Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Three-time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler will sit out the 62nd Daytona 200 by Arai Superbike race, the second consecutive year Chandler has missed the March classic.

“I think we’re just going to do the 600 (race),” Chandler told Roadracingworld.com Saturday.

The 37-year-old Salinas, California native missed the 2002 edition of the Daytona 200 because he had no ride (he was later hired by the HMC Ducati team to finish the remainder of the AMA season). In 2003, however, Chandler, and longtime Crew Chief Gary Medley, came to Daytona with No Limit Motorsports, a Honda support team armed with CBR600RR Supersport machines and CBR954RRs built to be legal in both Superbike and Formula Xtreme.

Chandler was 20th-fastest in Wednesday’s first AMA Superbike practice at Daytona with a 1:55.166, but the soft-spoken racer improved to a 1:51.438 in Thursday’s one and only Superbike qualifying session, good enough for the 11th on the grid.

“I don’t think we planned on doing as much as we did on the (Honda CBR954RR) Superbike, but it seemed to get better and better,” said Chandler. “I’m really happy with what we’ve done with it around this track. With as little time as we had – we just kind of threw some stuff together and brought it back here to have something to ride – I was pretty happy with the lap times.”

Chandler said his new Honda was starting to feel like the Kawasaki ZX-7 Superbikes he rode from 1996 until 2001, adding, “(At) the end of the first day, I knew we were low (on top speed) on the banking, but our infield split was really good and I was really happy with the way the bike was working. I was focusing on that, trying to relate that to later in the season to normal racetracks. I was real happy with what the thing would do for me in the infield.

“And the acceleration of it, I don’t think we were down anywhere except the last two gears on the banking. A lot of that, I think, would (relate) to the aerodynamics of the bike, which we know we need to do some more work on that.” Chandler pointed to the lack of bodywork enclosing the underside of his Honda’s tailsection.

Chandler also mentioned a lack of complete quick-change hardware and, more importantly, the high fuel consumption of his Honda as factors in the decision to skip the 200-miler.

“I think with the month between this race and the next we’ll have a little bit more time, and we’ll hopefully get the motors a little better sorted out, get a little more speed out of it and I think we’ll be sitting pretty good for Fontana,” said Chandler.

“I’m very satisfied with the tires (Michelins), no real big surprises. We’ve got a real big selection. I think it’s going to come together, and we’re going to be in contention for some wins.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Italy’s Roberto Panichi drafted America’s Brian Parriott to take a very close win on aggregate time in the re-started BMW BoxerCup race at Daytona.

The margin of victory was officially 0.052-second on combined times; slow-motion video replays of Panichi and Parriott crossing the finish line showed Parriott marginally ahead on the track.

Five riders raced for the lead in the five-lap re-start.

While the BMW Boxer Cup riders were completing their cool-down lap, rain began to fall at Daytona.

Provisional BMW Boxer Cup Results (all on BMW R1100S)
(Scored on combined time from two segments, one before the red flag and one after):

1. Roberto Panichi, Italy
2. Brian Parriott, USA, -0.052 second
3. Markus Barth, Germany, -0.074 second
4. Andy Hofmann, Switzerland, -0.169 second
5. Thomas Hinterreiter, Austria, -0.262 second
6. Sebastien Legrelle, Belgium, -0.807 second
7. Fernando Cristobal, Spain, -0.849 second
8. Alessandro Tomassoni, Italy, -1.428 seconds
9. Frederico Aliverti, Italy, -4.690 seconds
10. Tripp Nobles, USA, -4.769 seconds

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

It continues to pour rain at Daytona International Speedway, the sky dark, lightning flashing, and winds whipping from one direction to another.

There is no break in sight, and there is no chance that more racing will take place at the Speedway today.

Forecasts vary, with some news outlets predicting more rain through Wednesday and other sources predicting good weather on Monday.

Anything could happen. The Daytona 200 Superbike race and the Superstock race could run on Monday, or could run next weekend.

It all depends upon the weather.

From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

PRO HONDA OILS SUPERSPORT QUOTES
Kurtis Roberts, rider of the No. 80 Erion Honda
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. I can’t say enough about the RR600. That Honda was running. I was just cruising through the infield saving my strength for the 200. I’ve got to take my hat off to Jamie. He was riding really good through the infield. That’s why I was trying to lead so much. I was conserving a lot more energy when I was in the lead then following. Those guys were racing for it.
“I can’t say enough about the CBR600RR. 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. The changes to the chicane paid off.”

