From a press release issued by Camel Honda:

Max and Makoto on provisional front row in Montmelo

Camel Honda’s pair of yellow RC211V conquered the front row of the grid after the first day of tests at the Catalunya circuit. In order to get up there, Max and Makoto rode in particularly determined fashion; Max setting the second fastest time seemingly unaffected by a slight crash at the beginning of the session, improving his times with his ‘second’ bike and finishing with the positive result. The other Camel Honda flagbearer, Makoto Tamada, once again showed in the last few minutes of the session the grit and talent that stood him apart from the rest in the unfortunate Mugello race. He took the third best time, a provisional front row start, and completed a brilliant result for the team as a whole.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“To have both our bikes on the front row in Catalunya is a great result for the team. We’ve got some good rhythm up for the race, and our Honda machines are very quick here. We also know that we can improve and we are working to refine all the little details so that we’re ready for Sunday. It’s an important race; we’re at home and there’s an exceptional crowd waiting for us, and infront of our fans, we want to be the stars of the show.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 2nd – 1’43.563
“The second fastest time is quite good given that it came with the second bike. In the first minutes of the timed session, I made a slight error and I crashed out. So I had to return to the pits on foot and I lost about fifteen minutes, as well as the chance to use the bike I feel more comfortable with. I used the other and apart from doing some good times with it on soft tyres, I also did some on race tyres. So I think we still have some margins to work within. Having seen the pace that we had this morning I honestly thought that in the afternoon we would have al gone quicker, but obviously the temperature changed the grip and the conditions of the track somewhat. I think that the tyre wear in the race will become an important factor.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“We’re working to overcome the difficulties we find ourselves in at the moment. Bridgestone has put in so much effort in just three days that here in Spain they’ve even brought some new material. I think that soon they’ll find the solution, and as they are doing it the group has been united, working its hardest and we’ve helped our rider in the great race against the clock. Makoto has put his RC211V on the front row, with the second highest top speed, a sign that we should continue with the same amount of concentration as we have shown already.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 3rd – 1’43.708
“Third fastest with the soft tyres and desperate to be always as quick. I wanted this result desperately, it’s very important, now we can put all our attention into the race settings, trying to find the right solution and by fine-tuning the general set-up of the bike so we can be competitive on Sunday. With the race material having barely arrived from Japan. I don’t really know what level of performance we’ll see, but if one thing is for sure, I’ll give my all as ever.”




From press release issued by Team Gresini:

GP OF CATALUNYA – 1ST QUALIFYING PRACTICES

SETE UNSTOPPABLE FROM THE START

The Catalunya Grand Prix started in spectacular fashion for the Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP team as Sete Gibernau once again set the standard, taking pole position as he did at Mugello one week ago. Sete’s effort of 1’42″934 is almost a second quicker than Valentino Rossi’s pole time from last season of 1’43″927. Gibernau recovered from a crash in the morning free practice to take a provisional pole position in the afternoon session. Colin Edwards, fourteenth today, is still struggling to get comfortable on the Honda RC211V due to chattering problems but hopes to rediscover the form that saw him set some of the fastest times at the IRTA tests here in March.

SETE GIBERNAU (1st, 1’42″934) : “I wasn’t expecting to get into the 1’42s here, but once again the times are coming easily to me because everything is in the right place. We had a slight setback this morning because we didn’t quite have the front set-u! p right but the team did a great job and on my final two outings I found a really good feeling. I did a good time on the race tyre and on the qualifier it was sensational. The time gives me the chance to get some work done tomorrow and that’s how I like it – checking the feeling I’ve got and getting a good rhythm together for the race.”

COLIN EDWARDS (14th, 1’44″609): “I am really disappointed. In the morning practice we had chattering problems all round the circuit apart from in the first two turns. We tried a few different solutions to sort it out but in the afternoon it was exactly the same. The only place I am quick – perhaps the quickest rider out there, is in T1 and T2, but the bike is unrideable for the rest of the lap”.

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team Manager): “This is an important Grand Prix for Sete, the team and Telefónica because this is our home track and this pole is very important. We set a good! time this morning but the lap time in the afternoon was extremely good and particularly important after the crash, which luckily had no serious consequences. Sete continues to show his great form and in front of his home crowd he has maximum motivation. Colin is having the same problems as at Mugello – we are concerned about the situation because we believe firmly in his potential, but we will help him get out of this tunnel”.


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

PROTON KR V5 BATTLES THE HEAT IN CATALUNYA

Round 5: Catalunyan GP, Montmello
First Qualifying: Friday, June 11, 2004

Kurtis Roberts: 23rd, 1:46.945
Nobuatsu Aoki: 24th, 1:46.957

Proton Team KR riders Kurtis Roberts and Nobuatsu Aoki set almost identical qualifying times in bright sunshine in today’s first timed session for Sunday’s Catalunyan GP, with both promising improvements to come.

The team-mates placed 20th and 21st on the provisional starting grid, with one more timed session to follow tomorrow.

The Proton KR V5 made its race debut just over a year ago, and achieved its first finish at last year’s Catalunyan race, its second outing. This year’s machine is significantly changed, with major engine revisions and an all-new carved-from-solid chassis.

A revised firing order and a new longer-stroke motor are now gaining track miles, with the team able to concentrate more on fine-tuning the settings as the new parts achieve reliability. At the same time, continual development from tyre partners Dunlop is helping to move the project forward in a year when the overall standard in the premier MotoGP class has taken a significant step ahead.

