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From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

BRANDS HATCH BECKONS HONDA SUPERSPORT MAESTROS

After six free weekends, with no World Supersport races having taken place since Silverstone on 13 June 2004, the series reconvenes in England once more, at the natural amphitheatre of Brands Hatch. Most of the strong entry of supported Honda CBR600RR riders will enter the round in enviable championship positions, with the Ten Kate Honda riders Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes the best placed, in first and third places overall.

Muggeridge has had an outstanding run of recent form, with three wins and a second place his personal tally in the last four outings. He leads the championship with a healthy 107 points to Yamaha rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh’s 92. For Parkes, with three straight podium finishes under his belt and some encouraging results from a recent Oschersleben test session alongside team-mate Muggeridge, third place is his current status, on a total of 69 points. His closest competitor Kevin Curtain is adrift by 11 points.

With six full-time WSS competitors supported by Honda in 2004, the importance of the championship should not be underestimated, and in the Klaffi team Honda has a potent force to take on the competition in this intense and ever combative class. Experienced WSS rider Sebastien Charpentier leads the Klaffi charge in seventh place in the table, but he is well supported by the 20-year-old talent of Germany’s Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) who has been an impressive inductee from the 250cc Euro championships, lying tenth overall so far.

Team Italia Megabike Honda regular riders Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) and Denis Sacchetti will be joined by Aussie Anthony West, a major name in the MotoGP two stroke firmament, who is taking advantage of an offer to compete at Brands for the Italian-based team. The 23-year-old Australian will add extra spice to what is already a red-hot line up of talent in what is one of the toughest forms of Motorsport around.

Points leader Muggeridge has enjoyed his summer break, and is typically laid back in mood in readiness for the latest challenge. “We tested recently at Oschersleben and it all went very well; mostly chassis things for two days and then some tyre tests in the last hours. We did well against our main opposition and that’s a positive going into Brands. I did some climbing in Switzerland during the break, and otherwise I’ve just been training to keep fit for Brands.”

For Parkes the recent test session should have a far-reaching significance. “I was at the Ten Kate workshop for a few days during the break, and we had a good test as well. We haven’t tested this year other than Valencia and one windy day at Assen, so it was just what we needed. Before this test even though I understood the way the team works we did not really connect together perfectly. Now I feel we do and I’m learning a lot more from them. At the last test we all worked very well together and I feel it will show. Brands isn’t my favourite circuit but I have never really been there with a good bike, so I think it should be OK.”

Charpentier is positive about his second run out on English tarmac this year; “I’ve had some good results at Brands before, so I hope to repeat them. I want to get a podium in this race and it helps there are not such big jumps in the settings of the bike when going from a track like Silverstone to Brands Hatch. I have my goals very clear in my head for this weekend, and feel under no pressure at all.”

Neukirchner, who was a spectator at the Sachsenring MotoGP race, feels ready for his first taste of MotoGP action. “I haven’t done so much in the break but I have trained a lot and I will be in good shape for the race itself,” said Max. “Brands Hatch will be another new track for me but I like learning new tracks and have an experienced team behind me. I have heard a lot about Brands Hatch so I want to see it for myself.”

Three days of WSS action culminate in the race itself at Brands on August 1, with the next round of the championship at Assen on September 5.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

In response to reader complaints that the overall point standings issued by WSMC and posted on Roadracingworld.com were incorrect, WSMC has issued revised standings, as follows:

1. Marc Palazzo, 419 points
2. Stoney Landers, 355
3. Will Eikenberry, 354
4. Jeff Stern, 339
5. Sam Carnibucci, 338
6. Robbie Dowie, 296
7. Clinton Whitehouse III, 295
8. Skye Girard, 281
9. Blair Sullenger, 276
10. Jeremy Toye, 267
11. J.C. Gibbs, 246
12. Corey Eaton, 240
13. Howard Lynggard, 239
14. Stephen Hewitt, 231
15. Michael Pastore, 220

See related post:

7/22/2004 Who Won What With WSMC

From a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

YAMAHA RIDERS LEAVE DONINGTON FOR SUMMER BREAK IN CONFIDENT MOOD

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa continued lapping at the Donington circuit in Great Britain today after just one day of rest since Sunday’s British Grand Prix. The Yamaha factory team were joined by two other MotoGP teams today, the Repsol Honda Team and its riders Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden, and Honda Gresini rider Sete Gibernau. Similar to the weekend, the conditions were overcast with scattered showers at the Derbyshire track. Italian Rossi and Spaniard Checa continued evaluation and set-up work with their YZR-M1 machines, testing different chassis settings and new engine mapping.

