Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A tricked-out, street-legal 1999 Ducati SPS Superbike is currently up for auction on eBay (www.ebay.com) with proceeds from the sale slated to go to Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), a non-for-profit religious organization which supports the motor racing community in various ways.

The Ducati, which is currently in the possession of MRO in Charlotte, North Carolina, is equipped with factory Corse cylinder heads (which include larger valves and ports, with Berylium valve seats), a lightened and balanced knife-edge crankshaft, 54mm Termignoni exhaust system, STM EVO slipper clutch, painted carbon-fiber bodywork, a carbon/Kevlar fuel tank, carbon-fiber ram air ducts, a carbon-fiber headlight bucket, an Ohlins forks with SBK pistons, AP Racing brakes, a Brembo master cylinder, GMD-Computracked frame, a Motec EM4 engine management system with lamba sensor, Marvic magnesium wheels and Advanced Motor Sports (AMS) triple clamps and rear sets. All engine and suspension work was performed by AMS’s Jeff Nash.

The bike has a claimed value of $46,750.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Chris Ulrich underwent surgery Thursday evening to relieve compartment syndrome in his right forearm. The syndrome cuts off return blood flow from the lower arm and the hand, causing extreme arm pump and making the hand go numb.

Dr. Art Ting performed the operation at his Fremont, California clinic.

The syndrome was apparently masked earlier by Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a shoulder-area problem Ulrich had surgically corrected in January. Ulrich has had right-shoulder-related problems for more than two years, starting with a crash during testing in early 2002, and had surgery to implant donor tendons in late 2002. He broke his right collarbone at Daytona in late February.

Ulrich encountered serious problems with his right arm pumping up and making his hand go numb during Formula USA races held Monday (Memorial Day) at Summit Point.

Ting said that Ulrich had a severe case of compartment syndrome, and that the surgery was a success.

Ulrich rides for Arclight Racing in the Formula USA Series.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, -0.030 second
3. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, -19.397 seconds
4. Doug Chandler, Ducati 749R, -19.637 seconds
5. Steve Crevier, Suzuki GSX-R600, -22.003 seconds
6. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, -30.125 seconds
7. Mike Ciccotto, Buell XB9R, -34.140 seconds
8. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R6, -37.759 seconds
9. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha YZF-R6, -39.566 seconds
10. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, -39.628 seconds
11. Michael Barnes, Buell XB9R, -46.259 seconds
12. Danny Eslick, Suzuki GSX-R600, -46.465 seconds
13. Mark Junge, Suzuki GSX-R600, -49.635 seconds
14. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, -59.596 seconds
15. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, -67.990 seconds
16. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, -67.990 seconds
17. Darren Luck, Suzuki GSX-R600, -83.927 seconds
18. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -6 laps, DNF


Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Point Standings:

1. Duhamel, 213 points
2. Zemke, 202 points
3. Gobert, 166 points
4. Haskovec, 133 points
5. Holden, 121 points
6. Pegram, 116 points
7. Pridmore, 106 points
8. Eslick, 104 points
9. Hester, 98 points
10. Melneciuc, 97 points
11. Barnes, 86 points
12. Small, 85 points
13. Ciccotto, 66 points
14. Eaton, 65 points
15. Chandler, 56 points


More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

HASKOVEC SIXTH IN ELKHART LAKE FORMULA XTREME

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki had a day of mixed fortunes on Saturday at Road America, claiming another solid race result in Formula Xtreme, but not performing quite as well as they had hoped to in their bid to win.

After running much of the 10-lap Formula Xtreme final caught up in a five bike dogfight for a podium position, Vincent Haskovec cut his lap times by a half second after making his way around a rider that was slowing his progress. Unfortunately, Vincent ran off-track and lost precious time afterward. The hard-charging rider quickly regrouped and reentered the fray to take an eventual sixth place but was left to ponder what might have been.

Still, Vincent moved up to fourth in Formula Xtreme points with 133.

The squad will have two more opportunities to show their strength at the ultra-fast Wisconsin circuit tomorrow with a pair of 60k finals on the slate in the Supersport and Superstock classes.

Steve Rapp continued to shine in his Supersport duty, claiming the sixth spot on the grid with a 2:21.082 aboard his Michelin-shod GSX-R600. The second row qualifying performance was the best on the day by a Suzuki-mounted rider in the class.

