From a press release issued by Red Bull Yamaha WCM:

HOPKINS HOME FOR SURGERY

Red Bull Yamaha rider John Hopkins has returned home to the United States for surgery to his left hand following a spectacular crash in the final qualifying session at the German Grand Prix in Sachsenring.

“Hopper” was operated on in San Francisco, California on Monday, 29th July by renowned American Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Arthur Ting.

The 45-minute operation on his left hand involved the insertion of three permanent screws into the metacarpal bone of the middle finger. The screws will assist the metacarpal bone in knitting back together. (The metacarpal bones extend from the wrist to the knuckles of each finger.)

A three-week recovery time is needed following this surgery and John will spend these weeks at home in Ramona, California. John plans to return to a light aerobic training program by the end of this week and will build up his fitness schedule prior to the Czech GP.


John Hopkins
“After the crash in Sachsenring, I went to see a Surgeon that Red Bull recommend for me in Innsbruck in Austria. After some X-rays on the Wednesday, he told me the hand would definitely need surgery to heal correctly. I wanted to get the surgery done in the U.S., I think that’s in my best interest so I planned to come home to the States and see Dr. Ting.

“The X-rays showed that my knuckle was completely busted in half and shoved back into my hand by 4mm. The bone was totally misplaced making my middle finger shorter than it should be by 4mm.

“So I came to Dr. Ting’s clinic in San Francisco for the operation.

“Now, it’s the second day after the surgery and my hand is in a fiberglass-moulded splint to support the bone. I have to keep it solid like this and not mess around with it for 10 days to give the bone time to knit together. I’ve had the dressing changed again today and I’ve got just a small incision in the top of the hand and the Dr. tells me it’s healing up nicely and on schedule.

“I’m only on light painkillers at the moment and the pain has dropped dramatically since yesterday.

“I’m flying home to Ramona, California tonight so I’ll spend my time at home training and getting a few things sorted with my house. I’m still building the second story so I can use the time to get that advanced.

“If there is one good thing about all of this, the timing was perfect. I’ve got time to heal so I’m 100% for Brno. I am really looking forward to Brno, I like everything about that circuit, the flowing track, surrounded by the trees, it’s unbelievable and really suits my riding style. So I’ll be training hard as soon as I can so I can be 100% fit for that.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From AMA Pro Racing:

YATES CROWNED 2002 CHAMPION OF PRO HONDA OILS SUPERSPORT

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Aaron Yates wrapped up the 2002 Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Sunday by taking his fifth series win of the year. It marks the second individual AMA road racing championship for Yates, a 28-year-old factory Suzuki rider from Milledgeville, Ga. He won the AMA Superstock (then known as 750 Supersport) championship in 1996, and was also a member of the championship-winning Cycle Motion Racing AMA SuperTeams squad in 1995. SuperTeams was a multi-rider endurance style competition that evolved into what is today Formula Xtreme. Yates is the first rider in six years to secure the highly competitive AMA U.S. Supersport Championship before the final race. Miguel Duhamel was the last rider to pull off that feat in 1996.

Yates began the year by winning the prestigious Daytona round for the first time in his career. It was considered a big breakthrough for Yates to win that race. With his six foot and 173-pound frame, Yates, who gave away about a 30- to 40-pound disadvantage to most other top riders, was never considered a top contender on the Supersport machines at the horsepower hungry Daytona International Speedway road course.

Yates backed up his Daytona victory with West Coast wins at California Speedway and Sears Point Raceway to open up a big lead in the series. He then went on to win at Road America and Mid-Ohio and posted podium finishes at Road Atlanta, Brainerd and Laguna Seca. His victory at Mid-Ohio was a bold move by Yates. He had a large enough lead in the series that he only needed 10th-place or better finish to wrap up the title. Instead of playing it conservatively, Yates went out and won his first Mid-Ohio Supersport race.

“Mid-Ohio has always been a real fun track for me,” said Yates after winning the race. “I’ve always gone real well here. I’ve never really put it all together in a 600 race. I’ve been there a few times and fell off towards the end. But this weekend I was just thinking yeah, I could take it easy and ride around and clinch the championship, or I can go out and ride hard and try to win the race. And if something happens, I got a pretty good cushion, I can still go out the next weekend and try and get in the top ten.”

With his 12-career victories Yates is third on the all-time AMA Supersport wins list. It marks the third AMA Supersport championship for Suzuki, with Yates following in the footsteps on Doug Polen (1988) and Steve Crevier (1998) – the other AMA Supersport champions who rode for Suzuki.

From American Honda/Universal Studios:

AMA/Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championships, Chevy Trucks Superbike Final, Round 13: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH, July 26-28


Honda Racing’s Nicky Hayden continues to shine in the AMA Superbike Championship. In one of the most exciting races of the year Eric Bostrom got away early and built a lead of 7.6 seconds at the halfway point of the race. Hayden charged from behind and came within .0341 of a second of beating Bostrom at the line. Hayden took home valuable 2nd place championship points and a 32-point lead with 3 races remaining.

