From a press release:

1-888-FASTLAP/1888fastlap.com Announces $2 Million Racer Contingency Program

1-888-FASTLAP/1888fastlap.com has a new racer contingency program for 2002 that is worth a staggering $2,026,560. This is by far the largest racer contingency program ever offered by any aftermarket company, and may be larger than all the other aftermarket motorcycle road racing contingency programs combined.

Paul Wright, from 1-888-FASTLAP and 1888fastlap.com, says the program will pay back through 10th place in nearly every sprint race in the country. Most racing organizations are involved, including AMA, WERA and affiliates, CCS/FUSA and affiliates, and CRA.

The new program is based on the use of 4 products imported to the US and available through 1888fastlap.com or 1-888-FASTLAP. Racers who purchase and use Kobe leathers, Venom exhausts, FM helmets, and ExtremeTech steering dampers will each pay contingency certificates, and you do not have to have all 4 to get paid, as each product will pay independently of the others.

Last year contingency was available through 1-888-FASTLAP/1888fastlap.com for Kobe leathers, and Paul Wright says those people who bought Kobe leathers last year will still get paid contingency, based on the 2001 program, for a full year from the date they purchased the leathers. To be eligible for the increased 2002 payouts, a new suit must have been purchased after November 30, 2001.

To be eligible for the program you must purchase the products new, return the warranty card, use the products at the races, list 1888fastlap.com and the product as a sponsor, and run FASTLAP decals and product decals on your race bike.

Contingency payouts for Kobe leathers, Venom exhausts, and FM helmets are 1st place through 10th place:
AMA Superbike
$500 – $400 – $300 – $250 – $200 – $150 – $100 – $75 – $50 – $25

AMA SuperSport & 250GP, WERA Nationals, FUSA Nationals:
$100 – $75 – $65 – $50 – $40 – $35 – $30 – $25 – $20 – $20

WERA, CCS, CRA, regional sprints:
$75 – $50 – $40 – $30 – $25 – $20 – $20 – $10 – $10 – $10

Contingency for ExtremeTech steering dampers, 1st place through 10th place:
AMA Superbike:
$300 – $200 – $150 – $100 – $75 – $50 – $40 – $30 – $25 – $20

AMA 600/750 SuperSport & 250GP, WERA Nationals, FUSA Nationals:
$75 – $50 – $40 – $35 – $30 – $25 – $20 – $20 – $15 – $15

WERA, CCS, CRA, regional sprints:
$40 – $30 – $25 – $20 – $20 – $15 – $15 – $10 – $10 – $10

The program is designed to pay the largest number of racers possible, and put support in the hands of up-and-coming racers who don’t always finish on the podium. To achieve this, each of the four products will pay certificates based on your best finishing position of each weekend race event. Using all 4 products and winning an AMA Superbike race would get you contingency totaling $1800 for that event, and a first place at a WERA regional event would net you $265 in certificates. The certificates are redeemable through 1-888-FASTLAP or 1888fastlap.com towards any of the hundreds of products offered through their catalog or website. With this program anyone has the chance to get some financial support for their racing.

Full details of the program, eligible classes, and more information about the products is available at 1888fastlap.com, or by calling 1-888-FASTLAP.

Despite a popular website’s continuing assertions that Shawn Higbee rode a GSX-R1000 “Formula Xtreme” bike at Daytona during the recent Dunlop tire tests, Higbee was in fact riding a Formula USA-spec GSX-R750 on DOT-labelled tires.

F-USA rules limit horsepower to 145.

A typical Formula Xtreme bike, which runs on slicks, makes between 165 and 190 horsepower.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief (and former racer) Keith Perry married AMA grid official (and club racer) Laura Edmondson Hardy in Apopka, Florida today.

MRO Chaplain Brent Houston officiated at the private ceremony.

It is the second marriage for both.

The rings exchanged by the couple were made by Jerry Derhammer, AMA Pro Road Racing Chief Steward, who is involved in the jewelry business in real life.

In the calm before the storm, bidding on Nicky Hayden’s leathers–being auctioned off on eBay to benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund–has reached $3600, rising only $50 in the sixth day of the 10-day auction. But bidding is expected to intensify as the close of the sale approaches. The auction ends at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday, December 16 with all proceeds from the sale of the leathers, minus eBay and escrow service fees, going to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund.

