From a press release:

The Superbikers2 Supermotard Challenge is a six race series of supermotard events to be held at the Briggs&Stratton Motorplex at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

The series will include classes for mini-motards, sportsman, lightweights, middleweights, and a premier unlimited class as well as two quad classes.

Superbikers2 will also hold exhibition events (no points for the series) at the AMA/ Chevy Superbikes National and the Formula USA National rounds at RA.

For more information on the series please contact Glenn Curtiss at 920-912-3009, e-mail [email protected] or see the web site at www.superbikers2.com.

The series is also searching for sponsorship. Please contact us if we can help promote your business and products or servicesat our events.

Superbikers2 2002 schedule: All events at Road America except April 20th.

April 20 Super Mini-Motard only (Mid-Cities Motorsports, West Bend, WI)

April 28 (CCS Regional roadrace weekend)

May 5

June 2

June 6-7-8-9 (exhibition only, AMA National)

July 14

August 1-2-3-4 (exhibition only, F-USA National)

August 25

September 8

From a press release:

COSTA MESA, CA – William Tate, owner of California Speed Shop and Fleet Services, announced today the auction of two stunt Triumph Motorcycles from M:I-2.

So you think only two Triumph motorcycles survived the dazzling, demanding stunts that caused your pulse to race as you sat on the edge of your seat watching M:I-2! Not so! Up for auction are two amazing survivors of the second installation of the Mission Impossible movies starring Tom Cruise. Surprisingly, the black Speed Triple and red Daytona 955 triumphed over a wrenching demise. After being reconstructed by factory trained technicians both are fully operational, and run great.

Both two wheeled wonders have been modified for the big screen. The Speed Triple is complete with bullet holes and broken tail light. The Daytona sports a shattered windscreen as well as other appropriate abrasions. Touted by the seller as the Good Guy and the Bad Guy set, bidding begins any day now on eBay.


Specs:
2 1998 Triumphs
1 Black Speed Triple
1 Red Daytona
955cc
Under 500 miles
Full documentation of origin and provenance
Both bikes reconstructed by factory trained technicians
Road ready – run great
Modifications include: bullet holes custom hand cut tire tread, shot up tail lamps and rear fender on the Speed Triple. Shot up windscreen, special paint and belly pan on the Daytona.

Contact information:
Will Tate
Joyce Tate
949 642-3080
California Speed Shop
Fleet Services Company
Costa Mesa, CA


(Note: The Triumphs are now up on eBay.)

From a press release:

SBK PRESS RELEASE
Australia – Winter Test
Phillip Island 29/1 – 1st/2, 2002

Wednesday 29 January 2002

Reigning World Champion Troy Bayliss set an excellent first day time of 1:32.944 on his 2002 Ducati 996R at the official Phillip Island SBK test sessions. The absolute fastest Superbike lap of the circuit, set by Troy Corser in 1999, stands at 1:32.193, putting Bayliss’ time – set on race tyres and in high winds – into some perspective.

Second quickest was his Ducati Infostrada team-mate Ruben Xaus, despite suffering a small fall from his machine at the base of Lukey Heights when his fairing ground-out on the sloping tarmac.

Lone Castrol Honda entrant Colin Edwards, running a Suzuka 8-Hour spec engine in his VTR SP2, was third quickest, half a second off Bayliss’ best time.

In fourth place on the time sheets came Noriyuki Haga who was on very impressive form for a rider who was having only his second taste of dry weather Aprilia testing. A former championship challenger in seasons past, Haga has proved to be right back in the Superbike groove, and has settled well into his Aprilia team.

Former Australian Superbike star turned SBK rider Steve Martin put his years of Phillip Island experience to excellent use to go fifth fastest on his Pirelli-shod DFX Ducati, taking the early-season scalp of factory Kawasaki rider Hitoyasu Izutsu, who is a new full time entrant into SBK this season.

Ben Bostrom, the lone Dunlop-supplied factory Ducati rider, took seventh, holding off his frequent 2001 season rival Neil Hodgson, from the HM Plant Ducati team. Bostrom was another rider to suffer a fall on the opening day, without serious injury.

James Toseland, Chris Walker and Alessandro Antonello rounded out the 11 Superbike riders on show, and each of them will have two more days to improve their lap times and machine setups.

In the Supersport class, Pere Riba from the Ten Kate Honda team was easily the fastest man on track, setting a best of 1:37.079 despite the high winds.

World Champion Andrew Pitt fell from his factory Kawasaki at high speed but suffered only bruising after hitting a trackside tyre wall. His accident stopped him challenging Riba, or his fellow countryman Chris Vermeulen (from the van Zon Honda TKR team) who was second quickest.

