From a press release issued by FGSport:

World Superbike Championship 2004 World Superbike Championship Round 4 Monza, Italy 14-16 May 2004

PREVIEW – WORLD SUPERBIKE PREPARES FOR WARP SPEED

At The Speed of Light: With ultimate velocities of well over 300kmph and average lap speeds of over 190kmph Monza holds the crown as the fastest track on the SBK calendar. Despite the addition of numerous chicanes over the years, speed and power are the most important steps on the Monza podium ladder. Monza is one of the most atmospheric and traditionally sculpted circuits in world racing, a true giant among tracks – and one of the longest – at 5,793km. The oldest permanent European track still in regular use, Monza is located inside a former Royal Park, surrounded by greenery and the remains of the old circuit’s steep banking. A place of memories and nostalgia, Monza is still a venue where modern SBK competitors get to practice their slipstreaming and racecraft in a unique fashion.

Leading Light: With no fewer than five different winners in six races so far this year, the 2004 version of World Superbike is as closely fought and unpredictable as ever. The adoption of a blanket 1000cc capacity limit, stringent technical regulation and the innovation of single make Pirelli control tyres have all contributed their part to this phenomenon. The latest race winner is also the pre-Monza championship leader, Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 999/998). At Misano on April 18 Chili sent his local crowd (and legions of his loyal fans around the world) into a frenzy of joy, securing his 17th career win, in his 223rd SBK race. The enduring and always entertaining Chili knows what it’s like to win at Monza, having secured his first ever SBK victory there in 1995.

Fila Factory Power: Privateer Chili’s speed and consistency have delivered him a 20-point championship cushion but at the high-speed academy of Monza, works power is always an important asset. The factory Fila Ducati riders, James Toseland and Regis Laconi, sit second and third overall in the table at present. More than any other riders, they will be looking to exploit any power advantage that their unique Ducati 999F04 machines may have. In this season, in which ultimate performance is within range of more teams than ever before, Monza will be an excellent test of how far the teams equipped with multi-cylinder 1000cc machines have progressed since the first round at Valencia on February 29th.

Honda Powers On: The foremost four-cylinder machine in the championship at present time is the Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade of Chris Vermeulen. The reigning World Supersport Champion has made outstanding progress since his promotion to Superbike, having secured two podiums already. The 21-year-old Aussie now sits in fourth place overall, 27-points off the lead. Monza is a circuit Vermeulen rates very highly and if his still-developing machine has improved sufficiently since Misano, he may be the darkest horse in the Monza firmament. As Vermeulen is the only rider in the top six without a win to his name this season he is particularly keen to join this increasingly inclusive club with all due haste. Other top-level four-cylinder entries come from the Bertocchi Kawasaki, MIR Suzuki and UnionBike Yamaha teams. Winner’s Circle: With Chili, Toseland and Laconi (2) having all won races so far, the other victories have gone to Ducati 999RS riders Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati 999RS) and Garry McCoy (Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks 999RS). Monza will be less of a known quantity for SBK inductee McCoy, as this is his first full season of World Superbike, having enjoyed a glittering GP career.

Petronas Progress: The upwardly mobile Foggy Petronas team, running the unique three-cylinder Petronas FP-1 machine, has experienced a real measure of success this season. First off Chris Walker took a third place at Valencia on the opening day and more recently Troy Corser secured second place in race one at Misano. An interim engine specification will power their Monza assault, before a full revamp comes on stream for the Laguna Seca round in July. The team has managed to squeeze in a test of the new motor in Spain and it has already been voted an improvement over the previous spec.

