From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

NORTH WEST 200 RACE CANCELLED

Organisers cancelled Saturday¹s North West 200 feature race after a combination of heavy rain and a “roads open notice” left officials at the Northern Ireland event with few options, all after an incident-packed day.

With the roads due to reopen at 6.30pm the superbike riders returned to the grid from the warm-up lap, at 6.10pm, to report that conditions for the proposed six-lap race were treacherous.

“That warm-up lap was scary,” said Honda Racing team rider Steve Plater. “We had a wet-weather tyre in the front and a semi-wet weather tyre in the rear but I was sliding everywhere under braking. Nobody in their right mind wanted to go out and race in those conditions ­ it was the right decision to take.”

The cancelled feature race was due to be the sixth and final race of the day. Michael Rutter won the earlier superbike support race ­ the opening race on the programme at the 9-mile public roads circuit near Portstewart, in the north of the country.

Rutter’s race victory, in a five-lap affair held in dry conditions, came after the Leicestershire rider set a new absolute lap record, at an average speed of 121.34mph.

Rutter fought with eventual runner-up, Ulsterman Adrian Archibald for much of the five laps while Honda’s Steve Plater powered the 1000cc SP-2 machine from seventh on the opening lap to eventually grab third with a lap to go.

“The wind was really strong and was my biggest problem,” said Plater. “I struggled to keep the machine upright on the straights but it didn’t really matter, I could make that time up on the coast road, on the run to the finish line.”

Plater’s Honda team-mate for the North West 200, Ian Lougher, made a pit stop after the first lap to adjust his suspension settings then returned to the track to test the machine in readiness for the day¹s ill-fated superbike, feature race.

Lougher said: “I’ve not had much time on the machine and practice here has been wet so I opted to try and get the machine better set up, all really with a view to the Isle of Man TT races in a couple of weeks.”

Lougher continued his domination of the 125cc event at the North West 200 meeting, winning for the fourth year in succession aboard his Mannin Honda. But Lougher was forced to pass Michael Wilcox into the last corner of the 45-mile race to take victory in a ran-soaked five-lap encounter as Hondas filled the top 12 places.

Local ace Ryan Farquhar took a Supersport 600cc double, his first win came in a race stopped after two laps as rain fell on the blustery coastal venue. Farquhar took the lead from Honda-mounted Scotsman Callum Ramsay on the two-mile run along the coast road on lap two.

That move was enough to give Farquhar his first win at the annual North West 200 event while Welshman Ian Lougher took the final podium place with third aboard his CBR600RR Honda.

Farquhar’s second race win came in a four-lap affair when he beat Lougher but an unhappy Lougher explained: “There was a crash on the run into Portrush, oil on the track, marshals stood in the middle of the track and the oil flags waved, there’s no way Farquhar should have passed me there.”

Lougher, riding a Manton CBR600RR Honda, crossed the finish line four seconds ahead of third place finisher, New Zealander Bruce Anstey.

Adrian Archibald scored his debut win at the event with a last lap move to secure the Production race glory. The race was reduced to four laps after a catalogue of incidents. On the second lap of the original race German Friedhelm Beltermann crashed at the 140mph, right-hand Mathers Cross section of the track.

Beltermann escaped serious injury but Lancashire rider Keith Nicholls suffered a broken arm and broken leg when he crashed on the warm-up lap for the re-start. A one-hour delay followed as oil was cleaned from the track.

RESULTS:
(All GB or Ireland unless stated)
DeWallt Superbike race (five laps ­ 44.62 miles):
1 Michael Rutter (Ducati) 22:25.76, ­119.56 mph
2 Adrian Archibald (Suzuki) 22:29.95, ­ 119.19 mph
3 Steve Plater (Honda) 22m 39.21, 118.38 mph
4 Ryan Farquhar (Suzuki) 22:47.09, 117.69 mph
5 David Jefferies (Suzuki) 22:51.08, 117.35 mph
6 Stephen Thomson (Suzuki) 23:00.22, 116.57 mph.

Traks 125cc race (five laps ­ 44.62 miles):
1 Ian Lougher (Honda) 27:23.95, 96.12 mph
2 Michael Wilcox (Honda) 27:54.23, 96.10 mph
3 Paul Robinson (Honda) 27:56.63,­ 95.97 mph
4 David Lemon (Honda) 28:12.14, 95.09 mph
5 Mark Lunney (Honda) 28:19.07, 94.70 mph
6 Mark Curtin (Honda) 28:24.18, 94.41 mph.

