From a press release:

PROGRESS CONTINUES FOR EDWARDS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Castrol Honda¹s Colin Edwards was 0.7 of a second inside the lap record on the second day of the Michelin tyre tests at Kyalami in South Africa on
Thursday.

Modifications to the Showa 2002 specification front forks improved the Castrol SP-2 as Edwards came within 0.03s of his fastest-ever lap at
Kyalami, recording a time of 1:42.22.

“We made the changes to the forks this morning and the machine was instantly better,” reported Edwards. “The test is supposed to be about tyres but Michelin know that we can’t test anything until the base setting for that particular circuit is right – by lunchtime today we had it.”

Edwards added: “My best lap came on a rear race tyre which is always a good sign and we had a 45-degree track temperature today, a lot hotter than the race here last year so that makes today’s lap time a little bit more satisfying.

“The HRC engineers played around a little with the fuel injection and I got dialled into some serious tyre testing with the Michelin guys this afternoon so all in all we¹ve had a good day.”

Two days of the test remain and Edwards hopes to test a new Michelin Superpole rear tyre on Friday.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Bob Dragich

The best times turned in the AMA team tests at Laguna Seca all came on the third and final day of testing, Wednesday, January 23, with Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert the fastest of the Superbike riders. Riding his “B” bike after wadding up his “A” bike on Wednesday morning, an uninjured Gobert did a best lap of 1:25.550.

Bruce Transportation Group’s Jake Zemke was the fastest of the Formula Xtreme riders, turning in a best lap of 1:27.330, and Tommy Hayden was the fastest 600cc Supersport pilot, clocking a 1:29.268 on his Kawasaki.

Besides Anthony Gobert, other riders who crashed during the tests included Aaron Gobert on a 600 (suffering a sprained ankle), Mike Hale on an FX bike (twice, uninjured both times, but destroying the lone Erion 954 the second time), and Roger Lee Hayden on an FX bike (uninjured).

Best times from Wednesday, provided by Ken Rogers of AMA Pro Racing:


Superbike:

Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:25.550
Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:25.655
Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:26.090
Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:26.312
Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:26.915


Formula Xtreme:

Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:27.330
Mike Hale, Honda, 1:27.923
Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:29.477
Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:29.605


600cc Supersport:

Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:29.268
Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:29.684
Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:30.992
Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:30.524
Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:31.335

From a press release:

Aprilia Racing Press Information
Jerez de La Frontera (Spain)
24 January 2002

Aprilia RS Cube: the day of the great debut.

For the first time, its heart started pounding outside the Racing Department in Noale. At 1:30h today, three cylinders shot up to heat for the first time as 6,000 revs took it up to the perfect temperature. Shortly after the second ignition, its roar finally thundered out: powerful and deep enough to switch the heartbeat of those nearby to a very different frequency. At 2:14h, the RS Cube gripped the asphalt of a world championship track for the first time. Marcellino Lucchi, the Racing Department’s official test rider, took it out on its first sortie – what the techies call the “installation lap”. And this is where the Italian Challenge began.

With emotion at fever pitch, many of those at the trackside had never imagined the number of decibels this futuristic machine could release. A further three laps followed by another set-up, and then work started in earnest with the assistance of an RSV Mille “4-stroke Lab” all ready to test a number of components for the Cube. In a few days’ time, Regis Laconi will be making his debut on the experimental RS3.

Jan Witteveen has no intention of hiding his emotion about his brainchild, the 4-stroke MotoGP: “This is a red-letter day in the history of Aprilia. It’s a gigantic step towards a new era, a new technology. We’re going to be under intense and exciting pressure over the next few days: this is the first phase, in which we’ll be doing all the track tests on the project and we’ll be learning how to prepare for the future. It’s thrilling to have this project on the circuit at last -but I can’t help thinking of all the work that’s piling up back ‘home’. Even so, I couldn’t think of missing the debut. Sure, we’re not here in Jerez just to get the fastest lap time: we’re aiming to get the all-round competitiveness we need. From now on we can only go up.”

Track tests on the RS Cube went on into the evening with a close-packed programme of sorties and pit-stops to make the necessary adjustments. Marcellino Lucchi, just off his first ride, gave his initial impressions: “There are two decidedly different aspects: one is emotional, the other technical. It was heart-stirring to put Aprilia’s latest creation through its first trials: I’d seen it on the test bench in the Department but today I was able to take it out on its very first laps. No other motorcycle in the last ten years has given me such a kick: there’s no doubt you’re riding a concentration of advanced technology. My initial impression, however, is that it’s easy to ride and that it’s got fantastic potential – I’m not up to 100% by any means yet. This is a bike I want to get to grips with and learn how to squeeze the most out of.”

