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Latest Loudon LRRS Incident Likely To Lead To Rider Sanctions

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Latest Loudon LRRS Incident Likely To Lead To Rider Sanctions

An incident on Saturday, July 28 during an LRRS regional race at New Hampshire International Speedway will likely lead to rider sanctions, track Safety Director Jerry Wood said.

The incident in turn two occurred when one rider slowed for waving yellow flags and another Junior-ranked rider did not, hitting the first rider, taking off his controls, knocking him down and sending him feet-first into a pile of cornerworking equipment outside the corner, next to the end of a wall, in an area Wood said is not normally an impact zone. The injured rider, Charles Chubbuck, suffered broken bones in his lower back and feet, according to Wood. The rider who did not slow may be sanctioned by LRRS for not responding appropriately to a waving yellow flag, Wood said.

During the same weekend, Wood conducted a charity auction that raised $10,000 for two riders and two cornerworkers injured in a bizarre July 7 crash in the same corner. In that crash, also during an LRRS regional race, one rider fell and crawled off the track, his bike still in the middle of the corner. Two cornerworkers were attempting to remove the crashed bike under waving yellow flags when a group of riders approached about a minute after the original crash. One of the riders plowed directly into the two cornerworkers and the bike, which they had picked up, sending all involved to the hospital.

The funds from the auction will be used to help defray medical co-payments and lost income suffered by the cornerworkers and riders as a result of their injuries.

Board Meeting Minutes Prove AMA Claims Of Existing Air Fence Acquisition Program Were False

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Board Meeting Minutes Prove AMA Claims Of Existing Air Fence Acquisition Program Were False

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. By David Swarts Recently released minutes from a March 4 meeting of the AMA Board of Trustees in Deland, Florida indicate that the AMA did not have an approved, funded plan to purchase Air Fence in time for use this racing season, prior to the establishment of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. The minutes show that while the Board denied a request for Air Fence funding, it instantly approved $84,000 for the All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) being established by the AMA. According to the minutes of the meeting, recently posted on the official AMA website, AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth asked the AMA Board of Trustees for funding to purchase Air Fence. Instead of approving funding, the Board referred the matter to a finance committee, which, the minutes show, was not scheduled to meet until five months later, on August 13, 2001. (Along pit lane at Daytona later that same week in March, Hollingsworth told Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich that he did not have funding for Air Fence). As an interesting side note, a report on the Board of Trustees meeting appearing in the July 2001 issue of the official AMA magazine, American Motorcyclist, made no mention of the fact that the finance committee was not scheduled to meet until August. The magazine report’s sole reference to the Air Fence funding request, appearing on page 51, read “A request by Paradama, Inc. for financial assistance to acquire impact-attenuating barriers was discussed favorably and referred to the finance committee.” On April 17, Ulrich wrote and posted a first-person/opinion column calling for AMA racing fans to take action and contribute money to buy Air Fence instead of waiting for AMA Pro Racing to buy promised Air Fence. Within two days, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund had raised over $48,000, enough to purchase 16 sections of Air Fence. At that point, instead of lauding the project, AMA Pro Racing issued an April 19 press release claiming that a plan was in place to buy Air Fence and that it took four months to obtain significant quantities of the soft barriers. According to the AMA’s own timeline, if the finance committee had approved funding on August 13, no Air Fence could have shown up prior to December 13, well after the conclusion of the 2001 racing season. The April 19 AMA press release read: “AMA PRO RACING BRINGS CLARITY TO RECENT DISCUSSIONS ON AIR FENCE “PICKERINGTON, OHIO — In December 2000, the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors took action to initiate a plan for the purchase of 30 additional units of Air Fence to be used at rounds of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship. “The estimated cost to purchase, staff, transport and store the fencing exceeds $450,000 for a three-year period, not including ongoing maintenance and repair costs. “A formal announcement of this program was planned once all details were complete. It should be noted that a four-month lead time is required for the delivery of this quantity of Air Fence.” On April 23, Alpina Safety Systems Operations Manager For Motorsports Robert Pertl committed to delivering 15 sections of FIM-homologated Alpina Air Modules in time for the AMA races at Road Atlanta May 17-20, just four weeks–not four months–from the start of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. Later that same day, Airfence Safety Systems’ Andy Coffey stated that his company could build and deliver Air Fence barriers in less than four months. In fact, 15 Alpina soft barriers were delivered on schedule for Road Atlanta, four weeks after the start of the fund, and 20 Air Fence sections were delivered to Road America seven weeks after the start of the fund. At Road Atlanta, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund turned over $104,000 to the AMA for use in the purchase, deployment and maintenance of Air Fence. Harley-Davidson, Honda and Suzuki contributed substantial funding directly to the AMA, while Suzuki also donated to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. On May 11, AMA Pro Racing issued another press release, acknowledging the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund but again claiming that the situation had been covered all along, stating, “We at AMA Pro Racing finalized plans for this Airfence program during the fall of 2000 and when we had identified all of the associated costs we began to pursue funding. The incredibly rapid response in financial support has enabled us to purchase and deploy the Airfence in a remarkably short amount of time. While the Airfence Program will be a most noticeable change, it is only one component of the most far-reaching and comprehensive rider safety program in the AMA’s history.” The May 11 release also quoted Hollingsworth as stating “We are very grateful for the support Honda, Harley-Davidson and Suzuki have given to this safety project, which will benefit our AMA racers. We also appreciate the grass roots support for this program, and we thank long-time AMA member John Ulrich for the role he played in raising these supplemental funds.” According to the minutes from the March 4 Board of Trustees meeting, Hollingsworth gave a report on Paradama (AMA Pro Racing), which “contained a request for financial assistance to acquire impact attenuating barriers (Air Fence). It was moved by Mr. (Carl) Reynolds and seconded by Mr. (Dal) Smilie to: “Refer the matter to the Finance Committee for review and report back to the Board. “The motion was approved.” Later in the minutes, “Mr. (Rob) Rasor (AMA President) requested a one-day Finance Committee meeting preferably in August. The meeting was tentatively scheduled for August 13, 2001 in Pickerington,” leading one to assume that the next time that a vote on the purchase of Air Fence could have even been taken would have been in August. In the same meeting, discussions were held concerning the development of the AMA’s new ATVA, All-Terrain Vehicle Association. Minutes from the meeting read, “Bill Amick, Vice President of Events and Entertainment, and Carl Reynolds provided an update on the All-Terrain Vehicle Association. The start of the program is behind schedule, but progress is being made. Three meetings with the Membership Corporation of America have been held to manage direct mailings. A post office box number, toll-free telephone number and web address, atva.com, have all been established, and a director, approved in the 2001 budget, has been hired and will begin work on March 19, 2001. “Additional funding for the direct mailing was then discussed. Mr. (John) Hoover questioned the mailing strategy and suggested that it be done by zip code and limiting the number of recipients to 200,000. He also suggested the possibility of raising subsidizing revenue by asking OEMs for contributions to cover the expenses of the mailing, suggesting that this could be one of the first projects undertaken by the new director. It was moved by Mr. Reynolds and seconded by Mr. Smilie to: “Amend the budget for an additional $84,000 for the ATVA project. “The motion passed, with Mr. Hoover voting in the negative.” The same two Trustees, former Chairman Carl Reynolds and current Vice-Chairman Dal Smilie (both elected to the Board by rank-and file members), made and seconded the motions to defer Air Fence funding while granting ATVA extra money. At $2900 per 28-foot section, $84,000 would have bought almost 29 Air Fence or Alpina Air Module sections. Riders who have recently hit sections of Air Fence at AMA National events include Grant Lopez, Anthony Lupo, Aaron Yates, Jim Doerfler, James Milroy, Jr., Jamie Hacking and Vincent Haskovec. Reached by phone on August 3 and asked for comment on the apparent discrepancy between what AMA Pro Racing press releases said and what the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting said, Hollingsworth said, “I’m not gonna comment on that. I think that’s reading a lot of things between the lines that may or may not exist. I mean, no. The ATVA is a project that has been on the drawing boards for a significant period of time. I’m not privy to what their planning process was. I’m certain it was a…you know, I’m certain it was well developed and in its life over there and that’s the time they approved it. That’s just not…the two are wholly unrelated.” Asked if it was true that, at the time of the Trustees meeting, AMA Pro Racing was still looking for Air Fence funding, Hollingsworth said, “Yeah, I think we were putting together – we were assembling our financing plan at that point. That’s right. I’m not going to get into this with you guys. I mean, you guys have a clear agenda on this. It’s not productive for us to have this conversation. We appreciate your efforts on the Air Fence. We funded it. You funded it. It’s up. It’s going. It’s saving lives. It’s great news. Let’s just leave it at that. We’re working as diligently as we can to develop the series. You guys have been supportive of it. We appreciate it very much, and we’re all doing what we can to make sure this is the safest sport we can make it.”

