Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Red Bull Yamaha WCM will probably run Dunlop tires on the team’s YZR500 Yamahas in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship.

That’s the word from tests at Sepang, Malaysia that saw Garry McCoy lap under the record of 2:06.618 set by Valentino Rossi earlier this year.

The team has competed on Michelin tires for the last several seasons.

Meanwhile, McCoy’s young teammate John Hopkins, still adjusting to the YZR500 and the Sepang racetrack, was happy to lap faster during the tests than arch-rival Kurtis Roberts did when Roberts raced in the Malaysian Grand Prix in October.

Both riders completed the three days of testing (on December 3-5) without incident.

Lap times follow:


Monday, McCoy, 2:06.72
Monday, Hopkins, 2:10.72

Tuesday, McCoy, 2:06.27
Tuesday, Hopkins, 2:09.52

Wednesday, McCoy, 2:06.40
Wednesday, Hopkins, 2:08.53

From a press release issued by Eric Nacke:

(Grand Rapids, Michigan) After six years as a regional road racing sanctioning body the Great Lake Road Racing Association LLC has changed its name to Michigan Grand Prix Racing LLC. The name change is part of a new marketing campaign designed to promote road racing and highlight regional racing stars.

The 2002 season will see MGP road racing host 6 events at Grattan Raceway Park in conjunction with a new motorcycle destination event called the Midwest Cycle Fest. Each weekend will feature 19 traditional club level races with Sunday’s events being promoted as premier classes. Discount passes and promotional materials will be available at all Midwestern Yamaha dealers.

Other events taking place each weekend include MMX Supercross, stunt shows featuring the award winning ten-ninety6 stunt team, and trials competition. “These events are designed to bring motorcycle enthusiasts together from all over,” commented series founder Eric Nacke. “We have run our supercross and road racing events together this past season and to hear us start 40 superbikes at the same time as dropping the gate for our 250 main event is mind blowing, the fans love it.”

To handle the increased spectatorship Grattan Raceway Park is in the final year of a 2-year program designed to modernize its facilities. Well known among road racers as a technically challenging two-mile racetrack, Grattan now features a three-quarter mile natural terrain supercross track and new concession stands.

Also new for 2002 will be MGP’s unique rider appearance packages along with each racer’s ability to earn cash through ticket sales. Regional television coverage of the series has been secured by parent company Jade Pig Productions who will tape Sunday’s events live for delayed broadcast later that night.

Information regarding the series and the new track improvements is available at www.midwestcyclefest.com.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Arclight Suzuki Team Co-owner and Crew Chief Chuck Warren has announced his 2002 season rider line-up and plans.

Two-time Formula USA Pro Sportbike Champion Lee Acree has a multi-year contract with Arclight running through 2002; Acree has ridden for Arclight since 1998. Acree’s new teammate will be former Australian Superbike rider Craig Connell. Connell led the 2001 Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Championship on an AMS Ducati before he suffered season-ending injuries.

Acree and Connell will ride Suzuki GSX-R750s and GSX-R600s in the 2002 Formula USA Unlimited Superbike and Pro Sportbike races as well as competing in six rounds of the 2002 AMA 600cc and 750cc Supersport series.

Arclight Suzuki will also provide support to returning riders Scott Harwell and Dave Stanton. Stanton campaigns the AFM series in Northern California while Harwell contests the WERA National Challenge Series.

Although the team’s sponsor line-up is not yet completed, Warren said that the team will again use Pirelli tires and that the riders will wear Arai helmets, Vanson leathers, and Alpinestar boots and gloves.

From a press release:

Clear Channel Entertainment announces Lockhart Phillips USA as presenting sponsor of Championship Cup Series through 2004

AURORA, Ill. (December 5, 2001) – Clear Channel Entertainment’s motor sports division announced today that Lockhart Phillips USA has signed a deal to become the presenting sponsor of the Championship Cup Series (CCS) national motorcycle road racing series of events. The agreement makes Lockhart Phillips USA the presenting sponsors for all CCS events for 2002, 2003 and 2004.

