From a press release issued by Dorna:

Classic duel to resume at Veltins Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

The battle for supremacy in the MotoGP World Championship continues this weekend with the eighth round of a stunning season at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany. Event organisers have already promised record crowds for the Veltins Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, with only a handful of tickets still remaining and a guaranteed weekend attendance higher than last year’s record breaking total of 204,000.

The focus of the attraction centres around a classic struggle for premier-class dominance between Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau and their respective factories, Yamaha and Honda. Last year both were riding Honda machinery in one of the tightest finishes of the year, when Gibernau took victory by 0.060 seconds after overtaking Rossi on the final bend. This weekend they arrive in Germany on the back of arguably their closest finish yet, with both riders picking up zero points after crashing out of the last round in Brazil and remaining tied at the top of the championship on 126, with Rossi just on top by virtue of a better win ratio.

Whilst Gibernau can turn to last year’s victory for confidence, Sachsenring is not one of Rossi’s favourite circuits despite two previous wins there in the 250cc and MotoGP classes. Along with Estoril and Motegi it is one of only three circuits at which Rossi has not had a pole position in the premier-class, a run he will surely be looking to put to an end to ensure grid superiority at a tight and twisty track where overtaking can be notoriously difficult.

Max Biaggi continues his quest to make the title chase a party of three after moving within thirteen points of the leading pair thanks to second place at Rio, a result which also made him only the tenth rider in the history of the sport to reach the 50th podium milestone. Three of those rostrum finishes came at Sachsenring, including a win in 2001, and another victory this weekend would be the ideal way to mark the halfway point of the season after a consistent first seven races which have all seen Biaggi score points – Colin Edwards and Loris Capirossi being the only other two riders to match that achievement.

Whilst the experienced trio of Rossi, Gibernau and Biaggi continue to dominate at the top of the championship, Makoto Tamada proved beyond questionable doubt that there are other winners amongst the ultra-competitive MotoGP field with his stunning victory in Brazil just over a week ago. As well as making history as the first man ever to set a fastest lap and take victory on Bridgestone tyres, beating Michelin for the first time since Simon Crafar’s famous win with Dunlop at Donington Park in 1998, Tamada also ended a record run of 37 races since Tohru Ukawa became the last debut winner in the class at Welkom in 2002.

On current form Nicky Hayden heads the queue of riders looking to make sure the latter sequence does not gather pace again after pushing Honda colleagues Tamada and Biaggi all the way for victory in Brazil before claiming his first podium of the season in third place. Unlike Tamada, who had a miserable time at Sachsenring last year with his worst qualifying performance of the season and thirteenth in the race, the American youngster has positive memories of Germany having scored his first ever top five finish in MotoGP on his first visit there last year.

Back at Yamaha Valentino Rossi is not the only rider looking to make up for a bad weekend in Rio, with Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri in particular hoping for better fortune after hitting each other during a disappointing race which saw them finish behind factory colleague Norick Abe in tenth and thirteenth respectively. However, they will be buoyed by their past form at Sachsenring and that of their factory, with Checa one of an all-Yamaha podium alongside Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano in 2001 and Melandri having won three times in the minor categories, including his first ever win on a 250 in 2001.

Kenny Roberts arrives in Germany looking to build on Suzuki’s best finish of the season and a morale boosting pole position in Brazil. The former World Champion took seventh place in Rio and has a strong base to build on as the factory look to make further progress at Sachsenring, where he rode from pole position to victory in 1999 before scoring pole again in 2000, when he also took a podium finish.

Ducati have confirmed that they will be making two versions of their Twin Pulse engine available to both riders this weekend as they also look to build on a good record at Sachsenring and consolidate the progress they have made in recent weeks. Troy Bayliss finished behind Gibernau and Rossi on the podium in third place last year whilst Loris Capirossi took fourth, the only time both riders have finished together in the top four.

Elsewhere, Michel Fabrizio is expected to return for the WCM team after missing out in Brazil with a fractured ankle, although if he is declared unfit then Spanish rider David De Gea is again likely to deputise.

Manuel Poggiali gave Aprilia their 99th victory in the 250cc class at Rio last week and the chances of the Italian factory making that a century in Germany look strong, Aprilia riders having won four out of the past six races at Sachsenring whilst main Honda hope Dani Pedrosa failed to score a podium there in three attempts in the 125cc class. However, quarter-litre rookie Pedrosa is flying high on confidence after wrestling the championship lead back from Randy De Puniet and will be backed up by factory colleagues eager to taste the winner’s champagne for the first time this season, with Roberto Rolfo having scored the Japanese factory’s only victory there last year and Toni Elias, who contributed six wins to Aprilia’s potential century, ready to return to the top step after four podiums from the last five races.

Hector Barberá has established himself as one of the most consistent points-scorers in 125cc history after his seventeenth consecutive top fifteen finish at Rio, where the added bonus of victory took him to within sixteen points of Andrea Dovizioso at the top of the championship. Whilst Barberá looks to be Dovizioso’s most serious current threat, he is actually just one of three riders who could snatch the series lead this weekend, with Roberto Locatelli and Casey Stoner, who have both scored podiums in Germany in recent seasons, also within striking distance of the Italian teenager.

From a press release issued by Dorna:

The wild-card riders who will race in the Veltins Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, scheduled at Sachsenring on July 18th next, are the following:


250cc class
42 – Gregory Leblanc (FRA-Aprilia)
48 – Yves Polzer (AUT-Honda)

125cc class
20 – Georg Fröhlich (GER-Honda)
39 – Patrick Unger (GER-Aprilia)
40 – Manuel Mickan (GER-Honda)

From a press release issued by AMA Sports:

AMA SPORTS ADDS OPEN PRO CLASS IN JULY 22 MID-OHIO FOUR-HOUR

An Open Pro class has been added to the race lineup for the July 22 AMA Sports Mid-Ohio Four Hour endurance race which will conclude the 2004 AMA Road Race Grand Championships.

The class is open to all AMA Pro Racing license holders except those who are restricted by AMA Pro Racing rules from testing at Mid-Ohio prior to the July 23-25 AMA Pro Racing Honda Supercycle Weekend.

The AMA Sports Mid-Ohio Four-Hour will begin on Thursday morning, July 22, at 9 a.m. In the event of delays or red-flag situations the race clock will continue to run and the checkered flag will fall at 1 p.m. That will conclude all on-track activity on Mid-Ohio’s challenging 2.4-mile road course until AMA Pro practice opens on Friday morning.

Teams in the AMA Sports Endurance Race may consist of 2-5 riders, and all teams in the Open Pro class must include at least one AMA Pro Racing license holder. Subject to entry availability, solo pro riders may enter as exhibition riders, but will be required to make a 30-minute pit stop. An entry will consist of one machine (no backup machines are allowed) and the team riders declared on the official entry form.

