PICKERINGTON, Ohio — It’s been a tough year for Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden. The heir apparent to this year’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, Hayden instead broke his leg in an early season crash. However, as the championship moves to Mid-Ohio this Sunday, Aug. 6, Hayden is nearly fully recovered and hoping to become the first rider to win three straight Mid-Ohio Supersport races. Hayden, who was Supersport runner up to his older brother Tommy in each of the last two seasons, started the year off with back-to-back wins and the series lead. Then came his crash in the Superbike race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., on April 23. The injury caused him to miss the next round in Fontana, Calif. He then bravely came back at Road America in June, riding to a fourth-place finish. He’s been improving ever since. “My main goal now is just to win some races and close the year out strong,” Hayden said after finishing second in the last round in Monterey, Calif. “I really haven’t rode that much since I broke my leg so I was feeling a little bit better as the weekend went on.” While Hayden was recuperating Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking went on a major winning streak of his own. Hacking, the 2003 AMA Supersport champ, is enjoying a four-race winning streak coming into Mid-Ohio. If Hacking wins Sunday it would mark the longest winning streak in a single season in the class since Miguel Duhamel’s eight-race run in 1995. The British-born Hacking has built a 54-point lead over Hayden with four rounds remaining. “I don’t want to change anything I’ve been doing,” Hacking said of his strategy for the rest of the season. “I haven’t been pushing it real hard to win. My team has given me a bike that’s so good that I’ve been able to ride well within my limits. I’m not going to push it too hard or risk it all to win at this point, but if things keep going they way they have been I think we can get a few more victories before the season is over.” Hacking could give Yamaha its first Mid-Ohio Supersport win since 1994. Danny Eslick, of the Matsushima Performance Suzuki team, leads a close three-way battle for third in the standings. Attack Kawasaki’s Ben Attard and M4/EMGO Suzuki’s Geoff May are also vying for that spot. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies is leading the AMA Superbike Championship and has found the endurance needed racing both classes to turn in some good results in Supersport as well. At Laguna Seca Spies finished third. Mid-Ohio is a homecoming of sorts for Spies. It is the track where he made his AMA pro debut in 2000. The Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei final this Sunday is part of Mid-Ohio’s Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. The track has recently completed major track renovations. The Mid-Ohio Superbike races will be televised on SPEED on Tuesday, Aug. 8 starting at 3:00 p.m. eastern. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or online at www.midohio.com.

MID-OHIO MOTORCYCLE BUILD ATTEMPT SEES CHECKERED FLAG AT AMA VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE DAYS DUBLIN, Ohio The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Build Attempt, or “Team MOMBA” as they became affectionately known, took on what many called the most challenging and difficult feat the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days has even seen this past weekend when they fabricated and constructed an AHRMA-legal vintage road race bike from parts sourced entirely from the AMA Swap Meet, passed tech inspection and raced the bike to a seventh-place finish in a sanctioned feature race on Sunday. The build, which began as a wild idea among an eclectic group of Milwaukee motorcycle racing enthusiasts, came to fruition over the course of 72 hours under a tent in the lower paddock at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course when Team MOMBA assembled the bike from spare parts under the watchful eyes of a large and enthusiastic throng of observers. “This was something we started kicking around back in January,” said Team MOMBA chief Wes Orloff “We were pretty optimistic about pulling it off, but you just never know with these things. The swap meet at Mid-Ohio is always incredible, so we knew we’d have a lot of resources, but the emotional and financial support we received was unexpected and overwhelming. So was the result. All in all it was a great way to spend a weekend.” Word spread quickly about the team’s challenge, and the tent was continuously surrounded by enthusiastic and generous fans. Many made donations to the not-for-profit effort; with 20 percent of the money raised going to the team’s chosen charity, the American Cancer Society. With a limited amount of time and money, Team MOMBA scoured the 1,000-vendor swap meet for parts and began putting its own tools, resources and expertise to work on the build. The eight-man, four-woman team included Harley-Davidson engineers, a photo assistant, a salesman and a few tattooed professional roller derby girls. They even secured the services of a rider in Mitch Boehm, an Ohio native and editor-in-chief of Motorcyclist Magazine. “When Wes first contacted me, I thought it was a great idea,” said Boehm. “Of course, once I started thinking about what sort of contraption might result the bike I’d have to ride I began to have some second thoughts. I mean, I’ve been to a swap meet or two, and there’s some really thrashed stuff for sale. But meeting the team and seeing the dedication they’d put in these last few months, I was pretty psyched about the effort.” Boehm quickly fell in step with team members and immediately went into action, heading out on his scooter into the mass of the country’s largest motorcycle swap meet. “We started with a Kawasaki KZ550 LTD, which is a middleweight cruiser and not what you’d think of when you think of a middleweight superbike,” said Boehm. “But once the bodywork, fork, wheels, sissy bar and other bits and pieces were stripped off and replaced with real race bits stuff like Suzuki Katana wheels, a hand-made pipe and a superbike handlebar it started to look like a real racer. I knew if we could get it