WERA: Airfence Burns In Fiery Crash At Road Atlanta

David Swarts

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May 29, 2023

WERA: Airfence Burns In Fiery Crash At Road Atlanta

Thousands of dollars of soft barriers were destroyed in a fiery crash Saturday, May 27 at the WERA Cycle Jam at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

View a video of the scene shot by veteran racer Chuck Ivey here: https://www.facebook.com/1485493885/videos/253560307256536/

Ilan Bental crashed in Turn Four, the esses section, at Road Atlanta during the 600ccc/C Superstock Expert race. Strong winds then turned a small fire on Bental’s crashed motorcycle into an inferno that burned up a huge section of tire wall, a chain link fence, and an estimated 8-9 sections of life-saving Airfence Bike soft barriers.

While the fire ended the remainder of the day’s activities, Bental was relatively uninjured according to Ivey, the fire was eventually extinguished, and enough repairs were made overnight that WERA was able to resume action the following morning. (Bental can be seen at left in the photo above, helping pull Airfence sections away from flames.)

The cost to replace the Airfence sections is estimated to be between $23,400 and $26,000, plus shipping. The 501(c)(3) non-profit Roadracing World Action Fund, Inc., is already raising funds to replace the destroyed units.

To help, send your tax-deductible donation via Paypal at [email protected] and put “RA fire replacements” in the comments/notes so the funds go toward the Road Atlanta replacements.

For more information on the Roadracing World Action Fund and other ways to donate and help, go to www.roadracingworld.com/actionfund/.

R.I.P. Race Tire Distributor & Vietnam War Veteran Walt Schaefer

David Swarts

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May 29, 2023

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R.I.P. Race Tire Distributor & Vietnam War Veteran Walt Schaefer

Walt “Wally” Schaefer, 76, died from cancer peacefully at his home in Egypt, Alabama surrounded by family on May 29, 2023. He was a long-time fixture in the racing community as a great friend, a competitive racer, and as a racing tire distributor.

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 12, 1947, before moving to Gadsden, Alabama six months later. He served in Vietnam in the Navy, running hundreds of combat missions up the rivers on a PBR earning a Navy Commendation Medal For Valor in Combat for meritorious service.

“We’d be shooting at each other at night, and drinking in the bars together during the day,” Walt once reflected on his experience with the Viet Cong.

Upon returning to the USA he began racing motorcycles on Yamahas, Triumphs, and Harley-Davidsons. His passion for the sport became a career when in 1976 he began distributing Michelin racing motorcycle tires. He could often be spotted at the tracks of the Southeast, sometime accompanied by one or both of his daughters Lauren and Katie, good naturedly mounting tires and giving set up advice until his retirement in 2015.

Walt Schaefer (200) in action on his Harley-Davidson racebike back in the day. Photo courtesy the Schaefer Family.

He was a talented guitar player who collaborated with other racers in a blues band and his love for music took him on treasured trips to Spain with his family to help develop his flamenco playing skills. He also enjoyed long journeys to the American West to explore and fish for trout, and he built his own drift boat from scratch and relished performing stunts in his aerobatic biplane.

He was pre-deceased by Dorinda Schaefer in 2016 and is survived by his daughters Lauren and Katie and late-life partner Della Bluemly.

Requiescat in pace.

World Endurance: Kawasaki Racing Team Boycotting 2023 Suzuka 8-Hours

David Swarts

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May 29, 2023

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World Endurance: Kawasaki Racing Team Boycotting 2023 Suzuka 8-Hours

Kawasaki Racing Team absent from 2023 Suzuka 8hr

Kawasaki’s official WorldSBK team has announced that it will not apply for an entry to the 2023 Suzuka 8hr event due to be held at the iconic Japanese track in August.

Having discussed all the options in terms of riders and logistics – plus considered the impact of a dedicated test programme in addition to the current testing that is part of its WorldSBK commitments – the team consulted with Kawasaki Motors Ltd. and the two jointly decided that the official factory team will not appear this year.

