From a press release issued by Buell:

BILANSKY ROMPS AT ROAD AMERICA

Buell Riders Dominate Formula USA Thunderbike National

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Dan Bilansky roared away from the pack aboard his Buell Firebolt for a convincing victory in the Formula USA National Thunderbike race at Road America. Harding Harley-Davidson riders Bryan Bemisderfer and David Estok finished second and third to complete a podium sweep for Buell riders in the Thunderbike class.

For Bilansky, the win offered some redemption after a disappointing outing in the F-USA season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he crashed out of the lead.

“Daytona was a hard one to get over,” said Bilansky, who is from Delafield, Wis. “But I want to win a championship and to do that I have to be consistent, so maybe a win today makes up for being a race behind after Daytona. This was a kick today because we are so close to home. I have lots of family here who haven’t seen me race in several years, and this is a home-town race for everyone from Buell and Hal’s.”

“It’s great to see so many talented privateer racers competing in Thunderbike,” said Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer. “The Formula USA power to weight ratio rules give the riders an equal chance to win, even without big budgets.”

Hoban Brothers Racing/Appleton H-D/Buell rider Jeff Johnson set a blistering pace aboard his Buell Firebolt to take the pole position for the Thunderbike race with a 2:37.219 lap of the four-mile Road America course in cool but dry conditions on Saturday. However, dense fog enveloped the Road America course on Sunday morning and the start of racing action was postponed until almost noon. Crashes in several support races further delayed the Formula USA National feature events, which were then shortened from 10 to five laps because of time constraints.

Johnson jumped the start before it went green and then hesitated as Bilansky raced off to open an early lead while Bemisderfer, Estok, Suzuki rider Ed Key, Johnson and Harding rider Tripp Nobles battled in a pack behind him. On the second lap, Bemisderfer ran off the course in turn five after trying to out-brake Nobles. Bemisderfer managed to stay upright and remained in contention. Nobles went out on lap four with a mechanical problem.

“Second place gives us some good points towards the championship,” said Bemisderfer. “Bilansky got that great start and then just took off full speed. I think the rest of us took a lap to gauge track conditions before we really pushed it today and gave him too much of a head start.”

Estok, who said he is still recovering from a concussion suffered in a March automobile accident, was also happy to come away with solid points on the day. “I’m still a little foggy, to be honest, and really didn’t feel smooth all weekend until the race started,” he said. “I’m still leading the Thunderbike points, which is awesome. They’ll have to watch out when I’m back to full speed.”

Key finished fourth, with Kosco H-D/Buell rider Joe Rozynski fifth. Johnson was fifth across the line, but a one-lap penalty for jumping the start bumped him back to 23rd place in the final standings.

Estok maintains his lead in the Thunderbike series with 41 points, just a one-point margin over his teammate Bemisderfer.

The third stop on the eight-race Formula USA Thunderbike series is May 29-31 at Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point, W.Va.

The Formula USA Thunderbike series is a horsepower-to-weight ratio restricted class, open to a variety of production-based motorcycles. Buell-mounted riders competing in the eight-event 2004 Thunderbike series are racing for a share of the $70,500 contingency fund posted by Buell Motorcycle Company and Buell Rider’s Adventure Group (BRAG).

To learn more about Buell Motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style, and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

All on-track CCS and Formula USA activities at Road America were delayed due to heavy fog limiting visibility in the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin area.

Practice was due to have started at 8:00 a.m. local time with racing scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m.

At 8:45 a.m. there were signs that the fog/mist was beginning to lift. The four-mile, 14-turn Road America circuit was still wet from overnight rains and the mist/fog, but Formula USA/CCS boss Kevin Elliott said, “We will get all the races in today.”


After officials sent Pro racers Dave Ebben and Scott Harwell out on track to evaluate the level of visibility from a rider’s perspective, Formula USA/CCS practice started at 11:15 a.m. on a damp and drying track.

In addition, Elliott revised his previous statement, saying, “We will get all the money-paying (purse and contingency) races in today.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Suzuki Motor Corporation’s Morgan Broadhead, who handles the company’s road racing support programs, was knocked unconscious and transported to a local hospital following a crash at Road America today.

Broadhead crashed his GSX-R750 in turn five on the first lap of the F-USA Formula Sportbike (750cc) race at Road America.

