From a press release issued by event organizers:

SZOKE STORMS TO POLE

ST-EUSTACHE, QC – Jordan Szoke saved his best for last at Autodrome St-Eustache on Saturday.

The Brantford, ON rider waited until the final lap of qualifying to set a new track record of the 1.2-mile circuit and secure pole position for Sunday’s fourth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, the Suzuki Superbike Challenge.

Szoke took his Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a time of 46.641 secs. That broke the two-year-old record of 46.723 secs. set by his current teammate Francis Martin.

“Out of all the laps I did at the end I’m kind of surprised that one got the lap record,” said Szoke, the current Parts Canada Superbike points leader. “I had a big tank slapper just before the braking marker at the end of the straight. I truly believe I could have gone faster.”

Szoke receives the MPM Array Pole Award for his performance, a Swiss Force Carbon Fiber embellished watch.

Toronto’s Michael Taylor ended the session second fastest with a time of 47.250 secs. on his Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1. Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON was third on the Orion Motorsport Honda RC51 with a lap at 47.332 secs. and Martin completes the front row for Sunday’s race. The Sherbrooke, QC rider managed a top time of 47.435 secs. on his Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Suzuki GSX-R1000.

With pole position Szoke earned four points towards the Parts Canada Superbike Championship and extended his lead in the standings. He now has 154 points to the 121 of Huntington Beach, CA resident Owen Weichel. Weichel will start sixth in Sunday’s race on his Canadian Kawasaki ZX-7RR after setting a qualifying time of 47.618 secs.

Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe is third in points with 91. In his debut with the Orion Motorsport Honda team Lacombe qualified fifth for Sunday’s Superbike race with a time of 47.564 secs.

In other action at St-Eustache series leader Clint McBain claimed pole position for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike event. The Calgary rider set a time of 47.896 secs. on his Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Lacombe grabbed the pole for Sunday’s Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike feature with a time of 48.523 secs. aboard his Orion Honda CBR600F4i.

Practice Sunday begins at 10:00 am with the first race scheduled to go at 12:45 pm.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1:00 pm EDT and later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Starting line-up for Sunday’s Suzuki Superbike Challenge, the fourth race in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Autodrome St-Eustache, showing starting position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and qualifying time:

1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 46.641; 2. Michael Taylor, Toronto, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 47.250; 3. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Honda RC51, 47.332; 4. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 47.435; 5. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Honda RC51, 47.564; 6. Owen Weichel, Huntington Beach, CA, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 47.618; 7. Benoit Pilon, St-Jerome, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 48.132; 8. Jean-Francois Cyr, Joliette, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 48.701; 9. Ugo Levert, Lorraine, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000 48.801; 10. Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 48.871; 11. Jerome Plourde, St-Hubert, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 49.142; 12. Darryn Wilbur, Maple, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 49.414; 13. Matthew McBride, Toronto, ON, Honda CBR600F4i, 49.887; 14. Bruce McDonald, Mt. Albert, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 49.949; 15. Joel McDonald, North York, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 50.052; 16. Philip Onisto, Bolton, ON, Suzuki GSX-R750, 50.073; 17. Tony Bouffard, Longueuil, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 50.140; 18. Dave Young, Woodstock, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 50.338; 19. Gaston Labrie, Brossard, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 50.522; 20. Jim Proulx, Ottawa, ON, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 50.988; 21. John Brundl, Toronto, ON, Honda CBR954RR, 51.005; 22. Derek Vammus, Brampton, ON, Honda RC51, 51.874; 23. Marc Tremblay, Lac St-Charles, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 52.343

From a press press issued by the event organizers:

For Immediate Release

Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada…For the first time in over a decade, the ‘Coors Light’ Canada vs. USA Match Races return to Mosport International Raceway July 19-20-21 for an exciting three days of racing action, produced by SUPERSHOW Events.

Coors Light, in conjunction with Buell, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Stylemaster, presents three full days of exciting motorcycle racing including top Canadian and American Racers competing in the Formula USA Road Race Series and the Parts Canada Superbike National Series, the Mosport Round of the ASM Superbike Series with Amateur races sponsored by Snow City Cycle, the Buell Lightning Series, and the Diablo Can-Am 125 GP Challenge.