Tests will continue tomorrow and the day after. Today’s trials took place on a dry track, in spite of yesterday’s heavy downpour. The weather looks as though it is going to stay fine for the next few days.

The photos below were issued by Aprilia’s press department following the test session at Jerez.

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

SUTER JOINS PETRONAS RACING PROJECT

24 January, 2002

CARL Fogarty today welcomed the news that Eskil Suter has been appointed as the engine developer for the Petronas race and road bike projects.

The former racer’s Swiss company, Suter Racing Products, will now assume responsibility for the ongoing manufacturing development of the GP1 engine.

The design phase of the engine which was carried out by Sauber Petronas Engineering, a joint venture with the Malaysian petroleum giant Petronas, has been completed.

Suter will be responsible for producing an engine to be used by the Foggy Petronas Racing team in the World Superbike Championship this year and will be calling on the experience of Petronas engineers.

Carl said: “This is the best of both worlds for us. We have had the best engine designers involved and now our backers Petronas have chosen the best engine developers to turn our bike into a competitive machine.

“This way, we retain the F1 expertise while also calling on the experience of Eskil Suter, who has an impressive background in the world of motorcycling and is very positive about the whole project.

“It makes me very comfortable to know that the engine will now be developed by people who know motorbikes inside out.

“He will be working closely with my team to make sure we meet our deadline of being on the World Superbike grid for the Laguna Seca round in July.”

Suter Racing Products will also be responsible for developing the engine for the Foggy FP1 road bike, which is hoped to be publicly revealed before the fifth round of the championship at Monza.

From a press release:

DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

Testing – Kyalami (South Africa)

Thursday 24 January 2002

DUCATI’S 2002 WSBK CAMPAIGN GETS UNDERWAY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Ducati Corse kicked off its 2002 World Superbike Championship campaign in South Africa on Thursday with the first day of a three-day Michelin tyre test session at the high-altitude Kyalami circuit on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

The Italian manufacturer was present with brand-new 2002-spec Ducati 998R Factory bikes for reigning world champion Troy Bayliss, from Australia and his young Spanish teammate Ruben Xaus, winner of two races last year.

The first day of testing began late morning and revolved around general suspension set-up work, and putting some mileage on the new bikes on standard tyres.

Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada), who ran a total of 56 laps in hot weather (track 52° C/ air 30° C), was feeling confident after recording a best time of 1:43.5.

“I didn’t push too hard today because I had to get to grips with the new bike after a few weeks away from the track”, declared the 32-year-old Australian.

“Even though we are running at more than 1700 metres altitude, I can feel the new engine has got a lot of power”, he added.

Teammate Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) completed 15 laps before having a harmless slide at Turn 3. The 23-year-old Spanish rider’s best time at that point was 1:46.9″.

Testing for the Ducati Infostrada team at Kyalami continues Friday and Saturday.

The third factory rider Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M), from California, will bring the team up to full strength at next week’s scheduled SBK Winter Tests at Phillip Island, Australia.

From a press release:

AMA Takes Motorcyclists’ Message on New Emissions Standards to the Environmental Protection Agency

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reiterated its concerns that new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emissions regulations could spell the end of two-stroke off-highway motorcycles during a visit to the EPA’s vehicle emissions testing facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 22.

The AMA delegation, led by Edward Moreland, vice president of AMA government relations, also discussed with federal officials proposed emissions standards for road motorcycles that are soon to be released.

The AMA delegation also included Director of State Affairs Sean Maher, and Legislative Affairs Specialists Royce Wood and Imre Szauter.

“We were encouraged by the open exchange that we had with the federal officials, and we look forward to providing the EPA with more insights into how riders would be affected by their proposals,” Moreland said. “We want the EPA to know that riders are watching these proposals very closely and are concerned.”

The EPA has proposed national emissions standards covering off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) only slightly less stringent than the requirements now in place in California, which severely limit the use of two-stroke motorcycles. Currently, there are no national emissions standards governing off-road motorcycles and ATVs.

Under the standards, which will be finalized by September 13, new off-highway motorcycles and ATVs would be subject to strict emissions requirements that would be phased-in beginning in 2006. Full compliance would be required by the manufacturers in 2007. Also, ATVs would be required to meet even tougher standards beginning in 2009.

