From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

A FAST LAP OF PHILLIP ISLAND WITH ALEX HOFMANN

Fuchs Kawasaki’s Alex Hofmann rates the Phillip Island circuit as one of his all time favourites so, after his best ever qualifying performance of the season ahead of tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix, we asked the 24-year-old German rider to give us a guided tour of the 4.4km seaside track – at race speed of course!

“Depending on the wind direction you’re approaching 330kph as you head down towards turn one, but even if the wind is with you it feels like it’s trying to blow you off the side of the track, so it’s a good idea to always leave yourself a little bit of space on the left just in case you get hit by a gust; grass tracking at over 300 kph is definitely not my idea of fun!

“As you approach turn one you just touch the front brake and back shift one gear before tipping it into the right hander at Doohan Corner. It’s probably the fastest turn on any circuit we race on and right in the middle, just as you’re at maximum lean, there are a few bumps that you have to watch out for. It’s a strange feeling having the bike go light under you over the bumps when your knee is on the deck at around 200kph!

“But then you’re on the gas again as it’s important that you get a good run up to the left hand turn two. Corner speed is important through this long, 180 degree turn. You come right back on yourself and it’s difficult to gauge exactly how early you can get on the gas at the exit. Almost every lap you exit this corner with the feeling that you could have got on the gas earlier than you did.

“Once out of the turn it’s up through the gears and over the small hill towards what i think is the scariest corner on the track; the ultra-fast turn three. You’re travelling at over 200kph with the rear of the bike sliding the whole way round the turn, which is a weird feeling. Although the backend is sliding, there’s not much chance of high-siding here – which is a good thing really, because if you went over the top of the bike here you’d most likely land in Tasmania!

“The next turn is the Honda Hairpin so, as soon as you exit turn three, you’re hard on the brakes trying to get the bike stopped as you backshift through the box to first gear. You have to watch out at this corner, as the right hand side of the tyre will have cooled slightly through the long left-handers, making a high-side on the exit of the turn a real possibility if you’re a bit too heavy with your throttle hand.

“Out of Honda Hairpin you shift up to second, riding the rev limiter as you approach one of the most fantastic corners in the world; Siberia. The positive camber around this turn means you can ride it like a motocross berm, carrying a huge amount of speed through the corner. You’re accelerating all the time, up through the gears into fourth, and the rear feels like it just wants to keep on spinning all the way around Siberia, through turn seven and all the way to the right-hander at turn eight.

“Turn eight is another very fast corner, and you need to try and carry as much speed through here as possible for the climb up to Lukey Heights.

“Lukey Heights is a bit scary the first couple of times you ride it, because you can’t see your exit point as you commit to the corner. You know which way the track goes, but it’s not until you hit the crest of the hill that you can actually see it, and the bike has already started to slide by then. All your senses are working overtime as you try to look over the top of the hill to confirm that you’re heading for the right part of the track on the other side. It’s a lot of fun when you get it right, but I wouldn’t ever want to get it wrong!

“As soon as you’re over Lukey Heights you have to set yourself up for the tight hairpin at the bottom of the hill. It’s difficult to judge your braking point here, because there are no real reference points; you have to do it by feel rather than by using a marker. And it’s hard braking as well, trying to scrub off speed on a downhill slope before tipping into turn ten, one of the slowest corners on the track. The positive camber at this right-hander means you can carry speed through the turn but, just like at the Honda Hairpin, you need to be aware that the right hand side of the tyre will have cooled slightly and the available grip might not be quite as much as you expected.

“It’s important that your exit from turn ten gives you a good entry speed into the last two corners on the circuit. You go tight into the apex on turn eleven, before accelerating as hard as the rear grip will let you through the final turn and back onto the start finish straight. The rear of the bike really wants to spin up all the way through the last two left-handers, but while it’s good fun to do this – and good for the crowd watching – it’s not the fastest way through these two corners.

“You’re accelerating hard out of the final turn, trying to carry as much speed as possible onto the start finish straight, but the corner is partially blind. It’s not until you hit fifth gear that the kerbing on the outside of the start finish straight comes into view and lets you know you’re definitely on the right line.

“And then it’s up into top gear and head down behind the bubble for the run back down to Doohan Corner, keeping a wary eye out for Phillip Island’s infamous kamikaze sea gulls as you go.”

One lap down, only another 20 to go!

From a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

YAMAHA FACTORY TEAM CONFIRMS RIDER LINE-UP FOR 2005

Yamaha is pleased to announce that Colin Edwards will join Valentino Rossi in its MotoGP Factory Racing Team in 2005. Yamaha and Edwards have signed an agreement for a two-year programme in MotoGP.

The move is a return for Edwards to the manufacturer with whom he raced in the World Superbike World Championship from 1995 to 1997.

“We are delighted to announce the arrival of Colin to our Factory MotoGP Team,” commented Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Colin started his international racing career with Yamaha in our Factory World Superbike Team from 1995 to 1997. Since then he has had a successful career in World Superbike and MotoGP. His return to Yamaha as a professional, experienced and successful racer will surely be an asset to our Factory Team, and we are expecting great things from him on the YZR-M1.”

