ESPN2
6:30 p.m. Motoworld
Speedvision
12:00 p.m. AMA 600cc Supersport Brainerd
1:00 p.m. AMA Formula Xtreme Mid-Ohio
2:00 p.m. AMA Superbike Brainerd
3:00 p.m. FIM 250cc Grand Prix Germany
7:00 p.m. Bikeweek
7:30 p.m. American Thunder
8:00 p.m. FIM 125cc Grand Prix Germany
9:00 p.m. FIM 500cc Grand Prix Germany
10:00 p.m. AMA Formula Xtreme Brainerd
All times are Eastern Daylight Time.
From a Honda press release:
The latest test session took place at the Suzuka Circuit today, August 7, 2001. Valentino Rossi(Nastro Azzuro Honda), the Honda NSR500 WGP rider, took part as the first GP rider to test the RC211V.
The weather interrupted testing, continuous rain during the morning finally cleared up at 2:25 p.m. Although it looked to have cleared up for the day, the rain started to fall again later in the afternoon which forced Valentino to finish the test sooner than he wished to.
With the rain lasting until lunchtime Honda changed the program for the day and Rossi took to the track in the afternoon. After a few laps on the RC211V he returned to the pits to give project leader Heijiro Yoshimura, and his engineering staff, his initial impression of the machine.
Rossi made his wishes known to the test team who prepared the machine set-up to suit his riding style and he went out again. However, due to the changeable weather the test was stopped at 5.00. p.m.
Shinichi Itoh and Makoto Tamada also tested the machine, as they had on previous occasions. But Rossi was the first Grand Prix rider to test the RC211V.
Test Condition
Date: August 7, 2001
Place: Suzuka Circuit, Mie Prefecture 5.85913km.
Weather: Cloudy with rain showers.
RC211V Test Ride Comments: Valentino Rossi
“It was very emotional moment for me, testing the new Honda GP machine,” said Rossi.
“Because it’s the beginning of a new ‘Era’ and I was very excited to test the four-stroke V-5. Due to the rain the track was wet and I rode the bike only in the afternoon but it was enough to understand the character of this bike. Of course we are still at the beginning of the development and we have to work a lot to be competitive but I feel we are going in the right direction and I think this project has good potential.
“Of course today I was not interested to the lap time and my main task was to give information to the Honda engineers to develop the bike according to my wishes. It has been a very interesting experience.”
Heijiro Yoshimura: Person in charge of RC211V development.
“The biggest problem we had today was the weather conditions. The track had dried for the afternoon session so we extended the test time but again it started to rain. Because of this we were unable to test as much as we wanted. The course condition was also slippery which held us back from judging the character of the machine completely.
“Although we had these problems, we can say that we received the necessary comments from Valentino that will help us for our next test. His comment was to the point which will help us for the future improvement of the machine, so we can say that we had a very good session after all.”
Honda’s Superbike World Champion, Colin Edwards, together with 500cc Grand Prix rider Tohru Ukawa, will test the RC211V tomorrow.
Colin Edwards is curious to know all about the performance of the RCV but denied he was interested in racing the RC211V in the Grands Prix. The American confirmed he will definitely race a Superbike for Honda in the 2002 season.
Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
Ricci Motorsports plans to offer transportation for 12 bikes and gear from Woodinville, Washington (near Seattle) to the Suzuki Cup Finals scheduled for October 23-28 in conjunction with the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta. The bikes will be hauled inside the team’s 46-foot United Express Lines trailer, and, for $500, riders will be allowed to send one bike, extra wheels, and a couple of bins of parts, tools, equipment, etc.
Ricci Motorsports owner Gary Ricci pointed out that, “With the new payout system, 20th place pays out $500. We’re just trying to give racers from the Northwest the opportunity to go to the Suzuki Cup.”
Racers interested in sending a bike or bikes with Ricci Motorsports can contact Gary Ricci at (425) 424-3888 or via e-mail at [email protected].
From a Kawasaki press release:
Team Kawasaki would field two Superbike teams on the starting grid in today’s prestigious but gruelling 8-Hours race. Kawasaki Riders Akira Yanagawa and Hitoyasu Izutsu paired together, with Gregorio Lavilla and Tamaki Serizawa forming the second team. The race staged around the undulating Suzuka layout would pit both rider and machine to 8 hours of punishment throughout the heat of Japan in mid summer.
Akira/Hitoyasu produced a stunning qualifying lap, pushing their green Ninja ZX7-RR Superbike to the outside of the front row with the fourth-fastest time. Gregorio/Serizawa would start from the third row with the 10th-fastest qualifying time.
