Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Daijiro Kato, 26, has died from injuries suffered when he crashed during the Japan Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit two weeks ago.

Kato suffered head and spinal injuries, and had no pulse immediately after a huge crash into a wall at the Honda-owned track, located in Suzuka City. Doctors restarted Kato’s heart but from the beginning said that Kato faced long odds to survive.

Kato’s injuries motivated leading riders to call for the removal of the track from the Grand Prix calendar.

Kato is survived by his wife and two children, one a newborn.

From a press release issued by Monstermob Ducati:

MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM

Round 3 – 2003 British Superbike Championship powered by HALLS, Thruxton

Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th March 2003

SECOND FOR BYRNE AND POLE FOR EASTON

After setting fastest time in timed qualifying, MonsterMob Ducati’s Shane Byrne posted second fastest time to place himself second on the grid for tomorrow’s round three of the 2003 British Superbike Championship at a cool and breezy Thruxton this afternoon.

The 26 year old from Minster, Kent had to give best to fellow Ducati rider Michael Rutter in the Dunlop Super 12 but despite not clinching pole position, Byrne was satisfied with his performance:

“Hats off to Michael but he is the exponent of the one fast lap and at the end of the day it’s what you do on race rubber that counts. After 25 laps we will see but I’m confident we have a good package for the race” said Byrne.

Team mate, Supersport rider Stuart Easton blew the competition away when he qualified in pole position aboard the Ducati 748 as he set about proving those wrong who had doubted his ability after the previous round where he retired with machine problems.

The 18 year old Scot qualified in pole in a time of 1:17.258 from nearest rival Honda rider Karl Harris (1:17.689) to steal the initiative for tomorrow’s 20 lap race:

“People doubted me after last week and I hope this silences them” said Easton. “I plan on ramming home that advantage in tomorrow’s race and get a grip on this series” he continued.

Team owner Paul Bird said: “There are no points for pole position and we’re confident we have the right set up to win tomorrow’s races ” said the Penrith businessman.

Superbike Dunlop Super 12 Qualification
1. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1:14.771
2. Shane Byrne (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:15.133
3. Steve Hislop (Yamaha) 1:15.220
4. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 1:15.428
5. Gary Mason (Yamaha) 1:16.325
6. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 1:16.396
7. Mark Heckles (Honda) 1:16.528
8. Steve Plater (Honda) 1:16.769
9. Lee Jackson (Kawasaki) 1:16.774
10. Dean Ellison (Ducati) 1:16.788
11. Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 1:16.888
12. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 1:17.063

Supersport Qualification
1. Stuart Easton (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:17.258
2. Karl Harris (Honda) 1:17.689
3. Tom Sykes (Yamaha) 1:18.105
4. Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1:18.112
5. Adrian Coates (Honda) 1:18.319
6. Kieran Murphy (Kawasaki) 1:18.366
7. John Crockford (Honda) 1:18.370
8. Mark Burr (Yamaha) 1:18.499
9. Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:18.578
10. Shane Norval (Yamaha) 1:18.894

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Vaclav “Vincent” Haskovec turns 29 years old today.

Haskovec was born in the Czech Republic and moved to America a little over six years ago to chase his dream of being a professional motorcycle road racer.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts missed tests at Road Atlanta and Barber Motorsports Park this week due to an injury sustained in a training accident, but the two-time AMA Formula Xtreme Champion says he’ll be fine for the upcoming races at Infineon Raceway, formerly known as Sears Point Raceway, May 2-4.

“I think we’ll be alright for Sears,” Roberts said Friday. “I just highsided on my flat track/TT bike (basically a stock Honda CRF150).

“It just broke loose a little earlier than I was planning on it and flicked me on my head. I had just passed a friend of mine. I went to look back to see if he was right behind me, because I figured he would hit me. When I looked back, that’s when it caught.

“It was the hardest crash I’ve had since California Speedway last year. It was surprising. I’ve ridden a lot since January and only fallen off like five times, but those five have been big ones.”

Roberts said he sought an evaluation of his shoulder by Dr. Arthur Ting, who said Roberts suffered a minor shoulder separation. But the injury has improved greatly in recent days.

“It’s getting a lot better,” said Roberts. “I feel pretty good about it. Two days ago, I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be a pain in the ass.’ But now I may even try to get on a bike this weekend.”

Roberts finished third in the Daytona 200 and currently is sixth in the AMA Superbike point standings, 20 points behind series leader Mat Mladin after three of 18 races.

From a press release:

Tom Hicks, owner of Southern California Triumph, has purchased the Ducati Franchise from Malcolm Smith Motorsports and placed it next to Southern California Triumph, in Brea. Both Southern California Triumph and Southern California Ducati will be kept separate to show our commitment and emphasis to each brand.

Southern California Ducati will follow the same principles of customer service, wide selection of motorcycles and accessories, expert service and customer satisfaction that have made Southern California Triumph the Number 1 Triumph dealer in the Country.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

AMA Pro Racing Technical Manager Rob King issued a competition bulletin on Wednesday, April 16 to AMA licensed road racers and credential holders pointing out an omission in the General Equipment Standards section of the 2003 AMA Pro Racing Road Racing rulebook. King’s bulletin, which was dated February 13, 2003, reads as follows:

TO: All Licensed Road Racers and Season Credential Holders

FROM: Rob King, Technical Manager

DATE: February 13, 2003

SUBJECT: 2003 Rulebook Omission

Due to an editing error, the following section was left out of the 2003 Road Racing Rulebook. This information belongs at the end of the General Equipment Standards section, pages 22 through 31.

