Twenty-eight years ago today Sue Gobert gave birth to her first son, Anthony, in Green Acre (a suburb of Sydney), New South Wales, Australia.
© , Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Dunlop Sponsors WERA Endurance Series
From a press release:
Dunlop Expands WERA Sponsorship to National Endurance Series
Buffalo, NY: Dunlop Tires, a longtime sponsor of WERA’s 600 Superstock Expert class, is proud to announce it is expanding its role by becoming the Title Sponsor for WERA’s National Endurance Series Classes for three years, 2003 through 2005.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing Inc. is one of the oldest (starting in 1974), largest and most well-respected sanctioning bodies in the United States. For 2003, WERA’s National Endurance Series will comprise 10 events, with five combined expert/novice classes.
For riders (WERA boasts 3000-plus licensed competitors), it means that at each venue Dunlop will be there to provide tires and mounting services, adding a measure of convenience for all racing teams using Dunlop tires.
Dunlop’s increased presence and sponsorship roles reaffirm the company’s commitment to support racing in the U.S. at all levels. WERA, for example, has been sanctioning national and regional series in order to help showcase the talents of riders of all skill levels. WERA also enjoys a working relationship with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) that ensures riders, teams and sponsors have the opportunity for involvement at virtually every level of road racing competition in the U.S.
Dunlop Named Official Tire Of Daytona 200 Week
From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway’s PR Department:
Dunlop Tire Named ‘Official Tire of Daytona 200 Week’
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 4, 2003) — Daytona International Speedway officials announced today that Dunlop Motorcycle Tires has been named the “Official Tire of Daytona 200 Week.”
The 62nd Daytona 200 By Arai on Sunday, March 9 and the 32nd Daytona Supercross By Honda on Saturday, March 8, headline Daytona 200 Week.
Support races of Daytona 200 Week include the Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport, the Suzuki Genuine Accessories Superstock, the inaugural BMW
Motorrad International BoxerCup and the MBNA 250 Grand Prix.
Dunlop is the leading supplier of motorcycle racing tires in the United States and has dominated the Daytona 200 By Arai in the past decade with riders such as Scott Russell, Miguel Duhamel, Mat Mladin and most recently Nicky Hayden.
“Dunlop has a storied success at Daytona and it’s fitting that they’re now the official tire of Daytona 200 Week,” Speedway President Robin Braig said.
Tickets for Daytona 200 Week events are available online at
http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.
AMA Practice On Hold At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
The start of AMA practice at Daytona is on hold due to fog and a wet track.
Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport practice was scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday but has not started as of 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time due to a wet track and low visibility from fog.
“The tower can’t see the back straight,” said AMA Superbike Operations Manager Ron Barrick. “Visibility is not good. So we’re on hold for that and for the wet track.”
Originally, the Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport, Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock and MBNA 250cc Grand Prix classes were each scheduled to have 40 minutes of practice Wednesday morning, followed by a 90-minute Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike practice session.
Wednesday afternoon’s schedule calls for the Supersport, Superstock, 250cc Grand Prix and BMW Boxer Cup classes to each get approximately 30 minutes of practice, followed by another 90-minute Superbike practice.
Obviously, the schedule will be adjusted accordingly as soon as practice starts, and the weather forecast for Wednesday is good, calling for temperatures in the mid-80s Fahrenheit and no rain.
The reason BMW Boxer Cup riders were not scheduled to practice Wednesday morning, according to Barrick, was because the BMW Boxer Cup organizers were concerned that not all of their competitors would arrive at the track in time.
Thursday’s schedule includes approximately 35-minute practice sessions for the support classes and a 60-minute Superbike practice in the morning followed by Supersport, Superstock, BMW Boxer Cup and Superbike qualifying sessions.
The front row of the Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike grid will be locked in on Thursday with the rest of the grid being set in other qualifying sessions on Friday.
After practice Friday morning and final Superbike qualifying on Friday afternoon, the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock and Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport final events will take place, separated by 250cc Grand Prix qualifying and final qualifying for the BMW Boxer Cup.
No on-track road racing activity will take place on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
Sunday’s schedule calls for short warm-up sessions for 250cc Grand Prix, BMW Boxer Cup and Superbike riders with the 250cc Grand Prix, BMW Boxer Cup and Superbike final events taking place in the afternoon.