It is not a decision that has been taken lightly and follows a win for KRT in cooperation with KHI, Team Green and Kawasaki Motors Corp. Japan in 2019 contrasted with the unwelcome and unexpected result of coming so close to victory in a complicated, controversial, and ultimately disappointing 2022 event.

KRT Team Manager, Guim Roda explained the strategy and the emotion behind the announcement.

“Competing at the Suzuka 8hr requires time and commitment from a vast number of people. It might look similar to Superbike racing – and we even use Superbike riders like Johnny and Alex – but this race is like no other and requires its own testing and preparation programme on top of what we already do in WorldSBK. Just about everything is different and everyone needs to take time to adapt to different technical and performance parameters for this one race. To compete at the highest level and have success snatched from your hands is not easy to adjust to so we will not appear on the grid this year. Our 2023 focus at KRT is now 100% WorldSBK . We wish all competitors and teams involved in the 2023 race an exciting and safe event.”

MotoGP: Ducati Re-Signs Pirro As Test Rider Through 2026

David Swarts

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May 29, 2023

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MotoGP: Ducati Re-Signs Pirro As Test Rider Through 2026

Ducati renews agreement with Michele Pirro as test rider for another three years

Ducati Corse is pleased to announce that Michele Pirro will continue as the Borgo Panigale manufacturer’s test rider for another three years until the end of 2026.

Hailing from San Giovanni Rotondo and a nine-time Italian Champion, Michele has been a key contributor to the development of the Desmosedici GP for the past eleven years. Pirro has also taken part in the development of the Ducati MotoE, which debuted in the last GP weekend at Le Mans in the first race of the FIM MotoE World Championship.

In addition to taking part in countless test sessions with the Ducati Test Team and racing in the Italian Superbike Championship with the Panigale V4 R, Michele has also been present at numerous MotoGP Grands Prix and, in a little over a week, will participate as a wild card in the upcoming Italian GP, scheduled from 9th-11th June at Mugello.

Luigi Dall’Igna (General Manager of Ducati Corse)

“We are delighted to be able to count on Michele again for the next three years. Pirro started his work as a test rider eleven years ago, so no other rider knows our Desmosedici GP as well as he does. It is also thanks to his valuable contribution that we have been able to make our bike as competitive as it is today. The goal is to continue to grow; being able to count on Michele’s great experience is definitely an asset in our development work.”

Michele Pirro (#51, Ducati MotoGP Test Team)

“Most of my sporting career has been with Ducati, and I can’t imagine myself in any other colour than the red of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. I arrived here in 2013, probably during the most difficult years for Ducati Corse, but now I am also experiencing the best ones for the company. I am very proud of what we have done together. I have worked closely with the new generation of Italian riders and always learn something new from them. As always, I will work hard to continue contributing to developing the Desmosedici GP and the Panigale V4. I thank Claudio, Gigi, Paolo and Davide, and all the people who believe in me. Forza Ducati always!”

Isle Of Man TT: Dunlop Quickest In Four Classes On Monday (Updated With Video)

David Swarts

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May 29, 2023

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Isle Of Man TT: Dunlop Quickest In Four Classes On Monday (Updated With Video)

DUNLOP SETS THE PACE IN OPENING QUALIFYING SESSION

In the opening qualifying session of the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races it was Michael Dunlop that set the pace, topping all four solo classes including an unofficial lap record in the Supertwin category, with a lap of 122.907mph, quicker than his 2018 best of 122.750mph.

Dunlop was also quickest in the Superbike class on the Hawk Racing Honda (131.782mph), the Superstock class (130.426mph) on his MD Racing Honda and the Supersport class where he lapped at 127.019mph on the MD Racing Yamaha. In the Sidecar class, it was Pete Founds/Jevan Walmsley who were quickest at 117.431mph.

It was perfect conditions all around the Mountain Course, the morning’s free practice sessions took place under blue skies and sunshine with the first qualifying session getting underway at 2pm. The Supersport and Supertwin machines were first away, Dunlop (MD Racing Paton) and Dean Harrison (BPEby Russell Racing Yamaha) the first to head off towards Bray Hill.

