Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The now-cancelled CCS regional race scheduled for September 15-16 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois was the last event where Suzuki Cup points could be earned in order to qualify for this year’s Suzuki Cup Finals, and Suzuki may change qualification rules as a result.

“Yes, we are aware of that situation, and we are working on something because we’ve had a couple of Suzuki Cup events canceled this year,” said American Suzuki’s Matt Ellis on Thursday. (The other cancellation was the September 1-2 WERA National at Memphis Motorsports Park.) “What I am doing now is tabulating all of the Suzuki Cup point standings so that we know what we are dealing with before making a decision. Most likely what will happen is that we will call the Suzuki Cup point season complete and maybe lower the minimum amount of points required to qualify for the Cup Finals so that no one gets left out. I should have that ready by the beginning of next week, and I will give you guys the information so that you can post it for everyone to see.”

Originally, American Suzuki was requiring that Suzuki racers accumulate at least 10 Suzuki Cup points to qualify for the Suzuki Cup Finals.

For more information about the Suzuki Cup system, see the related roadracingworld.com August 8 posting or go to http://www.suzukicycles.com/racing/racers.htm. On the Suzuki site, click on Contingency, click on Road Race, scroll down, and click on Details On The Suzuki Road Race Contingency Program.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Team Oliver Yamaha’s Rich Oliver says cancelling the AMA Superbike National at Willow Springs was the wrong thing to do.

Coming into the penultimate round of the AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike National series there were 26 riders with mathematical chances of winning one of the six AMA class Championships. With the cancellation of the race at Willow Springs, the total number of points available drops from 76 to 38 and the number of Championship hopefuls drops from 26 to 15 including new 750cc Supersport Champion, Jimmy Moore, who was crowned by the cancellation.

One of the class Championships affected is MBNA 250cc Grand Prix, with pre-Willow-Cancellation-potential Champions including possible Corbin Yamaha’s Jimmy Filice, Oliver and PJ1/Team Turfrey/Tech Star Industries’ Michael Hannas, II. Oliver trailed Filice by 14 points coming into the Willow Springs weekend.

“I’m a little disappointed. I had my season pulled out from underneath me,” said four-time AMA 250cc Champion Oliver in a tape-recorded September 13 telephone call to Roadracing World. “I was very impressed with the decision-making process (dealing with the Willow Springs race) at first. I think the right thing to do was to postpone the race with this national tragedy, with these animals attacking our city of New York and most of our riders are stranded and can’t get to the event nor could the officials anyway. Air travel has just opened up a little bit today.

“But to go ahead and cancel the event, it’s just completely taken away all of the peoples’ opportunity to earn money, to earn Championship bonuses, and I think that’s absolutely the wrong thing to do. It’s too late in the season to pull 50% of the points-paying races out from underneath everyone. There’s so much money in testing and time and effort put into this whole year to then just take away half of the races at the end of the year. I think it’s the wrong thing to do, and I’ve never seen it done before.

“I want a fair fight for my Championship right to the finish. I’m sure that Jimmy Filice, the (250cc Grand Prix) points leader, would like to win the Championship the right way and not back into it. I don’t want it to be a tarnished season. I don’t want people to think, ‘What if, and what if?’ I want it to be like, this is the Champion for this year in every class. The manufacturers have spent a tremendous amount of money fighting for the 600 Supersport titles or for their Superbike titles, and there’s a lot bigger fish than me that have spent a lot more money than me trying to win a title, which is a very difficult thing to do in this series. It’s just not the right thing to do to cancel the race.

“If there’s no way to re-schedule it, I think if anything you pay double points at Virginia (International Raceway, September 28-30) to allow people with at least a mathematical chance at their Championship to go ahead, and if their results earn them the points, and still win the Championship. It’s like Major League Baseball. They’ve canceled quite a few games now, and I’m sure that they will have to make those games up. Otherwise, the playoffs and the World Series would all come under suspicion as far as not being fair. I just want it to be fair.

“I think the fairest solution would be to make a second round happen at some location. I would even be agreeable to making Virginia a double-header for every class and do two races for every class. I think that would be even fairer than double points.

“It would be difficult, but it was difficult to be in the World Trade Center Tuesday. Why can’t we be flexible? Why can’t we buckle down? Why can’t we work even harder to make this a fair series for everyone involved? Why do we just throw up our hands and give up and forget about Willow? That’s not American, man! That’s not the right attitude to have. The right attitude is, ‘Hey, whatever it takes, we’re going to make everything work out for all of those involved, not just the people that happen to be leading the points.’ There are other people that care where they finish the Championship.

