Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The rains in Colorado have stopped, the track has been dried and the 48-lap AMA Superbike race is scheduled to start at 3:40 p.m. Mountain Time.

From AMA Pro Racing:

“Due to the late start and the possibility of further rain later in the afternoon, all support classes will run 20-lap finals.”


The Supersport, Superstock and 250cc Grand Prix support races were originally scheduled for 29 laps.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

On-track activities at Pikes Peak International Raceway are on hold due to rain and high winds.

The Supersport race scheduled to start at noon, didn’t.

Stay tuned.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom maintained a lead from the second lap to win the red-flag-shortened AMA Superbike race Sunday at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts passed Anthony Gobert, who had gotten the holeshot, on lap three and held second until the race was stopped eight laps short of its scheduled distance.

Gobert finished fifth.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates earned the final podium spot after a race-long battle with fourth-place Ben Bostrom.

Yates’ teammate Mat Mladin was third for most of the race before Mladin started dropping backward on lap 20. Mladin pulled into the pits for a new rear tire on lap 35 and, after a quick pit stop for a new rear tire, managed to salvage a ninth-place finish. According to monitored transmissions on the AMA radio network, Mladin tripped the AMA radar at 68 mph on his way into the pits; prior to the start of the race, an AMA official walked through the grid displaying a sign that read “Penalty For Speeding On Pit Lane During A Race Will Be A Stop & Go.” The pit-lane speed limit is 50 mph. After his stop, Mladin was seen signalling with one finger at an official with a radar gun at the exit of pit lane; Mladin may have been signalling that the official was #1 or that he (Mladin) was complying with the pit-lane speed limit.

The race was stopped on lap 41 for a crash which left Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Ciccotto pinned underneath his GSX-R750 on the racetrack.

Scoring was reverted to the running order of lap 40.

AMA Superbike Race Results:

1. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 40 laps
2. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -5.257 seconds
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -11.599 seconds
4. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -12.579 seconds
5. Anthony Gobert, Ducati, -21.838 seconds
6. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -29.945 seconds
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -34.621 seconds
8. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki, -38.263 seconds
9. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -40.097 seconds
10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -50.703 seconds
11. Ricky Orlando, Suzuki, -1 lap
12. Dan Tuner, Yamaha, -1 lap
13. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -1 lap
14. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha, -1 lap
15. Mike Sullivan, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. Jeff Tigert, Suzuki, -1 lap
17. Larry Pegram, Ducati, -1 lap
18. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, -1 lap
19. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, -1 lap
20. Geoff May, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap
22. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Tom Wertman, Suzuki, -1 lap
24. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -2 laps
26. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, -2 laps
27. Eric Haugo, Suzuki, 2 laps
28. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, -2 laps
29. Jason Knupp, Suzuki, -2 laps
30. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki, -3 laps
31. John Haner, Suzuki, -21 laps
32. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -27 laps
33. Michael Kosta, Suzuki, -28 laps
34. Greg Glennie, Yamaha, -39 laps


Provisional Superbike Championship Point Standings (After 8 of 18 races):

1. Yates, 244 points
2. Eric Bostrom, 239 points
3. Mladin, 234 points
4. Ben Bostrom/Roberts, TIE, 221 points
6. Duhamel, 187 points
7. Pegram, 162 points
8. Higbee, 159 points
9. Pridmore, 150 points
10. Haskovec, 140 points

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Pikes Peak International Raceway has been the site of a series of controversial penalties in the Supersport class, some of which may have serious Championship implications.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies was fined $2000 and penalized 20 Championship points for a technical violation found following his Supersport race win at Road Atlanta. Parts from Spies’ GSX-R600 were impounded after the Road Atlanta race, and later inspected against control production parts.

The Yoshimura Suzuki team learned of the judgment against Spies on Wednesday, May 28 at Pikes Peak International Raceway, but the final determination of Spies’ violation wasn’t announced by AMA Pro Racing until a little after noon (Mountain Time) Sunday, June 1–in response to a SPEED TV report by Greg White, who broke the news of the penalty.

