Team Pro-Motion, an organization that holds open track days in the eastern United States, and Aprilia, an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, have teamed up for a special opportunity. Aprilia is making RS250 Challenge Cup racebikes and RSV Mille R streetbikes available to rent for one session, one half day, or a full day’s worth of riding at Team Pro-Motion track days. For an extra fee beyond the cost of the track day, riders can get the GP experience from the 62-horsepower, two-stroke RS250 or can emulate Troy Corser on the Ohlins-suspended V-Twin Mille R four-stroke.

Team Pro-Motion will also host three Aprilia track days where Aprilia demo rides and special instruction classes will be offered. All motorcycle brands will be welcomed on the track ride days, which are scheduled for April 16th at Pocono International Raceway, May 4th at Summit Point Raceway, and May 21st at Carolina Motorsports Park. A fourth date at Virginia International Raceway (North course) on July 2nd may be added.

For more information, contact Team Pro-Motion’s Linda Rabb at (215)675-5080 or any area Aprilia dealer, which can be located by calling Aprilia USA at (770) 592-2261.

In a phone call to Roadracing World, Willow Springs Owner Bill Huth said April 3 that he is determined to have an AMA Superbike National at his racetrack and will promote the event himself, if he can get AMA officials to return his phone calls.

“I’ll do the thing myself if I have to. I’m keeping the date, I want the date,” said Huth, adding that Hansyllan Motorsports gave up on the event because they could not get a straight answer on date confirmation from AMA officials. The race was originally scheduled for September 14-16.

But Huth added that he had been unable to get in touch with anybody at the AMA, and asked if the AMA phone number he had was the right one. (It was.)

Huth also said he is considering discussing co-promotion of the event with Doug Gonda, the promoter who sold Formula USA to SFX Motor Sports at the end of the 1999 season.

Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge starred in both WERA National Challenge Series races he entered at Texas World Speedway on Sunday, running away with the Open Superstock win on a GSX-R1000 and holding off a charging Larry Denning to win in 600cc Superstock on a GSX-R600.

Denning won the Formula One race on a YZF-R1, while Scott Harwell won the 750cc Superstock and Heavyweight Twins races on his Suzukis. In Heavyweight Twins, Harwell beat John Branch on a Honda RC51 and Bill St. John on a Ducati.

Young Gun Jason Peters won the 125cc Grand Prix race and finished a close second in the Formula Two race. In Lightweight Twins, Bradley Champion won with St. John second and David Yaakov third.

Junge, Denning and Harwell all ran on Metzeler or Pirelli tires.

The Texas World round of the WERA National Challenge Series was hosted by RPM, a WERA affiliate.

Shogun Motorsports Owner Brooks Gremmels said April 2 that injured rider Ryan Landers will be replaced on the Shogun Motorsports team, adding that Landers will have some role in the team’s operations as long as he wishes to.

But as far as Landers’ riding career goes, Gremmels said, “It’s over. That part is over. It has to stop.”

Landers was injured during a CMRA/CCS Regional at Motor Sports Ranch in Cresson, Texas on Sunday, April 1.

Prior to talking to Roadracing World, Gremmels placed a post on the CMRA message board (www.cmraracing.com) that read “Yesterday, following his win in the Shogun Shootout, Ryan Landers was injured while racing in the Unlimited SuperSport race. Ryan fell and was struck in the head by another rider in an unavoidable accident. Ryan was transported to Harris Hospital in Ft. Worth. He was diagnosed as having a severe concussion.

“Ryan is nationally known for his riding talents but his reputation for having a heart bigger than Texas, is even greater. If it was left up to Ryan, he would be on the grid for his next scheduled race at Willow Springs on April 20. Instead, his parents, Johnny and Patti Landers, his team manager, Chuck Giachetto and his sponsors have joined in asking Ryan to retire from road racing. Ryan is a bright young man with a wonderful future ahead of him on whatever path he chooses. Those of us who have had the good fortune to be involved with Ryan want to thank his CMRA family for their support throughout his career.

“Should you wish, Ryan can be contacted by email at [email protected].”

Gremmels said that Landers lost the front end while passing a slower rider on the inside of a sweeping corner, crashed and slid in front of the other rider, who ran over Landers’ head. Landers was released from the hospital Sunday night after a CAT scan but was still suffering the effects of his seventh concussion.

Observers on site thought that Landers, who initially was not moving and not breathing, had died in the incident. He started breathing again and was transported to the hospital.

Landers has had a star-crossed career marked by bad luck and serious injuries, including severe damage to one elbow and arm.

The GPRA 125cc Grand Prix race that was aborted due to darkness during the Daytona Formula USA weekend will be run at Road America on Saturday, April 28.

