SBK 2004

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MV AGUSTA AT THE GERMAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP 2004

Jorg Teuchert will be the new official MV Agusta F4 1000 rider for MV Agusta Deutschland.

MV Agusta Deutschland, the German official branch for MV Agusta SpA, will take part to the next season of the national Superbike Championship "IDM" 2004.

A rider of international renown will head the team, set up by the German partner: Jorg Teuchert. The 33-year- old racer from Simmeldorf (Germany), who was the Supersport World Champion in 2000, will ride the new MV Agusta 1000 and will count on the technical support of the specialized mechanists Achim Weber and Bernd Meier. Furthermore the famous trainer Bernhard Wurm will personally take care of him.

The news was made official in front of over 100 hundred German dealers at their annual meeting held in Varese. During the event, Mr. Claudio Castiglioni - President of MV Agusta SpA - declared: "I'm very satisfied with this team and with the signing up of Jorg Teuchert, a rider coming from an international experience who will surely succeed in improving the F4 1000 power".

Jorg Teuchert replied: " So many things happened from the first contact with the MV Agusta Deutschland until now that I still can't believe it. Racing on a MV Agusta bike is an honor for me as well as an incredible professional opportunity".

The DUNLOP brand will be the main technical sponsor of the German MV Agusta team. Witness of this agreement was the Sport Activities Manager Mr. Manfred Theisen, who confirmed: " The Dunlop Company really believes in this project, both in technical and commercial terms. Only a glorious brand like MV Agusta can guarantee this kind of promotion to our company".

The agenda of MV Agusta Deutschland Team foresees numerous tests that are starting in these next few days and will continue until the first race in may 2004

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Superbike & Supersport World Championships News

Canada event canceled

The event which was scheduled in Mont Tremblant, Québec, Canada, on July 4, 2004, will not take place. Following the circuit inspection by CCR inspector Claude Danis, the numerous works cannot be carried out in time and therefore the circuit cannot be homologated. Series promoter FGSports is currently studying possibilities of replacing the event.

The calendar for the 2004 season is the following:

February 29 Spain Valencia

March 28 Australia Phillip Island

April 18 San Marino Misano

May 16 Italy Monza

May 30 Germany Oschersleben

June 13 Europe Silverstone

July 4 tba

July 11 United States Laguna Seca

August 1 Great-Britain Brands Hatch

September 5 Netherlands Assen

September 26 Italy Imola

October 3 France Magny-Cours

Tba : to be announced :ph34r:

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The World Superbike Championship will “race” at the Bologna Motor Show for its fans

4th – 14th December 2003

Superbike World Championship fans will not have to wait until the new season starts next February in Valencia, Spain as it will “race” at the Bologna Motor Show from 4th to 14th December.

This extraordinary event is the result of extensive cooperation between FGSPORT and Promotor to continue the tradition of taking Superbike, its riders and teams directly to the fans and offering them both access and insight into the series that has generated so much passion, excitement and enjoyment over many years.

In a dramatic and significant achievement, the international paddock will be transplanted to one of the main halls at the Bologna Motor Show creating an epic and dynamic arena for fans of the sport. Fans will feel right at home inside the 1,200 square meter paddock that will contain the following exciting elements:

7 teams will present their racing trucks and bikes that have been competing in the 2003 season: Ducati Fila, Ducati NCR, Suzuki Alstare, Kawasaki Bertocchi, PSG-1, Ten Kate Honda, Yamaha Belgarda.

15 riders will be present, including: Neil Hodgson Superbike 2003 World Champion, Ruben Xaus second in the final standings, Regis Laconi and James Toseland Ducati Fila new signing for 2004, Lorenzo Lanzi, the young new entry climbing the Supersport ladder, David Garcia who flies the Ducati NCR flag, Mauro Sanchini 2003 Italian Champion together with team mates Ivan Clementi and Stefano Cruciani who will be riding the Kawasaki Bertocchi machines next year, the lion Pierfrancesco Chili, the PSG-1 standard-bearer, Chris Vermeulen, 2003 Supersport World Champion together with Brock Parkes, the Ten Kate Honda rider and Jurgen Van den Goorbergh from Yamaha Belgarda. Alstare Suzuki will be present with Vittorio Iannuzzo and Michel Fabrizio.

