Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday’s MotoGP Qualifying Times:

1. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:46.673
2. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:47.401
3. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:47.821
4. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:47.845
5. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:47.927
6. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:47.940
7. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:47.982
8. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:48.042
9. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:48.107
10. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, 1:48.154
11. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:48.154
12. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:48.223
13. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:48.326
14. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:48.380
15. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:48.424
16. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:48.532
17. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:48.656
18. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:48.859
19. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:49.139
20. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:49.180
21. Olivier JACQUE, Moriwaki, 1:50.509
22. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:51.388
23. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:51.466

Not qualified (Out 107%) 1:54.140

24. Youichi UI, Harris WCM, 1:54.743


Final MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. M.TAMADA, Honda, 1:46.673
2. J.HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:47.230
3. V.ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:47.275
4. M.BIAGGI, Honda, 1:47.401
5. C.EDWARDS, Honda, 1:47.821
6. M.MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:47.845
7. L.CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:47.886
8. K.ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:47.929
9. N.HAYDEN, Honda, 1:47.940
10. A.BARROS, Honda, 1:47.963
11. C.CHECA, Yamaha, 1:47.982
12. S.NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:48.042
13. S.GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:48.107
14. T.UKAWA, Honda, 1:48.154
15. N.ABE, Yamaha, 1:48.154
16. T.BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:48.174
17. N.HODGSON, Ducati, 1:48.656
18. R.XAUS, Ducati, 1:48.859
19. A.HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:48.885
20. J.McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:49.139
21. O.JACQUE, Harris WCM, 1:49.545
22. N.AOKI, Proton, 1:51.388
23. S.BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:51.466

Not qualified (Out of 107%)

24. Y.UI, Harris WCM, 1:54.743


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:


Super Shinya steps forward for home race

Fuchs Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano moved seven places up the grid, to claim a fourth row starting spot for his home race at Motegi, in this afternoon’s highly competitive final qualifying session.

In an impressive comeback from yesterday’s technical troubles, Nakano showed speed and consistency to post the 12th fastest time, an improvement of 1.2s over his best lap in first qualifying when he was 19th on the grid.

Nakano had use of both of his Ninja ZX-RR race machines today, after an engine problem and oil fire sidelined one of his bikes yesterday. The additional track time allowed the Japanese ace to optimise his chassis set-up at a track that he knows intimately.

Nakano won his first GP at Motegi with victory in the 250cc Japanese GP in 1999.

Nakano concentrated on the ZX-RR fitted with the latest Magneti Marelli fuel injection and engine management system, which provides improved engine braking and power delivery characteristics.

He will race with the Magneti Marelli system for the first time in tomorrow’s 24-lap Japanese Grand Prix, as will his German team-mate, Alex Hofmann, who will start from 19th on the grid.

Hofmann was frustrated not to improve his qualifying time from yesterday, and took responsibility for this afternoon’s lacklustre performance in his first appearance at Motegi for three years.

After being fast and consistent in the morning free practice session, Hofmann could not reproduce his best form after a series of laps evaluating a different profile Bridgestone rear tyre.

Final qualifying was run in warm and humid conditions, on a mainly dry track after a light shower of rain early in the one hour session.

Shinya Nakano: 12th (1’48.042)
“Twelfth is not fantastic, but it is much better than yesterday. I had a very good feeling after going back to a base set-up from earlier in the season, and I could push very hard and do consistent times. I just need a little more front stability on the brakes. I was enjoying riding, especially with so many fans here for my home race. The engineers were able to solve our problems from yesterday, and the Magneti Marelli system is an improvement with engine braking and throttle response. Bridgestone have a very good race tyre here, so I’m hoping for a good result.”

Alex Hofmann: 19th (1’48.885)
“That was a bad session for me and I’m not happy with my performance. I just couldn’t find the rhythm I had in the morning session and I was too aggressive on the brakes and couldn’t carry enough corner speed. The team improved the set-up but I couldn’t show it with lap times so I’m hoping to get to grips with the track in warm-up tomorrow morning. After being happy this morning I tried a new shape Bridgestone, which is different to ride, and that upset my rhythm when it came to going faster. Hopefully I can sort things out before the race and make a good start, because overtaking here is very difficult. It is going to be a tough job to score some points, but that’s what I’m aiming to do.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“After yesterday’s problems, Shinya made an impressive step forward and he was one of the riders to consistently improve his lap times. I think Shinya has a chance of finishing top ten at his home race. Alex tried hard, perhaps a little too hard in some parts of the track, and this cost him some rhythm but I expect a strong race from him. With revised chassis settings and adjustments to our new electronics package the ZX-RR is showing more potential for fast and consistent times at this track than I thought it would. Now we just need a dry race.”


