Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Several AMA teams are currently testing at different tracks – in much different weather conditions – around the United States.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and Ben Bostrom and Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke, who are all Dunlop-sponsored, are wrapping up a two-day test today at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, where it was 81 degrees Fahrenheit and partly cloudy at post time, according to weather.com.

American Honda plans on moving over to the Barber Motorsports Park facility for another two-day test starting Thursday, April 22. The weather forecast calls for temperatures of 80 degrees on Thursday and 86 degrees on Friday with a small chance for rain.

Meanwhile, Michelin is starting a two-day test today at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, involving Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom; Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Steve Rapp, Vincent Haskovec and Chris Peris; Butler Machinery’s Robert Jensen; Arclight Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich and several privateers.

The Road America track is currently dry, but the ambient temperature at 12:30 p.m. local time was 42 degrees Fahrenheit, and with a 12 mph wind from the southeast the temperature feels like 36 degrees, according to weather.com.

A weather front is currently moving through Wisconsin and could affect the second day of the Michelin test, if not the end of today’s test session.

On Thursday, April 22, a combined Formula USA National/CCS Regional race event starts at Road America. Weather.com’s forecast calls for low temperatures in the low-to-mid 30s with highs in the mid-50s with a chance for rain on Saturday and Sunday.

The next AMA event starts April 30 – May 2 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.


Update: At approximately 3:30 p.m. local time, Ducati Austin ended its day testing at Road America, telling sources at the scene that it was too cold to get anything accomplished on the track.

From a press release issued by Proforma:

JIMMY MOORE RE-INJURES PREVIOUSLY BROKEN ARM

No Limit Motorsports Suzuki rider Jimmy Moore had surgery on Monday, April 5th to repair the arm he previously broke in a fall last June in Brainerd International Raceway’s 180-mph Turn One. He re-injured it in a near-crash at round two of the AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship at California Speedway on April 2nd.

Jimmy had a near high-side on his GSX-R1000 in a Friday morning practice session, impacting his left arm on the top triple clamp and forcing him to sit out the rest of the race weekend.

The following Monday, Jimmy flew to San Jose, California to see Dr. Arthur Ting for consultation and subsequent surgery. Dr. Ting spent over two hours repairing the arm, attaching a larger, higher strength compression plate than was previously used. Jimmy returned to his home in Eugene, Oregon at the end of the week, and will return to Dr. Ting’s clinic on a regular basis. Jimmy will begin rehabilitation on the arm soon and should return to action for the No Limit Motorsports Suzuki team by, ironically, Brainerd (June 25-27), round seven of the AMA series.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The Suzuka Circuit in Japan has launched an English-language website to promote its race events, amusement park, hotels and other attractions.

The Coca-Cola Suzuka 8-Hours event, a round of the FIM Endurance World Championship, is scheduled to take place on the revised course July 22-25, 2004.

The website, however, contains information – poorly translated information – about the 2003 Suzuka 8-Hours event, including all the special benefits that come with certain tickets.

From www.suzukacircuit.com:

You can enjoy the pool and the ride at Motopia with the watch-a-race ticket.
Watching a race is also OK with Summer Passport.
“Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8hours World Endurance Championship Race becomes the twice enjoyable!!

“Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8hours World Endurance Championship Race changed more greatly. It came to be able to enjoy the pool and the ride all at Motopia with the advance-saled watch-a-race ticket this year. Because it is a race of the length even number place, “8hours Endurance,” literally the endurance is necessary for those who watch. In the vicinity of each watching stand, there is variously a method to cool down by the pleasantness degree improvement plan. But if you have the advance-saled watch-a-race ticket, it is possible to cool you down in the pool, and also you will be able to ride free all of Motopia ejaculation machines so you can get cold sweat with it to cool you down! (Note; Effective for only a day period). Oppositely speaking, the race watching in a free seat area is also possible with Summer Passport so you can decide the watching a race plan to be matched to your own style of the play.
The method variations of the watching “8hours Endurance” having increased, you can find your own watching style, and in the festival at midsummer, pleasantly rise and assist. Finally share the big impression with fireworks in the finale!!

From AMA Pro Racing:

FRIDAY, APRIL 30

7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tech Inspection open

10 a.m. Post-entry closes

8:30 – 9:05 a.m. Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme practice

9:10 – 9:40 a.m. Repsol Superstock practice

9:45 – 10:15 a.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport practice

10:20 – 11:10 a.m. Chevrolet Superbike practice

11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Lunch break

12:10 – 12:45 p.m. Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme practice

12:50 – 1:20 p.m. Repsol Superstock practice

1:25 – 1:55 p.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport practice

2 – 2:50 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike practice

3 – 3:30 p.m. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying, Group 1

3:40 – 4:10 p.m. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying, Group 2

4:20 – 4:50 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike Qualifying, Group 1

5 – 5:30 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike Qualifying, Group 2


SATURDAY, MAY 1

7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tech Inspection open

8:30 – 9:10 a.m. Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme practice

9:15 – 9:45 a.m. Repsol Superstock practice

9:50 – 10:20 a.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport practice

10:30 – 11:10 a.m. Chevrolet Superbike Qualifying, Group 1

11:20 – 12 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike Qualifying, Group 2

12 – 1 p.m. Lunch break

1 – 1:30 p.m. Repsol Superstock Qualifying, Group 1

1:40 – 2:10 p.m. Repsol Superstock Qualifying, Group 2

2:20 – 2:50 p.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport Qualifying, Group 1

3 – 3:30 p.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport Qualifying, Group 2

3:40 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike Race 1 (100K – 28 laps)


SUNDAY, MAY 2

8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests

9 a.m. Tech Inspection open

9 – 9:20 a.m. Repsol Superstock practice

9:30 – 9:50 a.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport practice

10 – 10:20 a.m. Chevrolet Superbike practice

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme practice

11 a.m. Repsol Superstock Race (60K – 17 laps)

12 – 1 p.m. Lunch break

1 p.m. Pro Honda Oils Supersport Race (60K – 17 laps)

2 p.m. Chevrolet Superbike Race 2 (100K – 28 laps)

3:30 p.m. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Race (60K – 17 laps)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Misano World Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 25 laps, 44:29.370
2. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, -1.484 seconds
3. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, -32.259 seconds
4. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, -38.088 seconds
5. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, -41.031 seconds
6. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, -45.176 seconds
7. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -48.557 seconds
8. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -61.456 seconds
9. Luca Pini, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -64.891 seconds
10. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, -77.110 seconds
11. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -97.339 seconds
12. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, -97.760 seconds
13. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, -104.683 seconds
14. Gianmaria Liverani, Ducati 998RS, -105.940 seconds
15. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap

17. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, -1 lap
18. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap

22. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -11 laps, DNF
23. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -23 laps, DNF
24. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, -24 laps, DNF

27. Doriano Romboni, Yamaha YZF-R1, DNS

Fastest Lap of Race: Chili, 1:42.997


World Superbike Championship Point Standings:

1. Chili, 97 points
2. Toseland, 77 points
3. TIE, Laconi/Vermeulen, 70 points
5. Haga, 69 points
6. McCoy, 55 points
7. Martin, 54 points
8. Walker, 52 points
9. Borciani, 49 points
10. Corser, 48 points
11. Haslam, 40 points
12. Sanchini, 32 points
13. Nannelli, 26 points
14. Clementi, 18 points
15. Bontempi, 14 points


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

A WIN AND A SECOND PLACE FOR LACONI (DUCATI FILA) IN TWO EXCITING WSBK RACES AT MISANO – TENTH AND SIXTH FOR TOSELAND

Misano Adriatic (Italy), Sunday 18 April 2004: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) finally launched his World Superbike championship challenge in a big way at the Misano Adriatico circuit with two superb races in front of 45,000 spectators. The 28 year-old French rider won the first, which was stopped six laps from the end due to the rain, holding off Troy Corser (Petronas), before picking up more championship points in race 2 with second place.

But it was the second race that demonstrated Laconi’s extraordinary determination. After choosing ‘wets’ for the race, Regis led all the way on a drying track until the last lap, when he was passed by Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati). The Italian had opted for an intermediate rear tyre, which proved to last the pace better on a drying track in the 25-lap race.

