From a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:

AUSTRALIA SEES END OF MOTOGP’S INTERCONTINENTAL TOUR


The MotoGP World Championship lands at one of the most prestigious events on the whole calendar this week. The Phillip Island circuit in Australia is widely regarded as one of the most scenic and challenging around, and it is hard to deny its difficulty from both a technical level for the bike’s preparation, as well as the test it provides for riders. The Camel Honda team arrives at the race on the back of a satisfying event, where strength of character and the ability to react to new situations once again came to the fore, as Max Biaggi took his eighth podium finish of the season and Makoto Tamada fought back courageously up to fifth spot. The squad’s aim is to continue to show themselves as one of the best outfits in the championship, getting both riders in a position to be fighting for victory.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“The great race in Malaysia has given us strength and confidence, and the right kind of enthusiasm with which to confront a challenging event like the one in Australia. Max turned a corner in Sepang, after an especially unlucky period, and he took a fantastic podium. Makoto showed once more that he is a fast and determined fighter and he has performed at the highest level in this second half of the season. We have to continue like this. We want to win again before the end of the season and both Max and Makoto have the chance of doing so.”

Max Biaggi #3: (Michelin Tyres)

“We come to one of my favourite circuits feeling a range of emotions and sensations. Satisfaction for having returned to the podium after three races to forget about, a great motivation to continue at this level, and to go on to get on the top step, and perhaps more than anything, regret at not being able to fight for the title with my rivals. However, seeing as it is useless to look back, we’ll be focusing on the next race. The winter tests here went really well, but I don’t want to think too much about those results, because it’s possible that now the conditions will be completely different. I’ll just say that I hope to be quick straight away on Friday, but I’m also ready to deal with any more difficult situation, like in Malaysia, where with my team and the Honda technicians, we reacted well to the difficulties we came up against.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Camel Honda (Makoto Tamada’s Technical Director)

“The Australian GP will be a big challenge for us. In last year’s GP we had a few problems adapting the tyres to the track’s particular configuration, whilst in the February tests we got some positive results, but still with things left to test. In fact Makoto rode much better than in the race, but at the same time we had to finish the tests a day early because Bridgestone decided to put some of the material they brought through further tests. In any case, they have done a lot of work since then and made so much progress, so we are ready to take on this challenge with great confidence.”

Makoto Tamada #6: (Bridgestone Tyres)

“I left Malaysia on Monday and arrived in Australia on Tuesday. Three races one after the other don’t give you the time to return home of course and seeing as Phillip Island isn’t exactly a metropolis, perhaps I will dedicate my time before Thursday to one of my favourite hobbies, fishing… At least there will be fish there! Joking aside, the Australian race will be very tough, above all because it will be very cold. We have to check how our tyres react to such a diverse temperature change from the last two races. However, in this second part of the championship they have proved themselves to work in many different situations, so I hope that they will let me go well here.”

From a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

BACK ON FAMILIAR GROUND

The World Championships continue apace with the Australian Phillip Island circuit next on the calendar, and this Sunday’s event marks the penultimate round of the MotoGP season. The d´Antin MotoGP riders have high hopes for this race, with the track being a favourite of both Rubén Xaus and Neil Hodgson, with the battling duo having sweet memories of past performances on ‘The Island’.

Added to this, the Briton and the Spaniard got the opportunity to test their Ducati Desmosedici bikes on this track in the pre-season, and they hope to put in a good performance in front of a crowd who treated them well in their Superbike days. Without a doubt, this will serve to take the edge off the cold snap which can strike the area at this time of year, and whatever happens the race will be run in complete contrast to the last two races run in searing heat.

RUBEN XAUS: “I know this circuit well, and I love it. I’ve ridden here in Supersport, Superbikes and we also tested here with the Desmosedici at the beginning of this year and the things we were able to test went well. It’s quick, but it has a couple of areas where you’re braking in the turn, although you need to be quick through the bends. It’s similar to Sepang in that if you’re on the throttle too much and carry too much corner speed, you don’t make enough of the exit. It’s also different to a lot of the others because it’s a left-hand turning track, which means you need to ride it differently, which is nice. I think we’ll go well on this track.”

NEIL HODGSON: “This is one of my favourite circuits. I’ve ridden there on numerous occasions with Superbikes and I also won both races last year, so I’ve got a good feeling about this track. It’s a very fast and technical circuit, where there are always exciting races, because the majority of riders love these fast tracks. The critical point is the final long left-hander because you are going quick round there and you need the bike to be very balanced, but I’m confident of doing a good race. It’s a place where I have a lot of friends and I have spent lots of time there fishing. I really like Phillip Island.”

From a press release issued by Dorna:

Rossi gets title shot at Cinzano Australian Grand Prix

Valentino Rossi gets his first chance to win the 2004 MotoGP World Championship this weekend at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia. With his lead over Sete Gibernau at the top of the standings extended to 30 points after his seventh win of the season in Malaysia on Sunday, Rossi can complete a successful defence of his crown in the penultimate round of the season by finishing in the top two positions at a circuit where he has won on five previous occasions, including the last three seasons in the premier-class.

Whilst Daniel Pedrosa can also be crowned World Champion this weekend, the young Spaniard needing just two points to seal the 250cc title, the main focus will be on the climax to Rossi’s historic charge for glory on the Yamaha. Having made the switch from Honda at the end of last season, Rossi became the first man ever to win consecutive MotoGP races on different brands of machinery in the opening round in South Africa and now looks set to be the only rider other than Eddie Lawson to win the title for different manufacturers in consecutive seasons.

Yamaha have not celebrated the World Championship since Wayne Rainey won his third title in 1992 and even the legendary American could not manage more than seven wins in a season – a record he shares with Lawson. The temptation to break that record and a penchant for celebrating championship success with a victory, as he did with a last-lap win over Max Biaggi at this circuit in 2001, when second place would have been enough, should see Rossi aim for the top step of the podium once again.

Gibernau, meanwhile, is aiming for his first ever podium at Phillip Island – a result which, even if it is not enough to stop Rossi in the rider standings, would seal the constructors’ title for Honda. The Japanese factory need a top three result from any one of their six riders to win the championship for the sixteenth time, the same number of titles won by MV-Agusta.

The only non-Honda win at Phillip Island was by Yamaha in 2000 with Max Biaggi, who made the opposite switch between factories to Rossi almost two years ago. Biaggi’s factory colleague Alex Barros, who today joined fellow rider Ruben Xaus on a visit to The Koorie Heritage Trust, an Aboriginal arts centre in Melbourne, will look to repeat his podium here from 2002 after finishing third at Sepang on Sunday

Elsewhere, Ducati rider Troy Bayliss will be out to break up the Japanese factory feud at his home track, where he won both World Superbike races in 2002. Bayliss, who made his Grand Prix debut in the 250cc race here in 1997, crashed out of the race last year after leading in the opening stages.