Winner of his fifth Grand Prix of the year at Sunday’s Donington event, Yamaha rookie Rossi tested a new front fork setting and a different chassis set-up, as well as different engine mapping to ensure smoother engine delivery. Rossi completed several laps in the morning on his M1 machine, with a fastest time of 1:29.82, just over one second slower than his pole position record from Saturday of 1:28.72. The 25-year-old finished testing earlier than planned after a small fall in the early afternoon.

“That was a really strange fall, the track was mostly dry but it was starting to rain and there were a few wet patches,” explained Rossi. “My front tyre hit a wet patch and I did a kind of wheelie, the bike just went upright. It was coming out of the Melbourne loop, before Goddards. Anyway I was fine and was able to ride the bike back to the pits.

“It has been a useful test, we have found some good information. The new front fork setting improves braking stability, and the new engine mapping is making the bike easier to ride in general. I finished early anyway today because I only had some Michelin tyres to test but the track conditions were not suitable at that time. We had done most of what we set out to achieve today. I will now go on holiday with some friends for a good rest.”

Carlos Checa also had positive comments on his day’s work, having tested longer than his team-mate Rossi.

“We worked on some different settings and tested new engine mapping, as well as tyres for Michelin,” said Checa, who finished sixth in Sunday’s race. “I’m going on holidays with a good feeling about the bike, and will look forward to coming back to race in a few weeks. I don’t think the Yamaha engineers are going to have much of a rest!”

Rossi currently leads the MotoGP World Championship ahead of Honda riders Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi by 22 points, and Carlos Checa lies in seventh position with 72 points. The MotoGP paddock takes a three week break before the season recommences at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno on 22 August.

UNOFFICIAL LAP TIMES:

1. VALENTINO ROSSI 1:29.82
2. SETE GIBERNAU 1:29.94
3. CARLOS CHECA 1:30.08
4. ALEX BARROS 1:30.08
5. NICKY HAYDEN 1:31.00

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

CCS Florida Region
Moroso Motorsports Park
West Palm Beach, Florida
July 25, 2004

By Lisa Theobald

In a dramatic end to the day, Jim Pihokken won the Unlimited Grand Prix race by a bikelength over Marco Martinez. Martinez was the last rider to make the grid and almost missed the start of the race due to suspected suspension problems. But, Pihokken was on the gas from the drop of the green flag and nailed the holeshot, making it into turn one ahead of Ed Lis, Greg Melka, and Anthony Cabrera. Martinez was almost left behind on the grid and started back in 10th place. Pihokken used his Prieto Racing-sponsored GSX-R1000 to immediately open a gap on the rest of the field as he pulled away with the lead position. Behind him was the battle for second place as the GSX-R750 machine of Lis was being chased down by Melka and Cabrera. Martinez had maneuvered into fifth place by the end of the first lap. Cabrera also moved ahead and initiated a two-rider battle for second place with Lis. The drama started to unfold just after the halfway flags came out. Cabrera highsided and recovered his way through the turn three chicane and fell back to fifth place. Martinez was up to third, and gaining. With each lap he moved closer and closer to Pihokken, who was now 20 bikelengths ahead of Lis.

Martinez passed Lis in the middle of the fourth lap after pulling alongside him down the back straight and outpowering him to turn seven. When the white flag came out, he was a mere 10 bikelengths behind Pihokken, who had previously looked uncatchable. But, Martinez was on a mission. He closed the gap as they worked their way through turn two, but fell behind Pihokken at the entrance to the first chicane. With only a five-bikelength gap separating the top two riders, Martinez had his sights set on the top box of the podium. He pulled alongside Pihokken headed down the back straight, but couldn’t gain the advantage. Pihokken was on the gas and running for the checkered flag. It was an all out neck-to-neck run for the finish line which resulted in Pihokken running off track on the inside of the front chicane in a controversial move just before the checkered flag. Pihokken crossed the line a mere bikelength ahead of Martinez, whose amazing run from the back of the field to second place was fast enough to unofficially break his previously set track record by one second. Race officials had clocked Pihokken in the high 1:35’s, but did not record lap times on Martinez. Martinez reported that his onboard lap timer recorded a record breaking pace of 1:34.3, which is a full second faster than the standing record. And, although it’s not official, CCS Officials agreed with Martinez that he ran faster than the track record, which he had set last year.

During the post-race podium interviews, Henry DeGouw did state that cornerworkers had reported Pihokken running off the track on the inside of the front chicane. Corner cutting in the chicanes was one of the issues addressed during the rider’s meeting earlier in the day. For this infraction, racers would either perform a stop-and-go penalty or be docked a lap for cutting the corner and gaining distance. But, in this circumstance, Pihokken ran off in front of the cone (rather than behind it) while in the lead and thus, was not considered to have committed an infraction of the rules. Pihokken stated that he “never would have run off there.” He had crashed earlier in the day, during the Middleweight Superbike race and injured his shoulder. Because of his injuries, he couldn’t push the bike through the transitions in the chicanes. “They’re really killing me. And, that last one there, where I went through the grass, I went in real hot. I tried to make it and I just couldn’t push. I had no strength in my right arm to push to make the counter steering through there. I really didn’t think I was going to make the race. I had no strength in my right arm. I put some ice on it, took some Advil and I was able to do it a little off the pace.”