According to Yoshimura Team Manager Don Sakakura, Spies was found to have an “oil pressure relief valve…different than the production sample.” Asked how the part got into Spies’ Suzuki, Sakakura declined to comment.

“The ruling is fine,” continued Sakakura, “as long as, again, (the AMA is) consistent as far as the way they enforce the rules. I understand the penalty, and we’ll abide by the penalty.”

Then, after Spies was penalized but before Spies’ penalty was announced, AMA Pro Racing pulled “about 10 bikes,” into technical inspection following Supersport qualifying May 31, according to AMA Pro Racing’s Ron Barrick. Mechanics were asked to remove the exhaust systems and oil pans from the racebikes.

During those inspections, bikes ridden by American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel, Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke and Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Marty Craggill were found to have “non-standard oil pressure relief valves.” In addition, Craggill’s Honda was found to have a “non-standard charging system,” according to a May 31 AMA Pro Racing release.

The penalties against the Honda riders were immediately announced by AMA Pro Racing, while the penalty against Spies was not announced until after the SPEED TV report aired the next day.

Duhamel and Zemke were each fined $2000, penalized 20 Supersport Championship points and moved to the last grid spots for Sunday’s Supersport final.

That penalty–combined with his still-healing shoulder injury– resulted in Duhamel withdrawing from the Supersport race at PPIR.

For his dual penalties, Craggill was penalized 20 points, disqualified from the Supersport race at Pikes Peak and fined $2500. Craggill did not return to the track Sunday.

“We felt we were legal and in compliance with all rules and production pieces and everything,” Honda Racing Teams Manager Chuck Miller told Roadracingworld.com Sunday in the Pikes Peak paddock. “Even our liaison here (from Japan) expressed that thought. So when we found out that the AMA found inconsistencies in our part versus their part, we suggested to take the production bike down there and pull it apart and see what’s in it. Because we feel ours is the same as that.

“So we did do that, and we did find out it was different. And that there was a change in the vendor (part supplier) from early-production to a production version. And in doing so there was a different tension rate on the spring. So we were found illegal.

“We accept responsibility for that fully. We aren’t going to appeal the process, in that regards. It wasn’t done intentionally, and we are now undergoing a thorough investigation of every other part to make sure there wasn’t any inconsistencies from early production versus production.

“As you know we got these bikes prior to Daytona to race at the Daytona event.”

The part in question was an oil pressure relief valve spring located in the oil sump of the Honda CBR600RR. The two-inch-long spring is visually identical to the production part but had a different spring rate, which was checked by the AMA Pro Racing technical staff with an Intercomp spring tester. According to Miller, the non-standard part could theoretically reduce oil pressure and allow the engine to rev more freely. Miller said that the modification would not increase horsepower or torque and, at best, would provide a “minimal” advantage.

In addition to the same non-standard spring, Craggill’s CBR600RR was found to have what Miller believes was a race kit ignition stator/rotor.

According to Bruce Transportation Group Honda Crew Chief Joey Osowski, the original engine cover and stator/rotor assembly were damaged in a crash earlier this season and the standard Honda parts needed to replace the cover and ignition parts were on back-order from Honda.

Osowski said that during the inspections, the AMA Pro Racing technical inspectors saw that the engine cover was different and then asked to see the entire charging system. “The cover and the winding were aftermarket, just different than the U.S. model,” said Osowski.

As for Osowski’s reasoning for using the aftermarket/kit parts, Miller acknowledged that the parts were back-ordered at the time of Craggill’s crash but added, “That’s not an excuse because the parts are fully available at this point.”

AMA Pro Racing sources did not agree with Miller’s assertions regarding the effect reducing oil pressure relief valve spring pressure would (or would not) have on horsepower production, stating that because it takes horsepower to drive the oil pump, reducing oil pressure also reduces mechanical power losses and increases power reaching the rear wheel.

