From a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

XAUS & HODGSON READY TO GET DWON TO THE RIO GP BEAT

With no time for rest after the Dutch TT, the World Championship lands in Brazil this weekend, a short break away from the European leg of the calendar. Since 1996 this race has taken place at the Jacarepaguá circuit, on the outskirts of Río de Janeiro, the city which lends its name to the race. The track is famous for being quick, but the surface can often be bumpy and not offer too much in the way of grip.

The d´Antin MotoGP riders have gradually settled into the class, increasingly playing a bigger part in the outcome of races, with Rubén Xaus currently heading the Rookie of the Year standings after three fantastic races in a row, whilst Neil Hodgson has a smile back on his face after the latest Grand Prix in Assen, where he achieved his primary objective of finishing amongst the top ten. Both riders arrive in Rio full of hope, and determined to shine once more at the handlebars of their Ducati Desmosedici.

RUBÉN XAUS flew straight to Río from Assen, making the most of the days off to do a little bit of sightseeing, although he has been to the area before when he raced here in 1996. “I came to race in Río when I rode as a replacement for a 250cc rider during five races. I was very young and inexperienced, but I picked up the provisional pole in the wet on the first day, and that’s a memory you just can’t forget about. I remember that I liked the circuit although the asphalt was quite bumpy, but I’m coming to this race as excited as ever. We’re doing some good work at the moment, and we’re consistently performing well. At first it was hard for us to get going, but that’s normal because everything was new for us. We mustn’t forget, as I frequently repeat, that we are still in a learning process, but I’m confident of my continued improvement as the season goes on.”

NEIL HODGSON, who took a couple of days out at his Isle of Man residence, will have his morale boosted as he arrives in Rio: “I was satisfied with my result in Holland after what was a truly difficult weekend. I had a good race pace and I honestly believe that if I had got a better grid position I could have ridden with the second group no problem. After the tests in Barcelona we made a huge step forward and it’s almost as if we’ve started the season again now. I raced in Rio in 1995 and the main thing I can remember is the undulating asphalt, but I’m sure it will have improved since then, and in any case, the most important thing is that I’m optimistic going into this race and I hope to continue to enjoy riding my Ducati, just like I did in Assen.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA racers testing today at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio have reported that the recent surface work to smooth the transitions between the asphalt and concrete patches in the corners has left troublesome grooves.

The transition smoothing was done with a grinder, which has left grooves in the surface that are causing the AMA racebikes to move around quite a bit, according to several riders at the test.

Present at the test are Michelin-sponsored Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom and Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp and Vincent Haskovec.

Among the Dunlop-supported teams, American Honda has brought Ben Bostrom and Miguel Duhamel; Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke is on track but Alex Gobert is not at the test; Yoshimura Suzuki has Mat Mladin, Aaron Yates and Ben Spies riding; Kawasaki’s Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden are in action; Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes and Tony Meiring are circulating; and Yamaha/Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking, Aaron Gobert and Jason DiSalvo are testing without the company of still-recovering-from-injury Damon Buckmaster.

DiSalvo crashed Wednesday morning in the Keyhole section. His condition was not known at post time. The weather, however, is reported to be very good with ambient temperatures near 80 degrees.

Scheduled to end Thursday, the shared tire test contradicts public statements issued by Dunlop–which bought up a slew of test dates for the express purpose of excluding Michelin teams–that said closed, one-brand tire tests were required to protect data and technology.

Late in 2003, Dunlop Vice President Mike Buckley, then a member of the AMA Board of Directors and the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors, bought out test dates scheduled by a co-op of AMA teams and specifically excluded Michelin-sponsored squads, which had shared the tests with Dunlop-sponsored teams many times over the last seven years.

The Mid-Ohio test now going on was originally set up by Michelin, which issued statements that any AMA teams could participate in any of its tests, regardless of tire brand used, on a shared-cost basis. Dunlop-sponsored Honda teams also tested with Michelin teams at Pikes Peak earlier this year.

Tuesday, June 29, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Lindsay
Phone: (614) 856-1900 x1357
E-mail: [email protected]

MOTORCYCLING GROUPS SUPPORT AMA’S ‘JUSTICE FOR ALL’

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced that a number of state and national motorcycling organizations have formally voiced their support of the AMA’s “Justice for All” campaign.

