Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Superbikes took to the track at Daytona as scheduled, for a short practice starting at 10:00 a.m.

The sun is still shining.

Based on the last week at Daytona, that’s big news.

In the Superbike practice session, Mat Mladin was fastest, followed by the Bostrom brothers. Times follow:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:48.843
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:49.858
3. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC-51, 1:50.184
4. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.251
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC-51, 1:50.607
6. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC-51, 1:50.682
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.070
8. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:51.078
9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.362
10. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.747
11. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:52.619
12. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:52.813
13. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:52.840
14. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.543
15. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:53.640
16. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.857
17. Brian Livengood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:53.906
18. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.057
19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.258
20. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.479
21. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.481
22. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.656
23. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.202
24. James Randolph, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.298
25. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.406
26. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.413
27. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.144
28. Akiharu Shigeno, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.302
29. Sandor Bitter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.662
30. Scott Jenson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.764

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Rick Shaw is the new holder of the Daytona 200 career mileage record.

Shaw covered 52 laps and finished 30th in today’s Daytona 200.

More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Rick Shaw Sets New Daytona 200 Mileage Record

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., — While he didn’t make the podium in today’s Daytona 200 By Arai, Rick Shaw accomplished a feat no other rider in the Daytona 200 ever has. Shaw set a new Daytona 200 mileage record after completing 52 laps in the 62nd running of the Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

Shaw, a police officer from Miami, Fla., eclipsed the standing record of 3,187 miles set by Warren Sherwood. Entering today’s race, Shaw stood at 3,180 miles, but after his 30th-place finish, Shaw stands at 3,365.48 miles.

“I wanted to celebrate (on the record breaking lap) but I was trying to keep my head down,” said Shaw, rider of the No. 79 Suzuki. “I tried to get my hand up there and I just about lost it on the second lap trying to celebrate. Boy, was that stupid. I put my head back down and went for it. It was an exciting lap. I felt it. Finally, the weight was lifted off me after the second lap and I could go out and race. I put some more pressure on myself to get this done.”

Shaw’s first Daytona 200 By Arai start in 1981. Through the years Shaw has fallen in love with the heritage of the Speedway, which makes the record a special moment in his life.

“I love it. I’m very proud to be listed with the veterans and the pros, the people who made this sport the greatest sport in the world. It’s a honor. I hope I can live up to their image.”

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy PETRONAS Racing pays tribute to Barry Sheene

Carl Fogarty and his Foggy PETRONAS Racing team today paid tribute to racing icon Barry Sheene, who died today aged 52 after a seven-month battle against cancer.

Carl said: “It’s a sad day for British motorcycle racing. He was the biggest household name that the sport has created here in Britain. Even though there had been other British world champions before him, he was the first person to make that cross-over from racer to celebrity.

“Barry lived life to the absolute full and he did more in his 52 years than most people would in 100 years. But, as well as the lifestyle, he was also a great racer, as his two world titles prove.

“He did a lot to bring the sport to the attention of the British public, especially with those two big crashes at Daytona and Silverstone, which were shown on the News at Ten. People still come up to me and think that I used to race against Barry, even though he retired so long ago, which is a measure of how well known he still is even to a new generation of fans.

“We always got on fine and had a laugh whenever we met up, even if we might have done a bit of verbal sparring in public! My sympathies go out to his wife and children.”

FPR rider Troy Corser added: “He’ll be sadly missed by many fans and friends, including Sam and I. Barry introduced the two of us in 1994 whilst I was testing and Sam worked for Sky TV, and we’ve been together ever since, so I owe him a great deal for his involvement in my early career and my future with Sam.

“He was a big inspiration on my career and he found me the chance to come to Europe, start my career and be successful at what I’d always wanted to do as a youngster.

“Whilst it’s great to be going back to Australia to race later this month, I don’t think this year will now have quite the same upbeat feel as in the past due to Barry’s loss. He didn’t come to England often so it was always good to catch up with him once a year in Oz. Our thoughts and love are with his family and friends.”

FPR team-mate James Haydon added: “Although I did not know Barry personally, everyone knows his name and he was a great ambassador for the sport. He was a motorcycling legend and enjoyed a fantastic career.”



(Note: Sheene is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and two teenage children, daughter Sidonie and son Freddie.)

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Three-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin turns 31 years old today.

Mladin was born in Camden, New South Wales, Australia.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Running commentary, results at end:


The field has completed its sighting lap and warm-up lap and is ready for the start of the Daytona 200.

Mat Mladin led Larry Pegram and Kurtis Roberts through the infield the first time, but in the run from the chicane to the line it was Mladin pullng a small gap on Roberts, Aaron Yates, Eric Bostrom and Pegram.

