From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway, formerly known as Sears Point Raceway:

AMA Riders Pleased with Overall Changes to Circuit at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. — Top riders from the AMA U.S. Chevy Trucks Superbike Series tested three new portions of track on Thursday at Infineon Raceway, and riders agreed the changes were a step in the right direction.

AMA factory teams Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki were joined by Austin Ducati, Bruce Transportation (Honda), No Limit (Honda), Erion (Honda) and Graves (Yamaha) on the twisting Sonoma Valley circuit for a one-day test session under sunny skies. In all, 20 riders gave the course a full-day shakedown.

Riders were anxious to test three new portions of track at Turns 1, 8-10 and 11, which have been redesigned to address rider concerns for the AMA Supercuts Superbike Challenge, presented by Honda of Milpitas, May 2-4.


Miguel Duhamel taking the new series of turns that connects Turns 8-10. Photo by Ian Donald.

“I like the changes a lot,” said Honda rider Miguel Duhamel, winner of the Daytona 200. “I especially like the new section at Turns 8-9. That area is going to be a lot safer but it’s going to be more exciting, too. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Ben Bostrom (Honda), a former AMA Superbike champion who has spent the last three years in World Superbike, was also pleased.

“I just like the fact that Infineon talked with the riders before they made the changes. They gave us a chance to have some input. We don’t see that everywhere we go,” Bostrom said. “I think you’re going to see a much safer track. We don’t have to ride around here anymore with a constant fear. This track is a lot safer and that’s what we want. I’m happy.”

Raceway officials made the changes to the three portions of track after a one-day consultation in October with AMA riders Duhamel, Bostrom, Aaron Yates (Suzuki) and Eric Bostrom (Kawasaki), as well as AMA Road Race Manager Ron Barrick.


Eric Bostrom taking the new Turn 9 corner. Photo by Ian Donald.

Turn 1 had been a sweeping left-hander, putting riders at a precarious angle as they approached a pedestrian bridge at the apex of Turn 1. The circuit has now been extended 50 feet in a straight line before entering Turn 1. Riders will then make a left turn at approximately 90 degrees, which is designed to direct them away from the bridge and up the circuit toward Turn 2.

Riders tested various apexes at Turn 1 on Thursday, and track officials may alter the turn a bit for the AMA Superbike doubleheader in May.

“We may tinker with a couple of the corners, but we don’t anticipate any other major changes,” said Steve Page, track president and general manager. “We’re pleased with what the riders had to say today. It was a good test.”

The entry into Turn 10, considered the fastest segment of the road course with speeds approaching 160 mph, has also been altered. As riders crest Turn 8A, they will no longer continue down the famous esses. Instead they will continue down a straight line for 900 feet, parallel with the Hillside Terraces at Turn 9, before making a 90-degree right-hand turn, followed by a sharp left-hand turn, which will blend them back with the original road course just before Turn 10. This alteration will slow the bikes down substantially entering Turn 10. This new segment of track has been dubbed the “Bus Stop.”

The final enhancement is at Turn 11, which has been shortened by approximately 40 feet. The change will direct riders toward the start/finish line after they exit the hairpin at Turn 11. This marks the second change to Turn 11, which was shortened by two-tenths of one mile in 2000 to provide riders with nearly 300 additional feet of runoff. The three changes to the track have shortened the circuit from 2.32 miles, to 2.2 miles.

“I think the track is going to be fine,” said Yamaha rider Damon Buckmaster. “The changes they made are going to make this place safer. There are a few areas that can be tweaked (Turn 1), but overall it’s good.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

First Person/Opinion

By David Swarts

Namco’s MotoGP 3 for Sony’s Playstation 2, the much anticipated follow-up to the company’s earlier two versions of the game, reached stores Wednesday, March 19 and looks to be another hit.

Motorcycle road racing fans and racers – all the way up to professionals who have admitted to using the game to learn unfamiliar international racetracks – have fallen in love with the incredible accuracy and realistic action of Namco’s MotoGP series of games, so it was only appropriate to do a review of the latest version.