“I think we can make adjustments to have a complete series. I don’t mind having to drive across the country in a week. I’ve done it many, many times before. We used to have to drive from Laguna Seca to Mid-Ohio and have to be there Wednesday. It’s nothing new. I don’t think that’s a reason why we shouldn’t schedule one race right after the other. I also don’t understand why we couldn’t race later on in the year in November. What’s the difference? It’s still not anywhere near the start of the 2002 season in Daytona in March. And the weather only gets better out at Willow later in the year.

“I’m sure that there are more people who are upset by this decision. Sure, everyone has a vested interest in their Championships, and it would be nice to have a huge points lead and just be crowned Champion now like Jimmy Moore. I lose the opportunity to race and win at Willow Springs, to make my bonuses, to make my contingencies. I count on that money to make my house payment. For them to just rip away one tenth of my earning potential, plus it takes away all of my Championship bonuses and the money that I have assigned to those results if I win the 250 Championship, it seems like an awful rash decision to make over the course of few hours. Why don’t we try to negotiate and find a date that works for everybody? Why does it have to be completely done and over with within a day or two of these world events happening? I don’t think that’s a decision to be made quickly or lightly.

“Last year was different when we lost Sears Point (to rain). We still had many rounds left after that one. This is different because this is the second-to-last round, within a few weeks of the last round. There are so many people that have worked so hard.”

AMA Point Standings Following Pike’s Peak:

Superbike:
1. Mat Mladin, 359 points
2. Eric Bostrom, 344 points
3. Nicky Hayden, 303 points
4. Doug Chandler, 292 points

600cc Supersport:
1. Eric Bostrom, 261 points
2. Miguel Duhamel, 230 points
3. Anthony Gobert, 229 points
4. Tommy Hayden, 214 points
5. Josh Hayes, 191 points

Formula Xtreme:
1. TIE Damon Buckmaster/John Hopkins, 229 points
3. Grant Lopez, 200 points
4. Jake Zemke, 197 points
5. Josh Hayess, 191 points
6. Aaron Gobert, 182 points
7. TIE Mark Miller/Roger Lee Hayden, 160 points

750cc Superport:
1. Jimmy Moore, 278 points
2. Ben Spies, 225 points

250cc Grand Prix:
1. Jimmy Filice, 284 points
2. Rich Oliver, 270 points
3. Michael Hannas, II, 225 points

Pro Thunder (before worst two finishes are dropped):
1. Thomas Montano, 242 points
2. Jeffrey Nash, 219 points
3. David Estok, 190 points
4. Mike Ciccotto, 184 points

Pro Thunder also has another round remaining at Road Atlanta October 28 after the round at Virginia International Raceway.



Reader comments follow:

From Reg Kittrelle of Thunder Press:

I’m sure Rich Oliver’s comments are taken out of context, that he’s been misquoted, that his dog ate his homework, that…At least I hope so.

I’m finding it difficult to generate anything resembling sympathy for his cause.


From Gordon Lunde Sr. of the Wegman Benefit Fund:

I agree with Rich Oliver that little planning was done to get this round in. There has to be some way to get this important round of the series into the championship. Be it some extra travel, double points or double races at Virginia. I believe a bit more negotiation and planning could have found a solution to the problem. Why just give up so quickly?

From a press release issued by Clear Channel Entertainment:

AURORA, Ill. – (September 13, 2001) – The Sacramento Mile, round eight of the Drag Specialties National Dirt Track Series will continue as planned for this Saturday night, Sept. 15th at Cal Expo. Clear Channel Entertainment announced that in honor of the victims and families affected by the tragedies, a donation of $5000 from the event will be contributed in conjunction with Drag Specialties to benefit the ClearChannel.com Relief Fund, a newly established fund that has already exceeded $100,000 created by Clear Channel Worldwide.

Clear Channel will also work with local Sacramento fire department and police department officers to accept donations to the fund. The fund will initially benefit the American Red Cross and appropriate New York and Washington, DC Police and Firemen Department funds.

Clear Channel Entertainment, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide, is the promoter of the Sacramento Mile, a 20-year traditional motorcycle race at Cal Expo featuring America’s best racers on Harley-Davidson powered motorcycles. Fans can still get tickets for the event by calling
916-766-2277.

