From a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Byrne withdraws from French MotoGP

British rider Shane Byrne has been forced to withdraw from tomorrow’s French MotoGP in Le Mans.

The MS Aprilia Racing rider is still suffering severe pain from a broken bone in his right hand after a crash at the Spanish GP in Jerez 13 days ago. After consultation with GP doctor Claudio Costa and Aprilia’s management, it was decided that the 27-year-old would take no further part at the Bugatti circuit after this morning’s free practice session.

Shakey had bravely tried to ride through the pain yesterday and again in this morning’s free practice session after he’d received intensive physiotherapy and pain-killing injections. But the broken hand was restricting his riding too much, and he has decided to sit out tomorrow’s 28-lap race in order to try and regain full fitness before Aprilia’s home race at the Mugello circuit in Italy on June 6.

“I just can’t ride the bike like I want. At best, I’m riding at only 80 per cent of my potential and it is best that I try and make a full recovery for Mugello, which is an important race for me and Aprilia, “said the reigning British superbike champion.

Byrne will visit Italy next week for further consultations with Dr Costa to help the recovery process. Aprilia’s Jan Witteveen said: “We thought that it was better for Shane to stop now and have more treatment so that he is back to his best for the Mugello GP.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.



Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke passed and held off American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel to win the AMA Formula Xtreme race at Barber Motorsports Park. Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec, who started from pole, raced with and passed both Zemke and Duhamel several times in the first half of the race, at one point briefly leading, before his rear tire went off and he went backwards. Erion Honda’s Alex Gobert passed Haskovec for third late in the race.

1. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR
2. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, -0.0160 second
3. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, -11.40 seconds
4. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, -13.505
5. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -25.862
6. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R6, -27.172
7. Mike Smith, Yamaha YZF-R6, -27.839
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R600, -33.471
9. Mike Ciccotto, Buell XB12R, -49.622
10. Michael Barnes, Buell XB12R, -56.549
11. Nicky Moore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -67.562
12. Danny Eslick, Suzuki GSX-R600, -68.189
13. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, -68.254
14. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, -69.949
15. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, -86.865

16. Carlo Gagliardo, Yamaha YZF-R6, -1 lap
17. Joseph Arico, Yamaha YZF-R6, -1 lap
18. William Johnson, Suzuki GSX-R600, -1 lap
19. Derek Keyes, Yamaha YZF-R6, -1 lap
20. Adrian Jones, Suzuki GSX-R600, -1 lap
21. Darin Eli Edwards, Suzuki GSX-R600, -3 laps, DNF


AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 11 races):

1. Duhamel, 143 points
2. Zemke, 132 points
3. Gobert, 112 points
4. Holden, 97 points
5. Haskovec, 81 points
6. Pridmore, 80 points
7. Pegram, 74 points
8. Hester, 68 points
9. Melneciuc, 66 points
10. Corey Eaton, 65 points
11. Eslick, 62 points
12. Small, 50 points
13. Barnes, 44 points
14. Ciccotto, 42 points
15. Ben Bostrom, 33 points


More, from a press release issued by Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki:

HASKOVEC CHALLENGES IN BIRMINGHAM FORMULA XTREME

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki scored several strong results on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Still, the team was left wanting even more following Friday’s performances that saw the team’s riders fastest in their respective classes.

Vincent Haskovec started from the pole in the Formula Xtreme race on his Michelin slick-shod GSX-R600 and diced for the lead over the first half of the 17-lap event. However, warmer than expected weather meant that the hard-riding Haskovec was not able to maintain his pace for full distance, costing him a possible win and a probable podium placing.

He eventually finished fourth, a result that moved him up to fifth in the title chase.

In qualifying for Sunday’s 60k Supersport and Superstock finals, the squad picked up two top ten qualifying positions in each class. Unfortunately, more was expected after dominating the top of the charts on Friday.

Steve Rapp qualified seventh fastest in both classes and will twice start from the second row on Sunday. He posted best laps of 1:27.411 on the GSX-R750 in Superstock and 1:28.934 on the GSX-R600 in Supersport.

Haskovec will line up on the third row to start the Superstock final after qualifying tenth best with a 1:27.474. Chris Peris will start from the same position in the Supersport race thanks to his 1:29.679.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry summed up the day. “We wanted more,” he said. “You always want more. We know Vincent’s capable, and we know the bike’s capable, but things just haven’t fallen our way yet. We thought this was going to be one of our turning points, and I still think it is. We’re starting to show what we’re able to do against factory competition.

“We faded a little bit over the last half of the race,” said the team’s Crew Chief. “It was a little warmer than we thought it was going to be. Vincent rode his heart out, but the combination just wouldn’t allow him to keep up the pace we needed him to.”

Perry is optimistic about tomorrow’s races. “You never know what the weather is going to do. In one respect, Michelin has such outstanding rain tires that we wouldn’t mind if it rained. But if it’s dry, our tires should be the best ones out there in the last half of the race.”

From a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

HODGSON AND XAUS BOTH START FROM ROW FIVE



Le Mans (France), 15.05.04 The d´Antin MotoGP riders today showed some positive progress on a sunny second day of qualifying where temperatures reached 23ºC

Both riders suffered small crashes although there was no serious damage from either, with Neil and Rubén now starting together on the fifth row of the grid in tomorrow’s French Grand Prix.

The Brtion and the Spaniard, will finish off the final touches to their set-up in warm-up first thing tomorrow morning, focused on finishing for the first race this year.

NEIL HODGSON was clearly optimistic about his chances on Sunday: “Things went much better today than yesterday. I managed to get my times down and I would have gone even quicker if I hadn’t fallen in the last few minutes. I had just done my quickest lap and I then pushed too hard. I came out on the other bike, but there were scarcely three minutes left. The most important thing is that I felt much more comfortable and although I will start from the fifth row I am confident of getting away well and finishing in the top ten. I like the circuit and the truth is I need a good result.”

RUBEN XAUS also suffered a fall, but in his case it was during the free session in the morning: “I fell this morning and that hindered me as I could only use one bike in the afternoon. The truth is that I was not comfortable at all and I believe my times could have been a lot better but maybe I lacked a little confidence on that bike. I still have to decide which tyres I will use, but whatever happens it will be important for me to get a good start.”


TIMES:

1st S.GIBERNAU 1.33.425
2nd C.CHECA 1.33.575
3rd M.BIAGGI 1.33.579
4th V.ROSSI 1.33.668
5th C.EDWARDS 1.33.870

14th NEIL HODGSON 1.34.526
15th RUBÉN XAUS 1.34.578


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

McWilliams qualifies Cube in 18th for French GP

Jeremy McWilliams will start tomorrow’s 28-lap French GP at Le Mans from 18th position on the grid.

The MS Aprilia Racing rider knocked almost 0.3s off his best time from yesterday’s opening qualifying session and ended with a fastest lap of 1.35.371 at the newly resurfaced French venue. Despite improving his lap time, the experienced British rider dropped one place from his provisional grid position.

Today’s final hour-long session was run in warm and bright conditions,

and with forecasters predicting more of the same on Sunday, McWilliams is confident that he can score his first world championship points of the season on the Aprilia Cube. “We have working for the race and I’m not too bothered about the grid position. I have been concentrating on working on some parts of the track to help us go faster. I’m confident and positive, “said McWilliams.

Aprilia’s RS Cube three-cylinder machine was once again among the fastest bikes in the field, McWilliams clocking over 300kmh this afternoon. He said: “The bike is very fast and powerful in some parts of the track. In some places you are in fifth gear and the bike still wheelies.” Aprilia though are making big forward strides with the RS Cube, evident today as McWilliams’ best time was almost two seconds quicker than the best set last year at Le Mans with Noriyuki Haga. McWilliams’ chief engineer Pietro Caprara said: “Compared to last year the RS Cube is growing very well. We can produce a much better lap time when the bike runs without any problems and Jeremy is really looking forward to the race.”

