Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The British Grand Prix will take place at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England through the 2009 season, according to an announcement by Dorna Sports.

Donington Park has recently completed a large-scale resurfacing project, which included increasing run-off room at Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin and installing 850 meters of “Vallelunga” curbing, which is said to be safer for crashed riders to slide over while still being a course-cutting deterrent to racecars.

The second phase of the $8.3 million renovation project, to be completed over the next two years, will see the infrastructure of the paddock improved, including new facilities for race control, timing and scoring, media and new pit lane and paddock garages.

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

SUZUKI READY FOR WELKOM MOTOGP

South African MotoGP Preview. Round 1, Phakisa Freeway, Welkom – April 18, 2004.

The South African GP is the first of 16 rounds of the third year of the MotoGP four-stroke prototype racers – and observers are predicting a vintage, best-ever season of close competition. Team Suzuki MotoGP is hoping that the year will be their best also in the new top class of motorcycle racing.

The first two years of the class left the well-established factory racing team in an unfamiliar position … without even one race win, as they worked to perfect their new 990cc V4 racing machine using experimental cutting-edge technology.

It was a frustrating time for the multi-victorious squad, but the improvement in overall performance that the factory race engineers and England-based racing team were striving for was just around the corner. Chassis and suspension revisions tested last December were the first evidence. Since then, engine refinements have improved the package further.

At the same time, a new association with Japanese Bridgestone tyres, relative newcomers to the top class of racing, also showed strong early promise. The tyres worked well with the GSV-R from the first tests.

Progress through the test programme continued without set-backs and an ever-improving technical package. At the last test of the close season, the group IRTA tests at Jerez in Spain, Kenny Roberts Jr. set second-fastest time, less than a tenth of a second slower than defending champion Valentino Rossi.

Now Roberts, World Champion in 2000, and team-mate John Hopkins face the first real test of the year, in the unusual conditions of the Phakisa Freeway at Welkom in South Africa.

It is a unique challenge and the Suzuki men are hoping the track’s quirks will play into their hands.

One of the circuit’s peculiarities is a fiendishly bumpy surface in spite of recent resurfacing. This is a result of the frequent minor earth tremors felt in the area, which is in turn the legacy of the gold mines that honeycomb the earth beneath the flat plain. The grip levels are also unusual. The circuit sees very limited use and the grip on the racing line improves continually throughout the racing weekend as tyres clean the surface and coat it with fresh rubber.

Another characteristic is the power-sapping altitude of some 1,500 metres. The thin air robs the 230-plus horsepower MotoGP engines of as much as 15 percent of their power at sea level, making tuning and gearing more critical than ever.

All these could be plus points for Suzuki if the team’s fortunes continue to prosper as they have during testing.

“This is the best-prepared the team has been for years,” said manager Garry Taylor.

“Both riders are highly motivated and there is a general feeling of excitement throughout the team after a highly positive series of tests.

“We are under no illusions that we have fully turned the corner yet, but we’ve clipped the apex and we can see the exit line ahead of us. We know the competition is going to be even tougher this year than last, and that we have a lot more work to do before we are fully competitive.

“We’re starting the season ready to build on the progress we’ve already made,” Taylor continued.

“The bike is good, the tyres are good, and the riders are ready. Let’s go racing.”

There is a weekend break after the South African GP before business resumes in earnest at Jerez in Spain, the first race in the gruelling European season.

KENNY ROBERTS – READY TO RACE FOR IT:

“We have more unknowns than the other teams. They have improved their bikes over the winter, but they’re on the same tyres. We’ve not only made big improvements to the bike, but also we’re on Bridgestone tyres for the first time. There is still more stuff I’d like to test before the race. Sometimes you have a fast learning curve, as we’ve been doing during tests, and I hope we can get the bike feeling good out of the crate, and can keep that pace up at Welkom. We’ve also tested a lot of the new tyres at different tracks. I hope that they will work as well in South Africa as elsewhere. Last year was Bridgestone’s first at Welkom with the four-strokes, and they’ve learned a lot since then. If the tyres can do the lap times and last the distance, then I can go into the race with a very positive attitude.”

JOHN HOPKINS – EXPECTING GOOD THINGS AT WELKOM:

“After the last two tests, I feel really confident going in. The track’s a lot different from what anybody has tested on, and because it’s dirty, there’s never as much grip as you’d like until Sunday – but I like the place, and it’s gone quite well for me the last two years. The bike still has not as much horsepower as I’d like, but we are expecting more in the coming races. But the acceleration is good even as it is, the chassis holds the line well, and the bike seems easy to set up. These are the important things at Welkom. And the tyres are really good – I tried a race tyre at Jerez that was just awesome. The bike seems really good and Kenny and I are riding well. I think we can only expect good things from South Africa.”

ABOUT THIS TRACK:

Funded by the local Free State government as a boost to the economically troubled gold-mining area, the Phakisa Freeway was built on the site of the old “Goldfields” circuit. The bold new initiative combined an international-standard banked Tri-Oval NASCAR-type circuit with the road-racing course, which shares some sections as it loops back and forth, without actually using the full banking. The oval track has barely been used, but the twisting short circuit has been a regular on the GP circuit since 1999. With 14 corners ranging from medium-speed ess-bends to slower U-turns, it is a highly technical circuit. One special feature is the corner at the end of the back straight. Approached at 160mph, the bikes are still leaned over as they have to brake with increasing pressure as the corner tightens into one of the slowest bends on the track. Another challenge is the bumpy surface: not even frequent resurfacing can overcome the effect of the regular earth tremors in an area where the ground is honeycombed with mine shafts. Sited in a quiet area at the far end of the goldfields stretching southwards from Johannesburg, the 4,500ft altitude makes it the highest track of the year.

