From a press release:

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 3 – Kyalami (South Africa)
Sunday Raceday

Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) extends winning streak to six with double win at Kyalami – Two more podiums for Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) – Bostrom (Ducati L&M) 4th and 5th

Reigning champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) extended his winning sequence to six (an all-time WSBK record for the start of season, one victory behind Doug Polen’s 1991 record seven-race run) in round 3 of the World Superbike Championship at a scorching Kyalami, South Africa with another extraordinary double victory. In front of 82,000 fans Bayliss took the lead of race 1 on lap 6 after staying out of trouble behind the front-runners and then battled for much of race 2 with Ducati Infostrada team-mate Ruben Xaus to score his second win of the day and his sixth on the run. “What can I say? It’s been another incredible weekend for me here” declared Bayliss. “I expected a good result but to win like that is just fantastic. We had a perfect package, my Infostrada Ducati has been really good and my Michelins were great, I just couldn’t put a foot wrong. In race 1 the first three laps were just crazy so I decided to stay out of trouble and then attack after a few laps. My last lap slide was nothing really but I did make a mistake in the chicane when I lost a second and a half. I knew Colin was there but just managed to pull out a gap in the final few laps. In the second race I thought it was Colin behind me for a long time but then I looked behind and it was Ruben, he’s like a bulldog, he doesn’t give up. I had to do some consistent laps and eventually I got a little break and that was enough”.

Ruben Xaus completed the day’s triumph for the Ducati Infostrada team with one third and one second place, which moves him up into third in the championship. The day began badly for Ruben in the warm-up when a misunderstanding with Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati NCR) led to the Italian crashing out and injuring his collarbone. “Today’s races were very hard for me, because of the incident with Chili in the warm-up” said Xaus. “I feel really sorry about his injury because it wasn’t anyone’s fault. In race 1 I had to work hard to find a way past Haga, he wasn’t making it easy for me. I braked next to him, went further into the corner, then pulled out a gap and finished in the points. I felt much better in the second race after I used a different sprocket to Troy just to try to have better speed in the corners but it wasn’t enough. I think he was waiting for me in the end and then he just pulled away. I was power-sliding already so I settled for second and get some more points. I’m really happy with the weekend because starting from the third row it wasn’t easy but I need to clean up my Superpole act! There was nothing I could do against Troy today, he needs to give up racing!”.

Bostrom (Ducati L&M) had expected to be up with the front-runners at one of his favourite circuits but after briefly holding the lead in the early laps of race 1, the Californian had to settle for fourth place. Fifth in race 2 was all Bostrom could manage after battling with Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) and Haga (Aprilia). “There’s not much I can say really, unfortunately it’s another race out there. I had a great battle with Haga in race 1 but had no problem passing him. Those first few laps were pretty hectic but we were just unable to keep with those other guys. The bike’s perfect, I feel like I’m riding quite well, but for the moment it’s still frustrating not to be able to race for the win. Not much to add in race 2, the bike might have been too high because the rear wheel was spinning a lot. Hopefully at Sugo I stand a chance of winning”.

RACE 1: 1. BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA); 2. Edwards (Honda); 3. XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA); 4. BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M); 5. Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati); 6. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati), etc. RACE 2: 1. BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA); 2. XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA); 3. Edwards (Honda); 4. Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati); 5. BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M); 6. Haga (Aprilia).

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 3 of 13 rounds): 1. Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) 150 pts; 2. Edwards (Honda) 105; 3. XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 79; 4. BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) 77; 5. Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) 69; 6. Haga (Aprilia) 60; etc.

DUCATI & TROY BAYLISS FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: A tail fairing from Troy Bayliss’s 2001 championship-winning Ducati 996R bike will go up for auction from April 10-17 in support of Amnesty International. The fairing has been put up for the ‘Athlete’s Heart’ auction by Ducati Corse in support of the anti-torture campaign promoted by Amnesty International. Click on the following URL address www.amnesty.com for more details.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing Director of Professional Competition Merrill Vanderslice has denied protests of Damon Buckmaster’s R1-powered Yamaha YZF-R7 Formula Xtreme racebike on the basis that the applicable rule’s intent and meaning is unclear and that the R7 is on an AMA Pro Racing list of eligible machines that no-one outside of AMA Pro Racing has ever been able to obtain or see, despite repeated requests to do so.

