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Updated Post: Promotion For Robinson At Bridgestone

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

John Robinson, who represented Bridgestone at AMA Nationals for three years, has been re-assigned in the company, in a move he says is a promotion.

Bridgestone did a booming business in the 250cc Grand Prix class but has seen its business at AMA Nationals drop dramatically since the class was eliminated at the end of 2003. But Robinson says that’s not the reason behind the move, which gives him more responsibility and pays him more money.

Robinson has returned to the Marketing Department at Bridgestone/Firestone, handling the company’s Drive & Learn program, Fuzion events, Bigfoot Monster Truck and various other projects.

His previous racing assignment was classified by the company as Sales Engineering, and Robinson worked at kart events as well as at motorcycle races. He will be replaced in that position, and the company will continue with its motorcycle road racing programs, Robinson said.

In an e-mail to RoadracingWorld.com, Robinson wrote, “It has been a great pleasure working with you in the world of motorcycles… At the moment, a replacement has not been determined, but should be announced in the near future.”

In related news, Robinson married Jennifer Alford, May 1st in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Robinson can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]


Hacking Wins AMA Superstock Race At Barber

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking won his second consecutive AMA Superstock race Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Hacking went from third to first on one lap, held the lead over Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden and Tommy Hayden with a comfortable pace and pulled away late to win by 2.349 seconds.

The Hayden brothers fought back and forth in the late laps with Tommy Hayden, the elder brother, coming out with second place. Roger Lee Hayden held on for third.

Aaron Gobert came back from ninth on the opening lap to finish fourth. Josh Hayes brought his Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R home fifth, just in front of Steve Rapp, who rode a Michelin-shod Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R750. Running off track in the middle of the race set Jason DiSalvo back to seventh. Alex Gobert recovered from a terrible start to finish eighth on his Erion Honda CBR1000RR. Damon Buckmaster soldiered through pain from a crash in Sunday morning practice to collect valuable ninth-place points. Hooters Suzuki’s Eric Wood beat Jake Holden out in a battle for tenth.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies led the race for the first few laps on a GSX-R750, slipped back after a mistake and continued dropping positions until he crashed out hard in turn seven on lap 12 of 17.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec crashed out of the race in turn seven on the first lap.

Provisional AMA Superstock Race Results:

1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 17 laps
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -2.349 seconds
3. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -3.559
4. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, -8.965
5. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -8.965
6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, -12.826
7. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R1, -20.118
8. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR1000RR, -27.009
9. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, -36.783
10. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -39.093
11. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, -39.148
12. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -51.575
13. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, crash
14. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000
15. David Weber, Suzuki GSX-R1000
16. Marco Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R1000
17. Jason Curtus, Suzuki GSX-R1000
18. William Johnson Suzuki GSX-R1000
19. Brian Hall Suzuki GSX-R750
20. Mike Hanley, Suzuki GSX-R1000

23. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNF, crash

27. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, crash


Provisional AMA Superstock Championship Point Standings:

1. Hacking, 135
2. Aaron Gobert, 118
3. Buckmaster, 115
4. Tommy Hayden, 112
5. Jason DiSalvo, 102
6. Roger Lee Hayden, 100
7. Spies, 96
8. Rapp, 94
9. Hayes, 74
10. Holden, 70
11. TIE, Alex Gobert/Haner, 68
13. TIE, Eric Wood/May, 66
15. Pridmore, 58
16. Higbee, 58
17. Lee Acree, 50
18. Haskovec, 48
19. Corey Eaton, 36
20. Roetlin, 35

Roger Lee Hayden Takes First-ever AMA Supersport Win In Dramatic Fashion At Barber

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional AMA Supersport Race Results;

1. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 17 laps
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -0.030 second
3. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -0.218 second
4. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, -1.068 seconds
5. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -7.181 seconds
6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -8.994 seconds
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -21.354 seconds
8. Michael Barnes, Yamaha, -23.313 seconds
9. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, -24.290 seconds
10. Ben Attard, Suzuki, -24.432 seconds
11. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -52.359 seconds
12. Jason Perez, Yamaha, -52.712 second
13. Darren Luck, Suzuki
14. Blake Young, Suzuki
15. John-O Bowman, Yamaha
16. Nathan Hester, Yamaha
17. Pedro Valiente, Yamaha
18. Danny Eslick, Suzuki
19. William Meyers, Yamaha
20. Brad Hendry, Yamaha
21. Chad Klock, Honda
22. Steven Breckenridge, Triumph
23. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki
24. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, -1 lap
25. Daniel Doty, Yamaha, -1 lap
26. Giovanni Rojas, Yamaha, -1 lap
27. Montez Stewart, Yamaha, -1 lap
28. Chris Siebenhaar, Honda, 1 lap
29. Michael Morgan, Suzuki, -1 lap
30. Chris Peris, Suzuki, -2 laps
31. Nathtan Dressman, Yamaha, -5 laps
32. Ryan Andrews, Triumph, -5 laps
33. Jason Peters, Suzuki, -11 laps
34. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, DNF, crash
35. Robert Hilliard, Yamaha
36. Michael Sanchez, Yamaha, -15 laps, DNF, crash
37. Nicky Moore, Suzuki, -16 laps, DNF, crash
38. Heath Small, Yamaha, -17 laps, DNF, crash
39. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, DNS

Provisional AMA Supersport Championship Point Standings:

1. Tommy Hayden, 128
2. Roger Lee Hayden, 123
3. Hacking, 113
4. Aaron Gobert, 109
5. Spies, 94
6. Rapp, 91
7. Barnes, 90
8. DiSalvo, 89
9. Meiring, 85
10. Acree, 77
11. Yates, 73
12. Perez, 69
13. Attard, 67
14. Luck, 60
15. Bowman, 47
16. Buckmaster, 46
17. Hester, 43
18. Eslick, 42
19. Valiente, 33
20. TIE, Peris/Hendry, 32

Doctors Won’t Release Buckmaster At Barber

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Medical Center doctors manning the medical center at Barber Motorsports Park will not release Damon Buckmaster to compete this afternoon.

Buckmaster took a hard hit when he crashed in turn 12 during Supersport practice this morning at the Leeds, Alabama racetrack.

The extent of Buckmaster’s injuries were unknown at post time.


Updated Post: Duhamel Comes From Behind To Beat Zemke In AMA Superbike Race At Barber

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

America Honda’s Miguel Duhamel took his second win of the 2004 season Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in a very similar fashion as his first – he came from behind to beat Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke.

For Superbike rookie Zemke, it was the fourth time he has finished as runner-up (and his fifth podium appearance) in seven races.

Duhamel’s teammate Ben Bostrom held the early lead but was passed by Zemke not long after the start. Zemke then pulled away, while Bostrom dropped back.

Duhamel and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who had both gotten bad starts and were outside the top 10 in the first corners, worked past Bostrom on lap 16 of 28 and began chasing Zemke.

Duhamel was able to get through traffic better than Zemke or Mladin and closed on the leader. The French-Canadian made his move with less than two laps to go, going up the inside of Zemke in the final corner, and held his advantage – with a little help from a backmarker – to the checkered flag.

