Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Afternoon Supersport Practice Times:

1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:26.963
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:26.964
3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:27.759
4. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:27.765
5. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:27.884
6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.189
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:28.409
8. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:28.705
9. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:28.917
10. Jamie Stauffer, Suzuki, 1:28.961
11. Matt Wait, Yamaha, 1:28.987
12. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:29.220
13. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:29.353
14. Craig Connell, Honda, 1:29.431
15. Marty Craggill, Honda, 1:29.868
16. Ty Howard, Honda, 1:30.111
17. Doug Chandler, Honda, 1:30.245
18. Jason Curtis, Honda, 1:32.092

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Afternoon’s Superstock Practice Times:

1. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.050
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:27.262
3. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.332
4. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.723
5. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:27.861
6. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.950
7. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.638
8. Mike Smith, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.639
9. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:28.754
10. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.760
11. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.846
12. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.909
13. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.927
14. Jamie Stauffer, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:28.930
15. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.063
16. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.108
17. Matt Wait, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.309
18. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:29.348
19. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.670
20. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.682
21. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.733
22. Ty Howard, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.379
23. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.390
24. Greg Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.484
25. Craig Connell, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.491
26. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.691
27. Jason Peters, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.209
28. Hawk Mazzotta, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.784
29. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.222
30. Darren Luck, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.287


Lee Acree, the winner of last season’s AMA Superstock race at Road Atlanta, has left the Arclight Suzuki Formula USA team and is racing with Corona Extra Suzuki in the AMA Superstock class this weekend.

“It just didn’t work out with Arclight,” said Acree Friday. “We parted on good terms. The Corona guys called Bill (Syfan, Acree’s agent) about racing this weekend. So we’ll just get through this weekend and see what happens.”

Acree said he had conversations with members of the Ducati Austin Superbike team about possibly joining their team but pointed out that he never spoke with team owner Terry Gregoricka.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Toseland on top

Twenty-two-year-old Briton James Toseland beat local hero Frankie Chili to the top of Friday’s timesheet in the fifth round of the WSB at Monza.

It’s the first time Toseland has ever been top of any official classification in WSB but he remained typically levelheaded.

“That’s the first time I’ve topped the timesheet in a WSB qualifying session so I’m obviously pleased,” said the racer from Sheffield. “Being fast on Friday is one thing, but it’s my performance on Sunday that really counts so I’m not getting too excited yet.”

Although Toseland played down his provisional pole it is nonetheless quite an achievement for the youngster, especially as Monza is right in Ducati’s back yard.

“We have a good race set up, the HM Plant Ducati is really fast and the Dunlop tyres are working well. My aim is to be consistent in the races,” commented Toseland.

Chili looked likely to take the provisional pole until he was baulked on a fast lap late in the session going into the chicane. But with his bike going so well and Chili himself being in such great form at the moment things could change on Saturday.

Neil Hodgson, who struggled with stability problems on his Fila Ducati had to settle for third ahead of Regis Laconi, who had lead the session in the early stages. The front row is an all-Ducati affair, with Gregorio Lavilla the first non-Ducati back in sixth on the Suzuki. His team struggled with gearing today, they’ve never been to Monza on the GSX-R1000 and therefore have no data at all to base their settings on. Once they sort out the basics we can expect the Suzuki, which was fastest through the speed trap today, to give the Dukes a lot more trouble.


Friday’s World Superbike Qualifying Results:

1. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, 1:47.713
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:47.723
3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, 1:47.898
4. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, 1:47.903
5. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, 1:48.101
6. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:48.371
7. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, 1:48.557
8. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:48.691
9. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:48.994
10. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, 1:49.534
11. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:49.536
12. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.946
13. Alex Gramigni, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:49.978
14. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:50.370
15. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:50.604
16. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:50.877
17. Giovanni Bussei, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:50.878
18. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:51.039
19. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda RC51, 1:52.091
20. James Haydon, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:52.190


More, from HM Plant Ducati:

Toseland on provisional pole at Monza

James Toseland took his first official provisional pole in the Superbike World Championship today, beating local hero Frankie Chili to the top slot at the historic Monza circuit. His team-mate Chris Walker was seventh fastest as he eased himself back into the swing of things after a torrid time in Sugo.

