From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION
HRC Winter Test Jerez, December 11, 2002.

Weather Spoils Final Day of HRC Winter Test

Persistent rain ensured the final day of the rain-swept three-day HRC winter test at Jerez was no more productive than the opening two days. Heavy overnight rain and persistent showers in the morning again ended any hopes of serious testing being completed by three of the four riders.

Nicky Hayden was the one rider to put in serious track time on his RC211V. The US Superbike Champion, who joins the MotoGP championship in 2003, put in a total of 57 laps today, the majority of them on a wet track.

Hayden has little experience of full wet tyres in rainy conditions and the inclement weather while disappointing in many ways, was in others, a Godsend to Hayden, who waited until after lunch to take to the track. Hayden was also lucky enough to get in a few laps on a fast-drying track at the end of the day. But with the sun going down he had little chance of looking for a fast time.

“Well I’ve learned a lot this week,” said Hayden. “I needed the wet track time and I like the positive feel of the RC211V in the wet. When the track was more or less dry I got in some time with a dry set-up but it was very cold, and we couldn’t do much, but again it was good experience. We go to Malaysia next so I guess we will get a lot of dry track time there. I’m going home for the holidays. I hope everybody in racing enjoys the Christmas holiday and I wish you all a Happy New Year.”

Japanese stars Daijiro Kato and Tohru Ukawa had done as much as they could do with their RC211Vs on the opening two days and did very little today. Both men preferring to wait for test sessions in the finer weather the Southern Hemisphere has to offer HRC in the New Year.

MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi was a disappointed man at the end of the three days, in which he had not completed 20 laps of the 4.423km Andalucian track.

“What can we do?” Said Rossi, before setting off for the airport and home. “Very unfortunate that we lost so much time. A great pity because we had some important tyre testing to do with Michelin. We will have to do that at Sepang, Malaysia, in January.

“We get to take a holiday now and I wish all in motorcycle racing a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you at MotoGP in 2003.”

From a press release issued by Dr. Rob Tuluie:

Hello Everybody,

just a quick update:

We have been hard at work getting the Tul-aris ready for the next event, which will be at Willow Springs, Ca., on Dec 13-15. Besides testing new Michelin tires, we will also test our new 800cc Powervalve motor, with new Hot Seat Performance-developed exhaust pipes, re-valved Ohlins suspension, new body work and fresh paint. So far, indications are that the new motor is a quite a bit more powerful that what we had before. A quick run on the Doug Lofgren/Manley Cycle dyno showed over 155 hp and more than 105 ft-lbs of torque (both at the rear wheel), with safe jetting and without even trying hard to optimize everything. In addition, the powervalves (machined from titanium billet by DCM Services) help improve midrange power by over 20 hp–it should be a blast! If you can make it out to Willow for the race, please be sure to visit us in the pits.

best,

Rob

From a press release issued by CMRRA:

Twice the Excitement at Willow

You should be able to get all the motorcycle road racing you can handle this weekend, December 14-15, when Willow Springs Raceway will feature two separate motorcycle races.

WSMC will be racing the big bikes on the main track and CMRRA will be racing 50cc-80cc road race motorcycles on the Willow Kart Track.

CMRRA is where riders such as John Hopkins, Chris Ulrich, Jason Perez and many others started their careers.

Be sure to check it out.

From a press release issued by Team Hammer, Inc.:

Registration Now Open For Team Hammer Talent Search Presented By Alpinestars

Preliminary details of the 2003 Team Hammer Talent Search Presented By Alpinestars have been released and rider registration for the program is now open.

The Team Hammer Talent Search Presented by Alpinestars is designed to help participants reach the highest level their talent will allow in motorcycle road racing. It covers riding, bike set-up, sponsorship, dealing with the media and other major components of professional motorcycle road racing. Participants in the program will receive honest advice and evaluation, and straight answers to their questions, including The Big Question: “How do I get from where I am to where I want to be in motorcycle road racing?”

The program is being run by Team Hammer, Inc., which currently races primarily in AMA Pro competition as Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki.

Two participants in the program will earn full rides for the 2003 Suzuki Cup Finals held in conjunction with the WERA Grand National Finals, including the use of one Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki racebike for the event weekend, the full-time attention of a team mechanic at the event, tires, entry fees and a set of brand new Alpinestars leathers, boots and gloves in team colors. One of the two finalists will be considered for a 2004 season ride with the team.

