This just in from Eric Nacke of Jade Pig Productions and GLRRA:

The event at Willow sounds like something I would like to help promote. If it looks like it will come off we will offer as a Championship bonus all-expense-paid trips to the event for our top three Experts. I’m sure I can talk a few other clubs into making similar arrangements.

Let me know if you think we could turn this into some type of promotion and I’ll put some time into it. Please let Bill (Huth) know I have the same TV production equipment available as Speedvision and at a minimum I could produce some promotional videos to help get things moving.

Nacke can be contacted at (616) 458-5888.

Four-cylinder and three-cylinder machines competing in the 2002 Superbike World Championship will be given minimum weight breaks to make them more competitive with the V-Twins that dominate the series.

The Superbike Commission–which includes Claude Danis of the FIM, Paolo Alberto Flammini of SBK International, Takanao Tsubouchi of the MSMA and team representative Giulio Bardi–has set the rules, effective January 1, 2002, as follows:

Minimum Weights
750cc 4-cylinder, 159 kilograms (350.5 pounds)

900cc 3-cylinder, 162 kilograms (357.1 pounds)

1000cc 2-cylinder, 164 kilograms (361.6 pounds)

Ironically, Twins were originally allowed more displacement and a lower minimum weight early in the history of the Superbike World Championship, to make them more competitive with the then-dominant four-cylinder machines. But times have changed…

Late Sunday night, October 14, AMA Pro Racing Public Relations Contractor Larry Lawrence updated the Speedvision.com story–linked to the AMAproracing.com home page–to reflect that Chris Normand was wrongly disqualified from the VIR Pro Thunder race two weeks earlier.

The correction marked the first public acknowledgement that AMA Pro Racing made a mistake in disqualifying Normand under a minimum-weight rule that no longer applied to non-desmo twin-cylinder motorcycles like his Suzuki SV650.

Lawrence corrected the posting by inserting the following note above the story, which still says Normand was DQ’d: “NOTE: CHRIS NORMAND WAS INCORRECTLY DISQUALIFIED FROM THE PRO THUNDER FINAL. HIS MOTORCYCLE WAS LEGAL DUE TO REVISED WEIGHT RULES FOR THE CLASS. HIS THIRD-PLACE FINISH WAS REINSTATED.”

Lawrence modified the post after RoadracingWorld.com pointed out that the incorrect story still appeared on the Speedvision site, which is linked to AMAproracing.com by a Media Center button on the home page.

In an e-mail to RoadracingWorld.com on Sunday night, Lawrence wrote: “I was supposed to update the Speedvision website with the corrected VIR Pro Thunder result. I thought I had, but the update software is sometimes a bit quirky. I checked it tonight and I’m pretty certain now that it has been updated.

“Thanks for bringing it to my attention.”

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Angered by AMA Pro Racing’s refusal to sell him a sanction for an AMA Superbike race in 2002, Willow Springs owner Bill Huth is planning to hold an Unlimited Grand Prix race with a $250,000 purse at his Rosamond, California racetrack. The race will likely be held in late October or early November, 2002, after the end of the AMA racing season, and will be open to any type of road racing motorcycle with no displacement, weight or horsepower restrictions.

If all goes according to preliminary, tentative planning, the feature race will pay $100,000 to win with $50,000 for second place and $25,000 for third place, and will pay to 28th position. Every qualifier will receive $1000 for making the grid.

Huth’s track has the resources available to put the race together without relying on any event sponsorship.

The track bailed out the 2000 AMA Superbike National when the original promoter cancelled the race, and put on the event with its own money. The track signed up to hold the race again on September 13-16 of this year, but that event was postponed following the terrorist attacks on September 11 and was ultimately cancelled when AMA and track officials could not agree on rescheduling.

AMA officials raised the event sanction fee from $105,000 to $175,000 for 2002 but ultimately declined to sell the track a sanction at any price, instead moving the race to California Speedway in Fontana, California.

If the September 13-16, 2001 race had been held at Willow Springs, the total event purse would have been $70,000 split between five class, with $41,000 allocated for Superbike and the Superbike winner earning $5000. The 250cc Grand Prix race would have carried a $10,000 purse with $2000 to the winner; the Pro Thunder race would have had a $7000 purse with $1700 to the winner; the Formula Xtreme race would have had an $8000 purse with $1800 paid to the winner; and the 600cc Supersport race would have had a $4000 purse for non-factory riders, with $850 paid to the winner.

The AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Championship Bonus, split among top series finishers, totals $100,000 for the 2001 season. Top finishers in Pro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport split $15,000; MBNA 250cc Grand Prix top finishers split $10,000; Genuine Suzuki Accessories 750cc Supersport top finishers split $35,000; Buell Pro Thunder top finishers split $10,000; and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme top finishers split $10,000.

From a press release:

HONDA RACING PRESS INFORMATION

Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500) secured his richly deserved first 500 World Championship at Phillip Island today.

The brilliant young rider did it in stunning style – winning the most exciting race of the season by just one hundredth of a second from arch-rival Max Biaggi (Yamaha). Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500) and Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) were right behind at the flag, just 0.714 seconds between the foursome, and with only 2.832 seconds covering the top nine finishers, this was the closest-ever 500 GP.

