Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies, winner of the Road Atlanta AMA Supersport race, was fined $2000 and penalized 20 Championship points for a technical rules violation found after the race.

“They found the oil pressure relief valve to be different than the production sample,” Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura told Roadracingworld.com.

Asked how the non-production part got in Spies’ GSX-R600, Sakakura said, “Right now, no comment.”

AMA Pro Racing made no announcement of the violation and only made the final determination of the violation Wednesday, May 28 at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

AMA Supersport Championship point standings distributed in the media center and available at post time did not reflect the 20-point penalty against Spies. Instead of being third and five points behind Championship co-leaders Jamie Hacking and Damon Buckmaster, Spies should have been listed in seventh, 35 points behind the leaders.

Spies was allowed to keep his race win.


This just in: After the penalty was announced by Greg White on a SPEED TV broadcast, AMA Pro Racing then issued a statement that read:

“#11 Ben Spies–Yoshimura Suzuki–Following the race at Road Atlanta the oil pressure relief valve was impounded and found to be a non-standard part. The penalty was issued at PPIR. He was penalized 20 points and fined $2000.”