From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

British Superbike Championship – Round 4 – Oulton Park, Cheshire – Monday May 5th 2003

TEAM MONSTERMOB HOPING TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS

Following on from a superb hat-trick of victories last time out at Thruxton, the MonsterMob Ducati pairing of Superbike star Shane Byrne and defending Supersport champion Stuart Easton head for round four of their respective championships at Oulton Park this Mayday Bank Holiday determined to repeat the feat.

26 year old Byrne extended his lead at the top of the series to 41 points with his first ever BSB double and sees no reason why that form cannot continue into the Ducati-friendly Cheshire circuit this weekend:

“I’ve got the strongest package in the paddock at present and I’m aiming to repeat what I did at Thruxton. I’m surprised that I’ve had it relatively easy so far and hopefully we can continue our dominance but I know that it will get tougher as the season progresses. The team is good, the bike is fantastic and I’ve no worries whatsoever” said the laid back Londoner who jetted out to France for a week’s holiday after his Thruxton success.

Also planning on repeating his Thruxton dominance is 18 year old Easton who decimated the opposition with a start to finish Supersport win over Easter and the young Scot is still fired up following some remarks earlier in the season that cast aspersions on his ability to defend his title aboard the ageing 748 Ducati.

“I proved a point at Thruxton and made some people eat their words. Just because I’ve done that doesn’t mean I’ll be backing off at Oulton, it’s one of my favourite tracks and the Ducati will be awesome there. Anything less than a win and I’ll be extremely disappointed” said the Hawick ace who as a result, now lies second in the standings.

Team owner Paul Bird has the added pressure of Oulton Park being his and his sponsor MonsterMob’s local track but he’s confident his team can put on another great show for the dozens of guests:

“We’re riding high at the moment and we need to ram home our advantage whilst we’re in the driving seat and I see no reason why we can’t do that again this weekend. I’ve never had a treble at Oulton so now would be as good a time as any” said the Penrith businessman.

From a press release issued by Proforma:

HAS/SHOGUN RACING TESTS AT INFINEON RACEWAY PRIOR TO AMA NATIONAL THIS
WEEKEND

HAS/Shogun Racing riders Heath Small and John Haner tested at Infineon Raceway last weekend, competing in an AFM North event in anticipation of Round Three of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, coming up this weekend May 1-4 at the Nothern California facility. Neither rider had been to this facility before, so the track time that they each got was valuable in learning the twisty 11-turn track, even though the event was shortened due to rain on Sunday afternoon. Both Small and Haner compared
Infineon Raceway favorably to one of their favorite tracks back in their native Texas, Oak Hill Raceway.

“I like it, I like it a lot,” said Heath Small, who rode only one of his two Yamaha R6s to get familiar with the track. “It’s a lot like Oak Hill, with the elevation changes and the blind corners. I only got two races in, but I got down to some respectable times. I also got more seat time on the new bike, which is a big plus.” Look for Heath on his #278 Yamaha R6 in the AMA 600 Supersport class.

John Haner simply rolled his Suzuki GSX-R750 out of the trailer and rode it without changes from the last event. “The bike wasn’t set up, I just rode it to the bike’s potential as it was,” said Haner. “The track’s cool, it’s my kind of track. I got some valuable time. I was about eight-tenths off the fast time of the day, so I feel good going into Thursday’s promoter
practice.” Haner will compete on his #44 Suzuki GSX-R750 in the AMA 750 Superstock class.

HAS/Shogun Racing is 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.

From a press release issued by FGSPORTGROUP:

Imola 200 – World Endurance Starts This Weekend
Teams go Head to Head – Stars Return to Track

The opening round of the World Endurance Championship takes place this Sunday. The 200 Miglia di Imola is the San Marino round of the championship, and the first chance for the leading teams to measure themselves against the competition.

World Champions Zongshen have kept their two-bike team line-up stable since last year, after clinching both first and second place overall. GMT94 finished third last year, and have switched from Suzuki to Yamaha over the winter. Fourth placed Endurance Moto 38 are another Yamaha team but with better backing for 2003 and a stronger rider selection. In fifth place last year and confident of improving, Suzuki GB Phase One have also worked to stabilise their line-up, chasing the consistency vital in world endurance.

Until the bikes roll out on to the track, the competition will remain verbal. Zongshen’s Warwick Nowland, world champion in 2002: “My goal last year was to win every race and I was disappointed, so it’s the same goal again for 2003; there’s no excuse not to win. Our main rivals for this year will be GMT94 and Phase One when Jason [Pridmore] is riding for them. Yamaha Austria could be a good team as well. I’m looking
forward to some great races with Sebastien Scarnato.”