Included in the program are three set-up seminar and instruction dates, at Daytona in February, California Speedway in March and Barber Motorsports Park in April.

Evaluation and judging of program participants will be based on 2003 race results; riding improvement seen during the season; and performance in designated special events, including CCS races at Daytona in February, AMA Sports races at Mid-Ohio in July and WERA races at Barber in September.

Additional information and registration forms are located online in the News section at www.teamhammer.com and can also be ordered from Team Hammer, Inc. at (909) 245-6414.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom and Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo recorded the fastest Superbike and Supersport lap times, respectively, on the first day of the Dunlop tire tests at Daytona International Speedway.

Bostrom recorded a 1:49.322 on his ex-Nicky Hayden Honda RC51 to lead all Superbike riders even though Bostrom only spent a few hours with the 999cc V-Twin and rode on Hayden’s set-up most of that time.

“It was Nick’s race-winning set-up from last year,” said Bostrom. “It worked great for Nick; it just didn’t work for me.”

Bostrom said Hayden’s set-up was “more dirt track…real high in the front, real stiff in the rear. He must have been burning the thing around the track.

“I tend to have the bike a little more biased toward the front and a bit soft in the back. Just two different riding styles.

“We left Nick’s set-up and burned through the (test) tires. At the end of the day, we changed it kind of to what I like, which is just softer everywhere. It’s like a new bike. That thing’s almost raceable right now. It’s pretty cool!”

Bostrom also survived a tense moment en route to his fast time. “I found a false neutral between downshifts in the second (west) horseshoe. I was like da-da-da-da-da, like I had plenty of time to stop, which you usually do if you go off the left side. But at the last minute, I locked the front. I was like, ‘Oh, no! I’m not going to stop!’

“When I lost the front it put me a little bit off angle. (makes gesture of not being straight up and down) Right before the (hay) bales, I fell off under it. It was strange because the bike bounced off the bales, then kind of did this wrestling move and body-slammed me.

“I had myself stuck under the sprocket and chain. The rear tire was still spinning. It spun a hole through my suit. I was stuck. I’m like, ‘I can’t believe it. I’ve never been stuck under a bike before, and I’m stuck!’ The bike didn’t get a scratch, just me.”

DiSalvo, 18, impressed with the fastest lap time among the Supersport riders in his first official appearance as a factory rider. DiSalvo said he got slightly lucky on his fastest lap, catching a draft from a Superbike down the back straightaway and then catching a second draft from Erion Honda’s Alex Gobert around the east banking to record a 1:53.032 on the new, fuel-injected Yamaha YZF-R6.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel was listed as doing a 1:51.247 on his Honda CBR600RR on the AMA Pro Racing timing and scoring system, but Duhamel told Roadracingworld.com that he cut through the chicane on that particular lap. Duhamel’s best actual lap time was a 1:53.628.

Even with the first two days of the test rained out and a late start on the third day, Dunlop National Road Race Manager Jim Allen was pleased at the end of Wednesday. “We’re pretty darn happy at the moment,” said Allen. “We’ve got race times going on right now with both types of motorcycles (Superbikes and Supersport bikes).

“I think it’s fair to say the new crop of 600s is probably improved, but I think we’ve addressed the issues that those things brought along and integrated by the track as well. So we’re pretty happy with the lap times on the 600s, and real happy with our times on the big bikes right now.

“We got good distance on the two Hondas today. We got race distance or segment distance on two of those with no problems at all and good lap times. So we’re happy.

“If there was an issue brought up by the track changes, and I really think there is, I think we’ve addressed those problems. When we designed the tires for this test, we took into account what we learned in October (at the Formula USA races), and I think we seem to be OK at the moment. Overall, things seem to be going OK. We’ll have a meeting tonight; all of us technicians will get together and pool what we’ve learned and try to figure what we can get out of (Thursday) morning.”

The Dunlop tire test at Daytona was scheduled to last until 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Lap times as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.125
2. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:51.238
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.394
4. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:52.638
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:52.986
6. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.969
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.098
8. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.209
9. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.307
10. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.599
11. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:55.637
12. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.838
13. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:56.676
14. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:57.133
15. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:57.171
16. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:57.325
17. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR600RR, 1:58.452
18. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:58.555
19. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR600RR, 2:00.836

Most riders have commented that the track is “dirty” and/or “green.”

Opinions on the new chicane layout are fairly consistent. Supersport riders generally like the new chicane. Superbike riders generally don’t like the new chicane.

