Kawasaki Riders Give Infineon Raceway Thumbs Up

SONOMA, Calif. January 15, 2004; A trio of Kawasaki riders was finally
able to tackle the road course at Infineon Raceway on Thursday for a test
session, and all came away with high marks regarding increased safety
measures taken by raceway officials in the off-season.

 

Tommy Hayden, Roger Hayden and Tracy's Tony Meiring arrived at Infineon
Raceway on Wednesday for what was scheduled as a two-day test session in
advance of the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, presented by Cycle Gear,
featuring the Supercuts Superbike Challenge, April 30-May 2. But rain forced
Wednesday's cancellation, and riders were unable to get on the track until
1:30 p.m. (PDT) on Thursday.

 

Once allowed on track, riders were pleased with the improvements. More than
120 feet of runoff has been added at Turn 1, while 80 feet has been added at
Turn 6 (Carousel). The track has also been completely repaved, and more than
3,000 feet of French Edge Drains were installed to keep water from draining
under the track surface - the raceway is just 15 feet above sea level.
Curbing was also added at Turns 2, 6, 8 and 10.

 

"Turn 1 is definitely the biggest improvement," said Tommy Hayden. "I was a
little worried that with the new pavement the speeds would be up a lot, but
they weren't, at least not today. This surface is way better than before."

 

"It's much safer going into Turn 1,"said Meiring, who rides for Attack
Kawasaki. "You used to be worried going into Turn 1 but that's not the case
now. You can make a mistake but the turn is forgiving."

 

Tommy Hayden and Meiring also said the new, smooth surface will also produce
more passing lines.

 

"You're going to be able to pass in a lot of places," Meiring said. "This
race in May is going to be a lot more fun for both the riders and the fans.
There's going to be a lot of passing and a lot of close racing."

 

"For sure there's going to be more passing in the Carousel," Tommy Hayden
said. "It's great to not feel the bumps in the track anymore."

 

The riders only had three hours of testing and primarily worked on race
setup for the upcoming event, April 30-May 2. Kawasaki will return to
Infineon Raceway on March 15-16 for another test session, along with Yamaha.