From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Karl Muggeridge – World Supersport Champion

A spectacular three race winning run at the end of the 2003 World Supersport season was an impressive feat for the combination of Karl Muggeridge, Ten Kate Honda and the new CBR600RR Honda, but it was just a taster of what was to come.

The 30-year-old Australian rider, now a long term resident in Andorra, has carried on his 2003 form almost through the 2004 season, despite a couple of minor wobbles on the path to Supersport greatness in the first two rounds at Valencia and Phillip Island. Muggeridge scored an irrepressible five wins in the next six races, to put himself in an almost unassailable 38-point championship lead before the penultimate round at Imola, another race in which he was triumphant.

His win at Imola allowed him the luxury of winning the championship one race early in the ten round World Supersport season. It also gave Ten Kate and Honda a third Riders’ title in successive years, one with the CBR600FS in the hands of Fabien Foret, plus two for the CBR600RR with Chris Vermeulen in 2003 and now Muggeridge this year.

Muggeridge, called ‘Muggas’ by all and sundry, had his early experiences of racing at his local tracks in Australia, but quickly realising his abundant natural talent, he decided to start competition in the always competitive Australian national scene. Covering huge distances to compete Muggeridge soon tired of the long hauls, with too little rewards in terms of recognition and remuneration to continue.

The 1999 season saw Muggeridge fourth in the UK championship, shortly before another one of his big steps in expectation pushed him into the World Championship.

Muggeridge’s maiden WSS race win came during his full time season with the Ten Kate team, taking victory in the second of two Brands Hatch races in 2000.

An ill-fated swap to the Alstare Suzuki team in 2001 dented Muggeridge’s competitive edge somewhat, even if Muggeridge was occasionally capable of running strongly at the front. Seventh overall was a two-step drop from his previous year’s fifth for Honda, and thus Muggeridge returned to the CBR fold.

Another tough season for the Honda UK team, moving up to World Supersport, was highlighted by a fine third at a torrentially wet Silverstone circuit, on his way to overall 14th.

Seeing his talent undimmed his old partners Ten Kate Honda stepped in with an offer to ride alongside his countryman, the ebullient young Australian Chris Vermeulen. The Ten Kate pairing proved a potent force in 2003 but it was Vermeulen who secured the championship, with Muggeridge fourth. All of Muggeridge’s ten WSS race wins have come on Honda machinery and all of them in Ten Kate colours.

Naturally, he puts his close working relationship with Ten Kate as a prime reason for his recent success. “One the things I have always tried to go is work well with the guys and make the most of everything. Chipping away at things. Riding for these guys is really motivational because they just want to keep pushing, keep going for the wins.”

With such a chequered history of ups and downs, Muggeridge adopted some highly unusual preparations, shortly before his immaculate run of success in 20034 and 2004 Supersport. He explains that they have been an integral part of winning nine of the last 12 available Supersport races. “I’m definitely mentally stronger. I went on retreat course last year, in Switzerland, just to get rid of the negative stuff about my career, the crashes and injuries and all that. It was like somewhere to go to just reset yourself – to defrag your hard drive, if you like. Only it took ten days not two hours, like it does on your computer. I did it last year, just before I started winning races. It was living like a monk, no communication with anyone. I just came into the last three races with a clear state of mind, knowing what I wanted and how I could get it. It has simply carried on into this year.”

Ever the professional, Muggeridge ended his glory day at Imola with a touch of reality. “Winning the title with my family here is fantastic and it has already sunk in – but right now all I’m thinking about is the final race at Magny Cours.”


Karl Muggeridge – Australia

Team : Ten Kate Honda
Racing number : 31
Race machine : CBR600RR

Date of birth : April 20, 1974
Birthplace: Tweed Heads, NSW, Australia

First race : 1994 Lakeside – 250cc Suzuki
First win : 1994 Lakeside – 250cc Suzuki
World Supersport debut : 1998 San Marino round, Misano
First World Supersport win : European round Brands Hatch, October 2000 –
Ten Kate Honda
Total wins : 10
Total podiums : 19

World titles : 1 – 2004 World Supersport Championship – Honda


Career Highlights
1995 : Winner 250cc Production race at Phillip Island
1996 : 10th 250cc Australian Production Championship
1997 : Contested no full championship series
1998 : 13th British Supersport Championship Honda
1999 : 4th British Supersport Championship Honda
2000 : 5th World Supersport Championship Honda – race wins 1
2001 : 7th World Supersport Championship Suzuki
2002 : 14th World Supersport Championship Honda
2003 : 4th World Supersport Championship Honda – race wins 3
2004 : World Supersport Champion Honda – race wins 6

From a press release:

Sport Bike Night
at
HARD ROCK CAFE

Dunlop Tires, Arai Helmets and Alpinestars are proud to present a special SPORT BIKE NIGHT at the HARD ROCK CAFE in downtown Sacramento on Wednesday night, September 29th, from 7 to 9pm.

Our special guest for the evening will be DAVID SADOWSKI

Dave is the 1990 DAYTONA 200 winner as well as being 600 Supersport Champion the same year.
A past Formula USA Champion as well, Dave was the color commentator on SPEED CHANNEL for the past several seasons. Dave recently moved from the East Coast and has settled in the Nor Cal area.

Dave has “been there and done that” in the world of professional motorcycle racing and will offer SPORT BIKE NIGHT fans his insight into the sport.

The HARD ROCK CAFE is excited to host this special SPORT BIKE NIGHT and will be offering its full dinner and appetizer menu as well as its regular drink service. The doors will open at 6:30pm for SPORT BIKE NIGHT guests. Program starts promptly at 7pm.

Mike Doran of D & W IMAGES will also be there offering photos for purchase of your favorite local and National riders.

There will be special motorcycle parking on 7th Street along the side of the HARD ROCK CAFE and any covered parking is free with HARD ROCK CAFE validation.

Polish up you ride and compete for the monthly BEST BIKE AWARD.

Remember our event sponsors when you spend your hard earned dollars!

WHAT: SPORT BIKE NIGHT

WHEN: WEDNESDAY NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 7PM TILL 9PM

WHERE: HARD ROCK CAFE, 7TH AND K STREET MALL, DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO

WHY? COME AND FIND OUT !

COST? $5.00 AT THE DOOR

WEBSITE: www.sportbikenight.com

INFO: Mike at (916) 600-3742

From a press release issued by series organizers FGSport:

2004 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

10th round Imola, 23-26 September 2004

LACONI IN CONTROL WITH TWO SUPERB WINS

LACONI DOUBLES UP: The ever-changing 2004 World Superbike Championship series threw up another pair of outstanding races for the 76,000 Imola crowd, blessed by sunshine and some exceptionally dramatic on-track action. Regis Laconi took the championship lead from his team-mate James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999F004) after two wars of attrition for the leading riders. Laconi overpowered Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) in race one, as the young Aussie lost a fraction of front end feel and traction, and performed the same trick in race two, this time on the perennially competitive Toseland. The championship battle is still very much alive for three riders, with Laconi on 295, Toseland on 291 and Vermeulen on 282. An epic battle beckons on October 3, with Noriyuki Haga also still in with an arithmetical chance of the overall title win.

RACE ONE: A virtual start-to-finish victory for Chris Vermeulen was only halted by the aggression and pace of Regis Laconi on the last two laps of the 21-lap opener, as the Frenchman blew by on the run down the hill to the first Ravazza, putting over a second between himself and Vermeulen in the last two laps as Laconi upped the pace and Vermeulen fought against a loss of front end feel and performance. James Toseland (Ducati Fila) recovered from a mid race drop in pace to re-pass Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati Koji) for third place, after a bold pass on the exit of the Variante Alta. Garry McCoy capitalised on his front row start with fifth place.

RACE TWO: The second outing was another spectacular man-to-man fight for the win, after a triumvirate of riders had made it a close contest for half the race. Haga crashed out of the lead after experiencing mechanical problems, allowing Toseland to escape to possible victory, only to be headed off in the last three laps by Laconi. In a photo finish, Laconi held off the aggressive Toseland, trying to elbow his way past on the short finish straight, by only 0.041 seconds. Vermeulen swapped his number one bike for his spare after an electrical problem, crashed on his spare, then made the race after receiving a lift back to the pits. Starting flat last, and suffering from a badly bruised hip, hand and ankle, Vermeulen took an improbable and outstanding sixth.

MARTIN SECURES PODIUM FIVE: After some drifts in form of late, Steve Martin (DFX Ducati 999) kept his head and his pace to leave Imola with a sixth place and then a more than welcome third, as the top riders dropped out of contention one by one. After a sparkling pre-race showing, Garry McCoy (SC Xerox Ducati 999) was the Aussie privateer most likely to succeed in any potential podium tussle, but he maintained a respectable sixth in the series with two fifth place Imola finishes.

