From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Walker’s Shanghai surprise

Chris Walker flew the flag for Foggy PETRONAS Racing at this weekend’s PETRONAS Shanghai International Race Festival in China.

With FPR owner Carl Fogarty out of action with a knee injury sustained in a Jet-Ski accident last week, and with Troy Corser hit by a stomach bug in China, Chris rode the PETRONAS FP1 race and road bikes around the specially constructed street circuit as part of the build-up to the inaugural Formula One Chinese Grand Prix on 26 September 2004 in Shanghai.

THE FPR team was joined by Sauber PETRONAS F1 driver, Felipe Massa, F1 test driver Neel Jani, as well as the PETRONAS EON rally team, in performing demo laps as back-up to the main highlight of the festival – a DTM German Touring Car race.

Chris, who also took the opportunity to try out the F1 car seat for size, said: “This was a real experience and I was pleased to put on a show for PETRONAS and all their guests. The surface did not have too much grip so I wasn’t able to perform some of my usual tricks but the crowd reacted well and I wish everyone well for the first Chinese Grand Prix in September.”

PETRONAS also used the festival to announce the launch of its range of premium grade automotive and motorcycle engine oils in China on 14 July 2004, officially entering the country’s lubricants market.

PETRONAS’ Vice-President of Oil Business, Datuk Anuar Ahmad said: “This festival gave us an excellent communications tool for building awareness of our brand and it opens up some good business opportunities for the PETRONAS group. To be able to demonstrate Formula One on the streets of Shanghai to the local population is an excellent way to prepare them for their first ever Formula One Grand Prix in September.”

From a press release issued by Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:

HONDA RIDERS ROLL TO MID-OHIO

DUBLIN, Ohio – As the AMA Superbike Championship returns to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, Honda’s “Red Riders” will be riding for more than just pride during the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire, July 23-25.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke are chasing points leader Mat Mladin, and with a Wiseco Superbike doubleheader in store for the weekend, points are at a premium. Forgotten, but not gone, during this season has been 1998 AMA Superbike Champion and ex-World Superbike rider Ben Bostrom, who snuck up on many to win at Laguna Seca Raceway during the last superbike round.

Duhamel is no stranger to Mid-Ohio, with seven race wins (including the 1995 Superbike race and 5 Supersport races) at the circuit. As the all-time wins leader on a Superbike with 30, other racers know that Duhamel will be a contender at every track. The crafty veteran hopes to use that to his advantage.

“Psychologically, maybe it’s a little bit intimidating for the competition,” said Duhamel. “I hope so, but I’m racing some tough guys. Mat (Mladin)’s really tough, and Jake (Zemke) has proven to be a seasoned veteran in his first year, which is amazing. Then you’ve got Ben (Bostrom), who’s starting to show some real speed, so it’s going to be tough.”

More important than psychological advantages has been Duhamel’s fitness entering this season. Though Duhamel has climbed to the top of the podium more than any one in Superbike history, he has managed just one AMA Superbike title.

“I woke up and said ‘hey, I’ve only got one Superbike Championship – that (stinks)!” said Duhamel. “I came into the season seriously wanting a Superbike Championship. In winter testing, I knew the CBR1000RR was going to fit my riding style really well.”

Fitness has played a part in the resurgence as well.

“I figured I needed to get stronger, and I started training about two years ago by myself and then figured I might need a professional. I hired the CTS people, the same people that are working with Lance Armstrong. It’s a lot of cycling and training and I feel great.”

Zemke, in his rookie season on a Superbike, has surprised many fans, but not himself with his success.

“Coming into the season, I knew I had a great team,” said Zemke. “The (Erion Honda) guys have just been phenomenal and they finished off the season strong last year with Kurtis (Roberts). We’ve been competitive pretty much every race this year, and it’s put us right in the thick of things. Obviously, we’re going to have our work cut out here. Mat (Mladin)’s going to be strong, Miguel’s going to be strong.”

Zemke acknowledged the difficulty of riding at Mid-Ohio during the July heat.

“Mid-Ohio is always hot and humid. We’ve tried it out now and it’s quite a bit smoother than it was before,” said Zemke. “They’ve smoothed out the concrete patches and it’s actually like riding on a brand new racetrack.

“It is actually surprising. Before, the track was quite rough and, actually, that was what I liked about it,” a smiling Zemke continued. “But all the grinding work on all the concrete patches has been amazing; you can’t even feel the seam between the asphalt and the concrete.”