Russell Benney, team manager of Suzuki GB Phase One (5 th in 2002) is equally confident: “Going into Imola, we can beat GMT94 based on their recent performance, but it’s going to be an almighty scrap. When James Ellison and Jason Pridmore are paired up we will beat Zongshen. I’m really excited about the coming year.”

The 200 Miglia di Imola also sees the return to the track of two great names of Italian – and world – motorcycle racing. Former world 500cc champion Marco Lucchinelli will ride the Cuneo Ducati 998R alongside Serafino Foti and Marco Gerbaudo. Lucchinelli first rode in the Imola 200 in the nineteen seventies. Another ex-grand prix star, Doriano Romboni, will ride the No.101 DRE Ducati with Mori and Tessari.

The Imola 200 begins at 2:00pm on Sunday the 4th of May with the traditional endurance “sprint across the track” start. It will be the climax of a full weekend of action both on and off track, but only the first of eight races which decided the championship.

From a press release:

Hello everyone!



I painted this after my race win at Fontana CA. It reminds me of that special day when we had our blue rocket really flying!

I hope you like it, but if not, there are many other selections to browse through at http://richoliver.net

That is of course, if you’re interested in other things besides super-fast racebikes!

Thanks for checking it out,

Rich Oliver

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

(And note that the handling of Chris Walker at Sugo last Sunday was no better, so it isn’t just a Suzuka problem, it’s country-wide.)

(Other readers who sent reactions to this same deal, please re-send those e-mails, which were lost due to a technical problem.)

From an e-mail:

The recent loss of Daijiro Kato at the opening MotoGP race at Suzuka Circuit, Japan is a tragedy of criminal proportions, not only because the world has lost a very talented 27-year-old rider, but because his injuries were very likely aggravated by his handling post-crash by turnworkers at Suzuka.

I’m an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), which is the lowest medical certification that a health-care worker can hold, but I am also a member of the National Motorcycle Patrol, which are the blue NMP jackets working all AFM and many AMA races in Northern California. I have tended to hundreds of fallen riders at Sears Point, Thunder Hill, Button Willow, and Laguna and I have never seen a rider with the “mechanism of injury” (IE: being spit-off a motorcycle at high speed) that Kato sustained, simply tossed onto a stretcher with no regard for cervical immobilization.

I have tended to fallen racers who have become almost combative with me because of the caution we are trained to exhibit in this type of injury, but cautious we have to be and Kato is am example of what happens when that caution is ignored. The most recent information released on Kato’s death noted that he had a fractured C1 vertebra. The upper cervical vertebra (C1 & C2) house the portion of the spinal nerve that controls involuntary motor functions: That is breathing and heartbeat. When the fractured vertebra is allowed to move and cut the spinal nerve, the patient no longer has respiration nor pulse. It doesn’t appear that cornerworkers even bothered to check Kato’s vitals before tossing his unconscious body on a stretcher to get him out of the area so the race could continue.

It is lucky for those malfeasant track workers that Japan has almost no civil litigation. The Japanese tradition is to apologize to your victims and their families publicly. I can’t see how a country that advanced can be so draconian at the same time.

Rene LaPrevotte
AFM #44W
Novato, California

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Via e-mail:

Since people are starting to talk about the new class, I figured I’d say something also.

I’m not sure that AMA really knows what it wants to do, They want to streamline the program but they sure missed that one. What they have managed to do is make it confusing for the general public.

Have you ever been to an SCCA National and all of the sudden there a bunch of different cars on the track in the same race, all you are left to do is wonder what the hell is this. I can see that happening here now–not very professional.

What is the problem just leaving the 250 GP class as is? Right now when we are on the track everyone knows what class it is. The changes that the AMA is making with the other classes makes more sense.

I don’t believe we will be that competitive against full-blown 600cc Superbikes mainly because of the limited development the manufacturers want to put into 250s now. At least you can buy a competitive 250, unlike the 600cc Supersport front-runners. But that is another subject altogether.

I really believe the 250 GP class is more popular than it gets credit for and that in the long run it will prove itself worthy of remaining as it is.

