From a press release issued by WSMC, which pays WSMC license holders for finishing on the podium in National races:

Willow Springs Motorcycle Club

2003 WSMC Nationals Podium Award Program*

AMA 600cc Supersport ($300 Cash Purse)
1st $150.00
2nd $100.00
3rd $50.00

AMA 750cc Superstock ($300 Cash Purse)
1st $150.00
2nd $100.00
3rd $50.00

AMA 250cc Grand Prix ($300 Cash Purse)
1st $150.00
2nd $100.00
3rd $50.00

Superbike ($500 Cash Purse)
1st $300.00
2nd $150.00
3rd $50.00

Formula Xtreme ($300 Cash Purse)
1st $150.00
2nd $100.00
3rd $50.00

Suzuki Cup Finals
GSX-R600, GSX-R750, GSX-R1000 Classes ($300 Cash Purse Each Class)
1st $150.00
2nd $100.00
3rd $50.00


*Eligibility Requirements:

– Rider must be a “full” 2003 WSMC member (reciprocal and one-weekend membership holders are not eligible)
– Rider must display WSMC patch on front of suit or sleeve of leathers throughout all event weekends.
– Rider must clearly display WSMC logo decal on each side of bike throughout all event weekends.
– Rider must list “WSMC” as a sponsor – to be verified by official AMA or Suzuki Cup Finals results listings.
– Rider must provide WSMC with a copy of official AMA or Suzuki Cup Final race results.
– Rider must provide WSMC with photographic evidence of National podium showing display of WSMC patch on leathers and WSMC logo decals on bike.

Failure to meet any of the above eligibility requirements will result in loss of eligibility for posted WSMC cash awards.

www.race-wsmc.com

From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway:

Ticketmaster AND INFINEON RACEWAY SIGN
MULTI-YEAR TICKETING AND NEW TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT

SAN FRANCISCO (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) ¯ Ticketmaster, the world’s leading ticketing company, and Infineon Raceway have announced the signing of a multi-year ticketing and new technology agreement.

Ticketmaster will now sell and distribute tickets for all Infineon Raceway events, as well as install Ticketmaster’s Architected Ticketing System (Ticketmaster Archtics), which will deliver extensive season and single ticket functionality to Infineon Raceway fans.

“It is with great excitement that we team-up with Infineon Raceway,” said Ann Mooney, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Ticketmaster San Francisco. “These technologies present exciting new options for the raceway and will result in greater ease and convenience for consumers.”

Fans can purchase tickets for Infineon Raceway events, including the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Winston Cup and NHRA FRAM Autolite Nationals, at any of the 115 Northern California ticket centers including Tower Records, Wherehouse Music and select Save Mart Supermarket grocery stores. In addition, tickets will be available online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.infineonraceway.com or by phone at 415.421.TIXS, 408.998.TIXS, 510.625.TIXS, 707.528.TIXS or 916.649.TIXS.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HRC Winter test Phillip Island, February 27, 2003.

HRC Complete Successful MotoGP Test Phillip Island

The HRC three-day MotoGP test at Phillip Island ended today with the Honda engineers and rider’s content with the results achieved and the data gathered during the test session. The teams and riders left the track more than happy with the new RC211V, and the progress HRC have made over the winter. The final day of the test was interrupted by a thunderstorm that left the track wet for short period, restricting dry running time but the teams were able to dedicate some of their time on valuable wet weather settings for the new RCV.

Repsol Honda teammates, MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, and American Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden, worked hard with the time available to them. Rossi and Hayden worked on machine and suspension settings, with Hayden also taking advantage of the conditions to get in wet weather practice on his RC211V five-cylinder 990cc four-stroke.

Valentino Rossi: “Basically a good three days at Phillip Island working on the new bike and finding the solutions for the best set-ups. The weather was not so good this morning and it was not possible to make the best time. The number of laps was down as I was in and out of the box making many changes and adjustments. It was a very heavy workday. HRC have worked very well to develop the bike and the technicians will go back to Japan with a huge amount of data. I’m very happy we decided to test in Sepang and Australia because I hear the weather in Europe has not so good. We did the right choice. I now go back to London and get some rest. I’m looking forward to Catalunya which will be a very important test because for the first time we are all together with the new entry.”

Nicky Hayden: “Today was good. The weather was kinda’ iffy this mornin’ and I went out and did about 20 laps in the damp which was good experience. The bike felt good and I was real comfortable. In the afternoon we did some longer runs looking at the tyres. The coolest thing was that I got to get behind Valentino for a few laps and knocked off like a second from my lap time. He was cool enough to let me sit behind him, which was fun because I’ve been testing here for three days and basically been ridin’ around here by myself. Not only did I learn some stuff by watchin’ him I also saw the areas that I need to improve in. I’m pretty excited about goin’ home now and getting to Daytona even though I don’t get to race there. I’ve been goin’ to Bike Week since I was a little kid so for me it’s a real fun week. Then over to Catalunya in March for the next tests. I like the track and they’ll be a lotta riders there. Should be interesting.”

