Home Blog Page 7296

What A Great Idea: RPM Establishes Steering Committee Staffed By Cross-section Of Riders

newspaper
-
0
What A Great Idea: RPM Establishes Steering Committee Staffed By Cross-section Of Riders

RPM, the Texas-based WERA and AMA affiliate, has established a formal system of getting representative rider input. A press release issued July 2 by the organization follows:

“As of June 14, 2001, RPM has formed a Riders Steering Committee. The purpose of the Riders Committee is to:

“1. Serve ALL riders by placing ideas on the
table that address the safety and general direction of the club and its members as to benefit the whole.

“2. To have actual input from their peers (other
riders) and act upon those best ideas as described in item #1 in a swift and well-managed manner.

“The appointed Riders Steering Committee Members are:

“1. Expert – Greg Abbott

“2. Expert – Pete Martins

“3. Novice – David Kagen

“4. Vintage – Scott Howse

“5. Mini – Harold Hixon

“Ideas will be discussed on terms and conditions of these positions held.

“We will have meetings once per month. As it stands right now, it will done in the RPM Chat Room every second Monday of the month from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. @ www.rpmraceclub.com”

The release was issued via e-mail by RPM’s Tom Shields, who signed the release:

“Tom Shields
“RPM Racing
“A WERA Affiliate
“www.rpmraceclub.com”

Several other club-racing organizations have similar schemes for gathering rider input, frequently putting rider-elected representatives on the organization’s Board of Directors.

If your club is using such a set-up, we’d like to hear from you, via e-mail to [email protected]. Please include your full name, your city and phone number. E-mails without full name, city and phone number will be ignored and deleted.

We Apparently Got The Portland Oiling Deal Wrong, And Now Stand Corrected By OMRRA

newspaper
-
0
We Apparently Got The Portland Oiling Deal Wrong, And Now Stand Corrected By OMRRA

Never say that roadracingworld.com won’t try to correct a factual error, as in this case, when OMRRA’s Jeff Lind says we were full of (what Mat Mladin said at Loudon) when we reported on the track being oiled by an OMRRA local without an oil-catching bellypan, and webmaster Sam Fleming crashing in that oil at Portland. It actually was a local, but he was riding an AMA-legal Buell fitted with a bellypan, through which he had ground a hole. Jeff’s report follows:

“I learned of the oiling incident involving AMA Buell Pro Thunder racer Willie Jordan and AOD rider Sam Fleming from racer Briggs Willoughby and racer/OMRRA Vice President Bill Cismar. Below are their comments (speaking of Willie Jordan):

“Quoting Briggs – ‘This came from Willie. Call him up, he’s the service manager at Latus. But, he told me yesterday that on Friday he oiled himself, and almost crashed, and then the AOD bike went down in his oil. He said he had a bellypan, but had ground a hole in it.’

“Quoting Bill – ‘It was Willie. He came to me after the incident concerned that I, standing there in my OMRRA OFFICIAL shirt, was coming to see him to tell him he was done racing for the weekend. There were other red-flag incidents related to oil, but this specific incident, resulting in the AOD bike crashing, was Willie on an AMA-prepared Buell.”

“I would also like to correct another part of the Roadracingworld.com post that stated that ‘There are, however, several sections of Air Fence, owned by the racetrack, deployed for the event.’

“In actuality, the sections of Air Fence at the Portland race event(s) are not owned by the racetrack (PIR) but instead provided by OMRRA who rents them from an outside vender for all OMRRA motorcycle racing events.

“We (OMRRA) appreciate the press coverage, but feel the above details more accurately describe the facts of the reported matter.

“Other than the Friday practice oilings, the Saturday WERA 6-hour and Sunday combined OMRRA/WERA/AMA Pro Thunder sprint races went off beautifully and finished ahead of schedule. This is no small feat giving that normal OMRRA race Sundays are jam-packed with classes, then combine them with the WERA classes and visiting riders and throw in an AMA class as well. It’s a testament to the great volunteers who keep OMRRA running.

“Jeff Lind
“OMRRA Secretary, Board of Directors”

The Air Fence referred to is actually Kurt Sager’s Air Bale, which he rents to West Coast racetracks.

We still think every bike on every track should have a fluid-catching bellypan, AMA Pro Racing’s finest innovation, though.

AMA Agrees To Hear Appeals In Mladin And Chouinard Loudon Cases

newspaper
-
0
AMA Agrees To Hear Appeals In Mladin And Chouinard Loudon Cases

AMA Pro Racing has agreed to hear appeals in the cases of Mat Mladin, (who was fined $5000 and lost a Championship point on trumped-up charges that his behavior in a press conference was detrimental to racing), and Chuck Chouinard, (who was disqualified from the Loudon 750cc Supersport race for allegedly having removed metal from valves).

News of the appeal for Chouinard came from AMA Pro Racing Superbike Operations Manager Ron Barrick, speaking at this weekend’s combined WERA National Challenge Series/AMA Pro Thunder National/OMRRA Regional event at Portland International Raceway.

News of the Mladin appeal came from Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura, speaking by phone from Chino, California.

Chouinard’s appeal will claim that the valves were not modified, but were only cleaned using Scotch-Brite. Valves from the engine and new, stock valves will be presented as evidence.

Mladin’s appeal will claim that Mladin did not say what he was accused of saying, and that an AMA press release announcing his fine and point loss misrepresented what Mladin said. A tape recording of the press conference in question and a copy of the AMA press release will be used as evidence.

The date and venue of the Appeal Board Hearings for Chouinard and Mladin have not yet been set.

