Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Hurricane Frances recently visited Asheville, NC last week and dropped HUGE amounts of rain. The photos below are the results, and these are just a small part.

Washed out roads, Asheville’s water supply out and contaminated until (September 15), plus power to a lot of the region was out for several days.

It will take a while before everything’s back to normal, and Ivan’s headed here too! We are a long way from an ocean, but it still hit hard.

If people want to see what can happen – this will show them it wouldn’t be a whole lotta’ fun to end the AMA Superbike Season this way!

Take care y’all!

P.J. Jackson-Frisby

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The September 17-19 AMA Superbike series event at Virginia International Raceway being postponed has inconvenienced many of the teams, riders and assorted personnel who follow and make their living within the series, but few are facing a more difficult situation than Graves Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert.

Gobert, 23, hoped to defend his five-point lead at VIR and win the AMA Superstock Championship, the first of his career. Then the day after the races, he and his girlfriend Melanie Riley planned to fly home to Australia to make the final preparations for their October 6 wedding.

Now, with talk of the VIR event being rescheduled for October 8-10, Gobert is faced with a choice between the wedding and the Championship.

“We’re getting married on an island. There’s like 35 of us going to this island, and at the moment there’s only going to be 33, because Mel and I aren’t going,” Gobert told Roadracingworld.com Wednesday. “We have to wait and see what happens, but we can’t get married if we’re in America. The problem is, the time of year it is and everything, nothing’s refundable. I’m gonna have to pay for two weddings.”

Although he realizes it may not be completely fair to Tommy Hayden and Jamie Hacking, his two closest challengers, Gobert would like to see the final race cancelled.

From a press release issued by Speedwerks:

Speedwerks Launches New Web Site with Online Store

Dover, DE – Speedwerks, an independently owned and operated motorcycle shop, just launched www.speedwerks.com. The new web site showcases the shop and its services, and is complete with an online store for purchasing motorcycle-related racing and street necessities.

Speedwerks Owner, Steve Long (2003 WERA Clubman Expert National Champion), has brought fellow racer and mechanic, Brian Roach, on board to build a web site that showcases his shops services, products and long-standing reputation in the racing community. Roach, an expert racer in the USGPRU series, was a former software engineer for America Online® who decided to combine his passion for racing and programming expertise to start a new career. As a former customer who raced and won two WERA regional championships on Speedwerks-built machines, Roach knew his skills and professional standards would match well with Long’s business philosophy of excellent customer service and attention to detail. The partnership has created the new SpeedWerks.com.

Racers and street riders who visit the new www.speedwerks.com site will find information about the shop (which has been in business for almost ten years), the SpeedWerks Race Team and its racing customers, a classifieds section, and much more. But the greatest feature the new site boasts is the SpeedWerks.com online store, featuring apparel for men and women and all the fun goodies you could need for your motorcycle. Racers, track day riders, and street riders can find everything they need and order it from the comfort of their desk chair.

Speedwerks, because of its long-standing relationship with dealers and manufacturers, has always maintained extremely competitive pricing on products, so they decided to branch out beyond their immediate customers and offer these deals online. Although SpeedWerks will be going up against tough competition in the online motorcycle store arena, they are confident in this new endeavor. “We have something that other stores don’t have,” said Roach, “we are not just a warehouse shipping products out to customers. We are an experienced shop that works on bikes for a living, and can provide expert technical assistance and take care of motorcycle-related issues that typical retail stores can’t.”

The online store is launching with approximately 3,000 products available for purchase, and they are aggressively adding products to their database every day. The products currently online are just a snapshot of the thousands of products they have available for purchase through their shop, and they are more than happy to assist riders in purchasing products that aren’t displayed on the site yet.

SpeedWerks.com will be entering Phase II of its web site launch in the coming months and adding such features as personal web pages for customers, an online newsletter, and much more.

From a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks:

The bad weather shuts off the Misano’s test of Gianluca Nannelli

(Misano Adriatico 2004, September 16)

The atrocious weather conditions on the Adriatic coast did shut off the practice day organised by Team Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks today on the Santamonica circuit for the first contact of Gianluca Nannelli on the 999RS that the Florentine rider will ride in the final rounds of 2004 World Superbike at Imola and Magny Cours.