The biggest problem today was blazing heat, with track temperatures soaring beyond 44 degrees under the Spanish sun. This not only punishes the tyres, but also affects the five-cylinder engine, with cooling becoming a more important issue than usual.

Today’s qualifying at the 4.727km circuit outside Barcelona is followed by one more day of qualifying before Sunday’s race, the fifth round of the season. Today’s provisional pole time was again set by points leader Sete Gibernau (Honda).


KURTIS ROBERTS
I haven’t been to this track for seven years, so I’m still remembering my way round and getting reacquainted with the place. We have a few little things to work on with the bike, mainly suspension set-up so I can get comfortable at race pace, and try to find some more grip. I had a couple of clutch problems today and I didn’t really get enough laps at one time to really get going. But it’s all getting better slowly, and physically I’m okay, after getting my insides rearranged crashing in practice in Italy.

NOBUATSU AOKI
I had trouble with my better bike in the middle of the session, with an electrical problem, so I had to switch to the spare, which wasn’t running quite so well. My real problem was when I put on a soft-compound qualifying tyre, and had really bad chatter. Then I tried another, and had the same problem. But the race tyre is working well, and I was able to run at close to my qualifying time without problems. I hope we can get a better qualifying tyre tomorrow, so I can improve my grid position.

KENNY ROBERTS – TEAM PRINCIPAL
Today wasn’t too good … the oil is running too hot, and we need to solve that problem tonight if the temperature is going to stay this high. We have a couple of ways of doing that, but we need to look at all the data first. Everything is still getting better, bit by bit, but we still have a ways to go.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.


1. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:42.934
2. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:43.563
3. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:43.708
4. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:43.710
5. Nickey Hayden, Honda, 1:43.840
6. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:43.860
7. Alex Barros, Honda, 1:43.911
8. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 1:43.948
9. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:44.071
10. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:44.277
11. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:44.290
12. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 1:44.302
13. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:44.407
14. Colin Edwards, Honda, 1:44.609
15. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 1:44.623
16. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 1:44.988
17. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 1:45.088
18. Shane Byrne, Aprilia, 1:45.200
19. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:45.586
20. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki, 1:46.382
21. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 1:46.466
22. Andrew Pitt, Moriwaki Honda, 1:46.700
23. Kurtis Roberts, Proton KR, 1:46.945
24. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR, 1:46.957
25. Michel Fabrizio, Harris WCM, 1:47.503
26. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, 1:49.739


From a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:


YAMAHA MEN START STRONGLY IN SPANISH SCORCHER

Taking turns to dominate most of today’s first MotoGP qualifying session in Catalunya, Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa eventually finished the session in provisional fourth and sixth places respectively. The crowd were treated to a fantastic display of speed, as no less than seven riders lapped inside Rossi’s 2003 pole time.

Local-favourite Checa topped the time sheets for most of the first 45 minutes, before last week’s race winner Rossi moved in front of him with just 15 minutes to go. This sparked an entertaining battle for the top places as the leading riders all pushed their hardest in an effort to secure good qualifying positions ahead of tomorrow’s forecast rain. Checa took the lead again once more, before both riders headed back into the garage to change to qualifying tyres with five minutes to go. Rossi quickly set a new best lap of 1:43.710 but was pushed down to fourth as a Honda trio of Sete Gibernau, (1:42.934) Max Biaggi (1:43.563) and Makoto Tamada (1:43.708) all bettered his time. In the closing seconds Nicky Hayden (Honda) shot up the leader board into fifth with a time of 1:43.840, leaving Checa to finish sixth fastest with a final best time of 1:43.860.

VALENTINO ROSSI (4th, 1″43.710)

“I’ve had quite a good day but I have not pushed as hard as I could because I still have some set-up issues and the last laps with qualifying tyres did not go so well. Sete has obviously found his limit and I haven’t yet. Obviously I’d like to be at the front! Even though we still have a way to go I think we’re in quite a good position; maybe even to fight for victory.”

CARLOS CHECA (6th, 1:43.860)

“So far we’ve done some good work, through all the practice this morning and this afternoon. We’ve cleared some things up so I’m quite satisfied. Tomorrow we need to test one more tyre for the race as usual. This afternoon is was difficult to keep consistent times for more than a few laps. I was on a good lap at one point but got held up by another rider so I lost three tenths of a second on turn seven. Because now we only have one lap with qualifying tyres, it’s really important that everyone pays attention to people trying to put in a hot lap.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO, GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM DIRECTOR

“Both riders went at quite a good pace for the whole session and they’re still at the top level. It was only the last ten minutes, when Valentino had a few problems, as he’s still adjusting his set-up and Carlos unfortunately got held up, that they moved down the time sheets. If the weather is okay tomorrow both riders can try to improve their positions and I think we’re in a good place to try to do that.”



More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati:

MARLBORO DUCATI MEN IN POSITIVE MOOD

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi finished today’s baking-hot first Catalan GP qualifying session in 10th and 11th positions, confident that they are making good forward progress with their Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedicis. Following last weekend’s Italian GP, where Bayliss and Capirossi had one 2003 bike and one 2004 bike apiece, they’re both back to focusing on this year’s machine here, the team adopting a ‘less is more’ attitude to set-up, making as few changes as possible, so the riders can get fully comfortable with their machinery. “Now that we have a base set-up for this year’s bike we are trying to change as little as possible,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “We are also making a lot of comparisons between the riders’ different set-ups, trying to improve our overall set-up.”