Attack Suzuki’s Richard Stanboli said, “It should benefit a 600 more than a 750. You can figure one horsepower for every 10 psi you take off the oil pressure. For instance, if your bike makes 60-80 psi at maximum rpm, if you can bypass the pressure relief valve at 30 psi, you gain more than 3 horsepower.”

Kawasaki engine builder Theo Lockwood said that the World Superbike team he used to work for got a different oil pump assembly two years ago, and that it made a 2-3 horsepower gain on a 150-horsepower engine. Lockwood said reducing oil pressure would typically result in a 1-2 percent gain.

As far as Honda claiming the Honda, Erion and Bruce racebikes had a pre-production part, Lockwood said “We had pre-production bikes and parts, too, but we made a concerted effort to make sure we showed up at Daytona with a production bike. Every team starts with pre-production bikes and it’s up to them to make sure it’s legal.”

AMA officials actually tested 9 bikes after Supersport Qualifying at Pikes Peak, specifically taking one from the American Honda team, one from Erion Honda, and one from Bruce Transportation Honda, as well as two Yamahas, two Kawasakis and two Suzukis.

“We’re looking at more things,” said a source in AMA tech. “We’re trying to make a level playing field. Now we have some new equipment that allows us to check more things with confidence. We knew Spies’ oil pump was bad at the track at Road Atlanta, but we wanted to do more testing on it for research.”

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

DAVID JEFFERIES

Team Suzuki Press Office. May 30 2003.
David Jefferies, 30, the fastest-ever rider on the TT Mountain Course, died (Thursday May 29th) when he crashed his 1000cc TAS Suzuki during practice for this year’s races in the Isle of Man.

The burly Yorkshireman was on his second lap of the dry-roads, afternoon session when his machine left the road at the flat-out-in-top-gear, 160-mph left-hand kink between Glen Vine and Crosby. On the opening lap he recorded a speed of 125.20 mph.

The afternoon practice season was stopped and then abandoned with an extra session for solo riders being scheduled for Friday morning.

In an official statement, the race organising ACU, said that an enquiry into the details of the incident would be instituted immediately.

Nine time TT winner, Jefferies, opened his score in 1999 when he won the Formula One, Senior and 1000cc Production races on V&M Yamahas. The following year, with similar machines, he again won the Senior and Production events and added a first place in the Junior Supersport race.

Following the cancellation of the TT because of foot and mouth disease in 2001, Jefferies joined Suzuki for last year’s event and added yet another victory treble in the F1, Senior and Production races.

Also last year Jefferies won the Superbike race at the North West 200 and the production 1000cc race at the Ulster GP on TAS GSXR Suzukis

Jefferies, from Baildon, West Yorkshire ran a motorcycle dealership at Shipley and came from a family long associated with the motorcycle trade and sport. This dated back to the early post-second World War days when his grandfather was a bike sport all-rounder.

Philip Neil, the Team Manager of the TAS Suzuki team: “The death of David has left the team shocked and devastated. Not only had David become a very close personal friend of the whole team, but he was a fantastic motorcycle rider and a real ambassador for our sport. Our thoughts are now with Pauline, Tony and the rest of David’s family circle,”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing officials first notified the Yoshimura Suzuki team that there was a problem with Mat Mladin’s Superbike pole-time from Friday qualifying when 7 minutes remained in the final qualifying session on Saturday.

Mladin was already off the bike and walking back to the team truck to change into his street clothes when AMA Pro Racing’s Ron Barrick came to Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura and Mladin’s Crew Chief Peter Doyle and said that due to timing & scoring problems, Mladin’s time from Friday would be disallowed.

“The problem I have with it is the way they did it,” said Doyle. “It was too late. We didn’t have a chance to respond.”

“I was already back in the truck when I found out about it, and by then there were four minutes left in the session,” Mladin said Sunday morning. “Yesterday (Saturday) I just concentrated on race set-up. We were done about 55 minutes into the (one-hour) session, and didn’t worry about trying to do a fast lap because we figured the lap time was safe.”