This announcement confirms that Yamaha will end its six-year collaboration with Carlos Checa.

“The arrival of Colin also marks the end of our working partnership with Carlos,” stated Jarvis. “We would like to thank Carlos for his many years of dedicated contribution to Yamaha. Having worked closely together for six years since the start of the Yamaha Factory GP Team, it was felt by Carlos and Yamaha that the time had come for both of us to make a change and seek new challenges. We wish Carlos every success for the future.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP
Qualifying Session #1
Friday, October 15
Phillip Island, Australia
Conditions: Dry
1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:30.222
2. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:30.600
3. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:31.377
4. Colin Edwards, Honda, 1:31.387
5. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 1:31.526
6. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:31.571
7. Alex Barros, Honda, 1:31.601
8. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:31.632
9. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:31.718
10. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:31.760
11. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:31.929
12. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:31.979
13. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 1:32.039
14. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:32.244
15. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 1:32.338
16. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 1:32.866
17. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki, 1:33.370
18. Garry McCoy, Aprilia, 1:33.705
19. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 1:33.753
20. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:34.029
21. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR, 1:34.073
22. James Haydon, Proton KR, 1:34.511
23. James Ellison, Harris WCM, 1:34.995
24. Youichi Ui, Harris WCM, 1:36.364



Top Speeds From MotoGP Qualifying Session #1
1. Xaus, Ducati, 325.4 kph
2. Capirossi, Ducati, 323.5 kph
3. Biaggi, Honda, 322.0 kph
4. Hodgson, Ducati, 320.9 kph
5. Edwards, Honda, 320.7 kph
6. Tamada, Honda, 319.9 kph
7. Gibernau, Honda, 319.4 kph
8. Melandri, Yamaha, 319.1 kph
9. Bayliss, Ducati, 319.0 kph
10. Checa, Yamaha, 318.9 kph
11. Barros, Honda, 318.8 kph
12. Hayden, Honda, 318.3 kph
13. Nakano, Kawasaki, 315.1 kph
14. McWilliams, Aprilia, 314.0 kph
15. Abe, Yamaha, 313.9 kph
16. McCoy, Aprilia, 313.2 kph
17. Hofmann, Kawasaki, 312.8 kph
18. Haydon, Proton, 312.0 kph
19. Hopkins, Suzuki, 311.1 kph
20. Aoki, Proton, 310.6 kph
21. Lavilla, Suzuki, 306.6 kph
22. Ellison, WCM, 298.4 kph
23. Ui, WCM, 297.9 kph



250cc Grand Prix
Qualifying Session #1
Friday, October 15
Phillip Island, Australia
Conditions: Dry
1. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 1:32.986
2. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:33.210
3. Sebastian Porto, Aprilia, 1:33.403
4. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:34.333
5. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:34.576
6. Toni Elias, Honda, 1:34.583
7. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:34.641
8. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:35.147
9. Hiroshi Aoyama, Honda, 1:35.255
10. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:35.574



125cc Grand Prix
Qualifying Session #1
Friday, October 15
Phillip Island, Australia
Conditions: Dry
1. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 1:38.834
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:39.171
3. Casey Stoner, KTM, 1:39.175
4. Mirko Giansanti, Aprilia, 1:39.192
5. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 1:39.362
6. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 1:39.532
7. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:39.648
8. Stefano Perugini, Gilera, 1:39.673
9. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:39.756
10. Andrea Ballerini, Aprilia, 1:39.818



More, from a press release issued by Dorna Sports:

Rossi resumes island reign

Valentino Rossi continued his love affair with the Phillip Island circuit on Friday afternoon, setting provisional pole position for the Cinzano Australian Grand Prix in a bold statement of supremacy as he looks to complete a successful defence of his MotoGP crown. Despite icy temperatures and rain in the morning, strong winds opened the way for a bright and warm afternoon which saw Rossi stop the clock at 1’30.222. The current World Champion can seal the title for the fourth time in a row with second place in Sunday’s penultimate round of the season and his effort today dealt an early blow to his only rival, Sete Gibernau, who was 0.378 seconds adrift of the Italian in second place.

“I made a very good lap today, in the 1’30s, so I’m pleased to have that under my belt already,” said Rossi. “This morning was important because we also went very well in the wet. Also, in the dry the bike feels good. This afternoon we did well with the qualifying tyres but we still have to improve our settings on the race tyres, especially in the longer corners. There is a lot of pressure this weekend and I need to transform that into positive energy. A lot of my pit crew are from Australia, so this is a significant race for them as well. We all need maximum concentration.”

Even though Gibernau couldn’t quite keep tabs on Rossi at the top, he was some way clear of Nicky Hayden in third place, with 0.777 seconds separating the Honda pair and a 1.155 second gap covering Rossi and Hayden at either end of the provisional front row. Previous success at the circuit in the World Superbike series seemed to benefit Colin Edwards and Ruben Xaus, who provisionally qualified at the head of the second row in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Xaus’ performance was particularly impressive less than a year after a nasty crash here in preseason testing which saw the Spaniard hospitalised. His Ducati colleague Loris Capirossi also made a positive start to the weekend, qualifying sixth fastest at the track where he won his first ever 125cc World Championship back in 1990 to complete the provisional second row.

