Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Cycle News 2003 01 15

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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Local North Carolina speedway rider Ronny Kemp upset three-time ICE World Champion Anthony Barlow in the ICE speedway season opener at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, on December 26. Kemp led the main event flag to flag, with England's Barlow in close pursuit the entire race. James Mann completed the podium, finishing third. Barlow muscled his way back to the top of the podium at round two in St. Charles, Missouri, on December 28, with Mann finishing second and "Wild" Will Beverage finishing third. With his victory in the sixth stage of the Dakar Rally on Monday, January 6, KTM's Richard Saind added to his overall lead over last year's champion Fabrizio Meoni, though that lead is only just over two minutes after five days of racing, The fifth stage ran between Tozeur and EI Sorma in Tunisia, with the Frenchman Sainct's completing the stage in two hours, 41 minutes and 42 seconds, 17 seconds quicker than Meoni, the Italian also KTM mounted, Third place in Monday's stage went to Nani Roma (pictured), ahead of fellow KTM pilot Cyril Despres, who was over seven minutes off Sainct's pace. In the overall standings after five stages, Sainct leads Meoni by two minutes, 25 seconds. Roma is third. and Cox, fifth in stage five, drops to fifth overall. Garcia Mochales, meanwhile, crashed in stage four of the rally, suffering two broken bones in his arm. He was taken by helicopter to the closest hospital in Tunis. Spaniard Albert Cabestany (Bet) won the second round of the World Indoor Trials Chamiponship in Sheffield, England, on January 4, topping Dougie Lampkin (Mon) and Adam Raga (G-G). Raga leads the championship over Lampkin by just a single point. 35-34. ing, Bayle declared the bike a winner and is looking forward to riding it in competition in 2003. At Bayle's recommendation. some minor modifications will be undertaken before the next test to make sure it exactly matches his riding style. the release states. Also to be tested will be a 505cc configuration motor for those tracks requiring extra torque. For more information, visit www,coronasuzuki.com. Adam Jones, Drake McElroy and Beau Bamburg all claimed victories as the IFMA kicked off its 2003 season in Sacramento, California, January 4-5. Jones and McElroy both had top three finishes in each event. as Jones edged out McElroy on Friday night. McElroy returned the favor, beating out Jones on Saturday afternoon. Beau Bamburg secured Saturday night's victory, holding off McElroy by three-tenths of a point and Jones by one-tenth. u n u n U The Parts Canada Superbike Championship will sport a new look when the 2003 season gets underway at Shannonville Motorsport Park, May 1518. Professional Motorsports Productions. organizer of the national tour, has released its final rules package for the coming season. Central to the new regulations are performance restrictions. deSigned to control costs and encourage stronger participation. for the feature class, according to PMP, Motorcycles racing in the new headline division. still called Superbike, will be faced with a 155 horsepower limit. Minimum weight has been set at 360 pounds. while engine displacement is unlimited. There will be an "open" tire rule, meaning slick. or non-treaded. tires are permitted. However, they must be mounted on stock 17 -inch wheels. Brake and suspension modifications are substantially restricted. Horsepower will be verified post-race on the series' official Dynojet Dyno. As part of the implementation of the new rules package, Honda's RC51 and the Kawasaki ZX- 7 RR "works" Superbikes have been grandfathered for the 2003 season. They will be allowed to compete next year with additional restrictions agreed upon between the four major motorcycle manufacturers and PMP. Those two models were the most exotic eqUipment involved in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship over the past few years. Steve Crevier won the 2000 and 2001 national titles on a Honda Canada RC51, while Owen Weichel placed second in points last year aboard the Canadian Kawasaki Motors-prepared ZX-7RR. In a further move designed to bring new blood into the feature class. each of the four partiCipating manufacturers will be required to prOVide direct factory support to at least HAS Racing has announced that it will field a professional motorcycle road race team with riders John Haner and Heath Small in the 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship Series. Team owner Small. along with Motion Cycle Sports in Dallas, Texas, will support the HAS Racing operation with motorcycles and race equipment. Steve Upchurch, James Compton and Billy Weiss will prOVide the chassis and engine prep as will technicians David Sanders and Richard Haner. Shogun Motorsports will supply the race transporter with custom awning and hospitality area, proViding the facilities and image that