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Frank Trombino Fastest In Friday’s Open Sportbike/F-USA Unlimited Superbike Practice At Mosport

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Open Sportbike/Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Practice Times:

1. Frank Trombino, Honda CBR954RR, 1:23.881
2. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.198
3. Larry Pegram, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.324
4. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.363
5. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.581
6. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.656
7. Jeff Williams, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.692
8. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.887
9. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.927
10. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.341
11. Chris Murray-Audain, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:25.435
12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:25.715
13. Michael Himmelsbach, Aprilia RSV1000R, 1:25.977
14. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:26.283
15. Benoit Pilon, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:26.487
16. Matt Wait, Honda CBR954RR, 1:26.546
17. Ugo Levert, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.608
18. Joeseph Temperato, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.159
19. Darryn Wilbur, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.363
20. Joe Spina, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.616

Roberts Recovering From Arm Surgery

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From a press release issued by Suzuki:

Team Suzuki News Service

ROBERTS “READY TO RACE HARD AGAIN” AFTER SUCCESSFUL SURGERY

KENNY ROBERTS JR. is promising to get his best result of the season when he returns to MotoGP racing at the Czech GP at Brno in August.

Roberts is missing this weekend’s German GP at Sachsenring – a one race forced absence – as he recovers from surgery on his right arm, which has been troubling him all season with the phenomenon nicknamed “Racers’ Wrist”.

In Kenny’s case, this was expressed as compartment syndrome in the muscles of his right forearm, after years of strain of operating the throttle, brake and steering of a motorcycle at racing speeds. It caused his arm to pump up while riding, and though the rider kept his problems private, he had been suffering from the start of the season.

The painful problem became acute at Assen and Donington Park at the last two GPs, triggering the decision to put planned surgery forward by a week, missing the German GP with the aim of ensuring more than complete recovery when the season resumes at Brno.

“I’d been planning to have the surgery privately during the break – but the problem was just getting too bad,” explained Roberts, who flew home directly from last weekend’s British GP.

The surgery was performed in California by well-known sports surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting, who has also treated (among others) five-times champion Mick Doohan.

Dr. Ting pronounced the operation a complete success. “Kenny had compartment syndrome of the forearm, commonly referred to as ‘arm pump’,” said Ting. “This causes excruciating pain, making if difficult if not impossible for a rider to hold on to the bike.

“I performed a cutting and releasing of the fascia sheath. This was done because the muscle under the sheath was getting too big to be contained by the sheath. The normal recovery period is five to six weeks, but in Kenny’s case recovery should be much quicker.”

Roberts explained that the new 990cc four-stroke Suzuki GSV-R had exacerbated the problem, because it is heavier than the 500 on which he won the championship, and requires for the throttle to be blipped while braking.

“I’d been having trouble ever since we started testing the new bike. I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike without the psychological and physical baggage the arm pump created,” he said.

“This should be an immediate and complete solution. I look forward to being able to ride as hard as I can at Brno, and I expect to have my best performance and finish so far this year at that race,” he concluded.

A Dispatch From Desiree Crossman, With John Hopkins In Germany

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hi everyone!

Well, another lovely day in Germany. LOL! I have to say it was better then the first day that we arrived. Torrential rains, flooding, the usual….But now the sun is out and the weather is moderate.

John qualified 11th and Gaz was 12th. Pole was not to Rossi this time, it was Jeremy McWilliams! On Proton KR followed by Olivier Jacque. It’s a 2-stroke track and to let you in on a little secret, it’s a bleeding weird track. Very different from the others, tight and alot of elevation changes. Plus it’s short, so hard braking. All is well and will get back to you tommorrow.

Cheers,

Des

Reader Comments On TV Coverage From Laguna Seca

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FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

From e-mails:

I finished watching all the races recorded from TV after returning from Laguna Seca (Eric Bostrom, you rode amazingly in the second SBK race) and I feel compelled to express my opinion on one element of Speed Channel’s generally good coverage.

Speed’s Greg White said in the SBK pre-race show, “Edwards took to the track with a huge smile under his helmet because in the last three minutes of free practice Troy Bayliss crashed, injuring his back.” He references this same theme twice more during the weekend’s many broadcasts.

I don’t think it’s right for Mr. White to say this or assume Colin Edwards would be so nonchalant about a fellow competitor’s injury, especially concerning a back injury. And we wonder why other countries misunderstand America.

Matt Powell
Lakewood, Colorado

Greetings, I was watching Superbike races on the Speed Channel tonight, waiting patiently for the goofy welding school and other worthless commercials to end. When they ended, THE RACE HAD ALREADY STARTED! They were going through turn 3! I was pissed. I’m still pissed. I’ll be pissed tomorrow!

It’s bad enough that when they come back from commercials, that we miss a bunch of action and commentary, but to miss a start is unacceptable.

This is not the first time that this has happened. I live in North Florida and would like to know who to contact about this.

Would it be the local cable provider, advertising execs. or what?

I wonder if this happens when the car races are going on?

I used to like the NASCAR races, {about 1 minute at a time}, but they have made an enemy out of me. It seems that the favoritism that I thought would happen, has come about.

I believe there is some real bias against motorcycles in the Speed Channel camp.

It’s like we are at their mercy, and they will only give what they feel will keep the angry emails down, they received an angry e-mail tonight. I’m sure I’ll get a big thanks from the automatic responder.

While knowing that advertisement pays the bills, come on and give us a break. At least show the start of the scheduled events.

Very angry, Very Sincerely,

Henry Madsen CCS #296
Jacksonville, Florida

More Teams Preview Sachsenring MotoGP

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From a press release issued by Yamaha:

As a result of the broken left tibia and fibula MotoGP rider Pere Riba suffered during the British MotoGP (July 12), Antena 3 Yamaha d’Antin Team owner Luis d’Antin has decided to temporarily replace the Spaniard with former team rider José Luis Cardoso. Cardoso, who is due to ride at this weekend’s German MotoGP (July 21) will ‘fill-in’ for Riba for the second time this season – previously the opportunity arose at the French MotoGP where Cardoso was attending as a spectator.

Immediately after the high-speed crash, which will leave Riba out of action for a minimum of five weeks, the former Supersport rider was flown to Madrid for surgery. The operation was considered a success – Doctor Villamor fixing two metallic plates over the fracture – and Riba is expected to start his rehabilitation program in an effort to be fit enough to contest the Czech MotoGP, due to be held on August 23-25.



