From a press release issued by Norm Viano:

TIGER ONLINE!

Atlanta, GA. Tony “The Tiger” Meiring would like to proudly
announce the launch of his new website, www.TonyMeiring.com to his fans, partners, and to the media. This is Tony’s first website and the best way for fans to connect with the young factory Kawasaki road racer.

“I’m very excited to finally have a website, and in time for the first race of
the season. This will allow people to get to know more about me as a person, not just as a rider. And they can keep up with what’s going on in my life, on and off the track.”

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

ASTERISK MOBILE MEDICAL CENTER NOW COMPLETE

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Construction and outfitting of the Asterisk Mobile Medical Center has been completed and the unit is now fully functional and being used at AMA Supercross events. The center will travel to all AMA Supercross and AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship events in 2003, and will be staffed by the experienced team of physicians Dr. John Bodnar and Dr. Steve Augustine, supported by Eddie Casillas, athletic trainer, Dr. Crystal Nyberg, physical therapist and a team of registered nurses, and medical assistants.

The new Mobile Medical Center is provided by Asterisk, a company specializing in knee protection devices. The center will be administered by AMA Pro Racing and the AMA Pro Racing Medical Advisory Board with funding from a growing list of OEMs, private teams, aftermarket companies and individuals.

“Bringing together all the elements to make the Mobile Medical Center possible has been an outstanding collaborative effort,” said Scott Hollingsworth, AMA Pro Racing CEO. “A special thanks goes to Dr. Bodnar and Tom Carson for completing much of the groundwork and to Asterisk for purchasing the mobile medical center.” The custom-made mobile center houses a variety of medical and treatment equipment, including a state-of-the-art mobile x-ray machine.

“This is a big advance in providing the best possible care for the athletes,” said Dr. Bodnar. “We will be able to evaluate a much broader spectrum of injuries with the facilities now available to us and provide faster and more efficient treatment for those injuries.”

Dr. Bodnar is based at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in San Diego as Assistant Medical Director for the emergency room. Dr. Augustine is an assistant professor of orthopedics at the University of Florida’s Jacksonville campus.

The Asterisk Mobile Medical Center is the latest effort by AMA Pro Racing and its industry partners to advance the cause of rider safety in motorcycle racing. Beginning in 2001, with support from throughout the motorcycle industry, AMA Pro Racing implemented the use of hundreds of feet of additional air module barrier protectors at AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship and AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship events.

The Mobile Medical Center and the doctors were made possible through the financial investment of Asterisk. Contributors for the support team (R. N., Athletic Trainer Certified, Physical Therapist & supplies) are made possible by the support of many in the motorcycle industry. To date, contributors for the staff include: AMA Pro Racing, Clear Channel Entertainment/Motorsports, Dunlop Tire, Suzuki, Pro Circuit, Yamaha, Honda, Yamaha of Troy. Several of the leading riders have contributed including Ricky Carmichael, Nathan Ramsey, Ernesto Fonseca, David Vuillemin, Tim Ferry, Chad Reed, Craig Anderson, Josh Hansen, Brock Sellards and Ivan Tedesco. Contributions to help defray the continued cost of the Asterisk Mobile Medical Center are still being accepted. Send your donation to AMA, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington Ohio 43230. For additional information contact AMA Pro Racing’s Hugh Fleming at (614) 856-1900, ext. 1281 or [email protected].

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning Practice Group #6 Lap Times:

1. Matt Wait, Yamaha YZF-R6, 2:00.053
2. Doug Chandler, Honda CBR600RR, 2:00.905
3. Jason Perez, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:02.253
4. Michael Himmelsbach, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:02.387
5. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:02.554
6. Jonathan Gomez, 2:03.441
7. Eric Wood, 2:03.772
8. Nate Kern, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:03.812
9. Eric Spector, Suzuki GSX-R600, 2:04.526
10. Dave Ebben, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:04.796

From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Halsmer Hoping To Follow Uncle’s Four-Wheel Success at Daytona on two wheels

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.– The Halsmer name is well known in sports car racing circles. Pete Halsmer was a three-time class winner in the Rolex 24 At Daytona during the 1980s at Daytona International Speedway.

Pete Halsmer’s nephew Thad Halsmer hopes to carry on the Halsmer legacy at Daytona, but this time on two wheels.

