While several AMA teams traveled to Road Atlanta to test last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Southern California-based Graves Motorsports made the relatively short trip to Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, California and tested with Aaron Gobert and Damon Buckmaster last Friday.

HMC Ducati’s Steve Rapp also rode at Sears Point on Friday, during a Dp Track Day organized by former racer Dennis Pegelow.

HMC Ducati skipped the Road Atlanta tests because, according to owner Mitch Hansen, the team is still in the midst of finding a second rider and is spending the break between Daytona and Sears Point relocating into a new race shop.

The Ducati ridden by Rapp at the Dp day was not a full Superbike, but rather a modified streetbike.

Ben Spies broke his left wrist when he crashed a motocross bike while training Sunday.

Spies, 16, who rides for Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, finished second in the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Daytona and ran well under the class lap record during testing at Road Atlanta last week.

At post time it was not clear when Spies would be able to race again. He will miss next week’s Formula USA National at Willow Springs and may miss the AMA National at Sears Point May 4-6 as well.

AMA Pro Racing Superbike Operations Manager Ron Barrick was on site in turn one during the 600cc Supersport race at Daytona and personally watched five riders crash before deciding there was oil on the track and calling for a red flag.

The rider who put down the oil, Roger Hayden, immediately told cornerworkers that there was oil on the track. But Barrick continued to watch as rider after rider fell in the turn before finally ordering a red flag and track clean-up.

Barrick also said he did not hear calls on the radio net for an oil flag at start/finish although grid marshalls on the same frequency have said they did hear the calls for the oil flag, which was not displayed at start/finish.

That’s the story from an AMA employee who came clean in the wake of the resignation of Safety and Logistics Officer Dan Lance in a dispute that, the employee said, centered on safety issues.

Lance declined to comment on the controversy when reached by telephone and hung up on a reporter.

AMA Pro Racing Director of Competition Merrill Vanderslice has refused to comment on the Lance situation.

At post time, Barrick had not commented on the issue, although he did return an e-mail last week saying he would comment when he had a chance.

The White Brothers Los Angeles Motorcycle Calendar Show sponsored by Performance Machine, The Recycler, and Budweiser has expanded into a two-day event scheduled for July 21-22, 2001 at the Queen Mary Event Park in Long Beach, California. The show is the traditional premier of the Fast Dates calendars and features some of the calendars’ models and machines. The annual show’s director, Jim Gianatsis, is currently taking display booth and display bike registrations online at his website, www.fastdates.com, by phone at (818) 223-8550 or by FAX at (818) 223 -8590.

The Honda Elf RC51 entry led the 24-Hours of LeMans after 18 hours, with a three-lap advantage over the GMT94 Suzuki GSX-R1000, 563 laps to 560 laps. The Suzuki-Castrol GSX-R1000 held third at 553 laps.

First (and now only) American still running in the race is Michael Barnes on the Herman Verbonen Racing Suzuki GSX-R750 Superbike, in 28th place with 509 laps.

The Bikeshire Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 co-ridden by American Joe Prussiano has DNFed, listed in 43rd place. And the Whirley Phase One Suzuki GSX-R100 co-ridden by American Jason Pridmore has also DNFed, listed in 45th position.

Racer Jerry Wood lost his run for AMA Trustee in the fall, but here is Wood’s take on what needs to be done to improve the AMA.

“I don’t think I have all the answers,” said Wood in a written statement he sent to Roadracing World. ” I would (have been) available to listen to other members’ concerns and suggestions. Communication has improved so much with the internet and it is a very useful tool to exchange ideas and information.

“I believe that the racing program needs attention but I am also an active street and trail rider. I understand the importance of fighting for our rights and freedoms. Responsibility comes along with those freedoms, we need to teach our young riders to respect the rights of others. That person on the horse might own the land.

“The concerns that I have heard so much about are the expensive lawsuit with Roger Edmondson, rider safety, and the lack of opportunity for riders to comment on a rule change before it is enacted. Members want to see the racing program grow. Riders like Doug Chandler and Nicky Hayden are American heroes just like Dan Moreno, Tiger Woods and Bill Elliott. We need the sponsors to put their faces on television to get our sport in the mainstream.

“We need to conduct our business honestly with integrity and fairness. Lawsuits should only be a last resort.

“Rider input before enacting new rules is a must.

“Safety has to be a main concern. The safest races are the result of a strong program, it’s easier to buy the right equipment when you have the money. We learned at Loudon that you can bolt Indy car slicks together and make soft walls that absorb energy with little damage to machine or rider. The bonus is that they are free! The dirt tracks could probably use these as well. The new Air Fence ‘Bike’ product is not free but it works great in high-impact areas and is worth every penny of the cost.

“Helmet removal is another life-or-death issue that must be addressed. Years ago if a rider crashed and was not able to remove his own helmet the ambulance people were instructed to leave the helmet on the person for fear that they would make a neck injury worse. The trouble is that if the rider couldn’t breathe, he died.

“Joe Zeigler, who was my partner with the Penguin School at the time, thought that we could do better than let the rider die. Joe worked with the (Loudon) track nurse, Karen Hornbecker, along with the track doctor and an orthopedic surgeon to develop a method of removing helmets while stabilizing the neck. This became standard practice at Loudon. The method has been refined and is now a regular part of advanced EMT training.