Black Horse 600cc race (two laps ­ 17.85 miles):
1 Ryan Farquhar (Kawasaki) 9:25.52
2 Callum Ramsay (Honda) 9:25.90
3 Ian Lougher (Honda) 9:26.09
4 John McGuinness (Triumph) 9:26.35
5 Michael Rutter (Ducati) 9:26.74
6 Jim Moodie (Triumph) 9:27.09

Regal 600cc race (four laps ­ 35.70 miles):
1 Ryan Farquhar (Kawasaki)
2 Ian Lougher (Honda)
3 Bruce Anstey, New Zealand (Triumph)
4 Adrian Archibald (Suzuki)
5 John McGuinness (Triumph)
6 Ryan Rainey (Honda)

Production 1000cc (four laps ­ 35.70 miles):
1 Adrian Archibald (Suzuki)
2 Ryan Farquhar (Suzuki)
3 David Jefferies (Suzuki)
4 Bruce Anstey (Suzuki)
5 Stephen Thompson (Suzuki)
6 Richard Britton (Suzuki)




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

2003 NORTH WEST 200
NORTHERN IRELAND
10TH MAY 2003

A WIN FOR RUTTER AS RAIN STOPS PLAY AT THE NORTH WEST 200

Michael Rutter stormed to victory in the opening Superbike race of the 2003 North West 200, but deteriorating weather conditions at the triangle circuit robbed the Renegade Ducati rider of the opportunity to repeat his winning ways in the feature race of the day.

Taking maximum advantage of his pole position start, Rutter was first away from the line in the Dewalt Superbike race and led the field on the opening two laps around the 9-mile public roads circuit. A hard charging Adrian Archibald managed to squeeze his way past the Renegade Ducati rider and into the lead on lap three, but the Irish roads specialist was relegated back to second place just one lap later as Rutter dived underneath him at the Juniper chicane.

With a clear road in front of him, Rutter put his head down and shattered his own lap record on the final lap, taking the race win by over four seconds from Archibald. Steve Plater finished a further ten seconds back to claim the final podium position.

“It was a close race,” said Rutter. “Archibald came past me on lap three and he was going really well, so I thought I’d bide my time and watch to see where he was strong before making a move. I eventually went past him at the Juniper chicane on lap four and then got my head down on the last lap and pulled out a bit of a gap.”

Sprinting back from the podium, Rutter jumped straight onto the Ducati 748 normally campaigned in the British Championship by Renegade teammate, Leon Haslam, for the first of the day’s Supersport races. After starting from ninth place on the grid, Rutter had just started to close onto the back of the leading quartet when the onset of rain caused the race to be red flagged on the fourth lap.

“I was surprised at how much I enjoyed racing the 748,” commented Rutter. “It doesn’t have anything like the power of the Superbike, which means you have to think about race strategy a lot more and concentrate on carrying the speed through the slower turns. It took me a couple of laps to adjust, but I was laughing inside my helmet once I got going. I was disappointed when the race was red flagged because of the rain, as I’m confident that I could have done better than fifth if it had run full distance.”

The rain was still very much in evidence as Rutter returned to the track for the CP Hire Production race, which was red flagged on the opening lap following a crash at Mathers Cross. Restarted over four laps after a lengthy delay, Rutter was forced to retire from the race on the opening lap when his Ducati 999R developed an electrical fault. An electrical problem with his Ducati 748 also forced the Renegade Ducati rider to sit out the second Supersport race.

Having already racked up one Superbike win, Rutter was confident of another good result as he lined up for the feature race of the day: the Velux Windows North West 200. However, with the heavens opening as the riders formed up on the grid and the cut off time of 6.30pm approaching fast, event organisers made the decision to cancel the final race.

The downpour may have led to a shortened race programme, but it wasn’t enough to dampen Rutter’s enthusiasm for the North West 200, or his enjoyment of the day’s racing.

“The North West is a unique event and one that I look forward to every year,” declared Rutter. “Real road racing and short circuit racing are getting further and further apart every year, with each demanding a very different approach. I just hope that in the future it remains possible for me to combine the two disciplines, because I’ve really enjoyed the racing here today and it provides a welcome respite from the pressure cooker environment of the British Superbike paddock for both myself and the team.”

