Corona Extra/EBSCO Media Suzuki’s Jimmy Moore, the current points leader in AMA 750cc Supersport, was not be allowed to participate in several practice sessions Friday at Mid-Ohio because he broke an AMA Pro Racing rule that bans riders who are top-10 in Superbike or 600cc Supersport points from participating in practice or school sessions within 10 days of the start of official practice at the same racetrack. Moore, who is currently 10th in 600cc Supersport points, rode in Thursday practice sessions at Mid-Ohio while other riders affected by the rule–notably Rich Alexander and John Hopkins–did not ride.

AMA officials noticed that Moore was riding and initially considered banning him from any further practice before 750cc Supersport qualifying. Later officials said they had accurately determined how much practice time Moore had on Thursday, and held him out of practice on Friday for that amount of time plus a little more.

The AMA rulebook does not specify a punishment for breaking the rule, leaving it up to the discretion of officials.

Moore said he did not realize that he had reached the top 10 in 600cc Supersport points, following Laguna Seca.

The rule in question has been enforced in a haphazard manner, being applied strictly to some riders (John Hopkins, Grant Lopez, Jason Pridmore, Rich Alexander, Josh Hayes) while other riders have been given permission to break the rule and teach riding school sessions within the 10-day window (Aaron Yates, Jamie Hacking).

The Moore case is the first one in which a penalty has been applied to a rider for breaking the rule.

But Moore did not suffer a substantial penalty for breaking the rule, Alexander pointed out, while he (Alexander) was told by AMA officials at Road Atlanta that if he broke the rule, he would be disqualified from the race weekend.

The online article search feature has been restored.

John Haner rode to two race wins and a new lap record at Hallet Road Racing Circuit in Hallet, Oklahoma last Sunday, July 15. Haner set the new lap record at 1:18.41 en route to winning a WERA/RPM regional A Superstock sprint race on board his Stubb’s Cycle-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R750. The Texas-based racer also won B Superstock, placed second in C Superbike, and co-rode to the overall endurance race win on Saturday, July 14.

Billy Wiese, who tuned Roadracingworld.com’s Chris Ulrich to two AMA podium finishes on a GSX-R750 so far this year–including Ulrich’s recent 750cc Supersport win at Laguna Seca–has opened his own shop in the Northwest suburbs of Houston, Texas. Wiese also worked with Ulrich during his 1999 run to third in the AMA 250cc Grand Prix Series on a Yamaha TZ250. Wiese’s shop, WRW Racing, provides all types of service and repair work for motorcycles and ATVs, including two-stroke engine building and machining. Parts and accessories can also be purchased at the shop, which is open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, as Wiese’s race schedule allows. Wiese, a motorcycle mechanic since 1967, is also working toward making his shop a Traxxion Dynamics suspension service center.

WRW Racing is located at 13529 Skinner Rd. #B, Cypress, Texas, (281) 304-6767.

Roadracingworld.com reporter David Swarts was stopped by Arizona Highway Patrol officers on Interstate 40 near Winslow, Arizona yesterday and the 1993 motorhome Swarts was driving to the AMA National at Mid-Ohio was searched for drugs.

Officers found nothing incriminating in the motorhome and released Swarts after about a 30-minute delay.

Officers asked to search the motorhome after examining the registration papers, which show the recently-bought-used motorhome to be owned by Roadracingworld.com Editor John Ulrich, who also owns the pickup truck being driven to Mid-Ohio by Chris Ulrich.

See related post 7/16/01, headlined “Updated Post With Additional Information: Arizona Applying Commercial Trucking Standards To Racers Pulling Trailers With Pick-up Trucks”.

Formula USA Road Racing and Lockhart Phillips USA have teamed up in an interesting new promotion designed to turn more street riders into racers. The program is called “Zero To Hero” and offers half-price tuition at all participating CCS new racer schools and a free, first-race entry.

New racers will still be expected to have a fully race-prepared motorcycle and all of the proper safety gear, but the new promotion helps beginners with the start-up expenses of becoming a motorcycle road racer.