McWilliams will be Aprilia’s lone representative in tomorrow’s race at the famous Bugatti circuit, with team-mate Shane Byrne unfortunately withdrawing from the race with a hand injury sufffered at the Spanish GP earlier this month. McWilliams said: “I felt alone today without Shane but if he decided with Aprilia that he couldn’t continue then he made the right decision. This track is very physical with some very hard braking points and a lot of changes of direction.” Tomorrow’s race is round three of the 2004 MotoGP world championship, with the next race taking place at Aprilia’s home circuit at Mugello in Italy.


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

NAKANO DISAPPOINTED WITH FOURTH ROW AT LE MANS

Shinya Nakano will start tomorrow’s 28-lap French Grand Prix from the fourth row of the grid, after a difficult final qualifying session at Le Mans this afternoon saw the Fuchs Kawasaki rider slip down the timesheet to 12th place.

Although disappointed with his grid position, Nakano only had to look across the Fuchs Kawasaki pit box at his teammate to see how much more frustrating racing at this level can be. After a difficult day yesterday, Alex Hofmann bounced back this morning with a much improved set up on his Ninja ZX-RR and, having matched his best qualifying time from yesterday on race tyres, the 23-year-old German rider looked all set to improve further during this afternoon’s final qualifying session. But mechanical problems with both his Ninja ZX-RR machines sidelined the luckless Hofmann, forcing him to sit out the session after completing just four laps of the 4.2km Le Mans circuit.

While not quite as serious as those of his teammate, Nakano also suffered problems during this afternoon’s final qualifying session, with a rise in temperature adversely affecting the handling of the Fuchs Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR that had worked so well around the Le Mans circuit in the cooler conditions of morning practice. Riding around the problem as best he could, the 26-year-old Japanese rider still managed to improve slightly on his time from yesterday, but it wasn’t enough to stop him slipping one row further down the grid.

Qualifying may not have matched expectations, but Fuchs Kawasaki Team Manager, Harald Eckl, remained confident in the ability of both his riders to fight their way through the field in tomorrow’s French Grand Prix.

Shinya Nakano: 12th (1’34.362)
“We had a good package for free practice this morning, and my times on race tyres were pretty consistent. But the temperature went up this afternoon and the bike felt very different to ride. The weather is likely to be the same for tomorrow’s race, so we will have to see if we can improve the chassis balance for these conditions tonight. I ran into traffic on my first flying lap this afternoon, but was able to improve slightly on yesterday’s time right at the end of the session. The lap times of the top guys are pretty close, so the race will be tough tomorrow. Starting from the fourth row of the grid will make it doubly difficult for me, but I think that a top ten finish is a real possibility, and that’s exactly what I’ll be aiming for tomorrow.”

Alex Hofmann: 19th (1’35.718)
“What can I say? It’s disappointing enough when you miss out on part of a qualifying session due to a small problem with the bike, but to miss virtually the whole of this afternoon’s session is so frustrating. Worse still is the fact that we’d make big steps forward with the bike during free practice this morning, to the point where I was able to match my qualifying times from yesterday on race tyres. Obviously we were looking to build on these improvements during final qualifying this afternoon, but mechanical problems put paid to that idea. Starting from so far down the grid there will be no room for a race strategy tomorrow; it’s just going to be a case of getting my head down and going as hard as I can from the off if I am to finish in the points.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“To say it’s been an unlucky weekend so far for Alex would be a bit of an understatement. He hit traffic on all his flying laps in qualifying yesterday, and then today he’s sidelined with two mechanical problems early on in the timed session. I just hope these problems haven’t knocked his confidence too much, because I’m confident that he is still capable of fighting his way up to a points scoring finish tomorrow. Traffic was also a problem for Shinya in qualifying today, with the result that he’s ended up further down the grid than he’d hoped for. The front of the field are all pretty close on lap times, so the race tomorrow will be far from easy, but I remain confident that Shinya is capable of giving the team another top ten finish here.”

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2 – COMBINED TIMES
1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 1’33.425; 2. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.150; 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team +0.154; 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.243; 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.445; 6. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.495; 7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.541; 8. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team +0.632; 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.670; 10. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.786; 11. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +0.917; 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.937; 19. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.293


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

Max Biaggi on front row at Le Mans

Max Biaggi ended the final day of qualifying at Le Mans with the third fastest time and a front row position for the Grand Prix de France. It was another close session, in conditions which were much warmer than yesterday, and featured an intruiging battle between a group of riders who will no doubt be battling forvictory tomorrow. Max gradually improved his performance from yesterday and forced his way onto the front row of the grid, whilst a good day all round for the Camel Honda team was confirmed by the eighth fastest time for Makoto Tamada, who enjoys this track and is confident of a good race.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“I am happy – with Max we have found a level of performance which we need to be fighting for victory. After finding a good race set-up for his bike we were able to concentrate on a fast lap which puts him on the front row. I am sure that Makoto will have a good race and that the yellow colours of the Camel Honda RC211V machines will shine at the front tomorrow”.

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 3rd – 1:33.579
“We have found a good set-up for the race, although the perfect bike doesn’t exist. I am satisfied with the bike at this track and I don’t think we will see the high rhythm from today repreated in tomorrow’s race, although the rhythm will still be very high. The team have done a great job, the bike was much better than yesterday and we are making progress”.

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“The technicians and Makoto have worked hard to move forward and give him a chance of being in the lead group in the race – Makoto is a fast and hard rider, especially in a race. Because of the way he was concentrating on selecting a good tyre for the race, he wasn’t able to make the most of a soft compound for his qualifying lap, but there will be a high rhythm in the race and it is a case of being up there with the lead riders and setting a competitive pace”.

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 8th – 1:34.057
“I am satisfied with the set-up of the bike and with the tyre we have chosen for the race. I wasn’t able to get a good lap in with the soft tyre which would have moved me up the grid, which is a shame. We need to make a few final adjustments to improve the handling of the bike in the corner and I will be ready for a great race”.


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

CHECA ON LE MANS FRONT ROW AS ROSSI MOVES UP TO FOURTH

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Carlos Checa will start from the front row of the grid for the second race in succession tomorrow after finishing today’s final French Grand Prix qualifying session second fastest. World Champion Valentino Rossi will start from fourth, heading the second row less than one tenth of a second behind his team-mate. The first six riders were within half a second of each other today, promising a close fight for the French fans tomorrow.

After oil on the track suspended the session for fifteen minutes, action restarted with 50 minutes left on the clock. One of the first riders to improve on his time from yesterday, Checa remained in third until Biaggi moved up the rankings and pushed him down to fourth. With ten minutes to go Checa took pole, only to be overtaken by Honda riders Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi. In the closing stages he improved his time once more and finished the session in second with a final fastest time of 1:33.575. The Spaniard was just a fraction slower than Championship leader Gibernau, who took pole for the first time this year with a time of 1:33.425. Completing the front row is Max Biaggi, who posted a time of 1:33.579. Meanwhile Rossi put in some fast laps in the closing stages of the session, his best time of 1:33.668 good enough to see him head the second row tomorrow. He is joined by Colin Edwards (Honda – 1:33.870) and Marco Melandri (1:33.920), the third Yamaha in the top
six.

CARLOS CHECA (2nd – 1:33.575)

“I am quite satisfied with today! The team has done a great job all weekend and we have been at the top in all the practices. I feel that we are ready now for the race tomorrow. Of course, I always want to improve more, but I have arrived with some good form and I am feeling happy. Now I need to have a good start tomorrow. Of course to stay at the front for the whole race will be very hard but I will try and I’ll see what happens! I feel confident that we will be able to fight at the front. I really hope I can put on a good show and make people happy tomorrow.”

