From a press release issued for Pirelli by Plummer Menapace:

PIRELLI RACE REPORT ON AMA ROAD ATLANTA AND ASSEN WORLD SUPERBIKE

Pirelli Privateers Impress At Road Atlanta;
SBK Title Race Still Tight

(Rome, GA) Pirelli racing tires had a successful weekend in both the U.S. and Europe.

First to the AMA round at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA. Pirelli’s privateers showed their season-long staying power by continuing to hold multiple top-10 race and championship-point positions as the season winds down a testimonial to the talent and bikes of our sport’s top privateers, and to the Pirelli tires on which they’re racing.

Prieto Racing’s Geoff May used seventh- and tenth-place finishes in the two Superbike races to regain his exalted fifth place in the championship. He’s held the position for most of the season on his “bone-stock” engined, Pirelli-slick shod Suzuki GSX-R1000. Chris “Opie” Caylor rode to a tenth in Saturday’s race, his best Superbike finish in awhile, since he and teammate Lee Acree saw Empire Racing, their major sponsor throw in the towel at mid-season, leaving the two talented riders to their own devices. Acree didn’t fare as well in the first race; he and Triangle Racing Yamaha’s Larry Pegram and Lion Racing’s Jake Holden all carded DNFs. Holden, however, captured eighth in Superstock, and holds the ninth spot in class points.

Pegram and Acree rebounded in Superbike race two on Sunday: Pegram with a seventh, Acree in twelfth. In total, Pirellis put four racers in Saturday’s top-20, six in Sunday’s. With one round remaining the doubleheader at VIR on September 18-19 there are six Pirelli privateers in the AMA Superbike top-20 championship chase: May, in fifth; Pegram, 11th; Acree, 13th; Caylor, 15th; Dean Mizdal, 18th; and Scott Jensen, 20th.

Championsonline.com’s Michael Barnes is another Pirelli privateer whose season-long string of top AMA Supersport finishes has kept him and his Yamaha R6 in seventh place in the factory bike-dominated class championship. “Barney” posted a ninth at Road Atlanta, one of four Pirelli-backed riders in the top 20. The others were Lee Acree in 12th; Young America Suzuki’s Blake Young, 14th; and Giovanni Rojas, 20th. All four of them also have shares of the championship top 20.

Unfortunately, Barnes’s recent run of bad luck in Formula Xtreme continued in Braselton as his Buell XB12R suffered another mechanical as he was battling for fifth. The slack was taken up by Pegram’s fifth place, followed by five more Pirelli-shod racers in the top 10, and five more in the top 20, for a total of 11 Pirelli privateers in the top 20. They were: Pegram’s fifth; Caylor, seventh; Blake Young, eighth; Heath Small, ninth; Logan Young, 10th; Nathan Hester, 11th; Perry Melneciuc, 14th; Joseph Arico, 15th; Eric Pinson, 18th; Tim Knutson, 19th; and Jeremiah Johnson, 20th. Pegram (fifth), Small (seventh), Hester (eighth), and Melneciuc (ninth).

The World Superbike chatter began changing early in the season as initial questioning of the new spec-tire rule changed to general acceptance as the promised “level playing field, close racing action” became the rule rather than the exception. And there were no factory teams running off with the cookies and leaving the crumbs for those who followed. Well, here we are just two rounds and four races away from the end of the season, and only 14 points now separate the top four riders although their positions changed around after last weekend’s Assen round. Ducati FILA’s James Toseland’s win in the first race (his second win of the season) moved him from fourth to first in the championship, while his teammate Regis Laconi slid to third after leading the points coming into Assen. Ten Kate Honda’s Chris Vermeulen is still in second place, now just three points behind Toseland after Vermeulen’s second-race win. Nori Haga’s fourth-third finishes, on the heels of his double win at Brands Hatch a few weeks back, dropped him back to fourth. Incidentally, Assen’s second race was called one of the closest ever; Vermeulen beating Toseland by .037 seconds, and third-place Haga by just .117 seconds. Now that’s what you call close racing.