The highest bid is currently held by “cmra_5” although “shogunone” and “hondaron39” are still active in the bidding. There have been a total of 39 bids on the leathers. The bidding price has risen from the opening bid of $500 to the current bid of $3600.

To see photos of the leathers and read a detailed description, use the following link:

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

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

American Honda’s Nicky Hayden recorded the fastest Superbike lap time Wednesday morning of the Dunlop tire tests at Daytona International Raceway while Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates led all 600cc Supersport riders on the morning of the last day of the test.

Hayden’s best lap, a 1:49.897, came on the first flying lap of a 22-lap endurance test on what Hayden described as “what Dunlop thinks is going to be the race tire in March”. Hayden rode the 2002-spec RC51, fitted with new vortex-generating tape strips, in the endurance run before handing the bike off to Miguel Duhamel just before lunch. Within just a few laps, Duhamel turned significantly quicker times on the new Honda Superbike versus his times on his 2001 RC51. Duhamel spent most of the morning testing a new two-way, rider-to-pit radio system from Racing Radios. Residing inside the foam aero-hump of his leathers and activated by a button on his left handle bar, the NASCAR-like radio system is legal only in the AMA Superbike class.

Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert turned the second-fastest Superbike lap time late in the morning session despite feeling less than 100% physically and spending most of the morning riding his YZF-R6. Gobert’s 1:50.052 was his best effort of the test to this point.

Mat Mladin lapped in the 1:50s on his first flying lap of the morning and ended up the third-fastest Superbike rider with a 1:50.422. Mladin and crew continued to work through their testing agenda of new parts and tires all morning.

Yates rode his GSX-R600 just long enough to turn what may end up being the fastest 600cc lap of the test at 1:53.970. Yates then jumped on his Suzuki Superbike long enough to turn the fifth-fastest Superbike lap time at 1:51.319, just before the lunch break.

KWS Motorsports’ Shawn Higbee lapped at a best of 1:53.381 on his Formula USA Unlimited Superbike GSX-R750 with Dunlop DOT-labeled tires while he was supposed to only be riding around for pictures, according to KWS’ Kevin Hunt.

Erion Racing’s Mike Hale continued to spend time on his 2001 CBR929RR Formula Xtreme bike despite the fact that the FX class will most likely not race at Daytona in March, but the race’s exclusion has not been officially decided by officials from Daytona and AMA Pro Racing.

Tripp Nobles and Dave Estok continue to do comparison testing between 2001 Buell X-1 Lightning and Pro Thunder racers and the 2003-model Buell Firebolt XB9R machines. After the majority of their testing is completed and the expensive diagnostic instruments are removed from the Pro Thunder version of the Firebolt, Nobles and Estok will attempt to turn the fastest lap of Daytona by a push-rod-equipped motorcycle. Nobles currently holds that mark with a 1:58 on the old version of the Buell Pro Thunder bike.

Wednesday Morning’s Unofficial Lap Times:
1. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:49.897
2. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:50.052
3. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:50.422
4. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:50.837
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:51.319
6. Pascal Picotte, Ducati 998, 1:51.828
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.839
8. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:52.165
9. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:52.233
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.381
11. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.600*
12. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:53.970
13. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.506
14. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:55.178
15. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.295
16. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:55.418
17. Mike Hale, Honda CBR929RR, 1:56.046
18. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:57.080
19. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:57.180

*Cut chicane on fastest lap time.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hugh Fleming has been named AMA Pro Racing Director of Safety and will convene a panel of doctors to develop improved crash response procedures.

AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth said at Friday’s AMA Awards Banquet that noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Art Ting will be involved on the panel, along with two doctors with experience in car racing.

Roadracing World has asked AMA Pro Racing to also consider involving AMA Pro racer Dr. David Kieffer, an orthopedic surgeon, and Dr. Jim Adams, an emergency room physician who runs a Cook County, Illinois EMT training program and, along with his two sons, club races.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

In the best weather conditions ever at the winter Dunlop tire tests, American Honda’s Nicky Hayden turned a 1:48.141 on one of Dunlop’s new qualifying tires for the fastest lap time of the three-day test at Daytona International Speedway. As recent as March 2001, AMA Superbike racers had to baby Dunlop qualifying tires to survive one flying lap at the legendary 3.56-mile racetrack, but a new, more durable qualifier allowed Hayden to turn a 1:48.701 on his first lap and the 1:48.141 on his second circuit of the track.

