Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Buell American Motorcycles, which sponsored the AMA Pro Thunder class in 2000 and 2001, still does not have a complete 2002 AMA Pro Thunder schedule, according to Buell spokesman Paul James.

As a result, James said, Buell has not made any decisions regarding support of the class or teams entered in the class.

AMA Pro Racing has made no formal statement regarding the Pro Thunder schedule even though the first Pro Thunder race is now less than eight weeks away.

AMA Superbike Manager Ron Barrick said at the December 7 AMA Pro Racing Awards “Banquet” that there will be no Pro Thunder races at five of the 10 scheduled AMA Nationals, all of which will host Superbike double-header races. (Pro Thunder will be held at Road America, despite the fact that Road America hosts a Superbike double-header.) This leaves the Pro Thunder class with only five events on the schedule for 2002.

In 2001, three displaced Pro Thunder races ran with the WERA National Challenge series, but WERA officials say that they have had no conversations with AMA Pro Racing regarding the hosting of 2002 Pro Thunder races. There has been speculation that AHRMA would possibly host Pro Thunder rounds in 2002, but less than two weeks ago AHRMA Public Relations man Matt Benson told Roadracing World that no one at AHRMA’s office had spoken to AMA Pro Racing about that situation.

“As far as I know, they haven’t given us a confirmation on where those rounds will be,” said James. “We’ve heard the same things that you’ve heard, you know, just all rumor.”

Asked if he meant rumor as in the displaced rounds running with AHRMA, James said “Right. But AHRMA has said that’s not gonna happen. I guess all we know for sure is they’re saying, what, Pike’s Peak, Brainerd, Laguna, Road America and Daytona. At five AMA events, then ‘an undisclosed number at undisclosed locations’. I don’t think we have any further information than that unless Erik (Buell) has more information. The last time I talked to him (Buell) was right before shutdown before Christmas. So unless he’s heard something this week, that’s the last information we’ve had.

“So there’s been no decisions made about where we’re going to be putting our emphasis,” stated James in regards to Buell’s sponsorship plans for the Pro Thunder class. “No decisions have been made yet, but I expect that some will in the very near future. We’re going into our winter dealer meeting coming up here at the end of January, and I know that they would like to have some decisions made by then so we can announce them to our dealers.”

On January 9, Leo Venega, a Pro Thunder racer and team owner, said that he called AMA Pro Racing Director of Professional Competition Merrill Vanderslice and proposed that the two Pro Thunder and two 250cc Grand Prix heat races held on non-doubleheader weekends be replaced by single 20-minute qualifying sessions on doubleheader weekends, thus freeing up enough time to hold a Pro Thunder Final on doubleheader weekends.

According to Venega, Vanderslice said that the proposal was a possibility but did not say what AMA actually plans to do about the missing five rounds of Pro Thunder.

Venega said that the lack of any official word regarding the final 2002 AMA Pro Thunder schedule has prevented him from finalizing deals with sponsors, since he doesn’t knows if his Pro Thunder team will be running a five-race season or a 10-race season.

A poll appearing on www.ducati.com asking web surfers to “Pick Your Champion For 2002”, is currently being led by American Ben Bostrom.

Fan favorite Bostrom leads with 40% of the votes over 2001 World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss’ 22%.

Third Ducati rider Ruben Xaus and new Aprilia signee Noriyuki Haga are tied for third at 13%.

GSE Ducati Neil Hodgson is in fifth with 6% ahead of Pierfrancesco Chili’s 3% and Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards’ 2%.

MotoGP rider Regis Laconi finished seventh in the poll with 1% of the votes, even though he will not compete in World Superbike this season.

From a press release:


A reminder to teams and riders out there that compete on modern Singles, Twins and Triples that the Formula USA National Road Race Series has plenty of opportunities for them in 2002.

Ducati 748s are legal to compete in our Sportbike class along with 600s, as long as they meet the rules of stock frame, engine cases and wheels with DOT tires and the limit of 115 horsepower. There is a guaranteed minimum $10,000 purse in Sportbike at all eight NRRS events.