to run well, we might even do well, so I was pretty jacked.” Team MOMBA did get the bike to run and Boehm found himself testing his skills as a rider when he participated in an impromptu practice session Saturday evening after the day’s racing events had been completed. During his first practice session, Boehm found fault with the bike’s handling and steering. The issue was found to be the position of the rear wheel. After making wheel position and rear suspension changes, Boehm completed another practice run during which the engine began breaking up at higher RPMs. The team headed back to the MOMBA compound, where work continued into the early morning hours to get the bike race ready. Fortunately the team’s dream came true when Boehm took to the Mid-Ohio circuit Sunday afternoon for the eighth race of the day. He managed to handle the MOMBA bike smoothly through corners, gaining speed and passing other riders, though the bike struggled on the track’s long straight-aways. Boehm finished the six-lap race in seventh place, ahead of seven other riders. “This was a special effort from start to finish,” said Orloff. “From Team MOMBA, to Mitch, to the swap meet vendors, to the fans, to the AMA, to Mid-Ohio everyone put in a phenomenal effort this weekend, and we couldn’t have pulled it off without them. Hopefully this was the start of something big.” With the overwhelming success of the build, the AMA and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course hope to make the Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Build Attempt a yearly affair at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days was the third event on Mid-Ohio’s eight-race 2006 schedule. Still to come is the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire (August 4-6), Vintage Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio (August 18-20), National Auto Sport Association Championships (September 15-17), AMA Road Race Grand Championships & AMA Motocross Manufacturers Cup (September 22-24) and the AMA Superbike Shootout (September 30-October 1). Tickets for all events are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a permanent road racing circuit with two primary configurations: a 2.4-mile, 15-turn, and a 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Incorporated is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I can’t imagine what SCRAMP, the volunteers, and the Monterey Police were thinking on Sunday. The shuttle bus system was a disaster of epic proportions. Some people have reported that the buses went to the wrong pickup location, but starting around 3:30 pm I observed about a dozen buses waiting at the top of the hill with NO traffic in front of them. And those buses didn’t move for another 30 to 45 minutes. My theory is that someone was concerned about the condition of the access road – with the heat there were major potholes developing – and so the buses were intentionally being spaced out. But even then, why didn’t this collective bunch of idiots let us BOARD the buses to escape the heat? The only person who probably didn’t spend 3 hours waiting for a shuttle bus was my wife, because she left the track right after we realized there would be no racing until 2:00 pm. Changing the schedule at the last minute was an insult. What were we supposed to do for 4 hours? The long wait did accomplish one thing, however. It made me realize that Laguna Seca is a filthy, second-class facility unfit for a major event. The lack of wash rooms alone would be reason enough to shut this place down. My wife and I will never go back. Bill Pepoon Roseville, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Outstanding. Exciting. Awesome. These are adjectives which describe the racing at Laguna Seca on Sunday, July 23rd. Outrageous. Pathetic. Ridiculous. These are adjectives which describe SCRAMP’s management of the event. My wife and our three children (ages 6, 6, and 5) left Fox Hill immediately following the MotoGP race. We figured we’d take the most direct route to the shuttle buses, and this involved going by the entrance to the paddock area. As reached the area near the paddock we encountered a huge crowd of people trying to get out. Everyone was sandwiched between a building and the track fence, with little movement of the line and even less movement of air. We were in the midst of this crowd when my five year old son looked up at me and said, “Dad, I want to be up high.” It was clear he wasn’t going to last long in the stifling heat near the ground, and I can only hold a 50 pound kid in each arm for so long. I told my wife that we’d need to find another way out, so we did a U-turn and battled our way out of the crowd. I finally located someone in a SCRAMP uniform and asked when a track crossing would occur. He said “the first one didn’t happen” as it was scheduled to after the MotoGP race. He couldn’t give an explanation as to why no crossing occurred. Nor could he offer any assurance that a crossing would be allowed after the second race. I couldn’t help but wonder why this guy with a SCRAMP uniform and a radio in hand didn’t know such a fundamental piece of information, given that we were clearly facing a dire situation with the crowds and the heat (I was speaking to him right after he had finished calling paramedics for help with a fellow suffering from heat exhaustion). So we decided to exit the track area by crossing back into the vendor area and going all the way over to the road near Turn 5. Once outside the track fence we’d be able to follow that road to the shuttle area. Notably, as we got onto the road near Turn 5, I noticed that there were Monterey city buses which had no lines the buses would simply drive up, load people on, then drive away. Only later did it occur to me that we could have taken one of those buses to Monterey, then taken a taxi to our car at Fort Ord. This would have been *much* faster than SCRAMP’s shenanigans. In any case, we made fast progress up the hill until we met up with the main body of people trying to leave on the shuttles. At this point we got into line and basically reached a standstill. To make matters worse, the line went around a parking lot where motorcycles were parked, and a lot of unethical