From a press release issued by Dorna:

MotoGP

· Valentino Rossi starts from pole for the fourth time in 2004. If Rossi fails to finish in the top three in the race it will be the first time he has failed to do so in three consecutive races since his first premier-class podium at Jerez in 2000.

· Rossi’s pole position time is the fastest ever lap of the Donington circuit by a motorcycle, more than two seconds faster than Biaggi’s record pole time from last year. The top nineteen riders on the grid have lapped faster than last year’s pole position record.

· Sete Gibernau starts from the front row for the seventh time this year. Gibernau’s second place finish at Donington last year was his first podium at the circuit.

· Loris Capirossi starts from the front row for the first time since the final race of last year at Valencia.

· Fourth place on the grid is the best qualifying result for Troy Bayliss since he qualified in the same position at his home GP at Philip Island last year.

· Colin Edwards’ fifth place on the grid equals his best ever grid position in MotoGP, having also qualified fifth at both Welkom and Le Mans earlier this year.

· Nicky Hayden has finished in third place at the last two races, his first back-to-back podiums in MotoGP.

· Carlos Checa’s best result at Donington was achieved in 2001 when he finished fifth.

· Following his victory at Sachsenring, Max Biaggi is aiming to score back-to-back wins in the premier class for the first time in his career.

· Colin Edwards and Max Biaggi are the only two riders in the MotoGP class to have scored points at each of the first eight races of 2004.

· Alex Barros, who missed the British GP last year due to an injury sustained in a collision with Yukio Kagayama in the morning warm-up session, has finished on the podium on three occasions at Donington.

· Nobuatsu Aoki will be making his 100th start in the premier-class.


250cc

· If any of the Aprilia riders win the race it will be the 100th GP victory for the Italian factory in the class.

· Alex De Angelis starts from pole position for the first time in a 250cc GP in what is only his ninth start in the class.

· Sebastian Porto has qualified on the front row of the grid at each of the first nine races of the year.

· Hiroshi Aoyama has qualified on the front row for the first time since he started from pole as a wildcard at Suzuka last year.

· If Dani Pedrosa wins it will be the first time in his Grand Prix career that he will have scored back-to-back victories.

· Randy De Puniet has failed to qualify on the front row of the grid for the first time in 2004.

· Alex Debon, Fonsi Nieto and Randy De Puniet are the only three riders in the 250cc class to have scored points at each of the first eight races of 2004.

· Chaz Davies has equalled his best ever qualifying result in 12th place. Davies’ time beats Daijiro Kato’s lap record from 2001 and is the fastest ever lap of Donington by a British rider on a 250.


125cc

· Andrea Dovizioso starts from pole for the fourth time this year and for the first time in his career at back-to-back races. Dovizioso is the first rider to finish in the top four in the first eight races of the year in the 125cc class since 1987 when Fausto Gresini won the first ten races of the year.

· The top ten riders on the grid have improved on the record pole time set last year by Stefano Perugini.

· Hector Barbera, who has now finished in the points at the last eighteen consecutive races, scored his debut victory at Donington last year.

· Mika Kallio starts from the front row for the first time since Phillip Island ‘03.

· Simone Corsi’s fourth place on the grid equals his qualifying performance, set at the same circuit last year. This is also the first time this year that Honda have had two riders on the front row.

· Youichi Ui starts from his best grid position since he qualified second at Le Mans last year. Donington is the only circuit where Ui has won more than once.

· Following his victory in Germany, if Roberto Locatelli wins the British Grand Prix he will end a record sequence of thirty-one races without a rider in the 125cc class winning back to back races, since Arnaud Vincent won at Donington and then Sachsenring in 2002.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning Wet Practice Times:

MotoGP:

1. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:44.198
2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:45.636
3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:45.999
4. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:46.116
5. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:46.231
6. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:46.928
7. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:47.062
8. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:47.080
9. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:47.283
10. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:47.456
11. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 2:47.758
12. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:47.859
13. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:47.866
14. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, 1:48.310
15. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:48.940
16. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:49.182
17. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:49.455
18. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:50.372
19. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:50.589
20. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:50.829
21. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:51.418
22. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:52.237
23. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:54.324
24. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, no times


250cc

1. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:48.870
2. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:48.877
3. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:48.939
4. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:49.280
5. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:49.321
6. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:49.895
7. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:50.060
8. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:50.693
9. Frederik WATZ, Yamaha, 1:50.753
10. Erwan NIGON, Aprilia, 1:50.841
11. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, 1:50.864
12. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:50.887
13. Lee DICKINSON, Honda, 1:51.150
14. Arnaud VINCENT, Aprilia, 1:51.274
15. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:51.315
16. Johan STIGEFELT, Aprilia, 1:51.784
17. Taro SEKIGUCHI, Yamaha, 1:52.007
18. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:52.159
19. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:52.426
20. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:52.587