More, from a press release issued by American Honda:

Red Rider Weekend Report
5 September 2004
Road Race-Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA
MX-Steele City, Belmont, PA

Carmichael wins the 250 Championship at Steel City, Duhamel takes the FX crown at Road Atlanta

The last weekend of summer saw team Honda’s road racers visiting the Peach state of Georgia, where Miguel Duhamel clinched the Formula Xtreme Championship with the 79th victory of his amazing career. Duhamel won by a margin of .210 seconds over teammate Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke, giving Honda its fifth FX championship. While Duhamel was busy racking up his seventh AMA title, team Honda’s Ricky Carmichael was wrapping up his fifth consecutive 250 motocross championship at Steel City Raceway in Belmont, PA. Carmichael again won both motos on the CRF450R four-stroke by huge margins to keep his perfect season going with only one round remaining in the 2004 motocross season. Amsoil/Chaparral Honda’s Kevin Windham took second at Steel City, and 16-year-old privateer rookie Mike Alessi took third overall on a production Honda CRF450R.

Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta hosted round 10 of the AMA Formula Xtreme Championship, and Duhamel made his intentions known by taking pole with the 1.26.120 lap time. At the drop of the green flag the CBR600RRs of Duhamel and Zemke charged ahead of the field. With one race remaining after Road Atlanta, Miguel only had to finish in the top-ten to take the title, but he was not going to settle for anything less than the win. Despite a red flag that cost him an early lead, Duhamel battled back to the front to engage in a race-long battle with Zemke. Duhamel, always the hunter, saved the best for last position back and forth with Zemke and saved the best for last, slingshoting around Zemke on the final lap to take the checkers and yet another national championship.

“My hat’s off to Jake,” said the smiling Duhamel. “He ran a really great race, gave me plenty of room. I tried to do the same. It was really tight racing. I’m just really happy to be a part of the Honda team. The CBR600RR won the championship and my guys worked really hard. We had a tough year against Jake for sure and I’m just really happy to be here.”

In the first race of the weekend’s Superbike double-header, Duhamel and teammate Ben Bostrom battled for the lead early with Mat Mladin, but the Honda duo lost touch with the lead mid way through the race. Once into lapped traffic, Duhamel used his passing mastery to close the gap on Mladin. On lap 22, Duhamel stuck a wheel alongside the Aussie, but lapped traffic worked against Duhamel making the pass stick. Duhamel would have to settle for a close second. Bostrom, also balked by lapped traffic, finished third while Zemke, suffering from set-up problems that robbed him of traction throughout the race, finished forth.

“At the end I had an outside chance coming into the chicane,” said Duhamel. “I went wide hoping they’d (lapped traffic) go in tight because Mat was going in tight, but it didn’t work out. I didn’t want to do anything too crazy coming down the hill because it was too tight anyway. I just came up a little short.”

Said Bostrom of his third-place finish: “It was quite fun, actually. We just need a little better start so we can race with these guys, but at least we had Jake and Aaron out there to race with most the race. I was wishing I was up with the leaders, but they were going too fast to run down. The bike was fantastic and the tires were great. It was set up really well, we just need the rider to get a better start and go quicker.”

Sunday’s Superbike race kicked off with Duhamel taking the holeshot, but not for long before teammate Bostrom would claim the lead. As the two charged ahead, Mat Mladin was carving his way through the field and took the lead on lap six. A few laps later, Bostrom was nearly forced off the track by lapped traffic, allowing Duhamel to get by for second, and from then on, the order remained the same to the checkers, with Zemke again battling set-up difficulties and finishing fourth.

“It was a little bit tougher race today,” said Duhamel. “It was hotter and seemed a little trickier on the tires. But everybody was in the same boat so we just tried to do our best. Traffic was pretty bad for everybody, but that’s how it goes, you know?”

“These guys rode better than I did and they won,” said Bostrom. “Mat was fantastic all weekend, the man to beat. He deserved to win, and Miguel was right there pushing hard every day. He’s a great rider.”

AMA Motocross

The Steel City motocross kicked off in front of a capacity crowd, and when the gate dropped in the 250 race, it was Honda-mounted Kyle Lewis who grabbed the hole shot. But his lead would be short lived as Ricky Carmichael immediately charged to the front and pulled his patented disappearing act. This time, a huge pile-up at the start added even more distance to RC’s win margin, as the crash took out Kevin Windham and Chad Reed, RC’s closest rivals all season. As a result, RC took his 21st win of the season and clinched the 250 championship after beating the field by a whopping 1.03.593 seconds.

“This winter, while recovering from knee surgery, I just sat in front of the T.V. watching Supercross and dreaming about getting back to this point,” said Carmichael. “I want to thank everyone who helped me get to this point. Winning five straight 250 championships is something I never imagined I could do when I started racing.”

