Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

The AMA Pro Racing board of directors has approved a preliminary set of rule changes for the 2004 AMA Flat Track racing season, Designed to reflect the evolving motorcycle marketplace as well as the objectives of increased participation, expanded OEM involvement and the reduction of costs associated with racing, the rule changes are aimed at the 505cc class, ' Bruce Bober, AMA Pro Racing flat track manager, confirms the changes are specifically geared toward the equipment raced on TT and short tracks, "The big twins used on the mile and half-mile tracks will be relatively unchanged," said Bober. "Instead, we've focused on the area of flat track racing that offers the greatest opportunity for growth, " The new rules are as follows: Engine Displacement - 350cc450cc, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, mullivalve; 400cc-500cc, aircooled, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, two valve, Chassis - Stock frames allowing limited modifications, Exceptions: Buell Blast models can substitute with aftermarket frames due to the fact that this model is a true street bike never intended for off-road or racing use, Swingarms may be changed or modified (all models). Fuel tanks and bodywork may be replaced with aftermarket parts, prOViding "stock appearance is maintained," Exceptions: Buell Blast, due to the frame allowance, ' Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing, believes the implementation of these rules will be advantageous to the series and encourages increased participation and support from the major motorcycle manufacturers, The 2003 AMA/Air Nautiques Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn's ran wrapped up over the August 9-10 weekend in Hurricane Mills, _. Tennessee, and 33 new champions were crowned. Forty-two finalists competed in each class for an event total of 1386 riders. The initial qualifying field of nationwide entries was almost 19,000 at the area level. making it the biggest year for entries in the 22-year history of the event. The big winners of the week were rising motocross stars Davi Millsaps (Suz) and Mike Alessi (Hon), plus one at the other end of his career - former supercross star Jeff Emig (Kaw), Millsaps won two classes in his final appearance at Loretta Lynn's before joining Team Suzuki for his professional career in 2004. The 15-year-old topped the 125cc A class and the 125cc Schoolboy Mod (12-15), These two AMA titles gave Millsaps nine for his amateur career, He also earned the AMA's prestigious Horizon's Award, which was presented by AMA Sports' Steve Carnegie, Mike Alessi also won his eighth and ninth Loretta Lynn's titles, tying James Stewart's all-time record for minicycle titles in the AMA Amateur National Championships, Alessi won the 85cc Mod (14-15) and 105cc Super-Mini (12-15J. He then earned another place in the record books as the first rider ever to have his bike claimed in the event's 22-year history. His 105cc F" I I bike was claimed for approximately i , 1,..",,' $3900, according to AMA rules, by fellow competitor Adam Chatfield, Alessi also won the first-ever AMA Amateur Rider of the Year award, As for former four-time AMA Pro National and Supercross Champion Emig, 2003 marked the second year he came out of retirement to compete at the same Loretta Lynn's event where he was raised as an amateur, He won the 250cc A/Pro Sport and Vet Over 30 class titles, giving him a total of seven for his amateur career. '" and sixth in the two races at Oulton Park, is third in the series with 226 points, Kevin Curtain (Yam) won two of the three Australian Superbike Championship rounds held at Queensland Raceway, August 9-10, Curtain topped Shawn Giles (Suz) and Craig Coxhell (Suz) in the first race, with Coxhell coming back to win race two over Giles and Kirk McCarthy (Hon), In the third race, Curtain came back to win again, beating Daniel Stauffer (Yam) and Giles, with Coxhell finishing fourth. Coxhell leads the championship over his teammate and three-time defending champion Giles, 195-180 with Curtain third with 176 points, The final race of the series will be held at Sydney's Eastern Creek, August 30-31 . -) o n u o o o o o Reigning Australian Supercross Masters Champion Craig Anderson (Yam) returned to his homeland to win the fourth round of the Australian Supercross Series at the Sydney Superdome on August 9, The 11-time Australian National Motocross and Supercross Champion went though the night unbeaten, winning the final over championship leader Jay Marmont (KTM) and Cheyne Boyd (KTMJ. Anderson will be racing thiS weekend in the AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship round in Millville, Minnesota. Sweden - without five-time World Champion Tony Rickardsson - won the Speedway World Cup in Vojens, Denmark, on August 9 with Mikael Max, Andreas Jonsson, Peter Ljung, Peter Karlsson and David Ruud outscoring the Australian team of Jason Crump, Leigh Adams, Todd Wiltshire, Ryan Sullivan and Jason Lyons, 62-57, to take the title, The Danish team finished third. The United States did not field a team, o n o o o o U Chris Carr (H-D) was a double winner in the AMA Hot Shoe Series events held . at the Jackpine Gypsies M,C, on August 6, during Sturgis Bike Week. Carr won the 750cc Expert main event. Geo Roeder II (H-D) was second, followed by Dave Durelle (Yam), With his runner-up finish, Roeder claimed the 2003 AMA National Hot Shoe Championship for the 750cc class. Carr also won the 505cc Expert main event. with Durelle finishing second and Rob Pearson (Hon) third, Pennsylvania rider Thomas McGrane finished ninth in the race but won the 505cc Hot Shoe title, Robert Lewis Jr. capped off a championshipwinning season by winning the HarleyDavidson Sportster Performance main event, followed by Clint Erickson and Shane Fox, Texas rider Scott Beck- o o o Steve Plater (Hon) and Yukio Kagayama (Suz) split wins in the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park on August 10, Plater won the first race, topping Kagayama and Sean Emmett (Duc) with Kagayama winning the second race