Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Simon “Ronnie” Smith, a racer and freelance motorcycle test rider for Britain’s Performance Bikes magazine, was killed Friday, January 10 in a street accident near his home in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, according to a British website.
For more information, see www.motorcyclenews.com
From a press release issued by Kawasaki:
KAWASAKI RIDERS SLASH TIMES IN SEPANG
Sepang Tuesday, January 14th, 2003: On their first two days of testing in the new year at Sepang, Malaysia, Kawasaki Racing Team stars Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt slashed their previous best times on the Malaysian circuit by almost a full second. Small improvements on the chassis and suspension settings of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP racer made all the difference in the bike¹s handling on the exit of the turns, with further improvements being expected from a new chassis featuring an adjustable swing arm pivot. Japanese test rider Akira Yanagawa also rode to his best Sepang lap time so far, after having solved chattering problems on his Ninja ZX-RR. German Alex Hofmann continued his task of Dunlop tyre testing aboard a previous prototype of the Ninja ZX-RR with carburettors instead of the new fuel-injected version, concentrating on the best possible input for tyre manufacturer Dunlop rather than the chase for the best lap time around the fast and challenging Sepang circuit.
Garry McCoy (39/33 laps best time in 2:06.55):
“I had a few dramas on the first day, because someone had stolen my boots and my gloves. I had to borrow a set from Alex Hofmann, which are a size under mine, and by lunch time, I had sore toes. Luckily enough, another box with Alpinestars gear arrived in the afternoon, and my worries were over. As far as the bike goes, we started off with the settings from our last test, and the problem that we had back then in December occurred again. On the exit of the turns, it seemed to be hard to get on the gas, there was a lot of pumping on the rear end, and if you got on the gas real hard anyway, the bike would buck like a wild horse and wasn¹t very comfortable to ride at all. We started to fix the problem in the afternoon, and today, I got more of a feeling for the bike. Having less rear shock pumping gave me additional confidence and allowed me to go a little bit harder, which is why I improved my lap time by almost one second. Today, we also used a new chassis with an adjustable pivot point for the first time. I’d requested this chassis back in December after doing a few laps on Akira Yanagawa’s bike, which had a different swing arm pivot and seemed to suit my riding style very much. We first wanted to confirm that the new chassis did similar lap times and that it actually felt the same, so we started off the way we left off with the older chassis instead of going straight to a different pivot position. When we later on wanted to go through the first changes on the pivot point, it started to rain. It’s unfortunate that the weather put us out, but tomorrow is another day, and I’m looking forward to see what more we can achieve!”
Andrew Pitt (40/44 laps best time in 2:06.80):
“We made some steps forward again which is good. We tried some different tyres, we tried some different rear shocks, and we made the bike more comfortable to ride. Even though Garry is using a different swing arm and different settings to mine, I initially had the same pumping problem. It seems to be one of the characteristics of this bike, because it always had this pumping problem exiting the turns over the bumps, and it is something we are all trying to improve. Well, we reduced it quite a bit today, and when you reduce that, it gives you more confidence to open the throttle harder. For tomorrow, we have a couple of more things with the chassis to try. We’ll give it a shot with what Garry had today, basically trying to get the bike even more comfortable, to improve the confidence-feeling and to make it a bit easier to do good lap times!”
Alex Hofmann (49/35 laps best time in 2:09.01):
“I caught a cold on new year’s eve, and I was ill on the days leading up to this test session. Therefore, I needed a while to find back to my rhythm and to feel good on the bike again. We haven’t changed much on the set-up since our December tests in order to get the same feedback from the bike and the tyres, and we just continued to go through many different tyre constructions and tyre compounds. We did a lot of work that doesn’t reflect in better lap times: Whenever I would have very good grip, the bike would start to chatter, but I didn’t really have a chance to work on fine-tuning our settings. Whereas the others built up and improved their chassis set-up step by step, I just kept sorting through stacks of tyres!”
