Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Although he didn’t actually win it, Gregorio Lavilla was the real glory man in the second WSB race in Sugo.

Neil Hodgson took win number six at Sugo in race two, but only after he had to work really hard to shake off a determined challenge from Lavilla on the constantly improving GSX-R1000 Suzuki.

Lavilla actually led the race in the early stages, for three laps, before Hodgson blasted past him on the main straight to claim the lead. But Lavilla didn’t give up, and chased Hodgson all the way home.

“I was struggling for rear grip,” said Lavilla, “I simply couldn’t get on the throttle as early as Neil and this gave me a disadvantage on the straights.”

Hodgson enjoyed the pressure supplied by the Alstare Suzuki rider, “That was the best race of the season for me without doubt,” he said. “If you win a race by a distance then it just becomes like qualifying. I am a racer and I want to race with other bikes like today, it was fun!”

The pair were chased all the way by Frankie Chili, who was unhurt in the spectacular first-race, turn-one pile-up. At the end he’d used up too much rear tire catching them and just didn’t have the grip left to make a move.

“At the end of the race Neil just opened the throttle and I simply couldn’t stay with him,” said Chili. “At that point I decided third was a good result!”

Ruben Xaus took fourth, just under a second in front of James Toseland. Hitoyasu Izutsu was the first wild card home, in sixth place.

Results
World Superbike Championship
Round Three, Sugo, Japan
Race Two

1. Neil Hodgson, UK, Ducati 999F03, 37:56.499, best lap 1:30.207

2. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 37:57.317, best lap1:30.247

3. Pierfrancesco Chili, Italy, Ducati 998RS, 37:57.969

4. Ruben Xaus, Spain, Ducati 999F03, 38:06.969

5. James Toseland, UK, Ducati 998F02, 38:07.632

6. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Japan, RC51, 38:18.103

7. Regis Laconi, France, Ducati 998RS, 38:18.452

8. Ivan Clementi, Italy, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 38:45.356

9. Juan Borja, Spain, Ducati 998RS, 38:58.269

10. Mauro Sanchini, Italy, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 39:01.788

11. Giovanni Bussei, Italy, Yamaha YZF-R1, 39:05.824

12. Troy Corser, Australia, Foggy PETRONAS FP1, 39:11.783

13. Marco Borciani, Italy, Ducati 998RS, 38:03.204

14. Kenichiro Nakamura, Japan, Honda RC51, 38:06.205

15. Walter Tortoroglio, Italy, Honda RC51, 38:15.758

16. Atsushi Watanabe, Japan, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 13 laps, DNF

17. Noriyasu Numata, Japan, Ducati 996 RS, 7 laps, DNF

18. James Haydon, UK, Foggy PETRONAS FP1, 7 laps, DNF

19. Steve Martin, Australia, Ducati 998RS, 4 laps, DNF

20. Chris Walker, UK, Ducati 998F02, 2 laps, DNF

21. Lucio Pedercini, Italy, Ducati 998RS, 0 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap: Chili, 1:30.146

Championship Point Standings after race two, round three:
1. Hodgson, 150
2. Xaus, 106
3. Lavilla, 75
4. Toseland, 67
5. Laconi, 63


More, from a press release issued by the SBK Press Office:

HODGSON DOUBLES UP AGAIN IN PERFECT STYLE

A truly dramatic day of race action at Sugo saw Neil Hodgson (Ducati Fila) secure two wins on his full factory 999 machine, giving him a perfect six-from-six start to the 2003 season.

The clear championship leader, now by a margin of 44 points, had to start from fifth place in each race, but enjoyed a seven second win over second place man Regis Laconi (Ducati NCR) in the 25-lap opener. Laconi had started from pole, and took his first podium finish of the year in race one, a seventh in race two.

A four-rider crash at the first corner of race one saw Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas), Ivan Clementi (Bertocchi Kawasaki), Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) and Chris Walker (HM Plant Ducati) all crash, without serious injury. The race continued, with some riders having to make up significant ground after being run off track, even if they did not fall.

James Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) escaped the first corner collision, and ended up third, after local wild card rider Atsushi Watanabe (Team Suzuki) went straight on at one corner on lap five, returning to finish eighth after restarting in last place, only 1.470 seconds behind Hodgson.

In race two the hard charging Gregorio Lavilla (Alstare Suzuki) had an excellent race with Hodgson, losing out over the line by only 0.8 seconds after having led three laps in the early stages. Pierfrancesco Chili put in another of his gritty rides to take third place on his 998 Ducati.

For Ruben Xaus, Hodgson’s team mate, Sugo proved to be a major obstacle to his championship ambitions, as he fought his way to a pair of fourth places. Remote from the leading group.

Toseland’s third in race one was converted to fifth in the second race and his team mate Walker ended the day with two no scores after he crashed, re-started and was forced to retire in race two.

With Lavilla fifth in race one, surging through from an off track excursion after the first lap pile up, local wild card rider Hitoyasu Izutsu (HRC Team) could only finish sixth on both races, failing to emulate his Kawasaki double race win in the 2000 SBK season.

Ivan Clementi made up for his exit in race one with a fighting eighth in the re-run, ahead of Juan Borja (DFX Ducati) and Mauro Sanchini (Bertocchi Kawasaki). The last top ten places in race one were shared out between Lucio Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati) in seventh, through Watanabe, James Haydon (Foggy Petronas) to Juan Borja (DFX Ducati) in tenth.

In the overall championship standings, Hodgson has a perfect score of 150, from Xaus on 106 and Lavilla on 75.

In the Supersport World Championship, Yamaha rider Christian Kellner made it three different winning manufacturers in as many races this season, holding off a spirited challenge from long term leader Ryuichi Kiyonari, who was entered as a wild card rider by the BKM Honda team.

In third place early leader Stephane Chambon (Alstare Suzuki) took the last podium position, with Yamaha wild card Tekkyu Kayo fourth and World Championship leader Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda) fifth, one place ahead of his team-mate Karl Muggeridge.

This result puts Vermeulen ten points clear of Suzuki rider Katsuaki Fujiwara, who fell while in second place and remounted to finish 15th. Kellner’s win promoted him to third overall.

The next rounds of both Superbike and Supersport championships take place at Monza on May 18.


More, from a press release issued by Steve Martin’s publicist:

A weekend to forget for Steve Martin

It was another weekend in Japan that will be best forgotten for Steve Martin after a finishing 15th in race one and pulling out with an oil leak in race two.

It was never going to be an easy weekend at what is in effect Dunlop’s test track, appalling weather on Friday and Saturday just made matters worse.

“We had so little dry weather track time during qualifying that in race one my set up was way out,” explained Steve.

His team worked hard during the interval to get a better set up for race two.

“We changed just about everything, including tyres, ride height, springs, damping, you name it, we changed it,” said Steve.

It was a risky strategy but one that could have paid off if it hadn’t been for an unforeseen problem early in the race.

“The bike was much better, it was competitive. But when my foot started slipping off the peg I realised I had a big problem, I looked down and there was an oil mist coming from the motor. I had no choice but to retire from the race,” he said. Frustratingly for Steve the oil leak was caused by an engine cover fastener that had worked loose.

Steve now travels direct to Italy to prepare for the next round in Monza. “I’ll be glad to get to Europe and forget all about this weekend!”



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION

HODGSON TAKES DUCATI WSBK VICTORY TOTAL TO 199 WITH DOUBLE WIN IN JAPAN

TWO FOURTHS FOR DUCATI FILA TEAMMATE XAUS

Britain’s Neil Hodgson scored Ducati’s first victory in Japan since 1995 as he powered to his fifth and sixth wins of the season at the Sugo Sportsland circuit. Fellow Brit Carl Fogarty was the last rider to take the honours for the Italian manufacturer when he won race 2 in his 1995 championship-winning year. Neil’s third successive double win of the year also took Ducati’s total race win haul to 199 in 16 years of World Superbike.