Mladin faded slightly with bike troubles to finish third.

Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates got a strong start, ran off the track, held a conservative pace through the middle stages of the race and charged forward at the end to pass Bostrom for fourth.

Bostrom held on for fifth, well clear of early front-runner Josh Hayes, who held a good lead over Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom at the line.

Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner was third into the first corner, was slowly overtaken by the slow-starting factory riders but held eighth to the finish.

Top privateer Geoff May, who rode a Pirelli-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000, finished ninth after a race-long battle with Jeremy Toye, who rode a Roadracingworld.com Yamaha YZF-R1 on Dunlops.

Provisional AMA Superbike Race Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 28 laps
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, -0.377 second
3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -9.094 seconds
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -18.980 seconds
5. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -23.975 seconds
6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -31.659 seconds
7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -36.645 seconds
8. John Haner, Suzuki, -75.247 seconds
9. Geoff May, Suzuki, -77.528 seconds
10. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, -77.771 seconds
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -1 lap
12. Mike Smith, Suzuki, -1 lap
13. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, -1 lap
14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap
15. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap
17. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap
18. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, -1 lap
19. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap
20. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. Mark Ledesma, Honda, -1 lap
22. John Jacobi, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Jack Pfeifer, Honda, -1 lap
24. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap
26. Lenny Beckman, Suzuki, -2 laps
27. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -2 laps
28. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki, -2 laps
29. Rick Narup, Suzuki, -2 laps
30. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -3 laps
31. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -9 laps, DNF, mechanical
32. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, -17 laps, DNF
33. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -18 laps, DNF
34. Scott Jensen, Honda, -28 laps, DNF, crash

Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 18 races):

1. Mladin, 243
2. Duhamel, 218
3. Zemke, 216
4. May, 154
5. Eric Bostrom, 147
6. Acree, 136
7. Haner, 132
8. Pegram, 117
9. Hayes, 112
10. West, 109
11. Ben Bostrom, 105
12. Wood, 102
13. TIE, Yates/Caylor, 85
15. Toye, 82
16. Bell, 81
17. Pfeifer, 78
18. Clint McBain, 76
19. Steve Crevier, 75
20. Roetlin, 70


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MLADIN STILL ON TOP AFTER A VICTORY AND THIRD AT ALABAMA

Birmingham, Alabama, USA (Sunday, May 17) – Defending American Superbike champion Mat Mladin has maintained his position at the top of the 2004 American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship after his opening race victory yesterday was followed by a third place finish today at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

The weekend’s result leaves the four times American Superbike champion with a 25-point advantage over Miguel DuHamel (243 – 218) who took the win in today’s second Superbike national from fellow Honda rider Jake Zemke who lies third on the points table, two points further adrift.

After yesterday’s opening race win, Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 were again the combination to beat in today’s 28-lap race, which was red flagged on the fourth lap and a complete restart ordered by officials. Starting from pole position, Mladin made a steady start, but was caught in the frantic action of the opening laps and was made to work hard in his efforts to rejoin the lead group of riders. Along with DuHamel, the pair worked their way forward, with Mladin moving into second place for the first time on lap 16. The pair continued their tussle right through to the flag, before DuHamel made his way past Zemke to take the race lead and eventual win with two laps to run, with Mladin maintaining third and the final place on the podium.

“It was a tough race out there for us today and I think it was one that got away from us,” said Mladin. “From the restart we had a problem with the bike and that made it difficult to maintain the speed I wanted to out there. I had a good battle with Miguel (DuHamel), but when it came time to move forward in the closing laps, the problem with the bike began to get worse and I had to ensure that I brought it home and score as many points as possible. We’ve extended our points lead very slightly here and not by as much as I would have liked. It’s still close and we still have a lot of work to do.”

Yesterday’s opening race win was Mladin’s 29th career AMA Superbike victory and fifth for the season, while the pole position he earned during qualifying was the 36th in his AMA career and third for the season.

Colorado’s Pikes Peak Raceway is the destination for the eighth round of the 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship with the two-day event scheduled for this coming weekend, May 22 & 23.


Aaron Gobert Goes Faster Than Qualifying Time In AMA Superstock Warm-up At Barber

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning’s Provisional AMA Superstock Practice Times:

1. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.105
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.231
3. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.274
4. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.350
5. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:27.581
6. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:27.706
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.718
8. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.775
9. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:28.027
10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.117
11. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:28.129
12. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.391
13. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.990
14. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.101
15. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.141
16. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.170
17. Christian Pistoni, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.213
18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.552
19. David Weber, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.834
20. Montez Stewart, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:32.809
21. Brian Hall, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.270
22. William Johnson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.161
23. James Kerker, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:36.964
24. Robert Deily, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.314

Updated Post: Monza World Supersport Race Win Goes To Muggeridge

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Supersport Race Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 16 laps, 30:27.772
2. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 30:33.532
3. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 30:36.126
4. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 30:40.995
5. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 30:50.154
6. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R600, 31:03.316
7. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 31:03.410 8. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 31:03.458
9. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 31:03.967
10. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati 749R, 31:04.216
11. Mattieu Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, 31:04.854
12. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600RR, 31:10.882
13. Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 31:12.152
14. Denis Sacchetti, Honda CBR600RR, 31:12.470
15. Diego Giugovaz, Honda CBR600RR, 31:17.852
16. Ron Van Steenbergen, Honda CBR600RR, 31:39.858
17. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 31:58.461
18. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, -3 laps, DNF

22. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, -8 laps, DNF
23. Nicky Wimbauer, Yamaha YZF-R6, -12 laps, DNF

26. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, -13 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap of Race: Muggeridge, 1:53.396


More, from a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

Date: Sunday, 16th May 2004
Circuit: Monza, 5,793 km
Race: 16 laps
Weather: sunny Temperature: air 27° C, track 45° C
Crowd: 50.000

JURGEN TAKES THIRD AFTER FABIEN IS DISQUALIFIED FROM SECOND PLACE!
Yamaha Racing Italia rider Fabien Foret rode a hard race – full of determination and grit – and crossed the line in second place, but was later excluded from the results when his R6 Yamaha suffered a technical infraction in the post race inspection. His R6 Yamaha’s engine did not cut out within the time limit when it was leant over, so Fabien saw his runner-up spot and trophy vanish from his grasp. Fabien’s loss was his team mate’s gain. Jurgen had finished fourth but, when Fabien was excluded, he was moved up to third. Yamaha Racing Italia had hoped to have both riders on the podium at their home event, but it was not to be.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH – 3rd
This is not the way I wanted to be third and I feel very sorry for Fabien and also the whole team – especially as this is our home race. This year, I didn’t have such a good feeling on the bike through the chicanes as I did last year and that hindered my progress. The race was very hard and I pushed really hard to sty in touch with the leaders. When I saw Curtain out, I decided to stay clam and take some very important points and maintain my championship lead.

