From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

FPR riders on the pace as WSBK season starts in Spain

Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Troy Corser and Chris Walker were straight on the pace when the World Superbike championship revved into action at Valencia in Spain today.

New signing Walker was fourth after the morning’s free practice session, with team-mate Corser just 0.3 seconds and one position back in fifth. On a chilly day, with gusting winds increasing and track temperatures dropping in the afternoon, the FPR boys finished the first day of qualifying in ninth and seventh respectively.

Their best times, however, were set on Pirelli race tyres whereas the rest of the field sliced substantial chunks off their fastest laps on qualifying rubber. Troy finished with a best lap of 1:37.254 while Chris, on his number two bike, posted a 1:37.718 in the morning session, just one tenth of a second behind his best lap on the FP1 at this circuit.

Troy said: “We have not really been trying race tyres today as we found the best one straight away for both front and rear. But the rest of the leading times in the afternoon session were set when people were taking about a second off on qualifiers. I wasn’t able to go any quicker on a qualifier as it produced more chatter. And it’s important to qualify well here because, with turn one so tight, if you are not up there with the first three or four by turn two, you are never going to catch them. So that is a worry. But, if you look at the times before the qualifiers were used, I was around third or fourth. I have been changing the pivot position in the rear and trying a different rear shock to try and get more grip from the rear, but that is always a balancing act between creating more
chatter.”

Chris said: “Today went relatively well and I was happy with my times this morning, especially to be within a tenth of my best time from the test so quickly. In the afternoon I had to swap bikes because of a technical problem and the second bike had different forks and a different set-up, which was not ideal. So I didn’t use a
qualifier because I wanted to save my tyre quote until tomorrow when the weather will hopefully be better. Sure, I’m used to being a little bit higher up the board but I hope to be up there tomorrow. My biggest problem has been with ground clearance, which is something we will have to work on for tomorrow.”

Friday qualifying times, round one, World Superbike championship, Valencia, Spain: 1 Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1:36.323; 2 Toseland
(Ducati Fila) 1:36.683; 3 Martin (DFX) 1:36.778; 4 Haga (Renegade) 1:36.901; 5 McCoy (NCR) 1:37.208; 6 Borciani (DFX) 1:37.212; 7
Corser (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:37.254; 8 Vermeulen (Ten Kate) 1:37.713; 9 Walker (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:37.718; 10
Pedercini (Team Pedercini) 1:37.778

Free practice: 1 Toseland (Ducati Fila) 1:36.611; 2 Haga (Renegade) 1:37.233; 3 Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1:37.297; 4 Walker (Foggy
PETRONAS Racing) 1:37.347; 5 Corser (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:37.700; 6 McCoy (NCR) 1:38.005; 7 Martin (DFX) 1:38.015; 8
Haslam (Renegade) 1:38.063; 9 Borciani (DFX) 1:38.331; 10 Vermeulen (Ten Kate) 1:38.468


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Muggeridge and Parkes Net Provisional Front Row Starts

The first timed qualifying session of the 2004 World Supersport season delivered the Ten Kate pairing of Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes provisional front row starts on their CBR600RR machines.

A close contest on a dry track was blighted for all competitors as the winds picked up in intensity, making it difficult to hold a line on the tortuous Valencia track layout. The relatively cool track temperatures also prevented any of the top riders from setting times close to those which saw the Ten Kate pairing dominate in the final official pre-season tests at this very circuit.

Second quickest despite the trying conditions was Karl Muggeridge, the first of Ten Kate’s Aussie riders on the timesheets, although he and Parkes set an identical time of 1:39.128, well down on his personal best from pre-season testing. His team-mate Parkes, classified third quickest after being fastest at one stage, preserved this tyre supply for the second day of qualifying. He was one of the first riders to break out of the 1:40 bracket, in his first full season for the team.

Muggeridge, the winner of the last three WSS races in the 2003 season for Ten Kate explained, “The wind was ten times worse than in the recent tests here. It’s not so much the intensity but the gusty nature of it. You can be committed to a corner and then the wind gusts and puts you off line. If the front end lifts exiting a corner the wind just whips the wheel out of line so it’s really difficult to put in consistent laps. The wind is also blowing sand across the track and that’s making it slippery as well. The bike feels perfect for perfect conditions but we need the impossible – a bike that also works perfectly in gusty wind conditions! If the wind drops we can go faster tomorrow.”

