Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Multi-Tech Racing was destroyed in a fire yesterday. The Austin, Texas-based company manufactured bodywork and various other race parts.

Contacted by Roadracingworld.com, Multi-Tech owner Neill Leal confirmed that the fire happened, but declined to comment when asked for the details.

More information will follow as it becomes available.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Just wanted to let you guys know that the Motorcycle Roadracing Association and the Denver based Donor Alliance (www.donoralliance.org) will be giving away a 2003 Honda Metro scooter as well as many, many other prizes this Sunday at Denver’s Second Creek raceway.

This, the final event of the MRA’s 10-race season, will be the final chance for racers, fans and others to get signed up and show their support for the organ donation program available in most states. The fundraiser and education program with the MRA started in May of this year to honor Dan Morgan, a former racer and my mechanic.

The program has signed up many folks who weren’t already donors while educating many others of the importance of becoming one. Dan, who lost his life in a skiing accident in March, was a donor and helped improve the life of four people here in Colorado through his unselfish gift.

I hope to expand the program throughout the regions and series I compete in–MRA, CRA, AHRMA and AMA–and hope to educate the public about the importance of such decisions.

I’ve known people who have received donated organs and when I learned of Dan’s passing, I was pleased to know that he had made the choice he did. Though he was only 30 he showed maturity beyond his age with his gift. I miss him and just wanted to honor him with the program.

For those seeking more information or those who wish to donate to the program you may contact Jon Glaefke at 303-440-0182 or Jon @Glaefke-racing.com

Jon Glaefke
Boulder, Colorado

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA RED BULL SUPERMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND FIVE TO BE HELD AT IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 30, 2003) — Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, Calif. will host Round five of the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2003. Irwindale is a suburb of Los Angeles approximately 15 miles east of the city.

AMA Pro Racing Vice President, Director of Communications, Kerry Graeber stated this will be an important event due to its location in the “heart of the motorcycle industry.” Five major motorcycle brands as well as a significant number of aftermarket companies are based in Southern California. “Motorcycle enthusiasm runs high in Southern California and AMA Pro Racing is extremely popular here,” said Graeber. “We hold three AMA Supercross events, an AMA Motocross event and a round of the AMA Superbike Championship all in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. To bring a round of the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship here is a natural extension of our business development. We have high expectations for this event.” Underscoring the importance of Southern California to the motorcycle industry, AMA Pro Racing established an office in the Los Angeles area in 2001 to better serve the needs of the motorcycle community.

Irwindale Speedway is a paved oval track used primarily for auto racing. Sections of the oval as well as the infield will be utilized in creating the supermoto track. The facility has been utilized before for local and regional supermoto events and Chris Bradley, AMA Pro Racing Associate Director of Commercial Development, thinks the facility lends itself well to supermoto racing. “This will be the second race of our inaugural championship season held on a paved oval,” said Bradley. “The unique configuration found in this type of facility allows us to be creative in our track design. We’re looking to construct a course that will yield plenty of tight racing with high speeds and lots of passing.”

Bradley added that the event will be festival-like in its presentation. In addition to all of the racing activities, look for riding exhibitions, live music and vendor displays.

“Supermoto is hot and we’re planning on making this a standout event,” said Bradley. “There’s a groundswell of supermoto interest in the Los Angeles area and anyone who is a fan of motorcycle racing will not want to miss this race. We’ll have plenty to see and do and there will a ton of big-name riders in attendance.”

Tickets go on sale Thursday, Oct. 2. For ticket information call (626) 358-1100 or visit www.IrwindaleSpeedway.com.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA PRO RACING TO CONDUCT TEST AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 30, 2003) — AMA Pro Racing and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) have scheduled a one-day test to determine the viability of racing motorcycles at the facility. The test is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 1. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500-mile race, was built in 1909 as an oval track. In order to host Formula One racing, a road course was constructed for the 2000 United States Grand Prix. IMS has now hosted four Formula One events. AMA Pro Racing officials are taking advantage of the fact the Speedway is still in its road course configuration after this past Sunday’s USGP to conduct this compatibility test.

“Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the most historic motorsports facility in the United States,” said Scott Hollingsworth CEO of AMA Pro Racing. “This test will help determine if racing motorcycles there is even feasible on its road course.”

Hollingsworth feels it’s possible that some modifications will have to be made to the current road course to accommodate motorcycle racing. “In our inspection and conversations with the track, we’ve identified a couple of areas that we’ll need to look at closely,” said Hollingsworth. “During the test we’ll instruct our riders to exercise caution through these sections. Rider input will be invaluable in determining the viability of racing motorcycles at Indy.”

The test calls for extensive rider briefing before, during and after the on-track sessions.

From a press release issued by WMRRA:

Marty Capadona, WMRRA racer #48 and co-founder of Rocket Science Racing and Team Wetleather, was killed in a street riding accident on September 25th. He was also the 1995 WMRRA #3 plate holder, as well as a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor. He leaves behind his wife Maura and their two children Griffin, 5, and Alexa, 8, and many friends and fellow racers who will miss him very much. A memorial service will be held on October 1st at Gene Coulon Park in Renton, Washington at 2:00 p.m., in the Gazebo.