VALENTINO ROSSI (4th – 1:33.668)

“The situation has been better than yesterday but we are still behind. This morning we went quite well but we didn’t make so much progress this afternoon. We are still having problems with the braking and it’s difficult to control. We’ve tried many different things with the suspension and we’ve solved some problems but not all. I went quite well on the qualifying tyres and finally was fourth, but I think it will be quite different tomorrow with the race tyres. Biaggi, Gibernau, Checa and Edwards are all very strong and it will be difficult. For sure the level this year is higher and all the races are going to be hard. Carlos went well and was faster than me. I hope that in the warm-up tomorrow we can make some improvements before the race.”

ANTONIO JIMENEZ – CARLOS CHECA’S CREW CHIEF

“We kept pretty much the same base that we had yesterday and for this morning’s practice and we are happy with the results. Today we’ve worked mostly on the tyres; keeping things simple and not making too many changes. We are now looking forward to tomorrow. There are more than two or three riders who can be there tomorrow so it will be a close race. Carlos already has an advantage starting from the front row and I think he can have a good start; he has a chance to do well. We’ll see tomorrow; we don’t know until the light is green but we are optimistic!”


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

Proton Team KR riders up the pace at Le Mans

Nobuatsu Aoki: 20th, 1:36.044
Kurtis Roberts: 21st, 1:36.373

Proton Team KR riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Kurtis Roberts put the small but vexing problems of yesterday behind them in today’s final qualifying session, with both cutting their previous best time, and each moving up one place on the starting grid.

The Proton KR V5 is celebrating its first birthday, after making its track debut in practice for last year’s French GP. The latest machine, changed in all areas for 2004, is developing fast, with two new engine configurations in action today, and for tomorrow’s race.

Nobu Aoki is using only the changed firing order engine, run for the first time at tests less than two weeks ago. Performance is improving day by day, as engineers iron out the inevitable teething troubles, getting closer every session to unleashing the full potential. The Japanese rider cut almost eight tenths of a second off his best time of yesterday as a result.

Kurtis Roberts is using an even newer engine, that arrived only yesterday. This combines the new firing order with revised internal dimensions, with the engine’s stroke increased and the bore reduced. The second son of team principal Kenny Roberts, who missed pre-season testing and the first GP after injuring his shoulder in a testing crash, improved by a massive 1.4 seconds.

Today’s qualifying at the 4.1870km Bugatti circuit took place in fine, sunny conditions, with the fine weather forecast to continue for tomorrow’s third round of the season. Pole position was set by points leader Sete Gibernau, with yesterday’s provisional pole man Colin Edwards pushed to fifth in a very close grid. With the full track resurfaced, pole time of 1:33.425 was more than three seconds inside the previous lap record.

Nobuatsu Aoki
We made the full session without any significant problems, using the new firing order, which feels better. The performance is getting better every session. I think I have found a good race tyre. I tried a tyre with a compound that was too soft for the new surface. I prefer a tyre which is a little harder. Unfortunately I used up that tyre in the middle of the session, and there were no more left for me. Anyway, things are improving all the time.

Kurtis Roberts
Today was the first time I rode on a soft qualifying tyre since December at Valencia, so I was a little hesitant trying to learn its character. In fact, I’m still learning the track! I tried the new bore and stroke as well as the old, both with the new firing order, and the new one was a little faster, so I’ll probably be racing that tomorrow. But I’m still so new to it that it takes a few laps to get affirmation. I need to make up more time as a rider than the bike needs to do. I need to go out there and pull off a race finish tomorrow.

Kenny Roberts – Team principal
When you’re testing new stuff, as we are, every day is going to be better. The new bore and stroke engine had never seen a chassis before yesterday. Now it’s done 18 laps. The reason for building it was for more reliability and a more even power delivery. We’re going to see a lot more engine improvements over the coming months. The horsepower is there, and we’re starting to find out how to get it.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:


Ducati Marlboro men improve at Le Mans

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss improved their pace in this afternoon’s final qualifying session at warm and sunny Le Mans to secure starts on the third and fourth rows of the grid. Working closely with their engineers, the pair refined suspension and front-end geometry settings to get their Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4s working better, especially in race trim.

“We’re improving,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “Each time we go out we get to know the bike better and it’s now responding to our input. We have improved the set up today, so our race pace is not so bad now. I’d like to say a big thank you to the riders for their efforts to speed up development of the new bike.”

Capirossi one second faster than friday
Loris Capirossi will start tomorrow’s French GP from the third row after bettering his Friday pace by 1.1 seconds. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider moved up to ninth fastest at the end of the session and is confident of a strong race here.
“I’m happy,” smiled Capirossi, now just 0.6 seconds off pole. “Not only have we improved our qualifying pace from yesterday, but I was able to get into the 34s with race tyres. We made some important improvements to suspension set-up and front-end geometry, so the bike is now more rideable with Michelin’s 16.5in front tyre, which I will race for the first time here. The 16.5 is very different from the 17 I usually use – it helps you to flick into corners much quicker. This race will be difficult but also very important. I’m confident of a good ride, though maybe we aren’t yet ready for a podium finish.”

Bayliss just misses out on row three
Troy Bayliss was also in a positive mood after moving into the top ten today. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider improved his Friday pace by 0.8 seconds and nearly made the third row.
“I tried as hard as I could and we certainly improved from yesterday,” said Bayliss. “We’ve just been working on little things and we’ve got the bike going pretty good on race tyres. My fast lap was good but it could’ve been better because I lost the front through turn one on that lap. I nearly made the third row, only got bumped off right at the end. Now I’m tenth and I’ve got a smile on my face, which shows how hard we’ve been getting it. I didn’t finish at Jerez, so if I can get a race under my belt here and a half-decent result, I’ll be happy.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

HOPKINS SLASHES TIME AT LE MANS
Team Suzuki Press Office – Le Mans, France –May 15, 2004:

Team Suzuki MotoGP riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins will start tomorrow’s French GP from 13th and 16th positions after a warm and dry final qualifying session in which both improved on their best times of yesterday.

Roberts shaved a tenth of a second off his Friday time, ending up just over a second off pole time on a very close starting grid, the first 12 riders within a second of pole.

Hopkins made a massive improvement, slashing almost a full second to move up to within just over a tenth off his team-mate, though without improving his grid position. Almost all riders went faster today than yesterday, as the fully resurfaced 4.180km circuit gained grip through use.

Today’s session was interrupted for some 15 minutes after German rider Alex Hofmann’s engine blew up and spilled oil on the entry to the fastest corner on the circuit.

Most of the Bugatti circuit, sharing only pits and the front straight with the famous 24-hour car circuit, is made up of slow corners linked with short straights, putting a huge premium on acceleration and braking rather than cornering ability and riding skill.

Pole position for the third race of the season went to points leader Sete Gibernau, fully 3.2 seconds inside the official lap record.


KENNY ROBERTS Jr: 13th Position, 1:34.459:

“The guys on the team and the engineers here at the track did a great job preparing the bike for race trim. We had it pretty well sorted out by the end of this morning’s session. Tomorrow I’ll try and get a decent start and see what happens, but on days like today and tracks like this we could really use some help from the factory with some better performance.”


JOHN HOPKINS: 16th Position, 1:34.597:

“Today went great and I made a big improvement. Too bad everyone else improved too! Right now we’re struggling with drive grip out of the corners and I’m really looking forward to improving that. I think we can suss it out with chassis adjustments, though we’re not going to turn the bike on its head overnight. Our times on race tyres seem okay, then on qualifying tyres I got behind some guys and improved almost a second on yesterday, so I’m happy with that.”




