From a press release issued by FIM:

FIM Centenary Congress – Paris 2004

The 122nd FIM Congress will be held from Sunday 17 to Saturday 23 October next in the Sofitel Paris Forum Rive Gauche in Paris (France). The celebrations of the FIM Centenary will take place on Saturday afternoon. The programme of the meetings will be as follows:

Sunday 17: Management Council (closed meeting)
Monday 18: Opening Ceremony – General Assembly (morning)
General Assembly (afternoon)
Tuesday 19: Commissions and Panels (morning)
Commissions and Panels, Honorary Members (afternoon)
Wednesday 20: Commissions and Panels – Meeting of Secretaries General (afternoon)
Friday 22: Management Council (morning – closed meeting)
Commissions and Panels (afternoon)
Saturday 23: General Assembly

Elections for the Vice-Presidents and Internal Auditors will take place during the Monday afternoon session. The main items to be discussed in the various meetings are: possible amendments to FIM rules including the Statutes and the Sporting Code, proposals from the Management Council and the National Federations, working groups’ reports, calendars for the 2005 season and proposals from the Commissions and Panels for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The proposals and the calendars for the 2005 season approved by the Commissions and Panels will go through the Management Council in the Friday morning session before going for ratification at the General Assembly on Saturday.

The selection committee for the FIM Centenary Photo Contest will meet on Wednesday 20 in order to judge all the photos received at the FIM Secretariat (the deadline for sending photos is tomorrow, September 30).

During the Congress, information will be issued directly from the FIM Press Office at the Congress Centre.

From a press release issued by Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca:

YAMAHA PAVES THE WAY FOR THE 2005 RED BULL U.S. GRAND PRIX

Hallmark Agreement to Fund Track Improvements is an Unprecedented Move and Commitment to U.S. Fans


MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 29, 2004) – Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA is stepping up to fund the track safety improvements required by the Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM) to homologate the track for the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, round nine of 17 in the 2005 MotoGP World Championship.

In addition to sponsoring the track improvements, Yamaha is serving as the official motorcycle at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and as a “Proud Sponsor” of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix through 2007.

“We’re thrilled by the interest from Yamaha in particular and the motorcycle community overall in this event coming to the U.S.,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Yamaha’s generosity has made it possible to bring the MotoGP World Championship back to the USA for the fans to enjoy.”

“Helping bring the MotoGP World Championship back to the U.S. was an excellent opportunity for us to show our appreciation for our customers and fans,” said Bob Starr, corporate communications manager, at Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA. “And since this race corresponds with Yamaha’s 50th anniversary, we could think of no better way to celebrate than with over 100,000 U.S. fans.”

Plans for the track improvements were completed in concert with Claude Danis, president and circuit inspector for the FIM, and the necessary permits are being obtained. Work is scheduled to begin in November, with the first phase to increase runoff area in Turn 9 (Rainey Curve). The Turn 9 bridge will be moved Dec. 22 through 24 to an area between Turns 8A and 9. The track will remain open during this phase of construction.

Other changes being made to the circuit include widening the front straight by moving the outside (riders’ right) wall back and increasing the run-off area in several turns, including Turn 2 (Andretti Hairpin). These changes will be made when the track is shut down completely from May 2-June 15. The paddock will remain operational during this time.

Tickets for the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix are on sale now. General admission tickets and a limited number of paddock passes are on sale via the track’s ticket office – 1-800-327-SECA (7322) – during normal business hours or online at www.laguna-seca.com/Tickets.

Support events for the 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix have yet to be determined.

More information on MotoGP World Championship is available online at www.motogp.com.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca information is available online at www.laguna-seca.com.

Yamaha information is available online at www.yamaha-motor.com.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

My racebike was stolen this morning from the Phoenix area. It’s a 2003 GSX-R750 with black race bodywork, Novice plates #41, full Arrow Exhaust system and various other goodies.

The VIN # is JS1GR7HA732102733

If anyone has any info please give me a call @ 586 822 6053

Anthony Davies
CCS Southwest #41
Phoenix, Arizona

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Grand Prix of Qatar, Losail, Qatar. September 30, October 1, 2, 2004

TITLE RACE HEADS INTO UNKNOWN TERRITORY

This seasons mighty tussle for MotoGP honours takes itself to the Middle East for the first time in the sports history. The Grand Prix of Qatar will offer what looks on paper like an interesting racetrack and will throw in punishing conditions for good measure just as the struggle for premier class supremacy reaches a peak.

Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) has 229 points after 12 races. His nearest challenger in this seasons intriguing battle is Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) who has accumulated 190 points so far. Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V), after two DNFs at the last two rounds, is on 158 points.

But with four rounds still to go and 100 points available to the winner of all four races, this season is far from over. Gibernau has failed to finish twice this year, matching Biaggi, who was on target for a finish in every race of the season until Loris Capirossi (Ducati) interfered with his progress: once directly in Portugal, and then again in Japan, when the Italian Ducati rider triggered a six bike pile-up at turn one on lap one.

The law of averages points towards Rossi being due one more failure to finish to bring his tally of one DNF so far into line with that of his primary rivals Gibernau and Biaggi. No one relies on luck in this most technical of sports but in any arena, fortune, good or otherwise, usually has a part to play.

Biaggi, no matter how much the Roman refuses to believe his title challenge is over, is no longer a realistic candidate for the title this year. But he will certainly be a factor when it comes to the distribution of valuable points between the top two, Rossi and Gibernau.

Rossis 39 point lead over Gibernau is a commanding one but the impetus of this years title fight has already swung twice and there is every reason to suppose it might swing again. Rossi is in the driving seat now, but this is a capricious and unpredictable sport; title aspirations can sometimes be as fleeting as a desert mirage

The Losail International circuit lies ten kilometres from Qatars capital of Doha. The 5.4km track is an unknown quantity for all riders in all classes and the race comes at a critical time in the Championships. The only other track as seldom visited as this is Welkom in South Africa, the opening race in this years season.

The ability of teams and riders to rapidly fathom the fast lines and favourable set-up is paramount here. Failure to get to grips with the track from Friday free training is likely to spell doom such is the pressure this year.

Losail features more turns than any other track on the calendar, six lefts and ten right-handers in all. Nor is there a chicane of any description. This puts a high premium on machine agility and it also brings tyre wear issues into sharp focus. Artificial grass has been placed along the track to allay riders fears of sand being blown onto the surface.

The heat will be relentless with track temperatures of up to 50 degrees expected. Ambient temperatures will be equally elevated and any rider not at absolute peak fitness will surely wilt in the oppressive conditions. Set-up will be directed at making the machines manageable with a minimum of physical input from the pilots.

There is also the matter of a 1062m straight, 20m longer than the longest used so far at Catalunya. This puts power and top speed among the requirements and also braking at the end of a 320km/h flat out blast in top gear.

Another factor will be the performance of the track workers. Marshals and officials from Valencia in Spain have been drafted in to ensure the local employees get fully up to speed with the specific requirements of MotoGP. With $52 million US dollars already lavished on this facility, nothing has been spared in ensuring Qatars inaugural race is anything less than a resounding success.

The track remains a mystery until were able to ride during the first free session and understand the real situation, said Gibernau. The high temperatures will definitely be a problem for the tyres and the engine but our biggest worry is sand being brought onto the track. After the Japanese Grand Prix the gap with Valentino is increased but I wont give up, I will continue fighting. We are going through a difficult moment, maybe the most difficult of the season, but we are not lost, we know the cause of the problems we had in the past two races and we will work to be competitive.

Gibernaus team-mate Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) said, Despite the unlucky race at Motegi I arrive with confidence in Qatar because at Motegi I found a very good setting, and thanks to the new chassis I have a very good feeling with the bike. Qatar is a completely new track, no one has data so we all arrive fresh. We all start from zero and we can use that positively.

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) lies fourth overall and said, I’m really looking forward to racing at Doha, a new track and a new challenge. I’ve been racing in GPs for a few years now and nothing is very new any more. I’m very excited and pretty curious as well. We will all start with no data, no experience and no idea what to expect really. It will be very hot and I’m sure the conditions will create challenges in themselves.

His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is equally determined, This whole season had been real weird, he said. For a whole bunch of reasons it has been pretty hard this season. But I don’t want to make lame excuses. At least we all start at Doha on a level playing field and I’m real looking forward to the challenge. Im feeling a little better physically; my shoulders coming good although my knee isn’t responding to treatment as quickly as I want which is a bit of a worry.

