This just in, from Chicken Hawk Racing:

Attn: Roadracing World Action Fund Donations

We here at Chicken Hawk Racing would like to donate to the Roadracing World Action Fund.

It is great to see more being utilized and we have been encouraged by all the companies who are participating.

We would like to contribute $50.00 from each set of tire warmers sold through our website until the end of the year (all models).

We are happy to join the effort and look forward to seeing the positive results of the fund.

Tonya Gergely
Chicken Hawk Racing

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Arclight Suzuki’s Scott Harwell is expected to be back in action for the Formula USA National round at Virginia International Raceway June 27-29 following surgery to plate his broken right hand.

Harwell crashed while running fourth in the first F-USA Sportbike race June 15 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hamsphire. Harwell highsided in turn one and broke the third metacarpal in his right hand, near the wrist joint.

Harwell, who was just reaching full fitness following a serious right wrist fracture suffered in the middle of the 2002 season, underwent a 1.5-hour operation Thursday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to insert a small plate and two screws into the fracture. The surgery was performed by the same doctor who treated Harwell’s wrist last year.

“He’s got a ‘Boxer’s Fracture,’ which as far as hand fractures go is not a big deal. But that’s easy for me to say because it’s not my broken hand,” said Arclight Suzuki Team Co-owner and Crew Chief Chuck Warren.

“It’ll depend on how much pain he can manage, but structurally the hand will be fine. The doctors told him the hand won’t be at 100 percent, but the hand will be 100 percent within six weeks, easily. And once the plate and the screws are in place, if he can tolerate the discomfort, the hand will be structurally sound.

“He’s been riding motorcycles at work, just moving them around the shop and everything and using his hand and using his braking finger. He says right now if he brakes with his middle finger, it hurts quite a bit and he can feel the bone move around. So once they stabilize that, it’ll just be a matter of if he can tolerate the pain or not.

“He seems to think this isn’t going to slow him down much.”

Following the Loudon Formula USA event, Harwell was tied for seventh in Sportbike points and was fourth in the Superbike Championship standings with four rounds remaining.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Announcer and former racer Richard Chambers today contradicted claims made by AMA Pro Racing officials that cornerworkers did not report Steve Rapp’s bike hitting a bare concrete wall during Superbike qualifying on Friday of the Road Atlanta AMA National.

When asked why no soft barriers were installed after Rapp crashed and before Woody Deatherage hit the same section of bare wall two days later, breaking his back, AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth and Road Racing Series Manager Ron Barrick both said that AMA officials did not know that Rapp’s bike had hit the wall, because cornerworkers did not inform AMA officials at the event.

Reacting to a report on Roadracingworld.com (6/11/03, AMA: Miscommunication Behind Failure To Deploy Soft Barriers Before Deatherage Hit Bare Wall), several readers who were at Road Atlanta pointed out that they had learned about the incident when announcers Richard Chambers and Chris Carter discussed the fact that Rapp’s bike had hit the wall. The readers found it hard to believe that AMA officials were not aware of those discussions over the public address system. The report also pointed out that Rapp’s crew men had discussed the fact that the bike had hit the wall with AMA Pro Racing Tech Inspector Terrie Siegfried, because they had to explain why the bike caught on fire–the tank ruptured when it hit the wall–before AMA Tech would release the motorcycle Friday afternoon.

And reached by phone today, Chambers said that not only had he announced that Rapp’s bike had hit the wall, he also heard cornerworkers report the wall impact to race control over the AMA radio network.

“We made comment on how lucky he (Rapp) was to be able to get up from the crash,” said Chambers. “We made comment about the thing pounding the wall and how difficult it was for the cornerworkers to pick it up and move it. You could see the debris from where the bike had hit.

“We first saw it on the Speed TV feed, and when they cut away from it I started listening to the cornerworker network,” continued Chambers. “They said that there was an incident in turns 4 and 5, and I heard somebody say the thing hit a wall, over the cornerworker network. Control was asking them to describe the incident. They mentioned that it went into this particular area and that the bike had hit the wall.”

AMA Pro Racing brings in its own race control person at AMA Nationals.

According to Hollingsworth, AMA Pro Racing has a policy of installing soft barriers whenever a new wall impact area is identified at a racetrack. But at Pikes Peak, two weeks after the incident at Road Atlanta, AMA Pro Road Racing Operations Assistant Jay Hannam said, when asked if Airfence would be put up where a rider hit the wall outside turn two, “We can’t put up Airfence every time somebody hits a wall.” At Road America, three weeks after the incident at Road Atlanta, Barrick and AMA Pro Racing Safety And Equipment Director Hugh Fleming (who handles soft barriers for AMA Pro Racing) said that they had never heard of any policy to install soft barriers whenever a new wall impact area is identified at a racetrack.

