Nicky Hayden won the final round of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship, at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) Sunday, but Mat Mladin’s 12th-place finish was enough to win his third consecutive Championship. Title contender Eric Bostrom finished 10th.

The race was run in cool, breezy conditions in front of what looked to be a huge crowd.

Results follow:
1. Nicky Hayden, Honda
2. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, -2.090 seconds
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -25.725
4. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, -29.232
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -34.527
6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -39.924
7. Andreas Meklau, Ducati, -47.126
8. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, -47.367
9. Steve Rapp, Ducati, -47.433
10. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, -48.132
11. Larry Pegram, Ducati, -66.365
12. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, -73.412
13. Pascal Picotte, Harley-Davidson, -1 lap
14. Jordan Szoke, Harley-Davidson, -1 lp
15. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki, -2 laps
16. Mauro Cereda, Suzuki, -2 laps
17. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -2 laps
18. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, -2 laps
19. Robert Jensen, Suzuki, -2 laps
20. Tony Lupo, Suzuki, -2 laps
21. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -3 laps
22. Chris Normand, Suzuki, -3 laps
23. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -3 laps
24. Tony Fania, Suzuki, -3 laps
25. Scotty Vanscoik, -3 laps
26. Wade Buffington, Suzuki, -3 laps
27. Mike Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, -3 laps
28. Chris Rankin, Suzuki, -3 laps
29. Brandon Bashore, Aprilia, -4 laps
30. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki, -19 laps
31. Greg Fryer, Yamaha, -33 laps

Unofficial Final Series Points:
1. Mladin, 380
2. Bostrom, 365
3. Nicky Hayden, 340
4. Chandler, 319
5. Duhamel, 300

Sunday Morning 250cc Grand Prix Practice Times:
1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha, 1:29.323
2. Chuck Sorensen, Yamaha, 1:29.980
3. Randy Renfrow, TSR-Honda, 1:30.678
4. Simon Turner, Yamaha, 1:31.126
5. Jim Filice, Yamaha, 1:31.404
6. Michael Hannas, Yamaha, 1:32.571
7. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, 1:32.841
8. Cory West, Yamaha, 1:33.242
9. Ed Sorbo, Yamaha, 1:33.763
10. Monty Warsing, Yamaha, 1:34.472
11. Mike Himmelsbach, Aprilia, 1:35.018
12. Chris Pyles, Yamaha, 1:35.232
13. Greg Esser, Honda, 1:35.346
14. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, 1:35.543
15. Alan Brault, Yamaha, 1:36.551

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin lowsided his GSX-R750 Superbike at the end of Sunday morning’s Superbike final practice session at Virginia International Raceway, and the bike burned.

Mladin was unhurt after a long slide and got up to turn off the bike’s ignition, only to discover that the bike was beginning to burn.

Then, as seen on a Speedvision replay, Mladin began to motion to cornerworkers that a fire extinguisher was needed on his bike. Before Mladin returned his view down to his bike, flames burst from the downed machine and enveloped Mladin’s legs.

According to Suzuki’s Kevin Schwantz, Mladin “felt himself getting hot.” Mladin then looked down to see the flames surrounding him and immediately jumped back.

Seconds later, cornerworkers arrived on the scene and began to use fire extinguishers on Mladin’s burning bike. Unfortunately, the fire extinguishers seemed to have little effect on the raging blaze that could be scene from hundreds of yards away on pit lane. After a few moments the flames were finally extinguished but to many observers the fire fighting efforts seemed to take too long.

“The fire extinguishers didn’t seem to have too much effect, did they?” said Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakukura. “It seemed like it took forever for them to put it out. Mat’s tank was punctured.”

