Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
This just in from Luckey R. Yates, Aaron’s father, via e-mail, regarding an AMA Pro Racing press release we posted previewing this weekend’s races at Mid-Ohio:
Previews Mid-Ohio AMA SBK Races 7-24…. AMA quote: ’30 year old Aaron Yates’……….FYI, Aaron is 28.
From a press release issued by Eric Bostrom’s manager, Norm Viano:
Five poles in a row?
July 24, 2002 – Las Vegas, NV. Eric Bostrom is on a roll. The popular Las Vegas rider is heading to Mid-Ohio to give Nicky Hayden everything he can handle in his quest for the AMA Superbike Championship. Based on Eric’s performance this season, Nicky will have his hands full. Currently sitting in second position (36 points) behind Nicky, Eric’s two wins, eight podiums and four straight pole positions in the Superbike class is proof that Eric might just be the best road racer in America.
One thing is certain, however, Eric is ready for Mid-Ohio. “I like the doubleheader format. We have a better fight with the championship and with getting every point available. We’ve been the fastest guy lately, but have been at a disadvantage at some of these long-straightaway tracks. But these last couple of tracks don’t have long straightaways, so it’s playing into our hands.”
Not only is Eric riding exceptionally well this season, but the entire Kawasaki road racing team, and particularly his core team of Matt Worbes, Kenny Hunter, and Jeremy Robinson are all working hard to give Eric everything he needs to win the AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Championship. “The crew– we’re all working really well together. Communication just seems to be getting better and better. Now we’re pretty comfortable together and not making big changes to the bike like we maybe did earlier in the season. We have things more under control.”
An anticipated big crowd at Mid-Ohio (which might be 70,000 to 80,000 strong for the weekend) will be on hand to watch the battle. “The crowd is always good at Mid-Ohio. I’m not a local boy there, but there still seem to be lots of fans cheering for me. It’s one of the better races that we go to. And I’m feeling real good. Results-wise, Mid-Ohio’s never treated me all that great in the past. So it’s time that we win there. I said the same thing about Sears Point, that we were going to finally go there and win, and we didn’t because the bike chattered all the way around the track. So if we can get the chatter out of the bike this weekend, we’re going to be dangerous.”
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By John PG Hopkins (the writer, not the racer)
AMA 250cc Grand Prix regular Ed Sorbo made the long haul from Laguna Seca to compete at Mosport last weekend and found the trek to be well worth the effort.
The Redlands, California resident won the regional Pro 250cc GP event, breaking his own lap record in the process, and placed third in the fourth round of the Diablo Paintballs Can-Am 125cc GP Series.
Sorbo’s 125cc performance was particularly impressive as this was his first-ever race action on a 125. He rode a Honda owned by series organizer John Bickle that had been damaged in a crash at the previous series round in Grattan, MI.
Sorbo made the repairs and fitted Bridgestone tires. With no practice or timed qualifying Sorbo was forced to start from the back of his heat race grid. He made it up to sixth in the qualifier, putting him on the outside of row three for the 12-lap feature.
In the main event Sorbo rose impressively to lead a seven-bike mob disputing third place and held off veteran 125cc ace Jim Struke for the final podium spot.
“On the last lap I goofed in Moss’s [turn 5] and we were side by side up the backstraight,” Sorbo explained. “I had the edge off the backstraight and blocked the inside in the last turn. The bugger went outside and still almost got me.”
A big Mosport fan, Sorbo was all smiles after his 125cc experience. “I was more nervous before this race than I think I’ve ever been,” Sorbo admitted. “But it was a really fun race, exciting, and everyone rode clean.”
Honda Canada development rider Chris Peris won the 125cc Grand Prix race.
More, from a press release issued by event organizers:
Forty-three riders took to the grid for Sunday’s round three of the Diablo Paintball Can-Am 125GP Challenge Presented by Durmach. From the front to the back of the grid there were groups of three to seven riders battling it out the entire twelve lap race for position.
Due to the large turnout for the event, there were insufficient transponders for timed qualifying and so two five lap heat races were held Saturday afternoon to set the field.
In the first heat race it was a battle between series points leader Dave Wright and young gun Logan Myers for the win. Mark Gonyou challenged early but he dropped back in the last two laps leaving the battle between Myers and Wright. Wright was quicker through the corners, pulling a gap on Myers, but Myers had horsepower on Wright. Down the back straight Myers pulled the draft and pass on Wright, but Wright fought back and re-took the lead in turn eight. Myers got a good drive out of the last turn and drafted up behind Wright. Wright though had just enough to hold off Myers by a wheel at the line. Had the finish line been ten feet farther ahead the outcome may have been different.
In heat race two the action was hot and fast. Again it was a two rider dogfight between factory Honda Canada rider Chris Peris and Corey Sherman. The two swapped the lead several times per lap for the first three laps, until Sherman decided to cool it and go to school on Peris. On the last lap Sherman closed up the gap in the esses of turns eight and nine and was carrying a lot of speed into the final turn when he thought up the Hail Mary pass and put his bike just under Peris, then ran it all the way out on to the rumblestrips and hold off Peris’ counterattack by half a bike at the finish. “That was a ton of fun, it was anyone’s race,” said Peris. “Corey made a great pass, I can’t wait for tomorrow, it’s going to be a fantastic race.”
Pole was decided by the quicker of the two races, Corey Sherman took the pole with his race win in at a total time of 7:45.343 for the five lap heat, versus 7:48.496 for Dave Wright.
Besides Honda Canada’s Chris Peris, Ed Sorbo, currently number five in points in the AMA 250GP series made the trip to Mosport riding series organizer John Bickle’s 1996 Honda RS125. Sorbo, from Redlands, California, may have had the longest tow to the track, but not far behind were Morrison, Colorado’s John Hjelm and Houston, Texas’ Emmit Dibble.
It was Corey Sherman who took the holeshot in Sunday’s twelve lap feature. With him though were Peris and Myers with Mark Gonyou, Dave Wright and Taylor Knapp just behind. As the riders exited Moss for the first time and went down the back straight the sound of those 43 125s echoed throughout the entire Mosport facility! Logan Myers was the leader as the riders completed lap two, getting the drive out of Moss and down the back straight to do the draft and pass into the lead. Sherman was having nothing of it though as he would battle back and retake the lead on lap three. The top three riders were trying to check out from the field, but series points leader Dave Wright who had his head down, had separated himself from Gonyou and Knapp and was within five bike lengths of the lead trio.
Chris Peris made his way to the front and took his turn on point coming of the back straight on lap three. As the lead four battled there way around the track on lap four Myers went to make the pass for second around Sherman and the two came into contact. Sherman went off into the grass at over 140 kilometers an hour yet managed to save it and continue on in fourth. Myers continued on but would tuck the front three corners later in turn five, taking points leader Wright with him. “We were turning a good pace when Logan lost the front going into Moss,” said Wright after the race. “I had a choice of hitting him or his bike. I hit his rear wheel and went down, I think I broke my collarbone.”