The entry fee for the event is $250 per team, and all family and crew members will be required to pay a $10 gate fee.

Entries are available from AMA Sports at http://www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/2004/rr/index.asp or you may sign up at the event.

The AMA Sports Mid-Ohio Four Hour will be the final pro-am event of a busy week leading up to the July 23-25 AMA Honda Supercycle Weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The activities will begin with an AHRMA Vintage National Road Race during the July 16-18 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. There will be a track day on Monday, July 19, and the 2004 AMA Road Race Grand Championships take center stage on July 20-21.



See related post:

7/3/2004 AMA Sports May Charge AMA Pro Hard Card Holders To Enter Mid-Ohio On Thursday Before AMA Pro National; Long List Of AMA Pro Privateers Excluded From Event

From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

TITLE PRESSURE MOUNTS AS MAX FINDS FORM

After a riveting Rio Grand Prix two weeks ago where mighty Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V), riding on Bridgestone tyres, recorded his first win in the premier class, the show moves on to Germany. Tamada’s victory was significant, but so was the fact that the two title protagonists so far both failed to score points Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) failed to finish the race.

This is the first time this season neither of those riders has scored and it was left to Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) to pick up the points for second and close to within 13 points of the leading duo who are still locked on 126 points apiece. This key German race now marks the halfway point of this 16-race season and none of the leading riders can afford to slip up here.

Last year this was where Gibernau defeated Rossi in one of the great races of the 2003 season. And there’s no reason why this year’s contest should be any less enthralling. If both men succumbed to the undoubted pressure in Brazil, then the pair have to take a more measured approach here in Germany. If they don’t, then the wily Biaggi could well be the benefactor.

The Sachsenring is where the Grand Prix circus returns to more familiar ground. Rio, like Welkom in South Africa, is something of a one-off race, and unpredictable for that. This is a familiar environment 50-miles south-west of Dresden in eastern Germany and although some riders don’t like this roller-coaster of a track they are at least more acquainted with it.

Built near the old public roads circuit, the new Sachsenring is a mere five miles from the old MZ factory the birthplace of the modern two-stroke engine. The track is now 3.671km long after a downhill right-hand bend was added for last year’s race. This is now one of the epic corners in Grand Prix racing.

But there’s more than just one majestic bend to this demanding track. This is a flowing track that works riders and tyres hard. Rubber gets little time to recover between turns and the right-hand side of the tyre gets little work to get it up to temperature in the early laps before huge demands are made of it in the downhill plunge.

The track is one of the slowest of the 16 venues only three tracks have a lower top speed. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) recorded 283 km/h here in 2003. Indeed, some riders use only four gears out of six available such is the tight nature of this track. Riders also use less full throttle than at any other track.

Gibernau is among the riders that find it tough here, despite his win last year. “It’s slow and difficult,” he said. “But then again it was one of the best races of my life last year. The last two turns offer good overtaking opportunities and the descent is the quickest and the most difficult part of the track. The bike settings need to be spot-on to get drive out of the slower turns. But the crowd is amazing and I have lots of support from fan clubs based here.”

For Biaggi the Sachsenring represents a challenge and the Roman appreciates the demands it makes on a rider. “The track is winding with no real straight,” he said. “It’s unique. You need a very agile bike and you need it set-up by Saturday because the way qualifying is going these days a front row start is a must. A good grid position is vital here because the first part of the track is very narrow and it doesn’t open out until the last part you don’t have time to make up positions if you get a bad start here.”

Biaggi set pole here last year and also holds the lap record at 1m 24.630s. But his team-mate Tamada will be a threat here. The Japanese rider has endured a great loss recently having flown to Japan last weekend for his Mother’s funeral. Grief notwithstanding, Tamada will be racing to win as ever.

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) is hardly a fan of this track, but after a tough home race in Brazil, he needs to get back in the groove here as the halfway point of the season approaches. “I’m hoping we can make progress here,” he said. “The season so far has been pretty frustrating for the team. There are times when the bike feels great in practice and then it all goes wrong. Sometimes it’s the other way round. We had front-end trouble in Rio and this is a track where you don’t want front end trouble.”

His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) has been showing stronger as the season gels and after a third place in Rio, he needs another big result. “The Rio result came at the right time,” said the American. “I’ve had ups and downs this season and I need to string another race together with a front row start and a podium finish. I didn’t qualify so well here last year, but I enjoyed the race and learned a lot. I need a few strong finishes to get me where I need to be in the Championship.”

Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) has been consistent this year, but not as far up the finishing order as he would like. “This is a strange, tight track,” said the Texan. “The tyres are under a lot of strain and it’s vital to make the right choice so they don’t overheat on the left-side. Then there’s the downhill right that you have to be careful on in the first few laps because that side of the tyre takes a bit more time to get up to temperature. It’s not a track I really like.”

In the 250cc class Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250R) is leading the World Championship points standings in his rookie year. He has won two races this season, finished second four times and only failed to finish once.

“Sachsenring is a fairly twisty circuit where the difference between the bikes is small and the times are always very close together,” said Pedrosa. “They say that the 250cc bikes set similar speeds here to MotoGP and I’m looking forward to finding that out for myself. I’m sure that it’s going to be a tough race and the weather isn’t certain at the moment. At least we have had a week to rest after Rio and recharge the batteries. Now we’ve got two races in two weeks before the holidays and there’ll be no time to recover in between. Sachsenring is not one of my favourite circuits but hopefully we can do a good job in qualifying and come away with a satisfactory result.”

Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) lies fourth overall in the title standings and is finding his form as the season unfolds. “I have a good feeling going into this race,” he said. “I like the track and was a little unlucky here last year. My mind is focused on the bike performance and it’s getting better. I have to start winning soon podiums are not enough to make up the points difference. The last podium was good because I finished ahead of de Puniet and Porto. But I need a win and Sachsenring and Donington give me two chances before the break.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) leads the 125cc title challenge by 16 points from Hector Barbera (Aprilia) and the young Honda man has it all to do on his own among the Aprilia and KTM title chasers. But he’s shown he’s more than up to the challenge.
“Now it’s the Sachsenring,” he said. “A place I must say that I don’t like so much. So it will be a case of taking what I can from this race. The bike works well and only Barbera’s machine is faster on top speed than mine, but I have good acceleration and I will need it on Sunday. But then comes Donington Park a place I love.”

