Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Miguel Duhamel, the winningest AMA Superbike rider of all time, says he will ride for Honda again in 2004.

“Honda’s been having a lot of meetings,” Duhamel told Roadracingworld.com Friday in a telephone interview. “And all the time, they told me not to worry. I will be with Honda next year. I don’t like to talk too positive, because you don’t know what happens in this beautiful world until something is signed, but I’ve come to know the people at Honda really well and they know me, too. I take them at their word that we will have a deal for next year. So I’m looking forward for that.”

Duhamel said he underwent surgery by Dr. Arthur Ting Thursday in Fremont, California to remove a metal rod from his collarbone, broken in a crash at Infineon Raceway in early May

“Yeah, I’m totally metal-free,” said Duhamel. “It went really, really well. It took about an hour. I was out of there before you could imagine it. I was in there making jokes with them about whether they had cable or direct TV, and the next thing you know, I woke up and I was done.

“Ben [Bostrom] was there, too, so it was like a team meeting. I kept telling the nurse they should shave his eyebrows and sideburns, give him a new look.”

Duhamel said he is keeping the rod as a souvenir and that he should be able to ride and train again in about six weeks.

From a press release issued by Pirelli:

Pirelli appointed exclusive tyre supplier for the 2004 World Superbike and Supersport and European Superstock Championships

 “We sell the tyres we race, we race the tyres we sell”: production standards guarantee quality, reliability and performance continuity.

 Partnership with the development team to fine-tune avant-garde technology available to everyone

 A prize fund of 300,000 euros and equal opportunities for young up-and-coming riders

Imola, 26th September 2003 – From the 2004 season Pirelli will be the exclusive tyre supplier for the World Superbike and Supersport and European Superstock Championships. The agreement reached with the FGSport Group on the 31st of July will continue through to 2005 and commits Pirelli to supplying tyres for all the teams competing in the 45 races in 10 different countries for the World and European Championship titles.

This programme will allow all participants to compete on equal terms with regards to tyres, making the efforts of the bike constructors, the teams and the riders all-important. In accordance with the wishes of the FIM (International Motorcycling Federation), the World Superbike Championship thus returns to its origins as a category for bikes with features and characteristics as close as possible to those of production machines.

For Pirelli, the agreement with FGSport has the immediate significance of valorising the investment programme initiated in 2000 with the company’s participation in the Supersport Championship and continued the following year with the debut of a development team in the World Superbike Championship.

With its long-term commitment to production motorcycle racing throughout the world, Pirelli is now in a position to confirm the continuity of its know-how in the technological development of racing tyres, offering a product with uniform high performance characteristics. The agreement for the exclusive supply of tyres for the Superbike, Supersport and Superstock championships represents the logical development of Pirelli Moto’s competition strategy.

The standardisation of the industrial process will allow Pirelli to make highly specialised and reliable tyres with absolutely consistent performance available to every team and manufacturer. In this sense, the application of Pirelli’s “Zero Degree” metal belt production technology to all the covers is a guarantee of quality and neutral performance with respects to the diverse characteristics of the racing machinery.

However, standardization does not mean “a single tyre for all”. The development of the Pirelli range for the 2004 World and European championships will, as ever, be guided by the adaptation of the product to the meteorological conditions and the varying track characteristics: this fine-tuning will be conducted in partnership with the development teams to be defined by FGSport together with bike manufacturers.

Pirelli will provide the teams with a range of tyres with different specifications, designed and tested to be capable of tackling the various World Championship circuits and the foreseeable temperature, wear and stress conditions, while maintaining the highest levels of safety. In particular, three dry covers will be developed for each circuit. This programme will fully respect the “fair conditions” guideline guaranteed by FIM supervision of the use of the tyres assigned to the teams at every race.

Pirelli’s participation as exclusive supplier of tyres for the Superbike, Supersport and Superstock Championships also involves a significant commitment in industrial, logistical and organizational terms: over 50,000 tyres will be manufactured and distributed during the course of the season, requiring considerable physical and human resources.

