From a press release issued by Clear Channel Communications:

MOUNTAIN DEW NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF NBC & CLEAR CHANNEL’S NEW ACTION SPORTS FRANCHISE

Dew Action Sports Tour Set for 2005 Launch; Dew’s National Free Flow Tour Becomes Official Amateur Series

NEW YORK – July 12, 2004 – Mountain Dew, a brand synonymous with the phenomenal growth of action sports, has agreed to a long-term agreement to become the title sponsor of the Dew Action Sports Tour. The first-ever, season-long, nationally televised — network and cable — professional Tour for skateboarding, BMX, and freestyle motocross, the Tour was announced last March and is owned and operated by NBC Sports and Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division.

The Dew Tour debuts in May 2005 and boasts five major, multi-sport Tour events, the biggest competitive purse in action sports, a Million-Dollar Bonus Pool based upon year-end standings, and the largest network and cable television broadcasting commitment ever. John Galloway, Director of Sports for Pepsi-Cola North America, and Wade Martin, General Manager for the Dew Action Sports Tour, made the joint announcement.

“We are thrilled that we’re partnering with NBC and Clear Channel to be the title sponsor of the Dew Tour,” said Galloway. “This will help grow action sports across America, and that’s great for the sports, the athletes and all the brands involved.”

As part of Pepsi’s agreement with NBC and Clear Channel, the Dew Free Flow Tour, a 16-city, amateur grassroots skateboarding event that began in 2002, will become an integral part of the Dew Action Sports Tour as the official amateur and development tour, designed to foster the growth and grassroots infrastructure of these sports.

Mountain Dew has been aligned with action sports since the early 1990s and has become the leading non-endemic brand in this space. A long-standing sponsorship commitment to ESPN’s X Games franchise and the Vans Triple Crown Series since their inception represents Mountain Dew’s ongoing dedication to action sports athletes and fans. Mountain Dew sponsors many of today’s top action sports athletes, including Shaun White (Snowboarding / Skateboarding), Hannah Teter (Snowboarding), Luke Mitrani (Snowboarding) and Allan Cooke (BMX).

“Attracting Pepsi’s powerful Mountain Dew brand as the title sponsor of the pro tour is the greatest testament to the Tour’s credibility,” said Martin. “Mountain Dew passionately shares our commitment to help grow these sports, and has long been considered a pioneer in action sports and ‘best in class’ in terms of sponsorship activation. With Mountain Dew’s support, marketing power, and rich action sports heritage, NBC and Clear Channel have partnered with the ideal brand to launch and build the Dew Action Sports Tour for the growing legion of competitors, fans and TV viewers,” said Martin.

A series of five major events, the 2005 Dew Action Sports Tour will consist of multi-sport and entertainment festivals covering over one million square feet in both indoor and outdoor venues. In addition to the primary sports of skateboarding, BMX, and freestyle motocross, each tour stop will feature a “specialty comp” such as super moto, surfing, inline vert, or wakeboarding, depending upon local interest. Overall Tour winners in skateboarding (street and vert), BMX (street, dirt & vert) and freestyle motocross will be awarded each year with a Dew Cup. Key lifestyle elements will include live cutting-edge music, video gaming, and interactive events (skateparks, dirt courses). The Dew Action Sports Tour is in active discussions with over 20 major markets, and 2005 Tour cities and dates will be announced at a later time.

NBC, which had announced 16 hours of network coverage, has increased its 2005 Dew Action Sports Tour coverage plans to 19 hours of primarily live coverage. A cable broadcast partner, and programming plans will be announced at a later date.

Clear Channel Entertainment – Motor Sports will be an integral partner on the Dew Action Sports Tour, lending its considerable expertise in live event touring and promotion, including a wide range of off-channel assets including Clear Channel’s Radio, Outdoor and Music divisions.

The Dew Free Flow Tour, a grassroots amateur skateboarding series, will bring jam-style contests to U.S. skate parks this summer. New for this year’s tour is the first-ever Free Flow finals event at California’s Encinitas YMCA Skatepark, bringing together all 39 winners from this year’s tour.

NBC Sports Ventures

NBC Sports Ventures, the business development arm of NBC Sports, produces 80 hours of programming annually for the NBC Television Network including the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, The National Dog Show Presented by Purina, Jeep World of Adventure Sports, AVP Tour, The ADT Golf Skills Challenge, Office Depot Father/Son Challenge & the Budweiser Boxing Series.

