Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

For the first time in 30 years, CCS Florida promoter Henry DeGouw has cancelled an event in advance, scheduled for this weekend at Jennings GP.

In a phone call to Roadracingworld.com when his phone service was restored moments ago, DeGouw said problems he and other Florida residents now face include closed banks, power outages, gas shortages with long lines for what gas is available, cell towers down and a looming third hurricane.

With another hurricane heading for the state, Florida riders and race workers don’t want to leave their families to go to a race this weekend, and he (DeGouw) can’t contact his employees anyway.

DeGouw is located in Loxahatchee, Florida, near West Palm Beach, and is currently attempting to repair his home’s roof. He has no power at his home and is operating sporadically on power provided by a small generator he borrowed from a racer after his own generator failed.



More, from a press release issued by CCS:

Jennings GP CCS Event Cancelled

The CCS events at Jennings GP for this weekend has been cancelled due to last week’s Hurricane Frances and the impending arrival of Hurricane Ivan. The majority of racers and staff are unable to leave their homes due to the damages, outages and fuel shortages.

From CCS Florida Region Race Director Henry DeGouw: “This weekend’s CCS Florida/Southeast event scheduled for Jennings GP has been cancelled. Due to the damages and shortages caused by Hurricane Frances and the impending arrival of Hurricane Ivan, we felt it unfair and unwise to move forward with this event when so many of our racers and staff have been directly affected by this disaster.”

This race will not be re-scheduled and CCS Florida will release more detailed information on the remaining Florida events as the facts become available.

Thanks for your continued support of Championship Cup Series.



More, from Jennings GP:

Hey Roadracingworld.com,

Saw your post on your site about the CCS event canceling.

We have posted this on our site and hope to accommodate the riders that were planning on coming to the track.

Due to the cancellation of the CCS Race we will be having a track day this weekend Sept 11-12.

We will only have this event if we get 25 riders pre-signed up for the event.

Please call 386.938.1110 ASAP to register.

Thanks,

Jenningsgp
www.jenningsgp.com

From a press release issued by VIR:

VIR Gearing Up For Suzuki Lightning Nationals

Alton, Va. (Sept. 9) –The fastest and most exotic road racing motorcycles in America will return to VIRginia International Raceway for a fourth time over the weekend of September 17-19, as AMA Pro Racing’s wildly popular Suzuki Lightning Nationals brings the best in the business to do battle in their season finale.

The double-header format will give fans two feature races, one Saturday and one Sunday, for the headlining AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, where the factory teams and world’s best riders compete for corporate bragging rights, utilizing staggering budgets to produce the most technologically advanced bikes to be seen in
this country.

Rounding out the program will be AMA’s other professional road racing series, the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Championship and the Repsol Superstock Championship.

Three of the four series will settle their championship battles in Southside Virginia, with the Formula Xtreme title having already been clinched by Honda’s Miguel Duhamel.

In the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, Suzuki’s four-time and defending series champ Mat Mladin leads Honda’s rookie Jake Zemke 532-490. The year’s final event at VIR will be double-headers, and each race winner can win a total of 38 points (36 for a win, plus one each for pole and leading the most laps), leaving a maximum of 76 points to be won.

Neither rider is taking anything for granted.

“Things are looking good so far,” said Mladin while testing at VIR recently, “but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Zemke was admittedly struggling during his VIR test, trying to perfect his set-up for the 2.25-mile North Course, but remains optimistic.

“Mat’s definitely got a lead on us in the championship,” he said, “but anything can happen.”

Mladin would, of course, like to be able to wrap up his unprecedented fifth series title early, and that would allow him to do something he’s never been able to do at VIR.

“Racing at VIR, for me, has been one of those things where I haven’t been able to put it all on the line because I’ve been trying to win a championship,” he said. “Hopefully, for one race this year we can let it hang out and see how we go.”

Tickets will be available at the gate. Three-day Super Tickets (with program) are priced at $55, with single-day tickets priced at $10 (Friday), $35 (Saturday) and $40 (Sunday). For advance ticket sales, call 1-888-RACE099 ext. 116 (American Express®, Discover®, Visa® or MasterCard®) or purchase your tickets online at www.virclub.com with Visa® or Mastercard®. VIR is a family-friendly facility, where children 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Spectator camping is available.

VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., and just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit (designed to be operated as two autonomous, full-service courses), VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, which is a showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; the VIR Safety and Security Institute, which provides specialized training for U.S. Government and military groups; and the VIR Euro Rally and Corporate Motorsport Experience, which features four rally stages plus a kart track as well as an ATV and SUV trials course and trails. Future plans include The Lodge at VIR, a 27-room hotel overlooking the track, and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse.

VIR made history from 1957 to 1974 and is doing so again. The renovated original circuit has 17 challenging turns and 130 feet of elevation change. In addition to spectator events, the track is also available to rent for testing, driving schools and club days.

For more information, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or contact VIR toll-free at 888-RACE099. For more information on the VIR Euro Rally and Corporate Motorsport Experience, call toll-free 877-RALLY66 or visit their website at www.vireurorally.com. For more information on the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, visit their website at www.ussuperbike.com.

This just in, from American Suzuki’s Morgan Broadhead, via e-mail:

I didn’t know if you had seen the schedule for the GNF but I wanted to point out a couple of changes for this year.

The grid for each Suzuki Cup race will be determined by a 15 minute timed qualifying session rather than a heat race. Regional Champs will still grid first based on their individual times, and then the rest of the field will grid behind them based on time.

We will be adjusting the Dyno and weight rules to be closer to the F-USA rules with a tiered set of penalties based on how far over they are.

The SV Cup events will be held on Friday after the endurance race with qualifying on Thursday. SV’s will be given priority on the Dyno on Thursday to allow them to tune for qualifying.

The World Cup will be mixed in with qualifying Saturday and Sunday and 2 races on Sunday.

Suzuki Cup riders will receive a full set of updated Dyno rules, the schedule and any other information they need in their invitation packets.

From a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

BOSTROM TO MISS SEASON FINALE AT VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

September 8, 2004 – Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom will be forced to miss the final round of the AMA Superbike series at Virginia International Raceway due to injuries sustained from a high-speed crash at Road Atlanta this weekend.

During a visit yesterday to Dr. Art Ting’s Northern California office, the orthopedic surgeon and sports injury specialist diagnosed Bostrom as having a dislocated shoulder with a posterior labral tear, contusions and bruising to the socket and humeral head, and a broken rib.

Dr. Ting has mandated two weeks of complete immobility to be followed by another re-evaluation and a possible probe to determine if surgery will be required. Last July Dr. Ting performed surgery on the same shoulder to repair damage sustained when Eric was caught up in a multi-bike crash during the World Superbike race at Laguna Seca.

“It’s a huge disappointment to end the season this way, especially because I never got to show our speed at Road Atlanta and to show the progress that the team has worked hard to make,” said the 27-year-old rider from Las Vegas, Nevada. “Our times on race tires were strong and I felt we would have been contenders and would have made the race interesting. At the very least we would’ve gotten much better results than we’ve earned lately.

“Missing VIR two years in a row is a big disappointment, especially because the last time that we raced Superbike there we beat Mat after having an epic battle with him. I want to apologize to Ducati, my team, my sponsors, and also to my fans for not being able to compete next weekend. I’m looking forward to quickly getting back to top physical condition.” Bostrom will be in attendance at VIR to sign autographs.

The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team will be fielding two riders for the final event at VIR on September 17-19. Ducati Corse’s factory World Supersport rider Lorenzo Lanzi, who tested at VIR in August, is scheduled to race while a replacement rider for Bostrom will soon be announced.

From a press release:

HOBBS DIAGNOSED WITH SERIOUS INJURY

Following on from his accident at Croft Circuit during a test day last month, Hobbs Racing British Superbike Cup rider Dennis Hobbs has been re-admitted to hospital as the extent of damage to his injured neck has become apparent.

The 22 year old from Guisborough, Cleveland underwent various nerve tests and a further MRI scan at a specialist facility in East Anglia last week whereby it was diagnosed that Dennis had sustained a dislocated C7 and C8 neck vertebrae in the crash and was in imminent danger of permanent damage if not treated immediately.

As a result, Dennis was admitted to St James Hospital in Leeds yesterday before being transferred to Leeds General Infirmary today whereby he is under the care of resident BSB Medical Delegate, Mr Toby Branfoot and his team.

