Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Veteran Canadian racer Steve Crevier will return to the Diablo Suzuki team to contest the 2004 Parts Canada Superbike Championship.

“When you race you always want to improve and progress every year. Well, it’ll be easy to improve over last year,” joked Crevier in the pits Monday at the Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway. “The team’s new, and they learned a lot last year. They will definitely improve this year.”

Crevier is currently walking with his right leg in a splint and with the assistance of a cane. He explained that he had surgical screws removed from the leg late last year, which unknown to him left fairly large holes in the bones. When put under the stress of racing–and crashing–early in the 2003 season, cracks formed in the bones around the holes.

“I didn’t know it until the end of the season,” said Crevier. “So basically I rode around the whole season with a broken knee cap.”

Crevier said he will be cleared to ride again in January but will wait an extra month before training to be sure his leg is healed and because he has the time.

The Canadian Superbike series doesn’t start until late-spring.

Crevier and 2003 Canadian Superbike and Supersport Champion Pascal Picotte are at Daytona to participate in a photo shoot with riding gear sponsor Joe Rocket.

From a press release issued by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc.:

CMRA AND WERA JOIN FORCES TO HELP THEIR RIDERS

Brooks Gremmels, President of the CMRA and Evelyne Clarke, President of WERA Motorcycle Roadracing met recently and discussed how CMRA and WERA can work together to make it easier for WERA racers to race at CMRA events and for CMRA racers to participate in WERA events.

What they came up with was that for 2004 both CMRA and WERA would do license recognition for two events. A WERA rider will be able to compete in two CMRA events with his/her WERA license and a CMRA rider will be able to compete in two CMRA events with his/her WERA license. The riders would be eligible for any of the contingency and prizes posted, but would not earn points in the respective series.

Clarke said “This is a start to working toward a relationship in the future and WERA is excited that CMRA is willing to look at working with WERA for the best interest of the riders.” Gremmels agreed and added “The CMRA and WERA recognize an opportunity to provide members of both organizations with the chance to race across club boundaries. Hopefully this relationship will provide a template for thinking outside of the box when it comes to amateur road racing.”

For more information on the above a rider can contact WERA at (770) 720-5010, or CMRA at (817) 377-1599. Check out both organizations on their web sites: www.WERA.com and www.cmraracing.com.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

We’re collecting nominations for the Seventh Annual Roadracing World Young Guns feature, highlighting up-and-coming young road racers from the United States and Canada.

To qualify for the Young Guns feature, a racer must be between the ages of 13 and 19, have finished in the top three in a sanctioned Expert-level road race or Championship on a 125cc or larger motorcycle with full-size wheels, and reside within the United States or Canada. Teenagers with paid professional rides may or may not be excluded to make room for up-and-coming riders, as required by space limitations.

The Roadracing World Young Guns series started as an answer to critics who said America lacked up-and-coming young riders.

Young Gun alumni include MotoGP stars Nicky Hayden and John Hopkins, as well as AMA National riders Steve Atlas, Jason DiSalvo, Danny Eslick, Roger Lee Hayden, Tommy Hayden, Jake Holden, Barrett Long, Tony “The Tiger” Meiring, Jason Perez, Chris Peris, Jason Peters, Ben Spies and Chris Ulrich; Young Gun graduates who have gone on to continued success on the regional level include Ryan Burke, Adam Coco, Justin Long, Nathan Hester, Jonah Miller, Geoff Pestes, Jeremy Saathoff and Ben Walters, Jr.

Returning Young Guns should call David Swarts at 909-245-6411 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to update their profile.

To nominate a new youngster for the latest Young Guns feature, call Roadracing World headquarters at 909-245-6411 and request a Young Guns questionnaire be e-mailed, FAXed or mailed to you (e-mail is preferred).

The questionnaire must be completed and returned by February 2, 2004 along with an action photo and a head shot suitable for magazine reproduction; all submitted photos must include written permission to reproduce, from the photographer. Scans and photocopies of photos are not usable. Digital images must be high-resolution, or 300 dpi or higher at 4×6-inches. All photos must have the name of the rider and the photographer included, along with applicable additional information such as where and when the photo was taken, including the racetrack and race sanctioning body. Photos will be returned.

