Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former Roadracing World contributor Wilmer E. “Slick” Lawson died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee June 22 at age 65.

In addition to being a writer, Lawson was a photojournalist with his pictures appearing in Time, Life and People magazines, a pilot, a musician and an avid motorcyclist, according to an obituary in the Nashville Tennessean newspaper.

Lawson is survived by two children, two grandchildren and a brother. Services were held Tuesday, June 25 in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to the Nashville Tennessean, the family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38102.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing, which calls the non-AMA, money-paying events Lee Acree has competed in “club and semi-pro” races despite the fact that they pay better than most AMA Pro events:

YATES CLOSING IN ON HIS FIRST PRO HONDA OILS SUPERSPORT TITLE

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Aaron Yates is in his seventh year of Pro Honda Supersport racing. During that time the 28-year-old Georgian has won enough races in the series to move into third on the all-time wins list in the series (only Miguel Duhamel and Mike Smith have won more AMA Supersport races). Yet despite his long and productive AMA Supersport career, Yates has yet to win a championship in the highly-competitive series. He is trying to correct that this year and coming into this Sunday’s race at Brainerd International Raceway, Yates is well on his way to earning his first AMA Supersport title. Yates, who rides for Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki, has a commanding 55-point lead over Kentuckian Tommy Hayden coming into this weekend’s round seven of the 10-race championship followed by Aussie Damon Buckmaster in third.

“I feel good about where I am now,” said Yates, a 10-year AMA road racing veteran. “But I’m not taking anything for granted. I have to go out and make sure I finish out the season to win the championship and I’d like to do it on a winning note if possible.”

Yates and Suzuki teammate Jamie Hacking will line up at Brainerd as the only former AMA Supersport winners at the Central Minnesota road course, but it’s been four years since a Suzuki rider has won a Supersport event at the track.

Tommy Hayden is hoping that Yates makes a mistake somewhere along the line in the final four rounds. The eldest of the three racing Hayden brothers needs a win at Brainerd to close the points gap on Yates. Hayden’s previous best Supersport result at BIR was fourth in 2000. Buckmaster has made a strong return to Supersport after a year away from the series. Brainerd has never been one of his stronger events however; in his previous two Supersport races at Brainerd he finished 10th both times.

Be sure to tune into Speed Channel’s live coverage of the Pro Honda Oils Supersport final at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, June 30.
MBNA 250 Grand Prix Series leader Chuck Sorensen comes to Brainerd — the track where he won his very first AMA National in 1994 — with a solid 45-point lead over Floridian Perry Melneciuc. Sorensen is making a strong bid to win his third AMA 250 Grand Prix championship. His main competition will likely come from last year’s winner Rich Oliver. Oliver is racing this season despite suffering serious injuries at Daytona in March then again at Sears Point in May. Oliver will be trying to win a record sixth AMA 250 Grand Prix race at Brainerd.

Minnesota racing fans will get their first chance to watch Lee Acree race this weekend in the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock race. Acree, 31, from Jamestown, N.C., is a great story – a rider who came late to racing compared to most pros, he spent years as one of the country’s fastest club racers, but raced for fun and never seriously considered a professional racing career. Eventually his results in the club and semi-pro ranks were so strong that friends and sponsors convinced him to give pro racing a try. After a couple years of limited AMA appearances, Acree broke through and won his first AMA national last year in the Superstock season finale. He wasn’t even planning on campaigning the entire 2002 AMA Superstock Series with Arclight Suzuki, but after winning two rounds this season he finds himself leading the championship over defending champ Jimmy Moore. Acree will try to hold off the surging Moore, who rides for Corona Extra Suzuki, and Tommy Hayden, the factory Kawasaki rider who is attempting to become the first rider on a 600cc machine to win the Superstock class.

This year’s Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme Series is the most hotly contested in the six-year history of the series. Five riders are in serious contention for this year’s championship with Attack Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore narrowly leading Graves Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster, Erion Honda riders Jake Zemke and Mike Hale and Pridmore’s young teammate, Ben Spies. Pridmore is on a roll having won the last two rounds, but Honda riders have dominated Formula Xtreme at Brainerd over the years. Zemke is hoping to move up in the rankings by winning his second straight Xtreme race at BIR.

Kirk McCarthy has been unstoppable in the Buell Pro Thunder Series. McCarthy is a perfect three-for-three coming into this weekend’s race. Floridian David Estok earned the win in the class last year at Brainerd and will be hoping to stop McCarthy’s run. It’s possible that McCarthy could wrap-up the title at Brainerd. Burnsville, Minnesota’s Jessica Zalusky comes into this weekend’s race ranked a very respectable 12th in the Pro Thunder standings.