In both cases, at Pikes Peak and at Road America, additional soft barriers were eventually installed in front of bare walls hit by riders, including an impact that sent Aaron Gobert to the hospital with a broken wrist.



More, from a reader and cornerworker:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail

Just a note to correct some possible misimpressions. I cornerworked the Road Atlanta AMA race and have been a cornerworker for the past 18 years. At Road Atlanta there is a dual communications system, a hard-wired com. system used for cars and a two-way radio network. There was person in the Race Control position on each system for all of the event, sort of co-race controllers. There are a couple of reasons I was told why there is the dual setup. One important one being that, since the hard-wired person on each turn is limited in mobility by the length of the wire at each station, there is a radio available so that there is communication available from all sight lines. The AMA also has an observer that sits with Race Control. The observer does not usually talk on the communications system but works with the person at the Race Control position to make control decisions, presumably, as the AMA would like them to be made. This has been my experience at Road A., Daytona and Loudon.

I can’t be certain that the AMA observer working with the control people at Road A. heard the cornerworkers describe the crash over the com. systems at the time. Perhaps the description came over the wired system which may not have been available to the AMA observer. These are questions that the persons that were there in control could answer. I do find it dubious that the statement was made that the AMA did not hear from the workers that the bike had hit the wall.

I was on the scene (I called to stop the race) on Sunday for Mr. Deatherage’s crash. An AMA official came out to the turn while we were still cleaning up and I and others told him what had happened.

Ed McFarland
Derry, New Hampshire

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

VERMEULEN AND CBR600RR CHASING FOUR IN A ROW

Honda’s Chris Vermeulen is looking to win his fourth successive World Supersport championship race in Sunday’s seventh round of the championship at Misano, San Marino.

Celebrating his 21st birthday today, Vermeulen enjoys a 47-point championship lead as the series arrives at the popular Adriatic coastal
circuit.

“We’re just on a roll and long may it continue,” says Ten Kate Honda team rider Vermeulen. “But last Sunday’s win at Silverstone in Britain wasn’t easy, the team worked long into the night on Saturday to make sure the race
set-up was good.”

Vermeulen’s closest challenger at Misano may well be Karl Muggeridge, his own team-mate in the crack Dutch Ten Kate squad. Muggeridge put a string of disappointing races behind to take third place at Silverstone.

“I’ve made some silly mistakes this year and it was time to get my championship campaign back on track,” reckons Muggeridge. “Third place at
Silverstone last week did just that.”

Of the eight Honda Europe supported riders it is the experienced Van Zon pairing of Ian MacPherson and Werner Daemen who will be aiming to put their Misano knowledge to good use as they take Honda’s new CBR600RR machine there
for the first time.

The BKM Honda effort fields Frenchman Christophe Cogan–sixth last Sunday at Silverstone–and promising young Australian Broc Parkes–looking to make amends for a disappointing retirement from last week’s British round.

The Austrian-based Klaffi Honda team fields French ace Sebastien Charpentier and experienced Austrian Robert Ulm.

Charpentier believes: “Misano will be a good test for all of the Honda teams. It’s a new track for everyone racing the new RR machine and we’re all starting equal on Friday morning.”

The Misano World Supersport action gets under way with free practice on Friday morning followed by the opening qualifying session on Friday afternoon. Friday’s schedule is repeated on Saturday while Sunday’s race gets under way at 1:20 p.m.

World Supersport championship points after six of 11 rounds: 1 Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Honda) 131, 2 Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Holland
(Yamaha) 84, 3 Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki) 76, 4 Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) 62, 5 Christian Kellner, Germany (Yamaha) 59, 6 Alessio Corradi, Italy (Yamaha) 48, 7 Karl Muggeridge, Australia (Honda) and Pere Riba, Spain (Kawasaki) 46, 9 Christophe Cogan, France (Honda) 35, 10 Broc Parkes, Australia (Honda) and Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha) 30. 12 Robert Ulm, Austria (Honda) 22. 15 Sebastien Charpentier, France (Honda) 17. 16 Iain MacPherson, GB (Honda) 16. 17 Werner Daemen, Belgium (Honda) 13.

Manufacturers points: 1 Honda 140, 2 Yamaha 110, 3 Suzuki 102, 4 Kawasaki 50.

Misano statistics:
Circuit length: 2.52 miles – 4.06km
Lap record: Stephane Chambon (Suzuki) 1:38.856 (June 2002)
2002 pole position: Fabien Foret (Honda) 1:37.669
2002 winner: Fabien Foret (Honda)

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Geez, Thanks for bringing this incident up! Talk about something being blown out of proportion!

