Cancellation of this weekend’s AMA National at Willow Springs assures Corona EBSCO Suzuki’s Jimmy Moore of the AMA 750cc Supersport Championship.

Moore has a 53-point lead over Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Ben Spies with a maximum 37 points available at the season finale scheduled for Virginia International Raceway at the end of this month.

This release just in from Clear Channel Motor Sports:


CHAMPIONSHIP CUP SERIES’ WEEKEND EVENTS CANCELLED AT GATEWAY INT’L RACEWAY AND PHOENIX INT’L RACEWAY AURORA, Ill. (September 12, 2001) –Championship Cup Series (CCS) has announced that the regional motorcycle road race events scheduled for this weekend, Sept. 15-16, 2001 have been cancelled and will not run as scheduled. After consulting with Gateway International Raceway officials, it was agreed that the CCS event will not be re-scheduled, however, the regional 200 Mile Team Challenge race that was to run at this event will now move to the CCS event scheduled at Gateway on the weekend of October 6-7, 2001. Phoenix International Raceway officials also concurred that it would be best to reschedule the CCS event scheduled for this weekend at date available soon. Pre-entered riders for both events should contact the CCS office in Fort Worth, TX at (817) 332-4822 regarding the disposition of their entries for both events.


Interestingly, the Sacramento Mile dirt track promoted by Clear Channel has not been cancelled, as demonstrated by the following press release:

SACRAMENTO MILE CONTINUES TRADITION

AURORA, Ill. (September 12, 2001) — Formula USA announced today that the tradition of the Sacramento Mile, round eight of the Drag Specialties National Dirt Track Series will continue as scheduled for this Saturday evening.

After consulting with officials Cal Expo, a state operated facility, Formula USA agreed that this event will continue as planned.

Rider information is available by calling 817-332-4822 and venue & tickets are available by calling 916-263-3049 or visiting dirttrack.com.

This weekend’s AMA National, tentatively rescheduled for Oct 13 -14, has now been cancelled.

The Porsche Owners Club has a major charity event scheduled for the 13th and 14th, and would not budge off the date, according to a Willow Springs spokesman.

“The race cannot be rescheduled this year,” said spokesman Rick Romo.

AMA Pro Racing’s event at Willow Springs Raceway has been rescheduled for the weekend of October 12-14.

Initial word that the event had been scheduled on top of the October 19-21 Formula USA Finale at Daytona came from Willow Springs Raceway’s Greg Huth. He now says that was an error.



The AMA press release on the postponement follows:



September 11
Willow Springs Superbike Championship event postponed

AMA Pro Racing continues with the rest of America and the world in mourning the devastating loss of human life that took place Tuesday morning.

Given these tragic circumstances, and in consideration of the disruption of services in nationwide air transportation, the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship event scheduled for September 14-16 at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, California, has been postponed until further notice.

“A number of compelling reasons dictate the postponement of this event,” said Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing. “From a purely logistical standpoint, it does not appear feasible to expect cross-country travel to be fully restored soon enough to accommodate attending or participating in this race. Of equal importance are considerations regarding the appropriateness of holding a sporting event in the wake of Tuesday’s horrible events.

“Our deepest sympathy and most sincere prayers go out to the thousands of families that have been impacted by these terrible events.”

AMA Pro Racing, Willow Springs International Raceway and teams will coordinate the rescheduling of this event, while factoring in other important logistical considerations such as live television.

A decision about the running of this weekend’s AMA U.S. Hillclimb Championship presented by Pace American event in Jefferson (York Co.), Penn., has not yet been made, but will be coming shortly.

Eyewitness Tyler Sandell disputes some parts of the official OMRRA account of the Portland F-USA crash as given by OMRRA President Spiros Gabrilis and posted on roadracingworld.com.

Sandell said he was watching the F-USA race after racing himself in the Super TT event held at Portland International Raceway, and that the first rider to crash was Zlock Racing’s Ty Howard, who highsided–just as we reported from the scene on Sunday. Sandell agreed with our earlier report that Craig Connell was collected by Howard’s bike, and that John Dugan–as Dugan himself told us on Sunday–fell while trying to turn inside the earlier crashes.

Sandell also backed up Gabrilis’ statement that an OMRRA cornerworker–Richard Matthews–was the first person to reach Connell, and pulled Connell out of the reach of flames set off when his gas tank spilled fuel. Matthews was assisted in pulling Connell to safety by racer Marc Palazzo.

Sandell called Roadracing World headquarters after reading Gabrilis’ statement, posted earlier today on roadracingworld.com.


This second eyewitness report just in from Morgan Broadhead:

Sorry for not responding sooner but I wanted to clarify something in regards to the fire in turn 9 at Portland. I was probably 30 yards from the end of the pits heading for the bridge when the accident occurred. I missed the actual incident but saw the post-crash events.

My hat is off to Marc Palazzo for returning to help the injured Craig Connell. The fuel from Connell’s tank ignited almost immediately. From my vantage point Craig was laying either in, or right next to, the fire. The other person that helped Marc was a cornerworker who had run up from turn 9. He actually reached Connell just before Marc but hesitated because of the fire. He was dressed only in a white T-shirt and shorts. Marc, (with full leathers, helmet and gloves) went right in and started pulling Connell out. As soon as Marc started pulling Craig, the cornerworker jumped in to assist. Kudos to both of these heroes.

The annual Kawasaki dealer meeting, scheduled for this weekend in Anaheim, California has been cancelled due to concerns related to terrorist attacks in the United States. According to Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. media relations manager Sheryl Bussard, the company cancelled the meeting because it was unsure whether its out-of-state dealers could actually get to the meeting, and whether or not they would attend in any case given the current situation. According to Bussard, it’s uncertain whether the meeting will be rescheduled.