Akira Yanagawa (40/33 laps best time in 2:07.08):
“I am happy with my progress, but my lap time is still slow 2.07 is not fast enough! We initially had chatter problems, which we almost fixed by this afternoon, thanks to another linkage system for the rear suspension, which felt really nice. But once the chatter was gone, the next problem arrived. The front now feels too soft, I don’t have a lot of confidence going into turns. We then changed the front fork set-up, but then the rain came. The nicest surprise apart from the different linkage system was a new Dunlop tyre that I tried just before the track got soaked it was so good that I dropped my lap time instantly by more than half-a-second!”
From a press release issued by Clear Channel Entertainment, Motor Sports:
Privateer Test Days Scheduled For Anaheim 2 and Atlanta
AURORA, Ill. (January 14, 2002) – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announced today that two privateer test days will be held throughout the 2003 season of THQ World Supercross GP and the AMA Supercross Series. The first session will be held on Thursday, January 16 at Edison International Field from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and the second will be held on Thursday, February 18 at the Georgia Dome from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
“Through our great relationship with Edison International Field and the Georgia Dome, we are offering the privateers competing in THQ World Supercross GP and the AMA Supercross Series an extra day of practice on an official supercross track,” said Todd Jendro, director of supercross, Clear Channel Entertainment – Motor Sports. “Clear Channel Entertainment will continue to work with the various venues on the schedule to make this opportunity available to privateers. Those dates will be announced once they are scheduled.”
Today’s supercross tracks present technical dynamics to privateer riders that demand precision, and the privateer test day will help the privateers hone their supercross skills.
“We (the privateers) do not have the luxury of training on the highly sophisticated supercross tracks that the factory guys do,” said Ryan Clark. “This test session helps close the gap between the privateers and factory riders, and I would like to thanks Clear Channel for this. Any extra time on the track helps us out.”
From a press release issued by Clear Channel Entertainment, Motor Sports:
Suzuki Crossover Challenge Rides Edison International Field
AURORA, Ill. (January 14, 2002) – American Suzuki Motor Corp., returns as the title sponsor for the 2003 Crossover Challenge at the THQ World Supercross GP/AMA Supercross Series Friday, January 31, 2003 at Edison International Field in Anaheim, Calif. The 24 participants competing in the Suzuki Crossover Challenge, a collection of the world’s top action sport athletes and celebrities racing on a supercross track will compete on Suzuki’s RM 125cc motorcycle. In addition, each participant will be given his or her own mechanic and factory support.
This year’s event marks the third season that Suzuki has held the title position for the event. The factory support that Suzuki provides athletes for this event is a chance of a lifetime.
The Crossover Challenge is comprised of 24 riders, separated into eight teams of three. The combined points from all three riders determine the team’s final score. The winning team presents $1000 to a charity of their choice.
“Suzuki is proud to be a part of this event where athletes from all sports get to showcase their versatility,” said Mel Harris, vice president, American Suzuki Corp.
Mountain biker Brian Lopes, who was a member of last year’s winning team said: “I think supercross is definitely one of the best action sports out there. I go to as many supercross races I can each year. I love bicycles, but if I had to do it again, I would try supercross for a career.”
Current List of Riders
Adam Booth, BMX
Jordan Burns, Musician for Strung Out
BJ Smith, MotoWorld/ESPN
Victor Sheldon, Jet Skiing
Garth Tarlow, Surfing
Sunny Garcia, Surfing
Jim Domann, White Water Rafting
John Hopkins, Road Racing
Robbie Miranda, BMX
Aaron Cooke, BMX
Alan Cooke, BMX
Jason Ellis, Skateboarding
Keith Divirgillio, Musician for Fraction
Salman Agah, Skateboarding
Scott Wimmer, NASCAR
Scott Riggs, NASCAR
Anthony Furlong, Skateboarding
Steve Cabellero, Skateboarding
Brian Lopes, Mountain Biking
Phil Tinsman, Mountain Biking
Matt Waitman, Ebay Experience Winner
Tickets will be available for the 2003 Suzuki Crossover Challenge on Friday, January 31 at Edison International Field in Anaheim, Calif. Tickets can be purchased at the stadium box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Fan may enter the building at Noon for factory practice and the Suzuki Crossover Challenge begins at 3:30 p.m.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Fastest Lap Times At Sepang, Tuesday, Malaysia Time:
1. John Hopkins, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:06.0
2. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:06.5
3. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:06.6
4. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:07.0
5. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:07.1
6. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:09.1
7. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:08.8
8. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:08.9
9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:09.3
10. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:12.2
Note: The Suzuki MotoGP team is taking Wednesday off and will resume testing Thursday.
