From a Honda press release:

The latest test session took place at the Suzuka Circuit today, August 7, 2001. Valentino Rossi(Nastro Azzuro Honda), the Honda NSR500 WGP rider, took part as the first GP rider to test the RC211V.

The weather interrupted testing, continuous rain during the morning finally cleared up at 2:25 p.m. Although it looked to have cleared up for the day, the rain started to fall again later in the afternoon which forced Valentino to finish the test sooner than he wished to.

With the rain lasting until lunchtime Honda changed the program for the day and Rossi took to the track in the afternoon. After a few laps on the RC211V he returned to the pits to give project leader Heijiro Yoshimura, and his engineering staff, his initial impression of the machine.

Rossi made his wishes known to the test team who prepared the machine set-up to suit his riding style and he went out again. However, due to the changeable weather the test was stopped at 5.00. p.m.

Shinichi Itoh and Makoto Tamada also tested the machine, as they had on previous occasions. But Rossi was the first Grand Prix rider to test the RC211V.

Test Condition
Date: August 7, 2001
Place: Suzuka Circuit, Mie Prefecture 5.85913km.
Weather: Cloudy with rain showers.


RC211V Test Ride Comments: Valentino Rossi

“It was very emotional moment for me, testing the new Honda GP machine,” said Rossi.

“Because it’s the beginning of a new ‘Era’ and I was very excited to test the four-stroke V-5. Due to the rain the track was wet and I rode the bike only in the afternoon but it was enough to understand the character of this bike. Of course we are still at the beginning of the development and we have to work a lot to be competitive but I feel we are going in the right direction and I think this project has good potential.

“Of course today I was not interested to the lap time and my main task was to give information to the Honda engineers to develop the bike according to my wishes. It has been a very interesting experience.”


Heijiro Yoshimura: Person in charge of RC211V development.

“The biggest problem we had today was the weather conditions. The track had dried for the afternoon session so we extended the test time but again it started to rain. Because of this we were unable to test as much as we wanted. The course condition was also slippery which held us back from judging the character of the machine completely.

“Although we had these problems, we can say that we received the necessary comments from Valentino that will help us for our next test. His comment was to the point which will help us for the future improvement of the machine, so we can say that we had a very good session after all.”

Honda’s Superbike World Champion, Colin Edwards, together with 500cc Grand Prix rider Tohru Ukawa, will test the RC211V tomorrow.

Colin Edwards is curious to know all about the performance of the RCV but denied he was interested in racing the RC211V in the Grands Prix. The American confirmed he will definitely race a Superbike for Honda in the 2002 season.

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Ricci Motorsports plans to offer transportation for 12 bikes and gear from Woodinville, Washington (near Seattle) to the Suzuki Cup Finals scheduled for October 23-28 in conjunction with the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta. The bikes will be hauled inside the team’s 46-foot United Express Lines trailer, and, for $500, riders will be allowed to send one bike, extra wheels, and a couple of bins of parts, tools, equipment, etc.

Ricci Motorsports owner Gary Ricci pointed out that, “With the new payout system, 20th place pays out $500. We’re just trying to give racers from the Northwest the opportunity to go to the Suzuki Cup.”

Racers interested in sending a bike or bikes with Ricci Motorsports can contact Gary Ricci at (425) 424-3888 or via e-mail at [email protected].

From a Kawasaki press release:

Team Kawasaki would field two Superbike teams on the starting grid in today’s prestigious but gruelling 8-Hours race. Kawasaki Riders Akira Yanagawa and Hitoyasu Izutsu paired together, with Gregorio Lavilla and Tamaki Serizawa forming the second team. The race staged around the undulating Suzuka layout would pit both rider and machine to 8 hours of punishment throughout the heat of Japan in mid summer.

Akira/Hitoyasu produced a stunning qualifying lap, pushing their green Ninja ZX7-RR Superbike to the outside of the front row with the fourth-fastest time. Gregorio/Serizawa would start from the third row with the 10th-fastest qualifying time.

Akira discussed his race strategy saying, “We really need to be in the leading group of riders throughout the race to have a chance. The weather is so hot and humid and I know this will affect a lot of riders at the end of the race. I think if we can be there at the end the fireworks will start in the last few laps.”

