From a press release issued by the newly formed FGSPORTGROUP:

World Superbike Championship ownership is transferred to Flammini Group.

The Interpublic Group of Companies has transferred its interest in World Superbikes to its joint venture partners of four years, the Flammini Group. The sale includes full ownership and management rights for WSBK.

Doug Augustine of Interpublic Sports and Entertainment explained: “The championship has grown from strength to strength and we are proud of our association with the series to date. The future of the series looks bright and secure with the Flammini Brothers remaining at the helm.”

Maurizio Flammini, founder and President of the Flammini Group commented: “Our partnership with Interpublic has been highly successful and their support has been fundamental in establishing the Superbike Series on the world stage, particularly with regards to international sports marketing. We really look forward to putting much of our learning in to practice over the next development stage of the World Superbike Series.”

Paolo Flammini, President of Superbike International stated: “The support received from the IPG with regards to consolidating the Superbike World Championship on the worldwide scenario has been fundamental. I am sure that the new development stage that our leading Championship now faces, will involve many elements of value that have been acquired through four years of Joint Venture between IPG and Octagon.”

Editorial Note: IPG will still promote the World Superbike events at Brands Hatch and Silverstone through the 2004 season.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Steve Atlas, 21, of Plymouth, Minnesota has been hired as Assistant Editor of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology.

Atlas will report for duty in Lake Elsinore, California on May 9.

From a press release:

Fastrack Riders Association Provides Transportation to Barber Motorsports Park:

FASTRACK RIDERS ASSOCIATION is staging a two day track day event at the new Barber Motorsports Park complex just outside of Birmingham, Alabama June 7th and 8th. FRA is offering transportation from Los Angeles to the track and returned for $335 per bike.

“We have had a number of riders from Southern California express interest in riding the Barber Motorsports track but they have no way to transport their bikes that far,” states Larry Pointer VP of Operations for FRA as well as owner of Champion Auto and Truck Rental, “so we put the numbers together to drive one of our box vans to Alabama. We can haul up to ten bikes so California riders should take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride on one of the best motorcycle tracks in the world.”

Bikes will have to be delivered to Champion Auto Rental in Costa Mesa, California no later than June 1st. Please call for details.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Brandon Bashore married Lauren DeHart on Saturday, April 26 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Racebike tuner Todd Fenton, who currently works with Attack Suzuki, was Bashore’s best man in the wedding.

From a press release issued by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc.

WERA Changes Southcentral Regional Events

Due to poor rider turnout at the first three events in the WERA Southcentral Region for 2003, WERA has cancelled the following events in that Region:

No Problem Raceway June 6/7

Texas World Speedway June 28/29

Texas World Speedway August 8/9

The National scheduled for Hallett Motor Racing Circuit on August 29th through 31st will stay on the schedule and will have Sportsman classes and points for the Southcentral and Midcentral Regions.

The rescheduled Barber Motorsports Park race on June 28/29 is also included as a points-paying race for the Southcentral Region in 2003. This will allow those riders who wish to participate at the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta at the end of the season the opportunity to accumulate points for that event.

For further information contact WERA at (770) 720-5010.

From a press release issued by Troll Honda BQR:

Race held at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit of the Valencian Community, Valencia, Spain, April 27, 2003.

Kenny Noyes Second in Spanish National Superseries Opener in Valencia

American abroad Kenny Noyes started his Spanish National season with his best-ever road racing result as he rode his Honda CBR954RR to second place at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit of the Community of Valencia in the first round of the Spanish Bancaja Superseries, a national championship for production-based machines with all machines running on Dunlop slicks.

Noyes (23) battled for most of the race with Suzuki GSX-R1000 riders Enrique Rocamora and Jose Hurtado and with Israel Bonilla on a very quick Ducati 999. After leading for the first six laps Noyes was passed down the long home straight first by Rocamora (who was second in the opening round of the European Superstock Championship at this same track in March) and, a lap later, by Hurtado, with Bonilla gradually losing contact.

“I was able to close back up through the back section and was right there with the two Suzukis when Rocamora ran off the track,” said Noyes. “I studied Hurtado for another six or seven laps and realized I couldn´t make a last-lap draft past because the Honda kinda ran out of steam if I pulled out of the slipstream. I didn’t want to leave it for the last lap so I made a pass on Hurtado with two laps to go at the slow infield right-hander. On the last lap I thought Hurtado might try me on the inside and I took the final corner down low to shut him off but I got out a little slow and he had the drive and speed to get me at the line by a half a wheel.”

Noyes, the Formula USA Pro Singles Dirt Track Champion with a Lineaweaver Husaberg in 2000, is taking part in three National Championships in Spain: CEV Formula Extreme, Bancaja Superseries and the new National Supermotard Championship. He rides CBR954RR Hondas in two states of tune in the two road racing series and a Honda CRF450R in the new Supermotard series. The Spanish-born and Spanish-speaking American works as a road tester for Solo Moto magazine of Barcelona and rides for the Troll Honda BQR team that enters Alex Debon and Eric Bataille in the World 250 Championship.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Vesrah Suzuki team owner Mark Junge of Union Grove, Wisconsin took a weekend off from racing in the WERA National series to run in the CCS twin-sprint event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin April 26-27 and came away with five wins, two second-place finishes and $6400 in contingency money.

Riding Pirelli-shod Suzuki 600cc, 750cc and 1000cc GSX-Rs, Junge won the Unlimited Supersport and Heavyweight Supersport races on both days, won Saturday’s Middleweight Supersport final and took second in Sunday’s Middleweight Supersport contest behind former Suzuki Cup Champion Robert Jensen.