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

LE MANS CONTINUES TO BE THORNY FOR HOPKINS
Young American qualifies 16th for French MotoGP

LE MANS, France (May 15, 2004) – John Hopkins qualified a disappointing 16th for Sunday’s French Motorcycle Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Californian rode his factory Suzuki GSV-R to a best time of one minute, 34.597 seconds on the 4.2-kilometer, 13-turn Le Mans circuit.

His poor showing in Saturday’s qualifying at Le Mans continues a streak of hard luck on the famous racetrack. At the French GP last year Hopkins crashed three times and left the weekend battered and bruised.

Saturday’s qualifying session was hotter than Friday’s and Hopkins complained of a lack of rear tire grip in the heat.

“We’re having some challenges finding traction out of the corners with the higher track temperatures,” he said. “We spent a lot of time working on our race set-up so hopefully that will pay off Sunday.”

Despite the lack of success so far in France, Hopkins remains positive about his prospects.

“Even though I didn’t qualify where I wanted I’m only a few tenths out of the top 10,” Hopkins said. “Maybe I need to really stretch out on the tank down the straights and maybe I can pick up a tenth or two. I’m going to charge right from the start in the race and try to make up as many positions as possible. It should be a good, tight race.”

Hopkins survived a major scare during Friday’s session when his bike threw a chain in the middle of a fifth gear turn.

“I took a pretty wild triple-digit speed ride out to the gravel trap,” Hopkins explained. “That was more excitement than I care to have.”



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

French Grand Prix, Le Mans
Final Qualifying, Saturday May 15, 2004

GIBERNAU POWERS TO FIRST POLE OF 2004 AS TITLE RACE HOTS UP

After his wet win in Spain two weeks ago Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) put even more momentum into his title challenge by recording his first pole since the South African Grand Prix of 2003. In dry, sun-kissed conditions here at Le Mans, he proved that he has the means to find speed whatever the weather and sandwiched between his RC211V and that of Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) who qualified third, lies the Yamaha of Carlos Checa in second.

The hour long session was red-flagged after Alex Hofmann’s Kawasaki dropped oil on the 190mph right turn on the uphill start/finish straight. And after 15 minutes the session restarted only for the hapless German to suffer another malfunction on his spare ZX-RR Ninja machine.

Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) looked like the rider in form for most of the session. The Texan had been looking smooth and controlled all weekend and with twenty minutes of the session left he headed the timesheet. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) was up there in second, but neither of them would retain a front row slot as the pace hotted up.

Carlos Checa made a determined bid for pole with ten minutes to go and fired his machine around the 4.180km track as fastest Yamaha – faster than Rossi, who was struggling somewhat in seventh at this stage. Max was making steady progress and with three minutes to go he elevated himself to second place before being dislodged by Checa.

Edwards had to settle for a second row start alongside Rossi who qualified fourth and heads the second row of the new three-rider-per-row grid. Nicky Hayden heads row three in seventh with Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres alongside him in eighth. Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) qualified 11th.

“I’m very happy with pole,” said Gibernau. “I’ve got a fever at the moment which doesn’t help, but the pole is what counts. Today we felt the benefit of the testing we completed at Jerez after the race. We know a lot more about the bike now even though we’ve still got a bit of chatter now and again. But we’re in good shape for tomorrow’s race.”

Max Biaggi is ready to race too. “We worked well today and made some good steps forward. We’ve had some wheelie problems out of the turns that we’re trying solve. But the perfect bike doesn’t exist and the best we have so far is not bad at all. The race will be run at a slower pace than in qualifying too.”

Gibernau’s team-mate Edwards failed to make the most of the final session. “The tyre we chose in the morning didn’t work the same way because it was eight degrees hotter this afternoon. We didn’t realise what the problem was until we’d done a 45-minute endurance test – on the wrong tyre. And then I got baulked on my hot lap on a qualifying tyre.”

Hayden was deflated by this afternoon’s events. “Pretty disappointing after such a good day yesterday,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I had the confidence in the rear like yesterday. Hopefully we can try a few things in warm-up tomorrow because we just can’t afford to let the guys on the front row get away.”

Tamada was more upbeat about his eighth spot on the grid. “I’m very happy with the set-up and the tyre,” he said. “We’ve decided on a race tyre and now we just need to try some more set-up work in the morning to improve the bike on the entrance to turns. Then we’re ready for a good race.”

Barros was plagued by front-end trouble. “We’ve been really trying to work on the front end of the bike,” he said. “Things improved a little but we’re having trouble on the brakes and in the turns. I didn’t get a good run on my qualifying tyre either and now we’ve got a tough battle from the fourth row tomorrow.”

Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) reinforced his meteoric arrival in the 250cc class with his first pole on a 250 – and this is just two races after his maiden victory at Welkom in April. But the young Spaniard had to fight hard with local man Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) who qualified second fastest.

Sebastian Porto and Manuel Poggiali (both Aprilia) complete the front row in third and fourth respectively. But Porto held pole for two minutes as the final stages of the qualifying battle unfolded. Pedrosa, de Puniet and Porto were the three main protagonists as the clock ticked down and Porto crashed with tow minutes to go while trying to dislodge Pedrosa from pole.

The 250 class is proving a tight and competitive category this season with last season’s World Championship runner-up Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) only able to qualify eighth on row two. The Italian will be relying on his considerable race craft to compensate in the 26-lap race tomorrow. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) qualified in fifth and heads row two.

“That’s a good result for us,” said Pedrosa. “Porto and de Puniet were very fast and all the top riders will be quick tomorrow. I did all I could do out there today and I think I have a good rhythm for the race.”

Elias is honest about his chances in tomorrow’s race. “I’m happy enough with my grid position, but not my time,” said the Spaniard. “I’m one second off pole and the problem is the bike pitching when I turn into the corners. We’ll have to find a solution tomorrow for me to be competitive in the race.”

The 125 final qualifying session belonged to Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) – just like it had yesterday. The Italian Honda frontrunner put in a final lap of 1m 42.608s to claim pole and send a firm signal of his intent for tomorrow’s race. Jorge Lorenzo qualified second fastest with Hector Barbera third and Roberto Locatelli (all Aprilia) completing the front row in fourth.

Dovizioso smashed his 2003 pole time by just under a second to take the fight to his Aprilia pursuers in tomorrow’s 24-lap race. This is his third career pole position and comes soon after his maiden Grand Prix victory in South Africa earlier this year.

But he is short of support at the sharp end of the grid. The best any of the other Honda riders could manage here was a 12th from Simone Corsi (Team Scot Honda RS125R) and a 14th from Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final World Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 1:51.624
2. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 1:52.651
3. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:52.671
4. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:52.824
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:52.842
6. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.121
7. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.192
8. Alessio Corradi, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.587
9. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 1:53.698
10. Cristiano Migliorati, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:53.802
11. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 1:54.024
12. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:54.087
13. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati 749R, 1:54.280 14. Stefano Cruciani, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:54.281
15. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 1:54.357
16. Walter Tortoroglio, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:54.569
17. Matthieu Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:54.575 18. Denis Sacchetti, Honda CBR600RR, 1:54.601
19. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.617
20. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:54.699


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

CHAMBON ON THE PACE AT MONZA
World Supersport Friday Qualifying, Monza, Italy – May 14, 2004.

Stephane Chambon took a provisional seventh place in today’s first day of qualifying for Sunday’s World Supersport fourth round at Monza, Italy as team mates Katsauki Fujiwara and Vittorio Iannuzzo claimed places just outside the top ten.

Quickest today was Aussie Karl Muggeridge ahead of Fabien Foret (Yamaha) and Sebastien Charpentier (Honda).

STEPHANE CHAMBON – 7th, 1:54.521:

“When we tested here, we tried many, many different things to try and find some solutions and good ideas. Today we carried on that work and we will continue to try and find the best way forward. At the moment, I cannot find a good compromise between the bike and me and so it’s impossible for me to push harder. I think the bike is better then it was at the test, but we are still working on improving it.”