The riders will go head-to-head at a new-look Phillip Island circuit, which has undergone a A$2 million safety facelift jointly funded by the Victorian Government and the new circuit owner, Linfox. The circuit was already homologated for this year’s Grand Prix but the upgrade was done in consultation and co-operation with the MotoGP Safety Commission because of the significant increase in performance of the new-generation four-stroke bikes.

The changes will come as a welcome relief to Dani Pedrosa, who broke both of his ankles in a practice crash at Phillip Island last season, just days after lifting the 125cc title in Malaysia. The youngster was unable to repeat his feat in the quarter-litre class this year despite victory last Sunday, with Sebastian Porto’s second place keeping alive his mathematical chances and obliging Pedrosa to take two points should the Argentinean win the race in Australia.

Andrea Dovizioso has no such worries as he arrives in the southern hemisphere, having already clinched the 125cc World Championship title at Sepang. Second place for the Italian behind Casey Stoner made him the fourth youngest World Champion of all time, whilst victory for Stoner was his first of the season and the first ever for Austrian manufacturers KTM. Stoner rides at his home Grand Prix this weekend looking to end a record sequence of thirty-seven races without a rider in the 125cc class winning back to back races and make up for his disappointment last season, when he crashed out of the lead after five laps.

From a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

PENULTIMATE HURDLE APPROACHES FOR ROSSI AND CHECA

The last leg of a punishing overseas schedule for the entire MotoGP paddock takes place at Phillip Island this weekend, with the Australian Grand Prix following hard on the heels of consecutive races in Qatar and Malaysia. The third meeting on the third continent in three weekends for Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa will be a true test of rider concentration and stamina, before the circus returns to Europe for the final round of the year in Valencia on October 31.

Fluctuating fortunes for Rossi in the past two races have seen him plumb the depths at Qatar, where he scored no points, then securing a magnificent win at Sepang, extending his championship advantage to 30 points in the process. There is now only one rider who can overtake Rossi in these final stages of the championship; Honda rider Sete Gibernau, who finished seventh at Sepang.

Rossi has now won seven of the 14 MotoGP races this season and taken five pole positions, a remarkable achievement since his induction to the Yamaha Factory Team earlier this year. Already three times a premier-class World Champion, the Italian is looking to secure his fourth consecutive world title in Australia in Sunday’s race, where a finish in the top two will guarantee him the crown with one race to spare. The 25-year-old Italian rates Phillip Island as one of his all-time favourite circuits – as inevitably he might – having ridden one of the best races of his life there to win the 2003 event, despite suffering a ten second penalty.

Checa has also enjoyed highs and lows in his 2004 season but the 31-year-old, who turns 32 on Friday, will be pushing to finish his Phillip Island weekend with even better results than his highpoints thus far. Checa claimed a second place at Le Mans earlier this year, and pole position at the recent Qatar race. A charging ride at last weekend’s Sepang event put him in a podium-challenging position before unlucky chatter from his YZR-M1 slowed his pace.

ROSSI READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN

Valentino Rossi has always described the dramatic Phillip Island circuit as being one of his favourite tracks, and in 2004 he is still rating it as one of his preferred racing venues; “I love Phillip Island, it’s one of my favourites and I’ve always managed to ride well there. We did a lot of testing there during the winter and got some good results. I think we can do well there again. The bike has changed so much since then, the Yamaha engineers and my crew have done a fantastic job.

“The most important thing for us this weekend will be to remain more than a hundred percent focused, as we did last weekend. There is always room for error, as we found out in Qatar. We had thought we were well ahead in the championship but we were wrong. So this weekend is going to be tough, and for sure a spectacular battle. We can’t afford to think it’s over, we need to use tactics and commit ourselves like we did in Sepang.

“Each victory with Yamaha this year has meant so much to me, it’s definitely been a special year. There is of course still room for improvement, things we can do to improve the M1, but I think Phillip Island suits this bike and hopefully we can make a good job of it.”

CHECA LOOKS FORWARD TO ANTIPODEAN CHALLENGE

Like most riders and his team-mate Rossi, Checa has a great fondness for the Australian Grand Prix, as well as the country itself. “I always enjoy spending time in Australia. It’s a nice place in so many ways,” said Checa. “The problem is that it can be quite cold there at this time of year. We made two tests there pre-season, which will help us, although, as in Sepang, the bike has changed a lot since then.”

About the bike set-up for the circuit, Checa stated, “The track is very fast and we had some problems at Sepang on the fastest sections, so we need to work on that. We should find the best way to get into those fast turns with the speed and contact I did not have in Malaysia. The base setting there is similar to what we used in Sepang, and we just have to see what we have from the tyres. I want to finish with my best result of the year there. I feel strong and I have the feeling that I can be up there when the bike is working at its best. It would be nice to find the limit of the machine in Australia.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – TEAM DIRECTOR

The importance of the Phillip Island race is not lost on the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio, as the season hurtles towards its climax. “Phillip Island is a very important race for the championship. We have a 30-point advantage to manage and we have to try to do the same as we did in Sepang – have a high level of concentration and work very well with the bike.”

Having seen what Rossi can do in Australia at the two pre-season tests in February and March, Brivio is aiming high down under. “The whole team and Valentino like Phillip Island and I think this weekend we can repeat what we did in Sepang last weekend. We have tested at Phillip Island twice this year, the second one was the last test we did overseas, and we made good improvements. It really was one of our key tests. It was where we prepared for the push at the beginning of the season.”

Despite the euphoria engendered by Rossi’s last triumphant race in Malaysia, Brivio guards against taking anything for granted. “We have the possibility to be good but in a race we have to keep our concentration. Carlos likes it there and I look forward to seeing both riders at the top.”

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

With considerably more than 200bhp at their command from their Yamaha YZR-M1s, Rossi and Checa will have the tools to compete with their peers at the fast Phillip Island circuit. Nonetheless the Aussie track demands far more than just a fast bike to make for quick and consistent lap times.

The sweeping and flowing circuit is possibly one of the ultimate tests of machine control and throttle accuracy, not to mention the sheer bravery and forcefulness required of the rider.

Frequent heavy braking is less of a consideration at Phillip Island than most other tracks, and thus a certain level of stability under braking can be sacrificed to allow for greater cornering finesse and agility.

