From a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR:

SUPERBIKE WINTER TEST
FIRST DAY AT VALENCIA
(Valencia 2003, February 21)

Debut day today for the Winter Test special session organised by SBK International on Valencia Circuit where, next Sunday March 2nd will start the 2003 Superbike World Championship. Positive debut for the Scuderia Caracchi NCR, with Regis Laconi sixth fastest at the end f the first day.

“It has been a day without particular problems.” – commented at the end Regis Laconi – “We worked for long time to find a good set up of suspensions and I’m confident that we found a good basis for the handling. About the engine finally I tested also the new exhaust 2 into 1 and, comparing with the standard solution, I find it better at high revs, but not at low revs; now we’ll work together to find an electronic map that will allow us a good result in every condition. My laptime went quite easily and in the last session too, when it was quite cold, I recorded a good laptime, always using race tyres. As debut of this test I’m without any doubt very satisfied.”

David Garcia, too, that follows to learn the NCR Ducati 998RS Nortel Networks, recorded a very good 12th fastest, leading riders with a lot of experience.

“We worked a lot on the suspensions.” – said the rider from Almeria – “I have to find more feeling with a bike so different from the bikes I rode before, but at the end of this day I got a good feeling either with the bike and with the race tyres. I went on to have some trouble with the gearbox, like in the last occasion here in Valencia, but now the guys find what we believe could be the mistake and for tomorrow we are confident to be OK. I’m still learning, but I feel myself always better and better.”

Spanish tests will continue to Sunday February 23rd.

Today’s results:
1.HODGSON Neil (Ducati) 1:35.479; 2.XAUS Ruben (Ducati) 1:35.623; 3.WALKER Chris (Ducati) 1:35.842; 4.TOSELAND James (Ducati) 1:35.932; 5.MARTIN Steve (Ducati) 1:36.061; 6.LACONI Regis (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:36.545; 7.LAVILLA Gregorio (Suzuki) 1:36.596; 8.BORJA Juan Batista (Ducati) 1:36.727; 9.CORSER Troy (Foggy Petronas) 1:37.028; 10.CHILI Pierfrancesco (Ducati) 1:37.036;….. 12.GARCIA David (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:37.761


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION

HODGSON AND XAUS (TEAM DUCATI FILA) SET THE PACE AT VALENCIA ON DAY 1 OF WORLD SUPERBIKE TESTING

The World Superbike Championship returns to the track this weekend at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain for a three day testing session starting from today, in preparation for round 1 of the championship, which kicks off next Sunday at the same circuit.

Team Ducati Fila riders Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus set the pace on the first day of testing with the all-new Ducati 999, the heir to the 998 that clinched an eleventh Manufacturers’ title for the Italian manufacturer in 2002.

Both the 29-year-old British rider, who has not tested since early December due to corrective surgery on his left wrist, and the 25-year-old Catalan, in his third season with the factory Ducati Corse Superbike squad, were in fine form today around the 4.005 km track, despite each recording a harmless crash.

The workload mainly revolved around optimising the set-up on the four new race bikes, two apiece for the riders, and numerous suspension settings were tried out. Together with Michelin technicians, the two riders also verified the race tyre choice tested during the winter.

“That wasn’t a bad day” said Neil, “because I had to blow the cobwebs off after two months away from the track and it was the first real test for my wrist. After I high-sided at the first corner, I also felt stiff in the afternoon, so all things considered, I’m pretty happy with my quickest time. The bike is not quite the same as I remembered, but there again neither am I! I know I’ll go faster tomorrow, today I wasn’t pushing too hard”.

“I lost it at the final curve but it wasn’t because I was going too fast or slow, I just got my braking all wrong and it was all my fault” commented Ruben. “The 999 feels really good and I’m getting more and more used to it but the conditions are a bit different here to when we tested one month ago, so now we have to get back into the rhythm once again.”

OFFICIAL TIMES: 1. Hodgson (Ducati Fila) 1:35.47; 2. Xaus (Ducati Fila) 1:35.62; 3. Walker (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.84; 4. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.93; 5. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1:36.06; 6. Laconi (Ducati NCR) 1:36.54; 7. Lavilla (Suzuki) 1:36.59; 8. Borja (Ducati DFX) 1:36.72; 9. Corser (Foggy Petronas) 1’37.02; 10. Chili (Ducati) 1:37.03.



More, from a press release issued by the Superbike World Championship press office:

PRESS RELEASE
Valencia Pre-season Test
Friday 21/02/03

The first day of the official World Superbike Championship pre-season tests delivered the fastest lap of 1:35.479 to Fila Ducati rider Neil Hodgson, despite a high-speed fall suffered in the early sessions by the English rider. Lapping consistently fast on the new 999 F03 factory twin Hodgson also set a fastest top speed in the cold but dry conditions, with a mark of 289kmph.