Pirelli, the official tyre supplier of the 2004 Superbike and Supersport World Championships will be present with a full race service truck and will organize promotional events and activities for the public.

And something special for the first time - a real novelty in the form of bike and car together for the joy of the fans. A BMW M5, the first example of the exciting new race series SUPERSTARS will be on show for the public. The racing car has already been presented to a selected number of tuners and drivers at the Vallelunga Circuit in early November.

The heart as usual, will be the SBK Ring where the riders, following the SBK philosophy of public engagement, will be at disposal of all the motorcycle fans for interviews, autographs and talks on 7 and 8 December.

The leading spirit of this extraordinary event will be Giovanni Di Pillo with Nuvolari, the broadcasting TV station that will have a permanent presence in the Superbike zone.

FGSPORT invites all fans to this extraordinary event that will undoubtedly be the highlight of the break between seasons.

From WorldSBK

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WSB paddock displays at Bologna Motor Show

2 Dec 2003

Fans will get the chance to see the World Superbike paddock up close and personal at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy.

Seven teams will be present with their race transporters and the bikes that competed in the 2003 season. These include the Fila Ducati squad, Alstare Suzuki, NCR Ducati and Ten Kate Honda.

In addition, 13 riders will be attending the show. The 2003 WSB champion Neil Hodgson will be there alongside team-mate Ruben Xaus, and the 2004 factory Ducati riders Regis Laconi and James Toseland. Supersport champion Chris Vermuelen will also be at Bologna, together with Ten Kate’s Broc Parkes and Yamaha Belgarda’s Jurgen van den Goorbergh. Ducati NCR’s David Garcia, PSG-1’s Pier-Francesco Chili, and the Bertocchi Kawasaki duo of Ivan Clementi and Stefano Cruciani will be there, too.

Tyre firm Pirelli, which will supply the WSB control tyres in 2004, will also be attending with a full race service truck.

The Bologna Motor Show runs from December 4-14, and alongside the race paddock will be all the new road bikes from the biggest manufacturers. We’ll bring you all the latest news from the show on motorcyclenews.com. Discuss this story on the WSB message board by following the link on the right.

All the excitement of the WSB paddock will be at the Bologna Show

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Eric on the Factory 999, a Scary Sight for Competitors

Accompanying a press release from the Daytona International Speedway concerning a Michelin tire test conducted by Ducati with Eric Bostrom earlier today, this photo should strike fear into Ducati's competitors for the 2004 AMA Superbike crown.

If you have already forgotten, Eric Bostrom has kept a relatively ancient, underpowered Kawasaki ZX-7R on or near the podium in AMA Superbike competition for the last few years. The Ducati 999 pictured above is fully supported by Ducati Corse in Italy, and shouldn't give away an inch to a full spec World Superbike machine. It should be a step forward from the machine Neil Hodgson rode to the WSB championship earlier this year.

The one place where Mat Mladin's Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike competed with Neil Hodgson's 999 this year was at Laguna Seca, and observers (as well as Mladin, himself) commented that the 999 was at least as fast as the GSX-R1000. With the AMA Superbike rules for 2004 favoring twins, Eric Bostrom would have to be one of the favorites, if not the favorite, to take the title. One also has to wonder whether Bostrom has been promised a MotoGP ride in 2005 should he claim the 2004 AMA Superbike championship for Ducati. He has made it clear that MotoGP is his ultimate goal

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All the excitement of the WSB paddock will be at the Bologna Show

Ja ... splača se v Bologno zapelat ... evo ene par slikc -->

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Here are the times provided by AMA timing and scoring. :ph34r:

Top times:

