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American Kenny Noyes And Teammates Running Third In Spanish 24-hour After Nine Hours

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From a press release:

24 Hores de Motociclisme
Circuit de Catalunya
Montmelo, Cataluynya

Catalá Suzuki 1 leads 24 Hours of Catalunya after Nine Hours

Night has fallen over the Circuit of Catalunya with the Catala 1 Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge) holding a single lap lead over the Folch 2 Yamaha (Tomas-Hervas-Ribalta. The battle for third has become a duel between the Catala 2 Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado and the Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez).

The Folch 1 machine (Sanchez-Arque-Martinez) was also in the hunt for third place until forced to make a lengthy stop with an electrical problem.

Fastest individual laps so far have gone to David Tomas (1’51.583), Kenny Noyes (1’51.743) and Josep Monge (1’52.155), but those times were in the daylight. The only riders in the 1’52s under the nearly full moon (and circuit lights, of course) are Monge and Noyes.

The battle for the lead is intense, but Monge 8th hour stint with a series of 52s allowed the Catala 1 Suzuki to break clear. Noyes’ 8th hour run of 52s made back the time lost for Catalá 2 but third rider Delgado who is finding the going hard at night and is giving up four seconds a lap and the team has shorted his stints to 35 minutes, hoping that he will get back on the pace at dawn.

Meanwhile, The Procurve Honda CBR1000RR ridden by the Belgian-French-Spanish trio is having slipper clutch problems and looks to be dropping back into the clutches of the Chalon Yamaha (Boquet-Baker-Giles).

The pace cars (two are used to collect the field) were out in the sixth hour for three laps while crash debris was cleared from the main straight.

The original crowd of 30,000 has now faded to only a few thousand, many of whom will follow the action throughout the night, but the big crowd will be back in the morning to see who is still running.

Next report at 11 hours…Spanish midnight.

1. Catalá 1, Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge)

2. Folch 2, Yamaha (Tomas-Hervas-Ribalta) – 1 lap

3. Catala 2, Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado) – 3 laps

4. Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez)-1. -4 laps

5. Procurve Honda (Stey-Lagrille-Roda) – 14 laps

6. Chalon Yamaha, (Boquet-Baker-Giles) – 14

7. Prolimit Suzuki (Gomez-Olmos-Delgado)- 16

8. Folch 1 Yamaha (Sanchez-Arque-Martinez) -17

9. Tumoto Yamaha (Mir-Huguet-Simon) – 18

10. Procurve Honda (Rojas-Carrau-Guiteres) – 23



British Sidecar Event At Knockhill Postponed Due To Heavy Rains

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From a press release issued by organizers of the Eastern Airways Sidecar Championship:

RACE POSTPONED

Torrential rain at the Knockhill circuit in Fife caused organisers to postpone the opening Eastern Airways Sidecar Championship race until Sunday morning.

The entire Saturday afternoon qualifying and race schedule was abandoned with more then four hours remaining.

The Eastern Airways Sidecar teams will now do battle over two races at the 1.3-mile circuit near Dunfermline.

Tim and Tristan Reeves collected their first ‘Nexa Autocolor pole position award’ after pipping nine times world champion Steve Webster.

“I’m over the moon,” admitted Reeves. “I knew what the story would be if it did rain so I went hard at the start of the session, beat Steve’s time from yesterday and then the rain came – result!”


Knockhill – round five – final qualifying

1 Tim Reeves Suzuki 56.094s
2 Steve Webster Suzuki 56.284s
3 Derek Brindley Suzuki 56.934s
4 Richard Gatt Suzuki 57.238s
5 Bryan Pedder Suzuki 57.903s
6 Greg Lambert Suzuki 57.969s
7 Ben Birchall Yamaha 58.092s
8 Stuart Muldoon Suzuki 58.117s
9 Bill Philp Yamaha 58.271s
10 Andy Peach Suzuki 58.305s




AMA Sports May Charge AMA Pro Hard Card Holders To Enter Mid-Ohio On Thursday Before AMA Pro National; Long List Of AMA Pro Privateers Excluded From Event

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

According to its website, AMA Sports apparently plans to charge gate entry fees to everyone entering Mid Ohio Sports Car Course on Wednesday and Thursday prior to the July 23-25 AMA Pro Racing National weekend, even if they have an AMA Pro Racing hard card season credential.

Which would mean that AMA Pro Racing team truck drivers and crews seeking to set up on Wednesday and Thursday would have to pay to get in the gate.

The AMA Sports website states, “AMA Pro Racing hard cards (credentials) will only be accepted for proof of road racing license and DO NOT grant entry into this event by anyone.”

And instead of Thursday practice at the event, AMA Sports is holding races–including a 4-hour–that cannot be entered by AMA Pro license holders who have finished in the top 10 in an AMA Pro Superbike race or in the top three in an AMA Pro Supersport, Superstock, 250cc GP or Formula Xtreme race since 1999. This restriction means that non-factory riders and privateers like Lee Acree, Opie Caylor, Geoff May, Jack Pfeifer, Jeremy Toye, Jake Holden, John Haner, Eric Wood and others who have not been on the track since its surface was substantially changed by grinding, will first experience the new surface on Friday, the morning before the first qualifying sessions.

Riders who have been on the new surface report that it requires substantial set-up changes.

AMA Sports is a department of the non-profit AMA, in charge of running amateur and semi-pro racing events.

AMA Pro Racing is a separate for-profit subsidiary of the AMA, in charge of running professional racing events.

AMA Sports rules for the Mid-Ohio event, which is being run under contract by WERA officials and which will pay WERA points, can be seen at:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/2004/rr/index.asp

Picotte Wins Canadian Superbike Race One In Calgary

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From a press release issued by series organizers:

PICOTTE PERFECT IN CALGARY

CALGARY, AB Pascal Picotte won both National Pro events at Race City Motorsport Park Saturday, dominating the Parts Canada Superbike and Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike races.

The Granby, QC, rider, last year’s champion in both classes made an excellent start in the Superbike race aboard his Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 and was never headed. By lap 3 Picotte had a lead of well over a second on second-place Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC.

“I knew I had to check out and do the best I could in the first 10 laps, or at least the first five laps,” Picotte said.”It really worked out but you never know what could happen until the last lap. I kept the pace up as much as I could and I just kept pulling away.”

Crevier timed-in second-fastest in qualifying Friday but was assessed a penalty for exceeding the class horsepower limit, which relegated him to the 16th starting position.But partway through the first lap Crevier was second. He held that spot for the rest of the race on his DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON held third for the first two laps on the Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1 before Jeff Williams of Harrowsmith, ON moved past him in the south end.The DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider was soon passed by the Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR ridden by Jordan Szoke of Brantford, ON, who then came under pressure from local rider Clint McBain.