Rothwell To Appear At Ducati Revs America Rally

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Rothwell To Appear At Ducati Revs America Rally

From a press release issued by Ducati:

The greatest Ducati party ever seen on this side of the world is only three months away, and as Las Vegas awaits the basso song of thousands of Ducati motorcycles, Ducati North America is confirming the dozens of support acts and writing the final schedule for the three-day bash on October 26-28, 2001.

Famous motorcycle daredevil Gary Rothwell has confirmed he’ll be there to give DRA participants a show worth remembering. Las Vegas’ most prestigious hotel, The Venetian, will play host to the huge Saturday night party, where anyone with a DRA ticket is eligible to enter, mingle with the Ducati’s top-level racers, socialize with other Ducatisti and maybe win one of the many prizes being given away over the weekend. Gary Rothwell will also give a smaller demonstration, outside The Venetian, on Las Vegas Boulevard.

A Swiss band, Hang Loose, will take the main stage on both Saturday and Sunday to thump out some original pop rock and some funky well-known hits. An Italian traveling band will walk through the activities, playing traditional Italian music. Authentic Italian flag throwers will be flying in especially for the festivities. Sponsored by the ancient Tuscan city of Arezzo, these unique representatives of the old-age tradition – where regions would compete against one another during the summer festivals – will give a dazzling display of color and skill. And Italy’s pizza-throwing champion (yes, there is such a thing!) will be making the world’s best pizza bases with a flick of his wrist.

The Richard Petty Driving Experience is giving 20 lucky participants the chance to ride in the former champion’s training vehicles with his best instructors. There will be seminars on all aspects of motorcycling and Ducati’s AMA Superbike technicians will be on hand to assist with mechanical advice and assistance.

To view the full schedule, go to www.ducatiusa.com or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, email your questions to [email protected]

Montano Fastest In Pro Thunder Qualifying At Summit Point

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Montano Fastest In Pro Thunder Qualifying At Summit Point

Tom Montano was fastest of 11 entrants in AMA Pro Thunder qualifying at Summit Point Sunday morning, riding a Munroe Motors Ducati 748.

1. Tom Montano, Ducati, 1:16.943
2. Tripp Nobles, Buell, 1:17.008
3. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 1:17.146
4. David Estok, Buell, 1:17.629
5. Michael Dube, Ducati, 1:20.791
6. Bryan Bemisderfer, Buell, 1:20.799
7. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 1:22.614
8. Steve Clark, Suzuki, 1:23.889
9. Rich Yersak, 1:25.160
10. Jerry Cisciero, 1:28.694

Murray Moves His MCE Racing Shop

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Murray Moves His MCE Racing Shop

Racer and tuner Kevin Murray has moved his MCE Racing shop. The new address is 1930 Watson Way Unit H, Vista, CA 92083, phone (760) 599-1061, (760) 599-1081.

Chouinard Engine Builder Issues Public Apology

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Chouinard Engine Builder Issues Public Apology

White Tip Motorsports engine builder Michael Cox issued a public apology Friday to rider Chuck Chouinard for Chouinard’s disqualification from the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Loudon.

“We cleaned the valves in Chuck’s engine with Scotchbrite and had no intention of removing metal or reshaping the valves,” said Cox.

“There’s no way anything we did to the valves gave Chuck a competitive advantage, and he finished where he finished based on his hard riding. We’re sorry that the AMA tech inspectors disqualified him over this. To Chuck, his sponsors and his team owner, all we can say is, we’re sorry this happened.”

Updated Post: Rossi and Edwards Win Suzuka 8-Hour

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Updated Post: Rossi and Edwards Win Suzuka 8-Hour

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards won the Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-hour, round 6 of the 8-round FIM Endurance World Championship Series, on a Cabin Honda RC51.

From a Honda press release:

Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi rode a superb race over 217 laps of the classic 5.864-km (3.6-mile) Suzuka grand prix circuit to take the win in the prestigious 8-Hour Endurance race. Their win gave Honda five consecutive 8-Hour victories, and was the highlight of an almost immaculate performance from the three factory Cabin Honda squads entered in the race.

Edwards, who had the pleasure of riding the last leg, was ebullient and praised his team and fellow rider ceaselessly after the marathon test of man and racing machine. “I had the best riding partner and the best bike and it’s great to win my second 8-Hour. I couldn’t be happier.”

Rossi, in his second Suzuka endurance race, was relieved with his team performance, having crashed out while leading last year. “To race and win an event like this is very exciting. When I asked Honda if I could do this race last year they said I should do it for two years because it is such a difficult race to win at your first attempt. That’s the way it turned out but because I had a stupid crash while leading. So to win it the year, after such disappointment in 2000, is fantastic. Thanks to everyone and especially Colin.”

