Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

John Hopkins underwent surgery Monday, January 26 to plate bones in both ankles, injured when he came up short on a set of triple jumps and crashed during practice for a Supercross Crossover Challenge race in San Diego Saturday.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Art Ting performed the surgery.

Hopkins is expected to stay at Ting’s clinic in Fremont, California until Friday, undergoing rehab and being treated with a bone growth stimulator.

Hopkins typically trains two or three days a week on motocross bikes when he is at home in California and was a successful motocross racer before he took up road racing.

Road racer Jeremy Toye also crashed in San Diego, during the actual Crossover Challenge race, hitting the face of the third jump in the same set of triples that did in Hopkins, and also broke both ankles. Former WSMC Overall Champion Toye did not undergo surgery and has casts on both ankles.



More, from a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist, Larry Lawrence:

Hopkins recovering from surgery

RAMONA, Calif. – Suzuki MotoGP rider John Hopkins is recovering from surgery on both ankles injured Saturday, Jan. 24, in a practice session for the Suzuki Crossover Challenge held during the AMA THQ Supercross Series race at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. Hopkins came up short on a jump and injured both ankles.

Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting performed the surgery on Hopkins yesterday. It is expected that the young rider will be walking within two or three days and will be able resume his cardiovascular training on a bicycle next week.

“It was an unfortunate incident,” Hopkins said. “I practice motocross riding almost everyday. It’s a big part of my training. I thought it would be fun to participate in this exhibition race sponsored by Suzuki in my hometown area. I feel bad for my team since this could potentially keep me from a couple of tests. It’s certainly been a learning experience.”

Hopkins plans to return to testing as soon as possible. He’s hopeful to be 100% for the upcoming tests in Phillip Island on February 23.

The Californian promises to be fit and ready to race the all new Suzuki GSV-R by the time the MotoGP season opens in South Africa on April 18.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA PRO RACING EXTENDS SYMPATHY TO FAMILY OF FALLEN RIDER

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Jan. 26, 2004) — AMA Pro Racing offers heartfelt condolences to the family of Jason Ciarletta, 19, of Riverside, California. Ciarletta was fatally injured Saturday night during a race at the AMA Supercross event in San Diego, California.

“Our hearts and prayers are with Jason and his family during this difficult period,” said Steve Whitelock, AMA Pro Racing Motocross/Supercross Series Manager.

Ciarletta crashed during a qualifying heat in Saturday’s event, round four of the 16-round series. Trackside medical personnel accompanied by EMTs were with Ciarletta within seconds of the crash. Ciarletta was transported to Sharp’s Medical Center.

“All of us in the Supercross racing community are taking this hard,” said Whitelock Monday morning. “We’re a tight-knit group and this affects everyone involved with our series. I’m confident Jason’s family will receive a great deal of emotional support in dealing with their loss.”

Whitelock confirmed that this was the first fatality in the 31-year history of AMA Supercross racing.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Insiders say that AMA Pro Racing may shorten the Superstock race at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) from 15 laps to 10 or 12 laps, to reduce the chance of catastrophic tire failures or other problems with 1000cc Superstock bikes this coming March.

This year’s race will be the first Superstock event allowing 1000cc motorcycles, which are required to run stock 17-inch wheels.

Sunday and Monday’s AMA and Daytona-organized tire test with Dunlop, Michelin and Pirelli teams convinced officials that all three suppliers have the 16.5-inch Superbike tire situation well in hand, and thus the Daytona 200 is expected to run as planned with an unmodified format.

But the Superstock race is another matter, with officials doubting that 1000cc Superstock bikes will go the now-scheduled 15-lap distance on fuel and worried that more 17-inch Superstock tire failures like the one that sent Jason DiSalvo on his head at over 170 mph in December–and which triggered this re-test–will be a problem.

How to deal with privateers entering stock-wheeled 1000cc Superstock bikes in the Daytona 200 is an unresolved question, with one suggestion being that officials require the use of 16.5-inch wheels and tires specifically made for Superbike use.

Stay tuned…

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Newly appointed AMA Supercross/Motocross Series Manager Steve Whitelock is at the tire test at Daytona International Speedway Monday to help AMA Pro Racing evaluate the information from the test and determine a course of action for the Daytona race.

“I do have a lot of experience with the road race stuff,” Whitelock, the former FIM Technical Manager for World Superbike, told Roadracingworld.com. “Scott (Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing) asked me to come down and maybe be a little bit of an advisor to Scott, help him understand.

“Scott and I don’t get enough time to always get together, and this was a good occasion because he was coming, and I had the time, and tomorrow we’re going to have a big AMA Pro (Racing) meeting. So it worked out really well.

“I’m here just because I know all of the European tire engineers who are here. I’m just kind of being an expert witness, if you want to call it that.”