The two young riders battled for several laps until McBain finally prevailed.Over the last four laps, McBain’s Coors Light Racing / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 erased a four-second lead held by Crevier and took the checkered flag right on the tail of Crevier’s motorcycle.

In Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike, Calgary racer Chris Peris held the lead for the first three laps on his Suzuki GSX-R600 with Crevier and Picotte in hot pursuit.

Picotte took his Yamaha YZF-R6 around the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Crevier in the south end of the track on lap 3 and got by Peris in the same area a lap later. Crevier got around Peris on lap 6 and while he was able to close on the leader with four laps to go, he was unable to make a serious challenge.

Polesitter McBain finished third on his Suzuki GSX-R600.

Threatening weather closed in just as the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike riders were beginning their qualifying session, which was cancelled as a result.

Times from Friday’s practice will be used to set Sunday’s Amateur 600 Sport Bike grid, putting Dominic Lavoie of Levis, QC on the pole on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR.

Racing Sunday will also include the second races for both the Parts Canada Superbike and Pro 600 Sport Bike series.

This weekend’s events will be televised on TSN on July 24 and July 31 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Aug. 8 at 12:00 p.m. and Aug. 22 at 11:30 a.m. The action will also appear in one-hour format later this summer on Toronto1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.


Results of Saturday’s second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary, showing finishing position, number, rider name, hometown and brand of motorcycle:

1. #1, Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
2. #14, Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Suzuki;
3. #9, Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
4. #101, Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda;
5. #7, Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Suzuki;
6. #34, Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
7. #31, Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha;
8. #3, Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
9. #26, Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda;
10. #6, Craig Connell, Brisbane, Australia, Suzuki;
11. #16, Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Kawasaki;
12. #17, Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha;
13. #13, Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki;
14. #36, Peter Holzinger, Banff, AB, Suzuki;
15. #74, Michael Leon, Beaconsfield, QC, Suzuki;
16. #51, Yannick Morin, Repetigny, QC;
17. #114, Corey Sherman, Corbyville, ON, Suzuki;
18. #11, Mike Zottmann, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
19. #12, Bill Card, Wellesley, ON, Honda;
20. #46, Tim Easton, Calgary, AB, Yamaha;
DNF. #100, Dale Yamada, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki;
DNF. #42, Barry French, Brampton, ON, Yamaha;
DNF. #47, Matt Binns, Uxbridge, ON, Ducati;
DNF. #169, James McCarthy, Edmonton, AB, Kawasaki;
DNF. #441, Francois Chartrand, Anjou, QC, Yamaha;
DNS. #57, Dave Hodge, Acton, ON, Triumph

Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings after two of eight rounds, showing position, rider name and point total:
1. Pascal Picotte, 99;
2. Steve Crevier, 94;
3. Clint McBain, 85;
4. Kevin Lacombe, 62;
5. Jordan Szoke, 59;
6 tie. Jeff Williams, 54;
6 tie. Frank Trombino, 54;
8. Andrew Nelson, 44;
9. Craig Connell, 38;
10. Matthew McBride, 30;
11. Francis Martin, 27;
12. Chris Peris, 24;
13. Jean-Francois Cyr, 21;
14. Michael Leon, 18;
15 tie. Brian Nielsen, 15;
15 tie. Brent Strong, 15;
17. Bill Card, 14;
18. Stuart Nodell, 13;
19. Peter Holzinger,
20. Yannick Morin, 8;
21 tie. Larry Orde, 6;
21 tie. Corey Sherman, 6;
23 tie. Darren Wilbur, 4;
23 tie. Mike Zottmann, 4;
25. Dave Young, 2;
26 tie. Tim Easton, 1;
26 tie. Sebastien Michel, 1

Sportbike Results

1. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha
2.Steve Crevier, Suzuki
3. Clint McBain, Suzuki
4. Chris Peris, Suzuki
5. Jordan Szoke, Honda
6. Craig Connell, Suzuki
7. Frank Trombino, Yamaha
8. Francis Martin, Kawasaki
9. Andrew Nelson, Honda
10. Kevin Lacombe, Yamaha
11. Matthew McBride, Kawasaki
12. Jeff Williams, Suzuki
13. Alan Schmidt, Yamaha
14. Dale Yamada, Kawasaki
15. Brian Nielsen, Yamaha
16. Corey Sherman, Suzuki
17. Bill Card, Honda
18. Barry French, Yamaha
19. Alex Lotsov, Suzuki
20. Yannick Morin, Kawasaki

Pedrosa Heads 250cc GP Practice Times Saturday In Brazil

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning 250cc GP Practice Times:

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:53.413
2. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:53.434
3. Manuel POGGIALI , Aprilia, 1:53.546
4. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:53.796
5. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:53.958
6. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:53.977
7. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:54.048
8. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:54.150
9. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:54.687
10. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:54.751
11. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:55.116
12. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:55.156
13. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, 1:55.214
14. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:55.252
15. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 1:55.360
16. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, 1:55.367
17. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:55.492
18. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:55.554
19. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:55.700
20. Johan STIGEFELT, Aprilia, 1:56.268

Stoner Leads Second 125cc GP Free Practice In Rio

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Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning’s 125cc GP Practice Times:

1. Casey STONER, KTM, 1:57.664
2. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 1:57.752
3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:57.800
4. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, 1:58.125
5. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 1:58.188
6. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:58.472
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, 1:58.554
8. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 1:58.828
9. Mike DI MEGLIO, Aprilia, 1:59.136
10. Simone CORSI, Honda, 1:59.233
11. Julian SIMON, Honda, 1:59.286
12. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:59.311
13. Mattia PASINI, Aprilia, 1:59.325
14. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 1:59.334
15. Gioele PELLINO, Aprilia, 1:59.408

American Kenny Noyes And Team Still Third 11 Hours Into 24-Hour Race At Catalunya

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From a press release:

24 Hores de Motociclisme
Circuit de Catalunya
Montmelo, Cataluynya

Third report/ Midnight

Suzuki Holds One-Lap Lead at Midnight in Spanish Marathon

At the stroke of midnight the sky over the Circuit of Cataluyna exploded with a fifteen minute fireworks display…all that plus a full moon and the howling of 52 surviving machines from the 57 that started the 24 Hours of Catalunya

The race after eleven hours still has the Folch 2 Yamaha riders pushing to try and get back on the lead lap with the Catala 1 Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge), but the Catala 2 Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado) is still holding a slim one-lap advantage over the Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez) in the battle for third.