BAYLISS FEELING “PRETTY CHUFFED”
Troy Bayliss was in the hunt for a place on the provisional front row for half of this afternoon’s opening qualifier, run in 30 degree C heat with track temperatures nudging 45 degrees C. And although the Aussie ended up 10th, he reckoned he could have been further up the order if he hadn’t got out of shape during his best qualifying lap. “I feel more comfortable on the bike here,” said the Ducati Marlboro Team man. “We’re doing the same kind of work on set-up, but maybe a bit less than at recent races. I think the fact that I’m so used to riding the bike – I’ve hardly been off the thing in the last week – is also helping. I feel good here and the bike is working good. For a Friday I’m feeling pretty chuffed, especially since I got a bit of the hippy, hippy shakes just before the last fast rights that maybe cost me half a second on my best lap.”

CAPIROSSI IN BETTER SHAPE THAN LAST WEEK
Loris Capirossi was up to sixth during the closing stages of the session, slipping to 11th at the chequered flag. However, the Ducati Marlboro Team rider is in confident mood, making good progress on his bike settings/tyre combination for Sunday’s race. “Overall, I feel that we are in better shape than we were at Mugello, though I feel I have to improve something in myself here,” admitted the Italian. “As far as the bike goes, I’m quite happy with my pace. The conditions are really hot here, which will make life difficult for the tyres on Sunday, which is why I’m concentrating on trying to make the bike more rideable over race distance. My best qualifying lap today was okay, even if not perfect.”

From a press release issued by CCS:

CCS at Shenandoah Cancelled July 17-18

The Mid-Atlantic regional Championship Cup Series event originally scheduled at Summit Point’s Shenandoah Circuit has been cancelled due to construction delays with the new facility.

All CCS motorcycle events at Summit Point Raceway have been moved by Bill Scott Racing from the original 2.1 mile Summit Point Circuit to the Shenandoah Circuit in 2004 including the events scheduled for September 4-5 and October 9-10.

Bill Scott Racing and Summit Point Raceway management expects that Championship Cup Series will be the first group to race at the new facility when CCS motorcycle racing returns to the track on September 4-5, then again on October 9-10.

The cancellation puts even more emphasis on the CCS Roebling Road event scheduled for July 24-25 and Barber Motorsports August 14-15 which also includes the Formula USA series, both are double point paying rounds for the Mid-Atlantic region of CCS.

Don’t forget about the Lockhart Phillips USA Sport Rider Days scheduled at race tracks around the country. Street riders can find “Track Days” in all regions including 4 new affiliates; Fastrax in the Great Lakes Region, Church of Speed in the Southern Region, as well as Keigwin at the Track and SoCal Track Days in California and Nevada.

These LP USA track days focus on street riders but also offer licensing clinics for those that want to take the next step. Regardless of where you live, you can find a Lockhart Phillips USA sponsored Track Day near you! Just visit FormulaUSA.com or CCSracing.com for dates and location!

Lockhart Phillips USA Sport Rider Days are also open to Dealerships and provide great customer service incentives. Contact Formula USA / CCS with inquiries regarding “Dealer Days”.

From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004 GRAN PREMI DE CATALUNYA 11TH JUNE 2004 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1

NAKANO MAKES FAST RETURN TO FORM

Fuchs Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano made a confidence boosting return to riding today, claiming eighth on the provisional grid for Sunday’s Catalunya Grand Prix.

It was a courageous performance coming just five days after the affable Japanese rider cheated serious injury in a horrifying 300 kph crash in the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

In heatwave conditions at Barcelona Nakano put aside the mental demons and continuing back pain to post a superb qualifying effort just one second off pole position.

When Nakano completed his first laps aboard his Ninja ZX-RR in this morning’s free practice he admitted it was “difficult to forget” his Mugello crash.

Also in fine form was Ninja ZX-RR teammate Alex Hofmann, whose 15th fastest time did not reflect his effort and performance potential at one of his favourite tracks.

Hofmann was disappointed not to maximise his late session, soft tyre, qualifying run when baulked by traffic. His best time was just 0.3s off a top ten grid position.

In morning practice Hofmann was unhappy with grip levels and braking stability, but suspension and chassis changes for the qualifying session delivered a big improvement.

Both Nakano and Hofmann acknowledged the efforts of Bridgestone in supplying a modified rear tyre specification in response to the problems that triggered Nakano’s Mugello crash.

With a tight three day production schedule, Bridgestone say they have delivered 100 tyres across three construction types for their riders at Barcelona. This is a smaller choice than usual, but an impressive response from the Japanese tyre company given the circumstances of the back-to-back GP time frame.

Shinya Nakano: 8th (1’43.948) “This morning it was difficult to forget what happened at Mugello when I first went out on the track. But Bridgestone have new tyres here and have promised they have solved the problems, and I trust them. I still have some pain in my back, but I have put all this out of my mind to concentrate on my job. In the afternoon I was confident again, riding as I normally do. So far I have found the tyre performance in terms of grip the same as before, although we still have to confirm the race endurance of the new tyres. I’m hoping to stay in the top eight tomorrow.”

Alex Hofmann: 15th (1’44.623)
“I wasn’t happy with my final fast laps with the traffic and then pushing too hard in the chicane, I lost some time out on the track. In the morning session I couldn’t find a good balance, but in qualifying I had a much better set-up, with improved grip and more stability on the brakes. Even so, I’ve got a positive outlook for the weekend, especially with the impressive work Bridgestone have done, although we still have to check the race distance performance.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager “That was an amazing effort from Shinya to get his confidence back so quickly after Mugello. Alex is also looking strong, and this is a good start to the weekend. Bridgestone have made a huge effort to bring new tyres for the weekend and, hopefully, we will have a good tyre option for the race to back up our qualifying performance.”