From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist:

BRAINERD A FAVORITE FOR MLADIN

Three times American AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, rates Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd Minnesota, as one of his favorite circuits in the 2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship, but it is also a place where he has had little success.

Brainerd will host round 11 of the championship this weekend (June 29 – 30), with Mladin and his Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki team looking for a return to the winner’s podium after a year that has been less than rewarding.

“Brainerd is one of my favourite tracks in the championship, but it is also a place that I have never won at,” said Mladin. “I’ll be going into the round feeling much better on how things are progressing with the bike. We tested at Virginia recently and I was very happy with what we were able to accomplish there. I’ve had a lot of problems with the rear shock in the bike, as it feels like it wants to throw me off every time I get hard on the gas, but we’ve done a lot of work with the Showa technicians and I feel that we are getting on top of that now.”

In 2001, Mladin set a new Superbike lap record around the 4.828km circuit on his way to securing pole position, but his race ended with an uncharacteristic crash on the opening lap. Nicky Hayden won the race, ahead of his American Honda teammates Kurtis Roberts and Miguel DuHamel.

“It doesn’t matter which way you look at it, it will be a hard race,” said Mladin. “Brainerd is the fastest track that we will go to this year and will be suited more to the big V-twins rather than my four cylinder Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750. At the moment we are behind in speed compared to the Honda’s and even the Kawasaki of Eric Bostrom, but we’ll still be in there trying our best.”

From a press release:

FOGGY PETRONAS RACING: DEBUT ANNOUNCEMENT

Foggy PETRONAS Racing, the newly launched World Superbike Championship team funded by Malaysian petroleum giant PETRONAS, has reconsidered the timing of its competitive debut.

The initial target of the Laguna Seca round of the championship on July 14th has been sacrificed in favour of more testing time.

Team owner Carl Fogarty now aims to have his riders Troy Corser and James Haydon in action on the new Foggy FP1 race bike, launched last week in London, for the showcase races at Brands Hatch on July 28th.

Carl said: “It was always our intention to start racing at the first opportunity. However, the very tight deadlines for everyone involved in this programme have meant that we have had to weigh up whether the time spent travelling to America would be put to better use on additional testing time nearer to home. I now hope that our debut can be at Brands Hatch where I always received such tremendous support during my career.”

From an AMA Pro Racing press release:

Duhamel Hopes to Become First Four-time AMA Superbike Winner at Brainerd

Pickerington, Ohio – At 35, Miguel Duhamel shows no signs of slowing down whatsoever. The 1995 AMA Superbike Champion and all-time wins leader in the history of the series, comes to the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited event that runs June 28-30 at The Colonel’s Brainerd International Raceway as a man on a mission. Two years ago, Duhamel tied Motorcycle Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey’s record of three wins on the high-speed three-mile BIR circuit and this year the Honda veteran comes into Brainerd on a two-race winning streak, something he hasn’t been able to put together on the Superbike tour since 1998. Duhamel’s quest to become the first four-time winner at Brainerd won’t be easy. He’ll have a host of other top Superbike riders to contend with including past Brainerd Superbike winners Nicky Hayden and Eric Bostrom.

“Brainerd has always been a strong track for me,” said Duhamel, a 12-year veteran of the series. “To get a fourth win there and become the all-time Superbike win leader at the track would be pretty special. The fans have always been behind me there and I hope I can give them a good show this year.”

Hayden comes into Brainerd the defending race winner and the series points leader. He edged out fellow Honda rider Kurtis Roberts last year in one of the closest finishes in AMA Superbike history. The 20-year-old Honda rider from Owensboro, Ky., already has six wins to his credit this year — the most AMA Superbike wins in a single season since Duhamel won six in 1995. If Hayden manages to win Sunday, it would mark the second highest number of Superbike wins in a season in the history of the series. Three-time champ Fred Merkel holds the single-season AMA Superbike win record of 10 victories in 1984.

Bostrom returns to Brainerd, the site of his very first AMA Superbike win in 1998. The Kawasaki ace from Las Vegas has been working overtime this season running in both the AMA series and a number of World Superbike Championship races. Bostrom stands second to Hayden in the series standings and would love to chip away at Hayden’s 40-point lead with a victory this weekend. If Bostrom could come out on top it would mark the first win for Kawasaki at Brainerd since 1983 when Rainey took victory on a green machine.

