From a press release issued by American Honda:

American Honda Motor Company’s Motorcycle Division announces 6.9 million in racing contingencies


Torrance, CA–American Honda Motor Co., announces its racing contingency program for 2003. The 2003 contingency program will post more than 6.9 million dollars at over 600 events across the country and will include Road Racing, Supercross, Motocross and Dirt Track series.

With the addition of the new CBR600RR to the line, this year’s program is expanded to cover Road Racing events in 12 series nation wide. The Motocross and Supercross program have grown to include Dirt Track.

“It’s the most aggressive program we’ve ever had ” said Ray Blank, Vice President of American Honda, “with payouts at over 600 events nationwide, it makes more sense than ever to race a Honda.”

Payouts will be credited to the Red Rider Rewards card–the industry’s only contingency debit card. Racers can use the Red Rider Rewards card anywhere Visa is accepted.

For complete details on events included, eligibility and payout schedules please go to www.hondaredriders.com.

From a press release:

MotoGP IRTA tests
Friday 21 February, 2003
Jerez, Spain

FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM AND GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM LAUNCH 2003 CAMPAIGN IN SPANISH STYLE

The Fortuna Yamaha and Gauloises Yamaha teams marked the formal beginning of their 2003 MotoGP campaigns with a presentation and dinner attended by 200 media and VIP guests last night. The event took place at an amazing indoor bullring at the Finca Fuente Rey near to Jerez in Andalucia, Spain and featured the region’s famous “dancing” horses. The event also marked the start of the new partnership between Yamaha and Altadis, owner of the Fortuna and Gauloises brands.

The presentation saw speeches from Yamaha Motor Racing B.V. managing director Lin Jarvis and co-presidents of Altadis Pablo Isla and Jean-Dominique Comolli. The microphone then fell to team principals Davide Brivio and Hervé Poncharal.

Finally it was the turn of the four riders to come on stage and reveal the new designs of their YZR-M1 machines – Spaniard Carlos Checa and Italian Marco Melandri in the silver and red of Fortuna Yamaha and Brazilian Alex Barros with Frenchman Olivier Jacque in Gauloises Yamaha blue.

“I will never forget going onto the straight for the first time when I first rode the bike,” recalled 20-year-old 250cc World Champion Melandri. “When I opened the throttle I imagined it would be about twice as powerful as the 250, but I just couldn’t believe it. It was at least three times as much. I have had some more time on the bike and it’s getting better each time I ride it, but I’m looking forward to the next tests to give me a real idea before the first race in Suzuka in April.”

For Melandri’s experienced team-mate Checa it is a return to the colours of Spain’s number one cigarette brand Fortuna. “Fortuna was my first big sponsor when I won the Spanish 250 Championship and moved into the World Championship,” explained the affable Spaniard who keeps his well-known bull-shaped number seven this year despite finishing fifth in the 2002 title-race. “They were also my sponsor when I won my first GP which was, of course, very special.

“Everything is going very well with our preparations for the new season so far, apart from some poor weather last time we were in Jerez. I have full confidence in this project and in Yamaha and all the people behind me. I believe we can do great things, and why not from the first race? We’ve worked hard all winter and everything is open now so we’ll just have to wait and see what Suzuka brings.”

The team is taking part in the three-day official IRTA test in Jerez until Sunday and will then move to Estoril in Portugal for a further two days testing before the last European IRTA test in Barcelona on 15/16 March. The final outing before the 2003 season gets under way will be a two-day test in Suzuka prior to the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday 6th April.

From a press release issued by Fortuna:

MotoGP pre-season IRTA Tests
Friday 21 February 2003 (day 1 of 3)
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

STEADY START FOR CHECA AND MELANDRI AT COOL JEREZ

Fortuna Yamaha Team duo Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri made steady progress during the first day of the official MotoGP group tests today. With Checa riding the latest evolution of the Yamaha YZR-M1 and Melandri having his first experiment with Yamaha’s new fuel-injection system, the pair recorded the second and fifth fastest time of the fifteen MotoGP riders present.

