Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

n n r 1...- )r "- -J' ",-_ r ), - - , _--, __..I Sf)( Motor Sports Group will be adding a third ABC broadcast of EA Sports Supercross racing, this one from Round 14 in Irving, Texas, airing Sunday, April 22 at 5 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST. The addition of Irving compliments the Pontiac, Michigan, and Salt Lake City, Utah, events that were previously slated to air. Pontiac will air Sunday, April 8, at 1 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST, and Salt Lake will air Sunday, April 29, at 5 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST. The Salt Lake round is a new one for SFX, and the ABC show is a major asset to the stop. "This is unprecedented coverage for EA Sports Supercross." said Michael Weber, Executive Vice President of TV and Licensing for Sf)( Motor Sports. "This is the first time that the sport of Supercross has been showcased on Sundoy aftemoon three times during one season. "The timing of these events [is] perfect for a season which has featured the closest racing in recent years between the elite riders ... Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael.' The announcers for the events are host Terry Gannon (a regular member of the ABC announcing team), color commentator (and former champ) David Bailey. and pit reporter (and Racer X editor) Davey Coombs. This is the fourth season that Supercross has appeared on ABC, with ratings going as high as 3.5. . . ..." Wayne Rainey (44) has plans to renew his rivalry with Eddie Lawson (7) at Laguna Seca Raceway, only this time they'll do it on four wheels. The pair of multi-time 500cc World Champions will race their Yamaha TZ250-powered karts in a support race of a NASCAR Winston West event at Laguna Seca on May 19-20. Rainey was asked to organize the race and has assembled a field of drivers from as far way as France, En91and, Canada, and Australia. It won't be the first time they've competed on four wheels. Lawson raced Indy Cars with CART a few years back and The Buell Pro Thunder Championship will again be a part of the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship and is also set to expand into WERA championship events, as a part of Buell's title sponsorship of the Pro Thunder Series during the 2001 season. according to the AMA. The Buell Pro Thunder Series combines single. twin- and triple-cylinder machines. The series has attracted a unique mix of racers. who bring sport bike experience and also multi-brand diversity, according to an AMA release. "We appreciate the opportunity to work with the AMA and WERA in bUilding this competitive series,· said Erik Buell, chairman and chief technical officer of Buell, in the AMA press release. "At Buell, we have a deep connection and history of supporting privateer racing. We believe the 2001 AMA Pro Thunder class is a perfect place for riders and teams to compete for a prestigious national championship." The Buell Pro Thunder series will transition to a prominent role as a part of select WERA Championship events. This transition allows WERA to operate a successful AMA Pro Racing property while adding three rounds to the series, bringing the total of events up to 11 for the 2001 season, the AMA says. ·We are excited to have Buell on board again as sponsor of Pro Thunder," said Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing.• And we are pleased to have the opportunity to work with WERA as well in helping to bring more competitors to the series. WERA's Jason Pridmore has confirmed a deal that will see him compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on a Phase One Endurance Suzuki GSX-Rloo0, with help from Shogun Motorsports. "There are five races that don't conflict," Pridmore said from his home in Ventura. Califomia. today. "I may end up doing more. We'll just see how my season over here is going. This [the AMA season] is my number-one priority." Since the Phase One team will use an almost identical setup to what Pridmore will be racing in the AMA Formula Xtreme Series (a GSXR-l000 with Ohlins suspension and Dunlop tires), he sees the World Endurance Series as the perfect opportunity to get in some more track time and testing on the new bike. Pridmore will depart for England on April 3. He'll spend a week there before heading down to France for the big race. In the meantime, Pridmore recently completed a test on his Attack Racing Suzuki GSXR-6oo at Pahrump near Las Vegas, Nevada, and he came away from the test even more impressed with the new bike. '--' "It's night and day from last year,· Pridmore said. "I can actually feel what these bikes are doing. I ended up going 1.5 '--' ....... seconds qUicker than I went there on my bike last year and it was freeZing cold and Windy.• c o C J t E c r r has also raced go-karts and Rainey says he's competed in about 20 go-kart races at Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His scariest moment came when he blew a left rear tire going through the ultra-fast decreasing radius turns eight and nine at Willow. "I spun about six times," Rainey said. Rainey and Lawson got some early practice in for the race recently, shaking down their Yamaha 125cc-powered karts on the Willow Springs Go-Kart Track, while a few yards away AMA Superbike riders were shaking down their Daytona machinery. This was Rainey's first time at Willow in the 125, though he and Kawasaki's Doug Chandler, another karting fanatic. had tried them at other tracks. Both Rainey and Lawson were also trying different exhaust pipe and top end combinations. Sandy Rainey, Wayne's father, was working on both karts. The Streets of Willow, or the 2.5-mile track, are the pair's normal venue and it is on the big track where Lawson has excelled. "Eddie does 18's on the big track. I did a 21.3," Rainey said. The outright lap record for motorcycles is the I: 19.029 that Steve Rapp, then of Vance [, Hines Ducati, clocked in taking the pole position for last year's AMA Superbike