From a press release issued by Team Pro-Motion:
Announcing the Team Pro-Motion new website creation. Just released the Team Pro-Motion Sportbike club’s new website is a reflection of brand new programs that have come to development over the past seven years. “The sites main objective is to be clean and organized having a simple approach. Team Pro-Motion has reflected on what many of the members have commented on in past years and has brought to life the true essence of what really matters…the members and riders” says Glen Goldman, the Team’s owner.
Upon review of the new programs you’ll notice not only extremely reasonable track rates, but a whole new way to express yourself while participating. The all new GP Moto Cup Racing Series will be launched with Cosmopolitan Motors as its major sponsor. Over 20 80cc GP machines have been readied for competition as riders may opt to reserve one of the little screamers in an attempt to battle their friends to a first place victory. 10 races will be scheduled (schedule to be released shortly) to run during a regular team track event. Cosmopolitan Motors of Hatboro Pa www.cosmotor.com will be making the Rieju RS-1 motorcycle ready to compete and available for delivery should you feel the need to park one in your garage.
The whole package race ready should sell for just under the $3000 mark, making racing just that much better. Team Pro-Motion also is focusing on the young market making this racing event available for new riders of 14 years of age or more.
Last on the site the Advanced Rider Training school headed up by racer Michael Himmelsbach has now added a 2-day Pro school. The school will cover all the necessary facets that play a key role in rider personal development and is geared for an intermediate to advanced level of rider. ART-BASIC school taught by long time instructor Robert Lombardi will set his focus on bringing new riders into the track environment and seeing to it they get the right start.
Visit Team Pro-Motion Sportbike Club at www.teampromotion.com for all the details.
ph – 215-671-8660 ~ fax – 775-242-5720
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
QB Phase One, which won the Endurance World Championship in 1993 and in 2000, is seeking young riders with money for the QB Phase One Junior team.
A posting on the team’s website, www.phaseone.co.uk, states that the team is looking for riders under the age of 23 with an International (FIM) racing license and “backing.”
The Junior team will run a Suzuki GSX-R1000 like the QB Phase One team of Mike Edwards and Jason Pridmore with support from the same group of mechanics.
For more information, contact Phase One Suzuki Team Manager Russell Benney at Moxhill House, Comwich, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2PN. Telephone/FAX 01278 652 439 or go to www.phaseone.co.uk.
From a press release issued by USGPRU:
The USGPRU announced initial sponsorship and contingency for the 2003 season today.
These include sponsorship renewals from 2002 sponsors GP Star Hollywood, Silkolene, VP Racing Fuels, Braking Italy, Motion Pro and CCS/F-USA.
New sponsors for the 2003 season include Bridgestone Tyres with committed payouts to 8th place at all USGPRU events and EBC Brakes.
Total payout and contingency for the 2003 16 race USGPRU 125GP National Championship has already passed US $30,000 with more sponsors being added every day.
The first race of the USGPRU 125GP National Championship is scheduled for February 1st & 2nd at Willow Springs International Raceway on the Streets of Willow Road Course.
Payouts for the 2003 season are as follows:
CCS/F-USA – Over $6000 in total cash awards Paying 1-3 at all US events
VP Racing Fuels – 1st – 10th All events
Bridgestone Tires – 1st-$75, 50, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 20 – All events
GPStar Hollywood – 4th-8th $50, 40, 30, 25, 15
Silkolene Lubricants – $30, 20, 10 ($100 Championship Bonus)
EBC Brakes – $30, 20, 10 ($100 Championship Bonus)
Braking Italy – Product Awards
Motion Pro – Product Awards
Additional information on the USGPRU and the US 125GP National Championship can be found on the official USGPRU web site at www.usgpru.org.