Our Thunderbikes class offers riders of Buells, Suzuki SV650s, Ducati Supersports, Triumph triples and others an opportunity to compete together. Superbike rules apply to the engine and chassis (with no horsepower limit), and slicks are allowed as well. There is a guaranteed minimum $3,000 purse available to the Thunderbikes class.

With some teams and riders facing the uncertainty of where to race in 2002, we wanted to remind them that Formula USA has eight National Championship classes to compete in, including Lockhart Phillips Superbike (145hp), Sportbike (115hp), Thunderbikes, Grand Prix (anything goes), 600 Supersport Amateur, Open Supersport Amateur and the popular Team Challenge endurance events.

For more information, visit www.formulausa.com or call (817) 332-4822.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp.:

For the forth-consecutive year, Yamaha is proud to present the Weekend of Champions during Daytona Bike Week. The Weekend of Champions enables fans of every generation, from both dirt and street, to meet their favorite racers, receive a limited-edition poster, and get autographs from the fastest 18 Yamaha racers of all time. The Weekend of Champions autograph signing will be on Friday, March 8th from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; on Saturday, March 9th from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; and on Sunday, March 10th from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.mm in the Yamaha Consumer Tent.

For 2002, the Weekend of Champions will include road race champions Giacomo Agostini, Eddie Lawson, Thomas Stevens, Jamie James, Rich Oliver, Randy Mamola, Don Emde, Steve Baker, Wayne Rainey, and their dirtier co-champions Jeremy McGrath, Gary Jones, Bob Hannah, Doug Henry, Broc Glover, Marty Moates, Rick Burgett, Pierre Karsmakers and Mike Bell.

From a Suzuki press release:


ROBERTS PREPARES TO MEET ALL-NEW FOUR-STROKE SUZUKI

January 10.

Kenny Roberts Jr will meet the brave new world of Grand Prix racing for the first time on January 19, when he and Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki team-mate Sete Gibernau fly to the factory test circuit in Japan for their first encounter with Suzuki’s all-new four-stroke XRE0 MotoGP racer.

And the American 500cc World Champion in 2000 is keeping a cool head as he prepares for the encounter with the 990cc V4 that the teamsters will race in the first new MotoGP season of 2002 – the premier class now open to 990cc four-strokes as well as 500cc two-strokes.

“I haven’t been speculating about the new bike. I don’t care if we’re racing four-strokes, two-strokes, or twins. I don’t care if we’re all on pink bikes – I just want to get back to beating Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi, as I’ve done before” said the Californian son-of-a-legend, in a break to his training regime that is gathering pace as the season draws near.

Since Christmas, Roberts has been intensifying his carefully structured programme – spending two hours a day in gymnasium training, and another four or more out riding, concentrating on the oval dirt-track discipline that is a cornerstone of GP racing technique.

Roberts plans to rely on his usual resources in the season to come, confident that the Suzuki factory’s bold new four-stroke racer represents a similar commitment on its part. Suzuki is steeped in GP racing, with race and championship wins dating back to the Sixties.

“I’m not in racing to finish in the top-10, and the same thing is true of Suzuki,” said Roberts. “We all want to win. Next week, I get my first ride on the new bike – but to be honest I haven’t been wondering about what it will be like, or thinking about the four-stroke too much. I’m focused on myself, and in putting in the time and effort to be capable of winning GPs. I want to be in the right frame of mind.”

As well as the switch from the V4 500cc two-stroke engine to the powerful new fuel-injected V4 990cc four-stroke, the team will be changing from Michelin to Dunlop tyres, adding another significant variable.

“The new bike and the new Dunlop tyres are a decision by the Suzuki factory,” said Roberts, now in his fourth year with the factory Suzuki team. “I go along with whatever decisions they make that will make the bike faster.

“I’ve raced with Dunlop tyres before, and they feel different, and require a different riding technique,” said Roberts. “In any case, the new MotoGP machine will have a different power character again, and a different power-to-weight ratio, so again we have to wait and see.

