AFM Round 7 at Buttonwillow By Mike Solis With injuries, waning finances, and mechanical attrition each taking their toll on the AFM community, the grids looked a little thinner than usual at Buttonwillow Raceway last weekend. Despite the relatively low entry numbers, the action at the front was no less intense, as a number of AFMers put on a fantastic show for those who made the trek out. In the Mach 1 Motorsports Formula Pacific race, former AFM number one plate holder Jeff Tigert returned to form by taking the win, coming out on top of a three-rider battle with Arclight Suzuki’s David Stanton and Pacific Tracktime’s Michael Earnest. Tigert methodically worked his way forward on his fast CBR1000RR, taking the lead from Stanton with a bold outside pass on in the fast Riverside corner. Stanton managed to hang onto Tigert, looking for a chance to counterattack when a red flag flew, bringing the race to an early end. With 6 of 8 laps completed, the results were finalized with Dunlop riders taking each of the podium spots, as Tigert was awarded the win, with Stanton second and Earnest third. “Dave was riding really well I knew it was going to be a long race, so I just did what I could to conserve myself.” said Tigert. “As I started to feel a little better, I tested the waters by showing him a wheel in the Bus Stop and then in Riverside, eventually making my way around him there. I can’t say enough for this Honda it really came together for this weekend!” Tigert added to his collection of first place trophies on the weekend by taking the win in the Keigwins@theTrack 600 Production race, finishing just ahead of the Yamaha of second place finisher Andy Carmen. 16-year-old Bobby Fong won a hard-fought battle with Berto Wooldridge to finish third. Stanton, who is just starting to settle into his new career as the owner of the Oakland Suzuki motorcycle dealership, also took home a pair of wins on the day, taking home first place finishes in both the Hare Racing Open Superbike race and the Dial It In Tracktime 750 Superbike race. “I could hear Ken back there in Open Superbike,” explained Stanton, “but it wasn’t as loud as Jeff’s bike was in Formula Pacific! With two wins and a second, I’m pretty happy, that’s the most fun I’ve had out there in a while! I may have to have some more work done to my bike for next year Tigert’s bike is soooo fast, it’s in-sane!” Tigert and Stanton weren’t the only multiple race winners, with Brian Long taking home victories in 650 Twins and the Zoom Zoom Trackdays Formula 4 on his Spears Racing SV650. In both races, Kurt Spencer did his best on his Twin Works Factory SV650 to challenge Long, but could only manage a distant second place finish in each instance. With Jack Pfeifer recovering from a start line crash at Thunderhill and Eric Gulbransen on the sidelines because of the infamous AFM crash rule, the Desmoto Sport Open Twins race boiled down to a three rider battle between the Honda of Bud Anderson, the Ducati of Simon Williams, and the Scuderia-sponsored Aprilia of Scott Schwanbeck, with Anderson coming out on top for his first ever AFM victory. Despite some mechanical gremlins, Anderson wrapped up a career-best weekend for himself by taking the win in the Teresa McKinney Realtor Formula 40 race as well, moving into the lead on the last lap by capitalizing on an error made by second-place finisher Mike Thompson. “In Formula 40, Mike Thompson and Tom Bolles kinda smoked me early on those 1000cc four-cylinder bikes, it took me a little while to get around them,” Anderson explained. “In Open Twins, Scott and Simon made me earn it! My clutch was slipping really bad out there – thanks to the guys here from Pacific Tracktime, we managed to get it back together with a wing and a prayer. The sucker was just slipping in fifth and sixth gears, but I was able to make it back in Riverside and into Turn 1. Still, I turned my best lap times ever with a 1:53.4 and scored my first ever AFM victories this weekend – I don’t think that’s too bad for an old fart! Corey Sarros initially appeared to be another double-race winner on the day, as the first rider across the line in both the Powerstands Open Grand Prix and the Take It To The Track Open Production races. Unfortunately, Sarros was