Jamie Hacking, rider of the No. 2 Yamaha
“I’m very delighted for what position we finished. The Yamaha has been running excellent all weekend long. Kurtis is not finishing out the championship season so we’re looking good right now. That’s the best thing. It’s been so frustrating. I come here every single year and just can’t seem to pull it off no matter what I do. I’m not going to give it up. Hopefully we’ll pull this thing off sometime. It took Earnhardt I don’t know how many tries.
“Once again, here I am second. I’m going to start putting those second-place trophies up in the closet because I’m tired of looking at them. I did the best I could. I rode my bike as hard as I could.”
ON USING THE LAP RIDER IN THE CHICANE FOR DRAFTING HELP
“I ran him down way to soon. I caught him right at the exit (of the chicane) and he didn’t do nothing for me.”
ON KURTIS ROBERTS’ WINNING PASS
“He just had one helluva run on me. It was unbelievable.”

Miguel Duhamel, rider of the No. 17 Honda
“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 won’t be there at all.”

MBNA 250 GRAND PRIX
Simon Turner, rider of the No. 111 Honda
“I figured I wasn’t going to be able run with these boys. I was just trying to get a break at the start and just run the race. I lost third gear pretty early on.”

Chuck Sorensen, rider of the No. 1 Aprilia
‘Rich is always a great competitor to ride with. The bike was working really good and handling very well. We had a great motor. Today I couldn’t get the drives off the bank to hold in the draft. I happy we got to the race today. The crew worked long hours this weekend to make this thing as fast as I could.”

Rich Oliver, rider of the No. 97 Yamaha
“I knew I wanted to run out front with Chuck. I knew that if we could pull away from the rest of the field it would eliminate a lot of other complications in the race. I knew with the way the weather had been, I wanted to lead a lot of laps if I could. I know there’s a point available for that. We didn’t get any points for qualifying. First and second place point differential would be very big. Chuck is always so great to race with. He pushes me and pushes me. Chuck knows a lot more about 250 racing than I do now. He’s a lot faster at a lot of places. I just have a lot of experience that he’s going to get over with in his next few seasons.”

BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup
Winner Roberto Panichi
“I try in the first race to lead two or three times because I see in the first part of the super bowl I go very fast. Here it’s very difficult because the second and third parts are very fast. It’s impossible to lead alone. I wait many times for the last lap. For me in the last lap, the best position was second or third. I arrived with Parriott at the chicane. I closed the gas in the chicane to stay many meters back of Parriott.
“I’m very happy to win and race here at Daytona. This is one of the most important tracks in the world. It was a strange race with the weather and all the rain we’ve had. I braked very late and that was my best thing.”

Second-place finisher Brian Parriott
“I knew the competition would be stiff. I knew I had an advantage of being at my home track, but I knew the competition was world class. They know the motorcycles a little bit better than I do. This is my first event on the motorcycle. I knew that was their advantage. I’m just really happy. The race was super fun. You were never alone out there.”
ON THE LAST LAP
“I didn’t think I could break away. I just wanted to plant a seed in their mind that I was serious and that I don’t mind going for it right out of the chicane. I planned to lead coming off Turn 6, which I did. Roberto came through and led through the chicane. I didn’t want to back off too much. That was my first Daytona lead draft. My experience level was a little low. I’ve been at the track and I’ve been in drafts before but never for the win. I figured I could do the double draft on Roberto. Let me pass him and then he pass me and then I could pass him back before the line. I thought I pulled it off but it didn’t happen.”

Third-place finisher Markus Barth
“The last lap was very crazy. My plan was to on the fifth position for the last lap. I was thinking I would have the slipstream of four guys in front of me so the blend is not coming very well. I’m happy for this third position in Daytona. It’s my first visit here. I was always thinking all the time.”

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Revised (tentative) Daytona Schedule
Monday, March 10

7:00, Garages Open

7:00-10:30, Transponders must be exchanged at Tech Inspection for charged ones

10:00-10:50, Practice
1. Chevy Trucks Superbike
2. Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock

Final Events
10:50, Opening Ceremony and Pole Award Presentation

11:00, Sighting Lap for the Daytona 200

11:15, Chevy Trucks Superbike, 62nd Daytona 200 by Arai (57 laps)

1:30, Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock (15 laps, 80k)


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

Daytona 200 By Arai Rescheduled For Monday; Roberts Wins Supersport

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 9, 2003) — The 62nd Daytona 200 By Arai never got off the ground on Sunday due to rain but the crowd of motorcycle fans still got a treat with three thrilling support races.

The Daytona 200 By Arai has been rescheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. followed by the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock event. Tickets from Friday’s activities and Sunday’s activities will be honored on Monday with grandstand gates opening at 9:30 a.m.