July 2001

newspaper
-
0
July 2001

Triumph 955i Daytona Press Intro Letters To The Editor Inside Info Testing Bridgestone Tires With Team Kanemoto New Products Rossi Wins South African GP At Welkom18 Welkom GP Notes Rossi Wins Spanish Grand Prix At Jerez26 Jerez GP Notes Gobert Wins Sears Point AMA Superbike National Sears Point AMA Inside Info Mladin Is The Suzuki Kahuna At Road Atlanta AMA Superbike National Road Atlanta AMA Inside Info Edwards Wins First World Superbike Race At Philip Island, Second Cancelled Phillip Island World Superbike Notes Makoto Wins Everything At Sugo World Superbike Sugo World Superbike Notes Bayliss Is Ducati’s Man at Monza World Superbike Monza World Superbike Notes Connell And Higbee Win Willow Formula USA Racing And School Calendar Nicky Hayden: Young Gun The Crash Page Formula USA Inside Info Racing In Europe, Part 2 Tire Warmers Tested Ad Index and Phone Directory Website Directory High Performance Parts & Services Directory Honda’s GP Racing History Want Ads Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of A Racer Roadracing World Subscription Information On The Front Cover: Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert wheelies over a crest on his way to winning the AMA Superbike National at Sears Point aboard a YZF-R7. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Updated Post: F-USA Sportbike, Buell Lightning And Aprilia Results From VIR

newspaper
-
0
Updated Post: F-USA Sportbike, Buell Lightning And Aprilia Results From VIR

Formula USA Pro Sportbike Official Results
1. Lee Acree, Suzuki
2. Paul Harrell, Yamaha
3. Michael Barnes, Suzuki
4. Stoney Landers, Suzuki
5. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki
6. Marc Palazzo, Honda
7. Brett Champagne, Suzuki
8. Shawn Conrad, Suzuki
9. Roland Williams, Suzuki
10. Brian Stokes, Suzuki
11. Kevin Pate, Kawasaki
12. Steve Luxem, Yamaha
13. Shannon Ball, Suzuki
14. Gregory Faiella, Yamaha
15. BJ Bradley, Suzuki
16. John Costa, Yamaha

Buell Lightening Series Official Results
1. Michael Barnes
2. Richie Morris
3. Bryan Bemisderfer
4. Jason Smith
5. Jeff Johnson
6. Chad Healy
7. Steve Luxem
8. Mark Reynolds
9. Brian Frank
10. Brian Bodine
11. Tim Johnson
12. Pat Wakefield
13. Daniel Bilansky

Aprilia Cup Challenge Official Results
1. Brian Kcraget
2. Derek King
3. Thad Halsmer
4. Jeffrey Wood
5. Shannon Silva
6. Andre Castanos
7. Joshua Sortor
8. Dan Fischer
9. Tim Cochran
10. Tim Knutson
11. Brian Roach
12. Chad Healy
13. John Lemak
14. Mark Blackman
15. Eric Stevenson
16. Mathew Wissel
17. Anthony De Greif

Estok Beats Nash To Win AMA Pro Thunder Race At Portland

newspaper
-
0
Estok Beats Nash To Win AMA Pro Thunder Race At Portland

1. Dave Estok, Buell, 16:43.873
2. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 16:44.836
3. Tom Montano, Ducati, 16:46.251
4. John Dugan, Ducati, 16:48.251
5. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 17:44.682
6. Charlie Hewitt, Ducati, -1 lap
7. Alan Schwen, Suzuki, -1 lap
8. Takie Chan, Ducati, -1 lap
9. William Jourdan, Buell, -1 lap
10. Richard Haas, Ducati, -1 lap
11. Mark Gardiner, MuZ, – 2 laps

Fastest Laps:
1. Nash, 1:10.557, lap 10
2. Estok, 1:10.586, lap 6
3. Montano, 1:10.676, lap 14
4. Dugan, 1:11.077, lap 14
5. Krynock, 1:14.487, lap 14

Updated Post: F-USA Unlimited Superbike Official Results From VIR, And Ciccotto Says He’ll Never Race F-USA Again

newspaper
-
0
Updated Post: F-USA Unlimited Superbike Official Results From VIR, And Ciccotto Says He’ll Never Race F-USA Again

Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Ciccotto won the first F-USA Unlimited Superbike race at VIR, crashed out of the second race just as rain started to fall, then angerly denounced F-USA officials and the series afterward, saying he would never race with F-USA again. Ciccotto said that late deployment of the red flag caused him to crash. F-USA Director of Road Racing Bill Syfan said that rain flags were displayed prior to Ciccotto’s crash and prior to the rain getting bad enough to justify the red flag. Despite Ciccotto’s harsh–and quite profane–words, loudly expressed to every press person he could find, F-USA officials were not interested in fining or sanctioning Ciccotto. “That’s not our series,” said one. Officials red-flagged the second race and scored it on the 14th lap (of a scheduled 18), with Lee Acree passing Arclight Suzuki teammate Brian Parriott to take first just as the rain started and Parriott slowed. Milennium Technologies’ Shawn Higbee, who crashed in the first race, came from the back of the grid to take third. Australian Craig Connell, riding an AMS Ducati, finished seventh and sixth, increasing his points lead to eight, ahead of Acree, Higbee and Grant Lopez; Lopez finished fourth in the first race but crashed out of the second race on the second lap when he hit his bike’s engine cases on a curb. Asked about the race-two rain situation, Connell said that he would have personally been happy to keep going, and that the race was stopped soon enough. Lockhart Phillips Unlimited Superbike Results, Race One 1. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki 2. Brian Parriott, Suzuki 3. Lee Acree, Suzuki 4. Grant Lopez, Suzuki 5. Tray Batey, Aprilia 6. Paul Harrell, Yamaha 7. Craig Connell, Ducati 8. Eric Wood, Suzuki 9. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki 10. Gabriel Henning, Suzuki 11. Mike Himmelsbach, Aprilia 12. John Haner, Suzuki 13. Roland Williams, Suzuki 14. Anthony Fania Jr., Suzuki 15. Marc Palazzo, Honda 16. Aaron Clark, Aprilia 17. Chris Rankin, Suzuki 18. Mark Ledesma, Aprilia 19. Byron Barbour, Suzuki 20. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki 21. Fritz Kling, Kawasaki 22. Russell Masecar, Suzuki, 17 laps 23. Ray Yoder Jr., Kawasaki, 17 laps 24. Joseph Spina, Suzuki, 17 laps 25. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, crash, 17 laps 26. Brian Baker, Suzuki, 17 laps 27. Peter Friedman, Suzuki, 17 laps 28. Tim Bemisderfer, Suzuki, 16 laps 29. Brian Boyd, Yamaha, 14 laps 30. Mike Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 13 laps 31. Ken Synder, Suzuki, 12 laps 32. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, 12 laps 33. Ken Chase, Suzuki, 6 laps, DNF, crash 34. Brett Boyd, Suzuki, 6 laps, DNF 35. Joe Prussiano, Yamaha, 1 lap, DNF, crash Lockhart Phillips Unlimited Superbike Results, Race Two 1. Acree 2. Parriott 3. Higbee 4. Batey 5. Harrell 6. Connell 7. Wood 8. Chouinard 9. Himmelsbach 10. Williams 11. Haner 12. Henning 13. Fania 14. Palazzo 15. Chase 16. Clark 17. Ledesma 18. Barbour 19. Carpenter 20. Rankin 21. Kling 22. Yoder 23. Fitzpatrick, 13 laps 24. Friedman, 13 laps 25. Ciccotto, 12 laps, DNF, crash 26. Bemisderfer, 7 laps, DNF, mechanical 27. Masecar, 6 laps, DNF 28. Lopez, 1 lap, DNF, crash Series Points 1. Connell, 75 2. Acree, 68 3. Higbee, 67 4. Lopez, 65 5. Parriott, 61 6. Chase, 47 7. Ciccotto, 43 8. Batey, 39 9. Harrell, 37 10. Jimmy Moore, 26.

