Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:43.927*
2. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:44.333
3. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:44.358
4. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:44.366
5. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:44.642
6. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:44.672
7. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:44.708
8. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:44.790
9. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:44.848
10. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:44.922
11. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:45.039
12. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:45.128
13. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:45.516
14. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:45.804
15. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:46.108
16. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki, 1:46.170
17. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:46.173
18. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:46.216
19. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:46.647
20. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:46.950
21. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:47.037
22. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:47.473

*New Circuit Best Lap Record


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

FORTUNA YAMAHA IMPROVE DESPITE EXTREME CATALAN TEMPERATURES

With conditions getting even hotter for the second day of qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix today, very few riders were expected to improve on their provisional times. But as the hour-long session came to a close both Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri were able to do just that, bettering their initial performances by 0.792 and 0.257seconds respectively.

Checa, who was pushing hard in the scorching conditions, gained ground not only in relation to the stopwatch but also on the starting grid for tomorrow’s 25-lap main event. The Spaniard, who won his first ever 500cc Grand Prix at this very venue, will now start the sixth round of the 2003 season from the second row. Although Checa only gained a four-place advantage over his Friday performance – up from 12th on the grid to eighth – the 30-year-old is feeling more confident after today’s qualifying performance because of the progress made with the base chassis geometry by the team overnight.

Provisional polesitter Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1:43.927) was one of a few riders who were unable to improve on their provisional time, but still the defending MotoGP World Champion was able to retain his place at the head of the pack. The Italian will lead Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 1:44.333) and third fastest man Olivier Jacque (Gauloises Yamaha Team, 1:44.358) off the line once the lights go green – the Frenchman finding over one second today to place the YZR-M1 on the front row.

“We changed the balance of the bike overnight and it seemed to work,” explained local-boy Checa. “We saw yesterday that we hadn’t gone in the right direction with the bike’s balance so we made changes to the chassis. We lost a day but at least we’ve recovered a little today, and we’re starting from the second row. We’ve done a good job and I’m happy to have found my confidence with the bike.

“There’s no doubt that the race will be very tough. There are many competitive riders who can be up front and it’s good to see all the Yamaha riders improving. The most important point will be after 15 laps when we’ll see who can keep a good pace. I think Rossi seems to be OK, but I’m quite confident as well.”

Like his Fortuna Yamaha Team-mate, Melandri was able to improve on his provisional qualifying time but despite all efforts made by the team the 20-year-old rookie couldn’t advance any further up the grid – remaining 14th fastest on combined times. Although a little disappointed with the result Melandri is fully aware that the high temperatures have played a significant role in reducing drive he was able to get off the long turns.

“We’re having a difficult time,” admitted Melandri. “I just don’t have grip through the turns and can’t really open the gas. We’ve tried a lot of different things yesterday and today but nothing has really helped. Some things improve one area, but make another area worse. It’s hard, but we’ll be working tonight and looking to find something for tomorrow in the warm-up.”

“I’m very happy to see our riders moving in the right direction,” said Yamaha’s YZR-M1 project leader Mr Ichiro Yoda. “We’ve changed the balance of the bike slightly and worked on some suspension settings. I think Michelin obviously have some good tyres here that seem to suit the Yamaha.

“The conditions are very hot and that will make it pretty tough for the riders and the tyres in the race. It’s like an endurance race. This track is not an easy one, so I’m happy with where we are, which is more in the direction of what we expect. However, we are all still working hard to make sure we’re up front all the time.”


More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Sweltering Catalunya. Tamada on third row with yesterday’s time.

The burning heat made track conditions very different from yesterday’s in terms of grip. Only one of the four riders who made tomorrow’s front row managed to do so with today’s time. For the others, their best time remained yesterday’s. The same was true for Makoto Tamada, for he was unable to improve yesterday’s qualifying time and thus made tenth place, putting him on the third row of tomorrow’s grid.

The technicians’ thermometers recorded 54 °C on the tarmac today and the Pramac Honda Team opted for even harder tyres to test their endurance. If the temperatures during the race are similar to those of today, they might indeed jeopardise the endurance of the tyres, so the technicians concentrated on a number of targeted tests.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 10th – 1:44.922

“The change of temperature was unmistakable, and this is why we intensified our tests on the tyres. And it must be said, it’s not that easy to adapt the general settings of the bike, so we had plenty to do during the qualifying session this afternoon. If the heat keeps up like this tomorrow too, we can certainly expect a race in which it’s going to be essential to manage the tyres perfectly so as to keep up a good level of performance towards the end of the race as well. It’s not going to be that easy, but we’ll see. During the tests today, I wasn’t able to maintain a constant pace as I’d hoped, so now we’ll be working with the technicians to find the best strategy for the race.”


