From a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Ten Kate Honda continues testing

Superbike rookie Chris Vermeulen continued his testing programme with the new Honda CBR1000RR on Monday at the Valencia circuit.

Weather conditions were the same as during race 2, and Vermeulen set a best lap of 1:37.2.

Chris Vermeulen commented;”During the weekend we didn’t want to test too much complete new settings since we wanted to concentrate on the race. The test on Monday was perfect, we tried various settings and parts and we improved our laptimes. It appears to me that we are using more and more of the Fireblade’s potential. We just need to continue step by step and that takes time. My technical crew has plenty of information to work with now and hopefully that will allow us to be with the front runners at Phillip Island.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

All of the major AMA teams are present and accounted for on a warm and sunny Tuesday morning at Daytona International Speedway.

American Honda appeared the best prepared, casually attending to details on CBR1000RR Superbikes and CBR600RR Formula Xtreme machines, which have new carbon-fiber rear subframes.

Team Manager Chuck Miller reported that the team was not able to hold a shakedown test with the new Superbikes before coming to Daytona, but the new bikes had been broken in on dynamometers and ridden by HRC test riders in Japan before being shipped stateside.

In what has become an annual tradition, Ben Bostrom, Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke recently spent time in HRC’s wind tunnel and riding on Honda’s high-speed test track in Japan, working on improving the aerodynamics of their tucked-in riding position and drafting techniques.

Aside from dealing with the possibility that Anthony Gobert may not show up to race at Daytona due to visa problems, Erion Honda looked ready to go and was seen applying the last sponsor stickers on the Superstock and Formula Xtreme CBRs of Alex Gobert and the FX bike of Zemke.

The Honda Canada factory team of Jordan Szoke and Andrew Nelson is also at Daytona, with CBR1000RRs.

Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura reported that his team was installing just-arrived suspension parts from Showa, the same parts that they found to be improved while testing at California Speedway in February.

Sakakura’s crew was also, like every team, getting tires mounted for Mat Mladin, Aaron Yates and Ben Spies to use in Wednesday morning’s practice.

Kawasaki looked well-prepared, leisurely attending to details on Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden’s ZX-6RR Supersport and ZX-10R Superstock racebikes Tuesday.

Attack Kawasaki just did arrive Tuesday morning, somewhat later than the other teams. Asked about the late arrival, Team Owner Richard Stanboli said, “It’s (ZX-10R) a new motorcycle, so we’re doing a lot of development. We wanted to stay at the shop as long as possible to work on the bikes. Honda gets their bikes in a crate. We get a stock motorcycle and have to build it ourselves.”

Stanboli said lead rider Josh Hayes’ broken foot was getting better everyday and that his ZX-10R Superbike was ready to go for the Daytona 200. Tony Meiring also rides for the Attack Kawasaki team, which hopes for him to do some Formula Xtreme races, in addition to his primary mission in Supersport, in 2004.

It was all systems go over at the Yamaha garage for Jamie Hacking, Damon Buckmaster, Aaron Gobert and Jason DiSalvo. Their garage was decorated with several life-size cardboard cutouts of 2003 AMA Supersport Champion Hacking doing a wheelie on his YZF-R6.

2003 Canadian Superbike and Supersport Champion Pascal Picotte is at Daytona with his new Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstocker and YZF-R6 Supersport racers. Picotte also reported that he has a new sponsor, DXS Diablo, whose support will allow him to develop and race an AMA Superbike at 6-8 events starting as soon as California Speedway.

Brooklin Cycle Yamaha’s Frank Trombino, another Canadian Superbike regular, is also at Daytona.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki was freshening the GSX-Rs of Steve Rapp, Vincent Haskovec and Chris Peris Tuesday morning, after a weekend of successful racing with CCS and Formula USA at Daytona.

Other American Suzuki support teams, like No Limit Suzuki (Jason Pridmore, Jimmy Moore, Jason Curtis) and Empire Racing Suzuki (Lee Acree, Chris “Opie” Caylor), were busy fitting bodywork to their late-arriving GSX-R600s. Both teams’ GSX-R600s will roll onto the racetrack for the first time tomorrow morning.