125cc

1. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 1:52.998
2. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 1:53.157
3. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, 1:53.231
4. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, 1:53.457
5. Eugene LAVERTY, Honda, 1:53.503
6. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 1:53.508
7. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:53.620
8. Julian SIMON, Honda, 1:53.625
9. Simone CORSI, Honda, 1:53.638
10. Youichi UI, Aprilia, 1:53.977
11. Simone SANNA, Aprilia, 1:54.244
12. Kris WESTON, Honda, 1:54.460
13. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:54.637
14. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 1:54.858
15. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:55.061

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

Proposed 2005 AMA Superbike Rule Changes Announced

PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 25, 2004) — AMA Pro Racing has announced the proposed technical rule changes for the 2005 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship. AMA Pro Racing licensed riders and credential holders may comment on proposed rule changes during a 30-day period beginning Monday, July 26 through Wednesday August 25. Comments can be made on AMA Pro Racing’s RIDERS ONLY website at www.amaproracing.com/ridersonly. At
the conclusion of the 30-day period, AMA Pro Racing will review submissions prior to forwarding the package to the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors for ratification.

Proposed technical rule changes for the 2005 season can be viewed at www.ussuperbike.com.

The 2005 AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship will include current support classes (Supersport, Formula Xtreme and Superstock) and discussions are ongoing to include a spec class at certain rounds.

Scott Hollingsworth, AMA Pro Racing CEO confirmed that 1000cc Superbikes will remain the premier class in the championship.

“The current technical rules and class structure that went into effect at the end of 2003 have increased parity, lowered equipment costs and produced some of the most competitive, hard fought racing in years,” said Hollingsworth. “We expect to see these technical rules continue through 2006 and believe this stability will result in continued growth in fan interest as well as greater manufacturer participation.”

Currently Ducati, Honda and Suzuki field factory-supported teams. Each manufacturer has earned at least one victory in the 2004 season.

“Expanding the appeal of AMA Superbike racing is one of the core initiatives of AMA Pro Racing,” continued Hollingsworth. “Many of our promotional partners report that AMA Superbike events represent the highest attended spectator event at their respective facilities. We’re confident that our championship will continue to provide positive, long term value to our fans, sponsors, riders and teams.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 27 laps, 42:17.705
2. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, -6.003 seconds
3. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, -11.463 seconds
4. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, -12.722 seconds
5. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, -30.430 seconds
6. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, -33.007 seconds
7. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, -51.931 seconds
8. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, -55.055 seconds
9. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, -57.422 seconds
10. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, -59.456 seconds
11. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, -66.270 seconds
12. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, -66.566 seconds
13. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, -81.025 seconds
14. Johan STIGEFELT, Aprilia, -81.800 seconds
15. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, -89.120 seconds

22. Arnaud VINCENT, Aprilia, -3 laps, DNF, retired
23. Toni ELIAS, Honda, -14 laps, DNF, retired
24. Alex DEBON, Honda, -24 laps, DNF, crash
25. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, -25 laps, crash

From a press release issued by FGSport Group:

The Suzuka 8 Hours Japanese round of the World Endurance Championship has been won by the No.7 Seven Stars Honda of Ukawa and Izutsu.

The No.11 Seven Stars Honda led the first lap, before being passed by the No.7 Honda, with the No.8 Suzuki and No. 778 FCC TSR close behind. The No.7 Honda then held the lead until the end of the race, a truly impressive feat. Two of the favourite teams went out in the opening hours of the race; the No.11 Seven Stars Honda was crashed by Kamada after only seventeen minutes, and the No.778 FCC TSR Honda was forced to retire after less than two hours on track.

The number 21 Yamaha briefly joined the top three before dropping out of contention, leaving the No.7 Seven Stars Honda, the No.12 Yoshimura Suzuki and the No.8 Kenz Motul Suzuki to stretch away at the front of the pack. This order was maintained until the Kenz Motul Suzuki engine failed in the seventh hour, forcing the team to retire and allowing the No.44 Weider Honda to move up to third place.

Fourth place went to the No.4 Masked Rider Honda, and fifth to Hond Police National Tsukigi. Permanent team Endurance Moto 38’s Gwen Giabanni shared the riding of the Police bike with Toru Kishida. Yamaha GMT94 had steadily worked their way through the field to eighth place, making them the first Yamaha across the line. Yamaha Austria were the second Yamaha to cross the line, finishing in thirteenth place overall.

Yamaha Phase One Endurance finished in a solid seventeenth place but were happy to settle for fifth place in the points. Suzuki Castrol had looked set for a good result – running in seventh place in the early stages – before a crash dropped them down to 52nd place. They were able to work their way through the competitive and crowded field to an eventual 35th place.