ABOUT THIS RACE:

The first South African GPs ran from 1983 to 1985 at the old Kyalami outside Johannesburg. A brief revival at the new Kyalami in 1992 was a one-off event, but in 1999 the race was revived at the new Phakisa (“Hurry Up”) Freeway. The track proved challenging from the start – with a slippery and unpredictable surface only making the tight, looping layout more difficult. The track also became bumpier year by year, especially where it crosses the oval track. At the same time, the thin air saps the engine power and can affect throttle response.

GP DATA – PHAKISA FREEWAY, WELKOM:

Circuit Length: 2.636 miles – 4.242 km.

Lap Record: 1:33.851 – 101.108mph/ 162.717 km/h, V Rossi (Honda) 2003

2003 Race Winner: S Gibernau (Honda).

2003 Race Average: 44:10.398 – 100.246mph / 161.331 km/h.

2003 Fastest Race Lap: see record.

2003 Pole Position: S Gibernau 1:33.174.

2003 KENNY ROBERTS (Suzuki).

Race: 15th.

Qualification: 17th – 1:34.646.

2003 JOHN HOPKINS: (Suzuki).

Race: 13th.

Qualification: 16th – 1:34.306.

From a press release issued by Pirelli:

PIRELLI PUTS THREE IN FONTANA AMA SUPERBIKE TOP 10, TAKES SECOND IN LeMANS 24-HOUR, WINS PORTUGUESE WORLD MX GP

(Rome, GA) Following on the heels of its Daytona 200 Superbike showing, when four of its riders finished in the top 10, Pirelli had three top-10s in each of the Superbike finals during the April 2-4 AMA doubleheader at California Speedway in Fontana, CA.

Prieto Racing’s Geoff May gave Pirelli the top privateer spot just as Jack Pfiefer did at Daytona with his fifth-place finish in Saturday’s first Superbike race. In fact, after the four factory riders single-filed through much of the race, May’s thrilling battle with Steve Crevier, Pirelli-mounted Larry Pegram, and Marty Cragill, became the race to watch.

Pegram’s seventh place, combined with a tenth from Empire Racing’s Opie Caylor gave Pirelli its three top 10s. Sunday’s Superbike race started out as a carbon copy of Saturday’s in every respect. But at the wire it was Pirelli’s May, Pegram, and Empire’s Lee Acree taking seventh, eighth, and ninth respectively.

Pirelli also put three in Fontana’s Formula Xtreme Top 10, with Larry Pegram’s sixth, Jacob Holden’s seventh, and Pirelli-newcomer Corey Eaton’s ninth.

Across the pond, the famed 24 Hours of LeMans – the first round of the 2004 Masters of Endurance series gave Pirelli a heartbreaking second place. Heartbreaking, because the Pirelli Yamaha GMT94 team, which had captured the pole and taken over the lead on Pirelli rain tires when the French weather turned ugly, saw their lead disappear in the 23rd hour when a clutch problem brought the bike back into the pits within a lap following its scheduled stop. It took 19 minutes to fix the problem, but the team got back onto the track for its second place finish. Kawasaki-mounted Bolliger Team Switzerland also gave Pirelli a fifth.

Pirelli’s domination of world motocross GP racing continued at last weekend’s Portuguese GP. Multi-world champion Stefan Everts and former champion Mickael Pichon swapped one-two finishes in the two MX1 motos, with Pichon taking the overall win by virtue of his second-moto win. It was his first win in 11 months. Both riders have been long-term Pirelli racers, and both opted for Pirelli’s “championship combo” of the Scorpion Pro front (formerly the MT83) and MT32 rears.


More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki, in which 2003 Suzuki GSX-R750 Cup Winner Ben Attard morphs into “Suzuki Grand National Champion”:

CORONA EXTRA SUZUKI BACK IN THE FRAY AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

Corona Extra Suzuki jumped back into the deep end of AMA Pro Superbike racing this weekend at California Speedway netting fine eighth place finishes in Superbike and Supersport. The Team missed the first round at Daytona while finalizing the expanded Corona program for 2004 and 2005 but pulled it all together at the last minute to be racing at Fontana.

In the Superbike qualifying, new team member and two-time Australian Superbike Champion Marty Craggill took a while to get up to speed on the bike he first saw on Thursday and first rode on Friday, qualifying on the outside of row four. Marty said, “I haven’t been on a race bike for almost seven months, so it will take a while to get it set up and back to speed. The bike works good so I think we will be in the hunt!”

In the first race of the doubleheader event Marty got a good start, moving from 16th to 10th by the end of lap one. He worked his way up to 7th by lap 14, dropping to 8th five laps later where he held his position to the end of the race. Craggill said, “I was riding tentatively and just getting comfortable and up to speed when it started to rain towards the end, and it got really slippery – I just decided to take it steady and finish!”

In race two, Craggill was quickly up to 9th by the end of lap one from his 16th start position. On lap three as he started charging the pack of four riders ahead of him, he lost the back end of his Suzuki GSX-R1000 in turn 5 and low-sided out of the race. Disappointed, Marty remarked, “I am really bummed. I was much more comfortable than yesterday and getting aggressive but the bike set-up needs to be different the more you push it. Still, we know for next time!”

Suzuki Grand National Champion Ben Attard also had a great first race in AMA Pro. Seeing the track for the first time and on a completely new bike that had only been finished prepping three days earlier, he qualified 16th. Attard said, “We only get a few practice sessions, so it’s tough to learn the track and how to set up the GSX-R600, which of course is completely new. I think we will do better in the race!”