They were quickly followed by Michael Rutter (Bathams Ales Yamaha) and Dominic Herbertson (John M Paterson Ltd/CC Engineering Kawasaki) on their Supertwin machines with James Hillier (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) and Paul Jordan (PreZ Racing by Prosper Yamaha) next to go, both Supersport-mounted. Jamie Coward (KTS Racing Kawasaki) and Josh Brookes (Dafabet Racing Kawasaki) were also amongst the early Supertwin starters.

Harrison was the first to complete a lap at 125.494mph followed by Jordan (121.796mph) and Hillier (120.607mph) but it was Hickman who went quickest at 125.958mph, four seconds faster than Harrison’s lap. Todd slotted into third with a lap of 123.913mph with Mike Browne (122.161mph) and Conor Cummins (121.554mph) also in the mix.

However, the big news was in the Supertwin class with Dunlop unofficially breaking the lap record from a standing start at 122.907mph. This was almost half a minute quicker than Coward (119.758mph) with Brian McCormack (118.971mph), Herbertson (115.895mph), Brookes (115.518mph) and Junior Manx GP winner Francesco Curinga (115.183mph) completing the early leaderboard.

Hickman continued for a second lap on the K2 Trooper Triumph and improved to 126.814mph with Todd (124.604) and David Johnson (121.788) also bettering their opening lap speed only for Dunlop to go to the top of the leaderboard with a lap of 127.019mph, 1.7seconds quicker than Hickman.

Supertwin speeds were also on the up with Herbertson (116.821), Brookes (116.470) and Rutter (116.425) all going quicker second time around.

The Superbikes and Superstocks were next out at 2.45pm and Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) was quick out the blocks delivering the first lap over 130mph with a speed of 130.752mph on his Superbike which was just quicker than Dunlop’s Superstock speed of 130.426mph.

John McGuinness (127.881mph) and James Hillier (127.581mph) were next quickest on their Superbike mounts with Rutter (125.888) and Brookes (125.742) not too far behind, Rutter on the RC213V-S and Brookes on the Superstock BMW. Hickman was late out on track but immediately slotted into second on the Superbike leaderboard with a lap of 130.272mph with Coward (127.975mph) going third quickest.

Dunlop switched to his Superbike and posted a lap of 130.658mph but Harrison increased his pace on lap two to 131.764mph as did Hickman (131.254mph), McGuinness (129.398mph), Coward (129.017mph) and Todd (128.211mph). Dunlop saved the best until last though with a final lap of 131.782mph putting him quickest on the Superbike despite smoke reported to be coming from the Fireblade.

Brookes was second fastest in the Superstock class with a second lap speed of 126.404mph ahead of Phil Crowe (126.067mph) and Mike Browne (125.262mph).

Meanwhile, newcomers Erno Kostamo (115.468mph), Matthieu Lagrive (111.839mph), Ryan Cringle (111.658mph), Jack Petrie (107.696mph), Jorge Halliday (107.527mph) all had a successful first day around the Mountain Course.

The final session of a busy day was for the Sidecars with Founds/Walmsley setting the initial pace on their FHO Racing Honda at 116.286mph, which was six seconds quicker than the Birchall’s lap of 115.689mph. Founds/Lowther slotted into third (113.485) ahead of Molyneux/Sayle (112.082) and Bryan/Hyde (111.944).

Both Founds/Walmsley and the Birchalls upped their pace on lap two with the former coming out on top by 2.7seconds with a lap of 117.431mph compared to 117.153mph. Newcomer driver Daryl Gibson, who was passenger for Molyneux twelve months ago, impressed with a lap of 107.497mph with Tom Christie.

Tomorrow’s qualifying session is set to get under at 18:30.

Video: Army Of Darkness Weighs & Dynos A TM EN 300FI

David Swarts

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May 29, 2023

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Video: Army Of Darkness Weighs & Dynos A TM EN 300FI

Roadracing World’s Sam Fleming fell in love with TM when he and Melissa Berkoff visited the TM factory in Italy in April 2022. Upon arriving home he found a coveted 2022 300 FI 2T for sale and snapped it up. After a couple little teething problems, he’s got it set up and is out in the woods.