The requirements wouldn’t affect machines built through 2005, but would apply to machines built in 2006 and thereafter. The EPA said it expects that manufacturers will meet these new, stringent off-highway standards by using four-stroke engines exclusively for trail machines. The EPA has proposed exemptions for off-road competition-only machines, which would mean that two-stroke motocross bikes would be unaffected.

The AMA delegation urged EPA officials to create separate emissions standards for four-stroke and two-stroke motorcycles and ATVs, considering safety, cost and performance. The delegation also argued that the federal government has significantly overestimated the amount of use of off-highway motorcycles and ATVs nationwide, resulting in projections that suggest those vehicles are responsible for more emissions than they actually are. And the Association suggested officials fine-tune the exemption for competition motorcycles so that enduro and other types of competition machines besides motocrossers are available to amateurs.

On the street side, the EPA has indicated that it will release proposed emissions standards for public comment within the next couple of months. A draft of the proposal obtained by the AMA indicates that the EPA wants to adopt a two-tier standard already approved in California on a delayed basis.

The first tier of California standards will go into effect in 2004, with the second tier scheduled for 2008. The federal EPA is proposing to adopt the same standards, but on a two-year delay, meaning tier one would take effect in 2006 and tier two in 2010.

Road motorcycles built before the 2006 model year would be unaffected by the new regulations and would remain legal to ride.

If adopted, the new federal emissions regulations are expected to result in increased use of fuel injection and catalytic converters on new motorcycles.

The draft proposal contains no new anti-tampering provisions.

The delegation also discussed catalytic converters and brought up cost and safety issues associated with their use on motorcycles.

The proposed regulations aren’t expected to differ from the draft obtained by the AMA. Important provisions contained in the proposal include an exemption that gives small manufacturers until the 2008 model year to meet the tier-one national emissions standard. Those manufacturers — with sales of fewer than 3000 bikes a year and having fewer than 500 employees — wouldn’t be required to meet the tougher tier-two standards.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A new feature of AMA Pro Racing’s upgraded timing and scoring system debuted Wednesday at Laguna Seca, giving riders split times for what may be the first time ever. The new system’s benefit, which has been available in FIM competition for at least the 2001 season and most likely longer, is as a tool for riders to see where they are strong or weak compared to their fellow riders.

The 2.2-mile Laguna Seca track was separated into three segments. The first segment starts at the start/finish line on the front straight and runs to the pedestrian crossover bridge near turn four. The second segment runs from the bridge to the corkscrew. The final split time is measured from the corkscrew to the start/finish line.

From split times provided by AMA Pro Racing, the quickest rider in segment one was Anthony Gobert on his Yamaha Superbike at 32.676 seconds. Miguel Duhamel was the next-quickest rider in segment one, followed by Nicky Hayden and Kurtis Roberts, just hundredths of a second behind. Eric Bostrom was 0.8-second slower than “Go Show” through the first split.

The first split time spread from the fastest 600cc rider, Damon Buckmaster (34.063), to the slowest 600cc rider, Tony Meiring (34.707), was only 0.7-second.

The gap in first-split times from Gobert’s fast Superbike time to Buckmaster’s fast 600cc time was about 1.4 seconds.

Nicky Hayden was the fastest in split two with a time of 18.856 seconds, followed by Roberts, Duhamel, Gobert and Bostrom. The spread between Hayden and Bostrom’s second split times was 0.3-second.

Buckmaster was again the fastest 600cc tester through the second split at 19.953 with Roger Lee Hayden the slowest at 20.373. Meiring went from being the slowest 600cc rider in the first split to the second-fastest in the second split. The second-split time spread among 600cc riders was 0.4-second.

The second split gap from fastest Superbike time to 600cc Supersport time was 1.1 seconds.

Anthony Gobert was again the fastest Superbike in the final timing segment with a 34.545, just quicker than Hayden, Roberts, Duhamel and Bostrom. The difference between Gobert’s and Bostrom’s times was 0.46-second.

Buckmaster completed a sweep of all three segment times among 600cc racers Wednesday morning with a time of 35.832 as Meiring slipped back to the slowest time again. The difference between Buckmaster’s and Meiring’s third segment times was 0.5-second.

The difference in third-split times between Gobert’s Superbike and Buckmaster’s 600 was 1.3 seconds.

