The Pro Practice sessions scheduled for Thursday, July 19 at Mid-Ohio (run by Fasttrax) and for Thursday, July 26 at Brainerd (run by Team Hammer) will tentatively both use the same session structure, developed by Team Hammer.

The tentative schedule order follows, although at Mid-Ohio where Pro Thunder will not be run, 750 Supersport will be run alone:

8:00-8:30, 30 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
8:30-9:00, 30 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
9:00-9:30, 30 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
9:30-10:00, 30 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
10:00-10:30, 30 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
10:30-11:00, 30 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
11:00-12:00, 60 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
12:00-1:00, 60 minutes, Lunch
1:00-2:00, 60 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
2:00-3:00, 60 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
3:00-3:30, 30 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
3:30-4:00, 30 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
4:00-4:30, 30 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
4:30-5:00, 30 minutes, spare time to make up for delays

Copyright 2001 Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A rider hit two cornerworkers during an eight-lap LRRS Expert/Junior Heavyweight Superbike race at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire on Saturday, July 7, injuring one of the cornerworkers seriously.

The incident started when a rider crashed at the exit of turn two, with the rider and his bike ending up in the middle of the track. Cornerworkers displayed waving yellow and debris flags to riders entering the turn as two runners attempted to retrieve the bike and the crashed rider crawled off the track. The cornerworkers worked at righting the bike and getting it moved as race traffic passed on both sides of them. Finally, 76 seconds after the original crash, three riders came out of the corner and approached the cornerworkers holding the motorcycle. One rider went left, one rider went right, and the third rider ran right into both cornerworkers and the crashed motorcycle, at speed. Three bodies and two motorcycles were strewn across the track, and a red flag was then thrown.

Obviously, news of this crash didn’t circulate via a press release from the track. Most people who know about it saw a video of the crash, which was posted on the Internet. Although we don’t know who shot the video, we can direct readers to two internet sites where the video can be seen:

8.98 mb video for lower-speed connections:

www.13x.com/images/T2-owSM.mpg
And also
cuerpo.13x.com/13x/images/T2-owSM.mpg

Sandy MacPherson of the U.S. Marshalls was acting as Race Control that day, according to Loudon Safety Director Jerry Wood, who was not at the track himself that weekend. MacPherson has not responded to an e-mail inquiry seeking comment, but Wood was reached by phone on Tuesday, July 17.

“It was just a bad deal,” said Wood. “Rob Dages was the cornerworker who got hit. Rick Currier was the rider involved. I believe there was a second cornerworker involved, and I don’t have his name right here. He wasn’t hurt anywhere near as bad as Rob. Rick was hurt, too. Rick had a head injury. Everybody is going to be okay, though.

“They were shipped up to Lakes Region Hospital in Laconia, then they were airlifted out to, I think it’s Dartmouth-Hanover out in Lebanon, New Hampshire, a place that does brain trauma because they all got a whack to the head. It ended up being okay. We had heard all kinds of rumors, though.”

On Dages’ own website www.broadsquad.org/rob/turn2.html, it’s reported that he fractured his pelvis and tailbone, broke one rib and bruised many others, suffered serious lacerations to his forearms, and assorted bumps and bruises. While Dages has medical insurance, it covers only 80% of medical expenses and he will be out of work while recovering, so the LRRS and U.S. Marshalls have begun fund raisers to help defray Dages’ medical costs. To find out how you can make a donation, log on to Dages’ website.

“They did the CAT scan on Rick,” said Wood. “The CAT scan was negative, but for some reason he was still having some combativeness that was not normal. So there was some pressure somewhere that wasn’t showing up on the CAT scan. Fortunately, the CAT scan was negative and there was no bleeding on the brain, but it was a pretty severe concussion. He ran right into the downed motorcycle (and flew over the bars) and hit his head on the track.

“It was a scary thing, and we’re looking at the whole thing. Some people feel that it should have been a red flag instead of a waving yellow, and on and on. I haven’t talked to Sandy MacPherson about that yet. Certainly, we’re going to address the problem.

“Many times we have riders that don’t slow down enough on a waving yellow situation. Of course, that’s one of the things that I do in giving them my little lectures and stuff. And so when we get up there we’re gonna talk about that some more to make sure they understand particularly in a spot like that where you really can’t see around the corner and you get a waving yellow and you go around the corner and there’s the stuff.