From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Proton Riders Eye The Potential Of The Sachsenring

The German Sachsenring circuit is the third of a quartet of tracks that Proton Team KR have been looking forward to this year – and the hope is that both riders can equal or improve on Nobuatsu Aoki’s strong top ten finish at the last round at Donington Park.

The German circuit crams 2.302 miles (3.704km) into a small area on the edge of an industrial estate. That means lots of corners and not many straights. And that is Proton territory, where the lightweight three-cylinder 500 two-stroke can use all the agility and nimble handling to the full, without paying the penalty with a relative lack of out-and-out speed.

“The top speed is not high here, and there are a lot of second-gear and third-gear corners,” explained Chief Race Engineer Tom O’Kane.

“The KR3 is at its best on faster corners, but the lighter weight and good handling still pay dividends on slower turns,” he said.

The Proton’s other strength, compared with the heavier V4 500cc two-strokes and the even heavier 990cc four-stroke MotoGP prototypes, comes in braking – but the nature of the Sachsenring gives only one opportunity to exploit this. The only hard braking on the track comes at the end of the pit straight, into the treacherously looping downhill first turn. It is another point where the British-built machine will claim ground.

“This year, we have a much better engine package than ever before,” continued O’Kane.

“Last year we raced the Big Bang firing order for the first time, and had some difficulties during that transitional phase. This year the engine is well proven and developed.”

As at Assen and Donington Park, where the last two rounds were held, the team is hoping to serve up some surprises at Sunday’s German GP.

The track is close to the MZ factory at Zschopau, where Dr. Walter Kaaden pioneered the modern racing two-stroke, laying the foundation for a type of racing machine that came to dominate GP racing. This year’s new MotoGP class has handed the advantage back to four-strokes … but it would be poetic justice if the Sachsenring brought the first (and possibly only) two-stroke victory of the season. And especially sweet if it came from the Proton team, which like MZ is a relatively small-scale independent challenge to the major factories.

One thing that adds hope is that this is one of rider Jeremy McWilliams’s best tracks, where he has claimed several good results – including his first GP rostrum, finishing second in the 250 class in 1998, and third on the 500cc Aprilia lightweight in 2000.

After this race, the GP circus breaks up for the summer break, resuming racing at the end of August at the Czech Republic GP at Brno … another track with faster corners where the KR3 has the opportunity to excel.

Jeremy McWilliams – A Track To Remember
“This is where I got my first rostrum finish – on a 250 in 1998, and again on a lightweight 500 in 2000, so naturally I have good feelings about it. It’s a really physical circuit that seems to suit my style, and puts more emphasis on riding skill and bike handling than sheer horsepower. It’s one of the tracks we’ve been looking forward to, and the Proton KR3 should be good. But this year it’s really hard to make predictions with the new four-strokes. You just don’t know how they’ll go. If we are going to be able to give them a hard time, this should be one place where we can do it.”

Nobuatsu Aoki – Back To The Pocket-Bike Track
“I started racing on pocket-bikes in Japan, and this track reminds me of those circuits. I don’t much like it, especially on a 500cc GP bike. That’s my worry … just my personal dislike of the circuit. But I know the KR3 should be suitable, and I hope that will improve my feeling, and give me the chance to finish well up in the top ten again.”

Szoke Claims Canadians Are Faster In Preview Of This Weekend’s Canada Vs. USA Match Races

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From a press release issued by series organizers, with two questions left begging, 1. Are Nicky Hayden and Eric Bostrom Canadians? and, 2. Where does a guy who can’t figure out how to cross the U.S./Canadian border without getting in trouble get off saying anything about anybody?:

BORDER BATTLE SET TO GO

BOWMANVILLE, ON – Canada’s top motorcycle racing stars face off against some the best talent in the United States in this weekend’s Coors Light Canada vs. USA Match Races at Mosport International Raceway.

The event features the fourth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship as well as the fourth event in the Formula USA Lockhart Phillips Superbike series.

The Lockhart Phillips Superbike class will run a two-leg feature Saturday afternoon in conjunction with the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike national support category.

The Parts Canada Superbike class will run Sunday afternoon. Many of the visiting U.S. riders are expected to compete in that event as well.

Canadian and U.S. racers will also go head-to-head in a combined Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike race Sunday.

“It’s good for our Canadian series,” said Parts Canada Superbike points leader Jordan Szoke of Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki. “Americans know Canadians are the fastest riders. This will prove it.”

Szoke comes to Mosport gunning for his fourth consecutive Parts Canada Superbike win. No one has ever won four in a row in a single season.

The Brantford, ON rider leads the series standings with 206 points to the 138 of Canadian Kawasaki’s Owen Weichel. Kevin Lacombe of Orion Motorsports Honda is third with 123 points.

Szoke’s teammate Francis Martin leads the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike standings with 130 points to the 108 of Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki’s Clint McBain.
McBain is first in Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike with 150 points. He is followed by Lacombe on 133.

Millenium Suzuki’s Shawn Higbee leads the Lockhart Phillips Superbike standings with 72 points. Michael Barnes of Hooters Suzuki is second with 64.

Barnes leads the Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike rankings with 37 points.

Qualifying for the combined Lockhart Phillips Superbike and International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike event will take place Friday at 5:30 pm. Saturday’s action also includes qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike class, as well as the combined Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike division.

This weekend’s races will be televised on TSN Saturday, Aug. 10 and Saturday, Aug. 24. Start time for both shows is 11:30 am EDT. Action from Mosport will also be shown later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Marlboro To Sponsor Ducati In MotoGP

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Marlboro will sponsor Marlboro Ducati’s MotoGP effort in 2003.

That’s the word from a Marlboro insider following the cigarette giant’s decision to end its association with Yamaha.

The source inside the company said Marlboro will move its funding to “a rider doing very well on a Ducati” for 2003, and that rider will specifically not be Ben Bostrom.

Which leads one to believe it could be Troy Bayliss on the MotoGP Ducati.

Corrected Post: Lockhart-Phillips Project Bike Raffle Raises $18,870 To Benefit Roadracingworld.com Action Fund

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The raffle of a Suzuki TL1000R project bike by Lockhart-Phillips USA raised a total of $18,870 to benefit the Roadracingworld.com Action Fund.

The raffle was started by Lockhart-Phillips President Wendell Phillips in February and ended with the winning name being drawn by Roadracingworld.com Action Fund founder John Ulrich during the World Superbike/AMA races at Laguna Seca on Sunday, July 14.

