From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

PRO HONDA OILS U.S. SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY SHOEI PROMISES TO BE A BARN BURNER AT PIKES PEAK

Seven riders within 20 points in the Championship point standings

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 23, 2003) –The Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei at Pikes Peak International Raceway on June 1, might be one of the best races of the year. Traditionally Supersport has been one of the closest racing series in all of AMA racing. Throw in the fact that the nimble handling Supersport machines and their determined riders will be duking it out on the twisty 1.3-mile bullring circuit that is Pikes Peak and that the top seven riders are within 20 points in the championship as the season draws to the midway point, and you have the ingredients of an instant classic.

Yamaha teammates Jamie Hacking and Damon Buckmaster are tied atop the standings. Hacking had a commanding lead in the series before a crash at the most recent round at Road Atlanta caused him to finish 21st. Until that point Hacking had won two straight and was looking nearly invincible. Now the South Carolinian will have to regroup and see if he can rally to stay in front of the series. Hacking won at Pikes Peak, on a Yamaha, in 2000.

Buckmaster is still waiting to win his first AMA Supersport race. The one thing the Aussie rider has been in the series this year is consistent. He’s taken two runner-up finishes, a fourth and a sixth. That consistency has paid off with a share of the series lead – the first time he’s ever led this series. Look for Buckmaster who won a Superstock race at Pikes in 2000, to make a serious run at taking his first Supersport victory.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Supersport racing this season has been the performance of young Ben Spies. The 18-year-old former AMA Horizon Award winner has gotten better with each outing on his factory Suzuki and at Road Atlanta he broke through to earn his first career AMA Supersport win. All of this has been on a machine that many called outdated compared to the newly designed Supersport bikes put out by the other three manufacturers this year. That victory moved him to within five points of Hacking and Buckmaster. Spies’ Yoshimura Suzuki is best known for its quick handling, so the twisty PPIR course could play right into his hand.

Look for Tommy Hayden to move up the ladder in the standings after Pikes Peak. The Kawasaki pilot loves this type of racetrack and he is the defending winner. The same can be said for Honda’s Miguel Duhamel. He’s still recovering from a collarbone injury suffered early in May at Infineon Raceway, but Duhamel has come back strong from injury before and he’s a proven winner at Pikes Peak.

Doug Chandler is ninth in the standings coming into this weekend’s race, but the veteran rider from Salinas, Calif., has long been a favorite at this track. He won his last AMA Superbike race here in 1999. If he manages to break through with a victory this week it would mark his first AMA Supersport win since 1998. Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert and Jason Disalvo and Honda-mounted Jake Zemke all are within striking distance of the championship, too, and will be doing everything possible to move up in the points in this pivotal race.

The Pikes Peak Supersport race will be shown live on Speed Channel Saturday, June 1 at 2 p.m. EST. For ticket information for the event call (888) 306-7223 or visit the website www.ppir.com.

From a press release:

Opie brightens patients’ stay at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hospital

Atlanta, GA – Before hitting the track and ultimately stepping onto the podium with a third place finish at the Suzuki Superbike Showdown held at Road Atlanta, Chris ‘Opie’ Caylor stopped in for a visit at a local Atlanta children’s hospital. Caylor and his Team EMGO GSX-R750 were the main attraction in the lobby of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite (Children’s).

A dozen patients and their families came from their rooms to meet Caylor and see what an AMA Superstock Series motorcycle looks like close up.

Displaying by his leathers, helmet and posters; Caylor spoke to the young patients and their families about motorcycle racing, safety and his racing experiences. After playing and narrating a race on video, Caylor passed out sponsor stickers, signed posters and answered questions from the energetic crowd.

“Will you look at that smile! You just can’t beat a smile like that,” Caylor said as he helped a young patient onto his GSX-R. She quickly forgot about the I.V. in her arm as she reached for the handlebars, making “vroooom vrooooom” sounds.

Between questions of “How fast can you go? Why do you drag your knee?” and “How do you lean over so far with out falling down?” Caylor was very surprised to learn from the staff that Children’s relies heavily upon donations to provide its acclaimed level of healthcare and groundbreaking research.

“It’s always an amazing feeling to introduce people to motorcycle racing and to let those who normally couldn’t see a race bike close up actually sit on one.” Caylor said. “It’s that much better when you’re livening up a kid’s hospital stay when you do it.”