Thanks for hearing my point of view.
Greg Esser
#26 250GP
Pompano Beach, Florida

From a press release:

The Honda Superbike Classic Launches Website

The 2003 Honda Superbike Classic is on the web at www.superbikeclassic.com

DENVER, CO – RPM (Race Promotion Management) is happy to unveil the official website for the 2003 Honda Superbike Classic at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 11, 12, 13. This premier event features rounds of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship and the SBK Superbike World Championship and a full weekend of motorcycle racing and fun for the whole family. Plus a new addition this year – the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship with 3 exciting classes and past champions competing head to head, including 7-Time Supercross Champion, Jeremy McGrath, Scott Russell, Jeff Ward, Kevin Schwantz, Chris Carr and Mike Metzger.

The Home page highlights the latest news on the event with links to more stories in the News Archive. There is a Meet the Riders slide show that gives you a “Who’s Who” of AMA and WSBK riders. You can purchase tickets, 2003 HSC Gear or enter contests only available to visitors of the website. There’s even a special section called “Ask the Doctor” for your racing related medical questions.

But that is only the tip of the iceberg, the Weekend Events section contains loads of information about all the happenings for the weekend, not only a detailed, up to date race schedule but also previews of all the other events at the track including; the Amazing Stunt Shows, the Kids Corral, the Motorcycle Mall, the Fan Party and more! The Location section gives you some background on the track itself and the surrounding Monterey area with a link to the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca website for even more info.

The Photo Gallery section is overflowing the pictures of last year’s event, both on and off the track. Look for your favorite riders in the Racing section, tour the paddock in the Trackside section, take a walk down memory lane in the HSC Archive and don’t miss our Umbrella Girls, past, present and future. And yes, all the photos can be enlarged for a better view!

There are dozens of related links to the websites of friends and partners of the Honda Superbike Classic, plus there’s plenty of useful information on Sponsorships and available Hospitality Suites for our corporate visitors and a Contact page for any questions that the site doesn’t answer for you.

This site will be updated regularly so be sure to bookmark www.superbikeclassic.com and visit often. Don’t forget your tickets and we’ll see you in July!

From a press release:

We’re back!

After a long winter of snow and huge amounts of fun ice racing with the Bytown Motorcycle Association, Team Shoulder Check (TSC) is back with a vengeance for the 2003 road racing season.

This weekend, May 2-4, members of TSC will be at
Shannonville (www.shannonville.com) for the opening round of the RACE Super Series 2003.

Come on down and watch as Pat Boyd, John Dunlop and Dan Henri strive to be the best in their classes. Look for the exciting passes and the close finishes of the greatest racing sport on the planet.

Make sure you stop by the TSC hospitality area for cool beverages and shelter from the sun.

More information about Team Shoulder Check Racing,
including pictures, results and race reports, can be found at the team’s website,
www.teamshouldercheck.ca

TSC Racing is supported by Parts Canada
(www.partscanada.com) and MD motorcycles
(www.mdmotorcycles.com) of Ottawa.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Race workers Barry and Claire McMahan have won the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association’s (CMRA) Son of the Beach contest, an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2003 AMA/World Superbike event at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

The contest idea spawned from the CMRA’s Race to the Beach contest, a program originally designed by racer and home improvement contractor Eric Kelcher to reward the Texas-based CCS affiliate’s top Expert and Amateur racers with sponsored rides at the CCS Race of Champions event at Daytona International Speedway.

“This contest was indeed inspired by the Race to the Beach (RTB) contest that has departed (the CMRA) to the national scene,” Brooks Gremmels, President of the CMRA, wrote in an e-mail to Roadracingworld.com. The Race to the Beach program has become a national-level award with CCS.

“At first the thought was to emulate the RTB contest, keeping it at the CMRA level where my loyalties are found,” Gremmels’ e-mail continued. “The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to see another contest that targets the fastest guys. Why not reward and recognize some of those who make it possible for all of us to race?

“The decision was made to give the SOB prize to the hardest-working two people within the CMRA, Barry and Claire McMahan. Barry coordinates our cornerworkers, gets disabled bikes back to the pits during endurance races, maintains the two-way radios and works in Race Control when we need the help. His wife Claire, does it all. Claire orders all CMRA merchandise and markets it for the club. She arranges to get our cornerworkers fed on race days and makes sure that we have enough cornerworkers on hand for a race weekend. Claire also organizes and maintains both the CMRA Injured Rider’s Fund and the CMRA Air Fence Fund.”

