Coyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Lisa Theobald

Marco Martinez won the Unlimited Grand Prix race at Moroso Motorsports Park during the CCS Florida Region event Sunday, and took home a total of four first-place trophies along with three seconds, a third and a fifth.

The Sunday race schedule had to be adjusted due to an unusually high number of red-flag incidents and one extended oil-clean-up situation. Several of the afternoon races were shortened to five laps in an effort to complete the event before sunset.

After an unusually long, incident-filled day, the final race, Unlimited Grand Prix, finally got underway about two-and-a-half hours behind schedule. Ed Lis made it to turn one ahead of the pack and led the first lap on his GSX-R750 with Martinez and Jim Pihokken in hot pursuit. By the end of the lap one, the race had broken into a three-rider battle for the lead. Martinez made the winning pass halfway through lap two on his GSX-R1000, outpowering Lis down the back straight and taking over first place. And then he started to step away from the rest of the field. By the end of lap five, he was running all alone up front and took the checkered flag without further challenge. Pihokken, Lis, John-o Bowman and Dave McEnery rounded off the top five.

Martinez also won the Unlimited Supersport, Heavyweight Supersport and Middleweight Grand Prix races. He finished second in Middleweight Supersport, Middleweight Superbike and Heavyweight Superbike. Pihokken won the GTO race, and Lis won the Formula 40 and Heavyweight Superbike events.

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ALSTARE CHASE AUSTRALIAN ROSTRUM.

2004 Supersport World Championship.
Round 2 Preview, Phillip Island, Australia, March 28th.

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra head for this weekend’s second World Supersport Championship round at Phillip Island, Australia, aiming for podium positions.

And for team riders Katsuaki Fujiwara, Stephane Chambon and newcomer Vittorio Iannuzzo, it will be an opportunity to see if all the hard work and technical modifications the team have made since the opening round of the series in Valencia, Spain, has paid off.

The 4.445km track is a favourite amongst racers and is one of the few circuits in the world with an ocean backdrop. All riders and teams look forward to the Phillip Island event and this year will be no exception, including the Alstare Team, who have worked on boosting the top end power on the new 2004 GSX 600R.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA:

“Considering this is a new bike and that I had a very high fever in Valencia, our results were very good indeed. There is always a lot of work to be done with a new bike and we didn¹t have much time to do it before the first race. Valencia is also a tough circuit and also remember that our competitors have raced on Pirelli tyre before, whereas this was our first time. I like Phillip Island circuit and if our bike has similar top speed to the others, I can get another podium.”

STEPHANE CHAMBON:

“I¹m happy to have got Valencia out of the way because I don¹t like the track at all. In practice, the winds were strong and I had a lot of difficulty controlling the bike! At the stage of development we were at in Valencia, I was quite happy to finish in the top five, but now I want a podium and I want it soon! There¹s still lots to be done on the new GSX 600R and we have to be on the pace sooner rather than later. I like Phillip Island, so I¹m hoping for a good result.”

VITTORIO IANNUZZO:

“I was very happy to finish sixth at Valencia after qualifying seventeenth! Kats and Steph are used to riding Supersport bikes, but I was on the GSX 1000R last year, so I have to learn to adapt to the smaller bike and its different characteristics. It¹s a new bike for the team and it¹s a very new sensation for me, but we are all working hard and making progress. I hope to be attacking the podium within a few races for sure.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden told Roadracingworld.com in a recent interview that his goal for the 2004 season is to win the MotoGP World Championship.

“No doubt my goal’s to be Champion,” said Hayden at his home in Owensboro, Kentucky. “I know for a guy who’s had two podiums in his life that’s saying a lot, to step up, but I like to set my goals high. I know I’m going to have to elevate my game, do a lot to get there, but that’s my goal, that’s what I want to do.

“I have a great bike, a great team. This year if I don’t get it done I can’t use that excuse ‘I’m a rookie’ no more and ‘I don’t know the tracks,’ this, that and carrying on.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence going into this year, definitely more than last year. I feel like this year I can focus on riding a lot more. Last year, I didn’t feel quite at home with the team, early on. It took me a while.

“I was thinking the other day when I got to Malaysia (for a test), I remember getting there last year, getting to my room and no TV, no lights, no power, and I couldn’t figure out why. I finally got a guy on the phone who spoke a little English. There you have to put the key into the (wall of the room). I’d never been to a hotel in America where you had to do that. Just little things like that. Now I know where I’m going, I know the tracks, I know where they’re at, I just feel like I can focus more on the riding and see where it’s at.

“Testing’s been good. I definitely feel like I’ve improved on the bike. Definitely working with the team has come better. My suspension guy Daisuke (Hashimoto), who came with me from the (American Honda) team in 2002, me and him are working better together than ever. He’s definitely a big plus on my side. This guy is doing some great work.

“I feel like I’m stronger on the bike. I’ve been working with a trainer, Eldon Baker, who trained Ricky (Carmichael) for a while. He’s teaching me some things. We’ll see where we’re at in about five weeks.”

From a press release issued by Chuck Giacchetto Of Lonewrench Performance Engines:

Lonewrench Performance Engines of Dallas, Texas is currently taking work on a by-appointment-only basis. The shop recently constructed a website and is available for viewing and contact info with content being added daily, feel free to check it out. Lonewrench Performance has been building race-winning motors for over ten years and is currently sponsoring the 2003 FUSA Sportbike Champion Scotty Greenwood among others in various series across the USA.

Lonewrench Performance is also offering Dynojet dyno tuning and a premier suspension service with work being performed by long-time Traxxion Dynamics advocate Don Finelli. For further details and info on Lonewrench performance please visit www.lonewrench.com

From a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN CONCLUDES
TESTING AT BARBER

Birmingham (Alabama) – The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team wrapped up a productive two-day test at Barber Motorsports Park with Eric Bostrom turning a total of 101 laps in warm and sunny conditions.