“I’m looking on us using different tyres as another possible advantage. It’s going to be a tough test – grand prix racing’s pretty cut-throat at the moment. I’m confident that both Dunlop and Suzuki are going into this with the aim of winning.

“The fact that the factory brought the four-stroke programme forward to race the machine this season instead of next year means they’ve obviously had good results in their tests. I’ll be seeing for myself next week. I’ve never raced a four-stroke, but I’ve always been sure that you’ll have the same people able to win races on either type of machine,” said Roberts.

“From that point of view, it’s just business as usual – and we’re styling. My only goal is to try and win the World Championship again.”

Next week’s tests are shake-down runs for the two regular riders, who will join Suzuki’s regular factory testers at the Ryuo test circuit. This gives the factory race department the chance to tail-fit the bikes to the full-time riders, before testing begins in earnest in Malaysia in the first week of February.

www.suzuki-racing.com is currently being redesigned to make it the premier site to visit for information on Suzuki’s world racing activities. The new site will be live from mid-January and will keep you up-to-date on all of the rider’s comments and thoughts on the new four-stroke XRE0 GP bike, so add it to your bookmarks now.




From a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

NEW YAMAHA YZR-M1 PRESENTATION
Barcelona, Spain
Thursday January 10 2002

CARLOS CHECA LOOKS FORWARD TO BEST EVER SEASON

Carlos Checa believes he can enjoy his best ever world championship season in this year’s new look MotoGP series. Speaking at the official Spanish
presentation of the new Yamaha YZR-M1, organised by Yamaha Motor Espana and hosted at the Segura Viudas winery outside Barcelona, Checa said that he already feels totally at ease with the factory’s all new 200 horsepower four-stroke.

“I can push the bike to the limits, I feel more confident with this machine than I’ve felt with the 500 two-stroke,” said the Spaniard, who finished 6th in last year’s 500 world championship and is now preparing for his fourth season with the Marlboro Yamaha Team. “I think I can do better than I did on the two-stroke, and the fact that we have continuity in the team is very important. I’ve always trusted Yamaha and this year I’m more confident because I have Antonio Jiminez as my crew chief. Being able to communicate in Spanish will speed things up for me.”

Checa has already completed several thousand kilometres of testing on the YZR-M1, and is now in training for his first outing of 2002, at next month’s team test in Spain.

New Team Director Davide Brivio has already witnessed Checa and teammate Biaggi in action on the M1 and reckons that both men have a very real chance of winning the first ever MotoGP world championship.

“I believe that we have the best combination of riders and machines, both Max and Carlos are capable of winning the championship,” said Brivio, who recently took up his new post with the team, operating out of its new base near Milan, Italy. “The M1 is a new project and that means additional motivation for Carlos. I think it’s going to be a great season with four manufacturers all choosing different four-stroke solutions.”

The Italian presentation of the YZR-M1 follows tomorrow, Friday, with Biaggi speaking to the media at a function in Milan.

From a press release:

The Superbikers2 Supermotard Challenge is a six race series of supermotard events to be held at the Briggs&Stratton Motorplex at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

The series will include classes for mini-motards, sportsman, lightweights, middleweights, and a premier unlimited class as well as two quad classes.

Superbikers2 will also hold exhibition events (no points for the series) at the AMA/Chevy Superbikes National and the Formula USA National rounds at RA.

For more information on the series please contact Glenn Curtiss at 920-912-3009, e-mail [email protected] or see the web site at www.superbikers2.com.

The series is also searching for sponsorship. Please contact us if we can help promote your business and products or services at our events.

Superbikers2 2002 schedule: All events at Road America except April 20th.

