Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

After clinching the 2002 AMA Supersport Championship earlier in the day, Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates was free to push his Vic Fasola-tuned GSX-R750 to the edge in Sunday afternoon’s AMA Superbike race at Mid-Ohio July 28. And he did just that.

A specialist on the bumpy and technical Mid-Ohio roller-coaster, Yates got off the grid well, was racing with the leaders early in the 26-lap contest but got a little impatient behind Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom in turn seven.

“I made a couple of moves on guys and was wanting to make a move on Eric,” said Yates Sunday evening before leaving Mid-Ohio. “But I wasn’t really close enough.

“I had to get on the brakes pretty good. I didn’t want to punt him too hard. I didn’t want to hit him. I had a couple of other spots on the track I thought I could probably get by him.

“I guess I was just on the brakes too hard trying to keep from getting into him, cause he was a little slow getting in there, a little slower than I was. I don’t know if I hit the concrete or what, but right before I started tipping it, the front just went.”

Yates fell off the lowside of his mount and followed the bike into haybales lining the outside of the turn. Impacting haybales isn’t the best scenario in this day and age of inflatable air barriers, but Yates slid in at a moderate speed and should have gotten right up. But he didn’t!

After a few seconds, Yates started waving his hand for help, obviously pinned or somehow trapped by his Suzuki.

“We don’t have those spool things for the stands on our bikes. They got these prongs that hang out for the quick-change stands; it catches ‘em easier,” said Yates. “The thing went right up in my leathers, up in my arm and up in the muscle back there and sliced it pretty good. It went up in there a few inches.

“I couldn’t get up cause it was hooked to me. I was under the bike, under the haybales and I was stretching on it. I was like, ‘What the hell? What’s the deal?’ I knew something…it felt like I whacked it a little bit cause you get used to that feel, like when you break a bone or if you do something, it gets kind of numb and all. That’s how it felt, but I could tell it wasn’t really broke because nothing was really moving. Like my elbow wasn’t hurting, but I was hooked to the bike. I was jerking and jerking. Then finally, I was sticking my hand up like, ‘Where the hell is everyone at? Somebody come get this thing off me!’

“They got it off, I got up and there was like this river of blood running across the track. I was like, ‘Holy shit!’ I got up, set my arm down and it was running out the end of leathers. Then I was just trying to get everything off as fast as I could and I tried to get it up, get it elevated.”

Yates was taken to the medical center where nine stitches were required to close the wound internally; more stitches were required to close the outer wound.

With the AMA Supersport Championship wrapped up, Yates doesn’t know if he will ride at the AMA season finale at VIR August 9-11

“I don’t know. We’ll see, but I don’t want to prolong the healing process,” said Yates.

From a press release:

CHECA STAYS WITH YAMAHA FOR 2003

Yamaha has confirmed that it has retained the services of Spanish rider Carlos Checa in its factory-owned MotoGP team for 2003. Checa signed a two-year deal with Yamaha on Tuesday to ride the YZR-M1 four-stroke bike in the MotoGP World Championship. The news comes two weeks after the announcement from Yamaha that Marlboro sponsorship of the team, currently known as the Marlboro Yamaha Team, would cease from the end of the 2002 season.

Commenting on the announcement, 29-year-old Checa said: “I am very happy to have reached an agreement so soon with Yamaha. I believe in Yamaha, the team and the people involved in the four-stroke project. We have done some excellent work together and now I really want to continue with that and create a winning package to fight for the Championship. Being part of that process from the beginning will make it even more satisfying if we can achieve our goal.

“I had a number of approaches from different teams for next year. It’s never easy to decide, but Yamaha was my first choice because of the people and because I believe it gives me the best chance for success. My goal since 1999 has been to win the Championship with Yamaha and I hope that we can achieve it next year. Now that my decision is made I can concentrate on my racing for the second half of the 2002 season and be relaxed and confident in my preparation for 2003”

Checa has ridden for Yamaha since the beginning of the Marlboro Yamaha Team project in 1999. He finished seventh in the World Championship that year and then sixth in the next two seasons. He currently lies fifth in the inaugural MotoGP World Championship on the M1 with three podium finishes to his name.

“Carlos has been very positive about the four-stroke project since the beginning,” explained Yamaha Motor Racing B.V. Managing Director, Mr. Lin Jarvis. “We are keen to keep working closely with him and so I’m delighted that he will stay with us. Negotiations have been short as we have an excellent relationship with Carlos and a strong package on offer for next year and beyond.

“We are continuing our discussions with other potential riders about next year and I am sure that we will have a strong Team to spearhead Yamaha’s number one racing project. We are also talking with a number of potential sponsors for next year and I feel confident that we will be working with top-class commercial partners in our MotoGP program.”

