First Free Practice World Superbike Times From Laguna Seca:

1. Ben Bostrom, Ducati, 1:26.583
2. Troy Corser, Aprilia, 1:26.708
3. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:26.755
4. Colin Edwards II, Honda, 1:26.935
5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:27.008
6. Pierfrancesco Chili, Suzuki, 1:27.338
7. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:27.437
8. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, 1:27.698
9. Gregorio Lavilla, Kawasaki, 1:27.743
10. James Tosland, Ducati, 1:27.815
11. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:27.867
12. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki, 1:28.171
13. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati, 1:28.210
14. Marco Borciani, Ducati, 1:28.301
15. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 1:28.342
16. Tadayuki Okada, Honda, 1:28.355
17. Regis Laconi, Aprilia, 1:28.513
18. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, 1:28.537

AMA Teams hauled sections of Air Fence from Loudon to Laguna Seca at the request of AMA officials who said they had a transportation problem, but the sections of Air Fence sat in the paddock, unused, as bikes circulated around the track Thursday morning.

According to a spokesman for Speedvision Productions, which promotes the combined World Superbike and AMA Superbike races at Laguna Seca, the company was told by AMA officials that they didn’t have anybody to drive a truck carrying Air Fence sections to Laguna Seca and that the Air Fence sections wouldn’t be there. So Speedvision Productions bought 23,000 haybales along with deploying the $50,000 worth of Air Fence Bike sections Speedvision Productions purchased expressly for use at Laguna Seca.

Reached by cell phone at Laguna Seca and asked why the AMA Air Fence had not been deployed instead of haybales, AMA Pro Racing Media Relations Consultant Larry Lawrence said that the AMA’s sections of Air Fence were not needed because the track had already been FIM homologated with haybales and Speedvision’s Air Fence Bike sections in place.

Lawrence said that AMA officials asked that an additional six sections of AMA Air Fence be positioned in the area where Jamie Bowman hit a concrete wall and was fatally injured last year, and that obtaining permission to deploy the additional Air Fence in that area involved a certain amount of FIM red tape. Lawrence said that the additional six sections of AMA Air Fence would be deployed during the lunch break Thursday.

Buell Pro Thunder Qualifying Times From Laguna Seca

1. Thomas Montano, Ducati 748, 1:32.258
2. David Estok, Buell 1200, 1:33.073
3. Jeffrey Nash, Ducati 748RS, 1:34.492
4. Tripp Nobles, Buell 1200, 1:35.345
5. Nick Ienatsch, Ducati 748, 1:35.530
6. Dean Mizdal, Ducati 748, 1:35.722
7. Mike Ciccotto, Buell 1200, 1:36.253
8. John Dugan, Ducati 748, 1:36.328
9. Mike Sullivan, Ducati 748, 1:36.845
10. David White, Honda Hawk 700, 1:36.968
11. Rich Thorwaldson, Ducati 748, 1:37.211
12. Dr. David Kieffer, M.D., Ducati 748, 1:37.544
13. Tyler Sandell, Suzuki SV650, 1:38.844
14. Ricky Lundgren, Ducati 748, 1:39.546
15. Charlie Hewitt, Ducati 748, 1:39.986

Due to the crowded schedule of the combined AMA and World Superbike weekend, both Buell Pro Thunder and MBNA 250cc Grand Prix will have timed qualifying sessions instead of their normal heat races.

1. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:29.766
2. Mark Miller, Honda, 1:30.195
3. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:30.584
4. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:30.753
5. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:31.076
6. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:31.151
7. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:31.453
8. Josh Hayes, Honda, 1:31.575
9. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:32.410
10. Thomas Montano, Ducati, 1:32.883
11. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki, 1:33.097
12. David Estok, Buell, 1:33.265
13. Tripp Nobles, Buell, 1:34.198
14. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha, 1:34.700
15. Chris Voelker, Honda, 1:34.858

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Grant Lopez crashed unhurt in the session while fourth-fastest.

1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:30.164
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:30.236
3. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 1:30.574
4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:30.650
5. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:31.078
6. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:31.288
7. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:31.581
8. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:31.707
9. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:31.903
10. Josh Hayes, Honda, 1:31.921
11. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:32.341
12. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:32.605
13. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:32.938
14. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:33.137
15. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:33.376
16. Lance Isaacs, Honda, 1:33.952
17. Stuart Stratton, Yamaha, 1:35.354
18. Marc Palazzo, Honda, 1:35.510
19. Bryan Kovarick, Yamaha, 1:36.249
20. Kevin Carter, Yamaha, 1:36.944

This Just In, from racer Richie Morris:

After reading comments from riders bashing F-USA on decisions made in Sunday’s Superbike race, I felt I should express my feelings toward the F-USA program.

I don’t know the details about Mike Ciccotto’s beef, nor is it any of my business. All of the Hooters guys are friends of mine and I would like to keep it that way. But just the same, I would like to say that the F-USA program, in my opinion, is the most professionally-run operation that I have been associated with in all of my racing career!

They treat everyone with courtesy and respect, regardless of how big your team is or how fast the rider may be. I personally feel that is refreshing to the sport. At the AMA events if you are not involved with a factory team you are a nobody. Now these guys are trying to build a series that focus on riding ability and fan appreciation. So I feel they need a fair shake.