FABIEN FORET – DISQUALIFIED
I am very disappointed, because it was so good to finish second at our team’s home race. My goal today was to win the race and give my team a lot of satisfaction and pleasure, but in the end second place was pretty good – that is until I was disqualified! It seems hard to penalise a rider for a very small technical failure, especially after riding so hard. It seems that my R6 wouldn’t cut out within a second when it was leant over. It did cut out, but it took just a little longer then the rules required and so my joy was dashed. What this has done is to badly affect my position in the points standing and that makes me unhappy.

Results
1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 2 Parkes (Aus-Honda), 3 VD GOORBERGH (NL-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA), 4 Charpentier (F-Honda), 5 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 6 Bussei (I-Ducati), 7 Guareschi (I-Ducati), 8 Lagrive (F-Suzuki), 9 Hanson (S-Honda), 10 Roccoli (I-Yamaha)

Points
1 VD GOORBERGH (YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 73, 2 Muggeridge 62, 3 Curtain 47, 4 Fujiwara 34, 5 Parkes 33, 6 Lanzi 31, 7 FORET (YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 30, 8 Chambon 26, 9 Brookes 25, 10 Charpentier 24


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Muggeridge and Parkes Go First and Second

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) overcame a poor start to blast his way to the race win at Monza, his second successive victory in the Supersport category. His team-mate Broc Parkes (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) rode strongly from his second row start to take third place, during an incident packed 16-lap Supersport race which featured revised results. Second place originally went to Yamaha rider Fabien Foret, with championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) fourth. After Foret and Suzuki rider Vittorio Iannuzzo were disqualified, Parkes was promoted to second.

Muggeridge, aware of having clutch glitches in previous starts at Monza, had a poor launch off the line and had to fight his way through from11th on lap one, hitting the front on lap four; Parkes was seventh after the first circuit, but equipped with their rapid Ten Kate tuned Honda 600s, each rider was able to pull through the pack.

For Muggeridge the win was hard taken, even if his margin of victory of 5.760 seconds was an impressive gap over his pursuers. It now leaves him second in the championship. “I’m happy with that. I had the worst start in motorcycle history. I lust flaked it off the line. The last couple of times I had clutch problems so this time I wasn’t going there at all. I wasn’t too concerned as long as I could get through the first chicane cleanly. We had a pretty good pace and that would help me work my way through. It was an excellent result for our championship.”

Parkes, who jumped to fifth in the championship thanks to his latest race result, stated, “It was awesome to get on the podium. After the disappointment of Misano I trained a lot to make sure I could run with all the boys. My bike was pretty fast and that helped. Now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favorite circuits.”

For Team Boss Gerrit Ten Kate the result was almost perfect. “I am very happy with this result, getting both riders on the podium. The times were a bit slower than last year but that may be due to the temperature on the track. I think Broc just wanted to finish the race at the end and not try any crazy things. For Karl it was even better because he is only eight points behind in the championship now.”


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

MUGGERIDGE WINS AT MONZA WITH PARKES SECOND

WSS Report
For the second Supersport race weekend in succession Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) outpaced the opposition, recording a clear 5.760 second margin of victory. The 16-lap Supersport race started badly for him as he went too easy on his clutch and he dropped to 11th place at the end of lap one. It took him only four laps to get to the lead and once there he rode almost unopposed by anything but the hot and cloying Monza air.

In third place in the original classification, Muggeridge’s team-mate Broc Parkes had his first podium finish of the year, again after a less than sparkling start from the second row. His fight the top deck of the results had moments of incident, and the points he earned made big changes for him in the championship table.

The early leader, Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was black flagged for a jump-start and had to enter the pits to receive his time penalty. Restarting in eighth, he fought hard to finish fifth overall, desperately disappointed at yet more misfortune after an excellent qualifying performance in second.

In a race with much legislative input, original second place finisher Fabien Foret (Yamaha) was excluded from the results for a technical infraction, promoting Parkes from third to second for a Ten Kate 1-2. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Suzuki) was also excluded from his original sixth place.

Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) originally equalled his rookie season best of eighth, after a multi-rider slipstreaming war throughout the latter parts of the race. The young German gave his best and he was further rewarded with a sixth place finish after the exclusion of Foret and Iannuzzo.

The Team Italia Megabike Honda riders experienced different results in their home race. A clash with Parkes ended Alessio Corradi’s race on the third lap, while Denis Sacchetti scored four points for his 12th.”

Muggeridge, aware of some bad luck at Monza before, explained his startline drama. “I’m happy with that. I had the worst start in motorcycle racing history. I lust flaked it off the line. The last couple of times I had clutch problems so this time I wasn’t going there at all. I wasn’t too concerned as long as I could get through the first chicane cleanly. We had a pretty good pace and I knew that would help me work my way through. It was an excellent result for our championship hopes.”

Parkes was delighted to finish third after some cruel luck this year. “It was awesome to get on the podium. After the disappointment of Misano I trained a lot to make sure I could run with all the boys. My bike was pretty fast and that helped. Now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favourite circuits.”

A bitter sweet race for Charpentier ended with the Frenchman almost speechless at his continuing misfortune, even if he did eventually finish fourth, earning invaluable championship points. “I just cannot believe or luck this year. I felt really good riding at the front so it is a very big disappointment to me to get black flagged.”

Neukirchner, after another assured qualifying, said of his fall, “I was very happy to finish eighth because when I spoke before the race I said I would be happy to have a top 15 in my first race here. It was a very big fight all through the race! This equals my best previous result of eighth and I didn’t really expect that. Then when the other riders were excluded, it made me sixth.”

Corradi, bitterly disappointed at the circumstances surrounding a crash in his home race, said. “When I went into the Roggia section I cut the chicane. I looked back to make sure I did not pass Foret, because the rules forbid it. When he passed me I was hit by Parkes. I am not really injured but I’m very disappointed.”

Sacchetti, who worked hard in the heat, said “I came here hoping to get into the top 15 so I am satisfied with finishing 14th over the line.” he continued, “It was a hard weekend for me and we made a big improvement from qualifying. I managed to get away with a group and that was important, so that I could work my way forward.”

In the Championship itself, van den Goorbergh still leads on 73 points, but Muggeridge jumped to second with 62. Parkes sits fifth overall, with 29 points.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ALSTARE UPBEAT DESPITE NO SCORE
Team Alstare Suzuki newcomer Vittorio Iannuzzo was excluded from today’s World Supersport sixth round on a technicality after racing through from 24th to sixth as team mates Katsuaki Fujiwara and Stephane Chambon failed to finish.

But the Corona Extra team is positive with the developments made to improve the all-new, faster GSX-R600 race machine – and their riding today.

Iannuzzo was an innocent victim of the technical regulations when his bike failed to cut out when it was leant over in the post race inspection and was excluded from the results – a similar fate suffered by second-placed Fabien Foret (Yamaha).

Fujiwara was 11th and mounting a challenge for second place when his bike suffered a mystery engine problem just three laps from the end; a similar glitch hitting Chambon’s bike after just three laps.