The rain shower was not a totally negative event for the Pramac Honda team. Bridgestone test rider Shinichi Itoh took his RC211V out to test a range of wet tyres for Bridgestone. Makoto Tamada worked on finding the best machine and suspension settings for the wet conditions, data that will be invaluable to him at some point during his MotoGP debut season. Both riders embarked on race distance simulation test but conditions brought that to an end before the riders had completed the distance.

Shinichi Itoh: “The day was not lost to the weather, we did get the chance to test some of the rain tyres Bridgestone had brought with them. The performance was encouraging, like most of what we have done here. I go home for a rest now, it’s been hard work on the last two tests. In all we have tried some 300 tyres in recent testing. That will give Bridgestone enough data to work with.”

Makoto Tamada: “We finished the test and I’m quite happy with the work we have done. I feel a lot more comfortable on the bike now and the tyre testing has gone very well. It’s a pity about the weather today, it didn’t allow me to try for a faster time than yesterday. We will see how we go at Catalunya next month.”

The Honda MotoGP teams will now take a two week break before recommencing testing at the IRTA test at the Montmelo circuit, close to Barcelona, on March 15 – 16.

Valentino Rossi, ITA Repsol Honda 1:32.2, (52 laps)

Nicky Hayden, USA Repsol Honda 1:32.47,(62 laps)

Shinichi Itoh, JPN Pramac Honda 1:32.9, (39 laps)

Makoto Tamada, JPN Pramac Honda 1:33.3,(38 laps)

From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

What They’re Saying About The Daytona 200 Week

(On how many Daytona 200 By Arais can he win) “I’ll just throw a number out there – six would be nice because Scott (Russell) has got five or if I could get up there and tie Scott that would be nice. Unfortunately, you don’t decide that here in the garage. Some work is done in the garage for that race, but hopefully we’ll be able to go out there and win.’ – Three-time Daytona 200 By Arai champion Miguel Duhamel, rider of the No. 17 American Honda

“I’ve been around long enough to know that you can win this race and then not win a championship or you can do poorly in this race and still win a championship. One race certainly doesn’t make a difference in my mind how the season is going to go. Certainly at Daytona you never know what you’re going to get. We’ve had a couple of wins here. What you have to remember to win those races is that you have to have luck with tires and you need to make sure the motorcycle works good and it just as easily could go the other way. We’ll see what happens.” – two-time Daytona 200 By Arai champion Mat Mladin, rider of the No. 1 Yoshimura Suzuki

“I think (a win in the Daytona 200) would be more than what we need to get the ball rolling for the championship. That’s obviously our biggest focus. To win on one of the toughest tracks, I think everyone would have to be pretty worried going elsewhere. It would definitely be a huge snowball for us to get things rolling.” – Eric Bostrom, rider of the No. 32 Kawasaki

“I think everybody wants to say, ‘I won the Daytona 200.’ Me too. I’m happy to have another shot at it. I would love to walk away and say that I’ve won it. It’s probably one of the more classic events that still run today when you think about it.” – Ben Bostrom, rider of the No. 155 American Honda

“It definitely felt good to win the Supersport race here because it’s so competitive and close. It’s so easy here to lose the race coming off Turn 4 to the finish line. You never know until you’re there (at the finish line) who won. To tell you the truth, I was expecting somebody to come drafting by me. When they didn’t, I was really surprised.” – 2002 Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport winner at Daytona Aaron Yates, rider of the No. 20 Yoshimura Suzuki

“Bike Week is definitely special to me. I’ve been coming here since I can remember. It’s definitely special for me to come here. I always look forward to being a part of that and now that I am it’s exciting to come down here and be able to be part of the whole Daytona 200 Week. I look forward to it every year.” – Supersport competitor Tommy Hayden, rider of the No. 22 Kawasaki

“A lot of guys are coming out with some new bikes this year. Most of the factory guys race Supersport and then there are a few support teams with some good riders on it too. It’s definitely one of the most competitive classes. But the bike Honda just came out with – the new one – I think is going to make it easier for us. We’re definitely going to have the best bike out there. There’s no way around it. It’s all up to us to ride it now.” – Supersport and Formula Xtreme competitor Roger Lee Hayden, rider of the No. 95 Team Erion Honda

“We’ll just have to see. The Supersport race is a tough race. It’s competitive. It’s the same every year. The main thing is to finish and finish as high as possible because they’re a lot of guys that aren’t riding the rest of the year for the Supersport championship. It’s disappointing not to come back and run the biggest race of the year but then again I get to concentrate a little bit more on Supersport and maybe the results will be a little bit better.”- Supersport and Formula Xtreme competitor Jamie Hacking, rider of the No. 2 Yamaha