Halsmer, 23, an Indiana native who recently moved to Southern California, is racing in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport event next Friday at the Speedway and is hoping to get some seat time during this weekend’s Championship Cup Series and Formula USA events.

“(Uncle) Pete did well here and I’ve had some success as well, but I’m still moving up,” said Halsmer, who is racing for the newly formed Dream Team Racing. “I’m looking forward to improving and getting the same type of results here in motorcycle racing.”

Dream Team Racing comes to Daytona with a strong squad headed up by Larry Pegram, who’ll ride a Ducati-backed Superbike. Halsmer was slated to race a new Honda in Supersport, but at the last minute the team had to switch to Yamaha R6 Supersport machines when Honda told the squad that it wouldn’t be able to get the new Honda to them until after Daytona.

“We had the choice of missing Daytona and running the Honda later this season or getting the Yamaha and making Daytona,” Halsmer said. “The Yamahas are good bikes and have been setting some of the fastest times in testing so I don’t think it’s going to be a disadvantage. It would have been nice to run the Honda, but that’s OK. We’ll go on with the development of the Yamaha.”

Halsmer only got two days to shake down the new bikes in pre-season testing and was hoping to get some racing in this weekend in preparation for next week’s AMA season opener. But rain on Friday kept him off the Speedway’s 3.56-mile road course.

“I’ve come close to throwing on some rain tires and going out to ride,” an antsy Halsmer admits. “But my logical side says don’t do it. At this point we go out in the rain and risk tearing something up and this weekend is about testing.”

Halsmer, who raced in MBNA 250 Grand Prix last season, is moving into the most competitive class in AMA Pro Racing in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship. There are over 20 factory-backed riders in the class making it tough for a new rider like Halsmer to get noticed.

“The team has discussed that,” Halsmer said of setting expectations for this season. “I don’t want to come off being cocky or anything, but the goal is certainly to be the top privateer (non-factory) rider in the series. Beyond that we’ll just have to see. We’re going to do the best we can with what we’ve got and by the end of the year if we can start coming inside the top
five that would be awesome.”

The racing bug bit Halsmer while watching his uncle, who was a top sports car driver as well as open-wheel ace.

“I got to hang out with him at a race out at Pikes Peak back when I was a teenager and I thought it was awesome. I figured I’d give it a try on bikes.”

So what does the Halsmer family think of young Thad racing motorcycles?

“Mom keeps promoting other career options, but they’re supportive,” Halsmer laughs.

He attended Purdue University for a semester before deciding on concentrating on his racing career.

Tickets for any of the motorcycle events at Daytona are available online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

SPEED CHANNEL TO BROADCAST 10 HOURS OF RACING FROM BIKE WEEK 2003

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Motorcycle racing fans will enjoy a veritable smorgasbord of racing from Bike Week 2003 on SPEED Channel. SPEED Channel will broadcast a total of 10 hours of race programming from Bike Week — from AMA Supercross to AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track and everything in between. Highlighting this year’s coverage will be the live broadcast on March 9, of the 62nd annual running of the Daytona 200 by Arai, the opening round of the 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship.

Bike Week coverage kicks off on Friday, March 7, at 2 p.m. Eastern with the 16th running of the Daytona AMA Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock race. Defending champion Jimmy Moore, of Eugene, Ore., will be gunning to become only the second rider in history to win back-to-back Daytona Superstock races.

SPEED Channel’s Bike Week coverage continues right after the Superstock race with Daytona on-air personalities Brian Drebber, David Sadowski, Ralph Sheheen and Greg White. The hour-long, live pre-race show will lead right into one of the most highly anticipated races of Bike Week, the 17th Annual AMA Pro Honda Oils Supersport final, live at 4 p.m. Eastern. A deep and talented field of riders will strive to give their respective manufacturers a victory in this race that is considered enormously influential on the season’s sportbike sales. Suzuki’s Aaron Yates is the defending winner, but he will face completely newly designed factory racing machines from Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha all intending to dethrone the reigning champ.

On Saturday, March 8, the action shifts from the paved high banks to the sandy triple jumps of the 33rd Daytona Supercross by Honda. Honda’s own Ricky Carmichael is looking to tie the record four-straight Daytona Supercross races won by Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Stanton. Both the AMA 125 East Region race and the AMA 250 Supercross final will be shown in primetime starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, Saturday evening in a two-hour show.