From a press release issued by the FIM:

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix
Decision of the Grand Prix Commission

The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Claude Danis (FIM), Sito Pons (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA), with the presence of Paul Butler (Secretary), has unanimously decided, following the request of the MotoGP riders, to cancel the neutralisation procedure, thus maintaining the interruption procedure, reducing as much as possible the time of interruption and introducing two warm-up laps. The modifications to the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations are the following, for immediate application:

1.18
Start procedure

1.18.2
Approximately 15 minutes (20 minutes for MotoGP only, except in the case of a restarted race) before the start of the race – pit lane exit open for sighting lap(s)…

1.18.3
Approximately 10 minutes (15 minutes for MotoGP only, except in the case of a restarted race) before the start of the race – pit lane exit closes.

1.18.18
Should there be a problem on the grid that might prejudice the safety of the start, then a marshal will wave a yellow flag in front of the starting grid, and the starter will display a flashing yellow light and the board “Start delayed”…

1.19
Stop and Go Procedure
…In the event of a restarted race, the above regulation will also apply.

In the case of a race interrupted prior to the penalty being enforced, and if there is a second part, the rider will be required to stop after the start of the second part of the race.

1.20
“Wet” and “Dry” Races

1.20.2
Dry Races – a race classified as dry will be interrupted by the Race Director, if he considers that climatic conditions affecting the surface of the track makes it likely that riders will wish to change tyres.

1.20.3
Wet Races – a race classified as wet, usually commenced in varying or wet conditions, will not be interrupted for climatic reasons…

1.20.4
In all cases where the first race is interrupted for climatic reasons, then the restart will automatically be a “wet” race.

1.22
Flags and lights

1.22.1
Green flag (to delete “Two green flags waved on the start line…”)

1.22.2
White flag with diagonal red cross (to delete the whole paragraph)

1.25
Interruption of a race

1.25.3
If three laps or more have been completed by the leader of the race and all other riders on the same lap as the leader, but less than two-thirds of the original race distance, rounded down to the nearest whole number of laps, then the race will be restarted according to Art. 1.26. If it is found impossible to restart the race, then the results will count and half points will be awarded in the Championship.

1.25.4
If the results calculated show that two-thirds of the original race distance rounded down to the nearest whole number of laps have been completed by the leader of the race and by all other riders on the same lap as the leader, then for the 125cc and 250cc classes the race will be deemed to have been completed and full Championship points will be awarded. For the MotoGP class, the race will be restarted for a minimum of 3 laps according to Art. 1.26. If it is found impossible to restart the race, then the results will count and full Championship points will be awarded.

1.26
Re-starting a race that has been interrupted

1.26.3
The start procedure will be identical to a normal start with sighting lap(s), warm-up lap (two warm-up laps for the MotoGP class), etc.

1.26.4.ii.
In the case of the situation described in 1.25.3 and 1.25.4 above:…c) The number of laps of the second race will be the number of laps required to complete the original race distance, with a minimum of 3 laps… e) The final race classification will be established according to the position and the consolidated number of laps of each rider at the time he crossed the finish line at the end of the last part of the race. Provisions of Art. 1.23.4 will apply.

– Art. 1.27 (neutralisation of a MotoGP race) and 1.28 (resuming a MotoGP race that has been neutralised) are deleted.

From a press release:

Gary Trachy to debut Avon Tyres’ new production SuperMoto Xtreme race slicks

Gary Trachy, 2002 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb winner in the 250cc Pro Class will be debuting Avon Tyres’ new line of production SuperMoto Xtreme race slicks this weekend.

Gary looks to extend his points lead in the 450X Class during the SB2/Primedia National SuperMoto Championship Series in Colorado this weekend May 10-11th.

Currently Gary is in the lead with 44 points in the 450X Class leading racers like Mike Metzger, Larry Ward, Jason Pridmore and Aaron Howe.

“Gary has proven himself in SuperMoto as a consistant top runner,” ays Avon Tyres’ John Leach “We’re looking forward to Gary takingth championship this year on Avon Tyres”.

