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Updated Post: Spies, Tommy Hayden, Caylor, Howard Qualify On Front Row For AMA Superstock Race At Fontana

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Timing And Scoring Snafus, Red Flag Delay Plague Second Superstock Qualifying Session At Fontana

The standing water on the road course at California Speedway–caused when the sprinkler system was left on Thursday–and the resulting delay in starting practice came back to hinder the poor souls in the second Superstock qualifying session, for even-numbered bikes, late Friday afternoon.

The session was red-flagged due to a three-bike pile-up and barely restarted and finished before all daylight was lost.

Then a timing and scoring problem deleted the fastest times turned by Tommy Hayden and Chris Ulrich, who were first and second-fastest in the second session, demoting them to fourth and 19th fastest overall, respectively.

Timing and scoring officials quickly issued a revised second session timing sheet when the error was pointed out by roadracingworld.com, but combined sheets with the incorrect times were still being circulated in the press room.

Ulrich’s session ended early when his bike’s shift lever broke off on a curb. Defending Champion Jimmy Moore had a shock blow out in Superbike qualifying; he missed the odd-numbered session and got special AMA permission to qualify in the even-numbered session, a situation reporters couldn’t remember happening before.

AMA officials later said that they typically allow riders who miss the first qualifying session due to mechanical problems to qualify in the second session, although riders who are scheduled to qualify in the second session and miss it are just out of luck.

The session was headed by riders on Supersport bikes, using the 750cc class for extra practice.

The correct combined times follow:

1. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:28.987
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.193
3. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.821
4. Ty Howard, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.928
5. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.178
6. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.470
7. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.483
8. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.559
9. Jason DiSalvo, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.562
10. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.615
11. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.641
12. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.850
13. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.061
14. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.235
15. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.575
16. Michael Hannas, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.593
17. Brian Parriott, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.593
18. Robert Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.647
19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.663
20. Jeremy Toye, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.689
21. Shawn Conrad, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.741
22. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.038
23. Brian Livengood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.532
24. Owen Richey, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.573
25. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.047
26. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.224
27. Takahiro “Tiger” Sohwa, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:33.228
28. Phillip Herrin, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.250
29. Mark Ledesma, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:33.389
30. Troy Green, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.394
31. Randell Mennenga, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.621
32. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.651
33. Rob Christman, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.665
34. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.670
35. Scott Simpson, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:34.070
36. Robert Underwood, 1:34.078
37. Aaron Clark, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.408
38. Dr. Jeff Purk, DDS, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.408
39. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.426
40. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.742


First-year Expert Matt Hartlieb crashed during the odd-numbered Superstock qualifying session. According to a preliminary medical report issued by California Speedway, Hartlieb was transported to San Antonio Community Hospital for X-rays of his left wrist.

Greg Esser crashed his Honda RS250 in Friday afternoon’s 250cc Grand Prix practice session at California Speedway. According to a preliminary medical report issued by the track, Esser was flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center as a precautionary measure.

News And Notes From Thursday At California Speedway

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Pascal Picotte On A Mission On Michelins

Austin/Bleu Bayou Ducati Racing’s Pascal Picotte will race his new 2001-spec Ducati 996RS on Michelin tires with motors built by Advanced Motor Sports’ Jeff Nash at California Speedway, confirmed Team Manager/Crew Chief/Truck Driver Lance Baker Thursday afternoon in his team’s garage at the Fontana, California track. With a smile of pride on his face, Baker described the hectic 11 days that brought him and Picotte to the Yamaha Superbike Challenge.

“On Monday (March 25), I got the word that the deal was done,” said Baker. “Tuesday (March 26), I flew up to Wisconsin and picked the bikes up from the HMC shop. I got back to Texas Thursday (March 28), dropped the bikes at AMS, pulled the motors and then went back to Austin. This past Tuesday (April 2), I went back to AMS, put the motors back in the bikes and started driving to California.

“A lot of things happened at the same time to get us where we are today.”

Baker said that both Ducati North America and Ducati Corse in Italy contributed to making the acquisition of the bikes happen, saying, “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here.” Baker then confirmed that his team had just finished a tire deal with Michelin’s Ron Wood, and that plans were already in the works to receive update kits from Ducati Corse that would bring the 2001 bikes up to current 2002 998RS Testastretta specification. The Austin/Bleu Bayou team expects to have the updates complete by the Sears Point round of the series.

In the meantime, the smile Picotte wore through off-season testing was replaced by a look of determination. “I’m going to kick some ass,” said the seasoned French-Canadian. “No, I mainly just want to score some points. We just put the bikes and the team together in a couple of days. We’re basically starting from scratch. I’m still new to the Ducati. I know the 2002 bike will be better when we build it, but I’m glad to be here for the double-header. I just want to score some good points in each race, have some time to build the new bikes and maybe test once before Sears.

“Riding on the Michelins is gonna be a learning curve, but in the long-term it could pay off. By going to a different tire brand we may be able to get an advantage.”

Picotte took care to point out that he wouldn’t be able to race at Fontana if it weren’t for the opportunity presented by team owner Terry Gregricka, Baker, race engineer Tom Bodenbach, mechanic John Rawls and friend Paul Fournier. Baker worked with Picotte on the Muzzy Kawasaki Superbike in 1995, and Picotte worked with Bodenbach for four years on the Gemini VR1000 Harley-Davidson team.

Picotte ended the conversation by saying, “I’ll definitely be on a mission to beat those guys (HMC).”

In other news Thursday, the American Honda Superbikes of Nicky Hayden and Miguel Duhamel were being fitted with new bodywork, freshly painted to go along with a co-promotion of Universal Studios’ “The Skorpian King” feature film.

In addition to racing his Corbin Kawasaki ZX-6R in Supersport, 2001 AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Jimmy Filice will run the Number One plate on a 2000-model Yamaha TZ250 with help from Bruce Lind and James Siddall. When asked why, Filice said, “I don’t know how many more times I’m gonna get to run a #1 plate. We’re a little behind with our 600 program and a good result would help out.”

Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki team coordinator Rich Doan will serve as Jamie Hacking’s chassis tuner at California Speedway due to a newly-hired crew member quitting the Suzuki squad shortly after last week’s test at Laguna Seca. With Crew Chief Tom Houseworth at his side, Hacking said that he had confidence in Doan’s ability to get the job done.

Anthony Gobert On Provisional Superbike Pole At California Speedway

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Session One Superbike Qualifying Times:

1. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:25.250
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:25.628
3. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:26.007
4. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:26.127
5. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:26.141
6. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:26.465
7. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:26.659
8. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:27.423
9. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.438
10. Pascal Picotte, Ducati 996RS, 1:27.631
11. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.616*
12. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.703*
13. Owen Richey, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.384*
14. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.441*
15. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.502*
16. Vincent Haskovec, Ducati 748, 1:31.809
17. Brian Parriott, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.957*
18. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.991
19. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.368*
20. Robert Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.436*
*Superstock bike

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts crashed his RC51 Superbike late in the session and was transported to Loma Linda University Hospital and Medical Center to have his right knee and left ankle X-rayed.

More information from a press release from HMC Ducati: 

Qualifying Report 

AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Round 2
Date April 5, 2002
Circuit Fontana International Speedway, California

Cold winds brought temperatures way down to the 60s for the first qualifying session of the AMA Superbike’s second round at Fontana Speedway. HMC Ducati rider Doug Chandler finished the session in eighth position; his first day riding on the California circuit. Chandler was one of the few riders who didn’t test here pre-season.

“It’s not bad for the first day”, said Chandler. “The track’s not as easy to learn as I expected. The last half is okay but the first half has some difficult corners, they’re not blind but I can’t see the apex of the corner. Of course this will improve with more laps. I chased Yates to try and learn his lines and let Anthony [Gobert] by to take a look at his lines but ran out of time. Tomorrow I’ll fall in with a couple of the guys and see what I can learn.

“The bike feels good but there are changes we need to make. These will be easier once I get up to speed. We’re going to have to push tomorrow in the practice session before the race.”

Doug’s long time crew chief, Gary Medley, is happy with Doug’s performance today and had nothing but praise for the rider, team and bike.
“Everything’s going good,” smiled Medley. “Doug is doing fantastic for the first time here. We have a few corners to sort out and a few slight changes to make, but I know we’ll be ready for tomorrow’s race. We made very few adjustments to the bike today, but that may change tomorrow as Doug gets faster.”

The weather forecast is for warmer weather for tomorrow’s final qualifying and first race.

Even more information from an American Honda press release:
Honda Racing Goes Hollywood
Honda Racing and Universal Studios Consumer Products Group present The Scorpion King
(Torrance, CA) Honda Racing and primary team sponsor, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group (USCPG), will showcase the upcoming
action-adventure film, The Scorpion King, with special motorcycle and rider graphics. Universal Pictures’ action-adventure The Scorpion King, starring World Wrestling Federation® Superstar The Rock will be released in theaters nationwide on April 19, 2002.

Team Honda’s Nicky Hayden, Miguel Duhamel and Ricky Carmichael will join in The Scorpion King excitement. Hayden and Duhamel will have specially
designed leathers and RC51’s (emblazoned with gold scorpions) at Round 2 of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship at California Motor Speedway in Fontana, California on April 6-7. Red Rider Ricky Carmichael will debut his Scorpion King attire and specially designed bike graphics at Round 14 of the AMA/EA Sports Supercross in Irving, Texas on April 20th.

The innovative, feature-length motion picture and motorsports promotion is one of several collaborations resulting from American Honda’s multi-year partnership with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, who represent the merchandising and promotional rights to the Honda Racing Team riders, including jointly developed designs, such as The Scorpion King Honda Racing
promotion. Announced in November 2000, the sponsorship agreement also features Universal Studios’ animated character Woody Woodpecker as Team Mascot for both the Honda Motocross Racing Team and the Honda Road Racing Team.

The Scorpion King film, a spin-off of The Mummy series, is based on the character first introduced by The Rock in the 2001 film The Mummy Returns. Co-starring Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”), Kelly Hu, Steven Brand and Peter Facinelli, the exciting action-adventure was written by Stephen Sommers and Will Osborne and David Hayter, from a story by Jonathan Hales and Stephen Sommers with Chuck Russell (The Mask, Eraser) directing. James Jacks, Sean Daniel, Stephen Sommers and Kevin Misher are the producers with Vince McMahon serving as executive producer.