Due to tire testing for Michelin, Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin has been at Daytona since last Tuesday. The team spent its down time over the CCS/F-USA race weekend installing quick-change wheel hardware on Eric Bostrom’s 999Rs Superbikes. As reported earlier, the team will be without the services of Lead Mechanic Vic Fasola due to personal reasons.

Among the many privateers at Daytona, former AMA 250cc Grand Prix front-runner Perry Melneciuc has switched to the Formula Xtreme class on a pair of Mach 1 EMA (European Motorcycle Accessories) Yamaha YZF-R6s. After telling Roadracingworld.com about his new team, Melneciuc went to finalize his tire deal, which will be with either Dunlop or Pirelli.

According to Weather.com, the weather forecast for Daytona Beach is very good with high temperatures expected to hover around 80 degrees F each day with only a slight chance of rain over the weekend. But in Florida forecasting weather is tricky business at best, as racers found out when high temperatures failed to exceed 45 degrees F last week.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati North america:

PARTS UNLIMITED DUCATI AUSTIN’S ERIC BOSTROM READY FOR DAYTONA

The AMA series swings back into action this weekend at Daytona International Speedway with Eric Bostrom prepared to do battle in the 63rd running of the Daytona 200 aboard the factory-supported Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin 999. Las Vegas resident Bostrom, who has four US National titles to his name, finished seventh overall in the 2003 AMA Superbike championship but would surely have finished higher had a pile-up during the opening lap of the Laguna Seca World Superbike race not cut his season short with an injury.

Having tested at Daytona on the 999 in early December 2003 and again at the start of this year, Bostrom has shown tremendous progress and promise on the Ducati twin. During the January test session, Bostrom set a personal best lap time at Daytona with a 1.47.90 – only a handful of riders have dipped below the 1.48 mark.

The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team is the first factory-supported Ducati effort since 1994 to make a run for the AMA title. Michelin has also thrown its weight behind the effort by providing the team with the same tires that were available to World Superbike teams. “I’m really excited about having the chance to run up front at Daytona,” said Bostrom. “The tests we’ve done on Michelins confirmed what we’re capable of and there’s no reason why we can’t be in the hunt.”

Tom Bodenbach, Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s team manager, feels ready for the challenge ahead of them. “We gained a lot of experience from running this event the past couple of years. This year, with the factory’s support, we know Eric can be a front-runner. The team’s pretty excited about having a chance to put Ducati into the Daytona history books.”

The Circuit
“Bike Week” is a 10-day motorcycle festival that has been a tradition in Daytona Beach since January 24, 1937 when the inaugural running of the Daytona 200 was held. In the beginning the race was a much shorter and simpler affair: 3.2 miles on a mix of hard-pack sand and pavement. Because of the beach section, starting times for the event were dictated by the local tide tables.

In 1961, the event moved to Daytona International Speedway. There were concerns that the motorcycles would not be able to sustain the speeds needed to deal with the 31-degree banking in the turns of the 2.5 mile trioval, so a two-mile course using the infield and a part of the front stretch became the motorcycle racers’ circuit. Over the years minor changes to the infield were made, with today’s track at 3.56 miles.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HAS/SHOGUN RACING READY FOR DAYTONA

HAS/Shogun Racing heads into the 2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship season with its primary focus on rider Heath Small. After the team’s successful debut in 2003 with two riders, they will concentrate their efforts on the development of the Yamaha R6s that Heath will use in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport and Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme classes throughout the year.

With two successful pre-season tests and an opportunity to race at the CCS/Formula event at Daytona, Heath is confident and comfortable that he is ready to start the season. “I’ve been training hard all winter, and getting the bikes sorted out prior to Daytona was a huge deal,” said Heath. “We’ve got a good baseline already with the suspension and the engine on both bikes, so now we just have to fine tune them for here at Daytona.”

Heath won the CCS Middleweight Grand Prix event at the speedway and was running sixth in Sunday’s Formula USA Superbike event when he fell in the fast infield kink. Heath was uninjured, but the bike suffered extensive damage. The team was confident that they would be able to re-build the bike in time for the start of AMA practice on Wednesday, March 3rd.

