Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Afternoon AMA 250cc GP Practice Times:

1. Jason DiSalvo, Honda, 1:31.659
2. Rich Oliver, Yamaha, 1:32.090
3. Roland Sands, Yamaha, 1:32.105
4. Simon Turner, Yamaha, 1:32.596
5. Chuck Sorensen, Aprilia, 1:32.968
6. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, 1:34.528
7. Colin Jensen, Aprilia, 1:35.427
8. Ed Sorbo, Yamaha, 1:36.062
9. Adrian Webb, Yamaha, 1:36.540
10. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, 1:36.940

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Series point leader Valentino Rossi and his Repsol Honda teammate Tohru Ukawa missed Friday’s MotoGP qualifying session at Donington because they were undergoing medical tests to determine the extent of injuries they suffered received in crashes during Friday morning practice crashes.

According to sources at the track, Rossi has a broken thumb and a concussion.

Meanwhile, the top six riders in Friday’s qualifying session, including 19-year-old MotoGP rookie John Hopkins, smashed Simon Crafar’s four-year-old lap record of 1:32.661.

Friday’s MotoGP Qualifying Times:

1. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:31.877
2. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:32.123
3. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:32.197
4. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:32.523
5. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:32.541
6. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:32.602
7. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:32.695
8. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:32.810
9. Daijiro Kato, Honda NSR500, 1:32.850
10. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:32.900
11. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:32.997
12. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:33.172
13. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:33.290
14. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:33.598
15. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:33.754
16. Pere Riba, Yamaha YZR500, 1:34.009
17. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:34.274
18. Alex Hofmann, Honda NSR500, 1:34.728
19. Akira Ryo, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:34.941
20. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, no time
21. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, no time


More, from Red Bull Yamaha WCM:

BRITISH GP – DONINGTON

Qualifying No. 1 Friday July 12th 2002

RED HOT DAY FOR HOPKINS ON THE RED BULL


John Hopkins had an amazing afternoon at Donington today, claiming 4th place on the provisional grid for the British GP. Hopkins, who is the youngest permanent Moto GP rider by over 4 years was in dazzling form today, flying onto the front row on his second-last lap. In only the 8th GP of his career this is a truly outstanding performance from the 19-year-old American.

His teammate, Australian Garry McCoy re-acquainted himself with the Yamaha and set the fastest two-stroke top speed of the session. Garry appeared relaxed, fit and strong during the session and showed no signs of pain from his previous leg break.


John Hopkins: 4th – 1:32.523

“This is a dream come true, provisional front row in only my 8th GP. I’ve been working really hard to get to this point and I’m so happy that my family are here to see me at my best yet.

“I felt like I had a little bit more to give in the last lap, I set my best time on the second last lap and on the last lap I got held up by Sete. If I could of got a good run at it, I’m sure I would have been even quicker on my last lap.

“I came to Donington on a Track Day about a month ago with Niall Mackenzie and he really helped me a lot. I rode a Yamaha R1 here in both the wet and dry conditions so I could get a feel for the track and learn my way around, that way I’m productive from the first minute I get on the bike. I’m running the track with Niall again tonight to review my lines again as there is still a lot more I can learn about the track. We’ve got a few more things to try tomorrow but I’m pretty happy with everything.”


Garry McCoy 15th 1:33.754

“My leg and ankle feel fine and I’m not even thinking about it. I’m a little surprised at my times given it’s my first day back, I thought I would have been a bit further behind. Now it’s just a matter of getting up to speed. I tried a qualifying tyre in the last few minutes but it’s been a while since I’ve been in that situation and for one lap you can’t make a mistake.”

Colin Davies (Race Engineer – John Hopkins)
“John got held up on the last lap and I know he could of improved but Sete held him up; the bike is working really well, we’ve got a good race tyre already and I know he has more to come yet. As John gets more time on the circuit he’ll continue to improve.”


Christophe Bourguignon (Race Engineer -Garry McCoy)

“It is a good step forward today and we tried a few various set-ups and tyres. We are now using a new generation Dunlop Tyre and its Garry’s first time riding on these.”