Perris now had a two second lead on Sherman and try as he might Sherman could never get the lead down under one and a half seconds even though he was running laps at or near the new 125 lap record of 1:30.792.
The battle for third through ninth was a classic 125 scrap. Ed Sorbo, Mark Gonyou, Taylor Knapp, Jim Struke, John Hjelm, Jeff Chen and Yvan Desi all swapped positions in a race-long battle. Sorbo and Struke, who both did not get the best of starts, had to battle their way from the back of the top 10 up to third and fourth. As they made their way to the checkers it was a near photo finish, but Sorbo was just able to hold off Struke for the final podium position. “I think that for next year they need to move the finish line up about 10 feet,” said Struke. “If it would have been there, I think I would have had third.”
“That race was unbelievably intense!” said Sorbo on the podium. “I can’t think of a race where I had that many guys to race with. If you got by one, there was someone else coming up on you. On the last lap I goofed in Moss, and Struke and I were side by side all the way up the back straight. We were eyeballing each other out the side, and it just came down to having the outside by an inch on him on the turn off the back straight and tried to leave him some room. I blocked the inside going into the last turn and the sneaky bugger went around the outside! I think I held him off by a quarter inch at the line! I have to thank John Bickle for giving me the chance to come up here and run. There were just a hundred bumblebees everywhere you went. Everyone raced really well, everyone gave each other plenty of room to race, I think it was a great show!”
“It was a great race out there,” said race winner Peris. “I felt better out there then I have all weekend. The traffic really helped me out, I was able to use them for the draft and get a bit of a lead. Corey was turning about the same lap times as me, I feel fortunate to win.”
“I’m happy with second today, declared Sherman. “After my off track excursion there in two Chris had a gap that I just couldn’t close. At times I thought I made some ground, but it wasnt to be. But second is good, we got points towards the championship and well go on from here.”
Formula USA was very impressed with the show put on by the 125s and has issued an open invitation for the Diablo Paintball 125 series to run with them in 2003!
Round four of the series will be August 9-11 at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia. The series will enjoy full FIM and NAMU sanctioning for the event and is looking forward to having 12 riders from Bermuda come to the Maritime Province to join in the series. The race will also be taped for television as part of the Canadian Superbike Series.
TOP 10
Chris Peris, Corey Sherman, Ed Sorbo, Jim Struke, Yvan Desi, Taylor Knapp, Mark Gonyou, Jeff Chen, John Hjelm, Dave Thompson.
TOP 10 POINTS
1 Dave Wright 125, 2 Corey Sherman 123, 3 Mark Gonyou 99, 4 Jim Struke 90, 5 Chris Peris 86, 6 Stuart Nodell 83, 7 John Dempsey 53, 8 Matthew Dennie 49, 9 Logan Myers 45, 10 Taylor Knapp 44
Full results and points standings can be found at the series website: www.can-am125gp.com
From a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC. REPORTS RECORD SECOND QUARTER REVENUE AND EARNINGS
Highly Anticipated New 100th Anniversary Models Introduced
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HDI) announced record revenue and earnings for its second quarter ended June 30, 2002. The Company’s second quarter revenue was $1.0 billion, an increase of 16.1 percent over the same period last year. Diluted earnings per share for the second quarter were 47 cents, a 25.4 percent increase compared to last year.
“In the midst of challenging economic times, we are pleased to deliver another record quarter,” said Jeffrey L. Bleustein, chairman and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Worldwide retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for the first half of the year grew 19 percent over the same time period last year.”
Motorcycles and Related Products Segment – Second Quarter Results
Second quarter revenue from Harley-Davidson® motorcycles was $760.1 million, an increase of 12.7 percent over last year. Shipments of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the second quarter totaled 65,540 units, up 5,379 units or 8.9 percent over last year. As a result of continued manufacturing success and customer demand, the Company is increasing its 2002 target for Harley-Davidson motorcycles from 261,000 to 262,000, an 11.2 percent increase over the prior year.
Second quarter revenue from Parts and Accessories (P&A), which consists of Genuine Motor Parts and Genuine Motor Accessories, totaled $168.8 million, a 21.8 percent increase from the year-ago quarter.
Second quarter revenue from General Merchandise, which consists of MotorClothesä apparel and collectibles, totaled $51.3 million, up 54.7 percent or $18.1 million over the same period last year. Revenue from 100th Anniversary MotorClothes items accounted for more than $10 million of the increase.
On a longer-term basis, the Company expects the growth rate for P&A revenues to increase slightly faster than the Harley-Davidson motorcycle unit growth rate. General Merchandise is expected to grow slightly slower than the motorcycle unit growth rate.
Second quarter gross margin was 33.5 percent of revenue, which matches 2001’s second quarter gross margin. Second quarter operating margin for the Motorcycles and Related Products Segment was 18.3 percent of revenue, compared to 17.9 percent of revenue for the same period last year.
Pension Plan Assumption
During the quarter, the Company adjusted its long-term expected return on pension plan assets from 10.5 to 8.5 percent as a result of projected market conditions. The pre-tax impact of this change was a $3 million expense for the quarter and is expected to be approximately $6 million in expense for the full year.
Harley-Davidson Retail Data
Retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the United States were up 20.4 percent for the period January through June 2002, when compared to the same period last year. Harley-Davidson retail sales in Europe and Japan were up 11.3 and 10.3 percent, respectively, when compared with 2001. Refer to the accompanying table for available industry data.
Financial Services Segment – Second Quarter Results
Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. (HDFS) reported second quarter operating income of $37.0 million, up from $23.1 million in the year-ago quarter. The subsidiary’s performance was better than expected and was driven primarily by strong retail loan originations through the dealer network and strong credit quality of its loan portfolio. The Company’s second quarter securitization of $586 million of motorcycle retail loans resulted in a gain of $21.4 million, which compares to a securitization of $366 million and gain of $16.8 million during the prior year second quarter.
The Company is raising its expectation for HDFS’s total year 2002 operating income to be approximately 50 percent higher than 2001 performance. Over the long term, the Company expects the HDFS growth rate to be slightly higher than the Company’s motorcycle unit growth rate.
Cash Flow Reporting
With this second quarter report, Harley-Davidson is providing investors with even greater financial transparency by including a cash flow statement as one of the supporting schedules. “We are continuing our practice of providing clear and concise financial information to the investment community,” said James L. Ziemer, vice president and chief financial officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Operations generated cash of over $427 million during the first six months of 2002, allowing us to fund our manufacturing expansion and maintain the strength of our balance sheet.”
Share Repurchase
During the quarter, the Company repurchased approximately 514,000 shares of its common stock. This brings the share repurchase amount to 1,089,000 shares on a year to date basis.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. – Six Month Results
For the six month period, revenue totaled $1.93 billion, a 17.7 percent increase over the year-ago period. Diluted earnings per share were 87 cents, an increase of 27.7 percent compared to the first six months last year. Shipments of Harley-Davidson motorcycle units were 130,209 a 13.9 percent increase over last year’s 114,315.
