From a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Riba leaves Ten Kate Honda

Spaniard Pere Riba has shocked the Supersport paddock by quitting the Ten Kate Honda team just days before the first race at Valencia. Riba has been lured away by Luis d’ Antin to ride a two-stroke Yamaha 500 for the Spanish team as a replacement for Alex Criville.

Winter testing showed the great potential of the Ten Kate Honda CBR600FS and Riba had always professed himself to be very happy with the bike, the Pirelli tyres and the WP suspension. He looked set to be a serious contender in the competition and stood a very real chance of being World Champion at the end of the season.

Ten Kate Honda team manager, Ronald ten Kate was obviously shocked at Riba’slast minute move, “I am absolutely stunned by his decision to quit,” admitted ten Kate. “While I obviously wish him well on the 500 I am very surprised at the move, he had been going so well on the CBR and never once seemed unhappy in the team. Last year he was the model of responsibility, ethics and sportsmanship, so for him to leave us in the lurch like this seems very out of character.”

It seems d’Antin’s hand was forced in the matter, as he relies heavily upon the sponsorship he receives from Spanish Oil giant, Repsol.

“Unfortunately it seems we are the victim of politics as d’Antin’s Repsol insisted that Criville should be replaced by another Spanish rider,” confirmed ten Kate.

“The rest of the team are gutted by Riba’s actions,” he explained, “they’ve worked so hard with Riba and helped him to achieve the level he is now at. But we’re not convinced that this is a good career move by Riba, especially because of the manner in which he has made it.”

Riba’s move leaves the team with less than a week to find a new rider ready for the opening race of the season at Valencia.

“We are already talking with a replacement rider and should be in a position to make an announcement very soon,” confirmed ten Kate. “We very much regret that we may be forced into a situation where we have to poach a rider from another team. But we hope we can resolve any possible situation with another team amicably.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Defending Formula USA Champion Shawn Higbee topped Unlimited Superbike qualifying at Daytona International Speedway Saturday. Morning rain saw officials cone off a section of the chicane known to be very slippery when wet, but the track was mostly dry when qualifying started.

A group of riders said they would not ride if it rained on Sunday, and threatened to boycott the event. The group included Larry Pegram and Lee Acree.

Another meeting of riders concerned with the potential of racing in the rain at Daytona is scheduled for tonight.

During the first of two 20-minute qualifying sessions, a blown engine produced a huge cloud of smoke entering the chicane. When Chris Ulrich backed off at the sight of smoke, he was clipped from behind by Craig Connell; neither fell, although both pitted immediately afterwards.

A scoring system problem resulted in monitors along pit lane being blank for most of the first qualifying session; the system displayed one rider’s name in nine positions when the monitors did display anything, soon followed by a blank screen.

Qualifying results follow:

Unlimited Superbike Qualifying

1. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.898
2. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.709
3. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.791
4. Larry Pegram, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.003
5. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.483
6. Mike Himmelsbach, Aprilia RSV Mille R, 1:55.844
7. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.568
8. Matt Wait, Honda CBR929RR, 1:56.945
9. Scott Greenwood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.976
10. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:57.744
11. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.368
12. Ty Howard, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.431
13. Darry Wilbur, 1:58.716
14. Tim Bemisderfer, Honda CBR954RR, 1:58.877
15. Byron Barbour, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:59.871
16. Owen Richie, 2:00.127
17. Stephane Mertens, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:00.223
18. John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:00.496
19. Cory Call, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:01.121
20. Robert Presby, Kawasaki ZX-7R, 2:01.191

Unofficial Practice Group #1 Lap Times:
1. Michael Barnes, 1:57.889
2. Larry Pegram, 1:59.458
3. Craig Connell, 1:59.784
4. Lee Acree, 1:59.932
5. Scott Greenwood, 2:00.578
6. Larry Denning, 2:02.542
7. Shaun Harris, 2:02.817
8. Thomas Pfuner, 2:03.909
9. Brian Salazar, 2:05.862
10. Brian Lee, 2:06.701

Unofficial Practice Group #5 Lap Times:
1. Josh Hayes, 1:57.149
2. Geoff May, 1:57.179
3. Tom Kipp, 1:58.899
4. Tim Bemisderfer, 1:59.777
5. Darren Luck, 2:01.031
6. Rick Shaw, 2:01.807
7. Shaun Harris, 2:02.359
8. George Martinelli, 2:02.446
9. Steve Johnson, 2:05.188
10. Brian Salazar, 2:05.591

