California teenager John Hopkins was ecstatic after his second day of testing a Red Bull Yamaha YZR500 at Brno in the Czech Republic, on Thursday, July 12.

“Really, really excited, unbelievably happy with the results and the lap times,” said Hopkins in a phone interview with roadracingworld.com, when asked how he felt about his second day of testing.

Hopkins said that the team had been sending him out for five-lap stints between bike adjustments, but at the end of the day put on fresh tires and sent him out for 12 consecutive laps, or about half race-distance.

“I got into the 4s,” Hopkins said. “I felt really comfortable doing it. All 12 laps, though the race distance is 22 laps. Every lap was in the 4s, identical to (Garry) McCoy’s race pace last year when he finished third. (Shinya) Nakano was following me at the end and couldn’t get past. My best lap was a 2:04.3.”

Red Bull WCM Racing Director Peter Clifford told roadracingworld.com, “He did 12 laps, a good half race. John got down to mid 4s and did a lot of 4s. Last year (in the race)Garry and Valentino were in the 3s early-on and then drifted into the mid-4s. So yeah, he was good.

“Of course, you can convince yourself of anything, that he’s already a GP winner, but today the other people out there, (Alex) Barros and (Loris) Capirossi, were in the 1s.

“I don’t just look at individual lap times,” continued Clifford. “What’s more impressive is that he is smooth and consistent, and just reels off the laps. And his feedback is good, he’s progressed with the motorcycle as we’ve adjusted it, and all his comments make sense.”

At last year’s Czech Grand Prix, winner Max Biaggi qualified on pole at 2:01.291 and turned the fastest lap of the race at 2:02.854. McCoy qualified the Red Bull Yamaha third-fastest at 2:01.936 and finished third after battling with Rossi, who qualified fourth at 2:02.096.

Hopkins may test with the Red Bull team again following the Portugese Grand Prix at Estoril in early September.

AMA 250cc Grand Prix points leader Jimmy Filice took part in the filming of a television commercial for Corbin Monday July 9 in Big Sur, California, about 25 miles south of Monterey on the Pacific Coast Highway. Corbin-sponsored Filice participated in several scenes for the commercial, and is seen doing a burn-out, riding his Yamaha TZ250 up to a gas pump in his leathers and pretending that he had lost his wallet, and also riding in a procession of Corbin-equipped sportbikes and cruisers. Filice’s TZ250 uses a specially-made Corbin seat pad.

Filice’s team owner James Siddall told Roadracing World, “It took all day, but it was pretty cool. I guess that it’s aimed at being aired on Speedvision, but I don’t know exactly when.”

Siddall also said that Mike Corbin himself rode a Honda Gold Wing in the parade of bikes past the camera.

On June 8, the American Motorcyclist Association issued a press release announcing a $3 million settlement of a lawsuit, Roger Edmondson vs. AMA and Paradama (AMA Pro Racing). That press release was very similar yet different to what AMA Board of Trustees Chairman J. Richard Gray is now telling the AMA membership in the August 2001 issue of the official AMA magazine, American Motorcyclist, now being received by AMA members.

Gray’s “Open Letter to AMA Members” includes virtually identical opening paragraphs as the press release. But in the body of the letter, Gray finally tells the AMA membership what Roadracing World readers already knew: The AMA made mistakes.

Having said that, it is notable that Gray doesn’t admit to the AMA membership that the North Carolina law (Chapter 75) that provided for the actual damages found at trial to be tripled was the “Unfair And Deceptive Trade Practices Act.” The “Association” was found by a jury, a Federal District Judge, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to have acted in an unfair and deceptive manner in dealings with Edmondson. Gray also fails to point out that the trial was held in North Carolina because that is where Edmondson was based–and where entries for AMA Pro races run by Edmondson were sent and processed–and fails to admit that the AMA was involved in a joint venture with Edmondson, another fact found at trial and confirmed by former AMA President Ed Youngblood in a famous memo to AMA Trustees, admitted at trial as Exhibit 102. Youngblood’s subsequent resignation is referenced in Gray’s letter, although Youngblood is not mentioned by name.

