From a press release:


A letter from Carlo Di Biagio, CEO, Ducati Motor Holding

DUCATI APPOINTS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF U.S. OPERATIONS

I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Joseph Piazza as Chief Executive Officer of Ducati North America. Joseph is 36 years old and will fill the position left vacant by Michael McMahon who left the Company in December 2001. The appointment is effective as from February 4, 2002, and Joseph will report directly to Nicola Greco, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at Ducati Motor Holding.

Joseph brings to Ducati North America over ten years of experience of the motorcycle industry and is the third generation in his family to be involved in the motorcycle world. He has worked in sales, marketing, product strategy, operations and finance for a number of leading motorcycle-related companies in the US. During his career, he has been General Manager of Tucker Rocky and Helmet House Inc., the largest motorcycle helmet, leather apparel and accessories distributor in the US. Most recently, and for the last four years, Joseph held the position of Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Global Motorsport Group/Custom Chrome, the largest independent manufacturer and distributor of after-market parts and accessories for Harley Davidson and Japanese motorcycles.

After completing a masters degree in Business Administration at Pepperdine University, California, Joseph began his working career as an accountant at Ernst and Young.

“I have been a passionate motorcyclist all my life and cannot wait to take on this role for one of the world’s most exciting motorcycle companies,” he told me. “There are huge opportunities for Ducati in the US, and I look forward to exploiting them with my lifetime of experience of the motorcycle industry and understanding of the US market.”

Joseph is exactly what we need to build Ducati into the leading performance motorcycle brand in the US. I am confident that his broad experience and enthusiasm for motorcycles are a perfect combination to build up this hugely important market for Ducati. I trust you will all join me in welcoming him to Ducati and will give him the support and friendship he needs to achieve our ambitious goals for the future.

Best wishes,

Carlo Di Biagio

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Freelance public relations and promotions consultant Dorina Groves married racer and race tuner Shane Clarke in Las Vegas, Nevada December 29, 2001. Groves has taken her new husband’s last name and will go by Dorina Clarke effective immediately. Groves has also changed her office phone number, to (913) 764-0533.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Anthony Gobert, the lone Yamaha factory Superbike rider, continued to earn his large paycheck Tuesday by clocking the fastest lap time on day two of the AMA test at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca with a 1:26.313. Riding a Yamaha YZF-R7 on Dunlops, Gobert was fastest of the test Monday with a 1:26.788 and posted his quick time Tuesday well before the end of the frigid day on the Central California Coast.

Gobert seems happy and relaxed, frequently smiling as he climbs off his racebike.

Riders have given the latest Dunlop slicks rave reviews. The new tires use previously-existing compounds but are larger than the tires they will replace.

American Honda’s Nicky Hayden was fourth-fastest Monday with a 1:28.073 lap time despite mechanical glitches with the two different RC51 Superbikes he rode. Hayden rebounded late Tuesday with several fast laps but came up just short of Gobert’s best time with a 1:26.316.

Kurtis Roberts was the third and last Superbike rider to turn a 1:26 lap time Tuesday with a 1:26.905 on a day that barely reached 50 degrees Fahrenheit at its peak.

Eric Bostrom’s Kawasaki ZX-7RR seems to be working better at Laguna Seca than it did during off-season tests at at Daytona and California Speedway. Bostrom has been in the low-1:27 range over both days of the test thus far and ended Tuesday as the fourth-fastest Superbike rider at 1:27.271.

Miguel Duhamel improved his lap time from Monday’s 1:28.320 to a fifth-fastest time of 1:27.832 on Tuesday.

Bruce Transportation Group’s Jake Zemke was the fastest of the four Formula Xtreme riders Tuesday with a 1:29.056, but Zemke went quicker on Monday with a 1:28.437.

Although he was the slowest FX rider Tuesday, young Alex Gobert displayed his familiarity with a Formula Xtreme Honda by lapping just 0.8-second slower than Zemke. Alex Gobert raced in an Aprilia Cup event at Laguna Seca in 1999, his second-ever road race, and raced Honda CBR929RR Formula Xtreme bikes in Australia last season.

Aaron Gobert recorded the fastest 600cc Supersport time Tuesday with a 1:30.023, but crashed at the top of corkscrew in the afternoon.

Other crashers on Tuesday included Mike Hale, who fell in turn four, and Roger Hayden, who fell following Hale in an incident that was either caused by something on the track or by something leaking from Hale’s Erion Honda, depending upon the source.

Behind Aaron Gobert, most of the 600cc testers have recorded very similar times. On Monday, the top five 600cc riders’ best lap times were separated by 0.3-second. On Tuesday, the top three riders (Aaron Gobert, Damon Buckmaster, Tommy Hayden) were separated by 0.15-second.

