From a press release:

Wednesday, January 23, 2002

EDWARDS BACK INTO RHYTHM, AT KYALAMI

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards began his 2002 campaign with a shakedown on the opening day of a four-day Michelin tyre test at Kyalami, South Africa on Wednesday.

Edwards, a winner of World Superbike races at Kyalami in the past two years, was in relaxed mood after his opening day display as he bids to regain the World Superbike crown after winning it in 2000.

“We always knew today was about settling in again and from that point of view it’s been a good day,” said the 27-year-old Texan.

He added: “We spent a lot of the day setting up the new SP-2 machine with a view to testing some new Michelin tyres later in the test. The Kyalami circuit was very dusty and dirty so most of my day was about cleaning up the surface.”

Edwards concentrated on the front suspension settings of his 1000cc machine, using just two sets of tyres all day.

“We wanted to try and get a good feel from the machine, we improved it a lot but it’s still not quite there, we¹ll achieve that tomorrow,” he reported. “The dirty track affected traction and there was only me out there all day so it all got a bit painful. But we¹re here to prepare for the season. not to just try and get a fast lap at this track.”

Edwards recorded a fastest lap, late in the afternoon, of 1:43.32, just 0.4s outside the existing lap record for the 2.65-mile circuit on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

He is joined at the Michelin test from tomorrow by Ducati’s Troy Bayliss and Ruben Xaus.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

According to times recorded by the official AMA Pro Racing scoring system, Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert posted the quickest time Wednesday morning during factory team tests at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca.

The eldest Gobert brother lapped at 1:26.328 on the 2.2-mile road course aboard his Yamaha YZF-R7 Superbike on Dunlop tires. Gobert’s own Laguna Seca lap record from the 1999 season stands at 1:25.507, according to the 2001 AMA media guide.

Unofficial Wednesday Morning Lap Times:

Superbike:
Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:26.328
Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:26.450
Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:27.018
Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:27.175
Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:27.652

600cc Supersport:
Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.876
Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:30.524
Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.544
Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:31.297
Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.335
Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:31.400
Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:34.727

Formula Xtreme:
Jake Zemke, Honda CBR929RR, 1:29.150

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Sports Racing has won the last three AMA 250cc Grand Prix Championships, but team owner James Siddall and latest rider Jim Filice have not finalized their plans for 2002.

Siddall says that while his team will campaign with 2001 AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Filice in the AMA National Series, their effort won’t necessarily be in the 250cc class.

Asked about team sponsorship and manufacturer involvement, Siddall simply said, “It’s an ongoing process.”

Siddall said he expects to be able to release more information after the upcoming Indianapolis Dealers Show, scheduled for mid-February.

From a SBK press release:

WINTER TEST

Australia, Phillip Island Circuit
30-31 January / 1st February 2002

Attendance list

Superbike

1, Troy Bayliss, Ducati Infostrada

11, Ruben Xaus, Ducati Infostrada

155, Ben Bostrom, Ducati L&M

41, Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia Racing

2, Colin Edwards, Castrol Honda

100, Neil Hodgson, HM Plant Ducati

52, James Toseland, HM Plant Ducati

14, Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki Racing Team

9, Chris Walker, Kawasaki Racing Team

17, Steve Martin, DFX Racing Ducati Pirelli

22, Alessandro Antonello, DFX Racing Ducati Pirelli



Supersport

7, Karl Muggeridge, Honda UK Race Team

10, John McGuiness, Honda UK Race Team

1, Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki Racing Team

8, James Ellison, Kawasaki Racing Team

17, Chris Vermeulen, Van-zon-Honda-T.K.R.

6, Pere Riba, Ten Kate Honda

99, Fabien Foret, Ten Kate Honda

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Season pre-entry packages mailed to AMA Pro riders include the news that the Laguna Seca AMA National will be limited to pre-entry, with a limit of 65 entries accepted per class, with no special consideration of riders contesting the entire series and no consideration at all for variances in mail delivery around the country.

The notices were postmarked January 17 in Pickerington, Ohio and were received January 22 by riders in Lake Elsinore, California area.

