Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Dennis Noyes

Contrary to today’s earlier posting, sources close to the Suzuki MotoGP team have informed us that they had not planned to test this week at Phillip Island and had instead previously booked tests at Phillip Island on February 23-26.

Most journalists present at Sepang, including our on-site source, believed that Suzuki was intending to participate in the earlier tests that are now in progress.

The extra week will give both John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts additional time to recover from their recent injuries. Hopkins is recovering from surgery after fracturing both ankles during practice for an exhibition race at the San Diego AMA Supercross. Roberts suffered a bruised collarbone when he crashed on the first day of testing at Sepang on January 22, when a Bridgestone tire exploded at high speed. The fact that Roberts did not participate in the remaining two days of the test fueled speculation that the former 500cc World Champion might have suffered more serious injuries. A broken collarbone usually keeps a rider off the bike for 14 to 21 days while a bruised collarbone, though painful, is a much less serious injury. Journalists in Sepang apparently speculated that Roberts’ injury was more serious because of conflicting information released earlier about the seriousness of John Hopkins’ crash at San Diego. The 20-year-old from Ramona was first described as having “two sprained ankles,” although his injuries were more serious and required surgery.

Both Roberts and Hopkins are expected to be fit by February 23, but, in any event, test riders Kausuke Akiyoshi and Gregorio Lavilla are available. According to his management in Barcelona, Lavilla will travel to Australia and “will probably test.”

From a press release issued by Pro Italia:

Join Pro Italia on February 21st for a guided tour of The Guy Webster Collection of rare Italian racing motorcycles at the California Oil Museum in Santa Paula. In addition to the Museum tour, Guy has invited Pro Italia customers to his home for a behind the scenes look at his private collection of Ducatis, Moto Guzzis, MV Agustas and Moto Morinis and others. This amazing collection was featured in the Fall 2003 issue of Moto-Euro. The group ride to Santa Paula leaves promptly at 10:30am from Pro Italia. Coffee and pastry will be served from 9:30am-10:30am.

Mark your calendars now!

From a press release issued by Yamaha:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS
Phillip Island, Australia
Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Ambient temperature: 23 degrees
Track temperature: 41 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent

Work got underway in Australia today as Yamaha’s MotoGP teams began a three-day test in a windy yet sunny Phillip Island alongside Honda, Ducati and Aprilia. The teams arrived at the weekend directly from Malaysia, where Yamaha have spent a total of six days testing so far this year. This move will be mirrored later in the season with back-to-back GPs in Sepang and Phillip Island, so the teams were looking forward to seeing how the bikes reacted to the move.

World Champion and Yamaha new-recruit Valentino Rossi, who celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday, posted the third fastest unofficial time of the day, recording 1:31.40 towards the end of the session. Just in front of him were Honda riders Colin Edwards (1:31.06) and Sete Gibernau (1:31.37) whilst fellow Italian Max Biaggi (Honda) recorded exactly the same time as Rossi.

New Honda team-mates Nicky Hayden (1:31.67) and Alex Barros (1:31.75) came next, with Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Carlos Checa putting in a pleasing time of 1:32.32, despite having a few problems.

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha men Rossi and Checa both began the day with the set-ups they used in Sepang, keen to see how the bikes would respond at the new circuit. Rossi carried on working with one of the new engine specs he first tested last week while team-mate Checa continued to work on general set-up rather than pushing for a ‘hot-lap.’ The Fortuna Gauloises Yamaha squad of Marco Melandri and Norick Abe had a day of mixed fortunes. Melandri, who fought for the lead here in October before falling, was pleased with his progress today but Abe had a more frustrating time and was unable to find a comfortable set up.


Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) 89 laps, 1:31.40
“This is one of my favourite circuits; some of my best memories of winning have been here. This is a really important test for us because we are seeing how the bike responds at a new circuit, and so far we’ve only tested in Sepang. I’m quite happy so far but have had some small problems today with the gearbox, something we’ve already fixed. Yamaha are really motivated and are helping me to try the new things I want to try. The response of the bike here is good in general, and this is normally a very difficult track so I’m fairly happy. We need to get as many kilometres as possible under our belt this week. “


Carlos Checa (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha) 76 laps, 1:32.58
“I’ve still got big problems with the bike when turning. I can’t find stability at certain points of the track, which is frustrating. We’ve been trying different settings again today but I feel a bit like we are against a wall with nowhere to go! We began with the same set-up as at the race last year and then softened the front and rear, which was an improvement. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.”


Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 75 laps, 1:32.58
“This has been much better than in Sepang. We are working well and I am happy because I can rider for more consecutive laps. My fitness level has improved a lot – at the end of the day I was able to ride for ten laps, then have a short rest, then ride for ten more. The race here is 27 laps in total so this is promising. I had a little pain in my shoulder on the last few laps but in general I am really pleased because I have a better feeling with the bike. I did most laps with older tyres so I was not going for a fast time.”


Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3) 69 laps, 1:34.40
“Today was so bad for me! We started with the Sepang set-up but at this circuit it was totally wrong. Normally when I change circuit I don’t have to change set-up much but here we have had to make many changes. It is a shame because I was always good here with the 500cc. I hope it will be better tomorrow!”

From a press release:

One Shot Racing Answers the Call for Diversity with TrailBlazer Award during Black History Month

Only All African-American Motorcycle Racing Team in AMA History to receive the Trailblazer Award February 21, 2004.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 16, 2004) – One Shot Racing (OSR), the only all-African-American Motorcycle Racing team, is kicking off the 2004 season with receiving the “Trailblazer Award” during the 3rd Annual Awards Celebration Honoring Diversity in Motorsports. The Trailblazer Awards are presented to pioneers in the Motorsports industry.

The Association for Diversity in Motorsports (AFDIM), Winston-Salem State University, Urban Sports Entertainment and NASCAR have partnered to produce this event. The celebration will be held at the Anderson Conference Center in Winston-Salem, NC, on Saturday, February 21, 2004.

Based just outside Washington, D.C., in Bowie, MD, these pioneers are currently the first and only African-American owned, staffed and sponsored race team in the American Motorcycle Association (AMA). OSR will look to compete in nearly a dozen races this season, in three different race leagues and travel over 4000 miles with two fiercely competitive riders poised for success on the track after qualifying for the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Championship Race Series in 2003.

Business leader of this groundbreaking team is Jeffrey Coles, President and Chief Executive Officer of One Shot Racing. Coles, who earned his MBA from American University, provides strategic planning for OSR’s future. Completing the visionary business team is Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Rudy Blyden, a television editor and graduate of Morgan State University, who partners with Coles, provided the initial inspiration behind this effort.

“OSR is a company who bridges the disconnection between a market begging to be recognized and an industry blinded by its history (today’s mainstream, the urban culture and the motorsport industry),” Coles stated. “It is one of the most socially and economically important demographics to develop over the past one hundred years. While being one of first and currently only African-American owned and staffed AMA road racing team, OSR represents all that is considered “urban and street”. We are the mainstream.”

The riders on the motorcycles are two Washington, D.C. metropolitan area athletes.

William “Storyteller” Johnson, 31, of Fort Washington, MD, is the former 2001 WERA Heavyweight Twins Champion. A prolific personal writer, thus the nickname, Johnson races two Suzuki GSX-R 600’s and competes in the 600cc Supersport and Formula Extreme classes.

Adrian “Buzzoman” Jones, 26, of Upper Marlboro, MD, made his mark as a rookie 2002 WERA 750cc Superbike Champion. An information technology professional, Jones, races two Suzuki GSX-R 600’s and like his teammate competes in the 600cc Supersport and Formula Extreme classes.

OSR is a private entity launched in 2003 with no corporate backing, an amazing feat in today’s racing market. Sponsorship development is now in full-gear with the original backers coming from the Super Bike industry. “The fact that we made it to the AMA without corporate backing lets those potential sponsors know just how passionate we are about this sport ” Coles said.

