From a press release issued by Radar’s Team Yamaha:

2002 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State
Event 5, Oran Park Raceway, NSW, Australia

FX Qualifying & Supersport Race report

CURTAIN TAKES XTREME POLE AT ORAN PARK

Kevin Curtain bettered his own existing Formula Xtreme lap record to secure pole position for tomorrow’s four 8-lap Formula Xtreme races to be held at Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway.

Curtain blasted his Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF-R1 around the 2.62km Narellan circuit to an incredible time of 1:10.554, almost three tenths of a second under his existing lap record of 1:10.82.

Joining Curtain on the front row of the grid tomorrow will be the Bio Magnetics Sport Yamaha YZF-R1s of Jamie and Daniel Stauffer. Jamie edged out his brother with a 1:10.604, ahead of Daniel’s 1:10.665.

Defending Formula Xtreme champion, Brisbane’s Robbie Baird, made it an all-Yamaha front row when he set the fourth-fastest time of 1:11.211 aboard his Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF-R1.

Multiple New Zealand Champion Tony Rees (Bikebiz Yamaha YZF-R1) was fifth with a 1:11.640, just ahead of Victorian teenager Craig Coxhell on the third of the Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF-R1s with a 1:11.768.

“I’m real happy about being under the lap record in Formula Xtreme,” said Curtain. “The R1 is running very, very well at the moment. We have changed very little on the bike since we tested here two weeks ago. At the test I was doing 11.7s and now we’re doing 10.5s which is good. There could be a bit more in it tomorrow if the weather holds off. I think that we should be able to get our times down to the low 10s.”

“I tried a couple of different gearing settings today and found that I had no corner speed,” said Baird afterwards. “I can’t get on the gas coming out of the turns and I think the back of the bike is too high and too steep and pushing the front end too much. We’ve been going higher and higher in the rear to make it turn better, but I think we’ve gone too far. I can do low 11s and sit in them, but I’m struggling to get into the 10s. We just have to find some time.”

“I was happy with my time after the first session this morning, but we had too soft a tire in the rear and by the time we got on top of that it cost us the session,” said Coxhell. “I didn’t realize that it was too soft, I thought it was just me. On top of that I didn’t get any clear laps. We put a hard spring in the rear and that was the wrong direction and the bike just didn’t handle. We’ll go back to the original spring and make some changes to that. All I know at this stage is that I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me for tomorrow.”

In addition to his Formula Xtreme duties, Curtain was busy in the FX Supersport qualifying and opening two races.

Curtain then went out and scored pole for the FX Supersport race, before taking the opening race win, with a new class lap record of 1:12.152. A crash on lap three of race two saw Curtain having to come from behind to record a twelfth place finish in the six lap race.

“I was pretty chuffed about it, I didn’t think I’d get the times down that far,” said Curtain on his pole position winning time. “We just kept trying different set-ups and along with the things that I’ve learnt from overseas it’s definitely made it better.

“As far as the race goes, Jamie (Stauffer) gave me a really hard time. At the first corner he outbroke me going in there, but I got him back and then he had another good go. During the race I thought he was all over me, but then I looked around and he dropped off a long way.”

With regard to the crash in race two “I just put it down to the chatter that we have had on the front ended and haven’t had time to sort it out as we are already into a race mode,” said Curtain. “After that I had another front ender going down through the dip after that. There was a bit of oil out there, but I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it.”

From a press release issued by Willow Springs International Raceway:

TOYOTA 200 QUALIFYING UPDATE
The next qualifier date is Fri. September 13!

NEW PROVISIONAL POLE SITTER VINCENT HASKOVEC (Suz GSX-R750) ran 1:22.557 averaging 109.016 mph on Friday, August 16th. He joins Jeremy Toye and last month’s fast qualifier Aaron Gobert on the front row for the $150,000 200-mile road race event to be held on September 15, 2002.

Toye now sits second-fastest with his fast lap in June of 1:22.960 (108.486 mpg) on his Suzuki
GSX-R1000, and Gobert on his factory Yamaha YZF-R6 600cc supersport-spec bike running a best of 1:23.896 averaging over 107 mph around the 2.5-mile Willow Springs road course in July.