Gregorio said, “The most important thing is to avoid crashing and complete the race. I will try my best against the fast local riders and some big-name international riders. This is the only way to achieve good finishing results and promote the Kawasaki name.”

Race Day:
The hopes of all the Kawasaki Racing Team were dealt a severe blow early on in the race when Akira crashed into the back of a slower rider. Initially the crash damage wasn’t seen as very severe. On returning to the pits, the damage forced extra-unscheduled pit stops moving them down the order into 40th. Both riders recovered remarkably, clawing their way back up to 12th position, before another two race crashes. Eventually they finished the day in 23rd place.

Gregorio/Tamaki were consistently in fifth and sixth place up until the latter stages of the race. Gregorio was just starting his final session when he tried to overtake, on the inside of a much slower rider, around the Spoon Curve. To avoid hitting the rider, he was forced onto an unusual line and highsided heavily on the exit of the corner. Gregorio was unhurt but his ZX7-RR Ninja Superbike didn’t fare that well and both
were forced to retire.

Overall a disappointing end to a race that can be summed up by Mr.Takata, the Head of Race Engineering, “We should move on from this nightmare, however, at the same time we should learn something from this experience–that’s what we must not miss.”

Gregorio said, “It’s been a tough weekend. We both were riding the bike really well and it looked as if a podium was within our reach throughout the race. In the end it’s disappointing to have worked so hard and not get any result at all.”

Akira summed up his race by saying, ” We didn’t have much luck in the race after qualifying so well. It’s a shame because the team worked so hard just to get us both out onto track after the first crash. We all wanted a better finish but at least we tried.”


From a Suzuki press release:

SUZUKI RIDERS YUKIO KAGAYAMA, AKIRA RYO AND ATUSHI WATANABE finished third in the prestigious Suzuka Endurance race less than a minute and a quarter behind first place at the end of the eight hours.

The Japanese trio took advantage of the new regulations allowing three team riders and started from pole position following an immaculate lap from Akira Ryo in final qualifying yesterday and remained on the lead lap despite Yukio Kagayama riding off of the track at Spoon Curve.

The race was won by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi (Honda).

An incident on Saturday, July 28 during an LRRS regional race at New Hampshire International Speedway will likely lead to rider sanctions, track Safety Director Jerry Wood said.

The incident in turn two occurred when one rider slowed for waving yellow flags and another Junior-ranked rider did not, hitting the first rider, taking off his controls, knocking him down and sending him feet-first into a pile of cornerworking equipment outside the corner, next to the end of a wall, in an area Wood said is not normally an impact zone. The injured rider, Charles Chubbuck, suffered broken bones in his lower back and feet, according to Wood. The rider who did not slow may be sanctioned by LRRS for not responding appropriately to a waving yellow flag, Wood said.

During the same weekend, Wood conducted a charity auction that raised $10,000 for two riders and two cornerworkers injured in a bizarre July 7 crash in the same corner. In that crash, also during an LRRS regional race, one rider fell and crawled off the track, his bike still in the middle of the corner. Two cornerworkers were attempting to remove the crashed bike under waving yellow flags when a group of riders approached about a minute after the original crash. One of the riders plowed directly into the two cornerworkers and the bike, which they had picked up, sending all involved to the hospital.

The funds from the auction will be used to help defray medical co-payments and lost income suffered by the cornerworkers and riders as a result of their injuries.

From a press release issued by Ducati:

The greatest Ducati party ever seen on this side of the world is only three months away, and as Las Vegas awaits the basso song of thousands of Ducati motorcycles, Ducati North America is confirming the dozens of support acts and writing the final schedule for the three-day bash on October 26-28, 2001.

Famous motorcycle daredevil Gary Rothwell has confirmed he’ll be there to give DRA participants a show worth remembering. Las Vegas’ most prestigious hotel, The Venetian, will play host to the huge Saturday night party, where anyone with a DRA ticket is eligible to enter, mingle with the Ducati’s top-level racers, socialize with other Ducatisti and maybe win one of the many prizes being given away over the weekend. Gary Rothwell will also give a smaller demonstration, outside The Venetian, on Las Vegas Boulevard.

