Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mat Mladin rode his GSX-R750 Superbike onto the grass, laid it on its side and then lifted Doug Chandler’s crashed HMC Ducati off the trapped Chandler.

The dramatic incident came late in the final day of AMA team testing at Road Atlanta.

Chandler lowsided entering turn 10, the start of the chicane at the end of the back straightaway, and ended up trapped under the Ducati, close to the edge of the gravel trap, near the right-hand turn that concludes the chicane

Mladin, who had been about five seconds behind Chandler on the course, came upon the scene and rode to the rescue.

“He got stuck under the bike,” said Mladin. “I saw him wave his arms, I pulled over in the right-hander and he started waving pretty frantically. There was only one corner marshall per station and she was busy waving the yellow flag.

“So I turned in there on the grass, rode down there, laid my bike on its side and ran over to him.

“His foot was stuck between the wheel and the exhaust pipe, and his boot was burning on the exhaust pipe. So I got his foot out and dragged the bike off him. It had burned almost through his boot, and if I hadn’t seen him waving he’d probably have still been waving out there for another couple of minutes and had third-degree burns.”

Mladin said Chandler suffered no burns in the incident, and added that he (Mladin) suggested that the next team test include more corner marshalls at key corners.

Best radar trap speeds from the three-day test follow, as caught by Kelly Collopy:

Supersport:
Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R600, 156.4 mph
Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 156.2
Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600, 155.9
Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 155.6
Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.7
Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R600, 153.9

Superbike:
Doug Chandler, Ducati 998, 175.2 mph
Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 174.0
Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 173.0
Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R7, 170.9
Mat Mladin, GSX-R750, 170.8
Jamie Hacking, GSX-R750, 170.4
Aaron Yates, GSX-R750, 174.0

Formula Xtreme
Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R7/R1, 167.4 mph
Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 166.7

Best Thursday afternoon lap times (times and tires used as claimed by team personnel):

Superbike
Mat Mladin, 1:23.4 race tire
Anthony Gobert, 1:23.48 Q tire, 1:24.20 race tire
Nicky Hayden, 1:23.6 race tire
Aaron Yates, 1:23.7 Q tire, 1:24.0 race tire
Jamie Hacking, 1:24.4 race tire
Miguel Duhamel, 1:24.6 race tire

Formula Xtreme
Damon Buckmaster, 1:24.0 race tire
Tom Kipp, 1:26.2 race tire
Chris Ulrich, 1:29.3 race tire

Supersport
Tommy Hayden, 1:27.8
Tom Kipp, 1:28.1
Tony Meiring, 1:29.8

Superstock
Chris Ulrich, 1:27.7

And now HMC Ducati’s version of the test, from a press release:

The HMC Ducati Racing team finished three successful days of testing at Road Atlanta Raceway today. Doug Chandler clocked an impressive best lap time of 1:24 flat, although a minor crash spoiled his dash to better Nicky Hayden’s fastest time of 1:23.7. The team walked away with set-up information for the race here in mid-May as well as a good base set-up for the next round in Sears Point, which sports a similar track layout.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last three days,” said Chandler. “I’m happy with how the bike worked today and I think we’re ready when we come back here for the race. Atlanta is very similar in layout to Sears. When we started here we were out in left field but we’ve gone in the right direction on everything and a lot of this information will help us at Sears as well.”

Doug Chandler received only minor bruising and a small burn from the crash, and a new best friend in Mat Mladin (Suzuki), who stopped to rescue him.

“I moved my focus up the track, trail-braked too much into the turn, tipped it in and tucked the front,” Doug said. “We were trying new brake pads and they were a bit grabbier than what I am used to. It was a combination of grabby brake pads and not remembering to get off the brakes.

“I’m a little bruised and burnt. I got wedged up under the tire and muffler and Mat had to stop on the track, drop his bike and come over and get mine off of me. My boot was smoking from the exhaust pipe!

“It was a successful test. Each day we got better, making progress and running with the top guys. I think we’ve got things right and I’m sure we’ll come up with some stuff to make it even better yet.”

And now a release from Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:

MAT MLADIN Racing – MEDIA INFORMATION
For immediate release
Friday, 19April 2002

MLADIN FAST AT ROAD ATLANTA TEST

Atlanta Georgia, USA: – With the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship in the midst of a month’s break between rounds, a number of teams including Mat Mladin’s Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki team have taken part in a three-day test at Road Atlanta, Georgia this week.

In many ways the test was a success for three time US Superbike Champion Mladin, as he emerged with the fastest lap time on set of ‘race’ tyres at the test. It also showed that the left elbow that he injured at Daytona will still require an amount of time before it is fully healed and strong enough to cope with the demands of riding a superbike.

After being the fastest on day two with a 1:24.1 lap, he bettered that time to end the test with a 1:23.5. A number of other riders were close to that mark at the end but were using softer compound qualifying tyres to set their times.

“I believe that I was the quickest out there on race tyres, so I’m very happy with that,” Mladin said at the conclusion of the test. “A few other guys went out on qualifiers, but I didn’t even bother. I’m not really here for that.”

The injury to his left elbow did however restrict the amount of track time that Mladin could utilise.

“We did a whole day on Tuesday (the first day) but late on Wednesday afternoon I tweaked it a bit and that caused a lot of discomfort. On the last day I only did about two and a half hours on the track and that was due to the arm. I took a few painkillers to get over the problems that I had with it yesterday and rested it for about four hours today. It’s a bit frustrating at the moment as I would have liked to have done more on the bike, but unfortunately I couldn’t.”

Mladin was hopeful of being able to conduct a number of back-to-back tests with his Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750, but these were restricted due to the soreness of his arm.

“We were hoping to try a few different things. We had one bike set up with the settings we used here last year and had planned to set the other up with some completely different settings just to see how they went. In the end we spent most of the time on the bike with new settings and had virtually no opportunity to run the other that had the old settings on it.”

Mladin has won three out of four races at Road Atlanta in the past two years, with the championship heading there on May 18 & 19 for rounds six and seven.

From a press release:

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

Round 4 – Sugo (Japan), 21 April 2002

PREVIEW

After Australia and South Africa, the third successive fly-away race in the 2002 World Superbike Championship takes place this coming weekend at the Sugo Sportsland circuit, near Sendai in the north of Japan. All eyes will be on reigning champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) to see whether he can extend his sensational early-season run of six wins on the run and equal the all-time record holder, Doug Polen, who notched up a seven-race winning streak for Ducati back in 1991. The championship leader will be up against two unknown factors around the 3.737 km Sugo track this weekend: Japanese ‘wild-card’ riders, who always go well here, and tyre performance.

Bayliss and Sugo have not exactly had the best of relations in the two years the Australian has raced here. In 2000, he failed to complete a lap after twice being knocked off by Japanese riders at the first corner, while last year he could only manage four points after struggling all weekend with tyre problems. “I’ll certainly be trying to get a couple of wins this weekend to keep my run going, but I know it’s going to be difficult. Every time I come here, I look for a good weekend, but it just hasn’t happened …. yet!” declared Troy. “I really like the Sugo circuit, it’s up and down, not exactly like Kyalami, where I won two weeks ago, but very undulating. I know it’s going to be a lot better this year than it was in 2001, for lots of reasons, not just because of the tyres”.

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) continued his promising early season form at Kyalami with a third and a second place, but is under no illusions about the task ahead this weekend in Japan. “I would like to come away from here with as many points as possible”, he declared. “I like the track but it’s very difficult and the Japanese riders always go well here. We were unlucky last year, but I’m sure things will be different this time around. I’d like to be on the podium, but the most important thing is to work well for the race in practice and qualifying and then do your best on Sunday to score as many points as possible. There are a lot of races to go and the real championship starts in Europe”.

Last year at Sugo Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) out-performed everyone except the Japanese riders and the 27-year-old Californian will be hoping to shine in a race that sees him reunited with his brother Eric for the first time since Laguna Seca. “I’m more excited about this race at Sugo than at any other track. The tyres work really well here and I’ve forgotten what it’s like to stand on top of the box”, said Bostrom. “The wild-card riders will make it interesting as always, because none of the WSBK regulars ever win here. Last year we came very close to getting on the podium, so maybe it’s our turn now. I’m feeling really fit, I’ve been hanging out with my brother for a couple of weeks and just can’t wait to go here”.



THE SUGO CIRCUIT

Sugo was founded in 1975 as a test-track by Yamaha and since then has hosted a series of major sports events, such as All-Japan Roadracing Championship, and other international bike and car meetings. It first held a round of the WSBK championship in 1988 and has continued the tradition every year since. Sugo is located 300 km north-east of Tokyo and the complex also contains a hotel, an athletics track and a motocross circuit. Japanese riders have taken victory in every race held here since 1995 when Corser and Fogarty shared the wins for Ducati.



CIRCUIT RECORDS

Lap Record: Tamada (Honda) 1’29.522 (2001)
Superpole: Tamada (Honda) 1’28.797
Qualifying: Tamada (Honda) 1’28.658 (2001).

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Veteran racer Pete Martins has been contracted by RPM Racing, Inc., the WERA South Central Region affiliate, to be the Director of RPM Track Days and Rider Schools.

According to RPM Racing owner Alan Blair, Martins will develop school curriculum for intermediate and advanced rider courses. Blair added that MArtins is also working toward getting a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) certification to work with beginning motorcyclists.

“We are working on getting the certification for Pete (Martins) so that he can actually start at the ground-level with riders that are brand new to riding and racing because we see the need for that, too. A lot of guys go out and buy their first bike, and, without any training, go out there and have an accident and hurt themselves and never ride another motorcycle again. We think it’s good if you can train and help out everyone from the ground up because if you can teach them some things about safety, hopefully they’ll be a motorcycle rider for longer, maybe even like you and I, loving the stuff for the rest of our lives because we’ve been brought up the right way with motorcycles.”

RPM is one of few motorcycle road racing clubs that offer mentoring programs for new racers.

For additional information about RPM, go to www.rpmracing.org.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The CMRA, (Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association), the CCS South Central Region affiliate base din Texas, has reached agreements with Mirage Timing and Scoring and with Lone Star Track Days.

According to an April 17 press release from CMRA President Brooks Gremmels, the new deal means that Mirage, (the official timing and scoring provider of Formula USA’s national road race, Arenacross and flat track series), will provide personnel and electronic scoring transponders for all competitors in all CMRA events and classes.

According to the release, the Mirage scoring system will allow results to be posted to the CMRA website, www.cmraracing.com, on the same day as the race.

Notable is the fact that the Mirage system can accept complete rider sponsor listings, unliked the system used by the AMA which is limited to 50 characters in sponsor listings.

The same release also announced that students of Lone Star Track Days, “the only track day operation licensed by the state of Texas”, will have the option of learning CMRA New Riders’ School curriculum and taking the CMRA riding and written test, making the students eligible for a CMRA/CCS racing license. Lone Star Track Days’ next event is April 20-21 at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas.

For more information about the CMRA, call (800) 423-8736, or in the Houston area call (281) 342-9032, FAX (281) 232-8602, e-mail [email protected], www.cmraracing.com.

For more information about Lone Star Track Days, call (281) 684-2981, e-mail Stephen Porter at [email protected], www.lonestartrackdays.com.

A photo from Aprilia’s press service, showing 250cc Grand Prix World Championship rider Marco Melandri with a real-life (young) version of the lion seen on his Aprilia RSW250 racebike.

From a press release:

United States Grand Prix Rider’s Union

The United States Grand Prix Riders’ Union is proud to announce the upgrading of two featured events on the 2002 125GP National Championship Series.

The Western Region Round previously scheduled to run concurrent with CCS at the Las Vegas Classic Course has been upgraded to run concurrent with Formula-USA at Portland International Raceway September 5-8.

The Eastern Region Round which had been previously scheduled to run at Rausch Creek has been upgraded to run concurrent with the Formula-USA Loudon Classic at Loudon, NH June 13-16.