Giles Sweeps Australian Superbike Races In Queensland

newspaper
-
0
Giles Sweeps Australian Superbike Races In Queensland

This Just In from Australia:

Defending Champion and points leader Shawn Giles swept all three races of Round 3 of the 2001 Shell Australian Superbike Championships at Queensland Raceway Sunday, Australia time, on a Suzuki. Craig Coxhell, on a Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF-R1, finished second overall after placing second in each of the three Superbike Championship races

The opening 11-lap Superbike race saw Coxhell take the race lead from Giles on lap two before being re-passed by Giles on lap five. Coxhell continued to battle with Giles all the way to the flag, finishing behind by 0.28-second.

Races two and three saw Coxhell battling with the Bikebiz Yamaha pair of Tony Rees and Damien Cudlin, before getting the better hand of each to pull away and chase after Giles.

Qualifying
1. Shawn Giles, Suzuki, 1:10.791
2. Craig Coxhell, Yamaha, 1:11.599
3. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:11.872
4. Damian Cudlin, Yamaha, 1:11.932
5. Tony Rees, Yamaha, 1:12.265
6. Wayne Maxwell, Kawasaki 1:12.638
7. Jamie Stauffer, Yamaha, 1:12.899
8. David Simpson, Suzuki, 1:13.257
9. Jay Normoyle, Suzuki 1:13.327
10. Steven Fisher, Honda, 1:13.649

Race One
1. Giles, Suzuki, 13:14.968
2. Coxhell, Yamaha, 13:15.250
3. Rees, Yamaha, 13:22.860
4. Cudlin, Yamaha, 13:23.179
5. Stauffer, Yamaha, 13:23.757
6. Normoyle, Suzuki, 13:27.902
7. Simpson, Suzuki, 13:34.496
8. Fisher, Honda, 13:41.058
9. Maxwell, Kawasaki, 13:43.016
10. Clayton Landells, Suzuki, 13:56.480
Fastest Lap: Giles, 1:11.447 on lap 4.

Race Two
1. Giles, 13:12.310
2. Coxhell, 13:16.986
3. Cudlin, 13:19.524
4. Rees, 13:19.694
5. Stauffer, 13:25.939
6. Normoyle, 13:27.911
7. Simpson, 13:31.633
8. Maxwell, 13:40.007
9. Fisher, 13:41.161
10. Butler, 13:44.627
Fastest Lap: Giles, 1:11.1793 on lap 2

Race Three
1. Giles, 13:15.014
2. Coxhell, 13:19.024
3. Rees, 13:22.867
4. Stauffer, 13:23.450
5. Gobert, 13.23.633
6. Cudlin, 13:27.820
7. Normoyle, 13:28.410
8. Simpson, 13:29.353
9. Butler, 13:42.126
10. Fisher, 13:43.513
Fastest Lap: Giles, 1:11.4499 on lap 2

2001 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship (points after 3 0f 5 rounds)
1. Giles 205
2. Coxhell 135
3. Cudlin 127
4. Rees 100
5. Stauffer 78
6. Simpson 72
7. Normoyle 66
8. Gobert 63
9. Fisher 54
10. Adams 47.


Updated Post: Ciccotto Fastest In F-USA Superbike And Sportbike Practice At VIR

newspaper
-
0
Updated Post: Ciccotto Fastest In F-USA Superbike And Sportbike Practice At VIR

Mike Ciccotto was fastest in Formula USA Unlimited Superbike and Sportbike practice Friday morning at VIR, riding a pair of Hooters Suzukis. Defending Unlimited Superbike Champion Grant Lopez crashed early in the session and his GSX-R750 tumbled, breaking the tailsection off the frame; Lopez was unhurt.

Craig Connell arrived at the track on Friday, direct from flying from Australia, and managed only a handful of laps. But in the Saturday a.m. session he was already seventh-fastest on the AMS Ducati. Team owner Jeff Nash is racing at Portland, Oregon this weekend, leaving Connell and his mechanic to their own devices.

Times follow:

Lockhart Phillips Unlimited Superbike

1. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, 1:29.141
2. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:30.043
3. Paul Harrell, Yamaha, 1:31.049
4. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:30.312
5. Tray Batey, Aprilia, 1:30.350
6. Brian Parriott, Suzuki, 1:30.355
7. Craig Connell, Ducati, 1:30.526
8. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:30.683
9. Joe Prussiano, Yamaha, 1:31.040
10. Mike Himmelsbach, Aprilia, 1:31.217
11. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:31.544
12. Ken Chase, Suzuki, 1:31.652
13. Marc Palazzo, Honda, 1:31.657
14. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:31.742
15. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, 1:31.756
16. Gabriel Henning, Suzuki, 1:32.067
17. Roland Williams, Suzuki, 1:32.071
18. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, 1:32.245
19. Ken Snyder, Suzuki, 1:32.474
20. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki, 1:32.556
21. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, 1:32.926
22. Tim Bemisderfer, Yamaha, 1:33.086
23. Aaron Clark, Aprilia, 1:33.327
24. Mark Ledesma, Aprilia, 1:33.336
25. Chris Rankin, Suzuki, 1:34.058
26. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, 1:34.478
27. Mike Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 1:34.659
28. Fritz Kling, Kawasaki, 1:35.046
29. Russ Masecar, Suzuki, 1:35.289
30. Joe Spina, Suzuki, 1:36.024
31. Roman Kilgore, Suzuki, 1:36.302
32. Ray Yoder Jr., Kawasaki, 1:36.529
33. C.R. “Critter” Gittere, Suzuki, 1:37.752
34. Brian Boyd, Suzuki, 1:38.917
35. Jim Bonner, Yamaha, 1:39.218
36. Jason D’Amico, Suzuki, 1:39.345
37. Brian Baker, Suzuki, 1:39.799
38. Peter Friedman, Suzuki, 1:40.042
39. Brett Boyd, Suzuki, 1:40.686