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom, after some early season struggles, captured a win during the last Superbike round at Laguna Seca. The 1998 AMA Superbike Champion declared himself “back” after the weekend, which also included a win in Formula Xtreme.

“Mid-Ohio is a tough track because there are a lot of elements that go into it,” said Bostrom. “They’ve done a really nice job of shaving the track down. All of a sudden it’s become one of the smoother tracks we come to, which is pretty neat.”

Duhamel and the American Honda team urges Mid-Ohio spectators not to miss this year’s Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire, including the Wiseco Superbike 100 races on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

“We have the best show, honestly. I really believe we have the best show. This year’s racing has been the tightest and most competitive ever, and if you don’t show up this year you’re really going to miss something.”

For tickets or more information on the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire, contact Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 1-800-MID-OHIO or www.midohio.com.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Mid-Ohio’s 2004 schedule features seven spectator events, including the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire (July 23-25), Mid-Ohio Road Racing Classic (August 6-8), Unlimited Audio and Accessories presents the Triple Crown Tuner Challenge (August 21-22) and SCCA National Championship Runoffs(r) presented by Kohler (September 20-26).

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Inc. is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Suzuki World Cup Qualifying scheduled for this afternoon at Mid-Ohio has been postponed due to crash delays. The 20-minute timed session will be held Wednesday morning, after practice but before lunch. The Suzuki World Cup Qualifying race will be held Wednesday afternoon, and the winner will be one of three American representatives in the Suzuki World Cup Finals held at Road Atlanta in conjunction with the October 13-17 WERA Grand National Finals.

Riders running in the World Cup program at Mid-Ohio include, in no particular order:

Ty Howard
Phillip Lawless
Jeff Muskoph
Scotty van Scoik
Scott Greenwood
Brian Stokes
Robert Jensen
Brian Hall
Blake Young
Manuel Garza
Ben Attard
Logan Young
Shawn Conrad
Ben Thompson

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Ducati Marlboro Team GP preview
British Grand Prix, Donington Park, 23/24/25 July

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN READY TO FULFIL POTENTIAL

The Ducati Marlboro Team approaches this weekend’s British GP full of hope after proving that its new Twin Pulse-powered Desmosedici GP4 MotoGP bike is able to battle for podium results. Riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss may both have crashed out of last weekend’s German GP, but not before they had shown their pace with the Twin Pulse motor, which uses different firing intervals to produce more rider-friendly power delivery than the older Four Pulse engine.

“At the last three races we have really showed our potential, we just haven’t been lucky enough to get the results to back that up,” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “During practice sessions at the Sachsenring both Loris and Troy showed a really good race pace which should have had us in the leading group. After a good start, Loris slid off while in third place and Troy, who on the contrary had a bad start, was running at a race pace that was similar to that of the leading group before he crashed. As we look forward to Donington I’d like to thank Ducati Corse and everyone in the team for their hard work and also the riders for never giving up.”

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli also believes that his riders’ recent pace promises much for the rest of the season and is aiming for a good result at Donington.

“This is a real racetrack because it has a bit of everything – fast downhill corners, maybe the slowest hairpin in MotoGP, very heavy braking and a tight chicane, so you need a well-balanced bike that does everything” – explained Cecchinelli. “It’s also a typical British track, because it really tests a rider’s bravery. As at the Sachsenring, we will only use the Twin Pulse engine which makes the bike easier to manage, both for the team, because it makes the chassis less critical to set up, and for the riders, because it is more friendly on the track.”

As the evolution of the engine continues, so too, in collaboration with Shell, does the development of the lubricants.

At the Donington GP the Ducati Marlboro Team will use the new Shell Advance L6441 engine lubricant for the first time. The new lubricant has been tailored specifically to the needs of the Desmosedici engine by the Shell Global Solution’s chemists at the PAE laboratory in Hamburg, Germany.

Created by the blending of the highest specification oils with chemical components known as “friction modifiers”, the resulting new lubricant minimises organic decay while under extreme loads, reduces specific consumption and increases engine performance.

CAPIROSSI AIMS FOR FIRST PODIUM
This week Loris Capirossi returns to the track that gave him his first Grand Prix victory, way back in August 1990. Capirossi went on to claim that year’s 125 World Championship and since then the affable Italian has won a further two world titles – another 125 crown in 1991 and the 250 prize in 1998 – as well as three victories in the premier class. Now riding the latest Twin Pulse version of the Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4, Capirossi is aiming for his first top-three finish of 2004 after a promising run last Sunday at the Sachsenring which ended when he slid off while in third position.