Former American dirt tracker Kenny Noyes was one of only three riders lapping in 1’53 during the midnight stint (the others were Dani Ribalta of Folch 2 and Josep Monge of Catala 1). “When I pulled out with a new set of tires and 24 liters on board for my second night run the fireworks started going off. It was hard at first not to watch…then Ribalta came by on the Folch Yamaha and wagged his finger at me. The rest of the session I was right up his pipes and we passed and repassed too. During that run we got another lap on the Pons guys, but we’re only halfway there, ” said Noyes after his fourth stint.

Now come the graveyard shifts…. “servicio nocturno,” the long, hard stints that few see except the riders themselves and a few thousand fans who have left the concert and the all-night circuit bars to catch up on the action,

Standings after 11 Hours of the 24 Hours of Catalunya

1. Catalá 1, Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge) 338 laps

2. Folch 2, Yamaha (Tomas-Hervas-Ribalta) – 1 lap

3. Catala 2, Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado) – 4 laps

4. Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez)-1. -6 laps

5. Chalon Yamaha, (Boquet-Baker-Giles) – 14

6. Prolimit Suzuki (Gomez-Olmos-Delgado)- 18

7. Procurve Honda (Stey-Lagrille-Roda) – 18

8. Tumoto Yamaha (Mir-Huguet-Simon) – 18

9. Procurve Honda (Rojas-Carrau-Guiteres) – 19

10. Folch 1 Yamaha (Sanchez-Arque-Martinez) -23

(52 teams are still running)


Updated Post: Qualifying Washout Leaves Reynolds On British Superbike Pole In Scotland

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From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

British Superbike Championship
Rounds 15/16
Knockhill, Fife, Scotland
3rd/4th July

EMMETT SIXTH AS LAVERTY SETS POLE IN KNOCKHILL WASHOUT

Due to inclement weather conditions, the final qualifying sessions of the Think! British Superbike Championship were cancelled this afternoon at the Knockhill circuit in Fife, Scotland.

Despite the heavens opening early in the first session, the results ended up setting the grid positions, meaning that MonsterMob Ducati rider Sean Emmett will start tomorrow’s two rounds from sixth place on the grid.

“It was the right decision to abandon the qualifying with such unpredictable weather and whilst I’m disappointed to be on row two of the grid, there’s no way anyone was going to improve. I’m confident about tomorrow’s races and I know my way around here whether it’s wet or dry” said Emmett.

Meanwhile, team mate Michael Laverty set fastest time during this morning’s dry first session for the British Supersport class and will start from pole position in tomorrow’s race.

It will be Laverty’s first pole position of the season and the young Ulsterman was decidedly happy despite the second session being cancelled:

“I’ll settle for that and I’m confident we have a good race set up. I like it round here and I’m hoping to claw some points back in the championship” said Laverty

Superbike Qualifying
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 50.740s, 2, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 50.932s, 3, Michael Rutter (Honda) 50.992s, 4, James Haydon (Yamaha) 51.124s, 5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 51.248s, 6, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) 51.262s, 7, Gary Mason (Yamaha) 51.544s, 8, John McGuinness (Kawasaki) 51.753s, 9, Dean Thomas (Ducati) 51.770s, 10, Dennis Hobbs (Suzuki) 51.807s.

Supersport Qualifying
1, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 51.984s, 2, Kieran Murphy (Honda) 52.145s, 3, Paul Young (Honda) 52.155s, 4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) 52.280s, 5, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 52.300s, 6, Karl Harris (Honda) 52.318s, 7, Leon Camier (Honda) 52.361s, 8, Matt Llewellyn (Ducati) 52.581s, 9, Luke Quigley (Suzuki) 52.591s, 10, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 52.591s.



More, from a press release issued by MSS Discovery Kawasaki:

British Supersport Championship/round eight
National Superstock Championship/round six ­ Knockhill, July 4 2004

Saturday July 3 2004

MSS DISCOVERY’S ALLAN TAKES KNOCKHILL POLE POSITION AND RIBA GRABS FRONT ROW START

The MSS Discovery Team¹s National Superstock star Steve Allan powered his ZX-10R Kawasaki to pole position for round six of the Championship with the fastest lap in Saturday’s qualifying session at the Knockhill circuit near Dunfermline, Fife.

And the team’s Kawasaki ZX-6RR-mounted Pere Riba made a typically professional impression on his debut at the Scottish track, taking fourth place for round eight of the British Supersport Championship as torrential rain forced the cancellation of Saturday afternoon’s schedule.

Allan, after his second pole position of the year, said: “I’m really pleased to get pole position at my home round. I wasn’t sure how quickly I’d get the ZX-10R dialled into Knockhill but the machine has felt great since the first practice here on Friday morning.

“I’ve got my sights set on a win here and to achieve that in front of my home crowd would be a dream come true.”

Riba¹s fourth place was enough to leave the Spaniard in confident mood for Sunday¹s race action ­ over 28 laps of the tight 1.3-mile circuit.

“I like the circuit,” reported MSS Discovery’s Riba. “I was quickly into a nice pace around here, the ZX-6RR feels very strong and I think I can challenge for a win tomorrow.”

Riba added: “The weather will play a big part but the last round at Brands Hatch was wet and I managed to get on the podium, that will be my target tomorrow if it rains again.”

British Supersport Championship final qualifying times:
1 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 51.984s
2 Kieran Murphy, Honda, 52.145s
3 Paul Young, Honda, 52.155s
4 Pere Riba, MSS Discovery Kawasaki, 52.280s
5 Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 52.300s
6 Karl Harris, Honda, 52.318s
7 Leon Camier, Honda, 52.361s
8 Matt Llewellyn, Ducati, 52.581s
9 Luke Quigley, Suzuki, 52.591s
10 Jonathan Rea, Honda, 52.591s

National Superstock Championship final qualifying times:
1 Steve Allan MSS Discovery Kawasaki, 52.259s
2 Les Shand, Yamaha, 52.494s
3 Magnus Houston, Suzuki, 52.654s
4 Danny Beaumont, Yamaha, 52.753s
5 Tristan Palmer, Suzuki, 52.833s
6 John Laverty, Yamaha, 52.950s
7 John MacDonald, Suzuki, 53.003s
8 Marshall Neill, Suzuki, 53.015s
9 Andy Tinsley, Suzuki, 53.097s
10 Ben Wilson, Suzuki, 53.135s


McGuinness Leads Wet British Superbike Practice In Scotland

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From a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

THINK! BSB Championship, Round 8, July 2

Knockhill, Scotland

Track length: 1.3 miles

Weather: heavy showers, 17°C

Track: wet, 24°C



PRACTICE



HAWK ZX-10R ON TOP IN KNOCKHILL PRACTICE



Hawk Kawasaki ZX-10Rs once again proved a force to be reckoned with in the rain by posting the second quickest wet time and the fastest overall lap during second practice for the eighth round of the THINK! BSB Championship at Knockhill today.



