Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:35.208
2. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:35.985
3. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:36.019
4. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:36.161
5. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:36.169
6. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:36.240
7. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:36.314
8. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:36.402
9. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:36.512
10. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 1:36.617
11. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:36.673
12. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:36.720
13. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:36.773
14. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:36.782
15. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:36.868
16. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:36.962
17. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 1:37.033
18. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:37.122
19. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:37.239
20. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:37.515
21. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:37.647
22. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:38.956
22. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:39.263


More from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

PROTON KR FOUR-STROKE MAKES THUNDEROUS DEBUT

Round 4: French GP, Le Mans
First Qualifying: Friday, May 23, 2003

Jeremy McWilliams: 12th, 1:36.720
Nobuatsu Aoki: 20th, 1:37.515

Proton Team KR’s radical new V5 four-stroke racer stunned a rapt GP paddock today with a new and thunderous exhaust noise, when riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki gave the new machine its first shake-down runs in the full public gaze in the first practice sessions for Sunday’s French GP.

The Bugatti circuit’s first corner, a slow chicane, was also the first time the all-new machines had ever gone around a corner. The riders rode the new bike for the first time in the week before the French race, and then only in a straight line at an airfield.

“At least now we know the bike can lean over,” quipped team owner Kenny Roberts, as he proudly watched his new creation show its legs for the first time. The bike was built in record time at the team’s Banbury base, in a project that is still less than a year old.

There are two examples of the new bike at the French circuit, with spare engines arriving only today after several weeks of round-the-clock development work. Both riders switched between the new four-stroke and the trusty three-cylinder two-stroke machine for the rest of the day. Naturally, the highly polished two-stroke was faster in today’s sessions. The sheer pleasure and excitement of riding the all-new bike means that both rider hope to get more laps on it tomorrow, with a full day of testing scheduled for the day after the race.

Out of a total 41 laps today, McWilliams did 12 on the new four-stroke, and was circulating within some five seconds of his time on the two-stroke. Aoki did 15 out of 45 laps on the new machine.

There is one more day of qualifying before Sunday’s race, but with rain and cold weather forecast there is a strong chance that today’s lap times will decide the grid positions.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS
A funny day – I’ve never ridden two completely different engine configurations on the same day at a GP meeting. It’s a little difficult jumping from one to the other, but I don’t think spending time on the four-stroke really hurt me too much at the end of the day. We’re well up in the bunch with the two-stroke. If I was having problems with it, then I’d think about racing the four-stroke. But with the problems so far this season, I can’t afford to sacrifice another race. We’re learning such a lot. It’s the first time using a slipper clutch which needs to be set up, the gearing is just a guess, and also the suspension. It’s the first time the bike has turned a wheel in anger, and I am very proud of the team for getting it this far already. I had a lot of fun out there today.

NOBUATSU AOKI
I’m a little bit confused switching between the bikes. It’s like when you raced a 500cc two-stroke but then you rode an 8-Hour four-stroke. Once you get used to a four-stroke, a two-stroke is a very sharp knife. I’ve no idea whether I will stay on the two-stroke for the rest of the weekend. That is a team decision. I prefer the two-stroke because I am still used to it, and it is faster at the moment. But this is the first time on a track for the four-stroke, and basically it’s working pretty well, although mine lost power in the afternoon with a fuel pump problem. It is very interesting and exciting to be developing a completely new and different kind of machine.

KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner
Today has been very encouraging. The biggest problem we’ve had is with a fuel pump on Nobu’s bike. Jeremy’s bike needs the engine and suspension settings changed, and the gearing made higher … it was over-revving on the straight. Then we’ll try again tomorrow. Today was the first shake-down run, and it was pretty fast for a shake-down. We gained about a week’s knowledge in 15 minutes.



