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/128379
Haskovec: The Latest Word T eam M4 EMGO Suzuki's Vincent Haskovec is recuperating in the intensive care unit at Santa Rosa MemoriaJ Hospital after suffering serious injuries in a single bike acci- dent during Saturday's Formula Xtreme race at Infineon Raceway. While running near the front of the pack, Haskovec highsided in tum five, the Suzuki GSX-R6oo chasing him into the tire wall, according to those who have seen the video. The race was red-flagged, and Haskovec was flown by medical helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. A statement released by the team said that he's been diagnosed with a punctured lung, broken ribs, broken clavicle and a back injury. He's alert and awake and listed in stable condition, the release said. AMA Tech Bulletin Causes Controversy On the eve of the Infineon weekend, the AMA created a maelstrom with a surprisingly poorly worded technical bulletin on an issue that few team managers realized was a problem. And the fact that it was pushed through by the AMA Pro Racing Board, without any input from the Road Race Advisory Board, rankled the race team members who make up the advisory board. Adding to the confusion was that it was e-mailed on Thursday evening, when everyone was already at Infineon Raceway and not necessarily checking their e-mail. "I didn't know about the rule until you came up and asked us," Kawasaki team manager Mike Preston said, adding that that had prompted him to investigate on the Internet. "Where am I on Thursday? I read it on somebody's Internet site before I knew. We manage a team and we help another team, and but nobody ever talks to us. You come and ask me. That's the first question: How can that happen? How can they not talk to us?" The bulletin said that "covers that retain oil must be replaced by covers designed specifically to improve resistance to breaking and grind through in the event of a crash. Replacement covers must be made of machined aluminum." The covers have to be in place by the Laguna Seca round of the AMA Superbike Championship, though more than one team member and AMA official said it had originally been proposed for Road America in early June. Should the products not be available, riders can be placed on a "technical trouble log" and given until the next round, Mid-Ohio, two weeks later to comply. ''At this point, we were surprised, definitely, that it's a rule," American Honda team manager Chuck Miller said. "We never knew there was any conclusive evidence that cases are a problem. Understand we're trying to keep the show, red flags from happening. But I think the biggest problem is the availability Spiderman Tops Damp AMA Prostar Drags Six-time Top Fuel Champion Larry "Spiderman" McBride was the man to beat at the rain-threatened AMNProstar Lucas Oil Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park on May I. Foul weather loomed during the weekend, but the rains never came on Saturday, and thus the program was not affected. Sunday's action was delayed, however, as the track had to be dried from overnight showers. McBride qualified number one at 5.B8 seconds, 241 mph, and he ran all fives - including a 5.89 - en route to his final round matchup with Chris Hand. Hand, who ran as quick as 6.12 seconds in eliminations, shut off early in the final as McBride took an easy win with a 10 5.91 time slip. No one has looked as sharp as Korry Hogan in the Pro One Funnybike class since four-time champ Gary Clark ruled the class in the late I990s. After qualifying in the top spot at 6.67 seconds/204 mph, Hogan ran consistent 6.6 seconds runs, including a 6.66/208 in the money round over firsttime finalist Perry Hollie. Veteran Mimmo Marciano took a hardfought win in the Fast by Gast Pro Modified series over two-time defending champ Charlie Farrar. The always-tough Farrar qualified in the number-one spot just ahead of Marciano, 6.84 to 6.85 seconds, and the two met in the final, where Marciano got the holeshot and pulled away for the win, 684 to 6.90. Dean Frantz came out of the third qualifying position to take his first-ever win in the Accel Pro Stock class. Frantz and final round opponent Paul Gast put on a reaction time clinic in the final, with Frantz's .00S getting the best of Gast's .007. Frantz took the win in impressive fashion, motoring past veteran Gast 7.15 to 7.18. In the Mickey Thompson Pro Street class, MAY 25, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS "Hospital doctors plan to perform surgery on Haskovec's back