Hodgson’s superb start from the outside of row 2 helped him avoid the first corner pile-up that eliminated three top riders, Corser (Foggy Petronas), Walker (HM Plant Ducati) and Chili (PSG-1 Ducati). Hodgson then passed Laconi for the lead on lap 4 and took the chequered flag a comfortable 7 seconds ahead of the Frenchman. “If I hadn’t got such a good start, I might have been involved in the crash” declared Neil, “so I was really pleased with my start. Because of the limited practice time in the dry, I’d only tried my race tyre once so I took things easy on the first lap and then in the middle I eased off a bit as well. We are on a brand-new bike and when you come to a new circuit, you’ve got no baseline settings so we had to work that bit harder than usual”.

Hodgson was made to work much harder for his win in race 2. After swerving at the start to avoid Laconi (NCR Ducati) on the front row, he then took the lead on lap 5 from Lavilla. The Suzuki rider pressured him until lap 20 before Hodgson broke away to take his sixth successive win. “It was pretty scary at the start because Laconi almost stopped in front of me and I had to shut the throttle” declared Neil. “Gregorio gave me a hard time today, he kept the pressure on and his Suzuki and my Ducati were pretty evenly matched. Five laps to go I picked up the pace deliberately and that was enough. The old Neil Hodgson wouldn’t have done that but I’m starting to use my head a bit now and administer the races better!”

Ruben Xaus came away from Sugo with two fourth places, which keep him in second place in the table. The Spanish rider was lucky not to get caught out in the first corner incident in race 1 and lost a lot of time. Then in race 2 he had a good start and moved into fourth on lap 9, a position he held to the flag after a great scrap with Toseland. “I started 12th and finished 4th twice today so that’s quite good” declared Ruben. “I was really slow in the first split and it was here that I lost the race and the whole weekend. That was the only reason – between the second corner entry and third corner exit, everyone was faster than me. The bike felt mine today, and only today. In the warm-up we improved a lot and I had a better feeling with the bike in both races today. I think if I hadn’t lost all that time in the first split, I could have been fighting with Lavilla and Chili for sure”.



More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

PODIUM SECOND PLACE FOR GREGORIO!

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Gregorio Lavilla stormed his way to a superb second place of the Superbike World Championship race at Sugo today. He took the lead on the second lap and held off Neil Hodgson (Ducati) for three laps before being overtaken. He then stuck to Hodgson’s rear for rest of the 25-lapper, taking a well deserved second place. The Ducati’s superior performance allowed Hodgson to pull out the smallest of margins with a couple of laps remaining and that was enough to ensure victory. Gregorio took a comfortable second, with Chili(Ducati) nearly one and a half seconds behind the Alstare rider. Gregorio’s runner-up spot followed a tremendous fifth in the first race. Gregorio had been forced into the gravel on the opening lap after a four-rider incident in turn one, but managed to keep his Alstare Suzuki upright and steer it through the mud and slush from yesterday’s heavy rain. By the time he rejoined the race he was one place off last, but he put his head down and charged back into the reckoning. Lap after lap, he moved his way up through the field and by lap eight was up to fifth behind fellow countryman Xaus (Ducati). He began to close in on Xaus, but had worn out his tyres in the chase and had to settle for fifth instead. Hodgson won the race comfortably, with Laconi second and Toseland third ­ making it a clean sweep for the Bologna marque. Gregorio’s second in race two will get the glory, but his performance in the first race was no less impressive.

GREGORIO LAVILLA Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 2nd
If I can do races like today, I’m happy. If I had finished 30 seconds behind the leader, I would not have been pleased, but to lead the race and be right with Hodgson for the whole race is a good feeling. Hodgson’s Ducati has been developped over many years, but our Suzuki is brand new and we only received it in January, so I think we are doing very well. Our top speed is still not as fast as we’d like and I’m losing grip exiting the corners, but we’re working hard at making the bike as good as possible. I lost ground to Neil (Hodgson) on the exits and couldn’t keep with him there, so I had to make up for it on the brakes. It’s a pity that I was forced off the track in the first race, because I was certain I could get a podium. I could’ve pulled in, but I thought I might as well push hard and see what happens and that’s what I did. It was very satisfying to get all the way up to fifth from nearly last ­ almost as good as my second place in race two! We still have a lot of work to do, but if we can get the bike to work a bit better in some areas, I’d like to think I can win a race this year.



