From a press release issued by Proforma:

HAS/SHOGUN RACING BACK IN FULL FORCE AT VIRGINIA

HAS/Shogun Racing rider Heath Small will be back in action at Virginia International Raceway this weekend for Round 10 of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, after recovering from hand injuries sustained at the Pikes Peak Raceway round. Heath joins teammate John Haner, who has been flying the HAS/Shogun flag solo for the last four rounds.

Both riders took the opportunity to race in last weekend’s WERA regional event at V.I.R., and Heath was able to test his left hand in real racing conditions. “I’ve been riding dirt bikes for the last week or so, but it’s not the same as road racing. The WERA weekend went well. My hand’s a little sore, but it’s getting better all the time,” said Small. “I’m not trying to rush it, just take my time and get myself back up to speed after being off for three months.”

John, fresh off a sixth place finish in Superstock at Mid-Ohio, used the WERA event to try out new fork settings after having them serviced over the weekend. “The forks are way better, it makes the whole bike feel better,” said Haner, who is currently tenth in Superstock points and looking to move up. “There’s only 22 points between 6th and 10th place in points. With a good result this weekend I could move up a few spots in the standings, which would be good for next year.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Faster!, the full-length feature movie about MotoGP racing, could be in American theaters by November, according to the film’s director.

“We don’t have any date definite yet,” Faster! director Mark Neale told Roadracingworld.com in a telephone interview. “We’re still talking to a lot of studios – Sony, Fox, HBO. We have several offers, but we want to make sure the offers are solid and right.”

Even if Hollywood’s major movie studios don’t show the interest in the film that he would like, Neale said he and Executive Producer Ian MacLean and Spark Productions will do a limited release of the film in at least six major U.S. cities in November followed by a DVD and video tape release of the film soon after. “I’m really impatient to get it out there,” said Neale.

Faster! has already met with a warm reception when viewed by MotoGP racers Valentino Rossi, John Hopkins, Garry McCoy, Olivier Jacque, Colin Edwards, Loris Capirossi and officials from MotoGP rights holder Dorna at the Cannes Film Festival in France during May.

“I think the film itself is great, I enjoyed it a lot,” Rossi told reporters at Cannes.

Faster! was shot on location at several Grands Prix from June 2001 to July 2002, and, thanks to the full cooperation of Dorna, Neale and his film crews had unprecedented access to the bikes, teams and riders–as well as to archival film footage.

“It’s an action documentary,” said Neale of his 100-minute product. “It’s a documentary that shouldn’t be any less exciting than an action movie, especially when considering you’re dealing with a sport as exciting as this.”

A motorcycle racing fan before he started Faster!, Neale said he hopes the film appeal to a wide audience and will be different things to different people. “Some people who are less into the sport will get more into the stories and hopefully open their eyes to the sport,” said Neale. “And it will take the enthusiast further into the sport than they’ve ever been.”

Some of the stories followed by Faster! include the heated rivalry between Rossi and Max Biaggi (with footage taken seconds after their famous physical altercation behind the podium at Catalunya). Interviews with former greats Kenny Leroy Roberts, the late Barry Sheene, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz give first-person insight into racing rivalries.

The film also follows the story of young MotoGP star Hopkins and his meteoric rise to the highest level of motorcycle road racing, McCoy’s roller coaster ride from winning more GPs than Rossi or Biaggi in 2000 to spending a large portion of the next two seasons injured and watching from the paddock garage, and the transition of the World Championship from 500cc two-strokes to 990cc four-stroke racebikes. The stories are narrated by actor and motorcycle racing enthusiast Ewan McGregor.

“The director Mark Neale called me up and showed me the movie while I was working in the U.S., and I had never seen such a good motorcycling film,” McGregor told reporters in Cannes, France.

“It’s the definitive action movie about Grand Prix motorcycle racing,” said Neale.

From a press release issued by the Wegman Benefit Fund:

The 17th Annual Wegman Benefit Fund auction was a resounding success this year raising just over $17,000 for seriously injured road racers. This is a new record amount again this year.

The directors and volunteers that worked so hard to make this event happen would like to thank everyone that contributed to the auction and certainly those that spent their hard earned money to make this possible. The list of donors and helpers is long but worthy of noting here so they can be acknowledged for their support of the Wegman Fund and injured road racers across the country.