Monday’s schedule is as follows:

7 a.m. – garages open

10 a.m.-10:50 a.m. – Practice
Daytona 200 By Arai Superbike
Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock

10:50 a.m. – Opening Ceremony and Pole Award Presentation

11 a.m. – Sighting Lap

11:15 a.m. – Start of the Daytona 200 By Arai

1:30 p.m. – Start of the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock

Here’s recap of Sunday’s support races.
BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup: Italian Roberto Panichi nipped Californian Brian Parriott in a photo finish in the inaugural American running of the BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup. The race was a wild affair with a 12-rider breakaway pack battling for the win all the way to the checkered flag.

“I’m very happy to win and race here at Daytona,” said Panichi, an experienced BoxerCup competitor. “This is one of the most important tracks in the world. It was a strange race with the weather and all the rain we’ve had. I braked very late and the was my best thing.”

The two crossed the line side by side with Parriott trying to draft by on the low line. Parriott admitted that his lack of experience might have hurt him.

“I drafted too early,” said the former AMA Superbike racer. “I’ve never been in the position here at Daytona where I was running in the lead draft.”

German Markus Barth finished third, followed by Swiss rider Andy Hofmann and Thomas Hinterreiter of Austria.

Pro Honda Oils Supersport: Kurtis Roberts, riding the No. 80 Erion Honda, made the winning pass on Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking coming off NASCAR Turn 4 to win the Pro Honda Oils Supersport, his second Supersport victory at Daytona International Speedway. The Supersport was a fierce battle as usual with the margin between the top-seven finishers within a second.

Hacking, aboard the No. 2 Yamaha, settled for runner-up honors while Miguel Duhamel, riding the No. 17 Honda, ducked under Jake Zemke and Jason DiSalvo at the start/finish line to round out the podium.

“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t suck up on Jamie fast enough to go by him and then get passed by again,” Roberts said. “I was playing around with that all weekend. It just paid off. I got lucky and my strategy worked.”

Hacking was able to breakaway from the pack coming out of Turn 6. He was hoping to use the draft from a lapped rider exiting the chicane to prevent Roberts from catching him.

“I ran him down way to soon. I caught him right at the exit (of the chicane) and he didn’t do nothing for me.”

MBNA Grand Prix: Rich Oliver, riding the No. 97 Yamaha, dominated the MBNA Grand Prix, leading all 15 laps on his way to a 11.464-second victory over Chuck Sorensen. Sorensen, aboard the No. 1 Aprilia, stayed close to Oliver in the early portion of the race but he couldn’t keep up with Oliver’s race pace.

Oliver, who lapped riders through ninth place, registered his sixth career MBNA 250 Grand Prix victory at Daytona. In last year’s MBNA 250 Grand Prix, the Auberry, Calif., rider didn’t compete after suffering in injuries in a crash earlier in the week.

Oliver did a masterful job of navigating through lap traffic.

“One lap, I think I got a draft on five or six bikes on one straightaway,” Oliver said. “There were all spread out just perfect for me to leap frog from one to another. It was kind of like a video game. I was having fun out there.”

Simon Turner, riding the No. 111 Honda, rounded out the podium.

Sitting Out: No Limit Honda’s Doug Chandler won’t compete in Monday’s Daytona 200 By Arai and only participated in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport. Doing the opposite, Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom sat out the Supersport and will only compete in the Daytona 200 By Arai.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom was slated to race in the Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport final at Daytona International Speedway on the brand new 2003 Kawasaki ZX-6RR, but due to the rain delay of the Supersport race until Sunday before the 200-mile Superbike race, Bostrom will sit the Daytona AMA Supersport race out.

“I think at this point we will pull Eric off the 600,” Kawasaki Road Race Team Manager Michael Preston told Roadracingworld.com Saturday. “Our main focus this year was for sure Superbike with Eric. The Daytona 200 is a demanding race. That’s where we want to put our focus with Eric. I think we don’t want to take any chances with the 600 and how the day is turning out.

“I think Eric is the fittest guy in the paddock of anybody, but we have a couple of our competitors – (Mat) Mladin, (Anthony) Gobert – they’re focused (on) Superbike and they’re here to win.”

Ducati Austin Team Manager Tom Bondenbach, however, doesn’t feel his rider, Gobert, has an advantage over the riders who will race in both the AMA Supersport and Daytona 200 races on Sunday.

“I wouldn’t say we have advantages at this point,” said Bodenbach. “You don’t know if the 600s are actually going to run before us. It looks like it will be raining. I’m guessing you’ll only be able to get the Superbikes in on Sunday.”