Elit Honda riders Thomas Luthi and Dario Giuseppetti are expected to return to racing at the Sachsenring, both competing in the 125cc GP aboard RS125R Honda’s

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. Responding to racer frustration over their inability to buy Honda CBR1000RR racing kit parts from American Honda, a gray market importer who used to specialize in 250cc Grand Prix machines says he will import and sell CBR1000RR kit parts. Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) racing kit parts for the CBR1000RR are readily available from dealers in Japan, but have not been made available to U.S. racers by American Honda. At Laguna Seca this weekend, CBR1000RR racers Jack Pfeifer and Jeff Tigert both said that they could not get racing kit parts from American Honda. It was at Laguna that a frustrated Pfeifer learned that a friend of his with a dealer connection in Japan had been able to purchase an HRC piston kit and suspension parts for use on his CBR1000RR streetbike, while racers with CBR1000RR Hondas continue to use stock parts. Pfeifer said he went so far as to obtain part numbers for Honda racing kit parts and gave the list to American Honda’s racing parts manager several months ago, and then was told that he couldn’t order parts on that list. Reacting to CBR1000RR racer frustration at Laguna Seca, Karl Uribe of Snarl Sport checked with his Japanese contacts–which he used to source new and used 250cc GP machines prior to AMA Pro eliminating the 250cc class for 2004–and found that he will be able to obtain CBR1000RR HRC racing kit parts to import and sell to U.S. racers. Uribe told Roadracingworld.com, “Kit parts for the CBR1000RR are available, but I cannot quote prices for individual components yet, due to the fact that the price list and description of parts is only available to me in Japanese. The individual per-line translation of the parts book will take some time. But parts are available and once we know the prices, delivery of parts can occur as soon as two weeks depending on shelf availability in Japan.” Uribe can be contacted via e-mail or phone, [email protected], www.snarlsport.com, (415) 666-0130.

From a press release issued by Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:

MID-OHIO HOSTS MOTORCYCLE HISTORY AT VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE DAYS

DUBLIN, Ohio (July 12, 2004) -The history of all things two-wheeled will come to life on one spectacular weekend during AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, July 16-18 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Thousands of bikes representing the history of motorcycle racing and riding roar out of the past, full throttle.

An event like no other held in the United States, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days celebrates the people and machines that make up motorcycling’s rich heritage. Since its inception at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1992, the event has grown into a complete weekend hosting hundreds of competitors and more than 900 vendors in the Will Stoner Swap Meet, the largest of its kind in the country.

Though the bikes may be vintage, the racing action remains fresh every year. On the track, the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association’s (AHRMA) vintage motorcycles will power through thunder valley and maneuver through the “esses” all weekend long. AHRMA Vintage Motocross will once again race over Mid-Ohio’s rolling hills on both Saturday and Sunday. AHRMA Vintage Time Trials snake through Mid-Ohio’s terrain in an off-road adventure during Friday’s activities.

BMW will be the Featured Marque of the 2004 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, with a plethora of activities celebrating the marque’s historic past. The BMW Mobile Tradition Display will exhibit classic motorcycles and memorabilia. Riders rolling in on their BMW bikes will be able to park in a designated BMW only parking area, located conveniently in Mid-Ohio’s infield. Demo rides throughout the weekend will allow licensed motocyclists to test drive new models from BMW, as well as Harley-Davidson, Buell, Triumph, and Moto-Guzzi.

World Stunt Champion Jean-Pierre Goy, well known for his spectacular stunts in several James Bond films, will treat spectators to daring performances throughout the weekend event. Performing on a variety of different BMW models, Goy executes rolling burnouts in clouds of smoke, wheelies in tight circles, terrifies hapless volunteers from the audience, and, otherwise defies the laws of physics during his stunts. Goy is the world-record holder for the longest continuous wheelie at over 100 miles.

Seminars, live music by Terry Davidson and The Gears, and Rhett Rotten’s Wall of Death will provide entertainment off-track to add to the weekend’s many activities.

The ever-growing Will Stoner Swap Meet will consume a 35-acre area with over 900 vendors. Everything from fully running bikes to pieces and parts for those classic machines will be available for purchase or trade.

For more information or tickets, call 1-800-MID-OHIO or visit Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on-line at www.midohio.com.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.4-mile, 15-turn permanent road racing circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Mid-Ohio’s 2004 schedule features seven spectator events, including the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days (July 16-18), Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire (July 23-25), EMCO Gears Mid-Ohio Road Racing Classic (August 6-8), Unlimited Audio and Accessories presents the Triple Crown Tuner Challenge (August 21-22) and SCCA National Championship Runoffs(r) presented by Kohler (September 20-26).

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Inc. is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.

From a press release:

WCBR WINS AT PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Portland, OR; This past weekends Portland Historic (auto) Races at Portland International Raceway, included for the first time, historic motorcycles. VMOTO www.vintagemoto.com joined forces with the HMSA (Historic Motor Sports Assoc.) to showcase vintage motorcycle racing to the North-West residents. With a variety of machines ranging from 160cc to 750cc, VMOTO participants practiced Friday, and then qualified for grid positions Saturday morning. Saturday’s 8-lap feature was the first race after lunch. WCBR’s Mike Green, mounted on his 1973 Triumph 750 Twin, the same machine he began racing in the late 1970’s, grabbed the lead from the start and never looked back to take the overall win over Richard Haas’ Rob North Triple.

Sunday morning would see Green at the top of the charts for practice times, and again he’d have the pole for Sunday’s race. Richard Haas was first away, with Green second by turn-1. At the entry to turn-3 Green would out brake Haas for the lead. Green won with 27-seconds in the bank.

Of note; Mike Green began racing this Triumph in AFM production and endurance racing in the late 1970’s, later it would race and win in AFM & AMA Battle of The Twins, and in 1987 go vintage racing with AHRMA, winning at Daytona and Steamboat Springs in 1988. The machine would make an appearance at the Donner Hill Climb in 1997 (setting the fastest 750cc practice time) , then again at Laguna Seca in 2003 with VMOTO.

“It was great fun to ride the Triumph in anger once again after all these years! Just the noise out of those TT-pipes in full flight is something I’d long forgotten. Everything worked, for once, and I really enjoyed myself here in Portland this weekend. I’d like to thank the HMSA and the VMOTO crew”, said Green in a post race interview. You can read more about WCBR and the Triumph at www.westcoastbritishracing.com

FYI: It was 20 years ago this month that Chris Quinn and Mike Green founded the California Vintage Racing Group (CVRG) . The CVRG, along with “old AHRMA” were merged in 1989 to create the AHRMA we know today.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

GERMAN GRAND PRIX – Ducati Marlboro Team preview
Sachsenring, July 16/17/18 2004

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN BRING MOMENTUM TO MIDWAY GP

The 2004 MotoGP World Championship reaches half-distance in Germany next weekend with the Ducati Marlboro Team gathering momentum after strong races in the Netherlands and Brazil. Riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss are therefore confident of good performances at the Sachsenring, where they ran well this time last year. The team has been rejuvenated by the arrival of Ducati’s new Twin Pulse engine, which offers riders more user-friendly horsepower to help them cut faster lap and race times. For the first time both riders will have two bikes each equipped with the new engine.

While the Rio GP winner’s race time was 14 seconds faster than last year’s, Capirossi’s was 18 seconds quicker.