“I went out on a race tire and ran with some of the fastest guys in the class and was able to hang with them,” said Rapp. “I went back out on a qualifying tire, but I was by myself, and I knew there was no way I was going to improve without the benefit of the draft. But it’s a good sign that we were able to set our fastest time on tires we can use in the race.”

After running in the top ten on Friday, young Chris Peris qualified his 600cc racer on the fourth row. The Canadian was thirteenth overall in the session, setting a best mark of 2:23.097.

Peris commented: “We had some problems in the morning; I ended up going down in turn one. So we had to get the bike back together and try to feel comfortable again on the track. We took it from there in qualifying, but weren’t quite able to set the time we were looking for. We should be able to move up in the race.”

Rapp also qualified his GSX-R750 Superstock machine on Saturday in what was expected to be a difficult class for the team. The circuit’s three top-gear straights haven’t made it easy considering they’re competing against a deep field of immensely powerful 1000s, but the Californian still managed to secure a third row grid position. The 30 year-old was eleventh fastest in the class, stopping the clocks at 2:18.738.

Haskovec was a short distance behind on his agile 750, qualifying in 14th with a fast time of 2:19.521.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning’s Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Practice Times:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 2:18.454
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 2:19.754
3. Doug Chandler, Ducati 749R, 2:20.787
4. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 2:21.116
5. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:22.708
6. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:22.752
7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:22.840
8. Mike Ciccotto, Buell XB9R, 2:23.103
9. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:23.743
10. Mark Junge, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:24.309
11. Steve Crevier, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:24.902
12. Michael Barnes, Buell XB9R, 2:24.917
13. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:25.636
14. Danny Eslick, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:27.923
15. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:28.372
16. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:28.462
17. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:29.508
18. Darren Luck, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:30.455

From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Vincent Phillipe has taken provisional pole position for Suzuki Castrol with a lap time of 1:32.084. Phillipe dominated the first session, lapping over a second faster than his nearest rival, Yamaha GMT94’s David Checa. Third place on the grid will go to Yamaha Endurance Moto 38; Gwen Giabbani closed to within a tenth of a second of Checa but could not match his best lap. The continually improving Honda Fireblade of WRT Honda Austria has moved up to fourth place, with Spanish wildcard entry Yamaha Folch endurance in fifth place.

The second riders’ session saw Endurance Moto 38 and GMT94 fighting for the fastest lap, until Suzuki Castrol’s Oiliver Four put in a 1:33.140 lap five minutes before the end of the session. The story was the same for the third riders’ group, with Matthieu Lagrive lapping almost a third of a second faster than anyone else.

As soon as his qualifying session was over Phillipe’s thoughts were on the race: “I think we can do 1:34s in the race, and I did a very good lap last night on a race tyre – a 1:33. The Dunlop tyres are good at night when it’s cooler, but I’m not so sure how they will last over a 45 lap stint. I am not too worried about this but I don’t know about my team mates. I am going to eat some pasta now, and try and get some sleep.”

Top Ten Qualifying Positions

1st 3: Suzuki Castrol – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – V.Phillipe 1:32.084

2nd 94: Yamaha GMT94 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – D.Checa 1:33.372

3 rd 38: Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – G.Giabbani 1:33.444

4th 5: WRT Honda Austria – AUT – Honda CBR1000RR – E.Wilding 1:33.738

5th 20: Yamaha Folch Endurance – SPA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – D.Tomas 1:33.755

6th 8: Kawasaki Bolliger Team – SUI – Kawasaki ZX10R – F.Moreira 1:34.723

7th 1: Yamaha Phase One Endurance – GBR – Yamaha YZF-R1 – S.Scarnato 1:34.828

8th 7: Yamaha Austria Racing Team – AUT– Yamaha YZF-R1 – I.Jerman 1:35.434

9th 44: Suzuki No Limits – ITA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – R.Ruozi 1:36.228

10th 2: Benelli X-One Team – ITA – Benelli Tornado – P.Tessari 1:36.245

From a press release issued by Lance Bryson:

This is to inform you I have resigned my position at Clear Channel Entertainment – Motor Sports.

I have taken a position with Advanstar Communications in their Power Sports Group Division.

It has been an honor to work with the Clear Channel family for the past seven years.