To start lap 4, Roberts passes Mladin in turn one, but Mladin immediately repassed him.

Mladin’s first complete lap was a 1:49.398.

Roberts led Mladin, Yates, Duhamel into the chicane on lap 4.

The pace at the front is 1:51.

To start lap 5 Roberts passed Mladin inside in turn 1, with Mladin diving back inside in the International Horseshoe.

Roberts led at the line to start lap 6, with a 7-rider train at the front, Roberts chased by Duhamel, Yates, Mladin, Eric Bostrom, Ben Bostrom, and Gobert.

Jason Pridmore has pitted and then rejoined the race.

On lap 7, Duhamel challenges Roberts for the lead into the chicane.

Duhamel drafts past Roberts to lead before the line but into turn 1 to start lap 8 it’s Roberts ahead of Yates, Duhamel, Mladin, Gobert, Eric Bostrom, Ben Bostrom.

The leaders are now in traffic and Yates leads into the chicane and across the line. Roberts and Gobert are side-by-side for second, ahead of Duhamel, Mladin, Ben Bostrom and Eric Bostrom. When Mladin ran wide in turn 1, Ben Bostrom passed him.

John Ashmead has lowsided.

Gobert drafts Roberts and Yates to lead across the line to start lap 10. Mladin passes Ben Bostrom into the International Horseshoe. The lead group is Gobert, Yates, Roberts, Duhamel, Mladin, Ben Bostrom, Eric Bostrom.

Yates challenges for the lead to the chicane but Gobert still leads at the line to start lap 11.

Lap 10
1. Gobert
2. Roberts
3. Duhamel
4. Yates
5. B. Bostrom
6. Mladin
7. E. Bostrom
8. Spies
9. Pegram
10. Higbee

Lead 7 riders are hooked together in a draft-fest, within a spread of 1.5 seconds. The 8th and 9th-place riders are about 15 seconds behind.

Lapped traffic is now a serious problem.

Duhamel could not draft past Gobert in the run to the line to end lap 12.

The pack is slcing through lapped riders in the infield.

Larry Pegram pitted early and rejoined the race.

Again Gobert holds off Duhamel to the line to finish lap 13.

Gobert, Duhamel, Yates and Roberts have gapped the second group of 3 by about 2 seconds, with Mladin battling Ben and Eric Bostrom.

Duhamel drafts around Gobert in heavy traffic to the line.

Order at line, Lap 15
1. Duhamel
2. Gobert
3. Roberts
4. Yates
5. Eric Bostrom
6. Ben Bostrom
7. Mat Mladin
8. Ben Spies
9. Shawn Higbee
10. Michael Barnes
11. Jordan Szoke
12. Brian Livengood
13. Geoff May
14. Larry Pegram
15. Jack Pfeifer

Roberts passed Gobert for third at the start of lap 16 but then ran off at the chicane.

Mladin ran very wide at the start of lap 17 in turn 1, and Roberts repassed him.

Gobert repassed Duhamel into turn 1 to take the lead to start lap 18.

Duhamel leads to the chicane in heavy traffic.

Gobert has pitted for his stop, to start lap 19. Gobert was beaten out of the pits as Ben Bostrom also pits.

Roberts pits on lap 19 and rejoins the race. Mladin is in, Mladin is out.

Duhamel is in to start lap 20, and is back out. Eric Bostrom is also in and out.

After the first round of stops several riders have dropped back into 1:49 lap times, including Duhamel, Ben Bostrom, Yates, Roberts, Mladin.

Brian Livengood crashes out at the kink.

Running order lap 22
1. Duhamel
2. Ben Bostrom
3. Eric Bostrom
4. Yates
5. Roberts
6. Barnes
7. Mladin
8. Spies
9. Pegram
10. Higbee
11. Szoke
12. Deatherage
13. Pfeifer
14. Montano
15. May

Yates and Eric Bostrom are battling hard over third.

Gobert is missing.

Gobert is walking back to his pit area, having abandoned his stricken Ducati.

Higbee is touring back to the pits with some problem. Higbee pits and rejoins the race with what looks to be a tire problem.

Gobert, who rode his back-up bike in a last-minute switch, says his B bike broke because he was “flogging the engine.”

On lap 27, Duhamel, Ben Bostrom and Yates are all in the 1:51s, as are Roberts and Mladin.

But Mladin is well behind the leaders, in 6th.

As Ben Bostrom closes on Duhamel, cutting the gap from 4 to 3.5 seconds, Yates is closing up on Bostrom.