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA – 11th, 1:54.689:

“A slight technical problem cut short my time in this afternoon’s qualifying session and so maybe my end result was not as good as it should’ve been. At the moment we need slightly more speed, but I can only do my best and that’s exactly what I am doing. I will fight all the way to the flag for sure and hope for a good result.”

VITTORIO IANNUZZO – 14th, 1:55.164:

“Recently we’ve changed many things and tried many things and we are carrying on trying to get the best setting for the bike. I had a little problem with stability today, so I couldn’t push as hard as I would’ve liked. I want to do well on Sunday in front of my fans, so I will be trying my very best for sure.”


More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) continued his domination of the Supersport class at Monza with pole position to add to his provisional pole from Friday. The Aussie’s best lap of 1:51.624 was fully a second faster than closest chaser Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda), with Yamaha rider Fabien Foret (Team Italia) third quickest. The front row for Sunday’s 16-lap race will be completed by Foret’s team-mate, championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh. Katsuaki Fujiwara gave the Alstare Suzuki team a top five finish, with Ten Kate Honda rider Broc Parkes in sixth. Aussie Kevin Curtain rode his Yamaha Germany machine to seventh and the top local rider is Italia Megabike Honda rider Alessio Corradi, last man on the second row. On home soil, Italian manufacturer Ducati placed rider Lorenzo Lanzi ninth, not an ideal start for the 16-lap Supersport event.


More, from a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

Date: 14th May 2004
Circuit: Monza, 5.793 km

Final Qualifying
Weather: sun
Temperature: air 24° C track 45° C
Crowd: 25,000

FABIEN AND JURGEN READY!
Yamaha Racing Italia riders Fabien Foret and Jurgen van de Goorbergh finished final qualifying in third and fourth positions and are well poised to go for podium places tomorrow. Fabien and Jurgen are confident that they can get the better of the Hondas tomorrow and are looking forward to the green light at the start of the sixteen lapper.

FABIEN FORET ­ 3rd, 1:52.671
I mainly worked towards a good race set-up today and I am really happy with what we tried. I also did a long distance run with consistent times, so I am very confident for the race. Tomorrow morning we will try just a small change to the gearbox but, apart from that, we’re ready to race and fight the battle of Monza.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH – 4th, 1:52.824
I think I could’ve ended with the second fastest lap today, but when I was really on the gas, I found Baiocco in my way and I lost a few fractions of a second. But, the main thing is that I am on the front row and that’s what counts here. Muggeridge set some impressive times today, but the race is another matter. I am confident that we can get a really good result tomorrow.

SILVANO GALBUSERA (Technical Director)
We’re very confident about the race tomorrow because of all the things we have done today. Our riders put in consistently fast laps and now all we need is for them to make good starts. I think they can do that because of all the work we have put into the new clutch. We’re looking forward to a good day tomorrow.


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

Muggeridge On Pole Again

Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) continued his run of unrivalled form to take his tenth career pole position, lapping the 5.793km Monza circuit in 1:51.624. His quickest lap of the weekend was fully one second faster than his nearest challenger Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), in what is normally the closest racing class in World Championship competition.

Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) improved his time over the first day of qualifying, but remained on the second row of the grid, starting from sixth place. He experienced some chassis set-up concerns during the final session, finally cured in the last minutes of qualifying.

Muggeridge was satisfied by restrained in his summation of the day’s events. “I can do the times I did yesterday with more ease now. To go faster again today was just as hard as taking provisional pole yesterday, but the bike is really improving. We got it to handle better over the bumps and tried a few things with the brakes. The biggest advantage I have here is having ridden during most previous years with a slower bike. Now I have the fastest bike I ride the corners like before but in the straights I’m going faster. I don’t care where the other guys are here, I just want to race my own race.”

Parkes, aware that slipstreaming plays a huge part in any Monza race, stated, “We played with a lot of things to try and get a better set-up but it’s not quite right at the moment. I was a little bit slow since I got here and I was hoping to get a front row. I’m not too down about our chances in the race. I think Karl can get away on his own but I think I can run with the second place pack. We will be working on final tyre choice tomorrow morning.”

For Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate the session was a game of two halves. “The session started quite well for Broc but then he had some strange problems with the handling on the bike, which we could not explain at first. We were puzzled a bit by that but towards the end we found what it was. He did a lap together with Karl and that put him back on the second row of the grid. For Broc we know he is a better racer than a qualifier so if he goes with the bunch in front he can stay with them. Karl looked to be keeping an eye on how fast the competition is around here and every time someone came close to him he could react immediately with a faster time.”

World Supersport Championship
Round Four – Monza, Italy
14 – 16 May 2004, Final Qualifying
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’51.624
2. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’52.651
3. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’52.671
4. J.vd Goorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’52.824
5. K. Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki GSX 600R, 1’52.842
6. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’53.121
7. K. Crtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53.192
8. A. Corradi, ITA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’53.587
9. L. Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 1’53.698
10. C. Migliorati, ITA, Kawasaki ZX6 RR, 1’53.802

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Supersport Championship leader Tommy Hayden took pole position during qualifying Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park with a new lap record time of 1:27.636 on his factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR.

Not only did Hayden’s time surpass Damon Buckmaster’s lap record of 1:28.143, it was 0.6-second faster than the next-fastest Supersport qualifier and even faster than the Superbike qualifying time of factory Ducati rider Eric Bostrom (1:27.647).

“That was a really good lap,” Hayden told reporters. “That’s the first time all week I’ve put every section of the track together good. It was a good lap. I was able to hit all my marks.”

Provisional AMA Supersport Qualifying Results;

1. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.636
2. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:28.262
3. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:28.348
4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:28.375
5. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:28.510
6. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:28.574
7. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:28.934
8. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.952
9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:29.071
10. Chris Peris, Suzuki, 1:29.679
11. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:29.798
12. Michael Barnes, Yamaha, 1:29.837
13. Ben Attard, Suzuki, 1:29.958
14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:30.782
15. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:31.367
16. Jason Perez, Yamaha, 1:31.441
17. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:31.625
18. Michael Sanchez, Yamaha, 1:32.221
19. Darren Luck, Suzuki, 1:32.366
20. Heath Small, Yamaha, 1:32.399

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin took the 29th career AMA Superbike race win of his career Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park with a last-lap pass on Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke.

Zemke controlled most of race, leading by 2.1 seconds on lap 22 of 28. Mladin, however, pushed forward in the late stages, turning lap times close to the fastest of the race, and closed the gap to Zemke.

Mladin made his move on the final lap, sliding his GSX-R1000 inside Zemke’s CBR1000RR under braking for tight turn four, and held on to win by 0.011 second at the line.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel ran a lonely race to finish third, 35 seconds behind Mladin and Zemke. Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom got the holeshot at the start but dropped backward to finish fourth. Riding his Attack Kawasaki ZX-10R, Josh Hayes led Eric Bostrom for several laps before being demoted to fifth.

Hooters Suzuki’s John Haner ran with Eric Bostrom and Hayes through the first half of the race before slipping to a lonely sixth. Prieto Racing’s Geoff May collected valuable Championship points with seventh on his Pirelli-shod Suzuki GSX-R1000. Roadracingworld.com’s Jeremy Toye came out on top of Haner’s teammate Eric Wood in a battle for eighth. KWS Millennium Suzuki’s Shawn Higbee finished tenth, one lap down at the finish.

Ben Bostrom lowsided out of the lead in turn two on lap four. He was seen walking away from the incident.

Aaron Yates crashed in turn two on the opening lap, re-mounted, continued, worked his way from dead-last up to 10th but crashed a second time on lap 15.

