From a press release issued by The Wegman Benifit Fund.

The Wegman Benefit Fund is auctioning a California Superbike “Bring Your Own Bike” School on their web site at www.wegmanfund.org.

The school was donated by Keith Code and is available at any track the school is held at through 2005. Bids will be accepted through 12/31/04.

All proceeds will go to the Wegman Fund to assist seriously injured motorcycle road racers. This is an opportunity to get a super deal for a great on track experience with your own bike with the California Superbike School.

Watch the Wegman web site for more auctions in the future and check out our merchant page for great Wegman Fund apparel or make a donation on line.

The Wegman Fund is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization.

From a press release issued by Dorna Sports:

Curtain to fall on dramatic season at Gran Premio Marlboro de la Comunitat Valencia

The 2004 MotoGP World Championship comes to a close this weekend with the final round of an unforgettable season at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia. Whilst Valentino Rossi has already been crowned World Champion for the fourth successive time, there is plenty to look forward to for a local crowd who have already snapped up but a handful of the available tickets. Extra temporary grandstands to cope with the extraordinary demand should guarantee a race day crowd in excess of 120,000 fans and the MotoGP riders will need no more motivation to sign off from the season in style.

It is a big weekend for home favourites in the premier class, with Sete Gibernau looking to make up for the disappointment of losing out on the title to Rossi in Australia last week with a fifth victory of the season at the scene of his debut success back in 2001. Meanwhile, it promises to be an emotional affair for Carlos Checa, who makes his 95th and final appearance for Yamaha after the announcement that he will be replaced by Gibernau’s current Honda team-mate Colin Edwards next season.

Gibernau is not the only rider looking to repeat past glory at Valencia this weekend, with several others also calling on a strong record at the Spanish circuit. Alex Barros has twice finished on the podium, including his last win in 2002, whilst Rossi himself ended a comparatively poor run last season with his first ever victory there in any class.

Troy Bayliss scored five podium finishes at Valencia during his World Superbike career, including winning both races in 2002, and will be hoping for a similar result this weekend. The final round of the MotoGP season represents the Australian’s last appearance with Ducati after the decision by the Italian factory not to extend his contract beyond the end of the current campaign.

Garry McCoy took victory at Valencia riding the two-stroke Yamaha in 2000 and returns this weekend as a continued replacement for Shane Byrne at Aprilia. Byrne is recovering from an operation on his wrist after injuring himself in a practice crash at Brno in August and will be back in the MotoGP paddock this weekend as an eager spectator.

Kenny Roberts is also back in the fray after a three race absence and, unlike Byrne, is fit to make a return to competitive action for Suzuki. Roberts’ return could not have come at a better time for the team, who part company with Team Manager Garry Taylor this weekend after a relationship stretching over three decades and 390 Grands Prix.

Roberts’ younger brother Kurtis is also back in action after recovering from a fractured elbow and will ride the Proton Team KR V5 in what looks to be its final public appearance, with further tests planned for the team’s own chassis with a KTM V4 engine in the near future. Development will also be the key for Olivier Jacque, who makes his second appearance of the season as a wildcard aboard the Moriwaki MD211VF prototype.

One year ago Daniel Pedrosa celebrated the 125cc World Championship title with a lap of the Ricardo Tormo circuit in a convertible car after breaking both of his ankles in a practice crash at Phillip Island. However, the Spaniard arrives at his home circuit this weekend with a clean bill of health and the 250cc title under his arm after a sensational rookie season which saw him crowned World Champion in Australia just over a week ago. Pedrosa is sure to be one of the main attractions for the local support this weekend as he looks to end a perfect year with his seventh victory of the season but will come under pressure from equally patriotic compatriots such as Toni Elías and Fonsi Nieto as well as the form man in the category, Sebastián Porto.