Running order at 1/2-way point:
1. Duhamel
2. Ben Bostrom
3. Yates
4. Eric Bostrom
5. Roberts
6. Mladin
7. Spies
8. Barnes
9. Szoke
10. Pegram
11. Deatherage
12. Pfeifer
13. Pridmore
14. May
15. Higbee



Yates passes Ben Bostrom in traffic for second, Spies passes Mladin for 6th.

Yates and Bostrom are racing for second, about 4.5 seconds behind Duhamel.

At the end of lap 32, Yates is 1.7 seconds ahead of Yates with Ben Bostrom right behind Yates.

Duhamel is visibly struggling with the rear tire, sliding around and getting slightly kicked out of the seat on acceleration. Yates has caught Duhamel with Ben Bostrom and Roberts just behind.

Szoke pulls off the track with a mechanical problem.

Duhamel is now third, Yates leads Bostrom, Duhamel and Roberts.

Yates gets a break in traffic in the chicane, stretching out ahead of Roberts, Ben Bostrom and Duhamel in the run back to turn 1.

Roberts, Ben Bostrom and Duhamel race for second as Yates builds his gap to 1.2 seconds.

Yates loses some of his advantage in traffic in the west horseshoe.

Pegram pits and rejoins in about 10 seconds, on lap 36, one lap down.

Roberts drafts Yates to lead across the line to start lap 38.

Ben Bostrom pits and rejoins, about 12 seconds.

Yates repasses Roberts for the lead, they run nose-to-tail out of the infield. Roberts drafts past to the chicane. Roberts heads for the pits, Yates’ leads again, his GSX-R1000 bucking on worn tires.

Roberts in and out in about 14 seconds, after a relatively slow entry to pit lane.

Yates is sliding everywhere, including the infield dogleg.

Mladin is in the pits, and out again with tires and gas.

Yates is on pit lane, as is Duhamel.

Yates leaves, Duhamel loses some time wiping gas off the tank. Eric Bostrom is in and out.

After the final round of pit stops, Roberts leads Bostrom and Yates.

Running order, end of lap 40:
1. Roberts
2. Ben Bostrom
3. Yates
4. Duhamel
5. Eric Bostrom
6. Spies
7. Mladin
8. Barnes
9. Pegram, -1 lap
10. Pfeifer, -1 lap
11. Pridmore, -1 lap
12. Higbee, -1 lap
13. Deatherage, -1 lap
14. Haskovec, -1 lap
15. Randolph, -1 lap

Spies pits for the final time.

Roberts, Ben Bostrom, Yates, Roberts are at the front, within 2 seconds, with Eric Bostrom about 19 seconds behind in fifth.

In traffic, Roberts gets about 2 seconds head of nose-to-tail Ben Bostrom, Yates, Duhamel. Yates passes Bostrom off the chicane, into second.

With 47 laps done, Roberts leads Yates by about 2 seconds, with Ben Bostrom and Miguel Duhamel another second behind.

To start lap 48 Yates ran off turn 1, trying to outbrake and get around lapped Vincent Haskovec, and rejoins in 4th.

With traffic working for them, Bostrom and Duhamel have caught Roberts.

Roberts gets another break in traffic but the three leading Hondas are all within half-a-second.

Yates in 4th is almost 10 seconds behind despite matching the pace of the leaders.

The pace at the front is 1:51s and 1:52s.

Bostrom passes Roberts in traffic and Roberts and Duhamel race for second around into turn 1.

Roberts uses the apron of the banking to draft back into the lead in the run to the line, then gapped Bostrom in traffic in turn 5.

After 51 laps Roberts leads Ben Bostrom and Duhamel, all within half-a-second.

Yates is about 7 second behind the leaders. Eric Bostrom is in 5th, 22 seconds behind.

Roberts ran wide at the west horseshoe and both Ben Bostrom and Duhamel passed him, with two laps to go.

Last lap, Bostrom leads Roberts and Duhamel in the infield. Traffic is ahead. Out of the chicane Bostrom leads and Duhamel drafts both Roberts and Bostrom to win!

