From Sport Tire Services, which for some reason keeps sending us press releases:

Press Release: S.T.S. Paso Robles, California

Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, Post record road racing tire contingencies in U.S.

In 2004 Dunlop posts $2,083,750 to motorcycle racers nation wide. That is up 12% from 2003 calendar year postings.

To be eligible, riders must race with a club that is registered with and has Dunlop postings. (i.e.. WERA, CCS, WSMC, AFM and many more) Also must have Dunlop tires front and rear, and have Dunlop stickers on each side of the front fender (one size only) and each side of the fairing (12 inch min.), and have Dunlop patches on the shoulder of their leathers.

Details on class and payouts are now available from your local club, or from, Sport Tire Services 800-776-8473. (For racers west of the Mississippi)

Or Race Tire Service at 800-772-8473 (For racers east of the Mississippi)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Larry Pegram will ride one of Eric Bostrom’s Ducati 999 Superbikes February 25, the Wednesday before the CCS/Formula USA weekend at Daytona International Speedway, during a Team Hammer day at the track.

Pegram was asked to take the testing gig by Paolo Ciabatti, who runs Ducati Corse’s Superbike program.

Bostrom cannot do the testing, due to AMA restrictions on pre-race practice for factory-backed riders.

Pegram said Friday that the test program will involve making 20-lap endurance runs at the speedway.

How Pegram will be able to fit 20 consecutive laps into the day’s scheduled 30-minute sessions remains to be seen.

Pegram will not race a Ducati in the weekend’s F-USA and CCS events, however, but will compete on a Yamaha YZF-R1 and a Yamaha YZF-R6 in a new team he has formed with club racer Richard Eanes and with Rusty Reynolds, who owns two dealerships, one in North Carolina and one in Danville, Virginia, near Virginia International Raceway. Pegram’s new team will compete on Pirelli tires, and mechanics include Brad Miller and Elliott Cho.

From a press release issued by Team BRG:

Elka Sponsors Team Baker Race Gear

Team BRG is proud to announce that we have received sponsorship from Elka Suspension to help us win our assault on the FUSA series! We will have Elka Shocks fitted to all of our team’s new GSXRs which we will receive shortly. BRG will not only use Elka Shocks, but have them for sale as well.

We want to thank Max McAllister from Traxxion Dynamics for helping arrange our Elka deal, and recommend you contact him for shock sales in the USA. Traxxion Dynamics will have 50 Elka Shocks on hand at Daytona so that no potential customer will be disappointed!

For more information contact Baker Race Gear/Midwest Axxion Center @ [email protected] or 414-916-9559



From a press release issued by Team RLR:

Revlimiterracing.com is proud to present its 2004 Race Team competing in the AFM and Pacific CCS racing organizations.

Team RLR will compete in both the AFM race series as well as the Pacific Region for CCS in this upcoming 2004 season. “We are also planning on competing in the new WERA series being held in California if funds permit”, says Shane Whitworth – Team Captain and owner of
Revlimiterracing.com.

The Revlimiter Racing Team consists of 7 members for 2004. Shane Whitworth will be competing on a new GSXR1000 in the Open Super-Bike & Open GP classes. Bobby Parizi, Ed Escobar and John Anthony will all be competing in the 750 Super-Bike and Formula 1 classes while Joe Hitner will be campaigning a new 2004 Aprilia Mille Factory in the Open Twins and Formula 1 classes. Mark White steps up from the 400cc class to Formula 1, 600 Super-Bike and Open Twins on a new Suzuki SV650. New to the team is Tony Thorp who will be learning the ropes on his GSXR600 competing in 600 Super-Bike and Formula 1.

Team Captain – Shane Whitworth, “We approached the ’03 season to learn, get over the “growing pains” and figure out how to make the team to work
well together. There were some impressive finishes by the team but our focus is now on the podium, we are going out there in force and covering some of the more competitive classes with our current team roster setup! We have all been riding dirt-bikes during the off-season and even competing in some Hare Scrambles to keep the competitive blood flowing. We are using this season to ramp up and be ready to compete at the National level in AMA in 2005! I am very excited about this season and can promise a good show from Team RLR!”

Team Sponsors for 2004 include, Revlimiterracing.com, BrakeTech, Ferodo,
GPR stabilizers, Castrol, Cheetah Racing Bodies, AFMotorsports (Michelin) and Woodcraft.

As a side note – Revlimiterracing.com is still accepting racer applications for the 2004 season. “We have always believed in the philosophy of giving back to the sport, we sponsored over 40 riders in 03 and will be increasing that number to 80 riders for 04.” – Shane Whitworth (owner www.revlimiterracing.com)

For more information please contact Shane Whitworth at (831) 336-3306 or [email protected].