Roadracing World’s Sam Fleming and Melissa Berkoff visited the TM Racing factory in Pesaro Italy in April 2022 and you can find a series of videos about that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0AEu…

TM Racing makes arguably the most exquisite racing motorcycles for MX, Enduro and Supermoto in the world. They also made a championship winning Moto3 road race bike!

Remember to subscribe to this channel!

Subscribe to the print magazine at http://roadracingworld.com

See an archive of other Army Of Darkness articles at http://armyofdarkness.com

Part Two:

02:43 Weight

05:33 Dyno Chart Analysis

@tmracing3175 @kwsmotorsport3214 @RoadracingWorld2012

MotoAmerica: What’s New At Road America For 2023

David Swarts

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May 29, 2023

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MotoAmerica: What’s New At Road America For 2023

Editorial Note: Nearly every year Road America makes enhancements to its historic facility, and here are a few new things awaiting fans in 2023.

Road America has worked to improve the experience since 1955

The overall vision of Road America grew out of the dreams of Clif Tufte, a highway engineer, who chose 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland outside the Village of Elkhart Lake for the track. The natural topography of the glacial Kettle Moraine area was utilized for the track and for fan viewing areas, sweeping around rolling hills and plunging through ravines. While countless facility improvements have been made over the years, the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course itself is virtually the same today as it was when it was first laid out. Now in 2023, an entirely new surface stands ready for racers and enthusiasts alike. You can read more about the repaving of America’s National Park of Speed here.

Road America's original 4.0-mile road course has been completely repaved (except for The Bend chicane used by MotoAmerica) for 2023. Photo courtesy Road America. — Road America’s original 4.0-mile road course has been completely repaved (except for The Bend chicane used by MotoAmerica) for 2023. Photo courtesy Road America.

New facility improvements to experience during the 2023 season

In addition to the new racing surface, there are numerous new facility improvements to check out when you visit Road America this season. From Wood Carvings to Paddock lighting to the Carousel Viewing Trail, there is no shortage of exciting new features to explore.

One of the most striking additions to Road America is the wood carvings located throughout the property. These beautiful pieces of art are the work of artist Ben Buschke, from Manawa, Wisconsin, who has been creating wood carvings for many years. From bears to eagles to wolves, Ben’s carvings capture the spirit of the Wisconsin wilderness and add a unique and memorable touch to the Road America experience.

Some of the new wood carvings on display around Road America. Photos courtesy Road America.

Another exciting improvement to Road America is the paddock lighting provided by Wisconsin Lighting Lab. This innovative lighting system illuminates the pit lane and the paddock area, providing a safe and inviting environment for drivers, teams, and fans alike. With its bright and energy-efficient LED lights, the paddock lighting system is a testament to Road America’s commitment to sustainability and safety.

But perhaps the most exciting new addition to Road America is the Carousel Trail. This walking path (also golf cart accessible) circumnavigates turns nine and ten, providing fans with an unparalleled view of the action. Whether you’re a die-hard racing fan or just looking for a fun and unique way to experience the beauty of Road America, the Carousel Trail is not to be missed.

The new Carousel Trail is a pedestrian and golf cart path that goes around the Carousel to "The Beach" viewing area at Turn 11. Photo courtesy Road America. — The new Carousel Trail is a pedestrian and golf cart path that goes around the Carousel to “The Beach” viewing area at Turn 11. Photo courtesy Road America.

Lastly, the newest and most popular attraction is “The Beach,” a casual and relaxed sandy escape located near Turn 11. With its comfortable grandstand seating, palm trees, and excellent vantage point, The Beach is the perfect spot to soak up the sun and experience the thrill of the race.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Recent Birth: Brody Charles Beaubier

David Swarts

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May 28, 2023

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Five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier and wife Shelby had a son, Brody Charles Beaubier, May 23 in Sacramento, California.

From Cameron Beaubier’s Facebook page: “Brody Charles Beaubier was born on Thursday 5/25/23. Shelby did amazing and I’m so proud. Brody scared us a little and had to spend a couple days being looked after in the NICU, but he is doing great now and we brought him home today.”