Finishing Order:
1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 57 laps
2. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, -0.069 second
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, -0.155
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -8.498
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -24.370
6. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -80.159
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -87.763
8. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap
9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap
11. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -2 laps
12. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, -2 laps
13. Jack Pfeifer, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -2 laps
14. Sandor Bitter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -3 laps
15. Ricky Orlando, Suzuki GSX-R750, -3 laps
16. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, -3 laps
17. James Randolph, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -3 laps
18. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -3 laps
19. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, -3 laps
20. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -3 laps
21. Thomas Montano, Suzuki GSX-R750, -4 laps
22. Akiharu Shigeno, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -4 laps
23. Michael Rouleau, Suzuki GSX-R750, -4 laps
24. John Jacobi, Suzuki GSX-R750, -4 laps
25. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -4 laps
26. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -4 laps
27. Brett Ray, Suzuki GSX-R750, -4 laps
28. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki GSX-R750, -5 laps
29. Tom Wertman, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -5 laps
30. Rick Shaw, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -5 laps
31. Marco Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -5 laps
32. Oliver Jervis, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -5 laps
33. Jacob Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, -5 laps
34. Douglas Duane, Suzuki GSX-R750, -5 laps
35. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R750, -5 laps
36. Michael Luke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -5 laps
37. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -6 laps
38. Brian Boyd, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -6 laps
39. Rick Narup, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -7 laps
40. Keith Pinkstaff, Yamaha YZF-R1, -10 laps
41. Dean Osborne, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -14 laps
42. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -14 laps
43. Shane Gonyea, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -22 laps, DNF
44. Justin Blake, Suzuki GSX-R750, -24 laps, DNF
45. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -25 laps, DNF, mechanical
46. Pat Mooney, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -30 laps, DNF
47. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, -37 laps, DNF, mechanical
48. Brian Livengood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -37 laps, DNF, crash
49. Greg Fryer, Yamaha YZF-R1, -39 laps, DNF
50. Raymond Bowman, Suzuki GSX-R800, -41 laps, DNF
51. James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -45 laps, DNF
52. Anthony Fania, Jr., Suzuki GSX-R750, 46 laps, DNF
53. John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -49 laps, DNF, crash
54. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R750, -50 laps, DNF
55. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, -50 laps, DNF
56. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, -50 laps, DNF
57. Michael Hannas, Suzuki GSX-R750, -50 laps, DNF
58. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R750, -55 laps, DNF
59. Andrew Denyer, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -55 laps, DNF
60. Doug Chandler, Honda CBR954RR, DNS
61. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNS
62. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNS
63. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNS
64. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNS
65. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNS
66. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNS
67. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R750, DNS
68. Dario Marchetti, Ducati 998, DNS
69. Thomas Fournier, Ducati 996, DNS

More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:

MLADIN TAKES SIXTH AT DAYTONA 200

Daytona Beach, Florida, USA (Monday, March 10) – After leading the opening laps of today’s rain delayed running of the 62nd Daytona 200, Australian Mat Mladin completed a difficult race to finish sixth overall after encountering tyre problems for much of the race distance.

Victory today went to French Canadian Miguel DuHamel, who slipstreamed past both his American Honda teammate Ben Bostrom and Erion Honda rider Kurtis Roberts on the final lap to take his fourth Daytona 200 win. The lead trio were split by just 0.155 of a second at the completion of the 57-lap classic, with Mladin completing the race on the same lap as the leaders, but 80.159 secs in arrears.

Aiming for a third Daytona 200 victory, Mladin started from the front row of the grid after posting the third fastest time during qualifying and quickly jumped to the race lead aboard his Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. He was involved in an eight-way battle for the lead in the opening sector of the race, before tyre wear began to play a factor in his race.

“The last three or four laps of the first stint I lost about 30 seconds and just had to get far enough around to fit into my pit schedule,” said Mladin, who celebrates his 31st birthday today. “Our strategy for the race was to do whatever lap time we could without spinning up the rear tyre and that’s what we did all they way up to about lap 15 or so in the first stint and from that point we started to go backwards because we had no rubber left on the rear tyre. That proved to be the case each time we went out on a fresh tyre. The pace of the race wasn’t overly fast, it was that I just couldn’t keep a tyre on it.”

As the lead group edged away, Mladin focussed on a strong finish that would give him as many points as possible as the Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship heads to round two at California Speedway on April 6.

“About 15-laps into the race I knew we weren’t going to win so it was time to go into conservation mode and think about the championship as a whole,” added the three times American Superbike champion. “After I figured that I wasn’t going to win this race and finish with no points like I did last year, I just had to go into points mode and do the best we can. That’s how I thought when I won three championships and that’s how I’m going to think this year.”

The race also marked the debut of the team’s new Suzuki GSX-R1000 that it will campaign in this year’s 18-race championship. Rule changes made since last season have allowed the team to switch from their very successful GSX-R750 to the new GSX-R1000. With only a very short period of time to begin development of the new bike before the start of the season this weekend, the team still has a lot of work to do, but does have a good base to start from. The change has also fuelled Mladin’s desire to get the best out of the bike and ensure that it becomes a championship winner.

“We are in a lot better position than we were last year. We have a lot more horsepower on a very under developed bike and knew we were going to have a tough weekend. A lot of people thought that we were going to come here and win because we’ve got a 1000cc 4-cylinder, but there’s a lot more that goes into racing than that. We have to develop the bike some more and get ourselves into the championship over the next few races.”