Max Biaggi is confident the new track and extreme conditions will suit him. The Roman said. I really like the idea of this race, because it reminds me a bit of the beginning of my career, when everything was new to me, and I had to learn a track in just a couple of days of practice. Besides, I enjoy riding in extremely difficult weather conditions, where the heat doesn’t bother me too much. So I’m hoping to do a good race, if nothing else to make up for the misfortune at Estoril and Motegi. This year I had been scoring regularly but to get two zeros in a row have made the championship difficult. That’s what is most disappointing, and also the fact that on both occasions my team and I, along with the Honda technicians, managed to do some fantastic work during practice and the bike was really going well. So because of that I want to at least get the satisfaction of getting some good results race by race.

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) is the man in form having scored his second GP win of the season at his home grand prix two weeks ago. The ebullient Japanese rider said. Winning in Motegi, in front of my friends and compatriots, was honestly fantastic, a great emotion that I wont ever forget, but now we have to concentrate on the next race. Qatar is a track that no team knows of course and none of the tyre manufacturers either. This means that the riders talent will be even more important than normal and that’s why I can see myself fighting for the podium at the end of this race. I’ve seen the track plan and the design looks simple, without too much technical difficulties. It will be better to ride it though before saying too much. Lets say that it shouldn’t be too tough to learn, but that we will only know how to act once we get the wheels on the track, but I’m very confident and feeling strong.

In the 250cc class Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) has a commanding lead over his nearest rival, the consistent, if unspectacular Randy de Puniet (Aprilia). Dani has 234 to de Puniets 187. But Sebastian Porto (Aprilia) with 186 is still part of the World Championship equation.

Its always nice to get to know new places and new circuits, said Dani. It will be crucial to get an idea for the track in the first session and I guess well all need a little more time than usual to find the best settings. On Wednesday they’re going to take us round the track in a car so well really have to pay attention and pick up as many details as we can.

His team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW)arrives fresh from his first podium finish of the season, at his home race two weekends ago and said, I would have raced at Qatar on the Monday after the race in Japan. To be on the podium for the first time this season at my home race was incredible. I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike, riding in qualifying and racing. We’ve got three Grands Prix in a row now and I want a good finish to the season.

Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) has been having a tough season and will be going all out to rectify matters here. His terse assessment reveals his sense of purpose. “We go to a track completely new for all of us, he said. I have seen the map and that’s all I know about the place. It looks interesting.”

His team-mate Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) is finding form now after a troubled start to the year and he said, The bike worked really well at Motegi and I’m looking forward to racing at Qatar. Its a new track for all of us so it will be important to find a good set up quickly, we have to keep our momentum going.

The 125cc World Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) has a commanding 45 point lead over his nearest challenger Hector Barbera (Aprilia), but he knows he must keep the pressure on his rivals until the mathematics makes it impossible for him to be deprived of his first ever World title.

The results at Motegi worked out well for me, he said. And I now have a good lead in the championship. We will go to Qatar not thinking about the title and we will prepare for this race as we have all season, I will be racing to win but I will not be taking risks.

From a press release issued by FG Sport Group:

200 Miglia di Vallelunga

Championship Introduction

The FIM World Endurance Championship visits six international circuits over eight months, featuring six different race formats with a truly diverse range of machinery all competing for overall championship honours. Seven manufacturers are represented in the twenty one permanent teams who are contesting the full championship, with riders and teams from more than fifteen nations competing.

After five rounds, Yamaha GMT94 lead the World Endurance Championship points table with an unassailable fifty eight point lead over nearest rivals Yamaha Austria. Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 have finished third at every round they have contested this year, and are currently lying third in the championship standings, while Suzuki Castrol are holding fourth place despite having lead the title race for much of the season and having won the same number of races as GMT94.

Only six points separate second, third and fourth place, a situation repeated throughout the championship table; the Valleunga 200 will be crucial in settling the final championship positions of many teams. Twenty five points are available to the winner of this 200 mile sprint race, enough to move any of the thirty seven teams who have scored championship points this year into the top ten by the end of the final race of 2004.

The Valleunga 200 Race

Although the 2004 World Endurance Championship has already been decided, the result of the last race of the season – the Vallelunga 200 – is far from certain.

