From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

2002 World Endurance Champions the Zongshen Team of China will take part in the Zhuhai 6 Hour round of the World Endurance Championship. There are also several other interesting entries already confirmed for what will be one of the biggest races of the year.

Zongshen Team took first and second places in the 2002 World Endurance Championship, with at least one of their two bikes on the podium at every round of the series except Suzuka. They looked set to repeat this achievement in 2003. The Zongshen 1 bike won four of the first five rounds last year; their poorest result a third place at Assen when victory went to the Zongshen 2 bike. A run of bad luck at Suzuka and Oschersleben put paid to their championship hopes, and the team moved on to the World Superbike Championship for 2004. The full Zongshen rider line-up has not been confirmed, but it will include World Superbike competitors Warwick Nowland and Piergiorgio Bontempi, and former World Endurance Champion Stephane Mertens.

Amongst other entries already confirmed are Alf’s Motorcycles, Macau Team, Ducati Hong Kong, Arlen Ness and local teams Wan Li Da, Dee Team and Xichao Dachang Foshan Hong Xing. This will be a challenging event for the permanent teams who are competing in the full championship; it will be the first time they have seen the circuit and they will be travelling with smaller pit crews than normal. Could we be in for a surprise from one of the wildcard entries?

Massive crowds are expected to attend the Zhuhai 6 Hour race, which takes place on the 2nd of May during the Chinese May Day holiday season. With the full weight of the race organisers, circuit officials and local government backing the event, we could well be about to see the biggest World Endurance race of the year.


More, from another press release issued by FGSport Group:

In the Assen 500 opening race of the 2004 World Endurance Championship eventual winners Suzuki Castrol and second placed Yamaha GMT94 enjoyed a race-long fight for the lead, and we can expect more of the same at Zhuhai. Some of the leading teams experienced problems with set-up before the race or with reliability during it, and they will be hoping to have made improvements before rolling out onto the track in China.

Practice and qualifying for the 6 hour race take place on Friday the 30th April and Saturday 1st May, with the race starting at 1:00pm on Sunday the 2nd May and running into the early evening. Supplementary practice sessions are being held on Thursday the 29th, and these will be vital for the permanent teams who have had to airfreight their entire race operations to China; if parts are needed that haven’t been packed, they will have to be begged, borrowed or manufactured on the spot. Few of the thirty teams entered for the race will have seen the circuit before, so the pressure will be on the riders to quickly learn the circuit and find a good bike set up.

Success in the six hour race will depend as much on pit strategy as on all-out speed. All of the teams are expected to make at least five fuel and tyre stops, with the some of the faster bikes requiring more. Most teams have also entered three riders for this race, rather than the minimum of two. The weather for the race is expected to be good, although thunderstorms are predicted for nearby Hong Kong on race day.

Warwick Nowland, World Endurance Champion in 2000 and 2002 will ride for the Zongshen Team of China at the Zhuhai 6 Hour race: “For me, this race is very special. 4 years ago I joined the Zongshen Team and no one had ever heard of the Zongshen name. It has been a great experience to be a part of the team’s growth and to return to the home of Zongshen and take part in this historic event is something I am very proud of. I am looking forward to it. I am always out to beat GMT Yamaha and of course my Le Mans winning team, Suzuki France. It will be a great fight!”

From a press release:

Rich Oliver to appear at Infineon this Saturday and Sunday.

Rich will be on hand to sign posters and talk to
former and future students about the Mystery School programs.

Rich Oliver’s Mystery School will be set up in the pits near the Jordan Racing team with a small display of Yamaha TT-R 125 flat track trainer motorcycles and 2004 brochures.

Students will be able to enroll on the spot at a 10% discount for the Mystery School two-day Fun Camp, five-day Pro Camp, one-day MSF DirtBike School, and the Open Track Days.

Rich will be cheering on his school graduates racing at Infinion this weekend including Chris Peris, Montez Stewart, Michael Aron, and Brian Bartlow, just to name a few.

Be sure to stop by during the weekend and bring by any items you would like Rich to autograph.

For more information on Rich Oliver’s Mystery School, visit www.richoliver.net today!



See related post:

4/27/2004 Racetrack Claims AMA License Release Allowed It To Transfer Racer’s Image Rights To Local Brewery For Use On Bottle

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Jerez a step closer for new Proton KR V5

Proton Team KR will be back to full rider strength for the Spanish GP on Sunday, May 2, the opening round of the European season at Jerez- and team principal Kenny Roberts hopes they will also be a step closer to achieving the full potential of the compact and highly integrated new KR V5 MotoGP racer.