With the objective of guaranteeing optimum service from the points of view of quality and rapidity, Pirelli plans to create two specialist working areas for each race: one exclusively for the Superbike Championship with slick tyres and 16.5″ rims, the other dedicated to the Supersport and Superstock categories for the fitting of DOT tread tyres on 17″ rims.

“We race the tyres we sell, we sell the tyres we race”; for Pirelli there is more than technology to the agreement with FGSport; the exclusive tyre supplier is, in fact, committed to promoting the Championships during the course of the season using all the available media, from TV to the press and Internet in order to widen awareness of the Superbike Championship.

Pirelli’s decision to provide a prize fund of 300,000 euros to be dedicated to the riders through the association of racing teams is also of great significance. The company has taken on this new challenge with the aim of making an important contribution to the emergence of numerous young riders in conditions of equal opportunities among the various teams.

www.pirellimoto.com

From a press release issued by BrakeTech:

CONGRATULATIONS
Team Oliver Racing!

A genuine and hearty congratulations to you and your team, Rich, on capping off a truly remarkable career with yet another perfect season. Your professionalism and dedication to the sport should serve as inspiration to the legions of upcoming kids and young racers who need positive role models in a time where, sad to say, they are hard to find.

Although I’m sad to see the purity of 250GP slip into the history books now, you can be proud of the fact it has provided some of the most exciting wheel-to-wheel action on the track with many of the biggest names in racing. In that you’ve become iconic. I’ll certainly miss the unmistakable scent of two-stroke exhaust wafting through the paddock as the final call for the race blares over the PA system. That era has now come to a close as we set our sights on the future of the sport in the hopes that fine tradition will be carried forward in a new incarnation.

We here at Ferodo and BrakeTech can unabashedly say it has been a great pleasure and a honor to have worked with you over the past few years. Knowing you and your determination, I can only imagine the growth and success of the Mystery School to become a cornerstone for serious and upcoming racers looking to hone their craft. In that, we wish you all the best.

Jeff Gehrs
BrakeTech USA
Lake Elsinore, California

From a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Sights set on Italian success

Imola was first introduced to the Superbike World Championship calendar in 2001 and the last two years have seen some epic battles around the 4.93km Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit. Last year the Italian venue was the setting for a breathtaking season finale during which Colin Edwards snatched the 2002 title from Ducati’s Troy Bayliss. In 2001 it was the turn of Ruben Xaus as Regis Laconi to come to the fore.

This year, the French circuit of Magny Cours will stage the final round of the season on 19 October and Fila Ducati’s Neil Hodgson has already wrapped up the 2003 championship with four races yet to run. But this certainly does not mean that there will be any shortage of fireworks at the weekend. Hodgson will no doubt be keen to remind everybody just why he was crowned 2003 Superbike World Champion and Laconi and Xaus will be hoping to recreate their previous results at Imola.

However, these three Ducati riders will have their work cut out if they are to repel the orange attack that will be heading their way courtesy of James Toseland and Chris Walker.

For the HM Plant Ducati team-mates, Imola presents both challenges and opportunities. Toseland now has his sights firmly set on second place in the championship by the end of the season and is hoping to claw back some of the 51-point advantage that Xaus currently holds over him.

“I’m really fired up for this one,” said Toseland. “Getting a DNF at Assen has really put the cat among the pigeons. It might have been a slightly different situation if I’d got two fourths and moved out of Laconi’s reach. Then I could have ridden with nothing to lose at Imola – but I’m going to anyway, because that’s just me.

“It’s going to be every man for himself out there and everyone will be trying to get past at every opportunity, so I’m sure there’ll be elbows rubbing now and again. I desperately want second in the championship but I’ve also got to watch my back.”

Many other riders will be just as eager to impress as they look to secure their championship positions and hopefully a ride for 2004. The on-track competition is guaranteed to be fierce and this is something that Chris Walker, for one, will relish.