In light of the week’s tragedies, Clear Channel is hoping to use entertainment to begin the healing process and will look to its other performances over the next several weeks to add to this relief fund. Just last night, the Lynyrd Skynyrd and Backstreet Boys (Clear Channel Entertainment promoted) performances in Raleigh, North Carolina and Toronto, Ontario, respectively, were held as originally scheduled and the groups each announced donations to contribute to the Clear Channel.com fund. Clear Channel Radio announced today a $100,000 donation from their contest fund money and began the promotion on their stations this morning.

The ClearChannel.com Relief Fund was launched officially today and will be accessible to anyone wishing to make any size donation by visiting ClearChannel.com or by mailing a donation to: ClearChannel.com Relief Fund, PO Box 659512, San Antonio, TX 78265.

About Clear Channel Entertainment (formerly SFX):
Clear Channel Entertainment, the world’s largest producer and marketer of live entertainment events, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide (NYSE:CCU), a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books 135 live entertainment venues, including 44 amphitheaters in the U.S. and 28 venues in Europe. Each year, more than 62 million people attend approximately 26,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; and specialized sports and motor sports shows.

In addition, Clear Channel Entertainment owns leading, independently operated talent management businesses, which specialize in the representation of athletes and broadcasters. Clear Channel Entertainment is headquartered in New York City.

From an AMA Press Release:


AMA Pro Racing creates open forum for two-way communication regarding new racing rules

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing announced today the creation of a new forum for two-way communication with the racing community, an avenue that provides racers with the means to review and comment on proposed changes regarding racing rules. The proposed rules changes, which apply to all AMA professional racing disciplines for the 2002 and 2003 racing seasons, have been posted, and a 30-day comment period for input regarding these changes will open on Friday, September 14.

The proposed rules changes can be viewed at AMA Pro Racing’s new racing community website, www.amaproracing.com/ridersonly. This website is password protected for exclusive use by AMA Pro Racing credentialed riders, team owners and managers, mechanics and other key industry members. First-time users must register with the site, which will also serve as one venue for collecting feedback regarding the proposed rules changes. As another option, credential holders will also receive a mailing that contains the proposed rules changes, and written comments may be returned to AMA Pro Racing via mail and fax.

The comment period serves as the official forum for AMA Pro Racing participants to communicate their thoughts and reactions to the proposed rules changes, and comments are encouraged. This new venue for two-way communication is the first in a series of anticipated changes in the rules-making process designed to engage the racing community in an early and more active role in the process.

The catalyst for this newly formalized means of active communication is an outgrowth of a six-month consulting study by former Indy Racing League executive director Leo Mehl for the expressed purpose of enhancing consensus and participation within the racing community. Mehl gathered input from participants of each AMA Pro Racing discipline and melded that with the best practices from other race sanctioning bodies in his recommendations.

On a regular basis, rules changes are proposed, drafted and recommended to and by AMA Pro Racing Competition Advisory Boards in each racing discipline. These advisory boards consist of riders, mechanics, other team members, manufacturer representatives and promoters. These boards meet quarterly to discuss potential rules changes for proposal to the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors. In cases that carry safety implications or may require more urgent action, the 30-day comment period may be bypassed.

“AMA Pro Racing has always had the objective of providing a level playing field, a stable rules environment for our competitors and an entertaining product for our fans. This latest move further enhances our ability to do that,” said Merrill Vanderslice, AMA Pro Racing director of competition.

“There are many aspects to be considered when adopting new rules. Hopefully, this newly formalized process will allow a greater number of participants to make their thoughts clearly heard on the issues that will affect them,” added Vanderslice.

In another step designed to better serve the racing community, AMA Pro Racing also announced that separate, discipline-specific rulebooks will be utilized in 2002. The move away from one rulebook for all racing disciplines will allow for better organization and more clarity for each venue’s set of specific rules and regulations.

Young American John Hopkins is still in Bermuda, and has been at the airport since 4:30 a.m. this morning (as instructed by airline representatives), awaiting a flight out.

Hopkins’ Continental flight from Lisbon to Newark Tuesday was diverted to Bermuda when the World Trade Centers in New York City were hit by highjacked airliners.

The airport at Bermuda was evacuated at one point today and flights are in complete disarray.

Hopkins has been told that he may be stuck in Newark for an additional several days even after the flight continues on from Bermuda.

