Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Put this one under the heading of, How AMA Pro Racing Offers Better Service To Justify Increases In License Fees for 2002:

An AMA Pro Competition Bulletin with a Subject line of “Pro Thunder Weight” was sent out December 19, 2001 to clarify rule changes posted for the 2002 season on the AMA Pro Racing website, marking the second time in four months that AMA officials have forgotten the same rule.

Early in the 2001 season, the AMA tried to mandate a 380-pound weight limit for all Pro Thunder class machines. Although the class is made primarily made up of Ducati 748s and Buell 1200s, the category was specifically designed to attract an eclectic mix of machinery brands, sizes, configurations, etc. The Championship has been won in the past by Triumph Triples, Suzuki SV650s have scored podium finishes and the class has played host to other highly-customized, lightweight Twins and single-cylinder machines. The new 380-pound minimum weight requirement would have eliminated everything except Ducatis, Buells and Triumph 900s.

After an uproar from Pro Thunder racers reached AMA Pro Racing, a bulletin was issued before the start of the 2001 season specifying that 600cc – 850cc four-stroke, liquid-cooled, non-desmodromic Twins and four-stroke Singles were exempt from the new minimum weight requirement.

Then at the AMA Pro Thunder race at Virginia International Raceway last September, Chris Normand was wrongly disqualified from his third place finish in the Pro Thunder final for his racebike being underweight despite the fact that Normand rode a Suzuki SV650, a bike that had no minimum weight limit. AMA officials only caught their mistake after reading about it on www.roadracingworld.com in the days following the race and eventually re-instated Normand’s finish.

Then in early December of 2001, the AMA posted the changes to the 2002 road racing rulebook on the official AMA Pro Racing website, www.amadirectlink.com. One of the new rules for 2002 was the inclusion of Pro Thunder machines in the Superstock, a.k.a. 750cc Supersport, class.

As posted on the AMA Pro Racing website:
“Current Rule:
The 750 SuperSport regulations currently do not allow exceptions for twin-cylinder motorcycles to have additional modifications or to be larger in displacement than 750cc.

“Change:
The following displacement limits for twin cylinder four-strokes will be permitted:
600cc-750cc four-stroke liquid-cooled twin cylinders
700cc-1350cc four-stroke air-cooled twin cylinders
Twin cylinder four-strokes will be allowed the same modifications currently allowed in the Pro Thunder class with the exception of tires. The Pro Thunder minimum weight of 380 pounds will apply.”

Pro Thunder racer Tyler Sandell pointed out in a e-mail to Roadracing World, “The problem I have with it is the way it is written, particularly the last line: ‘The Pro Thunder minimum weight limit of 380 pounds will apply.’ I am somewhat confused by this simple verbiage.”

AMA Pro Racing officials realized their mistake and published the Pro Competition Bulletin five days after Sandell’s December 14 e-mail was posted on www.roadracingworld.com.

The AMA Pro Competition Bulletin, dated December 19, 2001, from AMA Pro Racing Technical Manager Rob King reads:

“This bulletin is to clarify the weight limits for Pro Thunder motorcycles.

“The bulletin listing the rule changes for 2002 showed that when entered in Superstock (AMA’s new name for the 750cc Supersport class), Pro Thunder motorcycles had a weight limit of 380 lb. This was taken directly from the 2001 rulebook and is therefore misleading. The 2002 AMA Pro Racing Rulebook listing for the various weight limits in the Pro Thunder class is correct and applies to Pro Thunder motorcycles ridden in Pro Thunder or Superstock. The rulebook reads as follows:

“Minimum weight – 380 pounds – all Pro Thunder motorcycles except the following, which have no weight limit:
(a) Unlimited 4-stroke single cylinders
(b) 600cc – 850cc 4-stroke liquid-cooled twin cylinders (except desmodromic)

“Should you have any questions concerning these changes, please contact Technical Manager Rob King at (614) 856-1910, extension 1230 or Director of Competition Merrill Vanderslice at (614) 856-1910, extension 1262.”

From an AMA Press Release:

Demo Bike Fleets Head For Women And Motorcycling Conference

Five manufacturers will have new 2002 models on hand for demo rides at the the third AMA Women & Motorcycling Conference scheduled for June 29 through July 3 at West Virginia Weslyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

BMW, Harley-Davidson/Buell, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha all plan to bring new models to the great roads of West Virginia for demo rides. With the conference size limited to 1000 participants, riders may never have a better chance to compare several new bikes side by side without waiting in the long lines found at demo rides at some rallies.