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, -0.011 second
3. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -35.150 seconds
4. Eric Bostrom, Ducati, -41.463
5. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki, -60.285
6. John Haner, Suzuki, -72.679
7. Geoff May, Suzuki, -74.545
8. Jeremy Toye, Roadracingworld.com Yam, -85.959
9. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -86.832
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -1 lap
11. Larry Pegram, Yamaha, -1 lap, -7.888
12. Byron Barbour, Suzuki, -1 lap, -10.067
13. Mike Sanchez, Yamaha, -1 lap, -15.205
14. Cory West, Suzuki, -1 lap, -19.251
15. David Bell, Suzuki, -1 lap, -27.188
16. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap, -30.283
17. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap, -33.795
18. Mike Sullivan, Yamaha, -1 lap, -33.887
19. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap, -33.935
20. Jack Pfeifer, Honda, -1 lap, -35.579
21. John Jacobi, Suzuki, -1 lap, -40.507
22. Jason Curtis, Suzuki, -1 lap, -40.698
23. Opei Caylor, Suzuki, -1 lap, -44.424
24. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -1 lap, -47.382
25. Mark Ledesma, Honda, -1 lap, -47.656
26. Scott Jensen, Honda, -1 lap, -61.289
27. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -1 lap, -79.591
28. Lenny Beckman, Suzuki, -1 lap, -79.968
29. C.R. Gittere, Suzuki, -1 lap, -102.657
30. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki, -2 laps
31. Rick Narup, Suzuki, -5 laps
32. Mike Smith, Suzuki, -9 laps
33. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -14 laps, DNF, crash
34. Jeremiah Johnson, Suzuki, -23 laps
35. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -25 laps, DNF, crash
36. Christian Pistoni, Suzuki, DNS


Provisional AMA Superbike Point Standings (after 6 of 18 races):

1. Mladin, 214 points
2. Zemke, 183 points
3. Duhamel, 182 points
4. May, 132 points
5. Eric Bostrom, 123 points
6. Acree, 119 points
7. Pegram, 117 points
8. Haner, 109 points
9. Wood, 96 points
10. West, 96 points
11. Hayes, 87 points
12. Ben Bostrom, 79 points
13. Clint McBain, 76 points
14. Steve Crevier, 75 points
15. Pfeifer, 70 points


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

MLADIN TAKES AMERICAN SUPERBIKE RACE WIN AT ALABAMA

Birmingham, Alabama, USA (Saturday, May 16) – Australian Mat Mladin scored his twenty ninth career AMA Superbike race victory after a stunning charge in the final few laps saw him take the race lead and the resulting win on the final lap of today’s sixth round of the American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship being held at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Today’s victory was Mladin’s fifth for the season and sees the defending series champion extend his overall points lead to 31 over Honda’s Jake Zemke (214 – 183), who after leading the majority of the race, was unable to fend off Mladin on the 28th and final lap. Mladin’s winning margin was just 0.010 of a second, with the pair having worked out to a healthy 35-second advantage over third placed Miguel DuHamel (Honda), who sits third in the championship, one point adrift of Zemke.

The opening laps of the race proved to be as frantic as usual with firstly Aaron Yates (Yoshimura Suzuki) and then Ben Bostrom (Honda) crashing out of contention early, leaving Mladin to battle with Zemke and DuHamel. Zemke was able to stretch his lead over Mladin out to over two seconds, but with six laps to run Mladin gained a clear track and was able to record his fastest laps of the race as he chased down the race leader. As they commenced their penultimate lap, Mladin was just 0.367 of a second adrift of Zemke, but made up the ground mid-way through the final lap, taking the lead at the tight first gear hairpin and holding the front running position to the flag.

“No one really knew how the front tyres`were going to cope with the conditions out there today and fortunately for us, we were able to manage our race well, setting my fastest laps of the race at the end when I needed to,” said Mladin. “Jake (Zemke) was able to get a break on me when we caught up to the lapped traffic and work the lead out a bit, but then I was able to get a clear run and that allowed me to close the gap right down on him.”

Earlier today, Mladin added to his record of AMA Superbike pole positions after scoring his thirty sixth-career pole and third for the season.

His fast time from yesterday’s opening session was bettered, initially by Zemke and then by Ben Bostrom. With the session nearing its completion, Mladin fitted a soft qualifying rear Dunlop to his Suzuki GSX-R1000 and reeled off a 1:25.251 on the final lap of the session to move back to the top of the time sheets and pole position for the weekend’s two Superbike Nationals. Bostrom hung on to record the second fastest time (1:25.445), ahead of Zemke (1:25.519) and DuHamel (1:25.760).

“It worked out well for us in the end out there and we were able to grab that extra championship point for pole when it counted,” added Mladin. “We were concentrating a lot on our race set up throughout the session and decided to keep our soft tyre for the very end.”

“Front tyre wear has been the most crucial factor for everyone so far this weekend. Dunlop have brought along a whole bunch of their best tyres, but the track surface is so abrasive after the recent resurfacing that it’s just shredding the tyres. We’ve just had to work out a chassis set up that best suits those conditions and gets us through the race.”

The Superbike competitors will return to the Barber Motorsports Park circuit tomorrow afternoon for the second of the double-header races scheduled for the weekend.


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

ACREE AND CAYLOR GO BACKWARDS IN SUPERBIKE FINAL AT BARBER

Lee Acree and Opie Caylor both suffered severe front tire abrasion and wear during today’s AMA Chevrolet Superbike final at Barber Motorsports Park. Both riders ran strong early on after good starts, but lost several positions as the race wore on.

Lee Acree
Saturday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 17th Place
Lee finished a disappointing 17th place after three different problems in the 28-lap race, running as high as ninth place for several laps. The first and biggest problem came from his front tire, which went off early and got worse as the race wore on. On lap ten, Lee hit a flase neutral and lost two positions. Four laps later, he got a foreign object in his left eye, forcing him to pull over long enough to get it out of his eye. “Both eyes were watering, I couldn’t see at all,” Acree said. “I had to pull off line over there, open my visor and get it out of my eye. Even before that, the front tire was already giving. I got behind Eric (Wood), went through that left, then the fast right where it Gs out and the front end just tucked for the longest time. I also hit a false neutral and lost a couple of positions there, but I could have closed up and in the end maybe lost three positions. I ended up losing more like 10 positions by the end of the race, losing three to four seconds a lap to guys that I qualified four seconds in front of.”

Opie Caylor
Saturday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 23rd Place
“I just had to ride slower than I wanted to,” said Opie. “I’ve never tucked the front that many times in one race! Every right hander, when the suspension would G out, the front would tuck. I started out with a new slider at the start of the race and it’s gone in one race! We came up short on set-up, we just did the best we could, but it’s definitely disappointing.”


More, from a press release issued by Proforma:

GEOFF MAY FINISHES LONELY SEVENTH IN SUPERBIKE AT BARBER AMA NATIONAL

Geoff May finished a lonely seventh place today on his Prieto Racing-sponsored, Pirelli-shod Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the AMA Chevrolet Superbike final. May retains fourth place in season point standings for the class.

Saturday’s Chevrolet Superbike Final – 7th Place
“It was very uneventful,” said May, who slotted into eight place on the first lap, and was elevated to seventh when race leader Ben Bostrom crashed out of the race on the fourth lap. “It was a good race, I didn’t get tired and I figured out a lot for tomorrow. I thought I was having tire issues, so I slowed down in the middle, but then I started my charge too late. I thought I could catch (John) Haner by the end. I figured the Pirellis would be a lot better here in the long run, and they were.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

BOSTROM SCORES A SOLID 4TH PLACE FINISH

Birmingham (Alabama) – May 15, 2004: Eric Bostrom finished just off the podium with a solid fourth place in today’s race, an event which saw the determined Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin rider briefly leading the AMA Superbike event. The 27-year-old turned his best lap times late in the 28-lap, 100 kilometer race made even more physically challenging by the hot and humid conditions.