The official track record for Daytona stands at 1:48.424 set by Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin earlier this year in qualifying for the 2001 edition of the Daytona 200 by Arai. Track records are only recognized by the AMA when they occur in official timed qualifying for an AMA race.

“I wish it was March for sure, but that’s the way it goes,” said Hayden at the end of the three-day test. “I know it’s still early and we have a lot of time to go, but anytime you’re quickest that’s good. And to get down below a track record is awesome. That lap felt really good, really clean. I’m happy.”

Anthony Gobert was the fastest to circulate the high banks of Daytona with a 1:48.428 on the new qualifying tire early in the afternoon before Hayden put his best lap in toward the end of the day.

None of the three Yoshimura Superbike riders (Mat Mladin, Aaron Yates, Jamie Hacking) deviated from their testing schedule to go for quick laps on sticky tires. “Qualifying is in March,” said Mladin.

The track was shut down for approximately 30 minutes in the middle of the afternoon session when the 2002 Honda RC51 had a problem going down the back straightaway with Miguel Duhamel at the controls and put oil on the track. The fluid was cleaned off the surface well enough for lap times to continue to fall after the incident. Duhamel did not fall when the bike broke, and the ’02 RC51 returned to the track later in the day so that Kurtis Roberts could take a few laps on the new bike.

Yates left Daytona with the quickest lap on a 600cc Supersport bike with the 1:53.970 on Dunlop’s new 240-compound D208GP rear race tire Wednesday morning.

Unofficial Lap Times From Wednesday Afternoon:
1. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:48.141
2. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:48.428
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:49.152
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:50.009
5. Pascal Picotte, Ducati 998, 1:50.235
6. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:50.629
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:50.893
8. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:51.603
9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:51.731
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R750 (F-USA spec), 1:53.241
11. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:53.487*
12. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.258
13. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:54.335
14. Nicky Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:54.405
15. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:54.609
16. Mike Hale, Honda CBR929RR, 1:54.821
17. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.933
18. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:56.220
19. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:56.518
20. Tripp Nobles, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 2:00.261
21. Dave Estok, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 2:01.998

*Cut chicane on fastest lap.

From a press release:

Proton Team KR have finalised contract details with Japanese star Nobuatsu Aoki, the first of two riders to be confirmed for the England-based two-rider team for next year’s premier World Championship series.

Aoki, a GP winner with four years of 500-class experience, joins the team after a year of intensive off-track development work with a dedicated tyre testing team. The process added a great deal to the 30-year-old rider’s technical knowledge … and he covered many more race-track miles than if he’d been running a normal GP season!

Aoki, the eldest of the three famous Japanese “Fireball Brothers”, brings a wealth of experience and a strong competitive spirit to the independent Proton Team KR, owned and run by legendary triple World Champion Kenny Roberts. It is the only team in GP racing to design and manufacture its own motorcycle. Aoki and his team-mate will campaign the Mk3 version of the three-cylinder lightweight two-stroke KR3 machine, ridden to 13th overall last year by Dutchman Jurgen van den Goorbergh.

A leading member of the strong force of Japanese riders which has taken its place at the top levels of two-wheel racing over the past decade, “Nobu” cut his racing teeth in his early teens in the rough-and-tumble world of Pocket Bike racing, winning his first national championship at 14. He rose through domestic road-racing to become a full-time 250-class factory GP rider in 1993, claiming his first GP win in Malaysia that year. In 1997 he moved to the 500cc class, finishing third overall in his debut season.

In 2001, Aoki was recruited by the Bridgestone tyre company for a high-intensity development programme for the company’s entry to the premier racing class in 2002. It meant taking a year off racing, but completing more laps and more miles in tests at circuits world-wide.

His return coincides with a major change to GP racing, with the premier class completely revised, and renamed MotoGP. The successor to the 500cc class pits new-generation 990cc four-strokes against the existing two-stroke 500cc machines. The Proton riders will be defending the two-stroke faith against the untried newcomers, in what promises to be a fascination year of transition.

Aoki will test the Proton for the first time in January, and is looking forward to the experience.