will help the team to be successful and to make an impact in 2003. Haner will concentrate his efforts on the AMA Superstock class on a Suzuki GSXR750 while also competing in the AMA Superbike class on a Yamaha R 1. Heath, meanwhile, will focus his efforts in the AMA Supersport and Superstock classes on a Yamaha R6 while also competing in the AMA Superbike class on a Yamaha R1. For more information on HAS Racing, contact Proforma at 817/239-0739. o o o o o o o n u o n o u Former World Motocross Champion and AMA Supercross Champion JeanMichel Bayle .ecently tested the Corona Extra Suzuki Motard DR-Z450 Supermotard development machine at the Streets of Willow Springs, according to the team. After spending all day test- 2 JANUARY 15, 2003' cue I e n e vw s three riders in the Superbike division. Rules have also been finalized for the pro Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike and amateur International Motorcycle Supershow 600 Sport Bike national support classes in 2003. Power will be restricted to 110 hp. and minimum weight is 360 pounds. Both standards are identical to last season's Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike rules. Manufacturers will also be reqUired to field three riders in the pro 600 Sport Bike national class. Meanwhile, the Amateur 600 Sport Bike will make its national debut in 2003. Full details on the new program will be released shortly, For more series information. visit www.cdnsuperbike.com. Due to the exceptionally mild weather and the lack of ice in Austria, the qualifying round two of the Individual Ice Racing World Championship will not take place in Saalfelden (Austria). but in Oulu (Finland) on the same date January 12, according to the FIM. Dream Team Racing has announced its entrance into the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship series. Based out of Camarillo. California. Dream Team will campaign Larry Pegram on 2003 Ducati 998RS motorcycles, according to the team. The team realizes the aspirations of co-owners Kaming Ko and DeVeaux Hill. "It is an American dream come true for DeVeaux and me to compete in the AMA Superbike series." Ko said in the release. Dream Team Racing has secured full technical support from the Bologna factory and is the only independent team to receive such support from Ducati for the 2003 AMA season. the release states. Additionally. Ko and Hill have personally guaranteed the team one million dollars in funding. This has allowed Dream Team Racing to secure the services of the best personnel. Crew chief Kazuhiko "Maci" Matsumoto is a 20-year veteran of the Grand Prix scene with two World Championships to his credit. Engine builder and mechanic Mike Velasco will be responsible for the team's engine development program as well as proViding his services at the track. Team manager and engineer H. Elliot Cho is a longtime member of the Pegram camp. with a background ranging from wrenching on top-alcohol funny cars to tuning factory Superbikes. Bologna-based Gabriele Raccio will act as the liaison to Ducati Corse, proViding technical support from the factory. Dream Team will have two new 998RS03s and four complete spare engines in its arsenal. Dream Team Racing will also field two up-and-coming riders in the AMA Honda Pro Oils U.S. Supersport Championship. The riders will be Thad Haslmer and Quentin Wilson. They will be prOVided with workspace at Dream Team' s 5500 squarefoot Camarillo facilities and logistical support. including transportation to the races and product sponsorship for fuel. oil, tires and brakes. AMA Pro Racing introduced new race results technology and a near-real-time Internet lap-time tracking system at the opening round of the 2003 AMA SuperĀ· cross Series in Anaheim. California. The software and scoring technology was adopted from similar technology used successfully in the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship and most recently used online during the December Dunlop Daytona tire tests. The new results-reporting software will benefit teams and on-site media. as well as race fans browsing www.USMotocross.com. the AMA Pro Racing website that is home to complete AMA Supercross coverage. according to the AMA. The new system will display an abundance of timing information faster than ever. "This system has worked extremely well in the AMA Superbike Championship. so we're excited to expand it to the AMA Supercross Series," said Ken Rogers. AMA Pro Racing Director of Timing and Scoring. "The new system prOVides comprehensive information for the teams. riders and media who devour every bit of results information we throw at them." Online race fans will benefit too. AMA Pro Racing's online results coverage from every AMA Supercross race will include Saturday afternoon practice times and prequalifying results. as well as more detailed results reporting from the evening racing program. The system's highlight will be the improved @theWire L1VEI lap-Viewer system. which tracks lap times via

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