The Lockhart-Phillips USA project bike and Wendell Phillips, with a ceremonial check for $18,870 for Air Fence.

The winner of the highly-modified Suzuki V-Twin was David Caldwell of Maryville, Tennessee, near Knoxville. Although Caldwell is not a motorcycle road racer, he says that he rides streetbikes and enjoys all aspects of the sport, including racing motocross.

“I was at the Indianapolis Trade Show in February and saw the bike on display and the signs about the raffle,” said Caldwell in a phone interview Wednesday, July 17. “The lady at the booth explained to me all of the numbers with riders getting injured and how well the Air Fence works. So I bought two tickets.

“They called me to inform me that I won Sunday, but I was racing motocross in West Virginia. Then I got straight on a plane and flew down here (St. Croix) for vacation. I guess they’ll just ship the bike out to me.

“I’m just excited to win the bike. The people at Lockhart-Phillips said someone crashed into some Air Fence at Laguna Seca that weekend and it probably saved the guy’s life. I’m just glad to contribute to that.”

Ironically, Caldwell makes a living building fences for a construction company.

Lockhart-Phillips USA President Wendell Phillips (left) and Roadracingworld.com Action Fund founder John Ulrich shake hands and display a ceremonial check for $18,870, representing the proceeds of the raffle.

Roadracingworld.com Action Fund founder John Ulrich speaks to the crowd before pulling the winning raffle ticket at Laguna Seca.

The donation of the raffle proceeds by Lockhart-Phillips, together with Wendell Phillips’ previous donation of $2500, brings the company’s total to $21,370, making it the largest single contributor to the Fund.

The project TL1000 features an Akrapovic Evolution Race Exhaust System, K&N Dynojet Power Commander II fuel injection control unit, an engine built by Keith Perry, PM Edge wheels and PM racing brakes, Dunlop D207 tires, Goodrich -2 brake lines, paint by Hagar Helmets & Designs, a Lockhart Phillips USA windsreen, Attack Performance rearsets and triple clamps, Pro Grip grips, Lockhart Phillips anodized parts and marker lights and uses Elf Moto 4XT oil.

Updated Post: More Reader Feedback On Laguna Seca SPEED TV Coverage

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FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

From e-mails:

I would just like to say that everyone knows that Edwards would never be happy that Troy got hurt from a crash. Nobody would wish that on any other rider. I think what White was trying to say was that he was happy that Troy was maybe shook up from the crash and he might not ride up to par in the following race. Come on now. I think you might be looking too far into it. Anyways, the coverage was great except for all the commercials.

Tom Puckett
CCS #82

I understand the concerns of Henry Madsen and Matt Powell, but they both apparently watched the races re-broadcast on Tuesday evening. I watched all of the racing live on the Speed Channel starting Friday with the AMA 600SS race. They even showed WSBK Superpole on Saturday evening. They stayed with live coverage of the 600 SS and AMA Superbike races through several red flag situation, showing the races to their completion, even when they ran into other scheduled programs. They even showed the 750 Superstock race Tuesday nite (and what a race!).

Speed Channel is not perfect, but I believe their motorcycle coveraage is better than ever. I am no fan of Brian Drebber and the constant commentary errors he makes, such as saying Jamie Hacking earned the #2 on his bike, but man, we have it pretty good, and it seems to be getting better.

So, remember, Tuesday nites races were edited rebroadcasts. The live coverage over the weekend was excellent, and the racing was better on TV than being at the WSBK races at Misano, which I attended in person.

Mike Wheeler
Mid Atlantic Ducati Owners Club, President
DOCC regional representative

The programming recently isn’t as good as it was before SPEED/NASCARvision took over!

Other countries don’t have the problems we have and in fact enjoy thorough coverage of all motorcycle racing. I’m not gonna gripe and complain, I’ve already went to their website www.speed.com and made my feelings known!

Coverage isn’t as good as it has been and in fact we don’t see as much racing as we used to! The FX races air two weeks later if we’re lucky!

The only thing we can do is e-mail them and let our opinions be known! If other channels air what we like to see, let them know that we appreciate it and or let them know we would like them to cover what we want to see!

Mitch Adams
Glendora, California

I think the reader who complained about commercials running over the beginning of the race was experiencing a local problem. I work for a regional television network that does lots of local sports coverage and used to own the local cable company. The guys in the truck are in constant communication with the guys running the commercials back at SPEED. But most cable companies (and the satellite providers) have systems which automatically insert their own commercials OVER the ones aired by SPEED and other cable/sat channels. This is the system that is typically responsible for such a snafu, especially if the commercial format in a show is altered on the fly (due to an unexpected red flag situation, for instance).

I didn’t notice anything cutting over the coverage this weekend, even the notorious Bowflex ad that tends to stomp on satellite channels. More than likely it was the reader’s cable provider. That or I wasn’t paying close enough attention!

Hope this helps.

Clint Fleckenstein

I e-mailed Speed on Fri right after viewing the 18 minutes of coverage for the 600 race Friday. The race started as soon as the program started and seemed very rushed. Just as soon as the checkered flag flew they cut to delayed qualifying for the Joliet NASCAR event.The Busch qualifying wasn’t even halfway thru and they were still cleaning the track.

The programming showed 600 SS for 1 hour and they cut away after 1/2-hour. I guess track cleanup for Busch qualifying is more important than a national championship motorcycle race.

I live less than 5 miles from the Joliet track and refuse to submit to the NASCAR frenzy even when offered free tickets.

My trendy friends who knew nothing about any form of racing up till 2 years ago can’t understand.

Remember Disco, it went away, and there used to be a waiting list for Harleys!

Randy DeGraaf
Joliet, Illinois

Why would anybody grump about the coverage on the races this weekend? We are getting live, same day, and Two Wheel Tuesday bike coverage. I guess
some people don’t remember the only bike coverage we could get was 6 months later on Wide World of Sports.

SPEED, keep up the good work! I will be a
loyal watcher every week.
Michael Jay

Some News, Some Hallucinations From Rich Oliver

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From a press release issued by Rich Oliver, with two believable sections and one that sounds like it came straight out of a hallucination:

Oliver dominates Laguna Seca AMA 250 race, with retro riding style!

Rich Oliver of Team Oliver Yamaha was the dominate rider in Sunday’s 250 Grand Prix race, during the Laguna Seca AMA and World Superbike event!