Bostrom and the Michelin-shod Ducati 999 looked to make their mark on the race by getting a good start. “I really wanted to stay with the pack and I got a great jump,” said the Californian. Although Eric dropped back into the pack by the middle stages, he then changed his tactics and started to lap quicker towards the final part of the race.

“In the previous race I had been pushing harder and harder and, by my philosophy, that should have rewarded me,” Eric explained. “I’d been giving it all I had and taking chances, but in today’s race, I decided to slow down a little going into the turns and then get on the throttle sooner – and the bike responded incredibly!”

Bostrom rose from fifth place to fourth and was even closing the gap to third when the race ended. “I continued to pick up the pace during the race and the Michelins we chose were holding up great so I was feeling totally confident.”

The Barber circuit is probably harder on front tires than any other in the U.S.; with no real straightaways and numerous sustained curves, the front tire is constantly being pushed.

“Eric really improved throughout the race. I think he really showed a lot by digging deep and working hard to go faster,” said Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. “It was a long, hot race but the important thing is that we’ve learned a few things that will help us for tomorrow. It was good to see Eric persevere and make up ground on the riders in front of him.”

Race 2 of the fourth round of the AMA Superbike series is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday’s MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:33.425
2. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:33.575
3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:33.579
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:33.668
5. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:33.920
6. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:34.014
7. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:34.057
8. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:34.079
9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:34.095
10. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:34.211
11. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:34.342
12. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:34.362
13. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:34.459
14. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:34.526
15. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:34.578
16. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:34.597
17. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:34.665
18. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:35.371
19. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:36.044
20. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, 1:36.373
21. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:36.740
22. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:37.710
23. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:38.097

Final Combined MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:33.425
2. CHECA, Yamaha, 1:33.575
3. BIAGGI, Yamaha, 1:33.579
4. ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:33.668
5. EDWARDS, Honda, 1:33.870
6. MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:33.920
7. HAYDEN, Honda, 1:33.966
8. TAMADA, Honda, 1:34.057
9. CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:34.095
10. BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:34.211
11. BARROS, Honda, 1:34.342
12. NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:34.362
13. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:34.459
14. HODGSON, Ducati, 1:34.526
15. XAUS, Ducati, 1:34.578
16. HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:34.597
17. ABE, Yamaha, 1:34.665
18. McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:35.371
19. HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:35.718
20. AOKI, Proton, 1:36.044
21. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, 1:36.373
22. BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:36.543
23. FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:37.710
24. BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:38.097

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Superbike Superpole Results;

1. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 1:48.258
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:48.594
3. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 999RS, 1:48.655
4. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, 1:49.152
5. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 1:49.259
6. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 1:49.422
7. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, 1:50.024
8. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 1:50.132
9. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:50.434
10. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 1:50.525
11. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, 1:50.534
12. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:50.996
13. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:51.039
14. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:51.487
15. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:51.974
16. Paolo Blora, Ducati 999RS, 1:52.056


More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group:

SUPERPOLE QUALIFYING

LACONI’S HAT-TRICK OF SUPERPOLE WINS AND NEW SPEED RECORD FOR VERMULEN

Three Superpoles To Rule Them All: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999F04) continued his superb run of qualifying form to secure his third Superpole win of the 2004 season, setting the best lap of the meeting with 1:48.258 in the process. His latest dose of pre-race domination came in front of an enthusiastic crowd of Ducatisti at one of the Italian factory’s home circuits, the magnificently appointed Monza. Second in Superpole, growing in stature with every competitive outing, Ten Kate Honda rider Chris Vermeulen was almost at the level of Laconi, despite making a small misjudgement under braking at the entrance to the first chicane on his flying lap. However, the Australian took a new top speed record for SBK at Monza of 313 kmh, beating Frankie Chili’s previous record top speed of 311.2 kmh, which has stood since 1998.

Chili Cooled Off: Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998) sent his local fans wild when he temporarily headed the Superpole qualifying times, but after being deposed by first Vermeulen and ultimately Laconi, the veteran rider had to be content with a front row start in third position. Noriyuki Haga finished off the front row qualifying order – and by being fourth made the post Superpole front row a carbon copy of the front row order of regular qualifying.

Laconi Lords It Early On: The fastest rider on show in regular qualifying (which determines the top 16 to qualify for Superpole, and the grid order for those outside the top 16) was once more Regis Laconi. The second place for Chris Vermeulen in the pre-Superpole sessions was an outstanding result for the Ten Kate Honda team, which is new to Superbike this season.

Leon Top Five: Renegade Ducati rider Leon Haslam ended Superpole on the coat tails of his team leader Noriyuki Haga, finishing with fifth fastest time at the head of the second row. Ducati Fila factory pilot James Toseland could only go sixth, but feels confident that he can run in a podium position on raceday. Gianluca Nannelli continued his first day ferocity to scoop seventh place on his Ducati 998, the second row being finished off by the DFX Ducati 999 of Marco Borciani.

Petronas Power Up: Losing out in the horsepower stakes to the big twins and fours, the Petronas of Chris Walker is not the ideal weapon to attack the Monza citadel with. Walker made up for his missing grunt by simply attacking every corner and chicane on the 5.973km circuit, posting a ninth fastest time and now hoping to get away with the riders from rows one and two during the 18-lap races on Sunday. His team-mate Troy Corser was 12th. His fellow Aussies Garry McCoy (Xerox Nortel Ducati 999) and Steve Martin (Ducati DFX 999) went tenth and 11th respectively. All 25 entrants qualified with the permitted time limit.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI (DUCATI FILA) POWERS TO THIRD POLE POSITION OF THE YEAR –
TOSELAND STARTS FROM ROW 2 WITH SIXTH QUICKEST TIME

Monza (Italy), Saturday 16 May 2004: With a time of 1:48.258 in Superpole, Regis Laconi clinched a third pole position of the season aboard his Ducati 999 Factory ’04, putting the Frenchman amongst the favourites for the win in the fourth round of the World Superbike championship at Monza.

Laconi lines up on the front row of the grid for the two races with the young Australian Vermeulen (Honda), local hero Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) and Japan’s Haga (Renegade Ducati) alongside, while James Toseland (Ducati Fila) will start from row 2 after qualifying sixth behind the other Ducati Renegade rider, Haslam.

“My Superpole lap was smooth but I felt immediately that the front tyre wasn’t perfect” declared Laconi. “In fact I lost the front at Ascari and as a result a little bit of time, if it hadn’t been for that I could have got under 1:48 but I am happy anyway. The bike’s race setting is good, my lap time on race tyres is good and we will see what happens tomorrow. We have been working well this weekend to get a good feeling here with the bike. Monza is a great place to race at , there is always a big fight with everyone. This track is so fast but my bike is so fast also and I am not worried about the speed!”

“My Superpole lap was not so good, I had a few minor problems here and there and was a bit ragged but that’s not the problem” commented Toseland. “We’re still trying to find out what’s wrong and the right direction to go in to solve the problem and improve my ‘feeling’ with the bike. With the engineers we’re having a look at the telemetry to try and get the best combination at the front and the back. The tyres are not a problem, but I don’t feel 100% comfortable on the bike. It’s frustrating for everyone and more so for me because I know I can win but I’m not able to express my potential out there.”


More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks/Scuderia Caracchi:

Third row for Garry McCoy tomorrow at Monza

Garry McCoy will start on his 999RS Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks from the third row for the two races of tomorrow on the challenging circuit of Monza, 5743 meter and 18 lap for a total of 104,284 km for each of the two scheduled races.

McCoy, seventh after the morning’s final qualifying, suffered some problem on his flying lap to drop three positions to 10th.