Championship winners Yamaha GMT94 will be out to prove that they can beat their closest rivals in a straight race on the track as well as on points over a season long campaign. Suzuki Castrol have even more to prove; they have won two out of the five races held so far this season, but now find themselves in fourth place in the championship standings. Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 have finished every race they have entered this year in third place; consistent results, but not good enough for the hard working French team.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the race could from Yamaha Austria, currently holding second place in the championship. They have yet to win a World Endurance Race, but Vallelunga could be their big break. With a two bike team which sees British Superbike stars Steve Plater and Dean Thomas teamed up with Endurance guru Mike Edwards on one of the team’s Superbike specification Yamaha R1s and team regulars Horst Saiger and Thomas Hinterreiter on the other, the Austrians might just be the ones to watch.

Vallelunga is the Italian round of the championship, so of course local interest is high. Alongside the permanent entries from Suzuki No Limits, Ducati Team Spring, Benelli X-One and Suzuki Fabi Corse, 2003 podium finisher Dario Marchetti will be making a comeback with his DRE Ducati team, sharing the riding of the Ducati 999 with Marc Garcia. An entry has also been received from a team of journalists celebrating Italian magazine Motocicclismo’s 90th anniversary.

Vallelunga Curiosity

The 2004 Valleunga 200 race will see four Italian motorcycle marques go head-to-head on track for the first time in many years. Two Benelli 900 Tornados have been entered by X-One Team, a pair of Ducati 999Rs will be raced by Ducati DRE and Ducati Team Spring, Aprilia RSV1000s have been entered by both TRD Racing and Scuderia Motociclismo Test Team, and an MV Agusta 1000F4 will be run by the Burger King Lust team.

Last Year’s Race

The 2003 Vallelunga 200 mile race was won by Suzuki Police Nationale 22, with GMT94-96 in second place and Ducati DRE 5 in third place. Heavy rain as the bikes formed up on the grid made tyre choice difficult, and the conditions brought down Zongshen’s Stephane Mertens after he had led the opening laps of the race. A lap later GMT94’s David Checa fell at the same corner, leaving the French team’s second bike – GMT94-96 – leading the race with Police Nationale in second place and DRE Ducati in third.

The pace car was called out after an incident on lap 77, separating DRE Ducati from the chase for first and second place. The race closed with an enthralling twenty lap sprint to the finish which saw Police Nationale’s Gwen Giabanni fighting to stay in front of GMT94-96. The pair eventually crossed the line just 0.068 seconds apart, with Police Nationale taking their first out-right World Endurance Championship win, GMT94-96 finishing second and DRE Ducati third. Phase One Endurance finished in a safe twelfth place to take their third World Endurance Championship title by sixteen points after a season long battle with 2002 World Endurance Champions Zongshen.

2004 Championship Standings – Top Ten

Top ten teams in the World Endurance Championship standings after five rounds:

1. 94, Yamaha GMT 94, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 149 points
2. 7, Yamaha Austria, AUT, Yamaha YZF-R1, 91 points
3. 38, Yamaha Endurance Moto 38, FRA, Yamaha YZF-R1, 88 points
4. 3, Suzuki Castrol Team, FRA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 85 points
5. 4, Suzuki Jet Team, SUI, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 56 points
6. 7, Seven Stars Honda, JPN, Honda CBR1000RRW, 38 points
7. 47, Bridgestone Bikers Profi, GER, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 33 points
8. TIE, 12, Yoshimura Suzuki, JPN, Suzuki GSX-R1000/8, Kawasaki Bolliger, SUI, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 30 points
10. 5, WRT-Honda Austria, AUT, Honda CBR1000RR, 28 points

From a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Byrne to miss rest of MotoGP season

MS Aprilia Racing’s Shane Byrne has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2004 MotoGP world championship.

The British rider will miss the last four races having discovered the extent of the right wrist injury he suffered at the Czech Republic GP in Brno on August 21 is more serious than initially thought.

