KWS Motorsports’ Shawn Higbee mounted a rear Dunlop DOT-labeled qualifying tire and grabbed the pole position for the opening round of the Lockhart-Phillips USA Unlimited Superbike final at Daytona International Speedway. Higbee pitted with less than 5 minutes remaining the session, went back out onto the track as the brisk winds began to die down, caught a tow from Brian Parriott, and recorded a 1:52.94 for a new lap record for the class.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s 17-year-old John Hopkins used a new, race-compound rear Michelin to earn the second spot on the grid with a 1:53. 36. Hopkins did his time without the aid of another rider’s draft and into a stiffer headwind through Daytona’s tri-oval.

Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Ciccotto will line up third for Sunday’s feature race, recording a 1:53.91 on a GSX-R750 with Pirelli’s Blue or Super Soft compound.

The outside of row one will see Synergy Racing Technologies’ Matt Wait on his Dunlop-equipped Honda CBR929RR. Wait used a single set of race-compound Dunlop D208s to record a 1:53.93.

Eighth-fastest Michael Barnes lost his grid spot when his Zlock Racing Kawasaki ZX-9R hit 145.2 horsepower in the 145-horsepower class. Barnes was stripped of a F-USA Unlimited Superbike win last March for the same reason. Barnes will start Sunday’s race from the back of the 81-rider grid.

In Sportbike qualifying, Hopkins went one better by capturing the pole with a new lap record for the class of 1:57.14. Hopkins again worked alone against the wind with one set of race-compound Michelin Pilots to record his time.

Again using only one set of Dunlops, Wait put in another good session on his SRT Honda CBR600F4, lapping at 1:57.519 for the second grid spot.

Defending F-USA Sportbike Champion Lee Acree and his Metzeler-sponsored Arclight Suzuki GSX-R600 ran third fastest with a 1:57.61.

Starting fourth in Sunday’s 112-horsepower class will be Joseph Gill on the Starnet/ 4&6 Racing Yamaha YZF-R6 with a time of 1:57.81 on Dunlop tires.

The second, even-numbered Sportbike qualifying session saw more severe winds, and that session’s fastest rider, Arclight’s Brian Parriott, was sixth fastest overall.

Fifth-fastest qualifier, Shogun Motorsports’ 18-year-old Ryan Landers lost his grid spot when his Chuck Giachetto-tuned Yamaha YZF-R6 recorded 112.4 horsepower, 0.4 horsepower over the class limit. Landers will start Sunday’s race from the back of a very large grid.

Formula 2/ Mototek Imports’ Derek M. King took the pole position for Sunday’s Aprilia Cup Challenge race with a 2:12.04 lap time despite being comfortablly within the class’ 63-horsepower limit.

The Libasci Racing Aprilia ridden by second-fastest qualifier Andre Castanos broke a piston, destroying the cylinder and cases, during the qualifying session. Castanos didn’t have to wonder long what would happen to his time of 2:12.81 if he could not complete the mandated dyno run: Dan Fischer protested Castanos for using a non-standard windscreen made by former Aprilia Cup Challenge sponsor Zero Gravity, and Castanos’ time was disallowed.

Second on the Aprilia Challenge grid went to Shannon Silva with a time of 2:13.91 and Fischer’s 2:14.12 on his Copier1.com/ Pro Italia Aprilia earned him the third spot on the front row. Castanos’ disqualification and her 2:14.17 put Cruise America Grand Prix Racing’s Vicky Jackson-Bell on the front row.

In Buell Lightning qualifying, Michael Barnes turned a 2:06.29 on his second lap out of the pits, and the time held up for the pole position. With his Innovative Motorcycle Research Buell well within the 95-horsepower limit, Barnes was over 1.5 seconds faster than the next qualifier.

Tripp Nobles rode his Tilley Harley-Davidson Buell to record a 2:07.74, good for the second spot on the grid.

Hoban Brothers Racing’s Jeff Johnson’s was the third-fastest Buell racer, at 2:08.07..

Hal’s Performance Advantage/ Daytona H-D/ Buell’s Richie Morris recorded the fourth fastest time at 2:08.29, but lost his front row spot when his Buell’s motor broke during the session and couldn’t be re-fired for the dyno testing.

Smith Brothers Harley-Davidson/ Buell’s Jason Smith cured a problem with his bike mid-session then circulated the 3.56-mile track in 2:10.98 to sit on the front row.

Saturday of the CCS/ Formula USA weekend at Daytona included several CCS sprint races as well as qualifying for Sunday’s Formula USA National events.

