From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

SHAKEY AIMS FOR TITLE GLORY

Fresh from his superb double victory in the World Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch a couple of weeks ago, MonsterMob Ducati’s Shane Byrne heads back to domestic action this weekend hoping for a repeat performance as the British Superbike Championship visits Oulton Park for the second time this season.

Three months ago, the 26 year old Kent rider claimed a double win at the Cheshire circuit to bolster his title aspirations and a similar effort this time out around could net him the crown with three rounds to spare, such is his advantage over second placed John Reynolds (Suzuki).

But his WSB performance aside, ‘Shakey’ has had to play second fiddle to Reynolds and team mate Yukio Kagayama in the last five BSB rounds which is something that rankles with the nine times winner this season:

“There’s nothing I enjoy more than winning and I’ve decided I’m not prepared to settle for anything less than that this weekend. I got another sniff of the winner’s champagne at Brands and I’d nearly forgotten what it was like and it’s made me so determined to go out there and do the business” said the Isle of Sheppey rider.

Byrne leads the series by a massive 135 points and if he can leave Oulton with a 150 point gap or more, he will be crowned 2003 British Superbike Champion at the Paul Bird Motorsport team’s local track.

Meanwhile Supersport team mate Stuart Easton goes in search of his third win of the series after a superb victory last time out at Mondello Park which saw him close the gap on series leader Karl Harris (Honda) by twenty points.

And whilst the 19 year old Scot wants to win for his own title aspirations, he plans on doing it for fellow Teri and former team mate Steve Hislop who was tragically killed in an air accident last week.

“If ever there was a race I wanted to win it’s this one and that’s what I’m aiming for. Hizzy was my hero as a kid and I’d love to dedicate a win to him at one of his favourite tracks” said the Hawick teenager who has been given the honour of opening the new “Hizzy’s Chicane” on Sunday, named as a mark of respect for the reigning British Champion.

Team Owner Paul Bird commented:
“What a roller coaster couple of weeks we’ve had with the highs of winning at Brands and them the devastating news about Steve. We now need to put all of that behind us and focus on the job in hand which is to make sure both riders leave Oulton in a better position than when they arrived. If the title comes along, then fine, if not, we’ll roll it over until next time but what we need are wins. Three of them would be nice!”


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

BSB Round 9
Oulton Park, Cheshire
8-10 August
Circuit length: 2.692 miles
Preview

On-form Hawk look to make it second time lucky at Oulton

Hawk Kawasaki head to Oulton Park this weekend for the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship. This is the series’ second visit of the season to the 2.69 mile Cheshire circuit, and one which Hawk Kawasaki is confident will see the continuation of its recent rich vein of form.

Glen Richards, who was elevated back to fourth in the riders’ championship after taking fourth and third at Mondello Park three weeks ago, is sure this second meeting at Oulton will be more productive for Hawk Kawasaki than round four in May. ‘The bike is working real good at the moment,’ he said. ‘We know where we went wrong here last time, so I’m looking forward to having another go at this track. If we can repeat what we did at Mondello it would be fantastic.’

Scott Smart proved at the last round how comfortable he is aboard the ZX-7RR, by almost snatching pole position in qualifying and running strongly in both races, and is keen to improve further on his recent performances. ‘My bike feels like MY bike now,’ explained Scott. ‘It’s been getting better at every meeting, but now I can really grab it by the scruff of the neck. Oulton was tough for us earlier in the season and we struggled to get the bike working with the track, but this time I’m confident the bike is better, we’re better prepared and we can learn from the data we already have. I can’t wait to get out there and race.’

Lee Jackson has his sights firmly set on strengthening his points position this weekend by taking the fight to his nearest championship rivals. ‘My aim is to keep beating Youngy (Paul Young) because he’s the man directly behind me in the championship at the moment,’ said Lee. ‘I think all three of us can go quicker at Oulton this time and I certainly aim to do that. I’ve been a bit too cautious in practice since those three crashes at Brands and Rockingham, so I need to get my head down and produce what I know I’m capable of.’

BSB Riders’ Championship, after 8 rounds
1) Shane Byrne: 352. 2) John Reynolds: 217. 3) Michael Rutter: 203. 4) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki: 170. 5) Yukio Kagayama: 169. 6) Steve Plater: 166. 7) Gary Mason: 148. 8) Steve Hislop: 122. 9) Sean Emmett: 116. 10) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki: 100. 11) John Crawford: 74. 12) Lee Jackson, Hawk Kawasaki: 69. 13) Paul Young: 64. 14) Mark Heckles: 59. 15) Jon Kirkham: 34. 16) Leon Haslam: 30. 17) John McGuinness: 26. 17=) Paul Jones: 26. 19) Dean Ellison: 25. 20) Nick Medd: 19. 21) Dean Thomas: 13


More, from a press release issued by Dean Ellison’s publicist:

Oulton Park British Superbike Preview

Dean Ellison and the D&B Firepower Ducati Team supported by Alcatel head to Oulton Park, Cheshire this weekend. Dean will be hoping to regain the front row form he showed there earlier in the year.