Meanwhile, Red Bull Yamaha WCM team owner Bob MacLean was stranded in London, as was Hopkins’ manager, Doug Gonda.

This press release just issued by Steve Reeves, Mat Mladin’s publicist:

MAT MLADIN Racing – MEDIA INFORMATION
For immediate release
Thursday, 13 September 2001

Round 13, 2001 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Willow Springs Raceway, California, USA

AMA CANCELS WILLOW SPRINGS SUPERBIKE ROUND

Rosamond, California, USA – The American Motorcyclist Association today announced that the penultimate round of the 2001 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship scheduled for Willow Springs Raceway this weekend (September 15 – 16) has been cancelled following the tragic events which have unfolded in America this week.

With many teams and riders already enroute to the circuit in Rosemond, California, attempts were made to have the round either run or rescheduled but eventually the race promoters were forced to cancel.

Australian Mat Mladin now finds himself in the situation whereby he will arrive at the final round of the championship at Virginia on September 30 holding a 15-point lead over Eric Bostrom in the championship, however the tragic events that have occurred this week have left Mladin, like many around the world, concerned for those people who have been involved in the tragedy.

“The race being cancelled just had to happen,” said Mladin. “I think it’s the right thing to do in consideration to all of those involved in what has happened in New York and Washington. Honestly, the last thing I want to do, or think about, is going racing at the moment. You just have to feel for all of those people involved in this tragedy. As for Virginia, that is the last thing on my mind right at this minute.”

Racer John Hopkins and girlfriend Deseree Crossman arrived in Newark early this evening, on a flight from Bermuda, where they had been since their original flight from Lisbon to Newark was diverted on Tuesday.

At Newark, Hopkins and Crossman were told that they may not be able to get out on a flight home to San Diego, California until Sunday.

AMA Pro Racing has issued a press release blaming the promoters of the Willow Springs AMA National for cancellation of the event, which was originally postponed from this weekend by AMA Pro Racing.

Willow Springs’ Greg Huth said he wanted to go ahead with the race this weekend, or at least delay a decision, but AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth cancelled the race, citing travel problems and “questionable appropriateness of holding the event.”

But the track had limited options available for rescheduling.

AMA officials refused to allow the race to be postponed one week, to September 20-23, saying that it would be too close to the following weekend’s race at Virginia International Raceway, and that giving teams just one week to get from Willow Springs to VIR would create a hardship. The race could not be postponed two weeks to September 27-30 because it would have been on top of the AMA race at VIR.

The race could not be rescheduled for October 4-7 because, again according to AMA officials, it would be too much of a hardship for teams to get from VIR to Willow Springs for back-to-back races.

The October 12-14 weekend is a long-planned and promoted Porsche Owners’ Club charity event, which could not be moved.

Moving the AMA race to the October 18-21 weekend date would have put the event on top of the Formula USA season finale and CCS Race Of Champions at Daytona, which is attended by several riders and teams competing in the AMA Series, and would have also displaced a WSMC event at the track.

Rescheduling to October 25-28 would have put the event on top of the WERA Grand National Finals and Suzuki Cup Finals at Road Atlanta.

AMA officials also declined to allowed the race to be rescheduled in November.

The AMA Pro Racing press release on the cancellation follows:



Willow Springs round of AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championships cancelled

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Round 10 of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship has been cancelled by the event promoters of Willow Springs International Raceway.

Originally scheduled for Sept. 14-16, the race was postponed following the tragic attack on the United States in New York and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11. The difficulty of air travel as well as the questionable appropriateness of holding the event were the factors in the postponement, and substantial efforts were made to schedule an alternate date.

However, despite best efforts by AMA Pro Racing, racing teams and key television partners, the promoters of Willow Springs International Raceway opted instead to cancel this weekend’s event entirely. Promoters of Willow Springs Raceway cited insurmountable scheduling conflicts as the driving force behind their decision.

Fans who have purchased tickets in advance for the Willow Springs round should contact Willow Springs International Raceway at (661) 256-2471 for more information.

The AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship concludes at the end of this month, Sept. 28-30 at the new Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., with a unique 150-kilometer Superbike race featuring the drama of pit stops.

AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin has gotten back the point he was fined following a press conference at Loudon, but his $5000 fine stands in a settlement announced today by AMA Pro Racing.

The settlement will avoid litigation between Mladin and AMA Pro Racing. Mladin agreed to the settlement because the major issue was the loss of the point and because, according to one source close to the controversy, “$5000 isn’t worth litigating over.”