The mailing address is:

Roadracing World
Attn: Young Guns
P.O. Box 1428
Lake Elsinore, CA 92531-1428

The Federal Express or other overnight delivery address is:

Roadracing World
Attn: Young Guns
581-C Birch St.
Lake Elsinore, CA 92530

The six Young Guns features to date appeared in the November 1997, March 1999, February 2000, March 2001, February 2002 and April 2003 issues.

If you have any questions, call 909-245-6411 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. PST and ask to speak to David Swarts or e-mail [email protected].

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Congressman Bill Janklow was convicted of manslaughter today by a jury in Flandreau, South Dakota.

The congressman, who served several terms as governor of South Dakota prior to running for congress and who has a reputation for speeding, was also convicted of speeding, reckless driving and failure to stop. The charges stemmed from an accident August 16th, in which Janklow ran a stop sign at a rural intersection at high speed, colliding with motorcyclist Randolph Scott, 55, who died from his injuries.

Janklow’s defense was that he was a diabetic, had not eaten all day and was impaired by low blood sugar, but that he did not know he was impaired and was not responsible, because his symptoms were masked by a medication he was taking.

(At the risk of being charged with editorializing, it strikes us that Janklow’s defense was akin to a drunk driver claiming he did not know he was impaired and was not responsible, because he was drunk…Editor.)

Janklow, 64, faces up to 10 years in prison.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former Superbike World Champion Doug Polen, former AMA Pro Thunder Champion Tom Montano and former 500cc Grand Prix rider Matt Wait tested a production version of the Moto Guzzi MGS01 at Willow Springs International Raceway yesterday, December 7th.

According to Moto Guzzi North America General Manager Bill Martin, the bike tested by the trio was “essentially” a customer-spec MGS01, fitted with 17-inch Pirelli slicks, running on pump gas.

The test was a shakedown to see if the MGS01 would be a capable platform for use in an AMA Formula Xtreme effort. “We (Moto Guzzi executives) are going to meet…to see if we are going to proceed with a race program some time this week,” said Martin.

In a phone interview with Roadracingworld.com Monday, December 8th, Polen said, “It was OK, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I did a 1:24.8. When you look at the (bike) it has a lot of heavy parts that were on this bike because, more or less, it was production. I guess back in Italy they have an understanding that they can drop the weight 20 kilos from what we rode.

“I would say right now that it’s too much different from what it needs to be to make it a good opinion as to whether it could be competitive,” continued Polen. “But, I think, based just off numbers…with some time that they will surprise some people.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The annual Dunlop tire test started today at Daytona International Speedway. The test is scheduled to continue through Wednesday, December 10.

Most of the factory-supported AMA road race teams that use Dunlop tires are present, including American Honda, Erion Honda, Kawasaki, Attack Kawasaki, Yoshimura Suzuki, Yamaha and Graves Yamaha.

American Honda has Ben Bostrom and Miguel Duhamel on hand.

Erion Honda has brought Jake Zemke and Alex Gobert.

Kawasaki has a pair of Haydens on its team, Tommy and Roger Lee.

Attack Kawasaki has confirmed 2003 AMA Superstock Champion Josh Hayes and Tony Meiring to its squad.

Yoshimura Suzuki is testing with four-time AMA Superbike Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates. Ben Spies is also present at the test, but is not riding.

Yamaha and Graves Yamaha share the services of Damon Buckmaster, Aaron Gobert, Jason DiSalvo and 2003 AMA Supersport Champion Jamie Hacking.

DiSalvo was the first rider on-track at 9:26 a.m. local time Monday, but he had jumped the gun and went out before the track was officially open. Buckmaster was the first legitimate rider on the track at 9:49 a.m.

The delay to open the track was due to moisture on the surface in areas.

Some other teams made delayed starts due to logistical issues with mounting tires.

