From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

2004 AMA CHEVY TRUCKS U.S. MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Oct. 3, 2003) — AMA Pro Racing has released its schedule for the 2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship. Once again, the championship includes 12 events and, new for 2004, concludes in Southern California.

AMA Pro Racing CEO, Scott Hollingsworth said AMA Pro Racing worked collaboratively with key promoters to accomplish several important changes to the series. “We had a couple of fundamental objectives for 2004 and we’re delighted we were able to achieve them,” said Hollingsworth. “One of our goals was to build-in a break at the conclusion of the AMA Supercross season before the teams had to jump right into motocross. This was something that both riders and team managers had said was important to them so we worked hard to make it happen. An additional benefit to that change is that everyone now has Mother’s Day off.”

Hollingsworth added that the 2004 schedule is also more favorable to the teams’ travel patterns. “The logistics involved with transporting motorcycles, equipment, and personnel from event to event is a major undertaking,” said Hollingsworth. “Now after the opening round at Hangtown in Sacramento, Calif., the teams have a weekend off to get to and prepare for round two at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pa. This break, particularly at the beginning of the season when teams are adjusting to the new series, is advantageous. There’s also benefit to beginning and ending the championship on the West Coast because that’s where most of the teams are based.”

Lori Yarnell, General Manager of Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., echoes that sentiment. “We’re excited about the motocross season wrapping up at Glen Helen next year,” said Yarnell. “We’re already talking about our event internally and plan to give it a festival-like atmosphere. Southern California is the heart of the motocross industry so it makes sense to have the championship finale right here.”

The 2004 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship schedule is as follows:

Date – Location

May 16 – Hangtown Classic, Sacramento, Calif.

May 30 – High Point Raceway, Mt. Morris, Pa.

June 13 – Motocross 338, Southwick, Mass.

June 20 – Budds Creek Motocross Park, Budds Creek, Md.

July 4 – Red Bud Track -N-Trail, Buchanan, Mich.


July 18 – Unadilla Valley Sports Center, New Berlin, N.Y.

July 25 – Kenworthy’s Motocross Park, Troy, Ohio

Aug. 1 – Washougal Motocross Park, Washougal, Wash.

Aug. 15 – Spring Creek Motocross Park, Millville, Minn.

Aug. 22 – Broome-Tioga Sports Center, Binghamton, N.Y.

Sept. 5 – Steel City Raceway, Delmont, Pa.

Sept. 12- Glen Helen Raceway Park, San Bernardino, Calif.

From a press release issued by series organizers:

Bontempi Fastest in Vallelunga 200 Mile Free Practice

Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati First, Second and Third Quickest

Suzuki Zongshen No.2 rider Piergiorgio Bontempi was quickest in this afternoon’s free practice session, breaking the endurance lap record with a fastest time of 1:19.662. Last year’s pole position time was 1:20.256, with the fastest race lap of 1:19.865 set by Zongshen’s Warwick Nowland.

Second quickest today and the only other team to dip into the 1:19s was William Costesfor Yamaha GMT94 with a 1:19.933 lap. Mike Edwards lifted DRE Ducati into thirdplace, Suzuki Zongshen No. 1 were fourth, the second Yamaha GMT bike – No.96 – wasfifth and Suzuki Police Nationale 22 were sixth. New to endurance Simon Andrews put
the Suzuki Phase One Junior bike into seventh place, ahead of the senior team bike which
was tenth fastest.

The wide variety of competitive bikes racing in the World Endurance Championship is perfectly illustrated by this afternoon’s top three; bikes from Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati, separated by less than a second. The fastest wildcard entry today was Ducati DRE 101 in eighth place, just ahead of the No.57 Suzuki Celani team. Bikes from Kawasaki, Aprilia, Honda and Mondial are also entered for the 200 mile race.

A total of forty three bikes recorded times today, with both sessions taking place in excellent weather. Qualifying proper to decide the grid for Sunday’s race will take place tomorrow, with sessions for each rider in the morning and afternoon. The atmosphere today has been fairly relaxed, but things are expected to heat up tomorrow when the lap times will be officially timed.

From a press release issued by Avon Tyres:

Avon Tyres looks for a Supermoto win in Columbus, OH

Frenchman Alexandre’ Thiebault will be making another appearance in the AMA Supermoto Championship Series this weekend in Columbus, OH. Alex was one of three Supermoto racers to be chosen to represent France in the 2003 Supermoto Des’Nations. The French team included Stephane Blot (Yam), Boris Chambon (KTM) and Alexandre’ Thiebault (Hon), of course they were able to take the over all win to become the first ever Supermoto Des’Nations winners.

