Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

It is 8:40 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, the track is dry and the second practice sesson of the day, for Superbikes, is on track at Infineon Raceway.

The skies are partly cloudy.

Rich Oliver was fastest in the first session, for 250cc GP machines.

The AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring system is up and running but is double-scoring several riders. For example, Ben Spies is currently shown on T&S monitors as being 1st and 2nd-fastest, Miguel Duhamel is shown as being 6th and 7th-fastest, and Aaron Yates is shown as being 8th and 9th-fastest.

Update: The session was red-flagged at 8:46 a.m. due to a crash, with Andy Deatherage shown on monitors as being the fastest rider, with a 43.342-second lap. Eric Bostrom was shown as 2nd-fastest at 1:39.308.

Update: Bikes are back on track at 8:50 a.m., with 15 minutes left in the session.
Update: At 8:58, Deatherage still tops the timing & scoring monitors at Infineon, followed by Rob Christman, Mladin, Yates, Bostrom, Spies, Rapp, Duhamel, Kurtis Roberts at 9th and 10th fastest, Pegram, Acree, Chandler, Caylor and Pridmore.

At 9:00 a.m., riders are filing back into the pits with a light sprinkle falling on parts of the course.

At 9:04, T&S is showing Christman fastest followed by Mladin at 1:38.806, the fastest legitimate time; others include Pegram, Yates at 4th and 5th fastest, Bostrom, Spies, Rapp, Duhamel, Roberts at 9th and 10th fastest, Acree, Chandler, Howard, Caylor and Pridmore.

At 9:10, the Superbike session was restarted with about five minutes remaining on the clock.

Fastest Times At The End Of The Superbike Session
1. Mat Mladin, 1:38.397
2. Larry Pegram, 1:39.099
3. Aaron Yates, 1:39.154
4. Eric Bostrom, 1:39.219
5. Ben Spies, 1:39.327
6. Steve Rapp, 1:39.529

As the Supersport bikes went on track, the trend of double-scoring riders continued on the timing & scoring monitors, with several riders appearing multiple times in the order.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

According to a public address system announcement made at about 2:45 p.m., all on-track activities at Infineon Raceway are over for the day.

From a press release issued by VJB Racing’s Tony Bell:

Road racer Vicky Jackson-Bell was injured while taking part in a track day at Glen Helen MX park.

Vicky was hit by a well- known factory rider who was practicing for the upcoming AMA National.

Vicky sustained a left shoulder dislocation, a dislocation of the left hip and a compound fracture of the left hip socket.

Vicky was taken to the Arrowhead Medical Center in Colton, California where she is sedated. Surgery is planned for May 8th once her condition has stabilized.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The status of the racing surface of Infineon Raceway remains a question mark, but AMA Pro Racing has announced tentative plans for the rest of the Supercuts Superbike Challenge.

Kerry Graeber, AMA Pro Racing Vice President, Director of Communications, told Roadracingworld.com that the current priority for officials is drying the track, “which includes several spots of water running across the track.”

When the track is dry, says Graeber, practice will resume with the MBNA 250cc Grand Prix class followed by the first Superbike practice.

After those groups practice, AMA Pro Racing will attempt to run the first 28-lap Superbike race followed by the 17-lap Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock final.

If more, dry track time remains Saturday, it will be used for practice for the Supersport, Formula Xtreme, Superbike and 250cc Grand Prix classes.

“The reason we are trying to get races in today,” said Graeber, “is because the weather outlook for Sunday is now looking bad also.”

The tentative plan for Sunday would be practice in the morning followed by the final events for Supersport, 250cc Grand Prix, Formula Xtreme and Superbike.

Graeber said that AMA Pro Racing has given up hope of having any timed qualifying sessions for any class and would grid the final events based on current point standings, order of pre-entry followed by order of post-entry.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE U.S. FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – The television schedule for the 2003 AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship has been released and five more events are to be televised on Speed Channel this season, in addition to the Daytona Short Track event that was aired in March. In addition to Grand National coverage, select Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Series races will be shown.

AMA Flat Track fans will get a good mix of racing venues to watch – from the famous Springfield Mile to the neighboring TT circuit. There will also be the opportunity to catch televised racing from a new venue, the half-mile at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, as well as the race at Scioto Downs in Columbus, Ohio.

“Flat track racing is traditionally some of the closest in all of AMA Pro Racing,” said Bruce Bober, AMA Pro Racing’s Flat Track Manager. “We’re confident that the sport will continue to win new fans as they are able to watch these races on Speed Channel. We’re fortunate to have companies such as Progressive Insurance and Harley-Davidson Motor Company, whose support helps make these flat track broadcasts possible.”

The next AMA Grand National on the TV schedule is the tradition-rich Memorial Day Weekend running of the Springfield Mile. The race will be shown as part of Speed Channel’s Two-Wheel Tuesday on June 24 at 9 p.m. EST and rebroadcast twice. Defending champion Chris Carr will be shooting for a third-straight victory in the Memorial Day Springfield Mile race.