During Saturday’s Unlimited Supersport sprint, Junge and his 2003 GSX-R1000 were clocked on a spectator’s radar gun as reaching 182 mph on Road America’s 4400-foot front straightaway. The fan showed the reading to CCS officials who relayed the information to Junge. The accuracy of the spectator’s radar gun reading could not be verified, but Junge’s best race lap time of 2:14.2 on his GSX-R1000 would have placed him 10th on the 2002 AMA Superbike grid at Road America, behind only the factory Superbikes.

Junge also finished second in a Lightweight Supersport race after a race-long battle with multi-time CCS Regional and National Lightweight Supersport Champion Ed Key. It was Junge’s first time riding a Suzuki SV650, and he came away impressed, saying, “That thing is a blast! That is a great bike. That race with Key was the most fun I had all weekend.”

Because Suzuki paid contingency awards on both days of the twin-sprint weekend, Junge took home a total of $5750 of Suzuki money plus another $650 in contingency awards from Pirelli.

Harley-Davidson/Buell Communications Manager Paul James won Sunday’s Middleweight Sportsman race and finished second in the same class on Saturday riding a Buell XB9R Firebolt built by Roadracing World as a magazine project bike. James only planned to break in the Firebolt’s new engine at Elkhart Lake, but when James’ personal tube-framed Buell suffered mechanical problems in practice, he enlisted the services of the Firebolt to salvage some points. The Firebolt produces approximately 13 less horsepower than his normal racebike, but James said he was able to easily better his personal best lap times at Road America.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Bart Maciejewski came to the April 27 round of the 2003 Buell BattleTrax Series at Camarillo Airport in Camarillo, California for some free food and rode home with a Regional Championship and a free trip to the Buell BattleTrax National Championship event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Maciejewski rode his Michelin-Pilot-shod 1998 Ducati 916 to the fastest time of the day, 33.70 seconds, on a 20-turn course laid out on the tarmac of the Camarillo Airport, but it was consistency in the competition, not speed in practice that earned Maciejewski a very close win over a tight field of 16 BattleTrax competitors.

The BattleTrax, which started six years ago and continues as a Buell Motorcycle Company promotional tool, introduces riders to motorcycle road racing in a safe, low-cost manner while keeping much of the same excitement. The same basic skills of line choice and smooth throttle and brake application are utilized on the chalk-and-traffic-cone parking courses of BattleTrax as are used on 160-mph road courses with less danger and a much smaller investment.

Although BattleTrax has been run as a fastest-time competition in the past, the 2003 Buell BattleTrax Series runs with a bracket racing-style format. One at a time on the course, competitors make electronically-timed practice laps in the morning to figure out their Target Time. After selecting their Target Time, riders then try to come as close to that time on each of four runs during the afternoon’s Target Rounds. Competitors are allowed to go over or under their Target Time because all four laps are averaged. The difference between a rider’s average lap time and their Target Time is what determines a winner. The rider with the average time closest to their Target Time, over or under, wins.

Maciejewski, who admitted that he only came to the event because he heard there would be free food and drinks (supplied by Ventura Harley-Davidson), arrived late but did a number of practice laps in rapid succession before setting a Target Time of 35.10. Maciejewski got off to a shaky start by hitting the very first cone on the course, drawing a 0.5-second penalty and resulting in a first lap time of 37.00 – well over his Target Time.

Due to the allowance to go under the Target Time, Maciejewski was able to go faster in his remaining laps to lower his average time closer to his goal. After a second run of 34.73 and third run of 34.57, Maciejewski’s friend and impromptu Team Manager, determined (with the assistance of the calculator on his mobile phone) that Maciejewski needed a time of 34.04 on his final run to have his average time match his Target Time. Incredibly, Maciejewski’s final run was a 34.03, resulting in an actual four-run average of 35.117 seconds, or 0.017-second off his Target Time.

“I was a little worried on that last run,” said Maciejewski, a 26-year-old Polish immigrant who works as a bookkeeper in Ventura, California. “I spun it up over that pavement transition in the back and almost dropped it.”

For his efforts, Maciejewski was awarded a Buell leather jacket and declared a Regional Champion. Nine other BattleTrax Regional Champions will be determined in the national touring series and flown at Buell’s expense to Las Vegas, Nevada, July 16, 2003, for a National Championship run-off where they will compete on identical Buell XB9R Firebolts and XB9S Lightnings.

Asked about having to give up his highly customized Ducati for one of the new Buells, Maciejewski said, “I can’t wait to get on the Buell!”

BattleTrax BattleMaster Reg Kittrelle said Maciejeski’s time difference and the results of all of the top finishers at Camarillo were the closest yet in the 2003 Buell BattleTrax Series.


Buell BattleTrax Results, Camarillo, California April 27 (amount average lap time varied from Target Time):

1. Bart Maciejewski, Ducati 916, 0.017-second
2. Steve Natt, Buell XB9R, 0.023-second
3. Paul Pecoraro, Buell XB9S, 0.035-second
4. Lance Wood, Buell X1, 0.132-second
5. Tim Norton, Buell XB9R, 0.137-second
6. Al Bradford, H-D FXD, 0.325-second

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. Kristy Roberts–sister of former AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme Champion Kurtis Roberts and former 500cc World Champion Kenny Lee Roberts, daughter of three-time 500cc World Champion Kenny Leroy Roberts–and fiance Jason Hoar had a daughter, Berkeley Kurtis Roberts, April 25, 2003 in Modesto, California. CMRA racer Harry Tomlinson and G-Man Racing team owner Melissa Tomlinson had a daughter, Grace (Graci) Christine Tomlinson, April 29, 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas.