Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Aprilia USA will not sponsor the Aprilia Challenge Cup as a National Series in 2002 and will instead support local contingency programs and a season-ending final, along the lines of the Suzuki Cup Finals.

The change was announced in a press release issued by Aprilia on October 17. The release quoted Aprilia USA General Manager Tom McDonald as saying, “The Aprilia Cup will shift to more of a local series with contingency money posted in local clubs. Aprilia’s reputation has been built on racing, and we still want local racers to have contingencies available closer to home, and perhaps involve their local Aprilia dealerships in their racing programs.”

A season-ending National Championship round for the Aprilia Cup series may be organized with the top local racers competing for $20,000 in purse and show money. Aprilia USA Marketing Coordinator Robert Pandya is quoted in the release as saying that possible specialty categories, such as the Heavyweight Division in the 2001 season, are being considered “to allow greater parity for Aprilia Cup racers.”

Aprilia USA says that final details of the program will be announced at a later date along with contingency information for Aprilia Mille racers.

Formula USA’s Bill Syfan said that Aprilia USA has already approached him about hosting the season-ending Aprilia Cup Final.

From a press release issued by the Proton team:

UP-AND-DOWN FIRST DAY AT HOME FOR PROTON PAIR

Round 15: Malaysian GP, Sepang
First Qualifying: Friday, October 19, 2001

Jurgen van den Goorbergh: 14th Position, 2:08.547
Kurtis Roberts: Did Not Qualify

Proton Team KR rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh was 14th-fastest in today’s first timed qualifying session for Sunday’s Malaysian GP, losing places during the session due to some set-up changes that did not bear fruit, but which left him optimistic for tomorrow.

One-race teammate Kurtis Roberts suffered a puzzling mechanical failure that triggered a heavy crash before he had completed his first lap of the afternoon, leaving him unqualified. In the morning free practice session, he had run trouble-free, placing 17th fastest in his first time on a 500cc GP bike.

Today’s first timed session was run in hot, sunny conditions. There is one more free session and one timed session tomorrow before the race on Sunday.


JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH

“At the start of the session, I was up in the top five – but it was really hard to improve after that. We never did get much quicker. We tried some set-up changes that were in the wrong direction – and also as it got warmer we lost a bit of power. It’s not too bad, though. We have some other ideas for both the chassis and to improve the engine peformance in the heat, and in any case we can still go back to what we started with”.


KURTIS ROBERTS

“I’m not sure exactly what, but something went wrong with something, and I crashed at the last hairpin on my first lap. I wasn’t breaking the lap record or anything – it was my out lap, and I hadn’t even got my knee down yet. It was really weird. I’d never ridden on this track before, but in the morning I was feeling comfortable and it was going okay. We’ll try again tomorrow”.


KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner

“Something seems to have caused Kurtis’s front wheel to lock – it may be a brake problem, but we need to look into it a bit deeper before we can be sure. We’d already changed engines on his bike 25 minutes before the session, so things weren’t the way they should have been. Jurgen was running well, but this heat affects us a bit. We’re looking at different settings tomorrow, and he should be fine”.


A press release issued by Marlboro Yamaha gives more details from the first qualifying session at Sepang:


MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX, SEPANG
First Qualifying, Friday, October 19, 2001

MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN SECOND AND TENTH

Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa rode through oppressive heat and humidity to record second and tenth-fastest times in this afternoon’s opening Malaysian GP qualifying session.

Biaggi battled for provisional pole throughout the later stages of the outing while Checa focused on dialling out some minor set-up difficulties.

“Max was the fastest guy here during winter tests, but now some of the other riders are very fast too,” said Marlboro Yamaha Team director Hiroya Atsumi. “We’ve been working with Max to improve his machine balance and feedback, but most of all we’ve been working on tyre endurance. It’s so hot here and that makes life hard for the tyres, so we do whatever we can do with settings to make life easier for the tyres. Carlos is still looking for the correct bike balance. We made a mistake with his set-up in Australia, so we’ve gone back to the normal way for here, and now we’re just fine tuning that.”


BIAGGI VIES FOR POLE

Max Biaggi rode a scintillating lap of Sepang this afternoon to go to the top of first qualifying, but by the end of the session he’d been pipped for provisional pole. The Marlboro Yamaha Team star worked hard throughout the day, revelling in the withering heat, and working towards the ideal set-up for Sunday’s race which will test riders, bikes and tyres to the very limit.