Checa rode a total of 61 laps and recorded a best time of 1:43.2 – three-tenths slower than his 2002 qualifying time. “We’ve been working mostly on the engine side today and did a little bit of tyre work later on,” explained Checa. “Tomorrow we’ll be able to concentrate more on the chassis settings which is where I believe we’ll make the biggest improvement. We just need to find a better balance. It’s quite cool here in the morning and later afternoon, but at least conditions are better than on our last visit.”

Marco Melandri completed 75 laps with a best time of 1:43.8, equal to the best of his previous test at Jerez.

“I’m really happy,” exclaimed the 20-year-old 2002 250cc World Champion. “I began this morning with the bike I have been using until now which has carburettors, but we had a few problems with the rear suspension. We tried a few things but I didn’t get a good feeling. My crew chief Fiorenzo (Fanali) and I decided to try the fuel injection bike as our plan was always to race with this one. I immediately found a better feeling. The engine feels smoother and it feels even more powerful. The bike also has a different chassis that I found a lot better. For me this is the biggest improvement I’ve had. I’m really happy and looking forward to more time to set up the bike.”

Team Director Davide Brivio added: “We’re now in the final countdown phase to the start of the season. Carlos is working on the latest spec bike and getting used to it while Marco the fuel injection for the first time. On the whole I think it’s been a positive first day but we’ve still got a lot of hard work to do.”


LAP TIMES
1. Alex Barros, Gauloises Yamaha Team 1:42.588
2. Carlos Checa, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:43.277
3. Colin Edwards, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:43.699
4. Shinya Nakano, D’Antin Yamaha 1:43.794
5. Marco Melandri, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:43.810
6. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:43.943
7. Troy Bayliss, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:44.125
8. Noriyuki Haga, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:44.242
9. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:44.558
10. John Hopkins, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:44.652
11. Olivier Jacque, Gauloises Yamaha Team 1:44.783


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM MAKE PROGRESS AT JEREZ

Jerez, Spain
February 21, 2003

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss had their first outing in full team livery at Jerez today, gathering more crucial data as they prepare the Desmosedici for its much-awaited MotoGP debut in just six weeks time.

The Italian and Australian focused on chassis set-up and ergonomic refinements, and will move on to testing Michelin’s 2003 tyres tomorrow and Sunday. Next week they move onto Estoril in Portugal for further tests, before unveiling the definitive 2003 Desmosedici at next month’s full-teams test at Catalunya, Spain. As at every test so far this winter, the priority is steady progress rather than lap times.

“Today we’ve been concentrating on the ergonomics of the bike,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “This is very important and very interesting work, because it’s essential that both riders are as comfortable as they can be on the bike, so they can be as efficient as possible over full-race distance. We have tried different fuel tank shapes, as well as different footpeg and handlebar positions, just moving the riders around until they feel happy. We decided to do our basic set-up work here with 2002 tyres and tomorrow we will try Michelin’s 2003 tyres. On Sunday we plan to do endurance tyre tests, if the weather permits.”

Capirossi was happy with the progress made today. “We are concentrating hard on our work,” said the former 125 and 250 World Champion, who clocked a best of 1:43.943. “Today we have tried many different set-up solutions, working on the global geometry of the bike, and tomorrow we will continue with this fine tuning. The stopwatch doesn’t concern me at the moment.”

Steady progress was also the theme of Bayliss’ day. “As always, we’ve got lots of little things to test, and we’ve been doing some stuff on ergonomics,” said the former World Superbike king, whose best today was 1:44.125. “I’ve gone faster around here than ever before, and though I’m far from where I want to be on lap times, we’re making good progress, and that’s what counts at this stage.”