Supersport: The fourth round of the World Supersport Championship is expected to be the most knife-edge of them all, despite the recent success of Honda riders at the Monza speed bowl. Last year’s winner Chris Vermeulen has moved on to Superbike duty for the Ten Kate Honda team, but the remaining combatants, Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes, know that Ten Kate CBR600RR Hondas have secured the past two Monza wins. The other four manufacturers involved in Supersport have already proved to have their own turns of speed this season, and with Championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Italia YZF-R6) finishing second last year, and with his team hailing from the outskirts of Monza itself, there is great expectation from the official Yamaha camp. To underline the challenge, 2002 World Champion Fabien Foret (Yamaha Italia) won the ‘02 Monza race on his way to the title. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) is another Monza favourite, and the all-new Suzukis of Katsuaki Fujiwara and Stephane Chambon, plus the factory Breil Ducati 749 of Lorenzo Lanzi, cannot be written off.

Webcam World: The trial use of webcams for interviews and other live coverage of the Superbike World Championship at Misano has been deemed a huge success and will continue for Monza (May 15th and 16th). Seen only on the official website for the series, www.worldsbk.com, the huge number of visitors using the interactive area has delighted the race organizers. The webcam initiative is one in a series of planned improvements to the www.worldsbk.com designed to give visitors not only more news and information on World Superbikes, Supersport, Superstock and the participating teams and riders but also to be directly involved. Fidoweb provides live interviews, video highlights and video IRC chat facilities through the interactive interface on the SBK website using a minimum of three exclusive cameras. On the Saturday after Superpole, live interviews with the front-row qualifying riders from Superbike and the pole sitter from Supersport take place. During this session, visitors to the site can put their questions, seeing and hearing the answers the riders give those chosen. On the Sunday, there are two more sessions similarly covered following the end of the Supersport and two Superbike races. Other interviews are planned with many of the Championship’s leading riders including Pierfrancesco Chili, James Toseland, Regis Laconi, Noriyuki Haga, Chris Vermeulen and Garry McCoy. Other chances to put questions in Italian or English to team personnel will take place over each weekend.

Fidoweb specializes in Internet broadcast techniques and uses the latest digital equipment and satellite links to ensure that everybody with internet access is able to take full advantage of this unique free service. FGSport will study the level of interest and, if it proves as successful as is anticipated, the company plans to expand the service to all events in 2005. The Championship website receives more than 32-million page views, 219-million hits and has in excess of 1,550,000 unique visitors. It is the definitive source of information on the Superbike World Championship.



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:


HONDA RACING INFORMATION

World Supersport Championship 2004 – Round 4
Monza Race Preview
14 – 16 MAY 2004

FESTIVAL OF SPEED BECKONS FOR HONDA SUPERSPORT RIDERS

Almost exactly one month after the last Italian based race of the 2004 World Supersport campaign the top Honda riders in the series return to this hotbed of European motorsport, this time to the historic Monza circuit, just north of the industrial power base of Milan.

All six manufacturer supported Honda entrants will have the proven capabilities of the championship winning Honda CBR600RR to call on, a machine which scooped both rider and manufacturer championships in 2003. The well-balanced CBR600RR is also usually the fastest machine through the speed trap at any track on the ten race campaign trail and at Monza speed and outright power are required to compete along the many straights and fast curves of the 5.793km city centre track.

A proliferation of speed calming chicanes have been introduced to the Monza layout over the years, making stability under braking from top speed another important consideration in the pre-race set-up rituals.

Monza is a circuit the Ten Kate Honda team relishes competing at more than any other, thanks to its consistent record of success at this cathedral of speed. In the past two years, the combination of Honda power and Ten Kate preparation has taken pole position and wins in each Monza WSS race. Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was the man in control of qualifying in 2003 and he hopes to add his first Monza win to his recent Misano victory in round three. ‘Muggas’ currently lies third in the championship chase, with seven rounds remaining.

Muggeridge’s talented team-mate Broc Parkes has shown his speed in qualifying in his first full Ten Kate Honda season, but with misfortune frequently dogging his raceday performances, he looks to Monza to acquire his first podium of the year and move back into the top ten overall.

For the Klaffi Honda team, based in Austria, Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) lies one place behind Parkes in the table, having also seen his raceday luck desert him on more than one occasion. Always a force in practice, Charpentier took pole in Misano and loves the high-speed ballet and chicane brinkmanship that Monza offers.

Charpentier’s 20-year-old team-mate Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) approaches Monza with a very different level of experience when compared to almost any of his rivals. Having moved from 250cc European Championship racing this year, the class rookie has never been to Monza.

Honda’s third supported team, Team Italia Megabike, is on home tarmac once more. Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) learned enough about his new-for-2004 Honda at Misano to take a charging fifth, while his team-mate Denis Sacchetti (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) is in his rookie World Supersport season.

Karl Muggeridge, a man with no end of reasons to look forward to Monza, stated, “I don’t know what the weather will do but we’ll be alright because the bike is good. Winning at Misano was great because we’re back in the game. That’s brought a bit of a buzz back into the team. There is no pressure because we know that there’s a lot of races left in the season.”

For Broc Parkes, Monza is an opportunity to improve his championship position. “Hopefully it will be better than Misano,” said Parkes, who fell while leading last month’s race. “Last year the Ten Kate riders were fast at Monza and the bike should be pretty good. I’m not sure about the exact set-up yet but the team knows what they want to do. They know a lot more than me about the bike. If nobody breaks away early we can all run together at Monza and that makes it easier to slipstream. I’m hoping that Karl and I can be the ones who can be break away together.”

Despite his recent fall in Misano, Sebastien Charpentier can’t wait to get to Monza. “I am OK, my body condition is OK, my mindset as well.” Charpentier also feels he and his fellow CBR riders are in good shape this weekend. “I like the track and it seems to be made for the Honda. Monza was a good race for me last year. It was my first European ride for the Klaffi team, I wasn’t fully race fit but I still got sixth place. I will be going for the podium this time around, no question.”

Max Neukirchner may be a stranger to Monza, but he has no end of experience to call on in the Klaffi pit garage. “Monza is very fast so it should be interesting for me!” said the talented German. “I don’t know Monza at all but my team boss, Klaus Klaffenbock has told me all about it. Monza should be good for us. I hope to at least finish in the points, inside the top 15. Our bikes are good and very fast so we could do quite well.”

After Monza the championship features races each alternate weekend until the summer break, with Oschersleben running on May 28 – 30 and Silverstone scheduled for June 11-13th

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Jason Pridmore and former AMA 750cc Supersport Champion Jimmy Moore have split with No Limit Motorsports and apparently will attempt to finish the 2004 AMA season on their own, working out of Pridmore’s Star School truck.

Seeking comment, Roadracingworld.com has traded phone messages with No Limit Motorsports team owner Ben Curtis but has not been able to speak with him in person. An American Suzuki spokeperson declined comment, saying that a press release would be issued regarding the matter. Pridmore and Moore also declined comment.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

BOSTROM PREPARES FOR BARBER DEBUT

Birmingham (Alabama) – Round 4 of the AMA Superbike Championship will see both Eric Bostrom and the Ducati 999 make their race debuts at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, the 27-year-old having missed last year’s race at the newly added Southern venue due to injury.

Bostrom will be looking to recover points lost at Infineon Raceway two weeks ago and, with the championship points remaining close for 4th, 5th and 6th positions, has an opportunity to capitalize on the two races at Barber to move back up the series standings.

A mid-March test at Barber gave Bostrom much-needed exposure to a track with blind drop-away turns, where judging the correct corner entry speed is critical. The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team is not a complete stranger to the track, as they scored a second place finish in last year’s season finale with Italian rider Giovanni Bussei aboard a 998RS.

“We’re coming off a low from Infineon where we suffered from a lack of pre-season testing there,” commented Eric. “There were some things that we just couldn’t get sorted out, which was frustrating because the Ducati was so good on the throttle. We still have to work on a few issues, and it’s going to be difficult going for us until then. But I know that I, my crew, Ducati, and Michelin are all working very hard and we’re anxious to sort out the set-up so we can give the fans some good battles and put the Ducati on top where it belongs.”

“After Infineon we had a chance to do some testing at Pikes Peak,” said Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. “We focused on the front end and we also tried some tires we haven’t run before. We’ve got specific ideas on what we need to do at Barber so we can get Eric and the Ducati on the podium. The races were exciting at Barber last year – we want to be a part of the action again this weekend.”