Despite torrential downpours, which halted proceedings for 20 minutes, Scott Smart lapped the 1.3 mile track in 57.185 to take sixth overall and second quickest time in the wet conditions. His team-mate, John McGuinness, topped the afternoon leader board with a 56.536 lap, achieved in patchy conditions at the start of the session.



“We were trying a few things in that session because we weren’t overly happy with the bike in the wet at Brands Hatch,” said Smarty. “The things we’ve tried have improved the bike. In fact the settings John ran at Brands Hatch worked better than mine, so we’ve now gone a step further with some different suspension internals and that’s improved it even more. I like the track and I’ve been up the front in both wet sessions so now we need to get a dry session and see what we can do in that.”



McGuinness was equally pleased with his Hawk ZX-10’s performance around the tight highland circuit and even reveled in the wet and tricky conditions.



“I quite enjoyed riding around there in the wet trying to find the grip,” said the TT winning Cumbrian. “The track’s difficult because it’s short and there’s a lot of aluminium on the ground in a few places, left by the cars, so you’ve got to suss out where the grip is. The forecast isn’t very good, but hopefully it’ll be either wet or dry, because at least then everyone’s on the right tyres. As long as there isn’t standing water it’s possible to race around here, but whatever happens I’ll get stuck in and give my best.”



Hawk Kawasaki National Superstock Cup rider Peter Hickman ended the day a respectable 13th quickest, despite never having ridden at Knockhill before. A number of Cup competitors elected to use conventional tyres on the drying track, but the 17 year-old opted for full wets to cope with the many damp patches still prevalent around the circuit.



“It’s not the best conditions in which to learn a new track,” said Peter. “Because it’s mostly dry down the straights but around the corners it’s wet, especially on the entry where you want to be pushing hard. That’s why we chose to stick with the wet tyres, which were spinning up down the straights, but at least I had some grip around the corners. I had a bit of a problem at one of the chicanes where the back end kept coming round and the front would hit the lock stops – that was on a dry part of the track as well! I’m sure it looked good for the marshals, but it wasn’t so fun for me. Thirteenth overall is ok for first time out, but there’s definitely more to come tomorrow.”



BSB PRACTICE 2 (mostly wet)

1) John McGuinness, Hawk Kawasaki, 56.536. 2) Sean Emmett, Ducati, 56.564. 3) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 56.824. 4) Yukio Kagayma, Suzuki, 56.867. 5) Michael Rutter, Honda, 56.900. 6) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 57.185. 7) Tommy Hill, Yamaha, 57.373. 8) Dean Thomas, Ducati, 57.769. 9) James Haydon, Yamaha, 57.889. 10) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P), 58.408. 11) Denver Robb, Suzuki (P), 58.742. 12) Craig Coxhell, Honda, 58.917. 13) James Ellison, Yamaha (P), 58.923. 14) Gary Mason, Yamaha, 58.972. 15) Iain MacPherson, Ducati, 59.065

Picotte On Canadian Superbike Pole In Calgary

From a press release issued by series organizers:

PICOTTE WINS POLE

CALGARY, AB Pascal Picotte of Granby, QC, winner of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship in 2003, shattered the old Superbike record in Friday’s qualifying session.Picotte rode his Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 around the 2.1-mile Race City circuit in 1:16.508, more than a full second quicker than the old mark of 1:17.608.

“This is just our second race weekend on the new R1 so it’s obviously looking really good for the rest of the season,” said Picotte, pointing out that his closest competition the Suzuki-mounted duo of Steve Crevier and Clint McBain are on machines with a full year of race development behind them.”Yamaha did a great job redesigning this R1.We definitely have more horsepower this year than last year.”

In claiming his second MPM Array Pole Award of the season Picotte also gave some of the credit for his sparkling performance to a detour his team made on the way west. His Picotte Performance team stopped in Brainerd, MN last week and tested his new equipment in a round of the U.S.-based AMA Superbike series.

Picotte will start from pole for both of this weekend’s Parts Canada Superbike feature races. The first race in the doubleheader will run Saturday afternoon, with the second scheduled for Sunday. The races are the second and third rounds of the eight-race national championship.

Both Crevier, from Maple Ridge, BC, and local hero McBain also timed-in under the previous record. However, in post-qualifying technical inspection, Crevier’s DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was found to be three horsepower over the allowable limit, costing him 14 starting positions.

Crevier comes into this weekend’s action leading the Parts Canada Superbike standings after winning the opening round at Shannonville Motorsport Park in May.

Crevier’s penalty promoted Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe up to third spot on his Lacombe Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 and moved another Calgary rider, Chris Peris onto the front row in fourth spot aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750.

While McBain had to settle for a second place starting spot in the Parts Canada Superbike class, he will start first in the Hindle Performance Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike races this weekend. McBain led three other riders his teammate Craig Connell of Brisbane, Australia, Picotte and Kleinburg, ON’s Frank Trombino in bettering the 600 track record.McBain’s 1:18.823 was a significant advance on the old top time of 1:19.502 set last year by Robbie Baird.

The Pro 600 Sport Bike races will also run on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Dominic Lavoie of Levis, QC was the quickest rider in practice for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class, which will qualify Saturday.

This weekend’s events will be televised on TSN on July 24 and July 31 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Aug. 8 at 12:00 p.m. and Aug. 22 at 11:30 a.m. The action will also appear in one-hour format later this summer on Toronto1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.

Qualifying results for this weekend’s second and third rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary, showing qualifying position, number, hometown and brand of motorcycle:

1. #1, Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
2. #9, Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
3. #34, Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
4. #3, Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
5. #31, Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha;
6. #101, Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda;
7. #7, Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Suzuki;
8. #26, Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda;
9. #6, Craig Connell, Brisbane, Australia, Suzuki;
10. #16, Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Kawasaki;
11. #17, Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha;
12. #36, Peter Holzinger, Banff, AB, Suzuki;
13. #13, Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki;
14. #74, Michael Leon, Beaconsfield, QC, Suzuki;
15. #46, Tim Easton, Calgary, AB, Yamaha;
16. #14, Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Suzuki*;
17. #100, Dale Yamada, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki;
18. #47, Matt Binns, Uxbridge, ON, Ducati;
19. #114, Corey Sherman, Corbyville, ON, Suzuki;
20. #51, Yannick Morin, Repetigny, QC, Kawasaki;
21. #12, Bill Card, Wellesley, ON, Honda;
22. #42, Barry French, Brampton, ON, Yamaha;
23. #11, Mike Zottman, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
24. #441, Francois Chartrand, Anjou, QC, Yamaha;
25. #57, Dave Hodge, Acton, ON, Triumph

* — penalized 14 positions for exceeding class horsepower limit

American Kenny Noyes And Teammates Running Third In Spanish 24-hour After Nine Hours

From a press release:

24 Hores de Motociclisme
Circuit de Catalunya
Montmelo, Cataluynya

Catalá Suzuki 1 leads 24 Hours of Catalunya after Nine Hours

Night has fallen over the Circuit of Catalunya with the Catala 1 Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge) holding a single lap lead over the Folch 2 Yamaha (Tomas-Hervas-Ribalta. The battle for third has become a duel between the Catala 2 Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado and the Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez).

