A former AMA insider says that AMA Pro Racing was plotting to end its Supercross deal with PACE Motor Sports (subsequently SFX Motor Sports and Clear Channel Motor Sports) four years ago, even as the series reached new heights of popularity and exposure.

And AMA officials actually turned down potential sponsorship deals because they didn’t want the money to go to PACE, the source said.

The source said that he was personally instructed by then-AMA-President Ed Youngblood that the association was not interested in any new business or sponsorship deals centered around the Supercross Series until after it had dissolved its relationship with PACE and thus could ensure that the money wouldn’t go to PACE.

How many potential sponsors were blown off under the directive, and how much sponsorship revenue was lost, is unknown.

Despite the plans, AMA Pro Racing went through the motions of negotiating with Clear Channel prior to making a new deal last month with JamSports, a Chicago-based concert-promoting company with no motorsports experience.

Sidi has announced that both Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates and West Honda’s Loris Capirossi have renewed their contracts and will wear Sidi Vertebra 2 boots during their respective 2002 racing seasons.

Yates is quoted in a press release from Sidi as saying, “After my big highside at Laguna and viewing the replay of the crash I knew I would sign with Sidi again for 2002, the protection I get from the boot helped me to walk away and be ready to race in 2002.”

“I have had some disappointment this year but never with the boots, staying with Sidi for 2002 was an easy decision to make,” said Capirossi in a second notice from Sidi.

In a third press release, Sidi’s U.S. importer Motonation announced that Pacific Track Time staff members will now wear and endorse Sidi Vertebra race boots.

And in a fourth release, the company announced that 2001 AMA 750cc Supersport Champion Jimmy Moore has switched to Sidi boots.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The annual Dunlop tire tests at Daytona International Speedway started today and are scheduled to continue through Wednesday, December 12. In attendance are American Honda’s Nicky Hayden and Miguel Duhamel; Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts, Mike Hale and Roger Lee Hayden; Bruce Transportation Group’s Jake Zemke and Alex Gobert; Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert, Damon Buckmaster and Aaron Gobert; Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom and Tommy Hayden; Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, Aaron Yates and Jamie Hacking; Tilley Harley-Davidson/Buell’s Tripp Nobles and Dave Estok; KWS Motorsports Shawn Higbee; and Pascal Picotte and the HMC Ducati team.

Picotte is all smiles at the track because he has two, 2002-spec, Testastretta-engined Ducati 998s at his disposal in addition to two, ex-Andy Meklau 2001 bikes.

After the track dried from an overnight rain shower, Eric Bostrom was the first to get on the track at 11:42 a.m. Eastern Time. Bostrom rode his Superbike while the majority of the riders started on the 600cc machines. According to Kawasaki Team Manager Mike Preston, it hasn’t been decided if Bostrom will race a 600 at Daytona, so the defending AMA 600cc Supersport Champion will most likely not ride a 600cc machine during the test this week.

Just as things were getting into gear and teams were starting to break out new parts to test, like a new four-into-two-into-one-into-two exhaust for Mladin’s Superbike, rain returned to the track at 12:55 p.m., putting a halt to activities.

In the short amount of track time, Mladin posted the fastest Superbike time at 1:55.359 and Anthony Gobert had the fastest 600cc lap at 1:58.046. Teams are using the AMA’s electronic transponder scoring system for the first time at the Daytona tire tests.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing may move the Pro Thunder rounds displaced from double-header Superbike weekends to the AHRMA series, insiders say.

Three rounds of the AMA Pro Thunder Series ran with the WERA National Challenge Series in 2001, but AMA officials have not asked WERA to host the five Pro Thunder events expected to be displaced in 2002. Road America is running a Pro Thunder race despite hosting a Superbike doubleheader, but the other five tracks hosting Superbike Doubleheaders on the 2002 AMA schedule are not.

AHRMA and AMA already collaborate on two AMA Vintage Days events each season, at Mid-Ohio and at Sears Point.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Josh Hayes set a new official motorcycle lap record at Homestead Miami Speedway while winning the featured Unlimited Grand Prix, while teammate Tom Kipp got rammed by another rider and crashed.

Kipp had won the first race of the CCS weekend, GTO Expert, beating Hayes after both came from the back of the grid on their GSX-R1000s and passed Simon Turner on a GP Tech Honda NSR500V.

In the last race of the weekend, Unlimited Grand Prix, Kipp and Hayes were again coming from the back of the grid when Kipp was rammed by another rider and knocked down in turn three on the opening lap. Both crashed bikes landed on top of Kipp, who escaped injury. Kipp was examined and released from the infield care center after the race was red-flagged.

When the race was restarted, Hayes again charged from the back of the grid, setting the lap record at 1:26.38 on official clocks, beating Turner and Shane Prieto on another GSX-R1000.

Marco Martinez won the CCS South Florida Region Overall Championship, beating Prieto, the pair swapping the Number One and Number Two plates they carried in 2001.