Grab an industrial-sized bag of tortilla chips and plenty of salsa and get ready for a daylong celebration of speed on Sunday, March 9. Showtime begins at 10 a.m. Eastern with live coverage of the AMA MBNA 250 Grand Prix season opener. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the race that used to be called the International Lightweight 100. All-time AMA MBNA 250 Grand Prix wins leader Rich Oliver is hoping to win his sixth 250 Grand Prix at Daytona. Next up is the BMW BoxerCup live at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. A number of international and American riders will race on equally prepared BMW R1100RS machines. This will be the only U.S. running of this international series.

Attention then turns to the granddaddy of Bike Week events, the Daytona 200 by Arai. The pre-race show begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern and the live, flag-to-flag coverage of the 200 starts at 1 p.m. The potential headlines for the March Classic are almost too numerous to mention. Honda’s Miguel Duhamel is seeking his fourth win; Mat Mladin tries for his third after missing last year’s race; Eric Bostrom is set to battle his big brother Ben, who returns from World Superbike; Kurtis Roberts hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps to become the only the second father and son combo to win the prestigious race; and Ducati pins its hopes of winning its first Daytona 200 on Anthony Gobert and Larry Pegram.

Flat track fans aren’t going to be left out. The season opener of the AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championship will be broadcast on March 11 at 10:20 p.m. Eastern and repeated early at 3:20 a.m. on March 12. Chris Carr begins his title defense at Daytona Beach’s Municipal Stadium. The short track race is easily the most unpredictable race of Bike Week and perhaps in the entire AMA U.S. Flat Track Championship.

Motorcycle Hall of Famer Dave Despain will head up a veteran broadcast team that not only includes Drebber, Sheheen, Sadowski and White, but also multi-time AMA champion Rick Johnson, who will be featured in the AMA Supercross race, and Motorcycle Hall of Famer Larry Maiers, who will be working the AMA Flat Track race.

From a press release:

STAR MOTORCYCLE SCHOOL TO SPONSOR WERA NATIONAL CHALLENGE SERIES 600 SUPERSTOCK NOVICE CLASS

WERA Motorcycle Roadracing announced that it has finalized an agreement with STAR Motorcycle School to sponsor the 600 Superstock Novice class in the 2003 WERA National Challenge Series.

“The STAR School is excited to join forces with the WERA program, and the 600 Superstock Novice class is where tomorrow’s superstars will come from,” said Mark Gallardo, co-owner of the STAR Motorcycle School with 2002 AMA Formula Xtreme champion Jason Pridmore. “This is the perfect way for new racers and sportbike enthusiasts of all levels to learn about the benefits of attending a STAR school near them. Every rider learns something new every time they go out on the track.”

As part of the sponsorship, STAR Motorcycle School will award a free school day to the points leader of the 600 Superstock Novice class at the mid-point of the season, following the WERA National Challenge Series round at Talladega Grand Prix Raceway in June. The lucky rider will be able to attend a STAR school at a venue of his or her choice with no tuition fees, and get one-on-one instruction from Jason Pridmore and the rest of the staff.

Evelyne Clarke, president of WERA, said, “We’re pleased to have the STAR School involved with one of the most exciting classes in WERA’s National Challenge Series. The 600 Superstock Novice class features talented, up-and-coming riders that are taking the initiative to run a National series and show what they’ve got. The competition should be fierce to see who can win a day with the STAR School.”

Look for the STAR Motorcycle School 600 Superstock Novice class at the WERA
National Challenge Series opener at North Florida Motorsports Park, March
28-30, 2003.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp.:

YAMAHA FJR1300 DEMO RIDES AT DAYTONA BIKE WEEK

In response to overwhelming consumer demand, Yamaha will be offering demo rides on a limited number of 2003 FJR1300s at Daytona Bike Week. This will also mark the first opportunity for the public to see on display the recently announced 2004 FJR1300 with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System). In addition to the much-sought-after FJR1300, Yamaha will also have their Star Cruiser line well represented with everything from the performance oriented Road Star Warrior, the venerable Road Star models, the popular V Star 1100 and 650, and the luxurious Royal Star Venture.

Slots are allocated daily on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please remember to bring a valid motorcycle license, a helmet with eye protection, and over the ankle boots, pants and a long sleeve shirt. See you at bike week.