Akira discussed his race strategy saying, “We really need to be in the leading group of riders throughout the race to have a chance. The weather is so hot and humid and I know this will affect a lot of riders at the end of the race. I think if we can be there at the end the fireworks will start in the last few laps.”
Gregorio said, “The most important thing is to avoid crashing and complete the race. I will try my best against the fast local riders and some big-name international riders. This is the only way to achieve good finishing results and promote the Kawasaki name.”
Race Day:
The hopes of all the Kawasaki Racing Team were dealt a severe blow early on in the race when Akira crashed into the back of a slower rider. Initially the crash damage wasn’t seen as very severe. On returning to the pits, the damage forced extra-unscheduled pit stops moving them down the order into 40th. Both riders recovered remarkably, clawing their way back up to 12th position, before another two race crashes. Eventually they finished the day in 23rd place.
Gregorio/Tamaki were consistently in fifth and sixth place up until the latter stages of the race. Gregorio was just starting his final session when he tried to overtake, on the inside of a much slower rider, around the Spoon Curve. To avoid hitting the rider, he was forced onto an unusual line and highsided heavily on the exit of the corner. Gregorio was unhurt but his ZX7-RR Ninja Superbike didn’t fare that well and both
were forced to retire.
Overall a disappointing end to a race that can be summed up by Mr.Takata, the Head of Race Engineering, “We should move on from this nightmare, however, at the same time we should learn something from this experience–that’s what we must not miss.”
Gregorio said, “It’s been a tough weekend. We both were riding the bike really well and it looked as if a podium was within our reach throughout the race. In the end it’s disappointing to have worked so hard and not get any result at all.”
Akira summed up his race by saying, ” We didn’t have much luck in the race after qualifying so well. It’s a shame because the team worked so hard just to get us both out onto track after the first crash. We all wanted a better finish but at least we tried.”
From a Suzuki press release:
SUZUKI RIDERS YUKIO KAGAYAMA, AKIRA RYO AND ATUSHI WATANABE finished third in the prestigious Suzuka Endurance race less than a minute and a quarter behind first place at the end of the eight hours.
The Japanese trio took advantage of the new regulations allowing three team riders and started from pole position following an immaculate lap from Akira Ryo in final qualifying yesterday and remained on the lead lap despite Yukio Kagayama riding off of the track at Spoon Curve.
The race was won by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi (Honda).
An incident on Saturday, July 28 during an LRRS regional race at New Hampshire International Speedway will likely lead to rider sanctions, track Safety Director Jerry Wood said.
The incident in turn two occurred when one rider slowed for waving yellow flags and another Junior-ranked rider did not, hitting the first rider, taking off his controls, knocking him down and sending him feet-first into a pile of cornerworking equipment outside the corner, next to the end of a wall, in an area Wood said is not normally an impact zone. The injured rider, Charles Chubbuck, suffered broken bones in his lower back and feet, according to Wood. The rider who did not slow may be sanctioned by LRRS for not responding appropriately to a waving yellow flag, Wood said.
During the same weekend, Wood conducted a charity auction that raised $10,000 for two riders and two cornerworkers injured in a bizarre July 7 crash in the same corner. In that crash, also during an LRRS regional race, one rider fell and crawled off the track, his bike still in the middle of the corner. Two cornerworkers were attempting to remove the crashed bike under waving yellow flags when a group of riders approached about a minute after the original crash. One of the riders plowed directly into the two cornerworkers and the bike, which they had picked up, sending all involved to the hospital.
The funds from the auction will be used to help defray medical co-payments and lost income suffered by the cornerworkers and riders as a result of their injuries.
Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. By David Swarts Recently released minutes from a March 4 meeting of the AMA Board of Trustees in Deland, Florida indicate that the AMA did not have an approved, funded plan to purchase Air Fence in time for use this racing season, prior to the establishment of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. The minutes show that while the Board denied a request for Air Fence funding, it instantly approved $84,000 for the All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) being established by the AMA. According to the minutes of the meeting, recently posted on the official AMA website, AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth asked the AMA Board of Trustees for funding to purchase Air Fence. Instead of approving funding, the Board referred the matter to a finance committee, which, the minutes show, was not scheduled to meet until five months later, on August 13, 2001. (Along pit lane at Daytona later that same week in March, Hollingsworth told Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich that he did not have funding for Air Fence). As an interesting side note, a report on the Board of Trustees meeting appearing in the July 2001 issue of the official AMA magazine, American Motorcyclist, made no mention of the fact that the finance committee was not scheduled to meet until August. The magazine report’s sole reference to the Air Fence funding request, appearing on page 51, read “A request by Paradama, Inc. for financial assistance to acquire impact-attenuating barriers was discussed favorably and referred to the finance committee.” On April 17, Ulrich wrote and posted a first-person/opinion column calling for AMA racing fans to take action and contribute money to buy Air Fence instead of waiting for AMA Pro Racing to buy promised Air Fence. Within two days, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund had raised over $48,000, enough to purchase 16 sections of Air Fence. At that point, instead of lauding the project, AMA Pro Racing issued an April 19 press release claiming that a plan was in place to buy Air Fence and that it took four months to obtain significant quantities of the soft barriers. According to the AMA’s own timeline, if the finance committee had approved funding on August 13, no Air Fence could have shown up prior to December 13, well after the conclusion of the 2001 racing season. The April 19 AMA press release read: “AMA PRO RACING BRINGS CLARITY TO RECENT DISCUSSIONS ON AIR FENCE “PICKERINGTON, OHIO — In December 2000, the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors took action to initiate a plan for the purchase of 30 additional units of Air Fence to be used at rounds of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship. “The estimated cost to purchase, staff, transport and store the fencing exceeds $450,000 for a three-year period, not including ongoing maintenance and repair costs. “A formal announcement of this program was planned once all details were complete. It should be noted that a four-month lead time is required for the delivery of this quantity of Air Fence.” On April 23, Alpina Safety Systems Operations Manager For Motorsports Robert Pertl committed to delivering 15 sections of FIM-homologated Alpina Air Modules in time for the AMA races at Road Atlanta May 17-20, just four weeks–not four months–from the start of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. Later that same day, Airfence Safety Systems’ Andy Coffey stated that his company could build and deliver Air Fence barriers in less than four months. In fact, 15 Alpina soft barriers were delivered on schedule for Road Atlanta, four weeks after the start of the fund, and 20 Air Fence sections were delivered to Road America seven weeks after the start of the fund. At Road Atlanta, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund turned over $104,000 to the AMA for use in the purchase, deployment and maintenance of Air Fence. Harley-Davidson, Honda and Suzuki contributed substantial funding directly to the AMA, while Suzuki also donated to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. On May 11, AMA Pro Racing issued another press release, acknowledging the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund but again claiming that the situation had been covered all along, stating, “We at AMA Pro Racing finalized plans for this Airfence program during the fall of 2000 and when we had identified all of the associated costs we began to pursue funding. The incredibly rapid response in financial support has enabled us to purchase and deploy the Airfence in a remarkably short amount of time. While the Airfence Program will be a most noticeable change, it is only one component of the most far-reaching and comprehensive rider safety program in the AMA’s history.” The May 11 release also quoted Hollingsworth as stating “We are very grateful for the support Honda, Harley-Davidson and Suzuki have given to this safety project, which will benefit our AMA racers. We also appreciate the grass roots support for this program, and we thank long-time AMA member John Ulrich for the role he played in raising these supplemental funds.” According to the minutes from the March 4 Board of Trustees meeting, Hollingsworth gave a report on Paradama (AMA Pro Racing), which “contained a request for financial assistance to acquire impact attenuating barriers (Air Fence). It was moved by Mr. (Carl) Reynolds and seconded by Mr. (Dal) Smilie to: “Refer the matter to the Finance Committee for review and report back to the Board. “The motion was approved.” Later in the minutes, “Mr. (Rob) Rasor (AMA President) requested a one-day Finance Committee meeting preferably in August. The meeting was tentatively scheduled for August 13, 2001 in Pickerington,” leading one to assume that the next time that a vote on the purchase of Air Fence could have even been taken would have been in August. In the same meeting, discussions were held concerning the development of the AMA’s new ATVA, All-Terrain Vehicle Association. Minutes from the meeting read, “Bill Amick, Vice President of Events and Entertainment, and Carl Reynolds provided an update on the All-Terrain Vehicle Association. The start