“The Twin Pulse engine should be good at Donington, because you need very useable power delivery around this track,” he says. “It’s a really nice track to ride around, and it will always be special to me because I won my first GP here and I also had some success there in the previous year’s Euro round. The first section is great but the second section is the worst part, it’s all braking and low-gear acceleration. The latest MotoGP bikes are very, very powerful, so they’re not so much fun in hairpins. But it’s okay. I also like the atmosphere at Donington – the British fans love their motorcycles and they really appreciate good racing.”

BAYLISS HOPES TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT
Former World Superbike champ Troy Bayliss has had an unlucky run at the last few GPs but is determined to make things right at Donington this weekend. In Germany last weekend he proved to be fast both in practices and qualifying, before a race tumble robbed him of a useful points haul. Donington is a bit of a home race for the Ducati Marlboro Team man who lived between Birmingham and Coventry when he was contesting the British Superbike championship on a Ducati in 1998 and 1999.

“It’s a good track, a rider’s track, that’s why people like riding there,” he says. “It’s got a bit of everything, the first section is really flowing with some fast changes of direction, then it’s got the little tricky section at the end of the lap. It’s far out that they’ve resurfaced the place – it should be fast this year. In the past you’ve always needed a lot a lot of front-end feel there and I guess it’ll be the same this time. Last year I had a couple of little crashes in practice but the race didn’t go too bad. We usually have a little bit of fun at Donington because we didn’t live far from the place when I was racing in Britain, so we generally have a few mates along.”

THE TRACK
Donington Park is known as a real rider’s track, dominated by fast, sweeping corners that crucially interlink with each other. Through these sections a fluid riding style and high corner speed are much more important than brutal horsepower. But just to complicate matters, the Melbourne loop section (added in 1986 to bring the venue up to minimum GP length) features three dead-stop turns where last-gasp braking and vicious acceleration are all important. Getting a MotoGP machine to work through these two contrasting segments is a great challenge for both riders and engineers. Donington has been hosting GPs since 1987, taking over from Silverstone. The venue’s history as a racetrack goes back to 1931 when the owners of the nearby Donington mansion allowed the estate roads to be used for racing. The circuit was shut down during the Second World War and only re-opened in 1977 after extensive redevelopment by local businessman Tom Wheatcroft. The track has been resurfaced for this year’s race.

Donington Park: 4.023km/2.500 miles
Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Honda), 1m 31.023s, 159.111mph/98.867mph
Pole position 2003: Max Biaggi (Honda), 1m 30.740s

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 31 (April 4, 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 208 (38xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Donington 2003 results. Grid: 7th. Race: 4th

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 35 (March 30, 1969)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 25 (24xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Donington 2003 results. Grid: 6th. Race: 5th

From a press release issued by Joe Rocket:

Picotte Racing races perfectly to make history!!!

Pascal Picotte and his mad jester crew totally dominated this past weekend’s Superbike and 600 Sport bike “double-header” racing events at Mosport Raceway in Ontario, Canada. The Rocket Racer scored two perfect Superbike and 600 Sportbike races over Saturday and Sunday, earning every available championship point en route to the top step on the podium!

Picotte rode his “Picotte Performance” Yamaha R1 and R6 motorcycles over the two-day event in masterful fashion; the likes of which have never before been witnessed by Canadian race fans. Four races culminating in four victories takes precedence in the history books and puts Pascal at the forefront of the “Canadian Superbike Championship” as well as the “Hindle 600 Sportbike” Championship point chase. Fellow Rocket Racers Jordan Szoke and Steve Crevier joined Pascal on the podium in 600 and Superbike races, helping to make this a truly remarkable weekend for Joe Rocket and the Rocket Racing Team!

“A sincere congratulation is extended to Pascal and all on the Picotte Performance crew!” said Bruce Parker, Marketing Director for Joe Rocket. “To win four races over one weekend absolutely represents all that we strive for here at Joe Rocket. Again”¦ a big congratulations goes out to Pascal!”

Check out the Rocket Racing team in action this coming weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Duhamel riding high in AMA Formula Xtreme

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 20, 2004) – Miguel Duhamel has won his share of races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course over the years. On Saturday, July 24, Duhamel hopes to add another prize to his overstuffed trophy case by winning round nine of the 11-race Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series in Lexington, Ohio. A victory at Mid-Ohio would make it highly unlikely that anyone could catch Duhamel in the series.

