Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday’s MotoGP Qualifying Times:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:42.736
2. Daijiro Katoh, Honda NSR500, 1:43.075
3. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:43.519
4. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:43.843
5. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:44.216
6. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:44.295
7. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:44.391
8. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:44.486
9. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:44.503
10. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:44.507
11. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:44.689
12. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:44.811
13. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:45.121
14. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:45.398
15. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:45.528
16. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:45.785
17. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:46.111
18. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:46.216
19. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:46.221
20. Pere Riba, Yamaha YZR500, 1:46.630

Friday morning MotoGP practice times from Jerez:
1. Rossi, 1:44.787
2. Katoh, 1:45.534
3. Ukawa, 1:45.669
4. Abe, 1:45.798
5. Barros, 1:45.929
6. Checa, 1:46.069
7. McWilliams, 1:46.633
8. McCoy, 1:46.661
9. Aoki, 1:46.817
10. Roberts, 1:46.846
11. Nakano, 1:46.894
12. Jacque, 1:46.999
13. Laconi, 1:47.164
14. Gibernau, 1:47.217
15. Hopkins, 1:47.352
16. Harada, 1:47.380
17. Capirossi, 1:47.758
18. Goorbergh, 1:47.773
19. Biaggi, 1:47.922
20. Riba, 1:48.322


More, from Red Bull Yamaha:

SPANISH GRAND PRIX – JEREZ
FRIDAY 3RD MAY
QUALIFYING PRACTICE NO. 1

GARRY McCOY- 14TH – 1:45.398

“I’m finding the track slippery and the conditions are very dusty. We’re working on the tyre and chassis set up to find what will give me grip. For me it also seemed a bit windy in that session and I’m still having trouble in the right handers because of my leg but I’m feeling okay.”


JOHN HOPKINS ­ 19TH – 1:46.221

“This is my first time at this track and I’m trying to find my limits on how hard to push. The track here is so much smoother than South Africa but the dust here is a problem. The track is really dusty and I don’t want to risk
running wide in these conditions. I’m keeping it on line as it’s loose out there.

“Still I’m looking okay and we have some fine tuning to do before tomorrow. We’re up in the air on tyre choice at the moment and we have a few more suspension adjustments to make”.



More, from Suzuki:

Team Suzuki News Service

RESHOD SUZUKIS GO STRAIGHT INTO THE TOP 10

Jerez de la Frontera, Spain – Friday, May 3:

TEAM Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr and Sete Gibernau were sixth and eighth in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s Spanish GP – an excellent result in their first time out on Michelin tyres this season.

The team switched from the still-developing Dunlop tyres to the established Michelins after its new GSV-R four-stroke proved more competitive than expected at the early rounds. This changed the target from a year of machine and tyre development to a decision to work directly towards race results.

Today was the first run on the well-established French tyres for the blue baritone Suzuki four-strokes … and the results were promising, to say the least. Not only were both bikes in the top 10, but they were the first four-strokes apart from the pair of Hondas which finished first and second at the previous race.

This was in spite of having taken a step backwards to go forwards. Previous development data gained with the Dunlop tyres is no longer relevant, and in a sense the team and riders are making a fresh start. The situation is made more complex by a new surface on the circuit, where extensive building work is still in progress. The level of grip is improving almost lap by lap, as the dust clears and rubber builds up on the racing line … giving engineers a moving target as they optimise machine settings for the new tyres.

There is one more day of qualifying before Sunday’s race, the third of 16 rounds in the championship, and the first of the summer-long European season.

KENNY ROBERTS: Sixth Position, 1:44.295
“It’s all real new, and we’re trying to get the bike as good as possible as quickly as possible. For the first day, the grip and consistency is good, and the bike seems to be adapting well to the change in tyres. We’re able to work directly on machine set up, which makes it a lot easier. I didn’t expect to be in the top six, but the position is not so important. My outlook after two non-finishes is to finish this race in the points. I’m working on getting into a rhythm, finding out where our base is, and going form there.”

SETE GIBERNAU: Eighth Position, 1:44.486
“We need to keep working in our new situation – to get used to the new tyres, and work round the bits and pieces we were doing before. For tomorrow, we need to get the bike to turn in better and to hold the line better, so I can improve corner speed and do the same or better lap times more easily. We made a lot of changes today, but we’ve been going forward all the time. I like the track, and I’m feeling confident.”