people were simply cutting through the parking lot to get a lot farther ahead in line. At the rate people were cutting and considering how slowly the line was moving, those of us not cutting would have not gotten anywhere. So people in line started becoming irate and yelling at the cutters. I went and asked a SCRAMP person standing nearby whether she would make an effort to stop them, and she said, “I was specifically told not to try to stop them.” I’m not sure who gave her this ill-founded advice, but luckily after around an hour of this nonsense the sheriff’s department finally started stringing up yellow tape to keep the lines orderly (although earlier I had watched a sheriff do nothing to stop people from cutting). Then the fire department started bringing in boxes of water and passing them out. In the meantime, of course, people collapsed from heat injuries, including some people stuck in an enclosed bridge over the road. Those poor folks were immobile in the bridge for around an hour, and I can only imagine their level of suffering. After that the authorities decided that they wouldn’t use the bridge at all, and would instead allow people to load onto the buses from the side of the road we were already on. Why this painfully obvious bit of common sense wasn’t part of the plan from the beginning is only known to a handful of people at SCRAMP who are undoubtedly engaged in a skilled bit of CYA right now. And let’s face it, even if it hadn’t been so horribly hot, it still took far, far, far too long to get everyone out of there. We finally reached our car at 7pm, some four hours after leaving Fox Hill at 3pm. Had I not been in the company of my wife and kids, I could have literally walked to my car in less time than it took SCRAMP to get me there. A friend who stayed until the end of the last race (probably around 6pm) didn’t make it to his car until 9pm. What a fiasco. In the days following the race, I gave a lot of thought to how things could have been improved to get people to their cars in a reasonable amount of time. After much deliberation, I concluded that due to the location of the track and the poor access to it, the only good solution at Laguna Seca is to greatly reduce the number of people allowed at the event. I realize that this goes against the greedy nature of the powers that be, but my family’s safety comes first and I simply won’t attend a MotoGP race at Laguna Seca again unless they cap the attendance at a much lower level. I’m a big fan of MotoGP, but next time I’ll skip the eight hour drive from my house and watch it on TV from my recliner with a fridge full of beer nearby, rather than put myself and my family at the mercy of a bunch of incompetent people at SCRAMP. Justin Dillard Bishop, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Here is a copy of the email I sent to the officials at Laguna Seca: Dear Laguna Seca operators, if any one there is responsible, I waited for 3 hours in the 100+ degree sun to get on a shuttle bus to get back to my car on Sunday afternoon. There were thousands of us in line. It took about three hours to walk the distance of one or two football fields. There was no information about why we had to wait for the buses, or how long the wait would be. Throughout these 3 hours, we all expected the nightmare to end any minute. But then the line would move 2-3 feet, and stop again for 10-20 minutes, and repeat, and repeat, etc. There were children and babies crying, dehydrated and hungry for 3 hours with parents trying to console them. The parents trying to console the children were themselves dehydrated, exhausted, frustrated, angry, and lacking any information about how much longer the wait would be. There were senior citizens near collapse from fatigue. I heard many people say they will never return to Laguna Seca. I heard experienced race goers said that Laguna Seca does not deserve to ever host this race again, that they will write letters discouraging the authorities from letting you host it again. We had no option but to continue to wait; our cars were 10 miles away. And we had no estimate of how long the wait would be. This was a Death March for thousands of race fans. I did not hear of anyone dying, but, having seen how exhausted many people were, I would not be surprised. You owe something big to the thousands of fans who paid hundreds of dollars to be at your race track, who trusted your judgment regarding what your web site touted as “A new traffic flow plan is in place to also help to increase the fan experience.” This was a nightmare which was much more frustrating, and much more physically dangerous, than the 2-3 hour traffic jams of last year. At least then we were in our cars, out of the hot sun, and, at least for me, with an air conditioner in my car. If your staff had at least informed us of how long a wait was in front of us, it would have given me, and those of us in above average health, the option of walking to our cars. If I had known that I would wait 3 hours to get on a bus, I would have walked the 10 miles, and given someone else my seat on the bus. The only explanation offered to us was from a police officer, I believe his patch said sheriff. He told the crowd of exhausted and frustrated race fans that the cause of the delay was that too many fans were asking the bus drivers questions as they got onto the buses, and too many fans were lugging coolers. Talk about “blaming the victims” for the problem! I have read some of the press coverage of this debacle. They say they are now sure what caused the problem. To me it is simple: You did not have enough buses on hand for the peak demand on Sunday afternoon. This peak demand was anticipatable. You just didn’t think it through. It was a very amateurish mistake. People should loose there jobs at Laguna Seca over this. Please respond in a meaningful way! Dr. Edward I. Mendenhall Scotts Valley, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Laguna GP was a great event, sure there were problems, I experienced some problems with Laguna myself, but to those complaining about waiting to leave I offer this simple advice ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATE. Laguna Seca Moto G.P. is an event, it is not like going to