From a press release issued by Yamaha:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS
Sepang, Malaysia
Sunday, January 25, 2004

Ambient temperature: 29 degrees C
Track temperature: 41 degrees
Humidity: 60%

YAMAHA TEAM RIDERS STEP UP THE PACE IN STEAMY SEPANG

As track temperatures matched the scorching 41 degrees of the Malaysian Grand Prix in October 2003 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team) cut his lap time down to a best of 2:03.17. This was more than six tenths of a second faster than his best time from day one of this three-day session. The Italian completed 66 laps, among them a brief ride on a Yamaha M1 with a different engine specification.

“I’m very happy with today’s work,” said the reigning MotoGP World Champion. “I had a good rhythm with the bike today and all the changes we made helped us towards consistent lap times. The suspension settings with the 16.5-inch Michelin front tyre are quite good now and although we need to do more work with the engine, I’m happy with what we’ve achieved at this stage. The other engine was good, but it’s very new and needs a few more development kilometres before we can really tell how good it is.”

Rossi’s Crew Chief Jerry Burgess was typically realistic about today’s improvements but was quietly satisfied with the progress made. “We’re going forwards,” he said. “We’ve been playing around with the little things, now we’re up and running fairly consistently and we made a minor mapping change to the engine which was slightly better.

Spanish star Carlos Checa (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team) put in 58 laps of the 5.548km track with a best time of 2:03.57. He tried a selection of different front tyres and believes he has found an effective set-up with a 16.5-inch front tyre.

“We tried a lot of different front tyres today,” he said. “The bike has been working well in some areas, but we didn’t quite get the consistent results I wanted. I managed four laps in the 2:03 bracket but we have more work to do tomorrow, as well as tyre endurance tests.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) completed 36 laps and fell without injury at turn six in the morning session. But the gritty Italian bounced back to record a best lap of 2:04.90 in the afternoon after finding a front tyre that allowed him to fully exploit the power and nimble chassis of his Yamaha M1.

“This afternoon was much better,” he said. “Once I found a front tyre I liked things started to work for me. The crash was as strange as the one I had here at the Grand Prix last year. But my shoulder is getting better and today I could do five laps at a time. But each lap I got slightly weaker and it felt like someone was adding 10kg to the bike on each lap! It will be stronger tomorrow and we’ll work on improving engine response.”

Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) worked his way steadily through a total of 61 laps and the Japanese ace is methodically carving down his lap times. Today he recorded a best of 2:04.90 – a full second faster than his best of yesterday.

“Things are getting better,” he said. “We’ve got some work to do still on the front suspension, but to achieve this improvement on several sets of one type of tyre shows we are going in the right direction. We’ll go step-by-step tomorrow and see what improvement we can make.”

Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team Director Herve Poncharal was happy that both riders broke through the 2.5 second barrier and he expects bigger improvements on tomorrow’s final day. “We have good bikes now for the individual needs of both riders and now we’ll see how much we can improve again on new tyres.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Suzuki MotoGP racer John Hopkins crashed Saturday during practice for the celebrity Crossover race at the San Diego, California round of the AMA/Clear Channel Supercross series.

Hopkins, an accomplished motocross racer, came up short on a jump during practice and injured his ankle. Hopkins told Roadracingworld.com that he believed he just sprain the ankle and described the injury as “not a big deal.”

Hopkins said he planned to have the ankle checked out by doctors within the next few days.

More details will be posted as they become available.

From a press release issued by Spectrum Motorsports:

Spectrum Motorsports have completed their Aprilia Ducati Performance and Service Center. The Grand opening will be “Pasta Day” January 31st, with Ducati’s team rider Eric Bostrom on hand to sign autographs. Local Italian restaurant “Bella Rosa” will provide pasta and refreshments between 11.30 am and 1.30pm

Spectrum Motorsports is located at 45 Oldfield Road, Irvine, California 92618. Tel: 949 859 3186. www.spectrumotorsports.com


More, from another press release issued by Spectrum Motorsports:

Spectrum’s Aprilia Ducati Service & Dynojet Tuning Center Is Open For Business.