Oliver’s weekend started out badly with a crankshaft failure during the 8th lap of the first session on Friday, and a late night of repair work then followed. While Robert Ward, Oliver’s Crew Chief, prepared the parts and cleaned the rest of the motor in the team tent, Rich took the crankshaft to Dan Kyle’s performance shop in Seaside, California. There Dan and legendary rider John Long pried the offending bearing off the crank and replaced it with a spare. (A big THANK YOU goes to Dan and John for their hard work for Rich and the team.) Rich then raced back to the track at 10:00 p.m., and by 11:30 he and Robert had the motor rebuilt and back in the chassis.

With 5 hours of sleep, Rich led the time sheets Saturday morning with the now rebuilt motorcycle and then qualified on Pole position Saturday afternoon with a new track record time of 1:29.6! Things started to really click for Rich and Robert as Rich rode like his old 1997 self on Sunday. Rich tells us about the change, “I felt that I had been missing something with the new bike, and I swear that all we did was adjust the shock spring, the tire pressure and front ride height, and the bike just came alive! Now it was reading my mind and I could ride like I used to in my Championship years. I hope we can keep the bike working this well all year now and set some more speed records!”

Set records he did, as the 250 lap record went down to a 1:29.2, Rich riding with precise control and a now visible abandon as he powered away from the superb Roland Sands running in second place. The ever improving Simon Turner rode to a strong third in front of rising young star Jason Disalvo who finished in fourth place.

Rich now has won 59 AMA 250 races, and has a chance to win 61 by year’s end! He moves into 6th place in the 2002 Championship, 56 points behind hard riding points leader Chuck Sorensen on his Aprilia, who unfortunately had an engine failure on the sighting lap of the race and did not earn any points.

Perry Melneciuc rides hurt, rides his slower spare bike, but rides to within 25 points of Sorensen for Championship lead!

Perry Melneciuc is well known throughout the paddock for his strength and drive. An admitted workaholic, Perry once again proved that his reputation for toughness and determination is true by finishing an amazing 6th place on Sunday.

The reason 6th was so great–well, two reasons really–Perry had leaped off his primary machine on Saturday during Qualifying by executing a huge, power-sliding-donut-type-reverse-spinout-with-an-airbourne-head-whacker, on the exit of tricky turn two, and instead of the bike sliding to a stop it straightened out and ran by itself all the way down to turn three and smashed into the concrete wall, destroying the front half of the bike.

Perry walked away, but later a severely sprained left wrist and possible broken collarbone were diagnosed by the World Superbike medical clinic doctors. His Helimot race suit and Shoei Helmet did a great job of protecting the rest of him from further injury!

The other reason 6th was such a grand effort was that points leader Chuck Sorensen could not earn any points, so Perry is now representing Yamaha and Team Oliver in the points chase with a 210 point tally, only 25 behind Sorensen. Perry battled during the race with series standout Ed Sorbo, and Aprilia rider Colin Jensen, with Jensen finishing a great 5th, and Sorbo ending up lucky number 7.

Swimsuit model becomes much more attractive, but Oliver still suspicious of dramatic change!

Last week as you may remember, Rich went on a terrible first date with his swimsuit model hospital roommate, but even though she unfortunately seemed to be a very classy, intelligent and deeply spiritual woman, he decided to give her one more chance by inviting her to Laguna Seca this weekend. Rich tells us about their second date:

“Well, I picked her up at the Monterey airport on Sunday, and boy did I see a dramatic change. Gone was her elegant, understated look, the simple dress with the clean lines, her upswept hair, the one silver bracelet and minimal makeup.

“Now she bounced off the plane in a pair of super low-rise hip hugger Italian jeans, barely held up with a huge jeweled leather belt. She had on a shiny little top emblazoned with the words, ‘porn star’, that left nothing to my imagination, and was wearing so much jewelry that when she walked it sounded like a TZ250 blowing a rod at 14,000 rpm! Big curly blond and purple streaked hair, a healthy dose of that new ‘Spank’ perfume, and now lots of come-and-get-me makeup! All these changes were great accents to the huge high rise shoes that she had custom machined to match herself exactly to my height. She even had the Yamaha tuning fork logo custom made into an exotic looking belly ring!

“She sounded different too, lots of giggles and the repeated use of the word, ‘like’ in all her now shortened sentences. But still, I did get a bit suspicious when she turned around to show me her new ink, a tattoo in the center of her back just above her belt that said ‘97 Forever’.

“It all seemed too good to be true, and I know what they say, people don’t really change, but I hoped for the best. So when I brought her into the pits to meet everyone, I tried to enjoy the moment, now I had a woman hanging on my arm who I could be so proud of! I mean really, she had curves on her where other women only have straight-aways!

“Well everything was going well until just before the race, when my mechanic Robert noticed that the tattoo on her back was looking a little funny. He offered to blast it with contact cleaner to see if it was real or just a fake press on job, but I told him to hold off. Frankly, I was so happy that I didn’t want anything to dash my hopes that she had really changed so much for the better.

“At that point she was even calling me Richie, and giggling more than ever while she related to us a fascinating story that she had read in Cosmo, about how to have kids without ever getting fat and losing your job!

“During the race Robert said that the cameras were on her as much as the motorcycles, and she did a great job of jumping up and down and shouting ‘Go Baby!’ every time I or someone who looked like me would come down the front straight past the pit boards.

“Well, it sure was a great second date, and as I took her back to the airport I felt like a million bucks. Finally I had met my true soul mate. Only thing is, when she got out of the truck, I noticed something in her hand bag wedged between Cosmo and People magazine. I could swear she had a dog eared copy of Atlas Shrugged hidden in there……………”

Team Oliver Yamaha is sponsored by:

Yamaha Motor Corp. USA
Dunlop Tires
Advanced Motion Controls
SHOEI Helmets
Silkolene Lubricants
Wilson’s Motorcycles
Sunsports Motorcycles
Auto Werks Paint
Rick Shell Crankshafts
Lindemann Engineering
Supertech
Sharkskinz
VP Racing Fuels
NGK Spark Plugs
EK Chain
AFAM
Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers
Kushitani Leathers
Helimot Leathers
Marietta Motorsports
Ferodo and Braketech
Frenotec
I Need Stickers. Com
Doc’s Custom and Collision
South Coast Inc.
AST Research
Cytomax, Cyto Sport

