Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

On Thursday afternoon, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin recorded the fastest lap time turned during a two-day AMA team test on the 2.36-mile infield road course at California Speedway in Fontana, California. Mladin used a race (758 compound) rear Dunlop tire on his GSX-R1000 Superbike to turn a 1:25.70, bettering the next-fastest rider, Anthony Gobert, by 0.93-second.

“The bike’s working good,” said three-time AMA Superbike Champion Mladin. “Suzuki’s done a great job with the new frame and chassis. It steers better than the old 750 and everything. It feels like my 1999-2000 750 more than the (bike) we raced in 2002.

“It’s one of those deals where we have enough horsepower, and we’re racing on an even keel for once. I mean, racing the 750 against the V-Twins is almost impossible. Finally, they’ve (AMA) opened the rules up enough to race the 1000 even though they’ve held them (1000cc Fours) back a little bit. It hasn’t made life easy, but it’s going to make it more competitive, that’s for sure.”

At several points Thursday Mladin and Gobert, riding a Ducati 998RS, played a few games with neither rider wanting the other to follow their lines. Ducati Austin Racing’s Gobert, however, got a good look at the new Suzuki and said, “The Suzuki seems really good. The acceleration of it…I couldn’t believe how strong the engine is. We came out of the little hairpin here (turn nine) and down the back straightaway and he (Mladin) just took off. The Suzuki is definitely something that we’re thinking of because it’s so fast. The top end seems to be pretty good with the Ducati, but the 1000cc (Suzuki) just seems to get there quicker. But there’s a Catch-22 because, obviously, their tire life is going to suffer because of that. We’re quietly confident that we have the package.”

Aaron Yates was just off Gobert’s mark with a third-fastest 1:26.70 on his GSX-R1000, but Yates highsided exiting turn four late in the day and suffered a bruised foot.

Ben Spies, the third Yoshimura Suzuki rider, was on the pace as well with a 1:26.82 on his Suzuki GSX-R1000.

All three Yoshimura Suzuki riders commented on how beneficial their recent four-day test at Sepang, Malaysia was to their programs.

Dream Team Ducati’s Larry Pegram escaped a second lowside crash in turn six Thursday afternoon and came away with a best lap of 1:27.20, 0.01-second better than Eric Bostrom. Bostrom rode both 770cc and 780cc versions of his Kawasaki ZX-7RR on Thursday but couldn’t get his chassis set-up to agree with the Fontana track.

Jamie Hacking was fast on his Graves Yamaha YZF-R1 Formula Xtreme bike with a 1:27.60 and was the fastest Supersport rider with a 1:28.38 on his factory Yamaha YZF-R6. “The (R6) is good,” Hacking said. “To come here from Laguna Seca and only add 2mm of ride height, some rear compression and not even touch the forks–the thing is just spot-on. It’s 10 times better than the old R6.”

Making up for time he lost due to a crash and resulting concussion at Laguna Seca, Tommy Hayden took the “Iron Man” award for the California Speedway test, racking up 216 laps over the two days while experimenting with swingarm pivot position and slipper-clutch adjustments on his highly-tunable Supersport Kawasaki ZX-6RR.


Best Unofficial Lap Times Of The Two-day Test (as provided by teams):

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.70
2. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:26.67
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.70
4. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.82
5. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.20
6. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:27.21
7. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.60
8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:28.05
9. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:28.38
10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.61
11. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:29.24
12. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.28
13. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.38
14. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:29.52
15. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.84
16. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.27
17. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.38
18. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.60
19. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.90
20. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R (636cc), 1:31.08
21. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.51
22. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:32.55
23. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR600RR, 1:35.10
24. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.38


Number Of Laps Completed During The Two Days:

1. Tommy Hayden, 216 laps
2. Tony Meiring, 180 laps
3. Chris Ulrich, 170 laps
4. Damon Buckmaster, 160 laps
5. Steve Rapp, 141 laps
6. Eric Bostrom, 135 laps
7. Aaron Gobert, 134 laps
8. Jason DiSalvo, 121 laps
9. Ben Spies, 119 laps
10. Aaron Yates, 118 laps
11. Mat Mladin, 116 laps
12. Larry Pegram, 115 laps
13. Jamie Hacking, 108 laps
14. Marty Craggill, 99 laps
15. Anthony Gobert, 94 laps
16. Thad Halsmer, 85 laps
17. Matt Furtek, 62 laps

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

AMA teams testing at California Speedway were greeted with no wind Thursday morning at the Fontana, California facility, with temperatures near 60 degrees F and clear skies.

Gusting winds kept temperatures cool and inhibited testing Wednesday, but teams are cautiously optimistic that the weather will remain calm long enough Thursday to get much needed testing accomplished.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time the track went green, and the first rider on track was Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp on his GSX-R1000 Formula Xtreme bike. Most riders got going shortly thereafter.