LOCAL LION: Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998RS) had a lowly homecoming, taking only a seventh place and suffering from having to start from 16th place on the grid. Walking back in to the pits he received a hero’s welcome, and he remained fifth in the championship fight, with 222 points.

OPPOSITE VIEWS: Troy Corser secured two points scoring finishes on his Foggy Petronas machine, but 12th and tenth were not the results he was looking for. Chris Walker had no such luck, with a double no score.

SUPERSPORT: Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) once more showed his Supersport pre-eminence by taking win number six of the year, and the world title itself. His was the third straight win for the Ten Kate Team, who’s other rider Broc Parkes, was in contention to beat Muggeridge for almost all 21-laps. His desire to pass had his team covering their eyes at some points, but when Jurgen van den Goorbergh fell out of contention the title was decided there and then. Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was third, with the first non-Honda the Breil Ducati of Lorenzo Lanzi, fourth. The fight for second in the championship now moves to Magny Cours, with Parkes only four points adrift of van den Goorbergh’s 119 points. Charpentier could also finish higher than his current fourth place.

SUPERSTOCK. The European Superstock class went through dramas even before the race itself, when Championship leader Gianluca Vizziello (Yamaha) was ruled out of the event, crashing in a pre-race Supermoto challenge. His team-mate Lorenzo Alfonsi, 16 points adrift in the championship fight, could not capitalize as he finished out of the points, thanks to a broken gear lever. He now has to finish second or better at the final round in Magny Cours to secure the title. The race winner was Riccardo Chiarello (Suzuki) from Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha) and Enrique Rocamora (Suzuki). Rocamora was later excluded from the results, making Luca Scasso the eventual third place rider.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

World Supersport Championship
Round 9 Imola, Italy 24 – 26 September 2004

Track: Dry, 35°C
Air: Warm, Sunny 23°C
Attendance: 72,000 (three days).

HONDA RIDER MUGGERIDGE TAKES RACE WIN AND THE WORLD TITLE

Karl Muggeridge took win number six of a quite spectacularly successful Supersport year on the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, winning his first and his team’s third World Riders’ Championship in the process. Running in the lead throughout, he scored his latest victory after taking his eighth pole position in nine attempts the day before.

His only rival throughout the entire race was his own team-mate, Broc Parkes, who finally finished his race in second place, 1.251 seconds down at the end of 21-hot and pressurised laps. The lack of team orders was evident from the outset, as Parkes attempted to pass on numerous occasions, twice heading up Muggeridge but never making it stick across the line.

Another dominant day in Supersport for Honda teams saw Sebastien Charpentier take his Klaffi Honda CBR600RR to a fine third, overcoming some small set-up issues in qualifying, which he completed in fourth grid position. Only four points are required by any CBR600RR rider at the final round in Magny Cours next weekend to win the coveted Manufacturers’ crown for Honda.

New team Italia Megabike CBR600RR Honda rider Michel Fabrizio scored seventh on his Supersport debut, the 2003 European Superstock champion and former MotoGP rider fitting in well to the crucible of Supersport racing.

Just outside the top ten Klaffi Honda rider Max Neukirchner survived a first lap scare to take 11th, and five valuable championship points. Denis Sacchetti (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) took 13th place, fighting in a group all the way.

It was an emotional day for Muggeridge, but one which was conducted in a cool and calm fashion on the track, despite the high pace and what was at stake. When he heard that his only championship rival Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) had crashed out, Muggeridge’s reply was unequivocal, “I opened the gas some more,” he stated. “Broc kept the pressure on the whole time and I needed to stay on my game. I was a little bit concerned about the tyre durability at the pace we were going but in the end the tyre was sliding anyway, but got us home to finish it. My family came over here for this race so it was great that I could win it a weekend early. I’ve wanted to be world champion for a long time and today we achieved that.”

Parkes was under no team orders in the race, but got a signal to not take too many risks after some close overtaking attempts on Muggeridge. Parkes could not quite win the race, despite some attempted passes on Muggeridge. “Today was good, Karl was stronger than me at the end of the race even though felt good at the start. I felt I could win the race today, but it didn’t stick and Karl realised I was so close and kept the pressure up. I couldn’t stay with him. Sometimes when I started to put the pressure on Karl I saw my team manager Ronald leaning about four meters over the pit wall pointing at his head, telling me to stay calm, but it was always OK!”

Charpentier was on strong form one more, pushing as hard as he could but ultimately ten seconds down Muggeridge. “The race was OK for me because it was very difficult for me in practice. I could into get a good set-up this weekend but we did not have the best solution. Many Cours will be much better for me. I will try very hard to win the race in a sporting fashion.”

New boy Fabrizio relished his latest challenge, and took it home after a few late concerns, “Before I got to the race my target was to finish in the top ten, I finished seventh so I’m satisfied, especially as it was my first time here in Supersport. The bike feels good. During the first six laps I was up with the leaders but after we had a problem with the rear suspension, I preferred to take it home in seventh rather than take too much of a risk.”

Neukirchner was fortunate to escape a first corner incident with one of the top riders, “It was a very difficult race after what was a good start off the line. I bumped with Katsuaki Fujiwara in the first couple of corners and that lost me a lot of time. It lost my contact with the leading groups, and that determined where I would finish. I had a good fight with Fujiwara and passed him on the last couple of laps. I was pleased with that, happy to get some points, but not really happy to finish in 11th place.”

Local boy Sacchetti was happy with his show on home tarmac, “I fought hard for the whole race in with a group of strong riders. I’m happy because now I know I can battle with them. I took three points for the championship and for this result I have to thank the team for their hard work.”

World Superbike Championship – Round 10
The first race at Assen proved to be a five-way battle in the early stages, a battle Regis Laconi (Ducati) was to win after a virtual race long display of front running from Chris Vermeulen, on a ten Kate Honda Fireblade. James Toseland (Ducati) headed off Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) for third, with Garry McCoy (Ducati) an eventually lonely fifth.

In the second race Vermeulen fell on the final warm-up lap, was given a lift back to the pits by Giovanni Bussei (Ducati) and started on his spare bike, last by some ten seconds. He hauled himself up the positions, finishing sixth. The race itself was won by Laconi, from Toseland and Ducati Privateer Steve Martin. The championship battle enters the final round with Laconi on 295, Toseland on 291 and Vermeulen on 282. Haga crashed and is fourth overall on 254.

The Superbike and Supersport series move the finale at Magny Cours on October 3.

Results
SUPERSPORT:
RACE : (Laps 21 = 103,593 Km)
Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team / Time /Gap

1 / K. MUGGERIDGE / AUS / Ten Kate Honda / 39’56.749 /

2 / B. PARKES / AUS / Ten Kate Honda / 39’58.000 / 1.251

3 / S. CHARPENTIER / FRA / Klaffi Honda / 40’06.963 / 10.214

4 / L. LANZI / ITA / Ducati Breil / 40’07.696 / 10.947

5 / F. FORET / FRA / Yamaha Italia / 40’08.331 / 11.582

6 / A. PITT / AUS / Yamaha Italia / 40’08.495 / 11.746

7 / M.FABRIZIO / ITA / Italia Megabike / 40’21.836 / 25.087

8 / S. CHAMBON / FRA / Suzuki Alstare Corona Extra / 40’26.281 / 29.532

9 / M.BAIOCCO / ITA / Lorenzini by Leoni / 40’28.338 / 31.589

10 / A. ANTONELLO / ITA / Kawasaki Bertocchi / 40’34.246 / 37.497

11 / M.NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Klaffi Honda / 40’45.416 / 48.667

12 / C. COXHELL / AUS / Yamaha Motor Deutschland / 40’50.710 / 53.961

13 / D. SACCHETTI / ITA / Italia Megabike / 40’51.210 / 54.461

14 / K. FUJIWARA / JPN / Suzuki Alstare Corona Extra / 40’53.550 / 56.801

15 / C. KELLNER / GER / Yamaha Motor Deutschland / 40’54.368 / 57.619

Fastest Lap 4° Karl Muggeridge 1’53.160 156,935 Km/h

Riders Championship Standings:
1 MUGGERIDGE 182, 2 VD GOORBERGH 119, 3 PARKES 115, 4 CHARPENTIER 104, 5 CURTAIN 69, 6 LANZI 69, 7 FORET 66, 8 CHAMBON 64, 9 FUJIWARA 55, 10 NEUKIRCHNER 55, 11 CORRADI 44, 12 KELLNER 27, 13 PITT 26, 14 BROOKES 25, 15 IANNUZZO 20.