How true! Ben got a good start and by the end of lap one was in 11th place. He moved into 10th on lap 9 and quickly into 9th on lap 11 and 8th by lap 12. He held the position comfortably to the end, a fine first result in the fiercely competitive Supersport class. After the race, Ben enthused, “I really enjoyed the race. I learned a lot about the bike and suspension – also, what the other guys are doing out there! Now we know a bunch of stuff to do for the next race at Infineon (April 30 –May 2) so I should do pretty good there!”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Superbikepics.com owner/photographer Ryan Schlagheck and wife NiCole had a daughter, Sydnie Victoria, March 25 in Hartford, Connecticut.

From a press release issued by Traxxion Dynamics:

Traxxion Gets New Penske Motard Shock

Traxxion Dynamics has just recieved one of the very first Penske Supermotard Shocks.

According to Max McAllister, President of Traxxion Dynamics, the new triple adjustable shock is quite impressive. “Penske will have motard shocks for the Honda CRF450, the Yamaha YZF426/450, the Suzuki DRZ400, and the KTM450/525s. We are taking orders immediately.”

Spearheading the development of the new motard shock is former Cannondale Design Engineer and motard racer Bill Gartner.

Prototype development took place throughout 2003, and several of these shocks are already on bikes, and already competing around the United States. Another shipment has just arrived in Europe. Several top racers are already
experiencing great success with the new shock.

For more info, contact Traxxion Dynamics, [email protected], or (770) 592-3823.

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MLADIN COMPLETES AMERICAN SUPERBIKE RACE WIN DOUBLE AT FONTANA..…SETS NEW ALL-TIME AMA RACE WIN RECORD

Fontana, California, USA – Australia’s four times American Superbike champion Mat Mladin has added his name to the record books once again after victory in today’s third round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at California Speedway in Fontana earned him his twenty-seventh AMA Superbike race win, the most by any rider in the history of the series.

Mladin has been a revelation since joining the American AMA Championship in 1996. In this time he has written his way to the top of the three most important records in the sport, most Superbike championships won – four (1999, 2000, 2001 & 2003), most Superbike race wins – 27 and has been the all time record holder for the rider scoring the most pole positions for the class with 32, to which he added another earlier this weekend.

To add to those new benchmarks, Mladin has won the prestigious Daytona 200-mile classic on three occasions (2000, 2001 & 2004) and was voted by his peers as the AMA Athlete of the Year in 2000.

His efforts in attaining many of these records have been remarkable as many were achieved on machinery that many may have rated as not being the best of that time, while there have been many notable victories along the way that have very much been a team effort, with Mladin himself being the first to applaud the efforts of his Yoshimura Suzuki crew.

This weekend 32-year-old Mladin has been the rider to beat having set a blistering pace to secure pole position for the double header round on Saturday morning, before taking the first Superbike race later that afternoon.

As he did yesterday, Mladin launched his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 off the start line and into the immediate lead, working hard in the opening laps of the 28-lap race to build a gap over his rivals and set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:25.926 on lap three. After five laps he had built a gap of 2.5 seconds over his nearest pursuer Eric Bostrom (Ducati). The middle stages of the race proved crucial as lapped riders began to play a role. Mladin was able to scythe his way through the field efficiently building on his lead which in the closing laps was out over ten seconds. At the conclusion Mladin took his record-breaking win by 9.917 seconds from Bostrom. A trio of Honda’s followed with Jake Zemke taking third ahead of Miguel DuHamel, who pushed Ben Bostrom back to fifth on the final lap.

“For sure it’s good to have broken the race win record, but like with all of my wins, credit not only goes to me but my whole team, as without them I wouldn’t have got near any of those records,” said Mladin. “More importantly for us though there are still fifteen more races to run before the championship is decided and that’s the one that we really want.”

“Today’s race went pretty much as it did yesterday where I was able to get the start, build a small lead and then we had to work our way through the traffic. From half race distance I just worked on stretching the lead, stringing together consistent lap times and came away with the win.”

“The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is performing very well at the moment and given that the next round of the championship is at Infineon Raceway where it is a little tighter than here I’m looking forward to getting there and keeping the pressure on everyone else.”

Having taken victory in the opening three races of this year’s 18-round AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship complete, Mladin leads the title chase with a total of 112 points from Zemke (88) and DuHamel (85).

The championship moves to Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) outside of San Francesco for another Superbike double header that will take in rounds four and five on the weekend of May 1 – 2.

RESULTS

Round 3, 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship (28 laps), Top 10
1. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki) 40:29.31
2. Eric Bostrom (Ducati Austin) +9.917 secs
3. Jake Zemke (Erion Honda) +24.699
4. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda) +27.346
5. Ben Bostrom (American Honda) +27.728
6. Steve Crevier (DXS Diablo Suzuki) +1:14.390 mins
7. Geoff May (Prieto Suzuki) +1:17.192
8. Larry Pegram (Yamaha) – 1 lap
9. Lee Acree (Empire Racing Suzuki) – 1 lap
10. Eric Wood (Hooters Suzuki) – 1 lap

2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship (Points after 3 of 18 rounds)
1. Mat Mladin (112); 2. Jake Zemke (88); 3. Miguel DuHamel (85); 4. Eric Bostrom (70), 5. Lee Acree (67); 6. Geoff May (64); 7. Scott Jenson / Eric Wood (57), 9. John Haner (53), 10. Cory West (52).

More, from a press release issued by Dunlop:

Dunlop congratulates Fontana finishers; Mat Mladin becomes the all-time AMA Superbike winner

Fontana, CA-The California Speedway in Fontana, California delivered motorcycle racing fans their money’s worth this weekend and Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin was the star among the parade of Dunlop-shod finishers.

Mladin took up where he left off after his victory in the Daytona 200, winning his 26th career AMA Superbike race on Saturday aboard his GSX-R1000. The win tied him with Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel for most career victories, who finished third in the contest. Erion Racing’s Jake Zemke took fourth on his Honda CBR1000RR. Rain late in the program nearly halted the race, and led to the postponement of the Formula Xtreme race until Sunday.