The team returns in 2004 with continued support from Shogun Motorsports and Motion CycleSports. Steve Upchurch will continue to do the engine development while David Sanders and Lance Small will tune and maintain the machines. Joey Israel with Ohlins USA will provide technical support with chassis development and suspension.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

EMPIRE RACING PUTTING FINAL TOUCHES ON RACEBIKES AT DAYTONA

It’s crunch time at Daytona, with the Empire Racing team working hard to finish preparing their Suzuki GSX-Rs, as the start of the 2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship looms on Wednesday morning. The team escaped the snow and cold weather at their North Carolina base, preferring to work in the warm Daytona paddock. The team chose not to compete in last weekend’s CCS and Formula USA races.

Riders Lee Acree and Chris “Opie” Caylor will both compete in the new 1000cc-based Repsol Superstock class on their Suzuki GSX-R1000s, which the team received at the beginning of February. However, with the late-February delivery of the Suzuki GSX-R600, the team has had to focus on preparing the 600s at Daytona. Lee will compete in the AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport class throughout the 2004 season.

“We thought we’d add the challenge of preparing our racebikes at the racetrack,” kidded team manager Noel VanVeld. “Actually, our sponsors have really come through for us. We were already planning to be down here, and a lot of our parts were scheduled to be delivered here, so it worked out just fine. We’ll be ready!”

Empire Racing Suzuki is proud to be partnering with American Suzuki, Pirelli Tires, Leo Vince SBK Exhausts, The XFactory Store, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, 1-888-FASTLAP, EBC Brakes, Silkolene Lubricants, Thermosman Suspension/Ohlins USA, Teknic Leathers, Pitbull Stands, Vortex Racing, Dynojet Tuning and the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School.

For more information, contact Empire Racing at (336) 343-4059 or visit their website at www.empireracingmx.com.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGIES SUZUKI TESTS NEW BIKES AT DAYTONA

Millennium Technologies Suzuki riders Shawn Higbee and Danny Eslick had a successful shakedown of their Suzuki GSX-Rs during CCS/Formula USA action at Daytona International Speedway February 27-29, in preparation for round one of the 2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship series at the speedway coming up March 3-6.

Higbee finished second in Formula USA Unlimited Grand Prix on Sunday, February 29th and 5th in the 30-minute GTO final on Friday while working on the set-up of his Suzuki GSX-R1000. “This was the first time we turned a wheel on the new bike,” said Higbee, the 2003 Top Privateer in the Superbike class. “We had to come up with a baseline set-up, and get used to working with the stock suspension pieces compared to last year’s Superbike stuff. By Sunday, we figured out a few things that will help us in the AMA Superstock race.”

Danny finished tenth in the 12-lap Formula USA Sportbike class after qualifying 17th on Saturday. Danny dropped another three seconds on his GSX-R600 during the race and got more uninterrupted laps than he had all weekend. “I was finally able to get in a groove and work on a couple of parts of the track where I could really make some time,” said Eslick. “I was getting more confident on the bike, able to brake deeper and carry more corner speed.”

Look for Shawn Higbee on his # 114 Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Repsol Superstock event, which will be televised live on SPEED Channel at 3:00pm Eastern on Thursday March 4th. Danny will compete on the # 69 GSX-R600 in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race, which will also be televised live on Saturday, March 6th at 10:30 am Eastern.

KWS Motorsports Suzuki is proud to be sponsored by Millennium Technologies, American Suzuki, KWS Motorsports, Yoshimura R&D, Vortex Racing, Dunlop Tires, EBC Brakes, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, Nutec Fuel, EK Chain, Shoei Helmets, Teknic Leathers, Pit Bull Stands, Penske Suspensions, Traxxion Dynamics, Web-Cam, Baker Race Gear, Kaufman Trailers, Inc., HSA and BG Lubricants.

For more information, contact KWS Motorsports at (843) 552-7177 or visit their website at www.kwsmotorsports.com.

From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

New Dates, Same Great Dirt Track Races

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 1, 2004) — Among the new twists in the new 2004 Daytona 200 Week schedule are the new race dates for the AMA HotShoe Series and the AMA Progressive Insurance Grand National Championship at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium.

Traditionally held on Friday and Saturday nights respectively, the AMA HotShoe Series now moves to Wednesday night, March 3 while the AMA Progressive Insurance Grand National Championship is slated for Thursday, March 4.