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

CATALUNYA GP/ SECOND QUALIFYING SESSION

MONTMELO’ – Fast and determined since this morning free session, Colin Edwards lost the front row for a hair’s breadth. A good start for an exciting race. Some difficulties for the Japanese rider on Aprilia RS Cube who is trying to find the right feeling with the front after the last crashes in Mugello. But the Japanese usually improved his performance during the race. In the meantime the technical staff is checking the situation…

COLIN EDWARDS: “I am angry cause I lost the front row for a hair’s breadth but if I am able to make a good start tomorrow the situation will easily improve. The choice of the tyres is the most difficult problem to solve! Everybody is complaining about it but I feel ready as I have already made my choice. Moreover the setting found by Marcellino Lucchi at Mugello changed completely my RS Cube. I feel ready for the race! I think I can easily stay with the firsts and there will be a lot of surprises tomorrow. They told me that the track surface is about 45 degrees: no problem as 45 is my favourite number!

NORIYUKI HAGA: “I have some problem in the braking but I think it’s my fault. I do not want to find any excuse: last crashes in Mugello reduced my feeling with the front. Anyway the bike is quite good: I have just to clarify a setting problem. I will solve it tomorrow during the warm up session.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “The gap with the firsts is very small. This means that we are working in the right way. We have already chose the tyres with Michelin staff and I think we will be very competitive tomorrow. After the tests made in Mugello we improved the engine supply it works well with the tyres. I am sorry for Nori because he has not been able to exploit these days in the best way. We will d our best to give him a competitive bike after the warm up. Colin has been very good today”.


More, from a press release issued by Suzuki:

HOPKINS BRAVES PAIN FOR FOURTH-ROW START

Circuit de Catalunya, Spain– Saturday, June 14, 2003:
Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins took a break from treatment for back injuries to qualify 13th-fastest for tomorrow’s GP of Catalunya, to lead the fourth row of the grid for the sixth race of the season.

Hopkins is the sole Suzuki rider for the race, with team-mate Kenny Roberts Junior sidelined by injuries sustained at last weekend’s Italian GP. Roberts flew back to the USA today for treatment to his chest injuries; but Hopkins had the benefit of top-level advice, with not only test rider Jean Michel Bayle observing from the trackside, but also 1993 Suzuki World Champion Kevin Schwantz.

But 20-year-old Anglo-Californian Hopkins has more problems than just the usual concerns of setting up the machine chassis and suspension, and selecting racing tyres good enough to survive blazing sunshine and track temperatures that today soared to 55 degrees. Continuing pain and stiffness in his back drove him to take the advice of team physiotherapist Dean Miller and consult Clinica Mobile chief Dr Claudio Costa yesterday. Costa diagnosed back injuries, although no fractures, and after today’s final hour-long session Hopkins returned to the Clinica to check for soft tissue damage.

Hopkins feels the pain and awkwardness of movement while he is riding, but declined the offer of painkillers. “I’d rather feel the pain than have them messing with my head in this heat,” he said.

Hopkins was one of a handful of riders who did not improve his lap time of yesterday in this afternoon’s session, but he had already proved in free training in the morning that he can go faster, and was not dismayed. Although the single fast lap proved elusive this afternoon, he was pleased with overall progress that put him in better shape for the race.

Today’s simmering heat is expected to continue tomorrow, promising a second successive race in punishingly hot conditions. Huge crowds are expected to flock to the 4.727km circuit outside Barcelona.

Team Suzuki is staying on at the Montmelo circuit on Monday and Tuesday for two days of intensive testing. Hopkins will be joined not only by factory tester Akiyoshi but also French motorcycling legend and Suzuki endurance racer Jean Michel Bayle.

JOHN HOPKINS – 13th Position, 1:45.416: I was quicker this morning, but I think that’s a temperature issue. Right now I’m riding to the ability of the bike with the low grip here. This afternoon I was concentrating more on race tyres, and putting together a good number of laps with consistent times. I put in a new tyre at the end, but I just didn’t get the lap time I wanted. But I’m feeling pretty confident for the race. This morning I did a bunch of sets of laps consistently, and where yesterday I couldn’t do 1:47s with race tyres, today it was easy. We’ve made an improvement from yesterday to today. It just didn’t show on the lap times.

KEVIN SCHWANTZ – 1993 World Champion: It seems like the bike runs good, and I think it can be a competitive with the engine it has. We need to concentrate on handling. Watching John today, he’s having trouble getting into the turns, and getting back on the throttle on the way out. He’s on the power a metre and a bit later than the others.

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager: John dug really deep today, putting the pain out of his mind, and concentrating on the job. He’s had a lot of help from Dean Miller and from Dr Costa, but in the end he’s the one who is going through the pain barrier.


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

With temperatures only increasing during the second day of qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix, held June 14, very few riders were expected to better their provisional times, but as the hour-long session came to a close Olivier Jacque (Gauloises Yamaha Team) produced a stunning lap to find a 1.011 second improvement over his provisional qualifying time. The Frenchman produced a 1:44.358 in the final few minutes of the session to lift himself up from tenth on the time sheets to third – a front row start for tomorrow’s 25-lap race and Jacque’s first this season. Although much of the gain came from the team’s effort at improving the M1’s overall balance, Jacque admits the slipstream provided by defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda) helped.