Honda’s decision to roll out their Grand Prix and World Superbike big guns paid rich dividends throughout the gruelling race, with all three of the factory Honda teams taking turns to lead.

In second place, a mere 14.268 seconds down on the winners, were Cabin Honda riders Alex Barros and Tady Okada, who fought tooth-and-nail with the eventual winners for almost the entire race distance, with frequent on-track tussles forming the highlight of a sometimes dramatic race.

Third was the only official Suzuki Superbike entry, a three-man team comprising of Akira Ryo, Yukio Kagayama and Atsushi Watanabe, who came home 1-minute, 13 seconds down on the leading Honda duo.

The intervention of the pace car, after an accident which resulted in a privateer machine being set ablaze on the racing line, allowed the Suzuki squad to catch, and subsequently pass the eventual fourth-place Cabin Honda pairing of Daijiro Katoh and Tohru Ukawa.

Suzuki rider Akira Ryo, starting from pole position, got away first into turn one but was soon caught and passed on the second lap by both Valentino Rossi and Kawasaki factory rider Akira Yanagawa.

With Daijiro Katoh catching the leading three riders, it was soon to be a four, then a five-man early battle with the addition of the rapidly-advancing Tady Okada on the tail, making it a full house of factory Hondas in the leading peleton.

The number 99 Sakurai machine pitted on lap four suffering from mechanical problems, which were to dog the team’s efforts for the entire race.

On lap four the first backmarkers were encountered by the leaders, and one was to play a major part in the fortunes of the race overall, when Yanagawa crashed into the rear of a slower machine on lap 21, effectively blunting one of the Kawasaki factory challenges for the win.

The NK class machine of Keiichi Kitagawa and the Kawasaki Superbike of Gregorio Lavilla and Tamaki Serizawa joined onto the leading five after the fifth lap, with no more than 2.109 seconds covering the top seven near the end of a true first session sprint.

On lap 21 the Phase One World Championship team was out, after their second rider Tony Rees fell on the second lap of his first session, damaging the machine too much to continue.

Colin Edwards’s first session benefited from Rossi’s sterling work, as he led Kagayama by over a second after the first rider changes.

Running off in his efforts to stay in contention, Kagayama a lost several seconds, allowing Edwards to make good his escape until Alex Barros caught him after a display of determined riding.

Another near miss with a backmarker caused Ukawa a moment of worry halfway through his first session, with the fight between Edwards and Barros frequently see-sawing as the backmarkers played their unwitting part in the fight for the win.

At the turn of the third hour, the timesheet order of Katoh, from Rossi, from Okada was somewhat false, as the number four machine team had adopted a strategy of going for longer periods before stopping. Leaders on the road were still the Edwards and Rossi and Barros and Okada partnerships.

The best fight of the race occurred in the second Edwards/Barros session with the SBK and GP rider overtaking each other at will, swapping the lead at frequent intervals. Only a pit stop for Edwards, on lap 101, ended their titanic battle.

The end of the fourth hour once more had an artificial feel to it, with Kato and Ukawa leading their closest challengers by arithmetic only.

In fifth place (Anthony) Gobert and (Noriyuki) Haga were moving on up in pace, but they were to exit in the very final section of the race, having completed 7 hours and 38 minutes of racing. The second factory Kawasaki was already out of the race, after Gregorio Lavilla had crashed at the exit of Spoon curve on lap 81.

At the end of the fifth hour, the order was once more Ukawa from Rossi from Barros, but the fight for the top positions was as intense as ever.

Near disaster for Tady Okada saw him crash as he led Valentino Rossi on lap 117 although his low-speed spill at the chicane left his machine undamaged and he carried on, some 15 seconds down on the departing Rossi, who had to take to the grass to avoid Okada’s machine.

The race itself settled into a routine for the next 40 laps or so, with the three factory Hondas leading in the order of Rossi/Edwards, Barros/Okada and Ukawa/Katoh, with the factory Suzuki of Ryo/Kagayama and Watanabe ahead of Yamaha duo Gobert and Haga.

Five hours and 42 minutes into the race a private machine crashed and caught fire at the last corner of the Esses, just before the Dunlop corner. The pace cars brought all the top four teams, the three Cabin Honda efforts and the factory Suzuki, onto the same 161st lap, and allowed the top Suzuki team to get onto terms with the number 4 Honda.

Barros was similarly fortunate and took advantage to close up to Edwards, negating his 10-second lead.

With the final stint looming for each rider, Rossi showed how determined he was, to lead from Okada by 14 seconds at the turn into the final hour.

With the American riding well as darkness fell, he kept his margin of victory after 217 laps of hard and punishing racing.

Edwards’ second 8-Hour win was Valentino Rossi’s first, with Okada and Barros in second and the Suzuki factory team in third. Rossi’s win was the first by an Italian rider in the 24-year history of the race.

A battling race finish gave Daijiro Katoh and Tohru Ukawa fourth, with fifth going to the first 1000cc four-cylinder NK machine, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Kitagawa, Arakaki and Toda.



HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

Valentino Rossi:
“I am the first Italian rider to win the Suzuka 8-hours race so I am very happy. When Okada crashed in front of me, I was a bit surprised because I could only see his machine. I thought we could win easily then, but #33 caught up again when the pace car came onto the track. So during my last run, I was determined to get some advantages and hand the machine to Colin. (He marked the fastest lap 2:08.855). Last year, I was disappointed so I am really happy to win the race today. This race was really important for me.”

Colin Edwards:
“I had the best teammate this year. When I was racing with Alex Barros, I enjoyed it very much. Then I was angry when the pace car reduced the gap between me and Barros. But Valentino was riding superbly soon after that and I was confident of winning then. Valentino is really splendid rider. I have been on the podium many times in the past but being on the top is something special.”

Noriaki Nakata–Team Manager:
“Both riders did a superb job and also the team staff didn’t make any mistakes. That’s the reason for the win. After the pace car interruption, Valentino rode superbly and it really worked. Last year we were disappointed so this year’s win is even more emotional.”

Koji Nakajima–General Manager:
“I am sorry we couldn’t make 1-2-3 finish due to the interruption of the pace car. However, we are happy to mark the 5th consecutive 8-hours win and
we would like to thank all the sponsors and fans.”

Tadayuki Okada:
“I must say sorry to Alex because I crashed at the Chicane. I wasn’t pushing so hard then but the front end suddenly tuckled. There was no machine damage but I had a bitter feeling. You must win for the 8-hours race. I will make a revenge next year. But before that, I will try my best for the remaining WSB races. I am looking forward to them, as the Michelin tires are better now.”

Alex Barros:
“I have never been so tired before in the 8-hours race. Okada feels sorry about his crash but the pit stop mistake I made was a bigger problem. However, I never gave up till the end. I tried my best to reduce the difference from over one minute to mere 14 seconds.”

