Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Practice was stopped at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time Friday at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California due to fog.

AMA Superstock riders had just started a practice session when the fog rolled in and reduced visibility enough for officials to red flag the session.

AMA Supersport and 250cc Grand Prix racers had already completed practice sessions earlier Friday morning.

How the delay will affect Friday’s schedule is yet to be determined.

Friday’s schedule at Laguna Seca calls for practice for AMA Superstock, 250cc Grand Prix and Superbike; qualifying for AMA Superstock; the AMA Supersport race; and World Superbike practice and qualifying.


Update: World Superbikes rolled out onto the track at about 11:00 a.m., after the fog burned off.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The July 10 FIM press release announcing that World Superbike Championship promoters FGSport Group have requested a spec tire rule for the 2004 World Superbike season came as a surprise to the top two teams in the 2003 World Superbike Championship.

“I saw it yesterday. Big surprise. We never heard about it,” said Paolo Ciabatti, the head of Ducati Corse’s Superbike racing program. “In principle, I don’t want to comment at the moment, but it’s not something we were expecting.”

Asked if he knew of anyone was consulted before the spec tire deal was announced, Ciabatti said, “The single make of the tire, no, I don’t think they talked to anybody (before they announced it). It was a surprise for everybody including us.”

“I was surprised to hear of the proposal,” said Darrell Healy, Team Principal for HM Plant Ducati, “because the first part of the press release deals with talking about unifying the Superbike rules between the International Championship, the UK and the AMA and Japan.

“Obviously, in those other three National Championships there is no one-tire rule.

“It was a little bit surprising that one hand was talking about unification of rules and then secondly World Superbike’s going to have one tire.

“So, I’m not sure if it’s a suggestion or actually something that’s definitely going to happen for next year. I think what we’re going to do is to see what is actually going to be proposed in terms of technical rules for next year at Brands Hatch. They’re saying that’s when it’s going to be announced.”

Asked if he had heard any talk of the spec tire deal before Thursday, Healy said, “It was the first time I officially heard of it being a possibility. There was talk or rumors at Silverstone of maybe some sort of one tire manufacturer.

“No brand has officially been announced, but there’s a very strong rumor, again, that it’s going to be Pirelli.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Attack Suzuki’s Josh Hayes took his fourth AMA Superstock pole position of the 2003 season with a new Laguna Seca lap record time of 1:28.429.

The previous lap record of 1:29.429 was set by Vincent Haskovec in 2001. Hooters Suzuki’s Haskovec also beat his old record time with a 1:29.293 but qualified sixth in the highly-competitive field.

All of the top six qualifiers went faster than the old lap record.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp, winner of the last two Superstock races, qualified second with a 1:28.706 on his Michelin-shod machine.

Corona Extra Suzuki’s Adam Fergusson and Tommy Hayden, riding the Kawasaki 636cc ZX-6R, also qualified on the front row Friday in Monterey, California.

Provisional AMA Superstock Qualifying Results:

1. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.598
2. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.706
3. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.796
4. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.131
5. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.169
6. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.293
7. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.683
8. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.969
9. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.087
10. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.219
11. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.638
12. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.827
13. Jeremy Toye, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.940
14. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.012
15. Corey Eaton, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.787
16. Jason Perez, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.811
17. Hawk Mazzotta, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.961
18. Chris Peris, Honda CBR600RR, 1:32.034
19. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.193
20. Tom Wertman, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.471


More, from a press release issued by 1-888-FASTLAP:

1-888-FASTLAP RIDERS 9TH AND 19TH IN SUPERSTOCK QUALIFYING; CAYLOR IN TOP TEN DESPITE INJURY

MONTEREY, Calif.- 1-888-FASTLAP’s Opie Caylor qualified ninth for AMA Pro Racing’s Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock race at Laguna Seca Raceway, despite riding with an injured knee.

Caylor, who has only ridden the challenging road course once before, set a time of 1:30.087 to take the ninth spot in qualifying on the 1-888-FASTLAP/Team EMGO Taiwan Suzuki GSX-R750.

Several days before the event, Caylor injured his left knee while training on his bicycle. A deep cut has caused him discomfort on the racetrack, but it did not stop him from earning a top-ten qualifying position.

“We were a bit off the pace in the last practice,” said Caylor. “My mechanic Grant (Matsushima) had a theory about the gearing, and we changed it for the qualifying session. It was a lot better. We went a second faster in qualifying, on race tires, than we did in practice. Grant made a good call. We’re always trying to go faster, but we should be good for the race.”

Stokes, who also rides under the 1-888-FASTLAP banner, qualified 19th on the Team Embry Suzuki GSX-R750. His quickest time of the qualifying session was a 1:32.193. Stokes is riding at Laguna Seca for the first time.

“It’s a hard track to get a good grasp of,” commented Stokes. “Up until qualifying my gearing was totally wrong. Between finding the right setup and getting acquainted with the track, I wasn’t as quick as I’d hoped to be. From turns five to ten I feel strong, but I need to get through the first five turns better. This is the toughest of all the AMA tracks I’ve ridden this year.”