“This season has had its fair share of ups and downs for me,” said Walker. “A few unlucky injuries have made life difficult but on the whole I’ve had a great time with HM Plant Ducati. It’s a real shame that the team doesn’t feel that it is able to take part in the championship next year but there are still two rounds left to go this season and I want to do the best possible job for them. I’m on good form and really looking forward to the weekend. If things go my way there’s the opportunity to improve on sixth place in the championship before the end of the season and I’ve still got time to get my first World Superbike race win.”


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy PETRONAS Racing face uphill task at Imola

Carl Fogarty today sounded a note of caution ahead of his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team’s penultimate World Superbike championship round of the season at Imola, Italy, this weekend.

The four-times World Superbike champion was encouraged by the performance of Troy Corser at the previous round in The Netherlands, when the Australian achieved his second best finish of the season on the FP1 – the Malaysian superbike – with a stylish sixth place in the opening race. But Carl warned that the engine modifications which contributed to that improvement at the fast-flowing Assen circuit are unlikely to have as marked an effect around Imola’s tight corners and uphill sections.

Foggy said: “Just because we had a sixth at Assen doesn’t necessarily mean we will be able to repeat that at Imola, where you need a lot more acceleration and power for the slow corners and uphill drags. I have only ridden here once, for a Ducati test in 2000 with Ben Bostrom and Ruben Xaus. The weather was not helpful, but I did find it a difficult circuit to learn and my team has not tested here. So we will be aiming to finish in the top ten and I think that anything more than that will be a bonus.”

Corser still holds the Superpole record at Imola and was second in the first race of his only visit here, in 2001. But he echoed Carl’s realism, saying: “I really like the circuit but I do not think it will suit the FP1, at this stage of development, as much as Assen did. You need a lot of horsepower here as there are a few up and downhill climbs. The start-finish straight is also long, with top speed important. So I think this weekend is going to be one of the harder ones for us.”

Team-mate James Haydon has been struggling to recover from a hand injury sustained in a spectacular Assen crash, but is hopeful that, with painkilling injections, the strained tendons will not prevent a positive finish to his season. He said: “I would say that the hand is 80-85 per cent okay and some of the movements that I still can’t do I won’t really need for riding. I still don’t like people shaking my hand and it is a bit swollen but I have my grip back, which was what stopped me from racing at Assen. I also went out for a hard enduro session in Andorra, which is what you have to do with an injury like this, to break down the internal scar tissue.”

Circuit information: Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit, Imola, Italy

Superpole record: Troy Corser, 1:48.649 (2001).

Lap record: Troy Bayliss, 1:48.389 (2002 race)

Pole position: Left. Circuit length: 4.933km.

Corners: 10 left, 6 right

Corner radius: Maximum 60 degrees, minimum 11 degrees.

Slope: Downward 6.22 per cent. Upward 7.81 per cent


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Mission accomplished for Ducati Fila as the Team returns to Italy with two World Superbike titles

Imola (Italy), 25 September: Imola, the scene for last year’s titanic battle between Bayliss (Ducati) and Edwards (Honda), opens its gates again this weekend to World Superbike, which reaches the penultimate round of the 2003 championship. Team Ducati Fila’s mission for 2003 was accomplished at Assen when Neil Hodgson picked up the Riders’ title to go with the Manufacturers’ crown that Ducati had already clinched at Brands Hatch.


“Imola is exciting, historic and demanding” says the newly-crowned world champion. “and in particular I really enjoy the uphill part of the circuit after the tight corner, the flat out right then downhill to the Acque Minerali. It’s special, a real privilege to race for the factory with the support of all the fans, you have a responsibility to put on a good show. Although I have never had a good result at Imola, I am looking forward to this race like no other. I won the title at Assen but for me the only enjoyment out there comes from winning and I want to get two first places at Imola.”


Team-mate Ruben Xaus will also be looking for two good results to consolidate his second place in the championship. Ruben has already won at Imola for Ducati but does not feel any particular pressure at what is essentially Ducati’s ‘home’ race. “I feel no pressure here, it’s worse for me when I am at Valencia so the Imola race doesn’t create any problems” says Ruben. “I finished first and second in 2001 and twice third last year but I love racing here because there are thousands of ‘ducatisti’, the track is in Italy and Ducati has always obtained fantastic results at Imola, starting with the 200 Miles race in 1972”.