The Circuit

The newest venue added to the AMA schedule, Barber Motorsports Park opened in spring of 2003 and hosted its first major spectator event in September with last year’s season finale of the AMA Superbike Championship. The track measures 2.3 miles (3.70km) with 16 turns, and has 80 feet of elevation change. Built to FIA and FIM standards, the track is 45 feet wide, offering passing opportunities throughout much of the flowing circuit.

Originally planned as a small test track to showcase the 750 motorcycles and 45 cars housed in the Barber Museum, the project grew into a state-of-the-art racing facility on 700 acres. With spectator seating landscaped into the hillsides – there are no grandstands – the track has been positively received by fans for its overall track visibility from most locations.



More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HEATH SMALL POSITIVE GOING INTO BARBER ROUND OF AMA

HAS/Shogun Racing rider Heath Small is looking forward to a full weekend of racing at round four of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend, May 14-16. His weekend was cut short at the previous round at Infineon Raceway with electrical problems on both of his machines.

“We were having problems with the electric shifters at Sears Point,” said Heath. “We sent them back to have them looked at and re-calibrated. We should get them back by the weekend, but if we don’t, we’ll just race without them. I really like racing at Barber, so we’ll just go out and do the best we can. I’m 100 percent healthy, so there’s no reason not to do well this weekend.”


More, from another press release issued by Proforma:

ESLICK AND HIGBEE HEAD TO BARBER

Shawn Higbee, Danny Eslick and the rest of the Millennium Technologies Suzuki team head to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, May 14-16, for round four of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship.

Danny Eslick
“I was bummed out about not getting to run the Supersport race at Infineon,” said Danny. “I pulled into my grid position from the warm-up lap, and oil was just dripping out of the fork leg. There was no way I could start the race. It was a shame too, because me and my mechanic Charlie (Ramirez) had gotten rid of the chatter that I had at Fontana. But I’m looking forward to Barber. I was there a couple of times last year on a GSX-R750. I like the track. It should be a lot of fun on the 600.”

Shawn Higbee
“I had a couple of good races at Barber last year in Superbike, two sixths,’ said Higbee, who earned the top privateer award in the 2003 AMA Superbike series. “The track seems to suit my style, and my bike (Suzuki GSX-R1000) is close to last year’s spec, so I think I’ll be able to get up to speed fairly quickly. Plus, the forecast is calling for rain over the weekend, and I go pretty well on a wet track.”

Kevin Hunt – Team Owner
“We’ve been working on both the 600s and the 1000s to make them more rideable,” said Kevin, who oversees the R&D of the team’s equipment. “Both bikes make good horsepower, but we spend a lot of time on the Dynojet dyno to tweak the powerband, the torque curve, to make the power more usable for the riders.”

From a press release issued by California Speedway:

CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY WELCOMES NEW VICE PRESIDENT

FONTANA, Calif. (May 11, 2004) — California Speedway President Bill Miller today announced the addition of Roger Curtis as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Curtis will directly oversee the Southern California superspeedway’s advertising and promotions, marketing and sales, public relations and ticketing departments.

“We look forward to the addition of Roger to our staff,” Miller said. “His experience and creativity will enhance our efforts in the areas of marketing, sales and public relations. He has established himself as a leader and innovator of marketing programs at two of our other International Speedway Corporation facilities, and I am confident he will increase California Speedway’s marketing and brand presence not only in Southern California but nationally as well.”

Curtis, 37, joins California Speedway after three and one-half years at Richmond International Raceway as the Senior Director of Marketing and Sales. While at Richmond he oversaw public relations, ticket operations, advertising, promotions, sales and branding. Prior to that Curtis spent three years at Watkins Glen International as Director of Marketing and Sales beginning in May 1996.
Involved in motorsports since 1992, Curtis started with Bobby Allison Motorsports. He also worked with Bill Davis Racing and NASCAR Busch Series driver Bobby Dotter. Curtis helped bring DeWalt Tools into NASCAR in 1993 with Dotter.
“This is a great opportunity for me and my family to join the California Speedway team,” Curtis said. “I’m anxious to get started in building upon the foundation that has been put in place since the speedway opened in 1997. They have an incredible racing schedule at California Speedway, especially with two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races, and our focus will be to capitalize on all the positives that make the facility one of the premier racing and entertainment venues in the world.”

