Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yochum Motorsports’ Dave Ebben and Nate Kern rode a Dunlop-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000 to win the Formula USA Team Challenge endurance event Saturday at Summit Point Raceway in Summit Point, West Virginia. It was the third consecutive Team Challenge race win in three rounds for the team in 2004.

Yocum Motorsports, the defending F-USA Team Challenge National Champions, used fast laps and better pit-stop strategy – stopping for fuel only once quickly while most teams pitted for two, slower fuel stops – to win the race.

“Staying consistent every lap and doing only one, fast pit stop was the key,” Ebben told Roadracingworld.com.

Fast Lane Racing (Rick Beggs/Jeff Allen) made two stops to refuel its Dunlop-fitted Kawasaki 636cc ZX-6R, but fast laps by Beggs during his opening and closing shifts helped the team finish second overall and first in the GTU category.

“I’ve been racing here for 15 years, and I’ve never gone faster than I just went in that race,” Beggs told reporters. “I was chasing Des Conboy, that’s how I went that fast. When I was alone at the end, I went slower.”

Himmelsbach Racing’s father and son combination of Bill and Michael Himmelsbach teamed with Chris Rich to claim third overall and second in the GTU class on their Pirelli-sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6.

“It’s a big, heavy boat,” the elder Himmelsbach, a long-time 250cc Grand Prix racer, said of his 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6. “No, really I just need to learn how to ride a 600 and get used to the way it wallows around the track.”

Roaring Toyz’s Robert Fisher and Dave Yaakov rode a Suzuki SV650 fitted with Pirelli rubber to finish sixth overall and first in the GT Lights class thanks in part to a one-pit-stop strategy. Fisher told Roadracingworld.com that his team wouldn’t have been in the race if not for Czaia Racing loaning his team an engine. Ironically, Czaia Racing, 5th in GT Lights, DNF with engine troubles.

Twenty-seven teams competed in the Team Challenge.


Team Challenge:

Overall:
1. Yochum Motorsports (Dave Ebben/Nate Kern), Suz GSX-R1000, GTO, 78 laps
2. Fast Lane Racing (Rick Beggs/Jeff Allen), Kaw ZX-6R, GTU, 78 laps
3. Himmelsbach Racing (Michael Himmelsbach/Bill Himmelsbach/Chris Rich), Yam YZF-R6, GTU, 77 laps
4. Team Celtic Racing(Des Conboy/Finbar Gilsenan), Yam YZF-R6, GTU, 77 laps
5. Roaring Toyz (Robert Fisher/Tim Hall/Dave Yaakov), Suz SV650, GTL, 76 laps
6. Baker Race Gear (Brian Baker/Matt Malterer), Suz, GTO, 76 laps
7. Hooters Northeast (Scott Greenwood/Tom Bibeau/Matthew Scott Silva), Suz GSX-R600, GTO, 75 laps
8. Kingpin Racing (Dan Ortega/James Ptak/Dave Rosno), Yam YZF-R6, GTU, 75 laps
9. Yochum Motorsports II (Jesse Janisch/Calvin Martinez), Suz GSX-R600, GTU, 74 laps
10. Vallely Racing (Thomas Vallely/Joe Ribeiro/Robert Lombardi), Suz GSX-R750, GTO, 74 laps

GTO:
1. Yochum Motorsports
2. Baker Race Gear
3. Hooters Northeast
4. Vallely Racing
5. York Service (Adam Mihulka/Richard Downer), Suz GSX-R750
6. Heat Miser Racing (John Farrell/Thomas Smith)

GTU:
1. Fast Lane Racing
2. Himmelsbach Racing
3. Team Celtic Racing
4. Kingpin Racing
5. Yochum Motorsports II
6. Celtic Racing (Joseph Rozynski/Sam Rozynski/Dan Bilansky), Suz GSX-R600