“This morning’s rain meant we’ve only really had one practice session so far,” said Biaggi. “But we managed to try a few different settings, then decided on one and then went for a fast lap at the end. Engines tend to suffer in this kind of heat, so tomorrow we’ll work on carburation to improve performance. Tyres are the other concern, after a few laps you slide around a lot, and it’s important to find a chassis set-up that’s kind to tyres over race distance. The weather conditions also make this one of the most difficult races of the year for us, but if you work-out, this is when you feel the benefit. It’s so hot that it’s difficult to breathe, the only time you can really get your breath is down the two big straights.”


CHATTER FOR CHECA

Carlos Checa could only manage tenth quickest in today’s opening qualifier at Sepang. The Spaniard is working to cure chatter problems that are hampering him through the track’s many long corners.

“I seem to have found myself in a bit of a hole at the moment,” said the Marlboro Yamaha Team rider, who also had difficult weekends at the Motegi and Phillip Island GPs. “The main concern here is chatter, so far we’ve only found one tyre combination that helps cure the problem. We did improve the steering after this morning but the chatter is preventing me from going any faster. It seems to be a problem for me at any track where there are long corners which means I have to keep the bike on its side for long periods of time. Anyway, we’ll forget today and start working on tomorrow.”


CAPIROSSI GOES FOR FOURTH POLE

Loris Capirossi (Honda) grabbed provisional pole at the end of a dramatic session, outpacing Max Biaggi by just 0.205 seconds. “Today was very hard work,” said the sweat-drenched Italian. “After this morning’s rain the track was very slippery, but it picked up grip throughout this afternoon. Everyone was getting a lot of wheelspin, you could see how much rubber was getting laid down. I’m happy with the time I did with a soft tyre but now we need to work on improving endurance because it’s a long and hard race here.”


NAKANO BACK UP FRONT
Rookie Shinya Nakano (Yamaha) is back in contention for another front-row start after a difficult Australian GP where he started from row three. “After that I realised I’ve to work harder for a good grid spot,” said Nakano, who was fractionally faster than new World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda). “Also, I love this track because it suits my corner-speed style, and I love the heat, I won the 250s by quite a margin here last year.”


PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW
1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) West HONDA Pons 2:05.637
2. MAX BIAGGI (ITA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team 2:05.842
3. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Gauloises YAMAHA Tech 3 2:06.489
4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Nastro Azzurro HONDA 2:06.645

10. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team 2:07.905



Friday’s 500cc Grand Prix Qualifying Times:
1. Loris Capirossi, Honda, 2:05.637
2. Max Biaggi, Yamaha, 2:05.842
3. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 2:06.489
4. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 2:06.645
5. Garry McCoy, Yamaha, 2:07.018
6. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 2:07.197
7. Alex Barros, Honda, 2:07.348
8. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 2:07.536
9. Alex Criville, Honda, 2:07.677
10. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 2:07.905
11. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 2:07.924
12. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 2:07.943
13. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki, 2:08.188
14. Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Proton, 2:08.547
15. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, 2:08.643
16. Haruchika Aoki, Honda, 2:08.894
17. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha, 2:09.162
18. Anthony West, Honda, 2:09.659
19. Barry Veneman, Honda, 2:11.931
20. Leon Haslam, Honda, 2:11.932


Friday’s 250cc Qualifying Times:
1. Daijiro Katoh, Honda, 2:09.040
2. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 2:09.697
3. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 2:09.986
4. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 2:10.046
5. Roberto Rolfo, Aprilia, 2:10.119
6. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, 2:10.240
7. Tetsuya Harada, Aprilia, 2:10.470
8. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 2:10.816
9. Alex Hofmann, Aprilia, 2:10.895
10. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, 2:11.167
11. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 2:11.183
12. Shahrol Yuzy, Yamaha, 2:11.269
13. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, 2:11.577
14. David Checa, Honda, 2:11.700
15. Luca Boscoscura, Aprilia, 2:11.751
27. Katja Poensgen, Honda, 2:15.881


Friday’s 125cc Qualifying Times:
1. Toni Elias, Honda, 2:15.358
2. Youichi Ui, Derbi, 2:15.520
3. Max Sabbatani, Aprilia, 2:16.164
4. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 2:16.446
5. Masao Azuma, Honda, 2:16.558
6. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 2:16.655
7. Angel Nieto, Jr., Honda, 2:16.905
8. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, 2:17.068
9. Alex De Angelis, Honda, 2:17.213
10. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 2:17.240

Michelin will introduce a comprehensive road racing contingency program for 2002, including payouts in 13 National and Regional racing series across the country.

