From an e-mail:

This is a correction to a press release issued by Willow Springs International Raceway on 3/17/2003, titled Updated Post: Toye Wins Again At Willow, Pfeifer Second

In the article, the writer makes the following comment:
Round Four of the Toyota Cup will be held April 18-20th, with the main event scheduled for Sunday, April 20th. Race schedules and ticket information can be obtained from the track office at (661) 256-2471. Admission including pit passes and camping privileges is only $10/person for all three days.

The writer was incorrect when he stated that we charge $10 for all three days at WSMC events. The Fridays preceding each of our race weekends are seperate form the weekend event. Fridays are testing and tuning sessions for licensed racers on the Big Track here at Willow Springs, along with track sessions for riders that are not licensed. There is a $10 charge at the gate for Fridays, and a $10 gate fee for the weekend event.

Several people noticed this inaccuracy, and called to see if our program had changed. I just wanted to notify others who may have read this release, in order to eliminate any confusion at the gate at our next event in April.

Thanks for your attention.
Best Regards,
Christopher Huth
Willow Springs International Raceway
[email protected]
phone 661-256-1944
www.willowspringsraceway.com

From a pair of press releases, the first issued on behalf of Eric Bostrom and the second issued on behalf of Ben Bostrom:

First, Eric Bostrom’s release:
Eric has been pretty busy since his 5th place run at Daytona over a week ago. He traveled home to Las Vegas and also has spent some time at his southern California ranch. “Well, I’m licking my wounds a bit after Daytona. I’m sure Ben would like to do it over again, but I don’t. The test we just had at Sears Point (Infineon) was very successful, though. It seemed like we were setting the pace all day. Mostly we were trying to dial in the new design of the track. It seems a lot safer now and more raceable. It’s still a tight track. It’s still Sears Point, you know, so it’ll be a lot of work to get around there and will be quite a workout. But we ran through some different suspension settings and tested some other things on the bike and everything worked pretty well.”

“After Daytona, Ben and I have been doing our usual routine; having a great time, rock climbing, of course, and surfing. Our house (in Vegas) is coming along pretty well, too, as we’re doing some pretty extensive work to it. We also went dirt tracking. It was pretty fun. Both my mechanics, Dan and Kenny, and also Ben and myself. I was on my KLX400, which is all dirt-tracked out. We were mostly out there swapping bikes around, just trying to figure out how to make the best bike. Everybody was pretty competitive. The next night we did Danny Walker’s Supercamp. Ben and I were blasting around with Shawn Russell and Danny and the rest of his staff. It was a real good time.”

And finally, for the biggest news shocker in this update, Eric’s manager (Norm Viano, aka ‘Lawdog’) has presented a further title incentive for Eric. The bet made with Eric is as follows: If Eric wins the AMA Superbike title, Norm will enter the Pit Daddy contest! And not only enter the contest, but also wear whatever outfit Eric makes him wear.

“Norm is a brave guy for not only agreeing to enter the Pit Daddy contest, but to leave it in my hands by agreeing to go out there in whatever outfit I can come up with. I’d be very worried if I were him. And I’m feeling pretty good about this year. I’m looking forward to getting on with things and leading the way with the number one plate. He might be wishing he hadn’t made that bet.

“Maybe Ben will help throw the championship just to see that sight, though!”


Now, Ben Bostrom’s release:
“Since Daytona, I have been replaying that last lap in my head about a hundred times. I wish I had had eyes in the back of my head, because I would have done the chicane a lot differently. Miguel wouldn’t have gotten by me. It’s a bummer.

“After Daytona, I flew to Charlotte to do the Speed Channel show with Greg White. I took some big hits off a RedBull during the whole show. It’s funny, because people were asking me about it afterwards, even wondering if it was a prop or a fake can! It was real, man, and I drank it! I only had three hours of sleep, I needed it. After the show I flew home and got even less sleep the next night. I was just running it.

