From a release issued by Andrew Stutzman, General Manager Rausch Creek Motorsports Park, via the Rausch Creek electronic mailing list:

“First the road course, things have definitely not been going as planned, but we are still 100% committed to completing the road course.

“Currently our engineers are resubmitting the drainage plan to the state. All the concerns of the Department of Environmental Protection have been met in the resubmit and we are now awaiting their inspection to allow our construction to proceed. This should be happening in the next few weeks.

“The original plan was turned down and the DEP mandated we stop track construction and will only allow work to amend the drainage plan until approved.

“In the down time from construction of the road course, we have solicited and gained support from local and state government for the project.

“Also the AMA has offered to support us in any way possible with future governmental issues we might incur. Thank you to everyone who has offered to support Rausch Creek.”

12:00 p.m. AMA Superbike VIR
1:30 p.m. FIM World Superbike Imola Race One
2:30 p.m. FIM World Superbike Imola Race Two

7:00 p.m. Bike Week
7:30 p.m. American Thunder
8:00 p.m. AMA Flat Track National Springfield, IL
9:00 p.m. AMA 600cc Supersport VIR
10:00 p.m. AMA Formula Xtreme VIR
11:00 p.m. Bike Week
11:30 p.m. American Thunder
12:00 a.m. AMA Flat Track National Springfield, IL
1:00 a.m. AMA 600cc Supersport VIR
2:00 a.m. AMA Formula Xtreme VIR
All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Cruise America Grand Prix Racing’s Jason DiSalvo, 17, took a come-from-behind sixth place finish in the penultimate round of the European 250cc Championship series on Sunday, September 30, at Braga, Portugal.

According to a press release issued by DiSalvo’s team, the New York teenager got off the line well but suffered a big slide early in the final, ran off the track and dropped back to 11th. DiSalvo charged back up to fifth place but was repassed in the final corners of the race and ended up sixth.

DiSalvo’s next race will be the final round of the European 250cc Championship, scheduled for Sunday, October 7 at Cartagena, Spain.

Copyright Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

I haven’t spoken to a single person in the Superbike World Championship paddock who knows why the hell SBK/FIM want treaded tires on Superbikes. Even the tire guys, and I spoke to representatives from Pirelli and Michelin, can’t understand it and don’t really think it will
benefit their marketing. Team managers think it will make it hard to employ top riders, as they won’t want to ride Superbikes on treaded tires.

Highlights of the new rules follow (words in brackets are mine), with the text altered slightly from original poor English translation from Italian; Italian seems to be the official World Superbike language now, and all the awards ceremonies were conducted in Italian on Sunday night at Imola, much to the disgust of 75% of the international press representatives on hand.

1. Engines up to 1000cc, regardless of cylinders

2. Install (inlet duct) restrictors. Engine will stop if restrictors are closed(?) Details to follow (Say the FIM)
Restrictor sizes:
2cyl Dia. 30mm by 1 (duct)
Dia. 21.5mm by 2
4cyl Dia. 26.3mm by 1
Dia. 18.7 by 2
3,5 and more cyl, diameters to be decided and announced shortly.
MSMA to review restrictor size and decide by end of year.

3. Changes to fairing in vicinity of air inlets permitted only if unavoidable due to fitting of air inlet restrictors.

4. Treaded tires, tread must be visable at end of race within prescribed minimum area, position, depth, width and pattern. Tire manufacturers will draft regs. Only 15 sets of tires can be used in one event, except for rain. Officials to check the bar-codes on tires when exiting pit lane.

5. Minimum weight: 158kg for 1-3 cyls, 168kg for 4-5 cyls and 178kg for 6 or more cyls. Extra weights can be added (to reach minimum)

6. Other rules to remain unchanged from current rules.

Effective 2004.

Francesco Zerbi, FIM President says: “I am satisfied with the agreement reached as it enures a great development for the entire world of motorcycle racing.”

Maurizio Flammini, Octagon Motorsports Chairman:
“This agreement forms the basis for a great period of competitions development with Superbike machines, both at world level and at national and
continental level. It..guarantees its continuity and growth in the long term.”

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Firestorm Racing’s Chris Normand was wrongly disqualified from his third-place finish in the AMA Buell Pro Thunder final on Sunday, September 30 at Virginia International Raceway for being underweight.

Normand told Roadracing World as he rolled his Suzuki Cup-spec SV650 out of the tech barn at VIR, “I weigh 352 (pounds) and they said that I have to weigh a minimum of 380 (pounds).”

But while AMA Pro Racing rules at one point established a minimum weight limit of 380 pounds for all Pro Thunder machines, a February 9, 2001 AMA Pro Racing bulletin issued by AMA Chief Technical Inspector Rob King announced that: “Due to our association with WERA and input from competitors, the following changes are being made.

“Effective immediately, the minimum weight rule is removed for the following two engine displacement sub classes, (Page 55, 2001 AMA Pro racing Rulebook):

“Unlimited 4-stroke single cylinders
“600cc – 850cc 4-stroke liquid-cooled twin cylinders (except desmodronic)(sic)”

The Suzuki SV650 is a non-desmodromic, 650cc, liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder machine and therefore exempt from the minimum weight requirement.

Yet when asked about the disqualification at VIR, AMA Media Relations Contractor Larry Lawrence confirmed the disqualification of Normand and produced revised results showing Thomas Fournier as finishing third in the Pro Thunder final.

