South Carolina Motorsports Racing News
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Contents www.SCMSRN.com
Ø
Averitt Lucas Wins
Fourth Straight!
Ø Defending Track
Champion Alex Ferree wins first race of 2010
Ø Andy McKisson gets first career win at Lernerville
Speedway
Ø Jason Fosnaught wins first of 2010, Jim Weller Jr.
wins second
Ø
FOXSports.com
News for NASCAR
Ø
Joey Saldana Wins Knight Before Kings Royal &
Retakes World of Outlaws Point Lead
Ø
Motorcycle USA Article Headlines
Ø
NASCAR.COM - Camping World Series Headlines
Ø
NASCAR.COM
- Nationwide Series Headlines
Ø
NASCAR.COM - Sprint Cup Series Headlines
Ø
News on MOTOGP.COM - The
Official MotoGP Website
SpeedWeekly
The print version for the July 15th issue of SpeedWeekly can be seen
online by visiting speedweekly.net
Click on the magazine cover located on the upper right of the home page to see
this week's issue.
SpeedWeekly is published 46 times per year and is sold at retail stores. It
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Some of the stories in this week's issue:
Jack Roush: Mechanical Mastermind
Who'll be the Third Driver for Stewart-Haas in 2011
2011 Sprint Cup Schedule Could Have Some Changes
Former Cup Champions Find it Hard to Stay on Top
Kevin Harvick is Ready for a Championship
Black Number 3 on Top Again
Misfortune follows Kyle Busch
The Legends $Millions
Jeff Gordon Becomes Mr. 600
The Ultimate NASCAR Clutch Play
Driver Profile Robert Johnson
About SpeedWeekly
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racing, specifically NASCAR along with local racing in NC, SC, TN and VA.
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and others.
Averitt Lucas Wins Fourth Straight!
Timmonsville, SC (July 17th, 2010) - After
rain washed at racing last week, we tried again Friday night. Averitt
Lucas claimed the pole with Jamey Lee starting second. On the start Lucas
pulled away from the field. The first caution of the night flew when
Strom Altman Jr and Archie Adams Sr. got together in turn one. Both
continues on and we where back to green flag. The second caution was for
debris off of Jon Martin's Super Stock machine. Now Lee had a chance at Lucas.
Battling hard Lucas and Lee made contact in turn two sending Lucas into the
wall. Lucas parked his car on pit road thinking he was done for the
night. After a brief talk with his crew chief Lucas fired his car back up
and was back out there. On the restart, Lee and Rudy Branham made contact
sending Lee around. After a few minutes of trying to line the cars up and
clearing the track of debris we went back to green. Lucas restarted
fourth but quickly worked past all his competitors to take the win.
Justin Shorter crossed the line second with Archie Adams Sr. third.
Holly Jackson won her first race ever in the Stock 4 Cylinder division.
After battling hard with Michael Grooms and surviving a late race yellow
Jackson crossed the line in front of everybody. Grooms was second and
Jarrett Smith third.
Brad Dewitt, Jon Martin and Cody Parker run with the Late Models Friday
night. Dewitt came home the highest finishing Super Stock with Martin
second and Parker third.
The Late Models, Super Stock, Stock 4 Cylinder, Young Guns and Bombers all
return next week for more side by side racing action on the 4/10ths mile track.
For
current racing information and other track facts, visit the Florence Motor
Speedway website, www.florencemotorspeedway.com
Late Model Stock Cars (40 Laps)
1. #07 Averitt Lucas
2. #45 Justin Shorter
3. #1 Archie Adams Sr.
4. #28 Rudy Branham
5. #7 Strom Altman Jr.
6. #18 Jamey Lee
7. #01 Donnie Johnson
Super Stock
1. #22 Brad Dewitt
2. #47 Jon Martin
3. #41 Cody Parker
Stock 4 Cylinder (30 Laps)
1. #45 Holly Jackson
2. #81 Michael Grooms
3. #6 Jarrett Smith
4. #33 Bobby Tumbleston
5. #29 Adam Dowling
6. #3 Dustin Ray
7. #2 Brandon Seals
8. #22 Tyler Howell
9. #75 Todd Touchberry
10. #24 Bobby Schwabenbauer
11. #1 Russ Turner Jr.
Back on Top: Joey Saldana Wins Knight Before Kings Royal & Retakes World of Outlaws Point Lead
Rossburg, OH-July 16, 2010- After a couple of frustrating races that saw
him have some bad luck and fall to second in the World of Outlaws championship
standings, Joey Saldana got back on track in a big way on Friday night, scoring
the win in the Knight Before the Kings Royal at the famed Eldora Speedway in
Ohio and retaking the top spot in the standings as well.
The $10,000 win was Saldana's series leading ninth of the 2010 campaign
and his 18th career triumph at Eldora, with nine of those coming in World of
Outlaws events. With the victory, Saldana moved into sole possession of
eighth-place on the all-time World of Outlaws win list with 68 A-Feature wins.
Saldana lined up second with Lucas Wolfe leading the field into turn
one, before he blasted around the high side of turn two to take the top spot
and quickly jumped out to a comfortable lead in the Budweiser Maxim.
"We worked hard and it was a great effort by everyone," said
Saldana. "This is the motor we should have won Lakeside (Speedway) with
and I destroyed it. Rick Long with Speedway Engines worked really hard to get
it back to us. There are a lot of people that helped us to get this motor back
for this weekend and I can't thank them enough for getting us an engine that
can compete and win these races."
Saldana was out front during two yellow flag and one red flag period on
Friday night. He chose the high side of the track on each restart and charged
into turns one and two to quickly open a lead. He would pace all 30 circuits to
score his second win of the season at Eldora Speedway.
"I've seen this place so many times throughout the years just from
watching and the top is faster," shared the winner. "It seems like if
you can get momentum faster than the next guy you'll be ok. This track is
definitely a momentum place and its fun when it's like that, but it's still
pretty tough to drive."
During a long green flag stretch that lasted 25 laps, following a third
lap caution, Saldana set a blistering pace around the high side of the
legendary high-banked half-mile and wound up lapping up to the 12th-place
finisher. He looks for the track to be a little bit different tomorrow for the
27th Annual Kings Royal, an even he has won twice in his career.
"The track was pretty treacherous on the cushion tonight and I
don't think they'll let it be like that tomorrow," noted Saldana.
"They'll probably make it slicker so it's more even for everybody. I was
told there were a lot of lapped cars between us tonight. We'll just have to
wait and see. We learned a lot tonight and I know that lapped traffic will be
very tough tomorrow. We'll see what happens tomorrow."
Donny Schatz used a strong double file restart with three laps to go, to
take second from Paul McMahan. He would end up in the runner-up spot aboard the
Armor All/STP J&J. The four-time and defending series champion started
third and fell back to fifth on the opening lap. He then worked his way by
Jason Sides for fourth, before tracking down Lucas Wolfe for third with just
four laps remaining and then McMahan.
"We got better as the race went on and that's all you can ask
for," Schatz said. "Tomorrow is 40 laps and that's like another whole
race. I'm just glad to get a second-place finish tonight. The Armor All guys
did a great job and we learned a lot. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and
be better."
Paul McMahan continued his strong summer coming home third in the Great
Clips Maxim to earn his 14th Top-Five finish of the season. He started fourth
and charged past Donny Schatz on the opening lap, before getting by Lucas Wolfe
on the second lap. He was running second on the final restart with three laps
to go and lined up on the low side of the track.
"I don't think I had anything for Joey (Saldana)," McMahan
said. "I spun the tires on that restart and it was just a mistake on my
part. It was a great night for KKR and everyone involved with this team. This
is five straight Top-Fives and hopefully we can move up a couple of spots
tomorrow and get that 50-grand."
Steve Kinser ended up fourth in the Bass Pro Shops Maxim to earn his
series leading 35th Top-10 finish of the season. Lucas Wolfe was fifth in the
Allebach Racing Maxim. Jac Haudenschild came all the way from the 23rd starting
spot to finish sixth in the Owens-Corning Fiberglass XXX. He was caught up in a
second lap incident which sent him to the work area and then stormed back
through the field.
Dale Blaney was seventh in the Ti-22 Performance Maxim, with Jason Sides
eighth piloting the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim. Craig Dollansky was
ninth in the Big Game Treestands Maxim, with Daryn Pittman rounding out the
Top-10 in the Indy Race Parts Eagle.
The World of Outlaws return to action on Saturday, July 17 with the 27h
Annual Kings Royal at the famed Eldora Speedway which will again pay $50,000
to-win. The cameras from SPEED will be on hand to capture all of the action for
broadcast on August 7.
KNIGHT BEFORE THE KINGS ROYAL NOTES
•FAST QUALIFIER: Paul McMahan paced the 47 cars that took time with an
AMB i.t. timed lap around the high-banked half-mile oval at 13.311 seconds at
135.227 mph. For his qualifying effort, McMahan earned five bonus points. The
next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Joey Saldana
(4), Daryn Pittman (3), Dale Blaney (2) and Donny Schatz (1).
•KNIGHT BEFORE THE KINGS ROYAL QUALIFYING WINNERS: Jason Sides, Steve
Kinser, Kasey Kahne and Craig Dollansky won heat races. Lucas Wolfe won the
dash. Kerry Madsen won the Last Chance Showdown. Rob Chaney won the C-Main
• FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 37 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
A-Feature events held in 2010. The winners include: Joey Saldana (Thunderbowl
Raceway, Volunteer Speedway, I-55 Raceway, Eldora Speedway-twice, Dodge City
Raceway Park, River Cities Speedway, LaSalle Speedway and Beaver Dam Raceway),
Jason Meyers (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Thunderbowl Raceway,
Volunteer Speedway, Tri-State (Okla.) Speedway, Virginia Motor Speedway, I-96
Speedway and North Central Speedway), Steve Kinser (Volusia Speedway Park,
Jackson Speedway, River Cities Speedway and Lakeside Speedway), Jason Sides
(Houston Raceway Park , Tri-City Speedway and Missouri State Fair Speedway),
Craig Dollansky (Lone Star Speedway and Cedar Lake Speedway), Jac Haudenschild
(Paducah International Raceway and Knoxville Raceway), Donny Schatz (Volusia
Speedway Park and The Dirt Track at Charlotte), Sammy Swindell (Dodge City
Raceway and Huset's Speedway), Brooke Tatnell (Knoxville Raceway and Junction
Motor Speedway), Dale Blaney (Limaland Motorsports Park), Chad Layton (Williams
Grove Speedway), Paul McMahan (Eldora Speedway) and Fred Rahmer (Williams Grove
Speedway).
•HALF-WINNERS: Eldora Speedway is a high-banked half-mile oval. The
World of Outlaws have raced 17 times at a track that size in 2010. The winners
include: Steve Kinser (Volusia Speedway Park, Jackson Speedway and Lakeside
Speedway), Jason Meyers (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Virginia
Motor Speedway and I-96 Speedway), Joey Saldana (Eldora Speedway-twice), Jason
Sides (Tri-City Speedway and Missouri State Fair Speedway), Craig Dollansky
(Lone Star Speedway), Jac Haudenschild (Knoxville Raceway), Chad Layton
(Williams Grove Speedway), Paul McMahan (Eldora Speedway), Fred Rahmer
(Williams Grove Speedway), Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park) and Brooke
Tatnell (Knoxville Raceway).
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
Statistical Report; Eldora Speedway; Rossburg, OH; July 16, 2010
Qualifying
1) 91-Paul McMahan 13.311
2) 9-Joey Saldana 13.387
3) 13-Daryn Pittman 13.464
4) 2-Dale Blaney 13.499
5) 15-Donny Schatz 13.502
6) 83X-Tim Shaffer 13.506
7) 6-Danny Lasoski 13.547
8) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 13.556
9) 1Z-Stevie Smith 13.558
10) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 13.561
11) 83-Tim Kaeding 13.570
12) 3C-Cale Conley 13.598
13) 7S-Jason Sides 13.601
14) 11-Steve Kinser 13.606
15) 4-Kasey Kahne 13.616
16) 7-Craig Dollansky 13.663
17) 1-Sammy Swindell 13.667
18) 3-Kerry Madsen 13.680
19) 55-Dave Blaney 13.685
20) 53-Phil Gressman 13.724
21) 7K-Kyle Sauder 13.739
22) 2B-Ben Gregg 13.739
23) 11K-Kraig Kinser 13.754
24) R19-Jac Haudenschild 13.781
25) 1X-Randy Hannagan 13.871
26) 24H-Lee Jacobs 13.872
27) 4X-Toni Lutar 13.895
28) 14-Jason Meyers 13.895
29) 22-Brian Ellenberger 13.897
30) 63-Chad Kemenah 13.897
31) 71M-Paul May 13.993
32) W20-Greg Wilson 13.997
33) 1R-Chad Blonde 14.016
34) 17-Tyler Walker 14.017
35) 20-Tony Stewart 14.019
36) 97-Dean Jacobs 14.053
37) 45-Rob Chaney 14.055
38) 15C-Chris Andrews 14.069
39) 89G-David Gravel 14.093
40) 56R-Ryan Myers 14.110
41) O-Jonathan Allard 14.277
42) 1B-Keith Baxter 14.321
43) 70-Steven Lines 14.393
44) 5M-Jamie Miller 14.446
45) 20AU-Domain Ramsay 14.795
46) 96AU-Bruce White 14.996
47) 22D-Josh Davis 15.083
Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred
to A-feature)
1) 7S-Jason Sides[1]
2) 15-Donny Schatz[3]
3) 1Z-Stevie Smith[2]
4) 91-Paul McMahan[4]
5) 1-Sammy Swindell[5]
6) 1X-Randy Hannagan[7]
7) 7K-Kyle Sauder[6]
8) O-Jonathan Allard[11]
9) 45-Rob Chaney[10]
10) 22-Brian Ellenberger[8]
11) 1R-Chad Blonde[9]
12) 20AU-Domain Ramsay[12]
Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred
to A-feature)
1) 11-Steve Kinser[1]
2) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[2]
3) 9-Joey Saldana[4]
4) 83X-Tim Shaffer[3]
5) 63-Chad Kemenah[8]
6) 3-Kerry Madsen[5]
7) 24H-Lee Jacobs[7]
8) 17-Tyler Walker[9]
9) 2B-Ben Gregg[6]
10) 1B-Keith Baxter[11]
11) 96AU-Bruce White[12]
12) 15C-Chris Andrews[10]
Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred
to A-feature)
1) 4-Kasey Kahne[1]
2) 83-Tim Kaeding[2]
3) 13-Daryn Pittman[4]
4) 6-Danny Lasoski[3]
5) 11K-Kraig Kinser[6]
6) 4X-Toni Lutar[7]
7) 20-Tony Stewart[9]
8) 89G-David Gravel[10]
9) 71M-Paul May[8]
10) 70-Steven Lines[11]
11) 22D-Josh Davis[12]
12) 55-Dave Blaney[5]
Heat 4 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred
to A-feature)
1) 7-Craig Dollansky[1]
2) 3C-Cale Conley[2]
3) 2-Dale Blaney[4]
4) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[3]
5) R19-Jac Haudenschild[6]
6) 14-Jason Meyers[7]
7) 53-Phil Gressman[5]
8) 97-Dean Jacobs[9]
9) W20-Greg Wilson[8]
10) 56R-Ryan Myers[10]
11) 5M-Jamie Miller[11]
Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined
first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[1]
2) 9-Joey Saldana[3]
3) 15-Donny Schatz[2]
4) 91-Paul McMahan[4]
5) 83-Tim Kaeding[5]
6) 7S-Jason Sides[7]
7) 3C-Cale Conley[6]
8) 11-Steve Kinser[8]
9) 7-Craig Dollansky[10]
10) 4-Kasey Kahne[9]
C-main (10 laps, top 2 finishers transferred
to B-main)
1) 45-Rob Chaney[1]
2) O-Jonathan Allard[5]
3) 89G-David Gravel[3] [$125]
4) 56R-Ryan Myers[4] [$125]
5) 70-Steven Lines[7] [$125]
6) 1B-Keith Baxter[6] [$100]
7) 5M-Jamie Miller[8] [$100]
8) 20AU-Domain Ramsay[9] [$100]
9) 96AU-Bruce White[10] [$100]
10) 22D-Josh Davis[11] [$100]
11) 15C-Chris Andrews[2] [$100]
B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred
to A-feature)
1) 3-Kerry Madsen[1]
2) 55-Dave Blaney[2]
3) 53-Phil Gressman[3]
4) 7K-Kyle Sauder[4]
5) 14-Jason Meyers[9] [$200]
6) 24H-Lee Jacobs[7] [$180]
7) 1X-Randy Hannagan[6] [$175]
8) 17-Tyler Walker[14] [$160]
9) 4X-Toni Lutar[8] [$150]
10) 2B-Ben Gregg[5] [$150]
11) W20-Greg Wilson[12] [$150]
12) 20-Tony Stewart[15] [$150]
13) 22-Brian Ellenberger[10] [$150]
14) 97-Dean Jacobs[16] [$150]
15) 71M-Paul May[11] [$150]
16) 1R-Chad Blonde[13] [$150]
17) O-Jonathan Allard[18] [$150]
18) 45-Rob Chaney[17] [$150]
A-main (30 laps) - Starting Position [#]
1) 9-Joey Saldana[2] [$10,000]
2) 15-Donny Schatz[3] [$5,500]
3) 91-Paul McMahan[4] [$3,200]
4) 11-Steve Kinser[8] [$2,800]
5) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[1] [$2,500]
6) R19-Jac Haudenschild[23] [$2,300]
7) 2-Dale Blaney[12] [$2,200]
8) 7S-Jason Sides[6] [$2,100]
9) 7-Craig Dollansky[9] [$2,050]
10) 13-Daryn Pittman[11] [$1,200]
11) 83-Tim Kaeding[5] [$1,500]
12) 14-Jason Meyers[25] [$400]
13) 83X-Tim Shaffer[13] [$1,100]
14) 1-Sammy Swindell[17] [$1,050]
15) 11K-Kraig Kinser[22] [$1,000]
16) 3C-Cale Conley[7] [$900]
17) 4-Kasey Kahne[10] [$800]
18) 6-Danny Lasoski[14] [$800]
19) 1Z-Stevie Smith[16] [$800]
20) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[15] [$800]
21) 2B-Ben Gregg[26] [$0]
22) 7K-Kyle Sauder[21] [$800]
23) 3-Kerry Madsen[18] [$800]
24) 55-Dave Blaney[19] [$800]
25) 53-Phil Gressman[20] [$800]
26) 63-Chad Kemenah[24] [$800]
Lap Leaders: Joey Saldana 1-30
KSE Hard Charger Award: Jac Haudenschild
Penske Power Position Award: Ben Gregg
Chizmark-Larson Hard Luck Award: Chad
Kemenah
Note: Jason Meyers and Ben Gregg used World
of Outlaws Provisionals to start the A-Feature.
World of Outlaws Championship Standings
through July 16
1. Joey
Saldana 5158
2. Steve
Kinser 5150 -8
3. Jason
Meyers 5092 -66
4. Donny
Schatz 4968 -190
5. Jason
Sides 4931 -227
6. Paul
McMahan 4857 -301
7. Lucas
Wolfe 4802 -356
8. Craig
Dollansky 4702 -456
9. Jac
Haudenschild 4674 -484
10. Kraig
Kinser 4641 -517
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is
brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners,
including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Chizmark & Larson
Insurance , Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), SuperClean (Official
Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to
contingency sponsors, Jake's Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske
Shocks , R2C Performance, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder's
Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver
Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder's Challenge participants
J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.
Defending Track Champion Alex Ferree wins first race of 2010
Andy McKisson gets first career win at Lernerville Speedway
Jason Fosnaught wins first of 2010, Jim Weller Jr. wins second
Sarver, PA (July 16, 2010) Nostalgia was the theme of tonight’s Fab
Four Racing program as Don Gamble hosted his annual reunion of retired
drivers. Johnny Axe, winner of the very
first race at Lernerville Speedway, was on hand and was the honorary starter
for the Diehl Auto Group DIRTcar Modified Feature. But despite the nostalgic theme of the night,
three of the four feature winners claimed their first victory of the
season! Alex Ferree (DIRTcar Lates) and
Jason Fosnaught (Charapp 28 Sportsman) won their first of the season, while
Andy McKisson (Ti22 Sprints) won his first career Lernerville Feature. Jim Weller Jr. was the lone repeat winner as
he checkered the Diehl Mods feature to net his second win of 2010.
The DIRTcar Late Models rolled onto the Action Track first with
Three-Time Defending Track Champion Alex Ferree on the pole, flanked by Dan
Swartzlander. After an 11 month winless
drought, Ferree led flag-to-flag with nary a challenge. Jared Miley ran a strong second place for the
entire 25 laps, but couldn’t find a line around Ferree to make a legitimate
attempt for the lead. Gregg Satterlee
charged from 11th on the starting grid to finish third, while Doug Eck and John
Garvin Jr. rounded out the top five.
National Guard Heat Races were checkered by Denton Boyer and Doug Eck.
Jim Weller Jr. took a commanding lead from the start in tonight’s Diehl
Auto Group DIRTcar Modified feature.
Brian Swartzlander battled for second against Tom Winkle until a caution
on lap nine. Winkle led eight laps
mid-race and was in the second place up until the final lap when he spun in
turns three and four trying to make one last big run down the hill into turn
four. The end resulted in Jim Weller Jr.
coming out on top for his second win of 2010.
The rest of the Diehl Top Five were Brian Swartzlander, Kevin Bolland,
Mike Turner and Carl Murdick. Previous
repeat winner Dave Murdick had another solid top five run going, but slowed to
a stop on the back straightaway on lap 17 and finished 13th. National Guard Heat Races went to Dave
Murdick and Del Rougeux Jr.
The Ti22 Performance DIRTcar Sprints pushed off for their final tune-up
before this Tuesday Night’s Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XIX Twin 30s. Ed Lynch Jr. was already locked into Tuesday
Night’s Twin 30 Features by virtue of winning the Mid-Season Championship on
June 18, but the other track provisional was up in the air as Danny Holtgraver,
Bob Felmlee and Rod George were separated by just eight points entering the
event. But despite the presence of the
power foursome, Andy McKisson took the green flag from the pole position and
never looked back as he scored his first career feature win at Lernerville
Speedway.
Ed Lynch Jr. charged from 12th on the starting grid, then a near
spinout early in the race, to finish a close second to McKisson. Danny Holtgraver finished third and locked in
the second track provisional for Tuesday Night’s Silver Cup by extending his
Budweiser Points lead over fifth place finisher Bob Felmlee. Between Holtgraver and Felmlee was Jack
Sodeman Jr. in fourth. Felmlee and Lynch
won their respective National Guard Heat Races.