Currently Avon Tyres offers their SuperMoto Xtreme race slicks in 120/60R17, 120/70R17 fronts and 160/50R17, 165/60R17 AND 170/55R17 rears in various compounds, as well as the “Race only” and DOT rain tires in 120/70R17 fronts and 160/60R17 rears.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
2003 AMA CHEVY TRUCKS U.S. MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP TELEVISION COVERAGE KICKS OFF ON MAY 18

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (May 9, 2003) — ESPN2 will again televise the 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship. Programming is scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 18 at 12:00 P.M. Eastern with coverage of both 125 motos from Glen Helen. Immediately following, both 250 motos from Glen Helen will air at 1:00 P.M. Additionally, several repeats will air. Log on to www.USMotocross.com to keep current with this year’s television schedule.

The Glen Helen show kicks off a summer full of AMA Motocross coverage on the popular sports network. In all, ESPN2 is slated to provide more than 50 hours of broadcasting for the 12 rounds of the world’s leading motocross series.

“We’re pleased to see continued commitment to AMA Motocross on the part of ESPN2,” said Kerry Graeber, AMA Pro Racing Vice President and Director of Communications. “Since giving the nationals better time slots last season, as well as upgrading the production, ratings increased by 23 percent. Plus, we’ve had positive feedback on the improved show presentation. We will continue to look for new ways to provide the best show for our fans.”

The broadcast team for this year is set to include former racing great David Bailey, and experienced TV sports personalities Cameron Steele and Todd Harris.

Harris, the newest member of the team, brings an impressive list of TV credentials to the table. Harris has worked as part of ABC’s college football broadcast team alongside Keith Jackson and Dan Fouts. Harris also spent several years working with ESPN and ESPN2 covering both snowboarding and surfing world tours as well as a variety of extreme sports. He has worked extensively for Fox Sports, TBS, TNT, and the Outdoor Life Network.

Steele begins his second season as ESPN AMA Motocross field reporter. Steele, who has experience as host for extreme sports such as the X Games, will again ride a Suzuki RM250 while wearing the unique “helmet cam”. Performed at each and every round of the series, this popular feature provides fans with a rider’s-eye view of the challenging tracks.

Bailey needs no introduction in the world of motocross. He was a leading AMA Motocross and Supercross racer of the 1980s. He won the AMA 250cc National Motocross Championship and AMA Supercross Championship in 1983 and went on to win the AMA 500cc National Motocross Championship in 1984 and 1986. He tallied 30 AMA national race victories during his eight-year professional career. This will mark Bailey’s 10th anniversary as expert analyst for ESPN.

For immediate post-race results, points, live transponder scoring, in-depth series and rider information, regular columnists and much more, log onto www.USMotocross.com.


About AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its properties include the AMA Supercross Championship, the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship, the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship and the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship. Nearly 2 million race fans attended AMA Pro Racing events during the 2002 season. For more information about AMA Pro Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA PRO RACING TO TEST NEW QUALIFYING PROCEDURE AT PIKES PEAK

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – AMA Pro Racing will test a revised qualifying procedure at the Pikes Peak Round of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited. Instead of dividing qualifying into two sessions determined by even or odd rider numbers, AMA Pro Racing will split the sessions based on times from Friday’s practice sessions.

The two classes involved are Pro Honda Oils Supersport Presented by Shoei and Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock. According to Ron Barrick, AMA Pro Racing Road Race Manager, rider input was one of the considerations that lead to this decision. “Some of our riders have suggested that we look at this,” said Barrick. “Basically, it will enable riders that are closer together in lap times to qualify in the same sessions. The concept has been discussed a few times in the past. It was brought up again at Daytona and we decided to review the matter at the next road race advisory board meeting.”

A road race advisory board meeting was held at Infineon Raceway on May 3, and attended by senior AMA Pro Racing staff. The decision to test this system for possible future implementation was virtually unanimous.

The AMA Pro Racing road race advisory board is comprised of representatives and riders from several factory, support and privateer teams and meets several times per year to consider issues related to road racing.

Rider’s times from Friday practice will determine which session in which they qualify. Group one will be the slower group and group two will be the faster group. If groups cannot be divided equally, the extra rider will be placed in group one. Also, it will be the responsibility of the riders to qualify in the correct group. Riders that fail to qualify in the correct group will be placed at the back of the grid, if qualified. Barrick pointed out that this test will help determine the viability of the procedure. “If we like what we see and get positive feedback from the riders, we’ll consider implementing the procedure for future events,” said Barrick.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Motorcycle Hall of Famer George Roeder died Thursday, May 8 from an apparent heart attack, reported Paul James, Harley-Davidson/Buell Communications Manager, in an e-mail to Roadracingworld.com.