MotoGP 3 updates the real FIM MotoGP World Championship line-up as of the 2002 season to include the new four-stroke 990cc machines, their colors, their sponsors, their sounds and their riders. Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa are on the new V5 Honda RC211V, Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa ride the inline-four-cylinder Yamaha YZR-M1s, Kenny Roberts and Sete Gibernau push V4 Suzuki GSV-Rs to the limit and Regis Laconi tries to control the powerful Aprilia RS3 Cube Inline Triple.

Ignoring the real life mid-2002-season changes to four-stroke machines for some riders, Alex Barros and Loris Capirossi still ride the Sito Pons Honda NSR500, Daijiro Kato rides a Gresini Honda NSR500, Tetsuya Harada rides a Pramac Honda NSR500, Jurgen Van den Goorbergh rides a Kanemoto Honda NSR500, Norick Abe and Pere Riba ride D’Antin Yamaha YZR500s, Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque ride Tech 3 Yamaha YZR500s, Garry McCoy and John Hopkins ride WCM Yamaha YZR500s and Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki ride the Proton KR3 Triples.

Five more current MotoGP tracks have been added to MotoGP 2’s 10 for a total of 15 accurately reproduced circuits in MotoGP 3. The new tracks added are the Czech Republic’s Brno, Portugal’s Estoril, Malaysia’s Sepang, Australia’s Phillip Island and the Spanish Valencia circuit. The Paul Ricard circuit in France is included in the game even though it is not a current 2003 venue, and the only 2003 MotoGP venues not reproduced in MotoGP 3 are Rio’s Nelson Piquet circuit and the South African track Phakisa Freeway. The changes to the real life Suzuka Circuit for 2003 have not been added to MotoGP3.

Another 20 “fantasy” tracks, meaning they do not represent a real racetrack, are included for fun and for use in some of the 100 new Challenges, making a total of 35 different courses in the new game.

The Legends line-up has also changed, allowing players to race against Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Wayne Rainey and Wayne Gardner. Some legends like three-time 500cc World Champion Kenny Leroy Roberts have been sent back to retirement or the front office if you prefer.

Playing the new game is very similar to MotoGP2, but MotoGP3 adds a first-person cockpit view that is realistic in that you can see the clip-ons moving back and forth, and the tachometer needle moves accurately. However, the fairing surrounding the windshield on the Yamaha YZR-M1, for example, blocks too much to use the cockpit point of view effectively, at least not at this early stage of playing the new game.

Among the instrument readouts displayed on the screen during normal views is a new “slipstream indicator” light, which has been added to the speedometer and is said to detect “slipstream conditions,” and horizontal line gauges indicating throttle and braking application force now sit at the bottom of the screen. Drafting is definitely possible on MotoGP 3 as I discovered while racing a friend on one of the fantasy tracks.

Most bikes power-wheelie much less in MotoGP 3, which is not entirely accurate of the 220-plus-horsepower four-strokes in real life, but intentional wheelies, stoppies, burnouts and victory poses are only a couple of buttons away. In addition, players can now, with advanced control settings, control the weight shift of the rider front-to-back (with the directional arrows or the left analog stick) and front and rear brakes independently. I did not have enough time to evaluate either of these new features, but the weight shift ability would be more realistic if the bike wanted to wheelie more, as in trying to put weight over the front end to keep it on the ground.

Also, in Season mode you can now adjust the amount of fuel your machine carries from one to 100 percent for each race. The manual claims, like in real life, that the machine will respond “slower” with a full fuel load and “easier” as the fuel is consumed during a race. A fuel gauge is not included among the instrument readouts, and if you run out of fuel during a race, you DNF.

A new Grand Prix selection has been added to supplement the VS (versus, one-on-one at one track) Multiplayer mode. In Grand Prix mode, two players can race for points in up to 15 rounds of variable lengths against a full grid of computer-controlled riders. And new for 2003, up to four players can race each other at the same time with Sony’s optional Multitap adapter; however, I would have to believe a very large monitor would be necessary to enjoy this application of the game.