Both events will feature open practice and multiple timed qualifying sessions as well as pre-event practice on the days prior to each event for a small additional fee. The Loudon practice will be a Promoter run event at $150 and the Portland event practice session will be run by Team Hammer, also at $150, with more information available at www.teamhammer.com or at (909) 245-6414.

“We look forward to working with [the USGPRU] to make the 79th Annual Loudon Classic a showcase of GP racing in America,” says Clear Channel
Entertainment’s Bill Syfan.

The USGPRU 125GP National Championship is sponsored by GP Star Hollywood, Silkolene, VP Racing Fuels, Vanson, Hjelm Motorsports, Tracktimer Software and Motion Pro. The USGPRU is a Formula USA / CCS Affiliate. The USGPRU has licensed over 70 125GP Riders for the National Series this year and registrant numbers continue to grow each week. Membership since the inaugural round at Daytona February 28-March 3rd has over-doubled and we anticipate membership of over 130 125 GP riders by year’s end.

The USGPRU Sanctions a 12 Round National Championship Series divided between three national regions (East, West and Midwest) in which regional GP Racers earn points which are carried forward to the US National Championship Final at VIR in October. National Series Events feature electronic timed qualifying for grid position and 50+ km events. Complete series information is available at http://www.usgpru.org or contact [email protected] for more information.

From a press release:

PRO HONDA OILS TAKES SPONSORSHIP OF FORMULA
USA SPORTBIKE CLASS

AURORA, Ill., (April 18, 2002) – Clear Channel Entertainment’s Motor Sports division announced today that Pro Honda Oils has assumed title sponsorship of the coveted 600 Sportbike Class inside the Formula USA National Road Race Series.

Pro Honda Oils 600 Sportbike features 600cc Inline Fours and 800cc Twins competing together with 112 maximum horsepower and 365 lb minimum weight limits, creating one of the highlight races of the Formula USA National Road Race weekend, when paired with the Lockhart Phillips Superbike Class. Lee Acree has been crowned champion of the Sportbike class for two consecutive years.

The addition of Pro Honda Oils as a national sponsor to the series will incorporate hundreds of national dealers into the promotion of the series and will secure a Pro Honda Oils display inside the Motorsports Expo areas of many events.

(Former racer) Rick Mitchell of Pro Honda Oils said, “We are proud to join forces with the National Road Race Series and we’re happy to get behind the Sportbike Class. The class is a breeding ground of champions in the sport and we’re looking forward to this season.”

The next Formula USA National Road Race Series event is May 24-26 at Summit Point International Raceway in Summit Point, Va.

For more information, visit formulausa.com.

This just in:

Just a note in comment to the issues raised by Hannas and Sadowski in relation to Sears Point and all the “improvements” that have been occurring there. I am just a local motorcycle shop guy, but have been building bikes and supporting local racers for several years now. I walked into Sears this weekend, and was stunned by what I saw. Firstly, a grandstand on the front straight that looks like Cape Canaveral misplaced on of their gantries. This thing must be at least 8 stories tall! Then I take a walk around the new track to check out all of the “improvements”. More grandstands for fans everywhere. I was suprised to see that even the hillside stands have seat numbers on them. Are they selling Nascar tickets for these seats? “Hey, you’re on my paving stone, man.”

For the track, in one or two areas, runoff has slightly improved, but in many others, been significantly reduced. It seems like Sears has spent all of their money to support their fans, and very little to protect their racers. I have a friend who took the new riders school on Saturday, and was extremely excited before the weekend to ride there. He called me Saturday afternoon and told me there was no way he was going to race on a track that dangerous. I have another friend at the other end of the spectrum, who is one of the top 15 AFM riders. He was hit by another rider in Turn 11, and was ejected off his bike, 8 feet in the air and OVER the first line of haybales, with both bikes slamming in behind him. It is with only the most unbelievable luck that he escaped with only minor injuries and walked away from that crash. Sears needs to address these problems, and it is with regret that I say that in some areas not even Air Fence will make it safe. More of us who are involved in the sport need to speak up.