Pihokken also won the GTU and Middleweight Supersport races. He finished second in GTO, and third in Heavyweight Supersport. And, although he didn’t win the biggest race of the day, Martinez again won the most, taking home six first place trophies and Suzuki contingency money to boot. Martinez won the GTO, Unlimited Supersport, Heavyweight Supersport, Middleweight Superbike, Heavyweight Superbike, and Middleweight Grand Prix races. He finished third in the GTU and Middleweight Supersport races.

Lis won the Formula 40 event and finished second in Unlimited Supersport, Heavyweight Supersport, and Heavyweight Superbike races. He also finished third in the GTO race.

Steve Servis tied Pihokken as the second biggest winner of the day. He won three out of four of his classes on the Mills Ventures/Prieto Racing sponsored SV650 owned by Michael Mills. Mills had been dominating in the lightweight classes all year, but recent business and family influences have moved him from motorcycle to car racing. Although he will no longer suit up to race, Mills will continue to support the club throughout this season with his sponsorship of Servis and will remain a trackside fixture at the CCS Florida events. Servis won the GT Lights, Lightweight Grand Prix, and Lightweight Superbike races. He finished third in Lightweight Supersport.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Several AMA teams started a two-day test today at Braselton, Georgia’s Road Atlanta, site of the next round of the AMA Superbike Championship series.

Present at the test are: Yoshimura Suzuki with Mat Mladin, Aaron Yates and Ben Spies; Yamaha/Graves Yamaha with Jason DiSalvo and Aaron Gobert; the factory Kawasaki team with Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden; American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Ben Bostrom; Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke; Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom; and Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp and Vincent Haskovec.

At post time, Jamie Hacking had not been seen at the track and his Yamahas have not been rolled out of the truck.

Damon Buckmaster is not expected to re-join the team until a test at Virginia International Raceway in August.

Zemke is working out of the American Honda trucks. The Erion Honda truck is not at the track.

Although the track and cornerworkers were ready at 9:00 a.m., bikes did not go out on track until 10:00 a.m. local time due to sporadic rain sprinkles.

The sprinkles never affected the level of traction and bikes are reported to be lapping near full speed.

There is a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms forecast for the area of the track, including the possibility for localized heavy downpours.

Update: At approximately noon local time, DiSalvo crashed in the turn 10 chicane but was uninjured and rode his Yamaha back to the pits.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Actor and motorcycling enthusiast Ewan McGregor and his best friend, and actor, Charley Boorman will be completing “the realization of a dream,” a three-month, 20,000-mile transcontinental motorcycle tour, July 29, 2004, with a media event in New York City’s Battery Park, according to a press release.

The trip took the men through Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada and the northern United States. The friends kept a record of their adventure with hand-held and bike-mounted cameras (which will become a Bravo channel television program, to be aired October 28 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time) and with still cameras and personal journals (which will be turned into a book). The television program and the book will share the title “Long Way Round.”

McGregor narrated the MotoGP film “Faster,” and has attended several motorcycle road races, from MotoGP events to the AMA/World Superbike round at Laguna Seca.

From a press release issued by American Honda:

Red Rider Weekend Race Report:
Mid-Ohio Formula Xtreme
AMA Superbike Rounds 13 and 14
Troy Motocross National.


Formula Xtreme
Round 9
July 24, 2004
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio

Duhamel takes sixth win of season in Formula Xtreme at Mid-Ohio

A big weekend of racing for the Red Riders kicked off on Saturday with the Mid-Ohio Formula Xtreme race. A huge crowd and perfect Spring weather combined to make for a wonderful day of racing, especially for Miguel Duhamel. The Honda veteran claimed his sixth win of the season aboard his CBR600RR, and his 78th win of his celebrated career.

Duhamel set the tone in qualifying, claiming his third Xtreme pole of the season with the time of 1:28.731. Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke was second in the grid with a 1:29.383 while his teammate Alex Gobert started seventh for the day.

“It was just incredible,” said Duhamel. “I went out there with a really hard race tire and went super fast, and then we put on a softer race tire. I’d be curious to see what we could do on a qualifier on that bike.”

At the start, Zemke grabbed the holeshot followed by the CBR600RR of Duhamel, both machines charging to the front of the field and opening an early gap on all other racers. Zemke held the lead for the first six laps before Duhamel took over and never looked back. “We were riding hard and set a really fast pace,” said Duhamel. “We’ve been putting a lot of pressure on each other all year.” Shortly after Duhamel took the lead, Zemke lost the front end in the extremely slippery Keyhole section of the track, and ended the day with a DNF.

