Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday’s MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:51.954
2. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:51.968
3. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:52.021
4. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:52.270
5. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:52.290
6. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:52.439
7. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:52.569
8. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:52.687
9. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:52.700
10. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:52.767
11. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:52.999
12. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:53.078
13. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 1:53.146
14. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 1:53.399
15. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:53.732
16. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:53.813
17. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:53.897
18. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:53.978
19. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:54.331
20. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:54.703
21. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:55.322
22. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:56.394
23. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:56.863


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Italian GP, Mugello
First Qualifying
Friday, June 6 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM GRABS PROVISIONAL POLE AT HOME

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi took provisional pole position with a breathtaking last-gasp attack around the challenging high-speed Mugello circuit this afternoon. In sweltering 32-degree heat, the Italian left it until his very last lap of the session to better compatriot Valentino Rossi by just one hundredth of a second. Team-mate Troy Bayliss had a less successful day in the sun, ending up 18th as he searches for a set-up.

“This is very special for us, it makes us very proud to have an Italian rider and an Italian bike on pole in front of all the ‘red’ fans,” said Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali. “We are using a different approach to qualifying here. Both our riders are focusing all their attentions on race set-up, using race tyres. Loris was very strong throughout the session with race tyres, and only fitted a soft one for his final run. Before this weekend we were always concentrating on getting good performance over a single lap, so this change in approach should help our race performances.

“It’s been a strange day for Troy. We know he has been around here faster in private testing, so we’re not sure what wrong – maybe he’s had an off day, or maybe it’s the bike. We’ll check everything and I’m sure tomorrow will be different.”

CAPIROSSI – FASTEST MotoGP RIDER IN THE WORLD!
Loris Capirossi’s pole-grabbing end-of-session run triggered some minor celebrations in the Ducati Marlboro Team pit, where the focus is already very much on Sunday’s race. The little Italian had already done a fast run on race tyres, but like his rivals he fitted a softer Michelin for his final outing. Earlier in the session he had rocketed along Mugello’s long start-finish straight at 328.9kmh, breaking his previous top-speed record (set at Catalunya during pre-season testing in March) and making him once again the faster MotoGP rider in the world.

“Provisional pole and another speed record is great for us,” said Capirossi, who took the Desmosedici’s first-ever pole position at last month’s Spanish GP. “We made a big step forward with set-up after this morning’s session, though I’d still like the bike to be easier to ride – everyone knows how much power we’ve got, so the bike isn’t always easy to control! We will check our data to see what changes we can make for tomorrow, but I’m sure we’re heading in the right direction. I’m really happy and I’d like to thank the whole team for working so well.”

BAYLISS SEARCHES FOR SET-UP
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss had an altogether more difficult first day at Mugello, the Aussie struggling to find a chassis set-up that suited him. He ended this afternoon’s opening qualifier down in 18th, and is now working his way through data from today’s two sessions in an effort to improve the behaviour of his Desmosedici for tomorrow’s all-important final qualifier.

“Not a great day,” said Bayliss, who scored his first MotoGP podium at Jerez last month. “We’re missing something with the set-up, especially up front. I’m not getting a good feeling from the bike going into corners, that’s what’s holding us back, because I can’t carry a decent amount of speed into the corners.”



More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

Italian Grand Prix
Friday, 6 June 2003
Mugello, Italy

YAMAHA ON FORM DURING DAY ONE IN MUGELLO

Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Carlos Checa (1:52.290) charged through the final stages of today’s opening qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, featuring as high as third on the grid only to have the front row start snatched from his grasp seconds later. Ducati rider Loris Capirossi dramatically improved his time as the flag dropped, to place his V-four machine on provisional pole position, with a time of 1:51.954, with fellow Italian Max Biaggi (Honda, 1:52.021) following close behind – setting the third fastest time. Defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1:51.968) separated the pair.

Although disappointed to miss out on the front row by a mere 0.020 seconds – behind fourth fastest man Sete Gibernau (Honda, 1:52.270) – Checa completed the opening session confident that he can improve his qualifying position significantly tomorrow, following his performance during a recent Fortuna Yamaha Team test held in Mugello in mid-May. In similar conditions the Spaniard produced a time of 1:51.900 – good enough for pole position during today’s first session. As it stands Checa is currently 0.336 seconds shy of Capirossi’s time, and with the improved balance of the M1 since its last outing in Italy, Checa is looking forward to another shot at a pole position start to the Italian Grand Prix spectacle.