Clear Channel Entertainment – Motor Sports

Clear Channel Entertainment – Motor Sports owns, produces and promotes specialized, motor sports events primarily staged in stadiums and arenas. The company stages over 600 events per year and produces over 250 hours of television programming, featuring such premier properties such as THQ World Supercross GP/THQ AMA Supercross Series; USHRA Monster Jam Presented by Ford Trucks & Advance Auto Parts; Hooter’s IHRA Drag Racing Series & IFMA Freestyle Motocross. Clear Channel Entertainment-Motor Sports, a division of Clear Channel Entertainment, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide (NYSE: CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home, advertising industry.

Pepsi-Cola North America

Pepsi-Cola North America (www.pepsi.com), headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., is the $4 billion beverage division of PepsiCo, Inc. (www.pepsico.com) in the United States and Canada. Its U.S. brands include Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Twist, Pepsi ONE, Pepsi Edge, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Pepsi Vanilla, Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Code Red, Mug, Sierra Mist, Slice, Aquafina, SoBe and Dole single-serve juices. The company also makes and markets North America’s #1 ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The AMA Superbike race at Laguna Seca was red-flagged after 15 of 28 laps due to Jeff Tigert’s crashed Honda CBR1000RR lying in the track at the entrance to turn 11.

In a remarkable coincidence, the red flag will allow Jake Zemke’s crew to make repairs to his ailing Honda.

The highlight of the race prior to the red flag was an amazing lap-two, turn-two pass Mat Mladin made on Ben Bostrom and Zemke to take the lead. Bostrom ran it in very deep underneath Zemke, running them both wide, and Mladin drove underneath both of them; Bostrom had to pick it up as Mladin carved underneath him.

At the time of the red flag, the running order was:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki
2. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -0.868 second
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -4.142 seconds
4. Jake Zemke, Honda, -5.896
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -8.576
6. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -26.392
7. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -35.313
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -44.794
9. Geoff May, Suzuki, -47.948
10. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -48.245
11. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, -58.280
12. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -58.801
13. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -59.073
14. Ken Hill, Suzuki, -65.782
15. Eric Wood, Suzuki -66.366
16. John Haner, Suzuki
17. Chris Siglin, Yamaha
18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki
19. Mark Ledesma, Honda
20. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Two-time AMA Superstock Champion Jimmy Moore is planning on returning to the AMA series at the Road Atlanta event in September and riding with Corona Extra Suzuki, the team he won his Championships with.

That’s the word from Moore, who was at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Sunday spectating and having meetings.

Moore said he felt physically strong enough to race at Mid-Ohio, the AMA event, but said, “I don’t want to come back until I’m 100 percent. If I wait until Road Atlanta, it’ll give me almost two months of lifting weights and riding my dirt bike so I can be as normal as I’ve ever been. I want to build up my strength before trying to wrestle these beasts around.”

Among several other injuries, Moore badly broke his left upper arm when he crashed in Brainerd International Raceway’s turn one at over 160 mph and slid into a tree in 2003. Moore aggravated the injury in a near-crash during the 2004 AMA event at California Speedway and has been out of action since.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Renegade Ducati’s Leon Haslam broke both bones in his left forearm when he crashed his 999RS during the second World Superbike race Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

“We had an electrical problem with the bike. It kept cutting out and it highsided me,” Haslam told Roadracingworld.com.

Haslam said the fractures were immediately set and cast by Dr. Arthur Ting, who was the Chief Medical Officer of the event. Haslam plans to seek follow-up X-rays when he returns to his home in England.

The young Brit said he hopes to be fit enough to ride in the next round of the World Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in three weeks.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional Sunday Morning AMA Superbike Practice Times:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.314
2. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:25.765
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:26.128
4. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 999F04, 1:26.239
5. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:26.259
6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.412
7. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:27.347
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.572
9. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.047
10. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:29.892
11. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:29.989
12. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.200
13. Chris Siglin, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:30.300
14. Jeff Tigert, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:30.495
15. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.515
16. Tom Montano, Ducati 999R, 1:30.553
17. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.097
18. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.102
19. Ken Hill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.111
20. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.152

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Lazarus Landin (WSMC #514), the racer who was airlifted out of Willow Springs on June 20 as a result of a collision in turn one, is back in San Diego. He has been placed in a nursing facility to recuperate from his injuries, which included broken left collarbone, radius, ulna, tibia, fibia, punctured lung, and head trauma. His leg and arm have been pinned, and he is recovering from the head injuries.

He was in a coma for three days on life support, and is slowly recovering his mental faculties. He now responds well to any question posed to him, and we are all hoping for a complete recovery.

Any visitors can see him at Sharp Cabrillo Medical Center, San Diego, room #812.

I would like to thank all the people who have sent cards and who are thinking of him. Please keep him in your prayers, and like he would say, “keep ‘er on one wheel!”