With three winners from the pole position, the pressure was on Jason
Fosnaught to make it a complete sweep!
But seven-time feature winner Joe Kelley charged from the tail of the
field after being collected by a spinning AJ Flick on the front stretch. Kelley started alongside Fosnaught on a
green-white-checkered restart but could not seal the deal as Fosnaught occupied
the line Kelley needed to get by. Jason
had not won a feature at Lernerville Speedway for almost two full years; July
18, 2008. But he would not be denied on
this night as he gassed the Bill Seitz #J19 to Sheetz Victory Lane to a
thrilled crowd of family and friends, including his brother and competitor Jim
Fosnaught, whom finished fifth. Between
the brothers Fosnaught were Joe Kelley in second, Bob Egley in third and Ryan
Moyer in fourth. Wayne Carbo and Joe
Kelley were National Guard Heat Race victors!
The 4th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com will be
broadcast on SPEED this Saturday, July 17 from 5:00-7:30PM! And the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
rolls into Sarvertown for the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup XIX Twin 30s this
Tuesday, July 20! Advance Tickets will
remain on sale on our website www.Lernerville.com until 11:59PM Monday Night. Advance ticket purchases will include a FREE
pit pass upgrade and, as always, kids 10 & under will be admitted FREE into
General Admission!
ARCA Nation
News
Mansfield - It’s All About the Dirt
Background
From the dirt history of the track to the
dirt racing background of the driver - Josh Richards will take on Mansfield
Motorsports Park with Venturini Motorsports in the no. 55.
Mansfield Motorsports Park first opened in 1959 as a 3/8-mile dirt
track and was then formed into a half-mile track in 1972. In the spring of
1999, the Mansfield Motorsports Park was paved into a fast track with wide
racing surface.
Steve Arpin will take his first step out of the no. 55 car since the
start of the 2010 season to race with JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide
race at Gateway International Raceway.
Arpin will turn over the wheel to the trusting hands of Josh Richards,
a dirt racer like himself. Richards, 22-year-old from Shinnston, WV, has a
high-profile racing resume behind him. He won the World of Outlaws Late Model
Series Championship in 2009 and currently leads the points this year. Since
2004, Richards has over 400 starts and 44 wins. Five of those starts were in
the ARCA Racing Series; two of which were with Venturini Motorsport in 2009.
“I am really looking forward to running at Mansfield this weekend with
Billy and the Venturini Motorsports team,” said Richards. “It’s pretty neat
that Steve has a dirt background and I am stepping in for him. From my
understanding, Steve and Billy wanted to put me in the car for a shot at
winning with the no. 55. There are a lot of drivers they could have chosen, so
it was pretty neat to get the call from Billy to drive his car. I am very
grateful and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. The entire team is
second to none and I’m just ready to get back on the asphalt and race!”
Not only will Josh Richards have the great equipment and great
opportunity that lies behind Venturini Motorsports, he will also have teammate
Mikey Kile to lean on for advice and support.
Mikey Kile will be making his first ARCA Racing start at Mansfield
Motorsports Park with the no. 25 Venturini Motorsports Toyota, but his second
racing start at the short-track. Kile raced at Mansfield Motorsports Park in
2008 with the Pro Cup Series.
As a series, this will be ARCA’s second appearance at Mansfield Motorsports
Park. Venturini Motorsports competed in the series’ debut at the track last
year with driver Jake Crum where he qualified fourth and finished sixth.
From what used to be a 3/8-mile dirt track to now a half-mile blacktop
surface oval, look for Venturini Motorsports as top contenders at the short
track. The Tim Richmond Memorial 200 will begin with practice at 2:30 PM
followed by qualifying at 5:00 PM. There will be a driver’s autograph session
from 6:00PM to 7:00PM for any fans in the area. The green flag will drop at
8:00 PM ET for 200 laps of racing.
Follow us on twitter at: www.twitter.com/venturinimotor
Become at fan at: www.facebook.com/venturinimotorsports
Visit our website at: www.venturinimotorsports.com
Visit ARCA Racing at: www.arcaracing.com
To learn more about Mikey Kile visit: www.mikeykile.com
To learn more about Josh Richards visit: www.joshrichards.com
Venturini Motorsports | Marketing/PR Director: Emily Teeter
571 Pitts School Rd NW, Concord, NC 28027
Shop: 704.784.2500 | Fax: 704.784.2575 | Cell: 704.651.0536
Website: www.venturinimotorsports.com
| Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Email: emily@venturinimotorsports.com
George Heads from the Hawkeye to the
Buckeye State at Mansfield
Tim
George Jr. and his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Development team
travel to Mansfield, Ohio for the Tim Richmond Memorial ACRA 200 on Saturday,
July 17. The 29-year old, George, will make his second-career ARCA Racing
Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards start at Mansfield Motorsports Park's
0.5-mile asphalt speedway.
The New York, N. Y.-native made his debut at Mansfield Motorsports in
June 2009 with Eddie Sharp Racing. George qualified in the 13th position and
brought it home in the 22nd position.
George is presently ranked eighth in the ARCA Racing season-long
championship standings following his 12th-place finish at Iowa Speedway.
Last weekend in Iowa, George ran in the top-10 throughout the race and
lead six laps before a late restart caused a frenzied field sprint to the
checkered flag. George ended the night just shy of the top-10, finishing 12th,
and earning his best short-track finish.
George is now looking ahead to this Saturday's Tim Richmond Memorial
ARCA 200 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.
"I'm excited to get back to a short-track," said George.
"We rolled off the truck pretty fast at the last two (short-track races),
and I'm looking forward to a good finish on a short-track. We have been
competitive recently and need to hold that intensity until the end of the race.
Mansfield hosts some exciting races for the fans and I'm looking forward to
being part of the show."
George will first hit the track at Mansfield Motorsports Park at 2:30
PM EST on Saturday for the ARCA Racing Series practice, followed by Menards
Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell (All Positions / 2 laps) at 5 PM, an
autograph session at 6 PM and start of the Tim Richmond Memorial 200 (200 laps
/ 100 miles) at 8 PM.
The race will be broadcast live on the BAS Racing Network. Live scoring
and timing will be available during practice, qualifying and the Tim Richmond
Memorial ARCA 200 on www.arcaracing.com.
Coulter Ready for Tight Side-by-Side
Racing at Mansfield
Whenever
the ARCA Racing Series makes a stop in the “Buckeye State,” second year racer
Joey Coulter finds himself ready to beat and bang on the tenacious bullrings.
Mansfield Motorsports Park at .5-miles, offers the perfect spot for the
close-quarters racing Coulter is prepared for as he enters this weekends Tim
Richmond Memorial 200 in his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy
Fuel Chevrolet (7/17/10).
“Mansfield (Motorsports Park) is an amazing facility that provides some
of the best racing on the ARCA circuit,” said Coulter. “The track fits my
driving style perfectly and I always get excited when we race here. I earned my
first runner-up finish here (6/20/09) and I know Harold (Holly) and my guys
have given me a car as good or better than before.”
Coulter, already having racked up two second place finishes (Toledo
5/23/10, MIS 6/11/10) this year, looks to Mansfield to build upon this strong
momentum. While this weekend’s race marks Coulter’s second ARCA appearance at
the famed facility, he has made three previous starts (2007-2008) while racing
in the USAR Pro Cup Series. This diversification of car type and tire, along
with the laps logged, has led Coulter to gain a true zeal for the little
bullring, back-dropped by the famous Mansfield Reformatory (Shawshank
Redemption).
Coulter Motorsports crew chief Harold Holly, has provided Coulter with
car No. 013, affectionately named “JJ” for this weekends event. Car 013 last
ran at Toledo Speedway (5/23/10) where Coulter wheeled it to a strong second
place finish. The team has also spent time testing this car at local North
Carolina short tracks. Coulter also ran “JJ” in last years Tim Richmond
Memorial 200 (6/20/09) at Mansfield, where he would earn his first career high
finish of second.
“I love racing at all of the diverse tracks on the ARCA circuit,”
commented Coulter. “But there is something special about the short tracks and
they have somewhat become my forte over the years. I am really looking forward
to going racing this weekend at Mansfield, it should be a great race.”
The Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on
Saturday, with live timing and scoring presented by ARCA Nation provided on
ARCARacing.com, and live audio broadcast coverage provided by the BAS Racing
Network. Stations airing BAS's exclusive coverage of the season's 10th race
include: Eagle 99.1 (WFRO-FM, Fremont); Eagle 93.7 (WQIO-FM, Mount Vernon); and
FM100 Talks 100.1 (WNUY-FM, Fort Wayne, Ind.). Make sure to tune in LIVE to
catch all of the racing action by Joey Coulter in his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn
Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet.
The BAS Racing Network broadcast, led by lead anchor DC Bash, will also
be available on ARCARacing.com.
You can also get LIVE updates wherever Joey goes by following Joey on
Twitter at http://twitter.com/joeycoulter
Please log onto www.LiftUpEllie.com
to help support the Potvin family.
You can also vote for Joey Coulter as the most popular ARCA driver for
2010 at www.arcanation.com/joeycoulter
Please be sure to check out Joey’s official website at www.joeycoulter.com
Catch Joey’s LIVE radio show, 5 @ 5 with Joey Coulter, every Wednesday
at 5:00 PM EST exclusively on www.RaceFanRadio.com
Also please be sure to support Joey’s sponsors at:
Rip It Energy Fuel: www.ripitenergy.com
Tempest Cycles: www.tempestcycles.com
MAD Industry: www.areumad.com
About
Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF)
www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org
The
Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF) is a certified non-profit 501(c) 3 agency. DGF
exists to prevent, provide for and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and
other debilitating illnesses. To expedite specific cures, the Foundation
assists in the funding of targeted research. DGF is also dedicated to injury
prevention, with special emphasis on programs targeting children. The
Foundation helps improve the quality of life for those already afflicted with
injury or illness, by providing necessary equipment or special services. DGF is
an official charity of the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, National Hot Rod
Association (NHRA) and has a close affiliation with NASCAR and the NASCAR
Foundation.
Patrick Sheltra Ready To Put Game
Plan In Motion At Mansfield
(MANSFIELD, Ohio - July 14, 2010) - - After losing the
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards points lead last weekend at
Iowa Speedway because of an engine failure, Patrick Sheltra returns to
Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park (MMP) this weekend armed with a game plan and
strategy that eventually should propel the Indiantown, Florida native and his
Sheltra Motorsports posse back atop of the coveted championship chase.
After notching eight consecutive top-10 finishes in a row before Iowa,
Sheltra left the .875-mile oval with his worst finish of the 2010 season, 29th.
Set for his second outing in Saturday night’s Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at
MMP, Sheltra is hoping for some magic, much like he received in 2009 at Salem
(Ind). Speedway where the popular 24-year old notched his first career ARCA
Racing Series victory after recovering from serious injuries sustained in the
season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
Mansfield Motorsports Park shows similar characteristics to the brutal
bullring of Salem (Ind.) Speedway and “Mr. Showtime” as he’s known in the ARCA
garage is hoping to rekindle some of the “armor” he carried last year at the
Southern Indiana track and hoist it under the lights in the “Buckeye State” for
the 10th race of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season.
“After what happened to us last weekend at Iowa, it reminded me a lot
about what happened after Daytona,” Sheltra admitted. “Obviously, the scenarios
are completely different but the feelings aren’t. We were able to bounce back
from something horrible like Daytona and win the next race at Salem. There’s no
doubt in my mind with our focus and determination, we can duplicate a similar
story this weekend.”
He continued, “it was tough to swallow what happened last weekend. We
had an incredibly strong car and everyone knew it. Unfortunately, things like
that though happen in racing. You can’t dwell on the past but you can vow to
make a bigger presence for the future.”
Calling Mansfield a “difficult” track, the NASCAR-bound driver is
highly optimistic that his team can conquer any swords that could be thrown at
his Mooresville, North Carolina based team in the fourth short track battle of
the year.
“Mansfield is such a twitchy place,” Sheltra recalled. “It’s a place
where sometimes you have to baby the throttle and other times you feel like
you’re wide open. We had a good car there last year. Without hesitation, I know
Jon (Wolfe, crew chief) and the guys are giving me a piece that is
capable of winning this weekend.”
The Floridian added, “our game plan which starts at Mansfield is
simple. We’re going to do what we did the first eight races. We plan to show
consistency, lead laps and be up front. Eventually, we should be able to
overcome the deficit we received at Iowa and have everyone chasing us
again.”
Locked 70 markers behind point’s leader Justin Marks, Sheltra was quick
to mention that his organization in a span of three races was able to make up a
similar deficit and ultimately control the top-spot for three races before
Marks was able to re-inherit the lead.
“This championship is going to come down to the wire. I think you’ll be
allowed one, maybe two bad races to keep in the hunt but other than that, you
have to be in contention, leading laps and vying for those crucial qualifying
points. I need to step up my game for qualifying and I have some ideas on how
to mange that.”
Sheltra will pilot the Jon Wolfe led No. 60 Recycling Services /
Ferguson Pipe / LaQuinta Inn & Suites (Mansfield, Ohio) Dodge Charger in Saturday
night’s anticipated thriller.
Cost-effective marketing partnerships are still available for the
remainder of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. For additional information,
please contact brandon@patricksheltra.com or marketing@patricksheltra.com.
Entering Mansfield, Sheltra has 76 ARCA Racing Series presented by
RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem (Ind.)
Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 15
top-fives and posted 30 top-10 finishes. A third place qualifying effort at
Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway (April 2009) and Michigan International Speedway
(June 2010) is Sheltra’s best time trials effort to date. He has controlled the
ARCA field six times for 148 laps.
The Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the 10th
of 20 events on the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards
schedule. The second annual ARCA race at Mansfield Motorsports Park is a
one-day show. Practice begins Saturday July 17 with an hour and half practice
session planned from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is
set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. The event will take the
green flag shortly after 8:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but race
coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the week will be available
through the BAS Racing Network in conjunction with the ARCA Racing Network
(ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All
times are local.
For the latest on Patrick Sheltra, Sheltra Motorsports and marketing
partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.
Join the official Patrick Sheltra fan page on Facebook by clicking here.
About Sheltra Motorsports:
Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier professional
Motorsports organization consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick
Sheltra, a 24-year old native of Indiantown, Florida competes in the UMP and
WoO (Dirt) Series; while also running a full schedule in the Automobile Racing
Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards (No. 60)
and a limited schedule in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
(NASCAR). The team is headquartered in Indiantown, Florida with additional
operations in Richmond, Indiana and Mooresville, North Carolina.
TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 239.214.1083
EMAIL: chris@patricksheltra.com
Justin Marks, Win Tron Racing
Mansfield Preview
|
“I’ve had the
opportunity to get to know a lot of people who knew Tim Richmond and were
around when he was running, and it’s pretty cool that the series is doing
something to commemorate him,” the 29-year-old driver stated. “Construct
Corps allowed us to do something special and we’re going to run a paint
scheme that looks just like the Folgers car he ran for Rick Hendrick. It’s
just something fun to do and another way to honor someone who impacted the
sport and changed it forever.” Reclaiming the
lead in the ARCA Racing Series championship point standings at Iowa Speedway last
weekend after a six-week stint in the runner up spot, Justin Marks holds a
healthy 70-point advantage over second place driver Patrick Sheltra going
into this weekend’s Tim Richmond Memorial 200 at Mansfield. Though he may be
carrying the largest points lead anyone has enjoyed all season, Marks is
focused on winning races instead of thinking about the points. “You can’t take
the points very seriously right now since there are so many competitors that
are in the hunt, so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. I don’t
think you ever really need to think about points realistically until
Rockingham. It’s good that we have a cushion now, but it doesn’t change our
focus for Mansfield,” Marks said. Win-Tron Racing
owns a solid reputation at the short tracks on the circuit, and hopes to back
up prior success with a strong run at the half-mile facility on Saturday
night. Last year when the ARCA drivers and teams visited Mansfield for the
first time, Win-Tron’s No. 32 entry, piloted by Matt Merrell, qualified sixth
and lead several laps in the mid-portion of the event before falling victim
to a mechanical issue and settling for a 20th place finish. Justin
Marks has also visited Mansfield in the past, competing in the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series event in 2008. Coverage for this weekend’s events at Mansfield
can be found on ARCARacing.com through live timing and scoring, beginning at
2:30 pm EST for the ARCA Racing Series practice session. The BAS Radio
Network will also carry live coverage of the Tim Richmond Memorial 200
beginning at 8:00 pm EST, which you can find on ARCARacing.com, as well as
the following local Ohio radio stations : Eagle 99.1 (WFRO-FM), Eagle 93.7
(WQIO-FM), and FM100 Talks (100.1 FM). For more on
Justin Marks, visit www.justinmarksracing.com Justin Marks on Mansfield Motorsports Park This team has a great short track program,
we had an awesome run at Toledo which is about the closest track to Mansfield
we’ve run at so far. I like Mansfield and I know the car is going to be real
good there. We just need to go and try to do the best we can, do the best the
car will allow, and that’s the game plan. More than anything, whether it’s
Mansfield, Toledo, Berlin or any short track we go to, this team really has a
strong program together and I’m excited to take the points lead to somewhere
that I know we’re going to be strong. Co-Owner Nate Thiesse on Mansfield Motorsports Park Mansfield should be a great race for us, considering the strong runs
we’ve always had at the short tracks. We had a great car at Toledo and will
carry over some of the same principles to the track this weekend. Last year
was the first time we visited Mansfield and we performed very well, so we’re
hoping to bring the momentum into this year. This weekend marks the 10th
race of the season, the halfway point, and I’m pleased with the position
we’re in right now. We just have to keep striving for good finishes and
provide Justin with the best racecar we can week in and week out. Event Schedule at Mansfield Saturday, July 17, 2010 (All times Eastern) 10:00 AM- ARCA Racing Series Garage Opens 2:30-4:00 PM- ARCA Racing Series Practice 5:30 PM- Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell (All Positions / 2
laps) 6:00-7:00 PM- ARCA Racing Series Driver Autograph Session 7:30 PM- ARCA Racing Series Driver Introductions 8:00 PM- Start of the Tim Richmond Memorial 200 (200 laps/100 miles) Justin Marks, Win-Tron Racing Stats Seven top-10 finishes in nine starts this season Marks won his first career ARCA Racing Series
event in the second race of the year at Palm Beach Speedway In 50 career starts, Marks has finished in the top 10 a total of 20
times and has two career pole positions Last year, Matt Merrell piloted the No. 32 at Mansfield, qualifying
sixth and leading several laps before finishing 20th. Kirby Johnson Public Relations Manager Win-Tron Racing M: 608.289.8919 |
Frank Kimmel Looks to Continue Points
Climb at Mansfield
Thursday, July 15, 2010, 12:01:13 PM | Don Radebaugh
(MOORESVILLE,
N.C. - July 14, 2010) -
Frank Kimmel is ready to get back to his short-track racing roots at Mansfield
Motorsports Park on Saturday, July 17 for the Tim Richmond Memorial 200.
With only one previous ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards race
at the half-mile oval, Kimmel will be on even footing with the rest of the
drivers in the field, and he is looking forward to that challenge.
"Well I'm a little anxious about getting to Mansfield. We didn't
really run very well there last year, didn't have a great car and struggled
most of the day. We ended up losing the breaks, so it was a struggle for
us. I really like Mansfield, I enjoy the race track, and it's exactly for
what I come from as far as short track racing. I'm actually looking forward to
going back and changing our set up and trying to work up some things that will
hopefully make us more competitive than last year."
Kimmel has been on a roll as of late. In his last seven starts,
Kimmel has earned six top-10 and three top-five finishes while climbing seven
positions in the championship point standings.
Kimmel will first hit the track at Mansfield Motorsports Park at 2:30
p.m. EST on Saturday for the ARCA Racing Series practice, followed by Menards
Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell (All Positions / 2 laps) at 5:00 p.m., an
autograph session at 6:00 p.m. and start of the Tim Richmond Memorial 200 (200
laps / 100 miles) at 8:00 p.m.
The race will be broadcast live on the BAS Racing Network. Live scoring
and timing will be available during practice, qualifying and the Tim Richmond
Memorial ARCA 200 on www.arcaracing.com.
"Kimmel's Top 10"
In anticipation of his 10th Championship, Frank Kimmel gives a look at
his "Top 10" before each ARCA Series race. With the heart of the ARCA
Season upon us in the hot summer months, Kimmel knows how to spend his summer
right- eating ice cream and racing. This week Kimmel unveils his "Top
10" favorite things to do in the summer (In no particular order).
10. Eating ice cream at any ice cream parlor
9. Eating an upside down banana split at
Golden Twist (Local Jeffersonville, Ind. Place)
8. Happy Hour milkshakes at Steak N Shake
from 2-4 p.m.
7. Eating a Georgia Mud Fudge blizzard at
Dairy Queen
6. Going to the Sportsdrome Speedway on
an open Saturday night Championships in their time together.
5. Enjoying a caramel apple pie a la mode at
Homemade Pie Kitchen
4. Going to dinner with my wife Donna
3. Riding my tractor
2. DuQuoin State Fair on Labor Day
weekend
1. Racing at Salem with my son, Frankie
Frank Kimmel and the No. 44
Ansell/Menards Fast Facts
Mansfield History: This is only the second occasion that the
ARCA Racing Series has traveled to Mansfield Motorsports Park. In his
first-career start at Mansfield, Kimmel earned a top-ten finish.
On a Roll: Frank Kimmel arrives at Mansfield Motorsports
Park looking to continue his list of impressive finishes for the 2010
season. In his last seven starts, Kimmel has accumulated six top-ten and
three top-five finishes. After capturing a sixth-place finish in last
week's Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway, Kimmel gained another spot in the
ARCA Racing Series points standings, moving him into fourth-place.
See You at Menards: Kimmel fans will have an opportunity to meet
the driver of the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford Fusion this week. On Friday,
July 16th, he will be at the Menards store in Ontario from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
EST. Fans will have the opportunity to have meet Frank Kimmel and view
his No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford Fusion.
In The Points: Kimmel's sixth-place finish at Iowa moved him into the
fourth-position in the championship standings, sitting only 120 markers behind
the points leader.
Autographs: On Saturday, July 17th, Frank Kimmel will join the rest of the
ARCA Racing Series drivers on the track at Mansfield Motorsports Park to sign
autographs at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Track Fact: Besides Berlin Raceway, Mansfield Motorsports
Park is tied with Toledo Speedway for the shortest track that the ARCA Racing
Series will visit during the 2010 season - Mansfield is .5-mile paved oval.
