Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

American Honda’s Nicky Hayden was the fastest rider after the first day of factory team testing at California Speedway in Fontana, California on Monday. Hayden turned a 1:29.1 on his team’s watches, and did the time with a Dunlop race tire on the same 2002 Honda RC51 that he used to set fastest time during the Dunlop tire tests at Daytona International Speedway in December.

“It’s an easy track to learn because it’s flat,” said Hayden when asked about his early success at the AMA’s newest venue. “There’s not a bunch of blind stuff to get used to. Sometimes it takes me a little too long to learn a new track. So I was pretty happy that I got going pretty fast. I got a lot of laps in, I got 87 laps in today.”

Reaction to the new track among the riders at the test was favorable for the most part–except for dirt on the racing surface–but riders definitely had parts that they did not like.

“Overall, I like it,” said Hayden, when asked for his opinion of the new track. “I mean, turn one is not my favorite. It’s a little shaky with the cones down there. I caught my knee on one. Other than that, the infield’s not real technical. There’s not a whole lot to it. It’s real flat and all. I like the track. I think it’s good for an infield road course inside a speedway. There’s a lot to work with. There’s a lot of corners. It seems safe. It’s good especially because it’s right here; Southern California is such a good location. The facility is tight, too.”

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts set the second-fastest time of the test with a 1:30.0 despite the fact that his day ended with a crash at the entrance of turn two and his 2001 Honda RC51 hit a concrete wall. “I must have hit something, a transition or a seam or something,” said Roberts immediately after his fall. “I was in there on the brakes and (the front) just went away. I’m fine. I just slid for a while.”

Roberts’ new leathers looked as if they had gone through a meat grinder after his long slide on California Speedway’s asphalt apron. Roberts’ crew spent the rest of the afternoon building a new Superbike for Roberts to use Tuesday.

HMC Ducati’s Pascal Picotte recorded the third-fastest time at 1:30.3 just before the day ended on his 2002 Ducati 998RS. HMC’s problem with fuel mapping was quickly sorted by Ducati Corse Race Engineer Roberto Bonazzi by using AMA-legal 54mm throttle bodies instead of the World Superbike-spec 60mm throttle bodies that the 2002 Ducati 998RS come with. Despite clocking the third-fastest time, Picotte said that he was having trouble with a lack of front-end feedback.

Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden and Mike Hale posted the two fastest Formula Xtreme lap times of the day; Hayden on a 2001 Honda CBR929RR-based machine and Hale on a 2002 Honda CBR954RR-based racebike. Hale said that he couldn’t really compare the old and new Formula Xtreme Hondas without riding them back-to-back.

The Bruce Transportation Group duo of Jake Zemke and Alex Gobert spent the day getting used to a new track and a new crew. Both Zemke and Gobert had different mechanics than they had at the Daytona tire test. In addition, Gobert flew in from Australia Monday morning, arriving at Los Angeles International Airport at 7:00 a.m. Monday Pacific Time and taking a limo to the track with a side trip through a Burger King drive-thru. Gobert said that after a couple of days of flight mix-ups, he left Australia at lunch time Monday Australia time before the 13-hour flight.

Unofficial Lap Times From Monday:

Superbike:
Nicky Hayden, Honda RC51, 1:29.1
Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:30.0
Pascal Picotte, Ducati 998RS, 1:30.3
Miguel Duhamel, Honda RC51, 1:30.7
Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:31.7


Formula Xtreme:
Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR929RR, 1:31.8
Mike Hale, Honda CBR929RR, 1:32.2
Alex Gobert, Honda CBR929RR, 1:33.6
Jake Zemke, Honda CBR929RR, no time due to bike problems


600cc Supersport:
Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:33.0
Mike Hale, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:34.1
Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:34.1
Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:34.36
Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:35.1
Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:36.1

While teams fielded by American Honda, Kawasaki and Ducati test today at California Motor Speedway in Fontana, California, AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth is pressing his crusade to eliminate the Thursday-before-race-weekends practice private riders and teams rely on to set up their racebikes.

Hollingsworth is making the elimination of Thursday practice part of his 2002 race negotiations with track owners nationwide; he claims his crew needs Thursday to set up Air Fence and timing and scoring systems and cannot arrive on site Wednesday for set-up work.

