From a press release issued by FGSport:

NEW INTERNATIONAL PRESS & PR OFFICER FOR SBK

Dermot Bambridge has been appointed International Press & PR Officer, by the FGSPORT Group, for the Superbike World Championship. He will take up the appointment at the first round of the 2004 series in Valencia, Spain on 25th February 2004.

Dermot has been involved in motorsport for most of his life. Having realised, at an early age, that he would never make a world champion, he has concentrated on the organisational and PR sides of the sport. His involvement has included being a motorsport journalist before going into Public Relations. He has worked in European truck racing with manufacturer Scania, spent three years in Formula 1 with Goodyear and three years working at Silverstone circuit in several roles related to a wide range of two and four-wheel competition. Last year, he was part of the national media team at both UK rounds of the Superbike World Championship.

“Having been a motorsport journalist, PR and run press rooms at major international events, I understand the needs of all sides involved and hope to provide the information and atmosphere that will help journalists and photographers get what they need and more from their weekends’ racing.” said Dermot Bambridge. “Of all motorsport today, motorcycle racing offers by far the best spectator excitement and no series more so than SBK. It is my goal to work closely with the organisers, teams and media to ensure that the incredible popularity of this series continues to increase. I look forward to the challenge very much.”

The International Press & PR Officer’s functions, amongst others, will be to keep the world’s media up to date with SBK news and to ensure that members of the international media have their accreditation and the facilities they need at each event. He will also liaise with the national press officers with regard to the accreditation of national media and be responsible for the event press conferences during each weekend.

Nino Barra retains responsibility for the Italian national media as National Press Officer for Italy.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Afternoon World Superbike Qualifying Results:

1. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 1:36.323
2. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 1:36.683
3. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, 1:36.778
4. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, 1:36.901
5. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 1:37.208
6. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 1:37.212
7. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:37.254
8. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:37.713
9. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:37.718
10. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:37.778
11. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, 1:37.897
12. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 1:37.975
13. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:38.117
14. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.259
15. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:38.510
16. Pierfransco Chili, Ducati 999RS, 1:38.582
17. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.638
18. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:39.057
19. Horst Saiger, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:39.307
20. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:39.399
21. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, 1:41.302
22. Miguel Praia, Ducati 999RS, 1:44.739

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

All three members of the Wood racing family crashed Friday during a cold CCS event at Daytona International Speedway.

Family patriarch Jerry Wood got the worst of things when he fell in the International Horseshoe. His right hand got caught under his motorcycle’s handle bar and was ground into the pavement.

According to his son, Jeff, Jerry Wood was scheduled to have surgery Friday to remove debris from the wound in the back of his hand at Halifax Medical Center.

Son Eric crashed next, lowsiding off his Hooters Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the middle of the chicane while leading the GTO race. Wood blamed cold tires and said he suffered a deep bruise that extends from hip-to-knee on his right leg and a strained muscle in his back.

Youngest son Jeff fell last, also crashing out of a race lead (GTU) in the middle of the chicane on cold tires. Jeff Wood escaped injury but his Bettencourts Yamaha suffered major damage.

Jeff and Eric Wood both said they plan to ride Saturday.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

ATTENTION ALL PARTICIPANTS

Registration for the March 1-6, 2004 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship and the March 5 AMA Supercross Series has moved.

The New location is off Midway Boulevard, Gate 70 (back stretch). Follow signs to AMA Pro Racing Registration.

AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship Registration

Monday, March 1, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 2, 9:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 3, 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 4, 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Friday, March 5, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 6, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.



AMA Supercross Series Registration

Thursday, March 4, 1 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Will-Call Friday, March 5, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

See related post:

2/22/2004 Registration For F-USA/CCS Races At Daytona Moved To Behind Speedway

From a press release issued by Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd.:

TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES (AMERICA) LTD., TO POST BONUS AWARDS IN AMA PRO RACING

Triumph Posts Daytona 600 Bonus Awards in AMA Supersport Championship

NEWNAN, Georgia – February 27, 2004 – Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., announced today that the company is posting $12,500 in bonus awards for each round of the 2004 AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei to riders competing on a Triumph Daytona 600 and finishing in 1st through 15th positions. Bonuses will be awarded in varying amounts for competitors finishing in these positions.

“Triumph is proud to support AMA Pro Racing and the teams who choose to race the Triumph Daytona 600,” said Todd Andersen, Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., Vice President of Marketing. “These awards will give our riders and teams a little extra incentive in this exciting and highly competitive race class.”