More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Tamada snatches home pole at Motegi

Makoto Tamada snatched pole position for his home race with a stunning final lap at the Motegi circuit this afternoon. With hot conditions limiting grip on the track, several riders struggled to improve their provisional times from Friday and it looked as though provisional pole holder John Hopkins would start from the front of a MotoGP grid for the first time in his career. However, Tamada mounted his record breaking charge as the chequered flag was waved, dislodging the American to take his second pole position in as many races.

“Everything is pretty much ready for the race tomorrow but the warm-up will confirm that,” said Tamada, who set his debut pole and went on to finish second at Estoril two weeks ago. “I am happy with this pole position for Honda and for Bridgestone. It will be an important race and to start from pole is fundamental. There are not too many places to overtake at this track, especially over the first laps, so to be at the front is definitely an advantage.”

Despite being unable to improve on his provisional time, Hopkins starts from the front row of the grid for the first time in his MotoGP career. Valentino Rossi was also unable to lower his best effort from yesterday but hung on to the final front row spot despite the best intentions of Max Biaggi, who closed to within 0.126 seconds of his great rival.

Biaggi’s efforts consolidated fourth place at the front of the second row on tomorrow’s grid, where he will be joined Colin Edwards and Marco Melandri, who also made good progress despite the conditions. The American and the Italian both took the place of a compatriot on the second row, with Loris Capirossi and Kenny Roberts unable to improve their times and dropping to the third row in seventh and eighth respectively. Nicky Hayden qualified ninth fastest and completes the third row despite the effects of a recently broken collarbone and damaged knee ligaments.

Elsewhere it was a bad day for Sete Gibernau, who will start from the fifth row in thirteenth place as he looks to stay in touch with Valentino Rossi, whom he trails by 29 points at the top of the championship.

Dani Pedrosa and Hiroshi Aoyama sealed a one-two for Honda at the front of the 250cc grid as pole contender Randy de Puniet ran off track at the end of the session. De Puniet was able to avoid crashing but could do nothing to stop Pedrosa from clinching pole at Motegi for the third successive season, his previous two efforts coming in the 125cc class, despite suffering from a fractured toe suffered in a practice crash yesterday. With Aoyama’s last lap effort moving him up to his highest grid position this year in second place, De Puniet was forced to settle for third, the lone Aprilia in the top four as Toni Elias completed the front row on his Honda.

The 125cc grid remain virtually untouched, with Andrea Dovizioso hanging onto pole thanks to the provisional time he set yesterday as Casey Stoner, who closed in on pole record time in the morning free practice, crashed just minutes into the session. The Australian returned to the track on his second machine but injured his right shoulder and will fight through the pain barrier to ride tomorrow. Roberto Locatelli took advantage of Stoner’s misfortune to move up to second place on the grid, being the only rider on the front two rows to improve his provisional time. Hector Barberá, who lies 20 points behind Dovizioso at the top of the championship, completes the front row in fourth place.


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


Rossi on Motegi front row as Checa digs in

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Carlos Checa will line up on the first and fourth rows respectively in tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix, after an arduous second and final qualifying session at Motegi today. Despite a valiant effort Rossi was unable to improve on his Friday best time, and team-mate Checa also fought hard in an attempt to get into the front running start positions but finally finished eleventh fastest overall.

Rossi experienced some problems with his Yamaha M1 in the latter stages of the session, and was thus robbed of a final chance to challenge eventual pole position winner Makoto Tamada (Honda) and second place rider John Hopkins (Suzuki). Front end troubles held back the smooth progress of Rossi in the last 20 minutes, a disappointment after an otherwise fruitful period of pre-race preparations.

Spaniard Checa worked hard to improve his Friday best lap time by over 0.6 seconds, regaining confidence as he qualified top Spanish rider, ahead of Rossi’s number one championship rival Sete Gibernau (Honda), who finished 13th.

The 4.801km circuit in central Japan was the scene of some nervous moments in the first few minutes of as the rain flags came out almost as soon as the session began. The light smattering of raindrops quickly abated and qualifying continued apace.

Valentino Rossi (3rd, 1’47.275s)
“For sure we were lucky because we did a great lap time yesterday, so we knew we could be on the front row, even if we did not improve on our time today. Sete is further back which takes the pressure off slightly. This morning the setting was OK and the rhythm was good but this afternoon we had problems with the front of the bike – a bit like the brake was sticking. I couldn’t try with the qualifying tyre and we were not able to improve. It just felt wrong so I had to come back in.”

Carlos Checa (11th, 1’47.982s)
“Yesterday was not my best day, as we tried to improve but went backwards. But today we had the feeling back although in some areas I was not able to be fast, and get the right timing. We made some improvements but it won’t be easy for tomorrow. We will use the warm up tomorrow to play with the bike and we can make an acceptable race. I want to stick with the group and see how well we can do.”

