By David Swarts

The Aprilia Mille R received mixed reviews from the Aprilia-sponsored BFR/ Pro Italia and Blackmans Cycles riders in its first days at Daytona International Speedway. Chris Carr, a former AMA Grand National Champion and the first man to ever finish the Daytona 200 on a Harley-Davidson VR1000, said he liked the Mille R’s handling. “The thing handles good,” said Carr. “Usually, on a streetbike, you have to shit-can the suspension first thing, but this bike has some really good stuff on it and handles great.”

Carr’s teammate for the Daytona F-USA weekend, 1996 F-USA Champion Tray Batey, echoed Carr’s thoughts on the suspension, saying “The suspension is still stock, stock springs, stock fluid, but it’s pretty close. It really handles well.” When asked to compare the Italian V-twin to the 128-horsepower Suzuki TL1000R that he used to win the 2000 Suzuki Cup Finals and set an overall track record at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Batey said, “This thing is a stone compared to the TL. This thing’s been breathed on, and we’re still not breaking 120 (horsepower).”

BFR/Pro Italia’s Aprilias were hitting “over 130 horsepower” at Daytona, according to team owner Gary Stiles, but the R/D aftermarket titanium valve keepers in both Aaron Clark and Mark Ledesma’s bikes broke on Wednesday, February 28, while the pair were testing during a Team Hammer track ride at Daytona. The BFR/Pro Italia Aprilia team spent the majority of Thursday rebuilding the engines with stock pieces.

By David Swarts

Loudon Motorsports’ Greg Harrison, John Jacobi and David Yaakov rode a 2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000 on Pirelli slicks to win the Engine Ice 200-Mile Team Challenge March 1st at Daytona International Speedway. Loudon’s Jacobi battled for the early lead in the race with Joe Gill on a 4&6 Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1 and Shawn Higbee on a KWS Motorsports / Millennium Technologies GSX-R750. When both Higbee and Gill made extended pit stops early on, Loudon was alone at the front. Loudon pitted twice for fuel and changed the rear tire—which was down to the cords on the left side–during the second, 30-second stop, and won the race by two laps. Besides taking the overall win, Loudon also topped the GTO class.

“The new Suzuki 1000 is just an awesome motorcycle,” said Harrison. “It’s incredible! We only had 200 miles on it when we got here. We just had the suspension done by Traxxion Dynamics and a M4 slip-on pipe, but it’s dead stable and fast on the banking. The Pirelli tires worked really well for us.”

Synergy Racing Technology’s Matt Wait and Marc Palazzo finished second overall and took the GTU class win on a Honda CBR600F4 with Dunlop DOT-labeled tires.

“It definitely feels good,” said Wait of his return to Daytona. “Being back here just brings back good memories. I’m happy and feeling well. I’m looking forward to the big race this weekend. I think this is going to be a positive year. My Synergy team, Honda motorcycles, and Dunlop tires are working out great.”

The results of the Engine Ice 200-mile Team Challenge at Daytona follow:

GTO: 1. Loudon Motorsports (Greg Harrison, John Jacobi, David Yaakov), Suz GSX-R1000; 2. Legal Racing (James Hooper), Suz GSX-R750; 3. Yapima Racing (William Siemens, James Gaal, James Melley, Jr.), Suz GSX-R750; 4. MBS Racing (Jeffery McKinney), Suz TL1000R; 5. Eksite Racing (Jonathan Glaefke, James Doerfler) Suz GSX-R750; 6. Bad Apple Racing (Arthur Wagner, Jr.) Suz TL1000R.

GTU: 1. Synergy Racing (Matt Wait, Marc Palazzo) Hon CBR600F4i; 2. Big Pink Machines (Mauro Cereda, Robert Fisher) Suz GSX-R600; 3. Brotz Motorsports (Richie Morris, Clint Brotz) Yam YZF-R6; 4. Speed Racing (C.J. Czaia) Suz GSX-R600; 5. Starnet 4&6 Racing (Russ Intravartolo) Yam YZF-R6; 6. Redlight Racing (Pedro Valiente) Yam YZF-R6.