April 20 Super Mini-Motard only (Mid-Cities Motorsports, West Bend, WI)

April 28 (CCS Regional road race weekend)

May 5

June 2

June 6-7-8-9 (exhibition only, AMA National)

July 14

August 1-2-3-4 (exhibition only, F-USA National)

August 25

September 8

From a press release issued by SBK:

WINTER TEST

Australia, Phillip Island Circuit

30-31 January / 1st February 2002

Attendance list

Superbike

Troy Bayliss, Ducati
Ruben Xaus, Ducati
Ben Bostrom, Ducati
Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia
Colin Edwards, Honda
Neil Hodgson, GSE Ducati
James Toseland, GSE Ducati
Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki
Chris Walker, Kawasaki
Steve Martin, DFX Ducati
Alessandro Antonello, DFX Ducati


Supersport

Karl Muggeridge, Honda
John Mc Guinness, Honda
Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki
James Ellison, Kawasaki

From a press release:

Formula USA to host second annual Road Race Operations Summit

Aurora, Ill. (January 10, 2002) – With the Daytona season opener of the Formula USA National Road Race Series, and the Championship Cup Series presented by Lockhart Phillips around the corner, Formula USA’s road race officials from across the country are meeting this weekend, January 11-13, 2002 for the second annual Road Race Operations Summit in Fort Worth, Texas.

The focus of the second annual Formula USA summit is continuity of the Formula USA road race program nationwide, with communication, customer service and safety among the many topics. This continuing program will fly in dozens of full-time and part-time officials well in advance of the season, resulting in a cohesive race management team creating a familiar, quality experience for both racers and spectators at CCS and NRRS events.

“This summit helps to unify all of our NRRS and CCS staff and CCS associate regions nationwide to insure that the programs from one region to another are consistent. It also helps to raise the bar for safety and develop consistent safety procedures when dealing with anything from fallen riders, weather related decisions, and implementation of straw bales and Airfence-type safety barriers”, said Bill Syfan, director of road racing for Clear Channel Entertainment’s motor sports division.

“We also want to instill the entertainment value of what we do week in and week out. While concentrating on providing quality entertainment for spectators and growing opportunities for teams and sponsors, Formula USA’s road racing will continue to grow exponentially over the next few years,” added Syfan.

For more information, call Formula USA at 817-332-4822.

From a press release issued by OMS Ltd.:

Ford Motor Co. Signs As Title Sponsor For Chris Carr Racing Team

Ford’s Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Program deal with Chris Carr Racing called “unprecedented” in flattrack racing history

FLEETWOOD, Pa. Officials at Chris Carr Racing and Ford Motor Company announced today that Ford’s Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Program will be the new title sponsor for the Chris Carr Racing Team for 2002.

This ground-breaking flat track sponsorship contract is for one year. Terms of this unprecedented deal were undisclosed.

Carr, the defending AMA U.S. Flat Track Champion, is very pleased to have Ford Motor Company on board with his race team. The popular multi-time flat track champion and road racing specialist is in his 29th year of racing. The deal came about, according to Carr, through some mutual friends and business partners.

“This is a pretty big deal. And not just for my race team, but for the sport of flat track in general,” said Carr, who also won U.S. FlatTrack titles in 1992 and 1999. “I can’t think off hand of any outside-the-industry Fortune 500 companies that have been a title sponsor for a dirt track race team. And hopefully this will open some doors and, ultimately, pay dividends to other riders down the road as well.”

Ford’s Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Program manager Mike Dennis, a former amateur motocross and hare scrambles racer, looks forward to the relationship with flat track racing’s top rider.

“Ford Motor Company is proud to sponsor Chris as this year’s returning national flat track champion,” said Dennis. “This is our first venture into a primary motorcycle sponsorship and we see it as a strong chance to cultivate a new customer base. It will be a way for Ford to promote its Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Program, provide exposure for new Ford car and truck products and benefit the U.S. Flat Track program.”

Said Carr of his new sponsor: “With the struggling economic times right now, people are looking at all the options to fill their vehicle needs. We want to educate people that Ford’s Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Program is out there.”

Ford’s Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Program delivers a professionally inspected quality used vehicle, which includes a factory warranty and road side assistance program. “It’s about as close as you can get to a new car purchase,” adds Dennis.

For more information on the Chris Carr Racing Team, please check out Chris Carr’s website at www.chriscarr.com.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Jeff Nash, the 2000 AMA Pro Thunder Champion and current candidate for the South Central AMA Board of Trustees seat, has retired from AMA Pro Racing as a rider but has taken the first step toward improving his presence as a racing team owner by relocating his Advanced Motor Sports Ducati shop to a larger facility.