“We’re racers. I don’t care if were racing on Monday morning, we want to race,” said Chris Carr, who’ll compete in Thursday’s AMA Progressive Insurance Grand National Championship race. “I think it’s great for all the fans who want to have the opportunity to see all that there is to offer when it comes to racing. We’re not conflicting with any major races on Thursday. I think having the two short track races Wednesday and Thursday is a good deal for fans of all motorcycle racing.”

In 2003, the 36-year-old Carr, who resides in Fleetwood, Pa., held off Johnny Murphree and Jay Springsteen to earn his third Grand National win at Daytona, tying the late Will Davis.

This year, he’ll try to become the first rider to win four Grand National races at Daytona and he knows it won’t be an easy task.

Carr will have to battle the usual suspects such as Murphree, Brett Landes and Terry Poovey. But he’ll also have to lookout for the dark horse favorite. The AMA Grand National race at Daytona has the knack to produce first-time winners, most recently Richard Winsett in 2002.

“There are more entries for the Daytona race than there is any other round,” Carr said. “Making the program is an accomplishment in itself and then getting in the feature is an accomplishment. Everybody has got to work hard at staying on top of their game from the first practice on. You have to not make mistakes in the early rounds that can cost you positions later on.”

Carr hopes a victory in the season opening Grand National race at Daytona can deliver some much-needed momentum as he pursues his sixth Grand National championship.

“Whenever you can perform at your best during this week, it carries a lot more weight, especially in our series,” said Carr, who owns both the qualifying and race records in the Grand National event. “If you win at Daytona, you get to brag about it for two more months because that’s when the next round is.

“It’s a good time to come down here and kick off the season. Daytona is the place to be the first weekend of March. We always want to do well because a lot of the industry is here and represented. I just like the atmosphere and the ambiance of Daytona 200 Week.”

Tickets for the Dirt Track races at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium are available online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

From a press release issued by SPEED Channel:

SPEED CHANNEL TAKES WIND TUNNEL WITH DAVE DESPAIN TO DAYTONA BIKE WEEK

Dave Despain is packing his bobbleheads and heading to Daytona Beach, as Wind Tunnel will be LIVE from Bike Week at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday and Thursday.

“I haven’t missed a Bike Week since 1972, so I’m glad that I didn’t have to miss this one just because I had a real job,” said Despain, whose first-ever television appearance came with ABC’s Wide World of Sports as an analyst for the 1975 Daytona 200. “We are putting together a killer guest list and it’s great to get motorcycle racing cranked up again.”

In addition, SPEED Channel will carry six Bike Week events LIVE or on same-day delay. SPEED Channel motorcycle programming, including American Thunder, Corbin’s Ride On and 2 Wheel Tuesday also will focus on Bike Week events and festivities.

SPEED Channel’s Bike Week schedule:

Superstock & Formula Xtreme
March 4 (3 – 5:30 p.m. ET, LIVE)

Supercross
March 5 (9 p.m. – midnight ET, SDD)

Supersport & Boxer Cup
March 6 (10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET, LIVE)

Superbike: The Daytona 200
March 6 (1:30 – 4:30 p.m. ET, LIVE)

In 2004, SPEED Channel is the exclusive U.S. cable home for many of the top motor sports series in the world. In addition, SPEED’s weekly programming schedule brings car enthusiast television to Prime Time Monday through Thursday. Now available in more the 65 million homes in North America, SPEED Channel is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country and the home to NASCAR TV.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

American Honda 2004 Road Race Preview

After sweeping the top three spots in the 2003 running of America’s most prestigious motorcycle race, the American Superbike season-opening Daytona 200, what do you do for an encore? That’s the pleasant problem facing the American Honda team as they gear up to repeat their success at Daytona and for the rest of the championship, a championship that continues to grow in importance on the world stage.

“What’s really exciting is that AMA road racing has moved up on the scale in the world of racing,” American Honda team manager Chuck Miller said. Miller has chosen three riders for the Honda assault on the Superbike crown and has added to the arsenal with a new weapon, the all new Honda CBR1000RR, the fastest motorcycle ever to hit the high banks of Daytona International Speedway. In its very first shakedown, the CBR-1000RR, a direct and clear descendant of the MotoGP World Championship winning Honda RC211V, shocked the radar gun with a terminal velocity of 192 mph, the fastest a motorcycle’s ever run at Daytona. It was done under the control of Ben Bostrom, one of the champions Honda hopes will add to their seven Superbike titles.