Team Director Davide Brivio added: “Carlos has been riding better and better this year and I expect that he’ll really show his full potential between now and the end of the season. He works very well with our engineering staff and will play a crucial role in developing the M1 to challenge for the Championship next year. I’m looking forward to working together with him towards that goal.”

The MotoGP World Championship circus is currently enjoying its summer break, but Checa will be in action for two-days of demonstrations of the M1 at the Marlboro Masters F3 event at Zandvoort in Holland next weekend. Racing recommences with the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic at Brno on Sunday 25th August.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Bill Syfan has formed a new company, Proforma, LLC, which will be involved in “Marketing, Promotions and Representation.”

Syfan’s new clients include Arclight Suzuki as well as racers Jimmy Moore, Lee Acree and Craig Connell.

Syfan can be reached at (817) 239-0739, FAX (817) 738-4634 or via e-mail at [email protected].

This just in, via e-mail:

To whom it may concern:

Just wanted to keep you abreast of what is going on with our team.

We here at Synergy Racing Technologies have released Matt Wait from the team for reasons we wish not to disclose. We have filled his spot on the team with Frank Trombino for the next round in Road America for an evaluation.

Matt Wait is a great guy with lots of talent, we wish him the best of luck.

Thanks,

Matt Spiwak
Team Owner Synergy Racing Technologies

From GSE Racing/HM Plant Ducati:

Walker signs for GSE Racing

GSE Racing is pleased to announce that Chris Walker will partner James Toseland in the 2003 Superbike World Championship. Both riders will contest next year’s races aboard the team’s factory-supplied HM Plant Ducati 998 F02s.

Walker is an extremely experienced and talented rider with a proven record of success. The popular, four-time British Superbike Championship runner-up has been contracted for one year with an option for GSE Racing to extend the agreement at the end of the 2003 Superbike World Championship season.

Walker is renowned for his gritty determination and all-action riding style. Over the years this has helped the Nottingham-born rider amass a vast army of passionate supporters who are sure to follow him from his current Superbike World Championship team (Fuchs Kawasaki) to GSE Racing.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have been given such a fantastic opportunity,” says Walker. “I worked with [Team Manager] Colin Wright in ’98 and have wanted to repeat the experience ever since. GSE Racing is one of the best teams in the paddock and it will be good for the fans to have a third year of two British riders campaigning for a British team.

“I realise that it’s not just a case of jumping on a great bike and winning races, but it is going to be brilliant to have access to machinery that’s capable of winning the championship. I realise how hard Neil and James have worked to get where they are at the moment and I’m prepared to put in just as much effort. My confidence is up to 99% now and the other 1% will come from the knowledge that I have a great team behind me for next year. I’ve spent this season learning the tracks and I know that I won’t have any problems getting used to riding a V-twin again, so things are looking good.”

GSE Racing Team Manager Colin Wright sees the signing of Walker as a perfect move for the team.

“We’ve been on the lookout for a second rider ever since it was decided that Neil [Hodgson] would be moving to the Ducati Corse factory team at the end of the season,” explains Wright. “Chris is the ideal man to ride alongside James Toseland and we are delighted to have him on board. Despite a lot of obstacles being placed in his way, he has performed exceptionally well in only his first season at world level and the whole team is unified in it’s belief that the combination of Walker and Toseland will be a force to be reckoned with in 2003.”

From a press release issued by Red Bull Yamaha WCM:

HOPKINS HOME FOR SURGERY

Red Bull Yamaha rider John Hopkins has returned home to the United States for surgery to his left hand following a spectacular crash in the final qualifying session at the German Grand Prix in Sachsenring.

“Hopper” was operated on in San Francisco, California on Monday, 29th July by renowned American Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting.

The 45-minute operation on his left hand involved the insertion of three permanent screws into the metacarpal bone of the middle finger. The screws will assist the metacarpal bone in knitting back together. (The metacarpal bones extend from the wrist to the knuckles of each finger.)

A three-week recovery time is needed following this surgery and John will spend these weeks at home in Ramona, California. John plans to return to a light aerobic training program by the end of this week and will build up his fitness schedule prior to the Czech GP.


John Hopkins
“After the crash in Sachsenring, I went to see a Surgeon that Red Bull recommend for me in Innsbruck in Austria. After some X-rays on the Wednesday, he told me the hand would definitely need surgery to heal correctly. I wanted to get the surgery done in the U.S., I think that’s in my best interest so I planned to come home to the States and see Dr. Ting.

“The X-rays showed that my knuckle was completely busted in half and shoved back into my hand by 4mm. The bone was totally misplaced making my middle finger shorter than it should be by 4mm.

“So I came to Dr. Ting’s clinic in San Francisco for the operation.

“Now, it’s the second day after the surgery and my hand is in a fiberglass-moulded splint to support the bone. I have to keep it solid like this and not mess around with it for 10 days to give the bone time to knit together. I’ve had the dressing changed again today and I’ve got just a small incision in the top of the hand and the Dr. tells me it’s healing up nicely and on schedule.

