Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Mark Zaremskas and wife Amber had a daughter, Brooke Alivia Zaremskas, May 5 in Orlando, Florida.

Racer Adam “Crusty” Fergusson and wife Nikki had a daughter, Kaylee Nicole Fergusson, June 15 in Australia.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Zemke aims for another first at Brainerd

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (June 18, 2004) — Jake Zemke feels good about his chances of winning his first AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship race at the June 25-27 Trofeo Ducati presented by Michelin at Brainerd International Raceway. It’s easy to understand why the Californian is optimistic about Brainerd. Zemke won his first AMA Supersport race on the three-mile BIR circuit in 2002, and last year he became the first two-time Brainerd Formula Xtreme winner. Now he looks to add yet another first to his string of success at Brainerd, which is round 11 of the 18-race AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship.

Zemke is a close third in the series point standings behind defending champ Mat Mladin and former champ Miguel Duhamel. Zemke’s emergence as a championship contender in his first full season of AMA Superbike racing is a surprise to many, but not to Zemke.

“I expected to be in this position,” Zemke confidently said of his solid first half of the season. “I have the experienced Erion Honda team behind me and am riding an excellent motorcycle in the new Honda CBR1000RR. As a racer any time you compete with that kind of backing you expect to be a contender.”

Many signs point to Brainerd as being the place where Zemke could finally get a breakthrough win in Superbike. He’s won a race at the Minnesota circuit every year since 2001 and the high-speed configuration just seems to agree with Zemke.

“Brainerd has a real good flow to it,” he explained. “The layout allows for different racing lines and creates good opportunities for passing. I’ve been knocking on the door all season long so I think Brainerd would be appropriate place for me to get my first Superbike win.”

While Zemke has an impressive resume at BIR, the opposite could be said of Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin. The four-time AMA Superbike champ is second on the all-time AMA Superbike wins list, yet surprisingly has never taken a win at Brainerd. It’s one of only two tracks in the series were he hasn’t tasted victory. He led much of last year’s race before being forced to pit with tire problems. The Aussie sensation got off to a blazing start of the 2004 campaign starting with a victory in the Daytona 200. After winning five of the first six rounds Mladin has now gone four rounds without a victory and has witnessed his points lead dwindling.

“We’ve got a 10-point lead heading to Brainerd,” Mladin said. “But I’m not feeling confident that we’ll still be in that position after the next few races, with tracks that require high speeds and strong acceleration.”

The hottest rider coming into this next weekend’s race is three-time Brainerd winner Miguel Duhamel. The Honda racing veteran swept the doubleheader weekend in Elkhart Lake, Wis., earlier this month and became the first rider in AMA Superbike history to reach the 30-win mark. A win on Sunday would make Duhamel the first four-time Brainerd Superbike winner.

Ben and Eric Bostrom are also former Superbike winners at Brainerd. Both brothers got their first Superbike win on the circuit and both would dearly love to take a second win at the track.

Eric has experienced an up-and-down season so far on the Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin 999 entry. A win at Pikes Peak International Raceway last month was the highlight so far for the fourth-ranked AMA Superbike rider. Older brother Ben has yet to get on the podium despite riding what many feel is the best Superbike in the field in the factory Honda CBR1000RR. Ben has admitted he’s felt lost this year, but a win at Brainerd could serve as the confidence boost the former World Superbike star needs.

Another rider looking to get his season on track is Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates. The Georgian is the defending Superbike winner at Brainerd, but comes into this year’s race ranked eighth in the series.

Privateer Geoff May has scored in the top 10 at every race but one this year and finds himself ranked fifth in the standings. The Team Prieto Racing Suzuki rider is hoping his strong season earns him a factory ride next year.

The race will receive same-day national coverage on SPEED Channel at 4 p.m. Eastern on June 27.

For additional information on the Trofeo Ducati presented by Michelin Brainerd AMA Superbike Championship call (218) 824-7220 or visit www.brainerdracewayandresort.com

For immediate post-race results, points, live transponder scoring, in-depth series and rider information, regular columnists and much more, log onto www.USSuperbike.com, the official website of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship.