The results were dominated by Honda CBR1000RR Fireblades, with fourteen filling the top twenty places. Two Suzuki GSX-R1000s and four Yamaha YZF-R1s also made the top twenty.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

Ukawa – Izutsu take Suzuka 8 Hours win aboard the CBR1000RR Honda

Tohru Ukawa and Hitoyasu Izutsu raced their Seven Stars liveried CBR1000RR Honda to a historic victory at the 27th running of the Suzuka 8 Hours, held at the classic Japanese circuit today. The experienced pairing led the race virtually every step of the way, lead off rider Ukawa moving into the lead half way round lap one and from that point on they never looked back.

They finished the race almost two laps ahead of the Yoshimura Suzuki of Watanabe and Kagayama with the ATS DDBOYS CBR1000RR of Hamaguchi and Moriwaki completing the podium places. It was the eighth consecutive Honda victory in the grueling event and their 19th overall.

Ukawa’s victory was his fourth Suzuka 8 Hour triumph a result that gave him an equal share of the record set by Australian Wayne Gardner over a decade ago.

Ukawa said. “It’s fantastic to win the 8hr race. I didn’t feel that long today. During the first session, when I was leading the race, pace cars entered the track and I took the advantage of it. Usually, accidents happen during the early hours, so I was cautious. But I nearly crashed when there were oil patches on the track. After that, everything went smoothly and during my last run, I was not pushing so hard, may be 70% of my performance.”

For team mate Izutsu it was a dream come true. “I joined Honda to win the 8hr race so I am really happy today. Today, many teams retired and there were less back markers towards the end and it was easier to pass them. #11 crashed and retired during the first hour and we had to finish this year. We couldn’t repeat what had happened last year. The gap between us and Yoshimura became bigger toward the end so I didn’t have to push so hard. At the beginning of this weekend, my back ached because I crashed during the testing in June and broke ribs. But today I was in best shape as the temperature was cooler than that of Thursday or Friday. I thank everyone for this victory.

The first hour of the race was a lottery and the winners took full advantage of the confusion caused by the crash that removed the second Seven Stars CBR of Gaku Kamata and Ryuichi Kiyonari from the race. Kamata, who was racing in place of the injured Yuki Takahashi, crashed their CBR after just half an hour. Worse was to follow for Honda when the much fancied pairing of Shinichi Ito and Takeshi Tsujimura (F.C.C. TSR ZIP-FM CBR1000RR) clashed with the Team Harc-Pro CBR of Yoshiteru Konishi and Tsuyoshi Yasuda.

The accidents brought out two pace cars with Ukawa in between them and he eased away to hand over a one minute lead to Izutsu at the first of the seven refueling stops. Barring a crash or mechanical failure the race was Ukawa’s and Izutsu’s to loose.

They made no mistake slowly but surely easing away from the field to give the CBR1000RR a maiden victory in the event repeating the first time victories scored by its predecessors, the twin cylinder VTR1000SP and the RC45.

At half race distance the eventual winners were a lap clear of the Yoshimura Suzuki with the Kenz Motul Suzuki of Saito and Fukami. The race pattern remained the same at the front until the seventh hour when the Kenz Motul Suzuki was forced out handing third to ATS DDBOYS CBR.

The leading trio were never under pressure and finished in that order the Seven Stars Honda two laps clear of the Yoshimura Suzuki with ATS DDBOYS machine a further lap down. Tatsuya Yamaguchi and Kazuki Tokudome brought the Masked Rider Blade Honda home in fourth place with the Team 22 Police Nationale & Tsukigi Racing pairing of Kishida and Giabbani a fine fifth on their CBR1000RR.

Seven Stars Honda Team manager Kazuhiko Yamano was delighted with the performance of the new CBR100RR.

“What a perfect win that was. I relied on both Ukawa and Izutsu so I wasn’t nervous at all. All the members of the team were together to achieve this victory. I want to thank the staff, sponsors and fans for supporting us.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 45:30.473
2. Colin Edwards, Honda, 45:33.418
3. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 45:34.899
4. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 45:36.569
5. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 45:45.184
6. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 45:47.583
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 45:53.786
8. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 45:58.594
9. Alex Barros, Honda, 46:05.853
10. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 46:14.941
11. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 46:17.963
12. Max Biaggi, Honda, 46:24.477
13. Shane Byrne, Aprilia, 46:27.851
14. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 46:37.631
15. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 46:46.268
16. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 46:56.958
17. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, -1 lap
18. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, -1 lap
19. Alex Hoffman, Kawasaki, -1 lap
20. Michel Fabrizio, Harris WCM, -1 lap
21. Norick Abe, Yamaha, -2 laps, DNF
22. Kurtis Roberts, Proton, -19 laps, DNF
23. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, -28 laps, DNF


MotoGP World Championship Point Standings:

1. ROSSI, 164 points
2. TIE, GIBERNAU/BIAGGI, 142
4. EDWARDS, 95
5. BARROS, 86
6. HAYDEN, 83
7. CHECA, 72
8. CAPIROSSI, 64
9. MELANDRI, 57
10. TAMADA, 56
11. XAUS, 46
12. ABE, 41
13. NAKANO, 37
14. BAYLISS, 34
15. Kenny ROBERTS, 29
16. TIE, HODGSON/HOFMANN, 24
18. HOPKINS, 22
19. BYRNE, 15
20. McWILLIAMS, 10
21. FABRIZIO, 8
22. AOKI, 6
23. PITT, 2
24. Kurtis ROBERTS, 1


More, from a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:

HOPKINS SCORES BEST RESULT OF THE YEAR AT BRITISH GRAND PRIX

DONINGTON, England (July 25, 2004) – John Hopkins scored his best MotoGP finish of the 2004 season so far with an eighth-place result Sunday in the British Grand Prix at Donington Park. It marked the second straight top-10 result for Hopkins and is proving continued progress of Suzuki’s GSV-R MotoGP racer.