“Things went really well today,” said Bostrom. “I’m really curious about what the pace is going to be on this new asphalt. We worked with Michelin to find the right tire and I got my time down by a couple of seconds over yesterday. I’m happy about the progress because things just keep coming together.”

The team’s test follows an incredible AMA debut at the Daytona 200 where Bostrom proved the potential of the Ducati 999 by qualifying in pole position and running at the front of the field until a stone-damaged oil cooler forced his early retirement from the race.

“The main goal of our test was to find the ideal front tire and we found a solution that we are happy with,” explained race engineer Luca Ferraccioli.

“With the increased confidence Eric is showing with the set-up, we feel that good things can happen at Fontana,” declared the team’s racing manager Tom Bodenbach. Fontana is one of the few tracks where Bostrom has had the opportunity to test the 999. A test session in mid February gave the team critical data to work with as they head into the next round at the Southern California venue.

Round 2 of the AMA series will be held April 2-4 at California Speedway in Fontana.

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

RIZLA SUZUKI READY TO RACE

Rizla Suzuki riders John Reynolds and Yukio Kagayama are ready for the first round of the British Superbike Championship after spending today in a final pre-season test at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire.

Testing alongside the main British Superbike teams, the Rizla Suzuki riders made the most of their time on track testing new wiring looms, Ohlins suspension units and engine electronics.

Reynolds set a fast time of 1:27.9 in the third and final session on track, after finding a fork setting that he was happy with. He set the time on race rubber while testing parts. Kagayama missed the third and final session of the day when most riders posted their quickest times. He still managed an impressive 1:28.8 lap in the second session and was happy to be back at Silverstone, one of his favourite circuits.

The first round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Silverstone on March 28th.


John Reynolds: “That’s the testing over with and it has been very worthwhile for the team. We now have the best evolution of the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 ever to be ridden on a race track and that is very encouraging.

“In a way it is a relief to finish testing and know that the next time we go on track we will be at a race meeting. I can hardly wait to get back on track here at Silverstone in just over a week’s time and get stuck into the racing.”


Yukio Kagayama: “Silverstone is a nice circuit and I really like it. I was riding comfortably and I am still close to the fastest time. Today I tried at 80 per cent. When I come back to race I will be at 100 per cent or more.

“My fitness is now becoming very good. I am training three hours a day in the gym. I feel stronger every day and riding my Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 gives me big power to heal quickly.”


Simon Green, Team Co-ordinator: “We are ready to start racing now. We have used our pre-season test sessions to evaluate parts and settings and it has been a huge success. We have concentrated on getting a bike that will be competitive when the the racing starts and we are very confident.

“JR and Yuki are both in high spirits and happy with the performance of their Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000s. No question, we will be at Silverstone on March 28th racing for the top step of the podium.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The total purse is $150,000 for the Yamaha Superbike Challenge at California Speedway, scheduled for April 2-4.

Purse payments per class follow. Note that the Superbike purse is split between two races, with half paid for each race:

Superbike
$112,500
1. $12,000
2. $9000
3. $7000
4. $6000
5. $5200
6. $4900
7. $4700
8. $4500
9. $4300
10. $4200
11. $4000
12. $3900
13. $3700
14. $3500
15. $3300
16. $3100
17. $2900
18. $2700
19. $2500
20. $2300
21. $2100
22. $2000
23. $1900
24. $1700
25. $1600
26. $1400
27. $1300
28. $1200
29. $1100
30. $1000
31. $900
32. $900
33. $700
34. $600
35. $500


The Formula Xtreme, Supersport and Supertock races each have a $12,500 purse and each pay as follows:
1. $1700
2. $1400
3. $1150
4. $900
5. $800
6. $750
7. $700
8. $650
9. $600
10. $550
11. $500
12. $450
13. $400
14. $375
15. $325
16. $300
17. $275
18. $250
19. $225
20. $200

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing has issued a new schedule for the April 2-4 Fontana National.

The new schedule has Superstock Qualifying Group One at 1:00-1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 3 with Superstock Qualifying Group Two at 1:40-2:10 p.m.

The revised Saturday afternoon schedule looks like this:

Saturday, April 3
1:00-1:30 p.m., Superstock Qualifying Group One
1:40-2:10 p.m., Superstock Qualifying Group Two
2:20-2:50 p.m., Supersport Qualifying Group One
3:00-3:30 p.m., Supersport Qualifying Group Two
3:40 p.m., Superbike Race One (100k, 28 laps)
4:40 p.m., Formula Xtreme Race (60k, 17 laps)

Some riders are complaining about the new back-to-back scheduling of the Superstock and Supersport races on Sunday; many riders competed in both classes at Daytona while crossover between Formula Xtreme, scheduled for Saturday at Fontana, and Supersport, scheduled for Sunday at Fontana, was nil at Daytona.

The current Fontana schedule has lunch between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, with the Superstock race starting at 12:00 noon, followed by the Supersport race at 1:00 p.m. and the second Superbike race at 2:00 p.m.

At least one rider has suggested running the Superstock race before lunch on Sunday, starting the race at 11:00 a.m., followed by lunch, and then starting the Supersport race at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday as currently scheduled. That schedule would give riders competing in both races a chance for some rest between events.



And now, some reader input:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

What about putting the Superstock race between the Supersport and Superbike races?

Since the rules state you can’t run Superstock and Superbike many Superbike riders are running the Supersport race. Maybe we should give them a little break.

Maybe have the Supersport race, then lunch, then Superstock and Superbike.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Rodney Rayborne
West Covina, California