Suzuki’s top gun this year has been Aaron Yates. The veteran racer from Milledgeville, Ga., has scored three podium finishes in the seven rounds leading up to Brainerd. Yates is looking for his first Superbike win of the season and his first at Brainerd, where he has raced since 1996. He’s never managed better than a seventh-place finish in the race.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season has been the off year that defending and three-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin is going through. The 30-year-old Australian has managed only one podium finish this season (a third at Fontana, Calif., in April) and comes into this Sunday’s race ranked sixth in the standings. It’s a far cry from the series domination that Mladin had enjoyed in the last three years. However, Mladin has shown signs of coming back to his old form in recent testing sessions. Even though his chances for a fourth title are slim, Mladin would still love to get back in the win column this year, and there would be no better place than at Brainerd to make that comeback — one of the few racetracks on the circuit where Mladin has not won. In fact, Suzuki riders have never won an AMA Superbike race at BIR.

Local fans will be behind home-state hero Greg Fryer. Fryer, who won an AMA Formula Xtreme race in 1997, is expected to race in the Superbike race on Sunday. Fryer scored his AMA Superbike career best 14th-place finish at Brainerd last year on a Yamaha.

Tune into Speed Channel’s tape-delay coverage of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship at 5 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, June 30.

From a press release issued by Honda:

2002 MotoGP 500 World Championship, round 7
Dutch TT, Assen, June 27/28/29 2002

FOUR-STROKE MotoGP BOOM COMES TO HISTORIC ASSEN

Four-stroke GP bikes return to Assen this weekend for the first time in almost three decades, with Honda’s rampant RCV riders Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V) and Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V)leading the charge.

The HRC duo have totally dominated the early stages of the sport’s new four-stroke era, winning all six races so far, and this Saturday they aim to give Honda its first four-stroke Dutch TT win since Mike Hailwood won the 1967 500 race on his RC181. Rossi’s and Ukawa’s current form suggests that they will continue to reign supreme at historic Assen, the only circuit remaining from motorcycling’s inaugural World Championship year in 1949, but the track’s unique layout and the region’s changeable summer weather make the outcome difficult to predict. The heavily cambered Assen track has also undergone several revisions for 2002, adding another element of surprise to the proceedings.

Rossi was in the hunt for 500 victory at Assen 2000 and 2001 but rain intervened on both occasions, leaving the Italian sixth and second. This weekend, when the MotoGP race will commence 90 minutes later than usual to accommodate the World Cup third-place playoff, the Italian youngster will therefore bid for his first premier-class win at bike racing’s most historic venue.

“I’ve never won the big race at Assen, so I hope we have some good weather this time,” says Rossi, who won his first-ever 250 GP at Assen in 1998, 12 months after winning the 125 race. “Assen is a great track, and the most difficult because it’s impossible to make two laps exactly the same. I think it will be hard work on the four-stroke, because I don’t know if it’ll be possible to use all the RCV’s power. Already with the 500 you couldn’t use 100 per cent of the power. Assen is very strange and very difficult because you never go straight, you never have one second to say ‘Ah, a straight, so now I can rest’. For sure we should be faster than the 500s, but only if we can use all of the four-stroke’s power…”

Ukawa is the only man so far this year to have defeated Rossi (he beat his team-mate by a fraction of a second in April’s South African GP) and another victory would be the perfect way for him to celebrate his 100th GP start. The Japanese rider knows how to win at Assen – two years ago he won the Dutch 250 TT – but last year he found his first 500 race at the track a more difficult experience. Ukawa qualified 11th and finished eighth, finding the complex venue an altogether different kind of a challenge on a much faster motorcycle.

“The RCV will be very interesting at Assen!” Ukawa smiles. “The 500 was very difficult around there, because the bike was almost flying off the camber! But although the four-stroke is even faster, I think it might be easier to use, because the power delivery is more smooth and because the bike is more stable than the 500. We will have to work very hard at set-up because Assen places very unusual demands on the chassis and suspension, but so far this year we’ve found that the bike works well everywhere. We are fast almost immediately, even when we’ve never used the RCV at a track before. But Assen is very different, so we won’t really know what’s going to happen until we get there.”

Honda’s five NSR500 two-stroke riders hope that the RCV will be more within their reach than usual at Assen, and there’s a theory on pit lane that the 500s might have one of their best weekends of the year at the high-speed Dutch track. The two-strokes lose most against the new and super powerful four-strokes during acceleration, but since Assen is an ultra-fast circuit with fast corners and long straights, acceleration isn’t of prime importance in the big class.