Most of the existing features of MotoGP 2 remain with MotoGP 3 including different difficulty levels; Simulation on/off; automatic or manual transmission; machine adjustability including a choice between 16.5- and 17-inch tires; dry, wet or variable weather conditions and three Handicap levels that keep the racing close between riders of different skill levels.

After about 90 minutes of playing MotoGP3–hey, we’ve got a magazine to finish here–game play appears to be virtually identical to MotoGP2 with the aforementioned exception of the relative lack of power wheelies. It also appears as though the game has removed some capability of the 500cc two-strokes to make their performance relative to the more potent four-strokes. For instance, I could not use my same Suzuka brake markers riding Norick Abe’s Yamaha YZR500 on MotoGP3 that I could use riding the same machine on MotoGP2.

On the positive side, the literature accompanying the game claims the two-strokes and four-strokes have been re-calibrated for the player to feel the different weights of the machines. I could detect a slight difference in ease of turn-in and change of direction between the Yamaha YZR-M1 and the Yamaha YZR500 in my short test run. Also, riding the Honda RC211V I was able to see suspension action of the rear shock that helped predict the nature of rear-wheel slides. Also, the literature states that application of the rear brake can be used to control rear wheel spin.

The MotoGP 3 manual also includes a short description of each track and each of the 2002 MotoGP riders. So what does Namco have to say about our friend, young American John Hopkins? “John is the youngest MotoGP class rider in 2002. He has been involved in racing since the age of four, and his skill has earned him numerous titles. He entered the MotoGP class in 2002.”

In contrast, Pere Riba’s description reads, “Riba replaced the retired Alex Criville in 2002. He has steadily risen up the ranks, so his future in MotoGP looks promising.” Obviously, this text was written early in 2002.

The addition of the new four-stroke machines and updated rider line-ups to MotoGP 3 was mandatory, but I think reducing the bikes’ nature to power wheelie and the less-than-accurate reproduction of the new machines’ sounds are a bit of a letdown. If we can hear a distinct difference between machine sounds while listening to a tape-delayed satellite transmission of a live race from Europe, we should certainly be able to get more accurate sounds from a DVD connected directly to even the most basic television.

Those two low points aside, MotoGP 3 is a well-executed evolutionary improvement over MotoGP 2 just like the 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6 is to the 2002 Yamaha YZF-R6. MotoGP 3 takes what is already working and makes it slightly better, including subtly improved graphics, and adds new elements that will be appreciated by enthusiasts while not being intrusive to new fans’ enjoyment of the game.

If you already own the first two MotoGP games, you have probably already bought MotoGP 3. If you do not own a MotoGP video game but are reading Roadracingworld.com, what are you waiting for? MotoGP 3 by Namco is priced at $49.95 wherever most consumer electronics are sold and will most likely be the hottest topic of conversation in the AMA paddock at California Speedway.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA 250cc Grand Prix racer Sean Wray and wife Lisa had a daughter, Mikayla Elizabeth Wray, March 11 in Bow, New Hampshire.

From a press release issued by the AMA:

RIDERS NEED TO ACT TO GET A NEW MOTORCYCLE CRASH STUDY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is urging motorcyclists to contact their members of Congress to support a critical new national study into the causes of streetbike crashes.

U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Wis.) is asking his colleagues to sign a letter addressed to U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, urging him to support a comprehensive, in-depth motorcycle crash study to find ways to prevent crashes. The last such study — “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures,” commonly called the “Hurt Report” (after lead researcher Harry Hurt) — was done more than 20 years ago.

“With motorcyclist fatalities increasing 50 percent in just the last five years, the time to act is now,” Green said in the letter.

