Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

A funeral will be held tomorrow for Susan Murphy, who drowned while swimming in a Nebraska lake on Memorial Day.

She is the wife of Laguna Seca World Superbike/AMA Superbike race promoter Dan Murphy.

Funeral services will be held at Butherus Love Funeral Home, 4040 A Steet, Lincoln, NE 68510, (402) 488-0934, at 3:00 p.m.

Memorial donations can be made to the Susan Murphy Outreach Fund, c/o S. Freimuth, Colorado Business Bank, P.O. Box 8779, Denver CO 80201.

From a press release:

Monona, Wisconsin-based Team MS announces the kick-off of their new website. www.teamms.org

*The site is designed to allow individuals and their families who suffer with Multiple Sclerosis the research and information they can use when dealing with this disease.

* Theweb site also shows people how they can help in the fight against MS. Team MS is open to all individuals who compete in any endeavor. Be it running, bicycling, motorcycle racing or even walking around the block.

* Team MS announces the kick off of the Sticker Awareness Campaign. In an effort to increase awareness, people can request a Team MS sticker that can be placed on a window; helmet or anywhere people might notice. It is a small but effective way to let people know that a cure for MS needs to be found. Stickers can be requested at no charge on the team website.

For information about Team MS, contact:
Jim Haraughty
AMRMA #258, WERA #158
[email protected]

From a press release issued by Pirelli’s advertising and public relations agency, Plummer Menapace:

PIRELLI PREVIEWS THE ISLE OF MAN

History Past: The Origins Of The TT; History Present: Pirelli’s Domination Of Recent TTs

HISTORY PAST – THE BEGINNING: The Isle of Man. Just the mention of the words brings images of what is arguably the world’s most popular road race, with a history harkening back to the days when all road races were run on public roads, to the days of leather helmets, ribbed tires, megaphone exhausts. And iron men. The days before the corporate sanitation – and safety – of closed-course, purpose-built race tracks. A time when the “corner workers” were miners and farmers, and then boy scouts. An event that, except for a few notable exceptions like Joey Dunlop, Mike Hailwood, Steve Hislop, and most recently, David Jeffries, is run by racers whose names most Americans aren’t familiar with. An event we’re drawn to because of its uniqueness, its setting, its heritage. Its danger. The danger that has cost the lives of more than a few racers, including, most recently, Jeffries, the newest TT hero and multi-record holder who died tragically in practice for the 2003 event. An event that spawned a bike name as famous as the place itself, the famed Norton “Manx”, the 500cc thumper named after the island’s inhabitants and their particular dialect of the Gaelic (Celtic) language, now largely extinct, called Manx.

Pretty impressive stuff for a small island just 33 miles long tip to tip, in the middle of the Irish Sea, surrounded by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

The Isle of Man motorcycle races began as an offshoot of the automobile racing that had moved to the island because the British Parliament had prohibited racing on that country’s roads. It began when a venue was needed so the fledgling British automobile industry and its enthusiasts could have roads for the development of the English machines to hold trials to contest the annual international race between nations that had begun in 1900, created, oddly enough, by an American named James Gordon Bennett.

In 1904, the King of England gave his consent for the Isle of Man to hold automobile racing on its public roads after a proposition put forth by the Isle’s governing body. A year later, the idea was put forth that the maybe the Isle of Man would also be a great place to test and further the development of motorcycles because, although the first commercially viable British motorcycle first appeared in 1901, motorcycles were already outselling cars by 1902.

The bike companies wasted no time taking advantage of their new-found opportunity. England immediately challenged France to a “motor-cycle” race, and the first bike trials on the Isle of Man occurred in the first year of their approval, 1905, to choose the best British team to face the French. The date chosen was May 31.

1905 also saw the addition of the first “all-British” race to be run along with the international Gordon Bennett Trial, as it was known. Sir Julian Orde, the Englishman who had first brought the racing proposal to the Isle of Man’s governor, saw his new event as one for touring cars, with a new prize to be called the Tourist Trophy. And so began the Isle of Man “TT”.