Manufacturers Standings:
1 HONDA 187, 2 YAMAHA 165, 3 SUZUKI 96, 4 DUCATI 82, 5 KAWASAKI 40.


SUPERBIKE
Race 1: (Laps 21 = 103,593 Km)
Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team /Time /Gap

1 / R. LACONI / FRA / Ducati Fila / 38’58.507 /

2 / C. VERMEULEN / AUS / Ten Kate Honda / 38’59.629 / 1.122

3 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Ducati Fila / 39’04.145 / 5.638

4 / N.HAGA / JPN / Renegade Ducati Koji / 39’05.117 / 6.610

5 / G.MCCOY / AUS / XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net. / 39’10.481 / 11.974

6 / S. MARTIN / AUS / D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda / 39’18.505 / 19.998

7 / P. CHILI / ITA / PSG – 1 Corse / 39’28.246 / 29.739

8 / M.BORCIANI / ITA / D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda / 39’28.987 / 30.480

9 / G.NANNELLI / ITA / XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net. / 39’39.718 / 41.211

10 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Renegade Ducati Koji / 39’46.479 / 47.972

11 / I. CLEMENTI / ITA / Kawasaki Bertocchi / 39’48.853 / 50.346

12 / T. CORSER / AUS / Foggy PETRONAS Racing / 39’52.185 / 53.678

13 / P. BONTEMPI / ITA / Zongshen / 40’12.864 / 1’14.357

14 / L. PINI / ITA / Boselli Racing / 40’14.214 / 1’15.707

15 / D. ROMBONI / ITA / Giesse Racing Team / 40’21.500 / 1’22.993

Fastest Lap 4° Régis Laconi 1’50.708 160,411 Km/h

Race 2 : (Laps 16 = 96,432 Km)
Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team /Time /Gap

1 / R. LACONI / FRA / Ducati Fila / 39’04.926 /

2 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Ducati Fila / 39’04.967 / 0.041

3 / S. MARTIN / AUS / D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda / 39’17.278 / 12.352

4 / G.NANNELLI / ITA / XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net. / 39’28.091 / 23.165

5 / G.MCCOY / AUS / XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net. / 39’33.563 / 28.637

6 / C. VERMEULEN / AUS / Ten Kate Honda / 39’36.644 / 31.718

7 / L. PEDERCINI / ITA / Pedercini / 39’39.968 / 35.042

8 / M.BORCIANI / ITA / D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda / 39’44.003 / 39.077

9 / I. CLEMENTI / ITA / Kawasaki Bertocchi / 39’44.266 / 39.340

10 / T. CORSER / AUS / Foggy PETRONAS Racing / 39’44.579 / 39.653

11 / G.BUSSEI / ITA / DeCecco Racing / 39’48.860 / 43.934

12 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Renegade Ducati Koji / 39’59.276 / 54.350

13 / L. PINI / ITA / Boselli Racing / 40’08.070 / 1’03.144

14 / D. ROMBONI / ITA / Giesse Racing Team / 40’12.435 / 1’07.509

15 / A. VELINI / ITA / Pedercini / 40’12.928 / 1’08.002

Fastest Lap 5° Noriyuki Haga 2’04.831 173,813 Km/h

Riders Championship Standings:
1 LACONI 295, 2 TOSELAND 291, 3 VERMEULEN 282, 4 HAGA 254, 5 CHILI 222, 6 MCCOY 185, 7 MARTIN 170, 8 HASLAM 150, 9 CORSER 137, 10 BORCIANI 130, 11 WALKER 112, 12 CLEMENTI 85, 13 SANCHINI 79, 14 NANNELLI 72, 15 BONTEMPI 63.


Manufacturers Standings:
1 DUCATI 480, 2 HONDA 289, 3 PETRONAS 183, 4 KAWASAKI 118, 5 SUZUKI 90.




More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Italia:

Date: Sunday, 26th September 2004
Circuit: Imola, m. 4.933
Race Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy Temperature: air 23° C track 35° C
Crowd: 72.000 (3-days)

JURGEN’S SLIM HOPES VANISH.
Jurgen’s slim hopes of taking the title fight to the last round disappeared in the gravel trap in Imola today when he made a mistake and crashed out of the 21-lapper. The DNF handed the crown to Aussie Karl Muggeridge (Honda) who then went on to take his sixth victory of the season, ahead of team mate Broc Parkes, with Sebastien Charpentier (also Honda-mounted) third. Fabien Foret defied the pain barrier to finish a superb fifth, with Andrew Pitt just behind in sixth.

FABIEN FORET – 5th
It has been a very difficult weekend, possibly made harder by not finding a good set-up for bike. Also, I had a lot of pain in my injured ankle and, because I have not been able to train for two months, my physical condition was not so good. That made it very hard for me, because this is a very physical track and also very bumpy. I hope to be in a bit better shape for Magny-Cours next weekend.

ANDREW PITT – 6th
I chose a front tyre that was too soft and, although I started very well, after about half race distance I began to have a lot of problems with it, I just kept going as best I could to take as many points as I could. I’m looking forward to Magny-Cours and my third race with the team.

JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – DNF
That was a race to forget! I made a mistake and lost the front end and crashed and that was that. It was a great pity because, although my chances of taking the title were more then slim, I had hoped to make Karl wait until the final round next week.

Results
1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 2 Parkes (Aus-Honda), 3 Charpentier (F-Honda), 4 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 5 FORET (F-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA), 6 PITT (AUS-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA), 7 Fabrizio (I-Honda), 8 Chambon (F-Suzuki), 9 Baiocco (I-Yamaha), 10 Antonello (i-Kawasaki), VD GOORBERGH (NL-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) DNF

Points
1 Muggeridge 182, 2 VD GOORBERGH (NL-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 119, 3 Parkes 115, 4 Charpentier 104, 5 Curtain 69, 6 Lanzi 69, 7 FORET (F-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 66, 8 Chambon 64, 9 Fujiwara 55, 10 Neukirchner 55, 13 PITT (AUS-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 26



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

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 10, Imola (Italy) , Sunday 26th September 2004
Circuit: 4.933, Weather: dry, sunny 23° C.
Crowd: 76.000 (3-days figure)

NO JOY FOR TROY.
The weekend that started badly did not improve as much as Troy would have liked and, in the end, Troy left Imola with more then a trace of disappointment. Tyre problems in race one relegated Troy to 12th place and although he had less rubber problems in race two, he could only improve his finishing position by just two places.

Factory Ducati rider Regis Laconi won both today’s 21-lappers, but had to work hard in the two races. In race one, he had to fight off Chris Vermeulen (Honda) and team mate James Toseland. In the second, he beat his team mate by just four hundredths of a second, with Steve Martin (Ducati) a lonely third.

TROY Race 1: 12th, Race 2: 10th
Well I guess that was probably not one of our best weekends. We had some problems at the start of the weekend, but I felt much more optimistic after yesterday’s progress. In the first race, my rear tyre was OK for the first three laps, but then it started spinning up and the bike began backing into turns. Initially I thought something was coming out of the bike, because it happened so suddenly. I carried on as best I could and I was having to brake where I don’t normally brake but, because I had no rear end grip, I kept missing all the apexes.

The second race was a bit better. The rear tyre was not great, but it was more consistent and the slides were more progressive. The bike also felt more stable. I could get away with the leaders at the start in both races but, as soon as riders behind came past, there was nothing I could do about it. I hope Magny-Cours will be a lot better.



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI TAKES DOUBLE WIN FOR DUCATI FILA IN DRAMATIC DAY OF RACING AT IMOLA – TWO PODIUMS FOR TOSELAND

Imola (Italy), 26 September 2004: Regis Laconi claimed his second double win of the year in dramatic circumstances at Imola to move back into the lead of the World Superbike championship with one round remaining. In front of a 72,000 strong crowd, the Frenchman first saw off the challenge of Chris Vermeulen (Honda) in race 1 and then powered past his team-mate James Toseland at the Rivazza to take his second win of the day in the second encounter. That race, which had started off with Vermeulen spectacularly crashing on the warm-up lap, ended with Laconi and Toseland making contact on the finish line on the last lap, the two Ducati Fila riders separated by just four-hundredths of a second.

“I made a few small mistakes at the beginning and the bike didn’t feel so good with the full tank so I didn’t try to push so much” declared Regis. “Haga passed me and James too so I decided just to follow them. Haga crashed in front of us which was quite difficult then I just had to pass James for the win. The only way I found to do that was on the very fast left in fifth gear. It was hard for sure but I had to go for it. The last chicane was very difficult, I braked late but I knew it was close to the finish so I just tried to be fast all the way through. It was really great to win at Imola today because Imola is a Ducati track”.

