From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Brother-to-Brother: A Hayden set to win the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (Oct. 4, 2004) — For only the second time in AMA road racing history will a pair of brothers win championships. Eric and Ben Bostrom were the first pair to accomplish the feat and now it’s the Haydens, either Tommy or Roger Lee, who will follow in the footsteps of their brother Nicky as an AMA champion. The 2004 Pro Honda Oils Supersport Championship presented by Shoei comes down to Tommy and Roger Lee when the series concludes this weekend at the Suzuki Lightning Nationals on Oct. 9-10 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

The brothers and Kawasaki teammates have turned this year’s AMA Supersport Series into a family affair. Eldest brother Tommy held a big advantage mid-season after earning four wins on his factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Roger Lee has made a battle out of the title chase by winning three straight races coming into VIR. These types of winning streaks are rare in the ultra-competitive Supersport series. The proof is that if Roger wins at VIR, his four-race Supersport winning streak would be the longest in eight years.

Tommy leads Roger Lee by 11 points (327-316) coming into the season finale. The brothers have outdistanced third-place ranked riders Ben Spies and Aaron Gobert who are tied at 255 points.

Tommy knows he needs to play it smart at VIR. A third place or better finish there would give him his first AMA road racing hampionship. “It’s been sort of tough having the points lead at the end of the season,” said Tommy, who won the VIR Supersport race in 2002. “The other riders can be more aggressive since they don’t have as much to lose. Rog has really stepped it up and has made it a little too close from my point of view. I can’t afford to back off now and in a way that at least helps decide my strategy going into VIR.”

For his part Roger Lee realizes he’s not necessarily in control of his own destiny, but he’s happy to have gotten to the position he’s in. “I’m just going to keep plugging away,” Roger explained. “Tom’s riding really well so it’s going to be tough, but I’m not going out without a fight.”

Roger Lee also said he has to put out of his mind the spate of crashes he suffered at recent VIR testing.

Irregardless of which brother comes out on top the real winner is Kawasaki. Team Green is assured its third AMA Supersport championship and an impressive one-two finish. Eric Bostrom won the AMA Supersport title on a Kawasaki in 2001 as did Miguel Duhamel in 1993.

The VIR Supersport finale will receive taped coverage on SPEED Channel at 12 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Oct. 26. For additional information on the Suzuki Lightning Nationals call (434) 822-7700 or visit the website www.virclub.com .

From a press release issued by On One Wheel:

Keith Code’s On One Wheel wheelie school is coming to Atlanta Dragway on Atlanta, Georgia for three one-day sessions, on October 29, 30 or 31.

These are one-day classes for you to choose from, though you can sign up for multiple days to really master the art!

Cost: $495 for the one day school

Damage Deposit: $500 only taken on the day of the school if you damage the bike

Bike: Triumph Speed Triple

Session: Arrive at 8:00 a.m. sharp for registration, day ends around 5:00 p.m. You get about 100-120 runs for the day.

Class size is limited. Pre-registration is a must with first-come, first-served.

Contact Whitney Fair, On One Wheel
www.ononewheel.com
[email protected]
818-957-7104
fax 818-957-8108

From a press release issued by FGSport:

2004 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

11th round Magny Cours, 1-3 October 2004

Tyres Check on 2005 SBK and WSS World Championships machines

In the 2005 World Superbike and World Supersport Championships a new tyre check system will be implemented. Under the supervision of the Technical Director, immediately before the start of the event, each team will be given a set of stickers. These stickers will be equal in number to the number of tyres allowed. It will be the duty of the teams’ mechanics to place these stickers on the side of the tyres before they are used on the track. These stickers will be made using an exclusive type of technology specifically realized for this purpose. The stickers will bear a number that identifies the rider (different to his official starting number) and will be changed for each race.
FIM checks will take place both in the pit lane and at the single tyre supplier technical area..

Magny Cours, 3rd October 2004

From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

2004 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

11th round Magny Cours, 1-3 October 2004

TOSELAND TAKES CROWN, SHARES RACE WINS WITH HAGA

TOSELAND THE NEW SBK KING: Thanks to a first race win and second place in race two, 23-year-old Briton James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999F004) secured the World Superbike title for 2004, after a rollercoaster season of disappointment and elation. His crown is an early birthday present, as James turns 24 on 5 October. Heaping fulsome praise on his team and family, Toseland is the third British rider to take the World Superbike crown, after four-time winner Carl Fogarty and last year’s champion Neil Hodgson. The final points gap to Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila), who secured two third places in front of his home crowd, was nine – Toseland on 336 to Laconi’s 327.

RACE ONE: James Toseland (Ducati Fila) enjoyed a win in the first race, after some tough times in qualifying and the partisan support for the local hero Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila). Toseland had to keep the charging Noriyuki Haga at bay, maintaining a good race pace right to the flag, after 23 laps of unbridled tension. Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati Koji) was second while Regis Laconi eventually rued his tyre choice to take third, and lose his championship lead. Chris Vermeulen’s retirement for technical reasons put the Ten Kate Honda rider out of the championship challenge. Local wild card Sebastien Gimbert gave the crowd something else to cheer about, finishing fourth.

RACE TWO: With Vermeulen once more out of the running in the later stages, the race for podium places was a tense three rider affair, with Haga and Toseland swapping places at the front, as Laconi struggled to get to grips with the speed of the other main Ducati protagonists. Haga pushed hardest at the end, earning third place in the series from the double non-finisher Vermeulen, after securing his sixth win of the season. In third, Laconi could not improve his pace to stay competitive with the leading two, over two seconds down at the flag.

VERMEULEN AND TEN KATE DOWN, BUT NOT OUT: After some astonishing race wins in their combined rookie seasons in SBK, the Ten Honda team and rider Vermeulen were in with realistic championship chances at Magny Cours. Finishing neither race, due to electrical problems, was a blow to them but Vermeulen’s overall fourth is an impressive entry to the premier class of production-derived racing.

GIMBERT TIMES TWO: Local Wild Card rider Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha France) took a fourth place double at his home track, rewarding the faith in those who agreed that he should race at Magny Cours, rather than at the final round of World Endurance at Vallelunga. He finished the series overall 18th.

CHILI GOES FIFTH: Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998RS) went sixth and fifth to secure fifth place in the championship, after two races spend heading up fights in the group immediately behind the leaders.