Overall, Gobert’s best Wednesday-morning Superbike lap time of 1:26.328 was 3.55 seconds faster than Buckmaster’s quickest 600cc Supersport time.

Note: Anthony Gobert turned the slowest 600cc lap time Wednesday morning on the AMA scoring system at 1:34.727. Considering Gobert’s best unofficial lap time of the test was a 1:29 Tuesday morning, his 1:34.727 was not taken into consideration as an accurate example of Gobert’s speed in this analysis.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yamaha factory 600cc Supersport rider Aaron Gobert crashed out of the AMA test at Laguna Seca Tuesday, January 22 when he tucked the front wheel of his Yamaha YZF-R6 on the approach to the Corkscrew.

“I came flying up over the hill coming toward the corkscrew,” said the 21-year-old Aussie on Wednesday. “You put the brakes on full hard there, but I had no grip and the front just tucked. I put the brakes on all the way and nothing happened. It didn’t do any stopping. The data says 212 kilometers per hour (131.7 mph) has been my average speed there so far in the test. So I hit the ground going over 200 kph (124 mph).

“I did just like Doug Chandler when he fell in the World Supers a couple of years ago. I slid right through the gravel trap, across that part on the inside of the corner and back across the track at the bottom. I slid a long way. I never though it would end. I thought for sure I was going to hit a wall or something.

“I hit a water drain with me leg. Either that or the gravel trap twisted me left ankle up. I went to the hospital and got it X-rayed. There’s nothing broken. It’s just sprain, and I may have stretched some ligaments or tendons. I’ll be alright in a week or so I reckon.

“I couldn’t put any weight on it yesterday, but I can put some on it today. There’s also a lot less pain today than there was yesterday. I’ll be ready to go when we test at California Speedway in a couple of weeks.”

Meanwhile, as we spoke to Aaron Gobert, Anthony Gobert had lowered his best lap time to a 1:25.550, just a few hundredths off his own Laguna Seca track record of 1:25.507. According to Aaron Gobert, Anthony did his lap time on race tires.

From a press release:

“I’m very happy to have signed a deal with my former teammate Carl Fogarty to ride the Foggy Petronas bike in the World Superbike Championship. It is a very exciting project and there is really good backing to it, so I’m sure the bike will be competitive within a year or so. I’m particularly excited because it’s a three-year deal, so I haven’t got to worry what’s going to happen next year. With a new bike, the first year is all about getting the thing ready to race and ironing out the problems, so this year will all be about testing and then ready for our track debut at Laguna Seca on July 14th. It’s going to be an interesting weekend, because Laguna is not the easiest track to debut a new bike, but that’ll add to the fun for sure.

“I visited Foggy and saw a prototype of the bike recently and I’m impressed with the team and how they are going about the business. I don’t think that the finished product is going to look much like what I saw, but it’s going to cause a bit of a stir for sure. Foggy and I actually get on pretty well and I know that my experience developing bikes (like the Aprilia) is one reason why he asked me to join the team. My aim this year is to get the bike in the very best possible condition to be competitive and try and get some good results before the end of the year. Next year we will be stronger and more experienced and we’ll be chasing some podiums, and in the third year, I’d like to think we’ll be competing for the title! I’m very positive about the whole project, because the back-up is there in bucket-loads and everybody involved is so enthusiastic. I can’t wait to swing my leg over the bike and start. In the meantime, I’ve been working out and getting fitter, so when the time comes to ride – I’ll be ready.

“Winter is a time I like to use to catch up with my family and friends back in Australia. I went to my parent’s farm and chilled out for a while, but it wasn’t long before I started getting active again. We built a bit of a dirt-track at the farm and I’ve out most days riding around with a young kid Joss Foster. I’ve been banging bars with him on the dirt-track we built and it’s been real good fun. He’s pretty good at it too!
I’m helping him out because I think he could be a real prospect. I got him a 250 Aprilia and although he’s only sixteen and only started racing recently, he became the youngest rider to get an ‘A’ Grade in Australia. It’s good to be able to put something back into the sport and it’s fun for me because he’s an Aussie! It’s also keeping me on the ball, keeping ahead of him!

“Lamborghini have asked me to take part in a support race for the F1 Melbourne GP, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do it really. It’s about the time my new team will be testing and my job comes first. Obviously, it would be fun to race the Lambo in front of a massive crowd, but we’ll have to see what happens nearer the time. I’d say at the moment it’s unlikely, but it’s nice to be asked and maybe I can have another go after the season finishes.”