WARREN WILLING: Technical Adviser
“At the moment, we’re just finding out where we are, and dialling the bike in to these tyres. The race-track is constantly changing as it gets cleaner … we’re trying to find base settings at the same time as keeping up with the improving grip. We’re finding out where we stand on chassis stiffness, balance and geometry, and we’re able to focus more on the machine.”



More, from Proton:

PROTON RIDERS ON THE PACE IN SPAIN

Round 3: Spanish GP, Jerez de la Frontera First Qualifying: Friday May 3, 2002

Jeremy McWilliams: 13th, 1:45.121
Nobuatsu Aoki: 15th, 1:45.528

Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobu Aoki were in the top 15 and eyeing the points after the first qualifying session for the Spanish GP, at the circuit where the team had successful first tests with the new Bridgestone tyres during the winter.

The track has been fully resurfaced, and extensive building alterations to the pit buildings were still in progress, leaving the surface dusty and slippery, but improving all the time as the motorcycles swept it clean and laid rubber down on the racing line. These changing conditions made it difficult to settle on machine settings.

Conditions for the first day of the European season were warm and sunny, and both riders made progress, slashing lap times from morning to afternoon. For McWilliams, however, the dry conditions triggered a bout of hayfever that left him below his best.

There is one more day of practice for Sunday’s GP, the first European round of the new MotoGP world championship that pits 990cc four-strokes against the established 500cc two-strokes like the Proton KR3. Defending champion Valentino Rossi (Honda four-stroke) claimed provisional pole position.


JEREMY McWILLIAMS
“Everything’s going to plan – though I missed out on the last five minutes of practice because of a minor problem with a tyre we’d fitted. But I haven’t been going for fantastic lap times – more working towards finding a good race set-up to make sure we can go well on Sunday. You have to be so aggressive at Jerez, but it’s hard to find settings when the grip changes every time you go out.”


NOBUATSU AOKI
“This morning I was very confident with the bike, and things were coming quite easily. In the afternoon, something changed, and I had absolutely no grip from the front tyre. It was strange. We only made a small change to the front suspension, but the feeling changed completely. I’m a little confused. I need the engineers to find the reason.”


KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner
“So far so good. The engines are running well, and we’re getting through tyre testing. And we still have all day tomorrow. The problems we had in South Africa were one-offs: a little wear on Jeremy’s shifter, and a split hose for Nobu that caused an oil leak. We haven’t needed to make any changes.”



More, from Marlboro Yamaha:

MARLBORO SPANISH GRAND PRIX, JEREZ
First Qualifying, Friday May 3 2002

DIFFICULT BUT ENLIGHTENING DAY FOR MARLBORO YAMAHA
Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa had a difficult but enlightening first qualifying session at sun-blessed Jerez this afternoon, ending the day 11th and 12th quickest.

Their performance suggests that the Marlboro Yamaha Team has much to do to get their bikes fully on to the pace but YZR-M1 project leader Ichiro Yoda believes that both riders gained invaluable knowledge during today’s track time. Yamaha are already working on a different chassis for the M1, which is planned for June.

“We learned a lot today, so now we know the situation and we can react as necessary,” said Yoda. “It seems that this chassis has too much weight transfer, this is what we are focusing on at the moment. Both riders say that the front end goes light when they want to open the throttle, especially in fast corners, and, of course, high-speed corners are very important for a good lap time. Also, they are both losing time braking at the end of the back straight because there’s too much weight transfer to the front. This wasn’t a problem with the chassis we used before Suzuka, so its clear what we need to do. We’ve also brought some new fuel tanks here to try. Max was having a problem as the M1 tank is quite wide so we’ve brought two narrower units for him to try. Carlos had asked for a shorter tank so that he could transfer more weight to the front. He tried it today but it still hasn’t given him the feeling he wants.”

BIAGGI WORKS AT IMPROVEMENTS
Max Biaggi ended this afternoon’s opening qualifier 0.122 seconds ahead of team-mate Carlos Checa but 1.953 seconds off provisional pole position.

Riding as hard as ever, the Marlboro Yamaha Team rider hopes he can climb further up the order tomorrow after fine tuning his M1’s settings but knows he must wait a little longer to get back up front.