Alexa & Roger Krueger, Alvarez Restaurant, Ben Bostrom, Bill & Claudia Ritger, Bill & Granny Beyers, Blackhawk Farms Raceway, Bob Delie, Brandon Kupczak, Brian McLaughlin, Championship Cup Series, Chris Onwiler, Clear Channel Motorsports, Corner Ten Store, Corona Suzuki Racing, Dave Bergeron, DDM Motorsports, Ed Kwaterski, Edna Ringenberg, Eric Bostrom, Fox Valley Cycles/Jim Cromwell, Fritz Kling, Gayle Wagner, Hal’s Harley- Davidson, Henry Chin, Hooker’s Resort, Ideal Mfg. Solutions, Illinois Harley-Davidson, Jane Styles, Jason DiSalvo, Jim Schaefer, John Dries, John Wytack, Kegel Motorcycle Co., Kim Berg-Olsen, Kurtis Roberts, Larry Pegram, Layke Tool & Mfg., Learning Curves Racing, Ltd./Rick Breuer, Lucky Devil cycle Sports, Lucky Dog Racing/Roger Hendricks, Marilyn Shock, Matco Tools, Matt Gerard, Matt McNall, Matt Mladin, Matt Schmidt, MCJ Motorsports/Vesrah, MD Racing, Miguel DuHamel, Mike Langenfeld, Mike Schaefer, Neal Manske, NEC Racing, NESBA, Nick Manske,Norris Racing, Patty Prince, Polar-Optics, LLC, Ray Irwin, Rhiannon Lucente, Rick Schertzl, Safety First Racing, Sharkskinz Body Works, Speedgear.com, Spyder Leather Works, Starnet USA/Russ Intravartolo, Steve Faust, Team Motorsports of Green Bay, Team Stumpy Racing, Tim Berry Motorsports Art, Torque Center, Traxxion Dynamics, Valley Racing, Vincent Haskovek, Visionsports, Inc./Dave Rosno, Yoshimura R&D of America, Young America, 4&6 Cycle.

If I missed anyone I’m truly sorry but please know that your support is greatly appreciated.

Gordon Lunde
Wegman Benefit Fund, Inc.
3741 S. 71 St.
Milwaukee, WI 53220-1814
414-321-2338
gplunde@starnetusa,net

From a press release issued by series organizers:

VETERANS LEAD TITLE FIGHT

TORONTO, ON – Fans might feel they are in a time warp at this weekend’s final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park.

The battle for Canada’s national motorcycle road racing title is shaping into a two-horse race between veteran riders Pascal Picotte and Steve Crevier. Picotte, from St-Cecile de Milton, QC comes into the season finale with a 17-point lead over Maple Ridge, BC’s Crevier, 277-260. A rider can score a maximum of 56 points at each Parts Canada Superbike round.

Almost exactly 10 years ago Picotte and Crevier were at the forefront of the Canadian racing scene and their battles became legendary. Crevier was in the midst of a three-year championship run from 1991 to 1993, riding for Kawasaki. In 1992 and ’93 Picotte rode the Italian-built Ducati against the more traditional Japanese manufacturers. He won five races in that time but never captured a Canadian crown.

Now riding for his own Picotte Racing Yamaha team, Picotte is trying to win his first national Superbike title this weekend and give Yamaha its first crown since 1990, when Michel Mercier won his last of three championships and his teammate and protégé was a young Picotte.

Crevier on the other hand is bidding for a record-extending seventh Canadian Superbike crown and the second straight for Suzuki. Crevier is in his first year with the Diablo Performance Suzuki team and trying to become the first racer in Canadian series history to win a title with four different manufacturers. His previous championships came with Yamaha (1989), Kawasaki (1991-93) and Honda (2000-01).

But Picotte and Crevier are not the only riders with a shot at the Parts Canada Superbike title this weekend. Francis Martin of Rock Forest, QC, the 1999 national champion is third in the standings with 245 points for the Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki team.

Also mathematically in the race is Joliette, QC’s Jean-Francois Cyr with 229 points for his CyRacing/Michelin Yamaha squad.

Six riders have scored wins in the seven Parts Canada Superbike rounds held so far and this weekend’s event has plenty of other challengers for victory. Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp won the previous event at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant for Canadian Kawasaki Motors and moved up to fifth in points.

Also among the potential winners is Toronto’s Michael Taylor, who won earlier this year in Calgary aboard his Orion Motorsport Honda.