Curtis and his wife Marla have one son and one daughter.

From a press release issued by Team Pro-Motion:

Enhanced Safety Program at Summit Point Raceway

After long negotiation Team Pro-Motion Sportbike Club was given the green flag to lead the way in providing a safer environment for motorcycle participants at Summit Point Raceway said Pro-Motions president Glen Goldman. Team Pro-Motion will now cover turn #4 of Summit Point titled “The Chute” with over 130 feet of newly acquired Alpina air modules.

“Pro-Motion will not only be using the new air modules for our own club events, as we have elected to provide any motorcycle racing organization who would like to utilize our safety program at no additional cost” said Goldman.

A special trained safety crew will be dispatched to set up, maintain and break down the safety modules upon the request of CCS, WERA, Formula USA and AHRMA, plus the program will be available for various other club events carrying a small fee.

Team Pro-Motion has over two years experience working with the Alpina air modules when a decision was made to enhance rider safety at their own club track events. George Benes the appointed safety director has been successful in seeing many walk away from what could have been much more serious injuries and situations. The team’s investment into rider safety will continue and will remain a top priority.

For further information concerning this safety program contact Team Pro-Motion Sportbike Club at 215-675-6677 or log onto their website at www.teampromotion.com

From a press release issued by WMRRA:

On May 8th and 9th WMRRA kicked off round 2 of its road race season at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington.

In the Open Supersport race Mike Sullivan #1 and 18-year-old Mitchell Pierce #11 broke away from the pack and immediately started breaking the track record. With cool yet dry conditions at the start of the race it turned out to be a dogfight from the beginning with lead changes taking place in just about every corner.

The previous track record was a 1:27.000, set by Mike Sullivan #1. On lap 3 Mitchell posted a 1:26.83, Mike than answered back with a lap of 1:26.5 on lap 5. On the last lap Mitchell posted the overall lap record of 1:26.328 and took the win in the Formula Ultra class.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

A change was made to Sunday morning practice at the request of the promoter to provide a quiet period starting at 11:00.



AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship

Presented by Parts Unlimited

Honda Superbike Classic Presented by Dunlop

Barber Motorsports Park – May 14-16, 2004


Thursday, May 13

3:00 – 7:00 Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors
& Guests

6:30 Post-entry Closed for all Classes

3:00 – 7:30 Tech Inspection


Friday, May 14

7:30 – 4:00 Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8:00 – 5:00 Tech Inspection

8:30 – 9:05 Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
Practice

9:10 – 9:40 AMA Repsol Superstock Practice

9:45 – 10:15 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Practice

10:20 – 11:10 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Practice

11:10 – 12:10 Lunch Break

11:25 Mandatory Rider Briefing for All
Classes

12:10 – 12:45 Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Practice

12:50 – 1:20 AMA Repsol Superstock Practice

1:25 – 1:55 Pro Honda Oils Supersport
Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Practice

2:00 – 2:50 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Practice

3:00 – 3:30 Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
Qualifying Group 1

3:40 – 4:10 Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
Qualifying Group 2

4:20 – 4:50 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 1

5:00 – 5:30 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 2


Saturday, May 15

7:30 – 3:00 Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8:00 – 5:00 Tech Inspection

8:00 – 8:30 Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
Practice

8:35 – 9:05 AMA Repsol Superstock Practice

9:10 – 9:40 Pro Honda Oils Supersport
Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Practice

9:45 – 10:25 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 1

10:35 – 11:15 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 2

11:15 – 12:15 Lunch Break

12:15 – 12:45 AMA Repsol Superstock Qualifying Group 1

12:55 – 1:25 AMA Repsol Superstock Qualifying Group 2

1:35 – 2:05 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Qualifying Group 1