Through the first six months of this year, Harley-Davidson motorcycle revenue was $1.51 billion, a 17.0 percent increase over the $1.29 billion in revenue in 2001.
For the first six months of 2002, P&A revenue totaled $300 million, a 21.2 percent increase over last year’s $247.5 million, while General Merchandise revenue totaled $93.6 million, a 29.4 percent increase compared with $72.3 million during the same period in 2001.
For the first six months, HDFS operating income was $49.2 million, a $21.1 million increase.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel, and general merchandise. Buell Motorcycle Company produces sport and sport-touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs to Harley-Davidson dealers and customers.
From a press release issued by Honda:
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Brands Hatch, Europe – 2002 World Superbike championship round 10, 2002 World Supersport championship round nine – Sunday July 28
Edwards out to impress biggest crowd of year
Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards is aiming to continue where he left off in the last round with a repeat victory in Sunday’s 10th round of the World Superbike championship at Brands Hatch, GB.
The European round traditionally attracts the biggest spectator attendance of the year and last year’s 122,000 three-day crowd is expected to be drastically increased with ticket sales more than 30 percent up on last year.
Edwards arrives at Brands Hatch after a test at Suzuka, Japan last week and following his victory in a thrilling second race of round nine at Laguna Seca, USA two weeks ago.
“Winning at Laguna Seca was very special for me,” admits Edwards. “I’d never even finished on the podium there before in my life. It was great for everyone involved in the team to get that much needed boost and it went down well with the American fans they were keen to tell me how they were going to buy SP-2s after watching me win.”
Edwards takes on the Brands Hatch event, 53 points behind series leader Troy Bayliss but the American SP-2 rider believes the 2002 season is far from over.
“You only have to look what happened at Laguna Seca, as soon as I got a gap at the front Troy started making mistakes as he was trying to catch up. It would take nothing to turn this championship on its head,” says Edwards.
The affable 28-year-old is also setting the pace in the record books this year with 17 successive podium finishes, eclipsing the previous record of 12 set by Carl Fogarty in ’95 and ’99.
Edwards has also contributed 23 wins to the Castrol Honda team’s tally of 47 from the nine years the team has challenged for the World Superbike title and, more than a third of the team’s 158 podium finishes.
The Texan’s record at Brands Hatch is equally impressive with four wins in the last four years at the 2.62-mile circuit.
“Everything’s in place for me to go out, win two races and shoot straight back into the title race,” predicts Edwards. “We are confident that the SP-2 Michelin combination will work at Brands Hatch and, after the Laguna Seca win, I’ve never been more fired up.”
Mark Heckles will be hoping to give the Castrol Honda Rumi team success on the HRC kit SP-2 at Brands Hatch the scene of Heckles’ first podium finish on his international debut in the 2000 European Superstock race.
“Brands Hatch is a circuit I know and like and, just like the Silverstone round in May, it’s my home country with a big crowd and I’d like to give them something to shout about,” says Heckles.
The World Supersport championship resumes at Brands Hatch with Ten Kate Honda’s Fabien Foret looking to extend his three-point championship lead in Sunday’s ninth round.
Foret, looking for his fourth race win of the year believes: “We have everything needed to win at Brands Hatch. The Ten Kate Honda has won there before and on Pirelli tyres so I’ve every reason to believe I can win again.”
Foret is joined in the Ten Kate team by Scotsman Iain MacPherson, looking to improve on his current 11th place in the points standings.
The Honda UK duo of Karl Muggeridge and John McGuinness have every reason to believe Brands Hatch can bring success to the CBR600-mounted pair.
Muggeridge is confident the engine improvements made in the break since the last round at Misano, San Marino five weeks ago will be enough for him to add to his podium finish at Silverstone earlier in the year.
World Supersport rookie McGuinness is convinced Brands Hatch will give him the kind of result he’s been searching for all year.
McGuinness says: “I’ve won at Brands Hatch before and held the Supersport lap record so I just can’t wait to get going and at a circuit I know well. It’s been tough at times this year trying to learn new circuits, set up the machine and record fast qualifying laps but it should be different this weekend.”
The Van Zon Honda team currently hold eighth and 15th places in the championship standings, with Chris Vermeulen and Werner Daemen respectively.
Brands Hatch data:
Superbike:
2001 Qualifying: Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda) 1:26.556
2001 Superpole: Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:26.769
2001 Winner: Ben Bostrom (Ducati) x 2
Lap record: Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 1:26.884 (July 2001)
Supersport:
2001 pole position: James Whitham (Yamaha) 1:29.668
2001 winner: Jorg Teuchert (Yamaha)
Lap record: Iain MacPherson (Kawasaki) 1:30.129 (August 2000)
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Racer John Hopkins may face surgery on his left hand, broken during qualifying for last weekend’s German Grand Prix.
Hopkins is seeking a fourth opinion on his hand, following two opinions that he does not need surgery and one that the break in his third metacarpal is too wide and should be pinned.
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Racer John Hopkins and Red Bull Yamaha WCM’s Peter Clifford plan to attend the AMA National at Virginia International Raceway August 9-11.
Hopkins, who won the 2000 AMA 750cc Supersport Championship and the 2001 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship with Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, now rides a Yamaha YZR500 for Red Bull Yamaha.
Clifford is Racing Director for Red Bull Yamaha and visited the AMA National at Brainerd in 2001, prior to signing Hopkins to a three-year MotoGP deal.
The team plans to campaign Honda RC211V engines in a Moriwaki chassis in 2003.
Hopkins will be accompanied to VIR by his girlfried, Desiree Crossman.
From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:
Rounds 13 & 14, 2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, USA
MLADIN CHASES REPEAT WINS AT MID-OHIO
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will play host to the penultimate meeting for 2002 season with a double header round (rounds 13 & 14) of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship scheduled for this weekend, July 27 – 28.
Australia’s Mat Mladin will return to Ohio as the defending race winner, after taking victory in the first of the double header races at the corresponding meeting last year before finishing second in race two. The Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki rider is also the current AMA Superbike lap record holder at the 3.86km (2.40 miles) circuit with a lap time of 1-min 26.498-secs.
The three times American AMA Superbike champion is looking forward to the round, even though he is still in a certain amount of discomfort with his injured hands he suffered when he crashed heavily during the final qualifying session of the World Superbike event at Laguna Seca less than two weeks ago. Mladin severely bruised the backs of both hands in the fall.
“I’m still having a bit of trouble moving the ring finger on my left hand, plus there is still a lot of swelling between my thumb and index finger on my right hand,” Mladin said. “There isn’t much that I can do about it at the moment, so we will be heading to Mid-Ohio and trying our best there.