Action this weekend also features the final rounds of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike and International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike national support classes. Picotte has already clinched the 600 Sport Bike title while another Yamaha rider, Keremeos, BC’s Jeremy Leduc holds a narrow lead in the Amateur 600 Sport Bike standings.

Qualifying for all three national classes will take place Saturday afternoon with feature races set to go on Sunday.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 1:00 p.m. and on the Outdoor Life Network on Sunday, Oct. 26, also at 1:00 p.m. Action from Shannonville will also be shown later this year on Quebec’s RDS.

For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com

All Time Shannonville Motorsport Park Superbike Wins: Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, BC) 9; Michel Mercier (Thetford Mines, QC) 5; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 3; Miguel Duhamel (Repentigny, QC) 2; Jeff Gaynor (Toronto, ON) 2; Pascal Picotte (St-Cecile de Milton, QC) 2; Michael Taylor (Toronto, ON) 2; Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 2; Paul MacMillan (Downsview, ON) 1; Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, BC) 1; Steve Dick (Vancouver, BC) 1; Linnley Clarke (Barrie, ON) 1; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, ON) 1; Francis Martin (Rock Forest, QC) 1; Frank Trombino (Kleinburg, ON) 1; Kevin Lacombe (Granby, QC) 1

Shannonville Motorsport Park Fast Facts

…More national Superbike races have been staged at Shannonville Motorsport Park than any other Canadian venue. The facility near Belleville, ON is hosting its 36th race this weekend. It held its first in 1980, when Rueben McMurter won.

…This is the 13th year Shannonville has played host to more than one Superbike national round, but only twice has there been a ‘Shannonville Sweep’. Michel Mercier won both SMP rounds in 1987 and Steve Crevier duplicated the feat in 1989. In each instance Mercier and Crevier went on to score Canadian titles. In 1992 and ’93 Crevier won two of three Shannonville nationals. The rider who stopped him on each occasion was Pascal Picotte.

…In the 17 years Shannonville has hosted at least one national Superbike round, an SMP race winner has gone on to take the Canadian crown eight times. The last time it happened was 2001, when Crevier claimed the season opener. Before that it happened in 1997, when Don Munroe triumphed in the finale.

2003 Point Standings
Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 277; 2. Steve Crevier (Suzuki) 260; 3. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 245; 4. Jean-Francois Cyr (Yamaha) 229; 5. Tom Kipp (Kawasaki) 191 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 296; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 192; 3. Frank Trombino (Yamaha) 172 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Jeremy Leduc (Yamaha) 218; 2. Derek Bowker (Yamaha) 190; 3. Dan Henri (Yamaha) 169

Provisional Weekend Schedule

Saturday Aug. 30

1:00 p.m.-1:25 p.m. – Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying

2:15 p.m.-3:05 p.m. – International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying

3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m. – Parts Canada Superbike

Qualifying
Sunday Aug. 31

12:30 p.m. – Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race – 12 laps

2:15 p.m. – International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race – 12 laps

3:00 p.m. – Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race – 14 laps

From a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki:

Hi from Yuki in hospital

IT has been a while since my last diary entry, but I have just finished my new column for Motorcycle Racer Magazine and thought I would let all the Rizla Suzuki fans know how I am getting on in Lincoln hospital.

The first thing I must say is thank you all for your kind thoughts and messages. I had no idea that I had so many fans either here in the UK or from across the world. Thank you so much for your support and the strength you give me to get better.

My pelvis is broken in two places and I have a fixator fitted to keep it in place and help it heal quickly. That is my main injury, although there is another that I have that is strange – I have world champion bollocks. They are huge and very swollen and I am glad the doctor says they will heal naturally.

I don’t remember a great deal about the crash. I collided with Chris Heath, a slower rider, on the circuit at the same time as me. Blue flags were being waved, but we still came together. I am glad he is not seriously injured.

I do think that Cadwell Park needs more run-off area. If I had more run-off then maybe my injuries wouldn’t be so bad. I had no time to think before I was lying on the ground in agony wondering what had happened. Cadwell Park is a dangerous place to race motorcycles and I hope something is done to make it safer.

I am still sore but the doctors and nurses here at Lincoln hospital are very good to me. They are nice people and are positive that I will recover, although it will take some time. They think maybe it will be three months before I will walk again. I hope I can beat that and walk earlier, that is a main target for me. I want to heal as fast as possible.