Racers can learn more about this event online at www.race-wsmc.com

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Via e-mail:

To Tony Ianarelli

First off, I sincerely apologize to you for name-calling you. You obviously care for our sport passionately. It was wrong and it was inconsiderate. I’ve since consulted with my computer friend to rig my computer and not allow me to speak spontaneously to Roadracing World anymore. My computer guru said there’s no guarantee it will work, but he’s on it!

At my own expense, and possibly some of yours Tony, a lot has happened since we hit the “SEND” button to voice our opinions on RW. Very interesting reactions to my comments about your post on RW have brought public opinion to the surface where I can see it finally. Now, if I may explain, when I used the word “idiot”, (you’re from New England,) it’s not the end of the world, it just means I didn’t understand your motive to blow a whistle on Yates and I had to disagree with your efforts to encourage a penalty on another rider, especially Yates. That job is the AMA’s.

We as riders can never stick together in our small community of people, it seems to me, and I’m sick of it. When I tried to unite the riders in 1991 to get some serious issues dealt with, it revealed to me the politics and the division amongst the ranks. When I logged on and saw your comments encouraging the AMA to levy heavy fines against AAron, I think I blew a gasket, sorry!

Yates has got his reasons for lying in the track and I have mine for sticking up for him. Mine mainly, because I tried to put myself in his place, fathom the season he’s had this year. Witnessed his regard for the other riders’ safety in his off-track efforts to address safety issues. He risked persecution for speaking out, despite the fact he’s factory contracted, etc. That was the only way he could show the world that things need to be different next year and beyond and we are so close to achieving a big change.

Yeah, he overdid it; yeah, I over did it. But someone has said it’s because Yates and I are close, we’re not. I don’t know Yates outside the racetrack. You can speculate what could have happened, waving yellows were displayed so no one was racing for position, but in the end, nothing happened.

At Mid-Ohio I was devastated by Yate’s ordeal. We have the ability with the SPEED cameramen crew to get so close to the action. In my private monitors (ISO) Aaron’s arm looked like a shark bit him, a big shark! Those images didn’t go over the airwaves. I saw Yates handle that entire situation with so much grit it was incredible. The commercial break covered most of time that Yates pulled off his leathers and saw for himself what happened. I had every angle of his incident in front of me. It made me nearly sick to watch him wait under the bike and wait again for help. I thought what if that thing lights up, what’s he going to do? After the race I couldn’t stop thinking about Yates and the way he handled himself. He tossed his bike down in an effort to keep from hitting the bike ahead. After impact, he lost close to two pints of blood. Then he came back in two weeks after his wife gave birth for the second time in his life to race the final at VIR.

Any of us would have excused him under those circumstances. Aaron Yates defines my interpretation of a Motorcycle Racer, he’s Just Like Randy P. Renfrow, “Built to Race.” I can’t help but to think about “Cool Hand Luke”–Nobody wants that to happen to Aaron.

Most people completely misunderstood my comments about the 750 class. I’m not saying that everyone should not race a Supersport bike in the Superbike class. I’m saying turn the same lap times as the front-running Supersport guys consistently and then, if you want to race the Superbike class with the same Supersport bike, at least put some fresh slicks on it that will go the distance when it calls for slicks and maybe modify it enough to cut a faster lap time. Just a few tenths per lap can help you from being lapped, anything to reduce the closing speeds from the Factory Bikes.

And yes I’ve stated on TV and it is the general rule for the faster factory rider to find his way around a less experienced privateer, but the privateer has got to leave an opening for the closing bike if they are headed for apex together. Deatheridge is probably the best at being heads up. Next year’s rule changes hold the key to this problem, we’ll have to see what happens. I wasn’t rich as a privateer, but I had a Superbike along with a dedicated Supersport bike. Look again at Woody Deatheridge, or Parriott or Livengood. And there’s a lot more names who race with Supersport bikes, some on DOTs and they don’t cause trouble. Some don’t get lapped! They have great battles and we go to them if Bostrom and Nicky and the others aren’t all over each other. The grids are not going to be 9 or 10 factory bikes alone. The privateers will always be welcome there, it’s just the closing speed is too high, too tempting for the factory guy.

