From a Radar’s Team Yamaha press release, which explains why suddenly the lead class in the release is Supersport instead Superbike:

2001 Shell Australian Superbike & Supersport Championships
Round 5, Oran Park Raceway, NSW
Final Qualifying

BAIRD SEALS SUPERSPORT POLE POSITION

Radar’s Team Yamaha rider Robbie Baird will start from pole position for this weekend’s fifth and final round of the Shell Australian Supersport Championship at Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway.

The Queenslander was the fastest rider in both qualifying sessions for the Supersport competitors and stopped the clocks with a best time of 1:12.8266 recorded in the final session. His time was under the existing Supersport lap record of 1:13.00 held by Adam Fergusson.

Baird will be joined on the front row of the grid by fellow Queenslander Ben Attard (1:13.5764), Daniel Stauffer (1:13.7832) and Mark Aitchison
(1:13.8467).

Baird has maintained the form that won him the Yamaha New South Wales Formula X Unlimited State Championship at the same circuit last weekend.

“I just went out and went as quick as I could go,” said Baird. “We changed a few things with the suspension, both front and rear, from what we had last weekend and it worked well. The jetting is just about perfect as well with the YZF-R6 producing some very good horsepower which was evident with the lap times being under the current lap record.”

While Baird headed the Supersport timesheets, his teammates Jamie Stauffer and Craig Coxhell were in the thick of the action aboard their Yamaha YZF-R1s as they qualified for the final round of the Australian Superbike Championship. Stauffer will line up on the outside of the front row of the grid after setting the fourth fastest time (1:11.1968), while Coxhell will head the second row with the fifth fastest time (1:11.3331).

Heading the pair were newly crowned champion Shawn Giles (on a Suzuki GSX-R1000), who set pole with a time of 1:10.7939, followed by Wayne Maxwell (1:11.0439) and Bikebiz Yamaha’s Tony Rees (1:11.1329).

“I went faster than I did in the first session this morning, but unfortunately three others went quicker again,” said Stauffer. “I’m somewhat happy with the time as it is the quickest that I’ve ever been around here, so I can’t complain with that. I’ve got the bike set up well and that has definitely helped me in getting my lap times down.”

Coxhell spent the day chasing a good set-up and was frustrated with his fifth-fastest time.

“The hardest part has been trying to find a front tire that I’m comfortable with,” said Coxhell. “For me the track still feels oily and slippery and that is where the problems with the front end are coming in. For tomorrow we’ll try a softer spring in the rear suspension and see how it goes in the warm-up session and then make a decision for the races.”

Tomorrow’s race program gets underway at 10:00 a.m. with the Superbike competitors facing three 12-lap races, while the Supersport field will line up for two 12-lap races.

Qualifying times follow:

Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship
Round 5, Oran Park Raceway, NSW, August 25-26

Qualifying

1. Shawn Giles, Suzuki, 1:10.7939
2. Wayne Maxwell, Kawasaki, 1:11.0439
3 Tony Rees, Yamaha, 1:11.1329
4 Jamie Stauffer, Yamaha, 1:11.1968
5 Craig Coxhell, Yamaha, 1:11.3331
6 Alistair Maxwell, Suzuki, 1:12.9467
7 Steven Fisher, Honda, 1:13.0423
8. Jay Normoyle, Suzuki, 1:13.0816
9. Clayton Landells, Suzuki, 1:13.1613
10. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:13.2645
Lap Record Mat Mladin (Kawasaki), 1:10.2005 on 06/08/95


Shell Advance Australian Supersport Championship
Round 5, Oran Park Raceway, NSW, August 15 – 26

Qualifying

1. Robert Baird, Yamaha, 1:12.8266
2. Ben Attard, Honda, 1:13.5764
3. Daniel Stauffer, Suzuki, 1:13.7832
4. Mark Aitchison, Suzuki, 1:13.8467
5. Josh Brookes, Suzuki, 1:13.9056
6. Craig Trinder, Suzuki, 1:14.0174
7. Rory Rock, Honda, 1:14.1180
8. Cameron Donald, Suzuki, 1:14.2062
9. Rodney Taplin, Suzuki, 1:14.3033
10. Scott Charlton, Suzuki, 1:14.4047
Lap Record: Adam Fergusson (Honda) 1:13.0000 set on 05/03/00

