From a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

ASSEN , THE UNIVERSITY OF MOTORCYCLES

The Team Telefonica MoviStar Honda is ready for the challenge on Saturday, 26th of June. The GP of Holland is planned to be raced on the track of Assen, the only circuit which has hosted every year a GP round since its opening in 1955 (1949 was the first year of the Motorcycle Championship). This fast circuit offers fantastic grip even when it rains given the special pavement which dries quickly, and also thanks to a particular profile of the track which allows the water to drain rapidly. Even if it causes some counterslopes which require a lot of attention in the setup of the bike: a setup which offers both major stability and agility.


The weather however remains the biggest incognito, in fact here the climatic conditions change rapidly and the risk of rain is always high.


# 15 SETE GIBERNAU

The leader of the Championship and the Assen challenge


Sete Gibernau arrives to the Ducth Gp leading the Moto GP Championship. After the two races of Mugello and Barcelona the gap with Valentino Rossi is reduced to 5 points. Assen therefore must be interpreted in the best of ways in order to keep the lead. Sete is a strong rider who doesn’t get influenced by other riders: he gives his best every time he gets onto his bike and he remains concentrated on his goal, that is to get a podium finish every single race.

On this challenging and technical Dutch TT track, Sete Gibernau is called to repeat himself after last years win. Assen is always a special appointment, it is a technical track and quick, one where the bike must be fast in the change of direction and must also have an optimum stability.


“I have nice memories regarding this track: Here I was on the podium in 1999 when I was racing in the 500 cc class and first last year in MotoGP. The Dutch TT has a very long history and a wonderful affluence of spectators not only because of how many come, but because these fans are all very passionate and also understand a lot about bikes.

It is a difficult track and it is easy to commit errors. To make a good lap it is important to not make mistakes because if you make one mistake during a corner, then even the next corners will not be taken on correctly. The setup will be fundamental; we are aiming for the stability and agility of the bike.”

# 45 COLIN EDWARDS

Determined to score a good results in MotoGP at the Dutch TT after many victories in SBK


Extremely determined, Colin Edwards can’t wait to get to Assen, a technically challenging circuit which adapts well to his style of riding. The 6 km of the Dutch TT are familiar for the Texan. Here in fact Edwards won many times in Superbike.

“Assen is a track I like a lot, here I’ve won many times when I raced in Superbike and it is a circuit I like both when it is dry and when it’s wet. I can’t wait to get ! to Holland and obtain a great result. I know the track well and I am sure to have a good pace. I’m more confident after the test session that we did at Barcelona the day after the GP.

During the test we tried many different type of tyres in order to find, together with Michelin, the right mix. The thing that counts though is not only our aim to reduce these chattering phenomena to the max, but also to learn to ride with this problem. I have to regain confidence with my rear wheel and ride less aggressively in order to return to having a clean ride which will allow for a more sustained pace during the race.”

From a press release issued by MSS Discovery:

MSS DISCOVERY’S RIBA SPLASHES TO THIRD AT BRANDS HATCH

MSS Discovery’s Pere Riba equalled his best finish of the year with third place in Sunday’s rain-soaked seventh round of the British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch, Kent.

Riba held second place for much of the race in the tricky conditions before losing out in the battle for runner-up place on the final in the 17-lap battle.

“The race was comfortable for me really,” reported Kawasaki ZX-6RR ace Riba. “I tried to pass Karl Harris for the lead in the early stages but couldn’t see anything. It was difficult to see my braking points and even the corners.

“I eased up a little so I could see where I was going. On the last lap I came across two backmarkers, I didn’t want to throw it away so I took it easy into the Stirlings left-hander ­ but Jason Vincent took a gamble, got ahead of me and just held on.”

MSS Discovery’s Steve Allan qualified in third place for a National Superstock Championship race that was abandoned following a first lap, multi-bike pile-up at the Pilgrim’s Drop area of the circuit.

“With the rain and slippery surface it was probably the best decision to abandon the race,” said Allan who had made the holeshot and was leading when the red flag appeared to stop the race.