Previous points leader Toseland saw off the challenge of Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati) in the first race to take the final podium slot, while Haga saw his title hopes disappear when he crashed out in front of Toseland and Laconi on lap 10 of the second race.

“Regis was obviously protecting his line going into the last chicane” declared James about the photo-finish. “Unfortunately that finish-line is so close to the chicane but I had to try and win! It was a fantastic race, that pass he made was a tough one. I didn’t want to finish second but we’re still in the hunt for the title with one round to go, which is the main thing. It couldn’t have worked out any better for the championship. Regis and I are team-mates so there’s going to be no love lost at Magny-Cours and it’s going to be close right down to the very end”.

Anglo-French rivalry will reach a climax next Sunday in France in the final round of the championship, with Laconi four points ahead of Toseland and Vermeulen a further nine points behind.

RACE 1: 1. Laconi (Ducati Fila); 2. Vermeulen (Honda); 3. Toseland (Ducati Fila); 4. Haga (Renegade Ducati); 5. McCoy (Xerox Ducati); 6. Martin (DFX Ducati); etc. RACE 2: 1. Laconi; 2. Toseland; 3. Martin; 4. Nannelli (Xerox Ducati); 5. McCoy ; 6. Vermeulen ; etc.

POINTS (after 10 of 11 rounds) :
(Riders) 1. Laconi 295; 2. Toseland 291; 3. Vermeulen 282; 4. Haga 254; 5. Chili 222; 6. McCoy 185; etc.
(Manufacturers) 1. Ducati 480; 2. Honda 289; 3. Petronas 183; 4. Kawasaki 118; 5. Suzuki 90; 6. Yamaha 63.

DETERMINED RIDE AT IMOLA NETS FOURTH PLACE FOR LANZI (DUCATI BREIL)

Imola (Italy), 26 September 2004: Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Breil) netted his third fourth place of the season with another determined ride at Imola in a race that saw Australian Karl Muggeridge (Honda) claim the 2004 World Supersport title.

Starting eighth on the grid, the 22-year-old Italian was fourth into the first corner, a position he held to the chequered flag despite being passed by Charpentier (Honda) and coming under intense pressure from Foret and Pitt (Yamaha) in the final stages.

“I am really pleased with the result” declared Lanzi. “We knew we could do a great race but once again I finished just over half-a-second away from the podium. That was a real pity because we worked well all weekend and if it hadn’t rained on Friday morning I am sure we might have been able to try and find some other solutions.

“In any case the result is a good one, a big thanks to the team who did a great job and also to the tyres, which gave me a hand in getting fourth place.

“Three Hondas ahead of me but all the others behind, for us that is a great achievement. I wanted to get the podium to dedicate it to the team and to Ducati because they deserve it, but here’s to Magny-Cours where I finally hope to get one!

RACE: 1: Muggeridge (Honda); 2. Parkes (Honda); 3. Charpentier (Honda); 4. Lanzi (Ducati Breil); 5. Foret (Yamaha); 6. Pitt (Yamaha); 7. Fabrizio (Honda); 8. Chambon (Suzuki); etc.

POINTS (after 9 of 10 rounds):
(Riders) 1. Muggeridge 182 (2004 WSS champion); 2. VD Goorbergh (Yamaha) 119; 3. Parkes 115; 4. Charpentier 104; 5. Curtain (Yamaha) & Lanzi 69; etc.
(Manufacturers) 1. Honda 187 ; 2. Yamaha 165 ; 3. Suzuki 96; 4. Ducati 82; 5. Kawasaki 40; 6. Triumph 4.

From a press release issued by series organizers FGSport:

2004 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

10th round Imola, 23-26 September 2004

LACONI SCORES A HANDFUL OF SUPERPOLE WINS

This year’s King of Superpole was ordained once more at Imola, as Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999F04) took his fifth such success of the 2004 season. Starting last away after finishing the regulation qualifying sessions fastest of all, Laconi swept around one of his favourite tracks to record a time of 1:49.818. Laconi is one of four riders going for a realistic shot at their first World Superbike Championship title, and the two 21-lap races on Sunday are sure to be hotly contested, with the top five Superpole qualifying places containing all four would-be champions.

HONDA HEADS UP: Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR rider Chris Vermeulen felt that he was about to take his first ever Superpole win of his short ten round Superbike career, but Laconi’s late challenge deposed him from his position of pre-eminence. The 22-year-old Australian was the only rider to join Laconi inside the 1:49 second mark, finding his four-cylinder Honda a willing partner in his attacks on the sweeps and hills of Imola.

MCCOY COMEBACK: Having struggled in some of the more recent SBK events, the most experienced rookie in World Superbike found his feet in superb style at Imola, as Garry McCoy (Scuderia Caracchi Xerox Ducati 999RS) spun and hustled his big vee-twin to a fine third place. A winner at Phillip Island this season already, McCoy professes not to be a fan of the Imola track, but his uniquely dramatic riding style appears to suit the 4.933km circuit down to the ground.

HAGA HANGS IT OUT: The aggression and control shown by Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati 999RS) was enough to put him fourth in Superpole, after finishing second quickest in regular qualifying. The Japanese rider is one of the famous four championship challengers, and one of the most experienced Superbike riders on the grid. Haga’s team-mate Leon Haslam experienced several technical problems in regulation qualifying, which conspired to make him miss Superpole, finishing 19th fastest for a fifth row start.

JAMES THE FIFTH: Working his factory Ducati Fila 999F04 hard around the undulations and bumps of Imola, James Toseland, the current championship leader, missed out on the front row, but only by one place as he went fifth in Superpole, a two place improvement on his regulation qualifying best.

THE BUSSEI THUNDERBOLT: Giovanni Bussei (De Cecco Ducati 998RS) set the Superpole competition alight with a blistering lap of 1:50.895, by far his personal best of the weekend. Until James Toseland took his place at the head of the table, albeit temporarily, Bussei was the leading rider, finishing his Superpole session in an impressive sixth place. He was the best 998 Ducati rider on show, finishing his Superpole competition just in front of Lucio Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati 998RS). Having left the Pedercini team to join the Scuderia Caracchi Xerox Ducati squad shortly before Imola, Gianluca Nannelli took his 999RS machine to eighth place, ousting regular DFX Extreme Sterilgarda 999RS Ducati rider Steve Martin in the process.

CORSER TOP TEN: Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas FP-1) took his somewhat outgunned three cylinder, 900cc triple to a top ten finish, an impressive result on such a power-sapping track. His team-mate Chris Walker took 18th fastest time, putting him on an unhappy fifth row starting position. Best of the local riders making a wildcard appearance was former GP and Superbike star Doriano Romboni, taking 12th place in Superpole, one behind regular rider Marco Borciani (DFX Ducati Extreme Sterilgarda 999RS).

UNLUCKY 7: Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998) experienced two separate major technical problems in the final untimed qualifying session at Imola, missing out on Superpole and starting 16th on the grid. Having qualified eighth in regulation, he was expecting a far different end to his Saturday of toil on home ground.

WORLD SUPERSPORT: Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) once more brought all the pre-race elements together under his command to secure his eighth pole position of the 2004 season, a remarkable achievement with no peer in WSS history. Heading up an all Australian front row, Muggeridge’s best was a 1:52.131, a mark he could have improved on still further had the track been entirely dry after Friday evening’s monsoon rainfalls. Broc Parkes, Muggeridge’s team-mate, starts the 21-lap race on Sunday from the front row, qualifying second fastest, some 0.722 seconds from Muggeridge. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Italia) secured third place, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) starting fourth, the last rider on row one. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Italia) was fifth fastest rider, ahead of Klaffi Honda pilot Sebastien Charpentier. Lone Briton Iain MacPherson, secured 17th starting spot on his SL Ducati 749R.

EUROPEAN SUPERSTOCK: Lorenzo Alfonsi (Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha R1) had to give best in qualifying to the charging Alstare Suzuki rider Riccardo Chiarello, and Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kenan Sofuoglu, but his championship challenge remains firmly on track after a strong showing in the only dry Superstock session. Third fastest, Alfonsi is now the only rider who can overhaul injured championship leader Gianluca Vizziello, who will miss the Imola races, and the subsequent season finale at Magny Cours next week.