The first motorcycle TT was held in 1907, with two classes that were determined by, of all things, fuel consumption. One class was for single-cylinder bikes that averaged 90 mpg, the other for multi-cylinder bikes that averaged 75 mpg. On May 28, 19 bikes lined up for the beginning of that first Isle of Man Motorcycle TT. The smart money was divided between the arch rivals Triumph and Matchless. A Matchless won the singles race; a Norton, the multi. That first year also included the first competitors from the Continent: two German NSUs.

A year later, 36 entrants lined up, Triumph beat Matchless, and a Belgian bike finished third. In 1909, another “foreign” bike finished second, just under four minutes behind the winner. It came from America. It was an Indian.
Also that year, the King decided he didn’t like car racing, and so the automobile TTs ended, leaving the Manx roads – and history – to motorcycles.

HISTORY PRESENT – PIRELLI’S DOMINATION OF THE LAST TWO TTs: As history has shown, the Isle of Man isn’t just about speed, but endurance as well, a real-world proving ground of what works and what doesn’t.

Last year, Pirelli riders won all six TTs they entered, captured 16 of the 18 podium positions, and took a staggering 54 of the 60 total Top-10 places available in those six TTs.

And Pirelli’s 2003 success came hot on the heels of its near record-breaking domination of the 2002 Isle of Man competition in which Pirelli-mounted riders not only won all six major TTs, but swept the podiums in all of them: the Senior TT, Formula 1 TT, 600cc Production TT, 1,000cc Production TT, 600cc Junior TT, and 400cc Lightweight TT. Pirelli racers also shattered no fewer than three IOM lap records in 2002: Jeffries, the then-reigning TT master, crushed his own Senior TT lap record by 21.6 seconds and his outright lap record by over 5 seconds. In the 600cc Production TT, Jeffries’ then-TAS Suzuki teammate, Ian Lougher set a new class lap record of 120.25 mph.

Looking forward to the beginning of the 2004 event beginning this weekend, June 5 and running through the 11th, Pirelli is again looking to turn fresh pages in the record books. Eddie Roberts, Pirelli’s International Race Manager, took a moment from his “manic” race schedule, to confirm that “all the top teams and riders” will again be present and racing on Pirelli’s latest generation of slicks and Supercorsa DOT radials. Among them are the TAS Suzuki team of Adrian Archibald, winner of last year’s Formula One and Senior TTs, and Bruce Anstey, who gave Triumph its first modern-era win in the 2003 Junior 600; IOM veteran Ian Lougher who took three seconds and a third last year in addition to two wins and three second places in ’02; Richard Britton, who finished second in last year’s Lightweight 400, and fourth in the Production 1000; John McGuinness, who combined a win in the 2003 Lightweight 400 with a second place in the Senior TT and a third in Formula One; and Jason Griffiths who had two fourth-place finishes – in Formula One and the Senior TT. “To name a few”, as Roberts put it.

It’s the Isle of Man. There’s nothing else like it.

From a press release issued by CCS Florida:

CCS Florida Region at Moroso Motorsports Park
May 31, 2004

Champion Racing Team’s Marco Martinez dominated the Memorial Day event at Moroso Motorsports Park, winning seven of the nine classes he entered. He began the day with a bit of a rough start, finishing third in the GTO and GTU races, but found his groove after the lunch break and finished first in all of his afternoon events.

Martinez was able to work his way quickly to the front and then open a gap on the rest of the field in most of his races. But he really had to battle the competition in the most exciting event of the day, the Unlimited Grand Prix race. Jim Pihokken had nabbed the holeshot with Scott Ritchey close behind in second place early in the race. Martinez was not far behind in third. By lap two, he had passed Ritchey and closed in on the leader. Martinez made the winning pass at the entrance to the turn three chicane in lap three. He maneuvered underneath Pihokken at the entrance to the turn and took over the lead. The rest of the race was a two-rider battle for the lead dominated by Martinez. Behind the leaders, Ritchey held fast to his third place position while his teammate, Ed Lis battle with Anthony Cabrera for fourth. In the white flag lap, Cabrera passed underneath Lis in turn two to take over fourth place. In a fight to the finish, Cabrera maintained his position through the checkered flag. Martinez’ lap times during the Shootout dropped to within a fraction of a second from the record had had previously set at Moroso.