Marco Melandri escaped unhurt from a crash to qualify tenth fastest whilst home favourite Troy Bayliss, who last night announced that he will not be riding for Ducati beyond the end of the season, had a fall this morning and could only manage the twelfth fastest time in the afternoon.

Bayliss’ fellow Australian Anthony West had a high-speed fall in the 250cc class and was airlifted to Melbourne for precautionary checks after reporting pains in his neck and hand. The 23 year old tumbled from his Aprilia at the end of the main straight at almost 260km/h but seemingly escaped without serious injury, with Clinica Mobile staff confident that none of his major bones are broken pending further x-rays.

Alex de Angelis was the fastest rider in the quarter-litre session, continuing his strong run of qualifying form in the second half of the season with a new pole record. The San Marino rookie clocked a best time of 1’32.986 to hold off the challenge of compatriot Manuel Poggiali, who made a successful return to action after two weeks out through injury despite a minor crash at the end of the session. Sebastián Porto and Fonsi Nieto complete the front row whilst Dani Pedrosa, who needs just two points to seal the title this weekend, was seventh fastest.

Gino Borsoi set provisional pole for the 125cc race after a surprise return to form at the age of 30. The Italian set the pace for much of the afternoon session and withheld a string of late pole attacks from Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner. Borsoi has not set pole since Assen 2001 and has yet to win a race but tonight sits at the front of the provisional grid ahead of Dovizioso, Stoner and Mirko Giansanti.


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

FUCHS KAWASAKI RIDERS IN SEARCH OF SPEED AT SUNNY PHILLIP ISLAND

Fuchs Kawasaki riders, Alex Hofmann and Shinya Nakano, completed today’s first qualifying session in search of more speed in preparation for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

Hofmann is thirteenth on the provisional grid, with Nakano just two places behind in fifteenth. Hofmann’s fast lap left him just 0.7s off third place and, like Nakano, the young German rider is confident that the Ninja ZX-RR is capable of a top ten qualifying run.

Neither rider was completely happy with today’s two hours of practice and qualifying, with the morning session affected by rain and a dry line only appearing in the final ten minutes. Both Ninja ZX-RR machines had a trouble free run today, allowing Kawasaki technicians and the riders to concentrate on chassis set-up and Bridgestone tyre evaluation. But more dry track time is required to reach the optimum performance. While the driveability of the Kawasaki in-line four-cylinder motor continues to improve with the latest Magneti Marelli electronic system, there is a never ending search for traction on the long, fast and sweeping curves of the seaside 4.4km circuit. By contrast, braking stability is also crucial for the two hairpin corners, the final one a challenging downhill braking effort.

For afternoon qualifying the morning rain cleared to give a fine and sunny, but windy, afternoon qualifying session with track temperatures reaching 32 degrees. Both Nakano and Hofmann found the wind conditions difficult, especially through the high speed sections — turns one and two and the fast sweeper coming onto the main straight. Both riders are confident of further improvement tomorrow with the forecast of improving weather, which will hopefully allow two hours of dry track time.

Alex Hofmann: 13th (1’32.039)
“I’m not happy with thirteenth because I like this track, and I think the ZX-RR is capable of being in the top ten. It was a difficult day with the changing weather and only the qualifying session was completely dry. The wind was a hard fight for me, especially in the final, fast corner. I spent most of my time on a race set-up and I’m comfortable with the balance so far, although there are improvements to come. Throttle control is our main step forward since the February tests here. On my final fast lap there were a few guys just cruising around on slow down laps and both Tamada and I got held up.”

Shinya Nakano: 15th (1’32.338)
“First qualifying was difficult for me because I couldn’t make a big improvement on a soft qualifying tyre compared to a race tyre, so I’m hoping to go faster tomorrow. With the rain in the morning I started with the settings from Sepang and even though there are no big problems we need to improve traction and braking stability. We need to compare the data from our winter tests here to find some answers. As usual the wind is strong and I lost time between the first and second splits; this section was hard work for me. But I’m confident that there is more speed to come with changes to the set-up.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Proton KR:

PROTON KR PAIR ON SONG AT WET-AND-DRY PHILLIP ISLAND

Nobuatsu Aoki: 21st, 1:34.073
James Haydon: 22nd, 1:34.511

Proton Team KR riders Nobuatsu Aoki and James Haydon were placed 21st and 22nd on the provisional grid for Sunday’s Australian GP, on a day when the 4.448km circuit on the Bass Strait south-east of Melbourne lived up to its reputation of highly variable and somewhat extreme weather.

The morning free training was mainly wet, after heavy rain swept the circuit in the morning; the afternoon timed session was dry and sunny, but with a cool breeze that was strong enough to add to the technical difficulties of the fast seaside circuit.