British Supersport Championship, round seven result (17 laps ­ 43.52 miles):

1 Karl Harris, Honda, 28:47.398
2 Jay Vincent, Honda, 28:49.518
3 Pere Riba, MSS Discovery Kawasaki, 28:50.026
4 Matt Llewellyn, Ducati, 28:55.305
5 Simon Andrews, Yamaha, 28:55.934
6 Danny Beaumont, Honda, 29:00.984
7 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 29:11.280
8 Jonathan Rea, Honda, 29:24.933
9 Martin Buckles, Yamaha, 29:25.450
10 Lee Jackson, Honda, 29:25.793

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

British Superbike Race One Results From Brands Hatch:

1. John REYNOLDS, Suzuki, 20 laps, 33:42.324
2. Sean EMMETT, Ducati, -5.561 seconds
3. John McGUINNESS, Kawasaki, -5.665 seconds
4. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki, -7.231 seconds
5. Michael RUTTER, Honda, -10.231 seconds
6. James HAYDON, Yamaha, -12.736 seconds
7. Tommy HILL, Yamaha, -12.791 seconds
8. Leon HASLAM, Ducati, -16.842 seconds
9. Sam CORKE, Suzuki, -21.069 seconds
10. Dean THOMAS, Ducati, -22.890 seconds
11. Dennis HOBBS, Suzuki, -25.060 seconds
12. Chris PLATT, Kawasaki, -25.694 seconds
13. Jon KIRKHAM, Suzuki, -26.953 seconds
14. Craig COXHELL, Honda, -27.844 seconds
15. James ELLISON, Yamaha, -31.856 seconds
16. Iain MacPHERSON, Ducati, -33.577 seconds
17. Adam HITCHCOX, Suzuki, -51.299 seconds
18. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, -71.144 seconds
19. Nick MEDD, Ducati, -92.705 seconds
20. Kiel BRYCE, Honda, -1 lap
21. Gary MASON, Yamaha, -2 laps, DNF
22. James BUCKINGHAM, Suzuki, -5 laps, DNF
23. Denver ROBB, Suzuki, -8 laps, DNF
24. Malcolm ASHLEY, Ducati, -10 laps, DNF
25. Scott SMART, Kawasaki, -12 laps, DNF
26. Steve BROGAN, Yamaha, -16 laps, DNF
27. Noriyuki HAGA, Ducati, -17 laps, DNF
28. Chris MARTIN, Suzuki, -20 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap: John REYNOLDS, 1:34.820

Copyright 2004, Roadracing Publishing, Inc.


Two weeks after he crashed while training on a motocross bike and dislocated his left elbow and broke bones in his left hand (which were surgically pinned together), Robbie Dowie removed a medical brace, fit his leathers over a soft cast and rode his GSX-R1000 Suzuki to a commanding victory in the 20-lap, 50-mile Solo GTO race at Willow Springs Raceway Saturday. The WSMC race was run in relatively mild conditions with ambient temperature about 90 degrees F with moderate wind. Marte Cooksey finished second on his Suzuki GSX-R750.

J.T. Roberts topped the provisional Solo GTU results ahead of Matthias Jezek.

In the combined 20-lap, 50-mile Solo GT-GP and Solo GT-Lights race, John Ulrich won overall on his TZ250, marking his first race win since May 1996. The victory means that Ulrich, 50, has now won motorcycle road races in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and the 2000s.

The battling duo of Bradley Adams on a Suzuki SV650 and Ritchie Thorup on a Yamaha FZR400 finished second and third overall, and first and second in the Solo GT-Lights class. Mark Wilson ran second overall on his Honda RS250 for most of the race but then highsided in the closing laps. Joel Manes finished second in the Solo GT-GP class on another Honda RS250.

Official Results:

SOLO GTO:
1. Robbie Dowie (Suz GSX-R1000);
2. Marte Cooksey (Suz GSX-R);
3. Jerry Mendzar (Suz GSX-R);
4. Martin Szwarc (Suz GSX-R);
5. Rich Gann (Suz GSX-R);
6. Andrew Krajacic (Suz GSX-R).