Frank Trombino Fastest In Friday’s Open Sportbike/F-USA Unlimited Superbike Practice At Mosport

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Open Sportbike/Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Practice Times:

1. Frank Trombino, Honda CBR954RR, 1:23.881
2. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.198
3. Larry Pegram, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.324
4. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.363
5. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.581
6. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.656
7. Jeff Williams, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.692
8. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.887
9. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.927
10. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.341
11. Chris Murray-Audain, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:25.435
12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:25.715
13. Michael Himmelsbach, Aprilia RSV1000R, 1:25.977
14. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:26.283
15. Benoit Pilon, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:26.487
16. Matt Wait, Honda CBR954RR, 1:26.546
17. Ugo Levert, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.608
18. Joeseph Temperato, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.159
19. Darryn Wilbur, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.363
20. Joe Spina, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.616

Roberts Recovering From Arm Surgery

From a press release issued by Suzuki:

Team Suzuki News Service

ROBERTS “READY TO RACE HARD AGAIN” AFTER SUCCESSFUL SURGERY

KENNY ROBERTS JR. is promising to get his best result of the season when he returns to MotoGP racing at the Czech GP at Brno in August.

Roberts is missing this weekend’s German GP at Sachsenring – a one race forced absence – as he recovers from surgery on his right arm, which has been troubling him all season with the phenomenon nicknamed “Racers’ Wrist”.

In Kenny’s case, this was expressed as compartment syndrome in the muscles of his right forearm, after years of strain of operating the throttle, brake and steering of a motorcycle at racing speeds. It caused his arm to pump up while riding, and though the rider kept his problems private, he had been suffering from the start of the season.

The painful problem became acute at Assen and Donington Park at the last two GPs, triggering the decision to put planned surgery forward by a week, missing the German GP with the aim of ensuring more than complete recovery when the season resumes at Brno.

“I’d been planning to have the surgery privately during the break – but the problem was just getting too bad,” explained Roberts, who flew home directly from last weekend’s British GP.

The surgery was performed in California by well-known sports surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting, who has also treated (among others) five-times champion Mick Doohan.

Dr. Ting pronounced the operation a complete success. “Kenny had compartment syndrome of the forearm, commonly referred to as ‘arm pump’,” said Ting. “This causes excruciating pain, making if difficult if not impossible for a rider to hold on to the bike.

“I performed a cutting and releasing of the fascia sheath. This was done because the muscle under the sheath was getting too big to be contained by the sheath. The normal recovery period is five to six weeks, but in Kenny’s case recovery should be much quicker.”

Roberts explained that the new 990cc four-stroke Suzuki GSV-R had exacerbated the problem, because it is heavier than the 500 on which he won the championship, and requires for the throttle to be blipped while braking.

“I’d been having trouble ever since we started testing the new bike. I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike without the psychological and physical baggage the arm pump created,” he said.

“This should be an immediate and complete solution. I look forward to being able to ride as hard as I can at Brno, and I expect to have my best performance and finish so far this year at that race,” he concluded.

A Dispatch From Desiree Crossman, With John Hopkins In Germany

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hi everyone!

Well, another lovely day in Germany. LOL! I have to say it was better then the first day that we arrived. Torrential rains, flooding, the usual….But now the sun is out and the weather is moderate.

John qualified 11th and Gaz was 12th. Pole was not to Rossi this time, it was Jeremy McWilliams! On Proton KR followed by Olivier Jacque. It’s a 2-stroke track and to let you in on a little secret, it’s a bleeding weird track. Very different from the others, tight and alot of elevation changes. Plus it’s short, so hard braking. All is well and will get back to you tommorrow.

Cheers,

Des

Reader Comments On TV Coverage From Laguna Seca

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

From e-mails:

I finished watching all the races recorded from TV after returning from Laguna Seca (Eric Bostrom, you rode amazingly in the second SBK race) and I feel compelled to express my opinion on one element of Speed Channel’s generally good coverage.

Speed’s Greg White said in the SBK pre-race show, “Edwards took to the track with a huge smile under his helmet because in the last three minutes of free practice Troy Bayliss crashed, injuring his back.” He references this same theme twice more during the weekend’s many broadcasts.

I don’t think it’s right for Mr. White to say this or assume Colin Edwards would be so nonchalant about a fellow competitor’s injury, especially concerning a back injury. And we wonder why other countries misunderstand America.

Matt Powell
Lakewood, Colorado

Greetings, I was watching Superbike races on the Speed Channel tonight, waiting patiently for the goofy welding school and other worthless commercials to end. When they ended, THE RACE HAD ALREADY STARTED! They were going through turn 3! I was pissed. I’m still pissed. I’ll be pissed tomorrow!

It’s bad enough that when they come back from commercials, that we miss a bunch of action and commentary, but to miss a start is unacceptable.

This is not the first time that this has happened. I live in North Florida and would like to know who to contact about this.

Would it be the local cable provider, advertising execs. or what?

I wonder if this happens when the car races are going on?

I used to like the NASCAR races, {about 1 minute at a time}, but they have made an enemy out of me. It seems that the favoritism that I thought would happen, has come about.

I believe there is some real bias against motorcycles in the Speed Channel camp.

It’s like we are at their mercy, and they will only give what they feel will keep the angry emails down, they received an angry e-mail tonight. I’m sure I’ll get a big thanks from the automatic responder.

While knowing that advertisement pays the bills, come on and give us a break. At least show the start of the scheduled events.

Very angry, Very Sincerely,

Henry Madsen CCS #296
Jacksonville, Florida

More Teams Preview Sachsenring MotoGP

From a press release issued by Yamaha:

As a result of the broken left tibia and fibula MotoGP rider Pere Riba suffered during the British MotoGP (July 12), Antena 3 Yamaha d’Antin Team owner Luis d’Antin has decided to temporarily replace the Spaniard with former team rider José Luis Cardoso. Cardoso, who is due to ride at this weekend’s German MotoGP (July 21) will ‘fill-in’ for Riba for the second time this season – previously the opportunity arose at the French MotoGP where Cardoso was attending as a spectator.

Immediately after the high-speed crash, which will leave Riba out of action for a minimum of five weeks, the former Supersport rider was flown to Madrid for surgery. The operation was considered a success – Doctor Villamor fixing two metallic plates over the fracture – and Riba is expected to start his rehabilitation program in an effort to be fit enough to contest the Czech MotoGP, due to be held on August 23-25.