The Superstock race will run 15 laps, the Supersport final will last 18 laps, the 250cc Grand Prix race will go 18 laps, the BMW Boxer Cup race will run 13 laps and, of course, the 62nd Annual Daytona 200 by Arai Superbike race will go the traditional distance of 57 laps or 202.92 miles.
Udo Gietl Returns To Daytona With BMW Boxer Cup
From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway’s PR Department:
Udo Gietl Returns To Daytona By Way Of The BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Udo Gietl’s fame has grown in the 16 years since he was involved with racing at Daytona. Gietl, a 62-year-old native of Germany, who now makes Oxnard, Calif., his home, is perhaps the best-known team manager from the early days of AMA Superbike racing.
Gietl managed BMW’s and later Honda’s Superbike racing teams in the 1970s and 1980s. It was a Gietl-built BMW ridden by Steve McLaughlin that won the very first AMA Superbike Series race at Daytona in 1976.
Gietl’s legend has grown along with the popularity of the series, in spite of the fact that Gietl last managed a Superbike racing team in 1987. He is back at the Speedway this March leading the technical staff of the BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup – an international racing series competing in the United States for the first time.
“For the last four years I’ve been campaigning a racing sailboat,” Gietl said. “I guess BMW felt I needed to come out retirement and get back into motorcycle racing. I’ll be involved in the entire series.”
Superbike fans best remember Gietl for his days of taking BMW R90S touring bikes and converting them into the state-of-the-art AMA Superbike of the mid-1970s. It seemed that everything that Gietl touched turned to gold.
After BMW left the AMA Superbike Series, Honda hired him to head up its new team and it promptly became the dominant team in the championship. After he left motorcycle racing he spent nine years in auto racing before turning his attention to boats. A 56-foot sailboat Gietl spent three years building is the one to beat in Southern California waters.
Gietl’s 1970s era BMW Superbikes were way ahead of their time. Only today are the production models meeting the performance his bikes obtain nearly 30 years ago.
“It’s funny,” Gietl smiles. “I’m seeing many things that we were doing then on the bikes of today. I ran the dyno the last couple of weeks; even those numbers were the same. It’s feels like déjà vu.”
The growth of AMA Superbike racing comes as no surprise to Gietl. “We knew sooner or later, even back then, that Superbike would become the premier event,” Gietl claims. “A lot of people do not realize the influences of the Frances. They helped build up Superbikes because they felt it was so close to NASCAR style racing.”
Gietl now comes full circle in his association with the BMW BoxerCup. “I’m back with BMW and it’s something near and dear to my heart,” Gietl says. “Working with these Boxer Twins is something I’ve always enjoyed. I have found memories of the early Superbike days so it’s nice to get back to this.”
The BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup will compete on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
AHRMA Wraps Up: American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association completed its two-day event.
In one of the feature events on Tuesday, three-time AMA Grand National champion Jay Springsteen, riding a 1972 Harley-Davidson, captured the Formula Vintage. Springsteen battled with 1967 Daytona 200 winner Gary Nixon for most of the race before Nixon’s 1970 Honda had some electrical problems.
“It got a bunch of water in there (carbs),” Nixon said. “We had a good race going there and then (my bike) went off on three and then two (cylinders). It was still a bunch of fun.”
Next up: On tap for Wednesday at the Speedway are practice sessions for Supersport, Superstock, MBNA Grand Prix, BMW BoxerCup and Superbike (Daytona 200).
Tickets for any of the upcoming events at the Speedway are available online at
http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.