The Buckhannon area offers plenty of great roads for trying out the new bikes. So instead of going to five dealers and trying to get test rides on crowded city streets, sign up for the Women & Motorcycling Conference and take advantage of a rare opportunity to try out your next new bike.
Of course demo rides aren’t the only reason to attend the conference. With seminars and social activities, it will be a place for women riders to mingle and learn.

For more information, visit www.womenandmotorcycling.com or call (800) AMA-JOIN.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

In the 2002 AMA road race season, there will only be nine factory Superbikes in competition, but there will be 12 factory-supported Formula Xtreme bikes from three of the big four manufacturers. With the manufacturers’ support showing the obvious importance of the class and the recent move toward 1000cc four-strokes in international classes, why is there no Kawasaki Formula Xtreme bike on the AMA grids?

“I don’t know,” initially responded Kawasaki’s Road Race Manager Michael Preston, “We talked about it. We would actually like to do something like that. We want to expand and do everything that we can. For us all indications point that we’re going to go to a 1000cc (Superbike class), but there hasn’t been anything that said that we are. So that’s kind of holding us back a little bit to wait and see.

“We just came out with a new ZX-9R. They updated it and think it’s better. We thought, ‘Wow! This would be a great bike to modify.’ But we don’t know what direction it would go in or what direction Kawasaki’s going to go in.

“We know that (Kawasaki) are going to make a new (990cc 4-stroke) GP bike. So if Superbike does go to a 1000cc here in America, will we be able to get some derivative of the new GP bike? Or what direction will it go? We don’t have those answers. We’ve kind of shelved Formula Xtreme for the time being until we find out a little more concrete where we’re going to go.”

Several former factory Superbike riders, including Mike Hale, Steve Rapp, Tom Kipp, Jason Pridmore and Damon Buckmaster plan to ride both 600cc Supersport and Formula Xtreme. Kurtis Roberts won the Championship in both classes in 2000. What about building a bike for Tommy Hayden to ride in Formula Xtreme?

“Maybe we’re changing the course,” answered Preston. “Or I don’t think it’s us that’s changing the course but I guess we’re part of the trend. We’re definitely seeing that people are changing to a one class only type of affair. It’s pretty hard to win two Championships. It can be done. There’s no doubt about it because it has been done in the past, but it’s the same reason why all of these guys are going to Superbike only. In the case of Tommy and Eric, they want to concentrate on a class, get in there, put in all of the effort they can, try to be able to win it without jumping from one bike to the other, which is extreme. There’s a pretty extreme difference between a 600 and a Formula Xtreme bike, or for that effect, a Superbike. But for me personally, Formula Xtreme is a Hell of a training ground for a Superbike rider.”

What about Kawasaki helping out or setting up a satellite or support team?

“We have talked about it,” admitted Preston. “But it never has materialized. Then again with the current economy situation and what have you, it didn’t seem feasible to put all of these teams out and can you do it with the right effort, you know what I mean? Some of the teams out there are really good, but unfortunately, they’re on other brands. We get a lot of people saying, ‘Hey, we’ll do this and we’ll do that.’ But it doesn’t seem like, how do I say it, a viable team for us. For us to be able to support a team if they don’t have enough to do it, is it going to be right? Can we give it enough support without cutting out the classes that we’re definitely directly involved in?

“For me personally, it’s real gratifying because it already appears that we’re one of the boys. Or how should I put this, one of the teams. We’ve only been around for two years! We’re still learning. I’m still learning for sure. I just got the program thrown at us. We’ve been trying to make it work, and I think we’ve been real successful.

“But that’s some of the long-range goals and the long-range plans that I had. Once we get established we need to start building some other teams maybe as a farm team where we can draw riders from or run different classes or whatever, but again, we’re just two years old.”

A press release issued by Jade Pig Productions announced a new program that will rebate 25 percent of entry fees to racers who participate in six Midwest Cycle Fest (MCF) events and finish in the top 10. The release also references Michigan Grand Prix (MGP) and to tell the truth we’re not up to speed on how all that ties together since the press release offers no clear explanation. Be that as it may, here’s the text of the release:


Jade Pig Productions announces racer appearance packages for its MGP road racing events in 2002.

