Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Bruce Transportation Group, a Honda support team that competed in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme class on the AMA Superbike Championship series, will not race in the 2004 AMA series and is closing its shop in Whittier, California.

“Bruce Lyskawa (team owner) has decided he’s not going to run next year,” said team manager Joey Osowski Thursday in a telephone interview with Roadracingworld.com. “He’s done the last four years totally out of his pocket, except for some support from Honda, but it takes a lot of dough to run a team.

“He thought about folding the team after the 2002 series, but he decided to gamble on 2003 to see if he could attract some outside-the-industry sponsorship as we went along, but it didn’t work out.”

According to Osowski, the team is selling off its motorcycles, shipping its shop equipment to Lyskawa’s race shop in New Hampshire and its three crew members are currently looking for other positions within the motorcycle racing industry.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Greg Moore, Mark Junge and Brian Kcraget started the 27th annual WERA Grand National Finals with wins in Thursday’s winner-take-all Sportsman series National Championship runoffs at Road Atlanta.

Moore, a finalist in the Team Hammer Talent Search presented by Alpinestars, riding a Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R750 on Michelin tires, grabbed the holeshot in the B Superstock race and pulled out an early lead over the large field. On lap two, veteran Vesrah Suzuki rider Tray Batey pulled clear of the pack in second but could not catch Moore.

Moore won by three seconds over Batey. “It’s wonderful,” said Moore, when asked about starting his weekend with Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki with a win. “This is exactly what I came here for – to get results for them and knowledge for me.” Freewebtown.com’s Brian Stokes, who started on row nine, finished third.

Stokes started from row 11 of the C Superstock grid and moved into second place, 2.4 seconds behind leader Mark Junge, by lap three. Vesrah Suzuki’s Junge rode flawlessly, but Stokes was able to work his way up to Junge by the last lap. Stokes was set up to pass Junge under braking at the end of the back straightaway, but a waving yellow flag in the corner squashed Stokes’ plans. Junge then protected the line coming down the hill and through turn 12 to secure his race win and National Championship. Stokes was a close second, while Rueben Frankenfield finished a solid third in the strong field.

NESBA.com/Speedwerks’ Kcraget defended his WERA 125cc GP Sportsman National Championship with a runaway win over young gun Ryan Andrews and Glen Pison. Kcraget then came back to dominate the Formula Two race on Mark Johnson’s Honda RS250.

In the final round of the points-paying WERA National Vintage series, David Roper won both the 250cc GP and 350cc GP races on his 250cc Aermacchi CRTT, Dale Burroughs won the V6 and V7 Heavyweight races on his 1986 Suzuki GSX-R1100 and Harold Page, Jr. won the V5 race on a Yamaha FZ750 and the V4 race on a 585cc Yamaha.

The WERA Grand National Finals continue with more Sportsman series sprints and the final round of the National Endurance Series Friday; more Sportsman series finals, final rounds of the National Challenge sprint series and qualifying heats for the 18th annual Suzuki Cup Finals Saturday; and more National Challenge sprint finals and the Suzuki Cup Finals on Sunday.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

With the FIM-sanctioned World Superbike Championship going to spec tires for the 2004-2005 seasons, Pirelli will be looking toward the AMA and British Superbike series for tire development.

That’s the word from Eddie Roberts, Pirelli International Racing Manager, who is attending the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta.

“With the World Superbike Championship being mono-tire, it restricts us in development,” said Roberts Thursday. “We’ll be looking at the USA and UK Championships for our development program. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, because these are the two strongest Championships in the world, outside of the World [Superbike] Championships.”

Roberts said he did not know what American teams and riders Pirelli would be working with in 2004. “We’re not necessarily looking for the number one team,” said Roberts. “We’d rather work with a team that can grow with Pirelli, like [two-time World Supersport Champions] Ten Kate.