“In race 1 I went slowly at the beginning because of the damp track. Then I realised that I was faster than the rest so I went to catch them one by one. The last lap was so dangerous and it was a good solution to stop the race” declared Laconi. “The second race was really difficult because I was in the lead for 24 laps and then Chili passed me on the back straight on the final lap. We went for full wets because we thought it was going to rain again. Chili went for an intermediate rear, and he caught me on the last lap. I am very happy because I couldn’t do much more today with the tyres I chose. I was sliding the rear around all over the track!. Finally I got the results I wanted to kick start my championship!”

Two cautious races from the fifth row of the grid for Ducati Fila team-mate James Toseland. A tenth and a second place in difficult conditions gave the British rider a boost for the next rounds of the championship.

“I couldn’t do much more from 20th place on the grid” he declared. “There is only one dry line and it’s difficult to pass because when you go offline it’s damp. I should have had eighth in race 1 but Pedercini fell off in front of me, I had to avoid him and then the other two guys came past. In race 2 I went from 20th to 6th but unless you rely on people’s misfortune you can’t do any better than that. It was just one of those weekends really, I had to get as many points as I can and keep in touch with the championship.”

RACE 1: 1. Laconi (Ducati Fila); 2. Corser (Petronas); 3. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati); 4. Haga (Renegade Ducati); 5. Vermeulen (Honda) ; 6. Walker (Petronas); … 10. Toseland (Ducati Fila). RACE 2: 1. Chili; 2. Laconi; 3. Martin (DFX Ducati); 4. Haga; 5. Haslam (Renegade Ducati); 6. Toseland ; etc.

POINTS (after 3 of 11 rounds): (Riders) 1. Chili 97; 2. Toseland 77; 3. Laconi & Vermeulen 70; 5. Haga 69; 6. McCoy 55; etc. (Manufacturers) 1. Ducati 150; 2. Petronas 71; 3. Honda 70; 4. Kawasaki 36; 5. Suzuki 32; 6. Yamaha 16.


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

Chris Vermeulen 5th and 12th at Misano

Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR rider Chris Vermeulen fought against the peculiarities of the weather the unique Misano race surface to secure a fifth and a 12th place finish at Misano.

Continuing the impressive progress of the CBR1000RR and the steep learning curve of Vermeulen and the team, the race results came as a consequence of the ever-changing weather. Race two started wet and as it was raining the team chose a full wet, soft compound rear. It only lasted a few laps as the rain stopped and the track dried, making for an impromptu tyre chance to a slick, allowing Vermeulen to finish 12th and score valuable points.

Vermeulen’s latest results place him fourth in the championship, on the same points as Regis Laconi but Laconi has a higher wins score. Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati) is the new leader on 97, with James Toseland (Ducati) on 77 and Laconi and Vermeulen on 70.

For the lone Ten Kate Superbike rider, Misano offered up another new set of experiences. “Race one was good, after I got a bad start,” said Vermeulen. “Because there was just one dry line it took a long time to get through as I could only pass one rider a lap. Top five was my aim in both races so we did OK in race one. It seems that the four-cylinder machines use the rear wet tyres a little worse than the twins do. I had a soft rain tyre because we didn’t think it would dry up as it did. The rear wasn’t going to last as it was so we changed it in race two.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate explained the complications of race day. “It was raining when we were on the grid for race two so without even arguing about it we thought to use a wet. But it dried way quicker than we thought and saw Chris sliding backwards, so we called him in for a tyre change to a slick and we made some points in the end. We are really equal third in the championship and after the strange experiences we’ve had I think we are doing as well as we could. Hopefully we will give them a run for their money at Monza.”

The next round for the Ten Kate Honda Superbike squad is the classic Monza, on May 14-16.


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

Bad day at Misano for Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks Team

Rain and cold have been the right frame of a poor day for Team Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks today at Misano, where the riders of Bologna based team scored no points for the championship.

In Race-1, stopped by red flag for a suddenly rain shower, Garry McCoy crashed pushed out by another rider at Misano corner, while in Race-2 the Aussie rider finished in a poor 17th position after a not brilliant race.

“Nothing to do for all the week end, with such track conditions I get no feeling and I was not able to push as I’m used to.” – said Garry McCoy at the end of the day – “That’s not because the bike which performed well, it was just because I was not comfortable on this wet and cold surface, while the other riders look to fly. I’m sorry for the team, I know how they would expecting a good result on this track near home, but actually everything was very difficult. During Race-1 the conditions were a little bit firmer and I feel better, but Clementi did hurt my bike on the rear and sended me out of the track after a few laps, then in Race-2 the track was changing lap by lap and only a rider who know the track very well in every condition could push hardly.”

No result for Giancarlo De Matteis too, 16th in Race-1 and out of race at the first lap in Race-2 after a crash: “The stop of Race-1 didn’t allow me to contest for enter into the points in the final laps; in Race-2 on the contrary I pushed too hard just after the start and I crashed in a water puddle in the first corners.”


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

TREMENDOUS SECOND FOR TROY! BEST DAY IN PETRONAS COLOURS

Troy took a superb runner-up place in the first Superbike World Championship race at Misano today, behind Regis Laconi (Ducati). The race took place on a damp, but drying, track, with Troy making a good start from the second row of the grid. When the 27-rider field came round to complete the first lap Troy was in the lead! He then maintained the lead for the first thirteen laps before being overtaken by Laconi. The rain started to fall so heavily on lap sixteen that the race had to be red-flagged as most riders were not on wet tyres. Local favourite Frankie Chili (Ducati) took third, ahead of Haga (Ducati), Vermeulen (Honda) and Troy’s team mate Walker. In race two, also held in varying conditions, Troy and all the top contenders were on wet tyres, with only Chili on intermediates. Laconi led most of the race but, as the track dried out, Chili remorselessly charged up the field and then got closer and closer to Laconi. Then, on the very last lap, Chili overtook Laconi and the partisan crowd went wild. The Italian pulled away from Laconi and took the chequered flag one to record a truly emotional victory. Laconi was second, ahead of Martin (Ducati), Haslam (Ducati) and Toseland (Ducati). Troy had clutch problems on the warm-up lap, but carried on and finished seventh. Together with second in race one, it was Troy’s best day in Petronas colours and his first podium since Imola in 2001.

TROY Race 1: 2nd, Race 2: 7th

It’s hard to believe that I was back on the podium after such a long time. That’s was Imola in 2001 and it’s been so long, I nearly had to ask where the podium was! All weekend, we’ve pretty much been in the top four in every session and if I’d got off the line quicker in race two, I might have been able to get another good result there. This is my best result for the team so far and I’m so pleased for everybody involved. I was trying hard to stay with Regis (Laconi) after he passed me in the first race, but in the end I had to settle for second. Before race two started I had a problem with the clutch on the warm-up lap and that made entering corners difficult as the bike was oscillating. Then I got a bit tangled up with Sanchini and had to settle down again and go with what I had. Today is very positive for us and I’m looking forward to the next stage of the engine’s development at the next round at Monza.


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Corser second in first Misano race for Foggy PETRONAS Racing

Troy Corser achieved Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s best result on the FP1 when he was second in a dramatic first race at Misano in the third round of the World Superbike championship.

Team-mate Chris Walker, who was sixth when the rain started and the race was stopped early, helped complete the team’s best ever points haul from a race.

Both riders made an excellent start to the race on dry tyres, although rain was a constant threat and last minute tyre choices were made on the grid, and Troy had already fought his way to the front by the end of the first lap.

From there he pulled a four second lead as championship favourite Regis Laconi was making his way through the pack on his factory Ducati. Troy was finally caught on the 15th lap of a race that was stopped early just three laps later, with the result standing as more than two thirds of the laps had been completed.