Taking a cue from the automobile racing world, Jade Pig Productions is offering a unique appearance package deal for motorcycle road racers this season. Appearance packages are a tool used frequently in auto racing as a way to ensure racer participation and dedication to a given series. Jade Pig, the production company behind the Midwest Cycle Fest, is offering this unique opportunity as another way to reward participants and center attention on completing a full and successful season.

The details of the plan are as follows: Riders who complete a full 6 weekend season and finish in the top 10 ten of any class will be eligible for a refund of up to 25% of their full seasons entry fee’s. The total number of riders eligible to sign up for this plan will be limited to 100 riders on a first come first served basis starting February 1st.

Midwest Cycle Fest is a series of spectator-oriented events formerly known as GLRRA. Series founder Eric Nacke describes the appearance package as “a necessary first step to promote our series to the public”. As a former racer, Nacke always wondered why our sport lacked spectator appeal. “The fact of the matter is that motorcycle road racing has great spectator appeal, it just lacked a cohesive marketing approach. This is just one more step we are taking to build rider recognition and a base of long-term successful competitors”.

Nacke further went on to add; “The fundamental reason for the appearance package is to help some riders stay around for more than two and a half seasons. Granted, many racers do not need or are not interested in this kind of thing but it is a fundamental first step we need to take in the world of promotion”.

Riders interested in learning more can contact the Midwest Cycle Fest via e-mail at: staff @midwestcyclefest.com or from Eric Nacke, Midwest Cycle Fest, www.midwestcyclefest.com, voice 616-458-5888, FAX 616-458-5740.

From a press release issued by Willow Springs:

Willow Springs Motorsports Park Announces New Programs, Tracks

New Paved Oval Highlights Additions for 2002

For the 2002 season, Willow Springs International Motorsports Park has adopted several new programs to promote its historic Willow Springs International Raceway, along with the six other racetracks and off-road areas which surround it. The plan includes free admission for spectators to all weekend events as well as weekday tuning and testing sessions. The only exceptions to this will be for private testing sessions where the customer has requested confidentiality, and for special events, such as national championship races, where admission will be charged. All weekend club events and daily testing and tuning will otherwise be open, free of fees, to the public. Because of insurance requirements, the ten dollar admission will remain in effect for entrance to the pit area.


Willow Springs International Motorsports Park now includes the following raceways and test tracks:

Willow Springs International Raceway

This track, constructed in 1953 by a group of racing enthusiasts, was originally planned as two-mile oval. The road racing fans prevailed, though, and the track was ultimately built as the road course we see today. This raceway was the first purpose-built road course in North America, patterned after the great courses and road racing traditions of Europe. It is the oldest operating road course on the continent, and – with the exception of an asphalt cap – is unchanged from its original 1953 configuration. With its substantial elevation changes and high average speeds, Willow Springs is one of the fastest and most challenging tracks in the country. Also known as the Fastest Road in the West, this track is one of the safest road courses in the world, despite its high velocities. Cornering speeds on this track range from about 70 mph to over 150 mph, with straightaway speeds of over 170 mph possible with fastest cars and motorcycles.


The New Streets of Willow Springs

This track was built exclusively for testing and tuning in a “real world” environment. At 1.5 miles in its longest configuration, this road course features a wide variety of challenging turns. From tight first-gear chicanes to banked, sweeping bends, this track has just about everything that real roads do, without the law enforcement or road hazards. It’s the perfect place to conduct a motorsports driving school or tuning and testing on street or race machinery. Course speeds range from 25 mph in the tightest sections to 100 mph in the fastest turns. One unique feature of this track is that it can be split into two separate tracks, one of about 1/2-mile and the other of about 3/8-mile, each with its own set of turns and challenges.


The Walt James Stadium (Clay Oval and Paved Oval)


Clay Oval

The 3/8-mile clay oval has been called one of the finest dirt tracks in the country. Wide and well-banked, it’s a dirt track racer’s dream. Both motorcycles and cars compete on this track.


Paved Oval

The new paved oval in Walt James Stadium is the latest addition to the park. Designed and tested by World 500cc Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Champions Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson, this 40-foot wide oval sits within the existing clay oval, and is connected through the center by a paved crossroad. Built to accommodate testing, tuning, and racing of open-wheeled cars, the track is ideal for World SuperKart racing. The fifty feet of runoff provided by the clay oval make this track the safest paved oval in the world. Speeds range from 50-100 mph, depending on the vehicle. This track is also available for motorsports schools, and is an excellent training ground for turning and braking skills development.



Kern County Raceway

This paved, banked oval was designed for stock car racing. The track is surrounded by a 3.5-foot high crash wall, and is lighted for night racing.