“I wasn’t there, and I haven’t seen the video yet. I’ve been monitoring the NEAR (New England Area Racers) Listing which is our racing group’s list and talking to people on the phone. Some people just have the feeling that the rule says that there’s no passing under a waving yellow. Other than that you’re all set. You don’t have any other responsibilities. I posted the difference. They (riders) have to pay attention more. They just can’t charge into that situation that hard. So we’re going to have some meetings and make sure that that doesn’t happen again. But sometimes you just have a bad day and that’s what some of this was.”

At some tracks, there are corners that if involved in a situation call for an automatic red flag. Examples would be turn 15 at Indy Raceway Park or the “Tunnel Turn” at Memphis Motorsports Park. Does Loudon have any areas that produce automatic red flags?

“No, there are no automatic red flag situations at Loudon,” said Wood. “They (cornerworkers) work a ‘hot’ track a lot at Loudon, and they are a very well-trained crew. Sandy (MacPherson) runs the thing from the tower up overhead from where she can see everything. Any cornerworker can call red at anytime. All they have to do is say, ‘Stop this.’ and she pulls the red. Obviously, these cornerworkers felt that they had the thing covered, and it just didn’t work out. It’s just one of those deals.

“There’s such a brouhahah going on about Loudon that people are looking to see if something happened. But this had absolutely nothing to do with the racetrack. This was a people and motorcycle thing. Like any other racetrack, it’s hard when you hit your head on it.”

From a Ducati press release following conclusion of testing at Imola today:

Ducati Corse riders Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) concluded the two-day WSBK test session at Imola’s Enzo & Dino
Ferrari Circuit in fifth and sixth position respectively as the top Superbike teams prepared for the final round of the championship here at the end of September.

Double Laguna winner Bostrom (Ducati L&M) was upbeat about his performance today, during which he ran a total of 63 laps with a best time of 1:50.34, declaring that he was pleased with the general race set-up of his Ducati 996R Factory. “I’m really happy with the two days testing we did here at Imola”, declared Bostrom. “I almost found the race tire, we’ve got a couple to choose from, the bike is pretty much set up the way I want it and the gearing is good. We’ve made a good start come race weekend in September.”

Championship leader Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) completed 73 laps today, setting a best time of 1:50.52, but admitted that more work needed to be
done before he could be satisfied with his Imola set-up. “I did a lot of laps and learnt the track but I’ve been wrestling with the bike a little for the past two days and we’re still missing something”, declared the Australian. “The problem now is finding something on the bike to make up another second on the top guys for the race.”

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) did not take part in the second day of testing after crashing yesterday morning. The 23-year-old Spanish rider, who suffered a minor injury to his left shoulder, preferred not to risk aggravating the injury in view of the next round in 10 days time.

The 13 and final round is scheduled for September 30th at Imola, the first time Superbike has competed at the Santerno track in the championship’s 14-year history while the next round is at Brands Hatch (England) on July 29th, where Bayliss will attempt to defend a 53-point lead over his closest rival Colin Edwards (Honda).


UNOFFICIAL TIMES:
1. Edwards (Honda) 1:49.42
2. Laconi (Aprilia) 1:49.70
3. Okada (Honda) 1:49.72
4. Corser (Aprilia) 1:49.93
5. BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) 1:50.34
6. BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 1:50.52
7. Antonello (Aprilia) 1:51.22
8. Lavilla (Kawasaki) 1:51.20
9. Yanagawa (Kawasaki) 1:51.30
10. Parkes (Ducati) 1:52.49


From Aprilia’s press release on the same test day:

Last day of tests sessions at Imola. Regis Laconi second quickest time. Another day of intense tests on the Santerno circuit – with the leading World Championship teams perfecting the set-up of the bikes for the final race of the season. Corser and Laconi, the official Aprilia riders, and Antonello, who will be a wild-card in the September races, studied every possible solution to get the perfect set-up for their Aprilia bikes, doing lap after lap in the central hours of the day as rain menaced from above. Laconi, the French Aprilia rider, went round 98 times scoring the second quickest unofficial time in the tests. Corser made fourth, Antonello seventh. All eyes are now firmly on the forthcoming championship races on 29 July at Brands Hatch (UK).

The next date at Imola for the superbikes will be 30 September when the last round of the Championship will be fought out. This was a true return to the origins, for what were to become the forerunners of the Superbikes made their first appearance right here on 23 April 1972, in the historic 200-mile race. The chequered flag then came down on three of the greats in motorcycling: first Paul Smart, then Bruno Spaggiari and Walter Villa.

“We put in some real work, like yesterday, trying out different set-ups,” said Regis Laconi, second fastest in the sessions. “The results we got from different set-ups were fantastic, but I’m still not that close to making a final choice of tires. Some solutions which give you a really fast lap time still need to be tried out for a full race.”