Roberts Posts Fastest Lap Time, Top Speed In First AMA Superbike Practice At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Wednesday Afternoon Superbike Practice Times:
1. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:49.314
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.940
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.058
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.060
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:51.420
6. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:51.530
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.680
8. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki, 1:51.797
9. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.248
10. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.723
11. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.008
12. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:54.091
13. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.285
14. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.365
15. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.675
16. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:54.816
17. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.852
18. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.865
19. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.100
20. Doug Chandler, Honda CBR954RR, 1:55.166
21. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.238
22. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.277
23. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.316
24. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.494
25. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.590
26. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.609
27. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 1:56.043
28. John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.999
29. Michael Hannas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.047
30. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.170
Superbike Top Speeds As Recorded From Turn One With The Roadracingworld.com Stalker Sport Radar Gun (best single pass listed in mph):
1. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 176.8
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 173.7
3. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 172.5
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 172.1
5. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 171.5
6. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 171.1
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 171.0
8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 169.1
9. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 168.7
10. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 167.9
11. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 167.9
12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 166.1
13. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 166.0
14. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 165.3
15. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 162.7
16. Michael Hannas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 162.4
17. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 161.8
18. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 161.6
19. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 161.5
20. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 161.4
21. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.8
22. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.6
23. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.6
24. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.1
25. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 158.8
26. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 158.5
27. Oliver Jervis, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 158.4
28. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R750, 158.2
29. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 158.0
30. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 155.9
31. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 155.5
32. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 155.1
Eric Bostrom crashed in turn one during the session and escaped without injury.
Both No Limit Honda CBR954RRs came in on the crash truck at the end of the session. Team members said that they did not know the problem with either bike.
HAS Shogun’s John Haner crashed in the chicane during the session. Haner’s condition was not known at post time.
Mladin Quickest In Wednesday Afternoon AMA Superbike Practice At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Wednesday Afternoon Superbike Practice Times:
1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.413
2. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:49.723
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:50.149
4. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:50.746
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.785
6. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.937
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.272
8. Doug Chandler, Honda CBR954RR, 1:52.105
9. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:52.174
10. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:52.493
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:52.601
12. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:52.720
13. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:52.832
14. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.219
15. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 1:53.559
16. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.574
17. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:53.751
18. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.045
19. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.113
20. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.226
21. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.329
22. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.346
23. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.425
24. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.630
25. John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.098
26. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.145
27. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.107
28. John Dugan, Suzuki, 1:56.114
29. Jack Pfeifer, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.253
30. Pat Mooney, Suzuki, 1:56.389
31. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.684
32. Rick Narup, Suzuki, 1:56.727
33. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.847
34. James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.964
35. Brian Livengood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.112
36. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.137
37. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.282
38. Ricky Orlando, Suzuki, 1:57.529
39. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki, 1:57.561
40. Thomas Montano, Suzuki, 1:57.598
41. Mike Luke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.667
42. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.707
43. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:58.383
44. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:58.578
45. Michael Rouleau, Suzuki, 1:58.583
46. Michael Hannas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.624
47. John Jacobi, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.726
48. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.744
49. Ray Bowman, Suzuki, 1:58.852
50. Dario Marchetti, Ducati, 1:59.046
51. Jim Randolph, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:59.323
52. Rick Shaw, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:59.354
53. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, 1:59.397
54. Shane Gonyea, Suzuki, 1:59.536
55. Brett Ray, Suzuki, 1:59.573
56. Andrew Denyer, Suzuki, 1:59.750
57. Thomas Fournier, Ducati 996, 2:00.029
58. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki, 2:00.135
59. Keith Pinkstaff, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:00.259
60. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 2:00.280
Anthony Gobert Riding With Broken Hand At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts and Bob Dragich
Ducati Austin’s Anthony Gobert is riding with a broken left hand at Daytona International Speedway.
“I broke it sparring,” Gobert told Roadracingworld.com Wednesday evening after practice. “Part of my training now is boxing, and we were sparring using mitts. I just hit it (the mitt) wrong.”
Gobert was seen taping and wrapping his left hand before riding his Ducati 998RS Superbike in practice as well as wearing a brace on the hand in between sessions.
Gobert only rode 12 laps in Wednesday afternoon’s Superbike practice session and was ninth-fastest with a 1:52.174. Mat Mladin was the fastest Superbike rider in afternoon session with time of 1:49.413, but Kurtis Roberts turned the fastest time of the day with a 1:49.314 in the first Superbike practice session.