“I got a good start out there but I did the whole session on only one tyre,” said Parkes, explaining that day two should be more important than the first session. “I kept most of my tyres for the second day of qualifying, when I hope the conditions will be better. If the wind drops a bit we can go faster for sure, and I’m happy with the set-up of the bike.” Parkes, like his peer group, has one more qualifying session in which to improve his time and go for pole position.

“The wind conditions are what is holding us and everyone back, and we will make up the 1.5 or seconds we expected to have once the wind drops,” said Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate. “We are happy with our performance because the bikes are working well and it is still the same name at the top of the timesheets, even in these conditions.”

World Supersport Championship
Round One – Valencia
27 – 29 February
1. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR 1:39.065
2. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR 1:39.128
3. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR 1:39.128
4. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6 1:39.239
5. K. Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki GSX 600R 1:39.457
6. K. Curtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6 1:39.467
7. W. Daemen, BEL, Honda CBR600RR 1:39.657
8. A. Corradi, ITA, Honda CBR600RR 1:39.670
9. C. Kellner, GER, Yamaha YZF R6 1:40.003
10. S. Chambon, FRA, Suzuki GSX 600R 1:40362



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI AND TOSELAND (DUCATI FILA) HEAD THE FIELD IN FIRST WORLD SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING AT VALENCIA

Valencia (Spain), 27 February 2004: Regis Laconi and James Toseland (Ducati Fila) powered their 999s to the top of the timesheets in first qualifying for the opening round of the World Superbike Championship at the Valencia circuit in Spain.

In extremely cold but dry conditions, Laconi was quickest straight out of the box and the 28 year-old Frenchman ended up with a time of 1:36.323.

“The feeling with the bike was much better than this morning and we have put the same settings as I had in the tests” declared Laconi. “It was very hard to ride in the wind, but the weather is the same for everyone. I made my quick time with my race tyre after 10 laps and I feel good about that. I didn’t use a qualifying tyre today, we will see tomorrow. I had more problem with rear grip than in the tests because of the cold and the track is a bit dirty, but I’m not finding an excuse, I don’t have to, I just have to be fast!”.

James Toseland crashed early in the afternoon session but then moved comfortably into second place in the timesheets behind Laconi with a time of 1:36.683, which he set on his other machine.

“I crashed but had a bit of fun out there today, there was a hurricane blowing at turn 1 and no other rider had it, just me” joked James about his crash. “You’ve got to be careful out there, it’s very dusty and dirty.

“We tried something in the early part of the session but it didn’t work that well so when I crashed we went back to the settings on my no.1 bike, which was much better. I’m just a bit disappointed about scratching the bike!” Toseland added. “We’re in the ballpark, fastest this morning and second fastest this afternoon, we’re riding well and the bike’s good!”

TIMES: 1. Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1:36.323; 2. Toseland (Ducati Fila) 1:36.383; 3. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1’36.778; 4. Haga (Renegade Ducati) 1:36.901; 5. McCoy (Ducati NCR) 1:37.208; 6. Borciani (Ducati DFX) 1:37.212; 7. Corser (Petronas) 1:37.254; 8. Vermeulen (Honda) 1:37.713; etc.



LANZI (DUCATI BREIL) DEBUTS IN WORLD SUPERSPORT WITH PROVISIONAL TWELFTH PLACE

Valencia (Spain), 27 February 2004: Italian Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Breil) took the all-new 749R to a provisional twelfth place in today’s opening qualifying session for round 1 of the World Supersport Championship at Valencia.

Lanzi, who was European Superstock runner-up in 2003, had a difficult start to his Supersport career as icy temperatures and blustery winds prevented any record times being set, but the 22-year-old from Cesena, Italy said he was reasonably happy with twelfth quickest position.

“I am quite pleased with the way things went today on my debut” declared Lanzi. “Overall we had a better session than in testing here a couple of weeks ago even though our time was not as quick.

“We made a few changes but with the wind it was difficult to get a good idea. Tomorrow we’ll test them again and then hopefully we’ll be on the right path because in my opinion we can improve.

Lanzi added: “I had a bit of a problem with the clutch on my final lap and without that I’m sure I could have got my time down even further”.

TIMES: 1. Charpentier (Honda) 1:39.065; 2. Muggeridge (Honda) 1:39.128; 3. Parkes (Honda) 1:39.128; 4. Foret (Yamaha) 1:39.239; 5. Fujiwara (Suzuki) 1:39.457; 6. Curtain (Yamaha) 1:39.457; 7. Daemen (Honda) 1:39.657; 8. Corradi (Honda) 1:39.670 …… 12. Lanzi (Ducati Breil) 1:40.576.