Circuit: the Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari has been permanent since 1979, when it was updated and modified to become an established Formula 1 venue. The first World Superbike round was held here in 2001, and last year’s spectacular race was watched by a record-breaking 97,000 spectators, the highest-ever figure in Italian motorcycling history. The 4.933 km sloping circuit has 10 left and 6 right-hand corners and a finish line straight measuring 358 metres.


Ducati employees: The Imola race will also be a special event for the many Ducati employees who work at the Borgo Panigale factory just a quick trip up the motorway. A 500-seat grandstand has been reserved for employees, suppliers and supporters directly in front of the Ducati Fila pit garage and they are sure to make a spectacular sight with their red Ducati T-shirts! Meanwhile down at the Rivazza curve the usual display of pyrotechnics has been organised by the Ducati Desmodromic Club of Rome to cheer on the Ducati riders at that point of the circuit.


Fila Guests: Ducati Fila’s title sponsor will be bringing along three of its athletes, all keen Ducati fans, to Imola to lend their support to the team at the penultimate round of the championship: Italian ice-hockey star Gianluca Tomasello, Olympic slalom skier Giorgio Rocca and cross-country skiing expert Cristian Zorzi.


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Yamaha supported teams Yamaha Belgarda and Yamaha Motor Germany will each enter an additional rider at round ten of the Supersport World Championship, in Imola this weekend (26-28 September).

One event entries have been granted for current Japanese 250 champion Tekkyu Kayo and five-times Australian champion Kevin Curtain. Kayo will ride in the colours of the Italian Yamaha Belgarda Team, for whom he finished fourth in his one and only previous World Supersport outing – at Sugo – earlier this year. The 24-year-old Japanese has had a varied season this year. His ‘full-time’ job has involved defending his All-Japan 250 title and, in addition to the Sugo outing, he has also raced as a wild-card at the Japanese 250GP and at the Suzuka 8-Hour, where he qualified strongly on a YZF-R1.



“Sugo was the first time I rode the YZF-R6 but I found that I had no trouble adapting to it after the two-stroke TZ250,” explained Kayo. “Before that race I also had concerns about communicating with the Italian team but I found them to be very professional and had no problems at all. At Sugo I learned about the team and bike and although Imola is a new track for me I have watched videos of races there so that I can learn a little about it. I do not have to consider the championship standings and I hope to thank the team for this opportunity by getting a good race result – hopefully at least as good as at Sugo.”


Kevin Curtain
By contrast Curtain is an experienced World Supersport rider with 28 previous appearances in the championship. A full-time WSS rider in 2001 and 2002, he won two races in the 2001 season. This year he won both the Australian Formula Xtreme and Supersport championships racing a YZF-R1 and YZF-R6. Earlier this year he also rode his domestic championship R6 as a wild-card at the Australian World Supersport round in Phillip Island, finishing fifth and Yamaha Motor Germany team manager Terrell Thien is hoping to use all of the rider’s experience.

He said: “Kevin is a proven rider. He knows the Yamaha R6, knows Dunlop tyres and he likes the Imola circuit. We’ve built a bike for him with an identical specification to that of our regular riders. I’ve spoken to Kevin many times over the years and I know that he is keen to return to the world championship full-time. He will be motivated to do well and I am sure that he will be able to provide us with a lot of valuable technical feedback.”

Curtain added: “I’ve been over in Europe since Monday and that has given me a chance to meet the team and adjust little things like the position of the handlebars and footpegs. They’ve built a bike especially for me and I’m hoping to repay the team by getting a good result at Imola.”


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Race date: 28 September 2003
Track length: 4933m
Year opened: 1952
2002 WSB winner: Colin Edwards (Honda) (both races)
WSB lap record: 1:48.717 – Colin Edwards (Honda)
2002 WSS winner: Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki)
WSS lap record: 1:53.954 – Fabien Foret (Honda)

Imola – Kayo and Curtain add extra spice
The Supersport World Championship makes its third and final visit to Italy this season when the penultimate round of the 2003 campaign takes place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, on the outskirts of the town of Imola, a 20 minute drive from the city of Bologna, next weekend (September 26-28).