By % of pole time or however it’s decided next year, the grids will be more exclusive. To get there you’ll have to be considered one the best, rider and machine. That’s what will bring in the “outside” financial backing everyone is so desperately seeking. Now, when I bring a guest to the track who is new to Superbike, they ask, “Why is that guy (the poor privateer) able to run with that guy?” (Joe Factory) Most newcomers don’t see the logic of it and neither do I. I listen to the factory riders and I listen to the privateers. I’m way more privateer than factory rider, always will be.

Remember, my job is to talk to the pictures on the screen. If I could direct from my chair, I’d show Opie Caylor more often having the “Ride of his Life” or Parriott–He’s blazing a trail this year!

Anyhow, as far as TV goes. We get it from all sides, can’t please everyone.

Yeah, I make mistakes on TV and try to correct myself when there’s time in the show. These shows are live and I’m the analyst, Drebber is the Man at “play by play,” he’s got the stats. I watch the screens, listen to the producer’s directions “mid-sentence” and call the action on the fly. I’ve got one shot at getting the right call and sometimes I blow it, just like I did when I posted my comments and used the word idiot.

Anyhow Tony, this may be what I’ve been looking for for a long time. I consistently ask the “Powers That Be” if I can improve with my broadcasting. They told me to “Pick-up the Excitement Level” last year and that comes easy for me. Outside of that, everyone with whom I speak with regularly, the seasoned fans, the industry insiders. Everyone seems to encourage me and are thrilled with the shows. Some give me bits and pieces to improve my style and give pertinent information, others say it rocks as is! This debate we started opened up a lot of critics’ opinions and one that troubles me is the guys that say I should step away from the booth. Believe me, if I’m hindering the growth of the sport or causing it any harm by doing what I do in TV, well I’m defeating my heart’s desire to see motorcycle racers receive the highest honors in sport and I will gladly step away. This has been quite a journey if I remain, or if I go, regardless.

Good to see everyone getting active about safety, though, isn’t it Tony?

If you’ll forgive me, I’d be indebted to you.

“Ski”

David Sadowski

From a press release issued by Clear Channel Motor Sports:

XSBA Adds Ferodo Brakes

X-Treme Sport Bike Association Announces Braking News

AURORA, Ill.–Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announces today that in addition to Mirror Image Custom Cycles, Corsa Leathers, Impact Video, Street & Strip Magazine, and A&J Recognition, the XSBA has confirmed FERODO BRAKES participation in the X-Treme Sport Bike Association Freestyle Stunt Competitions for the remainder of the 2002 season and perhaps beyond. And this after the first XSBA contingency sponsor, Corsa Leathers from Washington DC has announced their participation in the XSBA National Freestyle Series only one event prior. Mirror Image will present $3000 in XSBA Championship bonus certificates to the top three stunt competitors in National Championship Points following the final round of competition in Portland September 8. Corsa Leathers will also provide a free top line leather jacket to the top qualifying rider at each XSBA round. The first Corsa jacket went to Dan Jackson in the Elkhart Lake XSBA competition. Ferodo Brakes will award a free set of Ferodo Brake pads to the Top 6 Qualifiers in each remaining round of XSBA competition remaining in 2002, in hopes of an increased contingency program for 2003. “We see the potential of growth with the XSBA series as the top sport bike freestyle organization, and are proud to be involved at the ground floor. With at least half of their time spent on the front wheel, we know the demands put on the front brakes, and we are proud to offer our support to the riders in the XSBA”, said Mike Jones, Ferodo Brand Manager for Tucker Rocky. The contingency will be paid with certificates redeamable with Tucker Rocky.