Did you know?: Frank Kimmel may be busy traveling with the ARCA Racing series, but
that doesn't stop him from catching up with his favorite reality shows.
Kimmel is actually a reality television "junkie" whose favorite shows
include The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Wipeout, True Beauty and even
American Idol.
Chasing the Record Books: If you look at the ARCA Racing Series record
books, there are not many lists that do not include the name Frank
Kimmel. This season, Kimmel looks to break his own record of nine
championships and win a record-setting 10th ARCA Racing Series
Championship. His sights are also set on breaking the all-time ARCA win
record. With 74 career ARCA victories, Frank is six wins shy of breaking
the record held by Iggy Katona.
Follow Frank Kimmel: Want to know what happens when Kimmel is not
behind the wheel of his Ansell/Menards Ford Fusion? Fans can logon to www.facebook.com/frankkimmelracing
to follow him on Facebook and www.twitter.com/frankkimmel
to follow him on Twitter.
Chassis Info
No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford Fusion:
Chassis No. 249. Crew
Chief, Bill Kimmel Jr., has chosen to run chassis No. 249 at Mansfield
Motorsports Park. Kimmel last drove this car to a fourth-place finish at
Toledo Speedway earlier this year.
2010 STATS
|
|
Starts |
Wins |
Poles |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Ave Start |
Ave Finish |
Pts. Pos./Prev |
|
Frank Kimmel |
9 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
10.2 |
9.1 |
4/5 |
TEAM ROSTER
|
No. 44 Team |
Hometown |
|
Crew Chief: Bill Kimmel |
Sellersburg, IN |
|
Car Chief: Larry Meadors |
Jeffersonville, IN |
|
Front Tire Changer: Lee Riddle |
Corydon, IN |
|
Front Tire Carrier: Eric Beyl |
Memphis, IN |
|
Jack Man: Will Kimmel |
Sellersburg, IN |
|
Rear Tire Changer: Shawn Rodgers |
Mt. Washington, KY |
|
Rear Tire Carrier: Tony Heavrin |
Jeffersonville, IN |
|
Gas Man: Larry Meadors |
Louisville, KY |
|
Catch Can: John Schueler |
Cincinnati, OH |
|
Spotter: Frank Kimmel II |
Borden, IN |
Tracy Olszewski
Public Relations Acoount Manager
704.664.5900
tracy@goactiv8.com
Hackenbracht Going Back to Roots at
Legends Million Shootout
(CONCORD,
N.C. - July 15, 2010) - On July 15-17 all eyes will be on
the Charlotte Motor Speedway when nearly 200 racers has attracted the best
of the best in the U.S. Legends car series including past 2008 Semi-Pro
National Champion in Elko, MN and current ARCA rookie Chad Hackenbracht. Chad
currently drives the #58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet but will be dusting off his #07
Tastee Apple Legends car for this big event.
The New Philadelphia, Ohio native has won his share of big races behind
the wheel of his No. 07 Tastee Apple’s Legends car running a total of 55 races
in 2008 winning 18 with 38 top 5’s and 47 top 10’s.
"This is going to be an exciting few days of racing leading up to
the $250,000 to win main event", said Hackenbracht. "It will kind of
be like a UFC fight on wheels. All I can hope is that I am in a position to win
with a few laps to go and then I guess you can say we will all take our gloves
off and battle for the win".
Chad Hackenbracht has seen his ups and downs in his rookie campaign in
ARCA and has shown improvement with each race. His No.58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet
was poised for his first Top 10 finish at Pocono when an expired engine spoiled
his day with less than 20 laps to go. His confidence remains high as his team
continues to showcase the rookie's talent. He has raced in a few Legends races
to prep for the Million Dollar event but is confident that he may be able to
bring home the huge top prize at Charlotte.
"Dan Snyder has my car dialed in whenever I get the chance to
race", added Chad. "I have worked with Dan for a few years and I know
that my race car will be ready for the "Million". The money would go
a long way in adding more races to my rookie campaign in ARCA. It is going to
be a great time at Charlotte and I look forward to racing against some of the
drivers I have raced with - in the past".
To learn more about Chad or to find out how you can become a marketing
partner of CGH motorsports call Jordan Dahl at 570-234-5449.
Jordan Dahl
570-234-5449
Craig Goess, Eddie Sharp Racing
Mansfield Advance
Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 4:10:27 PM | Don Radebaugh
Race: Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200
ARCA Racing Series presented by
RE/MAX and Menards: 10 of
20
Track: Mansfield Motorsports Park
Date: July 17, 2010
Craig Goess and the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 81 Greenville Toyota of N.C.
Toyota will take the track in the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at Mansfield
Motorsports Park on Saturday, July 17, 2010.
Last Race: Iowa: Under the lights at Iowa Speedway last
Saturday, Goess took eighth place after battling an ill-handling car for most
of the race. The race, broadcast live on SPEED, began with Goess making his 30th-career
ARCA Racing Series start in the sixth position. Although the No. 81 struggled
with adjustments for most of the night, Goess was consistent throughout the
race, remaining calm and staying out of trouble. He stayed in the top-15 for
the entire race while battling brake vibrations and an ill-handling car. After
many attempts, Goess was finally able to pass the No. 32 of Justin Marks to
take over the eighth position. The lead pack had a considerable lead at that
point, and Goess crossed the finish line in the eighth position.
Goess at Mansfield: Goess has one previous ARCA Racing Series
start at Mansfield Motorsports Park. In June 2009, Goess competed at the
half-mile track in the No. 81, where he qualified 11th and finished
in the 10th position. Goess also competed at the Mansfield, Ohio
track in 2008 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. In the field of 26 cars,
Goess started 10th and worked his way up to a fifth-place
finish.
In the Points: Six top-10s this season, including his
eighth place finish in Iowa, helped Goess move up one spot in the championship
standings to third. He is only 30 points out of second and 140 behind Justin
Marks at the top of the point standings.
Meet Craig Goess: Goess will participate in the ARCA Racing
Series autograph session Saturday. Fans have the opportunity to meet Goess and
the rest of the ARCA Racing Series drivers Saturday from 6 - 7 p.m. on the track.
For more information, go to www.ARCARacing.com.
Listen live:The race will be broadcast live on the BAS
Racing Network. Live scoring and timing will be available during practice,
qualifying and the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 on www.arcaracing.com.
QUOTES
Goess on running at Mansfield
Motorsports Park:
"Mansfield is a good track for us. We got our first top five in
2008 in the K&N Pro Series East car after a couple of starts. We had a bit
of damage there last year and still managed to finish sixth. We are going to
have a better car there this year, so I'm looking forward to it. It should be
pretty sporty."
Goess' ARCA Racing Series Mansfield
Motorsports Park History
|
No. |
Year |
Track |
Start |
Finish |
Laps |
Notes |
|
81 |
2009-June |
Mansfield |
11 |
10 |
202/202 |
Running |
Goess' ARCA Racing Series 2010
Season
|
Date |
Track |
Start |
Finish |
Laps |
Notes |
|
2/6 |
Daytona |
33 |
34 |
16/80 |
Crash |
|
2/27 |
Palm Beach |
10 |
13 |
69/70 |
Running |
|
4/11 |
Salem |
19 |
2 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
4/16 |
Texas |
6 |
2 |
105/105 |
Running |
|
4/23 |
Talladega |
22 |
4 |
94/94 |
Running |
|
5/23 |
Toledo |
6 |
14 |
198/200 |
Running |
|
6/5 |
Pocono |
3 |
1 |
80/80 |
Running |
|
6/10 |
Michigan |
1 |
6 |
100/100 |
Running |
|
7/10 |
Iowa |
6 |
8 |
200/200 |
Running |
Race length: 200 laps / 100 miles
Track layout: .5-miles
Shape: Oval
SCHEDULE
(All
times in EST)
Saturday, July 17
Practice
2:30 - 4 p.m.
Qualifying 5 p.m.
Race
8
p.m.
About Eddie Sharp Racing
Eddie Sharp set up shop in 2005 in Denver, N.C. after several years of
transforming young, talented drivers into ARCA championship contenders. Today,
Eddie Sharp Racing has evolved into the rite of passage for any serious
upcoming driver with an ambition for professional stock car racing. Located in
Denver, North Carolina just north of Charlotte, Eddie Sharp Racing occupies a
top-notch facility that closely resembles a five-star NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
team, both inside and out. The two ESR buildings contain two teams where on any
given day, championship contending cars are assembled, engines tuned and teams
strategize to score the next race day victory.
activ8 communications
Erin Sagester
Senior Manager
Social Media and Public Relations
704.664.5900
erin@goactiv8.com
Tim George Jr./Richard Childress
Racing Mansfield Preview
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 - July
17, 2010
Venue:
Mansfield Motorsports Park
Richard Childress Racing
ARCA Racing Series presented by
RE/MAX and Menards Race Notes:
Magnificent Mansfield ... Located just 15 miles from Tim Richmond's
hometown of Ashland, Ohio, Saturday's 200-lap/100-mile ARCA Racing Series
presented by RE/MAX and Menards race at Mansfield Motorsports Park is dedicated
to the memory of the former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who passed away due
to complications from AIDS in 1989. Although this weekend marks RCR's first
ARCA Racing Series appearance at Mansfield, Austin Dillon ran an RCR Chevrolet
at the half-mile track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East division,
finishing sixth after starting 12th.
RCR in ARCA ... Tim George Jr. has competed in the first nine
races of 2010 under the RCR banner and plans to complete the full 2010 season
in the No. 31 RCR Development Chevrolet Impala. Last weekend, Ty Dillon made
his ARCA Racing Series debut at Iowa Speedway, earning the pole and finishing
second. Austin Dillon drove the No. 31 Chevrolet in four ARCA Racing Series
starts over the last two seasons and Kevin Harvick raced in two ARCA events for
RCR in 1999.
Twitter ... Follow Tim George Jr. on his official Twitter
page - @TimGeorgeJr and follow RCR's Twitter page - @RCRracing.
ARCA Nation ... Cast your vote for Tim George Jr. in ARCA
Nation's Most Post Popular Driver contest presented by National Speed Sport
News by visiting the driver's ARCA Nation page - http://www.arcanation.com/rcr31.
Catch the Action ... Tune into the ARCA Racing Network at http://www.arcaracing.com for live timing and scoring
and a live audio feed of the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 beginning at 8 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time on Sat., July 17.
Tim George Jr.
No. 31 RCR Development Team
Chevrolet
Race Notes and Quotes
This Week's RCR Chevrolet at
Mansfield ... Tim George
Jr. will pilot chassis No. 152 from the Richard Childress Racing ARCA Racing
Series stable in this weekend's Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at Mansfield
Motorsports Park. George drove this Chevrolet to a 31st-place finish at Toledo
Speedway in May after a lap 98 accident and a 16th-place finish at Salem
Speedway in April. Prior to the ARCA Racing Series, this chassis competed in
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with driver Clint Bowyer, producing a sixth-place
finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2007. Bowyer also drove this car in
NSCS races at Michigan (June 2007; finished 16), Texas (April 2007; finished 16
and November 2007; finished 19) and Dover (June 2007; finished eighth and
September 2007; finished 12).
Last Weekend at Iowa ... George contributed to a strong weekend for
Richard Childress Racing Development teams and Earnhardt-Childress Engines at
Iowa last weekend, earning a 12th-place finish, leading six laps and moving up
one position in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards point
standings, to eighth. His ARCA Racing Series teammate, Ty Dillon, earned a
second-place finish and pole award in his series debut, while fellow RCR
development driver Austin Dillon earned his career first NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series victory and his third consecutive pole award in NASCAR's No. 3
tour on Sunday.
Mansfield Stats ... Tim George Jr. has one previous start at
Mansfield, finishing 22nd after starting 13th in the 2009 edition of the
race.
Point Me in the Right Direction ... Following his 12th-place finish in
Saturday's Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway, George moved up one position,
to eighth, in the ARCA Racing Series driver's point standings with 11 races
remaining in the 20-race series.
TIM GEORGE JR. QUOTES:
Give us a recap of Iowa.
"Iowa was a good weekend for RCR. My ARCA teammate, Ty Dillon,
captured the pole and Truck teammate Austin Dillon earned the pole and then
went on to win on Sunday. I ran competitively as well. Going out first for
qualifying is tough, but leading a lap in the race was good. We backed up a bit
at the end, but all in all it was a good points weekend."
What are your thoughts on Mansfield?
"I'm excited to get back to a short track. We rolled off the truck
pretty fast at the last two, and I'm looking forward to a good finish on a
short track. We have been competitive recently and need to hold that intensity
till the end of the race. Mansfield hosts some exciting races for the fans and
I'm looking forward to being part of the show."
Source:
Richard Childress Racing
Contact: Jackie L. Franzil
Richard Childress Racing
(336) 731-3334 Ext. 3757 - Office
(336) 655-8278 - Mobile
About Tim George Jr.
The New York, N.Y., native began racing in the Skip Barber Racing
School regional series in 2005. In 2007, he ran the Grand-Am KONI series before
moving up to the Grand-Am Rolex series in the GT class. In 2008, Tim George Jr.
was named Rolex Series MESCO "Building for the Future"
Rookie-of-the-Year, while driving for The Racer's Group. He has two GT class
podium finishes in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, finishing third in 2008 and second
in 2009. The 29-year old driver made his transition to stock cars running full-time
in 2009 in the ARCA Racing Series for Eddie Sharp Racing, finishing 11th in the
point standings with one top-5, two top-10 and six top-15 finishes. George Jr.
will pilot the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the ARCA Racing
Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards in 2010.
For more information, please visit www.timgeorgejr.com.
activ8 communications Courtney C. McGarry
Public
Relations Account Manager
704.728.3757
courtney@goactiv8.com
Allgaier Motorsports, Robb Brent
Mansfield Preview
Team News, Notes and Quotes
·
This Week’s Car … Robb Brent will pilot car No. 001 this
weekend in the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.
This is the 2nd outing for car No. 001 this season. It was ran just
last Saturday night under the lights at Iowa Speedway, Brent was so happy with
the handling of the car, Crew Chief Dave Leiner II decided to bring this
car to Mansfield. No. 001 came to Allgaier Motorsports from Joe Gibbs Racing;
it has been re-clipped, re-bodied and brought back to life as a Dodge. Prior to
Iowa Speedway last weekend No. 001 last saw the track at Salem Speedway in
2009.
·
Brent at Mansfield ... This will be the second trip for the ARCA
Racing Series to the 16 degree, half mile paved oval in Mansfield, Ohio. In the
Inaugural event Brent started 19th but his day ended prematurely
after being caught up in an early race accident, eventually coming home with a
25th place finish after only competing 43 of the 200 scheduled laps.
Brent is looking to improve and finish in the top 5.
·
Meet the Driver … On Saturday, July 17th from
6:00pm – 7:00pm Robb Brent will be signing autographs on track at Mansfield
Motorsports Park. Come check out the racecar and take time to meet the drivers of
the ARCA Racing Series prior to the start of the Tim Richmond Memorial 200.
·
Most Popular Driver … Be sure to cast your vote for Robb Brent
as the 2010 National Speed Sport News Most Popular Driver. Visit ARCANation.com
and vote for Robb Brent today!
·
Twitter … Follow Allgaier Motorsports official twitter page @allgaiermtrspts for live updates from the track.
Allgaier Motorsports will be giving away autographed items & race tickets
to some of its twitter followers, be sure to follow! Follow driver Robb
Brent, @robbbrent for updates and incite into his everyday
life.
·
The Action … The ARCA Racing Series will return to
action this Saturday, July 17, in the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at
Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park. Live timing and scoring and live audio
broadcast coverage presented by ARCA Nation will be available online at ARCARacing.com, 8 p.m. EST.
·
Quotes …
·
- Crew Chief Dave Leiner, II on Mansfield, “We decided to bring the same
car we raced at Iowa last weekend, Robb was very happy with the handling in the
race. It is a shame we had a parts failure and lost laps because we clearly
could have contended for the win. We aren’t giving up though, we know what we
have and it will happen… This Allgaier Motorsports team is top notch and
Mansfield should be a good place to prove it.”
- Robb Brent on Mansfield, “The Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram – Charger was
amazing at Iowa, I am pumped up that we are bringing it to Mansfield. We have
had such an up and down season, I am really hoping we can get into an up swing
and pick up some points and show these guys that we are a team to watch out
for. Mansfield is a fast & fun short track to drive; stuff happens really
fast here, it will be a great race to watch that’s for sure!”
For more on Allgaier Motorsports,
please log onto www.allgaiermotorsports.com
For more on Robb Brent, please log
onto www.robbbrentracing.com
Deana Cumbow
740.415.7406 - Cell
www.allgaiermotorsports.com
Dustin Long
Is Brian
France tipping his hand at Chase changes?
The buzz lately has been what will NASCAR Chairman Brian France do to
the Chase to create the drama he says the sport needs. His actions in the past
might indicate what he'll do even though some driver and fan opinions have been
sharp: They don't like some of the ideas being tossed around.
One Cup team
using NASA's help & what's up with these Transformers?
Odds and ends on a Thursday with no Cup race this weekend (but Trucks
and Nationwide at Gateway).
FOXSports.com News for NASCAR
Truck race
postponed for power outage
A NASCAR truck race has been postponed because of a power failure at
Gateway International Raceway outside St. Louis.
Villeneuve to
make NASCAR bid in Indy
Former Indianapolis 500 champion and Formula One star Jacques
Villeneuve is heading back to the Brickyard.
071610-Jacques-Villeneuve-SW-PI_20100716155007_335_220.JPG
Kahne to
drive in Truck Series at Pocono
NASCAR star Kasey Kahne will make his first start in the Truck Series
in six years when he drives the No. 18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Pocono
on July 31.
071510-NASCAR-Kasey-Kahne-PI_20100715191023_335_220.JPG
Motorcycle
USA Article Headlines
2010 AMA Pro
Racing Mid-Ohio Friday
Crushing the track record and taking provisional pole on Friday at the
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was Suzuki's Tommy Hayden followed by Yamaha's Josh
Hayes.
2010 Fantasy
Motocross Millville Hot Picks
With half of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship over and Round 7
rapidly approaching, it's time to make your Fantasy Motocross hot picks.
Zacks
Projects Harley 2nd Quarter Profits Up
Zacks Consensus Estimates project Harley-Davidson's 2010 Second Quarter
Results at a profit of $0.42 per-share, up from the $0.29 per-share reported in
H-D's 2010 First Quarter report.
Yanagawa to
Replace Vermeulen in WSB
The Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team has announced that Akira
Yanagawa will be replace Chris Vermeulen at Silverstone.
Los Angeles
Coliseum to Host X Games 16
The 16th edition of X Games is rapidly approaching and this summers
event will see a venue shift from the Home Depot Center near Long Beach to the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the heart of Los Angeles, California.
2010 MotoGP
Sachsenring Friday Insider
Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi celebrates his solid return to MotoGP
while Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa races to the top of the timesheets. All this
and more in Friday's Sachsenring practice insider.
Roehr
Announces eRoehr eSuperBike
First announcing its intentions to go electric back in January, Roehr
Motorcycles reveals more details about its new eRoehr eSuperBike and
eSuperSport models.
Harley-Davidson
to Display at Indy MotoGP
Harley-Davidson announced the Motor Company has joined the long list of
exhibitors who will be set up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 2010
Indy MotoGP round.
Custom V Star
950 Charity Auction at STAR DAYS
A V Star 950 customized by Jeff Palhegyi will be auctioned off at the
11th Annual STAR DAYS with proceeds benefitting the Feed the Children charity.
2010 AMA
Motocross Millville Preview
AMA Pro Motocross heads to Minnesota for the Spring Creek National in
Millville. Be sure to watch as the 450 and 250 classes trie to dethrone Ryan
Dungey and Christophe Pourcel.
Kawasaki
KX450F Mammoth MX Race Project
MotoUSA competes in the legendary Mammoth Motocross event with its 2010
Kawasaki KX450F project bike.
Fantasy GP
Sachsenring Hot Picks
The Doctor is back, Lorenzo is red-hot, Pedrosa and Stoner are finally
racing up to potential, and Round 8 of MotoGP action in Germany should be a
doozie so here's a few helpful Fantasy Racing tips.
2010
MotoUSA.com WMX Millville Preview
The ladies of WMX head to Spring Creek MX to race the famous Millville
circuit for the first time.
Nash
Motorcycles New Looky Looky Pipes
Nash Motorcycle Company continues to offer innovate aftermarket parts
with the introduction of its handmade Looky Looky Pipes.
Duhamel
Returns to AMA Superbike
After over a year away from the sport, multi-time AMA champion Miguel
Duhamel will make his return to Superbike racing at the upcoming round of the series
at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca aboard a privateer Ducati.
Sidi On Road
Gore-Tex Boots Review
Sidi sent over a pair of its On Road Gore-Tex Boots so we quickly set
out to test their reputation as a durable set of waterproof, all-purpose
motorcycle riding boots.
Rossi
Officially Racing Sachsenring
It was announced today that doctors have officially cleared Valentino
Rossi to race the German Grand Prix this weekend in Sachsenring, only six weeks
after his injury in Mugello.
Victory
Motorcycles Sturgis Party at Buffalo Chip
Victory Motorcycles will be holding its annual VRA party on 'Victory
Night,' Thursday, August 12 at the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground during the
2010 Sturgis Rally.
Pro-OHV Bill
Heads to President's Desk
The AMA reports a pro-OHV land use bill is headed to the President's
desk where it is expected to be signed into law. What is this biazzaro world?
Dr. Frazier:
Tips on Dropping Adventure Bikes
Having traveled the globe and put thousands of miles on a variety of
motorcycles, Dr. Frazier shares some of his embarrassing moments along with
some helpful tips.
Brammo
Empulse Electric Motorcycle
Oregon-based Brammo Motorsports unveils its newest electric motorcycle
design, the Empulse, which boasts a 100 mph top speed and 100-mile range.
NASCAR.COM - Camping World Series Headlines
Power outage
forces postponement of Truck race
MADISON, Ill. -- Gateway International Raceway found something other
than rain that could keep the Camping World Truck Series from its appointed
rounds.
Harvick
scores first career pole in Truck Series
Kevin Harvick won the pole for the CampingWorld.com 200 with a lap of
33.752 seconds (133.325 mph) in qualifying Friday at Gateway International
Raceway in Madison, Ill.