After setting a new track lap record of 1:24:759 in the last Superbike qualifying session, Mladin chose medium-hard compounds for both tires in the race and set a pace the rest of the field could not match, finishing over nine seconds ahead of the field. “Our race went to plan, even though it wasn’t as fast as last year. The weather cooled off a lot today and the slight rain drops that were falling near the end of the race meant that we just shut the pace down a little to ensure the win.”

Mladin took the all-time lead in AMA Superbike wins, 27, with an equally-impressive victory in Sunday’s second race, finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of the pack. Track temperatures were significantly higher in the sun’s warmth and Mladin selected harder compounds to go the twenty-eight lap distance. “It was a good race, I had my focus on today and everything went really well,” he said. “I don’t want to take anything for granted but we are where we want to be in the season right now.” Zemke took third in a battle with Team Honda’s Ben Bostrom, who finished fifth as Honda’s Miguel Duhamel slipped ahead of Bostrom on the last lap to take fourth.

The AMA’s newly-revised Superstock class showcased an exciting contest, with Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies taking the checkered flag on his GSX-R1000 just 1.847 seconds ahead of the Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1 of Damon Buckmaster. Yamaha riders Jamie Hacking, Jason Disalvo and Aaron Gobert, finished third through fifth, respectively while Kawasaki Road Racing’s Roger Lee Hayden and Tommy Hayden took sixth and seventh, respectively. Overall, Dunlop-supported riders took eight of the top ten positions.

The AMA Supersport race was another thriller that saw Tommy Hayden motor his ZX-6RR across the line a scant .437 seconds ahead of Spies on a GSX-R600. Kawasaki teammate and brother Roger Lee Hayden took third ahead of Hacking on an R6. The gap between the top four riders was 2.4 seconds as Dunlop-supported riders once again took eight of the top ten positions.

The racing concluded with the running of the Formula Xtreme class, delayed by Saturday’s rains. In the closest racing duel of the weekend, Honda CBR600RR-mounted Duhamel and Zemke swapped the lead many times throughout the race, with Duhamel taking the checked flag .102 seconds ahead of Zemke. Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore took third on a GSX-R600 and Erion Racing’s Alex Gobert was fourth on his CBR600RR.

Next stop for Dunlop and the AMA road racing tour is Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, April 30-May 2. Round three features a doubleheader for the Superbike series.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

BOSTROM MAKES IT A PAIR OF PODIUMS ON THE DUCATI 999 AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

Fontana (California): Eric Bostrom clinched another second place finish at California Speedway in just his third race aboard the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin 999. The 27-year-old from Las Vegas quickly jumped into third spot from his fifth place starting position, hounding Jake Zemke (Honda) until he could make a decisive outside pass on lap 2 to give chase to Mat Mladin (Suzuki).

In warmer and sunnier conditions than Saturday’s race 1, Bostrom maintained a tighter race with Mladin until lap traffic came into play. With tall gearing that favored momentum, Bostrom lost precious seconds and was unable to close the gap on Mladin in the 28 lap, 100 km race.

“I had a pretty good race out there, especially when you consider where we were at on Friday,” declared Bostrom. “Our pace was better than yesterday and we had more consistency, which is really encouraging. With every test session and race, we get more and more knowledge. We keep making progress about learning how to set up the bike, and I’m looking forward to what we can do in the next race.”

“We were closer today,” commented Ducati Corse’s Paolo Ciabatti. “Except on the laps where we had troubles with traffic, we were running about the same lap times as the Suzuki and we were in front of the Hondas so we’re coming off a very positive weekend.”

Team owner Terry Gregoricka was enthusiastic about Bostrom’s performance. “Eric did a great job. We’re effectively a new team with a new bike and considering how much we’ve had to learn, I think it’s great that we got two podiums this weekend.”

Round 3 of the AMA series will be held April 30 to May 2 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Triple Podium for Honda in California

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke swapped podium spots in the two AMA Chevrolet Superbike races at California Speedway in Fontana, California, then fought each other to the top spot in the Formula Xtreme race, Duhamel coming out on top by a scant 0.102 seconds.

In Saturday’s Superbike race, held in a light drizzle on an atypically cold, dark afternoon in normally sunny southern California, Duhamel raced Zemke throughout, getting the better of him three laps from the end of the 28-lap race. Ben Bostrom was beginning to close on his brother Eric (Ducati) for second when his aggression caught him out. Bostrom ground the cases of his Honda CBR-1000RR on an inside curb, lifting the wheels and putting him out of the race.

Saturday’s Superbike race was won by Mat Mladin (Suzuki), the Australian repeating his success on Sunday. Eric Bostrom was second in both races.

The Honda trio fought over the final podium spot on Sunday, Zemke coming out on top this time with Duhamel a close fourth after passing Ben Bostrom on the final lap of a race that was held on a sunny, warm afternoon. But the day wasn’t over for Zemke and Duhamel.

Rain had forced the postponement of the Formula Xtreme race from Saturday afternoon to Sunday, just after the Superbike race. It meant that the two Honda riders would go from their Honda CBR-1000RR’s to Honda CBR-600RR’s and continue the battle.

This time it was Duhamel in front for most of the race, Zemke passing on course, but never in front at the stripe. It would be no difference at the end, Duhamel winning his second Formula Xtreme race of the year, Zemke second. Erion Honda’s Alex Gobert finished fourth.

