Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

u.s. GP To Laguna Seca? azda Raceway Laguna Seca is now being considered as the venue for the 2005 MotoGP World Championship, while M discussions are ongoing with Barber Motorsports Park , according to Doma chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta . "We still continue our conversations with Birmingham, but we 've opened a conversation with Laguna Seca,' Ezpeleta said in Welkom, site of the season-opening betandwin.com Africa's Grand Prix. The key for Mazda Raceway is improving safety. Since the FIM instituted new homologation rules, the circuit has not been given the top grade required for grand prix circuits. One of the first moves Ezpeleta made was to call Kenny Roberts Jr., a member of the riders' safety group. Prior to the March IRTA tests in Barcelona, Carlos Checa and Roberts Jr. inspected the circuit along with Wayne Rainey and two SCRAMPofficials. "It's up to Laguna to make the changes," Ezpeleta said. Rainey Curve, the fast downhill tum nine, is the biggest concern for Roberts Jr. and other riders , including Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards, both of whom have crashed there, and my brothers have crashed there. It's not a fun corner. I got stuck under the airbag one day. There are a lew other spots. Obviously, I hope so bad they do something. "Laguna, Barber anything. I never seen Barber, but from what I hear it's not quite ready for a GP. Laguna's a cool town - it's a cool track . I like the Corkscrew. It won't be too tight on these bikes. It'll be like Jerez. They 're not going to stretch their legs. You're not going to see 200 mph . Obviously, I think we need to go there." Edwards said as long as they fix Rainey Curve, "I think we could race there. You have to find - and I think Kenny [Roberts Jr.] is the one - you have to find the rider that is the most picky out of all the riders, and you have to suit the track to him. You don't want to go there and have one-two-five guys and have them say it's unsafe. Kenny's pretty smart about the whole situation ," Every inch of the track has been scrutinized, and the planned changes are significant. Among them are removing the wall and taking back the hill over tum one . "The wall's going to be gone , the concrete wall, and then they 're going to take the - Carmelo Ezpeleta , Dorna CEO wall as far back as they can cut it and gradu allygrade it back into the sand trap," Roberts Jr. said. "So, basically, ifyou run off fullthrottle, you'll end up in San Diego, but you won't hit a waiL" Wherever run-off can be added, it will, including in the final turn, Roberts Jr. said. The front straight will be widened and the wall moved, but rumble strips will be added to keep riders from going to the edge . The run-off entering and exiting the Corkscrew will be enlarged. The turn-three run-off will be lengthened and the fences moved back. The curbing around the entire circuit will be modified in length. Roberts Jr. made it clear more than once that his nationality won't factor into his safety work. His responsibility is to his fellow riders. "I'm trying to do the best possible thing Alessi Makes Pro Debut at World Minis Mike Alessi made his Pro debut at the N MA World Mini Grand Prix in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 14- 18, and it was a good one. The Honda rider won two of the four classes he entered , taking top honors in the 125cc Stoc k and Modified Pro classes. In the 250cc Pro classes , Josh Grant came away with the Stock- and Modified-class w ins. Zach O sbourne was one of a few triple class winners. The KTM rider topped the ( 14- 16) Stock and Modified 85cc classes , as well as the B5cc O pen class. Suzuki's Nieco Izzy also won three champions hips. While no one posted fou r championships, 6 the Hill family did come away with five titles. The e lder of tw o bro ther s, Joshua Hill, top ped the 125cc Stock and Modified and 125cc Op e n Intermediate classes, whileJustin Hill captu red w ins in the 6Scc (6-8) Stock and Modified classes. Forme r Supercross and Nat ional Motocross Champion Jeff Ward competed in the Legends class and came away with the win. Twenty-eight years ago, Ward was the 50cc cham pion at the World Minis. Approximately ) 000 entries were filed at this year's race, making it the most heavily attended World Min ever, accordingto the NMA is APRll2B,2004 • CYCLE NEWS without getting involved, because automati- Ezpeleta said the Barber facility, which cally it would seem I want to go there because I'm an American," he said. "I don 't want any of us riders to get hurt anywhere. I can only suggest the most I can. The nice thing about Laguna is they 're doing curbings and stuff like that the correct way, and on things they control they're completely open has the Bruno Group as its promoters, is in and willing to do it with no stress and no con- "If Laguna accepts first, we'll go to Laguna." recent experience on the track . Roberts Jr. said work was being done to add significant run-off, while making the area on the right of the track more attractive from a spectator standpoint. "The first thing I did when I got the call from Carmelo [Ezpeleta] is, I called Colin Edwards and Nicky [Hayden] and said, 'Give me red nags as far as what to look at.' And their biggest concern was Rainey Comer," he said. Not only will the run-off be added and the bridge over the turn moved , but the plan is to add a sand trap on rider 's left in case of a freak accident. "Rainey Curve, that's the biggest one, but I guess that's already done," Hayden said. "Regardless of whether we go there or not , which they need to be. Because I've Will Laguna Seea play host to a MotoGP round in 20051 frontation. They're more than happy to do things they can control." "All the curbings for me and making them the right type of curbs anywhere that we can get run-off," he said, adding "we're doing it just for the psychology of the racetrack. II we can push back walls in any part of the track, even if you can't run into them , just because 01 the tunnel effect, we 're trying to do . The ones for safety we're going to the absolute maximum. Sand traps have to be filled up and level or tapered upwards because it's almost doubling the effect of your sand trap." When he got to Barcelona for the IRTA test, Roberts Jr. showed the changes to some of the other riders on the safety committee, including Valentino Rossi, Nobu Acki and Sete Gibernau. "The Corkscrew, we're trying to move as much as we can," Roberts Jr. said. "Just in fencing, we can gain two meters by making it closer to a tree. We're going to take every inch we can. Right and left, anywhere we can. It's my recommendation. " Pastrana For Vegas According to Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division, Suzuki's Travis Pastranawill return to action May I at the Las Vegas Supercross at Sam Boyd Stadium. Pastrana will also be making a guest appearance at the Salt Lake City round of the THQ World Supercross GPfTHQ AHA Supercross Series . 40th Anniversary discussions with various state and local offi- cials about the viability of the race . "In any case, we need to know if they want to organize the race ," Ezpeleta said. "If Laguna accepts first, we'll go to Laguna," he said. Regardless of who steps forward, Ezpeleta was confident that a U.S. GP would be on the calendar for 2005, and Dorna was doing all it could to achieve the goal. He said neither track would have to pay the usual fee. "In both cases we need to make special arrangements. It will be without the normal fee ," To promote stability, Ezpeleta said the track would be offered a three- or fiveyear deal. "We need to be stable, " he said. MotoGP would be the only GP class to participate at Mazda Raceway or Barber. Though he didn't say what the support classes would be , the GP would likely be partnered with a round of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship. Should Laguna Seca come to terms with Dorna, it would likely mean the end of the World Superbike Championship in Monterey. The last U.S. GP was won by Luca Cadalora in 1994. Adding the U.S. GP would increase the calendar to 17 rounds . Henny Ray Abrams Pastrana, who is sidelined with a fractured ankle that he sustained at the St. Louis round of the Supercross Series, willbe signing autographs for fans and will be guestcommentating on the webcast and ESPN2 television show in Salt Lake City on April 24. Pastrana won the Dave Coombs Sr. 125cc East/West Shootout at the Las Vegas Supercross on May 6, 2000.

• Cover