It means that I won’t be racing again this year, which is disappointing and difficult for me. I want to race for my fans and to win races, but now I must put all my energy into healing for next season.

I have made no decision on where I will be racing in 2004 but would like to win the BSB title if possible. The decision will be made after I talk with Suzuki Company and recover completely from my injuries.

Rizla Suzuki will have a stand-in rider for the final two rounds of British Superbikes. I will support whoever that will be and hope that along with John-san, my team can win the last four races. This is a great team and I am happy to be part of it.

Some friends who have visited me say that I am lucky to have the attention of so many pretty nurses in hospital. I agree, but I am married…

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Preview
2003 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship, Round 5
By Trevor Hedge
(www.mcnews.com.au)

A rejuvenated Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship has provided racing fans with thrills and spills this year, but the best is yet to come… The scene is set for the biggest domestic road racing event of the year this weekend when Australia’s best descend on Eastern Creek to battle for championship honors.

Curtain, Coxhell, Giles, Stauffer, Brookes and McCarthy will all battle for line honors at Eastern Creek on their 1000cc production-based Superbikes but the outright Championship win looks set to be a close dice between Craig Coxhell, Shawn Giles and Kevin Curtain.

The 20-year-old Coxhell hails from the country Victorian town of Shepparton and joined Team Suzuki this year after spending his teenage years riding for Yamaha. Consistency has been the key to Coxhell’s success this year and that fact combined with his obvious speed is what has him holding a commanding position heading into the weekend’s final shootout. “I think I’m more excited about this round than I have ever been before in the lead up to a race meeting. I’m going to aim for consistency, but I also have to try and take a win early on to cement my lead, it is all about ensuring that I come away with the most points so I can win the Championship,” said Coxhell.

“But we will have to take a step-by-step approach to the weekend. My first aim will be to ensure I get on the front row, then I have to get a good start and then I have to score some good results. If that all comes together then I will win the Championship, but you can’t take anything for granted in racing so it will be a nail-biter for sure.”

Both Coxhell and his Suzuki teammate, reigning three-time Australian Superbike Champion Shawn Giles, have failed to finish on two occasions this year out of the 12 bouts thus far. Coxhell has taken more points than Giles on seven of those 12 occasions but holds only a slender 15-point lead over his more experienced teammate. But Giles did have an edge over Coxhell at the previous Queensland round and is eager to overhaul Coxhell at Eastern Creek.

Newcastle’s Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) has only finished seven races this year, but remarkably every time he has finished he has been victorious. It is this incredible run of wins which sees Curtain only four points shy of Giles, and also goes to show that the fastest man in Australian racing this year has been Kevin Curtain. “If not for those few setbacks this year things at the top of the points table might be looking a little bit different,” said Curtain. “But all the pressure will be on Craig, while there is little pressure on myself and the Nikon Yamaha Team, so I am just going in to it the same as any other race, in a fairly relaxed mood. But there are only 19 points in it, and you never know what may happen, so it is far from over and if things go my way, we could come out on top.”

Another rider who has been the fastest man on the track at times this year is Curtain’s teammate Daniel Stauffer. Like Curtain, Stauffer also hails from Newcastle, so Eastern Creek is as close as it gets to being a home round for the 26-year-old, and he has always been very fast at the 3.43km Sydney circuit. “I’m looking forward to the weekend to try and end the season on a positive level. Of course I am a little disappointed that the Championship is out of my reach but I will just go out there and aim for the best result I can and hopefully taking away some good results which will enable me to look to next year with plenty of confidence.”

The next battle in the ranks is for fifth place and it is likely to be battled over by a quartet of Honda riders. Sydney’s 20-year-old Joshua Brookes has recorded some incredible performances at Eastern Creek in previous years and will be eager to ensure that he finishes the year as the top Honda man. “I have been on an upward progression in recent rounds and getting a little closer to the front bit by bit, and Eastern Creek has always been a happy hunting ground for me. So I hope for big things there for sure to ensure I can end the season on a high note. I am obviously a bit disappointed with the position we find ourselves in as to the points table, but I think it is important that we finish on a positive note so hopefully we can take good things from that to boost the team towards a good performance at the GP support events in October.”