A Swiss band, Hang Loose, will take the main stage on both Saturday and Sunday to thump out some original pop rock and some funky well-known hits. An Italian traveling band will walk through the activities, playing traditional Italian music. Authentic Italian flag throwers will be flying in especially for the festivities. Sponsored by the ancient Tuscan city of Arezzo, these unique representatives of the old-age tradition – where regions would compete against one another during the summer festivals – will give a dazzling display of color and skill. And Italy’s pizza-throwing champion (yes, there is such a thing!) will be making the world’s best pizza bases with a flick of his wrist.

The Richard Petty Driving Experience is giving 20 lucky participants the chance to ride in the former champion’s training vehicles with his best instructors. There will be seminars on all aspects of motorcycling and Ducati’s AMA Superbike technicians will be on hand to assist with mechanical advice and assistance.

To view the full schedule, go to www.ducatiusa.com or if you can’t find what you’re looking for, email your questions to [email protected]

Tom Montano was fastest of 11 entrants in AMA Pro Thunder qualifying at Summit Point Sunday morning, riding a Munroe Motors Ducati 748.

1. Tom Montano, Ducati, 1:16.943
2. Tripp Nobles, Buell, 1:17.008
3. Jeff Nash, Ducati, 1:17.146
4. David Estok, Buell, 1:17.629
5. Michael Dube, Ducati, 1:20.791
6. Bryan Bemisderfer, Buell, 1:20.799
7. Mike Krynock, Ducati, 1:22.614
8. Steve Clark, Suzuki, 1:23.889
9. Rich Yersak, 1:25.160
10. Jerry Cisciero, 1:28.694

Racer and tuner Kevin Murray has moved his MCE Racing shop. The new address is 1930 Watson Way Unit H, Vista, CA 92083, phone (760) 599-1061, (760) 599-1081.

White Tip Motorsports engine builder Michael Cox issued a public apology Friday to rider Chuck Chouinard for Chouinard’s disqualification from the AMA 750cc Supersport race at Loudon.

“We cleaned the valves in Chuck’s engine with Scotchbrite and had no intention of removing metal or reshaping the valves,” said Cox.

“There’s no way anything we did to the valves gave Chuck a competitive advantage, and he finished where he finished based on his hard riding. We’re sorry that the AMA tech inspectors disqualified him over this. To Chuck, his sponsors and his team owner, all we can say is, we’re sorry this happened.”

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards won the Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-hour, round 6 of the 8-round FIM Endurance World Championship Series, on a Cabin Honda RC51.

From a Honda press release:

Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi rode a superb race over 217 laps of the classic 5.864-km (3.6-mile) Suzuka grand prix circuit to take the win in the prestigious 8-Hour Endurance race. Their win gave Honda five consecutive 8-Hour victories, and was the highlight of an almost immaculate performance from the three factory Cabin Honda squads entered in the race.

Edwards, who had the pleasure of riding the last leg, was ebullient and praised his team and fellow rider ceaselessly after the marathon test of man and racing machine. “I had the best riding partner and the best bike and it’s great to win my second 8-Hour. I couldn’t be happier.”

Rossi, in his second Suzuka endurance race, was relieved with his team performance, having crashed out while leading last year. “To race and win an event like this is very exciting. When I asked Honda if I could do this race last year they said I should do it for two years because it is such a difficult race to win at your first attempt. That’s the way it turned out but because I had a stupid crash while leading. So to win it the year, after such disappointment in 2000, is fantastic. Thanks to everyone and especially Colin.”

Honda’s decision to roll out their Grand Prix and World Superbike big guns paid rich dividends throughout the gruelling race, with all three of the factory Honda teams taking turns to lead.

In second place, a mere 14.268 seconds down on the winners, were Cabin Honda riders Alex Barros and Tady Okada, who fought tooth-and-nail with the eventual winners for almost the entire race distance, with frequent on-track tussles forming the highlight of a sometimes dramatic race.

Third was the only official Suzuki Superbike entry, a three-man team comprising of Akira Ryo, Yukio Kagayama and Atsushi Watanabe, who came home 1-minute, 13 seconds down on the leading Honda duo.

The intervention of the pace car, after an accident which resulted in a privateer machine being set ablaze on the racing line, allowed the Suzuki squad to catch, and subsequently pass the eventual fourth-place Cabin Honda pairing of Daijiro Katoh and Tohru Ukawa.

Suzuki rider Akira Ryo, starting from pole position, got away first into turn one but was soon caught and passed on the second lap by both Valentino Rossi and Kawasaki factory rider Akira Yanagawa.