The Folch 1 machine (Sanchez-Arque-Martinez) was also in the hunt for third place until forced to make a lengthy stop with an electrical problem.

Fastest individual laps so far have gone to David Tomas (1’51.583), Kenny Noyes (1’51.743) and Josep Monge (1’52.155), but those times were in the daylight. The only riders in the 1’52s under the nearly full moon (and circuit lights, of course) are Monge and Noyes.

The battle for the lead is intense, but Monge 8th hour stint with a series of 52s allowed the Catala 1 Suzuki to break clear. Noyes’ 8th hour run of 52s made back the time lost for Catalá 2 but third rider Delgado who is finding the going hard at night and is giving up four seconds a lap and the team has shorted his stints to 35 minutes, hoping that he will get back on the pace at dawn.

Meanwhile, The Procurve Honda CBR1000RR ridden by the Belgian-French-Spanish trio is having slipper clutch problems and looks to be dropping back into the clutches of the Chalon Yamaha (Boquet-Baker-Giles).

The pace cars (two are used to collect the field) were out in the sixth hour for three laps while crash debris was cleared from the main straight.

The original crowd of 30,000 has now faded to only a few thousand, many of whom will follow the action throughout the night, but the big crowd will be back in the morning to see who is still running.

Next report at 11 hours…Spanish midnight.

1. Catalá 1, Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge)

2. Folch 2, Yamaha (Tomas-Hervas-Ribalta) – 1 lap

3. Catala 2, Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado) – 3 laps

4. Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez)-1. -4 laps

5. Procurve Honda (Stey-Lagrille-Roda) – 14 laps

6. Chalon Yamaha, (Boquet-Baker-Giles) – 14

7. Prolimit Suzuki (Gomez-Olmos-Delgado)- 16

8. Folch 1 Yamaha (Sanchez-Arque-Martinez) -17

9. Tumoto Yamaha (Mir-Huguet-Simon) – 18

10. Procurve Honda (Rojas-Carrau-Guiteres) – 23



British Sidecar Event At Knockhill Postponed Due To Heavy Rains

From a press release issued by organizers of the Eastern Airways Sidecar Championship:

RACE POSTPONED

Torrential rain at the Knockhill circuit in Fife caused organisers to postpone the opening Eastern Airways Sidecar Championship race until Sunday morning.

The entire Saturday afternoon qualifying and race schedule was abandoned with more then four hours remaining.

The Eastern Airways Sidecar teams will now do battle over two races at the 1.3-mile circuit near Dunfermline.

Tim and Tristan Reeves collected their first ‘Nexa Autocolor pole position award’ after pipping nine times world champion Steve Webster.

“I’m over the moon,” admitted Reeves. “I knew what the story would be if it did rain so I went hard at the start of the session, beat Steve’s time from yesterday and then the rain came – result!”


Knockhill – round five – final qualifying

1 Tim Reeves Suzuki 56.094s
2 Steve Webster Suzuki 56.284s
3 Derek Brindley Suzuki 56.934s
4 Richard Gatt Suzuki 57.238s
5 Bryan Pedder Suzuki 57.903s
6 Greg Lambert Suzuki 57.969s
7 Ben Birchall Yamaha 58.092s
8 Stuart Muldoon Suzuki 58.117s
9 Bill Philp Yamaha 58.271s
10 Andy Peach Suzuki 58.305s




AMA Sports May Charge AMA Pro Hard Card Holders To Enter Mid-Ohio On Thursday Before AMA Pro National; Long List Of AMA Pro Privateers Excluded From Event

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

According to its website, AMA Sports apparently plans to charge gate entry fees to everyone entering Mid Ohio Sports Car Course on Wednesday and Thursday prior to the July 23-25 AMA Pro Racing National weekend, even if they have an AMA Pro Racing hard card season credential.

Which would mean that AMA Pro Racing team truck drivers and crews seeking to set up on Wednesday and Thursday would have to pay to get in the gate.

The AMA Sports website states, “AMA Pro Racing hard cards (credentials) will only be accepted for proof of road racing license and DO NOT grant entry into this event by anyone.”

And instead of Thursday practice at the event, AMA Sports is holding races–including a 4-hour–that cannot be entered by AMA Pro license holders who have finished in the top 10 in an AMA Pro Superbike race or in the top three in an AMA Pro Supersport, Superstock, 250cc GP or Formula Xtreme race since 1999. This restriction means that non-factory riders and privateers like Lee Acree, Opie Caylor, Geoff May, Jack Pfeifer, Jeremy Toye, Jake Holden, John Haner, Eric Wood and others who have not been on the track since its surface was substantially changed by grinding, will first experience the new surface on Friday, the morning before the first qualifying sessions.

Riders who have been on the new surface report that it requires substantial set-up changes.

AMA Sports is a department of the non-profit AMA, in charge of running amateur and semi-pro racing events.

AMA Pro Racing is a separate for-profit subsidiary of the AMA, in charge of running professional racing events.

AMA Sports rules for the Mid-Ohio event, which is being run under contract by WERA officials and which will pay WERA points, can be seen at:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/2004/rr/index.asp

Picotte Wins Canadian Superbike Race One In Calgary

From a press release issued by series organizers:

PICOTTE PERFECT IN CALGARY

CALGARY, AB Pascal Picotte won both National Pro events at Race City Motorsport Park Saturday, dominating the Parts Canada Superbike and Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike races.

The Granby, QC, rider, last year’s champion in both classes made an excellent start in the Superbike race aboard his Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 and was never headed. By lap 3 Picotte had a lead of well over a second on second-place Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC.

“I knew I had to check out and do the best I could in the first 10 laps, or at least the first five laps,” Picotte said.”It really worked out but you never know what could happen until the last lap. I kept the pace up as much as I could and I just kept pulling away.”

Crevier timed-in second-fastest in qualifying Friday but was assessed a penalty for exceeding the class horsepower limit, which relegated him to the 16th starting position.But partway through the first lap Crevier was second. He held that spot for the rest of the race on his DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON held third for the first two laps on the Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1 before Jeff Williams of Harrowsmith, ON moved past him in the south end.The DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider was soon passed by the Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR ridden by Jordan Szoke of Brantford, ON, who then came under pressure from local rider Clint McBain.