The 4.448km Phillip Island track has undergone considerable trackside improvements over the winter, aimed at enhancing rider safety. Nonetheless a fast lap of Phillip Island is still rated as one of the most adrenaline-fuelled experiences in any rider’s season.

The compromise between setting the suspension at a hard enough level to handle the high cornering forces, while remaining supple over the few high speed ripples, is the goal at ‘The Island’. This also helps to prevent the rear end from trying to spin out on the slower corners, losing crucial acceleration.

Overly stiff suspension will not allow the rear end to squat to the required degree under power, making the rear tyre work excessively hard around what is predominantly a left-handed track, promoting premature tyre wear. Rider confidence through suspension consistency is a key at such a fast track, allowing the rider to push the pace for the entire race distance.

The seemingly never-ending final corner is crucial to a good lap time at Phillip Island, and a high speed exit will also determine how soon the rider can reach top speed down the long main straight, another important factor, especially in the last lap of a close race.

Aerodynamics is important, with the current angular M1 less prone to the effects of the high cross winds than earlier versions. Phillip Island’s exposed nature means that weather is a constant talking point in the Australian spring climate, adding to the potential complications during set-up, qualifying and race.


VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION
Age: 25
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 66 (27 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 138 (45 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 35
Phillip Island 2003 results: Grid: 1st (Honda): Race 1st


CARLOS CHECA: INFORMATION
Age: 31
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500cc)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500cc)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125cc)
GP starts: 166 (45 x MotoGP, 92 x 500cc, 27 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 3 (2 x MotoGP, 1 x 500cc)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500cc)
Phillip Island 2003 results (Yamaha): Grid: 9th, Race: 8th

Phillip Island MotoGP lap record – Valentino Rossi (Honda): 1:31.421 (2003)
Circuit best lap – Valentino Rossi (Honda): 1:30.068 (2003)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Although Lorenzo Lanzi did well in testing and the AMA Superbike races at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin 999 and Ducati Corse Superbike Racing Director Paolo Ciabatti has stated he will send a European rider to join the AMA Superbike team for 2005, the second Ducati Austin rider will not be Lanzi, according to both Lanzi and Ciabatti.

In telling Roadracingworld.com about the idea to bring Lanzi to America for the one-off race event at VIR, Ciabatti said of Lanzi, “He is young, and he will possibly be on a World Superbike satellite team next year.”

At the end of the VIR race weekend, Roadracingworld.com asked Lanzi if he would like to or planned to race in the AMA full-time in 2005, and with translation help provided by Ciabatti, Lanzi said, “Not at this time, not next year.”

When the same question was asked of World Superbike Championship runner-up, Regis Laconi at VIR, he said, “I don’t know. Maybe yes, maybe no. I have to see.”

“Everyone’s been making a big deal about these two world guys coming over and that,” commented five-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin. “This is the AMA. It isn’t World Superbike. If he (Laconi) thinks he’s going to come over and win, he’s got something to think about. He might be able to race for a World Championship, but if he wants to come race AMA next year…rock and roll!”

From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Duhamel Perfect in Virginia

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel made history yet again, becoming the first rider to win three AMA professional road races in one day by sweeping both ends of the Superbike double-header while adding his eighth Formula Xtreme win as well, on a warm day at Virginia International Raceway, site of the final round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship. In addition, his fifth and sixth Superbike wins of the year moved him back into a tie for most career wins. What makes the feat even more impressive is that prior to today Duhamel had never won a race at VIR.

“Everything worked out really well,” Duhamel said. “Yeah, today was really good and everything, but still you’ve got to be humble. You still got to be able to say you were lucky.”

Originally scheduled to run three weeks ago, but postponed because of worries about the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, the VIR weekend was compressed from three days to two. That meant three races today, with two of Duhamel’s in a row. The heavy workload didn’t faze the superfit French-Canadian.

In the first 28-lap Superbike race, Duhamel waited until the final lap to steal victory from the Suzuki of Aaron Yates. Teammate Ben Bostrom was a fighting third.

The second race results were the same, but with less drama. Duhamel made his way to the front on the 10th lap and steadily pulled away, eventually winning by 7.317 seconds. Again it was Yates in front of Ben Bostrom.

Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke didn’t take part in the second race after withdrawing from the first race. Zemke had hit his head in a Saturday morning high-side and the lingering effects meant he had trouble concentrating during the Superbike race. On top of that, he had to pit to change a rear tire. By then his hopes of winning the Superbike championship were over and he felt the prudent thing to do was to pit.

The championship was won by Mat Mladin (Suzuki) who finished sixth and fourth in the Superbike races. Duhamel led the Honda team to a strong second, third, and fourth in the first year for the constantly improving Honda CBR-1000RR, a machine that won 10 of 18 races this season.

Duhamel’s domination of the Formula Xtreme race was complete. Except for the few hundred yards entering turn one, he led all the way, winning by 4.218 seconds. The win came at the end of a long, historic day which may never be replicated. But it wasn’t the first time he’d won three races in a weekend. That was done earlier this year at Road America where he won the same three races-two Superbike and Formula Xtreme-over the course of two days.

Duhamel had clinched the Formula Xtreme championship in the previous race at Road Atlanta and Zemke secured second. Between them and Ben Bostrom, they won all 11 races of the championship on the Honda CBR-600RR.

The momentum from the Formula Xtreme race puts the Honda team ahead of the pack in the run-up to the first race of the season, the March Daytona 200, run for the first time in 2005 on Formula Xtreme machinery.

Miguel Duhamel, First Place, Race One
My bike was quite a bit faster. I doubt that he (Yates) could have got a draft and passed me, but he could’ve definitely made it close at the start-finish line. The bike worked great. It was a really tough race. When I was out there behind Aaron (Yates), I was just ‘Man, alright, this is pretty tough.’ I might have to do the best I can but don’t want to be stupid either.

Ben Bostrom, Third Place, Race One
Not much to it. Pretty bad start. We were up there and had a lot of fun racing with the guys trying to come back up to the front. Buy the time we got up there, these three guys next to me (Duhamel, Yates, Mladin) had pretty much taken off. So we were kind of a lonely and had some lappers to play with. And then Mat (Mladin) ended up handing us third, so that was nice of him. Bike was fantastic, tires were great. Team did a good job. These guys just outrode me. We’ll try to learn a little bit and step it up for the next one.