The move is part of a new Michelin push in the U.S. market, along with the introduction of the Pilot Race 2 in three versions, two for the racetrack and one for highway use. The Pilot Race 2 made its AMA Pro Racing debut at Virginia International Raceway last month, where it took pole position in 750cc Supersport.

Michelin North America, Inc. announced the contingency program in a press release dated October 16 but released October 18 in the press room at Daytona International Speedway.

Michelin is testing Pilot Race 2 DOT-labeled tires during CCS and F-USA competition at Daytona this week, with Josh Hayes and Grant Lopez of Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki.

The company held a summit with its racing tire distributors at Daytona, including Sto Smead of Motorace, Walt Schaefer of Walt Schaefer Cycle Supply and Morgan Broadhead of Freddie Spencer’s High Performance Product Line.

Ron Wood has been put in charge of Michelin North America’s road racing programs; those programs were formerly handled by former off-road racer Randy Richardson, who will now concentrate on Michelin’s off-road and motocross programs.

The text of the Michelin North America press release follows:

Michelin Expands Motorcycle Road Racing Contingencies in 2002

Greenville, SC–Coinciding with the introduction of the new Michelin Pilot Race 2 supersport racing tire, Michelin North America has announced that it will expand its contingency programs for U.S. motorcycle road racing, starting in 2002.

“We want to make sure that racers not only have world-class Michelin racing technology available to them, but that they also are rewarded for their loyalty to Michelin,” said Ron Wood, manager of motorcycle road racing programs for Michelin North America.

Michelin contingency payouts will be available in the following Regional and National series:

AMA Superbike Series

Clear Channel Formula USA Series

Championship Cup Series (CCS)

American Federation of Motorcyclists Series (AFM)

Central Roadracing Association (CRA)

Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA)

Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA)

Motorcycle Racing Association (MRA)

Willow Springs Motorcycle Club Series (WSMC)

New Mexico Road Racing Series

WERA National Challenge Series

WERA National Endurance Series

WERA Sportsman Series

Details of the contingency program will be distributed in the next few weeks. For further information, contact these Michelin motorcycle race tire distributors: Motorace (800) 628-4040; Walt Schaefer Cycle Supply, (256) 538-5906; and Freddie Spencer’s High Performance Product Line, (888) 672-7219. Contingency information will also be available on the Michelin motorcycle tire website: www. michelin.com/moto.


Another press release issued by Michelin North American at Daytona concerned the Pilot Race 2 itself, and read as follows:

The New Pilot Race 2: A Winner on Both Road and Track

Greenville, SC–With the introduction of the new Pilot Race 2 series of tires, Michelin has once again raised the bar for supersport motorcycle performance. Using exclusive Michelin radial-delta construction and aggressive tread compounds, the Pilot Race 2 is intended primarily for races that require the use of DOT-approved street tires. The Pilot Race 2 range also includes an ultrahigh-performance tire that’s suitable for serious on-road sport riding.

When the original Pilot Race was introduced in 1999, its semi-slick tread pattern inspired a slew of imitators, though none could match the performance that won both the AMA 750 Supersport and Formula USA Unlimited Superbike championships in 2002. The Pilot Race 2 is the latest generation of tire technology from the company that has won eight consecutive World Superbike Championships, where Michelin dominates the hardest-fought tire war in motorcycle road racing.

Like its predecessor, the Pilot Race 2 employs Michelin-patented radial delta contruction in the rear tire, but adds advancements in tread design and casing profile that will offer supersport racers that same sort of dominating performance. Radial-delta combines a radial casing with a jointless, zero-degree Kevlar belt and two angled crown plies for outstanding cornering grip, consistent feedback and impressive high-speed stability.

The new Pilot Race 2 will be available in three models:

Pilot Race S2: For smooth circuits, moderate track temperatures, qualifying sessions or short races;

Pilot Race M2: More resistance to treadwear than Pilot Race S2, for higher temperatures or abrasive track surfaces;

Pilot Race H2: Street use, for ultimate backroad performance or the occasional track day.