N2/WERA National Endurance: AOD Takes Heavyweight Class Win At Road Atlanta

David Swarts

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May 28, 2023

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N2/WERA National Endurance: AOD Takes Heavyweight Class Win At Road Atlanta

Army Of Darkness Battles Back from Self-inflicted Setbacks To Win the Heavyweight Endurance Race at Road Atlanta N2/WERA National Endurance Championship by Dunlop Season-Opener

Reigning champions Army Of Darkness’ (AOD) offseason of preparation and planning all came to an abrupt end when they threw a rod on their new endurance engine at a test 10 days before qualifying for the season opener. The loss of the engine meant the last few days before the first race would be filled with the mad scramble of preparation well known to every motorsports team since time immemorial.

Josh Hayes rallied from a training accident the day before practice to provide new engine mapping insights, and geometry and set up numbers for the AOD team to deploy on their well worn 2020 Yamaha R1. Cody Wyman quickly adapted to the new set up, posting a series of personal best lap times.

Dunlop’s Tony Romo, a veteran crew chief and race bike builder, not only contributed tire set up information but also collaborated with AOD Crew Chief (and birthday boy) Tim Gooding and strategized with Team Captain Sam Fleming.

It all led to a commanding pole position for qualifying and, at the race start, Cody Wyman set about the task of lapping the entire field before the first hour mark, putting AOD a lap up at the first pit stop.

Then, red flags began to intrude on the progress of the race. On one of the restarts Josh Hayes arrived at the not quite entirely cleaned up oil spill in turn 10B a second before any other rider and, despite a valiant effort to save it on his knee, had a low side spill. As the long suffering AOD R1 slid across the outside concrete, the right foot peg bent up. Hayes picked the bike up out of the gravel and returned to the track and was still the fastest bike on the track despite the compromised ergonomics. Another red flag offered an opportunity to closely inspect the damage to the footpeg and consider whether, and how, to address it.

Josh Hayes (99) on the Army of Darkness (AOD) Yamaha YZF-R1 at Road Atlanta. Photo by AKHUGHES Sports Media, courtesy AOD.

In an abundance of caution, after that restart AOD pulled the bike in for repairs and lost four minutes to changing out the rear set. That set the stage for Cody Wyman to try to make up an entire lap on Alpha Omega, a veteran middleweight team. Cody set about turning a set of the fastest laps of the entire race and making up three seconds a lap. With fifteen minutes left in the race, Cody had finally caught the Alpha team in turn six when a fourth red flag came out in turn seven, ending the race and awarding the overall win to Alpha Omega and the class win to AOD.

AOD is sponsored by: Army of Darkness, Dunlop, Yamaha Champions Riding School, Yamaha, Industry 13, Woodcraft, Hindle, Supersprox, Thermosman, N2, WERA, Roadracing World.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyVVPKiHYQ52FqkoPkI-vEQ?sub_confirmation=1

Video: Bradley Ray’s WorldSBK Baptism Of Fire

David Swarts

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May 28, 2023

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Video: Bradley Ray’s WorldSBK Baptism Of Fire

Video: A Look Back at Brad Ray’s Yamaha WorldSBK Debut

The Dutch TT of Assen saw Britain’s Bradley Ray take his first steps in the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship with the Yamaha MotoXRacing WorldSBK Team, and we were there with the cameras to follow him behind-the-scenes through every moment.

Ray is participating in all the European rounds of this year’s WorldSBK Championship, and he is clearly adapting quickly; on just his second outing he had already scored points in three out of six races contested. Last year he sailed to the 2022 British Superbike Championship crown with nine wins on board a Yamaha R1, and the 25-year-old has a wealth of experience in various championships from his beginnings in the Red Bull Rookies Cup to a wildcard WorldSBK appearance at Donington Park in 2018.

With his ever-present smile and happy-go-lucky attitude, Ray explained: “I’m making progress all the time, understanding the bike and electronics. I’m feeling happy, I’m not feeling any pressure from the team or from Yamaha, and I already know where I want to be. As a racer I obviously want to be as high up as possible, but I’m keeping my goals realistic.”