Troy said: “I am really pleased for PETRONAS, for the team and also for myself! It’s been a while since I was out there leading a race and I can’t help being frustrated that I didn’t get the win. I didn’t get my greatest start off the line but went round the outside of some riders at turn two as I knew I had to be in the top two or three early on to have any chance at all. Chris was in front of me but I got a draught off him and whipped out before then going round the outside of Chili. Then I just pushed as hard as I could before the performance of the rear tyre started to wear off, especially on the damp patches. So I had to try and keep the times as consistent as possible as I knew someone was catching me, although I didn’t know who it was. Laconi’s bike was much quicker down the straights so it was no wonder that he did go past me! But my bike worked well and, apart from in one corner, we had the gearing right and also a good set-up.”

Chris, who had achieved the first podium finish on the FP1, the Malaysian superbike, said: “I got a really good start but I was struggling to get into a rhythm. Every time I pushed I came out of my seat. The power was snappy low down as the gearing was set for the wet but the bike ran well and I was happy to get sixth, as I had been struggling during qualifying. I kept getting caught, which is frustrating, but I was just praying they would stop the race while Troy was in the lead.”


More, from another press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy heaps praise on riders after second podium for FPR

Carl Fogarty heaped praise on his two Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders after the team’s best display at the third round of the World Superbike championship in Misano, Italy.

The four times World Superbike champion and FPR owner watched his former team-mate Troy Corser finish second in the day’s first race, with Chris Walker a creditable sixth. And, although the team did not fare as well in the second race when technical difficulties resulted in Troy finishing 7th and Chris 13th, the results were enough to move PETRONAS above Honda into second place in the manufacturers’ standings.

On a day of unpredictable weather conditions, Troy capitalised on the previous two day’s good set-up work on slick Pirelli tyres to pull a healthy lead before being caught on the 15th lap by factory Ducati rider Regis Laconi. A heavy shower brought an early end to the race to seal FPR’s second podium, following Chris Walker’s debut ride to finish third in Valencia.

On a damp track for the afternoon race, both FPR riders went along with the majority of the grid and opted for wet weather tyres in the front and rear. However, local hero Frankie Chili chose an intermediate rear and, on a drying track, hauled in a massive deficit on Laconi to clinch a thrilling victory.

Troy, after an indifferent start, suffered clutch problems early in that race and was unable to improve on seventh place. Chris, on a softer compound, suffered problems with grip early in the race, as well as engine over-heating.

Carl said: “It has been a fantastic weekend, our best to date, with Troy getting an excellent second place – and almost a win! At the start of the year I thought we might be challenging for a rostrum at the end of the season so to have had two in the first three rounds is a credit to the riders and to PETRONAS. The weather was a bit cooler and the conditions damper, so that levels things out and then it is down to the riders. And I believe we have two of the best in the championship. If it had remained wet all day, who knows, we might even have had a win. It was also good to see the old guy Chili still winning races!”

Troy said: “It was hard to believe I was back on the podium after such a long time. The last time was at Imola in 2001! But we have been in the top four pretty much every session here and, if I had got off the line a bit better in the second race, I might have finished a bit further up. This is the best result we have had so far so I am obviously pleased for everyone involved in the project. I was trying so hard to stay in front but the track was getting slippery and I was losing the rear end when I was trying to stay with Laconi, so I had to settle for second. In the second race I had a problem with the clutch on the sighting lap and entry into the corners was difficult as it was oscillating. Then I got tangled up with Sanchini at the start and really just had to ride round and settle for what I had. But this is a positive note on which to move forwards to the next stage of our engine development at Monza.”

Chris said: “I am disappointed with the result in the second race as I think we deserved better. I got a great start and was desperate to lead the race but my tyre lost grip after three laps and I was suffering engine difficulties after five laps so there wasn’t much more that I could do. But I was happy with sixth place in the first race, although I was praying for it to start raining while Troy was still in the lead so that he could win.”


More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Changeable Raceday: The fastest Superbike riders in the world had hoped for a dry day of race action, after the ever-changing track in qualifying, but it was another day of drifting parameters and conditions, and which delivered a win apiece to Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) and Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati).

Race One: In the first of the two Superbike races, scheduled for 25 laps, the victor’s laurels went to French rider Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila), who hunted down and caught long term leader Troy Corser (Petronas FP-1) shortly before the morning rains returned and halted the race early. The lap count finally was 17, making for a full points score for all riders who finished in the top 15. In third place, the 998 Ducati of Pierfrancesco Chili was enough to take the 39-year-old rider to a popular podium finish. Just off the podium came the charging Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati) followed by the yellow Ten Kate Honda of Chris Vermeulen in fifth.

Race Two: With a fully wet track in front of them the field of riders chose mostly full wet tyre solutions. The exception proved to be Pierfrancesco Chili, on his latest spec of 998R, who made slow progress before charging through at up to two seconds per lap faster than his peers. He tracked Regis Laconi and on the final lap took the advantage over his championship rival, as his hard compound wet rear tyre became unsuitable for the drying track. In third place, Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) was fully 32 seconds behind Chili. In fourth, Noriyuki Haga was another charging force, while his team-mate in the Renegade Ducati squad, Leon Haslam, equally his best 2004 finish of firth.

The Pentagon: Chili’s win made him the fifth different race winner, the others being James Toseland, Noriyuki Haga, Garry McCoy and Regis Laconi (twice). That is as many race winners are there were in all of the races in 2003.

Kawasakis Come Of Age: The Bertocchi Kawasaki team witnessed Mauro Sanchini make some true headway in terms of the competitiveness, of the ZX-10. Sanchini led four of the second race laps, in the early wet laps, before sliding back to 11th due to tyre choice.

Points Standings: The points standings changed significantly in Superbike, with Chili’s dazzling rides making him the new clear leader with 97, from James Toseland, who had two tough rides eventually finishing tenth and sixth after an abysmal qualifying in 20th. Laconi and Vermeulen share the 70-point mark.

Supersport: A seemingly certain Ten Kate Honda 1-2 ended up with a crash for long time leader Broc Parkes but a win for Karl Muggeridge in Misano, as he continued his high pace without major incident. The Supersport race started in wetter conditions than the second Superbike race, and was delayed by 40 minutes; such was the severity of the immediate pre-race weather. In second place, Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) is now in second place in the championship standings. Championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Italia) went third, ahead of Suzuki rider Katsuaki Fujiwara. A good ride by Kawasaki Bertocchi rider Stefano Cruciani, in a strong podium place for long periods, ended in a crash.


More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:

SUPERBIKE & SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
EUROPEAN SUPERSTOCK CHAMPIONSHIP

ROUND 3 – MISANO ADRIATICO 16-18 APRIL
Race Report

Misano, 18th April 2004 – LACONI AND CHILI SHARE MISANO SPOILS. The inclement and ever changing wet weather conditions of practice carried over into race day at Misano, as the first race was shortened to 17 laps due to rain and race two was started in wet conditions. The variety of tyres chosen by the teams made for an equally wide variety of fortunes, with two riders in particular shining bright during an overcast day on the Adriatic coast.

Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999) played the winning hand in the first race at Misano, which was delayed due to machine problems on the grid. The start saw the Petronas FP-1 three-cylinder machine of Troy Corser take the lead, and run away with what looked like a safe win at one stage. Corser was relentlessly hunted by the voracious Laconi, who took his second win of the year, with Corser eventually second and Pierfrancesco Chili a valiant third. In fourth place Noriyuki Haga boomed his Ducati through the field to fourth, with Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda) in fifth place, after some similar progress from a bad start.
Mauro Sanchini (Kawasaki) would have taken an almost certain podium finish had he not crashed, and in an incident packed race, the rains which came back at an inopportune time for most, bringing out the red flags and finishing the first contest on the 17 lap mark.

RACE 2
TRACK CONDITIONWETAIR HUMIDITY80%
TRACK TEMPERATURE 21°CAIR TEMPERATURE18°C

An outstanding charge through the field, from 15th position on lap one, allowed Pierfrancesco Chili the chance to show all his many years of experience to good effect. Making the best of his tyre choice – wet front and intermediate rear – on what became a drying track – the 998RS rider caught and passed Laconi, the virtually unopposed leader to that point. A truly classic fight of tactics and sheer skill proved to be exclusively a two-man battle, with the next nearest challenger being Steve Martin (DFX Ducati), 32 seconds down on the winner.
A team display by Noriyuki Haga and Leon Haslam put them fourth and fifth respectively, on their Renegade Ducati 999s.


