Rizla Suzuki’s Cal Crutchlow continued his recent run of good form by taking a strong seventh place on the grid for tomorrow’s Bank Holiday 11th round of the British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. He suffered a high-speed crash yesterday and lost valuable set-up time but that didn’t deter him as he took nearly three-quarters of a second off his best – and the existing lap record of 1:27.704s – to secure his second row start. Chris ‘Stalker’ Walker is still re-learning the twisty, undulating and demanding 2.18-mile track after a seven year absence and continued to make swift progress, leaving his fastest lap – under the existing lap record – until the end and taking a third row start in 10th place. Ducati’s Leon Haslam took pole position. Cal Crutchlow: “It’s not quite the pole position we had last time out but the truth is we lost some set-up time and to get on the second row is a decent starting position. After my crash in practice, my team mechanics were up until midnight and then back in the garage at 0700 fixing my bike so it’s a big thank you to them all for their support – they are the unsung heroes. “The forks on my Rizla Suzuki are right on the limit with no more suspension left through some of the corners. That’s something we can sort for the races and should help me to run further up the field.” Chris Walker: “I have gone faster and faster with every session and as well as learning the track with every lap, my Rizla Suzuki is improving as well. Starting from 10th on the grid is OK and I think we can better that in the races as my confidence grows. “I have always enjoyed racing at Cadwell Park and nothing has changed in that respect since my last visit here in 2000. The crowd is fantastic and really gives me a lift – I’m looking forward to putting on a good show in the races and hopefully giving the Stalker fans something to cheer about.” Simon Buckmaster – Team Manager: “It’s been another professional performance from Cal Crutchlow to get a second row start. Achieving seventh when he is against a field of such depth and quality is an achievement and I’m sure if he had not lost practice time and run off using his first qualifying tyre, he may have been even higher. He’ll be going for the top six in the races. “Chris has done a mega job to take 10th on the grid after being away from here for so long. Racing at Cadwell Park takes a lot of commitment and he lacks none of that; it also suits a fighter which is right up his street. He is learning fast and if he keeps up his progress he’ll be in the mix for the top six.” Qualification Times: 1: Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:26.081 2: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.101 3: Tom Sykes (Honda) +0.346 4: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.469 5: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.578 6: Leon Camier (Honda) +0.932 7: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) +0.972 8: Shane Byrne (Honda) +1.040 9: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +1.335 10: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +1.449 More, from a press release issued by Stobart Motorsport: Another Front Row for Sykes 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Rounds 21 & 22 Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire Stobart Vent Axia VK Motorsport rider Tom Sykes romped to his fifth front row start of the season when he qualified in third position after a hectic qualifying session for round eleven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire today. Following on from his double podium at Croft two weeks ago, the 21 year old Yorkshireman posted a time of 1m26.427s in scorching conditions. Showing no ill effects from a high speed crash this morning Sykes ended up behind Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea and is in a buoyant mood going into tomorrow’s two 18-lap races. For team mate Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne it will be a row two start after he posted eighth fastest time in the 50 minute session. The 30 year old Londoner was hoping to be further up the grid but got held up on his fast lap meaning he has a little work to do from outside of row two. Tom Sykes: “All in all I’m happy with a front row start and I’m pleased with my race set up also. I made a couple of mistakes in both sessions but the front row start was what we were aiming for so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully I can repay the team with some more good results.” Shane Byrne: “I’m not having much luck in qualifying and I got held up on my fast lap, which I’m not too happy about. But we’ve got a good race pace so I just need to get a good start from the second row tomorrow and get up there at the front.” Paul Bird: “That was another good qualifying from Tom, especially after his crash earlier today. We had a plan, everything worked perfect and it came off. Shakey needs a bit of luck in qualifying but I think they’ll both be in the mix tomorrow.” The first of the Bennetts British Superbike races gets underway at 13.15 with the second one screened live on ITV4 at 16.40. Qualifying: 1, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1m26.081s, 2, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1m26.182s, 3, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 1m26.427s, 4, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 1m26.550s, 5, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1m26.659s, 6, Leon Camier (Honda) 1m27.013s, 7, Cal Crutchlow (Suzuki) 1m27.053s, 8, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 1m27.121s, 9, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 1m27.416s, 10, Chris Walker (Suzuki) 1m27.530s.