PRIVATE PARTY: Steve Martin ripped his DFX Ducati to fifth in race one, an ultimately lonely affair, bit his big twin suffered a technical DNF in race two, dropping out on lap 11. Leon Haslam (Renegade Ducati Koji) was a fine seventh and sixth, heading up a Petronas rider each time. He was voted rookie of the year in the SBK class, and finished the year ninth overall. Garry McCoy could only manage a ninth, times two, but nonetheless was sixth in the series.

THREE KINGS: Superpole winner Troy Corser could only score a DNF and a seventh in what may be his final Petronas ride, while Chris Walker (Petronas FP-1) was eighth in each race. Corser was the top three-cylinder rider of the year, finishing ninth overall.

SUPERSPORT: Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) had another close race with is team-mate Broc Parkes but nonetheless he triumphed yet again, taking his seventh race win of the season (a full status WSS championship record). Parkes could not quite take his first race win, and in third place Sebastien Charpentier was once more defeated by the combination of Muggeridge and Ten Kate power.
Lorenzo Lanzi was a fighting fourth, ahead of lead Yamaha rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh. The final rundown of places in Supersport shows Muggeridge on a towering 207 points, from Parkes on 135, van den Goorbergh on 130, Charpentier on 120 and Lanzi with 82.

SUPERSTOCK. The European Superstock championship went to Lorenzo Alfonsi, after an often-close fight with the Yamaha Motor Germany duo of Didier Vankeymeulen and Kenan Sofuoglu. The race was completed two minutes ahead of the scheduled 14 laps, after a crash on the last corner, but after being relegated to third at one stage, Alfonsi had the pleasure of winning the race and the title on one day. Gianluca Vizziello, Alfonsi’s team-mate thus lost his chance of the title after missing the race due to injury. He finishes his season second overall, with 160 points to Alfonsi’s 169. Vankeymeulen was second in the race, fourth in the title chase, with Sofuoglu’s third at Magny Cours making him third in the series.



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

World Supersport Championship, Round 11, Magny Cours, France

1 – 3 October 2004

Track: Dry, 25°C
Air: Warm, Sunny 19°C
Attendance: 61,000 (three days).

HONDA RIDERS TAKE ANOTHER PODIUM CLEAN SWEEP

The record-breaking year of Karl Muggeridge in World Supersport continued apace in the final round of the 2004 season at Magny Cours. The Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR rider was fourth in qualifying but took his seventh race victory in a single World Supersport season, a new record for the class. It was also an unprecedented fourth straight win, to add to a three-in-a-row from earlier in the season. Muggeridge thus ripped the 200-point barrier asunder, ending his year with a whopping score of 207, fully 72 more than his nearest rival, his own Ten Kate team-mate Broc Parkes. Honda won the Manufacturer’s championship by an impressive 36 points, 212 to Yamaha’s 176.

The lead in the Magny Cours race was monopolised by the Ten Kate riders, with Parkes and Muggeridge exchanging the role of pacemaker. Parkes attempted a front running break but as the laps timed out, Muggeridge attacked for the last time on the last lap and took the lead and race win number seven.

Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) continued his strong form but could not quite get into contention after some moments of concern and a less than perfect tyre selection pre race. His third place race finish gave him overall championship fourth, and gave Honda its third Podium clean sweep of the year.

Charpentier’s team-mate, Max Neukirchner finished his rookie SBK season with an eighth in the race, and an overall ninth – a noteworthy achievement for the 21-year-old German. He won the ‘Rookie of the Year’ Trophy for his efforts.

Team Italia Megabike CBR600RR Honda riders Michel Fabrizio and Denis Sacchetti had a difficult culmination to their impressive final race weekends, each posting a non-finish. Fabrizio had to retire from a strong fourth place for safety reasons with a cracked and leaking oil pressure sensor on his machine, while Sacchetti crashed out of contention on lap three.

Muggeridge was modest in his thoughts about his historic victory. “I was going pretty well and then I started to lose some grip in the rear and my times got worse,” said Muggeridge. “Then Broc came through and started edging away so I had to try really hard to keep with him. Then finally he slowed a little bit and I could lift my pace. I worked my way up and passed him and then tried to keep him behind for the whole lap. It was good to win another one before the year ended.”

Parkes tried his best, but could not reclaim the lead he had enjoyed for 15 of the 22 laps, with all other laps headed by Muggeridge. “It was tough,” explained Ten Kate’s second Aussie rider. “I got a good start and as quickly as I could I got onto the back of Karl. I thought about the last race so I reckoned I should go as fast as I could to drop them off the lead. I got past Karl, then he took me at the end and I saw Charpentier really close behind me. I really wanted to go out and race for the win today but I thought in the final lap it was better to take second in the race and earn second in the championship.”

Charpentier regretted not being able to get into contact with the leaders, but nonetheless paid tribute to his opponents. “Broc and Karl were very fast today and for myself third was a good job, because my choice of rear tyre was not perfect, even though my bike has gone well all weekend,” he stated. “I slid a lot and it was difficult to keep contact. I finished forth in the title and that’s not so bad. I’m happy for my team and for me. I have pushed hard very hard in race after race.”

Rookie rider Max Neukirchner was happy with both race and season results. “Yeah, that was OK. I got a good start, fast away but then I had some problem with the rear, lots of spinning and slides at the end. But I finished well inside the top ten in the race and ninth in the championship. In my first year on four-strokes and my first in a World Championship, that is pretty good. I’m happy.”

For Fabrizio, it was a particularly disappointing day in the office, after such a good ride. “I started so fast and was riding comfortably in fourth place. I decided to stay quiet until the finish. The bike was in good shape the tyres were still in good condition. I think I could have tried for the podium in the last few laps but I hit one of the cones on the edge of turn one, that broke the oil pressure sensor, and the oil pressure dropped. Changing gear was a problem after that so I had to retire.”

Sacchetti was in fine form until his crash. “My start was quite fast and I was inside the top 15 positions. But after a few laps I crashed at the Adelaide corner and my race was finished.”

World Superbike Championship – Round 10

James Toseland (Ducati) retook the championship lead after the first of the season ending races at Magny Cours, beating Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) for the top podium slot. Regis Laconi (Ducati) scored third in a race of attrition for many top riders while Chris Vermeulen, on a ten Kate Honda Fireblade, was forced to retire, and was subsequently ruled out of contention for the overall title.

