Reports out of Japan today (January 15 U.S. time, January 16 Japan time) indicate that both Yamaha and Honda are already testing four-stroke GP bikes in preparation for the 2002 racing season, when 990cc four-strokes will compete with 500cc two-strokes in the Grand Prix World Championship. While a two-stroke Yamaha YZR500 makes about 190 horsepower, the new four-stroke Yamaha already makes over 230 horsepower and has a 10 kph (6.2 mph) advantage in top speed on Yamaha’s private test course, according to racing sources in Iwata, Japan. The four-stroke’s lap times have not yet equaled those of the YZR500. The new Yamaha is thought to be a V3, although the sources would not admit to the engine configuration. If it is a V3 with round pistons, it would have to race with a minimum weight of 135 kilograms, or 5 kilograms more than the minimum weight for a YZR500 in 2002. A V3 with oval pistons will have to meet a minimum weight of 145 kilograms. Meanwhile, Honda has been testing both V5 and V3 four-stroke racebikes in Japan and plans to announce the configuration it will use in 2002 at a press conference to be held January 29. Competing engineering teams built the machines, an approach used before by Honda to determine the best configuration for a given application. Honda and Yamaha’s initial testing contributed to Bridgestone’s decision to enter the Grand Prix World Championship in 2002. Initial tests have shown both companies’ new four-strokes to be very hard on existing tires made by Dunlop and Michelin. Bridgestone recently contracted Erv Kanemoto’s Kanemoto Racing to test tires on a Honda NSR500 during 2001, in preparation for the 2002 racing season, although no official announcement has been made yet.

Lockhart-Phillips today laid off Motorsports Manager Morgan Broadhead and discontinued its at-track race support and product sales program. Broadhead, who has worked for the company for two years, was in charge of the company’s at-track sales as well as its popular Team Privateer program, which offered varying levels of sponsorship support to over 900 racers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australia. Lockhart-Phillips will no longer sell products at races, according to Broadhead. Broadhead can be contacted at (949)500-8695. “We will still be running the privateer program but we’re changing it internally,” said Lockhart-Phillips President Wendall Phillips. “I still haven’t finalized it. That’s really all we can say at this point. The privateer program will be maintained. We’ve been running the privateer program since 1986 and it has evolved into a program that really expanded the support of privateers across the country and that will continue. They can call into customer service and place orders and get feedback. I won’t have any other news for probably about two weeks.” Lockhart-Phillips U.S.A. is located at 151 Calle Iglesia, San Clemente, CA 92672, (949) 498-9090.

Additional dyno tests done at the request of readers and Yamaha owners alarmed by an almost-20-horsepower spread between Roadracing World’s 2001 Yamaha YZF-R1 test bike and Roadracing World’s 2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000 test bike did not reduce the power gap. Substituting one YZF-R1 for another and redoing the tests on the White Brothers Model 200 Dynojet dyno in Yorba Linda, California on Friday, January 12 resulted in the same spread, with almost identical horsepower figures to those seen in the first set of dyno runs. Running both bikes on North County Hyper Sports’ Model 150 Dynojet dyno in Oceanside, California on Saturday, January 13 increased the readings for each bike by about six horsepower, but did not close the power gap. On the Hyper Sports dyno, the Yamaha made about 130 horsepower and the Suzuki made about 150 horsepower.

Alice King, a former racer, is the new Press Relations Manager for Ducati North America. King, 36, owns three racebikes and last raced two years ago with LRRS, primarily riding FZR400 Yamahas with a Junior classification. (LRRS is unique among U.S. sanctioning bodies in that it currently has an intermediate rider ranking between Amateur–or Novice–and Expert.) King takes over press duties formerly handled by Gary Schmidt, who had been doing double-duty by handling press relations and advertising for the New Jersey-based company. Schmidt is now concentrating on advertising for Ducati North America.

New Zealand Open and 600cc Sports Production Champion Tony Rees is looking for a ride in the United States, according to Jonathan Bentman, Editor of Kiwi Motorcycle Rider magazine. Rees, 33, has dominated Sports Production-class racing in New Zealand since 1996, and last season finished third in the Australian Formula Xtreme Championship, rode for the Phase One team in the Endurance World Championship Series and qualified on pole for the Eastern Creek (Australia) 6-Hour, Bentman reports. Interested teams can contact Rees through Bentman at 011-64-9-416-5307, FAX 011-64-9-416-5308.

