By David Swarts

Speedvision announced today via the www.speedvision.com website that Jim Liberatore, 39, has been named President, Speedvision Networks. Fox Sports Television Group CEO and Chairman David Hill and Fox Cable Networks Group CEO and Chairman Jeff Shell made the announcement in one of the first moves following the buyout of Speedvision by Fox. Liberatore comes from within Fox, having served as Vice-President and General Manager of the Florida-based Sunshine Network since 1995 and as Vice-President of Advertising Sales for Madison Square Garden and the Madison Square Garden Network. Sunshine and MSG are both part of the Fox Sports Cable Network. Liberatore replaces Roger Werner, the founder and original President of Speedvision.

Regarding Liberatore’s assignment, the announcement states “one of his first responsibilities will be an analysis and development of a potential relocation and re-launch of the popular motorsports network to further capitalize on Fox Television’s highly successful association with NASCAR.”

On the change in Speedvision President, the site quotes Hill as saying “I’ve known Roger Werner throughout his sports career, and appreciate his passion for building successful new ventures like Speedvision. Nobody could have managed the initial phase of the network any better, so we all thank him and his team for their contributions. Now, it’s time for Jim to take the wheel, and together we’ll all see what interesting things we can come up with for Speedvision’s current fans, as well as the huge new group that NASCAR brings with it.”

Liberatore is quoted as saying, “The opportunity to take what I have learned at Sunshine at the regional level and apply it across Speedvision and NASCAR is a challenge I can’t wait to take on.”

The link to the Liberatore appointment announcement was found in the motorcycle section of the Speedvision website.

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:

Alton, Virginia, USA – With the 2001 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship in the midst of a four-week break, Mat Mladin’s Team Yoshimura
Suzuki and a number of leading teams took the opportunity to test at the new Virginia International Raceway where they will race at for the first time on September 30 this year.

The opening day of the scheduled three-day test (Monday, August 13) was interrupted by rain, before the skies cleared to provide the teams with two days of clean track time.

Mladin came away from the test with the fastest time, recording a 1:26.00 lap time around the 17-turn, 2.25-mile Virginia circuit and was happy with the information gained from the test.

“We only did about five or six laps on Monday, but were able to do a lot in the following two days and come away some good information that will help us when we get there for the final round of the Championship,” Mladin said. “We just went through our normal testing routine for when we go to a new circuit. A lot of guys were out there trying to set fast single lap times, but we were more intent on getting a package that would allow us to do a lot of consistently fast laps and I think we got pretty close to that. I was able to reel off a lot of laps in the mid-26s, so I was happy with that. My teammates Aaron (Yates) and Jamie (Hacking) are still there today, but I was able to get through what I wanted to, so we packed it up.

“I’ve been disappointed with the mechanical problems that we have had with the bike since the Laguna Seca round, with the clutch being our main worry. The amount of Championship points that we have been able to score in this period of time has been good considering and we’ve made the best of a bad situation. It’s a critical stage of the Championship, so hopefully Suzuki will have some answers for us.”

As for the new VIR circuit, Mladin was happy with his first visit there. “It’s actually a nice little circuit. I had heard a few things about it before we got here, but I’m happy with it. The safety aspects and the infrastructure around the circuit are good. It should all make for a good race meeting when we come back here in September.”

Mladin headed to Denver, Colorado after the test, where he will acclimatise himself with the higher altitude in preparation for next week’s (August 26) Pikes Peak round of the Championship.

With three rounds of the 2001 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship remaining, Mladin holds a 20-point lead in the Championship over Team Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom. Bostrom was the victor at Pikes Peak last season, so the scene will be set for a continuation of the battle that the pair has been involved in all season.

FIM officials carried out alcohol and drug testing in conjunction with the 24-hour Endurance World Championship event held July 14-15 at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. All test results were negative for banned substances.

Those tested for alcohol included Frenchmen Bertrand Sebileau, Eric Mizera and Mathieu Lagrive; Germans Frank Schueller, Karston Schmidt and Klaus Schulz; and Swiss Dave Rollier, Head Carrard, and Claude-Alain Jaggi.

Riders tested for drugs included Christophe Guyot, Nicolas Dussauge and Sebastien Scarnato of France; Peter Jennings, Dean Ellison and Russell Baker of England; and Danny Schildermans, Dirk Buylinckx and Benjamin Pister of Belgium.

More drug testing was carried out July 29 during the Brands Hatch World Superbike and Supersport event. Riders testing clean included Italian Superbike rider Mauro Sanchini, British Superbike pilot Sean Emmett, French Superbike rider Regis Laconi, Australian Supersport rider Shannon Johnson, French Supersport competitor Christophe Cogan, and Spanish Supersport racer Pere Riba.

Aaron Gobert has re-signed with Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S. for 2002. The plan is for Gobert to compete in AMA Formula Xtreme on a Graves Motorsports Yamaha and to also race in AMA 600cc Supersport.

This just in from Texas:

On Sunday, August 19th, RPM will conduct an “Air Fence Contributor Signing” at 11:45 a.m. right after the Spectator Lap. All contributors to the Air Fence fund sponsored by www.roadracingworld.com will be able to sign.

After the signing, RPM will host a “Superbike Stunt Show” on Pit Road. Get the best view from the Pit Road suites and enjoy. Updated printed schedules will be available at the front gate.


(RPM is the WERA affiliate in the South Central Region.)