Aussie Karl Muggeridge (Honda) won the race; Broc Parkes inherited second from the excluded Foret and third went to Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha).

VITTORIO IANNUZZO – EXCLUDED:

“I am not so happy to be excluded of course, especially after fighting my way up to sixth place from 24th! I worked really hard today and sixth would’ve been great for the team, but it didn’t work out in our favour. Although our team didn’t get the luck or the results today, we feel very positive about the future. ‘Kats’ showed that he could compete with the fastest bikes out there today and so that’s very, very positive. After the start to season we have had, it’s good to know that we can improve and we are all looking forward to that in the next round.”


KATSUAKI FUJIWARA – DNF:

“I am very happy because today I could catch and pass the Hondas and the Yamahas! It’s the first time this season that I could do this and so now I am very optimistic about the rest of the season. My bike also felt more stable under braking, so I think we have managed to find some solutions to some of our problems and maybe now we can be much more competitive. I was only 11th at the end of the first lap but I stayed calm and gradually worked my way up the field, It was not so hard and I was enjoying myself a lot. Maybe I could’ve taken second place today because I was catching Foret, but then we suffered a problem and I was forced to stop. But, I am happy and looking forward to the next race.”

STEPHANE CHAMBON – DNF:

“My race only lasted three laps, so it’s a bit hard to tell how the bike was today. I think there is an improvement and I hope to find out more in the next round. I know that I probably have to adapt my riding style also, but I am happy to try and do that if the bike needs it. The most important thing is that we are improving and that gives us all a lot of hope.”

Results:

1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 2 Parkes (Aus-Honda), 3 VD Goorbergh (NL-Yamaha), 4 Charpentier (F-Honda), 5 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 6 Bussei (I-Ducati), 7 Guareschi (I-Ducati), 8 Lagrive (F-Suzuki), 9 Hanson (S-Honda), 10 Roccoli (I-Yamaha), FUJIWARA – DNF, CHAMBON – DNF, IANNUZZO – Excluded

Championship Points (after 4 rounds): 1 VD Goorbergh (Yamaha) 73, 2 Muggeridge 62, 3 Curtain 47, 4 FUJIWARA (J-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 34, 5 Parkes 33, 6 Lanzi 31, 7 Foret (Yamaha) 30, 8 CHAMBON (F-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 26, 9 Brookes 25, 10 Charpentier 24, 13 IANNUZZO (I-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 20,



Contrary To What Officials Say, Buckmaster May Race At Barber

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Contrary to early reports from AMA Pro Racing officials that Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster was declared medically unfit to race at Barber Motorsports Park, Buckmaster may indeed race Sunday.

That’s the word from Yamaha Team Manager Tom Halverson. “Damon wants to race,” Halverson told Roadracingworld.com. “We, the team, are trying to determine if it’s safe for him to race or not, if he has the grip strength or not.

“There’s nothing broken. He just has a hole in his right elbow; something punctured there. And he was some soft tissue damage in his right shoulder. He must have landed on it or something, but he feels he can ride.”

George Barber Says He’s Serious About MotoGP

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

George Barber, patron of Barber Motorsports Park, said this afternoon that he is serious about having a MotoGP race at the track.

Asked if MotoGP officials had expressed any concerns about the size of the track and its lack of any substantial straightaways, Barber said “No.” He did acknowledge that the track keeps riders very busy on a lap.

He added that MotoGP officials were “very happy with the safety of the track” and with the facility, and then talked about the park-like setting and the adjacent museum.

When a reporter wished him good luck in his quest to host a MotoGP race, Barber said that it will take some luck to put together a MotoGP race at the facility.


Updated Post: Gibernau Beats Checa, Biaggi, Rossi In French Grand Prix

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Spaniard Sete Gibernau increased his MotoGP Championship point lead with a win Sunday in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. It was Gibernau’s second win of the 2004 season, the seventh of his career and his second consecutive win at Le Mans.

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha’s Carlos Checa took the holeshot and led the first 11 laps over Gibernau, but one small mistake, running wide at the exit of a right-hander, gave Gibernau the only opportunity he needed. Gibernau drove past Checa and held on to win by a small but stable margin.

Late in the race, Checa came under pressure from Camel Honda’s Max Biaggi, who grew stronger through the race, passing Checa’s teammate Valentino Rossi for third on lap 13.

Pressure from Rossi, a few mistakes and lapped riders in the final corner of the race inhibited Biaggi from taking second place from Checa.

Rossi rode hard, swapped position with Biaggi several times (nearly making contact with his rival more than once) but made mistakes of his own that prevented him from doing better than fourth.

Gibernau’s Telefonica Movistar Honda teammate Colin Edwards finished fifth after passing Checa’s young teammate Marco Melandri in the fast first part of the track late in the race.

American Kenny Lee Roberts finished eighth on his factory Suzuki GSV-R.

Respol Honda’s Nicky Hayden ran off the track once during the race and struggled to finish 11th.

Kurtis Roberts scored his first-ever MotoGP points with 15th, one lap down, on the Proton Team KR V5.

D’Antin Ducati’s Neil Hodgson crashed on the first lap, taking out Suzuki’s John Hopkins and Yamaha’s Norick Abe, according to Abe.

According to an incident report issued by MotoGP, Hopkins suffered a fractured left thumb, and Hodgson broke two ribs, in the crash.

Gibernau’s win extends his MotoGP World Championship point lead to 10 over Biaggi.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 28 laps, 44:22.750
2. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -1.671 seconds
3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -1.908 seconds
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, -4.272 seconds
5. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, -15.755 seconds
6. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -18.225 seconds
7. Alex BARROS, Honda, -27.656 seconds
8. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -31.530 seconds
9. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -33.164 seconds
10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -39.512 seconds
11. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -47.625 seconds
12. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -72.140 seconds
13. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, -83.391 seconds
14. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, -1 lap, crash
15. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, -1 lap
16. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, -1 lap
17. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -1 lap
18. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -12 laps, DNF
19. Chris BURNS, Harris wCM, -14 laps, DNF
20. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -23 laps, DNF
21. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -28 laps, DNF, crash
22. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -28 laps, DNF, crash
23. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, -28 laps, DNF, crash

Note: Hodgson crashed on the first lap, knocking down Hopkins and Abe.

MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (after 3 of 16 races):

1. GIBERNAU, 66 points
2. BIAGGI, 56 points
3. ROSSI, 51 points
4. BARROS, 38 points
5. CHECA, 36 points
6. EDWARDS, 29 points
7. HAYDEN, 27 points
8. CAPIROSSI, 20 points
9. TIE, MELANDRI/TAMADA, 15 points
11. TIE, Kenny ROBERTS/ABE, 12 points
13. NAKANO, 11 points
14. BAYLISS, 10 points
15. FABRIZIO, 6 points
16. HOPKINS, 4 points
17. TIE, McWILLIAMS/HOFMANN, 3 points
19. TIE, XAUS/AOKI, 2 points
21. TIE, Kurtis ROBERTS/Shane Byrne 1 point

Updated Post: Promotion For Robinson At Bridgestone

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

John Robinson, who represented Bridgestone at AMA Nationals for three years, has been re-assigned in the company, in a move he says is a promotion.

