Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Cycle News 2001 12 05

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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win in the prestigious Daytona 200. He ©D@ff)[f ©!JDff)[JiJ[JiJ@D 5J[JiJ[JiJ@{Jf][JiJ@@[0 !J!]ff)(19D @ilffft then went on to victory on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 at Road Atlanta. Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Wff)@!JI [0@!JD@@{Jf]D@ Course. bringing his season tally to four wins. Mladin is now tied for fifth on the Clear Channel Entertainment's motorsports division has announced its 2002 Drag Specialties National Dirt Track Series sanctioned by Formula USA. "(The year] 2002 will be Formula USA's third year of dirt track racing, and we wanted to provide an early commitment to the riders, fans, and industry who enthusiastically supported our last two seasons by announcing our plans today," Bob Moran. director of dirt track for Clear Channel Entertainment, said. The series will again conclude with the traditional running of the K&N Filters Del Mar Mile, north of San Diego, and Formula USA has added a new venue and city with Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho, joining the season this year. "We are pleased to be bringing dirt track to Boise, complementing our collection of established traditional dirt track racing events," Moran said. Formula USA will also offer its first indoor Dirt Track event at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington, giving dirt track enthusiasts a non-traditional event experience - complete with a pit party and live event entertainment, including an IFMA Freestyle Motocross demonstration. "Even with II announced events, we are still looking at additional dates and expect the schedule to reach 15 events," Moran said. The 2002 Drag Specialties National Dirt Track Series schedule is as follows: June 8: Sheboygan County Fairgrounds, Plymouth, WI June 14: Rochester Fairgrounds, Rochester, NH July] 3: Oklahoma City State Fair Speedway, Oklahoma City, OK July 20: Proctor Speedway, Duluth, MN Aug. 7: Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, SD Aug. 10: Portiand Speedway, Portland, OR Sept. 7: Les Bois Park, Boise, 10 Sept. 14: Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA Sept. 22: Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA Oct. 5: Del Mar Fairgrounds Short Track, Del Mar, CA Oct. 6: Del Mar Fairgrounds Mile, Del Mar, CA all-time AMA Superbike wins list with a career total of 14 wins. Mladin also became the leading all-time AMA Superbike pole winner this season ... I really have to thank my team for the work they put into helping me win the Superbike Championship this year." said Mladin. "It's very much a team effort and I happen to be fortunate to have the best team behind me." The 2001 AMAISpeedvision Pro Athlete of the Year will be announced during the 27th annual AMA Pro Racing Champions Awards Banquet on December 7 at the Desert Springs Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Springs. California. To purchase tickets to the awards banquet. contact AMA Pro Racing at 614/856-1900. ally been a fan favorite. and that there is the schedule. In 2001 Carr tallied an have a lot of respect for all of the riders no better place to host a Supercross in impressive nine wins. the most ever for who are nominated. Over the years it's the Southwest than Bank One Ballpark. him in a single season. Carr now has 54- been a pretty impressive list. Whether I will hold a Pro-only practice session on "It is the Taj Mahal of stadiums." Man- career AMA Grand National victories win or not. I'm still proud to be a part of the newly designed Perris Invitational cuso said. "We are completely honored making him the winningest active rider in this select group." Mladin. meanwhile. is Supercross track on December 3. Par- the series and second on the all-time list the first rider to produce three-consecu- ticipants must hold a valid AMA Pro to former Harley-Davidson teammate tive championships in AMA Superbike License or be recognized as a Pro-Ama- to have Bank One Ballpark put their faith in us as long-term motor sports entertainment providers." The 2002 Phoenix Perris Raceway in Perris. California. Thanksgiving took on a whole new since Fred Merkel accomplished the feat teur by the Perris staff. Practice fee will in 1986. Next year. he will attempt to be $15 per rider. though the top 50 become the first four-time AMA Super- AMA 125 East/West Pros will be three times before and haven't won it the 2003 Phoenix round will be held on January 11. Scott Parker. "It's quite an honor to be nominated for the Pro Athlete of the Year. - said Carr. "I've been nominated round will be held on January 26. and bike champion. Mladin. 29. started the allowed to practice free of charge. Spec- yet, so maybe this will be my year. I 2001 racing campaign with his second tators are welcome to attend. November 27. 