Team regular Nobuatsu Aoki will be continuing his drive to put the beautiful howler back in the championship points, after missing out by just two places in the opening round in South Africa.

He will be rejoined by class rookie Kurtis Roberts, who was forced to withdraw from the South African GP when a recovering injury gave unexpected trouble. Kurtis, second son of Kenny, dislocated his shoulder in tests in mid-March, but has worked hard to build up strength for the second race.

The new machine, the second generation of a machine itself less than a full year old, has already joined the 200mph club, with 204.12 mph at pre-season tests. The balance of the overall technical equation will be improved for Jerez, thanks to continued improvements to the revised engine, closely tailored to fit the innovative and compact hewn-from-solid chassis.

“We’re still not fully on top of sorting the engine to perform as predicted on the computer, but we have new parts coming for Jerez, and more for Le Mans (two weeks later),” said Roberts.

“Actually I don’t think our machine is too far out. The chassis stands out as a big improvement. The real question is what tyres Dunlop will bring to Jerez – and I’m expecting an improvement from them as well,” he said.

The Spanish GP will be the team’s second race with Dunlop, and Roberts is confident of further fruits of the new partnership – Proton Team KR’s headquarters at Banbury is less than an hour from Dunlop’s Birmingham race tyre facility, encouraging close cooperation between tyre and machine designers.

“Already the tyres they brought to South Africa worked better than we expected, and they will have yet more new stuff for Jerez,” explained Roberts.

The Spanish GP is the first round of the punishing European season, running almost unbroken week in week out until September – and what is already one of the biggest events on the calendar is expected to redouble in popularity, as fans flock to the 2.748-mile / 4.423 km circuit outside the sherry capital of Jerez. Last year, fully 130,000 fans made it through the gates on race day.

The next race is the French GP at Le Mans in two weeks.

Nobuatsu Aoki – Rubber side up
Actually, the performance of the bike is not so bad now – the engine was already coming better in South Africa, and it should be better again for Jerez, because they are doing a lot of work. Already the chassis feeling and balance is very good. The important thing for this race will be Dunlop tyre developments. At Welkom, they already took a step compared with tests. I’m looking forward to seeing what they bring to Jerez.

Kurtis Roberts – Fighting for fitness
In South Africa there was one particular corner which put my shoulder in a real awkward position, so it felt it would pop out again. Since then I’ve been doing a lot of physio and training to strengthen those muscles, and also testing on dirt bikes. I’ve tried to reproduce the same position and bad feeling, but the shoulder feels good. I want to go racing right away now.

From a press release issued by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc., in which first-round overall winners Army of Darkness are ignored:

WERA NATIONAL AND SPORTSMAN SERIES RETURN TO NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The WERA National Endurance Series, National Challenge Series and Sportsman Series return to Nashville Superspeedway from May 1-2, bringing the top amateur road racers in the nation to Music City.

On Saturday, May 1, the four-hour endurance race will kick off at 12:30 pm. Last year’s race was cut short due to a red flag, so teams will be hoping to complete all four hours this time.

Vesrah Suzuki won at Nashville in 2003 on a Suzuki GSX-R1000, and they will be looking to repeat their success on the tight 1.8-mile infield road course. The team of Tray Batey, Mark Junge and John Jacobi lost their first round in over a year at the season opener last month, and Vesrah Suzuki will be anxious to be back at the top of the podium.

The WERA National Challenge and Sportsman Series sprint races will be featured on Sunday, May 2. With the National and Sportsman races being combined this year, the grids will be bigger and the competition even more tough.

Vesrah Suzuki’s Batey, who is from nearby Gallatin, earned a stunning six victories at Nashville during last year’s event, three each in the National and Sportsman divisions.

Another racer who hopes to repeat his success at Nashville will be first-year expert Matt Lynn. The Team Embry rider earned his first ever career victories at Nashville in 2003, and now he will be aiming to earn his first victories in the expert class.

The National Challenge and Sportsman Series action gets underway at noon on Sunday. There will be 16 races, each 10 laps in length, providing a full afternoon of racing for fans.

Tickets are available for the entire weekend, including the Friday practice day, for only $30. Saturday/Sunday tickets are $20 and Sunday only is $15.