The Pilot Race H2 was created in response to the demand from owners of supersport bikes who want the performance of a race tire for road riding. Racing-specific tires like the Pilot Race S2 and Pilot Race M2 are impractical for the road because they do not adapt well to the repeated heat cycles that street tires must withstand. The Pilot Race H2 features the same tread as the S2 and M2, but with differences in the structure and compound that promote quick warm-up, consistent performance and enhanced stability.

The Pilot Race S2 and Pilot Race M2 are available exclusively through Michelin motorcycle race tire distributors: Motorace, (800) 628-4040; Walt Schaefer Cycle Supply, (256) 538-5906; and Freddie Spencer’s High Peformance Product Line, (888) 672-7219. The Pilot Race H2 will be available through these distributors, as well as normal retail channels.

Perhaps the most significant endorsement for the new Pilot Race 2 is that two former Grand Prix World Champions have chosen it as the official tire for their own riding schools: Freddie Spencer’s High Performance Riding School at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia. In addition, the championship-winning Valvoline Suzuki team will use the Michelin Pilot Race 2 in AMA Supersport competition throughout 2002.

Because the Pilot Race 2 will appeal to a relatively narrow market segment, the selection of sizes will initially be limited to those which fit the vast majority of current sportbikes: 120/70 ZR17 front and 180/55 ZR17 rear. Additionally, the Pilot Race M2 will be offered in a 190/50 ZR17 rear size.

Michelin North America is a division of Group Michelin, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, with worldwide 2000 sales of more than $14 billion. Michelin manufactures and sells tires for virtually every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. Headquartered in Greenville, SC, Michelin North America employs 27,000 and operates 23 plants. Michelin is an equal-opportunity employer.

Engine builder and Crew Chief Tom Houseworth has been downsized in a reorganization of Yamaha Motor Corporation’s AMA Superbike road racing team.

Houseworth joined the in-house Yamaha team five years ago, in October 1996. From 1993 until becoming a Yamaha employee, Houseworth worked for Vance & Hines Racing–which ran Yamaha’s road racing program under contract before the team was taken in-house.

Houseworth’s first gig as a professional engine builder and tuner was with Team Hammer, Inc. (racing as Team Valvoline Suzuki) in 1990-1993, working with Donald Jacks and Chuck Graves in Formula USA and AMA competition.

“What can I say?” said Houseworth when reached by phone for comment. “They have one less Superbike rider and the team was reorganized. I wish them all the luck in the world. I still want to build engines and win races.”

While looking for a new race team job, Houseworth plans to do freelance engine building. He can be reached at (714) 299-6270.

Pro Sportbike:

1. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:56.290
2. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:57.826
3. Paul Harrell, Yamaha, 1:58.151
4. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:58.624
5. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:58.658
6. Brian Parriott, Suzuki, 1:58.736
7. Shan Ball, Suzuki, 1:58.765
8. Stoney Landers, Suzuki, 1:59.034
9. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:59.114
10. Scott Greenwood, Suzuki, 1:59.423
11. Ty Howard, Yamaha, 1:59.624
12. Brett Champagne, Suzuki, 2:00.675
13. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki, 2:01.510
14. Jim Lester, Honda, 2:01.522
15. Roland Williams, Suzuki, 2:01.955


Unlimited Superbike:

1. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:53.058
2. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:53.491
3. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:53.618
4. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, 1:53.813
5. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:54.629
6. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:54.701
7. Brian Parriott, Suzuki, 1:54.709
8. Tray Batey, Aprilia, 1:56.154
9. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:56.541
10. Michael Himmelsbach, Aprilia, 1:56.597
11. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:56.721
12. Chris Carr, Aprilia, 1:57.202
13. Anthony Fania, Jr., Suzuki, 1:57.305
14. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki, 1:58.126
15. Roland Williams, Suzuki, 1:58.976