“We’ve got problems, it’s easy to see that from the lap times,” said the Italian. “At the moment it’s not easy for us to fight with the other four-strokes, and even some of the 500 two-strokes, but we’re looking to get the best set-up possible, to put what we’ve got together as best we can. At the moment we can’t expect much more because the bike is essentially the same as it was at the first two races. We’re all working very hard and hopefully we can take a big step forward when we get the new chassis.”

CHECA NEEDS MORE WEIGHT UP FRONT
Local hero Carlos Checa made it into the top ten at one stage during this afternoon’s session but ended the outing 12th fastest. Like team-mate Max Biaggi, the Marlboro Yamaha Team rider is doing the best he can with the M1 and working hard to give his engineers the best-possible feedback to help them make the required improvements.

“The main problem for me is that there’s not enough front grip available when I’m at a high lean angle and trying to get on the throttle,” said the Spaniard who is currently second in the World Championship after scoring third- and fifth-place finishes at the opening two GPs of the 2002 MotoGP season. “It seems that the problem is worse at this track. Getting out of a corner as quickly as possible is obviously a crucial part of getting a good lap time and I can’t do that at the moment.”

ROSSI OFF TRACK BUT STILL AHEAD
Valentino Rossi (Honda) recovered from an off-track excursion to take provisional pole at Jerez today. The World Championship leader spent much of the session battling back and forth with RCV team-mate Tohru Ukawa, who beat him in South Africa two weeks ago, before upping his pace in the closing stages. “We came here testing in November so we do have some data but the new surface means that we’re almost starting all over,” he said. “The four-stroke is easier to ride than the 500 but it’s harder to make the difference once you get to a certain level.”

MotoGP newcomer Daijiro Kato dislodged Ukawa from second at the end of the session, his NSR500 two-stroke just 0.339 seconds off Rossi’s four-stroke best. Fellow NSR rider Alex Barros was fourth.

From an e-mail:

Luis Garcia/RickyRacer opened his eyes today!

He’s still medicated (morphine drip) and he has trouble focusing. They started talking to him and was aware that his wife was there. He moved his legs and arms (one’s broken). (surgery to repair broken bones to commence soon)

They’ve ruled out any damage in spinal cord. He’s not moving his feet yet, but this may just take time. They’ve put him to sleep because they’re going to put a breather tube in his trachea to ease things.

He’s getting better!

Thanks for all your support and prayers and thoughts and letters. He responded to them! He responded to people. His wife Juanita was reading all these notes and postings to him.

Luis Wassmann

[A personal note] I would like to send a special thank you to Roadracingworld.com for sharing the news about injured racers. You have helped spread the word and bring in prayers and monetary gifts during one of the toughest times a family could endure. Thank You All!

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

As lucky privateers enjoyed a rare promoter practice Thursday, May 2 prior to the beginning of the AMA National weekend at Sears Point Raceway, news was to be found under nearly every team’s canopy in the paddock.

The Corona Extra Suzuki management was very active on Thursday trying to prepare for the absence of two of their three riders. As reported on Roadracingworld.com earlier in the week, Steve Rapp was hospitalized with injuries sustained in a motocross crash April 30. According to Rapp Crew Chief Jeremy Daniel, Rapp was released from the hospital Wednesday but was looking toward having surgery to plate his broken collar bone Thursday, and having his broken rib/ribs and lung injury further evaluated by doctors, in an attempt to ride at least his Formula Xtreme bike at Sears Point. In the event that Rapp will not be able to ride, the Corona Extra Suzuki team has flown in Katja Poensgen to ride but the team hasn’t stated which bike the female German racer will ride.

Corona Extra’s other Formula Xtreme/Superstock rider, Jordan Szoke, was detained by U.S. immigration officials at the border between the United States and Szoke’s home country of Canada Thursday. The Corona team had no details about Szoke’s detention.

Corona Extra Suzuki’s Tim Saunders did say that they had brought in California young gun Jason Perez, age 17, to ride Rapp’s Supersport Suzuki and Szoke’s Superstock GSX-R750. Reigning AMA 750cc Supersport Champion Jimmy Moore is at Sears Point, is healthy and rode during Thursday practice.