Derek MacKelvie King’s ride with GP Tech Yamaha for 2001 has fallen apart, and King is looking for another ride. “It was just some internal disagreements,” said King, who finished second in the 2000 Aprilia Cup Challenge Series and won an AMA 250cc Grand Prix race at Loudon in 1999. “We couldn’t come to contract agreements and just went ahead with Chuck Sorensen for the year and more than likely we’re gonna have Simon Turner riding also,” said GP Tech Yamaha Team Owner Geoff Maloney when asked about King. Maloney had earlier issued a press release announcing that the team would run King along with 1999 and 2000 AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Sorensen. Turner, 31, finished sixth in the 1998 British 250cc Series and had four podium finishes in the 2000 Irish Stock Sport Series, as well as winning an international Superbike race at Mondello Park. Turner also has experience riding a Honda NSR500V, and sampled racing in the Southeastern U.S. in 1999 while riding under the Irish Bike magazine banner.

GPRA 125cc Grand Prix Champion Vicky Jackson-Bell will campaign an Aprilia RS250 and a Honda RS125 in the 2001 Formula USA Series, competing in the Aprilia Cup Challenge and GPRA 125cc Grand Prix classes with sponsorship from Cruise America. Vicky Jackson-Bell, 36, of San Juan Capistrano, California, won the GPRA 125cc Grand Prix Championship in 2000, won the 1998 WSMC 125cc Grand Prix Championship, finished second in the 1998 AMA 125cc GP Exhibition Series and finished second in the 1996 and 1997 NASB 125cc Grand Prix Series. Bell’s husband and tuner, Tony Bell, is a partner in Spectrum Motorsports, a new Honda and Aprilia dealership located in Lake Forest, California.

As expected, Formula USA and GPRA have made a formal announcement of their association for the 2001 season. According to a January 12 press release issued by Formula USA, “SFX Motor Sports Group announced today an agreement to partner with Grand Prix Riders Association (GPRA) for the promotion and operation of the GPRA 125cc GP and 250cc GP National Championship events held in conjunction with Championship Cup Series (CCS) and the Wrenchead.com, Formula USA National Road Race Series (NRRS) events. “Also announced is (sic) the GPRA Eastern and Western Region schedules. Championships will be earned in both 125cc GP and 250cc GP classes in both regions, with the National Championship Final being held at Daytona International Speedway on October 19-22, 2001. “‘GPRA is excited to be involved with SFX Motor Sports Group on our events in 2001,’ said Chris Wallace, Director of Operations for GPRA. ‘This partnership will benefit those dedicated riders of Grand Prix machinery with increased exposure and purses.’ “‘Partnering with GPRA will help put true Grand Prix equipment and racing in front of a wider audience,’ said Bill Syfan, Director of Road Racing for SFX Motor Sports Group, ‘and will help expand the popularity of Grand Prix racing across the country.’ “In the partnership, SFX will be responsible for licensing, registration and scoring of GPRA classes held in conjunction with CCS or NRRS events. GPRA will be responsible for purses, contingencies, trophies and prizes at all events. SFX and GPRA will share in the promotion and marketing of the GPRA series.” The release listed GPRA Western Region dates April 19-22 in conjunction with a Formula USA round at Willow Springs, April 28-29 in conjunction with a CCS race at Thunderhill, June 30-July 1 in conjunction with a CCS race at Buttonwillow, August 4-5 in conjunction with a WMRRA race at Seattle and September 7-9 in conjunction with a Formula USA race at Portland. Eastern Region dates listed included March 1-4 at Daytona with Formula USA, April 27-29 with CCS at Road America, June 2-3 with CCS/GLRRA at Grattan, June 29-July 1 at Virginia with Formula USA and August 24-26 with Formula USA at Pocono. The GPRA National Championship Final will be held October 18-21 at Daytona, with the Formula USA final and CCS Race Of Champions.

Bridgestone is expected to announce momentarily that it has contracted Kanemoto Racing to test tires on a Honda NSR500 in preparation for the Japanese tire giant’s assault on 500cc Grand Prix racing in 2002. Insiders say that Kanemoto will test with two riders at Grand Prix tracks around the world, gathering data for Bridgestone’s challenge to rival tire maker Michelin, which currently completely dominates GP racing’s most prestigious classification. While Bridgestone has achieved some success in the past on 125cc and 250cc machines, the company has never made much of an impression in 500cc GP nor in Superbike racing worldwide. Racing observers have wondered for years when–and if–the company would get serious about top-level motorcycle racing, given that it was able to drive rival Goodyear completely out of Formula One car racing internationally and open-wheel CART and IRL racing in the U.S. in a matter of years after initially challenging the American firm’s monopoly. Michelin has entered the Formula One battle for 2002, challenging Bridgestone’s exclusive hold on the car series, and Bridgestone’s attack on Michelin’s 500cc GP stronghold may be a warning shot across the bow for the French tire firm. If it is successful in 500cc Grand Prix racing, Bridgestone is likely to challenge Michelin and Dunlop in World Superbike competition, and may threaten Dunlop’s monopoly fitment on Superbike teams in the AMA Superbike Series.