Vanderslice also admitted that he has changed his position on the issue of R7 eligibility, and originally considered it illegal although the wording of the rule in question has not changed.

The protests were filed by Mike Hale, Tom Kipp, Jason Pridmore, Steve Rapp and Jake Zemke.

Vanderslice denied the protests in a memo dated April 12 and received by the protesting riders on Saturday, April 13.

The text of the memo follows:

Regarding the protests filed at California Speedway on Sunday, April 7, we have reviewed the current language of the AMA Pro Racing rule book and other documents concerning this issue. Based on the information gathered from this review, I am denying the protests. The following points apply:

1. The rule book wording is unclear on the subject of “street use” and therefore does not specifically exclude this motorcycle.

2. The Yamaha R7 and the Yamaha R1 are listed on the AMA Pro Racing list of elgible motorcycles for Formula Xtreme.

The original intent of the approval rules in FX is not distinctly reflected in the current wording of the rule book resulting in a “loophole”. The street use requirement can be read as not necessarily for US street use. The R7 is streetable in most other countries since the machine is homologated by the FIM for World Superbike competition.

Two years ago, Technical Manager Rob King and I had originally taken the position that the motorcycle was not legal, but in subsequent evaluations we have concluded that it is eligible. In reality, because of the nonrestrictive frame regulations in FX, the R1 could be more extensively modified than it currently is and still be legal. The same options are available to any of the other manufacturers in this class.

You have the option to file an appeal. Appeal procedures are listed in the rule book in Chapter 6.

Sincerely,

Merrill Vanderslice

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Better run-off and new pavement in some turns at Sears Point Raceway drew positive reaction while new walls in other turns drew rider concern.

AFM racers who practiced on the track Friday said that new concrete walls eliminated all run-off in some sections of the racetrack and new track routing pointed race traffic directly at a bridge abutment.

But a Sears Point spokesman said the track is better overall, that the new walls are necessary to separate the road course from the dragstrip, and that the routing that will be used for the May 2-5 AMA National will be different than the routing used for Friday’s Dp Safety School (the big difference being use of the shortened T11 for the AMA event and the traditional T11 for the Dp school and track ride day).

The spokesman admitted that there is a problem with a bridge abutment that is scheduled to be demolished after the AMA event; the bridge can’t be moved until a new water treatment plant is operational and the old water treatment plant is removed from the location scheduled for a new, replacement bridge.

In the meantime, the racetrack issued the following press release:

Chandler, Other AMA Riders Shake Down Sears Point, Give Thumbs Up

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) – Three-time AMA Superbike champion Doug Chandler tested the twists and turns at Sears Point Raceway on Friday and was quite pleased with the changes to the 12-turn, 2.32-mile circuit.

Chandler, who rides for HMC Ducati on the AMA U.S. Chevy Trucks Superbike Championship Series, had a one-day informal test as part of a DP Safety School at Sears Point Raceway. Chandler will return to the Sonoma Valley May 3-5 for the AMA Supercuts Superbike Challenge.

“This is a much improved track over past years,” said Chandler, who is coming off two top-five efforts at California Speedway. “It’s a lot safer than it used to be and that’s good for us. The biggest improvements are the runoff on the back side (Turns 7-9) and the repaving of the track at Turn 5 and the exit of the Carousel (Turn 6). Turns 9-10 are also loads better because of the repaving there.”

Sears Point Raceway is in the final stages of a $50 million Modernization Plan that will transform the facility into one of the premier motorsports and entertainment venues in the country. In addition to fan amenities, increased runoff has been added at almost every turn on the road course to increase rider safety. Portions of the track have also been repaved, and the road course has been permanently separated from the drag strip. The entire track will be repaved immediately following the 2002 main-event season.

“It’s good to see all of this happening. Once we get all of these stands filled during the bike weekend, it’s going to be great,” said Chandler, who sits ninth in AMA Superbike points.

Jake Zemke, who competes in Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme, and Jimmy Filice, the defending MBNA 250 Grand Prix champion, joined Chandler Friday at Sears Point.

“Fans are going to be pleased with what they see when they come out here,” said Filice. “You are going to be able to see so much of the track from just about anywhere and that’s amazing. I don’t know that you can say that about too many places.”

Said Zemke: “Overall, this place is a lot safer now and that’s the main thing. The runoff is going to help us quite a bit.”