Nobuo Ono–Team Manager:
“There were mistakes, but we were aiming for the win till the end. Okada marked 2:10s soon after his crash and Alex rode with all his might during the last run. I was very much impressed by their professional fighting spirits. I think we did a good race.”

Tohru Ukawa:
“I wanted to pass back the #7 (Suzuki). I couldn’t ride faster during the first hours and I must apologize Daijiro for that. When the race was neutralized, I thought I might catch up the leader, but instead, the pace car came in front of me. I must forget the bitter feeling and do my best for the remaining World Championship Races.”

Daijiro Kato:
“We had no trouble during the race, but machine set-up was not perfect so I couldn’t go any faster. We were unlucky that we were passed by #7 after the pace car incident, but that’s racing. I have remaining WGP races to come, so I must change my mind and go for it.”

Michimasa Arima–Team Manager:
“There were no big mistakes nor troubles during the race. But #11 and #33 teams were very fast. I think the pace car interruption was not the reason
for us being 4th. Other team Cabin Hondas were fast and strong.”


RACE RESULTS:

1. Valentino Rossi/Colin Edwards/Manabu Kamada, Honda RC51, 217 laps.

2. Tadayuki Okada/Alex Barros/Shinichi Itoh, Honda RC51, 217 laps

3. Akira Ryo/Yukio Kagayama/Akira Watanabe, Suzuki GSX-R750, 217 laps

4. Tohru Ukawa/Daijiro Katoh/Makoto Tamada, Honda RC51, 217 laps

5. Keiichi Kitagawa/Toshiyuki Arakaki/T. Toda, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 213 laps

6. Yuichi Takeda/Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Honda, 212 laps

7. Norihiko Fujiwara/Noriyasu Numata/O. Miyazaki, Yamaha, 211 laps

8. Daisaku Sakai/Hiroki Noda, Honda, 209 laps

9. Stephane Mertens/Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 208 laps

10. Hideo Senmyo/Kenichio Nakamaru, Honda, 206 laps

11. Yoshinobu Takahashi/Naomichi Nakai, Kawasaki, 206 laps

12. Mitsuo Saito/Takahiro Fukami/Y. Aoyagi, Yamaha 206 laps

13. Haruchika Aoki/Jun Maeda, Honda, 205 laps

14. Katsunori Hasegawa/Hiroshi Muruyama, Honda, 205 laps

15. Shigeru Yamashita/Hideto Hotta, Kawasaki, 203 laps

Fastest lap: Edwards. 2:08.855 = 163.89 kph (101.84 mph). (Lap record for 8-Hours)


Hooters Suzuki was 19th overall at the end of the second hour but Michael Barnes crashed the Hooters GSX-R1000, putting the team back to 45th overall. At the finish, the team was 39th overall.

Wedding (Heidepriem-Korpi), Engagement (Roberson-Feckoury), Birth (Mackenzie Bailey Bennett)

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Wedding (Heidepriem-Korpi), Engagement (Roberson-Feckoury), Birth (Mackenzie Bailey Bennett)

WERA racer Brandon Heidepriem married Toni Korpi on Saturday, July 28, 2001 in Findlay, Ohio. WERA and CCS racer Michael Roberson and Paige Feckoury are engaged to be married September 8, 2001 in Decatur, Georgia. WERA racer, official and Bridgestone tire vendor Derek “Stickboy” Bennett and wife Lori “Honey” Bennett, also a WERA official, had a daughter, Mackenzie Bailey Bennett, July 21, 2001 in West Columbia, South Carolina.

Nobles Beats Montano To Win AMA Pro Thunder At Summit Point

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Nobles Beats Montano To Win AMA Pro Thunder At Summit Point

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Tilley Harley-Davidson/Buell’s Tripp Nobles just beat Tom Montano to win the AMA Pro Thunder race held in conjunction with a WERA National Challenge Series event at Summit Point Raceway, with Jeff Nash a close third. Dave Estok, who had been battling Nobles and Montano for the lead, DNF after 7 laps with mechanical problems, as Nash battled up from a bad start to join the lead group.

Bryan Bemisderfer was fourth on a Buell, followed by Michael Dube on a Ducati, Steve Clark on a Suzuki SV650 and Rich Yersak. Only 11 bikes started the race, and just 7 finished.

In WERA National Challenge Series action, Lee Acree won the 750cc Supersport, 600cc Supersport and Formula One races on his Arclight Suzukis, and set a new track record at 1:15.488 during the 750cc Supersport race. Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge won the Open Superstock race on a GSX-R750 and finished second in the 600cc Superstock race.

AMA Pro Thunder Provisional Results
1. Tripp Nobles, Buell
2. Tom Montano, Ducati
3. Jeff Nash, Ducati
4. Bryan Bemisderfer, Buell
5. Michael Dube, Ducati
6. Steve Clark, Suzuki
7. Rich Yersak

Contrary To What Our Japanese Reporter Told Us, Hooters Suzuki’s Ciccotto Didn’t Crash At Suzuka

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Contrary To What Our Japanese Reporter Told Us, Hooters Suzuki’s Ciccotto Didn’t Crash At Suzuka

We originally posted August 4 that Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Cicotto crashed Friday at Suzuka and broke a bone in his right wrist.

This was based on information given to us by our Japanese reporter for the race, but it was incorrect. Ciccotto already had a broken bone in his wrist when he arrived at Suzuka, and, after landing in Los Angeles on Sunday, described what happened there as follows:

“I went to Suzuka just to put in an appearance for my team, since the organizers had promoted Hooters being there. I wasn’t really even planning on riding much, as my wrist has been hurting for over a month now and I wanted to take care of it before my procedure with Doc Kieffer. I went out for two practice sesssions on Thursday. For the first session, I rode one bike and it wasn’t set up very well, but I got some laps in. For the second session, I rode the second bike which was set up a little better, and did a few more laps. But qualifying was coming up next and I decided that I shouldn’t compete – because of my wrist my qualifying times would hurt the team, since they average the times for qualifying. Plus, I didn’t want to risk hurting the wrist more. But I had no getoffs or crashes at all – I was completely careful the whole time. The wrist actually feels pretty good right now, it doesn’t ache like it used to and it has good mobility. But when it comes to really pushing it to the edge, then it hurts because the navicular bone is fractured. So Kieffer will put a screw in there tomorrow or Tuesday.

“But anyway, I’m glad I went to Suzuka. It was a good experience; the track was really neat, the people polite, and the fans very enthusiastic about the racing. The atmosphere was great – lots of energy before the race. And Japan is so unique, everything is so perfect there.

“So tomorrow morning I catch a 6:00 a.m. flight that eventually gets me into Doc Kieffer’s. He’ll put a screw in my wrist to tighten up the navicular bone, and I’ll be good to go in 10 to 14 days. Just in time for Pikes. I’m be ready to do everything I can to win the last 4 Pro Thunder rounds and win the Championship.”