Note: Not every motorcycle was equipped with a timing transponder during Friday’s practice sessions.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Michael Barnes, 2:05.345
2. Richie Morris, 2:08.047
3. Jeff Johnson, 2:08.282
4. Bryan Bemisderfer, 2:09.420
5. Jason Smith, 2:10.252
6. Brian Bodine, 2:10.494
7. Chad Healy, 2:10.728
8. Tony Fania, 2:11.154
9. Clint Brotz, 2:11.315
10. Mark Reynolds, 2:12.318
11. Scott Korol, 2:15.108
12. Greg Avello, 2:15.152
13. Darren James, 2:16.072
14. Steve Luxem, 2:16.548
15. Paul James, 2:17.607
16. Jeff Harding, 2:17.851
17. Shawn Smith, 2:18.061
18. Paolo Mariano, 2:18.211
19. Douglas Burton, 2:20.707
20. Steve Luxem, 2:31.619

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former AMA 250cc Grand Prix (1983), Formula One (1986) and Pro Twins (1989) Champion Randy Renfrow suffered a broken lower right leg at the kneecap, four broken ribs and broken bones in his right foot when he crashed his Honda RS250 on the warm-lap of the CCS Expert GTU race at Daytona Friday.

Though original reports were that Renfrow was hit from behind in the infield dogleg, Renfrow was unsure what happened, and may have been hit from behind or may have lost the front when he hit a crosswind. In either case, Renfrow fell, tangled with his own bike and then got run over by another rider. Renfrow was transported to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where he was scheduled for surgery Saturday evening.

Marietta Motorsports’ Chris “Opie” Caylor crashed his Suzuki GSX-R750 in practice on Friday and suffered fractures in his left foot. Caylor, a multi-time WERA and Suzuki Cup Champion, highsided exiting the Internationa Horseshoe. Caylor was transported to the Speedway’s infield care center where X-rays revealed his injuries.

“It was the second lap,” said Caylor. “I guess the right side of the tire wasn’t hot yet or I hit something on the track. I mean, it’s weird how it went away so fast. It was instant. I can usually spin it and keep it out there, but not this time.”

Caylor said that he doesn’t know if he will try to race in next week’s AMA event.

“I broke three bones in the foot when it slapped the ground,” explained Caylor. “They are clean breaks and nothing is displaced. So I won’t need a cast, but I use my feet a lot when I ride. I don’t know what I’m going to do right. All I know is that this is not the way I planned on starting the season.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Riding a Todd Fenton-tuned GSX-R600, Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Tom Kipp broke Lee Acree’s Formula USA Sportbike (600cc) lap record during qualifying at Daytona Saturday despite modifications to the chicane that many racers said added 0.5 to 1.0-second to lap times. Kipp used one pair of Michelin Pilot Race 2 race tires and worked alone against swirling winds to turn a 1:56.812 to better Acree’s mark of 1:56.842 set during qualifying for the October 2001 F-USA Sportbike event.

Kipp did his time even though traffic cones were placed on the inside of the left-hand portion of the chicane exit, decreasing riders’ exit speed from the series of switchbacks. Despite some controversy, the cones were put in place Saturday morning, and left in place all day, to prohibit riders from running over an area of the chicane that gets exceptionally slick when wet. On the other hand, the Sportbke class’ horsepower limit has been increased from 112 horseppower in 2001 to 115 horsepower in 2002. In dyno testing, Kipp’s machine made 109 horsepower.

Larry Pegram qualified second in his first outing on his Pirelli-equipped GSX-R600, lapping at 1:57.165 to lead the even-numbered qualifying session. Kipp’s teammate Josh Hayes turned a 1:57.188 for the third-fastest time. Completing the front row, Arclight Suzuki’s Acree turned a 1:57.965 with what he said was a less-than-perfect set-up, on Pirelli tires.