Formula USA Pro Sportbike

1. Mike Cicotto, Suzuki, 1:30.968
2. Paul Harrell, Yamaha, 1:30.971
3. Brian Parriott, Suzuki, 1:31.413
4. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:31.441
5. Scott Greenwood, Suzuki, 1:32.307
6. Marc Palazzo, Honda, 1:32.565
7. Charles Chouinard, Suzuki, 1:32.812
8. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:32.846
9. Brian Livengood, Yamaha, 1:32.956
10. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, 1:33.588
11. Shannon Ball, Suzuki, 1:33.930
12. Roland Williams, Suzuki, 1:34.582
13. Brett Champagne, Suzuki, 1:34.723
14. Eoin Smith, Yamaha, 1:34.826
15. Kevin Pate, Kawasaki, 1:34.918
16. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, 1:35.147
17. Stoney Landers, Suzuki, 1:35.179
18. Shawn Conrad, Suzuki, 1:35.326
19. Steve Luxem, Yamaha, 1:35.817
20. Greg Faiella, Yamaha, 1:37.231
21. William Torbert, Kawasaki, 1:40.082
22. B.J. Bradley, Suzuki, 1:40.577
23. William Stoltz, Kawasaki, 1:44.713
24. John Costa, Yamaha, 1:44.965

Aprilia Cup Challenge

1. Derek King, 1:38.077
2. Andre Castanos, 1:39.357
3. Jeffrey Wood, 1:39.365
4. Thad Halsmer, 1:40.597
5. Shannon Silva, 1:40.840
6. Joshua Sortor, 1:41.741
7. Gus Holcomb, 1:42.023
8. Mark Blackman, 1:42.161
9. Brian Roach, 1:42.248
10. Tim Cochran, 1:42.368
11. Tim Knutson, 1:43.206
12. John Lemak, 1:43.405
13. Eric Stevenson, 1:43.632
14. Doug Barnes, 1:44.178
15. Mat Wissel, 1:44.345
16. Ronald Woods, 1:44.462
17. Chad Healy, 1:44.661
18. Jeremy Bonnett, 1:44.670
19. Dennis Nourry, 1:45.467
20. Mark Wissel, 1:46.780
21. Ray Chilson Jr., 1:47.099
22. Anthony Degreif, 1:48.089
23. Andras Mak, 1:48.547
24. Carlos Bonds, 1:51.153
25. Sterling Strauser, 1:52.490
26. David Moon, 1:54.816

Buell Lightening

1. Jason Smith, 1:38.061
2. Brian Kcraget, 1:38.073
3. Brian Bemisderfer, 1:38.135
4. Mark Reynolds, 1:40.065
5. Jeffrey D. Johnson, 1:40.644
6. Brian Bodine, 1:42.155
7. Steve Luxem, 1:42.209
8. Daniel Bilansky, 1:42.849
9. Brian Frank, 1:46.173
10. Chad Healy, 1:48.870
11. Tim Johnson, 1:55.613
12. David Moon, 1:56.796
13. Pat Wakefield, 2:03.409
14. Richie Morris, 4:52.177

Updated Post: Track Oiling A Problem At Portland WERA/AMA National

newspaper
-
0
Updated Post: Track Oiling A Problem At Portland WERA/AMA National

Track oiling proved to be a problem at Portland International Raceway during Friday practice for this weekend’s combined WERA National Challenge Series/AMA Pro Thunder National weekend.

After Roadracingworld.com webmaster Sam Fleming crashed the Army of Darkness Suzuki GSX-R600 on oil in practice, he was told by a cornerworker that his was the fourth bike they saw slipping on oil in that corner and that they were about to deploy a red flag when he crashed. Immediately after his crash, workers spread oil dry on the track. Prior to Fleming’s crash, no oil flags were displayed ahead of or in the corner.

The source of the problem, Fleming reported, is that the event is combined with an OMRRA event, and OMRRA rules do not require all bikes to use oil-catching fairing lowers or belly pans, an innovation introduced by AMA Pro Racing and now used by leading racing organizations nationwide.

The AMA Pro Racing oil-catching fairing has proven to be spectacularly successful in keeping oil from blown engines off the racetrack, dramatically reducing oil-induced crashes and also cutting time lost to track cleanup.

Some OMRRA riders have resisted rules making the oil-catching lowers mandatory, citing the additional cost. Aftermarket fairing manufacturers include oil-catching lowers in their designs, and several firms also make oil-catching lowers for bikes not originally equipped with fairing lowers. The cost of an oil-catching fairing lower or belly pan is small compared to crash-damage repairs or medical expenses related to a crash on oil.

The WERA/AMA event has drawn a sparse turnout, with 15 teams entered in today’s WERA National Endurance Series 6-hour. Both the WERA National Endurance Series and the AMA Pro Thunder Series are “best of” series, allowing teams and riders to drop their worst finishes.

That fact, for example, motivated Buell Pro Thunder points leader Mike Ciccotto to skip the Portland event in favor of racing with Formula USA at Virginia International Raceway this weekend.

The WERA/AMA event at Portland is also is being run without the benefit of AMA Air Fence, despite WERA being an AMA affiliate and the event itself being the first combined WERA/AMA Pro Thunder race.

There are, however, several sections of Air Fence, owned by the racetrack, deployed for the event.

Citing truck problems, AMA Pro Racing officials asked teams and riders to carry Air Fence sections from Loudon, New Hampshire to next weekend’s Laguna Seca Raceway. Grant Lopez, for example, is hauling two sections of Air Fence to Laguna Seca in his trailer. Chris Ulrich’s trailer, now en-route from VIR to Laguna Seca, is also carrying two sections of Air Fence.

Ron Barrick is representing AMA at the Portland event.

This Just In from roadracingworld.com reader and OMRRA racer Jason Hatfield:

“About the Portland oiling issue: I am an OMRRA member and for some reason the rules have made it mandatory for all major classes like 600 Supersport, 750 Supersport, Open and all the Superbike class equivalents to carry oil-catch lowers which must be presented at tech. I think the rule says something like all 600 supersport and above 4-stroke machines originally equipped with fairing lowers or which have had fairing lowers added will incorporate an oil catch-pan capable of holding 4 quarts of oil. But for some reason they allow the Vintage, sportsman and a couple other classes to run amok without oil-catching lowers even though it is these machines that are responsible for oiling the track about 75 percent of the time.”