An AMA press release announcing the modified penalty follows:


AMA Pro racing modifies Mladin/Loudon conduct penalty

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing announced today that it has agreed to modify the penalty imposed on Yoshimura Suzuki Superbike racer Mat Mladin following an incident at New Hampshire International Speedway on June 16.

An AMA Pro Racing press release dated June 19 explained that Mladin had been fined $5,000 and penalized a Superbike championship pole point for detrimental conduct during a post-qualifying press conference at the track. More specifically, the press release stated Mladin had been “using profanity at times” during the press conference, and had raised “personal issues” within this forum.

Since June, ensuing discussions with AMA Pro Racing officials, including a review of an audio recording from the June 16th press conference, clarified that Mladin used profanity only one time during that session, and that any criticisms he voiced were not intended to be personal in nature. Given this clarification, AMA Pro Racing has agreed to suspend the 1-point penalty for the duration of the 2001 racing season; barring any further incidents, the point will be restored to Mladin’s point tally at season’s end. The $5,000 fine, however, will remain intact.

Merrill Vanderslice, AMA Pro Racing’s Director of Competition, explained, “The key issue here is appropriateness. In a setting such as a press conference, racers serve as spokespersons for our sport. Their attitudes, actions and words have great impact on the general public, many of whom are youngsters coming up in our sport. It is important for all concerned with motorcycle racing to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on our sport.”



Editorial comment: We’re waiting for some explanation of how Valderslice’s conduct in meetings with riders along pit lane at Loudon qualifies as “appropriateness” or how it “reflects positively on our sport.”

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

By John Ulrich

AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth has mounted a slippery slope with recent press releases issued by the organization, one of which refers to “the questionable appropriateness of holding the event” in reference to the postponement and ultimate cancellation of this weekend’s scheduled AMA National at Willow Springs.

In the first place, if “appropriateness” was the real issue, the AMA hillclimbs going on as planned (according to AMA press releases) in Pennsylvania and Indiana this weekend would also have been postponed, revealing this latest AMA press release as just more BS and spin from AMA Pro Racing.

In the second place, even bringing up the subject of “appropriateness” sets up motorcycle racing for huge problems in the future, and buys into the argument–often advanced by motorsports writers who have even less true racing experience than Hollingsworth–that race events should be cancelled immediately and everyone sent home any time anyone is seriously hurt (or worse).

Hollingsworth should have referred to “insurmountable travel problems” and left it at that.

The same release contains a line about the race being cancelled by race promoters “despite the best efforts by AMA Pro Racing, racing teams and key television partners”? Which “racing teams”? The guys who routinely criss-cross the country in 50 hours of driving time or less chasing after purse and contingency money? That’s a drive I’ve done with co-drivers many times, including 44 hours straight from LA to Daytona, 39 from Savannah to LA, 35 from LA to Indy, 53 from LA to Pocono.

Last week it took Chris Ulrich (driving alone) 37 hours over a three-day period (16 hours the first day, 17 hours the second day, 4 hours the third day) to get from Huntsville, Alabama to Lake Elsinore, California. It’s a drive Chris has done solo in 40 driving hours or less over three days, six times this year alone.

Driving Chris’ truck and trailer, David Swarts drove solo from VIR to Lake Elsinore in 50 driving hours over three days, June 29-July 1.

There were several race teams at Willow Springs yesterday, including World Sports/Corbin Yamaha from San Francisco, GP Tech from Florida, AMS Ducati from Texas, Valvoline EMGO Suzuki from Alabama. Nobody consulted them, nobody asked if it was too hard to get from Willow Springs to VIR, or from VIR to Willow Springs in one week.

So instead of refering to “best efforts by AMA Pro Racing, racing teams and key television partners,” what the AMA Pro Racing release should have said to be truthful was, “we talked to the usual Factory Few and eliminated the weekends before and after VIR because it was inconvenient for them, and too bad for everyody else.”

Another recent press release issued by AMA Pro Racing revealed that a motocross Championship was won when one rider pulled over and let another pass. That may be true–but stating it as fact in an official AMA press release puts the sanctioning body in the position of publicizing and seemingly signing-off on a practice which could be said to be illegal under a strict interpretation of the rules banning any actions which “fix” races.

In both cases, it is clear that the potential ramifications of the press release language were not well-thought-out by anybody with any significant racing experience.

What a surprise…