of the program is behind schedule, but progress is being made. Three meetings with the Membership Corporation of America have been held to manage direct mailings. A post office box number, toll-free telephone number and web address, atva.com, have all been established, and a director, approved in the 2001 budget, has been hired and will begin work on March 19, 2001. “Additional funding for the direct mailing was then discussed. Mr. (John) Hoover questioned the mailing strategy and suggested that it be done by zip code and limiting the number of recipients to 200,000. He also suggested the possibility of raising subsidizing revenue by asking OEMs for contributions to cover the expenses of the mailing, suggesting that this could be one of the first projects undertaken by the new director. It was moved by Mr. Reynolds and seconded by Mr. Smilie to: “Amend the budget for an additional $84,000 for the ATVA project. “The motion passed, with Mr. Hoover voting in the negative.” The same two Trustees, former Chairman Carl Reynolds and current Vice-Chairman Dal Smilie (both elected to the Board by rank-and file members), made and seconded the motions to defer Air Fence funding while granting ATVA extra money. At $2900 per 28-foot section, $84,000 would have bought almost 29 Air Fence or Alpina Air Module sections. Riders who have recently hit sections of Air Fence at AMA National events include Grant Lopez, Anthony Lupo, Aaron Yates, Jim Doerfler, James Milroy, Jr., Jamie Hacking and Vincent Haskovec. Reached by phone on August 3 and asked for comment on the apparent discrepancy between what AMA Pro Racing press releases said and what the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting said, Hollingsworth said, “I’m not gonna comment on that. I think that’s reading a lot of things between the lines that may or may not exist. I mean, no. The ATVA is a project that has been on the drawing boards for a significant period of time. I’m not privy to what their planning process was. I’m certain it was a…you know, I’m certain it was well developed and in its life over there and that’s the time they approved it. That’s just not…the two are wholly unrelated.” Asked if it was true that, at the time of the Trustees meeting, AMA Pro Racing was still looking for Air Fence funding, Hollingsworth said, “Yeah, I think we were putting together – we were assembling our financing plan at that point. That’s right. I’m not going to get into this with you guys. I mean, you guys have a clear agenda on this. It’s not productive for us to have this conversation. We appreciate your efforts on the Air Fence. We funded it. You funded it. It’s up. It’s going. It’s saving lives. It’s great news. Let’s just leave it at that. We’re working as diligently as we can to develop the series. You guys have been supportive of it. We appreciate it very much, and we’re all doing what we can to make sure this is the safest sport we can make it.”
From a press release issued by Ducati:
The greatest Ducati party ever seen on this side of the world is only three months away, and as Las Vegas awaits the basso song of thousands of Ducati motorcycles, Ducati North America is confirming the dozens of support acts and writing the final schedule for the three-day bash on October 26-28, 2001.
Famous motorcycle daredevil Gary Rothwell has confirmed he’ll be there to give DRA participants a show worth remembering. Las Vegas’ most prestigious hotel, The Venetian, will play host to the huge Saturday night party, where anyone with a DRA ticket is eligible to enter, mingle with the Ducati’s top-level racers, socialize with other Ducatisti and maybe win one of the many prizes being given away over the weekend. Gary Rothwell will also give a smaller demonstration, outside The Venetian, on Las Vegas Boulevard.
A Swiss band, Hang Loose, will take the main stage on both Saturday and Sunday to thump out some original pop rock and some funky well-known hits. An Italian traveling band will walk through the activities, playing traditional Italian music. Authentic Italian flag throwers will be flying in especially for the festivities. Sponsored by the ancient Tuscan city of Arezzo, these unique representatives of the old-age tradition – where regions would compete against one another during the summer festivals – will give a dazzling display of color and skill. And Italy’s pizza-throwing champion (yes, there is such a thing!) will be making the world’s best pizza bases with a flick of his wrist.
The Richard Petty Driving Experience is giving 20 lucky participants the chance to ride in the former champion’s training vehicles with his best instructors. There will be seminars on all aspects of motorcycling and Ducati’s AMA Superbike technicians will be on hand to assist with mechanical advice and assistance.
To view the full schedule, go to www.ducatiusa.com or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, email your questions to [email protected]
Tom Montano was fastest of 11 entrants in AMA Pro Thunder qualifying at Summit Point Sunday morning, riding a Munroe Motors Ducati 748.
1. Tom Montano, Ducati, 1:16.943
2. Tripp Nobles, Buell, 1:17.008
3. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 1:17.146
4. David Estok, Buell, 1:17.629
5. Michael Dube, Ducati, 1:20.791
6. Bryan Bemisderfer, Buell, 1:20.799
7. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 1:22.614
8. Steve Clark, Suzuki, 1:23.889
9. Rich Yersak, 1:25.160
10. Jerry Cisciero, 1:28.694
Racer and tuner Kevin Murray has moved his MCE Racing shop. The new address is 1930 Watson Way Unit H, Vista, CA 92083, phone (760) 599-1061, (760) 599-1081.
White Tip Motorsports engine builder Michael Cox issued a public apology Friday to rider Chuck Chouinard for Chouinard’s disqualification from the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Loudon.
“We cleaned the valves in Chuck’s engine with Scotchbrite and had no intention of removing metal or reshaping the valves,” said Cox.
“There’s no way anything we did to the valves gave Chuck a competitive advantage, and he finished where he finished based on his hard riding. We’re sorry that the AMA tech inspectors disqualified him over this. To Chuck, his sponsors and his team owner, all we can say is, we’re sorry this happened.”