“It’s difficult to predict how Assen will be for us,” says Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), who started last year’s Dutch TT from pole position, finishing the race a close-run third. “Some people say the 500s will be competitive there, but I’m not so sure, I think we won’t really know until we’ve completed the first couple of sessions on Thursday.”

Team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500), who made his 200th Grand Prix start at the Catalan GP two weeks ago, is also unsure of what awaits him this weekend. “I’m quite confident of a good weekend, because the last two races have gone really well for me,” says the Brazilian, who won the 2000 Dutch TT on an NSR500 and was top two-stroke rider at Catalunya. “But I’m not sure how we will compare to the four-strokes at Assen. So far this year we’ve not been able to get close to the quickest four-strokes. Maybe Assen will be different, maybe it won’t.”

The pair’s technical director Antonio Cobas reckons that Capirossi and Barros can look forward to good results. “I think we a good chance of matching the four-strokes at Assen because there are no slow corners followed by a long straight, which is the worst situation for us,” he says. “Both Loris and Alex have always done well at this circuit because it’s got so many fast corners.”

Like Ukawa last year, reigning 250 World Champion Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500) faces a major challenge at Assen – his first big-bike race at the track. Kato ruled 250 racing last season but poor weather spoiled his hopes of victory in the Netherlands, and he must look at this visit to the Dutch venue as a learning weekend. Back on track at Catalunya, after tumbles in France and Italy, Kato is looking forward to continuing a return to his impressive earlier form. “After two difficult races, Catalunya proved that we can perform well,” says Kato. “I know Assen will be a big challenge for me, but I’m ready for that. The track probably takes more time to learn than others, so my plan is to get in as many laps as possible during practice and qualifying. For that reason especially, I hope the weather stays dry for all three days.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) ended an impressive run of points-scoring runs at Catalunya where he was knocked down by a rival on the very first lap. The Dutch hero will be hoping for a better race at home. “The last race was quite difficult in all kinds of ways, and I think we can look forward to something much better at Assen,” says van den Goorbergh, darling of the Dutch crowd for the last few years. “Everyone knows we are in a development phase at the moment, developing MotoGP tyres for Bridgestone. This means we aren’t just racing, we’re also testing and evaluating, but I think we’ve done well so far, scoring points at four races and giving Bridgestone a huge amount of feedback. They’re working incredibly hard and keep offering us new tyres. Assen is very unusual from a tyre point of view but I think we’ll have a good race if we go okay in practice. Of course, I want to put on a bit of a show for the crowd, so I’ll be doing my best to get as close to the front as I can.”

Fifth NSR rider Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500), who has shown some promising flashes of speed at the last few GPs, is another man who knows all about the unique challenges offered by Assen. “I’ve won on the 250 there but it’s a very different racetrack on a 500,” says the Japanese. “Some of the bits that are straight on a 250 become corners on the 500, so you have to learn your lines all over again. The NSR will be the quickest bike I’ve ever raced there, so I expect to be learning and thinking a lot through the weekend!”


From a press release issued by Kanemoto Racing:

VAN DEN GOORBERGH BRINGS IT HOME TO THE DUTCH FANS

Jurgen van den Goorbergh brings the MotoGP World Championship to his home fans on Saturday 29 June, at the Dutch TT. The famous Van Drenthe circuit in Assen hosts round seven, of the so far four-stroke dominated, 16-round 2002 series. All 60,000 grandstand seats are sold out and they will join another 60,000 track-side spectators to cheer on 32-year-old native Van den Goorbergh in what is Holland’s largest sporting event of the year.

Kanemoto Racing have put behind them the disappointment of round six, the Grand Prix of Catalunya where a first lap racing incident saw Van den Goorbergh collide with Shinya Nakano sending the Team’s Honda NSR500 two-stroke sliding into the gravel ending their race on the very first lap. Immediately following the race the Team returned to the circuit with Van den Goorbergh and Japanese-rider Shinichi Itoh for a valuable two-day test. Team Owner and Manager Erv Kanemoto hopes that with information gathered at the test, together with some better luck, could win the Team their first top-ten finish of the season in Holland.