Chris Van Andel
Moto Italiano
San Mateo, California


And now this:

I think the AMA Road Racing Division needs to take a good look at itself. I believe they have their head up their butt so far it’s unbearable. I think if they are supposed to watch out for the safety and well-being of the riders they should do more on setting up a track far better and pay attention to what the racers have to say and not tell them we will look into it.

I think myself that not giving the true privateer a chance is not right and when the organizers change the rules and not tell anyone first “about the 250GP race on qualifying” they should have let the grid be filled rather than try and reduce the class as it so seems.

A far as things go right now I am thinking of not renewing my AMA membership until the board is filled with people that care about the riders and racers as people and not as a money maker.

Lee Simmons
Long-time AFM member
Vallejo, California


Now More:

(Regarding the comment by) Chris Van Andel, “I have another friend at the other end of the spectrum, who is one of the top 15 AFM riders. He was hit by another rider in Turn 11, and was ejected off his bike, 8 feet in the air and OVER the first line of haybales, with both bikes slamming in behind him.”

I was a cornerworker in turn 11. Please be aware that the AFM does not use the same turn 11 as the AMA. I did not see a single person who made it that high. In fact, none of them went any higher than where they were when they were on the bike. The only incident that involved two riders was not nearly that spectacular. Guy on inside, guy on outside, guy on inside did not quite make the turn, guy on outside had nowhere to go, they came together, went into haybales which then sent them into the Air Bale. Both riders popped right up and walked away.

I feel that some good improvements have been made to Sears. I also feel that they could have done a lot more. The “improvements” that were made were to keep NASCAR happy. Bikes are a low priority for Sears and most other tracks in the USA. The exaggeration from above was just too much to keep me quiet.

Julia M. Green
Team Skidmark Racing
AFM #659 & 77w


Yet more:

I know this horse has been flogged quite a bit in the last few days, but I thought you might appreciate a new racer’s perspective.

On Saturday I completed the AFM New Racer School and entered my first race on Sunday. At the very conservative lap times I’m putting in the track feels moderately safe. However, I cannot imagine just how razor thin the margin for error might be for the top finishers in AFM or any other racing organization, regardless what they ride or drive. This past weekend saw more crashes than I care to remember, mine being one of them.

Entering turns 7 and 11 at speed are only a brake failure away from becoming a really bad day. I can only look at the race leaders in complete awe as they suppress any fear they might have when diving into these corners. For those unfamiliar with Sears Point turn 11 is a sharp right hander with only haybales and tires just a few feet away preventing the rider from launching off the track all together.

My only question is why track organizers chose not to extend this and other sections of track to provide adequate run-off. I can understand the need to provide better access to fans so they can watch the action from various points on the track, but if racers don’t feel comfortable with the track layout they will either, 1. choose not to race, or 2. not push themselves nearly as hard. Either way, the fans will end up paying for an inferior product unless safety concerns are addressed so racers can compete at a high level.

It’s obvious that the majority of construction in progress is geared towards the benefit of the spectator. What actions does the racing community need to take in order to insure our safety? Maybe I am naive, but I would think track improvements would be the first thing developers would want to tackle, then follow-up with improvements to grandstands and other seating arrangements.

My two bits,
Ian Gillies
AFM #967


And even more:

It is hard to believe that with the AMA having a full time position with safety as one of its responsibilities, that there is any debate at all when it comes to setting minimum standards for track design and layout. It is obvious that separate standards would be required for existing facilities already homologated, standards for future homologation, and standards for new tracks.

With the sudden increase in new racetrack construction, there should be no fear that by promulgating and enforcing new safety standards, that there would be nowhere to race. And strictly taking riders’ opinions from track observation and riding somewhat degrades the safety movement, because it falls back on opinions. It is not difficult to analyze existing course design, looking at historical crash data, utilizing radar guns to determine corner entry speeds (and anticipated future speeds), and calculating weights, impact velocity, etc. As a former (and hopefully again future) motorcycle racer, and safety professional, I understand both sides of the story. Just remember, safety does not mean the absence of risk, just how you control it.

