Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Scott Carpenter is leaving Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia today and is headed home to Raleigh, North Carolina.

Carpenter, 43, underwent surgery yesterday to screw together his pelvis, which was broken in three places in a crash during a WERA National Challenge Series 750cc Superstock race at Summit Point Raceway Sunday.

Carpenter was originally transported to a hospital in Winchester, Virginia but was flown by helicopter to Fairfax Sunday night.

“I appreciated all the calls from everybody and all the support,” Carpenter told Roadracingworld.com today.

Carpenter said he highsided after hitting something slick on the racetrack, and that his racebike landed on top of him. He had no injuries other than the broken pelvis.

The WERA veteran is sponsored by RonAyers.com and Pirelli.

From a press release issued by CCS:

CCS at Shenandoah Cancelled September 4-57

The Mid-Atlantic regional Championship Cup Series event originally scheduled at Summit Point Raceway’s Shenandoah Circuit September 3-4-5 has been cancelled due to more construction delays with the new facility.

All CCS motorcycle events at Summit Point Raceway have been moved by Bill Scott Racing from the original 2.1 mile Summit Point Circuit to the Shenandoah Circuit in 2004 including the events scheduled for September 3-5 and October 8-10.

Bill Scott Racing and Summit Point Raceway management expects that Championship Cup Series will be the first group to race at the new facility when CCS motorcycle racing debuts at the Shenandoah Circuit on October 9-10.

The cancellation puts even more emphasis on the CCS event scheduled for Barber Motorsports August 14-15 which also includes the Formula USA series, both are double point paying rounds for the Mid-Atlantic region of CCS.

Bill Scott of Summit Point Raceway commented that “Weather related construction delays have placed final completion, (pending final state and county inspections) on or about the date of our next event in September and the risk of missing the target date is just too great.”

Scott also said “We really enjoy having the CCS events here, and we are dissappointed this has happened, we will do everything we can to make sure the October event is a success for all of us.”

Don’t forget about the Lockhart-Phillips USA Sport Rider Days scheduled at race tracks around the country. Street riders can find “Track Days” in all regions including 4 new affiliates; Fastrax in the Great Lakes Region, Church of Speed in the Southern Region, as well as Keigwin at the Track and SoCal Track Days in California and Nevada.

These LP USA track days focus on street riders but also offer licensing clinics for those that want to take the next step. Regardless of where you live, you can find a Lockhart Phillips USA sponsored Track Day near you! Just visit FormulaUSA.com or CCSracing.com for dates and location!

Lockhart Phillips USA Sport Rider Days are also open to Dealerships and provide great customer service incentives. Contact Formula USA / CCS with inquiries regarding “Dealer Days”.

From a press release issued by series organizers:

PICOTTE TARGETS REPEAT

TORONTO, ON Pascal Picotte is going for an encore performance at this weekend’s sixth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS.

A victory at AMP last year put the Granby, QC racer into the points lead for good en route to his first series title. Should he manage the feat again this weekend, Picotte would have an almost insurmountable advantage in the 2004 national Superbike standings.

Riding the Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 Picotte has an 89-point lead over his closest rival in the series standings, Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke with two rounds to go. A total of 56 points is available at each Parts Canada Superbike round. Following Sunday’s race the tour moves on to Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant Aug. 22 and Shannonville Motorsport Park Sept. 5.

Picotte is also trying to grab a share of history at AMP by winning his fifth straight Parts Canada Superbike round. He swept both ends of doubleheaders at Race City Motorsport Park and Mosport International Raceway earlier this season.

Only Szoke and Steve Crevier have won five in a row in the history of Canadian Superbike racing. Crevier did it first in 1992 and Szoke equaled that mark in 2002.

While Picotte is the defending AMP Superbike winner, the track has been good to Szoke recently as well. The last time he was here, in 2002 the Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR rider matched Crevier’s mark of five consecutive national Superbike wins and clinched his second career title.

Szoke is in a tight scrap for second in the Parts Canada Superbike standings, however. He is only three points ahead of Calgary rider Clint McBain (Coors Light Racing / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000), five in front of Maple Ridge, BC’s Crevier (DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000) and 10 ahead of Kevin Lacombe of Granby, QC (Lacombe Racing Yamaha YZF-R1).

With five career AMP victories, Crevier has won more Superbike nationals at AMP than any other racer but he is coming off a nasty crash at the most recent race at Mosport.

This weekend’s action will also include the sixth round of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship. Picotte is the defending champion in that category as well and leads the standings by 65 points over Crevier with McBain in third.

