From a press release issued by Yamaha:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS
Sepang, Malaysia
Monday, January 26, 2004

Track temperature: 44 degrees C
Ambient temperature: 30 degrees C
Humidity: 57%

YAMAHA DRAWS STRENGTH FROM SEPANG SESSION

In gruelling heat Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team) was inside his own previous lap record of 2:03.82 at the 5.548km Sepang track in testing today. He recorded a best time of 2:02.75 in the final session of this intensive three-day test putting in a total of 59 laps. But the reigning MotoGP World Champion is keen to put in more hard development work here in just over two weeks time.

“We did some good work,” he said. “The time we made was good for a first test, but tyres and chassis settings were the main aim here. I’ve really enjoyed my first three days with Yamaha, I’m very happy. There’s still work to do on the engine and we’ll carry on with that, but overall things have been good.”

The World Champion’s Crew Chief Jerry Burgess was quietly satisfied with events. “I guess we’re doing okay,” he said. “We’ve achieved enough for a fast time and we were running according to the Michelin test programme. Things have been very harmonious in terms of integration with Yamaha and now we’ll go away and work on whatever the Yamaha Development Group have got for us.”

Rossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team) who rode a best lap of 2:03.72 during an arduous 88-lap stint, was happy with the endurance work he did and feels there is more to come from chassis settings in the weeks ahead.

“The bike feels better with the 16.5-inch front tyre,” said the hard-charging Spaniard who tried both 17-inch and 16.5-inch fronts. “The race endurance test was not so bad, and this was only the first test of the season. Of course we’ve got more to do but we have all we need to achieve results.”

Checa’s Crew Chief Antonio Jimenez was content with the three days work at this early stage of the testing programme. “The race simulation distance test provided valuable information for us,” he said. “We were focussed on that and this is just the beginning of our programme.”

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio was frank about his surprise at the rapid progress made here at Sepang. “I didn’t honestly expect we’d be at his level so soon,” he said. But the Italian expressed caution too. “All our competitors will work hard this winter too, but this is a good first test to motivate everyone in the team and everyone from Yamaha.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) rode 52 laps and put in a best time of 2:05.55. “Better than yesterday,” said the tough Italian, still sore from recent shoulder surgery. “In the end the bike was okay but I took time to adjust to the 16.5-inch front tyre I tried today. At the moment my mind is strong but not my body.”

Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) couldn’t quite make the most of a selection of Michelin tyres that suited his style well. “That was a bit so-so,” said the experienced Japanese rider. “We’re still not quite there with the settings, but we have not worked together before as a team. Even so I couldn’t get the time I felt the tyres were capable of.” Abe rode 52 laps with a best lap of 2:05.05.

Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team Director Herve Poncharal believes his newly formed team benefited greatly from this Yamaha-only test. “We needed this first test to establish communication with new riders. For Marco this is his first ride since Phillip Island last year and he’s not 100% fit yet. The 16.5-inch front tyre is helping him and we weren’t here for lap times anyway – that’s not an excuse – it’s a fact. Norick is more of a racer than a tester and he looks very motivated. As the team begins to understand his needs more, we can expect more from him too.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom had a close call Monday morning during day two of an AMA team tire test at Daytona International Speedway.

After only a few laps on his A bike, which received a new engine overnight, Bostrom was entering turn one at speed when smoke came from his Ducati 999. Bostrom’s bike then continued to smoke as he went out of view and into the infield. Bostrom then did not come back around to the pits.

“It was something with the front brakes,” Bostrom told Roadracingworld.com, explaining that his front brake system started leaking brake fluid onto him and his bike. “I got lucky it was only on the right side of the tire. I went through (left hand) turn one with no problem, but as soon as I got on the right side of the tire (in turn two) it spun up real bad. I went to grab the front brake and only half of the brake (power) was there. You don’t realize how fast you’re going into the International Horseshoe until you have no brakes. I still had some front brakes or else I would’ve had to jump off it.”

Bostrom got his bike slowed enough to stay on the track but stalled his Ducati.

The track was shut down for approximately 15 minutes while Bostrom’s Ducati was retrieved and the track inspected.

Bostrom had not returned to the track as of one hour later.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

Mike Sanchez was the big winner at the Church of Speed’s Festival of Speed at No Problem Raceway in Louisiana, taking home the biggest payout of $1700. Sanchez won the first Expert race, a 20-lap event, on his Shogun Motorsports/Raceworx Suzuki GSX-R750. He then finished second in the second race, which was 25 laps in length.