According to his bio on the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame website, www.ama-cycle.org/museum/index.asp, Roeder was born August 16, 1936 in Monroeville, Ohio and started racing motorcycles as a professional at age 17. He took his first Grand National dirt track race win at the Springfield Mile in 1963; won a total of eight GNC races; and finished second in the Grand National Championship twice, by one point to Dick Mann in 1963 and runner-up to Gary Nixon in 1967.

Roeder also road raced, taking four podium finishes in the Daytona 200, and set a land speed record of 177.225 mph on a Harley-Davidson 250cc Sprint-powered streamliner in 1965 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

Two of Roeder’s sons, George “Geo” Roeder, II and Jess Roeder are both accomplished professional motorcycle racers. George Roeder’s oldest son, Will, runs the Harley-Davidson dealership George opened many years ago in Monroeville.

No memorial information was available at post time.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Top Speeds From Provisional Qualifying:

1. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 173.0 mph
2. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 171.1 mph
3. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 171.0 mph
4. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 169.9 mph
5. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 168.9 mph
6. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 168.8 mph
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 168.3 mph
8. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 167.8 mph
9. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 167.7 mph
10. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 167.1 mph
11. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 165.7 mph
12. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 165.2 mph
13. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 165.2 mph
14. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 165.0 mph
15. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 164.5 mph
16. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 164.4 mph
17. Max Biaggi, Honda, 162.2 mph
18. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 161.7 mph
19. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 161.4 mph
20. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 159.5 mph
21. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 156.0 mph
22. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 155.9 mph

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Free Practice:

MotoGP:

Troy Bayliss, Station 14, Rider OK
Alex Barros, Station 3, Medical, Rider OK
Max Biaggi, Station 12, Rider OK
John Hopkins, Station 15, Rider OK

250cc:

Dirk Heidolf, Station 13, Rider OK


Qualifying Practice:

MotoGP:

Andrew Pitt, Station 14, Rider OK
Shinya Nakano, Station 19, Rider OK

250cc:

Erwan Nigon, Station 17, Rider OK
Toni Elias, Station 7, Rider OK
Sebastian Porto, Station 12, Medical, Rider OK
Randy DePuniet, Station 2, Rider OK
Johan Stigefelt, Station 10, Rider OK

125cc:

Marco Simoncelli, Station 19, Rider OK
Simone Corsi, Station 17, Rider OK
Mirko Giansanti, Station 13, Rider OK

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

New Assistant Editor Steve Atlas has reported for duty at Roadracing World headquarters in Lake Elsinore, California.

Atlas replaces Michael Hannas, who is no longer associated with the company in any way.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday’s 250cc Free Practice Times:

1. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:45.803
2. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:45.879
3. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:46.004
4. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:46.309
5. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:46.328
6. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:46.550
7. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:46.747
8. Hugo Marchand, Aprilia, 1:46.851
9. Sebastian Porto, Honda, 1:47.235
10. Alex Baldolini, Aprilia, 1:47.366
11. Anthony West, Aprilia, 1:47.389
12. Alex Debon, Honda, 1:47.517
13. Johan Stigefelt, Aprilia, 1:47.705
14. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, 1:47.926
15. Dirk Heidolf, Aprilia, 1:48.023

28. Katja Poensgen, Honda, 1:53.145

Friday’s 250cc Qualifying Times:

1. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:45.117
2. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:45.215
3. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:45.354
4. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:45.968
5. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:45.993
6. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:46.195
7. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:46.724
8. Sebastian Porto, Honda, 1:46.897
9. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, 1:46.918
10. Christian Gemmel, Honda, 1:46.961
11. Erwan Nigon, Aprilia, 1:47.446
12. Anthony West, Aprilia, 1:47.389
13. Johan Stigefelt, Aprilia, 1:47.580
14. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, 1:47.608
15. Hugo Marchand, Aprilia, 1:47.722

107 percent of fastest time: 1:52.475

DNQ. Katja Poensgen, Honda, 1:53.145