a movie, in and out. Celebrate the event, make a long day out of it, ENJOY IT. After a race there are thousands of incredibly interesting people wandering about, what better way is there to pass time and avoid traffic than to hang out and engage these interesting motorcycle enthusiasts in conversation. Joe Fenech Ballico, California FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Concerning the 2006 USGP, Okay, I think I’ve had it up to my blinking eyeballs with the feedback on the MotoGP. I have even done my share of complaining about one or two things, but I’ve thought about it, and heard other peoples take on the subject when they went to other motor sport events. I have the impression at this point that some attendees may be asking a bit much. Did you not know that it would be hot? Did you not prepare yourselves for the possibility of high temperatures at a racetrack in the desert? I feel that some of the responsibility should fall on the shoulders of the fans. If you didn’t want to spend $4.00 for a bottle of water, you should have gotten a hydration pack, or had a backpack with some water in it. As for the busses, I again don’t know what you expected. Don’t get me wrong. I was at that 2002 Olympics in SLC where you were not allowed to drive your own car to the events. The shuttle was the only option. Standing in below freezing temps for over an hour was no fun either. But until beaming people from place to place becomes common practice, patients with others is our only option. I have talked to people that have been to NASCAR races in hot climates and they have told me that similar things happened to them. My favorite was from my sister, who after waiting for the shuttle bus, saw people pass out in line, and she had others that offered her $10.00 for her spare bottles of water. So as you can see, it is not just SCRAMP. You can only move so many people so fast. I thought everything went well. We paid the extra money for the parking pass and had an easy time. All things considered it was a great show. I enjoyed see the improvements that were made, I enjoyed seeing the Yamaha Champions, and having them sign autographs for me, I enjoyed the racing. I don’t think it is SCRAMPS job to baby sit us. It’s their job to put on a show, and every year they learn something and do better. I will admit that my trip wasn’t perfect. Some of the SCRAMP folks could be morons, blah, blah, blah. Not all of us are perfect. Get used to it. Thanks to all of those that were there and work hard during the event. You have not gone unnoticed. Andy Rumble Boise, Idaho FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Paddock Mobs and boiling Gixxers Parting the crowd was harder than Moses parting the Red Sea (at least Moses had help). A few of the bikes were overheating badly coming off the track and trying to get back to the pits with the crowd unwilling or unable to clear a path. I was pitting for Scott Jensen who came back with a bellypan full of coolant and a steaming engine. We need to consider requesting a marked-out alternate routing back to the pits – there’s no reason to force the racers to have to return to the pits at barely a walking place with hot engines through the heavy crowds. I can’t say whether signs would help along with occasional announcements. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if the heat weren’t so oppressive. Pulling all our gear out to the pit wall in the wagon was no better – for qualifying or for the race. Even hollering a loud but polite “excuse me, pardon me, coming through” wouldn’t get people to move until I’d have to reach out and push them aside by their shoulder rather than run into them. Steve Slaughter WSMC #604 Pit Slave For Scott Jensen, AMA #61 AND NOW THE LAST WORD WE’RE GOING TO POST ON THIS SUBJECT: FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Well after reading all that has been said about the ’06 Red Bull GP I fully agree with the blame resting firmly on SCRAMP. Me and my wife went last year and it was a disaster, and this year it was a disaster also. As for Joe Fenech’s e-mail–Joe says stay late and leave early, well common sense would tell you that if every one stayed late then there would be a three hour wait at 9:00 instead of 3:00. So that is not a solution that works for everyone only works if just a few thousand people are leaving late not 20,000 people! And Andy Rumble’s e-mail if I did not know any better I would say either he works for SCRAMP or has a relative that does. Andy probably does not grasp the fact that you can’t carry enough water to properly hydrate oneself on a 100+ degree day, also to say the same thing happens at nascar races does not make it ok, remember two wrongs do NOT make a wright. And as for Andy saying about the busses what do you expect. ……. we as cash paying fans expect all of or at least some of the promises that are told to us, SCRAMP spent lots of money on PR in all the mags on speed TV and etc. to get the point across that they have fixed the traffic flow problem, THAT is what we expected. And yes Andy we did know it was going to be HOT and guess what so did SCRAMP and I am pretty sure they could have done better if they cared to plan ahead. Thanks Roadracing World, Aaron Millar Lake Zurich, Illinois

By Lisa Theobald Marco Martinez won the Unlimited Grand Prix on his GSXR1000 and came close to setting a new track record. It was Greg Melka who nabbed the holeshot with his R6 and led the first lap of the race. Behind him, Michael Rouleau, Martinez, Darren Luck, and Dave McEnery were all vying to for the top spot. Halfway through lap two, Martinez made his passing move as they worked through the esses and took over the lead. From there he proceeded to open a gap on the rest of the field. Behind him, an all out battle for second place had developed. Melka continued to hold back the rest of the field as he maintained the number two spot. At the halfway point, McEnery had maneuvered his GSXR1000 into third place and was looking for a way around Melka. With just two laps to go, Martinez was now the breakaway leader with a five second lead over the new second place, McEnery. Rouleau had also maneuvered GSXR1000 past Melka and into third place. Martinez had run