Suzuki Motor Company issued the following press release regarding the company’s plans for what is now the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship, which will allow 990cc four-strokes starting in 2002. Behind the scenes, the company is already looking at riders with 1000cc four-stroke experience and potentially race-winning speed to ride the new machine.

The text of the press release follows:

“SUZUKI TO JOIN FOUR-STROKE GP RACE

“Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, June 16, 2001

“Suzuki today announced that it has begun development of a four-stroke racing prototype for the new Grand Prix regulations, and expects to begin testing the new machine before the end of this year.

“The prototype machine – an ultra-compact all-new 990cc 16-valve V-four engine mounted in the existing World-Championship-winning chassis – is
code-named the “XRE0”. XR is Suzuki’s code for its racing machines, while E is Evolution and 0 the model number of the bike. Suzuki’s target is to have the machine ready for a full competitive season in 2003.

“Engineers conservatively predict more than 210 horsepower from the new engine, which will use electronic fuel injection.

“The design was established after intensive study and computer simulations started in February 2000. The V-four engine size is similar to the current two-stroke engine, fitting into the same chassis, and offers other advantages in efficiency, reliability and performance.

“The development programme over the coming months sees further intensive computer simulation study in parallel with actual design and engineering. Testing of a complete machine is planned for September this year, and during 2002 the four-stroke development will continue separately from the active racing team. Suzuki is already using data gathered by the factory GP team last year, along with comments from reigning World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr, to guide early development of the new XRE0. When required, the GP team and riders will be invited to assist the four-stroke development programme.

“The factory team will continue to campaign the successful two-stroke RGV500-Gamma during 2002, the first season of new regulations that allow 990cc four-strokes to compete alongside 500cc two-strokes in the premier class. The RGV-GAMMA was improved for 2001 season and has room for further
development. Suzuki expects it to be competing for the World Title in 2002. In 2003, Suzuki proposes to switch the factory team to the new
four-stroke.

“Suzuki’s reaffirmed commitment to the Grand Prix World Championship continues a long and successful World Championship racing tradition
spanning more than 40 years. 2003 will be Suzuki’s 34th season as a 500cc cornerstone, and the factory has won six 500cc World Championships, seven consecutive manufacturer titles, and recorded 88 race wins.

“THE FOUR-STROKE CONCEPT

“Suzuki laid down the following concepts for development of its all-new racing prototype four-stroke.

“1) Ideal race machine package. The title-winning 2000 RGV-GAMMA is the outcome of Suzuki racing technology evolved over many years and many
hundreds of races. The 2000 RGV-GAMMA has an ideal balance of engine and chassis, and is very light and compact.

“2) Compact design with two-stroke engine dimensions. After researching the implications of the new four-stroke GP regulations, Suzuki selected a V-four as having the best balance of characteristics. These include engine performance, weight, compactness, reliability and fuel consumption. The engine size has also been influenced by the RGV-GAMMA’s two-stroke V-four engine, and designed to be compact enough to fit on the RGV-GAMMA frame, maintaining the ideal balance.

“3) Electronic Fuel Injection System. Suzuki introduced its fuel injection system on the 1996 TL1000S, a high-performance sports model. Since then it has been adopted on all the Suzuki’s high-performance sports models, including the GSX-R series and the Hayabusa. Well-proven and highly effective, an advanced version of the same system will be used in the forthcoming GP four-stroke. Further development of the fuel injection system for racing use will in turn be used in future production motorcycles.

“4) New GP machine specification.
“Engine Type: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke V-four 16-valve engine
“Engine Displacement: 990cc
“Fuel Delivery System: Electronic fuel injection system
“Max engine output: More than 210ps
“Frame: Aluminum Twin Spar”

Copyright 2001 Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Grant Lopez’s efforts to mediate between riders and AMA Pro Racing Director of Competition Merrill Vanderslice prior to the start of Sunday’s 600cc Supersport race at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire drew an angry response.

When a reporter asked Vanderslice what happened, Vanderslice said “Sometimes the tail wags the dog, but not this time.”

Vanderslice and AMA 600cc Supersport regulars were at odds over the procedure prior to the start of the rain-delayed race, after jet-blowers had been used to dry the track. Riders wanted a five-lap warm-up practice to assess available traction and track conditions, and Vanderslice wanted an immediate start to the race. The two sides came to an impass and the race was started with 12 riders on the grid, all but two being locals.

When Lopez tried to convince Vanderslice to give the riders the five-lap warm-up, explaining that he thought the riders he had talked to would then grid up, Vanderslice angerly replied, “They don’t run the AMA, we do.”

Lopez wanted to run the race, but also told Vanderslice that while he wanted to convince the riders to race, he was not willing to just grid up alone among National riders and then “become the bad guy.”

“No,” Vanderslice told Lopez. “The race is now.” Vanderslice added, referring to the riders, “It’s us against them.”

Vanderslice then ordered Lopez and other riders who had gathered around him to leave, saying “It’s done. Leave!”

Lopez could only watch as the field of 12 left without him.

A slight drizzle was falling as the race was flagged off, and continued until two riders crashed in short order and another ran off the track due to increasing slickness, and the race was red-flagged.

National riders were irate at their treatment because AMA Superbike Operations Manager Ron Barrick had said all weekend that the races would not be held if it was raining. But suddenly riders were asked to take to a mostly-dry track with the slight drizzle falling. Yet most were willing to do so if they had several laps to check conditions, because, as Lopez explained, “You can’t tell anything on one warm-up lap” as far as available traction.

Asked if riders would have raced if given five laps to check conditions, Jake Zemke said “Yeah.”

Zemke’s Erion Racing teammate, Mark Miller, said to a reporter, “I wish you had been up there for the whole thing (the discussion with Vanderslice). It was unbelievable.”