From a press release issued by the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School:

Schwantz Gets a New Italian Suit

Former Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz steps back into Dainese leathers, the Italian safety gear he wore from his championship season through the end of his successful GP career. A world leader in protective gear, Dainese will be supplying Schwantz and the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School with their state-of-the-art leathers, boots and gloves. “I’m really pleased to be back in Dainese gear, they did a great job of protecting me during my career and they still fit like nothing else I’ve worn. Having Dainese’s latest products for students to rent at the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School is just another great reason to come learn with us at Road Atlanta. We’re really proud to be a part of bringing Dainese back to the U.S. market”

Topping off Schwantz’s stylish Italian leather is a newly designed Arai Quantum 2 that combines elements of Kevin’s early and late-career helmet designs resulting in a retro yet modern scheme with bold red, white and blue graphics which are unmistakably Schwantz and is available through your local Arai dealer.

In addition to Dainese, the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School welcomes new sponsors Autocom communications, Hot Bodies Racing, Brembo and Boyer Bikes. Schwantz and his KSSS crew are starting their 2-Day classes just after Daytona on March 9th & 10th with a second 2-Day school the following week, March 15th & 16th and their once-a-year 3-Day World Champion’s Package in April.

All Schwantz Schools now include complimentary package of Motul chemicals valued at over $100, a free KSSS T-shirt and at every school the student who earns the Michelin Most-Improved Student Award wins a set of Michelin motorcycle tires of his choice. For more information call Road Atlanta at (800) 849-7223 or visit the schwantzschool.com website.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:


YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS

Phillip Island, Australia
Thursday, February 19, 2004

Ambient temperature: 21.7 degrees C
Track temperature: 43 degrees C
Humidity: 47 percent

YAMAHA MOTOGP TEAMS HEAD HOME AFTER SUCCESSFUL THREE DAY TEST IN PHILLIP ISLAND

Yamaha’s four MotoGP riders finished a three-day test in Phillip Island, Australia, today and now head home for a short rest before resuming work here in two weeks time. The teams will be back on the 9th March for a three-day private test, the last before the official IRTA Tests begin in Barcelona at the end of March.

The sun shone brilliantly once again today at the dramatic Australian circuit and Yamaha continued to test alongside Honda, Ducati and Aprilia, the latter with newly signed Jeremy McWilliams absent today after he flew home to recover from a broken rib sustained in Sepang last week. Unofficial fastest time of the day was set by Italian Honda rider Max Biaggi, who recorded 1:30.27. He was closely followed by his Honda colleagues Colin Edwards (1:30.45) and Sete Gibernau (1:30.60) who both stopped before the lunch break after completing just 31 and 41 laps respectively. American Nicky Hayden (Honda) posted exactly the same time as Sete Gibernau. New Yamaha rider and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi finished fifth fastest today with a time of 1:30.80 after 78 laps, just a fraction slower than the time he set yesterday. Fellow Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Carlos Checa finished ninth fastest with a time of 1:31.96.

The four Yamaha riders spent the last day building on the work they have done this week and last week in Sepang. 25-year-old Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi managed to do a race-simulation of over 25 consecutive laps while his team-mate Carlos Checa continued to look for the ideal set-up. Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 rider Marco Melandri was pleased to put in 15 laps in a row, a big improvement for him while still recovering from recent shoulder surgery. On the other side of the garage Norick Abe was relieved to complete what has been a somewhat frustrating test for him. All four riders are now heading home for a well-deserved rest!

Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) 78 laps, 1:30.80
“I’m pretty happy. This test’s been quite good and we have already improved a lot since we began testing. I still need more horsepower and it is more difficult to ride at the moment because I have to push much harder. Today I did more than 25 consecutive laps and already the bike seems to work quite well when the tyres are wearing down, which is very important to know. In an ideal world I will have more horsepower for the next test here in two weeks time! Yamaha have worked so hard and so quickly so I am sure we can continue in this way.”

Jeremy Burgess (Valentino Rossi’s Crew Chief)
“We’re alright! We just need some more push from the engine, which Yamaha are working on. This engine spec is still very new for us but everything we wanted to test is done. Yamaha are on track and they seem happy. This circuit requires quite a lot of horsepower and our times have been slightly off but the bike reliability is good. We’ve been developing new tyres with Michelin over the three days; they like using Valentino for testing because he gives such great feedback. We are now looking forward to the next test here and also to testing the bike in tracks such as Barcelona during the final stage in the lead-up to the first race.”