Giorgio Barbier (Pirelli Racing Manager): “There are enough stories about today to fill a book. In Valencia we had the first leg run on a damp track, better suited to the slicks, but in race two today we had wet conditions in which it was possible to run with a wet tyre. We are quite happy about the final result because even as the track dried the riders could make it to the end of the race using wets. We were worried about the long left hand corners onto the back straight, because there is a risk that if the tyre overheats then it could explode. Laconi showed that he could make a good lap time, even at the end of the race, when his tyres were completely worn out. Some took the risk to choose the softest rain tyre, but the other proved to be better. The rear intermediate was really an intermediate and it allowed Chili the chance to have a fantastic race. The main thing today is that we have now tested the full range of our tyres, due to all the track and weather conditions in the first three circuits. Now we know what we have, and how to develop it.”

Supersport

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) finally delivered on his proven qualifying potential with a race win in the 23-lap Supersport event, but only after his team-mate Broc Parkes crashed out on lap 15. Leading by an impressive margin almost throughout, Parkes looked to be a surefire winner, but his front end fall, in slippery and unpredictable track conditions, leaves him outside the top ten overall. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Germany) was second, with hard charging Jurgen van den Goorbergh taking third place for the second race in succession, reinforcing his championship lead. In fourth place Suzuki rider Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki) managed to hold of a resurgent charge from Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Megabike Honda).

Giorgio Barbier: “The first two riders chose the softest wets, the third placed rider the hardest rain tyre we had. Considering they had a wetter track than in Superbike, the tyres proved what we thought – the right choice would decide who could win.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Welkom, South Africa
Phakisa Freeway
4/18/04
MotoGP Race Results:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 28 laps, 43:50.218
2. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -0.210 second
3. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -7.255 seconds
4. Alex BARROS, Honda, -18.667 seconds
5. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -24.094 seconds
6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -24.375 seconds
7. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, -28.855 seconds
8. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -36.535 seconds
9. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -36.643 seconds
10. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -39.284 seconds
11. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -43.806 seconds
12. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -43.920 seconds
13. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -56.028 seconds
14. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -56.558 seconds
15. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, -73.831 seconds
16. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, -82.206 seconds
17. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -86.933 seconds
18. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, -3 laps
19. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -13 laps, DNF, crash
20. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, -13 laps, DNF, mechanical
21. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -22 laps, DNF, mechanical
22. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, -24 laps, DNF, mechanical

From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
BETANDWIN.COM AFRICA’S GRAND PRIX – PHAKISA FREEWAY
18TH APRIL 2004 – RACE RESULT

NAKANO FINISHES IN THE POINTS AT WELKOM

After qualifying an impressive sixth yesterday, Shinya Nakano brought his Ninja ZX-RR home in twelfth place in the Africa’s Grand Prix at Phakisa Freeway this afternoon, to give the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team the best possible start to the new season.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Nakano found himself pushed back to ninth at the first turn after encountering a problem launching his Ninja ZX-RR off the line. The 26-year-old Japanese rider tried immediately to regain the lost places, but was unable to follow the leading group as they broke away at the front of the field.

By half race distance Nakano was embroiled in a frantic battle for tenth place with the factory Yamahas of Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri. After closing the gap on Melandri towards the end of the race, Nakano made a last gasp overtaking move on the former 250cc World Champion into the last corner on the final lap. The Fuchs Kawasaki rider exited with the nose of his Ninja ZX-RR slightly in front, but was unable to hold off the Italian to the line and was forced to settle for a hard fought twelfth place on his race debut as a Kawasaki rider.

Nakano’s Fuchs Kawasaki teammate, Alex Hofmann, had a day he’d probably prefer to forget at Phakisa Freeway today. In his enthusiasm to start his first race as a full time Kawasaki rider, the 23-year-old German stalled his bike on the line and had to watch helpless as the pack disappeared off towards the first turn. Fast reactions from his pit crew meant Hofmann was soon on his way, but with a huge gap to make up. With the bit between his teeth, the former European 250cc Champion quickly overhauled Michel Fabrizio and was closing down Nobuatsu Aoki when he had a big crash exiting turn three on lap 16. Battered and bruised, Hofmann was treated in the circuit medical centre for mild concussion.

Shinya Nakano’s impressive showing in today’s race means that the Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team head for the second round of the championship at Jerez on May 2nd confident of a repeat performance from the likeable Japanese rider.

Shinya Nakano: 12th
“The bike was creeping a little on the line, which meant I missed the start as I tried to hold it back. Once I got away I couldn’t stay with the guys at the front as the rear of the bike felt a little nervous. The bike settled itself down towards the middle of the race and from that point onwards I was able to match my lap times from practice. I had a good fight with Abe, Melandri and Checa from the halfway point of the race, but while I was able to pass Marco into the last turn on the final lap, I couldn’t quite hold him off to the line. After qualifying sixth on the grid it was a little disappointing not to have finished in the top ten here today. On the other hand, after my first race aboard the Kawasaki I now know that we are capable of beating factory bikes and battling for position with the latest factory Yamaha. Overall, although I would have liked to finish in the top ten, I’m relatively happy with the today’s result.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“I feel sorry for Alex because he showed good potential during practice and qualifying, with lap times close to Shinya’s, and he looked almost certain for a points scoring finish today. His run of bad luck started with his crash in final qualifying yesterday, which was followed by his stalling on the line and then crashing again whilst chasing hard to make up for the bad start today. Overall I’m satisfied with what we’ve achieved with Shinya today. Although we had a fantastic qualifying session yesterday, we knew that it was going to be difficult to maintain the same position in the race. Theoretically we knew we could hope for a top ten finish in the race and, while we were close, we just weren’t quite close enough. Everyone has improved over the winter, including us, but the gap to the leading riders has not decreased significantly; which just goes to show the quality of this championship. After this weekend’s performance we are looking forward to the races ahead, especially Jerez, where we had a successful test recently.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Byrne in points on MotoGP debut

British superbike champion Shane Byrne collected his first MotoGP world championship point today on his MS Aprilia Racing debut at the South African GP.

Byrne finished in 15th position to get his new career off to a great start after this afternoon’s 28-lap season opening race at the Welkom circuit. The 27-year-old, nicknamed “Shakey” said: “I am very happy to have scored a point in my first MotoGP race because I didn’t expect to finish in the points. I just need more experience in MotoGP. I was finding it hard to do consistent laps. One lap I’d go into a corner perfect and the next not quite so good.”

Jeremy McWilliams finished one place further back in 16th position on his RS Cube having been badly hampered by a chatter problem in the second half of the race. “I was having a real problem with chatter in the last part of the track, which was where we struggled yesterday. The bike was working fine in the first half of the race, but after halfway the chatter just got worse and worse as the laps went by. I decided just to finish the race and I’ll study the data on the computer with the team to see what the problem was.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Solid start for Poggiali

REIGNING world champion Manuel Poggiali got the defence of his world 250 championship title off to a tough but positive start in South Africa this afternoon.

The MS Aprilia Racing rider finished a hard 26-lap contest in fourth position, having been in the top three and on course for a podium up until the halfway stage.

Poggiali admitted after the race that his progress had been hampered by a front tyre problem, and he was so concerned at one stage that he might have to retire his RSW250.

“It was very hard to ride the bike in those conditions because I had no feeling from the front tyre.”


More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:

Brilliant debut for De Angelis

Alex De Angelis made a stunning start to his world 250 championship career with fifth place in today’s South African GP at the Phakisa Freeway.

“I am very happy, “declared the San Marino rider. “That was a very satisfactory result in my first 250 race.” The Aprilia Racing rider made a solid start and slottted himself into the top six from the start of the 26-lap race, run in hot and sunny conditions. After a terrific battle with several more experienced 250 riders, Alex found himself in seventh position with just five laps remaining.