Nicky Hayden broke Mat Mladin’s Pikes Peak International Raceway motorcycle track record (54.009, set in 1999) and took pole position for tomorrow’s AMA Superbike National by turning a lap at 53.776 in the closing minutes of final qualifying Saturday afternoon. Top times follow:

1. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 53.776
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 53.873
3. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 53.979
4. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, 54.149
5. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 54.194
6. Steve Rapp, Ducati, 54.199
7. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 54.315
8. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 54.575
9. Larry Pegram, Ducati, 54.719
10. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 54.725
11. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 54.839
12. Pascal Picotte, Harley-Davidson, 54.852
13. Andreas Meklau, Ducati, 55.052
14. Mike Smith, Harley-Davidson, 55.530
15. Jordan Szoke, Harley-Davidson, 56.294
16. Mauro Cereda, Suzuki, 56.968*
17. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki, 57.334
18. Mike Sullivan, Honda, 57.428
19. Tony Lupo, Suzuki, 57.628*
20. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki, 57.653*
21. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 57.664*
22. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, 57.808
23. Vince Haskovec, Suzuki, 57.842*
24. Rich Alexander, Suzuki, 57.912*
25. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 58.061*
26. Ricky Orlando, Suzuki, 58.079*
27. John Dugan, Suzuki, 58.208*
28. Greg Fryer, Yamaha, 58.377
29. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 58.487*
30. Jason Swan, Suzuki, 58.706*
31. Eric Haugo, Suzuki, 58.955*
32. Scot Jensen, Suzuki, 59.694*

* = rider on 750cc Supersport bike

Results
1. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 29 laps
2. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -5.004 seconds
3. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR929RR
4. Roger Hayden, Honda CBR929RR
5. John Hopkins, Suzuki GSX-R1000
6. Grant Lopez, Suzuki GSX-R1000
7. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7
8. Josh Hayes, Honda CBR929RR
9. Mark Miller, Honda CBR929RR
10. Mauro Cereda, Suzuki GSX-R750
11. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R1000; 12. Doug Vickery, Yamaha YZF-R1, 28 laps; 13. Jeff Ahner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28 laps; 14. Ricky Orlando, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28 laps; 15. Eric Haugo, Suzuki GSX-R750, 28 laps; 16. Scott Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 28 laps; 17. Robert Christman, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28 laps; 18. Ricky Lundgren, Ducati 748, 28 laps; 19. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1/R7, 27 laps; 20. Travis Graham, Yamaha YZF-R1, 27 laps; 21. Dr. David Kieffer, M.D., Ducati 748, 18 laps, DNF; 22. Ben Fox, Ducati 748, 7 laps, DNF; 23. Tom Montano, Ducati 748, 1 lap, DNF.

Damon Buckmaster, who had a 14-point lead coming into the race, encountered mechanical problems and finished 19th, his bike running on three cylinders. The finish ties the points with two races remaining, as follows:
1. TIE, Hopkins/Buckmaster, 229 points
3. Grant Lopez, 200
4. Jake Zemke, 197
5. Josh Hayes, 191

Overall Results:
1. Loudoun Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R1000,GTO, 80 laps
2. Edge Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R750, GTO, 80 laps
3. Imotosports.com, Aprilia RSV1000, GTO, 79 laps
4. Team Yamaha of Camp Hill, Yamaha YZF-R6, GTU, 78 laps
5. Brotz Motorsports, Yamaha YZF-R6, GTU, 77 laps
6. Edge Junior Varsity, Suzuki GSX-R600, GTU, 77 laps
7. Jam Racing, Yamaha YZF-R6, GTU, 77 laps
8. Bad Apple Racing, Suzuki TL1000S, GTO, 76 laps
9. Go Fast Racing, Kawasaki ZX-7R, GTO, 74 laps
10. Evanscooling.com, Suzuki GSX-R600, GTU, 74 laps