AMP will also host the fourth round of the six-race International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Championship. Yamaha riders Rudy Raposo of Mississauga, ON and Darren James from North Vancouver are in a tight points battle after James edged Raposo for the win last time out at Mosport.

Qualifying for all three national classes will take place Saturday afternoon with races on Sunday.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Oct. 2 at 3:30 p.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Oct. 9 at 11:30 a.m EDT. The action will also appear in one-hour format this fall on TORONTO1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.


All Time Atlantic Motorsport Park Superbike Wins

Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, BC) 5
Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 3
Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 2
Jordan Szoke (Brantford, ON) 2
Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, BC) 1
Miguel Duhamel (Repentigny, QC) 1
Michel Mercier (Thetford Mines, QC) 1
Mark Kowalski (Kitchener, ON) 1
Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 1

Atlantic Motorsport Park Fast Facts

…In addition to being his fifth straight triumph, a win on Sunday by Pascal Picotte would give him 13 career national Superbike wins, putting him alone in third place on the all-time list just one win behind Jordan Szoke. Steve Crevier leads with 22 victories.

…Last season marked the 11th time in Canadian Superbike history that the AMP winner has gone on to claim the national title. It was also the fourth straight time that has happened. Before Picotte last year, Crevier did it in 2000 and 2001 and Szoke accomplished the feat in 2002.

…Last year’s race around the tight and challenging AMP circuit continued a long tradition of spectacular battles at the track. Picotte edged Crevier for the win by just under half a second after a racelong scrap that at one point included no fewer than 10 motorcycles.

2004 Point Standings

Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 259; 2. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 170; 3. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 167; 4. Steve Crevier (Suzuki) 165; 5. Kevin Lacombe (Yamaha) 160

Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 246; 2. Steve Crevier (Suzuki) 181; 3. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 173

International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Rudy Raposo (Yamaha) 115; 2. Darren James (Yamaha) 111; 3. Tyler Kennedy (Honda) 92

Provisional Weekend Schedule

Saturday August 7

2:05 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying

2:50 p.m.-3:50 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying

4:00 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying

Sunday August 8

1:00 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 16 laps

2:00 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps

3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 22 laps

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Roadracingworld.com’s Melissa Berkoff is the first woman participant to stand on the overall podium in a WERA National Endurance Series race.



There was some question as to whether or not a woman finished on the podium in a 1976 24-hour in Las Vegas. But research by Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich and long-time motojournalist Art Friedman revealed that Mary McGee rode with a team that finished 5th overall in the November, 1976 WERA 24-Hour at Las Vegas.

At the time, McGee was the Western Advertising Manager for Motorcyclist magazine, held an AFM Expert license and was an experienced desert racer. She rode in the 24-hour with several other Motorcyclist magazine staffers, on a Suzuki GS750. The team ran out of tires and parked the bike after 12 hours, restarting at the very end and crossing the finish line to qualify as official finishers, at 5th overall.

Berkoff and her team–Neighbor Of The Beast–finished third overall, second in the Mediumweight Superstock class, on a Yamaha YZF-R6 in a 6-hour race Saturday, July 31 at Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia.

The WERA National Endurance Series has been in existence for 30 years.



See related posts:

8/2/2004 Roadracingworld.com’s Melissa Berkoff Makes History As First Woman Participant On Overall Podium In A WERA National Endurance Series 6-Hour

7/31/2004 Updated Post: Team Velocity Racing Wins WERA National Endurance 6-hour At Summit Point

From a press release:

4th Annual BSB Charity Football Match – Riders XI v Media XI – Friday 13th August 2004 – Northallerton Town FC – Kick Off 7.45pm

CHARITY SOCCER MATCH GETS GEARED UP FOR ACTION

A football match with a difference gets underway next weekend when the annual Superbike Riders versus Motorsport Media charity game kicks off at Northallerton Town Football Club on Friday 13th August.

Coinciding with the visit of the British Superbike Championship to Croft Circuit next weekend, the cream of British road racers will take on a team from the Media in a match which will raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Superbike stars Sean Emmett, Dennis Hobbs and James Ellison will join forces with a host of support class riders as they bid for victory against a Media team comprising of Journalists, TV Presenters and Photographers under the floodlights.

Also attending but not on the playing staff will be Rizla Suzuki stars John Reynolds and Yukio Kagayama as well as HM Plant Honda Racing duo, Michael Rutter and Karl Harris.

BBC Commentator Barry Nutley will act as MC during the evening as well as keeping fans entertained during the match with his observations from the touchline

Sponsored by Croft Circuit in association with NYRRSC and Electrocare of Northallerton, kick off is at 7.45pm with admission costing just £3.00 each. Afterwards a raffle and auction will take place in the club house.