This is the team’s third visit to Jerez this winter, though their first test ere last December was washed out due to rain. Local weather forecasts suggest there could be more rain tomorrow.


More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

TEAMWORK

Aprilia Racing Team started the first IRTA test session of this season in the best way working hardly. Edwards made 78 laps while Haga stopped after 84 rounds! This effort reconfirmed that the Cube is growing and the third lap obtained by the American rider is a little prize. New materials to test and the research of the best setting are the main aims of the tests. The 3 cylinders Italian motorbike and its riders have confirmed their growth.

COLIN EDWARDS: “Even if I like to be the first today it was not my intention. There were a lot of things to test and many experiments to make. The race is a different thing and I am looking forward to begin the championship as I am at 100%. Now I feel peaceful but I absolutely want to get the best results”.

NORIYUKI HAGA: “I feel very tired as I made many laps today, 84! I tested different solutions and tomorrow I will change again. I feel satisfied as the feeling with the bike is growing”.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (MOTOGP PROJECT RESPONSIBLE) : “We are testing here in Jerez with three new bikes and a renewing chassis. Moreover we are testing several suspension settings as well. So our riders must work hardly to give us important information about it. I really appreciated their efforts and the good results”.

MotoGP
1. Alex Barros (BRA) Yamaha 1’42″588
2. Carlos Checa (ESP) Yamaha 1’43″277
3. Colin Edwards (USA) Aprilia 1’43″699
4. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Yamaha 1’43″794
5. Marco Melandri (ITA) Yamaha 1’43″810
6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati 1’43″943
7. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati 1’44″125
8. Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Aprilia 1’44″242
9. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki 1’44″558
10. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki 1’44″652

250cc.
1. Manuel Poggiali (RSM) Aprilia 1’45″230
2. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Aprilia 1’45″681
3. Toni Elias (ESP) Aprilia 1’45″862
4. Anthony West (AUS) Aprilia 1’46″351
5. Franco Battaini (ITA) Aprilia 1’46″598

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HRC winter test Sepang, Malaysia, February 20,2003.

HRC Complete Successful MotoGP Test at Sepang

The two-day HRC MotoGP test session at the Sepang circuit, Malaysia, ended with all teams and riders in up-beat mood. HRC are pleased with the progress they have made, and the results achieved, over the two-days of non-stop testing with the latest version of the RC211V 990cc five-cylinder four-stroke grand prix machine.

Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi was in scintillating form over the two days and set consistently fast times. Italian Rossi, and his teammate Nicky Hayden, the AMA Superbike Champion, both improved on the times they set on the opening day. Rossi circulated the 5.548km circuit in a time of 2:02.9. MotoGP new comer Hayden lowered his time by half-a-second, ending the day with a best time of 2:04.8.

Valentino Rossi: “Basically very happy with the results of the two-day tests. The whole point of this session has been to test set-up on the 2003 bike and not go just for fast time, which we were really trying to do with the tests here last month. The team has worked hard and we are happy with the results. We did some long simulated race runs and are happy with the way things went especially with the way the Michelins worked. I feel much more comfortable on the bike today. I’m recovering from a little surgery on my butt and yesterday was pretty uncomfortable! Today I’m much happier. I can concentrate on riding now, not thinking how much it hurts! I’m going to have a few days rest here in Malaysia before travelling directly to Australia and onto Phillip Island.”

Nicky Hayden: “The two days here have been not so bad. I guess it’s a little frustrating at times ’cause I want to make progress faster but it’s coming. I just gotta keep plugging away – I know it’s there. The team seem happy with some of the times – my fastest one was on a long run and all the laps were consistent in being pretty fast. The new bike feels good and I’m learning just how the little tweeks make a big difference. We’re off to Phillip Island next which I’m really looking forward to. I’m really keen to learn more circuits before the season starts.”

