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.)

By David Swarts

One of the coolest things about working at Roadracing World is having access to the archive of back issues, reviewing past seasons, and reflecting on how far people have come. As we look ahead to the July 20-22 AMA Double Header Superbike Weekend at Mid-Ohio, we decided to take a look back at the Mid-Ohio AMA weekend from 1996, five years ago.

It rained on Sunday at Mid-Ohio in 1996 causing some strange results. The Superbike race, along with most of the other races, was red-flagged twice for crashes in the last turn, which sent bikes into the wall on the outside of the turn and bouncing back out onto the track (The wall has since been moved back.) The second red flag stopped the Superbike race short of its full distance, leaving then dominant Honda rider Miguel Duhamel in fourth behind privateer Brett Metzger on his GSX-R750 Supersport bike, Thomas Wilson on the then-two-year-old Harley-Davidson VR1000, and Pascal Picotte on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750.

Notable crashers included Mike Smith on a Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-7R, Larry Pegram on a Fast By Ferracci Ducati 955, current Ducati North America Road Race Manager David Roy on a Suzuki GSX-R750, Jamie James on a Vance & Hines Yamaha YZF750R, and Mat Mladin on a Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750.

Doug Chandler’s seventh-place finish allowed him to leave Mid-Ohio with the Superbike point lead over Duhamel, Picotte, Kipp, and Mladin.

In 250cc Grand Prix, Team Oliver Yamaha’s Rich Oliver took the third of four consecutive wins at Mid-Ohio en route to his third of four consecutive 250cc Grand Prix Championships. Cliff Tolley was second ahead of Perry Melneciuc. The finish was Melneciuc’s first AMA National podium. (Melneciuc just earned his second podium position during the wet 250cc Grand Prix race at Road America last month.)

Kurtis Roberts, then 18, crashed his PJ1 Yamaha in a 250cc heat race and broke his ankle.

The wet, red-flag interrupted 600cc Supersport race was far from normal. After hours were spent cleaning up an oil spill on the wet track, the re-started race was won by Erion Racing’s Doug Toland followed by Moto Liberty’s Gerald Rothman and Erion’s Andrew Stroud. All three were sponsored by Bridgestone but ran Dunlop DOT-labeled rain tires for the wet race.

Fourth place went to Todd Harrington with class points leader Miguel Duhamel fifth ahead of Marcus Hubbard, Matt Wait, injured-in-practice Thomas Stevens on the Kinko’s Kawasaki ZX-6R, Ken Melville, and Ben Bostrom. Owen Weichel finished 14th, one spot better than 18-year-old Tommy Hayden on a Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-6R. Brian Parriott crashed and finished 21st, still better than Mike Smith’s 28th after a first-lap crash. Nearly everyone crashed at some point in the race.

The wet Harley-Davidson SuperTwins race saw Ben Bostrom pass Matt Wait for the win, three corners from the finish, with Eric Bostrom third. Both Bostroms ran Metzeler Lazer front tires with ME99 rears. Wait used a Dunlop dirt track front tire and a D364 rear. All three rode with high, dirt-track-style bars and put their feet down in corners.

Other notable finishers in the H-D 883 race included Nate “Gator” Wait in fourth, Brian Gibbs in fifth, David Estok in 10th, Richie Morris in 12th, and current 750cc Supersport racer Daigoro Suzuki in 13th.

In Saturday’s dry SuperTeams race Moto Liberty Honda’s Gerald Rothman and Al Salaverria took the win on Bridgestones ahead of Fritz Kling and Ray Yoder on the Dutchman’s FZR1000-engined YZF750 “Yama-Monster.” Doug Polen and Dale Quarterley finished third on the Carry-Andrew-tuned EBSCO Suzuki GSX-R1100, giving the EBSCO the class point lead. (That same GSX-R1100 is still used occasionally by Vincent Haskovec to win WSMC Formula One races at Willow Springs.)

In 750cc Supersport, Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Aaron Yates and Pascal Picotte continued their domination of the class. Yates won over Picotte followed by Michael Barnes, Mark Miller, and Mark McDaniel, all on GSX-R750s.

For the financial quarter ending June 30, 2001, Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as DMH) has announced a 7.2% growth in total revenue (to $102.5 million, Euro 120.9 million) with 5.6% growth in total sales (to $97.1 million, Euro 114.6 million).

Total revenues for the first half of 2001 are up 5.2% (to $187.8 million, Euro 221.5 million) versus 2000 when total sales were up 2%, (to $184.1 million, Euro 217.1 million).

“These results, however, are not at the extraordinary growth levels that Ducati has achieved in recent years,” said Ducati Chief Executive Officer Carlo Di Biagio in a Ducati press release. “Our outlook suggests challenging selling conditions in the coming months. We would therefore anticipate high-single-digit year-end sales growth versus last year, below our 15% target.”