GT Lights:
1. Roaring Toyz
2. Happy Guts Racing (Darren Danilowicz/Joey Thomas), Suz SV650
3. CBG Racing 2 (Cordell Green/Kent Larson/Tony Tinsley), Suz SV650
4. Tight Squeeze Racing (Steve Clark/Steve Keener), Suz SV650
5. Czaia Racing (C.J. Czaia/John Linder), Suz SV650
6. MRP Motorsports (Daniel Riter), Suz SV650

From a press release issued by FGSport:

SUPERPOLE QUALIFYING

CORSER TAKES PETRONAS FP-1 TO HISTORIC SUPERPOLE WIN

History Men: The first-ever Malaysian Superbike, the unique and technologically advanced Petronas FP-1 triple, powered Troy Corser to a lap time of 1:27.687 and his 29th career Superpole win – although it was a much more significant development for the manufacturer than for the 1996 World Champion Corser. Having endured some hard times in the past the Foggy Petronas Team took their first ever Superpole triumph in a mood of elation, as Corser stuck in the fastest lap of any qualifying session, with eight riders still to set their single flying lap. The second Petronas of Chris Walker finished Superpole with a second row grid start, and seventh best time.

Fast By Noriyuki: After some disappointments since his Valencia race win back in February the squat and powerful figure of Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati 999RS) rocketed back into global focus after Superpole, another rider like Corser leaping up the grid order after a disappointing regular qualifying session. Haga was second in Superpole, after being eighth in practice. His team-mate Leon Haslam was a disappointed 12th, on the third row for Sunday’s pair of 28-lap Superbike races.

First and Second – Rows: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999F04) had another eventful day in World Superbike, as he had one engine fail and one crash in the final untimed regulation qualifying session, eventually running Superpole on his repaired crashed machine. He would finish third on the Superpole stopwatch and will also receive a penalty of a pit lane ride through in race one tomorrow, after his engine kill switch failed to work after his crash. His penalty means that he will be flagged in for a slow speed run down pitlane after five laps, rejoining the race immediately afterwards. The penalty only applies to race one. James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999F04) struggled with machine set-up and will start the race from the last place on the second row, in eighth.

Frankie Front Row: On the pace all weekend, Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998) will start the Oschersleben races from the last slot on the front row, clawing his way to the upper echelon after a tough competition in the wake of Corser’s dominance. Injured privateer Ducati rider Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) swept his way forward to sixth.

Toiling Hondas: The Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR of Chris Vermeulen proved to be a difficult machine to set-up at such an endlessly twisting circuit, and the young World Supersport champion could only finish fifth in Superpole, with much work to complete in morning warm-up.

Privateer Party: After an excellent fifth place in regular qualifying Alpha Technik Honda CBR1000RR rider Michael Shulten took a ninth best time in Superpole, having not had any experience of the Pirelli 16.5 inch qualifying tyre in a previous session. His team-mate Jurgen Oelschläger went 11th quickest overall.

McCoy Middling: Garry McCoy, a rookie to the Oschersleben circuit, just managed to finish inside the top ten of Superpole, sandwiched by Schulten and Oelschläger. The fastest Kawasaki on show was the Bertocchi ZX-10 of Mauro Sanchini, 13th.

Supersport: Karl Muggeridge secured his fourth pole position of the five Supersport races so far this season – and in fine style, his lap of 1:29.288 a best ever Supersport mark at the 3.667km Oschersleben circuit. The new king of qualifying did not earn his title in an undisputed fashion, although overnight pole man Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) could not improve on his first day time, being pushed to second by Muggeridge’s charge.

Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) took his R6 to third place on the grid, while Fabien Foret (Yamaha Italia) roared to fourth spot, the last on the front row for Sunday’s 28-lap race. Roman Stamm (Suzuki Swiss) was an impressive wild card rider, going fifth fastest, ahead of Muggeridge’s team-mate Broc Parkes, who experienced misfire problems in the final timed outing.


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda Racing:

Muggeridge Takes Fourth Pole In Five Attempts

In the final qualifying session of the Oschersleben race weekend Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) took full advantage of the improvements his crew made to his machine set-up overnight, scooping his fourth pole of the year on the way to the fastest ever Supersport lap of the 3.667km German track, a1:29.288.