The McMahans, who plan to retire from working races after this season, will fly from Texas to Monterey, California, be provided with a rental car, hotel accommodations, tickets to the races, food and will be special guests at an annual dinner hosted by Gremmels’ Shogun Motorsports. The McMahans will also get to see their son, Barry McMahan, Formula Xtreme Crew Chief for Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster, in action. The McMahans haven’t seen Barry working at the races in person since 1999.

“A number of people in the industry have contacted me to ask how they might be included in next year’s SOB contest,” wrote Gremmels. “They like the idea of showing some love to the workers that make our racing possible. The CMRA welcomes this kind of support. It couldn’t be going to a better cause!”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail, regarding Loudon, Iraq:

Loudon paid homage to the troops and the Iraqi people in their own way in the season’s opening race this weekend.

First, they cancelled Thursday’s practice. Then they ground down the track’s surface and repaved part of the track. They must have run out of asphalt when they got to the front straight. They set up a half-ass chicane that utilized pit road as the front straight. Then, they really went the extra mile and brought in a rainstorm for all of Saturday. The way the rain brought the oil to the surface on the freshly-paved sections was almost as beautiful as the lake that formed in one of the turns. This was all done so that the participants would fully know the years of hardship that the Iraqi people have endured under Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Then, the folks from the LRRS regime went one step further. They covered the track with sand so that the racers would know what the troops experienced during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

When I think about all the calling for a regime change, I cannot help but think of the LRRS morons. They canceled the other forms of racing at the track because they figured that none of them were as stupid as motorcycle club racers.

When I was in the Marines our motto was Semper Fidelis which is Latin for Always Faithful. The LRRS racers should have a motto of Semper Stupid, for Always Stupid.

Loudon, the only game in town. If you don’t like it, then leave – but you aren’t going to get any of your money back.

Kevin Fegan
Franklin, Massachusetts




Now, a response to the above, via e-mail:

I (and all of the people at NHIS last weekend) take offense to Kevin Fegan’s e-mail calling us a bunch of stupid morons. Hundreds of racers, including myself, participated in a great weekend of racing, despite many adverse conditions, including weather, track condition, and idiots like Kevin Fegan. He never specified if he actually raced that weekend or just turned tail and ran home.

If he stayed he would know that the support people stayed out the entire day Saturday in crappy weather and we ended up running a full schedule. Sunday was beautiful, dry, sunny, and not too hot.

I was not exactly happy that the track was not in its normal configuration, but when I heard that the Bahres had some sections of the motorcycle course paved as to minimize the impact on our weekend even though it would be torn up for repaving, I figured they did all they can to keep us running. The layout was good enough. Pit road is flat with good pavement and the chicanes added a little something new. New England winters and springs are not exactly predictable for optimal paving conditions, how does Kevin expect them to schedule around nature? The same goes for the rain. Thank God we aren’t with AMA or they would’ve cancelled the racesm altogether! As for the sand, I have no idea what he was talking about. On the nice sunny Sunday the fast guys were still ripping 1:13 lap times, even with a slower track configuration. There seemed to be no problems for them, maybe Kevin is a little more picky.

And after all this, Kevin still had the inflated ego to compare his crybaby weekend with a war in Iraq where people are dying? I think that says it all but needed to get the rest off my chest.

Yes, NHIS is the only game in the NE, but that isn’t their fault. If someone would actually open a track instead of issuing press releases about their plans to open tracks, than we could have a multi-track series and Kevin could go elsewhere.

“A wet day at racing is still better than a great day at work.”

Chris Cosentino
Union City, New Jersey



Via e-mail, regarding Sears Point:

Showing up to Infineon raceway for an AFM event a few days prior to the AMA National, I figured that I would be starting to see some changes and improvements to the track’s safety for the AMA round. I was wrong.

As I circulated around the track, it all pretty much looked the exact same to me in most areas. I really figured this out when in a practice session on Saturday I got tossed on my head in the carousel (turn 6) and myself and the bike bounced off the tire wall. I luckily walked away with only some bumps and bruises. But as I stood there looking at my crashed-up motorcycle and watching guys rail through there I then noticed that the run-off there is a joke. It gets used up real quick when you through it down the road, straight at a wall at 100 mph.

I just don’t understand how they are spending millions and millions of dollars modifying this track for rider safety, when there are still concrete walls with tires in front of them and 20 feet of run-off in almost every turn.

Thanks to everyone who helped in the purchase of Airfence because I personally don’t see many permanent track improvements!

Hawk Mazzotta
Pebble Beach, California