Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

American Honda’s 20-year-old Nicky Hayden said on Friday, August 10 that he would most likely have post-season surgery to fix a numbing problem in his right hand caused by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Speaking via cell phone from a photo shoot at a Honda test facility in the desert near Mojave, California, Hayden said, “My hand has kind of been going tingly on me. As practice wears on or the race, my pointer and my middle finger and thumb are going numb on me. So they (physicians at Dr. Arthur Ting’s office) did a test, and I have Carpal Tunnel in my wrist. I guess it’s real common for racers to get it from all of the abuse the wrist takes. That’s been bothering me lately. It bothers me worse at some tracks and not so much at others.”

Hayden did not seem worried about the surgery; he’s discussed it with former World Champions Kevin Schwantz and Freddie Spencer, who both have had the same procedure done. Schwantz has actually had Carpel Tunnel Surgery on each wrist…twice.

Hayden also mentioned that his left wrist still isn’t 100% following surgery to screw the scaphoid bone back together in March. Hayden said he planned to get an MRI at the end of the season to “check things out.”

Meanwhile, Hayden continued to endure two days of the part of a factory rider’s job that isn’t exactly glamorous. Outside still and video photography are dependent on natural light, and the best light is just after dawn and just before dusk, the result being that photo shoots involve extremely long hours. “My wake-up call this morning was 3:45 a.m.,” said Hayden. “We met in the hotel lobby at 4:15. We didn’t back to the hotel last night until almost 9:00 p.m.”

The location of the photo shoot doesn’t ease matters as the daytime temperatures can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the Mojave desert. And as for the security at Honda’s top-secret test facility, “I think I could get into Fort Knox easier than it is to get into this place,” said Hayden.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

The sign in front of Road Atlanta read “NO CCS EVENT” on Friday, August 10 with good reason–a race date originally appearing on the CCS schedule was never reserved at the Braselton, Georgia track.

According to Road Atlanta spokesperson Dave Levi, a race appearing on the CCS schedule for August 11-12 at Road Atlanta was a “publisher’s error”.

“We didn’t write it. Somebody wrote that saying that we were gonna have a race, but we never said that we were going to,” explained Levi before confirming that CCS made the mistake. Levi also said that a Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School is confirmed for the track this weekend, August 11-12.

Reached via telephone in his Fort Worth, Texas office, CCS National Road Race Manager Kevin Elliott said, “The first I learned of it was February 1st while I was in California at the first CCS race at the Streets of Willow. Our booking department called to say that we didn’t have a date at Road Atlanta. Usually what happens is that when you have a date with a track, they hold that date for you for the following year. I guess they (Road Atlanta) were unhappy with our spectator turn out, but we (CCS) told them that we were not really a spectator series. We’re real disappointed that the track didn’t even call to tell us that they were unhappy with the spectator turn out. We had to call them to find that out.”

Elliott said that the August 11-12 weekend was originally given to a vintage car racing group, but later scheduled to hold a Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School.

“I’m also disappointed that they didn’t offer the track to us when the vintage car deal fell through. It’s not like Schwantz’s school is a spectator event,” added Elliott. “We’re looking at having two events at Road Atlanta in 2002 with hopefully one of them a Formula USA National Road Race event.”

From a press release:

The 10-annual Hudson Valley Ride For Kids raised $156,319 Sunday, August 5 in upstate New York to go toward research to find the cause and cure of pediatric brain tumors. Hundreds of motorcyclists enjoyed a police-escorted ride from Harriman State Park to Piermont, New York. In Piermont, the group joined in a “Celebration of Life” where past and current brain tumor victims and survivors told success stories and expressed their appreciation.

The top fund-raising dealership was Prestige Harley-Davidson with $9771 donated. GWRRA NY-S got the top honors for donations by a club at $62,393. Ed and Brigitte Pugliese were the top individual fund raisers with $44,740.

The next Ride for Kids event will be August 19, 2001 in N. Oxford, MA. For additional information, contact the Ride for Kids at 800-253-6530 or visit www.ride4kids.org or www.pbtfus.org.

With an average time of 1:31.801 on a Suzuki GSX-R1000, GMT94’s Christophe Guyot, Sebastien Scarnato and Nicolas Dussauge earned the pole position for the 24-hour Endurance World Championship race at the Motopark Oschersleben in Germany on Friday.