What appeared to be plain water coming out of the fire extinguisher used on Mladin’s fire was actually a mixture of water and a fire suppressant called “Cold Fire”, according to VIR’s Assistant Director of Emergency Services, David “Cowboy” Crumpton. “It’s mixed 24 ounces to two gallons of water, then pressurized with air into canisters,” said Crumpton. “It’s the latest stuff. We’ve used it with good results in car fires. It’s what is used in fire extinguishers at all of the Winston Cup tracks.” Crumpton then said that rescue vehicles at VIR carry an equal number of “Cold Fire” and conventional CO2 canisters.

On the effectiveness of the “Cold Fire” on Mladin’s bike, Crumpton said, “The problem was that the fuel was still leaking out feeding the fire.”

Sakukura said, “Mat’s going to have to race on his back-up bike now.” It was also confirmed by Yoshimura Suzuki that Jamie Hacking’s Superbike would become Mladin’s new back-up bike, as Hacking was injured when he crashed in 600cc Supersport practice on Saturday.

Chevy Trucks AMA Superbike Practice Times, Sunday Morning:
1. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, 1:26.491
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:26.503
3. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:26.941
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:26.961
5. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:27.063
6. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.249
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:27.335
8. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:27.608
9. Larry Pegram, Ducati, 1:27.936
10. Steve Rapp, Ducati, 1:28.196
11. Pascal Picotte, H-D, 1:28.470
12. Andreas Meklau, Ducati, 1:28.684
13. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 1:28.849
14. Jordan Szoke, H-D, 1:30.686
15. Mauro Cereda, Suzuki, 1:31.953
16. Anthony Lupo, Suzuki, 1:32.298
17. Greg Fryer, Yamaha, 1:32.580
18. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 1:32.637
19. Robert Jensen, Suzuki, 1:32.645
20. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki, 1:32.662

600cc Supersport Practice Times:
1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:28.741
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:29.197
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:29.367
4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:29.429
5. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 1:29.559
6. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:29.626
7. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:29.631
8. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:30.242
9. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:30.370
10. Josh Hayes, Honda, 1:30.540
11. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:30.908
12. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:31.071
13. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:31.349
14. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, 1:31.539
15. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:32.207
16. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:32.284
17. Robert Jensen, Suzuki, 1:33.737
18. Daigoro Suzuki, Kawasaki, 1:34.039
19. David Ortega, Suzuki, 1:34.285
20. Tyler Wadsworth, Yamaha, 1:34.439

Saturday Morning 750cc Supersport Times:
1. Ben Spies, 1:28.942
2. Mike Ciccotto, 1:29.293
3. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.341
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:29.398
5. Lee Acree, 1:29.605
6. Josh Hayes, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:29.727
7. Kurtis Roberts, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:30.033
8. Chris Ulrich, 1:30.358
9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.459
10. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:30.621
11. Michael Barnes, 1:30.805
12. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:30.809
13. Scott Harwell, 1:31.339
14. Anthony Lupo, 1:31.365
15. Richie Alexander, 1:31.457
16. Robert Jensen, 1:31.532
17. Rich Conicelli, 1:31.616
18. Tony Meiring, 1:31.928
19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.021
20. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.921

By John Ulrich

Jamie Hacking hit bare steel barrier in the first 600cc Supersport practice at VIR Saturday morning, outside the entrance to turn three. When eyewitness David Swarts drew me a diagram on a track map showing where Hacking hit, I took the map and went looking for AMA’s Ron Barrick at tech, where I was told that he was in a meeting and couldn’t be disturbed.

On pit lane I gave the map and drawing of the impact to the first AMA official I saw, who passed it off to another, who took it into the meeting involving Barrick and AMA Pro Racing Road Racing Operations Manager Gary Mathers.

A few moments later, I saw Mathers walking out of the AMA mobile command center. In the meantime, 600cc Supersport practice ended and 250s were immediately sent out onto the track.

“Gary,” I said, “Hacking hit bare Armco. Now that we’ve indentified a possible impact zone, shouldn’t we put out more Air Fence?”

Mathers told me they were looking into it.

“They just sent out another practice,” I said. “Why not stop practice and deploy more Air Fence? My kid is in the next practice. What if somebody else hits in the same place?”