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1 – FINAL TIMES
1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 1:42.934; 2. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team +0.629; 3. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team +0.774; 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.776; 5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.906; 6. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.926; 7. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +0.977; 8. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.014; 9. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +1.137; 10. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.343; 11. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +1.356; 12. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team +1.368; 15. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +1.689

From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Yamaha Italia World Supersport Team Newsletter
Date: Friday, 11st June 2004
Circuit: Silverstone m. 5.036
Friday Qualifying
Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy Temperature: air 18° C track 32° C
Crowd: 10.000

FORET READY TO POUNCE
Team Yamaha Racing Italia rider Fabien Foret posted the second quickest time of the day and ended just a whisker behind Australian Karl Muggeridge. Just over a tenth of a second separates the duo, Fabien is determined attack Muggeridge and go for pole position in tomorrow’s final qualifying.

MAIO MEREGALLI (TEAM CO-ORDINATOR)
“Fabien was very fast today. Jurgen spent the day searching for a front tyre, but I am confident that he will improve a lot tomorrow. The fight with Honda will be very close and spectacular, but I think we can get some very good results on Sunday.”

FABIEN FORET – 2nd, 1:56.846
“I did my fastest lap today by doing very fast in the first two sectors. I am not so fast in the final (more twisty) sector, I will try and limit the damage there in the race. I am confident of improving tomorrow and being able to challenge Muggeridge for pole and podium. I tried a few starts today because they caused me problems in the last few rounds.”
_
JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – 9th, 1:58.289
“The bike is OK, but I must find a front tyre that I like before I can ride the way I want to. Last year Pirelli had a front tyre I really liked, but it’s not in their line-up this year, so I will have to do my best with the tyres I have.”

Results
1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1:56.715, 2 FORET (F-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA)
1:56.846, 3 Parkes (Aus-Honda) 1:57.033, 4 Charpentier (F-Honda)
1:57.339, 5 Corradi (I-Honda) 1:58.076, 6 Curtain (Aus-Yamaha) 1:58.082,
7 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 1:58.181, 8 Riba (E-Kawasaki) 1:58.242, 9 VD
GOORBERGH (NL-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 1:58.289, 10 Chambon (F-Suzuki)
1:48.313


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI THIRD AND TOSELAND SEVENTH FOR DUCATI FILA IN SILVERSTONE OPENING QUALIFIER

Silverstone (Britain), Friday 11 June 2004: Ducati Fila’s Anglo-French pairing of Regis Laconi and James Toseland had a satisfactory opening qualifying session ahead of Sunday’s Round 6 of the World Superbike Championship, setting third and seventh quickest times respectively.

Laconi was just three-tenths of a second off the pace of provisional poleman Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) but was convinced there was more to come tomorrow.

“I’m not very happy about the front feeling for the first time this year but it’s nothing to worry about because we have some different settings to test for tomorrow” declared Laconi. “We didn’t test a qualifier either, we just gathered the most information possible for tomorrow when I’m sure we ‘ll find something good. The front end is not so good all the way round the circuit and is not turning in to the corners but we’re working on that to make it better tomorrow.”

Championship leader Toseland was not too worried about his provisional seventh place slot as he concentrated on obtaining the best possible set-up for Sunday’s race.

“I’m in seventh place but you can ignore the position to be honest” commented James. “We’re consistently good on race tyres, and there is plenty more left to come. We just need to tweak a few things and then we’ll be up at the front. I’m feeling quite relaxed because my lap times are good and consistent. We didn’t use a qualifier in that session and I stayed out there just to get a feel for everything and see how the tyres would work over the distance. The bike feels good in the quick part of the circuit, but I need to improve in the slow bit, where I have to learn how to get round it better.”

TIMES: 1. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) 1’55.043; 2. Vermeulen (Honda) 1′ 55.408; 3. Laconi (Ducati Fila) 1’55.415; 4. Haga (Renegade Ducati) 1′ 55.522; 5. Nannelli (Ducati) 1’55.932; 6. Borciani (DFX Ducati) 1’55.977; 7. Toseland (Ducati Fila) 1’55.984; 8. McCoy (Xerox Ducati) 1’55.987; etc.


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

World Supersport Championship ­ Round six – Silverstone, June 11-13 2004

Friday June 11 2004

MSS DISCOVERY TEAM TAKE ON WORLD WITH RIBA AT SILVERSTONE

MSS Discovery’s Pere Riba is looking for success in Sunday’s sixth round of the World Supersport Championship as the Spaniard enjoys a wild card ride in the British round at Silverstone.

Riba fires the MSS Discovery ZX-6RR into battle against the world¹s best Supersport stars at the 3.13-mile Northamptonshire circuit.

“It will be an exciting weekend for us,” says Riba. “We’re going to Silverstone with the normal British Supersport Championship pressure removed. I’m more than confident with the speed and capability of the ZX-6RR so it’s down to me to qualify well and mix it with the regulars on Sunday.”

Riba, eighth fastest in Friday¹s opening qualifying, adds: “The competition is tough, probably as tough as it gets in any class of motorcycle racing. I know most of the riders and I’ve been looking forward to racing against them again for some time ­ especially with this new, improved ZX-6RR.”

MSS Discovery team owners Stuart Simmonds and Nick Morgan are looking to the World Supersport Championship outing to gauge the team’s progress and that of the Kawasaki middleweight sports machine.

Simmonds says: “Racing at this Silverstone World Supersport round was a natural move for us, especially as we run very similar tyres to the Pirellis used under the World Championship regulations.