Teammate Miguel Duhamel finished in 7th place.

Erion Honda Racing’s Kurtis Roberts continues his comeback from injury early in the season and finished the day in 6th place.

AMA/Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championships, Chevy Trucks Superbike Final, Round 14: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH, July 26-28

Honda Racing’s Nicky Hayden won Sunday’s Superbike main event in convincing fashion. Eric Bostrom got away early but Hayden quickly caught and passed him and was pulling away when the red flag came out due to a downed rider. On the re-start Bostrom again got the jump but was followed closely by Hayden. Hayden made his move and made it stick and won the race going away by 1.6 seconds. Hayden now takes a 35 point series lead into the final event of the season a doubleheader at Virginia International Raceway.

Erion Honda Racing’s Kurtis Roberts finished the event in 4th place, while Red Rider Miguel Duhamel finished 7th.


More, from HMC Ducati:

Race One:

HMC Ducati rider Doug Chandler was running in sixth place when he was forced to pull out of Mid-Ohio’s first race with a broken foot peg. The peg broke in the eighth lap and was replaced when he returned to the pits, but he chose not to re-enter the race at the rear of the pack.

Flash thunderstorms an hour before the race, delayed the start. Although the track was quick to dry in the Ohio heat, turn one continued to seep water leaving a wet section that forced riders to take another line. Isolated thunderstorms are predicted again for tomorrow’s race.

“At this track you’re pretty active on the pegs,” said Chandler. “Of all the places to break it was going into the first turn. As I back shifted my foot broke loose and tipped me in early so I had to go across the water and had a moment. I put my foot out and rode all the way to the edge of the track with my foot on the ground. I didn’t know if I was going to keep it on the track or head onto the wet grass.

“I thought we could have easily run with Pascal (Picotte) through that race, I wasn’t too sure where Arran (Yates) was but I thought we had a good shot with those two. I was biding my time but we had our race cut short.”


Race Two:

HMC Ducati rider Doug Chandler did another late race charge, coming from ninth place, in the first lap, to finish fifth at Mid Ohio’s second race. The veteran rider picked off riders one-by-one making the action for fifth almost as exciting as the action up front. Chandler was bridging the gap on Kurtis Roberts, in sixth place, when a nasty crash of Aaron Yates brought out the red flag stopping the race. The restart was more favorable for Chandler, who immediately went on the hunt for Roberts, passing Jamie Hacking in the process and finally having to settle for fifth just 0.75 seconds behind Roberts.


Doug ended his day with another two-seater ride, this time for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Ricky Claar took the seat behind Chandler as he did two flying laps of Mid-Ohio on a Ducati 748. Arai generously donated a Doug Chandler replica helmet for Ricky to use on the ride and keep as a souvenir. Joe Rocket supplied the use of leathers and gave a Chandler T-shirt that was personally signed. HMC would like to thank Corse Superbikes for arranging the bike through their demo fleet.

“Our race bike wouldn’t start in the first race so we had to use the back-up bike. That put me off a little, but once we got into the race I got going pretty good,” said Chandler. “I knew I had Kurtis, and the guys I was with, covered. Then at the red flag we made some changes but I don’t think that was the problem, I think there was something wrong with the bike that just got progressively worse. I wasn’t very happy with the way it was handling. It was frustrating just sitting back and watching those ahead of me broaden the gap, even if it was slowly. We’ll go over the data and see if we can find the problem.”


More, from Team America Grand Prix Racing:

DISALVO PODIUMS ONCE AGAIN

Team America Grand Prix Racing Team rider Jason DiSalvo wrapped up a solid weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with a third place finish in Sunday’s AMA MBNA 250 GP Championship race.

After qualifying fourth the day before, Jason was comfortable with his starting spot. “Turn one at Mid-Ohio is the fastest corner on the track. The best line is to sweep it from the outside [to the] in [side]. Because I was starting the race from the spot that’s on the racing line, I didn’t have to sweep to the outside at the start of the race to take the corner. From turn one on, I only had to worry about racing the track and not other riders. The bike was set up perfectly, but sometimes it’s hard to dial in the horsepower with the two-stroke bikes when the weather changes as fast as it does here. We’ll get ‘em next time”, said the Stafford, New York 18 year old. Jason currently sits third in GP points with 233 – just 37 points from first. It still is mathematically possible for Jason to win the GP championship, but the most extreme of circumstances would have to combine for this to happen. More probable is a second place finish for the season as Jason is only three points out of second.