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta enhances the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. With 430 licensed beds in two hospitals and more than 18,000 annual hospital admissions, Children’s is one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country. Children’s is recognized for excellence in cardiology, cancer treatment, transplant services and many other pediatric specialties. As a nonprofit organization, Children’s benefits from the generous philanthropic and volunteer support of our community and state, enabling us to enhance services and programs for children and their families. To learn more about Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, visit www.choa.org. For more about Opie Caylor and his team, visit www.chriscaylor.com.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

YATES LEADS AMA CHEVY TRUCKS U.S. SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP INTO PIKES PEAK

Only 25 points separate top-five riders

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates finds himself in uncharted territory coming into round eight of the 18-race AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship May 31 through June 1 at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado – he’s leading the series.

This is the first time in the eight years since Yates began competing in AMA Superbike that he’s led the series standings. Four podium finishes in the seven rounds leading up to Pikes Peak, including a victory in the first leg of the Road Atlanta Superbike doubleheader, has been Yates’ path to the series lead. Luck has helped Yates as well. His teammate, three-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin, has been dominant so far this year, winning five races. But a tire failure at 170 mph at Road Atlanta sidelined Mladin and cost him the large points lead he’d built. Now the two Suzuki teammates are running nearly head-to-head in the middle of the championship season. Mladin’s woes in the first Road Atlanta race acted to tighten up the race for the title with the top five riders now within 25 points of one another.

Pikes Peak is a tight and twisty road course that favors a quick handling machine. It will be interesting to see how the big Suzuki GSX-Rs handle the small 1.3-mile circuit. “We’ve tested there and turned fast laps,” Yates said. “The GSX-R1000 accelerates so well that it should make it easier to pass on the short straights in Colorado.”

One rider who has mastered the course over the years is Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom. Bostrom has won three AMA Superbike races at Pikes and is the only rider to earn multiple wins there. Bostrom comes into this Sunday’s race third in the standings. Another victory at PPIR would move Bostrom even closer to the goal of an AMA Superbike title he’s been trying to reach for five years.

Mladin didn’t waste anytime regrouping after his harrowing ride at Road Atlanta. The determined Australian came back the very next day and won the second leg of the doubleheader weekend and pulled back to within two points of Yates. Pikes Peak is one of the few tracks that Mladin has not been victorious. He was twice runner-up, in 1998 and again in 2000, but finished fourth in each of the other four races there since 1997. He’s hoping to break through with his first victory on Sunday.

For series leader Yates, Pikes Peak has been a mixed bag. Like Mladin, Yates has never won the Superbike race there. He finished second to Eric Bostrom last year and earned a third in 2000 after running second and letting teammate Mladin past him on the final lap to help Mladin’s bid at that year’s championship.

Is Yates feeling any added pressure from leading the championship for the first time in his career? “I’ve dealt with pressure before in the Supersport championship,” said Yates, the 2002 Pro Honda Oils Supersport champ. “There are still a lot of races left and the only pressure on me is to finish in front of Mat (Mladin).”

This will be Ben Bostrom’s first visit back to Pikes Peak since 1999. The Honda rider has never finished better than fifth at the circuit. His teammates have not fared much better. Kurtis Roberts’ only start came in 2001, where he finished sixth. Miguel Duhamel won the very first AMA Superbike race held at Pikes Peak in 1997, but hasn’t been close to the podium at the track since then. The gutsy Duhamel is recovering from a broken collarbone sustained at Infineon Raceway and the technical Pikes Peak course will be a real test. Duhamel sits sixth in the points and needs to stay close if he hopes to challenge for the championship.

The Pikes Peak Superbike race will be shown live on Speed Channel at 5 p.m. EST. For ticket information for the event call (888) 306-7223 or visit www.ppir.com.

Schedule of Events

AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship
Presented by Parts Unlimited
Cruise America AMA Superbikes

Pikes Peak International Raceway
May 30 – June 1, 2003

Thursday, May 29

3:00–7:00–Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

3:00–7:00–Tech Inspection

Friday, May 30

7:30–4:00–Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

10:00–Entries Close for all Classes

8:00–5:00–Tech Inspection

8:30–10:50–Practice:
1. Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport
2. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
3. Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock
4. MBNA 250 Grand Prix

11:00–12:00–Chevy Trucks Superbike Practice

12:00–1:00–Lunch Break

12:15–Mandatory Rider Briefing for All Classes

1:00–2:50–Practice (same order as morning session)

3:00–4:00–Chevy Trucks Superbike Qualifying

4:10–5:00–Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying

Saturday, May 31

7:30–3:00–Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8:00–5:00–Tech Inspection

8:30–9:50–Practice:
1. Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport
2. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
3. Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock
4. MBNA 250 Grand Prix

10:00–10:50–Chevy Trucks Superbike Practice

11:00–11:30–Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Qualifying, Group 1

11:40–12:10–Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Qualifying, Group 2

12:10–1:10–Lunch Break

3:50–4:20–Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Qualifying, Group 1

4:30–5:00–Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Qualifying, Group 2