Dean is keen to get back on his bike after his commendable results from the recent Brands Hatch World Superbikes and is looking forward to one of his favorite circuits of the series this weekend.

In a phone call yesterday evening Dean said; ‘This is where I managed to get on the front row on our last visit here and I have so many people reminding me of that. It’d be great to do it again. During race one I was lying in third place when I lost the front end going into Lodge, the last corner on the final lap. It’s ironic because the late great Steve Hislop took third in the race after my spill. I paid my respects to Steve at his funeral yesterday along with many other British Superbike competitors. Things in the paddock will certainly never be the same without him. He went from being my childhood hero to my friend and he’ll be greatly missed.’

The atmosphere in the whole paddock will be a little different this weekend after the sad loss of British Superbike and TT Hero Steve Hislop who lost his life in an air accident last Wednesday. Many riders will be sporting black armbands and a one minutes silence is to be held before the first race as a mark of respect for the reigning British Champion.

Oulton Park is situated near Tarporley, Cheshire. One of the most spectator friendly circuits, Oulton will surely pull in a large crowd over the weekend to cheer on Dean and the Team.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Wow, Dr. Jim Adams is gone. I was hoping I would meet him at the races one day. I enjoyed his articles on track safety and the concern he showed for the safety of all racers. Here was a star shining brightly in the motorcycle road racing world. Why can’t we have more people like him? My condolences to Dr. Jim’s family. Rest in Peace, Jim. We’ll see you in heaven.

I just read the article about the Airfence donations coming in. Thanks to everybody who has contributed in their own kind way. Thanks to the Roadracing World staff, to the folks donating money and to the folks who are there to install it and take it down. I had the honor of installing it for two years with Formula USA. I strained my back and hurt my hands, but it was worth it; knowing that I installed everything we had in the most critical places on the track. And man, does that product work! I have seen racers crash into it at different speeds, and walk away! Amazing, to say the least.

I hope the sanctioning bodies get it together to buy more soft barrier technology and deploy it at all their events. If they can educate the track owners to get busy in removing the walls, guardrails, and embankments, maybe we would not need so many soft barriers. The world for motorcycle racers would be a better place indeed.

Have fun and race safe!

Roger Lyle
MARRC Pesident Emeritus
Wheaton, Maryland

I just read about Dr. Adams’ passing, and I am sorry to hear that I will not be able to enjoy his particular style of writing that really struck a chord with me.

I started racing almost three years ago, and read his articles in Roadracing World while I was on my own steep learning curve of racing. I was not just learning how to ride better, but how to make my head work better at racing as well.

His articles never failed to inspire me to a new way of looking at a particular situation or mindset. They were invaluable to me back then, and I am still reminded frequently of his measured and methodical approach to racing, and I try to structure my own racing hobby in the same way.

Rest in peace, Doctor, I will miss your advice.

Chris Van Andel
CCS Expert #60
Menlo Park, California

Just read on the site about Dr. Adams. I will sorely miss his writings in your fine magazine.

Please pass along my condolences to his family and friends.

Keep the shiny side up.

Craig Stieben
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

From a press release issued by Team Yamaha Belgarda:

YAMAHA RESIGNS JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH FOR 2004
Yamaha is pleased to announce the resigning of Jurgen van den Goorbergh for the 2004 season. The Dutchman will continue to race for the Yamaha Belgarda Team in the Supersport World Championship.

The Monaco-based 33-year-old – originally from Breda in The Netherlands – joined the Italian distributor’s team on the eve of the 2003 campaign. He adapted quickly to the production-based Yamaha YZF-R6 after a career spent largely on two-stroke Grand Prix machinery and is currently second in the world championship after eight rounds of the 11 race series.

Commenting on the contract extension, Van den Goorbergh said: “Before the start of this season I wasn’t sure how things would go, after all, I had no experience of four-strokes and I would be working with an Italian team, which was also new to me.

“But I have been really surprised. We are fighting for the championship in my first season and off-track I really enjoy life in the Supersport paddock and working with the Belgarda team. They are such a professional bunch of guys and they have welcomed my brother Patrick, who is my mechanic, and me into the team. There was no reason for me to look elsewhere, the R6 will not be new to us next year and the development work we have carried out over the season, particularly to the fuel injection mapping, means that we should go into 2004 with a stronger package than our rivals and a big chance of winning the title.”