ESPN2
6:30 p.m. Motoworld
Speedvision
12:00 p.m. AMA 600cc Supersport Brainerd
1:00 p.m. AMA Formula Xtreme Mid-Ohio
2:00 p.m. AMA Superbike Brainerd
3:00 p.m. FIM 250cc Grand Prix Germany
7:00 p.m. Bikeweek
7:30 p.m. American Thunder
8:00 p.m. FIM 125cc Grand Prix Germany
9:00 p.m. FIM 500cc Grand Prix Germany
10:00 p.m. AMA Formula Xtreme Brainerd
All times are Eastern Daylight Time.
From a Honda press release:
The latest test session took place at the Suzuka Circuit today, August 7, 2001. Valentino Rossi(Nastro Azzuro Honda), the Honda NSR500 WGP rider, took part as the first GP rider to test the RC211V.
The weather interrupted testing, continuous rain during the morning finally cleared up at 2:25 p.m. Although it looked to have cleared up for the day, the rain started to fall again later in the afternoon which forced Valentino to finish the test sooner than he wished to.
With the rain lasting until lunchtime Honda changed the program for the day and Rossi took to the track in the afternoon. After a few laps on the RC211V he returned to the pits to give project leader Heijiro Yoshimura, and his engineering staff, his initial impression of the machine.
Rossi made his wishes known to the test team who prepared the machine set-up to suit his riding style and he went out again. However, due to the changeable weather the test was stopped at 5.00. p.m.
Shinichi Itoh and Makoto Tamada also tested the machine, as they had on previous occasions. But Rossi was the first Grand Prix rider to test the RC211V.
Test Condition
Date: August 7, 2001
Place: Suzuka Circuit, Mie Prefecture 5.85913km.
Weather: Cloudy with rain showers.
RC211V Test Ride Comments: Valentino Rossi
“It was very emotional moment for me, testing the new Honda GP machine,” said Rossi.
“Because it’s the beginning of a new ‘Era’ and I was very excited to test the four-stroke V-5. Due to the rain the track was wet and I rode the bike only in the afternoon but it was enough to understand the character of this bike. Of course we are still at the beginning of the development and we have to work a lot to be competitive but I feel we are going in the right direction and I think this project has good potential.
“Of course today I was not interested to the lap time and my main task was to give information to the Honda engineers to develop the bike according to my wishes. It has been a very interesting experience.”
Heijiro Yoshimura: Person in charge of RC211V development.
“The biggest problem we had today was the weather conditions. The track had dried for the afternoon session so we extended the test time but again it started to rain. Because of this we were unable to test as much as we wanted. The course condition was also slippery which held us back from judging the character of the machine completely.
“Although we had these problems, we can say that we received the necessary comments from Valentino that will help us for our next test. His comment was to the point which will help us for the future improvement of the machine, so we can say that we had a very good session after all.”
Honda’s Superbike World Champion, Colin Edwards, together with 500cc Grand Prix rider Tohru Ukawa, will test the RC211V tomorrow.
Colin Edwards is curious to know all about the performance of the RCV but denied he was interested in racing the RC211V in the Grands Prix. The American confirmed he will definitely race a Superbike for Honda in the 2002 season.
Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By David Swarts
Ricci Motorsports plans to offer transportation for 12 bikes and gear from Woodinville, Washington (near Seattle) to the Suzuki Cup Finals scheduled for October 23-28 in conjunction with the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta. The bikes will be hauled inside the team’s 46-foot United Express Lines trailer, and, for $500, riders will be allowed to send one bike, extra wheels, and a couple of bins of parts, tools, equipment, etc.
Ricci Motorsports owner Gary Ricci pointed out that, “With the new payout system, 20th place pays out $500. We’re just trying to give racers from the Northwest the opportunity to go to the Suzuki Cup.”
Racers interested in sending a bike or bikes with Ricci Motorsports can contact Gary Ricci at (425) 424-3888 or via e-mail at [email protected].
From a Kawasaki press release:
Team Kawasaki would field two Superbike teams on the starting grid in today’s prestigious but gruelling 8-Hours race. Kawasaki Riders Akira Yanagawa and Hitoyasu Izutsu paired together, with Gregorio Lavilla and Tamaki Serizawa forming the second team. The race staged around the undulating Suzuka layout would pit both rider and machine to 8 hours of punishment throughout the heat of Japan in mid summer.
Akira/Hitoyasu produced a stunning qualifying lap, pushing their green Ninja ZX7-RR Superbike to the outside of the front row with the fourth-fastest time. Gregorio/Serizawa would start from the third row with the 10th-fastest qualifying time.
