From a press release just in from Marlboro Yamaha:

MARLBORO YAMAHA TEAM TESTS
Brno, Czech Republic
July 29/30/31 2001

BIAGGI AND CHECA MAKE HASTE BEFORE MIDSEASON BREAK

Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa spent three days at Brno this week, venue for the next round of this year’s enthralling contest for the last-ever 500 World Championship. The pair clocked consistently quick lap times aboard their YZR500s and also rode Yamaha’s fast-developing YZR-M1 four-stroke.

Biaggi, whose stunning German GP victory ten days ago brought him within striking distance of series leader Valentino Rossi (Honda), obviously wanted to focus attention on his YZR. Winner at Brno last year, the Italian is aiming to take another chunk out of Rossi’s points advantage at the Czech GP on August 26, so he has worked hard at adapting his set-up to run Michelin’s 16.5 rear at the track.

“We ran a 17-inch rear here last year and we knew there’d be some work to do with the 16.5,” he said. “It wasn’t easy to start with, but we improved things and now the bike is reacting the way I like it to react. We have set-ups for both tires because I think both have their advantages here, a bit like Mugello, where we raced a 17.”

Marlboro Yamaha Team manager Geoff Crust was delighted with Biaggi’s progress. “We wanted to get a set-up that would allow him to be consistently fast with the 16.5 and we’ve done that,” he said. “Max’s best time may not
have been as fast as his pole time from last year but he was consistently aster than he’s ever been at Brno.

“The difference between here and Mugello is that you don’t accelerate though the chicanes at Mugello, whereas you do here. That means you’re loading up the tire on some lean angle, and that’s why Brno is probably the worst track of all for chatter. We’ve now got both the 16.5 and 17 options wide open, which means we’re going away confident and hopeful that we can have a great weekend when we come back here for the race.”

Biaggi rode most of Monday on the four-stroke and was happy with latest improvements to the machine, which will contest next year’s new-look MotoGP World Championship. “The bike is coming on,” he added. “There’s more work to do, of course, but Yamaha are making good progress. But my priority number one is the 500. I don’t want to put too much meat on the grill and confuse myself! I want to be totally clear with the 500.”

Checa, who followed Biaggi home at the Sachsenring to score the team’s second one-two of 2001, spent a full day on the M1 and loves the machine. “It feels really good and I like it because it suits my style,” said the Spaniard. “I rode a lot of laps on the bike and both the chassis and engine have really improved since I last rode it, especially the chassis. Yamaha are already at a good level with this bike for 2002, but I’m not allowed to say what my lap times were!

“With the 500, we worked at adjusting the balance to this track because it’s quite different from Germany. I can now brake, flick and open the throttle fast, which is the feeling I need from a bike. The great thing is that the 500 now works wherever we go, so I feel I can be fighting for podium finishes at every race from now on. The end of my season isn’t going to be like the start!”

Checa’s pace on both bikes convinces Crust that he’ll have two men up front at the next few GPs. “Brno has been dodgy for Carlos in the past,” he said. “But the bike’s working for him now, he has been doing consistent low ‘twos’. I think we can have both men up there when we race here, that’s what we need.”

The team’s Brno tests ended at 6:00 p.m. this evening but there’s no respite for the crew just yet. Both Biaggi and Checa take part in this weekend’s big Marlboro Masters event at Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Then they take a break – Biaggi in Florida, Checa in the Pyrenees.

The Czech GP is round 10 of this year’s 16-event 500 World Championship. The Portuguese and Valencia rounds follow, before the series heads out of Europe for the final four races, climaxing with the Rio GP on November 3.

Lap times

Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team) 2:01.5
Carlos Checa (Marlboro Yamaha Team) 2:02.2

Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert is flying from Minneapolis to Japan on Monday to prepare for next weekend’s Suzuka 8-Hour. Gobert will team with Noriyuki Haga.

Meanwhile, Mike Ciccotto is likely to not ride the Hooters Suzuki at Suzuka because a crash this weekend at Brainerd aggravated his existing hand injury, which may require surgery this coming week. If Ciccotto requires surgery, it will be performed by Dr. Dave Kieffer at his Gem City Bone and Joint clinic in Laramie, Wyoming.

From a press release:

Cruise America Grand Prix Racing Team rider Jason DiSalvo claimed his best-ever European Championship result with a battling fourth place at the Most circuit in the Czech Republic on Sunday.

Up against a class field including riders with plenty of Grand Prix experience, the 17-year-old from Batavia, New York set the scene by storming to pole position on Saturday with a time 0.3-second faster than anyone in qualifying. In the race DiSalvo grabbed the holeshot into turn one but ran wide which allowed three riders past.