He suffered a concussion in the fall but was otherwise uninjured and was expected to be released from the hospital sometime this evening.

According to Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge, another rider hit Broadhead, who then collided with a third rider and crashed.

Very few executives who work for motorcycle manufacturers regularly compete in sanctioned motorcycle road races. Other than Broadhead, the only one we know of is Harley-Davidson/Buell’s Paul James.


More, from a press release issued by Super Dave Rosno:

Super Dave Nearly Eliminated

Dave Rosno, racing to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, was knocked down at the start of the Formula USA Formula Sportbike event at Road America’s turn five.

“I was minding my own business going into five, and I just got whacked. Stuff was flying all around, and I thought that something was going to land on me so I kicked some of the bikes away from me,” Super Dave recalls. “I had gambled on a little change to my Hyperpro shock, and it felt great. I was looking forward to making some tracks on my Sportsman’s Park/4&6 600. But I got absolutely nailed. I was pretty angry when I got up, and I was yelling at the only rider that I saw standing up, Brian Hall. I got my senses back, picked up my bike, and made my way back to the pit area without a front brake lever.”

Racer Meghan Stiles was watching from turn five viewing area and said that a rider fell down and hit the back of “Super” Dave’s bike, bringing him down. With both riders down, racer Brian Hall had no place to go and looped out the bike on the brakes.

Dave continues, “On Roadracingworld.com, it’s being reported that American Suzuki Motor Corporation’s Morgan Broadhead fell down in five. It does sound like the incident that I was in. I know Morgan, and I hope that he’s ok. I don’t know how Morgan fell down, but I’m always glad to see Morgan’s happy face. We’ll welcome him when he comes back.”

From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

MonsterMob Ducati British Superbike and Supersport Championship Team

THINK! British Superbike Championship
Rounds 5/6
Snetterton, Norfolk
24th/25th April

MORE POINTS FOR EMMETT AS LAVERTY TAKES VICTORY

MonsterMob Ducati riders Sean Emmett and Michael Laverty consolidated their positions in their respective championships after an action packed round three of the THINK! British Superbike Championship at a sun-kissed Snetterton today.

999 F02 mounted- Emmett followed up a hard fought fourth in the opening Superbike race with a battling rostrum in race two to move into third in the championship after three of the thirteen rounds.

“Not a bad day I suppose” summarised the 34 year old from Weybridge. “The four cylinder machines seemed to dominate here with their speed which we thought may happen. Also, still having an injury to my finger doesn’t help especially with not really having a break between now and OultonPark. This weekend was a damage limitation exercise but obviously there’s still a long way to go. This circuit is one of the weakest ones for us all year but you’re never going to be able to compete with the four cylinder machines on speed but wait until we get to some of the more technical circuits the twin will come into its own and I will get my pay back” said Emmett.

MonsterMob Ducati Supersport rider Michael Laverty moved to the lead in the championship after a superb debut victory aboard the 749 after a race long battle had seen him move from 11th in the opening stages.

The 22 year old Toomebridge, Northern Ireland rider 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.

Team owner Paul Bird was happy enough with his riders’ performances:
“That was a good day and we had three good finishes. We knew this wasn’t going to be a track for the Superbike and we had to make the best of a bad job, especially with Sean riding injured. We will go to Oulton Park next week which should hopefully suit the Ducati more. Michael’s result was excellent and we knew it was going to happen shortly. He has shown that he is world class, coming from way down on the first lap and he rode probably the best race of his career.”

Superbike Race One Result
1, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 27:50.976
2, John Reynolds (Suzuki) -0.414
3, Michael Rutter (Honda) -1.018
4, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) -1.597
5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) -2.396
6, Dean Thomas (Ducati) -9.061
7, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) -12.186
8, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) -18.779
9, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) -31.451
10, James Haydon (Ducati) -34.846

Superbike Race Two Result
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 26:40.720
2, Michael Rutter (Honda) -0.504
3, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) -9.774
4, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) -12.937
5, Dean Thomas (Ducati) -14.436
6, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) -16.045
7, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) -16.710
8, Steve Plater (Yamaha) -21.023
9, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) -26.050
10, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) -26.795