Toseland recorded a best lap of 1:47.713 at the close of the session, having used most of the time trying to achieve a good race set-up on his HM Plant Ducati.

“That’s the first time I’ve topped the timesheet in a WSB qualifying session so I’m obviously pleased,” said the 22-year-old from Sheffield. “Being fast on Friday is one thing but it’s my performance on Sunday that really counts so I’m not getting too excited yet.”

Although Toseland played down his provisional pole it is nonetheless quite an achievement for the youngster, especially as Monza is right in Ducati’s back yard.

“We have a good race set-up; the HM Plant Ducati is really fast and the Dunlop tyres are working well. My aim is to be consistent in the races,” added Toseland.

Chris Walker took things easy on his first day back on the track after his difficulties at Sugo.

“I’m getting my confidence back gradually after Sugo,” said Walker. “I don’t want to rush things, especially now that I’m almost recovered from my injuries.”

With the HM Plant Ducati running so well it’s very likely that Walker will find more speed as the weekend progresses and as he gets back into the business of competitive riding again.

Toseland and Chili both deposed current factory Ducati pilot Neil Hodgson from the top of the timesheet. The former HM Plant Ducati rider finished third on his factory Ducati in front of Regis Laconi, making it a Ducati-dominated provisional front row.


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Haydon soldiers on at Monza for Foggy PETRONAS Racing

Foggy PETRONAS Racing rider James Haydon went through the pain barrier today following a heavy morning crash on the first day of round four of the World Superbike championship at Monza. The 28-year-old Englishman suffered concussion, ligament damage in an arm and leg and a suspected fractured toe after high-siding his FP1 at the fast Ascari chicane at the Italian circuit. He said: “I took a big bang to the head and felt really detached for a while. I had never been concussed before and didn’t really know what it was like until today. I came across a slower rider and had to put the bike in slightly tighter, reducing the contact patch. When the back end broke I couldn’t save it and the bike landed on top of me. I wasn’t intending to ride this afternoon but the forecast is for rain tomorrow and I didn’t want to be outside of the qualifying time for the grid, so I did a few steady laps although I found it difficult to judge distances.”

James had been making good progress in the morning practice session, his first visit to the historic parkland circuit outside Milan since his privateer days in the championship in 1997. He posted the 18th fastest time, four tenths of a second behind team-mate Troy Corser.

The Australian, who was also experiencing the new track lay-out with a modified first corner for the first time, finished the morning session in 15th and the afternoon qualifying one place better in a time of 1:50.320, with James Toseland claiming provisional pole with a time of 1:47.713. Troy said: “This circuit takes some time to get used to again, especially not having raced here for two years. It’s not the kind of place where you can make a change, do a couple of laps and then come in. You need a few laps to get up to speed again after set-up changes. I changed the gearing between sessions and will probably go longer again tomorrow. But I am slowly picking up time on the brakes and know I can find time through the chicanes and with tyre choice.”


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

Two Ten Kate Honda Heroes at Monza

Both Ten Kate Honda riders were heroes in the first qualifying session at Monza but for completely different reasons. Karl Muggeridge shaved almost a second off the best lap time while Chris Vermeulen qualified second despite injuring his thumb in a fall during the morning’s free practice.

Karl Muggeridge blitzed the opposition in the session, his best lap of 1m 52.432 really sets the pace for the weekend and is almost a second quicker than the rest of the pack.

“I’m really stoked about the time,” said Muggeridge, “everything is going so well. The bike is really fast and the tyres and suspension are working great.”

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Muggeridge, “There was a lot of crashes in the session and it made it really hard to do a flying lap because you kept coming up against traffic and yellow flags.”

Although he’s almost a second down on his team mate, Chris Vermeulen’s time is no less remarkable. Riding with a torn ligament in his right thumb as a result of the morning’s crash, Vermeulen is suffering intense pain under braking.

“This circuit is all braking and my hand hurts when I put pressure on it. I have to be cautious everywhere because of my thumb, I am riding with a little margin for error.”

Team Manager Ronald ten Kate had nothing but admiration for his riders, “I didn’t expect that after Chris’ crash this morning,” admitted ten Kate. “He almost ran into the back of another rider while braking for the Ascari chicane and crashed trying to avoid him. He’s damaged ligaments in his thumb and is obviously riding in pain. To see him go second just a few hours later shows he’s definitely grown up from a boy to a man.