But it was diminutive Japanese star Daijiro Kato who did the most to impress. Kato is much more at home on the new bike than his 2002 model and he put in the best lap of the day at 2:02.8 to top the unofficial time sheet. The Telefonica MoviStar Honda Gresini rider has been in superb form on the new RCV since he arrived at Sepang. Fastest man on both days of the test, Kato goes into the HRC test at Phillip Island next week in buoyant mood.

Daijiro Kato: “Today I am again very satisfied with my results; the team’s work here in Sepang has been great, they have supported me a lot and enabled me to improve my personal best on this circuit. I believe we are working well and in the right direction, my results prove it. Next test is scheduled at the Mugello circuit, a racetrack where I never rode too fast; it will be very important for me.”

Kato’s teammate, Spaniard Sete Gibernau had a good second day at Sepang, setting a personal best lap time at the circuit, slashing a second off his best time on the opening day.

Sete Gibernau: “My crew did a great job today and I am satisfied with my results. I feel like at home in this new team, we all get along very well and thanks to my mechanics and technicians I managed to improve my personal best. Little by little I am becoming faster and faster and I hope to keep on improving. At Mugello we will keep on working on the bike’s set up; I am extremely motivated!”

Fausto Gresini Team Manager: “Another positive day, actually the whole trip to Malaysia has been positive. I am extremely satisfied with both my riders: Daijiro was incredibly motivated and aggressive, while Sete keeps on improving little by little. This testing session at Sepang has been very important for us, since we had the opportunity to test new materials and tyres; the team’s morale also took some benefits, there is a lot of co-operation and thanks to the brilliant results, everybody is satisfied. It is especially rewarding to see my team so happy. I believe during this year’s championship we will be one of the teams to keep an eye on”.

Camel Pramac Honda rider Max Biaggi has settled in well with the Camel Pramac team, and his new technicians. Biaggi worked hard over the two days of testing and pronounced himself satisfied with the results.

Max Biaggi: “The two days here have been good training for me, we have covered many kilometers at this test. Today we again tried several different things on machine set-up but ended the test with settings close to those we used at the January test at Sepang, and set around the same lap times. This shows we did a good job in January, the team is able to find a good set up quickly. The other riders tried many things at Sepang so we hope to have something new next time we test. Now I go back to Nice, then on to a Moto Exhibition, in Lanciano, with my fans.”

Tohru Ukawa’s best lap time on day two of the test was close to teammate Biaggi. After spending the opening day chasing a good set up for his new RCV Ukawa went looking for fast times today. He was successful, ending the session just two-tenths of a second slower than Biaggi.

Tohru Ukawa: “The results of this test are very satisfying. On the first day I spent my time setting up the machine to suit my riding style. Today we were after a fast lap time in race simulation and I was two seconds faster than my fastest time at Sepang last year. I feel good with my new team and I really like the new RC211V. I’m very optimistic about the season.”

The Pramac Honda Team rider, Makoto Tamada, and Bridgestone tyre development rider Shinichi Itoh completed their test schedule on time and both they and the team leave Sepang in positive mood.

Shinichi Itoh spent two very disciplined days tyre testing. The near veteran Japanese rider had a stack of different tyres to evaluate and was never in a position to look for a fast time at Sepang.

Makoto Tamada: “Confidence is growing, with both the bike and tyres. I am deeply involved in testing with Bridgestone and they have made a big step forward at Sepang. I would have loved to go for a real fast lap but my job here is to give feedback. We go onto Phillip Island now, a track where Bridgestone performed very well at the GP down there last year. That could be the place for me to go for fast times.”

Shinichi Itoh: “I am happy with the results of this test and we will see the benefit later. I spent the whole day yesterday testing front tyres, and today concentrated on rears. We go to Phillip Island now and I will be able to gauge progress as I raced with Bridgestone’s at Phillip Island last year where they performed really well, in qualifying and in the race.”