Windham escaped injury in the first turn pile-up, and charged up from fifth to take second. Team Honda’s Ernesto Fonseca, got off the gate in the middle of the field and was able to take his CR250R to an eighth place finish. Alessi, in only his second professional start, took his production CRF450R to a fifth place finish in the first moto.

Carmichael’s perfect season continued in moto two with a holeshot ahead of Reed and Windham. RC built on his early lead to win once again without
drama. “I’m looking forward to Glen Helen,” said Carmichael. “I want to concentrate on the win streak now, and it’s going to be a hot weekend at
Glen Helen.”

Windham managed to finish second overall. “I’m happy to get second overall today,” said Windham. “I can’t wait to get to Glen Helen and battle for second in the championship; we’re only seven points behind.”

Alessi took third overall. “It’s awesome to be up here with these guys,” said Alessi. “I didn’t want that crash in the first moto to ruin my day
again like it did at Millville a few weeks ago so I gave it everything I had to come back. I was pretty exhausted by the second moto.” Fonseca
finished fifth overall.

Steel City saw the return of Jeremy McGrath, who had a rough day finishing 20th overall (15,32). In the first moto, McGrath got caught up in the first-turn pile-up and started near the back off the field, working his way up to 15th at the finish. A mechanical failure took him out of the second moto, but he was able to score points to keep his famous #2 for the 2005 AMA Supercross Series.

“I had a little mechanical problem,” said McGrath. “I’m kinda bummed; I wanted to finish better. I got running pretty darn good, especially after the first moto. Those were the hardest points I ever earned in my life.”

In 125 race action, Chris Gosselaar was the man of the day, finishing fourth overall. His Amsoil/Chaparral Honda teammate, Ryan Mills, finished 8th overall, followed by Greg Schnell in ninth. Notably, Tommy Hahn, in his first national race, finished 11th overall.

The final round of the 2004 AMA Motocross season will be at Glen Helen Raceway Park, in California, while the AMA Superbike championship will wrap up at Virginia International Raceway in Virginia. Can Duhamel, Bostrom or Zemke take the Superbike title? Can Carmichael keep his perfect season going? Stay tune for all the race details.

AMA Formula Xtreme Results
1. Miguel Duhamel-Honda
2. Jake Zemke-Honda
3. Doug Chandler-Ducati
4. Jason Pridmore-Suzuki
5. Larry Pegram-Yamaha
21. Alex Gobert-Honda

AMA Formula Xtreme Points Standings
1. Miguel Duhamel-Honda-358
2. Jake Zemke-Honda-307
3. Alex Gobert-Honda-254
4. Vincent Haskovec-Suzuki-231
5. Larry Pegram-Yamaha-215

AMA Superbike Results (Saturday)
1. Mat Mladin-Suzuki
2. Miguel Duhamel-Honda
3. Ben Bostrom-Honda
4. Jake Zemke-Honda
5. Aaron Yates-Suzuki

AMA Superbike Results (Sunday)
1. Mat Mladin-Suzuki
2. Miguel Duhamel-Honda
3. Ben Bostrom-Honda
4. Jake Zemke-Honda
5. Josh Hayes-Kawasaki

AMA Superbike Overall Points
1. Mat Mladin-Suzuki-532
2. Jake Zemke-Honda-490
3. Miguel Duhamel-Honda-477
4. Ben Bostrom-Honda-364
5. Geoff May-Suzuki-344

AMA 250 Overall Results
1. Ricky Carmichael-Honda-(1,1)
2. Kevin Windham-Honda-(2,3)
3. Mike Alessi-Honda-(5,4)
4. Sebastein Tortelli-Suzuki-(4,6)
5. Ernesto Fonseca-Honda-(8,7)

Overall AMA 250 Points
1. Ricky Carmichal-Honda-550
2. Chad Reed-Yamaha-432
3. Kevin Windham-Honda-426
4. David Vuillemin-Yamaha-336
5. Michael Byrne-Kawasaki-282
6. Ernesto Fonseca-Honda-272

AMA 125 Overall Results
1. James Stewart-Kawasaki-(1,1)
2. Broc Hepler-Suzuki-(3,5)
3. Troy Adams-Kawasaki-(7,3)
4. Chris Gosselaar-Honda-(5,4)
5. Matt Walker-Kawasaki-(2,10)
8. Ryan Mills-Honda-(4, 15)
9. Greg Schnell-Honda-(8, 11)

AMA 125 Overall Points
1. James Stewart-Kawasaki-525
2. Broc Hepler-Suzuki-375
3. Michael Brown-Yamaha-342
4. Matt Walker-Kawasaki-259
5. Nathan Ramsey-Honda-250
9. Josh Grant-Honda-200
10. Ryan Mills-Honda-198
12. Chris Gosselaar-Honda-182
13. Greg Schnell-Honda-167


More, from a press release issued by Safety First Racing:

Safety First Racing enjoys a successful weekend at Road Atlanta.