From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Honda’s Miguel Duhamel Chasing Record-Tying Fifth Daytona 200 By Arai Victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Feb. 26, 2004) ¯ Honda ace Miguel Duhamel will look to add his name to the Daytona 200 By Arai record book in this year’s 63rd Daytona 200 By Arai on Saturday, March 6 at historic Daytona International Speedway.

Duhamel, the 2003 Daytona 200 By Arai champion, will be gunning for his fifth Daytona 200 By Arai victory, which would tie him for most Daytona 200 By Arai wins with Scott Russell.

Riding the No. 17 new Honda CBR1000RR, Duhamel is one of the pre-race favorites. He expects plenty of competition from his fellow Honda riders Ben Bostrom and Jake Zemke as well as the rest of the field competitors in the 57-lap motorcycle classic.

“There’s going to be tough competition just from this (Honda) camp,” Duhamel said during the December Dunlop tire test. “Jake is going super fast. Ben is going super duper fast. We can’t count the other guys out either.”

Duhamel and Daytona International Speedway go way back. He has been coming to the “World Center of Racing” since he was a youngster watching his father Yvon compete on the historic 3.56-mile road course in the 1960s and ’70s.

The 35-year-old Duhamel, who resides in Las Vegas, Nev., won his first Daytona 200 By Arai in his first Daytona 200 By Arai start in 1991 and earned his other Daytona 200 By Arai victories in 1996, 1999 and 2003, where he outlasted his fellow Honda riders Bostrom and Kurtis Roberts in a thrilling three-bike duel to the checkered flag.

In the Pro Honda Oils Supersport, a support race to the Daytona 200 By Arai, Duhamel has won a record six times. But this year, he won’t be competing in the 18-lap sprint race.

Instead, Duhamel will race in the inaugural Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme At Daytona event on Thursday, March 4.

“Hopefully, we can get six in Xtreme,” Duhamel quipped.

Tickets for the Daytona 200 By Arai as well as the other motorcycle races at Daytona International Speedway are available online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy sets FPR sights on podium positions Foggy PETRONAS Racing embark on their second season of World Superbike championship competition this weekend aiming to turn the experience gained in their debut season into podium-challenging performances for 2004.

Australian former world champion Troy Corser is joined by British favourite Chris Walker when qualifying action starts tomorrow at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Spain, in the build-up to Sunday’s opening two races.

And team owner Carl Fogarty, the four-times World Superbike champion, has set realistic targets in just the second year of development of the FP1 – the Malaysian superbike.

He said: “Our aim is to improve on last year as, to some extent, this is another year of development. It’s hard for me to convince people of that, as expectations of my team are always going to be high. And it’s difficult for me to tell myself that we have to learn to walk before we can run. But it’s important to remember we have 40-50 years less history than the likes of Honda and Ducati!

“I think this year’s championship will be more competitive but, with the engine developments that are planned for later in the season, the aim is to get on the rostrum and to make sure that PETRONAS finish higher than last season in the manufacturers’ standings. I have now got two riders who, in my opinion, are as good as any in this championship. Chris has been close to Troy during winter testing and the competition will push each other along.”

Troy, who achieved his best qualifying position of last year at Valencia when he put the FP1 on the front row in its very first outing, said: “I am confident that our engine will become stronger and more consistent as the season progresses and it will be nice to get out there and racing for positions a lot further towards the front of the field. When things are going well for us I am sure we can be in the top five and the aim has to be to get on the podium. Last year the aim was to finish in the points, this year it will to be to finish every race with as many points as possible.”

Chris, who achieved one of his six podium finishes at Valencia last year, said: “I know that the bike is going to improve over the year. But, with the help of the new tyre manufacturers Pirelli, and the great team that I have, I am hoping that we will soon be right on the button. We need to make sure that we are at the sharp end by the time of the British races and, from there, put in a very strong finish to the season.”

Chief engineer Steve Thompson and his technical team have been working closely throughout the winter with the team’s engine developers in order to address reliability issues which contributed to a number of race retirements throughout 2003. It is planned to have this next phase of engine development ready before the middle of the season. The aim is then to improve performance of the engine in time for the round at Laguna Seca. The focus of this phase of development has been to produce more torque, providing the riders with better drive out of the slower corners and, consequently, higher top speeds on the straights.