Daijiro Kato, JPN, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Gresini, 2:02.8, 60+ laps

Valentino Rossi, ITA, Repsol Honda, 2:02.9, 60 laps

Max Biaggi, ITA, Camel Pramac Honda, 2:02.9, 61 laps

Tohru Ukawa, JPN, Camel Pramac Honda, 2:03.1

Sete Gibernau, SPA, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Gresini, 2:03.7

Nicky Hayden, USA, Repsol Honda, 2:04.8, 69 laps

Makoto Tamada, JPN, Pramac Honda, 2:04.9, 44 laps

Shinichi Itoh, JPN, Pramac Honda, 2:05.3, 50 laps

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Michael Hannas

CBR600RR Hondas will not be available in dealerships until after the upcoming races at Daytona, according to various Honda dealers across the country. The bikes were originally scheduled to be released to dealers on March 28, which would have put them on dealership floors and available for purchase around April 1. But now American Honda has notified dealers than they will receive one red unit by mid-April and one yellow unit in early May, with the balance of their ordered CBR600RRs to be delivered “from mid-May through June.”

Which means that racers planning to compete on a new Honda in either the AMA (March 5-9) or F-USA (February 26-March 2) series will be out of luck at Daytona–unless they’re one of 11 factory-supported Honda riders.

After several readers complained about the lack of CBR600RR availability in time for Daytona, Roadracingworld.com checked with several Honda dealers and then called up AMA Pro Racing National Technical Manager Rob King.

When asked if the Honda CBR600RR would be eligible to race at Daytona even though it won’t be available to the general public, King said, “Yes. The homologation procedure that has been in place for around 10 years requires that the bikes be available to the public by June 1. It used to be that the bikes had to be available in order to be raced, but it was changed since some of the manufacturers couldn’t do that. The policy has been that way for at least the past eight years that I’ve been here. Yes, it’s unfortunate for the privateer, but…”

An interesting scenario has been created here, in which an AMA racer could compete in the Supersport race at Daytona, then claim the exhaust system off Miguel DuHamel’s factory Honda for the bargain price of $650 and have a factory exhaust for his CBR600RR before he even has the bike. Also available for claiming are the fuel injection electronic control module for $750 and the ignition control module for $400, although only one successful claim per rider is allowed per season. (Since fuel injection and ignition are usually controlled by the same black box, we’re not sure if that means a combined box would cost $750 or $400 or $1150.) See the AMA Pro Racing rulebook for more details.

We also gave Formula USA’s Kevin Elliott a call. When asked the same question we asked King, Elliott said, “Yes. Our policy has always been along the lines of, ‘Well, it happens every year,’ the manufacturers just release the bikes to their factory-supported teams and everyone else gets them later. This is the first time in a long time we’ve had a problem like this, but we’ll let them run. The rules only say that the bike must be sold as a streetbike, there is no number requirement or date. With the weight and horsepower limits, the really strong existing teams like Arclight are already right at these limits, and it would be hard for a new bike to come right out and start beating them anyway. Miguel DuHamel and Doug Chandler have entered CBR600RRs in CCS events at (this coming) Daytona, but no F-USA events so far. If they do I would expect it to be in the Superbike class so they don’t have to show everyone how much power they have, since there is no horsepower limit in that class.”

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

ORACLE AND DUCATI TOGETHER ON THE RACING TRACK

Milan, February 20, 2003 – Oracle Italia, a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq: ORCL), the world’s largest enterprise software company, announced today that it has struck a partnership with Ducati Corse, to become the official sponsor of the Ducati teams participating in the World MotoGP and Superbike Championships.

Highly innovative technologies delivering a competitive edge: this is the foundation on which this prestigious partnership between Oracle and Ducati is based. A combination of two enterprises, both accustomed to “pushing” to the max to achieve success, on the racing track just as on the markets.

From Valencia to Magny Cours, through Monza and Mugello; Oracle therefore will be present at the races of the World MotoGP and World Superbike Championships to contribute to Ducati’s successes.