“As for Karl, it’s obvious that he’s right back in peak form after suffering from some minor health problems in the run up to the season. Now he’s just gone 0.7 seconds under the best lap record here and I think he would have been even faster had he not been held up during another very fast lap late in the session.

“The results show what everybody already knows, Ten Kate Hondas are very fast at Monza!”


More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks:

Laconi in the speed cathedral of Monza

The historical circuit of Monza is the stage of the fourth round of World Superbike Championship that finally is back to Europe after Australian and Japan; a very fast track where the top speed of factory machine and 1000 four cylinder are a big obstacle to the road of victory for everybody.

Regis Laconi recorded the fourth fastest earning a provisional front row in the starting grid; in the free practice session of the morning Regis was the fastest, about half second faster as Chili, second, and recording also a good top speed, slower only of factory bikes of Hodgson and Lavilla.

“Monza is a particular track. Straight line very fast and there’s a limited number of left corners.” – said at the end of the day Regis Laconi – “In such conditions our tyres perform very well and are very close to the concurrence, we suffer only the high temperature. More here the engine performance is very important and I must really thank my team, first of all my chief engineer Marco Mozzone, who prepare the engines for my bike, because they have done an excellent job. In the afternoon session the track was slower due to the oil let by sidecars as the track temperature which increased from 30°C of the morning up to 44°C, but the bike was excellent in that occasion too. Despite that I’ve not been able to be fast, and while in the morning I set my laptime easily with race tyres, in the afternoon I got my laptime working hardly and with soft tyres. Tomorrow we’ll have to work for a better grip on the rear. So, it has been a good day, but we have still some problem and we must work to be really competitive.”

Quite satisfied Marco Masetti too at his debut; the Scuderia Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks entrusted him a 996RS model 2002 for his Superbike absolute debut; the young rider, who lives not far from Monza’s circuit, must of course suffer his inexperience, but his results did improve lap by lap.

“I’m paying my lack of experience on that bikes.” – said Masetti – “I’m doing a lot of riding mistakes and in practice I do not record a couple of lap in the same way, but my feeling is upgrading. In the last two years I spent not much time on a racing bike and if I suffer pains in my arms after a few laps, but I must be satisfied of this first result, looking at the results I’m just a second behind riders with a lot of experience. That’s has been a big occasion for me to ride this bike on my home track and I thank everybody helped my in this circumstance.”

From a press release issued by WERA:

LOCAL RACER BATEY TAKES SIX WINS AT NASHVILLE

LEBANON, Tenn.- Local racer Tray Batey proved that he knows the fast way around Nashville Superspeedway, taking six wins over the weekend during the WERA National and Sportsman Series races.

Batey, of Gallatin, Tenn., started the weekend by winning the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series four-hour race along with Mark Junge and John Jacobi. Their Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R1000 has won all three of the endurance races this season.

In the WERA Sportsman Series races, which paid double points for the Southeast and Mid-Central regions, Batey won B Superstock on his Suzuki GSX-R750 and Heavyweight Twins on a Suzuki TLR1000.

Batey earned three wins in the National Challenge Series. He was first to the finish line in 750 Superstock and Pirelli Formula 1, in which he rode his Suzuki GSX-R750, and in Heavyweight Twins on his Suzuki TLR1000.

First-year expert Greg Moore also had a successful weekend. In the Sportsman Series, Moore was victorious in C Superbike, B Superbike and Formula 1. He rode a Suzuki GSX-R in each race, including a 600, 750 and 1000.

Moore’s other victories came during the National Challenge races when he won 600 Superbike on a Suzuki GSX-R600 and 750 Superbike on a Suzuki GSX-R750.

Robert Jensen was the only other rider to earn multiple National Challenge victories in the expert classes. His first win was in Open Superstock on a Yamaha YZF-R1. Jensen then rode his Yamaha YZF-R6 to a win in the competitive 600 Superstock class.

Bradley Champion took his third consecutive victory in Lightweight Twins, riding a Suzuki SV650. In 125 GP, 16-year-old Ryan Andrews rode his Aprilia RSV125 to the win, holding off defending champion Brian Kcraget. Kcraget later won Formula 2 on his Honda RS125.