“As soon as I discovered Mladin’s time was not valid I came down and showed Don (Sakakura) what the real time was,” said Barrick. “I would have liked to have been able to give them the information sooner.”

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, before AMA Pro Racing disallowed Mladin’s Saturday qualifying time due to a timing & scoring problem:

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Round 8 – Pikes Peak International Raceway, Colorado, USA
Final Qualifying Session Report

MLADIN TAKES SUPERBIKE POLE POSITION AT PIKES PEAK

Fountain, Colorado, USA (Saturday, 31 May) – Mat Mladin will start tomorrow’s eighth round of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship from pole position after his time set during yesterday’s opening session was unable to be surpassed today at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado.

Mladin’s best time of 53.780 seconds set during yesterday’s hot conditions kept him at the top of the time sheets today and allowed he and his Yoshimura Suzuki team to concentrate on preparing their Suzuki GSX-R1000 for tomorrow’s Superbike national.

“Having set a good time yesterday, it gave us the opportunity to concentrate on race set up today,” said three-times American Superbike champion Mladin. “The track and ambient temperature was a lot cooler today than it was yesterday which was good. Tyre wear is going to be the critical factor tomorrow.”

“We were able top do a couple of long runs during the session so that we could arrive at a set up with the bike that will give us the best tyre wear for the 48-lap race. After that, we have a couple of different tyre choices available to us, so we’ll see what the weather provides for us then. Unfortunately it looks as though the race will be run in a similar style to Daytona where you will be out there trying to conserve a tyre rather than riding at your optimum for the entire race distance. I like to race, not ride around and conserve tyres.”

Lining up alongside Mladin will be teammate Aaron Yates who posted a best time of 54.079 secs, pushing Anthony Gobert (Ducati Austin) to third with his time of 54.166, while Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts completes the front row of the grid with a time of 54.214 secs.

Mladin heads into tomorrow’s eighth round of the championship trailing teammate Yates by just one point after claiming a championship point for pole and will be looking at leaving the Colorado circuit holding the championship points lead.

Yates was the fastest rider in today’s second qualifying session, with Mladin just four one hundredths of a second in arrears.

Mladin is looking to win an unprecedented fourth AMA Superbike crown this year and has started the year in blazing form aboard the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 having won five of the seven races held this year and further increased his all time AMA Pole position record to 28 after scoring his third pole of the season.

QUALIFYING, Saturday.(Top 10)
1. Mat Mladin (Yoshimura Suzuki), 53.780 Seconds
2. Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki), 54.079
3. Anthony Gobert (Ducati Austin), 54.166
4. Kurtis Roberts (Erion Honda), 54.214
5. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki), 54.690
6. Ben Bostrom (American Honda), 54.690
7. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda), 54.814
8. Larry Pegram (Dream Team Ducati), 55.146
9. Jason Pridmore (Attack Suzuki), 55.332
10. Jordan Szoke (Corona Extra Suzuki), 55.437


More, from a press release issued by Dream Team Ducati:

Dream Team Racing Ducati’s Larry Pegram is qualified in 8th position for Sunday’s AMA Superbike Race at Pikes Peak. Pegram who is currently 7th overall in the series is hoping to finish in the top 5 tomorrow, which would help him close in on 6th placed, Miguel Duhamel. Larry, is the top placing Ducati rider in AMA Superbike and is also the highest placing privateer in the series.



More, from a press release issued by Marietta Motorsports:

1-888-FASTLAP’S CAYLOR AND STOKES QUALIFY 11TH AND 13TH FOR SUPERSTOCK AT PIKES PEAK

FOUNTAIN, Co.- 1-888-FASTLAP riders Opie Caylor and Brian Stokes qualified 11th and 13th for Sunday’s AMA Pro Racing Superstock race at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

Caylor and Stokes were among seven riders who all qualified within one second of each other. Caylor’s fast time of 56.678 seconds (83.524 mph) put him in the 11th spot on the 1-888-FASTLAP/Team EMGO Taiwan Suzuki GSX-R750.