Daytona track announcers, Pat Gonsalves and Richard Chambers will deliver exciting race reporting over the McBride Cycle Public Address Radio Network. In addition to the three exciting days of racing, visitors will enjoy the Racer autograph sessions, Manufacturer Demo Rides, Helicopter rides and Contests, browsing through the vendors and club displays and observing the dyno horsepower runs.

Admission Friday, Open Practice Day and Qualifying, is $10; Saturday, featuring the Formula USA / International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sportbike Race, is $25; and Sunday, featuring the Parts Canada Superbike Race, is $30. A weekend SuperTicket for all three days is available for $50 or purchased in advance for $40 through select motorcycle dealers or from Mosport’s web-site at www.mosport.com saving $10 and avoiding on-site line-ups. Admission includes full paddock access, free camping and parking, and a free copy of INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE Magazine. Children under 12 years of age are admitted free.

For more information on Bike Week 2002 and the ‘Coors Light’ Canada vs USA Match Races go to www.supershowevents.com or call (905)655-5403.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Free Bike Yamaha’s Philippe Donischal, Mathieu Lagrive and E. Misera will start the 31st 24 Heure de Liege at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium from pole position with a new lap record time.

In Friday’s final qualifying session, Free Bike Yamaha’s riders’ used a YZF-R7 Superbike to record a best time of 2:28.975 around the 4.33-mile course to beat out the previous lap record of 2:29.377 set by Terry Rymer, Brian Morrison and Jehan D’Orgeix on Kawasaki ZX-7R in 1997.

Free Bike Yamaha just edged out second-fastest qualifier Suzuki GSX-R1000-mounted Zongshen. Zongshen’s Stephane Mertens, Warwick Nowland and Igoj Jerman missed out by 0.009-second with a time of 2:28.984. Starting third on Saturday will be the SERT Suzuki trio of Christian Lavieille, Brian Morrison and Laurent Brian with a combined time of 2:29.007 on their Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Riding another Suzuki GSX-R1000, fourth-fastest qualifier GMT94’s Sebastien Scarnato, William Costes and Christophe Guyot also lapped under the old record with a 2:29.011.

The Spa 24-hour is not part of the 2002 FIM Endurance World Championship series but many of the 59 entries are regulars with the FIM series. No American riders appear on the entry list for the Spa 24-hour.

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist:

Rounds 12, 2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship and Round 9, 2002 Superbike World Championship

Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California, USA

Event preview

MLADIN SCORES ‘WILD CARD’ RIDE FOR WORLD SUPERBIKE EVENT AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey, California, USA (Friday, July 5) – No fewer than six Australians will take part in the American round of the 2002 Superbike World Championship to be held at the Laguna Seca Raceway, near Monterey, California next weekend, July 13 & 14.

One of those riders is three-times American Superbike champion Mat Mladin. The Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki rider has been nominated along with fellow Australian Anthony Gobert and four American riders as the ‘wild card’ entrants for the round. Each hosting country is permitted a number of riders from their domestic championship to take part in the SWC races and with Mladin the defending American Superbike champion, he was granted an entry.

Mladin, from Camden south west of Sydney, will be making his first appearance in the SWC since 1998, where he again rode at the Laguna Seca round of the championship, but was forced out of both races with mechanical problems.

The Laguna Seca meeting will also play host to round 12 of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship. With the two SWC races scheduled for Sunday, the AMA competitors will take to the track for their race on Saturday afternoon. The hectic schedule will see Mladin take to the 3.610km Laguna Seca circuit for four practice sessions, four qualifying sessions and three 100km races (one AMA and two SWC) during the course of the weekend.

To compete in the SWC events, Mladin’s team have had to make modifications to his Suzuki GSX-R750 to make it eligible for the category, but due to their busy American race program, have yet to test the new bike.

“We’re committed to doing the SWC event and we’ll be out there trying our best,” said Mladin. “The SWC rules mean that we have to change parts of the throttle bodies that we use here in America, plus we are also allowed to use different fuels here that you can’t in SWC. Due to the closeness of the championship races here, we haven’t had a chance to test the new bikes and will get to do that in the opening practice session next Friday.”