“We plan to equip both riders with two Twin Pulse bikes from the Sachsenring onwards,” says Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “The last two races really proved the potential of the new ‘package’. If Loris hadn’t had bad starts at Assen and Rio I believe he could have fought for podium finishes, because in both races his pace was very similar to guys who finished on the rostrum. Anyway, his results at those races prove beyond doubt that we have made a major step forward with the Twin Pulse, especially considering how much the MotoGP pace has increased this season. Finally, we are definitely heading in the right direction, and the bike is still growing with this engine which makes us feel very confident for the next few races. Loris has got his confidence back and I am sure Troy will do the same in Sachsenring”.

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli also feels his crew’s fortunes are improving after a difficult few races at the start of 2004. “Last year the Sachsenring was good for us and this year we hope it will be even better,” he says. “The Twin Pulse engine should improve drive out of the slow corners; it’s not a track where straight-line speed is that important. What matters at this circuit is nimble handling and easy turning, but we won’t make any big changes to our chassis set-up because both Loris and Troy feel very confident on the bike at the moment, so we don’t want to jeopardise that. Like all tracks, you need a compromise between manoeuvrability and stability, but for the Sachsenring I’d say you err on the side of manoeuvrability.”

CAPIROSSI READY TO BUILD ON TWIN PULSE RESULTS
Loris Capirossi comes to Germany fresh from strong result in Brasil, where he finished close to the podium. Assen and Rio races proved beyond doubt that the Twin Pulse engine is the way to go, so the hard-riding Ducati Marlboro Team rider can’t wait to get back on board at the Sachsenring where he finished fourth last year despite a painful crash during the warm up.

“Assen and Rio showed the potential of the Twin Pulse, it’s a much nicer engine to use, especially over race distance,” says Capirossi, currently eighth in the World Championship points standings after scoring points at all seven races, being now only 9 point to 4th position.

“The Sachsenring isn’t a bad track, and yet it’s tricky because it’s easy to go backwards if you make one small mistake. Also, it’s very tight and mostly slow, so overtake isn’t at ball easy, which means doing well in very important. You don’t use full throttle a lot around the Sachsenring, maybe a bit in the second part of the lap but the first section is all half throttle. For sure it’s a good track for the people who are watching, and the Germans fans are incredibly enthusiastic.”

BAYLISS ALL SET TO GET BACK ON TRACK
Troy Bayliss may not have enjoyed the best of results recently but he is nonetheless confident that the German GP may turn the tide for him. The Ducati Marlboro Team man has suffered DNFs at the past three GPs – a broken gearbox bearing at Assen and crashes at Catalunya and Rio – but if last year’s German GP is anything to go by he is in for a better result next weekend.

“We had a good run there last year, ending up on the podium, so let’s hope we can do that again,” says Bayliss. “It’ll be nice to have both bikes with the same engine, I look forward to that. The tests we did at Rio proved again that the Twin Pulse is the way to go – it’s definitely smoother and easy to ride over race distance. The Sachsenring is quite a strange track, especially the first section. And when you get on the bike and ride around it, it’s even slower than it looks from the TV. But I don’t mind it, it’s a bit unusual, with a few blind turns and some bumps, but I enjoy riding around there. Anyway, it’s no good arriving at a track thinking you don’t like it.”

THE TRACK
The Sachsenring first appeared on the World Championship calendar way back in 1961. The high-speed street circuit quickly became one of racing’s most popular venues, regularly attracting a quarter of a million sports-starved East German fans who flocked there to see Western teams take on the Eastern Bloc factories who were using groundbreaking two-stroke technology.

The lethal street circuit hosted its last GP in 1972, an all-new short circuit returning the venue to the calendar in 1998. At that time the new circuit was the slowest in GP racing, with a lap speed of just 143kmh/89mph. Revisions for 2000 upped the pace to 150kmh/93mph and the addition of an extra loop in 2001 (which omitted the only remaining part of the old street circuit) increased lap speeds to 156kmh/97mph. Initially deemed too slow, the Sachsenring is now a popular venue with most GP riders.

Nevertheless the character of the anti-clockwise circuit is still tight and twisty, putting the emphasis on delicate mid-range engine performance rather than brute top-end horsepower. Riders use full throttle for less than 20 per cent of a lap at Sachsenring, as they ease on the power through the twists and turns.

SACHSENRING
3.671km/2.281 miles

Lap record: Max Biaggi (Honda), 1:24.630, 156.157kmh/97.031mph

Pole position 2003: Max Biaggi (Honda), 1:23.734

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS
LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 31 (April 4, 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
GP victories: 23 (1xMotoGP, 2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 207 (37xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 36 (3xMotoGP, 5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Sachsenring 2003 results. Grid: 3rd. Race: 4th

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 35 (March 30, 1969)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
GP starts: 24 (23xMotoGP, 1×250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Sachsenring 2003 results. Grid: 6th. Race: 3rd

From a press release issued by PR firm Vreeke & Associates on behalf of Dunlop:

Honda’s Ben Bostrom reemerges on the podium; Kawasaki’s Hayden brothers maintain winning pace

Monterey, CA –Honda Racing’s Ben Bostrom took center stage on Sunday, July 11 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) 2004 Superbike series, winning his first Superbike race of the season on his CBR1000RR after taking a support class victory in the Formula Xtreme series on Saturday on a CBR600RR. With a dominating performance by Kawasaki Road Racing’s Tommy Hayden on a ZX-10R in the Superstock race and a equally-convincing victory by Hayden’s brother and teammate Roger Lee on a ZX-6RR in the Supersport class, it was another AMA weekend dominated by Dunlop-shod motorcycles.

Dunlop’s performance was punctuated by the comparatively slower lap times of the visiting World Superbike (WSB) teams, whose highly-modified 1000cc machines must compete on mandated Pirelli tires. In fact, Bostrom’s qualifying time of 1:24.906, a new AMA lap record, was more than two seconds faster than the WSB’s pole sitter. Even Hayden’s Superstock pole time of 1:26.382 bested the WSB machines by more than a half-second.

The eighth stop on AMA’s 2004 tour, Laguna Seca is noted for its consistent surface and relatively short straights between turns. With an emphasis on cornering traction, teams often opt for tire compounds that are relatively softer than those used at other AMA venues. Track temperatures, however, rise rapidly under the full sun and add heat to the tires, causing some riders to choose harder compounds for durability. The result is the widest range of tire compounds selected at any of the AMA’s 11 venues. Dunlop brought more than 2000 tires to support the factory teams and support riders in the tour’s four series, and provided the factory-supported Superbike and Superstock teams with five compound choices for both front and rear tires.