Attack Suzuki’s Tom Kipp also wanted to race, but returned to the pits after taking the warm-up lap, with rain drops on his visor, and did not take to the grid.

The general feeling among AMA National riders is that they do not want to race in the rain at Loudon due to the proximity of walls to the racing surface. Loudon regulars argue that the turns lined with nearby walls are slow-speed corners and point to the track’s lack of wall-impact-related injuries under all conditions in the last two years.

The incident fed a growing feeling among many AMA National riders and teams that the series should not return to Loudon at all, as well as adding to discontent with Vanderslice‘s reign as Pro Racing Director of Competition and his progressively declining willingness to enter into any type of dialog with riders and team members.

Update: On Monday morning Vanderslice approached Lopez in the paddock area at Loudon and apologized for the exchange. But, Lopez said, “He didn’t seem real sure of what he had said, like he couldn’t remember or something. It seemed like he was almost asking me what he had said to me.”

Of course, apology or not, the damage had been done late Sunday afternoon when the pro riders were left standing in the pits as a 12-bike field started the race.

AMA Superbike
Results

1. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR
2. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R750
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R750
4.. Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51
5. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R750
6. Doug Chandler, Kawasaki ZX-7RR
7. Steve Rapp, Ducati 996
8. Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51
9. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha YZF-R7
10. Larry Pegram, Ducati 996
11. Andreas Meklau, Ducati 996
12. Jordan Szoke, H-D VR1000

1. Eric Wood, Ducati 748
2. Mike Ciccotto, Buell 1200
3. Tom Montano, Ducati 748
4. Dean Mizdal, Ducati 748
5. Robert Nigel, Ducati 748
6. Thomas Fournier, Ducati 748
7. Mario Martin, Ducati 750, 23 laps
8. Joseph Bilinski, Ducati 748, 23 laps
9. Vahan Buchakjian, Suzuki SV650, 23 laps
10. Robert Poetzoch, Suzuki SV680, 23 laps
11. John Donald, Suzuki SV650, 23 laps
12. John Lounsbury, Suzuki SV650, 23 laps
13. Richard Patrolia, Suzuki SV650, 23 laps
14. Tripp Nobles, Buell 1200, 22 laps
15. Michael Barnes, Buell 1200, 16 laps
16. Bart Chamberlain, Kawasaki 600, 16 laps
17. William Ormerod, Ducati 650, 16 laps
18. Jeffrey Nash, Ducati 748RS, 7 laps
19. Jonathan Burbank, Suzuki SV650, 7 laps
20. Chris DeCelles, Buell 1200, 5 laps
21. David Estok, Buell 1200, 4 laps

Valentino Rossi won the 500cc Grand Prix at Catalunya, leading an all-Italian podium. Max Biaggi finished 2.579 seconds behind Rossi and Lori Capirossi finished 3.216 seconds behind Rossi. Results follow:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda
2. Max Biaggi, Yamaha
3. Loris Capirossi, Honda
4. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha
5. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki
6. Norike Abe, Yamaha
7. Tohru Ukawa, Honda
8. Carlos Checa, Yamaha
9. Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Proton
10. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha
11. Alex Criville, Honda
12. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha
13. Chris Walker, Honda
14. Jose Luis Cardoso, Honda
15. Haruchika Aoki, Honda

DNF
Anthony West, Honda, -19 laps
Alex Barros, Honda, crashed, -19 laps
Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, crashed, -22 laps

Results:
1. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia
2. Toni Elias, Honda, -0.573 second
3. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, -6.764 seconds
4. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, -6.854 seconds
5. Youchi Ui, Derbi
6. Pablo Nieto, Derbi
7. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda
8. Joan Olive, Honda
9. Alex de Angelis, Honda
10. Simone Sanna, Aprilia

The schedule for the AMA National at New Hampshire International Speedway at Loudon, New Hampshire has been revised in a bid to beat threatening rainstorms. The new schedule is as follows:

600cc Supersport, 11:00 a.m., 24 laps
Superbike, 12:00 p.m., 39 laps
250cc Grand Prix, TBA, 24 laps
Buell Pro Thunder, TBA, 24 laps
Jimmy Adamo Memorial, TBA, 10 laps
Sidecar, TBA, 8 laps

Teams and riders who are running in both the 600cc Supersport and Superbike races objected to the schedule change because it will require riders to run 63 consecutive laps on the difficult track.

Al Ludington, who tunes for Eric Bostrom, said “That just screws Eric. It’s just another example of the AMA knuckling under to the track instead of saying, ‘We can’t do that.'”

Vic Fasola, who works with Aaron Yates, said “It sucks. It’s stupid. I mean, 63 laps around this place? Physically, how do you plan on doing that? Several of the top riders will be at a very big disadvantage.”

1. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:12.670
2. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:12.718
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:12.767
4. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:12.861
5. Tommy Hayden, Yamaha, 1:12.973
6. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:13.488
7. Josh Hayes, Honda, 1:13.596
8. Grant Lopez, Suzuki, 1:13.879
9. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:13.918
10. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:14.050
11. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:14.126
12. Scott Greenwood, Suzuki, 1:14.726
13. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:15.188
14. Vince Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:15.221
15. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:16.335
16. David Ortega, Suzuki, 1:16.359
17. Tyler Wadsworth, Yamaha, 1:16.395
18. Owen Richey, Yamaha, 1:16.582
19. Daigoro Suzuki, Kawasaki, 1:16.782
20. Roland Williams, Suzuki, 1:17.065
21. Paul Hopkins, Yamaha, 1:17.770
22. David Schweitzer, Honda, 1:20.021
23. Justin Blake, Honda, 1:20.307
24. John Salemi, Honda, 1:23.107
25. Dale Seaton, Yamaha, 1:33.914