“I was at the crash site when my son Eric was run over by another motorcycle. Eric was not able to breathe until the helmet was removed and an airway placed (in his throat). I have been present on two other occasions where the rider’s helmet was removed and an airway inserted with these methods, and everyone lived.

“A short time ago I was present when the local fire department demonstrated all of the latest life-saving equipment and the training that went with it. It was impressive, they could cut you out of a car, get you out of a burning building and had all kinds of live-saving medical stuff. When I asked if they were trained on motorcycle helmet removal they said NO and the EMTs that came after them could not remove helmets, either.

“I was shocked to learn that this training is not required for emergency personnel at AMA races. The training for helmet removal is part of the Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support manual written by the National Association of EMTs.”

If Wood had been elected, he would have pushed “hard to make sure that all AMA races have emergency personnel that are trained in helmet removal…(and) push for the AMA to sponsor nationwide police and fire department training as well. I want to see cost-effective barrier protection used as well as the Air Fence where it is needed. I… encourage rider input on rules and changes and…(representation of) all riders including privateers.

“I have been told by many people that they want to see changes in the AMA. I am a longtime AMA supporter and I think that the people that have been working on these boards have tried to do a good job, but we need new ideas. No one person makes the decisions, all I…(was) asking for is to have a voice at the table.”

A GMT94 Suzuki GSX-R1000 entered in the SuperProduction class for machines with modified chassis and stock engines took the overall win in the LeMans 24-hour, the opening round of the 2001 Endurance World Championship.

The works Honda Elf RC51 entered in the Superbike class led most of the race, but encountered clutch problems in the closing hours and had to be pushed in; the Honda still finished second overall, one lap behind the GMT94 Suzuki, 759 to 758.

Another SuperProduction Suzuki GSX-R1000, fielded by the Suzuki-Castrol team, finished third overall with 755 laps.

The first (and only) American to finish was Michael Barnes, riding for 24th-overall Herman Verboen Racing on a Yamaha YZF-R1.

American Joe Prussiano rode for Bikeshire Racing, which retired and was ranked 43rd in final results; American Jason Pridmore rode for Whirley Phase One on a GSX-R1000, and that team retired and was ranked 47th in final results.

Rob Tuluie’s Tul-Aris 780cc two-stroke racebike will next run during a CRA regional event at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minnesota on May 4-6.

According to a release issued by Tuluie, “We have secured AP Lockheed as a brake sponsor and are excited to try out the new equipment at BIR for the first time. In addition, Dave Gilbert at DCM services has made us a beautiful set of adjustable triple clamps, complete with Tul-aris logo (!) which we will use and play with at BIR for the first time. We’re trying to get some special transmission gears machined in time for BIR, coming all the way from Vtwo in Australia, but these might take a little while longer.”

The release concluded, “Our hunt for a primary ‘money’ sponsor isn’t over yet, but at least we’re having fun contacting some rather ‘unusual’ possibilities. We’ll keep everybody posted…”

Top Gear Motorcycles in Eugene, Oregon is now importing Corner Leathers from Italy. At one time Corner Leathers were sold in the U.S. under the Bell2 and AGV brands.

More information is available from Top Gear at (541) 683-4670.

Ducati officials have announced that they will be producing a new, limited edition Monster to celebrate the career of former Superbike World Champion Carl Fogarty. The new bike, of which there will only be 300 units produced, will be labeled the Monster S4 Fogarty.

Starting with a four-valve-engined Monster, Ducati engineers added titanium-nitride-coated Showa forks and carbon steering damper to improve handling. The Monster’s engine output is raised from a claimed 104 bhp at 8750 rpm to 110 bhp at 9750 rpm thanks in part to a carbon-fiber Termignoni exhaust cannister (for closed-course use only) , a different airbox, and specially calibrated engine CPU. A 39-tooth rear sprocket replaces the 37-tooth cog to give shorter gearing and improve acceleration.

Famed designer Aldo Drudi, best known for his custom helmet and leather designs for top level racers, has helped Ducati give the Monster S4 Fogarty a unique appearance. The small nose fairing, front fender, footpeg brackets, and seat cowling are all Drudi-original designs and have been painted to match the wheels and frame. New radiator cowls, air scoops to improve rear cylinder cooling, and a new belly pan are other ways to pick out the Foggy edition Monster. Further differentiating the limited edition bike’s appearance are Foggy logos on the tank and nose fairing, the Ducati Corse emblem on the front fender, and a laser-etched titanium plate on the fuel tank featuring Foggy’s logo, signature, and the bike’s limited edition number. When it’s all said and done, the Monster S4 Fogarty weighs 4 kg, or 8.8 pounds, less than a standard bike.

Included in the 18,000 Euros, ($16,060) price (as of April 13), will be front and rear race stands and a special cover. The Monster S4 Fogarty will be sold exclusively via Ducati’s website at www.ducati.com starting in June 2001. Further information on the Foggy edition Monster will be available on Ducati’s website starting May 14.