More, from a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

DAYTONA 200 BY ARAI
POST RACE NOTES & QUOTES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
MARCH 10, 2003

Winner Miguel Duhamel, No. 17 Honda,
“I knew that they were running good, Kurtis and those guys. I knew I could draft past one guy, but I didn’t want to be behind two and I was behind two. So I thought ok I’ve got to do this right. Kurtis came by and he was giving himself a little too much of a run. Obviously he was trying to do it for his own win. But I thought he was a little too far, so I used him, got a draft, got by with Ben. Ben got a draft around a lapped rider. Just when I split Ben came back on me and it was really jarring me. I moved over and I thought ‘oh, no, Kurtis is getting the double draft, watch that guy go around us.’ But it held off. I was really saving my tires and I think that’s what made a difference at the end. This is so sweet. I was thinking the whole race ‘just stay in the race, stay focused, stay out there.’ It was 57 laps of just full on concentration. This has got to be one of my sweetest (wins) because there were three guys on the end. There was nothing decided. There was not just one guy against one guy.

“I was feeling really good out there. My energy obviously was real high. My second stint I had a four second lead at one point. I thought I was going to start pulling away and win like I did in 1991. But couldn’t do it. The tires were coming in a little too hot.

“It looked like I was getting Ben, but I was fearing for Kurtis to come around and get our double draft. When I finally crossed the line and won, ‘I was like holy cow, I just won again.’ I was so happy. It’s so hard to win this race. It’s just so hard and I’m so pleased.”


Second-place finisher Ben Bostrom, No. 155 Honda
“I tried going into the chicane, I thought they were right behind me, so I downshifted into first to try and throw them off a little bit. Then I really tried to accelerate and get a good drive on the exit there. We didn’t have much tire left. It just didn’t pan out. The guys rode really well and set me up perfectly. If I had to take it over I’d just try and get through it the best I could and get a little more engine speed and hope that would give us a couple thousands to win this thing. Miguel has got a lot of tenacity and put it up front. You learn a lot from these kind of things. I’m looking forward to the season.

“We took off on that first tire and I didn’t get through the traffic so good. I saw the boys kind of getting away from me there. Big thanks to my guys, we had great pit stops. Basically it came down to the third tire with the rest of these guys. That was the deal. Kurtis was real strong. He had about the same tire I had on. Miguel was just back there waiting for us ready to pounce. These guys let me lead on the last lap. I just put my head down and tried as hard as I could. I tried to backshift down into first in the chicane and throw these guys off. They just hooked me up and went by.”

Third-place finisher Kurtis Roberts, No. 80 Honda
“Miguel did a great job. So did Ben and so did my team and myself. We put our head down there in the middle stint and really rode as hard as we could. I was really surprised I was leading there right before I pulled back in and we just didn’t have it today for whatever reason. My team did a hell of a job I take my hat off to them. The bike was perfect all weekend. Who knows what I could have done there on the last lap. But it doesn’t really matter right now. It’s a good day for Honda. I thought we would have had it there with a few laps to go. I was kind of surprised with how close they were to me. It worked out. I wanted to get in here and get a podium for the championship run and I think we can do it now.”

Fourth-place finisher Aaron Yates, No. 20 Yoshimura Suzuki
“The race was just a big tire conservation thing. The first session, I really thought the times were pretty slow. We were doing 51s. The second tire seemed to work a bit better. We ran 50s the whole time. That last stint, I ran up on that guy. Braking into Turn 1, he stood it up and went wide and I was on the outside and it made me have to change my line and run wide. It kind of blew the whole deal.”

Anthony Gobert, rider of the No. 16 Ducati Austin
WHAT PUT YOU OUT?
“My brake broke on the start line. I had to start on the backup bike. As soon as we went out, it had a big misfire. I didn’t know for sure it was going to stop. Then it started coming good. It didn’t have any power. It lost a lot of power but it was still going. That’s the main thing. Then the next minute I caught the guys again and passed them and I thought, ‘We’re going to win pretty easy.’ I was doing it super comfortable. Then the next minute, I got a fresh tire and I was taking it easy. Then the next minute the engine stopped. I went into one of the corners and went to (decelerate) and it didn’t pick back up and started smoking. It’s a shame. It’s our backup bike and I think because I rode it hard when it wasn’t warmed up is the reason why that it stopped. It’s one of those things. It’s a shame because I think we would’ve given Ducati its first win here. I was doing it easy and I had come from a long way back even though the engine was being slow. It’s a real disappointment.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

It’s sunny with scattered clouds at Daytona. The jet-driers were hard at work this morning and practice is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m.