close to record pace as he maintained his leading advantage all the way to the checkered flag. McEnery finished second with Rouleau close behind in third, making the podium an all GSXR1000 event. Martinez’s fastest lap time of 1:34.8 was a mere 2/10 of a second slower than the current track record, recently set by Darren Luck. Luck had run the fastest lap during the Shootout race just two months earlier. Prior to that Martinez had held the record from August 2002 through May 2006. On the podium Martinez stated that he intended to reclaim his record during the next Moroso event. “I wish I didn’t look back,” he said. “After I saw the gap, I kind of backed off a little. I was so tired form the previous race. I know I can do it and next time we come back here, that’s going to be my goal, get my track record back.” Of his competitors, Martinez commented, “Mike, he’s got a really good line. He knows where to block and he’s very hard to get around. And, once I was able to get in front of him it was just a matter of putting my head down. And Dave, he also ran an awesome race. All day today.” Another local top finisher and Shootout contender, Jim Pihokken, was injured early during the GTO race and transported to a local hospital for treatment. His presence in the Shootout was missed by fellow racers, as Martinez commented, “I wish Jim was here. I really hope he gets better fast and I hope he comes back strong.” McEnery said, “He’s going to be hurting for a little bit, but he’s a tough guy. He’s one of the toughest out here, if not THE.” He urged, “Everybody just think about him, he needs some healing vibes.” Martinez also won the GTO, Unlimited Superbike, Middleweight Superbike, and Middleweight Grand Prix classes, making him the winningest racer of the day with five first place finishes. Christopher Boy and Darren Luck were just behind with four first place finishes each. Boy won the GT Lights, Supertwins, Lightweight Superbike, and Thunderbike classes. Luck won GTU, Middleweight Supersport, Heavyweight Supersport, and Heavyweight Superbike. SHOOTOUT RESULTS: 1. Marco Martinez (GSXR1000); 2. David McEnery (GSXR1000); 3. Michael Rouleau (GSXR1000); 4. Santiago Villa (R1); 5. Darren Luck (GSXR600); 6. Greg Melka (R6); 7. Carlos Macias (ZX10); 8. Alvaro Toledo (GSXR1000); 9. Rodolfo Ramirez (GSXR1000); 10. Drew Miller (CBR1000)

FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: Greetings: My name is Kevin Oliver, and I would like to comment on the article regarding the recent crash at Barber Motorsports Park involving Shelley Scott Gruber. Shelley was my best friend of 26 years Starting in 9th grade, we grew up living next door to and going to school with each other. I remember when he got his first car (a raggedy but fast-as-hell Chevy Camaro). I also remember when when he got his first bike (a Suzuki Katana). While Shelley loved dearly the sport that ultimately ended his life, he knew the risks. That’s why he was always an educated and responsible rider, who took great care to make sure his machine was in tip-top condition and suitable for safe riding. There is some considerable misinformation about how and why Shelley died. But his wife and family, and others who cared about him are convinced that it was just his time. I am quite sure that Shelley would not care for too much haranguing over his death. Rather, he would want the integrity of the sport to be upheld. Shelley’s wife Kim, and his children Shelley, Jr. and Jordyn are in need of and greatly appreciate your prayers and support. Thanks to you all on their behalf. Regards, Kevin M. Oliver Lithonia, Georgia Editor’s note: In a follow-up phone interview, Oliver said that Shelley Gruber was 39 years old, and that his son Shelley Jr. is 7 and his daughter Jordyn is 5. Oliver said that Gruber died following surgery to repair a torn aorta, when surgeons were unable to restart his heart. Oliver also said, “I wanted people to know that he loved the sport, and that his wife and children are being very well cared for.” FIRST PERSON/OPINION Via e-mail: I just wanted to let you know that I was offended by Karen Lehane’s article (on nbc13.com) regarding the tragic fatality of Shelly Gruber at Barber Motorsports Park. The most offensive part of her article was the insinuation that the fault lies on the company hosting the track day, specifically the statement: “The company bills itself as providing the thrill of riding on a racetrack: no cars, signals, driveways, cops, gravel, double yellow lines or other distractions. It states it provides the pure joy of riding in a safe and controlled environment.” I worked in road racing for seven years with my last job as Media Manager for the AMA Superbike series in 2002. It is always a very tragic event and time when a rider loses their life while participating in a race or track day and no one takes it lightly. However, the focus our media puts on the event is to support the family who lost their loved one, not to place blame. I’m sorry that Sportbike Tracktime was portrayed so poorly by Karen Lehane in this article as it is clear it was written by someone who has no idea about the sport of motorcycle racing. Ms. Lehane chose to portray motorcycle riding/racing as a “death sport” without including the facts involved and that riders know the risk that involved, as do all of their family and friends. Further, had Ms. Lehane done more fact checking, she would have been able to include in her article that more people die in motor vehicle crashes every year than on motorcycles. I would venture to also say that most motorcycle riders, racers and/or enthusiasts would agree that it is much safer to ride at a track in a controlled environment vs. on the street amongst cars and drivers not paying attention to and for motorcyclists. Reporters like Karen just piss me off as they clearly are people that write the articles with a predetermined personal opinion of motorcyles. My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Gruber’s family and friends during this time of loss. Sincerely, Dorina Groves Phoenix, Arizona