Yes, I was fooling around with some friends and an unintended person did get mixed up in my horseplay. Yes, I was blacked-flagged out of qualifying and Ron Barrick was very, very upset with me. No, I should not have been playing around in such a manner.

Yes, a bunch of my friends talked to Ron and Merrill Vanderslice about what happened and cooled them down. A little.

All agreed that I was a dumbass. Or worse.

Ron and Merrill did give me a good talking-to. A couple of times! I deserved it, they were both mad but very civilized. There was never a mention of a fine to me by either Ron or Merrill. But I know that I’m on their list!

I realize that Ron has enough problems to deal with at a race (just listen to the AMA on their radio frequencies) that he does not need to have any nitwit such as myself causing more.

John France




More, from a reader:

I would just like to say Good Job to France on his response to Roadracingworld.com regarding his horseplay.

Not only did he accept the consequences for his actions but he owned up to them. This was a very classy move to put this in writing for all to see.

Good Job!

Roger Preston
AHRMA 4327

From a press release issued for Ducati Austin by OMS Sports:

FLORENCE, Ky.–The Ducati Austin Racing Team announced that they have decided to release Australian rider Anthony Gobert from his contract with the team.

Terry Gregoricka, the team owner, declared: “Both of us have made a big effort to make things work this year, but they didn’t turn out the way we had expected at the start of the season.

“As a result the Ducati Austin team has decided to move in another direction.”

For the next two rounds of the AMA Superbike Championship at Brainerd (June 27-29) and Laguna Seca (July 10-13), the team will enter the World Superbike Championship rider, 30 year-old Italian Giovanni Bussei.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Kneedraggers.com Yamaha’s Matt Wait hopes to ride in the Formula USA event at Virginia International Raceway June 27-29 despite fracturing his right shoulder last weekend, during qualifying for a F-USA event at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Wait tangled with a slower rider and crashed during Saturday Sportbike qualifying for the 80th Loudon Classic. During the tumble the slower rider’s bike landed on Wait, breaking his right scapula. But, after being examined by Dr. Arthur Ting on Wednesday, June 18, Wait said his fracture is not as bad as he first believed.

“It’s broken,” said Wait Thursday. “There’s two breaks. It’s broken in a ‘Y’ shape. No bones have separated from each other. There’s no tear, and the only way they do surgery is if there’s a tear in the tissue or muscle.

“Why it felt so bad is because it’s so swollen from all the blood in my back where I got hit. All the pressure and everything makes it feel way worse than it is.”

For treatment, Wait is utilizing a device popular with racers recovering from broken bones, called Game Ready.

“You plug it in, put ice and water in it and it shoots the ice and water through these hoses,” described Wait. “I have like a vest that I wear, and it shoots the ice and water through the vest on my shoulder.

“It’s adjustable. It has a thermostat where you can adjust the temperature, and you can adjust the pressure it presses on you. You know those things that take your blood pressure? That’s how it is on my shoulder.

“I’m going to use that this week and go back to him (Dr. Ting) for another evaluation Tuesday (June 24). I’ll probably be able to ride at Virginia, but I’m just going into this wanting to get some points.”

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

ROBERTS OUT OF DUTCH TT

Edenbridge, Kent – June 19, 2003:

Team Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts Junior will not take part in next weekend’s (June 28th) Dutch TT, after doctors in the USA diagnosed more extensive internal injuries than first suspected.

Roberts, who won the 500cc World Championship in 2000 on a Suzuki, sustained the injuries in a crash in the Italian GP, on June 8. His hopes of being fit for the Catalunyan GP the following weekend were dashed by worsening chest pains, and he flew home to California for medical treatment on the eve of that race.

“It feels like I just crashed yesterday,” he said.

Roberts consulted famed surgeon Arthur Ting, and underwent a scan that revealed deep soft tissue damage to his chest and upper abdomen. He was ruled out of the Dutch TT, and although doctors suggested a further six weeks recuperation were necessary, he hopes to be fit for the following round, the British GP at Donington Park on July 13.

Kenny’s place on the 990cc V4 Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP prototype at the Dutch TT will be taken by Japanese rider Yukio Kagayama. Currently racing a GSX-R1000 Superbike for the British national Rizla Crescent Suzuki team, Kagayama will go directly to the Netherlands from Brands Hatch, where he is contesting a championship race this weekend.

A Suzuki rider since 1993, he already has GP experience on the 500cc two-stroke, with a best of sixth place in the Malaysian GP in 1998. Last year, Kagayama helped to race-develop the first version of the GSV-R MotoGP prototype in Japan, winning three All-Japan Superbike races.

“I hoped to race in at least one GP this year. The chance has come earlier than I thought – and I am really looking forward to it,” he said.