At 9:50 a.m. Graves Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert pulled off the front straightaway with his YZF-R1 Formula Xtreme bike smoking. “I think the chain came off and might have banged a hole in the cases,” said Gobert as he walked back to his pit. “That’s what it sounded like, anyway, like the chain came off. There’s all sorts of water in the belly pan, and the engine caught on fire. I didn’t crash. I’m alright.”

Team members quickly extinguished the fire, and the track was not shut down during the incident.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Michael Hannas

I made a recent trip to Infineon Raceway, formerly known as Sears Point International Raceway, and saw that construction crews are busier than ever trying to finish the track redesign for the upcoming season. According to a press release issued by Sears Point Raceway, “the redesigned portions will be used strictly by the AMA and the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. The traditional road course will be used for all other events at Infineon Raceway, including NASCAR Winston Cup and the American Le Mans Series.” However, a track spokesman later said that the revised course will be available to the AFM and other groups if they wish to use it.

Sears Point announced the plan to the press last week, but here at roadracingworld.com we decided to go take a look for ourselves.

The Infineon Raceway press release noted that work will begin on turns 1, 8a, 9, 10, and 11, but as of Monday, February 3, only the Turn 8a/9 portion looked to have any serious work underway. Turns 1, 10, and 11 appeared to be unchanged.
Much of the current work focuses on the Turn 8a-9 area of the track, as the course is being redirected to improve rider safety. According to Sears Point officials, “exiting Turn 8A, they will no longer continue down the famous esses. Instead they will continue down a straight line for 900 feet, parallel with the Hillside Terraces at Turn 9, before making a 90-degree right-hand turn, followed by a sharp left-hand turn, which will blend them back with the original road course just before Turn 10.”

The redesign looks to substantially slow down the bikes and eliminate the very fast but wall-lined old Turn 9. It will obviously slow down turn 10 entry speeds substantially in the name of safety but completely changes the character of that section of the track from fast to slow. However, the change also moves the exit of Turn 8a right back up against the same hillside that was moved back to create more run-off last year. Another observation is that riders will be pointed straight towards the old wall that was on the outside of turn nine in between the 90-degree right and the sharp left (I guess they will be called 9 and 9a?) although at a fairly slow speed.

What appears to be a new water treatment facility is also being built on the inside of turns four and five. This would lead one to believe that once finished, the new treatment plant will take over from the old one currently sitting on the outside of the exit to turn one, allowing the hill and the infamous T1 bridge to finally be moved back. Neither the new treatment facility nor moving the turn one hill was mentioned in the Sears Point press release.

Also observed was a section of racetrack being used for heavy equipment crossing, in this case the entry to turn five is being used as a track crossing for tractors, bulldozers and other heavy equipment that are needed for the construction of the treatment plant. Riders complained last year about a bumpy track service due to this very thing.



And now a related press release issued by Infineon Raceway:

Diana Rose Named Manager of Media Relations at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) Diana Rose, who has helped coordinate Public Relations efforts at Infineon Raceway since 2001, has been named Manager of Media and Community Relations, raceway officials announced.

Rose, a native of San Ramon in the East Bay, is responsible for managing media relations and several community events at the raceway.

“Diana has played a key role in our media relations efforts and has certainly earned this expanded role,” said John Cardinale, Vice President of Media and Community Relations at the raceway. “I know that she will continue to excel and grow in her new position, from both a media and community relations standpoint.”

During her tenure at Infineon Raceway, Rose has helped create and execute several successful community events, as well as maintain the Infineon Raceway website. With her expanded responsibilities, Rose will manage the media relations efforts for the American Le Mans Series and Wine Country Classic events, as well as help oversee the raceway’s chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

Prior to joining Infineon Raceway full-time, Rose, 23, worked as an intern at the raceway while attending University of the Pacific in Stockton, where she obtained a degree in public relations.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates recorded identical 1:26.70 lap times on the watch of Team Manager Don Sakakura to lead all times during AMA team testing Thursday morning at California Speedway in Fontana, California.

Mladin, Yates and teammate Ben Spies spent all morning lapping the 2.36-mile infield road course on their GSX-R1000s, which have about 15 more horsepower and 10 percent more torque than the 2002 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 Superbike, according to Mladin Crew Chief Peter Doyle.

Larry Pegram suffered a harmless lowside crash in turn six Thursday morning and later rode the same Ducati 998 after minor repairs.

After his YZF-R1 Formula Xtreme bike caught fire following a few laps Thursday morning, Aaron Gobert switched to his factory Yamaha YZF-R6 and set the fastest Supersport lap time thus far in the test at a 1:29.59.

