Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

AMA Superbikes Firm Up T he 2005 AMA 5uperbike Championship calendar continues to be a work in progress, though with the resolution of two venues and a possible agreement with a third, the schedule could be complete as early as this week. Gone for certain are a second AMA date at Mazda Raceway Laguna 5eca and the absolutely nothing to do with AMA nor any of the other options we were looking at." No matter what event the track pursued, Including the AMA event, the time frame to produce any new event wasn't enough to do it justice, Campbell said. "But with everything we've got going on this year, from a purely practical and sensible annual trek to Brainerd International business standpoint. we felt those energies Speedway. Up in the air is Virginia International Raceway. On January 27, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca announced its 2005 schedule of four events: the season·opening U.S. Sports Car Invitational, April 29-May I, headlined by the first-ever appearance in Northern California for the Daytona Prototypes and GT cars of the Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Sports Car Series; the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, July 810, incorporating a round of the AMA Superbike Championship; the 32nd annual Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races presented by Chrysler, August 19-21; and the Monterey Sports Car Championships, October 14-16. ''As you know, we were looking at what we were going to do with that date, what were best focused on what we've got going, and then it will give us time to review 2006 without putting everybody or anybody in a tight frame," she said. As for 2006, it's too early to know what events will run. MotoGP has a fove-year contract with AMA Superbike as support for the foreseeable future. As for the possibility that the whole World Championship class structure, including 125s and 2505, might come to Monterey, Campbell said, "there's nothing in our options were. The AMA was one of those several options," said Gill Campbell, CEO and general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. "We were basically looking at what was out there, what we wanted to do, and one of the options was not to do anything at all. So, we have chosen that option. I think that we've got four very strong events this year, and at this stage in the game, we wanted to put all our efforts and energy into that. It certainly has our fIVe-year contract at this point in time that reflects that. Now, I'm not going to say that's not a possibility down the road. But there's been no discussions whatsoever at this moment in time." Campbell also said there'd been no discussions about a second AMA date coupled with World Superbike for 2006. "Way too far in the future. We've got nowhere close to that," she said. "We cer- tainly want to be able to be in a position to talk to the AMA for 2006 as we would with every opportunity out there. The doors aren't closed for 2006." A day after Laguna Seca made its announcement, AMA Pro Racing confirmed that the June 25-26 meeting at Brainerd International Raceway was off the schedule for 2005. According to an AMA Pro Racing No Formula Xtreme for Laguna AMA 5uperbike, Superstock and Supersport will support the 2005 Red Bull U.S. GP at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with Formula "Laguna is a unique situation because of the requirements with the MotoGP class, the other races on the schedule, Le. Super Xtreme left out of the mix, according to a Karts/BMW, and all the time and space con- press release from AMA Pro Racing. The combined AMNMotoGP weekend will have only one round of the AMA 5uperbike Championship, contradicting straints that come with each of these pro- earlier speculation that it might be a dou- grams. The other factor that had to be considered was that the 2005 event is limited to a three-day program." The three-day program is a result of safe- bleheader. Because Yamaha is donating $2 million to air freighted to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, fund track improvements, it has been spec- won't arrive until the Wednesday prior to the ulated that they pushed to have Superstock and Supersport, the two classes that they contest. Not so, says Gill Campbell, Mazda Raceway Laguna 5eca CEO and general GP weekend. Track preparation will continue manager. was only consideration being given to running "I would say we were limited to only being able to have three classes," Campbell said. "I can certainly tell you that Yamaha had no influence whatsoever in the classes." AMA Pro Racing director of communications Kerry Graeber explained, in an e-mail message, how the classes where chosen. "Typically, our program brings all four classes to run at each event," Graeber said. 8 ty issues. Air Fence sections, which are being at that point, but it won't be done in time to have the track ready on Thursday. Graeber went on to say: "Initially there two AMA classes. Working closely with the track, we were able to create a schedule that enabled three of our classes to run and still give ample time to the other racing activities. Naturally, 5uperbike would be one of the classes, with Supersport and Superslock being chosen in order to round out the best overali show of riders, teams and bikes." Henny Roy Abrams FEBRUARY 9,2005 • CYCLE NEWS press release, "The owners of Brainerd International Raceway have put the facility up for sale and terminated the track's operating staff. AMA Pro Racing was hopeful that despite the track's uncertain future an event could be held there in 2005, possibly with a third-party promoter." "We have been in communication with BIR officials all along and continued to explore a variety of scenarios that would enable us to keep the race viable," AMA vice president for commercial development John Farris said in the release. "However, it has become clear that there are just too many questions surrounding BIR right now and, in the best interests of our championship, we need to focus our efforts elsewhere." Farris had earlier told Cycle News that negotiations were ongoing with VI R. "It will be resolved, I would say, within a week or 10 days," Farris said. "That's the timeline that we've got to comply with, and we are working feverishly to get something in place to keep that on the schedule." According to sources requesting anonymity, AMA Pro Racing and VIR are close to coming to an agreement that will see the AMA Superbike Championship return to VIR this year - though the date appears to be changing, with the most likely option August 26-28. Repeated phone calls to VIR seeking comment have not been returned. With two of three question marks answered, Farris said the resolution of VIR would likely be the final piece ofthe puzzle. "It'll probably be the set schedule," he said. "We've ramped up our pursuit of new venues and other options like Laguna going to twice type of thing, but realistically with the planning horizon required to put these things together, both from a deal-making standpoint and the promoter getting his or her plan together, it would be a struggle to add a fresh new event to the 'OS schedule." Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been mentioned as a possible venue, with speculation focusing on it being a support race for the Formula One race. It won't happen in 2005. "We've had an ongoing dialogue with Indianapolis," Farris said. "It won't be anything in 2005. It's a longer-range proposition. Nothing is imminent on that, certainty not in '05." Henny Ray Abrams Doohan No Longer With Honda Five-time World Champion Mick Doohan will no longer work as general manager of the Honda Racing Corporation, the Australian's contract with HRC not getting renewed at the end of 2004. Doohan attended several GPs in the last few years, working with different Honda riders, but his contract with HRC was not renewed, according to the Sydney Morning Herold. "It is time to stop working with Mick Doohan," 5atoru Horiike, the managing director of HRC, said at the first preseason test session, which finished at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia on Tuesday, January 25. ''As a rider, Mick made a big contribution to Honda, but it is now time to work with our own staff. Mick had mainly been an adviser to riders and sometimes our staff." Horiike has named Tsutomu Ishii as general manager of HRC. At the recent Michelin Power Race tire introduction in Dubai, Doohan said he will continue to travel to a few GPs in 2005, adding that the U.S. GP round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is one of the races he will definitely attend.

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