AMA Pro American Superbike Rider Johnny Rock Page Suspended Indefinitely

To: AMA Pro Road Racing Community

Date: September 6, 2009

Subject: AMA Pro American Superbike Rider Johnny Rock Page Suspended Indefinitely

AMA Pro American Superbike rider Johnny Rock Page has been suspended indefinitely by AMA Pro Racing Officials following the Saturday, Sept. 5, American Superbike race at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Rock Page has been suspended for violating rule A2.3 i. of the AMA Pro Road Racing Rule Book, which addresses “Engaging in any unfair practice, misbehavior or action detrimental to the sport of motorcycling in general, whether or not related to a specific competition.”

Rock Page’s suspension is immediate and he will not be participating in today’s AMA Pro Road Racing activity at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

AMA Pro Racing today announced modifications that will begin with the 2010 AMA Pro Road Racing season. Though the basic rules for the AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited, Daytona SportBike presented by AMSOIL and SuperSport presented by Shoei will remain unchanged, procedures will be modified to increase rider safety. In addition, AMA Pro will expand the SunTrust Moto-GT class structure and form advisory committees to better communicate with its key constituents.

“Based on the competitive balance we have seen on the racetrack between various brands in 2009, the fundamental structure of the rules package will remain unchanged,” said AMA Pro President Roger Edmondson. “We foresee that certain competition adjustments will be made to ensure that competitive balance continues. During the offseason, we will be finalizing the analysis of all the data before those competitive adjustments are announced.”

Beginning with the Daytona 200 in March of 2010, all races will begin with clutch starts for all series. In addition, where possible, the race starter will be positioned at ground level to assist riders’ ability to see the flags.

“While it was our intention to maximize safety at the beginning of races by utilizing the rolling start, it brought its own set of challenges, and we have not been convinced that our goals of safety were realized in the way that we wanted,” Edmondson said. “It was clear from the response of fans and the AMA Pro community that they prefer the original clutch starts, and because the rolling start did not prove to be clearly safer, we will return to the clutch start for all AMA Pro Road Racing divisions in 2010.”

Previously, a decision was made to suspend the use of Pace and Safety vehicles on a hot racetrack during yellow flag conditions. Furthering that decision, for 2010 and beyond, the Pace and Safety vehicles will only be used to restart the field following red flag situations.

In another effort to increase safety, two-way radio communication between riders and their crew chiefs will be mandatory in select classes. Also, AMA Pro is currently working with potential suppliers to develop an early warning system to notify riders of changing track conditions.

“Rider safety is an ongoing concern,” Edmondson said. “We need to explore new technologies when seeking to resolve problem areas. It is time for a new way to warn riders of problems or changing track conditions beyond the old flagging system. We are encouraged by our discussions with suppliers, and hope to introduce the early warning system for the 2010 season.”

SunTrust Moto-GT will expand to three classes from its previous two-class format. The new GT3 class will feature machines that currently fit the technical specifications of the Formula 450 structure. AMA Pro is also investigating the potential of adding up to two additional single-brand series to complement the existing class structure.

“We will continually work with manufacturers to create compelling competition to showcase their product on the racetrack and provide great value to our fans as well as exceptional content for our promoter partners,” said Edmondson.

Advisory Committees will also be formed in order to better communicate with the AMA Pro community. The committees will include representatives of promoters, riders, entrants and manufacturers. The three main sub committees will be Technical, Facility and Race Operations.

The Technical Committee will focus on rule changes, equipment changes and homologation issues. The Facility Committee will deal with safety, promotion, event infrastructure and general show quality. The Race Operations Committee will focus on race operations, penalties and appeal processes.

“We believe direct communication is vital to the growth of our sport,” said AMA Pro Vice President of Marketing & Communications Ollie Dean. “We feel that organizing these committees and giving structure to the communication process will best serve the needs of our community. This will give us the ability to hear from diverse perspectives on a variety of issues and give us the ability to develop strategies and initiatives that will best serve the shared goal of growing our sport.”

More information on the AMA Pro Advisory Committees, including the nomination process and meeting dates, will follow.

We apologize to anyone adversely affected by the Hack on our site. While the attack posed no danger to viewers it caused the link structure of our site to fail. It has affected several posts from the last couple days, maybe weeks. We believe we have handled it at this point but as it is a busy weekend we will not be able to correct some of the effected links at this time. Again we appreciate your support, apologize for the inconvenience and as for the hacker, thanks for the props!