“After things settled down a bit, we went climbing and surfing, and we also went dirt tracking. We did the Danny Walker school too, which was fun. Everyone was really cool at the school and riding really well, actually. And I was impressed with how Danny taught the school. He knows those 100s so well. He really knows those bikes. And Danny doesn’t care if you crash, he just wants to help you ride those bikes and to learn. I learned quite a bit myself, actually. It’s amazing, you always learn. Every time you get on a bike, you learn.

“We headed up to Sears Point (Infineon) afterwards for a quick test. I hadn’t been to the track in about four years and it is quite a bit different from when I was there last. They actually made the track much safer and it even has two more passing areas now. And they are right at the end of the racetrack, where you can set someone up for a finish line pass. Some thought the new design hurt the flow of the track, but I thought it was really fun and even provided a few more technical corners than before. It was just as much fun to ride as before, just safer.

“Overall, I’m feeling good about my decision to come home. The two best series in the world right now are AMA Superbike and MotoGP. All the factories are putting all their support into these two. They both have the majority of the best riders and bikes. It all leads to the best racing. You’re always going to have more than several guys up front, going really fast. So I’m really excited and happy with my choice. My bikes are fantastic, and I find myself on another good team.

“Oh, and no way am I going to throw the championship just to see Norm in a thong.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Lee Acree will race Arclight Suzukis in the rest of the 2003 F-USA Sportbike and Superbike Series, with selected appearances at AMA events.

Acree and Arclight Suzuki co-owner and Crew Chief Chuck Warren reached an agreement Friday morning, covering the rest of the 2003 season.

“Susan and I are thrilled to have Lee back working with the team. We’ve have a great deal of success working with Lee in the past and we expect to have a great deal of success with him in the future,” Warren said.

Warren and his wife Susan have owned and operated Arclight Racing, Inc. since they founded it in 1991.

From a press release:

No Limit Motorsports Honda was at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California along with other top AMA teams for a day of testing and getting acquainted with the new layout of the Track.

The team was accompanied by Tom Brandon, a new addition to the team who fills the job of Team Manager. Gary Medley, Crew Chief, was happy with the progress made during the day at Sonoma. The team brought only their CBR954RR Formula Extreme Hondas for testing. The team will be campaigning the new CBR600RR in Supersport during the entire AMA season, but those machines were left in the Canyon Country, California shop where they are being prepared for the season ahead.

Riders Doug Chandler and Jason Curtis both made good strides in getting the bikes set-up to suit their individual styles of riding. Both riders had praise for the revised track layout at Infineon, with some reservations about T11 and T1. Team administration has great praise for the cooperation of the management at the Infineon Facility, and wants to thank them for their gracious assistance.

The team has had limited time with the open-class machines on racetracks, and are slowly getting them up to speed. Their track time at Daytona over the past few weeks was limited by the weather, and hence the team was not able to get in the laps that would be have given them a more conclusive test session. In keeping with the intent of testing of this type, more concentration is given to bike set-up and “seat time” than to trying to ‘cut the fastest lap’. The Team is overall happy with the results of the day.

From a press release issued by Harley-Davidson regarding the recent death of Dick O’Brien, the father of WERA co-founder Patty O’Brien Frank and the grandfather of former motorcycle racer and current car racer AJ Frank:

Dick O’Brien 1921 – 2003

It is with deep regret that Harley-Davidson Motor Company reports the death of Richard H. “Dick” O’Brien on Monday, March 17, 2003. He was 81 years old.

O’Brien served as Harley-Davidson Director of Racing from 1957 until 1983. In his 26 years at the helm of the Harley-Davidson factory racing program, O’Brien helped develop the dominating XR 750 and worked with legendary riders Bart Markel, Cal Rayborn, Gary Scott, Jay Springsteen, Randy Goss and Scott Parker.

Factory Harley-Davidson dirt track team tuner Bill Werner remembers O’Brien as a focused individual.

“He was very driven, very purposeful, a real no-nonsense type of guy,” Werner said. “Racing was his passion, and he dedicated his life to it. He was the one who was responsible for the XR. He had two goals with that engine. The short-term goal was to bring the XR out, and we did that with the cast iron XR, and his long-term goal included the switch to the aluminum XR. History shows that his vision was correct.”

