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/128376
Roberts Wants HRC Help ery few outside of American Honda believed that going it alone was the right decision with its AMA Superbike program in 2ooS. So far, it appears as though the skeptics are right. At least for the short term. One of those skeptics is Erion Racing's Kurtis Roberts, the former AMA Superbike race winner now an alsoran in the series as he struggles with the HRC-kitted Honda CBRIOOORR. V at At the most recent round of the series Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, April 23-24, Roberts lashed out at the current program after qualifying well off the pace and pulling out with a "clutch" problem early in Saturday's first race. "We don't have a chance," Roberts said, "because it's not the best bike in the paddock, number one, and now it's a privateer bike. So you're taking probably, I'd say, four out of the top five bikes that are obviously in the superstock form. How did Honda do in superstock form? Well, our bike's not much better than that. And you've got guys on superstock bikes being able to run 2Ss [I :2S-minute lap times at Barber). I've won this race here. I know what it takes. It's hard to do 27s. I'd be better off on the RC-S I. I'd preferto have an RC-5 I right about now. We don't have any time on it [the new bike), first off. None. Three days, four days. And it's not even close. Superstock bikes are way better than what I'm on right now. 50 what are we going to do? Get beat - until we get it better - or we get HRC back." When questioned as to why Honda would elect not to use HRC's assistance this year, Roberts said: "That's what I'm trying to ask. I don't know. I know they had the best superbikes last year, and now we don't have even close to the best. So I don't know why they'd want it that way. But they wanted to do their own thing, and I guess right now our own thing's not up to par. Following the agreement signed between the Turkish Motorcycling Federation and Dorna Sports, the FIM has confirmed that the Turkish Grand Prix will take place on the circuit of Istanbul on October 23. not happy, and I still have 7-degree bars when I want 12.S or IS, something else. So I don't know what other turnaround times we're looking at except right now we need to get things going a lot faster on and off the track - with the bike and with parts and everything else, and we're not. I can show up and I can ride around, because that's all we can do right now. If you can't get comfortable on the thing, Buell Motorcycle Company recently announced a new addition to its racing sup- port program for 2005, with $134,350 in contingency paid to racers aboard Buell motorcycles in multiple regional race series. Combined with the alreatly announced $70,500 support for the Formula USA National Thunderbike series, privateer Buell racers will be chasing more than $200,000 number one, you're going to have some problems." Roberts' team owner, Kevin Erion, believes that patience is the key. "Honda decided they wanted to do of cash contingencies at racetracks across the United States in 2OOS, according to Buell. The new program pays cash to Buell racers competing in Championship Cup Series (CCS) Expert and Amateur Thunderbike class, Willow Springs Motorcycle Club (WSMC) Battle of the Twins (BOTT) Middleweight Expert class, Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) Formula Thunder Expert class, and All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) Hot Street class. Any year and model Buell motorcycle is eligible for the contingency program and racers should contact the racing organizations to receive the Buell contingency form with complete program details. their own internal development and stop using the works Honda equipment," Erion said. "They wanted to start off using HRC kit parts that are available to everybody and then do their own internal development as well. Due to that, we are doing our own internal development with our superbike. We feel we're a little bit behind where American Honda is, only because we didn't have a program until the middle of january. So we're starting off three months behind where American Honda started. Obviously, the equipment is not as good as what we ended up with last year, but every time we go out, we think "From day one I've been on the bike, I've complained about the handlebars and how I don't like the degree. Istill have the same degree handlebars on. This is since February. 50, I'm not seeing the quick turnaround time they're talking about. I'm we make it better. We think that by the end of the year we will have a better motorcycle. How good it will be com- For more information, visit www.buell.com or contact the race series organizers listed above. ':<1.5 a former privateer racer, I understand and appreciate the hard work and dedication it takes to compete week in and week out. We're proud to support the efforts of Buell racers nationwide," said Erik Buell, chairman and chief technical officer of Buell Motorcycle Company. pared to the new Suzuki is to be determined." Paul Carruthers Hodgson Compares AMA, British Superbike Series Ducati Austin's Neil Hodgson believes the AHA Superbike Championship is "stronger" than its British counterpart, but that the British series is a better show. "The faster riders are faster [in America]", Hodgson said. "That's my opinion. And I'm confident I'm right," The difference is in factory participation. All of the best riders racing in the UK compete against one another in the Superbike class. Not so in America. "I think the top five or six riders in AMA are better than the top five or six riders in BSB," Hodgson said. "But I think the depth in BSB, especially this year, is a lot better. BSB, you can have a bad ride, it looks like, and be battling for 12th place. But that's not going to happen here. That's juS! the unfortunate side of the AHA" Hodgson thinks the current AMA class 600 class, that's how it should be really. But I believe everyone's been saying that structure is "confusing. I've said that to a every race. "You can't few people. It's confusing for me, and I'm in the center, so god knows what everyone else thinks. With Superstocks and Formula Xtremes, everybody's doing a bit of everything. And instead of there being just a real good premier class and a decentish sort of for years. to Having the best riders racing each other may have something to do with the success of the British series, with crowds of 40-S0,OOO at believe what it's like," Hodgson said. ')\nd it's run like a military operation. It's run like World Superbike. It's not really that much different. I'm not slagging the AMA off, but it's just run a lot different. It's more casual." Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA has announced an operational modification to the structure of its sales and marketing group to increase focus on the two respective areas. Both disciplines had been consolidated into a single working group, but with internal organizational progress having been made more quickly than anticipated, according to company president Steve Hamada, they will now be independently managed. "The last year was very exciting for Kawasaki, especially as it relates to the product we've brought to market and the way we communicated our branding messages in support of the product and our dealer network," Hamada said in a compa- Jacque To Stand In for Hofmann at Kawasaki Former 2SOcc World Champion Olivier Jacque will make his racing return with the Kawasaki Racing Team for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, according to Kawasaki. The 31-year-old French rider has been drafted into the team as a temporary replacement for Alex Hofmann, who sustained fractures to the ulna and scaphoid bones in his left wrist when he crashed during a promotional event ahead of last weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix, putting him out of action for five weeks. The severity of Hofmann's injuries mean that the 27-year-old German rider will definitely miss the next two Grand Prix events in China and France, but he is aiming to return to the MotoGP grid for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on june S. The decision to run a replacement rider was raken jointly by Kawasaki Racing team manager Harald Ecld and senior Kawasaki staff in Japan as soon as the extent of Hofmann's injuries became apparent. jacque received the call up late on Sunday evening and immediately jumped on a plane for Portugal, taking advantage of a planned test at the 4.I-km (2.2S-mile) Estoril circuit on Monday to familiarize himself with the Ninja ZX-RR ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. "I am really pleased to be back racing again, and this is a fantastic opportUnity for me," jacque said. "It's good to be riding again in the same team as Shinya, who is a friend as well as being a great competitor, and I'm happy to be woridng again with Yoda-san, for whom I have a great deal of respect." ny release. Hamada said that reestablishing the independent structure of the sales and marketing functions will now allow the company to bring stronger focus to each of them. They had been combined under Tom Orbe, who will now assume full-time responsibility for the sales function, as vice president of sales. Tony Murr will continue as vice president of marketing and will oversee communications activity. Hamada indicated chat the timing for the changes being made considerably earlier than originally thought - will give Kawasaki and its dealer network a better opportunity to take advantage of the upcoming summer sales period. Both Murr and Orbe will report directly to Hamada, according to Kawasaki. Cantinued an page " CYCLE NEWS • MAY 4, 2005 9