In the 125cc class the World Championship is decided but the scrap for second place is very much on, with two home favourites looking to stake their claim at Valencia. Whilst Andrea Dovizioso clinched the title two races ago in Malaysia and has the chance to set the second highest points total ever in the class behind Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Hector Barberá trail Roberto Locatelli by three and five points respectively in the chase for the prestigious runner-up spot.


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda:

Valencian GP – MotoGP

VALENCIA´S AMPHITHEATRE BRINGS CURTAIN DOWN ON
MOTOGP IN 2004

The Valencia circuit is just like a giant theatre, and on the main stage this coming Sunday, the spectacular players in the fantastic MotoGP show will perform their roles for the last time this 2004 season. The Camel Honda team will be there of course with its two riders, Max Biaggi and Makoto Tamada, and will be aiming to take home yet another trophy after a season which has seen them fighting for victories around the whole world. The “Ricardo Tormo” circuit is well-known for its peculiar configuration, which allows the crowds in the stands to see practically the entire circuit, within the confines of what is effectively a giant amphitheatre. The resultant effect is stunning and it is because of this, and in general not the tight and twisty circuit which isn’t a favourite of the riders in the elite MotoGP class, the GP of the Valencian Community is becoming one of the classic events on the MotoGP calendar.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“The Valencian GP is a home race for our team, and to finish off with a victory would be fantastic for us. The 2004 World Championship has been hard fought and great to watch, it’s been a brilliant show for the spectators and that’s positive for our sport, in which Camel Honda is one of the main protagonists. We have won races with both riders and have made many appearances on the podium. The Valencia track is different, very tight and not particularly quick, but our team already won there in 2002 with Alex Barros and this year we’ve got good results on many different kinds of circuits, like Rio and Sachsenring for example. We have every chance of repeating this, and that’s our objective for this final race of 2004.”


Max Biaggi #3: (Michelin Tyres)
“Ricardo Tormo is not among my favourite tracks for the circuit itself at least; it’s too slow and twisty. Next year they should be making it faster and this is good because even if the track doesn’t excite me, the atmosphere certainly does with a brilliant crowd who follow you over the whole lap. Racing in Spain is always special because of the passion amongst the fans there. The last races over the intercontinental trip weren’t brilliant and now I want to get a top result. The track isn’t difficult from a technical point of view and in the tests in December 2003 we went quite well. We hope to find that kind of form again and fight for the win in this race.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Camel Honda (Makoto Tamada’s Technical Director)
“We’re happy to be finishing the season in Valencia because it’s a good track for us. In the December tests last year, Makoto got some good results back and the tyres worked particularly well. Since then they have improved even further, so we are very confident from that point of view, and also because the weather conditions shouldn’t be too extreme. We have enough data for a good base set-up, so you could say that everything is in order to fulfil our objectives: closing off the 2004 season with the kind of result that has already pleased us so much this year.”

Makoto Tamada #6: (Bridgestone Tyres)
“I really like the fast circuits, with the long bends and quick changes of direction, but Valencia is quite different to all of that. Although, I don’t particularly dislike it, perhaps because in the winter tests I went quite well, I felt comfortable there. The last two races haven’t gone as I expected, so I really want to prove myself now. Both the Malaysian and the Australian GPs saw me having to recover positions on the early laps. Given that it’s even more important to be up with the front group early on in Valencia, with the track being so tight, you have to qualify well and then make a good start. I’m hoping for both!”

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing.

Carmichael earns AMA Pro Racing SPEED Channel Athlete of the Year nomination


PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Oct. 26, 2004) — Ricky Carmichael has received a nomination for the 2004 AMA Pro Racing SPEED Channel Athlete of the Year Award. Carmichael, who in September completed an amazing second perfect season in the AMA 250 Motocross Championship, is a two-time winner of AMA Pro Racing’s most prestigious award. He could join Scott Parker as the only three-time winner of the award should he win it on Nov. 14 at Paris Las Vegas during the 30th Annual AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet.

