From AMA Pro Racing’s 2004 AMA Superbike Championship rulebook on www.amaproracing.com:

b. Swing arms
Stock swing arms must be utilized. The only modifications permitted are gusseting and attachment of stand mounts. 1000cc – 1350cc air-cooled twin-cylinder motorcycles are unrestricted.

See related post:

6/16/2004 Updated Post: AMA Pro Racing Changes Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Without Notice Or Comment

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

Via e-mail:

My roommate, and teammate Shawn (George Lingwall) is currently in a re-habilitation facility in Arlington, Virginia named INOVA Mount Vernon Hospital. He was transferred there just 3 days after coming out of his coma.

His current condition has greatly improved in the past 2 weeks, but a full recovery is months away. He has short-term memory loss, is very slow to react, has a hard time walking, and mostly has difficulty collecting his thoughts. Sometimes he seems just fine and understands everything you say. Doctors are optimistic for a full recovery, but are not commiting to making the statement that he will fully recover.

He has received several cards in the mail from fellow racers and their families. His girlfriend reads him the cards everytime he gets one, and he is grateful and wants to thank people for their prayers and support. His mother is currently filling out paperwork to receive help from Gordon Lunde’s Wegman Benefit Fund, which is a fund that helps racers with their financial situation. It is a much welcomed opportunity to keep his financial situation intact since he does not have disability.

I know he looks forward to racing again. Just yesterday when I saw him I told him about VIR in 2 weeks, and he said he wanted to race it. He is worried about the points lead he had in CCS and if you ask him what his number is he will tell you number one. He is a true competitor and if anyone can recover from the head injury he sustained it is him.

Sincerely
Carlos Adrian Nunez
CCS #582

To send Lingwall a card or letter, mail it to:

George Shawn Lingwall
21055 Stanford Square Apt. 200
Dulles, VA 20166

Editorial Note: Lingwall, CCS Amateur #412, crashed during the Unlimited Supersport Amateur race in Summit Point’s turn three on Saturday, May 29. He was flown to a local hospital with severe head trauma, bleeding from the head, other concussion symptoms and a neck “irregularity,” according to race officials, who said that Lingwall did not hit any barriers during his fall.

From a press release issued by Safety First Racing:

Safety First Racing adds young gun to rider line up

Safety First Racing is proud to announce the addition of 16 year old racer, Jesse Janisch, to the team. In an interview with team owner, Kevin Hanson, there were several reasons for the move. Hanson stated, “My dream was always to race at the AMA level and eventually be a team owner that groomed young and upcoming racers. Originally, I planned to race the entire season and add young riders to my team next year. However, an opportunity came up and I’ve known Jesse and his family for a couple of years so I gave him a chance to ride my backup bike at Road America in Superstock. Jesse finished a very respectable 16th place in his first ever AMA race. The great thing about Jesse is he has been dirtracking for years and is a smart, polite young man with all the qualities to become a great road racer. It’s my job to provide him an environment he can thrive in. Jesse will be racing my bikes the rest of the season in Superstock and I will assume the role as team owner/manager.”

Another addition to the team will be current sponsor, Jim Rashid, of 4&6 Racing. Hanson related, “Jim has been a great mentor to me for the last couple of years and has sponsored Jesse as well. Jim will be serving as crewchief/mechanic for the remainder of the season. The great thing about the addition of Jim and 4&6 is he is one of the few privateer team owners that has won several races against the factory teams at the AMA level. By putting good people in place, this allows me to focus on the management side of things of promoting Safety First Racing and our safety program for kids, which Jesse will also be directly involved in.”

From AMA Pro Racing, via e-mail:

The web posting yesterday on Roadracingworld.com headlined “AMA Pro Racing Changes Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Without Notice or Comment” contains inaccuracies and is possibly misleading. For the record, AMA Pro Racing offers the following:

The posting’s assertion that “at post time, the rules revision was not posted in the rules changes section on amaproracing.com, the official website of AMA Pro Racing” is wrong. The clarification to the rule regarding swingarms in the Formula Xtreme class was posted on AMA Pro Racing’s website on Monday, 6/14 at 9:27a.m. EST.

Claiming it is modification of an existing rule is dubious. The Competition Bulletin issued on Monday clarifies an existing rule. It became apparent at the Road America round that the rule could possibly be misinterpreted so the Competition Bulletin was issued to clarify the original rule.

AMA Pro Racing’s procedure for the dissemination of Competition Bulletins is as follows: Once finalized, Competition Bulletins are distributed (on the same day) to AMA Pro Racing staff, the relevant advisory board, all relevant credential holders and the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors. Staff and advisory board members receive the bulletin via e-mail (or fax for advisory board members when e-mail fails). Credential holders and AMA Pro Racing board members are sent a copy via regular mail. Most importantly, Competition Bulletins are posted on both AMA Pro Racing’s website (under rules & bulletins) for public viewing and in the “rider’s only” section on the day of distribution.