This undulating 4.9km circuit is one of four circuits shared between the World Supersport and Formula One car racing series, which means that teams and fans alike can expect to find great facilities. Imola has been the scene of many great battles on both four wheels and two and last season’s World Superbike title showdown between Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards showed that this circuit can produce some great bike racing action.

This year the Imola event will be especially hectic for Yamaha. In addition to the seven regular supported Supersport riders, Yamaha will also have two additional entries for this race: Japanese 250 champion Tekkyu Kayo and five-times Australian champion Kevin Curtain. Kayo will ride in the colours of the Italian Yamaha Belgarda Team, while the experienced Curtain is riding for Yamaha Motor Germany.

Yamaha YZF-R6 set-up report – an interesting layout

Imola, like so many circuits used by Formula One cars, is bumpy with a lot of surface changes making chassis set-up critical. The many chicanes added in to slow down the cars over the years have emancipated fast and challenging corners like Tamburello and Villeneuve and contribute to the stop-start nature which puts a premium on front-end feel. For the riders it is an interesting track to ride, although one of the more challenging tracks at which to find an optimum setting.

These slow corners provide a good opportunity to outbrake rivals, making stability and front-end feedback vital. To cope with the bumps, which are small and rippled, the riders will normally run a fairly soft front spring to provide a plush ride, although this does cause the bike to bottom out under hard braking. To compensate, a smaller air chamber will be used in the front forks.

Supersport rules allow the use of different camshafts, air intakes and fuel injection mappings to boost power over the stock bike. The many slow corners at Imola means that the top-power specification used at some of the faster tracks will be replaced by a more conservative motor tuned to deliver strong mid-range power between 8,000 and 12,000rpm. This mid-range punch is a real benefit at Imola, which has two uphill sections. These follow low-gear corners where it is difficult to make an advantage from carrying high corner speed.

Power counts up these hills, and the Yamaha has generally worked well on these types of circuit, with the R6 regularly recording the fastest speed trap figures thanks to this strong acceleration out of the slow corners.

Season so far – Vermeulen can win the title in Italy
A crash for Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda Team) at Assen may have ruled the Dutchman out of the championship race, but there is still plenty to play for at the final two races.

The Australian with the Dutch name, Chris Vermeulen (Honda), looks to have one hand on the title and will secure the title with a finish of eighth or better in Imola. Second in the final standings is still a possibility for Van den Goorbergh, who is keen to chalk up his first win in a debut Supersport season that has seen him on the podium in four of the ten races so far.

Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany) was a winner in Sugo and some strong results in the last two rounds could see him with a top five championship finish. Challenging him for that honour will be Italian rider Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro) who is currently seventh in the series and always impressive on home territory.

(Note of explanation for confused e-mailers: As opposed to another press release issued by AMA Pro Racing, seen in the earlier post 9/24/2003 More Press Releases From The AMA Finale At Barber Motorsports Park, which basically states that Jamie Hacking won the 2003 Supersport title on a Suzuki, which is why we dropped in the word “sic” behind the reference in that release.)

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

SPIES WINS AMA LOCKHART-PHILLIPS USA FORMULA XTREME TITLE

Third straight championship in the class for Suzuki

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 25, 2003) — Ben Spies, 19, of Longview, Texas, won the AMA Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series championship Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park. Spies was the foremost rider of the series earning five victories in 10 races on his factory Yoshimura Suzuki. The championship marked the first pro title for Spies, a former AMA Horizon Award winner, who is considered by many experts to be the leading up-and-coming rider in AMA road racing. It was also the third straight AMA Formula Xtreme championship for Suzuki.

Spies opened the 2003 AMA Formula Xtreme Series with dominating wins at California Speedway and Infineon Raceway. A crash at the rainy Road Atlanta round in May cost Spies the points lead.

From that point Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke took over. Zemke, who actually tied last year’s champion Jason Pridmore in the championship and lost in a tiebreaker, appeared to have control of the series until he uncharacteristically crashed at Road America.