Marty Craggill, Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s replacement for injured rider Josh Hayes, spent Thursday practice knocking the rust off, after not having ridden a road racer since the final round of the 2001 World Superbike Championship at Imola, battling jet lag and reacquainting himself with Michelin tires. When asked for his first impressions, Craggill said that he was pleased with the team and the Suzuki GSX-R1000 Formula Xtreme bike, and added that he loved the Michelin slicks.

Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden will not race at Sears Point and will be replaced by Canadian teenager, Andrew Nelson. According to Erion Crew Chief Rick Hobbs, Hayden injured his knee in a high-speed crash in the Formula Xtreme race at Fontana, thought that the injury had healed, then damaged the knee further while training in the gym prior to coming to Sears Point. Hobbs added that Hayden was planning on getting an orthroscopic examination by Dr. Arthur Ting Thursday.

Another Dr. Ting patient, Arclight Suzuki’s Craig Connell, will also sit out the Sears Point national. Less than two weeks ago, Connell had surgery to remove a metal plate from the left shoulder he injured in a Formula USA race crash at Portland in 2001. Connell plans to ride again at the AMA National at Road Atlanta in two weeks. Arclight will field Dave Stanton on a GSX-R1000 on Pirelli slicks in Formula Xtreme.

Austin/Bleu Bayou Ducati Racing crew members have finished updating their 2001 Ducati 996RS racebikes to 2002 Ducati 998RS Testastretta specification, with the exception of radial-mount front brake calipers. The team stopped at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, on the trip to Sears Point, to break the new engines in and shake the bikes down. Meanwhile, HMC Ducati has added PVM forged aluminum wheels to its Ducati 998RS Testastrettas.

In other Ducati news, Munroe Motors has put together a Ducati 998S for 2001 AMA Pro Thunder Champion, and Sears Point specialist, Tom Montano to ride in the Superbike double-header this weekend. Montano will also ride the bike in the AMA Superbike race at Laguna Seca.

Crashers Thursday included Jason DiSalvo, on his Team America Grand Prix Racing Honda RS250, and Blackfoot Motorsports’ Clint McBain, on his Canadian Superbike-spec Suzuki GSX-R1000. McBain put the much-talked-about runoff area in turn one to the test with a lowside crash and came away uninjured.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Afternoon’s Superbike Qualifying Times:

1. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:32.559
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.929
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.984
4. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:33.107
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:33.482
6. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:33.898
7. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.538
8. Pascal Picotte, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.612
9. Doug Chandler, Ducati 998RS, 1:35.191
10. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:36.521
11. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:36.619
12. M. Foster, Kawasaki ZX-7R, 1:37.308
13. Ed Milhausen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.492
14. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.613
15. Owen Richey, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.647
16. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.707
17. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:38.109
18. Thomas Montano, Ducati 998S, 1:38.290
19. Robert Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:38.348
20. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:38.520

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Monitors displaying AMA timing & scoring information along pit lane and in the press room at Sears Point first went live at 11:40 a.m. PDT, more than three hours after official AMA practice started.

Problems with the timing and scoring system at the opening of official AMA practice have been the norm this year, with the system failing to be fully operational at Daytona, Fontana and now Sears Point.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Corona Extra Suzuki Formula Xtreme and Superstock rider Jordan Szoke will not race in the AMA National at Sears Point this weekend due to visa troubles. As usual, Szoke was being driven by his mother from his home in Canada to the airport in Buffalo, New York, a 30-minute drive, when he was stopped at the border crossing by U.S. officials.

Contacted early Friday on his cell phone as he was preparing to go training on his motocross bike, Szoke said that U.S. officials stopped him and “gave us the whole nine yards. There were soldiers carrying M-16s searching cars and the whole deal.

“They found that I didn’t have a visa yet. It’s no-one’s fault. I’ve applied for it and it’s due to come in any time, but they gave me shit for trying to get across without it even though it said on their computer that my visa was being processed. They treated me like a criminal. They held me for four hours and were threatening to take our car and stuff.

“I can understand their concern. I mean, I know I’d feel the same way if someone flew a plane into our building. I was on a plane two planes ahead of the one that flew into the building. I mean, I looked back and saw that plane before I took off that day. Of course, I didn’t know know it at the time. So I know their concern, but I think it’s a little much for people like me.

“I’m just pissed off because I know I can win the Championship. I’m feeling at home on the bike and think I’m riding really well. It’s just unfortunate, but I’m happy to have the ride. It should all be taken care of before Road Atlanta.”