Carlos Checa (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) 92 laps, 1:31.96
“Not a lot of improvement today. We have been trying different things but can’t find the right way to go to improve by a second, which we obviously need. I think we are missing something; possibly we have made too many changes so we’ll remedy that next time. I need to improve by a minimum of half a second to be closer to the pace and this will be my target at the next test.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 82 laps, 1:32.0
“I tried to do a race simulation this morning, about 15 laps, but then I had a small problem with my rear tyre so we had to stop. I’ve had a much better feeling during these 3 days than I did in Sepang. My shoulder is getting stronger daily, and I’ve worked really hard here at Phillip Island. I will need to take extra special care with my training programme when I get back to Italy to ensure that I’ll be in perfect condition by the time we start racing. We never got great test results in Sepang even after six days, so it’s reassuring that here the feeling was much better from the very start. We’re using 16.5 inch front tyres, and we’ve finished working with Magneti Marelli on the engine braking system for the time being. This was a very positive test for me but I need to get a bit of rest now!”


Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 80 laps, 1:33.72
“I am so surprised that it wasn’t very good here for me! I normally manage reasonable times in testing but I have fallen here, although not today. In 2002 I rode the M1 here and I had a fall at turn one, it was quite scary as I highsided at 200kmph and I think that is why I have not been very confident here; my lap time has not been good. Anyway we still have three more days here at the next test and I need to make a good time then. We have made a lot of changes, possibly too many!”


Lap Times Day 3:


Max Biaggi (Honda) 1:30.27 (60 laps)

Colin Edwards (Honda) 1:30.45 (31 laps)

Sete Gibernau (Honda) 1:30.60 (41 laps)

Nicky Hayden (Honda) 1:30.60 (83 laps)

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1:30.80 (78 laps)

Alex Barros (Honda) 1:30.88 (74 laps)

Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 1:30.97 (56 laps)

Troy Bayliss (Ducati) 1:31.64 (68 laps)

Carlos Checa (Yamaha) 1:31.96 (92 laps)

Marco Melandri (Yamaha) 1:32.0 (82 laps)

Shane Byrne (Aprilia) 1:32.28 (67 laps)

Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:32.44 (69 laps)

Norick Abe (Yamaha) 1:33.72 (80 laps)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Repsol Superstock
1. $1500
2. $1200
3. $900
4. $700
5. $650
6. $600
7. $525
8. $475
9. $425
10. $400
11. $375
12. $350
13. $325
14. $300
15. $275
16. $250
17. $225
18. $200
19. $175
20. $150


AMA Pro Honda Supersport
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
21.-40. $150 each
41.-60. $100 each


Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
1. $2100
2. $1650
3. $1350
4. $1100
5. $1050
6. $1025
7. $1000
8. $950
9. $900
10. $850
11. $800
12. $725
13. $675
14. $625
15. $575
16. $525
17. $475
18. $425
19. $375
20. $325

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

POSITIVE BALANCE FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM TESTING IN AUSTRALIA

Phillip Island (Australia), 19 February 2004 – The third and final day of testing for the Ducati Marlboro Team at Phillip Island, Australia saw the squad complete the work schedule for the new Desmosedici GP4 and gather a series of vital data for the Italian V4 bike’s development. Both Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi carried out a massive amount of work over the three days, and the Ducati Marlboro Team preferred to focus on testing radically different set-ups rather than going all out for the quickest times. The search for a balanced set-up which can be a good benchmark for all circuits is fundamental for championship preparation and the tests revolved around this.

A vital contribution in this test period for the development of the new bike has also come from technical partners Shell Advance and Michelin. The Ducati Marlboro Team is now returning to Europe to allow the engineering staff led by Filippo Preziosi to analyse all the information accumulated during these tests and will return to the track at Valencia, Spain on March 6-7.

Weather conditions continued to be warm and sunny throughout the day with a light breeze in the afternoon (air 19° – 22° C; track 21° – 44° C).

Loris Capirossi, who yesterday had the satisfaction of being the quickest rider around the track, today completed a total of 56 laps, with a best time of 1:30.97. The Italian rider continued to focus on finding the best feeling with the new 16.5″ front tyre, and was just two-tenths of a second away from yesterday’s time. “I am quite pleased with the way today’s testing went” declared Capirossi. “I did my quickest laps in the morning, while in the afternoon I lost a little bit of feeling with the front, but for the moment it’s OK. We’ve done a lot of work over the past two weeks. The GP4 is a new bike and it is already giving us a lot of satisfaction despite being at the start of its development phase.”

Troy Bayliss completed 68 laps, setting a best time of 1:31.64. The Australian carried out a series of long runs to verify the set-up of his Desmosedici, and put in considerable mileage to get used to the new 16.5″ front tyre. “I am satisfied with the work we did in the morning” declared Troy. “We tested a number of different settings, but I still can’t get used to the 16.5″ front. We did a lot of work in six days and although my times aren’t what I wanted, it’s not the most important thing at this stage. These tests were aimed at developing the bike and finding the best possible set-up.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Michelin testing at California Speedway in Fontana, California is underway, with Eric Bostrom (Ducati 999), Steve Rapp (Suzuki GSX-R600) and Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki GSX-R1000) working through test tires while almost two dozen other AMA riders gain valuable track time.