Dennis’ father John Hobbs explained: “Upon examining the various x-rays and documentation, the doctors have told us that Dennis has a dislocated neck and was just two millimetres off being paralysed. Like us, they are extremely concerned as to why that this wasn’t diagnosed earlier. Had it been, Dennis would have been out of action for around three months but as it is now, it could take between six and twelve months to fix. Had we known the extent of the injury, he shouldn’t have been racing at Croft or Cadwell as one slight knock could have proved disastrous.”

Hobbs, who finished on the rostrum twice at Croft before ruling himself out due to a lack of strength at Cadwell, is likely to have some exterior metalwork and frames inserted around his head and neck to stabilise the injury after surgery.

He is currently in Ward 23, Bed 23 at Leeds General Infirmary.

From a press release issued by VIR:

VIR Gearing Up For Suzuki Lightning Nationals

Alton, Va. (Sept. 9) –The fastest and most exotic road racing motorcycles in America will return to VIRginia International Raceway for a fourth time over the weekend of September 17-19, as AMA Pro Racing’s wildly popular Suzuki Lightning Nationals brings the best in the business to do battle in their season finale.

The double-header format will give fans two feature races, one Saturday and one Sunday, for the headlining AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, where the factory teams and world’s best riders compete for corporate bragging rights, utilizing staggering budgets to produce the most technologically advanced bikes to be seen in
this country.

Rounding out the program will be AMA’s other professional road racing series, the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, the Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Championship and the Repsol Superstock Championship.

Three of the four series will settle their championship battles in Southside Virginia, with the Formula Xtreme title having already been clinched by Honda’s Miguel Duhamel.

In the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, Suzuki’s four-time and defending series champ Mat Mladin leads Honda’s rookie Jake Zemke 532-490. The year’s final event at VIR will be double-headers, and each race winner can win a total of 38 points (36 for a win, plus one each for pole and leading the most laps), leaving a maximum of 76 points to be won.

Neither rider is taking anything for granted.

“Things are looking good so far,” said Mladin while testing at VIR recently, “but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Zemke was admittedly struggling during his VIR test, trying to perfect his set-up for the 2.25-mile North Course, but remains optimistic.

“Mat’s definitely got a lead on us in the championship,” he said, “but anything can happen.”

Mladin would, of course, like to be able to wrap up his unprecedented fifth series title early, and that would allow him to do something he’s never been able to do at VIR.

“Racing at VIR, for me, has been one of those things where I haven’t been able to put it all on the line because I’ve been trying to win a championship,” he said. “Hopefully, for one race this year we can let it hang out and see how we go.”

Tickets will be available at the gate. Three-day Super Tickets (with program) are priced at $55, with single-day tickets priced at $10 (Friday), $35 (Saturday) and $40 (Sunday). For advance ticket sales, call 1-888-RACE099 ext. 116 (American Express®, Discover®, Visa® or MasterCard®) or purchase your tickets online at www.virclub.com with Visa® or Mastercard®. VIR is a family-friendly facility, where children 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Spectator camping is available.

VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., and just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit (designed to be operated as two autonomous, full-service courses), VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, which is a showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; the VIR Safety and Security Institute, which provides specialized training for U.S. Government and military groups; and the VIR Euro Rally and Corporate Motorsport Experience, which features four rally stages plus a kart track as well as an ATV and SUV trials course and trails. Future plans include The Lodge at VIR, a 27-room hotel overlooking the track, and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse.

VIR made history from 1957 to 1974 and is doing so again. The renovated original circuit has 17 challenging turns and 130 feet of elevation change. In addition to spectator events, the track is also available to rent for testing, driving schools and club days.

For more information, visit the track’s website at www.virclub.com or contact VIR toll-free at 888-RACE099. For more information on the VIR Euro Rally and Corporate Motorsport Experience, call toll-free 877-RALLY66 or visit their website at www.vireurorally.com. For more information on the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, visit their website at www.ussuperbike.com.

From a press release issued by Hooters Suzuki:

Team Hooters Suzuki Step it Up at Road Atlanta

Hot and muggy temperatures greeted the riders and crew of Team Hooters Suzuki during this past weekend’s AMA Chevy Superbike Double Header at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. Team riders John Haner and Eric Wood rode aggressively and took home some strong finishes and scored some excellent points for the championship standings.