Superpole
Imola, Italy
1. Régis Laconi, France, Ducati 999F04, 1:49.818
2. Chris Vermeulen, Holland, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:49.930
3. Garry McCoy, Australia, Ducati 999RS, 1:50.187
4. Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Ducati 999RS, 1:50.452
5. James Toseland, UK, Ducati 999F04, 1:50.691
6. Giovanni Bussei, Italy, Ducati 998RS, 1:50.895
7. Lucio Pedercini, Italy, Ducati 998RS, 1:51.063
8. Gianluca Nannelli, Italy, Ducati 999RS, 1:51.063
9. Steve Martin, Australia, Ducati 999RS, 1:51.476
10. Troy Corser, Australia, Petronas FP1, 1:51.685
11. Marco Borciano, Italy, Ducati 999 RS, 1:52.129
12. Doriano Romboni, Italy, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:52.192
13. Luca Pini, Italy, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:52.721
14. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Italy, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:53.092
15. Sergio Fuertes, Spain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:53.547
16. Pierfrancesco Chili, Italy, Ducati 998 RS, no time



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI HITS TOP FORM AT IMOLA, TAKES QUALIFYING AND SUPERPOLE – TOSELAND FIFTH, LINES UP ON ROW 2

Imola (Italy), 25 September 2004: Regis Laconi clinched his fifth Superpole of the year for Ducati Fila at Imola with a blistering pole time of 1’49.818, edging out Chris Vermeulen by one-tenth of a second. The 29-year-old Frenchman, who had also grabbed quickest time in the dying seconds of the morning qualifying session, and his Australian rival, were the only two riders to dip into the 1’49s and will line up on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s penultimate round of the World Superbike championship together with Garry McCoy (Xerox Ducati) and Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati). Championship leader James Toseland could only manage fifth quickest time and lines up on the second row.

“It was not exactly a perfect Superpole lap, because before the finish I slid a little” explained Laconi. “I had to push harder on that lap because Chris’s time was a really tough one to beat. We have done a very good job all weekend and I am very happy with my race tyre.

“For me it’s very important to be on pole position because I am half-Italian and Ducati is very close to here so I’m sure there will be a lot of fans trying to help me win the race tomorrow. I like this Imola track for sure, there are a lot of corners like the Acque Minerali where you can make a big difference. It seems a very good track for me and the Ducati is working very well also” he concluded.

Toseland was not so happy with his Superpole lap but is confident he will be able to produce a good showing in tomorrow’s two races.

“That was a pretty average Superpole lap” commented Toseland, “I just wasn’t able to get round Imola the way I would have liked. We seem to have got a few niggling problems that need to be sorted out, it’s nothing major but if we sort them out the lap times would come easily, because I’m struggling in places where it shouldn’t be a problem.

“The technical things aren’t so much of a problem, I should just be able to find it easier around the track that’s all. I’ll probably change the gearing tomorrow morning which should help but I’m pretty sure that things will be OK for the race”.

TIMES: 1. Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1’49.818; 2. Vermeulen (Honda) 1’49.930 ; 3. McCoy (Xerox Ducati) 1’50.187 ; 4. Haga (Renegade Ducati) 1’50.452; 5. Toseland (Ducati Fila) 1’50.691; 6. Bussei (Ducati) 1’50.895; 7. Pedercini (Ducati) 1’51.063; 8. Nannelli (Xerox Ducati) 1’51.470; 9. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1’51.476; 10. Corser (Petronas) 1’51.685; etc.

SECOND ROW START FOR LANZI (DUCATI BREIL) AT HOME CIRCUIT OF IMOLA

Imola (Italy), 25 September 2004: Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Breil) will start tomorrow’s penultimate round of the World Supersport championship from the second row of the grid after a tense final few minutes.

The 22 year-old from Cesena, seventh after yesterday’s first qualifying session, improved his time by almost one second and despite a technical problem forcing him to switch to the other 749R at his disposal, Lorenzo managed to hold on to the eighth quickest time.

“I would say it went pretty well” declared Lanzi “even though I had a problem with my 749R in the last few minutes. We quickly changed the bike, which was the same but it was not the bike I prefer to use and I didn’t have a good feeling with it.

“It wasn’t a bad performance today because as always there are just the usual top riders ahead of me. We had to do a bit of improvisation in the last few minutes, but ours is a great team and we didn’t have any problems. I held on to my second row grid position and I can only be pleased with that performance because we lapped two seconds quicker than when I was here for the Italian championship race.

“Without that small problem I am sure I could have been further up the grid. This gives me a lot of encouragement for tomorrow, I’ll try and get off to a good start and then give 100% as always” concluded Lanzi.

STARTING-GRID: 1. Muggeridge (Honda) 1’52.131; 2. Parkes (Honda) 1′ 52.853; 3. Curtain (Yamaha) 1’53.064; 4. Pitt (Yamaha) 1’53.091 ; 5. VD Goorbergh (Yamaha) 1’53.205; 6. Charpentier (Honda) 1’53.288; 7. Foret (Yamaha) 1’53.544 ; 8. Lanzi (Ducati Breil) 1’53.583; etc.



More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Muggeridge Pole Once More, Parkes Right Behind

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) once more flirted with perfection to record his eighth pole position in nine attempts, an outstanding performance from the clear World Championship leader. Underlining the prowess of the entire Ten Kate thrust his team mate Broc Parkes ripped up the tarmac to finish second fastest, starting alongside Muggeridge once more. Muggeridge set a best time of 1:52.131 with Parkes just behind with a 1:52.853.

The front row for Sunday’s race was completed by two Yamaha riders, Kevin Curtain and Andrew Pitt, making the front row an all-Australian affair. Muggeridge’s only championship challenger, Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) was fifth fastest. v Muggeridge’s eighth pole of the 2004 Supersport season ripped the record books apart once more, and more importantly for Muggeridge, puts him in the perfect spot to tackle the 21-lap race on Sunday. “Eight out of nine poles this year is pretty good,” said Muggeridge. “I don’t really know why we’ve been so good in qualifying. All I can say is that I enjoy it; it’s a chance to put all your work over two days of qualifying into practice on the track. You put the softest tyre in, and then you can be more aggressive on the throttle and push a little bit harder. I just enjoy going fast, want to go faster than everyone else. Pole position is to the left at this track and that’s where you want to be for the entry to the first corner. The track is in good condition, but it was still not quite dry out there. I want to be on the podium tomorrow, I’ll treat it like every other race and try to finish on the top step.”

Parkes, beaming at his improvement in lap time and solid practice performance, stated, “It was pretty good but Muggas was still quicker than everyone. I improved and got up to second place so that’s satisfying for us. I made a change in gearing to get more feedback and feeling in different places. It didn’t make the bike go much faster but it made it all feel much smoother. The track is a bit better than yesterday, even though there were a couple of wet patches. We could have gone faster if it weren’t for those. I have a good race set-up and chosen the race tyre already, so we’re ready to go.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate stated, “I can’t wish for anything more. Always the riders and team find a way to impress me. Although we have worked together for a long time now and it is almost the end of the year they have impressed me again. Karl was particularly good, being so fast around the whole track. We can hear the fat lady singing in the distance but she needs to come closer to us before we can take anything for granted.”

World Supersport Championship
Round 9 Imola, Italy / 24 – 26 September 2004
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’52.131
2. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’52.853
3. K. Curtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53.064
4. A. Pitt, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53. 091
5. J. vd. Goorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53.205
6. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’53. 288
7. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53.544
8. L. Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 1’53.583
9. M. Baiocco, ITA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53.819
10. M. Fabrizio, ITA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’54.152


Vermeulen Second Quickest in Imola Superpole

Another close flirtation with pole for Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) saw him finish second overall in the specialised single lap contest, which determines the final grid positions for the top 16 qualifiers. Fourth fastest in regulation, Vermeulen was the only rider other than pole winner Regis Laconi (Ducati) to go inside the 1:49, second mark this weekend. His lap of 1:49.930 was marginally improved on by Laconi, who set a 1:49.818 with the last Superpole lap of the session.

The post Superpole front row features three of the top contenders for the championship itself, with Laconi and Vermeulen in the vanguard, chased home today by the resurgent Garry McCoy (Ducati) and overall fourth place man in the series Noriyuki Haga (Ducati), who was fourth quickest in Superpole. The championship excitement is sure to continue into raceday, as series leader James Toseland was fifth fastest.

Vermeulen was disappointed to miss out on Superpole, but knows that the real work will be done on raceday. “I really thought I had that but then Regis just came along and beat me. I haven’t had a pole yet so I want to win one before the season is out. I’m happy because the bike is working well and we’ve made some changes since the first day, which have taken us even closer to a perfect race set-up. Sometimes we can go to tracks and it works well from the start and at others, probably because I haven’t ridden a big bike there before, it has been more difficult. But it’s been good so far here.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate was satisfied with the pre-race preparations, and recognised the importance of finishing on the leading grid line. “That was a pretty good lap Chris put in during Superpole – the most important thing to do was to get on the front row. Pole position would have been a very nice bonus for us. Unfortunately we didn’t quite get it, but we have got a good setup for the races. Chris has been quite consistent and fast on the race tyres so we are in for some good contests here tomorrow. From Friday when we started the bike has been pretty good. On a lot of weekends we have had to start from a little behind, but now we have been able to stay in the top group throughout.”