In lieu of flowers, a PayPal account is being established at the following website, to accept contributions for Marty’s children:
http://www.wetleather.com/memorial/martycapadona.html.


More, from a reader:

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

I was deeply saddened to learn of Marty’s untimely passing. I have known Marty for several years from racing in the Pacific Northwest with OMRRA and WMRRA.

Marty’s zest for life was infectious, as was his track presence whether in the pits after a day’s racing or on the track. He was always smiling, full of interesting comments and analysis, and very self-effacing.

He was one of those people you looked forward to seeing at every event. I know he will be very sorely missed by all who knew him.

My sincere condolences to his wife and children. Godspeed, Marty.

Dave Moss
OMRRA & WMRRA #123
Redwood City, California

From a press release:

In cooperation with Ron Ketchum of Escondido Cycle Center (ECC), the Emde family is setting up a fund for David’s son Brian. A fundraiser event is planned by ECC and donations are also encouraged.

Send to: Brian Floyd Emde Scholarship Fund c/o Escondido Cycle Center, 1415 Montiel Rd., Escondido CA 92026.

For information on the fund, contact either Don Emde (949-215-4780) or Ron Ketchum (760-745-1615).

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

CARR BECOMES ONLY THE SECOND FIVE-TIME AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 30, 2003) — Chris Carr wrapped up his fifth AMA Grand National Championship Saturday in the final weekend of the 2003 AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship. Carr, 36, of Fleetwood, Pa., clinched the championship with a fifth-place finish in Saturday night’s Springfield (Ill.) Short Track race. The only rider who had a chance at catching Carr, series rival Johnny Murphree, finished eighth and that effectively put Carr out of reach with just the Springfield Mile the next day. Carr led major portions of the season-ending Springfield Mile, but lost out in the draft and finished fourth.

Only one other rider in the history of the AMA Grand National Championship, Carr’s old rival Scott Parker, has more championships than Carr. Parker won nine titles during his 21-year racing career. Carr just completed his 17th season in the Grand National Series. He missed two years in the mid-1990s while he road raced for Harley-Davidson in AMA Superbike.

On the season Carr won a series-leading five races pushing his career wins record to 62, second all-time in AMA Grand National Championship racing. Carr also moved to the head of pack in the all-time career AMA Short Track National wins list. With three of his wins coming on short tracks Carr, with a total now of six-career wins, moved ahead of legends Kenny Roberts and Steve Eklund in career short track victories. “It’s a pretty cool feeling to be able to say in the history of the sport I’ve accomplished something that only one other guy has done,” said Carr, whose other championships came in 1992, 1999, 2001 and 2002.

“I’m proud of our team from our sponsors, to my wife and kids, to my crew chief Kenny Tolbert and Rich Bates who put in a lot of time to allow me to win another championship. They worked hard and this championship is more than a victory for just myself, it’s a victory for a lot of people and I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I have without them.”

Carr rode three brands of Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford-sponsored motorcycles during the 2003 season – VOR, Rotax and Harley-Davidson. Carr started the season with a victory in the Daytona Beach Short Track series opener. He never relinquished the championship lead throughout the entire season. In all Carr scored nine podium finishes with victories in Daytona Beach, Fla., Chillicothe, Ohio, Haubstadt, Ind., Hagerstown, Md., and Columbus, Ohio.

Carr plans on returning to defend his championship in 2004. Johnny Murphree finished runner-up to in the series for the second straight year. Former champ Joe Kopp was third. A total of 10 riders won races this year showing continued parity in the championship. 108,900 fans attended the 17 races in the series. Five rounds were nationally televised on Speed Channel. The AMA Grand National Championship will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

From a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati:

PACIFIC GRAND PRIX – PREVIEW
Twin Ring Motegi
October 3/4/5 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM BACK IN JAPAN WITH HIGH HOPES

The MotoGP circus continues its globetrotting tour this weekend at Twin Ring Motegi, the 2003 championship’s second visit to the Land of the Rising Sun. Last time The Ducati Marlboro Team visited Japan was for its debut MotoGP event – April’s season-opening Japanese GP at Suzuka – when Loris and Troy made history by scoring a podium finish and a fifth place first time out on the team’s brand-new Desmosedici.

Six months later the Ducati Marlboro Team is a fully established MotoGP force, with Ducati riding high in the constructors’ World Championship, holding second place in its rookie season, ahead of all but one of the Japanese factories that have dominated the premier Grand Prix class for so long. Which means that much is expected of Capirossi and team-mate Troy Bayliss when the pair once again confront Japan’s motorcycle industry in its own backyard on Sunday.

After Sunday’s racing the paddock heads to Malaysia for next weekend’s Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix, the middle event of three back-to-back ‘flyaway’ GPs. The following weekend the action moves to Phillip Island in Australia, before the circus returns to its European heartland for the season-ending Marlboro Valencia GP at Valencia on November 2.