On the podium, Martinez commented, “My hat’s off to Jim (Pihokken). He rode really hard. I didn’t think I had anything for him. I was so tired and my hands were hurting. I was cramping and trying to stay with him for the first two laps. And, I felt like, well, if I can hang with him, I can make a move. And then I stepped it up and I was able to get the lead. I don’t know how I pulled this one off. I was just about to be satisfied with third in the Shootout, but thank God, that I had a little bit of strength left and was able to win it.” He went on to praise his team and thanked all of his riders stating, “They did awesome this weekend. I’m really proud of them. And, my crew, Richard, everybody that comes to the track and helps me out. I couldn’t have done it without you guys.”

From a press release issued by Proforma:

MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGIES SUZUKI READY FOR “LOCAL” RACE

Shawn Higbee, Danny Eslick and the Millennium Technologies Suzuki team head to round six of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship this weekend, June 4-6, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. For Shawn and the owners of title sponsor Millennium Technologies, it will be a short drive. Millennium Technologies is based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, just 15 minutes from the track. Shawn lives in Big Bend, Wisconsin, a little over an hour from Road America. The Suzuki bikes are tuned and maintained at KWS Motorsports in North Charleston, South Carolina, and will travel to Wisconsin while Danny Eslick will make the drive from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa.

Shawn Higbee
While Shawn considers Road America his “home” track, it’s not a place that he gets to ride on a regular basis. “Like everyone else, I really like the track,” said Shawn, who finished seventh in both Superbike races in 2003, Saturday’s race in the dry and Sunday’s race in the rain. “If it rains, it’ll be to our advantage. I ran as high as fourth last year in the rain. Kevin (Hunt, team owner) and the boys are supposed to be building me a hotter motor, similar to what I ran last year, so that’ll help out a lot on the long straights. Up to now, we’ve been running a Superstock-legal motor.”

Danny Eslick
Danny turned 18 on May 29th, and rode at the Springfield TT for a bit of fun on his birthday weekend. “I rode my own DR-Z400 at Springfield, it’s just a stocker,” said Danny, who missed making the show by one position in his scratch semi. “My buddy John Haner showed up with his Hooters mechanic Mike Goden. Mike helped me out a lot, it was good to work with him. There were over 90 guys there trying to make the main, so I didn’t feel too bad about not making it on a stock bike.” This will be Danny’s first trip to Road America’s four-mile road course. “I’m lucky that there’s promoter practice on Thursday, so I’ll be able to learn the track,” Danny said. “But with lap times so long, I won’t get as many laps as I would at a shorter track, so I’m gonna have to make the most of it. I’ll be okay.”



More, from another press release issued by Proforma:

HAS/RACING HEADS TO THE LAND OF CHEESE

The HAS/Shogun Racing team heads to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for round six of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship this weekend, June 4-6. Team rider Heath Small is healthy and ready to ride after mishaps earlier in the season saw him riding injured at certain rounds.

“I’m in shape and ready to go,” said Heath, who spent the Memorial Day weekend grading a practice dirt track on property behind the team’s race shop in Waller, Texas. “I got fifth at Road America in 2002 in Pro Thunder on the (Ducati) 748. I wasn’t able to go last year because of my hand injury at Pikes, so I’m looking forward to this year because I like the track.” Heath will again be racing in both the Pro Honda Oils Supersport and Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme classes at the four-mile Wisconsin track. With more power, better chassis components and a better selection of Pirelli tires for the 16.5″ wheels, Heath is anticipating good results on the team’s Yamaha R6-based Formula Xtreme machine. “The Xtreme bike will be a lot of fun,” Heath commented. “It’s not dramatically faster (than the Supersport bike), it just does everything a little bit better.”

