Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

t wElwcD c c o c of testing at the Valencia circuit in Spain in mid-December. Ben Bostrom and Troy Bayliss lapped within a whisker of the best time ever achieved at the Valencia track. recorded eariier this year by Kenny Roberts Jr. on a 500cc GP bike (1 :35.133s). according to Ducati. Early in the afternoon. Bayliss and Bostrom improved their lap times. getting under the record time set earlier by Neil Hodgson (Ducati 996 GSE). The day then came to an end with a final rush by Bayliss. who ended up with a time of 1:35.28. while Bostrom set a time of 1:35.33 on race tires. "I'm really pleased with this final test session of the year." said Bayliss. "All the new tires we tested proved to be very interesting. We even had time to go for a quick lap time and I easily set my fastest time of the day. We are now going to the winter tests in South Africa at the start of the year. where we will be up against all the other teams in the 2001 World Superbike Championship." Bostrom was also pleased. "I would love to have continued until the sun went down," Bostrom said. "Today it was fantastic at the Valencia circuit. The slightly cloudy sky allowed us to test until quite late in the afternoon. I tried out some excellent tires and worked on the final set-up of my 996, The two days have been very intense, but riding a bike is never hard work - it's just a great pleasure. " o o o ·0 American Honda's Miguel DuHamel underwent surgery on December 18 to remove the rod from his left femur. The surgery, performed in Northem California by noted surgeon Dr, Arthur Ting, was to remove the last piece of hardware remaining in DuHamel's leg folloWing his crash at Road Atlanta in 1999. "He should be okay in four to five weeks," DuHamel's manager Alan Labrosse said the day of the operation. "It's hard for him to find a window to do something like this. It was either do it now or wait until the end of next year. He has a test in January. but it is really more of just a photo shoot. .. o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Austin/Bleu Bayou Racing has signed Canadian Superbike Championship runner-up Jordan Szoke to ride the team's Harley-Davidson VR1000 for a one-year contract, covering the 2001 AMA Superbike season. The past year saw Szoke on the Canadian Superbike podium five times in seven outings. with four wins. The team, formerly known as Bell County/Bleu Bayou H-D Racing, has also received a boost with the addition of Austin Harley-Davidson as a primary sponsor. Effective immediately. the team will be called Austin/Bleu Bayou H-D Racing. In addition to rider and sponsor changes for the upcoming season. Austin/Bleu Bayou H-D Racing and Harley-Davidson Motor Company have agreed to collaborate on their AMA Superbike efforts for 2001, with the Motor Company providing VR 1000 privateer bikes and technical support to Austin/Bleu Bayou H-D Racing, which is headquartered in Temple, Texas. British road racer James Haydon has signed a contract that will see him aboard the Virgin Mobile Yamaha R7 in next year's British Superbike Championship, according to the team. The 26-year old from Berkhamsted said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have linked up with the Virgin Mobiie Yamaha team. I have seen the Yamaha R7 Superbikes in action and know they are superb machines. To be joining the most successful team ever in the history of British Superbikes is a fantastic deal for me. I am hugely looking forward to the chance to work with team boss Rob McElnea and the rest of the squad. Rob has loads of experience racing in both the World and domestic Championships and has been instrumental in helping riders reach their full potential. This is the best chance possible for me now to go and win the British title with a fantastic team 110 percent behind me, helping me take my riding to an even higher level." Rob McElnea added: "Signing James to ride the Virgin Mobile Yamaha R7 is a superb deal for the team and a real coup for us. I rate James as one of the best riders to have come through the British scene in a very long time. His eagemess, aggression and talent on a bike is breathtaking and with the right direction from the team I am sure he will progress even further, On a personal note, I can't wait to work with James and hopefully be able to help him achieve what I know is well within his abilities." Joining the high-profile Virgin Mobile Yamaha team as a sponsor is home-electronics giant Aiwa. o o o o o o The third round of the FIM