Following qualifying on Saturday, riders were divided according to their top qualifying time. The top one-third of riders were put into the Expert class for the races, the middle went into the Novice class, and the final third were in the Trophy class. Each class had two races, but only Expert had a payout. Payout was determined by each rider’s combined best finish, with the second race carrying more weight because of its longer length.

In the first race, Greg Moore and Shane Stoyko battled for the lead in the early laps, until Moore’s tires began to wear and he fell back. Sanchez was able to move past both riders to take the lead, which he held for the final five laps.

Stoyko’s RacerSupply.com Suzuki GSX-R1000 hit a slick paint stripe on the final lap and he crashed, giving Moore second place on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Ben Thompson finished third on a Shogun Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600.

Moore took the lead from the start for the second race, building up a lead of about nine seconds over Heath Small on a Formula Xtreme-spec Shogun Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 and Sanchez.

On lap 22, Moore highsided violently coming out of the final turn onto the front straight. He was airlifted to the hospital with a suspected compound break of his femur. The race was red-flagged, and Small was credited with the win, while Sanchez was second and David Tullier was third on a Suzuki GSX-R750.

Sanchez’ first and second place finishes gave him the most points, and the top payout of $1700. Small received $900 and Thompson got $700.

In the two Novice races, BBC Racing’s Martin Musil won both on his Suzuki SV650. He won the first race by about 10 seconds, but had to battle with Jason Pirtle and David Chaplain before winning the second. Pirtle and Chaplain finished second and third, respectively, in both races.

Trenton Corday won the first Trophy race, while Nohl Haeckel was second and Chris Lossie was third. In the second Trophy race, Lossie won, followed by Luke Smith in second and Haeckel in third.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Monday, the second day of a special two-day AMA test at Daytona International Speedway involving teams and riders from three different tire manufacturers, is going to be the critical day for everyone involved with the test.

On Monday, Dunlop’s Superstock racers will start pushing their 17-inch slicks toward race distance after limiting its riders to no more than 10 laps on any one tire on Sunday, according to the teams.

In December, Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo had his rear Dunlop explode at 180 mph while he was on lap 11 of a race-distance run. No other Dunlop rider has gone as far on a Superstock bike with 17-inch slicks as DiSalvo at either the December or the current test.

Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom will also be doing important Michelin testing Monday to evaluate tires the French company constructed based on data from its test at Daytona last December.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec will have to do extra long-distance testing Monday as Haskovec’s teammate Steve Rapp will not ride Monday. Rapp’s Suzuki GSX-R1000 developed engine problems Sunday and the bike cannot be repaired for additional testing Monday.

Likewise, Pirelli still needs to evaluate tires it specially constructed last week for this Daytona test but were unable to test Sunday due to the tires being held up in U.S. Customs at the Daytona International Airport.

At lunchtime Monday, AMA Pro Racing officials, of which there are many at Daytona, will meet individually with Pirelli and Michelin to see where they are at with regards to tires. At the end of the day, AMA Pro Racing officials will then meet with Dunlop to get that company’s tire status.

According to AMA Pro Racing Superbike Series Manager Ron Barrick, the information gathered from the tire companies will then be looked at by the sanctioning body officials, who will then decide whether or not any changes to the Daytona race program need to be made.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP star Max Biaggi has bought a house near Laguna Beach, California, where he has been wintering.

Southern California residents have seen a lot of Biaggi, a.k.a. The Roman Emperor, in recent months, and he has been training at motocross tracks in the area.

From a press release issued by FGSport:

Noriyuki Haga Makes Welcome Return to SBK with Renegade Ducati

Pre-season Update 26/01/04

Japan’s spectacular and very popular Noriyuki Haga has signed today in Rome at the FGSport headquarters with the British Renegade Ducati team and will rejoin the World Superbike Championship this year as teammate to rising U.K. star, Leon Haslam.

Haga (28), who has eleven SBK wins to his credit (third among active participants), will test his new Ducati 999 RS for the first time at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit of the Valencian Community on February 2nd and 3rd.

The signing of Haga, coming only weeks after the news that Australia’s Garry McCoy will ride for the Caracchi NCR Ducati team, means that the championship has now been bolstered by the entries of two of road racing’s most exciting riders, both world famous for their broad-sliding, tire-smoking styles and both out to challenge the defending champion Ducati Fila team of Britain’s James Toseland and France’s Regis Laconi.