With Ciccotto out, the team competed with Michael Barnes and Kyoichi Kosaka, 25, a Japanese National Championship competitor.

Hooters Suzuki started 30th overall (13th in the SuperProduction class) on the starting grid with a GSX-R1000. Barnes turned a best time of 2:14.025 while Kosaka’s best time was a 2:14.528.

The team ran 19th overall after two hours but fell back to 45th after Barnes crashed, and eventually finished 39th.

Latest Loudon LRRS Incident Likely To Lead To Rider Sanctions

An incident on Saturday, July 28 during an LRRS regional race at New Hampshire International Speedway will likely lead to rider sanctions, track Safety Director Jerry Wood said.

The incident in turn two occurred when one rider slowed for waving yellow flags and another Junior-ranked rider did not, hitting the first rider, taking off his controls, knocking him down and sending him feet-first into a pile of cornerworking equipment outside the corner, next to the end of a wall, in an area Wood said is not normally an impact zone. The injured rider, Charles Chubbuck, suffered broken bones in his lower back and feet, according to Wood. The rider who did not slow may be sanctioned by LRRS for not responding appropriately to a waving yellow flag, Wood said.

During the same weekend, Wood conducted a charity auction that raised $10,000 for two riders and two cornerworkers injured in a bizarre July 7 crash in the same corner. In that crash, also during an LRRS regional race, one rider fell and crawled off the track, his bike still in the middle of the corner. Two cornerworkers were attempting to remove the crashed bike under waving yellow flags when a group of riders approached about a minute after the original crash. One of the riders plowed directly into the two cornerworkers and the bike, which they had picked up, sending all involved to the hospital.

The funds from the auction will be used to help defray medical co-payments and lost income suffered by the cornerworkers and riders as a result of their injuries.

Board Meeting Minutes Prove AMA Claims Of Existing Air Fence Acquisition Program Were False

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. By David Swarts Recently released minutes from a March 4 meeting of the AMA Board of Trustees in Deland, Florida indicate that the AMA did not have an approved, funded plan to purchase Air Fence in time for use this racing season, prior to the establishment of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. The minutes show that while the Board denied a request for Air Fence funding, it instantly approved $84,000 for the All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) being established by the AMA. According to the minutes of the meeting, recently posted on the official AMA website, AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth asked the AMA Board of Trustees for funding to purchase Air Fence. Instead of approving funding, the Board referred the matter to a finance committee, which, the minutes show, was not scheduled to meet until five months later, on August 13, 2001. (Along pit lane at Daytona later that same week in March, Hollingsworth told Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich that he did not have funding for Air Fence). As an interesting side note, a report on the Board of Trustees meeting appearing in the July 2001 issue of the official AMA magazine, American Motorcyclist, made no mention of the fact that the finance committee was not scheduled to meet until August. The magazine report’s sole reference to the Air Fence funding request, appearing on page 51, read “A request by Paradama, Inc. for financial assistance to acquire impact-attenuating barriers was discussed favorably and referred to the finance committee.” On April 17, Ulrich wrote and posted a first-person/opinion column calling for AMA racing fans to take action and contribute money to buy Air Fence instead of waiting for AMA Pro Racing to buy promised Air Fence. Within two days, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund had raised over $48,000, enough to purchase 16 sections of Air Fence. At that point, instead of lauding the project, AMA Pro Racing issued an April 19 press release claiming that a plan was in place to buy Air Fence and that it took four months to obtain significant quantities of the soft barriers. According to the AMA’s own timeline, if the finance committee had approved funding on August 13, no Air Fence could have shown up prior to December 13, well after the conclusion of the 2001 racing season. The April 19 AMA press release read: “AMA PRO RACING BRINGS CLARITY TO RECENT DISCUSSIONS ON AIR FENCE “PICKERINGTON, OHIO — In December 2000, the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors took action to initiate a plan for the purchase of 30 additional units of Air Fence to be used at rounds of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship. “The estimated cost to purchase, staff, transport and store the fencing exceeds $450,000 for a three-year period, not including ongoing maintenance and repair costs. “A formal announcement of this program was planned once all details were complete. It should be noted that a four-month lead time is required for the delivery of this quantity of Air Fence.” On April 23, Alpina Safety Systems Operations Manager For Motorsports Robert Pertl committed to delivering 15 sections of FIM-homologated Alpina Air Modules in time for the AMA races at Road Atlanta May 17-20, just four weeks–not four months–from the start of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. Later that same day, Airfence Safety Systems’ Andy Coffey stated that his company could build and deliver Air Fence barriers in less than four months. In fact, 15 Alpina soft barriers were delivered on schedule for Road Atlanta, four weeks after the start of the fund, and 20 Air Fence sections were delivered to Road America seven weeks after the start of the fund. At Road Atlanta, the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund turned over $104,000 to the AMA for use in the purchase, deployment and maintenance of Air Fence. Harley-Davidson, Honda and Suzuki contributed substantial funding directly to the AMA, while Suzuki also donated to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. On May 11, AMA Pro Racing issued another press release, acknowledging the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund but again claiming that the situation had been covered all along, stating, “We at AMA Pro Racing finalized plans for this Airfence program during the fall of 2000 and when we had identified all of the associated costs we began to pursue funding. The incredibly rapid response in financial support has enabled us to purchase and deploy the Airfence in a remarkably short amount of time. While the Airfence Program will be a most noticeable change, it is only one component of the most far-reaching and comprehensive rider safety program in the AMA’s history.” The May 11 release also quoted Hollingsworth as stating “We are very grateful for the support Honda, Harley-Davidson and Suzuki have given to this safety project, which will benefit our AMA racers. We also appreciate the grass roots support for this program, and we thank long-time AMA member John Ulrich for the role he played in raising these supplemental funds.” According to the minutes from the March 4 Board of Trustees meeting, Hollingsworth gave a report on Paradama (AMA Pro Racing), which “contained a request for financial assistance to acquire impact attenuating barriers (Air Fence). It was moved by Mr. (Carl) Reynolds and seconded by Mr. (Dal) Smilie to: “Refer the matter to the Finance Committee for review and report back to the Board. “The motion was approved.” Later in the minutes, “Mr. (Rob) Rasor (AMA President) requested a one-day Finance Committee meeting preferably in August. The meeting was tentatively scheduled for August 13, 2001 in Pickerington,” leading one to assume that the next time that a vote on the purchase of Air Fence could have even been taken would have been in August. In the same meeting, discussions were held concerning the development of the AMA’s new ATVA, All-Terrain Vehicle Association. Minutes from the meeting read, “Bill Amick, Vice President of Events and Entertainment, and Carl Reynolds provided an update on the All-Terrain Vehicle Association. The start of the program is behind schedule, but progress is being made. Three meetings with the Membership Corporation of America have been held to manage direct mailings. A post office box number, toll-free telephone number and web address, atva.com, have all been established, and a director, approved in the 2001 budget, has been hired and will begin work on March 19, 2001. “Additional funding for the direct mailing was then discussed. Mr. (John) Hoover questioned the mailing strategy and suggested that it be done by zip code and limiting the number of recipients to 200,000. He also suggested the possibility of raising subsidizing revenue by asking OEMs for contributions to cover the expenses of the mailing, suggesting that this could be one of the first projects undertaken by the new director. It was moved by Mr. Reynolds and seconded by Mr. Smilie to: “Amend the budget for an additional $84,000 for the ATVA project. “The motion passed, with Mr. Hoover voting in the negative.” The same two Trustees, former Chairman Carl Reynolds and current Vice-Chairman Dal Smilie (both elected to the Board by rank-and file members), made and seconded the motions to defer Air Fence funding while granting ATVA extra money. At $2900 per 28-foot section, $84,000 would have bought almost 29 Air Fence or Alpina Air Module sections. Riders who have recently hit sections of Air Fence at AMA National events include Grant Lopez, Anthony Lupo, Aaron Yates, Jim Doerfler, James Milroy, Jr., Jamie Hacking and Vincent Haskovec. Reached by phone on August 3 and asked for comment on the apparent discrepancy between what AMA Pro Racing press releases said and what the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting said, Hollingsworth said, “I’m not gonna comment on that. I think that’s reading a lot of things between the lines that may or may not exist. I mean, no. The ATVA is a project that has been on the drawing boards for a significant period of time. I’m not privy to what their planning process was. I’m certain it was a…you know, I’m certain it was well developed and in its life over there and that’s the time they approved it. That’s just not…the two are wholly unrelated.” Asked if it was true that, at the time of the Trustees meeting, AMA Pro Racing was still looking for Air Fence funding, Hollingsworth said, “Yeah, I think we were putting together – we were assembling our financing plan at that point. That’s right. I’m not going to get into this with you guys. I mean, you guys have a clear agenda on this. It’s not productive for us to have this conversation. We appreciate your efforts on the Air Fence. We funded it. You funded it. It’s up. It’s going. It’s saving lives. It’s great news. Let’s just leave it at that. We’re working as diligently as we can to develop the series. You guys have been supportive of it. We appreciate it very much, and we’re all doing what we can to make sure this is the safest sport we can make it.”