From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Proton Riders Eye The Potential Of The Sachsenring

The German Sachsenring circuit is the third of a quartet of tracks that Proton Team KR have been looking forward to this year – and the hope is that both riders can equal or improve on Nobuatsu Aoki’s strong top ten finish at the last round at Donington Park.

The German circuit crams 2.302 miles (3.704km) into a small area on the edge of an industrial estate. That means lots of corners and not many straights. And that is Proton territory, where the lightweight three-cylinder 500 two-stroke can use all the agility and nimble handling to the full, without paying the penalty with a relative lack of out-and-out speed.

“The top speed is not high here, and there are a lot of second-gear and third-gear corners,” explained Chief Race Engineer Tom O’Kane.

“The KR3 is at its best on faster corners, but the lighter weight and good handling still pay dividends on slower turns,” he said.

The Proton’s other strength, compared with the heavier V4 500cc two-strokes and the even heavier 990cc four-stroke MotoGP prototypes, comes in braking – but the nature of the Sachsenring gives only one opportunity to exploit this. The only hard braking on the track comes at the end of the pit straight, into the treacherously looping downhill first turn. It is another point where the British-built machine will claim ground.

“This year, we have a much better engine package than ever before,” continued O’Kane.

“Last year we raced the Big Bang firing order for the first time, and had some difficulties during that transitional phase. This year the engine is well proven and developed.”

As at Assen and Donington Park, where the last two rounds were held, the team is hoping to serve up some surprises at Sunday’s German GP.

The track is close to the MZ factory at Zschopau, where Dr. Walter Kaaden pioneered the modern racing two-stroke, laying the foundation for a type of racing machine that came to dominate GP racing. This year’s new MotoGP class has handed the advantage back to four-strokes … but it would be poetic justice if the Sachsenring brought the first (and possibly only) two-stroke victory of the season. And especially sweet if it came from the Proton team, which like MZ is a relatively small-scale independent challenge to the major factories.

One thing that adds hope is that this is one of rider Jeremy McWilliams’s best tracks, where he has claimed several good results – including his first GP rostrum, finishing second in the 250 class in 1998, and third on the 500cc Aprilia lightweight in 2000.

After this race, the GP circus breaks up for the summer break, resuming racing at the end of August at the Czech Republic GP at Brno … another track with faster corners where the KR3 has the opportunity to excel.

Jeremy McWilliams – A Track To Remember
“This is where I got my first rostrum finish – on a 250 in 1998, and again on a lightweight 500 in 2000, so naturally I have good feelings about it. It’s a really physical circuit that seems to suit my style, and puts more emphasis on riding skill and bike handling than sheer horsepower. It’s one of the tracks we’ve been looking forward to, and the Proton KR3 should be good. But this year it’s really hard to make predictions with the new four-strokes. You just don’t know how they’ll go. If we are going to be able to give them a hard time, this should be one place where we can do it.”

Nobuatsu Aoki – Back To The Pocket-Bike Track
“I started racing on pocket-bikes in Japan, and this track reminds me of those circuits. I don’t much like it, especially on a 500cc GP bike. That’s my worry … just my personal dislike of the circuit. But I know the KR3 should be suitable, and I hope that will improve my feeling, and give me the chance to finish well up in the top ten again.”

Szoke Claims Canadians Are Faster In Preview Of This Weekend’s Canada Vs. USA Match Races

From a press release issued by series organizers, with two questions left begging, 1. Are Nicky Hayden and Eric Bostrom Canadians? and, 2. Where does a guy who can’t figure out how to cross the U.S./Canadian border without getting in trouble get off saying anything about anybody?:

BORDER BATTLE SET TO GO

BOWMANVILLE, ON – Canada’s top motorcycle racing stars face off against some the best talent in the United States in this weekend’s Coors Light Canada vs. USA Match Races at Mosport International Raceway.

The event features the fourth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship as well as the fourth event in the Formula USA Lockhart Phillips Superbike series.

The Lockhart Phillips Superbike class will run a two-leg feature Saturday afternoon in conjunction with the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike national support category.

The Parts Canada Superbike class will run Sunday afternoon. Many of the visiting U.S. riders are expected to compete in that event as well.

Canadian and U.S. racers will also go head-to-head in a combined Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike race Sunday.

“It’s good for our Canadian series,” said Parts Canada Superbike points leader Jordan Szoke of Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki. “Americans know Canadians are the fastest riders. This will prove it.”

Szoke comes to Mosport gunning for his fourth consecutive Parts Canada Superbike win. No one has ever won four in a row in a single season.

The Brantford, ON rider leads the series standings with 206 points to the 138 of Canadian Kawasaki’s Owen Weichel. Kevin Lacombe of Orion Motorsports Honda is third with 123 points.

Szoke’s teammate Francis Martin leads the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike standings with 130 points to the 108 of Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki’s Clint McBain.
McBain is first in Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike with 150 points. He is followed by Lacombe on 133.

Millenium Suzuki’s Shawn Higbee leads the Lockhart Phillips Superbike standings with 72 points. Michael Barnes of Hooters Suzuki is second with 64.

Barnes leads the Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike rankings with 37 points.

Qualifying for the combined Lockhart Phillips Superbike and International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike event will take place Friday at 5:30 pm. Saturday’s action also includes qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike class, as well as the combined Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike division.

This weekend’s races will be televised on TSN Saturday, Aug. 10 and Saturday, Aug. 24. Start time for both shows is 11:30 am EDT. Action from Mosport will also be shown later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Marlboro To Sponsor Ducati In MotoGP

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Marlboro will sponsor Marlboro Ducati’s MotoGP effort in 2003.

That’s the word from a Marlboro insider following the cigarette giant’s decision to end its association with Yamaha.

The source inside the company said Marlboro will move its funding to “a rider doing very well on a Ducati” for 2003, and that rider will specifically not be Ben Bostrom.

Which leads one to believe it could be Troy Bayliss on the MotoGP Ducati.

Corrected Post: Lockhart-Phillips Project Bike Raffle Raises $18,870 To Benefit Roadracingworld.com Action Fund

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The raffle of a Suzuki TL1000R project bike by Lockhart-Phillips USA raised a total of $18,870 to benefit the Roadracingworld.com Action Fund.

The raffle was started by Lockhart-Phillips President Wendell Phillips in February and ended with the winning name being drawn by Roadracingworld.com Action Fund founder John Ulrich during the World Superbike/AMA races at Laguna Seca on Sunday, July 14.