His team-mate Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) experienced unexpected technical glitches on the final day of qualifying, a factor is his qualification in sixth place, earning a start on the second row. He nonetheless improved his first day lap time with his final session 1:30.340.

The Oschersleben front row consists of Muggeridge, Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) and Fabien Foret (Yamaha).

Said a self-effacing Muggeridge after his fourth pole of the year; “I suppose four out of five isn’t bad for an old guy like me! We did a lot of work on the rear shock, did all we could with it only to discover it was more to do with the front fork. We worked on that and it is better. It’s hard to get it perfect because there are some areas of really hard braking and then some long, tight corners. With a Supersport bike it’s always a compromise. But we can lap reasonably fast with the race tyres we tested, so we’ll see what happens.”

Parkes acknowledged that things did not go his way on this particular day. “We had a problem on my preferred bike and that meant we had to change to the other bike. That was enough to stop me doing the times I could have done on my number one machine.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate explained the first day’s experiences. “We are very happy with pole position, even more happy with the consistent fast times Karl was doing today, so I think we have things pretty well organised for the race tomorrow. We have some small details to test to make life easier for him in the race. Broc had some small problems today, with a misfiring bike – a big surprise to us and we will look into that later. It looked like he would get onto the front row until near the end of his last lap, but we know he is much more a racer than a qualifier. It will be tough for everyone tomorrow anyway.”

World Supersport Championship
Round Five – Oschersleben, Germany
28 – 30 May 2004
Final Qualifying
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.288
2. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.644
3. K. Curtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1:30.014
4. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1:30.088
5. R. Stamm, SUI, Suzuki GSX 600R, 1:30.106
6. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.340
7. C. Kellner, GER, Yamaha YZF R6, 1:30.568
8. M. Neukirchner, GER, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.594
9. I. Macpherson, GBR, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.626
10. K. Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki GSX 600R, 1:30.666


Vermeulen Starts From Second Row At Oschersleben

Having found the job of obtaining an optimum set-up for the slow and twisty Oschersleben circuit a difficult one, Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) ended his Superpole qualifying run in fifth place, having been third quickest in regulation qualifying.

The 3.667km German track has provided a series of obstacles to the new-for-2004 Honda, but with the morning warm-up left to run on Sunday there are still opportunities to make final modifications. Vermeulen will start the race from the first place on the second row of the grid, after Troy Corser shocked the paddock by giving the Petronas team its first ever pole position in World Superbike.

Vermeulen, still positive about his chances, on a circuit he won the Supersport race at last year, said, “I made a couple of small mistakes in Superpole, really because I didn’t use a soft tyre in the last session. When we put that in it made the bike a bit ‘pushy’ running a bit wide here and there. So it wasn’t a clean lap at all. I really wanted to be on the front row, but on the other hand we have some room for improvement tomorrow.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate outlined the qualifying efforts of the team. “It’s been a difficult weekend so far but we have made steady progress. We have one more night to think and find solutions for Chris. Third in normal qualifying and fifth on the grid is quite good considering all the work we had to do since Friday and I hope that we can find him a bit more for tomorrow. I hope he will hang in there with the first bunch of riders off the line.”

World Superbike Championship
Round Five – Oschersleben, Germany
28 – 30 May 2004
Superpole Qualifying
1. T. Corser, AUS, Petrons FP1, 1:27.687
2. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 1:28.197
3. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 1:28.339
4. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1:28.376
5. C. Vermeulen, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, 1:28.592
6. S. Martin, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1:28. 678
7. C. Walker, GBR, Petronas FP1, 1:28.758
8. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04, 1:28.795
9. M. Schulten, GER, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:28.923
10. G. Mccoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1:29.158


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Yamaha Italia World Supersport
Date: Saturday, 29th May 2004
Circuit: Oschersleben, m. 3.667
Final Qualifying
Weather: dry, mostly sunny Temperature: air 19° C
Crowd: 10.000