About Honda

American Honda Motor Co. Inc. is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, ATVs and scooters in the United States. American Honda’s Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through approximately 1200 Honda authorized dealers. Further information about Honda products, racing teams, programs and dealer
locations is available at the Honda Web site at http://www.honda.com/.

About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, part of Universal Pictures Franchise Development is a division of Universal Pictures. Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com) is a part of CANAL+, the TV and Film division of Vivendi Universal, a new global leader in media and communications.

Did You Know They Road Race In Alaska?

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The Farthest North Racing Alliance is a grassroots club of 40-60 riders who race in Tanacross, Alaska in the southern part of the 49th state. According to Derek Bloom, the FNRA #3 plate holder for 2001, the group converges on an abandoned military air base, (which they dubbed Tanacross Raceway), four times a year to hold motorcycle road races.

“It’s about 250 miles away from everybody,” said Bloom, in a telephone call to Roadracingworld.com. “So we all go down there on Friday and set up the course. We put marks on the tarmac as to where the cones go. We use orange cones to mark the outside of the course and green cones to mark the inside. So when you’re riding, you look for the green cones.

“We race from nine in the morning until about seven at night, because it never really gets dark up here at night in the summer. The temperature can get up to the 90s in July and it usually only drops to the 60s at night. So the weather is usually pretty good. I think we’ve only been rained out once or twice in the last few years.

“The track is 3.5 miles with 36 turns. It’s actually pretty technical and safe. If you run off, you run off into miles of nothing.” One of the “handful” of Alaskan racer to ever venture outside of the state for racing, Bloom has also raced at Willow Springs, Firebird International Raceway and most recently at California Speedway.

The FNRA usually runs a 30-minute solo endurance, winner-take-all, dash-for-cash race on Saturdays followed by sprints on Sunday. “The classes are pretty much run-whatcha-brung,” said Bloom. “We have guys with Yamaha R1s and R6s, Suzuki GSX-Rs, a couple of Yamaha TZ250s and even a few old RD350s.”

Classes for Sunday sprints are 0-to-500cc, 501–650cc and 651-Open with Experts starting in the first wave followed by a second wave of Novices. Races are only three laps long.

“It’s starting to get more competitive,” said Bloom, who had returned to his home in Fairbanks, Alaska following a racing trip to last weekend’s FTA race in Fontana, California. “The core group of 15-20 guys are really starting to pay attention to how well they do. Plus we’ve been advertising a little and drawing in some G.I.’s from the military bases up here.”

For more information about the Farthest North Racing Alliance, call Derek Bloom at (907) 474 –9118, FAX (907) 474-0016 or go to www.angelfire.com/ak5/tanacross.

Farthest North Racing Alliance Race Series 2002 Schedule
6/8-9 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK
6/29-30 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK
7/27-28 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK
8/17-18 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK

Superside World Championship South Africa Preview

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From a press release:

Superside returns to South Africa

Two new names lead the Superside World Championship into its second round at Kyalami, relegating 2001 World Champions, Klaffenböck and Parzer third in the standings with eight times World Champion, Webster and Woodhead down in eleventh place.

Experience and cunning came together with luck at the Ricardo Tormo circuit at Valencia, with the wily Steve Abbott from Derbyshire, England coming out on top to take only his fourth win in twenty years of World Championship racing.

With backing from high performance engine developers, Maxsym, Abbott and Biggs, powered by their 1120cc Yamaha FZR based engine, held on for the win after Webster and Woodhead, who had dominated the race from the outset, slowed with their Suzuki powered machine running on only two cylinders.

Abbott topped the time sheets from the outset, leading fellow Brits, Hanks and Biggs, who now also run a Windle chassis, by a second in the first track session. The second session saw them lead the hard charging Steinhausen and Hopkinson by a second. World Champions, Klaffenböck and Parzer, came through the pack in the final timed session but couldn’t get within a second of the spectacular Abbott and Biggs.

“Mr Superpole”, Steve Webster, then reordered the grid, lapping an amazing three and a half seconds quicker than anyone else in Superpole on the single flying lap using liveonscreen.com Racing teammate Muldoon’s spare engine.

Webster and Woodhead had only completed a total of eight laps during practice and qualifying, as Webster missed the compulsory rider briefing on Thursday night, which automatically ruled them out of the first untimed practice. The next two timed sessions saw engine troubles for the Suzuki Great Britain-backed pairing.

When the race started on Sunday afternoon, Webbo streaked into the lead on the second lap and dominated until the 16th lap, when engine problems saw him dropping back down through he field. “Our engine cases cracked, so the screw that holds the ignition pick-up in place dropped out,” admitted Webbo.

“It’s a problem we’ve had before, but we know what we need to do so we just have to go home and do some work. We managed to keep going and finished eleventh and got some points. At the end of the year those points may mean the difference between winning and losing.”

Returning as privateers in 2002, passionate German Champion, Jörg Steinhausen teamed again with Englishman Trevor Hopkinson to take a strong second place at Valencia.

Without sponsorship, the Steinhausen Racing team have been doing it tough, only testing briefly at Oschersleben prior to the season opener at Valencia. Using last year’s LCR chassis and the same “freshened up”, Suzuki GSXR1200 engines, the refreshed Steini has recovered from the back problems that plagued his 2001 season.

World Champions, Klaus Klaffenböck and Christian Parzer, had their first real session under Yamaha power, albeit on the 2001 model engine.

“We are using a 2001 Yamaha R1 engine and are a little short on power,” said Klaffi. “It’s not top speed that we are lacking but the power to drive out of corners. But we hope to get a 2002 R1 engine with fuel injection soon.”

Stuart Muldoon, a new signing for liveonscreen.com Racing, finished a creditable fourth in his first outing with Suzuki power and passenger Andy Peach. The hard charging Scot should be a regular on the podium in 2002 and with his improved fitness, is one to watch at Kyalami.

The change from LCR to Windle chassis has been good for Tom Hanks and Phil Biggs, even if engine reliability issues have risen with their Yamaha R1 engines. Valencia took its toll early on the usually reliable Hanks powerplant, with and engine failure in free practice on Friday. Returning to a standard engine configuration, the team were happy with fifth place, but are looking for more.

Dolf Hänni’s prediction before the Valencia event of “a top ten finish, maybe fifth or sixth”, was right on the money. Hänni races with Schlosser in 2002 who returns to Superside after a two-year absence. Schlosser, with limited four-stroke experience, dealt with the top ten with ease, and is expected on the podium within the first half of the season.


Roger Lovelock also made his return to the World Championship scene in Valencia, paired with World Championship rookie, Gary Yendell. The Diet Get Fit team scored seventh place, setting the scene for a very competitive season.

With Superside competition increasing in 2002, the Kyalami race is primed and ready to go. Webbo will look to return to the top of the leaderboard, whilst Klaffi will try out the 2002 Yamaka R1 with fuel injection, but don’t rule out privateer Steini or the championship leaders, Abbott and Biggs with their fire breathing Maxsym Yamaha.

The left-handed circuit, as with Valencia, means that chassis setup will be critical. But add in the hills and very fast sweeping corners of the Kyalami circuit, and the winner may come from those that make the best of the available rear rubber.

Wild Card Entries For The Japanese Grand Prix At Suzuka

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From a press release:

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix: wild-card riders

The wild-card riders who will race in the Japanese Grand Prix, scheduled on the circuit of Suzuka on April 7 next, are the following:

Number, Rider Name, Team

MotoGP Class

33 Akira Ryo (JPN – Suzuki) Telefonica Movistar Suzuki

72 Shinichi Itoh (JPN – Honda) HRC



250cc Class

48 Shinichi Nakatomi (JPN – Honda) Team Kotake RSC

49 Chojun Kameya (JPN – Honda) Burning Blood R.T.

50 Daisaku Sakai (JPN – Honda) Endurance/Toshio Asahi

89 Osamu Miyazaki (JPN – Yamaha) Motorex Daytona

92 Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN – Honda) Team Harc-Pro


125cc Class

65 Toshihisa Kuzuhara (JPN – Honda) Kumamoto Racing

66 Shuhei Aoyama (JPN – Honda) Showa Denk

67 Hideyuki Ogata (JPN – Honda) Team Plus One

68 Akira Komuro (JPN – Honda) Dinky Racing

46 Suhathai Chaemsap (THA – Honda) Sutthisarn Vaewsamana



Maximum number and nomination of wild-card riders:

125cc: 3 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 2 nominated by the FIM.

250cc: 3 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 1 nominated by MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers’ Association); 2 nominated by the FIM.

MotoGP: 1 nominated by MSMA, 1 nominated by the FIM/Dorna

– A compulsory briefing will be held for all riders who will be participating for the first time in the current Championship, at 17h00 on the day preceding the day scheduled for the first practice session.

The Formula Xtreme Season Starts At Fontana

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From an AMA press release:

LOCKHART PHILLIPS FORMULA XTREME KICKS OFF AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – The 2002 AMA Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme Series gets under way on Sunday, April 7, at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Formula Xtreme has grown steadily each year since its inception in 1997, and this season promises to be one of the best ever.

Honda owned the Formula Xtreme class for its first four years, but that changed last season when both Suzuki and Yamaha stepped up to halt the Honda juggernaut. John Hopkins and the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki team came away with the big prize, winning the 2001 championship. Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster led the series points chase the entire year until the penultimate round when his bike suffered a mechanical problem and he limped to the finish in 19th place. Hopkins and Buckmaster went into the final round last year tied in points and it was Hopkins finishing ahead of “Bucky” to earn the title by a single point.

Hopkins was hired by Red Bull Yamaha to contest the Moto Grand Prix World Championships leaving the No. 1 plate vacated. Buckmaster, again riding for Yamaha, is eager to make up for losing what he felt was his title this year. But the Australian will face an even deeper field this season.

While Hopkins is racing overseas, Valvoline EMGO Suzuki looks strong again this year with veterans Tom Kipp and Josh Hayes. Kipp was called out of semi-retirement last year to fill in for the injured Jason Pridmore on the Attack Suzuki team. Kipp showed little rust as the Ohioan went out and earned two podium finishes, including a victory at Mid-Ohio. Kipp is a three-time AMA 750 Supersport (now called Superstock) champion and brings a wealth of experience to the team. Hayes finished with four podium finishes in the Formula Xtreme last year and was ranked fifth in the final standings. The Mississippi rider is hoping a reunion with Valvoline EMGO Suzuki (the team he began his pro career with) will help him get back on the winning track.