Davide Brivio, team manager
“For Valentino something went wrong on the front of the bike, some small problem with the brake. We have to check what happened but it is good that we were able to keep him on the front row. It would have been good to have improved our start position even more but it was more important to be in the first three. First or third makes little difference. I’m sure we will find and fix the problem. Until that point all was going OK. Carlos was able to get his feeling back on the bike and it was important for his confidence to go faster than yesterday. From this point of view his improvement was good. I think especially Biaggi will be a strong contender tomorrow and as for Tamada it will depend on the tyre. But we will be in the fight for the podium.”


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

Makoto Tamada on pole in Motegi

Makoto Tamada took a second consecutive pole position today in Motegi, after having taken the same top spot in Estoril in the previous round of the championship. The bright yellow RC211Vs of the Camel Honda team both shone in the final qualifying session, with Max Biaggi also performing well, and knocking four-tenths off his time from yesterday he secured a second-row start for tomorrow’s race. Tomorrow’s warm-up session will be important to concrete the last details of the set-up of their bikes, and the two Camel Honda riders should feature strongly in the race.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“Two Camel Honda riders in the first four places, with pole for Makoto and fourth for Max. The rhythm our two riders have shown over the last couple of days will mean we can dream of a podium like the one in Rio. So I’m confident for tomorrow’s race because both Max and Makoto have the speed that could take them to victory. It will be a big race for Makoto because he is on his home track and for Max he is still fighting for the championship.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 4th – 1’47.401

“Today was a positive day, but like yesterday I couldn’t make the most of the qualifying tyres. However I did reduce my time by four tenths, although those tyres should mean at least a second. Anyway, as regards the race pace I’m satisfied, in T2 we reduced the gap from around five to three tenths. For the rest, the perfect set-up doesn’t exist and I think that it’s the same for all riders, in some parts they go better, in some worse. After the practices I went to Makoto’s box to congratulate him because he really did an exceptional time.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)

“We’ve worked flat out to get even quicker so that it can make the difference in the race but there are still some things we need to be at our best. We tried various settings and the warm-up will give us the last bits and pieces for the race. Makoto has invested a lot of effort into getting everything right for this important home race, and when it came down to the crucial moment, he showed his incredible talent once more and set this fantastic pole position; the only rider going under one minute 47 seconds.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 1st – 1’46.673

“it’s nearly all there for tomorrow’s race, but the warm-up will give me the final confirmation. I’m delighted about this pole position, happy for the team, for Honda and for Bridgestone. It will be an important race, especially starting from pole. On this track there aren’t that many overtaking points, especially in the vital early laps, so being at the front will be a distinct advantage. It will be important to be inch-perfect throughout the race, getting the most out of the bike until the very last bend of the race, but I’m confident and calm.”


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

Aoki cuts lap time at Motegi

Nobuatsu Aoki: 22nd, 1:51.338

Proton Team KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki cut more than three tenths of a second off his previous best lap time in today’s final qualifying session for tomorrow’s Japanese GP, but was frustrated in the hopes of improving his grid position, remaining in a disappointing 22nd place for his home race.

The Japanese rider was frustrated also in his hopes of finding a good race set-up and choosing race tyres, instead chasing grip that would allow him to brake hard and accelerate hard at a stop-and-go circuit that puts a heavy emphasis on these aspects of performance.

After the last round in Portugal, Aoki tested the prototype KTM V4 engine, built in Austria – but while offering good horsepower and overall performance, that engine is still not race-ready. Aoki was back on the team’s regular V5 motor for this race and for the rest of the season, with no decision yet made on the future of the KTM V4.

Second rider Kurtis Roberts was not in Japan, after undergoing surgery less than a fortnight ago on his left wrist, injured two rounds ago at the Czech Republic GP.

Today’s final qualifying sessions took place in mainly sunny conditions, with a sprinkling of rain at the start of the afternoon session. It was not enough to wet the track, and soon passed. The Japanese GP, 12th of 16 World Championship rounds, is the only race in Japan this year, with the Suzuka circuit dropped from the calendar pending safety improvements.

Nobuatsu Aoki
Another really tough weekend for us. We’ve been trying many different things, both chassis-wise and suspension-wise, but without being able to find any improvement. The lack of grip means we can’t make progress, and we’re getting a bit confused. It’s very hard to stop, and to put the power down. The result is that I can’t get a good corner speed. As for choosing a race tyre … at the moment I have no idea.

Kenny Roberts
It’s upsetting to say the least, but we’re a second slower than last year. We could pin it down to a lot of different things, but it’s obvious our combination is just not working, and there’s been no time to find out why. We’re having problems in low-speed corners and off-camber corners … it was the same at Donington Park, and now here also. They tell me it will be different at the next tracks coming up. We’ll see.