Mathers said he’d look into it.

Back on pit lane, I learned that more Air Fence was being deployed even as the 750cc Supersport bikes went on track; although practice was continuing on schedule, one additional Air Fence section had already been inflated and another was being inflated as bikes headed out onto the track. Before the 14-minute session was over, two new sections had been deployed.

So, when I saw Mathers again shortly after the session, I said “Gary, I appreciate the quick response.”

His reply was stunning.

“We’re not going to deploy it until noon,” he said.

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked.

Mathers then went off on a tirade, albeit in a calm, controlled voice. His major points were:
–AMA had been at VIR for two days with no riders hitting the barrier where Hacking hit it.
–No riders had specifically requested Air Fence or haybale coverage at the impacted area.
–AMA officials did the best they could in deciding where to place haybales and Air Fence, and 12 sections of Air Fence were held in reserve.
–The practice schedule could not be delayed or stopped to deploy any Air Fence, and additional sections would not be deployed in the area until noon.

And the kicker:

“We can’t stop practice for an hour to place nine or 10 additional sections of Air Fence in that area. You’re gonna roast us anyway, so go ahead and roast us. If it’s too dangerous for your son, don’t run your son. You even roasted us for not running at Willow, and that’s patriotic. So go ahead and roast us.”

I was hearing a familiar AMA Pro Racing refrain: If you don’t like it, get out of here.

I had heard it from AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth about a year ago: If you don’t like the job we’re doing, don’t run our series. He has said the same thing about AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin–if he doesn’t like the job AMA is doing, or has a problem being fined for expressing his opinion, he should race somewhere else.

And now, if I want Air Fence that I helped pay for deployed in a newly-identified impact area, and if I want it done before my son takes to the racetrack, then I shouldn’t make a suggestion, but instead I shouldn’t run my son.

In other words, if you don’t like your son running with bare steel barrier that has aready been hit by another rider, go home.

It is a sentiment that illustrates everything that is wrong with AMA Pro Racing and the people who run it. It goes perfectly with AMA Pro Racing Director of Competition Merrill Vanderslice’s response to Grant Lopez, when Lopez was trying to broker 5 laps of practice prior to the 600cc Supersport race at Loudon, after the track had been dried, to get the riders to take to the grid: “They (the riders) don’t run the AMA, we do.”

It goes perfectly with the AMA Pro Racing dictate that a pace car will be used at VIR, with riders and teams given no opportunity for input or comment.

I will remember that single comment made by Mathers in rejecting a perfectly reasonable request for the greater good–“If it’s too dangerous for your son, don’t run your son.”

It explains so much of what is dreadfully wrong with AMA Pro Racing, and the AMA.


Post script: Fortunately, Mathers didn’t know what he was talking about, and the two sections of additional Air Fence were deployed in short order.

And for the record, I didn’t “roast” AMA for postponing the race at Willow the weekend after the WTC disaster, as anybody who has actually read the posts on roadracingworld.com can see. As for why AMA Pro Racing refused to reschedule the race either one week before VIR or one week after, and instead insisted on trying to reschedule on top of the Formula USA finale at Daytona, leading to the AMA event’s cancellation, that’s another question for Mathers & Company, likely to produce another bizarre answer…

I don’t know the true answer to that question, but I hope to be able to access that information around February, 2002, at the AMA Board of Trustees meeting. Stay tuned…

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing is considering a proposal to make Continental the spec tire of the Grand National Championship (GNC) dirt track series.

The proposed 3-year deal would involved minimum payments to AMA Pro Racing of $40,000 per year plus a kickback of $3 per tire sold to racers, who would be charged about $230 per set of tires.

Under terms of the proposed agreement, only Continental tires could be used in AMA GNC dirt track races.

The proposal has been made by Greg Tysor, a dirt track racer and Continental executive, and is under consideration by AMA Pro Racing.