More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks – Scuderia Caracchi:

McCOY FIFTH FASTEST IN THE DEBUT DAY AT VALENCIA

Garry McCoy recorded the fifth fastest in the qualifying session today on the 4005 meters of R.Tormo Circuit in Valencia, where next Sunday will start the 2004 Superbike World Championship.

The Australian rider of Team Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks, after a morning session focused in the setting of the bike, in the afternoon stopped the stopwatches on a laptime of 1’37.208, time recorded with race tyres and repeated a few laps later. His Ducati 999RS has been recorded as the fastest bike of the group, thanks the very good job made by the engineers of the team based in Bologna.

“We went on to set the bike,” – said McCoy at the end of practice – “but I’m getting experience on the twin cylinder, so I’m pretty satisfied. I reached easily my fastest lap, without pushing and while I was testing a race tyre. Later with qualifying tyres I wasn’t able to go any quicker because I preferred not to push. With soft tyres I don’t still have a good feeling. The bike is very fast, that means a good team’s job, so I’m satisfied because we are making a good job together. Tomorrow we’ll see if I’ll be able to improve my laptime, but the weather conditions will be very important.”

Black day for Miguel Praia: a couple of crashes ruined the debut day of the Portuguese rider, unable to get a good result like that got two weeks ago during the test session on this track.

“Those two crashes forced the team to work hardly on the bike,” – said Miguel after his second crash – “just while I need to practice for a better feeling on the bike. In the afternoon’s crash I had also a small fracture of the fifth finger of the left food, so tomorrow I’ll have to pass the medical control to be fit to race.”


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

TROY SEVENTH ON OPENING DAY AT VALENCIA

Troy didn’t push hard on the first day of qualifying, but still managed to end the day with a provisional second row grid position – and the first non-Ducati rider. Despite the sunshine in the morning session, the temperature only hovered round the two degree centigrade mark, but in the afternoon, the wind blew strongly and hindered any substantial improvement in the lap times. Factory Ducati rider Regis Laconi ended the day on provisional pole, with a time of 1:36.323, followed by his team mate James Toseland. Third was Steve Martin, with Noriyuki Haga fourth – both Ducati-mounted.

TROY 7th, 1:37.254

Today we didn’t actually spend too much time trying different tyres because we found what we thought were the best ones almost straightaway. So we then worked a lot with the rear pivot point and also on a variety of rear shocks. Basically we are trying ti improve rear grip at the moment, but at the moment we are having to make a compromise on the set up, so we can have good grip, but with less chatter. This afternoon everybody was on qualifiers and went more quickly, but I couldn’t get my qualifiers to work and go any quicker then on standard race rubber. When I tried the qualifiers, the bike suffered from more chatter then the race rubber! The wind was a bit of a problem in the afternoon and it was very, very cold. Hopefully, conditions will be better tomorrow and I’m sure we’ll go a lot quicker.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Dyno trouble: Formula USA’s deal with Dynojet to provide the official dyno for dyno-controlled classes fell apart immediately before Daytona, according to Kenny Abbott of Clear Channel Entertainment-Motor Sports. Officials have now done a deal with Factory Pro Tuning to provide the official dyno and dyno support services for the F-USA Series, starting this weekend. F-USA officials picked up a Factory Pro Tuning dyno last night and positioned it at the Speedway, which meant that no dyno was available to competitors for tuning purposes yesterday when official practice started.

Factory Pro Tuning dynos have historically read differently than Dynojet dynos, and it’s unknown at post time if or how officials will adjust official horsepower limits to suit the new dyno.

Factory Pro Tuning owner Marc Salvisberg has long criticized Dynojet dynos as being innaccurate and producing numbers that are not to actual bhp spec. Despite his assertions, Salvisberg has made little progress in his campaign to unseat Dynojet as the standard dyno in the motorcycle industry and aftermarket.

A Dynojet spokesman was not in at Dynojet headquarters in Las Vegas and could not be reached for comment at post time. Marc Salvisberg was not in at his office in San Rafael, California and could not be reached for comment at post time.



Wet and cold weather has been a concern at Daytona International Speedway this week.