The two young riders battled for several laps until McBain finally prevailed.Over the last four laps, McBain’s Coors Light Racing / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 erased a four-second lead held by Crevier and took the checkered flag right on the tail of Crevier’s motorcycle.

In Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike, Calgary racer Chris Peris held the lead for the first three laps on his Suzuki GSX-R600 with Crevier and Picotte in hot pursuit.

Picotte took his Yamaha YZF-R6 around the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Crevier in the south end of the track on lap 3 and got by Peris in the same area a lap later. Crevier got around Peris on lap 6 and while he was able to close on the leader with four laps to go, he was unable to make a serious challenge.

Polesitter McBain finished third on his Suzuki GSX-R600.

Threatening weather closed in just as the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike riders were beginning their qualifying session, which was cancelled as a result.

Times from Friday’s practice will be used to set Sunday’s Amateur 600 Sport Bike grid, putting Dominic Lavoie of Levis, QC on the pole on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR.

Racing Sunday will also include the second races for both the Parts Canada Superbike and Pro 600 Sport Bike series.

This weekend’s events will be televised on TSN on July 24 and July 31 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Aug. 8 at 12:00 p.m. and Aug. 22 at 11:30 a.m. The action will also appear in one-hour format later this summer on Toronto1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.


Results of Saturday’s second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary, showing finishing position, number, rider name, hometown and brand of motorcycle:

1. #1, Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
2. #14, Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Suzuki;
3. #9, Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
4. #101, Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda;
5. #7, Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Suzuki;
6. #34, Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
7. #31, Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha;
8. #3, Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
9. #26, Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda;
10. #6, Craig Connell, Brisbane, Australia, Suzuki;
11. #16, Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Kawasaki;
12. #17, Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha;
13. #13, Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki;
14. #36, Peter Holzinger, Banff, AB, Suzuki;
15. #74, Michael Leon, Beaconsfield, QC, Suzuki;
16. #51, Yannick Morin, Repetigny, QC;
17. #114, Corey Sherman, Corbyville, ON, Suzuki;
18. #11, Mike Zottmann, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
19. #12, Bill Card, Wellesley, ON, Honda;
20. #46, Tim Easton, Calgary, AB, Yamaha;
DNF. #100, Dale Yamada, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki;
DNF. #42, Barry French, Brampton, ON, Yamaha;
DNF. #47, Matt Binns, Uxbridge, ON, Ducati;
DNF. #169, James McCarthy, Edmonton, AB, Kawasaki;
DNF. #441, Francois Chartrand, Anjou, QC, Yamaha;
DNS. #57, Dave Hodge, Acton, ON, Triumph

Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings after two of eight rounds, showing position, rider name and point total:
1. Pascal Picotte, 99;
2. Steve Crevier, 94;
3. Clint McBain, 85;
4. Kevin Lacombe, 62;
5. Jordan Szoke, 59;
6 tie. Jeff Williams, 54;
6 tie. Frank Trombino, 54;
8. Andrew Nelson, 44;
9. Craig Connell, 38;
10. Matthew McBride, 30;
11. Francis Martin, 27;
12. Chris Peris, 24;
13. Jean-Francois Cyr, 21;
14. Michael Leon, 18;
15 tie. Brian Nielsen, 15;
15 tie. Brent Strong, 15;
17. Bill Card, 14;
18. Stuart Nodell, 13;
19. Peter Holzinger,
20. Yannick Morin, 8;
21 tie. Larry Orde, 6;
21 tie. Corey Sherman, 6;
23 tie. Darren Wilbur, 4;
23 tie. Mike Zottmann, 4;
25. Dave Young, 2;
26 tie. Tim Easton, 1;
26 tie. Sebastien Michel, 1

Sportbike Results

1. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha
2.Steve Crevier, Suzuki
3. Clint McBain, Suzuki
4. Chris Peris, Suzuki
5. Jordan Szoke, Honda
6. Craig Connell, Suzuki
7. Frank Trombino, Yamaha
8. Francis Martin, Kawasaki
9. Andrew Nelson, Honda
10. Kevin Lacombe, Yamaha
11. Matthew McBride, Kawasaki
12. Jeff Williams, Suzuki
13. Alan Schmidt, Yamaha
14. Dale Yamada, Kawasaki
15. Brian Nielsen, Yamaha
16. Corey Sherman, Suzuki
17. Bill Card, Honda
18. Barry French, Yamaha
19. Alex Lotsov, Suzuki
20. Yannick Morin, Kawasaki

Pedrosa Heads 250cc GP Practice Times Saturday In Brazil

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning 250cc GP Practice Times:

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:53.413
2. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:53.434
3. Manuel POGGIALI , Aprilia, 1:53.546
4. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:53.796
5. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:53.958
6. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:53.977
7. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:54.048
8. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:54.150
9. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:54.687
10. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:54.751
11. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:55.116
12. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:55.156
13. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, 1:55.214
14. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:55.252
15. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 1:55.360
16. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, 1:55.367
17. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:55.492
18. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:55.554
19. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:55.700
20. Johan STIGEFELT, Aprilia, 1:56.268

Stoner Leads Second 125cc GP Free Practice In Rio

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning’s 125cc GP Practice Times:

1. Casey STONER, KTM, 1:57.664
2. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 1:57.752
3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:57.800
4. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, 1:58.125
5. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 1:58.188
6. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:58.472
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, 1:58.554
8. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 1:58.828
9. Mike DI MEGLIO, Aprilia, 1:59.136
10. Simone CORSI, Honda, 1:59.233
11. Julian SIMON, Honda, 1:59.286
12. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:59.311
13. Mattia PASINI, Aprilia, 1:59.325
14. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 1:59.334
15. Gioele PELLINO, Aprilia, 1:59.408

American Kenny Noyes And Team Still Third 11 Hours Into 24-Hour Race At Catalunya

From a press release:

24 Hores de Motociclisme
Circuit de Catalunya
Montmelo, Cataluynya

Third report/ Midnight

Suzuki Holds One-Lap Lead at Midnight in Spanish Marathon

At the stroke of midnight the sky over the Circuit of Cataluyna exploded with a fifteen minute fireworks display…all that plus a full moon and the howling of 52 surviving machines from the 57 that started the 24 Hours of Catalunya

The race after eleven hours still has the Folch 2 Yamaha riders pushing to try and get back on the lead lap with the Catala 1 Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge), but the Catala 2 Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado) is still holding a slim one-lap advantage over the Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez) in the battle for third.

Former American dirt tracker Kenny Noyes was one of only three riders lapping in 1’53 during the midnight stint (the others were Dani Ribalta of Folch 2 and Josep Monge of Catala 1). “When I pulled out with a new set of tires and 24 liters on board for my second night run the fireworks started going off. It was hard at first not to watch…then Ribalta came by on the Folch Yamaha and wagged his finger at me. The rest of the session I was right up his pipes and we passed and repassed too. During that run we got another lap on the Pons guys, but we’re only halfway there, ” said Noyes after his fourth stint.

