From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

CARR NAMED AMA PRO RACING SPEED CHANNEL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Nov. 24, 2003) — Chris Carr was named AMA Pro Racing Speed Channel Athlete of the Year Saturday night at the AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. It was the first time Carr has won the prestigious award after being nominated six times including the last three years in a row.

Upon learning that he had been nominated again Carr, 36, joked that he wasn’t getting his hopes up about winning. However, upon receiving the elusive award Carr was jubilant saying he was shocked and excited. He paid tribute to his wife and children and thanked his mom and dad for allowing him as a child to “chase a dream.” Carr laughingly compared himself to Susan Lucci, the soap opera star who was nominated multiple times for an Emmy award before finally capturing the prize.

Carr’s success in AMA Grand National racing places him in the upper echelons of the sport’s hierarchy. His 62-career national victories makes him the winningest active rider in the AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship and his series-leading five victories in the 2003 season places him in second in the all-time AMA Grand National wins category behind retired rival and recent Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee, Scott Parker. Carr has more AMA Short Track wins than anyone having passed legends Kenny Roberts and Steve Eklund in 2003.

Carr won his first AMA Grand National Championship in 1992 and followed that with titles in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He’s hoping to capture his fourth straight title (sixth overall) in next year’s 50th anniversary of AMA Grand National racing. Carr credited his championship to those around him. “I’m proud of our team from our sponsors, to my wife and kids, to my crew chief Kenny Tolbert and Rich Bates who put in a lot of time to allow me to win another championship,” said Carr. “They worked hard and this championship is more than a victory for just myself, it’s a victory for a lot of people and I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I have without them.”

The AMA Pro Racing Speed Channel Athlete of the Year award is coveted among professional motorcycle racers and is awarded to the racer generally considered to have had the best overall year. A recipient’s overall career success can also be considered in the selection process. In addition to Carr, nominees for the 2003 award included Ricky Carmichael, Mat Mladin, James Stewart and David Watson.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Kawasaki road racing team manager Mike Preston broke his arm at a motocross track in Lake Elsinore, California over the weekend.

Details will be posted when available.

From a press release issued by the AMA:

AMA UNVEILS NEW BRAND IDENTITY AT LAS VEGAS EVENT



PICKERINGTON, OHIO — On the eve of its 80th anniversary, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to reinforce its commitment to reaching even more motorcyclists and growing its membership and political strength, with the unveiling of a new branding project, a new logo, and the tagline, “rights. riding. racing.”

The unveiling took place last night at the 2003 AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet at the Rio Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The new AMA logo is only the third major redesign in the Association’s 80-year history. It replaces the familiar “star” logo, which was introduced in the late 1970s.

“Throughout the AMA’s history, change has been necessary to ensure the Association’s future,” said AMA President Robert Rasor. “We believe that the new AMA logo updates the Association’s identity, while respecting the history and traditions that have carried the AMA through its first 80 years.”

The goal of the new tagline — “rights. riding. racing.” — is to better convey the mission of the AMA. This message, accompanied by the new logo, will be delivered to the AMA’s traditional audiences of road riders and off-road riders, and also to new and young riders, minorities and women.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Circuit Mont-Tremblant, located in Quebec, Canada, will not host a round of the FIM-sanctioned World Superbike Championship in 2004, according to Colin Fraser, the promoter of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship.

In a telephone interview with Roadracingworld.com, Fraser said, “We have our race date (August 19-22) confirmed and the assurance that we will be the only two-wheel event at the track, and we have both in writing. I wanted to know if the World Superbike round was going to happen, because, obviously, it would affect our event, and the track manager assured me that we were the only motorcycle event for 2004.”

Circuit Mont-Tremblant was listed as a “to be confirmed” date, July 2-4, on the tentative 2004 World Superbike schedule released by the FIM on October 24.

Track designer Alan Wilson, who re-designed Circuit Mont-Tremblant in recent years to bring it up to FIA (car) racing standards and has worked with the FIM on several projects including Barber Motorsports Park, recently stated that FIM would have to make “major concessions” to run a World Superbike race at Mont-Tremblant.

From a press release :

T-Bone Racing Presents…
RIDE FOR LIFE
When: December 13th and 14th 2003

Where: Jennings GP – 4960 NW CR152 Jennings FL, 32053

Why: T-Bone Racing and Jennings GP will be attempting to raise funds for the Bryan Cassell II Memorial Foundation. This foundation will help out Privateer riders in their time of need. We all know how difficult it is to get started and some start out with bad tires and unsafe gear. This foundations purpose is to help riders with the proper gear to be safe. We will also be raising money to donate to Bryan’s family to help with whatever is needed. It is a tragedy when we lose a fellow rider to unforeseen situations. It is time for us to all pull together and help those who have lost loved ones while living out their dreams of racing.