Peter Clifford – Team Manager

“Its great to have Gaz back and good to see him moving the motorcycle around. He obviously just needs a little time to get back to his awesome best. John’s front-row position is magnificent and fractionally under the lap record still held by Simon Crafer on the Dunlop-shod Red Bull Yamaha from ’98.”


More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:
First qualifying session, Laconi 14th best time

Two illustrious riders, Rossi and Ukawa, both fell during the free practice and failed to make the afternoon qualifying. The Cube went through its first paces on the Donington circuit, where some problems of grip made it hard to choose race tyres able to keep up with the enormous power delivery of the engine. The sorties using the qualifying tyres were not so hard and, as the tests were coming to a close, Régis made 14th quickest time.

# 55 Régis Laconi – (MS APRILIA RACING) – 14th – 1:33.598

“I had problems of grip using race tyres, especially round the corners where the bike stays down a lot and the angle puts the tyres under greatest pressure. The bike easily starts to skid and gets hard to control. You can get round this by controlling the bike physically but it’d be pretty hard to keep it up for a whole race. To lessen the effort, I’ve had a shim put on the saddle to bring my riding position slightly forward. I tried other race-tyre solutions – they slip less but they don’t provide the same traction. So we’ve still got lots of work to do to find the right configuration for the race. The qualifying tyres were much better, they give much better grip and we can do some good work to get a fast lap time. There’s still room for improvement.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning AMA Pro Thunder Practice Times:

1. Vincent Haskovec, Ducati, 1:31.75
2. Tripp Nobles, Buell, 1:31.97
3. Kirk McCarthy, Ducati, 1:32.16
4. Mike Ciccotto, Buell, 1:32.57
5. Tom Montano, Ducati, 1:32.73
6. Dave Estok, Buell, 1:34.06
7. Dean Mizdal, Ducati, 1:34.97
8. Shane Turpin, Ducati, 1:35.98
9. Heath Small, Ducati, 1:36.17
10. Steve Smith, Ducati, 1:37.21
11. Jody Hendley, H-D, 1:37.85
12. Kurt Marmor, Ducati, 1:38.11
13. Bradley Champion, Suzuki, 1:38.31
14. Wendell G. Phillips, Ducati, 1:38.31
15. Paul Wood, Ducati, 1:38.95
16. Norman Dehm, Ducati, 1:39.117
17. David Bell, Ducati, 1:39.141
18. M. Ben Welch, Yamaha TZ125/426F, 1:39.602
19. Josh Bryan, Ducati, 1:39.718
20. Clark Freatman, Ducati, 1:39.740
21. Leo Venega, Ducati, 1:39.755
22. Charlie Hewett, Ducati, 1:39.975
23. Brian Long, Suzuki, 1:40.010
24. Reagan Jobe, Ducati, 1:40.061
25. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 1:40.441
26. Tom Hull, Ducati, 1:40.986
27. Stephen Lilliott, Ducati, 1:41.822
28. David Mones, Honda, 1:42.262
29. David Lanigan, Suzuki, 1:42.352
30. Tyler Sandell, Suzuki, 1:42.793
31. Dale Pestes, Ducati, 1:43.597
32. Jason Butler, Suzuki, 1:44.662
33. Paul Bergstrom, Ducati, 1:45.489
34. Ryan Meskimen, Suzuki, 1:46.270
35. Jay Jacobson, Suzuki, 1:47.431
36. Jessica Zalusky, Ducati, 1:47.587
37. Charles Sipp, Buell, 1:47.632
38. John Fisher, Ducati, 1:48.338
39. Tom Chauncey, Ducati, 1:48.362
40. Calvin Sprenger, Ducati, 1:49.992

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Superbike Final Qualifying Results:

1. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:25.72
2. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:26.32
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:26.52
4. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:26.55
5. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:26.76
6. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:26.84
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:26.95
8. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.12
9. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:27.15
10. Pascal Picotte, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.88
11. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.93
12. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.18
13. Brian Parriott, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.36
14. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.50
15. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.54
16. Jason DiSalvo, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.59
17. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.96
18. Ty Howard, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.17
19. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.20
20. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.34
21. Christopher Rankin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.46
22. Mike Sullivan, Honda, 1:32.56
23. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.62
24. Jeremy Toye, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.66
25. Robert Mesa, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.70
26. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.70
27. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.72
28. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.73
29. Ricky Orlando, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.75
30. Chris Voelker, Ducati 996RS, 1:32.80
31. Mark Foster, Kawasaki ZX-7, 1:32.87
32. Doud Pitcock, Suzuki, 1:32.92
33. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.00
34. Brian Livengood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.08
35. Kim Nakashima, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.14
36. Marco Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.32
37. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.33
38. Robert Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.63
39. Tom Montano, Ducati 996R, 1:33.94
40. Owen Richey, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.00
41. Pedro Valiente, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.33
42. Garry Combs, Suzuki, 1:34.66
43. Dave Kunzelman, Suzuki, 1:34.96
44. Adrian Webb, Suzuki, 1:34.98
45. James King, Suzuki, 1:35.02
46. Robert Christman, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:35.28
47. Dr. Jeff Purk, DDS, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:35.33
48. James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:35.39
49. Jacob Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:35.79
50. Justin Blake, Suzuki, 1:36.11
51. Kenan Rappuchi, 1:36.12
52. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:36.21
53. Tom Wertman, Suzuki, 1:36.96
54. Eric Haugo, Suzuki, 1:37.21
55. Shawn Reilly, Suzuki, 1:37.61
56. Michael Hanley, Suzuki, 1:38.21

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Thursday Morning AMA Formula Xtreme Practice Times:

1. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR954RR, 1:30.518
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:30.746
3. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.838
4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:31.499
5. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.972
6. Mike Hale, Honda CBR954RR, 1:32.796
7. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.473
8. Jason Curtis, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:33.532
9. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.656
10. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR954RR, 1:33.657
11. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.686
12. Tom Montano, Ducati, 1:33.876
13. Dave Stanton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.905
14. Mike Sullivan, Suzuki, 1:34.545
15. Doug Pitcock, Suzuki, 1:34.601
16. Robert Mesa, Suzuki, 1:34.785
17. Dave Kunzelman, Suzuki, 1:35.486
18. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:37.314
19. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.741
20. John Scott Wilson, Suzuki, 1:37.818

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:29.716
2. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:30.063
3. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:30.517
4. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:30.557
5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:30.654
6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:30.712
7. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:30.731
8. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:31.161
9. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:31.217
10. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:31.237
11. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:31.408
12. Michael Hale, Honda, 1:31.424
13. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:31.793
14. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:31.846
15. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki, 1:31.876
16. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:32.607
17. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:32.741
18. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:32.747
19. Jimmy Filice, Kawasaki, 1:32.765
20. Ty Howard, Suzuki, 1:33.401
21. Michael Hannas, Kawasaki, 1:33.608
22. Andrew Nelson, Honda, 1:34.049
23. Robert Campbell, Kawasaki, 1:34.817
24. Jeffrey Tigert, Suzuki, 1:34.883
25. Tyler Wadsworth, Yamaha, 1:35.700
26. Scott Simpson, Kawasaki, 1:35.970
27. Kevin Pate, Suzuki, 1:35.989
28. Mark Ledesma, Honda, 1:36.100
29. Geoff Pestes, Suzuki, 1:36.464
30. Matt Zurbuchen, Suzuki, 1:36.471
31. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, 1:36.854
32. Tom Wertman, Suzuki, 1:36.999
33. Justin Blake, Suzuki, 1:37.323
34. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, 1:37.569
35. Daryl Woodward, Yamaha, 1:38.019
36. Michael Ellsworth, Kawasaki, 1:38.218
37. Alex Flora, Kawasaki, 1:38.223
38. Martin Sims, Suzuki, 1:38.500
39. Patrick Dowd, Suzuki, 1:38.574
40. Tyrone Toloy, Honda, 1:39.384
41. Brian Lowe, Suzuki, 1:39.449
42. Chris Siebenhaar, Honda, 1:39.622
43. David Guy, Suzuki, 1:39.867
44. Sam Carnibucci, Yamaha, 1:40.712
45. Alex McElyea, Honda, 1:40.766
46. Neil Barry, Yamaha, 1:41.011
47. Gregg Betz, 1:41.284
48. Tony Cook, Kawasaki, 1:41.482
49. Norbert Katona, Yamaha, 1:41.721
50. Takie Chan, Suzuki, 1:42.512
51. Michael Dantonio, Yamaha, 1:42.755
52. Bryan Edginton, Suzuki, 1:43.208