“The information we get from that [development] will immediately translate to the standard product. For instance, if we find an advantage with a compound or carcass construction, we will make 100 of that construction, send them to the various continents and ask our distributors, ‘please have your riders try these tires.’ As soon as we have positive results, we put it into production immediately. Maybe only one percent of riders will be able to take advantage of the improvement, but it will be there.

“And I firmly believe Pirellis are the best tires you can go buy. [Ten Kate World Supersport riders] Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen qualified one-two on standard product anyone can buy at Magny-Cours. That’s very satisfying for me.”

Roberts said he is in America for meetings within the company, to bring Pirelli tire vendors up to speed on the 2004 product line, to get feedback from American racers who use Pirellis and to generally check out the American club racing scene.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Thought you might get a kick out of this one. This scam is so bad I about fell out of my chair laughing. This guy hijacked some poor s.o.b.’s ebay user ID and was trying to sell a four-wheeler that was located in Rome Italy, but his ID was listed as from Canada.

I included the email I got from him regarding his terms. Ebay ended the auction within 10 minutes of the time I notified them that I thought it was a scam.

Mark Vanderwerf
Lakeville, Minnesota


Hello there,
My name is (deleted) and I am glad you are interested on my 2000 POLARIS SPORTMAN 500 ATV.Well, I have to let you know that the ATV is in a perfect condition.It has 1670 miles.The 2000 POLARIS SPORTMAN 500 ATV will be shipped from Rome, Italy from here I will support the shipping taxes,insurance and handling via FedEX Air service and you will receive the 2000 POLARIS SPORTMAN 500 ATV within 4 days .The price I hope to obtain is 2500$ and if you agree with this price we can start to complete the transaction. I prefer payment through western union money transfer so I can send the ATV in the same day.
SHIPMENT —this is a thing about you shouldn’t worry about because i believe that it is my responsibility to deliver it to your home.We can do in 2 way in each of them i am going to pay for all charges:
-UPS 2 days
-FedEX 2 days
It will take 3 days for the package to arrive to
to you.The shipping costs will be payed by me and i will also pay for the insurance in case of any damage happens during the handling and shipping,so i will be protected in case off damages and you too.
THE WAY TO PAY —–The payment wich I accept is Western Union money transfer;no PayPAl because the withdraw limit is 500 USD for month and I usually pay the products with cash money,for the same reason no credit cards or cashiers checks.About COD and escrow what can I say, I used them in the past and I was very disapointed because they blocked my money for 2 weeks and when you try to develope a business time is everything!
Western Union is the fastest way to conclude a payment!My old customers use to send the money directly in my name but because you are at the first deal with me ,I know that it is hard to trust me and even more to send money to a person you just met virtualy on an auction site before you receive the product , so for this reason I will teach you how to make the payment that you feel safe.When you make the transfer you send the money on a different name,a name you will choose( a friend name,your wife name,etc)but to my adress.
After you complete the transfer you send me the details:sender name,receiver name,total amount and the money transfer control number, with this details I will be able to verify the transfer on their site if is correct but I can´t pick them up because I don´t have a proper ID for that!After I verify the transfer and if it is correct I will send you the product and after you receive it and inspect it you just make a phone call at western union and ask them to change the receiver name because you spell it wrong, to my name that I can pick up the money.I send all my packages having written on them “display unit, no comercial
value” or as a gift so you don’t have to pay any additional taxes(VAT included) and I hope you will do the same thing when you´ll make the transfer because this way I will not have to pay any other taxes.
Here is my name and my address where you must send the money:
First name: (deleted)
Last name: (deleted)
Address: Via Delle (deleted)
Zip code: 00169
City: Rome
Country: Italy
The return policy is 30 days.If you agree with these terms,let me know and I will be more than glad to start to complete the transaction with you.
I am waiting your email,

Regards,
(deleted)

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki is racing at the annual WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia this weekend, but instead of star rider Steve Rapp challenging the lap record, the team is continuing its history of using the event to evaluate new talent.

