Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Richard Stanboli’s Attack Performance is leaving Suzuki and will run a Kawasaki support team in 2004.

Stanboli’s team won the 2003 AMA Superstock Championship with Josh Hayes riding a Suzuki GSX-R750.

The team has a Suzuki support deal, run out of the company’s Sports Promotion Department.

Riders Jason Pridmore and Hayes are directly contracted to American Suzuki Motor Corp., and may or may not go with Stanboli to Kawasaki.

In the meantime, Suzuki has ended its relationship with what has been known variously as Corona Extra Suzuki and Ebsco Suzuki and is said to be having discussions with No Limits Racing.

Details to follow.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA SUPERBIKE TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY A SUCCESS

Haskovec and Zemke happy to run on the historic speedway’s road course

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Oct. 1, 2003) — The AMA Superbike test Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was considered a big success by all involved. Riders Vincent Haskovec and Jake Zemke were thrilled to be the first Superbike riders to turn a wheel around the hallowed racing grounds of IMS and the staff of the Speedway were happy to get input from the riders and AMA Pro Racing officials. The test was run to find out if it was feasible for motorcycles to race on Indy’s 2.6-mile road course and what configuration changes might be needed to accommodate motorcycle racing. The circuit is presently used for the U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race.

---

Vincent Haskovec and Jake Zemke at the brickyard.

---

“It was a very productive test,” said Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing. “Jake (Zemke) and Vincent (Haskovec) gave us excellent input and the staff of IMS was very interested in hearing what the riders had to say. Nothing is on the table at this moment as far as having an AMA Pro Racing event at the Speedway. It was simply a feasibility test to see what might need to be done if an opportunity arose to bring a motorcycle race to this venue.”

Haskovec was the first to take the track on the Austin Ducati Superbike Wednesday morning. Zemke came out a short time later on the Erion Honda Formula Xtreme bike. It was an historic occasion to bring motorcycles back to the fabled Brickyard. A little known fact in the Speedway’s history is that one of the very first races at the track was a motorcycle race held in 1909. Haskovec and Zemke later rode together for a number of laps. Both said they relished the opportunity to get a chance to ride at Indy.

“It’s a huge moment for motorcycling,” said Haskovec, a native of the Czech Republic. “I’m very happy I got an opportunity to do this. This place is so huge you feel like you are on top of the world. This is the best track on the planet. It seems like it was really made for motorcycle racing.”

Zemke pitted after his first laps around the Speedway and shivered a little in the crisp fall conditions, but still had a smile on his face.

“It was good,” Zemke said. “It was pretty cold here this morning, but the track felt like it had a lot of grip. The track was really wide and it seemed like run-off was good. The infield feels tight but it felt pretty racy at the same time. I think it might have felt tight simply because the front straightaway is so long here. There’s a cool section right after the back straightway there with some esses. With the tall grandstands the front straightaway felt like you were going through a tunnel. I can only imagine what it would be like with the grandstands full. It would definitely be great to come through here with the grandstands full of people.”

Both riders confirmed that one change needed to accommodate motorcycle racing would be the final turn of the road course. Essentially, the outside retaining wall is too close to run Superbikes at speed in racing conditions. AMA Pro Racing and the IMS were aware of this issue and it was addressed with the riders in meetings before and after both practice sessions. Diagrams of the track were brought out and track officials discussed possible ways to reconfigure that section of the circuit.

“This would be a good place to bring motorcycle competition,” Haskovec said after the final session. “We were going through some different ideas on how to slow down the bikes through the final section and if that can be worked out this will be a great thing for our sport.”
More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

AMA BIKES TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2003 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway and American Motorcyclist Association officials conducted a feasibility test Oct. 1 on the Speedway’s 2.605-mile road course.

Two teams representing AMA Pro Racing’s Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship ran several laps and debriefed with officials from IMS and AMA.

“This test was simply a series of compatibility runs on the road course,” said Joie Chitwood, IMS senior vice president of business affairs. “The AMA took advantage of the fact that the facility is still in its road-course configuration after Sunday’s successful United States Grand Prix Formula One race. There are no serious discussions right now regarding hosting a motorcycle race in the future.”

Jake Zemke, of Paso Robles, Calif., and Vincent Haskovec, of the Czech Republic, turned laps at IMS. Zemke rode an Erion Honda Formula Xtreme bike, while Haskovec was on an Austin Ducati Superbike. Haskovec was the first rider on track, at approximately 11:15 a.m. (EST).

“It was a very productive test,” said Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing. “Jake and Vincent gave us excellent input, and the staff of IMS was very interested in hearing what the riders had to say.

“Nothing is on the table at this moment as far as having an AMA Pro Racing event at the Speedway. It was simply a feasibility test to see what might need to be done if an opportunity arose to bring a motorcycle race to this venue.”