Pridmore Tops Afternoon AMA Superstock Times From Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Afternoon Practice Times, Superstock (All Suzuki GSX-R750 unless indicated):
1. Jason Pridmore, 1:53.548
2. Mike Ciccotto, 1:53.693
3. Steve Rapp, 1:53.720
4. Jimmy Moore, 1:53.904
5. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.027
6. Chris Ulrich, 1:54.225
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:54.246
8. Josh Hayes, 1:54.690
9. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:54.791
10. Scott Greenwood, 1:54.918
11. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.139
12. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.205
13. Alex Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.278
14. Matt Wait, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.415
15. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.424
16. Jordan Szoke, 1:55.636
17. Chris Caylor, 1:55.678
18. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:55.880
19. Ty Howard, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.201
20. Craig Connell, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.219
21. Andrew Nelson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.402
22. Scott Harwell, 1:56.537
23. Jamie Stauffer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:56.593
24. Hawk Mazzotta, 1:57.464
25. Brian Stokes, 1:57.672
26. John Haner, 1:57.884
27. Chris Peris, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:58.500
28. Rich Conicelli, 1:58.573
29. John Dugan, 1:58.579
30. Jason Peters, 1:59.054
31. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:59.197
32. Jake Holden, 1:59.350
33. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:59.815
34. Kevin Pate, 1:59.821
35. Jason Perez, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:00.508
36. Adam Fergusson, 2:01.105
37. Darrin Mitchell, 2:01.132
38. Dave Estok, Buell, 2:01.313
39. James Kerker, Honda CBR600, 2:01.357
40. C.R. Gittere, 2:01.594
41. Chris Siglin, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:01.643
42. Dave Alley, 2:02.106
43. Tom Wertman, 2:02.157
44. Jeff Bostrom, 2:02.507
45. Eric Haugo, 2:03.078
46. Tom Fournier, Ducati 748, 2:03.441
47. Paul Vitale, 2:04.820
48. Michael Hanley, 2:06.585
49. Crash Lowe, 2:06.702
50. Jessica Zalusky, 2:23.069
Honda Does Deal With Daytona
From a press release:
Honda Inks Long Term Agreement with the “World Center of Racing”
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is pleased to announce an extension of its long-standing relationship with the Daytona Motor Speedway. A new seven-year agreement will position Honda as the “official motorcycle, ATV, scooter, and personal watercraft of the Daytona Motor Speedway”.
Motorcycle Division Vice President, Ray Blank, said, “We are very excited about this new chapter in one of Honda’s most treasured relationships. Both the Daytona Motor Speedway and Honda are synonymous with racing, and we look forward to working together to ensure a bright future for our sport.”
Anthony Gobert Turns 28 Today
Twenty-eight years ago today Sue Gobert gave birth to her first son, Anthony, in Green Acre (a suburb of Sydney), New South Wales, Australia.
Dunlop Sponsors WERA Endurance Series
From a press release:
Dunlop Expands WERA Sponsorship to National Endurance Series
Buffalo, NY: Dunlop Tires, a longtime sponsor of WERA’s 600 Superstock Expert class, is proud to announce it is expanding its role by becoming the Title Sponsor for WERA’s National Endurance Series Classes for three years, 2003 through 2005.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing Inc. is one of the oldest (starting in 1974), largest and most well-respected sanctioning bodies in the United States. For 2003, WERA’s National Endurance Series will comprise 10 events, with five combined expert/novice classes.
For riders (WERA boasts 3000-plus licensed competitors), it means that at each venue Dunlop will be there to provide tires and mounting services, adding a measure of convenience for all racing teams using Dunlop tires.
Dunlop’s increased presence and sponsorship roles reaffirm the company’s commitment to support racing in the U.S. at all levels. WERA, for example, has been sanctioning national and regional series in order to help showcase the talents of riders of all skill levels. WERA also enjoys a working relationship with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) that ensures riders, teams and sponsors have the opportunity for involvement at virtually every level of road racing competition in the U.S.
Dunlop Named Official Tire Of Daytona 200 Week
From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway’s PR Department:
Dunlop Tire Named ‘Official Tire of Daytona 200 Week’
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 4, 2003) — Daytona International Speedway officials announced today that Dunlop Motorcycle Tires has been named the “Official Tire of Daytona 200 Week.”
The 62nd Daytona 200 By Arai on Sunday, March 9 and the 32nd Daytona Supercross By Honda on Saturday, March 8, headline Daytona 200 Week.
Support races of Daytona 200 Week include the Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport, the Suzuki Genuine Accessories Superstock, the inaugural BMW
Motorrad International BoxerCup and the MBNA 250 Grand Prix.
Dunlop is the leading supplier of motorcycle racing tires in the United States and has dominated the Daytona 200 By Arai in the past decade with riders such as Scott Russell, Miguel Duhamel, Mat Mladin and most recently Nicky Hayden.