Indeed, with factory rider Mark Brelsford aboard, the aluminum XR750 won the AMA Grand National Championship in 1972, its first season. Since then, the Harley-Davidson XR750 engine has won an additional 23 AMA dirt track titles.

O’Brien is survived by his wife, Pat, daughters Peggy Berose (Frank) and Patricia Frank (Peter), a stepson, Gregory O’Neil, and a brother, Jesse. A memorial service will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 4600 Belle Terra Causeway, in Palm Coast, Florida, on March 31 at 10 a.m.

From a press release issued by Dunlop’s PR agency, 10 days after the Daytona 200:

Dunlop Dominates Daytona


Buffalo, NY: Dunlop, Official Tire of Daytona 200 Week, dominated the 2003 edition of the prestigious Daytona International Speedway event. Dunlop-equipped motorcycles won all of the major AMA races held at the World Center of Racing, on the dirt and the pavement.

“Dunlop has a long history of success at Daytona,” said Mike Buckley, Vice President, Motorcycle Tires. “We have been very fortunate to be associated with some of the best teams and riders in the history of this great event.”

Two-time defending Supercross champion Ricky Carmichael is defending his title valiantly. On a muddy one-line track, Carmichael carved through ruts and lappers to win his fourth consecutive Daytona Supercross. The victory marked his seventh since the series began in January and Carmichael is well on his way to a third Supercross championship in 2003. So devastating was Carmichael’s victory at Daytona that he lapped all the way up to third place. While competing tire manufacturers showed up with highly specialized tires for Daytona, Carmichael competed on a standard D773 tire.

Multi-time 250 Grand Prix champion Rich Oliver started the AMA road racing season off just the way he likes it: on the podium. Oliver turned in 18 laps of perfection when he took yet another 250 Grand Prix race win on Dunlop tires. For Dunlop, Oliver’s victory marks 23 wins out of the last 25 250 GP races at Daytona.

In Supersport action Dunlop swept the podium with Kurtis Roberts, Jamie Hacking and Miguel Duhamel all taking their Dunlop D208GP-shod 600 machines to a nail-biting finish. Roberts’ 600 win is Dunlop’s 15th in 18 AMA Supersport races at Daytona. Tommy Hayden followed suit, winning the Superstock race on Dunlops aboard his factory Kawasaki 636 to post Dunlop’s 11th 750-class win at the Speedway.

Racing in the rain-delayed Daytona 200 was also an all-Dunlop affair. Dunlop-sponsored factory Honda road racers Duhamel, Ben Bostrom and Roberts finished the 200-miler with only 0.155 second separating first and third. The win marked Duhamel’s fourth Daytona 200 win: 1991, 1996, 1999 and again in 2003. With the 2003 Daytona 200 victory, Dunlop has won an amazing 13 of the last 16 Superbike races at Daytona.

“We’re very proud of our longstanding relationship with Daytona International Speedway, and our unrivaled racing record at this, the World Center of Racing,” said Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America, Ltd., Vice Chairman and President Jim Galoppo. “Dunlop has become synonymous with motorcycle racing in America, and our commitment to support racers at all levels, from amateur to professional, has never been stronger.”

Dunlop Motorcycle Tires have won more AMA National championships in virtually every category of racing than any other tire manufacturer, including all 16 AMA 600 Supersport titles, and the last 13 AMA Superbike championships in a row. In AMA motocross and Supercross competition, Dunlop has long been a dominant force, winning 67 national championships in the past 23 years.

For more information on Dunlop tires, go to www.dunlopmotorcycle.com

From a press release issued by Infineon Raceway, formerly known as Sears Point Raceway:

AMA Riders Pleased with Overall Changes to Circuit at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. — Top riders from the AMA U.S. Chevy Trucks Superbike Series tested three new portions of track on Thursday at Infineon Raceway, and riders agreed the changes were a step in the right direction.