Schedule of Events

AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited

Trofeo Ducati presented by Michelin

Brainerd International Raceway – June 24-27, 2004



Thursday, June 24

3:00 – 7:00 – Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

6:30 – Post-entry Closed for all Classes

3:00 – 7:30 – Tech Inspection



Friday, June 25

7:30 – 4:00 – Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8:00 – 5:00 – Tech Inspection

9:00 – 10:00 – AMA Repsol Superstock Practice

10:10 – 11:10 – Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Practice

11:20 – 12:20 – Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Practice

12:20 – 1:20 – Lunch Break

12:40 – Mandatory Rider Briefing for All Classes

1:20 – 2:20 – Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Practice

2:30 – 3:00 – Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying Group 1

3:10 – 3:40 – Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying Group 2

3:50 – 4:20 – Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 1

4:30 – 5:00 – Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 2



Saturday, June 26

7:30 – 3:00 – Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8:30 – 5:00 – Tech Inspection

9:00 – 9:30 – AMA Repsol Superstock Practice

9:40 – 10:10 – Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Practice

10:20 – 10:50 – Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Practice

11:00 – 11:30 – Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 1

11:40 – 12:10 – Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Qualifying Group 2

12:10 – 1:10 – Lunch Break

1:10 – 1:40 – AMA Repsol Superstock Qualifying Group 1

1:50 – 2:20 – AMA Repsol Superstock Qualifying Group 2

2:30 – 3:00 – Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Qualifying Group 1

3:10 – 3:40 – Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Qualifying Group 2

4:00 – Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Final (60k – 13 laps)

5:00 – Ducati Fan Ride



Sunday, June 27

8:30 – 12:00 – Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

9:00 – Tech Inspection Opens

9:00 – 9:25 – AMA Repsol Superstock Practice

9:35 – 10:00 – Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Practice

10:10 – 10:35 – Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Practice

11:00 – AMA Repsol Superstock Race Final (60k – 13 laps)

12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch Break

12:20 – Nondenominational Chapel Service

1:00 – Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Final (60k – 13 laps)

2:00 – Ducati Fan Ride

3:00 – Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited Race Final (100k – 21 laps)

From a press release issued by Anne M. Stark:

Vintage motorcycle road racing returns to Northern California this August with the first annual AHRMA NorCal Classic at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Calif.

The NorCal Classic on Aug. 14-15, an AHRMA national event, will feature all of the AHRMA road racing classes including Battle of the Twins and Sound of Singles. There also will be an AHRMA-approved school for new racers on Friday, Aug. 13.

Northern California is home to many legendary
racers. Racing celebrities from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s will be on hand and on the track riding (and possibly racing) some very unique machinery.

This event is being promoted by a grass-roots group of San Francisco Bay Area vintage road racers who are working to ensure the NorCal Classic is an annual AHRMA event in Northern California.

Also planned are cash prizes, gift certificates, a bike show with awards and a free Saturday evening barbecue.

The race school costs $300 for an all day class that includes classroom instruction, track time as well as a racing license. School attendees must join the American Motorcyclist Association and AHRMA to race on Saturday and Sunday. Membership to the
American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association is $40 per year.

There also will be a practice day on Friday, Aug. 13, run by AHRMA. Racers must have an AMA membership to participate.

The gate fee is $10 per day or $20 for the weekend. Children 12 and under enter for free. Race fuel is available on site. Garages can be rented for $100 per day by calling the track ahead of time at (530) 934-5588.

Members of other motorcycling clubs such as the
American Federation of Motorcyclists and the Sounds of the Past do not have to join AHRMA to race at the Thunderhill event but must be AMA members.

Racers can pre-enter for the AHRMA NorCal Classic by downloading an entry form from
http://www.ahrma.org/forms/entry.htm and faxing it to (615)-851-3678 or mailing it to AHRMA National Office, AHRMA Entry, P.O. Box 1725, Goodletssville, TN 37070. The deadline for pre-entries is July 30.

Thunderhill Raceway Park is located seven miles west of the town of Willows, Calif. Willows is located 1 hour (70 miles) north of Sacramento off of Highway 5. The track is 3 miles long with 15 turns, with a lot of elevation changes and plenty of run-off room.

For those not racing, the track is extremely spectator friendly with grassy areas for viewing the races.