In race two Haga took the win but with Toseland running to a strong second place he took the World Championship from third place rider Regis Laconi.

Chris Vermeulen’s Honda suffered a problem with the crank sensor and the young Aussie was forced to retire from a strong fourth place. The final Championship table reads Toseland on 336, Laconi on 327, Haga on 299 and Vermeulen, fourth, on 282.

Results

SUPERSPORT:
RACE : (Laps 22 = 97,042 Km)
Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team / Time /Gap

1 / K. MUGGERIDGE / AUS / Ten Kate Honda / 38’34.820 /

2 / B. PARKES / AUS / Ten Kate Honda / 38’35.242 / 0.422

3 / S. CHARPENTIER / FRA / Klaffi Honda / 38’35.628 / 0.808

4 / L. LANZI / ITA / Ducati Breil / 38’47.913 / 13.093

5 / J. VD GOORBERGH / NED / Yamaha Italia / 38’51.667 / 16.847

6 / A. PITT / AUS / Yamaha Italia / 38’52.569 / 17.749

7 / C. COXHELL / AUS / Yamaha Motor Deutschland / 38’59.400 / 24.580

8 / M.NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Klaffi Honda / 39’02.197 / 27.377

9 / M.LAGRIVE / FRA / Moto 1 / 39’18.029 / 43.209

10 / M.BAIOCCO / ITA / Lorenzini by Leoni / 39’21.326 / 46.506

11 / M.ROCCOLI / ITA / Lorenzini by Leoni / 39’21.507 / 46.687

12 / B. VENEMAN / NED / Team Suzuki Nederland / 39’21.814 / 46.994

13 / C. KELLNER / GER / Yamaha Motor Deutschland / 39’38.825 / 1’04.005

14 / J. LINDSTROM / SWE / Klaffi Honda / 39’42.269 / 1’07.449

15 / P. DONISCHAL / FRA / Moto 1 / 39’45.146 / 1’10.326

Fastest Lap 4° Broc Parkes 1’44.457 152,020 Km/h

Riders Championship Standings:
1 MUGGERIDGE 207, 2 PARKES 135, 3 VD GOORBERGH 130, 4 CHARPENTIER 120, 5 LANZI 82, 6 CURTAIN 69, 7 FORET 66, 8 CHAMBON 64, 9 NEUKIRCHNER 63, 10 FUJIWARA 55, 11 CORRADI 44, 12 PITT 36, 13 KELLNER 30, 14 LAGRIVE 27, 15 BROOKES 25.

Manufacturers Standings: 1 HONDA 212, 2 YAMAHA 176, 3 SUZUKI 103, 4 DUCATI 95, 5 KAWASAKI 40.



SUPERBIKE

Race 1: (Laps 23 = 101,453 Km)
Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team /Time /Gap

1 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Ducati Fila / 39’29.197 /

2 / N.HAGA / JPN / Renegade Ducati Koji / 39’29.689 / 0.492

3 / R. LACONI / FRA / Ducati Fila / 39’32.999 / 3.802

4 / S. GIMBERT / FRA / Yamaha France / 39’37.024 / 7.827

5 / S. MARTIN / AUS / D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda / 39’43.023 / 13.826

6 / P. CHILI / ITA / PSG – 1 Corse / 39’54.538 / 25.341

7 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Renegade Ducati Koji / 39’58.190 / 28.993

8 / C.WALKER / GBR / Foggy PETRONAS Racing / 40’01.653 / 32.456

9 / G.MCCOY / AUS / XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net. / 40’11.650 / 42.453

10 / S. DUTERNE / FRA / Zongshen / 40’20.152 / 50.955

11 / P. BONTEMPI / ITA / Zongshen / 40’31.389 / 1’02.192

12 / L. PEDERCINI / ITA / Pedercini / 40’38.744 / 1’09.547

13 / S. CRUCIANI / ITA / Kawasaki Bertocchi / 40’44.406 / 1’15.209

14 / A. VELINI / ITA / Pedercini / 40’45.088 / 1’15.891

15 / P. SZKOPEK / POL / Szkopek Agip RT / 40’53.171 / 1’23.974

Fastest Lap 5° Steve Martin 1’42.312 155,208 Km/h


Race 2 : (Laps 23 = 101,453 Km)
Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team /Time /Gap

1 / N.HAGA / JPN / Renegade Ducati Koji / 39’34.329 /

2 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Ducati Fila / 39’37.484 / 3.155

3 / R. LACONI / FRA / Ducati Fila / 39’40.119 / 5.790

4 / S. GIMBERT / FRA / Yamaha France / 39’49.082 / 14.753

5 / P. CHILI / ITA / PSG – 1 Corse / 39’51.836 / 17.507

6 / L. HASLAM / GBR / Renegade Ducati Koji / 39’55.632 / 21.303

7 / T. CORSER / AUS / Foggy PETRONAS Racing / 39’55.805 / 21.476

8 / C.WALKER / GBR / Foggy PETRONAS Racing / 40’11.950 / 37.621

9 / G.MCCOY / AUS / XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net. / 40’19.812 / 45.483

10 / W.NOWLAND / AUS / Zongshen / 40’27.881 / 53.552

11 / S. DUTERNE / FRA / Zongshen / 40’29.825 / 55.496

12 / S. FUERTES / ESP / MIR Racing / 40’33.605 / 59.276

13 / P. SZKOPEK / POL / Szkopek Agip RT / 40’46.053 / 1’11.724

14 / M.PRAIA / POR / XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net. / 39’43.578 / 1 Lap

15 / B. CAMLEK / SLO / Inoterm Racing Team / 39’52.795 / 1 Lap

Fastest Lap 2° Noriyuki Haga 1’42.475 154,961 Km/h

Riders Championship Standings:
1 TOSELAND 336, 2 LACONI 327, 3 HAGA 299, 4 VERMEULEN 282, 5 CHILI 243, 6 MCCOY 199, 7 MARTIN 181, 8 HASLAM 169, 9 CORSER 146, 10 BORCIANI 130, 11 WALKER 128, 12 CLEMENTI 85, 13 SANCHINI 79, 14 NANNELLI 72, 15 BONTEMPI 68.