AMA factory teams Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki were joined by Austin Ducati, Bruce Transportation (Honda), No Limit (Honda), Erion (Honda) and Graves (Yamaha) on the twisting Sonoma Valley circuit for a one-day test session under sunny skies. In all, 20 riders gave the course a full-day shakedown.

Riders were anxious to test three new portions of track at Turns 1, 8-10 and 11, which have been redesigned to address rider concerns for the AMA Supercuts Superbike Challenge, presented by Honda of Milpitas, May 2-4.


Miguel Duhamel taking the new series of turns that connects Turns 8-10. Photo by Ian Donald.

“I like the changes a lot,” said Honda rider Miguel Duhamel, winner of the Daytona 200. “I especially like the new section at Turns 8-9. That area is going to be a lot safer but it’s going to be more exciting, too. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Ben Bostrom (Honda), a former AMA Superbike champion who has spent the last three years in World Superbike, was also pleased.

“I just like the fact that Infineon talked with the riders before they made the changes. They gave us a chance to have some input. We don’t see that everywhere we go,” Bostrom said. “I think you’re going to see a much safer track. We don’t have to ride around here anymore with a constant fear. This track is a lot safer and that’s what we want. I’m happy.”

Raceway officials made the changes to the three portions of track after a one-day consultation in October with AMA riders Duhamel, Bostrom, Aaron Yates (Suzuki) and Eric Bostrom (Kawasaki), as well as AMA Road Race Manager Ron Barrick.


Eric Bostrom taking the new Turn 9 corner. Photo by Ian Donald.

Turn 1 had been a sweeping left-hander, putting riders at a precarious angle as they approached a pedestrian bridge at the apex of Turn 1. The circuit has now been extended 50 feet in a straight line before entering Turn 1. Riders will then make a left turn at approximately 90 degrees, which is designed to direct them away from the bridge and up the circuit toward Turn 2.

Riders tested various apexes at Turn 1 on Thursday, and track officials may alter the turn a bit for the AMA Superbike doubleheader in May.

“We may tinker with a couple of the corners, but we don’t anticipate any other major changes,” said Steve Page, track president and general manager. “We’re pleased with what the riders had to say today. It was a good test.”

The entry into Turn 10, considered the fastest segment of the road course with speeds approaching 160 mph, has also been altered. As riders crest 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. This alteration will slow the bikes down substantially entering Turn 10. This new segment of track has been dubbed the “Bus Stop.”

The final enhancement is at Turn 11, which has been shortened by approximately 40 feet. The change will direct riders toward the start/finish line after they exit the hairpin at Turn 11. This marks the second change to Turn 11, which was shortened by two-tenths of one mile in 2000 to provide riders with nearly 300 additional feet of runoff. The three changes to the track have shortened the circuit from 2.32 miles, to 2.2 miles.

“I think the track is going to be fine,” said Yamaha rider Damon Buckmaster. “The changes they made are going to make this place safer. There are a few areas that can be tweaked (Turn 1), but overall it’s good.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

First Person/Opinion

By David Swarts

Namco’s MotoGP 3 for Sony’s Playstation 2, the much anticipated follow-up to the company’s earlier two versions of the game, reached stores Wednesday, March 19 and looks to be another hit.

Motorcycle road racing fans and racers – all the way up to professionals who have admitted to using the game to learn unfamiliar international racetracks – have fallen in love with the incredible accuracy and realistic action of Namco’s MotoGP series of games, so it was only appropriate to do a review of the latest version.

MotoGP 3 updates the real FIM MotoGP World Championship line-up as of the 2002 season to include the new four-stroke 990cc machines, their colors, their sponsors, their sounds and their riders. Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa are on the new V5 Honda RC211V, Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa ride the inline-four-cylinder Yamaha YZR-M1s, Kenny Roberts and Sete Gibernau push V4 Suzuki GSV-Rs to the limit and Regis Laconi tries to control the powerful Aprilia RS3 Cube Inline Triple.