What A Great Idea: RPM Establishes Steering Committee Staffed By Cross-section Of Riders

RPM, the Texas-based WERA and AMA affiliate, has established a formal system of getting representative rider input. A press release issued July 2 by the organization follows:

“As of June 14, 2001, RPM has formed a Riders Steering Committee. The purpose of the Riders Committee is to:

“1. Serve ALL riders by placing ideas on the
table that address the safety and general direction of the club and its members as to benefit the whole.

“2. To have actual input from their peers (other
riders) and act upon those best ideas as described in item #1 in a swift and well-managed manner.

“The appointed Riders Steering Committee Members are:

“1. Expert – Greg Abbott

“2. Expert – Pete Martins

“3. Novice – David Kagen

“4. Vintage – Scott Howse

“5. Mini – Harold Hixon

“Ideas will be discussed on terms and conditions of these positions held.

“We will have meetings once per month. As it stands right now, it will done in the RPM Chat Room every second Monday of the month from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. @ www.rpmraceclub.com”

The release was issued via e-mail by RPM’s Tom Shields, who signed the release:

“Tom Shields
“RPM Racing
“A WERA Affiliate
“www.rpmraceclub.com”

Several other club-racing organizations have similar schemes for gathering rider input, frequently putting rider-elected representatives on the organization’s Board of Directors.

If your club is using such a set-up, we’d like to hear from you, via e-mail to [email protected]. Please include your full name, your city and phone number. E-mails without full name, city and phone number will be ignored and deleted.

We Apparently Got The Portland Oiling Deal Wrong, And Now Stand Corrected By OMRRA

Never say that roadracingworld.com won’t try to correct a factual error, as in this case, when OMRRA’s Jeff Lind says we were full of (what Mat Mladin said at Loudon) when we reported on the track being oiled by an OMRRA local without an oil-catching bellypan, and webmaster Sam Fleming crashing in that oil at Portland. It actually was a local, but he was riding an AMA-legal Buell fitted with a bellypan, through which he had ground a hole. Jeff’s report follows:

“I learned of the oiling incident involving AMA Buell Pro Thunder racer Willie Jordan and AOD rider Sam Fleming from racer Briggs Willoughby and racer/OMRRA Vice President Bill Cismar. Below are their comments (speaking of Willie Jordan):

“Quoting Briggs – ‘This came from Willie. Call him up, he’s the service manager at Latus. But, he told me yesterday that on Friday he oiled himself, and almost crashed, and then the AOD bike went down in his oil. He said he had a bellypan, but had ground a hole in it.’

“Quoting Bill – ‘It was Willie. He came to me after the incident concerned that I, standing there in my OMRRA OFFICIAL shirt, was coming to see him to tell him he was done racing for the weekend. There were other red-flag incidents related to oil, but this specific incident, resulting in the AOD bike crashing, was Willie on an AMA-prepared Buell.”

“I would also like to correct another part of the Roadracingworld.com post that stated that ‘There are, however, several sections of Air Fence, owned by the racetrack, deployed for the event.’

“In actuality, the sections of Air Fence at the Portland race event(s) are not owned by the racetrack (PIR) but instead provided by OMRRA who rents them from an outside vender for all OMRRA motorcycle racing events.

“We (OMRRA) appreciate the press coverage, but feel the above details more accurately describe the facts of the reported matter.

“Other than the Friday practice oilings, the Saturday WERA 6-hour and Sunday combined OMRRA/WERA/AMA Pro Thunder sprint races went off beautifully and finished ahead of schedule. This is no small feat giving that normal OMRRA race Sundays are jam-packed with classes, then combine them with the WERA classes and visiting riders and throw in an AMA class as well. It’s a testament to the great volunteers who keep OMRRA running.

“Jeff Lind
“OMRRA Secretary, Board of Directors”

The Air Fence referred to is actually Kurt Sager’s Air Bale, which he rents to West Coast racetracks.

We still think every bike on every track should have a fluid-catching bellypan, AMA Pro Racing’s finest innovation, though.

AMA Agrees To Hear Appeals In Mladin And Chouinard Loudon Cases

AMA Pro Racing has agreed to hear appeals in the cases of Mat Mladin, (who was fined $5000 and lost a Championship point on trumped-up charges that his behavior in a press conference was detrimental to racing), and Chuck Chouinard, (who was disqualified from the Loudon 750cc Supersport race for allegedly having removed metal from valves).

News of the appeal for Chouinard came from AMA Pro Racing Superbike Operations Manager Ron Barrick, speaking at this weekend’s combined WERA National Challenge Series/AMA Pro Thunder National/OMRRA Regional event at Portland International Raceway.

News of the Mladin appeal came from Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura, speaking by phone from Chino, California.

Chouinard’s appeal will claim that the valves were not modified, but were only cleaned using Scotch-Brite. Valves from the engine and new, stock valves will be presented as evidence.

Mladin’s appeal will claim that Mladin did not say what he was accused of saying, and that an AMA press release announcing his fine and point loss misrepresented what Mladin said. A tape recording of the press conference in question and a copy of the AMA press release will be used as evidence.

The date and venue of the Appeal Board Hearings for Chouinard and Mladin have not yet been set.