Manufacturers Standings:
1 DUCATI 530, 2 HONDA 289, 3 PETRONAS 200, 4 KAWASAKI 129, 5 SUZUKI 101.



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

JAMES TOSELAND (DUCATI FILA) 2004 WSBK CHAMPION!

REGIS LACONI RUNNER-UP –

DUCATI 999 1-2-3 IN CHAMPIONSHIP!

Magny-Cours (France), 3 October 2004: James Toseland (Ducati Fila) was crowned the 2004 World Superbike champion today at the Magny-Cours circuit in France. On his way to winning Ducati’s eleventh Riders’ title, Toseland becomes the third British rider to win the championship after Carl Fogarty and Neil Hodgson.

Toseland, who celebrates his 24th birthday on Tuesday, couldn’t have received a better present as he held off the challenge of his team-mate Regis Laconi and Honda’s Chris Vermeulen, to take the title with a win in race 1 and second place in race 2 behind Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati). Regis Laconi, who scored two third places today, finished runner-up in the championship.

“I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has helped me become world champion here today, the list is too long to mention everyone but it includes all my family and friends, GSE, Fila, Shell, Ducati Corse, all of my team and all the team’s sponsors” declared an emotional Toseland after the podium. “I think I deserved to become world champion at the end, these last three rounds have gone really well and that’s down to the team who have given me the best opportunity to win with the best bike. There was no option of making a mistake today or doing anything wrong, it was that close, it was a great season with Regis, there were some great races and it could easily have been him up here”.

“Maybe we didn’t find the right setting for today’s races but a big thanks to the team, they worked very hard, I still gave my best and that is what is important” commented Laconi. “I’m happy because I gave my best but it wasn’t enough, c’est la vie!. I think I can still fight for world titles for some more years. There has been a little bit more pressure within the Ducati garage over the past few races with the two of us fighting for the title but that is normal. It is the first time also for Ducati to have both riders in with a chance of winning the title and it is not an easy solution for the team too, but all of Ducati did a fantastic job, they are world champions, I am not this year but thank you to them anyway”.

RACE 1:
1. Toseland (Ducati Fila); 2. Haga (Renegade Ducati); 3. Laconi (Ducati Fila); 4. Gimbert (Yamaha); 5. Martin (DFX Ducati); 6. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati); etc.
RACE 2: 1. Haga; 2. Toseland; 3. Laconi; 4. Gimbert; 5. Chili; 6. Haslam (Renegade Ducati).

POINTS :
Riders) 1. Toseland 336 ; 2. Laconi 327 ; 3. Haga 299 ; 4. Vermeulen 282 ; 5. Chili 243 ; 6. McCoy 199. (Manufacturers) 1. Ducati 530; 2. Honda 289; 3. Petronas 200; 4. Kawasaki 129; 5. Suzuki 101; 6. Yamaha 89.



LANZI (DUCATI BREIL) CLINCHES FIFTH OVERALL IN SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER GRITTY RIDE AT MAGNY-COURS

Magny-Cours (France), 3 October 2004: Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Breil) clinched fifth overall in the 2004 World Supersport championship with another determined ride at Magny-Cours on the Ducati 749R.

Starting ninth on the grid, the 22 year-old Italian battled all the way throughout the 22-lap race, and once again finished just off the podium in fourth after overtaking Van Der Goorbergh (Yamaha) three laps from the end. Lanzi’s task of finishing fifth had been made easier when Curtain (Yamaha), who was equal on points, crashed out on the opening lap.

“That was another great race to finish the season with. We didn’t get on the podium unfortunately, once again everyone stayed on ahead of me and we finished fourth” declared a satisfied Lanzi.

“Overall fifth in the championship is a great result because we thought we could finish in the top 6 and this is an extra bonus.

“Once again in the race we finished behind three Hondas and there was only one Yamaha ahead of me in the final standings so we can only be pleased with that. The 749R is proving to have a lot of potential and as for me, I’ve achieved my best performances towards the end of the season.

“We wanted a podium but I am happy anyway. A big thanks to the team and now let’s start to think about the final AMA Superbike race next Sunday!”.

RACE: 1. Muggeridge (Honda); 2. Parkes (Honda); 3. Charpentier (Honda); 4. Lanzi (Ducati Breil); 5. VD Goorbergh (Yamaha); 6. Pitt (Yamaha); etc.

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS :
(Riders) 1. Muggeridge 207; 2. Parkes 135; 3. VD Goorbergh 130; 4. Charpentier 120; 5. Lanzi 82; 6. Curtain 69; etc.
(Manufacturers) 1. Honda 212 ; 2. Yamaha 176 ; 3. Suzuki 103; 4. Ducati 95; 5. Kawasaki 40; 6. Triumph 4.



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

Muggeridge Takes Win Seven With Parkes Second

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) ended a virtually perfect championship-winning season with a stalk and pounce race victory, following his team-mate Broc Parkes until the last lap, then taking the win in fine style, by 0.422 seconds. It was his seventh race win of the year, and his fourth in a row. It propelled him over the 200 point barrier, an outstanding achievement for man, machine and team.

Parkes’ second place could have been his first win for the Ten Kate Team, but after Muggeridge slipped past, for the final time, the result was set. Honda rider Sebastien Charpentier was third in the race, meaning that Parkes took second place overall, completing a magnificent Ten Kate 1-2.

Muggeridge stated, “I was going pretty well and then I started to lose some grip in the rear and my times got worse. Then Broc came through and started edging away so I had to try really hard to keep with him. Then finally he slowed a little bit and I could lift my pace. I worked my way up and passed him and then tried to keep him behind for the whole lap. It was good to win another one before the year ended.”

Parkes was frustrated to have led more laps than Muggeridge and still not win. “It was tough,” explained Parkes. “I got a good start and as quickly as I could I got onto the back of Karl. I thought about the last race so I reckoned I should go as fast as I could to drop them off the lead. I got past Karl, then he took me at the end and I saw Charpentier really close behind me. I really wanted to go out and race for the win today but I thought in the final lap it was better to take second in the race and earn second in the championship.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate stated. “Four wins in a row is a new achievement in this class, seven wins in one season for one rider is another record and having one rider make a front row start in every race is yet another. A perfect ending of the perfect season for us. We really couldn’t wish for anything more. Today would have been good for Broc to win his first race for us, as he is moving on to another team next year. I hope it goes well for him. Tomorrow morning we will be introducing our new riders to their Ten Kate Supersport machines, and they will be Sebastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara.”