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

SETE STILL FIGHTING AND COLIN EYEING ANOTHER PODIUM

JAPANESE GP – 2nd OFFICIAL MOTOGP QUALIFYING PRACTICE

The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP team endured a day of highs and lows at Motegi today. Sete Gibernau was unable to step up the pace in the final qualifying session and will start tomorrow’s race from the fifth row of the grid, his worst position this season. Sete did not come to Motegi to salvage a result and is hopeful of making progress in tomorrow’s warm-up which will allow him to recover his options for the race, even though his rhythm is better than his position might suggest. Colin Edwards recovered his confidence after finding a good feeling with the new chassis which Honda gave him here in Japan. The American will start from fifth place, a position which has him dreaming of a repeat of his Donington podium.

COLIN EDWARDS (5th, 1’47″821): “We began the session with the wrong front tyre but I came in quickly to change the tyre and switched back to the setting we had this morning. Now the set-up is perfect and this is the first time I have felt completely comfortable with the bike all season. I’ve got a good feeling and whenever we make a change we see the result straight away. With respect to the race, we can set a rhythm of mid 48s, which is good, and we’re starting from fifth so I’m really hopeful about this race.”

SETE GIBERNAU (13th, 1’48″107): “Unfortunately we continued as we were yesterday, although we improved slightly. It is the worst grid position all year although the rhythm isn’t that bad compared to the starting position. Hopefully we can find a valid solution in the warm-up and rescue the Grand Prix, although that is not what we came here for. I’ve lapped in low 48s on a race tyre, which isn’t bad, and they told me that my fastest lap was just too late. It’s a bit tight but we’ve still got the warm-up”.

FAUSTO GRESINI (team manager): “Things haven’t gone well at all today. We’ve got Sete in a position where he hasn’t been all year and at this stage of the season it’s important to be in the top positions and fighting for victories. But things don’t always go as you want them to and the only thing we can do about it is try our hardest to work out where the problem is and hope it works better in the warm-up. Colin had a good session and made the most of the qualifying tyre to get on the second row, which isn’t bad. He has a pretty good race rhythm, maybe not quick enough to be in the lead group, but I hope he can stick it out and get a good result”.


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

TAMADA MAKES POLE HIS OWN WITH MASTERLY LAP

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres at his home track set a pole lap of 1:46.673 to put himself more than half a second ahead of his nearest challenger John Hopkins (Suzuki). Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) completes the front row in third place.

Sultry conditions prevailed as the final hour-long session got underway, and within minutes of the riders getting on track rain spots fell, and the white flag with a red cross came out to warn riders. But despite the threat, the small drops never became any bigger, although they reappeared with 15 minutes to go.

Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) was the first rider to improve his time from yesterday and the Roman title contender was to feature again this session when he put a move on Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V).

The pair were circulating in close company in the early stages when Max slid underneath Sete after the tunnel section and then gestured to his Spanish title rival. Sete then re-passed him and the duo continued their feud in pitlane on their ‘in-lap’ when Sete chopped in front of Max before entering his pit garage.

This was the high point of the session until the final ten minutes when the high-pressure laps on qualifying tyres began. HRC test rider and wild card entrant Tohru Ukawa improved to eighth with a 1:48.154 lap, but this brief effort was to prove well short of the standard required for even a top ten start.

With five minutes to go Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) hoisted himself to fifth place and Max had now done enough for a short-lived third place. But there was a feeling that Tamada would be the man to deliver the knockout blow here – and what a powerful punch it proved to be.

With Hopkins sitting on pole with his Friday time intact, Tamada timed his run to perfection and simply annihilated the rest of the field with his lap. Fastest in every section of the track, the Japanese looked devastating and when his time flashed up more than half a second faster than the best of the opposition, it was no real surprise.

Tamada said, “This is a very important race to have pole for. This is a hard track to overtake on in the early stages of the race and everything needs to perfect at the end too – and the tyres we have are working well. Thanks to the team for giving me the means to ride a lap like this.”

Max was satisfied with his second row start. “The perfect set-up does not exist, and I think that all my opponents have some points where they are okay and others where they are not. I just need a good start tomorrow and then have to try to fight at the front until the end. I wasn’t expecting a 1:46 lap from Makoto – he was very good.”

Colin Edwards in fifth said, “For the first time in a while I can really feel what the bike is doing. Every time we change something I can actually feel it. The settings now are excellent, the bike is easy to ride. This afternoon we chose the wrong front tyre, so I came in and then we changed a few more things. For tomorrow the second row should be okay.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) qualified ninth on row three after returning from injury and said, “I was really hoping for the second row. I don’t want to whine but I’m not the most comfortable I’ve ever been on a bike. With Doctor Costa’s help things are getting better, but there are so many guys going fast out there – it’ll be quite some race.”

His team-mate Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) was tenth and makes row four, “Terribly disappointing,” he said. “We had some front end problems but things got better towards the end of the session. This afternoon we didn’t touch the front end and it was worse. We lost all our speed. We need some good ideas for the warm-up tomorrow.”