The Championship Cup Series recently announced 71 different sportbike motorcycle events around the United States, from Florida to California. With more than 5100 licensed riders and more than 46,000 racing entries last year, CCS stands at its highest level of participation in its 18 years of racing while Formula USA goes into its third year of sanctioning the events.

Under the presenting sponsorship, Lockhart Phillips will also host LP USA Team Privateer Track Days, opening the tracks of dozens of CCS racing facilities to first time racers.

Additionally, Lockhart Phillips will present the return of last year’s successful “Zero to Hero” promotion, which grants first time racers discounts on road racing school and entries at selected Championship Cup Series presented by Lockhart Phillips events later in the season.

LP USA owner Wendell Phillips said, “Lockhart Phillips USA sponsorship of the CCS racing series is a major step in our continued support of amateur road racing in the USA. We look forward to creating avenues that facilitate the transition from fast street riding to safe road racing. The new CCS LP USA Team Privateer Track Day program and Zero to Hero promotion will help us meet our goals.”

CCS presented by Lockhart Phillips, also proudly announces two of the biggest purse paying racing classes within the competition format; The Akropovic GTU Class, and the Speedscreen Unlimited GP Class. Akropovic racing exhaust systems are used by leading factory road racing teams in Europe and the USA. Speedscreen’s are the industry’s leading windscreens which are available for road racing, sport riding and sport touring motorcycles.

“We are proud and excited to have Lockhart Phillips USA take such an active role by sponsoring the Championship Cup Series. LP USA has proven its commitment to road racing and Formula USA by backing the Lockhart Phillips Superbike Class, and to have them as our partner in presenting the CCS program will help us increase rider participation and performance; what a great combination.” said Kevin Elliott, road race manager for Formula USA.

The 2002 Championship Cup Series presented by Lockhart Phillips USA follows:

Dates Track City

February 2-3 Streets of Willow * Rosamond, Calif.

February 9-10 Homestead * Homestead, Fla.

February 23-24 Oak Hill Raceway Henderson, TX

Feb 28-March 3 Daytona Intl Speedway Daytona Beach, Fl

March 9-10 Firebird East Chandler, AZ

March 16-17 Moroso Motorsports Park West Palm Beach, Fla.

March 23-24 Gateway Intl Raceway * Madison, Ill.

March 30-31 Texas World Speedway College Stations, Tex

April 6-7 N. FL Motorsports Park Jennings, Fla

April 6-7 Blackhawk Farms South Beloit, Ill

April 13-14 Oak Hill Raceway Henderson, TX

April 13-14 Virginia Intl Raceway Danville, VA

April 13-14 Firebird Intl. East Chandler, AZ

April 13-14 Thunderhill Park Willows, Calif

April 20-21 Moroso Motorsports Park West Palm Beach, Fla.

April 26-28 Road America** Elkhart Lake, Wisc.

April 27-28 New Hampshire Intl. Speedway Loudon, NH

April 27-28 Las Vegas Classic Course Las Vegas

May 4-5 ` Motorsports Ranch Cresson, Tex

May 4-5 Carolina Motorsports Park Kershaw, SC

May 11-12 Summit Point Summit Point, WV

May 18-19 Blackhawk Farms South Beloit, Ill

May 18-19 Hallett Racing Circuit Hallet, OK

May 18-19 New Hampshire Intl. Speedway Loudon, NH

May 18-19 Firebird Intl. East Chandler, AZ

May 26-27 Moroso Motorsports Park West Palm Beach, Fla.

June 1-2 Blackhawk Farms South Beloit, Ill

June 1-2 Rausch Creek Valley View, PA

June1-2 Streets of Willow Rosamond, CA

June 8-9 New Hampshire Intl. Spdwy Loudon, NH

June 15-16 Texas World Speedway College Stations, Tex

June 15-16 Roebling Road Raceway Faulkville, GA

June 22-23 Homestead Homestead, Fla.

June 22-23 Buttonwillow Buttonwillow, Calif

June 29-30 Mid-America Motorplex Glenwood, Iowa

July 6-7 New Hampshire Intl. Speedway Loudon, NH

July 13-14 Oak Hill Raceway Henderson, TX

July 13-14 Gateway Intl Raceway Madison, Ill.