World Superbike Championship
Round 10 Imola – Italy
24 -26 September 2004
1. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 1’49.818
2. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, 1’49.930
3. G. McCoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’50.187
4. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 1’50.452
5. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04, 1’50.691
6. G. Bussei, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’50.895
7. L. Pedercini, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’51.063
8. G. Nannelli, ITA, Ducati 999 RS, 1’51.470
9. S. Martin, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’51.476
10. T. Corser, AUS, Petronas FP1, 1’51.685



More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Italia Racing:

Date: Saturday, 25th September 2004
Circuit: Imola, m. 4.933
Final Qualifying
Weather: dry/sunny-cloudy Temperature: air 21° C
Crowd: 10.000

TRIO WELL PLACED AND LOOKING FOR PODIUMS.

Yamaha Racing Italia’s trio of riders had a successful final qualifying at Imola today with Andrew Pitt finishing the best of the three with the fourth fastest time of the day. He will line up on the front row of the grid, with Jurgen van den Goorbergh and Fabien Foret just behind on row two.

Series leader Karl Muggeridge (Honda) took his eighth pole of the year, with team mate Broc Parkes second and Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) third. Former European champion Matteo Baiocco put his Lorenzini by Leoni R6 in ninth place in final qualifying.

ANDREW PITT – 4th, 1’53.091
I set my fastest lap on a tyre which had already done six laps, so I am happy to get on the front row of the grid. This is only my second race with Yamaha and today I was happy because I kept improving lap by lap – and that’s a good sign for the race. Getting on the front row is very good indeed and I am looking forward to making a good start, staying with the front runners and hopefully taking my second podium in a row.

JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – 5th, 1’53.205
I can tell you how happy I am. On Thursday I was in hospital, today I set the fifth quickest lap and tomorrow I will start on the second row of the grid. I lost a couple of tenths when I was going for it today and that cost me a front row place. But it is not a problem because I like this track and my bike is so fast. Winning here will be very difficult, but I am going to try my hardest for sure. After the problems I have had this week, winning would be a dream.

FABIEN FORET – 7th, 1’53.544
I am not so happy because I made a mistake (with my gearshift) on my fast lap in the fastest part of the track and I lost a lot of time. If that had not happened, then I think I would have been on the front row.



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

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 10, Imola (Italy) , Saturday 25th September, Final Qualifying
Circuit: 4.933kms, Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy 21°C

TROY’S PROGRESS
After yesterday, it was a great relief for Troy to be able to push hard again and go for a higher grid place. A problem with his number one bike before Superpole meant that Troy had to use his number two bike, but he still managed to get into the top ten and so will start tomorrow’s races from the third row of the grid.

Regis Laconi (Ducati) took pole, with a time of 1:49.818, knocking Chris Vermeulen (Honda) off the top spot right at the end of the 16-rider shoot-out. Completing the front row of the grid is Garry McCoy (Ducati), with Noriyuki Haga (also Ducati-mounted) alongside.

TROY -10th, 1:51.685
I thought about the bike’s set-up a lot last night, as it was hard to think yesterday and ride the bike the way it was. I did a lot of laps in my head and went through the changes that we made. Those changes were at the rear end and did not seem to have any effect, so this morning we went back to our normal settings and also made a few changes to the front forks. Now the bike goes over the bumps and stops, whereas yesterday it was like a roller-coaster ride after hitting the bumps. Yesterday I was fighting the bike and did not want to do another lap.

Today I am a lot happier and the bike is doing almost what I want it to do. It was a shame that I had a problem with my number one bike before Superpole, but as the number two bike had a similar set up, it was OK.

From a press release issued by series organizers, FGSport:

2004 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

10th round Imola, 23-26 September 2004

HAGA STRIKES EARLY BLOW IN IMOLA QUALIFYING BATTLE

RISING SUN: Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati 999RS), one of four riders going for championship glory at Imola and the subsequent Magny Cours race, got his eye in early by setting the fastest time on the opening day of qualifying. The 29-year-old Japanese rider’s lap time of 1:50.969 was the only one inside the 1:51 barrier and, like all his peers, he was fortunate to set a quick lap before the rains fell with a vengeance at the very end of the first timed hour.

MARTIN MOVES ON UP: After a rollercoaster season so far, with soaring podium finishes counter pointed by some dreadful luck, Steve Martin (DFX Ducati 999RS) aims to finish on a high. Sitting second fastest after day one, Martin proved he still has speed in his armoury with his 1:51.118 lap time. The 35-year-old Italian based Australian is just one of many riders equipped with strong private Ducati 999s, while a generous smattering of four-cylinder machines are used by a diverse group of privateers and wildcards alike.

HONDA DREAM: Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR), his Ten Kate Team and the CBR1000RR Honda are all Superbike class rookies in 2004, but the 22-year-old rider has shown no fear of his current rivals. Once more he beat most of them to take a top three finish, only 0.171 seconds from Haga’s time.

MCCOY RESURGENT: One of six riders with an SBK race victory to his name in this most competitive of seasons, Garry McCoy (Ducati Scuderia Caracchi 999RS) has suffered a drought in results for some time. His knowledge of the Imola circuit helped him on day one, as he secured the fourth place starting spot. Fast tracks suit McCoy’s dramatic riding style and Imola is one of the quicker ones on the SBK calendar.

HOME TOWN HERO: Marco Borciani (DFX Ducati 999RS) secured fifth place, making it a happy homecoming for the DFX Ducati squad. The 28-year-old rider is clearly enjoying his latest visit to Emilia Romagna, and will be looking for his first SBK podium on Sunday.

FACTORY PAIRING: James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999F04) found Imola a tough nut to crack after a single day, but at least had the consolation of outpacing one of his main championship rivals, his own team-mate Regis Laconi. The Englishman and Frenchman have to contend with Haga and Vermeulen in the championship fight, but for the time being at least, each has to concentrate on his own performance, to find a competitive race set-up.

SEVEN TO EIGHT: Pierfrancesco Chili, famous wearer of the number seven, went eighth fastest at Imola, despite a morning crash on his 998RS, fitted with a 999 style engine. Fifth overall in the championship, Chili is desperate to get on the podium at least in front of his local crowd. Another local rider, Lucio Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati 999RS) went ninth fastest in the official afternoon session, having set the fastest time of the early session.

RAMBO ON THE RAMPAGE: Former GP and Superbike star, and current Italian Championship entry, Doriano Romboni (Giesse Racing Team Yamaha R1) was a welcome returnee to SBK for the weekend, and fitted in neatly to the last spot on offer in the top ten. He was thus the best wild card rider on show.

TRIPLE TREATS: The flat out sections on the dramatic Imola course were always likely to scupper any pole position ambitions of the Foggy Petronas duo, Chris Walker (Foggy Petronas FP-1) Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas FP-1). The 900cc triple gives away 100cc to its rivals, and it was a factor in Walker finishing his day 19th fastest, with Corser just behind. Walker survived a big morning highside crash, with nothing more than a severe bruising.

SUPERSPORT: Championship favourite Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) put in another slick first day performance to take provisional pole position, running 0.408 seconds clear of second fastest man Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany R6). Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) had an excellent opening day to go third, while the provisional front row was completed by Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR). Muggeridge’s only championship challenger Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Italia R6) rallied from what was originally diagnosed as acute appendicitis on the night before qualifying, making it to the grid on time after his symptoms quickly receded. He qualified an impressive fifth, with the first Suzuki on the grid, that of Katsuaki Fujiwara, in sixth.

SUPERSTOCK: Gianluca Vizziello played no part in the first qualifying session at Imola, the championship leader having broken his wrist on Thursday. This leaves his closest championship challenger, Team Italia team-mate Lorenzo Alfonsi, only 14 points to make up to become champion. He started his efforts in fine style, finishing second fastest in a drenched Superstock session, behind Alessandro Polita (Rox Ducati).


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Muggeridge and Parkes on Provisional Front Row

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) enjoyed their first day of action at Imola, taking provisional pole and third quickest times respectively.

Muggeridge was close to breaking into the 1:52s mark, missing out by only 0.059 seconds with his last lap of the 45-minute session. Muggeridge, who could wrap up the championship at this race, was on the pace from the outset, despite the track taking some time to ‘bed-in’.

Parkes, a first time Supersport rider at Imola, more used to running a Superbike around the 4.933km circuit and had to make some adjustments to get into the Supersport frame of mind. His successful adaptation was reflected by a strong 1:53.593 lap, good enough for third fastest on the timesheets.