1:10–2:10–Chevy Trucks Superbike Qualifying

3:10–3:40–MBNA 250 Grand Prix Qualifying

4:00–Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme (60k – 29 laps)

Sunday, June 1

8:30–12:00–Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

9:00–Tech Inspection Opens

9:00–11:00–Practice:
1. Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport
2. MBNA 250 Grand Prix
3. Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock
4. Chevy Trucks Superbike

11:00–Lunch Break

11:20–Nondenominational Chapel Service

12:00–FINAL EVENTS:

Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Championship presented by Shoei Helmets Race (60k – 29 laps)

MBNA 250 Grand Prix (60k – 29 laps)

Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Race (60k – 29 laps)

3:00–Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited (100k – 48 laps)

About 300 linear feet of Airfence inflatable soft barrier is being deployed at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois today, for use during the AMA Pro Racing Mile dirt track race this weekend.

The Roadracing World Action Fund made a soft-barrier deployment deal with the Illinois Motorcycle Dealers Association (IMDA), which promotes the race, after AMA Pro Racing declined an offer of soft barrier funding for dirt track use.

The deal between the Roadacing World Action Fund and the IMDA was brokered by AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr, who is on the Board of Directors of the Roadracing World Action Fund.

The actual deployment of the Airfence soft barriers at Springfield is being directed by Dan Lance, who is being paid by the Roadracing World Action Fund.

The deployment is part of an educational program designed to demonstrate the safety and economic advantages of using soft barriers in front of walls lining racetracks.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

From four-time AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Rich Oliver, via e-mail:

There was a guy walking around the pits at Road
Atlanta last weekend wearing a T-shirt that said,
“Anyone but Mladin.”

I don’t think he’s a fan of Mat’s, but he did have it right in some ways.

Mat’s the Superbike points leader who saved a huge high-speed crash when his tire let go at 175 mph.

Maybe anyone else but Mladin would have bailed off, and not been able to wrestle their Superbike to a low-speed crash instead of a high-speed disaster. Mat pulled it off.

Then he tried to dig himself and the bike out of the pea gravel, to get back to the pits for another try, but the bike just wouldn’t come out and he walked back down the hill, on camera, with a strained smile on his face anyway. Anyone but Mladin may not have been able to pull that off.

Then the next day instead of being leery of the tire, he goes out and smokes off quick time in the morning session, and comes back out and wins the race even with a fogging visor. Anyone but Mladin didn’t seem to do that, either.

In the winners’ circle Mat and his wife smiled a
little at each other. You could see from the way she looked at him that she understood what her husband had just done.

I wonder if the guy sporting the T-shirt ever had that look from his wife.

I would quess probably not…

Rich Oliver




And now, some reader reaction, via e-mail:

I wouldn’t wear a T-shirt like Rich Oliver described but here is another opinion on Mat. Many of us avid U.S. race fans would love to love Mat like we do Miguel, Anthony, and others from outside the U.S. He is cut of the same cloth as probably the top 4 or 5 riders in the world and I love to watch him ride a motorcycle as only the very blessed can.

I just wish that he could be a bit more understanding of us mortals when he gives his opinion. He is almost always right in what he says, but it’s not always well received because of the way it is said.

I know he probably could care less what I think, but I would like to be able to be a fan of his for more than just his considerable riding prowess. It just makes going to the races and being a fan that much more fun for me.

Larry Gilbert
Orlando, Florida



After reading Rich Oliver’s take on T-shirts worn by fans declaring support for ‘Anyone but Mladin’ I feel that I had to reply to agree with the fan and the T-shirt.

It isn’t that we don’t like Mat as a person, but there are several things in play here:

1) Mat is the Tony Stewart of motorcycle racing. He does not want to be a poster-child for AMA racing. Mat does not display any great effort to support nor grow the sport and U.S. racing. To the contrary he brings attention to all the things wrong with it. He complains about sub-standard equipment, then when he wins he doesn’t seem much better (See podium at Fontana).

3) To a certain extent there is an expectation that great AMA riders should get picked up for World rides, helping parity along. Combine this expectation with a ‘Foggy’-like distain for Americans (and our tracks) that Mladin periodically displays leaves me wondering ‘Why is this guy still here?’

2) AMA Superbike racing needs more parity. Mat’s dynasty years have felt much like the two-wheeled equivalent of Formula One racing where Ferrari doesn’t win only when they break or crash. AMA racing will not reach its potential for growth if the races are boring and the result basically pre-determined.

In short I pull for ‘Anyone but Mladin’ in the interest of the sport. Where can I get one of those T-shirts?

J. Greissing
Fremont, California



Somebody saw Mladin smile?

Mark your calendar!

Tyler Sandell
Seattle, Washington

From a press release:

Kyle Racing is proud to announce on May 23, 2003, we sold our 1000th Ohlins shock.