In Middleweight Supersport Expert, Dega Racing’s Larry Denning came from behind to catch early leader (and rookie Expert) Ted Cobb, with Denning was in front by the time they reached the banking for the first time. Riding a Suzuki GSX-R600, Cobb shadowed Denning and his YZF-R6 for all five laps but couldn’t get close enough to even attempt a pass. Many National Experts watched the race with interest as Denning was only able to record 2:01 laps with a stiff headwind on Daytona’s front straight. Denning said that when he started coming through NASCAR turn four it felt like a semi was trying to draft him because the wind was hitting him so hard.

In his first race weekend since breaking his right patella (aka kneecap) last season, “Lightning” Larry Denning went on to score wins in Middleweight Superbike Expert and Unlimited Supersport Expert on his Pirelli-equipped Yamahas.

The Lightweight Grand Prix Expert race saw former AMA 250cc Grand Prix National Champions (and Performance Machine teammates) Randy Renfrow and Roland Sands gave 17-year-old Jason DiSalvo a lesson in racing on the high banks. Cruise America Grand Prix Racing’s DiSalvo got a great launch from the front of the grid and had pulled out a two-second lead by the time the field reached the West banking. Renfrow and Sands came from the back of the grid to quickly pull clear in second and third. Sands and Renfrow knew what had to be done to catch DiSalvo’s A-kitted Honda RS250 and instantly began working the draft together, and it only took two laps for the pair to catch and pass young DiSalvo. From there it was a three-bike race. Working through traffic on the last lap, Sands thought that he had shaken his pursuers and led into the chicane, and Renfrow slipstreamed DiSalvo and then Sands and went by to win with Sands second, followed by DiSalvo, Jeff Wood and GP Tech’s Simon Turner.

The final race of the day was the Unlimited Grand Prix $1000 Shootout. Riding his 2001 GSX-R750, Cobb got the early advantage over Greg Harrison’s GSX-R1000 and Denning’s YZF-R1. Denning and Harrison displaced Cobb to third on the banking while Rich Conicelli, from row seven, and Scott Russell, from row 11, caught up. Russell went from sixth to first with his factory HMC Ducati 996 on lap two, leaving Denning, Harrison, Conicelli, and Cobb to decide the best of the rest. Russell lapped in the 1:54s for all five laps and crossed the finish line first. On the final lap, Conicelli caught Denning’s draft through the East banking, and nipped Denning for second at the line.

After the race, Russell said that he jumped the start on purpose so that he could run all five laps yet not take the win from another racer. That made Covered Bridge Racing’s Conicelli the winner over Denning. Former 500cc Grand Prix racer Toshiyuki Arakaki rode his Kenz/ Jtrust Racing GSX-R1000 from row 10 to pass Harrison on the final lap for third. Harrison took fourth.

In Unlimited Supersport, Roadracing World’s Chris Ulrich went from row eight and 38th on the grid aboard his GSX-R750 to fourth in five laps, passing Harrison and his 155-horsepower GSX-R1000 on the last lap. Denning won followed by John Ashmead and Cobb. Concelli finished sixth.

MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERSPORT EXPERT: 1. Larry Denning (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Ted Cobb (Suz GSX-R600); 3. Mark Zaremskas (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Shawn Conrad (Suz GSX-R600); 5. Dave Rosno (Suz GSX-R600); 6. Pedro Valiente (Yam YZF-R6).

LIGHTWEIGHT GRAND PRIX AMATEUR: 1. Steve Genter (Hon RS250); 2. Keith Sanderson (Suz SV650); 3. Thomas Matsey (Yam FZR560); 4. Paul Harrison (Yam TZ250); 5. Dennis Bonneau (Suz SV650); 6. Stuart Carter (Suz SV650).

LIGHTWEIGHT GRAND PRIX EXPERT: 1. Randy Renfrow (TSR Hon RS250); 2. Roland Sands (Yam TZ250); 3. Jason DiSalvo (Hon RS250); 4. Jeffery Wood (Yam TZ250); 5. Simon Turner (Yam TZ250); 6. Derek M. King (Apr RSR250).

MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Larry Denning (Yam YZF-R6); 2. Ted Cobb (Suz GSX-R600); 3. Pedro Valiente (Yam YZF-R6); 4. Charles Neighoff (Yam YZF-R6); 5. Ken Stafford (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Scott Simpson (Kaw ZX-6R).

MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERBIKE AMATUER: 1. Giovanni Rojas (Suz GSX-R600); 2. Bill Sheridan (Yam YZF-R6); 3. Christopher Beck (Suz GSX-R600); 4. Paul Bastarache (Kaw ZX-6R); 5. Andre Bibeau (Yam YZF-R6); 6. Steve Craft (Yam YZF-R6).