Kevin Elliott, Director of Championship Cup Series racing, is quoted a press release from Formula USA as saying, “Our Road Race Schools are designed for the rider who is already somewhat comfortable with his or her machine, we teach you the rules of racing first, then some of the finer points of going fast around the racetrack at competitive speeds. We show you what to look for and what to avoid on the track as well as the specific racing etiquette that all racers are expected to follow. This makes it so you know what to expect out of the other guy and they know what to expect out of you, thus making your racing experience a safer, more enjoyable one. Our instructors stay involved with the student, sometimes for their entire career, to make sure that any questions the students have are answered by someone who has already been where they are going. This makes a racing school different from a riding school, since you will see your instructor at the track during most every race weekend in your region, not just on those rare occasions when you happen to be at the same track as these traveling riding schools. The Lockhart Phillips ‘Go from Zero to Hero’ program is the first of its kind and we are proud that CCS was chosen by an industry leader such as Lockhart Phillips USA as their partner in this promotion.”

More information is available from CCS at (817) 332-4822.

CCS events included in the promotion are:

California Road Racing Championship
August 11-12 Thunderhill Park, Willows CA
September 1-2 Streets of Willow, Rosamond CA
September 15-16 Phoenix Int’l Raceway
October 6-7 Thunderhill Park, Willows CA
November 10-11 Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA

Florida Road Racing Championship
September 1-2Roebling Road, Faulkville, GA

Great Plains Road Racing Championship
September 8-9 Blackhawk Farms, S. Beloit, IL
September 15-16Gateway Int’l Raceway, Madison, IL
October 6-7Gateway Int’l Raceway, Madison, IL

Mid-West Road Racing Championship
August 25-26 Blackhawk Farms, S. Beloit, IL
September 8-9 Blackhawk Farms, S. Beloit, IL
October 6-7Gateway Int’l Raceway, Madison, IL

Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Championship
July 21-22 Roebling Road, Faulkville, GA
August 4-5 Virginia Int’l Raceway, Alton, VA
September 1-2 Roebling Road, Faulkville, GA
September 22-23Rausch Creek Raceway, Valley View, PA
(Non Points)

Southeast Road Racing Championship
July 21-22 Roebling Road, Faulkville, GA
August 4-5 Virginia Int’l Raceway, Alton, VA
September 1-2 Roebling Road, Faulkville, GA

Southwest Road Racing Championship
August 11-12Thunderhill Park, Willows CA
September 1-2Streets of Willow, Rosamond, CA
September 15-16 Phoenix Int’l Raceway
October 6-7Firebird Int’l., Chandler, AZ
October 6-7Thunderhill Park, Willows CA
November- 10-11 Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow, CA

All Dates Are Subject to Change.

* = Double Points
TC = Team Challenge
** = Twin Sprint Event (Friday Riders School)

The CCS event scheduled for August 11-12 at Road Atlanta has been cancelled. A car race has been scheduled instead, according to Kevin Elliott of Clear Channel Motorsports, formerly known as SFX Motorsports, formerly known as PACE Motorsports. Elliott made his remarks in reponse to a racer inquiring about pre-entry for the event, which was on CCS schedules.

But the Road Atlanta schedule shows the dates taken by a Kevin Schwantz school, and sources close to the track say that CCS never scheduled a race on that weekend.

At post time, a Road Atlanta spokesman had not returned a phone call requesting comment.

From an OMS Ltd press release:

OMS Ltd. announced today that Dale Spangler has been named Sales Account Executive for AMA Sports and All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) activities. Last month, OMS Ltd. was appointed by the AMA as the exclusive sponsorship agent for AMA Sports and the ATVA.

Spangler comes to OMS with 20+ years experience in the personal power sports industry ranging from national caliber motocross racer to his most recent position as power sports promotions manager at Smith Sport Optics. Spangler’s primary responsibilities at OMS will include establishing new sponsorships for AMA Sports and the ATVA as well as taking existing sponsorships to a new level.

“It is an honor to be selected for this new position and to join the great staff OMS has assembled,” said Spangler. “I look forward to the challenge of elevating the sponsorship opportunities for AMA Sports and the new ATVA group events and series to a new level of participation and professionalism.”