The AMA tests at Laguna Seca are scheduled to last through Thursday, January 24.

Sources inside Japan reported today that Kawasaki officials have announced plans to race their new 4-stroke MotoGP prototype machine in selected rounds of the 2002 All-Japan Road Race Championships and the FIM MotoGP World Championships. Reports say that Akira Yanagawa will be the primary test rider for the new bike. Yanagawa finished ninth, the highest-finishing four-cylinder rider, in the 2001 Superbike World Championship on a Kawasaki ZX-7RR.

Although Kawasaki has not released any information about, or photos of, the bike, it is believed that the Team Green MotoGP machine will be an Inline Four.

Kawasaki’s announcement comes only days after Suzuki officials announced that they will race their 990cc, V4 XRE0 MotoGP weapon in the All-Japan Championship as a non-points-earning prototype. Suzuki’s riders for the All-Japan series, Akira Ryo and Yukio Kagayama, recently tested Suzuki’s new GP bike alongside World Championship riders Kenny Roberts and Sete Gibernau at Suzuki’s Ryuyo test track in Japan.



Text of a just-received Kawasaki press release follows:

2002 Kawasaki Racing Activity

During the 2001 race season the ZX-7RR and ZX-6R put on thrilling shows at racetracks around the world, with the ZX-6R winning both the World Supersports Championship and the AMA 600cc Supersport championship. Thank you all for your support during the year.

In 2002 we are looking forward to another exciting year of racing – our team structure is as follows:

In line with our plans to contest the FIM MotoGP class in 2003, 2002 will be a year of preparation and testing for us as we devote maximum effort towards developing our new Inline Four GP machine. To this end, in 2002 we plan to enter our GP bike now under development in the All-Japan Road Racing Championship experimental class and in the World Grand Prix MotoGP class. However, it has not yet been decided which specific events the machine will contest. For MotoGP, it will probably be in the later rounds, and development is progressing with that goal in mind. Piloting the new machine will be talented World Superbike racer Akira Yanagawa, who will both test and race the bike.

We look forward to your continued support of our Lime Green racers at racetracks around the world during 2002.

WORLD SUPERBIKE – WORLD SUPERSPORT
 Spearheading Kawasaki’s efforts in World Superbike will be 2000 All-Japan champion Hitoyasu Izutsu and former 500cc GP rider Chris Walker.
 In defense of our World Supersports title, last year’s winner Andrew Pitt will be joined by upcoming star James Ellison as they try to keep the number one plate on the screaming ZX-6R.

AMA SUPERBIKE AND SUPERSPORT
Last year’s 600cc title-winner Eric Bostrom will concentrate on the Superbike class this season, while new team members Tommy Hayden and Tony Meiring will contest the Supersport class.

WORLD GP AND ALL-JAPAN ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS
As mentioned above, Kawasaki’s new GP bike now under development will contest selected rounds in both of these championships as the bike is further developed for a full season of racing in 2003. Akira Yanagawa, a skilled development rider and brilliant racer will be the rider.

11:00 a.m. The Dakar Rally
12:00 p.m. Speedway Grand prix – Poland
1:00 p.m. National Arenacross Series – Des Moines
2:00 p.m. AMA 600cc Supersport – Pikes Peak
3:00 p.m. AMA Formula Xtreme – Pikes Peak

7:00 p.m. Bike Week
7:30 p.m. Motorcyclist
8:00 p.m. The Dakar Rally
9:00 p.m. National Arenacross Series – Leipzing
10:00 p.m. Speedway Grand Prix – Sweden
11:00 p.m. High Octane
11:30 p.m. American Thunder
12:00 a.m. Bike Week
12:30 a.m. Motorcyclist
1:00 a.m. The Dakar Rally
2:00 a.m. National Arenacross Series – Leipzing
3:00 a.m. Speedway Grand Prix

All times are Eastern Time

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

A press release issued by CCS Florida Region President Henry DeGouw announced two new Vintage racing classes for the 2002 season, Lightweight Vintage and Heavyweight Vintage.

According to the release, eligible machines are unrestricted in all areas, except age, as long as they meet the standards of section 5 of the CCS rulebook and use at least 18-inch wheels. Displacement limits are absolute and are as follows:

Lightweight Vintage:
Pre-1976 Up to 250cc air-cooled 2-strokes (factory road race or production, all models)
Pre-1976 Up to 500cc air-cooled 4-strokes (factory road race or production, all models)


Heavyweight Vintage:
Pre-1985 Up to 750cc, 2-stroke factory road race or production
Pre-1983 Up to 1200cc, 4-stroke, push rod
Pre-1983 Up to 1200cc, 4-stroke, OHC, Twins
Pre-1983 Up to 1200cc, 4-stroke, DOHC, Triples
Pre-1983 Up to 1085cc, 4-stroke, OHC, air-cooled, four cylinders
Pre-1983 Up to 750cc, 4-stroke, DOHC, air-cooled, 4-valve, four cylinders

For additional information, call or FAX Henry DeGouw at (561) 793-3394.