From a press release issued by OMS Sports: Ducati Austin Names Bodenbach As Its Race Team Manager Former Harley-Davison engineer to manage Ducati’s Factory-backed run at the 2003 AMA Superbike title AUSTIN, Texas (Jan. 13, 2003) – Ducati Austin has named Tom Bodenbach as its race team manager for Ducati’s factory-backed run at the American Superbike title, featuring top racer Anthony “Go Show” Gobert. Bodenbach, 36, worked this past year as Ducati Austin’s data acquisition engineer. Prior to that he worked in Harley-Davison’s race department for seven years. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to work with Ducati, the premier motorcycle in Superbike racing and Anthony Gobert, who’s one of the greatest riders out there,” said Bodenbach. A former amateur motocross racer, Bodenbach will again handle the data acquisition for team Ducati Austin. In addition, he’ll handle the logistics of running a major league road racing team, work on personnel decisions with team owner Terry Gregoricka and, according to Bodenbach, “Keep everything within budget.” Bodenbach will manager four full time and two part time race team employees for Ducati Austin. “We’re very please to be able to elevate Tom to the position of team manager,” said Gregoricka. “Tom’s proven to be a valuable asset to this team and has shown the leadership qualities that will allow him to excel personally, while guiding the Ducati Austin race program to great success in the 2003 AMA Superbike title chase.” Bodenbach, who hails from Menominee Falls, Wisc., has a degree in mechanical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
According to F-USA and CCS Road Race Operations Manager Kevin Elliott, American Honda has notified Clear Channel Entertainment–Motor Sports that it will not continue to sponsor the F-USA Sportbike class but will post contingency in 2003.
“Honda just called and said they would be putting contingency up for both the F-USA and the CCS Series,” said Elliott from his office in Ft. Worth Monday. “They wanted to make sure we knew it since they have declined to come back in and sponsor the Grand National (combined road racing and dirt track series) and the Sportbike class.”
Asked how losing the Honda sponsorship would affect the Sportbike class, Elliott said “It makes it tougher for us, because now we have to find an additional seven or eight associate sponsors or seach for a class sponsor when everybody has already spent their budget.
“The purses will remain the same. The Sportbike points fund is fine. The team owner program will remain the same. We had hoped to build it up with some points funds for the other classes, and now that’s in question.”
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Simon “Ronnie” Smith, a racer and freelance motorcycle test rider for Britain’s Performance Bikes magazine, was killed Friday, January 10 in a street accident near his home in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, according to a British website.
For more information, see www.motorcyclenews.com
From a press release issued by Kawasaki:
KAWASAKI RIDERS SLASH TIMES IN SEPANG
Sepang Tuesday, January 14th, 2003: On their first two days of testing in the new year at Sepang, Malaysia, Kawasaki Racing Team stars Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt slashed their previous best times on the Malaysian circuit by almost a full second. Small improvements on the chassis and suspension settings of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP racer made all the difference in the bike¹s handling on the exit of the turns, with further improvements being expected from a new chassis featuring an adjustable swing arm pivot. Japanese test rider Akira Yanagawa also rode to his best Sepang lap time so far, after having solved chattering problems on his Ninja ZX-RR. German Alex Hofmann continued his task of Dunlop tyre testing aboard a previous prototype of the Ninja ZX-RR with carburettors instead of the new fuel-injected version, concentrating on the best possible input for tyre manufacturer Dunlop rather than the chase for the best lap time around the fast and challenging Sepang circuit.
Garry McCoy (39/33 laps best time in 2:06.55):
“I had a few dramas on the first day, because someone had stolen my boots and my gloves. I had to borrow a set from Alex Hofmann, which are a size under mine, and by lunch time, I had sore toes. Luckily enough, another box with Alpinestars gear arrived in the afternoon, and my worries were over. As far as the bike goes, we started off with the settings from our last test, and the problem that we had back then in December occurred again. On the exit of the turns, it seemed to be hard to get on the gas, there was a lot of pumping on the rear end, and if you got on the gas real hard anyway, the bike would buck like a wild horse and wasn¹t very comfortable to ride at all. We started to fix the problem in the afternoon, and today, I got more of a feeling for the bike. Having less rear shock pumping gave me additional confidence and allowed me to go a little bit harder, which is why I improved my lap time by almost one second. Today, we also used a new chassis with an adjustable pivot point for the first time. I’d requested this chassis back in December after doing a few laps on Akira Yanagawa’s bike, which had a different swing arm pivot and seemed to suit my riding style very much. We first wanted to confirm that the new chassis did similar lap times and that it actually felt the same, so we started off the way we left off with the older chassis instead of going straight to a different pivot position. When we later on wanted to go through the first changes on the pivot point, it started to rain. It’s unfortunate that the weather put us out, but tomorrow is another day, and I’m looking forward to see what more we can achieve!”