Duhamel’s sixth win of the season gave him a 45-point lead over Zemke for the championship going into round 10 at Road Atlanta on Labor Day weekend.

AMA Formula Xtreme Results
1. Miguel Duhamel-Honda
2. Jason Pridmore-Suzuki
3. Vincent Haskovec-Suzuki
4. Larry Pegram-Yamaha
5. Heath Small-Yamaha
7. Alex Gobert-Honda

AMA Formula Xtreme Points
1. Miguel Duhamel-Honda-320
2. Jake Zemke-Honda-275
3. Alex Gobert-Honda-244
4. Vincent Haskovec-Suzuki-217
5. Larry Pegram-Yamaha-189


AMA Superbike Championship
Round 13
July 24, 2004
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio

Ben leads, Miguel takes second at Mid-Ohio

In the early laps of the first Superbike race at the Mid-Ohio double-header, it was Ben Bostrom who chased down early break-away leader Mat Mladin. Bostrom made up nearly three seconds to catch and pass Mladin for the lead. In the end, however, it was Miguel Duhamel who nearly scored another Superbike win, but instead came up just .337 seconds short at the line.

Qualifying put all three Honda riders on the front row. Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke took his CBR1000RR to a new track record of 1:26.376, taking the pole for the first race of the double-header. “Credit goes to the team because the bike was a lot better than it was yesterday (Friday) for sure,” said Zemke. “The bike is definitely doing what I need it to do now.” Duhamel qualified second with a stellar time of 1:26.515. “I’m happy Jake got pole and not Mat,” said Duhamel. “We’re going to make very minor changes; the bike’s pretty good. Just get a good start and hang on, and go out racing Mid-Ohio style. It’s going to be very tight.” Finishing out the front row in fourth was Honda’s Ben Bostrom.

The hills of the Mid-Ohio course were lined with a capacity crowd to witness round 13 of the AMA Superbike Championship. The spring-like weather added a nice element to a weekend of competitive racing. As the field shot off the line, it was Eric Bostrom who led followed by Mladin and Ben Bostrom. The running order quickly reshuffled, and by lap seven Ben was challenging Mladin for the lead. On lap eight Ben surged to the front and he led the next five laps-only to have Mladin re-take the lead in traffic.

As the battle in the front heated up, Zemke and Duhamel were locked in their own race, maneuvering their CBR1000RRs through traffic. Zemke would later admit to making the wrong front tire choice and paying the price with a shortage of grip. Not so Duhamel: On lap 17, Miguel passed Jake for third and set his sights on his teammate Bostrom. “I just got a good drive coming out of turn one,” said Duhamel. “Ben was looking back, and I just kind of flew on the inside of him.”

Once past Bostrom, Duhamel began a steady march toward Mladin. Diving through lapped traffic, Duhamel closed to within striking distance of Mladin with two laps to go. Unfortunately, on the last lap Duhamel was blocked by a lapped rider in the infamous Keyhole turn. The incident cost him more than a second, and any chance he had of passing Mladin for the win. “I was right on Mat until that point,” said a somber Duhamel. “And then I had to make that back up.” With only a few turns remaining, Duhamel managed to close to within .337 seconds of Mladin, and finish second for the day. Ben Bostrom would finish fourth with Zemke following him across the line in fifth.

“The bike was working really good,” said Duhamel. “I put my head down, and to me it seemed I was the fastest guy out there. I was able to reel in Mat, and on a few occasions through even lapped riders. Even though he would break away, I’d run back in. So things are looking good for tomorrow. It was a fun race. It was definitely greasy. I was spinning up everywhere and sliding.

“It’s hard when you start sixth, seventh, and you’re fighting with guys you don’t even see just to get back up to the lead group. Thank God our bike is really fast and works real good. I’m pretty highly motivated for tomorrow, I can tell you that.”

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



AMA Superbike Championship
Round 14
July 25, 2004
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH

Zemke takes his CBR1000RR to victory at Mid-Ohio

With the threat of rain in the forecast, there was plenty of drama for round 14 of the AMA Superbike Championship, the second race of the Mid-Ohio double-header. Jake Zemke set the bar high by breaking the qualifying record on Saturday with a lap time of 1:26.376. On Sunday, he controlled the race from start to finish, scoring the second Superbike win of his career and moving into second place in the championship chase behind Mat Mladin. Honda’s Ben Bostrom finished second and moved into fifth in the points standings.

Miguel Duhamel’s quest for the Superbike championship took a dramatic turn at the Mid-Ohio racetrack on Sunday. Duhamel, a close second in points for the title as of Saturday, crashed during the weekend’s second race on one of the track’s many slick concrete sections due to a suspected mechanical problem. Though unhurt, he was unable to finish the race and slipped back to third in points.