Harvick ready
for fun in Truck race at Gateway
As NASCAR races go, it's impossible for a driver to hit a home run
every time out in any series.
Kahne tabbed
to drive truck for KBM at Pocono
Kasey Kahne, who is undefeated in two career Truck Series starts, will
drive the No. 18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the inaugural Pocono
Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway on July 31.
NASCAR.COM - Nationwide Series Headlines
Younger Truex
ready to take sibling rivalry to next level
Ryan Truex is prepared to up the ante in his sibling rivalry.
Edwards, Sorenson
share affection for Gateway
It's hard to figure who is more looking forward to Saturday's
Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2),
Carl Edwards or Reed Sorenson.
NASCAR.COM - Sprint Cup Series Headlines
Villeneuve to run Braun's No. 32 in Brickyard 400
Braun Racing announced Friday that former Formula One champion and Indy 500 winner, Jacques Villeneuve, will attempt to qualify the No. 32 Toyota for the upcoming Brickyard 400 Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Road Racer X
Honda Road
Racerhead #29
You’ve got to
feel for Jorge Lorenzo.
With five MotoGP in seven MotoGP races this season and a worst finish of second
place, the guy is absolutely owning
the planet’s top road racing series, and yet the only thing anyone will talk
about is his teammate. That was the case before Valentino Rossi got hurt, and it was even
the case when The Doctor wasn’t at the races. I’m as guilty as anyone, but now
that #46 is officially back—as he was in today’s single practice session at the
Sachsenring round—I’m going to carry right on transgressing. Sorry, Jorge—I’m
sure you’ll get yours eventually.
Valentino Rossi returned to action at Germany's Sachsenring today after
an injury-induced break of six weeks. • Andrew Northcott photo
You’d think I’d
be upset with Vale. After all, he broke his leg the day after I arrived in
Europe for my big, overseas, summer road trip, and after he missed all four
rounds while I was in Europe, now he returns at the first race after I return
home! That’s okay, though; I’ll get to see him next week—along with the rest of
the MotoGP riders, and those of the AMA Pro Road Racing series as well—and so
will you if you’re attending next week’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca.
Both MotoGP and
AMA Pro will be coming to Laguna on the fly, as the American series is in
action—following a long break—this weekend, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Laurel Allen’s on the
ground in Lexington, and she’ll be posting news and race reports all weekend.
Rossi's presence at the pre-race press conference caused quite a stir.
• Andrew Northcott photo
But back to
Vale (sorry, but you have to admit, he makes it hard to talk about anything
else!): I remember the deflated feeling in the Mugello paddock in the minutes
following his crash. Watching the video of Rossi tenderly holding up his
wounded leg like a dog holds an injured paw, it was easy to wonder if The
Doctor would decide to call it a career, and many people—including yours
truly—went on the record predicting he would take his time coming back. After
all, what did he have to gain? In addition to the psychological challenge of
dealing with his first really serious injury, I figured that since the title
was presumably out of the question (and even with his early return, it still
probably is), he had little motivation for pushing things. Yes, his contract is
up, but it’s not like Valentino is at serious risk of unemployment. I’ll
confess that when one Italian journalist predicted Rossi would be back on the
track within two months, I literally rolled my eyes.
Though Rossi's return garnered the lion's share of the attention, it
was Dani Pedrosa who was fastest in today's session. • Andrew Northcott photo
Don’t get me
wrong—I’m happy Vale proved me wrong, but the question remains: why has he
pushed things so fast? Before we get into that though, let’s review the
timeline for the forty-one days that have passed between Rossi crashing and his
return to action today:
Saturday, June 5: At 10:39 a.m. and four seconds, Rossi high-sides at 111 mph in
Mugello’s Biondetti corner. Three seconds later, he comes to a stop with a
displaced, exposed fracture of his right tibia, and a broken fibula as well.
He’s transported by ambulance to the circuit’s medical center, and then by
helicopter to Florence’s nearby Careggi hospital. Later that day, after Rossi
is administered epidural anesthesia, Dr.
Roberto Buzzi performs surgery to realign the bones, and installs a
10mm pin with four screws (three of those below the break). A sedated Valentino
sleeps during most of the operation. (Later, in Yamaha
Insider, Rossi will credit Buzzi’s smooth operation for
helping significantly with his quick recovery.)
Casey Stoner was second-quickest today at the Sachsenring. • Andrew
Northcott photo
Sunday, June 6: From his hospital bed, Rossi gives a pre-race telephone interview
with Italian MotoGP television commentator Guido Meda. In the interview, which
is broadcast over Mugello’s P.A. system, Rossi says, “It was an ugly crash and
an ugly injury, but my morale is fairly high as I’ve discovered that I have a
nice rapport with morphine!” When asked what he expects in the race, Rossi
jokes, “Let’s hope no one wins!” Despite Rossi’s best wishes, Dani Pedrosa is
victorious in the first premier-class Grand Prix race since Rossi’s 2000 debut
without him on the start grid.
Monday, June 7: At 10:00 a.m., Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha crew, including team manager Davide Brivio and crew
chief Jeremy Burgess,
visits him in the hospital, along with his girlfriend Marwa Klebi and friends Alessio “Uccio” Salucci
and Albi. At
noon, Valentino’s father Graziano
and Dr. Claudio Costa
of the Clinica Mobile visit the injured rider in the hospital. “Now we need to
be patient,” Graziano says to Gazzetta
dello Sport. “There will be a long period of convalescence before he can
ride again.” As usual, Costa is less conservative: “A quick recovery?” he says.
“If he wants to try for a miracle, we can try together.” After being administered
a general anesthesia, Rossi undergoes a second surgery from 2:30 to 4:50 p.m.,
to clean the wound and have it stitched closed.
Congratulations to reader Chris Lykins, who won this hard-to-get Rossi
T-shirt in this week's TGI Monday trivia contest.
Tuesday, June 8: Rossi is visited by a specialist who works on the shoulder that he
injured in an April 15 motocross crash.
Thursday, June 10: Rossi is released from the hospital, carried by helicopter to a soccer
field in Cattolica, then driven the six miles to his home in Tavullia, where he
begins his convalescence. His only complaint about his time in the hospital’s
care? Being awakened at 7 every morning to have his blood taken. “That’s really
too early for me!” he jokes. Though initially confined to his bed, Rossi begins
using a hyperbaric chamber to provide extra oxygen to his injury, in an effort
to speed up the healing process. He will eventually undergo a total of about
fifteen hours in the chamber.
(Speaking of
Tavullia, please forgive me if I take a break here to congratulate reader Chris Lykins, of
Maineville, Ohio. Chris is the winner of our first TGI Monday
trivia contest, which we kicked off this week. We asked readers to list all of
the title sponsors of Rossi’s premier-class teams, and Lykins’ name was drawn
at random from all of the correct answers, which means he’ll receive a very
hard-to-find “Year of the Donkey” T-shirt from Tavullia’s Bar dello Sport. Oh,
and the answer to the question is: 2000-’01, Nastro Azzuro; ’02-’03, Repsol;
’04-’05, Gauloises; ’06, Camel; ’07-’10, Fiat; ’11, Marlboro? Be sure to check
in on Monday for next week’s question and prize. Now, back to our regularly
scheduled program.)
Dainese prepared special leathers and boots for Rossi's return to
action. • Courtesy Dainese
Saturday, June 19: Rossi is allowed to begin working his ankle and knee.
Sunday, June 20: Grand Prix racing makes a return to Britain’s Silverstone circuit, and
Rossi’s bike sits in the Fiat Yamaha garage. Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo
wins the race.
Saturday, June 26: The Assen TT is held, and again, Rossi’s bike sits in the garage. By
contract, three races (including Mugello in this case) is the maximum that a
team can not field a rider on one of its bikes, so Fiat Yamaha must enter a
rider in the next round. Lorenzo scores the win.
Sunday, July 4: Wearing #8, Yamaha test rider Wataru
Yoshikawa rides Rossi’s bike at the Catalunya MotoGP round. The
41-year-old former World Superbike racer finishes last, one minute and
thirty-five seconds behind winner Lorenzo, on the same bike.
Wednesday, July 7: Valentino blows the motorcycle world away by emerging from Tavullia to
test a World SBK-spec Yamaha YZF-R1 at Misano World Circuit, just about five
miles from his home. For the occasion, Dainese has prepared a special suit
and boots, the former with carbon-kevlar protection on the
lower legs, and the latter with a longer side opening to make donning it
easier. Rossi completes two sessions for a total of twenty-six laps around the
2.5-mile circuit, with a best time of 1:38.200. For comparison, Rossi’s own lap
record at the track, from 2008, is 1:34.904. “I had some pain in the ankle, the
knee and the shoulder,” Rossi says in a release, “but above all I lacked
strength in the shoulder and a bit of movement in the ankle.” Rossi immediately
updates his recovery program, working the shoulder with a therapist and in a
swimming pool to decrease the stiffness.
Like Rossi, Mick Doohan came back from a broken leg, in 1992. •
Courtesy Honda
Monday, July 12: The day after World Superbike holds its Czech Republic round at the
Brno circuit, Rossi takes to the track for a second test. This time he
completes an uncanny forty-six laps around the 3.357-mile track, with a best
time of 1:59.135—better than the 1:59.961 World Superbike lap record set by
former rival Max Biaggi
in 2008. During the test, Brivio tweets that Vale is talking more about the
bike than his injuries, which he considers a good sign. “Once I’d understood my
physical condition today, I had great fun riding the R1 and even did some work
on the settings!” Rossi says in a release. “I want to say a big thank you to
the WSB Team for staying on here another day and making this test possible for
me.”
Tuesday, July 13: Italian motorcycle weekly Moto Sprint’s website reports
that Uccio was spotted at 8:27 p.m., driving Rossi’s Monaco Dynasty motor home
north on Bologna’s ring road, and GP One reports that his fan club is heading
to Germany, where this weekend’s MotoGP race is scheduled to be held at the
Sachsenring.
Nicky Hayden was third-quickest today at a track that he tends to go
well on. • Andrew Northcott photo
Wednesday, July 14: Rossi’s doctors X-ray his leg and declare him fit to race at the
Sachsenring this weekend. Former Grand Prix racer and current German television
MotoGP commentator Alex
Hofmann breaks the news, via Twitter, that Rossi will race, though
he must first pass a medical inspection by track doctors.
Thursday, July 15: With the Mohawk he’d debuted at Mugello now shaved off, Rossi
participates in the pre-race press conference and undergoes a medical
inspection by the track’s chief medical officer, Dr. Claudio Macchiagodena. Though his
passing isn’t an absolute given (the same track restricted Casey Stoner from racing
following a hard crash in Sunday warm-up for the 2006 race), Vale is given the
go-ahead. Some, including Eurosport MotoGP commentator Toby Moody, express
concern about Rossi posing a safety risk to his competitors, pointing to Alex Debon being allowed
to take part in the Catalunya Moto2 race despite having broken his collarbone
and hand the previous week, and proceeding to take out much of the field in a
Turn 1 crash. It’s a legitimate concern, though it must be pointed out that
compared to Debon’s injuries, Rossi’s should affect a rider’s performance much
less; many top riders don’t even use the rear brake when their legs are
uninjured, and according to a tweet from Rossi mechanic Alex Briggs, Vale hasn’t
even opted to use a thumb brake. In addition, Vale’s having proven himself in
the test sessions had to help make the doctor’s decision easier. If one were
forced to pick a limb for a compound fracture (a decision I hope I never have
to make!), a road racer would probably choose his right leg.
Ben Spies made it two Americans in the top four today. • Andrew
Northcott photo
Friday, July 16: Rossi takes part in today’s single practice session, putting in four
runs (including one of eight hot-laps) for a total of twenty-nine laps (second
only to Lorenzo), including a best of 1:23.244. To the thousandth of a second,
that’s identical to Lorenzo’s best time, though Rossi is listed one position
behind his teammate, in seventh. (Pedrosa is fifth, with a 1:22.521 time.) “I
am really happy today, especially because I am a lot more agile on the bike
than I was in the tests,” Vale says in a release. “I am feeling quite confident
on the bike and also my shoulder is good and not giving me problems. Now I have
some pain in the leg and ankle but it’s not too bad…. Now we will have to wait
until tomorrow morning to see how the leg is and whether it has swelled
overnight or developed any problems.”
By the way,
props to Americans Nicky
Hayden and Ben
Spies, who posted the third- and fourth-best times, respectively,
at the Sachsenring today. If you missed it, be sure to check out Nicky’s Tuesday
Conversation from this week. Spies just turned 26 last week,
and he’s currently the series’ top rookie, twenty points ahead of Marco Simoncelli. This
is the sixth circuit of the season (out of eight) that’s new for him. Congrats
also to American Jake
Gagne, who qualified on pole for the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
Rossi reportedly carried his crutches into the pre-race press
conference at the Sachsenring. Talk about head games! • Andrew Northcott photo
Here I go back
to Rossi again: That’s a pretty incredible month and a half (as DJ_Rocket
tweeted this week, maybe
Aaron Yates should see Rossi’s doctor!), although it should be
noted that it’s not without precedent. The 1992 season comes to mind, as most
people are familiar with the Assen practice crash that broke Mick Doohan’s right leg.
The injured leg suffered medical complications and at one point risked
amputation, but with the help of Dr. Costa, the Aussie returned to the track
eight weeks later. Though he’d had a sixty-five-point lead at the time of the
injury, he lost the title to Wayne
Rainey. Fewer people remember that ’92 was also the year that Alessandro Gramigni
broke his tibia at the Jerez 125cc Grand Prix, but—yet again, with the help of
Dr. Costa—he came back at the very next round and eventually won the 125cc
world championship.
Still, Rossi’s
comeback is impressive, particularly in light of the fact that his original
prognosis was five months (“I think that’s if you want to play football!” he
joked).
So, considering
that many people think that Rossi always has a reason for everything he does,
why the rush to return? Well, upon reflection, there are a number of reasons:
One imagines Wataru Yoshikawa is happy to have Rossi back on track. •
Andrew Northcott photo
• Catching Ago: Rossi
still needs eighteen Grand Prix victories to catch the record of fellow
countryman Giacomo
Agostini, and the sooner he gets back to racing, the sooner he gets
back to winning. (According to MotoGP pit-lane reporter Ian Wheeler, “Rossi has
every intention of winning” this weekend, and www.bwin.com
has the Doctor’s odds at 9.00—last of the four “aliens,” but ahead of everyone
else).
• Pity: A return by Rossi
means poor Yoshikawa doesn’t have to embarrass himself in front of the world
again. I know I’ve been pretty merciless on the Japanese rider, but the truth
is I feel sorry for him. Some other, more qualified riders, passed on the
opportunity to ride Vale’s bike, but Wataru was a loyal company man, stepping
up to the plate even though he must have known it would mean public ridicule. I
don’t seriously pretend that this played a role in Rossi’s decision to return,
but I bet Yoshikawa—who is at the Sachsenring just in case—breathed a sigh of
relief when Rossi suited up this morning.
• Direction: As GP One pointed out,
both the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca are counterclockwise tracks, which means
more left turns than right—and less stress on Rossi’s injured right leg. If
you’re considering coming back injured, the timing could be a lot worse.
• Head games: Rossi is
famous for trying to get in the minds of his competitors, and it’s not hard to
imagine that this played a role in his decision to get back on the track so
quickly. Consider that Lorenzo has never won at the Sachsenring in any class,
whereas Rossi has been victorious five times—including 2006, when he had to
charge from tenth place. That’s more than any other rider, and a good result in
Germany could definitely shift the momentum of the series. Even if he failed to
catch Lorenzo by year’s end (he’s missed four races and is currently seventh in
points—104 behind Lorenzo), putting up a good fight would be enough to mentally
affect the Spaniard going into next year.
• Love: We can
prognosticate all we want, but in the end, it’s probably as simple as
this—Valentino loves racing motorcycles, and when someone is as good as he is,
it’s easy to understand why. I’m not—at anything—and that’s probably why I
initially failed to seriously consider the possibility that Rossi would be back
this quickly. It’s one occasion when I’m happy to have been wrong.
Welcome back, Vale! • Andrew Northcott photo
TEAM-SPEAK:
AMA Pro Mid-Ohio, Friday
RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing
The AMA Pro
Vance & Hines XR1200 Series debuted at Road America and defending AMA Pro
Daytona SportBike championship team RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing played a
major role with top AMA Pro competitors Danny Eslick and Jake Holden battling
for the win in the memorable first race for the class. Talented young racer
Kyle Wyman just missed making it a podium sweep for the team and Joseph
Rozynski earned seventh place. RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing is looking to
top that amazing race this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
RMR Bruce
Rossmeyer Daytona Racing, along with partners GEICO Powersports and Lucas Oil,
are excited to be a part of this new class. “It’s a win-win for everyone,” says
team owner Richie Morris. “We think this series is really going to be a hit
with the fans and put more people in the seats. First of all, the racing is
really good. With everyone being on similar equipment, that always makes for a
fun show and close racing every fan can enjoy. It leaves things up to the rider
to make the difference. Also, we’re addressing a different demographic with all
the Harley-Davidson enthusiasts out there and we feel in the United States,
that is very important. It’s great to be involved with Harley-Davidson at the
race track again.”
Morris has been
associated with the late Bruce Rossmeyer since 1994 and the XR1200 class is an
ideal way for the world’s largest new Harley-Davidson dealership to be involved
in racing.
In addition to
Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing, GEICO Powersports and Lucas Oil, the team has
compiled a notable set of technical partners for their AMA Pro XR1200 effort.
Industry leaders Revolution Performance, Pilot, EBC, Race Tech, and Orient
Express will help the team prepare their Harley-Davidson XR1200 machines to the
highest possible standards.
“The XR1200 is
really a blast to ride,” says Morris. “It’s a fun machine, really sporty, and
we think it translates well to the race track, too.”
The historic
first race for the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 class saw Eslick and Holden
enthusiastically flog their RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing machines around
the track as they fought for the win. The battle served to heighten interest in
the following races for the class, including this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course. “I’m really proud of how the team performed at Road America and the
weeks leading up to it as we got ready. All the riders did a great job and so
did Rick Bretl, who leads up the XR1200 program for the team. It’s always a
rush getting ready for the first race and we’ll do an even better job now that
we have a race under our belts. We are going to push preparing these bikes to
another level.”
While AMA Pro
race-winner Jake Holden is the team’s regular rider, a series of “special
guests” will compete on the team’s equipment that promise to bring more
excitement to the series, as Daytona SportBike champion Danny Eslick showed in
Wisconsin.
RMR Bruce
Rossmeyer Daytona Racing has also prepared XR1200s for credentialed racers
wishing to show their talent at upcoming races. Anyone wishing to ride or seeking
additional information should contact Richie Morris at
richiemorris@verizon.net.
BSB Rider
Tommy Bridewell Earns Wild Card for Silverstone WSBK
Quay Garage Honda rider Tommy Bridewell has secured a prestigious wild
card entry for the forthcoming Hannspree World Superbike Championship round to
be held at Silverstone on August 1st.
Having proved
to be a regular thorn in the sides of the established works stars in the MCE
Insurance British Superbike Championship already this season, with a best
result of fourth place at Cadwell Park in May, the 21-year-old from
Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wiltshire will race the ex-Gregorio Lavilla Honda
Fireblade against some of the world’s best riders and will join seven other British
riders contesting their home round.
Bridewell is no
stranger to World Championship action having raced as a wild card at Portimao
in 2008 aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6 whereby he qualified ahead of the factory
Kawasaki of Makoto Tamada and PBM Honda’s Chris Walker before claiming a best
result of 25th.
Tommy also
raced in a handful of 2009 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup races for the Lorenzini by
Leoni factory-supported Yamaha team with a best result of 13th at Valencia and
has experience in the Suzuki GSX-R European Cup whereby he finished on the
podium at Silverstone in 2006.
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m
absolutely delighted to be given the chance to race at my home round of the
World Superbike Championship and can’t wait to get going and to put on a good
show. While we don’t underestimate the level of competition, the old girl is
still competitive and we have proven that already this season so it’s our kind
of stage and anything can happen. It’s an additional drain on resources and the
budget is tight for our BSB season so I’m planning on selling a couple of my
toys to pay for it, which will be well worth it if I can put myself in the shop
window by beating a few of the established stars and gaining a few points along
the way.”
Change of
Management at Ducati North America
Yesterday, July
16, 2010, 1:54:08 PM | admin
Cupertino, Calif. (16 July 2010) – Ducati
Motor Holding announces today that Michael Lock, CEO of Ducati North America,
is leaving the company at the end of July.
Michael joined
Ducati in 2002 in the UK, and in early 2003 moved to the USA to head up the
management team at Ducati North America’s headquarters in Cupertino, CA. Over
the next seven years Lock’s team made many changes to Ducati’s organization,
distribution, marketing and service operations.
Lock’s hard
work culminated in Ducati achieving its highest ever US market share in 2009,
increasing Canadian sales four-fold between 2003-2009, and taking over
responsibility for the brand in Mexico earlier this year. As well as setting
sales records, Lock transformed DNA’s communication strategies and delivered
numerous highlights including the Monster Challenges, high profile retail
promotions with brands such as Oakley and Puma, and the successful conquering
of Pikes Peak with the Multistrada 1200 just this past June.
“I have
experienced and participated in an amazing journey at Ducati. In a few short
years we have been able to transform our brand into the most feared and admired
European motorcycle by competitors and enthusiasts alike. It has been a
privilege to be involved and I look forward to watching the brand soar to new
heights over the coming years.” Said Lock from his office Cupertino, CA.
“Michael has
been the driving force behind the great success Ducati has enjoyed in North
America this past seven years. His ambition, passion and his unwavering
determination has established our beloved brand as the object of desire for any
motorcyclist. He has nurtured the brand, developed the dealer network and put
together an outstanding team in the US, Canada and Mexico alike.” Said
Cristiano Silei; Vice President Sales at Ducati Motor Holding in Bologna,
Italy.
While Lock
moves on to pursue other opportunities, Ducati North America is looking to
finish a challenging year strongly. The much-admired Multistrada 1200 has been
winning awards, while the recent arrival of the Monster 796 to dealer showrooms
has spurred sales even further.
Cristiano Silei
will assume the position of CEO of DNA for the interim while retaining his
current position as Vice President of Sales at Ducati Motor Holding.
“North America
is the most important international market for Ducati and the one I personally
know the best. I am excited to be supporting DNA’s Senior Managers to set and implement
policy for the new season. Our goals are to support our dealer network and keep
improving our market share thanks to an ever expanding product line-up,
innovative branding and sound commercial policies”.