Akira discussed his race strategy saying, “We really need to be in the leading group of riders throughout the race to have a chance. The weather is so hot and humid and I know this will affect a lot of riders at the end of the race. I think if we can be there at the end the fireworks will start in the last few laps.”
Gregorio said, “The most important thing is to avoid crashing and complete the race. I will try my best against the fast local riders and some big-name international riders. This is the only way to achieve good finishing results and promote the Kawasaki name.”
Race Day:
The hopes of all the Kawasaki Racing Team were dealt a severe blow early on in the race when Akira crashed into the back of a slower rider. Initially the crash damage wasn’t seen as very severe. On returning to the pits, the damage forced extra-unscheduled pit stops moving them down the order into 40th. Both riders recovered remarkably, clawing their way back up to 12th position, before another two race crashes. Eventually they finished the day in 23rd place.
Gregorio/Tamaki were consistently in fifth and sixth place up until the latter stages of the race. Gregorio was just starting his final session when he tried to overtake, on the inside of a much slower rider, around the Spoon Curve. To avoid hitting the rider, he was forced onto an unusual line and highsided heavily on the exit of the corner. Gregorio was unhurt but his ZX7-RR Ninja Superbike didn’t fare that well and both
were forced to retire.
Overall a disappointing end to a race that can be summed up by Mr.Takata, the Head of Race Engineering, “We should move on from this nightmare, however, at the same time we should learn something from this experience–that’s what we must not miss.”
Gregorio said, “It’s been a tough weekend. We both were riding the bike really well and it looked as if a podium was within our reach throughout the race. In the end it’s disappointing to have worked so hard and not get any result at all.”
Akira summed up his race by saying, ” We didn’t have much luck in the race after qualifying so well. It’s a shame because the team worked so hard just to get us both out onto track after the first crash. We all wanted a better finish but at least we tried.”
From a Suzuki press release:
SUZUKI RIDERS YUKIO KAGAYAMA, AKIRA RYO AND ATUSHI WATANABE finished third in the prestigious Suzuka Endurance race less than a minute and a quarter behind first place at the end of the eight hours.
The Japanese trio took advantage of the new regulations allowing three team riders and started from pole position following an immaculate lap from Akira Ryo in final qualifying yesterday and remained on the lead lap despite Yukio Kagayama riding off of the track at Spoon Curve.
The race was won by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi (Honda).
An incident on Saturday, July 28 during an LRRS regional race at New Hampshire International Speedway will likely lead to rider sanctions, track Safety Director Jerry Wood said.
The incident in turn two occurred when one rider slowed for waving yellow flags and another Junior-ranked rider did not, hitting the first rider, taking off his controls, knocking him down and sending him feet-first into a pile of cornerworking equipment outside the corner, next to the end of a wall, in an area Wood said is not normally an impact zone. The injured rider, Charles Chubbuck, suffered broken bones in his lower back and feet, according to Wood. The rider who did not slow may be sanctioned by LRRS for not responding appropriately to a waving yellow flag, Wood said.
During the same weekend, Wood conducted a charity auction that raised $10,000 for two riders and two cornerworkers injured in a bizarre July 7 crash in the same corner. In that crash, also during an LRRS regional race, one rider fell and crawled off the track, his bike still in the middle of the corner. Two cornerworkers were attempting to remove the crashed bike under waving yellow flags when a group of riders approached about a minute after the original crash. One of the riders plowed directly into the two cornerworkers and the bike, which they had picked up, sending all involved to the hospital.
The funds from the auction will be used to help defray medical co-payments and lost income suffered by the cornerworkers and riders as a result of their injuries.
Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. By David Swarts Recently released minutes from a March 4 meeting of the AMA Board of Trustees in Deland, Florida indicate that the AMA did not have an approved, funded plan to purchase Air Fence in time for use this racing season, prior to the establishment of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. The minutes show that while the Board denied a request for Air Fence funding, it instantly approved $84,000 for the All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) being established by the AMA. According to the minutes of the meeting, recently posted on the official AMA website, AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth asked the AMA Board of Trustees for funding to purchase Air Fence. Instead of approving funding, the Board referred the matter to a finance committee, which, the minutes show, was not scheduled to meet until five months later, on August 13, 2001. (Along pit lane at Daytona later that same week in March, Hollingsworth told Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich that he did not have funding for Air Fence). As an interesting side note, a report on the Board of Trustees meeting appearing in the July 2001 issue of the official AMA magazine, American Motorcyclist, made no mention of the fact that the finance committee was not scheduled to meet until August. The magazine report’s sole reference to the Air Fence funding request, appearing on page 51, read “A request by Paradama, Inc. for financial assistance to acquire impact-attenuating barriers was discussed favorably and referred to the finance committee.” On April 17, Ulrich wrote and posted a first-person/opinion column calling for AMA racing fans to take action and contribute money to buy Air Fence instead of waiting for AMA Pro Racing to buy promised Air Fence. Within two days, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund had raised over $48,000, enough to purchase 16 sections of Air Fence. At that point, instead of lauding the project, AMA Pro Racing issued an April 19 press release claiming that a plan was in place to buy Air Fence and that it took four months to obtain significant quantities of the soft barriers. According to the AMA’s own timeline, if the finance committee had approved funding on August 13, no Air Fence could have shown up prior to December 13, well after the conclusion of the 2001 racing season. The April 19 AMA press release read: “AMA PRO RACING BRINGS CLARITY TO RECENT DISCUSSIONS ON AIR FENCE “PICKERINGTON, OHIO — In December 2000, the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors took action to initiate a plan for the purchase of 30 additional units of Air Fence to be used at rounds of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship. “The estimated cost to purchase, staff, transport and store the fencing exceeds $450,000 for a three-year period, not including ongoing maintenance and repair costs. “A formal announcement of this program was planned once all details were complete. It should be noted that a four-month lead time is required for the delivery of this quantity of Air Fence.” On April 23, Alpina Safety Systems Operations Manager For Motorsports Robert Pertl committed to delivering 15 sections of FIM-homologated Alpina Air Modules in time for the AMA races at Road Atlanta May 17-20, just four weeks–not four months–from the start of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. Later that same day, Airfence Safety Systems’ Andy Coffey stated that his company could build and deliver Air Fence barriers in less than four months. In fact, 15 Alpina soft barriers were delivered on schedule for Road Atlanta, four weeks after the start of the fund, and 20 Air Fence sections were delivered to Road America seven weeks after the start of the fund. At Road Atlanta, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund turned over $104,000 to the AMA for use in the purchase, deployment and maintenance of Air Fence. Harley-Davidson, Honda and Suzuki contributed substantial funding directly to the AMA, while Suzuki also donated to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. On May 11, AMA Pro Racing issued another press release, acknowledging the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund but again claiming that the situation had been covered all along, stating, “We at AMA Pro Racing finalized plans for this Airfence program during the fall of 2000 and when we had identified all of the associated costs we began to pursue funding. The incredibly rapid response in financial support has enabled us to purchase and deploy the Airfence in a remarkably short amount of time. While the Airfence Program will be a most noticeable change, it is only one component of the most far-reaching and comprehensive rider safety program in the AMA’s history.” The May 11 release also quoted Hollingsworth as stating “We are very grateful for the support Honda, Harley-Davidson and Suzuki have given to this safety project, which will benefit our AMA racers. We also appreciate the grass roots support for this program, and we thank long-time AMA member John Ulrich for the role he played in raising these supplemental funds.” According to the minutes from the March 4 Board of Trustees meeting, Hollingsworth gave a report on Paradama (AMA Pro Racing), which “contained a request for financial assistance to acquire impact attenuating barriers (Air Fence). It was moved by Mr. (Carl) Reynolds and seconded by Mr. (Dal) Smilie to: “Refer the matter to the Finance Committee for review and report back to the Board. “The motion was approved.” Later in the minutes, “Mr. (Rob) Rasor (AMA President) requested a one-day Finance Committee meeting preferably in August. The meeting was tentatively scheduled for August 13, 2001 in Pickerington,” leading one to assume that the next time that a vote on the purchase of Air Fence could have even been taken would have been in August. In the same meeting, discussions were held concerning the development of the AMA’s new ATVA, All-Terrain Vehicle Association. Minutes from the meeting read, “Bill Amick, Vice President of Events and Entertainment, and Carl Reynolds provided an update on the All-Terrain Vehicle Association. The start