Hopkins quickly worked his way up from a 16th-place qualifying position and worked his way through the field and eventually battled in a group of four riders jockeying for seventh.

“I got an excellent start,” Hopkins said. “I didn’t make up a lot of positions early on, but enough that I didn’t lose touch of the main pack of riders. Every pass I made was under braking. We picked a great race tire. Unfortunately, we’re still a little under-horsepowered and I was forced to abuse the tires a bit to be able to make passes.”

As normal in MotoGP there was a lot of tight racing in the race.

“I got by Biaggi and he definitely didn’t want to give up the position. He made an aggressive move and we made hard contact, but he’s done that to me many times before. I made my way up to a group of riders and was able to get by Capirossi, which was hard to do, and Barros. Checa was up ahead, but by this time I was starting to get a front-end push. Capirossi and Abe got by me. Abe was flying, but just a few laps from the end he high-sided n front of me again. That cost me some time and Capirossi was gone so eighth was the best I could manage.”

It was a good day for America riders with Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden and Hopkins scoring top-10 finishes. Hopkins believes his season is looking up.

“It feels good to be able to make my way through the field and pass some of the guys I did today. My confidence is growing with each round and Suzuki and Bridgestone are making great progress. If I’d had a better qualifying session I’m pretty certain I would have scored a top-five result today. That’s my next goal.”

Hopkins’ family is from England and he had a large group of family and friends at the race supporting him. “This is pretty much my home race,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins concluded by praising the improved Donington Park circuit and the race organizers.

“I really appreciate the work they’ve put into this track. Even though we didn’t have a good tire for qualifying the new racing surface proved to be excellent. This track is one of my favorites on the circuit.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:


Ducati Marlboro men back on form in Britain

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi scored one of their best results of the year at Donington Park this afternoon, coming home in fifth and seventh positions. The hard-fought race was difficult for everyone, since today’s weather was much cooler than it had been on Friday and Saturday, affecting bike settings and tyre choice. Light drizzle also fell during the race. Nevertheless Bayliss and Capirossi underlined the team’s return to form, Capirossi qualifying on the front row for the first time and then leading the first lap of the 30-lap event.

“Finally we’ve got a result that proves we are on our way back,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “Overall this has been a good weekend for us – both riders’ lap times were good and their finishing positions weren’t so bad, especially considering it was a very, very fast race, 36 seconds quicker than last year’s. Now we head into the summer break with the bike and riders in a good mood, so we can look forward to some relaxation after such a busy period, with six races over the last eight weekends.”

Today’s race was won by reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, watched by a record crowd of 82,000; more than four times the figure of four years ago.

Bayliss survives ‘scary’ moment to get 5th
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss rode a thrilling race to fifth place at cool, cloudy and breezy Donington today. The Aussie, who started fourth on the grid after missing a front-row start by five thousandths of a second, ran strongly throughout, surviving one heart-stopping moment when he ran off the track at the daunting 120mph/195kmh Craner Curve. This morning Bayliss proved the usability of Ducati’s new Twin Pulse motor by topping the damp warm-up session.

“I’m really happy to finally get a decent result under my belt, especially after a tough few races,” said Bayliss. “But really I thought I might do a bit better. The track was quite a bit cooler than it had been and we lost some grip. I had one big ‘let go’ down Craner which was pretty scary. It was a long ride across the grass, I just told myself ‘don’t touch anything!’. It also rained a bit a couple of times during the race but only enough to cost us a couple of tenths a lap. But overall I’m really happy, I know I can ride up front, so during the break I’ll be relaxing and training hard so we can get some good results during the rest of the season.”

Capirossi leads british GP, finishes 7th
Loris Capirossi had high hopes of scoring his first podium result of the year at Donington today but the cooler conditions took the edge off the Ducati Marlboro Team rider’s performance. That’s not to say he didn’t try hard from start to finish, including a hugely brave move on lap one through Craner, when he grabbed the lead from Rossi.

“During practice we were very good,” said Capirossi. “The weather changed and that gave me some problems – mainly less stability than usual during heavy braking. I started well but once I noticed I was having a bit of trouble on the brakes, I had to ease my pace slightly. I also slowed a little when it started raining. Anyway, all things considered I am happy. Today wasn’t the easiest of races for us but we have proved once again that the bike is growing and that we are moving forward.”


