his # 69 GSX-R600 during the live telecast Saturday, March
6th on SPEED Channel starting at 10:30 am Eastern time.

KWS Motorsports Suzuki is proud to be sponsored by Millennium Technologies, American Suzuki, KWS Motorsports, Yoshimura R&D, Vortex Racing, Dunlop Tires, EBC Brakes, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, Nutec Fuel, EK Chain, Shoei Helmets, Teknic Leathers, Pit Bull Stands, Penske Suspensions, Traxxion Dynamics, Web-Cam, Baker Race Gear, Kaufman Trailers, Inc., HSA and BG
Lubricants.

For more information, contact KWS Motorsports at (843) 552-7177 or visit their website at www.kwsmotorsports.com.