Jason then engaged in a battle with top European racer Adrian Coates while disputing fourth place and the pair ended up clashing which dropped them down a further two places. Undeterred, DiSalvo battled back to claim fourth at the checkered flag, much to his delight.

“My confidence has been high this weekend and that certainly helped. I was determined to hang in there and I was happy with pole position and the race result” said Jason.

Team owner Jim DiSalvo was also pleased with his son’s and his team’s performance. “Jason rode an excellent race with a great amount of composure against a field including some very experienced riders. The bike was good and the team worked well and we’re in high spirits” said Jim, whose team will be back in the Czech Republic in a month’s time to contest the World Grand Prix
race at the Brno circuit.

Results

1. Dave Estok, Buell
2. Jeff Nash, Ducati
3. Tom Montano, Ducati
4. Shawn Conrad, Ducati
5. Ricky Lundgren, Ducati
6. Charlie Hewett, Ducati
7. Mike Ciccotto, Buell
8. Dr. David Kieffer, Ducati
9. Michael Kahlstorf, Ducati
10. Tim Mitchell, Suzuki

Unofficial Points Standings

1. Montano, 184
2. Ciccotto, 154
3. Nash, 153
4. Estok, 135
5. Hewett, 104

This press release just in from F-USA:

FORMULA USA STEPS IN TO TAKE OVER GPRA EVENTS

Aurora, IL (July, 30, 2001) – Formula USA announced today that the road race sanctioning body will take over all operations involved with the 125 Grand Prix and 250 Grand Prix classes that Formula USA has hosted at its CCS and NRRS events in 2001 on behalf of Grand Prix Riders Association (GPRA).

GPRA is unable to continue to provide purses and trophies for the remaining events due to non-payment of funds to them by their primary sponsor. While continuing to license riders, process entries and run the events, Formula
USA will now take over paying the riders the event purses and issuing trophies to the riders.

“With GPRA’s loss of funding by their primary sponsor, it was important for Formula USA to continue to support the 125 Grand Prix and 250 Grand Prix events that we began hosting with GPRA this season. The riders deserve to be able to continue to race for their championships and to feel confident that the support will be there from Formula USA.”, said Bill Syfan, Director of Road Racing for Formula USA.

With the change will come a change in entry fees and purse payouts. Entry fees for both classes will now be $75 per event, and any GPRA, Formula USA or CCS license will be accepted. The purse for both the 125 GP and 250 GP classes will remain at $1000, although the payout will change as follows:
1st – $350
2nd – $250
3rd – $175
4th – $125
5th – $100

Remaining events on the schedule include the Formula USA NRRS events at Pocono Raceway on August 23-26, Portland Int’l Raceway on September 6-9, and Daytona Int’l Speedway on October 18-21.

For more information, contact Formula USA at (817) 332-4822 or visit www.formulausa.com

This report just in from Tom Shields of RPM Racing, the WERA South Central affiliate:

On Sunday, July 29th, RPM officially tested with the Riders Committee at No Problem Raceway Park in Louisiana. A couple of Committee members were not able to make it so substitutes were taken to get good feedback. Riders testing the track were Pete Martins, Chad Smith, Mitch Fuselier, John Casley, Ty Stranger-Thorsen and Greg Abbott. David Hirsch (Michelin-Island Racing) and Bill Capshaw (Dunlop-ICE Motorsports) were also on hand to assist.

The riders were there to give input on potential hazards for run-off. There were two sections (out of turn 9s & 14) that needed modifications and the NPR staff and owner were more than happy to make sure we have a safe racetrack. In a matter of only 15 minutes the NPR staff had removed drag strip walls (turn 14) at our request. Note: The track map on the NPR website (www.noproblemraceway.com)is not accurate. John Casley had a GPS on his bike and will be getting the track map available in short order.

The asphalt mixed with limestone showed amazing grip. The drap strip is not slick since you enter it after the drag strip finish line (turn 14 is the last turn going onto the drag strip). Greg Abbott was shown with an unofficial fast lap time of 1:20.72. Since this is a 1.8-mile track, it will be as faster than Oak Hill and Hallett.

Riders found the track to have plenty of run-off in 90 percent of the areas, very technical with many double-appex corners, late-appex turns and so many lines to choose from they almost felt lost all day. Riders also found that the circuit flows very well. While the land is flat, the turns have positive camber built into almost every turn.

The track was not ready until 11:00 a.m. (waiting on ambulance and clean-up/prep). Once practice started at 11:00 a.m., we were delayed by two rain showers passing through. Finally the day was going by 1:00 p.m.