The Lockhart-Phillips USA project bike and Wendell Phillips, with a ceremonial check for $18,870 for Air Fence.

The winner of the highly-modified Suzuki V-Twin was David Caldwell of Maryville, Tennessee, near Knoxville. Although Caldwell is not a motorcycle road racer, he says that he rides streetbikes and enjoys all aspects of the sport, including racing motocross.

“I was at the Indianapolis Trade Show in February and saw the bike on display and the signs about the raffle,” said Caldwell in a phone interview Wednesday, July 17. “The lady at the booth explained to me all of the numbers with riders getting injured and how well the Air Fence works. So I bought two tickets.

“They called me to inform me that I won Sunday, but I was racing motocross in West Virginia. Then I got straight on a plane and flew down here (St. Croix) for vacation. I guess they’ll just ship the bike out to me.

“I’m just excited to win the bike. The people at Lockhart-Phillips said someone crashed into some Air Fence at Laguna Seca that weekend and it probably saved the guy’s life. I’m just glad to contribute to that.”

Ironically, Caldwell makes a living building fences for a construction company.

Lockhart-Phillips USA President Wendell Phillips (left) and Roadracingworld.com Action Fund founder John Ulrich shake hands and display a ceremonial check for $18,870, representing the proceeds of the raffle.

Roadracingworld.com Action Fund founder John Ulrich speaks to the crowd before pulling the winning raffle ticket at Laguna Seca.

The donation of the raffle proceeds by Lockhart-Phillips, together with Wendell Phillips’ previous donation of $2500, brings the company’s total to $21,370, making it the largest single contributor to the Fund.

The project TL1000 features an Akrapovic Evolution Race Exhaust System, K&N Dynojet Power Commander II fuel injection control unit, an engine built by Keith Perry, PM Edge wheels and PM racing brakes, Dunlop D207 tires, Goodrich -2 brake lines, paint by Hagar Helmets & Designs, a Lockhart Phillips USA windsreen, Attack Performance rearsets and triple clamps, Pro Grip grips, Lockhart Phillips anodized parts and marker lights and uses Elf Moto 4XT oil.

Updated Post: More Reader Feedback On Laguna Seca SPEED TV Coverage

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

From e-mails:

I would just like to say that everyone knows that Edwards would never be happy that Troy got hurt from a crash. Nobody would wish that on any other rider. I think what White was trying to say was that he was happy that Troy was maybe shook up from the crash and he might not ride up to par in the following race. Come on now. I think you might be looking too far into it. Anyways, the coverage was great except for all the commercials.

Tom Puckett
CCS #82

I understand the concerns of Henry Madsen and Matt Powell, but they both apparently watched the races re-broadcast on Tuesday evening. I watched all of the racing live on the Speed Channel starting Friday with the AMA 600SS race. They even showed WSBK Superpole on Saturday evening. They stayed with live coverage of the 600 SS and AMA Superbike races through several red flag situation, showing the races to their completion, even when they ran into other scheduled programs. They even showed the 750 Superstock race Tuesday nite (and what a race!).

Speed Channel is not perfect, but I believe their motorcycle coveraage is better than ever. I am no fan of Brian Drebber and the constant commentary errors he makes, such as saying Jamie Hacking earned the #2 on his bike, but man, we have it pretty good, and it seems to be getting better.

So, remember, Tuesday nites races were edited rebroadcasts. The live coverage over the weekend was excellent, and the racing was better on TV than being at the WSBK races at Misano, which I attended in person.

Mike Wheeler
Mid Atlantic Ducati Owners Club, President
DOCC regional representative

The programming recently isn’t as good as it was before SPEED/NASCARvision took over!

Other countries don’t have the problems we have and in fact enjoy thorough coverage of all motorcycle racing. I’m not gonna gripe and complain, I’ve already went to their website www.speed.com and made my feelings known!

Coverage isn’t as good as it has been and in fact we don’t see as much racing as we used to! The FX races air two weeks later if we’re lucky!

The only thing we can do is e-mail them and let our opinions be known! If other channels air what we like to see, let them know that we appreciate it and or let them know we would like them to cover what we want to see!

Mitch Adams
Glendora, California

I think the reader who complained about commercials running over the beginning of the race was experiencing a local problem. I work for a regional television network that does lots of local sports coverage and used to own the local cable company. The guys in the truck are in constant communication with the guys running the commercials back at SPEED. But most cable companies (and the satellite providers) have systems which automatically insert their own commercials OVER the ones aired by SPEED and other cable/sat channels. This is the system that is typically responsible for such a snafu, especially if the commercial format in a show is altered on the fly (due to an unexpected red flag situation, for instance).

I didn’t notice anything cutting over the coverage this weekend, even the notorious Bowflex ad that tends to stomp on satellite channels. More than likely it was the reader’s cable provider. That or I wasn’t paying close enough attention!

Hope this helps.

Clint Fleckenstein

I e-mailed Speed on Fri right after viewing the 18 minutes of coverage for the 600 race Friday. The race started as soon as the program started and seemed very rushed. Just as soon as the checkered flag flew they cut to delayed qualifying for the Joliet NASCAR event.The Busch qualifying wasn’t even halfway thru and they were still cleaning the track.

The programming showed 600 SS for 1 hour and they cut away after 1/2-hour. I guess track cleanup for Busch qualifying is more important than a national championship motorcycle race.

I live less than 5 miles from the Joliet track and refuse to submit to the NASCAR frenzy even when offered free tickets.

My trendy friends who knew nothing about any form of racing up till 2 years ago can’t understand.

Remember Disco, it went away, and there used to be a waiting list for Harleys!

Randy DeGraaf
Joliet, Illinois

Why would anybody grump about the coverage on the races this weekend? We are getting live, same day, and Two Wheel Tuesday bike coverage. I guess
some people don’t remember the only bike coverage we could get was 6 months later on Wide World of Sports.

SPEED, keep up the good work! I will be a
loyal watcher every week.
Michael Jay

Some News, Some Hallucinations From Rich Oliver

From a press release issued by Rich Oliver, with two believable sections and one that sounds like it came straight out of a hallucination:

Oliver dominates Laguna Seca AMA 250 race, with retro riding style!

Rich Oliver of Team Oliver Yamaha was the dominate rider in Sunday’s 250 Grand Prix race, during the Laguna Seca AMA and World Superbike event!