He continued his excellent pace and on lap 23 passed Roberto Rolfo to take sixth. And on the penultimate lap he underlined just how quickly he has adapted to the RSW250 by moving into fifth place. The result was a fantastic reward for de Angelis and his team who have worked tirelessly during the winter to help him make the transition from the world 125 championship. And today’s performance has given him great confidence to take into the rest of his debut 250 campaign.

What made his performance even more impressive was the fact that Alex battled a front end set-up problem throughout the race. He said: “I had a problem with the front end. It was a combination of the tyre and the suspension. It was very hard to push the bike when it was leaned right over because of the tyre problem, but I am very optimistic for the next race in Jerez.”


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

AOKI EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS IN FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR

Round 1: Africa’s GP, Welkom Race: Sunday, April 18, 2004

Nobuatsu Aoki: 17th


Team Proton KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki finished just two places out of the points in today’s Africa’s GP, opening round of the 2004 MotoGP season, at Welkom’s Phakisa Freeway. This was an improvement on his qualifying position – and on the team’s expectations. With the 2004 Proton KR V5 still at an early stage of development, just a finish would have been a result.

Aoki’s race saw the Japanese rider pushing hard in the closing stages, when he could see his old team-mate Jeremy McWilliams’s Aprilia up ahead. He closed to within a second or so before the Ulsterman saw him coming, and upped his pace. At the finish, Aoki was less than five seconds adrift.

This was the first race for the Mk2 version of the radical 990cc V5 racing motorcycle, which is still not in its final form as the team await engine revisions and parts. It was also the first race on Dunlop tyres, which are also at an early development stage. “We knew this would be our worst race,” said team principal Kenny Roberts. “This finish was a lot better than we’d expected, and it will keep getting better from here.”

The new machine is an advanced design, using techniques and materials new to motorcycle racing, and very integrated as an overall package. The delays to engine development mean the package is not yet complete, but the handling of the new chassis is as good as was expected, and the promise for the forthcoming races is clear. “We should see some engine improvements by the third round,” said Roberts.

Today’s opening round was run in fine sunny conditions at the high-altitude (1,500m) 4.242km Phakisa Freeway circuit, outside the Free State gold mining town of Welkom. It was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi in his first ride on a Yamaha. The next race is the Spanish GP at Jerez, in two weeks.

NOBUATSU AOKI
This race was going to be tough, because the winter was not easy for us, and we always had little problems that meant we were unable to do any endurance testing. I did 12 laps in this morning’s warm-up … that was the most I had done on the new bike! We had picked a race tyre yesterday, and this morning we tried a different setting … but it didn’t work well, so we went back to yesterday’s setting. After that everything worked pretty well, except the gearbox – I was having problems all race getting false neutrals on upshifts. Also the tyre was sliding after 20 laps. Around mid-race I started to catch Jeremy. I pushed hard every lap, and he was coming closer … but when he saw me, he pushed again. This is just the start for us.

KENNY ROBERTS – TEAM PRINCIPAL
That went a lot better than we’d expected. For such short notice, Dunlop did a great job, but we didn’t have a big enough window to get the engine problems fixed for this race. This is probably the worst we’re going to do all season, with the engine in its worst state. We made four engines, and just hoped we would finish … and we did that. Things go forward from here.


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

ROSSI CLAIMS SENSATIONAL FIRST YAMAHA VICTORY

Valentino Rossi made history with Yamaha today aboard his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine at the Africa’s Grand Prix in Welkom by becoming the first rider in the history of the premier class to take back-to-back victories with different constructors. The reigning World Champion, who joined Yamaha in January, is also the first rider in the premier class since Barry Sheene to win the opening race of the season for four years in succession, taking his 23rd consecutive podium in the process and Yamaha’s first win since October 2002. His Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha team-mate Carlos Checa had a difficult race and eventually finished tenth after starting 12th on the grid.

Rossi started from pole position and led for most of the 28 lap race with less than a second between himself and Honda rival Max Biaggi. The two swapped the lead several times, Rossi fighting back with some bold overtaking before snatching the lead for the final time with two laps to go, finally crossing the finish line just two tenths of a second ahead of Biaggi, with Honda rider Sete Gibernau in third. Checa finished just over 39 seconds later than winner Rossi, having made up three places in the latter stages of the race but not feeling the confidence to push harder.

VALENTINO ROSSI (1st)
“This is the best race of my career, it’s a real surprise for us, for everyone, and it’s difficult to explain the emotion. The weekend was perfect, starting with Friday. I rode well and I worked very well with the team. For me the race was perfect as well, starting from pole, I had a good rhythm and a good fight with Biaggi. I want to say a big thanks to my mechanics, especially Jeremy Burgess, and to Yamaha for all their efforts. At the end of the race I had a different emotion to normal; usually when I win I’m really happy but this time it was more and I had to stop for a moment with my bike to take it all in.

“The bike was quite good at full distance, although the tyres did start to move a bit after seven or eight laps, but after that they stayed constant and the bike stayed with me. I was slower in some parts, faster in others but I knew I couldn’t make any mistakes if I wanted to win. Yamaha has made such a great effort and so much work to change their situation. Today’s race showed that the level of this sport has greatly increased since last year but winning a race like this is not a miracle, it’s down to all the hard work we’ve put in. It was fantastic!”

CARLOS CHECA (10th)

“We’ve been struggling all weekend to find a good setting and to get a better feeling, but we have not found the way. I didn’t have enough grip on the side of the tyre when the bike was at an angle and this is something we are playing with constantly to try to improve. When I’m not confident of the grip my exit from a corner is too slow and it’s difficult to pass on the brakes. I pushed hard when I caught up with Abe, but I just didn’t have enough confidence. However, this is just the first race and we can still catch up; that is our mission. We have to analyse why this happened and work out how to improve the feeling. We’ll see what happens in Jerez and I will look forward to racing there.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director

“We couldn’t have had a better weekend than this. Of course we know this is not the end of our work; we’ve only just started and we have to keep going like this the whole season and provide the best possible support to Valentino. He was just fantastic. This was the race everyone wanted to see and it was great to be the winner. I think all the fans will be so happy and everyone at Yamaha as we’ve worked so hard in the last six months. Unfortunately Carlos has struggled all weekend and didn’t have a good first race, but we can learn from this, check what’s wrong with him and try to bring him to the front for the Jerez Grand Prix. I think he has the capability to be up front as soon as possible.”

MASAO FURUSAWA – General Manager, YMC Technology Development Division

“Racing needs a good rider, bike and organisation; otherwise you can not have a win. An exceptional rider has come to Yamaha and all I can say is thank you to him and his crew. Of course there are many other people involved in the project; other riders, engineers, staff and sponsors and I’d also like to thank them. Valentino really is the genius behind the bike. We’ve only been testing with him for three months this winter and we’ve achieved the first goal, now we have another fifteen goals!”


More, from a press release issued by Camel Honda:

Max Biaggi Magnificent at Welkom

Max Biaggi went up onto the second step of the podium after a truly spectacular race. A podium of great importance, secured by the tenacity and determination of the four-times world champion who took his yellow Camel Honda team RC211V to within 210 thousandths of first place after twenty-four laps at an infernal pace. A tactical race in which Max made the best of the immense work carried out by the team during the two days of practice, optimising the new Honda materials for the RC211V and setting the lap record for the race: 1:33.208 on the very last lap. The Camel Honda team took Makoto Tamada to eighth place: after making a few changes to the settings of his bike after the warm-up, he was able to perform well during the race and confirm the good results obtained by the team.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“A fantastic race, very fast and with an unexpected rhythm. I’m very pleased with the team’s work as they have been able to provide Max with a bike that’s ready to contend for first place. We’ve started the championship in second place and we’ve begun a season that looks as though it’s going to be really exciting. We’ve got a manufacturer, a rider and a team that can aim for the world title. Today the Camel Honda team was in the limelight: we miss Antonio terribly, even though we know that he was with us all the way through to this brilliant team achievement.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 2nd – 43:50.428
“This was a very important race for us. It’s a race we dedicate to the memory of Antonio. We all did everything we could, the team worked really hard on the bike, and I was going at 110%. Despite a slip at the start, on the dirtiest part of the line-up, I didn’t lose ground and I went forward to fight a duel for the head of the race. A contest at an incredible pace, and one that shows our potential, so I’d like to thank Honda for the new components we recently received. I’m also very satisfied with the performance of the tyres, for they gave top-level service right the way through to the end of the race. There won’t be any further tests until the Jerez race and during the practice for the next time round, I’m sure we’ll be able to understand the characteristics of the new components better so as to make best use of them.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“Makoto ended up with an eighth place that shows he gave it all he’d got, even though he started out in a difficult position, and this just shows how determined he is. We’ve got to improve performance for the entire duration of the race, especially in view of the sort of rhythm that was being kept up today. We’ll be working hard to bridge the gap that separates us from the leaders and I’m sure Makoto will soon be able to get the best out of his bike.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 8th – 44:26.753
“We made a few changes to my RC211V after the warm-up and this meant I was able to get a better place when the race was on. The tyres performed well even towards the end, and I must say I had indeed been hoping to claw back some places after starting out 12th. An important race, and a new experience that will help me gain a better understanding of the bike settings and of the new materials from Bridgestone.”