1 Bostrom, B. Honda CBR1000RR 01:48.293

2 Zemke, J. Honda CBR1000RR 01:48.860

3 Mladin, M. Suzuki GSXR1000 01:49.416

4 Disalvo, J. Yamaha R1 01:49.508

5 Yates, A. Suzuki GSXR1000 01:49.776

6 Buckmaster, D. Yamaha R1 01:50.809

7 Hayes, J. Kawasaki ZX10 01:51.316

8 Hayden, R. Kawasaki ZX10 01:51.768

9 Hayden, T. Kawasaki ZX6RR 01:51.846

10 Hacking, J. Yamaha R6 01:52.376

11 Disalvo, J. Yamaha R6 01:52.384

12 Gobert, Aa. Yamaha R1 01:52.573

13 Hayes, J. Kawasaki ZX10 01:52.885

14 Meiring, T. Kawasaki ZX10 01:52.896

15 Hacking, J. Yamaha R6 01:53.141

16 Duhamel, M. Honda CBR 01:54.224

17 Hayden, T. Kawasaki ZX10 01:54.353

18 Gobert, Al. Honda CBR600RR 01:54.999

19 Gobert, Aa. Yamaha R6 01:55.304

20 Yates, A. Suzuki GSXR1000 00:0-0.00

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Daytona tyre test - Day 2

Honda stayed atop the speed charts during the second day of Dunlop tyre testing on Tuesday at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the 63rd Daytona 200 By Arai on Saturday, March 6.

Ben Bostrom, aboard the Honda CBR1000RR, broke the one minute, 47-second barrier in the Tuesday afternoon session with a fast lap of 1:47.650 seconds. The Daytona 200 By Arai pole record held by Nicky Hayden is 1:47.174, which was set in 2002 with Dunlop qualifying tyres.

"We're making big head way, but we still have more to go," Bostrom said.

Honda also had a second Honda CBR1000RR on track on Tuesday for riders Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke to shake down. Both riders turned laps in the one-minute, 48-second range. Duhamel is chasing his fifth Daytona 200 By Arai victory, which would tie him at the top of the wins list with Scott Russell.

Unlike past years, Duhamel won't be racing in Supersport in 2004, where he has a record six victories at Daytona. Instead, the Canadian rider will compete in the inaugural Daytona Lockhart-Phillips Formula Xtreme event, which will be held on Thursday, March 4.

Duhamel has spent most of the Dunlop tyre test developing the new Xtreme bike. "Hopefully, we can get six in Xtreme," Duhamel joked. "It's a brand new bike. Just a few minutes ago before the lunch, we did a really good change. Some changes do nothing, some changes do a lot. We did a change on it and it went really good. We're quite a bit happier with it. It's progressing nicely which is to be expected on a project bike like the Xtreme is right now."

Dunlop tyre testing concludes on Wednesday.

Day 2 Times - (Taken with permission from Road Racing World)

1. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:47.650

2. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR1000RR Superbike, 1:48.475

3. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:49.501

4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:49.731

5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:49.935

6. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R1, Superstock, 1:49.988

7. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, 1:50.112

8. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R Superstock, 1:50.577

9. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R Superstock, 1:50.977

10. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1 Superstock, 1:51.114

11. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:53.157

12. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:54.006

13. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:54.328

14. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR Formula Xtreme, 1:54.675

15. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6RR Supersport, 1:54.987

16. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport, 1:55.829

17. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600 Supersport, 1:56.235

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Dunlop Daytona Tire Test: Day Three

On the third and final day of the test only the wail of the 600’s could be heard resonating off the high banks. Following Jason DiSalvo’s tire failure yesterday Dunlop has decided to stop testing the slick tires used by the Superbike and Superstock machines in the interest of safety. Honda and Suzuki already have their big bore bikes packed away.

Jason DiSalvo is here today but is choosing to sit out the remainder of the test. He said if it were a race he would ride but feels it would be best if he rested for a while. DiSalvo had a big get off yesterday in the NASCAR turn four area due to a rear tire failure. He said he was doing a race distance test and had already completed 11 laps when his rear tire let go. Amazingly the youngster only sustained minor injuries from his crash at around 180mph, his leathers and back protector taking the brunt of the damage. He has some road rash on his thumbs, elbows and back along with some bruising but most of the burns are just from the heat generated by the leather sliding across the pavement.