The incessant rain allowed to Gianluca “Conann” Nannelli only a few laps on the flooded track, just 18, and Nannelli could just set the bike for his requirements, the riding position and start to know his new team.

“Of course with those weather conditions I’m not able to give a fair judgement on the 999RS”. – Said Gianluca Nannelli, soaking wet but satisfied at the end of the test – “The rain didn’t stop a moment and I must ride always with rain tyres on. But also is this has been my first approach I could appreciate the working system of the team, I esteem the bike and I got a good feeling easily. But for sure un a dry track and in the racing fight it will be another thing. The Xerox 999RS Ducati feels more aggressive as the 998RS I rode still now, but I must know that just riding today this bike, which has been one of the fastest during all the season, I’m able to appraise as my 998RS that Donato Pedercini got at my disposition still now is a very good bike and I wish to thank him for giving me the possibility to put me in a good light. Now we’ll ride in Imola and Magny Cours, two circuits where last year I made good performances that I’m confident to repeat this year too.”

Also Stefano Caracchi, Team Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks team manager, is satisfied for today’s first approach.

“Gianluca showed today too, under the flood, that his will to ride a bike is inexhaustible.” – commented Caracchi – “I had any hesitation to enter the track with the flooded track and, rejoining the pit, gave correct information following the experience reached by the team during the season. We are sure that our decision about Gianluca is good and we are confident that “Nanna”, together Garry McCoy and Miguel Praia, will be able to give to our sponsor all the satisfaction missing in the final events after the splendid season’s debut in Australia and Monza.”

Gianluca Nannelli profile

Born in Florence 1973, August 22

2003 – Supersport Italian Champion (Yamaha)

– 15th Supersport World Championship (Yamaha)

2002 – 9th Supersport Italian Championship (Ducati)

– 22nd Supersport World Championship (Ducati)

2001 – 4th Supersport Italian Championship (Ducati)

– 5th Supersport European Championship (Ducati)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc. has rescheduled this coming weekend’s regional event at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee due to concerns over the potential impact of Hurricane Ivan.

The event has been moved to November 13-14.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI FILA RIDERS LACONI AND TOSELAND COMPLETE PREPARATIONS FOR WORLD SUPERBIKE FINALE

Magny-Cours (France), 15 September 2004: Regis Laconi and James Toseland completed preparations for the last two rounds of the World Superbike championship with a two-day test session at Magny-Cours, France, the venue for the season’s finale on October 3.

Almost two days of good weather in the Nevers area enabled the two Ducati Fila riders to lap without any problems and find some good settings for the French circuit in view of the race.

Laconi, whose best time was 1:43.0 on race rubber, declared: “We worked a lot on chassis settings here and I was very happy with the feeling. We started with the same front-end problem as at Assen, but over the two days we sorted that out and I was able to run very quick and at a very constant pace. I’m optimistic for the race.”

Toseland, with a time of 1:43.2, was just a couple of tenths of a second off the pace of his French team-mate. “These two days were very positive, we were trying to get the bike to work good around this difficult circuit and we succeeded. We tested a number of different tyre compounds, both front and rear, and made some changes to the bike, but I found that I was also pretty happy with my Assen set-up with which I won last Sunday’s race.”

Four riders, Toseland, Vermeulen (Honda), Laconi and Haga (Renegade Ducati) are still in with a chance of the title as World Superbike heads to Imola next week and then Magny-Cours seven days later for its exciting finale.

POINTS (after 9 of 11 rounds); (Riders) 1. Toseland 255; 2. Vermeulen 252; 3. Laconi 245; 4. Haga 241; 5. Chili 213; 6. McCoy 163; etc.