Perhaps the favorite to win the 2002 Formula Xtreme title is 12-year pro Jason Pridmore on the Attack Suzuki. Pridmore, a former AMA 750 Supersport champ, looked to be the rider to beat in last year’s championship before he broke his leg while leading the Road Atlanta round. Pridmore was able to return to the series and was victorious in his comeback race at Pikes Peak International Raceway last August. If Pridmore can stay healthy he will certainly be a top contender. Attack Suzuki is going with a combination of experience and youth. Pridmore’s teammate is 17-year-old Ben Spies out of Longview, Texas. Spies is considered one of the most promising riders in AMA Pro Racing. He earned the prestigious AMA Horizon Award in 2000 as the AMA’s leading amateur racer and went on to record his first national win last year at Pikes Peak in the 750 Supersport class.

New to the series this year is Corona Extra Suzuki. The AMA championship winning team will be formidable with former Superbike riders Jordan Szoke and Steve Rapp.

Honda is bringing a new, more powerful CBR to the series this year in hopes of competing with the powerful Suzuki GSXR1000s and Yamaha’s R1. The company that won an astounding 34 out of 38 Formula Xtreme races in the first four years of the series, managed only one win last year with Jake Zemke at Brainerd, Minn. Honda is counting on its new CBR954RR and a combination of experienced and young and eager riders to get it back to winning on a regular basis.

Four-time class champion Erion Honda brings Mike Hale back to AMA Pro Racing fulltime for the first time in seven years. Hale left the U.S. series after 1995 to pursue the World Superbike and later the Moto GP championships. Hale left America a 22-year-old up-and-comer and returns to motorcycle racing after three years in auto racing. He is now 29 but could still pass for a high schooler and is ready to make up for lost time. Hale will be teamed with Roger Lee Hayden, the youngest of the three racing Hayden’s. Hayden, 18, was ranked eighth in Formula Xtreme last year.

Erion’s satellite squad Bruce Transportation Honda will feature Jake Zemke and Alex Gobert, who like Hayden, is just 18 and youngest of the three racing brothers. Zemke and Gobert will sport the distinctive yellow and black colors of Bruce Transportation on their CBR954RRs. Zemke is a proven winner in the class and Gobert is, well he’s a Gobert, which means he has a great racing pedigree.

It’s unclear when Alex’s older brother Aaron, who rides FX for Graves Yamaha, is expected to return to the series. Aaron was seriously injured in an accident at Daytona last month, but is making a quick recovery and hopes to return to the circuit as soon as allowed by his doctors.

For ticket information of the Yamaha Superbike Challenge contact California Speedway at (800) 944-7223 or visit the website at www.californiaspeedway.com.

AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for professional motorcycle sport in the United States.

Racer Mike Ciccotto Attracts New Sponsor

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From a press release, which oddly quotes the President of a company without naming him:

CICCOTTO TURNS GREEN

Mike Ciccotto would like to proudly announce a new partner in GREENS+®. A natural and nutritional supplement company that is experiencing phenomenal growth, GREENS+® is a natural fit to the sport of motorcycle road racing. A sport that requires high levels of mental and physical endurance, the athletes that compete need every edge they can get.

This is where GREENS+® comes in, by increasing energy levels, improving mental acuity, and helping professional athletes achieve peak performance. President & CEO of GREENS+® gives his thoughts on the partnership; “Mike is in top physical condition. I am proud to be involved in motorcycle racing; they’re great athletes. And I know Mike follows the GREENS+® lifestyle of proper nutrition, exercise, lots of water, and, of course, GREENS+®. Mike wants to direct his fellow athletes on the path to optimal health. That pleases me, and I’m very happy to be a sponsor.”

The relationship will see Mike wearing a GREENS+® patch on his leathers while he contests the 2002 AMA Buell Pro Thunder Championship and races select AMA Superstock rounds on his Buell Firebolt-based race bike. A bike that continues to be tuned by Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell (www.halspa.com).

“I’ve tried many supplements over the years, but my body has never responded to them like it has with GREENS+®. Unlike most supplements, it’s all natural. The stuff has just done wonders for me. I’ve gotten all of my friends into it and I’m such a believer in the product. Which is why I’m so excited about bringing them into the sport and having them on board for the racing season. I certainly look forward to a long relationship, because I’ll be using their products for life!”

Whether a motorcycle racer or just a race fan, the nutritional requirements of the body are the same. By delivering all natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in 29 herbicide and pesticide-free ingredients, GREENS+® fulfils the basic body need for fruits and vegetables. One serving of GREENS+® is as nutritionally dense as 3-4 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

For more information on how GREENS+® can improve the quality of your life, please visit www.GreensPlus.com


Young Gun Chris Peris Tests With Honda Canada, Receives Offer

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Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

WSMC 125cc Grand Prix Champion and Roadracing World “Young Gun” Chris Peris, 16, tested with the Honda Canada factory team March 30-31 at North Florida Motorsports Park in Jennings, Florida and has been tentatively offered a 600cc Sportbike ride for the 2002 Parts Canada Superbike Championship series.

“Basically, we put him on a 600,” said Honda Canada Team Manager Kevin Graham. “Very, very casual test. It wasn’t a tryout at all. We’ve just heard a lot good stuff about him, and we decided to bring him in and put him on one of our 600s, something that’s actually equivalent to what Steve Crevier won the Canadian (600cc Sportbike) Championship on last year, which is a FIM-spec CBR600F4i.

“We decided to bring him in, put him on the bike, no pressure, no stopwatches, just to see what he could do and get an idea for what his dad was like too. I’ve been talking to him on the phone a fair bit of time, but we wanted to see if he was like a ‘Hockey Dad’ or an easy-going guy. They were both great, very easy to work with.

“I feel like Chris has a lot of potential, not only in his initial speed, but just his maturity was fantastic. He did exactly what we asked him to do. He did a great job. It’s somebody that myself and the mechanics on the team felt that not only has potential but (is) someone that can add to the team. It’s worth us investing a little bit in as far as the development of a rider. So we’re in the process right now of putting a deal together for the rest of the season for him to compete in the 600cc Sportbike class.”

If the deal works out, Peris would become teammates with defending Canadian 600cc Sportbike and Superbike Champion Steve Crevier and defending Canadian Open Supersport Champion Frank Trombino. Crevier rides a RC51 Superbike and CBR600F4i. Trombino will ride a RC51 in the Superbike class and a CBR954RR in the Open Supersport races.

“So we have Frank (Trombino), Steve (Crevier) and Chris is kind of our future,” added Graham, the equivalent of American Honda’s Chuck Miller. “Basically, it’s an opportunity for him to learn. He’s got two great teammates to learn from, good equipment, no pressure. We just want to see what he can do, but we have a feeling that he’s going to progress rapidly. Hopefully, we can keep him in the country for another year.”

When asked what he thought of the new North Florida Motorsports Park, Graham exclaimed, “Fantastic! I think my riders are going to get spoiled testing there is the problem. We don’t have anything that smooth (in Canada). We have some nice tracks, like Mosport, but that track (North Florida Motorsports Park) is like a billiard table. I’d say it’s got to be the best track in North America for motorcycles. It’s perfectly flat, good pavement, good sight lines, complete run-off; there’s nothing to hit. You couldn’t ask for better.”

Roadracingworld.com was unable to reach Chris Peris, or his father Fernando, before post time.

Race Teams Preview This Weekend’s MotoGP Opener In Japan, And Kenny The Elder Hopes For Rain

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From press releases:


PROTON JOINS THE HISTORY MAKERS

A new era in motorcycle racing begins on Sunday – and Proton Team KR will be among those writing their name in the new chapter in the history books.

The occasion is the Japanese Grand Prix, where the new 990cc MotoGP four-strokes will be seen for the first time, for the first battle against the established 500cc two-strokes.

The Proton KR3 is defending the faith. The three-cylinder lightweight machine is a two-stroke – nimble, responsive, and highly polished over three generations of development. The new four-stroke machines are more powerful and have a higher top speed. But they are also heavier, and very new, with all the race-development still to be done.

The KR3’s nimble handling could be a crucial factor at the opening round. The Japanese GP is at the Suzuka circuit – long and fast, but also highly technical, with corner sets running one into the other. A machine that can hold a faithful cornering line can make up a lot through these sections, to compensate for a relative lack of speed on the track’s two straights.

Proton Team KR is the only truly independent team in the highest level of GP racing, and comes to the fray this year with two new riders, as well as a change in tyre supplier.

The riders are both experienced men – Jeremy McWilliams from Northern Ireland, and Japanese star Nobuatsu Aoki.

The tyres are Japanese Bridgestones, making their entry in the top class for the first time, after a full year of high-intensity testing. Aoki was one of two full-time test riders for the team.

The Japanese GP is the first of 16 rounds in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship, with the South African GP in two weeks time, before the start of the European season.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS – SHORTER IS SWEETER
“It seems this is a track where the Bridgestones work well – especially if there is some temperature, so I’m hoping the race will be warm. I’ve already gone faster than last year’s qualifying time, and though it’s a bit off-putting to see the four-strokes setting such fast times, there’s still the question of tyre life, and how many laps they can run at those speeds. I’ve changed the bike a fair bit since my first ride – I’m using a shorter chassis, which turns quicker. It works well through the first section of the track here, through the Esses, which is where we’ll be looking to make up the most time.”

NOBUATSU AOKI – TURNING FOR THE BETTER
“The testing here went pretty well – though I made a couple of mistakes when I was going for a fast lap, and I was a little off my target. I did a lot of testing with the 17-inch rear Bridgestone, which turns better than the 16.5. It worked well, but because of trying different tyres I didn’t have a chance to work on chassis settings to solve some chattering problems. I’ll concentrate on that during qualifying. The KR3 can run with the four-cylinder two-strokes, so I am quite optimistic for the race.”

KENNY ROBERTS – TEAM OWNER
“I hope it rains like hell – I think our tyres could be an advantage if it does, and our bike works well in the wet. The odds will be better in the wet. Either way, we picked a good tyre during testing. The main thing for us is to get out bike better than it was last year – that’s the progress we’re aiming for.”



