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/128318
Daytona To Close For Renovation D ayto na 'HUH. it the out of the track's surface . First among the changes is a new tunnel located in NASCAR Turn One. The tunnel will be large enough to accommodate team transport vehicles and guests' specialty vehicles . It will allow semis to access the track at August test proved worrisome. International Speedway announced major renovations that will close the Speedway to on-track activity for any time, rather than the current proce- dates. Traditionally, Dunlop has tested in August and December, with Michelin also testing this past December. This year Dun lop added a test in October more than five months and force the moving of the Formula USNChampionship Cup Series Race of Champions, as well as a number of motorcycle tire tests. The biggest change for motorcycle racers is the shuffling of the F-USNCCS season finale to Homestead-Miami Speedway. "It appears we're going to be at Homestead for the Fall Race of Champions on the same date [October 22-24] ," Clear Channel's Kenny Abbott said. "That's what we 're planning on at the moment. We're happy to take it to another market. And the south Florida events with Henry De Gouw get great turn- after temperatures in A fourth all-tire-brands, AMA- dure, which involves interrupting on-track organized test was added in activities while vehicles are driven in either January after a Dunlop rear tire on the front straight or near the chicane. The construction project has been described as "taking a slice of pie" out. A large segment of turn one will be removed while the tunnels are constructed, then the track will be rebuilt and repaved. New NASCARNEXTEL Cup and Busch garages will be built, which fans will be able failure in the December test. "We'll try to reschedule it and see if we can get it moved to January," Booth said. Tire testing in January will likely cause logistical problems for the tire companies. With such a short interval to the March race, it meanschanges to the tires would have to be made immediately so production could begin in Europe, where most of There will be a new Gatorade Victory Lane that includes a "Victory Lane Club" for fans wishing to watch Victory Lane ce lebrations. The new setup faces the grand - the tires are made. It also means stands, rather than turn one . outs. When we return to the the tires would have to be air- Speedway, maybe some new fans will come wi th us." Abbott said F-USA and CCS officials would travel to Homestead to look over the facility and make certain the logis- freighted , at significant cost, tics were in place to accommodate the always-large rider tum-out. Despite the racing moving to see from a new Fan Zone . south, Biketoberfest will continue, according to Andrew Booth, a spokesman for the Speedway. Booth said the Speedway would still have manufacturers' displays in front of the Speedway. rather than shipped . The "Biketoberfest is a registered trademark of The Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau [that operates simultaneously with, but independent from, the racingJ," Booth said . "The group's website, www.biketoberfest.org, shows a whole host of activities for the fall event." Booth said that the Speedway was in the renovation project, scheduled to begin following the Pepsi 400 on July 3 with completion in December in time for the World Karting Association events between Christmas and New Year's, includes a new tunnel, new NASCAR NEXTEL Cup garages, new NASCAR Busch garages , a new Gatorade Victory Lane, a Fan Zone, new waterfront specialty vehicle park- process of contacting the various tire manu- ing. new scoring trilonsand expansion of the facturers to work out suitable tire testing There will also be premium specialty vehicle parking in the infield and expansion of the existing media center. "Without a doubt, this is one of the most expansive and aggressive projects at Daytona International Speedway," DIS president Robin Braig said in a press re lease. "Our goal has always been to make 'The World Center of Racing' unique and fan friend ly. Our new amenities make it just that for our fans, officials, competitors and existing media center. It will not alter the lay- 21 0 mph! MotoG P power outputs have risen consider- ably ove r the winte r, if the top speeds are anything to go by, and the top machines must now be approac hing 250 horsepower. As Honda rider Sete Gibernau said: "They are getting harder to ride now - more like the two-strokes. And that's goo d. It makes the rider work harder." The benchmark came , as usual, from the Ducatis, with the latest model breaking the 2 10-mph barrier for the first time on the first day of testing at Catay luna, w hen Loris Capirossi clocked 338.1 kmph (2 10.08 mph). Last year his best speed at the Spanish track was 328.2 kmph (203.9 mph), du ring tests. Three other machines cracked 330 kmph, all Hondas, with Hayden at 33S.4 (207.9 mph), Tamada 332.4 (206 mph), and Biaggi 330.9 (205.1 mph). Inte restingly, the speeds did not necessar- sanctioning bodies." He n n y Ray Ab r a m s i1y guarantee a good lap time. Fastest on day one was Alex Barros, at 328 .9 (203.9 mph); while Kenny Roberts Jr. was fourth-fastest on the revived Suzuki, in spite of a top speed of 32S.3 (201.6 mph). "Whe n I won the title in 2000 , we were always 10 kmph [6.2 mph] slower than the Hondas on top e nd," said Robe rts. "What matters is be ing able to stay wi th them o n the rest of the track." Capirossi was placed on ly 13th. The mathematics of the power increase are comp lex. but with aero dynamic drag increasing with the square of the speed, an increase of abo ut 3 percent in speed wo uld requi re roughly 9 percent more power, if the aer odynamics were the same. If the Desmosed ici was putting out more than 220 horsepower last year, it w ould need some- thing like 20 mo re horsepower, with the same bodywo rk. Mic h ael Scott Dunlop vs. World Superbikes Dunlop's case against the sw itch by Wor ld Superbikes to spec Pirellitires this year cou ld be resolved by the summer, according to Dunlop racing boss Jere my Fer guson. "We had a meeting last week with the Directorate General for Competition in Europe. requesting a decision by Julyor August, to clear the air in time for the 2005 season," he said. Dunlop claims unfair pract ices in that the series switched to exclusive use of Pirelli tires without offering oth er com panies the chance 8 APRil 7 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS 40th Anniversary to te nder fo r the business. Du nlop and Michelin we re both involved in the series until the end of last year. "O ne -ti re series are quite common in car racing, but in every case there is a procedure under which tire companies can tender for the contract, " said Fe rguson . This had not been the case with the Flammini Group, rights-holders fo r the Super bike series. Mich a e l Scott