Unofficial Sportbike Qualifying Times:

1. Tom Kipp, GSX-R600, 1:56.812
2. Larry Pegram, GSX-R600, 1:57.165
3. Josh Hayes, GSX-R600, 1:57.188
4. Lee Acree, GSX-R600, 1:57.965
5. Owen Weichel, ZX-6R, 1:58.085
6. Michael Barnes, GSX-R600, 1:58.351
7. Scott Greenwood, GSX-R600, 1:59.146
8. Matt Wait, CBR600F4, 1:59.575
9. Craig Connell, GSX-R600, 2:00.309
10. Jim Lester, CBR600F4, 2:00.392
11. Andrew Nelson, 2:00.555
12. Larry Denning, 2:00.734
13. Ty Howard, GSX-R600, 2:00.782
14. Shaun Harris, 2:00.946
15. Jeff Wood, GSX-R600, 2:01.716
16. Raymond Bowman, 2:02.154
17. Leo Venega, 2:02.332
18. Matt Furtek, 2:02.607
19. John-O Bowman, GSX-R600, 2:03.200
20. Brian Salazar, 2:03.864

From a press release:

Triumph Motorcycles Celebrates 100 Years, Record Sales and Expansion into a New State-of-the-Art Factory

NEWNAN, Ga., – Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd, steeped in a rich history spanning 100 years of motorcycling, has announced its plans to celebrate this milestone along with other triumphs – a 40 percent increase in sales as well as the expansion into a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility – with a 100th year celebration motorcycle ride in June, 2002, titled Triumph Across America. With its rich legacy and current robust sales, Triumph is one of the most famous names in motorcycling on the streets today.

The first Triumph motorcycle emerged from a small factory in Coventry, England in 1902. Today, Triumph’s factory is located in a modern facility in Hinckley, England — just a short distance away from its birthplace. From its beginning, the popularity of Triumph grew – becoming the number one selling big-bore motorcycle in the 1960s. Triumph was the preferred motorcycle of Hollywood’s rebels starring with the likes of Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood and the legendary James Dean. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, like many other motorcycle companies, Triumph struggled and ultimately in 1983 closed its doors during the decline of the worldwide motorcycle market. That year, John Bloor, a successful English entrepreneur, acquired the Triumph brand name and began to assemble a team of designers and engineers to rebuild one of the world’s most prominent names in motorcycling.


The Re-Triumph of Triumph

“When acquiring the Triumph brand name in 1983, I knew that Triumph was a recognized name with motorcyclists,” stated John Bloor, owner and chairman, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd., “…however, the product was very much out-of-date and not capable of meeting the consumers’ performance and durability standards.” He continued, “Our aim was to reintroduce Triumph with advanced engineering and state-of-the-art technology along with modern styling.” In the years that followed under this new leadership, Triumph was totally rebuilt, introducing its first motorcycle in Germany in 1990 with three models of modular design. Today, Triumph has a line of twelve motorcycles that are distributed throughout the world. These motorcycles come with six different frames and five engine configurations ranging from twins, to triples, to four cylinders – all designed and built at the Hinckley facility.

“What continues to be one of the most satisfying accomplishments for us,” explained Mike Vaughan, chief executive officer, Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd., “is the fact that we are exceeding our goals of quality engineering and product excellence. The reception from American and world-market consumers, has been overwhelming and continues to grow.” Sales of new Triumphs have increased dramatically every year since their reintroduction into the US in 1995 and in 2001 – new unit sales were up 40% over the same time period in 2000 (and year 2000 sales were up almost 30% over 1999). The USA has firmly established itself as Triumph’s number one marketplace worldwide.

With locations in every state, Triumph has established a strong network of 210 dealers nationwide. Demand has risen to a level that Triumph has outgrown its original factory and an all new state-of-the-art factory will be online in 2003, with the capacity to produce approximately 50,000 units a year.



Triumph Across America

Triumph turning 100 years old is a monumental event that many people from around the world want to celebrate. “Not only is America the dominant world marketplace, but also since the 1950s, Triumph’s number one market, and a significant part of the legend of Triumph began here,” explained Mike Vaughan. “It is appropriate that the cornerstone of Triumph’s 100th celebration will include a motorcycle ride with enthusiasts across the USA.” Triumph Across America, will launch from New York City during the week of June 10th, travel up to New Hampshire; journey down through New England and across the mid-atlantic states; cruising through America to a celebration in California during the weekend of June 29-30.