“It’s also a good opportunity for us to compare ourselves to the world teams, just the sort of benchmark we need at this stage in the development of our young team. And we know Pere is experienced enough to be able to challenge for a top 10 finish in Sunday¹s race.”

World Supersport Championship points after five of 10 rounds: 1 Karl Muggeridge, Australia (Honda) 87, 2 Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Holland (Yamaha) 82, 3 Broc Parkes, Australia (Honda) 53, 4 Kevin Curtain, Australia (Yamaha) 47, 5 Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki) 44, 6 Sebastien Charpentier, France (Honda) 40, 7 Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) 39, 8 Lorenzo Lanzi, Italy (Ducati) 37, 9 Max Neukirchner, Germany (Honda) 31, 10 Fabien Foret, France (Yamaha) 30.

Silverstone television coverage: World Supersport Championship race, live on Eurosport News, programme starts at 12.00noon.


More, from a press release issued by FGSport:

FRIDAY QUALIFYING

CHILI FASTEST OF THE SILVERSTONE BLOCKS

Chili Early Champ: Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998) yet again proved his speed in an early SBK session, running his big V-twin to the best time of day one, 1:55.043 – all despite the high winds which hustled over the flat midland’s countryside. The 23-time SBK race winner, currently third in the championship hunt, is looking to make up the 40+ points differential to the leading Fila Ducati riders, who experienced some difficult moments in the first day of qualifying.

Vermeulen Velocity: The Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR of Chris Vermeulen has made quite an impression in the championship since its inclusion this year, especially in the capable hands of 21-year-old SBK class rookie Chris Vermeulen. Silverstone is a track Vermeulen knows well, but this is his first visit on a Superbike during the first year of the development of the all-new Honda Fireblade.

Ducati Files: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999F04) is one of only two riders in possession of a full works Ducati 999 this season and on his first visit to Silverstone since his promotion to the factory team he had to give best to two other riders on day one. His team-mate James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999F04) was only seventh, continuing what is a sometimes-difficult relationship with his factory machine this season.

Haga and his Homies: Winner of two races so far Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati 999RS) was once more impressively quick in the 22-rider field. Fourth fastest, enough to claim a space on the provisional second row (before the final qualifying competition of Superpole at least) Haga is another potential winner to add into the mix this weekend.

Privato: The impressive bulk of SBK privateers squabbled in tense fashion in the first timed qualifying session, the best behind Chili and Haga proving to be Italian Gianluca Nannelli (Pedercini Ducati 998RS), in a fulsome fifth place. His fellow Italian privateer Marco Borciani (DFX Ducati 999RS) was sixth, in what was another unpredictable and pleasingly diverse series of top qualifying times.

McCoy Row Two: Last man on the second row proved to be Garry McCoy (Xerox Ducati 999RS) on his first run around Silverstone. He was also the last rider inside one second of Chili’s pole time. If Chili’s excellent lap is discounted, McCoy made it seven riders within 0.6 seconds, proving once more that fast circuits like Silverstone lead to generally close racing.

Petronas Progress: With Chris Walker’s Foggy Petronas FP-1 bursting into flames during the morning session, and Troy Corser still recovering from his crash at Oschersleben, it was a busy and often fruitless first day on British soil for the Foggy Petronas Team. Top qualifier at this fast circuit was Troy Corser, 10th overall, but Chris Walker was only 14th, one place ahead of another top British rider, Leon Haslam (Renegade Ducati).

Supersport: A familiar looking quartet of riders filled the first four places on the Supersport qualifying order, with Karl Muggeridge heading up the timesheets yet again on his Ten Kate Honda. In second place 2002 World Champion Fabien Foret ripped to second, 0.131 seconds slower than Muggeridge, but faster by 0.2 seconds than Broc Parkes, the second Ten Kate Honda rider. In fourth place Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) edged out another Honda rider, Alessio Corradi, a big fan of Silverstone’s fast layout.

Final qualifying for each class takes place on Saturday 12 June, with Superpole the final arbiter of starting positions for the top 16 SBK qualifiers.


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

WSBK Silverstone; Vermeulen second in first Qualifying

The first year of full SBK competition for the combination of Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) and his 1000cc Fireblade has already delivered some notable highpoints, and the first day at Silverstone proved to be no different.

Around the tough Silverstone full circuit the Honda lapped second fastest overall, with only the hybrid Ducati of Pierfrancesco Chili ahead. Vermeulen is 0.4 seconds down on Chili at present, with more to come from both rider and team.

Vermeulen stated, “Second place on day one is not bad, first time here on the big bike. We’re not going that much faster than we did on my 600 last year. It feels quite comfortable to ride so far and we’ve made some changes since Oschersleben, to the front forks and rear shock. We just have to get those four tenths off Chili. We’re going OK. There are some sidewinds and in my opinion it’s harder to ride the big bike in high winds – because the front wheel is usually light and then you cannot turn. We did a test at Assen and that certainly bore that opinion out. It wasn’t so bad today, not like Phillip Island was. We’re still hoping that the wind dies down and the heat comes up for tomorrow.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate was pleased at such early pace from his Superbike charges, both human and metallic. “It’s going quite well, from the very start we have been up front. Most of the time we have to come from back a bit in the first sessions. We didn’t make full use of the qualifying tyre but tomorrow we want to go faster still and there is room for improvement. We are very happy to be up there already.”