Cost:
Track Day Pricing
Saturdays & Sundays $125 per day per Rider
Mondays $85 per Rider

Book all three days (Sat/Sun/Mon) for $299 per Rider

Please pre book to avoid disappointment

Block booking discounts & club membership also available.

Call 386.938.1110 or email us at [email protected]

All riders are welcome street riders and racers

All Track fees to be paid to Jennings JP.

Please sign up in advance so we can get an Idea of how much food and drinks to bring.

FREE STUFF!!!
We will start the Grill and tap the 1st keg after the last practice session. Food and Beer are FREE compliments of T-Bone racing. Live music and Raffle will shortly follow the lighting of the grill.

For any questions please contact Josh Holley @ [email protected] or Laura Bramble @ 239-229-4309

Thanks and see you there!!

Event sponsors: XT Racing, Woodcraft-CFM, 1-888-FASTLAP, Motul, Suomy, Gaerne, Chicken Hawk Racing, Baxley Trailer Co., Darrin Talbott

From a press release issued by Team Troll Honda BQR:

Report on today’s final round of the Spanish National Formula Extreme Championship held on Sunday, November 23rd, 2003 at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Cardoso Wins Race, De Gea the title and Noyes Is 7th in Spanish Formula Extreme Final

Europe’s last major road racing series, the Spanish Formula Extreme Championship, was decided in spectacular fashion today at Jerez de La Frontera under a steady rain, and at the end of 17 laps around the 2.7 mile Grand Prix circuit former 250 and 500 GP star Jose Luis Cardoso won his third consecutive National on his Team D’Antin Laglisse Yamaha R1, but was beaten in the points table by the narrowest of margins, 121-120, by current MotoGP WCM rider José David de Gea on his Alstare Corona Suzuki GSX-R1000.

In the mix was American Kenny Noyes (Troll BQR Honda) who was 30th into the first corner but managed to move up 22 positions to finish 7th. The Californian, who won the Spanish Bancaja Superperies (Superstock) Championship two weeks ago at Valencia, passed fifteen riders on lap one, but was very cautions when he came up on De Gea on lap two.

“I got caught out by the rain in qualifying and didn’t get in a good lap on a qualifying tire while it was dry and that put me back on the fifth row. To make it worse I spun up at the start and was one of the last riders out of the first corner. I passed a lot of riders on the opening lap but I waited for a very clear opportunity to pass De Gea because I knew he was riding for the championship and I didn’t want to screw him up,” said Noyes. “Once I got around him I got into a long fight with Salvador Cabana (Suzuki) for seventh. I finally got him with five laps to go but by then I was too far back to catch anybody else. Without the rain we’d have been another six or seven places back on out bike, with a better start I could have been fourth or fifth.”

Former 125 GP regular Josep Sardá (Mistral Suzuki) was just managing to hold off Cardoso for the lead going into lap thirteen while De Gea was back in tenth. At that point, with five laps to go De Gea was in position to win the title by five points, but Sarda had a slow speed crash at the hairpin. Cardoso went into the lead but Sarda kept his engine running and was back up and still in second. On that same lap De Gea, who had been dicing with Jesús Moreno (Yamaha) since lap one with the two passing and re-passing each other several times, moved up a place and a point and held that place to the finish. If De Gea had finished tenth instead of ninth he would have tied Cardoso 120-120 but lost the crown on the basis of having two wins to Cardoso’s three.

For Cardoso his three race winning streak just might be enough to earn the 30 year Andalusian from Seville a 250 GP ride in 2004. For De Gea the title capped a hectic season that saw the 25 year old from Murcia riding in both MotoGP with the uncompetitive WCM and in Formula Extreme with the Alstare Suzuki.

Cardoso’s team mate Javier del Amor was third in front of Sete Gibernau’s cousin Lucas Oliver Bultó, himself a former 250 Grand Prix regular.

Noyes’ seventh place, the best result this season by Honda in the Spanish FX class, moved the American from 16th to 12th in the final points table, easily the top Honda rider in a championship that saw Suzukis take the title and eleven of the top fifteen places. Yamahas were second, ninth and fourteenth and Noyes’s Honda was 12th.

“Our objective for Kenny this year was to win the Superstock and finish top ten in FX. We accomplished the first objective but just missed on the second because of a big crash at the first Jerez when he was headed for a solid seventh and a rim problem in Jarama that cost us at least four points, but now we can finally park the old 954 and start working with the new Fireblade,” said BQR team owner Raúl Romero.

In the other Spanish National races, Martin Cardenas of Colombia on a D’Antin Yamaha R6 won the wet Supersport race from Spaniards Javier Fores (Repsol Honda) and Julián Mazuecos (ADT Yamaha) with already-proclaimed 2003 Champion Ivan Silva fourth on his D’Antin Yamaha. American teenager Cory West, in the points at mid-race, eventually finished 21st on his 2002 CBR600RR Honda, completing a promising rookie season for the Monllau team of Barcelona in the very competitive Spanish Supersport championship which is limited to riders under 23.