Jake Zemke, DNF Race One
I crashed first practice yesterday morning, high-sided out of the last corner there. And my body’s pretty banged up and I took a pretty big hit to my head. I didn’t get knocked out. I figured I was OK and just my body was hurting. Since then the practice sessions have been so short I probably haven’t done more than three laps in a row. In the race there, I was hurting obviously, but at the same time I was losing focus. I couldn’t concentrate as much as I usually do, as much as I would have liked. I was starting to miss my marks. There was really nothing to gain. We’re just calling it a weekend and just look forward to ’05 now.

Miguel Duhamel, First Place, Race Two
The second race was a little bit easier, quite a bit easier than the first race. After the second race I saw how pretty exceptional the first race was that I survived that because my bike was so much better in the second. Now we changed it, we made just one click difference on the bike, so I think maybe the tire was a little suspect, the tire we had today for the first race because the second tire was quite a bit better, but there is that click that we put on the bike. It would be hard to believe that it would be that much better. Al (Ludington) did a great job and Darren (Clarke), they watched the computer. The second race I was knocking out 1:26.0’s and it was no big thing. The bike was working really good. But the bike felt really solid. It was solid the first race, but it was so much better the second race.

Ben Bostrom, Third Place, Race Two
Definitely not satisfied. Only satisfied when you win but there was nothing we could do. Miguel (Duhamel), he was on today. When Miguel’s on he’s hard to beat and Miguel ran a fantastic race today and Aaron (Yates) also. These guys they just had us beat today. We tried to make a last little ditch charge to Aaron there, but couldn’t. He had something for us. Big thanks to the Honda guys, my team. The Dunlop guys. They did a great job. These guys, congratulations, they put us back to third again. This is four thirds in a row and that’s two many. The season’s over and we’ll come back next year strong.

Superbike Race One
1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
3. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
4. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati)
5. Regis Laconi (Ducati)
6. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
7. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki)
8. Jacob Holden (Suzuki)
9. Geoff May (Suzuki)
10. Mike Smith (Suzuki)

Superbike Race Two
1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
2. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
3. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
4. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
5. Regis Laconi (Ducati)
6. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki)
7. Marty Craggill (Suzuki)
8. Mike Smith (Suzuki)
9. Geoff May (Suzuki)
10. Jeremy Toye (Yamaha)

Formula Xtreme:
1. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
2. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki)
3. Doug Chandler (Ducati)
4. Mike Ciccotto (Buell)
5. Opie Caylor (Suzuki)
6. Nicky Moore (Suzuki)
7. Heath Small (Yamaha)
8. Darin Edwards (Suzuki)
9. Derek Keyes (Suzuki)
10. Carlo Gagliardo (Yamaha)

Final AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship Standings
1. Mat Mladin (557)
2. Miguel Duhamel (514)
3. Jake Zemke (490)
4. Ben Bostrom (393)
5. Geoff May (366)
6. Eric Bostrom (336)
7. Aaron Yates (331)
8. John Haner (312)
9. Eric Wood (295)
10. Josh Hayes (291)


More, from a press release issued by PR firm Vreeke & Associates:

Mladin captures fifth Superbike title; Gobert and Hayden win first championships; Duhamel wins record three races in one day

Alton, VA – The scenic countryside of the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Virginia welcomed the final stop of the AMA’s (American Motorcyclist Association) 11-venue 2004 Superbike road racing series on October 9-10. It was an exciting climax to the season that determined the last three of the AMA’s four 2004 road racing championships. Making Superbike history was Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who captured his fifth AMA Superbike title, an unprecedented feat. Up-and-coming riders also took away championship honors as Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert won the Superstock championship, his first, and Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden took home his first championship, the 600cc Supersport crown. With the Formula Xtreme championship title sewn up by Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel at Road Atlanta, the AMA season concluded with each Dunlop-supported manufacturer earning a road racing crown.

VIR greeted the teams and race fans with seasonably cool and dry weather that was perfectly suited for racing. This last round was originally scheduled for mid-September but wind, rain and floods produced by Tropical Storm Ivan hammered the region and forced a postponement. For several of the competitors in the hunt for championships, the unexpected break was an opportunity to nurse injuries back to health.

VIR is known as a fast “right-hand” track that generates significant heat in the right side of the rear tire, particularly along the front straight which curves to the right after the start-finish line. For Superbike competition, Dunlop brought four front and six rear tire compound selections, ranging from medium to hard compounds, including multi-compounds and a new-generation rear tire designed to maximize turning and straight-line traction and stability. To support the factory teams and support riders in Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Formula Xtreme, Dunlop brought more than 1800 tires, including two types of rain tires for the unexpected.

The first race of the two-day season finale was the ever-so-close Superstock competition, held on Saturday. Coming into the last race, Aaron Gobert led the series by a slim five-point margin over his teammate Jamie Hacking and Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden. Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo grabbed the pole position on his Yamaha YZF-R1 with a record time of 1:25.328; when the race flag dropped, he sped off into the lead and he was never challenged. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies, riding a GSX-R1000, looked to be the only rider capable of staying with Disalvo in the early laps, but Disalvo stretched his advantage to more than nine seconds late in the race and Spies could manage no better than second on the day. The championship fight came down to Hacking and Gobert, who finished third and fourth, respectively. If Hacking-who valiantly battled back from mid-season injuries-had overtaken Spies for second, the championship would have been his. But it was not to be and Gobert’s finish was good enough for his first AMA roadracing championship.

“This was the kind of race I’d been looking for all year, a race win like this, and I’m glad that I got it,” said Disalvo. “And again, (I’m) really happy for Aaron winning the championship. It’s great for Yamaha. This R1 is fantastic. And the team worked great. The AMA, too.”

For the middle brother of the talented Gobert family, the championship came after an uphill battle following two seasons plagued by injuries. “I think I broke something like 19 bones in that crash at Daytona,” he recalled from his 2002 Supersport accident. “For three months straight, laying on the couch, not being able to walk. To come back now and I’ve only just been able to start running for training this year. Things are good, and it feels like it’s paying off. I told Chuck Graves when I first came over here in 2001, I said to him, ‘I’ll win your first championship for you.’ And here I am, four years later, I’ve finally done it for him.”

On the day, Tommy Hayden finished sixth on his ZX-10R, followed by Yamaha’s Buckmaster in seventh, Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes in eighth, and Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore in tenth as Dunlop-supported riders took eight of the top ten positions. The season tally for the Superstock series gave Yamaha a 1-2-4 finish with Gobert at 320 points, Hacking with 317, Tommy Hayden with 313, and Disalvo with 312.