Assen was the perfect place for the rider from Kent in England to debut with his new team, having already raced there in the British Superbikes. We followed him from Media Day on Thursday, through all the practice sessions and into the races, taking time to regularly catch up with Brad for chats and hear his thoughts and hopes.

After a slightly disappointing start with a DNF in Race 2 and two non-point scoring finishes at Assen, the Brit is primed for the coming rounds thanks to a solid weekend at the second round in Barcelona where he scored 13th, 14th, and 15th in the three races. “I’m feeling more and more comfortable on the bike with every session” states Ray. His adaptation to the new team, bike and paddock have been impressive so far, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store as the season continues.

WERA: Airfence Burns In Fiery Crash At Road Atlanta

May 29, 2023

Thousands of dollars of soft barriers were destroyed in a fiery crash Saturday, May 27 at the WERA Cycle Jam at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

View a video of the scene shot by veteran racer Chuck Ivey here: https://www.facebook.com/1485493885/videos/253560307256536/

Ilan Bental crashed in Turn Four, the esses section, at Road Atlanta during the 600ccc/C Superstock Expert race. Strong winds then turned a small fire on Bental’s crashed motorcycle into an inferno that burned up a huge section of tire wall, a chain link fence, and an estimated 8-9 sections of life-saving Airfence Bike soft barriers.

While the fire ended the remainder of the day’s activities, Bental was relatively uninjured according to Ivey, the fire was eventually extinguished, and enough repairs were made overnight that WERA was able to resume action the following morning. (Bental can be seen at left in the photo above, helping pull Airfence sections away from flames.)

The cost to replace the Airfence sections is estimated to be between $23,400 and $26,000, plus shipping. The 501(c)(3) non-profit Roadracing World Action Fund, Inc., is already raising funds to replace the destroyed units.

To help, send your tax-deductible donation via Paypal at [email protected] and put “RA fire replacements” in the comments/notes so the funds go toward the Road Atlanta replacements.

For more information on the Roadracing World Action Fund and other ways to donate and help, go to www.roadracingworld.com/actionfund/.

R.I.P. Race Tire Distributor & Vietnam War Veteran Walt Schaefer

May 29, 2023

Walt Schaefer (left) with racer Melissa Berkoff (center) and race official Diane Shepard Tribou (right), before Schaefer retired from running his Michelin road race tire business in 2015. Photo courtesy Diane Shepard Tribou. — Walt Schaefer (left) with racer Melissa Berkoff (center) and race official Diane Shepard Tribou (right) at the 2022 WERA GNF at Barber Motorsports Park. Photo courtesy Diane Shepard Tribou.

Walt “Wally” Schaefer, 76, died from cancer peacefully at his home in Egypt, Alabama surrounded by family on May 29, 2023. He was a long-time fixture in the racing community as a great friend, a competitive racer, and as a racing tire distributor.

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 12, 1947, before moving to Gadsden, Alabama six months later. He served in Vietnam in the Navy, running hundreds of combat missions up the rivers on a PBR earning a Navy Commendation Medal For Valor in Combat for meritorious service.

“We’d be shooting at each other at night, and drinking in the bars together during the day,” Walt once reflected on his experience with the Viet Cong.

Upon returning to the USA he began racing motorcycles on Yamahas, Triumphs, and Harley-Davidsons. His passion for the sport became a career when in 1976 he began distributing Michelin racing motorcycle tires. He could often be spotted at the tracks of the Southeast, sometime accompanied by one or both of his daughters Lauren and Katie, good naturedly mounting tires and giving set up advice until his retirement in 2015.

He was a talented guitar player who collaborated with other racers in a blues band and his love for music took him on treasured trips to Spain with his family to help develop his flamenco playing skills. He also enjoyed long journeys to the American West to explore and fish for trout, and he built his own drift boat from scratch and relished performing stunts in his aerobatic biplane.

He was pre-deceased by Dorinda Schaefer in 2016 and is survived by his daughters Lauren and Katie and late-life partner Della Bluemly.