In the novice classes of the National Challenge Series, three riders each took two wins. George Gentle won 750 Superstock and 750 Superbike on a Suzuki GSX-R750 in only his fourth race weekend.

Matt Lynn earned his first career wins, riding his Suzuki GSX-R600 to victory in the STAR School 600 Superstock and 600 Superbike races. Memphis, Tenn., racer Dhane Marques won Lightweight Twins and Formula 2 on a Suzuki SV650.

Paul Nesmith won the novice Heavyweight Twins race on an Aprilia RSV Mille.

Round four of the WERA National Challenge Series and the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series will be held May 23-24 during Cycle Jam at Virginia International Raceway.

More information about WERA, including complete results and points standings from Nashville Superspeedway, can be found on the Internet at www.WERA.com.


More, from a press release issued by Team Velocity Racing:

TEAM VELOCITY RACING ON MEDIUMWEIGHT SUPERSTOCK PODIUM
AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

LEBANON, Tenn.- Team Velocity Racing took their third consecutive podium in the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance Series, finishing third in Mediumweight Superstock during round three at Nashville Superspeedway on May 9.

Chuck Ivey, Steven Breckenridge and Reuben Frankenfield rode the Team Velocity Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 during the four-hour endurance race, which was shortened due to a red flag. The team finished sixth overall out of the 33 teams entered.

Frankenfield started the race, and after his stint, he pitted and turned the bike over to Ivey. The team decided not to do a rear tire change, but Ivey was able to keep the bike in the top three despite having to run conservatively.

“Reuben had a great start and got us up where we needed to be,” commented Ivey. “The tire wasn’t that good, but I did the best I could out there. I felt decent. I was running about average and I kept it where we needed to be to get a podium in our class.”

When Ivey came into the pits, the Team Velocity Racing crew did a pit stop in just 35 seconds, including a rear tire change. “Our crew, they had the rear tire on and we were still trying to get fuel in the bike,” said Breckenridge. “The tire guys were screaming for the rider to get on, then they looked up and saw the can still sitting in the fuel tank!”

Breckenridge rode the third stint until the red flag came out, ending the race.

Team Velocity Racing’s third-place finish kept the team in the lead for the Mediumweight Superstock championship. They now have 288.78 points, just ten more than Team InfoTech, who is currently in second. The close competition
makes Mediumweight Superstock one of the most exciting classes in the endurance series.

During the WERA Sportsman and National Challenge Series sprint races at Nashville Superspeedway, Ivey rode his Suzuki GSX-R750 to a 3rd place finish in the Sportsman B Superbike race, and earned 9th in the 750 Superstock National Challenge race.

“I rode the 600 in the endurance, and the 750 is a different machine on this track,” reflected Ivey. “Higher speeds going into turn one, and it’s just a different suspension setup. I got up to a race pace and felt pretty good. Today in 750 Superstock I met some goals and learned from it, so I think it was successful. I had a couple moments out there, and I probably lost a couple of positions, but I’ll take what I’ve learned and go with it.”

The next event for Team Velocity Racing will be the Suzuki Superbike Showdown at Road Atlanta, where Ivey will be competing in AMA Pro Racing’s
750 Superstock race, as well as both Superbike races. Breckenridge will be racing his Suzuki GSX-R600 in the 600 Supersport event. The races will be held May 17-18. The team’s next endurance round will be a four-hour race during Cycle Jam at Virginia International Raceway, May 23-25.

Team Velocity Racing is sponsored by D&D Performance Exhaust, Pirelli, VP Fuels, EBC Brakes, Joe Rocket, Vortex Racing Components, Trackside Racers Supply, AirTECH Streamlining, Arai Helmets, GMD Computrack, Lockhart Pilips,
Chickenhawk, Pit Bull Racing Stands, Motul and White Tiger Custom Design and Silkscreen. More information about the team can be found on their website at www.TeamVelocityRacing.com.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The MotoGP documentary movie “Faster” will debut Friday, May 16 at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

For the last two years camera crews filming “Faster” have had unprecedented access to the riders, machines and other behind-the-scenes area of MotoGP events. Camera crews even attended a going away party at racer John Hopkins’ home before he started his rookie MotoGP season in 2002.