“Even though the results haven’t shown it this year, I feel that I have been riding well,” added Mladin. “A lot of people felt that I rode a lot better at Laguna, but I feel that I have been riding as hard as I possibly can all year. A lot has depended on how the bike has suited that particular track. This weekend we are hopeful that we will have some updated parts from our suspension supplier Showa and that will allow us to continue to make progress with development of the bike.”
With four races remaining in this year’s championship, Mladin is still fiercely determined to stand atop the winners podium at the end of each race.
“Hopefully I’m going to win four races. That’s what I hope to do. If I can get a motorcycle that I can ride, it will make it a possibility. I don’t mind the Mid-Ohio circuit. It has a couple of little problem areas, but apart from that it’s fine. We had a win here last year, so hopefully we can go out there and repeat it again this weekend.”
Mladin arrives at Mid-Ohio lying in an uncustomary ninth place overall on the points standings with a total of 207 points. American Honda’s Nicky Hayden leads the points table with 381, with the title shaping up to be fought out between himself and Team Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom who lies second with 345 points.
Qualifying for this weekend’s round gets underway on Friday, with final qualifying and the first Superbike race scheduled for Saturday, before Sunday’s second Superbike national.
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE, AMA FAST FACTS
Circuit Length: 3.86km / 2.40 miles
2001 Pole position: Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:26.498
2001 Race results:
Saturday (Race 1 / 26 Laps)
1. Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki)
2. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki)
3. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
Sunday (Race 2 / 26 Laps)
1. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
2. Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki)
3. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda)
Superbike lap record: Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:26.498 (2001)
2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 12 of 16 rounds)
1. N. Hayden 381; 2. E. Bostrom 345 3. M. DuHamel 298; 4. A. Yates 287; 5. P. Picotte 277; 6. B. Parriott 235, 7. D Chandler 209; 8. J. Hacking 208, 9. M. Mladin 207; 10. B. Livengood 201.
More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
YATES LOOKS TO CLINCH AMA PRO HONDA OILS SUPERSPORT TITLE AT MID-OHIO
PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 40-plus riders will take to the starting line for the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race. One of those riders will win Mid-Ohio’s Supersport race for the first time. Leading the series coming into this weekend’s race is Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates. The 30-year-old veteran racer from Milledgeville, Ga., has three AMA Superbike wins at Mid-Ohio, but has yet to earn a Supersport victory at the track in his nine years of racing the series. It may not be the best circumstances for Yates to get his first Mid-Ohio Supersport win since he’ll certainly be focusing on wrapping up the championship. After winning four of the eight races leading up to Mid-Ohio, Yates needs only a 10th-place finish or better to nail down the 2002 title.
While Yates will be on championship-protection mode, Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden will be looking to finish the season on a high note. Like Yates, Hayden, who is second in the series standings, is vying for his first Mid-Ohio Supersport victory. He lost in an epic struggle with his brother Nicky in one of the most exciting Supersport races at Mid-Ohio in 1999.
Australian Damon Buckmaster is having his best season to date in Supersport racing. The Yamaha factory rider has scored five top-5 finishes in the championship and on Sunday would love nothing better than to win his first Supersport race.
Jimmy Moore’s late-season surge has put him in an excellent position to defending his No. 1 plate in Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock. In the last four rounds Moore has won twice and finished second twice on his Corona Suzuki. That has help Moore pass early series leader Lee Acree. But the championship is far from over. While Moore is the defending Mid-Ohio winner, Acree is expected to be strong at the track as well. The series concludes at Acree’s home track in Virginia, so Moore will be looking to get as much of a cushion as possible this weekend. Third ranked Tommy Hayden, who is racing a 600cc machine in the 750cc-dominated Superstock class, has an outside chance of catching the two leaders should they have bad luck.
Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme has turned out to be the most hotly contested championship in the AMA’s national road racing series this season. Honda, which dominated Formula Xtreme in its first four years of existence but took a backseat to Suzuki last year, is back on top of the standings with Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Jake Zemke. Zemke, of Paso Robles, Calif., holds a slim eight-point lead over Attack Suzuki rider Jason Pridmore. Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster has more wins (three) than any other rider in Formula Xtreme, yet still finds himself third in the championship chase – nine points out of the lead. Tom Kipp, of Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, will be a fan favorite at Mid-Ohio. The veteran racer from nearby Chardon, Ohio, is the defending winner of the race. The Formula Xtreme Series will go down to the final round in Virginia in August, but the Mid-Ohio race will play a pivotal roll in the final outcome.
A total of eight riders still have at least a mathematical chance to win the MBNA 250 Grand Prix championship, but realistically frontrunner Chuck Sorensen is going to be hard to stop. The 29-year-old from Sunnyvale, Calif., is on track to give Italian maker Aprilia its first AMA national title. Sorensen himself is looking for his third championship in the 250GP series. Injury has kept five-time Mid-Ohio 250 winner Rich Oliver from serious contention in his bid to win a fifth AMA 250 Grand Prix title. However, losing parts of fingers and toes in separate accidents hasn’t kept Oliver from winning races. He is seeking his third 250GP win in a row this weekend at Mid-Ohio. Oliver’s teammate Perry Melneciuc runs second in the series standings, while young Jason DiSalvo is third. Both will be seeking their first career AMA 250GP victory.
Live coverage of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport final begins at 12 p.m. Eastern on Speed Channel, with repeats on Tuesday, July 30 at 10 p.m. and again at 3 a.m. Speed Channel’s coverage of the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series from Lexington, Ohio, will air Tuesday, August 6 at 8 p.m. and again at 1 a.m. Eastern.
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Michael D. Green
The AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course wrapped up on Sunday after a three-day extravaganza of AHRMA road racing, motocross, trials, and flat-track along with a 900-vendor swap meet.
Pat Mooney dominated the headline Premier 500 class on his Petty Manx Norton Replica, winning the event on both Saturday and Sunday. Mooney was shadowed closely in both races by Jay Richardson and his Manx Norton replica.
Dave Roper made a welcome return to AHRMA competition, although he was not riding under the Team Obsolete banner. Roper won the 350 GP event on Saturday on a Honda and finished third in Sunday’s Premier 500 race on a Manx Norton.
Paul Vitale on a Ducati 748 battled with Eric Gulbransen on a Ducati 996 in AHRMA’s Twins events. Vitale finished the weekend with three race wins, but he was beaten by Gulbransen in Sunday’s Sound of Thunder race. Al Charles won both Super Mono races on the Ducati SuperMono that he purchased new in 1993.
Results are available from AHRMA’s website at
http://www.ahrma.org/results/rr2002-13-14.htm
Racer Eric Falt married Diane Groves April 28 in Dallas, Texas. Racer Brian Roach is engaged to marry Laura Granato in April 2003. (Handy editorial hint: Submit wedding, engagement, birth and other milestone information via e-mail sent to [email protected]. Include your contact information, daytime phone number and evening phone number in case further information is needed.)