While Honda currently holds the #1 plate in Supersport it has been seven years since the brand won the premier Superbike category. And that #1 plate holder was in fact current Honda rider Kirk McCarthy who with Josh Brookes forms the factory Honda squad. McCarthy is always a threat and is more than capable of pulling out an upset at Eastern Creek.

Due to injuries and other dramas this year both Brookes and McCarthy have missed a round each which means that in fact the top-scoring Honda effort thus far this year is taken out by Australia’s leading privateer team, Brown Gouge Nova Honda. The young Victorian duo of Scott Charlton and Brent George currently hold down fifth and sixth places on the points table and have a reasonable gap over the factory Honda riders thanks to a great run of consistency. The Shell-backed duo will fight it out between themselves for top privateer honors.

It seems almost certain that Honda will relinquish the #1 plate in Australian Supersport to the Nikon Yamaha camp with either Kevin Curtain or Brendan Clarke fighting it out for the individual honor of being named Australian Supersport Champion. Young Clarke has yet to win his first Australian Championship but his 36-year-old team-mate has twice won the Australian Supersport Championship, once with Kawasaki (1996) and once with Yamaha (2000).

But 19-year-old Clarke is on a roll after taking three victories over Curtain at the recent Queensland round to put him on a high heading to the Championship decider next weekend, “I’m looking forward to the weekend for sure, we have a good set-up for Eastern Creek so it will just be a matter of fine tuning during the practice sessions. If it is dry it will be close racing for sure, and with a bit of luck I will finish in front of Kevin, but what I really need is to win and for another bike to get in between us so I can make up the ground on the points table to challenge Kevin for the Championship win. But that won’t be easy and the pace will be hot, if the track conditions are ideal it is possible that we might even dip in to the 1-minute-34-second bracket, as both Kevin and myself have recorded times as low as 1-minute-35.2 there earlier this year, and that was on well used tyres.”

While the Yamaha men are likely to be the ones battling for the major prize Honda’s Shannon Johnson will be trying to hold on to third position, a spot that was looking completely safe until the previous round where his teammate Josh Brookes closed to within striking distance after recording two fourth places and a second place at the flat 3km Queensland layout. Both riders are formidable pilots with Johnson the current Australian Supersport Champion, and Josh Brookes the 2001 series winner.

The two Grand Prix classes that race with the Shell Series have already had their Championship winners decided. Western Australia’s Peter Taplin has an unassailable lead in the 250cc GP Championship, while 16-year-old Mildura rider Joshua Waters has already taken out the 125cc GP crown. The race for second place in 250cc Grand Prix will be a frenetic four-way battle between Brett Underwood, Geoff Hardcastle, Scott Crombie and Mark Rowling.

Second place is also still up for grabs in 125cc Grand Prix, however more than a little controversy surrounds current second place holder Jason O’Halloran. New South Wales law prevents O’Halloran from riding due to the fact he is 15 years old, even though in every other state of Australia this is permitted and O’Halloran has ridden in all the previous round of the Championship and has also been offered a wildcard ride at SKYY Vodka Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island in October. O’Halloran’s team members have been lobbying the New South Wales Minister for Sport & Recreation for an exemption for nearly 18 months but it took until last week for them to get a decision that will allow O’Halloran to race. He will defend his second place in the 125cc Championship against 2001 Australian 250cc Production Champion Mick Kelly. Another good up-and-coming rider to miss out at Eastern Creek through this ridiculous ruling is young Queenslander Matt Kuhne.

The Lazer Helmets-sponsored 250cc Production Championship is currently led by Caleb Stalder who has been victorious on seven out of the 11 races held this year. The 21-year-old has a clear 39-point lead over 16-year-old Gareth Jones. Victorian competitors Troy Elliott and Brent Sidwell could challenge Jones for second position if things go their way at Eastern Creek.

But Stalder is not the only young star emerging from Taree this year. Alex Cudlin turned 17 earlier this month and is currently challenging Ballarat’s Leigh McKenzie for outright honours in the Superstock category. This exciting new class pits new ‘C’ and ‘D’ grade riders against each other on standard 600cc machines. Both Cudlin and McKenzie have taken five wins each from the 11 races thus far this season however McKenzie has never failed to score points in any race this year while Cudlin has failed to finish on two occasions. This gives McKenzie a clear 30-point advantage heading in to this final round but Eastern Creek is as close as it gets to home territory for Cudlin and he will be eager to do everything he can to try and overhaul that gap, but he has his work cut out for him given McKenzie’s glowing record of consistency. Cudlin did win the previous Queensland round but even if Cudlin wins all three races at Eastern Creek, McKenzie only needs to finish third in each race to make the title his.