OSR’s first race for the season is the AMA’s Daytona International Speedway Event, March 3-6, 2004. Speed Channel (www.speedtv.com), the leading racing cable channel in the U.S. reaching over 70 million homes, will broadcast all of the races OSR will compete in. Off the track, an important cultural and socio-economic component of OSR is their target approach for style and apparel for the Urban demographic, lead by Miline Leather (www.milineusa.com).

For further information, visit www.oneshotracing.com, One Shot Racing’s official web site.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Michelin testing scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday at California Speedway in Fontana, California has been postponed to Thursday and Friday.

Tires flown in for the test are held up in U.S. Customs and will not be released in time for testing tomorrow.

From a press release issued by series organizers:

MORE POWER FOR 2004

TORONTO, ON A major rule change has been announced for the 2004 Parts Canada Superbike Championship.

Based on impressive early indications regarding the performance levels of the machinery due to enter the feature class this summer, the maximum horsepower in the Superbike category has been increased to 170 hp. The previously announced limit for the 2004 season was 160 hp. Last year maximum horsepower was set at 155 hp.

The decision, unprecedented in the history of Canada’s premier motorcycle road racing division was made following a meeting between series organizer Professional Motorsports Productions and representatives from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha late last month. Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha are all introducing new motorcycles for the feature class this year.

“There is no question that the pace of development of sport bikes has reached a remarkable level in recent years,” said Colin Fraser of PMP. “We thought it was wise to adjust our horsepower limit now and give our Superbike competitors plenty of time to prepare for the new season. No further adjustments to this guideline will be made during 2004.”

Minimum weight in the Superbike class remains 360 lbs.

The 2004 Parts Canada Superbike Championship opens at Shannonville Motorsport Park May 20-23.

Horsepower and weight limits in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike and International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike categories remain unchanged. Horsepower for the two national support classes is restricted to 115 hp while weight is set at a minimum of 350 lbs.

Maximum horsepower and minimum weight restrictions have been central to the 600 Sport Bike rules in the national series since the start of the 1997 season but this is the second year that a maximum horsepower limit has been used in the feature class. The top finishers from qualifying and race action are measured on the series’ official Dynojet Dyno as soon as they come off the track.

Last year’s introduction of horsepower restrictions to the Parts Canada Superbike feature class helped produce some of the closest racing the sport has seen in its 25 years. Six different riders scored wins in the eight series events and four competitors remained in contention for the title right up to the final weekend of the season. All four major Japanese manufacturers earned Superbike race wins.

Pascal Picotte of St-Cecile de Milton, QC, riding a Yamaha YZF-R1 won his first Canadian national Superbike crown by just six points over Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier and nine clear of Rock Forest, QC rider Francis Martin. Both Crevier and Martin raced Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycles.

This year’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship consists of eight races over six tour stops, including doubleheader events at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park July 2-4 and Mosport International Raceway, near Bowmanville, ON July 15-18.

From a press release issued by Baker Race Gear:

Baker Race Gear announces New BRG/Midwest Axxion Center Racing Team

Team Baker Race Gear/Midwest Axxion Center will compete in the 2004 Formula USA series. Brian Baker and Matt Malterer are returning to the team with 2 new additions, 1999 AMA Pro Thunder Champion Shawn Conrad and Andy Feuersthaler. Team BRG will be competing for the FUSA Team Challange, Supersport, Superbike, and Formula Sportbike Championships on 2004 Suzuki GSXR 600s and 750s.

All four team members will concentrate on the FUSA Team Challenge championship. Brian Baker/Shawn Conrad will compete in FUSA Sportbike and Superbike. Matt Malterer/Andy Feuersthaler will compete in Formula Sportbike with Andy also competing in FUSA Superbike.

Brian Baker (Team Owner/Manager) “We are looking forward to the start of the 2004 season at Daytona. We are ready and I feel we have a strong team of riders that have proven to work well together during our off season training. The FUSA series will be very competitive, we are up to the task and we may even suprise a few people. We also had a great off season securing some new sponsorships that will, no doubt, help us reach our goals for the 2004 Formula USA series.”