More, from a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

Dificult start for Hodgson and Xaus
[18.04.2004]



The d´Antin MotoGP had their hopes cut short today in the first Grand Prix of the year, when first Xaus and later Hodgson were forced into the pits with mechanical problems on their Ducatis.

With an air temperature of around 30ºC, the Briton started from the fifth row of the grid and the Spaniard from the sixth, ready to come up against the rest of a strong MotoGP field for the first time. Both riders performed admirably in the early stages of the race, with the Spaniard even making it into the top ten during his four laps of the race.
Neil Hodgson meanwhile, completed a half-race, before being forced into the garage with thirteen laps remaining, and retiring from the race with mechanical problems.

Hodgson was on the verge of completing his pre-race objective of finishing top-twelve, with problems coming after he had moved up to fourteenth in the race, “It’s a bit frustrating to not finish the first race, but the bike began to play up and I had to stop. Anyway, I have to keep working hard, because I never got comfortable here in Welkom, perhaps because of the track’s conditions too. I’m still learning but I need to keep doing so, because now I’m thinking about Jerez, which is a circuit that I know and which I like quite a bit.”

Xaus surprised everyone with a scorching start, but unfortunately the excitement was all a little premature, “It’s a shame because I’ve shown all weekend that I had a good rhythm and that I could get a good finish. Looking at how they rode today, I think I could have been amongst the top six. I’m not a specialist qualifier but in the race I blossom, and today I had a great start… however on the fifth lap we had a small electrical problem and I had to return to the pits. As they always say, that’s racing, and there’s still fifteen of them left. Next time out it’s Jerez and I prefer to think about then.”

Luis d´Antin : “Starting out is always hard, and both myself and the team know that there is a lot of potential in our two riders, and I hope we can demonstrate that as soon as possible. Ruben has been great here all three days, and I don’t think that he went unnoticed by anybody. Neil has also shown that he is capable of working brilliantly and undoubtedly this will take him to great results soon enough.”


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

ROSSI WINS BUT HONDA FINISHES WITH FOUR RIDERS IN TOP FIVE

The win belonged to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) but masterly Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) proved today in front of a record 45,000 Phakisa Freeway crowd that he is the man most likely to rein in the reigning World Champion with a stirring second place. Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) was a distant third after being right in contention in the early stages of the race.

As a fierce African sun beat down, the new three-abreast grid lined up for this curtain-raising race and scorched into turn one as the red lights went out. Rossi got the holeshot with Max and Sete, Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) and Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) pressing him hard.

The pace soon hotted up to the extent that only three riders could stay with it: Rossi, Max and Sete. As early as lap four the threesome fought it out with Max taking the lead at the end of the back straight before Rossi snatched it back on the same lap. Max went in front again two laps later and held the lead again before Rossi wrested it back one lap later.

But the early battle for supremacy soon settled down and Rossi and Max maintained a pace that Sete couldn’t stay with. By mid-distance of this 28-lap contest Gibernau was a second adrift of the leaders and he fell further back to finish seven seconds down at the end.

Now it was a straight fight between two intense rivals. Rossi seemed content to make the running while Max was rarely less than two feet behind him as Rossi fought to break clear of his rival. On lap 23 Max made another move down the back straight and he then lead three laps in a row before Rossi made a block pass on Max at the penultimate tight right turn.

Max was pushed wide and fought to get back on level terms with just two laps to go. Try as the Roman might, and Max set a new lap record on his final lap of the 4.242km track of 1m 33.208s, he couldn’t catch Rossi and finished just over two tenths of a second behind as they crossed the line.

“I’m happy it was such a great race,” said Max. “We kept up an unbelievable pace and had a lot of fun. I didn’t even feel tired at the end and I feel I could have run another 28 laps. The team did a fantastic job setting up the new chassis in just four hours of qualifying and this race was a great way to honour Antonio.” (Antonio Cobas, who died last week, was Camel Honda’s Technical Director)

Sete Gibernau said, “All during qualifying I was trying to improve my rhythm working on the settings of the new chassis – but we couldn’t quite get there before the race. And we ran out of time to try anything else in the morning warm-up. But I’m aiming to be fighting for the podium at every race and I have to be happy enough with this result on a weekend that wasn’t perfect.”

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) fought hard to finish fourth after languishing in ninth on lap one. “If you qualify eighth on the third row of the grid, it’s hard work. This track is difficult to overtake on and there’s not a lot of grip off the racing line. We had a small chatter problem today which wasn’t there before, but overall today’s not such a bad result for a first race with a new team.”

Nicky Hayden’s fifth place was not what the American challenger wanted but he remained upbeat. “I knew this race was going to be difficult. I got an OK start but it was really painful watching the guys up front disappear. The team has done a great job over the weekend – it just wasn’t an easy weekend. Let’s get on with the next race now.”

Colin Edwards was hampered by chatter problems and finished seventh. “I had problems on the first lap. They were there a little bit on Friday and Saturday, but today it was just impossible to race for 28 laps. I can’t say it was a specific problem, but we’ll check the data and see what’s going on.”

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres finished eighth. “All weekend we’ve been making changes, but the tyres were good all race and I didn’t manage to get as much overtaking as I wanted because of a bad start. But this was more good experience for me and the team.”

Rossi leads the World Championship standings by five points from Max Biaggi as MotoGP heads to Jerez in Spain for the opening European Grand Prix of what promises to be a hard-fought title race.

The 250 race was a nail-biter with frantic action all the way down the field. The eventual winner was Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) who fought a hard duel with Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) all race. De Puniet finished second and Sebastian Porto (Aprilia) third.

Porto led from the start, but on lap two the Argentine rider went off track on the ultra-fast back section of the track. He had to ride onto the banked oval that surrounds the inner circuit to slow down and regain the track – in 22nd position. His ride to third was a prime example of grit and determination employed to rectify a costly error.

But Pedrosa’s ride was remarkable. The young Spaniard, reigning 125cc World Champion, who broke both ankles in a bad crash at Phillip Island last year (having wrapped up the title in Malaysia), fully deserved a win first time out having stepped up a class for 2004. His dice with de Puniet provided a classic last lap where the lead changed hands four times.

Pedrosa clinched it with a last turn braking manoeuvre that cut off de Puniet’s turn-in point to deny him the win. But the result could easily have gone either way. The power of Pedrosa’s Honda told on the faster sections of the track, but it took supreme skill to deny the experienced de Puniet a fourth career win.

Alex Debon (Wurth Honda BQR RS250R) finished a strong sixth with Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) eighth and Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) ninth. Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) snatched 11th in his first visit to Welkom while Eric Bataille (Wurth Honda BQR RS250R) was involved in a first lap crash – on his birthday.

“That was incredible,” said Pedrosa. “I still can’t really believe what happened and it’s all the hard work put in by my team in the winter helping me recover from my injuries and getting the bike to this level of competitiveness. Thank you to them all and to Honda.” Pedrosa now leads the World Championship from de Puniet by five points after one race.

