From a press release issued by Dunlop Tire Co.:

Dunlop Announces Change in Qualifying Race Tire Policy

Daytona Beach, FL–Dunlop Tire announced today that the company will not be supplying qualifying tires to competitors in the AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike class or the AMA Formula Xtreme class during the 2003 season. This decision will take effect beginning with the 62nd annual running of the Daytona 200 on March 9, 2003.

This decision was reached recently, following ongoing discussions with Dunlop’s contracted Superbike teams at the end of the 2002 season. “It’s simply a matter of cost and of giving the teams additional time to find their best race set-ups during practice,” said Jim Allen, Dunlop’s Road Race Manager. “When we raised the topic in our annual meetings with the OEM teams at the end of 2002, there was general agreement that as long as no Dunlop team had access to qualifying tires and as long as none of our tire competitors were supplying qualifying tires, the extra edge these tires can give wasn’t necessary.”

Dunlop supplies tires to all of the major OEM race teams and the vast majority of the AMA Superbike and Formula Xtreme fields, and has unassailable records on both classes. Specifically, in the 27-year history of AMA Superbike racing, Dunlop has won 17 championships, including the last 13 in a row.

Allen added that an agreement had been reached with Dunlop’s UK division to produce and ship all necessary qualifying tires immediately, should it prove necessary to react to the actions of other tire companies. In addition, a one-race supply of the latest qualifying tires is currently on hand at Dunlop’s USA headquarters in Buffalo, NY.

From a press release issued by Keith Milne of Vmoto:

New Vintage Motorcycle Racing Group Formed

Vmoto (Vintage Motorcycle Racing Association), founded by Llew Kinst and Keith Milne in January of 2003, will offer a different experience for the vintage rider and spectator than is currently available. Vmoto’s focus is on the history of the sport and period correct bikes, not trying to make history by putting an emphasis on races and winners.

Vmoto encourages the restoration, preservation and use of historic, vintage, and classic road racing motorcycles. Vmoto events are, in effect, rolling museums where historic bikes of the past can be ridden once again in a venue that respects their historic value. Vmoto advocates preserving the history of the bikes and giving the rider an opportunity to experience motorcycle racing as it was in the past.

“You can either go vintage bike racing or go and race a vintage bike,” states founder Llew Kinst. “There is a big difference between the two. The former allows modern technology and emphasizes competition, the later (sic) emphasizes the history of the bikes and the sport.” Vmoto strives for the later, providing a venue for riders to bring out historically significant bikes and ride them as they were intended.

Vmoto is currently planning events at Northern California tracks for the 2003 season.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.vintagemoto.com

From a press release issued by Roger Lyle:

There will be three motorcycle Tune & Test Days at Summit Point Raceway in 2003. The first date is Thursday, April 10, followed by May 22 and September 19.

All licensed road racers and race-prepared machines are eligible for these practice days on the legendary Summit Point Raceway 2-mile circuit. This is a great opportunity for racers to dial in their motorcycles before a big race weekend.

For more information on these quality days at the track, contact Roger Lyle at 301-933-2599 or [email protected].

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

AMA Pro Racing does not run races in the rain at Daytona International Speedway, but Formula USA, CCS and AHRMA do run races at Daytona in the rain.

What’s it like to ride around the paint-stripe-covered, wall-lined Daytona Speedway in the rain? We talked with two of the top Formula USA racers about their recent experiences.

“I just rode around, used a lot of throttle control, tried to be real smooth,” said Kneedraggers.com Yamaha’s Matt Watt after qualifying on F-USA pole position with a YZF-R6. “The paint stripes are really super slippery. I hit one of them and the bike went sideways. So I just tried to ride around and stay off the paint….I didn’t know how hard I could go in because it was raining harder in some corners than others. But I was just trying to be careful.

“Turn one, there’s a major, big paint stripe going into turn one, so you have to make sure you stand the bike up and let off the brakes real quick when you go over it. The high-speed stuff, the kink, be careful through there. I tried to roll it and not chop it or wick it up through there. Entering the chicane, obviously. When it rains a lot there’s a big, huge puddle there that causes your bike to hydroplane. There’s grip there, but you have dodge the paint stripe.”

“Having to come off of turn six, out of the infield and out of the chicane; those two spots are real, real slick and the puddles against the dark pavement, and you can’t really see how deep the puddles are,” Formula USA Unlimited Grand Prix winner Michael Barnes said after wet qualifying. “That’s a real challenge, especially coming out of the chicane. Then to have a 170-plus-horsepower GSX-R1000 cruising around the banking in full-wet conditions, besides having the tire spinning on the banking, in the tri-oval the rear was stepped out a good foot. You could feel it, just full counter-steering through the tri-oval past the start/finish line. I can see why other organizations don’t race in the rain here.”