American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) President Kevin Smith presents a check for $70,000 to Jere Starks and Sara Grafals of Infineon Raceway. The check ceremony represented the full payment, 18 months early, of the loan Infineon Raceway lent to the AFM for the Airfence project. The AFM had ordered 92 modules in October 2005 with the final cost being $83,280 including a transport trailer. Roadracing World purchased 10 modules of the 92 ordered. Infineon Raceway in December 2005 provided the AFM a loan of $70K that would be combined with donations already received by the AFM so the entire amount could be purchased up front. Infineon Raceway also agreed to provide storage and deployment at no cost to the AFM through 2008. Material was delivered in February 2006 and assembled in March 2006 by a host of volunteers from all over Northern California in time for a manufacturer’s test day for AMA teams. Mat Mladin took a tour of the track before the start of testing and provided input on recommended locations for the Airfence. The Airfence has been used for every motorcycle race and AMA test day since. The entire allotment is now available for rental by track day providers at Infineon, which has been a popular trend for 2007. AFM President, Kevin Smith said, “I never doubted that our racers would support fundraising for the Airfence. Being it was the biggest debt our small club had ever taken on, we thought it would take the entire three years to pay it off. Repaying the loan in half that time says a lot about our club and the local motorcycle community. John Ulrich kicked things off with his donation from the Roadracing World Action Fund and we’ve been absolutely overwhelmed at the support we’ve seen since then. We’ve reached a significant milestone, but there’s still more to do and as the fundraising continues, the goal will be to add even more protection.”

The deadline to apply for consideration to compete in the 2008 Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup is Aug 31. Riders born between Jan 1, 1992 and Dec 31, 1994 are eligible to apply at www.redbullrookiescup.com. A select number of riders will be invited to attend the official on-track Selection Event at Barber Motorsports Park Sept 29, 30 and Oct 1, where the final selections will be made for the 20-25 riders who will compete in the 2008 Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup.

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP heads to the Italian Riviera next weekend for the newest round on the MotoGP calendar, determined to continue with the improved form it has shown so far this year. Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins are both in the top five of the riders’ championship on 124 points respectively with Vermeulen just leading the way in fourth place by virtue of his win at Le Mans in May. Suzuki is the only manufacturer to have two riders in the top five and both Vermeulen and Hopkins will be looking to add to the team’s tally of five podium finishes that it has already secured this season. The San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP is round 13 of the MotoGP World Championship and will be held at the Misano circuit close to the city of Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Constructed in 1972 the circuit was the scene for many Italian Grands Prix throughout the 1980s and early 90s. MotoGP will make its first ever visit to the famous track this year and as such the riders will have three hour-long practice sessions on the Friday to acquaint themselves with the 4,180m long track. Vermeulen will be one of only a handful of riders that has previously raced at the circuit during his World Supersport and Superbike career but Suzuki’s Australian star will be on as much as a learning curve as his peers, as the track now goes in a different direction to when he competed on it. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to track on Friday for the three free practice sessions followed a fourth on the Saturday morning. Qualifying for Sunday’s 28-lap race will take place on Saturday afternoon, with the main event getting underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 2nd September. Chris Vermeulen: “I am one of the few riders that have been to Misano before, but with the track changing direction the only advantage that will give me is that I will know where to park my motorhome! We are going to Italy a bit blind as we don’t know what the surface will be like, so tyre choice is going to be very important on Thursday. I really enjoyed racing at Misano, I got a couple of second places there in 2005 and I will certainly be looking to repeat that feat – if not better it!” John Hopkins: “After my podium last time out I want more of those and especially to step up to the top. I wanted a top five finish in the championship when the season started and I’ll be doing all I can to make that happen, there’s no reason why it can’t even be a top three. This weekend could be all about tyres, we just don’t know what’s going to happen. They could work perfectly out of the box or the surface could just eat them up! One thing I do know is that we are all starting equal as nobody has raced this track on a MotoGP bike before and my crew will be working all-out to give me the best bike possible straight from the start. I am able to learn tracks quite quickly and if Stuart and the boys can give me the machine to do it on and the Bridgestones work as well as they have done all year then who knows what might happen!”

Rizla Suzuki’s courageous Cal Crutchlow bounced back from a 100 mph crash to improve his lap times and secure ninth place on the timesheets at Cadwell Park today during practice for the 11th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Crutchlow had completed nine laps in the afternoon session when he lost the front on the exit to Charlies, one of the fastest corners on the circuit that leads directly on to the 190 mph Park Straight. He walked away unhurt but lost precious set-up time making his way back to the pits and his waiting spare bike. “I was happy with my Rizla Suzuki and really wanted to post a quick lap,” he explained. “I went into the corner trailing the front brake and hit a bump which meant I squeezed the lever adding more brake which pushed the front too hard and I lost it. I haven’t had many faster crashes than that and my thanks go to the circuit for the long run-off area and to Dainese for making fantastic leathers. “I lost time in the session but went out on my spare bike and recorded my fastest time of the day just before the end. I won’t let the crash slow me down; if anything it makes me more determined to take control of that corner.” Chris ‘Stalker’ Walker finished 11th on the timesheets after making dramatic progress in the afternoon session. He said: “It’s tough after seven years to come to Cadwell Park and be right on the pace during the first day; it is a track that demands skill and finesse – and commands the utmost respect. “I spent time learning in the morning and this afternoon we tried a couple of setting changes on my Rizla Suzuki that definitely made an improvement and I slashed 1.25 seconds off my lap times. I’m confident there’s more time to come and can’t wait to get back out on track.” Warm sunshine baked the twisty, undulating and challenging 2.18-mile track during both 50-minute long practice sessions. Honda’s Jonathan Rea set the fastest time of the day in the morning session. Rizla Suzuki Team Manager Simon Buckmaster said: “Cal is thankfully in good shape physically after his crash and on the timesheets as well. He has already proved the crash will not slow him down. We have high hopes he can get on the first or second row. “Cadwell Park has to be one of the hardest circuits in the world for any rider to get their head around; it has a bit of everything to keep you on your toes and Chris did a great job after a seven year absence. He slashed his lap times between sessions and is upbeat that he can continue that progress. He’ll be going for the front two rows tomorrow.” Superbike racing over 18 laps starts at 1315 on Bank Holiday Monday, August 27th, at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire, with the second race starting at 1640. Combined Practice Times: 1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 1:27.311 2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1:27.586 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:27.728 4: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 1:28.148 5: Leon Camier (Honda) 1:28.180 6: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 1:28.272 7: Tom Sykes (Honda) 1:28.390 8: Shane Byrne (Honda) 1:28.673 9: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) 1:28.705 10: Karl Harris (Honda) 1:28.826 11: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) 1:29.197

Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine correspondent Dennis Noyes, who also writes for Speedtv.com, reports that DORNA boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has told reporters in Europe that the current tire rule for MotoGP was a mistake and that if competitive balance cannot be restored, the MotoGP World Championship may have to go to a spec tire rule. Read Noyes’ report here: ~http://www.speedtv.com/articles/moto/motogp/39712/?page=1~

The Honda LCR Team has reached an agreement with 26 year-old French rider Randy de Puniet to race in the 2008 and 2009 MotoGP World Championships. The deal between Team Manager Lucio Cecchinello and Randy de Puniet took place today. After having previously raced for Lucio Cecchinello’s team in 2003 and 2004 on board an official 250cc Aprilia (taking 17 podiums 4 victories – and 7 pole positions), Randy will compete once again in LCR Team colours during the 2008 season on a Honda RC212V. Lucio Cecchinello (Team Manager): “We are very happy to work with Randy again. Our past collaboration gave the team some impressive results, and thanks to Honda, our technical partners and our sponsors’ support, Randy will be able to demonstrate his huge potential once again in the most prestigious and competitive class in the world in 2008.” So Randy de Puniet will be the official rider of the biggest class on the Honda LCR Team RC212V and the Frenchman is very delighted to work again with the Team, within which the latter became one of the World Championship protagonist, and to ride for the first motorcycle Manufacturer.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION (Offered as the personal opinion of the author, not representing the views or opinions of any other person or organization. The author was first published in 1972, has been an active road racer since 1973, has been a winning race team owner since 1980, founded Roadracing World Publishing in 1990, has been the father of a professional racer since 1994, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to deploy soft barriers around the country through the non-profit Roadracing World Action Fund, and owns Roadracingworld.com.) The Situational Ethics Of Some Factory Teams By John Ulrich When it suits them, some factory team managers know what a factory team is. When it doesn’t suit them, they demand to know what the definition of a factory team is. Some of them make this demand even when the name of their team includes the phrase “Factory Racing.” When it suits them, as when they’ve got two riders leading the Supersport point standings and dropping a race will increase the odds that they’ll stay atop the point standings, a certain factory team manager may, for example, argue that it is unsafe to start a race that the vast majority of riders along pit lane want to start. When it suits them, the same factory team manager may also take his two riders to another track for a private test run with four cornerworkers and NO soft barriers, and never mind that one of those two riders bounced off an unpadded tire wall at said track and was injured not that many years ago. (If somebody tried to hold a race with the same lack of basic safety precautions, there would be a riot.) When it suits their perception of their own team’s immediate competitive advantage, some factory team managers will be in favor of anything. When something will benefit the entire paddock but also eliminate an expensive competitive advantage held by their own team, the same factory team managers may oppose it, like the factory team manager who said, during a discussion of spec fuel, “I’m against it because we get our fuel free.” What he really meant was, his team is getting a performance advantage by using custom-blend $500 a gallon rocket fuel (that incidentally made team mechanics physically ill on at least one race weekend), and he wants to continue getting that advantage. The fact that $6.25 a gallon non-oxygenated, stable spec fuel would save the paddock as a whole hundreds of thousands of dollars a year while also reducing the exposure of riders, mechanics and spectators to toxic and carcinogenic materials is of no apparent concern. Budget is power, which is why some factory team managers are against any effort to reduce the cost of racing. And to justify their budget, some factory team managers will do anything they can to assure that non-factory riders and teams with smaller budgets can’t be competitive. The most popular way of doing that, is to refuse to sell or otherwise provide factory parts, technology or bikes to non-factory riders and teams. Which brings us to the most effective way to identify what is and is not a factory team: Factory teams run trick motorcycles and parts that make a major performance difference, and which non-factory teams cannot get at any price, nor under any set of circumstances. At a recent AMA National race, riders for two different factory teams described their theoretically production-based Superbikes as being worth “$500,000” after those racebikes were heavily damaged in crashes. Follow the trick bikes and parts nobody else can get at any price, and you’ll find a factory team.