Dainese Info
on Rossi’s Post-Injury Suit, Boots (Pic)
Yesterday, July
16, 2010, 1:23:53 PM | admin
Right after the accident happened at Mugello,
Valentino started the recovery phase while Dainese started to develop a special
technical equipment which could help the Champion from Tavullia go back to his
motorbike as soon as possible. Valentino collaborated actively with Dainese’s
technicians and his indications were as always very precious.
Courtesy Dainese
On July 7,
during the very first test in Misano, the Doctor tried on the new suit and the
modified boots and he approved them from both a protection and comfort point of
view. D-Tec technicians (Dainese Technology Center) improved the details in
view of the second test in Brno and especially for Valentino’s surprising
comeback in Moto GP at Sachsenring. Beginning from Friday’s first practices,
Valentino will wear the suit with the D-air® racing system.
The
modifications on the suit that have been made concerns the bootleg part: the
classical shin protector in polypropylene has been substituted by one made in
carbon-kevlar and another one has been added to protect the fibula. Valentino
asked that this special protection could be integrated in the left leg as well.
The bootleg’s circumference has been widened in order to be able to put the new
protections and allow an easier insertion of the new boot. The boot in fact has
been widened as well to guarantee a better comfort to the injured leg and a
further side opening has been added in order to ease the fit.
Such a quick
reaction to the rider’s requests and the development of an outfit suitable to
the situation have been made possible thanks to the team work made by Dainese’s
technicians, engineers and doctors who have always studied the ergonomics and
movement of man in order to improve the protection systems in the action
sports.
Josh Waters
Recovery Update
Yesterday, July
16, 2010, 12:09:52 PM | admin
Chino, Calif. – July 16, 2010 – Josh Waters
is making progress in his recovery after a crash at Willow Springs Raceway last
week. Rockstar Makita Suzuki looked to Waters, the defending 2009 Australian
Superbike Champion, to fill in on the team’s GSX-R1000 as Blake Young
recuperates from an injury sustained in June at the Barber test.
Waters will not
be ready in time for this weekend’s Mid-Ohio round of the AMA Superbike series,
but the outlook is positive for the Laguna Seca Superbike race. Waters was
evaluated yesterday and has made strides toward recovery in the week since the
incident, and he will check back in with his doctor again to determine if he’ll
be cleared to race at Laguna Seca. The 23-year-old suffered a concussion and
collapsed lung, but the healing process is going very well and the team is
hopeful he’ll be able to make his U.S. racing debut before heading back to
Australia as he continues defending his title.
“We’re glad
that Josh’s recovery has gone so well,” Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Crew Chief
Peter Doyle said. “He’s a great guy, a great racer, and we’ll wait to hear if
he’ll be able to race Laguna Seca.”
AMA Pro,
National Guard Partner on Cell Phones for Soldiers
Yesterday, July
16, 2010, 11:11:09 AM | admin
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 15, 2010) – With
the National Guard supporting the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike series and
also the Jordan Motorsports team of Jake Zemke, Brett McCormick and Aaron
Yates, AMA Pro Racing is announcing their support of the Cell Phones for
Soldiers program.
Cell Phones for
Soldiers raises money through the collection of gently used mobile phones and a
drop-off box will be located at the National Guard Jordan Motorsports trailer
for the remaining five AMA Pro Road racing events in 2010.
Cell Phones for
Soldiers, a non-profit organization started in 2004 by 12- and 13-year-old
siblings Robbie and Brittany Bergquist with just $21 of their own money, raises
funds through the collection of gently used mobile phones, which are then
refurbished or recycled. Each year, more than 130 million cell phones are
decommissioned in the United States alone.
Once collected,
the phones are processed by ReCellular, the world’s largest recycler of used
mobile devices, and the phones are either refurbished and sold, or recycled
under strict EPA guidelines. Cell Phones for Soldiers then utilizes the money
from reselling the devices to purchase pre-paid calling cards to benefit the
more than 200,000 troops stationed at military bases around the world. Over the
last six years, Cell Phones for Soldiers has provided more than 1 million
pre-paid calling cards and 60 million minutes of calling time to soldiers
overseas.
Robbie and
Brittany Bergquist began Cell Phones for Soldiers after they saw a news story
on television about a soldier stationed overseas who had run up a $7,000 phone
bill by calling his family. Robbie and Brittany took $21 out of their piggy
banks and suggested that their friends donate their snack money to help the
soldier.
Fans not able
to attend a race can visit www.CellPhonesForSoldiers.com for information on how
to donate at one of 3,000 collection points nationwide or to download a
pre-paid, pre-addressed mailing label.
AMA Pro Racing
is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America,
operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of
motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
TEAM-SPEAK:
Sachsenring MotoGP, Friday (Pics)
Yesterday, July
16, 2010, 10:43:46 AM | admin
Releases will be posted at top as they
arrive.
MZ (Moto2)
After a first roll-out at the official Moto2
test session in Alcañiz last week, MZ Racing’s new aluminium tubular trellis
made a successful Grand Prix debut on the Sachsenring on Friday. Built by French
constructor Martial Garcia, one of MZ’s partners in the Moto2 engagement, the
new chassis has less weight and delivers a better handling than the previous
steel frame, and seems to be the perfect choice for the twisty Sachsenring
despite a low 29th position for MZ rider Anthony West in the first free
practice session.
Anthony West • Courtesy MZ
“Anthony just
did his first kilometers with this chassis, and we are still in the process of
finding the right base set-up. Our gearing was too tall, we had to adjust
handlebars and brake lever positions, and there is a lot of work left to do on
the suspension side. But the base is good, and we will sort through all these
issues step by step”, said team manager Peter Rubatto.
“I went to some
corners and compared section times. And what I found was really promising –
Anthony’s corner speeds were very fast”, explained MZ CEO Martin Wimmer. “In
these sections, he was just one tenth of a second slower than Elias and
Iannone, so we definitely don’t suffer from a lack of corner speed. It is the
overall lap time that still isn’t good enough, but I am sure we will find the
answer to that in today’s computer data.”
Anthony West – 29. Platz, 1:27,935 min.
“We need a bit more time for the
chassis set-up. It was probably a bit early for the new frame to actually be at
a Grand Prix, but we had to take a risk because the other bike was at its
limit. We are far away with the set-up at the moment, but if we get the
suspension sorted then I am sure the new chassis is going to work very well.
There is nothing wrong with the general feeling I get, we were just way too
soft with the suspension. Under heavy braking, the front was bottoming out, and
under acceleration, the rear was at the bottom, too and the whole bike was just
seasawing from the front to the back because it was so soft. That made it feel
very strange. But at least we know the problem and we can fix it for tomorrow.
If everything goes well I am confident to be able to match the pace of the
front runners!
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Jake Gagne set an unbeatable pole time in the
first qualifying session to dominate the build up to the German Grand Prix
round of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at the Sachsenring. The 16 year old
Californian heads second place man Alex Kristiansson by 0.146 seconds and the
16 year old Swede was only a tenth ahead of the Spanish 18 year old Cup points
leader Daniel Ruiz and 15 year old Italian Kevin Calia who complete the front
row of the grid.
Jake Gagne • Courtesy Red Bull
Gagne’s first
session time was untouched but the American was not just sitting in the shade
while the others charged round in the heat that hit 38 degrees in the first
session. “In the second session I just didn’t get a clear lap when I wanted it,
there always seemed to be a slower rider. The bike was good from the start today,
we changed the rear suspension a little but otherwise nothing.”
Not
surprisingly the Assen winner is looking forward to the race and the
possibility of his 2nd Rookies Cup victory even with the forecast thunderstorm.
“I think we can run a pretty good race pace. We’ll see what the weather does
but I’m not worried either way.”
Kristiansson is
also keen to get racing. “I think I can go a bit faster in the race, sure and
it should be good. We softened the front suspension a bit because the bike
wanted to run wide and then it was really good. We may change the rear a little
for the race because it is sliding a bit now but otherwise it’s great.
Ruiz is also
happy with the bike set up and his front row position. “The day started badly
because I was terrible in free practice, my lines were all over the place and I
couldn’t concentrate. In qualifying I was determined to take the pressure off
myself and told my uncle not to put out the pit board, I just wanted to ride. I
also tried some tips that Gustl and Raul told me and they helped as well so I’m
happy now with the bike and myself.”
Completing the
front row is 15 year old Italian Kevin Calia. “That’s great, I enjoyed that
session, the bike is good and I feel happy, I think it can be a great race.”
Italian 16 year
old Alejandro Pardo chased Ruiz round towards the end of the session and leapt
to 5th ahead of 16 year old Briton Harry Stafford and 16 year old Czech Tomas
Vavrous. With 7th place on the grid Vavrous was enjoying by far his best time
on a Rookies KTM having recorded the 3rd fastest time in the 1st qualifying
session. “It is actually not my favourite track but I got into a good rhythm in
the first session and was really enjoying it. I couldn’t find the same rhythm
in the 2nd session but I hope I can in the race, I just need to make a good
start.”
Completing the
2nd row of the grid is 15 year old Japanese Daijiro Hiura who was leading the
Cup points tally until a DNF in the second race at Assen dropped him to 3rd, 12
points behind Ruiz. “I don’t know what the problem is, the bike is OK but I
just couldn’t get the lap time,” he admitted.
A single second
covers the top 11 riders including Danny Kent who lies 2nd in the Cup table by
a single point and qualified 10th. “It’s not a good qualifying position but
gearbox oil leaking onto the rear tyre in that session and I still wasn’t too
slow so I guess I should be happy with that. I just need a good start in the
race and go for it.”
Saturday’s race
can be seen live on www.redbull.com at 16.30 CET and Sunday’s at 15.35 CET.
They are races 6 and 7 in the 10 race series.
Official
Qualifying Classification
1. Jake Gagne
(USA) 1 minute 31.074 seconds
2. Alexander Kristiansson (SWE) +0.146
3. Daniel Ruiz (ESP) +0.262
4. Kevin Calia (ITA) +0.373
5. Alejandro Pardo (ITA) +0.387
6. Harry Stafford (GBR) +0.391
7. Tomas Vavrous (CZE) +0.608
8. Daijiro Hiura (JPN) +919
9. Brad Binder (RSA) +0.929
10. Danny Kent (GBR) +0.946
Mapfre Aspar (Moto2)
Intense summer heat welcomed the Moto2 riders
to Sachsenring today as the German Grand Prix got underway with track
temperatures of 55ºC contributing to another crash-strewn session in the
intermediate class. The first free practice was largely dominated by Spanish
riders, including Mapfre Aspar man Julián Simón, although a late charge from
Simone Corsi saw the Italian finish with the best time.
Julian Simon • Courtesy Aspar
Simón led the
way after fifteen minutes but his determination to do well at a circuit where
he took 125cc victory last year led to a series of mistakes. He ran off track
at the end of the straight with 20 minutes remaining and then crashed in turn
four just a few laps from the end. Luckily he escaped unhurt and is hopeful of
battling for pole position tomorrow. Mike Di Meglio, also a winner here in the
minor category, made constant progress on board his Suter machine and on the
final lap of 32 he set a best time of 1′26.966, which was good enough for
twelfth overall.
4th Julián Simón 1.26.758 (24 laps):
“It was a very positive first day
for us because the bike performed well for the whole session I tend to be
comfortable at this track and I was able to push hard from the start. I maybe
put the soft tyres on a little late to go for a good time. As far as the crash
is concerned I was pushing hard and lost the front – even though I tried to
save it the rear came around and threw me off. I hurt my neck a little but I
think I’ll be fine to ride tomorrow. The objective tomorrow is to have two good
sessions and qualify on the front row because the start is going to be madness
on Sunday.”
12th Mike Di Meglio 1.26.966 (32 laps):
“I am happy because we ended the
day quite well. This is a tough track and riding a Moto2 around it is nothing
like a 250. There is a lot of engine braking and you need a totally different
approach to the corners. The Suter is working perfectly and we did a good job –
even though I finished twelfth I am only six tenths off the best time, which is
much closer than at other races. We’ll have to keep working tomorrow to qualify
as high up the grid as possible although we know which direction we have to
work in – we just have to confirm a couple of things from today. The base
set-up of the bike is really good – we just have to try and improve it tomorrow
but I’m happy with the way we have started.”
MotoGP
There was great excitement at the
commencement of the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Friday as the focus
at the start of the opening practice session revolved around Valentino Rossi’s
return to action after six weeks out with a broken leg. The Italian made his
comeback on his Fiat Yamaha M1 and was seventh fastest, in an hour-long session
topped by Dani Pedrosa.
Setting his
time of 1’22.521 on his final lap, having led for the last minutes of the
session, Pedrosa was 0.274s faster than Casey Stoner, who placed second on the
timesheet as he vied for top spot throughout the session with some consistently
fast lap times. Joining the pair in the top three and the final rider under the
1’23” marker was Stoner’s Ducati Team colleague Nicky Hayden, 0.462 seconds
down on Pedrosa thanks to his late effort.
Ben Spies took
the best part of the session to feel his way around the track and survived a
run-off at turn 10 a quarter of the way into the session, but towards the end
he posted an impressive time of 1’23.189 to place fourth. Another rookie in the
shape of Marco Simoncelli completed the top five on his satellite Honda Gresini
machine.
In sixth and
0.703s down on Pedrosa was MotoGP World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo,
timing in with a best effort of 1’23.224, just two-hundredths off Simoncelli.
Meanwhile on the other side of the Fiat Yamaha garage, Rossi hobbled his way
back onto his bike with the assistance of a single crutch and with hundreds of
media men bustling to get the best shots of his first contact with his M1. The
nine-times World Champion completed 29 laps in total, and was only 0.02s off
his team-mate’s best time.
Randy de Puniet
overcame a dramatic moment with the front end of his bike early on, controlling
his LCR Honda RC212V admirably in the midst of a big wobble to go on and lap
eighth fastest. Marco Melandri and Andrea Dovizioso completed the top ten.
The MotoGP
riders will be back on track on Saturday morning at 9.55am local time for the
second practice, ahead of the afternoon qualifying session.
Moto2
Simone Corsi
was the fastest rider in the first Moto2 practice at Sachsenring, setting a
best time of 1’26.306 on his JiR Motobi machine. That placed the Italian 0.218s
clear of Gabor Talmacsi (Fimmco Speed Up) who was second.
Talmasci had
led with his fourth from last lap of the session – a 1’26.524 – but six minutes
before the end Corsi shot up from 16th place and into first with his effort.
Alex Baldolini (Caretta Technology Race Dept) completed the top three at just
under nine-hundredths behind Talmacsi.
Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar) had a session which included a fall towards the
end, but by then the Spaniard had set his fastest time to place fourth
quickest. Championship leader Toni Elías (Gresini Racing) went down too, this
time towards the start of the session, but returned to set the fifth fastest
time of the hour just over half a second off Corsi’s pace.
Alex Debón
(Aeroport de Castelló-Ajo) was sixth as he avoided falling when running off
during the session, with the top ten completed by Sergio Gadea (Tenerife 40
Pons), Roberto Rolfo (Italtrans STR), Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP) and Andrea
Iannone (Fimmco Speed Up). Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Moriwaki Racing),
currently second in the overall standings, was 15th.
125cc
The 125cc World
Championship leader, Marc Márquez’s dominance of the series continued without
respite at Sachsenring as the 17 year-old set the fastest lap of the session by
some distance with a 1’27.435. That made Márquez the only rider under 1’28” in
the session, and placed him a substantial 0.833s clear at the top of the
timesheet.
Next up was
Tuenti Racing’s Pol Espargaró, who is just a single point behind Márquez in the
standings, and the young Catalan rider had a few nervy moments during the
session. After 18 minutes he controlled his Derbi machine well in a run-off at
turn eight, and towards the end of the session avoided a collision with
wildcard rider Marvin Fritz. Nevertheless his intentions of challenging Márquez
this weekend were made clear with a time of 1’28.268.
Completing an
all-Derbi top three was Espargaró’s team-mate Efrén Vázquez (+1.190s on
Márquez), with German duo Jonas Folger (Team Ongetta) and Sandro Cortese (Avant
Mitsubishi Ajo) clearly well motivated for their home event as they both timed
within a tenth of the second of Vázquez. Tomoyoshi Koyama (Racing Team
Germany), Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) and Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar)
completed the top eight in the hour-long session.
A notable
absence from the practice was Bancaja Aspar rider Nico Terol, who is currently
third in the Championship. The Spaniard, who suffered a bruised lung and two
fractured vertebra in a last-lap crash at Catalunya almost two weeks ago, was
given the medical all-clear to ride this weekend but after an uncomfortable
Thursday night decided to leave a final decision on whether he will ride until
Saturday morning.
Marc VDS (Moto2)
The Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding was
less than a second off the fastest time in today’s first free practice session
at Sachsenring. The 17-year-old Briton finished the session in 20th position,
with his teammate, Hector Faubel, just a tenth of a second further back in
25th.
Redding ran in
the top five during the early stages of the session, which was run in
sweltering conditions at the physically demanding Sachsenring circuit. After
pitting for new tyres the Marc VDS rider returned to the track but got held up
by traffic and was unable to improve his lap time. Redding was lucky to walk
away from a big crash at the end of the session, after losing control of his
Suter MMX machine at turn nine and running off the track at the fourth gear,
185km/h turn ten.
Faubel improved
his lap time with every run during today’s hour-long practice session,
completing 29 laps around the 3.671km Sachsenring circuit. The main focus for
the 26-year-old Spaniard was on getting a better feel for his Suter MMX
machine, an approach he will also adopt for tomorrow’s second free practice
session, after making some small set-up changes overnight.
Today’s free
practice session was held in hot conditions, but thunderstorms are being
predicted to arrive during tomorrow’s all-important qualifying.
Scott Redding #45: 20th – 1′27.311
“The session started okay and I
felt happy at the pace we were running; it didn’t feel like we were going that
fast to be honest. We switched to a new set of tyres halfway through the
session, looking for a faster lap time, but I got held up for a long time
behind Yuki Takahashi and the front tyre had already started to go off by the
time I found a clear track in front of me. While the start of the session was
good, the end certainly wasn’t; I got completely sideways in turn nine and
couldn’t get it gathered up before crashing at turn 10. I’m okay and so is the
bike, which is the main thing. The lap time will come tomorrow, I’m confident
of that, so we should be in a good position going into qualifying.
Hector Faubel #55: 25th – 1′27.491
“Today we didn’t make any big
changes to the bike; I just did as many laps as possible to try and better
understand the bike as it was. We got faster with each run, so the
understanding is coming, but we did have a few issues under hard braking which
we need to address. We’ll also make some small changes to the front of the bike
overnight and tomorrow we will use the same approach as today. I’m pretty happy
with progress today, as I improved my lap time with each run. I’m confident we
can improve even further tomorrow.”
Pete Benson: Scott Redding’s Crew Chief
“We got a good start to the
session. Scott got the bit between his teeth from the off and set his fastest
lap after hooking up with a group of fast riders early on. We made a few small
changes to the suspension settings to try and improve rear traction at certain
parts of the circuit, but this is something we’ll have to look at again in
tomorrow’s second free practice session. In the past we’ve struggled a little
bit when the track temperature has gone up, but Scott coped with the conditions
much better today. Overall, it was a pretty good session and we should be able
to improve further tomorrow.”
Gresini Racing (Moto2)
It could have been worse. That was the final
reflection for Team Gresini rider Toni Elias on a day that saw him crash his
Moriwaki MD600 but saw it fixed in time to return to the track to contest the
remainder of the opening free practice for the German Grand Prix. Fifth place
overall is a positive result considering the circumstances and gives the
Spaniard a solid base to work from tomorrow, with grid positions always at a
premium at the tight and twisty Sachsenring. As such, the work done by Toni and
his team tomorrow will be crucial.
Toni Elias • Courtesy Gresini
Toni Elias ( 5th 1´ 26″ 826)
“I crashed in a fast corner and I
was lucky. I made a mistake on the way into the turn and lost control of the
bike. Thankfully it didn´t bounce too high and the damage was limited. Thanks
to the track marshals and my team I was able to get back on track within just a
few minutes, recover my confidence and finish fifth fastest. I am happy because
it could have been a lot worse, I was running up front before the crash and I´m
inside the top five anyway so it wasn´t a bad day overall.”
Vladimir Ivanov • Courtesy Gresini
Vladimir Ivanov (28th 1´ 27″ 879)
“I´m a little disappointed I
didn´t find a good feeling with the tyres today and I couldn´t get confident on
the bike. We have to work hard because I know I can and must do much better at
this track. We´ll see tomorrow.”
Fausto Gresini
“Apart from the crash at the start
of the session, which set our work programme back a little, I have to say we´re
in decent shape. We did a good job towards the end of the session and finished
it in a positive way. Toni quickly recovered his feeling with the bike so he is
happy and he should be able to improve his position tomorrow. It is fundamental
to start from the front row at this circuit and Toni has the tools to do it. ”
San Carlo Honda Gresini
Today marked the first positive opening session
of a Grand Prix since the start of the season for Team San Carlo Honda Gresini,
with Marco Simoncelli quickly getting into his rhythm and setting a fast pace
that saw him end with the fifth best time. Naturally there is still a lot of
work to be done before Sunday´s race but if the Italian can improve the grip of
his Honda RC212V he is determined that he can be running with the front pack.
His team-mate Marco Melandri is still suffering with his injured sternum but
also managed some highly respectable lap times, finishing the opening free
practice of the German Grand Prix as the ninth fastest rider on track.
Marco Simoncelli • Courtesy Gresini
Marco Simoncelli (5th 1´ 23″ 204):
“I am happy with the fifth fastest
time although it doesn´t mean that much because there are a lot of riders in
just a few tenths of a second. It wouldn´t take much to drop from fifth to the
bottom of the time sheets but I can´t deny I´m pleased to be inside the top
five for the first time in MotoGP – it feels good. Obviously we still have a
lot of work to do because we´re still having some problems with rear grip but I
think we have the data we need to make the right changes for tomorrow. Other
than that, like I say, I am happy and confident that I can do well again
tomorrow. One thing is for certain – we have started out on the right foot.”
Marco Melandri • Courtesy Gresini
Marco Melandri (9th 1´ 23″ 290):
“I am satisfied – the shoulder is
responding well and I feel looser on the bike. I am still struggling a little
with my sternum and get the odd sharp pain in my left collarbone but I feel a
lot better than Barcelona. I can ride easier and better. The bike is working
well at this track and if we can improve the set-up a little we can have a good
session tomorrow, improve on recent qualifying performances and try to close
the gap to the front guys so I am feeling extremely confident.”