Cards and letters can be sent to:
Lazarus Landin
Room #812
c/o Sharp Cabrillo Hospital
3475 Kenyon St.
San Diego, CA 92110

SoCalElite is having a charity ride for him on the 17th at Alba Action Sports. Details to follow.

Steve Wilkening
San Diego, California

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Bryan Paquette was killed Friday at New Hampshire International Raceway, during an LRRS race weekend.

According to Paquette’s long-time friend Eric Wood, Paquette crashed when his motorcycle lost its front brake pads and he ran into the tire wall in front of the barrier outside turn three.

Wood said that Paquette was a former AMA Pro Superbike racer making a return to road racing, running in a class for riders over age 40, for fun. Paquette, who had been participating in track days at Loudon, was married and had three children, Wood said.

Paquette often worked as a member of the Dunlop tire fitting crew at AMA Nationals, Wood said.

Further details will be posted as they become available.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 28 laps
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati, -4.127 seconds
3. Steve Martin, Ducati, -5.707
4. James Toseland, Ducati -8.347
5. Regis Laconi, Ducati, -8.390
6. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati, -18.560
7. Garry McCoy, Ducati, -21.290
8. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki, -31.795
9. Leon Haslam, Ducati, -34.166
10. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas, -38.175
11. Marco Borciani, Ducati, -43.554
12. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, -57.948
13. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki, -78.242
14. Horst Saiger, Yamaha, -82.532
15. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas, -2 laps, DNF
16. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki, -2 laps, DNF
17. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati, -11 laps, DNF
18. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki, -13 laps, DNF
19. Alessio Velini, Yamaha, -19 laps, DNF
20. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati, -21 laps, DNF
21. Miguel Praia, Ducati, DNS

Note: Haga started last, from pit lane, after stalling his Renegade Ducati on the grid before the warm-up lap.


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Disappointing opener for FPR at Laguna

Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Troy Corser and Chris Walker endured a disappointing first race of the seventh round of the Superbike World Championship at Laguna Seca today.

The omens were ominous when Chris’s first bike suffered an engine problem on his formation lap and the spare bike had to be wheeled onto the grid. He was running in 12th spot when, with two laps remaining, he was lucky to avoid a crash on the fast downhill section of the Californian circuit when further engine problems forced him to retire.

Troy Corser, starting from fifth on the grid, finished in 10th. He said: “I was losing too much acceleration on Sanchini and Haslam in front of me, who were pulling away out of the corners. I used the harder tyre compound but will consider trying a softer compound for the second race, although the difference in lap times between me and the riders in front remained pretty constant.”

Chris said: “I don’t deserve the luck I am having at the moment. I think the only reason I didn’t crash was because there was so much oil that the bike didn’t grip and I was able to use the camber to stay on. I was stuck behind Borciani for the whole race.”

Race one results, Superbike World Championship, round 7, Laguna Seca, USA: 1 Vermeulen; 2 Chili +4.127; 3 Martin +5.707; 4 Toselnd +8.347; 5 Laconi +8.390; 6 Haga +18.560; 7 McCoy +21.290; 8 Sanchini +31.795; 9 Haslam +34.166; 10 Corser (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +38.175; 11 Borciani +43.554; 12 Pedercini +57.948; 13 Bontempi +1.18.252; 14 Saiger +1:22.532

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom won the restarted AMA Superbike race at Laguna Seca.

Mat Mladin extended his series points lead by finishing second, with second-in-points Miguel Duhamel third, passing Aaron Yates for the position with two laps to go.

Mladin closed on Bostrom on the final lap but couldn’t get past.

1. Ben Bostrom, Honda
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -0.630 second
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -3.997 seconds
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -4.293
5. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -15.767
6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -20.474
7. Jake Zemke, Honda, -32.596
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -40.372
9. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -50.833
10. Geoff May, Suzuki, -50.971
11. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, -51.472
12. John Haner, Suzuki, -56.911
13. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -57.122
14. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 57.764
15. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, -58.177
16. Chris Siglin, Yamaha
17. Lee Acree, Suzuki
18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki
19. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha
20. Mark Lesdesma, Honda
21. Ken Hill, Suzuki
22. Marco Martinez, Suzuki
23. Ricky Orlando, Kawasaki
24. Scott Jensen, Honda
25. Opie Caylor, Suzuki
26. Tom Montano, Ducati
27. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki
28. Kim Nakashima, Suzuki
29. Corey Eaton, Suzuki
30. Rob Mesa, Suzuki
31. Dave Kunzelman, Suzuki
32. Garry Combs, Suzuki
33. Cory West, Suzuki, DNF, Crash
34. Jeff Tigert, Honda, DNF, Crash
35. David Bell, Suzuki, DNF, Crash
36. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, DNF, mechanical
37. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, Crash
38. Jack Pfeifer, Honda, Crash