We were surprised to first hear of Nash’s retirement as a rider from a third party and called the New Zealand immigrant Tuesday, January 8 to check on his situation. “I’m still trying to deny it myself,” said Nash, when asked about his retirement. “Basically, with the changes in my life, I felt that it was the right time to retire. Unfortunately, I’m suffering from a bit of…the knock on the head from Virginia (2001 AMA Pro Thunder race at Virginia International Raceway) is still giving me some trouble with balance. It hasn’t got a lot better. That’s one of the reasons.

“Other than that, I want to stay involved in the sport. So the best way I can do it, stay in racing, at this stage was to move shop, buy a bigger building, and do it from a support-type side and eventually get a team going in the future. I’ve sort of decided to turn my focus a little more to my business in order to stay sane, you know?”

Nash crashed at high speed in the Pro Thunder heat race at VIR on Saturday, September 29, breaking several ribs, injuring his right hand and suffering a serious concussion. “It’s kind of like a vertigo problem that I get,” disclosed 39-year-old Nash. “Like, I can’t stand on a ladder or anything like that, unfortunately. I’ve been to see some specialists, and they say it’s a time thing. It may or may not get better. It’s just one of those deals where you just have to wait and see.

“That wasn’t my decision for retirement. I’ve enjoyed racing, and I gave it my best shot last year to win the Championship, but Tom (Montano) had a little better luck than I did and congratulations to him. I feel like I rode better than I have ever ridden before. Certainly, I had put in as much effort as I had the year before, if not more, in terms of physical training. I thought it was a good time to park it. I would rather park it, stay healthy and work with some new, young guys in the future. It’s not an easy thing to do when you’re a racer. I’m not saying that I won’t do any club stuff or the occasional ride here in the future, but as far as the commitment for AMA Pro Racing, it’s definitely time to retire.”

But aside from hoping to serve as the AMA Trustee from the South Central Region of the United States (ballots are being accepted until January 15) , Nash is already working through his plans to expand his business in an effort to build another racing team in the future. “Obviously, over the years of racing, we’ve developed a pretty good clientele as far as Ducati service is concerned,” explained the soft-spoken father of two. “I’ve really kept it small because of the fact that we were traveling all of the time. So now I’ve sort of broken out and purchased a 10,000 square foot shop. Obviously, our main focus will be on Italian motorcycles, everything from customer service to race preparation and race services.

“It’s something that where probably the next time you pass through Texas you have to stop in because it’s quite unique. We’ve built it with lots of different facets in mind. It’s definitely a niche market shop. We’ve built a showroom that’s pretty ‘out there’ with a museum of Ducati racing motorcycles, dating back from the ‘70s right through to 2002. To give you an idea, we have on display Neil Hodgson’s 2001 Ducati Superbike. I purchased that for a customer of mine, and that’s on display. We have a couple of Supermonos, another 996 Superbike, Casoli’s 2000 Ducati 748. As I said, Ducati factory racebikes dating back to 1973. I’ve had a lot of my customers bring in their bikes for me to display. It’s a pretty neat place to visit.

“Our (old) workshop was 1200 square feet, but we also had three warehouses full of crap. We’ve combined it all into this large building, which is fantastic. We’ve completed the showroom and the workshop. Phase two, which will start in February, will be a fully climate-controlled dyno room and machine shop. It’s all here, but it’s just taking the time getting it the way we want it.

“We’re located in Alvarado, Texas, just South of Fort Worth. R.E.S., Racing Engine Service, is probably just 400 yards down the road. GMD Computrack’s new shop is seven miles from us. It’s the new hub of motorcycling.”

Nash ended our conversation by saying that he plans to put someone on his 2001 Ducati 748RS for the Pro Thunder race at Daytona and possibly may field a team for the entire season with a major new player in AMA Pro Thunder.

Advanced Motor Sports’ new address and phone numbers follow:

11550 East F.M. 917
Alvarado, TX 76009
Phone (817) 790-0200
FAX (817) 783-8883