From Red Bull Yamaha WCM:

McCOY BACK FOR BRITISH GP WHILE HOPKINS ENJOYS A

HOME AWAY FROM HOME GP

Garry McCoy is back on his Red Bull Yamaha for the British Grand Prix this weekend fit and eager to battle it out with the best of them at Donington Park in the English Midlands. McCoy, who is now in his 4th Season with the Red Bull Yamaha Team has confirmed his contract for the 2003 Season with the Red Bull Team and is pleased to be able to return to racing, knowing that all is in place for next season.

“It’s a good feeling going to Donington knowing I haven’t got to think about switching teams for next year especially as Red Bull have treated me so well, so it would be pretty silly not to continue and build on our past success together.” he said.

McCoy tested the YZR500 2 stroke at Mallory Park on Tuesday to re-acquaint himself with the bike, but prior to that outing its been 8 weeks since the 30 year old Australian rode the Yamaha at Fridays Qualifying Session at Le Mans.

“It was really wet during the testing session on Tuesday at Mallory Park and I only got in about 8 laps or so. The rain was constant and I ended up losing it on the coming-in lap when I was off the racing line where it was real slippery. I used the session mainly to get comfortable in my leathers and on the bike again so now I can have a productive first practice session on Friday at Donington.

“I felt good back on the bike and I had no pain in my leg, I’m walking normally now and feeling fit and strong again. I’ve got my fitness level back up to my pre-season testing level and I’m feeling really strong now.

“As for racing at Donington, well I’ve never really had a good race here so I’m hoping things will be better for me this year. I didn’t race at the British GP last year because of my wrist break and before that in 2000, I qualified on the front row in 3rd position but we had major tyre problems for the race and I finished out of the points. Prior to that in ’99 I had a huge highsider on Craner Curve, a massive get off that was, it was only my second race on the bike. So I’m due for a good race here this weekend.”

John Hopkins – His Home Away from Home GP at Donington

The 19 -year-old American rookie who scored his best result of the Season in Assen in 7th position, is aiming for another Top 10 finish this weekend. “Hopper” who was born in the USA to English parents is treating this weekend like a home away from home GP.

“This weekend is sort of like a home GP for me, my parents are from London they grew up in the Acton area and moved to the US in their mid 20s, so we’ve got lots of relatives here in the UK. This weekend I’ve got about 30 or so English relatives coming to the race, cousins, uncles and aunts plus my Mom and my immediate family from the US are here so it will be good a weekend for me.

“With my family here supporting me its another reason to go out and do as good as I can. I want to have a good result here; it’s been my goal for some time now. So until there’s a race in the US, this is the closest I can get to a home race.

“It’s really good to have Garry back and fit so I guess he’ll be in top form pretty quickly. I hope its close racing between us this weekend.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Thursday Morning AMA Pro Thunder Practice Times:

1. Mike Ciccotto, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 1:33.06
2. Kirk McCarthy, Ducati 748RS, 1:33.21
3. Tripp Nobles, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 1:34.16
4. Tom Montano, Ducati 748R, 1:34.41
5. Dave Estok, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 1:35.34
6. Shane Turpin, Ducati 748, 1:36.73
7. Dean Mizdal, Ducati 748, 1:37.50
8. Kurt Marmor, Ducati 748, 1:38.53
9. Steve Smith, Ducati, 1:39.20
10. Clark Freatman, Ducati 748, 1:39.37
11. M. Ben Welch, Yamaha TZ125/426F, 1:39.77
12. P. Wood, Ducati, 1:40.61
13. Bradley Champion, Suzuki SV650, 1:40.68
14. Norman Dehm, Ducati, 1:41.10
15. David Bell, Ducati, 1:41.37
16. Charlie Hewett, Ducati 748, 1:41.41
17. Heath Small, Ducati 748, 1:41.57
18. Stephen Lilliott, Ducati, 1:41.67
19. Mike Krynock, Ducati 748, 1:41.69
20. David White, Honda Hawk, 1:42.19
21. Mark Woodward, Suzuki, 1:42.350
22. Tyler Sandell, Suzuki, 1:42.752
23. Ryan Meskimen, Suzuki, 1:43.126
24. Josh Bryan, Ducati 748, 1:43.706
25. Jody Hendley, H-D 1200, 1:44.199
26. Leo Venega, Ducati 748, 1:44.243
27. Dale Pestes, Ducati 748, 1:44.777
28. Paul Bergstrom, Ducati, 1:44.960
29. Michael Hardin, Ducati, 1:45.102
30. Reagan Jobe, Ducati, 1:45.129
31. Tom Chauncey, Ducati, 1:45.178
32. Brian Long, Suzuki, 1:45.362
33. Jason Butler, Suzuki, 1:45.764
34. Takie Chan, Ducati, 1:46.286
35. David Lanigan, Suzuki, 1:46.377
36. David Gallant, Ducati, 1:46.752
37. John Dierickx, Ducati, 1:47.139
38. John Fisher, Ducati, 1:47.155
39. Jay Jacobson, Suzuki, 1:47.304
40. Tom Gentry, Suzuki, 1:47.448
41. Charles Sipp, Buell, 1:47.609
42. Tom Hull, Ducati, 1:52.171
43. Jessica Zalusky, Ducati 748, 1:55.483
44. David Mones, Honda, 2:06.272
45. Calvin Sprenger, Ducati, 2:08.806

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Thunder Qualifying Results:

1. Vincent Haskovec, Ducati 748RS, 1:31.421
2. Kirk McCarthy, Ducati 748RS, 1:31.911
3. Mike Ciccotto, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 1:32.796
4. Tripp Nobles, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 1:32.885
5. Dave Estok, Buell Firebolt XB9R, 1:32.885
6. Tom Montano, Ducati 748R, 1:33.675
7. Dean Mizdal, Ducati 748, 1:34.437
8. Heath Small, Ducati 748, 1:36.361
9. Steve Smith, Ducati 748, 1:36.548
10. Kurt Marmor, Ducati 748, 1:37.042
11. Wendell Phillips, Ducati 748, 1:37.210
12. Shane Turpin, Ducati 748, 1:37.558
13. Mike Krynock, Ducati 748, 1:38.363
14. Jody Hendley, H-D 1200, 1:38.389
15. Clark Freatman, Ducati 748, 1:38.436
16. M. Ben Welch, Yamaha TZ125/426F, 1:38.654
17. Paul Wood, Ducati 748, 1:39.291
18. Bradley Champion, Suzuki SV650, 1:38.381
19. David Bell, Ducati 748, 1:39.431
20. Charlie Hewett, Ducati 748, 1:39.918
21. Stephen Lilliott, Ducati, 1:39.968
22. Tyler Sandell, Suzuki, 1:40.339
23. Michael Hardin, Ducati, 1:40.435
24. Josh Bryan, Ducati 748, 1:40.614
25. John Dierickx, Ducati, 1:40.662
26. Leo Venega, Ducati 748, 1:40.748
27. Reagan Jobe, Ducati 748, 1:41.218
28. Norman Dehm, Ducati, 1:41.389
29. Brian Long, Suzuki, 1:41.436
30. Ryan Meskimen, Suzuki, 1:42.575
31. Tom Hull, Ducati, 1:42.612
32. David Mones, Honda, 1:43.225
33. Jason Butler, Suzuki, 1:43.595
34. Tom Chauncey, Ducati, 1:43.615
35. David Lanigan, Suzuki, 1:43.668
36. Dale Pestes, Ducati, 1:43.864
37. Paul Bergstrom, Ducati, 1:44.356
38. Jay Jacobson, Suzuki, 1:44.589
39. Charles Sipp, Buell, 1:45.229
40. David Gallant, Ducati, 1:46.573
41. John Fisher, Ducati, 1:47.421
42. Calvin Sprenger, Ducati, 1:47.564
43. Jessica Zalusky, Ducati 748, 1:49.158
44. Michael Kludt, Buell, 1:49.631
45. Mark Woodward, Suzuki, 1:53.861
46. Tom Gentry, Suzuki, 2:10.033

From AMA Pro Racing:

Anthony Gobert signs on for AMA Pro Racing’s officially licensed merchandise program

Get your “Go Show” t-shirt online or at Laguna this weekend!