“Today was good and I finished in a strong provisional grid position but the best day will be Sunday, I hope”, said the Catalan-born rider. “We have been changing settings on both of my bikes today and eventually went back to the setting and bike that I was more comfortable with, with some more front stability. With softer tyres I was able to do a fast lap and get that best time. Today was just for the lap time and I hope that tomorrow I can find the consistency I am looking for. Overall not a bad day.”

One of the driving forces behind Fortuna Yamaha team-mate Marco Melandri’s astonishing recovery, following his high-speed Suzuka crash, has been the desire to produce a good result here in Mugello at his home Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Italian, who won last year’s Italian 250cc race, improved on his Fortuna Yamaha Team Mugello testing time by nearly half a second to be eighth fastest, with a 1:52.687, on an all-Yamaha second row. Alex Barros (Gauloises Yamaha Team, 1:52.439) and Shinya Nakano (d’Antin Yamaha Team, 1:52.569) were sixth and seventh respectively. Still, the young Italian is confident he can improve further given the final adjustments made to the set-up of his M1 towards the end of the session.

“I found it a difficult session until the last 15 minutes because the setting wasn’t quite right and it was really hot and slippery out there,” said Melandri. “I didn’t try to push too hard because I didn’t feel totally comfortable but then we changed the setting of the suspension, chassis and tyres and it felt a bit better. I felt more trust with the bike and could push harder. At the end when we changed tyres it was maybe a little bit too late to go for a faster lap. I hope it will be dry tomorrow because we need to test some more race tyres, and obviously I would like to improve my grid position.”

Fortuna Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio was happy with both riders’ performance, “At the end of the session both riders were able to improve,” said Brivio. “They both rode well today, both riders are on the provisional second row, and the gap from the other top riders is quite close. We have tomorrow to look for the best package for the race – I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do for the rest of the weekend. All the Yamaha riders are quite close to the top so it’s been a good day for Yamaha generally.”


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 5 – GRAN PREMIO CINZANO D’ITALIA
6TH JUNE 2003 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1

WILD CARD HOFMANN LEADS KAWASAKI’S QUALIFYING CHARGE

Brushing aside a sore throat and an Italian summer heat wave, wild card rider Alex Hofmann gave the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR it’s best provisional qualifying result of the season, setting the 13th fastest time during today’s opening qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

As track temperatures soared to 48 degrees, Hofmann – delighted to be back racing at one of his favourite circuits – came within 1.1s of pole position on his fastest lap. This is the closest the Fuchs Kawasaki team have been to provisional pole in their first full season of MotoGP competition, with Hofmann clearly benefiting from last week’s three-day test at Autopolis in Japan.

Kawasaki team-mates, Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt, were 20th and 21st quickest respectively, with Pitt walking away unhurt from a mid-session crash when he lost the front end on the entry to the first chicane.

Pitt recovered quickly from his crash, and the subsequent hike back to pit lane, to set his fastest lap with just three minutes of the qualifying session remaining. Garry McCoy used today’s practice and qualifying periods to identify a suitable race tyre and chassis set-up, while also evaluating revised rear shock settings.

Alex Hofmann – 13th – 1:53.146s
“Obviously I’m happy with the way the day went, although I still have a sore throat and don’t feel 100 per cent. I made quite a big step in chassis set-up at Autopolis last week and I was fast right from the start today. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’m feeling more comfortable on this bike and that’s where the time is coming from. The chassis has a softer feel, which is something we tried in the winter tests, and I’m also getting good feedback from the new Dunlop front tyres here. The bike feels very stable, but for the race we need to keep working on the rear tyres.”

Garry McCoy – 20th – 1:54.703s
“I never got around to having a run on a real soft qualifying tyre, as I spent most of the day working on race set-up. It’s going to be a hot race here and it doesn’t look as if it will rain like it did at Le Mans. The rear set-up I’m trying has good and bad points, so now we just have get it working as part of the whole package and find a good combination for the race. I did a three lap run at the end for my best time.”