SOLO GTU:
1. J.T. Roberts (Suz GSX-R600);
2. Matthias Jezek (Kaw ZX-6R);
3. Alex Eisner (Yam YZF-R6);
4. Romeo Jereza (Yam YZF-R6)
5. David Brown (Yam YZF-R6);
6. Mark Hargis (Yam YZF-R6).

SOLO GT-GP:
1. John Ulrich (Yam TZ250);
2. Joel Manes (Hon RS250);
3. Keith Giglio (Apr RS250);
4. Jamie Lenore (Apr RS250);
5. Gordon Wood (Yam TZ250);
6. Jay Pilster (Hon RS125).

SOLO GT-LIGHTS:
1. Bradley Adams (Suz SV650);
2. Ritchie Thorup (Yam FZR400);
3. Craig Smith (Apr RS250);
4. Brienne Thompson (Suz SV650);
5. Arnold Tuason (Yam).

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

WSMC racer Lazarus Landin was seriously injured in a first-lap, first-turn multi-bike crash at Willow Springs Raceway Sunday, and was evacuated by helicopter.

Landin was apparently hit by at least one other bike in the incident, which involved four or five motorcycles and happened in the 750cc Modified Production race at the Rosamond, California racetrack.

Further information on Landin’s condition was not available at post time.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

British Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Leon HASLAM, Ducati, 20 laps, 32:19.096
2. Sean EMMETT, Ducati, -5.576 seconds
3. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki, -7.274 seconds
4. James HAYDON, Yamaha, -8.810 seconds
5. Scott SMART, Kawasaki, -9.638 seconds
6. John McGUINNESS, Kawasaki, -10.474 seconds
7. John REYNOLDS, Suzuki, -17.478 seconds
8. Tommy HILL, Yamaha, -18.122 seconds
9. Craig COXHELL, Honda, -22.165 seconds
10. Gary MASON, Yamaha, -27.601 seconds
11. Steve BROGAN, Yamaha, -30.862 seconds
12. Sam CORKE, Suzuki, -31.888 seconds
13. James ELLISON, Yamaha, -37.582 seconds
14. Michael RUTTER, Honda, -42.648 seconds
15. Dennis HOBBS, Suzuki, -49.490 seconds
16. James BUCKINGHAM, Suzuki, -50.139 seconds
17. Iain MacPHERSON, Ducati, -54.139 seconds
18. Chris PLATT, Kawasaki, -62.929 seconds
19. Chris MARTIN, Suzuki, -70.276 seconds
20. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, -73.174 seconds

Fastest Lap: John REYNOLDS, 1:34.315


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

MAN OF THE MEETING McGUINNESS ON PODIUM FIRST TIME OUT ON HAWK ZX-10R

Hawk Kawasaki’s decision to replace injured Glen Richards with TT-winning star John McGuinness proved inspired when the Lancastrian stormed to his maiden BSB podium and the Man of the Meeting award at a wet Brands Hatch today.

Dark clouds threatened to dampen proceedings all weekend, but it wasn’t until minutes before the first THINK! British Superbike race that the heavens opened. Both Scott Smart and McGuinness charged through the field in the early laps of the wet race, jumping from twelfth and ninth on the grid to fifth and sixth by lap three.

Unfortunately Smarty was forced out of the running with electrical problems on lap nine, elevating his team-mate to fifth behind Reynolds, Emmett, Mason and Rutter. After a four lap mid-distance stint behind the safety car, due to a crash at Paddock Hill, McGuinness took fourth when Yamaha’s Gary Mason left the track at Druids.

The Hawk rider was right with the leaders on the drying track and was able to outbrake and pass Michael Rutter at Surtees two laps from the end before chasing after Sean Emmett, who looked to be in a safe second place. On the final lap McGuninness looked to have the measure of his Ducati mounted rival before electing to bring his Hawk ZX-10R home in a superb third place for his first ever BSB podium.