Another consequence of racing in the rain is that fallen riders slide much farther on wet pavement, quickly traveling through what is considered to be safe run-off room.

Tilley H-D/Buell’s Tripp Nobles crashed at the exit of the chicane during the wet Thunderbike final and slid a great distance before impacting inflatable air barriers at speed.

Earlier last week, Bettencourt Racing’s Jeff Wood crashed in the high-speed dogleg turn and nearly slid completely across the expansive run-off area and back across the west horseshoe.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Marty Craggill will not race in the AMA National event at Daytona International Speedway March 5-9 due to recent surgery on his back.

Bruce Crew Chief Joey Osowski told Roadracingworld.com that Craggill, 34, suffered with a pinched nerve in his neck during off-season testing. “It was bothering him before the last test at Fontana (California Speedway, February 5-6). That’s why he only rode the morning of the second day.”

Craggill had been seen by a doctor prior to that test, and the doctor, according to Osowski, told Craggill that the problem could get better on its own. The Bruce team then went to participate in a three-day test at Laguna Seca Raceway in late-February.

“Marty went out and did nine laps on the first morning, came in and he couldn’t lift his head, he was in so much pain,” said Osowski from his Whittier, California race shop. “At that point it was like, you have to go get this thing taken care of now, before it gets too late.”

Craggill had a MRI scan and was diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his neck. On February 20, Craggill had minor surgery to “remove a disc from his back,” reported Osowski, who did not know the name of Craggill’s doctor or which California hospital Craggill received care at.

“He’s doing a lot better,” said Osowski. “He’s up and driving and everything. He’s swimming for rehab, and has an appointment next week to see when he will be able to ride a bike again. We’re hoping to catch a track day out here (California) later this month and be ready for the Fontana race (April 4-6).”

Although the Bruce team originally considered fielding Craggill on a Honda CBR954RR in the Daytona 200 Superbike race, the team had abandoned those plans before Craggill’s injury became a problem. Craggill did intend to race in the Supersport event at Daytona and campaign the entire AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme series.

The first round of the Formula Xtreme series takes place at California Speedway.

Craggill is a former Australian Superbike Champion.

From a press release issued by organizers of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship series:

TORONTO, ON – Parts Canada Superbike Championship officials announced today a date change for the seventh round of the series at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. The event will take place Aug. 15-17 rather than Aug. 22-24, as originally planned.

The shift came due to a late change in the CART Champ Car schedule. That series recently moved its round at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to Aug. 22-24, setting up a conflict with the Parts Canada Superbike event. Mont-Tremblant is located about an hour’s drive north of Montreal.

Since the two events will draw from the same pool of course workers, Parts Canada Superbike representatives elected to change the date
of their event.

“It wasn’t very practical to try and run two major motorsports events within about an hour of each other on the same weekend,” said Colin Fraser of Parts Canada Superbike Championship series organizer Professional Motorsports Productions. “The staff at Mont-Tremblant have been very co-operative in helping us resolve this situation and we thank them for their understanding.”

The Mont-Tremblant event, the first national Superbike round held at the classic venue, will now come one week after the Parts Canada Superbike series stop at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS. The season will conclude two weeks following the Mont-Tremblant race at Shannonville Motorsport Park Aug. 29-31.

The full revised schedule is as follows:

Round 1 May 15-18 Shannonville Motorsport Park (Pro Track), Shannonville, ON

Round 2 June 6-8 Race City Motorsport Park, Calgary, AB

Round 3 July 4-6 Autodrome St-Eustache, St-Eustache, QC

Round 4-5 July 18-20 Mosport International
Raceway, Bowmanville, ON

Round 6 Aug. 8-10 Atlantic Motorsport Park, Shubenacadie, NS

Round 7 Aug. 15-17 Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, QC

Round 8 Aug. 29-31 Shannonville Motorsport Park (Long Track), Shannonville, ON

From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway’s PR Department:

Guide To Daytona 200 Week

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (March 3, 2003) ¯ Formula USA and the Championship Cup Series wrapped up five days of racing last weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Next up at the Speedway are this week’s AHRMA and AMA events. Here’s a
guide to all the happenings this week at the “World Center of Racing.”

The main event: Daytona 200 By Arai

The 62nd Daytona 200 By Arai on March 9 is the featured event of Daytona 200 Week and the season opener to the AMA U.S. Superbike season. Nicky Hayden is the defending champion of the race, but won’t be competing as he has moved to overseas to compete in MotoGP.

Highlighting this year’s race is the return of Honda’s Ben Bostrom, who has competed the last three seasons in World Superbike. Bostrom’s main competition will be his brother Eric, who rides for Kawasaki.