Requiescat in pace.

World Endurance: Kawasaki Racing Team Boycotting 2023 Suzuka 8-Hours

May 29, 2023

Jonathan Rea (10) on track during the 2019 Suzuka 8-Hours race. Photo courtesy Kawasaki.

Kawasaki Racing Team absent from 2023 Suzuka 8hr

Kawasaki’s official WorldSBK team has announced that it will not apply for an entry to the 2023 Suzuka 8hr event due to be held at the iconic Japanese track in August.

Having discussed all the options in terms of riders and logistics – plus considered the impact of a dedicated test programme in addition to the current testing that is part of its WorldSBK commitments – the team consulted with Kawasaki Motors Ltd. and the two jointly decided that the official factory team will not appear this year.

It is not a decision that has been taken lightly and follows a win for KRT in cooperation with KHI, Team Green and Kawasaki Motors Corp. Japan in 2019 contrasted with the unwelcome and unexpected result of coming so close to victory in a complicated, controversial, and ultimately disappointing 2022 event.

KRT Team Manager, Guim Roda explained the strategy and the emotion behind the announcement.

“Competing at the Suzuka 8hr requires time and commitment from a vast number of people. It might look similar to Superbike racing – and we even use Superbike riders like Johnny and Alex – but this race is like no other and requires its own testing and preparation programme on top of what we already do in WorldSBK. Just about everything is different and everyone needs to take time to adapt to different technical and performance parameters for this one race. To compete at the highest level and have success snatched from your hands is not easy to adjust to so we will not appear on the grid this year. Our 2023 focus at KRT is now 100% WorldSBK . We wish all competitors and teams involved in the 2023 race an exciting and safe event.”

MotoGP: Ducati Re-Signs Pirro As Test Rider Through 2026

May 29, 2023

Michele Pirro (51) in action on a Ducati Desmodici MotoGP racebike. Photo courtesy Ducati. — Michele Pirro (51) in action on a Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP racebike. Photo courtesy Ducati.

Ducati renews agreement with Michele Pirro as test rider for another three years

Ducati Corse is pleased to announce that Michele Pirro will continue as the Borgo Panigale manufacturer’s test rider for another three years until the end of 2026.

Hailing from San Giovanni Rotondo and a nine-time Italian Champion, Michele has been a key contributor to the development of the Desmosedici GP for the past eleven years. Pirro has also taken part in the development of the Ducati MotoE, which debuted in the last GP weekend at Le Mans in the first race of the FIM MotoE World Championship.

In addition to taking part in countless test sessions with the Ducati Test Team and racing in the Italian Superbike Championship with the Panigale V4 R, Michele has also been present at numerous MotoGP Grands Prix and, in a little over a week, will participate as a wild card in the upcoming Italian GP, scheduled from 9th-11th June at Mugello.

Luigi Dall’Igna (General Manager of Ducati Corse)

“We are delighted to be able to count on Michele again for the next three years. Pirro started his work as a test rider eleven years ago, so no other rider knows our Desmosedici GP as well as he does. It is also thanks to his valuable contribution that we have been able to make our bike as competitive as it is today. The goal is to continue to grow; being able to count on Michele’s great experience is definitely an asset in our development work.”

Michele Pirro (#51, Ducati MotoGP Test Team)

“Most of my sporting career has been with Ducati, and I can’t imagine myself in any other colour than the red of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer. I arrived here in 2013, probably during the most difficult years for Ducati Corse, but now I am also experiencing the best ones for the company. I am very proud of what we have done together. I have worked closely with the new generation of Italian riders and always learn something new from them. As always, I will work hard to continue contributing to developing the Desmosedici GP and the Panigale V4. I thank Claudio, Gigi, Paolo and Davide, and all the people who believe in me. Forza Ducati always!”

Isle Of Man TT: Dunlop Quickest In Four Classes On Monday (Updated With Video)

May 29, 2023

Michael Dunlop (6) in action on his Supertwin machine Monday at the Isle of Man TT. Photo courtesy IOM TT Press Office.