Unofficial Lap Times:
1. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:55.283
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:55.394
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:55.645
4. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:55.718
5. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:55.768
6. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:55.790
7. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:55.872
8. Mike Hale, Honda, 1:55.874
9. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:55.966
10. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:56.030
11. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:56.299
12. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:56.623
13. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:56.826
14. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:58.911

Only 14 riders had times displayed in Wednesday morning’s Supersport practice session.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

1995 Australian Superbike Champion and former Suzuki World Superbike rider Kirk McCarthy will race a Ducati 748RS for Jeff Nash’s Advanced Motor Sports Ducati in Pro Thunder at Daytona.

After retiring from racing due to crash-induced post-concussion symptoms, Nash, a New Zealand native, said, “I was looking for a rider, someone fast of course, but I wanted someone who brought something more to the table, a bit more flavor.”

After considering now-retired Mike Smith, Nash was put in touch with 136-pound McCarthy through Sherri Russell, former World Superbike Champion Scott Russell’s sister (and Smith’s sister-in-law), and McCarthy arrived at Daytona less than a week later. McCarthy raced at Daytona once before in 1996 as a warm-up for his World Championship Superbike season with the Harris Suzuki team.

The 32-year-old Aussie beat three-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, Marty Craggill, Steve Martin and Scott Doohan on a Honda RC45 to win the 1995 Australian Championship. He spent the last two years racing in the British 600cc Supersport Championship on a Castrol Honda run out of the same race shop as Colin Edwards’ World Superbike team. McCarthy finished second each year, but is without a full-time ride for 2002.

Nash says that he would like to hire McCarthy for the year and has all of the equipment in place to run a full AMA Pro Thunder and Formula USA season, but is looking for a sponsor. Although he has a line on a serious sponsor, Nash says, “You don’t have a sponsor until the money’s in your pocket.”

Nash is also aiding WSMC regular Ricky Lundgren in Pro Thunder. Lundgren will ride now-retired Dr. David Kieffer’s Duc 748 with Nash’s suspension. Lundgren will also be taking advantage of a relationship he has with the Director of Marketing of Yahoo Sports and will serve as a test bed for their expanding two-wheel sponsorship program.

“They saw Bud Light go with Jeremy McGrath,” revealed Lundgren. “So they thought they should have a look at two-wheel sports.”

Lundgren will be wearing Z Custom leathers and a custom-painted helmet featuring Yahoo’s tag line, “Do you Yahoo?”

From a press release:

CICCOTTO TO MAKE HISTORY?

The 2002 AMA road racing season is about to kick off and one man who is determined to make history is Mike Ciccotto. The Hal’s Harley-Davidson rider (www.halshd.com) has extended his two year tenure with the team by recently signing an exclusive agreement with Hal’s for two more years. After winning the 2000 Formula USA Buell Lightning National Championship with Hal’s and finishing a very close 2nd in the 2001 AMA Buell Pro Thunder Championship, Ciccotto will welcome Shawn Higbee as his new teammate on the squad. For 2002, Mike plans on not only contesting the 2002 Buell Pro Thunder Championship, but also the 2002 AMA Superstock Championship (yes, against all those water-cooled Suzuki GSXR-750s!) – all from the perch of his new Buell Firebolt racebike.

Entering the final round of the Pro Thunder Championship at Road Atlanta last fall, Ciccotto had to qualify on pole, lead the most laps, and win the race in order to tie Thomas Montano in points and consequently win the championship in a more-wins tie breaker. Mike was up to the task, running the fastest time late in the qualifying session and feeling good about his chances to win the title. In the last few minutes of qualifying his bike began overheating and he was forced to pit early, but he felt confident that his time would stand. With just one lap to spare, however, Montano managed a time that was slightly quicker, earning the pole position and the extra point! Although Ciccotto ended up dominating the race and led the most laps (which earned him an extra point), Montano finished 3rd in the race and won the championship by a scant 2 points! That 1 extra point Ciccotto lost in qualifying (and gained by Montano) effectively was the only difference in the championship. So if his 2001 season is any indication, 2002 will prove to be even more exciting one for Ciccotto and for Buell fans, as he attempts to avenge his Pro Thunder Championship loss, while at the same time making history in the Superstock class with the Buell Firebolt.

But how can an air-cooled American bike compete against super fast water-cooled Suzuki GSX-Rs?