Duhamel has experienced an amazing renaissance this season. The friendly French-Canadian shows no signs of slowing despite being 36-years-old. In fact, if anything Duhamel is getting faster with age and experience. Not only is the Honda ace looking to capture the Formula Xtreme title, he’s also just a handful of points out of the lead in the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship. However, Duhamel can’t let up just yet in Formula Xtreme. Three riders, Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke and Alex Gobert as well as Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec still have at least a mathematical shot at catching Duhamel. Of those three it’s Zemke who is still in control of his own destiny.

If Zemke manages to earn the pole, the lap-leader point and the race win in each of the final three rounds he could still beat Duhamel for the championship, even if Duhamel scored second at every round. In that scenario Zemke would win the title by a single point, so he has to be perfect.

Things weren’t so desperate for Zemke until the most recent round in Monterey, Calif., where his bike began leaking oil. He was forced to start from the back of the grid after a red-flag restart. He charged through the field to take third, keeping his title hopes alive.

“I’ve got nothing to lose now,” Zemke said of the rest of the Formula Xtreme season. “If I don’t get the pole at Mid-Ohio the championship is pretty much out the window. Every race I have to accomplish three things – win the pole, lead the most laps and win the race. It’s a very simple strategy when you think about it.”


Momentum building for Hayden in Superstock

Tommy Hayden’s victory at the most recent round of the AMA Repsol Superstock Series moved him into second place in the standings and within five points of series leader Jamie Hacking. Momentum is certainly in Hayden’s favor as the series comes to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Kawasaki rider from Owensboro, Ky., has won two of the last three rounds, not to mention the fact that Graves Yamaha’s Hacking will ride at Mid-Ohio with a broken collarbone suffered in testing at the Lexington, Ohio circuit just two weeks ago.

Hayden edged out his younger brother Roger Lee at Laguna Seca to earn his second victory of the year in the class. Meanwhile Hacking rode bravely in pain, having just had surgery to plate the collarbone a few days before the Laguna race. The courageous strategy paid off and Hacking was able to score a solid sixth-place finish and grab some much needed points. At Mid-Ohio Hacking will have to endure racing on one of the most demanding circuits on the AMA schedule.

A victory for Tommy Hayden at Mid-Ohio could easily put him in the championship lead with just two rounds to go. “Things are definitely looking up for us,” Hayden said. “The team has made the bike better all year and I’m gaining a lot of confidence in it. Mid-Ohio is going to be a true test for us. If we can make the bike work there we can do well anywhere.”

Hayden is leading the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship as well as battling for the Superstock title so he will have a lot on his mind coming into Mid-Ohio.

Daytona winner Aaron Gobert is still very much in the battle for the Repsol title as well. The Australian has been a model of consistency in the series this year earning five podiums in the eight rounds leading up to Mid-Ohio.

The Repsol Series has proven to be perhaps the most competitive in AMA road racing this season. A dozen riders still have at least a shot at
winning the championship with just three races remaining.

Both the Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme and Repsol Superstock races will be shown on SPEED Channel on Aug. 3 at 1 p.m. Eastern as part of SPEED’s Two Wheel Tuesday lineup.

For additional information on the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire contact Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at (800) MID-OHIO or check out the website www.midohio.com

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Preview: Suzuka 8 Hours.
Suzuka, Japan July 25, 2004.

Honda Teams Chase Suzuka 8 Hours Glory with the CBR1000RR

The 27th running of the Suzuka 8 Hours takes place on Sunday July 25 and Honda will field two factory machines in the classic Japanese event. The race, round four of the World Endurance Championship, is an eight-hour high-speed dash round the ultra fast 5.831km circuit close to Nagoya City.

Team HRC will debut the new CBR1000RRW at Suzuka with two machines racing in the colours of Seven Stars. The experienced Tohru Ukawa and Hitoyasu Izutsu racing together for the second successive year, while the youthful Ryuichi Kiyonari and Yuki Takahashi form a hard charging partnership aboard the second 4-cylinder factory machine.

Ukawa now 31, will be chasing a fourth victory in the race that will equal the record total wins held by Australian Wayne Gardner. Izutsu has never won the race despite several valiant attempts, his best result a third place in 1999. The two men are closely matched in speed and determination and will go to the start as favourites to give Honda their 19th 8 hours victory.