World Motocross Championship in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, April I, has been can· celled. As a result, the opening round of the series in Bullpuig. Spain. has been bumped back a week from March 11 to March 18. Round two in Valkenswaard, Netherlands. has also been pushed back a week from March 18 to April 1. No new date has been named as a replacement for the Brazilian round. In other GP MX news from Europe, the British Suzuki team has lost factory support for the 2001 season, which is bad news for American Scott Sheak. Sheak, who was set to ride for the team, is now scrambling to find another deal. 8 o o o o o Tommy Hayden rode his factory Yamaha R6 Supersport bike to victories in the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club 600cc Modified Production, 650cc Superbike. and Formula Two classes on December 17 at Willow Springs in Rosamond, Califomia. In addition, Aaron Gobert rode a Graves Motorsport R6 to third, second and second in the same classes, respectively, in his "tryout" with Graves Motorsports. Vincent Haskovec (riding an Attack Performance R1 F-Extreme bike) o o 2 JANUARY 10, 2001 • eye easily won the Toyota Cup $2500 main event over Aaron Gobert on the Superstock R6 with Jeff Stern third. Hayden was battling with Gobert at mid-race when then-second-place-holder Frank Aragakis' Kawasaki 900 motor blew up on the back straight. oiling Gobert. who then elected to pull in to the pits. Hayden's factory Yamaha teammate Anthony Gobert practiced throughout the day on Saturday, but elected to pass on the club races on Sunday, electing to assist his younger brother instead. I Corona Alstare Suzuki's Pier· Francesco Chili lapped the Jerez Circuit in Spain in 1:43.4 during the recent World Superbike/Grand Prix test at the facility - under the 500cc GP lap record set by Kenny Roberts Jr. last May. reports Cycle News contributor Paolo Gozzi. Roberts had lapped at 1:44.127. The Italian' s lap time - set with qualifying tires - was also very close to the Spanish Grand Prix pole time set by Max Biaggi of 1:42.941 and the 1:43.2 set by Loris Capirossi during the Honda factory tests n e _ lIS e in November. Chili shared the new GSXR750 with his teammate Stephane Chambon, putting in 45 laps on the first day and 50 on the third day, He also spent some time during the second day riding last year's machine for comparison's sake. With race tires, Chiii lapped at 1:44,7, "It's simply fantastic." Chili said. "The new Suzuki is the bike I dreamed of for the last two years. I rode some laps with old GSX-R on the second day and it is completely different with the new bike a lot faster. The new engine is very powerful, but now it is the chassis that I like so much. The bike is smaller, like a 500 GP. and I think that I will be a lot faster when I will begin to work around set up, starting from the next tests at Kyalami at the end of January," Chambon is also very happy with the new bike, but the French rider is still trying to get comfortable with the Superbike. "Stephane is a very fast guy," said Chili. "I liked him when he was in Supersport, and he think that he will be in the front pack also in Superbike. To have a fast teammate is a great advantage also for me, it means to give more pressure on the team and to have a faster development work. even if Chambon has a riding style very different to mine. " Aprilia also took part in the test with Troy Corser, in his first off-season test, coming very close to Chili's time with a 1:43,5. The Australian rode the last day with the new "revolution" engine. tuned by Italian technicians to reduce the gap from Honda and Ducati on fast tracks. "My feeling is very good about the engine, chassis and suspension," Corser said. "Our goal is to prepare a competitive package for all race conditions. Last year we was very competitive at slow tracks and now we will try to be at the same level also in other conditions ... Aprilia is pushing very hard, with the company now having a fully independent fourstroke department that is separate from the two strokes. Aprilia also had famous Italian engine tuner Claudio Lombardi to follow the progress of the development work on the new engine. Lombardi is a former Ferrari Fl engine tuner, with a lot of experience in car racing. Corser also tested a new 16-inch Dunlop rear tire. The test also marked the Aprilia debut of Regis Laconi, "This guy is very young, just 25 years old, he coming from 500 GP where he won a race," said Fabrizio Guidotti, Aprilia's World Superbike team manager, "We