“I’m only on light painkillers at the moment and the pain has dropped dramatically since yesterday.

“I’m flying home to Ramona, California tonight so I’ll spend my time at home training and getting a few things sorted with my house. I’m still building the second story so I can use the time to get that advanced.

“If there is one good thing about all of this, the timing was perfect. I’ve got time to heal so I’m 100% for Brno. I am really looking forward to Brno, I like everything about that circuit, the flowing track, surrounded by the trees, it’s unbelievable and really suits my riding style. So I’ll be training hard as soon as I can so I can be 100% fit for that.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From AMA Pro Racing:

YATES CROWNED 2002 CHAMPION OF PRO HONDA OILS SUPERSPORT

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Aaron Yates wrapped up the 2002 Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Sunday by taking his fifth series win of the year. It marks the second individual AMA road racing championship for Yates, a 28-year-old factory Suzuki rider from Milledgeville, Ga. He won the AMA Superstock (then known as 750 Supersport) championship in 1996, and was also a member of the championship-winning Cycle Motion Racing AMA SuperTeams squad in 1995. SuperTeams was a multi-rider endurance style competition that evolved into what is today Formula Xtreme. Yates is the first rider in six years to secure the highly competitive AMA U.S. Supersport Championship before the final race. Miguel Duhamel was the last rider to pull off that feat in 1996.

Yates began the year by winning the prestigious Daytona round for the first time in his career. It was considered a big breakthrough for Yates to win that race. With his six foot and 173-pound frame, Yates, who gave away about a 30- to 40-pound disadvantage to most other top riders, was never considered a top contender on the Supersport machines at the horsepower hungry Daytona International Speedway road course.

Yates backed up his Daytona victory with West Coast wins at California Speedway and Sears Point Raceway to open up a big lead in the series. He then went on to win at Road America and Mid-Ohio and posted podium finishes at Road Atlanta, Brainerd and Laguna Seca. His victory at Mid-Ohio was a bold move by Yates. He had a large enough lead in the series that he only needed 10th-place or better finish to wrap up the title. Instead of playing it conservatively, Yates went out and won his first Mid-Ohio Supersport race.

“Mid-Ohio has always been a real fun track for me,” said Yates after winning the race. “I’ve always gone real well here. I’ve never really put it all together in a 600 race. I’ve been there a few times and fell off towards the end. But this weekend I was just thinking yeah, I could take it easy and ride around and clinch the championship, or I can go out and ride hard and try to win the race. And if something happens, I got a pretty good cushion, I can still go out the next weekend and try and get in the top ten.”

With his 12-career victories Yates is third on the all-time AMA Supersport wins list. It marks the third AMA Supersport championship for Suzuki, with Yates following in the footsteps on Doug Polen (1988) and Steve Crevier (1998) – the other AMA Supersport champions who rode for Suzuki.

From American Honda/Universal Studios:

AMA/Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championships, Chevy Trucks Superbike Final, Round 13: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH, July 26-28


Honda Racing’s Nicky Hayden continues to shine in the AMA Superbike Championship. In one of the most exciting races of the year Eric Bostrom got away early and built a lead of 7.6 seconds at the halfway point of the race. Hayden charged from behind and came within .0341 of a second of beating Bostrom at the line. Hayden took home valuable 2nd place championship points and a 32-point lead with 3 races remaining.

Teammate Miguel Duhamel finished in 7th place.

Erion Honda Racing’s Kurtis Roberts continues his comeback from injury early in the season and finished the day in 6th place.

AMA/Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championships, Chevy Trucks Superbike Final, Round 14: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH, July 26-28

Honda Racing’s Nicky Hayden won Sunday’s Superbike main event in convincing fashion. Eric Bostrom got away early but Hayden quickly caught and passed him and was pulling away when the red flag came out due to a downed rider. On the re-start Bostrom again got the jump but was followed closely by Hayden. Hayden made his move and made it stick and won the race going away by 1.6 seconds. Hayden now takes a 35 point series lead into the final event of the season a doubleheader at Virginia International Raceway.

Erion Honda Racing’s Kurtis Roberts finished the event in 4th place, while Red Rider Miguel Duhamel finished 7th.


More, from HMC Ducati:

Race One:

HMC Ducati rider Doug Chandler was running in sixth place when he was forced to pull out of Mid-Ohio’s first race with a broken foot peg. The peg broke in the eighth lap and was replaced when he returned to the pits, but he chose not to re-enter the race at the rear of the pack.

Flash thunderstorms an hour before the race, delayed the start. Although the track was quick to dry in the Ohio heat, turn one continued to seep water leaving a wet section that forced riders to take another line. Isolated thunderstorms are predicted again for tomorrow’s race.