American Honda’s Kurtis Roberts and Ben Bostrom moved from their CBR600RRs on to testing their RC51 Superbikes Wednesday afternoon. Bostrom is being cheered on by friend and Indy car driver Max Papis. A motorcycle road racer in his youth back in Europe, Papis is trying to negotiate a swap of a ride in his race car for Bostrom for a ride on Bostrom’s Superbike. Bostrom said the problem will be talking Honda into it.

Miguel Duhamel is concentrating on the new CBR600RR Wednesday and suffered a crash at 1:45 p.m. local time. Duhamel lowsiding lightly enough on the left side so as not to break a footpeg, clip-on or lever. Duhamel was uninjured in the fall and rode the bike back to the pits.

HRC test rider Gaku Kamada is spending time on several of the Hondas. Kamada’s mission is to gain knowledge of Daytona International Speedway so he can relate the experience to HRC’s engineers. Kamada is also riding Roberts’, Bostrom’s and Duhamel’s Hondas to get a second opinion on any particular problems the riders may experience, again to help HRC engineers better understand the bikes and the American racers, according to Honda Team Manager Chuck Miller.

Kawasaki riders are trying to dial in the suspension of their new ZX-6RRs. Tony Meiring suffered some sort of mechanical failure early Wednesday afternoon, but no fluids could be seen leaking from his ZX-6RR. Meanwhile, Yamaha riders are concentrating on the fuel-injection system’s power delivery. Honda 600 riders are working on overall set-up. No Suzuki GSX-R600s have gone out on track Wednesday morning.

Looking in better shape than he has in recent years, Anthony Gobert is all systems go on his Ducati Austin Racing 998s and has already started testing tires with some success. Likewise, Jason Pridmore has already offered positive feedback to Dunlop on the rear tires he has tried on his Superbike-spec Attack Suzuki GSX-R1000. Pridmore’s teammate Josh Hayes has already completed multiple successful race-distance runs on some of Dunlop’s new rear DOT-labeled tires.

Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Marty Craggill spent Wednesday morning breaking in the engine of his Superbike-legal CBR954RR and learning the Daytona track on his Honda CBR600RR.

Roger Lee Hayden expects to get back out on track Wednesday afternoon; he had been sidelined due to a morning crash.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final lap times:

1. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:49.322
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:49.468
3. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:49.475
4. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:49.626
5. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.869
6. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.076
7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.382
8. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.474
9. Gaku Kamada, Honda RC51, 1:52.644
10. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:52.716
11. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.032
12. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.348
13. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-636RR, 1:53.435
14. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:53.454
15. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.628
16. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.871
17. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.977
18. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.109
19. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.204
20. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.583
21. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.599
22. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.432
23. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:56.660
24. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:56.677
25. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR600RR, 1:59.112
26. Brian Parriott, R1100RS, 2:19.384

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Bikes rolled out onto the track at 10:37 a.m. today at Daytona International Speedway to begin the annual Dunlop tire tests. The test was scheduled to start Monday, December 9 and end today, but rain on Monday and Tuesday forced riders to sit out the first two days. Tuesday, officials extended the test until 1:00 p.m. local time Thursday, December 12.

The delayed start on Wednesday was not directly due to rain. Riders waited until the west banking of the speedway tri-oval dried before heading out.

The banking is so steep that portions of the track remain shaded from sunlight until the sun climbs higher in the sky.

The first factory rider to go on course was Kawasaki’s Tony Meiring on his ZX-6RR. Meiring was quickly followed by several other riders.

Technically, Brian Parriott was the first rider to go on course during the three-day test. Parriott actually took to the wet 3.56-mile road course Monday morning on a BMW Boxer Cup racebike supplied by BMW North America. Parriott was again the first rider out on Wednesday.

BMW’s appearance at the test was a special deal set up between BMW, Dunlop, Daytona International Speedway and AMA Pro Racing. The most surprising element was that Parriott rode on Metzeler/Pirelli DOT-labeled tires with special permission from Dunlop National Road Race Manager Jim Allen, as a courtesy to the AMA Pro Racing and the Speedway.

“We’re trying to downplay that part of the deal. Jim Allen was very generous. It was very nice of him,” said BMW North America Aftermarket Consultant Richard Dampf. Dampf was involved with the BMW Legends race program. “We’re just testing clutches. The lap times aren’t very important. That’s why we aren’t worried about the damp track.”