World Superbike Championship
Round Six- Silverstone, Great Britain
11 – 13 June 2004
First Qualifying Session

1. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 999 RS, 1’55.043

2. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, 1’55.408

3. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 1’55.415

4. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 1’55.522

5. G. Nannelli, ITA,Ducati 998 Rs, 1’55.932

6. M. Borciani, ITA, Ducati 999 RS, 1’55.977

7. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04,1’55.984

8. G. Mccoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’55.987

9. L. Pedercini, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’56.169

10. T. Corser, AUS, Petronas FP1, 1’56.279

WSS Silverstone; Muggeridge and Parkes up front in stiff breeze

The ever-impressive Ten Kate Supersport duo of Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and his team-mate Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda) once more propelled themselves to the top positions in the first qualifying session, setting the quickest and third fastest times of the session respectively.

The session was not without a dose of drama for Muggeridge as a loose fuel line towards the end of the session almost stopped him from setting his fastest time of 1:56.715, His bike was returned to the pits and repaired in time to top the qualifying table thus far.

For Parkes, the late charge of Muggeridge and French rider Fabien Foret (Yamaha) restricted his progress to third on day one, setting a best time of 1:57.033. With one more 45-minute official qualifying session to go the existing qualifying record of 1:56.096, could well be under threat, especially if the stiff winds of day one abate somewhat.

Said Muggeridge of Silverstone day one; “When the fuel line popped off the sudden deceleration nearly put me through the windshield! I was on the throttle on the exit of Stowe and it suddenly just stopped. I thought it may have been the engine cut-out switch operating at the wrong time so I reset it and nothing happened. The other bike was OK but I still set my fastest time on my number one bike. We need to just make laps come a bit more comfortably.”

Parkes knows that there is still room for improvement in his race package. “I’m definitely up there with the top guys. Karl and Fabien picked me off towards the end but it’s pretty good to be up there. Tomorrow we need a bit more time to pick a race tyre because one is pretty hard and the other pretty soft. The sidewinds were strong all along the back straight, blowing us all over the place.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate explained that the session was not without some significant happenings. “It was quite a hectic session though, as Muggeridge’s bike had a fuel line come loose, so we had to pick up the bike from the far end of the track. We got it back in time, after he had done some laps on his number two bike. It was good to see that he kept calm and set his fastest lap at the end. Both riders expect to shave off more time tomorrow, even though the top two riders are already into the 1:56s. The wind and cool track does not help the tyres but it does help the engine power. It’s like Assen, sometimes you think, ‘it’s too cool to set a good lap time’ then the boys go out and put in really quick times.”

World Supersport Championship
Round Six – Silverstone, Great Britain
11 – 13 June 2004
First Qualifying

1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’56.715

2. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’56.846

3. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’57.033

4. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’57.339

5. A. Corradi, ITA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’58.076

6. K. Curtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’58.082

7. L. Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 1’58.181

8. P. Riba, ESP, Kawasaki ZX6 RR, 1’58.242

9. J. vd Goorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’58.289

10. S. Chambon, FRA, Suzuki GSX 600R, 1’58.313


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

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 6, Silverstone (Uk), Friday 11st June 2004, Friday Qualifying
Circuit: 5.036 km., Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy 18c

TROY TENTH DESPITE DIFFICULTY
Troy finished the first day of qualifying with tenth quickest time despite suffering from the injury he sustained when he fell in the last round at Oschersleben. Troy hurt his back in that crash and has been having treatment to improve his chances of fitness before Sunday’s pair of 20-lappers. Italian Frankie Chili (Ducati) is on provisional pole today, ahead of Chris Vermeulen (Honda), Regis Laconi (Ducati) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati). Troy’s team mate Chris Walker suffered a miraculous escape today when his Petronas FP1 bike caught fire whilst he was still onboard! Walker just managed to pull the bike off the track and park it before the marshals rushed over and used three fire extinguishers to put out the blaze!

TROY – 10th, 1:56.279
My main problem today is the stiffness I am feeling in my mid and lower back. I was very sore after the Oschersleben crash and I found it quite hard riding the bike well today. It was difficult to get relaxed on the bike and even sitting on it was a bit uncomfortable. But I did manage to put in some laps and so I’m pretty happy with the times really. We changed the gearbox internals and externals this afternoon, because it’s vital to get a good gearbox set-up here. I did a good time on race rubber and went a bit quicker on a qualifying tyre, so that’s pretty good also. At the moment we are suffering from a lack of top speed and good acceleration compared to our rivals. At any circuit that hurts, but because Silverstone is a fast track, this makes our life that bit more difficult. I knew this would be a tough one for us and so far it is.

Friday qualifying
1 Chili (I-Ducati) 1:55.043, 2 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda) 1:55.408, 3 Laconi (I-Ducati) 1:55.415, 4 Haga (J-Ducati) 1:55.522, 5 Nannelli (I-Ducati) 1:55.932, 6 Borciani (I-Ducati) 1:55.977, 10 TROY CORSER (AUS-PETRONAS FP1) 1:56.279


More, from sidecar race organizers:

Eastern Airways Sidecar Championship – round three – Silverstone

Final qualifying:

1 Steve Webster Suzuki 1m 57.846s

2 Jorg Steinhausen Suzuki 2m 00.289s

3 Tim Reeves Suzuki 2m 00.726s

4 Derek Brindley Suzuki 2m 02.157s

5 Richard Gatt Suzuki 2m 02.642s

6 Greg Lambert Suzuki 2m 03.417s

7 Bryan Pedder Suzuki 2m 04.147s

8 Stuart Muldoon Suzuki 2m 04.214s

9 Bill Philp Yamaha 2m 04.722s

10 Chris Founds Yamaha 2m 05.950s

** Steve Webster/Paul Woodhead win “NEXA Autocolour Pole Position” award, two limited edition Pulsar watches.

First race: Saturday, 17.30hrs – 12 laps
Second race: Sunday, 16.4ohrs – 12 laps

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing Inc.

1. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:46.744
2. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:46.820
3. Sebastian Porto, Aprilia, 1:47.100
4. Toni Elias, Honda, 1:47.541
5. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 1:47.741
6. Franco Battiani, Aprilia, 1:48.115
7. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:48.184
8. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:48.189
9. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:48.283
10. Hiroshi Aoyama, Honda, 1:48.299
11. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, 1:48.406
12. Joan Olive, Aprilia, 1:48.559
13. Hugo Marchand, Aprilia, 1:48.569
14. Eric Bataille, Honda, 1:48.764
15. Alex Debon, Honda, 1:48.962
16. Jakub Smrz, Honda, 1:49.173
17. Gregory Lefort, Aprilia, 1:49.232
18. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, 1:49.431
19. Anthony West, Aprilia, 1:49.634
20. Dirk Heidolf, Aprilia, 1:49.659

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, 1:56.715
2. Fabian Foret, Yamaha, 1:56.846
3. Broc Parkes, Honda, 1:57.033
4. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda, 1:57.339
5. Alssio Corradi, Honda, 1:58.076
6. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha, 1:58.082
7. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, 1:58.181
8. Pere Riba, Kawasaki, 1:58.242
9. Jurgen VD Goorbergh, Yamaha, 1:58.289
10. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:58.313
11. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, 1:58.686
12. Matthieu Lagrive, Suzuki, 1:58.691
13. Craig Jones, Triumph, 1:58.754
14. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati, 1:58.805
15. Stefano Cruciani, Kawasaki, 1:58.988

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:55.043
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 1:55.408
3. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 1:55.415
4. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, 1:55.522
5. Gianluca Nanelli, Ducati, 1:55.932
6. Marco Borciani, Ducati, 1:55.977
7. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 1:55.984
8. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 1:55.987
9. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, 1:56.169
10. Troy Corser, Petronas FP1, 1:56.279
11. Steve Martin, Ducati, 1:56.354
12. Ivan Clemeti, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:56.413
13. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 1:56.435
14. Chris Walker, Petronas FP1, 1:56.621
15. James Ellison, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:56.701

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Archibald takes Senior TT – Farquhar takes Production 600 TT

The luck of the Irish changed for the better on the final day of the Isle of Man TT Racing Festival as first Ryan Farquhar and then Adrian Archibald took the victories on a day of despair for John McGuinness (Yamaha) who had started out with high hopes of becoming the first rider in the history of the event to win five races in a week.

But, in first the 600cc Production race, and then Senior, McGuinnes the Yamaha rider was sidelined by mechanical problems after setting the early pace.

Shrugging aside his earlier frustrations, McGuinness had set a furious pace on the opening lap of the Senior race, grabbing an 11 seconds advantage with an opening lap of 127.19 mph and then doubling that as he headed for the half distance pit-stops for both fuel and tyres.

Archibald (Suzuki) was hanging in, having taken second place, just from the determined Honda rider Ian Lougher, but by Glen Helen on the third lap, it was all change. McGuinness was touring, and he pulled off at Kirk Michael with clutch problems. Archibald, last year’s winner was ahead on the TAS Suzuki and battling to end a lean week on high note.

Ian Lougher was strong in second place, but, as he took Ramsey Hairpin for the third time, the Honda rider stopped, with electrical problems. That moved Kiwi Bruce Anstey (Suzuki) into second place with local fireman Paul Hunt third, though shortly afterwards he stopped with clutch problems.

“That was a good end to what has been a tricky week for me,” smiled Archibald, who also earned a bonus of £10,000 and the Joey Dunlop Trophy as the best placed rider over the TTF1 and Senior races. He finished half a second clear of Anstey, and enjoyed his ride: “The bike never missed a beat – it was good, enjoyable, though it was unfortunate for John, but that is the sort of thing that happens here.

Anstey was second, Gary Carswell (Suzuki) took third with Mark Parrett (Yamaha), Martin Finnegan (Yamaha) heading off sixth placed Honda rider Chris Heath. Guy Martin (Suzuki) held off Gordon Blackley (Honda) with David Bell (Suzuki) ninth from Ian Armstrong (Yamaha).

Earlier, Farquhar (Kawasaki) had enjoyed his maiden triumph on the Island to end a problematic week of machine and fuel problems on the Island, but the young Ulsterman had to work frantically throughout to taste the winner’s champagne in the three lap 600cc Production race.

McGuinness had set the early pace, nosing his Yamaha into a slender one second lead as they reached Ramsey on the first lap, but, Farquhar had overhauled that to grab the lead on the descent of the mountain.

The Kawasaki rider, who had one or two scary moments on the opening lap, run on a course left treacherous in places with damp patches after morning rain, took charge of the action with a second lap at 118.94mph, which, as he pitted for fuel gave him the advantage by five seconds.

However, his hard charging riding was not matched by the pit-stop, and as he re-joined, McGuinness, having a slick service halt was back in front, but four second. Farquhar was having none of it, and as they reached Glen Helen for the final time, he was on level terms, and then pulling away.

McGuinness was experiencing problems, riding with a broken steering damper, and hanging on as best he could, but having to concede second place to Anstey, who put in fast charge over the mountain to close in, finishing just two seconds down on Farquhar.

