Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

High Winds Slow Supersport Qualifying

By Glenn LeSanto

Few World Supersport riders were able to better their Friday qualifying times due to high winds and problems with grip at Valencia.

Katsuaki Fujiwara clung onto pole position with a time of 1:37.687, set during Friday’s session. Young Queenslander Chris Vermeulen came close to bettering his Friday time, lapping today on the new Honda CBR600RR at 1:37.846 compared to his Friday time of 1:37.839, but it wasn’t enough to shake the Suzuki off pole. Although Vermeulen’s time wasn’t enough to snatch pole, it was the fastest time set today and made him the only rider to make it into the 1:37s today.

“I would like to have taken pole,” said Vermeulen, “but the conditions were really difficult, the wind was lifting the front wheel off the track in mid-turn.”

Vermeulen’s Ten Kate Honda teammate Karl Muggeridge couldn’t get as close to his Friday time. Muggeridge, also a native of Queensland, Australia, was down from 1:37.927 to 1:38.723, almost a second slower than his teammate and countryman.

Robert Ulm also relied on his Friday time to hang onto his front row start and making it three Hondas and one Suzuki on the front row for Sunday’s debut World Supersport race of the 2003 season.

World Supersport Final Qualifying Results:

1. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.687
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.839
3. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.927
4. Robert Ulm, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.940
5. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.101
6. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.128
7. Gianluca Nannelli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.282
8. Pere Riba, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:38.355
9. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.382
10. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:38.401
11. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.537
12. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.597
13. Christophe Cogan, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.646
14. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.674
15. Ian MacPherson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.817
16. Simone Sanna, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.860
17. Michael Schulten, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.882
18. Gianluigi Scalvini, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.981
19. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:39.209
20. Kenan Sofuoglu, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:40.289


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA’S NEW CBR600RR ON FRONT ROW

Honda’s new CBR600RR took three of the four front row places as the grid line-up was confirmed for Sunday’s opening round of the World Supersport championship at Valencia in Spain.

Strong winds in Saturday afternoon’s final, 45-minute qualifying session slowed riders and none of the top five qualifiers from Friday afternoon’s session improved on their times.

The grid will be headed by Katsuaki Fujiwara with promising young Australian Chris Vermeulen second on the Ten Kate Honda. Vermeulen’s best lap on Saturday was only 0.01s slower than his time from Friday but strong winds prevented him from a possible third pole position of his career.

“The wind was behind you down the start and finish straight so as soon as you turned left into the first corner it was into your side, picking the front wheel up and blowing you across the track,” Vermeulen explained. “But we’ve got a good setting for the race so I’m hopeful of a win.”

His fellow Australian and fellow Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge starts from third, the 28-year-old was happy with a front row start as he chases his fifth career win.

Muggeridge said: “I went out early in today’s session, the track was a bit dirty and dusty and I almost crashed a couple of times. I rode like a plonker for the rest of the session but it didn’t really matter in the end anyway.”

Robert Ulm on the Klaffi CBR600RR completes the front row of the grid for Sunday¹s 23-lap race at the 2.49-mile circuit on the outskirts of Valencia.

“I may have been able to improve on my qualifying time but at the start of my very last lap another rider pulled out of pitlane in front of me, I lost one full second so there was no pulling that back,” explained Ulm. “I’m pleased for the team to be starting on the front row and it’s also the first time Pirelli have had three riders on the front row.”

Werner Daemen, on the first of the Van Zon Hondas, will start from 12th place on the third row, he said: “I was sixth fastest in this afternoon¹s session so I’m quite happy. The third row is OK but this circuit is not very good for overtaking so I know I need to be strong off the startline.”

BKM Honda’s Christophe Cogan took 13th place, the Frenchman commented: “I’m confident for the race. We have a good rear race tyre and so long as I can make a good start I think I can be in the top 10 tomorrow.”

Cogan¹s team-mate Broc Parkes was disappointed not to be higher up the grid than 14th but the gritty Australian is determined to impress on his World Supersport debut. He said: “The wind was the biggest problem today, without doubt. But I was worried about the front end of the machine as well, after crashing at the same left-hander twice. Tomorrow will be fine.”