“Dunlop has a storied success at Daytona and it’s fitting that they’re now the official tire of Daytona 200 Week,” Speedway President Robin Braig said.
Tickets for Daytona 200 Week events are available online at
http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.
AMA Practice On Hold At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
The start of AMA practice at Daytona is on hold due to fog and a wet track.
Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport practice was scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday but has not started as of 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time due to a wet track and low visibility from fog.
“The tower can’t see the back straight,” said AMA Superbike Operations Manager Ron Barrick. “Visibility is not good. So we’re on hold for that and for the wet track.”
Originally, the Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport, Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock and MBNA 250cc Grand Prix classes were each scheduled to have 40 minutes of practice Wednesday morning, followed by a 90-minute Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike practice session.
Wednesday afternoon’s schedule calls for the Supersport, Superstock, 250cc Grand Prix and BMW Boxer Cup classes to each get approximately 30 minutes of practice, followed by another 90-minute Superbike practice.
Obviously, the schedule will be adjusted accordingly as soon as practice starts, and the weather forecast for Wednesday is good, calling for temperatures in the mid-80s Fahrenheit and no rain.
The reason BMW Boxer Cup riders were not scheduled to practice Wednesday morning, according to Barrick, was because the BMW Boxer Cup organizers were concerned that not all of their competitors would arrive at the track in time.
Thursday’s schedule includes approximately 35-minute practice sessions for the support classes and a 60-minute Superbike practice in the morning followed by Supersport, Superstock, BMW Boxer Cup and Superbike qualifying sessions.
The front row of the Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike grid will be locked in on Thursday with the rest of the grid being set in other qualifying sessions on Friday.
After practice Friday morning and final Superbike qualifying on Friday afternoon, the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock and Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport final events will take place, separated by 250cc Grand Prix qualifying and final qualifying for the BMW Boxer Cup.
No on-track road racing activity will take place on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
Sunday’s schedule calls for short warm-up sessions for 250cc Grand Prix, BMW Boxer Cup and Superbike riders with the 250cc Grand Prix, BMW Boxer Cup and Superbike final events taking place in the afternoon.
The Superstock race will run 15 laps, the Supersport final will last 18 laps, the 250cc Grand Prix race will go 18 laps, the BMW Boxer Cup race will run 13 laps and, of course, the 62nd Annual Daytona 200 by Arai Superbike race will go the traditional distance of 57 laps or 202.92 miles.
Udo Gietl Returns To Daytona With BMW Boxer Cup
From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway’s PR Department:
Udo Gietl Returns To Daytona By Way Of The BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Udo Gietl’s fame has grown in the 16 years since he was involved with racing at Daytona. Gietl, a 62-year-old native of Germany, who now makes Oxnard, Calif., his home, is perhaps the best-known team manager from the early days of AMA Superbike racing.
Gietl managed BMW’s and later Honda’s Superbike racing teams in the 1970s and 1980s. It was a Gietl-built BMW ridden by Steve McLaughlin that won the very first AMA Superbike Series race at Daytona in 1976.
Gietl’s legend has grown along with the popularity of the series, in spite of the fact that Gietl last managed a Superbike racing team in 1987. He is back at the Speedway this March leading the technical staff of the BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup – an international racing series competing in the United States for the first time.
“For the last four years I’ve been campaigning a racing sailboat,” Gietl said. “I guess BMW felt I needed to come out retirement and get back into motorcycle racing. I’ll be involved in the entire series.”
Superbike fans best remember Gietl for his days of taking BMW R90S touring bikes and converting them into the state-of-the-art AMA Superbike of the mid-1970s. It seemed that everything that Gietl touched turned to gold.
After BMW left the AMA Superbike Series, Honda hired him to head up its new team and it promptly became the dominant team in the championship. After he left motorcycle racing he spent nine years in auto racing before turning his attention to boats. A 56-foot sailboat Gietl spent three years building is the one to beat in Southern California waters.
Gietl’s 1970s era BMW Superbikes were way ahead of their time. Only today are the production models meeting the performance his bikes obtain nearly 30 years ago.
“It’s funny,” Gietl smiles. “I’m seeing many things that we were doing then on the bikes of today. I ran the dyno the last couple of weeks; even those numbers were the same. It’s feels like déjà vu.”