“Initiated in 1976 and completed in 1981, the Hurt Report remains the benchmark of motorcycle crash research and, sadly, the only such comprehensive study ever undertaken in the United States,” Green’s letter went on to say. “The 1981 publication of the Hurt Report was a catalyst for the development of motorcycle crash countermeasures such as rider training and motorist awareness programs.”

The AMA Government Relations Department is working to get $3 million for an in-depth motorcycle crash study written into legislation now being considered for reauthorization by Congress: the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).

The new crash research would involve detailed at-the-scene study of at least 1,000 crashes to find out what goes wrong for riders.

“The Hurt Report is the study that people turn to when they’re trying to figure out what causes motorcycle crashes, and what can be done to prevent crashes,” said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “But that information is outdated. For example, motorcyclists now are sharing the road with a new mix of vehicles compared with the late ’70s, and dealing with drivers who face a lot more distractions.”

Motorcyclists can urge their members of Congress to sign the Green letter and to support funding for a comprehensive motorcycle crash study by sending a message through the Rapid Response Center at the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts with files from Bob Dragich

Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom adapted to the revised course at Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point Raceway) in Sonoma, California better than anyone else and was fastest during a one-day test Thursday, with a lap of 1:38.05 on his ZX-7RR Superbike.

Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster led Formula Xtreme riders with a 1:38.60 on his YZF-R1-based machine.

Jake Zemke posted the fastest Supersport lap time with a 1:40.19 on his Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda CBR600RR.

Universal Studios/American Honda, Erion Honda, No Limit Motorsports Honda, Bruce Transportation Group Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Graves Yamaha and Dream Team Ducati attended the shakedown, but the big news concerned alterations made to the road course over the winter.

AMA Pro Racing was so interested in reaction to the changes that staffers Ron Barrick, Merrill Vanderslice, John Farris and Kerry Graeber came to the test, and Infineon Raceway’s John Cardinale held a mid-day press conference for local media to talk with the riders.

Eric and Ben Bostrom, Miguel Duhamel and Buckmaster attended the press conference, and their feedback on the safety of the new layout was generally positive with most of their concern centered on the new turn one layout. The issue with turn one for most riders was that it is too tight with too many traffic pylons.

In addition, Doug Chandler, who did not attend the press conference, expressed dissatisfaction with the layout of the new turn 11 to reporters.

In other testing news, Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Marty Craggill has fully recovered from recent surgery to remove a disc from his back. Craggill told reporters that he was “fine, perfect, no problems whatsoever.”

The AMA Superbike event at Infineon Raceway is scheduled for May 2-4.

Unofficial Lap Times (as supplied by teams):

1. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:38.05
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:38.60
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:38.62
4. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:38.75
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:38.80
6. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:39.57
7. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:39.64
8. Doug Chandler, Honda CBR954RR, 1:40.10
9. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:40.19
10. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:40.31
11. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:40.44
12. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:41.39
13. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:41.40
14. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:41.42
15. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:41.46
16. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:41.73
17. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR600RR, 1:42.00
18. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR600RR, 1:42.03
19. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:42.69

From a press release:

SCHWANTZ IS BACK: AMA RED BULL SUPERMOTO SERIES



Austin, Texas – – Kevin Schwantz makes his return to national competition in the newly formed AMA Red Bull Supermoto championship. Schwantz will ride a self-prepared DRZ400 with support from American Suzuki, Yoshimura R&D, Michelin, Ohlins, White Brothers, VP Fuels, Joe Rocket, Parts Unlimited, Alpinestars, Braking, Motion Pro, Motul, Arai, Cytomax, ClifBar and Brand 34 apparel.

The six-race Supermoto championship series is based on the original Superbikers made-for-television series and is an interesting mix of road racing, flat track and motocross disciplines. Though known mostly for his World Championship road racing exploits, Schwantz’s roots in off-road experience run deep. Supermoto’s unique cross-discipline appeal inspired Schwantz to return to national-level competition. “I think Supermoto’s an exciting type of racing,” said Schwantz, “its mix of dirt and pavement with the possibility of a jump draws from three different types of competition. It should be an interesting new championship and I am excited to be involved with it. It’s been eight years since I have competed in a full series championship, and this time I am doing it just for fun!”

