From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

BOSTROM PREPARES FOR BARBER DEBUT

Birmingham (Alabama) – Round 4 of the AMA Superbike Championship will see both Eric Bostrom and the Ducati 999 make their race debuts at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, the 27-year-old having missed last year’s race at the newly added Southern venue due to injury.

Bostrom will be looking to recover points lost at Infineon Raceway two weeks ago and, with the championship points remaining close for 4th, 5th and 6th positions, has an opportunity to capitalize on the two races at Barber to move back up the series standings.

A mid-March test at Barber gave Bostrom much-needed exposure to a track with blind drop-away turns, where judging the correct corner entry speed is critical. The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team is not a complete stranger to the track, as they scored a second place finish in last year’s season finale with Italian rider Giovanni Bussei aboard a 998RS.

“We’re coming off a low from Infineon where we suffered from a lack of pre-season testing there,” commented Eric. “There were some things that we just couldn’t get sorted out, which was frustrating because the Ducati was so good on the throttle. We still have to work on a few issues, and it’s going to be difficult going for us until then. But I know that I, my crew, Ducati, and Michelin are all working very hard and we’re anxious to sort out the set-up so we can give the fans some good battles and put the Ducati on top where it belongs.”

“After Infineon we had a chance to do some testing at Pikes Peak,” said Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. “We focused on the front end and we also tried some tires we haven’t run before. We’ve got specific ideas on what we need to do at Barber so we can get Eric and the Ducati on the podium. The races were exciting at Barber last year – we want to be a part of the action again this weekend.”

The Circuit

The newest venue added to the AMA schedule, Barber Motorsports Park opened in spring of 2003 and hosted its first major spectator event in September with last year’s season finale of the AMA Superbike Championship. The track measures 2.3 miles (3.70km) with 16 turns, and has 80 feet of elevation change. Built to FIA and FIM standards, the track is 45 feet wide, offering passing opportunities throughout much of the flowing circuit.

Originally planned as a small test track to showcase the 750 motorcycles and 45 cars housed in the Barber Museum, the project grew into a state-of-the-art racing facility on 700 acres. With spectator seating landscaped into the hillsides – there are no grandstands – the track has been positively received by fans for its overall track visibility from most locations.



More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

HEATH SMALL POSITIVE GOING INTO BARBER ROUND OF AMA

HAS/Shogun Racing rider Heath Small is looking forward to a full weekend of racing at round four of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend, May 14-16. His weekend was cut short at the previous round at Infineon Raceway with electrical problems on both of his machines.

“We were having problems with the electric shifters at Sears Point,” said Heath. “We sent them back to have them looked at and re-calibrated. We should get them back by the weekend, but if we don’t, we’ll just race without them. I really like racing at Barber, so we’ll just go out and do the best we can. I’m 100 percent healthy, so there’s no reason not to do well this weekend.”


More, from another press release issued by Proforma:

ESLICK AND HIGBEE HEAD TO BARBER

Shawn Higbee, Danny Eslick and the rest of the Millennium Technologies Suzuki team head to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, May 14-16, for round four of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship.

Danny Eslick
“I was bummed out about not getting to run the Supersport race at Infineon,” said Danny. “I pulled into my grid position from the warm-up lap, and oil was just dripping out of the fork leg. There was no way I could start the race. It was a shame too, because me and my mechanic Charlie (Ramirez) had gotten rid of the chatter that I had at Fontana. But I’m looking forward to Barber. I was there a couple of times last year on a GSX-R750. I like the track. It should be a lot of fun on the 600.”

Shawn Higbee
“I had a couple of good races at Barber last year in Superbike, two sixths,’ said Higbee, who earned the top privateer award in the 2003 AMA Superbike series. “The track seems to suit my style, and my bike (Suzuki GSX-R1000) is close to last year’s spec, so I think I’ll be able to get up to speed fairly quickly. Plus, the forecast is calling for rain over the weekend, and I go pretty well on a wet track.”

Kevin Hunt – Team Owner
“We’ve been working on both the 600s and the 1000s to make them more rideable,” said Kevin, who oversees the R&D of the team’s equipment. “Both bikes make good horsepower, but we spend a lot of time on the Dynojet dyno to tweak the powerband, the torque curve, to make the power more usable for the riders.”