“The new bike is very precise and a lot easier to ride because of the fuel injection; the throttle response is so much better, and it has more power. It just feels more like a race bike than my old bike did. So at the tighter tracks I think it’s going to do quite well. As an example, at the North Florida Motorsports Park a month ago, we went (unofficially) faster in one day of testing, on used tires, than any Suzuki there has been. We were very close to beating the track record. The bike is so incredible. And that was on used tires! Not only were they used, but the tires came to the track on the bike and had already been tested and used before I got on them. So it gave me hope that I’m not only going to be able to put the bike on the podium this year, but also win some Superstock races as well, which would be incredible for Hal’s Harley-Davidson and for anybody who is a fan of Buell motorcycles. If we can win a (Superstock) race, it would be history making and I have the confidence that we can do just that. As far as I know, there has never been an American bike to finish on the podium of an AMA Supersport or Superstock national. That’s all the motivation I need.”

“But I’m really interested to see how it will do at the Superspeedway this weekend. I know the bike will do well at the tighter tracks, but I’m looking forward to running it at Daytona and seeing how well the new bike is going to cut through the air on the bankings and in the draft.”

“I have never before looked forward to the start of a season as I do this year,” says Kirk Topel, Owner of Hal’s Harley-Davison. “I could not be happier to have the services of, in my opinion, the top privateer in AMA road racing today. Having worked with Mike the past two seasons we know what Mike is capable of. Over that time the team has continued to grow and to improve, by winning a Formula USA title (2000) and giving Ducati all they could handle in AMA Buell Pro Thunder (2001). Our team chemistry and a two year commitment to the future, I feel, gives us a definite advantage assisting the Buell Motor Company in a successful launch of this new motorcycle. I know we will surprise some people in 2002 and not just in Pro Thunder. Mike’s commitment ensures that success.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Takehiro “Tiger” Sohwa is making a comeback after three years out of racing, and is competing on a Honda CBR600F4i at Daytona.

Sohwa, 36, is being assisted at Daytona by Ko Kagiya of Factory Racing Service, an import shop located in Torrance, California.

He is using a works engine provide by HRC of Asaka, Japan.

Sohwa raced for Honda in Japan up until his retirement; before that, he rode for Muzzy Kawasaki in the United States.

Sohwa said he was able to return to racing after divorcing his first wife. He has since remarried.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

According to WERA tech official Tony Pentecost, fellow WERA official David Mitchell, 46, suffered a heart attack Monday, March 4 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Mitchell is currently receiving care in the Cardiovasculor Intensive Care Center of Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach. Mitchell’s condition was not known at post time.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing plans to eliminate the current class structure in favor of a hybrid Superbike-chassis/Supersport-engine 1000cc featured class, a 600cc Supersport class, and one other support class “to be determined by market forces.” Under the plan, V-Twins may be allowed up to 1200cc.

That’s what AMA staffers told members of the Road Racing Advisory Board during a meeting held in Daytona on Tuesday evening, March 5.

The new featured class would allow exotic Showa forks like those run on Yoshimura Suzuki Superbikes but would not allow stock connecting rods to be changed. Rules would require the use of stock pistons, rings, rods and cranks but would allow parts to be milled to raise compression. If raising compression caused stock connecting rods to fail, engine builders would not be allowed to use aftermarket or modified OEM rods.

Although not overtly specified, it was clear to participants in the meeting that the Pro Thunder and 250cc Grand Prix classes would be eliminated if AMA Pro Racing staffers get their way and the plan is adopted.

Although some observers worry that reducing the number of classes at AMA events would eliminate the need for manufacturers to support multiple teams and thus cause a dramatic reduction in the number of supported teams, Advisory Board member Kevin Erion of Honda-backed Erion Racing said during the meeting that such a scenario wouldn’t affect him.

Hearing about the meeting afterwards, Ducati team members wondered how their teams could fit into the new plan, and one team owner said that under the new rules “there would be no place for a Ducati.”

AMA Pro Racing staffers are scheduled to present their plan to the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors on Thursday, March 7.

Unofficial Lap Times:
1. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:49.022
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:49.401
3. Pascal Picotte, Ducati 998RS, 1:49.774
4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:50.237
5. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:50.261
6. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:50.335
7. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:50.507
8. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:50.669
9. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:50.674
10. Eric Spector, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.190
11. Larry Pegram, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.258
12. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.759
13. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.061
14. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.775
15. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.584
16. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.302
17. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.602
18. Mike Luke, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.578
19. John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.624
20. Scott Hermersmann, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.391

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Meeting in Daytona, the Board of Directors of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum today approved an ambitious, long-term expansion plan that includes a new 60,000 square-foot building to house museum collections, exhibits and offices.