Saturday’s first leg of the Superbike Double Header proved to be a preview of what was to come. Both Haner and Wood worked hard during qualifying, but John posted a 10th and Eric a 17th starting grid position for both Superbike races. Eric battled hard with several riders jumping nine spots to finish in 8th. John raced hard to 6th place finish and the first privateer overall.

Sunday morning brought the fifteen-lap Repsol Superstock race. Both riders had decent qualifying positions from Saturday with Haner posting 8th and Wood a respectable 13th. Unfortunately, Eric’s machine had an electrical glitch and he pulled off the track after seven laps. John dropped back to tenth on the first lap and then fought back to 7th just behind one of the factory Yamaha’s.

After the needed break in the day, Team Hooters Suzuki’s pilots Haner and Wood once again suited up for the second Superbike race. With the drop of the green flag, both Eric and John found themselves in 11th and 12th respectively. Haner eventually came up to 7th, and saw a gap to Larry Pegram in 6th. He passed Pegram on lap eleven and cruised to another 6th place finish. On the other hand, Eric was running in 11th with a five second gap in front of him to tenth place. With five laps left, Wood put his head down and caught the rear wheel of Marty Craggill just missing 8th place, for a deserved 9th.

Eric Wood
Chevy Superbike Race 1: 8th Race 2: 9th
Repsol Superstock Race: DNF

“Well, the boys did some good work between Ohio and Atlanta and the bikes came out of the truck with some good horsepower this weekend. John & I were set for top 10 finishes in every class this weekend. The only blight on the weekend, other than my qualifying, which made the races a little harder than they needed to be, was the battery cable coming loose and ending my Superstock race early, but no one could have anticipated that happening,” exclaimed Eric. “Both Superbike races were similar, coming from our 5th row starting position to work up to the top ten. During the last six laps on Sunday, I charged from 12th to 9th position, missing 8th by 0.1 seconds. If all goes as planned at Virginia, John and I will finish top ten in the Superbike Championship this year. Which is what we both set out to do.”

John Haner
Chevy Superbike Race 1: 6th Race 2: 6th
Repsol Superstock Race: 7th
“Team Hooters Suzuki had a kick *#% weekend. Eric and I started doing some real fast laps. The crew did a great job of keeping us happy,” joked John. I’m pretty stoked being the top privateer in each race. We really pulled in some good championship points over the weekend and hopefully we’ll bring this momentum to Virginia in a couple of weeks. I had a few good battles with some guys this weekend and I’m pretty proud of what we got done.”

For more information regarding the team, please visit www.teamhooterssuzuki.com.


More, from a press release issued by Munroe Motors:

Tag Teams Racing’s Eric Gulbransen rocks Thunderhill

East Coast Ducati Twins racer and recent Bay Area transplant, Eric Gulbransen, showed his mettle at the AFM races held at Thunderhill Raceway this last weekend. In only his second weekend on the new bike, Eric managed to get on the podium in each race he entered – and started to seriously experience the potential of Ducati’s latest flagship sports motorcycle.

His first weekend on the new 2005 Ducati 999R, last month at Infineon Raceway, had proved a little challenging. The main issue was trying to set up the street bike to handle track duty, finding the best chassis and suspension settings to provide a platform that’s stable for Eric’s fast and aggressive riding style. Fortunately the power of the engine and the radial Brembo brakes of the “R” are significantly stronger than his previous race bike, a 2002 Ducati 998S, and needed no attention.

In Saturday practice at Thunderhill, Eric was making progress one session at a time. From the start, the bike was already better than it had been at Infineon, and Eric’s lap times already matched his previous best on the more proven 998. The Tag Team Racing crew, Dennis and Mike Harmon, had made some significant changes during the break after the Infineon weekend, and the differences were huge. The bike held its composure better, it had better balance, and kept a better attitude mid corner. Lap times were hovering in the 1:58 area – OK, but not spectacular. Nick Hayman from Munroe Motors was on hand offering Ducati suspension and chassis advice, and by the end of the day the 999R was really starting to feel predictable to Eric.

In Sunday’s Formula One race, Eric started in 12th place on the grid. By turn one he was third, thanks to Yoyodyne’s great slipper clutch. He soon made his way into second place, but more importantly, made his way down the lap time charts. He broke his Thunderhill personal best lap time set on his Ducati 998 by over three and a half seconds, logging a 1:55:3 – and took second place while giving chase to the leader Jon Bawden.