Later,

Yamaha Motor Company., Ltd and Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. are delighted to announce that an Agreement has been concluded with Ben Spies for his participation with Yamaha for 2010 and 2011. The program foresees a season in 2010 with the Yamaha World Superbike Team based in Gerno di Lesmo, Italy and a switch to Yamaha’s satellite MotoGP team for 2011.

Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager Yamaha Motor Europe said – “We got to know Ben this season in our Yamaha World Superbike Team as a very talented, professional and dedicated person whom we are thrilled to continue working with. Not only is the relationship between Ben, the team and Yamaha in general very successful but also it’s a pleasure to work with him. This early agreement permits Yamaha and Ben Spies to now fully focus on their 2009 World Superbike campaign in their challenge to achieve their first World Superbike Championship titles together.”

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing said – “We are truly excited about the prospect of Ben’s arrival into our future MotoGP program. Ben is doing a great job for Yamaha in his first season in the World Superbike Championship. He is in great shape to challenge for the title this year and we will be rooting for him at the remaining four events this season. Ben’s primary mission is to win both his and Yamaha’s first World Superbike title. After that when Ben eventually makes the move to the MotoGP championship we will be ready for him and, in line with the new MotoGP regulations, we will create a place for him within the Yamaha satellite team and give him the support he needs for his next challenge.

Ben Spies:
“I am very happy to say that I will remain a part of the Yamaha family and will continue in the WSB series for 2010. This is an exciting period of my racing career and I look forward to even more. Yamaha has been great in the warm welcome that I have received entering the world level and I want to thank them for all they have done, and giving me their trust for a next career step into MotoGP in 2011.”

DUCATI CONFIRM NICKY HAYDEN FOR 2010 IN THE DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM

Ducati Corse is hereby pleased to announce that Nicky Hayden will sign a one year extension to his current agreement and will line up alongside Casey Stoner in the Ducati Marlboro Team for 2010.
“The confirmation of Nicky is the right reward to a rider who has shown to perfectly embody the frame of mind that characterizes Ducati – Passion, Determination and Commitment.” said Claudio Domenicali, Ducati Motor Holding General Manager. “We have always considered Nicky to be an important asset to the Ducati 2010 strategy and we are very happy that he will remain in the Ducati Marlboro Team. His progression through the season has been constant up to the podium in Indianapolis and we are certain that the experience he has gained will be decisive for a 2010 season full of success”

“This has been a very good week and this news just adds to that,” commented Nicky Hayden. “After the good result in Indy, now to renew the deal with Ducati is exactly what I wanted. I’m very happy. I always had faith and believed that we could achieve good results. I’m excited for these last five races of the 09 season, and if you look at the progression we have made from the start of the season to the middle, hopefully we will continue this through to the end. I just wish to say a big thanks to all the guys who made this happen, especially everybody in Ducati as well as all our sponsors and I’m sure I’ll be able to do a good job next year and to continue to build with, and be part of, the Ducati family”.

Mugello (Italy), Wednesday 2nd September: The Ducati Xerox Team has been on track at the Mugello circuit yesterday and this morning, as guests of the Ducati MotoGP Team, to carry out two days of testing and to verify at the same time the physical condition of Noriyuki Haga, two months after the incident at Donington Park in which the Japanese rider fractured both his right ulna and left scapula. After the six-week long summer break, during which time he continued with a combination of physiotherapy and training, Nitro-Nori got back on his Ducati 1198 yesterday and although his shoulder injury caused him some discomfort at the start, he was able to ride much more comfortably today and the team is therefore feeling confident ahead of this weekend’s race.

Under clear skies Noriyuki and his squad worked on different set-ups and made adjustments regarding forks and shocks, making about 90 laps in total during the two-day test, with positive results and encouraging lap times. Engineer Ernesto Marinelli, technical director of the Superbike project, declared himself satisfied with the work completed, having identified two promising directions to try out this coming weekend at the Nürburgring.

Yesterday Michel Fabrizio was also on track and he also is back in shape after suffering muscle damage in practice during his recent MotoGP outing at Brno, a problem that fortunately seems to have resolved itself.
The Ducati Xerox Team departs tomorrow for Germany and this weekend’s Nürburgring round. At this point the two Ducati Xerox riders declare themselves to be fit and ready for the season’s crescendo. After ten of fourteen Superbike rounds held so far, Noriyuki continues to lead the championship with 326 points while Michel occupies third place in the overall standings, holding 273 points.