The test marks the first time that motorcycles have turned laps at competitive speeds at IMS since a series of seven motorcycle races took place Aug. 14, 1909. That day of racing was five days before the first automobile races on Aug. 19.

From a press release issued by the Penguin Racing School:

Multi-time National MX and SX Champ Doug Henry spent the day last Wednesday at the Penguin Racing School at New Hampshire International Speedway, learning road race skills on his Yamaha Supermoto machine.

Doug rode with instructors Eric and Jeff Wood and went quickly from dragging his foot to dragging his knee. The instructors were impressed with the Champ’s fast progress.

Doug will be riding the AMA Supermoto event at Columbus this weekend and may contest the entire series next season. The word around Bettencourts Honda was that fellow New England MX star, John Dowd, is also looking into the series as well.

Jeff Wood holds the lap record at the NHIS road course for a Supermoto machine at 1:17.70. Jeff won the Supermoto support race held at NHIS during the Loudon Classic last June. A dirt section was added to the 1.5-mile road course between turns five and eight.

NHIS track owners Bob and Gary Bahre were impressed with the crowd’s reaction to the race and want to do more. NHIS is working on hosting a Supermoto National event during next year’s Loudon Classic.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Attack Racing is close to finalizing a deal that would see it become a Kawasaki support team.

“There’s nothing official yet,” Attack Racing team owner Richard Stanboli told Roadracingworld.com Wednesday. “There will be an announcement soon. You’ll get an announcement, and that’ll all be handled by the powers that be. I’m just a mere contractor.

“There’s definitely talks going on. There’s definitely some proposals going back and forth. It’s just in the ironing out phase. I imagine something very positive is going to be happening here very shortly.”

Running as an American Suzuki support team, Attack Racing won the 2003 AMA Superstock Championship with Josh Hayes and the 2002 Formula Xtreme Championship with Jason Pridmore, but Stanboli said he is looking forward to a change he feels will be good for everybody.

“It’s kind of the right time to make a business decision,” said Stanboli. “I think they (Kawasaki) have a really nice motorcycle coming out next year, and we would like to get on board that.

“I think that us moving on opens up some room at Suzuki for another team and for the sport to grow. Obviously, if we get this deal worked out with Kawasaki, and it’s a good positive deal, you have one team there. Then you still have the teams that are over at Suzuki. That helps the sport grow. More interest, more competition. I think it’s a great thing. That’s what we’re all shooting for, job stability.”

Stanboli said he did not know who his riders would be or what classes he would be competing in if and when the deal with Kawasaki goes through.

From a press release issued by Alice Aprilia Racing Information:

PACIFIC GP/PREVIEW

EASTERN CHALLENGE

The Alice Aprilia Racing Team is ready for the triple travelling: three GPs one after another that within three weeks, will bring men and bikes to Japan, Malaysia and Australia.

The first overseas race is scheduled in Motegi from the 3rd to the 5th of October. The team has prepared with special effort this demanding race in order to score some good points. Because of chattering problems, a good result is lacking from the last races.

The racing department has studied some solutions to the chattering problem and is confident to give to Edwards and Haga two competitive bikes.

Motegi is a track characterised by violent plug chops and restarts. This configuration is favourable for the Aprilia RS cube.

Colin Edwards has remained with his family in Texas and is confident and ready for the new challenge: “I followed from here the work done by my team and I’m sure that we will solve the chattering problems that have slowed down our job in the last races”.

Nori Haga is much more motivated, he would like to score a good result in his home GP: “It’s very important for a Japanese to do a very good race here, it’s our home GP, it’s more or less the same feeling for an Italian rider in occasion of the Mugello GP”.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “Motegi is a track that presents favourable characteristics for our bikes. For example, there are long curves, those one that trigger the chattering of our bikes. Moreover, the surface is smooth and this makes our bikes run better. I’m confident in a better result of our bikes. There are no big technical changes: there is no time for experiments with this calendar that foresees three races one after another. But we have continued to work to reduce the chattering: we have focused on the rear axle with particular attention to the mass and stiffness of the components (such as fork, leverages and discs) to avoid vibrations that create resonance.”

THE TRACK
Twin Ring- Motegi: length 4.801 metres, equal to 2.983 miles.
Lap Record: 1:49.947 Alex Barros (Honda 2002)
Pole: 1:49.052 Daijiro Kato (Honda 2002)

From a press release issued FGSport Group:

200 Miglia di Vallelunga

World Endurance Season Climax

The stage is set for a fantastic climax to the 2003 FIM World Endurance Championship season.

The Championship has come down to a battle between two teams; Suzuki GB Phase One – who have scored points in every round so far this year – can only be caught by Suzuki Zongshen No.1, who have blow hot and cold this year, with four wins and two DNFs so far. But these two teams are unlikely to have things all their own way.