Alexandre’ first made his way in to the American Supermoto scene at the first round of the AMA Supermoto event at Laguna Seca this year. Coming away with a strong 4th place finish at Laguna Seca, Alex has his sights on the top box of the podium this weekend in Columbus.

Thiebault will again be riding a specially prepared Honda CRF450 Supermoto supplied by Team CHM Exhaust which is based out of Carmichael, CA. Along with the ultra trick CRF, Alex will once again be on Avon Tyres’ Supermoto Xtreme race tires.

“It’s great having Alex come back to the states to race” says Avon Tyres’ John Leach, “Team CHM Exhaust has done a great job this year and special thanks go out to everyone involved, especially Factory Husaberg Supermoto racer Carl Blake who first met Alex while racing in the SI Supermoto Championships last year in Europe and convinced him to come to America to race”.

Also making an appearance on Avon Tyres will be the Canadian Supermoto Champion Dave Arnold (Hon). Arnold clinched both # 1 plates in the Supermoto Canada race series Prestige Class as well as the KTM Cup, which is a spec class putting racers on identically prepared KTM LC4 Supermotos.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning 125cc Practice Times:

1. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:58.147
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:58.756
3. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 1:58.842
4. Casey Stoner, Australia, 1:58.882
5. Stefano Perugini, Aprilia, 1:58.968
6. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 1:59.418
7. Mirko Giansanti, Aprilia, 1:59.521
8. Mika Kallio, KTM, 1:59.564
9. Thomas Luthi, Aprilia, 1:59.666
10. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 1:59.667
11. Marco Simoncelli, Aprilia, 1:59.725
12. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 1:59.912
13. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 2:00.004
14. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 2:00.045
15. Simone Corsi, Honda, 2:00.101
16. Masao Azuma, Honda, 2:00.123
17. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 2:00.128
18. Gabor Talmacsi, Aprilia, 2:00.436
19. Arnaud Vincent, Aprilia, 2:00.538
20. Alvaro Bautista, Aprilia, 2:00.703
21. Emilio Alzamora, Derbi, 2:00.919
22. Roberto Locatelli, KTM, 2:00.962
23. Youichi Ui, Gilera, 2:01.161

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning MotoGP Practice Times:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:48.931
2. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:49.335
3. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:49.389
4. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:49.479
5. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:49.498
6. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:49.604
7. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:49.654
8. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:49.750
9. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:49.768
10. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:49.939
11. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:49.967
12. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:50.089
13. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:50.302
14. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:50.625
15. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 1:50.876
16. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:51.487
17. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:51.561
18. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:51.618
19. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:51.719
20. Akira Ryo, Suzuki, 1:51.754
21. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:51.762
22. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:51.912
23. Tamaki Serizawa, Moriwaki, 1:51.143
24. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:52.262
25. David De Gea, Harris WCM, 1:53.572
26. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, 1:54.568

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:52.849
2. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:52.965
3. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:53.247
4. Sebastian Porto, Honda, 1:53.650
5. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, 1:53.713
6. Hiroshi Aoyama, Honda, 1:53.830
7. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:53.868
8. Noaki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:54.021
9. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Yamaha, 1:54.132
10. Yuki Takakashi, Honda, 1:54.141
11. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:54.385
12. Chaz Davies, Aprilia, 1:54.641
13. Alex Debon, Honda, 1:54.680
14. Choujun Kameya, Honda, 1:54.714
15. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:55.095
16. Erwan Nigon, Aprilia, Aprilia, 1:55.164
17. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, 1:55.300
18. Christian Gemmel, Honda, 1:55.450
19. Hugo Marchand, Aprilia, 1:55.774
20. Masaki Tokudome, Yamaha, 1:55.811
21. Eric Bataille, Honda, 1:55.949
22. Alex Baldolini, Aprilia, 1:56.174
23. Anthony West, Aprilia, 1:56.231

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Details of the fire that destroyed Multi-Tech Racing, from Eileen Hyland-Leal, wife of Multi-Tech owner Neill Leal, who commented via e-mail:

The fire started around 4:00 p.m., Monday afternoon. It may have started at an electrical outlet or something related to electrical…not sure. No one was injured despite some local news stations reporting otherwise.

I was in the shop when it started and remained on scene well after everyone else (except firefighters) had left. There was not enough water to battle the fire so it spread and could not be contained despite the efforts of firefighters.