Fabien Foret, winner of two WSS races in 2001, was fourth on the stopwatch, while technical glitches prevented Karl Muggeridge from making his usual good practice showing.

Two World Supersport rookies, John McGuinness and James Ellison, made up the final two places on the World Supersport sheets.

From a press release, confirmation of what we reported on January 15:


YAMAHA NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF APRIL 5-7 SUPERBIKE EVENT AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

The Yamaha Superbike Challenge Features Two Rounds/Two Days of Racing

FONTANA, Calif. (January 30, 2002) – California Speedway’s Inaugural motorcycle event weekend, April 5-7, will feature Yamaha Motor Corp. as the
title sponsor, Yamaha West Region Sales Manager, Rocky Aiello and speedway President Bill Miller announced today.

The speedway’s new 2.3-mile, 21-turn road course will host “The Yamaha Superbike Challenge,” featuring Rounds Two and Three on the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship schedule. Round Two, slated for Saturday, April 6th, will be the Yamaha West Region Dealers 100k, while Round Three on Sunday, April 7th, will be the Yamaha 100k.

The partnership also makes Yamaha the “Official Motorcycle and ATV” of California Speedway.

In addition to the Superbike races, AMA sanctioned events will also be conducted in 600cc SuperSport, 250 Grand Prix and Formula Xtreme classes during the weekend.

“There is an incredible amount of excitement already surrounding this event at California Speedway, and with the addition of Yamaha as the event title sponsor, we know the level of excitement will increase,” Miller said. “Working with Yamaha and all of their dealers in the West region will enable us to reach a large number of motorcycle enthusiasts in one of the strongest motorcycle markets in the country. In addition, our three and two-day ticket packages offer fantastic savings.”

Yamaha West Region Sales Manager Rocky Aiello added, “Yamaha has high standards for its products and partners, so we’re proud to partner with a professional organization like California Speedway. Working together, we look forward to increasing motorcycle awareness and road racing exposure to one of the largest audiences in the country.”

Tickets for the April 5-7 Yamaha Superbike Challenge are currently on sale via the speedway’s website at www.californiaspeedway.com, in person at the speedway’s box office or by calling 1-800-944-RACE (7223). In the coming weeks, tickets will also be available for sale at participating West Region Yamaha dealers.

Advance sale three-day and two-day ticket packages are available, with three-day savings ranging from $10-$15 and two-day savings ranging from $10-$20. This offer will end two weeks prior to race weekend. Individual tickets will be sold throughout the weekend. In addition, children 12 & under are admitted free in the general admission areas.


Ticket Prices are as follows:

Three-Day Admission Package (April 5-7)
General Admission – Adult – $60, Child (12 and under) wristband – free

Preferred Reserved Admission – Adult and Child – $70

Two-Day General Admission (April 6-7)
General Admission – Adult – $50, Child (12 and under) wristband – free

Preferred Reserved Admission – Adult and Child – $60


Single-Day Admission

April 5 – Practice

General Admission – Adult – $10, Child (12 and under) wristband – free

Preferred Reserved Admission – Adult and Child – $15


April 6 – Round Two – Yamaha West Region Dealers 100k and racing in three other classes

General Admission – Adult – $30, Child (12 and under) wristband – free

Preferred Reserved Admission – Adult and Child – $40


April 7 – Round Three – Yamaha 100k and racing in three other classes

General Admission – Adult – $30, Child (12 and under) wristband – free

Preferred Reserved Admission – Adult and Child – $40

For additional information, log onto the speedway’s website at www.californiaspeedway.com or visit Yamaha’s website at www.yamaha-motor.com.

From a press release:

DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

SBK Winter Testing – Phillip Island (Australia)

Wednesday 30 January 2002

BAYLISS AND XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) SET THE PACE IN PHILLIP ISLAND TEST

The Ducati Infostrada pair of Troy Bayliss and Ruben Xaus set the pace on the first day of Phillip Island testing in Australia, as the 2002 world championship contenders faced up to each other for the first time this year. Seventh quickest time for Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M).

In cloudy conditions (track 31° C/ air 20° C), both Bayliss and Xaus were quick to find good settings around the 4.445 km circuit in the morning and then made very few modifications during the rest of the day. This allowed them to test the vast range of tyres brought along in view of the second round of the championship here on March 24.

World champion Bayliss, on his 2002-spec Ducati 998R Factory, was quickest on the first day after completing a total of 83 laps. His time of 1:32.944 on race tyres was one-tenth of a second under the Superbike lap record of 1:33.019, set by Corser in 1999.

“Today we did a lot of work with tyres after getting an excellent baseline setting in the morning”, said the 32-year-old Australian. “The bike continues to feel perfect and I’m confident I can get my times down even more over the next couple of days”.