Supersport Race Result
1, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 23:14.750
2, Karl Harris (Honda) -0.537
3, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) -0.578
4, Luke Quigley (Suzuki) -1.813
5, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) -2.091
6, Jay Vincent (Honda) -2.259
7, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) -7.651
8, Adrian Coates (Suzuki) -8.394
9, Craig Jones (Triumph) -8.684
10, Matt Llewellyn (Ducati) -14.619



Superbike Championship Standings (after Round 6)
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 127 pts
2, Michael Rutter (Honda) 117 pts
3, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 78 pts
3, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) 78 pts
5, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 76 pts
6, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 68 pts
7, Dean Thomas (Ducati) 48 pts
8, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 40 pts
9, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 33 pts
10, Gary Mason (Yamaha) 32 pts


Supersport Championship Standings (after Round 3)
1, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 51 pts
2, Karl Harris (Honda) 45 pts
3, Jay Vincent (Honda) 43 pts
4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) 42 pts
5, Luke Quigley (Suzuki) 38 pts
6, Craig Jones (Triumph) 27 pts
6, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 27 pts
8, Kieran Murphy (Honda) 19 pts
9, Adrian Coates (Suzuki) 15 pts
9, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 15 pts



More, from a press release issued by MSS Discovery Kawasaki Team:

British Supersport/National Superstock Championships
Round three ­
Snetterton

Sunday, April 25, 2004

MSS DISCOVERY TAKE PODIUM FINISH WITH THIRD PLACE FOR RIBA AT SNETTERTON

MSS Discovery¹s Pere Riba finished third after an action-packed third round of the British Supersport Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk on Sunday.

The ZX-6RR rider was looking to add a maiden victory to his two fourth places so far this year. And, in a race which had five different leaders, Riba lost out on a possible second place when a seven-rider crash brought the 22-lap race to a premature end on lap 20.

“That was a great race,” said Riba. “I made one small mistake with a couple of laps to go and lost the lead but I still thought it was possible to fight back and win. The machine was fast and the brakes were brilliant.”

Riba, fourth in the championship but just nine points off the lead, continued: “There was nothing I could fault with the machine and the win was there for the taking ­ but for me running wide. Such a small mistake has cost us but it’s normal when you¹re leading and when you have a queue of riders behind you.”

MSS Discovery’s Rob Frost looked set to record his first points of the year as he held 10th place but the Lincolnshire ace was caught up in the seven-rider incident at the end of Snetterton¹s long, back straight.

Frost explained: “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong but I can¹t seem to get the points in the bag. The guy whose engine blew had just passed me so I had nowhere to go. I got a great start and was all on for the finish and the points that I needed.”

Battling Steve Allan fought through to an eventual eighth place in the National Superstock Championship race after qualifying in 18th. The Scotsman rode a calculated race on the ZX-10R and was holding eighth when the race was cut short by three laps due to a crash.

“I don’t ever want to qualify that low again–it was madness on the first lap,” reported Allan. “I just held on really and picked off a place when I could. I got involved in a few scraps but there was no way I was going to
take any risks.

“The problems we’d had with the brakes in qualifying were sorted out and the machine felt really good and consistent throughout,” added Allan, now up to sixth place in the Championship.


British Supersport Championship, round three result (20 laps,­ 39.00 miles):
1 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 23:14.750
2 Karl Harris, Honda, 23:15.287
3 Pere Riba, MSS Discovery Kawasaki, 23:15.328
4 Luke Quigley, Suzuki, 23:16.563
5 Simon Andrews, Yamaha, 23:16.841
6 Jay Vincent, Honda, 23:17.009
7 Tom Sykes, Suzuki, 23:22.401
8 Adrian Coates, Suzuki, 23:23.144
9 Craig Jones, Triumph, 23:23.434
10 Matt Llewellyn, Ducati, 23:29.369

Championship points after three of 13 rounds: 1 Laverty 51, 2 Harris 45, 3 Vincent 43, 4 Riba 42, 5 Quigley 38, 6 Jones and Andrews 27, 8 Kieran Murphy, Honda 19, 9 Coates and Sykes 15.