Bostrom, 29, the 1998 AMA Superbike Champion, is looking forward to a clean start in his second year on the American race scene after a stellar World Superbike career. The charismatic Californian was troubled with carpal tunnel syndrome for the second half of the 2003 season.

Off-season corrective surgery alleviated the problem and his return to form has Been instant. That, along with the continued tutelage of three-time World Champion Freddie Spencer, who works closely with all Honda riders, and the new Honda CBR1000RR has Bostrom looking forward to the start of the battle. The runner-up in last year’s Daytona 200, Bostrom turned the fastest lap of the Daytona December test on a motorcycle still in the early stages of development. The Honda CBR1000RR that Bostrom and his teammates will race at Daytona and for the remainder of the 18-race championship season will be significantly upgraded from its initial runs, with more barriers certain to be broken.

New teammate Jake Zemke turned the fastest laps on the 3.56 mile road course in a follow-on test at Daytona a little over a month later. The former dirt-tracker Zemke, 29, will ride in the colors of Erion Honda, replacing Kurtis Roberts who used his American Honda career as a springboard to MotoGP. Though 2004 will be his first full year on a Superbike, Zemke is no stranger to four-cylinder Hondas. For the past two seasons Zemke’s been the most successful pilot of the Honda CBR954RR, the precursor to the CBR1000RR, in the Formula Xtreme class. In addition to his Superbike duties, Zemke will race a Honda CBR600RR mini-Superbike in the newly formatted Formula Xtreme class. The new class allows liberal modifications of the middleweight platform, as well as including various other engine configurations.

“One thing that’s exciting for us is that it allows us to begin to set the stage for where Superbike is going and test our abilities in building competitive race machines out of production bikes,” American Honda team manager Chuck Miller said. “Most all of us have relied a lot on resources abroad to make our bikes competitive and in the future we may not have all those resources available to us. So what we’re trying to do with this Formula Xtreme project is also to test our abilities.”

Joining Zemke in Superbike and Formula Xtreme is veteran Miguel Duhamel, 35, the winningest rider in the history of the Superbike and Supersport classes. The engaging and witty French-Canadian, who Miller calls “an icon of the sport,” is back for his tenth year of service with American Honda, hoping to kickstart his season the way the 2003 year began. Last year, the former Superbike and five-time Supersport champion began the season with his fourth win in the Daytona 200, running his career win total to 26, the most in the class. A win in this year’s 200 would tie the mark of five set by “Mr. Daytona,” Scott Russell. In Supersport, Duhamel has 41 wins, 28 more than the next active rider.

“Here we got the guy who’s been there, done that, which is Ben (Bostrom), we’ve got Miguel (Duhamel), who can always be there and can always do that, and we’ve got the new up and comer Jake (Zemke), who’s hungry to get there an do it and we’ve got a little bit of all three of the worlds best there that will work to our advantage,” team manager Chuck Miller believes.

American Honda is concentrating its outside support on Erion Honda, by far the most successful satellite team in the history of AMA road racing with a record of four consecutive Formula Xtreme titles, as well as a pair of Supersport crowns. The team will feature the Gobert brothers, Alex, 20, who campaigned in the black and red of Erion Honda last year, now joined by brother Anthony, 29, whose first factory ride in his native Australia was with Honda.

“He really wanted to be back with Honda,” Kevin Erion, the owner of the Erion Honda team, said of Anthony, who can expect great things if he succeeds with Erion. Among the riders who’ve advanced from Erion Honda to the Superbike team are 2002 AMA Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden, now with Repsol Honda; Kurtis Roberts, who won three titles with Erion Honda; and now Jake Zemke.

“There’s a little bit of history that shows American Honda is willing to keep you in the family as long as the results are there,” Erion said. “It wouldn’t be a new step for a new rider to move from Erion Racing to American Honda. If that happens it means good things have happened.” The Goberts will lead Honda’s quest in the newly configured Superstock class, another class format making its debut in Florida. The 2004 rules allow lightly modified 1000cc inline four-cylinders, the perfect showcase for the new Honda CBR1000RR.

“We know Anthony’s going to be competitive, we know the bike’s going to be competitive, we’re expecting big things from him,” Chuck Miller concludes.