July 13-14 Summit Point Summit Point, WV

July 20-21 Moroso Motorsports Park West Palm Beach, Fla.

July 20-21 Blackhawk Farms South Beloit, Ill

July 20-21 Roebling Road Raceway Faulkville, GA

July 27-28 New Hampshire Intl. Speedway Loudon, NH

July 27-28 Virginia Intl. Raceway Danville, VA

August 3-4 Mid-America Motorplex Glenwood, Iowa

August 10-11 Gingerman Raceway South Haven, Mich

August 10-11 Texas World Speedway College Stations, Tex

August 10-11 Thunderhill Park Willows, Calif

August 17-18 New Hampshire Intl. Speedway Loudon, NH

August 24-25 Blackhawk Farms South Beloit, Ill

August 24-25 Moroso Motorsports Park West Palm Beach, Fla

August 24-25 Blackhawk Farms South Beloit, Ill

Aug 30-Sep 1 Hallett Racing Circuit Hallet, OK

Aug 31-Sept 1 New Hampshire Intl. Loudon, NH

Aug 31-Sept 1 Roebling Road Faulkville, GA

Sept 7-8 Blackhawk Farms South Beloit, Ill

Sept 7-8 N. FL Motorsports Park Jennings, Fla

Sept 7-8 Summit Point Summit Point, WV

Sept 7-8 Las Vegas Classic Course Las Vegas

Sept 14-15 Gateway Intl Raceway Madison, Ill.

Sept 21-22 Rausch Creek Valley View, PA

Sept 21-22 Texas World Speedway College Stations, Tex

Sept 21-22 Moroso Motorsports Park* West Palm Beach, Fla

Sept 28-29 Gingerman Raceway South Haven, Mich

Sept 28-29 New Hampshire Intl. Speedway Loudon, NH

Oct 5-6 Gateway Intl Raceway * Madison, Ill.

Oct 5-6 Thunderhill Park* Willows, Calif

Oct 5-6 Virginia Intl. Raceway Danville, VA

Oct 5-6 Firebird Intl. Raceway Chandler, AZ

Oct 12-13 Motorsports Ranch Cresson, Tex

Oct 12-13 Shenandoah Circuit* Summit Point, WV

Oct 16-20 Daytona Int’l Speedway Daytona Beach, Fla.

Schedule may be subject to change. For the latest information, visit ccsracing.com.

* Double points rounds
** Twin Sprints Weekend

Eric Wood has set the North Florida Motorsports Park track record at 1:20.3 on a GSX-R750 Supersport machine with DOT-labeled tires.

Wood set the record during a Penguin Racing School day held on Monday, December 3rd at the new Jennings, Florida racetrack.

The annual AMA Awards “Banquet” will feature something called “light dining,” instead of the traditional dinner service.

According to a participant acknowledgement letter sent out by AMA Pro Racing (which refers to the December 7 event as “the 2001 AMA Pro Racing National Champions Awards Banquet”), a full dinner is not included in the $100-per-ticket price.

“The format for this year has changed from years past,” states the letter. “Registration is from 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. (sic). We will be hosting a pre-awards gathering at 5:00 p.m. This will include cocktails and light dining. The awards ceremony will then commence at 7:00 p.m. Following the presentation, all are welcome to continue in the celebration by joining us for an evening of entertainment, including music and dancing. Coffee, dessert and cash bar will also be offered.”

Sources familiar with the new format indicate that “light dining” means that there will be food stations around the room, where guests can pick up something to eat, in a format somewhere between a buffet and hors d’oeuvres.

The 2001 AMA Awards “Banquet” is being held at the Desert Springs Marriott Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, California this coming Friday.

From a press release issued by Ducati:

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Testing – Kyalami (South Africa)
Tuesday 4th December 2001

BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) BACK IN ACTION AFTER EIGHT-WEEK BREAK

Ducati L&M rider Ben Bostrom was back in action at Kyalami, Johannesburg today for the first time since a restorative operation on his right shoulder in October.

The 27-year-old Californian, who finished third overall in the 2001 World Superbike Championship, is taking part in the three-day Dunlop tyre tests at the South African track with the 998R Factory bike he will race in next year’s championship.