This year’s Superbike competition produced an exciting battle between four-time Superbike champ Mat Mladin, Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel (also a Superbike champion) and Erion Racing’s rookie Superbike pilot Jake Zemke. With stellar performances from Hondas’ Ben Bostrom and Suzuki’s Aaron Yates sprinkled throughout the season, the season-long skirmish highlighted the best efforts of the two factory teams. Suzuki’s venerable GSX-R1000 faced stiff competition as Honda’s new CBR1000RR hit its stride mid-season and seemed to enjoy a horsepower advantage until Suzuki’s engineers found enough power to level the playing field. Veterans Mladin and Duhamel regularly leap-frogged one another in their quest for the most AMA Superbike victories (Mladin led Duhamel 32-30 coming into the final round) while Zemke earned his keep, notching two victories of his own. Mladin led the series from the season opener at Daytona; as few as 10 points separated him from Duhamel after round eight at Laguna Seca, but consistent finishes built his lead to 42 points entering the last two races at the final VIR round.

On Saturday, Mladin set his customary front-of-the-pack pace throughout practice and qualifying but Duhamel snared the pole position in the final minutes and set a new lap record of 1:24.404 in the process. Sunday’s first Superbike race was a thriller. Early in the race Mladin took the lead and by lap eight, Mladin, teammate Aaron Yates and Duhamel were dicing for the lead. On lap 18, Mladin went off the track briefly, slipping back to sixth. With Mladin’s nearest rival in the championship, Zemke, suffering from the effects of his practice crash on Saturday, it was unclear where Mladin needed to finish to secure the championship. On the final lap, Duhamel passed Yates entering turn one and held him off as the pair worked through lapped riders, winning the race by a scant .126 seconds. Finishing third was Duhamel’s teammate Ben Bostrom and in sixth position was Mladin, who secured the championship after Zemke withdrew late in the race,

“When I was out there behind Aaron, I was just (thinking), “Man, all right. This is pretty tough,” said Duhamel. “I might have to go for it, you know, try to do the best I can, but I don’t want to be stupid, either. But I thought a bit about Shawn Hose (the breast cancer victim to whom Duhamel dedicated his pole position), and I was going, “it would be great if I could put the pole and the win. That’s what I did on that last lap, and it came home good.”

Mladin was understated in acknowledging his fifth title in six years, a remarkable accomplishment. “It was good to get the championship done. I want to thank the whole Yoshimura Suzuki crew, those guys really stepped up and put us on a motorcycle here and put us in a position where we could cruise around and take the championship. I thank all my crew for making five championships possible. And everyone else, Dunlop Tires, those guys stepped up this year and gave us tires that we were confident in and were very good.”

In Supersport competition, Jason Disalvo rode his Yamaha YZF-R6 to a new lap record of 1:26.781-his second record-setting pole performance of the weekend-to capture the top starting position for the season finale on Sunday. The race was a spectacular show as teammates Disalvo, Damon Buckmaster and Jamie Hacking all vied for the lead. Meanwhile, brothers Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden rode their Kawasaki ZX-6RRs more conservatively in their bid to win the championship. Older brother Tommy held the upper hand on Roger Lee by 11 points coming into the race and needed only to keep him in sight to win the series. In the end, Disalvo took his second win of the weekend, holding of Hacking by just .242 seconds. Buckmaster crashed out and teammate Aaron Gobert slipped across the line in third, assuring a Yamaha podium sweep. In the championship hunt, Roger Lee Hayden took fourth place, two positions ahead of brother Tommy, but it was not enough and the elder Hayden snared his first AMA championship by nine points, 352 to Roger Lee’s 343.

“This weekend, how special it was, is right up there with Daytona, if not better than Daytona,” said Disalvo. Of the last-lap drama with Hacking, he noted, “It was such a fun race. I can’t wait to watch the race on TV, I’ll probably just fast forward through the whole race to the last lap.”

For Hayden, the championship was sweet. “It was a long year, for sure. Starting way back to Daytona seems a long way from right now. But the whole year went really good. I felt like I rode every race hard, and was on the podium a lot, that was my goal. It’s been close a lot of times, and this year, to finally get over that hump and go ahead, I’ve been second a number of times, but to win, it’s definitely a special day for me.”

Gobert’s Supersport result brought his season total to 284 points, enough for third place in the series behind Kawasaki’s one-two finish. On the day, Dunlop-shod riders took seven of the top ten positions.

The second Superbike race on Sunday showcased another strong performance by Duhamel and Yates. Yates started well and he held the lead, building a solid margin in the early going. A charging Duhamel, who worked his way forward from a sixth-place start, took control of the race when he passed Yates on lap 10 and built a sizable lead of more than seven seconds. At the checkered flag, it was Duhamel winning his second race of the day, bringing his career Superbike total to 32 victories, tied with Mladin.

“The second race was really good,” said Duhamel, “quite a bit easier than the first race. My bike was so much better in the second race, We changed it, we made one (suspension) click difference on the bike. The bike felt really solid. I’m really jazzed about my team, the guys did a great job.”

Mladin rode an inspired race after taking a stop-and-go-penalty for jumping the start. The season’s champ clawed his way back into contention in a race that held no significance and finished fourth behind Ben Bostrom and Yates, who carded third and second, respectively. On the day, Dunlop-equipped riders took seven of the top 10 spots. Mladin closed out the series with 584 points to Duhamel’s 551. Zemke, who wisely sat out the second race, clinched third with 490 points and Ben Bostrom was fourth with 422.

If it was possible to bring drama to a race with seemingly no significance, Duhamel was the man to do it. After winning the Formula Xtreme championship one round earlier at Road Atlanta, Duhamel could have sat out the race. But showing the same spirit as Mladin in Superbike race two, Duhamel wasted no time charging to the lead on his Honda CBR600RR and he was never headed, winning the race by over four seconds. By winning his second three-peat of the season, Duhamel became the first man to win three AMA races in one day. His record-tying eighth Formula Xtreme victory in one season was also the 82nd AMA victory of his career. For the year, Duhamel collected 395 points, followed by Zemke in second with 308. Zemke’s teammate Alex Gobert was fourth in the series with 254 points.

Dunlop congratulates all the competitors in the 2004 AMA Superbike series and is especially proud of the season’s champions-Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert, Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden and Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel-each of whom rode to victory on Dunlop tires.


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MAT MLADIN – 2004 AMERICAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPION

Alton Virginia, USA (Sunday, October 9) – Mat Mladin’s domination of this year’s American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship was confirmed today as he clinched his fifth AMA Superbike crown at Virginia International Raceway.

The 32-year-old Australian who hails from Camden, south west of Sydney in New South Wales, led the championship at every point, commencing with an opening round win at the prestigious Daytona 200, before adding a further seven race wins to that as the season progressed.