The partnership were forced out of the race in 2003 after a second hour crash caused insurmountable problems that eventually side-lined the machine. This time round the two home based riders have left nothing to chance scoring a fine win at the Suzuka 300km race held in May.

“We did a good simulation during the Suzuka 300km race held in May, in which I won with Izutsu on CBR1000RRW.” Ukawa said. “Till last year, I was taking part in the GP, so I wasn’t prepared for an 8 hour race. But this year I am fully prepared. I have been contesting the 8 hours since 1994 and Honda has always won when they have introduced a new machine. So this year, the CBR1000RRW will win the race. This is my 10th 8-hour race and I have three wins in my pocket. Wayne Gardner has four in his so I want to win this one and make it equal so that I can beat him in the future. Only one thing I am aware of is that we did all the testing in dry conditions so I hope the race day will be dry as well.”

Team mate Izutsu goes into the race in more confident mood than on his Honda debut in 2003. He said. “The set up of the machine has been done more smoothly than last year. We have gained precious data during the 300km race. Anything can happen during the 8 hours and you can never be sure of a win until you get to the checkered flag. Last year it was my mistake to crash then our machine had a problem and we had to retire. I felt miserable when I crashed. I joined Honda (from Kawasaki) to win the race and the JSB Championship. Everyone expects me to do so. But for me that kind of expectation or pressure is necessary as a race without any pressure is not so interesting. This year, I have done a lot of hard training and I’m really eager to win the race with Ukawa. Good thing about Ukawa is he is flexible concerning the set up of the machine. So we don’t have to compromise so much. He can go fast with my set up and I respect him for that.”

The two will have to be at their very best to hold off the challenge of Takahashi and Kiyonari on Sunday who are eager to pit their skills and youthful exuberance against the experience and race craft of Ukawa and Izutsu.

Kiyonari is the most experienced of the CBR1000RRW riders as he has spent the season campaigning the machine in the British Superbike Championship. However, Suzuka has not been a lucky venue for Kiyonari in recent years, he failed to finish in 2001 while last year his partner, Nicky Hayden, was brought down by an oil spill on the second lap ending their race.

Kiyonari said. “I really like racing at Suzuka, I started my career at the ‘Suzuka Racing School’ and have had some success at the track but not at the 8 hours, maybe this will be my year.”

With Kiyonari racing abroad Takahashi has undertaken the bulk of testing the CBR100RRW breaking the Superbike lap record at the final shakedown test. He is in good form and is the current leader in the All Japan 250cc Championship.

“Last year I was riding the Masked Rider Honda machine and our aim was to beat the Honda factory teams. This year I am riding a factory machine and at first I was a little nervous about it. But now I feel fine and I hope to get to the podium with Kiyonari. The second and the third runs are hard during the 8 hour race but I always try to breathe deeply when I pass the main straight.” Takahashi said.

The Seven Stars teams will have Manabu Kamata acting as their reserve rider for the race and they could not wish for better. Kamata, partnered by Yukio Nukumi, won the race last year and has worked hard on the development of the new machine.

He said. “Last year I won the race with Yukio Nukumi and it was a fantastic experience for me. This year I have been developing the machine and will support both #7 (Ukawa/Izutsu) and #11 (Takahashi/Kiyonari). Our aim is to achieve Honda 1-2 finish.

Sakurai Honda has entered four teams in the race contesting the JSB category, which places more restrictions on chassis modifications than the Superbike class.

Three Sakurai machines will race for team sponsors, Tatsuya Yamaguchi and Kazuki Tokudome will race the Masked rider Blade Honda. Last year Yamaguchi’s race was ruined by the same oil spill that claimed Hayden and Okada but he and teammate Takahashi fought back to finish 10th.

“Last year I was involved in the multi crash during the second lap. Unlike Hayden or Tady, I was able to re-start and joined the race but the position was 65th. Yuki Takahashi and me worked our way up to 10th place from there. I had a crack in my right wrist but didn’t tell that to our team staff. As Masked rider is a hero to young children, we had to finish the race and that is same for this year as well.” Explained Yamaguchi.

The inexperienced 21-year old Kazuki Tokudome, the younger brother of five-time 125cc GP winner Masaki Tokudome is making his 8 hour debut and has entrusted machine set up to his more experienced partner. “This is my first 8 hr race and I am excited about it. I’m relying 100% on Yamaguchi-san.” Said the youngster.