July 2001

Triumph 955i Daytona Press Intro Letters To The Editor Inside Info Testing Bridgestone Tires With Team Kanemoto New Products Rossi Wins South African GP At Welkom18 Welkom GP Notes Rossi Wins Spanish Grand Prix At Jerez26 Jerez GP Notes Gobert Wins Sears Point AMA Superbike National Sears Point AMA Inside Info Mladin Is The Suzuki Kahuna At Road Atlanta AMA Superbike National Road Atlanta AMA Inside Info Edwards Wins First World Superbike Race At Philip Island, Second Cancelled Phillip Island World Superbike Notes Makoto Wins Everything At Sugo World Superbike Sugo World Superbike Notes Bayliss Is Ducati’s Man at Monza World Superbike Monza World Superbike Notes Connell And Higbee Win Willow Formula USA Racing And School Calendar Nicky Hayden: Young Gun The Crash Page Formula USA Inside Info Racing In Europe, Part 2 Tire Warmers Tested Ad Index and Phone Directory Website Directory High Performance Parts & Services Directory Honda’s GP Racing History Want Ads Chris Ulrich: Adventures Of A Racer Roadracing World Subscription Information On The Front Cover: Yamaha’s Anthony Gobert wheelies over a crest on his way to winning the AMA Superbike National at Sears Point aboard a YZF-R7. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Updated Post: F-USA Sportbike, Buell Lightning And Aprilia Results From VIR

Formula USA Pro Sportbike Official Results
1. Lee Acree, Suzuki
2. Paul Harrell, Yamaha
3. Michael Barnes, Suzuki
4. Stoney Landers, Suzuki
5. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki
6. Marc Palazzo, Honda
7. Brett Champagne, Suzuki
8. Shawn Conrad, Suzuki
9. Roland Williams, Suzuki
10. Brian Stokes, Suzuki
11. Kevin Pate, Kawasaki
12. Steve Luxem, Yamaha
13. Shannon Ball, Suzuki
14. Gregory Faiella, Yamaha
15. BJ Bradley, Suzuki
16. John Costa, Yamaha

Buell Lightening Series Official Results
1. Michael Barnes
2. Richie Morris
3. Bryan Bemisderfer
4. Jason Smith
5. Jeff Johnson
6. Chad Healy
7. Steve Luxem
8. Mark Reynolds
9. Brian Frank
10. Brian Bodine
11. Tim Johnson
12. Pat Wakefield
13. Daniel Bilansky

Aprilia Cup Challenge Official Results
1. Brian Kcraget
2. Derek King
3. Thad Halsmer
4. Jeffrey Wood
5. Shannon Silva
6. Andre Castanos
7. Joshua Sortor
8. Dan Fischer
9. Tim Cochran
10. Tim Knutson
11. Brian Roach
12. Chad Healy
13. John Lemak
14. Mark Blackman
15. Eric Stevenson
16. Mathew Wissel
17. Anthony De Greif

Estok Beats Nash To Win AMA Pro Thunder Race At Portland

1. Dave Estok, Buell, 16:43.873
2. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 16:44.836
3. Tom Montano, Ducati, 16:46.251
4. John Dugan, Ducati, 16:48.251
5. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 17:44.682
6. Charlie Hewitt, Ducati, -1 lap
7. Alan Schwen, Suzuki, -1 lap
8. Takie Chan, Ducati, -1 lap
9. William Jourdan, Buell, -1 lap
10. Richard Haas, Ducati, -1 lap
11. Mark Gardiner, MuZ, – 2 laps

Fastest Laps:
1. Nash, 1:10.557, lap 10
2. Estok, 1:10.586, lap 6
3. Montano, 1:10.676, lap 14
4. Dugan, 1:11.077, lap 14
5. Krynock, 1:14.487, lap 14

Updated Post: F-USA Unlimited Superbike Official Results From VIR, And Ciccotto Says He’ll Never Race F-USA Again

Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Ciccotto won the first F-USA Unlimited Superbike race at VIR, crashed out of the second race just as rain started to fall, then angerly denounced F-USA officials and the series afterward, saying he would never race with F-USA again. Ciccotto said that late deployment of the red flag caused him to crash. F-USA Director of Road Racing Bill Syfan said that rain flags were displayed prior to Ciccotto’s crash and prior to the rain getting bad enough to justify the red flag. Despite Ciccotto’s harsh–and quite profane–words, loudly expressed to every press person he could find, F-USA officials were not interested in fining or sanctioning Ciccotto. “That’s not our series,” said one. Officials red-flagged the second race and scored it on the 14th lap (of a scheduled 18), with Lee Acree passing Arclight Suzuki teammate Brian Parriott to take first just as the rain started and Parriott slowed. Milennium Technologies’ Shawn Higbee, who crashed in the first race, came from the back of the grid to take third. Australian Craig Connell, riding an AMS Ducati, finished seventh and sixth, increasing his points lead to eight, ahead of Acree, Higbee and Grant Lopez; Lopez finished fourth in the first race but crashed out of the second race on the second lap when he hit his bike’s engine cases on a curb. Asked about the race-two rain situation, Connell said that he would have personally been happy to keep going, and that the race was stopped soon enough. Lockhart Phillips Unlimited Superbike Results, Race One 1. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki 2. Brian Parriott, Suzuki 3. Lee Acree, Suzuki 4. Grant Lopez, Suzuki 5. Tray Batey, Aprilia 6. Paul Harrell, Yamaha 7. Craig Connell, Ducati 8. Eric Wood, Suzuki 9. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki 10. Gabriel Henning, Suzuki 11. Mike Himmelsbach, Aprilia 12. John Haner, Suzuki 13. Roland Williams, Suzuki 14. Anthony Fania Jr., Suzuki 15. Marc Palazzo, Honda 16. Aaron Clark, Aprilia 17. Chris Rankin, Suzuki 18. Mark Ledesma, Aprilia 19. Byron Barbour, Suzuki 20. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki 21. Fritz Kling, Kawasaki 22. Russell Masecar, Suzuki, 17 laps 23. Ray Yoder Jr., Kawasaki, 17 laps 24. Joseph Spina, Suzuki, 17 laps 25. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, crash, 17 laps 26. Brian Baker, Suzuki, 17 laps 27. Peter Friedman, Suzuki, 17 laps 28. Tim Bemisderfer, Suzuki, 16 laps 29. Brian Boyd, Yamaha, 14 laps 30. Mike Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 13 laps 31. Ken Synder, Suzuki, 12 laps 32. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, 12 laps 33. Ken Chase, Suzuki, 6 laps, DNF, crash 34. Brett Boyd, Suzuki, 6 laps, DNF 35. Joe Prussiano, Yamaha, 1 lap, DNF, crash Lockhart Phillips Unlimited Superbike Results, Race Two 1. Acree 2. Parriott 3. Higbee 4. Batey 5. Harrell 6. Connell 7. Wood 8. Chouinard 9. Himmelsbach 10. Williams 11. Haner 12. Henning 13. Fania 14. Palazzo 15. Chase 16. Clark 17. Ledesma 18. Barbour 19. Carpenter 20. Rankin 21. Kling 22. Yoder 23. Fitzpatrick, 13 laps 24. Friedman, 13 laps 25. Ciccotto, 12 laps, DNF, crash 26. Bemisderfer, 7 laps, DNF, mechanical 27. Masecar, 6 laps, DNF 28. Lopez, 1 lap, DNF, crash Series Points 1. Connell, 75 2. Acree, 68 3. Higbee, 67 4. Lopez, 65 5. Parriott, 61 6. Chase, 47 7. Ciccotto, 43 8. Batey, 39 9. Harrell, 37 10. Jimmy Moore, 26.