“Perfect,” smiled Farquhar. “It takes a bit of sinking in that I’ve won – I had a few slides on the opening lap, then lost time in the pits, but after running out of fuel in the Junior race it was case of better safe that sorry. After the disasters of the three races, this is superb.”

Anstey, second, admitted: “it was tight, I couldn’t do anything about it -it was a hard race, while McGuinness, disappointed with third commented: “after the problem with the damper I just wanted to bring the bike home in one piece.”

Jason Griffiths,(Yamaha) took fourth ahead of Honda’s Ian Lougher. Raymond Porter (Suzuki) took sixth from Chris Heath (Yamaha) with Gordon Blackley taking eight for Honda. Adrian Archibald (Suzuki) and Mark Parrett (Honda) completed the top ten finishers.


Production 600 Results Friday Race
PSN / NO-DRIVER / CC / MACHINE / HOME TOWN / TIME / SPEED

1 /6-RYAN FARQUHAR /600 /MCADOO Kawasaki ZX6 /DUNGANNON NI /57 46.6 /117.54

2 /5-BRUCE ANSTEY /600 /TAS Suzuki GSXR K4 /NEW ZEALAND /57 48.9 /117.46

3 /3-JOHN McGUINNESS /600 /Yamaha R6 /MORECAMBE /57 57.9 /117.16

4 /4-JASON GRIFFITHS /600 /Yamaha R6 /RAMSEY IOM /58 07.9 /116.82

5 /2-IAN LOUGHER /600 /Honda CBR RR /DROMORA NI /58 21.1 /116.38

6 /7-RAYMOND PORTER /600 /SUZUKI /LIFFORD EIRE /58 44.0 /115.63

7 /9-CHRIS HEATH /600 /PRO CET YAMAHA /BALDRINE IOM /58 45.8 /115.57

8 /16-GORDON BLACKLEY /600 /BRANSON HONDA /RAF BRIZE NORTO /58 48.0 /115.50

9 /1-ADRIAN ARCHIBALD /600 /TAS Suzuki GSXR /BALLYMONEY NI /58 51.7 /115.37

10 /10-MARK PARRETT /600 /Honda CBR RR /MIDHURST /58 55.3 /115.26

11 /41-TOMMY CLUCAS /600 /BULLOCK HONDA /PEEL IOM /58 59.1 /115.13

12 /13-SHAUN HARRIS /600 /BALCKS BIKE SHOP HONDA /NEW ZEALAND /59 01.8 /115.05

13 /8-RICHARD BRITTON /600 /DPH Racing Honda CBR /ENNISKILLEN NI /59 08.7 /114.82

14 /12-MARTIN FINNEGAN /600 /ROUNDTOWER YAMAHA /LUSK EIRE /59 11.3 /114.74

15 /38-DAVY MORGAN /600 /John Bell Yamaha R6 /SAINTFIELD NI /59 33.1 /114.04
TOTAL LAP COUNT 217; TOTAL MILEAGE 8187.41; FASTEST LAP TIME 19 01.9;
FASTEST LAP SPEED 118.94; FASTEST RIDER RYAN FARQUHAR; LAP NUMBER 2


Senior TT Results Friday Race
PSN / NO-DRIVER / CC / MACHINE / HOME TOWN / TIME / SPEED

1 /1-ADRIAN ARCHIBALD /1000 /TAS Suzuki GSXR/BALLYMONEY NI /113 08.1 /123.81

2 /5-BRUCE ANSTEY /1000 /TAS Suzuki GSXR K4 /NEW ZEALAND /1 13 38.3 /122.96

3 /14-GARY CARSWELL /1000 /HM Suzuki GSXR /MAUGHOLD IOM /1 15 03.3 /120.64

4 /10-MARK PARRETT /1000 /Kingscourt Yamaha R1 /MIDHURST /1 15 09.9 /120.47

5 /12-MARTIN FINNEGAN /1000 /ROUNDTOWER YAMAHA /LUSK EIRE /1 15 10.7 /120.44

6 /9-CHRIS HEATH /1000 /HONDA /BALDRINE IOM /1 15 22.1 /120.14

7 /29-GUY MARTIN /1000 /Suzuki GSXR /DERRY NI /1 15 24.9 /120.07

8 /17-GORDON BLACKLEY /1000 /Honda CBR RR /RAF BRIZE NORTO /1 16 00.0 /119.14

9 /44-DAVID BELL /1000 /Suzuki GSXR /CHESTER LE STRE /1 16 20.4 /118.61

10 /24-IAN ARMSTRONG /1000 /CABLE DIRECT YAMAHA /SOWERBY BRIDGE /1 16 32.3 /118.30

11 /41-JUN MAEDA /998 /Honda CBR RR /JAPAN /1 16 36.1 /118.21

12 /27-CHRIS PALMER /1000 /SUZUKI /CASTLETOWN IOM /1 16 37.8 /118.16

13 /20-NIGEL BEATTIE /1000 /Rockett Yamaha /LAXEY IOM /1 16 49.8 /117.86

14 /36-ANDY WALLACE /750 /SUZUKI /CULLODEN /1 17 01.4 /117.56

15 /30-ALEX DONALDSON /1000 /Suzuki GSXR /LIMAVADY NI /1 17 05.7 /117.45
TOTAL LAP COUNT 287; TOTAL MILEAGE 10828.51; FASTEST LAP TIME 17 47.9;
FASTEST LAP SPEED 127.19; FASTEST RIDER JOHN McGUINNESS; LAP NUMBER 1