Said Muggeridge of his opening gambit, “We’re doing pretty good so far and everything with the bike is fine. There isn’t as much grip as there should be or the lap time would be even better. We’ve just worked hard from the start to get to the maximum as quickly as we could. It’s impossible to gear the bike for every corner here so we have to make compromises in the set up, to maintain the balance between the fast corners and the slower ones.”

Parkes rated day one at Imola as one of the best opening sessions of the year so far, “I was happy with that session, we got a lot of things worked out and to be on the provisional front row is exactly where we need to be. I’m not used to riding a Supersport bike here, I never got the chance last year, so I had to change all my usual braking markers and so on. The bike is working well and there is still more to come.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate acknowledged that it was a very positive start to the weekend. “With both riders on the front row it was a very first day for us. Karl made his usual quick lap times from the start and was on the ball right away. There is still some work to do on the bike so I hope it will be dry tomorrow. The bikes have been fitted with the latest Arrow exhaust system and that has been working very well for us.”

Supersport Race 9 Imola,
Italië/ Resultaten Eerste Kwalificatie
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’53.059
2. K. Curtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53.67
3. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’53.593
4. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’53.688
5. J. Vd. Goorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6 1’54.011
6. K. Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki GSX-R 600, 1’54.358
7. L. Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 1’54.400
8. F. Foret, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’54.542
9. M. Fabrizio, ITA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’54.822
10. M. Baiocco, ITA, Yamaha YZF R6, 154.883


Vermeulen Third Fastest On Imola Superbike Debut

Reigning World Supersport Champion Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) is no stranger to the undulations and curves of the classic Imola circuit, but in the first season of his World Superbike career, adapting his 1000c machine to suit the circuit’s contrasting nature could have proved difficult. Working hard to find a good set-up conjunction with his Ten Kate team Vermeulen found not only positive settings for race conditions, but also rode to the third fastest lap of the day with a 1:51.140.

Vermeulen affirmed that all the hard work was worth it after finishing inside the top three. “The bike felt good this morning and I was quite comfortable but the lap time was slow, just like everyone else. So we made some changes for the afternoon session but they didn’t turn out the way we wanted them too. We didn’t go backwards but we didn’t go forwards. I changed a lot in the tyre choice and suspension and we made a big step forward. I put a qualifier on and went out but the rain started, just a couple of spits, so I opted to pull in and not use it. The bike felt good on the race tyre and now with the rain we will have to see how it turns out tomorrow.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate, was justifiably satisfied with his team’s best efforts. “The team had to work really hard throughout the sessions, altering suspension settings, changing shocks and they were really flat out for and hour. Chris did really well, especially as we are always starting from a little behind. We didn’t get to use the qualifying tyre but Chris did use the new 2005 version WP rear shock for the first time. It gives more feel and feedback for the rider, plus a wider range of adjustment, and seems to be working very well.”

Final qualifying and Superpole take place on Saturday 25th September.

WK Superbike Imola,
Italie 24 – 26 September 2004, Eerste Kwalificatie
1. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 1’50.969
2. S. Martin, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’52.118
3. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, 1’51.140
4. G. Mccoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’51.147
5. M. Borciani, ITA, Ducati 999 RS, 1’51.308
6. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04, 1’51.325
7. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 1’51.393
8. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’51.549
9. L. Pedercini, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’51.718
10. D.Romboni, ITA, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’52.294



MOre, from a press release issued by Yamaha Italia:

Yamaha Racing
Yamaha Italia World Supersport Team
Date: Friday, 24 September 2004
Circuit: Imola, m. 4.933
Friday Qualifying
Weather: overcast Temperature: air 28° C track 41° C
Crowd: 5.000

JURGEN DEFIES PAIN TO TAKE FIFTH
Yamaha Racing Italia rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh defied the pain barrier to finish the first day of qualifying with the fifth quickest. The Dutchman was lucky to be riding because he spent yesterday in hospital! Originally it was thought that Jurgen was suffering from appendicitis, but it looks like the cause of the problem may be a kidney stone. This morning he had to have an intravenous drip, but still managed to put in some laps in the untimed session. This afternoon, in first timed qualifying, Jurgen just missed out on a front row grid place after encountering slower riders on his fast lap. Fabien Foret also had to fight the pain (from his recently broken right foot), but he too posted a good time – finishing with the eighth fastest lap. Once again, Aussie Andrew Pitt is riding for the team. Despite it being only his second outing on the R6 Yamaha, he managed to set the thirteenth quickest time of the day.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH 5th, 1’54.011
I feel very happy and also very lucky to just be on the bike today. Yesterday I was bicycling around the track when I suddenly began to suffer a lot of pain in my stomach. I ended up in the local hospital, where I had some tests because they thought I might have a problem with my appendix. Fortunately that was OK, but maybe it is a kidney stone problem instead. This morning, I couldn’t go on the track at the start of practice because we were still waiting for the results of the test. When they arrived and I was given the go-ahead, I went out. This afternoon I was on course for a front row grid place, but some slow riders got in my way on my fast lap and I lost three or four tenths of a second. My bike set-up was pretty good today, but we can do a bit more fine-tuning and improve it tomorrow for sure.

FABIEN FORET – 8th, 1’54.542
I can certainly feel the pain in my right foot around here because the track is so bumpy. Assen was easier, because it is a much smoother surface, but Imola really gives my broken bones a hammering and it’s difficult to ride like this. Also, we didn’t have the right gearbox for my style today, so that made my work even harder. Tomorrow we’ll change the gearbox and I hope to be able to ride quite a bit faster.

ANDREW PITT – 13th, 1’55.104
I have fond memories of Imola because it was here that I won the Supersport World title in 2001. My first race on the R6 Yamaha was at Assen and that was an a excellent result for me and one that I’d like to repeat here. It’s very important to be able to change direction quickly here (because of the chicanes), but my bike hasn’t got the right set-up yet, so I’ve struggled a little. We’ll make some changes for tomorrow and I’m sure that I will be a lot further up the grid. Former European Champion Matteo Baiocco took advantage of his home circuit knowledge and put his Lorenzini by Leoni R6 Yamaha in the top ten at the end of the first day’s qualifying at Imola. The twenty year old Italian was fast throughout the day and is looking for an even faster lap time tomorrow.



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

TOSELAND & LACONI SIXTH AND SEVENTH FOR DUCATI FILA IN TIGHT OPENING QUALIFYING SESSION AT IMOLA

Imola (Italy), 24 September 2004: Ducati Fila riders James Toseland and Regis Laconi were sixth and seventh quickest in today’s World Superbike opening qualifying session at Imola. Fellow title-chaser Noriyuki Haga set the pace for Renegade Ducati ahead of Steve Martin (Ducati DFX) and Chris Vermeulen (Honda), but both Toseland and Laconi were within four-tenths of a second of the provisional pole sitter’s time.

23-year-old Toseland was brimming with confidence after continuing with exactly the same set-up used on his 999 at Assen. “It was a good day” he declared. “I messed up on my first lap with a qualifier which put me in sixth but then I went for it on the second lap and the tyre was struggling a bit so I didn’t improve. We’re confident however, we’ve done some really good race times and the bike feels comfortable.

“We’re going to make some small changes for tomorrow but it’s just to try a few things out, because we’ve been consistently quick all day on race tyres It was the same as Assen really, a good start to Friday morning and we didn’t change the set-up one bit.”

Team-mate Laconi was also pleased with his first day performance despite complaining of traffic during his quick laps. “The problem was a lot of traffic around the track and all the session I did maybe 2 or 3 clear laps” he commented.

“When I put a qualifying tyre on, at the first chicane there was a slower rider and in the end I was faster with the race tyre than the qualifier, and that’s not normal. We worked very well with the team to find a good setting, changing the bike quite a lot but we made good improvement and now we just have to see how things go tomorrow”.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

SCHWANTZ TO DEBUT NEW SUZUKI AT RENO AMA SUPERMOTO

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 24, 2004) — Former 500cc Grand Prix World Champion road racer Kevin Schwantz will ride Suzuki’s new RM-Z450 in its American racing debut at the Reno round of the AMA Supermoto Championship on Saturday, Oct. 2. This will mark Schwantz’s first AMA Supermoto race of the season.

Suzuki is introducing its highly anticipated RM-Z450 four-stroke motocross racer for the 2005 season and Schwantz will give U.S. fans a preview of the new machine in its supermoto guise.

“It’s going to be fun to debut the new RM-Z here in America,” Schwantz said. “It should make a great supermoto bike.”