WK Supersport
Race 10 / Magny Cours, Frankrijk
1 – 3 Oktober 2004
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR
2. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 0.422
3. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 0.808
4. L. Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 13.093
5. J. vd. Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF R6, 16.847

Championship Results
1. K. Muggeridge, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR 207 points
2. B. Parkes, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR 135 points
3. J. vd. Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF R6 130 points

Vermeulen Finishes Fourth In His Rookie SBK Championship

Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) saw his world championship challenge blunted by a double DNF at Magny Cours, due to two electrical problems. Having qualified well and having been in contention for podium finishes before the gremlins struck, Vermeulen and his entire team were robbed of the chance of a good season ending flourish.

In race one he retired with only 11 laps completed, in race two he went out on lap 19, having dropped off from a possible podium finish. James Toseland (Ducati) won the opener, and in finishing second in race two, behind Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) he won the championship. Regis Laconi finished second, and Haga leapfrogged Vermeulen to score third place overall.

A disappointed Vermeulen stated. “In the first race it was just a freak electrical problem. We haven’t had that problem all year. The second race the bike finished the race the same way as it did at Imola, so I didn’t have any choice but to retire. The last three races have given us some problems so we have some serious work to do. I had an injection for my injured hand before the race and I felt no pain from it at all. I felt comfortable and the bike was good until it started missing a bit of power. It would cut in and out, but before that I felt every bit as quick as any of them. I wanted to go out with a podium, if not a win, so it’s really disappointing.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate stated. “It looks like the crank senor on the bike was the fault, and that is what the data tells us after the first investigation. That is pretty sad for us to have a bike which has run virtually the whole championship without any problems and then have two DNFs because of technical things is a disappointment. The machinery has been working well so we cannot put any blame on the bike. If someone had said that we would be fourth this year before we started the races I would have been happy enough. But we have been in a position where the results have been really good so all in all I’m happy, but it was not a happy ending. I want to thank all the staff of the team for the hard work. Everyone could see how hard we had to work to get to where we are. We are looking forward to next year because the development year is now over. Next year we will be stronger than this year.”

WK Superbike
Race 11 Magny Cours – Frankrijk
1 – 3 Oktober 2004

Results Race 1
1. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04
2. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 0.492
3. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati F04, 3.802
4. S. Gimbert, FRA, Yamaha YZF R1, 7.827
5. S. Martin, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 13.826
C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, DNF

Results Race 2
1. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS
2. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04, 3.155
3. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati F04, 5.790
4. S. Gimbert, FRA, Yamaha YZF R1, 14.753
5. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 17.507
C. Vermeulen, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, DNF

Championship results
1. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04, 336 points
2. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 327 points
3. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 299 points
4. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, 282 points 5. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 243 points



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

Yamaha Italia World Supersport Team
Date: Sunday, 3rd October 2004
Circuit: Magny Cours, m. 4.411
Race
Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy Temperature: air 19° C, track 25° C
Crowd: 45.000

FIFTH AND SIXTH FOR JURGEN AND ANDREW.
Yamaha Racing Italia riders Jurgen van den Goorbergh and Andrew Pitt finished the final round of this year’s Supersport World Championship in fifth and sixth places. Their team mate Fabien Foret was on course for a seventh place until an engine problem forced him out of contention. The race was once again dominated by Honda riders, with newly-crowned World Champion Karl Muggeridge taking the win ahead of his team mate Parkes. Third was crowd favourite Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), with Lorenzo Lanzi fourth.

JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – 5th
I had a very good start and was very close to the leading pack. The Hondas were in touch and so I thought a podium was a real possibility. But in the closing laps my engine started losing power and I could not hold my fourth place and I ended fifth.

ANDREW PITT – 6th
At turn one, Kevin Curtain crashed right in front of me and I had to take to the run-off area to avoid him. I got back on the track at the back of the leading pack and then fought hard to regain my position. But I pushed so hard that I made the tyres wear out and by the end of the race I hardly had any grip at all.

FABIEN FORET – DNF
Magny Cours is a very physically demanding circuit and because of my injuries I sustained in Brands Hatch, I am just not quite fit enough – and I have paid for it! I was doing OK in the race until the last lap when my engine suffered a problem and I had to retire.



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

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 11, Magny Cours (France) , Sunday 3rd October 2004
Circuit: 4.411, Weather: dry, sunny 19° C.
Crowd: 61.000 (3-days figure)

NO LUCK AT MAGNY COURS
Troy’s season ended with a bit of bad luck at Magny-Cours – with a DNF in race one and a seventh in race two. It was a disappointment because Troy had ridden a superb Superpole lap and was on pole position for the 30th time in his World Superbike career. He had expected to be a podium contender in both races today, but his luck ran out.

James Toseland won the first race, with fellow Ducati Noriyuki Haga and Regis Laconi second and third. Laconi had to win race two to take the title, but he finished third behind Haga and Toseland and so Toseland took the world title – the youngest rider to do so in World Superbike history, just beating Troy in the process.

TROY
The season has been a bit up and down. I have been riding well although small problems have meant much too time in the pit box. But Petronas and the whole team have done a great job and it should be good for next season. Everything came together for Superpole yesterday and it was fantastic to be finishing the season on such a high. But we were still a slow on top speed up the back straight and, although I was trying to hang on after two good starts, it was a bit frustrating because the bike was much better this weekend.

RESULTS
Race 1:
1 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 2 Haga (J-Ducati), 3 Laconi (F-Ducati), 4 Gimbert (F-Yamaha), 5 Martin (Aus-Ducati), 6 Chili (I-Ducati), TROY CORSER (AUS-PETRONAS FP1) – DNF
Race 2:
1 Haga, 2 Toseland, 3 Laconi, 4 Gimbert, 5 Chili, 6 Haslam (GB-Ducati), 7 TROY CORSER (AUS-PETRONAS FP1)

FINAL POINTS STANDINGS
1 Toseland 336, 2 Laconi 327, 3 Haga 299, 4 Vermeulen 282, 5 Chili 243, 6 McCoy 199, 7 Martin 181, 8 Haslam 169, 9 TROY CORSER 146, 10 Borciani 130

From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Suzuki Castrol Win Vallelunga 200

Suzuki Castrol have completely dominated the Vallelunga 200 round of the World Endurance Championship, winning the race by a comfortable 45 second margin and lapping the rest of the field up to third place.