More than 1 year after it was first established as a Ducati dealer and two as an Aprilia dealer, Spectrum Motorsports is pleased to announce the opening of its new performance department and Dyno Jet Tuning Center in Irvine, California. Spectrum has brought over from Europe two technicians and a Service Director who previously worked at three of the largest Aprilia Ducati Dealers in the UK. Neil Freeman has trained at Bologna for seven of the last 14 years and will head up the service department, assisted by our two valve specialist Neil Foreman. Cliff Walker will be Service Director and the shop will cater to all Italian brands, specializing in Aprilia & Ducati.

Spectrum Motorsports has just installed the latest Dynojet 250i for its ram air Dyno room becoming a Dynojet Tuning Center. The workshop will focus on performance, concentrating on engine building, cylinder head work plus custom fuel maps, but this will not detract from the regular service work. Spectrum Motorsports has a suspension technician available for Ohlins and Showa service and set up.

Donations to the Roadracing World Action Fund, Inc., a 501(3)c non-profit corporation dedicated to reducing racetrack injuries by encouraging the use of soft barriers, have reached $262,669.75 for road racing and $19,147 for dirt track, for a combined total of $281,816.65.

The Action Fund educates racetrack and racing organization officials, racers and spectators on the benefits of reducing rider injuries by deploying air-filled soft barriers in front of walls, embankments and other obstacles located adjacent to racetracks.

The Action Fund arranged for AMA Pro Racing to deploy soft barriers at the Springfield Mile dirt track last September, and followed that up by adding six sections of inflatable Airfence brand soft barriers to AMA Pro Racing’s deployment inventory. For unknown reasons, AMA Pro Racing did not issue a press release on the deployment agreement, despite being asked to and responding with “We can.”

In the meantime, both Clear Channel Entertainment — Motor Sports, which runs the F-USA Series, and SMRI, which runs races in New Mexico, presented the Roadracing World Action Fund with plaques commemorating the Fund’s educational soft barrier deployments with those organizations during the 2003 racing seasons.

The 2004 season marks the Roadracing World Action Fund’s fourth year of promoting motorcycle racing safety through educational deployment of soft barriers.

Fred and Adrienne Bittner started 2004 off for the dirt track portion of the fund, with a $450 contribution. Mr. and Mrs. Bittner’s donation of $2900 in 2002 in honor of injured racer Papa Thiam, along with another $2900 donated in 2003, was enough to buy, transport and install two full sections–almost 60 linear feet–of inflatable soft barriers.

Web-based pledge drives to support the Roadracing World Action Fund are increasing, with bulletin boards and dot-coms throughout the motorcycle community joining in.

The Buell riders and enthusiasts at Badweatherbikers.com raised a total of $800 for the Roadracing World Action Fund through sales of a poster celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first Buell motorcycle, the RW 750: “We as motorcyclists would like to commend Roadracing World for having the initiative and drive to make the Air Fence Fund work. As fans and as racers, none of us like to see bad things happen to good riders, especially when something can be done about it. Thank you for all of your efforts, they do not go unrecognized. Sincerely – The collective ‘BadWeb,’ and Buell Riders and Enthusiasts.”

Mark Brereton has contributed $900 from sales of his DVD entitled “Road Race,” available at www.customflix.com. Brereton has pledged $5 per DVD sold.

Other web-based donations include Carolinabreeze.com, donating $100 “In the name of Mat Mladin,” and R6MessageNet.com donating $20 to start an ongoing campaign for increasing the use of soft barriers.

Other recent contributors include Charles Buse, $250; Scott Whetzel, $20; and Jay Barfield, adding $50 to his ealier donation of $25. Barfield sent this note with his donation: “In honor of the Eagles/Panthers NFL playoff game bet I had with Frank Angel. My team, the Panthers, won the game, thus giving me the honor of donating to the airfence fund. Thanks, JU and Roadracing World Action Fund. Oh, and Frank Angel owes me Philly beer, pretzels and a cheesesteak.”