HONDA RACING NEWS

2002 MotoGP 500 World Championship, round 1
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
April 5/6/7 2002

ROSSI LEADS FOUR-STROKE CHARGE AT SUZUKA

This weekend motorcycle GP racing speeds into its new four-stroke era at Suzuka, where the Japanese Grand Prix opens the 16-race 2002 MotoGP World Championship which throws 990cc four-strokes into battle with 500cc two-strokes. It is perhaps fitting that the figure-of-eight circuit should be chosen to lift the curtain on this exciting new period in racing, for Suzuka first opened four decades ago in 1962, when the dominant four-strokes were locked in combat with a growing threat from the two-strokes.

The ultra-challenging track was constructed at the command of Honda founder Soichiro Honda, so success at this venue is of huge importance to the Honda Motor Company. Last year’s Japanese GP at Suzuka was possibly the factory’s greatest moment in more than 50 years of motorcycling success. Honda riders won all three GPs – 125, 250 and 500 – with Valentino Rossi taking victory in the premier class to score the marque’s 500th Grand Prix success. This was the first of Rossi’s 11 victories during 2001 which gave him the last-ever 500 crown. Now the sublimely talented Italian returns to Suzuka aboard his all-new four-stroke MotoGP bike, the awesome RC211V, aiming to begin the new era as he ended the last, with victory.

Rossi’s winter testing form has been phenomenal. He has shattered lap records wherever he’s tested, from Sepang in Malaysia, to Valencia in Spain and at Suzuka, where he topped a group teams’ test session last weekend. The 23-year old is already firm favourite for the 2002 MotoGP crown but he warns against over-optimism.

“Some people say I’ve already won the championship but I’m not so sure,” says Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V). “The Italian media give me a lot of pressure and (Loris) Capirossi and (Max) Biaggi also say I’ve already won it, they say only I can lose this championship. I’ll give 100 per cent to try to win and I’m sure the others will give 110 per cent to beat me.

“But the RCV is incredible. The first time I tested it at Suzuka last July we found quite a few problems, the second time at Jerez last November it wasn’t so good, but we made a good test. I’m good at understanding what I want from the bike and HRC are very good at giving me what I want. Since the Jerez tests everything has basically changed: the engine character, all the electronic parts, the cowling, the seat, it’s a new bike.”

Last Sunday Rossi recorded the quickest-ever motorcycle lap at Suzuka, at 2:04.343s, leading a Honda one-two-three. Second fastest was team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V), underlying the V5’s stunning performance, with reigning 250 World Champion Daijiro Katoh (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500) third on his NSR500 two-stroke.

“We set some good lap times during the tests,” Rossi adds. “And we tested many things to find good set-up solutions for the race. We worked very hard and are finally satisfied with the development of the bike. Now we have three days rest and we’re anxious to see what will happen next Sunday when the two-strokes and four-strokes race together for the first time.”

Although he’ll be doing his best to relax before next weekend, Rossi will spend one day in Honda’s wind-tunnel facility, evaluating the RCV’s aerodynamics, along with Ukawa, who is also deeply impressed with Honda’s first four-stroke bike in two decades.

“The RCV was very fast right from the start, but we had to work to improve drivability out of the corners,” says the former 250 GP winner. “The bike is definitely my favourite machine, it’s better than the two-stroke because it’s got flatter power and torque curves, so it’s easier on the gas. The regulations demand the four-strokes to be 15 kilos heavier than the 500, so you get a little snaking into corners and you carry less corner speed.

“This year is going to be very interesting, I hope to fight with Rossi for the World Championship. Last time I fought with him was in ’99 when we were contesting the 250 World Championship. That year I was with Honda and he
was with Aprilia and he won the title. This year I’ve got the same bike and the same team, so there can be no excuses for me. I’m looking forward to a good battle with him!

“I can’t wait for the Suzuka race. The circuit has changed a little this year. They’ve changed Dunlop curve to make it safer, the corner is now tighter and slower, but I think that lap times are faster because the track is around 30 metres shorter.”

While Rossi and Ukawa focus on developing the all-new RCV, Katoh has quickly got to grips with the latest version of Honda’s NSR500, the most successful bike in 500 GP history. During recent private HRC tests at Suzuka he was a fraction faster than Rossi, at 2:04.40s, and is widely expected to be the quickest 500 rider when he makes his MotoGP debut on Sunday.

“This NSR500 still has great potential,” he says. “I’m learning about the machine and although it’s not an easy job, I feel pretty confident. During last weekend’s tests we tried new solutions for the suspension and chassis and we know which direction to work in for the race.”

Four other riders use NSR500s in this year’s MotoGP series and all are keen to get the season underway. Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), who finished third in last year’s 500 series, has also been very fast in pre-season tests. “Winter tests have shown we still have a good chance with the 500, especially at some tracks,” says the Italian. “My Suzuka lap times improved during last weekend’s tests and I got close to the leaders. Now I’m looking forward to the start of the World Championship, because racing is much more fun than testing!”

Team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) has been more circumspect in testing, concentrating on perfecting settings rather than going for ultra-quick lap times. “We’ve been looking at various aspects of machine performance, working in different directions to test different solutions,” says the veteran Brazilian, who made his GP debut way back in 1986. “Suzuka is going to be a very interesting race, I think everyone is looking forward to the weekend; I just hope the weather is okay.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) and Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) will also be on the grid at Suzuka next weekend, along with HRC test rider Shinichi Itoh.

Itoh, a former All Japan Superbike Champion and 500 grand prix rider, will race an RCV in HRC colours on Sunday. The Japanese star has been on the pace in testing, setting top ten times at the recent IRTA test at Suzuka.

In the 250 class Honda’s two NSR250-mounted title challengers are Emilio Alzamora (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) and Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250). Alzamora, who returned to the 250 class last year after winning the 1999 125 title, has high hopes of challenging for the 250 crown. “We are in good shape for the new season and the bike is great,” says Alzamora. “Suzuka will be difficult as always, mainly because there will be many wild card riders there. But we’ll do our best and go on to the next races, determined to score consistent finishes at every race. That is the secret to winning a world title.”

Rolfo, who rode a privateer Aprilia in 2001, has spent the winter acquainting himself with his user-friendly NSR. “The bike is very different to what I’m used to but I really like it,” says the young Italian. “The first races are going to be very interesting. Suzuka is very important though my focus is the full season. I can’t wait to get started.”

Honda-mounted wild card entries in the Suzuka 250 GP are Shinichi Nakatomi, Chojun Kameya, Daisaku Sakai and Hiroshi Aoyama.

Sunday’s Japanese GP will commence with the 125 race, won last year by Masao Azuma (Liégeois Competition Honda RS125) who hopes to begin another strong title challenge on home tarmac. Azuma is joined on Honda machinery by Spanish teenage sensations Daniel Pedrosa and Joan Olive (MoviStar Junior Team) and many others.

After Sunday’s racing the GP circus packs up and heads to South Africa for the Welkom GP on April 21. The long European season begins at Jerez, in
Spain, on May 5. The 2002 campaign ends in Spain, at Valencia, on November 3.



Kanemoto Racing

SUZUKA HOSTS A NEW TEAM AT THE START OF A NEW ERA

Sunday 7 April 2002 will mark an historic date in motorcycle racing, as the Japanese Grand Prix lifts the lid on the start of the most eagerly awaited season in grand prix history. The Suzuka race also marks the welcome return of Kanemoto Racing, under the direction of Erv Kanemoto with the proven Dutch rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh at the helm of the factory Honda NSR500.

The unique figure of eight, 5.821kms circuit will inaugurate the start of the most unpredictable season in 50 years. For the first time ever, 990cc four-stroke machines will be allowed to compete against the all-conquering 500cc two-strokes in the 16 round championship battle.

Van den Goorbergh is set for the fray aboard his first factory machine ride and determined to make the most of the opportunity. The 32-year-old former 250cc and 500cc Privateer Champion has been rewarded for all his hard work and determination during an 11-year grand prix career and he is delighted with the opportunity to join Erv Kanemoto’s new team.

“This is a great opportunity for me and it will be so good to start the season on the Honda NSR at Suzuka, heart of the Honda organisation, on a machine which is performing so well. The NSR is giving me more power than I’ve ever had before I must now make sure I can use that power to our absolute advantage.”

Kanemoto’s Technical and Management pedigree is unrivalled, having clinched seven world championship titles and a staggering 64 grand prix victories, in a 21-year career in the most demanding of world sporting arenas. Kanemoto built up his reputation as a top tuner in the United States before coming to Europe to work for former world champion Barry Sheene in 1981. Since then he has masterminded world championship titles for; Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Luca Cadalora and Max Biaggi and also worked with world champions Wayne Gardner and John Kocinski.

The Team returns after a two-year racing absence during which time they were involved in tyre development and testing for Bridgestone, a partnership that continues into the 2002 season.

“It’s great to be starting with such a competitive package we have the opportunity to combine the well-proven Honda NSR with the experience of Jurgen, who has really shown his potential over recent years. We are also very excited to be riding on Bridgestone tyres, after working on testing programmes with them last year and seeing first-hand their commitment to the development of racing.” Explained Team Owner and Manager Erv Kanemoto.

The combination of Kanemoto and Van den Goorbergh is set to give the new four-strokes a tough time in what promises to be a superb opening season to the all-new, renamed MotoGP World Championship.


SUZUKA FACT FILE
Suzuka has hosted the Japanese Grand Prix every year from 1987, apart from 1999. Circuit reduced in length this year by 38.13m with the alterations to the Dunlop curve. The slope on the sweeping uphill left-hander has been moderated improving visibility into the corner. The corner has also been shifted further to the left, allowing run off area on outside to be increased.

Length: 5.821kms
Width: 15m
Direction: Clockwise
Pole position: left
Right corners: 11
Left corners: 9
Longest straight: 1.200m
Constructed: 1961
Modified: 2002

Lap Record (old circuit): Tohru Ukawa Jpn (Honda), 2:06.805 – 166.337kmh
8/4/01.

2001 Pole-setting lap (old circuit): Loris Capirossi ITA (West Honda Pons) 2:04.777.

2001 500cc Race Winner (old circuit): Valentino Rossi ITA (Honda) 44:51.501, 164.570kmh.