From a press release:

Denver, CO – A fundraising event of unprecedented proportion is taking place in late June, 2004 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.

Local and national motorcycle racers will ride from sunup to sundown from June 21 through 25. It is estimated that as many as one hundred racers will log nearly twenty thousand miles during the week. The event will then continue with a full weekend of AMA sanctioned sprint racing June 26 and 27, with the Motorcycle Roadracing Association (MRA). Over four thousand additional miles are anticipated to be pledged by the MRA racers during these two days.

Over one hundred people will also volunteer their time that week to provide the event staff necessary to maintain a continuous, safe race environment. The majority of these volunteers will come from the Colorado Sportbike Club, however anyone is welcome to donate their time.

This event has also attracted local and national media attention, with radio and television coverage already taking place. Due to the expected attention an event such as this will gather, sponsors and contributors will receive name exposure wherever possible. In addition to local media coverage, active promotion is taking place on Speed Channel and KBPI Radio.

Full details on the timeline and other information pertaining to the Racing 2 Save Lives event can be located on the organization’s website, or you may call Tony Baker or Ralph Forsythe to learn more.

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

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

GP OF ITALY – ROUND 4

PREVIEW

It is the Mugello circuit which will welcome the fourth race of the 2004 Championship.
The Italian GP will be particularly difficult for the riders of the Team Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGP. The Italian riders in fact, sustained by their own public, will be for sure racing with extra motivation. Nevertheless, the Team “azul” accepts this challenge and will present itself during this home GP with the same motivation and concentration as the other Grand Prix with the goal of winning.

Sete Gibernau needs to defend his position as leader of the MotoGP championship on this Tuscan track which generally favors the Italian riders (in 2003 an all Italian podium with Rossi, Capirossi and Biaggi). Sete Gibernau will not disappoint, a rider who is loved by the Italians and who rides for an Italian team, and even he is considered a favorite here in Italy, favorite enough that the

Press considers him as the fifth Italian rider of the MotoGP.

#15 SETE GIBERNAU

“It is too early to think about the Championship. I will race this Italian GP with the same commitment and concentration of the past races. I still believe we have a lot of work to do. For sure it will be a difficult race as the Italian riders will be in front of their public, therefore they will have an extra gear as to be even more motivated that usual.

Plus Mugello isn’t exactly a circuit I particularly like. Last year on this track we had the worst result of the season, but for sure I will be racing to win. I have lots of Italian fans and it would be a fantastic gift for my Italian mechanics and for my Team.”




#45 COLIN EDWARDS

The Texan of the Team Telefonica MoviStar Honda MotoGP arrives to the Mugello extremely motivated. ” For many, my race in Le Mans went well, but not for me, I think it was a disaster. This isn’t my potential, I am used to being up fron! t and fighting for the podium.”

The Team believes in his riding skills even though during the races he still hasn’t shown his full potential. After the French GP the Team stopped in Michelin’s own home track of Claremont Ferrand for a two day test. These two days have proven to be fundamental for a better set up of the RC211V, in particular to study two problems the bike has: the jumping it tends to show while entering a corner and the tendency to wheelie while accelerating.

“After the test in Claremont Ferrand my feeling with the bike is much better, we had problems with the front wheel whenever the air temperature rose and it tended to wheelie excessively. We changed the forks and we resolved these problems. Now I can’t wait to go to Mugello.”

The Italians are given as favored but there won’t only be Rossi and Biaggi, Sete and I will be up there to fight also. Mugello is a special track, full of history, I like the atmosphere.”