Belgarda Yamaha Team Manager Massimo Meregalli added: “Jurgen’s Grand Prix experience has been important to us this year. We have been on a steep learning curve this year. We started with two new riders, both of whom had no previous four-stroke experience, and a new bike in the 2003 YZF-R6, which featured fuel injection for the first time. On top of that we changed to Pirelli tyres and WP suspension. But Jurgen has a very analytical way of working and his ability to feel the smallest changes in bike set-up has given us a great deal of feedback and, together with the experience of our team staff, we were able to run up front from the beginning. We have built our team carefully over the last years to be one of the best in racing. Now Jurgen is second in the championship and you can be assured we will be trying our hardest to win the 2003 title in the remaining three rounds.”

Round nine of the Supersport World Championship takes place on the weekend of 5-7 September in Assen, the Netherlands.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

This just in, via e-mail:

This is a quick note to inform you of the death of Dr. James R. Adams, 59. He passed away early this morning from cardiac failure. He is survived by his three children, Justin (WERA Expert #159), Jim, and Christina.

He had been involved with racing since the 1950s. He was passionately committed to racing safety. He actively researched track safety through the Tachyon Sports Injury Research Foundation and was always around to help others at the track. He fully embraced the sprit of racing and the racing community. He was thankful for the folks at Roadracing World for providing a fantastic publication and resource.

He will be missed.

Jim Adams
Boulder, Colorado

Note: Cards can be sent to the family c/o Dr. Adams’ son:
Jim Adams
2969 7th St.
Boulder, CO 80304

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura kit swingarms ordered by Suzuki support teams in February of this year have just arrived in the United States and are now being delivered, after nine of the year’s 11 AMA Nationals have already run.

The swingarms appeared in a GSX-R1000 Racing Kit Parts catalog distributed by American Suzuki at the begining of 2003.

From a press release issued by the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum:

Actor and Motorcyle Enthusiast Perry King to Host 2003 Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction

Actor and motorcycle enthusiast Perry King returns to his native Ohio on October 4 – 5, 2003 to host this year’s Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction, an annual celebration honoring the motorcycle industry’s living and past legends. This year’s attending inductees range from sports icons like Jeremy McGrath and Jay Springsteen to industry insiders like Debbie Evans, recent stunt star of The Matrix: Reloaded and fresh off the set of Spiderman 2.

The annual Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction ceremony takes place at 2 p.m., Sunday, October 5 at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, on the grounds of the American Motorcyclist Association, just a few minutes east of Columbus, Ohio. The ceremony is the highlight of a two-day celebration that starts with a Saturday, October 4 evening reception at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, open to the public (RSVP required). On Sunday, visitors can enjoy the country’s most exclusive showcase of classic motorcycles at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Concours d’Elegance, featuring over 100 rare vintage bikes. Additional activities include an autograph session with the inductees and a motorcycle art showcase featuring internationally acclaimed bronze artist and sculptor Jeff Decker and licensed Harley-Davidson artists David Uhl and Scott Jacobs. Author and motojournalist Mike Seate will also ride his Jesse James chopper into town and autograph copies of his new book. All Sunday, October 5 events are open to the public. Visitors can also tour the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum’s new exhibit, “Heroes of Harley-Davidson, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance,” scheduled to be featured on the August 10 edition of “CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.”

About Perry King: Perry King was born in Alliance, Ohio. The son of a physician, he attended Yale University, majoring in theater and performing arts, and Juilliard, where he studied with the renowned actor and director, John Houseman. Following college, he pursued theater in New York, where he appeared in off-Broadway productions. His work led him to Hollywood, where he made his first feature film, “The Possession of Joel Delaney”, with Shirley MacLaine in 1970. He says she helped him learn the technique of film acting, as did the actor, James Mason. Perry King’s career has encompassed acting in and directing theater, film, television and radio productions. Most recently, he has guest starred on the hit television series Will and Grace and Spin City. King has been a motorcycle enthusiast since he bought his first bike as a teenager, took it apart, and rebuilt it. Today he owns over thirty bikes and frequently participates in charitable events that combine motorcycling with a great cause.

From a press release issued by the FIM:

Mies, August 5

Sidecar World Championship
Extra round in Assen on Sunday

A new round counting for the Sidecar World Championship will take place in Assen on Sunday 7 September 2003.