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
This just in from Luckey R. Yates, Aaron’s father, via e-mail, regarding an AMA Pro Racing press release we posted previewing this weekend’s races at Mid-Ohio:
Previews Mid-Ohio AMA SBK Races 7-24…. AMA quote: ’30 year old Aaron Yates’……….FYI, Aaron is 28.
From a press release issued by Eric Bostrom’s manager, Norm Viano:
Five poles in a row?
July 24, 2002 – Las Vegas, NV. Eric Bostrom is on a roll. The popular Las Vegas rider is heading to Mid-Ohio to give Nicky Hayden everything he can handle in his quest for the AMA Superbike Championship. Based on Eric’s performance this season, Nicky will have his hands full. Currently sitting in second position (36 points) behind Nicky, Eric’s two wins, eight podiums and four straight pole positions in the Superbike class is proof that Eric might just be the best road racer in America.
One thing is certain, however, Eric is ready for Mid-Ohio. “I like the doubleheader format. We have a better fight with the championship and with getting every point available. We’ve been the fastest guy lately, but have been at a disadvantage at some of these long-straightaway tracks. But these last couple of tracks don’t have long straightaways, so it’s playing into our hands.”
Not only is Eric riding exceptionally well this season, but the entire Kawasaki road racing team, and particularly his core team of Matt Worbes, Kenny Hunter, and Jeremy Robinson are all working hard to give Eric everything he needs to win the AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Championship. “The crew– we’re all working really well together. Communication just seems to be getting better and better. Now we’re pretty comfortable together and not making big changes to the bike like we maybe did earlier in the season. We have things more under control.”
An anticipated big crowd at Mid-Ohio (which might be 70,000 to 80,000 strong for the weekend) will be on hand to watch the battle. “The crowd is always good at Mid-Ohio. I’m not a local boy there, but there still seem to be lots of fans cheering for me. It’s one of the better races that we go to. And I’m feeling real good. Results-wise, Mid-Ohio’s never treated me all that great in the past. So it’s time that we win there. I said the same thing about Sears Point, that we were going to finally go there and win, and we didn’t because the bike chattered all the way around the track. So if we can get the chatter out of the bike this weekend, we’re going to be dangerous.”
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By John PG Hopkins (the writer, not the racer)
AMA 250cc Grand Prix regular Ed Sorbo made the long haul from Laguna Seca to compete at Mosport last weekend and found the trek to be well worth the effort.
The Redlands, California resident won the regional Pro 250cc GP event, breaking his own lap record in the process, and placed third in the fourth round of the Diablo Paintballs Can-Am 125cc GP Series.
Sorbo’s 125cc performance was particularly impressive as this was his first-ever race action on a 125. He rode a Honda owned by series organizer John Bickle that had been damaged in a crash at the previous series round in Grattan, MI.
Sorbo made the repairs and fitted Bridgestone tires. With no practice or timed qualifying Sorbo was forced to start from the back of his heat race grid. He made it up to sixth in the qualifier, putting him on the outside of row three for the 12-lap feature.
In the main event Sorbo rose impressively to lead a seven-bike mob disputing third place and held off veteran 125cc ace Jim Struke for the final podium spot.
“On the last lap I goofed in Moss’s [turn 5] and we were side by side up the backstraight,” Sorbo explained. “I had the edge off the backstraight and blocked the inside in the last turn. The bugger went outside and still almost got me.”
A big Mosport fan, Sorbo was all smiles after his 125cc experience. “I was more nervous before this race than I think I’ve ever been,” Sorbo admitted. “But it was a really fun race, exciting, and everyone rode clean.”
Honda Canada development rider Chris Peris won the 125cc Grand Prix race.
More, from a press release issued by event organizers:
Forty-three riders took to the grid for Sunday’s round three of the Diablo Paintball Can-Am 125GP Challenge Presented by Durmach. From the front to the back of the grid there were groups of three to seven riders battling it out the entire twelve lap race for position.
Due to the large turnout for the event, there were insufficient transponders for timed qualifying and so two five lap heat races were held Saturday afternoon to set the field.
In the first heat race it was a battle between series points leader Dave Wright and young gun Logan Myers for the win. Mark Gonyou challenged early but he dropped back in the last two laps leaving the battle between Myers and Wright. Wright was quicker through the corners, pulling a gap on Myers, but Myers had horsepower on Wright. Down the back straight Myers pulled the draft and pass on Wright, but Wright fought back and re-took the lead in turn eight. Myers got a good drive out of the last turn and drafted up behind Wright. Wright though had just enough to hold off Myers by a wheel at the line. Had the finish line been ten feet farther ahead the outcome may have been different.
In heat race two the action was hot and fast. Again it was a two rider dogfight between factory Honda Canada rider Chris Peris and Corey Sherman. The two swapped the lead several times per lap for the first three laps, until Sherman decided to cool it and go to school on Peris. On the last lap Sherman closed up the gap in the esses of turns eight and nine and was carrying a lot of speed into the final turn when he thought up the Hail Mary pass and put his bike just under Peris, then ran it all the way out on to the rumblestrips and hold off Peris’ counterattack by half a bike at the finish. “That was a ton of fun, it was anyone’s race,” said Peris. “Corey made a great pass, I can’t wait for tomorrow, it’s going to be a fantastic race.”
Pole was decided by the quicker of the two races, Corey Sherman took the pole with his race win in at a total time of 7:45.343 for the five lap heat, versus 7:48.496 for Dave Wright.
Besides Honda Canada’s Chris Peris, Ed Sorbo, currently number five in points in the AMA 250GP series made the trip to Mosport riding series organizer John Bickle’s 1996 Honda RS125. Sorbo, from Redlands, California, may have had the longest tow to the track, but not far behind were Morrison, Colorado’s John Hjelm and Houston, Texas’ Emmit Dibble.
It was Corey Sherman who took the holeshot in Sunday’s twelve lap feature. With him though were Peris and Myers with Mark Gonyou, Dave Wright and Taylor Knapp just behind. As the riders exited Moss for the first time and went down the back straight the sound of those 43 125s echoed throughout the entire Mosport facility! Logan Myers was the leader as the riders completed lap two, getting the drive out of Moss and down the back straight to do the draft and pass into the lead. Sherman was having nothing of it though as he would battle back and retake the lead on lap three. The top three riders were trying to check out from the field, but series points leader Dave Wright who had his head down, had separated himself from Gonyou and Knapp and was within five bike lengths of the lead trio.
Chris Peris made his way to the front and took his turn on point coming of the back straight on lap three. As the lead four battled there way around the track on lap four Myers went to make the pass for second around Sherman and the two came into contact. Sherman went off into the grass at over 140 kilometers an hour yet managed to save it and continue on in fourth. Myers continued on but would tuck the front three corners later in turn five, taking points leader Wright with him. “We were turning a good pace when Logan lost the front going into Moss,” said Wright after the race. “I had a choice of hitting him or his bike. I hit his rear wheel and went down, I think I broke my collarbone.”