“The set-up of my bike on the Imola circuit has improved no end, and I’m very pleased with the work we’ve managed to do during these sessions,” said Troy Corser. “The choice of tires is also good for a track where you’ve got to brake really violently in a couple of places and, as I was saying yesterday, one that takes all the concentration you can muster. We’ve got a basic set-up for the bike that’s perfect for September, when we’ll need to get the fine-tuning just right for the races. I got a great feeling for the track, even though this is the first time I’ve been out on it.”

“I got into a good rhythm on the track towards evening and scored my best time right in the last minutes of the afternoon,” said Alessandro Antonello. “I did get through my work plan for the RVS Mille ‘Laboratory Bike’, even though of course I was also working to prepare for the last
race in the World Championship, where I’ll be entering as a wild-card”.

No Problem Raceway is a new road course/drag strip that has just opened for business in Belle Rose, Louisiana. The new course is 1.8 miles in length, has a 2000-foot straightaway, and 15-turns, two of which are banked 10 degrees. No Problem Raceway appears to have little, if any, elevation changes.

Members of Texas-based road racing clubs CMRA (a CCS affiliate) and RPM (a WERA affiliate) have sent representatives to inspect No Problem Raceway as a possible venue for their organizations. Both came away saying that the track had some safety concerns for motorcyclists, particularly with drag strip retaining walls where the road course joins the drag strip. According to members of the inspection parties, No Problem Raceway has agreed to temporarily move those retaining walls for motorcycle road racing events. RPM has scheduled a date to race at the new track September 14-16, 2001.

For more information on this new track located near Interstate 10 between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana including photos of the track and layout diagrams, go to www.noproblemraceway.com.

According to a press release issued by the FIM, anti-doping testing during the Catalunya Grand Prix came up negative. Tested riders included Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi, Mark Willis, Roberto Locatelli, Tetsuya Harada and Jeremy McWilliams.

In his first visit to the track at Valencia, Cruise America Grand Prix Racing’s Jason DiSalvo finished a respectable 11th in a Spanish National 250cc Grand Prix race full of GP regulars and Spain’s best on Sunday, July 15.

DiSalvo launched from the 12th starting position on the grid to be eighth into the first corner. DiSalvo led the second pack of riders battling for eighth before finally slipping back to finish 11th.

“When you consider the quality of the field and this was my first time at this track, I’m pleased with the result. My lap times were good and I was the only non-Spanish rider to finish the race” said 17-year-old DiSalvo in a press release issued by his team.

From Spain, DiSalvo takes his A-kitted Honda RS250 to Most in the Czech Republic for a Czech National July 20-22 followed by a European Championship weekend July 27-29, also at Most.

Copyright 2001 Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

These photos were taken July 11-12 while John Hopkins was testing with Red Bull Yamaha WCM at Brno, in the Czech Republic. Hopkins was riding a pair of Yamaha YZR500s and is considering a deal to compete in the 500cc World Championship in 2002-2004.

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From the British Grand Prix, Donington Park, England, on Saturday, July 7:

“Rain always changes the feel of the tarmac, even after it’s dried. The tarmac had a different quality of grip this afternoon. It was good to have the track time anyway, and we all could have beat our Friday times if the session had lasted just a while longer.”

This is from a Ducati press release, which reveals that Colin Edwards was fastest in World Superbike tests today at Imola’s Enzo & Dino Ferrari Circuit:


Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) and Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) set fifth and sixth quickest times on the first day of World Superbike testing at the Enzo & Dino Ferrari Circuit in Imola today. The two-day test, which sees the participation of factory teams from Ducati, Honda, Aprilia and Kawasaki, is in preparation for the final round of the championship scheduled at Imola for September 30.

Championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada), who has never seen the track before, said that he was looking forward to racing again in Italy (where he has already won three races out of four this year) after completing a massive 92 laps, setting a time of 1:51.53. “This is my first visit to Imola and it’s coming along nicely”, declared the 32-year-old Australian. “The circuit is not too bad and I’m glad we came testing. The track was slippery this morning, but I’m sure tomorrow the grip will be much better. I’m really pleased the last round of the season is in Italy, because it’s close to the Ducati factory and that means there’ll be a good crowd for the race”.

Double Laguna winner Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) was a fraction of a second behind Bayliss but the 27-year-old American was suffering with jet-lag after returning from California a couple of days ago. “This is the first day and I’m feeling so tired”, commented Bostrom, who completed 64 laps with a best time of 1:51.80. ” I’ve been here before to do some testing when it was raining, but the track seems decent to me and I’m looking forward to racing here in September”.