(Manufacturers) 1. Ducati 430 (champions); 2. Honda 259; 3. Petronas 173 ; 4. Kawasaki 106 ; 5. Suzuki 84 ; 6. Yamaha 60.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA PRO RACING ON TV THIS WEEK

(All times Eastern)


AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship, Steel City Raceway, Delmont, Pennsylvania – Friday, Sept. 17, 3-5 p.m. – ESPN2

AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series – Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia – Thursday, Sept. 16, 3 a.m. – SPEED Channel

AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship, Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, South Dakota – Friday, Sept. 17, 3 a.m. – SPEED Channel

AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia – Superbike Race 1, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2-3 p.m. – SPEED Channel

AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia – Superbike Race 2, Sunday, Sept. 19, 3-4 p.m. – SPEED Channel

AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship, Glen Helen Raceway Park, San Bernardino, California – Sunday, Sept. 19, 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (Sept. 20), –
ESPN2

AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia – Superbike Race 1, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 12-1 p.m. – SPEED Channel

AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia – Superbike Race 2, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2-3 p.m. – SPEED Channel

All times subject to change. Check local listings

From a press release issued by CCS:

CCS at VIR to Pay Double Points

Due to the cancellation of the Championship Cup Series event presented by Lockhart Phillips USA originally scheduled at Summit Point Raceway’s Shenandoah Circuit October 8-10… The next CCS round of racing at Virginia Int’l Raceway scheduled for September 25-26 will award double points for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. The event however will only pay single points for the Southeast Regional Championships. The event will remain a two-day event, and the weekend schedule will remain as posted.

Due to this turn of events however, CCS will re-open pre-registrations for the VIR event. Pre-Entries will now be accepted for the September 25-26 VIR event until 5:00 pm (Central Time) September 20th. Pre-Entry forms and On-Line Registration are all available on the “Forms” page of www.FormulaUSA.com.

Visit FormulaUSA.com and CCSracing.com for more details about racing and track days near you.

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

MOTEGI – HOME RACE FOR SUZUKI

Suzuki’s mighty GSV-R MotoGP prototype goes home this weekend – for the fastest-ever racing Suzuki’s only race this year on Japanese soil.

The two factory machines, ridden by 2000 World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. and team-mate John Hopkins, will be wearing their blue-and-white factory colours with pride, after a season in which steadily growing strength culminated in a best-of-year performance at the last round, the Portuguese GP.

The Suzukis had again qualified strongly in the top ten, and though Roberts dropped back with a minor but costly mechanical ailment, Hopkins claimed a personal career-best sixth place – only six tenths of a seconds from wresting fifth from rival Carlos Checa.

Now the team is bringing the bikes home, to race under the direct supervision of senior Suzuki factory racing and management personnel. Riders and crew have a strong resolve to reward their presence with another demonstration of the traditional racing marque’s growing strength in the MotoGP class.

Suzuki has a good record at Motegi, with Roberts claiming victory in 1999 and 2000. Hopes are high for a return to success in 2004.

“It’s a favourite track for both riders, and it’s also a track where we expect the Bridgestone tyres to perform very well,” said team manager Garry Taylor.

“Ever since Kenny’s pole position at Rio five races ago, our qualifying and race results have been getting consistently better,” he continued.

“John’s motivation is sky high at the moment, as he showed with a really impressive ride at Estoril, and a richly deserved career best finish. And I know that Kenny’s determination will be renewed after his disappointment in Portugal.

“We’re all looking forward to the race,” said Taylor.

The Motegi Twin-Ring circuit is an imposing and rather austere venue. Overlooked by the unused control tower for the banked oval track, the MotoGP bikes use a different circuit and a different pit complex, on the other side of the pit straight. The bikes run mainly out of sight and out of earshot, the track passing out beyond the banking through an underpass, then returning through a similar tunnel for the final corners.

From 2000 until last year, the race at Motegi was known as the Pacific GP, and was the second race of the year in Japan. This year, Suzuka was dropped from the calendar awaiting safety modifications, and Motegi resumed its inaugural 1999 title of Japanese GP.

The 12th of 16 rounds, the first of the end-of-season flyaways is separated from the following back-to-back trio in Qatar, Malaysia and Australia by a weekend’s break.