The 125 contest provided a thrilling season opener in the smallest class for the Welkom crowd when Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) played a perfect waiting game to rob Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) of a win he looked likely to keep having led for most of the race. Locatelli was second and Casey Stoner (KTM) third.

But Locatelli couldn’t shake off Dovizioso’s Honda and it looked likely that Dovzioso would line Locatelli up for a pass on the fast, flowing back section of the track. Instead he waited until the final turn on the final lap to fire his RS125R up the inside of Locatelli on the brakes, hold his line and then use all the rumble strip on the exit to breach the line first. The winning margin was just seven hundredths of a second.

Third and fourth-placed riders Stoner and Pablo Nieto (Aprilia) were in the leading group for most of the race, but as the pace hotted up at the front they were left to dispute second and third between themselves, with Stoner getting the verdict by two tenths of a second.

Julian Simon (Angaia Racing Honda RS125R) finished 11th and Simone Corsi (Team Scot Honda RS125R) 14th. Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) crashed out on lap 17 without injury.

“Locatelli was running a really high pace,” said Dovizioso, who has now won his first ever race in this class. “On the last lap I was thinking I could overtake on the straight, but then I saw him go too wide into the last turn and went through. I want to thank the Clinica Mobile for patching me up after my practice crash and the team did a fantastic job for me too.”

Dovizioso now leads the World Championship points standings with 25 to Locatelli’s 20 and Stoner with 16.

ends


HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

MotoGP:

Max Biaggi, Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 2nd: “This was a very important race for us. It’s a race we dedicate to the memory of Antonio. We all did everything we could, the team worked really hard on the bike, and I was going at 110%. Despite a slip at the start, on the dirtiest part of the line-up, I didn’t lose ground and I went forward to fight a duel for the head of the race. A contest at an incredible pace, and one that shows our potential, so I’d like to thank Honda for the new components we recently received. I’m also very satisfied with the performance of the tyres, for they gave top-level service right the way through to the end of the race. There won’t be any further tests until the Jerez race and during the practice for the next time round, I’m sure we’ll be able to understand the characteristics of the new components better so as to make best use of them.”

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“A fantastic race, very fast and with an unexpected rhythm. I’m very pleased with the team’s work as they have been able to provide Max with a bike that’s ready to contend for first place. We’ve started the championship in second place and we’ve begun a season that looks as though it’s going to be really exciting. We’ve got a manufacturer, a rider and a team that can aim for the world title. Today the Camel Honda team was in the limelight: we miss Antonio terribly, even though we know that he was with us all the way through to this brilliant team achievement.”

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 3rd: ” During the practices we worked on the setting of the bike but we couldn’t find the best set-up. So today my bike was not 100% ok. I have done my best and all in all I’m satisfied in fact if I scored the 3rd position with a bike which was not ok, I’m confident that I can fight for the win when my bike is ok

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Misano World Superbike Race One Results:

1. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 17 laps, 28:18.586
2. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -1.944 seconds
3. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -7.459 seconds
4. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, -9.728 seconds
5. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, -12.310 seconds
6. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, -14.130 seconds
7. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, -14.445 seconds
8. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, -36.960 seconds
9. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -37.379 seconds
10. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, -37.501 seconds
11. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, -42.064 seconds
12. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -54.642 seconds
13. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, -62.408 seconds
14. Ivan Sala, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -65.352 seconds
15. Gianmaria Liverani, Ducati 998RS, -65.397 seconds

18. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -87.317 seconds

21. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, -2 laps
22. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -1 lap, DNF
23. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -3 laps, DNF

25. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, -10 laps, DNF
26. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -15 laps, DNF
27. Doriano Romboni, Yamaha YZF-R1, DNS

Fastest Lap of Race: Laconi, 1:38.339

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Welkom, South Africa
Phakisa Freeway
4/18/04
250cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 26 laps, 42:04.690
2. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, -0.536 second
3. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, -5.859 seconds
4. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, -24.561 seconds
5. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, -30.018 seconds
6. Alex DEBON, Honda, -30.653 seconds
7. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, -31.458 seconds
8. Toni ELIAS, Honda, -31.872 seconds
9. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, -31.940 seconds
10. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, -35.643 seconds
11. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, -36.418 seconds
12. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, -36.864 seconds
13. Arnaud VINCENT, Aprilia, -39.105 seconds
14. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, -43.027 seconds
15. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, -51.493 seconds
16. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, -51.699 seconds
17. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, -52.883 seconds
18. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, -59.900 seconds
19. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, -62.819 seconds
20. Erwan NIGON, Yamaha, -74.844 seconds

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Misano World Supersport Race Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 23 laps, 42:11.937
2. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, -3.708 seconds
3. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, -7.813 seconds
4. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, -10.044 seconds
5. Alessio Corradi, Honda CBR600RR, -19.358 seconds
6. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, -28.322 seconds
7. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, -40.473 seconds
8. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, -41.653 seconds
9. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R600, -45.428 seconds
10. Walter Tortoroglio, Suzuki GSX-R600, -46.428 seconds
11. Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, -83.233 seconds
12. Antonio Carlacci, Yamaha YZF-R6, -84.889 seconds
13. Matthieu Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, -97.145 seconds
14. Denis Sacchetti, Honda CBR600RR, -1 lap
15. Eli Chen, Honda CBR600RR, -2 laps
16. Nicky Wimbauer, Yamaha YZF-R6, -2 laps
17. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, -3 laps, DNF

19. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, -13 laps, DNF
20. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, -15 laps, DNF
21. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, -20 laps, DNF
22. Stefano Cruciani, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, -22 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap of the Race: Parkes, 1:47.789


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

World Supersport Championship 2004 – Round 3
Misano Adriatico Race Report
16 – 18 APRIL 2004
Wet, 15°C air, 16°C track.


MUGGERIDGE AND HONDA WIN IN MISANO RAINS

WSS Report

In a dramatic and often costly World Supersport race at Misano, Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) secured the race win, the first for him and his team in the 2004 season.

Chasing his team-mate Broc Parkes (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) for most of the race, Muggeridge was propelled into the lead when, shortly after setting the fastest lap, Parkes fell from his machine with eight laps to go. This left Muggeridge a free track but lots of work still to do, especially with rain-master Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) on his tail. Curtain was to finish second, with Championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) third.

Torrential rain at the end of the previous World Superbike race delayed the start of the Supersport race by a significant 40 minutes, as areas of the track were cleaned and allowed to dry out somewhat. The race was nonetheless declared wet, and most riders opted for soft compound wet tyres.

The Honda Italia Megabike duo, Alessio Corradi and Denis Sacchetti, both finished, Corradi strongly in fifth place after a terrible start, and Sacchetti in 14th place.

For the Klaffi Honda team, each of their two riders was a faller in a race that had only 16 finishers. Sebastien Charpentier crashed exiting the last chicane on lap nine, experiencing a high side fall on what was a slippery and unpredictable section of the track.

Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) only managed a few hundred meters of the Misano circuit in race conditions, being taken out by a falling competitor during a three rider crash at the first corner, walking away uninjured by understandably disappointed.

Muggeridge said from the podium, “I’m delighted to win in such horrendous conditions. I was nearly out of the race a couple of times early on so I’m pleased to be here. I don’t know if I could have caught Broc. I’d close on him and he would respond so it was static. I had a few slides and would have settled for second, but I’m happy to win.”

Parkes, a previous podium finisher at Misano, was philosophical. “I lost the front on the second last left,” he affirmed. “I sort of just touched the brake going in and it tucked under, but so fast. I never had any moments in the race before that and I felt really good. I saw that Karl was catching slowly so I was dawdling a bit and needed to go a little faster.”

Charpentier stated, through his disappointment: “On the exit of the last corner the rear went immediately away. Suddenly no grip in the rear and it was the same in practice. This is a very difficult day for me because I have no more points in the championship, and that is bad for the whole season.”

Neukirchner, after another assured qualifying, said of his fall, “There was nothing I could do. In the very first corner a rider came from behind and the side and took me out. It was a very short race and an unhappy one.”