Updated Post: Spies, Tommy Hayden, Caylor, Howard Qualify On Front Row For AMA Superstock Race At Fontana

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Timing And Scoring Snafus, Red Flag Delay Plague Second Superstock Qualifying Session At Fontana

The standing water on the road course at California Speedway–caused when the sprinkler system was left on Thursday–and the resulting delay in starting practice came back to hinder the poor souls in the second Superstock qualifying session, for even-numbered bikes, late Friday afternoon.

The session was red-flagged due to a three-bike pile-up and barely restarted and finished before all daylight was lost.

Then a timing and scoring problem deleted the fastest times turned by Tommy Hayden and Chris Ulrich, who were first and second-fastest in the second session, demoting them to fourth and 19th fastest overall, respectively.

Timing and scoring officials quickly issued a revised second session timing sheet when the error was pointed out by roadracingworld.com, but combined sheets with the incorrect times were still being circulated in the press room.

Ulrich’s session ended early when his bike’s shift lever broke off on a curb. Defending Champion Jimmy Moore had a shock blow out in Superbike qualifying; he missed the odd-numbered session and got special AMA permission to qualify in the even-numbered session, a situation reporters couldn’t remember happening before.

AMA officials later said that they typically allow riders who miss the first qualifying session due to mechanical problems to qualify in the second session, although riders who are scheduled to qualify in the second session and miss it are just out of luck.

The session was headed by riders on Supersport bikes, using the 750cc class for extra practice.

The correct combined times follow:

1. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:28.987
2. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.193
3. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.821
4. Ty Howard, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.928
5. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.178
6. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.470
7. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.483
8. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.559
9. Jason DiSalvo, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.562
10. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.615
11. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.641
12. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.850
13. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.061
14. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.235
15. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.575
16. Michael Hannas, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.593
17. Brian Parriott, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.593
18. Robert Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.647
19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.663
20. Jeremy Toye, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.689
21. Shawn Conrad, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.741
22. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.038
23. Brian Livengood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.532
24. Owen Richey, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.573
25. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.047
26. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.224
27. Takahiro “Tiger” Sohwa, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:33.228
28. Phillip Herrin, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.250
29. Mark Ledesma, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:33.389
30. Troy Green, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.394
31. Randell Mennenga, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.621
32. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.651
33. Rob Christman, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.665
34. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.670
35. Scott Simpson, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:34.070
36. Robert Underwood, 1:34.078
37. Aaron Clark, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.408
38. Dr. Jeff Purk, DDS, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.408
39. Giovanni Rojas, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.426
40. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.742


First-year Expert Matt Hartlieb crashed during the odd-numbered Superstock qualifying session. According to a preliminary medical report issued by California Speedway, Hartlieb was transported to San Antonio Community Hospital for X-rays of his left wrist.

Greg Esser crashed his Honda RS250 in Friday afternoon’s 250cc Grand Prix practice session at California Speedway. According to a preliminary medical report issued by the track, Esser was flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center as a precautionary measure.

News And Notes From Thursday At California Speedway



Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Pascal Picotte On A Mission On Michelins

Austin/Bleu Bayou Ducati Racing’s Pascal Picotte will race his new 2001-spec Ducati 996RS on Michelin tires with motors built by Advanced Motor Sports’ Jeff Nash at California Speedway, confirmed Team Manager/Crew Chief/Truck Driver Lance Baker Thursday afternoon in his team’s garage at the Fontana, California track. With a smile of pride on his face, Baker described the hectic 11 days that brought him and Picotte to the Yamaha Superbike Challenge.

“On Monday (March 25), I got the word that the deal was done,” said Baker. “Tuesday (March 26), I flew up to Wisconsin and picked the bikes up from the HMC shop. I got back to Texas Thursday (March 28), dropped the bikes at AMS, pulled the motors and then went back to Austin. This past Tuesday (April 2), I went back to AMS, put the motors back in the bikes and started driving to California.

“A lot of things happened at the same time to get us where we are today.”

Baker said that both Ducati North America and Ducati Corse in Italy contributed to making the acquisition of the bikes happen, saying, “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here.” Baker then confirmed that his team had just finished a tire deal with Michelin’s Ron Wood, and that plans were already in the works to receive update kits from Ducati Corse that would bring the 2001 bikes up to current 2002 998RS Testastretta specification. The Austin/Bleu Bayou team expects to have the updates complete by the Sears Point round of the series.

In the meantime, the smile Picotte wore through off-season testing was replaced by a look of determination. “I’m going to kick some ass,” said the seasoned French-Canadian. “No, I mainly just want to score some points. We just put the bikes and the team together in a couple of days. We’re basically starting from scratch. I’m still new to the Ducati. I know the 2002 bike will be better when we build it, but I’m glad to be here for the double-header. I just want to score some good points in each race, have some time to build the new bikes and maybe test once before Sears.

“Riding on the Michelins is gonna be a learning curve, but in the long-term it could pay off. By going to a different tire brand we may be able to get an advantage.”

Picotte took care to point out that he wouldn’t be able to race at Fontana if it weren’t for the opportunity presented by team owner Terry Gregricka, Baker, race engineer Tom Bodenbach, mechanic John Rawls and friend Paul Fournier. Baker worked with Picotte on the Muzzy Kawasaki Superbike in 1995, and Picotte worked with Bodenbach for four years on the Gemini VR1000 Harley-Davidson team.

Picotte ended the conversation by saying, “I’ll definitely be on a mission to beat those guys (HMC).”

In other news Thursday, the American Honda Superbikes of Nicky Hayden and Miguel Duhamel were being fitted with new bodywork, freshly painted to go along with a co-promotion of Universal Studios’ “The Skorpian King” feature film.

In addition to racing his Corbin Kawasaki ZX-6R in Supersport, 2001 AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Jimmy Filice will run the Number One plate on a 2000-model Yamaha TZ250 with help from Bruce Lind and James Siddall. When asked why, Filice said, “I don’t know how many more times I’m gonna get to run a #1 plate. We’re a little behind with our 600 program and a good result would help out.”

Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki team coordinator Rich Doan will serve as Jamie Hacking’s chassis tuner at California Speedway due to a newly-hired crew member quitting the Suzuki squad shortly after last week’s test at Laguna Seca. With Crew Chief Tom Houseworth at his side, Hacking said that he had confidence in Doan’s ability to get the job done.

Anthony Gobert On Provisional Superbike Pole At California Speedway

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Session One Superbike Qualifying Times:

1. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:25.250
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:25.628
3. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:26.007
4. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:26.127
5. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:26.141
6. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:26.465
7. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:26.659
8. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:27.423
9. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.438
10. Pascal Picotte, Ducati 996RS, 1:27.631
11. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.616*
12. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.703*
13. Owen Richey, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.384*
14. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.441*
15. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.502*
16. Vincent Haskovec, Ducati 748, 1:31.809
17. Brian Parriott, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.957*
18. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.991
19. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.368*
20. Robert Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.436*
*Superstock bike

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts crashed his RC51 Superbike late in the session and was transported to Loma Linda University Hospital and Medical Center to have his right knee and left ankle X-rayed.

More information from a press release from HMC Ducati: 

Qualifying Report 

AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Round 2
Date April 5, 2002
Circuit Fontana International Speedway, California

Cold winds brought temperatures way down to the 60s for the first qualifying session of the AMA Superbike’s second round at Fontana Speedway. HMC Ducati rider Doug Chandler finished the session in eighth position; his first day riding on the California circuit. Chandler was one of the few riders who didn’t test here pre-season.

“It’s not bad for the first day”, said Chandler. “The track’s not as easy to learn as I expected. The last half is okay but the first half has some difficult corners, they’re not blind but I can’t see the apex of the corner. Of course this will improve with more laps. I chased Yates to try and learn his lines and let Anthony [Gobert] by to take a look at his lines but ran out of time. Tomorrow I’ll fall in with a couple of the guys and see what I can learn.

“The bike feels good but there are changes we need to make. These will be easier once I get up to speed. We’re going to have to push tomorrow in the practice session before the race.”

Doug’s long time crew chief, Gary Medley, is happy with Doug’s performance today and had nothing but praise for the rider, team and bike.
“Everything’s going good,” smiled Medley. “Doug is doing fantastic for the first time here. We have a few corners to sort out and a few slight changes to make, but I know we’ll be ready for tomorrow’s race. We made very few adjustments to the bike today, but that may change tomorrow as Doug gets faster.”

The weather forecast is for warmer weather for tomorrow’s final qualifying and first race.

Even more information from an American Honda press release:
Honda Racing Goes Hollywood
Honda Racing and Universal Studios Consumer Products Group present The Scorpion King
(Torrance, CA) Honda Racing and primary team sponsor, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group (USCPG), will showcase the upcoming
action-adventure film, The Scorpion King, with special motorcycle and rider graphics. Universal Pictures’ action-adventure The Scorpion King, starring World Wrestling Federation® Superstar The Rock will be released in theaters nationwide on April 19, 2002.

Team Honda’s Nicky Hayden, Miguel Duhamel and Ricky Carmichael will join in The Scorpion King excitement. Hayden and Duhamel will have specially
designed leathers and RC51’s (emblazoned with gold scorpions) at Round 2 of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship at California Motor Speedway in Fontana, California on April 6-7. Red Rider Ricky Carmichael will debut his Scorpion King attire and specially designed bike graphics at Round 14 of the AMA/EA Sports Supercross in Irving, Texas on April 20th.

The innovative, feature-length motion picture and motorsports promotion is one of several collaborations resulting from American Honda’s multi-year partnership with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, who represent the merchandising and promotional rights to the Honda Racing Team riders, including jointly developed designs, such as The Scorpion King Honda Racing
promotion. Announced in November 2000, the sponsorship agreement also features Universal Studios’ animated character Woody Woodpecker as Team Mascot for both the Honda Motocross Racing Team and the Honda Road Racing Team.

The Scorpion King film, a spin-off of The Mummy series, is based on the character first introduced by The Rock in the 2001 film The Mummy Returns. Co-starring Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”), Kelly Hu, Steven Brand and Peter Facinelli, the exciting action-adventure was written by Stephen Sommers and Will Osborne and David Hayter, from a story by Jonathan Hales and Stephen Sommers with Chuck Russell (The Mask, Eraser) directing. James Jacks, Sean Daniel, Stephen Sommers and Kevin Misher are the producers with Vince McMahon serving as executive producer.