Jake Zemke, 3rd, Sunday Race
It just seemed like we were searching for grip all weekend long and we never seemed to find it. The guys worked their tails off. They went upside down basically to try and find me some grip and I just couldn’t come to terms with finding it. Obviously, we had grip with the qualifying tire and things were fine then, but we just couldn’t get that grip to be consistent throughout a run. The bike today was a whole lot better than yesterday and conditions were quite a bit different and the tire we chose was different as well. It was good. Ben (Bostrom) came by me in the middle of the race and as soon as he did our pace dropped. I could see that Miguel (Duhamel) was catching us at that point and then we started to come up on traffic and I passed him [Ben] right before we got up on traffic. Luckily, I could put a little gap on him.

Miguel Duhamel, 4th, Sunday Race
I messed up the start and the whole race for me was the start. My lap times for about five or six laps, mid-race, I was the fastest guy on the racetrack. It’s just that in the span of the start and the first two, three laps, I lost like four or five seconds. I was gone. I was back there fighting with guys and trying to get past them and be safe. The Dunlop tires today were terrific. Yesterday, there was a little question with them, but today they were terrific. We made some adjustments to the bike and it was working really good, really predictable, but it can be better and it will be better. I think Ben got a little bit snookered through the chicane and I did the same move to him that I did to Jake yesterday. I went by Ben and got fourth right at the end of the race.

Ben Bostrom, 5th Sunday Race
We had a completely different bike. We were looking for something. It seemed pretty good this morning. I was out there riding mostly over my head to run 26’s for that first part of the race with no grip. So that’s kind of strange. The grip’s been pretty good all weekend. I haven’t had a problem until today. This morning the sun was on it and it was a lot hotter and I thought the track might be slightly better or the same. Everyone’s lap times stayed the same, but we were slower.

Miguel Duhamel, 3rd, Saturday Race One
For a split second I was a hero on the start, but I messed it up and went from first to like ninth. I never recuperated from that. I was in panic mode in the beginning trying to do to much and riding like an idiot. It showed. So finally when I settled down, calmed down, and got my racing lines together I came back up. I caught up to Jake [Zemke] at the end. We were fighting a good little battle, considering the rain was there, it was like who was going to beat who for this third position, knowing that what could be at stake is a championship. You can’t win the championship this weekend, but you can definitely lose it. It was tense and I’m happy it’s over and I’m happy to get third.

Jake Zemke, 4th, Saturday Race
We had a harder tire on there. It was the only thing I could get to work earlier, yesterday and stuff. The softer tires I just couldn’t get to work and with the temperatures dropping the one that I had it wouldn’t work as well. We encountered a lot of lapped traffic and I got the bad end of that deal. I actually got run off the track one time and Miguel (Duhamel) got by me. Then I got by him. That was the same spot at the end of the signal straight. Came out of the chicane and a guy was all the way on the right hand side of the race track, I mean way over on the right side of the race track, way down the straightaway so I figured he was pulling over for us. Started getting towards the corner and I’m already going for the corner and he came from all the way from the right side of the track to the left side of the track and I had nowhere to go. I had to go straight and bring it back over the curb after Miguel had gone by.

Ben Bostrom, DNF, Saturday Race
I was paying attention to what was in front of me and not watching my own line. It’s called looking ahead, not looking where you were going. We just started figuring something out. I realized something that they’d done to me down there that was costing half a second a lap. I was thinking what the hell, am I that strong on the brakes and I realized, no. they put a couple of extra banners there and I’m braking way early. And as soon as I figured that out we were like two laps right up on Eric and I was like, oh, we’re going fast now.


More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki ended round two of the 2004 AMA series at California Speedway on a high note Sunday, scoring top ten results in each of their classes — Formula Xtreme, Superstock, and Supersport.

Vincent Haskovec piloted his Michelin-shod Suzuki GSX-R600 ‘mini-Superbike’ to an impressive fifth place in Formula Xtreme. The Czech Republic-born racer living in California bounced back from a painful Friday crash to score the strong placing in the 17-lap event.

Haskovec, who now sits fourth in the FX points race, said, “That wasn’t too bad. My thumb was still hurting and I couldn’t push as hard as wanted to. I had a big problem on the second lap; I want to thank all those guys that missed me when I had a full tank slap!” Vincent said. “I feel we should be on the podium at the next round.”

In Superstock action, the team’s strategic decision to run GSX-R750s up against a deep field of 1000s showed plenty of promise in its debut. As the team had hoped, the bikes came into their own during the race. This allowed Steve Rapp to improve five places from his grid position to claim eighth in what is perhaps the most competitive class in the series.

“Superstock went well, I think.” Rapp said. “It was the first time we raced the bike. Basically the first time we’ve ridden it, too, and we finished eighth, so I’m pretty happy. The race was shortened by a red flag, too. I think if it would have went full distance without a stop we could have moved up even further. With the GSX-R750, the grip from our Michelin tires would have been favorable at the end of a long race when compared to the other guys on 1000cc bikes. As it was, our tires worked well, and I think there’s potential in using the GSX-R750s.”

Haskovec also performed much more effectively in the race than he had in qualifying, crossing the finish line in 13th — six spots above his starting position.

Immediately following the Superstock event, Rapp headed back out on track for the Supersport final. He put forth another fine effort, taking seventh in the 60k final.

“In the Supersport race we did pretty well too,” Rapp said. “I think I might have been able to run with the guys out front, but I got slowed up moving up through the field.”

Young Canadian Chris Peris joined Rapp in the Supersport contest, finishing 13th.

Rapp’s day saw him improve his championship standing in both classes. The Californian now sits seventh in Supersport and eighth in Superstock.

Next up for Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki is testing at Road America followed by the third round of the ’04 AMA championships at Infineon Raceway, in Sonoma, CA on April 30-May 2.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HOOTERS SUZUKI’S JOHN HANER PERSEVERES IN FONTANA

John Haner rode his Hooters Suzuki GSX-R1000s to solid but personally disappointing finishes after a frustrating weekend at round two of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at California Speedway in Fontana, California.