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


Rossi romps to fifth win of the year


Gathering clouds overhead and a second or two of rain in the early laps of today’s British Grand Prix could not stop Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi from picking up his fifth win of the year in commanding fashion. In front of 82,091 spectators Rossi’s one-man charge at the Donington track and ultimate victory increased his championship lead to 22 points ahead of Honda riders Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi. Rossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa made a determined ride to sixth place.

Rossi took an immediate lead from pole position into the first turn as he attempted an early breakaway. Passes from Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and Sete Gibernau (Honda) prevented him from such a tactic until the second lap, when he managed to pull out a short gap of 0.7 seconds. The distance between Rossi and the rest of the pack increased until half race distance, and his cushion of time had grown to over two seconds. Rossi continued his race domination to build a four second gap which he guarded throughout the final laps, winning by a margin of 2.945 seconds having eased off to enjoy a victory celebration over the line.

Checa’s race start pushed him inside the group of top ten riders, and several aggressive moves during the 30-lap contest helped him to a final sixth place. This enabled him to hold on to valuable championship points and the Catalan rider now lies seventh overall in the standings with 72 points. Rossi leads the championship by 164 points, 22 clear of his closest rivals Gibernau and Biaggi, who are tied on 142. After a charged performance to a second place finish, Colin Edwards (Honda) is fourth overall with 95 points.


Valentino Rossi (1st, 45’30.473)
“This was a great victory at an important race, and the bike was good to ride. I was a little worried about the tyres. I know it was possible to have a good rhythm through the race but at the start I did not have so much feeling with the rear end because it was colder than yesterday. Slowly, slowly the gap came for me at the front. I had a little problem with the gentle rain that started falling, but everybody slowed down and then the weather got better and it was possible to win. This win was very important because today the bike worked very well. I have to say thank you to the team who worked very well all weekend and to Michelin because the tyres worked right to the end. I am happy because I have taken a small advantage in the championship and at some tracks we will not have the advantage in race conditions so it is good to have these extra points. I will sleep much better in the summer break. We have had problems with the rear at the last few races and we hope to be able to fix those on Tuesday when we test here.”

Carlos Checa (6th, 45’47.583)
“At the start of the race I lost many places that took some time to recover. When it started raining I saw Capirossi put his hand up and I thought everyone else had so I rolled off the gas. Then I realised that nobody else had so I lost at least four seconds there. I did not have enough confidence in the brakes in the first few laps, plus the position of the bike and myself to push. The start of the race determined my finish in the race. If I had started higher up then I think it was possible to have finished fourth. But it is like it is, I’m not that disappointed because we have done a good job. Watching Valentino winning means that they are doing something better than us so I think it is time for us to go up.”

Jeremy Burgess, Valentino Rossi’s crew chief
“The bike has been working well over the weekend and we seem to be making inroads into some of the problems we have been experiencing each race. That’s very encouraging. It’s a different track and tyres to what we used last year, it was the tyre we ran on Friday and Saturday so we had put enough laps on it to know what should work in the race. The only unknown today was the weather and as long as that wind was blowing I felt confident that the rain would stay away. I think we did all we had to this weekend. Five wins out of nine is pretty good but nine out of nine would be better!”


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:


Nakano in the points at Donington

Shinya Nakano salvaged a single World Championship point for the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team when he finished fifteenth in the British Grand Prix at a heavily overcast, but mainly dry Donington Park today.

With team-mate Alex Hofmann in nineteenth place, the British GP ended in frustration for both riders, who just a week ago produced a double top ten result in the German Grand Prix.

Finding a competitive chassis, engine and tyre set-up for the Ninja ZX-RR to match the unique demands of the Donington track proved elusive over three days of practice and racing.

Consequently, the 30-lap race proved to be a test of the resourcefulness of Nakano and Hofmann, who both refused to give up as they battled reduced grip levels over the final laps.

Hofmann made a superb start from the seventh row and passed six riders to be fifteenth at the end of the first lap, ahead of his Fuchs Kawasaki team-mate, Nakano. He conceded one position on lap five with a braking error into the chicane, but worse was to come four laps later.

Chasing a charging pack of riders into turn one, Hofmann was surprised by the brief rain shower at Redgate Corner and made a brilliant recovery after running off through the gravel trap.

Having dropped to last place Hofmann made finishing the race his priority.

Meanwhile Nakano was not able to find his usual level of confidence and grip levels to push from twelfth on the grid and, after dropping to sixteenth, the determined Japanese rider made sure of a points finish over the final laps.

The race was watched by an enthusiastic turn out of 82,000 spectators and, apart for the brief rain shower on lap nine, the threatening rain held off.