Asked for his understanding of the current situation with tires at Daytona, Whitelock said, “I think what’s happening here is we’re making sure everyone’s going to be safe for the race. That’s all. They’re (Dunlop) just here to make sure. They had a problem, yeah. They fixed one of the problems. Now they’re working on fixing the second part. I think it’s going to be OK. I think we’re going to be alright. It’s just to err on the safe side then err on the wrong side.”

Whitelock said he would not regularly serve as an advisor to the road racing side of AMA Pro Racing because he is “far, far too busy” with his Supercross duties.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec shredded a DOT-labeled Michelin Pilot designed for a GSX-R600 and run on Haskovec’s GSX-R1000 during testing today at Daytona International Speedway. Haskovec did not crash and rode back into the pits following the incident.

“We had a 600 tire that was pretty shredded up,” said Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry. “AMA said we couldn’t bring a 600, and those guys (Michelin) wanted us to test 600 tires. So we put one on a 1000 with a 600 wheel and tested it. They wanted to see how long it would last, and it lasted nine laps on a GSX-R1000. We shredded it up pretty bad, but we didn’t have anything that lost air. We also chunked another 600 tire and had a chunk come out of a 1000 tire on the 15th lap. Both of the 1000 long-distance runs we made, his fastest lap was on the 15th lap.”

A 16.5-inch rear slick tire on Eric Bostrom’s Ducati also lost tread during testing of various compounds and constructions, including qualifying tires. The tire did not lose air and Bostrom did not crash.

“That’s testing,” said Michelin’s Jim Rhodes when asked about the problems, including Bostrom’s. “There’s a difference between colds and heart attacks. We had colds, Dunlop had a heart attack. There’s a big difference between rubber coming loose or chunks coming out of a tire and a catastrophic failure.”

From a press release issued by Yamaha:

YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TESTS
Sepang, Malaysia
Monday, January 26, 2004

Track temperature: 44 degrees C
Ambient temperature: 30 degrees C
Humidity: 57%

YAMAHA DRAWS STRENGTH FROM SEPANG SESSION

In gruelling heat Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team) was inside his own previous lap record of 2:03.82 at the 5.548km Sepang track in testing today. He recorded a best time of 2:02.75 in the final session of this intensive three-day test putting in a total of 59 laps. But the reigning MotoGP World Champion is keen to put in more hard development work here in just over two weeks time.

“We did some good work,” he said. “The time we made was good for a first test, but tyres and chassis settings were the main aim here. I’ve really enjoyed my first three days with Yamaha, I’m very happy. There’s still work to do on the engine and we’ll carry on with that, but overall things have been good.”

The World Champion’s Crew Chief Jerry Burgess was quietly satisfied with events. “I guess we’re doing okay,” he said. “We’ve achieved enough for a fast time and we were running according to the Michelin test programme. Things have been very harmonious in terms of integration with Yamaha and now we’ll go away and work on whatever the Yamaha Development Group have got for us.”

Rossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa (Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team) who rode a best lap of 2:03.72 during an arduous 88-lap stint, was happy with the endurance work he did and feels there is more to come from chassis settings in the weeks ahead.

“The bike feels better with the 16.5-inch front tyre,” said the hard-charging Spaniard who tried both 17-inch and 16.5-inch fronts. “The race endurance test was not so bad, and this was only the first test of the season. Of course we’ve got more to do but we have all we need to achieve results.”

Checa’s Crew Chief Antonio Jimenez was content with the three days work at this early stage of the testing programme. “The race simulation distance test provided valuable information for us,” he said. “We were focussed on that and this is just the beginning of our programme.”

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio was frank about his surprise at the rapid progress made here at Sepang. “I didn’t honestly expect we’d be at his level so soon,” he said. But the Italian expressed caution too. “All our competitors will work hard this winter too, but this is a good first test to motivate everyone in the team and everyone from Yamaha.”

Marco Melandri (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) rode 52 laps and put in a best time of 2:05.55. “Better than yesterday,” said the tough Italian, still sore from recent shoulder surgery. “In the end the bike was okay but I took time to adjust to the 16.5-inch front tyre I tried today. At the moment my mind is strong but not my body.”

Norick Abe (Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team) couldn’t quite make the most of a selection of Michelin tyres that suited his style well. “That was a bit so-so,” said the experienced Japanese rider. “We’re still not quite there with the settings, but we have not worked together before as a team. Even so I couldn’t get the time I felt the tyres were capable of.” Abe rode 52 laps with a best lap of 2:05.05.

Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Team Director Herve Poncharal believes his newly formed team benefited greatly from this Yamaha-only test. “We needed this first test to establish communication with new riders. For Marco this is his first ride since Phillip Island last year and he’s not 100% fit yet. The 16.5-inch front tyre is helping him and we weren’t here for lap times anyway – that’s not an excuse – it’s a fact. Norick is more of a racer than a tester and he looks very motivated. As the team begins to understand his needs more, we can expect more from him too.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom had a close call Monday morning during day two of an AMA team tire test at Daytona International Speedway.