within the next two days, once swelling in the region subsides. He will remain at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, at the discretion of hospital doctors," the release said. Further information will be released as it becomes available, but the hospital is discouraging people from calling the ICU. Cards and letters should be sent to: Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital ICU Patient: Vincent Haskovec I 165 Montgomery Dr. Santa Rosa, CA 9S40 I (Please, no fresh flowers. They are not allowed in ICU.) of aftermarket cases. We don't know of any [for the Honda CBRI OOORR]. There's a couple of companies that make them, but I don't think that there's any proof that they're any stronger or better than a production one might be. I had to laugh. I was over there looking at the Xtreme bikes, and they got all these huge guards around the cases. Is that next? I don't know. Our biggest fear too is if aftermarket cases doesn't give the same clearance, then the guys aren't going to be able to lean over as far, which can create a safety issue also." Yoshimura Suzuki team manager Don Sakakura said the rule wasn't specific about which covers to be replaced, other than those "that retain oil." On the Suzuki GSX-R IODD, Sakakura said there were four covers to repiace and that Yoshimura R&D didn't manufacture or sell any of them. The Ducati 999 F04 has magnesium covers for the clutch and alternator, according to Eric Bostrom's crew chief Gary Medley, and no one makes an aftermarket part. The team will have to machine the parts, if the AMA wording is correct about oil retaining covers. AMA technical manager Rob King wasn't in attendance, but Road Race manager Ron Barrick said he believed the bulletin would be clarified. He said that he expected a list to be drawn up stating specifically which parts would be needed for which bike, and where they could be bought. He also doubted that teams would have to replace clutch covers, which was good news for Miller. "It says cases, and that insinuates both right and left side," Miller said. ''And there's other officials that have stated it's just the ignition side case, not the clutch cover. So I don't know what the difference is on one side versus the other. Hopefully they'll sort it out and let us know." The ignition cover on the CBR IOooRR is an HRC kit part, "so in a sense, we're okay, covered by the rule, but that isn't what makes it kind of goofy," Miller said. "Sometimes we talk about the privateers and keeping the costs down, and then there's safety aspects, too. But this is the first we heard about it, so we were pretty surprised." defending champ Barry Henson and veteran Phil Stoll have a real rivalry building. Stoll qualified in the top spot with a 7.47 at the fastest speed ever for the class, 202.09 mph. Henson, who qualified in the fifth position, stepped up in eliminations, running a 7.42 in the final to remain undefeated for the season. Stoll advanced to the final but could not make the call as he hurt the motor in the semis. Rickey Gadson crashed Brock Davidson's GSX-R I000 supersport machine while testing in Pro ET but stili qualified second in the Zero Gravity Supersport class. Gadson made the final but was turned back by top qualifier Chip Hunter on his GSX-R I000. Hunter set a new record of 9.12 in the final. The Yamaha Hot Rod Cruiser class once again saw an all-Patrick Racing final, with Rick McWaters getting the win over teammate Jeremy English on their Yamaha Warriors. Other winners includes Joe Rey in Schnitz Top Gas, Mark Coulson in MTC Super Comp, Lonny Rueckert in RC Components Super Gas, Mike Konopacki in Dynatek Pro ET and Norman Jackson in Street ET. Sportsman rider David Lyons suffered serious injuries when he crashed his ZX-12R in Pro ET competition. Matt Palita AMA Hillclimb Round Cancelled AMA Pro Racing announced recently that round five of the AMA Hillclimb Championship presented by Pace American has been cancelled. The event was to be held on June 26, in Nashville, Indiana. According to AMA Pro Racing technical manager Rob King, the hill on which the event was to be held became unavailable. The new schedule is as follows: May 15 - Middlebury, Indiana June 5 - Jefferson (York Co.), Pennsylvania Jun - Steel City, Pennsylvania June 19 - Danville, West Virginia JulV 31 - Jefferson (York Co,). Pennsylvania (AJ~Star Challenge) August 14 - Bridgeton, Michigan August 21 - Dansville, New York September 11 . Steel City, Pennsvlvania September 25 - Jefferson (York Co.I, Pennsylvania October 9 . Oregonia, Ohio