With Daijiro Katoh catching the leading three riders, it was soon to be a four, then a five-man early battle with the addition of the rapidly-advancing Tady Okada on the tail, making it a full house of factory Hondas in the leading peleton.

The number 99 Sakurai machine pitted on lap four suffering from mechanical problems, which were to dog the team’s efforts for the entire race.

On lap four the first backmarkers were encountered by the leaders, and one was to play a major part in the fortunes of the race overall, when Yanagawa crashed into the rear of a slower machine on lap 21, effectively blunting one of the Kawasaki factory challenges for the win.

The NK class machine of Keiichi Kitagawa and the Kawasaki Superbike of Gregorio Lavilla and Tamaki Serizawa joined onto the leading five after the fifth lap, with no more than 2.109 seconds covering the top seven near the end of a true first session sprint.

On lap 21 the Phase One World Championship team was out, after their second rider Tony Rees fell on the second lap of his first session, damaging the machine too much to continue.

Colin Edwards’s first session benefited from Rossi’s sterling work, as he led Kagayama by over a second after the first rider changes.

Running off in his efforts to stay in contention, Kagayama a lost several seconds, allowing Edwards to make good his escape until Alex Barros caught him after a display of determined riding.

Another near miss with a backmarker caused Ukawa a moment of worry halfway through his first session, with the fight between Edwards and Barros frequently see-sawing as the backmarkers played their unwitting part in the fight for the win.

At the turn of the third hour, the timesheet order of Katoh, from Rossi, from Okada was somewhat false, as the number four machine team had adopted a strategy of going for longer periods before stopping. Leaders on the road were still the Edwards and Rossi and Barros and Okada partnerships.

The best fight of the race occurred in the second Edwards/Barros session with the SBK and GP rider overtaking each other at will, swapping the lead at frequent intervals. Only a pit stop for Edwards, on lap 101, ended their titanic battle.

The end of the fourth hour once more had an artificial feel to it, with Kato and Ukawa leading their closest challengers by arithmetic only.

In fifth place (Anthony) Gobert and (Noriyuki) Haga were moving on up in pace, but they were to exit in the very final section of the race, having completed 7 hours and 38 minutes of racing. The second factory Kawasaki was already out of the race, after Gregorio Lavilla had crashed at the exit of Spoon curve on lap 81.

At the end of the fifth hour, the order was once more Ukawa from Rossi from Barros, but the fight for the top positions was as intense as ever.

Near disaster for Tady Okada saw him crash as he led Valentino Rossi on lap 117 although his low-speed spill at the chicane left his machine undamaged and he carried on, some 15 seconds down on the departing Rossi, who had to take to the grass to avoid Okada’s machine.

The race itself settled into a routine for the next 40 laps or so, with the three factory Hondas leading in the order of Rossi/Edwards, Barros/Okada and Ukawa/Katoh, with the factory Suzuki of Ryo/Kagayama and Watanabe ahead of Yamaha duo Gobert and Haga.

Five hours and 42 minutes into the race a private machine crashed and caught fire at the last corner of the Esses, just before the Dunlop corner. The pace cars brought all the top four teams, the three Cabin Honda efforts and the factory Suzuki, onto the same 161st lap, and allowed the top Suzuki team to get onto terms with the number 4 Honda.

Barros was similarly fortunate and took advantage to close up to Edwards, negating his 10-second lead.

With the final stint looming for each rider, Rossi showed how determined he was, to lead from Okada by 14 seconds at the turn into the final hour.

With the American riding well as darkness fell, he kept his margin of victory after 217 laps of hard and punishing racing.

Edwards’ second 8-Hour win was Valentino Rossi’s first, with Okada and Barros in second and the Suzuki factory team in third. Rossi’s win was the first by an Italian rider in the 24-year history of the race.

A battling race finish gave Daijiro Katoh and Tohru Ukawa fourth, with fifth going to the first 1000cc four-cylinder NK machine, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Kitagawa, Arakaki and Toda.



HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

Valentino Rossi:
“I am the first Italian rider to win the Suzuka 8-hours race so I am very happy. When Okada crashed in front of me, I was a bit surprised because I could only see his machine. I thought we could win easily then, but #33 caught up again when the pace car came onto the track. So during my last run, I was determined to get some advantages and hand the machine to Colin. (He marked the fastest lap 2:08.855). Last year, I was disappointed so I am really happy to win the race today. This race was really important for me.”