A source inside the Corona team said Friday morning that he understood the reason Szoke was prevented from leaving the country was due to warrants for Szoke’s arrest in Canada. When asked to comment on that report, Szoke laughed very hard before saying, “That’s funny. My friends are always laughing at me because I’m such a straight arrow. They’re laughing at me in my truck right now. The worst thing I’ve ever done was get a speeding ticket for 10 kilometers (6 mph) over the limit. That’s just funny!”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, 1:49.665
2. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:49.748
3. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:49.799
4. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 1:50.170
5. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprlia, 1:50.319
6. Alex DeAngelis, Aprilia, 1:50.380
7. Arnaud Vincent, Aprilia, 1:50.736
8. Angel Rodriguez, Aprilia, 1:50.800
9. Stefano Bianco, Aprilia, 1:50.817
10. Noboru Ueda, Honda, 1:51.104

Formula Xtreme Practice Times:
1. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.758
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:37.388
3. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:37.440
4. Mike Hale, Honda CBR954RR, 1:37.569
5. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.190
6. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R7/R1, 1:38.339
7. Dave Stanton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.649
8. Lance Isaacs, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:39.919
9. Jason Curtis, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:40.847
10. James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:41.527

Tom Kipp did not have a time listed on the Formula Xtreme practice time sheet even though he was on the track.

Supersport Practice Times:
1. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:38.443
2. Brian Parriott, Honda, 1:38.764
3. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:38.810
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:39.177
5. Mike Hale, Honda, 1:39.823
6. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:40.251
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:40.263
8. Owen Richey, Yamaha, 1:40.327
9. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki, 1:40.331
10. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:40.364
11. Michael Hannas, Kawasaki, 1:40.865
12. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:40.944
13. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:40.953
14. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:41.082
15. Scott Simpson, Kawasaki, 1:41.254
16. Andrew Nelson, Honda, 1:41.284
17. Jeff Tigert, Suzuki, 1:41.429
18. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:41.679
19. Jason Perez, Suzuki, 1:42.143
20. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:42.247

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

In a press conference following Friday’s timed Superbike qualifying session at Sears Point, the top three riders–provisional pole-sitter Anthony Gobert and Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Aaron Yates and Mat Mladin–strongly criticized the racetrack. All three riders were under last year’s lap record, set by Mladin.

“I knew the old track pretty well,” said Yates. “The way it is now it’s like it’s all new, it’s totally different. The first time out this morning it was pretty strange. I was pretty upset about the way the turn one thing is. That was bothering me a lot this morning. Then this afternoon I had to decide that that’s the way it’s going to be, I’ve got to go out there and ride and quit thinking about it. It’s a shame that the track’s as dangerous as it is; it’s worse now than it used to be before. You go out there and do your job and it really sucks. Turn one is just way too fast going in there and there’s nowhere to go if you run off the track. There’s concrete walls on the inside and the outside. When I was first looking at it yesterday there weren’t people on the track and I noticed it was so fast through there it was like you’re going to be braking past the bridge where you hit the hill and start going up to the turn (two). That’s where you’re going to be wanting to get on the brakes a little bit and you’re going to be G-ing out that thing and the front’s going to be bottoming out and there’s absolutely nowhere to go out there when you fall. There’s big holes and stuff dug in it. I went and told (AMA Race Manager) Ron Barrick, with all the tractors and stuff they got here, they ought to be able to go out there and fix the outside, at least right there. Fix the outside of the track a little bit so if we fall we can slide a little ways before we bounce off something or fall in a big old hole up there. You’re going so much faster there than you were before, at least about 30-40 mph faster now.”

“I definitely echo Aaron’s words with the problems we have here with the racetrack,” said Mladin. “I honestly feel unsafe out there. It’s hard for me to concentrate with looking at what’s going on out there. I honestly believe that somebody needs to really think about whether we should be here or not, with the state of the racetrack. They’ve got some new pavement, you go faster. Through turn nine, I’m on the rev limiter in fourth gear, wide open, and, I mean, there isn’t three feet of run-off. And there’s no air bags, and there’s no nothing, even though air bags are not the fix. I’m probably going to get bent over and reamed again for saying something, but I’m lost for words. When I went out there this morning, I thought of getting in my motorhome and going home. Obviously, the prize money doesn’t help when you can’t get enough money to buy your blokes drinks after you win.”

