Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Two new changes to Road Atlanta have caught the attention of competitors at this week’s WERA Grand National Finals.

A hillside outside (riders’ left) the chicane at the end of the back straightaway has been terraced with concrete steps and gravel. Fans can sit directly on the concrete terrace steps or set up folding chairs, and the area won’t become a mud bog when it rains.

“It’s just a lot more professional,” said Road Atlanta Facility Manager Steve Lanier, who added that the terraced area was built in the five weeks prior to the recent Petit LeMans auto endurance, at a cost of over $250,000. The area will seat 8000 fans.

A grass slope in the same area–previously unuseable for spectating–has also been terraced, although it remains covered in grass.

Lanier said that the turn ten section of the track can now serve as an ampitheater and that a band played a concert using turn ten as their stage during the week-long Petit LeMans event.

The surface in turn seven has also been changed, from a mix of asphalt with a concrete patch to entirely concrete with the high spots ground away but waves remaining.

“The original concrete track surface, that we could not remove before we repaved, is underneath there,” said Lanier. “The asphalt on top of it was starting to move around too much. We felt that it might not make it through the Petit event. We decided to make it perfect.”

About the time crews started working on the terraced seating, they also tore up a 150 by 25-foot section of turn seven. “We cut down 10-12 inches of pavement. We filled it in with a DOT, 6000-mix-grade of concrete. With such a large area, it was hard to pour it perfect. So the next day, we took a grader to get it perfectly level. Here at Road Atlanta, we don’t particularly care for concrete. We hate concrete, but that’s the best solution we had until we can repave the entire track in two or three years. When we repave, the track will be asphalt only.”

Lanier, an 18-year employee of Road Atlanta, said the goal was to increase traction under power for cars exiting turn seven.

We asked a few motorcycle racers with recent Road Atlanta experience what they thought of the change to turn seven.

“They should have left it the same,” said Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich. “Taking a grader to a racetrack is a half-ass way to fix a problem. You would think that with all of the money they put into this racetrack that they would be able to repave one corner.

“There’s more bumps than before, and the pavement is more inconsistent. I haven’t gotten into or out of that corner well all weekend.”

“It’s gonna hurt us,” said Vesrah’s Tray Batey, who besides racing also serves as an instructor for Road Atlanta’s Kevin Schwantz School. “The corner is not as fast as it was before. It’s rougher now than it was for the last Schwantz School about two months ago. They may have torn up the corner in the last car race or something.

“It’s concrete now. I guess they didn’t get it level. Then they ground it down, but they only hit the high spots. The spots that they didn’t hit are like polished concrete and are very slippery. I’m having trouble dodging the bumps through that corner. The fastest line is right over the bumps, but they are terrible.”

“It’s fine,” said Josh Hayes, the AMA Formula Xtreme lap record holder for Road Atlanta. “It’s just graded up. It’s a little bumpier. It may inhibit lap times by a fraction, but I haven’t had any problems with it.”

When told that the motorcycle racers did not particularly care for the changes to turn seven, Lanier said, “I have a hard time believing that, but the bikes are a whole different animal. Maybe right there on the inside edge, it tapers off and the grader didn’t quite get it.”

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Buell Pro Thunder Qualifying Times:

1. Thomas Montano, Ducati 748, 1:29.862
2. Mike Ciccotto, Buell 1200, 1:29.976
3. Michael Barnes, Buell 1200, 1:31.138
4. Dave Estok, Buell 1200, 1:32.477
5. Shawn Higbee, Buell Firebolt, 1:32.978
6. Jeff Vermeulen, Buell 1200, 1:34.917
7. Jeff Wood, Suzuki SV650, 1:35.260
8. John Jacobi, Buell 1200, 1:35.310
9. Tripp Nobles, Buell 1200, 1:36.440
10. Bud Lawter, Suzuki SV650, 1:36.486

Higbee set his fastest time on the new Buell XB-9R Firebolt before it suffered an electrical short. Higbee continued on in the session on a current-model Buell 1200 racer.

Tripp Nobles’ Buell also experienced an electrical short which limited him to two, less-than-ideal flying laps.

Jeff Wood crashed his Suzuki Cup-spec SV650 without injury shortly after setting the seventh-fastest time.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Vesrah Suzuki won the 2001 WERA National Endurance Championship with a victory in Friday’s 4-hour at Road Atlanta, during the WERA Grand National Finals.