Shinya Nakano: 15th
“This was a very difficult race for me, and I couldn’t ride to my full potential; really it was like that from first practice on Friday. The team made a lot of set-up adjustments, but we never found the ideal compromise for Donington. From the first lap I couldn’t get good grip, and I was not able to push. I didn’t have my normal level of confidence, but I guess one point is better than zero. It’s disappointing, but now we have three weeks before the next race to try for a better result.”

Alex Hofmann: 19th
“I had a great start and was able to pass a bunch of guys and, for five laps, I thought I could attack and hold my position and finish in the points. But then I realised that the rear grip was not going to make it easy. The bike was starting to slide a lot and then, on lap nine, I arrived at turn one, there was a little bit of rain and I was already too late on the brakes; I was in the slipstream behind a group of riders. I made it through the gravel trap but was in last place, and from there I just wanted to get to the finish. We have to improve a lot to have a chance at this track.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“Just one week after our best result of the season this is obviously not a good result for us. Clearly we have a lot of work to do, both with the bike and tyres, to find a competitive package over the race distance for the special demands of Donington. Three low gear corners do not suit the current power characteristics of our engine, but we are continuing a development programme to improve that, and all areas of the Ninja ZX-RR. The riders did the best they could; we just never found the right balance.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:


Hopkins takes fine fighting eighth in Britain


Team Suzuki MotoGP rider John Hopkins rode on of the best races of his career, coming through from 16th on the grid to join a high-class high-intensity battle for seventh place. At the finish, his tyres used up, he dropped to eighth -his best finish of the year, and “one of my best races ever”.

Team-mate Kenny Roberts Junior had the opposite experience. Caught in a tyre-choice bind, he found that every attempt to push hard merely made him go slower. Not even sure he could finish, he pressed on to the end, to finish 17th, just one place out of the points, but one lap down on the leaders.

Hopkins’s race saw the Suzuki GSV-R rider moving through to overtake factory rivals Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros, making ground with daring braking moves, and holding his position in spite of a top speed disadvantage. Only in the closing stages of the 30 laps of the 4.023km Donington Park circuit did John slacken his pace, having punished his front tyre with his hard efforts in the early stages. Prudence dictated ceding seventh to Capirossi to be sure of reaching the finish line.

Hopkins’s strong race is another step up the ladder for the team and the motorcycle, currently in the middle of a major development programme, with the aim of regaining race-winning positions. The last time Suzuki won the World Championship was in 2000, with Kenny Roberts Jr.

The race was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi, his fifth victory of the year. Now the GP circus breaks up for three weekends – the summer break, that ends with the Czech Republic GP on August 22.

Footnote: Comedian Alan Davies (star of “Jonathan Creek”) was a guest at the Suzuki pit on race day. Davies is a long-standing motorcyclist and racing fan.


John Hopkins – 8th position
I know that’s not my best result, but I feel it was one of my best rides. I didn’t get a great starting position because we had problems with qualifying tyres, but I knew we’d been good from day one on race tyres. After talking with my crew chief Stu Shenton, he said I should stay wide on Turn One, and I made a couple of passes there to get up with the front guys. After that I had my work cut out. I was passing people under brakes . picking one off, then going after the next. It was a hard fight, after I passed Barros and Capirossi. I don’t think we made a wrong tyre choice – we used a medium front, and it worked well, but towards the end of the race I’d worked it so hard when I was pushing that I was getting front-end slides, and when Capirossi passed me back I didn’t have the pace to stay with him. Then Abe came by, and for a second weekend in succession had a big crash right in front of me. After that I figured we’d had a strong race and got a good position, and the crew had worked really hard, so I went to be sure of a finish. It’s a good feeling to go into the break with this.

Kenny Roberts Jr. – 13th position, 1:30.239
I had a problem that the harder I tried to ride the slower I went – so with about 21 laps to go I tried to make it to the finish. Sometimes it didn’t look possible, but we made it to the end. That’s all I can say.

Erv Kanemoto – technical consultant
Kenny used a different tyre with a softer compound from what the others chose. The harder tyre didn’t work well for him, and we had indications that the softer one would last a little longer. Instead it incurred higher wear, and it was clear from the tyre at the end that he couldn’t push the bike at all.

Garry Taylor – team manager
I’m sure John will look back at this race with pride and a smile on his face. He rode aggressively, with consistent lap times, and got a good finish. He did a really great job. Kenny had a horrible race. He needs to put it behind him over the break – something all of us need – and look forward to going on at Brno and beyond.


More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Rossi celebrates once again at Donington Park

Valentino Rossi celebrated his fifth victory in front of a record crowd of 82,091 fans at Donington Park this afternoon after a dominant display in the Cinzano British Grand Prix. Rossi started from pole position and, after briefly losing the lead to Loris Capirosssi and dropping several places on the first lap, he swept back to the front just moments later and never looked back, opening up a two second gap over chasing Honda riders Colin Edwards and Sete Gibernau which he maintained until the chequered flag.