Michelin has opened its test dates up to a range of riders, including AMA privateers who use Michelin tires and Team Hammer Talent Search participants at no charge as well as to riders and teams on other brands on a shared-cost basis.

Since there is no promoter practice scheduled on the Thursday prior to the April 2-4 AMA National at Fontana, the track time provided by Michelin may be more valuable than usual to the non-factory riders.

The other riders at Fontana include:

A.J. Amman
Steve Atlas
Morgan Broadhead
Sam Carnibucci
William Clark
Tim Cook
Jim Davis
Chris Gilbert
Matt Hartlieb
Brad Hendry
Ken Hill
Tyler Jones
Dale Kieffer
Mark Ledesma
Alex McElyea
Chris Peris
Chad Rolland
Corey Sarros
Chris Siglin
Ed Sorbo
Blair Sullenger
Ben Thompson
Chris Ulrich

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Riders will have one 40-minute practice session before having to qualify for the Superstock and Formula Xtreme races at Daytona next month.

An event schedule mailed to credential holders by AMA Pro Racing shows that Superstock riders have a single practice session on Wednesday, March 3, from 8:50 to 9:30 a.m., before the Group 1 Superstock qualifying session running from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. and a Group 2 Superstock qualifying session running from 1:40 to 2:10 p.m.

Riders will be separated into Group 1 or Group 2 based on their lap times in the undivided single practice session Wednesday morning.

Formula Xtreme entrants face the same situation, with one practice session running from 10:20 to 11:00 a.m. before Group 1 Qualifying from 2:20 to 2:50 p.m. and Group 2 Qualifying from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Superbike riders get a 60-minute practice Wednesday morning, from 11:10 to 12:10, with Group 1 Qualifying running from 3:40 to 4:20 p.m. and Group 2 Qualifying running from 4:30 to 5:10 p.m.

BMW BoxerCup riders get a practice session from 9:40 to 10:10 a.m. Wednesday morning, one qualifying session running from 5:20 to 5:50 p.m. the same day, and another practice Thursday morning with another qualifying session running from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. Thursday.

Supersport riders get a practice session between 8:00 and 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday morning and another on Thursday morning before Group 1 Qualifying between 11:10 and 11:40 a.m. and Group 2 Qualifying between 11:50 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. Thursday.

A second round of Superbike qualifying is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, followed by the 15-lap Formula Xtreme race at 3:40 p.m. Thursday and the 12-lap Superstock race at 4:40 p.m. Thursday.

The Supersport, BoxerCup, and Superbike races will be held Saturday, March 6.

Friday, March 5 is reserved for the Daytona Supercross.

From a press release issued by the AMA:

AMA ANNOUNCES ‘JUSTICE FOR ALL,’ TARGETS LIGHT SENTENCES

PICKERINGTON, OHIO — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced “Justice for All,” a new nationwide initiative that will focus on inadequate sentencing of drivers who seriously injure or kill motorcyclists.

“Justice for All” will advocate legislation establishing tougher penalties when traffic offenses or criminal actions by other motorists result in a motorcyclist’s death or serious injury, a move that also would benefit other vulnerable road users such as bicyclists and pedestrians. The program will include cooperation with state and local motorcycling organizations, efforts by AMA Community Councils, and a variety of opportunities for individual motorcyclists and other concerned citizens to become involved.

“Justice for All” also will feature events that coincide with the 2004 Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In late January, after former U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow received just 100 days in a South Dakota county jail for second-degree manslaughter related to a traffic crash that claimed a motorcyclist’s life, the AMA expressed its disappointment in the sentence, not only because it represented an inadequate penalty for that crime, but because it’s an example of injustice that occurs in courtrooms all over the country.

“We believe it’s important to take constructive action that reaches far beyond the borders of South Dakota,” said Edward Moreland, Vice President of AMA Government Relations. “Instead of directing our energy toward something that’s already happened, we urge all motorcyclists to work with us to change the way the justice system sentences drivers who kill motorcyclists, and to prevent similar tragedies and injustices in states and communities nationwide.”

More details about “Justice for All” will be announced soon on the AMA’s website, AMADirectlink.com, and in American Motorcyclist magazine. For more information on becoming involved in “Justice for All” and other issues affecting American motorcyclists, contact Sean Maher, AMA Director of State Affairs, at [email protected], or Terry Lee Cook, AMA Government Relations Specialist, at [email protected].