“One thing is for certain, we will be doing a lot of riding over the weekend with three long races for us,” added Mladin. “It will be hard for us out there. The SWC regulars are producing a lot of horsepower from their bikes and I hope that we can be somewhere in the ball park to be competitive. All we can do at this stage is stay positive and keep working forward with the development of the bike.”

Fellow Australian and defending World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss (Infostrada Ducati) leads the championship points race after eight rounds of the championship, having won 13 of the 16 races held this year. Bayliss holds a 49-point lead over American rider Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda), with the two expected to be in the thick of the action over the weekend.

With the anticipated focus on the World Championship races, Mladin will be kept on his toes as he will be preparing his AMA machine alongside that of the SWC bike. It has been a difficult season for the defending champion and he arrives at Monterey lying eighth overall in the championship. An engine fault in the previous round at Brainerd International Raceway cost him valuable championship points and he will be determined not to repeat those results at any of the remaining rounds in the AMA Championship.

From a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Toseland signs two-year deal

HM Plant Ducati announces that James Toseland will remain with the team for the next two years. HM Plant Ducati will be the only official Ducati Corse satellite team in the series and its riders will be equipped with Ducati 998 F02s. The agreement secures the services of Toseland until the end of the 2004 season. His HM Plant Ducati team-mate Neil Hodgson will compete for Ducati Corse’s official team in 2003. Toseland’s team-mate for next season will be named in due course.

Toseland is in his second year with the team. The 21-year-old Yorkshireman has shown both great ability and a continued commitment to improvement that entirely justifies the decision to extend his contract.

“I’m really happy that we’ve been able reach such a great arrangement,” says Toseland. “HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing has given me so much support over the past year-and-a-half and that has really helped me gain the confidence in my riding that I need to be competitive at world level. The extra support that Ducati Corse has pledged to HM Plant Ducati is going be a real boost and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the 2002-spec bikes.

“Next season there will only really be three teams likely to win races and I’ll be riding for one of them. HM Plant Ducati is the best team in the paddock and I’m glad that I’ll have the opportunity to compete with them for another two years. I’ve really enjoyed having Neil as team-mate and I’ll be sorry to see him go. That said, if I can continue to improve at the rate I have done, I’ll be aiming to beat him at some point!”

“James is a valuable asset for HM Plant Ducati,” explained Team Manager Colin Wright, “so we’re obviously delighted that he will be riding for us for the next two seasons. His talent is undeniable and his commitment to the team has been second-to-none. After the way he’s performed this season we had no doubts about whether to extend his contract and we’re all very much looking forward to working with him in the future.”

From a press release issued by organizers of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship:

SZOKE STREAKS INTO ST-EUSTACHE

TORONTO, ON – Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke is the man to catch as the Parts Canada Superbike Championship reaches its halfway point at Autodrome St-Eustache this weekend.

The Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki rider holds a 29-point lead over Canadian Kawasaki’s Owen Weichel after three races in the seven-round series.

After originally planning to spend his summer on the U.S. Superbike tour Szoke has made a stunning return to the Canadian scene. The 1998 national champion won the two most recent races at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park June 8-9.

But the 23-year-old Szoke will be hard pressed to keep his winning streak intact on the tight 1.2-mile St-Eustache circuit.

Chief among his rivals will be Huntington Beach, CA resident Weichel, who finished second in both Calgary races after challenging Szoke relentlessly for the lead.

Another threat will be Szoke’s own Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki teammate Francis Martin. The Sherbrooke, QC racer has won two of the last three Parts Canada Championship rounds at St-Eustache and is still the circuit lap record holder.

Orion Motorsport Honda rider Frank Trombino, winner of the opening race of the season will try to regain his form at St-Eustache after a disappointing weekend in Calgary that dropped him to fourth in points.

The Kleinburg, ON rider will have a new teammate as Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe moves over from the Diablo Suzuki squad. After an impressive start to the season that sees him third in points, Lacombe replaces two-time defending champion Steve Crevier, who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained at the opening round.