From a press release issued by Bridgestone:

BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS HOLDING, INC.

Bridgestone Corporation Announces 2003 Consolidated Financial Results

Bridgestone Americas Posts Full-Year Profit,
Continuing Its Strengthening of Sales and Operations in the Americas

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Bridgestone Corporation, parent company of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH), today announced that its consolidated, or worldwide, net income for fiscal year 2003 increased 96 percent, to $800 million (USD), on a 2 percent increase in net sales, to $21.5 billion. Operating income was basically unchanged, at $1.7 billion.
In the Americas, BSAH 2003 net sales and operating income were approximately $8.2 billion and $190 million, respectively. Net income (profit) totaled $78 million. The performance for 2003 represents a 7 percent increase in total sales revenue over 2002 led by a strong performance in the Bridgestone brand and continuing growth in sales of the Firestone brand.

“Continued growth in major brand and high performance tire sales in 2003 demonstrated that our new products and product enhancements have been well received by the market,” said John Vispo, BSAH controller. “The results are continuing evidence that the company is clearly on the road to financial stability.”

While the results reflect the impressive performance of two BSAH subsidiaries, BFS Retail & Commercial Operations, LLC and BFS Diversified Products, LLC, and the companies that comprise the Bridgestone/Firestone Latin America operating unit, which all reported improved operating profit over 2002, the company’s core business, Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT), is still not profitable.

“Clearly, the fact that BSAH is profitable even in the face of an increasingly difficult market – increasing raw material prices, and increasing pension and health care costs – our success can once again be attributed to the efforts of our 50,000 employees and loyal stores and dealers across the Americas who sell our products,” said Vispo, who is also CFO and vice president of BFNT.

Additional factors that were cited as contributing to the 2003 full-year results include the operation of the company’s tire plants at near capacity levels and the success of restructuring measures that have led to increased efficiency and lower costs, including the financial restructuring of the company’s Latin American subsidiaries that was concluded in 2002.

In addition to the positive effects of its restructuring efforts, the company reported increasing strength in unit sales of truck and bus tires. While overall unit sales of passenger and light truck tires declined slightly due to decreases in sales of original equipment and associate brand tires, sales of Bridgestone brand replacement and original equipment passenger and light truck tires continued their strong growth and sales of replacement market Firestone-brand passenger and light truck tires continued to increase, a trend noted in the second half of 2002.

Improving the capabilities and flexibility of its tire plants, increasing operating efficiencies and targeting sales volume growth will continue to be the company’s focus in 2004 because the company’s core business, BFNT, is still not profitable.

“The road ahead will be a difficult one. We will continue to be faced with high raw material cost and increasing pension and health care costs,” Vispo said. “We plan to address these challenges through improved productivity, cost containment efforts and recently implemented price increases.”

Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in wide variety of applications, it manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.

Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of the Bridgestone Corporation. BSAH, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate and private brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies also produce air springs, roofing materials, synthetic rubber and industrial fibers and textiles and operate the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers.

1) Dollar equivalents for the 2003 results were computed at a rate of ¥107.13 to the U.S. dollar.

2) All Bridgestone Corporation figures are consolidated, or worldwide, basis.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Ducati MotoGP test rider Vittoriano Guareschi is slated to be a guest instructor at the Ducati Riding Experience school at Imola March 24. For more information, go to www.ducati.com.

From a press release issued by VIR:

VIR Revs Up for 2004 Season

Alton, Va. (Mar. 1) — VIRginia International Raceway is preparing to drop the green flag on its 2004 schedule of events, featuring some of the best automobile and motorcycle racing in America on one of the world’s most picturesque and challenging circuits.

The season kicks off over the weekend of weekend of May 7-9 with the Fifth Annual Double SARRC/Double MARRS Challenge hosted by the North Carolina Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).

This event has grown into the largest SCCA regional east of the Mississippi, featuring more than 400 cars from all over the East Coast. Entrants from the Washington, D.C. area and northward compete in the Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series (MARRS), while their southern counterparts race in the South Atlantic Road Racing Championship (SARRC).

With such a large entry, packed grids are guaranteed in all races and the competition will be fierce, with the friendly “North vs. South” rivalry adding an extra measure of intensity.