Martinez won the Heavyweight Supersport Expert race from the front row of the grid, while Chris Ulrich came from row seven to pass front-row-starter Mauro Cereda on lap five of six and finish second. In Heavyweight Superbike Expert, Martinez won from Cereda and Chris Normand.

Prieto beat Martinez in Unlimited Supersport Expert.

John-o Bowman beat Pedro Valiente in in Middleweight Supersport Expert, with Prieto third, but Valiente beat Bowman in Middleweight Grand Prix Expert and again in the final run to the finish line in Middleweight Superbike Expert.

Unlimited Grand Prix Results
1. Josh Hayes, Suz GSX-R1000
2. Simon Turner, Hon NSR500V
3. Shane Prieto, Suz GSX-R1000
4. Carlos Macias, Duc 996
5. Marco Martinez, Suz GSX-R750
6. Chris Ulrich, Suz GSX-R750
7. Eric Wood, Suz GSX-R750
8. Rick Narup, Suz GSX-R1000
9. Damian Weber, Yam YZF-R1
10. Ed Lis, Suz GSX-R750

Bidding on eBay (to benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund) on a set of Joe Rocket leathers worn by American Honda’s Nicky Hayden has reached $3200, with six-and-a-half days left in the auction.

Hayden came up with the concept of donating the set of his leathers–which he wore to victory at Mid-Ohio–to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund, which was established to purchase and deploy Air Fence and Air Module soft barriers at racetracks, to help protect crashed riders from injury.

Since the opening of the auction on www.ebay.com Thursday, December 6, bidding has steadily risen from the $500 opening bid, past the $1500 reserve price and to the current level of $3200. Bidder “cmra_5” currently holds the highest bid, but Texas racer Marcus McBain, “jweaver718”, “draganee718” and “racer997” are also still active in the bidding.

Bidding is expected to grow more intense as the close of the sale, approximately 10:30 a.m. Sunday, December 16, draws closer.

One of the bidders e-mailed Roadracing World stating that if he exceeds his spending limit, his wife will kick him out of the house. The bidder joked that he was currently looking for a new place to live.

Both Tom Kipp and Josh Hayes were under the existing lap record at Homestead Miami Speedway on Saturday, during practice for a CCS Regional.

Kipp turned a 1:26.11 and Hayes turned a 1:25.99 on their Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000 AMA Formula Xtreme racebikes.

The record was set in January of 2001 by Grant Lopez, also riding a Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R1000, at 1:26.6.

Kipp, Hayes and teammate Chris Ulrich are at Homestead for pre-season tests. Hayes and Kipp are concentrating on Formula Xtreme machines while Ulrich is riding a 750cc Supersport machine.

From a press release:

YAMAHA CONFIRMS MARLBORO YAMAHA TEAM LINE-UP FOR MOTOGP 2002

Yamaha has confirmed today that the Marlboro Yamaha Team will contest the 2002 MotoGP championship with Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa riding the all-new four-stroke Yamaha YZR-M1. Yamaha continues its partnership with the team’s principal sponsor Marlboro and has appointed Davide Brivio to the position of Team Director. The announcement comes at the end of the Marlboro Yamaha Team’s final test of 2001 at Sepang, Malaysia. The three-day Malaysian test followed a four-day outing at Phillip Island, Australia last week. Checa and Biaggi have completed a total of over 900 laps aboard their M1 machines during the two tests and the team will now head for a well-earned break before recommencing its pre-season programme in Spain at the end of January.

Italian Davide Brivio was Team Manager of Yamaha’s factory World Superbike Team from 1995 until its withdrawal from the series at the end of the 2000 season. The 38-year-old will now work closely with Briton Geoff Crust, who continues in his role as Team Manager, and new Technical Director Ken Suzuki, an experienced engineer from Yamaha’s Motorsports Engineering Division. The project will remain under the direction of Yamaha Motor Racing B.V., the Amsterdam-based HQ of Yamaha’s international racing projects headed by Managing Director Lin Jarvis. Technical control of the project is in the hands of Yamaha Motor Company’s YZR-M1 Project Leader Ichiro Yoda, who was previously responsible for YZR500 engine development and the 2000 World Championship-winning YZR250.

The team itself will now re-locate to a new base near Monza in Italy. Jarvis explains: “Yamaha has an existing race workshop facility based next to Belgarda Yamaha [the company’s Italian subsidiary] where we chose to place the new M1 four-stroke engine maintenance centre. It was a logical step to place the team at the same base with its central European location and in the heart of the motorcycle racing community.”

Commenting on his new appointment Brivio stated “This is an exciting challenge for me and a fascinating time for Grand Prix with the switch to four-strokes. I am lucky enough to be working with two of the best riders in the world and a fantastic team. Yamaha has made a very good bike and we’re working hard to be in good shape for the start of the season. Last year I spent time observing and learning the GP scene and I’m looking forward to working at the heart of MotoGP, helping Yamaha to achieve its objectives.”

Having challenged hard for the last ever 500cc World Championship, eventually taking second place, Max Biaggi has enjoyed his first serious tests on board the YZR-M1 and is looking forward to a new era of motorcycle racing. “I am very happy to be staying with Yamaha and to be riding the M1,” explained the 30-year-old, four-time 250 World Champion. “I know we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but it is pretty exciting to enter a new era on a totally new bike. I really enjoy the technical aspect of my racing, so working closely with Yamaha on this new project is very interesting.”