stripped of his Open Production win due to a rule violation, when his GSX-R1000 was discovered to be equipped with a non-OEM front brake master cylinder. As a result, Martin Szwarc was awarded the win, with second going to James J. King. Jon Bawden, who usually runs away with the Scuderia West Formula 1 victory, found himself with his hands full at Buttonwillow, challenged by both William Morton and Garry Combs over the course of the race before going on to a narrow victory. Campbell went on to finish second with Morton third, the latter of the two putting in an impressive ride on his 250cc Honda against the bullet-fast 750s of the opposition. “I wasn’t surprised by Wil early on,” said Bawden after the race. “He’s super smooth and really rides the wheels off of that thing! Unfortunately, the right side of my tire went off early, and this place is all about right handers! On the last lap, Garry almost got me going into the right-handed Sweeper but I just held my line, keeping him wide. As the only turns after that were left handers, I knew I’d be okay if I could just hold him off that one last time!” Some new faces finished at the front at Buttonwillow, with Richard Moore taking his first ever AFM victory in 450 Superbike on his 442cc Yamaha. In the Aftershocks Suspension 250 Production race, David Crone also managed to take his first AFM win a rare first place finish for a Honda in a class dominated by 250cc Kawasakis. The battle of the day took place in the Pacific Tracktime 600 Superbike race, where Chris Siglin launched his Arclight Suzuki GSX-R600 into the early lead, followed closely by the Yamaha of Andy Carman and the Honda of Jeff Tigert. After making his way past Carman, Tigert appeared to have his hands full with Siglin, who held a healthy lead of over 10 bikelengths throughout the race until the start of the white flag lap. Miraculously, on that last lap Tigert was able to step it up a notch, closing the gap on Siglin in half a lap before making his way past on the brakes into Lost Hills. Siglin counterattacked and retook the lead heading into the Sweeper, holding the lead through the esses towards the final left hander with Tigert glued to his rear wheel. The two came together on the exit of the corner and headed for the checkered flag side by side, with Siglin crossing the line with less than a wheel on Tigert. “I kind of underestimated Jeff on that last lap I didn’t think he was that close!” Siglin explained. “We both ended up going for the big move on the last corner, and I think we both overshot it, going for the same bit of property. My ankle actually got pinched between our two bikes when we came together there! I hope there are no hard feelings with Jeff, my hat’s off to him. He rode a great race!” The next round of AFM action takes place on October 2nd at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. AFM Round 7 September 11, 2005 Buttonwillow Raceway Unofficial Results Mach 1 Motorsports Formula Pacific 1. Jeff Tigert (Hon CBR1000RR) 2. David Stanton (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. Michael Earnest (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. Jon Bawden (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Correy Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000) 6. Rob Mesa (Suz GSX-R1000) Scuderia West Formula 1 1. Jon Bawden (Suz GSX-R750) 2. Garry Combs (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Wil Morton (Hon RS250) 4. Robert Campbell 5. Peter O’Sullivan 6. Ryan Texeira Mazda Technologies Formula 2 1. Wil Morton (Hon RS250) 2. Sean Case (Hon RS250) 3. Dan Cook (Yam TZ250) 4. Shawn Herrera (Yam TZ250) 5. Jove Shapiro (Yam TZ250) 6. Tyler Reiswig (Yam TZ250) Formula 3 1. Carlos Neves (Hon RS125) 2. Tyler Reiswig (Hon RS125) 3. Michael Jarrard (Hon RS125) 4. Mark Goodrich (Hon RS125) 5. Jeffrey Lim (Hon RS125) 6. Ryan Corey (Hon RS125) Zoom Zoom Trackdays Formula 4 1. Brian Long (Suz SV650) 2. Kurt Spencer (Suz SV650) 3. JOhn Daker (Suz SV650) 4. Jason Butler (Suz SV650) 5. Michael Metcalf (Suz SV650) 6 Ian Gillies (Suz SV650) Powerstands Open Grand Prix 1. Corey Sarros (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Martin Szwarc 3. Garry Combs 4. Mike Thompson 5. Michael Lohmeyer 6. Kim Nakashima Hare Racing Open