Perris now had a two second lead on Sherman and try as he might Sherman could never get the lead down under one and a half seconds even though he was running laps at or near the new 125 lap record of 1:30.792.
The battle for third through ninth was a classic 125 scrap. Ed Sorbo, Mark Gonyou, Taylor Knapp, Jim Struke, John Hjelm, Jeff Chen and Yvan Desi all swapped positions in a race-long battle. Sorbo and Struke, who both did not get the best of starts, had to battle their way from the back of the top 10 up to third and fourth. As they made their way to the checkers it was a near photo finish, but Sorbo was just able to hold off Struke for the final podium position. “I think that for next year they need to move the finish line up about 10 feet,” said Struke. “If it would have been there, I think I would have had third.”
“That race was unbelievably intense!” said Sorbo on the podium. “I can’t think of a race where I had that many guys to race with. If you got by one, there was someone else coming up on you. On the last lap I goofed in Moss, and Struke and I were side by side all the way up the back straight. We were eyeballing each other out the side, and it just came down to having the outside by an inch on him on the turn off the back straight and tried to leave him some room. I blocked the inside going into the last turn and the sneaky bugger went around the outside! I think I held him off by a quarter inch at the line! I have to thank John Bickle for giving me the chance to come up here and run. There were just a hundred bumblebees everywhere you went. Everyone raced really well, everyone gave each other plenty of room to race, I think it was a great show!”
“It was a great race out there,” said race winner Peris. “I felt better out there then I have all weekend. The traffic really helped me out, I was able to use them for the draft and get a bit of a lead. Corey was turning about the same lap times as me, I feel fortunate to win.”
“I’m happy with second today, declared Sherman. “After my off track excursion there in two Chris had a gap that I just couldn’t close. At times I thought I made some ground, but it wasnt to be. But second is good, we got points towards the championship and well go on from here.”
Formula USA was very impressed with the show put on by the 125s and has issued an open invitation for the Diablo Paintball 125 series to run with them in 2003!
Round four of the series will be August 9-11 at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia. The series will enjoy full FIM and NAMU sanctioning for the event and is looking forward to having 12 riders from Bermuda come to the Maritime Province to join in the series. The race will also be taped for television as part of the Canadian Superbike Series.
TOP 10
Chris Peris, Corey Sherman, Ed Sorbo, Jim Struke, Yvan Desi, Taylor Knapp, Mark Gonyou, Jeff Chen, John Hjelm, Dave Thompson.
TOP 10 POINTS
1 Dave Wright 125, 2 Corey Sherman 123, 3 Mark Gonyou 99, 4 Jim Struke 90, 5 Chris Peris 86, 6 Stuart Nodell 83, 7 John Dempsey 53, 8 Matthew Dennie 49, 9 Logan Myers 45, 10 Taylor Knapp 44
Full results and points standings can be found at the series website: www.can-am125gp.com
From a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:
HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC. REPORTS RECORD SECOND QUARTER REVENUE AND EARNINGS
Highly Anticipated New 100th Anniversary Models Introduced
Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HDI) announced record revenue and earnings for its second quarter ended June 30, 2002. The Company’s second quarter revenue was $1.0 billion, an increase of 16.1 percent over the same period last year. Diluted earnings per share for the second quarter were 47 cents, a 25.4 percent increase compared to last year.
“In the midst of challenging economic times, we are pleased to deliver another record quarter,” said Jeffrey L. Bleustein, chairman and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Worldwide retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for the first half of the year grew 19 percent over the same time period last year.”
Motorcycles and Related Products Segment – Second Quarter Results
Second quarter revenue from Harley-Davidson® motorcycles was $760.1 million, an increase of 12.7 percent over last year. Shipments of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the second quarter totaled 65,540 units, up 5,379 units or 8.9 percent over last year. As a result of continued manufacturing success and customer demand, the Company is increasing its 2002 target for Harley-Davidson motorcycles from 261,000 to 262,000, an 11.2 percent increase over the prior year.
Second quarter revenue from Parts and Accessories (P&A), which consists of Genuine Motor Parts and Genuine Motor Accessories, totaled $168.8 million, a 21.8 percent increase from the year-ago quarter.
Second quarter revenue from General Merchandise, which consists of MotorClothesä apparel and collectibles, totaled $51.3 million, up 54.7 percent or $18.1 million over the same period last year. Revenue from 100th Anniversary MotorClothes items accounted for more than $10 million of the increase.
On a longer-term basis, the Company expects the growth rate for P&A revenues to increase slightly faster than the Harley-Davidson motorcycle unit growth rate. General Merchandise is expected to grow slightly slower than the motorcycle unit growth rate.
Second quarter gross margin was 33.5 percent of revenue, which matches 2001’s second quarter gross margin. Second quarter operating margin for the Motorcycles and Related Products Segment was 18.3 percent of revenue, compared to 17.9 percent of revenue for the same period last year.
Pension Plan Assumption
During the quarter, the Company adjusted its long-term expected return on pension plan assets from 10.5 to 8.5 percent as a result of projected market conditions. The pre-tax impact of this change was a $3 million expense for the quarter and is expected to be approximately $6 million in expense for the full year.
Harley-Davidson Retail Data
Retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the United States were up 20.4 percent for the period January through June 2002, when compared to the same period last year. Harley-Davidson retail sales in Europe and Japan were up 11.3 and 10.3 percent, respectively, when compared with 2001. Refer to the accompanying table for available industry data.
Financial Services Segment – Second Quarter Results
Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. (HDFS) reported second quarter operating income of $37.0 million, up from $23.1 million in the year-ago quarter. The subsidiary’s performance was better than expected and was driven primarily by strong retail loan originations through the dealer network and strong credit quality of its loan portfolio. The Company’s second quarter securitization of $586 million of motorcycle retail loans resulted in a gain of $21.4 million, which compares to a securitization of $366 million and gain of $16.8 million during the prior year second quarter.
The Company is raising its expectation for HDFS’s total year 2002 operating income to be approximately 50 percent higher than 2001 performance. Over the long term, the Company expects the HDFS growth rate to be slightly higher than the Company’s motorcycle unit growth rate.
Cash Flow Reporting
With this second quarter report, Harley-Davidson is providing investors with even greater financial transparency by including a cash flow statement as one of the supporting schedules. “We are continuing our practice of providing clear and concise financial information to the investment community,” said James L. Ziemer, vice president and chief financial officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Operations generated cash of over $427 million during the first six months of 2002, allowing us to fund our manufacturing expansion and maintain the strength of our balance sheet.”
Share Repurchase
During the quarter, the Company repurchased approximately 514,000 shares of its common stock. This brings the share repurchase amount to 1,089,000 shares on a year to date basis.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. – Six Month Results
For the six month period, revenue totaled $1.93 billion, a 17.7 percent increase over the year-ago period. Diluted earnings per share were 87 cents, an increase of 27.7 percent compared to the first six months last year. Shipments of Harley-Davidson motorcycle units were 130,209 a 13.9 percent increase over last year’s 114,315.