All the way through the most important weekend of his life Rossi had been insisting that he wanted more than the eighth-place required to wrap up the title. And he was true to his word, playing his part in a race-long dogfight around this most spectacular of tracks.

The battle royal drew gasps of awe from the 40,000 spectators and plumes of smoke from the bikes, as Rossi & Co made contact on more than one occasion. Rossi led the first lap but after that he had to fight corner by corner with Biaggi, Capirossi, Barros, Olivier Jacque (Yamaha) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). He shuttled back and forth through the group, surviving one heart-stopping brush with Barros at the end of the 190 mph start-finish straight, and every time he tried to make the break out front, his rivals would come with him. He made his final-lap-winning move at the slow MG turn, just 500 yards from the finish line, diving under Biaggi and holding his advantage to the line.

“I didn’t think about the championship, I just concentrated on the race, because trying to finish eighth would’ve been more risky,” said Rossi after his ninth win of the year. “The early laps were a little dangerous maybe, because Haga and Barros were very aggressive, so I was keeping one eye on them and one on the track. Then when the tires started to wear, Loris and Biaggi arrived. Everyone was pushing so hard and getting some wheelspin, so I worked at saving my tires, and at the end my tires were in good shape. I had one place to overtake Biaggi and it worked okay.

“There are many reasons why I won the title, not least because I have the best package of machine and team. I’d like to thank everyone who helped me to do this–Honda, my engineer JB and the rest of the crew. It’s been a great year, I think we’ve made a great show all season, not just today. The level of racing has been very high, especially among us three Italians. We race very hard because we want to win.”

Rossi’s success gives Honda its 11th 500 World Championship and he’s the sixth Honda rider to win the title. American Freddie Spencer (Honda NS500) won the marque’s first 500 crown in 1983, and since then Wayne Gardner (Rothmans Honda
NSR500, 1987) Eddie Lawson (Rothmans Honda NSR500, 1989), Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda SR500, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998) and Alex Criville (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500, 1999) have also won 500 titles for the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer.

Rossi’s Island win also confirmed Honda as the 2001 500 Constructors’ World Champions. Honda has now won this title 13 times. Capirossi was one of the first riders to offer his congratulations to Rossi. “I’m so happy for him, Valentino has been fast everywhere this season, he deserves the title,” said the Italian, who won his first 125 title in 1990 with Honda at the Island. “I got a bad start today and the bike was difficult to ride on a full tank. After six laps it was better so I started pushing harder, but by the time I’d got to the front I’d used most of my rear tire. It’s a shame, I still haven’t won a race this year.”

Barros dominated the early stages of the race, leading eight of the first nine laps, but after half distance he had a tougher time. He never stopped fighting, however, and was side by side with Capirossi as they battled for the final podium placing. “I’m not so happy with the result but the bike worked perfectly,” said the Brazilian. “Biaggi made contact with me a few laps from the end and I lost a lot of places, which made victory impossible.”

Tohru Ukawa (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500) rode a great race, coming through the pack from 12th on the first lap to catch the leading group. He ended up a brilliant fifth, just 1.288 seconds behind Rossi. “I used too much clutch at the start, which lifted the front too much, I’ve got to learn to play with the clutch,” said the Japanese. “After that I fought hard and racing for the podium later on was fun.”

More frustrated was 11th finisher Alex Criville (Repsol YPF Honda NSR500). “Starting from the fourth row I needed a good start and I didn’t get one,” he said. “After that I got held up by the v-twins which are slower through the fast sections of the track.”

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS:


1. Rossi (WORLD CHAMPION), 275 points

2. Biaggi, 203

3. Capirossi, 179

4. Barros, 160

5. Nakano, 135

9. Criville, 101

11. Ukawa, 96



Upcoming rounds:

10/21 Sepang, Malaysia

11/3 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

From a FAX addressed to Roadracing World from a company which describes itself as being involved in “developing a new limited edition for Ducati and launching the Ducati-Fogarty edition.”

The good part follows:

“…we are always looking to do a deal with people. In the past some magazines gave us good editorial in exchange for 1-2 of our pieces, which were then used as prizes in competitions organised by the magazine. On other occasion (sic) we did a deal with a magazine whereby they advertised our products and we shard (sic) the profits. Would any of these schemes be of interest?”

And to answer the question, no, no they would not.

“Harley-Davidson: Birth of the V-ROD”, a one-hour-long television documentary, is scheduled to air for the first time today, October 14 at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

The program will highlight the top-secret development, over a seven-year period, of the first water-cooled production motorcycle in the 99-year history of Harley-Davidson.

The show will cover everything from the first sketches of the V-ROD drawn on dinner napkins at the home of Willie G. Davidson to top-secret testing at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway to the public unveiling of the V-ROD at the Harley dealer show in Los Angeles last July.