The 2003 schedule kicks off at the AMA Superbike/World Superbike Laguna Seca event and wraps up with a winner-take-all championship finale at Las Vegas held in conjunction with the AMA Championship Awards Banquet.

For more information go to schwantzschool.com, kevin-schwantz.com and amaproracing.com.

From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway:

AFM Kicks Off New Season This Weekend at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif.–The battle for the coveted No. 1 plate begins this weekend at Infineon Raceway when the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) begins the new season on the twisting Sonoma Valley road course.

Practice will take place on Saturday, with feature events in more than 15 divisions planned for Sunday. Admission is free on Saturday and $10 on Sunday. Gates open at 8 a.m. each day.

Lafayette’s David Stanton currently holds the No. 1 plate after winning the premier Formula Pacific Division in 2002, but he’ll be tested this season by standout riders like James Randolph (Santa Rosa). Randolph was the 2001 AFM champion.

“I think James is a good rider and I know it’s not going to be a cakewalk, but I hope I can position myself to be there at the end and get the No. 1 plate again. That’s my goal,” Stanton said.

The AFM was founded in 1954 and is the oldest motorcycle club organization in the country, with more than 850 competitive members. The AFM series will feature seven events in 2003, three taking place at Infineon Raceway. Over the years, the AFM has produced such AMA Superbike stars as Eddie Lawson, Fred Merkel and Steve Rapp.

For more information, please visit www.afmracing.org.

From a press release issued by the FIM:

Road Racing World Classic Series
Entry list and calendar for the 2003 season

The 2003 Road Racing World Classic Series includes a round in Assen on August 3. The final calendar with five rounds is the following:

Date Country Circuit

March 30 Great Britain Silverstone
June 8 Austria A1-Ring
July 13 Great Britain Donington Park
August 3 Netherlands Assen
August 31 Czech Rep. Most

The riders’ entry list for the 2003 World Classic Series and the wild-card riders for the first round in Silverstone are the following:

Start Number Rider Nationality Machine

1. CRONSHAW, John GBR Unity BSA
2. DE RIDDER, Adrie NED Seeley G50 Mk2
3. RADEMAKER, Jan NED Ducati Mk 3
4. NEUMAIR, Reinhard GER Norton Petty Manx
5. MERZ, Thomas GER Seeley G50
6. BAUMANN, Sandro SUI G50/Seeley Mk3
7. GROOT, Ton NED Seeley Manx
8. PASOP, Roel NED Seeley Triumph 500
9. HUGHES, David GBR Norton Manx
10. DE RIDDER, William NED Seeley G50 Mk 2
11. SCHOLL, No NED Matchless G50
14. FURBOCK, Johann AUT Seeley BSA
15. KONING, Jan NED ABSAF Goldstar
17. KOREVAAR, Jan NED Seeley Mk II
18. LOCKWOOD, Peter GBR Manx Norton
19. DOBSON, Charlie GBR Norton Manx
20. ANTONINI, Federico SUI Seeley Mk III
21. CRAUWELS, Bart BEL Matchless G50
22. VERBOVEN, Herman BEL Matchless G50
23. TURNER, Nick GBR Norton Manx
25. ENGLISH, Glen GBR FWD Molnar Manx
26. MOONEY, Pat USA ABSAF Gold Star
27. TOMES, Steve GBR FWD Molnar Manx
28. MORRISON, Les GBR SeeleyABSAF
29. OVERSBY, Allan GBR Norton Manx
30. MORGAN, Paul GBR Molnar Norton
31. TANNER, Peter GBR Seeley G50
32. ANSORGE, Herman AUT Matchless G50
33. BAKKER, Jan-Frank NED ABSAFSeeley Goldstar
34. FOY, John GBR Seeley G50
35. JENSON, Vagn DEN Norton Molnar Manx
36. KRENN, Markus AUT Aermacchi Ala D’Oro
37. MENDES, Fernando GBR FWD Molnar Manx
38. SCHARL, Georg AUT Aermacchi Ala d’Oro
39. VOGELZANG, Jan NED Aermacchi 500 Metisse
40. CARTER, Michael GBR Seeley Mk2 G50
41. VERBERST, Jan BEL Ducati 350 Aesno
42. MORTIMER, Chas GBR Matchless G50
43. POLITIEK, Peter NED Seeley Matchless G50
77. SHARP, Phil GBR Tickle T5