Near veteran Tadayuki Okada is taking time off from his job as HRC team manager for the British Superbike Championship to make a one-off race appearance at Suzuka, racing the Sakurai Honda with sponsorship from the Hanshin Tigers, the Osaka baseball team. Chojyun Kameya will again partner Okada and the two will hope for better luck than in the corresponding race last year when Okada was brought down by the same oil spill that derailed Hayden.

A second Hanshin Tigers liveried CBR will be in the hands of Tamaki Serizawa and 2003 victor Yukio Nukumi while Osamu Deguchi and Kenichi Kiyonari, younger brother of Ryuichi, race their CBR for Team Sakurai Honda.

The competition between the Honda teams will be intense to say the least but they will not have the race to themselves. Yamaha will look to the pairing of former All Japan Champions Shinichi Nakatomi and partner Wataru Yoshikawa backed up by regular Endurance Championship competitors Dean Ellison and Sebastien Scarnato.

Suzuki will have Kenichi Kitagawa and Katsuaki Fujiwara racing the factory GSX-R1000 while Yoshimura Suzuki field the experienced Atsushi Watanabe partnered by Yukio Kagayama.

Race day temperatures could top 35′ with humidity above 50% conditions that will favour the more experienced riding partnerships but the young guns will put their elders under intense pressure on Sunday making race predictions a lottery.

HRC General Team Manager expects a fast hard race. He said. “The race will be hard but we have been satisfied with the performance of the CBR1000RRW machines in testing. We plan a six-stop pit strategy again this year but anything can happen in the 8 Hours as we saw last year. However, I’m confident in the ability of our teams. It will be interesting to see the CBR1000RRW in action at Suzuka.”



Leading Honda teams and Riders Suzuka 8 Hours 2004.

# 7 Tohru Ukawa – Hitoyasu Izutsu Team Seven Stars Honda

# 11 Ryuichi Kiyonari – Yuki Takahashi Team Seven Stars Honda

Reserve rider: Manabu Kamata.


# 4 Tatsuya Yamaguchi – Kazuki Tokudome Kamen Rider Blade Honda

# 80 Tadayuki Okada – Shogoyun Kameya Hanshin Tigers Sakurai Honda

# 53 Yukio Nukumi – Tamaki Serizawa Hanshin Tigers Sakurai Honda

# 71 Osamu Deguchi – Kenichi Kiyonari Team Sakurai Honda.

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

2004 American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship
Round 13 & 14 – Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, USA
Event Preview

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER MLADIN CHASING DOUBLE VICTORY AT MID-OHIO

Just six races remain in this year’s American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship and with those races coming in the form of three double-header rounds, Australian Mat Mladin will be aiming to take victory in a number of those remaining races starting this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington Ohio.

Mladin arrives at Mid-Ohio holding a 10-point lead in the championship, a position he has held since the opening round of this year’s 18-race series after he took victory in the prestigious Daytona 200 and has added a further four race wins.

The 3.86km (2.40 miles) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course may not rate as one of Mladin’s favourite circuits on the series calendar, but it has brought success to the four-times AMA Superbike champion. At the corresponding round last year, Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 were unstoppable, taking pole position before stamping his authority on the meeting by claiming a winning double.

Leading into the weekend, Mladin will arrive with the confidence of setting the fastest time during a recent two-day test at the circuit which was attended by the leading teams in the championship. He is also fresh from a strong second place finish at Laguna Seca less than two weeks ago, a race that Mladin had led prior to the race being red flagged.

With six races remaining, Mladin’s focus is definitely on the championship and what it will take to achieve his team’s goal.

“Still a little disappointed in missing out on the win last week at Laguna Seca, so we really need to get a couple of wins under our belt to get things moving in the right direction once more,” said Mladin. “The championship’s tight and there’s six races to go.”

“I’m feeling confident coming into this weekend. Mid Ohio certainly isn’t one of my most favourite tracks of the series when it comes to safety and stuff like that, but my results there have been pretty good. It’s one of those things where we just have to get the job done when it needs to be done.”

“Mid Ohio is reasonably fast, maybe not in the league of Brainerd or Road America, but it’s more a riders track in its layout. There is another element there with the track surface. They have shaved the concrete sections of the track so that they are flush with the remaining sections of asphalt, but the concrete has a lot of grooves in it, which isn’t the best of surface conditions for us. I’m sure it will play a part this weekend, especially if you aren’t concentrating.”