Rothwell To Appear At Ducati Revs America Rally

From a press release issued by Ducati:

The greatest Ducati party ever seen on this side of the world is only three months away, and as Las Vegas awaits the basso song of thousands of Ducati motorcycles, Ducati North America is confirming the dozens of support acts and writing the final schedule for the three-day bash on October 26-28, 2001.

Famous motorcycle daredevil Gary Rothwell has confirmed he’ll be there to give DRA participants a show worth remembering. Las Vegas’ most prestigious hotel, The Venetian, will play host to the huge Saturday night party, where anyone with a DRA ticket is eligible to enter, mingle with the Ducati’s top-level racers, socialize with other Ducatisti and maybe win one of the many prizes being given away over the weekend. Gary Rothwell will also give a smaller demonstration, outside The Venetian, on Las Vegas Boulevard.

A Swiss band, Hang Loose, will take the main stage on both Saturday and Sunday to thump out some original pop rock and some funky well-known hits. An Italian traveling band will walk through the activities, playing traditional Italian music. Authentic Italian flag throwers will be flying in especially for the festivities. Sponsored by the ancient Tuscan city of Arezzo, these unique representatives of the old-age tradition – where regions would compete against one another during the summer festivals – will give a dazzling display of color and skill. And Italy’s pizza-throwing champion (yes, there is such a thing!) will be making the world’s best pizza bases with a flick of his wrist.

The Richard Petty Driving Experience is giving 20 lucky participants the chance to ride in the former champion’s training vehicles with his best instructors. There will be seminars on all aspects of motorcycling and Ducati’s AMA Superbike technicians will be on hand to assist with mechanical advice and assistance.

To view the full schedule, go to www.ducatiusa.com or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, email your questions to [email protected]

Montano Fastest In Pro Thunder Qualifying At Summit Point

Tom Montano was fastest of 11 entrants in AMA Pro Thunder qualifying at Summit Point Sunday morning, riding a Munroe Motors Ducati 748.

1. Tom Montano, Ducati, 1:16.943
2. Tripp Nobles, Buell, 1:17.008
3. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 1:17.146
4. David Estok, Buell, 1:17.629
5. Michael Dube, Ducati, 1:20.791
6. Bryan Bemisderfer, Buell, 1:20.799
7. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 1:22.614
8. Steve Clark, Suzuki, 1:23.889
9. Rich Yersak, 1:25.160
10. Jerry Cisciero, 1:28.694

Murray Moves His MCE Racing Shop

Racer and tuner Kevin Murray has moved his MCE Racing shop. The new address is 1930 Watson Way Unit H, Vista, CA 92083, phone (760) 599-1061, (760) 599-1081.

Chouinard Engine Builder Issues Public Apology

White Tip Motorsports engine builder Michael Cox issued a public apology Friday to rider Chuck Chouinard for Chouinard’s disqualification from the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Loudon.

“We cleaned the valves in Chuck’s engine with Scotchbrite and had no intention of removing metal or reshaping the valves,” said Cox.

“There’s no way anything we did to the valves gave Chuck a competitive advantage, and he finished where he finished based on his hard riding. We’re sorry that the AMA tech inspectors disqualified him over this. To Chuck, his sponsors and his team owner, all we can say is, we’re sorry this happened.”

Updated Post: Rossi and Edwards Win Suzuka 8-Hour

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards won the Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-hour, round 6 of the 8-round FIM Endurance World Championship Series, on a Cabin Honda RC51.

From a Honda press release:

Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi rode a superb race over 217 laps of the classic 5.864-km (3.6-mile) Suzuka grand prix circuit to take the win in the prestigious 8-Hour Endurance race. Their win gave Honda five consecutive 8-Hour victories, and was the highlight of an almost immaculate performance from the three factory Cabin Honda squads entered in the race.

Edwards, who had the pleasure of riding the last leg, was ebullient and praised his team and fellow rider ceaselessly after the marathon test of man and racing machine. “I had the best riding partner and the best bike and it’s great to win my second 8-Hour. I couldn’t be happier.”

Rossi, in his second Suzuka endurance race, was relieved with his team performance, having crashed out while leading last year. “To race and win an event like this is very exciting. When I asked Honda if I could do this race last year they said I should do it for two years because it is such a difficult race to win at your first attempt. That’s the way it turned out but because I had a stupid crash while leading. So to win it the year, after such disappointment in 2000, is fantastic. Thanks to everyone and especially Colin.”

Honda’s decision to roll out their Grand Prix and World Superbike big guns paid rich dividends throughout the gruelling race, with all three of the factory Honda teams taking turns to lead.