7-11 – AMA Superbike racer Anthony Gobert has joined the growing list of professional motorcycle athletes participating in AMA Pro Racing’s officially licensed merchandise program, it was announced today. Gobert has reached an agreement with AMA Pro Racing’s new merchandising partner, Wateree Sports Group, that will allow fans to purchase his personalized gear at AMA Superbike events and also online at www.amaproracing.com/speedshop. Gobert’s line of merchandise will be available for sale this weekend at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca for the World Superbike/AMA Superbike racing weekend.

“We are very excited to announce Anthony’s participation in our AMA Pro Racing project,” said Jeff Reeves, vice president of Wateree Sports Group. “Anthony joins a growing list of Superbike racers, including Nicky Hayden and Eric Bostrom, participating in our merchandising program. We are thrilled to have Anthony on board, and look forward to making even more announcements this week.”

Gobert gear will no doubt be in demand said Chris Bradley, AMA Pro Racing associate vice president of commercial development. “The combination of Anthony’s talent on the race track and popularity off of it, makes him a great addition to our growing merchandise program.” Bradley added that with Gobert’s team, Yamaha, also in the cross-license program, fans will be able to enjoy fully authentic Anthony Gobert and Yamaha road-racing products.

“I’m really happy to have made a deal with AMA Pro Racing to sell my merchandise,” said Gobert, Team Yamaha’s No. 16 AMA Superbike and AMA Supersport rider. “I’ve heard from a lot of fans over the last few years that they’d love to have a t-shirt of me so it’s really cool to have put this deal together.”

AMA Pro Racing, the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the U.S., has launched an officially licensed merchandise program, bringing a new level of authenticity to race fans. An official line of AMA Pro Racing products have been produced, giving race fans the opportunity to display their passion for each of the company’s U.S. Championship racing brands.

The program kicked off with the announcement of a three-year licensing deal with the Rock Hill, S.C.-based Wateree Sports Group who produces an officially licensed product and apparel line for AMA Pro Racing. The lineup includes series apparel for all AMA U.S. Championships, as well as merchandise for various manufacturers, teams and riders.

Race fans can find the new line of official AMA Pro Racing products at multiple distribution points, including all AMA U.S. Motocross and U.S. Superbike events as well as several top AMA U.S. Flat Track Championship rounds. At the races, products will be for sale under the roof of Wateree’s newly created, 18-wheel interactive merchandise tractor-trailer. Products can also be purchased online via amaproracing.com, 1800FlatTrack.com and USMotocross.com.

Located in the heart of NASCAR country, Wateree Sports Group has extensive experience in merchandise distribution and corporate identity programs. The company’s impressive list of corporate clients includes General Mills, Sprint and Conseco Financial Services; Winston Cup drivers Kyle Petty, John Andretti, Buckshot Jones; and retired drivers and teams owners A.J. Foyt and 7-time Winston Cup Champion Richard Petty.

For more information about the new merchandise program, contact Wateree Sports Group’s Jeff Reeves at (803) 327-2776.

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About Wateree Sports Group
Wateree Sports Group, founded in 1990, is a merchandise company specializing in the development and implementation of programs for corporate, sports and entertainment properties. WSG helps clients achieve their goals through various distribution channels. These channels include event distribution, corporate identity programs, direct mail, e-commerce and retail based POS programs. Current corporate clients include General Mills, Sprint, Georgia Pacific, Schneider Electric, Petty Enterprises, Lockheed Martin and Conseco Financial Services. Wateree’s driver list includes the 7-time Winston-Cup Champion Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, AJ Foyt, John Andretti, Buckshot Jones and aerobatic pilots Sean Tucker and Patty Wagstaff.