HEAVYWEIGHT SUPERBIKE AMATUER: 1. Giovanni Rojas (Suz GSX-R600); 2. Robert Kruger (Suz GSX-R750); 3. Steve Fontanez; 4. Joseph Routhier (Hon CBR600); 5. Geoffery Allen (Suz GSX-R750); 6. Theodore Estes (Suz GSX-R750).

SUPERTWINS EXPERT: 1. Thomas Fournier (Duc 996); 2. Joseph Bilinski (Duc 996); 3. Jeff Nash (Duc 748); 4. Fred Stucky (Duc 800); 5. Douglas Gross (Duc 996); 6. David Podolsky (Apr 998).

SUPERTWINS AMATEUR: 1. Tim Banks (Suz TL1000); 2. Papa Thiam (Hon RC51); 3. Obie Johnson (Duc 900); 4. Thomas Noble (Suz SV650); 5. Robert Bianco (Suz TL1000).

UNLIMITED SUPERSPORT AMATEUR: 1. Darryn Wilbur (Yam YZF-R1); 2. John Stapleton (Suz GSX-R1000); 3. Chris Murray-Audain (Yam YZF-R1); 4. Giovanni Rojas (Suz GSX-R600); 5. Randy Rega (Yam YZF-R1); 6. Steve Fontanez.

UNLIMITED SUPERSPORT EXPERT: 1. Larry Denning (Yam YZF-R1); 2. John Ashmead (Suz GSX-R750); 3. Ted Cobb (Suz GSX-R750); 4. Chris Ulrich (Suz GSX-R750); 5. Greg Harrison (Suz GSX-R1000); 6. Rich Connicelli (Suz GSX-R750).

LIGHTWEIGHT SUPERBIKE AMATEUR: 1. Thomas Matsey (Yam FZR560); 2. Keith Sanderson (Suz SV650); 3. Dennis Bonneau (Suz SV650); 4. Moses Detray (Suz SV650); 5. Tom Holley (Suz SV650); 6. Wayne Gaylord (Suz SV650).
LIGHTWEIGHT SUPERBIKE EXPERT: 1. Donald Unger (Duc 750); 2. Steve Keener (Suz SV650); 3. Jerry Wood (Duc 570); 4. Robert Fisher (Suz SV650); 5. R. Todd Keesee (Suz SV650); 6. Bob Robbins (Suz SV650).
HEAVYWEIGHT SUPERSPORT EXPERT: 1. Eric Wood (Suz GSX-R750); 2. John Ashmead (Suz GSX-R750); 3. Rich Conicelli (Suz GSX-R750); 4. Charles Chouinard (Suz GSX-R750); 5. Anthony Lupo (Suz GSX-R750); 6. Christopher Rankin (Suz GSX-R750).
HEAVYWEIGHT SUPERSPORT AMATEUR: 1. Giovanni Rojas (Suz GSX-R750); 2. Robert Kruger (Suz GSX-R750); 3. Geoffrey Allen (Suz GSX-R750); 4. Nathan Kern (Suz GSX-R750); 5. Christopher Beck (Suz GSX-R600); 6. Jeffrey Bankston (Suz GSX-R750).
UNLIMITED GRAND PRIX $1,000 SHOOTOUT: 1. Rich Conicelli (Suz GSX-R750); 2. Larry Denning (Yam YZF-R1); 3. Toshiyuki Arakaki (Suz GSX-R1000); 4. Greg Harrison (Suz GSX-R1000); 5. Ted Cobb (Suz GSX-R750); 6. Anthony Fania (Suz GSX-R750).

By David Swarts

Penguin Racing School’s Jeff Wood took two wins on his Bitwrench Incorporated Suzuki SV650 in CCS racing action at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, March 2. In the five-lap Lightweight Supersport Expert race, Wood took an early lead but was tracked down by CAD Racing’s David Yaakov on another Suzuki 650. The two riders went back and forth setting up for a classic Daytona finish. Yaakov led into the Chicane on the last lap with Wood making the draft pass for the lead on the East banking. Wood seemed to pull out too early as Yaakov regained ground approaching the Tri-oval. But Wood caught a boost of draft off a lapped rider and gained the advantage over Yaakov at the line.

In the 30-minute GT Lights race, Wood again jumped out to an early lead, but CCS officials thought that “jumped” was the problem. Wood was called in for a stop-and-go penalty for a jumped start. Wood rejoined the race in 10th place, but steadily worked his way forward, again reaching the front with less than four minutes remaining in the race.

