From a press release issued by Vesrah:

Vesrah brake pads for 2004-model Suzuki GSX-R600s, 750s and 1000s will be available at Daytona International Speedway through through Trackside Racers Supply.

Vesrah is offering over $125,000 in contingency for 2004 with the following racing organizations: WERA, Formula USA, CCS, WSMC, CMRA and MRA.

Vesrah contingency certificates are redeemable for any Vesrah products carried by your race vendor, including: brake pads, rotors, complete clutch kits, and oil filters.

Any questions about Vesrah’s contingency program can be sent via e-mail to [email protected].

From a press release issued by Galfer:

Galfer performance braking systems will have complete steel braided brake lines kits available for all 2004 models including the R1, ZX-10R, CBR1000RR and all Suzuki’s. Brake pads and our Patented Wave rotors will also be available for the new 2004 models. All products will be available on vendor row during Bike
Week, or from your local Galfer Dealer.

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

New season, new website for Foggy PETRONAS Racing

Foggy PETRONAS Racing will start the season in style with the launch of a revamped website.

The site will rev into action at 0930hrs (GMT) on Friday, February 27, to coincide with the
first free practice action of the 2004 World Superbike season at Valencia in Spain.

The existing www.foggyPETRONASracing.com address remains the same but the site, designed by Wrexham-based company Data Pacific, will have a totally new look, feel and functionality.

Featuring the team’s new fan club – Club FPR – the website is designed to allow fans to feel
part of the team through a range of innovative interactive features.

In addition to accessing the fastest online news and results service, fans of Foggy, Troy
Corser and Chris Walker can also create their own computer wallpapers and download video and audio messages direct from the race circuits.

Visitors will be also able to tour our UK
headquarters on-line and receive live images from the workshop webcam.

Access to the whole site can be gained by becoming a member of Club FPR. This gives fans
sms text news updates (adults only) and free emails, a welcome pack featuring free merchandise, discounts on future merchandise purchases, a quarterly newsletter, entry to
exclusive competitions and the chance to visit the team HQ. For more details, please click on
the Club FPR section of the new site.

New features, including an FPR Auction and discussion forum, will be added regularly
throughout the season.

From a press release issued by the Rich Oliver Mystery School:

Rich Oliver’s Mystery School proudly announces a new association with Drive Systems USA, Inc.!

Long time Team Oliver Yamaha sponsor Drive Systems USA, Inc., the official distributor of AFAM products, is now the “Official Handlebar, Chain and Sprocket Supplier” for Rich Oliver’s Mystery School fleet of Yamaha training motorcycles.

Their lightweight yet strong aluminum M5 Works Bars are perfect for Rich Oliver’s Mystery School. Three different bends with padded cross bars allow the rider to gain maximum performance in the dirt.

Their chains are made to exacting specifications by the world’s leading chain makers from Italy and Japan. Their close technical liaison with the chain manufacturers has enabled Drive Systems USA to offer chains of the highest quality for all motorcycle applications providing total satisfaction and outstanding performance.

Drive Systems USA also provides Rich Oliver’s Mystery School with AFAM sprockets which are more than twice as accurate as the industry standard.

Mystery School owner Rich Oliver is proud to have Drive Systems USA, Inc. as a sponsor. He says, “To tell you the truth, we need the strength and durability of the AFAM products. The thick walled aluminum bars are almost indestructible and allow me to spend more time instructing instead of replacing bent handlebars. The same goes for the chain and sprocket kits which are heavy duty. The true running sprockets and chains from Drive Systems USA, Inc. keep our fleet of Yamaha’s on the track and out of the shop.”

You can see all the products and services Drive Systems USA, Inc. has to offer at their web-site, www.drivesystemsusa.com or contact them at:

Drive Systems USA, Inc.
5953 Engineer Drive
Huntington Beach, CA 92649 USA
Phone: (800) 290-9040 or (714) 379-9040

For more information about Rich Oliver’s Mystery School programs or to request our 2004 brochure, visit us at www.richoliver.net or via phone at (559) 855-3089.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

HACKING HOPING TO FINALLY EARN DAYTONA SUPERSPORT WIN

Pro Honda Oils Supersport presented by Shoei champ begins title defense

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (February 25, 2004) — After seven years of trying Jamie Hacking finally broke through to win his first AMA championship last year and he did it in one of the most competitive classes – the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei. This year Hacking would love to defend his AMA Supersport title, but almost as important to him is winning at Daytona International Speedway. On Saturday, March 6, Hacking will try once again to finally take that final step to the top of the winners’ podium at Daytona’s Supersport final.