It was then Graves Yamaha rider Damon Buckmaster’s, a perennial contender for the Formula Xtreme title, turn to lead the series. But even the Aussie racing veteran Buckmaster found the Formula Xtreme lead a slippery proposition to hold on to. Buckmaster jumped the start of the last round in Monterey, Calif., came back to finish eighth in that race, yet he too lost the series lead.

After suffering through a sub-par mid-season, Spies came back to life in a big way. He proved he loved racing in the Golden State by taking a lopsided victory during the World Superbike weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and took back the series lead.

From there it was all Spies. He went on to win at Mid-Ohio and Virginia International Raceway to open up a nearly insurmountable lead. By the time the series rolled into Barber Motorsports Park Spies needed only to finish 23rd or better to win the championship. He cruised home to an easy third in the season finale behind Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking and Zemke to take the top prize.

“The year went exactly like I wanted it to,” Spies claimed. “We came here (to Barber Motorsports Park) with a 30-point lead, just did what we had to do. It was my first year with the factory team and it gives me confidence going into next year on superbike. I mean the championship was awesome and it’s definitely going to be there forever, but I’m ready to get in the superbike class. We start testing next month and I’m ready to go.”

Buckmaster once again came up just short in his title bid. He finished the year a distant 33-points down to Spies, even though the Aussie veteran was able to keep his hopes alive for a first AMA title until the final race. Buckmaster was runner-up to John Hopkins in 2001 and finished a close third last year to Jason Pridmore and Zemke. Zemke dropped one spot from his ranking last year and was third in this season’s final standings.

From a press release issued by Team Stargel Aprilia:

New Beginnings At Barber, But A Sad End For Two Strokes In America

This past weekend, Barber Motorsports Park hosted its first round of AMA motorcycle races, sadly it also marked the last running of two stroke grand prix motorcycles in AMA competition. Defending AMA 250GP series champion, Team Stargel Aprilia, was hoping that it could capture a win in the final AMA 250GP race.

Barber Motorsports Park is a beautiful facility that also proved to be a challenging one in regards to preparing the team’s remarkable Aprilia RSV250. After three revisions to the transmission, and a fair amount of chassis work, Chuck Sorensen landed on top of Friday afternoon’s practice times, with a time of 1:29.4. On Saturday, he qualified second, a few tenths behind pole sitter, Rich Oliver.

Sunday morning brought a period of heavy rains and the track conditions became uncertain. The 250GP race was delayed slightly, and the track was mostly dry by race time.

In the race, Sorensen got away in third position, passed for second by turn four, then tried to reel in the race leader, Oliver. Oliver built a lead of fractions of a second each lap that would not be erased. Sorensen brought his strong running Aprilia over the line in second to end the season.

In eleven rounds of AMA 250GP competition this year, Team Stargel Aprilia suffered one DNS due to rider injury, one DNF due to engine failure, one fourth place finish due to a faulty spark plug, and recorded eight second place finishes. The year included a dislocated right hand that required surgery, a broken foot, and a number of instances of simple bad luck. Through it all, the team displayed a sense of unity, pride, and a competitive spirit that was never diminished.

Rider, Chuck Sorensen, endured both physical pain as well as personal sacrifices, while always putting forth the effort of a true three-time class champion. Team mechanic, Ward Wilson, was near flawless in his preparation of the fastest 250 the AMA has ever seen, while remaining one of the hardest working individuals in the AMA paddock. Team Stargel Aprilia is thankful for the privilege of racing with so many great AMA 250GP competitors in this, the final year of the class.

From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

SHAKEY SET FOR FINAL SHOWDOWN

2003 British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne is hoping to round off a superb season in fine style as the curtain comes down on another season at Donington Park this weekend.

‘Shakey’ took his inaugural BSB win at the Leicestershire circuit earlier on last season and is hoping to go out in a blaze of glory to celebrate the hard fought championship which he has dominated this season.