2:15 – 2:45 Pro Honda Oils Supersport
Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Qualifying Group 2

3:00 Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Race 1 (100K – 28 laps)

4:30 Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme (60k – 17 laps)


Sunday, May 16

8:30 – 12:00 Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

9:00 Tech Inspection Opens

9:00 – 9:30 AMA Repsol Superstock Practice

9:40 – 10:10 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Practice

10:20 – 10:50 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Practice

11:00 – 12:30 Lunch Break

11:30 Nondenominational Chapel Service

FINAL EVENTS:

12:30 AMA Repsol Superstock Race (60k – 17 laps)

2:00 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets (60k – 17 laps)

3:30 Chevrolet Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited Race 2 (100k – 28 laps)

From a press release issued by the FIM:

Superbike & Supersport World Championships
Anti-doping Controls

Anti-doping controls were carried out at the round of the Superbike and Supersport World Championships held at the circuit of Phillip Island, Australia, on March 28.

All the samples tested showed the absence of any banned substances.

The riders controlled were : Pierfrancesco Chili (ITA, Superbike), Troy Corser (AUS, Superbike), Mauro Sanchini (ITA, Superbike); Jürgen van den Goorbergh (NED, Supersport), Sébastien Charpentier (FRA, Supersport), Alessio Corradi (ITA, Supersport).

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Duhamel Xtremely perfect

Duhamel looks to extend streak in AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 11, 2004) — Honda’s Miguel Duhamel is a perfect three-for-three so far in this year’s AMA Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme Series. Duhamel brings his unblemished record to round four of the 11-race series at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., part of the AMA Honda Superbike Classic on May 14-16.

The newly revamped Formula Xtreme class has proven to fit Duhamel like a glove. Duhamel has already cracked the top 10 on the all-time wins list in the Formula Xtreme class, this in addition to already being the all-time wins leader in AMA Supersport and second in AMA Superbike. The Montreal native, who now lives in Las Vegas, rides a nimble Honda CBR600RR mini-superbike and has an opportunity at Barber to push his winning streak to the longest in four years in the Formula Xtreme class.

Duhamel is hoping to win back the Formula Xtreme title for Honda, which dominated the class from 1997 to 2000.

Second in the standings is Duhamel’s teammate Jake Zemke. The amiable Californian is a proven winner in Formula Xtreme. Under the old class rules Zemke racked up four-career wins and was twice runner-up in the series. Zemke is still adapting to the smaller Xtreme bikes, but at Infineon Raceway he looked poised to win his first race of the season before Duhamel made a last-lap pass for the lead and win. Look for Zemke, who was second in the Barber Formula Xtreme race last year, to put in a strong ride this weekend.

The third member of Honda’s Formula Xtreme trifecta is 20-year-old Alex Gobert, of the Erion Honda squad. The youngest of the famous racing Goberts from Australia, Alex is ranked third in the class and is steadily closing the gap each race on his more experienced Honda stable mates.

Two more young up-and-comers in the form of Jacob Holden and Corey Eaton round out the top five in the Formula Xtreme rankings. Holden, 21, of Puyallup, Wash., is one of the best riders to come out of the Pacific Northwest in years and Eaton is a 16-year-old amateur dirt track champ who is proving to be just as fast on pavement. Both Holden and Eaton are Suzuki mounted.


Hacking third Repsol Superstock Series leader this year

It’s lonely at the top in the AMA Repsol Superstock Series. Maybe that’s why no one seems to want to lead the series as it rolls into Barber Motorsports Park for round four.

First it was Graves Yamaha rider Aaron Gobert who held the top spot after winning the exciting Daytona International Speedway season opener in March. Then Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies came on strong, taking a convincing victory at California Speedway in April, and he too shared the series lead. Next was veteran Jamie Hacking taking the win earlier this month at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., putting himself atop the Superstock standings – at least for now.