Among the groups backing the goals of Justice for All are the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, ABATE of Indiana, ABATE for Missouri, ABATE of South Dakota, ABATE of Wisconsin, BikePAC of Colorado, the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association, and the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association.

Although Justice for All focuses the public’s attention on inadequate sentencing of drivers who seriously injure or kill motorcyclists, the AMA advocates legislation establishing tougher penalties when traffic offenses or criminal actions by any motorist result in another’s death or serious injury.

“By endorsing the goals of Justice for All, these organizations demonstrate their commitment to working in the best interests of American motorcyclists,” said Edward Moreland, Vice President of AMA Government Relations. “We’re gratified to have their leadership and support, and we look forward to working with them to effect change that benefits riders nationwide.”

In August, the AMA will take Justice for All to South Dakota for the 64th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis rallygoers can visit the AMA’s Justice for All information center at the Sturgis Music Festival grounds, located one block off Main Street at the corner of 2nd and Lazelle, from Tuesday, August 10 through Friday, August 13. Card-carrying AMA members will have access to special parking (as space is available), as well as a 10% discount at the Sturgis Music Festival’s food court and access to the Sturgis Music Festival VIP area.

For more information about Justice for All, or to order a Justice for All kit, visit www.AMADirectlink.com/justice, e-mail [email protected], or call 800-AMA-JOIN.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. Formula USA official Eric Kelcher and his wife, CCS/F-USA Event Manager Tiffiney Kelcher, had a daughter, Madison Grace Kelcher, June 5 in Irving, Texas. Tiffiney Kelcher is planning to return to work in early-August. Race team owner/tuner Rich Cronrath and wife Wendy had a daughter, Xantha Kaylee Cronrath, June 6 in Morristown, New Jersey. Because his team, Kosco Buell, raced Saturday, June 5 at Road America, Cronrath was able to fly home just in time for his daughter’s birth on Sunday, June 6.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A crash in which Jamie Hacking broke his collarbone brought testing to an early halt at Mid-Ohio this afternoon.

The test stopped at 4:25 local time when Hacking was transported in the only ambulance on site.

Jason DiSalvo, Roger Lee Hayden and Eric Bostrom crashed earlier, without any substantial injury–all three continued testing afterwards.

The rough, ground surface of the pavement played havoc with riders during the test, and proved especially difficult for the men on 1000cc Superstock machines.

Hacking was the fastest rider on a Supersport bike prior to his crash.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Highlights of the AMA Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme and Repsol Superstock races at Brainerd International Raceway (June 24-25) will be aired Sunday, July 4 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Speed Channel.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The daily schedule posted on the official AMA Superbike series website for the July 9-11 AMA/World Superbike event at Laguna Seca Raceway includes an error.

The AMA schedule for the afternoon of Friday, July 9 includes:

3:25 – 3:55 p.m. Repsol Superstock Qualifying, Group 1

4:05 – 4:35 p.m. Repsol Superstock Qualifying, Group 2

4:45- 5:15 p.m. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying, Group 1

5:25 – 5:55 p.m. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying, Group 2

3:50 – 4:20 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike Qualifying, Group 1

4:30 – 5 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike Qualifying, Group 2

The Chevrolet Superbike Qualifying sessions on the Friday schedule are “clearly an error,” according to AMA Pro Racing Kerry Graeber, who told Roadracingworld.com that he would check into the situation and see that it is corrected.

The AMA/World Superbike event at Laguna Seca is a three-day event for 2004, where it had been a four-day event in the past.

From a press release:

Noted designer Tony Foale is holding a seminar on suspension Monday and Tuesday, July 19-20 at the AMA museum in Pickerington, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus).

That is the week between the AMA Vintage
Days/AHRMA races and AMA Superbike events at Mid-Ohio in Lexington, Ohio (about 45 minutes north).

The price will be $250 for both days, or $390 with a copy of Tony’s book on PDF disk, and suspension kinematics software included.

Here is the Internet address for information on the seminar, including how to sign up:

www.tonyfoale.com/seminar/ohiosem.htm

The seminar is open to anyone, and we currently have many engineers from within the industry signed up, and are hoping for many more. The conference room is limited to 35 people, and we are reserving spaces on a first-come basis. If there is enough interest, we may hold a 2nd seminar later in the week.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

RIVALS LOCKED ON POINTS AS TITLE RACE HITS RIO

With Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) both sharing 126 points at the top of the table after six races, the MotoGP circus now heads to Brazil for an intriguing contest over the 4.933km of the Circuit Nelson Piquet, 20km south of central Rio de Janeiro.