Saturday Morning Pro Sportbike Practice Times:
1. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:42.593
2. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:43.149
3. Brian Parriott, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:43.312
4. Ty Howard, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:43.901
5. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:43.987
6. Paul Harrell, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:44.097
7. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:44.802
8. Scott Greenwood, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:44.953
9. Jim Lester, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:45.195
10. Shawn Conrad, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:45.531
11. Aaron Clark, Honda CBR600F4, 1:45.653
12. Eoin Smith, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:45.887
13. Stoney Landers, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:45.890
14. Marc Palazzo, Honda CBR600F4, 1:45.927
15. Shan Ball, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:46.062

Based on practice and qualifying time sheets:

600cc Supersport, 35 riders
750cc Supersport, 34 riders
Superbike, 31 riders
Formula Xtreme, 30 riders
250cc Grand Prix, 20 riders
Pro Thunder, 18 riders

Total entries = 168

600cc Supersport Qualifying
1. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 55.755
2. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 55.831
3. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 55.895
4. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 56.018
5. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 56.158
6. Josh Hayes, Honda, 56.338
7. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 56.426
8. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 56.485
9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 56.451
10. Jake Zemke, Honda, 56.660
11. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 56.881
12. Roger Hayden, Honda, 56.972
13. Vince Haskovec, Suzuki, 57.831
14. Elton Curry, Yamaha, 58.037
15. Stuart Stratton, Yamaha, 58.517
16. Robb Martin, Yamaha, 58.586
17. Paul Nafziger, Yamaha, 58.793
18. Rick Hogge, Yamaha, 58.797
19. Matt Zurbuchen, Yamaha, 58.814
20. David Ortega, Suzuki, 59.036

750cc Supersport Qualifying
1. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 56.157
2. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 56.703
3. Rich Alexander, Suzuki, 56.820
4. Vince Haskovec, Suzuki, 56.961
5. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 57.208
6. Tony Meiring, Suzuki, 57.480
7. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki, 57.596
8. Tony Lupo, Suzuki, 57.785
9. Stuart Stratton, Yamaha YZF-R6, 57.961
10. Erik Schnackenberg, Suzuki, 58.304
11. Eric Haugo, Suzuki, 58.607
12. John Dugan, Suzuki, 58.622
13. Jason Swan, Suzuki, 58.932
14. David Ortega, Suzuki, 58.940
15. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, 59.293
16. Robb Martin, Yamaha YZF-R6, 59.296
17. Justin Blake, Suzuki, 59.480
18. Kurt Marmor, Honda CBR600F4i, 59.668
19. Jeff Tigert, Honda CBR600F4i, 59.683
20. Jeremy Chisum, Suzuki, 59.685

Team Pro-Motion’s Glenn Goldman said Friday that it wasn’t his fault that Grant Lopez hit a row of haybales placed in a run-off area during the Pro-Motion track day at Pocono International Raceway on Tuesday, and that he had nothing to do with the placement of the haybales.

Formula USA officials said Wednesday that they could see no reason for the haybales to be placed at that location. The haybales were removed for the start of practice on Thursday.

A post on roadracingworld.com identified Lopez’s crash as occuring during the Pro Motion track day and, based on reports from his mechanic, Todd Fenton, stated that Lopez ran off the track and hit the inexplicably-placed row of haybales. On Friday, Team Pro Motion instructor Mike Himmelsbach said that he saw the incident and in fact Lopez crashed and then slid into the haybales.

Whatever happened, it resulted in Lopez hitting the row of haybales, being knocked out and suffering a concussion and being airlifted to an area hospital. Lopez was conscious prior to arrival of the helicopter, but Fenton was told that it was standard procedure for an airlift to be summoned if a rider is unconcious, and that once the helicopter took off it was too late to call off the airlift.

Complaining about the roadracingworld.com post on Lopez’s crash, Goldman said “Pocono Raceway runs the safety aspects of the track during my club days. Pro-Motion has rider’s meetings, control riders, and cornerworkers but the track controls haybale placement and issues related to safety.” Goldman added that when Lopez fell Tuesday that he was not allowed near the crash scene by Pocono officials.

“I feel that I run a safe environment at my Pro-Motion club days,” continued Goldman. “I average about one hospital transport out of every six of my track riding days. I only have about three crashes at each day total. That’s a lot less than some other clubs that run track days at Pocono.”