There were approximately three practice sessions where riders went onto the track and come off to give input. The NPR staff was there all day to listen and take notes. The day ended with a mock start to figure out the best suited placement of the grid.

The owners were asked for several additions to the facility and the NPR staff asked numerous times for input from everyone.

As a side note, Ty Stranger-Thorsen’s truck window was busted out when several riders/wives went into New Orleans to have a little fun. His leathers, boots and gloves were stolen along with his wife’s purse. Needless to say, the owners of NPR said to stay away from New Orleans when we are all there in September.

Nicky Hayden and Kurtis Roberts traded the lead four times on the last lap of the AMA Superbike race at Brainerd, with Hayden barely beating Roberts across the line to win by 0.005-second. Jamie Hacking was initially scored as third but after a review of videotape the place was given to Miguel Duhamel.

Points leader Mat Mladin crashed out on the first lap, the first time he’s crashed completely out of a race since 1996 (at Mid-Ohio in the rain).

Results
1. Nicky Hayden, Honda
2. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -0.005 second
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -0.464
4. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, -0.465
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, -1.085
6. Steve Rapp, Ducati, -1.498
7. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, -21.060
8. Andreas Meklau, Ducati, -26.468
9. Larry Pegram, Ducati, -27.076
10. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, -58.596
11. Pascal Picotte, Harley-Davidson, -66.546
12. Mike Smith, Harley-Davidson, -66.964
13. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki, -100.570
14. Greg Fryer, Yamaha, -101.525
15. Tony Meiring, -1 lap

Point Standings
1. Mat Mladin, 332 points
2. Eric Bostrom, 312
3. Nicky Hayden, 265
4. Doug Chandler, 263

According to AMA Media Relations contractor Larry Lawrence, Mladin said afterwards, as he was preparing to leave the track, “I made a mistake, that’s all I can say. I don’t know what happened. That’s the good thing about having a big points lead, if you make a mistake you still have the lead.”

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, -0.100 second
3. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, -4.271
4. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -4.511
5. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -9.440
6. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, -13.282
7. Josh Hayes, Honda, -15.134
8. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -15.416
9. Jake Zemke, Honda, -15.830
10. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, -16.237
11. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -21.942
12. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, -22.014
13. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, -29.034
14. Robert Jensen, Suzuki, -40.153
15. David Ortega, Suzuki, -56.331
16. Tyler Wadsworth, Yamaha
17. Darren Lenzen, Yamaha
18. Wes Pogue, Suzuki
19. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki
20. David Ebben, Yamaha


Fastest Lap, Bostrom, Lap 8, 1:40.831

Series Points
1. Eric Bostrom, 224 points
2. Miguel Duhamel, 205
3. Anthony Gobert, 197
4. Tommy Hayden, 187
5. Josh Hayes, 168
6. John Hopkins, 152
7. Jake Zemke, 148
8. Jamie Hacking, 133
9. Kurtis Roberts, 129
10. Aaron Yates, 125
11. Aaron Gobert, 118
12. Roger Lee Hayden, 101
13. Jimmy Moore, 101
14. Grant Lopez, 94
15. Daigoro Suzuki, 87

By Glenn LeSanto

Reigning World Supersport Champion Jorg Teuchert is back on top of the title chase after an incredible race here at Brands Hatch this afternoon. The finish was so close that race control had to study a photograph to see which of three riders had crossed the line first. It was James Whitham on his Yamaha who lost out, he was shaded back into third by Andrew Pitt by only 0.004-second. Both Whitham and Pitt looked disappointed on the podium, Pitt had done all the running on his Kawasaki, having taken the lead from Whitham early in the race. Teuchert beat Pitt by a gap of only 0.011-second, having passed Pitt coming out of the final turn.

Championship leader going into the race, Paolo Casoli finished back in seventh. Australian Karl Muggeridge had looked strong and was challenging for second spot when he lost the front end of his Suzuki GSX-R600 going into Druids on lap 14.

Race Result
1. Jorg Teuchert, GER, Yamaha, 34:53.995
2. Andrew Pitt, AUS, Kawasaki, 34:54.006
3. Jamie Whitham, GBR, Ducati, 34:54.011
4. K. Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki, 34:55.492
5. Fabrizio Pirovano, ITA, Suzuki, 34:58.671
6. Pere Riba, ESP, Honda, 34:59.192
7. Paolo Casoli, ITA, Yamaha, 34:59.475
8. Karl Harris, GBR, Suzuki, 35:03.974
9. Fabien Foret, FRA, Honda, 35:04.037
10. Christian Kellner, GER, Yamaha, 35:04.665