But for Sete row five in 13th is not what he needed to challenge for the title with a strong performance here. “Even if we have improved a little bit, this is the worst we have done all year and this is a shame considering the way the Championship is. We have tried lots of different things – braking into the turns is the problem. But I won’t give up tomorrow.”

Nor was 14th enough for Tohru Ukawa, “This is no good at all. I wanted a top six position. I need a really good start to get on the podium here, which is still my aim. This is my first MotoGP race this year and many of my fans are here, so I must do my best tomorrow.”

The 250cc final qualifying session was dominated by Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) and Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) who qualified first and second with Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) third and Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) completing the front row as fourth fastest.

Despite carrying injuries from a crash in yesterday morning’s free training session, Dani found the resolve to ride through the pain barrier and grab a vital pole at a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.

His team-mate, Aoyama, who is improving at every new track he gets to, made the most of a Motegi he knows intimately to take the second grid slot – just 0.229 seconds behind Dani.

“It all felt a bit so-so,” said Dani. “Probably because I’m still in a bit of pain. But the bike is good after we improved it little by little. Today was good in the end and we’ll hope tomorrow is even better.”

Aoyama was brief in his assessment of his front row efforts. “I’ve got a good feeling with the bike,” he said. “It’s good everywhere and we’ll try our best tomorrow and see if we can get a good result.”

Tony Elias is only interested in the race now. “Things look okay for the race on race tyres now,” he said. “I had a good rhythm but ran into a little traffic on the last laps. The important thing is tomorrow not today and we’re ready.”

Wild card rider Takahashi Yuki (Dydo Miu Racing Honda RS250RW) qualified on the second row in sixth while Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) will start from the third row in 12th.

The final 125cc qualifying session belonged to Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) who did enough during yesterday’s provisional session to retain pole despite the best efforts of Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) who qualified second. Casey Stoner (KTM) qualified third with Hector Barbera (Aprilia) fourth.

Today’s final half-hour offered track conditions that proved less favourable than yesterday. Of the top ten qualifiers only two, Locatelli and Pablo Nieto (Aprilia), who qualifed ninth, managed to improve their times.

Dovizioso’s time of 1:58.385 is a mere 0.042 seconds faster than Locatelli’s, and Stoner who crashed on the final turn in the opening minutes of the half hour is only 0.191 seconds away from the pole.

“The bike was fine today,” said Dovizioso. “The reason I wasn’t faster today was the rider. I just didn’t get a good feeling. Somehow the track surface felt different today and quite a few other riders said that. But the bike is strong, we’ve chosen our race tyres and we’re ready to go.”

The rapidly improving Lukas Pesek (Ajo Motorsports Honda RS125R) put his machine on the second row in eighth place and Simone Corsi (Team Scot Honda RS125R) lines up for tomorrow’s 21-lap race on row three in tenth.

Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) was lucky to escape injury when he high-sided his machine on the entry to the tunnel. He took no further part in qualifying but will start the race from 19th on the grid.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

MotoGP:

Makoto Tamada, Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres), 1st: “I had already made sure of a good grid position yesterday in case it rained today. So then today I concentrated on improving the bike for the race. After this morning’s rain, we did a huge amount of work this afternoon and the results came straight away. The tyres I used to get pole were fantastic but I’ve also tried some interesting tyres for the race tomorrow. With the weather unstable today we haven’t been able to do an endurance test on them, but I’m confident about the race, I think it will go well. I’m starting from the very front, and I’ll be able to get involved in the battle with the top guys straight away which will be fun and that’s how I love to race.”

Gianluca Montiron, Camel Honda, (Makoto Tamada Team Manager) : “We have worked a great deal on the bike’s set-up even during the morning rain. In the afternoon session we were then able to optimise these settings, and that allowed Makoto to take his first ever pole in his career, but not only that, also to a good pace which will see him as one of the leading lights tomorrow. After a series of races having to make up ground due to a less than ideal grid position, Makoto is right at the front tomorrow, and he can run the race as he likes best, up there fighting with the leaders.”

Max Biaggi, Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) : 4th: “I’m quite satisfied with today’s practices, even though I missed out on the front row by a whisker. Today the team and Honda together helped us improve the bike’s handling and getting a faster and more efficient weight transfer from the rear to the front. Perhaps this means we lose a bit in the braking zone, because the bike is a little more sharp, but the overall feeling is undoubtedly better. That’s why we were able to ride at a higher pace than yesterday. There’s still a couple of places on the track where I’m losing time though, and in tomorrow’s warm-up we will try to fine-tune the set-up a bit more. Of course, the big thing will be the weather, which like today could change radically in an instant, from rain to sun or vice versa. In any case, as ever I’ll give my all to do a good race.”