The first big motorcycle racing event of the year will take place over the weekend of May 21-23, as the WERA Cycle Jam Nationals rolls into VIR for three days of knee-dragging, wheel-to-wheel excitement.

WERA, one of America’s oldest and largest national sanctioning bodies for motorcycle road racing, is known for showcasing up-and-coming talent as well as close competition. The series’ return to VIR is the third round of the WERA Dunlop National Endurance Series, National Challenge Series and Sportsman Series.

The feature race of the weekend will be the four-hour WERA Dunlop Endurance Series event. The race will feature plenty of strategy and pit-stop action, as each team will be required to stop several times for fuel and a rider change.

Over the weekend of June 11-13, VIR’s signature vintage racing event, the Gold Cup Historic Races, will a Tribute to Women Racers and the International Triumph Challenge.

It wasn’t so long ago that women weren’t even allowed in the pit or paddock at racing events. The ladies have come a long way since then, and VIR is proud to recognize their achievements with the Vintage Motorsport Tribute to Women Racers. The event’s grand marshal will be renowned racer and journalist Denise McCluggage.

The Moss Motors International Triumph Challenge will be a major gathering of American Triumph racers, who will face off against a group of British Triumph owners traveling to VIR for this very special event.

Off-track activities will include the third annual Moss Motors Gold Cup Car Show, which will take place on Saturday, June 12. Fans will be able to vote for their favorite cars in a number of categories, including American, Foreign and Competition categories. Participants will vote on the top 10 cars in the show. Also returning in 2004 will be the popular G&W Motorsports Pinewood Derby, which will pit kids of all ages against each other with home-built racers constructed from blocks of wood that cannot weigh more than five ounces in a competition format originated by the Boy Scouts in 1953.

The fourth annual Virginia Festival of Speed, featuring Formula USA and the 21st season of the Championship Cup Series, will provide a combination of the best Sportsman and professional motorcycle road racers going handlebar-to-handlebar at 160mph for their share of purse and prizes over the weekend of June 25-27. Friday afternoon is the Virginia 200, Saturday it’s Sportsman action and on Sunday the professionals take to the track in Sportbike, Superbike, Thunderbike and the no-holds-barred Unlimited GP classes.

Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd. (HSR) will visit VIR over the weekend of July 8-11, providing a rolling history lesson in road racing. The highlights of the event will be the American Muscle Car Challenge, BOSS Super Cup Challenge for big-bore open-wheel racers, the World Championship of Makes Series, World Sportscar Series, Historic GT Series and the Historic Stock Car Racing Association, plus the Rolex Endurance Challenge Series Races and Dash Series Races. There will also be a special gathering of Volvo racers that will bring aficionados of the respected Swedish marque from all across America.

Many of the cars that race with HSR raced at VIR in its early days, between 1957-74, and will be right at home on the challenging and beautiful 3.27-mile circuit. With machinery ranging from small-bore production cars through stock cars, prototypes and F1 and Indy cars, there will be something for everyone!

The North Carolina Region of the SCCA will return over the weekend of August 7-8 for the annual Oak Tree National. The national SCCA calendar wraps up in late September with the annual Valvoline Runoffs® at Mid-Ohio, which makes the Oak Tree National a critical event in terms of collecting precious championship points required to obtain a coveted invitation to the Runoffs®.

As a result, drivers from the host region as well as other regions all along the Atlantic seaboard will be headed to VIR in order to collect those valuable, last-minute championship points. This can lead to some very interesting and unusual match-ups on the track and unforgettably intense racing.

VIR is introducing a new event over Labor Day Weekend to fill the void left in the racing calendar left by the departure of Darlington’s traditional NASCAR Southern 500. The inaugural Stock Car Spectacular will bring all manner of stock-type road racing vehicles to Southside Virginia that are guaranteed to make the earth shake, your ears ring and the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up!

Among the highlights of the September 3-5 weekend will be the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series, the Historic Stock Car Racing Association, in which amateur racers drive cars that formerly competed in NASCAR’s top series, the Factory Five Cobra series plus other stock-car groups.

If you love ground-pounding American V8 power, stock-appearing cars and great racing, join us for the inaugural VIR Stock Car Spectacular. Together, we can create a new Labor Day Weekend tradition.