Bridgestone did a booming business in the 250cc Grand Prix class but has seen its business at AMA Nationals drop dramatically since the class was eliminated at the end of 2003. But Robinson says that’s not the reason behind the move, which gives him more responsibility and pays him more money.

Robinson has returned to the Marketing Department at Bridgestone/Firestone, handling the company’s Drive & Learn program, Fuzion events, Bigfoot Monster Truck and various other projects.

His previous racing assignment was classified by the company as Sales Engineering, and Robinson worked at kart events as well as at motorcycle races. He will be replaced in that position, and the company will continue with its motorcycle road racing programs, Robinson said.

In an e-mail to RoadracingWorld.com, Robinson wrote, “It has been a great pleasure working with you in the world of motorcycles… At the moment, a replacement has not been determined, but should be announced in the near future.”

In related news, Robinson married Jennifer Alford, May 1st in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Robinson can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]


Hacking Wins AMA Superstock Race At Barber

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking won his second consecutive AMA Superstock race Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Hacking went from third to first on one lap, held the lead over Kawasaki’s Roger Lee Hayden and Tommy Hayden with a comfortable pace and pulled away late to win by 2.349 seconds.

The Hayden brothers fought back and forth in the late laps with Tommy Hayden, the elder brother, coming out with second place. Roger Lee Hayden held on for third.

Aaron Gobert came back from ninth on the opening lap to finish fourth. Josh Hayes brought his Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R home fifth, just in front of Steve Rapp, who rode a Michelin-shod Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R750. Running off track in the middle of the race set Jason DiSalvo back to seventh. Alex Gobert recovered from a terrible start to finish eighth on his Erion Honda CBR1000RR. Damon Buckmaster soldiered through pain from a crash in Sunday morning practice to collect valuable ninth-place points. Hooters Suzuki’s Eric Wood beat Jake Holden out in a battle for tenth.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies led the race for the first few laps on a GSX-R750, slipped back after a mistake and continued dropping positions until he crashed out hard in turn seven on lap 12 of 17.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec crashed out of the race in turn seven on the first lap.

Provisional AMA Superstock Race Results:

1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 17 laps
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -2.349 seconds
3. Roger Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -3.559
4. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, -8.965
5. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -8.965
6. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, -12.826
7. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R1, -20.118
8. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR1000RR, -27.009
9. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, -36.783
10. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -39.093
11. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, -39.148
12. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -51.575
13. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, crash
14. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000
15. David Weber, Suzuki GSX-R1000
16. Marco Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R1000
17. Jason Curtus, Suzuki GSX-R1000
18. William Johnson Suzuki GSX-R1000
19. Brian Hall Suzuki GSX-R750
20. Mike Hanley, Suzuki GSX-R1000

23. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNF, crash

27. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, crash


Provisional AMA Superstock Championship Point Standings:

1. Hacking, 135
2. Aaron Gobert, 118
3. Buckmaster, 115
4. Tommy Hayden, 112
5. Jason DiSalvo, 102
6. Roger Lee Hayden, 100
7. Spies, 96
8. Rapp, 94
9. Hayes, 74
10. Holden, 70
11. TIE, Alex Gobert/Haner, 68
13. TIE, Eric Wood/May, 66
15. Pridmore, 58
16. Higbee, 58
17. Lee Acree, 50
18. Haskovec, 48
19. Corey Eaton, 36
20. Roetlin, 35

Roger Lee Hayden Takes First-ever AMA Supersport Win In Dramatic Fashion At Barber

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional AMA Supersport Race Results;

1. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 17 laps
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -0.030 second
3. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -0.218 second
4. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, -1.068 seconds
5. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -7.181 seconds
6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -8.994 seconds
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -21.354 seconds
8. Michael Barnes, Yamaha, -23.313 seconds
9. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, -24.290 seconds
10. Ben Attard, Suzuki, -24.432 seconds
11. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -52.359 seconds
12. Jason Perez, Yamaha, -52.712 second
13. Darren Luck, Suzuki
14. Blake Young, Suzuki
15. John-O Bowman, Yamaha
16. Nathan Hester, Yamaha
17. Pedro Valiente, Yamaha
18. Danny Eslick, Suzuki
19. William Meyers, Yamaha
20. Brad Hendry, Yamaha
21. Chad Klock, Honda
22. Steven Breckenridge, Triumph
23. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki
24. Jeremy Haiduk, Yamaha, -1 lap
25. Daniel Doty, Yamaha, -1 lap
26. Giovanni Rojas, Yamaha, -1 lap
27. Montez Stewart, Yamaha, -1 lap
28. Chris Siebenhaar, Honda, 1 lap
29. Michael Morgan, Suzuki, -1 lap
30. Chris Peris, Suzuki, -2 laps
31. Nathtan Dressman, Yamaha, -5 laps
32. Ryan Andrews, Triumph, -5 laps
33. Jason Peters, Suzuki, -11 laps
34. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, DNF, crash
35. Robert Hilliard, Yamaha
36. Michael Sanchez, Yamaha, -15 laps, DNF, crash
37. Nicky Moore, Suzuki, -16 laps, DNF, crash
38. Heath Small, Yamaha, -17 laps, DNF, crash
39. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, DNS

Provisional AMA Supersport Championship Point Standings:

1. Tommy Hayden, 128
2. Roger Lee Hayden, 123
3. Hacking, 113
4. Aaron Gobert, 109
5. Spies, 94
6. Rapp, 91
7. Barnes, 90
8. DiSalvo, 89
9. Meiring, 85
10. Acree, 77
11. Yates, 73
12. Perez, 69
13. Attard, 67
14. Luck, 60
15. Bowman, 47
16. Buckmaster, 46
17. Hester, 43
18. Eslick, 42
19. Valiente, 33
20. TIE, Peris/Hendry, 32

Doctors Won’t Release Buckmaster At Barber

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Medical Center doctors manning the medical center at Barber Motorsports Park will not release Damon Buckmaster to compete this afternoon.

Buckmaster took a hard hit when he crashed in turn 12 during Supersport practice this morning at the Leeds, Alabama racetrack.

The extent of Buckmaster’s injuries were unknown at post time.


Updated Post: Duhamel Comes From Behind To Beat Zemke In AMA Superbike Race At Barber

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

America Honda’s Miguel Duhamel took his second win of the 2004 season Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in a very similar fashion as his first – he came from behind to beat Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke.

For Superbike rookie Zemke, it was the fourth time he has finished as runner-up (and his fifth podium appearance) in seven races.

Duhamel’s teammate Ben Bostrom held the early lead but was passed by Zemke not long after the start. Zemke then pulled away, while Bostrom dropped back.

Duhamel and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, who had both gotten bad starts and were outside the top 10 in the first corners, worked past Bostrom on lap 16 of 28 and began chasing Zemke.