“Dale’s experience and passion for the industry will be a great asset to the OMS Team as well maximizing promoting the many opportunities available with AMA Sports and All Terrain Vehicle Association activities,” said OMS general manager, Cory Jonson from his Kentucky office.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities of AMA Sports and ATVA activities, please contact Dale Spangler at 859-647-0718.

The latest press release issued by Dr. Rob Tuluie regarding his Tul-aris 780:


Tul-aris Almost Finishes 3rd in First Race

After a difficult launch off the starting line, Tul-aris development rider Steve Johnson rode a great race to chase down and pass Wes Pogue’s GSX-R750 for 3rd place on the second-to-last lap of the CRA Unlimited GP race. Steve made up ground consistently during the race and passed Pogue under braking into turn 10. It was great fun to watch Steve wheelie for several gears out of turn 9 consistently and then make the pass for 3rd into the next turn on the brakes. Most unfortunately, on the penultimate lap a malfunctioning gas tank breather caused the engine to stumble due to fuel starvation and Steve pulled in to avoid engine damage.

Never-the-less, to be racing for a podium position with national-level racers this early in the development process of the bike is a very encouraging sign and testament to Steve’s development and riding abilities, the hard work of the Tul-aris crew and the validity of the design of the Tul-aris. We improved our lap times by over 2 seconds from the last time we were at BIR and are now performing typical set-up work, such as finding optimum tire and suspension combinations. This improvement came without the use of our power valve engine, which is still in development, but rather using our existing non-power valve, Hot Seat Performance 780cc engine, which we set up very safely and which ran faultless for the entire weekend, 64 laps (200 miles) total.

If we can maintain this rate of improvement into the next event, great things are in store. Typically, the rate of improvement at the top level of motorcycle racing is on the order of a second per year, if that. Our current rate is 2 seconds per event! Our biggest advantage at BIR came in the infield section of the track, where Steve was able to lap significantly faster than his competition. Our greatest disadvantage was over the bumpy sections of Brainerd ultra-fast turn 1, where the combination of light weight and high torque made for some very lively exits, costing Steve as much as a second a lap. In addition, we couldn’t realize the same top speed advantage we saw earlier in the year at Daytona as our state of engine tuning was very conservative and focused on mid-range by choice. Once our electronic Polaris power valve cylinders will be ready, this situation will certainly change.

Our next tasks are to perform servo-hydraulic lab tests on the MTS motorcycle simulator to help find a better set-up for BIR’s turn 1, using track data we collected this weekend and to fit the electronic power valve mechanism.

The Tul-aris Team is sponsored by Hot Seat Performance, Ohlins, Michelin, Nutec Fuel, Yoyodyne Titanium, Lofgren Racing/Manley Cycle and AP Racing. Special thanks to Hardy Baehni, Dale Athman, Tim Wirtz, Greg Ericksen, Jim Hubert, Bob Harrington, Don Fox, Ivan, Chris Koenig, and Dave Adolfson.

The Pro Practice sessions scheduled for Thursday, July 19 at Mid-Ohio (run by Fasttrax) and for Thursday, July 26 at Brainerd (run by Team Hammer) will tentatively both use the same session structure, developed by Team Hammer.

The tentative schedule order follows, although at Mid-Ohio where Pro Thunder will not be run, 750 Supersport will be run alone:

8:00-8:30, 30 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
8:30-9:00, 30 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
9:00-9:30, 30 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
9:30-10:00, 30 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
10:00-10:30, 30 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
10:30-11:00, 30 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
11:00-12:00, 60 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
12:00-1:00, 60 minutes, Lunch
1:00-2:00, 60 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
2:00-3:00, 60 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
3:00-3:30, 30 minutes, 600 Supersport/250 Grand Prix
3:30-4:00, 30 minutes, 750 Supersport/Pro Thunder
4:00-4:30, 30 minutes, Superbike/Formula Xtreme
4:30-5:00, 30 minutes, spare time to make up for delays