Summary of Recently Posted Contributions

Mark Brereton/Road Race DVD $900
Badweatherbikers.com/Buell Enthusiasts $800
Fred & Adrienne Bittner $450 (Dirt Track)
Charles Buse $250
Carolinabreeze.com/In the Name of Mat Mladin $100
Jay Barfield $50
R6MessageNet.com $20
Scott Whetzel $20

Accounting Details
As Of January 22, 2004

Road Racing Expenditure Details

Direct purchase of soft barriers: $101,350
Shipping/Customs: $5654.75
Bank Fees: $344.05
Soft Barrier Deployment Crew Training: $700
Transportation & Installation: $4689.47
Corporation/Business Fees: $612
Online Auction Fees: $221.99
Printing Education Materials: $346.42
Misc Supplies: $39.59
Donation to AMA Pro Racing for soft barrier purchase: $104,104

Total Spent: $218,062.27

Total Donations Collected $261,869.75
Misc. Income $92.32

Cash on hand: $43,899.80
Soft barrier orders pending: $40,000


Dirt Track Expenditure Details

Direct purchase of soft barriers: $9200
Shipping/Customs: $2717.72
Transportation & Installation $2174.77

Total Spent: $14,092.49

Total collected: $19,147

Cash on hand: $5,054.51

All administrative costs, including the percentage taken by credit card companies on credit card donations, have been absorbed by Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From a press release:

Drive Systems USA is the new US Distributor for AFAM products. AFAM products and services that were previously available from AFAM USA will now be provided by Drive Systems USA. As the new company develops, it will be offering a greater selection of products and services for the enthusiast. Contact information for customers and racers wishing to send in their resumes for racer support is:

Drive Systems USA
5953 Engineer Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649, USA
800.290.9040
Fax 714.379.9042
www.DriveSystemsUSA.com

Editorial Note: The fastest race lap time from the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang was turned by Valentino Rossi on the Honda RC211V at 2:03.822.

From a press release issued by Yamaha:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS

Sepang, Malaysia

Saturday, January 24, 2004

Ambient temperature: 31 degrees C

Track temperature: 41 degrees C

Humidity: 44%

YAMAHA TEAMS MAKE EARLY PROGRESS IN SEPANG TESTS

Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team) today completed 58 laps of the 5.548km Sepang circuit in Malaysia acclimatising himself to an unfamiliar machine. The Italian superstar will challenge for a fourth premier class title on the Yamaha M1 for the first time this season.

In conditions remarkably similar to those at the Grand Prix held here in mid-October last year the 24-year-old put in a best lap time of 2:03.80. The Italian Yamaha recruit was happy with his day’s work, after spending more than two months without riding a potent MotoGP machine.

“That was quite good,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do, but the bike is not bad at this early stage and after so much time off I need to get more distance covered to improve things. But for a first day on a new bike things were okay. We’ll work our way through gradual changes to the chassis and engine tomorrow.”

Rossi’s Crew Chief Jerry Burgess said, “We didn’t really do much more than get him familiar with the bike. It takes a while to get eye co-ordination back after a long lay-off and we just made minor refinements to deliver what Valentino wants from the bike. What we’re looking for is information to work out the direction we need to go in – and we’re all working together in that.”

Carlos Checa, Rossi’s team-mate in the new Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team, put in 53 laps and the Spanish charger requested an extra half-hour’s track time at the end of the day to get his 220bhp M1 machine further dialled-in to the sinuous Sepang track.

“I felt more comfortable as the day went on,” said Checa. “We had some vibration at the front end in the final session though, but before that I was quite consistent with my times.” His best lap of the day was a 2:04.10 lap. “We can’t really expect too much on day one, but there will be more to come tomorrow.”

Checa’s Crew Chief Antonio Jimenez was content with the first day’s work. “That was a normal first day,” he said. “But we spent a bit of time trying to sort out the vibration at the front end. It’s not a big problem but Carlos was consistent and we will improve tomorrow.”

“Today was special for us,” said Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio. “It was very emotional seeing the number 46 on our Yamaha and we just tried to adjust the bike to his needs. Carlos continued his job and overall we had a positive day. But this is just the first day.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) couldn’t tuck himself in properly behind his M1’s fairing on the two Sepang straights owing to stiffness in his right shoulder after off-season surgery. The Italian rode 48 laps and had to be content with a best first day’s time of 2:05.40. “I’ve spent almost 100 days without riding,” said the Italian. “But my shoulder should loosen up tomorrow and I will improve. Even so I was a tenth of a second faster than my best race lap here last year.”