A major project that raceway officials were unable to complete for this year’s AMA event was the creation of increased runoff at Turn 1. The runoff cannot be created until officials abandon the existing wastewater treatment plant located inside Turn 1 and convert to a newly constructed facility located further from the track.

The new plant is complete, but it will not be connected and operational by the AMA Supercuts Superbike Challenge because of time constraints and county approvals. Once the new system is activated, track officials will be grading for additional runoff and installing new longer bridges at both Turns 1 and 6. That was the only real criticism Chandler, Zemke and Filice voiced on Friday.

“That’s really the only thing I see. We will be carrying a lot of speed into Turn 1 the way I see it,” Chandler said. “Turn 1 is the only suspect area but everything else is a lot better. And we know they (track officials) will take care of that. (The project) is just not finished yet.

The AMA Supercuts Superbike Challenge at Sears Point Raceway will feature a doubleheader weekend, with Superbike main events scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday. Competition will also be featured in four other AMA divisions.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Bidding on an autographed Miguel Duhamel Shoei X-SPII helmet has met the reserve price of $800 in the first hours of an auction to benefit the Roadracingworld.com Action Fund. “Tuckerracing” placed the opening bid of $300 within two hours of the auction’s opening. In the next two hours, “hondamil”, “monkey155” and “steph9985” raised the bidding to $800. The current high bid is held by “steph9985”.

The auction is due to close at approximately 3:11 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday, April 18.

For more information on the auction and the Duhamel helmet, read the original webpost below:

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This Miguel Duhamel Shoei motorcycle helmet was donated by Shoei Safety Helmet Corporation to be auctioned off to benefit the Roadracingworld.com Action Fund, a new non-profit corporation which has taken over the work previously done by the informally-organized Roadracing World Air Fence* Fund. Autographed by all-time AMA Superbike and 600cc Supersport win leader Miguel Duhamel, this helmet is technically not a replica, but instead is an actual Miguel Duhamel helmet.

Shoei only makes the X-SPII model in Duhamel’s Troy Lee-designed paint scheme for Duhamel himself to wear in races. Duhamel replicas that are sold to the public are only made in the less-expensive, entry-level RF900 model.

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This special lid is in brand new, never-worn condition. It is currently set up for a “Small” size, but Shoei’s Motorsports Manager Rob Vallejos says that the helmet can be re-fitted for any size, up to Large, with a swap of the helmet’s 3-D Liner internal padding system. Vallejos said he would be happy to help re-fit the helmet for the winning bidder.

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Like all new Shoei X-SPIIs, this helmet comes with a clear and a smoked CX-1 face shield, a breath guard, a chin curtain, a maintenance kit, owner’s manual, fleece-lined carrying bag, original box and a five-year warranty. Of course, only this helmet comes with Miguel Duhamel’s signature in white paint marker on the back!

Normal Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for a Shoei X-SPII replica helmet is a little under $800.

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

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1820700776

Roadracing World has a couple of items remaining that will be put up for auction in the near future, but we are always looking for more pieces of racing memorabilia, collectibles, products and/or services to be donated to benefit the Roadracing.com Action Fund. If you have an item that you would like to donate for auction, please call Roadracing World’s David Swarts at 909-245-6411 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

The Roadracing World Air Fence Fund was established in April 2001 to raise money to purchase and deploy Air Fence and Air Module soft barriers to protect crashed riders from hitting walls and other hard objects at racetracks. In less than one year, the Fund has raised over $174,000, with over $11,000 coming from the auctions of donated racing memorabilia such as this helmet. For more information about the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund, including a full accounting of the collections and disbursements and stories about racers being saved by soft barriers, go to the www.roadracingworld.com home page and click on the Air Fence headline.

The Roadracingworld.com Action Fund has taken over the work of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund and will continue to use donations to buy and deploy Air Fence and Air Modules to improve racetrack safety.

*Air Fence is a trademark of Airfence Safety Systems of Australia.

From a press release:

Preparations intensify for the big Ducati gathering in Misano Adriatico, 14 – 20 June 2002.

Enthusiasts of the Borgo Panigale reds will have an exclusive opportunity to witness, live for the first time, the Ducati GP motorcycle. Also added is, Edi Orioli’s departure on his Tran Siberian adventure.

Bologna, April 2002: The preparations for World Ducati Week 2002 are moving forward with great enthusiasm. Great new events and personalities are being added to entertain the thousands of Ducati enthusiasts from all over the world.