With the need for consistency meaning he has enjoyed just one win in the last eleven races, the 26 year old Isle of Sheppey racer is planning on topping the podium once again to prove that he has lost none of his spark going into the winter recess and is hungry for success at the season finale:

“Make no bones about it I’m there to win this weekend and to remind people who’s the champion. I’ve had to settle for safe points in the second half of the season and I put myself under enormous pressure at Brands last time out but I’m really up for it at Donington. We’re hoping to have a few drinks on Sunday evening so I’ll need the winner’s champagne for that if nothing else!” quipped Byrne.

Meanwhile, 2002 Supersport champion Stuart Easton is aiming to redress the balance this time around after missing out on the team’s title celebrations last year. Then, the Hawick teenager was recovering from a high speed crash in which he badly broke his foot at the final round and couldn’t help fellow Scot Steve Hislop celebrate in style.

Despite relinquishing his title this year, Easton too is hoping to finish the season with his second successive victory at a track which has been less than kind to him in the past:

“Donington owes me some dues and I aim to put that right this weekend. I said at Brands I got lucky to win but this time I’m hoping to win it from the front. I was fully drugged up last year and in a lot of pain but this time perhaps I can sample a couple of shandys with the boys to thank them for the fantastic job they’ve done for me again this season” said Easton.

Team Owner Paul Bird, who is hoping to do some guest rides around the circuit in his newly acquired Hyundai Accent World Rally Car over the weekend commented:

“We need to go out with a bang because we don’t know if we are coming back” said the Penrith businessman.

“There’s a good chance but with our plans being up in the air at the moment, we need people to remember us as the race winning champions and that’s what I’m hoping my riders will do. I might even buy a round on Sunday night if they manage to pull that off but if not they’ll be standing the cost. And knowing Shakey and Rat Boy, that will spur them on more than anything, the thought of them having to dip their hands in their pockets!” joked Bird, typifying the party mood of the weekend.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

After watching the second Superbike race at Barber, it sure seems to me that Ben Bostrom owes John Jacobi, Dean Mizdal and Miguel Duhamel a huge apology for that move.

John Jacobi is right, the race is as important to himself and his team as it is to the factories, and that does not mean they own the racetrack.

Ben made a mistake, and we have all done that. But I am sick and tired of the factory guys always blaming someone else for their mistakes. It would be nice for once if someone would just say “I screwed up, I couldn’t let Kurtis get away and I tried something I should not have.”

I and alot of other people would have a lot of respect for that.

If they (the 3 lapped riders) had indeed seen the blue flag and then Kurtis comes by on the outside you wouldn’t expect to get drilled on the inside when the line was sorta out a bit (except for Ben’s line).

Again, Ben just needs to say “I screwed up.” Yes, it was racing, but just accept the blame.

Greg Esser
AMA 250cc GP #26
Pompano Beach, Florida



FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

I was watching the Speed Channel coverage of this when it happened. The first thing that occurred to me was: Why, if three teammates are running 1-2-3 with 4th place some seconds back, was Ben Bostrom so hot on Miguel Duhamel’s tail? He took a chance on an inside line, and it didn’t pan out. Unfortunately, it took out his teammate as well.

I saw John Jacobi’s email on your site and am amazed that anyone is even contemplating giving him grief for this incident. “That’s racing” is the only response.

Maybe lapped riders, IF they are willing to compromise their own racing line, AND they are willing to hold up for leaders to pass, AND they know there may be additional lead-lap riders coming up on them (in addition to the one that just passed him on the outside…) could possibly use a line that allows a really aggressive racer to go by on the inside. I did this when I was racing, but I was a CCS Amateur with a couple of seasons experience.

Asking, or even implying, that an AMA Expert who regularly qualifies for Superbike races should do the same is unacceptable. In this case a blue flag would have been worthless since there were not one, not two, but three racers on the lead lap passing him at almost the same time. How was John to know how many other riders were about to pass him, or where to compromise to make it less dangerous? The only answer is to race his own line and have the overtaking riders deal with it, just like the racing school instructors tell students.