Aoki is an old hand at Phillip Island, having qualified on the front row of the grid two years ago, when the lightweight three-cylinder 500cc Proton was a thorn in the side of the new 990cc MotoGP four-strokes. The Japanese rider survived a crash in the morning, slipping off at relatively low speed on the patchy damp track. He was not hurt.

Haydon is a MotoGP novice, in his third race substituting for team regular Kurtis Roberts, who is recovering from wrist injuries. But the former 500cc GP racer and World and British Superbike competitor also knows the Australian circuit, and his growing familiarity with the Proton KR V5 is another factor in the 30-year-old’s favour.

Sunday’s race is the 15th of 16 World Championship rounds, and the last of a trio of “flyaway” GPs on consecutive weekends: Qatar, Malaysia and Australia. There is one more day of practice before Sunday’s race.

NOBUATSU AOKI
This morning’s crash was my own stupid mistake … nothing serious. Today we’ve been working on chassis set-up and also looking for a rear race tyre. I’ve found two tyres that seem good, but I haven’t decided which to use. I’ll do that tomorrow. One change we made was to move the swing-arm pivot point down. This doesn’t help the lap time, but it makes the bike easier to ride, which will be good over race distance. I want to carry on working in that direction to see if we can find more improvement. The wind wasn’t too serious today, but in Turn One it gets under the bike and pushed you wide.

JAMES HAYDON
I’m a little bit frustrated. This is the first track I’ve known since I first rode this bike three weeks ago. This morning’s conditions were
awkward for everyone, and I chased my tail a little because of that, making changes a bit soon. In the afternoon we worked through tyres and settings, and didn’t exactly find what we’re looking for. I had a couple of moments, but nothing terminal. I’m looking for a more secure and weighted front end mid-turn, and a more forgiving rear end. The good thing is we know exactly what we want to look at for tomorrow. The
session was good for getting some direction.


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda:

GOOD START AT PHILLIP ISLAND

AUSTRALIAN GP 1st qualifying practice

The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP team made a good start to the Australian Grand Prix, with Sete Gibernau and Colin Edwards in second and fourth position respectively. Sete got back to the work ethic which has given such positive results this season, making very few pit stops and setting a fast pace on race tyres. The Spaniard was just three tenths off the provisional pole pace of Valentino Rossi after running 30 laps on the same front tyre. Track conditions varied throughout the course of the day, with wind and rain in the morning and dry in the afternoon, but Gibernau found a good feeling in both sessions. Colin Edwards’s extra motivation at Phillip Island was clear from the first session, the American feeling comfortale and setting a good rhythm on race tyres.

SETE GIBERNAU (2nd, 1’30″600)
“I am enjoying riding again at this circuit. In the morning, in the wind and the rain, we found the right way forward and in the aftern! oon we were able to start working on the dry setting making just a few small changes. We’ve got a decent rhythm and tomorrow we will have to work particularly on our tyre choice for the race. I did the session just as I wanted to, with only a couple of pit-stops and a lot of consecutive laps on a hard front tyre. Hopefully I can keep making progress from here”.

COLIN EDWARDS (4th, 1’31″387)
“I’m really looking forward to racing at this track. My family and a lot of friends are here and my motivation couldn’t be higher. We have done a good job on the set-up and tried out a lot of different tyres for the race. I have got a good feeling on the bike and, although the setting could be improved, it’s already good. I set a consistent pace and even though I improved on qualifying tyres it wasn’t quite enough.”


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda:

Makoto and Max 8th and 9th at gusty Phillip Island

There was a dry qualifying session on the first day in Australia today, after the intense overnight rain and the hailstorms this morning. Max and Makoto were focused as they went out onto the windy Phillip Island circuit, working immediately on the set-up of their yellow Camel Honda RC211V bikes in the afternoon, when the track offered a better chance of collecting data for the race on Sunday. The main objective is to get a constant rhythm going at a track with a unique feel to it and one which needs to be ridden perfectly. The forecast is for good weather on the whole tomorrow, so an intense Saturday is expected, as everyone gears up to be competitive in the race.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“After the cold and rain of yesterday night and this morning, the weather should improve now and we should get more stable conditions. This should allow us to make the most of tomorrow’s two hours of practice, crucial to get a good set-up of our bikes and which will also help us get a good position on the grid for Sunday. We still have lots of things to improve and it is imperative to be competitive in the final qualifying session, because I think that the lap times will come down once more.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 9th – 1’31.718
“Yesterday I hurt my foot in the pit garage, a box fell on my left foot, a silly accident, but it stopped me from sleeping all night. The worst of it is that the bruising is right where I have to use my foot to work the gear lever. So with this and also the fact that the bike I was working on in the afternoon had a problem (gearbox), which meant I had to use the second bike, added to a couple of slight errors on my fast lap, all explain today’s position. Tomorrow we need to work on getting the set-up right on my number one bike and things will certainly get better.”