are convinced that Laconi is the right choice for us." Laconi has signed a letter of intent. but is expected to sign a one-year contract with a secondyear option to retum to 500cc Grand Prix in 2002. Laconi tumed in some 177 laps at the Jerez test, with a best time of 1:45.0. "I had never raced for a full factory team during my career - it's a great difference in respect to a satellite team as WCM Yamaha 500," Laconi said. "I found a very professional team here and I'm satisfied. I have a very limited experience with four-stroke bike. have only ridden a Yamaha YZF750 four-cylinder machine at Suzuka in 1999. This is my first test with a twin. The biggest problem is the feeling with the engine-brake effect. With a 500 you must brake very late. and to be slow at the mid of the corner to push earlier on the gas. With Aprilia 1000, I will change completely my riding style. It is very easy to talk about. but is very difficult to do, I need to test, and we have a full schedule, We will test at Kyalami, then Phillip Island and Valencia. I think to arrive at first race in a good shape to bring Aprilia in a good position. My goal is to return to GP in 2002 with a full factory team and a competitive bike, Superbike is not so famous in France, but if I will win some races, the fan will begin to follow this championship! " Newly crowned 500cc World Champion and Cycle News Rider of the Year Kenny Roberts Jr. married his girlfriend of five years, Rochelle Beery, in Modesto, California, on December 15, with several motorcycling personalities attending the ceremony. AMA 600cc Supersport and Formula Xtreme Champion Kurtis Roberts was his brother's best man, with the guest list including, among others, three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey, former AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill, former World Champion Kel Carruthj3rs, AMA National winner Skip Aksland, former GP star and television commentator Randy Mamola and, obviously, three-time World Champion Kenny Roberts, SFX Motor Sports Group announced today the schedule for the 2001 For· mula USA National Road Race Series. formerly the Wrenchead.com National Road Race Series. The secondyear series will once again begin and end at the world famous Daytona International Speedway, with returns to Willow Springs, Portland and Pocono Raceway, New on the schedule will be an event at the newly renovated Virginia International Raceway. replacing the event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Wrenchead.com, which sponsored the series in 2000, is not named in the release as the series sponsor. The race weekend will look different. with the addition of six Pro-Am classes. Retuming are Lockhart Phillips Uniimited Superbike, Formula USA Sportbike, Buell Lightning Series, and Aprilia Cup Challenge. The new Pro-Am classes include 125 and 250 Gran Prix, Unlimited Gran Prix (expert only), Sportsman, 600 Supersport Amateur (amateur only), and the 200 Mile Team Challenge, Except as noted, these six classes will be open to both amateur and expert competitors, "These new ProAm classes will complement an already exciting weekend of racing and entertainment." said Bill Syfan. Director of Road Racing for SFX Motor Sports Group, "and will give more competitors an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of spectators." The schedule is as follows: February 28-March 4 - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida; April 19-22 - Willow Springs International Raceway, Rosamond, California; June 28-July 1 - Virginia International Raceway, Virginia Springs. Virginia; August 23-26 - Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pennsylvania; Sept 6-10 - Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon; October 17-21 - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Flo~da. Following the opening round of the 2001 Supercross Series on January 6 in Anaheim, California, the new video "Steel Roots 2" will be shown at the Sun Theatre. which is located almost across the street from Edison International Field at the corner of Katella Avenue and S, State College. The video showcases Jeremy McGrath along with Mike Cinqmars, Carey Hart, Grayson Goodman. Clifford Adoptante, and Trevor Vines. The movie will start at midnight, with dancing and music until 3 a.m. Since the facility has a full bar, no one under 21 will be admitted. Tickets ($15) will be on sale January 6 at the Sun Theatre ticket office from 1 to 7 p.m, and again at 10 p.m.

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