Carmichael made a return to racing in May of this year after going through major knee surgery during the off-season. No one was sure how strong the 24-year-old Floridian would be in his comeback as not only would he be returning from an injury that ended many riders’ careers, but he would also be riding a four-stroke motorcycle for the first time in his career. Carmichael proved better than ever and supremely adaptable to the new bike by dominating the season opening Hangtown Classic.

After winning the first round Carmichael never looked back. He duplicated his remarkable 2002 feat of going the entire Motocross season without a defeat – a perfect 24 for 24 moto wins in the 12-event championship.

“I’ll never forget the 2004 season,” Carmichael said. “I wanted to prove not only to everybody else, but also myself that I could come back even stronger than I was before the knee injury. I think this year’s undefeated season was maybe even more satisfying than in 2002 because the competition was so strong with Kevin [Windham] and Chad [Reed] both on the top of their game.”

The year was also special to Carmichael since it marked the final season of his three-year association with Honda. “I really want to dedicate this perfect season to all the crew at Honda. We had a great relationship and set a lot of records together,” he said on the podium after winning the season finale in San Bernardino in May. Carmichael wore the No. 1 instead of his traditional No. 4 on his Honda at Glen Helen as a tribute to the team.

Carmichael is without a doubt one of the best motocross racers in the history of the sport. He owns just about every record in AMA Motocross. Carmichael is the all-time wins leader in combined AMA Motocross and Supercross victories with 108 wins. He also leads the AMA 250 motocross category with 49-career wins so far — over 20 wins more than second-ranked Bob Hannah. Carmichael owns a record 11 AMA National Championships.

Carmichael previously won the AMA Pro Racing SPEED Channel Athlete of Year in 2001 and 2002. This is his fifth nomination for the award.

The 2004 AMA Pro Racing SPEED Channel Athlete of the Year will be announced at the 30th annual AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet to be held at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, on Sunday, Nov. 14. Contact Cyndi Freeze-Cain at (614) 856-1900, ext. 1232 for more information on the banquet.



More, from Mat Mladin himself:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Ricky had a perfect outdoor season, 24 moto wins from 24 starts. My season doesn’t compare. Don’t like to bust my own bubble but it’s a fact.

Mat Mladin

From a press release issued by FIM:

Wild card entries for the Gran Premio Marlboro de la Comunitat Valenciana

The wild-card riders who will race in the Gran Premio Marlboro de la Comunitat Valenciana, scheduled at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana – Ricardo Tormo on October 31st next, are the following:


MotoGP class
19 – Olivier Jacque (FRA-Moriwaki)

250cc class
40 – Alvaro Molina (SPA-Aprilia)
42 – Gregory Leblanc (FRA-Aprilia)
85 – Hans Smees (NED-Aprilia)

125cc class
43 – Manuel Hernandez (SPA-Aprilia)
70 – Julian Miralles (SPA-Aprilia)
71 – Enrique Jerez (SPA-Aprilia)
88 – Michael Ranseder (AUT-KTM)
96 – Alex Espargaró (SPA-Honda)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

F-USA Sportbike
Provisional Results
1. Robert Jensen, Yamaha YZF-R6, Michelin, 18 laps, 26:06.301, fastest lap 1:26.155
2. Jeff Wood, Suzuki GSX-R600, Dunlop, -2.346 seconds, 1:26.379
3. Michael Barnes, Yamaha YZF-R6, Pirelli, -11.830, 1:26.514
4. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R600, Dunlop, -16.412, 1:27.056
5. Scott Greenwood, Yamaha YZF-R6, Dunlop, -16.760, 1:27.225
6. Mike Himmelsbach, Yamaha YZF-R, -16.881, 1:27.386
7. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R600, -30.749, 1:27.752
8. Tristan Schoenewald, -47.480, 1:28.573
9. Barrett Long, Yamaha YZF-R6, -47.812, 1:28.713
10. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R600, -48.116, 1:28.696