More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

2003 World Superbike Championship
Round 3, Sugo, Japan, Sunday 27th April 2003
Circuit: 3.737 kms, Weather: Dry, sunny 18-21 Deg C.

WEEKEND TO FORGET FOR TROY
The third round of the championship was one that Troy would happily forget, thanks to a DNF in the first race and a lowly twelfth in the second. The DNF was not of his own making, but the no-score and the four points in the second meant that is the worst weekend so far this year. Troy didn’t even get further then turn one in the first race. A collision on the front straight caused an incident, which ended up taking out four riders. For a while it looked like the race would be red-flagged, but it carried on leaving Troy and three others out of contention. Troy injured his left calf and thigh in the fall, but no bad enough to cause him to take part in race two. Neil Hodgson (Ducati) went on to win it by a comfortable margin, with Laconi (Ducati) second and Toseland (also Ducati-mounted) third. Troy was in ninth place at the end of lap one in race two, but after two or three laps the rear tyre started spinning and then his left foot began to slip off the gear lever. A small oil seepage was the cause and soon it also affected the right footpeg. Troy kept an eye on the situation, but decided to carry on and ended up by taking twelfth place. The race was once again won by Hodgson, but this time he faced a fierce challenge from Lavilla (Suzuki) throughout the 25-lapper. The Spaniard hounded him right to the flag, but could not find enough to pass the Briton. Chili (Ducati) took third spot, ahead the Ducatis of Xaus and Toseland, with Izutsu (Honda) slotting into sixth.

TROY – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 12
Well, what I’d like to say is that this is a weekend to forget! It didn’t start particularly well and it just got worse. The first race was a disaster, because I never even got to complete a lap! On the way down to turn one after the start, somebody hit me and then I got tangled up with Clementi I think, My elbow had been hit and I was hanging off the front of the bike trying to recover. Clementi went on to the grass and then came back onto the track and then hit me. After that it was bikes and bodies flying everywhere – I think I hit Chris (Walker) and we both hit Frankie (Chili) and that was that. My left ankle was a bit sore, but otherwise I was OK.

Race two started OK, but then I felt the rear spinning and my left foot began to slip. I looked down and saw what looked like a little bit of oil; so I thought I’d take it steady and see what happened. Later, my right foot started slipping and after that it was just a case of trying to nurse the bike home and get some points. The only good news is that we’ve taken part in another race and I’ve given the mechanics lots of data to analyse. There’s still lots to improve, but it’s a brand new bike and we’re learning all the time. Here’s to Monza!



More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

PODIUM SECOND PLACE FOR GREGORIO!

2003 Superbike World Championship.
Round 3, Sugo, Japan.
Sunday 27th April 2003

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Gregorio Lavilla stormed his way to a superb second place of the Superbike World Championship race at Sugo today. He took the lead on the second lap and held off Neil Hodgson (Ducati) for three laps before being overtaken. He then stuck to Hodgson’s rear for rest of the 25-lapper, taking a well deserved second place. The Ducati’s superior performance allowed Hodgson to pull out the smallest of margins with a couple of laps remaining and that was enough to ensure victory. Gregorio took a comfortable second, with Chili(Ducati) nearly one and a half seconds behind the Alstare rider. Gregorio’s runner-up spot followed a tremendous fifth in the first race. Gregorio had been forced into the gravel on the opening lap after a four-rider incident in turn one, but managed to keep his Alstare Suzuki upright and steer it through the mud and slush from yesterday’s heavy rain. By the time he rejoined the race he was one place off last, but he put his head down and charged back into the reckoning. Lap after lap, he moved his way up through the field and by lap eight was up to fifth behind fellow countryman Xaus (Ducati). He began to close in on Xaus, but had worn out his tyres in the chase and had to settle for fifth instead. Hodgson won the race comfortably, with Laconi second and Toseland third ­ making it a clean sweep for the Bologna marque.

Gregorio’s second in race two will get the glory, but his performance in the first race was no less impressive.