Heavy rain fell in the general area during the day Wednesday but not on the Speedway itself. Team Hammer Track Day participants–divided into separate groups for School, Track Ride and Practice for licensed racers–enjoyed a dry track, with five sessions for each group, including two 40-minute practice sessions in the afternoon. A total of 53 licensed racers participated in the practice sessions on the 3.56-mile track, with 37 riders in track ride sessions and 32 in school sessions.

Thursday was overcast, cold and at times misty, with ambient temperatures only reaching the 50s.

Several riders used Thursday’s Team Challenge race to do endurance runs on tires. Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec and Steve Rapp both completed 16-lap endurance runs aboard their GSX-R1000 Superstock bikes, on Michelin tires.

Arclight Suzuki’s Scott Harwell and Chris Ulrich used the Team Challenge to work on bike set-up. The team faced the extra factor of having changed from Pirelli to Dunlop tires for the 2004 F-USA season. Late in the race, Ulrich left pit lane after a stop for adjustments and then lost the front and crashed his GSX-R600 in the chicane, breaking his right collarbone. Ulrich flew back to California this morning to see orthopedic surgeon Art Ting.

Friday morning, Daytona was cold and overcast with a light mist falling. The mist abated but it remained cold, in the 40s, with a light wind.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Practice Times:

1. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 1:36.611
2. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, 1:37.233
3. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 1:37.297
4. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:37.347
5. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:37.700
6. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 1:38.005
7. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, 1:38.015
8. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 1:38.063
9. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 1:38.331
10. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:38.468
11. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, 1:38.517
12. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:38.619
13. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:38.993
14. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:39.122
15. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:39.528
16. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:39.700
17. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 999RS, 1:39.725
18. Horst Saiger, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:40.661
19. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:40.776
20. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:40.916
21. Miguel Praia, Ducati 999RS, 1:41.515
22. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, 1:44.580

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin is adjusting to the resignation of Lead Mechanic Vic Fasola and is testing Michelin tires during the CCS/Formula USA weekend at Daytona.

“Unfortunately his wife is very sick, and (racing) would take too much time away from being able to take care of her,” Team Manager Tom Bondenbach told Roadracingworld.com regarding Fasola’s departure from the team. “He felt is was better to concentrate on her health and taking care of his family.”

Some published reports incorrectly identified Fasola as Crew Chief for the team, but according to Bodenbach, Fasola was the Lead Mechanic for Eric Bostrom, directing team mechanics Lance Baker and Jerry Daggett and serving as the team’s tire technician.

Crew Chief for Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin for 2004 has always been Luca Ferraccioli.

Asked how he would fill the significant gap left in his team, Bodenbach said, “For this race we have a couple of the factory mechanics coming in from Italy to help. And I’m flying in another guy we weren’t originally planning on having, Glenn Grenfell. He worked with me back at Gemini (on the factory Harley-Davidson Superbike team).”

Bodenbach and Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin spent Wednesday and Thursday, February 25-26, at Daytona testing tires for Michelin with former Ducati Superbike pilot Larry Pegram.

“It wasn’t really an official team deal,” clarified Bodenbach. “Michelin wanted to test some tires. Basically, Michelin and Ducati got together and picked Larry. They didn’t want to have Eric (Bostrom) involved in this and (let him) concentrate on the 200 week.”

Weather and track conditions on both days (early on Wednesday, late on Thursday) and traffic during Thursday’s 58-entry F-USA 200-mile Team Challenge race prevented the team from getting its full testing program completed, Bodenbach said.

“We didn’t get as much as we would’ve liked to have gotten accomplished,” continued Bodenbach. “With the light misting and all that, Larry wasn’t able to maintain full throttle on the banking. So it wasn’t as fruitful as we hoped, but we were able to get something out of it.”

When asked for his take on testing Michelins on Bostrom’s Ducati 999 Superbike, Pegram declined to make any comment, saying it was out of respect for his 2004 season tire sponsor, Pirelli.

Pegram plans to race privately-supported Yamaha’s full-time with Formula USA and at select AMA events.