“We have a long, storied history of talent tryouts at the WERA GNF,” said Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry.

The team signed current rider Matt Furtek after a tryout at the 2002 GNF and evaluated John Hopkins and Ben Spies at the 1999 GNF. Hopkins went on to win the 2000 AMA 750cc Supersport Championship and the 2001 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship for the team and is currently completing his second year in the MotoGP World Championship. Spies rode for the team in 2000 and 2001, winning an AMA 750cc Supersport race, and just won the 2003 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship on a Yoshimura Suzuki.

This year Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki (a.k.a. Team Hammer, Inc.) made the talent evaluation program official by starting the Team Hammer Talent Search Presented by Alpinestars. Two finalists in the 2003 Team Hammer Talent Search Presented by Alpinestars, Chris Siglin and Greg Moore, have fully-sponsored rides for the Suzuki Cup Finals held in conjunction with the WERA GNF and are being evaluated by the team.

“They get to ride our GSX-R750s on our Michelin tires, work with our mechanics, do their best, not fall down and just have fun,” said Perry. “They don’t have to worry about anything on the bike or busting their own tires. They just have to worry about their riding.”

“It’s awesome,” said Brookwood, Alabama’s Moore, when asked what he thought of the Team Hammer Talent Search. “It’s definitely something you don’t get to do every day. The team is really helpful, nothing negative, no pressure. They just want me to go out there and have fun. I like that. I’ve already learned a lot. I’m usually on my own at the racetrack and working hard just to change my own wheels and tires. It takes a good bit of stress off of me to not have to work on my own bike.”

“It’s great to have all of the help, the knowledge that’s available, and the equipment is just top-notch,” said Clayton, California’s Siglin. “It’s overwhelming. I have three guys there to help me, and it’s usually just me and Kenny Norman, my normal mechanic. Plus the availability of the Michelin tires and getting the feel for testing new compounds of tires. That’s new to me. I’m usually practicing on last weekend’s race tires. It just gives you that extra bit of confidence.”

As part of the program, finalists Moore and Siglin both got new Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki leathers, custom-made by Alpinestars. “It’s a nice suit,” smiled Siglin. “It’s the suit you see Rapp and Chris Ulrich and all the Pro riders wearing, the suit that’s not available for purchase by the public.”

“They’re awesome,” Moore said of his new Alpinestars leathers. “They fit really sweet.”

When they showed up at Road Atlanta, Siglin and Moore found their names on the team bikes they’re riding, and on lockers inside the rider lounge of the team’s semi-truck.

In addition, 2002 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Cup Champion John Haner is defending his title in a one-off ride with the team. “(Team Owner) John Ulrich gave me the opportunity to ride one of his Suzukis in the 1000cc Cup race, and I mean to take advantage of it. I won it last year on the Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000. He helped me out with that and I won. This year it’s my turn to take the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 to the win on TV and return the favor.”

Furtek will compete in this year’s GSX-R600 and GSX-R750 Suzuki Cup finals and test a GSX-R600 built to 2004 AMA Formula Xtreme specifications “if we get far enough ahead in the game,” according to Perry.

From a press release issued by California Speedway:

OPTIONS FOR KING TACO 500 AND KING TACO 200 ACCOUNT HOLDERS

FONTANA, Calif. (October 29, 2003) — Pursuant to CART Champ Car’s release today regarding the cancellation of the King Taco 500, the following options are available for account holders with tickets to Sunday’s event. In addition, Saturday’s King Taco 200 NASCAR Winston West Series race has also been cancelled. Below are the ticket options:

1. Apply money toward a 2004 California speedway event – the face value of the ticket will be applied to a purchase for any 2004 event by the account holder;

2. Donate the money to the American Red Cross Southern California Fire Disaster Relief Fund – the face value of the ticket will be donated in the account holder’s name;

3. Use their tickets for this weekend’s event at Phoenix International Raceway – PIR is making a special offer for guests to redeem their California Speedway tickets at the PIR Gate 3 Ticket Office for this weekend’s NASCAR events;

4. Refund to account holder only – refund will be conducted in the manner in which the tickets were purchased, i.e. if purchased by check, then a check will be refunded; if purchased by credit card, a credit will be given.