Provisional AMA Superbike Point Standings:

1. Mladin, 391 points
2. Duhamel, 381 points
3. Zemke, 372 points
4. Eric Bostrom, 288 points
5. May, 262 points
6. Ben Bostrom, 247 points
7. Haner, 219 points
8. Yates, 216 points
9. wood, 199 points
10. Hayes, 186 points


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MLADIN EXTENDS AMERICAN SUPERBIKE POINTS LEAD AFTER SECOND PLACE FINISH AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey, California, USA (Sunday, July 11) – An action packed twelfth round of the American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship has seen Australian Mat Mladin extend his standing at the top of the series after finishing second in today’s round.

The result could have been one better for the four times and defending series champion if not for an incident midway through the 28-lap Superbike National which resulted in officials stopping the race as the field was on lap seventeen and Mladin holding the race lead.

Fourth from the restart, Mladin worked his way up to second and with two laps to run made a bold challenge to race leader Ben Bostrom, trimming a second out of the margin, but the charge went unrewarded as he trailed Bostrom across the finish line by 0.630 of a second.

The points that he earned for second, along with the additional point for leading the most number of laps during the race has allowed Mladin to extend his lead in the championship to ten, from Miguel DuHamel (391 – 381) who passed Mladin’s Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates with two laps to run to claim the final podium position, 3.3 seconds in arrears to Mladin. Jake Zemke (372) continues to hold third place on the point’s table, but with an increased margin after finishing seventh today.

Starting from the front row of the grid after recording the third fastest time during yesterday’s qualifying session, Mladin was determined to make the most of today’s race and take out as much of an advantage over his rivals DuHamel and Zemke as possible. The morning’s free practice session showed that Mladin was the fastest rider on the circuit in race set up.

“The red flag didn’t do us any favours that’s for sure, as the bike was starting to feel good at that stage of the race and I felt like we could really get going,” said Mladin. “You can’t be upset about the red flag though. A guy crashed and there was fluid on the track, so they did the right thing in stopping the race and clearing it up.”

“The bike felt very good and I was feeling very confident. It’s the best bike I’ve had around here with the way it works over a longer period of time.”

“I got off the line a little slower in the restart as I didn’t want to damage the clutch and just make sure that we got away. From there, I got held up a little behind Miguel and then Aaron and by the time I got past them Ben got a little bit of a gap, we closed that down a little, but just needed a few more laps. That was OK though as it was nice to get some extra points on Miguel in the championship.”

The American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship heads to the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course for round thirteen of the championship on the weekend of July 24 – 25. Mladin, along with a number of the other leading teams in the series tested at the circuit less than two weeks ago, with Mladin posting the fastest time of the two day test.


More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

BOSTROM GAINS VALUABLE POINTS AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey (California) – July 11, 2004: Eric Bostrom gained valuable points at Laguna Seca Raceway with a fifth place finish aboard his Ducati 999R to maintain his fourth overall standing in the AMA Superbike series.

After a weekend marked by lack of track time for the 27-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada, Bostrom struggled to find a comfortable set-up for the technical track.

“The track time this weekend was real short,” said the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin rider. “Having never tested here I never really got quite comfortable. I qualified poorly but this morning we were quick again and the times were competitive. I thought that if we could run those times in the morning we’d be able to go out there and run mid to low 26s in the race and we’d be right there, but it didn’t happen. I was out there pushing hard into the corners but the lap times never came.”

The race was red-flagged just past half distance due to a crash.

“We put a new rear tire on after the red flag and we ran a bit quicker but not nearly as fast as we did this morning. It wasn’t where we needed to be, but it was better,” added the 27-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada.

“We really did suffer from not having enough testing time here,” explained Tom Bodenbach. “We’re still learning a lot and although we would’ve preferred a better finish, we’re still glad to get the points. Now it’s time to focus on the next round.”

Mid-Ohio hosts round 9 (races 13 and 14) of the AMA Superbike Championship at Lexington, Ohio on July 23-25.


RACE: 1. B Bostrom (Honda); 2. Mladin (Suzuki); 3. Duhamel (Honda); 4. Yates (Suzuki); 5. E Bostrom (Ducati); 6. Hayes (Kawasaki); etc.

POINTS: 1. Mladin 391; 2. Duhamel 381; 3. Zemke 372; 4. E Bostrom 288; 5. May 262; 6. B Bostrom 247; etc.

From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

ATTENDANCE – Laguna Seca

As usual the seventh round of the World Superbike Championship in Laguna Seca, USA, has been a very successful event attracting a huge crowd and thus fulfilling the expectation. The attendance figure is 93,000 people over the three days of the event.