Andrew Pitt (40/44 laps best time in 2:06.80):
“We made some steps forward again which is good. We tried some different tyres, we tried some different rear shocks, and we made the bike more comfortable to ride. Even though Garry is using a different swing arm and different settings to mine, I initially had the same pumping problem. It seems to be one of the characteristics of this bike, because it always had this pumping problem exiting the turns over the bumps, and it is something we are all trying to improve. Well, we reduced it quite a bit today, and when you reduce that, it gives you more confidence to open the throttle harder. For tomorrow, we have a couple of more things with the chassis to try. We’ll give it a shot with what Garry had today, basically trying to get the bike even more comfortable, to improve the confidence-feeling and to make it a bit easier to do good lap times!”
Alex Hofmann (49/35 laps best time in 2:09.01):
“I caught a cold on new year’s eve, and I was ill on the days leading up to this test session. Therefore, I needed a while to find back to my rhythm and to feel good on the bike again. We haven’t changed much on the set-up since our December tests in order to get the same feedback from the bike and the tyres, and we just continued to go through many different tyre constructions and tyre compounds. We did a lot of work that doesn’t reflect in better lap times: Whenever I would have very good grip, the bike would start to chatter, but I didn’t really have a chance to work on fine-tuning our settings. Whereas the others built up and improved their chassis set-up step by step, I just kept sorting through stacks of tyres!”
Akira Yanagawa (40/33 laps best time in 2:07.08):
“I am happy with my progress, but my lap time is still slow 2.07 is not fast enough! We initially had chatter problems, which we almost fixed by this afternoon, thanks to another linkage system for the rear suspension, which felt really nice. But once the chatter was gone, the next problem arrived. The front now feels too soft, I don’t have a lot of confidence going into turns. We then changed the front fork set-up, but then the rain came. The nicest surprise apart from the different linkage system was a new Dunlop tyre that I tried just before the track got soaked it was so good that I dropped my lap time instantly by more than half-a-second!”
From a press release issued by Clear Channel Entertainment, Motor Sports:
Privateer Test Days Scheduled For Anaheim 2 and Atlanta
AURORA, Ill. (January 14, 2002) – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announced today that two privateer test days will be held throughout the 2003 season of THQ World Supercross GP and the AMA Supercross Series. The first session will be held on Thursday, January 16 at Edison International Field from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and the second will be held on Thursday, February 18 at the Georgia Dome from 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
“Through our great relationship with Edison International Field and the Georgia Dome, we are offering the privateers competing in THQ World Supercross GP and the AMA Supercross Series an extra day of practice on an official supercross track,” said Todd Jendro, director of supercross, Clear Channel Entertainment – Motor Sports. “Clear Channel Entertainment will continue to work with the various venues on the schedule to make this opportunity available to privateers. Those dates will be announced once they are scheduled.”
Today’s supercross tracks present technical dynamics to privateer riders that demand precision, and the privateer test day will help the privateers hone their supercross skills.
“We (the privateers) do not have the luxury of training on the highly sophisticated supercross tracks that the factory guys do,” said Ryan Clark. “This test session helps close the gap between the privateers and factory riders, and I would like to thanks Clear Channel for this. Any extra time on the track helps us out.”
From a press release issued by Clear Channel Entertainment, Motor Sports:
Suzuki Crossover Challenge Rides Edison International Field
AURORA, Ill. (January 14, 2002) – American Suzuki Motor Corp., returns as the title sponsor for the 2003 Crossover Challenge at the THQ World Supercross GP/AMA Supercross Series Friday, January 31, 2003 at Edison International Field in Anaheim, Calif. The 24 participants competing in the Suzuki Crossover Challenge, a collection of the world’s top action sport athletes and celebrities racing on a supercross track will compete on Suzuki’s RM 125cc motorcycle. In addition, each participant will be given his or her own mechanic and factory support.