In addition to attractions at the Santa Monica race track, theme evenings at the coolest spots on the Riviera Romagnola are scheduled. More news for Ducati riders is the addition of spectacular road tours designed by the Emilia-Romagna Region and developed in collaboration with Curve e Tornanti Company, who has mapped and singled out some of the best roads in Italy.

The intense thrill of high speed will be ever present at WDW2002 compliments of the Ducati World Superbike team. Our official riders will be present at WDW2002 all weekend, to amaze us both on the track and in the paddock.

More racing news is that the brand new Ducati GP motorcycle, destined for the big MOTOGP challenge will be unveiled. This exciting new and most radical Ducati will be on display at the Santa Monica circuit from the 14th to 16th of June.

Saturday 15th June, the day before the Motogiro di Italia start, we can watch the departure of four time Paris to Dakar champion Edi Orioli on his historic Trans Siberian adventure. Astride his ST4s, he and his Ducati will travel along one of the most famous, longest, and most challenging roads in the world: the infamous Trans Siberian! Starting from Riccione, its then on to Moscow and finally to Vladivostok on his 22,000 km quest.

In addition to all of this, at the racing circuit will be music and entertainment with Radio DeeJay, helicopter shows and rides, motorcycle stuntmen, parachutists…and plenty of adrenaline on the track rides!

The weekend following WDW2002 Ducati fans can join us and attend the Misano round (23 June) of the World Superbike Championship.

From the Sea Park, “Le Navi”, the amusement park Mirabilandia, bike touring, to beach activities (including jet-skiing and windsurfing), WDW2002 offers a wide range of fun for everyone.

For more information visit: www.WDW2002.com, or your Ducati Store or dealer.

Event sponsors: INFOSTRADA, SHELL, EMILIA-ROMAGNA REGION, FIORUCCI.

From a press release:

The first 125 feet of Air Fence* was delivered on the afternoon of April 11, just in time to be deployed for the Adrenaline Freaks track day occurring on April 12th and the WMRRA season opener on April 13th and 14th at Pacific Raceways (formerly known as Seattle International Raceway). It was deployed an hour after it was delivered by the air freight company.

The Air Fence is the first of 350 feet of inflatable fence that WMRRA has committed to purchasing. The remaining 225 feet has been ordered, and will be delivered in time for WMRRA”s June date.

The cost of this fence, in excess of $35,000 with shipping, is being paid for partly by a promised contribution by Pacific Raceways track management, partly by a promised donation from the Roadracing.com Action Fund, but mostly by money raised through the WMRRA Air Fence Fund. So far, the WMRRA Air Fence Fund has raised approximately $18,000, and donations continue.

To celebrate the new safety equipment, there will be a signing ceremony where contributors to the Fund will get to autograph one of the new sections in turn 5 at PR. This will occur Saturday, April 13th after practice is over.

Information or donations to the WMRRA Air Fence Fund: Contact: Briggs Willoughby ([email protected]) (425)254-0141

Donations to “WMRRA” sent to…
WMRRA Air Fence Fund
C/O Briggs Willoughby
12044 SE 76th st
Newcastle, WA 98056

*Air Fence is a trademark of the Airfence Safety Systems of Australia.

From a press release:

COUNTRY RIDERS IN STRONG POSITION TO CHALLENGE FOR FORMULA XTREME GLORY THIS WEEKEND AT WINTON RACEWAY

The depth of Australia’s young motorcycle road racing talent will be on display at the second round of the 2002 Yamaha Extreme Tri-State that will be held at Winton Raceway, Benalla, Victoria, this weekend, April 13 & 14.

Shepparton’s Craig Coxhell, Ballarat’s Liam Magee and Wagga’s Craig McMartin are but three riders who will be out to challenge for top honours in the weekend’s premier Formula Xtreme category, that will be coming to the Victorian rural circuit for the first time.

For each rider, Winton Raceway is classed as a home circuit and as with any rider they would like to excel at their ‘home’ track. The Winton circuit has been a successful place in the past for 19-year-old Coxhell. Riding for the extremely successful Radar’s Team Yamaha, he won the coveted Harvey Wilshire Memorial Trophy there last season. This year he is aboard the awesome Yamaha YZF-R1 and currently lies third overall after one round of the series.

“I like Winton a lot and would be looking at doing well there this weekend,” said Coxhell. “The new Yamaha YZF R1 is getting better all the time and the improved handling characteristics of the bike should suit the circuit. We tested briefly there a few weeks ago and I was happy with the results, but to be able to score a few race wins there is what I’m really after.”

Coxhell will be chasing defending champion and team-mate Robbie Baird, who leads the points chase in 2002, with 83 points, two ahead of three times champion Kevin Curtain on the third Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF R1. Coxhell lies fourth with 32 points, while Jamie Stauffer (Bio Magnetics Sport Yamaha YZF R1) is third with 39.

While Coxhell has got his season off to a solid start, fellow teenager Liam Magee has had mixed fortunes. He started off his season brilliantly at the opening round of the Australian Superbike Championship where he took a race win away from defending champion Shawn Giles. However, things were not as successful at Eastern Creek for the first Formula Xtreme meeting where he crashed his Suzuki GSX-R1000 heavily during Friday’s practice and had to withdraw from the remainder of the weekend.

This weekend though, Magee will be looking to get things back on track with every chance that he will be mixing it with the lead group.

Wagga’s Craig McMartin (26) will be one of the busier riders on the weekend as he takes to the Formula Xtreme races aboard his exotic Ducati 996R, before switching to his Ducati 996SPS to defend his Pro-Twins title.

For the 2002 season, McMartin has switched to Pirelli tyres and has had his hands full with having to assist with development of the new slick tyres as well as trying to extract the best out of his Ducati 996R.

“This weekend will be one of the best chances that we will have this year aboard the 996R,” McMartin said. “This circuit is well suited to the Ducati as it relies more on a better handling bike rather than a bike that just has pure speed. I’m confident of a good result there, but I know that it won’t be easy.”

Aside from his Formula Xtreme commitments, he will also be out to increase his lead in the Pro-Twins class. At present he holds an 18 point lead over Queensland’s Dave Fuller (Ducati 998S), with Sydney’s Mike Soderland (Aprilia RSV1000) currently third.

The country boys won’t have it their own way though as apart from Baird and Curtain there are a number of riders who are planning on taking victory in each of the four 8-lap sprint races that will be held on Sunday. Team Honda’s Josh Brookes (Honda CBR954RR) will be in contention as will Wayne Maxwell (Suzuki GSX-R1000) who returns to the series after missing the opening round of the series as he awaited confirmation of his racing plans for the season.

At the other end of the scale, there will be two very experienced and fast Kiwis on hand to take whatever they can from the meeting, Multiple New Zealand champions Tony Rees (Bikebiz Yamaha YZF R1) and Andrew Stroud (Suzuki GSX-R1000) will again be out to defend the Kiwi honour.

Formula Xtreme will not be the only class on the program. There are six further classes which offer a wide and diverse range of sports motorcycles and provide great action on the track. These include, Pro-Twins, Aprilia Challenge, Buell Nakedbikes, Streetfighter NK Lites and Formula Oz. As with each round of the series there will also be a separate race for the up and coming riders of the future, Formula X Unlimited. With the exception of this class, each other category will have four races, each of six laps.

In 2002, the Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State has incorporated a number of new and exciting features. Earlier this year it was announced that the Formula Xtreme class would gain exclusive rights on Network TEN, a first for a domestic motorcycle road race series in Australia.

This weekend, we will see another new innovation, with on-track TV and radio now available. Spectators and competitors alike will not only be able to watch the racing on the new giant Superscreen along with live interviews between races. Now for those who are not able to see the Superscreen or hear the PA system Formula Xtreme Promotions has just added both an on site UHF TV Channel and FM Radio channel to the list of things to see and hear at all of the remaining Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State events for 2002.

All you need is you television and radio to guarantee that you do not miss a minute of the action.

Round 2 of the Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State is on this weekend the 13-14th April at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria. Racing is from approx. 1:00 pm Saturday and 10:00 am Sunday.