Superbike 1. David Stanton (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Ken Hill (Hon CBR1000RR 3. Robert Mesa (Suz GSX-R1000) 4. James Randolph 5. Martin Szwarc 6. Garry Combs Dial It In Tracktime 750 Superbike 1. David Stanton (Suz GSX-R750) 2. Jon Bawden (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Garry Combs (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Robert Campbell (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Peter O’Sullivan (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Dan Sewell (Suz GSX-R750) Pacific Tracktime 600 Superbike 1. Chris Siglin (Suz GSX-R600) 2. Jeff Tigert (Hon CBR600RR) 3. Andy Carmen (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Berto Wooldridge (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Ryan Texeira (Kaw ZX-6R) 6. John Daley (Yam YZF-R6) 450 Superbike 1. Richard Moore (Yam 442) 2. Paul Yoshimune (Hon 400) 3. Ross Wells (Yam 400) 4. Mike Lohmeyer (Hon 400) 5. Jose Quintanar (Yam 400) 6. Kenyon Kluge (Hon 400) Kilowatt Bar 250 Superbike 1. Shawn Herrera (Yam 250) 2. Jove Shapiro (Yam 250) 3. Dylan Benjamin (Hon 250) 4. Andrew Duafala (Yam 250) 5. Joe Rust (Apr 250) 6. Val Kotyza (Kaw 250) Take It 2 The Track Open Production 1. Martin Szwarc (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. James King (Suz GSX-R1000) 3. William Scott (Kaw ZX-10R) 4. Chris Weiss (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Kelly Barnett (Hon CBR1000RR) Strictly Sport 750 Production 1. Robert Campbell (Suz GSX-R750) 2. Danny Yamasaki (Suz GSX-R750) 3. Craig Wierman (Suz GSX-R750) 4. Don Rudolfs (Suz GSX-R750) 5. Liko Miles (Suz GSX-R750) 6. Patrick Flora (Suz GSX-R750) Keigwins@theTrack 600 Production 1. Jeff Tigert (Hon CBR600RR) 2. Andy Carmen (Yam YZF-R6) 3. Bobby Fong (Yam YZF-R6) 4. Berto Wooldridge (Suz GSX-R600) 5. Pete Demas (Suz GSX-R600) 6. Matt Eccleston (Yam YZF-R6) 450 Production 1. Ross Wells (Yam FZR400) 2. Douglas Goldman (Yam FZR400) 3. Dylan Wood (Yam FZR400) 4. Gwyn Lewis (Yam FZR400) Aftershocks Suspension 250 Production 1. David Crone (Hon 250) 2. Jay Kinberger (Kaw 250) 3. Kelly Winklebauer (Kaw 250) 4. Bob Simmons (Kaw 250) 5. Val Kotyza (Kaw 250) 6. Chris McGrail (Hon 250) Desmoto Sport Open Twins 1. Bud Anderson (Hon 1000) 2. Simon Williams (Duc 998) 3. Scott Schwanbeck (Apr 1000) 4. Patrick Blackburn (Duc 998) 5. Conrad Price (Duc 996) 6. Patrick Corcoran (Duc 996) 650 Twins 1. Brian Long (Suz SV650) 2. Kurt Spencer (Suz SV650) 3. Jason Butler (Suz SV650) 4. Michael Metcalf (Suz SV650) 5. John Daker (Suz SV650) 6. Aaron Tulchinsky (Suz SV650) 500 Twins 1. Jay Jacobson (Suz GS500) 2. Bobby Lee Broussard (Suz GS500) 3. Jon Forman (Suz GS500) 4. Kevin Smith (Gib 500) 5. Boris Clifford (Kaw EX500) 6. Josuf Zobairi (AND 500) Formula Singles 1. Chris Keane (Hon 450) 2. Greg Creech (KTM 598) 3. Charles Statman (Hon 650) Teresa McKinney Realtor Formula 40 1. Bud Anderson (Hon 1000) 2. Mike Thompson (Yam 1000) 3. Tom Bolles (Suz 1000) 4. Pete Demas (Suz 600) 5. Dan Cook (Yam 250) 6. Don Rudolfs (Suz 750) Super Dinosaur 1. Ross Wells (Yam 400) 2. David Worthington (Suz 750) 3. Peter Blum (Yam 400) 4. Paul Keiffer (Hon 600) 5. Andrew Boehm (Suz 750) 6. Robert Blum (Hon 750)

Fastrack Riders Announces September 24th AMA Track Event A Sellout The track day for Saturday, September 24th at California Speedway on the AMA Track is completely sold out. No more spaces are available for any riders. No walk on riders will be accepted as each group is at capacity and in the interest of safety no additional riders will be allowed to sign up the day of the event. The Friday, September 23rd Fastrack Riders Track Day event still has openings in all levels. However, this event will in all likelihood be a sellout as well so riders are strongly encouraged to register in advance to guarantee themselves a slot. Riders may register on line at www.fastrackriders.com or call 877-560-2233. Sunday will be the season finale for WERA West Sportsman Series on the AMA Track which will include the USGPRU. USGPRU will have a special qualifying session on Saturday, September 24th from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM for both the 125 GP and the 250 GP bikes. There will be a $10.00 gate fee for everyone on Sunday.