Saturday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 9th Place
“I didn’t have that great of a start, until turn two,” said Haner. “I got into fourth and kind of settled in, did what the motorcycle would allow me to do. I found the limits of the bike about the second lap, it was moving around quite a bit in the rear and we’re still having a lot of issues with the front end. I got into a little thing with Clint McBain and Opie (Caylor), we just kind of rode around, not really battled. We’ve been struggling all weekend, it hasn’t been the best weekend for us.”

Sunday’s Repsol Superstock Final – 11th Place
“I got a bitchin’ start,” said John. “I went from 15th to fourth by turn two, and just kind of let the race happen. I knew we weren’t going to have the motorcycle this particular weekend to run with the front guys. In the second leg of that race, I was running eighth, then the last lap (Steve) Rapp, (Jason) Pridmore and Geoff May got by me. I had no sidegrip and was riding to the absolute limit of the motorcycle, but I know I can’t finish in the points if I don’t finish. I just did the best I could with what we had this weekend.” John lies ninth in the Repsol Superstock point standings after two rounds.

Sunday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 16th Place
“We changed the rear spring between Superstock and Superbike,” said Haner. “We tried to use it as a 28-lap test session, because we needed to know if we were going in the right direction. We needed to know something, we were just kind of stagnant. Everything we’d done, the bike was horrible. Well, that didn’t work either, so it made for a long race.” Haner is currently 10th in Chevrolet Superbike points after three rounds.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HAS/SHOGUN RIDER HEATH SMALL FINISHES 11th IN FORMULA XTREME AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

HAS/Shogun Racing rider Heath Small finished 11th in today’s AMA Lockart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme event at California Speedway, after qualifying 14th on Saturday. Heath separated his right shoulder a month ago at Daytona, and a crash in Sunday morning warm-up changed his strategy for the day. “I had a small crash this morning in Formula Xtreme practice, which re-injured my shoulder a little bit,” said Heath. “I went to the care center, and we skipped the Supersport race to concentrate on the Xtreme race at the end of the day.” A major moment in the opening laps of the Formula Xtreme race put Small off-course, leaving him in last place with a lot of ground to make up in the 17-lap race. “I think I got up into fifth or so on the start, we came out of the double nineties, me and this other guy in front of me, he faded out and I was trying to go around him. He went off the track and I went off the track, then it took me about two laps to get settled in, and I just started trying to make up more positions. I got back to 11th, so I salvaged a decent finish out of it.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

UP AND DOWN WEEKEND FOR MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGIES SUZUKI AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

Millennium Technologies Suzuki teammates Shawn Higbee and Danny Eslick had two very different weekends during round two of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike championship at California Speedway in Fontana, California this weekend. Shawn had two race crashes, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, which is very uncharacteristic for the Wisconsin rider. Danny had two solid race finishes as he continued to make progress learning his 2004 GSX-R600.

Danny finished 17th in today’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport final after qualifying 22nd on Saturday. The race was red-flagged after 8 of the scheduled 17 laps. “Both of my starts were pretty good,” said Eslick. “I raced with a few guys early on, but pretty much was by myself for most of the race.” Eslick is currently 12th in Pro Honda Oils Supersport points. In the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme class, Danny didn’t get such a good start, but settled into tenth place after a moment early on. “It was a few laps into it, I caught a false neutral, overshot the corner, jumped the curbs, about hit some haybales, then about highsided it getting back on track! A couple of guys came past me, then I just put my head down, got past them and tried to gap them as much as possible. The suspension and gearing finally felt pretty good, me and Charlie (Ramirez, mechanic) struggled all weekend.”

Shawn’s first crash came on the first lap of Saturday’s Superbike event, low-siding but damaging the bike enough that he couldn’t continue. He also got tangled up with the bike in the fall, leaving him sore but able to ride on Sunday. In the Repsol Superstock final on Sunday, Shawn battled to a 12th place finish. “It went alright, we ran pretty consistent throughout the race,” said Shawn. “I left the door open down the back straight, three guys got past me. I closed back up to them, but I couldn’t do anything about getting by them.” Shawn’s second crash happened in Sunday’s Superbike race with a highside. “We were having a good race,” said Higbee, who ran as high as ninth before being shuffled back. “The rear tire started sliding a little bit, which was okay. But the rear shcok seemed like it started losing dampening, started kicking me out of the seat quite a bit. I got by (Larry) Pegram, then thought I could get the guys ahead of him. I started reeling them in and the rear end just caught me off-guard, pitched me over the highside.” Shawn received stitches in his right elbow at the infield medical center following the accident.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

EMPIRE RACING SUZUKI RIDERS ACREE AND CAYLOR SURVIVE LONG WEEKEND AT FONTANA

Empire Racing Suzuki rider Lee Acree earned the ironman award today with a back-to-back three-race schedule, carding solid finishes in all three classes. Lee’s teammate Opie Caylor competed in today’s Repsol Superstock race, only to discover afterward that he had broken a bone in his hand in a crash on the last lap of Saturday’s Chevrolet Superbike race.

“I got a pretty good start the first time,” said Opie, who had qualified seventh for the Repsol Superstock final, but faded during the race to a 17th place finish. “My hand started hurting me pretty bad, I knew something was wrong there.” The race was stopped on the seventh of 17 laps, and the team replaced the rear tire. “The first tire was actually better than the second one,” said Opie. “When it doesn’t get to optimum temperature, it spins a lot. We came in and Grant threw another tire at it that we knew should work good in these conditions, but it didn’t. The brakes started fading, the lever started coming back to the bar, and I was losing grip on the bar. I had my hand checked out after the race, and it’s definitely broken.”