Valuable points will be earned at each round of competition with one bonus point going to each top qualifier. Pocono will pay DOUBLE POINTS for XSBA, and at the conclusion of the 2002 season, an XSBA National Champion will be crowned. Mirror Image will award an $1800 certificate to the XSBA National Champion, $700 certificate to the runner up, and a $500 certificate to the 3rd place stunt rider in Championship points. The certificates can be redeemed at Mirror Image Custom Cycles for custom painting, wheel polishing, and performance suspension upgrading. You may even see a custom designed Corsa XSBA National Champion Jacket at Portland for the 2002 Champ.

The 2002 XSBA Championship Series wheelies into round 3 at Pocono where it all started back in 2001 at the Pocono Cycle Fest August 22-25. XSBA is in its second year of existence as a motorcycle performance stunt exhibition/competition at selected events including the Formula USA Cycle Fest events. Pocono and Portland events will complete the 2002 XSBA season. For more details on the XSBA, entry forms, the point structure, and rules, please visit www.XSBA.com.

For ticket information, please visit www.FormulaUSA.com or call 1-800-216-7482 to charge by phone. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster.com.

From a press release:

PIRELLI ENTERS FORMULA-USA POCONO ROUND LEADING FOUR OF FIVE PRO ROAD RACING CLASSES

Includes All Four Top Spots In Sportbike Class


(Rome, GA) Pirelli Race Manager Rich Munson was quoted in March at Daytona as saying he believed Pirelli had “most of the 2002 Formula USA grid.” But having most of the racers on your tires doesn’t mean much until the checkered flag flies.

Well, it’s flown in five of F-USA’s eight rounds. And Pirelli racers come into next weekend’s sixth round at Pocono International Raceway in Longpond, PA leading the championship points in four of the five pro classes. This includes holding all four top spots in Pro Honda Oils 600 Supersport, with Craig Connell (Arclight Suzuki), Michael Barnes (Team Hooters Mountain Dew), Lee Acree (Arclight), and Larry Pegram (Team Hooters Mountain Dew); and two of the three top positions in the one pro class they don’t lead.

Besides the top four spots in 600 Supersport, Pirelli guys hold first, second, fifth, and sixth in Lockhart Phillips Unlimited Superbike with Connell, Barnes, Pegram, and Mike Himmelsbach (Blackman’s Racing) respectively; first, third, and fifth in the Buell Lightning series with Clint Brotz (Hal’s Harley-Davidson), Barnes (Kosco H-D/Buell), and Jeff Johnson (Hoban Bros. Racing); Johnson’s first-place position in Thunderbike; and the second and third championship places in the Grand Prix class, with Geoff May (Team Embry/Roadracingworld.com) and Himmelsbach.

Pirelli tires even lead the championship points in at least two amateur classes: Team Promotion’s Leonard Santangelo atop Amateur Open Supersport, and Tom Bibeau of TSE/New England Performance Racing leading Amateur 600 Supersport. There may be more, but the last check of the F-USA amateur classes showed some riders and teams not listing sponsors.

It needs to be mentioned that the vast majority, if not all, of the racers above are riding on Pirelli’s D.O.T. Supercorsa radials.

For more information on Pirelli road race, street, MX and off-road tires, and a free 56-page 2002 Pirelli catalog, contact Pirelli at its new North American address: PIRELLI MOTORCYCLE TIRE DIVISION, P.O. Box 700, Rome, GA, 30162-7000. Phone: (706) 368-5826; Fax: (706) 368-5832.

From a press release issued by the AMA:

Critics falsely claim that motorcyclists are a burden on society

Aug. 16 – At the height of the riding season is when motorcyclists hear it most — misinformed critics charging that people who ride motorcycles are a burden on society because of their medical costs.

But that charge is untrue, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

“Some lawmakers, members of the news media and others still subscribe to the ‘social burden’ fallacy that motorcyclists use more taxpayer dollars than other members of society to pay their medical bills,” said Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “Studies have shown that is false. Yet it is brought up time and again by those who want to place restrictions on motorcyclists.”

Moreland pointed to a study done at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle during the 1980s that found 63.4 percent of the injured motorcyclists taken to the trauma center relied on public funds to pay their hospital bills. Critics charged that amounted to taxpayer subsidies for motorcycle injuries, but the director of the trauma center noted that 67 percent of the general patient population relied on public money to pay their hospital bills in the same time period.