Garrett Carter Sweeps USGPRU 125GP and 250GP races at Autobahn Raceway – September 10-11 Starting from pole position at the new Joliet, Illinois race track – Garrett Carter won the race handily with 22 seconds in hand and in the process clinched the 125 USGPRU Eastern Series Championship. Garrett went on win the 250GP race by 12 seconds as well. Starting from number 2 on the grid he quickly made his way into the lead and never looked back. 16 year old Garrett Carter has experienced tremendous success this year in both the 125 and 250 USGPRU classes winning both classes at the last three races – Mid-Ohio, Barber and Autobahn respectively. Garrett is also competing in the Spanish CEV National series against, arguably, some of the most competitive 125GP riders in the world. He has struggled to find his form at the new tracks but has continued to impress his team with his dedication and conviction to get to the front of the grid. He will be looking to maintain the momentum he has created here in the United States at the remaining 3 CEV races this fall at Albacete, Valencia and Jerez. The season finale, in Jerez, will see a number of MotoGP 125 teams bringing their works riders to compete. This is seen as a very competitive end of season test and race with a great fun and party atmosphere. Garrett looks to experience this truly world class event and put an exclamation point on his impressive first full season of racing. For more information please see www.garrettcarter.com

Hopkins and Roberts Jr looking for better fortune at Motegi John Hopkins will be racing in this Sunday’s Grand Prix of Japan for the first time since announcing his decision to stay with Suzuki, and he and team mate Kenny Roberts Jr will be determined to get further than the first corner this year! Hopkins will be looking for better fortune at Motegi than in 2003 and 2004. A first corner accident last year, caused by another rider, saw him crash out of the race – along with Roberts Jr and four other riders. The crash was a huge anti-climax for Hopkins as he had started from second place on the grid his best qualifying position so far. The talented Anglo-American star will be looking to put his Motegi jinx behind him and perform well in front of many Suzuki fans and staff that will be at the circuit. Roberts Jr will become only the second Suzuki racer to reach 100 Grand Prix starts for the Factory when he takes to the track for Sunday’s race. The Former World Champion is second only to Kevin Schwantz in Suzuki appearances and looks likely to pass Schwantz’s record of 104 starts by the end on the season. Roberts Jr is also hoping for better luck from this year’s race. A victim of the first corner incident last year, he sustained multiple injuries that forced him to miss the rest of the season through injury. Motegi is situated approximately 60 miles north-east of Tokyo. It was originally an oval circuit but has developed over the years to become one of the safest, smoothest and most modern facilities on the calendar. With a series of fast ess bends, hairpins designed to catch out unwary riders and a downhill top-speed section into a 90 degree bend, Motegi has a bit of everything. Team SUZUKI MotoGP will have two free practice sessions on Friday followed by a further free session on Saturday morning. The real business of qualifying for round 12 of the MotoGP World Championship will be on Saturday afternoon and the riders will take to the track for the race at 14.00hrs local time (07.00hrs CET) on Sunday 18th September. Paul Denning Team Manager: “We go to Japan after a frustrating race but also some successful tests in Brno, where we ran a completely new set-up for the GSV-R on the Monday which worked very well, particularly over race distance. The latest generation Bridgestone race tyres also worked well, and we were able to sustain a better pace from lap 10 onwards. The bike and tyres seem to suit Motegi quite well, and both Kenny and John have run very well there in the past. They both need a positive change in their Motegi luck though! “This is a very busy time of the year for the team, with five ‘fly-away’ races over six weekends. The race in Japan is again another ‘home’ race for Team SUZUKI MotoGP and Kenny, John and all the crew will be pulling out all the stops to give a professional and positive performance. There will be a lot of fans, guests and employees of Suzuki at Motegi and we’ll be looking to send them home happy.”