Second quickest rider proved to be Hodgson’s team-mate Ruben Xaus, with a 1:35.623, despite the Spaniard also falling shortly after leading the time sheets in the early afternoon.

Slightly behind the factory duo, with a best time of 1:35.842, came HM Plant Ducati rider Chris Walker, running well on his 2002 spec works 998 F02. Walker’s quickest time came during the last session of the day, and although his team-mate James Toseland did not compete in that session he had already set the fourth fastest lap – 1:35.932.

Just outside the 1:35s came Aussie privateer Steve Martin (Ducati DFX 998RS) followed closely by Regis Laconi (NCR Nortel Network Ducati).

The new era of 1000cc four-cylinder machines, running air intake restrictors to limit peak horsepower, was ushered in on home ground by Spain’s Gregorio Lavilla (Alstare Suzuki), and he proved to be the highest-placed such rider on the day. His time of 1:36.598 was good enough for seventh place on the opening day’s timesheets. His Spanish countryman Juan Borja (DFX Ducati) went eighth fastest.

A top ten placing on the first day of true comparative tests was a heartening result for the all-new Foggy Petronas Racing Team and lead rider Troy Corser, with the 1996 champion setting the ninth-quickest time. His progress was consistently spectacular, with flames emanating from the tailpipes of the three-cylinder 900cc machine on the overrun.

Tenth quickest over four sessions proved to be the experienced SBK campaigner Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati), with 22 riders taking part in total.

Less than perfect weather predictions for the second and third days of the test may indicate that few riders will have a further chance to match the circuit best Superbike lap (1:34.649) set by Ducati rider Ben Bostrom in 2002.

In the Supersport class, arguably the most closely contested of all; the best times were put in by the Ten Kate Honda duo of Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge. Vermeulen, the younger of the Australian riders, had the honour of setting the best lap of the day, 1:38.120, in the final session.

Only 0.134 seconds behind came Muggeridge, plus three time WSS race winner in the past season Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki) in third position on the timesheets.

One year of experience in World Supersport helped former European Supersport Champion Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Spadaro Yamaha) to a fine fourth fastest.

Thierry van den Bosch (Yamaha Motor France), a rookie to the World Supersport scene but a World Supermoto Champion of the very recent past, took his R6 to fifth fastest overall. He also set the highest number of Supersport laps on day one, with 63.

Pere Riba scored the top Kawasaki placing in eighth at his home circuit. The Valencia tests are a curtain raiser for the first race of the season, which takes place next weekend at the Spanish venue.

SBK Press Office


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Promising opening for Foggy PETRONAS Racing

Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Troy Corser and James Haydon continued their pre-season progress
during the opening day of the three-day official World Superbike championship winter test.

Both riders improved lap times from their previous visit to the circuit as they were pitched against the forthcoming season’s opposition for the first time at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

A test by the Formula One McLaren team over the previous three days had resulted in a dirty track that, when combined with low temperatures at the start and end of a chilly day, reduced meaningful track time. But, with scope for improvement in the provision of Michelin race tyres, Carl Fogarty’s new team were confident that the Foggy FP1 was capable of progressing towards the front of the field.

Corser finished the day 1.5 seconds behind the quickest time, set by factory Fila Ducati rider Neil Hodgson, while Haydon made significant in-roads into his previous best at the circuit.

Chief engineer Steve Thompson said: “I think we have progressed well today. I feel the performance of the engine is now close to that of all but a couple of the teams.”

Troy Corser said: “It has been a little bit like starting again because the engines we have now have more power and torque than when we were here before Christmas, and than we had at our last test in Malaysia, so a lot of the set-up and mapping work has to be done again. I’m quite happy with the times, although it was difficult to concentrate on them with the limited time on track.”

James Haydon said: “This is not a track that I know well because we have been unlucky with the bikes and the weather on previous occasions here. So I was pleased to knock so much off my previous best time. It’s obvious that the torque and pick-up of the engine has improved in the lower mid-range, where it was needed.”

Times: Day one of three

1 Hodgson Fila Ducati 1:35.479
2 Xaus Fila Ducati 1:35.623
3 Walker HM Plant Ducati 1:35.842
4 Toseland HM Plant Ducati 1:35.932
5 Martin DFX Racing 1:36.061
6 Laconi NCR 1:36.545
7 Lavilla Alstare Suzuki 1:36.569
8 Borja DFX Racing 1:36.727
9 Corser Foggy PETRONAS Racing 1:37.028
10 Chili Team PSG-1 1:37.036

15 Haydon Foggy PETRONAS Racing 1:38.203