Through the first six months of this year, Harley-Davidson motorcycle revenue was $1.51 billion, a 17.0 percent increase over the $1.29 billion in revenue in 2001.
For the first six months of 2002, P&A revenue totaled $300 million, a 21.2 percent increase over last year’s $247.5 million, while General Merchandise revenue totaled $93.6 million, a 29.4 percent increase compared with $72.3 million during the same period in 2001.
For the first six months, HDFS operating income was $49.2 million, a $21.1 million increase.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel, and general merchandise. Buell Motorcycle Company produces sport and sport-touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc. provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs to Harley-Davidson dealers and customers.
From a press release issued by Honda:
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Brands Hatch, Europe – 2002 World Superbike championship round 10, 2002 World Supersport championship round nine – Sunday July 28
Edwards out to impress biggest crowd of year
Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards is aiming to continue where he left off in the last round with a repeat victory in Sunday’s 10th round of the World Superbike championship at Brands Hatch, GB.
The European round traditionally attracts the biggest spectator attendance of the year and last year’s 122,000 three-day crowd is expected to be drastically increased with ticket sales more than 30 percent up on last year.
Edwards arrives at Brands Hatch after a test at Suzuka, Japan last week and following his victory in a thrilling second race of round nine at Laguna Seca, USA two weeks ago.
“Winning at Laguna Seca was very special for me,” admits Edwards. “I’d never even finished on the podium there before in my life. It was great for everyone involved in the team to get that much needed boost and it went down well with the American fans they were keen to tell me how they were going to buy SP-2s after watching me win.”
Edwards takes on the Brands Hatch event, 53 points behind series leader Troy Bayliss but the American SP-2 rider believes the 2002 season is far from over.
“You only have to look what happened at Laguna Seca, as soon as I got a gap at the front Troy started making mistakes as he was trying to catch up. It would take nothing to turn this championship on its head,” says Edwards.
The affable 28-year-old is also setting the pace in the record books this year with 17 successive podium finishes, eclipsing the previous record of 12 set by Carl Fogarty in ’95 and ’99.
Edwards has also contributed 23 wins to the Castrol Honda team’s tally of 47 from the nine years the team has challenged for the World Superbike title and, more than a third of the team’s 158 podium finishes.
The Texan’s record at Brands Hatch is equally impressive with four wins in the last four years at the 2.62-mile circuit.
“Everything’s in place for me to go out, win two races and shoot straight back into the title race,” predicts Edwards. “We are confident that the SP-2 Michelin combination will work at Brands Hatch and, after the Laguna Seca win, I’ve never been more fired up.”
Mark Heckles will be hoping to give the Castrol Honda Rumi team success on the HRC kit SP-2 at Brands Hatch the scene of Heckles’ first podium finish on his international debut in the 2000 European Superstock race.
“Brands Hatch is a circuit I know and like and, just like the Silverstone round in May, it’s my home country with a big crowd and I’d like to give them something to shout about,” says Heckles.
The World Supersport championship resumes at Brands Hatch with Ten Kate Honda’s Fabien Foret looking to extend his three-point championship lead in Sunday’s ninth round.
Foret, looking for his fourth race win of the year believes: “We have everything needed to win at Brands Hatch. The Ten Kate Honda has won there before and on Pirelli tyres so I’ve every reason to believe I can win again.”
Foret is joined in the Ten Kate team by Scotsman Iain MacPherson, looking to improve on his current 11th place in the points standings.
The Honda UK duo of Karl Muggeridge and John McGuinness have every reason to believe Brands Hatch can bring success to the CBR600-mounted pair.
Muggeridge is confident the engine improvements made in the break since the last round at Misano, San Marino five weeks ago will be enough for him to add to his podium finish at Silverstone earlier in the year.
World Supersport rookie McGuinness is convinced Brands Hatch will give him the kind of result he’s been searching for all year.
McGuinness says: “I’ve won at Brands Hatch before and held the Supersport lap record so I just can’t wait to get going and at a circuit I know well. It’s been tough at times this year trying to learn new circuits, set up the machine and record fast qualifying laps but it should be different this weekend.”
The Van Zon Honda team currently hold eighth and 15th places in the championship standings, with Chris Vermeulen and Werner Daemen respectively.
Brands Hatch data:
Superbike:
2001 Qualifying: Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda) 1:26.556
2001 Superpole: Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:26.769
2001 Winner: Ben Bostrom (Ducati) x 2
Lap record: Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 1:26.884 (July 2001)
Supersport:
2001 pole position: James Whitham (Yamaha) 1:29.668
2001 winner: Jorg Teuchert (Yamaha)
Lap record: Iain MacPherson (Kawasaki) 1:30.129 (August 2000)
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Racer John Hopkins may face surgery on his left hand, broken during qualifying for last weekend’s German Grand Prix.
Hopkins is seeking a fourth opinion on his hand, following two opinions that he does not need surgery and one that the break in his third metacarpal is too wide and should be pinned.
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Racer John Hopkins and Red Bull Yamaha WCM’s Peter Clifford plan to attend the AMA National at Virginia International Raceway August 9-11.
Hopkins, who won the 2000 AMA 750cc Supersport Championship and the 2001 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship with Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, now rides a Yamaha YZR500 for Red Bull Yamaha.
Clifford is Racing Director for Red Bull Yamaha and visited the AMA National at Brainerd in 2001, prior to signing Hopkins to a three-year MotoGP deal.
The team plans to campaign Honda RC211V engines in a Moriwaki chassis in 2003.
Hopkins will be accompanied to VIR by his girlfried, Desiree Crossman.
From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:
Rounds 13 & 14, 2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, USA
MLADIN CHASES REPEAT WINS AT MID-OHIO
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will play host to the penultimate meeting for 2002 season with a double header round (rounds 13 & 14) of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship scheduled for this weekend, July 27 – 28.
Australia’s Mat Mladin will return to Ohio as the defending race winner, after taking victory in the first of the double header races at the corresponding meeting last year before finishing second in race two. The Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki rider is also the current AMA Superbike lap record holder at the 3.86km (2.40 miles) circuit with a lap time of 1-min 26.498-secs.
The three times American AMA Superbike champion is looking forward to the round, even though he is still in a certain amount of discomfort with his injured hands he suffered when he crashed heavily during the final qualifying session of the World Superbike event at Laguna Seca less than two weeks ago. Mladin severely bruised the backs of both hands in the fall.
“I’m still having a bit of trouble moving the ring finger on my left hand, plus there is still a lot of swelling between my thumb and index finger on my right hand,” Mladin said. “There isn’t much that I can do about it at the moment, so we will be heading to Mid-Ohio and trying our best there.