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN BEGIN EASTERN ODYSSEY The MotoGP World Championship embarks on its longest-ever overseas odyssey with a run of five races outside Europe, commencing with the Japanese Grand Prix on September 18. After Japan, Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa travel to Malaysia, Qatar, Australia and Turkey before finally returning to Europe for the season-ending Valencia GP on November 6. This eastern tour begins with the Ducati Marlboro Team in optimistic mood following Capirossi’s impressive display at last month’s Czech GP where he finished second after starting from the front row of the grid. “We can’t wait to get to Motegi,” says Ducati MotoGP project manager Livio Suppo. “Loris had a great race at Brno and we are hoping for another good weekend at Motegi. We know the track suits the Desmosedici, we know that Bridgestone won last year’s race and we know that Loris is fast there. I believe both our riders will be able to do well in Japan.” Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli is also feeling good about the Japanese GP. “We have great expectations for this race,” he says. “Motegi is Bridgestone’s home race, they know the track well and they’ll be working very hard, like always. Their tyres worked even better than we’d expected in the Brno race – during the last five or ten laps we had an advantage over the other guys. Bridgestone’s latest tyres are now much better in warm-up performance and durability. The maximum potential of their tyres has always been good, now it looks like our riders can use that performance from the beginning of a race to the end.” The most important factors of machine performance at Motegi are braking and acceleration, so you have to find a settings compromise, because if you make the bike really good for braking, it will be worse during acceleration, and vice versa. Our riders are very happy with our current engine-braking management system. It’s different from last year’s – both in software and hardware. At Brno I think it gave us better corner entry than any of the other bikes, but we still need to work at improving straight-line braking performance, which is so important for overtaking.” Ensuring that the Ducati Marlboro Team has everything it needs at these five ‘flyaway’ races is obviously a major undertaking. Which is why the team carries an amazing 14,000 kilos of freight to these five events. CAPIROSSI ON A HIGH AND READY FOR MORE Loris Capirossi comes to Japan on a high – from his storming second-place finish at last month’s Czech GP. At Motegi the Ducati Marlboro Team man will be going for another podium finish, and he is confident of another great race, especially since this is Bridgestone’s home GP and because the Japanese tyre giant has made great strides forward at recent races. Bridgestone supplied an excellent new range of tyres for July’s German GP and improved them further for Brno. Development has continued prior to Motegi where, for their home Grand Prix, they will supply 3 specifications of the rear tyres, developed directly from those used in the German and Czech GPs. “Motegi’s character should work well for our tyres – the Bridgestones work really well in tighter, shorter turns where you’re mostly using medium lean angle,” says Capirossi. “They’ve done an amazing job recently and they have a lot of winning experience at Motegi, so I think we can have a good weekend. The track should be good for our bike too – it’s the kind of place where acceleration and braking are most important. The Ducati engine has always been very strong and I think its engine-braking system is the best there is. I like Motegi – even though it’s just full throttle, brake, full throttle, brake – so I’m looking forward to it. We didn’t have the best of starts to this season, so we really want to get some good results from the final few races.” CHECA DETERMINED TO FULFIL PROMISE Carlos Checa arrives in Japan determined to fulfil the promise he showed on Saturday at Brno, where he qualified on the second row of the grid after showing impressive race pace during practice. But race day didn’t go to plan for the Ducati Marlboro Team rider who didn’t choose the best rear tyre for the race. “It was frustrating but it’s part of racing – sometimes you don’t quite choose the best tyre,” says the Spaniard. “The main thing is that we are competitive now and I hope to turn that into good results during the remaining six races. Motegi is a stop-and-go track, with plenty of heavy braking, so you need good braking stability, so you’ve got the confidence in the front end to brake deep into the corners and turn quickly. Also there’s a lot of hard