Colin Edwards:
“I had the best teammate this year. When I was racing with Alex Barros, I enjoyed it very much. Then I was angry when the pace car reduced the gap between me and Barros. But Valentino was riding superbly soon after that and I was confident of winning then. Valentino is really splendid rider. I have been on the podium many times in the past but being on the top is something special.”

Noriaki Nakata–Team Manager:
“Both riders did a superb job and also the team staff didn’t make any mistakes. That’s the reason for the win. After the pace car interruption, Valentino rode superbly and it really worked. Last year we were disappointed so this year’s win is even more emotional.”

Koji Nakajima–General Manager:
“I am sorry we couldn’t make 1-2-3 finish due to the interruption of the pace car. However, we are happy to mark the 5th consecutive 8-hours win and
we would like to thank all the sponsors and fans.”

Tadayuki Okada:
“I must say sorry to Alex because I crashed at the Chicane. I wasn’t pushing so hard then but the front end suddenly tuckled. There was no machine damage but I had a bitter feeling. You must win for the 8-hours race. I will make a revenge next year. But before that, I will try my best for the remaining WSB races. I am looking forward to them, as the Michelin tires are better now.”

Alex Barros:
“I have never been so tired before in the 8-hours race. Okada feels sorry about his crash but the pit stop mistake I made was a bigger problem. However, I never gave up till the end. I tried my best to reduce the difference from over one minute to mere 14 seconds.”

Nobuo Ono–Team Manager:
“There were mistakes, but we were aiming for the win till the end. Okada marked 2:10s soon after his crash and Alex rode with all his might during the last run. I was very much impressed by their professional fighting spirits. I think we did a good race.”

Tohru Ukawa:
“I wanted to pass back the #7 (Suzuki). I couldn’t ride faster during the first hours and I must apologize Daijiro for that. When the race was neutralized, I thought I might catch up the leader, but instead, the pace car came in front of me. I must forget the bitter feeling and do my best for the remaining World Championship Races.”

Daijiro Kato:
“We had no trouble during the race, but machine set-up was not perfect so I couldn’t go any faster. We were unlucky that we were passed by #7 after the pace car incident, but that’s racing. I have remaining WGP races to come, so I must change my mind and go for it.”

Michimasa Arima–Team Manager:
“There were no big mistakes nor troubles during the race. But #11 and #33 teams were very fast. I think the pace car interruption was not the reason
for us being 4th. Other team Cabin Hondas were fast and strong.”


RACE RESULTS:

1. Valentino Rossi/Colin Edwards/Manabu Kamada, Honda RC51, 217 laps.

2. Tadayuki Okada/Alex Barros/Shinichi Itoh, Honda RC51, 217 laps

3. Akira Ryo/Yukio Kagayama/Akira Watanabe, Suzuki GSX-R750, 217 laps

4. Tohru Ukawa/Daijiro Katoh/Makoto Tamada, Honda RC51, 217 laps

5. Keiichi Kitagawa/Toshiyuki Arakaki/T. Toda, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 213 laps

6. Yuichi Takeda/Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Honda, 212 laps

7. Norihiko Fujiwara/Noriyasu Numata/O. Miyazaki, Yamaha, 211 laps

8. Daisaku Sakai/Hiroki Noda, Honda, 209 laps

9. Stephane Mertens/Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 208 laps

10. Hideo Senmyo/Kenichio Nakamaru, Honda, 206 laps

11. Yoshinobu Takahashi/Naomichi Nakai, Kawasaki, 206 laps

12. Mitsuo Saito/Takahiro Fukami/Y. Aoyagi, Yamaha 206 laps

13. Haruchika Aoki/Jun Maeda, Honda, 205 laps

14. Katsunori Hasegawa/Hiroshi Muruyama, Honda, 205 laps

15. Shigeru Yamashita/Hideto Hotta, Kawasaki, 203 laps

Fastest lap: Edwards. 2:08.855 = 163.89 kph (101.84 mph). (Lap record for 8-Hours)


Hooters Suzuki was 19th overall at the end of the second hour but Michael Barnes crashed the Hooters GSX-R1000, putting the team back to 45th overall. At the finish, the team was 39th overall.