The following passages seen in Gray’s letter to AMA members were not in the original press release on the settlement:

“And I want to make sure that you, our members, understand how it came about.

“The decision to bring this litigation to a close was very difficult, but as we looked ahead to the prospect of a third legal review of this matter, it seemed the proper course of action for the Association.

“In addition, recent rulings made it obvious that we were not going to be completely successful in contesting this matter. In other words, the new trial was not going to be about whether we owed Mr. Edmondson anything, but about how much we owed him. Finally, pursuant to North Carolina law – which we contended did not control our dealings with Mr. Edmondson since the AMA is based in Ohio – any actual damages due him would be tripled. Considering this, our new counsel advised us as to the probability of success. After considering that advice, it was our decision to make every effort to settle the matter without incurring additional counsel fees and the unknown quantity of yet another verdict.

“We do, by agreeing to pay this amount, recognize that this matter was not managed in an appropriate manner. Simply stated, there were mistakes along the way. But they were not mistakes of malice. They were a result of our failure to recognize the situation for what it was and appropriately respond. There were misunderstandings from the beginning concerning the nature of our relationship with Mr. Edmondson, and these lasted all the way through the trial on this matter. These resulted in erroneous opinions on the part of staff members, the Board of Trustees and our counsel, all of whom share some responsibility for this outcome.

“We have lost much more than money from these lengthy proceedings. We have lost countless hours of staff and Board time that could have been devoted to the primary missions of the AMA, but were instead spent on research, preparation and debate. We have lost an exceptional leader of our Association, who left in part because of this situation. And many of us have lost countless hours of sleep because of concern for an Association dedicated to the protection and promotion of our love, motorcycling.

“It was time to stop the bleeding, and the way to do that was through a realistic evaluation of our situation, leading to an appropriate response. It was not easy, but it had to be done, and we did it. We could have continued the case, but it has never been our goal to be litigious for publicity’s sake. Indeed, during this time, the constraints imposed by the nature of the litigation meant we have not been able to fully discuss much of this matter publicly. We could not work to resolve this litigation while openly discussing our strategy and our positions in public.

“We want you to know that we did the best we could in a most difficult situation. To those members who are concerned about your Association, rest assured that sufficient funds have been held in reserve to pay this settlement. That money was budgeted and accounted for at the time of the original trial.

“The AMA’s Board of Trustees has continued to review and revise policies concerning the way the Association enters into contracts with those providing services. In today’s litigious climate, it’s virtually impossible to avoid lawsuits. but the Association has taken steps to guard against a repeat of the same mistakes should we get involved. I commit to our members that now, with this matter behind us, we will work to cull what lessons we may learn from the episode, while committing to recognize future pitfalls before we are so deeply involved. It is now time to move on.

“I hope this helps you better understand this decision.”

Roadracing World coverage of the case was published in the following print issues: 2/99, 3/99, 4/99, 1/00, 3/00, 4/00, 12/00, 4/01, 8/01. Posts concerning the trial went up on this website on the following dates: 2/2/01, 2/3/01, 2/6/01, 2/8/01, 2/26/01, 4/4/01, 5/11/01, 6/6/01, 6/8/01, 6/11/01.



The following is a related FIRST PERSON/OPINION piece:

What The AMA’s Rick Gray Should Have Said

By John Ulrich
Vice President, Editor
ROADRACING WORLD PUBLISHING, Inc.

“The AMA completely screwed this up, time after time, repeatedly denying reality, and it worked against us. Furthermore, the ‘mean gene’ seen in so many AMA dealings came to the surface, leading the Association to hinder resolution of Roger and Peggy Edmondson’s personal bankruptcy case, an action that backfired when revealed to the original trial jury.

“Be that as it may, many of the people involved in the original dealings that led to the lawsuit are no longer with the AMA, and those who were involved and are still here won’t be for long.

“This is a new day, the dawning of a new era, and the AMA is going forward, resolved to not f–k with people and to not disrupt successful racing programs and operations. And, above all, to treat AMA members involved in racing on all levels fairly and with the respect they deserve, every time and in every situation, instead of characterizing any difference of opinion as ‘us vs. them.’