Ignoring the real life mid-2002-season changes to four-stroke machines for some riders, Alex Barros and Loris Capirossi still ride the Sito Pons Honda NSR500, Daijiro Kato rides a Gresini Honda NSR500, Tetsuya Harada rides a Pramac Honda NSR500, Jurgen Van den Goorbergh rides a Kanemoto Honda NSR500, Norick Abe and Pere Riba ride D’Antin Yamaha YZR500s, Shinya Nakano and Olivier Jacque ride Tech 3 Yamaha YZR500s, Garry McCoy and John Hopkins ride WCM Yamaha YZR500s and Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki ride the Proton KR3 Triples.

Five more current MotoGP tracks have been added to MotoGP 2’s 10 for a total of 15 accurately reproduced circuits in MotoGP 3. The new tracks added are the Czech Republic’s Brno, Portugal’s Estoril, Malaysia’s Sepang, Australia’s Phillip Island and the Spanish Valencia circuit. The Paul Ricard circuit in France is included in the game even though it is not a current 2003 venue, and the only 2003 MotoGP venues not reproduced in MotoGP 3 are Rio’s Nelson Piquet circuit and the South African track Phakisa Freeway. The changes to the real life Suzuka Circuit for 2003 have not been added to MotoGP3.

Another 20 “fantasy” tracks, meaning they do not represent a real racetrack, are included for fun and for use in some of the 100 new Challenges, making a total of 35 different courses in the new game.

The Legends line-up has also changed, allowing players to race against Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan, Wayne Rainey and Wayne Gardner. Some legends like three-time 500cc World Champion Kenny Leroy Roberts have been sent back to retirement or the front office if you prefer.

Playing the new game is very similar to MotoGP2, but MotoGP3 adds a first-person cockpit view that is realistic in that you can see the clip-ons moving back and forth, and the tachometer needle moves accurately. However, the fairing surrounding the windshield on the Yamaha YZR-M1, for example, blocks too much to use the cockpit point of view effectively, at least not at this early stage of playing the new game.

Among the instrument readouts displayed on the screen during normal views is a new “slipstream indicator” light, which has been added to the speedometer and is said to detect “slipstream conditions,” and horizontal line gauges indicating throttle and braking application force now sit at the bottom of the screen. Drafting is definitely possible on MotoGP 3 as I discovered while racing a friend on one of the fantasy tracks.

Most bikes power-wheelie much less in MotoGP 3, which is not entirely accurate of the 220-plus-horsepower four-strokes in real life, but intentional wheelies, stoppies, burnouts and victory poses are only a couple of buttons away. In addition, players can now, with advanced control settings, control the weight shift of the rider front-to-back (with the directional arrows or the left analog stick) and front and rear brakes independently. I did not have enough time to evaluate either of these new features, but the weight shift ability would be more realistic if the bike wanted to wheelie more, as in trying to put weight over the front end to keep it on the ground.

Also, in Season mode you can now adjust the amount of fuel your machine carries from one to 100 percent for each race. The manual claims, like in real life, that the machine will respond “slower” with a full fuel load and “easier” as the fuel is consumed during a race. A fuel gauge is not included among the instrument readouts, and if you run out of fuel during a race, you DNF.

A new Grand Prix selection has been added to supplement the VS (versus, one-on-one at one track) Multiplayer mode. In Grand Prix mode, two players can race for points in up to 15 rounds of variable lengths against a full grid of computer-controlled riders. And new for 2003, up to four players can race each other at the same time with Sony’s optional Multitap adapter; however, I would have to believe a very large monitor would be necessary to enjoy this application of the game.

Most of the existing features of MotoGP 2 remain with MotoGP 3 including different difficulty levels; Simulation on/off; automatic or manual transmission; machine adjustability including a choice between 16.5- and 17-inch tires; dry, wet or variable weather conditions and three Handicap levels that keep the racing close between riders of different skill levels.

After about 90 minutes of playing MotoGP3–hey, we’ve got a magazine to finish here–game play appears to be virtually identical to MotoGP2 with the aforementioned exception of the relative lack of power wheelies. It also appears as though the game has removed some capability of the 500cc two-strokes to make their performance relative to the more potent four-strokes. For instance, I could not use my same Suzuka brake markers riding Norick Abe’s Yamaha YZR500 on MotoGP3 that I could use riding the same machine on MotoGP2.