In an impressive team performance Jacque’s Gauloises Yamaha Team-mate Alex Barros set the third fastest time of the day, a 1:44.642, to feature well on the front row until Sete Gibernau (Honda, 1:44.366) relegated the Brazilian to fifth. Meanwhile fellow Yamaha rider Shinya Nakano (d’Antin Yamaha Team, 1:44.672) was unable to hold onto his provisional fourth place and, despite improving his qualifying time, finished the combined session sixth fastest.

Checa, who was pushing hard in the scorching conditions, made up ground in relation to the stopwatch and on the starting grid for tomorrow’s 25-lap main event. The Spaniard, who won his first ever 500 race at this venue will now start the sixth round of the 2003 season from the second row. Although Checa only gained a four-place advantage over his Friday performance – up from 12th on the grid to eighth – the 30-year-old is feeling more confident since the progress made by the team with the base geometry.

Provisional polesitter Rossi (1:43.927) was one a few riders who were unable to improve on their provisional time, but still Rossi was able to retain his place at the head of the pack ahead of fellow Italian Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 1:44.333).

Gauloises Yamaha Team
Olivier Jacque 3rd, 1:44.358: “I didn’t intentionally wait for Rossi to come by, but being behind him undoubtedly helped – not in terms of trajectory – there wasn’t any big difference in our lines – but in terms of slipstream. At a circuit like this, for example, with a very long straight, you can gain significantly in top speed when you are tucked in behind someone. Obviously though, even to be able to do that your bike needs to be good and we have worked well here since the start of the weekend. Our set-up isn’t radically different from Mugello but we have made a number of small improvements that together make the bike more competitive. As far as the race is concerned tyre choice is going to be crucial. Whatever happens it is going to be a tough one, but hopefully starting from the front row I will be able to stay with the front runners and put in a good result.”

Alex Barros 5th, 1:44.642: “We have worked well since the start of practice and I’m quite happy with how everything has gone. The bike is better than it was at Mugello. We have tried a lot of different tyres and have managed to improve the amount of feedback I am getting from the front-end. If I hadn’t made a couple of little mistakes on my fastest lap I could have maybe gone 1/10th of a second faster, but still I think my grid position is good enough, and my bike fast enough to be able to stay with the front group. For the race the crucial factor is going to be tyre choice. We need to find the right compromise between grip and durability and at the moment have narrowed it down to three possibilities.”

D’Antin Yamaha Team
Shinya Nakano 4th, 1:44.765: “Today was a difficult day to try and improve, mainly because of the heat. Unfortunately I couldn’t keep my place on the front row, but I’m still confident for the race as I have a good pace and there aren’t big time differences between the front guys. Tomorrow we’ll be working in the warm-up to improve some things further with the suspension and I’m confident we’ll be able to do it.”

Fortuna Yamaha Team
Carlos Checa 8th, 1:44.790: “We changed the balance of the bike overnight and it seemed to work. We saw yesterday that we hadn’t gone in the right direction with the bike’s balance so we made changes to the chassis. We lost a day but at least we’ve recovered a little today, and we’re starting from the second row. We’ve done a good job and I’m happy to have found my confidence with the bike. There’s no doubt that the race will be very tough. There are many competitive riders who can be up front and it’s good to see all the Yamaha riders improving. The most important point will be after 15 laps when we’ll see who can keep a good pace. I think Rossi seems to be OK, but I’m quite confident as well.”

Marco Melandri 14th, 1:45.804: “We’re having a difficult time. I just don’t have grip through the turns and can’t really open the gas. We’ve tried a lot of different things yesterday and today but nothing has really helped. Some things improve one area, but make another area worse. It’s hard, but we’ll be working tonight and looking to find something for tomorrow in the warm-up.”


More, from John Hopkins’ publicist:

HOPKINS QUALIFIES FOR GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA DESPITE INJURY

MONTMELÓ, Spain (June 14, 2003) – Suzuki’s John Hopkins qualified 13th for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Catalunya in spite of serious back pain that lingers from his crash suffered last week in the Italian Grand Prix. Hopkins turned a time of 1:45.516 on the factory Suzuki GSV-R during Friday’s qualifying. He was unable to better the time during Saturday’s session. Defending World Champion Valentino Rossi took the pole with a time of 1:43.927.

Hopkins will be the sole Suzuki entry this weekend. His teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr., will miss the GP due to injuries he sustained last week when he lost control of his bike and collided with Hopkins at Mugello.

“The pain I had in my neck migrated down my back,” Hopkins explained. “Fortunately Desiree (Hopkins’ girlfriend) is a certified massage therapist and she gets a lot of credit for helping me to get to the point of being able to ride this weekend.”

The heat was oppressive at Catalunya Circuit on Saturday. Hopkins said the team concentrated on working towards a good race set up.

“We just ran the race settings today to try to make the bike as controllable as possible,” Hopkins said. “I’m just happy to be out here racing after looking at the tape of the crash last week. I like this circuit. It has a good combination of fast corners, tight corners and elevation changes.”

Hopkins will head up the fourth row on Sunday’s grid. He added that a clean race was what he was aiming for this weekend. Hopkins hopes to work back into the top 10 in the world championship standings over the next few rounds.

His 13th qualifying position matches his starting spot last year at Catalunya. He went on to finish 11th in that race.