Since the introduction of AMA Supersport at Daytona in 1987, this race has always been one of the closest in all of Daytona’s Bike Week events. Last year was no different. Honda’s Kurtis Roberts came out on top of a five-rider draft to the checkered flag. Hacking came up just a bike-length short on his factory Yamaha R6. Hacking later said it was one of the most frustrating losses in his racing career. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to win at Daytona,” the British-born Carolinian said in anguish in the post-race press conference last year.

Four times during his career Hacking has been in the lead pack of the Daytona Supersport final, only to get shuffled back in the famous last lap drafting maneuvers. This year will mark Hacking’s seventh try at winning the elusive Daytona race. The one thing he’s not worried about is his bike – the Yamaha YZF-R6. “That bike was so good last year I don’t know how they’ve made it better, but they have,” said Hacking, who is entering his eighth season of AMA Pro Racing. In 2003 Hacking moved into a tie with Doug Polen for fourth on the all-time AMA Supersport wins list with 10-career victories. He could easily move into second sometime this season. Miguel Duhamel, the king of Supersport racing, is far ahead atop the list with 41-career wins. Duhamel is not slated to compete in Supersport this season.

Hacking expects his biggest challenge to come from his own team. Damon Buckmaster may be the hungriest rider on the grid at Daytona this year. The Aussie racing veteran has finished championship runner-up several times in his career in both Formula Xtreme and Supersport. Last year in Supersport, Buckmaster posted a win and five more podium finishes en route to second overall, behind Hacking, in the series standings; Buckmaster finished no worse than sixth in the 11 rounds of competition. In addition to the experienced vets on the team, Yamaha also has a pair of young guns in Jason DiSalvo and Aaron Gobert. Both could likely break through to win their first Supersport race this year.

If Yamaha wasn’t loaded enough, 1997 Daytona Supersport winner Pascal Picotte will be making the trek down from Canada with a factory Yamaha Canada R6. Picotte, who’s been winning titles in Canada over the last several years, would love to show up his southern neighbors.

Kawasaki’s Supersport effort will feature the Hayden brothers Tommy and Roger Lee, as well as up-and-coming Tony Meiring on ZX-6Rs. Tommy Hayden is a proven winner in AMA Superstock. He’s fifth on the all-time wins list and finished third in the standings last year. Roger Lee Hayden and Meiring are two more young riders who seem to have a bright future in the series.

Suzuki will be headed by Aaron Yates, 2002 Daytona Supersport winner and third on the all-time class wins list. His Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Ben Spies broke through to earn his first Supersport win last year and is expected to be a leading contender for the championship. Valvoline EMGO Suzuki has veteran Steve Rapp and young Canadian Chris Peris. Jason Pridmore is pre-entered on the No Limits Suzuki, as is Lee Acree on the Empire Racing Suzuki team. All will be riding Suzuki’s latest generation GSX-R600.

Honda is not fielding an official factory team, but several privateer teams will be on Hondas. Another interesting development is that Augusta Triumph has entered Steven Brekenridge and Mark Crozier on Triumph Daytona 600s.

The 2004 Daytona Supersport race will be televised live on Saturday, March 6, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern on Speed Channel.

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 Team Suzuki:

SUZUKI HONOURS ITS CHAMPIONS

Team Suzuki Press Office – Suzuki celebrated its success of 35 global championship titles in 2003 with a special ‘Day of Champions’ event in Hamamatsu, Japan at the weekend.

Thirteen of the 32 champions attended the awards ceremony – which also attracted 81 media publications and television companies – hosted by Suzuki President and Chief Operating Officer Mr. Hiroshi Tsuda.

All the awarded riders expressed their gratitude to Suzuki for supplying such excellent machinery and technical knowledge and looked forward to further world and national domination in 2004.

Other notable dignitaries in attendance included Suzuki former World Champion Kevin Schwantz, Isle of Man TT winner in 1963 Mitsuo Ito, Yoshimura president Fujio Yoshimura and former 500cc Japan Champion Masaru Mizutani.