FRONT ROW FABIEN. UNLUCKY THIRTEEN FOR JURGEN
Yamaha Racing Italia rider Fabien Foret will start tomorrow’s 28-lap race at Oschersleben from exactly where he wanted – the front row of the grid. The 3.667 kilometre track is one of the tightest and twistiest tracks in the series and overtaking is difficult at the best of times, so Fabien’s front row place is vital if he is to get a good result. His team mate Jurgen is not so fortunate though and will start from the fourth row after experiencing problems finding a good set-up for his bike. Frenchman Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) had led the first timed qualifying session and looked on course for pole position until series leader Karl Muggeridge (Honda) snatched it in the closing stages of the afternoon session.

FABIEN FORET – 4th, 1:30.088
I’m unhappy because I felt I could’ve been faster – if it hadn’t been for all the traffic on the track towards the end of the final session. Also I thought I could squeeze one more quick lap in at the end, but the flag came out and I just ran out of time. So, I guess I’m lucky to be on the front row and at Oschersleben that is absolutely vital. This is a very difficult track for overtaking, so a front row place is a must. I aim to make a good start and get in and out of turn one without any problems. It’s like a funnel going in there, so it can get a bit hectic. But if I manage that OK, I think I can get a podium. Muggeridge is always fast in practice, but I’m not worried about that, because the race is another matter.

JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – 13th, 1:30.800
I don’t know what’s happening at the moment, because early on in the season I had a good feeling with the bike, but now that’s gone. My goal was to be on the second row, but now I’m on the fourth and that’s not a good place to be here. I’ve got to make the start of my life and catch up the leaders as soon as possible, so that I can make a good race of it. It’s going to be hard, but I’m going to try my best for sure.

TEKKYU KAYO – 17th, 1:31.128
Everything was going OK for half the session, then I lost control going into turn and had a very slow speed fall in the gravel. I wasn’t hurt and the bike suffered no damage, so that’s the good news. The bad news is that I’m on row five and a long way from the front of the grid. Fortunately I’m not chasing championship points like Fabien and Jurgen, but just getting in some solid race practice. That doesn’t mean I am not going to try my hardest – because I am!


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 5, Oschersleben (Germany)
Saturday 29th May, Final Qualifying
Circuit: 3.667 kms
Weather: mostly sunny, 20°C

SUPERPOLE TROY!

Troy completely annihilated the opposition in the Superpole shoot-out today and stormed to pole position on his Petronas FP1. Troy’s lap of 1:27.687 was a staggering half a second quicker then his nearest rival Noriyuki Haga
(Ducati) and came after starting Superpole with the ninth fastest time in regular qualifying. Throughout his Superpole lap, Troy was smooth and unhurried and his lap time shocked everybody present. It was also the first Superpole for the Petronas team and, with a front row start so vital at Oschersleben, a good omen for the two races ahead. Third on the grid is series leader Regis Laconi (Ducati), but he will have to complete a drive-though penalty in the first of tomorrow’s 28-lappers as his bike failed to cut out on when he crashed in qualifying. Frankie Chili (Ducati) completes the front row, with Chris Vermeulen (Honda) fifth and Steve Martin (Ducati) sixth.

TROY – POLE! 1:27.687
I’m absolutely delighted to take Superpole – my first for the team – and be on the front row. Funnily enough, the lap was easy and there were no dramas at all. I said that this track seems to suit the Petronas and this proved it. The bike worked perfectly on the Superpole lap and this is the first time we’ve managed to get a good result with the qualifying tyres. Oschersleben is a really hard track to overtake on, so you have to be on the front row to stand a chance of a good result. The first turn is quite close and it’s best to get through it without any trouble because everybody funnels in to it. If I can get a good start and be in front or up front then I can wait and see what happens towards the end before making my move. So far so good, now let’s see what happens tomorrow.



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI (DUCATI FILA) THIRD, TOSELAND EIGHTH IN OSCHERSLEBEN QUALIFYING – LACONI FACES RIDE-THROUGH PENALTY IN RACE ONE TOMORROW

Oschersleben (Germany), Saturday 29 May 2004: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) and James Toseland qualified third and eighth respectively on the grid for Sunday’s World Superbike round 5 at Oschersleben as Troy Corser (Petronas) powered to the twenty-ninth pole position of his career with the only sub-1m28s lap of the weekend.