acceleration, which is good when you’ve got a lot of horsepower, and we have a lot of power. I also expect the Bridgestones to offer great grip because they know the track so well. With tyres it’s always a fight between performance and durability. Earlier this year we had performance at some races and durability at others, but Bridgestone have made big improvements, so now we have both, though it’ll take another few races to see if we have consistence performance from one track to another.” THE TRACK Twin Ring Motegi is stop-and-go in character with few high-speed corners. The track features plenty of slow turns linked by medium-length straights which puts the emphasis on braking and acceleration performance. Motegi hosted its inaugural Grand Prix, the Japanese GP, in 1999. From 2000 to 2003 the venue hosted the Pacific GP while the country’s older Suzuka track ran the Japanese GP until it was declared too dangerous following the 2003 event. Twin Ring Motegi is so called because it features both a Grand Prix track and an Indy oval. Constructed by Honda in 1998 to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, the venue is located in the hills to the north west of Tokyo, between the cities of Mito and Utsonomiya. Motegi’s construction entailed a massive civil engineering project that included the razing of seven hills and the filling of two valleys. Lap record: Makoto Tamada (Honda), 1m 48.524s, 159.261kmh/98.960mph Pole position 2004: Tamada, 1m 46.673s DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 32 (born April 4, 1973) Lives: Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125) First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) GP starts: 227 (57xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125) Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125) First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Motegi 2004 results: Grid: 7th. Race: DNF CARLOS CHECA Age: 32 (born October 15, 1972) Lives: London, England Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP5 GP victories: 2 (500) First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500) First GP: Europe, 1993 (125) GP starts: 179 (59xMotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125) Pole positions: 3 (2xMotoGP, 1×500) First pole: Spain, 1998 (500) Motegi 2004 results: Grid: 11th. Race: 7th

FOUR BROTHERS RACING The forthcoming Twin Ring Motegi meeting will be an important one as usual for every rider there present, but for regular GP competitors Hiroshi Aoyama and Yuki Takahashi, it will be extra special. Why? Because each of them will be racing against their brothers, and returning to one of the venues they used to fight each other at, in the days when they were the leading All Japan 250cc road racers just like their siblings are now. For any rider the advent of their home race is a special occasion. When you are a Japanese rider, travelling far from home and family for most of the year, with the pressure of a works contract to live up to, the advent of Motegi is a pleasure – but a mixed pleasure. The ability to race at home for a change is obvious, but that in itself brings more focus on the raceday performance, making it the single most important event of the season. For Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica Movistar Honda) and Yuki Takahashi (Kopron Team Scot Honda) this year’s Motegi will have an additional frisson of anticipation, as each will be racing against their own brother in GPs. Shuhei Aoyama and Kouki Takahashi are both regular All Japan 250 riders, getting the chance to race at Motegi as wild cards for their Team Harc-Pro Honda and DyDo MIU Racing Teams respectively. Shuhei was eighth last year, but for Kouki, it will be an even bigger weekend of unknowns. By an understandable quirk of fate, both Yuki and Hiroshi had their 250cc class debuts at Motegi, Hiroshi in 2000 and Yuki in 2002, and now they approach the race as almost seasoned veterans, even the rookie GP campaigner Yuki. Well, compared to their younger siblings at least. In their early careers both sets of brothers raced against each other regularly in Japan, with all four coming through the ranks to compete at full national level, scrapping it out all the way. Just as Shuhei and Kouki are fighting for the All Japan 250c crown now, Hiro and Yuki raced each other in that class in 2003, before first Hiro and then Yuki went off to the world of MotoGP racing. But not before each took the All Japan 250 title, Hiro in 2003 and Yuki last year. We caught up with the elder brother from each family to get their thoughts in the run up to their imminent home event. Hiroshi Aoyama Aoyama the elder is not exactly a westerner’s idea of a typical