Lee’s long day started with the 17-lap Repsol Superstock event, where he finished 15th on his GSX-R1000. “It was a pretty lonely race, about the only good thing was catching and passing Anthony Gobert. All in all, we’ve struggled on the 1000 this weekend, so we just tried to score as many points as we could,” said Acree. “This isn’t my best racetrack, plus we were a little short on some parts this weekend for the 1000.”

Lee then jumped straight on his GSX-R600 for the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race, where he battled for 17 laps to an 11th place finish in the highly competitive class. “It went good,” said Lee. “The bike seemed to work really well. The brakes were great, no drama with the tires. It was nice to be in the same ballpark, powerwise, compared to the way it was at Daytona with the bone-stock one. Grant built a really good motor, but there were a lot of fast bikes here.” Lee is ninth in Pro Honda Oils Supersport points after this event.

Lee’s third and final race was the longest, the 28-lap Chevrolet Superbike final, where he finished ninth after a race-long battle with fellow Suzuki rider Eric Wood. “I was a little tired, but not as bad as I thought I’d be starting it,” said Lee. “Off the start, this place gets so bunched up, I just tried to position myself where I wasn’t going to get punted by somebody. The group I ended up with, knowing that I needed to conserve energy, I was content to let them drag me around and make sure I worked out where I was gonna go by them later. Eric (Wood) came up, and I followed Eric and looked for his strengths and weaknesses. I went underneath him in the double nineties and there were a couple of lappers that I was able to use to my advantage.” Lee is currently in sixth place in Chevrolet Superbike points after three rounds.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

MLADIN STORMS FONTANA.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin stormed to his 26th American Superbike win in Saturday’s second round at Fontana, California, after leading from start to finish.
“We brought it to the finish and that’s all that matters, although it was getting a bit slick at the end” said Mladin after tying with third-placed Miguel Duhamel for the career Superbike wins record.

Mladin and his GSX-R1000 set a pace that was unmatchable and pulled away early, holding his lead at around the three-second mark before steadily forging ahead by as much as 10 seconds at one stage, before backing off in the final laps, concerned more about getting to the finish than margin of victory.

“We got the win, but it wasn’t tidy and it wasn’t the way I like to do it. I made a couple of little mistakes towards the end when it started to rain, but apart from that, it was okay,” said the four-time AMA Superbike Champion. In a race that saw six Suzukis in the top 10, Eric Bostrom took second well clear of Duhamel and Jake Zemke.

Former Australian and British Superbike star Marty Craggill, making his debut for the Corona Suzuki team, finished eighth ahead of Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner and Empire Suzuki’s Opie Caylor.

Mladin aims to become the most successful rider in AMA Superbikes with his 27th win at today’s third-round race at the Fontana double header.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

MLADIN AND SUZUKI MARK HISTORY!

Team Suzuki’s Mat Mladin is the most successful American Superbike rider in the history of the series after winning his 27th AMA Superbike race today at the Fontana double-header in California!
The Yoshimura Suzuki rider – who stormed yesterday’s race and equalled the all-time record of 26 wins set by French-Canadian Miguel DuHamel – dominated Sunday’s 100km race, topping Ducati’s Eric Bostrom by 9.9 seconds.

For a while, the battle was close as Bostrom closed to within two seconds of local hero Mladin – who lives down the road in Rancho Cucamonga – on the 14th of 28 laps. But just as quickly, Mladin stretched the gap again, pulling away at times by a second per lap.

Mladin said: “Today was a good race and of course it’s nice to get win number 27. But you know, Eric kept it tough for half the race, but I managed to stretch it out there through traffic.

“I was really aggressive for the first four or five laps up until about lap 21 when I then had a couple of clear laps and opened up the gap. We got it up to about 10 seconds and just held on there until the end.

“It was a good race, a good start to the season, and hopefully we’ll keep going.”

Canadian Superbike regular Steve Crevier took sixth aboard the very rapid Diablo Suzuki GSX-R1000, Prieto Suzuki’s Geoff May was again impressive in seventh, while Empire Suzuki’s Lee Acree and Hooters Suzuki’s Eric Wood rounded out the top 10.


More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist:

More Points for DiSalvo

Yamaha Factory Racer Jason DiSalvo of Stafford, NY competed this past weekend at California Speedway in Fontana, CA in the AMA 1000 Superstock and 600 Supersport National Motorcycle series.

In the 1000 Superstock class having qualified 5th on Saturday gave Jason a second row starting position for Sunday’s final event. With less than a favorable start Jason worked his way from 10th to 5th prior to a red flag which required a restart after 6 laps. Again not getting a stellar start saw Jason 8th after the first lap, with time

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Shan Moore

Michael Sanchez set a new track record en route to a clean sweep at round three of the CMRA Championship Road Racing Series at Oak Hill Raceway near Henderson, Texas Sunday. Sanchez won every race he entered and set the new mark, a 1:22.565, while riding his Suzuki GSX-R750 in the B Superbike Expert race, which he won, beating Jeff Grant and Brian Lee. The old record was a 1:23.24, set by John Haner in 2002.

Shogun Motorsports/Dunlop-backed Sanchez also won the B Superstock Expert, C Superstock Expert, A Superstock Expert, A Superstock Expert, C Superbike Expert and Formula 1 races, pocketing $3350 in Yamaha contingency and CMRA purse money for his efforts.

Other money winners included Daniel Browning, who topped the 125cc GP race, Heavyweight Twins winner Michael Nellis, and Jim Anderson, who won the Mr. Corder Racing Formula 40 Heavyweight Expert race.

Total entries for Sunday’s sprint races totaled 576, including the Junior Motard class for 8-to-12-year-olds, which is becoming a popular class in CMRA competition.