The Frenchman faces a tough first race tomorrow as he has to undergo a ride-through penalty of 85 km/h in the pitlane after the FIM decided to penalise the Ducati Fila team for the fact that the engine of his 999 F04 failed to cut out immediately after his crash in today’s second free practice session. The tilt switch, tested by the team before the beginning of the practice session and right after the bike returned to the pits after the crash, was actually functioning according to the rules, but it did not cut off during the crash probably due to the dynamics of the accident.

However Ducati Fila accepts this unprecedented decision and will make every attempt tomorrow to help Regis, in addition to James, score the best possible results.

“It’s been quite an eventful weekend with two crashes yesterday and today and an engine problem this afternoon and I’ve also had to work hard on the bike to find the right setting” declared Laconi. “I’m not so happy with the way things have gone but that’s racing and third today was actually very good. We changed the settings a lot for this track because it’s quite different, but I didn’t know the settings enough to go fast for one lap in Superpole. However I’m very happy with my race set-up and my race tyre even though race 1 will be very tough because of this penalty” he added.

James Toseland, sixth after the two qualifying sessions, shaved a tenth of his time in Superpole but slipped to eighth and starts tomorrow’s two races from row 2. “My Superpole lap was quite average really but that’s not so important because I have improved a lot over the weekend and I’m very happy with my race set-up” explained Toseland. We did a 1m29s flat on the race tyre and the bike is feeling more comfortable now. I’m pretty happy where I am at the moment, I’ve got the tyre sorted out and the bike is pretty much to my liking. Now I’ve just got to ride the thing out there, I feel it’s coming out of the corners much better and we’re moving forward.”

STARTING-GRID: 1. Corser (Petronas) 1:27.687; 2. Haga (Renegade Ducati) 1:28.197; 3. Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1:28.339; 4. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) 1:28.376; 5. Vermeulen (Honda) 1:28.592; 6. Martin (DFX Ducati) 1:28.678; 7. Walker (Petronas) 1:28.758; 8. Toseland (Ducati Fila) 1:28.795; etc.


LANZI (DUCATI BREIL) REMAINS TWENTIETH AS SUPERSPORT PACE HOTS UP

Oschersleben (Germany), Saturday 29 May 2004: Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Breil) will start tomorrow’s fifth round of the World Supersport championship at Oschersleben from row 5 of the grid after qualifying in twentieth position.

Lanzi, European Superstock runner-up in 2003, was unable to make a further improvement in the last few minutes of second qualifying and had to stay with his provisional row 5 grid slot from yesterday, despite knocking half-a-second off his time.

“Last year with the more powerful 999s Superstock I lapped six-tenths of a second quicker and that was what I was aiming for today” declared Lanzi.

“That time would have enabled me to start amongst the top 10, but unfortunately in the last few minutes, when I went out to try and improve my time, I put on a tyre that did not perform in a satisfactory way..

“This has created a little bit of confusion also for the choice of tyre I’ll use in the race, I’ll do some more tests in the warm-up to get a better idea.

“Pity, I’ll just have to make another good start like at Monza and get the best possible result tomorrow” Lanzi added.

TIMES: 1. Muggeridge (Honda) 1’29.288; 2. Charpentier (Honda) 1:29.644; 3. Curtain (Yamaha) 1:30.014; 4. Foret (Yamaha) 1:30.088; 5. Stamm (Suzuki) 1:30.106; 6. Parkes (Honda) 1:30.340; … 20. Lanzi (Ducati Breil) 1:31.340.

From a press release issued by KTM:

First tests with a KTM allwheel bike

Kurt Nicoll KTM Motorsport

What is your experience with 2-wheel drive? What are the differences?