Gobert said, “I’m just starting to get back to my old form. I’m a bit more race-fit and able to think about what I’m doing more out there.”

With his FX bike down, Aaron Gobert said he might go home early Thursday to continue recovering from his flu-like illness.

Weather conditions have remained fair at the track.

Thursday Morning’s Unofficial Lap Times:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.70
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.70
3. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.06
4. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.54
5. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.60
6. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:27.64
7. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.85
8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:28.05
9. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.59
10. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:30.20
11. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:30.34
12. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.60
13. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.73
14. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R (636cc), 1:31.08
15. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.70
16. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.55
17. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.21

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The Terry Gregoricka-owned Ducati Austin Racing team will be sponsored by Parts Unlimited and Corbin in a deal set up with help from OMS Sports’ Road Race Account Manager Jimmy Filice.

One of the 2003-model 998RS Ducatis Anthony Gobert rode Wednesday during AMA team testing at California Speedway was adorned with large Parts Unlimited stickers and smaller Corbin stickers on the sides of the fairing.

Filice said an official announcement was coming in the form of a press release and that Gobert’s Ducati Superbike would be on display at the Indianapolis dealer show in the Parts Unlimited and Corbin booths.

Ducati Austin Racing Team Manager Tom Bodenbach told Roadracingworld.com that finalizing the Parts Unlimited and Corbin deals came too late, however, to add a second rider to the team. “It’s too late in the year,” said Bodenbach. “Most of the testing is done. If we had gotten the deals done earlier, we would have had a second rider.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Kawasaki Superbike Crew Chief Dan Fahie and wife Maria had a daughter, Miranda Brenda, January 16, 2003 in Laguna Hills, California.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Several AMA teams have arrived at California Speedway in Fontana, California for two days of testing.

The primary renter for the test session is Yoshimura Suzuki. Other teams at the test include Bruce Transportation Group, Dream Team Ducati, Ducati Austin, Graves Yamaha, Kawasaki, Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki and Yamaha.

Conditions are windy.

IRL cars were testing at California Speedway yesterday.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin unofficially recorded the fastest Superbike lap times Wednesday during AMA team testing at California Speedway in Fontana, California.

Strong wind gusts inhibited testing Wednesday morning, but Mladin went out “to just do some laps” when the winds eased somewhat Wednesday afternoon and recorded a best lap time of 1:27.60 on his Dunlop-equipped GSX-R1000 Superbike. Mladin’s fastest lap came among a string of 1:28 laps on the revised 2.36-mile road course.

“As you can see, this testing is blowing a gale, and literally nobody’s going to achieve anything as far as bike set-up goes because you can’t ride the same line twice depending on how hard the wind’s blowing,” said Mladin. “Setting up the bike for this racetrack on a day like today is a virtual waste of time, and learning anything about the motorcycle – especially a new motorcycle, testing any new stuff – is pretty much impossible as well.”

Mladin called the mid-January test the Yoshimura Suzuki squad had at Sepang in Malaysia “the most productive test I’ve ever been involved in since I’ve been racing in America…It would’ve been nice if we could’ve done four days there, then gone and joined the GP team testing in Australia at Phillip Island as well. Maybe that’s something (to consider) for the future.”

Ben Spies led all Supersport riders with a 1:30.38 on his 2003-model GSX-R600, and said, “There’s been a lot of talk about all of the new 600s this year, and everyone’s been counting out the Suzuki. I’m not saying we’ll win every race, but I think we’ll be up front in every race.

“It’s good to get the fastest time and that extra confidence, but my teammate Aaron Yates was right there, too, and he didn’t get that Number One plate for nothing.”

The previous best lap time on the course running the tighter chicane configuration leading to right-hand turn nine was a 1:30.22 turned by Roger Lee Hayden on his Erion Honda CBR954RR Formula Xtreme bike and the previous best Supersport/Superstock lap time on the revised course was a 1:32.00 recorded by Tommy Hayden on a 636cc Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Both times were set during testing under even windier conditions January 7, 2003.

Wednesday’s testers rode the entire day on what some believe will be the layout AMA will race on in April with a tighter chicane preceding the decreasing-radius, right-hand turn nine and a more open turn 10/11 chicane at the beginning of the infield straightaway.

“Obviously, they changed it after the fatality last year,” said Mladin of the tighter chicane before turn nine. “It seems better, but how can you tell in this wind? It’s alright except for all the cones and stuff. I’ve had about 10 cones (lying) in front of me already.”

Since the last AMA team test at California Speedway in early January, the overly tall curbing on rider’s left exiting the turn 10/11 chicane has been ground down, according to Ducati Austin’s Anthony Gobert.