Fausto Gresini:
“This was an extremely positive
first session for us – the first Friday since the start of the season when we
can say we are truly satisfied. Simoncelli has confirmed his recent progress
with an excellent result and he put together a good number of laps at a fast
pace. Of course we still have work to do but we´re convinced he can improve
more tomorrow once he has found a better balance to cope with these
temperatures. Everybody is close and it looks like it´s going to be a fun Grand
Prix. Melandri also had a positive session, setting a good pace once he had
found the right balance for his bike. He also has a lot of work to do tomorrow
but this is a good start. It is always important to get off on the right foot
at such a demanding track as Sachsenring.”
Caretta Technology (Moto2)
Rider: ALEX
BALDOLINI (N.25) – 3° – 1’26.612
2010 Grand Prix of Germany – Sachsenring
Alex Baldolini • Courtesy Caretta
Alex finished
the first free practice session in the hot Sachsenring circuit with the third
time at only three tenths behind the leader Simone Corsi.
Alex Baldolini:
“I’m happy: the bike feels good
and I’m confident for tomorrow. The work done in Aragon test start to give us
results. With this tire I can ride better. I like this track and I hope to do
well”.
Giorgio Bertelli (Team Manager):
“We worked hard on the bike and
now we can see the results. The rider was able to ride well and take advantage
from the hard work of the team. We hope for tomorrow”.
LCR
Racing
Sachsenring, 16 July: The 800cc premier class riders hit Germany this
week end for the eight round of the season at the Sachsenring race track and
the opening day of free practice for Sunday’s Deutschland 30-lap Grand Prix was
conducted with sweltering conditions as the air temperature rose up to 36
degrees.
Randy de Puniet • Courtesy LCR
Thanks to his stunning performances in the last three rounds of the
season, HRC rewarded LCR Honda MotoGP racer Randy de Puniet’s brilliant
commitment with upgraded chassis parts in Catalunya and a new electronic
software that the Frenchman has tested today in the first 60-minute free
session at the 3.671 km race track. The 29-year-old clocked his fastest lap
time of 1’23.260 (8th overall) chasing the correct set-up of his RC212V for
tomorrow’s qualifying session.
De Puniet –8th – 1’23.260
“Well… it was a hard-working day for us
because HRC gave us a new electronic software to test. First of all we have
decided to go for a long run on our base bike and after that we started working
on the new software. Of course it takes time to adjust it following my
preferences about engine brake and all that so we had some little issues about
engine mapping. We lost some valuable laps as we stopped at the garage but it
was a positive afternoon and we gathered important data to fix the bike.
Unfortunately we are expecting rain for tomorrow so this was probably our only
chance to set the bike in the dry”.
Tuenti
Racing Derbi (125)
Tuenti Racing Derbi have made an excellent start to the first day or
practice and qualification at the Grand Prix of Germany; taking place – as
every year – at the Sachsenring circuit. Pol Espargaró marked the second best
time while Efrén Vázquez was third quickest, both only headed by current 125cc
world championship leader Márc Márquez. The two Tuenti Racing riders each
experienced a different session, with Efrén continually among the leaders and
Pol working on his bike set-up and then leaping to second place in the final
stages of the chrono..
Pol Espargaro with crew and brother Pol (right). •
Courtesy Tuenti
2nd POL ESPARGARÓ
“I´m quite happy with how the day went
because we are not far from first position and we know exactly where we can
improve. We are losing too much time in the fourth split of the circuit and we
need to work on a solution for that zone to make an important step forwards.
The bike is too unsettled in the rear end and its tricky for me to get on the
gas entering the start straight. Tomorrow we will make a few changes to the
bike, as much in the chassis as with the gearing and I hope I can lower my
times considerably.”
3rd EFRÉN VÁZQUEZ
“We´ve started the Grand Prix on the right
foot and from the first moment we were at the top of the time sheets, something
we haven´t managed for the last few races. In only three laps I lowered my best
time from last year and then we worked on shaving tenths and getting ready for
the race. I feel good around this track and hope to take a decent result before
we have a small break; from which we will really push to get the maximum
possible from the second half of the season.”
Ducati
Marlboro
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden battled hard
to overcome the intense heat and tortuously tight layout of the Sachsenring
circuit today, setting the second and third fastest times in the opening free
practice for the German Grand Prix.
Casey Stoner • Courtesy Ducati
After visiting
three fast and flowing circuits in the last three rounds the pair worked hard
to adapt the set-up of their machines to the slower circuit and both riders
made their most significant progress on their final outing.
Stoner put a
string of three sub-1’23 laps together to challenge for top spot, only losing
out to the overall fastest time in T4, where he will look to improve tomorrow.
Hayden, meanwhile, put the best aspects of the base set-up of his two machines
together for a final run that saw him improve by 0.8 seconds and charge up to
third place.
CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 2nd (1’22.795)
“In general the bike felt pretty
good for most of the session today but we need to make a few improvements. As
usual we seem to have one part of the bike working very well at the start and
then when we try to improve in other areas we make the good part worse and
struggle for a compromise. We tried both sets of tyres today – the harder
compound and the softer – and did our fastest time on the hardest but without
really finding out which is the more suitable for the race. The softer front
was working well but we had some issues when we switched to the harder one, in
particular it was wanting to tuck at the bottom of the hill, so that’s another
area we need to improve. In general, like I say, we’re pretty happy with the
bike – it’s working well but we have work to do if we’re going to get to where
we want to be.”
Nicky Hayden • Courtesy Ducati
NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd (1’22.983)
“All in all not a bad first day
for us. It was really important to get as much information as we could today,
to try all the tyres and a couple of different set-ups because it looks like
there’s a good chance of rain tomorrow. We started out struggling quite a bit –
right in the beginning it wasn’t too good but I switched bikes and immediately
got a better feeling. Actually one bike was better on the front, one bike was
better on the rear so it was a case of finding a compromise. There are a couple
of parts on the track where I am quite fast but a few sections where I’m losing
a lot and every tenth counts around here – I mean, a lot of tracks you look for
tenths but around here literally half a tenth can make a big difference. But
it’s a cool track, I like it, that fast corner out the back is a lot of fun.
We’ll just try to keep rolling.”
Pramac
Racing
An above average temperature today has accompanied the first free
practice of the eni Grand Prix of Germany that will take place Sunday on
Sachsenring’s circuit. The thermometer has exceeded 36 degrees, unusual
temperature for the German climate. Pramac Racing Team riders, Mika Kallio and
Aleix Espargarò, have a good start to 
approach
the race weekend, finishing in eleventh and in twelfth position respectively
with less than a second gap behind the first position rider, Dani Pedrosa.
Thanks to the technical and to the information given by the riders there were
made some improvements on the bike. This had allowed both riders to reduce
their lap times and reduce the gap from the fastest riders. Good feeling for
the tomorrow’s qualifying where both riders will aim to gain a prominent place
on the starting grid of the eni German Grand Prix.
Aleix Espargaro • Courtesy Pramac
Fabiano Sterlacchini – Technical Director
“During the free practice we have worked to
solve some problems encountered during the last race in Barcelona. In
particular on Aleix bike we have identified some changes to allow him to have
more grip on the front wheel. Too bad he had failed to take advantage in his
final exit from the pits. We’re still very happy with the pace that he had
today, he had turned almost constantly under 1′23. Regarding Mika’s bike,
we had worked intensely on the suspensions impact to allow him to have a
stiffer bike for the corners entry. The distance accused from the firsts gives
me good hope for the second free practice and for tomorrow’s qualifying session
where we will push to allow both riders to gain a good position.”
Mike Kallio • Courtesy Pramac
Mika Kallio – Pramac Racing Team – 11th best time in
1′23 .422
“We have partially solved the problem we had
on Barcelona’s track during the last Grand Prix. We have worked on the
suspension to let my bike have more rigidity in the corners entry. We are very
close to the top of the standings. Tomorrow I will give my best to achieve a good
position on the starting grid.”
Aleix Espargarò – Pramac Racing Team – 12th best time
in 1′23 .430
“Unfortunately I was unable to repeat the
good results of the last Grand Prix, where during the first free practice I was
always very fast. As in Barcelona we had a little grip problem on the front
wheel, but thanks to my engineers we have identified some changes to the
settings of the bike to make it more stable. The gap from the others is still
very small and this gives me good feeling for tomorrow’s qualifying session.”
Paginas
Amarillas Aspar
After just a week’s break following three back-to-back European rounds
the MotoGP World Championship was back in action today at Sachsenring. Whilst the
smaller categories head into their summer break after this weekend, the
premier-class teams and riders travel directly to the United States on Sunday
night. There is business to take care of before that however as Valentino Rossi
makes his return to competitive action in Germany after a six-week absence
through injury. Dani Pedrosa set the pace but it was a good day for Ducati,
with Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden lapping second and third fastest.
Hector Barbera • Courtesy Aspar
Páginas
Amarillas Aspar rider Héctor Barberá was also pleased with his performance in
today’s opening session and enjoyed riding his Ducati around the dramatic drops
and rises of Sachsenring. The Spaniard worked hard throughout the session and
made a notable improvement on his 24th lap to clock a 1′23.599, his
fastest of the day. It was enough for fifteenth place on the time sheets but
with just a second separating him from top spot Héctor is happy and confident
that if he can improve in the final two sectors of the track he can put on a
highly competitive display on Sunday.
15th Héctor Barberá 1.23.599 (31 laps):
“I spent today trying new things,
like we did in Barcelona, and I can say that I’m happy that we’ve taken a step
forward. I’m only a second off the fastest time and that makes me think we can
challenge for our best result yet. Before Barcelona I had dropped off the pace
a little but it seems like we’ve found our way again. I feel comfortable on the
bike again and I’m enjoying myself out on the track – I just think it’s a
matter of a little time before our speed really improves. Things came more
easily today than they have been doing recently and little by little we are
improving my feeling with the bike, which is really important. This is a small
track but it is fun. I am only losing a couple of tenths to the top guys in the
first couple of sectors but we have room for improvement in the last two.”
Repsol
Honda
Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa finished on top of the timesheets today in
first practice for the German Grand Prix and laid the foundations for a strong
weekend at the Sachsenring. The 24-year-old lapped consistently quickly on his
RC212V and finished the practice period a significant 0.274s ahead of his
nearest rival in a very close session where the top 13 riders were covered by
less than one second. Dovizioso was just 0.875s back from his Repsol Honda
team-mate, which translated to tenth position due to the closeness of the times.
Dani Pedrosa • Courtesy Honda
Pedrosa once again displayed his affinity with the tight and technical
German track by setting four laps in today’s session that were quicker than any
other rider. Tomorrow he will be looking for a repeat of the pole position he
secured here in 2006 during his debut MotoGP season. Dovizioso is also
confident of improving his pace and position in tomorrow’s two practice periods
after losing time at the s tart of this afternoon’s session with an electronic
issue. Once that was ironed out, the 24-year-old Italian went steadily quicker
and would doubtless have finished higher up the timesheets given equal track
time to his rivals.
The hot weather
from the last race at Barcelona has followed the MotoGP series to Germany, with
today’s session taking place in 36 degrees ambient temperature. Forecasts
predict the possibility of a thunderstorm for tomorrow, with Sunday’s 30-lap
race, starting at 14.00, expected to be dry.
DANI PEDROSA – 1st – 1m 22.521s
“It’s great because for the first time this
season I’ve got the best time on Friday and this is a very positive step for
us. We normally struggle initially, but today we did a very good job in first
practice and I’m very happy for this. It’s also a good result because tomorrow
it could rain and so it was very important to get the basic set-up fixed on the
first day here. I hope we will have one more practice session in the dry
tomorrow, but it looks likely that at least one session will be wet. Today we
were focused mainly on trying the different Bridgestone tyre compounds available
for the race, and we were able to be fast with the soft and also with the hard
option. For tomorrow we need to keep working on the suspension and the
electronics because I think we can still improve in some parts of the lap.”
Andrea Dovizioso • Courtesy Honda
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – 10th – 1m 23.400s +0.879s
“Tenth position does not reflect our true
potential here and we have the chance to move forward with more work on the
set-up and also on the electronics to find the best balance for this track. We
had an electronics issue at the beginning of the session so we lost fifteen
minutes, and this meant we couldn’t get through all the set-up work that we had
planned. If the weather stays like this tomorrow and we can continue testing in
dry conditions then I’m very confident about our chances of climbing nearer to
the front and qualifying well. Dani’s lap times were really fast today and he
is the only one to have such a strong pace. We’ll look to close the gap
tomorrow.”
TOSHIYUKI YAMAJI – REPSOL HONDA TEAM MANAGER
“This was a good start to the weekend for
Dani and he’s looking in promising shape for the rest of the meeting. He was
able to complete consistently fast laps and find a good direction for machine
settings and also tyre choice. Andrea lost a little time at the beginning of
the session with an electronics issue and so he was playing catch-up for the
remainder of this afternoon. He is also working in the right direction,
however, and we are confident both riders can qualify well tomorrow.”
Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Ben Spies powered his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1 m achine to a
magnificent fourth place on the MotoGP practice timesheets at a scorching hot
Sachsenring circuit in Germany this afternoon.
Colin Edwards (left) and Ben Spies. • Courtesy Tech 3
The Texan once
again demonstrated his prowess at learning new tracks in ultra-quick time with
a best lap of 1.23.189 securing him the fourth quickest time.
The Sachsenring
is the sixth track out of the first eight races that Spies has had to learn
from scratch and the reigning World Superbike champion spent most of the
session learning the tight and twisty layout using a hard compound Bridgestone
rear tyre.
But once he
switched to the softer option he is likely to select for Sunday’s 30-lap race
as track temperature hit a sizzling 55 degrees, he was immediately able to
surge up the leaderboard and catapult himself into contention for a top five.
Just five
minutes remained when Spies clocked his best time and it was only a late attack
from fellow American Nicky Hayden that denied the 25-year-old a stunning top
three position.
Colin Edwards
started round eight of the 2010 MotoGP world championship opting to run a
radically different set-up on his YZR-M1 machine.
The experienced
Texan’s new dire ction saw his crew move more weight to the rear of his bike,
while Edwards also modified his own style to change his body position to help
turning performance.
Edwards was
immediately able to ride at a comfortable and consistently fast pace with the
revised setting and found himself in third place at one stage in a closely
fought session.
Edwards
declared himself satisfied with the outcome of the changes and he’s confident
with more time to fine-tune the new set-up that he has the potential to be much
higher up the timesheets during tomorrow’s qualifying session.
He finished
with the 13th best time after posting a 1.23.440, but was less than
three-tenths away from Spies in fourth.
Ben Spies 4th 1.23.189 – 34 laps
“I’m really happy to be so high up after the
first session and I think I figured out this track pretty quickly. It is good
to start the weekend in the top five and that gives us a platform to build on.
This circuit is pretty tight and twisty and there are a lot of left-hand
corners but I like it because there is quite a lot of elevation that makes it
fun. It felt like being out on a dirt track bike and I see Nicky is right up
there too. If the weather isn’t as good tomorrow I’m really glad that I got
going today and was a ble to get a feel for the track but also put in some fast
lap times. I went out on the hard tyre, which I don’t think I’m going to race
on, just to learn the track and when I put the softer tyre on I was able to go
quite a bit faster. There are a couple of places where I can improve like the
left-handers before the fast right downhill section but it was a decent start.
I’m pretty sure already that I’ll race the soft tyre. I’m sure I can do the
times on the hard tyre but we’ll see what the conditions are like. It’s a
positive start and that’s all I can ask for.”
Colin Edwards 13th 1.23.440 – 31 laps
“The nature of this track means the times are
always close and I’m not e ven a second off the best time but I’m down in 13th.
I’m only around three-tenths behind Ben but he’s nine places further up than
me. I’ve completely changed the setting of the bike here and that’s meant
putting way more weight on the rear than I’ve ever done. My riding style is
typically all over the front-end but with the results not being what I’ve
wanted or expected so far this season, it was time to change something. So I’ve
just got to trust the front and work on the rear. I’m putting more of my body
weight on the rear and with the setting of the bike, we’ve shifted a lot of
weight back on the rear and it works really good so far and it feels easier to
make the lap time. I ran the soft tyre for most of the session and used the
hard one at the end just to get some information. I did my fastest time on the
hard tyre but I’d say I’ll race the soft one. There is not a lot of difference
in performance between the two and I did my best time on the hard one at t he
end when I was feeling more comfortable and used to the new setting. But I
think with the softer tyre I can definitely go faster.”
STIPA-Molenaar
Racing (125)
With tropical temperatures of 35 degrees, STIPA-Molenaar Racing GP
achieved during the first free practice session of the Eni Motorrad Grand Prix
Deutschland a provisional third row. Randy Krummenacher 
could ride to a ninth time and teammate Luis Salom finished the session
in twelfth position.
Randy Krummenacher • Courtesy STIPA
In the absence
of a Grand Prix in Switzerland Randy Krummenacher regarded the German Grand
Prix as his home Grand Prix. The Swiss rider also took part a couple years in
the German IDM Championship including the Sachsenring track and considers this
track as one of his favourites. Today was still not satisfactory for
Krummenacher and therefore Krummenacher is not happy with his ninth place
during the first free practice. The Swiss focussed on a good setup. The basic
setting is okay and Krummenacher wants to qualify tomorrow on the first two row
Luis Salom
ended the session on a twelfth place. The Spaniard came several times into the
pit box to improve the set-up of the bike. Each change gave a faster lap and
Salom was able to get in the top 10. In the last ten minutes the Spaniard could
match his lap times but wasn’t able to improve them.
Randy Krummenacher (9th, 1:29.131):
“The Sachsenring is one of my favourite
track. It is a challenging circuit and I love the height difference. For me,
this Grand Prix is my home race. From the beginning I’ve got a good feeling and
soon I was riding top 5 times. During the second stint we changed the front
suspension but didn’t worked out and we’re right back to the old setting.
Unfortunately I could find a clean lap and was able to improve my lap time.
Tomorrow we will go for a top 5 position! 
“
Luis Salom • Courtesy STIPA
Luis Salom (12th, 1:29.534):
“Today I got a bad start. The track is
relatively short and it was very busy on the track. During my second run I
could follow Randy and I came within the top 10. In the last run we tried
another type of tire who did excellently in Barcelona during the hot race. But
on this track the tire reacted totally different and I had no grip.
Fortunately, the engine runs well and I look with confidence forward to
tomorrow! “
Rizla
Suzuki
Rizla Suzuki racer Loris Capirossi finished the first day of practice
for the German Grand Prix within touching distance of the front group at a scorching
Sachsenring today.
Loris Capirossi • Courtesy Rizla Suzuki
Capirossi
(1’23.589, 26 laps) was only six tenths-of-a-second from a provisional front
row start today, despite only recording 14th place on the classification. His
performance through the first and fourth sectors of the circuit saw the Italian
record the fifth and second quickest times respectively, and if Capirossi can
improve in the middle sections of the 3,671m circuit tomorrow he should be close
to the leading group come race day.
Álvaro Bautista
(P16, 1’24.020, 30 laps) tried both his Rizla Suzuki GSV-Rs with different
settings during today’s test to give him the right direction for the rest of
the weekend. He certainly favoured one over the other at this tight, twisty and
very demanding track and will be looking to make the correct improvements to
that set-up tomorrow, as he aims to continue with the strong form he showed at
the last race.
Today’s
practice was held in very warm conditions with bright sunshine raising air
temperatures to 36ºC and ground temperatures to 55ºC. Dani Pedrosa recorded the
fastest time of the day on his factory Honda.
Rizla Suzuki
has one practice session tomorrow morning, with qualifying in the afternoon.
Sunday’s 30-lap race gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).
Loris Capirossi:
“Our position today is not as bad as our
place on the time-sheet. 14th is no good, but with an extra few tenths we would
be at the front because everybody is so close here. We tried to make some
changes to the bike – it is basically the same as the Barcelona setting – so
during the session we tried to make many stops to change things and see how
they would work. I think in the end we have some idea for something to try to
improve the front and help us when we enter the corners. On the faster corners
– and the one we go in without the front brake – we are struggling a little bit
for feeling, so for tomorrow we have an idea to fix that. I’ve already spoken
with Stuart and I’m really positive because the bike feels good on this track.”
Alvaro Bautista • Courtesy Rizla Suzuki
Álvaro Bautista:
“We did some tests with the two bikes set-up
very differently today. We tried one similar to the bike at Barcelona and
another with some different engine characteristics. I preferred one because it
was easier to enter the corners. I felt the front was a bit difficult today as
I could feel every bump and I was not able to enter how I wanted to, so we need
to work on that. We improved during the session, but at the finish I tried the
hard rear tyre and I couldn’t get the grip I wanted and I didn’t have enough
time to go back to the softer compound. For tomorrow we must work a little bit
more and I feel that I can push myself more. We have a good base setting and we
just need to get a few more reference points around here and we’ll improve a
lot. We will work mostly with one bike tomorrow and not make too many changes,
but the changes we do make we must make sure they are the right ones.”
Paul Denning – Team Manager:
“The positions don’t reflect it, but the
session went quite well and the base package is not too far away. Loris needs a
half-second to be third or fourth, it’s incredibly close and if we can improve
the bike through the long corners in the second sector then the lap-times will
come a lot more easily for both the guys. We hope the weather holds – and the
threatened rain doesn’t appear – and that we can build on today’s potential.”
Bancaja
Aspar (125)
After a week’s break following the Grand Prix of Catalunya the 125cc
World championship riders were back on track at Sachsenring today as the German
Grand Prix got underway. Home representatives Jonas Folger and Sandro Cortese
were keen to stand out in front of the partisan local crowd but in the end it
was the Spanish contingent that again dominated, despite the absence of injured
Bancaja Aspar rider Nico Terol.
Bradley Smith • Courtesy Aspar
Bradley Smith
flew the flag for the team and spent the afternoon experimenting with a variety
of chassis set-up solutions designed at making his Aprilia more manageable
around the tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit. Unfortunately the results were
not what the Oxfordshire teenager had been hoping for and he was disappointed
to finish the session eighth fastest with a best time of 1.29.119. Tomorrow he
will look to improve by reverting to the base set-up that has served him so
well in recent races.