Japanese racing export. In the European season he is based in Barcelona, and makes full use of the Catalan capital’s cuisine, lifestyle and motorcycling obsession. He is so settled in Europe now that he even cut short his summer visit back to Japan to go back and train in Barcelona. The team-mate of 2004 Champion Dani Pedrosa, Hiro mixes in well with his peers, and has even learned some powers of Latin self-expression when things don’t go the way they should with his machine. His team has grown fond of his ability to take the job seriously, but not take himself too seriously, allowing them all to strengthen their immediate bonds, both on and off track. We probed him about his thoughts for the forthcoming TRM race, and about racing his little brother again. 1. Why is TRM so special to you? At TRM there are a lot of fans that support me, and the Japanese fans get to see us (the Japanese riders) racing in a GP. That is very special for us. Like all riders the Japanese want to win their home GP most, it’s the only time we race at home in the season. Really, it’s the only place each year that our families and friends can see us at a GP. 2. Which are your favourite sections of the track – and why? The last part – especially where the second part begins – because there is a lot of hard braking and it’s very technical. The other part of the circuit is not so complicated, it’s easy to ride, but on the other hand It’s also difficult to go fast. 3. What was your best race at TRM? Last year the 250 race was special for me as it was another podium, but also when I won the All Japan Championship, that was quite a moment. That day I won my race at TRM and the All Japan championship at the same time. So that was pretty special. 4. How his is the pressure at your home GP? There is extra pressure on you to race well at your home GP, family, friends your own expectations. But I like a little pressure; it helps motivate you and keeps you focussed. I can handle it – but not too much pressure! 5. You will race with Yuki (Takahashi) again at TRM. How do you feel about that? We have been racing against each other since we were boys, our brothers also. We are very good friends, and our families. Sometimes I would win sometimes Yuki, we had a lot of fun racing against each other in Japan. 6. You will also race against your brother Shuhei at TRM. What about that? My brother will race almost same machine as me, his RS250RW is just a little older than the one I race. Not so much different, the biggest difference being tyres. He will use Michelin I will use Dunlop. Of course I am the fastest (he says, laughing) but if it rains hard at TRM he will win. Naturally I feel some pressure from him because he is my younger brother and he has a good team round him. 6. How do you think the race will go? Who will win it? Of course I want to win at TRM and I know the track well but a lot of other GP riders are very fast there, plus some Japanese guys. Yuki Takahashi Moving to Europe was hard work at first for 21-year-old Yuki, but he quickly settled down into the Kopron Team Scot structure, and now adores his adopted country of Italy. Having been seduced by the obvious charms of a Mediterranean lifestyle, he has blossomed both as a GP rider and as a bilingual English and Japanese speaker. His competitive spirit with his close friend Hiro was sharpened to it’s finest edge in the 2003 season, when a crash by Yuki at a critical stage of the season helped Aoyama secure the title, a feat Yuki was to emulate in 2004. Again he finds himself in on-track conflict and off-track friendly proximity with his long-term sparring partner Hiro, and among other things, we asked him about his old friend and rival. 1. Why is TRM so special for you? It’s special only because we have the Japanese GP at Motegi. I like all the circuits in Japan, more or less. But Suzuka is my favourite because it’s much more interesting to race at. 2. Which are your favourite sections of the track and why? The section at the end of the downhill straight – the right hand corner there is great to ride. I don’t like the last part of the track it’s too slow and not very demanding. 3. Best race at TRM? The 2002 GP when I finished third. I also have good memories of Motegi last year. I won the last race of the year and won the All Japan Championship, exactly the same as Hiro (Aoyama). 