Xaus was also on top form at Phillip Island and the Ducati Infostrada rider was just two-tenths of a second behind his team-mate after a total of 87 laps, his best being 1:33.180.

“I feel much more comfortable with the bike here at Phillip Island and I am really satisfied with the times I set today”, said Xaus. “In particular my time of 1:33.5 on the eighteenth lap of a long-run with race tyres shows that we are really competitive”.

Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) was slightly unhappy with the lack of rear-end grip on his 998R Factory throughout the day which prevented him from improving on seventh-quickest time.

“I didn’t have much rear-end grip today”, declared Bostrom. “In addition, Phillip Island is not one of my favourite circuits, so I was unable to get the bike set up the way I wanted it to be”.

The three-day SBK Winter Tests at Phillip Island continue tomorrow through Friday.

TIMES:
1. BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 1:32.944
2. XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) 1:33.180
3. Edwards (Honda) 1:33.455
4. Haga (Aprilia) 1:34.439
5. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1:34.669
6. Izutsu (Kawasaki) 1:34.711
7. BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) 1:35.005
8. Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.024
9. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.064
10. Walker (Kawasaki) 1:36.036
11. Antonello (Ducati DFX) 1:37.753.

From a press release:

BIRDS FLY!

Valencia, Spain 26th January 2002

Team Yamaha Belgarda riders Jamie Whitham and Paolo Casoli completed a successful two-day private test at the Ricard Tormo circuit, Valencia and are looking forward to season ahead. The Iberian track saw the whole Yamaha Belgarda team together for the first time since last year and a lot of good work was done and useful information gathered. The highlight of the test was Jamie Whitham who smashed the lap record by a second!

The first test of the 2002 season saw the team make substantial forward steps, led by crew chief Silvano Galbusera. Last season’s race at the Valencia circuit was not a happy hunting ground for the team. Paolo Casoli could only manage twelfth place in the race and Jamie Whitham suffered a crash ­ fortunately without injury.

Jamie Whitham’s best time last year was 1:40.584, but at the test he thoroughly got to grips with the circuit and blitzed round in 1:38.9. His team mate Paolo Casoli doesn’t like the track much because it is slow and not very technical, but nonetheless managed to post a lap of 1:39.4 – over a second better then his best lap last year. Both riders were happy at the progress made and put the superb results achieved down to the consistent hard work carried out by the team.

HARD WORK
The test programme at Valencia was very intense. There were some new Ohlins forks to try out together with a new Ohlins rear shock absorber TT44, originally developed for Superbikes. The shock allows the rider to try and balance the bike in the best possible way and let the rider put the power on the track as required.

There were also and some new engine components and some new electronic parts in the ignition system to try out. The Valencia tests allowed the riders and mechanics to gain a lot of valuable information and the result was a substantial improvement on last season.

INTENSE PREPARATION
This year, the Yamaha Belgarda Supersport team (in conjunction with Yamaha Belgarda) decided to embark on a substantial preseason test programme starting with Valencia in preparation for the first race of the year at Valencia on March 10th. Before then the team will take part in further tests at an Italian circuit, probably Misano. The team will then return to their workshops in Gerno di Lesmo, where they will prepare four new 2002 R6 Yamahas ­ two for Whitham and two for Casoli. After that they head back to Spain and will test at Cartegena before the official SBK organised tests at Valencia on 23rd, 24th and 25th February.

THE THOUGHTS OF MAIO
“There is a lot of stuff to try out and test and sometimes when there is a lot to do, it’s easy to get confused and go backwards. But so far, our tests went well and I’m really pleased with the progress the riders and the team have made. Dunlop also put in a lot of good work and we feel that their tyres will give us a consistent advantage.

“The times achieved by Jamie and Paolo confirmed the progress we made and gives us great encouragement. Jamie really surprised me. Normally he is not very good in tests or in practice and I’m surprised how easily he got down
to good lap times before going under the lap record. I’m also pleasantly surprised at Paolo. I know he doesn’t like the track, but he worked hard at it and put in some really impressive times.

“Thanks to all the hard work put in by everybody we have a fast bike, a superb team and two exceptional riders. Now we are ready to take on anybody in 2002.”

Clear Channel Entertainment Motor Sports has agreed to transport and deploy 20 sections of Air Fence for the 2002 WERA Grand National Finals/Suzuki Cup Finals at Road Atlanta.

The annual WERA season finale is scheduled for October 23-27.

The 20 sections of Air Fence were provided for F-USA and CCS use by the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund, and will be transported via CCE truck from the October 16-20 F-USA/CCS Race of Champions at Daytona to Atlanta.