1-888-FASTLAP’s Stokes, who is racing at Pikes Peak for the first time, qualified 13th with his time of 57.018 seconds (83.026 mph). He rides the Team Embry Suzuki GSX-R750.

“Qualifying went okay,” commented Stokes. “I got hooked up with Mike Ciccotto during the last part of the session. It was tough. The top seven guys or so had qualifying tires on–we don’t have qualifiers. The people up front ran 55’s on a qualifier, so they’re going to be a second slower tomorrow. If I get a good start tomorrow and get to the front I should do well. My goal tomorrow is to be in the top ten. With the close competition, I’ll be happy with that.”

Both Caylor and Stokes plan to race in the Superbike race being held tomorrow, as well. When they are finished with the 29-lap Superstock race, they will have a brief rest before beginning the 48-lap Superbike event.

Caylor qualified 26th for the Superbike race with a time of 56.678 (83.524 mph). Stokes will start the race from the 30th spot after setting a qualifying time of 56.674 (82.082 mph).

The Superstock race will get underway on Sunday, June 1, following the Supersport and 250 GP races. Supersport begins at noon. The Superbike race starts at 3:00 pm and will be broadcast live on SPEED.

More information about Caylor, Stokes and 1-888-FASTLAP can be found on the web at www.1888FASTLAP.com.



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

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp came away from a drama-filled Formula Xtreme race at Pikes Peak International Raceway on Saturday with yet another top-10 finish. Adding to Rapp’s result, teammate Chris Ulrich gave the squad a second top-15 finish. Both riders struggled to find a set-up to maximize grip and acceleration off the tight corners of the twisty Pikes Peak bullring.

Rapp was forced to overcome a very late alteration to the starting grid–caused by a problem with AMA timing & scoring–that pushed him off the front row as well a twice red-flagged race. The 30-year-old worked his way up through the field on his Michelin-shod machine to score an eventual eighth place. Rapp is now sixth in Formula Xtreme points.

“It was a tough race,” Rapp admitted. “I thought I was doing better — qualifying on the front row — and the change kind of threw me off. I didn’t get great starts and it’s a tough place to pass. Nevertheless, I finished eighth and passed a few guys like (Jamie) Hacking and (Roger Lee) Hayden, which is all right. I’m not satisfied, but you have to hang in there and get through the places where you don’t do as well and move on to the tracks that you do.”

Ulrich decided his time would be best spent focusing on a single race machine after running into some difficulties dialing in his bikes on Friday. Chris went up against the fire-breathing Formula Xtreme machines on his Superstock-class GSX-R750 and picked up a 15th and a great deal of knowledge.

“We struggled with the 1000 so I rode the 750 today,” Ulrich explained. “We made some adjustments to the front and at the restart we were right there with the guys. I was kind of wishing we had the extra horsepower, but I’m really pleased with what I accomplished on the 750. It was good for my confidence to concentrate on one bike, and we found some things that will really help tomorrow. We’re going to try to do the same thing — get a good start and let it rip.”

Ulrich is now 10th in Formula Xtreme points.

Sunday will see the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki team battling in the 29-lap Superstock final. Rapp will start on the outside of row two with his younger teammate one row back in 12th as a result of their qualifying Saturday performances.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Vermeulen extends championship lead

Chris Vermeulen took his Ten Kate Honda to another start-to-finish win at the technical Oschersleben circuit for round five of the World Supersport championship, despite still suffering from a badly injured right thumb.

Vermeulen got the jump from Stephane Chambon and Broc Parkes, while reigning Supersport Champion, Fabien Foret ran off the track on lap one. Parkes was riding aggressively from the start, passing Chambon into the Shell Esses and then taking off after fellow countryman, Vermeulen.

Pole sitter Muggeridge was making up for a poor start, he was so determined not to fry his clutch again, as at Monza, that he started way too softly. Then, after fighting his way back up in third place, he made a mistake and crashed his Ten Kate Honda. He remounted to battle through for 15th and a single point.