8th Bradley Smith 1.29.119 (24 laps):
“We tried a new chassis set-up
with the aim of improving the feeling of the bike today but we went in the
wrong direction. We didn’t make it handle any better or feel any better and we
wasted a lot of time sat in the garage. It’s a shame because we thought we were
taking a step in the right direction but we made a mistake. Anyway, today was
the day for testing things like that and looking on the bright side at least we
can rule a few things out for tomorrow. We’ll go back to our base setting and
start again, it has been a frustrating day but not a disastrous one because we
know the circuit well and we have enough data to recover from this slow start.
Despite the heat the track conditions were good and there is quite a lot of
grip. We are some way off the pace at the moment but we’ll work hard tomorrow
to make sure that’s not the case for the race.”
Repsol (125)
The winner of the last four Grand Prix continues to show himself to be
in incredible form. Having won the Catalunya Grand Prix two weekends ago,
followed by being the fastest in the tests programmed for last week at the
Motorland Aragón track, the young Repsol rider is back with a vengeance at this
next meeting of the 2010 calendar, at which he has dominated the first free
practice session from start to finish.
Marc Marquez • Courtesy Repsol
Márquez
positioned himself at the top of the timesheets almost from the start of the
session and, without relinquishing that position to the end, completed the
sixty minutes. With Terol – one of the 125cc title contenders – in the garage,
unable to go out following the injury he sustained during the last Grand Prix
in Catalunya, the first free practice session was a monologue for the Repsol
rider who, along with his team, dedicated the track time to working on the set
up of his Derbi.
Just ten laps
were enough to get the feel of the small German track, very technical and slow
through the first half and faster in the last two sections. Márquez
concentrated on adjustments to suspension configuration, both front and rear
and managed to maintain a pace way above the rest of the pack.
In his last
outing, the Repsol rider rode a number of consecutive laps under the 1 minute
28 seconds, finishing on 1 minute, 27 seconds and 435 milliseconds, half a
second off the circuit record, in place since the 2007 season, and more than
eight tenths from his most immediate rival, fellow countryman Pol Espagaró.
Marc MÁRQUEZ >> 1’27.435 sec., 27 laps, 99 km.
“The first practice went well. I think we
have done a good job, both me and the team, especially as, at the beginning, in
the first two laps, it was difficult to get comfortable. But the team did a
great job and, as always, we improved a lot. There is quite some distance to
the second rider but tomorrow I’m sure they´ll get better and we´ll have to
stay strong to try to fight at least for the first row.
It´s a short circuit; it’s important here for
the bike to turn well and have good traction for the first section of the
circuit because you exit from quite slow turns. We´ve found quite a good
configuration but I think we can improve a bit with a view to tomorrow. We´ll
have to keep an eye on the weather because they say it might rain”.
Official
results
1. Marc MÁRQUEZ
(DERBI) 1:27.435
2. Pol ESPARGARÓ (DERBI) 1:28.268
3. Efrén VÁZQUEZ (DERBI) 1:28.625
4. Jonas FOLGER (APRILIA) 1:28.672
5. Sandro CORTESE (DERBI) 1:28.718
Bridgestone
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Hard, Extra Hard. Rear:
Hard, Extra Hard (asymmetric)
As the track
temperature reached 52 degrees Celsius at Sachsenring, Dani Pedrosa set the
pace in free practice one using Bridgestone’s extra hard compound slicks front
and rear. The demands of the East German circuit, coupled with its very
abrasive tarmac, mean that it is only the second time this season that the
extra hard compound slicks have been used. The Repsol Honda rider’s fastest lap
after the first hour of running this weekend was already within 0.4seconds of
his own lap record set last year.
Second fastest
was Casey Stoner, also using the harder option front and rear Bridgestone
slicks, just ahead of his Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden whose best lap came
using the harder front but the softer rear slick tyre. Sachsenring newcomer Ben
Spies finished fourth after just his first hour of running at the circuit, at
the front of a very close group of six riders; the gap separating Spies to
Marco Melandri in ninth was just 0.1seconds.
Valentino Rossi
was back in action for the Fiat Yamaha Team today for the first time since
being sidelined with injury at Mugello. The Italian’s fastest lap came using
Bridgestone’s softer slicks and on his last lap of the session, in which he
completed just one lap short of race distance, and was just 0.7seconds adrift
from Pedrosa.
Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre
Development Department
“Sachsenring is an incredibly
abrasive circuit, and at the beginning of the session the track was a little
dirty so this contributed to riders experiencing slight graining of the front
tyre, but in the second half of the session the track cleaned and this stopped.
Still though Valentino only used one softer front and rear tyre for the whole
session and his best time came after 29 laps, indicating good durability and
that this graining didn’t affect performance.
“The track conditions at the end of the
session were good and already the times at the front are very fast, close to
the lap record, so I am happy. Almost all riders used both tyre options during
the session, indicating that both are working well. Casey set his best time on
the harder rear whereas Nicky set his best on the softer rear, indicating the
good overlap in performance of both slick tyre options here in Germany.”
Top ten from
free practice (Friday 13:55 – 14:55 GMT+2)
Pos Rider Team Practice Time Gap Tyres
1 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1m22.521s Bridgestone slicks
2 Casey Stoner Ducati Team 1m22.795s +0.274s Bridgestone slicks
3 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 1m22.983s +0.462s Bridgestone slicks
4 Ben Spies Monster Yamaha Tech3 1m23.189s +0.668s Bridgestone slicks
5 Marco Simoncelli San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m23.204s +0.683s Bridgestone slicks
6 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team 1m23.224s +0.703s Bridgestone slicks
7 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m23.244s +0.723s Bridgestone slicks
8 Randy de Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP 1m23.260s +0.739s Bridgestone slicks
9 Marco Melandri San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m23.290s +0.769s Bridgestone slicks
10 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 1m23.400s +0.879s Bridgestone slicks
Weather: Dry. Ambient 32-33°C; Track 51-52°C
(Bridgestone measurement)
Cudlin to
Race Moto2 This Weekend
Having recently performed testing duties for the Pons/Kalex Racing Team
in Aragaon Spain, Cudlin was asked to fill in for the injured Axle Pons at the
German Grand Prix in Sachsenring on the weekend.
The current
German IDM Supersport Championship leader was asked to join the squad by team
manager Sito Pons, who was impressed with Cudlin’s speed and development skills
at the recent Aragon test.
“It’s still
hasn’t really sunk in that I’ll be making my GP debut this weekend.” Cudlin
gleamed. “With so much politics involved in this sport, I always thought riding
in GP would remain as just a dream for me, but now, here I am! I’m really
excited about this opportunity and am very grateful to the Pons/Kalex Team for
giving me a chance. I feel like the luckiest guy in the paddock right now.”
Cudlin won the
last round of the German IDM series at Sachsenring just a month ago, so favours
‘local knowledge’ as one of his strengths coming into this weekend.
“The Moto2
World Championship is filled with some of the best riders in the world, so I’m
aware how tough this will be. I just want to make the most of the experience,
give 110% and see what happens. I’ve got nothing to lose, so who knows?”
The race will
also mark the return of Valentino Rossi, back from injury. A crowd of over
200,000 people is expected to witness all the action over 16/17/18th of July.
Miguel
Duhamel to Contend Laguna AMA Pro American Superbike Race
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 15, 2010) – Miguel Duhamel, one of, if not
the most dominant AMA Pro Road Racing motorcycle rider in history, will be
making his return to the sport at the July 23 – 25 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In a story broken by Roadracingworld.com yesterday,
the most accomplished rider in AMA Pro Road Racing history will be rejoining
the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike field, his first AMA Pro start since the
2009 Daytona 200.
Eight AMA Pro
Road Racing Championships and the all-time AMA Pro Road Racing win record with
86 victories are highlights of a sensational career that saw Duhamel take his
first AMA Pro SuperBike win in 1990. He captured AMA Pro Championships in 1991,
1993 (both AMA Pro SuperSport), 1995 (AMA Pro SuperBike and SuperSport), 1996
(SuperSport), 1997 (SuperSport), 2004 (Formula Xtreme), 2005 (Formula Xtreme).
He also won the famous Daytona 200 five times, in 1991, 1997, 1999, 2003 and
2005.
Although
Duhamel won virtually all of his championships and races with American Honda,
he will return to action next week riding the Moto Forza NovaTac Racing Ducati.
Duhamel was in attendance at the recent AMA Pro Road Racing event at Road America
and liked what he saw on and off the track.
“We spent quite
a bit of time with Miguel at Road America,” said AMA Pro Chief Operating
Officer David Atlas. “Miguel was very impressed and invigorated by the
atmosphere in the AMA Pro Paddock, enough in fact to bring him back into the
sport. And we couldn’t be happier to have him back!”
Duhamel also
has five AMA Pro wins at the famous Laguna Seca 2.238 mile, 11 turn road
course, 1995 (AMA Pro SuperSport), 1996 (Superstock and AMA Pro SuperSport),
1997 (AMA Pro SuperSport) and 1998 (AMA Pro SuperBike), and continues the
recent trend that has another motorcycle road racing legend, Doug Polen,
rejoining the sport in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race at Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course this weekend.
The addition of
Duhamel to the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike field at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca just adds to the incredible weekend of racing that begins on Friday, July
23 with practice. Qualifying and the AMA Pro SuperSport race will be on
Saturday, July 24 and the MotoGP, AMA Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL and
the National Guard SuperBike races will be on Sunday, July 25. Please visit
www.mazdaraceway.com for full schedule and ticket information.
SPEED TV will
broadcast the National Guard SuperBike and Daytona SportBike races from Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca in same weekend coverage, check your local listings for the
broadcast times.
Laguna Seca
Thrilled at Rossi’s Return
MONTEREY, Calif. (July 15, 2010) – Valentino Rossi is officially
entered to ride in the sixth annual Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca July 23-25.
“We were very
concerned for Valentino after his accident in Italy,” said Gill Campbell,
CEO/general manager for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “But it is like Christmas to
hear that he will once again be challenging the Corkscrew this year. We are
thrilled for him.”
Valentino Rossi
has been officially cleared to ride at this weekend’s German Grand Prix at the
Sachsenring, six week’s after his accident in Italy. The Fiat Yamaha rider was
examined by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Huber Fischer, who found him fit
enough to compete at the German Grand Prix.
Red Bull U.S.
Grand Prix tickets are available by calling (800) 327-7322 or logging onto www.MazdaRaceway.com.
Special Pat
Clark Laguna Livery to be Auctioned Off in Support of Rhett Syndrome Research
Las Vegas,
Nevada (MMD Newswire) July 15, 2010 — Pat Clark Motorsports is pleased to
announce a unique opportunity for fans to own a piece of history as the gear of
AMA Pro Superbike Class racers Chris Clark and Ben Bostrom will be auctioned to
benefit Rett Syndrome. The special edition leathers and bodywork with new
livery will make their AMA race debut at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round of
the series and be auctioned on Ebay the following week.
Pat Clark Motorsports
is in its initial year of competition in the top level AMA Pro Superbike Class
and is home to AMA Horizon Award winner Chris Clark as well as 2008 AMA
Supersport Champion Ben Bostrom. As an official YAMAHA satellite team, Pat
Clark Motorsports has produced immediate results with 3 podium finishes to date
plus added an extra bit of excitement to an already thrilling 2010 race season.
Some race fans
may recognize Rett Syndrome from the “Race4Rettmx” charity event at Loretta
Lynn’s begun in 2006 by multi time AMA Amateur National MX Champion Kevin Foley
and family to benefit Rett Syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder which
affects his daughter, Emma Foley.
Rett Syndrome
is the most physically disabling of the autism spectrum disorders. It strikes
at random in early childhood, affecting little girls almost exclusively.
Currently there is no treatment beyond supportive care, however recently Rett
Syndrome was reversed in mice giving hope that a cure can be found to help the
girls and women with Rett Syndrome. First recognized only 25 years ago, the
prevalence of Rett Syndrome equals that of Cystic Fibrosis, Huntington’s and
ALS but is vastly under funded in comparison to those disorders.
“Being that
Laguna is a phenomenal event Pat Clark wanted to do something special” said Pat
Clark Motorsports Team Manager Ron Heben “and being able to produce a special
edition of our team bodywork and riders leather designs while being able to
donate all of the proceeds to Rett Syndrome is really special. Thanks to Yamaha
and our team sponsors for supporting Pat Clark Motorsports in this special
interest.Good luck to those Ben and Chris fans, there will be some very cool
items to add to one’s Motorsports collections.”
The gear will
be available for auction on eBay the week of July 26, 2010 and the winners will
be recognized at the Virginia International Raceway round in Alton, Virginia on
August 14-16, 2010.
To learn more
about this auction and Rett Syndrome, please visit www.race4rettmx.com.
Trancript:
MMP-Troy Corser Teleconference
Moderator: Good morning, everyone.
This is John Gardner, the Media Manager at Miller Motorsports Park, and this is
another of our ongoing series of interviews with riders in the Superbike World
Championship. Today we’re very honored to have with us Troy Corser. He is the
1994 AMA Superbike Champion, the 1996 and 2005 World Superbike Champion, and he
is currently riding the No. 11 BMW S1000 RR for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport
team in the Superbike World Championship. He is currently seventh in the
standings, having taken a pole at Misano and podium finishes at Misano and
Monza. So welcome, Troy.
Troy Corser:
Thanks, John.
Moderator: Unfortunately you didn’t get to participate
in last weekend’s event at Brno because you had an accident in practice on
Friday. First of all, how are you feeling?
Troy Corser:
Not so bad considering I got hit by the bike in the accident in the chest area
and I’ve just got a bit of severe bruising around the ribs and collarbones, but
no broken bones or anything, so quite fortunate to walk away and be ready for
the next round.
Moderator: We’re glad to hear you were not more badly
injured than you were. It sounds like it could have been a lot worse.
Troy Corser:
Yes, obviously when you have a highside you normally walk away with pretty sore
elbows and maybe a broken collarbone or something like that or a wrist,
unfortunately. But when you get tangled up in the bike it can be obviously a
lot more severe injuries internally and stuff. And thankfully I had all the
scans done in the hospital and everything has come back clear. But I chose not
to ride just because I was a bit sore to muscle the bike around the Brno
racetrack for a two-race event, so I decided to sit that one out and come back
for the next event.
Moderator: The BMW program is in its second year.
You’ve been with them since they started last year. The program has made some
big strides for 2010. Tell me what your thoughts are on that.
Troy Corser:
Last season obviously being our first year in the championship with the
mechanics and everybody involved, it was really just a season of gathering as
much information as we could so the engineers could actually understand what
was happening with the bike and the engine. Where now this year we’ve gone back
there with a revised bike, an improved bike from last season, but we’ve got
lots of information to compare stuff to from last season and really just
setting the bike up for the race weekend instead of testing and development
stuff at the race circuit. So the results are coming and I think we should have
a pretty good bike ready for next season to compete for the World Championship.
Moderator: You’re in seventh place now in the
standings. What are your realistic goals for this season?
Troy Corser:
Before Brno, my goal was actually going to be like third in the championship. I
was only, I think, 30 points off third position and there’s still a lot of
points out there and we can get some good results to make up that gap. But
unfortunately missing Brno has maybe dropped us back a bit, not in positions,
but just in points lost to the guys in front. So top-five I think is still a
realistic goal, and I think I’ll be happy with that and I think BMW will be
happy with that going into next season.
Moderator: Do you think a win is possible for you this
year?
Troy Corser:
Yes, I do. I’ve led races now a few times this season and unfortunately just
dropped back and finished on the podium. At Misano I probably should have won
the first race there, but I ran off onto the Astroturf coming out of one of the
corners and lost drive and Biaggi passed me and then from that point on I was
not able to get back in front. But looking forward to Silverstone, the next
racetrack, I believe the BMW is going to work well. We’ve got really good top
speed now and acceleration off the corners, and the electronics are working
really well now with the engineers having a lot more stuff to look at and
compare and improve for me. I’m feeling really good on the bike and being able
to do some testing away from the racetrack as well, which has been really good
to go out there with no pressure and just try some new stuff on the bike and
really spend the time.
Moderator: What does next year look like?
Troy Corser:
Next year’s bike we’ll actually get I think at the end of August, so we’ll
start testing that. A lot of the cosmetics on the bike at the moment are really
based around the production bikes. That’s all individual panels and stuff, so I
think the race bike will be a much more single-unit part, like the rear seat
section and the fuel tank will all come off together and stuff. So with the
guys working on the bike, it will speed things up and make it a lot more easy
for everybody.
Moderator: You had a pair of fifth-place finishes here
at Miller Motorsports Park this year. Tell me how you feel about the track here
and how it compares to some of the other tracks you race on.
Troy Corser: To
be honest, it’s probably one of the smoothest racetracks that we come to now.
There’s a few of the tracks we go to that are quite bumpy, and so it’s always
nice to come back to America with a lot of supporters out there. I know all the
riders really enjoy coming out there and racing on a venue like that with all
the pit boxes and everything and the crowds cheering over the fence. And it was
really good. So I’m looking forward to coming back next season and actually
improving on those top-five positions.
Operator: Our first question comes from Jim
McDermott from SuperbikePlanet.com.
Jim McDermott: Hey, Troy, thanks for taking time out to
talk to us on a day when you probably want to be sleeping.
Troy Corser:
Yes, I’m actually just lying back watching television and resting, so it’s all
good.
Jim McDermott: Okay. We watched you real closely during
your tenure with Foggy Petronas. And in watching you with BMW, some contrasts
kind of leaped out. It seemed like when you were riding with Foggy Petronas you
made the difference with the bike. It handled really well and there were a
couple of times when it seemed like you might snatch a victory. But the power
of the bike wasn’t there. Now you’ve got a BMW that seems like it’s got quite a
lot of motor and I’m just wondering as someone unique in the paddock, having
gone through two similar situations of a brand-new bike from scratch, going out
there and trying to compete with well-established factories that have been in
the series for a long time, and being the rider and having to kind of make up
the difference where maybe it isn’t in the bike all the time… what’s that like?
What is the difference between your Petronas experience and this, and just what
the bike is like overall?
Troy Corser:
The Petronas project was certainly quite unique, starting from a piece of paper
literally and designing the bike and all that before I actually got a chance to
ride it. And then developing that from scratch with a triple engine which was
pretty unique as well for a race engine for many years. So unfortunately, like
I said, the bike handled really well, but we had a bit of mechanical problems
with the engine, with overheating pretty much, which was unfortunate but a
problem you get with triples. And we couldn’t quite rectify it to make it last
with the horsepower that we were trying to produce from the engine. And then we
turned it down, so at the finish it wasn’t fast enough to compare against the
1000cc bikes. But we gained so much experience at developing something from the
beginning, all the stuff involved with the spring arm strength and twists and
contortions and stuff and tried many different things which has actually helped
a lot since I got off that onto the other bikes I got onto. And especially now
with BMW, with all the resources that we’ve got, we can really use the latest
technology to build the bike of the future, pretty much.
Jim McDermott: Davide Tardozzi told us that BMW had
chosen to go with their own electronics which made the job a lot more difficult
in terms of you guys being competitive. How is that coming around now? It
certainly seems like it’s coming on strong, but was that a big part of why last
year was so challenging, because you guys were starting with not only a
brand-new bike but with a completely unique electronics package in the paddock?
Troy Corser: Yes,
obviously electronics is a huge area where you can make the bike better or
worse by if it’s working the right way or not. And then obviously while you’re
trying to develop an engine with power curve deliveries and torque, maximum
torque areas and stuff, they’ve got themselves a big job. But I believe now
that they are on top of it and they have got such a wide window that they can
do and they’re not really tied into a certain program. They can actually work
in the window with a Marelli system or similar. And they have got so many
people in BMW that have got so much experience in traction control,
electronics, engine braking, fuel injection, all that sort of stuff that I
really just needed time to understand where the window was that I need to work
into a motorcycle on two wheels compared to a Formula 1 car, for example. So I
think they’ve done a fantastic job in the time and as I said, next year’s
package is actually a much more simple one because now they know how to control
it properly and I think it’s only going to be better.
Jim McDermott: Great. Thanks, Troy.
Troy Corser: No
problem.
Operator: Our next question comes from Ron
Lieback from Ultimate MotorCycling.
Ron Lieback: Hi, Troy, I hope you’re feeling well.
Troy Corser:
Thank you.
Ron Lieback: I’ve just got a couple here for you. Your
pole at Misano was No. 43 in your World Superbike racing career and the first
for BMW in the series. What are the significant changes your team has made to
the S1000 RR that’s bringing about more competitiveness? Is it with the
electronics like you were just like somewhat going towards?
Troy Corser:
I’d say probably 30 percent improvement in electronics from the beginning when
we first started working with the bike. And then we’ve probably gained another
20 percent out of the chassis. And the engine has probably been another 20
percent, so we’ve still got about 20-30 percent of the improvement in all those
areas, just in smaller amounts. But we’ve done all that in sort of nine o 12
months; so we’ve got nice five-percent increases now just in all those areas
and I think the bike is going to be ready to be a full race bike ready to
compete.
Ron Lieback: Concerning Brno, last year you had your
best finish of the season there with the Beemer. And recently you said that the
track favors the S1000 RR. After coming off of BMW’s first-ever World Superbike
Superpole at Misano, do you think you would have had that much success at Brno?
Troy Corser:
Yes, for sure. Brno is a circuit where you need very good acceleration up the
hill all the way through the power curve and our engine is now well over 200
horsepower getting to the back wheel, which if you’ve got that and good
connection with the throttle, with the engine, it’s definitely what you need to
win races in Brno. So if you look at the results that Ruben was doing or the
performance that Ruben put in, it shows that the bike definitely has the
potential not just with myself on it, but with Ruben on it, and even in the
Superstock events showing how strong it is in that category. So the bike
definitely is strong all around.
Ron Lieback: Cconcerning Silverstone, you have two
podiums at Silverstone, one with Suzuki and one on the Yamaha. Considering your
positive results there, do you think you’ll have similar results on the BMW?
And do you think the track will favor the BMW?
Troy Corser:
Yes, as long as I’m 100-percent fit, I believe that we should minimum be on the
podium at Silverstone and hopefully go for our first win. I’m probably one of
only a few riders that have actually ridden on the old circuit, which is like
the first two thirds of the track. And I’ve always gone well there and the bike
has obviously got top speed. So with all those three combinations, I think the
results for the rest of the season, not just at Silverstone, but at Silverstone
in particular, we’ve got the strength and we should have a great result there.
Ron Lieback: Concerning you, Biaggi and Checa, you guys
are like three of the oldest riders currently competing in World Superbike. But
is it more enjoyable competing with riders with similar experience over riders
in their 20s?