From a press release issued by Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A.:

RECENT REORGANIZATION AT KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP., U.S.A.BRINGS SALES AND MARKETING FUNCTIONS CLOSER TOGETHER

Part of company’s approach to increasing efficiency and improvingcoordination of operational activities

IRVINE, Calif. (June 1, 2004)—The reorganization at Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC), effective May 10, is intended to increase overall efficiencies and productivity within the various operational groups that have helped the company grow so markedly over the past decade. Among the changes taking place at KMC are the integration of functions that have a synergistic relationship—such as marketing and sales.

KMC’s president, Steve Hamada, stressed the need for shortening the lines of communication within the company, supporting management desires to remain responsive to dealers and consumers. Bringing together the marketing and sales operations under Tom Orbe, who moved from vice president, marketing to vice president, sales and marketing serves that need, “both for short and long-term KMC growth plans,” according to Hamada.

To further position KMC for competitive activity, Orbe is taking advantage of the talents offered by four key management individuals. Tony Murr, who had been vice president, sales, moves over to become vice president, marketing. “Tony’s involvement in marketing and communications will provide our internal staff and agencies with a clear view of the current situation at the dealership level and will prepare us to be very responsive to immediate retail needs,” said Orbe.
Rodger Howe, who had been director, communications, becomes director, national sales. “Rodger’s recent responsibilities in guiding the company’s communications efforts, coupled with his extensive field sales experience, will certainly give him the ability to address our needs in the sales arena,” said Orbe. Howe will be assisting Orbe, who also holds the title of vice president, sales.

Jim Weston, formerly west region sales manager, moves into the newly created position of director, sales planning and inventory management. Integrating sales & program planning, dealer order planning and vehicle/import planning, Weston will direct his field sales experience at optimizing KMC’s supply chain to support dealer needs.

Patrick Kelly, previously director, product management becomes director, product planning and research. Leading the combined activities of product management, accessory product development and marketing research, Kelly will be focused on enhancing future product development.

“The more effective we become at increasing management sensitivity to all areas of the company’s operations, the better positioned KMC will be moving forward,” according to Hamada. He indicated that Murr’s and Weston’s extensive sales experience, Kelly’s deep product management capability, along with Orbe’s and Howe’s marketing expertise, would bring fresh thinking and new dimensions to their realigned roles.
This blending of the sales and marketing activities compliments the overall approach Hamada outlined when announcing the reorganization earlier this month. Combined with the consolidation of several product-related functions into a product operations group under Dave Dora, vice president, product operations, KMC is “ideally positioned for efficiency and profitability,” said Hamada.

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. markets and sells at wholesale Kawasaki motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft, utility vehicles, power products and general-purpose engines. These product lines are sold through a network of more that 1,500 independent retailers. KMC and its affiliates employ nearly 2,400 people in the United States, with approximately 400 of them located at the Irvine, California headquarters.

Kawasaki’s tagline, “Let the good times roll.™”, is recognized worldwide and the brand is aggressively carrying its heritage of power, performance, leading-edge design and exhilaration into the 21st century. Information about Kawasaki’s complete line of recreational products and Kawasaki affiliates can be found on the Internet at www.kawasaki.com.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Max Biaggi aiming for top step on Mugello podium

The magnificent 5.24km Mugello circuit, in Toscana Northern Italy, plays host to the Italian Grand Prix on the weekend of June 4-6. Toscana so popular with Italians and tourists alike for the peace and tranquility of its rolling hills and long winding valleys will show its other face when the MotoGP circus arrives for the weekend. The race is bound to attract spectators in their scores of thousands to watch their hero’s battle it out in round four of the 16 round MotoGP word championship.

Mugello brings out the very best in all GP riders, a superb mixture of tight slow corners, fast sweeping curves and a long front straight form the perfect package that almost guarantees close high-speed racing. The stars of MotoGP are household names in Europe, Rossi, Biaggi, Capirossi and Gibernau chief among them and few will look beyond the four for a likely winner at Mugello.

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, leads the series by virtue of two brilliant victories and a third place but the majority of the expected crowd of 75,000 will be cheering for one or other of the three Italians.