AGV helmets and Dainese apparel are pleased to announce their return to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, with a stronger presence than ever.
In partnership with Michigan-based Performance Motorsports, AGV Dainese will be present at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with 3 Garages in the Vendors Marketplace Gasoline Alley Garages, open throughout the weekend.
Along with a wide range of current products from the AGV and Dainese 2009 collections, close-outs and sales on certain items will be available along with some Valentino Rossi replica helmets and accessories.

On Saturday, be sure to visit the AGV Dainese garage for a rare opportunity to meet 1993 World Champion, and a loyal Dainese rider, Kevin Schwantz who will welcome the fans with an autograph session

The AGV Dainese garages will be open Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dainese, an Italian company founded in 1972 by its current President Mr. Lino Dainese, started out as a manufacturer of Motocross leather pants. Since its beginning, the company’s history has been intertwined with that of legendary riders who have made motorcycling history: from Giacomo Agostini, Barry Sheene, Freddy Spencer, Kenny Roberts and Kevin Schwantz in the FIM Road Racing Championship to Edi Orioli and Franco Picco in the Paris-Dakar off-road race, champions were wearing Dainese gear as far back as the ’70s. Today, the tradition is carried on by the most illustrious names in motorcycling like Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Jorge Lorenzo, Marco Simoncelli and many others.

AGV helmets are the result of over 62 years of hard work in finding the best solution in terms of safety and design. A tradition carried on by some of the most important riders of all times who helped AGV to make motorcycling history. Among them Giacomo Agostini, Angel Nieto, Barry Sheene, Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola, Johnny Cecotto, as well as Formula 1 racing drivers such as Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi . Today the legend is carried on by the 8 times World Champion Valentino Rossi, who is wearing an AGV helmet since the beginning of his thrilling career, and racers like 250cc World Champion Marco Simoncelli or 2003 World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson
A passion for designing, engineering and developing successful helmets which will never end… no more, no less!

For further information on AGV and Dainese, visit www.dainese.comand www.agv.com’

AMA Pro Racing and Yamaha Motor Corporation will honor Kenny Roberts in recognition of the historic last lap win at the 1975 Indy mile on the Yamaha TZ750 that ultimately proved to be one of the most famous wins in American Dirt Track history.

Known as the King, Kenny Roberts, a two-time AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion and three-time World 500cc Champion, will take several hot laps on the infamous Yamaha TZ750 powered dirt tracker during the races on Saturday night, August 29th.

“That night was a memorable event for motorcycle fans the world over,” said Bob Starr, General Manager of Communications for Yamaha Motor Corporation. “Kenny’s accomplishments over the years played a major role in the basis of what Yamaha’s performance image is today. This will be a great tribute to a great man and his accomplishment 34 years ago will live on forever in the history of motorcycling.”

“I remember that night very well. You could hear that bike screaming no matter where he was on the track with Kenny hanging on for the ride of his life,” said Mike Kidd, Director of AMA Pro Flat Track. “Running about mid-pack early in the race, Kenny pulled up along side me down the front straight, then he shifted gears and I never saw him again.”

The Indy Mile is the seventh round of the AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.

Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha Motor Company have signed a one year extension to the current rider agreement that will see Lorenzo, presently second in the 2009 MotoGP World Championship standings, as team mate of reigning MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi for another year.

Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, said “We are obviously delighted that Jorge has decided to stay at Yamaha for the next season and we hope that he will remain at Yamaha for many years to come. Jorge has shown his talent, his ability to learn and to compete at the highest level with many excellent performances in 2008 and 2009. We have no doubt that he has the ability and drive to become MotoGP World Champion and we are proud that he has decided to remain with Yamaha, despite having received some very serious approaches from some of our competitors. This timely decision now allows us to focus on the present championship, where our riders are currently first and second, and to make definitive plans for our 2010 MotoGP program.”

“I am very happy!” said Jorge Lorenzo. “Today is a good day because I have decided to remain with the Yamaha Factory Team in 2010. It was a very important decision and that’s why I have had to take the last few weeks to make it, but I think that this is the best decision for me in this moment. I want to thank Yamaha because they have always done everything that they have promised, and I especially would like to say thank you to Lin Jarvis and Masao Furusawa.”