On the positive side, the literature accompanying the game claims the two-strokes and four-strokes have been re-calibrated for the player to feel the different weights of the machines. I could detect a slight difference in ease of turn-in and change of direction between the Yamaha YZR-M1 and the Yamaha YZR500 in my short test run. Also, riding the Honda RC211V I was able to see suspension action of the rear shock that helped predict the nature of rear-wheel slides. Also, the literature states that application of the rear brake can be used to control rear wheel spin.

The MotoGP 3 manual also includes a short description of each track and each of the 2002 MotoGP riders. So what does Namco have to say about our friend, young American John Hopkins? “John is the youngest MotoGP class rider in 2002. He has been involved in racing since the age of four, and his skill has earned him numerous titles. He entered the MotoGP class in 2002.”

In contrast, Pere Riba’s description reads, “Riba replaced the retired Alex Criville in 2002. He has steadily risen up the ranks, so his future in MotoGP looks promising.” Obviously, this text was written early in 2002.

The addition of the new four-stroke machines and updated rider line-ups to MotoGP 3 was mandatory, but I think reducing the bikes’ nature to power wheelie and the less-than-accurate reproduction of the new machines’ sounds are a bit of a letdown. If we can hear a distinct difference between machine sounds while listening to a tape-delayed satellite transmission of a live race from Europe, we should certainly be able to get more accurate sounds from a DVD connected directly to even the most basic television.

Those two low points aside, MotoGP 3 is a well-executed evolutionary improvement over MotoGP 2 just like the 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6 is to the 2002 Yamaha YZF-R6. MotoGP 3 takes what is already working and makes it slightly better, including subtly improved graphics, and adds new elements that will be appreciated by enthusiasts while not being intrusive to new fans’ enjoyment of the game.

If you already own the first two MotoGP games, you have probably already bought MotoGP 3. If you do not own a MotoGP video game but are reading Roadracingworld.com, what are you waiting for? MotoGP 3 by Namco is priced at $49.95 wherever most consumer electronics are sold and will most likely be the hottest topic of conversation in the AMA paddock at California Speedway.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA 250cc Grand Prix racer Sean Wray and wife Lisa had a daughter, Mikayla Elizabeth Wray, March 11 in Bow, New Hampshire.

From a press release issued by the AMA:

RIDERS NEED TO ACT TO GET A NEW MOTORCYCLE CRASH STUDY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is urging motorcyclists to contact their members of Congress to support a critical new national study into the causes of streetbike crashes.

U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Wis.) is asking his colleagues to sign a letter addressed to U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, urging him to support a comprehensive, in-depth motorcycle crash study to find ways to prevent crashes. The last such study — “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures,” commonly called the “Hurt Report” (after lead researcher Harry Hurt) — was done more than 20 years ago.

“With motorcyclist fatalities increasing 50 percent in just the last five years, the time to act is now,” Green said in the letter.

“Initiated in 1976 and completed in 1981, the Hurt Report remains the benchmark of motorcycle crash research and, sadly, the only such comprehensive study ever undertaken in the United States,” Green’s letter went on to say. “The 1981 publication of the Hurt Report was a catalyst for the development of motorcycle crash countermeasures such as rider training and motorist awareness programs.”

The AMA Government Relations Department is working to get $3 million for an in-depth motorcycle crash study written into legislation now being considered for reauthorization by Congress: the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).

The new crash research would involve detailed at-the-scene study of at least 1,000 crashes to find out what goes wrong for riders.

“The Hurt Report is the study that people turn to when they’re trying to figure out what causes motorcycle crashes, and what can be done to prevent crashes,” said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “But that information is outdated. For example, motorcyclists now are sharing the road with a new mix of vehicles compared with the late ’70s, and dealing with drivers who face a lot more distractions.”

Motorcyclists can urge their members of Congress to sign the Green letter and to support funding for a comprehensive motorcycle crash study by sending a message through the Rapid Response Center at the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com.