Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

ROAD RACE Dunlop Daytona Tire test Superbike-mounted Eric Bostrom (32) leads the 600cc Supersport machines of Anthony Gobert (16) and Jamie Hacking (2). BRIEFLY••• Erion Racing's Kurtis Roberts was one of three Honda riders to test on-bike twoway ..dio communications during the tire tests, Roberts and American Honda's Nicky Hayden and Miguel DuHamel all tested the system, with help from Gary Coleman of Racing Radios, 'It's the same system as NASCAR." Coleman said, adding that it was legal in AMA Superbike racing. 'In 2003, they may allow it in the GPs.' The latestmodel Motorola radio, the EX-500 radio, is installed in the hump in the back of the rider's leathers. The wire for the microphone and earpieces goes into the back of the rider's helmet. A second wire, which the rider activates to speak. goes either out of a hole in the front of the leathers or down the sleeve, depending on how the rider chooses to activate the radio. The Honda riders all used a button on the clip-on, which was attached by a wire that was taped to the gas tank and attached to the wire coming out of the leathers with a simple plug connection. -Going down the back straightaway, you couldn't hear the engine, 'Coleman, who supplies radios and service to a number of the World Championship teams, said of his monitoring of communications between DuHamel and his crew. When Roberts turned his best lap of the day, a 1:49.152, late in the day, he asked crew chief Dave McGrath, "How was that one?" DuHamel said there were problems but thought they Radio, radio••• Miguel DuH_1 is wired to could be resolved. 'The radios worked talk to his pit crew. okay,' DuHamel said. 'We had some problems with it here and there. It was kind of hard for me to talk to the team, but they talked to me okay. I think that it's something where we are in unknown territory. There were a few comments made where I was like, 'Well, I don't need to hear that.' It's going to have to be policed pretty good as to who can say what on the radio. It was funny one time because I was going through the second horseshoe one time and Chuck Miller was on the radio, saying, 'You're looking really good, Miguel. really good.' Just when he says that, I slide and get the bike sideways and he says, 30 JANUARY 9. 2002' cue • • n e _ os 'Well, we didn't need that slide' - something like that, some comment about the slide. I was like, 'Hey, hey, hey, we don't need no criticizing from the peanut gallery.' If we do run these things for Daytona, we are going to have to keep the comments down. Just the facts and keep it short and sweet.' Coleman said the Motorola radio cost about $900 and the complete system about $1700. Coleman can be reached at wgcmoto@aol.com. Tilley's H-D's Tripp Nobles made so much noise on the mostly unmuffled Buell S·l lightning that even he was impressed. "It sounded like something that would be running around here in February, not now," Nobles said in reference to the Daytona 500. 'We're within 10 horsepower of those: Nobles said, pointing to the 2001 race bike. 'They've been playing with motors and doing endurance runs on the dynos. but this is the first shot with the race engines. Dave IEstokl was saying how this thing is so much narrower. such a small bike, you can get up in it, it leaves a lot shorter hole. Where on those things, you can smoke a cigarette behind those things over there. So they leave a big draft, so I suck him up. And go on around him, too, with that less horsepower, go right on around him. He could go around me, of course. but I could see a big difference. It's stout, real stout. Stuff like getting out of the chicane is where it's a way better bike. Getting into tum one, getting through that kink, it's Just rock solid through there.' As impressive as the new machine is, Nobles wasn't sure it was up to the task of beating the dominant Ducatis at Daytona. -like it is right now, it'd be tough, here,' Nobles said. 'Other tracks, yeah, it's a way better bike. But right now, with what we've got horsepowerwise, it would be tough. But I know when we come back we'll have a few more. We've been to Grattan and Putnam already. We've been testing a lot this year. I got on the thing last January and O'vel ridden it probably five or six times this year, testing it. ' Yamaha's race boss, Keith McCarty, has re-orgaOlzed the team again - to make it run smoother. Tom Halverson continues as the team manager and now he's moving into the team manager/crew chief position for Anthony Gobert's superbike effort. Tony Roma will take over as the lead mechanic, and Jefferson Burkes will work with Roma and Halverson. Jamie Wagner returns with Jon Rosenstiel back to work on the suspension. 'The superbike probably commands the most attention for all the options you have," McCarty said. 'And then, in the 600 situation, we have Geoff Maiers, who's like the team manager/crew chief, and then Seamus Taff, who will be working with Anthony again. Steve Rounds will be working with Damon Buckmaster and Greg Groce will be working with Aaron Gobert. We've got the same group of guys, essentially: we've focused in one area to do a better job in the Superbike side and not let anything else slide either. ' 'It went all right,' American Honda's Miguel DuHamel said about the Daytona test, run in the sudden absence of returning crew chief AI Ludington. Ludington flew back to California to be with his wife, Jocelyn, who went into premature labor with thier first child. "Obviously, having AI leave for some minor problems he had at home... " he laughed. "No. it was really good. I'm happy for AI. There was no hesitation on either his part or mine, though he never asked me for permission to leave. I think the birth of his first child is just a little bit bigger than the Daytona test. That being said, it was not on our schedule and we had a little bit of trouble getting everything done that we wanted to get done. It went okay. But I do want to congratulate AI and Jocelyn on their baby girl, Lucy, '

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