Now come the graveyard shifts…. “servicio nocturno,” the long, hard stints that few see except the riders themselves and a few thousand fans who have left the concert and the all-night circuit bars to catch up on the action,

Standings after 11 Hours of the 24 Hours of Catalunya

1. Catalá 1, Suzuki (Fores-Cabana-Monge) 338 laps

2. Folch 2, Yamaha (Tomas-Hervas-Ribalta) – 1 lap

3. Catala 2, Suzuki (Lozano-Noyes-Delgado) – 4 laps

4. Pons Yamaha (Casas-Tizon-Perez)-1. -6 laps

5. Chalon Yamaha, (Boquet-Baker-Giles) – 14

6. Prolimit Suzuki (Gomez-Olmos-Delgado)- 18

7. Procurve Honda (Stey-Lagrille-Roda) – 18

8. Tumoto Yamaha (Mir-Huguet-Simon) – 18

9. Procurve Honda (Rojas-Carrau-Guiteres) – 19

10. Folch 1 Yamaha (Sanchez-Arque-Martinez) -23

(52 teams are still running)


Updated Post: Qualifying Washout Leaves Reynolds On British Superbike Pole In Scotland

From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

British Superbike Championship
Rounds 15/16
Knockhill, Fife, Scotland
3rd/4th July

EMMETT SIXTH AS LAVERTY SETS POLE IN KNOCKHILL WASHOUT

Due to inclement weather conditions, the final qualifying sessions of the Think! British Superbike Championship were cancelled this afternoon at the Knockhill circuit in Fife, Scotland.

Despite the heavens opening early in the first session, the results ended up setting the grid positions, meaning that MonsterMob Ducati rider Sean Emmett will start tomorrow’s two rounds from sixth place on the grid.

“It was the right decision to abandon the qualifying with such unpredictable weather and whilst I’m disappointed to be on row two of the grid, there’s no way anyone was going to improve. I’m confident about tomorrow’s races and I know my way around here whether it’s wet or dry” said Emmett.

Meanwhile, team mate Michael Laverty set fastest time during this morning’s dry first session for the British Supersport class and will start from pole position in tomorrow’s race.

It will be Laverty’s first pole position of the season and the young Ulsterman was decidedly happy despite the second session being cancelled:

“I’ll settle for that and I’m confident we have a good race set up. I like it round here and I’m hoping to claw some points back in the championship” said Laverty

Superbike Qualifying
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 50.740s, 2, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 50.932s, 3, Michael Rutter (Honda) 50.992s, 4, James Haydon (Yamaha) 51.124s, 5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 51.248s, 6, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) 51.262s, 7, Gary Mason (Yamaha) 51.544s, 8, John McGuinness (Kawasaki) 51.753s, 9, Dean Thomas (Ducati) 51.770s, 10, Dennis Hobbs (Suzuki) 51.807s.

Supersport Qualifying
1, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 51.984s, 2, Kieran Murphy (Honda) 52.145s, 3, Paul Young (Honda) 52.155s, 4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) 52.280s, 5, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 52.300s, 6, Karl Harris (Honda) 52.318s, 7, Leon Camier (Honda) 52.361s, 8, Matt Llewellyn (Ducati) 52.581s, 9, Luke Quigley (Suzuki) 52.591s, 10, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 52.591s.



More, from a press release issued by MSS Discovery Kawasaki:

British Supersport Championship/round eight
National Superstock Championship/round six ­ Knockhill, July 4 2004

Saturday July 3 2004

MSS DISCOVERY’S ALLAN TAKES KNOCKHILL POLE POSITION AND RIBA GRABS FRONT ROW START

The MSS Discovery Team¹s National Superstock star Steve Allan powered his ZX-10R Kawasaki to pole position for round six of the Championship with the fastest lap in Saturday’s qualifying session at the Knockhill circuit near Dunfermline, Fife.

And the team’s Kawasaki ZX-6RR-mounted Pere Riba made a typically professional impression on his debut at the Scottish track, taking fourth place for round eight of the British Supersport Championship as torrential rain forced the cancellation of Saturday afternoon’s schedule.

Allan, after his second pole position of the year, said: “I’m really pleased to get pole position at my home round. I wasn’t sure how quickly I’d get the ZX-10R dialled into Knockhill but the machine has felt great since the first practice here on Friday morning.

“I’ve got my sights set on a win here and to achieve that in front of my home crowd would be a dream come true.”

Riba¹s fourth place was enough to leave the Spaniard in confident mood for Sunday¹s race action ­ over 28 laps of the tight 1.3-mile circuit.

“I like the circuit,” reported MSS Discovery’s Riba. “I was quickly into a nice pace around here, the ZX-6RR feels very strong and I think I can challenge for a win tomorrow.”

Riba added: “The weather will play a big part but the last round at Brands Hatch was wet and I managed to get on the podium, that will be my target tomorrow if it rains again.”

British Supersport Championship final qualifying times:
1 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 51.984s
2 Kieran Murphy, Honda, 52.145s
3 Paul Young, Honda, 52.155s
4 Pere Riba, MSS Discovery Kawasaki, 52.280s
5 Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 52.300s
6 Karl Harris, Honda, 52.318s
7 Leon Camier, Honda, 52.361s
8 Matt Llewellyn, Ducati, 52.581s
9 Luke Quigley, Suzuki, 52.591s
10 Jonathan Rea, Honda, 52.591s

National Superstock Championship final qualifying times:
1 Steve Allan MSS Discovery Kawasaki, 52.259s
2 Les Shand, Yamaha, 52.494s
3 Magnus Houston, Suzuki, 52.654s
4 Danny Beaumont, Yamaha, 52.753s
5 Tristan Palmer, Suzuki, 52.833s
6 John Laverty, Yamaha, 52.950s
7 John MacDonald, Suzuki, 53.003s
8 Marshall Neill, Suzuki, 53.015s
9 Andy Tinsley, Suzuki, 53.097s
10 Ben Wilson, Suzuki, 53.135s


McGuinness Leads Wet British Superbike Practice In Scotland

From a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

THINK! BSB Championship, Round 8, July 2

Knockhill, Scotland

Track length: 1.3 miles

Weather: heavy showers, 17°C

Track: wet, 24°C



PRACTICE



HAWK ZX-10R ON TOP IN KNOCKHILL PRACTICE



Hawk Kawasaki ZX-10Rs once again proved a force to be reckoned with in the rain by posting the second quickest wet time and the fastest overall lap during second practice for the eighth round of the THINK! BSB Championship at Knockhill today.