“Stick with us, and we will tap into the vast pool of talent seen in the AMA paddock before looking outside motorcycle racing for expertise and advice, we will welcome and seriously consider different viewpoints expressed by our racing members, and we will embrace sincere efforts made by our members to improve AMA Pro Racing.

“Stick with us, and we will rewrite the rulebook to eliminate contradictory and hard-to-understand sections, we will always remember the intent of a given rule and enforce it with that original intent in mind, and we will ensure that all paddock groups are represented when decisions are made and policies set. Stick with us, and we will turn this thing around, quickly, with substantial results clearly visible well before the end of the current AMA Pro Racing season.”

That’s what he should have said, but didn’t, couldn’t, and, sadly, never will.

If, by some miracle of God, Rick Gray and the AMA prove me wrong, I will happily headline the error of my opinion.

Call me a dreamer…

Monitored AMA Pro Racing radio traffic at Laguna Seca showed that Merrill Vanderslice is still firmly in control and continues to make operational decisions.

During the 750cc Supersport race at Laguna Seca last Sunday, starter Bobby Lemming was heard reporting that Rich Alexander’s Attack Suzuki was smoking.

Ron Barrick reported that he could not see any smoke from Alexander’s bike on the bank of race control TV monitors. Lemming continued to complain about the smoke and at one point told Barrick to come down to the start/finish line and see it for himself.

Vanderslice then came on the radio, and, ignoring Barrick’s input, had Lemming black-flag Alexander. When Alexander pitted, nothing was found wrong with his bike, and he rejoined the race.

It was later found that the rear tire on Alexander’s bike was expanding and slightly rubbing on the swingarm on the straightaway. Lemming apparently could not tell the difference between tire smoke and oil smoke.

Later in the race, Jimmy Moore re-entered the track after crashing, and oiled the racing surface, and several riders crashed on Moore’s oil in turn 11, the final turn, including then-race-leader Ben Spies, two laps from the finish. After the finish, Spies followed Moore around on the cool-off lap, and the front of Spies’ bike and the windscreen were coated in oil from Moore’s bike.

According to AMA officials, the checkered flag was scheduled to come out on the same lap that they would have thrown the black flag for Moore, which is why Moore got the checkered flag and not a black flag.

Bill Amick, AMA Vice President, Events And Entertainment, said in a FAX sent to roadracingworld.com that current Director of AMA Sports Hugh Fleming is moving into AMA Pro Racing over the course of the year and will be full-time with Pro Racing by January 1, 2002.

The question is, of course, exactly what Fleming will be doing for AMA Pro Racing and what his title will be. At post time, the question remained unanswered as we were unable to reach Fleming by phone, and Amick said he didn’t know what title Fleming would have.

Reached by phone, Amick told roadracingworld.com, “I don’t know what they’re gonna title that. I have not heard. Don’t know. (AMA Pro Racing CEO) Scott (Hollingsworth) is out. You could give them a try, but I’m not even sure if they’ve arrived at a title on it or not.

“The FAX was in response to the item I saw. So hopefully that’s the answers that you’re looking for. Again, I don’t even know if they’ve come up with a title. I’ve definitely not seen one. I think they’re kind of developing the job description as they go along ‘cause this sort of just happened. We literally, as I said, we kind of loaned them Hugh for a couple of weekends, and the next thing we know they stole him. But we’re a fairly small company. So when there’s opportunities in other departments here, we’re always very supportive of folks finding a niche where they’re gonna be happy.”

Amick sent his FAX in response to our 7/10/01 post, headlined, “AMA Advertises For New Director Of Sports.”

The text of Amick’s FAX follows:

I’m trying to catch up on calls between our Dirt Track Grand Championships and AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days–followed closely by next week’s Road Racing Grand Championships and AMA Crossroads Rally. In short, it’s a very busy time. I haven’t gotten any messages from RW, but I saw your post on Hugh Fleming, and perhaps this will help to clear up the personnel change that is taking place.

Hugh has been a member of the AMA Sports staff for almost 25 years and is currently Director of AMA Sports. He is responsible for our amateur and pro-am competition programs and reports to me as Vice President of Events and Entertainment. There is no connection between AMA Sports and AMA Pro Racing.