Yamaha’s effort in the feature class is led by Brooklin Cycle riders Jean-Francois Cyr and Michael Taylor, who sit sixth and seventh in points respectively.

Action at St-Eustache will also feature the third rounds of the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike national support classes.

Blackfoot Suzuki rider Clint McBain of Calgary is unbeaten in both divisions and leads the points in each coming to St-Eustache.

Practice in all three national classes will begin Friday with the grids set in Saturday afternoon qualifying. Feature races run Sunday afternoon.

Action from this weekend’s races will be televised on TSN Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1:00 pm EDT. They will also be shown later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yamaha teammates Anthony and Aaron Gobert completed two days of testing on the 1.6-mile Streets of Willow racetrack in Rosamond, California Wednesday and are planning to return to competition during the July 11-14 AMA/World Superbike event at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. The test at Willow was conducted in 110 degree F weather.

In his first track outing since breaking his right leg in a Superbike qualifying crash at Road Atlanta May 17, Anthony Gobert rode for two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 2-3, on his factory Yamaha YZF-R7 Superbike.

“At the start of the test, my leg wasn’t too good,” said Go-Show. “I didn’t have any strength or much movement in it, and my foot kept coming off the foot rest.” The eldest Gobert added that his leg got better over the two days and that he was happy with how the test went. “My leg wasn’t real good over these two days, but I have a few more days to rest.

“Now I’m just excited about Laguna. The plan is to race all four races (AMA Supersport, AMA Superbike, and both World Superbike races). My fitness won’t be what it could be. Sitting on the couch for four weeks with your leg elevated isn’t exactly good for the endurance, but I’ll take it kind of easy in practice and save myself for the race.

“I’m just really stoked that I got the wild card for the World Supers. I mean, I’m really pumped! I really wanted to race at Laguna because I always get tons of supporters there and I want to put on a good show for them.”

In his first ride since suffering a list of injuries in a Supersport race crash at Daytona International Speedway in early March, Aaron Gobert, age 21, rode his factory Yamaha YZF-R6 at the test.

“It went good,” said the middle Gobert brother. “I went three seconds per lap faster on the second day than the first.”

When asked why the team chose the Streets course for the test, Aaron replied, “If you can ride there, you can ride anywhere.”

Saying he planned to recover from the exhausting test over the holiday, Aaron Gobert added that Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Chuck Graves is building another YZF-R1-based Formula Xtreme bike over the Fourth of July weekend so Aaron can race in both the FX and Supersport races at Laguna Seca. Graves team members sacrificed their Memorial Day weekend to build Damon Buckmaster’s latest generation R1 Formula Xtreme bike for the race at Pikes Peak.

The third racing Gobert brother, 18-year-old Alex, will be at Laguna Seca but will be unable to race due to his broken right foot, said brother Aaron.

From a press release issued by event organizers:

SZOKE PACES PRACTICE

ST-EUSTACHE, QC – Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke led the way in practice Friday for this weekend’s round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Autodrome St-Eustache.

The Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki rider set a time of 47.292 secs. around the 1.2-mile track on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Szoke leads the Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings coming into this weekend’s Suzuki Superbike Challenge, the fourth event of the seven-race series.

Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON was a close second on an Orion Motorsport Honda RC51 with a time of 47.295 secs. and Szoke’s Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Suzuki teammate Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, QC placed third with a lap of 47.864 secs. on another GSX-R1000.

“We just spent the day trying to get a good set-up, then the times will come,” said Szoke, the 1998 Canadian Superbike champion. “We’re just climbing back up to where we want to be.”

Qualifying for the national Superbike class will be held Saturday afternoon. The fastest qualifier will receive the MPM Array Pole Award, a Swiss Force Carbon Fiber embellished watch.

Martin holds the lap record of 46.723, which he set two years ago.

Toronto’s Michael Taylor finished the day with the fourth fastest time, a 47.901, aboard the Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1. Orion Motorsport Honda’s new recruit Kevin Lacombe of Granby, QC completed the top five with a time of 48.167 secs. on another RC51.

Practice sessions were also run for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike national support classes.