More information, including a complete schedule of events, can be found at www.WERA.com.

From a press release issued by No Limit Motorsports — Suzuki:

The No Limit Motorsports – Suzuki Team is looking forward to a good weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. World Champion rider Jason Pridmore, who was injured in a crash during testing at Willow Springs shortly after the Fontana Race, will be back to try to improve on his Third place finish at Fontana in the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Extreme Class. His crew has found some needed horsepower in his Suzuki GSX-R600’s that have been built for the highly competitive class. Jason will also continue his run on the GSX-R1000 in the Repsol Superstock Class.

Jimmy Moore remains on the injured list and will be back in form for the Brainerd Race early this summer.

Jason Curtis will again compete in the Repsol Superstock Class as well as in his second set of Superbike Races at the Infineon race. He too is optimistic about improving on his recent finishes, and has been training hard to prepare for the more technical track at Infineon.

This session will see veteran racer Brian Parriott aboard one of the No Limit Motor Sports GSX-R1000’s in the Repsol; Superstock class. Brian, winner of the BMX Boxer Cup race at Daytona this spring, is anxious to see how he does at his favorite track on one of the well prepared No Limit machines. The entire crew is excited about the prospect of having Brian riding with the team this weekend, and are hopeful that he is able to surprise the other competitors in the highly competitive Superstock class.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Press reports from Europe say that Aprilia is in financial trouble.

According to the reports, the company has been cut off by parts suppliers who haven’t been paid, in turn shutting down production lines, and the company faces bankruptcy if it can’t make a $7.5 million May 3 interest payment on bank loans of close to $200 million.

Reached by phone, Aprilia USA PR Manager Robert Pandya told Roadracing World “I have no answers. I don’t know what’s going on. I know they stopped the Moto Guzzi production line to allow one end of the line to catch up with another, but I don’t know if it’s anything more than a production-line realignment.

“We haven’t heard anything from Italy,” continued Pandya, who said he had placed several calls to company headquarters in Italy and was awaiting an answer. “I know (Aprilia Owner Ivano) Mr. Beggio has been looking for financial partners, which is not surprising given the pace of development of new models we’ve introduced. As far as the doors closing at the factory or the company going into bankruptcy, I don’t believe that and we haven’t heard anything about that from Italy.”

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

FIRST INTERNATIONAL WIN FOR DUCATI 749R SUPERSPORT

Bologna (Italy), 27 April 2004: MonsterMob Ducati Supersport rider Michael Laverty moved into the lead of the British Supersport Championship after a superb debut victory on the 749 at Snetterton on Sunday.

Laverty becomes the first rider to take Ducati’s all-new 749R to a win in the Supersport category. His victory came at the end of a superb fight-back through the field after he finished the first lap in eleventh place.

The 22-year-old from Toomebridge, Northern Ireland snatched the lead with three laps to go but the race was red-flagged a lap short after an accident. However, Laverty was in the lead when the race was stopped and as a result took his second victory in three years at the Norfolk circuit:

“I had an awful first lap and dropped back to 11th but I rode a steady race and picked them off one by one as I didn’t want to try too hard early on. I never thought I would get through to the front but I was strong at the end of the race. The bike was brilliant and the tyres were good and it all just worked out for me” said a delighted Laverty.

The 749R Supersport, which was unveiled to the international press at Valencia at the end of February during the presentation of the 749R streetbike, from which the racing version is derived, is already obtaining considerable success out on the track.

After three rounds of the World Supersport Championship, one of the most hard-fought and prestigious of all time with the presence of all four Japanese manufacturers together with Ducati, the Ducati Breil rider Lorenzo Lanzi has already obtained some positive results.

The 22-year-old Italian from the province of Romagna has already scored two top 6 finishes, at Valencia (fourth) and Misano (sixth). Laverty’s win with a 749R of Ducati’s satellite structure in Britain, Paul Bird’s MonsterMob team, is a clear indication that the project is on the right track.

Development work on the new bike will now continue on an Italian and international level, starting with the next appointments for Lanzi with the 749R Breil; round 2 of the Italian Supersport Championship, scheduled for May 9 at the Imola circuit, and then in the fourth round of the world championship the following weekend at the Autodromo di Monza.

From a press release:

Sport Bike Night
at HARD ROCK CAFE

Dunlop Tires, Arai Helmets and Alpinestars are proud to present a special SPORT BIKE NIGHT at the HARD ROCK CAFE in downtown Sacramento on Wednesday night, April 28th, from 7 to 9pm.