From a press release issued by UmbrellaGirls USA:

UmbrellaGirls USA to Adorn BoxerCup Grid at Daytona

European Grid Flair Lives on in Daytona

San Rafael, CA — For the second consecutive year, BMW Motorrad will team up with the Premier Motorsports Models, UmbrellaGirls USA to adorn the BMW Motorrad International BoxerCups grid with international style. Thirty-nine riders representing 25 teams from ten different nations will compete on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in the race which is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 6 th right before the 63 rd running of the Daytona 200. “With European racing, the grid girls are a staple of every racing team’s roster. Through BMW Motorrad we are importing that concept to the U.S. for one of the most exciting bar banging racing platforms American spectators will see all year,” declares Ann Asiano, founder and president of UmbrellaGirls USA. The BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup is renowned for its democratic racing with all competitors, including 7 teams sponsored by BMW Motorrad USA dealerships, riding identical near production BMW R1100S motorcycles. The exciting style effectively renders riding skill the lone yard stick for success. With spectator attendance at approximately 100,000 per race event, the BoxerCup has grown to be one of the premier motorcycle racing events in Europe since its inception just four years ago.



UmbrellaGirls have been omnipresent in all forms of United States and International racing and are proud to be associated with BMW Motorrad. “We can always depend on BMW Motorrad to add the class touch to everything they do, including treating their riders to UmbrellaGirls” says owner Ann Asiano of UmbrellaGirls USA.

The BoxerCup–Will be the first in an eight race series run in Europe. The race will broadcast live on Speed Channel .



UmbrellaGirls USA –Conceived and created by Ann Asiano in 2002, UmbrellaGirls USA are an incarnation of the raceway hostesses popular at venues throughout Europe.

Comprised of sleek, attractive young women bursting with personality, UmbrellaGirls USA actively promote the interests and image of a wide array of goods and services in a unique and positive manner. Many of the models are avid race fans and ride motorcycles themselves.

Toting large umbrellas and clad in select apparel created in conjunction with sponsoring clients, UmbrellaGirls USA serve to meet and greet raceway fans, provide shade to race contestants on the start/finish grid and in pits, and attend to raceway VIP’s.



BMW Motorrad USA –BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Corp. in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers, 327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 73 MINI passenger car dealers, and 25 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for N orth, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Funeral services will be held today in Santa Ana, California for motorcycle enthusiast and promoter Frank Steeves, 35, who was killed Saturday in a car accident.

Services are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. today at Waverly Chapel, 1702 Fairhaven Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92705. More information is available from the chapel at (714) 633-1442.

Steeves crashed his twin-turbo G35 in Irvine, California.

Steeves gained fame by promoting huge bike nights at a restaurant in Southern California and went on to operate an internet retail sales site.

He is survived by his wife, Claire, and their infant daughter, Sara.

A fund has been set up for Sara Steeves and donations can be sent to 200 Technology Dr. Suite L, Irvine, CA 92618.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Afternoon World Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.065
2. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.128
3. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.128
4. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:39.239
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:39.457
6. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:39.467
7. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.657
8. Alessio Corradi, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.670
9. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:40.003
10. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:40.362
11. Tobias Kirmeier, Honda CBR600RR, 1:40.391
12. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 1:40.576
13. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:40.684
14. Matteo Baiocco, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:40.985
15. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 1:41.004
16. victor Carrasco, Honda CBR600RR, 1:41.105
17. Borre Kai Andersen, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:41.146
18. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:41.184
19. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 1:41.193
20. Craig Jones, Triumph Daytona 600, 1:41.337

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

REVAMPED AMA REPSOL SUPERSTOCK SERIES ATTRACTS DEEPER FIELD

Defending AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Ben Spies among favorites in star-studded line-up

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (February 27, 2004) — Ben Spies was a breakout rider in the 2003 season. The 19-year-old Texan went from young up-and-comer to the next big thing after winning five races en route to last year’s Formula Xtreme Series. At times Spies dominated the series. Now Yoshimura Suzuki hopes the talented youngster can deliver a similar performance in the new AMA Repsol Superstock Series.

Considering the depth of the talent pool in the new series, Spies will have his hands full beginning with the opening round at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, March 4. This year’s Superstock class allows for a significant increase in displacement but still requires that the equipment remain essentially stock. As Spies puts it “We’re pretty much racing them right off the showroom floor.” Opening up the displacement limits has attracted all the major manufactures to the class with everyone looking to showcase their 1000cc sport bikes.