Caylor and Stokes also qualified for the AMA Superbike race, which will be held on Saturday, July 12. Caylor qualified 16th with a time of 1:30.773 and Stokes will start from the 28th position after qualifying with a time of 1:32.527.

The Superstock race will be held on Sunday, July 13, at 1:30.

1-888-FASTLAP owner Paul Wright is also riding at Laguna Seca for the first time. Wright has been learning the track on his Yamaha TZ250 in preparation for the MBNA 250 GP Series race on Sunday. Qualifying will be held on Saturday.

In addition to learning a new track, Wright faces several additional challenges. He has been off the bike for over a month, and is preparing to undergo knee surgery due to a recent injury.



More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

Rapp Second-fastest In Superstock Qualifying At Laguna

Friday at Laguna Seca saw Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki continue a strong midseason charge, qualifying two men on the front three rows for Sunday’s Superstock final. Steve Rapp led the way, claiming the second spot on the grid, while Chris Ulrich continued to show lead-pack speed, qualifying 12th despite a minor crash during practice.

The 30-year-old Rapp led much of the Superstock session, until being bumped a spot late. While the pole position would have been a nice reward for his strong form, Rapp proved last time out at Brainerd International Raceway that he has no problems winning from the second spot on the front row. Running under the old lap record again on Friday, Rapp is firmly in contention to grab his third consecutive Superstock win, despite having a sore shoulder that limited his track time.

“We led much of the session and I think it’s clear we have the speed to run up front again in this race,” Rapp said. “I’m still having some problems with the shoulder and we will have to wait and see how we do in the race. I’ll give it my best effort, of course.” Rapp has won the last two Genuine Suzuki Accessories AMA Superstock races, first at Road America and then at Brainerd.

After the first Supersport practice session was cancelled due to fog, Chris Ulrich fell in Superbike practice but recovered to put himself on the third row of the Superstock grid, then immediately left the track for treatment of his aggravated shoulder by famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Art Ting and his physical therapist, Tuan Nyugen. Ulrich, who won his first Superstock National here at Laguna Seca two years ago, will look for a good start on Sunday to achieve his goal of a top-five finish. Ulrich and his Michelin-shod Suzuki have made considerable progress the past two events and the second-generation racer is returning to form after a slow, injury-hampered start to 2003.

Meanwhile, young Matt Furtek continued to learn the nuances of the tricky 2.2-mile circuit, a task in no way helped by the morning weather. He qualified 22nd. “I’m still figuring out the fast way to get around here,” the teenager remarked. “The morning session got fogged out, so we didn’t get as much track time as we would have liked.”

Saturday will see Rapp on the big Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000, seeking a podium finish in the 17-lap Formula Xtreme final.

From a press release issued by Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association (MSMA):

Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association
APRILIA S.P.A
DUCATI MOTOR HOLDING SpA
HONDA MOTOR Co., Ltd.
KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
SUZUKI MOTOR Corporation
YAMAHA MOTOR Co., Ltd.

10th July 2003

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The MSMA and each of the individual manufacturers who are members of the MSMA would like to thank the media for all the work they put into covering motorcycle racing and for encouraging so many people to take an interest in, and give their backing to, the sport.

On the assumption of implementation with the World Championship SuperBike from 2004, each of the participating manufacturers — members of the MSMA — have worked together over a period of two years to create an environment where differences in performance can be lessened for a relatively low level of investment, putting a stop to abnormal increases in engine power through large financial investments, and in spite of performance differences due to differing numbers of cylinders, making the gap between engines with different numbers of cylinders with the same 1,000 cc size fairer. In order to do this, we created a technical rule for the adoption of air restrictors (already fitted to the current Suzuki machines). After receiving the understanding of the various parties involved, this rule was adopted as an FIM rule for 2004 onwards.

As manufacturers of commercial machines, we drew up this rule with great care so as not to require equipment and performance for the purpose of racing exceeding that which would normally be needed for commercial motorcycles, which would consequently cause the price of the commercial machines used as the base of racing to rise, and put an unnecessary load onto ordinary consumers.

The six manufacturers that are the members of the MSMA are therefore extremely disappointed and discouraged by saying that FGSPORT and FIM wanted to change 2004 SuperBike World Championship technical regulation suddenly.

The six manufacturers that are the members of the MSMA feel that this sudden change does not conform with the quality and status of a World Championships, and does not meet basic requirements for technical rules, such as enabling large numbers of teams and companies to compete under fairer condition. The adoption of rules that are a long way away from the reasons for drafting the rule described above has had a major impact on the interest of the manufacturers in competing in World Championship SuperBike.

Moreover, it was requested to MSMA that it attended SBK Commission for the rule change.
Of course, we rejected attendance to the SBK commission that discusses such an unreasonable proposal, and decided to secede from such SBK Commission.

In addition, it is sad, but it has to be said that this is not the first time that something like this has happened. In 2000, the kit-part rules for World Championship SuperBike were suddenly changed only half a year before implementation. Members of the media will remember that event clearly.