Duhamel was able to get through traffic better than Zemke or Mladin and closed on the leader. The French-Canadian made his move with less than two laps to go, going up the inside of Zemke in the final corner, and held his advantage – with a little help from a backmarker – to the checkered flag.

Mladin faded slightly with bike troubles to finish third.

Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates got a strong start, ran off the track, held a conservative pace through the middle stages of the race and charged forward at the end to pass Bostrom for fourth.

Bostrom held on for fifth, well clear of early front-runner Josh Hayes, who held a good lead over Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom at the line.

Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner was third into the first corner, was slowly overtaken by the slow-starting factory riders but held eighth to the finish.

Top privateer Geoff May, who rode a Pirelli-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000, finished ninth after a race-long battle with Jeremy Toye, who rode a Roadracingworld.com Yamaha YZF-R1 on Dunlops.

Provisional AMA Superbike Race Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 28 laps
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, -0.377 second
3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -9.094 seconds
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -18.980 seconds
5. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -23.975 seconds
6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -31.659 seconds
7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -36.645 seconds
8. John Haner, Suzuki, -75.247 seconds
9. Geoff May, Suzuki, -77.528 seconds
10. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, -77.771 seconds
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -1 lap
12. Mike Smith, Suzuki, -1 lap
13. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, -1 lap
14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap
15. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap
17. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap
18. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, -1 lap
19. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap
20. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. Mark Ledesma, Honda, -1 lap
22. John Jacobi, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Jack Pfeifer, Honda, -1 lap
24. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -1 lap
26. Lenny Beckman, Suzuki, -2 laps
27. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -2 laps
28. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki, -2 laps
29. Rick Narup, Suzuki, -2 laps
30. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -3 laps
31. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -9 laps, DNF, mechanical
32. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, -17 laps, DNF
33. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -18 laps, DNF
34. Scott Jensen, Honda, -28 laps, DNF, crash

Provisional AMA Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 7 of 18 races):

1. Mladin, 243
2. Duhamel, 218
3. Zemke, 216
4. May, 154
5. Eric Bostrom, 147
6. Acree, 136
7. Haner, 132
8. Pegram, 117
9. Hayes, 112
10. West, 109
11. Ben Bostrom, 105
12. Wood, 102
13. TIE, Yates/Caylor, 85
15. Toye, 82
16. Bell, 81
17. Pfeifer, 78
18. Clint McBain, 76
19. Steve Crevier, 75
20. Roetlin, 70


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MLADIN STILL ON TOP AFTER A VICTORY AND THIRD AT ALABAMA

Birmingham, Alabama, USA (Sunday, May 17) – Defending American Superbike champion Mat Mladin has maintained his position at the top of the 2004 American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship after his opening race victory yesterday was followed by a third place finish today at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

The weekend’s result leaves the four times American Superbike champion with a 25-point advantage over Miguel DuHamel (243 – 218) who took the win in today’s second Superbike national from fellow Honda rider Jake Zemke who lies third on the points table, two points further adrift.

After yesterday’s opening race win, Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 were again the combination to beat in today’s 28-lap race, which was red flagged on the fourth lap and a complete restart ordered by officials. Starting from pole position, Mladin made a steady start, but was caught in the frantic action of the opening laps and was made to work hard in his efforts to rejoin the lead group of riders. Along with DuHamel, the pair worked their way forward, with Mladin moving into second place for the first time on lap 16. The pair continued their tussle right through to the flag, before DuHamel made his way past Zemke to take the race lead and eventual win with two laps to run, with Mladin maintaining third and the final place on the podium.

“It was a tough race out there for us today and I think it was one that got away from us,” said Mladin. “From the restart we had a problem with the bike and that made it difficult to maintain the speed I wanted to out there. I had a good battle with Miguel (DuHamel), but when it came time to move forward in the closing laps, the problem with the bike began to get worse and I had to ensure that I brought it home and score as many points as possible. We’ve extended our points lead very slightly here and not by as much as I would have liked. It’s still close and we still have a lot of work to do.”

Yesterday’s opening race win was Mladin’s 29th career AMA Superbike victory and fifth for the season, while the pole position he earned during qualifying was the 36th in his AMA career and third for the season.

Colorado’s Pikes Peak Raceway is the destination for the eighth round of the 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship with the two-day event scheduled for this coming weekend, May 22 & 23.


Aaron Gobert Goes Faster Than Qualifying Time In AMA Superstock Warm-up At Barber

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning’s Provisional AMA Superstock Practice Times:

1. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.105
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.231
3. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.274
4. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.350
5. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:27.581
6. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:27.706
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.718
8. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.775
9. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:28.027
10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.117
11. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:28.129
12. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.391
13. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.990
14. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.101
15. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.141
16. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.170
17. Christian Pistoni, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.213
18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.552
19. David Weber, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.834
20. Montez Stewart, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:32.809
21. Brian Hall, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.270
22. William Johnson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.161
23. James Kerker, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:36.964
24. Robert Deily, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.314

Updated Post: Monza World Supersport Race Win Goes To Muggeridge

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Supersport Race Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 16 laps, 30:27.772
2. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 30:33.532
3. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 30:36.126
4. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 30:40.995
5. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 30:50.154
6. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R600, 31:03.316
7. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 31:03.410 8. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 31:03.458
9. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 31:03.967
10. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati 749R, 31:04.216
11. Mattieu Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, 31:04.854
12. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600RR, 31:10.882
13. Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 31:12.152
14. Denis Sacchetti, Honda CBR600RR, 31:12.470
15. Diego Giugovaz, Honda CBR600RR, 31:17.852
16. Ron Van Steenbergen, Honda CBR600RR, 31:39.858
17. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 31:58.461
18. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, -3 laps, DNF

22. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, -8 laps, DNF
23. Nicky Wimbauer, Yamaha YZF-R6, -12 laps, DNF

26. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, -13 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap of Race: Muggeridge, 1:53.396


More, from a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

Date: Sunday, 16th May 2004
Circuit: Monza, 5,793 km
Race: 16 laps
Weather: sunny Temperature: air 27° C, track 45° C
Crowd: 50.000

JURGEN TAKES THIRD AFTER FABIEN IS DISQUALIFIED FROM SECOND PLACE!
Yamaha Racing Italia rider Fabien Foret rode a hard race – full of determination and grit – and crossed the line in second place, but was later excluded from the results when his R6 Yamaha suffered a technical infraction in the post race inspection. His R6 Yamaha’s engine did not cut out within the time limit when it was leant over, so Fabien saw his runner-up spot and trophy vanish from his grasp. Fabien’s loss was his team mate’s gain. Jurgen had finished fourth but, when Fabien was excluded, he was moved up to third. Yamaha Racing Italia had hoped to have both riders on the podium at their home event, but it was not to be.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH – 3rd
This is not the way I wanted to be third and I feel very sorry for Fabien and also the whole team – especially as this is our home race. This year, I didn’t have such a good feeling on the bike through the chicanes as I did last year and that hindered my progress. The race was very hard and I pushed really hard to sty in touch with the leaders. When I saw Curtain out, I decided to stay clam and take some very important points and maintain my championship lead.