of the program is behind schedule, but progress is being made. Three meetings with the Membership Corporation of America have been held to manage direct mailings. A post office box number, toll-free telephone number and web address, atva.com, have all been established, and a director, approved in the 2001 budget, has been hired and will begin work on March 19, 2001. “Additional funding for the direct mailing was then discussed. Mr. (John) Hoover questioned the mailing strategy and suggested that it be done by zip code and limiting the number of recipients to 200,000. He also suggested the possibility of raising subsidizing revenue by asking OEMs for contributions to cover the expenses of the mailing, suggesting that this could be one of the first projects undertaken by the new director. It was moved by Mr. Reynolds and seconded by Mr. Smilie to: “Amend the budget for an additional $84,000 for the ATVA project. “The motion passed, with Mr. Hoover voting in the negative.” The same two Trustees, former Chairman Carl Reynolds and current Vice-Chairman Dal Smilie (both elected to the Board by rank-and file members), made and seconded the motions to defer Air Fence funding while granting ATVA extra money. At $2900 per 28-foot section, $84,000 would have bought almost 29 Air Fence or Alpina Air Module sections. Riders who have recently hit sections of Air Fence at AMA National events include Grant Lopez, Anthony Lupo, Aaron Yates, Jim Doerfler, James Milroy, Jr., Jamie Hacking and Vincent Haskovec. Reached by phone on August 3 and asked for comment on the apparent discrepancy between what AMA Pro Racing press releases said and what the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting said, Hollingsworth said, “I’m not gonna comment on that. I think that’s reading a lot of things between the lines that may or may not exist. I mean, no. The ATVA is a project that has been on the drawing boards for a significant period of time. I’m not privy to what their planning process was. I’m certain it was a…you know, I’m certain it was well developed and in its life over there and that’s the time they approved it. That’s just not…the two are wholly unrelated.” Asked if it was true that, at the time of the Trustees meeting, AMA Pro Racing was still looking for Air Fence funding, Hollingsworth said, “Yeah, I think we were putting together – we were assembling our financing plan at that point. That’s right. I’m not going to get into this with you guys. I mean, you guys have a clear agenda on this. It’s not productive for us to have this conversation. We appreciate your efforts on the Air Fence. We funded it. You funded it. It’s up. It’s going. It’s saving lives. It’s great news. Let’s just leave it at that. We’re working as diligently as we can to develop the series. You guys have been supportive of it. We appreciate it very much, and we’re all doing what we can to make sure this is the safest sport we can make it.”
From a press release issued by Ducati:
The greatest Ducati party ever seen on this side of the world is only three months away, and as Las Vegas awaits the basso song of thousands of Ducati motorcycles, Ducati North America is confirming the dozens of support acts and writing the final schedule for the three-day bash on October 26-28, 2001.
Famous motorcycle daredevil Gary Rothwell has confirmed he’ll be there to give DRA participants a show worth remembering. Las Vegas’ most prestigious hotel, The Venetian, will play host to the huge Saturday night party, where anyone with a DRA ticket is eligible to enter, mingle with the Ducati’s top-level racers, socialize with other Ducatisti and maybe win one of the many prizes being given away over the weekend. Gary Rothwell will also give a smaller demonstration, outside The Venetian, on Las Vegas Boulevard.
A Swiss band, Hang Loose, will take the main stage on both Saturday and Sunday to thump out some original pop rock and some funky well-known hits. An Italian traveling band will walk through the activities, playing traditional Italian music. Authentic Italian flag throwers will be flying in especially for the festivities. Sponsored by the ancient Tuscan city of Arezzo, these unique representatives of the old-age tradition – where regions would compete against one another during the summer festivals – will give a dazzling display of color and skill. And Italy’s pizza-throwing champion (yes, there is such a thing!) will be making the world’s best pizza bases with a flick of his wrist.
The Richard Petty Driving Experience is giving 20 lucky participants the chance to ride in the former champion’s training vehicles with his best instructors. There will be seminars on all aspects of motorcycling and Ducati’s AMA Superbike technicians will be on hand to assist with mechanical advice and assistance.
To view the full schedule, go to www.ducatiusa.com or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, email your questions to [email protected]
Tom Montano was fastest of 11 entrants in AMA Pro Thunder qualifying at Summit Point Sunday morning, riding a Munroe Motors Ducati 748.
1. Tom Montano, Ducati, 1:16.943
2. Tripp Nobles, Buell, 1:17.008
3. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 1:17.146
4. David Estok, Buell, 1:17.629
5. Michael Dube, Ducati, 1:20.791
6. Bryan Bemisderfer, Buell, 1:20.799
7. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 1:22.614
8. Steve Clark, Suzuki, 1:23.889
9. Rich Yersak, 1:25.160
10. Jerry Cisciero, 1:28.694
Racer and tuner Kevin Murray has moved his MCE Racing shop. The new address is 1930 Watson Way Unit H, Vista, CA 92083, phone (760) 599-1061, (760) 599-1081.
White Tip Motorsports engine builder Michael Cox issued a public apology Friday to rider Chuck Chouinard for Chouinard’s disqualification from the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Loudon.
“We cleaned the valves in Chuck’s engine with Scotchbrite and had no intention of removing metal or reshaping the valves,” said Cox.
“There’s no way anything we did to the valves gave Chuck a competitive advantage, and he finished where he finished based on his hard riding. We’re sorry that the AMA tech inspectors disqualified him over this. To Chuck, his sponsors and his team owner, all we can say is, we’re sorry this happened.”