Gerald Young, a BMW North America employee who works as an instructor at AMI, also made laps on a BMW Boxer Cup bike on Monday morning but did not run Wednesday morning.

Young and Parriott will join Jimmy Lewis, Jay Springsteen and an undecided fifth rider as BMW North America’s tentative team line-up in the BMW Boxer Cup race. The controversial BMW Boxer Cup race is scheduled as a support race for the AMA Superbike weekend at Daytona in 2003. Other BMW Boxer Cup racebikes will be supplied for American journalists and VIPs to run in the March race.

Another new face appeared on pit lane Friday morning. HRC test rider Gaku Kamada suited up and took one of Miguel Duhamel’s RC51 Superbikes out. “He was here for testing in August,” said American Honda Team Coordinator Ray Plumb. “He has a very good feel for some things.”

Most of the factory riders pitted after their first lap or first few laps of the track. As the riders returned to the pits, mechanics pulled most bikes’ lower fairings off and put torque wrenches on bolts, apparently looking for fluid leaks and loose fasteners. One rider who didn’t pit after his first few laps was Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden. Hayden was the first rider to crash, falling at approximately 10:50 a.m. local time.

“I lost the rear over in the second horseshoe,” said Hayden, who was uninjured in the highside. “I don’t know what happened.”

Neither Hayden nor his mechanics knew if they would be able to get Hayden’s bike back on track. Evidently the parts supply for the new Honda CBR600RR is low.

Teams are expected to test straight through Wednesday, skipping the lunch break, and be back on track at 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Rain is forecast for Thursday but not expected to arrive in the Daytona Beach area until the afternoon, after the test is scheduled to end.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Fastest lap times as of 3:40 p.m. Eastern Time:

1. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:49.811
2. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:49.812
3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.291
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:50.303
5. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:50.461
6. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.993
7. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.029
8. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.045
9. Gaku Kamada, Honda RC51, 1:53.331
10. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:53.454
11. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.628
12. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.639
13. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.725
14. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.977
15. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.041
16. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-636R, 1:54.100
17. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.386
18. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.948
19. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.599
20. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:55.738
21. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR600RR, 1:56.432
22. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:56.676
23. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:58.571
24. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR600RR, 1:59.112
25. Brian Parriott, BMW R1100RS, 2:19.384

From a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Walker and Toseland test new Ducati

Chris Walker has made his long awaited debut on the Ducati 998 F02 at the team’s first pre-season test at Valencia. The Nottingham rider joined team-mate James Toseland for a three-day test session at the Spanish circuit that will host the first round of the 2003 World Superbike series on 2 March.

As expected, Walker quickly became familiar with the power and handling characteristics of the HM Plant Ducati, despite an ankle injury sustained in a Supermoto accident last month. He made good progress on the first two days of the test but opted to sit out the last day (Monday) to rest his injury.

“I felt a bit beat up and sore after covering 40 laps on Saturday and Sunday,” admitted Walker. “I couldn’t move my ankle properly so I wasn’t really able to get any valuable feedback. However, I was dead chuffed to get into the mid-35s on my first shakedown test, which is already a second faster than I’ve ever gone round this circuit before.

“When I first jumped on the HM Plant Ducati it felt great. The riding position was a bit different to what I’m used to but it didn’t take long to adjust my style. Under the circumstances, I’ve achieved what I set out to achieve in terms of getting a feel for the twin and settling into my new team. I’m now desperate to get myself fully fit and ready for the next test in the new year.”

Now entering his third season with GSE Racing, James Toseland’s objectives at the start of the test were different to those of his team-mate: “I was eager to get on the HM Plant Ducati again after two months. I’ve missed the track time and was determined to get as many miles as possible under my belt even at this early stage.

“The new F02 has more poke through the power range compared to last season’s model. That was what I expected and needed for 2003. My fastest lap was 1:35.37, set on race tyres, which equalled Ben Bostrom’s lap record from earlier this year. I was also able to run consistently in the mid-35s. However, I felt quite tired on the third day after completing 240 laps, so there wasn’t much for me to prove and I didn’t want to risk a crash just for a faster time.

“I’m really pleased with the way I’ve ridden and I feel that I’ve taken full advantage of the good weather conditions we’ve enjoyed over the weekend. Dunlop has provided me with a wide range of tyres for testing, and that has proved useful. I know the track really well too and it will fill me with confidence for the remaining tests and the start of next season.”