FABIEN FORET – DISQUALIFIED
I am very disappointed, because it was so good to finish second at our team’s home race. My goal today was to win the race and give my team a lot of satisfaction and pleasure, but in the end second place was pretty good – that is until I was disqualified! It seems hard to penalise a rider for a very small technical failure, especially after riding so hard. It seems that my R6 wouldn’t cut out within a second when it was leant over. It did cut out, but it took just a little longer then the rules required and so my joy was dashed. What this has done is to badly affect my position in the points standing and that makes me unhappy.

Results
1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 2 Parkes (Aus-Honda), 3 VD GOORBERGH (NL-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA), 4 Charpentier (F-Honda), 5 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 6 Bussei (I-Ducati), 7 Guareschi (I-Ducati), 8 Lagrive (F-Suzuki), 9 Hanson (S-Honda), 10 Roccoli (I-Yamaha)

Points
1 VD GOORBERGH (YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 73, 2 Muggeridge 62, 3 Curtain 47, 4 Fujiwara 34, 5 Parkes 33, 6 Lanzi 31, 7 FORET (YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 30, 8 Chambon 26, 9 Brookes 25, 10 Charpentier 24


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Muggeridge and Parkes Go First and Second

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) overcame a poor start to blast his way to the race win at Monza, his second successive victory in the Supersport category. His team-mate Broc Parkes (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) rode strongly from his second row start to take third place, during an incident packed 16-lap Supersport race which featured revised results. Second place originally went to Yamaha rider Fabien Foret, with championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) fourth. After Foret and Suzuki rider Vittorio Iannuzzo were disqualified, Parkes was promoted to second.

Muggeridge, aware of having clutch glitches in previous starts at Monza, had a poor launch off the line and had to fight his way through from11th on lap one, hitting the front on lap four; Parkes was seventh after the first circuit, but equipped with their rapid Ten Kate tuned Honda 600s, each rider was able to pull through the pack.

For Muggeridge the win was hard taken, even if his margin of victory of 5.760 seconds was an impressive gap over his pursuers. It now leaves him second in the championship. “I’m happy with that. I had the worst start in motorcycle history. I lust flaked it off the line. The last couple of times I had clutch problems so this time I wasn’t going there at all. I wasn’t too concerned as long as I could get through the first chicane cleanly. We had a pretty good pace and that would help me work my way through. It was an excellent result for our championship.”

Parkes, who jumped to fifth in the championship thanks to his latest race result, stated, “It was awesome to get on the podium. After the disappointment of Misano I trained a lot to make sure I could run with all the boys. My bike was pretty fast and that helped. Now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favorite circuits.”

For Team Boss Gerrit Ten Kate the result was almost perfect. “I am very happy with this result, getting both riders on the podium. The times were a bit slower than last year but that may be due to the temperature on the track. I think Broc just wanted to finish the race at the end and not try any crazy things. For Karl it was even better because he is only eight points behind in the championship now.”


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

MUGGERIDGE WINS AT MONZA WITH PARKES SECOND

WSS Report
For the second Supersport race weekend in succession Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) outpaced the opposition, recording a clear 5.760 second margin of victory. The 16-lap Supersport race started badly for him as he went too easy on his clutch and he dropped to 11th place at the end of lap one. It took him only four laps to get to the lead and once there he rode almost unopposed by anything but the hot and cloying Monza air.

In third place in the original classification, Muggeridge’s team-mate Broc Parkes had his first podium finish of the year, again after a less than sparkling start from the second row. His fight the top deck of the results had moments of incident, and the points he earned made big changes for him in the championship table.

The early leader, Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was black flagged for a jump-start and had to enter the pits to receive his time penalty. Restarting in eighth, he fought hard to finish fifth overall, desperately disappointed at yet more misfortune after an excellent qualifying performance in second.

In a race with much legislative input, original second place finisher Fabien Foret (Yamaha) was excluded from the results for a technical infraction, promoting Parkes from third to second for a Ten Kate 1-2. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Suzuki) was also excluded from his original sixth place.

Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) originally equalled his rookie season best of eighth, after a multi-rider slipstreaming war throughout the latter parts of the race. The young German gave his best and he was further rewarded with a sixth place finish after the exclusion of Foret and Iannuzzo.

The Team Italia Megabike Honda riders experienced different results in their home race. A clash with Parkes ended Alessio Corradi’s race on the third lap, while Denis Sacchetti scored four points for his 12th.”

Muggeridge, aware of some bad luck at Monza before, explained his startline drama. “I’m happy with that. I had the worst start in motorcycle racing history. I lust flaked it off the line. The last couple of times I had clutch problems so this time I wasn’t going there at all. I wasn’t too concerned as long as I could get through the first chicane cleanly. We had a pretty good pace and I knew that would help me work my way through. It was an excellent result for our championship hopes.”

Parkes was delighted to finish third after some cruel luck this year. “It was awesome to get on the podium. After the disappointment of Misano I trained a lot to make sure I could run with all the boys. My bike was pretty fast and that helped. Now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favourite circuits.”

A bitter sweet race for Charpentier ended with the Frenchman almost speechless at his continuing misfortune, even if he did eventually finish fourth, earning invaluable championship points. “I just cannot believe or luck this year. I felt really good riding at the front so it is a very big disappointment to me to get black flagged.”

Neukirchner, after another assured qualifying, said of his fall, “I was very happy to finish eighth because when I spoke before the race I said I would be happy to have a top 15 in my first race here. It was a very big fight all through the race! This equals my best previous result of eighth and I didn’t really expect that. Then when the other riders were excluded, it made me sixth.”

Corradi, bitterly disappointed at the circumstances surrounding a crash in his home race, said. “When I went into the Roggia section I cut the chicane. I looked back to make sure I did not pass Foret, because the rules forbid it. When he passed me I was hit by Parkes. I am not really injured but I’m very disappointed.”

Sacchetti, who worked hard in the heat, said “I came here hoping to get into the top 15 so I am satisfied with finishing 14th over the line.” he continued, “It was a hard weekend for me and we made a big improvement from qualifying. I managed to get away with a group and that was important, so that I could work my way forward.”

In the Championship itself, van den Goorbergh still leads on 73 points, but Muggeridge jumped to second with 62. Parkes sits fifth overall, with 29 points.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ALSTARE UPBEAT DESPITE NO SCORE
Team Alstare Suzuki newcomer Vittorio Iannuzzo was excluded from today’s World Supersport sixth round on a technicality after racing through from 24th to sixth as team mates Katsuaki Fujiwara and Stephane Chambon failed to finish.

But the Corona Extra team is positive with the developments made to improve the all-new, faster GSX-R600 race machine – and their riding today.

Iannuzzo was an innocent victim of the technical regulations when his bike failed to cut out when it was leant over in the post race inspection and was excluded from the results – a similar fate suffered by second-placed Fabien Foret (Yamaha).

Fujiwara was 11th and mounting a challenge for second place when his bike suffered a mystery engine problem just three laps from the end; a similar glitch hitting Chambon’s bike after just three laps.