After only a few laps on his A bike, which received a new engine overnight, Bostrom was entering turn one at speed when smoke came from his Ducati 999. Bostrom’s bike then continued to smoke as he went out of view and into the infield. Bostrom then did not come back around to the pits.

“It was something with the front brakes,” Bostrom told Roadracingworld.com, explaining that his front brake system started leaking brake fluid onto him and his bike. “I got lucky it was only on the right side of the tire. I went through (left hand) turn one with no problem, but as soon as I got on the right side of the tire (in turn two) it spun up real bad. I went to grab the front brake and only half of the brake (power) was there. You don’t realize how fast you’re going into the International Horseshoe until you have no brakes. I still had some front brakes or else I would’ve had to jump off it.”

Bostrom got his bike slowed enough to stay on the track but stalled his Ducati.

The track was shut down for approximately 15 minutes while Bostrom’s Ducati was retrieved and the track inspected.

Bostrom had not returned to the track as of one hour later.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

Mike Sanchez was the big winner at the Church of Speed’s Festival of Speed at No Problem Raceway in Louisiana, taking home the biggest payout of $1700. Sanchez won the first Expert race, a 20-lap event, on his Shogun Motorsports/Raceworx Suzuki GSX-R750. He then finished second in the second race, which was 25 laps in length.

Following qualifying on Saturday, riders were divided according to their top qualifying time. The top one-third of riders were put into the Expert class for the races, the middle went into the Novice class, and the final third were in the Trophy class. Each class had two races, but only Expert had a payout. Payout was determined by each rider’s combined best finish, with the second race carrying more weight because of its longer length.

In the first race, Greg Moore and Shane Stoyko battled for the lead in the early laps, until Moore’s tires began to wear and he fell back. Sanchez was able to move past both riders to take the lead, which he held for the final five laps.

Stoyko’s RacerSupply.com Suzuki GSX-R1000 hit a slick paint stripe on the final lap and he crashed, giving Moore second place on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Ben Thompson finished third on a Shogun Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600.

Moore took the lead from the start for the second race, building up a lead of about nine seconds over Heath Small on a Formula Xtreme-spec Shogun Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R6 and Sanchez.

On lap 22, Moore highsided violently coming out of the final turn onto the front straight. He was airlifted to the hospital with a suspected compound break of his femur. The race was red-flagged, and Small was credited with the win, while Sanchez was second and David Tullier was third on a Suzuki GSX-R750.

Sanchez’ first and second place finishes gave him the most points, and the top payout of $1700. Small received $900 and Thompson got $700.

In the two Novice races, BBC Racing’s Martin Musil won both on his Suzuki SV650. He won the first race by about 10 seconds, but had to battle with Jason Pirtle and David Chaplain before winning the second. Pirtle and Chaplain finished second and third, respectively, in both races.

Trenton Corday won the first Trophy race, while Nohl Haeckel was second and Chris Lossie was third. In the second Trophy race, Lossie won, followed by Luke Smith in second and Haeckel in third.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Monday, the second day of a special two-day AMA test at Daytona International Speedway involving teams and riders from three different tire manufacturers, is going to be the critical day for everyone involved with the test.

On Monday, Dunlop’s Superstock racers will start pushing their 17-inch slicks toward race distance after limiting its riders to no more than 10 laps on any one tire on Sunday, according to the teams.

In December, Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo had his rear Dunlop explode at 180 mph while he was on lap 11 of a race-distance run. No other Dunlop rider has gone as far on a Superstock bike with 17-inch slicks as DiSalvo at either the December or the current test.

Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom will also be doing important Michelin testing Monday to evaluate tires the French company constructed based on data from its test at Daytona last December.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec will have to do extra long-distance testing Monday as Haskovec’s teammate Steve Rapp will not ride Monday. Rapp’s Suzuki GSX-R1000 developed engine problems Sunday and the bike cannot be repaired for additional testing Monday.

Likewise, Pirelli still needs to evaluate tires it specially constructed last week for this Daytona test but were unable to test Sunday due to the tires being held up in U.S. Customs at the Daytona International Airport.

At lunchtime Monday, AMA Pro Racing officials, of which there are many at Daytona, will meet individually with Pirelli and Michelin to see where they are at with regards to tires. At the end of the day, AMA Pro Racing officials will then meet with Dunlop to get that company’s tire status.

According to AMA Pro Racing Superbike Series Manager Ron Barrick, the information gathered from the tire companies will then be looked at by the sanctioning body officials, who will then decide whether or not any changes to the Daytona race program need to be made.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP star Max Biaggi has bought a house near Laguna Beach, California, where he has been wintering.

Southern California residents have seen a lot of Biaggi, a.k.a. The Roman Emperor, in recent months, and he has been training at motocross tracks in the area.