Vincent Phillipe started the race for the team, and was able to quickly pull out a gap of more than half a second a lap on the chasing pack of Yamaha GMT94, Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 and Yamaha Phase One. Each of these three teams held second place at some stage in the first hour, but none came close to catching Suzuki Castrol. The DRE Ducati held a place in the top four for much of the race, due to its ability to stay out on track for much longer on a single tank of fuel. However, with two compulsory pit stops having to be made the Ducati eventually slipped down to finish in sixth position.

In the final session of the race the top six teams were able to lap in the 1:21 bracket when traffic conditions on the busy circuit allowed, but it proved difficult for them to close the gap between each other.

Quotes:

Vincent Philippe, Suzuki Castrol, First place: “It’s very good to finish the race in
first place. I would have preferred to be world champion, but this is good instead. The race was not so difficult for me and our team led for the whole distance, this is very difficult with pit stops so for us it is a very good result.”

William Costes, Yamaha GMT94, second place: “It was a very difficult race. There was no pressure for the championship, but we would have like to have won this weekend. From the middle to the race the tyres went off, but David Checa took a 15 second advantage in his last session which made all the difference.”

Gwen Giabbani, Yamaha Endurance Moto 38, third place: “The beginning of the race was very hard because I lost a lot of time in the first few laps and so I had to fight hard to catch GMT94 and Phase One. We pushed on and had a good battle, but GMT94’s tactics were better than us so we decided to settle for third place in the world championship.”

Christophe Guyot, Yamaha GMT94, 2004 World Endurance Champions: “For us this season has been fantastic, because the new Yamaha R1 was so good. All season if we did not come second, we came first. It’s impossible to win a race every time but we are so happy to have finished every race in the podium this season. I would like to thank the riders especially; the performance of Sebastien Gimbert in qualifying at Magny Cours this weekend has made me very proud; it shows the quality of the World Endurance Championship now.”

3rd October 2004

Top Ten Race Positions

1st 3 – Suzuki Castrol – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 –Philippe, Four, Cogan 100 laps

2nd 94 – Yamaha GMT94 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 – Checa, Costes, Guyot + 0:49

3rd 38 – Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 – FRA – Yamaha YZF-R1 –Giabbani, Mulot, Protat +1:12

4th 1 – Yamaha Phase One Endurance – GBR – Yamaha YZF-R1 – Scarnato, Mertens + 1lap

5th 5 – WRT Honda Austria – AUT – Honda CBR1000RR – Moreira, Ellison +1 lap

6th 9 – Ducati DRE – ITA – Ducati 999R –Garcia, Liverani, Marchetti +1 lap

7th 7 – Yamaha Austria Racing Team – AUT – Yamaha YZF-R1 – Thomas, Edwards +1 lap

8th 8 – Kawasaki Bolliger – SUI – Kawasaki ZX10R –Kellenberger, Morillon +2 laps

9th 666 – Kawasaki Diablo Bolliger – GBR – Kawasaki ZX10R – Hutchins, Falcke, Mizera +3 laps

10th 47 – Bridgestone Bikers Profi – GER – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – Tode, Roethig +4 laps

From a press release issued by FGSPort:

2004 FIM WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

11th round Magny Cours, 1-3 October 2004

CORSER TURNS 30 AGAIN AFTER SUPERB SUPERPOLE

CORSER BEST OF ALL: Having been fourth fastest in regulation qualifying, Foggy Petronas FP-1 rider Troy Corser did not seem a likely candidate to secure the Superpole win. A small error on his own behalf led to a peculiar line on the approach to the last series of corners before the final chicane at Magny Cours. This small error proved a stroke of good fortune, allowing Corser to swing through the final section at a higher pace than normal, taking his 30th career pole in SBK with a 1’41.547. It is his second pole of this season, the first coming at Oschersleben.

FOUR SQUARE: Such is the competitive nature of the 2004 championship and the diversity of homologated machinery in SBK in general, that no fewer than four different manufacturers were represented on the post Superpole front row. For the first time since 2001, there was only one Ducati in the first four places.

HONDA HOMING IN: Chris Vermeulen looked to have won Superpole but for Corser’s outstanding lap time. Nonetheless the Aussie rider on the Ten Kate Honda is in good starting position as he goes for the championship win. Fourteen points behind leading rider Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) Vermeulen was in trouble in the early practice sessions, could only finish seventh fastest in regulation, but took second in Superpole. His Imola injuries are not hampering his performance too much and the Superbike rookie enters the final round with a fighting chance of the overall title.

DUCATIS TO DUKE IT OUT: In the internal battle between series leader Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999F04) and his team-mate James Toseland, round one at Magny Cours went to Toseland, who secured third place and a front row start. Laconi’s ragged Superpole lap put him fifth fastest, on the second row, a fact which will make both his races tougher than desired in front of his vociferous home crowd.

LOCAL HERO: The front row was blessed by the presence of a Yamaha privateer, the current World Endurance Champion Sebastien Gimbert, on a Yamaha France R1. Fastest in both regulation qualifying sessions, Gimbert is no stranger to the Pirellis used in World Superbike, running the Italian rubber in domestic and World Endurance competitions. His pace electrified the local crowd, in what was a dry but overcast day.

ROW TWO: Behind the front row hierarchy Laconi leads the charge of three private Ducati runners on the second row after Superpole. Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) slotted himself into the sixth grid spot, ahead of Steve Martin (DFX Ducati Sterilgarda) and Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati 999RS). The latter still has a mathematical chance of overall victory, but realistically he is racing to add to his 2004 win total of five.

BRITISH BULLDOGS: Leon Haslam (Renegade Ducati 999) and Chris Walker (Foggy Petronas) ended their last Superpole competitions of the season in ninth and tenth places respectively.

ITALIAN FAIR FLAIR: Italian privateer Giovanni Bussei (De Cecco Ducati) could not complete his Superpole lap, but nonetheless he was awarded a momento for gentlemanly conduct at the last Imola race, when he was given a ride-through penalty for giving the stricken Chris Vermeulen a lift back to pitlane, allowing Vermeulen to race on his second bike and keep his championship challenge alive.