With several Lake Elsinore-area riders currently testing at Laguna Seca through Thursday–including the three Gobert brothers and Eric Bostrom–the 65-rider limit on pre-entries could theoretically be filled before Anthony Gobert or Bostrom can get home and send in a pre-entry form for Laguna Seca.

The pre-entry form for Laguna Seca includes this warning, typeset in all caps:

“LAGUNA SECA WILL BE ON A PRE-ENTRY BASIS ONLY! THE ENTRIES WILL BE LIMITED TO 65 PER CLASS! PRE-ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON A FIRST COME/FIRST SERVE BASIS. THERE WILL BE NO POST ENTRIES AT THE TRACK! POST ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY FIM LICENSED RIDER. THE CUT OFF DATE FOR ACCEPTING PRE-ENTRIES WILL BE JUNE 14, 2002. ENTRIES RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE, MUST HAVE BEEN POST MARKED 5 DAYS PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTED.

“Entry acknowledgement: Deposit of your check/credit card charge does not indicate acceptance of entry. An acknowledgement letter with registration information and schedule of events, will follow if pre-entry is accepted. Mail your entry blank with proper fees to: AMA Pro Racing, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Faxed entries are for charge card payments only. Fax number (614) 856-1924, 24 hours a day. Faxed entries will not be processed until you call to confirm that we have received it. For confirmation phone (614) 856-1900, ask for Competition Services, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM- 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.”


The pre-entry materials also show five Pro Thunder races–at Daytona, Pikes Peak, Road America, Brainerd and Laguna Seca–with no further explanation.

From a press release:

Willow Springs Motorcycle Club Starts 2002 With A Bang

Impressive Attendance, Limited Pit Space Mark Season Opener

The first round of competition for the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club began on an upbeat note this year, with strong attendance by both participants and spectators. While an exact figure was not available, it was conservatively estimated that well over 1,000 persons attended the opening round of racing at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park. The number who paid to enter the pit area, either to compete or to spectate, was 975. The remainder, who viewed the racing from the Turn Four “Budweiser Balcony” area, took advantage of the track’s program that allows spectators to watch the races at no charge.

“There were substantially more people here just to watch the racing than we would typically see for this time of year,” said a track spokesperson. “We noticed a good number of vehicles parked all the way around the Turn Four viewing area, quite a few more than normal. It looks like our free admission program is beginning to catch on.”

Pit space was also at a premium during this first round, leading more than one competitor to wonder whether pit areas will need to be assigned in the future. “There’s still plenty of room out here,” the spokesperson clarified. “If we need to juggle the rigs to be more efficient, that’s no problem.”

The free admission program, implemented by the park in December, 2001 was designed to help stimulate interest in the track’s many activities, as well as expose spectators to sponsors, whose contributions help keep motorsports alive and well. “This program was really designed to help people,” said track owner Bill Huth. “The economy needs a boost now, and this is our way of helping out.” The program is similar to one adopted by a major Los Angeles theme park, which is giving away a year’s free admission to anyone purchasing a single day’s pass. Huth wasn’t surprised that other businesses had adopted incentives. “It’s a good way to get things going again,” he added.

Willow Springs International Motorsports Park is a 600-acre complex of six racetracks embracing nearly every conceivable motorsports discipline. In addition to the historic 2.5-mile road course, the Willow Springs facility includes the Streets of Willow, a 1.5-mile, 14-turn multi-configuration road course ideal for testing, club racing and schools; two 1/4-mile paved ovals; a 3/8-mile clay oval; a .625-mile kart track; and the just-completed “Toyota Playpen,” a short course targeting beginning riders and drivers. The facility also has an off-road area for testing of off-road vehicles.

For more information on the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club or Willow Springs International Motorsports Park, please call 661-256-6666 or visit www.willowspringsraceway.com.

From a press release:

Honda Racing News

HRC Winter Test Sepang, Malaysia, January 23, 2002.

HRC Complete Successful RC211V Malaysian Test

The three-day HRC test session for the RC211V MotoGP machine at Sepang, Malaysia, ended today with a string of fast times on the one rain-free day of the three-day test. HRC Team Manager Noriaki Nakata returns to Japan satisfied with the results and the technical data recorded over the three days.