In 125 Grand Prix star Alvaro Bautista (Seedorf Aprilia) , who clinched the title last week in Valencia, won handily in the rain from Hungarian GP regular Gabor Talmasci (factory Malaguti) and Bautista’s team mate Ismael Ortega.

From a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:

PASSPORT TO RIDE WINNER GETS THE KEY TO A 100TH ANNIVERSARY SPORTSTER


Besides attending the events taking place during the 100th Anniversary, Harley-Davidson encouraged riders to “ride and have fun” with the Passport to Ride Sweepstakes. This sweepstakes offered riders an opportunity to visit Wisconsin dealerships, meet up with other enthusiasts for the 100th Anniversary events in Wisconsin and win a 100th Anniversary Sportster motorcycle.

Jennifer Hogan won the grand prize, a 2003 XL Sportster 1200 Custom motorcycle, while visiting both her parents and her husband’s parents in Chicago and Minnesota, and celebrating Harley-Davidson’s 100th Anniversary in August. Hogan collected 12 points while visiting dealerships in Wisconsin and mailed the Passport to Ride postcard. Hogan was selected as a winner in late October and looks forward to riding her new motorcycle in 2004.

Fifty first prize winners received a 100th Anniversary Carpet Bag and 75 second prize winners received a “100 Years of Harley-Davidson” Book, by Willie G. Davidson.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

After agreeing to a deal with American Suzuki Motor Corporation but before company lawyers finished printing out the final version of the contract, Josh Hayes negotiated a deal with Kawasaki and will ride an Attack-prepared ZX-10RR Superbike in the 2004 AMA Superbike series. Hayes will also compete in the Superstock series on an Attack Kawasaki.

Placing Hayes on the Attack support team allows Kawasaki to skirt AMA rules preventing factory riders from participating in both Superbike and Superstock in 2004, even though Hayes will be directly contracted to and paid by Kawasaki Motors Corp.

Kawasaki has re-structured its rider line-up and will now run Tommy Hayden and Roger Hayden on the factory team and Hayes and Tony Meiring on the Attack Kawasaki support team.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Honda factory road racer Ben Bostrom won the final round of the 2003 AMA Red Bull Supermoto series, and with it became the first-ever Champion of the series, Friday at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Riding an American Honda CRF450R, Bostrom came from as far back as sixth to take the lead from Jeff Ward with less than three laps to go and held on for the victory.

Team Motodynamics Tuluie Yamaha’s Doug Henry, winner of the Irwindale round, followed Bostrom past Ward but could not get his YZ450F in front of Bostrom’s Honda before the flag.

Troy Lee Designs Honda’s Ward finished third.

Frenchman Alexandre Thiebault led most of the laps on his Honda CRF450R before slipping back to fifth late in the race.

Former road racer Larry Pegram finished eighth on his Red Bull HMC KTM, just behind Ward’s teammate Jeremy McGrath. Another road racer, Jeff Wood, DNF, dropping out after eight of 14 laps.

Former 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz did not start his qualifying heat or semi races, after injuring an ACL on his first lap of practice.

2003 AMA 125cc Motocross Champion Grant Langston won the Supermoto Unlimited class and Championship on a KTM525.

From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway:

Kawasaki, Infineon Raceway Strike Strategic Partnership

SONOMA, Calif. – Kawasaki Motors Corp. and Infineon Raceway have reached a multi-year strategic partnership that will make the powersports industry company the “Official Motorcycle, ATV and Personal Watercraft of Infineon Raceway,” according to officials from both companies.

The three-year partnership will also give Kawasaki the title sponsorship of the nationally televised AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) U.S. Chevy Trucks Superbike Championship event at Infineon Raceway. The event will be known as the Kawasaki Showdown, beginning with the 2004 season. This grows an ongoing relationship with Kawasaki, which had been the “Official Motorcycle of Infineon Raceway” for three years (2000-2003).

“Kawasaki is a quality manufacturer, a terrific brand and an outstanding marketing partner. We’re delighted to build on our existing relationship and to tie them in with one of our premiere events,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway.

Kawasaki will also receive a hospitality package, dominant signage, as well as rights to use the Infineon Raceway name and logo in consumer-based promotions. The partnership will also include the benefits associated with the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, two other premiere events on the Infineon Raceway calendar each year. Another piece of the partnership will be an annual consumer sweepstakes for race fans, where one lucky fan will be a winner of a new Kawasaki NinjaR motorcycle.

“Kawasaki’s increased partnership is gratifying and their vote of confidence is something we appreciate a great deal. We look forward to helping Kawasaki grow sales and look forward to working with them on exciting promotions that give back to the fans,” said Tim Schuldt, vice president of sales and marketing at Infineon Raceway.

Kawasaki, based in Santa Ana in Southern California, leads the global powersports industry, from leading NinjaR sportbikes and thundering VulcanT cruisers to the rugged PrairieR ATVs, MuleT utility vehicles and JET SKIR watercraft.