Wild-card riders

50. CLARK, Malcolm GBR Matchless G50
51. BREW, Allan GBR Seeley G50
52. GLASHIER, Vernon GBR Tickle Manx T5
54. RAYBOULD, John GBR Matchless G50

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Lee Acree has won multiple WERA National Championships, three Suzuki Cup Championships, back-to-back Formula USA Sportbike titles, topped two AMA Superstock races in 2002, finished third in the 2002 AMA Superstock Championship, nearly won the recent AMA Superstock race at Daytona and yet he doesn’t have a full-time ride for 2003.

“Right now, I don’t have a ride,” said Acree at Daytona International Speedway earlier this month. “I worked something out with Chuck Warren and Arclight Suzuki to ride with them for the AMA weekend down here (at Daytona). Beyond that, I’m looking for a job.”

After an exhausting schedule of racing both the Formula USA and AMA National series in 2002, Acree said at the WERA Grand National Finals last October that he did not want to continue racing in Formula USA and would prefer to race only in the AMA series.

“Yeah, my interest was to go to the AMA,” said the 32-year-old Jamestown, North Carolina resident. “If my only choice had been Formula USA, I would have taken it. I guess I was led to believe there were some opportunities in the AMA, and they didn’t come together. The opportunity for me in Formula USA was closed out before…there was just a lack of communication primarily between myself and (American) Suzuki. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to. Either I misunderstood or things were said, I don’t know. It just led to not having anything. (American) Suzuki, I guess, misunderstood that I said I would quit racing before I would run Formula USA, and that’s just not the case. That’s where that opportunity was dropped, and nothing else came about.”

With his racing resume and high level of professionalism, it would seem possible that Acree could build his own team to go racing. “I could come up with bikes to ride. I think Chuck (Warren) was going to help me out with some of last year’s bikes, but the main problem is coming up with cash funding,” said Acree. “I looked at doing it myself, and if everything went according to plan, I could pull it off financially. But you know how racing is, it rarely goes according to plan. I just feel like I would be biting off more than I can chew doing it on my own.

“I can go out and run select AMA stuff, which is what I may end up doing, then just filling in with some contingency races. I just don’t have the funding to be able to go run the whole series on my own.

“(By coming to Daytona) I just hoping to make people aware that I’m still available and still want to ride. There seemed to be some rumors going around that I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue to race. That’s just not accurate. I’d be willing to entertain any offers. I just want to ride.”

Riding 2002 Suzukis not built to take advantage of the new 2003 rules, Acree took a photo-finish second in the AMA Superstock final at Daytona just behind race winner Tommy Hayden. Acree also finished 17th in the AMA Supersport race at Daytona, the second-highest privateer and the highest non-factory Suzuki rider.

But at post time, Acree’s time in the wilderness looks like it will end soon, with a full-time paid ride in the F-USA Series. An official announcement is expected by the end of the week.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Motorcycle manufacturers have cancelled events and changed plans related to travel as a result of the pending war between the United States and Iraq.

Ducati has abandoned plans to bring U.S. reporters to a press launch of the new Multistrada model, scheduled for April 10-11 in Italy, and has instead decided to schedule a second launch for the North American press at a yet-to-be-determined location in the U.S., on a yet-to-be-determined date.

Suzuki Japan has recalled Japanese employees working on temporary assignment in the U.S. and has cancelled other international travel.

And both Yamaha and Honda have put a hold on non-essential international travel by employees.