Deadline Approaching for Fans to Enter Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge at VIR Alton, Va. (July 31) One of the most fun and unique opportunities available for AMA Superbike fans is the chance to enter the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway, which will take place on Thursday, August 17, as part of the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals weekend at VIR. By purchasing a ticket to the race by August 7, a fan’s name will be entered into a drawing from which 10 names will be selected. Each fan whose name is drawn will be invited to enter the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge. The event will be a kart enduro on VIR’s world-class 5/8-mile Plantation Valley Kart Track, with 12 teams of four drivers each. Each team will be comprised of a Superbike racer, a media personality, a staff member from either VIR, AMA Pro Racing or event promoter M1 Entertainment and a fan. Two of the fan seats are already spoken for. Last year’s fan winner, Matt Boike of Charlotte, N.C., will be back to defend his title, along with his teammates, Kawasaki Formula Xtreme competitor Jessica Zalusky, speedtv.com director Mark Mitchell and AMA Superbike Championship series manager Ron Barrick. Another fan seat will go to the winner of the recently-announced M1 Experience promotion, which will award one lucky ticket-buyer an unprecedented package of amenities and access that includes an entry in the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge. Each driver will get seven laps of the circuit, and each driver’s fastest lap will be recorded. The team with the lowest elapsed time (arrived at by adding the team drivers’ four fastest lap times) will win. The winning team will receive trophies and be invited to return in 2008 to defend their championship, and the winning fan will win a free three-day pass for the 2008 Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals. Following the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge, competitors and fans are invited to attend the annual Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals party at Triangle Cycles in nearby Danville. Many of the sport’s top stars will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs at this fun event that has grown into an annual Big Kahuna tradition. Fans are also reminded that time is running out to purchase one of the few remaining Trackside VIP Suite tickets, which offer fans access to the track’s new Paddock Suites overlooking the pit lane. For only $245 (tickets available only in advance), the Trackside VIP Suite ticket includes three-day admission, paddock access, a Pit Walk Pass, car parking pass, official event program and access to a pitside suite overlooking the pit lane. Each climate-controlled suite can accommodate 20 people, and features closed-circuit coverage on a flat-panel plasma TV, private bathroom and catered continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack with drinks (cash bar service also available). Each ticket is good for one person only, allowing the individual fan to view the race from the suite with other fans. “We’re getting close now,” said M1 Entertainment president Cameron Gray, “and the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals are only three weeks away. You can feel the excitement building, and everybody’s getting ready for the big show. We’re getting lots of calls from racers and media types wanting to get in on the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge, and there has been a lot of trash-talking about who’s going to beat whom. All I can say is that I expect to be on top of the podium this year, no matter what it takes, and that fans who want a shot to race the racers better get their ticket orders in now, because it is going to be an unforgettable, star-studded lineup and take-no-prisoners competition.” VIR general manager Josh Lief said that the track is gearing up for its part in the competition. “We take the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge very seriously indeed,” he said, “and we are holding a intra-company competition among all our employees to come up with the fastest three drivers to represent VIR in the race. We have some very good kart racers on our staff and, after all, it is our track! We’ll see you on the podium.” The Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals offers a variety of ticket packages designed to fit every budget, including standard general-admissions tickets, Big Kahuna Super Tickets, Big Dog Hospitality Passes, Little Dog Hospitality Passes, Pit Walk Passes, car parking passes and camping passes. All current military personnel will receive a 30-percent discount and free parking with a copy of a current military ID (advance) or by presenting their ID card at the gate. Similarly, college students will be eligible for a 15-percent discount with a copy of a current college ID (advance) or by presenting their ID card at the gate. Groups of 20 or more will also be eligible for a 15-percent discount, providing the order is paid for with one credit card. Discounts do not apply to Trackside VIP Suite and Big Kahuna Super Tickets, or to Big Dog Hospitality Passes or Pit Walk Passes. Children aged 12 and under will receive free admission, provided they are accompanied by a paid adult, but must have a Little Dog Hospitality Pass to enter the Big Dog Hospitality area. Advance ticket sales will end at 5:00 pm on August 14. Tickets ordered too late to mail will be able to be picked up at Will Call at the track. To purchase tickets, visit www.m1event.com or www.gettix.net. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, a sales showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; Plantation Valley Kart Track, a 5/8-mile paved karting circuit; The Lodge at VIR, a 27-room trackside hotel; the new VIR Paddock Suites and Garages, with 18 dual-purpose hospitality/ lodging units and garages; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse. For more information on VIRginia International Raceway, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or telephone 434-822-7700. For more information on M1 Entertainment, visit their website at www.m1event.com or contact them via telephone at 303-377-3278. For more information on the AMA Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited, visit their website at www.amasuperbike.com.