In this case, several swingarms were impounded at the Road America event on June 6th. The swingarms arrived at AMA Pro Racing offices on Tuesday, June 8th. The swingarms were measured and examined on the 8th and 9th. As a result of the examination, it was determined by AMA Pro Racing management that a clarification of the rules was in order (not a rules change). The language to be included in the Competition Bulletin was completed on Thursday the 10th. On Friday the 11th, post offices were closed in honor of Ronald Reagan, so no mail could go out that day. Accordingly, the Competition Bulletin was issued (following the protocol described above) on Monday (the 14th) of this week. Again, as noted above, it was posted that same day on www.amaproracing.com.

Thank you,

Kerry Graeber
Vice President, Director of Communications
AMA Pro Racing



See related posts:

6/17/2004 How The AMA Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Was Originally Worded In The 2004 Rulebook

6/16/2004 Updated Post: AMA Pro Racing Changes Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Without Notice Or Comment




And now, some reader reaction:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

In my opinion the change in the swingarm rule is simple: The Honda swingarms they took at Elkhart didn’t meet the rules. Now they do. Problem solved.

If any other parts are confiscated I would expect additional rule changes.

Gary Hilliard
Dover, Delaware


FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

I have to agree with Gary Hilliard. The original language was clear, gusseting and stand mounts were OK, any non-stock parts had to fit or I would assume you just can’t use them. With the ‘clarification’ participants can now modify the swingarm to accept non-stock brake components, spacers, axles and wheels if they didn’t previously fit the stock swingarm. Before, it all had to fit within the stock parameters, not now… Sounds like a change to me. It allows more leeway for those with the ability to make the changes, but for the guys that could but felt that would be illegal, this sort of stinks.

Jim Douglas
Fiddletown, California

From a press release issued by Spectrum Motorsports:

Spectrum Honda/Polaris announces their first bike night of 2004 for Tuesday night, June 22nd starting at 5:30 PM till 8:00 PM. There will be the usual two hot dogs and a soda for $1.00 plus several giveaway items. Bike nights will continue throughout the summer and fall riding season.

Spectrum Honda/Polaris is located at 45 Oldfield Road, Irvine, CA. in the Irvine Auto Center. Recently Spectrum Motorsports separated the Honda/Polaris business from the Ducati/Aprilia business, which is now located across the street from the Honda/Polaris dealership. The move was done to better service the customer for each brand.

Summer operating hours are from 9:00 AM till 7:00 PM weekdays and 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM on Saturday.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

THE CATHEDRAL WELCOMES DUCATI MARLBORO MEN

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss come to The Cathedral of bike racing next weekend. Assen is so called because many regard it as the pinnacle of the sport – not only is it the fastest MotoGP track of all, it is also the twistiest, offering a unique challenge to both riders and engineers alike. Both Capirossi and Bayliss love the place and can’t wait to begin practice because they will use Ducati’s new Twin-Pulse Desmosedici engine for the first time at a Grand Prix. The pair tested the revised firing-interval engine for the first time following the recent Catalan GP, putting them in high spirits as the season approaches the halfway stage.

“Both riders like the new engine, it makes them feel more comfortable on the bike,” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “Ducati Corse is showing that it has a capacity to react quickly and all our hard work of the past few months is starting to pay off. I believe that we are on the way back.”

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli adds: “We are improving all the time and I think Assen could be good for us. I just hope we aren’t as unlucky as we were at Catalunya. Assen is a great challenge for riders, which is why some people call it the university of racing. It’s got many high-speed corners, so it really tests a rider’s bravery. But it’s not a proper ‘test bench’ for bikes because it is so unlike other tracks – it doesn’t feature much heavy braking, it’s mostly high-speed direction changes with a lot of cambered corners and there’s no downhill or uphill sections.”

The Ducati Marlboro Team won’t have much chance to rest after Saturday’s racing – the MotoGP packs up and heads to South America for next weekend’s Rio GP in Brazil.

CAPIROSSI LOOKS FORWARD TO ASSEN CHALLENGE

Loris Capirossi scored pole position at Assen last June and is hopeful of another good showing on this visit. Currently eighth in the 2004 MotoGP points chase, Capirossi’s remarkable riding style has won him plenty of success at Assen, a racetrack that offers real rewards for riding talent. He won the 1993 and 1999 Dutch 250 TTs, scored premier-class podiums in 2000 and 2001 and took pole last year aboard his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici.

“I love the Assen track, it is very special and really good to ride,” says the Italian. “And I can’t wait to try the new engine there. I believe this engine has more potential, but of course it will take a little time to fully understand it, especially as far as engine setting and gearbox ratios go. “I got pole position last time at Assen and really thought I had a good chance in the race, but then it rained. The weather is usually the only problem at Assen, but at least the track is very grippy, even in heavy rain. The first part of the circuit is really good, all the way to the bit they changed, then the fast section near the end of the lap – the quick left and the fast left/right at Hoge Heide – is also a lot of fun.”

BAYLISS RARING TO GET GOING AGAIN

Troy Bayliss is looking forward to trying the twin-pulse engine at Assen weekend following a strong showing at the recent Catalan GP, which sadly ended after he crashed four laps from the end while fighting for fifth position. Bayliss was battered and bruised in the ensuing crash but should be 100 per cent fit for the Dutch TT.