GREGORIO LAVILLA Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 2nd
If I can do races like today, I’m happy. If I had finished 30 seconds behind the leader, I would not have been pleased, but to lead the race and be right with Hodgson for the whole race is a good feeling. Hodgson’s Ducati has been developped over many years, but our Suzuki is brand new and we only received it in January, so I think we are doing very well. Our top speed is still not as fast as we’d like and I’m losing grip exiting the corners, but we’re working hard at making the bike as good as possible. I lost ground to Neil (Hodgson) on the exits and couldn’t keep with him there, so I had to make up for it on the brakes. It’s a pity that I was forced off the track in the first race, because I was certain I could get a podium. I could’ve pulled in, but I thought I might as well push hard and see what happens and that’s what I did. It was very satisfying to get all the way up to fifth from nearly last ­ almost as good as my second place in race two! We still have a lot of work to do, but if we can get the bike to work a bit better in some areas, I’d like to think I can win a race this year.


More, from a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Toseland moves up to fourth in championship

James Toseland has moved up to fourth place overall in the 2003 Superbike Championship after taking fifth place on his HM Plant Ducati in the second race at Sugo, which was won by former team-mate Neil Hodgson. Chris Walker was once again out of luck on the second HM Plant Ducati as he crashed out of contention on the third lap of the race.

The Superbike field successfully negotiated the tricky first turn at the start of the race and the HM Plant Ducatis were riding in close formation among the leading group. However, with Toseland running in a strong top five position, Walker lost his mount at turn 10 (Horse Back Corner).

“It didn’t feel like I had made a mistake,” said the unfortunate Nottingham rider who has slipped from third to sixth in the overall standings as a result of his two DNFs in Japan. “I went into the corner as normal and the front end just went from beneath me. With so little dry track time and being taken out on the first corner of the first race, I hadn’t really had the benefit of running a full race distance. My feet are in agony after the crashes I’ve had this weekend, but I had to have a go in the second race in an attempt to score some points.”

With Hodgson, Lavilla and Chili making a break at the front of the field, Toseland was left in a titanic battle with Fila Ducati’s Ruben Xaus. Try as he might, the HM Plant Ducati rider was unable to take the advantage over the Spaniard in the dash to the chequered flag.

“It was a struggle for everyone out there today,” said Toseland. “I was getting good side grip, but then was struggling to get traction out of the corners. That meant that I wasn’t able to carry the momentum of the HM Plant Ducati past Xaus – it was a case of swings and roundabouts on our set-up. That was a faster race than the first one and I didn’t finish that far behind the race winner, which was a good performance in front of our guests from HM Plant and Hitachi Construction Machinery at their home event.”



HM Plant Ducati Team Manager Colin Wright summarised the mixed fortunes experienced by his riders: “You get good and bad days in racing. Fortunately for James, it was one of his good days. Unfortunately, for Chris it was one to forget. As a result, I’ve got mixed feelings from today, but I’d like to thank the team for all the hard work they’ve put into this weekend. I think we’ll all look forward to getting back to Europe and the next round of the series at Monza next month.”


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

Haydon highlight of tough Japanese debut for Foggy PETRONAS Racing

A second race dogged by mechanical problems completed a frustrating third round of the World Superbike championship at Sugo, Japan, for Foggy PETRONAS Racing.

Having secured his first top ten fnish of the season in race one, James Haydon was forced to retire after seven laps of race two when the FP1, the Malaysian superbike, showed signs of engine seizure. Team-mate Troy Corser, who was involved in a four-man crash at the first corner of the first race, was able to compete in the afternoon repeat, but was also the victim of mechanical misfortune on his way to a 12 th -placed finish.

Team owner Carl Fogarty said: “It has been a frustrating weekend for us and it’s clear we have some issues to sort out before the championship gets back to Europe. The one positive was James’ performance in the first race, his best result of the season, and at a new circuit for him.”

Team manager Nigel Bosworth said: “We didn’t really expect to be both competitive and reliable at this stage of the project but the good start to the season probably hid the fact that we still have a long way to go and a lot of hard work to do. James slugged it out well in the first race, considering the fact that his bike was over-heating, and found a better set-up for the future. It was unfortunate that Troy suffered intermittent miss-firing in the second race.”