It has been reported that four times Superbike Champion Mat Mladin said he wouldn’t race here again on a Superbike due to all the tire failures. I caught up with Don Sakakura manager of Yoshimura Suzuki’s road race effort and asked him if he would stand behind his riders if they chose not to race here for safety concerns. He said that at the moment the tire issue is a real concern and that he can fully understand why Mat doesn’t want to race here. Don said he hopes Dunlop can come up with a solution.

We are waiting on a release from the AMA about their stance on the tire issue.

Tuesday afternoon top times:

1 Hacking, J. Yamaha R6 1:52.912

2 Hayden, T. Kawasaki ZX6RR 1:53.815

3 Buckmaster, D. Yamaha R1 1:53.819

4 Hayden, R. Kawasaki ZX6RR 1:54.120

5 Gobert, Aa. Yamaha R6 1:54.174

6 Yates, A. Suzuki GSXR600 1:57.072

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McCoy moves to WSB

Garry McCoy has confirmed that he will ride for the NCR Ducati squad in the 2004 World Superbike Championship.

The Australian rider, who was with the Kawasaki MotoGP team this year, will replace Regis Laconi after the Frenchman left to ride for the factory Ducati WSB squad in 2004.

A long time GP rider, McCoy is renowned for his spectacular all action riding style and will be a welcome addition to the WSB championship.

He said: " It’s great to get the ride. I was open to most offers but the deal with NCR just came together easily. I’m looking forward to being on a competitive bike and the WSB paddock seems a fair bit more relaxed than MotoGP. "

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2004 superbikes head-to-head

The all-new 2004 superbikes have gone head to head on a racetrack for the first time at the AMA Superbike test in Florida, USA. So far, Honda is winning, but Yamaha has caused the biggest shock.

The winter test at Daytona has seen the first head-to-head battles between the new Honda Fireblade, the new Yamaha R1, the new Kawasaki ZX-10R, and the updated Suzuki GSX-R1000.

None of these bikes has officially been launched to the public yet, but AMA championship race teams have had their race bikes delivered early in time to get prepared for the increasingly important series.

Former World Superbike star Ben Bostrom is so far fastest on the new Blade, joined by team-mates Miguel Duhamel and Jake Zemke on bikes that the team only received days ago from Japan. They are just ahead of the Yamaha R1s of Jamie Hacking and Damon Buckmaster, and reigning U.S. champ Mat Mladin on a GSX-R1000.

Yamaha's Jason DiSalvo managed to walk away from a 180mph crash coming out of turn four. The Supersport rider was uninjured but opted to go to the local medical center for a full check-up.

All the R1s circulating at Daytona are Supersport versions of the bike, with lower levels of engine and chassis tune than the superbikes, as per AMA Supersport race rules which, unlike the British Supersport series, is not a pure 600cc championship. But they are reported to be significantly faster than the full-on Suzuki superbike on the NASCAR-style Daytona banking!

The Kawasaki ZX-10R Supersport bike isn't quite up to speed yet, posting times around 1.8s off the R1.

Title contender Eric Bostrom tested at Daytona a few days before this session on a works Ducati 999, and set times that would have been amongst the quickest, despite it being his first time on a V-twin, and on Michelin tyres.

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Mladin says superbikes have outgrown Daytona

The annual Dunlop tyre test at the famed Daytona International Speedway in Florida, came to an abrupt end after two of the scheduled three days and has raised serious questions and doubts about the leading superbike riders taking to the circuit for the opening round of the 2004 Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship on March 6.

The drama began after Yamaha rider, Jason DiSalvo crashed at over 270kph (170mph) on the circuit’s ultra-fast banked section on the second day of the test. The cause of the accident was an alleged rear tyre failure and is the fourth high-speed incident to have occurred this year.

The incident saw Dunlop officials call a premature end to the test for the Superbike riders, leaving just the 600cc Supersport competitors out on the track for the third and final day.

The 2003 season saw a number of high speed tyre failures, including that of four-times American Superbike Champion Mat Mladin who had a rear tyre let go at 270kph (170mph) while leading the opening race at Road Atlanta in May. The day prior a privateer rider had a tyre fail at almost the same place as Mladin, leaving the rider with multiple injuries.