Giulio Bernardelle – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada’s Technical Director)
“After this morning’s rain, the weather should be much better, and if the temperature could just creep up a little more, conditions would be perfect for us. In terms of tyres, we have specific material for conditions like these today, and others for is the temperature rises. The bike is set-up quite well so far if we consider that the tests back in February were done with a different type of chassis to the one we have now on the bike. We know which direction to go in now and obviously we hope for stable weather conditions to make the most of the two hours of testing tomorrow.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres)- 8th – 1’31.632
“The track’s grip is quite good, and the wind at the part of the circuit which borders the sea is pretty strong, and this complicated things a little. However, the majority of the work has been done on the bike’s set-up in the dry afternoon session. Bridgestone have brought specific material for this track and for these relatively cold conditions, and whilst today I tried many of them, tomorrow I’ll try the second part of the things they have brought. We have a clear idea of where we want to go and with a slightly higher temperature we should do well. We’ll see tomorrow.”


More, from a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

ROSSI ON PROVISIONAL PHILLIP ISLAND POLE

After a morning of extreme weather conditions at Phillip Island, including torrential rain and a short hailstorm, Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi made the most of the warm and dry afternoon to take provisional pole in this afternoon’s first qualifying session in Australia. His time of 1’30.222s was just shy of his own qualifying record, and came after only one dry hour of track time. Carlos Checa, his team-mate, took 11th fastest time after being held up during what could have been his quickest lap. Checa had been as high as third earlier in the session, before resorting to qualifying tyres.

In the top spot for the majority of the session, Rossi was deposed by Colin Edwards (Honda) at one stage before powering to provisional pole with 12 minutes left. Rossi extended his advantage on his final lap, with only himself and his remaining championship rival Sete Gibernau (Honda) eventually in the 1:30s bracket.

Checa, today celebrating his 32nd birthday, was up with the leading group on race tyres, but after being balked on his potential fastest lap, with qualifying rubber fitted to his Yamaha YZR-M1, he slipped down the order to finish 11th, 1.707 seconds from Rossi.

Rossi is going for his eighth race win of a remarkable 2004 season, and any result in the top three on Sunday would be his 100th career podium, having scored an incredible 99 podium finishes in 138 starts in all classes of GP competition. He has already secured five previous victories at Phillip Island, two in the 250cc class and the last three in MotoGP.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1st, 1’30.222s)

“I made a very good lap today, in the 1:30s, so I’m pleased to have that under my belt already. This morning was important because we also went very well in the wet. Also, in the dry the bike feels good. This afternoon we did well with the qualifying tyres but we still have to improve our settings on the race tyres, especially in the longer corners. There is a lot of pressure this weekend. I need to transform that into positive energy. A lot of my pit crew are from Australia, so this is a significant race for them as well. We all need maximum concentration.”

CARLOS CHECA (11th, 1’31.929s)

“We had a good pace on race tyres but at the end of the session I met a lot of riders in the first section and lost too much time. I could not get a good lap time because of that and when I tried again on the next lap the tyre was already past its best and I lost time at the final corner. It is also difficult for me on a qualifying rear tyre because it pushes the front more. But I know I can improve my time tomorrow and we have more time to work for qualifying to improve my starting position.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO, TEAM DIRECTOR

“A good start to the weekend for Valentino and he managed to stay in front of everybody. We still have some work to do on the bike because since we came here we changed the base setting and now it has to be adjusted to suit the track. There is room for improvement but already we are very close to the best ever time. The track was wet this morning so it is unusual that it has improved that much. The track should not be this quick. In normal race pace not so many riders have been as fast as Valentino.The weather should be better and better and we were fast in the wet this morning anyway. Carlos was good, in the top for a long time, but he lost the chance to use his qualifying tyre. It was his birthday today so I’m sure he wanted better. On Sunday he will try to make a nice gift to himself on the track.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

Team Suzuki MotoGP riders John Hopkins and Gregorio Lavilla were 14th and 17th fastest in today’s first timed qualifying session for Sunday’s Australian GP, both short of time in changeable weather conditions, but confident of moving up the order tomorrow.

Anglo-American racer Hopkins (21) has been challenging for – and in Japan qualifying on – the front row at recent races, but today found himself chasing those elusive good settings that give a motorcycle the right balance to make the most of the fast corners of the fast 4.448km seaside circuit to the south-east of Melbourne. Spaniard Lavilla is having his first race since he competed on the Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP prototype as a wild card at Brno in August. The team’s full-time tester is riding in place of team regular Kenny Roberts Jr., the 2000 World Champion who is still recuperating from a dislocated elbow injury sustained at the Japanese GP.

Today’s weather has been in line with the track’s reputation … bitterly cold overnight and with the morning free training session run on a drying track after several drenching showers swept the circuit. Although a fresh wind has blown all day, the track was still not completely dry by the end of the hour.

The afternoon session was run in sunshine, with the wind playing a part in the difficult challenges posed by the classic Phillip Island circuit.

The Australian GP is the 15th of 16 rounds, closing off three successive weekends of far-flung racing – Qatar, Malaysia and Australia. There is one more day of practice, including an hour of timed qualifying, before Sunday’s race.