2001. The track will be The hours of operation are as follows: Tuesdays - gates open at 8 a. m. practice from 8:30 a.m. until dusk: Thursdays gates open at 8 a.m. practice from 8:30 a.m. until dusk: Sundays - gates open at 7 a.m. practice from 8 a.m. until dusk. For more information. check out the track's official web site at www.saddlebackmx.com. Chris Carr, winner of the 2001 AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships. and Mat Mladin, the 2001 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Series Champion, join Eric Bostrom and Ricky Carmichael as the third and fourth nominees for the 2001 AMA/Speedvision Pro Athlete of the Year Award. Carr, 34, won his third AMA Grand National title this year after haVing a spirited early and mid-season battle with 2000 champ Joe Kopp and the late Will Davis. Carr clinched the o 8 J o CJ I '-' /I U o o H U fornia. motocross enthusiasts. as the open for practice three days per week. CJ n u 'I sports Park and Orange County. Cali- been reopened. effective Tuesday. 8 J J meaning for Saddleback Motor- controversial facility located in Irvine has J The rumors conceming the long-term plans of Carl Fogarty have been announced, with first an official press release from Ducati telling the world that his three-year contract as an ambassador for Ducati has been terminated. and then a double-barreled announcement from Petronas and Fogarty's new company, Team Foggy Racing Ltd., outlining their plans. In short, Team Foggy Racing wili be running an World Superbike team using a derivation of Sauber Petronas Engineering's existing three-cylinder GPI prototype, and series production. by Petronas itself, will also commence to make the machine eligible for World Superbike racing. The manufacturing side of the operation will most likely be based in Malaysia, with the Fogarty team based in England. Thus Petronas will become the first Malaysian company to produce Superbikes for the street. The announcements also kills the rumored link with Triumph in terms of the Fogarty race team, and may well sound the death knell for the whole Petronas/Sauber Moto GP project. The debut of the Worid Superbike machine will come at Monza. Italy, on May 12, during round five of the 2002 World Superbike Championship. Time constraints regarding conversion of the existing pure prototype to even a limited run machine will be hard to meet, especially as the GPl machine is apparently very far from being a streetbike engine, and no other components of the machine are reputed to exist as yet. However, the supposed budget for the project, circa $50 million, will grease the wheels greatly. The official Petronas press release states, "Petronas is collaborating with four-time World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty to form a racing team - Foggy Petronas Racing - to participate in the Championship, beginning Monza, Italy, with all new machines using the engine jointly developed by Petronas and Sauber Petronas Engineering AG (SPE). The collaboration with Foggy Racing is initially for a period of five years." The Petronas release continued, "To meet the requirements for the team's entry into the Championship, Petronas will also commercialise the road version GP! motorcycle engine, making it the first Malaysian-built Superbike." A team launch is expected in Malaysia during January. Fogarty even now declares himself surprised by the scale and ambition of the project, which largely came about because of his personal friendship for former sponsor David Wong, who has been involved in the project from day one. "This is a once-in-a-Iife-time opportunity and the biggest ~eal of my career," said Fogarty. "I am determined to repay the faith shown in me by Petronas by displaying the same commitment to winning that I showed during my riding career. I have been focused on setting up my own team since retirement, but did not dream I would be doing it as a 'new manufacturer'l So I am doubly determined to make this a success. My company, Team Foggy Racing Ltd, has been working on this deal for months and it is such a relief to be flJ1ally able to announce it to the world." According to a Sauber spokesperson, the existing Moto GP side of the Sauber engineering project will continue, although the Team Foggy press release, quoted now, suggests otherwise. "The project represents a departure from original plans to run the GP! in the MotoGP series, with Petronas opting to use the legendary status of Fogarty and his huge worldwide following to launch into the road bike manufacturing sector." A Petronas spokesperson said, "I was talking to Mr. Osuma Goto [the chief of the GPI Project] yesterday [November 22] and he confirmed to me that they would be testing [the GPI machine] as planned in January." 'Sauber Petronas GP! test and development rider Niall Mackenzie was also unaware of any change to Sauber's plans. Paolo Flammini, president of SBK International, was obviously ecstatic at what he will see as getting one over the Moto GP series. "Carl Fogarty is a legend of Superbikes and we are extremely happy that he will continue his new life in our championship. This initiative is further proof of the appeal of the World Superbike series has towards the motorcycle industry and new commerce in that industry. We are proud to have the project focused on this series." The fuB ramifications of the announcement are expected to run and run, and the seriousness of the project, not to mention the massive resources of Petronas - Malaysia's national oil company - merely underline the significance of the new development, in both track and street terms. ' Gordon Ritchie championship with three races left on cue. e n e vv s Continued on page 72 2001 3 DECEMBER 5, n

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