KENNY ROBERTS – SEE WHAT MOTEGI BRINGS:

“We’ve been working this season to get the bike the best possible track by track, and problems apart, we’ve made the most of what we have. Especially we’ve improved corner speed, though the nature of Motegi – U-bends and short straights – means that’s not so valuable there. But I’ve had good results at the track before with Suzuki – like beating Mick Doohan in the rain in 1999, my second GP win, and beating Rossi the next year. We’ll work to get the bike to its best, and see what the conditions bring.”

JOHN HOPKINS – AIM FOR THE TOP:

“I like Motegi – it’s kind of all action, hard braking, and I’ve always had fun there. Not so much last year, with my first turn crash and some bad consequences, but that’s past now. This season has really been coming together over the last races. We have the bike working real good and the Bridgestone tyres keep getting better. I just missed out on the top five at Estoril. That’s my aim for this race too.”

ABOUT THIS RACE:

After a false start in the Sixties, with races run for smaller classes only, at Suzuka and Fuji, the Japanese GP proper started at Suzuka in 1987, and has bee n on th e calendar ever since – this is the 18th running. Apart from an inaugural visit to Motegi in 1999, it has until now taken place at Suzuka. Last year’s fatal injury to Daijiro Kato saw that circuit struck off the calendar, and this year’s national race returns to Motegi, where since 2000 a second Japanese race has run under the title of Pacific GP. North-east of Tokyo in a scenic hilly area, Motegi is a spectacular all-in-one motoring and racing area, incorporating both racing and road driver education, kart tracks and a major mainly motorcycling museum.


ABOUT THIS TRACK:

The Twin Ring is actually two circuits – the US-style banked oval, with its own pits, grandstands and infrastructure, and the 2.98-mile road-racing track, with pits and paddock within the oval, and the track looping out under the banking through one underpass, returning through another for the final chicane back onto the short pit straight. Precise computer-designed corners loop the track back and forth within the oval, with more of the same outside – slow corners linked by short power-burst straights. It seems a sterile design, but there is enough rise and fall in the terrain to inject interest. “It’s a surprisingly fun track,” said double winner Kenny Roberts Jr.


GP DATA:

Twin-Ring Motegi
Circuit Length: 2.983 miles / 4.801 km
Lap Record: 1:48.885 – 98.631 mph / 158.732 km/h. V Rossi (Honda), 2004
2003 Race Winner: M Biaggi (Honda)
2003 Race Average: 43:57.590 – 97.721 mph / 157.267 km/h.
2003 Fastest Race Lap: see lap record
2003 Pole Position: Biaggi 1:47.696
2003 KENNY ROBERTS: 15th, qualified 19th (Suzuki)
2003 JOHN HOPKINS: DNF, qualified 16th (Suzuki)

From a press release issued by CCS/Formula USA:

CCS at Shenandoah Cancelled October 9-10

Update (Sept 15, 2004)

The Mid-Atlantic regional Championship Cup Series event presented by Lockhart Phillips USA originally scheduled at Summit Point Raceway’s Shenandoah Circuit October 9-10, which includes a Lockhart Phillips Sport Rider Day on Octover 8, has been cancelled due to more construction delays with the new facility.

After a track inspection on Monday by Kevin Elliott – Senior Director of Road Race Competition for, the new circuit at Summit Point (with it’s SCCA mandated barrier placements), concluded that a few areas of the facility are not adequate for motorcycle racing at this time. In further conversations with Bill Scott, he has agreed to make improvements to insure the safety of motorcycle riders, but those improvements cannot be done before the October CCS date.

All CCS motorcycle events at Summit Point Raceway had been moved by Bill Scott Racing from the original 2.1 mile Summit Point Circuit to the Shenandoah Circuit in 2004 including the events scheduled for October 8-10.

Bill Scott Racing and Summit Point Raceway management expected that Championship Cup Series would have been the first group to race at the new facility when CCS motorcycle racing returned after the original construction delays at the Shenandoah Circuit on October 9-10.

Bill Scott of Summit Point Raceway commented that “We really enjoy having the CCS events here, and we are dissappointed this has happened, we will do everything we can to make sure that the future events are a success for all of us.”

Visit FormulaUSA.com and CCSracing.com for more details about racing and track days near you.