With any luck at all the Daytona 200 and the Superstock race will both go off as scheduled today.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

With no threat of rain, AMA Pro Racing officials have delayed the start of the Superstock race to accommodate post-Daytona-200 festivities, including the winner’s circle, TV interviews and a post-race press conference.

Superstock competitors are waiting along pit lane, tire-warmers on.

The 5-minute board is now supposed to go up at 2:14 p.m.

The race was originally scheduled to go off at 1:30 p.m.

From a pair of press releases issued by Proforma:

LEE ACREE BATTLES TO 17TH PLACE IN DAYTONA SUPERSPORT EVENT

Lee Acree finished in 17th position today at Daytona in the shortened AMA 600 Supersport event. Acree rode an Arclight Suzuki GSX-R600 in a one-race deal that includes a GSX-R750 for the AMA Superstock event as well.

Acree started from the outside of the fifth row, slotting in well and working his way to the back of the lead group.

“At the beginning of the race we were up there with the lead pack,” said Acree. “I mean, Chuck
(Warren, team owner) builds great Suzukis, but I couldn’t even stay in the draft of the new Hondas and Yamahas. It ended up being me and Tony Meiring and Andrew Nelson dicing, I’m not sure how long Doug Chandler was behind us. I ended up battling with Chandler a little at the end”.

A waving yellow flag in the chicane on the last lap kept Acree from moving around Meiring and Alex Gobert.

“There was a waving yellow and a group of three lappers,” said Acree. “At that point we were closing on Alex Gobert, and Tony got by the three guys before we got into the chicane. That just
put too much of a gap to be able to draft up to those guys. All in all, I’m pretty pleased with how the race went. The Suzuki’s been a great bike, but unfortunately this was the year that they didn’t bring out a new bike, and we were at a disadvantage because everyone else has new product.”

Lee Acree will also compete in the AMA 750 Superstock race, which has now been re-scheduled for 1:30pm on Monday the 10th, directly after the Daytona 200 by Arai.


CONNELL CRASHES OUT OF DAYTONA SUPERSPORT RACE

Craig Connell crashed out of the AMA 600 Supersport race at Daytona today on his Annandale Honda CBR600RR, after getting away with the lead group and running in 12th place. Connell fell on the seventh of 15 laps, after tucking the front end entering turn six.

“I got a good start and got in with the lead group,” said Connell, who had qualified on the fifth row. “We were all riding hard, but I was comfortable with the pace. We went into turn six and Aaron (Yates) checked up, braked early. I was tipped in already trail-braking, just squeezed a bit more to keep from running into him and lost the front.”

Craig’s teammate Ty Howard finished 24th in the event, battling with a slipping clutch throughout the event.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Honda CBR600RR Wins Daytona Supersport Race

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts gave the new Honda CBR600RR a glorious American debut, winning the Pro Honda Oils 600 Supersport race at Daytona International Speedway on a cloudy, overcast Florida morning.

American Honda’s Miguel DuHamel finished third with Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke taking fourth. Both chose gearing that wasn’t optimal. American Honda’s Ben Bostrom finished a dispiriting 10th. The former World Superbike star found it difficult to hold on to the handlebars after a vibration developed early in the race.

Roberts, 24, the youngest son of three-time 500cc World Champion Kenny Roberts made a crucial gearing change before the race that allowed him to control the pace of the race from the outset. He led a furious pack of 600’s at the start and for nine of the 15 laps. On the final tour of the high-banked speedway, Roberts exited the last corner, a chicane on the back straight, in second place, then powered to victory by 0.118 seconds.

“I can’t say enough about the CBR600RR,” Roberts, who will only race selected Supersport events, said. “It was perfect. I don’t think I put a wheel out of place. It was definitely the most patient, smoothest Daytona 600 in a while.”

Helping propel Roberts to victory was a gearing change he and crew chief Dave McGrath made prior to the race. While the other riders were on the limit crossing the finish line, Roberts had power to spare.

The win was Honda’s 11th in the 600cc Supersport race at Daytona. Four of the previous wins were delivered by French-Canadian Miguel DuHamel, today’s third place finisher.

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts-First Place
“It wasn’t the fastest pace we could have done. That’s why I kept Jamie (Hacking) and all them guys behind me, because they don’t have to race later on in the day and we had to. I kept them right where I wanted to and it was really easy. The bike was perfect. On the last lap I went back to third where I needed to be. The lapper got in the way and made Jake (Zemke) get a little antsy and jump on the throttle a little bit. It gave Jamie (Hacking) the gap to where I let him go down the straightaway that far and I passed Jake.”