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

French GP, Le Mans
First Qualifying
Friday, May 23 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM UP FRONT AT LE MANS
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi once again proved the awesome speed of the Italian factory’s Desmosedici MotoGP bike by going third fastest in this afternoon’s first qualifying session, putting himself of the provisional front row for Sunday’s French Grand Prix. Team-mate and Le Mans first-timer Troy Bayliss spent the day learning his way round the stop-and-go circuit, ending up 14th quickest.

“We have never been here before with this bike but it’s working okay, though I still feel something is missing,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “I don’t know what, or we would already have made the changes! The gearing was wrong this morning, so we’ve fixed that, now we just need to work at refining our chassis settings. We’ll look at the data and work from that for tomorrow. The good thing is that we’ve made a bigger step than most of the others from morning to afternoon, we are already much closer to pole. Troy, of course, has never been here, so he still has plenty more to come.”

CAPIROSSI BATTLES STOMACH PROBLEMS TO GO THIRD QUICKEST
Gritty Italian Loris Capirossi fought off the effects of a serious stomach upset to take third spot on the provisional grid this afternoon, eight tenths off pole. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider has been in and out of hospitals and clinics all week, but that didn’t stop him battling for a front-row slot today.

“I have to say a big thanks to the Clinica Mobile, they made today’s result possible,” said Capirossi, looking drained and tired. “It’s been a horrible week for me, I had to go to hospital in Monte Carlo on Tuesday. They did some tests and diagnosed intestinal problems, but I was still ill when I came here. They managed to help me in the Clinica Mobile yesterday, and though I’m still not 100 per cent, I’m very happy with today’s result. We’ve made good progress since this morning, when the bike ran here for the first time. This afternoon was good and we’ll make another big step if it stays dry tomorrow, though I’ve heard that we’re expecting rain. But if it does rain, at least I’ll stay on the front row.”

BAYLISS LEARNING LE MANS’ SECRETS
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss rode the Le Mans circuit for the first time today, ending this afternoon’s session 14th fastest. Ducati’s former World Superbike champ, who’s never even raced in France before, is still getting to know the circuit and still working to perfect his Desmosedici for its stop-and-go layout.

“I don’t mind the place, it’s just a matter of getting the bike set up to go round it,” said the down-to-earth Aussie. “Every track you go to has its own secrets – there’s a special way to ride pretty much every circuit. At the moment I don’t feel so comfortable on the bike, which is why the lap times aren’t so good just yet. In fact I really scared myself when I nearly lost the front going through turn one in sixth gear! It took a while to get my confidence back after that but she’ll be all right on the night!”


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

French Grand Prix
Friday, 23 May 2003
Le Mans, France

MELANDRI, PACESETTING MOTOGP ROOKIE; CHECA ON FINE FORM

Fortuna Yamaha Team’s MotoGP rookie Marco Melandri put in an astonishing performance during the start of only his second MotoGP World Championship round to qualify the Yamaha YZR-M1 on a provisional front row start for the French Grand Prix, which takes place at the Le Mans circuit on May 23. The relaxed 20-year-old, and 2002 250cc World Champion, showed impressive maturity and consistency to set the fourth fastest time during the opening Friday qualifier, with a fastest lap time of 1:36.161. He also kicked off proceedings in the morning free practice with the second fastest time, placing himself behind defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda).

With the weather looking questionable for tomorrow’s final qualifier Melandri’s performance today could see the young Italian start his first MotoGP race from the front row on Sunday. Despite the solid start to the weekend Melandri was confident that his qualifying time, only 0.953 seconds off Rossi’s 1:35.208 benchmark and provisional pole time, could have been reduced further had it not been for a small tumble in the final few minutes of the session. With time remaining for one flying lap Melandri looked set to do just that when he lost the front of the M1 entering the Le Mans back chicane.

Fellow Yamaha competitor Alex Barros (Gauloises Yamaha Team) eventually ended the session second fastest with 1:35.985, although the Brazilian had initially set the pace before a small tumble in the closing stages prevented him from mounting a comeback to answer Rossi’s retort. While Loris Capirossi claimed the third fastest time aboard the V-four Ducati with a 1:36.019.