Andrew Pitt – 21st – 1:55.322s
“The crash was no big drama. I was trying a new front tyre and had just gone a second quicker, which felt okay, but then the front just started to tuck really slowly on me – it wasn’t a typical lose the front end type of crash. The worst part wasn’t actually crashing, but the fact that no one knew where I was and I had to walk back to the pits! I like the Mugello circuit, but it is a tough track to learn. It’s a long track, with a lot of corners, and I know I’m losing time in a lot of places, but I’m sure it will be easier tomorrow. At the moment I’ve got one bike that feels good in the rear and one that feels better at the front. Hopefully, by analysing the data from both bikes tonight, we’ll be able to come up with a set-up that combines the positive aspects of both.”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“Alex did a great job in qualifying today. He is running a slightly different chassis to that which he tested last week at Autopolis, but it is important to remember that this is still a development period for the Ninja ZX-RR. We are making small steps, but they are definitely in the right direction. Garry and Andrew have also worked extremely hard today; Garry on finding a race set-up and Andrew on learning his way around a new circuit.”


More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Amazing New Proton KR in the Hunt at First Race

Round Five – Italian GP, Mugello Thursday, June 6, 2003

Jeremy McWilliams – 16th Position, 1:53.813
Nobuatsu Aoki – 22nd Position, 1:56.394

Two days before its first race, on only its second full day at a race-track, the brand new four-stroke Proton KR V5 put the writing on the wall at Mugello. The 990cc machine, fresh from first shake-down test runs at Le Mans and still in first prototype form, is already showing strong potential, with Jeremy McWilliams claiming a place on the fourth row of the provisional grid.

Amazingly, with the bellowing new four-stroke still relatively rough-cut, the veteran from Northern Ireland consistently lapped faster than several established factory machines, including a Suzuki, a Ducati and two of the three Kawasakis. This was in spite of a gearing problem that meant he was the slowest of all down the long main straight of the classic Italian circuit. McWilliams was giving away 30km/h, but the machine’s cornering prowess meant he could make it up again, even before the correct suspension and settings have been established.

Team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki was less fortunate, however, with a series of small but costly problems keeping him in and out of the pits (he ran 16 laps to McWilliams’s 21), and intervening with his attempt at a fast lap on soft-compound qualifying tyres.

There are three of the new machines at the circuit – the full production run so far. A pair of the trusty old 500cc two-stroke KR3 machines waited under covers in the pits in case of emergency, but the new four-strokes have so far put their teething troubles behind them, and there were no major problems that stopped any of the three machines from running.

The new Proton KR distinguished itself dynamically, and also set a new benchmark in orchestral effect. The V5 engine is not the only MotoGP four-stroke to run without silencers, but the rich and complex exhaust note could be easily distinguished, as it thundered around the 5.245km circuit in the Tuscan hills outside Florence.


Jeremy McWilliams
“It’s a very pleasant surprise to be on the fourth row. After the Le Mans tests, I didn’t expect to be ahead of any other riders, who have all had so much more track time. We’re still learning so much, and trying to establish so many things. We’re especially working on the way it enters the corners. I need it to stop much quicker – at the moment the engine has so much inertia it means I can’t turn in like I want to. But the chassis feels spot on. In the middle of the corner, it does exactly what you want it to do. The gearbox is as it was at Le Mans, and fifth gear is too tall, which is costing me speed – but we just don’t have any different gear sets yet. We need to look at what we can do to improve that. I really didn’t expect to be in the top 20. Now we are I want to go better tomorrow, though I’m not sure how to do it. There are a million things going round my head … there’s too much to think about, and I don’t have the brain space to put it all in. We’re still just testing, really, but I’m thinking about racing. It’s been a really positive first day.”

Nobuatsu Aoki
“We’ve been working a lot today, but I’ve had many small problems coming up, and it cost time to sort them out. One of them is finding the right settings for the ECU and the fuel injection. At the moment the throttle connection is terrible, and my guys are trying to improve that. It is really interesting work, but it’s hard to do during a race meeting. I had two bikes today, but both were giving little problems. Then I put on some soft tyres to try for a fast lap, but a warning light came on, so I had to come back to the pits, and I lost my chance.”