Unfortunately, Dussauge, GMT94’s fastest rider, was seriously injured during the qualifying session and will not participate in the race, the penultimate round of the series. GMT94’s reserve rider, Phillippe Dobe, will ride in Dussauge’s place.

Zong Shen’s three riders turned an average lap time of 1:31.916 on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 for second on the grid. Schafer-MO-Devil Racing Team’s three riders, on another Suzuki GSX-R1000, averaged 1:31.992, third on the grid. France’s Castrol Suzuki team earned the fourth spot on the grid with an average time of 1:32.094.

Zong Shen’s second team qualified fifth with an average time of 1:32.293 on another GSX-R1000.

Reigning Endurance World Champions Whirley Phase One recorded an average lap time of 1:32.952 on a Suzuki GSX-R1000.

The top five qualifying positions, all taken by SuperProduction-class Suzuki GSX-R1000s, were separated by a mere 0.4-second.

The fastest Superbike qualifier is the current World Championship points leader, Wim Motors, on a Honda RC51 with an average time of 1:32.976.

Americans Michael Barnes and John Jacobi, along with Herman Verboven Suzuki teammate Jeff Vermeulen, qualified as the second fastest Superbike entry, 10th overall, with a 1:33.694 on a GSX-R750.

The fastest-qualifying StockSport team is Team KFM Motorrader in 12th overall with an average time of 1:34.323 on a Yamaha YZF-R1. World Endurance StockSport regular, Police Nationale, was second-fastest in the class and 14th overall at 1:34.742 on a Kawasaki ZX-9R.

Maxim Experience, 13th overall, led the Open Class in qualifying with a 1:34.366 on an MV Agusta F4.

There are 54 teams qualified for the race with a strong local turnout.

It is possible that Wim Motors could clinch the Endurance World Championship this weekend. Only Superbike class entries race for the FIM Endurance World Championship. SuperProduction Class teams race for the Endurance World Cup.

From a press release issued by RPM, the WERA affiliate based in Texas:

RPM has confirmed that G.M.D. Computrack Atlanta will be supporting the RPM/WERA Texas World Speedway Round 6 weekend August 17-19 and open to service your motorcycle.

You can email G.M.D. at [email protected] for appointments. For more information go to www.gmdcomputrack.com

In two separate Ride For Kids events, $185,984 was raised to help support the continued research to find the cause and cure for pediatric brain tumors.

Participants in the July 22 Minnesota Ride For Kids braved rainstorms on a 45-mile, police-escorted ride from the Minnesota State Capital to Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota to raise a record $64,184. The top fund-raising individual was Dee Rasmussen with $5795. The best club fund raisers were members of the Southern Chapter of the Minnesota Wings at $9085. Moon Motors was the largest dealership fund-raiser with $16,406. Rasmussen also won the drawing for a new Honda motorcycle.

The Ohio Ride For Kids was held in conjunction with the Honda Homecoming July 28 at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio manufacturing facility. The combined event brought 500 participants and raised a new record total of $121,800. The top fund-raising club was the Marysville GWRRA Chapter D3 with $16,094. The Top fund-raising dealer was Competition Accessories with $6335. The top individual fund raiser was Richard Silva with $12,005. Silva, the father of a brain tumor victim who passed away seven years earlier, also won the drawing for a brand new Honda motorcycle.

Ride for Kids events are held across the USA to support the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the US (PBTFUS). For more information about the Ride for Kids and the programs of PBTFUS, call 800-253-6530 or visit the websites at www.ride4kids.org or www.pbtfus.org. The Ride For Kids is the official Charity of the Honda Riders Club of America.

This Just In:

“Stolen: WERA racer and MotorcycleWorld.com VP Lee Parks had his Ford Pickup Truck broken into on Friday August 3. Parked at the Knights Inn in Charles Town, West Virginia, over $15,000 worth of items were taken. They included a red Craftsman toolbox full of professional-quality tools, a gray and yellow Dell Inspiron laptop and a Canon G1 digital camera. His riding gear was also taken which included a white Arai RX-7RR helmet, Alpinestars boots and a custom set of yellow and black Z Custom leathers with the name ‘Lee’ on the front and a yin/yang sign on both sides. If you have any information on the wearabouts of any of this gear, please contact him at 330-715-3943 or send an e-mail to [email protected].”