His team-mate Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) was happy enough with a 2:05.84 lap after completing 50 laps on his number one machine. “That’s okay for the time being,” said the Japanese. “We used last year’s settings on a new chassis so it needed work to refine.”

Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team Director Herve Poncharal is heading up a new team with two new riders and he looked at day one of this three-day test session as time well spent. “We did exactly what we thought we’d do, ” he said. “We improved the lap times each time out and we didn’t want to push Marco too hard too early. It’s early days, but Yamaha is going in the right direction.”

From a press release:

AK Composite Announces Partnership with Attack Racing for 2004

COMPTON, California – AK Composite is exceptionally proud to announce its support of Attack Kawasaki for the 2004 racing season. We are pleased to be able to provide the highest quality race bodywork for Attack Kawasaki ZX-10’s and ZX-6R’s in competition, and to be able to help a winning race organization in their chase for AMA and national titles. Thanks to Attack Kawasaki and its recognition of the quality bodywork that AK Composite produces.

AK Composite was started in 2000, and has provided race bodywork for many sportbike applications to club and national level racers across the North American continent. From its humble beginnings, we have grown into a competitive and recognizable company, providing race bodywork to a growing contingent across this land. The reason? AK Composite is simply the best “bang for the buck”, providing supremely durable, lightweight bodywork at an affordable price.

We at AK Composite eagerly look forward to the upcoming race season, and the opportunity to help Josh Hayes and young gun Tony Meiring fight for national championships in their respective classes. This will certainly be an interesting year in AMA racing, and we are behind you boys, go get ‘em!

You can visit AK Composite on the World Wide Web at www.akcomposite.com

AK Composite
19301 S. Santa Fe Ave #112
Compton, CA 90221
phone/fax: (310) 631-1000
[email protected]

From a press release issued by BMW:

BMW F650GS AND F650GS DAKAR FOR 2005

Woodcliff Lake, NJ… Narrowly focused sportbikes to the left, massively overwrought tourers to the right…is there any place left for the simple, do-it-all motorcycle? Sure there is, and far from becoming an endangered species, the lightweight enduro – a kind of motorcycle that embodies off-road capabilities alongside roadworthy manners tailored to please experienced and beginning riders alike – has become immensely popular around the world. Between 1995 and 2003, BMW has sold more than 110,000 F 650s, with 32 percent of the latest versions going to female riders worldwide). What’s more, some 21 percent of F 650 buyers were new riders. And now, for the 2005 model year, BMW’s entry in the amazing category returns refined, refreshed and ready to do business.

Crossing continents, crossing boundaries

No motorcycle can do everything, but the BMW F 650 GS and the F 650 GS Dakar come close. Based on the fundamentally flexible “enduro” concept, the F 650 line has been carefully developed to meet a broad range of requirements, to enable cross-country travel in comfort as well as jaunts across town with consummate ease. For example, the Dakar, with dirt-spec tire sizes and long-travel suspension, can truly be taken off road (unlike many similarly concepted but differently equipped enduros on the market) and yet sacrifices nothing in terms of on-road civility.

Central to this multi-role versatility is the F 650’s relaxed, upright riding position that is the ideal compromise between on-road comfort and off-road control. For the new F 650 GS and F 650 GS Dakar, BMW has focused on improving the bike’s ergonomic profile and making it even kinder to beginning and returning riders. To this end, a new clutch lever featuring incremental span adjustments that provide riders with smaller hands improved control and comfort (an adjustable brake lever continues as standard.) New this year are myriad seating options for both the F 650 GS and the F 650 GS Dakar. The GS comes with a standard low seat, and yet there is the option for an even lower seat height – as a no-cost option, the GS can be modified by the dealer with a different rear suspension link that, working in concert with repositioned fork tubes, reduces seat height to 29.5 in. (750mm). In addition, a taller seat is available for the GS that provides taller riders with extra legroom. A lower dual seat is available for the Dakar that reduces seat height 0.8 in. (20mm).

The GS’s overall compact dimensions are made possible by a slender engine and a fuel tank located under the seat. Not only does this placement improve chassis packaging, it dramatically reduces the bike’s overall center of gravity, making the GS feel smaller and lighter – considerations critical to the beginning rider.