Of the three only Max Biaggi has yet to win his home GP. The Roman Emperor as he is known to his legion of fans, goes into Mugello with his best chance ever of securing the one race win he most wishes to have on his CV. He sits in second place in the championship ten points behind Gibernau having taken podium places in each of the three previous grands prix.

Biaggi won three consecutive 250cc grands prix at Mugello, but the big prize has eluded him. Max has raced in the leading group in MotoGP races at Mugello on several visits but a second place and two third place finishes from his last three appearances at Mugello have left him more determined than ever to win this time round.

The Camel Honda rider said of Mugello. “Of course Mugello is very special to me. First of all I love the track. Even if it was not my home grand prix I would love it, the layout is one of the best on the calendar…the long fast main straight, corners such as ‘Bucine,’ the section from which leads from ‘Casanova Savelli,’ to the two ‘Arrabiatta’ are poetry for the riders. And I also like the downhills so much; they give you a real thrill when you ride. Last but not least there are the fans, they really make you feel supported, they push you to give your best. With four Italians riders in MotoGP, with Ducati in search of revenge, and all the other riders keen to show they can also run at the front I can predict a new record number of spectators at the track.”

Biaggi refuses to be drawn into pre-race predictions but following the successful Camel Honda post race test at Le Mans the Italian was in buoyant mood on return to his home in Monaco.

“I prefer to approach this race as any other race. I feel in good shape, the bike is performing very well indeed so far, even with a few problems at Le Mans we got on the podium. I’m second in the championship. It’s only the fourth race; it’s not a case to make too much strategy. We did some good set up tests at Le Mans and we’ll see if they also prove useful for Mugello. Anyway, things have not been so bad so far, have they?” Said a very relaxed Biaggi.

Biaggi is not one for TV and lazy down time between races. In his free time since Le Mans Max has been actively supporting his favourite charities and was also a guest of the Renault team at Monte Carlo to watch his friend Jarno Trulli take pole position then go on to win the Monaco Grand Prix.

“Mama mia, no I don’t watch too much TV especially reality shows such as Grande Fratello (Big brother) I prefer to live my day rather than watch others doing it. It’s like a transfer, like switching on the TV and switching off yourself.” He said. “No, I like to follow he news, the sports programmes and a good movie. I like a lot of action movies. ”

Biaggi a passionate soccer fan has dedicated a lot of his free time to charity work over the years and is deeply involved in work for Solidarity. “It’s ten years already that I’ve been playing in the F1 soccer team for Solidarity. The idea appealed to me immediately because of its total transparency and immediacy, given that it wasn’t the normal way of doing things. It was more of an impersonal way to do something for good causes, but it required a direct and long-term involvement, and the results were there to see. They were tangible and concrete, and at the end of every evening you knew that a certain amount would be passed on to various charities. Also it involved my second greatest passion after motorcycles, soccer. We had a match on the Tuesday before Monaco F1 GP and it was a good way to relieve the tension of the Le Mans race. On Saturday I went to visit the F1 paddock and was happy watching Jarno getting his first pole from his pit garage. He made a perfect lap on Saturday and a perfect race on Sunday. In the paddock I met an idol of mine, Emerson, who plays for AS Roma, my favourite soccer team.”

His record of 41 GP wins, 55 pole positions and 101 podium places speaks volumes, Max has the ability and the equipment to achieve his goals at Mugello next Sunday. The Camel Honda team is working well, his confidence is high, and he will not lack support from his legion of very vocal fans, the rest lays in his hands.

From a press release issued by Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha:

GAULOISES FORTUNA YAMAHA RIDERS AIM TO MASTER MUGELLO

As the fourth round of the scintillating MotoGP series prepares to beckon the strongest ever line up of competitors to the Tuscan circuit of Mugello, the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team members have only one goal in mind – propelling both Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa to the top two podium slots. With both riders having already battled their way to the podium individually this year; Rossi’s exceptional race one win in Welkom and Checa’s significant second place in round three at Le Mans, the entire team’s determination for victory is at an all-time high.