Meanwhile, a reminder that Croft Circuit will host the official BSB test and media day tomorrow (Thursday 5th August) whereby all the top teams and riders will be in attendance throughout the day which starts at 9.30am and is open to the general public at a cost of £5.00 each.

From a press release:

TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES (AMERICA) LTD. SETS SALES RECORD

US New Units Sales top 1,000 in July

NEWNAN, Georgia – August 4 2004 – Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., announced today that new retail sales topped 1,000 units in July, marking the company’s fourth consecutive month of record breaking sales. TMA also sold more than 7,500 units for the 12 months ended July 30, which is another US sales record for the Hinckley, UK based motorcycle manufacturer.

Interest in Triumph’s new products including the Thruxton 900 and the Rocket III has generated an avalanche of positive press in both enthusiast and general interest media alike. This in turn has created renewed awareness and interest in the Triumph brand, which has brought thousands of new customers into Triumph showrooms.

“The performance of our dealers these past few months has been nothing short of amazing.” said Todd Andersen, Marketing Vice President, Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd. “With their help, we were able to leverage the interest created by the Rocket III into record-breaking retail sales.”

Triumph expects this sales momentum to continue into the fall. With Rocket III deliveries still ramping up, they look forward to extending their record-breaking sales pace through the end of the year.

Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triumph Motorcycles, Ltd, a manufacturer of Triumph motorcycles and accessories. Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., is located in Newnan, GA and services the Triumph dealer organization throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

FRENCH SUPERSPORT WIN FOR MUSCAT AND DUCATI

David Muscat’s win in the French Supersport championship on July 25th on a Ducati 749R was Ducati’s first title success in an intense year of activity for the Italian manufacturer. The experienced Muscat took the title after a hard-fought series of seven races against his closest rival, French youngster Yoann Tiberio on a Yamaha, and the fight went right down to the final round at Dijon-Prenois.

The Ducati Assurance Moto Service Team 749R had the support of Ducati France, which believed in a strong presence of Ducati’s latest Supersport flagship machine in a category that appeals to the buying public.

Muscat’s charge to the top began in earnest at Nogaro’s round 3 when he held off the challenge of Tiberio to take his first win of the year. Before that race, an inauspicious sixth place at the Le Mans opener had been followed by second place at Magny-Cours, but Muscat’s win immediately projected him to second in the standings behind his Yamaha rival.

Another win followed at Carole, while two more second places at Le Vigeant and Ledenon, where Muscat finished right on Tiberio’s exhausts, set the championship up for its final showdown at Dijon-Prenois at the end of July.

A strategic analysis of the points standings by Ducati Corse directors in Bologna made it clear that Muscat needed some extra support to be sure of taking the title. If he were to win and Tiberio to finish second, the Yamaha rider would be crowned champion so a second 749R was entered for long-time Ducati rider Fred Protat.

Protat duly did the job in an exciting final round, in which the race win went to Muscat after Tiberio retired with technical problems.

Thanks to the support of technical partner ‘L’Ecole de la Performance’ and tyre supplier Michelin, the Ducati Assurance Moto Service Team was able to clinch a fifth title for Ducati, and allowed Muscat to take his fourth win in the Supersport category since 2000.

FRENCH SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP – Final Standings


1. Muscat (Ducati) 145

2. Tiberio (Yamaha) 128

3. Lussiana (Yamaha) 89

4. Bouan (Yamaha) 75

5. De Rosa (Kawasaki) 65

6. Metro (Suzuki) 64

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Maybe my point was completely missed in the suggestion of a single-manufacturer cup race. The concept is to throw the motorcycle and tire manufacturers into an open bidding war for the fourth class. If that spot were made valuable, it would behoove the manufacturers to put a really good offer together for that fourth spot. I mention it should go to the manufacturer that makes the best offer for the rider. Emphasis on RIDER! If it ended up being Buel Blasts, so be it as long as the racing was close. If nobody was in debt at the end of year and the top 15 or 20 guys could pay their rent, it would be a success.

Creating a dramatic soap opera of characters trying to climb the ladder of the greatest racing sport on the planet should be the intent of AMA Pro Racing. Selling motorcycles should be left to the advertising and marketing departments of the manufactures. It is their job to utilize the results their factory pro teams hand them while racing under the rules dictated by a fair, organized, powerful, sanctioning body.

When the 36 riders line up on the grid they are heroes. Every one of them is great. When the sport is sold that way, you will garner the unlikely fans. Mothers and sisters don’t always care about the Honda or the Suzuki or who might be winning; they want to know who was that guy on that bike?