“I don’t think we should be racing here, really, this weekend,” said Gobert. “I think that we should all be getting together and really just packing up and driving home. Someone spoke to me and said, ‘Oh, you can’t believe the changes they’ve made here and how much better it’s going to be.’ When I arrived here I realized, yeah, that’s the case if you’re a spectator, but not if you’re actually out there riding. It’s a bit of a shame that we have to be put through this to try and win a championship at the end of the year. Today, when I put a qualifier on, I was looking around thinking that I really, really don’t want to put my head down and go for it. And I had no choice but to do it. It’s pretty awkward being put in that position. I don’t think anything’s really going to get done. I don’t think anything really gets done unless someone gets hurt. It normally takes three years in a row like Loudon. Hopefully I don’t get myself in trouble by saying what I feel. Seems like you get in trouble for that. Hopefully we have a good weekend, hopefully we stay safe.”

Immediately after the press conference, John Cardinale, Sears Point’s director of media relations and community affairs, called Steve Page, president and general manager of Sears Point, and AMA Race Manager Ron Barrick, to the media center for a follow-up conference.

Page, who looked ashen, said that he had just heard the gist of the riders’ comments, and found it hard to respond. Page said the track had spent over $55 million making improvements to the track, and had spent a lot of money getting the entitlements to do the changes, particularly in turn one. As Page pointed out, the problem in turn one is the waste holding tanks and the bridge between turns one and two. The slope on the outside of turn one is necessary to hold the waste holding ponds in place. Page said that a new waste disposal plant is in place, and they are just waiting for the permits to put it on line. Until that is done, the track cannot abandon the ponds on the outside of the turn. As far as the basic configuration of the track, Page said, “What you can do is what you can do. There’s always going to be physical limitations,” and pointed to the fact that, until the California Highway Department moves Highway 121 on the outside of turn 10, it will be impossible to include more runoff room. Page pointed out the additional run-off room in the Esses, and when asked about the front straight, said the configuration was up to the AMA.

Barrick said the narrow front straight and the entrance to turn one was to keep from going over the slick staging area of the dragstrip, and said that additional changes couldn’t be made until the hill on the outside of turn one was changed.

Page said that in the future, run-off in turn one would be increased substantially, a new bridge without abutments would be put in between turns one and two, that there would be additional run-off room in turn six (an area the riders didn’t mention), and that the entire track would be resurfaced in September. Also, the water seepage problem in turn one will be gone when the holding tanks are gone.

Barrick added that, turn by turn, there isn’t one place on the track that hasn’t been improved in the last few years. Last year, turns two, three and five were improved, turn six has never been on the top of anybody’s list to be improved, and that there is move run-off room in turns 8A and 9. Asked about reconfiguring turn one with cones, Barrick said he really didn’t know what the options were, everybody just said take the hill and the bridge away. He said the riders didn’t offer any other solution, and even since the AMA has been here this weekend, walls have been moved back around the track.

In conclusion, Page said, “There is no perfect racetrack, but if you compare Sears Point from five years ago to today, the difference is night and day. Sears Point has never hesitated to do work or spend money to make this a safe racing environment.”

From a press release issued May 2 at Sears Point Raceway:

To Whom It May Concern:

Dunlop Statement Regarding MBNA AMA 250cc GP Class

Ongoing rumors have, for several years now, indicated the possible elimination by the AMA of the 250cc GP class at AMA National events. Recent rumors have linked Dunlop with this movement, indicating that Dunlop supports the proposed elimination of this class.

These recent rumors have absolutely no basis in fact. Dunlop has been a long-term supporter of the AMA 250cc GP Class and continues to actively support this class. Our Championship record in this class is second to no other manufacturer and it is our hope to win this Championship again in 2002 and for years to come.

Currently, our list of sponsored riders in this class includes Rich Oliver, Roland Sands, Chuck Sorensen, Jim Filice, Jason DiSalvo, Perry Melneciuc, Simon Turner, and Thad Halsmer. It is our intention to continue to support deserving riders in this class for as long as the class remains a valid AMA National Class.

We continue to stock large inventories of tires for this class and it is our intention to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Regards,
Jim Allen
Road Race Manager – Motorcycle Division
Goodyear Dunlop Tire North America LTD.