This year’s event marks the third season that Suzuki has held the title position for the event. The factory support that Suzuki provides athletes for this event is a chance of a lifetime.
The Crossover Challenge is comprised of 24 riders, separated into eight teams of three. The combined points from all three riders determine the team’s final score. The winning team presents $1000 to a charity of their choice.
“Suzuki is proud to be a part of this event where athletes from all sports get to showcase their versatility,” said Mel Harris, vice president, American Suzuki Corp.
Mountain biker Brian Lopes, who was a member of last year’s winning team said: “I think supercross is definitely one of the best action sports out there. I go to as many supercross races I can each year. I love bicycles, but if I had to do it again, I would try supercross for a career.”
Current List of Riders
Adam Booth, BMX
Jordan Burns, Musician for Strung Out
BJ Smith, MotoWorld/ESPN
Victor Sheldon, Jet Skiing
Garth Tarlow, Surfing
Sunny Garcia, Surfing
Jim Domann, White Water Rafting
John Hopkins, Road Racing
Robbie Miranda, BMX
Aaron Cooke, BMX
Alan Cooke, BMX
Jason Ellis, Skateboarding
Keith Divirgillio, Musician for Fraction
Salman Agah, Skateboarding
Scott Wimmer, NASCAR
Scott Riggs, NASCAR
Anthony Furlong, Skateboarding
Steve Cabellero, Skateboarding
Brian Lopes, Mountain Biking
Phil Tinsman, Mountain Biking
Matt Waitman, Ebay Experience Winner
Tickets will be available for the 2003 Suzuki Crossover Challenge on Friday, January 31 at Edison International Field in Anaheim, Calif. Tickets can be purchased at the stadium box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Fan may enter the building at Noon for factory practice and the Suzuki Crossover Challenge begins at 3:30 p.m.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Fastest Lap Times At Sepang, Tuesday, Malaysia Time:
1. John Hopkins, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:06.0
2. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:06.5
3. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:06.6
4. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:07.0
5. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:07.1
6. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:09.1
7. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:08.8
8. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:08.9
9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:09.3
10. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:12.2
Note: The Suzuki MotoGP team is taking Wednesday off and will resume testing Thursday.
From a press release issued by Team Pro-Motion:
Announcing the Team Pro-Motion new website creation. Just released the Team Pro-Motion Sportbike club’s new website is a reflection of brand new programs that have come to development over the past seven years. “The sites main objective is to be clean and organized having a simple approach. Team Pro-Motion has reflected on what many of the members have commented on in past years and has brought to life the true essence of what really matters…the members and riders” says Glen Goldman, the Team’s owner.
Upon review of the new programs you’ll notice not only extremely reasonable track rates, but a whole new way to express yourself while participating. The all new GP Moto Cup Racing Series will be launched with Cosmopolitan Motors as its major sponsor. Over 20 80cc GP machines have been readied for competition as riders may opt to reserve one of the little screamers in an attempt to battle their friends to a first place victory. 10 races will be scheduled (schedule to be released shortly) to run during a regular team track event. Cosmopolitan Motors of Hatboro Pa www.cosmotor.com will be making the Rieju RS-1 motorcycle ready to compete and available for delivery should you feel the need to park one in your garage.
The whole package race ready should sell for just under the $3000 mark, making racing just that much better. Team Pro-Motion also is focusing on the young market making this racing event available for new riders of 14 years of age or more.
Last on the site the Advanced Rider Training school headed up by racer Michael Himmelsbach has now added a 2-day Pro school. The school will cover all the necessary facets that play a key role in rider personal development and is geared for an intermediate to advanced level of rider. ART-BASIC school taught by long time instructor Robert Lombardi will set his focus on bringing new riders into the track environment and seeing to it they get the right start.
Visit Team Pro-Motion Sportbike Club at www.teampromotion.com for all the details.
ph – 215-671-8660 ~ fax – 775-242-5720
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
QB Phase One, which won the Endurance World Championship in 1993 and in 2000, is seeking young riders with money for the QB Phase One Junior team.