Making changes from Saturday’s race, Zemke chose to run a slightly different set-up and a different front tire in Sunday’s event, and the impact was immediately apparent. Jake gapped the field by nearly a second in the first lap, and rode flawlessly to the checkered flag, winning by a whopping 12.723 seconds. “It worked out pretty good,” said Zemke. “I had a really good start today, and that was definitely an improvement over yesterday. Yesterday, I chose the wrong front tire. We had no hope but just to bring the thing home. Today, we had a new front tire and the setup was a hair different. Not much. Just a little bit here and there. But everything came out a lot better. The guys gave me a better bike than I had yesterday. Hats off to my crew. Everybody’s been working hard all weekend long.”

Ben Bostrom got a good start and settled his CBR1000RR into a lonely second place, where he would finish well clear of Mladin in third. “I was riding, but Jake was flying,” said Bostrom. “I didn’t know where Miguel was. So I just continued my pace, trying to haul down Jake.”

The day was less then perfect for Duhamel. From the very beginning of the race, Duhamel found himself down on power, and then came the crash in the Keyhole section on lap 11. “We’re still looking at the data,” said Duhamel after the race. “It could be rider error, but in my experience, I seem to think it was a mechanical. I downshifted as usual and the rear tire locked up and the engine went dead. I saved it with the clutch, popped it up again, and I thought, ‘I’m gonna keep on going.’ Then it locked up again.”

As he struggled to re-start his machine in the gravel pit, the field passed him by. Finally, he managed to make his way back to the pits, where the crew worked franticly to repair his CBR1000RR. He rejoined the battle, but was soon parked trackside with smoke pouring from his machine. Duhamel’s travails would drop him to third in points, with a 45-point deficit behind the leader.

The Road Atlanta double-header in Braselton, Georgia is next on the schedule. Will Miguel be able to gain back some much-needed points? Will Jake Zemke once again set the pace, and close the gap in the championship points chase? Will Ben Bostrom repeat his Laguna Seca performance and score another runaway win? Tune in over Labor Day weekend.

AMA Superbike Results
1. Jake Zemke-Honda
2. Ben Bostrom-Honda
3. Mat Mladin-Suzuki
4. Aaron Yates-Suzuki
5. Josh Hayes-Kawasaki

AMA Superbike Overall Points
1. Mat Mladin-Suzuki-457
2. Jake Zemke-Honda-436
3. Miguel Duhamel-Honda-413
4. Eric Bostrom-Ducati-336
5. Ben Bostrom-Honda-306


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

Safety First Racing enjoyed continued success with young rider, 16 year old Jesse Janisch, at Mid Ohio this weekend. In speaking with team owner, Kevin Hanson, he was quite pleased with Jesse’s progress and this weekends results. “Every race weekend Jesse continues to progress and get faster and faster.” “In Jesse’s first AMA weekend we were 8 seconds off the pace, now in our fourth race weekend we are only 3 seconds off the pace.” stated Hanson. “Everytime Jesse goes out on his GSX-R 1000 he looks more comfortable riding it and letting it move around underneath him. He also getting a lot better at riding it like a 1000 instead of a 600,” replied Hanson. We’re going to do some testing before Road Atlanta to give Jesse some more seat time. Jim Rashid from 4 & 6 Performance continues to do a great job on the bikes. We simply roll the bikes out of the truck and they’re 95% there and Jim makes just a couple of adjustments the rest of the weekend. It’s really nice not walking around scratching your head all weekend trying to figure out which direction to go,” commented Hanson. The nice thing about the next two races are Jesse has been to Road Atlanta, where he won a Suzuki Cup race last year, and has also been to VIR.

In Superstock, Jesse finished 16th after having a race long battle with Alex Gobert and J.J. Roetlin. Regarding the race Jesse commented, “It was a fun race, but frustrating at the same time. Alex would gap J.J. and I down the back straight and then be really good on the brakes going into turn 5. However, we would catch back up to him in the infield and get held up. Alex kept protecting his line where it was tough to try and get underneath him in the infield.”

In Superbike, Jesse finished a very respectable 18th in his first weekend competing in Superbike. During Saturday’s race, Jesse suffered a DNF when the clutch went out on lap 8. During the interview, Hanson took responsibility for the incident. “Clutches last forever when I’m riding, however Jesse uses the clutch a lot more than I do. I simply overlooked not having it changed. It’s my fault and I know not to make that mistake again,” replied Hanson. During Sunday’s Superbike race, Jesse got a good start and moved up two rows going into turn 1 and rode a consistent race to finish 18th. “I got a good start off the line, however going down the back straight on the first lap I got into a big tank slapper and had let out of it. Unfortunately, almost all of the people I passed going into turn 1 went back by.” stated Janisch. When asked what he thought of his first Superbike race, Janisch replied, “It was a lot of fun and my Dunlop tires held up really well the entire race…oh and my mouth got a little dry there at the end.” “Also, Kevin and Jim kept joking with me that if I finished in the top 15 I had to buy dinner…I told them there was no way because I still owe my parents $800 for car insurance!”