“I had a good time testing the Twin-Pulse motor in Spain, so I’m looking forward to trying it at Assen,” says Bayliss who has won two World Superbike races for Ducati at the track. “The motor is a lot better and it makes the bike easier to ride.

“Assen has got to be one of the most physical tracks we go to – it’s all high-speed flip-flops. The GP bike is lighter than the Superbike but it goes faster, so it’s still very physical because you’re changing direction all the time at high speed. You have to work the bike the whole time, it’s just very physical to ride, though I do like riding there. It’s pretty grippy and the camber makes it interesting.”

Bayliss isn’t fazed by the current quick-fire run of six GPs over eight weekends. “You’ve got to get them done anyway, and you’re on track all the time, so you really get used to riding the bike,” he says.

THE TRACK

Although Assen is now a modern purpose-built racetrack, some parts of the track still follow the layout of the old Van Drenthe street circuit, which explains both Assen’s singular design and its unusually profiled surface. Unlike most purpose-built tracks, which feature wide straights and mostly slow to medium-fast corners, Assen is a narrow, meandering circuit, dominated by high-speed corners and rapid direction changes.

Its surface is also special, because it is crowned like a public road for improved drainage, whereas other racetracks are flat, so engineers run stiffer-than-usual suspension settings to cope with the cornering forces.

Assen’s layout underwent a major change in 1984, adapted from the original Circuit Van Drenthe constructed in the fifties, and was changed again for 2002. Assen’s first 500 TT was run on another nearby street loop on July 1949.

Lap record:
Valentino Rossi (Honda), 2:00.973, 179.356kmh/111.447mph (2002)

Pole position 2003:
Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team),
181.157kmh/112.566mph

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: 205 (35xMotoGP, 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)
Assen 2003 results. Grid: 1st. Race: 6th

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 35 (March 30, 1969)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 22 (21xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Assen 2003 results. Grid: 2nd. Race: 9th

From a press release issued by Galfer Brakes:

Galfer Braking Systems is on the move again, as of June 28th.

This time down to beautiful Oxnard California!
It is official, we are moving! Galfer’s new state of the art 12500 sq feet facility will accommodate not only more warehouse space but also a much larger manufacturing area for the fast growing brake line and rotor production. Our current location in Ventura will no longer accept any UPS deliveries since it will become a storage for our laser cutting and packaging side of the business.

Our new address is :
Galfer Braking Systems
310 Irving Ave
Oxnard Ca 93030

Our 800 phone number stays the same, 800-685-6633

our alternate phone and fax numbers:
Ph: 805-988-2900
Fax: 805-988-2948

Please stop by and say hi to us if you are in the area, we would love to give you a quick tour of our new home.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing issued a Competition Bulletin dated June 10, 2004 that modified the existing rules regarding swingarms in Formula Xtreme.

The rule modification was made without any public notice or opportunity to comment, and although it was dated June 10 and was FAXed to Erion Honda by AMA Pro Racing, as of today several other teams running in Formula Xtreme had not received a copy.

The Competition Bulletin is addressed to “All Licensed Road Racers and Season Credential Holders” from “Rob King, Technical Manager.” The bulletin reads as follows:

“SUBJECT: Formula Xtreme Swing Arms

“Due to possible confusion created by information released by AMA Pro Racing prior to the publication of the 2004 Road Race Rulebook, this bulletin is being published as a clarification of the permitted modifications to swing arms in the Formula Xtreme class.

“This clarification is for the rule located on page 25, item b. in the 2004 AMA Pro Racing Road Race Rulebook, and is effective immediately.

“b. Swing Arms
“Stock swingarms must be utilized. The only modifications permitted are gusseting, attachment of stand mounts, and to allow the fitment of non-stock brake components, spacers, axles and wheels. Any such modification may not alter the fore and aft axle adjustment dimensions or any other pivot or linkage locations from that of the stock swingarm. 1000cc-1350cc air-cooled twin-cylinder motorcycles are unrestricted.

“Should you have any questions concerning this change, please contact Technical Manager Rob King at (614) 856-1910, extension 1230 or [email protected].”

At post time, HMC Ducati’s Gary Medley said he knew nothing about the Competition Bulletin. “Haven’t heard or seen, and in fact I have called (AMA Pro Racing) twice and have not received anything back about it,” Medley told Roadracingworld.com.

“I’ve had a call in to Rob King since early this morning and he didn’t return it,” said Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry. “We’re putting our bikes back together for Brainerd so it would be kind of handy to know if they’re going to go by the rule or all the sudden change it.” Told that the rule had been changed, Perry said, “Why haven’t they let us know anything?”

At post time, the rules revision was not posted in the 2004 rules changes section on ussuperbike.com, the official road racing website of AMA Pro Racing. It was, however, posted on amaproracing.com, and could be reached by scrolling down about a page and half in the rules and bulletins section reached by clicking on small print in the site header.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Brid Caveney’s West Coast Racing, a Salinas, California-based company that specializes in vintage British motorcycles, has launched a new website at www.westcoastracing.net.