Speculation about the weather forecast aside, Universal Studios/American Honda Team Coordinator Ray Plumb confirmed that Miguel Duhamel, Ben Bostrom and Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts will all race in both Supersport and Superbike at Daytona on Sunday. Likewise, Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura reported that both Aaron Yates and Ben Spies will race their GSX-R600s as well as their GSX-R1000s, weather permitting, on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the rain-altered schedule has forced plans to be changed among the privateers as well. Team EMGO Taiwan’s Chris “Opie” Caylor and Barden Bearings/Woodcraft’s Eric Wood will either skip the Daytona 200 altogether or make only a few laps, to concentrate on racing their GSX-R750s to win in the Superstock final, which will immediately follow the Superbike classic on Sunday.

Jason Perez, an 18-year-old Daytona rookie, will have to race the BMW Boxer Cup and AMA Supersport sprints back-to-back.

Sunday’s intense race schedule may be the toughest on the crew members who will have to tend to Supersport machines and Superbikes and handle all of the additional chores associated with the two-pit-stop, 200-mile Superbike race.

“We’ve had some (race weekends) before where they’ve delayed the Superstock anyway, so we’ve run a couple of races on Sunday,” said Preston. “(But) because it’s the 200, it takes additional manpower with the pit stops, the signaling area and all that kind of stuff. It makes it more complicated because some of those guys work on the 600s and the Superstock bikes. If it was just another sprint race it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.”

“I’m old enough to have been around back when we used to do the 600 race and the Superbike race in the same day,” said Ben Bostrom’s Crew Chief, Merlyn Plumlee, “and it’s really hard to do. It’s so much work. Luckily, they (Daytona International Speedway) are going to let us in early to set up. It’s a lot of work, but it’s really hard on the riders.”

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

RAIN CUTS SHORT ROUTINE SUZUKI TESTS

Team Suzuki was forced to cut three days of planned testing at Valencia back to two days, when rain spoiled conditions today after two clear days on Thursday and Friday.

Team riders Kenny Roberts Jr (2000 World Champion) and new team recruit John Hopkins had by then already run through most of the list of routine testing items, using the tight and twisty Ricardo Tormo Valencia GP circuit to wrap up the first phase of testing and development for the first version of the all-new 2003 GSV-R MotoGP machine.

The second phase begins next week at Catalunya, with a fresh round of technical improvements from the factory racing department.

“From the start, the new machine’s increased potential was obvious. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the factory will bring for the Catalunya tests next week,” said Roberts.

The team will be testing in private at the Barcelona GP circuit, before joining the third and final European IRTA tests, where the rest of the 24-strong 2003 MotoGP field are also expected to attend.

Suzuki’s new GP prototype, code-named XR-E1, arrived for tests late in January in Malaysia, surprising team and riders with the extent of technical changes compared with last year’s XR-E0 version. That was the first in a new generation of ultra-high-performance 990cc four-stroke prototype racers, built for the new premier-class MotoGP series. This year’s machine is completely redesigned, to carry the concept to the next stage.

“We didn’t have anything new to test here,” said team manager Garry Taylor. “Just a fairly long list of items and settings that needed to be explored and either developed further or eliminated. That is the routine of testing.

“We managed to get through most of them, and add huge amounts to the data we have already collected on the new machine, in the first two days,” he added.

Roberts and Hopkins shared the track with the British Superbike team, with riders John Reynolds and ex-GP racer Yukio Kagayama putting the new GSX-1000R through its pre-season paces.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

CMRA racer John W. Black and wife Amy R. Black had a son, Maxwell Hopper Black, March 3 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

From a press release issued by Octagon Motorsports, oraganizers of the FIM Endurance World Championship Series:

2003 Permanent Teams Announced

20 Teams, 15 Nations, 5 Manufacturers, 4 Classes

The list of the twenty teams that have been selected to compete with permanent status in all rounds of the FIM World Endurance Championship has been announced.

15 Nations

Fifteen nations are represented amongst the twenty teams. The USA, Australia, China and Japan are all represented, with a particularly strong showing from the UK, France, Italy and Germany. There are two Swiss teams entered, one team from Sweden, one from Austria and one from Slovakia. The current World Champion – Zongshen Team of China – have four different nations represented by their riders, with an Australian / Belgian pairing on the number 1 bike and a French / Slovenian team on the number two bike, and the German KSM Herber team also have a Czech rider.