According to Dorna, Hopkins and fellow MotoGP racers Valentino Rossi, Olivier Jacque, Loris Capirossi, Colin Edwards and Alex Hofmann will ride their MotoGP racebikes to the premiere through the public streets of Cannes.

No information on an American screening or release of “Faster” has been announced.

From a press release issued by Proforma:

HAS/SHOGUN RACING IS READY FOR ROAD ATLANTA

HAS/Shogun Racing riders John Haner and Heath Small are both looking forward to Round Four of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, coming up this weekend May 16-18 at Road Atlanta. Both riders have continued with their personal training programs since the last event at Infineon Raceway.

In addition, John has worked with tuner Steve Upchurch of Motion CycleSports on the R&D of his Suzuki GSX-R750 while Heath tested his Yamaha R6 with Jim Cambora at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, TX. Each has previous track experience at Road Atlanta, and John was the 2002 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Cup Final winner from last October’s WERA Grand National Finals.

“We’ve found a little more power in my 750,” said Haner. “We also went through my ‘A’ chassis after my tip-over at Infineon, and everything is good to go now. I really like Road Atlanta, I’ve done well there in the past.”

Haner is currently ninth in points in the hotly contested AMA Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock class.

“I was glad to get more time on the R6 at Cresson, we sure didn’t get much at Sears Point (Infineon Raceway, where practice and qualifying at the previous round had to be eliminated due to two days of rain),” said Small.

“Jim and I found some things in the suspension at Cresson that will definitely help at Road Atlanta. More than anything, it helped to get more time on the bike at a track that I know well. I am learning so much this year, it’s amazing.”

HAS/Shogun Racing is proud to be sponsored by Shogun Motorsports, Motion CycleSports, Pirelli Tires, Yoshimura R&D, Sharkskinz Racing Bodies, Vesrah Brakes, Vortex, Dynojet, Woodcraft, Lockhart Phillips, Helimot Leathers and HJC Helmets.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Early morning showers gave way to a mostly dry afternoon at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia Thursday as factory teams finished setting up their pit areas, privateer racers made the most of promoter practice and enthusiasts rode for two hours in Team Hammer Track Ride sessions.

The factory semi-trucks arrived and parked Wednesday afternoon, leaving Thursday for pit set-up and running bikes through AMA Pro Racing technical inspection. Most of the riders for the top teams checked in with their mechanics Thursday in preparation for another hectic double-header weekend and the second of four events in a span of six weeks.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel arrived at the track mid-day, and according to Crew Chief Al Ludington, is “ready to go.” Duhamel had surgery to pin a fractured collarbone 11 days ago. The veteran racer suffered the injury on the last lap of the Supersport race at Infineon Raceway.

Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden is back in the paddock and sporting a new scar on his left wrist following surgery in early April. Hayden broke the scaphoid bone in his left hand/wrist in a crash during practice at Daytona, made it worse by racing at California Speedway and was forced to have surgery at the hands of Dr. Arthur Ting to screw the fractured bone back together. Hayden missed the Infineon Raceway event, but speaking at Road Atlanta Thursday, Hayden said he could ride even though bending his injured wrist is difficult.

Hayden also said that older brother Nicky would not be able to attend the races at Road Atlanta this weekend.

One factor that may play to Duhamel’s and Hayden’s favor this weekend is the strong chance of rain, which may result in a less physical riding experience for the two injured competitors. According to the weather forecasts offered by local television stations Thursday, Friday looks to be the driest day with the likelihood of rain becoming stronger Saturday and the strongest chance for rain is predicted for Sunday.

The forecast did not appear to curb enthusiasm for the event. Late Thursday spectators were allowed into the facility and quickly began setting up their campsites and staking out their viewing areas. Meanwhile, Road Atlanta erected big-screen televisions in several areas of the track and put the finishing touches of the turn 11 sports bar, which is now located on rider’s left as they pass under the Suzuki bridge. A new hospitality area for event sponsor Darg Dog energy drink has been set-up in the sports bar’s original location.

Thursday’s activities started under rain, but after the first round of 30-minute practice and riding sessions ran in wet conditions, the rain stopped, the track slowly dried out and practice rain perfectly according to schedule. Rides for general media members on the two-seat Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 Formula Xtreme racebike, however, were postponed until the lunch break on Friday.