Tray Batey and Chris Ulrich each rode two stints on the Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R1000, winning by 3 laps.

The finish made Chris Ulrich the first second-generation National Endurance Champion in the 26-year history of the WERA National Endurance Series. John Ulrich co-rode to the title in 1983 and 1984.

The race was red-flagged near the end of the first hour for crash-debris clean-up; the race was stopped for 28 minutes and 44 seconds.

Team Pennzoil’s Chris “Opie” Caylor and Jamie Lane finished second overall on a GSX-R750 and were running in second place, on the same lap, when Caylor ran out of gas in the closing moments of the race.

Army of Darkness finished third overall, on the same lap as Pennzoil.

Vesrah Suzuki won five out of nine series events and won the 2001 title by 48 points.

Results follow:

1. Vesrah Suzuki, GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Superbike, 134 laps

2. Team Pennzoil, GSX-R750, Heavyweight Superbike, 131 laps

3. Army of Darkness, GSX-R600, Middleweight Superbike, 131 laps

4. Loudoun Motorsports Racing, GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Supersport, 130 laps

5. Triad Racing, GSX-R600, Middleweight Superbike, 130 laps

6. Ridge Racing, GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Supersport, 128 laps

7. Team Chaos, GSX-R600, Middleweight Supersport, 127 laps

8. SB Motorsports, GSX-R600, Middleweight Superbike, 126 laps

9. Leaning Lizard Racing, ZX-6R, Middleweight Superbike, 126 laps

10. Velocity Crew, GSX-R600, Middleweight Superbike, 126 laps

25. Maryland Motorsports, SV650, Lightweight Superbike, 116 laps

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Novice Joe Kimble became the second racer to slam into Air Fence during the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta.

Kimble lowsided his Suzuki GSX-R750 in turn four, a fast right-hand turn in the esses, while trying to improve his lap times on Thursday.

Kimble said that he separated from his bike and then slid face-down, head-first into Air Fence lining the corner.

Kimble got to his feet before safety workers arrived on the scene.

Kimble later went to the Road Atlanta media center, looking for representatives of Roadracing World to say thanks and to make a $100 donation to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund.

“I don’t think I would be here talking to you if it (Air Fence) hadn’t been there,” said Kimble.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The racing version of the Buell XB-9R Firebolt made its public debut at Road Atlanta on Thursday, October 25 during practice for the WERA Grand National Finals and Saturday’s AMA Pro Thunder finale.

And a total of seven top-level Buell riders have descended on the AMA/WERA Pro Thunder finale in a coordinated attempt to wrestle the title away from series point leader Thomas Montano.

According to Buell Racing Manager Henry Duga, newly-crowned 2001 Formula USA Champion Shawn Higbee is at Road Atlanta to “kind of just shake the bugs out” of the race version of the new, 2002-model Buell Firebolt XB-9R. If all goes well in practice with the largely untested version of the bike, Higbee may race it in the final round of the AMA Pro Thunder series.

When asked what he was doing at Road Atlanta, Buell development rider Higbee smiled and said, “My day job.

“We’ve tested a stock chassis with a race motor before,” said Higbee.

The Firebolt at the track features an engine that combines XB-9R engine cases with the same cylinders and top end used on Buell’s current X-1-based Pro Thunder race bikes. The XB-9R racer uses the Firebolt’s stock fuel-injection system, with a custom exhaust systems. The engine has made horsepower “in the 130s”, according to Higbee.

The chassis is close to stock. Stock XB-9R fork legs have X-1 lowers grafted on so that the Firebolt can run the same Marchesini front wheel, billet-six-piston Nissin brake calipers and conventional dual brake rotors.

The forks are held by adjustable Attack Performance triple clamps that are currently set up at the stock geometry. Woodcraft clip-ons replace the nonadjustable stockers, and an Ohlins steering damper is positioned sideways, below the top triple clamp.

A Penske rear shock is fitted, and the bike also uses the stock rear brake rotor and caliper; a 16.5-inch Marchesini rear wheel us used.

Higbee said that he has been waiting for the day when he could race the XB-9R racebike for three years.

The Buell personnel at Road Atlanta are also working on winning the Pro Thunder Championship.