“I went off at the end because I tried to take the curve tight but closed it too much”, said the 250cc World Champion. “It was an error but still I’m very happy to be on the front row. I feel physically better here than Jerez and I hope to keep improving – my leg feels a bit tired but it’s getting better all the time. I quite like this track and the Yamaha bikes go well here. We have a good braking system that is very precise and stable and the bike feels generally great, I like it a lot. I think that our test in Mugello last week was very helpful for my physical condition. The only thing now is the weather for the rest of the weekend, as this is a slippery track in the wet. But I suppose I have an advantage because I started riding the M1 in wet conditions, so hopefully I will be okay.”

After an inauspicious start to the French Grand Prix this morning when Carlos Checa slid off the Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1 in the free practice session, the Spaniard returned to set the sixth fastest time during the opening qualifier this afternoon, with a best lap time of 1’36.240. Although consistently quick on the 4180m circuit – regularly featuring in the top five during today – Checa is still confident that there is room for improvement, and that this will show on the time sheets if the French weather holds out for the second qualifying session tomorrow.

“This afternoon we used both bikes, the old and the new chassis, and at the end we had the chance to finish on the front row but I couldn’t improve my lap time in the last few minutes,” admitted the Spaniard. “I only had the chance for one fast lap at the end but didn’t get what I wanted. Anyway it’s a positive outcome, and let’s see what happens tomorrow. The weather forecast is for rain tomorrow and also for Sunday. I would prefer to continue working in the dry but you can’t choose the weather! At the moment I feel that the new chassis has good potential so I would like to continue working with it.”

The Fortuna Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio was very satisfied with both riders’ performances today, “Of course we are very pleased and we feel we’re generally improving,” said Brivio. “I am happy to see Marco on provisional front row, even though we know his condition is not 100% perfect. He was fourth this afternoon and second this morning so he has had a consistent day.

“Carlos was quite busy checking and testing things, and at the end he just missed one good lap. He is in sixth place and on the provisional second row so he should be okay for the race in this position. We have another day tomorrow so this has been a very good start for the weekend. It might rain tomorrow so that could create different challenges but at least we have a good dry base.”


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 4 – GRAND PRIX POLINI DE FRANCE
23RD MAY 2003 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1

PITT AND MCCOY BEATEN BY THE CLOCK AT LE MANS

Fuchs Kawasaki riders, Andrew Pitt and Garry McCoy, were beaten by the clock during this afternoon’s first qualifying session for the Grand Prix Polini de France at Le Mans.
Both riders pitted for fresh tyres with just two minutes of qualifying remaining, but were unable to complete a final flying lap before the chequered flag was brought out to end the hour long session.

Le Mans rookie Pitt made a dramatic two second improvement on his best time from this morning’s free practice session but, after just two hours of track time, he admits that he is still learning the finer points of the 4.1km Bugatti circuit. Pitt qualified in 21st place on the provisional grid, while team-mate and fellow countryman, Garry McCoy, finished the session in 22nd place, after being frustrated by set-up changes on his Kawasaki ZX-RR.

The Le Mans circuit, with its combination of drag-strip style straights and fast direction changes, demands both quick acceleration and stability under braking. Both Fuchs Kawasaki riders have benefited from improvements made to the ZX-RR in both these areas during two days of testing in Barcelona last week.

Andrew Pitt – 21st – 1:37.647
“I had the plan to do one final lap right at the end of the session. But coming out of pit lane I saw there was only just over a minute and a half to go and there was no way I was going to be able to complete my out lap in that time with a new tyre. We’d been making improvements throughout the session, so it was disappointing not to have had one more chance to better my time. I’m still learning my way around the circuit at the moment, with a bit of guesswork coming into play at some of the blind corners. I don’t seem to be able to turn in at the right point yet, but I’ve got another two hours on the track tomorrow and I’m confident I’ll have my braking markers and turning points inch perfect by the time final qualifying comes around.”