Also, a study by the University of North Carolina’s Highway Safety Research Center showed that 49.5 percent of injured motorcyclists had their medical costs covered by insurance, almost identical to the 50.4 percent of other road trauma victims were similarly insured.

In addition, the North Carolina study found that the average costs of motorcyclists’ injuries are actually slightly lower than the costs for other accident victims. The presence or absence of a helmet was not shown to affect injury costs.

Moreland also pointed out that the cost of treating injured motorcyclists is minuscule compared to the nation’s medical costs as a whole. The costs associated with treating all motorcycling injuries account for less than 0.001 percent of total U.S. health-care costs. And a significant percentage of those costs are paid through private insurance.

All told, about 1.16 percent of U.S. health-care costs are related to motor vehicle accidents, and motorcycles represented only 0.53 percent of the accident-involved vehicles nationwide in 1999.

Motorcycling critics often use the social-burden argument in efforts to get state lawmakers to pass, or retain, mandatory helmet-use laws. And in recent years, some motorcycling organizations have bolstered that argument by striking bargains with lawmakers in which motorcyclists agree to accept medical-insurance requirements in exchange for the right to ride without a helmet. These requirements lend support to the flawed social-burden argument, since the same insurance requirements are not imposed on car drivers.

“Some motorcyclists appear willing to agree to these expensive and dangerous economic tradeoffs,” Moreland said. “Lawmakers subscribing to the social-burden theory, coupled with the willingness of some motorcyclists to accept special insurance requirements, could open the door for lawmakers to impose even more unwarranted requirements on motorcyclists.”

The AMA supports voluntary helmet use for adults as part of a comprehensive approach to motorcycling safety, including wearing proper safety gear, getting rider training and educating motorists to watch for motorcycles on the road.

Motorcyclists who wish to respond to the ABC News report appearing Friday night can post their comments on the “World News Tonight Forum” at:
http://boards.abcnews.go.com/cgi/abcnews/request.dll?LIST&room=WorldNewsTonight

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Team Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates will not be fined money, assessed a points penalty, disqualified, suspended or disciplined in any official way for lying on an active racetrack at VIR during the AMA Superbike race Sunday, August 11, according to AMA Pro Racing Superbike Operations Manager Ron Barrick.

A few laps into the re-started Superbike race, Eric Bostrom, Mat Mladin, Kurtis Roberts and Yates were running practically nose-to-tail when Roberts lost the rear of his RC51 and spun out in the short transition between Virginia International Raceway’s turns four and five. Yates reacted very quickly and rode off the track to his left to avoid Roberts and the spinning Honda. Once in the short run-off area, Yates tucked the front and crashed his Suzuki GSX-R750 before sliding into inflatable air barriers at a relatively low speed.

After assessing the damage to his bike, Yates returned to the track where he laid down, “spread eagle” in the middle of turn five as Roberts’ bike caught fire. Yates stayed on the track for a few seconds and got up as a pack of three bikes approached.

In the background of Speed Channel’s video of the incident, cornerworkers can be seen ceasing to wave their yellow flag and going for their red flag to stop the race. Immediately after the race was stopped, Yates returned to his Suzuki, picked it up and began to make plans to return to pit lane and make the re-start, which he did, restarting dead last from pit lane.

When asked about the incident shortly after the race Sunday night at VIR, Barrick said, “The cornerworkers had already called in requesting for a stoppage before he laid down anyway. So they were calling ‘red’ for the bike being on the track.”

Asked if any official action would be taken against Yates, Barrick responded, “No. I’d like to talk to him about it, but no. We don’t have any rules on that specifically, but obviously, it’s not something you want riders to think is OK to do. I don’t know what his motive was. I haven’t talked to him. I don’t know if you have any comments from him or not. I don’t know if it was just that he saw his bike was OK and wanted to go back in the race.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From an e-mail:

Hello everyone,

Well, John and I are back in Austria. Yes, we are OK and there is major flooding around eastern Europe, but where we are at it’s alright.