Join us for a great evening featuring top riders from the upcoming AMA National Road Race at Infineon Raceway. On hand for dinner, bench racing and autograph signing will be TEAM YOSHIMURA SUZUKI’S AARON YATES. Joining Aaron will be TEAM VALVOLINE EMGO SUZUKI’S STEVE RAPP and young Canadian CHRIS PERIS. Also on hand will be 750cc AMA National Road Race winner, TONY MEIRING of ATTACK KAWASAKI.

We will also have ticket representatives from INFINEON RACEWAY who will be offering special ticket packages, that include a lap of the track on Friday, for the weekend’s AMA NATIONAL ROAD RACE SPONSORED BY KAWASAKI.

And, as usual, we will have several lovely members of UMBRELLA GIRLS USA on hand for photos with you or your bike. Don’t be surprised if we have a few “special guests” drop in as well.

The HARD ROCK CAFE is excited to host this special SPORT BIKE NIGHT and will be offering its full dinner and appetizer menu as well as its regular drink service. The doors will open at 6:30pm for SPORT BIKE NIGHT guests. Program starts promptly at 7pm.

Also present will be representatives from GPR Stabilizers, and GALFER BRAKES. D & W IMAGES will also be there offering photos for purchase of your favorite riders.

There will be special motorcycle parking on 7th Street along the side of the HARD ROCK CAFE and any covered parking is free with HARD ROCK CAFE validation.

BEST BIKE AWARD will also be given out.

We will also have information on how you can attend a special screening of the MOTO GP MOVIE FASTER on Thursday and Friday night at Race Place Motorsports

From a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

Jerez de la Frontera: First European round of the 2004 Championship

GP OF SPAIN: Preview

After the South African GP, the World Road Racing Championship flew back to the old continent for the first European round to be held at Jerez de la Frontera on Sunday, May the 2nd.

The racetrack was built in 1986 and hosted the first edition of MotoGP the following year, in 1987. Since the 1st edition, the Spanish venue is one of the favourite events of the season because of his public and the layout of the track, a technical and balanced track that offers a good variety of short, medium and long turns as well as uphill and downhill braking.

Thanks to his location and the favourable weather conditions, Jerez is one of the most popular venue for testing for bikes and cars. All in all Jerez has hosted 7 editions of F1 championships and 16 editions of MotoGP.

Jerez has two alternative tracks of 4,423 and 4,428 m) and a motocross track of 1,877m built in 1992.

In 2002 the track was renewed, the safety measures were improved (new run off areas and resurfacing of the tarmac) and the facilities – the press room, the control tower and the pit garages – were renovated.

The hills that surround the Andalusian racetrack build a natural amphitheatre that offers an incredible view of the track. With a capacity of 50 thousands seats for a total of 250 thousands spectators, Jerez is one of the best tracks in the world for public facilities. The atmosphere you can experience at Jerez is unique: a hug of more than 200 thousands aficionados packed on the grandstands and the natural hills.

At night the show goes on in town where the fans can show their ability at riding in extempore competitions in the alleys of the town.

The Track

Venue of the World Road Racing Championship since 1987, Jerez de la Frontera is one of the most beloved events of the season: 4,423 m lapped for 25 times in a packed racetrack where more than 200,000 aficionados crowded the grandstands and the public areas of the track for three days.

Jerez in fact has a very good reputation both for his public and the layout of the track. It’s a very balanced racetrack with a little bit of everything – a good selection of short, medium and long turns plus uphill braking and downhill braking – which is why the Spanish venue is so popular for testing.

Sete Gibernau comments for us the Spanish racetrack:

“Firstly I’d like to say that because of the features of this track, it’s very important to find the right setting and a good balance of the bike.

“The front tyre is very important at Jerez, you need the front to turn well and to have a good feeling. The two most important sections of the track are the two last fast rights and right-hander onto the back straight, through there the front needs to do a lot of turning at the same lean angle. The rear tyre is obviously hugely important as well because the big thing is with these bikes is how fast you get on throttle out of corners, to use all that power.

“For me the best overtaking points are the first and the last corner after the back straight, whereas it’s difficult to be fast in the infield (the part of the track that follows the back straight).

“My favourite part of the track is the two last, fast rights. You can always feel when you get them right because the revs are really high and you may touch the rev limiter before the final hairpin. If you do that, and the rest of the lap was good, you know that it’s going to be a fast one.”