over his teammate John Reynolds (Suz), Emmett. meanwhile, finished third again, Shayne Byrne (Duc), the championship points leader, crashed in the first race and finished fourth in the second, He still leads the title chase by 128 points over Reynolds, 365-237. Michael Rutter (Duc), who was fourth C Ii C o o 2 AUGUST 20, 2003' c u e I EO n e vv s "One of the bi'g obstacles to OEM support of flat track racing has been the disconnect between bikes on the track and bikes in the .showrooms," said Hollingsworth, "By consciously taking steps to make race bikes much more similar to those purchased by customers, we're making it easier for the manufacturers to market their products as well as support flat track racing," Hollingsworth points to motocross and road racing as the standard where the bikes seen on the track are visibly similar to those purchased by consumers, Another added benefit is that racers can more easily modify their bikes to race and even use the same platform in different race disci- ' plines, according to the AMA, "With relatively minor modifications, it will not be unreasonable to see the same bike used for flat track, motocross and even the emerging category of supermoto," said Hollingsworth. AMA Pro Racing licensed riders and credential holders may comment on the proposed rules changes during a 30-day comment period beginning Friday, Aug. 8, through Monday, Sept, 7. Comments can be made on AMA Pro Racing's riders-only website at www.amaproracing.com/ridersonly. After the 30-day comment period concludes, AMA Pro Racing will review any suggested changes before sending the package to the AMA Pro Racing board of directors for final ratification. "In order for us to see positive growth in flat track racing, we're going to have to address the various needs of the community," said Hollingsworth. These rule changes are a key step toward building a more viable series that will benefit those who invest in it." ley (W-R) won the 505cc Pro Sport main, with Jerome Hansen (Hon) second and Dan Adkins (Hon) third. Logan Myers of Wheeler, Michigan, won the class championship. Pascal Picotte (Yam) regained the Parts Canada Superbike Championship points lead and became the first repeat victor of the 2003 season in a dramatic race at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, on August 10. Picotte edged Steve Crevier (Suz) by .495 of a second. Jean-Francois Cyr (Yam) was third. Picotte leads Crevier in the title chase, 231-223. In other action at AMP, Picotte moved a step closer to clinching the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike title with his second victory of the season. Picotte beat Crevier again, with Frank Trombino (Yam) finishing third. At the penultimate round of the AMA Western Four-Stroke Nationals in Lakewood, Colorado, on August 10, White Bros./Shift Honda's Paul Carpenter went 1-1 for the overall and clinched the championship for the second year in a row. Dustin Nelson (Yam) went 4-2 for second overall, and Jason McCormick (Hon) finished third overall with a 3-4 score and sits second in points, 54 behind Carpenter. Young Matt Burris, at just 15 years old, led 13 of 15 laps in the first moto on his KTM, only to be passed by Carpenter near the end. He went 2-7 for fourth. Former champ Spud Walters went 39-3 after having bike trouble in the first·moto. He sits third in points . AMA Pro Racing's Duke Finch and Jonathan Beasley were both at the AMA Western Four-Stroke National event at Lakewood, Colorado's Thunder Valley Motocross Park, checking out the facility for a possible AMA 125/250cc National as soon as 2005, according to Don Schneider, the promoter of the four-stroke series. Yoshimura Suzuki is planning on contesting the 1000cc Superstock class in 2004, with Aaron Yates scheduled to give 1he big production bike a shakedown run during an upcoming Daytona Dunlop tire test. Yosh team manag- er Don Sakakura said it was in their plans for next year, "depending on how the machine performance is initially. Preliminary tests' would indicate we would' enter the 1OOOcc Superstock class for next year." Yates is penciled in as the rider, though he's currently in contract negotiations that could be resolved as early as this week. Ben Spies is contracted to run Supersport and Superbike, and Mat Mladin is Superbike only in 2004. Sakakura said that, although the Superstock rules haven't been announced by the AMA, he expects them to be similar to Supers port, which is what they're using to build the GSXR1000. "At this point we're planning on preparing a 1000cc Supersport" machine, he said, adding that he believed many of the Japanese manufacturers would also join the class. The August 19-21 Daytona Dunlop test should answer questions about the feaSibility of running a 1000cc four-cylinder, on DOT tires. "For Dunlop and for our own situation as well, we need to look at the tires," Sakakura said. "I think every-, one's concerned. They're going to pro-' duce 160-165 horsepower with the production engine. I'm sure Dunlop's on top of it, but there's always that concern with tire heat and tire wear." "It is a concern for sure," Dunlop's road race manager Jim Allen said. "They're heavy, and they've got a lot of horsepower." Allen said the new Dunlop DOTs they'd be testing at Daytona were based on what's worked in the past, in both Superbike and Supersport, with updates for safety. "We'll work with construction and compounding that's worked in the 16.5 [inch] size and go with the 17 inch," he said. "The fabric and rubber wiWbe pretty similar to what we put into Superbike [tires]," One complication is that the privateers will be able to run' similar speeds to the factory machines, a situation unlikely in Superbike. "I think it's fair to say anybody can get on a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 and go pretty darn fast with DOT tires," Allen said. During the two-week break in the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Championship Series, Team Yamaha's Chad Reed has been practicing on the YZ450 four-stroke at some local tracks

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