“We’re due some better luck in Assen as the Catalunya race was naturally disappointing for us and goes to show how luck always plays some part in racing. Jurgen made a good start, too good as it moved him quickly up into the pack which ultimately caused his race-ending collision. It was bad luck but we picked ourselves up from there and immediately returned to the track for a two-day test, joined also by Shinichi Itoh. Having two riders enabled us to gather twice as much valuable information ahead of this weekend’s race.,” relayed Erv Kanemoto from the Team’s Belgian Headquarters.

The revised 6.027kms Assen circuit has hosted a grand prix every year since the championships inaugural season in 1949. It is the only circuit to be able to make that claim and further development has since produced a world
class racing facility and a calendar fixture eagerly awaited by riders looking forward to performing on the circuit’s fast technical bends, with few slow corners, which could aid the racing style of two-stroke competitors.

“The Assen course is fantastic and having a home crowd supporting you definitely makes you go quicker. I’ve put the incident in Barcelona behind us now and I’m totally ready for the Dutch Grand Prix. I know the track well but recent changes will make it a new challenge for me and the other riders. The opening practice sessions will be interesting and while I hope it stays dry for the fans – a little rain, for us, could be good,” said Jurgen van den Goorbergh following the Barcelona testing.

This year the circuit has been slightly shortened from 6,049 metres to 6,027 metres, with the former main straight moved to enlarge the paddock, the Mandeveen and Duikersloot corners have been moved back ten metres to create larger run off areas.

Kanemoto Racing is currently 12th placed in the Team championship and Jurgen van den Goorbergh 18th in the rider’s tables.

DUTCH TT – ASSEN FACT FILE

The 6.027kms TT Circuit at Assen is the longest and one of the most famous in the MotoGP calendar. The Assen circuit has hosted a grand prix round every year since 1949, the inaugural year of the series and the only circuit that can make that claim.

Original racing was on public roads before the development of a purpose built track for motorcycles in 1954. 60,000 fans are expected to watch from the huge new grandstands with a total of 120,000 expected to enjoy Holland’s largest sporting event of the year.

23 million Euros have been invested over the last three years in upgrading the facilities. A new grandstand, hospitality units, race control tower, Media centre, medical centre and pit boxes have all been constructed.

Length: 6.027kms. Direction: Clockwise.
Pole position: Left.
Right corners: 15.
Left corners: 9.
Width: 10m.
Longest straight: 970m
Constructed: 1954
Modified: 2002.

Lap records: New circuit length.
500cc Race winner 2001: Max Biaggi (Yamaha) 30m56.346s, 175.961km/h
(Stopped because of rain.)


JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH DUTCH GRAND PRIX MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday 26 June
Public appearance in Assen city centre

Jurgen van den Goorbergh under Questioning

Following the successful autograph session held at Assen last year, race fans will be offered the chance to meet the GP stars. Honda have made it possible for Dutch MotoGP favourite Jurgen van den Goorbergh to be at the Koopmansplein, in the center of Assen where he will sign autographs and answer the questions put to him by race fans.

TV motorsport presenter Allard Kalff will be on hand to interview Jurgen, but the public, particularly the young race fans, will be invited to put their questions to Van den Goorbergh. The young TT-fans who put the best questions to Jurgen will be invited to visit the race paddock on Thursday, and attend a press conference with 500cc World Champion Valentino Rossi and Jurgen. From among those who put the best questions to Jurgen, one youngster and one girl will be chosen for a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Rossi and Jurgen, visit to the Honda Racing Team, in which Japanese star Tohru Ukawa will also take part.

From a press release:

Libasci Racing and G2 Racing have formed a partnership to race the remaining AMA Superbike Championship Races in the 750 Supersport Class.

G2 Racing’s owner George Grass has purchased two Carry Andrew-prepared Suzukis from the Ebsco Corona team. Libasci Racing’s Andre Castanos will be on one of the bikes and Nick Ienatsch will be riding the other.

From a press release issued by the CRA Press Office:

DiSalvo and Ruehle lead the pack at the Colonel’s Brainerd Intl. Raceway prior to the AMA National

As flood warnings sounded at the Colonel’s Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, racers held nothing back during the Central Roadracing Association Race held June 22-23.

Having scheduled the race one weekend prior to the AMA National, AMA racers including Jason DiSalvo, Greg Fryer, and Eric Haugo surfaced to challenge the CRA club racers.

After the rain subsided Saturday morning, Robert Jensen dominated the 600 and 750 Supersport races, along with JJ Roetlin cleaning up in the Unlimited class.

In Lightweight SuperSport, Bryant Soberg dominated, while Brad Frey took the win in Ultralight Supersport. Later in the afternoon, Bryand Soberg, once again, cleaned up the Lightweight Trophy Dash.

