Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Vermeulen To Suzuki Chris Vermeulen will ride a Honda one more time in Valencia. Then it's off to Suzuki's MotoGP team. D ising Australian road-race star Chris Vermeulen seems certain to quit World I'$uperbike for the second berth in the Suzuki MotoGP team for 2006. An official announcement was expected at the Turkish Grand Prix, but it didn't come - even after the team announced the departure of longtime incumbent Kenny Roberts Jr. The expected race-day announcement of Vermeulen's two-year contract with Suzuki was delayed due to wrangling with Honda, which made a big-money offer to Vermeulen at Istanbul to stay in Superbikes. Vermeulen declined Honda's offers, telling reporters: "I'm not in racing for the money. However, Honda insisted that no announcement be made as long as he was still under contract and expecting to race the Camel Honda again at Valencia. In Istanbul, Suzuki's official line was noncommittal. "We are in talks with a number of riders, some of whom have MotoGP experience; I wouldn't rule Vermeulen out, said a spokesman. Vermeulen was also noncommittal in an exclusive interview, but reading between the lines, the message was clear. Honda cannot offer him what he wants - a full factory ride; a satellite team will just not be good enough for the 23-year-old. "I feel for my learning curve to keep going as it has been, I need to move out of World Superbikes and come here," Vermeulen said. "I'd love to stay in World Superbikes and win that championship, but if I had the chance to come here with a factory team, then I would. I'm just waiting on a decision from Honda, and Suzuki's final decision. Of course, if I could stay with Honda... but if Honda can't give me a ride here, I think it would be bad for my career to do another year in World Superbike. I've spoken to Mick Doohan a little bit about what I want to do, and what I should do. He said, 'Whatever you do, you have to be with a factory, and have a say in development.''' Suzuki would offer him this opportunity, which the Camel Honda team could not, and while Suzuki's results have been poor for some years, Vermeulen (like its other rider, John Hopkins) has obviously been convinced that this could change. Michael Scott It World Speedway: Who's In? The FIM Speedway Grand Prix Commission and BSI have issued the list of those riders who are automatically qualified for the 2006 Individual Speedway World Championship Grand Prix, as well the permanent wild-card riders. The first eight automatic qualifiers for the 2006 SGP Series from this year are: I. Tony Rickardsson (Sweden); 2. Jason Crump (Australia); 3. Leigh Adams (Australia); 4. Nicki Pedersen (Denmark); S. Greg Hancock (USA); 6. Bjarne Pedersen (Denmark); 7. Tomasz Gollob (Poland); B. Andreas Jonsson (Sweden). The riders awarded a permanent wild-card place in 2006 are: Jaroslaw Hampel (Poland); Antonio Lindback (Sweden); Scott Nicholls (Great Britain); Lee Richardson (Great Britain); Niels-Kristian Iversen (Denmark); Piotr Protasiewicz (Poland); Matej Zagar (Slovakia). Briefly... On his website, Team Kawasaki's James Stewart clarified what has been ailing him lately and what kept him from competing at the U.S. Open at Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. "We finally figured out what has been making me sick this year," Stewart said in his online newsletter. "Only after just about every test known was done on me the week after Vegas, it was discovered through a stomach biopsy that the problem is a bacterial infection in my stomach and intestine. This type of thing is difficult to diagnose without actually going in and removing tissue to study, so I am glad we went after it as hard as we did. The good news is that this is totally treatable. I will be taking antibiotics for a while. but once it's gone, it won't be a problem again. This infection has been holding me back in a few ways. Getting really sick like at Vegas is the most obvious, but it has also made it more difficult for me to get the right nutrition and to be my strongest. The reason I would tend to feel worse around race days is that anytime I would be in a situation where I was getting pumped up for racing, it would aggravate the infection and cause the situation to be more serious than when I was in a relaxed state. I am just really glad to have that behind me going into 2006." For more information, check out Stewart's website at www.jamesstewartonline.com. Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division has announced Kawasaki Motor Corp's. contingency program for the AMA National Arenacross Series. Kawasaki will award riders in the AMA Arenacross class and AMA Arenacross Lites class, and the payout is equal to or better than any other form of arena-style motocross racing in the United States, according to Clear Channel. "Kawasaki's generous contingency payout is in line with the other manufacturers, staying true to the AMA National Arenacross Series," said Todd Jendro, senior director of operations for Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division. "Their [Kawasaki's] long-standing commitment to AMA-sanctioned racing, be it the AMA National Arenacross Series, Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross [or] AMA Motocross, doesn't go unnoticed by the legions of faithful Kawasaki fans across the country. That will be evident with the green bikes lined up across the starting line when the 2005-006 AHA National Arenacross Series kicks off at Albany's Pepsi Arena next week [October 29-30]." Kawasaki-mounted racers can earn $2000 for first place in either the AMA Arenacross class or AMA Arenacross Lites class. Kawasaki's contingency payout continues all the way down through fifth place in both the Arenacross and Lites classes. For more information on the AMA National Arenacross Series, log on to WWW.arenacross.com. Clear Channel has also announced that Yamaha will support its YZ-mounted racers competing in the 200S-06 AHA National Arenacross Series with a contingency plan. "Yamaha has a long history of supporting its racers at both the Pro and Amateur level, and they've agreed again this year to back the AMA National Arenacross Series with a very generous, six-figure contingency program," said Todd Jendro, senior director of operations for Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division. "Beginning next weekend at Albany, and at every Clear Channel-promoted AMA National Arenacross Series stop, racers riding Yamahas and putting up some decent results will be nicely rewarded by Yamaha for their efforts." Last year on the AMA National Arenacross Series tour, some of Yamaha's top racers included Chris Whitcraft, Brandon Bartz, Robby McQuary and Ty Cranmore. Race fans and community members will again have the opportunity to help feed the less fortunate this holiday season with the fifth annual Infineon Raceway Thanksgiving Food Drive. And participants will be rewarded with tickets to the 2006 AMA Superbike event at Infineon Raceway, which will again partner with Mary's Pizza Shack, Froggy 92.9 FM, Destination RKA and Friends In Sonoma Helping (FISH) to help ensure that needy families in Sonoma County have enough to eat this winter. Infineon Raceway and its partners have donated more than 5,000 pounds of nonperishable food items to FISH since 2000, and this year's goal is set at a lofty 2000 pounds. Those who donate four or more nonperishable food items will be rewarded with a free ticket to AMA Superbike qualifying on Friday, May 19, at Infineon Raceway. Only two tickets will be allowed per family. Those who donate food at any of the satellite locations (see below) or by mail will receive their ticket vouchers by mail. The public is encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to the Raceway during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, B:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) from October 24 to November lB. For more information, visit www.infineonraceway.com. Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division has announced that 2004 Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI) Jeremy McGrath Scholarship winner Eric Salava, who graduated with p

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