Since the inception of the AMA Pro Thunder in 1998, Buell has never won the title while Triumph has won once and Ducati twice. Now with Munroe Motors’ Thomas Montano poised to give Ducati a third consecutive Pro Thunder title, Buell has put forth extra effort to snatch the crown away.

With a nine-point deficit, Buell’s Mike Ciccotto has a mathematical chance of beating Montano for the Championship. And Buell has done everything it can to tip the odds in favor of Ciccotto.

Ciccotto is riding his Hal’s Performance Advantage Buell factory bike, and Tripp Nobles and David Estok are on their Tilley Buell factory bikes. But in addition to those series regulars, Michael Barnes will ride Ciccotto’s back-up bike, and Jeff Vermeulen and John Jacobi are riding on Innovative Research Buells.

With Higbee on the XB-9R Firebolt, that makes a total of seven Buells in the race.

When asked if there are Buell team orders in effect at Road Atlanta, Duga said, “No, but the riders may choose to help Ciccotto, and yes, we want the Championship.”

When asked if Rich Cronrath’s Innovative Motorcycle Research team was at Road Atlanta at Buell’s request, Duga said, “No, Rich called me and asked if he could come.”

Asked about Duga’s statement, Cronrath later said, “Yeah, whatever. That’s why my rider is on his bikes. Let’s just say that I’m here to help the cause.”

When told that Duga had said that there were no team orders, Estok said, “Yeah, right. I feel sorry for Montano.” Nobles said, “Henry has to say that, but if I were in Ciccotto’s position, I would expect him to help me.”


If Ciccotto wins the race and takes the bonus points for pole position and most laps led, Montano will have to finish second in the race to win the Championship.

If Ciccotto doesn’t take the maximum of 38 points, Montano can finish third. As Ciccotto’s potential finishing position drops, Montano’s finishing-position requirements also drop.

Although they may be able to control which Buell crosses the line first, the Buell riders can’t control which bike gets pole position, or can they? “We’ve got that figured out, too,” laughed Barnes.

“If Montano wins the Championship, he’s the man!” said Ciccotto.

Montano’s response was, “Bring it on.”

Regarding Daytona Air Fence:


I just wanted to thank everyone at Roadracing World for their efforts with the Air Fence used at Daytona for the CCS/Formula USA Race Weekend.

I raced that weekend and felt more comfortable knowing the Air Fence was there!

Thank you,
Jessica Zalusky
#315

(Editor’s note: You’re welcome.)



Regarding Daytona Officiating:



From Brian Poppe:
Just a thought here, and not absolving any official of their responsibilities:

What is the process for a racer stopping a race in process due to hazardous conditions? I’ve seen it in WSB races where several racers come upon rain and hold their clutch hand in the air. How many racers have to do that for a race to be suspended so the officials can make a call? One, two, all?

Yes, if it was that dangerous (and the testimonials of the leaders sound like it was) then why should they wait for the officials to call the race or suspend it so rain tires can be fitted? I know the officials “should” be out there to protect and advocate for the racers. In the absence of that concern, shouldn’t the racers do it themselves? The factory riders did that at Loudon this year. Since the F-USA officials weren’t doing that at Daytona (assuming they should), shouldn’t the riders have done so?

Again, could the riders have halted the race on their own if the officials weren’t going to halt it?

Just a few thoughts.

And thanks for the work that goes into your website. I know it’s a cliche’, but I do make a point of checking it several times a day.

Thanks



From Roddy Cooper:
Why don’t the U.S. motorcycle sanctioning bodies do the same as they do in Europe? If the lead riders raise their hand, 99% of the time they stop the race. Over the last few years, I have not seen one case where the officials disregarded the riders and failed to bring out the red flag.



(Editor’s note: Brian Parriott tried that when it started raining at VIR a few months ago, and F-USA officials stated that their rules do not allow riders to stop a race.)





From Ed Gray:
It’s too bad we couldn’t have asked these people what they would have done before someone already screwed up, but that is the nature of hindsight.
It seems to you and me that the core issue is safety. I would have thought by now that the organizers would have realized that no matter what happens somebody is going to wank at them. As such wouldn’t it be better to call a race and have more healthy racers yelling at them than to have to be going to visit somebody in the hospital and apologize?

I was impressed as you were that he was able to see the error of his ways afterward; that seems like a good sign. I think suggesting that someone should try his own stupid suggestion does nothing but make that kind of person angry or confused.