The deal for deployment at Road Atlanta was reached Tuesday, January 29 by John Ulrich of Roadracing World and Roy Janson of CCE Motor Sports.

WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc. has agreed to cover any repair and/or replacement costs related to the deployment.

Air Fence is a trademark of Air Fence Safety Systems of Australia.

Bidding on Eric Bostrom’s leathers to benefit the Roadracing World Air Fence* Fund stalled at $2000 with under three days left in an auction on eBay.

grocezx7r led the bidding ahead of wera163, koups.com and [email protected].

Kawasaki factory racer Eric Bostrom donated the custom-designed Alpinestars motorcycle racing leathers, which he wore during the 2001 AMA Superbike Championship series in which he finished second in points.

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The suit is one of only three made for Bostrom during 2001 and was worn by the young Californian in his AMA Superbike race win at Laguna Seca. Bostrom was featured on the cover of Roadracing World magazine wearing these leathers as he dragged his elbow during the race at Laguna Seca. The suit has a 2.5-inch drag mark on the left elbow where it came in contact with the pavement.

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Bostrom also wore the suit during tire testing at Daytona International Raceway in December 2001 where he crashed, scuffing the right arm, hip and seat areas of the suit.

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The green, silver and black garment was made in Italy and includes all of Bostrom’s team and personal sponsor logos for the 2001 season in addition to custom-made A&G knee sliders that display Bostrom’s initials. The suit retains its interior body armor, padding and removable liner. Bostrom added his autograph in permanent paint marker just below his lettered name and American flag patch on the aerodynamic hump on the back of the suit.

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In donating the leathers to be auctioned off for the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund, Bostrom said, “It’s the least I could do, you know. You guys have shown such a big effort and really went out of your way to put your heart into this effort. Anything I can do, for sure I’m there. Hopefully somebody will feel the same way and pay a few bucks and have a pretty cool set of leathers.”

All proceeds from the sale of this leather suit minus the cost of eBay and escrow services will go to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund. The Roadracing World Air Fence Fund was established to raise funds to purchase and deploy inflatable Air Fence and Air Module soft barriers to protect crashed riders from hitting walls and other hard objects at racetracks.

To go directly to the auction on eBay, click on the link below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1801269462

*Air Fence is a trademark of Airfence Safety Systems of Australia.

From a press release:

Underground Pedestrian Tunnels Complete
at Sears Point Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) – Construction work is complete on two underground pedestrian tunnels at Sears Point Raceway and both will be operational for the 2002 main-event season.

The tunnels, which are part of Sears Point Raceway’s $50 million Modernization Plan, will expedite pedestrian traffic flow around the property on major-event weekends, including the Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Winston Cup and NHRA FRAM Autolite Nationals.

One tunnel will be located on the west side of start/finish line adjacent to the new permanent grandstand. The start/finish tunnel will connect the paddock with the Turn 10 vendor area. The other tunnel will be located in Turn 10 and connect that area to the Gate 3 fan entrance and shuttle stop. The location of the tunnels will give fans much better access to the facility.

Each tunnel will be 20 feet wide, with the start/finish tunnel spanning 270 feet long. The tunnel under Turn 10 is 130 feet long. The tunnels replace the bridges that were previously used at Sears Point Raceway in those areas and will increase the sightlines of the road course and drag strip dramatically. Fans sitting in the new permanent grandstand at start/finish will now see about 65-percent of the road-course action, including the most high-speed segment of the circuit at Turn 10.

“These tunnels are going to be a huge plus during our major events,” said Steve Page, president and general manager at Sears Point Raceway. “The strategic placement of these tunnels will enable our fans to better circulate around the property, whether it’s to get to their seat in the new permanent grandstand, or to board a shuttle bus to move around the facility. Fans will also enjoy the tremendous sightlines that have opened up as a result of these tunnels. This will be unlike any other road course in that you will be able to see a large majority of the racing.”

Sears Point Raceway began its comprehensive modernization project in September, 2000, and since that time more than 8,000,000 cubic yards of dirt has been moved. The project will be nearly complete by the Dodge/Save Mart 350 in June and it will transform Sears Point Raceway into one of the premier motorsports and entertainment venues in the country.

From a press release:

Traxxion Dynamics will host a Grand Opening of our new facility at 261 Rope Mill Parkway in Woodstock, Georgia on Wednesday, February 6th, from 6:00 p.m. until ?? p.m.

We will have FREE food, and FREE drinks, as well as some nifty door prizes. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:00 p.m. for our new service department and machine shop. We would like anyone local enough to stop by and check us
out!

You don’t have to rsvp, but it would be helpful so we can have enough food! [email protected] is my email!

Hope to see you then!