Giles Sweeps Australian Superbike Races In Queensland

This Just In from Australia:

Defending Champion and points leader Shawn Giles swept all three races of Round 3 of the 2001 Shell Australian Superbike Championships at Queensland Raceway Sunday, Australia time, on a Suzuki. Craig Coxhell, on a Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF-R1, finished second overall after placing second in each of the three Superbike Championship races

The opening 11-lap Superbike race saw Coxhell take the race lead from Giles on lap two before being re-passed by Giles on lap five. Coxhell continued to battle with Giles all the way to the flag, finishing behind by 0.28-second.

Races two and three saw Coxhell battling with the Bikebiz Yamaha pair of Tony Rees and Damien Cudlin, before getting the better hand of each to pull away and chase after Giles.

Qualifying
1. Shawn Giles, Suzuki, 1:10.791
2. Craig Coxhell, Yamaha, 1:11.599
3. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:11.872
4. Damian Cudlin, Yamaha, 1:11.932
5. Tony Rees, Yamaha, 1:12.265
6. Wayne Maxwell, Kawasaki 1:12.638
7. Jamie Stauffer, Yamaha, 1:12.899
8. David Simpson, Suzuki, 1:13.257
9. Jay Normoyle, Suzuki 1:13.327
10. Steven Fisher, Honda, 1:13.649

Race One
1. Giles, Suzuki, 13:14.968
2. Coxhell, Yamaha, 13:15.250
3. Rees, Yamaha, 13:22.860
4. Cudlin, Yamaha, 13:23.179
5. Stauffer, Yamaha, 13:23.757
6. Normoyle, Suzuki, 13:27.902
7. Simpson, Suzuki, 13:34.496
8. Fisher, Honda, 13:41.058
9. Maxwell, Kawasaki, 13:43.016
10. Clayton Landells, Suzuki, 13:56.480
Fastest Lap: Giles, 1:11.447 on lap 4.

Race Two
1. Giles, 13:12.310
2. Coxhell, 13:16.986
3. Cudlin, 13:19.524
4. Rees, 13:19.694
5. Stauffer, 13:25.939
6. Normoyle, 13:27.911
7. Simpson, 13:31.633
8. Maxwell, 13:40.007
9. Fisher, 13:41.161
10. Butler, 13:44.627
Fastest Lap: Giles, 1:11.1793 on lap 2

Race Three
1. Giles, 13:15.014
2. Coxhell, 13:19.024
3. Rees, 13:22.867
4. Stauffer, 13:23.450
5. Gobert, 13.23.633
6. Cudlin, 13:27.820
7. Normoyle, 13:28.410
8. Simpson, 13:29.353
9. Butler, 13:42.126
10. Fisher, 13:43.513
Fastest Lap: Giles, 1:11.4499 on lap 2

2001 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship (points after 3 0f 5 rounds)
1. Giles 205
2. Coxhell 135
3. Cudlin 127
4. Rees 100
5. Stauffer 78
6. Simpson 72
7. Normoyle 66
8. Gobert 63
9. Fisher 54
10. Adams 47.


Updated Post: Ciccotto Fastest In F-USA Superbike And Sportbike Practice At VIR

Mike Ciccotto was fastest in Formula USA Unlimited Superbike and Sportbike practice Friday morning at VIR, riding a pair of Hooters Suzukis. Defending Unlimited Superbike Champion Grant Lopez crashed early in the session and his GSX-R750 tumbled, breaking the tailsection off the frame; Lopez was unhurt.

Craig Connell arrived at the track on Friday, direct from flying from Australia, and managed only a handful of laps. But in the Saturday a.m. session he was already seventh-fastest on the AMS Ducati. Team owner Jeff Nash is racing at Portland, Oregon this weekend, leaving Connell and his mechanic to their own devices.

Times follow:

Lockhart Phillips Unlimited Superbike

1. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, 1:29.141
2. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:30.043
3. Paul Harrell, Yamaha, 1:31.049
4. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:30.312
5. Tray Batey, Aprilia, 1:30.350
6. Brian Parriott, Suzuki, 1:30.355
7. Craig Connell, Ducati, 1:30.526
8. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:30.683
9. Joe Prussiano, Yamaha, 1:31.040
10. Mike Himmelsbach, Aprilia, 1:31.217
11. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:31.544
12. Ken Chase, Suzuki, 1:31.652
13. Marc Palazzo, Honda, 1:31.657
14. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:31.742
15. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, 1:31.756
16. Gabriel Henning, Suzuki, 1:32.067
17. Roland Williams, Suzuki, 1:32.071
18. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, 1:32.245
19. Ken Snyder, Suzuki, 1:32.474
20. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki, 1:32.556
21. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, 1:32.926
22. Tim Bemisderfer, Yamaha, 1:33.086
23. Aaron Clark, Aprilia, 1:33.327
24. Mark Ledesma, Aprilia, 1:33.336
25. Chris Rankin, Suzuki, 1:34.058
26. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, 1:34.478
27. Mike Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 1:34.659
28. Fritz Kling, Kawasaki, 1:35.046
29. Russ Masecar, Suzuki, 1:35.289
30. Joe Spina, Suzuki, 1:36.024
31. Roman Kilgore, Suzuki, 1:36.302
32. Ray Yoder Jr., Kawasaki, 1:36.529
33. C.R. “Critter” Gittere, Suzuki, 1:37.752
34. Brian Boyd, Suzuki, 1:38.917
35. Jim Bonner, Yamaha, 1:39.218
36. Jason D’Amico, Suzuki, 1:39.345
37. Brian Baker, Suzuki, 1:39.799
38. Peter Friedman, Suzuki, 1:40.042
39. Brett Boyd, Suzuki, 1:40.686