It was also announced by Isao Terada, group leader of Suzuki´s Planning Group, that the 2004 GSX-R Cup will take place on October 15-17 at Road Atlanta in America with GSX-R 750s. And the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School (KSSS) will be held in July and August in Europe.

Suzuki Championship list:

World Endurance Championship: (Jason Pridmore/ James Ellison/ Jimmy Lindstrom).

European Superstock Championship: (Michel Fabrizio).

British Superstock Championship: (Andy Tinsley.

Formula 1 TT/ Senior TT: (Adrian Archibald).

Production 1000 TT/ Production 600 TT: (Shaun Harris).

World Masters of Endurance: (Vincent Philippe/ Olivier Four/ Philippe Dobe/ Brian Morrison).

German Superbike Championship: (Stefan Nebel).

German 4-Stroke Enduro Championship: (Thomas Ramsbacher).

GSX-R Cup Final Race: (Herbert Kaufmann).

Formula Extreme Spanish Championship: (Jose David De Gea).

WERA Endurance Championship: (Mark Junge/ Tray Batey/ John Jacobi).

WERA Open Superstock/ 600 Superstock/ Sportsman Superstock: (Mark Junge).

WERA 750 Superstock/ Heavyweight Twins/ Formula 1/ Sportsman Heavyweight Twins: (Tray Batey).

NHRA Pro Stock Drag Racing Championship: (Geno Scali).

AMA Superbike Championship: (Mat Mladin).

AMA Formula Extreme Championship: (Ben Spies).

AMA Superstock Championship: (Josh Hayes).

AMA 125cc East Coast Supercross Championship: (Branden Jesseman).

Australian Superbike Championship: (Craig Coxhell).

Australian Superbike Manufacturers Championship: (Suzuki/ Shawn Giles).

Australian Superstock Championship: (Leigh Mckenzie).

New Zealand Production Superbike Championship: (Andrew Stroud).

New Zealand Sport Production Championship: (Craig Shirriffs).

Japan Road Race Championship: (Keiichi Kitagawa).

Japan 250cc Motocross Championship: (Akira Narita).

Japan IB250/ IB125 Championship: (Hayato Ueda).

Japan Ladies Motocross Championship: (Saya Suzuki).

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional F-USA Superbike Qualifying Results:

1. Michael Barnes, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:26.491
2. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:27.494
3. Shawn Conrad, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:27.611
4. Scott Greenwood, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:27.714
5. Robert Jensen, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:27.767
6. unknown, 2:28.066
7. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:29.298
8. Jeff Wood, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:29.500
9. Nick Cummings, Honda CBR600RR, 2:30.693
10. Jesse Janisch, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:30.890
11. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:30.961
12. Mike Himmelsbach, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:30.970
13. Des Conboy, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:31.700
14. A. Dolney, 2:32.277
15. Geoff May, 2:32.664
16. Brian Baker, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:33.620
17. Joe Spina, 2:33.629
18. Dave Rosno, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:34.076
19. Jason Smith, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:34.079
20. A. Feuershaler, 2:34.651
21. D. Tullier, 2:35.949
22. J. Hayes, 2:36.463
23. D. Ortega, 2:36.497
24. S. Hill, 2:40.637
25. Mark Stiles, Yamaha TZ250, 2:43.930
26. Stephen Hewitt, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:44.164
27. J. Bentz, 2:45.593
28. J. Walsh, 2:46.738
29. S. Wyatt, 2:53.939

The temperature at Road America at the time of Superbike qualifying was 40 degrees Fahrenheit with a 15 mph wind from the northeast making it feel as though it is 32 degrees F, according to weather.com.

From a press release issued by Avon:

Avon named official tire of AMA Sports Supermoto

Avon has been named The Official Tire of the 2004 AMA Sports Supermoto Grand Championships. The distinction is the result of a sponsorship agreement between AMA Sports, SuperMoto USA and Avon Tyres North America.

“This looks pretty exciting to me, Avon Tyres has stepped up to the plate with a full line of SuperMoto Xtreme race slicks and DOT products for consumers” said Carl Blake, CEO of SuperMoto USA. “We’re happy to welcome Avon Tyres as the official tire of this exciting series.”

“It’s clear that Supermoto is the next ‘big thing’. As interest in SuperMoto rapidly grows, Avon Tyres continues to strengthen it’s position at the forefront of tire development for this exciting segment,” said Avon Tyres’ spokesman John Leach. “We’re looking forward to a long-term relationship with SuperMoto USA and the AMA Sports Supermoto Grand Championships.”