“You can guarantee there will be some paint swapping and some elbow banging. All of the teams have stepped up and so have we. That’s the important thing for us. You can expect a really good Supersport race in March.” – Supersport and Formula Xtreme competitor Damon Buckmaster, rider of the No. 6 Yamaha

(On the potential of eclipsing the Daytona 200 mileage mark) “To me, the record has stood for such a long time and it represents the pioneers of the sport and to be included and recognized with the pioneers of the sport, to me there’s a lot of pride in that. To do this as long as I’ve done, it takes a lot of time and effort and a lot of help from a lot of people.” – Rick Shaw

From a press release issued by CCS:

Championship Cup Series Announces

2003 “Race to the Beach” Promotion

AURORA, Ill. – After a successful promotion in 2002 with the CMRA, the CCS South Central affiliate, a Fort Worth Texas based glass block sales and installation company named “Blockworks” has expand their “Race to the Beach” program to a national scale and offer the benefits to all CCS licensed riders. Last season Blockworks rewarded the CMRA’s Top Amateur and Expert competitors with a trip to Daytona for the 19th Annual Race of Champions. The prize included transportation to Daytona and Blockworks-sponsored entries into the Race of Champions for the lucky riders involved. After their Daytona experience, Blockworks has decided to take the program to the next level and offer the “Race to the Beach” program to all CCS licensed riders, in all regions for 2003.

To qualify for the “Blockworks Race to the Beach” program you must score at least 800 points in the CCS classes that count towards the Overall Points Championships (SuperSport, SuperBike, GrandPrix and the solo GT classes). LRRS competitors must score a minimum of 150 points in those classes. Then by combining performance indexes from all CCS regions, the rider with the highest performance index in the overall rankings on August 3, 2003 will be declared the winner. There will only be one Amateur division winner and one Expert division winner chosen nationwide, and the two riders will receive 5 CCS Race of Champions entries along with $750 cash for whatever expenses they may incur by attending the Daytona event. In case of a tie on performance index, the rider with the higher point total will be declared the winner. Blockworks president Eric Kelcher commented that he “had enjoyed his races and the competition at the Daytona Race of Champions.” Adding: “I know that Daytona is the necessary route for any new, up-and-coming racer who plans on becoming a professional, and we just want to be a part of their experience.”

There are three simple steps to claim the prize from Blockworks: First riders must race CCS or CCS affiliate’s events (affiliates produce events in Northeast, Texas, or Florida regions). Second you must list “Blockworks.net” on your sponsor sheet. Finally, you must affix the Blockworks.net stickers provided at the “Race of Champions” for 2003. Kelcher commented: “We hope that through this promotion, we enable the top riders to concentrate on making the most of their season, and proving to the rest of the country ‘what they are made of’, versus the best riders in the country. We hope that we can enable them to reach their highest goals.”

For the latest information on events, weekend schedules, news or information, visit www.CCSracing.com.

From a press release issued by Daytona International Speedway:

Demo Rides, Displays Highlight Activities At The Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ever dreamed of riding a lightning fast brand new Honda motorcycle or climbing aboard one of Harley-Davidson’s new rides?

Well, 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.

In Honda’s demo ride and display area, they’ll be showcasing all-new models like the CBR600RR, the CRF250R and the Valkyrie Rune.

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.

For the first time, the general public will have access to a Dynojet dyno courtesy of Mid City Motorsports, who will be stationed in the DAYTONA USA parking lot. Riders can find out just how much horsepower their own motorcycles generate by putting their ride through its paces on the dyno.

Inside the Speedway, fans will see races from Championship Cup Series, Formula USA, Vintage Road Racing, BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Professional Road Racing and AMA Supercross
Series.

At Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium on March 7 and 8, the AMA Dirt Track Series will be in action. A fan favorite, the dirt track races are fast and furious.

Daytona 200 Week culminates with the AMA U.S. Superbike season-opening Daytona 200 By Arai on Sunday, March 9 and the Daytona Supercross By Honda on Saturday, March 8 not mention the always-exciting Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport on Friday, March 7.

“With demo rides and displays along with all of the exciting motorcycle races, Daytona International Speedway will be the place to be for bikers,” Speedway President Robin Braig said.

To purchase tickets for any of the motorcycle races at Daytona International Speedway or at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium, go online at
http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HRC Winter test Phillip Island, February 26, 2003.

The second day of the three-day HRC winter test programme with the RC211V at Phillip Island, Victoria, saw all Honda MotoGP riders present improve their understanding of the new RCV, all four riders lowering the times they set on the opening day.

The Repsol Honda riders, Valentino Rossi, and Nicky Hayden concentrated on settings for the new RC2211V at Phillip Island and tyre testing work with Michelin. Rossi in particular was pleased with the development of the new RCV.