Earlier this year, we essentially loaned Hugh to AMA Pro Racing on a part-time basis to assist with several projects, including deployment of Air Fence.

AMA Pro Racing subsequently offered Hugh a position which he has accepted. His transfer from AMA Sports to AMA Pro Racing is being phased in through the end of the year, so he is essentially working for both AMA Sports and AMA Pro Racing until January 1, when he will begin to focus on his AMA Pro Racing duties.

Hugh has been and is a hardworking and dedicated employee, he’ll be missed by AMA Sports, and everyone in AMA Events And Entertainment wishes him well in his new role for AMA Pro Racing. I have no doubt he’ll do a good job for them.

The job you have seen advertised is for Hugh’s replacement in AMA Sports. We’ll be looking at both internal and external candidates and I hope to hire in August.

Bill Amick

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

This just in from AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, regarding Colin Edwards’ comments during a press conference at Laguna Seca. To see what Edwards said and did during the press conference, refer to related post from July 6, headlined “Edwards Blasts Mladin With Impunity At Laguna Seca World Superbike Press Conference”.

Mladin’s statement:

“If Colin Edwards was on time for the press conference he would have known that after we had finished our bit with Richard Chambers, (who at the time of my interview was the press conference host), we were asked to step down to make room for other racers to be interviewed, just as Nicky Hayden had done three minutes earlier to make room for Eric Bostrom.

“I thought it more wise to go to the AMA riders’ briefing which was happening just 50 yards away than stay and listen to Colin’s dribble.

“Personally I don’t think Colin was very funny. He stated that he doesn’t think any less of me. It’s a shame I can’t say the same about him.

“Mat Mladin”

Posting of the just-obtained video tape of an altercation at Loudon last month has been delayed due to technical problems, and the video will be posted tomorrow instead of today.

In the meantime, commenting on roadracingworld.com’s announced intent to post the video, NHIS Motorcycle Safety Director Jerry Wood wrote:

“I understand that you are going to run a film of Bob and Gary Bahre yelling at (AMA Superbike Operations Manager) Ron Barrick. The thing that I didn’t like was the comment that ‘this is a reason not to go back’.

“I want to make it clear that I am not paid to defend the track or the Bahres. I am a lifelong motorcycle nut who is doing all he can to keep the New England National.

“Let me give a brief summary of the events that led to the reaming.

“Four years ago we have a serious incident and people called out for change. (Track onwer) Bob (Bahre) makes the changes recommended by the TRACK committee and the AMA. The next year Bob is told that we need more changes, Bob does ’em, every single one. The next year it rains and Bob is told that we can’t race because of the slippery spots so Bob buys the best cure known to man and puts it on his track.

“Thursday morning, June Bike Week 2001, we are told that if it rains we will try the new stuff and if it’s okay we race. Fair enough. Thursday afternoon we are told that Mat Mladin assembled a posse and told Ron (Barrick) that if it rains no classes race. None of these folks on the posse rode on the new surface. Ron agrees. The word in the pits is that AMA now stands for American Mladin Association. Bob is told that if it rains have the jet dryers ready.

“Sunday it rains, the jets go out, I am working with them. At about 4 o’clock I called Ron on the radio and told him that the track was ready for practice. I did say that there was only a small amount of moisture left and the line would be totally dry in a short time. Ron said that there would be no practice, he was going to send the riders out for a sighting lap and race. We were told to continue leading the jets around for another hour while the fans waited.

“After all this Ron’s plan didn’t work, the Pro riders did not like his idea and were refusing to race right in front of the crowd, That is about the time that Bob and Gary had enough.

“Bob and Gary Bahre don’t ride motorcycles. They are businessmen who have been willing to do more than any other track owners for motorcycle racers. I don’t think that publicizing a well-deserved reaming is going to do the sport of motorcycling one bit of good. You and I both agree that AMA Pro Racing has been lacking proper leadership. This was the result.

“Jerry Wood”

Racer Ben Spies, who led the Laguna Seca 750cc Supersport race before crashing in oil, turns 17 years old today. He can be e-mailed birthday wishes at (the now-corrected e-mail address)[email protected].