Snapping at their heels are a gaggle of teams who will be out to finish the season with a race win. Yamaha GMT94 and Suzuki Zongshen No.2 have won a round each, Suzuki Police Nationale 22 scored a creditable top five at the ultra competitive Suzuka 8 Hour race, and Yamaha Austria have scored points in the last two rounds of the World Superbike championship. Of course, this being the Italian round of the World Endurance Championship, DRE Ducati will be looking for a home win; with factory support for their Ducati 999R and a proven rider line-up they are in with a good chance.

The action begins on Thursday the 2nd of October with a day of free practice for all the classes racing over the weekend. Official practice starts on Friday the 3rd, with qualifying for the World Endurance Championship race taking place on Saturday morning and afternoon. There are three support races on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, but the main event is at 13:30 on Sunday when forty three riders sprint across the track to their waiting bikes for the start of the 200 mile race.

There are two compulsory refuelling stops during the race and teams must also change riders; fuel and tyre strategies are as important in endurance racing as they are in F1, with the best teams able to refuel a bike and change both it’s wheels in less than 30 seconds.

The 2002 race climaxed in a 45 minute elbow to elbow sprint during the final session; we expect nothing less this year.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA RED BULL SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP TELEVISION COVERAGE TO BEGIN

Groundbreaking show debuts October 16 on Outdoor Life Network

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Oct. 1, 2003) — Outdoor Life Network (OLN) will begin its broadcast coverage of the inaugural AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship season on Oct. 16. The shows will air Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. on the West Coast) and then re-air three hours later. Each of the five qualifying rounds of the championship will be shown leading up to the championship finale, which will be carried live on Friday, Nov. 21 from Las Vegas beginning at 9 p.m. EST (6 p.m. on the West Coast).

As announced earlier, the show will be presented in episodic format and will feature extensive racing coverage as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the lifestyles of top racers from the series.

AMA Pro Racing Vice President, Director of Communications, Kerry Graeber confirmed that the show is intended to look different from traditional racing coverage. “We’ve taken a fresh look at everything involved with this championship series including the TV presentation,” said Graeber. “OLN, along with our production company Echo Entertainment, has worked very hard to craft a show that will showcase motorcycle racing in an all-new manner. We’re looking forward to the show’s debut on Oct. 16 and we know our fans are, too.”

Following is the broadcast schedule:

Date – Time – (Re-air) – Venue

October 16 – 10 p.m. (1 a.m. Oct. 17) – Monterey, Calif.

October 23 – 10 p.m. (1 a.m. Oct. 24) – South Boston, Va./Columbus, Ohio
(part 1)

October 30 – 10 p.m. (1 a.m. Oct. 31) – Columbus, Ohio (part 2)

November 13 – 10 p.m. (1 a.m. Nov. 13) – Dallas, Texas

November 20 – 10 p.m. (1 a.m. Nov. 21) – Irwindale, Calif.

November 21 – 9 p.m. (12 a.m. Nov. 22) – Las Vegas, Nev.

Note all times are EST. Check local listings.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

ROSSI HEADS TITLE RUN-IN AS MOTOGP HEADS EAST

As the massive MotoGP operation packs its considerable bags and heads east for three gruelling back-to-back races at Motegi in Japan, Sepang in Malaysia and Phillip Island in Australia, Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) is in pole position to win his third world premier class title.

His nearest rival Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) is now 51 points behind Rossi with four races remaining. And so Rossi would have to fail to finish at least two races with Gibernau winning them both for the Spaniard to get within one point of the reigning champion. But in a high-risk, high-stakes sport like MotoGP, nothing can ever be taken for granted when points and titles are up for grabs.

It’s mathematically conceivable that Rossi could wrap up the title at Motegi if he wins and Gibernau finishes fifteenth or lower. But the Spanish charger has found a new consistency to go with his undoubted speed and seems to have lost a habit of throwing away hard won points.

But Rossi is a remarkably consistent performer and it would take a collapse of catastrophic proportions to put the destination of this year’s title in any real doubt. With Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) lying third in the Championship, 88 points behind Rossi, it will be Honda’s title, whoever ultimately prevails.

The only way for Gibernau to maximise his chances of upsetting the flamboyant, but measured and relaxed Rossi, is to pile on the pressure from first qualifying and force the World Champion into making errors. But the wily Rossi often counts a start anywhere in the top four as good enough in real terms as a pole position. And he will know that at Motegi, a front row start will do, as pole is not as critical as it can be at tracks where turn one is a hazardous free-for-all.

Rossi, with his reputation for using free practice and even qualifying for maximising the efficiency of race set-up at the expense of a fast flying lap, is rarely pressured into making final qualifying a race in itself. If he sets pole – fine. If he doesn’t but he’s on the front row – that’s fine too. And he responds well to pressure in races, knowing that if he can’t stay with a fast rider (rare, but more common now than previously) he’ll take the points and do better next time. That makes Gibernau’s task hard – but by no means impossible.