I can currently be reached at 817.913.0848
Email [email protected]

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Top Speeds From Friday’s Qualifying Session At Mugello:

1. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 211.390 mph
2. Max Biaggi, Honda, 210.334 mph
3. Alex Barros, Honda, 208.594 mph
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 207.537 mph
5. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 207.103 mph
6. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 207.040 mph
7. Colin Edwards, Honda, 206.730 mph
8. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 206.730 mph
9. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 206.419 mph
10. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 206.295 mph
11. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 205.984 mph
12. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 205.176 mph
13. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 205.176 mph
14. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 204.431 mph
15. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 204.182 mph
16. Shane Byrne, Aprilia, 204.058 mph
17. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 203.623 mph
18. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 201.697 mph
19. Andrew Pitt, Moriwaki, 199.708 mph
20. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 198.900 mph
21. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 197.844 mph
22. Kurtis Roberts, Proton, 196.912 mph
23. Michel Fabrizio, Harris WCM, 190.574 mph
24. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, 188.461 mph

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. FIRST PERSON/OPINION From Jim Douglas, a cornerworker at the scene, via e-mail: As the turn marshall, I was calling in that another rider was low-siding to rider’s right, far exit of Turn 6 when it became apparent that Rich was following close enough and slightly to the right behind that rider that he had little or no room for evasive action. I proceeded to call in that a second rider was off track in avoidance. To avoid running over the first rider, Rich stood the bike up but was unfortunately at the outside edge of the track at full speed, having just gotten on the throttle. Still trying to avoid the other downed rider, Rich quickly crossed the dirt/grass run-off area, though he was unable to significantly slow the bike. Rich’s bike impacted the base of the unprotected steep hillside leading up to the ‘esses’ of turn 8 & 8A, At impact, the bike appeared to be essentially vertical and slightly to the right of the other downed rider, striking the embankment at about a 30 degree angle. The force of the impact ejected Rich, both bike and rider were airborne, with the rider appearing to come down head first about 1/3 the way up the hill. (Some observers have said that Rich flew significantly higher than the bike and that his feet appeared to be above the crest of the hill, 15-20 ft vertical estimate.) The first turn worker to arrive was there within seconds, he called for an ambulance immediately, and the race was red-flagged within moments. NMP’s were stationed at the turn 8 box immediately above Rich and they responded, arriving nearly at the same time as the turn workers. I have worked Turn 6 many many times over the past 9 years for both AFM and AMA races. For whatever reason, both Saturday and Sunday seemed unusual in that we had more incidents in our turn than I recall for other occasions. Rich is very well known throughout the AFM and his injuries hit us all pretty hard. We wish him the very best. (The cornerworker also reported that one of the riders who crashed to start the chain of events walked away from the incident.)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Practice Times:

MotoGP:

1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:51.697
2. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:51.985
3. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:52.307
4. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:52.329
5. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:52.682
6. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:52.743
7. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:52.849
8. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:52.912
9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:53.026
10. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:53.056
11. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:53.162
12. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:53.181
13. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:53.238
14. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:53.902
15. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:54.357
16. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:54.572
17. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:54.577
18. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:54.613
19. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:54.976
20. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:55.529
21. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, 1:56.872
22. Andrew PITT, Moriwaki, 1:57.196
23. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:57.351
24. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 2:00.963


250cc GP:

1. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:55.072
2. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:56.104
3. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:56.560
4. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:56.589
5. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:56.792
6. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:57.038
7. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:57.054
8. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:57.406
9. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:57.415
10. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:57.685
11. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:57.941
12. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 1:58.313
13. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:58.695
14. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:58.704
15. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, 1:58.766
16. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, 1:59.126
17. Erwan NIGON, Yamaha, 1:59.634
18. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:59.687
19. Arnaud VINCENT, Aprilia, 1:59.886
20. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:59.974


125cc GP:

1. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 2:00.263
2. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 2:00.635
3. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 2:00.718
4. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 2:00.984
5. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 2:01.382
6. Mike DI MEGLIO, Aprilia, 2:01.457
7. Casey STONER, KTM, 2:01.470
8. Mattia PASINI, Aprilia, 2:01.692
9. Gino BORSOI, Aprilia, 2:01.707
10. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 2:01.718
11. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, 2:01.762
12. Youichi UI, Aprilia, 2:01.918
13. Gioele PELLINO, Aprilia, 2:02.014
14. Angel RODRIGUEZ, Derbi, 2:02.135
15. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 2:02.154