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel-Third Place
“The bike was running good. I was out there really composed and really relaxed. My bike, when I got in the draft, hit the rev limiter a little bit and that’s not good. I was having a little trouble with that. I could see Jamie and Jake (Zemke) up there (and thinking) as long as they didn’t get away from me. I was just keeping that in mind and trying to figure out a way to get up there. I was hoping more guys in front of me the better because that would help me get a draft. I was so happy just to see how good my bike is. We’re definitely in there the whole rest of the season and Kurtis (Roberts) won’t be there at all.”

Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke-Fourth Place
“It was going pretty good until that last lap. We kind of had to roll the dice on the gearing because it seemed like to gear it for the front straightaway we were losing out on the infield, but we put the gearing on that we thought was going to win the race for us. I’m pretty sure I had the fastest bike out there. I didn’t have any trouble drafting past anyone at the line. It seemed like when I’d lead out of the chicane I’d tow them around almost all the way to the start-finish. I knew we were looking good. I was having a little bit of a grip problem. With our gearing, it wouldn’t really come off the corners the way we wanted on the infield.”

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom-10th Place
“The bike was fantastic. The only mistake I made on the bike was the gearing was a little short and I was on the limiter for probably a good five seconds going across the stripe. That wasn’t the only problem. On the third lap, I don’t know from the high vibration, I couldn’t feel my hands. It started happening on the second lap and by the third lap I couldn’t feel my hands any more. So I was just shaking off the left one but I couldn’t let go of the throttle hand. So I couldn’t grab the front brakes. I could feel the throttle opening but not so smooth and I couldn’t feel the brakes at all. It only happened once before and that was on a Supersport bike.”



More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:

RAIN FORCES POSTPONEMENT OF DAYTONA 200

Daytona Beach, Florida, USA (Sunday, March 9) – Continued rain has forced officials to postpone the start of the 62nd Daytona 200, with the race now being scheduled for 11:15 a.m. tomorrow Monday (American east Coast time.

The weather turned bad on Friday afternoon, disrupting the final Superbike qualifying session with the grid for the race being determined by times set in the opening qualifying session on Thursday.

Australia’s Mat Mladin will start the race from the front row of the grid after posting the third fastest time aboard his Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. Pole position went to American Honda’s Ben Bostrom, with Kurtis Roberts splitting the pair aboard his Erion Honda RC51.

“At this moment all we can do is sit and wait for the weather to clear and for the AMA to tell us when it’s time to go racing,” said Mladin. “With the amount of rain that they’ve had here I’m not sure when it could be run. In 1996 the race was run on the following weekend due to the rain, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

The Daytona 200 is the first of 18-races that will make up this years AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship. Mladin is a three times winner of the championship (1999, 2000 & 2001) and is a two-times winner of the prestigious Daytona 200 with victories in 2000 and 2001.


More, from a press release issued by American Honda:

Kurtis Roberts and Honda CBR600RR Win Daytona Supersport Race

Honda’s new CBR600RR makes a dominating debut by winning the race and taking three of four top spots at Daytona

In a race delayed from Friday to Sunday due to rainy weather, Honda Erion Racing’s Kurtis Roberts proved the mettle of the brand-new Honda CBR600RR by capturing the Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport opener in fine style at Daytona International Speedway. Roberts was never alone, as Team Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Honda Erion Racing’s Jake Zemke also rode their CBR600RRs to the front of the pack several times during the thrilling race. But in the end, it was a classic Daytona drafting move, superbly timed right at the finish line, that brought Roberts his second career 600 win at Daytona. Duhamel also executed a tremendous drafting move to cross the line just a tick behind to take a spot on the podium, in third place. Jamie Hacking finished in the runner-up position, while Zemke took a well-earned fourth. Ben Bostrom suffered from numbness in both hands that made it difficult for him to modulate the throttle and front brake. “I could shake out my left hand, but my right hand was so bad I couldn’t feel the front brake.”

The Daytona Supersport race win was historic for Honda for several reasons. First, it marked Honda’s eleventh 600 Supersport win at Daytona, more wins than all other manufacturers combined. Second, every year Honda has introduced a new CBR600, the bike has won at Daytona. This tradition started with the original 1987 Hurricane, and continued through the CBR600F2, CBR600F3, CBR600F4 and CBR600F4i models. Now the new CBR600RR carries on this winning tradition by claiming victory in its first AMA 600 national.

Sunday dawned with misty skies, temperatures just below 70 degrees and humidity at exactly 100 percent. With the morning dampness clinging tenaciously to the asphalt, the already-packed practice schedule was delayed, then shortened yet again, leaving the 600-class riders with barely enough time to squeeze in five or six laps. However, the revised scheduling worked to near perfection as the Supersport race launched on time.