In second place, a mere 14.268 seconds down on the winners, were Cabin Honda riders Alex Barros and Tady Okada, who fought tooth-and-nail with the eventual winners for almost the entire race distance, with frequent on-track tussles forming the highlight of a sometimes dramatic race.

Third was the only official Suzuki Superbike entry, a three-man team comprising of Akira Ryo, Yukio Kagayama and Atsushi Watanabe, who came home 1-minute, 13 seconds down on the leading Honda duo.

The intervention of the pace car, after an accident which resulted in a privateer machine being set ablaze on the racing line, allowed the Suzuki squad to catch, and subsequently pass the eventual fourth-place Cabin Honda pairing of Daijiro Katoh and Tohru Ukawa.

Suzuki rider Akira Ryo, starting from pole position, got away first into turn one but was soon caught and passed on the second lap by both Valentino Rossi and Kawasaki factory rider Akira Yanagawa.

With Daijiro Katoh catching the leading three riders, it was soon to be a four, then a five-man early battle with the addition of the rapidly-advancing Tady Okada on the tail, making it a full house of factory Hondas in the leading peleton.

The number 99 Sakurai machine pitted on lap four suffering from mechanical problems, which were to dog the team’s efforts for the entire race.

On lap four the first backmarkers were encountered by the leaders, and one was to play a major part in the fortunes of the race overall, when Yanagawa crashed into the rear of a slower machine on lap 21, effectively blunting one of the Kawasaki factory challenges for the win.

The NK class machine of Keiichi Kitagawa and the Kawasaki Superbike of Gregorio Lavilla and Tamaki Serizawa joined onto the leading five after the fifth lap, with no more than 2.109 seconds covering the top seven near the end of a true first session sprint.

On lap 21 the Phase One World Championship team was out, after their second rider Tony Rees fell on the second lap of his first session, damaging the machine too much to continue.

Colin Edwards’s first session benefited from Rossi’s sterling work, as he led Kagayama by over a second after the first rider changes.

Running off in his efforts to stay in contention, Kagayama a lost several seconds, allowing Edwards to make good his escape until Alex Barros caught him after a display of determined riding.

Another near miss with a backmarker caused Ukawa a moment of worry halfway through his first session, with the fight between Edwards and Barros frequently see-sawing as the backmarkers played their unwitting part in the fight for the win.

At the turn of the third hour, the timesheet order of Katoh, from Rossi, from Okada was somewhat false, as the number four machine team had adopted a strategy of going for longer periods before stopping. Leaders on the road were still the Edwards and Rossi and Barros and Okada partnerships.

The best fight of the race occurred in the second Edwards/Barros session with the SBK and GP rider overtaking each other at will, swapping the lead at frequent intervals. Only a pit stop for Edwards, on lap 101, ended their titanic battle.

The end of the fourth hour once more had an artificial feel to it, with Kato and Ukawa leading their closest challengers by arithmetic only.

In fifth place (Anthony) Gobert and (Noriyuki) Haga were moving on up in pace, but they were to exit in the very final section of the race, having completed 7 hours and 38 minutes of racing. The second factory Kawasaki was already out of the race, after Gregorio Lavilla had crashed at the exit of Spoon curve on lap 81.

At the end of the fifth hour, the order was once more Ukawa from Rossi from Barros, but the fight for the top positions was as intense as ever.

Near disaster for Tady Okada saw him crash as he led Valentino Rossi on lap 117 although his low-speed spill at the chicane left his machine undamaged and he carried on, some 15 seconds down on the departing Rossi, who had to take to the grass to avoid Okada’s machine.

The race itself settled into a routine for the next 40 laps or so, with the three factory Hondas leading in the order of Rossi/Edwards, Barros/Okada and Ukawa/Katoh, with the factory Suzuki of Ryo/Kagayama and Watanabe ahead of Yamaha duo Gobert and Haga.

Five hours and 42 minutes into the race a private machine crashed and caught fire at the last corner of the Esses, just before the Dunlop corner. The pace cars brought all the top four teams, the three Cabin Honda efforts and the factory Suzuki, onto the same 161st lap, and allowed the top Suzuki team to get onto terms with the number 4 Honda.

Barros was similarly fortunate and took advantage to close up to Edwards, negating his 10-second lead.

With the final stint looming for each rider, Rossi showed how determined he was, to lead from Okada by 14 seconds at the turn into the final hour.

With the American riding well as darkness fell, he kept his margin of victory after 217 laps of hard and punishing racing.

Edwards’ second 8-Hour win was Valentino Rossi’s first, with Okada and Barros in second and the Suzuki factory team in third. Rossi’s win was the first by an Italian rider in the 24-year history of the race.

A battling race finish gave Daijiro Katoh and Tohru Ukawa fourth, with fifth going to the first 1000cc four-cylinder NK machine, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Kitagawa, Arakaki and Toda.



HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

Valentino Rossi:
“I am the first Italian rider to win the Suzuka 8-hours race so I am very happy. When Okada crashed in front of me, I was a bit surprised because I could only see his machine. I thought we could win easily then, but #33 caught up again when the pace car came onto the track. So during my last run, I was determined to get some advantages and hand the machine to Colin. (He marked the fastest lap 2:08.855). Last year, I was disappointed so I am really happy to win the race today. This race was really important for me.”

Colin Edwards:
“I had the best teammate this year. When I was racing with Alex Barros, I enjoyed it very much. Then I was angry when the pace car reduced the gap between me and Barros. But Valentino was riding superbly soon after that and I was confident of winning then. Valentino is really splendid rider. I have been on the podium many times in the past but being on the top is something special.”

Noriaki Nakata–Team Manager:
“Both riders did a superb job and also the team staff didn’t make any mistakes. That’s the reason for the win. After the pace car interruption, Valentino rode superbly and it really worked. Last year we were disappointed so this year’s win is even more emotional.”

Koji Nakajima–General Manager:
“I am sorry we couldn’t make 1-2-3 finish due to the interruption of the pace car. However, we are happy to mark the 5th consecutive 8-hours win and
we would like to thank all the sponsors and fans.”

Tadayuki Okada:
“I must say sorry to Alex because I crashed at the Chicane. I wasn’t pushing so hard then but the front end suddenly tuckled. There was no machine damage but I had a bitter feeling. You must win for the 8-hours race. I will make a revenge next year. But before that, I will try my best for the remaining WSB races. I am looking forward to them, as the Michelin tires are better now.”

Alex Barros:
“I have never been so tired before in the 8-hours race. Okada feels sorry about his crash but the pit stop mistake I made was a bigger problem. However, I never gave up till the end. I tried my best to reduce the difference from over one minute to mere 14 seconds.”

Nobuo Ono–Team Manager:
“There were mistakes, but we were aiming for the win till the end. Okada marked 2:10s soon after his crash and Alex rode with all his might during the last run. I was very much impressed by their professional fighting spirits. I think we did a good race.”