Carlos Checa had a frustrating 2001 season but eventually finished on a high with his third second-place finish of the year securing him sixth in the Championship overall. The 29-year-old proved to be lightning fast on early versions of the prototype M1 during tests and can’t wait to campaign the bike for real. “I really feel that I am more suited to the four-stroke,” explained the Spaniard. “I really liked the M1 from the first moment I rode it and I have been very keen to race it since then. When you feel 100 percent comfortable on a bike and enjoy riding it, that’s when you can really go fast.”

Checa will also have a change to his 2001 crew, with former Showa suspension technician Antonio Jiminez taking over as crew chief from Mike Webb. Jiminez joined Checa in 2000 in a managerial capacity but was keen to resume a more technical role. Biaggi’s crew remains unchanged for 2002 with experienced Italian Fiorenzo Fanali as crew chief.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Jimmy Filice was named the AMA Professional Sportsman of the Year during the 27th Annual AMA Pro Racing Champion Awards Banquet, held Friday night in Palm Desert, California.

Supercross Champion Ricky Carmichael was named AMA/Speedvision Professional Athlete of the Year and his mechanic, Chad Watts, was given an Award of Mechanical Excellence.

Larry Griffis, who earlier this year retired from his position running Yamaha’s professional racing programs, was given a special award recognizing his long involvement in AMA racing.

Road racing riders and tuners honored at the event included Pro Thunder Champion Tom Montano and tuners Mat Prentiss and Nick Hayman; Filice and tuners Ed Toomey and Mike Montoya (Montoya could not attend); Formula Xtreme Champion John Hopkins and tuner Barry McMahan (McMahan, testing in Homestead with rider Josh Hayes, could not attend); 750cc Supersport Champion Jimmy Moore and tuner Carry Andrew; 600cc Supersport Champion Eric Bostrom and tuner Joey Lombardo; and Superbike Champion Mat Mladin and his crew consisting of Crew Chief Peter Doyle, chassis tuner Reg O’Rourke and engine builder Yuki Kikuchi.

Class sponsors presented plaques and number plates to the Champions, and when Honda’s Charlie Keller presented the goods to former Team Honda and current Team Kawasaki members Bostrom and Lombardo, he asked new AMA Road Racing Operations Manager–and former Honda Team Manager–Gary Mathers, “If these guys are so good, why did we let them get away?” Mathers, who was on stage during the presentation and who was responsible for Bostrom and Lombardo being cut from Team Honda after the 1999 season, did not reply.

Prior to the ceremony, AMA Road Racing Manager Ron Barrick revealed that Pro Thunder races will not run at AMA Superbike double-headers in 2002, except at Road America, but would not reveal where the other Pro Thunder races would be held and said that it depended upon a proposal now being considered by class sponsor Buell. During the 2001 season, four Pro Thunder rounds were held at WERA National Challenge Series events, but earlier this week WERA President Evelyne Clarke said that the organization had heard nothing concerning the 2002 season from AMA officials.

In other news from the banquet, AMA is close to announcing the opening and staffing of a West Coast office, in the Los Angeles area. And AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth said that a 2003 AMA Supercross schedule will be announced before Christmas, with events scheduled in “first class” stadiums from Los Angeles to New York, and that Supercross television programming will include “inventory” that individual teams and riders can sell to sponsors.

Hollingsworth also revealed that the U.S. Flat Track Championship will run a spec tire–Goodyear–in 2002.

Hollingsworth described the current Supercross battle between Clear Channel as being “probably inevitable” and joked that he was wearing a Kevlar jacket, describing the situation as creating “interesting times.”

The ceremony was marked by repeated errors by co-emcee Larry Maiers, ranging from skipping over Hollingsworth’s planned opening remarks–which Hollingsworth finally made after some awards had been presented–to mispronouncing the names of VIPs and award recipients in the audience, so badly mangling the names of two JamSports executives that Hollingsworth corrected him before making his remarks.

In another snafu, confirmation letters from AMA Pro Racing did not include the address or directions to the event, and stated that the banquet was being held “at the Desert Springs Marriott Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, California.” The hotel is actually in nearby Palm Desert, and the bad information sent dozens of attendees on a wild goose chase in the wrong city, with a 30-minute delay in arrival being typical.

And the event program included an obsolete list of AMA Trustees and omitted the sponsorship thank-you statements and new photos collected from the honored Champions weeks ago.

An eBay auction of Nicky Hayden’s leathers is ongoing, with proceeds going to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund.

The auction will last until approximately 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, December 16, and bidding should intensify as the close of the auction draws nearer and word gets out about the sale.

Remember that all proceeds from the sale of the leathers, minus the cost of eBay and escrow fees, will go to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. So tell your friends about the auction.

Go directly to the auction of Nicky Hayden’s suit, where you can read a description and see photos of the leathers, here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1044691248