Sidecars have been a big part of the Shell Advance Series this year and fans of the three-wheeled wonders are in for a thrill next weekend. Shane Soutar has obtained special dispensation from Motorcycling Australia allowing him to bring his fire-breathing two-stroke 500cc World Sidecar specification machine out of retirement to shred some rubber around Eastern Creek Raceway. Many of the older spectators will remember Soutar’s famous speedway days where he won four Australian and 10 State Championships on the dirt before turning his hand to tarmac racing. He added another two Australian Championships to his resume in that discipline before taking on the best the world had to offer in the World Sidecar Championship. He survived a horrific accident in his first year of international competition which put him out of action for months but he came back strong over the next two years and earned fifth overall in the 1999 World Sidecar Championship. A lack of sponsorship forced him to pull out of the world circuit early in 2000. Swinging for Soutar will be Sydney’s Jeff Rowe.

Soutar will not be eligible for points at the final round as his machine no longer complies with regulations for sidecar competition. But he will definitely give the Australian F1 Sidecar Championship leaders Neville Lush and Martin Scott something to think about. The South Australian pairing have a healthy lead in the race for the Championship but the battle for second place will be a battle. Western Australia’s Lindsay Fagan pairs with South Australian swinger Ash Voice to try and secure second position from the John Francis / Rowan Biram outfit, while the Victorian pairing of Steven Hutchinson and Darren Dewhurst will also threaten. The smaller F2 class is led by South Australia’s David Jones and John Cutting who will try and fend off the Jason and Brett James outfit to clinch the F2 Title. But they may have their work cut out for them; the James brothers were on fire at the previous Queensland round and took three wins from as many starts.

Apart from the national Championship titles up for grabs this weekend Suzuki riders are in with a chance of a very special prize. The Suzuki mounted privateer with the highest number of points in either the Shell Advance Australian Superbike or Supersport Championships will be selected to compete in France in the Worldwide GSX-R Cup for a share in a $10,000 U.S. prize pool. The 2003 Suzuki Worldwide GSX-R Cup will be held in conjunction with the World Superbike Round at France’s famous Magny-Cours circuit on October 17-19 and all competitors will race identical Suzuki-provided GSX-R750s fitted with control tyres. Only three points separate the current top four Suzuki privateers in the running for the prize. Sydney’s David Butler leads the way with 46 points from his Superbike efforts while Robert Bugden is on 45 points which puts him equal second place with Mark Aitchison who has earned his points in Supersport competition while a close fourth is Sydney’s Reece Bancell.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

SPIES FIGHTING OVERCONFIDENCE AT VIR

Young Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series leader learning to be a champion

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Aug. 27, 2003) –The only problem young Suzuki ace Ben Spies sees in his path to the 2003 AMA Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme Series title is overconfidence. The 19-year-old Texan blames overconfidence for a mid-season hiccup that saw him go four races without a victory after winning the opening two rounds of the series.

Spies feels he learned from being a bit too smug after dominating early on and now thinks he is ready to put his head down and focus on keeping his current winning streak intact as the series moves to round 10 of 11 at Virginia International Raceway, part of the Aug. 29-31 Suzuki Lightning Nationals in Alton, Va.

Spies started the season spectacularly by dominating rounds one and two of the Formula Xtreme Series on his Yoshimura Suzuki. He believes after those surprisingly easy wins he became a bit complacent.

“I got a little too confident and sort of rested on my laurels while the rest of the riders dug in and found some extra speed,” Spies explains. “All of a sudden the other riders and teams improved while I stood still and lost my early momentum. At Laguna Seca I got back to trying to improve my riding and it paid off. I won there and at Mid-Ohio and took back the series lead. Now my goal is to keep trying to improve and stay ahead of the rest of the guys going into the final two rounds.”

Spies holds a 21-point lead over Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster, a perennial contender for the Formula Xtreme title.

Despite his fairly strong lead in the series Spies has a long way to go to secure his first AMA Championship. The top six riders in the series all have at least a mathematical shot at winning the Formula Xtreme No. 1 plate.