Formula USA Pro Sportbike

1. Mike Cicotto, Suzuki, 1:30.968
2. Paul Harrell, Yamaha, 1:30.971
3. Brian Parriott, Suzuki, 1:31.413
4. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:31.441
5. Scott Greenwood, Suzuki, 1:32.307
6. Marc Palazzo, Honda, 1:32.565
7. Charles Chouinard, Suzuki, 1:32.812
8. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:32.846
9. Brian Livengood, Yamaha, 1:32.956
10. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, 1:33.588
11. Shannon Ball, Suzuki, 1:33.930
12. Roland Williams, Suzuki, 1:34.582
13. Brett Champagne, Suzuki, 1:34.723
14. Eoin Smith, Yamaha, 1:34.826
15. Kevin Pate, Kawasaki, 1:34.918
16. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, 1:35.147
17. Stoney Landers, Suzuki, 1:35.179
18. Shawn Conrad, Suzuki, 1:35.326
19. Steve Luxem, Yamaha, 1:35.817
20. Greg Faiella, Yamaha, 1:37.231
21. William Torbert, Kawasaki, 1:40.082
22. B.J. Bradley, Suzuki, 1:40.577
23. William Stoltz, Kawasaki, 1:44.713
24. John Costa, Yamaha, 1:44.965

Aprilia Cup Challenge

1. Derek King, 1:38.077
2. Andre Castanos, 1:39.357
3. Jeffrey Wood, 1:39.365
4. Thad Halsmer, 1:40.597
5. Shannon Silva, 1:40.840
6. Joshua Sortor, 1:41.741
7. Gus Holcomb, 1:42.023
8. Mark Blackman, 1:42.161
9. Brian Roach, 1:42.248
10. Tim Cochran, 1:42.368
11. Tim Knutson, 1:43.206
12. John Lemak, 1:43.405
13. Eric Stevenson, 1:43.632
14. Doug Barnes, 1:44.178
15. Mat Wissel, 1:44.345
16. Ronald Woods, 1:44.462
17. Chad Healy, 1:44.661
18. Jeremy Bonnett, 1:44.670
19. Dennis Nourry, 1:45.467
20. Mark Wissel, 1:46.780
21. Ray Chilson Jr., 1:47.099
22. Anthony Degreif, 1:48.089
23. Andras Mak, 1:48.547
24. Carlos Bonds, 1:51.153
25. Sterling Strauser, 1:52.490
26. David Moon, 1:54.816

Buell Lightening

1. Jason Smith, 1:38.061
2. Brian Kcraget, 1:38.073
3. Brian Bemisderfer, 1:38.135
4. Mark Reynolds, 1:40.065
5. Jeffrey D. Johnson, 1:40.644
6. Brian Bodine, 1:42.155
7. Steve Luxem, 1:42.209
8. Daniel Bilansky, 1:42.849
9. Brian Frank, 1:46.173
10. Chad Healy, 1:48.870
11. Tim Johnson, 1:55.613
12. David Moon, 1:56.796
13. Pat Wakefield, 2:03.409
14. Richie Morris, 4:52.177

Updated Post: Track Oiling A Problem At Portland WERA/AMA National

Track oiling proved to be a problem at Portland International Raceway during Friday practice for this weekend’s combined WERA National Challenge Series/AMA Pro Thunder National weekend.

After Roadracingworld.com webmaster Sam Fleming crashed the Army of Darkness Suzuki GSX-R600 on oil in practice, he was told by a cornerworker that his was the fourth bike they saw slipping on oil in that corner and that they were about to deploy a red flag when he crashed. Immediately after his crash, workers spread oil dry on the track. Prior to Fleming’s crash, no oil flags were displayed ahead of or in the corner.

The source of the problem, Fleming reported, is that the event is combined with an OMRRA event, and OMRRA rules do not require all bikes to use oil-catching fairing lowers or belly pans, an innovation introduced by AMA Pro Racing and now used by leading racing organizations nationwide.

The AMA Pro Racing oil-catching fairing has proven to be spectacularly successful in keeping oil from blown engines off the racetrack, dramatically reducing oil-induced crashes and also cutting time lost to track cleanup.

Some OMRRA riders have resisted rules making the oil-catching lowers mandatory, citing the additional cost. Aftermarket fairing manufacturers include oil-catching lowers in their designs, and several firms also make oil-catching lowers for bikes not originally equipped with fairing lowers. The cost of an oil-catching fairing lower or belly pan is small compared to crash-damage repairs or medical expenses related to a crash on oil.

The WERA/AMA event has drawn a sparse turnout, with 15 teams entered in today’s WERA National Endurance Series 6-hour. Both the WERA National Endurance Series and the AMA Pro Thunder Series are “best of” series, allowing teams and riders to drop their worst finishes.

That fact, for example, motivated Buell Pro Thunder points leader Mike Ciccotto to skip the Portland event in favor of racing with Formula USA at Virginia International Raceway this weekend.

The WERA/AMA event at Portland is also is being run without the benefit of AMA Air Fence, despite WERA being an AMA affiliate and the event itself being the first combined WERA/AMA Pro Thunder race.

There are, however, several sections of Air Fence, owned by the racetrack, deployed for the event.

Citing truck problems, AMA Pro Racing officials asked teams and riders to carry Air Fence sections from Loudon, New Hampshire to next weekend’s Laguna Seca Raceway. Grant Lopez, for example, is hauling two sections of Air Fence to Laguna Seca in his trailer. Chris Ulrich’s trailer, now en-route from VIR to Laguna Seca, is also carrying two sections of Air Fence.

Ron Barrick is representing AMA at the Portland event.

This Just In from roadracingworld.com reader and OMRRA racer Jason Hatfield:

“About the Portland oiling issue: I am an OMRRA member and for some reason the rules have made it mandatory for all major classes like 600 Supersport, 750 Supersport, Open and all the Superbike class equivalents to carry oil-catch lowers which must be presented at tech. I think the rule says something like all 600 supersport and above 4-stroke machines originally equipped with fairing lowers or which have had fairing lowers added will incorporate an oil catch-pan capable of holding 4 quarts of oil. But for some reason they allow the Vintage, sportsman and a couple other classes to run amok without oil-catching lowers even though it is these machines that are responsible for oiling the track about 75 percent of the time.”

1...7,2957,2967,297...7,383Page 7,296 of 7,383
0FansLike
0FollowersFollow
0FollowersFollow
1,620SubscribersSubscribe

Latest Posts

Follow us

43,094FansLike
19,223FollowersFollow
16,430FollowersFollow
1,200SubscribersSubscribe

Menu

Information

© , Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AUTHOR LOGIN