Sito Pons, Camel Honda (Team Principal): “This is a good team result here at the GP of Portugal, where both our riders showed they have a good rhythm and have ended the session with the fastest and fourth fastest times. I’m very confident about the race therefore and I’m hoping for some stable weather which would allow for a fantastic battle which wouldn’t be affected by the rain. I think the yellow RC211Vs of our Camel Honda team could really shine tomorrow.”

Colin Edwards, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 5th: “We began the session with the wrong front tyre but I came in quickly to change the tyre and switched back to the setting we had this morning. Now the set-up is perfect and this is the first time I have felt completely comfortable with the bike all season. I’ve got a good feeling and whenever we make a change we see the result straight away. With respect to the race, we can set a rhythm of mid 48s, which is good, and we’re starting from fifth so I’m really hopeful about this race.”

Fausto Gresini, (team manager): “Things haven’t gone well at all today. We’ve got Sete in a position where he hasn’t been all year and at this stage of the season it’s important to be in the top positions and fighting for victories.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday’s 125cc Qualifying Results:

1. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:58.385
2. Casey STONER, KTM, 1:58.576
3. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 1:58.678
4. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:58.750
5. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:58.912
6. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 1:58.964
7. Gabor TALMACSI, Malaguti, 1:58.997
8. Lukas PESEK, Honda, 1:59.174
9. Simone CORSI, Honda, 1:59.622
10. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 1:59.627
11. Fabrizio LAI, Gilera, 1:59.694
12. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 1:59.827
13. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 1:59.874
14. Gino BORSOI, Aprilia, 1:59.899
15. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, 1:59.905

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

There has been no official word on the postponed AMA Superbike series round at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), a three-day event originally scheduled for September 17-19, being rescheduled for October 9-10. But discussions with key parties seem to indicate the event will be rescheduled as a two-day event October 9-10.

According to American Honda’s Ray Plumb, AMA Pro Racing Superbike Series Manager Ron Barrick told him on Thursday that the rescheduled race would be a two-day event and that any announcement of a new date would come via the official series website.

VIR’s Full Course is booked October 9-10 by Car Guys, Inc., a driving school/auto track day organization based in Maryland. Phone calls to Car Guys, Inc. Thursday were not answered. An e-mail to Car Guys, Inc. asking if their October 9-10 event had been moved from the Full Course to the South Course to accommodate the AMA Superbike event on the North Course was answered Friday with the following e-mail:

“Information about events on the 9-10 of October needs to come from VIR. Aryan Azarsa, President, Car Guys, Inc.”

Neither Barrick nor VIR track General Manager Cal Frye have returned phone calls from Roadracingworld.com requesting comment.

AMA Formula Xtreme racer Adam Vella e-mailed roadracingworld.com that, when he called AMA Pro Racing to ask about rescheduling, he was told that the event will likely not include a Formula Xtreme race.

In his e-mail to roadracingworld.com, Vella wrote, “Just spoke with the AMA, they said there is a good possibility that they won’t run the FX race at VIR.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Practice Times:

MotoGP:

1. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:49.022
2. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:49.395
3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:49.400
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:49.419
5. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:49.465
6. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, 1:49.523
7. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:49.632
8. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:49.719
9. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:49.786
10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:49.809
11. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:50.050
12. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:50.206
13. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:50.500
14. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:50.565
15. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:50.700
16. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:50.791
17. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:50.906
18. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:50.988
19. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:51.163
20. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:51.322
21. Olivier JACQUE, Moriwaki, 1:51.405
22. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:53.282
23. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:56.097
24. Youichi UI, Harris WCM, 1:59.529


250cc GP:

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:53.365
2. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Honda, 1:53.397
3. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:53.588
4. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:53.605
5. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:53.879
6. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:53.953
7. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:54.176
8. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:54.276
9. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:54.552
10. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:54.794
11. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:54.828
12. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:54.845
13. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:54.851
14. Choujun KAMEYA, Honda, 1:55.010
15. Shuhei AOYAMA, Honda, 1:55.028
16. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, 1:55.201
17. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, 1:55.248
18. Yuzo FUJIOKA, Honda, 1:55.266
19. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:55.540
20. Arnaud VINCENT, Aprilia, 1:55.548


125cc GP:

1. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:59.060
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:59.248
3. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:59.352
4. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 1:59.411
5. Casey STONER, KTM, 1:59.831
6. Simone CORSI, Honda, 1:59.923
7. Gabor TALMACSI, Malaguti, 2:00.026
8. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, 2:00.260
9. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 2:00.334
10. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 2:00.490
11. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 2:00.705
12. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 2:01.055
13. Fabrizio LAI, Gilera, 2:01.457
14. Lukas PESEK, Honda, 2:01.494
15. Mike DI MEGLIO, Aprilia, 2:01.505

From a press release issued by Egor Emery:

Suzuki Lightning Nationals at Virginia International Raceway

Turn Marshalls are needed for the rescheduled AMA season finale race at VIR. Experienced workers who can work October 8, 9 and 10, 2004 should immediately contact Egor Emery.