Buckmaster is especially hungry after having the Formula Xtreme Championship slip from his grasp each of the last two years. Look for the 30-year-old Australian racing veteran to come out firing on all cylinders at VIR in a last-ditch effort to finally secure the title he feels should have been his by now.

Corona Extra Suzuki’s Adam Fergusson is the defending Formula Xtreme winner at VIR. Fergusson, who is ranked fifth in the standings, is anxious to get a victory this season. He’s twice finished runner-up so far and favors VIR’s challenging layout.

Other riders still in the title chase include Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke, Attack Suzuki’s Josh Hayes and Steve Rapp of the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki squad. Zemke lost last year’s Formula Xtreme title on a tiebreaker to Jason Pridmore. He’s hoping his trademark consistency will put him into a position to have another shot this year. Hayes is experiencing a solid comeback season after suffering an injury-plagued 2002. He may be more focused on winning the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock title, a series he leads coming into this weekend’s event, rather than risking too much in Formula Xtreme. Rapp has nothing to lose by going for the win at VIR. Ranked sixth and recently re-signed by Valvoline Suzuki, Rapp has an outside shot at best of winning the title, so he can afford to let it all hang out in the closing rounds.


Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock

Josh Hayes just might be the comeback story of the year in AMA Pro Racing. The rider from Gulfport, Miss., was perpetually riding with injury during much of his pro racing career. He lost his ride with Valvoline Suzuki at the end of 2002 and looked to be on the verge of dropping out of the sport. Attack Suzuki signed him on the chance that he would recover from his numerous injuries and finally fulfill the promise he showed early in his career. The move turned out to be a brilliant one. Hayes started the Superstock season slowly but began gaining momentum mid-season and now appears to be a freight train that’s going to be tough to stop. Hayes has finished on the podium in five of the last six rounds and is riding a two-race winning streak coming into VIR.

Five riders are prospective champs in Superstock. Hayes leads a hot series battle that features Czech immigrant Vincent Haskovec only 10 points down in the standings on his Hooters Suzuki. Tommy Hayden is still very much in the hunt and is trying to make Kawasaki the first bike smaller than a 750 to win the Superstock title. Hayden is the defending VIR Superstock winner. Corona Extra Suzuki’s Adam Fergusson is ranked fourth in the series and is a former Formula Xtreme winner at VIR. And finally there’s young Tony Meiring, teammate to Tommy Hayden on the factory Kawasaki. Meiring won a Superstock race this year on the ultra twisty Pikes Peak circuit. He’s hoping to bag another win in Virginia.

One other rider to watch for in the Superstock race is VIR ace Lee Acree. The North Carolinian started the season with a podium finish in the Daytona Superstock race, but split with the Arclight Suzuki team. Acree formed his own team and if he enters at VIR will be among the favorites to win.


MBNA 250 Grand Prix

Rich Oliver wrapped up the MBNA 250 Grand Prix Series at Mid-Ohio to earn his fifth title. Oliver is undefeated in nine rounds this season and now turns his attention to completing a perfect season. The all-time wins leader in the history of the AMA 250 GP is looking to win his second VIR 250 race on his Team Oliver/Yamaha Mystery Schools-backed Yamaha. Last year’s VIR winner and 2002 champ Chuck Sorensen will challenge Oliver on a Stargel Aprilia as will Irishman Simon Turner on a Priority Racing Honda.

The VIR Formula Xtreme race, along with highlights from the Superstock and 250GP races, will be taped and shown on Speed Channel on Sept. 9, in primetime at 10 p.m. Eastern. For additional information on the Suzuki Lightning Nationals contact VIR at (434) 822-7700 or visit www.virclub.com.

From a press release issued by Rice Honda:

Rice Honda Sea Doo in West Covina, California would like to announce its next bike night, scheduled for Thursday August 28, 2003.

Bike night starts at 7:00 p.m. at our location at 1705 N. Garvey Avenue in West Covina. Door prizes, music, entertainment and food will be provided.

All brands and types of bikes are welcome, so come on out and celebrate our sport. Additional questions can be directed to any of our professional courteous staff at (626) 917-7423.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R is 998cc with a bore and stroke of 76 x 55mm and a wheelbase of 55-1/8 inches. Kawasaki spokesmen are claiming the new bike is about 16 pounds lighter than a GSX-R1000. It will be available in green, blue, black and orange.