About Honda

American Honda Motor Co. Inc. is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, ATVs and scooters in the United States. American Honda’s Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through approximately 1200 Honda authorized dealers. Further information about Honda products, racing teams, programs and dealer
locations is available at the Honda Web site at http://www.honda.com/.

About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, part of Universal Pictures Franchise Development is a division of Universal Pictures. Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com) is a part of CANAL+, the TV and Film division of Vivendi Universal, a new global leader in media and communications.

Did You Know They Road Race In Alaska?



Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The Farthest North Racing Alliance is a grassroots club of 40-60 riders who race in Tanacross, Alaska in the southern part of the 49th state. According to Derek Bloom, the FNRA #3 plate holder for 2001, the group converges on an abandoned military air base, (which they dubbed Tanacross Raceway), four times a year to hold motorcycle road races.

“It’s about 250 miles away from everybody,” said Bloom, in a telephone call to Roadracingworld.com. “So we all go down there on Friday and set up the course. We put marks on the tarmac as to where the cones go. We use orange cones to mark the outside of the course and green cones to mark the inside. So when you’re riding, you look for the green cones.

“We race from nine in the morning until about seven at night, because it never really gets dark up here at night in the summer. The temperature can get up to the 90s in July and it usually only drops to the 60s at night. So the weather is usually pretty good. I think we’ve only been rained out once or twice in the last few years.

“The track is 3.5 miles with 36 turns. It’s actually pretty technical and safe. If you run off, you run off into miles of nothing.” One of the “handful” of Alaskan racer to ever venture outside of the state for racing, Bloom has also raced at Willow Springs, Firebird International Raceway and most recently at California Speedway.

The FNRA usually runs a 30-minute solo endurance, winner-take-all, dash-for-cash race on Saturdays followed by sprints on Sunday. “The classes are pretty much run-whatcha-brung,” said Bloom. “We have guys with Yamaha R1s and R6s, Suzuki GSX-Rs, a couple of Yamaha TZ250s and even a few old RD350s.”

Classes for Sunday sprints are 0-to-500cc, 501–650cc and 651-Open with Experts starting in the first wave followed by a second wave of Novices. Races are only three laps long.

“It’s starting to get more competitive,” said Bloom, who had returned to his home in Fairbanks, Alaska following a racing trip to last weekend’s FTA race in Fontana, California. “The core group of 15-20 guys are really starting to pay attention to how well they do. Plus we’ve been advertising a little and drawing in some G.I.’s from the military bases up here.”

For more information about the Farthest North Racing Alliance, call Derek Bloom at (907) 474 –9118, FAX (907) 474-0016 or go to www.angelfire.com/ak5/tanacross.

Farthest North Racing Alliance Race Series 2002 Schedule
6/8-9 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK
6/29-30 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK
7/27-28 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK
8/17-18 Tanacross Raceway, Tanacross, AK

Superside World Championship South Africa Preview

From a press release:

Superside returns to South Africa

Two new names lead the Superside World Championship into its second round at Kyalami, relegating 2001 World Champions, Klaffenböck and Parzer third in the standings with eight times World Champion, Webster and Woodhead down in eleventh place.

Experience and cunning came together with luck at the Ricardo Tormo circuit at Valencia, with the wily Steve Abbott from Derbyshire, England coming out on top to take only his fourth win in twenty years of World Championship racing.

With backing from high performance engine developers, Maxsym, Abbott and Biggs, powered by their 1120cc Yamaha FZR based engine, held on for the win after Webster and Woodhead, who had dominated the race from the outset, slowed with their Suzuki powered machine running on only two cylinders.

Abbott topped the time sheets from the outset, leading fellow Brits, Hanks and Biggs, who now also run a Windle chassis, by a second in the first track session. The second session saw them lead the hard charging Steinhausen and Hopkinson by a second. World Champions, Klaffenböck and Parzer, came through the pack in the final timed session but couldn’t get within a second of the spectacular Abbott and Biggs.

“Mr Superpole”, Steve Webster, then reordered the grid, lapping an amazing three and a half seconds quicker than anyone else in Superpole on the single flying lap using liveonscreen.com Racing teammate Muldoon’s spare engine.

Webster and Woodhead had only completed a total of eight laps during practice and qualifying, as Webster missed the compulsory rider briefing on Thursday night, which automatically ruled them out of the first untimed practice. The next two timed sessions saw engine troubles for the Suzuki Great Britain-backed pairing.

When the race started on Sunday afternoon, Webbo streaked into the lead on the second lap and dominated until the 16th lap, when engine problems saw him dropping back down through he field. “Our engine cases cracked, so the screw that holds the ignition pick-up in place dropped out,” admitted Webbo.

“It’s a problem we’ve had before, but we know what we need to do so we just have to go home and do some work. We managed to keep going and finished eleventh and got some points. At the end of the year those points may mean the difference between winning and losing.”

Returning as privateers in 2002, passionate German Champion, Jörg Steinhausen teamed again with Englishman Trevor Hopkinson to take a strong second place at Valencia.

Without sponsorship, the Steinhausen Racing team have been doing it tough, only testing briefly at Oschersleben prior to the season opener at Valencia. Using last year’s LCR chassis and the same “freshened up”, Suzuki GSXR1200 engines, the refreshed Steini has recovered from the back problems that plagued his 2001 season.

World Champions, Klaus Klaffenböck and Christian Parzer, had their first real session under Yamaha power, albeit on the 2001 model engine.

“We are using a 2001 Yamaha R1 engine and are a little short on power,” said Klaffi. “It’s not top speed that we are lacking but the power to drive out of corners. But we hope to get a 2002 R1 engine with fuel injection soon.”

Stuart Muldoon, a new signing for liveonscreen.com Racing, finished a creditable fourth in his first outing with Suzuki power and passenger Andy Peach. The hard charging Scot should be a regular on the podium in 2002 and with his improved fitness, is one to watch at Kyalami.

The change from LCR to Windle chassis has been good for Tom Hanks and Phil Biggs, even if engine reliability issues have risen with their Yamaha R1 engines. Valencia took its toll early on the usually reliable Hanks powerplant, with and engine failure in free practice on Friday. Returning to a standard engine configuration, the team were happy with fifth place, but are looking for more.

Dolf Hänni’s prediction before the Valencia event of “a top ten finish, maybe fifth or sixth”, was right on the money. Hänni races with Schlosser in 2002 who returns to Superside after a two-year absence. Schlosser, with limited four-stroke experience, dealt with the top ten with ease, and is expected on the podium within the first half of the season.


Roger Lovelock also made his return to the World Championship scene in Valencia, paired with World Championship rookie, Gary Yendell. The Diet Get Fit team scored seventh place, setting the scene for a very competitive season.

With Superside competition increasing in 2002, the Kyalami race is primed and ready to go. Webbo will look to return to the top of the leaderboard, whilst Klaffi will try out the 2002 Yamaka R1 with fuel injection, but don’t rule out privateer Steini or the championship leaders, Abbott and Biggs with their fire breathing Maxsym Yamaha.

The left-handed circuit, as with Valencia, means that chassis setup will be critical. But add in the hills and very fast sweeping corners of the Kyalami circuit, and the winner may come from those that make the best of the available rear rubber.

Wild Card Entries For The Japanese Grand Prix At Suzuka


From a press release:

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix: wild-card riders

The wild-card riders who will race in the Japanese Grand Prix, scheduled on the circuit of Suzuka on April 7 next, are the following:

Number, Rider Name, Team

MotoGP Class

33 Akira Ryo (JPN – Suzuki) Telefonica Movistar Suzuki

72 Shinichi Itoh (JPN – Honda) HRC



250cc Class

48 Shinichi Nakatomi (JPN – Honda) Team Kotake RSC

49 Chojun Kameya (JPN – Honda) Burning Blood R.T.

50 Daisaku Sakai (JPN – Honda) Endurance/Toshio Asahi

89 Osamu Miyazaki (JPN – Yamaha) Motorex Daytona

92 Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN – Honda) Team Harc-Pro


125cc Class

65 Toshihisa Kuzuhara (JPN – Honda) Kumamoto Racing

66 Shuhei Aoyama (JPN – Honda) Showa Denk

67 Hideyuki Ogata (JPN – Honda) Team Plus One

68 Akira Komuro (JPN – Honda) Dinky Racing

46 Suhathai Chaemsap (THA – Honda) Sutthisarn Vaewsamana



Maximum number and nomination of wild-card riders:

125cc: 3 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 2 nominated by the FIM.

250cc: 3 nominated by the FMNR (Organising Federation); 1 nominated by MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers’ Association); 2 nominated by the FIM.

MotoGP: 1 nominated by MSMA, 1 nominated by the FIM/Dorna

– A compulsory briefing will be held for all riders who will be participating for the first time in the current Championship, at 17h00 on the day preceding the day scheduled for the first practice session.

The Formula Xtreme Season Starts At Fontana

From an AMA press release:

LOCKHART PHILLIPS FORMULA XTREME KICKS OFF AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – The 2002 AMA Lockhart Phillips Formula Xtreme Series gets under way on Sunday, April 7, at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Formula Xtreme has grown steadily each year since its inception in 1997, and this season promises to be one of the best ever.

Honda owned the Formula Xtreme class for its first four years, but that changed last season when both Suzuki and Yamaha stepped up to halt the Honda juggernaut. John Hopkins and the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki team came away with the big prize, winning the 2001 championship. Graves Motorsports Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster led the series points chase the entire year until the penultimate round when his bike suffered a mechanical problem and he limped to the finish in 19th place. Hopkins and Buckmaster went into the final round last year tied in points and it was Hopkins finishing ahead of “Bucky” to earn the title by a single point.

Hopkins was hired by Red Bull Yamaha to contest the Moto Grand Prix World Championships leaving the No. 1 plate vacated. Buckmaster, again riding for Yamaha, is eager to make up for losing what he felt was his title this year. But the Australian will face an even deeper field this season.

While Hopkins is racing overseas, Valvoline EMGO Suzuki looks strong again this year with veterans Tom Kipp and Josh Hayes. Kipp was called out of semi-retirement last year to fill in for the injured Jason Pridmore on the Attack Suzuki team. Kipp showed little rust as the Ohioan went out and earned two podium finishes, including a victory at Mid-Ohio. Kipp is a three-time AMA 750 Supersport (now called Superstock) champion and brings a wealth of experience to the team. Hayes finished with four podium finishes in the Formula Xtreme last year and was ranked fifth in the final standings. The Mississippi rider is hoping a reunion with Valvoline EMGO Suzuki (the team he began his pro career with) will help him get back on the winning track.