Dresden is actually where the Sachsenring is at, outside of it about 40 miles. It’s crazy ’cause we were there about 3 weeks ago.

Prague is flooded pretty bad. We have a mechanic who lives there, and we’re wondering how he’s doing. Next week we are going to Brno which is about 2 hours east of Prague. I think the flooding will put a damper on the race and the spectators.

Salzburg appearently was flooded a bit, too, but like I said, we are in the outskirts of it, so we are alright.

Anyway, our trip over was OK. We arrived into Clermont about 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. At first, our bags didn’t show for a half hour. We were starting to get pissed off, but eventually they showed. We grabbed our car and headed off to Austria.

We were on the road around 9:00 p.m., and we drove thru Switzerland. It was a funny trip ’cause we only had a map of France. So we knew to head to Zurich to get over to Innsbruck. From Innsbruck, we knew the way. We missed a motorway on the border of France and Switz. So we almost started heading to Italy, but we turned around and drove back thru Switz. We then stopped at a gas station and got a map of Switz. It showed enough of Austria in it to get an idea of where we were going. By this time it was around midnight.

When we got to Zurich, there was a bit of construction going on so we didn’t know which way to go. There were two signs saying the same thing going different directions so we took a guess and fortunately it was the right one. For the longest time, we were the only car on the road. Driving in the middle of the night, lacking sleep, in a foreign country, speaking no language (but English), not quite sure which way to take. Yeah, we are pretty nuts now that we think about it.

Anyways, we found the road to take to Innsbruck. We drove thru Leichtenstein which is a small very, tax-free country. We drove thru that in about 15-20 minutes. Then we saw the sign that says Innsbruck, which was about 150 kms +-. We crossed over to Austria and then drove thru a tunnel that was 14km long. It was sooo long, it seemed long anyway. It was so long that it was starting to get annoying. But how often do you get to go into a long tunnel in the early morning in a beautiful picturesque country? We are very fortunate to be able to do this. As tired and exhausted as we were, it’s always going to be something to remember.

We were about 10 km outside of Salzburg when there was a car accident on the motorway. So we were stopped for about an hour, and then finally it got rolling and we were on our way to Strasswalchen. That’s where the gasthof is. Finally 12 hours later, we arrive in Austria and slept all day. We got up for our meal and then back to bed that night. We are the only ones here along with Phil the truck driver and Donna the PR spokesperson. This weekend we may head up to Eagle’s Nest, which is where Hitler hid during his last days or hours. Until then, hope all is well back home, and it was great to be home for the short time. We had alot of fun.

Des and John

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From e-mail:

I was the corner captain on turn 15 on Friday. I live in Pennsylvania about 30 miles from Bill (Himmelsbach) and knew it was he on the track. I could not believe how long it took for medical to show up after I called for them for Bill’s incident. I called almost immediately. The crash started before my station and he slid down the hill coming to a stop almost in front of my flag station, about 10 yards off the track. My runner was with Bill in seconds, turned to me, requested an ambulance and proceeded to attend to Bill to the extent that we are allowed. He left Bill only to turn off his bike, which was still running.

I could see an ambulance outside the fence at turn 16, which was not moving. (No lights, nothing). I questioned control as to the status of medical and why the ambulance in 16 was not responding. I should have requested the practice be stopped but thought I’d provided control with enough information to make that decision.

The practice was stopped after an inexcusable length of time. The end result was that the medics from 16 after a short drive in the infield walked to the incident. After they had arrived an ambulance showed up on the infield side of the fence.