Apparently, AMA tech officials at VIR were not familiar with the rule change and consulted a rulebook which had not been updated.

Contacted Monday, October 1 by telephone, Normand said, “I went to (AMA Pro Racing’s) Ron Barrick after I got disqualified and asked him, ‘Why do you guys make 70-horsepower machines weigh the same as machines making 130 horsepower?’ He was like, ‘Well you know, that’s the rules.’ I said, “I thought you all wanted SV650s to run in this class?’ He said, ‘Well, that’s what the rules are.'”

Normand stands to lose $800 in purse, $750 in Suzuki contingency and $300 in Pirelli contingency for a total of $1850 if the AMA’s mistake is not corrected. “That’s awesome!” yelled Normand over the phone when told that a mistake had obviously been made. “Thank you guys very, very much.”

At post time, official results posted on the AMA Pro Racing website did not include Normand’s name.

The applicable rule can be seen at:

http://www.amaproracing.com/rulebook/combuls/combul65.pdf

It was not known at post time if AMA officials will correct their error, and Ron Barrick had not returned a phone message asking for comment.

From a press release:

October 1, 2001

Dunlop introduces new D207 RR tire at Ducati Revs America, October 26-28, 2001

Buffalo, NY: Dunlop Tires, the official and exclusive sponsoring motorcycle tire company for Ducati Revs America (DRA), announced that it will introduce the company¹s next generation premium sport tire, the Dunlop D207 RR, at DRA.

The D207 RR merges together the best in track and street motorcycle tire technology to bring the ultimate in performance to the most demanding and discriminating sport-riding enthusiasts. This tire combines the race-winning grip of the D208 GP with the handling characteristics of the D207 ZR.

Since the D207 RR is Dunlop’s newest premium sport tire, Ducati Revs America provides the perfectly appropriate venue for the D207 RR’s American introduction. With the introduction of the D207 RR, Dunlop will expand its support of this groundbreaking event by offering special pricing to DRA participants on both the new D207 RR and the racing-version D208 GP. This will provide a unique opportunity for participants to enjoy exclusive, full-on Dunlop factory treatment at the Dunlop racing support truck, the same truck and trailer that services many of the top racing teams, including the two American Ducati road racing teams. Dunlop tire technicians will provide tire information and technical support, and will help participants choose the right tire for their specific riding needs.

DRA makes its debut in Las Vegas during October 26-28, 2001. This premier event marks the USA’s inaugural nation-wide gathering of Ducati aficionados.

A proposed new AMA Pro Racing rule changing race gridding from four-straight-across to four-staggered-across has already been implemented, even though the comment period on proposed new rules to go into effect January 1, 2002 doesn’t end until October 14.

A new system touted as heralding a bold new era in communication between AMA officials and affected riders, mechanics and teams includes a specific system for gathering input on proposed new rules well prior to their enactment.

The comment period on the staggered-grid rule opened September 14 and is to run for 30 days.

So it was a surprise when teams showed up at Virginia International Raceway this weekend and found the staggered grid already in use.

So much for the new system of gathering input…

From a press release issued by Eric Bostrom’s manager, Norm Viano:

BOSTROM STAYS WITH KAWASAKI

October 1, 2001 – Alton, VA. The intense rumors that have been swirling around Eric Bostrom for the past few months are both correct and incorrect. It is true that Eric had significant interest from various teams here and abroad, but the “Boss” has decided to stay with Kawasaki for another season, and compete once again in the AMA Superbike Championship. After clinching the 2001 600cc Supersport Championship this weekend but coming up short in the Superbike Championship (finishing 2nd), Eric will graduate to being a Superbike-only rider and will mount another challenge for the Superbike title in 2002.

“I’m stoked to be back with the same team because of the relationship we’ve been building over the years – and we’ve been stronger each year. Definitely, the crew that works with me is really good, and changing teams can be – well, you can spend a lot of time learning how to work with the crew. So being back with the same team means you start off ahead of the game.”

This just in from cornerworker Sean Jordan:


Just some first-hand info on the fire…

I was the second cornerworker on the scene with one of the Cold Fire extinguishers. My post was corner station 16, and Mladin’s crash was almost directly across from 17a. When Mladin crashed, the cornerworkers at 17 seemed to have things under control, but when we saw the bike burst into flames, I grabbed our extinguisher and started running. Since I had to stay out of the immediate impact zones, I would guess, (very roughly) that the distance I had to run was around 75 yards or more. When I arrived at the bike, the cornerworker from 17 ran out of fluid from his extinguisher. I began to use mine, and had the blaze defeated in somewhere around 2 or so.

The initial fire fighting efforts were hampered due to two reasons. Mr. Crumpton’s assertion that gas was still fueling the fire is correct. Also, Mladin’s bike came to rest with the underbelly pointing more towards the straightaway, and the top of the bike pointed away. The way the wind was blowing, the majority of smoke and fire was around the tank and seat area, and that’s also where the fire was being fed. The first cornerworker was loathe to approach the fire from that angle, and instead fired from behind the fire, and was not able to get the Cold Fire into the area where it was needed most. When I arrived, the wind had changed direction slightly, and I was able to get into the tank area and put out the fire.

In retrospect, I would say that two extinguishers at every station would have provided a greater margin for safety, but under the circumstances, one would have been sufficient if applied more effectively.

(See related post on 9/30/01)