From a press release issued by Sears Point Raceway:

Sears Point Raceway Kicks Off Second Phase of Modernization Plan

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) – Sears Point Raceway has begun phase two of its $35 million Modernization Plan as huge Caterpillar machinery has, once again, taken over the road course and drag strip.

Phase two officially kicked off on Sunday, August 5, at the conclusion of the NHRA FRAM Autolite Nationals when drag racers John Force and Gary Scelzi ripped up portions of the drag strip while piloting Caterpillar bulldozers.

The ripping of the drag strip was a premonition as the second phase will focus heavily on both the road course and drag strip. Phase one, conversely, was centered on infrastructure, traffic access and circulation and environmental mitigation. The bulk of the track improvements and spectator amenities is expected to be complete by the NASCAR Winston Cup event in June, 2002.

“It has been interesting and somewhat challenging to stage our 2001 event season in the midst of a major remodel, but our staff has done a spectacular job making it all work. Now it’s time to move back into our construction mode,” said Steve Page, President and General Manager of Sears Point Raceway.

Phase two of the $35 million Modernization Plan will feature the following elements:

· Construction of 30,000 hillside terrace seats alongside Turns 7-9, bringing the total to 64,000 hillside terrace seats.

· Construction of a go-kart track on the south side of the property.

· Construction of a 10,000 seat permanent grandstand at Turn 7.

· Construction of a 15,000 seat permanent grandstand along the west side of start/finish line, bringing the total to 25,000 permanent grandstand seats. Twenty-two suites will be built along the top of the grandstands.

· Creation of a 660-foot concrete launching pad for drag racing and separation of the road course from the drag strip. Construction of drag strip return road.

· Increased run-off on the road course at Turns 8, 8a, 9 and 10.

· Enlargement of pit road to accommodate a 43-car starting grid for road-race events.

· Repaving of the road course and drag strip. The width of the road course will also increase from 40 to 50 feet.

· Expansion of paddock by more than 70 percent.

· Pedestrian tunnels under start/finish line and Turn 10.

· Remodeling Trackside Tower, Media Center and Driver’s Lounge.

The official groundbreaking ceremonies for the project took place in September, 2000, and since then, more than 5,000,000 cubic yards of dirt have been moved. The two-phase plan will give fans a state-of-the-art facility that provides all of the amenities seen at today’s modern sports venues.

Phase one, which was completed over the summer, featured the construction of 34,000 hillside terrace seats above Turns 2-4; construction of shuttle and shade shelters; permanent garages (40) for teams; dramatically expanded entrance and access roads to reduce traffic congestion around the raceway; a new entrance for fans at Gate 7 alongside Highway 121; and increased run-off on the road course at turns 1, 2, 3, 3a, 4, 6 and 7, among other things.

“We had hoped for a good response from fans who tried the new terrace seating this season. As it turned out, the reaction has been enthusiastic beyond anything we could have expected,” Page said. “The seats are roomy, comfortable and the views are breathtaking. We can’t wait to complete the terraces on the east side of the track.”

The specific improvements to the road course in phase two will give competitors a state-of-the-art surface, featuring a wider track, more run-off for safety and a repaved circuit. The improved drag strip, with a 660-foot concrete launch pad and re-paved surface, will also make Sears Point Raceway one of the top venues on the NHRA circuit.

“It’s great to be part of Bruton Smith’s master plan for this track,” said John Force, 10-time NHRA Winston Funny Car champion. “You can bet this will be a super track once they’re through with it. I can’t wait to get out here next year.”

Fans will also enjoy the tunnel under the start/finish line, which will expedite pedestrian traffic flow around the property, as well as the 30,000 hillside terrace seats, which will be built along Turns 7-9. The first hillside terrace seats were utilized during the 2001 main-event season above Turns 2-4 and were a huge success among fans. The same is expected for the seats above Turns 7-9.


Sears Point Raceway is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc (NYSE: TRK)., a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. SMI also owns and operates the following premiere facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. SMI also provides food, beverage and souvenir merchandising services through its Finish Line Events subsidiary, and manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing cars through its 600 Racing subsidiary.