Avon Tyres, known throughout the world for their leading edge product development and quality, are available only through Avon retail partners. For more information, call 1-800-624-7470, [email protected] , or write to Avon Tyres, PO Box 336, Edmonds, Wa 98020 USA.

AMA Sports presents the 2004 AMA Sports Supermoto Grand Championships in cooperation with AMA-chartered promoting organizations Supermoto USA and Supermotard USA. For more information on these promoters and their events visit www.supermotousa.net or www.supermotard-usa.com .

Losail Circuit
Doha, Qatar
February 24
Provisional Qualifying
World Supersport

1. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 2:03.841
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Honda CBR600RR, 2:04.808
3. Michel Fabrizio, Honda CBR600RR, 2:04.909
4. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600RR, 2:05.006
5. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:05.196
6. Christophe Cogan, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:06.364
7. Broc Parkes, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:06.436
8. Stephane Chambon, Honda CBR600RR, 2:06.597
9. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 749R, 2:07.438
10. Tatu Lauslehto, Honda CBR600RR, 2:07.454
11. Alessandro Antonello, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 2:07.474
12. Javier Fores, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:07.586
13. David Garcia, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 2:08.034
14. Pawel Szkopek, Honda CBR600RR, 2:08.169
15. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Ducati 749R, 2:08.200

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

WORLD SUPERSPORT QUALIFYING:

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javi Fores is positive that tomorrow will be a lot better than today and that he will be able to move further up the World Supersport grid from 12th position.

JAVI FORES – 12th, 2:07.586:

“I am not happy to be so low down the order, but I didn’t have a good feeling with my bike today and I think that showed in the results. My bike felt hard in the corners and sometimes it seemed as if the rear wanted to overtake the front! I lost a lot of time in the slow corners but in the fast turns the bike felt much better. Tomorrow we will change the balance of one bike and later the set-up of the other and see what progress we can make. I am hoping for a big improvement.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

PROVISIONAL ONE-TWO FOR WINSTON TEN KATE HONDA

Frenchman S�©bastien Charpentier took provisional pole position in this afternoonâ��s first qualifying session for Saturdayâ��s opening World Supersport championship round at the Losail circuit in Qatar. After showers during this morningâ��s free practice, warm and sunny conditions saw Charpentierâ��s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara go second fastest as the new blue Honda CBR600RRs dominated the 45-minute session.

Ronald ten Kate � Winston Ten Kate Honda team manager:
That was an incredible time by S�©bastien because itâ��s not often that you see a gap of almost a second between first and second in this championship. Iâ��m very happy that itâ��s Katsuaki in second place because he is still working hard to get used to the chassis characteristics of the CBR, and his crew is still getting used to the way he likes it. We still have some changes to try tomorrow but this afternoon confirms the good shape that the bikes, the crew and the riders are in.

S�©bastien Charpentier: position â�� 1st, time â�� 2:03.841
It�s OK! The wind is quite strong when you�re riding into it so we may need to do some more work on the gearing and the front goes a bit light on the last of the three right-handers here. But I�m really quite happy with the front now, which we�ve been working hard on. I�m sure my team manager would like me to go two seconds faster but, for now, it�s OK!

Katsuaki Fujiwara: position � 2nd, time � 2:04.808
It�s good to finally get the season underway after all the hard work and the bad weather we�ve had in testing. The CBR is a fantastic bike and I am still getting used to the way the chassis performs, but we still have tomorrow to try some things that we didn�t get the chance to try in the rain this morning. The team is working really well together and we�re definitely going in the right direction and I�m really happy to be where I am.

More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi Ducati:

In Supersport Gianluca Nannelli on the 749R, after a brilliant fourth fastest in the morning wet session, had a crash during the initial stage of qualifying session, ending as ninth fastest, far from the leader.

“I had any physical damage for the crash”. – reassures Gianluca Nannelli at the end of the practice. “But to rejoin the pit and to control the spare bike we lose some time. Our situation is very similar of the last test: today too I’ve been the fastest in the first intermediate, then in the central sector I lose time. The bike is still the fastest under the speed trap. Obviously the wet track during the morning, as well useful to set the bike for wet conditions in the possibility, very improbable for the truth, of wet race condition, and the crash during qualifying in the afternoon didn’t help us today.”