The morning was chilly, but by noon Monday the temperature was 66 degrees F with an expected high of 70. High temperatures are expected to climb close to 80 degrees F over the next two days with a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms on Wednesday.

From a press release issued by series organizers:

SUPERBIKE DOUBLES UP IN ‘04

TORONTO, ON An additional doubleheader round highlights a busy 2004 Parts Canada Superbike Championship schedule. Canada’s national motorcycle road racing series will consist of eight rounds at six venues across the country.

For the second straight year Mosport International Raceway will stage two point scoring races on its traditional mid-July date. But another doubleheader is slated for Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park. The Race City event also has a new date, moving from its early June slot to the July 2-4 weekend.

The Mosport twin bill follows just two weeks later, July 15-18, setting up a critical early season stretch in the battle for the Canadian number one plate.

In another new twist, the doubleheader weekends will include two feature races for both the Parts Canada Superbike and Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike classes. Previously, only the Superbike category ran two races on the doubleheader weekend.

The third national class, the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class will run one feature race on the doubleheader weekends.

As usual, the Parts Canada Superbike season will open and close at Shannonville Motorsport Park, near Belleville, ON. The 1.53-mile ‘Pro’ Track hosts the season opener May 20-23 while the title chases wrap up on the 2.5-mile ‘Long’ Track Sept. 3-5.

Following the two doubleheader weekends in July, the series moves to Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS for round 6 Aug. 6-8. That event is followed by a round at the scenic Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, just north of Montreal Aug. 19-22.

“The doubleheader round at Mosport was a great success last year so we are excited to expand the format further,” said Colin Fraser of Professional Motorsport Productions, organizer of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. “We have run the doubleheader format at Calgary in the past. It is a popular venue for our series and it gives us a second points scoring event in western Canada.”

The Race City facility is undergoing significant safety upgrades in preparation for the 2004 season and beyond. By the time the Canadian tour hits Calgary track officials expect to have completed modifications to turn 11, the exit of the Carousel.

“We’re going to open up the corner so that if a rider goes down there he has more space to clear the track,” said Race City owner Art MacKenzie.

Race City will wrap up its 2004 race season early next fall to allow time to continue upgrades to the road course.

“The doubleheader at our track will be great for the western racers,” MacKenzie added. “I know it’s expensive for the eastern teams to come west, but its moreso for our guys to head back east, so it’s nice for them to have an extra event in which to pick up some points early in the season.”

All eight rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship will be shown during the season on TSN, The Sports Network with further television arrangements to be announced shortly. Each doubleheader will produce two separate television episodes.

2004 Parts Canada Superbike Championship Schedule
Round 1 May 20-23, Shannonville Motorsport Park (Pro Track), Shannonville, ON

Round 2 July 2-3, Race City Motorsport Park, Calgary, AB

Round 3 July 3-4, Race City Motorsport Park, Calgary, AB

Round 4 July 15-17, Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, ON

Round 5 July 15-18, Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, ON

Round 6 Aug. 6-8, Atlantic Motorsport Park, Shubenacadie, NS

Round 7 Aug. 19-22, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, QC

Round 8 Sept. 3-5, Shannonville Motorsport Park (Long Track), Shannonville, ON

From a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki racers Steve Rapp and Vincent Haskovec completed a three-day test at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. The test gave the team valuable track time to test new motorcycles and allowed the riders to evaluate tires for Michelin.

Steve Rapp rode a new 2004 Suzuki GSX-R600 at the test. The veteran, a two-time winner in 2003 for the team, was impressed with the new Supersport machine even though the bike had a completely stock engine due to the recent arrival of the new machine. “The new GSX-R600 is really something, a huge improvement on last year’s version,” Rapp said. “The bike stops like a Superbike due to the improved brakes and the engine works through the rev range quicker than before, plus has a higher rpm limit. Handling is very stable as well.”

Rapp enters his second year with the team and is coming off a successful season. “It’s great to be back,” he said. “The way it worked out, I haven’t been with the same team for two years in a row in a while. Here, the team is very professional, like a full factory team with all the resources. I have a lot of confidence in (Crew Chief) Keith Perry and the crew. Winning those races this past season was a great feeling and I hope we can do it again in 2004.”