Until then, increased performance will be achieved through continual improvements in tyre development with Pirelli, along with use of a new cooling system from MB Motorsport. This is not only a lighter package, but has already produced a beneficial effect on oil cooling in testing. Lower temperatures throughout race distance are expected to aid engine performance in the latter stages of races. Added to this are new Ohlins gas forks and new Brembo brake discs, so that Troy and Chris maintain their advantage through the corners.

Steve said: “We were still around a second away from our lap times of the races last year at Valencia. That is being lost in the corners, which used to be our advantage. So we do need to make further improvements in stability at the rear over the first couple of days this weekend.”

From a press released issued by Ozbike USA:

OZBIKE and Metra Kit have teamed up with W.E.R.A., C.M.R.A and other clubs around the USA to bring a new dimension to motor sports. We have duplicated our very successful, European cup and championship structure in the USA. Kids between 7 and 14 will go road racing for points with W.E.R.A. which will qualify all racers to participate in our invitational in OCT-NOV. The invitational will qualify the top five riders for a spot at the World Mini GP in Spain.

Last years World Mini GP event in Valencia brought together 47 fast kids from 8 different countries. OZBIKE was proud to bring two Americans Josh Herrin and Tommy Aquino who placed very well (6th and 7th) in a field of very seasoned racers. In 2004 we hope to bring 5 fast young Americans to represent the US at this level. As a result of the World Mini GP event, the top riders will get a chance to meet some of the World GP 125 teams and earn a chance to test ride a world caliber 125 with one of those teams.

The goal of OZBIKE USA and Metrakit together is to create the next generation world sensations in the next 2 years. One of our Spanish team riders Pere Tutusaus, who raced in an invitational in Portland, OR. 2 years ago is now an official team member of the R.A.C.C. 125 world team. Next year at 14 he will be legal to show his stuff during the world 125 season. OZBIKE USA of course would like for those sensations to be Americans.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

NEW-LOOK LOCKHART PHILLIPS USA FORMULA XTREME SERIES TO DEBUT AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Buell joins the fray at Daytona with two factory-backed teams

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (February 26, 2004) — The revamped Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series will debut at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, March 4. The bikes are changed, but the competition promises to be just as intense. Honda is making a big push in the new Formula Xtreme Series with Miguel Duhamel leaving the Supersport class to concentrate on this series. Honda ruled Formula Xtreme in the late 1990s and is hoping to win back the title this year. It will face tough competition from defending series champ Suzuki and strong factory-backed efforts from Yamaha and newcomer Buell.

Miguel Duhamel, Jason Pridmore, Pascal Picotte and Jimmy Moore are all former AMA road racing champions entered in AMA Formula Xtreme this
year. Duhamel is easily the biggest name among the riders in the class. The Montreal native, who now calls Las Vegas home, is the winningest
rider in both AMA Superbike and AMA Supersport racing. Now Duhamel will try to add a third championship title to his collection. He saw promise with Honda’s new CBR600RR-based Formula Xtreme bike in pre-season testing.

“The bike is lighter and it has a little bit of a GP attitude,” Duhamel said. “It’s so light and maneuverable and the braking is like a GP bike.”

Honda sees the new Formula Xtreme Series as an excellent place to showcase its 600cc sport bikes. The company envisions the technology it
will gain in Formula Xtreme will trickle down to its street bikes. Duhamel will be joined by teammate Jake Zemke. Many experts feel that
Zemke, now entering his eighth season of AMA Pro road racing, is entering the peak of his career and is equally favored as Duhamel for the Formula Xtreme title. Zemke was a perennial frontrunner in the old Formula Xtreme class. Rising star Alex Gobert will be the other factory Honda rider in the series.

Former AMA Superbike and current AMA Red Bull Supermoto champ Ben Bostrom is entered in the class for Daytona only.

No Limit Motorsports Suzuki will field a pair of AMA champs in Pridmore and Moore. Pridmore is the 2002 AMA Formula Xtreme Champion and Moore, a two-time AMA Supersport titleholder. Both Pridmore and Moore are known for being consistent top finishers and that could be the key in a new class with untested machinery. “The Honda’s are favored for sure,” admitted Pridmore. “But a lot of things can happen in the course of a long season.”

Suzuki will also have Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec. A native of the Czech Republic, Haskovec has earned the reputation as one of the hardest working riders in the AMA series. He’s excited about joining one of the leading teams in the series and will be running
Michelin tires against a predominantly Dunlop-shod field. Haskovec has tested the Formula Xtreme bike at Daytona, which could give him a leg up on the other Suzuki riders at the Speedway.