4. How high is the pressure for you at your home GP? Pressure is no problem for me; I get extra energy from pressure. My family and friends will be at Motegi but it will not put me under any pressure to go faster I always want to win. 5. You will race with Hiro again at TRM. How do you feel about that? It will be good, we can both fight for the win at TRM and I must win. Hiro has one year more experience than me in the world championship but at Motegi we are equal in experience. If we are together it will be a good race for us. 6. You will also race against your brother Kouki at TRM. How do you feel about that prospect? He is very young, 17 years old and racing in All Japan Championship for the first time so it will be very difficult for him at TRM. Of course I will give him advice if he needs it we are very close. When I go back to Japan we go out riding together. Our other brother, the youngest, is into football not motorcycles. 7. What are your predictions for the race? I have a good feeling about the race I am riding much better since Donington and Sachsenring, I feel very good on the bike now, we are developing in a very good direction and I am very happy. The New Wave Another Aoyama and Takahashi battle is taking place in 2005, that between All Japan 250cc riders Shuhei and Kouki. In a spooky replay of their big brothers last joint championship battle in the Japanese series, Aoyama has won the most recent race, while Kouki crashed, giving Aoyama 77 points to Takahashi’s 48. Given the prowess of the local Japanese wildcards in recent TRM races, we cannot rule out that at least one of the pairing may join either one of the big brothers on the podium. What we can say for certain is that all four of them cannot get onto the three rider podium! But in Japan, the seemingly impossible can happen. All we have to do is look to the 1995 season, when Takuma Aoki (500cc), Nobuatsu Aoki (250cc) and Haruchika Aoki (125cc) all took podium finishes on their Hondas at Suzuka, an unprecedented happening, which may never be repeated ever again. Ten years on, are we set for another family affair by Honda riders, this time at Honda’s new home circuit of Twin Ring Motegi?

By Beth Dolgner Vesrah Suzuki’s Tray Batey set a new track record at Nelson Ledges Road Course in Ohio en route to three victories during Sunday’s WERA Michelin National Challenge Series ten-lap sprint races. Batey’s fast time of 1:06.267 came in Formula 1, the last race of the day, which he won on his Suzuki GSX-R750. Joe Gill, who like Batey was running a GSX-R750 with an engine built by Vesrah team owner Mark Junge, finished second. The two of them had a lead of five seconds over the rest of the field when a red flag came out on lap ten for Frank Trombino, who crashed out of third on his Yamaha YZF-R1. Trombino’s Dunlop slick came apart as he entered the sixth-gear kink on the back straight, sending him off the track. His injuries are thought to include a broken ankle and leg, and he was transported to the hospital. Earlier, Batey put in his usual dominating performance in Heavyweight Twins Superstock, leading from start to finish on his Suzuki SV1000. He had to work for the win in 750cc Superstock, though, and had a race-long battle with Gill. The two were again on their Suzuki GSX-R750s. Batey passed Gill for the lead at the end of the back straight on the final lap to take the win. Josh Herrin earned two wins on his Team Herrin Yamaha YZF-R6. His first was in 600cc Superstock, where he held off local rider Shawn Conrad, who was on a Kawasaki ZX-6R. Herrin also set a new 600cc track lap record at 1:07.382. Herrin’s second win came in the 600cc Superbike race, and he took off at the start and pulled a 5.3-second gap over Derek Keyes and Josh Smith-Moore, who were on a Yamaha YZF-R6 and a Suzuki GSX-R600, respectively. The Open Superstock race was red-flagged just four laps into the event for Ben Thompson and Reuben Frankenfield, who crashed coming onto the front straight. Frankenfield suffered a concussion, but Thompson was uninjured. Junge led again on the Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R1000 when the race restarted, but Canadian hot shoe Frank Trombino took the lead for good on lap four. Trombino crossed the finish line first on his Yamaha YZF-R1, but he was later disqualified for running slicks in a Superstock race. Junge got the win while Conrad moved up to second on a Suzuki GSX-R1000. Troy Meikle and Keith Reed traded the 750cc Superbike lead several times before they crossed the finish line side-by-side in the closest race of the day. Reed was awarded the win over Meikle, a decision that wasn’t made final until after the event. Meikle and Reed both rode Suzuki GSX-R750s. Peter Cline was the sole Expert entered in Formula 2, and he took the win on a KTM 640. Jimmy Wood won the Lightweight Superstock race on a Suzuki SV650. He pulled a one-lap lead over the other Experts, but had to hold off Novice Matt LaPham, who was also on a Suzuki SV650. LaPham stayed close to Wood for all 10 laps.