This year, the F 650 GS and F 650 GS Dakar have new bodywork placed upon the strong and durable steel frame. A new clear-lens headlight puts more illumination on the road and works with entirely new windscreens to improve weather and wind protection. (Both screens may be removed for off-road use. In addition, a clear version of the taller screen fitted to the Dakar is available for the standard GS.) Revised inserts alongside what would normally be the fuel tank distinguish the new model and improve cooling by allowing more air past the oil cooler (the fuel cell is located under the rider’s seat for lowered center of gravity and improved handling.) Finally, the rear luggage rack has been redesigned to accept an optional top case without an adapter plate, as required in the past.

F Series- 2 Spark ignition for 2005

The F 650 is powered by a BMW-designed, single-cylinder engine embodying technologies not seen on other “thumpers.” For 2005, the engine’s technological resume stretches to include 2 Spark ignition for the four-valve cylinder head and a new and advanced BMS-C II computerized engine-control unit that dynamically manages spark and fuel delivery to suit any riding condition. With these improvements, the liquid-cooled, 652cc engine produces fewer harmful exhaust emissions, is more fuel efficient, and has a torque peak at 4800 rpm instead of the previous model’s 5000 rpm. In addition, the 2 Spark ignition system offers increased drivability, stronger mid-throttle response and greater engine flexibility. As before, the GS uses a three-way catalyst in the updated, stainless-steel exhaust system to meet the stringent Euro2 exhaust emissions requirements.

F 650 GS Dakar – true off-road intentions

In addition to the standard F 650 GS – a model intended for mainly on-road escapades yet still more than capable of trips off the tarmac – BMW offers the F 650 GS Dakar. More than special paint, the Dakar embraces true off-the-beaten-path adventures with longer-travel suspension and special wheels sized to carry traditional dirt-oriented tires. Owing to the higher natural riding position, the GS Dakar sports a taller tinted windscreen that can be easily removed for off-highway treks.

Although the GS and GS Dakar may see different missions, they are both available with BMW’s advanced ABS system, the only such single-cylinder bikes in this category for which this is true. To optimize the system for off-road use, the ABS may be switched off via a cockpit-mounted switch.

BMW Accessories

BMW owners, even those new to the fold, are staunch individualists, which is why there are so many options and accessories available for the new F 650 GS and F 650 GS Dakar. These include:

* ABS II with rider-selectable defeat. This system is available on both the F 650 GS and GS Dakar.
* Multiple seats. For the F 650 GS, there is a taller dual seat as well as a lowered-suspension option using the standard seat. For the Dakar, there is a lowered seat.

Either the GS or the Dakar can be fitted with a special black single seat with luggage rack that provides the same seat height as the standard saddle.
* Several soft- and hard-luggage options, including variable-thickness hard saddlebags(Vario), soft bags for passenger seat and luggage rack, a hard top case, as well as liners for the hard bags.
* A taller windscreen for the F 650 GS, similar to the F 650 GS Dakar’s.
* New hand guards.
* Heated hand grips.
* Anti-theft alarm.
* Engine protection kit.
* On-board computer installation kit.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Corp. in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers, 327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 73 MINI passenger car dealers, and 25 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

LONGTIME AMA OFFICIAL BUZZ MEIFERDT PASSES AWAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — George Byron “Buzz” Meiferdt, a long-serving AMA official, died Monday at his home in Port Orange, Fla. He was 79.

Buzz and his wife Carol traveled the country to work at AMA races for nearly 50 years. He worked primarily in technical inspection testing engine sound levels and making sure riders were able to receive all the contingency money available to them. He retired from the racing circuit after the 2000 season.

Buzz was well liked by everyone in the racing community.

“He was a great guy to work with,” said AMA Pro Racing Flat Track Series Manager Bruce Bober. “He always had a positive attitude and kept things light by always joking around. He loved racing and the people involved. You have to love it to do it as long as he and Carol did.”

Meiferdt was an Army veteran of World War II. He retired to Florida in 1977 from his birthplace, Joliet, Ill.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Carol; two sons, Russell, New Lenox, Ill., and Richard, Durango, Colo.; and three grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129; or to First United Methodist Church of Port Orange Building Fund, 305 Dunlawton Ave., Port Orange, FL 32127. Alavon Direct Cremation, South Daytona, conducted the services.