JOHN HOPKINS – 14th Position, 1:32.244

“We definitely don’t have the base setting we’d like. It’s just minor problems, and though the wind wasn’t terrible, it is one of the issues. I’m having a hard time holding my line through the faster stuff, and with it wet in the morning we spent most of the afternoon trying to improve that and get a better feel from the bike. It’s working pretty good, but it’s not as easy here as you might think to get the bike right. You have to work at it.”

GREGORIO LAVILLA – 17th Position, 1:33.370

“After two months holiday, it’s good to be back in action. There have been big changes since I last rode the bike. I rode the latest engine at Brno, but the tyres have changed and also the engine character with the new exhaust pipes. Last time I tested here it was with a different engine and a different chassis. Then this morning was wet, so all I could do was try to take the feeling. Now we’re working on normal things, with bike settings. Today it was difficult to get the bike on line, but when we changed things we would have another problem. It’s a little deeper than just changing springs or dampers. We’re still a little far away from good settings for this track.”

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager

“We haven’t really settled in to the rhythm of this event yet … and we’ve only got tomorrow. It’s good to have Stuart Shenton back in the pit after his absence undergoing surgery, although in fact he’s been in constant touch by telephone, at every race-track.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Suzuki World GSX-R Cup Practice Times (all on Suzuki GSX-R750s):

1. Jake Holden, USA, 1:30.930
2. Chris Peris, Canada, 1:32.098
3. Javier Fores, Spain, 1:32.765
4. Matin Bauer, Germany, 1:32.176
5. Robert Ulm, Germany, 1:33.002
6. Tristan Palmer, UK, 1:33.075
7. Bruce Rulfo, France, 1:33.494
8. Roman Stamm, Switzerland, 1:33.551
9. Scott Charlton, Australia, 1:33.602
10. Hario Dionisi, Italy, 1:33.697
11. Thomas Metro, France, 1:33.932
12. Ben Wilson, UK, 1:34.095
13. Robert Jensen, USA, 1:34.158
14. Antonio Mancuso, Italy, 1:34.426
15. Zeiser Christian, Austria, 1:34.785
16. Zenon Nelson, Canada, 1:34.891
17. Frank Heidger, Germany, 1:34.985
18. Alessandro Melone, Italy, 1:35.415
19. Yoshihiro Konno, Japan, 1:35.562
20. Akira Tamutuji, Japan, 1:35.700
21. Brian Stokes, USA, 1:37.230
22. Sebastien Lager, France, 1:47.364, crash
23. Hudson Kennaugh, South Afirca, no time, mechanical


More, from a press release issued by Suzuki:

Braselton, GA (October 15, 2004) – The 2004 Suzuki Worldwide GSX-R Cup Final kicked off under cold and cloudy weather conditions. The weather today was a cool 61°F (16°C) with cloudy conditions for most of the day. At times, the sun would shine for a few minutes and slight winds would show up.

Despite the weather conditions the first practice went well. Although, there was one on-track incident that knocked a French rider out of the competition with two broken fingers. Many riders seemed to get accustomed to the track fairly quickly and lap times were already into the low 1:30’s. The Americans and Canadians had an advantage since most of them have ridden this tough Road Atlanta track but the foreign riders seemed to be catching on quickly.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Practice Session #1
Friday, October 15
Phillip Island, Australia
Conditions: Wet
1. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:34.676
2. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:34.900
3. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:35.322
4. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:35.418
5. Alex Barros, Honda, 1:35.434
6. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:35.494
7. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 1:35.851
8. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:36.210
9. Colin Edwards, Honda, 1:36.249
10. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:36.276
11. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 1:36.329
12. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:36.828
13. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:37.272
14. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:37.482
15. Garry McCoy, Aprilia, 1:37.887
16. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 1:38.075
17. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:38.783
18. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 1:38.874
19. James Ellison, Harris WCM, 1:38.994
20. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR, 1:39.005
21. James Haydon, Proton KR, 1:39.570
22. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 1:40.000
23. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki, 1:41.185
24. Youichi Ui, Harris WCM, 1:41.383



More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

GOOD SEASIDE MEMORIES FOR PROTON TEAM KR

Proton Team KR approach Phillip Island on an upward trend. Over a gruelling end-of-season routine – four flyaway GPs in four far-flung countries – the V5 machines have shown a new level of maturity that bodes well for future development.

The Mk2 version of the England-made and Malaysian backed motorcycle has shown impressive reliability during the season’s second half, and has finished in the points at four out of the last five races. All these races were gruelling in their own ways – the punishingly hot Qatar GP, for instance, saw seven machines retire with sundry mechanical problems. The Protons didn’t skip a beat all weekend.

The machine is fighting only for the lower points-scoring positions. “We’re still short of our target horsepower and top speed, and we’re also still looking for the right combination of tyre to give us more mid-corner speed,” said the team’s principal, legendary triple champion Kenny Roberts.

“But the machines are running good out in the field, and at the same time, we’re also working hard back in England on developments for the future,” he continued.