If you are interested in learning what it takes to be qualified to work an AMA proracing event, contact us at our website usmarshalls.org or email at [email protected]

Race Schedule: see their website: virclub.com

Egor Emery
phone: 352-357-7104
email [email protected]

From a press release issued by Proforma:

CRAIG CONNELL: ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Australian roaad racer Craig Connell has been recovering for the last four weeks from his horrific accident on Friday, August 20th at Round Five of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Circuit Mont Tremblant. Craig tucked the front end of his Suzuki GSX-R600 in the high-speed turn one and slid into a trackside wall protected with an air barrier, but it is suspected that his motorcycle followed him in and caused the majority of his injuries. Craig was rushed to a hospital in nearby St. Agathe, where he had emergency surgery to investigate the source of internal bleeding, which turned out to be minor. That evening, Craig was transported to Hospital du Sacre-Coeur, the number one trauma facility in Montreal. Craig was diagnosed with multiple breaks in his right femur (slightly compound), right tibia and right fibula bones, a fractured right hip socket, five broken ribs and a broken pelvis with approximately 15mm of separation.

At 2:00am Saturday morning, Craig was taken to surgery where doctors inserted titanium rods and screws in the broken femur and tibia. While not punctured, Craig’s lungs were being pressured by his broken ribs, which necessitated a chest tube. After five days in intensive care, Craig went to surgery again, where a plate and screws were installed to close his broken pelvis. Craig was moved to an intermediate care room afterwards, where his wife Helen and other vistors could spend time with him, and he started feeling better day by day. Because Montreal is in the French province of Quebec, French is the predominant language, but Craig designated his room “English Only”, and the doctors and nurses were required to practice their English whenever they entered his room.

On Friday, September 3rd, Craig was released from the hospital and transported to the home of Joe Skidd, Team Manager for the Coors Light Racing Blackfoot Team Suzuki, outside of Toronto. Craig was even able to attend the final round of the Canadian Superbike Series at Shannonville on that Sunday afternoon to sign posters and encourage the team, in a wheelchair that the boys rigged up with a special Yoshimura silencer. Issues regarding his insurance coverage in Canada have resulted in extensive medical bills that will not be covered. When the paddock and race fans found out, they went about collecting funds on Craig and Helen’s behalf. Due to the efforts and generosity of the people at Shannonville that day, almost $6,000 was raised!

Over the past two weeks, Craig has been recuperating, getting physical therapy on his leg and working on his strength. He is still limited to how much weight he can put on his legs, but he has started to use a walker to get around as much as possible. On Tuesday, September 21st, Craig and Helen will say goodbye to their friends in Canada and fly to San Francisco, where Craig has an appointment with Dr. Arthur Ting, who will evaluate Craig’s progress and make recommendations for the near future. Craig and Helen plan to stay in the United States until the end of October, when they will return home to Australia.

“It’s such a shame this happened,” said Craig. “The team is just fantastic, and I was starting to get on with the bikes really well. Since the accident, so many people have rung up and e-mailed and visited, and the fund-raiser at Shannonville really showed the kind of great people there are up here. Helen and I didn’t really know what to expect, coming to Canada to race this year, but we’ve had a good time. The series up here is good. You’ve got a lot of good riders and teams, and the competition’s tough. I feel like I’ve got unfinished business here.

“We made so many good friends over the course of the season, but there are a few people that were just unbelievable through all the ups and downs. My teammate Clint McBain and his girlfriend Jackie Matechuck, who we stayed with when we first got here. Our team manager Pat Chambers and his wife Vicky really made us feel at home from the beginning. Nathan and Catherine Naslund with Suzuki went out of their way to help us get situated with things. And Joe Skidd, who has gone way above and beyond, letting us stay in his home for the last few weeks, cooking and taking care of us, it’s just awesome.”

Notes and donations to Craig’s recovery efforts can be sent to [email protected].

From a press release:

Frenotec LLC and North Texas Superbikes Merge

Lewisville, TX – Former AMA Pro Series competitor and long time Ducati North America employee, David Roy, has recently opened a new full service dealership, North Texas Superbikes, located in Lewisville, TX just south of Lake Dallas.

North Texas Superbikes specializes in performance tuning, normal servicing, race preparation, and the sale of all makes and models of used motorcycles.

Factory certified technicians and Ducati diagnostic equipment are on hand, including a soon to be added Dynojet 250i Eddy Current load control Dynamometer. North Texas Superbikes stocks many normal service parts and accessories, as well as Alpinestar, Icon, Arai, and AGV helmets and apparel.

“We hope to provide an alternative service point for all North Dallas motorcyclist, including Ducati, seeking quality high performance work, tires, normal servicing, and really cool accessories” states Roy, “and we try to have customers in and out quickly, so they aren’t down for weeks at a time.”