In October, Mladin’s Yoshimura Suzuki team-mate Ben Spies had a rear tyre fail at Daytona during an end of season test at Daytona. He suffered severe abrasions and is still unable to ride.

The spate of tyre problems has left chief supplier Dunlop working frantically on finding a solution. This week’s three-day test was designed to sort through more tyres in preparation for next March’s opening round of the championship the Daytona 200.

This week’s tyre failure has left a number of riders concerned and undecided as to the role that they will play in that opening race, including Mladin, a two-time winner at Daytona and he is very concerned at the latest incident and it’s ramifications.

“We were told in a meeting with Dunlop, the day before the test started, that they essentially assured us (the riders) there wasn’t going to be any trouble with the tyres of the same sort we have had in the past, with tyre deflation etc,” said Mladin.

“Unfortunately there was one such incident on the second day of the test and as I’ve said many times, the bikes and the speed of the new 1000cc motorbikes has gotten beyond what this race track is capable of and the tyres cannot handle the abuse that they are given around here.”

“The point that must be made, and I’ve said it before, Dunlop cannot be held totally responsible for what is happening. Any tyre manufacturer that would come here and see what goes on with tyres would be pulling their hair out with trying to develop tyres for this track. They (Dunlop) cannot be held responsible, we have to hold someone responsible at other tracks and Dunlop may be partly to blame there, but here the AMA need to look at what’s going on and the performance of the motorcycle.”

“The bikes have increased in performance so much in the past five years that it is becoming frightening. The new Honda did essentially 310kph (190mph) on the 31° banking and with all of the funny things that happen on the banking, the G forces are unbelievable.”

“If something is not done about it, I certainly won’t be racing in the 200 under the circumstances we are at, at the moment. I would rather put a set of tyres on a 600 Supersport and race that, rather than a 200+hp Superbike as no one can guarantee our safety when it comes to tyres here. Motorcycle racing is full of inherent dangers and things that go wrong, but it has come to a point where there are no guarantees that you’ll come around the next lap, even if you don’t do anything wrong and I think that’s a risk not worth taking.”

“Tyre wear is also not the issue or the reason why for the failures. Ben (Spies) had a tyre fail after about four or five laps and then (Jason) DiSalvo had one let go after about ten laps on a 1000cc Superstock bike and we’ve got to do 20 laps on a tyre in the 200 race.”

“The problem Dunlop is facing is that they just don’t know why it’s happening. They think they’ve got a handle on why it happened and then they’ve got another failure. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticising Dunlop for not working on the problem as I know that they’ve worked day and night on this. I can’t fault them for the amount of work and time they’ve put in over the past three months, it’s been incredible. The bottom line is that the speeds and the forces generated on the banking, I don’t think can be replicated in a closed testing environment and that makes it hard. The banking does have what feels like very sharp holes, what would feel like stutter bumps on a motocross bike, but at 270kph, so is this additional load causing the tyre to fracture. That’s the thing at the moment, we just don’t know.”

“This is a big problem and it needs to be addressed now. What is going to happen in a few years time when the manufacturers start to develop 240hp bikes? Just six years ago we had 155hp and now we have just over 200. One day it has to come to a point where it seriously needs to be addressed.”

“We know that Daytona is the worst track on the calendar as far as safety goes, but getting it taken off the calendar won’t happen next year, so something has to be done quickly. I think the series has outgrown Daytona. Even the 600cc Supersport bikes are doing 270kph (170mph) on the banking.”

“We’re going to speeds with these 1000cc bikes of over 320kph after they’ve been in the draft and that’s crazy as you are surrounded by a concrete wall. So far the recent incidents have been during practice, but what will happen if a tyre fails during the race when there’s a five-bike train happening and there are five riders on the track at 270k’s and a field of bikes following them. You can imagine it’s not going to be good.”

“We met the AMA officials late on Wednesday afternoon to discuss ways of fixing it so that the race will happen next year with less than three months before the race, a lot of things will need to be sorted out.”

Mladin left the Daytona circuit on Wednesday afternoon and will return to Australia for the festive season, before resuming his testing commitments with Yoshimura Suzuki in January.

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Še mal slikic iz testiranj!

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<_<

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