Garry McCoy – 22nd – 1:38.956
“The bike is feeling pretty good, just like it was at the Barcelona tests last week, but Le Mans is a very different track, so there are a couple of things to compensate for here. We made a small set-up change for the start of the afternoon, but that didn’t really pay-off – it was slightly the wrong direction and I wasn’t fully comfortable. By the time we got the bike back to the way it felt in the morning I ran out of time and the plan to get one final fast lap in on a qualifier just didn’t come off. In the morning session I had some tyres that I was happy with, but then the track temperature went up and, combined with our set-up changes; it meant a faster time wasn’t to be.”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“Andrew did a good job for his first time at Le Mans, improving his riding and lap times as the day progressed. I’m happy about the way he concentrated very hard on working it all out. With Garry we tried something different, which was not the right set-up, so tomorrow I hope it will be better. The weather forecast is not so good for the next couple of days; it could be raining, so we’ll see how it works out. For both riders I think there is an opportunity for improvement tomorrow.”



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

HOPKINS BLASTS TO THIRD ROW AT LE MANS

Le Mans, France – Friday, May 23, 2003

Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins screwed up his courage after a difficult first day of practice for Sunday’s French GP, and switched to his spare bike to jump from near the bottom of the qualifying order to 11th place, securing a third-row start on the provisional grid.

Team-mate Kenny Roberts Junior was less than half-a-second slower round the twisty 4.180km Bugatti circuit at Le Mans, after setting adjustments to his Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP machine failed to give the required results. He was 17th, on row five.

Today’s grid positions could be final, because although the first timed practice session took place in mild and dry conditions, rain and cold weather are forecast for tomorrow. If so, then today’s lap times will determine the final starting order.

The fourth race of the season comes after extensive tests following the last round in Spain, as the team and factory work to release the potential of the all-new 2003 version of the 990cc V4 racer. The machine is a radical step forward from last year’s first version, and while the potential is clear, until now the correct setting combinations have proved elusive.

For Hopkins, the day was made harder still by niggling technical problems, both in the morning and the afternoon. Then, near the end of the session, his preferred bike gave another technical problem. The Californian (who turned 20 yesterday) had to run back to the pits and switch to his second machine for his gung-ho run.

Roberts had started the afternoon challenging for the front row, lying second fastest in the early part of the session. Then things started to go wrong, with setting changes that seemed to work against him. As other riders improved their times, he was stuck with what he had done already.

There is one more day of qualifying, before the race on Sunday.

JOHN HOPKINS – 11th Position, 1:36.673
I’d like to say things are good, but I had bike problems this morning that spoiled the free training. I was never able to get into a rhythm, nor to try set-up changes or tyres like I wanted to. The afternoon session started good. Off the bat I was doing pretty good times, using race tyres and putting together combinations of laps. I had my rhythm going … then the problems started again. I had to run back to the garage, and get on my other bike. That turned out to need some clutch adjustments, and when we had that done I barely made it out in time, but I was behind Max Biaggi, and I used him to gauge myself and managed to get a pretty decent lap time. It could be worse.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – 17th Position, 1:37.033
I don’t really have much to say. The bike is controlling me. At the beginning of the session, after the first run, we made some changes to settings, and after that I couldn’t ride the bike aggressively. By our position, I’d have to say that the improvements we found in the tests aren’t really working here.

BOB TOOMEY – Kenny Roberts’s Race Engineer
Kenny set some good times, then we made some changes – and though they seemed to be in the direction he wanted, when he tried for lap times, they just didn’t come.

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
We wanted to get as much done in this session as possible because there is a strong possibility of rain tomorrow – but we didn’t achieve that. Kenny’s session started well, but the direction of setting changes didn’t pay off. John managed to improve his position fairly drastically in spite of having to change bikes late in the session, I suspect he did that by sheer aggression.