500cc Race Results, 27 laps, 120 km, 74.57 miles:
1. Valentino Rossi, Italy, Honda, 42:22.383
2. Max Biaggi, Italy, Yamaha, -0.013 seconds
3. Loris Capirossi, Italy, Honda, -0.581
4. Alex Barros, Brazil, Honda, -0.714
5. Tohru Ukawa, Japan, Honda, -1.288
6. Olivier Jacque, France, Yamaha, -2.534
7. Shinya Nakano, Japan, Yamaha, -2.579
8. Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Yamaha, -2.582
9. Sete Gibernau, Spain, Suzuki, -2.832
10. Jurgen v.d.Goorbergh, Holland, Proton, -19.443
11. Alex Criville, Spain, Honda, -20.000
12. Anthony West, Australia, Honda, -20.303
13. Norick Abe, Japan, Yamaha, -21.043
14. Haruchika Aoki, Japan, Honda, -21.360
15. Kenny Roberts, USA, Suzuki, -29.738
16. Carlos Checa, Spain, Yamaha, -30.023
17. Johan Stigefelt, Sweden, Sabre, -78.349
18. Barry Veneman, Holland, Honda, -84.773
19. Leon Haslam, Great Britain, Honda, -84.848
20. Brendan Clarke, Australia, Honda, -1 lap
21. Garry McCoy, Australia, Yamaha, -9 laps, DNF, retired
22. Jose Cardoso, Spain, Yamaha, -21 laps, DNF, retired


250cc Race Results, 25 laps, 111 km, 69.10 miles:
1. Daijiro Katoh, Japan, Honda, 39:48.180
2. Tetsuya Harada, Japan, Aprilia, -5.644 seconds
3. Roberto Rolfo, Italy, Aprilia, -8.518
4. Jeremy McWilliams, Great Britain, Aprilia, -14.303
5. Fonsi Nieto, Spain, Aprilia, -14.389
6. Emilio Alzamora, Spain, Honda, -14.749
7. Roberto Locatelli, Italy, Aprilia, -17.546
8. Luca Boscoscuro, Italy, Aprilia, -37.456
9. Naoki Matsudo, Japan, Yamaha, -50.872
10. Shahrol Yuzy, Malaysia, Yamaha, -53.951
11. Lorenzo Lanzi, Italy, Aprilia, -60.113
12. Taro Sekiguchi, Japan, Yamaha, -70.314
13. Riccardo Chiarello, Italy, Aprilia, -94.981
14. David Tomas, Spain, Honda, -99.355
15. Jeronimo Vidal, Spain, Aprilia, -1 lap
16. Cesar Barros, Brazil, Yamaha, -1 lap
17. Diego Giugovaz, Italy, Aprilia, -1 lap
18. Luis Costa, Spain, Yamaha, -1 lap
19. Katja Poensgen, Germany, Honda, -1 lap
20. Stuart Edwards, Great Britain, Yamaha, -1 lap
Crashers: Franco Battaini, Sebastian Porto, David Checa, Rande de Puniet, Alex Hofmann, David de Gea.


125cc Race Results, 23 laps, 102 km, 63.38 miles:
1. Youichi Ui, Japan, Derbi, 38:14.688
2. Manuel Poggiali, San Marino, Gilera, -4.709 seconds
3. Toni Elias, Spain, Honda, -4.743
4. Masao Azuma, Japan, Honda, -4.938
5. Lucio Cecchinello, Italy, Aprilia, -4.974
6. Alex De Angelis, San Marino, Honda, -5.053
7. Daniel Pedrosa, Spain, Honda, -5.562
8. Max Sabbatani, Italy, Aprilia, -5.881
9. Eric Bataille, Andora, Honda, -9.506
10. Gino Borsoi, Italy, Aprilia, -17.165
Crashers: Peter Galvin, Cath Thompson, Simone Sanna, Angel Rodriguez

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Chris Normand, who was wrongly disqualified from third place in the Pro Thunder race at VIR two weeks ago and has since been reinstated, is still discribed as being guilty of violating rules in a story linked to the AMA Pro Racing website.

A story on Speedvision.com, dated September 30 and headlined “Montano’s Pro Thunder Lead Grows With VIR Win”, was provided by AMA Pro Racing and, as of October 14, can still be reached via a prominent link on www.amaproracing.com.

The link appears on the left hand side of the AMA Pro Racing home page, as a logo carrying the words “Media Center”. The headline over the Media Center logo reads “Get AMA road-racing news in the (Media Center)”.

AMA officials disqualified Normand for violating a minimum-weight rule which had been eliminated before the season started. AMA tech boss Rob King, who wrote a February 9, 2001 Competition Bulletin announcing the rule change for non-desmo twin-cylinder machines, was on site at VIR when the disqualification took place.

The story still appearing on Speedvision.com reads, in part, “Mike Ciccotto was second, 17 seconds behind and Thomas Fournier took third after original third-place finisher Chris Normand was disqualified for his bike being underweight.”

While AMA officials personally apologized to Normand and reinstated his finish, AMA Pro Racing has not issued a press release acknowledging the error and announcing Normand’s reinstatement.

Press releases announcing the wrongful disqualification, along with official results without Normand’s finish, were distributed before the error was corrected. As a consequence, TV highlight shows featuring action from VIR reported that Tom Fournier finished third in the Pro Thunder race. Various websites also carried the incorrect results along with news of Normand’s initial disqualification.