The race weekend began on Saturday with Tommy Hayden leading 14 laps of the 17-lap Superstock main event en route to his second victory of the season. In so doing, he pulled him to within five points of series-leader Jamie Hacking, who valiantly rode his Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1 to a sixth-place finish after breaking his collarbone last week. “I came here really confident straight away in practice, and it always makes it easier when you start out on a bike that’s pretty decent,” said Hayden. Hayden’s teammate and brother, Roger Lee, finished less than a second behind, with third place going to Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert. Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes took fourth, Yamaha’s Jason Disalvo was fifth and Yoshimura’s Ben Spies collected seventh on his GSX-R1000. With Erion Racing’s Alex Gobert finishing tenth on a CBR1000RR, Dunlop-shod bikes took nine of the top 10 positions. Hacking maintains the championship lead with 243 points to Tommy Hayden’s 238; Aaron Gobert is close behind in third with 233.

Ben Bostrom returned to winning form with a convincing victory in Saturday’s Formula Xtreme race. Marred by a red flag caused by oil leaking from Jake Zemke’s Erion Racing CBR600RR, Bostrom never relinquished the lead after the restart. “It always feels good to win here,” said Bostrom. “It’s been a long time and it feels pretty unusual to be up here, but it feels good.” Series-leader Miguel Duhamel rode to a solid second-place finish after losing a shift lever on the same lap that was red-flagged. Zemke rode an inspired race to finish third after restarting from the back of the pack. Erion Racing’s Alex Gobert was fourth, Doug Chandler took sixth and Jason Pridmore finished seventh as Dunlop-supported riders took six of the top 10 positions. Duhamel holds a 17-point lead over Zemke in the points race, 282 to 265, with three races to go. Alex Gobert is third with 220 points.

Sunday’s AMA Superbike competition was the fastest motorcycle race this side of the Atlantic. Yoshimura Suzuki’s Matt Mladin, the series leader, took over the lead on his GSX-R1000 after just one lap and looked to be headed to victory, despite the pursuit of Ben Bostrom and then Zemke. But it was not to be, as the race was red-flagged on the 16th lap. On the restart, Bostrom jumped into the lead and the 1998 AMA Superbike champion was never headed, despite a strong challenge from Mladin in the last two laps. “Today was one of the most fun I’ve had,” said Bostrom. “We got lucky on the restart, jumped out there and I tried to put on as much time as I could because I knew they would be coming after me. I was so tense on those last two laps, I couldn’t remember what it was like to win a Superbike race.” The Superbike win was Bostrom’s fourth at Laguna Seca, owing to his three previous WSB victories here. Honda’s Miguel Duhamel fought an intense battle with Suzuki’s Aaron Yates for third place, eventually passing Yates in the waning laps to hold on for the third podium spot. Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes took sixth and a disappointed Zemke soldiered home to seventh on his ailing CBR1000RR as Dunlop’s riders took six of the top ten positions. Mladin’s second-place finish extended his series points lead over Duhamel, 391 to 381. Zemke maintains third with 372 points and six races remaining.

The weekend’s action concluded with Roger Lee Hayden capturing his second victory the Supersport series on his ZX-6RR. Hayden and Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert had a spirited battle for the lead after the race was restarted after only one lap. But on lap 10 of the 17-lap event, Gobert crashed his YZF-R6 out of the lead entering turn one and Hayden cruised home with a 6.6-second victory over runner-up Jason Disalvo. “He (Gobert) crashed and I came around and I saw plus eight (seconds) on my board and I kind of got nervous and thought, ‘what do I do now’,” said Hayden. “I took my time, had fun and brought it in.” Hayden’s teammate and brother, series-leader Tommy Hayden, finished third. Suzuki’s Spies and Ben Attard finished fourth, Kawasaki’s Tony Meiring was seventh and Yamaha’s Jason Perez was tenth as Dunlop-shod machines took seven of the top 10 positions. Tommy Hayden’s lead is now 22 points over brother Roger, 266 to 244 and Disalvo holds third with 207.

Next stop for Dunlop and the AMA road racing tour will be the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, July 23-25, featuring a doubleheader round of Superbike action.


More, from a press release issued by Buell:

CICCOTTO SCORES TOP TEN FINISH AT LAGUNA SECA

Barnes Crashes Out after First Lap Mishap in Corkscrew

MONTEREY, Calif. (July 10, 2004) – Hal’s Performance Advantage rider Michael Ciccotto finished 10th aboard his Buell Firebolt in the AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme race held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Unfortunately Kosco Buell/Innovative Motorcycle Research rider Michael Barnes crashed out on the first lap. The race was later interrupted by a red flag for track inspection and clean up after Jake Zemke’s Honda started trailing smoke.


Ciccotto qualified ninth for the 17-lap race and finished 10th after running as high as eighth position early in the race. Barnes qualified 10th but failed to score any points after he crashed in the corkscrew on the first lap. He was unharmed in the incident. The race was won by American Honda factory rider Ben Bostrom, with Honda riders Miguel Duhamel and Zemke benefiting from the red flag to make repairs to their bikes and finish on the podium.

“The combined AMA and World Superbike event at Laguna Seca is always a high-profile race, and it was exciting to see our Buell dealer teams out there turning lap times that would have earned them a qualifying spot on the World Superbike grid,” said Erik Buell, chairman and chief technical officer at Buell Motorcycle Company.

AMA Formula Xtreme is a class open to highly-modified motorcycles with 600cc four-cylinder engines or larger-displacement V-Twin engines. The next stop on the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship schedule is July 23-25 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

VERMEULEN TAKES A DOUBLE WIN AT LAGUNA

World Superbike Races

A sweltering Laguna Seca circuit, with track temperatures peaking at 51’C, provided the perfect backdrop for the latest round of the World Superbike series, with one clear double race winner coming to the fore.

Chris Vermeulen used the speed and sweet handling package of his Ten Kate prepared Honda CBR1000RR to take a well-deserved race one win at Laguna, leading for the last 21 laps of the 28. Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati) went second, four seconds down on Vermeulen, and Ducati privateer Steve Martin took the final podium place in third, to add to his second Superpole win of the year in qualifying.

In the second 28-lap race third fastest qualifier Vermeulen had to work hard to hold off the attentions of factory Ducati rider and new championship leader James Toseland. Third, himself embroiled in a holding action against Noriyuki Haga, was Regis Laconi, who now trails Toseland by three points.

Said 22-year-old Vermeulen, winner of the last three SBK races in succession, “This is the first time at Laguna for me the bike and team and we won the race. I think there is still a lot more to come as well so hopefully we can win a lot more. Coming here for the first time I would have been happy with top five or six, to be honest. The team worked hard and we have made a lot of progress with the bike recently. Everyone told me this track would be difficult to learn, and it has proved to be that way, but I really liked it and the team did a great job with the bike. I like the elevation changes here but Turn One was a bit scary at first. I got over it because I passed James Toseland a couple of times there!”

Toseland is the first rider to break through the 200 point barrier, with his new total of 201 comparing to Laconi’s 198. Vermeulen sits only 14 points from the lead, on 187. Haga and Chili are separated by only two points; 162 to 160.