On that occasion, too, each of the companies that were the members of the MSMA had already incurred the costs of development, the costs of manufacturing actual components, and the costs of components already ordered. The companies suffered a great deal of damage on that occasion, but had come to believe promises that the same thing would never happen again.

Despite that, the same situation has recurred after less than three years. This time too, substantial damages have been incurred through loss of investments in development costs, etc. In addition to this, the basic incentive for competing is substantially reduced as described above. As a consequence, the large majority of the MSMA member companies who were considering entering World Championship SuperBike have reviewed their positions and decided not to enter World Championship SuperBike at all.

The MSMA member companies feel that for racing at the World Championship level, quality and status need to be maintained, and that fair rules need to be introduced and kept steady. That is a prerequisite for competing.

We are aware that this MSMA decision is a very sad one for the world of motorcycle racing, but we believe that the members of the media, with their deep and all-encompassing knowledge of motorcycling, will be able to properly understand and appreciate the reasons for the decision.

We would like to ask you for your understanding and hope that you will continue to be able to give your support to the continuing support to the growth of motor cycling and motorcycle racing.

Yours sincerely,

Takanao Tsubouchi
Secretary General

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Marty Craggill and wife Diane had a son, Zac Martin Craggill, July 2 in Melbourne, Australia.

Marty Craggill returned to Australia following the AMA National at Brainerd, in time for Zac to be born by C-section. Craggill returned to the U.S. on Wednesday, July 9.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Accoridng to a press release issued at Laguna Seca by the FIM, “At the request of the Superbike World Championship promoter, FGSport Group, a unique brand and type of tyres will be available to all riders and teams to create fair and equitable conditions to all of them and in order to prevent a lack of availability of tyres.”

We think that means spec tires, but we’re not sure. Stay tuned.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The FIM annoucement that the Superbike World Championship will run on spec tires in 2004 came as a surprise to representatives of Dunlop, which supplies the majority of teams on the grid, and to Michelin, which has dominated the Championship.

“We don’t have any knowlegde of it at all,” said Dave Watkins, Manager-Motorcycle Race of Dunlop Tyres Ltd. of Birminghamn, England, speaking in the paddock at Laguna Seca Thursday afternoon.

“Both Dunlop and Michelin are very upset about it, the fact that this is going on and we haven’t been consulted about it. There’s nothing to say, really, we can’t give you a comment, because we don’t know what they’re planning, or what the idea is, or where the position of Pirelli is in this. We have no idea. So it’s as much news to you as it is to us.”

“I wish that they had contacted us before,” said Jean Herisse, who runs Michelin’s World Superbike program. “Because it looks like only Pirelli knew about it so far. Dunlop was surprised, and us. Of course, Flammini and Zerbi being Italian, maybe that’s why they contacted Pirelli. The thing I cannot understand, they are making that so everybody will be equal, huh? ‘To create a fair and equitable condition.’ So in this case they should have all the same machine. Either all on the Ducati, or all on the Honda, or all on the Yamaha. That would be fair, no? And since Ducati is Italian, maybe they should pick it.”

But while Pirelli Racing Development Manager Giorgio Barbier said “I can’t tell you” when asked if Pirelli is negotiating with series promoter FGSport Group to supply spec World Superbike tires, he did say, “The series could have an advantage” if spec tires were adopted.

“Now the tires are really making a bigger difference than the quality of the machines and the riders,” said Barbier. According to Barbier, competition in the World Superbike series is hampered because Michelin supplies only one team, Ducati Corse, and sells tires of a lesser spec to one team, Foggy Petronas, and because Dunlop supports a few teams with development tires and sells lesser spec tires to other teams. A single make and model tire would eliminate the advantages a few teams now have, Barbier said. However, Pirelli is currently running a small R&D program with a single team and is not in a position to supply the entire World Superbike paddock, Barbier said.

Pirelli does supply a spec tire in the European Superstock Series, and Barbier said that the result is extremely close competition among several motorcycle teams and brands.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The current AMA Formula Xtreme lap record of 1:27.855 was set last year by Damon Buckmaster.

Thursday Morning AMA Formula Xtreme Practice Times:

1. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.453
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.737
3. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.002
4. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:28.380
5. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.589
6. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.672
7. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.741
8. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.809
9. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.471
10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.645
11. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 1:30.973
12. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.356
13. Kim Nakashima, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.857
14. Garry Combs, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.030
15. Thomas Montano, Ducati, 1:33.744
16. David Bell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.112
17. Corey Eaton, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.156
18. Mickey Lane, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.158
19. Marco Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.475
20. Doug Pitcock, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.893

From a press release issued by the FIM:

The Grand Prix Permanent Bureau met yesterday at the FIM Headquarters in Mies and decided
the following :

For 2004, the Regulations remain unchanged. In the MotoGP class, upon unanimous request from the Manufacturers members of MSMA, the fuel tank capacity allowed remains fixed at 24 litres for the 2004 season. As from 2005, it will be reduced to 22 litres.