Troy Corser:
When you’re racing with guys like that, it’s definitely different than when
you’re racing with the younger guys. You can’t beat experience that years will
get you in the race as well. So the young guys I think are learning a lot
actually by racing with guys like me, Checa and Biaggi, and vice versa for us
as well We’re racing against these different people now and it is a bit
different racing, but it’s all enjoyable and it’s all safe and there’s plenty
of room out there for racers although it does get close sometimes, but we’ve
all been doing it long enough together that everyone sort of knows where
everybody is or their limits.
Ron Lieback: Thank you for your time and I hope you
heal up well and I hope to see you on the podium at Silverstone.
Troy Corser:
Thanks very much.
Operator: Our next question comes from Chris
Jonnum from Road Racer X.
Chris Jonnum: Hi, Troy.
Troy Corser:
Good day.
Chris Jonnum: I wanted to get your take on Davide
Tardozzi and if you think he’s made a significant difference in the program
since he came onboard and what he’s like to work with.
Troy Corser:
Yes, obviously my relationship with Davide goes back a long way and we
obviously won our first championship together and since then have always been
friends, whether it was being in the same team or pit box or being at the other
end of the garages. So it’s obviously great getting back with him with all the
experience that he’s gathered, and the experience I’ve gained since I left
there. It’s really enjoyable getting back working with someone who’s got as
much experience as myself and I think for Davide as well with me as a rider. So
it’s making things a lot easier in the team to make decisions, trust people to
make the call, and we’re getting good results from it.
Chris Jonnum: It seems like you have a pretty good home
there and you were just commenting on the age thing. How much longer do you
think you’d like to keep going?
Troy Corser: At
the moment I’m looking at continuing for next season at least. And that’s sort
of what I’ve been looking at for the last few seasons. We take the seasons as
they come along. I think BMW will be happy to continue, so I hope at least I
can finish my career with BMW whether it’s one more year or two more years or
five more years. But I think another two seasons I could definitely get through
as long as I stay fit and healthy.
Chris Jonnum: How does the team compare to some others
that you’ve been on in the past in terms of just the way they work and their
philosophy, things like that?
Troy Corser:
I’ve worked with the Japanese, Italians, the Belgians, French, pretty much
everybody, and the Germans definitely have their work ethic, obviously. To be
honest, it’s been great. They get things done on the right time when it needs
to be done and other things take a bit more time, but to be honest, they’ve
been really good and I think the Italians, with Tardozzi, and the mix with the
Germans, I think it’s working really well for a race team.
Chris Jonnum: Thanks very much.
Operator: . Our next question is a follow-up
question from Jim McDermott from SuperbikePlanet.com.
Jim McDermott: Okay, Troy, so we know you’re sick, but
I’m going to skip the softball questions, and I’m going to ask you a tough one,
okay?
Troy Corser:
All right.
Jim McDermott: All right, so there’s been kind of this…
I guess, when you watch the races on TV and stuff, you’ve gotten up near the
front a few times and I think given a lot of hope to the viewers and the fans
that you were going to win one or place a little bit better. But there seems to
be a little bit at the end of the races where maybe towards the end of the
races you fade at the end or slip back a couple of spots. And people talk, fans
talk on the Internet, and some say, “Well, maybe it’s the bike.” Others say,
“Well, maybe it’s Troy.” So it’s a topic of conversation I think that comes up
a lot in terms of where you’re at with the bike in this season. So I just
wanted to give you the opportunity to say what do you think that is? Is it a
tire management issue? Is it electronics? Is it the bike? What do you think is
holding you back from maybe the times at the end where it seemed like it was
within your grasp, what kept you from getting there? What was that missing
ingredient?
Troy Corser:
Well, obviously, I think it’s just how close the racing is this year. You
really only have to be a couple of tenths of a second off per lap, which over a
two-minutes lap is nothing over a race distance. And you’ll be out of the race
pretty much. And a lot of that comes down to tire management, absolutely, on
all the different bikes. Temperature, also, at different circuits that we’ve
been to, that we’ve experienced, got really hot temperatures. Tire selection
and even tire quality, to be honest, because we do get the odd tire that
doesn’t work the same as the next one, and if you get one of those in a race,
you’re likely not to crash, but to drop back a few positions when that happens.
As a rider, you’re pretty happy just to get to the end of the race.
It’s easy for
people, I think, to sit on the outside to probably think I’m probably getting
old or I’m unfit or give up and stuff like that. But to be honest, until
they’re out there doing it themselves, it’s real easy to point fingers and
blame things, but it’s just the racing at the moment. It’s so close that you’ve
only got to be off just a little bit or something not quite right on the bike
and someone’s got something a bit better, and they’re going to beat you. That’s
the long and short of it.
Jim McDermott: Davide can be a notoriously tough guy at
times. How has it been with him in terms of his expectation levels? It seems
like a couple of times, when we’ve seen the races on TV, that you see Davide at
the end of a race marching down the paddock with a frown on his face. So, I
mean, what have those conversations been like? Is he understanding? Does the
team understand the challenges that you’re facing with the bike currently? What
is that dynamic like in terms of his expectations with you as a manager to a
rider?
Troy Corser:
Well, to be totally honest, I think he feels that the bike is letting me down
at the moment as to results. The bike is not perfect. Like I said, we’re still
developing the bike to be a race winner. But I think he’s more than happy with
the performance that I’ve put in and the effort and my fitness level and stuff
now. If he is frowning, it’s normally because something has happened and that’s
why we dropped back in the race. Or something has happened and the results
could have been better. But I don’t think he’s disappointed with the way the
whole project is going. I think he’s very happy with the way it’s going and
probably wants to be taking it down even faster than it is. But that’s good,
because that’s what he’s there to do and he’s going to get it done. So I think,
for myself as a rider, it’s great because I don’t have to worry about anything
else other than riding the bike, doing my part and letting him do his part, and
knowing that I can trust it’s all getting done.
Jim McDermott: When we interviewed you in 2004 at
Monza, you talked about the Aprilia and said that it was a bike that you felt
you should have won a championship on, but the Dunlops let you down that year.
And that you were most impressed with that bike out of almost any bike you had
ridden. So I’m just curious now that you’ve ridden Ducati, Suzuki, Aprilia, the
Petronas and now the BMW, do you have that kind of a feeling with the BMW? Do
you have that innate kind of sense that I can win not only races but a
championship on this bike?
Troy Corser:
Unfortunately, on the Aprilia I thought it was the tires, but it actually
wasn’t; it was actually a bad batch of rims that we received from the supplier
which was creating a lot of vibration to the bike. When we found where the
problem was, it was all too late. But yes, I’ve ridden all the different bikes,
I think it’s probably right up there with the best I’ve ridden. So I think it’s
definitely real god.
Jim McDermott: Great. Well thanks very much again,
Troy. I appreciate your candor and honesty on those questions.
Operator: Our next question comes from Dean
Adams from SuperbikePlanet.com.
Dean Adams: One thing that you haven’t really talked
about is the one component of Team Corser, and that’s Chris Jensen, who works
for you, drives your motorhome, and you two are quite close. And Chris got his
start in World Superbike driving the motorhome for his cousin, Scott Russell.
You guys have been together for a long time. Can you talk about Chris and your
relationship a little bit?
Troy Corser:
Yes, obviously I met Chris when I first came over after winning the American
Superbike Championship in ‘94 and I came over and did a couple of guest rides
in World Championship. And he was driving Scott’s motorhome for him and
obviously when Scott stopped racing in Europe I thought he’d be a great person
to get there. And Chris, or Captain as we call him, knows all the places and
looks after the buses and everything, also helps me out now in the pit boxes
and with my helmets and everything. He’s a very trustworthy guy and you know
he’ll get the job done if you ask him to do it. And obviously for myself, I’ve
got many things to do at the track with signing autographs and stuff, that he does
all that stuff for me and it’s great. He’s been with me now for I think it’s
probably going to be 12 seasons now.
Dean Adams: Ready to retire then. Also, can you talk a
little bit about your season with Ferracci when you won the championship here
in the U.S.? It was a really tumultuous year and that last round you rode at
Atlanta, do you think back to times like that?
Troy Corser:
Yes, absolutely. Those were great times, many great memories and as I said, I
really enjoy coming back to the states because I’ve built up so many good
friends and family and fans over there, that I like coming back to the states.
So I really enjoy it there and obviously there’s a good family feeling there
with Eraldo and everybody involved and myself together and just have to get out
and learn the tracks and work with a team with so much experience in that
paddock made it a lot easier for myself just to get out on the tracks and have
some fun and win races.
Dean Adams: Great. Thank you.
Operator: We have a follow-up question from
Jim McDermott from SuperbikePlanet.com.
Jim McDermott: I just wanted to get your thoughts on
how Ruben is doing. I think we’d be remiss if we didn’t ask the other guy who’s
whipping ass on the BMW to comment on the contrast of Ruben’s season and how
difficult a time he’s been having, albeit he had a much improved weekend at
Brno, but what are your thoughts about what that is? Is it riding style? Is it
— I mean, what? Any thoughts at all on your teammates here?
Troy Corser: I
think it’s just experience. Obviously myself, with all the experience I’ve
gained from riding twins, triples, fours, V-4s, straight 4s, all that sort of
stuff, obviously I’ve had to adapt my style to suit the bikes and different
engines configurations and chassis and stuff. Where Ruben really hasn’t done
that. He pretty much has been groomed on Ducati most of his career. So for him
to change his style, he’d really need to want to change his style to be able
to, and he just doesn’t seem to be able to do that on the BMW. Whether it’s the
engine or the chassis, I’m not really sure, because his setup isn’t that much
different than mine now. It was a bit extreme at the beginning, but his engine,
the way he likes his engine and his engine brake setting is quite, quite
different than mine. So whether it’s style, I think it is. I think that’s just
the way he likes to ride and just hasn’t quite got the experience there as
myself to know how to change or what to change or change on the bike to make it
better for him.
Jim McDermott: Do you think that the bike is — because
you mentioned earlier about having to muscle around the bike. Who knows what’s
going to happen with Ruben next year, but do you think — you guys are both
really big, strong guys. Does the BMW kind of require that kind of a rider?
Somebody who is going to be able to kind of deal with all the brute horsepower
and muscle a bike around? Or do you think somebody who is less physical and
more of a finesse rider would go well on the bike?
Troy Corser:
Obviously fitness is always going to be a part of it. But if the bike is set up
right chassis-wise and the engine for power delivery, the bike shouldn’t really
be that physical to ride if you’re fit. So I don’t think the BMW is any more
physical now to ride than any other bike I’ve ridden, but it wasn’t set up
right with the engine. So that’s why the Honda is probably the easiest, or even
the Aprilia at the moment, to ride because the engine is so smooth with the V4
power. And you use that to get the bike around the track. Not just physical
movement, but also using the engine. So the more that helps you, the less
effort you have to put in physically yourself. So it also springs around in
roundabouts, really.
Jim McDermott: All right. Thanks again, Troy.
Operator: Our next question is a follow up
question from Dean Adams from SuperbikePlanet.com.
Dean Adams: Troy, I’m not sure if it would be safe to
call you a MotoGP critic, but I think you’ve been critical of MotoGP in the
past. I wonder what your thoughts are on MotoGP perhaps adopting some
production rules in the future. Your thoughts?
Troy Corser: I
think the GP riders at the moment, obviously they’ve got their own regulations
for the category. That’s definitely needed for sure to continue. But for myself
I think now there’s not that much difference between the GPs and the Superbikes
to be honest. So it’s all good and you’ve got to have different categories
favorable to move on from the beginning of a career to ultimately have something
to shoot at. And if that’s GPs, then that’s what they need to have.
Dean Adams: It’s going to be a fundamental difference,
though, if production-style engines are allowed in MotoGP, which is now a
prototype series.
Troy Corser:
Yes, well if it happens then we’ll wait and see. But I really can’t see the
benefits of allowing production-bike engines racing in Grand Prix. Because it’s
not like you’re ever going to beat the Grand Prix guys anyway, so you’re really
just wasting your time. You may as well go racing production bikes.
Dean Adams: You said when the 990 MotoGP formula came
forward, an opinion you had was it was just going to cause some of the Japanese
manufacturers to spend themselves into oblivion. And really in Kawasaki’s case
and others, they simply just couldn’t afford to do the class anymore. Your
thoughts?
Troy Corser:
Obviously the big guys are always going to be at the top because it is so
expensive now to go racing. When you’re purpose-building anything it’s going to
cost a lot of money to reproduce. Where, with production bikes, it’s just a lot
more cost-effective and at the end of the day they can sell bikes and make
money off the bikes that they race in Superbikes, where in GPs they can’t
really.
Dean Adams: Max Biaggi is leading the championship by
nearly 70 points now on the Aprilia. Your thoughts on the Aprilia superbike and
Biaggi’s performance this year?
Troy Corser:
The Aprilia Superbike, I think, is probably more closer to a Grand Prix bike
than a Superbike. A lot of the development work that went into that I think
comes from their Grand Prix project that they had done a few seasons ago which
they frankly pulled out of because of the cost. And their bikes are used to
produce a great production bike in the Superbike. But to be honest, I think the
Suzuki, the Yamaha, the BMW and the Honda are a lot closer to the production
bikes as a superbike than the Aprilia is to the RSV.
Dean Adams: And Biaggi?
Troy Corser:
Well, Biaggi, he’s world-class. You don’t win World Championships on 250s and
stuff without having a lot of natural talent. And when he’s happy and he’s got
everything working around him and his bike and the team, which he’s got a lot
of experience and a lot of success with Aprilia, so that all makes a big
difference for the rider and for the teams working together at the track.
Dean Adams: Great. Thank you.
Operator: I’m not showing any further
questions at this time.
Moderator: Okay. If that’s the case, we can go ahead
and wrap this up. We’d like to thank everybody for participating today. And
Troy, thank you so much for spending your time with us today when you’re
obviously not feeling your best. We appreciate that and we wish you luck the
rest of the way this year and we look forward to seeing you back here at Miller
Motorsports Park next May.
Troy Corser:
Yes, thanks very much.
SLIDESHOW:
Umbrella Girls of the Week, Brno World SBK
BRNO
WORLD SUPERBIKE
Picture 1 of 9
Photo by
Wheeler & Brown
Rossi Cleared
for Sachsenring—Official Fiat Yamaha PR
Valentino Rossi has been officially cleared to ride at this weekend’s
German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring, six week’s after his accident in Italy.
The Fiat Yamaha
rider was examined by the Chief Medical Officer for this event, Dr. Huber
Fischer, who found him fit enough to compete this weekend. Rossi will be
present at the Official Press Conference at Sachsenring at 1700 CET today.
Backmarker:
Greg Tracy does his own stunts
The big story
at Pikes Peak this year was the impressive “factory” presence by Ducati, which
used the race as a showcase for the new Multistrada. I’ve already written a bit
about one of the Multistrada riders, Alexander Smith. Alexander suffered the
indignity of a low-speed low-side crash within sight of the summit. While he
was picking up the bike and remounting, he was passed by a Buell, and ended up
finishing third in the 1200 class.
Greg won a Taurus World Stunt Award for his driving sequence in The
Bourne Ultimatum. Nowadays, he also does quite a bit of commercial directing.
You've probably seen spots for the Can-Am Spyder. Greg directed those, and cast
his younger brother Gary as one of the riders. • Courtesy Tracy
The winner in
the 1200 class was Greg Tracy. He also knocked a fraction of a second off the
class-record time, which had been set by his brother Gary on a BMW HP2/Megamoto
two or three years earlier. That gave Ducati a class win, class record, and
bragging rights over its most direct competitor, the R1200GS.
There’s an
excellent chance that you’ve never heard of Greg Tracy, because he’s pretty
much a Pikes Peak specialist—and the hill climb doesn’t get much coverage.
(Despite the fact that it’s one of the country’s most storied events, I was the
only motorcycle journalist covering it this year.) But you’ve probably seen
Greg Tracy quite a few times—he’s one of the busiest stunt men in the movie
business.
A few days ago,
I called him up to chat about how he went from being a kid ripping through the
scrub around Lake Havasu, to a pro motocrosser, then car racer, stunt man, and
back to (occasionally) racing motorcycles while occasionally taking over the
director’s chair. Phew!
Here’s what he
had to tell me:
My dad raced
CMC and was a pretty good motocross and desert racer. We had a place up near
Lake Havasu, and we were desert rats. I’m two years older than my brother Gary,
and we harassed my dad to let us race. I think I was about 12 when I first
raced, and I was leading until I crashed and broke my ankle!
We kept at it,
and I got pretty good. I did a couple of 125cc outdoor nationals, and four or
five supercross races, but then I crashed and broke my neck. At that point,
Gary and I were going to switch and race four-wheelers in the SCORE series,
although as my spine was still healing, I thought the better of it.
We tried
go-karts in the late ’80s, and were pretty much immediately among the fastest
guys. We won some nationals, raced in South America. After that, I moved into
cars, and Gary went back to bikes. He did quite a few 125 supercross races in
his late 20s. He was super-quick as a rider, but too big for the class; he was
a real brawler.
At the time I
got into racing [open-wheel] cars, costs were skyrocketing. It was getting to
be a pretty expensive way to feel an adrenaline rush! At the time, I was
roommates with Mouse McCoy; his dad was a producer, so it was pretty easy to
get into stunt work.
I was one of
the few guys, at that time, with a legitimate racing background. The business
was changing, and there were more specialists; it was the end of the era of
guys who’d do anything—they’d take a fall off a building one day, fall off a
horse the next, take a punch the day after.…
In my race car,
I liked the real fast, risky stuff—high-speed ovals and road courses where
there were turns where everyone else would lift a tiny bit, and I’d keep it
floored. That was what I lived for. But on the day of a big stunt, you have a
200-person crew on the clock, you have to time a car crash perfectly—you really
want to be that “one shot” guy; I get the same kind of satisfaction.
There are
people who specialize in motorcycle stunts. I don’t really do them, partly
because now, it’s, like, “do a 200-foot nose wheelie,” and I don’t do that
stuff. Also, at my age, I’m a little more aware of the risks. If that’s all you
do, eventually you’re bound to get hurt.
One thing I’ve
always wanted to ask a stunt pro about was why there’s no Academy Award for
stunt performers. I’ve read that the real reason is that action stars love to
claim that they do all their own stunts. I told Greg I’ve heard stunt men use
the phrase, “I do all my own stunts,” as if they’re quoting film stars, as a
sort of verbal shorthand for, “That’s a load of BS.” Tracy isn’t concerned:
I don’t really
care who they think is behind the wheel. If that marketing hype around the
stars helps to sell tickets, I think it’s great. I make money on residuals, so
all I want is for the movie to be successful. And for the last ten years, Red
Bull has sponsored the Taurus World Stunt Awards, so we do get some
recognition. [The Taurus Awards are structured like the Academy Awards, so it's
a jury of your peers casting the votes – MG]
At Pikes Peak, practice starts at dawn. Here we are with Chad Newman
(mechanic), Greg Tracy, and Paul Livingston of Falkner-Livingston Racing,
waiting for practice to begin on the upper third of the course. • Mark Gardiner
photo
It took me a
long time to get over my hatred of crashing! As a racer, you fight off crashes,
and it was hard to do it on purpose. But quite a lot of stunt work isn’t really
that hairy; it’s more about driving precisely and ensuring crew safety.
I did Pikes
Peak for the first time in ‘96. The way I do things like this is, I start
talking about them with my friends, and then I sort of have to do it, because I
hate saying I’m going to do something then back down. That year, I won the 250
class. Since then, I’ve done it fourteen times, and won my class six times.
I’ve never set
the outright course record. I think it’s really cool that Gary has; I’ve often
been on big bikes that, so far, haven’t really been as fast overall as the
smaller ones. As they add asphalt, that will eventually change. At the end of
the day, though, the records always fall, but they can never take the wins
away.
In 2006, BMW
came over and ran Timo [Glock] and Casey [Yarrow]. Gary and I were a minute
quicker than they were; I won in 450 Supermoto and Gary won in the 750 class.
We told [BMW Motorsport GM] Berthold Hauser, “If you want to win this thing,
you should hire the guys who win it to ride your bikes,” and he said, “Yeah, I
think you’re right.” The next year, we raced for BMW here and at the Erzberg
Rally.
In ‘08, I rode
the Hypermotard. In ‘09, the Streetfighter wasn’t ready. I had a friend who
said I could ride his bike. It was just as well, since I had a commercial that
week. So I came to Colorado Springs and went through tech but went back to
shoot my commercial. I flew back in the evening before the race. Gary told me,
“It’s slick,” and that was all the preparation I had for the race!
The Multistrada
is finally starting to feel the way I’d always hoped the big bikes would feel.
The Hypermotard had steeper steering geometry. It turned well on asphalt, and
it was a fun bike to ride at 90 percent, but it was pretty gnarly racing it on
dirt! The HP2 and Megamoto were good in the dirt, handling-wise, but the
Multistrada is noticeably stronger; it’s like a superbike with good handling in
the dirt. It looks big, but it doesn’t feel big.
I tried the
full race exhaust, and even though it was fifteen pounds lighter than the stock
one, I preferred the stock system’s power. The race exhaust probably would have
been good if we’d had time to map it, but out of the box it was too peaky—it
made the bike feel turbocharged.
With the new Multistrada, Tracy feels the big bikes are finally coming
into their own on Pikes Peak. • Mark Gardiner photo
I love doing
one-off races, where I’m not going in and competing with guys who see that
track fifteen times a season. I’d love to do some road racing, and one of my
dreams would be to race the Isle of Man. Right now, I have a little bit awkward
style on asphalt, but when I’m riding big bikes like the Multistrada, I actually
slide them more on asphalt than I do on the dirt. You can’t flick a bike like
the Multistrada on dirt the way you can flick a Supermoto bike—but you can
flick it on asphalt.
I was never
that confident, this year, that the big bikes would be faster—even though more
of the course is paved. We both really want to win, and I knew that if
conditions were anything less than perfect, it would favor a lighter bike. I
probably could have squeezed out another six or seven seconds, but as it was I
had some close calls up there. I lit up the rear going into Devil’s Playground,
and if I’d highsided it there, it would have been about a 600 foot fall!
I’d love to
race [in the same class] with Gary again, but I’m not sure it’s the best idea
at Pikes Peak. We like to bump each other, and at Pikes Peak you have to be
cautious!
That’s it for
Greg this week. Next week, I’ll touch base with his brother and get his
perspective on the battle for supremacy between quick, small bikes and fast,
big bikes. And on a sibling rivalry that’s been going on for thirty years….
Ó SCMSRN.com/Paul J Miller 3rd,
2000-2009