Kawasaki issued the following press release Tuesday afternoon, California time:


Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
Cancels Dealer Meeting


(Irvine, Calif. – September 11, 2001) In the wake of today’s tragedies in New York and Washington, D.C., Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has cancelled its annual Dealer Meeting, which had been scheduled for September 15-18, 2001 in Anaheim, Calif.

The meeting will not be rescheduled.

More than 3,500 representatives from Kawasaki dealerships across the country had been registered for the event, which showcases new 2002 models. The company’s thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by today’s national emergency.

John Hopkins is stranded in Bermuda after his flight from Lisbon to Newark was diverted due to terrorist attacks in the United States. Hopkins was returning from the Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril and is scheduled to ride at Willow Springs Friday morning. No further information was available at post time.

WERA has scheduled two endurance races at VIR on Saturday, September 22, the extra race to make up for the rain-out at Memphis September 1. WERA racers received the following letter from WERA President Evelyne Clarke:

VIR Make-Up for Memphis Rain-Out:

To Endurance Teams: We will run two Endurance Races on Saturday with a one-hour break in between–they will range in 3 hours to 4 hours depending upon how we can work the schedule. The fee will be $200 per race, or if you enter both $350. You can use your credit from Memphis toward the fees. There will be a WERA purse in each of the rounds and contingency in both rounds.

To National Challenge Sprint Racers: If you were at Memphis, you will receive double points in the like National class you are running at VIR, i.e., if you were entered in 600cc Superstock at Memphis and enter that class at VIR you will get double points for your finish. You may use your credit at any event.

Regarding Memphis–we regret that we were not able to race, but WERA will not put racers on a track which is not safe if wet. We deal with a bad situation at Memphis with the front straight being part of the drag strip and have talked to them regarding a solution. If that solution is in place, WERA may return to Memphis. If this solution is not in place, WERA will not take another National event to Memphis Motorsports Park. We regret any inconvenience this has caused you, but rest assured your safety comes first. Any Endurance Team or National Sprint racer entered in the Memphis Round will be eligible for the Endurance and/or National Sprints at the 2001 Grand National Finals, October 24th through 28th.

This just in via e-mail:


To the Editor:

After interviews with witnesses and the OMRRA safety crews, we wanted to provide Roadracing World with additional information regarding the crash that occurred at the beginning of the second leg of the Formula USA Unlimited Superbike race at Portland International Raceway on September 9.

(1) None of the three bikes involved collided with either the Alpina Air Module sections or the wall. Rather, Craig Connell highsided at the point exiting Turn 9. Ty Howard and John Dugan then tangled with each other. Connell’s bike in the meantime chased him to the wall, stopping on top of him.

(2) OMRRA safety personnel were indeed consulted on the placement of the Air Module sections. Our concerns about the placement of the sections came from ten years of experience with that part of the racetrack. And the correct sequence of the event reveals that additional placement would not have altered the outcome and may have in fact trapped Connell as the fuel ignited.

(3) Only one rider (Ty Howard) was unconscious then came around partially, but needed to be sedated as he became combative and could have possibly aggravated his injuries. Connell suffered from a shoulder injury, yet as he was being placed in the ambulance he waved to those around him. I was on scene and witnessed this.

(4) Marc Palazzo should indeed be commended for turning around on his bike and heading back to help with Connell’s rescue. But to state that he reached Connell before any worker did is not correct. The real hero of the day was veteran OMRRA racer and safety worker Richard Matthews who was indeed the first person to reach Connell, pulling him away while dodging the flames that were being fanned by gusts of wind.

OMRRA remains committed to the safety of our racers, and OMRRA officials are always available to media reporters to assist in gathering facts prior to posting a story.

Sincerely,
Spiros Gabrilis
President, OMRRA



(Editorial Comment: The posting referred to by Gabrilis was based on interviews with Dugan, who said he got sideways and crashed trying to turn inside the crashed bikes without any reference to getting “tangled” with Ty Howard, and with Palazzo, who said he was assisted in dragging Connell away from the flames by another racer. The comment that placement of additional Air Module may have made the situation worse is pure speculation. Be that as it may, we acknowledge and appreciate the concern and efforts of OMRRA and the OMRRA corner working crew during the F-USA weekend and in the area of rider safety at all OMRRA and OMRRA-staffed events…John Ulrich, Editor.)

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Ty Howard, who rides a Yamaha YZF-R6 for Shogun Motorsports and a Kawasaki ZX-9R for Zlock Racing in Formula USA competition, was involved in a serious accident Sunday, September 9 exiting turn nine of Portland International Speedway. Howard was transported to Legacy Emanuel Hospital with a “Level One” concussion, said to be the lowest level concussion. After an MRI and CAT scan, no other injuries were found. After spending Sunday and Monday in Intensive Care, Howard was moved to a regular room Tuesday, September 11 where he remained under observation and in good spirits, according to Shogun team owner Brooks Gremmels, who also said that Howard was looking to be released on Wednesday. Get Well messages for Ty Howard can be sent to his e-mail address at [email protected].

While at Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Gremmels was able to check on the condition of Ducati Performance/Advanced Motor Sports rider Craig Connell, who was involved in the same incident as Howard. Originally, it was reported that Connell re-injured the shoulder that he separated August 24 at Pocono International Raceway. Connell did indeed displace his right shoulder, but he also suffered a break of the upper arm bone just below the shoulder joint.

According to Gremmels, Connell was released from the hospital, is staying in a hotel in Portland, and plans to travel to San Francisco on Wednesday, September 12 to be evaluated by Dr. Arthur Ting.

Connell’s travel plans may have to change considering today’s terrorist attacks and subsequent shut-down of all air travel in the United States.