On Saturday, 52 Mini Endurance teams, a CMRA record, competed in a 6-hour event which was won by Team K&N, despite having mechanical problems near the end. Three red flags were Team K&N’s saving grace, allowing the team to make repairs and finish ahead of Hunkered Down Racing and Team Bling in the overall standings. Team K&N also topped the Formula 4 class while Team Bling won the Formula 5 class. Hi-Zoot was first Formula 6 entry with Team Lean winning the F 7 division and Kender Garden taking the Production class.

The CMRA resumes its Championship series on May 1-2 at MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, Texas with a 5-hour Endurance for big bikes and a 2-hour Mini Endurance event on Saturday and a full slate of sprint races on Sunday.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Castrol Suzuki’s Warwick Nowland, Keiichi Kitagawa and Stephane Chambon won the 27th running of the Le Mans 24-hour at the Bugatti Circuit in France Sunday, April 4.

Castrol Suzuki completed 793 laps of the 2.59-mile, 13-turn circuit, covering 2053.9 miles on their Superproduction-spec, Dunlop-shod GSX-R1000 to win by 11 laps over pole-sitters Yamaha GMT94 (Stephane Gimbert/William Costes/David Checa), which completed 782 laps/2025.4 miles on a new, Pirelli-equipped YZF-R1.

A close race from the start, Castrol Suzuki took the lead from Yamaha GMT94 in the late going when Yamaha GMT94 lost several minutes in the pits making clutch repairs.

Yamaha Endurance Moto38 (Gwen Giabbani/Stephane Duterne/Jean-Michel Louis) finished third on a new, Dunlop-tired YZF-R1 with 769 laps/1991.7 miles.

The race was entered by 59 teams; 37 reached the finish.

The Le Mans 24-hour, together with the Spa 24-hour and the Bol d’Or 24-hour, form the three-race Master of Endurance series and are not part of the FIM-sanctioned, FGSport Group-managed Endurance World Championship.

Le Mans 24-hour Results:

1. Castrol Suzuki (Warwick Nowland/Keiichi Kitagawa/Stephane Chambon), Suz GSX-R1000, 793 laps, 2053.9 miles

2. Yamaha GMT94 (Stephane Gimbert/William Costes/David Checa), Yam YZF-R1, 782 laps, 2025.4 miles

3. Yamaha Endurance Moto38 (Gwen Giabbani/Stephane Duterne/Jean-Michel Louis), Yam YZF-R1, 769 laps, 1991.7 miles

4. Suzuki Junior Team (Guillaume Dietrich/David fouloi/Laurry Fremy), Suz GSX-R1000, 766 laps, 1984.0 miles

5. Bollinger Team Switzerland (Marcel Kellenberger/Roman Stamm/David Morillon), Kaw ZX-10R, 764 laps, 1978.8 miles

6. National Moto Playstation 2 (Philippe Donischal/Bernard Fourcadet/Bruno Bonhuil), Hon CBR1000RR, 761 laps, 1971.0 miles

7. Team 44 Village Moto Nantes (Gerard Jolivet/Michael Amalric/Stephane Neff), Suz GSX-R1000, 755 laps, 1955.4 miles

8. Sarthe Racing Kart (Thomas Metro/Jocelyn Hars/Giovanni Legname), Suz GSX-R1000, 752 laps, 1947.7 miles

9. Team Chalon Motos (Vincent Bocquet/Russell Baker/Phil Giles), Yam YZF-R1, 750 laps, 1942.5 miles

10. Suzuki Castrol Team (Vincent Philippe/Olivier Four/Mathieu Lagrive), Suz GSX-R1000, 750 laps, 1942.5 miles

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Lisa Theobald

Canadian Frank Trombino won the CCS Florida Region’s Expert Unlimited Grand Prix race on his Yamaha YZF-R1 at Jennings GP on Sunday. He also set the CCS lap record at Jennings with a lap time of 1:17.101. All of the Shootout’s podium finishers ran in the 1:17s.

Trombino was gridded on row five and had to work his way through the field to get to the front. He took the lead in the six-lap race just before the white flag, passing Scott Ritchey and his GSX-R1000. Marco Martinez finished third on his CBR600RR.

After the race, Martinez explained why he decided to run the smaller machine. “I was able to handle turn six a lot better, my times were a lot faster, so I figured I’d just park the 1000 and just do the best I can,” he said. “And, I’m very happy just to make the podium.”

Trombino was very noticeably backing his machines into the corners at Jennings GP, providing a spectacular show. Ritchey commented, “I was hoping that he’d maybe slide a little sideways too much and I could stuff it underneath. But he was on the throttle, too, so maybe next time. It was close. It was fun. He’s a good rider, that’s for sure. I didn’t have anything for him.”

Trombino said, “I had a little bit of traffic there, but that’s the fun part, you know, up in Canada we have a lot of that, so it’s just a matter of getting comfortable, and don’t get over your head to pass somebody.”

Trombino won in every class he entered, including the GTO race on his YZF-R1 and the GTU and Middleweight Supersport races on his YZF-R6. At the end of the day he issued an invitation to the Florida racers, saying, “That was great. I mean especially riding with the new crew out here, you know Scott, Marco, that’s great. You guys ought to come up to Canada. It’d be quite interesting.”

This CCS event hosted the USGPRU 125cc and 250cc Grand Prix National Championship Series’s East Coast Region. Stewart Aitken-Cade won the 125cc Grand Prix race after taking over the lead from Brian Kcraget on the last of nine laps. Florida’s Steve Wenner won the USGPRU 250cc Grand Prix race after taking the holeshot and simply running away with that win. Aitkin-Cade finished second.

Wenner had crashed his 250 just two races earlier while competing in the CCS GTU class, but managed to get it back on track and up to speed with the help of Zambrana Performance. Wenner won an additional three CCS races, including the Lightweight Grand Prix, 125cc Grand Prix, and 250cc Grand Prix classes.