More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki:

CRASH-FEST AND GREMLINS FELLS CORONA-SUZUKI AT MID-OHIO

This weekend’s event at Mid-Ohio can best be described as forgettable with crashes for Scott Greenwood and Ben Attard putting them out of the SuperStock and SuperSport races respectively and mechanical problems dropping Marty Craggill from contention in race one and out in race two of SuperBike. The weekend saw numerous crashes on the very slippery and rough track surface with much rider criticism of the track conditions.

In SuperBike, Craggill, who has been working back up to fitness for this weekend’s event, had repeated mechanical gremlins handicap his progress in qualifying and race one and put him out in race two. His Suzuki GSX-R 1000 Superbike developed glitches that caused it to intermittently jump out of gear in race one which prevented him making a charge. He finished fourteenth. An engine out gearbox rebuild fixed that problem for race two but a vibration and misfire caused him to pull in the second of the Doubleheader SuperBike events.

In SuperStock, Greenwood qualified fifteenth, not being able to get a good set-up for the bumpy track. In the race he started well and was in the lead group when he lost the rear-end and high-sided at “Thunder Alley” on lap two. He said, “The back-end was sliding around a lot and it just let-go, then caught and threw me over the high-side!” Scott was unhurt.

Ben Attard was going well in SuperSport, qualifying in ninth position. He got a great start and was quickly up to sixth as riders started falling left and right, one of which brought out the red flag. On the restart, gridded in sixth, he again got a great start. Dicing for fifth more riders went down and again out came the red flag. In the second restart he was again up in the lead pack when he went down in the following lap. Ben said, “I must have got my front tire in a rut (the track had just been leveled by grinding the concrete), it just tracked away and down I went on the low-side. I’m really bummed. The bike was working well and I was looking for a good result!” Attard is ninth in the SuperSport Championship.

In the second Superbike race Craggill got a good start and setting up to attack the riders in front when a vibration and misfire set in. To avoid a possible catastrophic engine failure, Marty decided to pull in.


More, from a press release issued by Michael Barnes’ publicist:

BARNES FINISHES FIFTH IN MID-OHIO SUPERSPORT ACTION

Lexington, Ohio – Michael Barnes rode to a fifth place finish in eventful AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport action at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. Despite a qualifying crash on Saturday in which he was uninjured, Mike’s first crash in Supersport this season, he was able to secure sixth position on the grid ahead of all other non-factory entries. After the red flag plagued race was finally called Mike had nailed a strong fifth place finish on the championsonline.com Prieto Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.

“My starts just were not as good as I usually get”, said Barnes. “The one after the second red flag was especially disappointing for me, I had to work pretty hard to get back through the guys that I had been in front of. Tommy was riding conservatively, so with better starts I think I would have been able to have finished higher. Things were pretty exciting out there at times – I just missed DiSalvo when he crashed in front of me. Overall, I’m very happy with the finish and the points that we picked up.”

The fifth place finish allowed Mike to edge one point closer to his nearest competition in the championship, and to also make a major move in the standings on Jason DiSalvo, who suffered a DNF. With just two races remaining, Mike is now only three points out of fifth place overall.


More, from a press release issued by Lion Racing Suzuki:

Another strong performance from Jake Holden and the Lion Racing Suzuki GSX-R

Jake Holden continued to show himself asa “Young Lion on the prowl.” Lion Racing’s twenty-one-year-old had another pair of top-ten finishes in the AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Double Header at Mid-Ohio, including a sixth place on Sunday ahead of Superbike star Eric Bostrom on the factory-supported Ducati. Saturday’s race was a good one for Jake who crossed the line in 8th, after an awful start. Jake qualified in eight to nab a second-row grid position for the weekend.

“I tried something a little different at the start of race two and I was lucky enough to hang onto Eric. Then on lap four, I put my head down and got by him. The Pirellis were working great, which really raised my confidence in the traction, which can sometimes be a problem with the changing surfaces at Mid-Ohio. The Dynojet guys and Carry had the engine spot-on. The morning adjustments by Carry, Paul, Danno, Jim and Ken really paid off big-time. I knew Eric wouldn’t give up, so I had to keep my head down for the whole 26 laps. My new NJK leathers worked great for me and their comfort level made the physically demanding Mid-Ohio layout seem much easier to negotiate.”