Uhh, file this under Never Mind, or, just because a racetrack PR person says it’s so, obviously doesn’t mean it is. Maybe the moral of the story is, the Willow Springs International Raceway PR guy should do some fact-checking with the WSMC Operations Manager before issuing press releases.

The incorrect press release ran here 1/19/02 and also ran on several other sites.

From an e-mail sent by WSMC Operations Manager Kenny Kopecky:

“Just saw the latest online post (of an official WSMC press release) about our 10th anniversary?!

“It was last month…Dec. 1991 was first WSMC event weekend and Dec. 2001 our 10-year WSMC Anniversary event. (We gave out commemorative plaques, too!)

“Kenny Kopecky
“WSMC OpsMgr”

From a press release:

NEW RIDERS GLOWING AFTER FIRST PROTON TESTS

Jerez de la Frontera – January 18, 2002: New Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki made their first acquaintance with the Proton KR3 machines they will ride in the forthcoming MotoGP season this week – and both came away full of enthusiasm after matching the three-cylinder lightweight’s best-ever lap times at the Spanish GP circuit at Jerez.

In spite of dirty track conditions (the circuit is undergoing major reconstruction work), both Proton riders were circulating at close to lap record speed by the end of three days of testing.

“It’s about the fastest we’ve ever been around here – and the conditions are anything but ideal. It’s very encouraging at this point. Apart from the last 20 minutes, when Jeremy fell off – the tests were flawless,” said team owner Kenny Roberts Senior.

“In fact, they came up a little early for us, and we didn’t really have all our ducks in a row,” the former triple World Champion added. “From here on, it can only get better.”

McWilliams was not hurt in the fall, which came towards the end of a test over full race distance on race-compound tyres. The engine seized, almost certainly as a result of dirt ingested from the dust-strewn track.

Ulsterman McWilliams and Japanese star Aoki were both pleasantly surprised, not only with the machine and its obvious potential, but also with the performance of the Bridgestone tyres, new to the top class of GP racing.

They were testing both 16.5-inch and 17-inch rear tyres, and a variety of compounds and constructions including full race tyres.

This was the first of several tests in the run up to the season, which starts on April 7 with the Japanese GP at Suzuka. The next tests take place at Valencia on February 15 to 17.


JEREMY MCWILLIAMS – “PLEASANTLY SURPRISED”

“When I first got on the bike, the chassis settings were all wrong for me. My first thought was that it will take a lot of work to get the bike to suit my style. In fact, the team made the right adjustments really quickly, and even by the end of the first afternoon I was really happy, because I could see what a lot of potential is in the bike.

“The chassis is fantastic – the KR3 is better under hard late braking than any bike I’ve ever ridden. I don’t think Nobu or I have missed a single corner apex, which is pretty impressive for the first test.

“There are still some more changes to make, and we can improve it even more. One slight weakness is in the corner exit – but again this is such a good team, and engine chief Bud Aksland was able to make some changes that have already improved that aspect.

“All round, I was very pleasantly surprised – especially with the standard of the new Bridgestone tyres. I’m only kicking myself that I wasn’t on this bike one year earlier.”


NOBUATSU AOKI – “MAGIC – I NEVER EXPECTED IT TO BE THIS GOOD”

“I am really happy – it’s like magic. I never expected the bike to be so good, for the first test to go so well, and for the tyres to be so good first time.

“I spent last season development-testing the Bridgestone tyres, but this bike is quite a lot different – 15 kilogrammes lighter than the four-cylinder. This was the first test with the tyres, and they performed very well and we came to some important conclusions. I’m looking forward to future tyre developments that are targeted to the KR3 in particular.

“The rear tyres were fantastic – especially the 16.5. I couldn’t have expected them to suit the bike so well.

“My first impression of the KR3 is the very good chassis and handling. I expected the bike to be small and cramped – but it’s not a problem. It’s a real 500.

“It’s going to be a hard season, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Anthony Gobert is the fastest so far during factory team testing at Laguna Seca Raceway, with a 1:26.8 at post time.

The Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Erion Honda and Bruce Transportation Honda teams are testing at Laguna Seca through Wednesday.