“They’re delivering less and charging more,” said one track owner after pointing out that the number of factory team riders in AMA Superbike is down for 2002, yet AMA has dramatically increased fees for racetracks and promoters.

Raised fees and reduced services seems to be the current motto for AMA Pro Racing. While rider license fees are now up to $300, AMA Pro Racing concern for basic rider services such as rational rider number assignments and the availability of Thursday practice are falling by the wayside.

From a press release:

MARRC Announces Officers and Directors for 2002

The Mid-Atlantic Roadracing Club (MARRC)announced changes to its officers and board of directors for 2002 during its annual awards banquet, Saturday, January 12, in Laurel, Maryland.

Wendy Leland is the new President of MARRC. John Capen is Vice-President, and Randy Dalmas and Howard Weiss return as the Club Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

Ms. Leland is a former Vice-President of the Club, and is one of the Safety Directors for the nationally respected MARRC Safety Crew. She is also a former motorcycle road racer.

MARRC would also like to thank outgoing board members, former President Roger Lyle and former VP Roger Bacon, for their years of dedication to MARRC and to motorcycle road racing. Both men will remain active as leaders on the MARRC Safety Crew. Their years of experience will continue to add great value to the safety crew and club as a whole.

Roger Lyle, a founding father of the Mid-Atlantic Roadracing Club, was nicknamed “President for Life”, for his tireless years of running the all-volunteer not-for-profit organization. The MARRC Safety Crew was the first-born child of MARRC back in 1983, and remains highly regarded worldwide. On his retirement from the Board of Directors, Mr. Lyle had this to say:

“As President of the Club, for 18 years, I am most grateful for the friends I have made and the trails that we have blazed. I trust that the new Board of Directors and Officers will keep up the standards that have been set forth and continue in the advancement of motorcycle road racing.”

To honor the outgoing President, the MARRC Board of Directors have made Mr. Lyle a life member of the club, and bestowed him with the honorary title President Emeritus in recognition for his years of service.

The 2002 members of the MARRC Board of Directors are as follows:
President, Wendy Leland
Vice-President, John Capen
Secretary, Randy Dalmas
Treasurer, Howard Weiss
David Back
Rick Beggs
Ryan Chapin
Tom Fitzpatrick
Glen Ouye

MARRC is dedicated to the advancement of motorcycle road racing. Established in 1983 as a non-profit, all-volunteer club to provide a trained and organized safety crew at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, it has expanded in membership and scope. The club boasts over 500 active members that include racers, cornerworkers, and racing enthusiasts. MARRC runs a nationally recognized safety crew, and a road racing school accredited by CCS and WERA. Last year, MARRC volunteers spent over 14,000 hours of service in the safety crew, road racing school, and racer support functions.

For more information, see the MARRC website at www.marrc.org.

Contact Information:
Mid-Atlantic Roadracing Club
P.O. Box 2292
Wheaton, MD 20915
301-441-9220
E-mail: [email protected]

From a press release:

The KWS Motorsports crew spent all day relocating to their new shop at 4675 Franchise St. N. Charleston S.C. 29418 on Sunday (January 13).

The move has been in the works since last summer, but with business and racing going so well, owner Kevin Hunt decided to wait until now to relocate.

Each of the mechanics and service personel are pleased to have much larger work areas. “Even though the buiding is not very much larger than the old shop it has more useable space,” said Ken Burke, parts manager.

KWS Motorsports can still be reached at the same phone numbers 843-566-0004 FAX 843-745-6292 or toll free 1-866-566-0004.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Deborah Venega has announced that she has opened a new shop called Right On Track. The store will sell apparel and accessories as well as new and used parts for all types of motorcycles and ATVs. The shop, located at 13205 S.W. 137th Avenue #111, Miami, Florida 33186 sits in a mall-type setting and will be open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information, call (305) 259-1200, FAX (305) 259-1100, e-mail [email protected] or go to www.rightontrack.com.

Venega also announced the formation of the Right On Track Road Race Team. Deborah Venega and her husband Leo will compete in AMA Pro Thunder on Ducati 748s, becoming the first husband and wife racing teammates on the AMA National circuit. Pedro Valiente will ride for the team in Superstock, formerly known as 750cc Supersport, on a Suzuki GSX-R750.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

As it does every year, the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP, the non-for-profit group that runs Laguna Seca Raceway), distributed proceeds from its major spectator events to local charities and civic organizations. The amount distributed in 2001 amounted to $507,500.