“I’m not satisfied at all.” – confessed a disappointed Garry McCoy after the Superpole result – “Maybe the track conditions was a bit changed as yesterday, but the bike with the same set up, suffered a lack of grip. In the first spli time I’ve been always on the top, then I miss something in the second and in the final split. Today I had not the same feeling as the first practice day and to start from the third row means to have the danger to geld held up at the bottleneck first chicane and miss the group of the leaders since the first stage of the race. However in the morning’s session I reduced the gap from the leader and that gave me a good hope for a good grid position. Well, the race will be tomorrow and we’ll se to get something good.”

Miguel Praia, despite hard pains in the hand injured yesterday in the crash at Parabolica corner, reached the qualification in the final session, with only one hour of time awailable to qualify, while the other riders have had a couple of sessions to set their bikes.

“I’m happy to be qualified in just a practice session.” – said Praia at the end of qualifying – “Now I’m forced to learn the track during the race, and I have a lot of pains in my injured hand. We’ll se tomorrow what I’ll be able to do for the race.”

Giancarlo De Matteis failed the Superpole for a whisker at his debut on the 999RS, a very fast bike which recorded the second top speed of the practice day.

“Improving my feeling with this bike also the performance increases. The bike is very fast, unfortunately in the final ten minutes of the final session I found a lot of traffic, so I’ve been not able to make use of the soft tyres to get the Superpole qualifying.”



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

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 4, Monza (Italy)
Saturday 15th May, Final Qualifying
Circuit: 5.793 kms, Weather: sun, 24°C

THIRD ROW FOR TROY
A small tyre problem on his Superpole lap deprived Troy of a higher grid position at Monza this afternoon, relegating him to the third row of the grid for tomorrow’s 18-lappers. Although the weekend hasn’t gone to Troy’s advantage, it has gone more or less as he expected. Monza is a horsepower circuit and, with the Petronas FP1 suffering a power disadvantage compared to most of the competition, it was always going to be a tough race for Troy. Frenchman Regis Laconi (Ducati) set the fastest lap in the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out and will start the pair of races in pole position. Second quickest was Aussie Chris Vermeulen (Honda), with crowd favourite Frankie Chili (Ducati) third and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth.

TROY – 12th, 1:50.996
Today we spent quite a bit of time working with the gearing and also the suspension – to get the best times on race rubber. And we did manage to get some consistently good results. It’s true that the first few laps were better then later laps. It’s funny because the tyres dropped off a little and then stayed consistent. When I went out on my Superpole lap, we were using a new front which had done just a few laps, but going into the Parabolica at the end of the warm-up lap the bike began to suffer some chattering and I lost drive going down the straight at the start of my timed lap. I struggled a bit throughout the lap and I’m not sure what the problem was because we didn’t experience that kind of thing on the race tyres. Maybe I then tried a bit too hard to make up time, but my lap was over really and all I could do was get the bike home as best as I could. Now I’m going to have to make a couple of really good starts if I am to have any chance of good results.


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

Vermeulen Qualifies Second

World Superbike rookie Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) propelled his flying yellow Honda to second place in Superpole qualifying at the 5.793km circuit of Monza, during a tense competition held in bright sunshine. The combination of rider and machine, each new to World Superbike this season, was irresistible to all but the factory Ducati of Regis Laconi, as Vermeulen rode with assured pace and a coolness that belies his 21 years.



The top speed of 313kmph achieved in qualifying by the Ten Kate Honda was the fastest ever recorded in World Superbike at Monza.

Having qualified second in regulation qualifying, Superpole was just the latest in a series of big steps the team and rider have made together in a short period of time. Vermeulen, with some new parts on the machine for this round, made full use of his qualifying Pirelli tyres to set his fast lap, and will share the front row with Laconi, local hero Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati).

For Vermeulen Superpole was another highlight of what has been an auspicious debut. “Second is not so bad but it would have been nice to get pole position. My lap wasn’t perfect. The problem is that you have an hour since the last time you braked as hard as possible from over 300kmph so it’s easy to miss the exact braking mark. I hit the brakes a bit early and had a little wobble in the way into the first chicane and that lost me some time. I’m pretty happy the way things have gone so far and we’ve pretty much chosen the race tyre.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate paid tribute to the efforts put in by the whole team. “We are a really seriously threat to take Superpole wins now and a threat to the opposition tomorrow. We have closed the gap to the front and in a reasonably short time. As a tuning company we are happy that we have achieved the fastest ever top speed in SBK today at Monza. With the benefit of slipstreaming we may even see a higher figure tomorrow.”

World Superbike Championship
Round Four – Monza, Italy
14 – 16 May 2004
Superpole Qualifying


1. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04, 1’48.258
2. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, 1’48.594
3. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 999 RS, 1’48.655
4. N. Haga, JPN, Ducati 999 RS, 1’49.152
5. L. Haslam, GBR, Ducati 999 RS, 1’49.259
6. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04, 1’49.422
7. G. Nannelli, ITA, Ducati 998 RS, 1’50.024
8. M. Borciani, ITA, Ducati 999 RS, 1’50.132
9. C. Walker, GBR, Petronas FP1, 1’50.434
10. G. Mccoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 1’50.525

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday’s 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:37.123
2. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:37.407
3. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:37.436
4. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:38.007
5. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:38.536
6. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:38.674
7. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:38.903
8. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:39.085
9. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:39.088
10. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:39.151
11. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:39.163
12. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:39.314
13. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:39.360
14. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, 1:39.516
15. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:39.775
16. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:39.828
17. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, 1:39.936
18. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 1:39.976
19. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:40.201
20. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:40.216


Final Combined 250cc GP Qualifying Results:

1. PEDROSA, Honda, 1:37.123
2. DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:37.407
3. PORTO, Aprilia, 1:37.436
4. POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:38.007
5. ELIAS, Honda, 1:38.536
6. BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:38.674
7. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:38.903
8. ROLFO, Honda, 1:39.085
9. AOYAMA, Honda, 1:39.088
10. DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:39.151
11. GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:39.163
12. WEST, Aprilia, 1:39.314
13. DEBON, Honda, 1:39.360
14. BATAILLE, Honda, 1:39.516
15. FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:39.775
16. OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:39.828
17. HEIDOLF, Aprilia, 1:39.936
18. SMRZ, Honda, 1:39.976
19. DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:40.144
20. MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:40.201


More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Alex to start from third row in Le Mans

Aprilia Racing rider Alex de Angelis qualified his RSW250 in 10th position for tomorrow’s French 250 GP at the Le Mans circuit.

The San Marino rider finished with a best time of 1.39.151 but slipped slightly down the standings from yesterday. Showing just how competitive this year’s world 250 championship is, Alex was 0.5s inside Marco Melandri’s 2002 lap record, but he had to settle for a place on row three for tomorrow’s 26-lap race.

Despite a hard day, Alex gained more valuable experience on the RSW250 that should put him in contention for another positive result in his rookie 250 campaign. Alex has yet to finish outside of the top six in 2004 and he will be looking to continue that impressive start.

His chief engineer Giovanni Sandi said: “Alex is learning and growing all the time with the 250. This is not an easy circuit when you have come from a 125 to a 250, the power is very different, but Alex is gaining experience and we are confident he will show his potential in the race.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Poggiali claims front row in Le Mans

MS Aprilia Racing’s Manuel Poggiali will start the French 250 GP in Le Mans from the front row of the grid after posting the fourth fastest time in this afternoon’s final qualifying session.

The San Marino rider has now qualified on the front row of the grid in each of the first three races of the 2004 world championship, and he will be hoping to convert today’s fine performance into a first rostrum tomorrow.

The reigning world champion emerged unscatched from a crash in the dying seconds of the session to post a best time of 1.38.007. That was a vast improvement of 0.6s from yesterday’s session.

“The bike is working very well and that is why we could improve by so much today. I crashed right at the end of the session because I was just going a little bit too fast into the corner. We have been working towards the set-up for the race and I’ve found a tyre that will be good tomorrow, “said Poggiali.