Schwantz recently made his return to road racing by competing in the prestigious Bol d’Or 24 Hour Endurance race. One of Schwantz’s teammates crashed the team’s bike in the second hour and they later retired, but not before the 40-year-old Schwantz managed to show he still has plenty of skills by riding the bike from 18th to fifth place during his stint.

“Riding the Bol d’Or was good preparation coming into the Reno Supermoto race,” explained Schwantz. “I’ve been riding my motocross bike and putting in miles on my bicycle to get ready as well.”

Schwantz said he would get his first taste of the RM-Z450 Supermoto bike next week.

“I’m going to California the last week of this month to do some testing with the bike,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll build up some major calluses on my hands before it’s all said and done.”

While Schwantz will debut the new Suzuki, he isn’t the only rider hoping to get his hands on the RM-Z450 in AMA Supermoto competition. Former AMA Motocross and X-Games champ Travis Pastrana said he’s hopeful his Cernic’s Racing Suzuki squad will have the new bike by the end of the season. Pastrana made a successful AMA Supermoto debut earlier this month in Nashville, Tenn., riding a highly-modified Suzuki DR-Z400-based machine.

Suzuki will field its new bike alongside Honda, Yamaha, KTM and Husqvarna supermoto machines presently in the series.

The race is free to the public. A $10 paddock pass can be purchased and will allow fans to meet the riders and see the trick supermoto bikes up close. The race will be taped and later nationally televised on OLN.

For additional information on the Reno event visit www.amasupermoto.com or contact (303) 377-3278.


More, from another press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA Supermoto Takes to Reno Streets

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 24, 2004) — In what may be the most unique course design yet in the emerging AMA Supermoto Championship, riders will weave their way through the downtown city streets of Reno just a short distance from the glitz and glamour of the city’s trademark casinos. The race is round four of the seven-round championship series.

Fans at the October 2nd event will witness some of the top motorcycle racers in the nation battling it out in an urban-style track that features a mixture of high-speed straights and tight, technical sections made up of both dirt and pavement.

“The Reno course is probably the best example yet of our vision for AMA Supermoto,” said AMA Pro Racing Supermoto Series Manager, Chris Bradley. “One of our original business objectives for this series was to bring the racing to downtown settings and this race, similar to those we’ve held in Columbus, Ohio and Dallas, Texas probably comes closest to that model.”

The 15-turn, .85-mile course is located just south of Harrah’s Reno, the Silver Legacy Resort and Casino, the El Dorado Hotel and Casino, and Circus Circus, four prominent Reno casinos. The course will cross over the Truckee River twice and riders will approach speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour on the course’s two long straight-aways. Additionally, the course features a dirt section where riders will tackle motocross-type jumps and obstacles as well as a flat track-inspired turn where deft throttle control will be required to keep from sliding out or losing ground to the competition.

The series’ signature metal ramps, the Parts Unlimited UrbanCross section, will also be featured and will launch riders high into the sky.

The riders in each class that can best navigate the tricky and diverse layout will be the ones who emerge as the winners. Two classes make up the championship: AMA Supermoto for motorcycles up to 450cc and AMA Supermoto Unlimited for motorcycles over 490cc.

The race is open free to the public. A $10 paddock pass can be purchased and will allow fans to meet the riders and see the trick supermoto bikes up close. The race will be taped and later nationally televised on OLN.

For additional information visit www.amasupermoto.com or call (303) 377-3278.

From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

DUCATI PARTNERS WITH LOCAL MH900EVOLUZIONE OWNERS CLUB AND DOC WONG TO PRESENT LA DUCATI DAY 2004

Motivated Ducati owners in the San Francisco Bay Area and Ducati North America help organize a full day of biker activities in La Honda, California to support the La Honda Fire Department

MH900evoluzione Owners Club, Ducati North America. BevelHeaven.com and Doc Wong will host La Ducati Day 2004 on October 10th, 2004 in La Honda, California.

The activities include Ducati Garage Challenges, auctions, raffles, Concourso Ducati, technical seminars, food, music and other fun events!

LDD2004 takes place in La Honda, California situated in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains California, now renamed “La Ducati”. This area is home to some of the most beautiful motorcycling roads in California.

Admission to La Ducati Day 2004 is FREE. Arrive with your Ducati and enjoy the day with fellow Ducatisti.

Some of the events listed below have a modest entry fee, of which 100% goes to the La Honda Fire Brigade.

· ·Motorcycle Parking
Free parking area will be staffed by volunteers to assure proper parking etiquette is followed.

· ·Helmet Check/Welcome Area
Attendees can check their riding gear for free. This area will be staffed by Club volunteers at all times during the event. Attendees will be advised this area will close 30 minutes prior to end of event.

· ·Sportbike Suspension Setup Clinic
Jim Lindemann and Gary Jaehne will measure and tune your motorcycles suspension to match your weight/riding style, all for a $30.00 donation to the La Honda Fire Brigade.

· ·Raffles
Attendees can purchase raffle tickets to win very cool prizes that will be raffled off during the event.

· ·Auction Area
Charity auction to raise money for the La Honda Fire Brigade.

· ·Ducati Clubs Area
Participating Ducati Clubs and groups will be able to display in this area. No fee for Ducati Clubs to participate, but must provide club volunteers to work the Helmet Check/Welcome area, Parking Area and other duties for the event.

· ·Concorso Ducati Area
Ducati Concours d’Elegance brought to you by BevelHeaven.com – $10.00 entry fee for participants, general admission is free.

· ·Swap Meet Area
Attendees who register will be allowed to display and sell, barter or trade their Ducati related items in this area. A $15.00 fee will be charged to display. If you would like to register to display, please contact Hans Mellberg.

· ·Tech University
Classroom style seating area for technical discussions/sessions on riding, maintenance, etc. Free attendance.
· ·Vendor Area
Retail vendor display area, where manufacturers and dealers will have the latest Ducati parts and accessories available to browse and purchase.

· ·Ducati Garage Challenge Area
Ducati Garage Challenges: Ducati Music events. A $5.00 fee will be charged for each Ducati Challenge entered.

· ·Ducati Monster Display
Of all current Ducati models, the Monster has to be the most modified, customized bike in the company lineup. To celebrate this creativity and diversity, all Monster owners are invited to display their modified Monsters in this special area.

From a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda:

A NEW TRACK

GP OF QATAR – PREVIEW

The first ever Middle Eastern Motorcycle Race will be held on the Losail International of Qatar on October 2nd .

Built in record time, the circuit was inaugurated on July 9th of this year. During the twelve months necessary for the realization of the structure, between 800 to 1000 people where busy making this project happen. The cost of the facilities was about 52 million dollars. The structure is in fact of a first class making as are the security measures. Both on the inside and outside of the track there are three meters of artificial grass, both for the visual impact as much as for helping keep the track clean from the dust.

The track is 5400 meters long and 14 meters wide. The straightaway is 1060 meters, 20 meters longer than the Catalonian track, and it is to date the second longest straight in the GP Championship.

The track is very particular: it is a mixed circuit with semi quick corners, nice braking points and different areas where overtaking is possible. There are a total of 16 corners, the last of which is surely the most interesting; this is the typical track where the race can be decided at the last corner.

The tarmac used for the paving of the track has been especially studied to resist very high temperatures.

Situated 10 km from the capital, Doha, the track is found in a desert region. The sand that surrounds the track, according to the organizers, should not disturb the riders as they say there should not be wind able to carry it onto the track.

The main incognitos are how much grip will be available as it is a new track, the high temperatures (even if it is a dry type of heat) and the wind which might deposit sand onto the track.

THE COMMENT OF THE RIDERS

SETE GIBERNAU: “It is a track that we all know only by design. It is in fact new and none of us, except Randy Mamola, has ridden on it. There are many corners similar to those on some of the European tracks but it still remains a mystery until we will be able to ride during the first free session and understand the real situation. The high temperatures will definitely be a problem for the tyres and the engine but our biggest worry is the sand being brought onto the track.

“Concerning the Championship, after the Japanese GP the gap with Valentino is increased but I don’t give up, I will continue fighting. We are going through a difficult moment, maybe the most difficult of the season but we are not lost, we know the cause of the problems we had in the past two races and we will work to return competitive”.

COLIN EDWARDS: “Despite the unlucky race at Motegi I arrive confident in Qatar because at Motegi I found a very good setting and thanks to the new chassis I have a very good feeling with the bike. Qatar is a completely new track, no one has data so we are arrive all fresh, we all start from zero, it’s a good occasion that we can use positively”.


More, from a reader:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

You might want to give folks the link to the Qatar GP website, they did a good job on it, that’s for sure.

http://www.qatargp.net/

Mike Hughes
Rockford, Illinois