“We can be quite satisfied with the results of this three-day test. We tested everything we came here to test and ended with an endurance test, the results of which were very good. We will go back to Japan and work on the information we gained here. I must say development of the RC211V is going in the right direction, very encouraging,” said Nakata.

Despite sliding off the RCV Tohru Ukawa was again the fastest man around the 5.548km track with a time of 2:04.78 the best from his 54-lap stint on the 5-cylinder, 990cc GP machine he will race in 2002.

HRC test rider Shinichi Itoh was also faster than yesterday. The near-veteran, former Grand Prix rider, has worked tirelessly in support of Ukawa all week and today reeled off 70 laps aboard the RCV. His best time was 2:05.86.

Reigning 250cc World Champion Daijiro Katoh continues to impress riding the NSR500 2-stroke V-Four he will run in the MotoGP class in 2002. Honda Gresini team rider Katoh fired a warning shot across the bows of his MotoGP class rivals when setting a time of 2:04.86. The diminutive Japanese star has quickly adapted to the 185ps- plus power of the NSR500 and will pose his more experienced rivals considerable problems once the new season gets underway at Suzuka in April.

Team West Honda Pons riders Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros both improved their lap times on the last day of the test. Capirossi was the faster of the two. He is in good form early this year and confirmed it with a time of 2:05.39. Teammate Barros slid off his NSR but escaped unscathed.

Team Kanemoto did not test, their NSR500 too badly damaged when team rider Jurgen v. d. Goorbergh crashed the machine on Monday.

Tohru Ukawa, RC211V, 54 laps, time 2:04.78

Shinichi Itoh, RC211V, 70 laps, time 2:05.86

Daijiro Katoh, NSR500, 46 laps, time 2:04.86

Loris Capirossi, NSR500, 53 laps, time 2:05.39

Alex Barros, NSR500, 50 laps, time 2:06.58


Tohru Ukawa: I’m happy with the machine, I have a comfortable feeling riding the RCV. This circuit has been very good for testing many things. High speed stability of the machine, stability under heavy breaking, and we tested tyres, all have improved. Altogether a good test but we still have work to do. Now I can get some rest while waiting for the next test, in mid-February.

Shinichi Itoh: I’m still quite fast, even at my age. I enjoyed this test, I really like the track. Now I’m a test rider my duties are different and I am helping the team, and Ukawa San, where I can. The machine is definitely improving with each test and I’m happy to be part of the team developing the RCV.

Daijiro Katoh: The test has been good for me. I’m getting used to the bike and beginning to feel comfortable and trying many things on set-up. The times are good but I still need much more experience on the 500. Luckily we have many more test days before the season starts.

Bidding for an AGV helmet autographed by most of American Honda’s 1999 racing stars currently stands at $346.01 with under 36 hours remaining in the sale, which will benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. “Sooty114”, the first person to bid in the auction last Thursday, holds the high bid at the moment, but “1oldgeorge”, “rageco” and “kmitch51” still remain active in the bidding. This auction is due to close at 5:11 p.m. Central Time Thursday, January 24.

For more information about the auction of this helmet to benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund, look below for the original web posting, the pictures and the link that will take you directly to the auction.




1999 Team Honda Autograph Helmet On Auction Block For Air Fence Fund

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Donated by an industry executive who wishes to remain anonymous, this one-of-a-kind AGV R3 helmet would be very difficult to reproduce.

This brand-new, never-worn AGV R3 helmet was taken to an appearance in 1999 where it was signed by most of the members of American Honda’s race teams for that season. Autographs on the helmet include: Miguel Duhamel, Kurtis Roberts, Ezra Lusk, Kevin Windham, Mike Larocco, Johnny Campbell and Scott Summers.

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All of the autographs were made in gold paint marker and stand out well on the solid white shell. The size-Medium helmet comes with its original clear shield, helmet bag and box.

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“I hope this helps to raise money for the Air Fence Fund. Thank you for all that you have personally done to make it happen,” wrote the
helmet’s donor in a letter to Roadracing World Air Fence Fund founder John Ulrich.

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All proceeds from the sale of this helmet will go to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. The Roadracing World Air Fence Fund was established to raise funds to purchase and deploy inflatable Air Fence and Air Module soft barriers to protect crashed riders from hitting walls and other hard objects at racetracks. Air Fence is a trademark of Airfence Safety Systems of Australia.