When you ride with the 2-wheel drive system, you notice that it’s so much better when accelerating out of corners. With two driven wheels it’s more difficult to take the inner line around a curve. Therefore you usually take the outer line, as when both wheels are powered, the bike tends to want to straighten itself. You also feel the improved acceleration in the upper body, arms and shoulders. When you are riding very slowly, for example at the Erzberg, where it’s seriously up and down over rough ground, the rear wheel often breaks traction and spins – but not with the 2-wheel drive, which keeps on pulling with the front wheel. This way you can accelerate in situations where others are already bogged down. Those are what I think the major differences are.


Do you think it’s only something for competition riders or can your average rider also benefit from it?

I think that the system has advantages particularly for the hobby rider. The advantages for competition riders will be less, as they mostly have a very good feel for traction – moreover they’re already used to steering the bike with a slipping rear wheel. But if someone has problems with steep climbs or often gets bogged down, then I think 2-wheel drive will yield great rewards.


Does it only have advantages when off-road, in sand or mud, or also on hard surfaces when it’s wet?

It can safely be said that 2-wheel drive helps more on a wet surface than a dry one. When it’s dry, the rear wheel hardly ever spins, but when it’s wet it does so continuously. With 2-wheel drive one simply twists the throttle and the bike accelerates because the power is distributed to both wheels. When it’s wet, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s wet sand or asphalt, 2-wheel drive makes riding much easier.


Is it a similar leap forward to that of the Quattro 20 years ago?

Yes, it’s very similar. At the moment we’re just at the beginning of it’s development. The problem that we’re working on is perhaps the same one that 4WD cars had 20 years ago: the system is heavy! We must get the weight down (currently approx. 6 kg). When we’ve managed to do that, so that it only adds a couple of additional kilos, then it has the potential to trigger a similar revolution to that of the Quattro.


What about riding technique? Doesn’t one have to totally alter it?

It is necessary to alter your riding style a little. You must get used to the fact that the front wheel is also always driving, that you should always take a wider curve radius, and that you’ll be amazed when the front wheel pulls you out of a rocky section. You have to get a little used to the feeling, and this doesn’t come straight away, especially when you’ve been riding a conventionally driven motorcycle for the last 25 years.


Project leader, Wolfgang Felber

What we’re testing at the moment is a mechanical hydraulic system with a pre-set torque distribution between the front and rear wheel.

This system is already fairly well developed, but can definitely be improved upon.

In the current phase KTM just wants to be one of the first companies on the ball and, using prototypes, to test the suitability of 2-wheel drive under various different conditions.

Only after that can the decision be made to produce a limited batch.

At the moment the advantages and disadvantages of 2-wheel drive compared to a conventionally driven off-road motorcycle pretty much balance each other out. But anyway, no huge adjustment is necessary on the rider’s side.

From a press release issued by Richie Morris:

Daytona/Milwaukee Buell rider Richie Morris will not join his teammate Clint Brotz at Summit Point this weekend for the third round of the FUSA National Series.

“Basically, I cannot bend my knee enough to even sit on the bike, much less ride it safely. It has been at tough year. We started out with a pole at Daytona, only to lose a motor while leading the race. Then the nightmare in the Friday morning practice at Road America, which left me with a mess for a leg. It is hard to say now when I will be ready to get back on the bike. My heart says Loudon, but we will have to wait and see how my leg is coming along. Both of my major sponsors are telling me to get well and not rush it. So we will see.

“On a positive note, I received many emails and phone calls, concerning the safety of the Thunderbike practice grouping. I think we will see some options in the future. I spoke with Kevin Elliott personally, and he was open to suggestions. 100% of the emails and calls I received agreed that there needs to be a change!”