“I will go to Japan in the same mood and just as focussed as I was in Brazil,” said the Spanish star. “We have moved forward in the last races and have been fighting for the win at every Grand Prix. We are
working well in the team and Honda has helped us, but I can only control what we have in-house. I just hope we are in as good shape in Motegi as we were in Rio. The layout of the Motegi circuit is not very technical, so it’s nothing special.”

The Twin Ring Motegi circuit was built by Honda in 1998. Called Twin Ring because the layout features an inner Grand Prix track within an outer ring that’s a banked Indy car track, it lies north west of Tokyo between Mito and Utsonomiya.

The inaugural motorcycle Grand Prix was held the year after completion in 1999 and riders liked the grippy, smooth and predictable surface, although many found the layout of the 4.801km track was short on character. Many of the turns, eight right-handers and six left-handers, are constant-radius second gear corners, requiring good traction and brisk acceleration.

The slowish turns are linked by medium-length straights, the longest of which is only 0.762km long. There are some downhill approaches to the turns which offer a degree of technical involvement for riders, but of greater concern to most is the weather, which is often the major factor at Motegi.

Rossi is more concerned that his team now fully understands how to get the best from the mighty RC211V. And where he struggled in the last four races last season, this year he can remain strong. “The end of the season is good for me,” he said. “We’ve had three good races in a row now and the team is strong. I’m focussed on getting the best from these last four races and am concentrating hard on the Championship. We understand the bike well now and are hoping for success.”

Rossi’s team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V), who has shown strongly in the second half of the season, is raring to go. “I’m really enjoying myself at the moment,” said the American rookie. “We’re working well as a team and we’re really competitive. I’ve tested at Sepang and Phillip Island and should be on the pace quickly. I’ll be pushing hard for a front row start and a podium finish before the season ends.”

Max Biaggi can’t wait to get racing at Motegi. “I would really like to get a good result here because it’s Honda’s track,” said the Italian. “The Japanese technicians know it really well and have a lot of data for setting up the bike. I always like racing in Japan because I know everything is highly professional and the track will be in excellent condition. The Twin Ring is quite stop-go but there are also some longer faster corners.”

Max’s team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) has not always tasted success at Motegi, his best result being a fourth place in 2002 in the MotoGP class, but the Japanese is ready to give it his best again. “Motegi has always been a difficult track for me, but there is plenty of grip and there are no bumps to worry about.”

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V), who had a fine race to the rostrum in Rio with a third place, is sure he can improve on that at Motegi. “I know the circuit very well, I’ve won there five times and I hope I can get the right settings on my RC211V so I can spend all the time getting up to peak performance for Sunday’s race. What I’m interested in is winning races and Sunday could be my best chance this season.”

Local boy Ryuichi Kiyonari (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) is another Japanese hopeful. “My home town of Kawagoe is quite near Motegi and I’ve raced and practised there quite a lot,” he said. “But I’ve not ridden the RC211V there yet. I like Motegi a lot although it is a stop-start track – and quite a difficult one too.”

The 250 class contenders are chasing Championship leader Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia) who takes a 22-point lead over Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) to Motegi. With Honda’s Tochigi Research and Development facility right on the doorstep, Rolfo will be hoping the factory can bring some extra expertise to his assistance in his Championship challenge.

“In the past I’ve not had such a good feel for this track,” said the Italian. “But I think I will enjoy it more this year with the bike I have. There are only about three technical areas where you can make up time, and the problem we will have is getting out of the slow corners onto the fast straights.”

Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) echoes Rolfo’s view. “I like Motegi,” he said. “It’s not one of my favourite tracks, but like all circuits it has some good parts I like racing on. The character of the track might not suit my bike, slow corners leading onto fast straights. The bike will handle well around the twisty parts but the straights at Motegi might well be a bit of a problem for us.”

In the 125cc category Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS125R) will be looking to stretch his Championship lead even further. The Spanish teenager currently heads his nearest challenger by 42 points, but he is taking nothing for granted as the season reaches a conclusion.

“Motegi is a very nice track,” he said. ” I’ve always had a good feeling riding there. The grip is good and the surface is very smooth, completely the opposite of Rio. Regarding the championship? I’m not going to think about it, just about the race, and no thoughts about championship strategy. At this stage it would not be smart to think about riding for a safe points position.”

Andrea Dovisioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) lies fourth in the World Championship and could finish higher if he makes the most of Motegi. “I like the track at Motegi,” he said. “I have a good feeling racing there. I really like the last part of the track, in 2002 I was fast through that section. Last year I qualified on the second row and was going well in the race but had a problem and crashed.”