23. Telemetry and Traction Control

(a) Electronic devices designed specifically for traction control are prohibited. This includes sensors that can determine front wheel speed, and any electronic control to the brake systems.

(b) Electronic transmitting of information to or from a moving motorcycle is prohibited with the following exceptions:

(1) AMA transponders utilized for scoring purposes (mandatory equipment assigned by AMA).

(2) Data or video transmitted for the sole use by the AMA-approved event television production (mandatory equipment assigned by AMA).

(3) Radio communication in Superbike only.

(4) Automatic lap timing devices.

(c) Selected teams in Superbike and Supersport will be required to carry either an assigned camera or weight package. The selection process will be carried out by Speedvision and AMA Pro Racing.

Should you have any questions regarding this procedure, please contact Rob King at (614) 856-1900 ext. 1230 or [email protected]

From a press release issued by Kurt Marmor’s publicist:

RACE TEAM MAKES MOTOR SPORTS HISTORY

(Springfield, IL) In an effort to raise awareness and support for our fighting troops a new race team has been formed. A first in motor sports history, Strike Force Racing will be funded with contributions from the American people and will compete in the AMA Superbike Series. The motorcycle road race series competes coast to coast with all races televised nationally. A website has been built to accept donations at http://www.strikeforceracing.com. Contributions are now being accepted. Sponsor’s include individual motorcycle enthusiasts, groups of friends, clubs and businesses and they are contributing $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500 dollars. Corporate packages are also available. Each contributor that signs up to be a member of the Strike Force Racing Team will receive team merchandise ranging from T-shirts, signed Posters and Hats to race tickets and names of contributors on the team transporter. Merchandise incentives are listed on the website at: http://www.strikeforceracing.com.

At the helm of the Strike Force Racing bike will be long time series veteran Kurt Marmor with Crew Chief Grant Matsushima, who has turned wrenches for past series champions. Marmor has competed in the series for the past eight years. He says this season will be his finest because he’s doing it for the troops. “We are dedicating this season to the men and women who are fighting for our country overseas. The bike, leathers, and trailer will be in the great red, white, and blue colors. We want to give the fans a chance to be a part of Team Strike Force. By giving the fans the opportunity to become a part of the team, they have a vested interest in our success. They also have a team of their own to cheer on at the races and on TV.”

Through Team Strike Force, the fans are helping a privateer battle against the factory race teams in the 600 Super Sport, and the 750 Super Stock classes.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A Team Hammer Advanced Riding School & Track Rides day scheduled for Tuesday, April 22 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama will be held as scheduled, in conjunction with three days of testing by AMA and Canadian Superbike teams.

Teams currently scheduled to test at Barber April 22, 23 and 24 are Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, Kawasaki Canada and Annandale Racing. The primary renter for the three days is Team Hammer, Inc., which races as Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki.

The three days were unaffected by the cancellation/postponement of the Easter weekend WERA races by track officials.

More information is available from Team Hammer at (909) 245-6414.

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy PETRONAS Racing launch FPR Text service

Foggy PETRONAS Racing followers can now keep up to date with the very latest team news and results with our new FPR Text service.

Wake up to news from round three of the World Superbike championship at Sugo, Japan, by registering for the new SMS service today.

FPR Text users will receive a maximum of seven text messages per race weekend by texting “FPR ON” to 82540.

Fans outside the UK and Virgin Mobile users can register online for the service by clicking the link on our website homepage.

Messages cost 25p and will be sent by the FPR team from all World Superbike rounds after each practice and qualifying session, as well as the two Sunday races.

Also receive the first reaction to our race results from team owner King Carl Fogarty himself.

In addition, FPR Text users will be kept up to date with all the latest team news throughout the season – as it happens – as well as receiving free information on team special offers.

If at any time you want to remove yourself from the service, simply text “FPR OFF” to the same number. It is recommended that users should be aged 16 or over.

Carl said: “The response to our team from motorcycle racing fans all over the world has
been tremendous and, through FPR Text, those supporters can now be the first with all the team info and results.”

Look out for a fantastic SMS competition – coming soon on the www.foggyPETRONASracing.com website.

From a press release issued by Harley-Davidson:

HARLEY-DAVIDSON ANNOUNCES STYLING DEPARTMENT PROMOTIONS

Promotions of Davidson and Netz Set Styling Course for Future

Milwaukee, WI – Harley-Davidson Motor Company recently announced Willie G. Davidson has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Styling Officer. In a related move the company also announced Louie Netz has been promoted to Vice President – Director of Styling and will serve on the Company’s Create Demand Circle (CDC) and Functional Leadership Group (FLG).

“Willie G. Davidson’s promotion recognizes his one-of-a-kind styling genius, the enduring importance of his design sense, and his leadership in creating and preserving the distinctive look of Harley-Davidson motorcycles,” said Jeff Bleustein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“For nearly 30 years, Louie Netz has worked beside me to create the great motorcycles that we are all celebrating this year,” said Davidson. “I have no plans of leaving this special Company, but it’s time for Louie to be recognized for his contributions and to become a part of the senior decision-making group that will ensure our legacy.”

“The design philosophies and signatures that Willie has put into place will continue to be carried out by this staff, which we view as the greatest motorcycle design team in the world, and those guiding philosophies will take us into the future,” said Netz.

Willie G. Davidson has been with the Company for more than 40 years and was most recently Vice President of Styling. Louie Netz was most recently Director of Styling.

For photography and information on Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Buell Motorcycles, visit www.h-dmedia.com.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson’s web site at www.harley-davidson.com.