Corradi, notable by his race progress, was dismayed at his start but felt satisfied in other ways. “I changed from first to second gear off the start but the bike stayed in first so I lost a lot of time when it spun up. It’s disappointing at home but I made some good points. I have never had a good result in the rain and this is the first race in which I have a real feel for my Honda – so I am happy for two reasons.”

Sacchetti, who scored his first points in World Supersport, said “I was lucky at the beginning because a lot of riders fell in front of me and I just missed the fall, so I rode to make sure I finished in the points. I’m pleased to have done this as these two points are my first in World Supersport.”

In the Championship itself, van den Goorbergh leads on 57 points, with Curtain on 47 and Muggeridge an upwardly mobile 37. Corradi propelled himself to the 20 point mark and ninth in classification, with Parkes 11th, on 13 points.

World Superbike Races
Regis Laconi (Ducati) had to give best to wet Superpole winner Steve Martin (Ducati) on Saturday but despite having to fight through from a bad start the Frenchman took his second win of the 2004 season. The largely dry start of the race was delayed, due to problems with one of the machines on the grid, but it was stopped before the scheduled 24-lap finish, due to the return of the rains that plagued qualifying.

Second place was taken by long time leader Tory Corser (Petronas) with Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati) third, when Kawasaki rider Mauro Sanchini crashed out. Nori Yukihada (Ducati) finisched fourth and Cris Vermeulen fifth on his privately entered Ten Kate Honda.

A quite spectacular chase through almost the entire field, from 15th on lap one, delivered the first race win of the 2004 season to Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati). He hunted down the long time leader Laconi, as the Frenchman’s tyres went off faster than his on a drying track. In third, Steve Martin (Ducati) was fully 32 seconds adrift of the front running fight.

In the World Championship itself, Chili now leads by a convincing 20 points, 97 to James Toseland (Ducati) and his 77. In third, Laconi leads Chris Vermeulen, also on 70 points, by dint of having won two races.

Round four of the championship continues in Italy, at the classic and impressively fast Monza circuit on May 14 -16.


More, from a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

Date: Sunday, April 18th 2004
Circuit: Misano, m. 4.060
Weather: damp Temperature: air 15° track 16°
Crowd: 15.000

SUPERB PODIUM FOR JURGEN!

Yamaha Racing Italia rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh took a hard-fought for third place in difficult conditions at Misano today. The start of the race was delayed by nearly forty minutes after a heavy downpour washed dirt on to the track in several corners, but when the riders lined up, the rain had abated. Jurgen had qualified on the fourth row of the grid, but made a good start and was incredibly sixth at the end of the first lap. His team mate Fabien Foret started one row further back, but never really got on terms with the conditions and crashed out after 10 laps. Jurgen determinedly reeled in the leaders and moved into third spot on lap 21, but was unable to catch Curtain (Yamaha) in the final laps. Aussie Karl Muggeridge (Honda) won the race, after his team mate Broc Parkes fell off, whilst in the lead, after 14 laps.


JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH – 3rd
I am very happy to get a podium, considering how far down the grid I was after qualifying. When I saw that today was wet, I knew had a very good chance of a podium and, after my start, I knew I could probably succeed.

It would have been easy to rush things in the early stages and make a mistake, but I used my experience and just kept pushing hard. I attacked Fujiwara for third spot and once I passed him, I knew I was on the podium. Curtain was too far away at the front, but I am happy to get the points and of course lead the championship.

FABIEN FORET – DNF
I have won both races in the last two years at Misano and I was ready to win again – if it was dry! But, the rain started on Friday and never really went away and that destroyed my ambitions. I knew it was going to be hard for me today, because I only qualified on the fifth row of the grid, but I pushed as hard as I could. Unfortunately, I may have pushed a bit too hard in the last chicane because I crashed! It’s a disappointment, but I’ll be back on top in the next race at Monza.


More, from a press release issued by Connie Kassel:

Nicky Wimbauer, 16 year old American young gun riding for the Italian Team Trasimeno finished in 16th position at his first World SuperSport race in Misano and held under difficult track conditions. Rain gave way to sunshine but left a wet track for the 23 lap event.

Nicky had a good start and avoided a 3 rider crash in turn 1. He closely followed Fabien Foret(retired) & Massimo Roccoli (finished 11th) until lap 9 when a loose chain caused the rear wheel to skip which resulted in an off track ride in turn 1 and limped into the pits. The team frantically fixed the problem and Nicky was back out 2 laps down and worked his way to a nice 16th position under the checker flag.

Nicky said, “I had a great race that I met two of my goals 1st qualify & 2nd took a checker flag at a World SuperSport race. I am excited to have finished but dang, I really wanted that first WSS point and I could have finished higher. I have to focus now to next week with the Italian series and Monza later. Thank you to Team Trasimeno, my Dad, Connie, Rich, TI & everyone! I raced my first World SuperSport!”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LANZI (DUCATI BREIL) SIXTH AT MISANO IN SUPERSPORT THRILLER AFTER ROW 4 START

Misano Adriatico (Italia), Sunday 18 April 2004: Lorenzo Lanzi took his Ducati 749R Breil to a positive sixth place in an exciting third round of the World Supersport Championship at Misano Adriatico.

On a track made difficult by the rainy and wet conditions, the 22 year-old Italian started from fifteenth position on the grid and passed numerous riders during the early stages of the race, crossing the line at the end of lap 2, a position he held for three more laps.

Unfortunately for Lanzi, the track dried out during the 23 lap race and the young Ducati Breil rider had to settle for sixth place overall.

“I made a great start but then it stopped raining!” declared Lanzi. “I’m really disappointed because we put on a couple of softer tyres as the sky still looked menacing before the start. If it had continued to rain, I could have got on the podium today.

“Unfortunately I had to settle for sixth place because in the last five laps there was no more tyre left. Luckily the others were a long way behind but I’m a bit disappointed not to have got onto the podium. However starting from fifteenth on the grid and finishing sixth is a good result.”

RESULTS: 1. Muggeridge (Honda); 2. Curtain (Yamaha); 3. VD Goorbergh (Yamaha); 4. Fujiwara (Suzuki); 5. Corradi (Honda); 6. Lanzi (Ducati Breil); etc.

POINTS (after 3 of 10 rounds):

(Riders) 1. VD Goorbergh 57; 2. Curtain 47; 3. Muggeridge 37; 4. Fujiwara 34; 5. Lanzi & Foret (Yamaha) 30; etc.

(Manufacturers) 1. Yamaha 65 ; 2. Honda 59 ; 3. Suzuki 35; 4. Ducati 30; 5. Kawasaki 8.


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

Muggeridge Takes Win for Ten Kate Honda

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) scored a magnificent win in trying conditions at Misano, with a fully wet track welcoming the riders in the 23-lap Supersport race, delayed because of the heavy fall of rain which stopped the first Superbike race.

It could have been a Ten Kate 1-2, as Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda) lead for the vast majority of the race distance, only to suffer a high-speed fall when his front lost grip on lap 15.

For Muggeridge, his first race win of 2004 pushes him into new levels of compe titiveness in the championship points table. “I’m delighted to win in such horrendous conditions,” he grinned. “I was nearly out of the race a couple of times early on so I’m pleased to be here. I don’t know if I could have caught Broc. I’d close on him and he would respond so it was static. I had a few slides and would have settled for second, but I’m happy to win.”

For Parkes, it was a disappointing race day, and the crash was something of a mystery. “I lost the front on the second last left,” he affirmed. “I sort of just touched the brake going in and it tucked under, but so fast. I never had any moment in the race before that and I felt really good. I saw that Karl was catching slowly so I was dawdling a bit and needed to go a little faster.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate stated, “For sure we have some mixed feelings. I am very pleased for Karl’s win because it puts us back in the charts and for us now the season is open. We can charge forward now and we know that we can be fast in any track we go to now, so we’ll see what it brings. It was looking like a good 1-2 but Broc had a moment where he lost the front but these things happen in the conditions we had today.”

In the championship itself, Muggeridge now sits third with 37 points, 20 behind leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh, with Parkes 11th on 13 points.

The next round of the championship takes place at Monza, Italy, on 16 May.