The growth of AMA Superbike racing comes as no surprise to Gietl. “We knew sooner or later, even back then, that Superbike would become the premier event,” Gietl claims. “A lot of people do not realize the influences of the Frances. They helped build up Superbikes because they felt it was so close to NASCAR style racing.”
Gietl now comes full circle in his association with the BMW BoxerCup. “I’m back with BMW and it’s something near and dear to my heart,” Gietl says. “Working with these Boxer Twins is something I’ve always enjoyed. I have found memories of the early Superbike days so it’s nice to get back to this.”
The BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup will compete on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
AHRMA Wraps Up: American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association completed its two-day event.
In one of the feature events on Tuesday, three-time AMA Grand National champion Jay Springsteen, riding a 1972 Harley-Davidson, captured the Formula Vintage. Springsteen battled with 1967 Daytona 200 winner Gary Nixon for most of the race before Nixon’s 1970 Honda had some electrical problems.
“It got a bunch of water in there (carbs),” Nixon said. “We had a good race going there and then (my bike) went off on three and then two (cylinders). It was still a bunch of fun.”
Next up: On tap for Wednesday at the Speedway are practice sessions for Supersport, Superstock, MBNA Grand Prix, BMW BoxerCup and Superbike (Daytona 200).
Tickets for any of the upcoming events at the Speedway are available online at
http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.
Roberts Posts Fastest Lap Time, Top Speed In First AMA Superbike Practice At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Wednesday Afternoon Superbike Practice Times:
1. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:49.314
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.940
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.058
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.060
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:51.420
6. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:51.530
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.680
8. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki, 1:51.797
9. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.248
10. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.723
11. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.008
12. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:54.091
13. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.285
14. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.365
15. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.675
16. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:54.816
17. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.852
18. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.865
19. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.100
20. Doug Chandler, Honda CBR954RR, 1:55.166
21. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.238
22. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.277
23. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.316
24. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.494
25. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.590
26. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.609
27. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 1:56.043
28. John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.999
29. Michael Hannas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.047
30. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.170
Superbike Top Speeds As Recorded From Turn One With The Roadracingworld.com Stalker Sport Radar Gun (best single pass listed in mph):
1. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 176.8
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 173.7
3. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 172.5
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 172.1
5. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 171.5
6. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 171.1
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 171.0
8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 169.1
9. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 168.7
10. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 167.9
11. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 167.9
12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 166.1
13. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 166.0
14. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 165.3
15. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 162.7
16. Michael Hannas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 162.4
17. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 161.8
18. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 161.6
19. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 161.5
20. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 161.4
21. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.8
22. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.6
23. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.6
24. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 160.1
25. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 158.8
26. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 158.5
27. Oliver Jervis, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 158.4
28. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R750, 158.2
29. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 158.0
30. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 155.9
31. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 155.5
32. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 155.1
Eric Bostrom crashed in turn one during the session and escaped without injury.
Both No Limit Honda CBR954RRs came in on the crash truck at the end of the session. Team members said that they did not know the problem with either bike.
HAS Shogun’s John Haner crashed in the chicane during the session. Haner’s condition was not known at post time.
Mladin Quickest In Wednesday Afternoon AMA Superbike Practice At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Wednesday Afternoon Superbike Practice Times:
1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.413
2. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:49.723
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:50.149
4. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:50.746
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.785
6. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.937
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.272
8. Doug Chandler, Honda CBR954RR, 1:52.105
9. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:52.174
10. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:52.493
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:52.601
12. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:52.720
13. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:52.832
14. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.219
15. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 1:53.559
16. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.574
17. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:53.751
18. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.045
19. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.113
20. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.226
21. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.329
22. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.346
23. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:54.425
24. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.630
25. John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.098
26. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.145
27. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.107
28. John Dugan, Suzuki, 1:56.114
29. Jack Pfeifer, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.253
30. Pat Mooney, Suzuki, 1:56.389
31. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.684
32. Rick Narup, Suzuki, 1:56.727
33. Brian Stokes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.847
34. James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:56.964
35. Brian Livengood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.112
36. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.137
37. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.282
38. Ricky Orlando, Suzuki, 1:57.529
39. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki, 1:57.561
40. Thomas Montano, Suzuki, 1:57.598
41. Mike Luke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.667
42. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.707
43. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:58.383
44. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:58.578
45. Michael Rouleau, Suzuki, 1:58.583
46. Michael Hannas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.624
47. John Jacobi, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.726
48. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.744
49. Ray Bowman, Suzuki, 1:58.852
50. Dario Marchetti, Ducati, 1:59.046
51. Jim Randolph, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:59.323
52. Rick Shaw, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:59.354
53. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, 1:59.397
54. Shane Gonyea, Suzuki, 1:59.536
55. Brett Ray, Suzuki, 1:59.573
56. Andrew Denyer, Suzuki, 1:59.750
57. Thomas Fournier, Ducati 996, 2:00.029
58. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki, 2:00.135
59. Keith Pinkstaff, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:00.259
60. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 2:00.280
Anthony Gobert Riding With Broken Hand At Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts and Bob Dragich
Ducati Austin’s Anthony Gobert is riding with a broken left hand at Daytona International Speedway.