Holden was elated, saying, “It just shows the potential of the GSX-R 1000, even in Supersport trim. Jim Lindeman has been tweaking the suspension for us and we’re finally getting close. Not bad for a Superstock bike with an Ohlins shock, EBC pads and a Yoshimura pipe, even pitted against really great competition. I’m really happy for Lion Racing, since we’ve been working hard all season.”

Jake also had another top-ten finish in the Repsol Superstock class in 8th place when the red flag ending the race was shown. He is 9th in overall championship points, just nine points behind Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes.

Nicky Moore, the newest addition to Lion Racing, was injured in a club event, breaking his collarbone in a nasty crash, and missed his usual 600cc rides for Lion. Nicky’s last race at Laguna he enjoyed his personal best finish of the season in an 8th place finish in the FX class.


More, from a press release issued by Marcus McBain:

A Typhoon hits Mid Ohio.

Ty “Typhoon” Howard hit his stride at the 9th round of the AMA Superbike Series. Since parting with Annandale Honda at the close of the 2003 season, Howard has been working to put together a capable group of sponsors and equipment to resume AMA Supersport and Formula Extreme competition. His unquestionable talent was rewarded with an 11th place in the FX class at Laguna Seca in his first race back. At Mid-Ohio, Howard was ready to storm to the front.

AMA Formula Extreme

Howard looked ready for action immediately in FX practice. With Ty posting top 10 practice times and only a few seconds off the pole position, he turned to GP Tech’s Geoff Maloney for a few extra HP and Racing Performance Services’ Marcus McBain for some custom shock valving for more grip. With everything in place and qualifying starting, Howard suffered a catastrophic wheel/tire malfunction. The new team did not have a backup front tire mount and with minutes winding down on the qualifying clock, Howard struggled to turn 1:42’s. This would put him out of the show. In a last gasp effort; RPS changed the geometry to give the most stability to handle the terrible situation. In an incredible display of talent, Howard put in a 1:38.752 lap with the GP Tech GSXR-600 wobbling horribly on the track with only 8 seconds left in qualifying to claim the last starting position!!!

With the stress of qualifying over and a new wheel and tire installed, Howard used the Sunday morning practice to re-gain confidence that was lost during the qualifying excitement. Howard finished the Saturday morning session 7th fastest with a 132.944. Knowing that he would have to charge through no less than 20 riders to make a run at the box, Howard chose a soft rear to help quickly dispatch riders in the opening laps with hopes that he could manage the rear tire for the remainder of the race or change to a new rear if a red flag should appear. From the 23rd starting position, Howard put in a flyer of a start and put the GP Tech GSXR-600 in 14th position after one lap. By the sixth lap, Howard was coming up on Erion Racing’s Alex Gobert. With a huge HP advantage on his side Gobert was able to hold off the aggressive Howard for 2 laps. On lap 9 Howard put Gobert behind him for good and looked to quicken the pace. The 2 laps it took to dispatch the Erion Racing rider took its toll on Howard’s rear Michelin and the mad pace set at the beginning of the race could not continue. Ty Howard finished the Formula Extreme race in 6th place after starting 23rd!!!

AMA Supersport

The Supersport practice on Friday started well for Howard. Posting times that put the Texas rider 11th fastest, Howard realized something was lacking still. RPS and Howard worked through Saturday practice to get the best setup possible. After discussing the situation, RPS reworked the Penske Shock’s valve stack to gain Howard as much drive as possible on the track while working with the forks to provide the best front end feel. Howard again amazed his pit crew by qualifying 10th fastest with a 1:31.318. Although qualifying went well, the Texas rider wasn’t done. He knew that to be the top privateer and possibly be even in the top-5, it would take a setup that would run in the 1:30’s every lap. Again, RPS and Howard worked on the solution.

With raindrops teasing the Mid-Ohio facility, Howard’s strategy was to avoid any problems the weather and competition would present until the race unfolded. This left the Texas rider in 11th place after the first green flag lap. As Howard began to move up, the first of three red flags fell and Howard felt confident that his 9th place position on the track would only improve. Howard commented that the front end of his Motion Cycle Sports Yamaha R-6 felt very planted even in the tricky conditions. He would work to use this during the remainder of the race as an advantage against his competition. The second restart quickly turned into a 3rd restart as another red flag dropped. On the third and final restart, Howard put his nose down and moved by Valvoline Suzuki’s Chris Peris with several laps to go and Steve Rapp in sight. The third red flag ended the Texan’s hope for a top 5 spot as AMA officials called the Supersport race complete. The Texas rider was rewarded for his excellent riding and team’s hard work with a 7th place finish.