Therefore, there will be two races, the first one on Saturday 6 September as planned and a second one on Sunday 7 September.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing Australia:

2003 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship
Round 4, Queensland Raceway, Queensland
Event preview

QUEENSLAND’S PENULTIMATE CHALLENGE

Queensland Raceway plays host to the fourth and penultimate round of this years Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship this weekend (August 9 & 10) with a number of Yamaha riders being in strong positions to set themselves up for a crack at a number of very sought after titles, Superbike, Supersport and Superstock.

The past two months have been a torrid affair for many of the leading riders, but at the same time it has also been rewarding. Nikon Yamaha’s Kevin Curtain and Daniel Stauffer have recovered well from the injuries that they suffered in their high-speed collision at round two of the SAASC at Phillip Island. Both riders having tasted success since with Curtain claiming the Formula Xtreme and FX Supersport titles in recent weeks, while Stauffer emerged as the overall round winner from the Winton SAASC round.

Neither of Yamaha’s top two riders has turned a wheel at Queensland Raceway, but at the same time neither will feel disadvantaged at the same time.

“All that we can do is get up there and do the best possible job that we can,” said Curtain. “In the Superbike class Craig (Coxhell) and Shawn (Giles) have proven to be very quick this year and with the long straights that they have there, we are going to have to work hard to stay with them. It’s a fairly unique type of racetrack, where no one has any distinct advantage, but at the same time you do have to have a very good package with engine performance, handling and braking. That’s where our advantages lie.”

“The Supersport class will be much the same as on the Superbike, where the competition will be tough, especially Brendan (Clarke),” added Curtain. “It will be a slightly different position for me there as I’m leading the points, while I’m chasing them in Superbike. Either way it is shaping up as a good weekend.”

As the championship heads north to Queensland, Curtain currently holds down second place in the Superbike Championship, trailing Coxhell by 15-points (141 to 126) followed by Giles (123) and Stauffer (101). Victorian Yamaha privateer Stephen Tozer (Stafford Yamaha) is also back at full fitness and will be aiming to work his way higher up the point’s table from his current position of ninth.

The Supersport class sees Curtain heading the field with a 39-point advantage over Shannon Johnson (172 to 133) while Brisbane teenager Brendan Clarke fills third place with 120 on the second Nikon Yamaha YZF R6. Clarke will be calling on all of his track knowledge to promote himself further up the leader board and should start as one of the early race favourites.

The Supersport class has been strongly supported by a number of Yamaha privateer riders and the Queensland round will be no different. These include Sydney’s Glenn Allerton (who currently lies fifth overall), Judd Greedy (seventh overall), Shaun Geronimi (Procycles Yamaha, eighth), Victorian brothers Deon (Gary O’Brien Yamaha) and Jordan Coote (Pakenham Yamaha), Lismore’s Mark Stanley (Lismore Motorcycles), South Australia’s Michael Brenton (Yamaha World) and Michael Edwards (Star Yamaha).

The Superstock is also shaping up as a close affair as Taree teenager Alex Cudlin (Fineline Yamaha) aims to break down the 36-point margin between himself and points leader Leigh McKenzie. Cudlin has been one of the rising stars of the season aboard his Yamaha YZF R6.

Practice and qualifying for this weekend’s Queensland round of the championship begins of Friday morning followed by two further days of on-track action on Saturday and Sunday.


Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship (after three of five rounds):
1 Craig Coxhell (Suzuki) 141; 2 Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) 126; 3 Shawn Giles (Suzuki) 123; 4 Daniel Stauffer (Yamaha) 101; 5 Shannon Johnson (Honda) 71; 6 Scott Charlton (Honda) / Brent George (Honda) 70; 8 Josh Brookes (Honda) 50; 9 Stephen Tozer (Yamaha) 49; 10 Jay Taylor (Honda) 47.

Shell Advance Australian Supersport championship (after three of five rounds):
1 Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) 172; 2 Shannon Johnson (Honda) 133; 3 Brendan Clarke (Yamaha) 120; 4 Josh Brookes (Honda) 95; 5 Glenn Allerton (Yamaha) 93; 6 Russell Holland (Kawasaki) 75; 7 Judd Greedy (Yamaha) 68; 8 Shaun Geronimi (Yamaha) 59; 9 Reece Bancell (Suzuki) 30; 10 Mark Aitchison (Suzuki) 28.

Shell Advance Australian Superstock Cup (after three of five rounds):
1 Leigh McKenzie (Suzuki) 159; 2 Alex Cudlin (Yamaha) 123; 3 Tristan Culvenor (Suzuki) 82; 4 Paul Martinello (Yamaha) 79; 5 Alex Tomassetti
(Kawasaki) 76.