Trombino was quickest in Open Sport Bike with a time of 47.931 secs. on his Orion Motorsports Honda CBR954RR.

Joliette, QC’s Jean-Francois Cyr led the 600 Sport Bike division with a time of 49.070 secs. on his Brooklin Yamaha YZF-R6.

Official qualifying for the Open Sport Bike and 600 Sport Bike divisions will also be held Saturday. Practice begins at 10:00 am with 600 Sport Bike qualifying session scheduled for 1:00 pm.

Feature races will run Sunday afternoon.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1:00 pm EDT and later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Friday Afternoon Canadian Superbike Practice Times From Autodrome St. Eustache:

1. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 0:47.292
2. Frank Trombino, Honda CBR954RR, 0:47.295
3. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 0:47.864
4. Michael Taylor, Yamaha YZF-R1, 0:47.901
5. Kevin Lacombe, Honda RC51, 0:48.167
6. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki, 0:48.225
7. Jeff Williams, Suzuki, 0:48.708
8. Benoit Pilon, Yamaha, 0:48.962
9. Clint McBain, Suzuki, 0:48.977
10. Ugo Levent, Suzuki, 0:49.009

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Held has replaced Helimot European Accessories as its U.S. distributor over Helimot’s refusal to sell Held gloves made in Pakistan.

Helimot was the original U.S. importer of German-made Held gloves, which used kangaroo and cow hide and earned a reputation for toughness.

Recently Held has moved some of its production to Hungary and now is also selling Pakistani-produced gloves and accessories.

Helimot owners Helmut and Linda Kluckner declined to sell the Held products made in Pakistan, and while they still wanted to sell European-made Held gloves and tank bags, their refusal to sell the complete line of Held products–including Pakistani-sourced gloves–led to their replacement as Held’s U.S. importer.

A press release issued by Helimot stated “At this time, we have a fairly large stock of Held gloves and Held luggage, and we will continue to sell these products until they are gone. After that we will not be carrying Held products.

“This change was caused by irreconcilable differences over the selection and number of Held products to be imported into the United States. Held’s European-made products were the only ones we agreed to import and distribute. Over the years, the amount of Held goods we would not and could not import, due to quality and country of origin issues, grew. Therefore, Held has decided to go with a different distributor whom he feels will better serve his interests.

“We are currently in the development stage for a new, U.S.-made Helimot glove, as well as three new models from manufacturers in Austria and Germany. We should have the first prototype for the Helimot glove in July. We plant to introduce it, along with the other new gloves, at the San Francisco Motorcycle Show in November. If they are available sooner, we will introduce them sooner.

“Helimot European Accessories is proud of its reputation for quality and service and this change gives us the best opportunity to continue that reputation and to build on it. We think U.S. motorcyclists will be pleased with future Helimot products.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Alex Hofmann will fill in for injured West Honda Pons MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi for the British Grand Prix July 12-14 and the German Grand Prix July 19-21, according to a press release issued by West Honda Pons.

Capirossi crashed at Assen during the Dutch GP, breaking two bones in his right forearm. According to the West Honda Pons release, Capirossi has been instructed by doctors to sit out for 20 days of “complete rest”, forcing the Italian rider to miss the next two Grands Prix. With the mid-season break following the German race, West Honda Pons officials expect Capirossi back at full fitness for the Czech Republic GP in August.

The release also announced Hofmann as Capirossi’s replacement with Team General Manager Alfonso “Sito” Pons calling Hofmann “the best available rider”.

A veteran of 45 250cc Grand Prix starts, Hofmann was left without a ride for 2002 when his sponsor backed out just prior to the season. Since that time the 22-year-old German has tested on Kenny Roberts’ Proton KR3 and raced as a fill-in for Garry McCoy on the Red Bull Yamaha YZR500 at Catalunya and the Assen.

Due to McCoy’s return to Red Bull for the GP at Donington Park, Hofmann was available to take the West Honda Pons offer. Now Hofmann will have to adapt from a Yamaha YZR500 to a Honda NSR500 and from Dunlops to Michelins in the course of two, back-to-back race meetings.