WORLD SUPERSPORT: Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda) finally secured pole position for his Ten Kate Honda team, after a qualifying session full of accident and incident. A crash from second fastest rider Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda) halted the session with just over ten minutes remaining, making for some frantic moments as the clock counted down.
Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda) secured third best time and with newly crowned World Champion Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) fourth fastest, the front was an all-Honda domain. Kevin Curtain, a faller in the session, was fifth fastest for the Yamaha Motor Germany team. Lorenzo Lanzi (Breil Ducati) was the top twin-cylinder rider to qualify for Sunday’s 23-lap race.

EUROPEAN SUPERSTOCK: Lorenzo Alfonsi (Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha R1) took a narrow advantage in qualifying for the European Superstock race. The final event is finely balanced. Injured championship leader Gianluca Vizziello has been ruled out by the broken wrist and arm he picked up pre-race at the preceding round in Imola, and his team-mate Alfonsi can take the title if he finishes second or batter. Any other result will see Vizziello crowned champion, despite being unable to race in the last two rounds.



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

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 11, Magny Cours (France) , Saturday 2nd October, Final Qualifying
Circuit: 4.411kms, Weather: dry, cloudy 19°C

SUPERTROY!
Troy stunned everybody at Magny-Cours today by blasting his Petronas FP1 to a superb Superpole win by an almost comfortable three tenths of a second. It was Troy’s second Superpole win of the season and his thirtieth pole position of his World Superbike career. Troy was down on the first two splits, but recovered magnificently to push fellow countryman Chris Vermeulen (Honda) off the top spot. Third quickest in Superpole today is James Toseland (Ducati), with ‘wild card’ Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha) completing the front row of the grid.

TROY – 1st, 1:41.547
Well, it’s been a bit of a time coming, but I really wanted to get my 30th pole before the end of the season and now I’ve done it. I was down in the first two timed sections, but I got back the time in the final part – though that might have been down to a little mistake really! I braked a bit late, but I still managed to stay on the track and not suffer at all. It wasn’t luck, but it was not far off! I am happy because the team have worked their socks off and it’s thanks to them and our new specification engines that I was able to put the Petronas on pole. In Superpole, you can either gain a little or lose a lot and the key is to not make mistakes or try too hard. This weekend my times on race rubber have been very consistent, so now I need a good start. I am definitely going for a podium, but hopefully a race win.

Final qualifying
1 TROY CORSER (AUS-PETRONAS FP1) 1:41.547, 2 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda) 1:41.845, 3 Toseland (GB-Ducati) 1:41.856, 4 Gimbert (F-Yamaha) 1:412.946, 5 Laconi (I-Ducati) 1:41.969, 6 Chili (I-Ducati) 1:41.977, 7 Martin (Aus-Ducati) 1:42.242, 8 Haga (J-Ducati) 1:42.358, 9 Haslam (GB-Ducati) 1:42.705, 10 Walker (GB-Petronas FP1) 1:42.718



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

Vermeulen Narrowly Misses Superpole Win

Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) looked to have clinched his first Superpole after setting an impressive time of 1’41.845, but a superb final split for the last rider away, Troy Corser (Petronas) secured him his 30th career pole position in Superbike.

Chris nonetheless has an important front row start, in what is destined to be the championship decider. The two races on Sunday will determine which of the three top riders in contention, Chris, plus Ducati factory riders James Toseland and Regis Laconi will be champion, with all three separated by only 14 points at present. Significantly, Laconi could not join Toseland and Vermeulen on the front row after the pressurised Superpole competition.

Four different manufacturers were represented on the front row of the grid, with the Honda, Petronas and Ducati riders joined by the private wild card Yamaha of Sebastien Gimbert.

Vermeulen, returning to the pit box with a seemingly unassailable time to his credit, was surprised to see Corser overtake his position at the head of the time sheets. “I came into my pitbox and looked up at the screen, leading by 0.2 seconds or so. Then I looked down, looked back up again and Troy was pole! I was like, ‘what did he do there?’ Congratulations to Troy and it’s nice to see so many different manufacturers in the front row. We struggled here yesterday and we got faster and faster. It will be close races and we just have to get into the first group and then be first across the line. But I will be giving it my best shot for sure.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate was happy with the improvements the team had wrought in the CBR1000RR since the first qualifying session. “I think the line that Troy took into the last corner before the chicane was the difference. All the other boys are taking it tighter but Troy really took it wide and then threw it in. He was good, and maybe his bike allows such a line. We are not disappointed to not score a pole this year, and after yesterday I can only be satisfied with the result we had today. We are back on track. I think we’ve got the bike dialled in for the race, Chris is getting more and more in his rhythm, and his body is letting him move around more. A lot of people yesterday must have thought we were down and out but here we are on the front row. I think Tory rode very well, congratulations to him on 30 pole positions. It shown how great a rider he is. I hope he can help us by putting himself between us and the opposition.”

World Superbike Championship
Round 11 Magny Cours – France
1 – 3 October 2004
1. T. Corser, AUS, Petronas FP1, 1’41.547
2. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kae Honda CBR1000RR, 1’41.845
3. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04, 1’41.856
4. S. Gimbert, FRA, Yamaha YZF R1, 1’41.946
5. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 1’41.969
6. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’41.977
7. S. Martin, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’42.242
8. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 1’42.358
9. L. Haslam, GBR, Ducati 999 RS, 1’42.705
10. C. Walker, GBR, Petronas FP1, 1’42.718

Parkes Takes Pole with Muggeridge on Front Row

Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) did what he had threatened to do on many previous occasions and took pole position in World Supersport, his time of 1’43.825s being set in the final session of the pre race qualifying sessions. Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) secured a front row start with a time of 1’43.953s, despite being under the pole time on various first and second split times.

The front row for Sunday’s race was an all Honda affair, with Michel Fabrizio and Sebastien Charpentier going second and third respectively. The first non-Honda proved to be the Yamaha of Kevin Curtain, in fifth.

Parkes, delighted with his first pole for the Ten Kate team, stated, “I’ve come close a few times this year but I don’t know what made the difference this time. It wasn’t exactly the kind of lap that you would expect to have pole from, because I got held up a bit in traffic, especially in the second corner. I thought I had lost too much time, because that’s about the fastest corner here. We were in good shape after Imola and we didn’t make too many changes here. The bike works pretty well round Magny Cours.”