Genuine Suzuki Accessories 750cc Supersport Final Results:
1. Lee Acree, 17 laps
2. Jimmy Moore, +4.863 seconds
3. Robert Jensen, +5.841 seconds
4. Mike Ciccotto, +15.786 seconds
5. Scott Harwell, +17.475 seconds
6. Rich Conicelli, +28.672 seconds
7. Vincent Haskovec, +28.871 seconds
8. Andy Caldwell, +29.136 seconds
9. Anthony Lupo, +51.752 seconds
10. David Ortega, +54.700 seconds
11. Tony Meiring
12. Chris Rankin
13. Justin Blake
14. Billy Ethridge
15. John McGarity, Suzuki GSX-R600
16. Chris Ulrich, 14 laps
17. Richard Alexander, Jr., 14 laps
18. Jamie Thompson, 6 laps
19. Michael Barnes, 5 laps
20. Jeremy Barker, 4 laps

All riders were on Suzuki GSX-R750s unless noted.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Ben Spies and Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Ciccotto each crashed out of the lead of the race. Ciccotto re-mounted his bike to finish fourth.

The win was Arclight Suzuki’s Lee Acree’s first AMA National win.

Spies’ crash dropped him from second to third in the final 750cc Supersport point standings. Moore’s teammate Vincent Haskovec finished the season second in the Championship.

Rich Alexander hit Chris Ulrich on the first lap, and both crashed.

Saturday Morning Formula Xtreme Practice Times:
1. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.291
2. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7, 1:27.941
3. Josh Hayes, Honda CBR929RR, 1:28.075
4. Grant Lopez, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.310
5. John Hopkins, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.539
6. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7, 1:28.740
7. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR929RR, 1:28.795
8. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.234
9. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR929RR, 1:29.585
10. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.807
11. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.918
12. Mark Miller, Honda CBR929RR, 1:30.188
13. Scott Harwell, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.600
14. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.119
15. Tim Bemisderfer, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.030

By Glenn Le Santo

Last-minute set-up changes and some cool-headed riding catapulted Aprilia into the first two front-row places for tomorrow’s final World Superbike race at Imola, Italy. Troy Corser, who had qualified back in 12th place for Superpole, pulled a blistering lap out of the bag to snatch pole position. Corser, who has yet to confirm a ride for next season, lapped at 1:48.694, almost two seconds faster than his previous best lap time of 1:50.329.

“We made some radical changes for the final free practice session,” explained Corser. “We turned the machine on its end and it made all the
difference. I felt really comfortable on the bike for Superpole and just kept my head, kept it smooth – exactly what you need to do for a good
Superpole lap.”

Corser admitted that a good result in Sunday’s race is crucial for him, “My job probably depends upon it!” he quipped. “But apart from that, we’re in Italy, I’m riding an Italian bike and for Aprilia’s sake we need a good finish here.”

Corser may have to battle his own teammate for that result, and maybe even the team place as it looks likely Aprilia will run a one-man team in 2002. Fellow Aprilia rider Regis Laconi wasn’t far behind Corser in Superpole with a lap at 1:48.776. Unlike most of the other competitors Laconi has raced at Imola before, both on 250cc and 500cc GP bikes. “The track is a little different since I last raced here,” said Laconi, “but I’m glad to lap it faster today than I did on a 500.” Laconi waved a small American flag in support of the victims of the horrific events of September 11th as he posed for photographers after Superpole.

Ruben Xaus looked set to make yet another front-row start until he ran out of ground clearance on the final corner and lowsided his Ducati. Superpole rules mean he’ll now have to start back on the second row, in eighth spot. His teammate Troy Bayliss, now the 2001 World Superbike Champion, kept his silver-painted Ducati on its wheels for third on the grid, with a time
of 1:49.146.

“The race is important, we’re very close to Ducati’s factory,” explained Bayliss. “But I won’t be riding above myself,” he admitted, “you only do that if you really need to. But I’m looking forward to the race, and I’m happy with my set-up.”