According to SCRAMP, more than 2500 volunteers are required to make the larger events, five in 2001, happen. In return for their service, SCRAMP distributes profits from their largest events to charities and groups that provide volunteers. In the past three years, SCRAMP’s program has donated $1.5 million to local groups and over $10 million in the 44 years since the 1957 inception of the organization.

Groups that earned funds by providing volunteers to help at Laguna Seca’s major spectator events in 2001 include the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of Monterey Bay, the Special Olympics, Vietnam Veterans of Monterey County, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs. Contributions also went to the United Way of Monterey Peninsula, the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey Peninsula, the Community Partnership for Youth, local high school bands, local ministries and the Pacific Grove Volunteer Fire Department.

Each year Laguna Seca Raceway attracts approximately 250,000 fans and tourists who provide the local economy with an extra $125 million. For more information about SCRAMP or Laguna Seca Raceway, call (831) 242-8216.

Annual Awards Banquets have been scheduled for WSMC and the California Region of CCS.

Both will be held at the Essex House Hotel in Lancaster, California.

The WSMC awards banquet will be held on Saturday night, January 19.

The CCS California Region awards banquet will be held on Saturday night, February 2.

Information on the WSMC banquet is available from (661) 256-1234.

Information on the CCS California Region banquet is available from (817) 870-9151, extension 110.

From a press release:

80cc Championship Class to join Formula USA Dirt Track

2002 will feature all-new class for 8-13 year-olds

AURORA, Ill. – Formula USA announced it will offer an 80cc National Championship Class at all 2002 Drag Specialties National Dirt Track races run on half-mile or smaller tracks. The format will be as follows:

Approximately ten of the Formula USA National Dirt Track events will be designated as 80cc National Championship races. The age group for eligibility is 8 to 13 year-olds with a minimum of 2 years racing experience. The approved equipment for 80cc competition will be 85cc two-strokes and up to 150cc four-stroke machines. Each 80cc National Event will consist of practice, elimination heats and a final.

The Championship will be determined by the best three finishes for each individual rider. Riders will be awarded points for their main event finishing positions and their personal best 3 finishes are the points that will count towards the championship. In the probable case(s) of a tie, the final event at the October 5, Del Mar Short Track will also act as series tiebreaker. Example: After 9 of 10 races, 2 riders have 3 wins each, and 2 others have 2 wins and 1 second. Heading into the final at Del Mar, should any one of these 4 riders win, they will take the championship. If none of the four are the actual Del Mar winner, the top finisher between the two “3 win” riders will be crowned the champion.

“This format allows rider participation across the country where amateur riders can hit the closest two or three events and still have a shot at a national championship or top ranking,” said Bob Moran, director of Clear Channel Entertainment’s dirt track program. Moran added, “This format does not limit riders to only three races, although if a rider competes in all 10 events and wins 6 races, only three of those wins count towards the championship.”

Formula USA will announce more details surrounding the new 80cc National Championship Class soon.

The 2002 DRAG SPECIALTIES NATIONAL DIRT TRACK SERIES, SANCTIONED BY Formula USA SCHEDULE follows:

Sat, June 8 Plymouth, Wis. Sheboygan County Fairgrounds

Fri, Jun 14 Rochester, N.H. Rochester Fairgrounds

Sat, Jul 13 Oklahoma City, Okla. State Fair Speedway

Sat. Jul 20 Duluth, Minn. Proctor Speedway

Wed, Aug 7 Rapid City, S.D. Black Hills Speedway

Sat, Aug 10 Portland, Ore. Portland Speedway

Sat, Sept. 7 Boise, ID Les Bois Park

Sat, Sept. 14 Sacramento, Calif. Cal Expo (No 80cc class)

Sun, Sept. 22 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome

Sat, Oct 5 Del Mar, Calif. Del Mar Fairgrounds Short Track

Sun, Oct 6 Del Mar, Calif. Del Mar Fairgrounds
Mile/Grandstand (No 80cc class)

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Eric Wood’s company, Woodcraft, is now a distributor for HMF Engineering exhaust systems.

According to a press release from Woodcraft, HMF makes full racing exhaust systems for most popular racebikes. Woodcraft is also accepting racer support resumes until March 1. For more information, contact Woodcraft at (508) 339-5772.