Ticketing
Saturday GA Adult Admission $15
Sunday $25
Concessions $15.
Two day Pass $25
Children Under 15 free.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Qualifying Session Two results from the 24 Hours of Le Mans :

1. Suzuki-Castrol Racing Team #2 (Bayle/Dussauge/Gimbert), Superproduction, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:41.240
2. GMT 94 (Guyot/Scarnato/Costes), Superproduction, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:41.405
3. Suzuki-Castrol Racing Team #1 (Lavielle/Morrison/Dobe), Superproduction, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:41.593
4. Yamaha Free Bike (Deletang/Holon/Lagrive), Superbike, Yam YZF-R7, 1:41.713
5. Junior Team – LMS (Jond/Da Costa/Dietrich), Superproduction, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:42.010
6. QB Phase One Endurance (Pridmore/Mertens/Nowland), Superproduction, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:42.206
7. Agyltech Racing Team (Sebilleau/D’Orgeix/Moreira), Superbike, Kaw ZX-7RR, 1:42.934
8. Team Daffix – France Equipment (Stey/Cogan/Chapentier), Superproduction, Hon CBR954RR, 1:43.064
9. Team Dap Motomax Unisson (Gallis/Cortinovis/Lerat-Vanstaen), Superproduction, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:43.732
10. Bolliger Team Switzerland (Kellenberger/Stamm/Hinterreiter), Superproduction, Kaw ZX-9R,1:44.285

Quick facts:

Due to a conflict between organizers of the Le Mans race and Octagon Motorsports, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is not a round of the 2002 FIM Endurance World Championship series. Several permanent teams from the Endurance World Championship, however, are competing in the prestigious Le Mans race.

The Le Mans track has been reconfigured. The “La Chapelle” hairpin turn, after the Dunlop bridge, has been reconfigued into a more-flowing, decreasing radius right-hander. Giving positive feedback on the new layout, some top riders have said that the change makes the track more technical but removes a main passing zone. The track’s length remains at just under 2.6 miles.

There are 65 entries for the race.

The race is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time/6:00 a.m. Pacific Time Saturday, April 13.

From a press release:

CLEAR CHANNEL ENTERTAINMENT’S MOTOR SPORTS DIVISION AND AMA PRO RACING ANNOUNCE MULTI-YEAR SUPERCROSS AGREEMENT

Aurora, Ill. (April 12, 2002) – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division and AMA Pro Racing today announced a seven year agreement for the 2003-2009 AMA Supercross seasons, extending the 28-year relationship between the two organizations. The agreement provides that AMA Pro Racing will continue to sanction all supercross motorcycle races produced and promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment in the United States. After lengthy discussions, both groups concluded that working together was in the best interest of supercross riders, fans, sponsors, television viewers, race teams, AMA Pro Racing and Clear Channel Entertainment, and positions supercross for significant future growth.

Charlie Mancuso, president of Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division, said “We are proud to announce the continuation of our long-standing relationship with AMA Pro Racing, and are thrilled to focus all of our efforts on taking the sport of supercross to the next level and beyond. Our job is to work hand-in-hand with AMA Pro Racing to continue the rapid growth and development of the most successful motorcycle racing series in the world. We want to thank the riders, fans, race teams and sponsors for all of their patience and support during the past few months.”

PJ Harvey, newly elected chairman of AMA Pro Racing, said, “The last few months have felt a bit like a lap around a supercross track – fast, furious and with its fair share of bumps. But in the end, we have come to realize that continuing our relationship with Clear Channel Entertainment most effectively meets the needs of AMA Pro Racing to continue growing the sport. We’re very excited to continue working together with Clear Channel and share Charlie’s sentiments that it’s time to focus on the future.”

The following are the 16 events on the 2003 AMA Supercross Series schedule:

Jan 4 Edison International Field Anaheim, Calif.

Jan 11 Bank One Ballpark Phoenix

Jan 18 Edison International Field Anaheim, Calif.

Jan 25 Pacific Bell Park San Francisco

Feb 1 Edison International Field Anaheim, Calif.

Feb 8 Qualcomm Stadium San Diego

Feb 15 Metrodome Minneapolis

Feb 22 Georgia Dome Atlanta

Mar 1 RCA Dome Indianapolis

Mar 8 Daytona International Speedway Daytona, Fla.

Mar 22 Edward Jones Dome St. Louis

Mar 29 Reliant Park Houston

Apr 5 Silverdome Pontiac, Mich.

Apr 12 Texas Stadium Dallas

Apr 26 Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City

May 3 Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas

The 16 rounds of the 2003 AMA Supercross Series, combined with two international events which will take place in December of 2002 will comprise the 18-round 2002-2003 FIM Supercross World Championship.