By David Swarts

Former Superbike World Champion Scott Russell showed up at Daytona today with his HMC Ducati crew, sporting a black right eye.

Russell missed the 1999 Daytona 200 after suffering a broken cheekbone in a bar fight.

Russell and members of his team declined to comment on the cause of Russell’s most recent black eye.

Russell has won the Daytona 200 five times.

When asked about the eye, Russell said, “I was just f–king around back home in Atlanta. I didn’t get in a fight or anything like that.”

When asked about his new motorcycle, Russell said, “We’ve got a lot of work to do. The bike’s spinning real bad. The track’s as green as it has ever been. I couldn’t get a clean lap for anything.”

Russell will be racing CCS sprints this weekend.

Part Six
MBNA 250cc Grand Prix

The AMA 250cc Grand Prix season could be one to remember with many big names returning to the two-stroke wars. Seeking 250cc GP career win number 50, Rich Oliver will return on a Yamaha, Dunlop tires, and with his soon-to-be-wife Jocelin tuning for him. Oliver, 39, will have a familiar foe on the grid in the form of Jimmy Filice. Two-time former 250cc Champion Filice will be riding on James Siddal’s World Sports Yamaha team with none other than Ed Toomey doing the wrenching. The World Sports effort has received backing from seat maker Corbin.

Two-time defending Champion Chuck Sorensen, 28, has left the World Sports team to ride for Geoff Maloney’s GP Tech Yamaha program. Sorensen’s teammate will be 2000 Irish Stock Sport Series Champion Simon Turner. Turner, 31, also finished sixth in the 1998 British 250cc series. Chris Ulrich, who teamed with Sorensen on the World Sports Yamaha squad in 2000, has left the series after finished third in 1999 and fifth in 2000, seeking his fame riding four-strokes.

Michael Barnes finished the 2000 season fourth in points on a GP Tech Yamaha, but has left the team and is scheduled to campaign the prototype Tul-aris 780 in WERA and CCS action.

New to AMA 250cc action will be young gun Cory West riding a 2000 TZ250 for Harder Racing Development. West, 16, finished the 2000 season with a podium finish in the Daytona Aprilia Cup Challenge race. Already a dirt track Champion many times over, West comes from a racing family including a former AMA Superbike racing dad, Marvin West.

The 250cc class will also see at least two guest riders during the season. 1998 250cc Champion Roland Sands, 26, will race at Daytona on his Performance Machine Yamaha TZ250. In between stints as a four-letter-word-wielding magazine test rider, Sands will likely ride at other 250cc rounds in 2001.

Also planning on appearing at Daytona is Cruise America Grand Prix Racing’s Jason DiSalvo, the 1999 WERA 125cc National Champion. DiSalvo, 17, will ride his A-kitted 2001 Honda RS250 before heading back to Europe to chase the European and British 250cc Championships.


Looks like a great year to be an AMA road racing fan. As always in racing, anything can happen to upset even the most thoughtful predications. Riders crash, riders get injured, riders get “distracted”, bikes fall apart, tires come apart, teams fall apart, and the only thing not subject to change is that things are subject to change. But no matter what, you can count on getting the details of everything that’s going on, around, or behind the scenes at the racetrack here in Roadracing World.

Part Five
Buell Pro Thunder

Easily the most controversial class of the off-season, the Buell Pro Thunder class has gone through quite a few changes. First, Ducati 748s will no longer be able to displace 800cc as they have in the past. Second, the class will also be excluded from the AMA schedule on Superbike double-header weekends at Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio and Road America, and the dropped races have been moved to WERA Nationals in preparation for the entire class being removed from the AMA National schedule in the future. The rule changes will most likely reduce participation in the most diverse class. Pro Thunder regular, BCM Ducati’s Bill St. John has already announced that he will not return to the AMA series.