Breakfast, lunch and snack concessions are
available on site

For more information on the AHRMA NorCal Classic or to join the race school, go to the Web at http://www.norcalclassic.org or send an e-mail to: [email protected].

From a press release issued by Team Hammer, Inc.:

Pro Practice Schedule
Brainerd International Raceway
Brainerd, Minnesota
June 24, 2004
(Subject To Change)

Group A: Supersport and Formula Xtreme
Group B: Superbike and Superstock

9:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Group A: Supersport and Formula Xtreme

9:30-10:00 a.m.Group B: Superbike and Superstock

10:00-10:30 a.m. Group A: Supersport and Formula Xtreme

10:30-11:00 a.m.Group B: Superbike and Superstock

11:00-11:30 a.m.Group A: Supersport and Formula Xtreme

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.Group B: Superbike and Superstock

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.LUNCH

1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.Group A: Supersport and Formula Xtreme

1:30-2:00 p.m.Group B: Superbike and Superstock

2:00-3:00 p.m.Group A: Supersport and Formula Xtreme

3:00-4:00 p.m.Group B: Superbike and Superstock

4:00-5:00 p.m.TBA


For more information go to www.teamhammer.com or call (909) 245-6414.

Note: Team Hammer is looking for volunteers to help AMA Pro Racing deploy soft barriers (Airfence and Alpina Air Modules) on Wednesday afternoon at the track, and to help take down soft barriers on Sunday evening. Accepted volunteers will be given free lunch and dinner on Thursday, June 24 and, if they are a rider, will be sponsored into the promoter practice free of charge. If they are not a rider, the rider of their choice will be sponsored into the promoter practice free of charge. To sign up, call (909) 245-6414 or e-mail [email protected]

From AMA Pro Racing’s 2004 AMA Superbike Championship rulebook on www.amaproracing.com:

b. Swing arms
Stock swing arms must be utilized. The only modifications permitted are gusseting and attachment of stand mounts. 1000cc – 1350cc air-cooled twin-cylinder motorcycles are unrestricted.

See related post:

6/16/2004 Updated Post: AMA Pro Racing Changes Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Without Notice Or Comment

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

Via e-mail:

My roommate, and teammate Shawn (George Lingwall) is currently in a re-habilitation facility in Arlington, Virginia named INOVA Mount Vernon Hospital. He was transferred there just 3 days after coming out of his coma.

His current condition has greatly improved in the past 2 weeks, but a full recovery is months away. He has short-term memory loss, is very slow to react, has a hard time walking, and mostly has difficulty collecting his thoughts. Sometimes he seems just fine and understands everything you say. Doctors are optimistic for a full recovery, but are not commiting to making the statement that he will fully recover.

He has received several cards in the mail from fellow racers and their families. His girlfriend reads him the cards everytime he gets one, and he is grateful and wants to thank people for their prayers and support. His mother is currently filling out paperwork to receive help from Gordon Lunde’s Wegman Benefit Fund, which is a fund that helps racers with their financial situation. It is a much welcomed opportunity to keep his financial situation intact since he does not have disability.

I know he looks forward to racing again. Just yesterday when I saw him I told him about VIR in 2 weeks, and he said he wanted to race it. He is worried about the points lead he had in CCS and if you ask him what his number is he will tell you number one. He is a true competitor and if anyone can recover from the head injury he sustained it is him.

Sincerely
Carlos Adrian Nunez
CCS #582

To send Lingwall a card or letter, mail it to:

George Shawn Lingwall
21055 Stanford Square Apt. 200
Dulles, VA 20166

Editorial Note: Lingwall, CCS Amateur #412, crashed during the Unlimited Supersport Amateur race in Summit Point’s turn three on Saturday, May 29. He was flown to a local hospital with severe head trauma, bleeding from the head, other concussion symptoms and a neck “irregularity,” according to race officials, who said that Lingwall did not hit any barriers during his fall.