Team regular Nobuatsu Aoki will be joined for a third race by British Superbike rider James Haydon, taking the place of the recuperating Kurtis Roberts. Both riders love the sweeping seaside circuit, where fast corners give them a chance to make up for a lack of top speed.

Aoki had a tough race last year, suffering neck injuries when he crashed avoiding another rider in practice, and finishing the race physically exhausted. It’s still a favourite track, and observers recall with awe his extraordinary angles of lean as he rode his lightweight two-stroke Proton KR to seventh among the faster four-strokes in 2002.

Haydon knows the circuit as a 500 GP racer and a Superbike rider. For his third race on the V5 MotoGP machine, he can add accumulated experience on “the fastest bike I have ever ridden” to his chances in the quest to repeat his points-scoring debut at Qatar three weekends ago.

Haydon’s open-minded approach and machine development experience, in addition to that of Aoki’s have added fresh impetus to the team’s morale; while two races have given him the chance to get the machine settings tailored to his personal preferences.

Phillip Island has been a friendly circuit to Proton Team KR over the past two years.

In 2002, the lightweight two-stroke Proton KR triple was fighting a rearguard action against the much more powerful new four-stroke MotoGP machines. McWilliams qualified on pole position, with Aoki also on the front row, finishing tenth and seventh respectively on the outpaced but nimble lightweights.

Last year, riding the new V5 four-stroke, McWilliams qualified tenth and finished 11th. This was the Mk1 machine’s best race, after just half-a-season of shake-down runs that took place out on the GP racetracks.

The Australian GP is the 15th of 16 World Championship rounds, and the last of four flyaway GPs in five weekends: Japan, followed in short order by Qatar, Malaysia and Australia. The last round is at Valencia in Spain on October 31.

NOBUATSU AOKI – PUSH HARD AGAIN
For our team, we have good memories at Phillip Island. I like riding the track. It’s quite unique. Until now, our project has been moving slowly forward. I hope we can show some better results in Australia, as a reward for all the hard work of everybody. I’ll push hard again.

JAMES HAYDON – AT LEAST I KNOW THE WAY ROUND
I’ve been to Australia before so I know the way round, which makes a change from the last two tracks. But over two weekends on the trot, thanks to the good work of the guys in my team, we’ve made a big improvement feel-wise. When I arrived in Malaysia, the front end and I weren’t talking the same language, but by the end of the weekend I felt able to race the bike, rather than just ride it round. I’m looking forward to this one.



125cc Grand Prix Practice Session #1
Friday, October 15
Phillip Island, Australia
Conditions: Wet
1. Casey Stoner, KTM, 1:48.498
2. Gabor Talmacsi, Malaguti, 1:51.298
3. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 1:51.304
4. Lorenzo Zanetti, Aprilia, 1:52.047
5. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:53.479
6. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:53.543
7. Simone Corsi, Honda, 1:53.620
8. Sergio Gadea, Aprilia, 1:53.670
9. Mika Kallio, KTM, 1:53.834
10. Mattia Pasini, Aprilia, 1:53.845



250cc Grand Prix Practice Session #1
Friday, October 15
Phillip Island, Australia
Conditions: Dry
1. Sebastian Porto, Aprilia, 1:34.228
2. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 1:34.570
3. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:34.928
4. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:34.985
5. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:35.574
6. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:35.644
7. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:36.283
8. Hiroshi Aoyama, Honda, 1:36.777
9. Johan Stigefelt, Aprilia, 1:36.939
10. Anthony West, Aprilia, 1:37.074

From a press release issued by Dorna Communications:

Phillip Island welcomes MotoGP title climax

The Phillip Island circuit today opened its doors to the MotoGP World Championship paddock and welcomed the climax of one of the most exciting seasons in the history of the sport. With Valentino Rossi just one step away from becoming only the second rider ever to win consecutive titles with different manufacturers and a record of five previous victories at this circuit, the Italian’s legacy on Australian shores promises record crowds.

Rossi needs to finish in the top two positions to secure the premier-class title for the fourth successive season but is taking a cautious approach as he looks to celebrate an historic first season with Yamaha in fitting style.

“We had a bigger advantage earlier in the season but then I crashed in Qatar and within one race it was all open again, so it is not over until it is over” said Rossi, who has a 30-point advantage over Sete Gibernau. “But this is a good place for us and a good place for me. We tested here twice in preseason and already the bike was quite good. It is an old style track, with a lot of different corners and it’s one of the best for the riders – not just me, everybody loves this track.”

Local hero Troy Bayliss is also looking forward to extra support from the home crowd but started the weekend in despondent mood after announcing that he will part company with Ducati at the end of the season. “It’s been a tough season for me and everybody at Ducati so to be leaving at the end of the season is like a final kick in the teeth,” said Bayliss, who won the World Superbike series with the Italian factory before stepping up to MotoGP and scoring three podiums last season.

“I didn’t want the relationship to end because I don’t feel as though I’ve really shown what I can do in MotoGP yet, but that’s racing and you’ve got to take it on the chin. It doesn’t mean I’ll be cruising around for the last two races though. I want to continue to improve the bike and do as well as I possibly can in my home round.”