Having bravely battled to 13th place in the Japanese GP earlier this month, Byrne visited doctors in England on his return from the Far East last week, where a badly broken scaphoid bone was diagnosed. The 27-year-old flew to see GP doctor Claudio Costa in Italy on Saturday where it was confirmed the wrist requires surgery. Dr Costa also identified serious ligament damage in the wrist and Byrne was due to fly back to Italy on Wednesday for the operation, which brings his hugely promising debut MotoGP campaign to a premature end. Byrne scored a best finish of 10th place in the Italian GP earlier in the season, and scored points in six of the nine races he contested.

Byrne will need to spend the next three to five weeks with a lightweight cast on the wrist before he can begin a strict rehabiliation in the hope he will be fit to begin winter testing in November. Byrne said: “I am devastated but I know the operation is the best course of action. I could probably carry on riding but then you risk crashing again. I agreed with Aprilia that it was best to have the operation now so that I am fit and raring to go for winter testing. I wouldn’t be able to do myself justice anyway with the wrist like it is. The scaphoid is quite badly broken and I also need the ligaments reconstructing. I’m just concentrating on getting back to full fitness, and appreciate the understanding that Aprilia have shown at what is a very frustrating time.

MS Aprilia Racing management confirmed that Jeremy McWilliams will be the team’s lone entry in this weekend’s historic Qatar GP – the first time world championship racing hits the Middle East. Noale factory bosses are now considering possible replacements for the Sepang, Phillip Island and Valencia races. An announcement is expected in the coming days.

From a press release issued by Larry Pegram’s publicist:

AMA Pro Racer, Larry Pegram made history on Sunday, September 26th. He is now the first rider to put an Aprilia in an AMA Flat Track final. Pegram who has been concentrating on AMA Superbike and Formula Xtreme this year on Yamahas, has made a few starts in the AMA Flat Track series and is also racing the entire AMA Supermoto schedule.

Larry took the David Lloyd Aprilia powered project bike to the finals after an exciting win in the last semi-final race. He had to fight it
out with Geo Roeder, JR Schnabel, and Bryan Bigelow most of the race and ultimately held off Roeder for the win.

“I wanted to secure the use of my race number, #72 for all events I race in. I have used 72 for years and now I have it for Supermoto and Flat
Track too.” (In Flat Track you must place in a National event to secure a pro number.) Said Pegram. Next for Pegram is the AMA Superbike and FX finals at VIR. Larry only needs a solid finish in FX to secure his 5th place in points. He is also hoping to finish in the top 10 in Superbike with the goal of a top 5 in both races. “That would be a great end to a season of challenge on our privately funded and quickly organized team.”

A link courtesy of Travis Ryan:

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/qa.html.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

First-year Novice racer Justin Baccino (#469) died Sunday, September 26 from injuries sustained during a WERA Sportsman series race at Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia.

According to WERA Operations Manager Sean Clark, Baccino crashed in the Turn Five area of the track and was hit by a following rider who could not avoid Baccino.

A viewing is scheduled for Wednesday from 2:00 – 9:00 p.m. with funeral services slated for Thursday, September 30, according to a posting by Greg Winslow, a friend of Baccino, on the WERA.com BBS.

Flowers, cards, messages can be sent to:

Justin Baccino
c/o Blair – Lowther Funeral Home
P.O. Box 561
106 East Independence St.
Perryoplois, PA 15473

From a press release:

Fastrack Riders Las Vegas Update

Fastrack will be in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend Saturday October 2nd running on the 1.75 mile ten turn Classic Course with WERA West hosting their last race of the season on Sunday. There are still spaces available so to avoid the post registration fee please sign up ASAP. We expect the temperature to be in the low 80’s.

Fastrack and WERA West have decided to run a modified layout of the track we raced back in May. We are going to run the 1.75 mile layout on both Saturday and Sunday. Several riders who have ridden this layout state it is safer and makes for closer racing.

Please note that camping will not be available for this event and will not be available for the October 23rd and 24th event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. LVMS had an event where an accident occurred when they allowed camping and for that reason, their legal department has advised them against it.

This is the last WERA West event of 2004 with battles still going on for the championship in a few classes. WERA West will be announcing their 2005 schedule in the next few weeks and the series will be expanded to a seven month series.

Thank you everyone for a great sell out event at Willow Springs this past Monday. We had a great event and the weather was perfect.

To book a reservation or for any questions please call or e-mail Dana Webb @ 877-560-2233 or [email protected]