MOTEGI IS LAST NEW TRACK FOR THE DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM

The 2003 MotoGP World Championship was always going to be a learning year for the Ducati Marlboro Team, but it’s turned out to be some apprenticeship. Although the Bologna factory had been out of GP racing for more than three decades before returning last spring, it has already won its first GP, taken three pole positions and scored seven podium finishes. And all this despite the team having to compete at many racetracks of which it has no previous knowledge. Happily, this weekend’s Pacific GP is the last event that the team goes into ‘blind’. Loris Capirossi may have raced at Motegi since it joined the series calendar in 1999, but most of his team colleagues, including Troy Bayliss, have never seen the track before.

“We are quite happy that this is the last track of the season that we don’t know,” says Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli, who has already tested with his crew at the three season-ending GP venues – Sepang, Phillip Island and Valencia. “We have already achieved some good results at circuits that are new to us, but the less you know about a track, the harder it is for the riders and everyone else in the team, and however well you work during the weekend, you still lack something. But we always knew it would be like this in our first MotoGP season, and we are enjoying discovering new circuits so that we can gather data and information for next season. In theory Motegi should be good for us”.

Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo is also confident that his riders can once again go well in Japan. “Last year Loris rode an unbelievable race at Motegi, making the podium even though he was on a two-stroke, so he obviously goes well there,” says Suppo. “And he really enjoyed getting third in our first race at Suzuka, so we go to Motegi with the added motivation of repeating or improving upon that result. It’s always a special emotion for us at Ducati if we can achieve good results in Japan. The weekend will be another challenge for Troy because this is another racetrack that he’s never seen, but then again he’s proved on many occasions that new tracks aren’t a problem for him. On the positive side, Motegi will complete his knowledge of current MotoGP tracks because he already knows the tracks which host the final three GPs of the season.”


MOTEGI FAN CAPIROSSI AIMS FOR SUZUKA REPEAT
Loris Capirossi comes to Motegi this weekend determined to repeat his stunning ride to the podium at Suzuka in April. Winner of the Ducati Marlboro Team’s first GP at Catalunya, Spain, in June, the hard-riding Italian is confident he can once again use his Desmosedici’s speed to devastating effect at Motegi, a circuit he really likes.

“Last year I rode a 500 at Motegi, but I had some good fights with the faster four-strokes, so I think I can go very well this weekend,” he says. “I was just a tenth off pole position last time, which made me very angry, so I’d like to make amends for that this weekend. I really like the track, it’s not very technical, but you have to put a lot of effort into your braking and corner-exit speed. Our bike has fantastic acceleration and its braking stability is also good since we made some chassis improvements a few races ago. Every race the bike is coming better. We had some minor problems at Rio, but our speed in qualifying once again proved that we can be fast at circuits which are new to us. Motegi is particularly important because it’s in Japan, which gives us another chance to show off our speed to the Japanese!”

Capirossi has scored three third-place finishes at Motegi – in the 1999 Japanese 250 GP, and in the past two 500 Pacific GPs.


PAPA BAYLISS RELISHES BACK-TO-BACK RACES
Former World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss went to Rio three weeks ago as a father of two children, this week he comes to Motegi as a father of three! Wife Kim gave birth to the couple’s third child – a baby boy named Oliver – in Monaco during the Rio GP weekend. The current series of races is thus turning out to be a rollercoaster ride for the tough Aussie who is currently the highest-placed MotoGP rookie, holding fifth place in the points chase.

“It was great to get home from Rio and see Ollie for the first time!” beams proud father Bayliss, who shed a tear or two in the Rio pits when he heard about the birth from Kim immediately after the race. “It was a shame I couldn’t be there, but I don’t think they would’ve rescheduled the race to make things easier for us! This is a busy time for everyone in MotoGP, but I’m looking forward to the three races in a row – you can get your head down and keep going, plus you get a lot of races done in a short time. Motegi is another new track for me, but that shouldn’t be a problem, I’ve got used to learning new places this year. To me, all tracks are pretty much the same, you’ve just got to get round them as quick as you can. Most places are easy to learn, but it’s squeezing the last little bit out of them that really counts.”


THE TRACK
Twin Ring Motegi is stop-and-go in character with few high-speed corners, unlike fast and flowing Suzuka, venue for April’s Japanese GP. Motegi features plenty of slow turns linked by medium-length straights which put the emphasis on braking and acceleration performance. Unlike Suzuka, most riders don’t feel the track tests their riding skills to the limit. Motegi’s location and this event’s autumn date make for unpredictable weather conditions. The venue’s inaugural World Championship round, the 1999 Japanese GP, was run in pouring rain. Since then Motegi has hosted the Pacific round of the series.

The circuit, christened Twin Ring Motegi because it features both a Grand Prix track and an Indy oval, is one of the newer circuits on the GP calendar. Constructed by Honda to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary in 1998, at a cost of US$350 million, the venue is located in the hills to the north west of Tokyo, between the cities of Mito and Utsonomiya. Motegi’s construction entailed a massive civil engineering project that included the razing of seven hills and the filling of two valleys.

Twin Ring Motegi: 4.801km/2.983 miles

Lap record: Alex Barros (Honda), 1:49.947, 157.199kmh/97.679mph (2002)

Pole position 2002: Daijiro Kato (Honda), 1:49.052