Aussie Karl Muggeridge (Honda) won the race; Broc Parkes inherited second from the excluded Foret and third went to Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha).

VITTORIO IANNUZZO – EXCLUDED:

“I am not so happy to be excluded of course, especially after fighting my way up to sixth place from 24th! I worked really hard today and sixth would’ve been great for the team, but it didn’t work out in our favour. Although our team didn’t get the luck or the results today, we feel very positive about the future. ‘Kats’ showed that he could compete with the fastest bikes out there today and so that’s very, very positive. After the start to season we have had, it’s good to know that we can improve and we are all looking forward to that in the next round.”


KATSUAKI FUJIWARA – DNF:

“I am very happy because today I could catch and pass the Hondas and the Yamahas! It’s the first time this season that I could do this and so now I am very optimistic about the rest of the season. My bike also felt more stable under braking, so I think we have managed to find some solutions to some of our problems and maybe now we can be much more competitive. I was only 11th at the end of the first lap but I stayed calm and gradually worked my way up the field, It was not so hard and I was enjoying myself a lot. Maybe I could’ve taken second place today because I was catching Foret, but then we suffered a problem and I was forced to stop. But, I am happy and looking forward to the next race.”

STEPHANE CHAMBON – DNF:

“My race only lasted three laps, so it’s a bit hard to tell how the bike was today. I think there is an improvement and I hope to find out more in the next round. I know that I probably have to adapt my riding style also, but I am happy to try and do that if the bike needs it. The most important thing is that we are improving and that gives us all a lot of hope.”

Results:

1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 2 Parkes (Aus-Honda), 3 VD Goorbergh (NL-Yamaha), 4 Charpentier (F-Honda), 5 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 6 Bussei (I-Ducati), 7 Guareschi (I-Ducati), 8 Lagrive (F-Suzuki), 9 Hanson (S-Honda), 10 Roccoli (I-Yamaha), FUJIWARA – DNF, CHAMBON – DNF, IANNUZZO – Excluded

Championship Points (after 4 rounds): 1 VD Goorbergh (Yamaha) 73, 2 Muggeridge 62, 3 Curtain 47, 4 FUJIWARA (J-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 34, 5 Parkes 33, 6 Lanzi 31, 7 Foret (Yamaha) 30, 8 CHAMBON (F-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 26, 9 Brookes 25, 10 Charpentier 24, 13 IANNUZZO (I-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 20,



Contrary To What Officials Say, Buckmaster May Race At Barber


Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Contrary to early reports from AMA Pro Racing officials that Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster was declared medically unfit to race at Barber Motorsports Park, Buckmaster may indeed race Sunday.

That’s the word from Yamaha Team Manager Tom Halverson. “Damon wants to race,” Halverson told Roadracingworld.com. “We, the team, are trying to determine if it’s safe for him to race or not, if he has the grip strength or not.

“There’s nothing broken. He just has a hole in his right elbow; something punctured there. And he was some soft tissue damage in his right shoulder. He must have landed on it or something, but he feels he can ride.”

George Barber Says He’s Serious About MotoGP

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

George Barber, patron of Barber Motorsports Park, said this afternoon that he is serious about having a MotoGP race at the track.

Asked if MotoGP officials had expressed any concerns about the size of the track and its lack of any substantial straightaways, Barber said “No.” He did acknowledge that the track keeps riders very busy on a lap.

He added that MotoGP officials were “very happy with the safety of the track” and with the facility, and then talked about the park-like setting and the adjacent museum.

When a reporter wished him good luck in his quest to host a MotoGP race, Barber said that it will take some luck to put together a MotoGP race at the facility.


Updated Post: Gibernau Beats Checa, Biaggi, Rossi In French Grand Prix

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Spaniard Sete Gibernau increased his MotoGP Championship point lead with a win Sunday in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. It was Gibernau’s second win of the 2004 season, the seventh of his career and his second consecutive win at Le Mans.

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha’s Carlos Checa took the holeshot and led the first 11 laps over Gibernau, but one small mistake, running wide at the exit of a right-hander, gave Gibernau the only opportunity he needed. Gibernau drove past Checa and held on to win by a small but stable margin.

Late in the race, Checa came under pressure from Camel Honda’s Max Biaggi, who grew stronger through the race, passing Checa’s teammate Valentino Rossi for third on lap 13.

Pressure from Rossi, a few mistakes and lapped riders in the final corner of the race inhibited Biaggi from taking second place from Checa.

Rossi rode hard, swapped position with Biaggi several times (nearly making contact with his rival more than once) but made mistakes of his own that prevented him from doing better than fourth.

Gibernau’s Telefonica Movistar Honda teammate Colin Edwards finished fifth after passing Checa’s young teammate Marco Melandri in the fast first part of the track late in the race.

American Kenny Lee Roberts finished eighth on his factory Suzuki GSV-R.

Respol Honda’s Nicky Hayden ran off the track once during the race and struggled to finish 11th.

Kurtis Roberts scored his first-ever MotoGP points with 15th, one lap down, on the Proton Team KR V5.

D’Antin Ducati’s Neil Hodgson crashed on the first lap, taking out Suzuki’s John Hopkins and Yamaha’s Norick Abe, according to Abe.

According to an incident report issued by MotoGP, Hopkins suffered a fractured left thumb, and Hodgson broke two ribs, in the crash.

Gibernau’s win extends his MotoGP World Championship point lead to 10 over Biaggi.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 28 laps, 44:22.750
2. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -1.671 seconds
3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -1.908 seconds
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, -4.272 seconds
5. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, -15.755 seconds
6. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -18.225 seconds
7. Alex BARROS, Honda, -27.656 seconds
8. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -31.530 seconds
9. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -33.164 seconds
10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -39.512 seconds
11. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -47.625 seconds
12. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -72.140 seconds
13. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, -83.391 seconds
14. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, -1 lap, crash
15. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, -1 lap
16. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, -1 lap
17. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -1 lap
18. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -12 laps, DNF
19. Chris BURNS, Harris wCM, -14 laps, DNF
20. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -23 laps, DNF
21. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -28 laps, DNF, crash
22. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -28 laps, DNF, crash
23. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, -28 laps, DNF, crash

Note: Hodgson crashed on the first lap, knocking down Hopkins and Abe.

MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (after 3 of 16 races):

1. GIBERNAU, 66 points
2. BIAGGI, 56 points
3. ROSSI, 51 points
4. BARROS, 38 points
5. CHECA, 36 points
6. EDWARDS, 29 points
7. HAYDEN, 27 points
8. CAPIROSSI, 20 points
9. TIE, MELANDRI/TAMADA, 15 points
11. TIE, Kenny ROBERTS/ABE, 12 points
13. NAKANO, 11 points
14. BAYLISS, 10 points
15. FABRIZIO, 6 points
16. HOPKINS, 4 points
17. TIE, McWILLIAMS/HOFMANN, 3 points
19. TIE, XAUS/AOKI, 2 points
21. TIE, Kurtis ROBERTS/Shane Byrne 1 point

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