Duhamel made the most of his polesitter position as he catapulted his CBR600RR to the holeshot, followed by a snarling mass of 600s. In typical 600cc action at Daytona, the abbreviated 15-lap race featured constant lead changes all around the ultra-fast track, with a closely packed freight train of more than a dozen riders pressing toward the front in the early going.

By the end of the first lap Roberts had surged to the lead, a position he held often while swapping off the lead with four other riders, including Duhamel and Zemke.

“This is the most patient and smooth 600 race I can remember in a long time,” Roberts said after the race. But this race has way too many laps; at Daytona it always comes down to the last two laps anyway, so they might as well make the race just five laps long and get it over with quicker.”

Roberts may have felt confident, but the eager spectators were treated to a world-class demonstration in close-formation racing. As the race began to wind down, a pack of six lead riders, including Roberts, Duhamel and Zemke, gapped the rest of the field. All six would be in contention for the win as the race came down to the critical last lap. The ultra-high speeds at Daytona provide a graduate-level course in slipstreaming. You definitely do not want to lead the crowd coming through the back-straight chicane; doing so invariably invites a last-corner pass as one or more riders sail by, taking advantage of the hole you’ve punched in the air.

But this time, Jamie Hacking made a break after the chicane, with the thought of taking advantage of a lapped rider who he thought would balk the other five lead riders. But his gamble failed. He passed the backmarker too soon, and Roberts jumped on the opportunity.

“This new Honda CBR600RR works so well; we changed the gearing last night, making it just a little taller, which gave me a real top-speed advantage on everyone else. So I just played the Daytona game by staying with the other guys on the infield. I knew I could take them on the banking and get across the finish line first.”

Miguel Duhamel explained, “My new CBR600RR felt really good and it was working so well. And I felt relaxed and composed. However, we were a little short on our gearing selection; I was hitting the rev limiter in top gear while we were drafting, so I had to be careful and plan ahead. We could have made a different decision in gearing, but when I was out there in practice this morning I was the fastest Honda. Obviously, after finishing third I can look back and wish I had pushed a little harder. But I didn’t want to take too many chances. Daytona is important, but the championship is more important. I didn’t want to take all the hard work my crew has done and stick it in the mud.”

Jake Zemke reflected on his fourth-place finish by saying, “I geared my bike to be fast right at the finish line and it looked like it was going to work. I felt like I had the fastest bike out there because I could draft past everybody. It was so easy to get across the stripe first, and I wanted to lead and control the pace.

“I thought I was sitting pretty, but then we pulled up on a lapped rider and Kurtis was close enough to Hacking to catch a draft from him. But the lapper pulled those guys away from me, and the guys behind me were sucking me back. At that point I was a sitting duck. But it still ended up fine, with three Hondas in the top four at Daytona!”

From a press release:

Spectrum Motorsports will kick off the first of its Summer Bike Nights on March 11th. Spectrum Summer Bike Nights run March through October on the second Tuesday of each month. Each month Spectrum will have different themes or celebrity guests, ranging from Arai Helmet night to the appearance of a MotoGP rider and a European WSB rider.

The March Bike Night will start at 5:30 p.m.; GP Star will be in attendance with their umbrella girls who will raffle off a GP Star leather jacket. Other raffle prizes include T-shirts, hats and a Fastrack Riders voucher.

Spectrum Motorsports, an Aprilia, Ducati, Honda and Polaris dealer–is located at 45 Oldfield Rd., Irvine CA 92618 at the entrance to the Irvine Auto Center.

Refreshments will be available.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo will race in Sunday’s AMA Superstock final, according to Yamaha Team Manager Tom Halverson.

DiSalvo crashed his YZF-R6 and suffered a deep tissue bruise to his right hand during Supersport qualifying Thursday, March 6. Although DiSalvo earned the 27th spot on the Supersport grid before his crash, the New York teenager missed all of Superstock qualifying.

DiSalvo will, however, take a provisional start and begin Sunday’s 13-lap Superstock final from the 50th and last grid spot.

“Anything to get points,” said Jim DiSalvo, Jason’s father.

Jason DiSalvo plans to contest the entire 2003 AMA Superstock series on his Yamaha YZF-R6.

According to the elder DiSalvo, the extra time between Friday, the original date of the Supersport and Superstock races, and Sunday allowed Jason DiSalvo’s injured hand more time to heal.

Meanwhile, Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden got his injured left hand taped Sunday morning. Hayden, who injured his hand in a crash during Supersport practice, said he had very little range of motion and strength in his injured hand and couldn’t ride without it being taped up.