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) crashed out in the morning session, suffering a slight injury to his left collarbone, and the 23-year-old Spanish rider only did a few laps in the afternoon before concluding his day’s testing. “I was going quite well on the old tire but when I put a new one on, I lost the rear end of the bike and highsided at a slow speed. The track is quite nice but very slippery”, commented Xaus, whose best time over 42 laps was 1:53.040.

UNOFFICIAL TIMES:
1. Edwards (Honda) 1:50.12
2. Laconi (Aprilia) 1:50.61
3. Okada (Honda) 1:50.90
4. Corser (Aprilia) 1:51.49
5. BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 1:51.53
6. BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) 1:51.80
7. Antonello (Aprilia) 1:52.30
8. Yanagawa (Kawasaki) 1:52.70
9. Lavilla (Kawasaki) 1:52.90
10.Parkes (Ducati) 1:52.90
11. XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 1:53.04.


Here’s Aprilia’s press release on the same test day:

Private tests at Imola in preparation for the last round of the championship on 30 September. The three official Aprilia riders, Corser, Laconi and Antonello get their first taste of the Santerno track.

On 30 September, the final curtain will come down on the World Superbike Championship 2001, here in the “land of motors” at Imola, in the heart of Emilia Romagna. The thirteenth and last round of 2001 will also witness the debut of the Superbikes on the historical track named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari. Today, World Superbike riders got their first taste of the circuit: Many of them are at Imola for the first time and these test sessions are an excellent opportunity to take note of useful references for the September races. The President of Superbike International, Paolo Alberto Flammini, the President of Sagis, Federico Bendinelli, and the mayor of the City of Imola will be officially presenting the event in tomorrow morning’s press conference: They will be opening up what looks all set to be the decisive round for the 2001 title.

The Aprilia riders lost no time doing lap after lap and acquiring precious information. Corser completed 45 laps, Laconi 70 and Antonello, who completed 40, slipped halfway through the afternoon on the fast curve before Rivazza, without too much harm: Just a slight contusion of his right forearm. The official Aprilia test rider will be back on track tomorrow.

Temperatures: morning 27°C/40°C ground – afternoon 29°C/43°C – clear sky, strong wind 16/18 metres a second from southwest.

“A very technical circuit with some blind corners where you can’t see the way out”, said Troy Corser after his debut on the Imola track. “There are also plenty of bumps, so we worked hard on the set-up of the bike to get it just right. Fine-tuning of the bike and the choice of race tires for my schedule but also getting to know the ins and outs of a track that requires enormous concentration.”

“I’m more than happy with today”, said Regis Laconi, who raced here on 250 in ’97 and on 500 in ’98 and ’99, so I know the track well. “There are lots of long curves and that’s where you need a really stable bike. The trajectories are like those of a 500, so I felt completely at ease. We’ve done a great job and the test session programme has got off to a fantastic start.”

It is the first time at Imola for Alessandro Antonello too: “Setting up the bike needed great care since the power of the engine takes a lot of weight off the front, and the exit trajectories tend to be wider, taking you onto the curbs. The changes we made to the set-up today have already obtained their first results. Pity about the slide in the afternoon–but I’m okay and I’ll be back on track tomorrow.”

From an AMA press release:

AMA INVITES ALL MOTORCYCLISTS TO SUPPORT 10TH ANNUAL RIDE-TO-WORK DAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) encourages all motorcyclists to participate in the 10th Annual “Ride to Work
Day” on Wednesday, July 18.

“Ride to Work Day shows the American public that motorcycles aren’t just recreational vehicles, but an alternate form of transportation,” said Robert Rasor, President of the AMA.

The AMA believes that motorcycles can play an important role in reducing traffic congestion, especially in large urban areas. As an association committed to protecting motorcyclists’ rights, the AMA also has an interest in demonstrating the size of the motorcycling community to policy makers.

“With the support of millions of American motorcyclists, Ride to Work Day can make a powerful statement about the strength of our voice in the democratic process,” said Rasor.

In 1992, Andy Goldfine, founder of Aerostich Riderwear, launched this annual celebration of two-wheeled commuting, to make the public more aware of commuting motorcyclists. Last year, Goldfine established a non-profit corporation to promote the concept.

Shortly thereafter, the AMA’s Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution to “approve and endorse the value of motorcycles as a vehicle for
daily personal transportation and designate the third Wednesday of July as Ride To Work Day in recognition of that value.”

More information is available from www.ridetowork.org, or from (218) 722-9806.

(This year’s Ride To Work day conflicts with AMA-sanctioned racing activities at Mid-Ohio, which is where we’ll be.)