Team Outa Sight Racing’s Jason Peters made a successful debut on the high banks in Grand Prix Singles. With one practice session of motor break-in as his only Daytona experience, 16-year-old Peters ran away with the race on his 2001 Honda RS125. Peters took the lead the first time through NASCAR turn two and went on to win by 13 seconds.

Team James’ Steve Marlow grabbed a victory in Super Singles over AMA Pro Thunder Champion Jeff Nash. Reigning British Super Mono Champion Marlow ran 2:05s on his BMW 720-powered Pani/GRC to beat Ducati Supermono-mounted Nash by three seconds.

The Expert GTO race was an extra practice for some riders, a missed opportunity for various crash victims, and an extended tire test for winner Joe Gill. Of the full 80-bike grid, more than half either pitted to make changes to their machines or crashed. Starnet/ 4&6 Racing’s Gill diced for most of the race with Shogun Motorsports’ Ryan Landers and Larry Denning with all three riders on Yamaha R1s. Both Landers and Denning crashed late in the race allowing Gill to cruise home 30 seconds ahead of second place Chuck Chouinard, who was followed by Michael Hanley, Shane Prieto and Landers’ teammate Paul Harrell coming from row 19 of the huge grid to take fifth.

Gill, Landers and Denning returned in the 30-minute GTU race on their 600s, but the action was stopped with a red flag after six laps, about halfway through the race. The race was called and Gill was declared the winner over Denning and Landers with Randy Renfrow fourth on his TSR Honda RS250 and first-year Expert Ted Cobb fifth.

HMC Ducati’s Scott Russell won Friday’s five-lap CCS Heavyweight Superbike race at Daytona, riding his HMC Ducati 996 Superbike.

“This is the most important five laps of my life!” joked Russell to a reporter as he headed to the grid. Russell started in the second wave on row 16 of the 70-bike grid and wheelied his Ducati 996 Superbike to 20th after one lap. Russell moved up to 10th through the infield on lap two and continued to reel in the battling lead duo of EMC2’s Ted Cobb and Anthony Fania. Russell’s forward momentum didn’t stop until he passed the leading pair of riders on the brakes for the Chicane and took the checkered flag. Russell crossed the stripe 2.9 seconds ahead of Fania, who just edged out first-year Expert Cobb at the line by the slimmest of margins.

On the Roadracing World stopwatch, Russell ran a best lap of 1:53.4 in the race, through traffic.

“That was the first couple of decent laps that we got all day,” said Russell . “We’re just trying to get set up for next weekend. I’ve got a limited amount of seat time on the Ducati here at Daytona. I know that I still have a lot of work to do before next weekend. That was the first race I’ve won in two years. I love it. This is enjoyable. Racing is supposed to be fun. I’m just trying to get back to the basics of racing and enjoying it. When I can do that, good things come to me. We’re hoping that that repeats itself this year. I didn’t go too fast in that one, 1:53 flat I think. This is all a race set-up. That’s what we’re focusing on. We’re not worrying about qualifying. I’ve got enough watches. I want to win the race.”

During the race, Russell appeared to have passed Chuck Chouinard under a waving yellow in the West Horseshoe during the race, but was not penalized by officials.

By David Swarts

Anthony “Slick” Bass, who formerly tuned for four-time Superbike World Champion Carl Fogarty, is now the Crew Chief for HMC Ducati’s Scott Russell. Roadracing World asked Bass how things were going as Russell took part in the CCS practice Friday at Daytona.

“We’re just shaking things down,” said Bass. “It’s mad out there right now with all of those people. We just need some track time. Scott just spent two years with the Harley. Now he has to get used to, how can I I put this nicely, a true racing bike. Right now, I’m just giving him a lot of stuff to try – just throwing stuff at him.” When asked about the details of Russell’s Ducati Superbike, Bass said, “It’s a 2000-model bike but it’s sort of a hybrid. I have taken the best components from all of the Ducatis through the years, parts from ’99, ’98, etc. The yokes are from the ’96. Those were the best.”

Sunday March 12, 2001, Russell will be attempting to win his sixth Daytona 200 on his third make of motorcycle. “Mr. Daytona” has won the spring classic five times with at least one win on both a Kawasaki and Yamaha using Dunlop and Michelin tires.

A number of women riders are participating in CCS and Formula USA events at Daytona this weekend, and we talked to several.