Round eight of World Superbike and round seven of the World Supersport championships take place in the UK, at Brands Hatch on August 1.

Race One: 1 Vermeulen; 2 Chili +4.127; 3 Martin +5.707; 4 Toseland +8.347; 5 Laconi +8.390; 6 Haga +18.560; 7 McCoy +21.290; 8 Sanchini +31.795; 9 Haslam +34.166; 10 Corser +38.175; 11 Borciani +43.554; 12 Pedercini +57.948; 13 Bontempi +1.18.252; 14 Saiger +1:22.532

Race Two: 1 Vermeulen; 2 Toseland +0.465; 3 Laconi +13.520; 4 Haga +13.742; 5 Chili +21.770; 6 Martin +27.964; 7 McCoy +43.631; 8 Borciani +48.268; 9 Sanchini +49.327; 10 Clementi +54.021; 11 Pedercini +1:09.618; 12 Bontempi +1:24.444; 13 Nowland 1 lap; 14 Saiger 1 lap.

Championship Standings: 1. Toseland 201; 2. Laconi 198; 3. Vermeulen 187; 4. Haga 162 ; 5. Chili 160 ; 6. McCoy 146


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Hondas Dominate Honda Superbike Classic

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom returned to form at the scene of one his greatest triumphs, winning both the Superbike and Formula Xtreme races on a bright and sunny weekend in the Honda Superbike Classic at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Bostrom’s wins came on the same weekend that Chris Vermeulen won both World Superbike races on his Honda Fireblade, the first double of the young Australian’s career.

Joining Bostrom on the red-flag interrupted Superbike podium was American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, who came third. Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke led the opening lap and was second for much of the race, but suffered electrical gremlins that dropped him to seventh.

Hondas swept the top four spots in Formula Xtreme, Bostrom leading Duhamel, Zemke, and Alex Gobert in another race that was red-flag interrupted.

Bostrom’s win was his first in America in nearly five years, though he had a string of five World Superbike wins that began here at Laguna Seca in 2001. In a season that’s been hampered by various physical problems, a healthy and focused Bostrom began his return to form in the previous race at Brainerd International Raceway. It continued here on the Monterey Peninsula when he took the pole position with a new AMA lap record.

When the race was red-flagged on the 17th of 28 laps, Hondas were a charging two-three-four. The race would be a 13 lap sprint and Bostrom led every one of them, never seriously challenged for the win, Honda’s sixth of the year. Duhamel took third from Aaron Yates with two laps to go after a racelong battle. Zemke came seventh. The electrical problems that cropped up in the first segment of the race never abated, despite the best efforts of the team during the red flag break. It was only the second time this season that Zemke’s been off the podium and it was his first mechanical problem.

By taking the point for pole position and finishing in front of championship leader Mat Mladin, third today, Bostrom denied the Suzuki rider maximum points. The series heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in two weeks with Mladin holding a 10-point lead, 391 to 381, over Duhamel, with Zemke at 372. There are three double-header rounds, six races remaining.

Hondas stand first through third in Formula Xtreme, Duhamel with a 17 point cushion on Zemke with Alex Gobert third at 220.

Ben Bostrom, First Place
This place has been pretty good to me. Today was one of the funner days I’ve had. We got a great start and jumped out there. I tried to put as much time on them as I could and I had short gap and I knew they’d be coming after me. He [Mladin] kept me real honest. It’s really fun when you’re out there racing and you have to push hard every lap and you’re nervous. I was so tense the last few laps, I couldn’t remember what it was like to win a Superbike race. I saw everybody leaning over the wall and cheering me on and I said, ‘We can actually do this.’ And here we are.

Miguel Duhamel, Third Place
It was just a good battle, but I looked at the board and saw that the race was pretty short. I said, ‘I gotta get by (Yates).’ I got by him, he got back by me and I got back by him. We were swapping back and forth, nice and clean, and it was just hard racing. He was going everything he could to put it on the podium and hat’s off to him for putting it together there at the end. I was hoping to get in front of him earlier to make a run at Mat [Mladin] and Ben [Bostrom]. My bike was working pretty good, but I ran out of time. I’m very happy. Laguna has always been tough on me and I always do decent here. Third is very decent again.

Jake Zemke, Seventh Place
It was good for a little while until the problem arose. It was either electrical or fuel. The bike was cutting out pretty badly. They changed a bunch of stuff when we came in for the red flag and I was hoping we would have something, but on the warm-up lap it was still doing it. We just limped home and that’s all she wrote. It began right after I passed Mat (Mladin). The next lap it started. I passed him and he passed me back. I instantly lost touch. It did it once and I thought maybe it was just something weird. But it kept getting worse and worse. I just waved Ben (Bostrom) by in case he had a shot at Mat. I didn’t want to hold him up.

Superbike:
1. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
2. Mat Mladin (Suzuki)
3. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
4. Aaron Yates (Suzuki)
5. Eric Bostrom (Ducati)
6. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki)
7. Jake Zemke (Honda)
8. Jacob Holden (Suzuki)
9. Larry Pegram (Yamaha)
10. Geoff May (Suzuki)

Superbike Points:
1. Mat Mladin (Suzuki) 391
2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda) 381
3. Jake Zemke (Honda) 372
4. Eric Bostrom (Ducati) 288
5. Geoff May (Suzuki) 262
6. Ben Bostrom (Honda) 247
7. John Haner (Suzuki) 219
8. Aaron Yates (Suzuki) 216
9. Eric Wood (Suzuki) 199
10. Josh Hayes (Kawasaki) 186

Formula Xtreme:
1. Ben Bostrom (Honda)
2. Miguel Duhamel (Honda)
3. Jake Zemke (Honda)
4. Alex Gobert (Honda)
5. Vincent Haskovec (Suzuki)
6. Doug Chandler (Ducati)
7. Jason Pridmore (Suzuki)
8. Larry Pegram (Yamaha)
9. Nicky Moore (Suzuki)
10. Mike Ciccotto (Buell)


More, from a press release issued by American Honda:

Honda Red Rider Weekend Report
July 9-11, 2004
AMA Chevrolet Superbike Series
Round 8: Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey CA


Ben Bostrom Wins Formula Xtreme and Superbike Races at Laguna Seca

The undulating oak-studded hills of Steinbeck country formed the perfect backdrop for nonstop human drama-of the road racing, not literary variety-as the Honda Red Riders reaped hard-earned victories in three premier classes at Monterey, California’s Laguna Seca Raceway. Ten Kate’s Chris Vermeulen won both legs of the WSC Superbike doubleheader aboard his CBR1000RR and the home-grown Honda contingent rode to victory in the AMA Formula Xtreme and Superbike classes as well. To bring even more human interest to this thrilling accomplishment, the sun-drenched summer weekend saw the resurgence of Team Honda’s Ben Bostrom, who staged two dramatic performances to win the FX race on Saturday, as well as a red-flag-delayed Superbike event on Sunday.

