Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128178
Continued from page 3 season. All program participants will receive career evaluation and guidance. Program participants will be required to race Suzuki motorcycles, and must use Valvoline oil and products from other Team Hammer sponsors. Full details of jjj[ljJjjj {fJ®D®&J~®~ fd@@~ ~G!J[§)®[Jf2JD!lf® {fJG!JD®~ the program will be announced November 15. Interested riders can request a sign-up kit from Team Hammer, Inc .. P.O. Box 183, Wildomar, CA 925950183, 909/245-6414, www.teamhammer.com. Former Women's Motocross National Champion Mercedes Gonzalez will be holding a motocross school on Sunday, November 17 at Perris Raceway in Perris California, to benefit the Women's MX League. Gonzalez is Ricky Johnson's partner in the School of Champions and has been teaching alongside Johnson on a regular basis. She has set aside a day to teach a special school to raise funds that will go toward promoting women's racing in 2003. For more information, call 909/5200948 or visit http://www.womensmxhistory.com/VVMU2oo2/mx_school.htm. ,; According to a release issued by Dorna, Dorna Off Road S.L. and Axo Sport S.p.A. have finalized an agreement where the latter has been appointed as the official supplier of the clothing for all Dorna' s MX staff for the 2003 FIM Motocross World Championship Season. The terms of the agreement include that Axo Sport S.p.A will also be . responsible of the official merchandising of the MX World Championship. After the agreement, the Italian manufacturer stated: "Axo Sport is proud of its new partnership with a company as dynamic and ambitious as Dorna and firmly believes in the valuable brand of a sport as spectacular and extreme as motocross. The Motocross World Championship is an extremely amazing sport: a mix of youth, worldwide nationalities, fun, audacity, incredible skids, AMA Pro Racing released the following information today regarding the new rules and technical specifications for the 2003 U.S. Superbike Series. The released information is as follows: The 2003 AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship will mark an exciting period of transition for America's premier motorcycle road-racing series. Beginning next March in the season kickoff at Daytona International Speedway, 1000cc multi-cylinder Superbikes will race side-by-side with 1000cc twins and 750cc-based multicylinder machines. AMA Pro Racing first proposed this new formula in June to reflect the changing motorcycle marketplace and provide opportunity for more teams to compete in the series. A public comme')t period resulted in one major change to the proposed rules. Traditionai 750cc four-cylinder machines now will be allowed 2 millimeters of cylinder overbore for a displacement close to aoocc in an effort to keep existing 750 Superbikes competitive in the period of transition to the new specifications. "It's always tough to find the proper balance when implementing a new racing formula, especially in a series that means so much to so many," said Scott Hollingsworth, AMA Pro Racing CEO. "Our technical staff came very close to hitting the mark in the original proposal, and after the public-comment period I'm confident that we've struck a good balance that allows a wide variety of racing machinery to be on equal footing." ·We are trying to put the best racing product on the track for the benefit of fans and teams," said Merrill Vanderslice, AMA Pro Racing director of competition. ·Our goal is to have close competition in 2003, and we will consider minor adjustments to the rules as needed to balance competition." Vanderslice added that the rules package also addresses the changing market, as many new motorcycles are expected to be eligible for competition in 2004 under this AMA Superbike formula. In an effort to establish a global technical specification for Superbike racing, AMA Pro Racing met with other national governing bodies and the technical arm of the FlM. Although a consensus could not be reached at this time, AMA Pro Racing remains hopeful that a single specification can be achieved in the future. More details concerning the technical specifications for the 2003 AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship can be found at www.amaproracing.com. AMA Pro Racing will be releasing other 2003 road-racing rules in the coming weeks. The new rules package is as follows: Only approved motorcycles are permitted in AMA Superbike competition. AMA Pro Racing will accept homologation applications only from motorcycle manufacturers or their distributors. I. Allowable engine displacements and basic homologation requirements: A. 551cc - 750cc four-stroke, four cylinders: Engines with displacements originally within this range may have cylinder bore increased by a maximum of 2mm, with the resulting displacement not to exceed aoocc. Stroke must remain stock. Homologation requirements will remain the same as current (2002) Superbike requirements, including street certification in an FIM member country and a minimum number of units imported into the US for sale. B. 551cc - 900cc four-stroke, three cylinders: 551 cc - 1000cc four-stroke, twin cylinders: Homologation requirements will remain the same as current (2002) Superbike requirements. C. 90lec - 1000cc four-stroke, three or more cylinders: This is a new displacement category offered as an option beginning with the 2003 season. Homologation requirements include street certification in the U.S. and a higher minimum number of imported units relative to current Superbike requirements. 