Five-time World Champion Rossi is currently third overall in the Championship standings. His 51 points have been earned from a total of one win and two fourth-place finishes. His team-mate Checa bettered him during the recent Le Mans weekend, however, with his first podium of 2004, underlining the strength and depth of the 2004 Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team rider line-up. At Le Mans Checa was only 1.671 seconds shy of winning his first race of the year, and the Spaniard now lies fifth overall in the Championship fight with 36 points.

Despite both riders running race set-ups at Le Mans which needed more time to refine to an optimum level, the capabilities of the 2004 Yamaha YZR-M1 were made obvious once more, impressing all observers in what is shaping up to be the most open World Championship for a number of years. After the stop-go nature of the short Le Mans circuit, the flowing corners, high speed chicanes and endless elevation changes of the mighty Mugello will provide a very different challenge for the YZR-M1, its attendant technical staff and riders.

Rossi, from Tavullia in the Marche region of Italy, is hoping for his third Italian MotoGP race win in a row this weekend. Now resident in London, Mugello is nonetheless Rossi’s home Grand Prix and he will be performing in front of his adoring ranks of home fans, who spread themselves across the sides of the circuit’s picturesque valley location like a highly vocal private army. This race therefore has significance for Valentino far beyond the otherwise all-important matter of securing maximum championship points. Rossi is fully aware of what success at Mugello means, not just for himself but also for several members of the cosmopolitan Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team, which is based in Italy.

For 31-year-old Catalan Checa, one of the most popular and personable stars in the MotoGP firmament, a place one step higher up the podium from his Le Mans finish will be his firm aim at the 5.245km Mugello track. Checa has worked his way onto the Mugello podium in recent years, taking second place on a Yamaha YZR500 during the 2000 season.

ROSSI HOMES IN ON CAREER WIN 61

Having only recently joined the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team after a four-season Honda career in MotoGP, Rossi has made stunning progress from the very beginning of his new partnership. Although the ultra-fast 1.141km main straight and relatively high speed nature of Mugello will offer a new challenge for the Yamaha YZR-M1, especially after the comparatively stubby and convoluted layouts of Welkom, Jerez and Le Mans, Rossi feels he will have some important weapons in his own armoury.

“I think the Mugello track is quite good for the Yamaha, especially on the corners,” he said. “There are chicanes and different types of corners, which is where I think we will have an advantage. The problem is the main straight, where we could be at a disadvantage.”

During his pre-race build up, the Welkom victor said, “Mugello is always a high pressure race, the most special for me of the year. There are a lot of Italian press there and I always have many weekend commitments, so it’s quite a lot of pressure. But I love racing there, in front of the Italian crowd, the paddock filled with beautiful people! It’s always a difficult weekend and in some ways it’s a relief on Sunday night when it’s all over.”

If more motivation were needed for the most successful rider of the past five years, his two recent off-podium finishes will provide it. “The Le Mans weekend was a difficult one and we didn’t finish where we had hoped to,” said Rossi, “but we had a good day of testing on the Monday afterwards, and made some positive steps. I am looking forward to trying the M1 in Mugello for the first time at that circuit. Last year the race there was perfect for me, with all the riders giving 100%. It is bound to be a brilliant battle again this year.”

CHECA READY TO CLIMB ANOTHER PEAK

The recent runner-up spot at Le Mans provides additional motivation for the popular Spaniard, at what is one of the most rewarding circuits on the 16-round MotoGP trail.

“I am feeling very comfortable about Mugello,” affirmed Checa. “It’s not just a good track, one that I like, but the situation we find ourselves in now is great. All of my team have got their smiles back! Since the Jerez front row, and of course after finishing second in Le Mans, we have all recovered our enthusiasm and motivation. We are working in quite a different way at the moment; we know we still have limitations but we are in a position to fight to win now, as long as we make no mistakes. The extra day of testing in Le Mans was also useful just to confirm that our race setting was the right one.