“I don’t think women need a handicap roadracing, experience is the key,” said first-year racer Darla Martinelli, who is sponsored by Daytona Harley-Davidson/Buell/ Hal’s Performance Advantage. “Maybe I’m treated differently because I’m a woman. People are always happy and encouraging women to get involved. I think a woman’s lower body weight is a bigger advantage than less upper body strength is a disadvantage.”

When asked who she looks up to in road racing, 28-year-old Martinelli said, “I look up to someone like Vicky Jackson-Bell, and I want to be as fast as the guys. I want to be competitive with the guys. I don’t want to be good for a girl. I want to be good for a racer.”

“It’s interesting,” said www.venegaracing.com’s Debi Venega. “People expect us to be slow. That’s not the case. As an Amatuer, I battled with the guys. The guys respect women racers. They don’t treat me any differently. Maybe they admire the fact that we race and can hold our own. A woman does have to prove herself in the motorsports industry. I found that out when I worked in a dealership.

“Maybe there’s a stereotype that women racers must be ‘butch,’ but that’s not true. Some women can actually use their glamour to help sponsorship. Our less body weight is an advantage because the newer bikes require less muscle than older ones did. I’m sure that guys can throw a bike around easier, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to finish better. “

“I think that some men who don’t compete against us think it’s a joke,” laughed LaVaughn Montgomery-Daniel. “They put us on a different level. Too many times I heard other racers…like Roland Sands said, ‘Damn! She’s fast.’ It took him racing against us, me and Vicky (Jackson-Bell), to see that there was talent there.

“Men’s upper body strength is an advantage. I think that to run a larger bike you must be stronger and fitter. I’ve even heard that smaller guys have some problems. Smaller bikes require more finesse and smoothness. On a big bike you have to be more aggressive.

“It’s not any easier to get sponsorship for a woman, maybe that’s because of the classes that we run. People think that it should be easier, but it’s not. I don’t know what other women’s reasons for trying road racing are. Me, I’ve always liked stuff like this. In college, I played rugby and drove a hot rod car. I wanted action. What got me started was coming to the Daytona 200 one year while I was in Daytona on college Spring Break. I thought, ‘Damn! That looks like fun!’ I bought a racebike the next year.”

Vicky Jackson-Bell is the most accomplished woman road racer in the U.S., and for years has been racing with and beating the best men in the U.S. on 125s. Her leathers carry the slogan, “Who Needs Balls?” and she said “We don’t need balls! I’ve been doing this all my life. I didn’t notice things going on around me. First, guys were mad when I beat them in motocross. One guy even put sand in my gearbox at one race. Then one guy quit road racing when I started beating him.

“I think women can ride small bikes as well as guys. They’re not as physical. They’re all about finesse and being smooth. I don’t think a big Superbike would work for a woman unless she was on steroids or something. Riding in motocross, I think I was at a disadvantage with muscle and stamina, I guess.

“I’ve seen glamour used to get sponsorship. One of my sponsors is KMS Haircare, but I’m a hairdresser. So it works perfectly. I think people respect me for what I’ve done.

“Women ask me about racing but don’t think they can do it. But once they try it, they realize that they can. It’s the transition that’s tough. Many who try it really end up liking it.”

By David Swarts

The Aprilia Mille R received mixed reviews from the Aprilia-sponsored BFR/ Pro Italia and Blackmans Cycles riders in its first days at Daytona International Speedway. Chris Carr, a former AMA Grand National Champion and the first man to ever finish the Daytona 200 on a Harley-Davidson VR1000, said he liked the Mille R’s handling. “The thing handles good,” said Carr. “Usually, on a streetbike, you have to shit-can the suspension first thing, but this bike has some really good stuff on it and handles great.”

Carr’s teammate for the Daytona F-USA weekend, 1996 F-USA Champion Tray Batey, echoed Carr’s thoughts on the suspension, saying “The suspension is still stock, stock springs, stock fluid, but it’s pretty close. It really handles well.” When asked to compare the Italian V-twin to the 128-horsepower Suzuki TL1000R that he used to win the 2000 Suzuki Cup Finals and set an overall track record at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Batey said, “This thing is a stone compared to the TL. This thing’s been breathed on, and we’re still not breaking 120 (horsepower).”

BFR/Pro Italia’s Aprilias were hitting “over 130 horsepower” at Daytona, according to team owner Gary Stiles, but the R/D aftermarket titanium valve keepers in both Aaron Clark and Mark Ledesma’s bikes broke on Wednesday, February 28, while the pair were testing during a Team Hammer track ride at Daytona. The BFR/Pro Italia Aprilia team spent the majority of Thursday rebuilding the engines with stock pieces.