Tohru Ukawa:
“I wanted to pass back the #7 (Suzuki). I couldn’t ride faster during the first hours and I must apologize Daijiro for that. When the race was neutralized, I thought I might catch up the leader, but instead, the pace car came in front of me. I must forget the bitter feeling and do my best for the remaining World Championship Races.”

Daijiro Kato:
“We had no trouble during the race, but machine set-up was not perfect so I couldn’t go any faster. We were unlucky that we were passed by #7 after the pace car incident, but that’s racing. I have remaining WGP races to come, so I must change my mind and go for it.”

Michimasa Arima–Team Manager:
“There were no big mistakes nor troubles during the race. But #11 and #33 teams were very fast. I think the pace car interruption was not the reason
for us being 4th. Other team Cabin Hondas were fast and strong.”


RACE RESULTS:

1. Valentino Rossi/Colin Edwards/Manabu Kamada, Honda RC51, 217 laps.

2. Tadayuki Okada/Alex Barros/Shinichi Itoh, Honda RC51, 217 laps

3. Akira Ryo/Yukio Kagayama/Akira Watanabe, Suzuki GSX-R750, 217 laps

4. Tohru Ukawa/Daijiro Katoh/Makoto Tamada, Honda RC51, 217 laps

5. Keiichi Kitagawa/Toshiyuki Arakaki/T. Toda, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 213 laps

6. Yuichi Takeda/Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Honda, 212 laps

7. Norihiko Fujiwara/Noriyasu Numata/O. Miyazaki, Yamaha, 211 laps

8. Daisaku Sakai/Hiroki Noda, Honda, 209 laps

9. Stephane Mertens/Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 208 laps

10. Hideo Senmyo/Kenichio Nakamaru, Honda, 206 laps

11. Yoshinobu Takahashi/Naomichi Nakai, Kawasaki, 206 laps

12. Mitsuo Saito/Takahiro Fukami/Y. Aoyagi, Yamaha 206 laps

13. Haruchika Aoki/Jun Maeda, Honda, 205 laps

14. Katsunori Hasegawa/Hiroshi Muruyama, Honda, 205 laps

15. Shigeru Yamashita/Hideto Hotta, Kawasaki, 203 laps

Fastest lap: Edwards. 2:08.855 = 163.89 kph (101.84 mph). (Lap record for 8-Hours)


Hooters Suzuki was 19th overall at the end of the second hour but Michael Barnes crashed the Hooters GSX-R1000, putting the team back to 45th overall. At the finish, the team was 39th overall.

Wedding (Heidepriem-Korpi), Engagement (Roberson-Feckoury), Birth (Mackenzie Bailey Bennett)

WERA racer Brandon Heidepriem married Toni Korpi on Saturday, July 28, 2001 in Findlay, Ohio. WERA and CCS racer Michael Roberson and Paige Feckoury are engaged to be married September 8, 2001 in Decatur, Georgia. WERA racer, official and Bridgestone tire vendor Derek “Stickboy” Bennett and wife Lori “Honey” Bennett, also a WERA official, had a daughter, Mackenzie Bailey Bennett, July 21, 2001 in West Columbia, South Carolina.

Nobles Beats Montano To Win AMA Pro Thunder At Summit Point

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Tilley Harley-Davidson/Buell’s Tripp Nobles just beat Tom Montano to win the AMA Pro Thunder race held in conjunction with a WERA National Challenge Series event at Summit Point Raceway, with Jeff Nash a close third. Dave Estok, who had been battling Nobles and Montano for the lead, DNF after 7 laps with mechanical problems, as Nash battled up from a bad start to join the lead group.

Bryan Bemisderfer was fourth on a Buell, followed by Michael Dube on a Ducati, Steve Clark on a Suzuki SV650 and Rich Yersak. Only 11 bikes started the race, and just 7 finished.

In WERA National Challenge Series action, Lee Acree won the 750cc Supersport, 600cc Supersport and Formula One races on his Arclight Suzukis, and set a new track record at 1:15.488 during the 750cc Supersport race. Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge won the Open Superstock race on a GSX-R750 and finished second in the 600cc Superstock race.

AMA Pro Thunder Provisional Results
1. Tripp Nobles, Buell
2. Tom Montano, Ducati
3. Jeff Nash, Ducati
4. Bryan Bemisderfer, Buell
5. Michael Dube, Ducati
6. Steve Clark, Suzuki
7. Rich Yersak

Contrary To What Our Japanese Reporter Told Us, Hooters Suzuki’s Ciccotto Didn’t Crash At Suzuka

We originally posted August 4 that Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Cicotto crashed Friday at Suzuka and broke a bone in his right wrist.

This was based on information given to us by our Japanese reporter for the race, but it was incorrect. Ciccotto already had a broken bone in his wrist when he arrived at Suzuka, and, after landing in Los Angeles on Sunday, described what happened there as follows:

“I went to Suzuka just to put in an appearance for my team, since the organizers had promoted Hooters being there. I wasn’t really even planning on riding much, as my wrist has been hurting for over a month now and I wanted to take care of it before my procedure with Doc Kieffer. I went out for two practice sesssions on Thursday. For the first session, I rode one bike and it wasn’t set up very well, but I got some laps in. For the second session, I rode the second bike which was set up a little better, and did a few more laps. But qualifying was coming up next and I decided that I shouldn’t compete – because of my wrist my qualifying times would hurt the team, since they average the times for qualifying. Plus, I didn’t want to risk hurting the wrist more. But I had no getoffs or crashes at all – I was completely careful the whole time. The wrist actually feels pretty good right now, it doesn’t ache like it used to and it has good mobility. But when it comes to really pushing it to the edge, then it hurts because the navicular bone is fractured. So Kieffer will put a screw in there tomorrow or Tuesday.

“But anyway, I’m glad I went to Suzuka. It was a good experience; the track was really neat, the people polite, and the fans very enthusiastic about the racing. The atmosphere was great – lots of energy before the race. And Japan is so unique, everything is so perfect there.

“So tomorrow morning I catch a 6:00 a.m. flight that eventually gets me into Doc Kieffer’s. He’ll put a screw in my wrist to tighten up the navicular bone, and I’ll be good to go in 10 to 14 days. Just in time for Pikes. I’m be ready to do everything I can to win the last 4 Pro Thunder rounds and win the Championship.”

With Ciccotto out, the team competed with Michael Barnes and Kyoichi Kosaka, 25, a Japanese National Championship competitor.

Hooters Suzuki started 30th overall (13th in the SuperProduction class) on the starting grid with a GSX-R1000. Barnes turned a best time of 2:14.025 while Kosaka’s best time was a 2:14.528.

The team ran 19th overall after two hours but fell back to 45th after Barnes crashed, and eventually finished 39th.

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