Spies seems to be following in the path of other great Texas road racers like Kevin Schwantz, Colin Edwards and Doug Polen. Schwantz, Edwards and Polen, along with non-Texans like Freddie Spencer and John Kocinski, who came up racing the local CMRA club road races before getting national attention in the WERA Grand National Finals (CMRA is a WERA affiliate) and moving on to AMA Pro Racing competition. As hard as it is to believe Spies is entering his fifth season in AMA Pro Racing. He began his AMA career mid-way through the 2000 season a few days after turning 16. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 fits Spies like a glove. His style makes it look as if the speedy Suzuki is an extension of his body. Spies likes the new Superstock version of the Suzuki even more than the Xtreme bike of last year.

“The Superstock bike handles more like a 600,” said Spies, a former AMA Horizon Award winner. “I feel like I can ride it harder, and I can feel the limit. I can feel what the bike is doing even though it’s moving around more.”

While Spies may be a slight favorite in the new Superstock class, he’s by no means a shoo-in for the title. In fact, Spies is in for the battle of his young career. The Superstock class features an impressive roster as well as extensive manufacturer participation.

The biggest Superstock story in recent weeks is the signing of Anthony Gobert to the Erion Honda squad. Gobert will ride Honda’s new CBR1000RR that in Superbike form was the fastest bike in pre-season testing. Gobert is considered one of the most naturally talented riders in the world. While many feel that Gobert’s off-track problems have kept him from reaching his full potential, there’s no question that the addition of Gobert to the class makes it one of the most anticipated pre-season motorcycle racing stories in years.

Gobert will be joining his younger brothers Alex (his Erion Honda teammate) and Aaron, who rides for Graves Yamaha, in Superstock. The possibility exists that the Goberts could become the first brothers to fill all three spots on an AMA road racing podium. Another brother act, the Haydens, Tommy and Roger Lee, will also compete in Superstock in the Kawasaki camp. Tommy, Roger Lee and Nicky Hayden (who now races in the Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship) are the only brothers in the history of AMA Pro Racing to fill a national podium. That was at an AMA Grand National race in 2004 at the Springfield, Ill., TT.

Josh Hayes is the defending AMA Superstock champ. Even though the class was very different last year, Hayes is still considered a leading contender to win the title. Hayes will ride an Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Arguably the most talented team overall in Superstock is Graves Yamaha with defending Supersport champ Jamie Hacking, Damon Buckmaster, the aforementioned Aaron Gobert and Jason DiSalvo. The Yamaha R1 has proven blazingly fast in pre-season testing. DiSalvo was the fastest of all Superstock riders in the most recent Daytona tire tests. The team has a solid mix of veterans and young riders and could be a real threat to sweep the podium at Daytona.

Valvoline EMGO Suzuki has been one of the top teams in AMA Pro Racing since the mid-1990s. This year the red, white and blue Valvoline EMGO GSX-Rs will carry Steve Rapp and Vincent Haskovec. The squad has cultivated some of the best young riders in recent years such as John Hopkins (now a factory Suzuki MotoGP rider) and Ben Spies. This season the team is going with older and more established riders and both Rapp and Haskovec could be serious contenders for the Superstock title.

Suzuki goes even deeper in Superstock with teams like Hooters Suzuki with John Haner and Eric Wood; the new Empire Racing Suzuki squad with Chris Caylor and Lee Acree; No Limit Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore, Jimmy Moore and Jason Curtis; and Millennium Technologies Suzuki with last year’s leading Superbike privateer Shawn Higbee.

Wildcards to consider at Daytona include Yamaha Canada’s Pascal Picotte and Larry Pegram, who is forming a new Yamaha-based team. Both are former AMA Superbike winners.

For additional information on the race contact Daytona International Speedway at (386) 253-7223 or visit the website
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com

The AMA Repsol Superstock opener will kick-off live SPEED Channel race coverage from the Speedway on Thursday, March 4, at 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning World Supersport Practice Times;

1. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.594
2. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 1:40.061
3. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:40.258
4. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:40.285
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:40.610
6. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 1:41.074
7. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 1:41.144
8. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:41.702
9. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:41.924
10. Kai Borre Andersen, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:42.084
11. Craig Jones, Triumph Daytona 600, 1:42.119
12. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600RR, 1:42.199
13. Matteo Baiocco, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:42.261
14. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 1:42.306
15. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:42.515
16. Sebastien Le Grelle, Honda CBR600RR, 1:42.555
17. Alessio Corradi, Honda CBR600RR, 1:42.580
18. Matthieu Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:42.959
19. Walter Tortoroglio, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:43.304
20. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:43.328
21. Tobias Kirmeier, Honda CBR600RR, 1:43.521

22. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 1:43.628