Oklahoman Danny Eslick is coming to road racing from the flat track ranks and will ride a Suzuki for Millennium Technologies Suzuki – the same team that Shawn Higbee rode with to become the top privateer in AMA Superbike last year.

Yamaha will be well represented in Formula Xtreme at Daytona. Topping the Yamaha roster is Yamaha Canada’s Pascal Picotte, the 2003 Canadian Superbike Champion. Picotte has a long history of winning in the AMA series, but it’s been nearly six years since his last AMA victory. Look for Picotte to be a man on a mission at Daytona this year. Perry Melneciuc makes the move from 250 Grand Prix racing to Formula Xtreme on a Mach 1-EMA Yamaha. The up-and-coming HAS/Shogun squad will field Heath
Small on a Yamaha and former Loudon AMA Supersport winner Scott Greenwood is slated to ride a Yamaha for Argo Cycles.

Perhaps the most intriguing entries in Formula Xtreme at Daytona are the Buells. Hal’s Performance Advantage Buell will field Mike Ciccotto, a Floridian who has a long history at Daytona and is always a fan favorite. The same can be said of Michael Barnes, who will ride for
Kosco Harley-Davidson/Buell at Daytona. Barnes won the AMA Supersport race at Daytona way back in October of 1989, and is still considered one
of the fastest riders in the Sunshine State. Both Ciccotto and Barnes will be trying to become the first Buell riders to win a Formula Xtreme event and will be riding Buell’s revolutionary Firebolt XB12R.

AMA Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme final gets underway with live coverage on SPEED Channel at 4 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. For additional information on the race contact Daytona International Speedway at (386)
253-7223 or visit the website www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com

From a press release issued by EBC:


EBC BRAKES ANNOUNCES 2004 ROAD RACE CONTINGENCY PROGRAM

EBC BRAKES has been the leader in US Road Racing Contingency Programs for over a decade, and 2004 will be no exception! EBC is posting over $220,000.00 in US Road Race Contingencies with ALL US Pro and Club Organizations ! This is more than any other brake company’s postings!

CASH Contingencies are posted for AMA Road Race National, and three Formula USA National classes! EBC Brakes Road Race Money Certificates are available at ALL F-USA, CCS, WERA, AFM, CMRA, CRA, FASTRAX, MRA, OMRRA, SMRI, WMRRS, WSMC, race events! Be sure to list EBC Brakes as your brake pad of choice on your Tech Verification Form, or fill out our EBC Form.

EBC Brakes will continue to post more money than any other motorcycle brake company. See one of our EBC Brakes Road Race Track Vendors or call Garry Gallagher at (425) 485-7610


EBC BRAKES WILL HAVE 2004 SUZUKI GSXR GFA-HH
KIT PADs at DAYTONA AMA ROADRACE EVENT

Starting Tuesday, March 2nd, Garry Gallagher, EBC Brakes Race Rep will have the EBC
GFA379HH Kit Roadrace pads to fit all 2004 Suzuki GSXRs. See him in garage #8!


EBC ANNOUCES PRO ROADRACE TEAM LINE-UP!

EBC BRAKES is proud to announce our major US AMA/F-USA National Road Race teams that we will be sponsoring for the 2004 Season. Here’s a list of our major teams and riders:

Millennium Technology / KWS Motorsports: AMA – Suzukis, Riders Shawn Higbee & Danny Eslick.

Empire Suzuki Racing: AMA – Riders Lee Acree and Opie Caylor.

Hooters Suzuki Racing: AMA – Riders Eric Wood and John Hayner.

Road Rage Racing: AMA – Yamaha R6s – rider Giovanni Rojas.

Arclight Suzuki Racing: F-USA – Riders Scott Harwell & Chris Ulrich plus AFM #1 Dave Stanton.

Himmelsbach Racing: F-USA on Yamaha R6s – Rider Michael Himmelsbach.

HAS / Shogun Racing: CMRA – Riders Michael Sanchez, Ty Howard and Ben Thompson.

Many more TOP National and Club Roadrace will choose to ride on EBC Brakes in 2004!

For more information contact your local Road Race Organization or Garry Gallagher (425) 485-7610

EBC BRAKES TECH & RACING SERVICES, 20314 131st COURT NE, WOODINVILLE, WA. 98072