Oliver’s weekend started out badly with a crankshaft failure during the 8th lap of the first session on Friday, and a late night of repair work then followed. While Robert Ward, Oliver’s Crew Chief, prepared the parts and cleaned the rest of the motor in the team tent, Rich took the crankshaft to Dan Kyle’s performance shop in Seaside, California. There Dan and legendary rider John Long pried the offending bearing off the crank and replaced it with a spare. (A big THANK YOU goes to Dan and John for their hard work for Rich and the team.) Rich then raced back to the track at 10:00 p.m., and by 11:30 he and Robert had the motor rebuilt and back in the chassis.

With 5 hours of sleep, Rich led the time sheets Saturday morning with the now rebuilt motorcycle and then qualified on Pole position Saturday afternoon with a new track record time of 1:29.6! Things started to really click for Rich and Robert as Rich rode like his old 1997 self on Sunday. Rich tells us about the change, “I felt that I had been missing something with the new bike, and I swear that all we did was adjust the shock spring, the tire pressure and front ride height, and the bike just came alive! Now it was reading my mind and I could ride like I used to in my Championship years. I hope we can keep the bike working this well all year now and set some more speed records!”

Set records he did, as the 250 lap record went down to a 1:29.2, Rich riding with precise control and a now visible abandon as he powered away from the superb Roland Sands running in second place. The ever improving Simon Turner rode to a strong third in front of rising young star Jason Disalvo who finished in fourth place.

Rich now has won 59 AMA 250 races, and has a chance to win 61 by year’s end! He moves into 6th place in the 2002 Championship, 56 points behind hard riding points leader Chuck Sorensen on his Aprilia, who unfortunately had an engine failure on the sighting lap of the race and did not earn any points.

Perry Melneciuc rides hurt, rides his slower spare bike, but rides to within 25 points of Sorensen for Championship lead!

Perry Melneciuc is well known throughout the paddock for his strength and drive. An admitted workaholic, Perry once again proved that his reputation for toughness and determination is true by finishing an amazing 6th place on Sunday.

The reason 6th was so great–well, two reasons really–Perry had leaped off his primary machine on Saturday during Qualifying by executing a huge, power-sliding-donut-type-reverse-spinout-with-an-airbourne-head-whacker, on the exit of tricky turn two, and instead of the bike sliding to a stop it straightened out and ran by itself all the way down to turn three and smashed into the concrete wall, destroying the front half of the bike.

Perry walked away, but later a severely sprained left wrist and possible broken collarbone were diagnosed by the World Superbike medical clinic doctors. His Helimot race suit and Shoei Helmet did a great job of protecting the rest of him from further injury!

The other reason 6th was such a grand effort was that points leader Chuck Sorensen could not earn any points, so Perry is now representing Yamaha and Team Oliver in the points chase with a 210 point tally, only 25 behind Sorensen. Perry battled during the race with series standout Ed Sorbo, and Aprilia rider Colin Jensen, with Jensen finishing a great 5th, and Sorbo ending up lucky number 7.

Swimsuit model becomes much more attractive, but Oliver still suspicious of dramatic change!

Last week as you may remember, Rich went on a terrible first date with his swimsuit model hospital roommate, but even though she unfortunately seemed to be a very classy, intelligent and deeply spiritual woman, he decided to give her one more chance by inviting her to Laguna Seca this weekend. Rich tells us about their second date:

“Well, I picked her up at the Monterey airport on Sunday, and boy did I see a dramatic change. Gone was her elegant, understated look, the simple dress with the clean lines, her upswept hair, the one silver bracelet and minimal makeup.

“Now she bounced off the plane in a pair of super low-rise hip hugger Italian jeans, barely held up with a huge jeweled leather belt. She had on a shiny little top emblazoned with the words, ‘porn star’, that left nothing to my imagination, and was wearing so much jewelry that when she walked it sounded like a TZ250 blowing a rod at 14,000 rpm! Big curly blond and purple streaked hair, a healthy dose of that new ‘Spank’ perfume, and now lots of come-and-get-me makeup! All these changes were great accents to the huge high rise shoes that she had custom machined to match herself exactly to my height. She even had the Yamaha tuning fork logo custom made into an exotic looking belly ring!

“She sounded different too, lots of giggles and the repeated use of the word, ‘like’ in all her now shortened sentences. But still, I did get a bit suspicious when she turned around to show me her new ink, a tattoo in the center of her back just above her belt that said ‘97 Forever’.

“It all seemed too good to be true, and I know what they say, people don’t really change, but I hoped for the best. So when I brought her into the pits to meet everyone, I tried to enjoy the moment, now I had a woman hanging on my arm who I could be so proud of! I mean really, she had curves on her where other women only have straight-aways!

“Well everything was going well until just before the race, when my mechanic Robert noticed that the tattoo on her back was looking a little funny. He offered to blast it with contact cleaner to see if it was real or just a fake press on job, but I told him to hold off. Frankly, I was so happy that I didn’t want anything to dash my hopes that she had really changed so much for the better.

“At that point she was even calling me Richie, and giggling more than ever while she related to us a fascinating story that she had read in Cosmo, about how to have kids without ever getting fat and losing your job!

“During the race Robert said that the cameras were on her as much as the motorcycles, and she did a great job of jumping up and down and shouting ‘Go Baby!’ every time I or someone who looked like me would come down the front straight past the pit boards.

“Well, it sure was a great second date, and as I took her back to the airport I felt like a million bucks. Finally I had met my true soul mate. Only thing is, when she got out of the truck, I noticed something in her hand bag wedged between Cosmo and People magazine. I could swear she had a dog eared copy of Atlas Shrugged hidden in there……………”

Team Oliver Yamaha is sponsored by:

Yamaha Motor Corp. USA
Dunlop Tires
Advanced Motion Controls
SHOEI Helmets
Silkolene Lubricants
Wilson’s Motorcycles
Sunsports Motorcycles
Auto Werks Paint
Rick Shell Crankshafts
Lindemann Engineering
Supertech
Sharkskinz
VP Racing Fuels
NGK Spark Plugs
EK Chain
AFAM
Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers
Kushitani Leathers
Helimot Leathers
Marietta Motorsports
Ferodo and Braketech
Frenotec
I Need Stickers. Com
Doc’s Custom and Collision
South Coast Inc.
AST Research
Cytomax, Cyto Sport

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