In Sunday’s Wiseco Superbike 100 (the second of a twin-race weekend format), Jason achieved his goal of running a strong race and gaining the experience necessary to become more competitive both in superbikes as well as other classes. A 9th place finish bettered Saturday’s result by two spots when he finished 11th. Jason currently sits 15th in superbike points with 148.

Team co-owner, Jim DiSalvo remarked that, “This was a remarkably good weekend despite a couple of mis-steps. Jason’s never run here before, he learned the track very quickly and he performed like a true professional. We’re all very proud of him and the entire team.” Jim continued by saying, “In the coming weeks, we should be able to give definitive answers to the many questions that many people have been asking about what we’ll be doing next year. I think they’ll all be shocked, but that’s all I can say for now.”

After competing next weekend at Summit Point, Jason concludes the AMA series August 9th – 11th at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia.

Team America’s success is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, who include: ABS, Cruise America, Freddie Spencer’s High Performance Riding School, Dunlop Tires, Nutec Race Fuel, DID Chain, Chatter Box, GMD Computrack, Arai Helmet, Kushitani, Carbon Tech and Select Collision.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

From an e-mail from Greg Esser:

“After 15 long weeks, I got this cast off July 23rd. So I will be at VIR to try to ride. I should have enough movement to shift and ride well enough to enjoy racing again.

“I used crutches the first day the cast was removed, but since then have been walking and riding my bicycle. As the day goes along, it does swell quite a bit. So I will have to be careful of that. By next week, it should be even better and that’s what I am hoping for.

“I’ll see you there on Thursday (August 8).

“Greg Esser”


Editorial Note: Esser, 42, crashed his Honda RS250 during the AMA event at California Speedway in April. Esser broke his left ankle badly, and doctors initially told Esser that he would never ride again.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The Clayton Memorial Foundation did not pay Scott Russell $20,000 toward his medical bills and did contribute money to the late Toby Jorgensen’s family despite specific rumors to the contrary, the Foundation’s Judy Klinger said.

Apparently unfounded rumors are flying about the Foundation’s activities prior to a fund-raising “Pit Daddy” racer beauty pageant scheduled for August 11 during the AMA National weekend at Virginia International Raceway.

Klinger said that the Foundation, which has non-profit status, has distributed over $300,000 to injured riders and their families since it was established.

More information is available from the Clayton Foundation at (714) 751-7433.


This just in from Clayton Memorial Foundation, Inc. Secretary/Treasurer Judy Klinger:

“Thank you for researching and verifying these recent rumors. Please find on the following pages a list of injured motorcycle racers that have received financial aid from the Clayton Memorial Foundation. The list is public information, but to protect the privacy of our recipients we do not publicize every time we help someone.

“Each injured racer has submitted an application to the Clayton Memorial Foundation and each application is reviewed by all Board Members. Every case is different and treated as such.

“On January 25, 2000, we did indeed help the Jorgensen family with the maximum amount allowed by our guidelines when a death occurs. Scott Russell did submit an application, his application was not approved for financial aid, but was approved as a loan. Scott never returned the contract. End of story!

“I also understand that there is a rumor going around that we denied help to the Will Davis family. That is also not true, there has never been an application submitted by his family. It is not the policy of this foundation to approach injured motorcycle racers. At that time, we do not know their financial/insurance situations, therefore, for their privacy we do not invade.

“The Clayton Memorial Foundation was established to help motorcycle racers that have unfortunately been injured while competing in a sanctioned event, sanctioned by a bona fide sanctioning body. We are a non-profit charity, classified as 501(c)(3). The tax identification number is 33-0269409.

“The Clayton Memorial Foundation Board of Directors are very proud of the financial aid we have given to 59 injured racers since 1992. To date the total amount disbursed is $301,586.91. The Board is also proud to say that almost 100% of all donations go directly to injured racers, we are very fortunate to have Cycle News cover all of our administrative expenses. Not many charities can say that.

“It is very unfortunate that some people in the motorcycle racing industry like to stir up trouble even for a charity.”


(Klinger included a printout detailing donations made to 59 injured racers, with $2000 distributed in 1992; $10,000 distributed in 1993; $2000 distributed in 1994; $5000 distributed in 1995; $5000 distributed in 1996; $24,500 distributed in 1997; $17,525 distributed in 1998; $86,232 distributed in 1999; $55,500 distributed in 2000; $35,829.91 distributed in 2001; and $58,000 distributed year-to-date in 2002.)

From a press release:

Kcraget Makes It 4 Straight Wins With Another Bullet At Virginia International Raceway in 125GP National

VIR Win Makes Kcraget the 2002 Eastern Regional Champion & Favorite for the 2002 USGPRU 125GP National Championship October 4-5 at Virginia International Raceway

Sunday July 28, 2002 – In true Rossi-esque style, Speedwerks & NESBA’s Brian Kcraget took his fourth-straight win in the Eastern region of the USGPRU 125GP National Championship. Brian rode his Phil Dodd-tuned Honda RS125 to a convincing win making him the undefeated 2002 Eastern Region Champion with 125 total points, the maximum possible in the USGPRU Regional Championship. With the National Championship Final scheduled for October 4-5 at VIR Brian could make this a storybook season with an undefeated record in ’02.