Sete Gibernau: A CHANCE OF REVENGE AT THE HOME GP

Sete Gibernau did not disappoint the expectations and at the first round of the 2004 championship he scored the third place of the podium after a spectacular and hard-fought race. Despite some problems at the setting of the bike, Gibernau fought with the first riders lapping at a very high rhythm of 1’33” for two third of the race finishing third.

“I’m satisfied with the result of the South African GP. Fighting for the podium without having found the right setting of the bike, for me it’s like a victory.

“With my team I will try to solve the problems we had at Welkom in order to be very competitive. I have a great confidence in myself and I believe that if we find the right setting I can ride for the win. I have matured a lot At a personal level.

“For a Spanish rider it’s very important to score a good result at the Spanish GP: Jerez is very special, it’s one of the best racetracks in the world not only for the layout of the track. The public there is unique, it’s a home GP I’d like to give a big satisfaction to Spanish aficionados and to all the spectators that come to Jerez for the race”.

COLIN EDWARDS : “MOVE ON TO JEREZ”

“Let’s move on to Jerez”, Colin Edwards looks forward to the race at Jerez where he is determined to do well and to show all his talent.

His first race with Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGP colours, was below expectations if we consider the lap time he recorded during the practices on Friday and Saturday at Welkom, where he lapped at a very high rhythm without particularly problems of setting or chattering. During the race instead a problem he had a big problem of chattering and he He just finished seventh, but he couldn’t explain why. Rather, he knew there was a front end bounce holding him back, but he had no idea where it had come from.

“On Saturday everything was perfect. We changed nothing. Same tyres, same everything, same bike. Morning warm-up was good. We didn’t really have much of a problem, not a chatter, but bumps and rough. But today the chattering started since the first lap and it never stopped, the bike didn’t turn That’s easy. But you look on the computer. Whereas the chatter yesterday would be little bits, today it just started miles before it, lots bigger, and ended miles after it. It’s like you’re not even looking at the same bike. There is no explanation. I will study the problem with my mechanics in order to be competitive at Jerez.”

Colin Edwards flew from South Africa directly to Italy where he is going to move with his wife Alyssia and his the 15 months baby, Gracie. In the week before Jerez he is going to move on the new house, located near the Gresini Racing Racing Dept and near the Misano. I’m happy to live in Italy “near the racing dept, near the beach and with the best food in the world”.

He will spend the week also continuing his physical preparation, training with one of the two supermotard that the team put at his riders’ disposal.

THE TEAM’S COMMENT

Fausto Gresini, team manager:

“If we look back to the South African Grand Prix, I can say that this year the championship will be very demanding for everybody. It’s very important to be very strong and fast at every track.

“The first race was though – Sete was very good, he pushed hard and scored the third place despite we hadn’t found the best setting for the bike. I’m happy with this result, the Spaniard demonstrated to be very competitive and we are confident for the next race.

“Colin suffered from a problem of chatter since the first lap and he couldn’t show his talent and all his potential. All in all, I’m confident because the Team Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGP has two top riders and we hope that they can demonstrate soon all their potential.”

The team is confident for the GP of Spain. The data we got during the last test session at Jerez will be important for the setting of the bike. We are motivated to do well, the Team Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGP is ready for the next challenge to be held at Jerez on the Sunday the 2nd of May.

The squad will test at Jerez with HRC for a two-day test session.

From a press release issued by Infinity Investing:

INFINITY INVESTING AND HOOTER GIRLS INVADE LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEED WAY

HOOTER GIRLS ENTICE RACERS AND AUDIENCE

Las Vegas, NV (May 1 and 2, 2004) — As The USGPRU National Championship Series travels to this desert city for the 3rd round of the 10 round circuit, more than adrenaline and speed will entertain the crowd. The world famous Hooter Girls from the Hooters Las Vegas will be present to sign calendars for all and hold umbrellas for the racers.


WHEN:
Saturday May 1 and Sunday May 2, 2004
All day

WHERE:
Infinity Investing Team Pit
Las Vegas International Speed Way
www.lvms.com
Las Vegas, Nevada

WHO:
Hooters Las Vegas, Hooter Girls
Championship Series Racers


DETAILS:
Fun in the sun, while watching hair raising turns, incredible speeds and the world famous Hooter Girls from the Hooters Las Vegas on Sahara ave.