Ty Howard won four expert classes and set a new track record, while Dane Westby and Tyler McDonald also won multiple expert classes at an extremely hot and humid round seven of the CMRA Championship Series held at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit near Hallett, Oklahoma this weekend. Howard battled all day long with Team K&N’s McDonald and Bryan West, en route to his four-win performance, with McDonald getting the better of the Weatherford, Texas resident in the Racing Performance Services B Superstock Expert race, which paid a $150 purse, beating the Honda-mounted Howard by a mere 0.194 seconds at the finish. Howard also trailed West in the Pace American Trailers Formula 1 race, which paid a $1000 purse, before passing the Suzuki rider on lap five of the 10 lap race to take the win. The lap record was lowered three different times during this race, first by Howard, then by West and finally by Howard again. Howard’s final mark was a 1:17.573, which eclipsed the old mark that Howard set last year of 1:17.917 for the counterclockwise direction. Howard returned to add wins in the Komodo Racing C Superstock Expert race, which paid a $250 purse; the Sum of all Parts A Superstock Expert race, which paid a $150 purse; and the Motorcycles Unlimited C Superbike Expert race, which paid a $150 purse. McDonald also claimed the win in the B Superbike Expert race, while West took the victory in the RaceworX A Superbike Expert, which paid a $150 purse. Westby also took four wins on the day, his coming in the Roadracingworld.com Formula 2 Expert race, which pays $150 purse to the top five finishers in the class; the Lightweight Twins Expert race, the South Central Race Center D Superbike Expert, which paid a $150 purse, and the D Superstock Expert race. Bill Syfan rode his Honda SR125 to victory in the AVTEQ Formula 40 Lightweight Expert race, which pays a $150 purse, while Ryan O’Donnell took the win in the Northwest Honda 125 GP race, and claimed a lion’s share of the $150 purse paid for that event. Danny Kelsey and Clayton Schutz each had good days in the Novice divisions, with Kelsey grabbing six wins and Schutz taking four. In Saturday’s Shogun Motorsports Endurance race, which paid an $1125 purse, Team Ridesmart claimed their second win in a row, topping series points leaders Desert-Rats.net by one lap at the end of the four hour contest. Northwest Honda Racing finished third overall and first in the Formula 1 class, while Village Idiots finally got untracked after a season full of problems to take fourth overall and first in the B Superbike division. 2Wheelz.com claimed fifth overall and first in the C Superstock class, after Lone Star Track Days suffered problems, and Team Ogre took the win in the Formula 2 class with a 19th overall finish. Team K&N prevailed in the Shogun Motorsports Mini Endurance two-hour race, beating GMAN Racing 2 by over a lap. Mini Backmarker Racing finished third overall, while Excel Racing took the Formula 5 class win by finishing 10th overall. STD Racing won the Formula 6 class with a 15th overall finish and OnRoad OffRoad Racing finished 21st overall to win the Formula 7 division. In Saturday’s Mini Sprint racing action, Kent Moffitt came from behind to pass Ryan O’Donnell on the final lap to win the Formula 4 class, while Dustin Dominguez won the Formula 6 class over smooth riding Conner Blevins. Ethan Gillim claimed the Formula 5 win and Jason Keene topped the Formula 7 division. Luca Chatham rode his Yamaha TTR90 to victory in the Junior Motard race. The CMRA returns to racing action at MotorSport Ranch, near Cresson, Texas, on August 19-20, with big bike and mini endurance races, plus a full slate of sprint class racing.