After just celebrating his 17th birthday, Safety First Racing rider, Jesse Janisch, rolled into Road Atlanta ready for action. Team owner, Kevin Hanson, stated that they had spent the month of August attending a couple of local CCS races to get Jesse additional seat time riding a GSX-R1000 and also spent two days in Michigan attending Jason Pridmore’s Starmotorcycle school. Going into the weekend, Jesse was looking forward to finally being at an AMA track he was familiar with after having won a Suzuki Cup race at the GNF last year.

In Superstock, Jesse put in another solid performance by finishing 13th after chasing Erion Honda’s Alex Gobert the entire race.

In only his second Superbike weekend, Jesse put in a good performance on Saturday and finished 14th behind some of the local fast guys. Not satisfied with his performance, Jesse looked to improve his results during Sunday’s race.

Prior to Sundays Superbike race, Hanson stated he and Jesse spent a considerable amount of time watching turn 7 and seeing how the factory guys got into and out of the turn. “The key for Jesse this year has been getting him used to riding his GSX-R1000 different from a 600,” said Hanson. “Jesse is a really smooth rider and has great throttle control, we’ve been working at adapting him to getting the 1000 stood up and fired out of the corners. Obviously he applied what he learned…. Jesse went from low 28’s on Saturday to doing some mid 27’s during the second Superbike race,” commented Hanson.

For Sunday’s Superbike race, Jesse put his head down and rode hard netting him a 14th place finish. Making the result even more enjoyable was the fact that Jesse beat fast, local Road Atlanta veterans, Opie Caylor and Brian Stokes. “I’m very pleased with Jesse’s riding…..every weekend he continually rides better and improves his results,” stated Hanson.

Safety First Racing heads to Virginia International Raceway next week for the final round of the AMA Superbike series, September 17th-19th.


More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Miguel Duhamel: 2004 AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Champion

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 7, 2004) — Miguel Duhamel took home the 2004 AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Championship after winning his seventh Formula Xtreme race at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., last Saturday. While the Formula Xtreme title is Duhamel’s seventh AMA road racing championship, surprisingly it marks the first title for the Montreal native in seven years.

Duhamel proved he was the leading contender in Formula Xtreme back in March when he won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He went on to take a three-race winning streak in the series before losing to Honda teammate and series rival Jake Zemke at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., in May. Duhamel came back to earn a pair of two race winning streaks to push his total number of wins to seven. That placed him in a tie for fourth on the all-time Formula Xtreme win list with Nicky Hayden and Andrew Stroud.

Duhamel is one of three riders to have earned a victory in Formula Xtreme this year along with Zemke and Ben Bostrom.

“I believe that we pushed it hard and we just went for it on the last lap again today,” Duhamel said of his Road Atlanta victory. “It was just a really tough championship. There were two factory guys, obviously Jake and I were riding up front, but still there’s only one place on the podium and it was really hard to get and I feel that this was a tough championship to win this year.”

A victory in the series finale at Virginia International Raceway on Sept. 18 could put Duhamel up to a tie for third on the all-time series wins list after only one season of competing in the series.

A VIR win could also tie Duhamel with Eric Bostrom for the single-season record number of wins in Formula Xtreme. Bostrom won eight Formula Xtreme races en route to the 1998 championship.

Duhamel is the seventh AMA Formula Xtreme champion since the series began in 1997.


More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist:

PODIUM AND EXCITING RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA

Jason DiSalvo of Stafford, New York spent the holiday weekend of September 3, 4, & 5th at Road Atlanta which proved to be some of the best racing this year in the AMA SuperSport and SuperStock classes. With practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday, and back to back races on Sunday it was a fast paced event.

On Friday Jason was among the fastest in both classes and on Saturday continued his fast pace by qualifying 2nd fastest in both the 1000 SuperStock and 600 SuperSport classes.

With a front row start in the SuperStock class Jason ran 2nd for a few laps before taking the lead and set the pace for four laps before a near high-side moved him back to fifth. Then a charge later in the race moved Jason to fourth and on the last lap attempting a move for third a slight touch with another bike sent Jason off into the grass but a great save allowed Jason to keep it on two wheels re-entering the track and ultimately finishing 5th. Jason commented “It was a fun race with more excitement then any other race.”