The new building will be located adjacent to AMA headquarters and existing museum buildings, in Pickerington, Ohio.

The Board also voted to consolidate the museum and its underlying organization under the name
Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Museum, abandoning the separate American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation name for the organization itself.

The museum was founded by the AMA and is an AMA affiliate.

The museum’s 2002 board includes Chairman Don Emde, Vice Chairman Mark Mendell, Secretary Dr. Charles Falco, Treasurer Dave Mungenast, Bill Baird, Bob McLean, Tim Parker, Bob Sinclair, Dal Smilie, Mark and Margaret Wilson and John Ulrich.

The board also made committee assignments, appointing Emde, Falco, Mendell and Mungenast to the Executive Committee, which will also take over the duties of the former Nominating and Finance/Budgeting Committees; Ulrich, Parker, Sinclair and Smilie to the Marketing/Branding Committee; Mendell, Sinclair, the Wilsons and Mungenast to the Fundraising Committee; and Falco, McLean, Smith and Baird to the Exhibits/Programs Committee.


A museum press release on the 2002 Board follows:


AMHF BOARD WELCOMES FOUR NEW MEMBERS

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation (AMHF), which administers the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, has announced four new members of its Board of Directors. The new members were officially seated at the
Board’s >meeting today in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Joining the AMHF Board are Dave Mungenast, Sr. of Sunset Hills, Missouri, Bob Sinclair of Santa Barbara, California, Jeff Smith of Wausau, Wisconsin, and John Ulrich of Lake Elsinore, California.

“We’re pleased to welcome these four new members to the Foundation Board,” said Don Emde, Chairman of the AMHF Board of Directors. “Their background,
expertise, and enthusiasm, combined with that of the other nine Board members, will ensure that the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum continues to fulfill its mission.”

Dave Mungenast, Sr. was a successful enduro racer during the ’60s and ’70s, riding the International Six Days Trials (ISDT) nine times. He earned six medals in the prestigious competition, including two golds as a member of the Club Team and a silver as part of Triumph squad in 1973. After retiring from competition,
Mungenast continued to support off-road riding as a motorcycle dealer, owner of off-road riding areas, and sponsor of numerous off-road racing events. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.

Bob Sinclair brings an extensive powersports background to his position on the AMHF Board. A motorcycling enthusiast for 40 years, he’s been active in amateur road racing, off-road racing, and off-shore powerboat racing. Sinclair won
several national class championships in off-shore racing, and held the World Speed Record in the 500ci class. His business career spanned 33 years in the automotive industry, with both Saab and Volvo. He retired from Saab-Scania of America in 1991, where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Jeff Smith’s enviable racing career includes two 500cc World Motocross Championships, three golds and two bronze medals in the ISDT, five consecutive Super Senior AMA Hare Scrambles Championships, and fifteen American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) Championships. Smith served as AHRMA’s Executive Director from 1990 through 1999, and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.

John Ulrich, during his 34 years in motorcycling, has competed in enduro, motocross, and road racing events, and currently owns a successful racing team. A motojournalist since 1972, today Ulrich is the owner and Editor of Roadracing
World & Motorcycle Technology magazine and its companion website, roadracingworld.com.

Each member of the AMHF Board of Directors serves a two-year term. Smith, Ulrich, and AMHF Board member Dal Smilie of Helena, Montana, also serve on the Board of Directors of the American Motorcyclist Association.

The other members of the AMHF Board of Directors are Emde of Laguna Niguel, California, Mark Mendell (Vice Chairman) of Buffalo, New York, Dr. Charles Falco (Secretary) of Tucson, Arizona, Bill Baird of Sterling, Illinois, Bob McLean of Bettendorf, Iowa, Tim Parker of Stillwater, Minnesota, and Margaret and Mike Wilson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The goal of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, located on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio, is to tell the stories and preserve the history of motorcycling. The Motorcycle Hall of Fame
honors those who have contributed notably to the sport, and three major exhibition halls showcase the machines and memorabilia that have shaped motorcycling.

The Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; noon to 4.p.m. on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day; and closed on New Year’s, Easter,
Thanksgiving and Christmas. Adult admission is $4 per person; ages 17 and under are admitted free. For more information, call (614) 856-2222, or visit the Museum’s website at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.