Renegade is one of several new teams joining SBK for 2004, along with the World Endurance Champion Zongshen squad, entering Italian Piergiorgio Bontempi and Australian Warwick Nowland on GSX-R1000 Suzukis, and the Dutch Ten Kate Honda team, dominant in World Supersport over the last two seasons and now moving up to the Superbike class with reigning the World Supersport Champion, Australian Chris Vermeulen (22), entrusted to campaign Honda’s much-awaited and very promising CBR1000RR Fire Blade.

The start of the 2004 SBK season at Valencia on February 29th is now just five weeks away, but two weeks prior to Round One the World Superbike and World Supersports teams will converge for their final pre-season tests at Valencia on February 11-13, giving all teams an opportunity to try the latest compounds from Pirelli, exclusive supplier of tires for the World Superbike, World Supersport and European Superstock classes under the new rules intended to level the playing field for competitors.

With Haga now signed, the already strong Superbike entry list now promises an even more exciting season, the seventeenth in the history of the FIM’s premier series for 1000cc production-based machines.

Paolo Flammini, FGSport C.E.O. said: “We are delighted to welcome back Noriyuki Haga to the World Superbike. He is a Superbike symbol and we are sure he will grant the fans unmatchable emotions throughout the current and future seasons.”

Mark Griffiths, Renegade team principal added: “In Haga and Haslam I believe we have a very formidable partnership to contest the 2004 Superbike World Championship. The tyre rule enables fair competition for everyone, and we are delighted to be joining the series perhaps at the beginning of a new era for WSBK.”

Noriyuki Haga: “I am really happy to be returning to the Superbike World Championship and to be riding a Ducati for the first time in 10 years! I can promise my fans that I have not lost my exciting style and I intend to finally claim the WSBK title.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Suzuki MotoGP rider John Hopkins and Lee Cycle’s Jeremy Toye represented road racing in the Suzuki Crossover Challenge Saturday night, during the San Diego, California round of the AMA/Clear Channel Supercross series, and neither had good results.

Hopkins crashed in the first practice session coming up short on a jump and injuring his ankle, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the night. He is seeking medical attention today.

Toye, on the other hand, made it to the main event, and had a strong start. Toye was second going into the first turn, and during the first two laps battled for the lead. He took the lead for second time on the second lap, and tried to extend that lead by doubling the long triple section but over-jumped it and hit the face of the third jump, crashing.

Toye was helped off the track, with, like Hopkins, an ankle injury.

Professional mountain bike racer Karim Amour won the race.

The Crossover Challenge is an invitational event put on each year by Clear Channel Entertainment Motor Sports and Suzuki. The event gives celebrities and athletes from other sports the chance to compete aboard identical Suzuki RM125s.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Greg Moore underwent surgery at Lady Of The Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sunday night, as a result of injuries suffered when Moore crashed out of the lead of the featured race at a Church of Speed event, slid past a row of Airfence soft barriers and hit a bare concrete wall at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana Sunday afternoon.

Moore was airlifted to the hospital, and surgeons inserted a rod in his left femur. Moore also suffered a fractured hip and torn tendons in his left knee, but surgeons opted not to repair that damage Sunday night.

Moore is expected to remain in the hospital until Friday, according to his wife, Misty.

From a press release:

Road racer Tim O’Connor was named the recipient of the 2003 John Bettencourt Memorial Sportsman of the Year award during the Loudon Road Racing Series annual Championship Awards presentation banquet.

O’Connor was recognized for his long-time support of the club and his assistance to fellow competitors since beginning road racing in 1986. The award was presented by the Penquin Road Racing School.

“Having personally known John Bettencourt, this is a really special honor for me,” said O’Connor. “John’s enthusiasm for our sport was contagious, he was always willing to talk about racing to anyone who asked and never had a big ego over his accomplishments. This is definitely the best thing I’ve ever won, and means the most to me.”

O’Connor started racing in 1986 in AAMRR, which became LRRS, winning class Championships in Lightweight Grand Prix in 1989, and GTU in 1993. He started his professional career in 1989 in the AMA 250 Grand Prix class. O’Connor carried National Number 56 on his Yamaha TZ250s for many years until the class’ demise this year.