In the 600 SuperSport class again with a front row start Jason moved into the lead for 2 laps then diced with two other riders for the duration of the race with a three bike battle for 1st place and some of the closest racing this year. Jason finished 3rd taking his 7th podium of the year. With one race left at Virginia International Raceway in 2 weeks, Jason is looking to continue his top form to close the season on a positive note. Current point standings have Jason 4th in the 1000 SuperStock and 5th in the 600 SuperSport.

The SuperSport 600 Race will air on September 7, 2004 at 1:00PM on Speed channel and the SuperStock 1000 race will air on September 14, 2004 at 1:00PM.



More, from a press release issued by Ed Beckley:

Road Atlanta, It was all about Finishing

09/07/04 FT. Worth, TX : After making his second AMA Super Sport AMA National Road Race, 18 year old young gun #494 Scott Beckley and mechanic Scott “the Fish” Fisher are hanging out at Triangle Cycle just outside of Danville, Virginia. Rusty with Triangle cycle is Larry Pegram’s sponsor and has a huge ranch bordering VIR , the next stop on the AMA National Road Racing circuit on Sunday September 19th. “I really want to thank Larry and Jimmy Pegram for all their help at Road Atlanta. Larry and Jeff Haney and Nick Ienatsch (my instructors at Freddie Spencer School) , and Kevin Schwantz gave me all good advice,” said Scott Beckley.

Scott is trying to clear up a summer cold and a bout of flu that hit him on Friday prior to morning practice at Road Atlanta. Fish is working on their race bikes for a couple of days before heading out to Nashville for the Saturday Sept. 11th AMA Super Motard Races. After prepping the bikes to get ready for upcoming races it is time for some much needed R&R. Scott and the “Fish” are going to trail ride and generally have a good time after such a furious week at Road Atlanta and prior to that replacing everything on the Yamaha R6 after the Mid Oho crash which nearly totaled the motorcycle.

This past weekend at Road Atlanta Scott tried to shake off the “Rookie Blues” and Scott called us on the phone and gave his feelings about the Road Atlanta National, “I got up early in the morning on Sunday and still felt poorly. Prior to the National I had early practice at 9am. Today I felt better on the bike and tried some new things but I was stuck in the 1:34’s. After practice I drank some juice and tried to hydrate myself and also went and took a nap in the motorhome. I decided I was going to put my effort in the race and forget my qualifying times. After a quick nap I had a long break as my race was at 1:40pm so I hung out in the pit area and helped Jimmy and Larry Pegram as Larry had several classes he was racing in.”

Scott went onto to tell about the race, “My starting position was inside Row 8, along way back as I was 32nd in time trials. At the start I got crammed up in the first turn and was almost last at the exit. Starting way back in the pack I was being held up by the guys in front of me. I went to work and passed a few and I was 27th then I went off the track after I missed a down shift and could not slow down. I almost crashed and by the time I gathered it up I went back to end of all the other riders, if I wasn’t in last I don’t know why. After going off the track I passed 2 or 3 guys and on the last lap I tried to make a double pass and got one (Ryan Andrews another fellow CMRA racer) as I bonzied into the corner after Gravity Cavity hill and then set off after the other guy in my sites Jimmy Wood. Wood and I are both dirt trackers and I wanted to beat him badly. I did make some passes and got in the 1:33’s but I was not up to speed at all. In wanted to shake my crash off from Mid Ohio but I did not get it done. I ended up in 31st and was disappointed, but glad to actually finish an AMA National in one piece with the bike intact. After the crash at Mid Ohio that sucked being out for a month!

“This week I am really excited to get to ride Fish’s Honda CRF 450. I really had fun testing several weeks ago practicing at a track outside of Oklahoma City. As far as my career with AMA Super Moto, I think I am ready to put a good effort in this Saturday at Nashville. It’s time to do a little backing it in. I am hoping there is not much MX part, but dirt is cool and I am ready for some huge slides and riding the Scotty’s Speed Shop Honda,” said Beckley.


More, from a press release issued by Buell Motorcycle Company:

BUELL DEALER TEAMS COME UP SHORT AT ROAD ATLANTA

Early Incident Foils Promising Formula Xtreme Weekend for Hal’s and Kosco Efforts

BRASELTON, Ga. – Kosco Buell/Innovative Motorcycle Research rider Michael Barnes and Hal’s Performance Advantage rider Mike Ciccotto each put in top-ten qualifying efforts aboard Buell Firebolt motorcycles at the Road Atlanta round of the AMA Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme series. They were running a strong third and fourth during the first laps of the race, but both saw their race end early on the second lap of the event.