Team Manager Garry Taylor said: “We’ve worked with Yukio before, and we know that he not only tries really hard, but brings a positive attitude as well. We join a lot of other people in admiring his hard-charging performance in the recent World Superbike round in Britain.

“Of course it’s a blow to lose Kenny at a crucial time of urgent machine development. Luckily John Hopkins appears to be just about over his injuries from Mugello, and he not only raced in Catalunya but put in a day’s testing after the race as well. We know he will put in his usual 100 percent, while Yukio’s input will be another welcome source of data for the race engineers.”

From a press release issued by Two Brothers Racing:

The Gig: Two Brothers Racing is very pleased to announce that they will be hosting an exhibition Mini Supermoto race held in conjunction with round one of the inaugural AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey California the weekend of the World Superbike Race, July 11-13, 2003. The race will be promoted and officiated by Two Brothers Racing.

The Bikes: Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. will furnish 15 box stock, 2003 Kawasaki KLX110 motorcycles. Two Brothers Racing will prepare these minis so as to be specially configured for motard style competition. These preparations include TBR performance exhaust systems, TAG Metals mini handlebar kits and special graphics kits from Megla Designs. “The bikes will look and sound cool,” says Craig Erion of Two Brothers Racing, “and with three speed semi automatic transmissions they’ll be easy and fun to ride.

The Track: The track was designed by Don Canet of Cycle World Magazine. Don is considered to be the father of Motard style racing in the U.S.. The minis will be raced on the same Supermoto track as the big bikes and will consist of 30% dirt, one table top jump and an 800′ straight away, which will provide lots of drafting and passing opportunities for the minis. The Kawasaki KLX110s will be more than up to the challenge.
The Racers: The riders will be chosen from the top field of motorcycle celebrities, former professional racers and press figures. The field is already shaping up to provide some real competition. Racers already committed include; Mitch Boehm of Motorcyclist Magazine, Paul Carruthers and Blake Conner of Cycle News, Brian Catterson of Cycle World Magazine, Scott Hoffman of Dirt Rider Magazine, Clement Salvadori of Rider Magazine, Peter Jones and Bill Syfan of Motorcycle Street & Strip, Kent Kunitsugu of Sportrider Magazine, Sarah Schilke (a.k.a. Super Sarah) of American Motorcyclist Magazine and Steve Atlas of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology. Cameron Gray of Race Promotion Management, the event promoter, and Andy Leisner, VP of AMA Pro Racing will be instrumental in the further selection of riders.

Andrew Trevitt of Sportrider Magazine will serve as Chief Scrutineer (tech inspector). Course control and scoring will be handled by Two Brothers Racing staff. The races will consist of one eight-lap heat race to be held at 8:45 a.m. Saturday morning and then the final 10-lap main event will be held at 3:40 p.m. the same day. The heat race finishing order will establish the main event starting grid and the racers’ age will set the heat race starting grid (expect to see Clement Salvadori on the pole for that!). Trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers of the final main event.

The Goodness: All net proceeds from the event will be contributed directly to the Clayton Memorial Foundation, while 100% of the raffle ticket sales will be directly contributed. The Clayton Memorial Foundation helps motorcycle racers who have sustained life changing injuries while competing in sanctioned events, sanctioned by bona fide sanctioning bodies like the AMA. Says Judy Klinger of the Clayton Memorial Foundation; “All indications show that the new Supermoto Series will be exciting for the fans, riders, and industry sponsors. I’m sure that the mini bike exhibition will be just as exciting.”

Financial benefits for the Clayton Memorial Foundation will be arrived at by the sales of raffle tickets for the winning motorcycle. Raffle tickets are currently on sale via the Two Brothers Racing web site and sell for $5.00 each. Tickets will also be sold at the TBR display trackside. There is an anticipated sale of 2,500 tickets, netting $12,500. There will also be a packaged deal of a ticket and a souvenir cap for $15.00. Net proceeds from the ‘packaged’ cap and ticket sale could easily reach another $25,000. Or more. The drawing will be held Sunday afternoon during the lunch break and the winner need not be present. “It is not unrealistic to project anywhere from $25,000 to $75,000 going directly to the Foundation, and just from this one event.” says Craig Erion of Two Brothers Racing. “We’re very excited to be a part the Superbike weekend at Laguna Seca and to offer some real financial assistance to the Clayton Memorial Foundation.”

The benefits to the event organizers, sponsors and fans are the goodwill and recognition that comes from promoting a worthy cause. And a chance for enthusiasts to see their favorite motorcycle personalities go at it on equally powered and equally setup machines is something unprecedented in the motorcycle industry. This will be a fun event in a benevolent atmosphere at one of the worlds top racing venues.

For more information contact Craig Erion at Two Brothers Racing, phone: 714-550-6070 or e-mail: [email protected].