The agreement plans for future co-marketing and e-marketing activities aimed at making the companies win both on and off the racing track.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From Gordon Lunde, via e-mail:

In addition to the complete resurfacing of Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, Illinois, the owners are in the process of more safety-related changes.

An unintended benefit of the repaving is lower curb heights in the turns. An inch-and-a-half of surface was ground off the track. Then two layers of new asphalt (1.5 inches each) were laid down, resulting in raising the surface 1.5 inches total and effectively lowering the curb heights by the same amount.

I spoke with owner Mike Irwin on New Year’s day about changes to the turn five area for more run-off room. There has always been a problem there due to a creek that runs under the track from inside to outside of the turn. In the past the Illinois DNR would not let any changes occur that would possibly impede the flow of the creek. There were also numerous trees and heavy underbrush along the creek and a guardrail fronted with tires only a couple of feet off the track’s edge.

About mid-January Mike called me to inform me changes were underway in turn five. I had the chance to check out the progress about a week ago.

Workers went in and took out 18 trees and all of the underbrush in that area. Culvert pipe was installed to extend the existing pipe under the track further away from the racing surface and the area will be back-filled over the pipe. This has considerably increased run-off room before and after the apex of the corner. The guardrail will still exist but in a much abbreviated form just in front of the creek and it is moved back at least 15 feet from the track edge. A dirt berm about 5 feet high will replace guardrail that was previously in front of the creek but some 20-30 feet further back from the track and will be fronted with a tire wall. The area beyond the apex where most incidents have occurred has been cleared of all brush and will be filled and leveled for much better run-off room also.

Other areas (outside of turns one, six and seven) are being filled-in to provide a more level run-off area. Also the entrance to pit road has been extended toward turn seven and widened. A dirt berm extending from inside turn seven along the front straight has been moved back at least 15 feet and several trees were removed in the process which drastically improves the line-of-sight from turn seven to the control tower. No other changes were made to the track layout.

Another improvement is that all the grindings from the track have been laid on the infield roads and as soon as weather permits will be melted and rolled to provide a fully paved infield. Any one who regularly races here can tell horror stories about the dust during dry spells. Now just a memory.

I think the CCS racers will be happy to see all the work that has been done by the track when they arrive for the first event in April.

Although it may be a bit of a mess if work is still in progress, the safety improvements will be obvious.

From a press release issued by Dr. Rob Tuluie:

Robert Jensen to Race Tul-aris in Formula USA Unlimited GP at Daytona.

AMA Pro 750 Supersport and Superbike racer Robert Jensen will race the Tul-aris in the Formula USA Unlimited GP class on Sunday, March 2nd at Daytona International Speedway. Regular Tul-aris rider Steve Johnson cannot attend Daytona due to a work conflict.

Robert Jensen has been making a name for himself in the AMA Superbike and 750 Supersport classes, with several podium finishes in Supersport and top-ten finishes in Superbike. His best 2002 finishes were a 2nd in AMA 750 Supersport and a 6th in AMA Superbike. Robert is also the 2001 Suzuki Cup Champion.

Since this will be the first time that Robert is riding the Tul-aris, we have arranged a special test with him at North Florida Motorsports Park on Monday, February 24th, to get him used to the bike. Robert is excited to race what is currently the fastest home-made as well as the fastest US-built racing motorcycle. We are equally excited to have Robert push the limits of the bike in an effort to win the most competitive race of the year.


The Tul-aris project is sponsored by:

Michelin Tires, Nutec Racing Fuel, Hot Seat Performance, Ohlins USA, Lofgren Racing/Manley Cycle, Mason Racing Tires, MTS Systems Corporation, Yoyodyne Titanium, GP Tech, Carbon Fiber Specialties Products, DCM Services and Deus Ex Machina.

Robert Jensen is sponsored by Butler Machinery, Michelin, Arai Helmets, RS-Taichi Leathers and Sidi Boots.