In celebration of this for the next 30 days, for each shock or fork sold, we will donate $50 to the Roadracing World Action Fund.

We have been selling Ohlins shocks, forks and steering dampers for 5 years. This long relationship with Ohlins, as well as being the largest Ohlins retailer in the USA, allows us to both have the lowest prices and ship shocks ready to ride with the correct springs and valving at no extra cost.

Thanks to all of our customers for their support.

Dan Kyle
Kyle Racing
www.kyleusa.com
801 B California Avenue
Sand City, CA 93955
Tel: (831) 394-1330
Fax: (831) 394-1331
Email: [email protected]

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

Via e-mail

1997, WERA GNF, Road Atlanta, my son Gordy Lunde, Jr. hits a concrete wall barely protected by haybales and dies from his injuries. The track owners immediately changed the track. Thank you, but it was a little late. Last year two racers are injured and the track owners changed the track. Now we have a rider injured in the “new” section that was changed to prevent injuries …. the day “after” a bike hits the same wall!

Isn’t this going to get real expensive changing the track every time someone hits a wall? Or wouldn’t it be better to eliminate some walls or at least do a damn better job of protecting them? Oh wait, the walls don’t need protection, the riders do!

Who the hell does a track inspection before a race is held? Anyone? The person who did it, if any, is the one that should be held responsible for this latest fiasco. It’s not real hard to pick out contact points w/walls etc. if you just do a track ride (not drive) and look it over closely. A bare concrete wall straight ahead of you entering a turn should put up a huge red flag in your eyes.

How many racers will have to be injured or killed before the tracks and race organizations in this country wake up and realize changes need to be made for motorcycle racing? Not just band aids but real changes to improve safety for all participants.

The lack of any change, no attempt whatsoever by the track or AMA to make the area safer at Road Atlanta after a bike hit that unprotected barrier borders on criminal!

Just my .02 cents but damn it, I miss my son!

Good luck, Woody.

Gordon Lunde
Wegman Benefit Fund
Milwaukee, Wisconsin


Editorial note: Gordy, we miss your son, too.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

Via e-mail

Being a former Loudon regular, I am very familiar with walls and racetracks. It would seem to me that a simple procedure would be easy to initiate that might save lives and and prevent injuries.

Get a layout of each track on the schedule before the season starts, with the position & distance of each fixed barrier to the track surface for reference. Have a team of riders/ promoters do a lap on paper looking at the potential impact zones and likely possible angles from running off, bumping of bikes, sliding & hooking, etc.

This could all be done without visiting the track for the most part. You would cover pretty much every conceivable situation with some simple guessing by guys who have had just about every type of get-off there is.

Naturally, when a wall is parallel to the race surface, it is less likely to become an impact zone without a freak situation. There will no doubt be isolated instances where every precaution is still not enough, but a better effort would no doubt make a difference.

I agree with Mr. Lunde’s outcry for looking at the situations in advance. I was at Road Atlanta right after his son’s tragic accident, and boy, did it wake us up to that impact zone. Why do we have to be reactive instead of proactive?

A good guy to ask for help would be Dave Sadowski. He was the victim of an impact to a badly-positioned Armco section at high speed at Grattan Raceway that I believe helped him decide to give it up.

A few more gravel traps couldn’t hurt either. Everybody bitches that you always crash when you go in one or it makes a mess of the bike, but I’d choose that over hitting a wall or barrier every time.

Bob Robbins
CCS MA #46 & Proud Has-been
Riegelsville, Pennsylvania

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

Via e-mail

I would like to point out that this isn’t the first instance of a rider and bike falling down, hitting a barrier, and then not having protection brought in immediately. Didn’t Jamie Hacking hit a barrier in a test at VIR, and then hit the same barrier (still unprotected) a few weeks later at the actual race? Did the AMA just assume lightning wouldn’t strike the same place twice?

I, too, have expressed how disappointed I am that no long term contribution program was set up, particularly for the manufacturers. I would like to see Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Buell, and Ducati all donate $2900 a year for 10 years. $2900 out of the promotion budget for any of these companies is like the average guy buying lunch, and yet it could make such a huge difference in rider safety.

I don’t think the factories want to have extended television coverage of one of their bikes laying smashed into a wall with the camera on a severely injured (or worse) rider laying on the side of the track next to their smoldering bike.

I have released a new instructional video on suspension set-up, and I have pledged $5 of each copy sold to the Roadracing World Action Fund. We have already sold 50 copies, so I am going to mail in a check today for $250, and will continue to do so until my video stops selling. (the video is available at www.traxxion.com).

Max McAllister
President
Traxxion Dynamics, Inc.
Woodstock, Georgia