Other riders with a strong shot at a victory include three-time Daytona 200 champion Miguel Duhamel, two-time Daytona 200 champion Mat Mladin, Kurtis Roberts, Aaron Yates and Anthony Gobert.

Another storyline to keep an eye on during the Daytona 200 is the breaking of the all-time mileage mark. Floridian Rick Shaw needs to turn only two laps in this year’s Daytona 200 By Arai to break Warren Sherwood’s Daytona 200 mileage
record.

The Daytona 200 By Arai starts on Sunday at 1 p.m. Qualifying for the top-four positions is on Thursday at 2:20 p.m. while second-round qualifying is on Friday at 12:20 p.m.

Historical Daytona Supercross By Honda?

Ricky Carmichael, riding aboard a Honda, will shoot for his fourth straight Daytona Supercross By Honda victory on Saturday, March 8 on the demanding course in the tri-oval designed by Gary Bailey.

If Carmichael can win, he would tie Jeff Stanton’s mark of four straight between 1989-92 and he would also tie Stanton for most career victories at four.

Elimination heat races kick off Saturday’s Supercross activity at the Speedway at 11 a.m. followed by qualifying heat races at 1 p.m. The 125cc main event (15 laps, 22 riders) is at 3:30 p.m. while the 250cc main event (20 laps, 30 riders) starts at 4:05 p.m.

New to Daytona International Speedway

Making its first and only appearance in the United States during Daytona 200 Week is the BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup. The BMW Motorrad
International BoxerCup, which features riders aboard BMW R 1100 S motorcycles, will kick off their nine-race season on Sunday, March 9 at 11:30 a.m. before the Daytona 200 By Arai.

Other races to keep an eye on

One of the fan favorites of Daytona 200 Week is the Pro Honda Oils Supersport on Friday, March 7 at 4:20 p.m. The 18-lap race, won last year by
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates, is always highly competitive and features many of the Daytona 200 By Arai competitors. On the same day as the Supersport is the 750 Superstock, another exciting sprint race at 2:25 p.m.

Action at the Stadium

Daytona International Speedway will host dirt motorcycle races at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium on Friday night, March 7 and Saturday night, March 8. The feature program will start each night at 8:30 p.m. On Friday is the AMA Hot
Shoe National while on Saturday is the AMA Progressive Insurance Grand National Championship kickoff.

Demo rides

The outside of the Speedway will be buzzing with activity as Daytona International Speedway offers the opportunity to try out the latest and greatest
motorcycles with free manufacturer demo rides during Daytona 200 Week. Motorcycle enthusiasts can check out displays and demo rides from manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW, Aprilia, Moto-Guzzi, Buell,
Harley-Davidson, Victory, Indian and Boss Hoss. Riders must hold a valid motorcycle driver license and DOT approved helmet in order to participate in the demo rides. Demo rides will run Monday, March 3 through Friday, March 7, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. and on Saturday, March 8, 9 a.m. – noon.

In addition to the demo rides, the Speedway will also host vendor displays such as the American Ironhorse, Ducati, Featherlite, Chevy AMA Trucks and the AdvanStar International Motorcycle Show, where riders can pick up the latest in parts, accessories and apparel. The AdvanStar International Motorcycle Show will be open Wednesday, March 5 through Sunday, March 9, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

AHRMA

On Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4, the Speedway turns back the clock with vintage road racing. The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, the leading vintage racing series in North America, will have two days of competition for classic motorcycles dating back to the 1920s.

Hospitality

The Classic Cycle Club, the exclusive Daytona 200 week hospitality package available March 8 and 9, is the best way to enjoy the action in style.
Membership in the Classic Cycle Club touts a stellar list of amenities for motorcycle enthusiasts. Club packages include admission to private Campbell and Winston Tower Suites; food and beverage service; a reserved parking area; and
infield, paddock and garage area access on March 8 and 9. Closed circuit televisions for convenient track-action viewing and a complimentary Daytona 200 souvenir program are additional perks.

Reasonably priced, Classic Cycle Club membership costs $220 for a March 8 and 9 combination package — the days of the Daytona Supercross by Honda (March 8) and the Daytona 200 by Arai (March 9) — or $120 (plus tax) for individual
days.

Another option available to motorcycle fans in the infield is Harley Heaven. Available on Sunday, March 9 and located outside the International Horseshoe Curve, Harley Heaven provides hospitality that includes lunch, limited beverage service, infield/paddock/garage access, commemorative event pin, private grandstand and a reserved bike parking area. Harley Heaven costs $50 in advance and $55 on race day.

To take part in the Classic Cycle Club or Harley Heaven, contact the Sales and Sponsor Services department at (386) 947-6475.

If you want to go

To purchase tickets to any of the events at the Speedway, fans need to log on to http://www.daytoaninternationalspeedway.com or call the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.