“At this track you’re pretty active on the pegs,” said Chandler. “Of all the places to break it was going into the first turn. As I back shifted my foot broke loose and tipped me in early so I had to go across the water and had a moment. I put my foot out and rode all the way to the edge of the track with my foot on the ground. I didn’t know if I was going to keep it on the track or head onto the wet grass.

“I thought we could have easily run with Pascal (Picotte) through that race, I wasn’t too sure where Arran (Yates) was but I thought we had a good shot with those two. I was biding my time but we had our race cut short.”


Race Two:

HMC Ducati rider Doug Chandler did another late race charge, coming from ninth place, in the first lap, to finish fifth at Mid Ohio’s second race. The veteran rider picked off riders one-by-one making the action for fifth almost as exciting as the action up front. Chandler was bridging the gap on Kurtis Roberts, in sixth place, when a nasty crash of Aaron Yates brought out the red flag stopping the race. The restart was more favorable for Chandler, who immediately went on the hunt for Roberts, passing Jamie Hacking in the process and finally having to settle for fifth just 0.75 seconds behind Roberts.


Doug ended his day with another two-seater ride, this time for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Ricky Claar took the seat behind Chandler as he did two flying laps of Mid-Ohio on a Ducati 748. Arai generously donated a Doug Chandler replica helmet for Ricky to use on the ride and keep as a souvenir. Joe Rocket supplied the use of leathers and gave a Chandler T-shirt that was personally signed. HMC would like to thank Corse Superbikes for arranging the bike through their demo fleet.

“Our race bike wouldn’t start in the first race so we had to use the back-up bike. That put me off a little, but once we got into the race I got going pretty good,” said Chandler. “I knew I had Kurtis, and the guys I was with, covered. Then at the red flag we made some changes but I don’t think that was the problem, I think there was something wrong with the bike that just got progressively worse. I wasn’t very happy with the way it was handling. It was frustrating just sitting back and watching those ahead of me broaden the gap, even if it was slowly. We’ll go over the data and see if we can find the problem.”


More, from Team America Grand Prix Racing:

DISALVO PODIUMS ONCE AGAIN

Team America Grand Prix Racing Team rider Jason DiSalvo wrapped up a solid weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a third place finish in Sunday’s AMA MBNA 250 GP Championship race.

After qualifying fourth the day before, Jason was comfortable with his starting spot. “Turn one at Mid-Ohio is the fastest corner on the track. The best line is to sweep it from the outside [to the] in [side]. Because I was starting the race from the spot that’s on the racing line, I didn’t have to sweep to the outside at the start of the race to take the corner. From turn one on, I only had to worry about racing the track and not other riders. The bike was set up perfectly, but sometimes it’s hard to dial in the horsepower with the two-stroke bikes when the weather changes as fast as it does here. We’ll get ‘em next time”, said the Stafford, New York 18 year old. Jason currently sits third in GP points with 233 – just 37 points from first. It still is mathematically possible for Jason to win the GP championship, but the most extreme of circumstances would have to combine for this to happen. More probable is a second place finish for the season as Jason is only three points out of second.

In Sunday’s Wiseco Superbike 100 (the second of a twin-race weekend format), Jason achieved his goal of running a strong race and gaining the experience necessary to become more competitive both in superbikes as well as other classes. A 9th place finish bettered Saturday’s result by two spots when he finished 11th. Jason currently sits 15th in superbike points with 148.

Team co-owner, Jim DiSalvo remarked that, “This was a remarkably good weekend despite a couple of mis-steps. Jason’s never run here before, he learned the track very quickly and he performed like a true professional. We’re all very proud of him and the entire team.” Jim continued by saying, “In the coming weeks, we should be able to give definitive answers to the many questions that many people have been asking about what we’ll be doing next year. I think they’ll all be shocked, but that’s all I can say for now.”

After competing next weekend at Summit Point, Jason concludes the AMA series August 9th – 11th at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia.

Team America’s success is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, who include: ABS, Cruise America, Freddie Spencer’s High Performance Riding School, Dunlop Tires, Nutec Race Fuel, DID Chain, Chatter Box, GMD Computrack, Arai Helmet, Kushitani, Carbon Tech and Select Collision.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From an e-mail from Greg Esser:

“After 15 long weeks, I got this cast off July 23rd. So I will be at VIR to try to ride. I should have enough movement to shift and ride well enough to enjoy racing again.

“I used crutches the first day the cast was removed, but since then have been walking and riding my bicycle. As the day goes along, it does swell quite a bit. So I will have to be careful of that. By next week, it should be even better and that’s what I am hoping for.

“I’ll see you there on Thursday (August 8).

“Greg Esser”


Editorial Note: Esser, 42, crashed his Honda RS250 during the AMA event at California Speedway in April. Esser broke his left ankle badly, and doctors initially told Esser that he would never ride again.