(The Air Fence being signed consists of about 120 linear feet of Air Fence Bike, paid for by the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund for use in the corner where Ryan Smith was fatally injured in 1999. The Air Fence Bike sections will be used during races held at Texas World Speedway by RPM/WERA and CMRA/CCS.)

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Chris Pyles, 2000 WERA 125cc Grand Prix National Challenge Series Champion and current AMA 250cc Grand Prix racer, starting filming the pilot for a motorcycle TV show called “Crossroads TV” Sunday, July 29 in Washington D.C.

Pyles, who has a degree in Broadcast Journalism, said that the show is similar in format to other how-to auto repair and customizing shows already seen on cable channels like TNN and Speedvision.

“The first thing, a customer comes in with a bike,” described Pyles. “We check it out, just a general check over like they’re buying the bike. We go through what we’re doing, kind of bouncing back and forth. We haven’t shot the whole thing yet.”

Pyles will co-host the show with former Formula USA Chief Technical Official Dennis Ferm. “Dennis has a section of the show called ‘Custom Corner’ because he builds these custom, tricked-out Japanese cruiser bikes. So in his segment, he went over frame selection. Then we have ‘The Racer’s Edge’, which is my section. I went over basic suspension set-up,” said Pyles from his home in Germantown, Maryland.

“It’s kind of appealing to people re-entering the motorcycling world,” explained Pyles. “That’s a huge sector of the industry. It’s also appealing to the young sportbike crowd. We’re going to have a live audience there while we’re doing it in like a bar area outside the garage. Kind of like where people can ride their bikes up and hang out in a live studio audience.”

The project is being led by television producer Steve Zarpas of CNBC. Zarpas formerly owned the Crowbar, a motorcycle-friendly tavern in Washington, D.C.

“(Zarpas) is gonna pitch it to some people,” said Pyles. “He’s psyched about it. He’s wanted to do it for a long time. I talked to him about it this past winter because I really wanted to move from announcing and into TV. When he finally wanted to do it, he called me up. He has a lot of really great ideas.

“We’re calling it ‘Crossroads TV’ because Dennis’ shop is Crossroads Cycles. I don’t think it really has a name yet. I really don’t know when it will be ready for distribution. Our individual segments are done. We’ve got to do the crowd shots and all. I know he wants to get moving on it.”

A story in the August 14 edition of Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper quoted Yamaha Motor Co. President Toru Hasegawa as saying “There had been a trend in the company in which it was believed that making a quality product was more important than making a profit. But now, we have changed our strategy into one thoroughly pursuing profits.”

The article also reported that Yamaha earns over 75 percent of its revenue from export markets.

12:00 p.m. FIM 125cc Grand Prix – Germany
1:00 p.m. AMA Formula Xtreme – Brainerd
2:00 p.m. AMA 600cc Supersport – Mid-Ohio
3:00 p.m. AMA 600cc Supersport – Brainerd

7:00 p.m. Bike Week
7:30 p.m. American Thunder – Los Angeles Calendar Bike Show
8:00 p.m. FIM World Supersport – Brands Hatch
9:00 p.m. High Octane
9:30 p.m. U.S. Flat Track Championships – Charlotte
10:00 p.m. U.S. Flat Track Championships – Charlotte

All Times = Eastern Daylight Time

From a press release:

Sales of New Corporate Luxury Suites Moving
at Brisk Pace at Sears Point Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) – Construction of the 22 new corporate luxury suites at Sears Point Raceway is right around the corner, but sales are already moving at a brisk pace as more than half of the suites have been purchased for the 2002 racing season.

The luxury suites will be featured along the top of the new 15,000-seat permanent grandstand, which will be built along the west side of the start/finish line. The suites will offer a spectacular view of both road racing and drag racing, as well as a panoramic view of the scenic Sonoma Valley. The suites will be built right above the pits for road racing, offering patrons a unique view of the action.

“The layout and design of these suites is unlike any in the Bay Area with spectacular views of both the track and the surrounding landscape. We’re delighted to see such a strong positive response from the corporate community,” said Steve Page, President and General Manager at Sears Point Raceway.

Each suite will feature an indoor-outdoor design, as well as upgraded furniture, a telephone, a wet bar, padded outdoor seats, air conditioning and private restrooms. Some extra amenities include internet access and a menu of fine Sonoma Valley wines. There are two suite sizes to choose from: one that seats 64 and another that seats 28.

All suites will also feature the proper technology to conduct off-site business meetings, including necessary data lines for transmission.

“This confirms that Sears Point is where corporate business is: On the fast track. These new suites will provide the first-class entertaining and business off-site meeting amenities that today’s business executives demand,” said Tim Schuldt, Vice President of Sales/Marketing at Sears Point. “It’s exciting to be able to deliver these benefits to our current and future corporate partners.”

The new corporate luxury suites are part of Sears Point Raceway’s $35 million Modernization Plan, which kicked off in September, 2000. Since then, more than 5,000,000 cubic yards of dirt have been moved. The first phase of the plan is already complete, and the second phase began on Aug. 6.

Some of the features fans can expect in phase two include: 30,000 hillside terrace seats along Turns 7-9 on the road course; an underground pedestrian tunnel at start/finish
line; repaving of the road course and drag strip; and construction of a go-kart track on the south side of the property.

The two-phase plan will transform Sears Point Raceway into one of the premier motorsports and entertainment venues in the country.

For more information on the project, which should be nearly complete by June, 2002, please visit www.searspoint.com and click on the CAT Construction Cameras page and the Ghilotti Modernization Archives page.