The speedway’s website at www.californiaspeedway.com currently has a form on it for account holders to download and fill out if they want to select option 2 or 4. The form must be returned to the speedway by November 14th.

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Last race marks end of the beginning

Sunday’s GP of Valencia closes a hectic 2003 season for Proton Team KR. While rivals have contested some of the most competitive blue-riband racing ever, the unique England-based racing manufacturers have been engaged in an even greater struggle.

The task is as before: to design, build, develop and then race a fully independent specialised Grand Prix motorcycle, against the full might of the Japanese and Italian factories.

The challenge of 2003 came with the new 990cc MotoGP four-strokes, now in their second year. Former triple 500cc champion and racing legend Kenny Roberts swallowed hard at the much greater costs and technical complexities, then decided to make his own high-tech V5 four-stroke.

The season began as engineers were still destruction-testing the first batches of engine parts. After testing only on airfields, the bike saw its first proper race-track at Le Mans, where it ran in practice for the fourth round of the year. The testing and development programme began directly – not in private, but in the full heat of the GP season.

The new bike started fitfully, but almost day and night work by the team and back at Banbury saw it become steadily faster and more reliable over the coming races. At the 13th round, the howling Proton KR V5 scored its first points, when Nobuatsu Aoki was 14th in the Pacific GP. It was only the seventh time the bike had raced, and the result came in the Japanese heartland of the dominant racing factories.

Two races later team-mate Jeremy McWilliams was a strong 11th in Australia, underlining a late-season turning point for the infant racer.

Aoki and McWilliams will race basically the same machines at the final 2003 round at Valencia, but the end of the beginning is also the beginning of stage two. Both riders will stay on after the final Spanish round for two days of testing a brand-new chassis . the first of a series of evolutionary developments that will take the V5 motorcycle on from first prototype towards fully competitive racer.

“We’re looking forward to this race so we can get on to the next step,” said team manager Chuck Aksland. “We’ll be testing a new frame that is more towards the 2004 machine, back to back with the old one.

“We take that information back, then build it in to the bike we will test at the beginning of next year with some redesigned engine components – the cylinder head will be the first, with more modifications coming probably after the first few races,” continued Aksland.

“The whole motorcycle will be tidier for the 2004 version . but it’s more evolution than a complete overhaul,” he revealed.

“We’ve raced the four-stroke for six months. We’re confident we can make the chassis performance better. We know we need more engine performance, and we’re working on that right now.”

The Valencia GP is the 16th round, and the third race in Spain. It closes off a season already won by defender Valentino Rossi (Honda).

Nobuatsu Aoki : something special
I’m feeling better after some problems in Australia after I hurt my neck. Now we come to the end of a very interesting time – even in the flyaway GPs, we got small step by step improvements. I can really see the progress, and I know the factory has made a very very big effort. I expect more improvements for Valencia, so I am optimistic. And also looking forward to testing on Tuesday and Wednesday with the new chassis. I have been with this bike from the very first, so it is something special to me, and I hope I can continue with the development.

Jeremy McWilliams : grabbing my attention
I hope this won’t be my last race with this team. I would dearly love to continue with this project. Some of the flyaway races showed a lot of promise for the future of the bike, and it’s grabbed my attention again. Valencia is a very stop-start circuit, and that’s quite difficult for us. There’s no problem getting the bike stopped and into the turns, but we get hurt on exit speed. We need a little more grunt! But Motegi is also stop-start, and I’m certain I’d have been in the points there, but for a braking problem. After the boost in Australia, I know I need to finish in the points again.