Setting minimum standards is the way to go.

Patrick D Moore, CHST
Director of Safety
JM Olson Corporation
St Clair Shores, Michigan

From a press release:

FUCHS KAWASAKI TO FIELD SIX RIDERS AT SUGO

Kawasaki are out in force for the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship at Sugo, with Akira Yanagawa and Eric Bostrom, the factory’s lead riders in the All Japan and AMA Superbike Championships, joining Hitoyasu Izutsu and Chris Walker in the Fuchs Kawasaki Superbike team for this weekend’s event.

For Hitoyasu Izutsu, returning to the circuit at which he took a double World Superbike win in 2000, confidence is high for the weekend ahead.

‘I have been looking forward to this weekend since the start of the season,’ said Izutsu, who went on to win the Japanese Superbike Championship off the back of his Sugo double victory two years ago. ‘I like the Sugo circuit, I’ve won here before and, of all the tracks we’ve visited so far this season, I think this is the one that suits me and the Kawasaki best. Circuit knowledge is very important here and I definitely know my way around Sugo better than most. Whether I can repeat the success I had in 2000 remains to be seen, but I am confident that I’ll be a lot closer to the front runners this weekend than I have been in previous races.’

Chris Walker made his first appearance for Fuchs Kawasaki at Sugo, racing in the final round of the All Japan Superbike series shortly after signing for the team at the end of 2001, and the 30-year-old British rider is confident that he can continue the steady improvement that he’s achieved over the previous three rounds of the championship.

‘I’m excited about racing here at Sugo again,’ said Walker. ‘We’ve made real progress with the bike since the start of the season and, although it wasn’t really reflected in the results, I felt I rode my best races so far at Kyalami. It’s going to be a tough race, especially with four factory Kawasaki riders and a handful of very fast wild cards on the grid, but I like the Sugo circuit and I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend ahead.’

A veteran of the Fuchs Kawasaki World Superbike team, Akira Yanagawa returned to Japan at the end of the 2001 season to help develop the Ninja ZX-RR four-stroke machine that Kawasaki will make their return to the GP series with in 2003. A firm favourite with World Superbike fans, Yanagawa is looking forward to making a temporary return to the series at Sugo.

‘It will be good to race in World Superbikes again,’ said Yanagawa. ‘I haven’t raced at this level since the final round of 2001 but, as well as being heavily involved with the development of Kawasaki’s MotoGP machine, I’ve also been riding in the All Japan Superbike series as a way of keeping race fit. I picked up a podium finish in the domestic series last weekend, but World Superbikes is definitely a step up in terms of competition. It will make a pleasant change to be able to forget the development work for a little while and concentrate fully on the racing here at Sugo.’

Like his temporary team-mate, Chris Walker, Eric Bostrom made the trip out to Sugo to race in the final round of the 2001 All Japan Superbike Championship, and the American is happy to be back in Japan.

‘With the settings we’ve come up with recently, we should be in the ball park here at Sugo,’ said Bostrom. ‘I really enjoy the racetrack, that’s for sure. You know, I hope to win the thing, but I realise it’s going to be a tough job. All the guys are on top of their game, the wild card guys especially, but I really think we can make it interesting.’

The Fuchs Kawasaki Superbike pit garage may be bursting at the seams with riders, but it’s business as usual for the team’s two Supersport contenders, Andrew Pitt and James Ellison, this weekend.

‘It promises to be an interesting weekend,’ said Pitt, the reigning champion and current series leader. ‘I’ve won the last two races and people are starting to ask me whether I can do what Bayliss has done in Superbikes and dominate the series. It’s not something I’ve given much thought to and, to be honest, I’m not sure it’s possible to dominate the Supersport championship in the same way as the Superbikes, because the front-runners are just too closely matched. But, having said that, we had a podium here last year and the bike is definitely stronger this season. If we can find a good set-up and a race tyre in practice and qualifying, then there’s no reason why I shouldn’t continue my winning streak this weekend. That’s definitely what I’ll be aiming for anyway.’