I was the corner captain on turn 4 on Sunday. I hand-signaled the flagger (who had the radio – I had a scanner) to call control to stop the race as soon as I saw the bike on the racing surface. He did so. The flagger could not see Roberts’ bike or Yates on the track because of the triangles that were in the grass. The fire started while I was requesting the stoppage. From the direction I was running I never saw Yates on the track but I was watching traffic, which was getting heavy, so as not to become part of the incident and the flagger to make sure the red flag came out. I was also concerned that Roberts seemed to be wandering around the bike and may have had his bell rung as he was not paying much attention to the traffic. The red flag was out when I got to the bike and Roberts and Yates were off the track. There were fire bottles coming from turn 5, as they were closer to the incident than we were in turn 4. There were only three of us in turn 4. If I had one or two more people I’d have placed them at the end of the Air Fence approximately at the location of the incident. We do the best we can with what we are given.

The flagger is an experienced cornerworker (including com) and racer. He had a leg injury and was not in the best condition to run and pick up riders and bikes. Considering the elapsed time from the start of the incident to the red flag being shown with the “stop the race” communication to control things happened reasonably well. (Approximately 20 seconds) The red flag was coming out before Yates laid on the track. No one else got involved in the incident. When I’m assigned as a captain, I use the people assigned to me at jobs they are best qualified to perform in the interest of race safety. I did this in turn 4 on Sunday.

Jim Simpson
aka “Homer”
PA Posse and others
Reading, PA



More, via e-mail from a racer:

I wholeheartedly agree with Sean Jordan’s sentiments that cornerworkers are the unsung heroes of road racing. Unfortunately, his comments did little to show any competency on the part of the AMA with respect to its cornerworkers. In fact, many of Sean’s comments actually supported my case.

I’m glad he clocked the response time for cornerworkers to get to Nicky’s bike. Nearly two minutes! In that time, one of Nicky’s teammates could have ridden back to the pits, picked up a fire extinguisher and been back around to put out Nicky’s bike! After all, a lap only takes a 1:26 or so, right? Add in some extra time for the weight of the extinguisher and there you go! Can you actually imagine seeing a World Superbike rider or Grand Prix rider being left unattended following a crash for two minutes? It’s unheard of and completely unacceptable.

The AMA should have had cornerworkers situated so that it would never take that long to get to anyone. If cornerworkers are going to be placed so far from where they’ll be needed, then they should at least be conscientious enough to run (not walk, mosey, or saunter) when someone goes down.

Further, Sean’s argument that the cornerworkers at VIR were quick and efficient is completely thrown out the door when we see what happened to Himmelsbach on Friday. 17 minutes unattended! Broken pelvis, broken ribs, collapsed lung. It is beyond all defense. How can Sean stand behind the AMA and the VIR cornerworkers? I’m sorry, but the AMA has some serious answering to do. Aaron Yates is the least of their safety problems.

Stephen Robinson
AFM #756
San Francisco, CA




My blood is boiling when reading about the Bill Himmelsbach incident. I think there needs to be a wave of Safety Vilgilantes take over the racetracks in this country!

Apparently, riders need to police the racetrack for their own safety. From now on, I encourage all riders who see red flag situations that are not being addressed by race officials to simply stop at the start/finish line, pick up the red flag and stop the race themselves.

The most single most assinine thing in motorcycle racing is that someone in a box removed from an incident is in charge of stopping a race. The situation must be explained by a cornerworker, thought about by a remote person, and then acted upon by the same person who can’t even see what has happened.

What if the friggin’ batteries died in a radio? “Oh well, we don’t have permission from race control to stop this race, I guess this guy and the people who are going to run him over will have to die…”

Last spring at Daytona I saw a guy fall in the first horseshoe; he was laying knocked-out cold so close to the track that one of his hands was on it, right in the impact zone. They pulled an ambulance up, right in the impact zone, got out and worked on the guy like there was no danger, and never stopped the race. Gotta keep the day on schedule I guess.

There should be 3 instances where the corner should be able to call red flag WITHOUT EXPLAINING ANYTHING TO ANYBODY:

1. Body on Track
2. Bike on Track
3. Fluid on Track

If the sanctioning bodies can’t be certain that a cornerworker is smart enough to see that one of those three events has taken place and not stop the race unnecessarily, then they are not smart enough to work in a corner. I don’t think there is any cornerworker who is not smart enough to be trained and entrusted with that much authority.

While people are busy explaining and thinking somebody is going to die.


Max McAllister