2. Weight: Minimum weight for all Superbikes will be increased to 370 pounds from the current 355 pounds, 3. Other major technical regulations: Except for the items previously noted, 750cc four cylinders, 900cc three cylinders and 1000cc twin cylinders will be subject to all current (2002) Superbike technical regulations for the 2003 season. 1000cc equipment with three or more cylinders will be subject to the following major technical regulations: A. Frames must be stock except for the addition of strengthening gussets and the removal or relocation of accessory brackets (same as current rules). B. Aftermarket forks, shocks and swingarms will be permitted. Forks/shocks will be subject to claiming rules (same as current rules). C. Aftermarket wheels (except carbon composite) will be permitted. Rear-wheel maximum width is 6.25" (same as current rules). D. Aftermarket brakes (except carbon composite) will be permitted (same as current rules). E. Aftermarket fairings and body work will be permitted (same as current rules). F. Cylinder heads may be ported and machined, but altering of valve angles will not be permitted. G. Aftermarket valves, springs, retainers and other valve-train components will be permitted. Valves must be stock size and same basic material as original equipment. H. Aftermarket camshafts will be permitted, but cam lift and resulting valve lift must be no greater than stock. I. Stock cylinders and cases must be retained. Machining will be permitted (same as current rules). J. Aftermarket pistons, rings, pins and connecting rods will be permitted (same as current rules). K. Stock crankshaft must be retained. The only allowable modifications are balancing. polishing of bearing surfaces and attachment of accessory drives. L. Homologated transmission gear sets (one optional set of ratios per approved model) will be permitted. Optional sets will be pricecontrolled and must be available to any legitimate AMA Superbike competitor. M. Aftermarket, stock-type (wet type cannot be changed to dry type) clutches with back-torque limiting characteristics will be permitted. N. Homologated fuel-injection throttle-body assemblies (one optional type per approved model) and aftermarket air boxes will be permitted. Modifications to throttle bodies will not be permitted. Optional throttle bodies will be price-controlled and must be available to any legitimate AMA Superbike competitor. O. Aftermarket ignition systems will be permitted (same as current rules). P. Charging systems and starters will not be required (same as current rules). Q. Aftermarket exhaust systems will be permitted (same as current rules). heart-stopping jumps, courage - the perfect showcase for a company like Axo National Half-Mile in Columbus. Ohio, on Rumors have Creamer linked with Eddie used only for open practice. For more Sport. " September 22. Adkins Racing for the 2003 season. information, call 909/926-4646. AMA Pro Racing Grand National number Injury update: Flat tracker Aaron Creamer, who suffered severe injuries A new motocross track in Southern California officially opened its doors this past weekend. Bob Harvell, who started the very first Rainbow track in Pala. Cali- The opening round of the inaugural 79, Stephanie MStevie" Welch, will be competing in the 2003 AMA/Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Championships during the 2003 season. Welch, a 20-year-old resident of Flint. Michigan, is slated to compete aboard a Harley-Davidson XR750 owned by New England-based PS Racing. Negotiations are currently under way for a 450 ride for the 2003 season as well. Welch in a crash at the K&N Filters Del Mar Mile on October 6, was released from the hospital on October 10, according to his sponsor, Leo Castell of Motorcyclists Post. The 22-year-old Creamer, of Massachusetts, suffered from internal injuries, a lacerated liver being the worst, which caused internal bleeding. turned Pro in 1998, and has been com- "He was generally beat up pretty good, peting in the Harley-Davidson Sportster as you can imagine," Castell said. "The Performance Series for four seasons. doctors told him to do only light physical She will continue to compete in that work and his best therapy would proba- series as well as the GNC Series. bly be swimming. He is in good spirits Welch made her GNC debut on an and looking forward to next season. A XR750 at the AD Farrow Buckeye full-fledged assault is planned for 2003. " 100 n OCTOBER 30' cue I • • _ os fornia. in the early 1990s and then the Rainbow II track in San Jacinto, California, (which is now better-known as the site of the original Competition Park), is back at it again. Harvell's new track is called Cahuilla Creek MX Park and is located a few miles south of Anza, California, off S.R. 371 (roughly 25 minutes east of Temecula, California). Harvell describes the track as old-school motocross. The track is laid out over rolling hills with soft terrain and currently features a lot of off-camber sections, few jumps, and fast- and slow-~peed sections. As of now, the track will be Supercross Junior Eurocup will begin on October 27 in Barcelona, Spain. The new series is opened to riders aged 15-18 and is designed to create" Supercross channels in Europe" for younger riders, according to organizer Jean Luc Fouchet. The series, endorsed by French motocrossers Jean-Michel Bayle and David Vuillemin, will feature five rounds, concluding on December 14. Eight nations will be represented. What makes this series interesting here in the U.S .. is that the overall winner will join Mitch Payton's Pro Circuit team for the first three rounds of the U.S. Supercross Series, beginning in Anaheim, California, on January 4. eN