Mladin’s efforts in winning five American Superbike titles makes him one of the most prolific title winning Australian riders outside of his native country, with Mick Doohan being the only other to have won multiple road racing crowns with his five World 500cc championships.

Mladin’s championship win came in the first of the weekend’s two scheduled Superbike nationals after championship adversary Jake Zemke retired from the race, allowing Yoshimura Suzuki rider to ease his own pace and take a steady sixth place, giving him an unbeatable points lead.

With championship success firmly on his mind, Mladin did not challenge for the race lead, preferring to monitor the progress of Zemke as he was the only rider who had a mathematical chance of taking the title away from him. Zemke’s race ended when he retired with eight laps remaining, leaving Mladin only to finish the race strongly to take the title.

With his title secure, Mladin was determined to finish his season on a high note, but was judged to have jumped the start of the second race and was penalised by race officials with a stop / go penalty. This triggered a barnstorming run up through the field that saw him come from 24th on lap three to finish fourth just over 15-seconds in arrears or duel Superbike race winner on the day Miguel DuHamel.

The final points spread at the conclusion of the 18-race championship saw Mladin total 584 points, 33 clear of DuHamel (551) who elevated himself past Zemke (490) after the young Californian failed to score points in either race.

“It was a great feeling to have finally got it done, especially as we had to wait those extra three weeks after the round was rescheduled,” said Mladin. “It‘s been a busy time for us as we have been focussed on winning the title this weekend, plus we have already begun our planning for next year and what needs to be done with the new bike.”

“This win has definitely been a team effort, above and beyond the usual high efforts that my guys put in. I have to thank each of my crew, Yoshimura and Suzuki themselves for the efforts that were made this year. A couple of months ago the championship was very close, but everyone stepped up and that made it a lot easier to get the results we were chasing. The last round at Road Atlanta was pivotal in winning the championship. We knew we had to do well there so that we could set it up here and fortunately for us we came away with a double race win at Atlanta which was perfect.”

“Today was one of those days where we just focussed on what we needed to do to win the championship and let a few of the others chase the race wins and that’s exactly how we played it. We got the championship done in the first race and it was a shame to have had to do the stop / go for the jump start in the second. I was aiming at getting on the podium there and I know I put together a lot of good laps but just missed out on getting the podium. It was a good day though and we’re all very happy with how today and the whole season has gone.”


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

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN TEAM FINISHES SEASON WITH STRONG PERFORMANCES

Alton (Virginia) – October 10, 2004: The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team closed out the 2004 AMA Superbike season with strong performances from Regis Laconi and Lorenzo Lanzi at Virginia International Raceway. Although the team’s usual racer, Eric Bostrom, was out with an injury suffered at the previous round in Atlanta, the European riders stepped in and performed well on the Ducati 999.

World Supersport rider Lorenzo Lanzi ran near the front in both 28-lap races, but saw his shot at a podium disappear when a technical problem ruined his strong run for third place in race two. Lanzi placed fourth in his first Superbike race in America, a remarkable finish on a track which he had seen only once before. In race two, the 22-year-old Italian diced for third place, closing the gap and eventually making his bid for a spot on the box until misfortune struck. “I think we had a shot at the podium, but unfortunately a switch broke with six laps to go,” said Lanzi. “Still, it was really good to race with Regis and Ben Bostrom.”

World Superbike rider Regis Laconi showed his experience and quickly worked his way up to speed at a track he had never seen before yesterday. The 29-year-old Frenchman was fifth in both 28-lap races, held in clear autumn conditions at the scenic Virginia track. “Both Regis and Lorenzo did a fantastic job, especially since neither have ever raced here,” said Team Owner Terry Gregoricka. “Both riders really performed well and tried very hard.”

“Lorenzo was riding especially well in the second race – we really thought he had a shot of getting on the podium,” added Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. And for how little time Regis had on the track, we’re pleased with the fifth place finishes.”

“Regis and Lorenzo learned a lot from the first race. They had never competed with the AMA riders before and only Lorenzo had tested here at Virginia, so it took some time. The limited schedule didn’t work to our advantage, but the guys are still to be commended on their performances,” said Bodenbach.


RACE 1: 1. Duhamel (Honda); 2. Yates (Suzuki); 3. B Bostrom (Honda); 4. Lanzi (Ducati); 5. Laconi (Ducati); 6. Mladin (Suzuki); etc. RACE 2: 1. Duhamel (Honda); 2. Yates (Suzuki); 3. B Bostrom (Honda); 4. Mladin (Suzuki); 5. Laconi (Ducati); 6. Hayes (Kawasaki); etc.

POINTS: 1. Mladin 584; 2. Duhamel 551; 3. Zemke 490; 4. B Bostrom 422; 5. May 388; 6. Yates 363, 7. E Bostrom 336; etc.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

PRIDMORE HAS A LONG WEEKEND IN VIRGINIA

Jason Pridmore had a long weekend at the final round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Series at Virginia International Raceway. Brake problems held Jason back from a better finish in Superstock on Saturday, while an engine problem forced him out of tthe Formula Xtreme race on Sunday while running in fourth place.

Saturday’s Repsol Superstock Final – 10th Place
“It was a frustrating day,” said Jason. “We started off so strong this morning, then we ran into not being able to get the bike downshifting in qualifying, to running back to our old problem of not having any brakes during the race. I went off out into turn two twice, couldn’t get the bike slowed down. I didn’t want to pull in for these guys, I wanted to at least get a checkered flag for my team, and try to finish the best we can. We ended up tenth, which is not real good, but we gotta try and build on next year, that’s the main thing.”

Sunday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – DNF
“I got a great start,” said Jason. “The problem was I had the Buell in front of me with Barney (Michael Barnes on it, and he’s so small and they acclerate so good he’s hard to pass. By the time I got by him there was a little gap, and it was so hard to make up at that point. Once I lost the tow, I had no chance. Then the bike broke and that was that.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

ACREE AND CAYLOR END THE YEAR WITH GOOD RESULTS AT VIR

Lee Acree and Opie Caylor had good results on Sunday at the last round of the Chevrolet Superbike Series at Virginia International Raceway. Lee finished tenth in the Supersport final after holding off young gun Danny Eslick, while Opie finished fifth in the Formula Xtreme race, his best result of the year. Both riders opted to sit out the Superbike races, Lee due to a very sore knee after hitting it on curbing on Friday, Opie because he already had his GSX-R1000 superbike sold.

Lee Acree
Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport – 10th Place
“I got a decent start,” said Lee. “There was a big group, a gap, and then me. I knew everyone was gonna pack up going into turn one, and the gap kinda helped me pick an opening. I didn’t have the power to go with Barney (Michael Barnes), and I didn’t have the grip to go with the rest of the guys. I started seeing my gap growing, then I started seeing big chunks taken out of it. My knee was getting tired, it really wasn’t so much a pain thing, it just got fatigued. Danny (Eslick) came back by me, and for the few corners he was ahead of me, I wasn’t going to have the side grip to go with him. Unfortunately, he clipped the curb and tucked it. I saw a gap of five seconds, then seven seconds with like two laps left, and I decided, ‘Let’s just make sure I don’t pile this thing and be consistent and bring it home’.”

Opie Caylor
Sunday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme – 5th Place
“Well, the best result of the year,” said Opie. “I got an okay start, I just tried to pick off as many guys as I could. Alex Gobert, Blake Young and me got to battling, then Blake ended up taking out Alex down in turn one. After that, I got up to (Mike) Ciccotto, showed him a wheel here and there. Last lap, I knew exactly where I was going to pass him, and a lapper just shut the door on me in turn one and almost cleaned us both out.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

UP AND DOWN WEEKEND FOR BLAKE YOUNG AT VIR

Sixteen-year-old Blake Young had an up-and-down weekend at VIR, with an eleventh place finish in Supersport, but a crash in the Formula Xtreme race that resulted in a DNF. Blake, who heads to Road Atlanta next week for the Suzuki Cup Finals, was uninjured in the crash.

Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – 11th Place
“The Supersport race went well,” said Blake. “I settled in behind Danny (Eslick), but he checked out a little bit. I saw Chris Peris behind me, and I just put my head down to pull away from him.”

Sunday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – DNF
“In the FX race, I was third going into turn one,” said Blake, who qualified 11th on Sunday morning. “Coming out of three, (Michael) Barnes and (Jason) Pridmore went underneath me. I settled back in, and for a while me and Mike Ciccotto went back and forth. Alex Gobert came up and kept drafting me down the front stretch. Just before halfway, he came around me on the outside and started braking real early into turn one. I made up as much ground as I could. I took the inside line and he came into the middle of the apex of the turn and we collided.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HOTBODIES RACING TEAM RESULTS FROM VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

The Hotbodies Racing Team participated at the last round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Virginia International Raceway, in anticipation of a full program for the 2005 AMA season. Riders under the big red and white Hotbodies Racing tent at VIR included Michael Barnes, Marco Martinez, Geoff May, Giovanni Rojas, Jeremy Toye and Blake Young.

Michael Barnes
Michael finished ninth in the Supersport race on his Yamaha R6, but had a mechanical DNF in the Formula Xtreme final on his Buell while running fifth.

“We had a good finish today in Supersport, took seventh place in points for the year, consistent top-ten finishes throughout the year. The Buell, we’ve had moments of glory that really excited the whole crew. The whole project is exciting for the future of the whole Buell program.”

Marco Martinez
Marco finished 26th in the first Superbike race and 17th in the second race.

“My second race was much

From a press release issued by CMRA:

Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association Championship Series
Round 10
Motorsport Ranch
Cresson, TX
Oct. 9-10, 2004


The Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association wrapped up the 2004 season with round 10 of its series at Motorsport Ranch near Cresson, Texas. Will Gruy, Tyler McDonald, Bryan West, Eric Falt, John Orchard and Scott Levine all posted wins in multiple expert classes under wet conditions on the 1.7 mile course.

Gruy claimed the most expert wins, taking the Super Motard, Formula CMRA Lightweight and 125 GP expert divisions, while Eric Falt topped the most money classes, taking wins in the Heavyweight Twins Expert class, which features a $500 purse, and the Mr. Corder Racing F-40 Expert class, which pays a $175 purse.

The closest racing of the day had to be in the A Superbike Expert race where Danny Dominguez drew even with early leader, Bryan West, in the final turn of the 8-lap race, then won the drag race to the finish, winning by 0.041 second; and in the Super Motard division, where the lead changed hands several times a lap between Eric Falt, Will Gruy and Loren Swor before Gruy made a desperation pass for the lead just two corners from the finish to top Falt and Swor for the win.

In the novice divisions, Bill Drake, Chris Romeo and Craig Thomson were the big winners with each winning three classes.

In Saturday?s big bike endurance round, it was Vinyl Edge Racing that won the Sum of all Parts CMRA Endurance Presented by Shogun Motorsports race, but it was Northwest Honda Racing that took the series title with a third overall finish.

Village Idiots finished second overall, 28 seconds behind the winners, and wrapped up the Middleweight Superstock class title in the process. Desert-Rats.net finished fifth overall, ensuring them of the Unlimited Superstock class title, while Faltless Racing claimed the Lightweight Superbike championship with a 7th overall placing. Lone Star Track Days finished 20th overall and ended the year with the Medium Superstock championship.

In the CMRA Formula Mini Endurance Series final round at Motorsport Ranch, Team K&N took a 4-lap margin of victory to win the race and claimed the overall and Formula 4 division titles as well. Sum of all Parts came from last place to finish second overall in the race and third overall in the championship, while Mystery Dance was third overall, giving them second overall in the final standings. In the Formula 5 class, Team Bling ended the year first overall after a 7th overall finish on Saturday and STD Racing won the Formula 6 title with a 6th overall. Team Lean finished 13th overall and wrapped up the Formula 7 championship.

From a press release issued by the Plummer-Menapace Group on behalf of Pirelli:

PIRELLI REVIEWS ITS FIRST YEAR AS WORLD SUPERBIKE SPEC TIRE

Did It Fulfill The Objective Of Closer Racing And A Level Playing Field

(Rome, GA) The 2004 World Superbike season is over and Ducati Fila’s James Toseland is the king, thanks to his one-two finishes at the last round at France’s Magny Cours. Thus ended the first season that World Superbike along with its World Supersport and European Superstock siblings introduced a spec tire rule and handed the duties to Pirelli.

The rule’s primary objective was closer racing, a more “level playing field” that didn’t see special one-off, back-door tires doled out to the top teams. Everybody would have equal tires of consistent quality, tires that were developed and tested with all the different teams; tires that, once tried, had to be shared with all of the manufacturer’s teams and approved by all of the teams before they could be used at the next round; tires for four-cylinder bikes, twins and triples. And Pirelli had to provide five to six thousand of them for every race weekend, in a minimum of three different front and rear compounds optimized for each track. (They brought five different fronts and six different rears to France.) A mammoth task that, if successful, would mean great racing and a huge feather in Pirelli’s cap.

But, just like last year, the factory Ducati team won the championship. In fact, its riders finished first and second again. So what changed with Pirelli and the spec tire rule?