Team Baker Race Gear/Midwest Axxion Center sponsors for 2004: Baker Race Gear/Midwest Axxion Center, Pirelli, Vesrah, Traxxion Dynamics, Air Tech, Vortex, Woodcraft-cfm, Scooter Therapy, Lone Wrench Performance Engines, University Audio, Spyder Leather Works, and Tire Bakers.

For more information contact Baker Race Gear/Midwest Axxion Center at (414) 916-9559 or visit their website at www.Axxioncenters.com (under Baker Race Gear).

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

REPSOL TO SPONSOR AMA SUPERSTOCK SERIES

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Feb. 16, 2004) — Repsol, the world’s seventh largest petroleum company, will be the title sponsor of the AMA Superstock Series beginning with the 2004 racing season.

Andy Leisner, AMA Pro Racing Vice President, welcomes the company to AMA racing and is excited to have the brand aboard. “Repsol is a world leader in motorcycle racing and performance, largely because of their connection with MotoGP racing,” said Leisner. “We are thrilled to be associated with Repsol and are confident that their involvement with our series will help them grow their brand in the United States.”

Maurice Murray, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Global Motorsport Group, the parent company of Repsol’s exclusive distributor, Motorcycle Stuff agrees. “We’re looking to aggressively grow our presence in the United States and the AMA Superstock Series is the ideal vehicle for us,” said Murray. “The Superstock class promises to be one of the most competitive classes in 2004 so we expect to receive a great deal of exposure for Repsol. We’re planning to take our leadership position in MotoGP and apply it to the AMA series, too.”

Interestingly, both Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden, brothers of top MotoGP rider and Repsol-sponsored Nicky Hayden, are expected to be top competitors in the AMA Superstock class. Nicky, the middle son in the three racing brothers, was the 2002 AMA Superbike Champion before moving on to contest the 2003 MotoGP season where he finished fifth in the points and was named Rookie of the Year. With five wins to his credit, Tommy Hayden lead the AMA Superstock class in 2003 narrowly missing out on the championship. As the class has now expanded to include 1000cc bikes, the eldest Hayden looks to be a championship favorite.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hello, my name is Darren Behm, I met you a few times while racing in the WERA Southeast Region and more recently in some of the RPM events at Texas World. I have been racing for about 10 years, but now am in Iraq and taking a little leave (from racing) you could say.

I recently have been able to stay in touch with racing news and have visited your site recently, many interesting developments this past year. Do you know what stations the Daytona 200 is being broadcast on? We are able to see some racing on Armed Forces Network, maybe I can find the Daytona 200

Respectfully,

Darren Behm
Somewhere In Iraq


The Daytona 200 will be shown live on SPEED Channel on Saturday, March 6….Editor.

From a press release issued by ISC Motorsports:

REWARDS PROGRAM OFFERS FANS EXCLUSIVE RACE EXPERIENCES

International Speedway Corporation announces Race Rewards* Credit Card program

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Fans can now gain access to celebrate in Victory Lane through a newly announced rewards program! Race fans visiting International Speedway Corporation-owned motorsports facilities can turn purchases into ticket and merchandise savings, behind the scenes track tours and other exclusive race experiences.

The International Speedway Race Rewards* VisaÒ allows cardholders to earn two percent back in the form of LAPSTM for every dollar spent on qualified Race Rewards purchases with the card. Qualified facilities include Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, California Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, North Carolina Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Nazareth Speedway.

“This rewards program is an easy way for fans to get behind the scenes where not many other people get to go,” said ISC Vice President of Sales and Marketing Paul Phipps. “We’re excited to offer this unique and exclusive opportunity to our fans.”

Fans can earn 2 LAPSTM for every dollar spent on qualified purchases and 1 LAPTM for every dollar spent anywhere Visa credit cards are accepted. Use LAPSTM toward the purchase of tickets and merchandise or save LAPSTM to earn access to special race experiences like celebrating in Victory Lane or going behind the scenes on a VIP tour.

Lincoln, Nebraska-based World’s Foremost Bank, the fastest growing bank in Nebraska, will serve as the credit-card issuer, providing co-branded Visa cards to customers and clients.

For more information on this unique program, call 1-800-843-5940.