“This was an amazing race, I’m very happy,” commented Rossi, who extended his advantage at the top of the championship to 22 points after Max Biaggi could only manage thirteenth. “I got a good start and I knew my rhythm was going to be good as it had been in qualifying. Colin and Sete were very strong but I just concentrated on keeping my pace going. The crowd here were amazing and, as always at Donington, it is very special to win here.”

Edwards overcame his team-mate Gibernau to clinch second place and seal his first ever MotoGP podium after making the step up from World Superbikes last season. After two crashes in the last two races, however, third place was a welcome result for the Spaniard, who moves back into second place overall, level on points with Biaggi but with a superior win total.

Capirossi eventually slipped back through the order, his Ducati team-mate Troy Bayliss and Honda rider Nicky Hayden coming through to battle for fourth place, with the American youngster eventually winning out after passing the Australian and then seeing him run straight across the grass in the Craner Curves section. Bayliss recovered and hung on to fifth place, his best result of the season, ahead of Carlos Checa in sixth and Capirossi, who eventually dropped back to seventh.

Norick Abe crashed out of a thrilling battle for the remaining top ten positions, launching from his Yamaha at high speed as he had done at Sachsenring seven days previously. The Japanese rider’s misfortune allowed John Hopkins to come through for his best finish of the season in eighth, just ahead of Alex Barros and Neil Hodgson, who clinched tenth to the delight of the home crowd.

Marco Melandri did not take part in the race after failing to recover sufficiently from a broken thumb sustained in Friday’s morning free practice. However, the Italian expects to be back in action when the season resumes after a short summer break at the Gauloises Grand Prix Ceske Republiky on August 22.

Dani Pedrosa extended his lead at the top of the 250cc World Championship with another stunning display which simply destroyed the rest of the quarter-litre field. The Spanish rookie took the lead on the first lap and made a typical break from the lead group, lapping alone as he had done at the Sachsenring seven days previously and eventually winning by over six seconds from Sebastian Porto. Randy De Puniet returned to the podium in third place and remains second in the championship, 18 points ahead of Porto but trailing Pedrosa by 34 with just seven rounds remaining.

It was a similar story in the 125cc class, where Pedrosa’s Honda successor Andrea Dovizioso took a clear and dominant victory to consolidate his own World Championship lead. Dovizioso was the only rider from the top five championship contenders to pick up any points at all today, with Casey Stoner missing through injury and Hector Barberá, Roberto Locatelli and Pablo Nieto all crashing out. The Italian youngster was joined on the podium by Alvaro Bautista, who sealed his first top three finish in second place, and Jorge Lorenzo, and now leads the series by 32 points from Locatelli going into the four-week break.


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

ROBERTS STOPPED SHORT, BUT AOKI FINISHES IN ENGLAND

Round 9: British GP, Donington Park
Race: Sunday, July 25, 2004

Nobuatsu Aoki: 18th position
Kurtis Roberts: DNF – retired

Proton Team KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki overcame handling difficulties to claim another finish in today’s British GP – home race for the Banbury-based team, bringing the 990cc Proton KR V5 home in 18th place.

Team-mate Kurtis Roberts didn’t make the chequered flag. After 11 of the 30 laps of the 4.023km Donington Park circuit outside Derby, while he was circulating one place ahead of Aoki, his engine suffered a mystery ailment and stopped running out on the track. After the race it started up again without trouble, and the team were investigating the reason for what showed on the data as an apparently temporary fuel pressure failure.

The race had been an important test session for the team, working to regain momentum lost this year when the Mk2 version of the England-made V5 engine failed to produce the predicted power. At this race, team principal Kenny Roberts decreed that they would move from racing mode to testing mode, running through a variety of different specifications for the 990cc motor.

Now there is a three weekend break before the next round at Brno in the Czech Republic – time for the engineers to take the benefit of the lessons of their home GP, and to move the project forward again.

The race was watched by a record crowd of more than 80,000 people, and was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi. Rain in the morning cleared for the race, and remained dry (but for a few worrying spots) for the main event, though it began again soon afterwards.

NOBUATSU AOKI
It was a pretty hard race, because the problem of skidding sideways into all the corners that I had in first practice came back again. Right from the first lap. We had improved it with set-up changes, but it came back again. In the middle stage of the race, from laps 10 to 20, the tyre grip was pretty consistent, so I could push hard. In the later stages the skidding was too bad. It was hard to manage my lap time, and I just tried to make it to the finish.

KURTIS ROBERTS
I was just getting going, getting a bit of a rhythm going, then the engine just stopped out on the track. My race was done. There’s not much more to say about it, except I hope we can come back stronger after the break.


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:


Byrne thrills bumper home crowd in Britain


MS Aprilia Racing’s Shane Byrne could not have picked a better time to produce one of his best performances of the season in front a massive home crowd of 82,000 at today’s British GP.