In cloudy but warm conditions (air 25° C/ track 30° C), Bostrom completed 70 laps of the 4.263 km circuit, clocking a best time of 1:42.14, almost one second faster than his quickest lap in the 2001 race. The day’s work revolved mainly around an extensive tyre testing programme and putting mileage on the 2002 bike.

“It’s great to be back on a bike and really good to see my Ducati L&M team again after such a long break”, said Bostrom. “The new bike felt pretty good and by the end of the day we had found a good race tyre and I managed to hang the rear out, which is how I like it. My shoulder is really weak and sore but it’s not too bad and when we go testing again in January I’ll be 100% fit”.

Kyalami testing continues tomorrow and concludes Thursday.

Wrenchead.com CEO Gus Conrades died Sunday, December 3 from injuries sustained in a streetbike crash near his home in Stamford, Connecticut, says longtime friend Richie Alexander. Riding with a friend, Conrades lowsided his bike and slid underneath a stopped pick-up truck. Conrades was conscious at the time of the accident but lost a lot of blood from a compound fracture of his leg, said Alexander. Conrades died in an ambulance while on the way to the hospital.

Conrades was seriously injured in a racing crash at New Hampshire International Speedway in April of this year and had been rehabilitating a shattered pelvis through July. Then, according to Alexander, Conrades was readmitted to the hospital in August with a serious staph infection in his hip. Alexander said that doctors feared that Conrades would not survive the infection, but Conrades pulled through. “I just had dinner with him last week, and he looked real good,” said Alexander in a telephone call to Roadracing World December 4.

Conrades is survived by his wife Christine, and young son Harland. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

Wrenchead.com sponsored the Formula USA Series in 2000, largely because of Conrades’ personal interest in motorcycling in general and road racing in particular.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Kawasaki is actively seeking a second 600cc Supersport rider to team with new hire Tommy Hayden.

“I think we’re just about narrowing it down. Hopefully, we should have it finalized in a week or so,” said Kawasaki Road Racing Team Manager Michael Preston on Monday, December 3, explaining that he won’t be signing an established star.

“Not a big name. I think we’ll lean toward an upcoming rider for a 600 rider only. We’re kind of getting our focus narrowed down. Hopefully, we’ll have it here shortly. It’s been my wish since I started the team to have two 600 riders. I think we’re gonna be able to get that, but then this year we’re only going to have one Superbike. We want to start building for the future.”

Preston and company completed two days of testing at Willow Springs International Raceway and The Streets of Willow November 29-30 with riders Eric Bostrom and Tommy Hayden.

“It went so-so,” said Preston about the test. “We were on the big track on Thursday and the little track on Friday. No crashes, and we’re all in one piece. We just wanted to get the guys a chance to ride a little bit, especially Tommy (Hayden) because he’s never been on the bike. Just to ride around before we go down to Daytona, because it has a been a while.

“The first day it was drizzling and pretty cold and stuff. But then the second day it was actually pretty nice. On the second day we were on the Streets (of Willow). It was kind of a bummer there. I think it was good for Tommy, but on the Superbike it was a little bit tight. But the big thing was, it was sunny and nice and the wind didn’t start blowing until about 3:30 p.m., if you can believe that. Everyone was pretty pumped about the weather. We did get to ride on Thursday, but it was cold! It was one of those days that it was bad to be a rider.

“Most of the stuff (bikes) was similar to what we had last year. We got a few new things, but pretty much Eric’s bike was last year’s updated bike. We had a couple new pieces on it. And Tommy, we had one new bike and one old bike for him. We had our base setting, what we used last year, stuff like that. Our bike hasn’t changed, but for him it was all new.”

The Kawasaki Road Racing Team is now preparing for the Dunlop tire tests at Daytona International Speedway, December 10-12. Then the entire team will have to jet back to Southern California for their official team introduction ceremony Thursday, December 13 at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. At that invitation-only function, Kawasaki’s Champions from the 2001 season will receive commemorative Championship rings. Of course, Thursday, December 13 is also the make-up date for the Dunlop tests in case of rain. Preston said that staying at the test would be a priority if they lose significant track time due to weather, but he expects everyone from his team to make it back in time for the ceremony.