Willow Springs Kart Track

Built especially for the smaller karts, including 125cc shifter karts, this .625-mile track features nine wide, flat turns perfect for testing or racing karts. It can be configured in several ways and is well-suited to spectating.



Off-Road Terrain

The motorsports park also features approximately 160 acres of off-road, mountainous terrain excellent for testing and photography of off-road vehicles.



Spectator Amenities

Willow Springs International Motorsports Park features two full-service snack bars, plenty of spectator seating and parking, and outstanding viewing areas. Racing fuel and tire services are available at the track. Large areas are available for RV parking and camping. Enclosed garages for use by competitors and testers are available in the pit area.


For more information, contact Willow Springs International Motorsports Park at 661-256-6666 or visit www.willowspringsraceway.com.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

VP Racing Fuels is offering contingencies for the 2002 road racing season that will pay back to 30th place in AMA races, to the top 10 in Formula USA competition and to the top 10 at USGPRU 125cc events, while continuing to pay in WSMC, AFM and selected CCS regional races.

The AMA Pro Racing program also features a free-fuel incentive based on how much fuel a rider or team purchases.

The contingencies require purchasing 15 or more gallons of VP Racing Fuel from official VP vendors at race events.

VP is the official fuel of the USGPRU 125cc Series and will be used by American Honda, Yamaha, Graves Motorsports and Team Oliver in the 2002 AMA Series.

In addition, for every 15-gallon drum of VP Racing Fuel purchased at AMA Superbike series events, VP says it will donate $5 to the Roadracing World Air Fence* Fund.

To sign up for the VP contingency program or to get more information–including which classes will be supported in which organizations–call VP Racing Fuels at (909) 674-9167.


*Air Fence is a trademark of Airfence Safety Systems of Australia.

This just in from Dan Wildhirt:

The late-December announcement by Clear Channel Entertainment that it had secured the rights from the FIM to produce the Supercross World Championship in collaboration with DORNA might seem on its face to be just another shot across the AMA’s bow in the ongoing war over the control of Supercross.

However, it may well prove to be the most significant development yet in motorcycle racing’s biggest-ever pissing match.

Up to now, the SXWC has been little more than a ceremonial title that carried far less importance than winning the U.S. Supercross crown or even, for that matter, winning certain individual races such as the legendary Bercy SX. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the SXWC never, if memory serves, comprised more than four events in any given year. Only once did the series ever visit the USA, the sport’s acknowledged birthplace, and that was for a forgettable, sparsely attended fiasco at Pasadena’s 100,000-seat Rose Bowl in 1999. The following year, the “series” was made up of just two European rounds, which probably had a lot to do with the championship being cancelled entirely for 2001.

So what does CCE get out of being associated with this seemingly moribund series? Exactly what they needed. Ever since the split between AMA Pro Racing and CCE, the AMA has made noises about the U.S. Supercross Championship being “the most sought-after title in Supercross racing,” as if that alone were enough to guarantee success for the new JamSports-produced AMA series. Now, however, the AMA may not just find itself competing against the most successful Supercross promoter in the world, but also one that has official sanction from the sport’s governing body to confer what should be the most recognizable title in Supercross.

I’m not privy to CCE’s decision-making processes, but I have to believe that the rights to the SXWC were acquired with an eye toward integrating it into the existing CCE Supercross infrastructure. As we’ve seen over the past several years, CCE can be a very creative and persuasive organizer. It’s doubtful they’d enter into an agreement such as the one with DORNA and FIM unless they intend to get maximum leverage out of the association.

The 2003 CCE Supercross series already has the venues, the merchandising, the promotional muscle and the logistics in place; all that was needed was an important-sounding title on which the series would be focused. Now they’ve got that, too. Kudos to the Clear Channel staffer who realized the SXWC property was in play.

But how, you might ask, can you have a “world” championship centered around a U.S.-based series? First of all, the current AMA series, under the auspices of CCE, is already recognized as the de facto world championship of stadium motocross, if not by the FIM, then certainly by the riders and fans. Jeremy McGrath and Travis Pastrana, to name just two of the biggest stars, have never pursued the world championship, yet they’re far better known internationally than any of the putative world champions of Supercross.

Second, the precedent for a world championship series concentrated on a single continent already exists. There are already a number of FIM “world” championships that rarely, if ever, leave Europe: enduro, trials and endurance road racing, for example. All CCE needs is a few overseas dates to give the schedule the appropriate international character. How does the “Tokyo Supercross” sound to you? More importantly, would the factories–the lynchpins in this battle–get excited about it? Ya think?