First, you can approach Bill Syfan or Kenny Abbott with any problem or suggestion you may have and they will listen and take some kind of action. It may not always be to your liking, but they do listen to ALL of the riders. When I arrived at VIR, Roger Lyle ask me to take a few laps with him in a car. He wanted to show me the track and get my opinion on some safety issues. What other series would do that? They pay better money than AMA and you get your check that day. Bottom line, it is a friendly, professional atmosphere and I would invite any and all new riders to check the series out.

In closing, I want to say thanks to everyone who was at VIR for welcoming me back after the Daytona nightmare. I just thank God to be able to ride a motorcycle after the crash, but being able to finish second my first race back cannot be described by words.

Thanks again to F-USA, fellow riders and teams, and the fans for a great welcome in my return to the track!

Richie Morris

This Just In, a press release from Benelli:

“Team Benelli Sport continue their World Superbike campaign with a visit to the awesome Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California this weekend. It’s a significant challenge for the Tornado Racing Team as it’s only their second World Superbike race and to make things harder, it’s also a ‘flyaway’ round. When a race team attends a European round they are able to take all their trucks, hospitality units and support staff. But when attending ‘flyaway’ rounds the trucks and hospitality buses have to stay at home and the team have to work out of temporary units and shipping cases. Even the established teams struggle with this set up so it’ll be a steep learning process for Team Benelli Sport.

“Despite the difficulties they face, the team is upbeat about their first competitive visit to the USA, especially rider Peter Goddard who is really fired up and raring to go.

“‘I am really looking forward to Laguna,’ declared Goddard from his hotel in Monterey. “The aim is to finish both races and get some points! I like Laguna as it is a very challenging rider’s track. It is very unforgiving with a well-used surface and many elevation and camber changes – but that’s exactly what makes it such a challenge!’ Goddard has spent the last week in
America visiting friends and family and adjusting his body clock to the time zone.

“The team is already making great progress in their mission to win the World Superbike Championship, and they’re attracting fantastic support from sponsors and suppliers. They’re also catching the eye of the press and of course racing fans worldwide. The fantastic Tornado Superbike drew the crowds at Misano and is sure to cause a stir in the USA.

“All the attention is great for the team, but the rider and technicians have a tough job to do and they’ve been working hard since Misano preparing the machine and working out settings for Laguna Seca.

“‘We will have access to the best Dunlop Tires from Friday here so that will make a big difference,’ explained Goddard. ‘We will be up against it here with no previous bike experience, only some data which we have used to try to match gearbox and speeds together. But I have raced here for the last three years so I know the place reasonably well. I believe the bike will work fine at Laguna chassis-wise but will need some suspension changes for this special circuit. I have been discussing this with Ohlins and the team and I think we have a good start plan. We have already made some changes to increase ground clearance. We just hope to have a good run with the engine, we have no major engine updates yet as everything has come directly from the Misano round. The weather is forecast to be fine so it could be another hot one like last year.'”

Tom Montano now leads AMA Buell Pro Thunder points, following last weekend’s combined AMA/WERA race at Portland, according to a press release issued today by AMA Pro Racing. Point standings follow:

1. Tom Montano, Ducati, 117 points
2. Mike Ciccotto, Buell, 103 points
3. Dave Estok, Buell, 97 points
4. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 95 points
5. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 69 points
6. Charlie Hewitt, Ducati, 63 points
7. Dean Mizdal, Ducati, 53 points
8. Tom Fournier, Ducati, 49 points
9. Michael Barnes, Buell, 39 points
10. Eric Wood, Ducati, 38 points

Final Formula Xtreme Qualifying From Laguna Seca

1. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:28.243
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:28.296
3. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:28.905
4. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:28.963
5. Josh Hayes, Honda, 1:29.091
6. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:29.496
7. Mark Miller, Honda, 1:29.728
8. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:29.755
9. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:29.883
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:31.491
11. Jason Curtis, Yamaha, 1:32.410
12. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, 1:32.858
13. Marc Palazzo, Honda, 1:32.868
14. Robert Mesa, Yamaha, 1:33.139
15. Daigoro Suzuki, Suzuki, 1:33.143

A crash by Chris Voelker during the 50-minute qualifying session caused a red flag with approximately ten minutes remaining in the session. At the time, Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s John Hopkins had the fastest time with his GSX-R1000 and Michelin race tires.

When the session resumed for the remainder of its time, Dunlop-sponsored teams mounted their qualifying tires and lept to the top of the charts.

Kipp will start from the pole position for the first time ever in the Formula Xtreme class Saturday afternoon.

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:27.249
2. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:27.456
3. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:27.510
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:28.065
5. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:28.188
6. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki, 1:28.561
7. Larry Pegram, Ducati, 1:28.685
8. Steve Rapp, Ducati, 1:28.953
9. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:29.001
10. Pascal Picotte, H-D, 1:29.359
11. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 1:29.425
12. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha, 1:30.489
13. Andreas Meklau, Ducati, 1:30.597
14. Mike Smith, H-D, 1:30.988
15. Richie Alexander, Suzuki, 1:32.091*
16. Jordan Szoke, H-D, 1:32.215
17. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:32.681*
18. Mike Sullivan, 1:33.152
19. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:33.799*
20. Andrew Deatherage, Suzuki, 1:33.980
*denotes riding 750cc Supersport machine