Viva Las Vegas

Today is a promoter practice day at LVMS. We might have some times later this afternoon if things fall into place, meaning yes, you Yosh boys with your cell-modems can send me some data from the pit wall if you please.

Tripp Nobles will leave Vegas on Monday and fly to Italy to ride a Honda SuperHawk in the Italian Superbike championship for Oscar Rumi. Nobles, according to my sources is leaving the Erion squad after this year and will be replaced there by Kurtis Roberts, who has a two-year contract with Honda. Nobles would be a great candidate for a decent FE ride for 1999, because if you took Eric Bostrom out of the 98 equation, Nobles would have won most of the races.

Rumors are flying fast in the Gobert aftermath. He's fired, he's hired, he's hurt, he's not hurt. Gobert has documents from a physician stating that he is injured and should not ride, so that seems to be the final word. Vance and Hines is known to be talking to others riders about 1999 which is slightly curious if Gobert is merely hurt.

Yoshimura has all four of their 1999 riders buttoned up. Steve Rapp, Jason Pridmore, Steve Crevier and Mat Mladin (already signed) will formally sign contracts with the team very soon. Where this leaves PPIR 600 Supersport winner Larry Pegram is unknown.

Steve Rapp was celebrating his Yosh contract with a big dinner of pizza and er, bottled water the other night and he'll have more to celebrate after this weekend if things go right for him: Rapp has a fifteen point lead in the 750 Supersport championship and just needs a safe weekend to win the title.

Rumor du jour: Damon Buckmaster will ride for the much talked about Chaparral Suzuki team in 1999, with Kel Carruthers running the team. They will have Supersport bikes only and there is no chance of them getting a factory Superbike deal, ever, say my American Suzuki sources.

My sources say in '99 Yamaha will have a 600 Supersport farm-team as well, with Robert Nutt running that squad. Who the riders will be is at this time unknown.

Qualifying at LVMS should be a barn-burner as both Bostrom and Chandler would like to have that one point cushion when the race goes down on Sunday. Assuredly, Muzzy's guys, Gary Medley and Steve Johnson, should have a short fuse engine with legs to spare for a run at the pole and Bostrom too will have an HRC power plant with "qualifying" scribbled on its engine tag.

Let the best man win.

DCA