Muggeridge was incensed at the action of some of his fellow riders, feeling that he lost a clean shot at pole on two separate occasions. “I was trying to have a go to make pole but I got held up with traffic. There is just continuous traffic out there and I don’t know what some of them are thinking about. We have tried hard to get the bike working with a race set-up and we still need to get it working a little better for the race.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate said, “We worked out all the issues we had on day one, about how the bike is riding the bumps and so on and we have selected race tyres. Or should I say we have two tyres to choose from, and we will decide after warm up. The boys are well up to speed. That was an excellent pole from Broc and he worked hard all weekend with his bike and crew. Karl could have maybe got pole a couple of times as well, but he got held up by other riders.”

World Supersport Championship
Round 10 / Magny Cours, France
1 – 3 October 2004
1. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’43.825
2. M. Fabrizio, ITA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’43.840
3. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’43.858
4. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’43.953
5. K. Curtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R 6, 1’44.199
6. J. vd. Goorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.273
7. A. Pitt, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.288
8. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’44.406
9. L. Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 1’44.768
10. M. Baiocco, ITA, Yamaa YZF R6, 1’45.100



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

Yamaha Racing
Yamaha Italia World Supersport Team
Date: Friday, 1st October 2004
Circuit: Magny Cours, m. 4.411
Final Qualifying
Weather: dry, mostly cloudy Temperature: air 19° C, track 28° C
Crowd: 15.000

SECOND ROW FOR THE TRIO.
Yamaha Racing Italia’s three riders will line up alongside each on the second row of the grid for the final round of the Supersport World Championship at Magny Cours tomorrow. All three were held up by slower riders on their fast laps, but all are confident of finishing with podiums in the 23-lapper – the last race of the year. Aussie Broc Parkes took pole position today, with fellow Honda riders Michel Fabrizio, Sebastien Charpentier and Karl Muggeridge completing the front row.

JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – 6th, 1’44.273
I am a little bit angry because I was confident of keeping my front row grid spot. But, on my fast lap, Fabrizio crashed right in front of me and I lost the opportunity to keep that place. I was third last year here at Magny-Cours and I feel sure that I can be on the podium again this time.

ANDREW PITT – 7th, 1’44.288
My set-up is good and I think that this place suits the Yamaha very well. I am confident of a good result tomorrow and the only problems I had today were with slow riders and lots of traffic in the way.

FABIEN FORET – 8th, 1’44.406
I found a really good set-up, but I didn’t pick the right moment to do my quick lap. There was lots of traffic on the track today and I had to overtake two slow riders on my fast lap and that cost me quite a bit of time.

MATTEO BAIOCCO continued his good run of form by posting the tenth fastest time in final qualifying today – very close to the front runners. The Lorenzini by Leoni rider finished tenth in the Supersport World Championship round at Imola last week and is looking for a strong finish in tomorrow’s 23-lapper.

Final qualifying
1 Parkes (Aus-Honda) 1’43.825, 2 Fabrizio (I-Honda) 1’43.840, 3 Charpentier (F-Honda) 1’43.840, 4 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1’43.953, 5 Curtain (Aus-Yamaha) 1’44.199, 6 VD GOORBERGH (NL-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 1’44.273, 7 PITT (AUS-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 1’44.288, 8 FORET (F-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 1’44.406, 9 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1’44.768, 10 BAIOCCO (I-LORENZINI BY LEONI YAMAHA) 1’45.100



More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

WORLD SUPERBIKE SET FOR FINAL SHOWDOWN AS TOSELAND AND LACONI (DUCATI FILA) QUALIFY 3RD AND 5TH AT MAGNY-COURS

Magny-Cours (France), 2 October 2004: The final round of the World Superbike championship at Magny-Cours is set to be a thriller as all three championship contenders, James Toseland and Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila), together with outsider Chris Vermeulen (Honda), qualified within one tenth of a second of each other for tomorrow’s two races.

B setting third quickest time of 1’41.856 in Superpole behind eventual poleman Corser (Petronas) and Vermeulen, Toseland has a slight advantage over his team-mate Laconi (with a time of 1’41.969) in fifth place on row 2, but both riders are confident that they have the right package for tomorrow’s two 23-lap races.

“Although I didn’t feel my Superpole lap was anything special, we did a really good job today so a big thanks to the team” declared Toseland. “I’ve just been trying to get every problem out of the way, be precise with the changes on the bike and spend as much time out there on the track as possible this weekend.

“We’re third on the grid, which is perfect for me. It’s a front row start, that’s what I wanted because it gives us the best chance tomorrow. We ‘ve been consistently quick on race tyres all through the weekend and I’m looking forward to the challenge” concluded James.

“I’m quite happy to make this time, because the first part of my Superpole lap was not good” explained Laconi. “We have really worked hard for the race, we have found the right choice of tyre and I am confident about the feeling of the bike for the race tomorrow.

“I did a lot of laps in 42.8/9s with the race tyre, I think that will be the pace for the race. You never know, you have to see at the start but for me the second row is not a big problem. It’s just important to make sure everything is right for the race, get off to a good start and ride well tomorrow. There’s not much between me, James and Chris and I feel sure it will be a fantastic battle tomorrow”.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

An article written by Mike Salisbury, the famed designer behind the new AMA logo, was published in the Fall 2004 edition of Forbes FYI, a quarterly supplement to Forbes magazine.

The article, headlined “Hey Johnny, What Are You Rebelling Against” with a subhead that reads “Fifty years ago bad boy Brando starred in The Wild One–and the motorcycle jacket roared into fashion history,” is about leather jackets in motorcycle culture, with a featured selection of current leather jackets.

The article appears on pages 92-97 of the magazine.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell Crew Chief Terry Galagan tells us that he and rider Mike Ciccotto will appear on Greg’s Garage on SPEED TV Tuesday, October 12.

The pair will have one of the team’s Formula Xtreme racebikes with them and will discuss Greg White’s failure to qualify for the FX race at Road Atlanta, which, given the speed of the Buell in question, is nothing short of a sad commentary on his so-called riding skills. However, since he is a capable TV show host, we won’t mention that.

(Note to outraged readers reaching for the keyboard: It’s humor. Get it? Funny? Joke? Ha Ha? And it’s our joke, don’t blame Galagan, OK?)

In short, watch it on SPEED!

(We now return to our regular website programming.)