“I was expecting a reasonably good result in the wet because I don’t mind it, but to be on podium is unbelievable,” said John of his first race on the Hawk machine. “I could have got past Sean Emmett on the last lap, and in any other situation I would have had a go, but it was my first time on the bike, I was in a podium situation and I thought ‘let’s just bring her home’. The bike worked brilliantly in the wet, it was superb, and I was getting better drive than a lot of the guys. I got away really well, but Yukio was in front of me sliding all over the place and nearly took half the field out. That held me up a bit but it was a long race and I was just picking them off one by one and I quite enjoyed scalping a few of those factory boys.”

The 29 year-old backed-up his superb first race aboard the Kawasaki with a fine sixth place in the second, in equally treacherous conditions, earning him Niall Mackenzie’s Man of the Meeting award. “I tried to keep my head and pick a few off, but I got held up by Tommy Hill for a long time,” he said. “Once I got past him I seemed to pull away. My results show that I’m bike fit, back on the scene and this is where I want to be – in BSB, and this is a great start to it.”

Scott Smart made amends for his first race disappointment, in which an electrical problem forced him to retire, with a gritty fifth place in the second outing. The former 250 champion fought his way through to second behind Emmett in the opening laps, but was unable to sustain the pace when his rear tyre started to wear heavily on the drying track.

“I think I could have got past James Haydon in the closing stages, but at the end of the day I would have struggled to do it,” said Smarty. “I planned to try in the last couple of laps, but we got split up by a back marker. I was catching him but he was having as many out of the seat moments as me. My tyres were gone and it was spinning up everywhere. I got up into second in the early laps and then James and a few others came by because I didn’t have the ultimate pace, but the good thing is that we weren’t a million miles away.

“I’m gutted I had to retire from the first race because I got a great start and was in fifth by the third corner,” he continued. “My bike kept cutting out, which isn’t what you want when you’ve got 180bhp in the wet. I felt comfortable out there too and I’m sure I could have finished fourth or on the podium if the bike had been ok. I just had no choice but to pull in and see if we could fix it.”

After a tough qualifying Hawk Kawasaki Team Principal Stuart Hicken was delighted to see one of his machines on the podium again, especially in the hands of rookie McGuinness.

“The thing I’m really pleased about is that we’ve never raced the bikes in the wet and we’ve proved that the development we’ve done with the engine has made the bike really easy to ride,” he said. “John has ridden 10 times better than I thought he would after coming back from the island, which is real hard work, plus he’s riding against guys who have been hard at it all season. He rode tremendously well and I’m over the moon with the way he’s ridden. I couldn’t have asked for a better stand-in for Glen. Scotty was really unfortunate in the first race, but you can’t do much when electrics go wrong because they were in excellent condition before the race. He had a great second race, where he got up to second and battled hard all the way through. It bodes so well for the future of the bike and as we keep developing it WILL get better, that’s for sure.”

The eighth round of the BSB championship will be held at Knockhill, Scotland, on July 3.

From a press release:

Monday! Monday! Monday! The Racing to Save Lives Event Kicks Off Tomorrow!

Denver, CO – A fundraising event of unprecedented proportion is taking place this week at Second Creek Raceway in Denver, CO. This event will showcase a week-long motorcycle endurance race to raise money for children’s charities, by completing as many miles as possible on a closed-circuit road racing course.

The Racing to Save Lives Crew is very pleased to announce that over 60 riders are slated to participate, and with 26 sponsors so far. the event has generated over $40,000.00!!! The lights haven’t even turned green yet! The event kicks off tomorrow, June 21st and continues to Friday, June 25th.

Besides providing riders with very affordable track time, spectators and participants are encouraged to hang out and “bench race”. Bench racing will have plenty of time at the big party Friday night. There will be live music, food and a preview screening of the movie Faster. While huge donations are certainly welcome, Racing to Save Lives has made the closing party available to the general public for a minimum donation of just $5.00.

For information: http://www.racing2savelives.org
Contact: [email protected]
Phone: Tony Baker at 303-680-7024, or Ralph Forsythe at 303-907-7499