Some racers who did not participate in practice Thursday occupied themselves in various ways throughout the paddock. Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp told friends about his recent trip to the MotoGP event at Jerez last weekend.

Rapp’s father lives in Spain, so he arranged to go to Spain, meet up with his father and attend the Grand Prix as guests of Team Suzuki. Rapp said he spent time hanging out with and getting shown around by John Hopkins, the elder and younger Kenny Roberts, Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, Troy Bayliss and Randy Mamola. “I was surprised by how many people I knew there,” said Rapp.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies proudly showed off a new stereo system added to his 1997 Jeep TJ5, which is already equipped with engine upgrades and off-road equipment.

Spies’ Jeep is now equipped with 12 speakers – including four, 10-inch subwoofers – and 3600 watts of amplifier power arranged in a custom installation.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

General-interest news media representatives will take rides on a two-seat Formula Xtreme racebike at Road Atlanta today.

The new program is designed to give reporters an appreciation of the performance of modern racebikes and to promote interest in AMA road racing.

The racebike is a 2002 Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 which was clocked at 187 mph at Brainerd International Raceway last year, and which has been fitted with standard tailsection, passenger seat and passenger pegs.

The two-seat racebike was a big hit with media reps at Infineon Raceway earlier this month, resulting in stories on two TV stations and in three newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle. Several of the involved reporters had never been on a motorcycle before.

Steve Rapp will pilot the two-seater, and media passengers have been lined up by Road Atlanta.

Several other racetracks have signed up to use the two-seater for pre-race PR purposes.

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Fast-track development for Foggy PETRONAS Racing at Monza

Carl Fogarty and his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team continue the fast-track development of the FP1 when the World Superbike championship returns to Europe for round four at the historic circuit of Monza, in Italy.

Having demonstrated the potential of the bike during the first three rounds, riders Troy Corser and James Haydon face a new set of challenges at a circuit where straight-line speed is of the essence and where the cutting-edge aerodynamic technology used in the early development stages of the FP1 will play a key part.

Opportunities to test the bike under extreme slip-streaming, when a bike’s temperature can rise by more than 10 degrees Celsius, have so far been limited and improvements to the bike’s water pump have been made in an attempt to counter the increased heat output.

Carl, who will officially open the team’s brand new hospitality unit on Friday, said: “Part of our on-going development of the FP1 will be to see how it performs in higher ambient temperatures here, especially when slipstreaming. The aerodynamic shape of the bike will help for sure but I always found that bikes which did not normally handle well would work fine at Monza, so I don’t know whether our chassis will give us a great advantage here.

“I don’t really know what to expect this weekend. We are not ready to challenge for third place – the Ducati riders have the top two places sewn up. So I think a realistic goal for us at this stage would be to have both riders finishing in the top ten in both races. Reliability was a bit of a problem in Japan so hopefully we have managed to make progress on that front.”

Troy said: “Monza is all about acceleration and top speed. It’s actually quite a boring circuit because you spend so much time on the straights. Handling is a key factor through the fastest chicane, so the FP1 should go well through that section. Braking is also important and it will be interesting to see how stable the bike is under extreme braking, as it has not really been tested yet under those conditions.”

James said: “I really enjoyed racing here in 1997 so I am looking forward to this weekend and I don’t think the changes to the circuit will take too much learning. Hopefully the new set-up that I tried in the second race at Sugo will continue to work better for me. I am confident we are moving in the right direction, although we still need to develop this further for the FP1 to really suit me.”

Circuit information: Monza, Italy

Best lap: Troy Bayliss, 1:47.434 (2002).

Superpole record: Neil Hodgson, 1:47.913 (2002).

Race record: Troy Bayliss, 1:47.434 (2002)

Pole position: Left. Circuit length: 5.793km.

Corners: 5 left, 8 right. Corner radius: 610m maximum, 12.5m minimum.

Maximum slope: 2.4 per cent upwards, 1.7 per cent down

Race times: 1100 and 1430 hours, GMT. Selected

TV: British Eurosport (Superpole delayed, Saturday 21.30-22.30, both races live 10.00-15-
30). BBC (Race 1 delayed at 13.35, Race 2 live at 14.25)