We were told by the Chief that the one hydrant (approximately 800 meters away) could not supply enough water to all trucks.

Again, no one was injured. I cannot comment on Neill’s future plans. For all those interested, please consult the business website www.multitechracing.com for any updates.

Sincerely,

Eileen Hyland-Leal

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AHRMA has released the following tentative 2004 National road race schedule:

HISTORIC CUP ROADRACE SERIES

2/26 Jennings GP, Jennings, FL
3/1-2 Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL*
3/27-28 Talladega Gran Prix Raceway, Talladega, AL*
5/1-2 Sandia Motorsports Park, Albuquerque, NM*
5/29-30 No Problem Raceway, Belle Rose, LA*
6/19-20 Grattan Raceway Park, Grattan, MI*
7/17-18 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH*
8/14-15 Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows, CA*
8/21-22 Pueblo Motorsports Park, Pueblo, CO*
9/4-5 Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw, SC*
9/18-19 BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, Wampum, PA*
10/16-17 Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, AL*
Additional CA date may be announced
*twin-sprint events

For additional info, call AHRMA at (615) 851-3674, FAX (615) 851-3678, www.ahrma.org.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning 125cc Grand Prix Practice Times:

1. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 2:00.513
2. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 2:00.638
3. Stefano Perugini, Aprilia, 2:00.664
4. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 2:00.717
5. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 2:00.778
6. Gabor Talmacsi, Aprilia, 2:00.833
7. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 2:01.116
8. Roberto Locatelli, KTM, 2:01.227
9. Simone Corsi, Honda, 2:01.250
10. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 2:01.272

12. Arnaud Vincent, Aprilia, 2:01.315

15. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 2:01.803

17. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 2:02.070

21. Mika Kallio, KTM, 2:02.760

24. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 2:02.926

26. Youichi Ui, Gilera, 2:03.152

32. Emilio Alzamora, Derbi, 2:04.432

From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway:

Construction Crews Begin Work on Turns 1, 6 of Road Course at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) – Competitor safety continues to be the central theme at Infineon Raceway as crews begin work this week on two areas of the twisting road course.

The bridges at Turns 1 and 6 (Carousel) will be removed, and the adjoining hillsides will be graded back to create additional runoff for both racecars and motorcycles. Once the grading is complete, new bridges will be installed, with the Turn 1 bridge being moved west toward Turn 2 by approximately 100 feet.

Although this portion of the project has been planned for several years, it entails the demolition of the raceway’s original wastewater treatment facility, work that could not be performed prior to activating the track’s new waste water facilities earlier this year.

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Crews remove the bridge at Turn 1 in advance of grading the hillside at Infineon Raceway. Photo by Jon Patten.

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This latest $2 million project is part of Infineon Raceway’s comprehensive three-year modernization plan, which began in 2000 and is near completion. Much of the $60 million project has focused on competitor safety and has included:

1. Additional runoff at virtually every turn on the road course.

2. Repaving of the entire road course.

3. Creation of a new pit road that accommodates a 43-car starting grid.

4. Permanent separation of the road course from the quarter-mile drag strip.

The grading of the hillside at Turn 1 will give competitors approximately 130 feet of runoff, which is 100 more than they currently have. Moreover, the bridge abutment at Turn 1 should no longer be a factor once the new bridge is built and positioned 100 feet up the track.

“This is a long-awaited piece of the overall track improvement puzzle and it’s terrific to see that work actually under way,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway.

An additional 80 feet of runoff will be created at Turn 6 by grading the hillside. The new bridge will be positioned in the same spot, overlooking the Carousel, but will obviously be much longer, taking the abutment out of play.

The safety enhancements will aid every form of racing at Infineon Raceway, including NASCAR, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Superbikes and American Le Mans Series sports cars.

“Competitor safety will increase immensely once we are done with this project,” said Jere Starks, vice president of facilities at Infineon Raceway. “The runoff at Turn 1 has been a major point of contention, especially by riders on the AMA circuit. I believe they will be pleased, as will the other sanctioning bodies, when they return to the raceway.”

This marks the second major off-season project at Infineon Raceway as the road course was repaved in August. As part of the repaving, more than 3,000 feet of French Edge Drains were installed to keep water from draining under the track surface – the raceway is just 15 feet above sea level. Curbing was also added at Turns 2, 6, 8 and 10. Portions of the road course that were repaved included Turns 1-3, 6-8 and 11. Turns 4-5, 9-10, 12 and the Chute were repaved prior to the 2003 season.