“That’s a lot better. They took that right out; they knocked it down,” said Anthony Gobert.

“They swapped chicanes,” said Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert. “The one that was fast is slow now, where it was slow, it’s fast now.”

“It’s a shithole!” was Dream Team Ducati Racing’s Larry Pegram’s first impression of the infield road course at California Speedway. “It’s a piss-poor excuse for a racetrack when it’s such a nice facility. They could have such a good track here, but it’s just a straight, then a chicane, then a straight, then another chicane.”

Wednesday marked the first off-season testing appearance of the Graves Yamaha AMA Formula Xtreme team with Damon Buckmaster, Aaron Gobert and Jamie Hacking riding new, fuel-injected versions of the Yamaha YZF-R1-based machine Buckmaster nearly won the 2002 FX title with. One area the Graves crew worked to refine was how the bikes’ slipper-clutch worked with the new fuel-injection; Gobert and Buckmaster asked for more engine braking while Hacking asked for less engine braking.

Yoshimura Suzuki, Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, Yamaha, Graves Yamaha, Kawasaki, Austin Ducati Racing, Dream Team Ducati Racing and Bruce Transportation Group Honda are all expected to return for a second, final day of testing Thursday.

Despite the wind, some riders made many laps, with several turning between 50 and 70 laps on the day.


Wednesday’s Best Unofficial Lap Times (as reported by the teams):

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.60
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.10
3. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.80
4. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.75
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.77
6. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.38
7. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.70
8. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.70
9. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.83
10. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.90
11. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.59
12. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:31.67
13. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:31.71
14. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.90
15. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:32.43
16. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.50
17. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:32.55
18. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.67
19. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:33.46
20. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR600RR, 1:35.10
21. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:36.86
22. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.50
23. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, no time provided by team

Another in a relentless blitz of press releases issued by AHRMA:

Nixon, Springsteen in ‘battle of 9s’ at Daytona

When Gary Nixon left the AMA Pro circuit, he entrusted Jay Springsteen with his national number 9. Nixon, a two-time AMA Grand National Champion, still carries his old number when he races vintage, and Springsteen, of course, continues to campaign the number 9 at national dirt tracks. During Daytona Bike Week in March the two 9s will square off to see who is number one.

The “battle of the 9s” will take place March 3 and 4 at Daytona International Speedway as part of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association’s Classics Days roadracing.

Springer, with three Grand National titles to his name (1976 through ‘78), will be aboard Keith Campbell’s Hourglass Racing Harley-Davidson XR750, while Nixon will race a Honda CR750 fielded by Mark McGrew of M3 Racing USA. They’ll go at it twice during the two-day event — in Monday’s Formula 750 race and in the Formula Vintage class on Tuesday — in a classic duel of thundering American V-twin grunt versus howling in-line four-cylinder horsepower.

Nixon entered the Grand National scene in 1960 and earned his first win three years later, at a roadrace in Windber, Pennsylvania. He won back-to-back national titles in 1967 and ‘68, amassing 19 national wins — including the 1967 Daytona 200 on a Triumph — in more than 150 starts over a 22-year period. Nixon represented the United States several times in the famous series of British-American match races in the 1970s. In 1976, he should have won the world Formula 750 roadracing title, but was denied the championship after international politics cost him a victory.

Springsteen, perennially one of the most popular riders on the Grand National circuit, has had a professional racing career that spans more than a quarter of a century. His first national win came in 1975 at a half-mile in Louisville, Kentucky, and his most recent was the Springfield, Illinois, mile in May 2000. In all, he has won 43 nationals on his was to three Grand National titles. He’s no stranger to the Daytona super-speedway either, having competed in events ranging from the AHRMA/BMW Battle of the Legends to three appearances in the Daytona 200 (finishing as high as fifth, in 1986).

For more information, visit the Bike Week preview page at www.ahrma.org.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Both Dream Team Ducati Racing’s Larry Pegram and Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert are riding while sick at California Speedway in Fontana, California.

“I have Epstein-Barr Virus,” Pegram said of the illness that has been with him for the last four weeks, including during a test at Laguna Seca in late January. “It’s in the chronic fatigue syndrome family. They took my blood two days ago, and the doctor just called to tell me the results. They say to rest for three months to get over it, but I can’t exactly do that.

“A lot of the motocross guys are getting it. You get it from kissing someone, like mono, but you can carry it around and not be affected by it. It lies dormant until you get too fatigued and then it comes out.”

“I’ve been lying in bed for the past three days doing nothing,” said Gobert, saying he can’t remember exactly what illness his doctor said he had. “I have these sores in the back of my throat, and I feel like I have the flu. I do four laps, and I’m knackered. I feel like I’ve done a moto.”