Ciccotto, who qualified seventh, highsided his bike while running fourth and crashed on the second lap, which brought out the red flag to halt the race. Ciccotto did not restart the race due to some swelling in his left hand. Barnes, who had jumped from eighth on the grid to third on the start, experienced an electrical charging system failure during the red flag period and could not restart the race. The race was won by American Honda rider Miguel Duhamel, who clinched the Formula Xtreme season championship with the victory.

“It was a tough weekend for both of these dealer teams,” said Erik Buell, chairman and chief technical officer at Buell Motorcycle Company. “But it was great to see the Buell Firebolts running up front as Hal’s and Kosco learn more and continue developing the bikes.”

AMA Formula Xtreme is a class open to highly modified motorcycles with 600cc four-cylinder engines or larger-displacement V-Twin engines. The final stop on the 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship schedule is Sept. 17-19 at Virginia International Raceway near Alton, Va.

To learn more about Buell Motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style, and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.



More, from a press release issued by HMC Ducati:

HMC DUCATI MILWAUKEE RACING IS BACK ON THE PODIUM

HMC Ducati Milwaukee Racing
September 7, 2004

HMC Ducati Milwaukee Racing, the factory-backed Formula Xtreme 749R race team for Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (NYSE: DMH, Borsa Italiana S.p.A.: DMH), had an exceptional race after the summer break returning to top form with a podium position for third.

“It’s great to be back on the podium,” enthused Mitch Hansen, HMC Ducati Milwaukee Team Owner. “Our guys have really been working hard and it paid off!”

After the restart the former Grand Prix hero, Doug Chandler, got an outstanding start and slotted into second behind Honda mounted Jake Zemke. Within half a lap the eventual race winner, Miguel Duhamel, got by into second place.

“We have the bugs worked out and the bike is really performing well,” explained Hansen. “We closed out our Road Atlanta weekend by showing the best finish by an independent team.”

Taking third wasn’t a cake walk. Honda-mounted Alex Gobert, Chandler, and Suzuki racer Jason Pridmore were scraping for the last podium spot until Gobert’s engine let go. Most of the 2.5 mile Road Atlanta racetrack gives ample passing opportunities; it’s only the esses that racers have to fall into single file. On the last section of the last lap, Chandler made his move and entered the chicane ahead of hard charging Pridmore. Chandler nipped the Suzuki star by a scant .114 seconds at the line.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racers Nicky Hayden and Eric Bostrom are both seeing Dr. Art Ting today at his clinic in Fremont, California.

The famed orthopedic surgeon is checking Hayden’s broken-and-plated collarbone, which is causing him a lot of pain, and will MRI Bostrom’s shoulder, originally injured at Laguna Seca a year ago and re-injured at Road Atlanta Saturday.

From a press release issued by Dorna Sports:

Estoril secures MotoGP for Portugal until 2006

Portugal will keep its spot on the MotoGP calendar at least until the 2006 season following the renewal of the agreement between the promoters of the event, Sociedade Gestora do Autódromo de Estoril (SGA), represented by Domingos Piedade, and Dorna Sports, the company that holds the commercial rights to the series, represented by its CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta.

Two representatives of the Portuguese Government, the Minister of Tourism, Telmo Correia, and the Minister of State and Sports, Henrique Chaves, were present at the signature ceremony that took place at the Autodromo de Estoril during last Sunday’s Grande Premio Marlboro de Portugal.

Estoril has been a regular venue for MotoGP ever since the Portuguese Grand Prix was held there for the first time in 2000. For the 2005 series it has been provisionally scheduled on a later date than usual and will take place on October 30th.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former WERA racer Mike Lighton and wife Susanna had a son, Derek Matthew Lighton, August 27 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

In response to racer concerns, Willow Springs spokesperson Stephanie Huth said today that there will be no changes in equipment eligibility for the 2004 Toyota 200 at Willow Springs Raceway, scheduled for October 15-17.

In an effort to even the playing field, Bill and Stephanie Huth recently considered banning quick-change equipment at the 2004 event, but delayed the ban until 2005 due to time constraints adversely affecting several teams and riders.

However, Stephanie Huth said that quick-change equipment will be restricted for 2005. Details will be announced prior to the end of this year.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Daytona International Speedway, located in Daytona Beach, Florida, survived Hurricane Frances with no significant damage to the 50-plus-year-old facility.