The cameras then move next door to the Springfield TT circuit. The Hayden brothers from Owensboro, Ky., have owned that track since its inception and look for Tommy and Roger Lee to be among the frontrunners again this year. The Springfield TT race will first be shown on Two-Wheel Tuesday July 1.

Sharon Speedway’s Half-mile is one of the new venues on the schedule this year. The July 5 race will be shown on Speed Channel July 22. The scenic Scioto Downs venue in Columbus, Ohio, will run on Sept. 20 and taped for an Oct. 7 showing on Speed. Scioto Downs is the race closest to the AMA Pro Racing headquarters in nearby Pickerington, Ohio, and it’s quickly become a favorite venue to fans and racers alike. The 2003 AMA Flat Track television package wraps up with the season finale, September 26-27, at the Springfield Mile. That race will first be shown on Oct. 21. Considered the most prestigious single race in the championship, Springfield almost always produces exciting finishes decided in final draft maneuvers coming down the front straight on the last lap.

Visit www.1800FlatTrack.com for the complete broadcast schedule.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

It’s 2:40 p.m. and AMA Pro Racing and Infineon Raceway officials are meeting to decide the status of today’s on-track activities at the Sonoma, California racetrack.

The sun is shining but the situation is not as simple as not having rain falling.

Water is seeping up through cracks in the track surface and is running across the line in several corners.

AMA Pro Racing’s Ron Barrick took three-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin out to look at the track and it is Mladin’s opinion that the track was in no condition to run.

Track officials took reporters out to look at the situation in turn 3.

Despite the fact that the sun is shining, water continues to flow out of adjacent hillsides and push up through the track, a legacy of over an inch of rain last night.

Best estimates are that the seepage problem will abate and the track will be raceable in about 24 hours.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing Wold Publishing, Inc.

At 1:00 p.m., we’re still waiting for practice to start at Infineon Raceway.

Crews are still working on getting water off some sections of the track.

The biggest problem seems to be water seeping up through the track surface in turn 8.

The lastest news is that the Saturday Superbike race has been pushed back to 4:00 p.m.

We’re awaiting further word…

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

It’s 10:30 a.m. local time at Infineon Raceway and the only on-track activity is a parade of ambulances, cars, trucks, scooters and two police dirtbikes (!) trying to dry out the track. The parade has made progress in eliminating some of the biggest puddles on some parts of the course but the track surface is still very wet as a result of heavy rains that started last night and continued on and off into the morning.

The new section of pavement in the esses is still under several inches of water, and the parade is actually detouring around that section by using the old course; work crews with brooms, a sweeper truck and a fire hose are trying to get water and mud off the new pavement.

A new schedule will obviously have to be formulated…

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Rounds 4 & 5 – Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California, USA
Opening Qualifying Session Report


RAIN HALTS AMERICAN SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING AT INFINEON RACEWAY


Sonoma, California, USA – Continued rain showers throughout the day have forced race officials to call a halt to practice and qualifying sessions for the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship round being held at Infineon Raceway (formerly known as Sears Point) today.

Rain fell periodically throughout the day, with only three classes being able to take to the circuit, (Formula Xtreme, Supersport and 250 Grand Prix) before more showers put an early end to each of those sessions.

Three-times American Superbike champion and current championship points leader Mat Mladin, did take to the circuit during the Formula Xtreme practice session aboard his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, only doing enough laps to familiarise himself with the conditions. No Superbike practice or qualifying took place today.

Weather conditions are expected to remain the same tomorrow (Saturday), before clearing on Sunday and Monday.

The disruption to the program will mean that the Superbike competitors will only have tomorrow morning’s qualifying session to set their best times before the first of two 18-lap Superbike nationals are held later in the afternoon, weather permitting.

If conditions remain wet tomorrow, race officials will reschedule the events for Sunday, and possibly Monday.

Mladin arrived at this weekend’s round of the championship fresh from a double victory at the previous round at California Speedway and leads the points chase with a total of 100, eight points clear of Honda’s Miguel DuHamel.

Proposed Saturday Schedule

8:00-9:40 a.m., Practice (All classes)
9:45-10:05 a.m., Superstock Qualifying, Even #s
10:10-10:30 a.m., Superstock Qualifying, Odd #s
10:40-11:10 a.m., Superbike Qualifying
11:20-11:40 a.m., Supersport Qualifying, Even #s
11:50-12:10 a.m., Supersport Qualifying, Odd #s
12:10-12:40, Lunch
12:40-1:00 p.m., Superbike Practice
2:00 p.m., Superbike race, 18 laps,
followed by 250cc GP Qualifying, followed by Superstock race, 17 laps.

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 3 of 18
rounds)
1. M Mladin 100; 2. M DuHamel 92; 3. B Bostrom 87; 4. A Yates 86; 5. E
Bostrom 85; 6. K Roberts 81; 7. S Higbee 64; 8. A Deathridge 60; 9. V
Haskovec 55; 10. L Pegram 51.