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. Racer Stuart Stratton was killed Friday at Daytona when he hit an official on the grid and veered into the pit wall. Most of the field had already left the grid for the warm-up lap before the start of the GTO race when Stratton, practicing a start on his Yamaha YZF-R6, apparently did not see official Virgil “Spud” Davis standing on the grid. Davis suffered a broken leg and a broken arm. Immediately after the incident, eyewitness Chuck Chouinard said “(Stratton) was two rows behind me on the grid and he did this practice launch. I could hear him rev the thing up to 14,000 rpm and fan the clutch out just like it was the race. He was leaned over the front end to keep it down and the whole bit. “He came by me hard and was going at least 50 mph before he really looked up. By that time, it was too late. He hit that old man so hard, I thought the old man was dead! I mean, I can still hear the thump. “The guy was walking down the middle of the grid waving his arms at the guys like, ‘Come on. Let’s go.’ There was no way for him (Davis) to get out of the way. “After he hit that guy, I don’t know if it knocked him out or he was killed right then or what, but (Stratton) kind of slumped off the left side of the bike. When he did that, he kind of turned the bars to the left and rode into the wall. His head hit the wall first. It wasn’t at a 90-degree angle or anything. He hit the old man harder than he hit the wall.” CRA racer Tim Solien saw the accident from the other side of pit wall. “The rider was jetting,” said Solien. “He did a practice start. The marshall didn’t move. He (Davis) was holding his clipboard up. (Stratton) hit him hard, sent him flipping through the air and his shoe came off. I think the rider’s dead. His whole helmet was crushed in.” Racetrack officials issued the following press release regarding the incident: Daytona International Speedway officials announced that Stuart Stratton, age 35 of Royal Oaks, Ca., was involved in a single rider incident on pit road during Championship Cup Series Race #3 at 1 p.m. today. Stratton was transported directly to Halifax Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 1:27 p.m. Also injured in the accident was pit road official Virgil Davis. Davis, age 71 from Charlotte, NC, is listed in stable condition at Halifax Medical Center.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Loudoun Motorsports’ Greg Harrison and John Jacobi rode a Metzeler-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a convincing overall win in the Formula USA 200-mile Team Challenge race at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.

Loudoun came to Daytona in a virtual tie with Edge Motorsports for the Championship points lead, but Edge Motorsports’ Greg Leffler and Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich collided in turn one at the start of the race and crashed, taking MBS Racing 2’s Jeff McKinney down with them.

McKinney re-mounted and continued–only to crash out of the race later–but both Ulrich and Leffler went to the infield care center. X-rays on Ulrich’s left hand turned up negative while Leffler was transported to the local hospital with six broken ribs and a broken collarbone.

Loudoun made two pit stops to refuel and change the rear tire en route to winning the 56-lap race by one lap over Brighton Superbike.

Brighton Superbike’s Shawn Conrad, riding a Metzeler-tired Suzuki GSX-R600, and Big Show Racing’s Larry Denning, on a Pirelli-sponsored Yamaha YZF-R6, fought for second place overall for their entire first shifts. Brighton Superbike and Big Show both pitted on lap 16, refueled and sent out Dan Fischer and Brian Salazar respectively. The GTU-class battle continued until just before the next round of pit stops when Salazar crashed the Big Show Yamaha in the chicane. Brighton carried on to a lonely second place overall and the GTU class win.

Third place overall and second in the GTO class went to the duo of William Siemens and James Gaal on a Suzuki GSX-R750 rolling on Metzeler slicks. All three of the Team Challenge podium-finishing teams used Wednesday’s Team Hammer Track Ride to set up their machines.

Brotz Motorsports’ Clint Brotz and Richie Morris clinched the GTU season Championship when the only other team with a mathematical chance at winning the Championship, Edge Junior Varsity, did not enter at Daytona. Brotz finished fifth overall, third in class.

Engine Ice 200-mile Team Challenge Class Results:

GTO:
1. Loudoun Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 56 laps
2. Siemens Patent Services, Suzuki GSX-R750, 54 laps
3. Bad Apple Racing, Suzuki TL1000R, 52 laps
4. True Player Racing, Yamaha YZF-R1, 49 laps
5. Moates Racing, Suzuki GSX-R750, 49 laps
6. Britt Motorsports, Yamaha YZF-R1, 47 laps

GTU:
1. Brighton Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R600, 55 laps
2. Carmol Construction, Suzuki GSX-R600, 54 laps
3. Brotz Motorsports, Yamaha YZF-R6, 54 laps
4. I&E Innovative Homes, Suzuki GSX-R600, 54 laps
5. Team YCH, Yamaha YZF-R6, 53 laps
6. Team Stupid, Suzuki GSX-R600, 51 laps