Frances was the second major hurricane the “World Center of Racing” has had to weather in the past three weeks. The first was Hurricane Charley.

According to a posting on its official website, www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com, the track’s ongoing major renovation project will not suffer any major delays due to the second storm and is still scheduled for completion in December.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

CCS Racer Brian D. Kwak and wife Michelle had a son, Benjamin Maxwell Kwak, August 25 in Chicago, Illinois.

Motorcycle racing publicist and businessman Kurt von Ahnen and wife Heidi had a daughter, Rainey von Ahnen, August 28 in Louisville, Colorado.

From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
FUCHS KAWASAKI DEVELOPMENT TEST – ESTORIL
6TH SEPTEMBER 2004

DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI AT ESTORIL

Fuchs Kawasaki were back on track at Estoril today, just 24 hours after the Portuguese Grand Prix, testing new fuel injection components and chassis settings as part of the ongoing development of the Ninja ZX-RR.

For Alex Hofmann, today’s test gave him the opportunity to work on solving the set-up problems that affected his performance in yesterday’s race. Changes to suspension and chassis made a noticeable improvement and resulted in the Fuchs Kawasaki rider ending today’s test one second faster than his best race time.

With his set-up sorted, Hofmann completed 63 laps of the Brno circuit, testing new fuel injection components and a range of new front and rear tyres from Bridgestone. But while the 24-year-old German rider was happy with his progress today, the same wasn’t true of his feelings for the local wildlife. On his final run this afternoon, an errant wasp managed to force its way into Hofmann’s leathers, stinging him three times on the chest before the Fuchs Kawasaki rider had a chance to open his zip and remove it.

Shinya Nakano also tested the new fuel injection system, designed by Magneti Marelli specifically for the Ninja ZX-RR, with positive results. The 26-year-old Japanese rider felt that that the latest version of the fuel injection system gave more power, but also made this additional power easier to use.

In addition, the 26-year-old Japanese rider tested revised chassis geometry on his Ninja ZX-RR that made the bike more stable under braking and less likely to spin up the rear tyre under acceleration.

Both Fuchs Kawasaki riders now have a few days of well earned rest, before heading out to Motegi and the Japanese Grand Prix; round twelve in this year’s MotoGP World Championship.

Alex Hofmann: 63 Laps – 1’39.97
“It’s no secret that I struggled with set-up in yesterday’s race, so the test today gave us an opportunity to work through a few options in a bid to improve things. The changes definitely seem to have worked, as I was a full second faster today than I was in the race. We also continued to test the new fuel injection parts we first tried on the bike in Brno, and there is definitely a lot of potential there. Bridgestone also had some new front and rear tyres for us to test and, again, there was a definite improvement. So, overall we’ve made a lot of progress today, which will stand us in good stead at Motegi. It’s just a pity that circumstances stopped us from making the same progress in time for yesterday’s race.”

Shinya Nakano: 58 Laps – 1’39.63
“The main focus today has been on testing again the new fuel injection system, but we’ve also tried slightly different chassis geometry on the bike as well. The new fuel injection seems to offer more power, as well as improving acceleration. I think this new system has a lot of potential. The chassis changes also produced a positive result, providing better stability under braking and making the bike less prone to spinning up out of the turns. Now I’m looking forward to Motegi; it’s my home Grand Prix and I’ll definitely be looking for my best result of the season in front of my home crowd.”

Naoya Kaneko: Technical Coordinator
“Our main focus today has been on the new fuel injection system; gathering enough data for the engineers so that they can continue the development process between now and the next test. Both riders had positive comments about the new system, which indicates that we’re definitely moving in the right direction. We also managed to rectify the chassis problems that both riders suffered from in yesterday’s race, as well as testing a number of new front and rear tyres from Bridgestone. Overall, we’ve made quite a few improvements ready for the next race at Motegi.”


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

Team Test
Estoril, Portugal
Monday, 6 September, 2004

ROSSI AND CHECA MAKE THE MOST OF LAST TEST IN ESTORIL

The gruelling schedule of the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team continued today at the Estoril circuit in Portugal, where Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa made more impressive lap times aboard their YZR-M1 machines. Fresh from Rossi’s sixth victory of the year in yesterday’s Portuguese Grand Prix, this was the Factory team’s last chance to test before the season finale in October. Championship leader Rossi spent the day testing a new exhaust system, new engine parts, and continuing to test electronic controls, while team-mate Checa continued working on various settings with his M1 machine, with both riders sampling a variety of tyres for Michelin.

Rossi and Checa were joined out on track by Honda rivals Sete Gibernau and Colin Edwards, the Kawasaki pairing of Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann, as well as lone Proton rider Nobuatsu Aoki. Rossi made 80 laps in total with a best time of 1’38.31s, and with all scheduled tests completed today, leaves Estoril tonight for a well-earned short break before heading off for next weekend’s Japanese race at the Motegi circuit. Checa, who completed 76 laps today with a best time of 1’38.90, will continue to test tomorrow.

“We tried new pipes, a different exhaust system, it’s good and I like it”, commented Rossi. “From the bottom power level, the engine characteristic becomes more smooth and sweet. I like it. We tested it all day and everyone agreed it’s good.”

Of the challenge that faces him in the final five races of the season, Rossi said, “There are only five races to go, and I think Motegi will be the most difficult as it’s a Honda track. It will for sure be difficult but we’ve worked well today, and our target is for a podium in Motegi. There would be more pressure if we were 29 points behind rather than 29 points ahead as we have now, so I’m happy to be leading the championship. To be ahead with Yamaha is fantastic, we will try to make five great races together, Yamaha and I.”

Team Director Davide Brivio was pleased with the progress of both riders, commenting, “Everything is working well, we seem to have made a small step today. Once again it was a good test, we tested a lot of tyres for Michelin again. It’s our last chance to test before the end of the season and with five races to go, so we wanted to improve and check as many things as possible. We have concluded our plan so we hope to be prepared for these last races.

“Carlos worked again on his bike setting and improved his lap times from yesterday, so it was a positive test for him. Valentino also had a beneficial day, which I think could put us in a good position for the final part of the championship.”

Carlos Checa will continue testing at the Estoril circuit tomorrow before the team packs up and heads out of Europe for the string of intercontinental races in Japan, Qatar, Malaysia and Australia before returning for the last round in Valencia, Spain on 31st October.

UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES:
1. Sete Gibernau (Honda) 1’37.63 (74 laps)
2. Colin Edwards (Honda) 1’38.08 (71 laps)
3. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’38.31 (80 laps)
4. Carlos Checa (Yamaha) 1’38.90 (76 laps)
5. Shinya Nakano (Kawasaki) 1’39.63 (58 laps)
6. Alex Hofmann (Kawasaki) 1’39.97 (65 laps)
7. Nobuatsu Aoki (Proton) 1’39.63 (58 laps)
8. Nobuatsu Aoki (with KTM engine) 1’43.18 (21 laps)


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda:

Positive Day of testing at Estoril

After a complicated and hard race weekend, the team Telefonica Movistar Honda carried out a positive day of testing at Estoril.

Sete lapped 74 laps, 1’37″6 his best time.
An incredible lap time that shows the good work done today. Sete focused on analysing the problems encountered yesterday during the race and he was satisfied with the work done.
“Today iwe did a good job and we could understand more things about the RC211V, I’m confident for Motegi and I’m strong and determnined for the race as I have always been this year.”

A positive test session also for his team mate Colin Edwards. The texan lapped 71 laps, 1’38″08 his best time. Colin focused first on the set up of the bike and then made some test tyres. “Thanks to Michelin we have tested a new tyre today, I had a very good feeling and found a good pace. I’m confident for Motegi”

At the end of the test session the team prepared the crates to ship all the material to Japan, where the round 12 of the championship will be held next 19th of September.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Privateer Jack Pfeifer, who finished fourth in the 2004 Daytona 200, missed the AMA Superbike races at Road Atlanta while still recovering from recent hernia surgery.

“I am at home healing up from the surgery,” Pfeifer wrote in an e-mail to Roadracingworld.com. “I’ve been getting a bunch of calls asking where I’m at and why I’m not at the races. It’s nice to get the calls, but you know how it is when you can’t ride, it’s a bit depressing, and I know everyone reads your site.

“I will probably be back in action at the Toyota 200 and the word on the street is the rules are changing regarding quick-change equipment, making it illegal!

“It was recommended by my doctor for me to not race for another few weeks minimum due to the possibility that I might tear some stitches that are holding my stomach muscles and the patch together, which in turn are holding intestines in their place, which really stinks because last year I went pretty good at Road Atlanta considering it was my first time there, and normally I’d just say OK to the doc and go race anyway. But not this time…”

Jack Pfeifer
Las Vegas, Nevada