Parkes fought to stay with Vermeulen, but ran wide into the ‘Triple,’ the three-way left-hander, on lap 14 and lost touch with the lead pack. The Alstare Suzuki pairing took advantage, catching and passing Parkes to claim the remaining podium places.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh worked hard to recover from a poor start, and moved through late in the race to pass the fading Parkes to grab fourth.

Vermeulen’s third win from just five races moves him to an incredible, in Supersport racing, 38 points clear from Fujiwara.


World Supersport Race Results:

1. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 28 laps, 42:51.384
2. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, -1.775 seconds
3. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, -2.085 seconds
4. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Yamaha, -3.936 seconds
5. Broc Parkes, Honda, -8.438 seconds
6. Pere Riba, Kawasaki, -8.989 seconds
7. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha, -14.973 seconds
8. Chris Kellner, GER, Yamaha, -20.274 seconds
9. Sebastian Charpentier, Honda, -24.001 seconds
10. Gianluca Nannelli, Yamaha, -29.143 seconds
11. Robert Ulm, Honda, -29.374 seconds
12. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha, -29.474 seconds
13. Dean Thomas, Honda, -36.099 seconds
14. Barry Veneman, Honda, -41.521 seconds
15. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, -47.448 seconds, crash
16. Stefano Cruciani, Kawasaki, -47.955 seconds
17. Michael Laverty, Honda, -51.360 seconds
18. Herbert Kaufmann, Suzuki, -52.111 seconds
19. Tobias Kirmeier, Honda, -79.208 seconds
20. Arno Visscher, Kawasaki, -1 lap
21. Iain MacPherson, Honda, -8 laps, DNF
22. Didier Vankeymeulen, Kawasaki, -15 laps, DNF
23. Thierry vd Bosch, Yamaha, -17 laps, DNF
24. Christophe Cogan, Honda, -18 laps, DNF
25. Kenan Sofuoglu, Yamaha, -21 laps, DNF
26. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha, -24 laps, DNF
27. Werner Daemen, Honda, -25 laps, DNF
28. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki, -25 laps, DNF
29. Simone Sanna, Yamaha, -27 laps, DNF


More, from a press release issued by Van Zon Honda TKR:

Dreadful luck ruins weekend for Team Van Zon Honda TKR

A promising start to the World Supersport championship turned bad for both Team Van Zon Honda TKR riders.

Werner Daemen crashed out of the race after making contact with Christian Kellner while a freak technical problem ended MacPherson’s race early.

“We’ve suffered from bad luck again,” admitted Daemen. “Kellner hit me twice and has left a big tyre mark my leathers! When he hit my rear tyre I couldn’t keep the bike up and went into the gravel. It’s a shame because my start was good and I was making progress in the field, the Pirelli tyres were great and the Honda CBR600RR was performing faultlessly. I can only hope our luck returns for Silverstone.

Iain MacPherson also suffered from appalling luck. He was fighting at the front of the pack early in the race but then hit problems.

“I thought my bike was losing power because I was having trouble getting on full throttle,” said the fiery Scot. “But then I realised that the throttle grip was actually slipping on the bar. I had no choice but to pull in, it was just too dangerous to carry on.”


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Vermeulen wins again

Chris Vermeulen made it three wins from just five races to go a staggering 38 points clear at the head of the World Supersport championship.

The young Australian took the holeshot on his CBR600RR and never looked back. He kept the pressure on hard, leaving the rest of the pack struggling in his wake.

“I really didn’t expect to get away again like that,” explained Vermeulen after the race. “I expected the pack to be right with me here, especially as I am still struggling with my thumb injury.”

Vermeulen’s thumb, damaged in a crash at Monza, caused him more trouble at this twisting and technical track than it did at Monza.

“It’s much more physical here,” he said, “but the Honda CBR600RR was awesome, as usual, and the guys at Pirelli and WP Suspension came up with a brilliant package, once again.”

Vermeulen’s team mate, Karl Muggeridge, started from pole after dominating qualifying, just as he did at Monza. But a poor start left him with plenty of work to do to catch the lead pack. Muggeridge made up the ground, and got up into third before pushing a little too hard and loosing the front end. He remounted to take a single championship point in 15th.