Goldman said that he limits his track days to 160 riders divided into four groups of 40 and says that other organizations have no limits for their days or for track density.

One track official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that Goldman’s Pro-Motion days are probably as safe if not safer than any of the motorcycle track riding clubs that offer track time at Pocono. That same official said that the decision to airlift Lopez from the track was made by a paramedic on the scene that was following set procedures based on Lopez’s symptoms of unconsciousness, labored breathing and gurgling sounds. The track official also added that if the medical staff did make an error in judgement that they erred on the side of safety and precaution.

The paramedics absolutely shredded Lopez’s Kushitani leathers–with multiple cuts up the chest, each in the middle of a panel instead of even attempting to cut near seams, a typical practice of paramedics familiar with motorcycle racing and which would have allowed the suit to be repaired. The paramedics also cut off Lopez’s inner suit and even cut the belt of his back protector instead of unfastening the plastic buckle.

Ben Spies won the 750cc Supersport race at Pikes Peak International Raceway by 2.475 seconds from series points leader Jimmy Moore, with RoadracingWorld.com’s Chris Ulrich third.

Spies moved into second in points while Rich Alexander dropped from second to fourth by crashing out of third place on lap five of the 29-lap race, just after being passed by Moore.

Spies took the lead on the first lap and pulled away, while Moore moved up from fourth and Ulrich moved up from eighth.

Results follow:
(All Suzuki GSX-R750 unless indicated)
1. Ben Spies, 29 laps
2. Jimmy Moore
3. Chris Ulrich
4. Vince Haskovec
5. Tony Lupo
6. John Dugan
7. David Ortega
8. Alan Schmidt
9. Erik Schnackenberg
10. Scott Jensen
11. Robb Martin, Yamaha YZF-R6, 28 laps
12. Jeremy Chisum, 28 laps
13. Justin Blake, 28 laps
14. Kurt Marmor, Honda CBR600F4i, 28 laps
15. Martin Sims, Yamaha YZF-R6, 28 laps
16. Jason Chisum, 28 laps
17. Justin Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R600, 28 laps
18. Don Blattert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 28, laps
19. Geoff Pestes, Suzuki GSX-R600, 28 laps
20. Don Medina, Yamaha YZF-R6, 28 laps
21. Rick Hogge, Yamaha YZF-R6, 27 laps
22. Eric Haugo, 27 laps
23. Tony Meiring, 26 laps
24. Jeff Bostrom, 25 laps
25. Jason Swan, 18 laps
26. Jeff Tigert, Honda CBR600F4i, 9 laps, DNF, mechanical
27. Rich Alexander, 5 laps, DNF, crash
28. Stuart Stratton, Yamaha YZF-R6, 4 laps, DNF

Point standings:
1. Moore, 278 points
2. Spies, 225
3. Haskovec, 205
4. Alexander, 196
5. Ulrich, 193

Teardown for the 750cc Supersport class consisted of a visual inspection of the airbox and the wiring harness.

In other Saturday action at Pikes Peak, Rich Oliver and Jim Filice each won a 250cc Grand Prix heat race, with Filice’s faster race time putting him on pole for tomorrow’s 250cc final.

Qualifying Heat Race 1
(All Yamaha TZ250 unless indicated)
1. Jim Filice
2. Roland Sands
3. Don Hough
4. Mike Hannas
5. Perry Melneciuc
6. Cory West
7. Ed Sorbo
8. Jeff Leggitt, Honda RS250
9. Ty Piz
10. Adrian Webb
11. Andy Edwards
Race Time, 4:44.402
Margin of Victory, 0.211 seconds

Qualifying Heat Race 2
(All Yamaha TZ250 unless indicated)
1. Rich Oliver
2. Chuck Sorensen
3. Simon Turner
4. Ed Marchini
5. Colin Jensen, Aprilia RS250
6. Greg Esser, Honda RS250
7. Roy De Groot
8. Russell Strobridge
9. John France, Honda RS250
10. Dale Whelan
11. Sean Wray
Race Time, 4:45.500
Margin of Victory, 0.062 seconds