race. Mostly, though, they don't take it that seriously, "He spun me out yesterday," Rainey said of his former Shell Thuett Yamaha. Kawasaki, and Marlboro Yamaha teammate. "I thought j'd spun, but he nailed me. We're just playing. He likes to follow me." Henny Ray Abrams Grand National Final is one of the premier road racing events in the country and it's great that AMA Pro Racing, Buell and the Pro Thunder competitors will be part of such a prestigious event." The complete 200 1 Buell Pro Thunder Series schedule follows: March 7-11 - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL; May 4-6 - Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, CA; June 15-17 - New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, NH; June 29-July 1 - Portland International Raceway. Portland. OR CWERA Nationall; July 6-8 - Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, CA; July 27-29 - The Colonel's Brainerd Intemational Raceway, Brainerd, MN; August 3-5 - Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point. WV CWERA Nationall; August 24-26 - Pike's Peak Intemational Raceway, Fountain, CO; Sept. 14-16 - Willow Springs International Raceway, Rosamond, CA; Sept. 28-30 Virginia Intemational Raceway. Alton, VA October 23-28 - Road Atlanta. Braselton, GA CWERA Grand National Finall. HRC, Repsol YPF and the Honda Nastro Azurro team have reached an agreement whereby the oil company will sponsor Valentino Rossi in the 2001 500cc World Championship, according to Repsol. The close relationship between Repsol YPF and HRC has faCilitated this agreement, which will increase Repsol YPF's role in GP racing. Repsol is now the main sponsor for the official Honda Racing team, with Alex Criville and Toru Ukawa, and the co-sponsor for the Honda Nastro Azurro team. with Rossi. .....•......................................•..•........•••...............................................•..........•...•......•.•.•• " . o· l\ " : : : : (] · AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At Outdoor Power Sports in Conyers, Georgia. on February 23 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Team MazdaIYamaha's Jeremy McGrath and Team Yamaha's David Vuillemin and Tim Ferry and Yamaha of Troy's Nick Weyand Nathan Ramsey are scheduled to ~ : " : : : : : : C o·· o o o· : : : : : : o appear. For more information, call 770/761-4800. . . : : : : : . : OPENED: RS Taichi USA, 409 N. Pacific Coast Highway, PMB #641, Redondo Beach. CA 90277,310/542-4974. : AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: On Friday, March 2. at D&L Powersports in Harvey. Louisiana. from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Team Suzuki's Kevin Windham, Travis Pastrana and Ben Riddle are scheduled to appear. For more information. call 504/227-2272. : OPENED: The Riverside (California) Old Timers' home page on the : World Wide Web. The site can be found at the following address: : http://www.rotmx.org. : . BORN: Luke Christian. to motocrosser Jim Neese and his wife, Heather, in Greensboro, North Carolina. on January 25. AUTOGRAPH SIGNING: At D&L Powersports in Harvey. Louisiana. : on March 2 from 7 to 8 p.m. Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Ricky : Carmichael' and Stephane Roncada and Team SplitFire/Pro Circuit's : Bobby Bonds. Mike Brown and Tallon Vohland and: TheEdgeSports.com·s Casey Johnson and Michael Byme are scheduled : to appear. For more information. call 504/227-2272. : APPOINTED: John Siebler as southeastem sales manager for ATKVOR motorcycles. effective immediately. For more information, call 818/207-9401. . ...••............•........•..•.................................•..•.•.......••••.........••••.••.......••••........•.••......••••••.•. 2 FEBRUARY 28. 2001 • 0: U n 0: • _ __ s The Hansyllan Group, promoters of the Willow Springs round of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship Series. have indicated to AMA Pro Racing officials that the event may be in danger of being canceled, according to a release issued by the AMA. AMA Pro Racing's road race manager Ron Barrick is in contact with the Hansyllan Group and indicates that the promoter is haVing difficulty obtaining a sufficient level of sponsorship for the Superbike event and is exploring other avenues to keep the event scheduled. The final decision on the event is expected in the next week, according to the AMA. Aprilia presented its 2001 World Superbike team to members of the media in a lavish ceremony in Maghera, near Venice, Italy, on February 13. The occasion was attended by all of Aprilia' s top brass, plus FIM president Mr. Zerbi and SBK International president Paolo Flammini. Unlike previous years, the Aprilia World Superbike team launch was separate to that of the GP team - a sign of Aprilia's growing commitment to the World Superbike Championship and a sign that Aprilia really wants the title, Aprilia says. For 2001, Frenchman Regis Laconi will join Troy Corser on the team. with test rider Alessandro Antonello also slated to compete at certain events. SFX Motor Sports Group announced Drag Specialties as the presenting sponsor of Formula USA National Dirt Track Series. The 12-race season will begin in late spring in Virginia, running through summer and on into October with the traditional Concours D'Elegance/K&N Filters Del Mar Mile finale at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. At National Dirt Track events, Drag Specialties will be branded in local media campaigns and at the events which will continue associating Drag Specialties with the excitement of flat track racing and the traditions of the sport. Drag Specialties is the largest family owned business in the motorcycle and powers ports industries. Started 33 years ago, Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties is now the world's largest aftermarket supplier of motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile and personal watercraft products.• Drag Special- --------Continued on page 98

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