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

HAYDEN HOPING TO START FIRST WINNING STREAK IN AMA SUPERSPORT

Defending Road America winner is series leader

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 28, 2004) — Tommy Hayden hopes to become the first rider in this year’s Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei to get a winning streak started. The 25-year-old Kawasaki rider leads the championship coming into Road America and is the defending winner of the race. Hayden took the last round at Pikes Peak International Raceway and will try to win back-to-back races, something no one has been able to accomplish so far in the highly competitive Supersport class. Next Sunday’s race is part of Road America’s Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader weekend, June 4-6 in the resort town of Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Hayden sports a 14-point lead over his brother and Kawasaki teammate Roger Lee Hayden as the AMA Supersport Championship moves into the second half of the 11-race season. Last year it was Tommy beating his younger brother at Road America to win his first race on the scenic four-mile road course. This year the eldest Hayden is looking to not only extend his series lead, but he could move into a tie with Jamie Hacking and Doug Polen for fourth on the all-time AMA Supersport wins list. Hayden comes into Road America with the knowledge that he’s never finished outside the top five in the race in the last five years.

“It feels good the way the season’s gone so far,” said Hayden, who has twice been runner-up in AMA Supersport. “I’m optimistic, but I’ve been too close too many times to get very excited at this point in the season. Road America is one of my favorite tracks and I’ve done well over the years there. I won last year, but that was in the rain so I don’t know if that counts. Your bike has to have a lot of power there and my team has our Kawasaki running really well so it should be a good weekend.”

Roger Lee Hayden recently earned his first AMA road race victory with his Supersport win at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. He’s going to try to keep his older brother from putting daylight between them in the series standings and a victory this weekend could draw him virtually even with Tommy in the series standings.

Yamaha won the AMA Supersport title last year. The company has all three of its factory riders, Aaron Gobert, Jamie Hacking and Jason DiSalvo, plus Prieto Racing Yamaha’s Michael Barnes inside the top 10. That’s four riders in the top 10, more than any other manufacturer at this point in the season. Hacking, the No. 1 plate holder in the class, is looking forward to Road America. The Carolinian is a former Supersport winner at Road America and will be looking to earn his first victory in the series this year.

Suzuki’s top Supersport riders coming into Road America are Ben Spies, Steve Rapp and Aaron Yates. Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Spies and Yates are on the comeback trail after either missing or not scoring in early rounds of the series. Yates cracked the top 10 in the standings with an eighth-place result at Pikes Peak last week. A two-time Road America Supersport winner, Yates may not be in the championship picture just yet, but he’ll be anxious to close out the second half of the season on a high note.

The Road America Supersport race will receive same-day coverage on SPEED Channel on Sunday, June 6, starting at 3 p.m. Eastern. For additional information on the Suzuki Superbike Doubleheader weekend call (800) 365-RACE or visit the track’s website at www.roadamerica.com

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors Announced

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 28, 2004) — In a meeting of the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) Board of Directors on May 25, Paul Dean, PJ Harvey, Jeff Nash and Rob Rasor have been re-elected as members of the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors. Additionally, John Ulrich has been elected and PJ Harvey was elected for another one-year term as chairman.

AMA Pro Racing, a subsidiary of the AMA, maintains a separate board of directors and staff and is responsible for the overall management of AMA professional motorcycle racing in the United States.

The changes become effective immediately.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday’s World Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.644
2. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.961
3. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.453
4. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.561
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.716
6. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.760
7. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.995
8. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.048
9. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.055
10. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.262
11. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.280
12. Denis Sacchetti, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.338
13. Kai Borre Andersen, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:31.356
14. Iain MacPherson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.391
15. Tekkyu Kayo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.440
16. Roman Stamm, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.525
17. Alessio Corradi, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.529
18. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.700
19. Barry Veneman, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.707
20. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 1:31.836

25. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 1:32.503

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning World Superbike Practice Times:

1. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, 1:29.323
2. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 1:29.482
3. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, 1:29.550
4. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.769
5. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:29.817
6. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:29.883
7. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 1:30.124
8. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:30.175 9. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:30.210
10. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 1:30.243
11. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 1:30.326
12. Michael Schulten, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:30.383
13. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:30.512
14. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:30.562
15. Jurgen Oelschläger, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:30.606
16. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, 1:30.763
17. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.944
18. Andy Meklau, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.269
19. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 1:31.375
20. David Garcia, Ducati 999RS, 1:31.409