CP Tomes
North Liberty, Iowa



FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

I agree totally with John Jacobi’s comments. I believe Miguel Duhamel owes him an apology for his ranting and raving. Ben Bostrom clearly caused the chain-reaction crash-fest per the replay I saw so I applaud John for sticking up for himself when he feels wronged. I do believe that Ben will admit causing the crash because I’ve personally met him and he is a stand-up guy.

Blue flags are in order AMA, get the hint? MotoGP does it, WSB does it, so, for once pull your finger out and do it, too!

Darick Pash
CMRA #123 Amateur
Abilene, Texas


FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

This past weekend I drove 16 hours from just north of Toronto, Ontario Canada to spend three days as a spectator at the inaugural AMA Superbike race at the Barber Motorsports facility. After spending the weekend there with a few friends, I am left with a few questions along with comments.

First off, why do all the Factory pro riders feel the need to complain about the amount of backmarkers in the field? Do they not realize that without them, it may be a little empty out there on the racetrack? If it is as big a problem as they make it out to be, then why aren’t they complaining to Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki? If the other manufacturers followed the lead of the U.S. Honda team and fielded three factory Superbikes, the depth and pace of the riders on the track would greatly improve, thus reducing the amount of slower riders. Where the hell does Yamaha put their racing budget, anyway? If the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” belief is really true, well, then I see no reason why they couldn’t field Hacking and Buckmaster on R1 Superbikes. Forget about FX, no one watches it anyway. Does the average fan really know the difference between that and Superbike? Lay off the privateers, it’s their own time, own money and I’m sure just about any one of them out there could easily win Regional or Club Pro races.

Overall I quite enjoyed the weekend in Alabama. I liked the fact that Rich Oliver and Michael Barnes had the decency to actually thank George Barber for building the track. I liked the fact that Mat Mladin was able to win his record 4th Championship. I enjoyed watching Shawn Higbee, Jordan Szoke and a few other privateers ride their asses off. But most of all, I just liked being at that amazing facility. From a spectator and a racer, thank you, George Barber.

By the way, I tried to take advantage of your subscription promo there, but she said it wasn’t open to Canadians so I bought the current issue and a T-shirt instead. Thanks for doing such a great job with the magazine and more importantly, the Airfence fund. Job well done.

Jesse Lauder
District Sales Manager, Parts Canada
Barrie H-D/Buell Canadian Pro Thunder #11

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

The new rules may indeed give an unfair advantage to the Twins, we have never tried to set one of those up. I’m not the last word on this by any means, but by hamstringing any development by the factory teams I don’t see any advancement happening.

This new year all of the Japanese teams will be on four-cylinders anyway and as shown this year, massive horsepower gains will damage tires sooner than later.

Our motors have been LEGAL from the first race this year, Micheal Barnes leased motors from us 2-3 times and was happy with the power delivery and output. Our trap speed at most tracks was in the top five and no one saw fit to protest. We did test 2-3 different airboxes and saw no reason to run anything but the stocker.

Our pistons (Wiseco), cams (Web-cam) and rods (Crower) are available to anyone. We did make our own version of the kit swingarm (2 inches longer than the stock) to allow Shawn to get on the gas earlier.

Again, there can be no greater praise than to have the 4-time Champion complaining about the speed of Shawn’s bike. And we never got our weight below 382 all year–and we tried!

Kevin Hunt
KWS
Charleston, South Carolina


More, from a press release issued by Shawn Higbee:

Higbee Responds to Mladin’s Comments from Barber

I got a chuckle out of reading what Mladin said in Saturday’s Superbike press conference at Barber. I couldn’t resist responding to his comment about how fast my bike was. I’m sure I could talk Kevin (Hunt) into trading some horsepower and/or larger rear sprockets for a few of those trick Yoshimura pieces that Mladin uses.

You know, the kit swingarm, carbon fiber parts, narrow charging system, slipper clutch, swingarm pivot inserts, shock linkages, steering head inserts and the rest of those nice pieces that most privateers can’t afford. If the faster privateers could get enough sponsorship for a full Superbike instead of a Supersport bike with a fast motor, then Mladin will really have something to complain about next year.

Shawn Higbee
AMA Superbike #114
Big Bend, Wisconsin