Kenny Roberts – Team Owner
“This is only really the bike’s second day out, and to be honest I anticipated it would be a lot worse. I figured we’d be four or five seconds off the pace, so we’re twice as good as I expected. We don’t have everything we need here this weekend. We will have new engine parts for Barcelona that will give us more top end power. But we can still improve tomorrow. The suspension is not correct, and we are getting lots of information. The main thing is they’re all still running … not perfectly, but running.”



More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Pramac Honda Team Press Information
Mugello – Italian Grand Prix – 6/7/8 June 2003
Friday – qualifying session

Makoto Tamada on third provisional row of Italian Grand Prix

Ninth quickest time gives Makoto Tamada a place on the third provisional row after just two hours’ work at Mugello – this was indeed the first time that Makoto had ever been out on the wonderful Tuscan circuit. This morning he immediately set off to explore it and find out its secrets so as to become competitive as quickly as possible. In the afternoon session he managed to lop almost two seconds off his morning’s time, once again showing his expertise in adapting to different circuits he has never been on. His qualifying time today: 1:52.700 just over 7 tenths from the provisional pole show how determined Makoto is to do well. He was satisfied with the set-up of his RC211V, that was agreed on with the team technicians, and he chose some new products from Bridgestone tested at Le Mans the Monday after the race. The gifted Japanese asked the technicians to give him shorter-ratio gears, but the long straight at Mugello will require some form of compromise.


Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 9th – 1:52,700
“Actually I’m not all that satisfied with ninth quickest time – I’m always very demanding and feel I can do better. I like the track and I don’t want to think of the fact I’m at a disadvantage by not knowing virtually any of the world championship circuits. I want to stay up with the leaders and a few laps with Max and Ukawa helped me get a better feeling for the layout. I wasn’t particularly aiming for the fastest lap time as we were mainly working on keeping up a good pace: it’s going to be a tough fight here and maintaining constant lap times is going to be the key to dominating the race. The tests on the tyres after the Le Mans race were very important as preparation for this event in Italy. We’ll see how things go tomorrow as we carry on preparing for Sunday.”


More, from a press release issued by Alice Aprilia Racing Press Information:

MUGELLO GP/ FIRST QUALIFYING SESSION

SCARPERIA – Good performance for Colin Edwards in the first qualifying session at Mugello track. Even if the American rider suffered a technical problem in the rear brake, he obtained the 10th fastest lap anyway. He could improve his lap time but he has been forced to end the session with the bike no. 2 and the setting was not so good. Two slips for the Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga due to a loss of the front. The improvement of RS Cube bike will continue during the free session of tomorrow morning as the second qualifying session will be very hot. not only for the temperature!

COLIN EDWARDS: “Not so bad, Mugello track does not scare me anymore: I memorized it very well and it’s the second time for me here. Then I did not get just one fast lap but my pace is quite good. I have been forced to end the session with the bike no. 2 and the feeling was not so good. The bike no. 1 had a problem in the rear brake so it has not been possible to use it till the end. I think I can improve my lap time tomorrow achieving a good position in the starting grid”.

NORIYUKI HAGA: “I crashed twice because of the loss of the front in the corner. Luckily I did not get any serious damage. Now I have to understand the reasons”.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “An important session to understand the type of work we have to do in order to be competitive for the race; we have a lot of things to manage but I feel optimist about the work we have already made. Colin did all his best even if we suffered for a technical problem of the rear brake. It’s just a foolishness. Colin was not able to proceed with bike no. 1 so he tested the setting of his second bike. I feel sorry for Haga as two crashes in the same session reduce the feeling with the bike. Anyway the work we made both on track and in the workshop is getting better: we need more time”.

Lap Times:

1 Capirossi (Ducati) 1’51″954

2 Rossi (Honda) 1’51″968

3 Biaggi (Honda) 1’52″021

4 Gibernau (Honda) 1’52″270

10 Edwards (Aprilia) 1’52″767
15 Haga (Aprilia) 1’53″732