Three different series leaders in three races illustrate just how competitive Superstock has been this season. The top six riders in the series are within 20 points and only one rider, Hacking, has made the podium in all three races leading up to Barber.

Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster is hoping to become the fourth different series winner and leader this year. “Bucky” led most of the Infineon round only to be passed late by teammate Hacking. The Aussie ace will be looking to find a way to hang onto that lead for just a few more laps this weekend.

Another rider that could easily be the fourth winner in the class this year is Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden. The Kentuckian says that his new factory ZX-10R is getting better every weekend and Hayden has the confidence that goes with being the defending winner of the event.

Both the Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme and Repsol Superstock will be taped by SPEED Channel to be shown on Sunday, May 30, at 5 p.m. Eastern.

For ticket information on the AMA Honda Superbike Classic at Barber Motorsports Park call (800) 240-2300 or visit www.barbermotorsports.com

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

2004 American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship

Rounds 6 & 7 – Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Event Preview

MLADIN CHASES ALABAMA SUPERBIKE VICTORIES

This weekend’s double-header rounds of the American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at the Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama will bring back a host of positive memories for Mat Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki crew as it was at this circuit that Mladin wrote his name in the AMA history books after claiming an unprecedented fourth AMA Superbike crown.

The corresponding round last year capped off a sensational 2003 season for the Australian. After placing his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 on pole position, a fourth and third place finish from the two Superbike Nationals was sufficient for him to wrap up the title.

A rescheduling of the round sees the Alabama circuit appear much earlier in the season, with five of eighteen races of this year’s championship complete and Mladin holding a 24-point lead on the points table over Honda’s Miguel DuHamel, 177 to 153.

After winning the opening four races of the series, Mladin has made his intentions known that a fifth title is what he is seeking and that he is following the same plan as he always has done, mixing race wins with consistency.

This weekend marks the beginning of a crucial mid-season sector of the series and a point at which Mladin will be aiming to consolidate his position at the top of the championship point’s ladder.

“The next five races, the two here at Barber, the one at Pikes Peak (Colorado) and the double header at Road America (Wisconsin) will be very important to us,” said Mladin. “If we can get out of the races with a solid points lead we will be satisfied. The team knows what has to be done and we will be working as hard as we can to extend that lead as much as we can at these next three circuits.”

Off-season resurfacing of the circuit has left it with slightly different characteristics that previous. Mladin has tested at Barber earlier in the year and was happy with the results achieved then.

“The new surface as far as traction goes feels similar to how it was before, but it’s definitely more bumpy than the old surface. It has a lot of corner entry bumps, like little ripples, that unsettles the bike into the turns. This is the case on a few of the turns.”

“Another thing to take into consideration is the weather. It gets quite warm here and also very humid, so it can drain the energy out of you quite quickly during a race. The nature of the track also means that there is no room to rest, as there are no long straightaways. It’s a challenge around here, especially on a big bike. It’s a fairly small and tight racetrack, that relies on good bike set up.”

Practice and qualifying for this weekend’s double-header Superbike round begins on Friday, with Saturday featuring the final qualifying session and the first of the 28-lap Superbike races prior to Sunday’s second Superbike national.


FAST FACTS – Barber Motorsports Park

Circuit Length: 3.70km / 2.3 miles

2003 Pole position: Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:25.176

2003 Race results:
Race 1
1. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki)
2. Kurtis Roberts (Erion Honda)
3. Ben Bostrom (American Honda)

Race 2
1. Kurtis Roberts (Erion Honda)
2. Giovanni Bussei (Ducati Austin)
3. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki)

Superbike lap record: Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:25.176 (2003)

2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship (Points after 5 of 18 rounds)
1. Mat Mladin (177, 4 wins); 2. Miguel DuHamel (153, 1 win), 3. Jake Zemke (150); 4. Geoff May (108); 5. Lee Acree (105), 6. Larry Pegram (97), 7. Eric Bostrom (96), 8. John Haner (84), 9. Ben Bostrom (79), 10. Cory West (77).