Practice and qualifying for this weekend’s double-header round commences on Friday with the first of the two 26-lap AMA Superbike Nationals scheduled to run Saturday afternoon.


MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE – FAST FACTS

Circuit length: 3.86km / 2.40 miles
2003 AMA Pole position: Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:26.654 mins

2003 AMA Results:
Race 1
1. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki)
2. Jason Pridmore (Attack Suzuki)
3. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda)

Race 2
1. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki)
2. Jason Pridmore (Attack Suzuki)
3. Ben Bostrom (American Honda)
Lap Record: Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:26.498 (2001)

2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship (Points after 12 of 18 rounds) 1. Mat Mladin (391, 5 wins); 2. Miguel DuHamel (381, 4 wins), 3. Jake Zemke (372, 1 win), 4. Eric Bostrom (268, 1 win), 5. Geoff May (262); 6. Ben Bostrom (247, 1 win), 7. John Haner (219), 8. Aaron Yates (216), 9. Eric Wood (199), 10. Josh Hayes (186).

From a press release issued by the AMA:

AMA ENDORSES MOTO X SUPERMOTO AT ESPN X GAMES X

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), the world’s largest motorsports-sanctioning body, has announced its endorsement of Moto X SuperMoto, a new form of motorcycle competition that will debut at ESPN X Games X, to be held August 5 through 8 in Los Angeles, California.

Part of the popular Moto X discipline, Moto X SuperMoto has been called “the most extreme form of motorcycle racing.” It’s a fusion of Supercross, dirt-track racing, freestyle motocross and road racing, a format that attracts competitors from all forms of motorcycle sport. It uses four-stroke motocross bikes on a purpose-built track that’s approximately 60 percent asphalt and 40 percent dirt with turns, rollers and jumps.

Moto X SuperMoto at X Games X is expected to draw such legendary athletes as Jeremy McGrath (AMA Supermoto racer, seven-time AMA Supercross champion, two-time World Supercross champion, 1995 AMA Motocross champion, and a member of the AMA’s Motorcycle Hall of Fame); Chad Reed (2004 AMA Supercross champion); Travis Pastrana (2000 125cc AMA Motocross champion, AMA Supercross racer, and freestyle motocross competitor); Mike Metzger (AMA Supermoto racer and freestyle motocross competitor); Jeff Ward (AMA Supermoto racer, three-time AMA Motocross champion, two-time AMA Supercross champion, Indy Racing League driver, and a member of the AMA’s Motorcycle Hall of Fame); Ben Bostrom (2003 AMA Supermoto champion, AMA Superbike and AMA SuperSport racer, and World Superbike racer); Eric Bostrom (AMA Superbike racer, 2001 AMA SuperSport champion, and 1998 AMA Formula Xtreme champion); and Eddie Seel (international Supermoto star).

A Moto X SuperMoto seeding session will be held on Saturday, August 7 to determine starting positions for the Moto X SuperMoto final on Sunday, August 8, which will feature the top 20 racers going head-to-head for the X Games X gold medal.

“The AMA is thrilled to be part of X Games X through its endorsement of Moto X SuperMoto,” said Robert Rasor, President of the AMA. “We’re looking forward to introducing the AMA and Supermoto to a new audience, and X Games X will be a great opportunity to do just that.”

Moto X SuperMoto at X Games X will be covered in American Motorcyclist magazine and on AMADirectlink.com; complete X Games daily live coverage will be featured on ESPN and ABC Sports.

The Supermoto format was created in 1979, and was broadcast on ABC’s Wide World of Sports as “The Superbikers” annually from 1980 through 1985. With renewed interest in the sport in recent years, the AMA Sports Supermoto Grand Championships (for amateur and pro-am riders) and the AMA Supermoto Series (through AMA Pro Racing, for professional riders) were launched in 2003, winning a large and enthusiastic following in their first season.

The organizer for Moto X SuperMoto at X Games X is SuperMoto X LLC, a collaborative effort between MXi, Inc. (X Games’ current Moto X sport organizer), M2S LLC (Motorsports Marketing Strategies), and MetzMoto, Inc. (led by freestyle star Mike Metzger).

All Moto X SuperMoto competition will be held at Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Tickets can be purchased through www.Ticketmaster.com and at the Home Depot Center box office.