From a press release issued by Safety First Racing:

Safety First Racing adds young gun to rider line up

Safety First Racing is proud to announce the addition of 16 year old racer, Jesse Janisch, to the team. In an interview with team owner, Kevin Hanson, there were several reasons for the move. Hanson stated, “My dream was always to race at the AMA level and eventually be a team owner that groomed young and upcoming racers. Originally, I planned to race the entire season and add young riders to my team next year. However, an opportunity came up and I’ve known Jesse and his family for a couple of years so I gave him a chance to ride my backup bike at Road America in Superstock. Jesse finished a very respectable 16th place in his first ever AMA race. The great thing about Jesse is he has been dirtracking for years and is a smart, polite young man with all the qualities to become a great road racer. It’s my job to provide him an environment he can thrive in. Jesse will be racing my bikes the rest of the season in Superstock and I will assume the role as team owner/manager.”

Another addition to the team will be current sponsor, Jim Rashid, of 4&6 Racing. Hanson related, “Jim has been a great mentor to me for the last couple of years and has sponsored Jesse as well. Jim will be serving as crewchief/mechanic for the remainder of the season. The great thing about the addition of Jim and 4&6 is he is one of the few privateer team owners that has won several races against the factory teams at the AMA level. By putting good people in place, this allows me to focus on the management side of things of promoting Safety First Racing and our safety program for kids, which Jesse will also be directly involved in.”

From AMA Pro Racing, via e-mail:

The web posting yesterday on Roadracingworld.com headlined “AMA Pro Racing Changes Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Without Notice or Comment” contains inaccuracies and is possibly misleading. For the record, AMA Pro Racing offers the following:

The posting’s assertion that “at post time, the rules revision was not posted in the rules changes section on amaproracing.com, the official website of AMA Pro Racing” is wrong. The clarification to the rule regarding swingarms in the Formula Xtreme class was posted on AMA Pro Racing’s website on Monday, 6/14 at 9:27a.m. EST.

Claiming it is modification of an existing rule is dubious. The Competition Bulletin issued on Monday clarifies an existing rule. It became apparent at the Road America round that the rule could possibly be misinterpreted so the Competition Bulletin was issued to clarify the original rule.

AMA Pro Racing’s procedure for the dissemination of Competition Bulletins is as follows: Once finalized, Competition Bulletins are distributed (on the same day) to AMA Pro Racing staff, the relevant advisory board, all relevant credential holders and the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors. Staff and advisory board members receive the bulletin via e-mail (or fax for advisory board members when e-mail fails). Credential holders and AMA Pro Racing board members are sent a copy via regular mail. Most importantly, Competition Bulletins are posted on both AMA Pro Racing’s website (under rules & bulletins) for public viewing and in the “rider’s only” section on the day of distribution.

In this case, several swingarms were impounded at the Road America event on June 6th. The swingarms arrived at AMA Pro Racing offices on Tuesday, June 8th. The swingarms were measured and examined on the 8th and 9th. As a result of the examination, it was determined by AMA Pro Racing management that a clarification of the rules was in order (not a rules change). The language to be included in the Competition Bulletin was completed on Thursday the 10th. On Friday the 11th, post offices were closed in honor of Ronald Reagan, so no mail could go out that day. Accordingly, the Competition Bulletin was issued (following the protocol described above) on Monday (the 14th) of this week. Again, as noted above, it was posted that same day on www.amaproracing.com.

Thank you,

Kerry Graeber
Vice President, Director of Communications
AMA Pro Racing



See related posts:

6/17/2004 How The AMA Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Was Originally Worded In The 2004 Rulebook

6/16/2004 Updated Post: AMA Pro Racing Changes Formula Xtreme Swingarm Rule Without Notice Or Comment




And now, some reader reaction:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

In my opinion the change in the swingarm rule is simple: The Honda swingarms they took at Elkhart didn’t meet the rules. Now they do. Problem solved.

If any other parts are confiscated I would expect additional rule changes.

Gary Hilliard
Dover, Delaware


FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

I have to agree with Gary Hilliard. The original language was clear, gusseting and stand mounts were OK, any non-stock parts had to fit or I would assume you just can’t use them. With the ‘clarification’ participants can now modify the swingarm to accept non-stock brake components, spacers, axles and wheels if they didn’t previously fit the stock swingarm. Before, it all had to fit within the stock parameters, not now… Sounds like a change to me. It allows more leeway for those with the ability to make the changes, but for the guys that could but felt that would be illegal, this sort of stinks.

Jim Douglas
Fiddletown, California