Valentino Rossi: “I’m happy because we had another good day and the 2003 bike is doing most things I want and it feels good at a circuit I like. The track conditions were good and the weather was fine. I was pleased with my performance. We tested many tyres today and are still looking for the best solution but we are not far off as the times show, but for me this is not the most important thing. I feel that the development from last years bike to this one is good and we have the potential of a really good package.”

Hayden improved on day two lowering his time by one full second. The young American survived a high-speed encounter with sea bird that wrecked the screen of his fairing.

Nicky Hayden: “That was a pretty good day I’d say. We progressed a little bit and I took a second off my time from yesterday. Today I worked on my style a little – tried to smooth out a bit – ride the bike not so ‘Superbike-ish’. There were a few areas of the track I wanted to work on and it seemed to come together pretty good. The bike for me feels good – I’m changin’ a few little things. Mostly suspension but really I’m just tryin’ to ride it and learn. The bike is well proven with Valentino and those guys so I’m not changin’ a lot. Just minor adjustments and little tweaks and get on and ride the bike and learn the circuits. I did a little bird hunt today. I killed a bird and the bike ran over one – one busted my windscreen and I got a few feathers on me. Other than that it wasn’t too eventful!

The Pramac Honda Team was hard at work at Phillip Island. In addition to machine preparation for the season team rider Makoto Tamada, and HRC MotoGP test rider Shinichi Itoh, are engaged in an extensive tyre-testing programme for Bridgestone.

Shinichi Itoh: “We have so many tyres to test over the three days it is difficult to set fast times. We have a very methodical test programme where I have to test a range of fronts, then rears, different compounds or constructions. We never have the perfect combination necessary for a fast lap time. Maybe we will look for a fast time tomorrow.”

Makoto Tamada: “We have so much to do here at this test, machine settings and tyres have taken a lot of time. Today we had some mixed weather, good sunny weather to start off, the sun went in and it was a little cold. The different temperatures were good for tyre testing. Naturally we didn’t look for a lap time we have not decided on the best combinations yet. Tomorrow we will have a better picture.”

Valentino Rossi, ITA Repsol Honda 1:31.6 (67 laps)

Nicky Hayden, USA Repsol Honda 1:33.5 (85 laps)

Shinichi Itoh, JPN Pramac Honda 1:33.0 (70 laps)

Makoto Tamada, JPN Pramac Honda 1:33.3 (65 laps)

From a press release:

Team Orthopedics has just released its new website. www.teamorthopedics.com Here you can find information about the team and our very talented rider Jack Pfeifer. Jack is currently entered in the Team Hammer Talent Search. Thanks to our sponsors Team Orthopedics will be racing in the Formula USA Unlimited GP and Sportbike classes at Daytona. We will also run our Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the AMA Superbike DAYTONA 200 on Sunday March 9th.

If you train on a dirt bike such as
we do you may want to read Team Orthopedics’ research project on motocross boots on our site. As always we welcome all fans to our pit at any event, just look for the guys wearing the scrubs. We’ll see you at DAYTONA!

Special thanks to our sponsors: Dr. Paul Canale, Dr. Ernie Louk, Arrow Exhausts, Desert Motorsports Las Vegas, Dunlop Tires, Dynojet, Galfer Brakes, Hotboddies, Lockhart Phillips, Mike Farney, Motorex, Pricz Tattoo, SIDI boots, Skorpion Racing, Suomy Helmets, The Pfeifer Family and Vortex.

From a press release issued by WSMC:

2003 Top 20 WSMC Cash Award Winneers

Please note the figures below do not include manufacturer awards and contingencies.

1. Jeremy Toye, #1, $4000.00
2. Chuck Graves, #2, $2100.00
3. Jack Pfeifer, #4, $1210.00
4. Jason Perez, #53, $1190.00
5. Tyler Paulson, #5, $1100.00
6. Jeff Stern, #33, $915.00
7. Robbie Dowie, #6, $885.00
8. Vincent Haskovec, #34, $750.00
9. Stephen Hewitt, #10, $765.00
10. Stuart Smith, #16, #660.00
11. Stoney Landers, #220, $600.00
11. Rick Spampinato, #9, $600.00
11. Tim Knutson, #32, $600.00
14. Mark Watts, #78, $400.00
15. Jody Hendley, #188, $380.00
16. Kenny Kopecky, #7, $365.00
17. Josh Hayes, #191, $360.00
18. Clinton Whitehouse, III, #14, $350.00
19. Corey Eaton, #94, $310.00
20. Richard Headley, #90, $300.00
20. Frank Aragaki, #19, $300.00

Please note the figures above do not include 2002 season awards paid out in January 2003.

In 2003 WSMC has paid out over $20,840.00 to WSMC racers.

Many thanks to all of our class and series sponsors for their support!