Monday News

There's a press release falling out of fax machines all over Europe that says Aprilia and V. Rossi have decided to split for next season. Honda wins, presumably. Still no word from Doohan whether he will ride or watch next year.

Doug Chandler and Eric Bostrom will test next week at Willow Springs Raceway. The two will ride used Kawasaki eight hour bikes sent over for them to abuse, before getting new iron before the Daytona 200 in March.

Rob Muzzy still has at least two Kawasaki Superbikes and if he found an outside sponsor, could go racing next year in AMA Superbike. Looking at the AMA Superbike win list last week, it appears that Muzzy has between 55-60 AMA Superbike wins to his credit.

Kawasaki rider Doug Chandler, reached today, said that work is progressing at Sears Point and that he expects that the track will be ready for use by the AMA crowd in 2000.

"I was up there about a month ago," said Chandler, "and they've been working on the changes. The embankment outside the turn before the carousel is gone, it's all open area. They're going to move the wall back by the drag strip and they'll also be shortening up turn eleven (the final turn) so that the bikes take an immediate right just as they come in to sight, before the existing corner. It'll be usable."

Vance and Hines Ducati will not test before the Dunlop tire test at Daytona next month. They will use 1999 bikes there.

Dunlop tire distributor and former Superbike racer Dennis Smith crashed big at Willow Springs on Friday suffering a damaged jaw and a couple of broken hand/arms. Smith contacted someone in turn eight and fell.

More later. Probably.