A posting on the team’s website, www.phaseone.co.uk, states that the team is looking for riders under the age of 23 with an International (FIM) racing license and “backing.”
The Junior team will run a Suzuki GSX-R1000 like the QB Phase One team of Mike Edwards and Jason Pridmore with support from the same group of mechanics.
For more information, contact Phase One Suzuki Team Manager Russell Benney at Moxhill House, Comwich, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2PN. Telephone/FAX 01278 652 439 or go to www.phaseone.co.uk.
From a press release issued by USGPRU:
The USGPRU announced initial sponsorship and contingency for the 2003 season today.
These include sponsorship renewals from 2002 sponsors GP Star Hollywood, Silkolene, VP Racing Fuels, Braking Italy, Motion Pro and CCS/F-USA.
New sponsors for the 2003 season include Bridgestone Tyres with committed payouts to 8th place at all USGPRU events and EBC Brakes.
Total payout and contingency for the 2003 16 race USGPRU 125GP National Championship has already passed US $30,000 with more sponsors being added every day.
The first race of the USGPRU 125GP National Championship is scheduled for February 1st & 2nd at Willow Springs International Raceway on the Streets of Willow Road Course.
Payouts for the 2003 season are as follows:
CCS/F-USA – Over $6000 in total cash awards Paying 1-3 at all US events
VP Racing Fuels – 1st – 10th All events
Bridgestone Tires – 1st-$75, 50, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 20 – All events
GPStar Hollywood – 4th-8th $50, 40, 30, 25, 15
Silkolene Lubricants – $30, 20, 10 ($100 Championship Bonus)
EBC Brakes – $30, 20, 10 ($100 Championship Bonus)
Braking Italy – Product Awards
Motion Pro – Product Awards
Additional information on the USGPRU and the US 125GP National Championship can be found on the official USGPRU web site at www.usgpru.org.
From a press release issued by OMS Sports: Ducati Austin Names Bodenbach As Its Race Team Manager Former Harley-Davison engineer to manage Ducati’s Factory-backed run at the 2003 AMA Superbike title AUSTIN, Texas (Jan. 13, 2003) – Ducati Austin has named Tom Bodenbach as its race team manager for Ducati’s factory-backed run at the American Superbike title, featuring top racer Anthony “Go Show” Gobert. Bodenbach, 36, worked this past year as Ducati Austin’s data acquisition engineer. Prior to that he worked in Harley-Davison’s race department for seven years. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to work with Ducati, the premier motorcycle in Superbike racing and Anthony Gobert, who’s one of the greatest riders out there,” said Bodenbach. A former amateur motocross racer, Bodenbach will again handle the data acquisition for team Ducati Austin. In addition, he’ll handle the logistics of running a major league road racing team, work on personnel decisions with team owner Terry Gregoricka and, according to Bodenbach, “Keep everything within budget.” Bodenbach will manager four full time and two part time race team employees for Ducati Austin. “We’re very please to be able to elevate Tom to the position of team manager,” said Gregoricka. “Tom’s proven to be a valuable asset to this team and has shown the leadership qualities that will allow him to excel personally, while guiding the Ducati Austin race program to great success in the 2003 AMA Superbike title chase.” Bodenbach, who hails from Menominee Falls, Wisc., has a degree in mechanical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
According to F-USA and CCS Road Race Operations Manager Kevin Elliott, American Honda has notified Clear Channel Entertainment–Motor Sports that it will not continue to sponsor the F-USA Sportbike class but will post contingency in 2003.
“Honda just called and said they would be putting contingency up for both the F-USA and the CCS Series,” said Elliott from his office in Ft. Worth Monday. “They wanted to make sure we knew it since they have declined to come back in and sponsor the Grand National (combined road racing and dirt track series) and the Sportbike class.”
Asked how losing the Honda sponsorship would affect the Sportbike class, Elliott said “It makes it tougher for us, because now we have to find an additional seven or eight associate sponsors or seach for a class sponsor when everybody has already spent their budget.
“The purses will remain the same. The Sportbike points fund is fine. The team owner program will remain the same. We had hoped to build it up with some points funds for the other classes, and now that’s in question.”