SPIES RETURNING TO MID-OHIO AS AMA SUPERBIKE LEADER PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 31, 2006) — Six years ago a 16-year-old Ben Spies made his AMA professional racing debut. The young Texan showed he would be a rider of the future when he qualified on the front row for the Mid-Ohio 750 Supersport final. This weekend, Aug. 4-6, Spies returns to the site of his pro debut, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Now Spies is a factory Suzuki rider and the series points leader in the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. Spies comes to the Mid-Ohio Superbike doubleheader fresh off a victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on July 22. The victory was his eighth of the season and pushed his lead over Yoshimura Suzuki teammate and defending series champ Mat Mladin to a season high 34 points. With a victory worth 36 points, Spies nearly has a full race margin in hand. The Mid-Ohio doubleheader is rounds 13 and 14 of the 19-race series and this pair of races could prove to be pivotal in the championship. Should Spies continue his hot streak he could leave Ohio with a nearly insurmountable lead. However, if Mladin, the all-time Mid-Ohio Superbike wins leader with five victories, can rally and sweep Mid-Ohio, the championship could tighten up considerably and make it a battle to the final round, which will also be hosted by Mid-Ohio on Sept. 30 Oct. 1. Spies is in his second year of AMA Superbike racing and he said he owes his success this season to his Yoshimura Suzuki crew. “The team has worked hard and provided me with a great bike every week,” Spies said. “I’d like to take all the credit for our success this season, but the truth is the team has given me a bike that is capable of winning and that’s the biggest part of the battle.” Spies is seeking his first Mid-Ohio Superbike victory. He won an AMA Formula Xtreme race at the challenging circuit in 2003. Mladin battled illness at Laguna Seca and had his worse race of the year finishing sixth. Look for the rider of the No. 1 bike to come to Mid-Ohio a man on a mission. The all-time AMA Superbike wins leader and six-time series champ is beginning to run short on races to be able to make a comeback bid. Mid-Ohio could be a make or break weekend for the speedy Australian. Honda’s Miguel Duhamel always runs well at Mid-Ohio. The veteran Superbike campaigner sits third in the standings, but is still searching for his first win this season. Look for Duhamel, as well as teammate and 2004 Mid-Ohio winner Jake Zemke, to be among the contenders at this weekend’s races. Aaron Yates is yet another former Mid-Ohio Superbike winner. The Georgian swept the first doubleheader ever held at the circuit in 2000. Yates will be aiming to score his first podium finish of the season. Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom are both hoping to put a Ducati atop the Mid-Ohio podium once again this year. Ben’s younger brother Eric Bostrom took victory in the second of last year’s doubleheader. Both Ben Bostrom and Hodgson have shown good speed in recent rounds. Kawasaki will field a factory team for the first time at Mid-Ohio since 2002, this year with brothers Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden. Tommy is coming off his first career AMA Superbike podium finish, taking a hard-fought second at Laguna Seca. The Hayden brothers are sure to have a load of fans coming up from their home state of Kentucky to cheer them on. The AMA Superbike doubleheader is part of Mid-Ohio’s Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire. The track, which has hosted AMA Superbike races since 1983, recently completed major track renovations. This race is annually one of the best attended in the series. The 2.4-mile, 15-turn road course is laid out in a beautiful area of Ohio and offers fans some of the best sight lines in the series. The Mid-Ohio Superbike races will be televised back to back on SPEED starting at 5 p.m. eastern, Sunday, Aug. 6. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or online at www.midohio.com. WHAT: The Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire, rounds 13 and 14 of the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. WHERE: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Take I-71 north from Columbus to St.Rt. 95 east. Turn right off the ramp and follow St.Rt. 95 for 2 miles and turn left (north) on St.Rt. 314 for 15 miles. Turn right on Steam Corners Rd. Mid-Ohio is one mile on the left. WHEN: August 4-6, 2006. COURSE: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course’s newly revamped 2.4-mile, 15-turn course. SCHEDULE: Thursday, June 1 Test day.; Friday, June 2 Practice begins 8:30 a.m., qualifying at 2:00 p.m.; Saturday, June 3 Practice begin at 8:30 a.m., Superbike race one at 4:00 p.m., Formula Xtreme final at 5:15 p.m.; Sunday, June 4 – Practice begins at 9:00 a.m., Superstock final at 11:30 a.m., Supersport final at 1:45 p.m., Superbike race two at 3:00 p.m. TICKETS: A Super Ticket ($55) includes weekend general admission, paddock pass, and a weekend grandstand seat. General admission weekend $37, Fri. $10, Sat. $22, Sun. $27. Grandstand weekend $45, Sat. $30, Sun. $35. Infield parking $15. Tent camping $30. Motorhome camping $50.