Of the Mugello track layout itself, Checa commented, “Mugello has a long straight and as we are not quite as fast as some of the other bikes right now, we can lose 1 or 2 tenths of a second along there. Our strength lies in the corners where we can catch up or pass. At the moment I am having some problems when the bike is leaned over at an angle. But I have confidence in myself and I feel good on the bike right now.

“Le Mans was a great race for me; I did not make any mistakes and was fast. Valentino had some problems there, but I think that he has done amazing things already this year and can be at the top again, especially in Mugello. It was really satisfying for me to be ahead of every rider except one in Le Mans and next time I want no riders ahead of me.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO EXPLAINS THE MUGELLO APPROACH

Team Director Davide Brivio gave his insight into what is expected to be a pressure cooker of a race. “Mugello is of course a very special race for us. It is Valentino’s home circuit so there is added pressure for him, but it is also the home Grand Prix for the team. Even though our team is very international, we are based in Italy and we feel Italian!

“After three races I think that Yamaha has definitely created a competitive package. We have had a win in South Africa, Carlos a strong second place in France and also a good showing so far from Melandri. We have been high up the order at all three races with different riders and in different conditions, so we are feeling confident. We are now going to push even more and aim to stay at the top; we are looking for the next victory.

“Mugello is a good circuit for both Valentino and Carlos and I think we can have a competitive race with both of them. Valentino has the additional motivation from the Italian crowds and Carlos is coming from a good race in Le Mans, so he is feeling confident. After the race we stayed on for a one-day test and spent some time working on race settings. We collected some good information from both riders and we are feeling in good shape.”

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

At 5.245km the Mugello circuit is one of the longer contemporary MotoGP circuits, in no small part due to the fact that unlike many other classically sculpted tracks it has retained its original length and layout. Running across two sides of an impossibly scenic Tuscan valley, Mugello also differs from other super fast circuits in its frequent changes of gradient and the speed of its chicanes. There is a mix of slower and high-speed corners, although even the slowest corners are wide, allowing several ‘ideal’ lines.

Having foregone the modern tendency to reduce speeds by creating ‘bus stops’, Mugello’s four significant chicanes are taken at a relatively high pace. Balancing out the need for firmer suspension on the high-speed sections, which compress front and rear suspension due to centrifugal forces, is the requirement for enough pliability to give tyre side grip and traction around the slower off-camber corners.

The suspension set-up quest is further complicated by the fact that on one section of the track the approach to the corners is uphill, on the other half downhill, altering the parameters in the search for ideal spring and compression damping rates.

Top speed is a significant factor for the first time this year, with the long Mugello straight a possible passing place for those who enjoy a peak horsepower edge. Top speeds of well over 300kmph are expected to be commonplace, with the magic 200mph barrier also set to be breached repeatedly.

Good top speed aside, the rideability and balance of the machine have to be second-to-none at Mugello, such are its spread of corners. A magnificent but stern test of the complete machine, Mugello demands perfection lap after lap, but rewards precise and spirited riding. With Rossi and Checa each having their own degree of measurable success at this track the time taken to reach a good race set-up should be less than at some previous venues.

VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION

Age: 25

Lives: London, UK

Bike: Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1

GP victories: 60 (21 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc)

First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)

First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)

GP starts: 127 (35 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)

Pole positions: 32

Mugello 2003 results (Honda): Grid: 1st, Race: 1st


CARLOS CHECA: INFORMATION

Age: 31

Lives: London, UK

Bike: Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1

GP victories: 2 (500cc)

First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500cc)

First GP: Europe, 1993 (125cc)

GP starts: 155 (35 x MotoGP, 92 x 500cc, 27 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)

Pole positions: 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x 500cc)

Mugello 2003 results (Yamaha): Grid: 7th, Race: 8th


Mugello MotoGP lap record – Tohru Ukawa (Honda) 1:52.601 (2002)

Circuit best lap – Valentino Rossi 1:51.258 (2002)