Coming just after the pulsating Dutch TT where Rossi beat Gibernau and posted his third straight win over the Spaniard, Sete is determined to halt the Italian’s progress here in Brazil – neither rider will be lapping up the party atmosphere of this race until the flag on Sunday.

Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) also needs a result here – but for different reasons. The Italian is 33 points adrift of the leading pair and has yet to achieve a win this season. He’s scored points at every race (as have Rossi and Gibernau), but two second places and two thirds are not enough to keep him in the hunt while the main men share wins. He needs a victory in Brazil.

But Rossi has ruled Rio. He has won the last four races here and will be out to make a fifth win this weekend a signal to Gibernau that his rival’s title challenge has stalled. Gibernau will want to use this race to demonstrate to Rossi that the ten races remaining will not follow the same pattern as the last three where Rossi has shadowed him for most of the race and then pounced in the closing stages to snatch a win.

Gibernau has scored points at 19 consecutive races now, but consistency is of little value in this intense title struggle if it doesn’t feature a consistent visit to the top step of the podium. Both riders rarely drop points and yet neither can afford to wait for one another to make a mistake – this year the psychological impact of beating the other into second would seem to be the most important tool available.

This is why the re-emergence of Biaggi is such a factor. He is a proven race winner and after a run of mediocre results, the 12 times winner in the premier class is overdue a return to winning ways. The canny Italian knows he can’t leave it much later than now to put the squeeze on the two men in front of him.

The track features the third fastest straight in the MotoGP calendar and the 1000m chute with its wide entry and exit is where much of the overtaking is done here. But the track, built on reclaimed land, is bumpy. Subsidence, despite massive rebuilding efforts in 1995, is still a problem. The surface is not very grippy and is rippled in many key areas.

Corner speeds are high here and stability under braking at the end of the straight is a key area engineers will look at when setting-up these 220bhp machines. Top-end power is also critical and any changes to engine-mapping will factor-in the need to have plenty of power available in the higher registers of engine rpm.

The track, like Welkom in South Africa, is never used for testing, so riders tend to come to it ‘raw’ and speed from riders and crews in assessing the exact machine requirements is essential if teams are to get to grips with conditions early on. As we have seen this season, the pressure is such that even the first free training session on Friday morning will be an intense affair.

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) who will start his 201st Grand Prix on Sunday has never won here. The Brazilian was on better form in Holland last weekend than he has been in for a while and if he can build on that here, the veteran cannot be ruled out for a win. But he remains a long shot while Rossi and Gibernau carve up the wins between them.

“I’m ready for a new battle with Valentino,” said Gibernau. “I’m going to fight for the win again here and I’m sure it will be a great show. I like the track and I love the atmosphere but it will be strictly business here.”

His team-mate Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) who has been consistent if not spectacular so far this year is close to recapturing the form that made him such hot property and the Texan will be keen to taste a rostrum after so many races without real success. “I’m confident,” he said. “Last year the Hondas were good here. Sure, the Yamaha has improved a lot but I’m ready. I need to qualify well and get onto the first two rows of the grid. If I can do that then I know I can stay with the front runners. I’ve just been too far down the grids in these first races this season.”

Barros is feeling the pressure – but liking it. “I actually enjoy it,” he said. “The fans are really passionate and I know I’ll get huge support. The last few results have been disappointing for me, but I’ve been encouraged by the balance my crew has now found with the bike. The team has worked hard to get me to the front of the field – and now I need a result. After my crash at Assen I’m fit to ride although my shoulder is maybe not quite 100% yet.”

His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is ready for action too. “It should suit the Honda,” he said. “It’s bumpy but not too bad and not too technical either. I’m glad this race is coming up now because I need to string a few results together after my recent disappointments and need to be mixing it with the guys up front. I’m also going to visit a Honda factory in the jungle – it’s all pretty mad at the moment.”

Max Biaggi is ready to go and starts his 101st premier class Grand Prix here. “Honda gave us massive support in Assen, doing some great work after the qualifying, giving me confidence for the race and demonstrating that with collaboration, even the most difficult situations can be resolved. This is what gives me a big lift to be able to take on the Rio race in confident mood.”