Perhaps the favorite to win the 2002 Formula Xtreme title is 12-year pro Jason Pridmore on the Attack Suzuki. Pridmore, a former AMA 750 Supersport champ, looked to be the rider to beat in last year’s championship before he broke his leg while leading the Road Atlanta round. Pridmore was able to return to the series and was victorious in his comeback race at Pikes Peak International Raceway last August. If Pridmore can stay healthy he will certainly be a top contender. Attack Suzuki is going with a combination of experience and youth. Pridmore’s teammate is 17-year-old Ben Spies out of Longview, Texas. Spies is considered one of the most promising riders in AMA Pro Racing. He earned the prestigious AMA Horizon Award in 2000 as the AMA’s leading amateur racer and went on to record his first national win last year at Pikes Peak in the 750 Supersport class.

New to the series this year is Corona Extra Suzuki. The AMA championship winning team will be formidable with former Superbike riders Jordan Szoke and Steve Rapp.

Honda is bringing a new, more powerful CBR to the series this year in hopes of competing with the powerful Suzuki GSXR1000s and Yamaha’s R1. The company that won an astounding 34 out of 38 Formula Xtreme races in the first four years of the series, managed only one win last year with Jake Zemke at Brainerd, Minn. Honda is counting on its new CBR954RR and a combination of experienced and young and eager riders to get it back to winning on a regular basis.

Four-time class champion Erion Honda brings Mike Hale back to AMA Pro Racing fulltime for the first time in seven years. Hale left the U.S. series after 1995 to pursue the World Superbike and later the Moto GP championships. Hale left America a 22-year-old up-and-comer and returns to motorcycle racing after three years in auto racing. He is now 29 but could still pass for a high schooler and is ready to make up for lost time. Hale will be teamed with Roger Lee Hayden, the youngest of the three racing Hayden’s. Hayden, 18, was ranked eighth in Formula Xtreme last year.

Erion’s satellite squad Bruce Transportation Honda will feature Jake Zemke and Alex Gobert, who like Hayden, is just 18 and youngest of the three racing brothers. Zemke and Gobert will sport the distinctive yellow and black colors of Bruce Transportation on their CBR954RRs. Zemke is a proven winner in the class and Gobert is, well he’s a Gobert, which means he has a great racing pedigree.

It’s unclear when Alex’s older brother Aaron, who rides FX for Graves Yamaha, is expected to return to the series. Aaron was seriously injured in an accident at Daytona last month, but is making a quick recovery and hopes to return to the circuit as soon as allowed by his doctors.

For ticket information of the Yamaha Superbike Challenge contact California Speedway at (800) 944-7223 or visit the website at www.californiaspeedway.com.

AMA Pro Racing is the leading sanctioning body for professional motorcycle sport in the United States.

Racer Mike Ciccotto Attracts New Sponsor

From a press release, which oddly quotes the President of a company without naming him:

CICCOTTO TURNS GREEN

Mike Ciccotto would like to proudly announce a new partner in GREENS+®. A natural and nutritional supplement company that is experiencing phenomenal growth, GREENS+® is a natural fit to the sport of motorcycle road racing. A sport that requires high levels of mental and physical endurance, the athletes that compete need every edge they can get.

This is where GREENS+® comes in, by increasing energy levels, improving mental acuity, and helping professional athletes achieve peak performance. President & CEO of GREENS+® gives his thoughts on the partnership; “Mike is in top physical condition. I am proud to be involved in motorcycle racing; they’re great athletes. And I know Mike follows the GREENS+® lifestyle of proper nutrition, exercise, lots of water, and, of course, GREENS+®. Mike wants to direct his fellow athletes on the path to optimal health. That pleases me, and I’m very happy to be a sponsor.”

The relationship will see Mike wearing a GREENS+® patch on his leathers while he contests the 2002 AMA Buell Pro Thunder Championship and races select AMA Superstock rounds on his Buell Firebolt-based race bike. A bike that continues to be tuned by Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell (www.halspa.com).

“I’ve tried many supplements over the years, but my body has never responded to them like it has with GREENS+®. Unlike most supplements, it’s all natural. The stuff has just done wonders for me. I’ve gotten all of my friends into it and I’m such a believer in the product. Which is why I’m so excited about bringing them into the sport and having them on board for the racing season. I certainly look forward to a long relationship, because I’ll be using their products for life!”

Whether a motorcycle racer or just a race fan, the nutritional requirements of the body are the same. By delivering all natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in 29 herbicide and pesticide-free ingredients, GREENS+® fulfils the basic body need for fruits and vegetables. One serving of GREENS+® is as nutritionally dense as 3-4 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

For more information on how GREENS+® can improve the quality of your life, please visit www.GreensPlus.com


Young Gun Chris Peris Tests With Honda Canada, Receives Offer


Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

WSMC 125cc Grand Prix Champion and Roadracing World “Young Gun” Chris Peris, 16, tested with the Honda Canada factory team March 30-31 at North Florida Motorsports Park in Jennings, Florida and has been tentatively offered a 600cc Sportbike ride for the 2002 Parts Canada Superbike Championship series.

“Basically, we put him on a 600,” said Honda Canada Team Manager Kevin Graham. “Very, very casual test. It wasn’t a tryout at all. We’ve just heard a lot good stuff about him, and we decided to bring him in and put him on one of our 600s, something that’s actually equivalent to what Steve Crevier won the Canadian (600cc Sportbike) Championship on last year, which is a FIM-spec CBR600F4i.

“We decided to bring him in, put him on the bike, no pressure, no stopwatches, just to see what he could do and get an idea for what his dad was like too. I’ve been talking to him on the phone a fair bit of time, but we wanted to see if he was like a ‘Hockey Dad’ or an easy-going guy. They were both great, very easy to work with.

“I feel like Chris has a lot of potential, not only in his initial speed, but just his maturity was fantastic. He did exactly what we asked him to do. He did a great job. It’s somebody that myself and the mechanics on the team felt that not only has potential but (is) someone that can add to the team. It’s worth us investing a little bit in as far as the development of a rider. So we’re in the process right now of putting a deal together for the rest of the season for him to compete in the 600cc Sportbike class.”

If the deal works out, Peris would become teammates with defending Canadian 600cc Sportbike and Superbike Champion Steve Crevier and defending Canadian Open Supersport Champion Frank Trombino. Crevier rides a RC51 Superbike and CBR600F4i. Trombino will ride a RC51 in the Superbike class and a CBR954RR in the Open Supersport races.

“So we have Frank (Trombino), Steve (Crevier) and Chris is kind of our future,” added Graham, the equivalent of American Honda’s Chuck Miller. “Basically, it’s an opportunity for him to learn. He’s got two great teammates to learn from, good equipment, no pressure. We just want to see what he can do, but we have a feeling that he’s going to progress rapidly. Hopefully, we can keep him in the country for another year.”

When asked what he thought of the new North Florida Motorsports Park, Graham exclaimed, “Fantastic! I think my riders are going to get spoiled testing there is the problem. We don’t have anything that smooth (in Canada). We have some nice tracks, like Mosport, but that track (North Florida Motorsports Park) is like a billiard table. I’d say it’s got to be the best track in North America for motorcycles. It’s perfectly flat, good pavement, good sight lines, complete run-off; there’s nothing to hit. You couldn’t ask for better.”

Roadracingworld.com was unable to reach Chris Peris, or his father Fernando, before post time.

Race Teams Preview This Weekend’s MotoGP Opener In Japan, And Kenny The Elder Hopes For Rain

From press releases:


PROTON JOINS THE HISTORY MAKERS

A new era in motorcycle racing begins on Sunday – and Proton Team KR will be among those writing their name in the new chapter in the history books.

The occasion is the Japanese Grand Prix, where the new 990cc MotoGP four-strokes will be seen for the first time, for the first battle against the established 500cc two-strokes.

The Proton KR3 is defending the faith. The three-cylinder lightweight machine is a two-stroke – nimble, responsive, and highly polished over three generations of development. The new four-stroke machines are more powerful and have a higher top speed. But they are also heavier, and very new, with all the race-development still to be done.

The KR3’s nimble handling could be a crucial factor at the opening round. The Japanese GP is at the Suzuka circuit – long and fast, but also highly technical, with corner sets running one into the other. A machine that can hold a faithful cornering line can make up a lot through these sections, to compensate for a relative lack of speed on the track’s two straights.

Proton Team KR is the only truly independent team in the highest level of GP racing, and comes to the fray this year with two new riders, as well as a change in tyre supplier.

The riders are both experienced men – Jeremy McWilliams from Northern Ireland, and Japanese star Nobuatsu Aoki.

The tyres are Japanese Bridgestones, making their entry in the top class for the first time, after a full year of high-intensity testing. Aoki was one of two full-time test riders for the team.

The Japanese GP is the first of 16 rounds in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship, with the South African GP in two weeks time, before the start of the European season.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS – SHORTER IS SWEETER
“It seems this is a track where the Bridgestones work well – especially if there is some temperature, so I’m hoping the race will be warm. I’ve already gone faster than last year’s qualifying time, and though it’s a bit off-putting to see the four-strokes setting such fast times, there’s still the question of tyre life, and how many laps they can run at those speeds. I’ve changed the bike a fair bit since my first ride – I’m using a shorter chassis, which turns quicker. It works well through the first section of the track here, through the Esses, which is where we’ll be looking to make up the most time.”

NOBUATSU AOKI – TURNING FOR THE BETTER
“The testing here went pretty well – though I made a couple of mistakes when I was going for a fast lap, and I was a little off my target. I did a lot of testing with the 17-inch rear Bridgestone, which turns better than the 16.5. It worked well, but because of trying different tyres I didn’t have a chance to work on chassis settings to solve some chattering problems. I’ll concentrate on that during qualifying. The KR3 can run with the four-cylinder two-strokes, so I am quite optimistic for the race.”

KENNY ROBERTS – TEAM OWNER
“I hope it rains like hell – I think our tyres could be an advantage if it does, and our bike works well in the wet. The odds will be better in the wet. Either way, we picked a good tyre during testing. The main thing for us is to get out bike better than it was last year – that’s the progress we’re aiming for.”