It’s not too far-fetched to foresee Clear Channel-owned radio stations and billboards across L.A. and Orange County blanketed a year from now by ads for three Anaheim rounds of a revitalized Supercross World Championship. If I were CCE motorsports division President Charlie Mancuso, I’d already be working on it. Wouldn’t you?

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The newly announced deal between DORNA and Clear Channel Entertainment to promote the Supercross World Championship Series under FIM sanction could force the AMA run its new National Supercross Series later in the season, in conflict with the AMA outdoor national motocross series.

FIM rules forbid its affiliates from holding National races that conflict with World Championship events. The AMA is the FIM affiliate in the United States.

If CCE/DORNA declare all 15 rounds of the 2003 CCE Supercross Series held in the U.S. to be part of the Supercross World Championship Series, AMA could not hold National races on the same weekend as those events.

That FIM regulation could force the AMA and its new Supercross promotion partner, JamSports, to hold Supercross Nationals either before or after the CCE Series starts in January and ends in May.

Another problem facing the AMA is that its much vaunted live coverage of 2003 Supercross races on Speedvision will be accessible to millions fewer viewers than tape-delayed coverage of CCE/DORNA races on ESPN2. Live television will also mean that a typical Supercross main event in the western part of the country will be shown very late at night in the eastern parts of the country, after midnight.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Long-time AMA Trustee John Hoover has resigned his seat on the AMA Board, which he held as the designated representative of Corporate Board Member Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.

Hoover was instrumental in the establishment of AMA Pro Racing, a for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit American Motorcyclist Assn.

Hoover is leaving his post as AMA Pro Racing faces its greatest controversy ever, the establishment of a start-up AMA Supercross Series promoted by motorsports rookies JamSports to compete with the existing AMA-sanctioned EA Sports Supercross Series promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment, starting in 2003.

The Supercross split has many insiders advocating that AMA Pro Racing (aka Paradama, Inc.) be dissolved and its functions absorbed into a department within the Association.

Hoover is expected to be replaced on the Board by Kawasaki employee Croft Long.

From a press release:

Triumph to Release New Hooligan Bike

Speed Four

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Already a popular class within many European markets, Triumph anticipates steady growth worldwide in the middleweight naked bike sector. Much of this growth will be driven by riders switching from purebred sports bikes to avoid the spiralling cost of insurance and the licence-losing potential associated with fully faired sports bikes. It is for this rider that the new Triumph Speed Four is designed.

Immense fun to ride, the Speed Four combines streetfighter looks with high specification components throughout to deliver genuine sports bike performance. Unlike the more budget-oriented machines currently available in this sector, generally based upon older models, the Speed Four platform is the latest 2002 specification TT600. The fuel injected, in-line four-cylinder engine features new cams, pistons and liners and is tuned for a broad spread of mid-range power and torque. (The engine’s performance has been deliberately capped at a maximum of 98 PS max power to match European insurance breaks.)

It shares the same chassis as the TT600, so from the outset the rider is assured of superb handling and agility. The lightweight aluminium frame and swingarm impart strength and stiffness while the use of the same front wheel as the TT reduces unsprung weight to allow faster directional changes. The Speed Four also has fully adjustable front and rear suspension enabling the rider to choose settings to suit differing riding styles and to match the bike load and riding conditions.

Impressive stopping power is provided by twin 310mm fully floating disc front brakes and the single disc rear.

The bold styling draws inspiration from the Speed Triple and shares the same distinctive twin headlamps. The love them or hate-them, colour coordinated air intakes, that feed cold, dense air to the engine, are neatly tucked in and an aerodynamic headlamp fairing is fitted as standard to deflect the brunt of wind resistance away from the rider. A colour co-ordinated seat cowl completes the bodywork. The compact instrument console features an analogue tachometer, digital speedometer and digital twin trip meters, clock and temperature gauge plus a low fuel warning light.

Ergonomics replicate the TT600’s; comfortable yet sporty enough to take full advantage of the Speed Four’s ample performance.

The Speed Four will be available in three colors –Roulette Green, Tangerine Orange and Jet Black.

The Speed Four will make its US debut at the Atlanta Cycle World Show in late January. In the meantime, from 2nd January the model can be viewed on Triumph’s updated website at www.triumph.co.uk