Despite torrential downpours, which halted proceedings for 20 minutes, Scott Smart lapped the 1.3 mile track in 57.185 to take sixth overall and second quickest time in the wet conditions. His team-mate, John McGuinness, topped the afternoon leader board with a 56.536 lap, achieved in patchy conditions at the start of the session.



“We were trying a few things in that session because we weren’t overly happy with the bike in the wet at Brands Hatch,” said Smarty. “The things we’ve tried have improved the bike. In fact the settings John ran at Brands Hatch worked better than mine, so we’ve now gone a step further with some different suspension internals and that’s improved it even more. I like the track and I’ve been up the front in both wet sessions so now we need to get a dry session and see what we can do in that.”



McGuinness was equally pleased with his Hawk ZX-10’s performance around the tight highland circuit and even reveled in the wet and tricky conditions.



“I quite enjoyed riding around there in the wet trying to find the grip,” said the TT winning Cumbrian. “The track’s difficult because it’s short and there’s a lot of aluminium on the ground in a few places, left by the cars, so you’ve got to suss out where the grip is. The forecast isn’t very good, but hopefully it’ll be either wet or dry, because at least then everyone’s on the right tyres. As long as there isn’t standing water it’s possible to race around here, but whatever happens I’ll get stuck in and give my best.”



Hawk Kawasaki National Superstock Cup rider Peter Hickman ended the day a respectable 13th quickest, despite never having ridden at Knockhill before. A number of Cup competitors elected to use conventional tyres on the drying track, but the 17 year-old opted for full wets to cope with the many damp patches still prevalent around the circuit.



“It’s not the best conditions in which to learn a new track,” said Peter. “Because it’s mostly dry down the straights but around the corners it’s wet, especially on the entry where you want to be pushing hard. That’s why we chose to stick with the wet tyres, which were spinning up down the straights, but at least I had some grip around the corners. I had a bit of a problem at one of the chicanes where the back end kept coming round and the front would hit the lock stops – that was on a dry part of the track as well! I’m sure it looked good for the marshals, but it wasn’t so fun for me. Thirteenth overall is ok for first time out, but there’s definitely more to come tomorrow.”



BSB PRACTICE 2 (mostly wet)

1) John McGuinness, Hawk Kawasaki, 56.536. 2) Sean Emmett, Ducati, 56.564. 3) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 56.824. 4) Yukio Kagayma, Suzuki, 56.867. 5) Michael Rutter, Honda, 56.900. 6) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 57.185. 7) Tommy Hill, Yamaha, 57.373. 8) Dean Thomas, Ducati, 57.769. 9) James Haydon, Yamaha, 57.889. 10) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P), 58.408. 11) Denver Robb, Suzuki (P), 58.742. 12) Craig Coxhell, Honda, 58.917. 13) James Ellison, Yamaha (P), 58.923. 14) Gary Mason, Yamaha, 58.972. 15) Iain MacPherson, Ducati, 59.065

Picotte On Canadian Superbike Pole In Calgary

From a press release issued by series organizers:

PICOTTE WINS POLE

CALGARY, AB Pascal Picotte of Granby, QC, winner of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship in 2003, shattered the old Superbike record in Friday’s qualifying session.Picotte rode his Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 around the 2.1-mile Race City circuit in 1:16.508, more than a full second quicker than the old mark of 1:17.608.

“This is just our second race weekend on the new R1 so it’s obviously looking really good for the rest of the season,” said Picotte, pointing out that his closest competition the Suzuki-mounted duo of Steve Crevier and Clint McBain are on machines with a full year of race development behind them.”Yamaha did a great job redesigning this R1.We definitely have more horsepower this year than last year.”

In claiming his second MPM Array Pole Award of the season Picotte also gave some of the credit for his sparkling performance to a detour his team made on the way west. His Picotte Performance team stopped in Brainerd, MN last week and tested his new equipment in a round of the U.S.-based AMA Superbike series.

Picotte will start from pole for both of this weekend’s Parts Canada Superbike feature races. The first race in the doubleheader will run Saturday afternoon, with the second scheduled for Sunday. The races are the second and third rounds of the eight-race national championship.

Both Crevier, from Maple Ridge, BC, and local hero McBain also timed-in under the previous record. However, in post-qualifying technical inspection, Crevier’s DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was found to be three horsepower over the allowable limit, costing him 14 starting positions.

Crevier comes into this weekend’s action leading the Parts Canada Superbike standings after winning the opening round at Shannonville Motorsport Park in May.

Crevier’s penalty promoted Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe up to third spot on his Lacombe Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 and moved another Calgary rider, Chris Peris onto the front row in fourth spot aboard his Suzuki GSX-R750.

While McBain had to settle for a second place starting spot in the Parts Canada Superbike class, he will start first in the Hindle Performance Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike races this weekend. McBain led three other riders his teammate Craig Connell of Brisbane, Australia, Picotte and Kleinburg, ON’s Frank Trombino in bettering the 600 track record.McBain’s 1:18.823 was a significant advance on the old top time of 1:19.502 set last year by Robbie Baird.

The Pro 600 Sport Bike races will also run on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Dominic Lavoie of Levis, QC was the quickest rider in practice for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class, which will qualify Saturday.

This weekend’s events will be televised on TSN on July 24 and July 31 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Aug. 8 at 12:00 p.m. and Aug. 22 at 11:30 a.m. The action will also appear in one-hour format later this summer on Toronto1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.

Qualifying results for this weekend’s second and third rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary, showing qualifying position, number, hometown and brand of motorcycle:

1. #1, Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
2. #9, Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
3. #34, Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Yamaha;
4. #3, Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
5. #31, Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha;
6. #101, Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda;
7. #7, Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Suzuki;
8. #26, Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda;
9. #6, Craig Connell, Brisbane, Australia, Suzuki;
10. #16, Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Kawasaki;
11. #17, Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha;
12. #36, Peter Holzinger, Banff, AB, Suzuki;
13. #13, Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki;
14. #74, Michael Leon, Beaconsfield, QC, Suzuki;
15. #46, Tim Easton, Calgary, AB, Yamaha;
16. #14, Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Suzuki*;
17. #100, Dale Yamada, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki;
18. #47, Matt Binns, Uxbridge, ON, Ducati;
19. #114, Corey Sherman, Corbyville, ON, Suzuki;
20. #51, Yannick Morin, Repetigny, QC, Kawasaki;
21. #12, Bill Card, Wellesley, ON, Honda;
22. #42, Barry French, Brampton, ON, Yamaha;
23. #11, Mike Zottman, Calgary, AB, Suzuki;
24. #441, Francois Chartrand, Anjou, QC, Yamaha;
25. #57, Dave Hodge, Acton, ON, Triumph

* — penalized 14 positions for exceeding class horsepower limit

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