“The three-cylinder bike is well developed now. I am very curious to see what it feels like. I think it will be a very enjoyable bike to ride.

“It will be interesting also to see how it performs over full race distance against the four-strokes,” said Aoki. “The acceleration of the four-stroke is very strong, but at the same time they are 20 to 30kg heavier. Different circuit character and also different weather conditions will all play a part in the race results. I expect a mixed season,” he said.

Aoki was also buoyed up by the research element to his year of test riding. “I learned such a lot – about suspension and chassis performance of course, but especially about tyre performance: different compounds and different constructions. We made a lot of progress through the year, and I have plenty of confidence for next season as well.

“It is an honour to ride for King Kenny Roberts, who was a big racing hero when I was younger. Now he has achieved a lot as a racing manufacturer, and I am proud to be part of the team that will continue the achievements,” Aoki added.

Team owner Kenny Roberts said: “We are very pleased to have Nobu on the team – he brings a lot of experience. He has ridden a number of different bikes over the years, so he can give us a lot of fresh input – plus there is his year testing the Bridgestone tyres.

“The thing I liked about Nobuatsu is that when the race comes, he gives it 100 percent. He’s a bit like Norick (Abe). Practice is one thing, but the race is total commitment,” said Roberts.

“This is kind of an interim year for everybody – we expect to race our two-stroke this season, and at the same time prepare to enter with our own four-stroke in 2003,” the triple champion continued.

“Our manufacturing base in England has expanded, with more staff and more capabilities – engineering wise, we are on target. By 2003, we will probably be able to build even more in-house than we do already.

“The new 990cc four-strokes will be very powerful, but it remains to be seen how they will perform over full race distance or in difficult conditions. If the tyres work well on the four-strokes, then it will be tough for the two-strokes, but there are no foregone conclusions.

“It’s intriguing for us to be getting back to two riders, and to be racing against those new four-strokes at the same time as working towards our own new machine,” Roberts concluded.

NOBUATSU AOKI

CAREER SUMMARY


Born: August 31, 1971 – Gumma, Japan
Unmarried

1982 First motorcycle

1983 First race, Pocketbike

1985 Japanese Pocketbike Championship – First

1986 50cc Minibike – multiple race winner

1987 Triple Japanese Minibike Champion

1988 Japanese 125cc Championship – 13 wins in 20 races

1989 All-Japan TT-F3 Championship – Second
All-Japan 250cc Championship – 13th

1990 First GP, Japan (Wild Card) – Eighth (Honda)
All-Japan 250cc Championship – Eighth (Honda)

1991 Japanese GP (Wild Card) – Fifth (Honda)
All-Japan 250cc Championship – Third (Honda)

1992 Japanese GP (Wild Card) – Third (Honda)
All-Japan 250cc Championship – Third (Honda)

1993 First GP Season, Malaysian GP – First (Honda)
250cc World Championship – 11th (Honda)

1994 250cc World Championship – 10th (Honda)

1995 250cc World Championship – Sixth (Honda)

1996 250cc World Championship – Seventh (Honda)

1997 500cc World Championship – Third (Honda)

1998 500cc World Championship – Ninth (Suzuki)

1999 500cc World Championship – 13th (Suzuki)

2000 500cc World Championship – 10th (Suzuki)

2001 Bridgestone Tyre Test Team (Honda)

From a press release issued by Eric A. Trytko,
Minister of Propaganda, Can-Am125GP Challenge,
www.can-am125gp.com:

The Can-Am125GP Series is pleased to announce that the series will be returning for 2002, bigger and better. The series will be expanding to six rounds in 2002, running in conjunction with the Canadian Superbike Series and MidWest CycleFest. TV coverage for the series is being
finalized. At present the Can-Am125GP Series has over $10,000 in its points fund for 2002 and that is continuing to grow. A full list of sponsors for the 2002 season will be announced shortly.


May 18-19, Shannonville ONT (Canadian Superbike Series)

June 15-16, Grattan MI (MidWest Cycle Fest)

July 19-20, Mosport ONT (Canadian Superbike/Formula USA)

August 10-11, Shubenacadie NS (Canadian Superbike Series)

August 24-25, Grattan MI (MidWest Cycle Fest)

August 31-1, Shannonville ONT (Canadian Superbike Series)