In 750 Superbike, Eric got another great start, this time from tenth spot to fourth by turn one, and quickly got into a fight for second place with F1 winner, Jon Bawden. Jon passed Eric in a gutsy move around the outside in ultra-fast turn one, but Eric hung close enough to take back second spot on the brakes going into the last turn on the penultimate lap. Eric then held second to the checkers, finishing only three or four seconds behind AFM star rider Dave Stanton, and setting a new personal best lap time of 1:54:98 backed up with a string of low 55’s.

Finally in Open Twins, Eric led flag to flag – but didn’t lose out on an opportunity to make the race more interesting than it needed to be. A confusing pit signal that came from a surprise spot distracted him just long enough to blow the last turn on the third lap, and he went touring in the countryside for a little while. Thankfully Thunderhill has good runoff, and after half a football field he got the 999 Rocket pointed in the right direction, and fired it off for the win.

From a press release issued by Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team:

Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team

Ready For Final Fling

After seven months of trekking around the vast continent of Australia to compete, the season comes down to the final round of the 2004 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship as the series returns to Victoria at the picturesque Phillip Island circuit this weekend (September 10-12)

After scooping the awards at the last round in Queensland, the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team is determined to finish the season on a high and again claim the honours in the Superbike class.

It will be a tall order this weekend, as the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team will have only one representative in the Superbike class with Shannon Johnson the lone entrant after the forced withdrawal of his teammate, Daniel Stauffer.

Novocastrian Stauffer – who claimed the outright round victory with two wins and a second place in Queensland – was forced to undergo further surgery to his injured shoulder as the original operation did not unite the bones. So in reality Stauffer was still riding with a broken shoulder for the previous three rounds, a testament to the man’s courage and determination.

With his absence it will be up to Johnson to fly the Nikon Yamaha flag high and he will assuredly be in a focused mood to finish the domestic season the best way he can and with Johnson, anything bar victory will be unacceptable.

In his first full year on a Superbike Johnson has re-established himself as one of the top riders in Australia. No doubt this weekend the Victorian will thrive on his home track with the added responsibility of being the lone rider for the team.

“We’ve had an up and down year,” explained Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager, Steve Trinder. “We started off on fire, had a lean patch through the middle but in the last three rounds both riders have shown the talent and commitment necessary to run at the top and we have started to claim the majority of race wins. It may be too late to win the championship but at least we can show the opposition of what might have been had old Lady Luck shined on us as much as some others!

“I was stunned to learn of the adversity that Daniel has been soldiering on as he has been nowhere near 100% fit to ride. With the performance and power of the Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1 and the condition that Daniel has ridden in demonstrates what a tough and uncompromising competitor he is.

“It’s unfortunate that he can’t take his place in the team but I know Shannon will be able to do an impressive job and give the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing team success with more race wins.

“Shannon has now really shown what he can do on a 1000cc Superbike and his performances in the last few rounds reflect the faith I showed in signing him to the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team. We all knew that he would take time to come to terms with the bike, the team and the tyres but he has shown how good a rider he is and what he can develop into.

“The championship may be a very tall order to claim but at least we can hopefully finish the championship season with a few more wins.”

In the 600cc Supersport category, Brendan Clarke appears to have extricated himself from the black cloud that has hovered over him for the majority of the year after he finished third overall in Queensland. Admittedly it was his home track but his performances have certainly given him a boost of confidence to do well at a track that he has tasted success at in the past.

2004 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championships after six (of seven) rounds:

1 A Fergusson (Honda) 316pts; 2 Shannon Johnson (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1) 250; 3 S Giles (Suzuki) 242; 4 Daniel Stauffer (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1) 215. 5 J Stauffer (Kawasaki) 175.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA PRO RACING ON TV THIS WEEK

(All times Eastern)

AMA Progressive Insurance Grand National Championship, Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, South Dakota – Sunday, Sept. 12, 4-5 p.m. SPEED Channel

AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship, Steel City Raceway, Delmont, Pennsylvania – Sunday, Sept. 12, 5-7 p.m. ESPN2

AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series/Repsol Superstock Series, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia – Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2-3 p.m. SPEED Channel

All times subject to change. Check local listings