James said: “Obviously I’m pleased with the first race and we made some changes for the second, stiffening the rear. I felt that was a step forward until my water bottle started filling up and spraying over me, the first sign of an engine problem. It then tightened a couple of times and slowed as though I was on the back brake. It then cut out and I started to feel like I was going to crash so I thought it was best to come in so we could identify the problem, rather than blowing the engine. It has been a difficult weekend but I think we will be able to take some positives into Monza and make some changes.”

Troy said: “That was a day I want to forget! After the crash in race one I had problems from the start of race two with the electrics and also leaking oil. I thought I would have to come in but I basically slowed down so I could at least score some points.”


More, from a press release issued by Steve Martin’s publicist:

A weekend to forget for Steve Martin

It was another weekend in Japan that will be best forgotten for Steve Martin after a finishing 15th in race one and pulling out with an oil leak in race two.

It was never going to be an easy weekend at what is in effect Dunlop’s test track, appalling weather on Friday and Saturday just made matters worse.

“We had so little dry weather track time during qualifying that in race one my set up was way out,” explained Steve.

His team worked hard during the interval to get a better set up for race two.

“We changed just about everything, including tyres, ride height, springs, damping, you name it, we changed it,” said Steve.

It was a risky strategy but one that could have paid off if it hadn’t been for an unforeseen problem early in the race.

“The bike was much better, it was competitive. But when my foot started slipping off the peg I realised I had a big problem, I looked down and there was an oil mist coming from the motor. I had no choice but to retire from the race,” he said. Frustratingly for Steve the oil leak was caused by an engine cover fastener that had worked loose.

Steve now travels direct to Italy to prepare for the next round in Monza. “I’ll be glad to get to Europe and forget all about this weekend!”


More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks:

Laconi runner-up at Sugo!

In a splendid springtime day Regis Laconi rode the 998RS Ducati Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks onto the winner rostrum in Race-1 at Sugo, with a fantastic second place behind the Neil Hodgson’s factory 999 Ducati. The French rider started in a pefect way from the pole position, leading the race for three out of 25 of scheduled laps, then Hodgson overtook him in the long line downhill and Regis could only manage his runner-up, defending it from the attacks of evo factory Suzuki of Watanabe and from Toseland. In race-2 instead at the start the Laconi’s bike broke the O-ring of hydraulic clutch shaft and the bike started a bad wheelie; Laconi lost several positions, ending the first lap only in 11th position. Despite the clutch troubles he remounted very fast, stopped only by Izutsu’s factory Honda; the two riders fighted for several laps, then Laconi finally overtook his rival, but at the last braking for the chicane the gearbox failed remaining neutral, just due to the clutch trouble, an Izutsu passed him again, scoring the final sixth place under the chequered flag.

“The clutch’s trouble has been really a pity.” – commented Laconi back in the pit – “The bike has done a bad wheelie and a lot of riders overtook me, so I found me in the middle of the group and to pass I needed several lap, also because the clutch wasn’t running well anymore. In the start confusion I believe also that I touched Pedercini and I am sorry about it, just because I couldn’t manage correctly the bike. When I reached Izutsu I spent a lot of time to pass him, because on this track isn’t easy to pass, finally I’ve been able to overtook him, but just at the last lap braking at the chicane, the clutch failed once more and the gearbox got the neutral position, so the Honda passed me and in the hill climbing I’ve been not able to recover. Race-1 has been fantastic. I started very fast, then during the fourth lap Hodgson passed me, but I was able to manage al the other rivals and to finish second has been great. They have been three days of hard work, most of all for the weather conditions, but at the end this result pays for all the work all the team has done, and also the problem in race-2 is not due to the team work. It’s a pity for the Championship standing, because after race-1 I was only 2 points behind the third position, but also if now the gap increased I’m still very close and now I’m waiting for Monza. I must thank all people of the team and I’m happy to give them this satisfaction, and of course I’m happy for me too!”