HONDA RACING NEWS

2002 MotoGP 500 World Championship, round 1
Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
April 5/6/7 2002

ROSSI LEADS FOUR-STROKE CHARGE AT SUZUKA

This weekend motorcycle GP racing speeds into its new four-stroke era at Suzuka, where the Japanese Grand Prix opens the 16-race 2002 MotoGP World Championship which throws 990cc four-strokes into battle with 500cc two-strokes. It is perhaps fitting that the figure-of-eight circuit should be chosen to lift the curtain on this exciting new period in racing, for Suzuka first opened four decades ago in 1962, when the dominant four-strokes were locked in combat with a growing threat from the two-strokes.

The ultra-challenging track was constructed at the command of Honda founder Soichiro Honda, so success at this venue is of huge importance to the Honda Motor Company. Last year’s Japanese GP at Suzuka was possibly the factory’s greatest moment in more than 50 years of motorcycling success. Honda riders won all three GPs – 125, 250 and 500 – with Valentino Rossi taking victory in the premier class to score the marque’s 500th Grand Prix success. This was the first of Rossi’s 11 victories during 2001 which gave him the last-ever 500 crown. Now the sublimely talented Italian returns to Suzuka aboard his all-new four-stroke MotoGP bike, the awesome RC211V, aiming to begin the new era as he ended the last, with victory.

Rossi’s winter testing form has been phenomenal. He has shattered lap records wherever he’s tested, from Sepang in Malaysia, to Valencia in Spain and at Suzuka, where he topped a group teams’ test session last weekend. The 23-year old is already firm favourite for the 2002 MotoGP crown but he warns against over-optimism.

“Some people say I’ve already won the championship but I’m not so sure,” says Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V). “The Italian media give me a lot of pressure and (Loris) Capirossi and (Max) Biaggi also say I’ve already won it, they say only I can lose this championship. I’ll give 100 per cent to try to win and I’m sure the others will give 110 per cent to beat me.

“But the RCV is incredible. The first time I tested it at Suzuka last July we found quite a few problems, the second time at Jerez last November it wasn’t so good, but we made a good test. I’m good at understanding what I want from the bike and HRC are very good at giving me what I want. Since the Jerez tests everything has basically changed: the engine character, all the electronic parts, the cowling, the seat, it’s a new bike.”

Last Sunday Rossi recorded the quickest-ever motorcycle lap at Suzuka, at 2:04.343s, leading a Honda one-two-three. Second fastest was team-mate Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V), underlying the V5’s stunning performance, with reigning 250 World Champion Daijiro Katoh (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500) third on his NSR500 two-stroke.

“We set some good lap times during the tests,” Rossi adds. “And we tested many things to find good set-up solutions for the race. We worked very hard and are finally satisfied with the development of the bike. Now we have three days rest and we’re anxious to see what will happen next Sunday when the two-strokes and four-strokes race together for the first time.”

Although he’ll be doing his best to relax before next weekend, Rossi will spend one day in Honda’s wind-tunnel facility, evaluating the RCV’s aerodynamics, along with Ukawa, who is also deeply impressed with Honda’s first four-stroke bike in two decades.

“The RCV was very fast right from the start, but we had to work to improve drivability out of the corners,” says the former 250 GP winner. “The bike is definitely my favourite machine, it’s better than the two-stroke because it’s got flatter power and torque curves, so it’s easier on the gas. The regulations demand the four-strokes to be 15 kilos heavier than the 500, so you get a little snaking into corners and you carry less corner speed.

“This year is going to be very interesting, I hope to fight with Rossi for the World Championship. Last time I fought with him was in ’99 when we were contesting the 250 World Championship. That year I was with Honda and he
was with Aprilia and he won the title. This year I’ve got the same bike and the same team, so there can be no excuses for me. I’m looking forward to a good battle with him!

“I can’t wait for the Suzuka race. The circuit has changed a little this year. They’ve changed Dunlop curve to make it safer, the corner is now tighter and slower, but I think that lap times are faster because the track is around 30 metres shorter.”

While Rossi and Ukawa focus on developing the all-new RCV, Katoh has quickly got to grips with the latest version of Honda’s NSR500, the most successful bike in 500 GP history. During recent private HRC tests at Suzuka he was a fraction faster than Rossi, at 2:04.40s, and is widely expected to be the quickest 500 rider when he makes his MotoGP debut on Sunday.

“This NSR500 still has great potential,” he says. “I’m learning about the machine and although it’s not an easy job, I feel pretty confident. During last weekend’s tests we tried new solutions for the suspension and chassis and we know which direction to work in for the race.”

Four other riders use NSR500s in this year’s MotoGP series and all are keen to get the season underway. Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), who finished third in last year’s 500 series, has also been very fast in pre-season tests. “Winter tests have shown we still have a good chance with the 500, especially at some tracks,” says the Italian. “My Suzuka lap times improved during last weekend’s tests and I got close to the leaders. Now I’m looking forward to the start of the World Championship, because racing is much more fun than testing!”

Team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) has been more circumspect in testing, concentrating on perfecting settings rather than going for ultra-quick lap times. “We’ve been looking at various aspects of machine performance, working in different directions to test different solutions,” says the veteran Brazilian, who made his GP debut way back in 1986. “Suzuka is going to be a very interesting race, I think everyone is looking forward to the weekend; I just hope the weather is okay.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) and Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) will also be on the grid at Suzuka next weekend, along with HRC test rider Shinichi Itoh.

Itoh, a former All Japan Superbike Champion and 500 grand prix rider, will race an RCV in HRC colours on Sunday. The Japanese star has been on the pace in testing, setting top ten times at the recent IRTA test at Suzuka.

In the 250 class Honda’s two NSR250-mounted title challengers are Emilio Alzamora (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) and Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250). Alzamora, who returned to the 250 class last year after winning the 1999 125 title, has high hopes of challenging for the 250 crown. “We are in good shape for the new season and the bike is great,” says Alzamora. “Suzuka will be difficult as always, mainly because there will be many wild card riders there. But we’ll do our best and go on to the next races, determined to score consistent finishes at every race. That is the secret to winning a world title.”

Rolfo, who rode a privateer Aprilia in 2001, has spent the winter acquainting himself with his user-friendly NSR. “The bike is very different to what I’m used to but I really like it,” says the young Italian. “The first races are going to be very interesting. Suzuka is very important though my focus is the full season. I can’t wait to get started.”

Honda-mounted wild card entries in the Suzuka 250 GP are Shinichi Nakatomi, Chojun Kameya, Daisaku Sakai and Hiroshi Aoyama.

Sunday’s Japanese GP will commence with the 125 race, won last year by Masao Azuma (Liégeois Competition Honda RS125) who hopes to begin another strong title challenge on home tarmac. Azuma is joined on Honda machinery by Spanish teenage sensations Daniel Pedrosa and Joan Olive (MoviStar Junior Team) and many others.

After Sunday’s racing the GP circus packs up and heads to South Africa for the Welkom GP on April 21. The long European season begins at Jerez, in
Spain, on May 5. The 2002 campaign ends in Spain, at Valencia, on November 3.



Kanemoto Racing

SUZUKA HOSTS A NEW TEAM AT THE START OF A NEW ERA

Sunday 7 April 2002 will mark an historic date in motorcycle racing, as the Japanese Grand Prix lifts the lid on the start of the most eagerly awaited season in grand prix history. The Suzuka race also marks the welcome return of Kanemoto Racing, under the direction of Erv Kanemoto with the proven Dutch rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh at the helm of the factory Honda NSR500.

The unique figure of eight, 5.821kms circuit will inaugurate the start of the most unpredictable season in 50 years. For the first time ever, 990cc four-stroke machines will be allowed to compete against the all-conquering 500cc two-strokes in the 16 round championship battle.

Van den Goorbergh is set for the fray aboard his first factory machine ride and determined to make the most of the opportunity. The 32-year-old former 250cc and 500cc Privateer Champion has been rewarded for all his hard work and determination during an 11-year grand prix career and he is delighted with the opportunity to join Erv Kanemoto’s new team.

“This is a great opportunity for me and it will be so good to start the season on the Honda NSR at Suzuka, heart of the Honda organisation, on a machine which is performing so well. The NSR is giving me more power than I’ve ever had before I must now make sure I can use that power to our absolute advantage.”

Kanemoto’s Technical and Management pedigree is unrivalled, having clinched seven world championship titles and a staggering 64 grand prix victories, in a 21-year career in the most demanding of world sporting arenas. Kanemoto built up his reputation as a top tuner in the United States before coming to Europe to work for former world champion Barry Sheene in 1981. Since then he has masterminded world championship titles for; Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Luca Cadalora and Max Biaggi and also worked with world champions Wayne Gardner and John Kocinski.

The Team returns after a two-year racing absence during which time they were involved in tyre development and testing for Bridgestone, a partnership that continues into the 2002 season.

“It’s great to be starting with such a competitive package we have the opportunity to combine the well-proven Honda NSR with the experience of Jurgen, who has really shown his potential over recent years. We are also very excited to be riding on Bridgestone tyres, after working on testing programmes with them last year and seeing first-hand their commitment to the development of racing.” Explained Team Owner and Manager Erv Kanemoto.

The combination of Kanemoto and Van den Goorbergh is set to give the new four-strokes a tough time in what promises to be a superb opening season to the all-new, renamed MotoGP World Championship.


SUZUKA FACT FILE
Suzuka has hosted the Japanese Grand Prix every year from 1987, apart from 1999. Circuit reduced in length this year by 38.13m with the alterations to the Dunlop curve. The slope on the sweeping uphill left-hander has been moderated improving visibility into the corner. The corner has also been shifted further to the left, allowing run off area on outside to be increased.

Length: 5.821kms
Width: 15m
Direction: Clockwise
Pole position: left
Right corners: 11
Left corners: 9
Longest straight: 1.200m
Constructed: 1961
Modified: 2002

Lap Record (old circuit): Tohru Ukawa Jpn (Honda), 2:06.805 – 166.337kmh
8/4/01.

2001 Pole-setting lap (old circuit): Loris Capirossi ITA (West Honda Pons) 2:04.777.

2001 500cc Race Winner (old circuit): Valentino Rossi ITA (Honda) 44:51.501, 164.570kmh.

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