Round 8 of the AMA Formula Xtreme race series kicked off with Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke grabbing the pole with a lap time of 1:27.388-a posting that would have been quite competitive in the WSC Superbike ranks! Team Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Ben Bostrom posted the next-fastest times, and Erion Honda’s Alex Gobert qualified fifth.

What many thought would be just another winning day at the races for Honda turned into two races in one, thanks to a red flag. The first nine laps had Zemke taking his CBR600RR to a quick lead over the field and pulling away from the pack, gaining ground at about a second a lap. Bostrom followed closely behind after passing the veteran Duhamel, who was having a shifter problem. “The shifter was falling down and moving around,” said Duhamel. “I was glad to see the red flag because I thought I was going to have to run the whole race in second gear.” The three Red Riders were far outpacing the field when blue smoke suddenly began billowing out of the #98 Erion machine. With the two top riders in the championship having mechanical problems, the dynamics of the race took on entirely new proportions. Bostrom seized the lead as Zemke nursed his bike to the pits. “A little piece cracked and caused a pretty good oil leak,” said Zemke. “I could see the oil coming out of the fairing.” Shortly thereafter, the red flag came out and sent all riders to pit row.

On the restart, Bostrom gridded on the pole and took his CBR600RR right to the front, followed by teammate Duhamel. Zemke was forced to grid in 28th place due to his mechanical problem, but that scarcely slowed his charge forward. While Bostrom and Duhamel led the field, Zemke demonstrated some keen maneuvers while carving his way through the field. He would ultimately claim third. Meanwhile, Bostrom took control of the race, leading the last eight laps and taking the checked flag followed by Duhamel. With Zemke in third and Alex Gobert in fourth, the Honda Red Riders swept the top four spots.

The victory marked Bostrom’s first AMA win since returning to the States and reuniting with American Honda, and it was his first career Formula Xtreme win as well. “It’s great to be up here,” said Bostrom. “It gives me a lot of motivation for tomorrow’s Superbike race.” Bostrom wasn’t kidding, as Sunday’s Superbike race would soon prove.

Ben had already issued a challenge to the entire paddock when he set a Laguna Seca AMA Superbike record lap time of 1:24.9-just a tick off the track record of 1:24.88 set by Colin Edwards aboard a WSC-spec RC51 Superbike in 2002.

So when Sunday brought the warmest track temperatures of the weekend, the stage was set for a world-class race experience for competitors and spectators alike. And the thousands of Honda race fans in attendance enjoyed watching the Red Riders crowd the front of the pack as the AMA Superbike race waved off.

Jake Zemke and his Erion CBR1000RR led the race the first time past the start/finish stripe, but the deck shuffled and Mat Mladin gained the upper hand by the next lap, followed closely by Ben Bostrom, Zemke and Miguel Duhamel, in that order. On lap 6 Zemke squeezed by Bostrom, but a mere 0.7 of a second separated the top three riders. Zemke soon began probing for a way past Mladin, and on lap 11 Zemke and Mladin passed and re-passed each other, with Mladin hanging onto the lead-barely. The tight racing continued as the leaders got into lappers on the next go-around, but then the race was red-flagged on lap 16 when a rider went down.

Mechanics all along the pit wall raced around at full speed, changing tires and twirling wrenches in a carefully orchestrated ballet that would resemble full-on chaos to the uninitiated. Hurried conferences between riders and crew chiefs saw some bikes undergo major changes in suspension settings, while others sat untouched save for new rubber, a quick wipe-down and a splash of fuel.

Ben Bostrom and his crew chief Merlyn Plumlee were one team taking the minimalist approach. “We didn’t touch any settings,” Plumlee said as the #155 CBR1000RR sat awaiting the restart. “However, we did put on a harder rear tire. The track is a lot warmer this afternoon than it was in practice earlier today. Ben said he needed a little more grip, so strange as it may sound, we’re going with a harder tire.”

Their decision proved to be good as gold. At the second start Ben quickly charged to the front and he would never relinquish the lead. “The harder tire was so much better,” Bostrom said after the race. “I had so much more grip than I had before the red flag. In fact, in a way my bike became harder to ride because I had so much rear tire traction it was overdriving the front. One time I made a mistake and pushed wide, and it really got my heart going. I know I lost about a second there.”

Behind him, Mat Mladin had been trailing by about 2 seconds, with Duhamel claiming third after getting the better of a hard-fought duel with Aaron Yates. And the view Duhamel had from the #17 CBR1000RR worried him as he saw Mladin gaining ground on his teammate. After the race Duhamel recounted, “I saw Mat closing on Ben, and I said, ‘Come on, Ben, don’t fool around. Go for it.'”

There was no need to worry; Bostrom held fast to a half-second gap for the last two laps to cinch the win, with Mladin second and Duhamel third. Jake Zemke nursed an ailing bike to a 7th-place finish despite being hampered by electrical problems that caused the rev limiter to cut in early.

After the race, a jubilant Bostrom said, “We’re back and we’re racing again, racing for the win. I had problems beginning back at Daytona when I had an ear infection. It really affected my balance for a long time. But now it’s all better, and it came back fast since I began training with the Carmichael Training Systems people. I’ve changed my diet, and I’ve been doing a lot of bicycle training. The bicycle work not only pushes you hard physically but it also helped me build better balance. It feels so good to get back on the top of the podium again.”


More, from a press release issued by Ben Bostrom’s management firm OMS Sports:

Honda’s Ben Bostrom Is Back On Track – Winning Big @ Laguna

Balance & sight problems no longer an issue as Bostrom doubles up with Superbike/Formula Xtreme wins at legendary Laguna Seca course

ANAHEIM, Calif., (July 12, 2004) – Ben Bostrom (Las Vegas) broke out of what he considered a series-long slump this past weekend, capturing wins for American Honda in both the AMA’s Superbike and Formula Xtreme classes on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s highly challenging road course.

Bostrom, who’s been suffering from some balance and sight problems the entire year due to an inner ear infection, piloted his Honda CBR1000RR better than he had all season, en-route to the double victory. The fan-favorite rider said that his successful effort was long overdue for his main sponsor, American Honda.

“Lately I’ve been bummed, feeling that I was letting Honda down and my teammates that surround me,” said Bostrom. “I’ve felt this way all season, but wasn’t able to do anything about it because of what I was dealing with.”

Bostrom explained that several weeks before Daytona he developed an ear infection. Though he kept it quiet, this led to some physical problems that didn’t at all mesh well with racing high speed motorcycles on some of the more demanding tracks on the planet.

“I just wasn’t the same guy all year,” said Bostrom. “My balance was off and my depth perception wasn’t right, which forced me to be stiff and tentative on the bike. We tested some at Brainerd and Mid Ohio recently and I was starting to feel a bit better. I pedaled my butt off on my road bike and things slowly started coming around. I got my balance back, then my eyesight cleared up. And I knew right there that’d we’d be on it for Laguna.”