Practically everything. Last year, a staggering 218 points separated the first three riders at season’s end (103 points between the two factory riders, 115 points between second and third place). This year, there were fewer than 100 points between the first five riders. Neil Hodgson won every race up to Laguna Seca last year, while this year’s championship was called “one of the most exciting and closely contested” in the 17-year history of the series. It came down to the final weekend. Four riders had a chance of winning it all: Toseland, his teammate Regis Laconi, Ten Kate Honda’s Chris Vermeulen, and Renegade Ducati Koji’s Noriyuki Haga. A few rounds back, only eight points separated the four of them.

At Magny Cours, Laconi didn’t even make the front row of the grid. And the pole sitter was none other than Troy Corser on the Foggy Petronas. Race one had four different manufacturers on the front row: Ducati, Honda, Foggy Petronas, and the Yamaha R1 of local wildcard Sebastien Gimbert (a team member of the newly-crowned, also-Pirelli-shod, Yamaha GMT94 World Endurance road racing champions) finished fourth in both Magny Cours races – on a Yamaha.

When it was all over, only nine points separated Toseland and Laconi. “Nitro Nori” Haga won race two his sixth win of the year – in the final round to finish third in the championship, 28 points behind Laconi. Vermeulen’s two rare DNFs earned him no points, but he held a solid fourth place in the championship in his rookie season finishing with four victories and nine podiums. (Who knows what would have happened had two different electrical gremlins not knocked him out of both races.)

In all, six different riders won races in 2004’s 22-race series. The two factory Ducati riders accounted for less than half of them, compared to last season when factory teammates Hodgson and Reuben Xaus won 20 of the races. Also, ten different riders earned podiums this year.
Did the spec-tire rule work?

“We had a Michelin contract last year,” said former SBK champion, Troy Corser. “but the tires they gave us were two seconds a lap slower than what Hodgson and Xaus had. Control tires have eliminated that kind of crap …”

Kenny Roberts, Sr. agrees. “When Superbikes went to control tires, everybody thought they were crazy – but I reserved judgment. Still, I really thought they would have more problem than they have and it would be better for us and a lot of other teams if there was a one-tire rule in MotoGP, too. I would instigate that instantly for next year.”

With all is said and done, and with a huge round of thanks and appreciation to the hundreds of Pirelli workers who made it all happen, Pirelli believes it did indeed produce tires that provided “closer racing action” and a “level playing field” for World Superbike competition.
Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Racing Manager, said after the final round: “We will start making our preparation for next season next week, when we test at Mugello with Ducati and James Toseland, the new champion. We will be testing our new tires for next season. By the time we have the next test at Valencia in November we will already have a lot of new bikes, 2005 models, so we will really have some new stuff to test, specifications for next year. These will be confirmed for next year’s use at Qatar, in early December. The important thing is that all the new and existing teams will be at the November test, working to find the best solutions. Probably Yamaha France will be there as well.”

In closing, the question has been asked about why Pirelli would even want the staggering task of meeting all of the spec-tire rule’s requirements? Eddie Roberts, Pirelli’s World Racing Manager, answered the question at Laguna Seca: “The concept of production-based race tires interested Pirelli, because it would accelerate development of our consumer tires, and because at Pirelli, ‘We sell what we race, and we race what we sell.’ A road racer in the States can get these tires easily. We don’t hide them. We have no desire to hide them. We want everybody on them.”

From a press release:

Ride for Kids(r) “stars” shine brightly in Texas!

(Benbrook, TX – October 10, 2004) On Sunday, October 10, 2004, 250 caring motorcyclists, fundraisers, volunteers and patient families came together to celebrate and honor the seven courageous Ride for Kids(r) “stars”, pediatric brain tumor survivors, who attended the 2nd annual Dallas/Fort Worth Ride for Kids(r). These amazing young people, who ranged in age from 15 months-old to 20 years-old, were given “VIP” status and received true “star” treatment throughout the day. Since 1984, the Ride for Kids(r) program has been raising funds to support the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s search for the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors. The motorcyclists in Texas truly put their heart and soul into their fundraising efforts and at the end of the Ride it was announced that $45,695 had been raised for pediatric brain tumor research.

After enjoying a scenic police-escorted motorcycle ride past beautiful rolling horse farms and countryside south of Dallas/Fort Worth, the participants gathered for the Celebration of Life program under the festive “big-top tent”. There, they listened as Kristan, the mother of 15 month-old Ride for Kids(r) “star” Cassie, shared how much hope her friends had given her family since Cassie was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2003. She told the motorcyclists, “I want to thank you for helping, not just my child, but for helping all children and families affected by this disease.” Annelda, a 17 year-old brain tumor survivor and Ride for Kids(r) “star”, is ready to go off to college next fall and study astronomy. Twenty-year old Jeana, a childhood brain tumor survivor and a Ride for Kids(r) “star”, happens to have a Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation college scholarship. She is studying pre-med and wants to attend medical school to become a pediatric neuro-surgeon.

The Top Individual Fundraiser was Jasmine Kahn, with a total of $4,030. The Top Club was Barger’s Red Riders of Waco, TX whose members raised $9,959. Barger’s Allsports of Waco, TX, whose customers raised $11,655, captured the Top Dealer position. Sam Farr of Frisco, TX, who actually had attended the Columbia Ride for Kids(r) for several years before moving to Texas, was the winner of a brand new Honda motorcycle donated by American Honda Motor Company.

Special thanks to Dallas/Fort Worth Ride for Kids(r) Task Force Leaders Jim Andrews, JR Nance, Visitation Coordinator Mike Culpepper and their hardworking volunteer task force for a super event.

The next Ride for Kids(r) event is on Sunday, October 17 in Phoenix, AZ.

From a press release:

A corner worker at jennings has lost his house and all belongings in a fire. there is going to be a race school/rider enhancement with the proceeds going to him. details as follows

Martinelli Motorsports Race School along with Wizard will be holding a school on October 17 with all proceeds going to Mark Bentley. Offered that day will be Racer Certification for $250.00, Rider/Racer Enhancement and First Timer School for $75.00. This does not include your track registration fees. Bentley has been at Jennings since day one and we are honored to have the opportunity to help him out. So, if you have been wanting to go racing and haven’t done your school yet, take care of it this Sunday at Jennings Gp. Bentley has gone above and beyond in making the track safe and riders feel welcome, so lets everyone give something back to the sport by helping Bentley out in this difficult time. Pre register at 386-756-9901 or 386-527-3398. George and Darla Martinelli

Thank you
Jim McConnell/ Wizard Racing