Former Superbike World Champion Colin Edwards completes the front row. Akira Yanagawa, who qualified in 16th position, fell in free practice Saturday morning and didn’t start Superpole. He was concussed in the fall and no announcement
has been made yet on whether he’ll be fit to start in Sunday’s races.

Imola Superpole Results:
1. Troy Corser, Aprilia, 1:48.694
2. Regis Laconi, Aprilia, 1:48.904
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:49.146
4. Colin Edwards, Honda, 1:49.366
5. Ben Bostrom, Ducati, 1:49.371
6. Alessandro Antonello, Aprilia, 1:49.746
7. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:49.748
8. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, no time, crash
9. Tadayuki Okada, Honda, 1:50.076
10. James Toseland, Ducati, 1:50.189
11. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:50.792
12. Pierfrancesco Chili, Suzuki, 1:51.026
13. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati, 1:51.227
14. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, 1:51.479
15. Broc Parkes, Ducati, 1:51.971
16. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki, no time


Muggeridge claims pole for the season’s final Supersport race

Karl Muggeridge claimed pole position for tomorrow’s World Supersport finale in Imola, Italy. The Australian Suzuki star pulled a fast lap out of the bag as the session came to an end to push championship contender Paolo Casoli back into second place. Casoli crashed his Yamaha just after setting a pole time, which no doubt played into Muggeridge’s hands, as Casoli didn’t go
back out on the track to defend his provisional pole. Instead, championship leader Casoli had to watch from the pit lane as Muggeridge snatched pole from him.

Yesterday’s provisional pole-sitter, Pere Riba, was another faller–he lowsided his Honda half way through the session and had to make do with just one bike for the rest of qualifying. He slipped down the order and will start 8th. His teammate Fabien Foret showed maturity by keeping his head and settling for third on the grid as others crashed out trying to better their times. “I took it easy after my fast lap, the front row is better than the medical center!”

Casoli’s Championship rivals didn’t fare so well. Only Casoli, Andrew Pitt and reigning champion Jorg Teuchert can win the title on Sunday. Teuchert’s chances don’t look great at the moment, he will have to start from the fourth row, while Pitt is on the second row. So Casoli has the head start, both on points and grid position for the race. But anyone who’s been watching Supersport racing knows that literally anything can happen in the close racing that typifies the class. With the Superbike championship already decided, the Supersport race is likely to be the most exciting event on Sunday, the final day of WSBK this year.

Final World Supersport qualifying times
Imola, Italy
1. Karl Muggeridge, AUS, Suzuki, 1:53.554
2. Paolo Casoli, ITA, Yamaha, 1:53.559
3. Fabien Foret, FRA, Honda, 1:53.590,
4. Vittoriano Guareschi, ITA, Ducati, 1:53.690
5. James Whitham, GBR, Yamaha, 1:53.937
6. Stefano Cruciani, ITA, Yamaha, 1:53.943
7. Andrew Pitt, AUS, Kawasaki, 1:54.023
8. Pere Riba, ESP, Honda, 1:54.027
9. Katsuaki Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki, 1:54.074
10. Vittorio Iannuzzo, ITA, Suzuki 1:54.365

600cc Supersport Combined Qualifying Results:
1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:28.246
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:28.302
3. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:28.330
4. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 1:28.927
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:28.960
6. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:28.964
7. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:29.248
8. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:29.776
9. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, 1:29.833
10. Josh Hayes, Honda, 1:30.024
11. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:30.035
12. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:30.286
13. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:30.350
14. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:30.369
15. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:30.749
16. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:30.811
17. Robert Jensen, Suzuki, 1:30.938
18. Daigoro Suzuki, Kawasaki, 1:31.757
19. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:33.252
20. Chuck Neighoff, Yamaha, 1:33.509

Attack Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore crashed during the qualifying session and broke his left collarbone. It is unknown whether Pridmore will attempt to race with a broken collarbone as he did at Road Atlanta.