Defending Pro Thunder Champion Jeff Nash will return with the Number One plate on his Advanced Motor Sports Ducati 748RS. Support from Ducati North America will allow Nash’s teammate Craig Connell to return from Australia for a full Pro Thunder season. Connell’s speed combined with the reliability of the AMS Ducati makes him the class favorite.

Series sponsor Buell will return to support the class and at least two teams. Don Tilley will return with his re-worked Buells and rider Tripp Nobles. Hal’s Performance H-D/ Buell will also be back with two-time F-USA Buell Lightning champ Mike Ciccotto.

Part Three:
Genuine Suzuki Accessories 750cc Supersport

The 750cc Supersport series returns in 2001 with new sponsor Genuine Suzuki Accessories, an increased Championship bonus program, and a new rule. No longer will 600s have a minimum weight requirement to enter the 750cc class, but the power-to-weight ratio of the latest GSX-R750 has made riding a 600cc in the class an exercise in futility. Defending 750cc Supersport Champion John Hopkins is not expected to campaign the whole season, but Hopkins’ younger Valvoline EGMO Suzuki teammate, 16-year-old Texan Ben Spies, will. Spies qualified on the front row for his first-ever 750 race at Mid-Ohio last year. A stronger and smarter Spies could eclipse his own teammate as the youngest AMA Champion ever if he gets the job done. Spies will be armed with pro-racer-turned-mechanic Shane Clarke setting up the bike like only a ex-racer can.

The strongest favorite for the 750cc Championship would have to be Jimmy Moore. Moore leaves the Ricci Motorsports team after many years to join a team returning to AMA competition after a similar length of time. Past race winner Moore will ride for Landers Sevier’s EBSCO Suzuki team, sponsored by Corona Extra. Moore, 33, will be teamed up with 17-year-old Tony “The Tiger” Meiring, perhaps the youngest beer-sponsored rider in U.S. road racing history. Champion dirt tracker Meiring struggled with a Honda CBR600F4 in Pro competition in 2000, but has quickly taken a liking to his Suzuki GSX-R750. EBSCO Suzuki will field a third bike with Czech immigrant Vaclav “Vincent” Haskovec at the controls. Haskovec, 26, has shown flashes of brilliance, especially at his home track Willow Springs, but has yet to put together a strong National season.

Two-time Suzuki Cup Champion Mike Ciccotto will be back with Steve DeCamp’s successful Hooters Suzuki program and could be a serious contender for the title.

Another strong contender in the Suzuki-spec class will be 1998 AMA 750cc Champion Richie Alexander. After a bout with Lyme disease derailed his promising career in 1999, Alexander, 28, is back for 2001 riding with Attack Suzuki on Dunlop tires.

Gary Ricci’s Bardahl-backed Ricci Motorsports team will return with back-in-racing Tony Lupo as well as Scott Gooch, with appearances by young gun Jake Holden. Lupo was a 750cc Supersport regular and podium finisher when he ran the series from 1995-1997. In the meantime, Lupo had some bad luck and a run-in with the law related to domestic violence. Lupo now returns to master the new generation GSX-R750 as well as his temper. Gooch comes from regional racing success in the Northwest for his first full AMA season. Holden will stay close to home while he still learns the ropes of professional racing and run in selected West Coast events.

Wild card entries in 750cc Supersport competition will include 21-year-old Chris Ulrich riding a Vesrah-backed Suzuki. Ulrich will be racing his first year of four-strokes after a successful teenage career on Grand Prix two-strokes. A second-generation 24-Hour Endurance race winner, Ulrich has already proven that he is in top physical shape and up to speed in pre-season testing. He’ll run Metzeler tires.

Arclight Suzuki is planning on making some AMA 750cc Supersport appearances like the one that saw Lee Acree podium at Daytona last spring. After a successful 2000 season in WERA and F-USA competition, Arclight has stepped their program up for 2001 with F-USA Sportbike and three-time Suzuki Cup Champion Acree teamed with Northern California’s Brian Parriott. As a true privateer, Parriott has shown in the past that he can ride with the factory stars. Now with Suzuki support, Parriott has a real chance to be a star himself. Both will ride on Pirelli tires.