Since arriving in Japan, Pitt has had to field numerous questions from the press about the importance of a good result at Sugo; and what effect doing well at this particular round – at which representatives from the Kawasaki factory will be present – might have on his chances of landing a MotoGP ride on Kawasaki’s new Ninja ZX-RR in 2003.

‘It’s important that I go well at every round, not just this one,’ declared the Australian. ‘For sure, I want the Kawasaki GP ride as much as anyone, but I figure that the best way of putting myself in contention is not just to impress at Sugo, but to retain the World title that I won for the factory last season. So, although I’m sure that the people from Kawasaki who are responsible for making the decision about riders for next season will be here this weekend, I don’t intend to let that distract me from the job at hand; which is racking up enough points to ensure that I leave Sugo with my championship lead intact.’

Having fallen victim to another rider’s mistake in South Africa and crashed out of the race, James Ellison is keen to make amends at Sugo.

‘I’ve never ridden here before, but I ran round the track a couple of times on Wednesday and I definitely like the look of the place,’ said Ellison, the reigning European Superstock Champion. ‘We made some big improvements to the bike in South Africa, finding a set-up that better suits my riding style, and that should stand us in good stead for practice and qualifying here at Sugo. It’s going to be tough – Supersport races always are – but if I can qualify a bit higher up the grid than I have done previously, then I’m confident of picking up a few more championship points here this weekend.’

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

The third and final day of AMA team testing at Road Atlanta was delayed yet again as water running onto turn five was again dried as much as possible.

Nicky Hayden continued to be the fastest among all of the riders present, running a 1:23.6 on his Honda RC51 Superbike during the morning. His time was nearly half-a-second faster than his best time on day two of testing.

“We have some stuff from last year that we want to go back and look at a little more. Today we have different transmissions in the bikes,” said Hayden, referring to the two Superbikes he is testing at Road Atlanta. “(We have) different lengths, different shocks on one bike and we’re going back and forth between the two.”

Miguel Duhamel is still riding both of his bikes, as well. He is testing two types of Dunlop race tires today.

Most teams are taking today to work on basic race set-ups. Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert is getting quicker on his Superbike, running a time of 24.2 in the morning session. He is not doing as well on his 600, however.

“The 600 is struggling a little bit,” said Gobert. It’s tough when you have two bikes (to test).”

Damon Buckmaster rode his Yamaha YZF-R6 all morning and switched to the YZF-R1 for the afternoon. He was just working on basic setup.

Doug Chandler made minor changes to his Ducati 998RS, and was most concerned with getting more comfortable on the bike. He’s been riding one bike for most of the test, but also has a second bike he spent some time on. “It was a very productive three days, so I’m happy,” said Chandler.

Tommy Hayden continued to drop his times on the Kawasaki ZX6, running 1:28.1s, about half-a-second faster than his best time yesterday. “We changed the suspension a lot last night,” explained Hayden. “I feel a lot more comfortable today and I’ve been able to go a lot faster.”

Tony Meiring has finally dropped into the 1:29s on his 600 and feels much more comfortable on the Kawasaki. He is very happy with his progress over the past three days.

The Yoshimura Blimpie Suzuki team is working on just the Superbike Suzuki GSX-R750s today, as Jamie Hacking and Aaron Yates are not riding their GSX-R600 Supersport machines. Mat Mladin has moved into the high 1:23s for his lap times, not giving Nicky Hayden much of a comfort zone. Yates has dropped his times to 1:24.0s.

Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich and Tom Kipp worked on bike set-ups and tested out different Michelin tires today. Tom Kipp spent the first part of his morning on his Suzuki GSX-R600, dropping his lap times by half-a-second over his previous best. New fork internals have fixed a chattering problem that Kipp had yesterday. Ulrich also went faster, turning a 1:27.4 on his Superstock GSX-R750. This afternoon Ulrich will ride a GSX-R1000 Formula Xtreme bike for the first time.