“Karl isn’t having much luck at the moment,” observed team manager Ronald ten Kate. “But he is riding really well and we are confident that when his luck returns, he’ll be right back up there.

“As for Chris, what can I say except – amazing! But he couldn’t have done it without the brilliant package of the Honda CBR600RR and Pirelli tyres and WP Suspension. OK, I know you’ll think I am just saying this, it’s obligatory to praise your sponsors and partners, but I honestly mean it, they really are working wonders for us.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hacking took the lead of this restarted race when early leader Damon Buckmaster ran wide following contact with Hacking and went from first to fourth; the string of four YZF-R6 Yamahas then pulled away from the field.

Jake Zemke started last and carved his way up to seventh, the first rider on a Honda CBR600RR.

The race was originally red-flagged following a series of crashes. On the first lap, Zemke was hit from behind heading into the horsehoe and crashed, along with at least two other riders, leaving bikes and debris scattered. Then Thad Halsmer crashed coming onto the front straight, his bike ending up on the start/finish line as the leaders were on lap two.

Provisional Results

1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 20 laps
2. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -0.288
3. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -0.910
4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -2.208
5. Tommy Hayden, Kawsaki, -5.580
6. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -10.068
7. Jake Zemke, Honda, -14.986
8. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha, -15.219
9. Alex Gobert, Honda, -16.980
10. Jamie Stauffer, Suzuki, -18.335
11. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, -19.584
12. Doug Chandler, Honda, -24.747
13. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, -27.132
14. Chris Peris, Honda, -27.343
15. Craig Connell, Honda, -32.726
16. Jason Curtis, Honda, -33.018
17. Hector Romero, Yamaha, -58.068
18. Marty Sims, Suzuki, -59.516
19. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, -1 lap
20. Shaun Summers, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. Terry Skogen, Yamaha, -1 lap
22. David Lambert, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Quentin Wilson, Yamaha, -1 lap
24. Darin Scherer, Yamaha, -1 lap
25. Chris Lowe, Suzuki, -1 lap
26. David Guy, Suzuki, -1 lap
27. Jeff Grace, Yamaha, -1 lap
28. Will Sequino, Yamaha, -2 laps
29. Torsten Zorn, Suzuki, -6 laps
30. Heath Small, Yamaha, -8 laps
31. Michael Applehans, Suzuki, -12 laps
32. Adam Scott, Suzuki, -13 laps
33. Mark Ledesma, Honda, -17 laps
34. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha, -19 laps
35. Elton Curry, Yamaha, -20 laps, DNF, crash
36. Jason Hobbs, Yamaha, -20 laps, DNF, crash
37. Mike McCracken, Suzuki, -20 laps, DNF.


Supersport Championship Point Standings:

1. Hacking, 154 points
2. Buckmaster, 144 points
3. Aaron Gobert, 142 points
4. DiSalvo, 128 points
5. Zemke, 126 points
6. Tommy Hayden, 123 points
7. Spies, 117 points
8. Alex Gobert, 108 points
9. Chandler, 99 points
10.Meiring, 96 points

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda rider Miguel Duhamel will miss the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race at Pikes Peak.

Duhamel broke his left collarbone in three places in the Supersport race at Sears Point, and he would also have to start the race at Pikes Peak from the back of the grid due to a penalty imposed by the AMA after it found his CBR600RR to have an illegal oil pressure regulator.

According to team manager Chuck Miller, Duhamel wanted to compete in the Supersport race, but Miller decided that Duhamel would only compete in the Superbike race.

“He was pretty sore after yesterday,” said Miller. The decision not to race in the Supersport race was “A combination of his shoulder and the penalty. He was in pain this morning and he wanted to ride, but I felt, considering his physical condition and the fact that he’d be starting from the back of the grid, that keeping him out of the Supersport race was the best decision. I’m concerned about him aggravating the injury.”