Bayliss’ former WSB rival Gregorio Lavilla joins the Australian on track this weekend as a replacement for Kenny Roberts at Suzuki. Yukio Kagayama had substituted the injured former World Champion for the last two rounds but factory test rider Lavilla gets his chance this weekend, with Roberts expected to return for the final round at Valencia. Kenny’s younger brother Kurtis is also out and will again be replaced by James Haydon at Proton Team KR.

Away from the paddock, three of MotoGP’s top riders added a bounce to their preparations for the weekend’s action on a visit to a local wildlife centre. Makoto Tamada, John Hopkins and Marco Melandri acquainted themselves with the residents of the Phillip Island Wildlife Park – including kangaroos, wallabies and koala bears.

Meanwhile, Dani Pedrosa said it will take just a couple of laps of the Phillip Island circuit on Friday morning to banish the bitter memories of his last visit to Australia. The Spanish youngster broke both of his ankles in the first free practice session for last year’s 125cc race but is hoping for better luck this weekend as he looks to score the two points he needs to clinch the 250cc World Championship title.

“I’ve got memories but I suppose after a couple of laps they’ll be gone,” said Pedrosa, who will be joined on track by the current World Champion Manuel Poggiali after two races out with a leg injury. “Also, I know they’ve made modifications to the track so I hope everything goes well this year. Last year taught me that if you take your eye off the game for a second you can end up in a bad way. So it is important to keep my concentration and not think about anything other than the race.”

Andrea Dovizioso has no reason to think about anything else this weekend after clinching the 125cc title at Sepang on Sunday. The Italian today said that he was aiming to sign off the season in style before following previous World Champion Pedrosa to the 250cc class in 2005. “My aim is to win the final two rounds and show that I am a true champion,” said Dovizioso. “I will be moving up to 250 next year, hopefully onto the same bike as Dani, and I am really looking forward to that but my focus is on this weekend.”



From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
CINZANO AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX – PHILLIP ISLAND
14TH OCTOBER 2004 – EVENT PREVIEW

FUCHS KAWASAKI HEAD OUT TO THE ISLAND

The Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island brings Fuchs Kawasaki riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann one step closer to the end of the gruelling 16 race MotoGP World Championship.

The Phillip Island race completes what has been a busy schedule of international ‘flyaway’ races – three GPs in as many weekends in Qatar, Malaysia and now Australia.

Only the season-ending Valencia GP in Spain remains after Sunday’s down under race on one of the most popular race tracks on the calendar. Most riders, including the Kawasaki pair, rate the track amongst their favourites.

And both Nakano and Hofmann are eager to show that the fast-flowing, 4.44km Phillip Island circuit, with its panoramic ocean views, will allow them to show the increasing competitiveness of the Ninja ZX-RR.

The Kawasaki squad comes to Phillip Island with the benefit of data collected from the successful pre-season test sessions in February, thus giving riders and technicians a head start on set-up with this year’s all-new ZX-RR chassis.

And the recent introduction and continuing fine-tuning of the Magneti Marelli fuel injection and engine management system has produced more rider friendly throttle response.

Built in the early 1950’s the Phillip Island track retains most of its original layout, a classic design not influenced by increasing use of chicanes on modern circuits. The only major layout change in more than half a century has been the revision to the turn four hairpin, made for safety considerations.

And as part of a continuing program of safety upgrades a recent multi-million dollar investment has resulted in improved run-off areas and gravel traps, plus new entry and exit lanes to the pits.

Typically, the 12 turn Phillip Island rewards rider skill and precise handling, with the often unknown factor of the high winds that can sweep in off the Bass Strait.

Shinya Nakano: #56
“Phillip Island is a fast track, and one of my favourites, so it is always nice to be racing here. I had a very good feeling with the ZX-RR at the pre-season tests and for once we have a lot of set-up data for this track. My two favourite parts are the last corner coming onto the straight and turn one; both are high speed and a lot of fun. In recent months we have made a lot of progress with both electronic and chassis settings on the Ninja ZX-RR, so Phillip Island is going to be an interesting race for us.”

Alex Hofmann: #66
“As always I’m looking forward to racing at Phillip Island. The circuit has a lot of high speed corners which is one of the strong points of the ZX-RR. Being able to carry corner speed is critical to a fast lap here, and I like the combination of third and fourth gear corners; you can have so much fun sliding the bike at 170kph. Sometimes the weather can be a surprise, but like everyone I’m hoping for a dry race with not too much wind.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“At Phillip Island we are expecting a continuation of the strong recent performances by both Shinya and Alex, both of whom did a lot laps at the circuit during pre-season testing. Shinya has been outstanding in qualifying and I again expect to see him towards the front of the grid. The flowing nature of the circuit should suit the Ninja ZX-RR and our new electronics package. As always we are anticipating the strong support of Bridgestone with tyres at this race. Most of the fast corners are left-handers which puts a special demand on tyres.”