The win at Laguna Seca is Bostrom’s second Laguna win of his career. In 1999, Bostrom scored the first win of his career at Laguna. He the followed that up with a double win in 2001, returning back to the States while racing the World GP circuit.

“The bike was awesome, so was the team,” said Bostrom. “And this time the rider performed well!”

In front of an estimated 90,000-plus fans, Bostrom, who also won the pole position, held off a late race charge from rival Mat Mladin to win by a half second. The win was Bostrom’s first AMA Superbike win since August of 1999 (Brainerd). Bostrom’s currently in sixth place overall in this year’s AMA Superbike class standings – easily within striking distance of the top five.

“It feels good to be up there on top of the podium and I plan on staying there,” he added.

The next round for Bostrom will be July 23-25 at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.


More, from a series of press releases issued by Proforma:

PAINFUL WEEKEND FOR HANER AT LAGUNA SECA

Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner had a rough weekend at round eight of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In his first crash of the year, John had a vicious highside in Friday’s Superbike practice session, causing soft tissue damage to his right knee. John crashed again in Saturday’s Superstock race, but did not aggravate the original injury. John visited Dr. Arthur Ting, the event medical doctor, throughout the rest of the weekend to have his knee drained of fluids that would accumulate and restrict his movements on the bike.

Saturday’s Repsol Superstock Final – DNF
John had his first race DNF of the season in the Superstock final, dropping Haner to 13th in the season point standings. “Steve Rapp, Vincent Haskovec and those guys were doing well,” said John. “I think their bikes were a little slower than ours, they’re running 750s, so we were able to come up the hill on them a little bit. I actually got close to passing them, but I was just kind of sitting back. The lap I fell down, I don’t know if I really got on the gas any different than I had all race, but it just kind of spun out from underneath me, it just slid off to the right. I saved it from flipping, I held onto the bike the whole way. I picked it back up and took off, and that’s when I noticed that the shifter was broken, so I couldn’t continue. My guys, Mike (Godin) and John (Ross), they’ve been working so hard. We haven’t had a lot of practice time, and we’ve had a couple of problems.”

Sunday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 12th Place
“The Superbike race was actually really difficult,” said John. “The first half of the race, before the red flag, my right leg was pretty sore at that point. Even my left leg was sore, from supporting my weight all weekend. I got a break with the red flag, was able to rest my leg for five minutes or whatever it was. I went back out and it worked a little bit better. Twelfth place is not where we wanted to be, we wanted to be that first non-Superbike, but we soldiered on and got more points.” John continues to hold down seventh place in Chevrolet Superbike points, scoring points at all twelve races thus far this season.


CLOSE CALL FOR FOR HEATH SMALL AT LAGUNA SECA

Heath Small of HAS/Shogun Racing had a good weekend going at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca until the start of Sunday’s Supersport race. Heath made it to the crest of turn one at the start, when his front brake lever hit another rider, causing him to fall at speed and bringing out a red flag. Heath had the wind knocked out of him temporarily, but was otherwise unhurt in the crash. His bike suffered damage that would not allow him to re-start the race.

Saturday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – 13th Place “I didn’t get great starts,” said Heath, referring to the red flag that came out on lap eight. “On the second one, I had a problem with the clutch. Once I got going, I had a couple of moments, had the back end step out. Ty (Howard) got around me out of turn three, and then he went off the track. I don’t know how he stayed up, he just kept it pinned and still stayed in front. I passed Blake (Young) there on the last lap to move up a spot.”

Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – DNF
“I got a good start, a guy stuck it up inside of me, I stood it up to give him some room, and just as I did there was somebody right there on the outside,” said Small. “Just as I stood it up, we made contact and that was it. The bike was on top of me and all I remember was sliding and my ass just being really, really hot. I got the wind knocked out of me at first, I was just laying there, I was trying to lay as still as possible. I was gonna try and stand up, and the cornerworkers were yelling ‘Stay down, stay down!’. I was like, ‘Yeah, cool, whatever’.”


LAGUNA SECA GOOD EVENT FOR ESLICK AND HIGBEE

Millennium Technologies Suzuki teammates Danny Eslick and Shawn Higbee made the most of the minimal track time they got at round eight of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. With no practice on Thursday, both riders worked hard to find bike set-ups for their final events, while also trying to qualify well enough for good grid positions.

Danny Eslick
Saturday’s Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final – 12th Place
“I got a great first start,” said Danny, who continues to ride his Supersport-spec GSX-R600 against more powerful bikes in the class. “The tire went off a little in the first part before the red flag. Nicky (Moore) and I were running together. One lap Nicky and I went through the corkscrew two-wide, that was pretty sketchy there. We had some close moments, there may have been a little bit of contact. Then we had the red flag for whatever reason that was. On the re-start, we changed the rear, I think we should have changed the front, too. I went three seconds faster than I qualified, so the bike changed and some different problems cropped up. Ty (Howard) got me on the last lap, he’s been doing this for a lot of years.” Danny moves back into ninth in the point standings after skipping the last round at Road America.

Sunday’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Final – 13th Place
Danny finished 13th after yet another race-long battle with fello

From a press release issued by NORTH YORKSHIRE ROAD RACING SUPPORTERS CLUB:

EDWARDS AND TOSELAND ROAR INTO TOWN

NYRRSC Night with the Stars, Club Amadeus, Northallerton, Tuesday 20th July 2004

Former World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards makes his annual visit to the quaint market town of Northallerton to take part in a chat show organised by the North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters Club next Tuesday evening (July 20th) at Club Amadeus.

Edwards, known to his legions of fans as ‘The Texas Tornado’ switched to the prestigious Repsol Honda Team in the Moto GP class for 2004 and prior to him heading off to Donington Park for the sell-out British Grand Prix, the American will be meeting and chatting with fans during the evening.

Joining Edwards on stage will be the leader of the World Superbike Championship leader James Toseland who makes the trip up from his Sheffield home after the recent round the USA at Laguna Seca whereby he claimed a second place aboard his Fila Ducati.

Eurosport Moto GP commentator Toby Moody will be taking part also in the aspects of the show which will include the informal chat show, an auction as well as a raffle and the ever popular “Question Time” where fans pose any manner of questions to the stars!

Aprilia Moto GP star Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne is hoping to come along also but has yet to finalise his schedule whereas double BSB winner Scott Smart will be taking part in proceedings.

There will be the usual raffle, auction of memorabilia and trade stands as well as a late bar.

Doors open at 7.30pm with the first of the chat shows starting at 8.00pm and admission costs just £8.00 for adults with accompanied children £2.00.

Club Amadeus is located in Elder Road near to the town centre with ample free parking nearby and further details are available from NYRRSC Secretary Sue Symons on 01904 339647.