About Clear Channel Entertainment Clear Channel Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live entertainment events, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide (NYSE: CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books approximately 135 live entertainment venues, including more than 100 in North American and 30 in Europe. In 2001, more than 66 million people attended approximately 26,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including: Live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; and specialized sports and motor sports events. The company, which operates throughout North America, Europe, South America and Australia, also owns independently operated athlete representation businesses, which provide management, marketing and financial consulting services to many of the world’s top professional athletes. More information may be found by visiting www.cc.com and www.clearchannel.com.

About AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its Championships include the AMA EA SPORTS Supercross Series, the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship, the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship and the AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. FlatTrack Championship. More than 1.7 million fans attended AMA Pro Racing events during the 2001 season.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Following the Formula Xtreme race at California Speedway last Sunday, protests against Damon Buckmaster’s winning Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R7/R1 were filed by Mike Hale, Tom Kipp, Jason Pridmore, Steve Rapp and Jake Zemke.

The protests signed by Kipp, Pridmore and Rapp were written and printed out by Pat Alexander of American Suzuki’s Sports Promotion Department, and presented to Kipp, Pridmore and Rapp to sign and turn in. All three riders are directly contracted to American Suzuki Motor Corp. and have been assigned to ride for Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, Attack Suzuki and Corona EBSCO Suzuki, respectively.

Hale and Zemke are both contracted directly to American Honda Motor Co. and have been assigned to ride for Erion Honda and Bruce Transportation Honda, respectively.

For the first time in over a year, AMA officials actually accepted a protest regarding the legality of the YZF-R7 chassis in the class. In the past, AMA officials have refused to even accept a protest. Last year, AMA officials told representatives of competing teams that Buckmaster’s bike had a “one-year exemption” for 2001 and would not be racing in 2002, once Yamaha introduced the new, second-generation YZF-R1.

The rule in question reads:

“Formula Xtreme competition is restricted to motorcycles (engines and frames) produced for street use and available in the U.S. through retail dealers. A list of eligible motorcycles is available from AMA Pro Racing.”

At issue is the fact that the YZF-R7 was never sold for street use in the United States and was not certified by Yamaha as meeting U.S. DOT and EPA regulations for street motorcycles.

On page 27 of the October 17, 2001 issue of Cycle News, a Yamaha advertisement touting Aaron Gobert’s Formula Xtreme victory at Virginia International Raceway (on an R1-powered YZF-R7) referred to the win as “starring Aaron Gobert and the YZF-R1.”

AMA Pro Racing has not produced any list of eligible motorcycles, despite repeated requests from team managers, crew chiefs and riders.

The controversy was set off when Richard Stanboli of Attack Performance built a YZF-R7 racebike with a YZF-R1 engine. When he arrived at the 2000 Sears Point AMA National with the bike, Stanboli was told the machine was not legal and drove back to his shop in Southern California to retrieve an R1 frame.

Stanboli later built a combination R1/R7 chassis that passed tech at subsequent AMA Nationals after a lengthy debate that at one point included an argument over whether or not the chassis was more R7 than R1 or vice-versa.

The chassis of the YZF-R7, which was built expressly as a limited-production homologation special for World Superbike competition, made a far better racebike platform than the production YZF-R1 chassis, according to Stanboli. Limited numbers of YZF-R7 Yamahas were sold in the United States, and at the time of the bike’s introduction, Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. spokesmen said the bike was for racing use only in the U.S. and that buyers would have to produce a racing resume to be eligible to purchase a YZF-R7.

Stanboli has since switched to racing Suzukis and builds Pridmore’s GSX-R1000, and objects to what he sees as receiving different treatment when he fielded an R7 versus the treatment Graves Motorsports is receiving now.

“This has been an on-going thing, as everybody knows,” said American Suzuki’s Alexander. “Honda approached that when the bike originally came out. Erion Honda originally protested the bike when it came out. Attack (Racing) tried to make the very same motorcycle and was denied. That was two years ago. We believe that the bike should not be in the Formula Xtreme class as the rule is written. We still have not heard yet. They have not informed any of our riders as of April 11. The riders protested when Suzuki asked them to protest the unit.”