New rider Vincent Haskovec made his debut with the team in Daytona. His enthusiasm and infectious personality fit well with his skills as a racer. “Vincent will strengthen the team this year,” Rapp said. “He’s a lot like me. Both of us came up the hard way, club racing and earning whatever we got the hard way. I enjoyed racing with him as a rival this past season in the Superstock class and will enjoy having him as a teammate, especially when it comes to having help evaluating the Michelin tires.”

“I got a good feel for everything, how the bike, the team and the tires work. I was quite pleased,” Hasvovec said.

Vincent is among the first to ride an Formula Xtreme bike since the class has moved to smaller displacement machines and allows Superbike-style modifications for the 2004 season. “Nobody knows how far you can take it, how far you can go. So it will be exciting. The one I rode this weekend was an ’03 project bike built with the new rules in mind, so the final version will be a little different. That bike is gonna be a lot of fun to ride, that’s for sure,” Vincent said. “A little bike like that is nimble, with 16.5 inch tires and Superbike brakes. I can’t wait to ride it again.”

At Michelin’s request, the riders also spent time on the GSX-R1000, evaluating both slicks and treaded tires. “It’s a missile,” said Haskovec. “That bike is unbelievably fast here (at Daytona). Riding by myself, I went 180 miles per hour on the radar gun. By myself! When I got a draft from Steve, I went 182.5. On a 600, this Daytona track has spots where you can conserve your energy because you are just wide open on the throttle, but on the GSX-R1000 there is no time. That bike makes this place like Fontana or Colorado.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The 2004 Honda CBR1000RR Superbike reached 190 mph Monday during its public debut during Dunlop tire tests at Daytona International Speedway.



A reliable source reported that Ben Bostrom reached 190 mph on the CBR1000RR, compared to 184 mph for the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbikes of Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates.

The Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock racebikes were said to reach 183 mph, while the Kawasaki and Attack Kawasaki ZX-10Rs topped 180 mph consistently.



Crewmen from both American Honda and Yoshimura Suzuki recorded top speeds with radar guns from the starter’s flagging stand in Daytona’s tri-oval section.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Several of the factory and factory-supported AMA road racing teams have not officially announced their racing plans for the 2004 season, but most of the details were disclosed Monday morning during the Dunlop tire test at Daytona International Speedway.

American Honda will field Ben Bostrom and Miguel Duhamel on CBR1000RR Superbikes. Duhamel will also race a CBR600RR in the new-for-2004 AMA Formula Xtreme class, but Bostrom will not run the new class all season, instead racing a Honda FX bike at Daytona and possibly in other selected events.

Jake Zemke has taken over what was basically Kurtis Roberts’ ride and will race Superbike on a CBR1000RR and Formula Xtreme on a CBR600RR, both in Erion Honda colors.

Erion Honda will also enter Alex Gobert in Superstock on the CBR1000RR and in Formula Xtreme on the CBR600RR.

American Honda will not race the RC51 in Superbike and will not race in AMA Supersport in 2004, according to Team Manager Chuck Miller.

Yamaha and Graves Yamaha will share Damon Buckmaster, Aaron Gobert, Jason DiSalvo and 2003 AMA Supersport Champion Jamie Hacking. The foursome will ride factory Yamaha YZF-R6s in Supersport and Graves Yamaha-badged Yamaha YZF-R1s in AMA Superstock.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin will look for his fifth AMA Superbike Championship on a GSX-R1000. Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates will also race in Superbike and in addition will race Supersport on the all-new 2004 Suzuki GSX-R600. 2003 AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Ben Spies will race a GSX-R1000 in Superstock and a GSX-R600 in Supersport.

Kawasaki will enter Tommy and Roger Lee Hayden on ZX-6RRs in Supersport and ZX-10Rs in Superstock.

Tony “The Tiger” Meiring will move over to the Attack Kawasaki team and only race Supersport while teammate Josh Hayes will race in AMA Superstock, and possibly Superbike, on the new ZX-10R.