“I broke it sparring,” Gobert told Roadracingworld.com Wednesday evening after practice. “Part of my training now is boxing, and we were sparring using mitts. I just hit it (the mitt) wrong.”
Gobert was seen taping and wrapping his left hand before riding his Ducati 998RS Superbike in practice as well as wearing a brace on the hand in between sessions.
Gobert only rode 12 laps in Wednesday afternoon’s Superbike practice session and was ninth-fastest with a 1:52.174. Mat Mladin was the fastest Superbike rider in afternoon session with time of 1:49.413, but Kurtis Roberts turned the fastest time of the day with a 1:49.314 in the first Superbike practice session.
Pridmore Tops Afternoon AMA Superstock Times From Daytona
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Afternoon Practice Times, Superstock (All Suzuki GSX-R750 unless indicated):
1. Jason Pridmore, 1:53.548
2. Mike Ciccotto, 1:53.693
3. Steve Rapp, 1:53.720
4. Jimmy Moore, 1:53.904
5. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.027
6. Chris Ulrich, 1:54.225
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:54.246
8. Josh Hayes, 1:54.690
9. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:54.791
10. Scott Greenwood, 1:54.918
11. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.139
12. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.205
13. Alex Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.278
14. Matt Wait, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.415
15. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.424
16. Jordan Szoke, 1:55.636
17. Chris Caylor, 1:55.678
18. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:55.880
19. Ty Howard, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.201
20. Craig Connell, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.219
21. Andrew Nelson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.402
22. Scott Harwell, 1:56.537
23. Jamie Stauffer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:56.593
24. Hawk Mazzotta, 1:57.464
25. Brian Stokes, 1:57.672
26. John Haner, 1:57.884
27. Chris Peris, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:58.500
28. Rich Conicelli, 1:58.573
29. John Dugan, 1:58.579
30. Jason Peters, 1:59.054
31. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:59.197
32. Jake Holden, 1:59.350
33. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:59.815
34. Kevin Pate, 1:59.821
35. Jason Perez, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:00.508
36. Adam Fergusson, 2:01.105
37. Darrin Mitchell, 2:01.132
38. Dave Estok, Buell, 2:01.313
39. James Kerker, Honda CBR600, 2:01.357
40. C.R. Gittere, 2:01.594
41. Chris Siglin, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:01.643
42. Dave Alley, 2:02.106
43. Tom Wertman, 2:02.157
44. Jeff Bostrom, 2:02.507
45. Eric Haugo, 2:03.078
46. Tom Fournier, Ducati 748, 2:03.441
47. Paul Vitale, 2:04.820
48. Michael Hanley, 2:06.585
49. Crash Lowe, 2:06.702
50. Jessica Zalusky, 2:23.069
Honda Does Deal With Daytona
From a press release:
Honda Inks Long Term Agreement with the “World Center of Racing”
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is pleased to announce an extension of its long-standing relationship with the Daytona Motor Speedway. A new seven-year agreement will position Honda as the “official motorcycle, ATV, scooter, and personal watercraft of the Daytona Motor Speedway”.
Motorcycle Division Vice President, Ray Blank, said, “We are very excited about this new chapter in one of Honda’s most treasured relationships. Both the Daytona Motor Speedway and Honda are synonymous with racing, and we look forward to working together to ensure a bright future for our sport.”