As for how many classes? There need not be any more than four. Ultimately the AMA road racing circus is looking to strengthen the market value of AMA Pro Racing so they can find title sponsors. The AMA doesn’t want to fill the paddock like a tent-city club race to pay for their expenses. (There is no entry fee for riders of Moto GP. Showing up with talent to put on the show is their entry and should be for AMA pro riders as well.)

Slipstreaming the program so people comprehend the stepping-stone up to the pinnacle of the sport is the goal. In turn, teams can sell their drama to an outside-industry sponsor and pull up to the racetrack in good-looking rolling billboards and afford to buy factory bits that will put them closer to the front.

If you had to have five classes, an Extreme Singles class seems the obvious route. This would allow supermotard engines to find their way onto road racetracks as well as bring back the engineering mechanics we lost when the 250s disappeared.

Marcello del Giudice
Las Vegas, Nevada



FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

I nominate the Buell XB9-12R series as a candidate for a box-stock class machine. The Suzuki SV650 is also excellent, but I’d like to see what the track-focused Buell could do in a group of like-built fish.

As an aside, I’m glad to hear from Marcello del Giudice again. A colorful character, “The Man in Black”, back from Antarctica? I remember him, and hope all is well.

Randall Leonard
Watsonville, California



FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

SV650s don’t push my buttons, but it’ll go down as one of the success stories in club-racing … right in there with EX500s, KZ550s, and various other lightweight or middleweight bikes. (Sorry if I’ve neglected your personal favorite.)

For a one-bike class, the SV is the best choice right now for North America, as the performance is much more approachable and affordable than 165-mph 600cc Inline-4s. A 450cc supermotard class would be a close second choice — mainly because of the potential crossover into the numerous SM orgs running at kart tracks and/or temporary parking lot circuits.

As for setting up such a series, the most important criteria is that a podium-capable bike MUST be cheap, and not require specialized fine-tuning or mechanical mods. LRRS has that in the “Production Twins” class, run at Loudon for probably two decades now. It has essentially evolved into an “EX500 race,” though other bikes have always been legal. (This winter the Ducati 620 was voted in, and feared to be a potential class steamroller. But only one or two riders race them at the track, and it has not yet made a difference in the class.)

The key to success in all those years was that the rental bikes offered by the race school were EX500s. This offered newbies a smooth transition into a class while simulaneously funnelling in new blood every single weekend. Call that the second-most important criteria.

One other note: Making it a DOT tire negates the need for a spec tire, and though I argued against allowing rain tires in our PT class for years, I now see that they make for better racing. And for teams that put a premium on good paint and presentation, they would save money over a typical season’s usage in bodywork damage. (I’m a fan of spray cans. 😉

Historically, these types of classes have not proved themselves very profitable. We let the riders pay most of the costs, but make it cheap enough for them to do it. Tires are a huge cost, making a (relatively) low-power bike attractive. But tire costs are nothing compared to the costs of actually driving all around the country to score the requisite points to win a national championship: A capable rider with the wherewithall to do that will win — but he or she will occasionally get spanked by the local boys.

Jeez, sure sounds like I’m describing FUSA’s m.o.

B.J. Worsham
LRRS #31
Old Westbury, New York


See related posts:

8/1/2004 Another Racer’s Take On A One-Make Class For AMA Pro Racing

7/30/2004 Racer Opinion: AMA Pro Racing Needs One-Make Class

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Bright future for WSBK says Foggy

Carl Fogarty believes the Superbike World Championship may be on the verge of a resurgence.

Encouraging crowds at Brands Hatch last weekend, coupled with encouraging noises of the return of a variety of manufacturers, has provided the FPR owner with grounds for optimism for the years ahead.

On the back of further signs of improvement for his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team as Chris Walker claimed fourth place and team-mate Troy Corser was fifth, Carl said: “I think the series was at a low last year, when there was only really one fast bike out there and when there was the negative reaction to the one tyre rule.

“Now the Honda is fast and there are a lot more 999 Ducati teams. There are strong indications that there will be more Hondas next year, with Yamaha and Suzuki teams returning. And, if MotoGP proves too expensive for the major manufacturers, World Superbike could get stronger and stronger again.

“I’m also hopeful that we will be challenging on a consistent basis after the encouraging results at Brands. We are hoping to consistently and comfortably run in the top six for the rest of the year and we are confident there is a lot more to come from the 900cc engine of the PETRONAS FP1.

“I think the one-tyre rule has made the series more interesting. There are four guys challenging for the championship and a few more capable of winning races. And it should be remembered that we are the only team doing lap times on Pirellis that are faster than our times last year.”