Triumph Across America Overview:

Week of June 9-13:
New York City – Launch / Ceremony

Friday, June 14:
North Hampton, NH

Saturday, June 15:
Depart: North Hampton, NH
Arrive: Danbury, CT

Sunday, June 16:
Depart: Danbury, CT
Arrive: Port Clinton, PA

Monday, June 17:
Depart: Port Clinton, PA
Arrive: Windber, PA

Tuesday, June 18:
Depart: Windber, PA
Arrive: Lewis Center, OH

Wednesday, June 19:
Depart: Lewis Center, OH
Arrive: Roseville, MI

Thursday, June 20:
Depart: Roseville, MI
Arrive: S.Chicago Heights, IL

Friday, June 21:
Chicago, IL area

Saturday, June 22:
Chicago area to Janesville, WI
Arrive: Verona, WI

Sunday, June 23:
Depart: Verona, WI
Arrive: Marne, IA

Monday, June 24:
Depart: Marne, IA
Arrive: North Platte, NE

Tuesday, June 25:
Depart: North Platte, NE to Longmont, CO
Arrive: Denver, CO

Wednesday, June 26:
Depart: Denver, CO
Arrive: Salt Lake City,UT

Thursday, June 27:
Depart: Salt Lake City, UT
Arrive: Reno, NV

Friday, June 28:
Depart: Reno, NV to Sacramento, CA
Arrive: Mountain View, CA

Saturday, June 29:
Depart: Mountain View, CA
Arrive: Southern CA

Weekend June 29- 30:
Southern California – Closing Event Ceremonies

Triumph Motorcycles America, Ltd., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triumph Motorcycles, Ltd., the manufacturer of Triumph motorcycles and accessories. Triumph Motorcycles America is located in Newnan, GA and services the Triumph dealer organization throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.

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

MLADIN CONFIDENT AFTER CONCLUDING PRE-SEASON TESTING AT FONTANA

Fontana, California, USA – Australian Mat Mladin has concluded his preparations for his defence of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship that he has won over the past three years after a one-day test at the California Speedway in Fontana, California on February 26.

Mladin was joined at the test by Team Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Aaron Yates and Jamie Hacking, with all three riders completing the final test programs before the championship commences next week with the Daytona 200.

Chassis setup was one of the key areas of testing for Mladin, with the team trying a number of different specification rear shocks in his 2002 model Suzuki GSX-R750 superbike. Mladin completed over 60 laps of the 3.80km (2.63mile) circuit.

“I’m very happy with how things went today,” said Mladin. “We came here with a few different things to try out that we couldn’t when we were here a couple of weeks ago and we are happy with the results that we achieved. It was a lot hotter and windier here today than at the previous test, so the track condition was slightly different, but apart from that, everything looks good for Daytona next week. Once we get there we’ll finalise out pit stop technique and strategies and see how things pan out during practice and qualifying.”

The altered circuit layout remained the same for the final Fontana test as it was for the previous test that was attended by a number of the leading AMA Superbike teams. No lap times were available from the latest test.

Mladin heads to Daytona next week chasing an unprecedented third consecutive Daytona 200 win, but more importantly it will be the first of sixteen rounds that will make up this year’s championship. Mladin will be chasing a further milestone as no rider has won four consecutive AMA Superbike crowns.

The Daytona Speedweek program will see the Superbikes on the circuit for the first time on Wednesday, March 6, with the 57-lap race scheduled for Sunday, March 10.

From a press release issued by Shawn McDonald:

2002 Season Kick Off Party for Washington Road Racing & Alan Schwen Fund Raising April 7, 2002

WMRRA needs your help in starting off the 2002 Road Racing Season with a big bang.

The WMRRA sponsored and sanctioned event is being presented by SB Motorsports and Paragon Restaurant for the specific purpose of raising funds for the 2002 WMRRA #1 Overall Champion Alan Schwen. Alan was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after he had secured his first WMRRA Overall Championship after 17 years of road racing. The prognosis for Alan looks very good with early detection and treatments of chemotherapy and radiation. The very high deductibles on the medical insurance though are hard to pay. He is our brother in many ways and needs your help. Roadracers, spectators and streetbike riders who attend the party will be charged $20 per person with all proceeds going to the Schwen Cancer Fund. Coming to the party gets you a free buffet prepared by Chef/Owner Christopher Cunio, beverages, music, bench racing, motorcycle door prizes and a select auction on premier motorcycle items. Visa, Master Card, American Express and cash are accepted.

The WMRRA 2002 Season Kick Off Party will be on April 7 from 2 P.M till 6 P.M. at the Paragon Restaurant, 2125 Queen Anne Ave, Seattle, WA.

For more information contact Rick or Annis Salmon at SB Motorsports 253-535-3795.