“Even though the results haven’t shown it this year, I feel that I have been riding well,” added Mladin. “A lot of people felt that I rode a lot better at Laguna, but I feel that I have been riding as hard as I possibly can all year. A lot has depended on how the bike has suited that particular track. This weekend we are hopeful that we will have some updated parts from our suspension supplier Showa and that will allow us to continue to make progress with development of the bike.”
With four races remaining in this year’s championship, Mladin is still fiercely determined to stand atop the winners podium at the end of each race.
“Hopefully I’m going to win four races. That’s what I hope to do. If I can get a motorcycle that I can ride, it will make it a possibility. I don’t mind the Mid-Ohio circuit. It has a couple of little problem areas, but apart from that it’s fine. We had a win here last year, so hopefully we can go out there and repeat it again this weekend.”
Mladin arrives at Mid-Ohio lying in an uncustomary ninth place overall on the points standings with a total of 207 points. American Honda’s Nicky Hayden leads the points table with 381, with the title shaping up to be fought out between himself and Team Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom who lies second with 345 points.
Qualifying for this weekend’s round gets underway on Friday, with final qualifying and the first Superbike race scheduled for Saturday, before Sunday’s second Superbike national.
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE, AMA FAST FACTS
Circuit Length: 3.86km / 2.40 miles
2001 Pole position: Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:26.498
2001 Race results:
Saturday (Race 1 / 26 Laps)
1. Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki)
2. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki)
3. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
Sunday (Race 2 / 26 Laps)
1. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
2. Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki)
3. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda)
Superbike lap record: Mat Mladin (Team Yoshimura Suzuki) 1:26.498 (2001)
2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 12 of 16 rounds)
1. N. Hayden 381; 2. E. Bostrom 345 3. M. DuHamel 298; 4. A. Yates 287; 5. P. Picotte 277; 6. B. Parriott 235, 7. D Chandler 209; 8. J. Hacking 208, 9. M. Mladin 207; 10. B. Livengood 201.
More, from a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:
YATES LOOKS TO CLINCH AMA PRO HONDA OILS SUPERSPORT TITLE AT MID-OHIO
PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 40-plus riders will take to the starting line for the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race. One of those riders will win Mid-Ohio’s Supersport race for the first time. Leading the series coming into this weekend’s race is Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates. The 30-year-old veteran racer from Milledgeville, Ga., has three AMA Superbike wins at Mid-Ohio, but has yet to earn a Supersport victory at the track in his nine years of racing the series. It may not be the best circumstances for Yates to get his first Mid-Ohio Supersport win since he’ll certainly be focusing on wrapping up the championship. After winning four of the eight races leading up to Mid-Ohio, Yates needs only a 10th-place finish or better to nail down the 2002 title.
While Yates will be on championship-protection mode, Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden will be looking to finish the season on a high note. Like Yates, Hayden, who is second in the series standings, is vying for his first Mid-Ohio Supersport victory. He lost in an epic struggle with his brother Nicky in one of the most exciting Supersport races at Mid-Ohio in 1999.
Australian Damon Buckmaster is having his best season to date in Supersport racing. The Yamaha factory rider has scored five top-5 finishes in the championship and on Sunday would love nothing better than to win his first Supersport race.
Jimmy Moore’s late-season surge has put him in an excellent position to defending his No. 1 plate in Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock. In the last four rounds Moore has won twice and finished second twice on his Corona Suzuki. That has help Moore pass early series leader Lee Acree. But the championship is far from over. While Moore is the defending Mid-Ohio winner, Acree is expected to be strong at the track as well. The series concludes at Acree’s home track in Virginia, so Moore will be looking to get as much of a cushion as possible this weekend. Third ranked Tommy Hayden, who is racing a 600cc machine in the 750cc-dominated Superstock class, has an outside chance of catching the two leaders should they have bad luck.
Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme has turned out to be the most hotly contested championship in the AMA’s national road racing series this season. Honda, which dominated Formula Xtreme in its first four years of existence but took a backseat to Suzuki last year, is back on top of the standings with Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Jake Zemke. Zemke, of Paso Robles, Calif., holds a slim eight-point lead over Attack Suzuki rider Jason Pridmore. Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster has more wins (three) than any other rider in Formula Xtreme, yet still finds himself third in the championship chase – nine points out of the lead. Tom Kipp, of Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, will be a fan favorite at Mid-Ohio. The veteran racer from nearby Chardon, Ohio, is the defending winner of the race. The Formula Xtreme Series will go down to the final round in Virginia in August, but the Mid-Ohio race will play a pivotal roll in the final outcome.
A total of eight riders still have at least a mathematical chance to win the MBNA 250 Grand Prix championship, but realistically frontrunner Chuck Sorensen is going to be hard to stop. The 29-year-old from Sunnyvale, Calif., is on track to give Italian maker Aprilia its first AMA national title. Sorensen himself is looking for his third championship in the 250GP series. Injury has kept five-time Mid-Ohio 250 winner Rich Oliver from serious contention in his bid to win a fifth AMA 250 Grand Prix title. However, losing parts of fingers and toes in separate accidents hasn’t kept Oliver from winning races. He is seeking his third 250GP win in a row this weekend at Mid-Ohio. Oliver’s teammate Perry Melneciuc runs second in the series standings, while young Jason DiSalvo is third. Both will be seeking their first career AMA 250GP victory.
Live coverage of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport final begins at 12 p.m. Eastern on Speed Channel, with repeats on Tuesday, July 30 at 10 p.m. and again at 3 a.m. Speed Channel’s coverage of the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series from Lexington, Ohio, will air Tuesday, August 6 at 8 p.m. and again at 1 a.m. Eastern.
Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Michael D. Green
The AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course wrapped up on Sunday after a three-day extravaganza of AHRMA road racing, motocross, trials, and flat-track along with a 900-vendor swap meet.
Pat Mooney dominated the headline Premier 500 class on his Petty Manx Norton Replica, winning the event on both Saturday and Sunday. Mooney was shadowed closely in both races by Jay Richardson and his Manx Norton replica.
Dave Roper made a welcome return to AHRMA competition, although he was not riding under the Team Obsolete banner. Roper won the 350 GP event on Saturday on a Honda and finished third in Sunday’s Premier 500 race on a Manx Norton.
Paul Vitale on a Ducati 748 battled with Eric Gulbransen on a Ducati 996 in AHRMA’s Twins events. Vitale finished the weekend with three race wins, but he was beaten by Gulbransen in Sunday’s Sound of Thunder race. Al Charles won both Super Mono races on the Ducati SuperMono that he purchased new in 1993.
Results are available from AHRMA’s website at
http://www.ahrma.org/results/rr2002-13-14.htm
Racer Eric Falt married Diane Groves April 28 in Dallas, Texas. Racer Brian Roach is engaged to marry Laura Granato in April 2003. (Handy editorial hint: Submit wedding, engagement, birth and other milestone information via e-mail sent to [email protected]. Include your contact information, daytime phone number and evening phone number in case further information is needed.)