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres said, “In Rio last year I ended up on the podium for the first time. So naturally, I’ve got some good memories of this Grand Prix. But it’s not just for that reason that I’m happy to go there. I like the track layout, it’s very dynamic and has a long straight like the one in Mugello. I want to be at the front and fight for the top positions and I think that in Brazil we have the chance to meet our objectives.”

In the 250cc class things are just as tight as in the MotoGP category with two riders separated at the top by just one point but with two lurking below ready to jump into contention with one good result or a slip by the front runners. Frenchman Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) on 111 points leads Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW by just one point with Sebastian Porto, who won in Holland last weekend, in the frame with 88. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) is in contention with 70.

Elias is yet to score a win while Porto has two so far, Pedrosa two and de Puniet one. Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) scored a win at Jerez in Spain, but the Italian needs to find form quickly is he is to become a factor in the title race – he currently lies seventh with 48 points.

Pedrosa, fresh from his superb race at Assen where he charged from16th place on lap one to finish second, said of Rio. “I like Rio but the track is getting very bumpy and it’s my first time there with the 250 so maybe it will be difficult to set up the bike on the first day. The weather can also be changeable at Rio, I don’t know what to expect with the race so early in the season. First practice on Friday will be hard work. The race will be tough but the bike is working really well, its fast and I will need the speed on the long straight. One thing for sure, I will need a better start than the one I made at Assen!”

Tony Elias said, “I’m looking forward to Rio. I’m now feeling about 90% right with the bike. At Assen I was only five seconds behind the winner, not 10 or12 like earlier races. Rio doesn’t really have good memories for me because last year a difficult overtaking move went wrong and I (maybe) lost my chance of the title. But I do like the track and now the bike is near where I need it to be I’m sure to have a good race.”

Roberto Rolfo’s results in recent races have been below his usual excellent best, two dnf’s and a ninth place at Assen have left him trailing the points leaders. “I have done well at Rio in the last two years so I obviously like the track but the bumpy sections might give us set up problems. We shall have to wait for the first practice session to know where we stand. The engine is now very good, we just have to get the front end to turn into the corners better.” Explained Rolfo.

Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) heads the 125cc points table with 109 to Roberto Locatelli’s 93 with Hector Barbera (both Aprilia) and Casey Stoner (KTM) tied in third with 84 points apiece.

Dovizioso said, “Rio is OK for me, I finished 6th last year and I know I can do better this time. The team has worked hard to get the bike where it is. I need a little more top speed because KTM have found something extra these last couple of races. The others are more or less the same as the Honda.”

From a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

THE 7TH ROUND AT NELSON PIQUET

The 7th round of the MotoGP championship will be held next Sunday, the 4th of July at the Rio circuit, which bears the name of the “carioca” F1 legend, Nelson Piquet.

Built in 1975 and extremely modified in 1995, the carioca track is fixed appointment of the Motorcycle championship. A technical circuit, difficult to interpret as even though the tarmac is quite new, there is still major unevenness, cause of a major challenge for both engineers and riders. Fast and technical, the Piquet – with its many corners to connect – puts the riders talent to the test, while its long straightaway, (1000 meters of boiling surface) praises the qualities of the engine.

The secret to a good lap is first of all a correct line when connecting all the corners. This is very important for a good time, however a good setting to follow the numerous potholes is also needed.


SETE GIBERNAU, DETERMINED AND CONCENTRATED

Sete Gibernau is ready for the 7th round of the MotoGP to be held at Rio on Sunday the 4th of July . The Spaniard is now sharing the same points with Valentino Rossi but maintening his status as the only rider to make the podium in each and every one of the opening six rounds of the MotoGP World Championship. Rio will be another hard fought battle for the win.

“Assen and Rio are two races in a row so there is no time to work on the bike, but I’m confident that my team will do a great job. I’m also confident in myself, in Honda and Michelin so you will see me in Rio fighting in the front for the podium.”


COLIN EDWARDS, CONFIDENT FOR RIO

“Before last year I didn’t know this track. The atmosphere here is completely different than from the European races. There is no pressure from the spectators, the whole environment is more relaxed, but you always fight for the 25 points and for this goal us riders always put in the same amount of effort. I’m determined to do well and this means that I need to improve my qualifying because in MotoGP is absolutely important to start from the first two rows in order to do a good race. In assen I started from the fifth row and finished 6th, it was a good race but I need to qualify better if I want to fight for the podium.”