The 27-year-old ended the 30-lap race at his favourite Donington Park in 13th position on his Cube three-cylinder after one the best displays of his rookie MotoGP campaign. Spurred on by a record British GP crowd, Shakey started from 18h on the grid, but the reigning British superbike champion lost two places in the scuffle for places on the opening lap and for the first two laps followed Aprilia team-mate Jeremy McWilliams. He passed McWilliams on lap nine but was still only running in 17th as he struggled with his Cube running on a full fuel load. But as the race progressed and the fuel load lightened, he really got into the groove and began to dramatically cut his lap times. Shakey spent the next 10 laps chasing hard on the tail of Shinya Nakano, who he finally caught and passed at the Melbourne Loop on lap 21.

In the final few laps of the race, Shakey’s pace was better than some of the riders dicing in the top six. He kept on setting personal best times and his best lap of the race came three laps from the end with a best of 1.31.472s as he began to reel in world championship contender Max Biaggi. His best time was good enough for the 14th fastest of the lap of the race, giving Byrne great confidence going into a well deserved three-week summer lay-off. Shakey said: “I am very satisfied although not with my start. I didn’t get away well at all and it was like the first race of the season again when everybody pulled away. I had some problems in the early laps with the full tank and it made hard for to turn the bike and change direction through the first section. When I was catching Biaggi it was really funny. With a couple more laps I would have passed him. It was great to see the British fans who were really cheering me on. It was very exciting and hopefully they had a good time watching me.”

Team-mate McWilliams was just place outside of the points in his home race in 16th position and he said: “I had some problems with the rear end, particularly in the left turns where it was really difficult to control the bike. I’m disappointed not to make a good result in my home race but I didn’t want to pick up another injury.”


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda Racing Information:


Difficult Donington date for Max and Makoto

It was a tough day at Donington Park for the two Camel Honda team riders. Max Biaggi, who started from row three, and had a promising start to the race where he picked up positions and terrain, was held back by a problem in the changes of gear, and was unable to keep up with the front group’s rhythm. Max finished 12th taking four points for the championship. The gap to the summit has widened, and now stands at 22 points, but the Brno race on August 22 will be a chance to get that gap back. Makoto finished 14th, in a race where a lack of rear grip stopped him from attacking and advancing up the order.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“Max was unable to express himself in today’s race because of a gear selection problem. It’s a shame because Max had shown he had the necessary pace for today’s race in the final practice session,so we were in good shape to do well. The gap between him and the top of the standings has now widened a little. We must forget this race immediately, and work on the next race in Brno to make up for today’s misfortune. Above all to get back those points we’ve lost here today in Donington.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 12th – 46’24.477
“On the starting grid I realised that the gear lever wasn’t right. The problem had already emerged in the warm-up, but it had been solved. However, on the sighting lap I noticed that the problem was back again. My foot was bleeding from the force I had to use to change gears in order to bring the bike home. I also was thinking about changing bikes after the warm-up lap but I would have started in last place, from the pits, I would have lost even more time and perhaps I wouldn’t even have the four points that I picked up that keep me in second in the championship. Of course after the win in Germany and to be just a point off the top of the standings, we didn’t need the luck we had today. It’s not what I expected after the last two races, but now I want to put this result behind me straight away, and make up for it in Brno.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“It is not acceptable to finish the race over a minute behind, knowing what our true potential is. In the four sessions on Friday and Saturday the team concentrated on getting the best setting for the race. In the second qualifying session on Saturday afternoon the situation improved a little. In the race, after the morning rain the climate affected the performance of the tyre, which was unusual. We hope that Bridgestone can make a major step forward in the summer break and have a more consistent performance in the second half of the season.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 14th – 46’37.631
“The track temperature was much lower than the previous two days and I had very little feeling with the rear of the bike from the start, the grip was very precarious. The situation got worse during the race and I wasn’t inconditions to attack and remount. The performance of the time wasn’t optimum and I am not happy about the level of my competitiveness at this British Grand Prix”.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:


dwards back on form but Rossi takes the win

A crowd of 82,000 watched a strangely sterile race here at Donington Park. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won from Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V), with Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MovisStar Honda RC211V) third.

On a windy, cool day Rossi stole an advantage in this tight title race, but Colin Edwards powerful performance after a trouble

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

STATEMENT REGARDING REPSOL SUPERSTOCK AT MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE

July 25, 2004

During the Repsol Superstock race, a red flag was mistakenly shown. On lap 13, race control was made aware of the situation and displayed the official red flag to end the race.

The race was ruled complete following lap 13, due to over 50 percent of total laps having been completed by the leader. The results reverted to lap 11, the last official race lap prior to the situation.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional Sunday Morning AMA Superbike Practice Times:

1. Ben Bostrom, Honda, 1:27.046
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:27.218
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:27.411
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.503
5. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:27.761
6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, 1:29.186
7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, 1:29.247
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:29.260
9. Eric Wood, Suzuki, 1:30.254
10. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:30.285
11. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, 1:30.393
12. Marty Craggill, Suzuki, 1:30.444
13. John Haner, Suzuki, 1:30.773
14. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:31.094
15. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, 1:31.312