A January 10 press release from the FIM finalizes the 2002 Endurance World Championship schedule by removing the two “TBA” dates resulting in a six-round series, with only one 24-hour race.

The 2002 Endurance World Championship schedule follows:

4/28 200-mile Imola, San Marino
5/19 200-mile Silverstone, England
6/16 6-hour Brno, Czech Republic
8/4 8-hour Suzuka, Japan
8/10-11 24-hour Oschersleben, Germany
10/6 200-mile Vallelunga, Italy

For additional info, call FIM at 011-41-22-950-9500, FAX 011-41-22-950-9501, e-mail [email protected], www.fim.ch.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The SuperTT race series is holding a pre-season warm-up event Saturday, January 12 in the parking lot of Edison Field in Anaheim, California during the U.S. Hot Rod Monster Jam, and some of road racing’s biggest names are expected to race.

Don Canet, Road Test Editor of Cycle World magazine and founder of the SuperTT series, has announced that 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz will be racing on a specially-prepared Suzuki DR-Z400. Former factory Ducati Superbike racer and Grand National dirt tracker Larry Pegram will also race, on a White Brothers-prepared Honda CR450F.

Joining Canet, Schwantz and Pegram could be many of the SuperTT series regulars including former AMA Motocross Champion Gary Jones, former AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Roland Sands, and former AMA pro road racers Mark Miller and Mark Foster. According to series organizers, other possible attendees may include Yamaha factory Superbike star Anthony Gobert, American Honda superstar Nicky Hayden and former AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler.

There are three classes of racing with SuperTT at Anaheim including Open, for open-displacement single-cylinders with unlimited modifications and any size of wheel acceptable; Sportsman, for open-displacement single-cylinders with 21-inch front wheels, full suspension travel, stock brake calipers and any type of tire including DOTs; and Mini-Motard, for up to 150cc 4-stroke Singles with unlimited modifications.

SuperTT will hold a similar event Saturday, January 26 at the same location with many of the same racers scheduled to appear including Schwantz and with the possible addition of Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates.

For more information, for racers or spectators, go to www.supertt.com.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Formula USA is considering buying 2000 linear feet of a built-to-order modified version of Alpina Super Defender impact-absorbing modules for use at dirt tracks during the 2002 racing season.

Alpina Super Defender modules are non-inflatable, and use foam and an inner chamber at ambient air pressure to absorb energy.

The modules would be connected to form a free-standing impact-absorbing wall and would be positioned several feet inside the perimeter wall on half-mile tracks. The modules would positioned against the perimeter wall on straightaway sections exiting the corners.

If all goes according to plan, the 2000 feet of Alpina modules would be transported to F-USA dirt track races using two semi-trucks already owned by Clear Channel Entertainment Motor Sports, which owns F-USA.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Willow Springs owner Bill Huth said today that his Toyota 200 unlimited professional race will be held September 13-14-15 and will pay $50,000 to win.

The field for the WSMC-sanctioned 200-mile race will include 40 riders, and everybody who qualifies and starts the race will make at least $1000.

The race is open to any licensed rider on any type of road racing motorcycle.

Huth originally planned to hold the race on October 18-19-20 but spontaneously decided to move it to September when it was pointed out that the original date would conflict with the October 16-20 F-USA finale/CCS Race of Champions at Daytona.

The purse payout follows.

1. $50,000
2. $30,000
3. $10,000
4. $5000
5. $3000
6. $3000
7. $3000
8. $2000
9. $2000
10. $2000
11. $2000
12. $2000
13. $2000
14. $2000
15. $2000
16. $2000
17. $2000
18. $2000
19. $1500
20. $1500
21. $1500
22. $1500
23. $1500
24. $1500
25. $1500
26. $1500
27. $1500
28. $1500
29. $1500
30. $1000
31. $1000
32. $1000
33. $1000
34. $1000
35. $1000
36. $1000
37. $1000
38. $1000
39. $1000
40. $1000

From a press release:

AMA CHALLENGES RECENT IIHS REPORT

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reported today that a recent opinion paper published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a hopelessly flawed analysis of motorcycling fatalities.

The IIHS “Status Report,” released yesterday and entitled “Special Issue: Motorcycle Deaths,” states that “motorcycles are a dim spot in the overall highway safety picture,” despite the fact that motorcycling fatalities have declined by nearly 52% since 1980 — a far better track record than any other form of highway transportation.

“This opinion paper simply recycles old news and misuses statistics to support preconceived conclusions, and yet the IIHS wants the American public to believe that it’s done serious research,” said Edward Moreland, Vice President of Government Relations for the AMA. “Even though we debunked these theories months ago, the IIHS seems to believe that if it repeats half-truths often enough, its statements will be accepted as fact.”

The IIHS report opens with statistics released last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showing an increase in fatalities among motorcyclists age 40 and older, and yet it fails to note that these statistics reflect a natural and predictable demographic trend. The report then uses a three-year increase in motorcycling fatalities — ignoring the preceding 17-year trend of steadily decreasing fatalities — to support its call for mandatory helmet-use laws.

Elsewhere in the report, in a graph comparing states with and without helmet laws, data for a state with a mandatory helmet-use law is erroneously combined with that for a state without such a law to represent “universal coverage,” the report’s term for a mandatory helmet-use law.

“It’s no secret that the IIHS is bankrolled entirely by insurance companies, and that its real agenda here is to justify increasing rates,” said the AMA’s Moreland. “Motorcyclists have battled the IIHS many times in the past, and we’ve won. We’ll win again, and the first step is to expose this opinion paper for what it is.

“We’re concerned, of course, about any increase in motorcycle-related fatalities,” Moreland continued, “but what we have here are questions, not answers. The AMA encourages anyone who’s truly interested in reducing motorcycling fatalities, and not simply promoting a political agenda, to join us in calling for a comprehensive nationwide study of motorcycle accident data.”

In 2000, the AMA — along with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and other industry groups — succeeded in incorporating a motorcycle-accident study into the National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety. As a result, NHTSA officials have said they hope to begin such a study in the near future. The most recent comprehensive federal study of motorcycle accident data was published in 1980, and sampled accident data only in Southern California.

The AMA believes there is a clear distinction between the use of helmets and mandatory helmet-use laws. Although the AMA strongly encourages helmet use by all motorcyclists, as part of a comprehensive approach to motorcycle safety, it maintains a long-standing fundamental belief that adults should continue to have the right to voluntarily decide when to wear a helmet.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From a press release:


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

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

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

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

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

From a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp.:

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

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

From a Suzuki press release:


ROBERTS PREPARES TO MEET ALL-NEW FOUR-STROKE SUZUKI

January 10.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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




From a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

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

CARLOS CHECA LOOKS FORWARD TO BEST EVER SEASON

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

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

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

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

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

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