Ty Howard and his team are very pleased with their first efforts together. More importantly, the Texan’s incredible talent amazed the team and fans. Ty Howard thanked GP-Tech’s Geoff Maloney for his tremendous help in providing machinery and assistance as well as Racing Performance Service’s Marcus McBain for putting both 600’s “on rails” for the main events.


more, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HOTBODIES RACING TEAM RESULTS FROM MID-OHIO

Several Hotbodies Racing Team riders participated at round nine of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course over the past weekend, July 23-25. Riders flying the Hotbodies Racing colors at Mid-Ohio included Michael Barnes, Ty Howard, Geoff May, Giovanni Rojas and Blake Young.

Michael Barnes
Michael had an unfortunate mechanical DNF in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme final while running fifth, but battled with the factory riders to a fine fifth place finish in Sunday’s Supersport event.

Ty Howard
Ty had a good week at Mid-Ohio, with several top finishes in the mid-week AMA Sport Grand Championship amateur events, as well as a sixth place in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme final and seventh in Sunday’s Supersport race.

Geoff May
Geoff had an uncharacteristic off weekend at Mid-Ohio, with 12th and 13th place finishes in Saturday’s and Sunday’s Superbike races, respectively. This was the first time this season that Geoff has finished outside of the top ten in Superbike results.

Giovanni Rojas
Gio as he is called at the track, had a great weekend at Mid-Ohio, finishing eighth in the Formula Xtreme race on Saturday, and 16th in Sunday’s Supersport event on his Yamaha R6s.

Blake Young
Sixteen-year-old Blake had a good start at Mid-Ohio with several strong finishes in the AMA Grand Championship amateur events on Tuesday and Wednesday, but his luck went away on the pro weekend. Blake was unable to start the Formula Xtreme final after a mechanical problem on Saturday, then he crashed unhurt two laps into the Supersport race on Sunday, the bike unable to be ridden in for repairs.

Look for the big red and white Hotbodies Racing tent at the two remaining rounds of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Series at Road Atlanta, September 3-5, and Virginia International Raceway, September 17-19.

For more information, please contact Hotbodies Racing at 1-800-555-2805 or visit www.hotbodiesracing.com

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Jason Perez is at home in Brentwood, California, recovering from his crash at Mid-0hio.

Perez suffered a dislocated left shoulder and is scheduled to consult with a surgeon on Thursday.

Perez was helicoptered out after his fall in the AMA Supersport race at Mid-Ohio. The crash was triggered when Darren Luck got into a corner too hot and collided with Perez, knocking him off the track.

“We’d just like to thank everybody for their concern, and the cornerworkers for their help,” Jason Perez’s father, Dave Perez, told Roadracingworld.com

Young Perez can be contacted via e-mail at [email protected] or by U.S. mail at 1584 Autumn Valley Way, Brentwood, CA 94513.

From a press release issued by Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation:

Spenser, a Ride for Kids(r) “star”, enjoys the 2004 Minnesota Ride for Kids(r)

Perfect summer days like July 25, 2004 are just made for events such as the Minnesota Ride for Kids(r). What could be more special than spending time riding your motorcycle with good friends while making a huge difference in the lives of children with brain tumors?

The spectacular sunrise enjoyed by the volunteers early Sunday morning gave way to crystal clear skies. The 585 motorcyclists, fundraisers, physicians and patient families gathered together to celebrate the lives of young brain tumor survivors and to raise funds for childhood brain tumor research. The motorcyclists and fundraisers outdid themselves by raising a new Minnesota Ride for Kids(r) record — $95,349. Since 1984, the Ride for Kids(r) has been raising money to fund the research and family support programs of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

After a police-escorted motorcycle ride past Minnesota’s rolling hills and breathtaking White Bear Lake, the participants gathered under the “Big Top Tent” for the moving Celebration of Life program. There, Will a young brain tumor survivor and Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation College Scholarship recipient told the motorcyclists, “Thank you all so much. You have ensured my future!” Will recently graduated from college with a degree in design and graphic arts. Eight other Ride for Kids(r) “stars” were on hand to thank the motorcyclists. Dr. Joseph Neglia, a neuro-oncologist, also participated in the Celebration of Life program.

Bob Guezuraga raised $9,000 making him the Top Individual Fundraiser. The Top Club position went to MN Wings-Southern Chapter, whose members raised $12,033. Moon Motors’ customers raised $17,669, earning them the Top Dealer position. Bruce and Sandy Schafer, of Egan, MN were the lucky winners of a brand new Honda motorcycle donated by the American Honda Motor Company.

Special thanks to Minnesota Ride for Kids(r) Task Force Leaders Tippy Scully, Denny Schouveller and their amazing volunteer force for a fantastic event!

The next Ride for Kids(r) events are on Saturday, July 31st in Marysville, Ohio and Sunday, August 1st in the Hudson Valley Region of New York (Harriman, NY)

For more information about the Ride for Kids(r) and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, please visit www.rideforkids.org or www.pbtfus.org or call (800) 253-6530.