5 Manufacturers

The World Endurance Championship is renowned for innovation, and recent years have seen a number of
manufacturers testing their bikes in endurance before embarking on a full programme of competition. For 2003, Team X-One will be campaigning a Mondial Piega for the full season, alongside the Suzuki GSXR1000, Yamaha R1 and Kawasaki ZX9R entries. Ducati fans will also welcome the debut of the Ducati 999R in the hands of the Ducati Marchetti Team, proven podium finishers in 2002.

4 Classes

Ducati Marchetti’s Ducati 999R will compete in the “ultimate modification” Superbike (SBK) class, joined for this season by Yamaha Austria’s Yamaha R1. The Austrian team will be taking full advantage of the 2003 rule change that allows 1000cc four cylinder bikes to run in this class if they are fitted with intake air restrictors. Choosing the SBK class will allow them much greater freedom when tuning the engine compared with the SuperProduction (SPR) where the other Yamaha R1 and Suzuki GSX-R1000, and will provide some interesting comparisons over the season.

The team X-One Mondial Piega will run in the Open Class which caters for innovative machines, and Yamaha Maco Moto Slovakia will run in the Stocksport (STK) class for virtually standard machines.

2003, March 8

2003 World Endurance Championship Calendar

May 4 San Marino Imola 200 Miles
May 25 Holland Assen 200 Miles
June 15 Czech Republic Brno 6 Hours
June 28-29 Spain Albacete 12 Hours
July 20 Austria A1-Ring 6 Hours
August 3 Japan Suzuka 8 Hours
August 24 Germany Oschersleben 24 Hours
October 5 Italy Vallelunga 200 Miles


2003 PERMANENT TEAM ENTRY LIST

1. Suzuki Zongshen 1 – CHN – Nowland (AUS), Mertens (BEL) – SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

2. Suzuki Zongshen 2 – CHN – Bonhuil (FRA), Jerman (SLO) – SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

3. Suzuki GB Phase 1 – GBR – Pridmore (USA), Ellison (GBR), Four (FRA), Lindstrom (SWE) – SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

4. Suzuki KSM Herber – GER – Herber (GER), Bursa (CZE), Persson (SWE)- SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

5. Ducati Marchetti – ITA – Marchetti (ITA), Garcia (FRA) – DUCATI 999 R

6. Suzuki GB Phase Junior – GBR – Jessop(GBR),Cerr(GBR),Fincher (GBR) – SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

8. Kawasaki Bolliger Team – SUI – Kellenberger (SUI), Stamm (SUI), Jerzenbech (GER), Nystrom (SWE)- KAWASAKI ZX-9 R

9. Yamaha Austria Racing Team – AUT – Wilding (AUT), Saiger (AUT), Truchsess (AUT), Kainz (AUT)- YAMAHA YZF-R1

10. Suzuki Trackdaze 10 – GBR – Kingston (GBR), Brasher (GBR), Agombar (GBR), Stocker (GBR)-SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

11. Suzuki Trackdaze 11 – GBR – Hutchins (GBR), King (GBR), Falcke (GBR), Collins (GBR)- SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

12. Yamaha Fagersjo-el.se – SWE – Carlberg (SWE), Notman (GBR), Higgings (GBR)- YAMAHA YZF-R1

14. Suzuki Jet Team – SUI – Jaggi (SUI), Monot (FRA), Waldemeier (SUI), Pelleriti (SUI)- SUZUKI GSXR 1000

15. Suzuki Hofmann Racing – GER – Spenner (GER), Schmassmann (SUI), Albrecht (GER), Reisse (GER)- SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

16. Suzuki Rookie Racing Team – GER – Roth (GER), Plantius (GER), Wegscheider (GER), Hecker (GER)- SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

18. Yamaha Maco Moto Slovakia – SLK – Kuzma (SLK), L.Bucek (SLK), J.Bucek (SLK), Fabry (SLK)- YAMAHA YZF-R1

22. Suzuki 22 Police Nationale – FRA – Giabbani (FRA), Blora (ITA), Kishida (JPN), Cauchard (FRA)- SUZUKI GSX-R 1000

38. Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 – FRA – Cazade (FRA), Brian (FRA), Hacquin (FRA), Cuzin (FRA) – YAMAHA YZF-R1

44. Suzuki No Limits – ITA – Codeluppi (ITA), Ruozzi (ITA) – SUZUKI GSX- R 1000

94. Yamaha GMT 94 – FRA – Guyot (FRA), Scarnato (FRA) – YAMAHA YZF-R1

7. Mondial X One – ITA – Bargiacchi (ITA), Perselli (ITA) Mondial Piega (Open)