The fastest and most exotic road racing motorcycles in America will return to VIR 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 the series’ season finale.

The doubleheader format will give fans two feature races for the headlining AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, in which 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 pro series, the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei, Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Extreme and the Repsol Superstock.

Perhaps the most anticipated weekend of the year will be October 1-3, which will mark the return of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series VIR 400.

The Rolex Sports Car Series inaugurated a new series of prototype sports racer, the Daytona Prototype, in 2003. Even though their first appearance at VIR provided only four examples of the class, the racing was great, featuring a fierce late-race battle between eventual series champ and race winner Terry Borcheller and legendary endurance racer Hurley Haywood.

Since then, the Daytona Prototype has become the hottest property in road racing. Seventeen cars took the green flag in the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, and even more new entries are promised before the series arrives at VIR. Among the new teams are a two-car entry from Chip Ganassi Racing, featuring CART veterans Scott Pruett and Max Papis, and a two-car team of Chevrolet-powered Crawfords, built in North Carolina.

What should be a field of at least 40 cars, comprised of Daytona Prototypes as well as GT and SGS production-based coupes, will all take to the track for a 400km/three-hour race on Sunday afternoon. The weekend’s supporting acts will be the popular Grand-Am Cup series for street stock cars, divided into four classes for a 250-mile enduro on Saturday, and the Formula Renault 2000 open-wheelers, plus Porsche Club of America and BMW CCA club racing.

The 2004 season at VIR will come to a close over the weekend of October 15-17 with the season finale for the vintage sports and racing cars of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association. The SVRA weekend has become a tradition since VIR reopened in 2000, both for the track staff and the racers. The highlight of the weekend will be the Formula Car Festival, featuring the finest vintage open-wheelers in America, plus the HSR BOSS Super Cup Series and Formula 70 Series and a formula car enduro, as well as the Mike Stott-UBS Enduro Series and Edelbrock Sprint Series.

No matter whether you like your motorsports with two wheels or four, VIR will have all the bases covered in 2004. The beautiful setting, with the rolling hills of Southside Virginia framing an incredibly fast and challenging road racing circuit, combined with world-class amenities and good, old-fashioned southern hospitality, creates the perfect setting for high-speed family fun.

“We can’t wait to get the 2004 season underway,” said VIR co-owner Connie Nyholm. “This will be our fifth season since we brought this historic facility back to life, and we think it’s going to be our best yet. As always, we have a great mix of events, and we’re continuing to add improvements and amenities to the facility that make it second to none. We’ve made thousands of friends over the past five years, and we look forward to seeing them again this year, along with all their families and friends. For those who haven’t been here before, we invite them to come and find out what ‘fun, fast and world-class’ racing is all about!”

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 and the VIR Euro Rally School and Corporate Motorsport Experience, which features four rally stages plus a kart track, motocross track, ATV and SUV training grounds and a Tuff Terrain” course. Future plans include the VIR Gallery, a showroom for high-end collector and racing cars, and resort lodging.

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 School and Corporate Motorsport Experience, call toll-free 877-RALLY66 or visit their website at www.vireurorally.com.



VIRginia International Raceway
2004 Season Schedule

Dates Event

May 7-9 North Carolina Region, Sports Car Club of America SARRC/MARRS Challenge

May 21-23 WERA Cycle Jam Nationals

June 11-13 Gold Cup Historic Races

June 25-27 CCS/Formula USA Virginia Festival of Speed

July 9-11 Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd.

Aug. 7-8 North Carolina Region, Sports Car Club of America Oak Tree National

Sept. 3-5 Stock Car Spectacular

Sept. 17-19 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Suzuki Lightning Nationals

Oct. 1-3 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series
VIR 400

Oct. 15-17 Sportscar Vintage Racing Association

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Via e-mail

CCS Amateur racer, Tony Shortman of Las Vegas, CCS Amateur #25, was tragically killed February 29, in a motorcycle accident west of Las Vegas.

Tony was riding back to Vegas from the Red Rock Canyon area on State Route 159 when a driver in a 1992 Jeep Cherokee turned left into the path of the motorcycle Tony was riding. Tony was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Jeep was uninjured.

Tony was 36 years old and is survived by a wife and two small children.

Wayne Petersen
WSMC #413, CCS Amateur #413
Las Vegas, Nevada