“It’s illegal,” said Erion Racing’s Kevin Erion of Buckmaster’s R1-powered YZF-R7. “My understanding of the rule is that the motorcycle has to be a motorcycle that was available for sale in the United States through normal retail channels as a streetbike. My understanding is that chassis is an R7 chassis. The R7 was never for sale as a streetbike; it was only for sale in the United States through racer resume approval from Yamaha. The fact that you can purchase it, and whether it’s legal is two different matters. It doesn’t matter that you can purchase it. What matters is that in the AMA rulebook it says it has to be a legal streetbike, and I don’t believe if you contacted the federal government and asked them to…if you gave them a VIN (vehicle identification number) number of a R7, would it come up as a legal motorcycle that was made for sale in the United States? Did it pass the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and DOT (Department of Transportation) approval? And I believe my understanding through everybody that I’ve spoken to, including people pretty close in at Yamaha, is that bike was never a streetbike. It was only sold as a racebike. Whether they dropped the process of approval for resumed racers because they couldn’t sell them so they just kind of opened it to anybody that would buy one is irrelevant to the fact that it wasn’t a streetbike.

“Whether they sold a kit, after the fact, that you could convert it to a streetbike, to me I don’t know how they could do that if it wasn’t a DOT or EPA-approved motorcycle. You can buy four-stroke off-road bikes and go buy a kit and put lights and turn signals on it and get it registered. That doesn’t mean it’s a legal streetbike. Just because the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) will put a license plate on something doesn’t mean it’s already gone through all the proper federal government standards for safety and emissions,” continued Erion.

Asked if he had heard anything back from the AMA on the protest, Erion said, “No, no. My opinion was, and still is, that I was told by the AMA that they were going to take care of this problem at the end of last year, and that I didn’t have to worry about it and they were going to change the rule and they were going to make sure that bike was not going to be legal and it was an 11th-hour decision on the AMA’s part to allow it to race again. I brought it up every time I received a proposed rule change for the AMA, at the end of last year going through the beginning of this season, before they actually printed the rulebook. I kept calling and saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got nothing on the R7 in here.’ (Erion speaking as the AMA) ‘Don’t worry, don’t worry. We’re going to change that. That’s not a proposed rule. That’s already a done deal.’

“So they basically told me not to worry, I didn’t have to get too upset about it because they were going to take care of the situation. Then once the rulebook was printed and there were no changes in it, I asked why. And I believe Merrill Vanderslice’s quote to me was, ‘Well, we had pretty good racing last year. It seems that everybody, every manufacturer won at least a race, and we don’t know how long the Formula Xtreme class is gonna be in existence. So we don’t see a need to change it.’

“Well, if that were the case, then they should’ve changed the rulebook to allow the bike to really be legal. If they didn’t change the rulebook, they didn’t change the rule, but they’re saying that it’s OK to let the bike run. If that’s the case, then they should’ve changed the rule,” said Erion.

When a reporter pointed out that Erion seemed to have the situation pretty well thought out, Erion said, “I don’t have this thought out at all. I’ve been living with it for the last three years. There’s no thought process behind it. It’s strictly what happened; a turn of events that’s occurred over the last couple of years. I, to be honest with you, was a little upset that other competitors not running Yamahas started calling me after the last Fontana practice (test) session when Buckmaster did some pretty good lap times. ‘Hey Kevin, what’s going on here? We think this bike’s illegal.’ Where were you a year ago? Where were you six months ago? Where you three months ago? Why are you calling me now? Hello?

“As far as the other competitors go, my opinion is, and I don’t know for fact or fiction whether or not anyone else has been following this as closely as I have, but I feel pretty comfortable with my language to the AMA, my conversations over the last six months with the AMA, or seven months, and also I feel comfortable enough to say right up until the point that the rulebook was printed I was told not to worry about it, that the bike would not be allowed to be raced. Mostly my conversations early on were with Ron Barrick. Ron told me not to worry about it.”

Asked about the situation, Chuck Graves of Graves Motorsports said he had not seen copies of any signed protests by any riders and said “There was no rule change from 2000 to now. It was allowed in 2000, it was allowed in 2001, and it is allowed in 2002. When I asked at Brainerd last year if there were going to be rule changes made for Formula Xtreme, (AMA Pro Racing Director of Competition) Merrill Vanderslice said there was no reason to make any rule changes, because we have good, competitive racing. What Merrill said was, ‘I’m really happy with the competitiveness of the class. All the manufacturers are sharing positions on the podium, and race wins. I see no reason to make any rule changes.'”