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The auction is due to close at approximately 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, January 24. More auctions of motorcycle racing memorabilia and collectibles to benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund are scheduled to appear.

To go directly to the auction on eBay, click on the following link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1064980241

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Blackmans Racing Team Manager Kris Bickford called Roadracing World to announce that Blackmans Racing will defend its Number One plate in the 2002 Formula USA National Road Race Series Unlimited GP class and will continue to pursue the F-USA Unlimited Superbike Championship with rider Mike Himmelsbach.

For 2002, the Blackmans team will follow the lead of many American factory road race teams by slimming down to a one-rider effort. The one rider will be F-USA NRRS Unlimited GP National Champion Michael Himmelsbach, who will again ride an Aprilia Mille R RSV1000 with his father, Bill Himmelsbach, as Crew Chief.

Working full-time on the development of the Aprilia Mille in 2001, the elder Himmelsbach turned the 110-horsepower Mille streetbike into a 145-horsepower, 175-mph Superbike. That development has continued over the off-season, according to Bickford. “As you know, we reached the power levels that we needed for the class, but our bikes were still the heaviest in the field. Bill (Himmelsbach) has made good progress on putting the bike on a diet, and we expect to come to the opening round at Daytona 25 pounds lighter than we ended last season.” Bickford also said that the team has made additional progress in developing revised EPROM computer chips to improve the power and torque delivery of the Aprilia.

Blackmans had intended to field another two-rider team in 2002, but the team’s hard work and Championship did not net additional sponsorship for the coming season. “We still will have support from Blackmans Cycles, obviously, Pirelli and Tigcraft Japan, but we’ve lost Yuasa. We’re still excited about the new season, though,” said Bickford. “Mike’s a great rider, and this year we are racing at Summit Point, a track that Mike does really well at. Plus we are also going to Loudon, where I think our bikes will work very well.”

Bickford also said that a Blackmans Racing Stage Four high performance kit, which should make the Aprilia Mille produce over 150 horsepower, will be available soon.

From a press release:

Honda Racing News

HRC Winter Test Sepang, Malaysia
January 22, 2002

Record Times For Tohru Ukawa and RC211V

The second day of the HRC RC211V test at Sepang, Malaysia, saw Tohru Ukawa and the 5-cylinder Honda four-stroke circulating at lap record time. The daily monsoon rain held off until late afternoon allowing Ukawa and HRC test rider Shinichi Itoh a trouble free day of testing.

Ukawa made the best of the opportunity to set the fastest lap recorded at the 5.548km circuit by a grand prix motorcycle. His time of 2:05.39 was
0.228 inside the lap record, set by Valentino Rossi at the grand prix last October.

Itoh, on his first ever visit to the circuit, was not far behind Ukawa at 2:05.91.

Team Honda Gresini rider Daijiro Katoh was a shade faster than Itoh at 2:05.86 on the V-4, NSR500 two-stroke he will race against the mighty 990cc the four-strokes in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship.

After a shake down test yesterday Team West Honda Pons got down to serious work with their 2002 NSR500’s for the first time and were quickly on the pace. World number three Loris Capirossi (was) faster than team mate Alex Barros at 2:05.98.

Team Kanemoto Honda rider Jurgen v.d. Goorbergh did not test today following his heavy crash yesterday. The team’s NSR500 was too badly
damaged to repair in time.

Tohru Ukawa, RC211V, 71 laps, time 2:05.39

Shinichi Itoh, RC211V, 71 laps, time 2:05.91

Daijiro Katoh, NSR500, 47 laps, time 2:05.86

Loris Capirossi, NSR500, 50 laps, time 2:05.98

Alex Barros, NSR500, 44 laps, time 2:07.73

Tohru Ukawa: I’m very, very happy with today, and to break the lap record. Everything ran just fine. We were testing tyres and some small
modifications, I was not looking for a lap time. What is important here is to keep the development of the machine moving forward. The bike is good
here but we still have a lot of work to do.

Shinichi Itoh: Very happy, and very surprised. My lap times are very good, considering I have only had two days at this track. The bike has made it
easy, it works very well here. I’m pleased with the progress we’re making with the RCV.