Next round: Oulton Park ­ May 3


National Superstock Championship, round three result (17 laps, 33.15 miles):
1 Danny Beaumont, Yamaha, 19:33.192
2 Ben Wilson, Suzuki, 19:33.663
3 Tristan Palmer, Suzuki, 19:34.361
4 Andy Tinsley, Suzuki, 19:35.469
5 Les Shand, Yamaha, 19:42.658
6 John Laverty, Yamaha, 19:45.282
7 Darren Mitchell, Suzuki, 19:48.257
8 Steve Allan, MSS Discovery Kawasaki, 19:53.480
9 Stephen Thomson, Suzuki, 19:55.550
10 Ryan Rainey, Yamaha, 19:57.109

Championship points after three of 13 rounds: 1 Tinsley and Wilson 58, 3 Beaumont 54, 4 Palmer 45, 5 Shand 31, 6 Allan 24, 7 Mitchell 20, 8 Mark Heckles, Yamaha 16, 9 Kelvin Reilly, Ducati 15, 10 Craig Fitzpatrick, Suzuki 14.

Next round: Oulton Park ­ May 3



More, from a press release issued by Scott Smart’s publicist:

FACTORY British Superbike racer Scott Smart rounded off another successful weekend at Snetterton yesterday with two top-six finishes – and managed to lead for part of race two after getting past series leader John Reynolds. Smart (27) worked hard on set-up during qualifying as he knew that the outright horsepower of the Suzukis and Hondas would be very hard to match along the Norfolk circuit’s two long straights, so he concentrated on getting his Hawk Kawasaki’s handling exactly right. And it paid off as he was able to keep with, and get past, the faster bikes through Snetterton’s twisty Esses/Bombhole/Coram section, only losing out on the straight bits.

“My race one start was a bit average, I went to the left side of the track and got blocked,” said Smart. “That meant I got really poor drive going to Sear corner and ended up going onto the back straight in tenth. I had to work really hard draughting to get past the Virgin Yamaha bikes, Plater was riding really well too, and then got up to and past Dean Thomas.

“After I passed him, I got my head down and chased the leading group. I managed to get up to Emmett but my tyre went off and I started sliding a lot, so I just yo-yo’d up to him, and then away again as I didn’t have enough grip.

“Before race two, I made a decision that, come hell or high water, I WAS going up the inside into the first corner, I got good drive and then did two more people going into Sear, got more good drive onto the back straight. Then I picked off one more bike and found myself in second, behind Reynolds.

“There was still some oil on the track at the Esses, but I was happy to go into it as fast as John. I sat with him for a couple of laps until he made a mistake into the Bombhole, went a little bit wide, I dived underneath him and took the lead. I managed to pull a little time on JR as we went over the line. I got round to Sear again, but had a moment, and John came whistling past up the Revett Straight, dragging Emmett in his slipstream.

“I tried to stay with them, but coming into Russell Chicane, I hit a false neutral, had to go across the grass and ended up back in tenth.

“Then it was damage limitation, so I got my head down again, and managed to get back up to sixth, passing my team-mate Glen on the way. “All in all, a great weekend, it was fantastic to lead a superbike race, and I’m really, really up for Oulton Park next weekend.”

From a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki:

NECK INJURY SIDELINES CRAGGILL

Corona Extra Suzuki Superbike rider Marty Craggill, who placed eighth in Race 1 of the AMA Superbike at Fontana and crashed out in race 2, has undergone surgery and will miss the upcoming event at Infineon Raceway.

After returning to Australia following Fontana, Craggill had a continuing pain in his neck. X-rays revealed nothing but after a week of persistent discomfort, a requested CAT scan revealed a fracture in his C6 vertebra. Marty was admitted for surgery earlier this week. The vertebra was pinned and a bone graft undertaken. Marty is recovering after the successful operation. His return to racing fitness will be determined following doctor review in May.

We all wish Marty a speedy recovery.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional Saturday Morning AMA Formula Xtreme Practice Times:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:28.930
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.260
3. Doug Chandler, Ducati 749R, 1:30.680
4. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.870
5. Michael Barnes, Buell XB9R, 1:32.378
6. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.627
7. Ty Howard, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.944
8. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.955
9. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.229
10. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.465
11. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:33.514
12. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.539
13. Jason Farrell, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:34.676
14. Derek Keyes, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.484
15. Jason Mathiason, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.735
16. Mike Shreve, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.814
17. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.875
18. Ben Walters, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.008
19. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.770
20. Doug Duane, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.229