In the second Trophy Dash comprised mostly of 600s, Gary Carter led the grueling race after multiple re-starts, while young gun, Steve Atlas, held on to 2nd overall. Later in the afternoon, Scott Ruele, expert points leader for the CRA, dominated the 3rd Trophy Dash comprised mostly of 750s and 1000s.

After an increase in the chance of flooding rains for most of Sunday, the Colonel’s track remained dry for an exciting afternoon of Superbike and Grand Prix racing.

Jason DiSalvo dominated multiple races, including 750 Grand Prix, and per his request, was removed from all the CRA results and points lists.

In both 600 Superbike and 600 Grand Prix, Kevin Gordon took home the top finishes, while Adam Domley and Brad Kreller, novice racers, took home the multiple wins in the novice races.

In the Unlimited Superbike and Unlimited Grand Prix, Scott Ruehle, once again took home the top finishes.

In the lightweight races, Ritchie Omdahl and Darek Pugh took the some of the top finishes.

With the AMA National scheduled at the Colonel’s Brainerd International Raceway for June 28-30, CRA racers including Robert Jensen, Jason Hobbs, and Scott Ruehle, to name a few, will give the AMA top racers a run for their money.

CRA would like to thank all the racers and cornerworkers for all of their support and efforts. If you would like more information about how to become involved in the CRA, please visit www.cra-mn.org

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has extended the deadline for applications for competitor motorhome parking in the paddock for the combined AMA/World Superbike event slated for July 11-14.

The original deadline for submitting an application form without having to pay a 40% surcharge on the $200 motorhome parking fee was June 17, but AMA Pro Racing did not mail the form to teams until June 19.

According to track Hospitality/Event Manager Ann Bixler, “Please do not worry about the surcharge due to AMA not sending our information out to the teams until so late, we are moving that due date up to July 1st…I apologize for the delay with the AMA, I actually asked them for the mailing lists back in early May so I could send the information out directly.”

According to a June 21 press release from the FIM, “anti-doping” testing was carried out June 8 – 9 at the Lausitzring round of the World Supersport and Sidecar Championships. Riders and passengers testing negative for banned substances included: Stefano Cruciani (Supersport), Chris Vermeulen (Supersport), Fabien Foret (Supersport), Sepp Doppler (Sidecar rider), Bernhard Wagner (Sidecar passenger), Martien Van Gils (Sidecar rider), Tonnie Van Gils (Sidecar passenger), Jorg Steinhausen (Sidecar rider), and Trevor Hopkinson (Sidecar passenger).

From a press release issued by series organizers:

TREMBLANT TEST DELAYED

TORONTO, ON – Parts Canada Superbike Championship officials have been forced to postpone a test day scheduled for Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant July 8.

The test will likely be staged this fall, following a Grand American Road Racing sports car endurance event slated for the track Sept. 13-15. Motorcycle industry representatives along with selected staff from the series will still visit the venue July 8.

The test had been planned to give Parts Canada Superbike Championship competitors an opportunity to sample the world-renowned Quebec racing circuit, which has undergone significant improvements in recent years. The day was also designed to allow the series’ television production crew to evaluate potential camera locations for shooting race footage.

The Parts Canada Superbike Championship would like to add Mont-Tremblant to its national schedule in the near future.

“We are obviously disappointed not to have the ability to test at Mont-Tremblant as early as we had planned,” said Colin Fraser of series organizer Professional Motorsport Productions. “But they were not ready for us and it’s clearly a situation beyond our control. We are working on getting there later this year.”

The test was scheduled to follow the third round of the six-event Parts Canada Superbike Championship at nearby Autodrome St-Eustache July 5-7. Teams would have had the opportunity to bring their equipment straight from St-Eustache and riders would have been able to get a feel for the 2.65-mile road course.

“We had an unprecedented level of interest from teams and racers,” Fraser added. “A lot of work has gone into this event and everybody involved in the series was looking forward to this opportunity.”

Located north of Montreal in the picturesque Laurentian Mountains, Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant is one of Canada’s most famous racing circuits. Built in the early 1960s it hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada in 1968 and 1970 along with other major international car races.

The last major motorcycle event to take place at Mont-Tremblant was a Superbike race in 1979.

“Mont-Tremblant is a classic road race venue in the style of the great European tracks,” Fraser said. “It has changes in elevation, high speed corners and a magnificent rural setting. It is a real racer’s track.”