According to GPRA’s Chris Wallace, “GPRA will in fact hold a make up race at Road America on Saturday, April 28 to allow those racers who were at Daytona and on the grid for the first start of the race to compete for the full purse and
points. There will be no additional fee for this make-up as fees were paid for Daytona. The normally scheduled round two of the Eastern region will take place on Sunday and is open to all GPRA licensed competitors.”

More information is available from www.gpra.org

American Ben Bostrom won the second World Superbike at Kyalami in South Africa, his first World Superbike race win outside of the United States.

Bostrom was fourth on his Ducati in the first race at Kyalami, and credited set-up changes made between races with his record-setting second-race speed.

Defending World Champion Colin Edwards won the first race on a Honda, but DNF the second race after briefly taking the lead from Bostrom.

Bostrom is now third in series points standings, behind Ducati’s Troy Bayliss and Aprilia’s Troy Corser.

First race results were:
1. Edwards
2. Bayliss
3. Corser
4. Bostrom
5. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki
6. Pierfrancesco Chili, Suzuki
7. Gregorio Lavilla, Kawasaki
8. Regis Laconi, Aprilia
9. Ruben Xaus, Ducati
10. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki

Second race results were:
1. Bostrom
2. Bayliss
3. Corser
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati
5. Xaus
6. Laconi
7. Lavilla
8. Chili
9. G. Bussei, Ducati
10. Chambon

George Bruggenthies, President and General Manager of Road America, has hired Carson Wilkinson as the Wisconsin track’s first full-time Safety Director. Before accepting his new position in charge of Road America’s 75-member- strong emergency response team, Wilkinson worked for the track since 1995 on a part-time basis while also holding the position of Division Chief for Training Safety with the Kenosha Fire Department. Since starting his safety career in 1975, Wilkinson has served in several capacities from firefighter to the Safety and Rescue Chief for the Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs in conjunction with the Sports Car Club of America.

Bruggenthies was quoted in the press release issued by Road America as saying the addition of the new Briggs & Stratton Motorplex has doubled Road America’s racing capacity. According to Road America Communications Director Cheryl Barnes, the increase in racing activity and large spectator events from four to five in 2001 led to the need for the new full-time position which in turn led to Wilkinson’s hiring.

Road America is one of America’s premier road racing facilities and is located in east-central Wisconsin, about an hour north of Milwaukee.

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. and Mind Arrow Systems, Inc. teamed up to produce two multimedia e-mail marketing campaigns, targeting 30,000 computer owners. Targeted consumers received information about either the Kawasaki Good Times Giveaway or the Kawasaki Good Times Sweepstakes. Each message contained video from current Kawasaki TV ad campaigns, a link to register for giveaways (including a Chevy Silverado truck, a ZX-6R sportbike, a Vulcan 1500 cruiser, a KX250 or special financing), and links to Kawasaki’s official motorcycle website and accessory site.

Kawasaki managers liked the ability to combine the flashy video footage with detailed information in a format that allows them to easily track the campaign’s results, in the form of giveaway registrations.

Ducati’s Ben Bostrom and Troy Bayliss topped Superpole qualifying Saturday for today’s Superbike World Championship races at Kyalami, South Africa. Defending Superbike World Champion Colin Edwards was third-fastest in Superpole on a Honda, followed by Aprilia’s Troy Corser.

A Ducati press release from Kyalami quoted American Bostrom as saying “I am really pleased. This is my first Superpole and I hope it’ll be followed by a lot more this season. I saw Troy and Colin set excellent times and when it was my turn I was feeling really good. The bike has been perfect all weekend and so are my Dunlops. All I had to do was keep calm and set a fast time. I want to thank my team, who did a fantastic job. Tomorrow the races are going to be really entertaining.”

The Ducati release quoted Bayliss as saying “We had a few problems in all the sessions. “In the free practice session before Superpole we managed to resolve all our problems and finally find a good set-up and the right Michelins to set a good time. With race tires we’re okay, but doing a Superpole like the one I did today really puts you in the right frame of mind for the race.”


“I felt a slight vibration in the front brake” said Troy Corser, as quoted in an Aprilia press release following Superpole. “I was trying to brake as late as possible and this puts the brakes under stress. But we will be able to resolve the problem. In the Superpole warm-up I worked a lot on the choice of tires and I’ve got some good results for tomorrow. The races are going to be really tough and anyone on the front row can win.”


SUPERPOLE Results:
1. Ben Bostrom (Ducati) 1:41.689
2. Troy Bayliss(Ducati) 1:41.918
3. Colin Edwards (Honda) 1:42.199
4. Troy Corser (Aprilia) 1:42.249
5. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) 1:42.606
6. Tadayuki Okada (Honda) 1:42.789
7. Pierfrancesco Chili (Suzuki) 1:42.802
8. Akira Yanagawa (Kawasaki) 1:43.011
9. Regis Laconi (Aprilia) 1:43.065
10. Ruben Xaus (Ducati) 1:43.143