The fourth round of the USGPRU 125GP National Championship began with practice Friday morning at VIR. Many west-coast riders had trekked across the country to VIR to learn the track and prepare for the USGPRU Final scheduled for October at the same venue. Most were worn and tired from cross country flights or the long 3000+ mile haul, but by the afternoon nearly two-dozen 125GP machines were on the track preparing for the Sunday event.

“Most of the California racers arrived for Friday practice but the long haul created gremlins forcing everyone to work on their bikes [that morning], so by the time I got out [it was] for afternoon practice, we were all basically going out on the track for the first time together,” said John Rabasa.

Saturday practice began with two casualties when both Bill Clery and 16-year-old Joe Ford both crashed in separate incidents. Bill was out for the weekend with a broken left clavicle but Joe Ford’s spectacular end-over-end crash left him shaken but unhurt.

This week’s win was not without incident for Kcraget as he seized his engine in near-100-degree heat during qualifying and was high-sided mid-corner at high speed.

Second through sixth place had all qualified within 1 second of each other but despite the get-off Brian was on pole having put in the day’s fastest qualifying lap on the previous lap, he was the only rider to record times in the 1:35s. Phil and Brian worked furiously to re-assemble the bike in time and as final call was made Brian was there on the grid to try and extend his winning streak.

Unfazed by his crash in qualifying Brain took an early lead and was never challenged.

California rider John Rabasa recalls, “By the halfway mark [of the thirteen lap event] riders began to notice the heat and humidity. I’ve raced in heat before, but not this much humidity. I was breathing heavily under my helmet while under full tuck… breathing all that hot, humid air was not helping this old man! We pulled into the pits for the normal post-race weigh-in after [the race]. I parked, pulled my leathers down, collapsed on someone’s chair in the shade and watched another gallon of sweat dripping off my body. I WAS EXHAUSTED!.”

Second place was the battle of the day as Stewart Aitken-Cade, Ryan Andrews, Scott Moxie and Steve Genter fought throughout the race swapping positions more times than anyone could count.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Annandale Racing has announced a deal that will see the team race Hondas in the 2003 AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme Championships.

“We submitted a proposal to Chuck Miller (American Honda Racing Team Manager) at Laguna Seca,” said Anna Johnston, the Anna in Annandale Racing, in a July 29 telephone call to Roadracingworld.com, “and he came back with a proposal for us at Mid-Ohio. The whole team has worked so hard for this. We’re very excited!”

Johnston said that Jeff Haney and Freddie Spencer were instrumental in making the contacts needed to put together the deal, which will result in American Honda providing enough bikes and parts for two riders, including current Annandale rider Ty Howard.

Howard is currently 11th in AMA Superstock and 12th in AMA Supersport point standings in his first full year of AMA racing.

Johnston’s team will now be known as Annandale Honda Racing. “But we’re still looking for an outside-industry sponsor,” said Johnston. “We’re hoping that our new factory support will help attract a sponsor that wants to replace the Annandale in the team name with their own.”

Johnston says that talks with all three major tire manufacturers – Pirelli, Michelin and Dunlop – and talks with current crew members are ongoing and will hopefully be sorted out by the end of the AMA season finale at VIR August 9-11.

Aside from impressive results for a privately-owned, rookie AMA team and running racebikes in bright orange colors, Annandale Racing’s main claim to fame has been the fact that the team employs four, full-time, female crew members. Johnston said that having an all-female crew was not a goal, but that the team will continue to offer opportunities to crew members new to the sport. Johnston also said ex-racer/team mechanic Ryan Landers and current racer/lead mechanic James Compton have been great assets to the team and are sometimes overshadowed by media attention on the women.

“James’ greatest talent is his ability to teach the other team members,” said Johnston, adding that Compton is being pursued by other AMA teams for the 2003 season. “The girls on the team are setting new goals for themselves over the winter, too. They want to learn how to ride the bikes and they want to learn how to build engines.”

Johnston ended her phone conversation with Roadracingworld.com by saying that she has heard Honda will introduce a new CBR600 at a dealer show in September.

In other Honda-related news, Bruce Transportation Group Honda Crew Chief Joey Osowski confirmed that the team will return to AMA racing “as big as ever” in 2003 despite rumors to the contrary.

Long time Roadracing World contributor Michael Ross has been promoted to the position of Curriculum Developer for the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute.

Ross, previously the Chief Instructor of Hontech, has been with MMI for 11 years. Ross will write curriculum for both the Phoenix and Orlando campus locations.