Frenotec LLC operated by Debbie Roy, supplier of Brembo and other high performance products will merge with North Texas Superbikes and move to their new Lewisville location. Frenotec’s website, www.frenotec.com, will soon be updated with a more expansive line of products for its customers. Brembo, Fren Tubo, and Performance Friction Brake products are in stock and available now at North Texas Superbikes.

North Texas Superbikes is located just .5 miles West of Interstate 35E on FM 407 (Justin Rd), 1425 FM 407 Suite 700, Lewisville, TX 75077. Please contact North Texas Superbikes at (972) 966-0932 or [email protected].

Disclaimer: Normal service time dependant on manufacturer’s availability to provide special order parts in a timely manner.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Qualifying Results:

MotoGP:

1. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:47.230
2. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:47.275
3. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:47.650
4. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:47.814
5. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:47.886
6. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:47.929
7. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:47.963
8. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:48.071
9. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:48.174
10. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:48.195
11. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:48.221
12. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:48.425
13. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:48.658
14. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:48.728
15. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:48.731
16. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, 1:48.874
17. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:48.885
18. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:49.034
19. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:49.203
20. Olivier JACQUE, Moriwaki, 1:49.545
21. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:49.700
22. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:51.718
23. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:51.928

Not qualified (Out 107%) 1:54.736

24. Youichi UI, Harris WCM, 1:55.738


(Team press releases are listed in the order they are received.)


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

ROSSI SECOND QUICKEST AFTER FIRST MOTEGI SESSIONS

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi today continued the strong form that has given him a substantial MotoGP series lead, finishing a narrow second fastest in this afternoon’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. His team-mate Carlos Checa fared less well in the afternoon session, suffering two falls; a stark contrast to the fastest time of all that he set in the unofficial first qualifying session this morning.

Rossi headed the time sheets early in this afternoon’s session but just after thirty minutes of the permitted one hour had elapsed Alex Barros (Honda) deposed him, just when Rossi took some time to adapt his Yamaha YZR-M1 to the nuances of the stop-go Motegi circuit for race conditions.

With 19 minutes left Rossi once more took the provisional pole position but a late flurry of competition soon after, between the Suzuki of John Hopkins and the Honda of Makoto Tamada, saw the name at the top of the time sheets alternate three times.

In the final minutes, a rear tyre change allowed Rossi to set his best single lap of the day, a 1:47.275, only 0.045 seconds from provisional pole man Hopkins. The provisional front row was rounded off by top Honda rider of the day Tamada in third, with a 1:47.650. All three of the front row runners beat the previous track best, 1:47.696, at the first time of asking. Checa’s late session misfortune put him 13th overall, with a best time of 1:48.658. Rossi’s closest challenger for the overall title, Sete Gibernau (Honda) ended his day tenth quickest, on 1:48.195.

VALENTINO ROSSI (2nd, 1:47.275)

“I’m happy because the bike is going well here, and better this afternoon than this morning. It feels stable and good to ride. We’ve made good improvements since the Brno test and also at the Estoril test, and we have a bit better pace. I was unable to get provisional pole, Hopkins rode really well, and he is up front. I made one really good lap. Honda and Suzuki seem very competitive here but so are we. This is not my favourite circuit but when the bike works well the track always seems better.”

CARLOS CHECA (13th, 1:48.658)

“Not the best day. Two tumbles in the timed session, one at the beginning and another at the end. It was unexpected because this morning’s session was good. I made a small mistake in turn one and then I had to swap to my second bike, which I was not as comfortable with. With a soft rear tyre fitted just before the end the feel was a little scary from the front but I pushed quite a lot. Maybe I pushed a bit too hard on the brakes, trying to get a good lap time. I just want to forget about today and restart tomorrow.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO, TEAM DIRECTOR

“Valentino had a very good day. We were able to keep a good pace through all of the timed session and only missed provisional pole by a small margin. Vale’s best lap was slower in the first section but he recovered in T3 and T4 and that was very impressive. So far we’re looking OK and what we tested at the Estoril test has worked well. For Carlos, it was a case of good this morning then two crashes this afternoon. He can go fast but now we need to put together a good session and he can be ready for the race as well.”


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

FRUSTRATION FOR NAKANO AT MOTEGI

Home race advantage counted for little in a tough first day of qualifying at a warm and humid Motegi, as Fuchs Kawasaki riders Alex Hofmann and Shinya Nakano qualified 17th and 19th on the provisional grid for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

Hofmann spent both of today’s one hour sessions occupying maximum track time in his first MotoGP appearance at the stop-go track north-west of Tokyo. His last race appearance here was in the 250cc category in 2001.

Upgrading his track knowledge and modifying his riding style were Hofmann’s main priorities, and he impressively improved his best lap from free practice by 2.5 seconds in the afternoon session.

Meanwhile Nakano’s preparations suffered a setback in morning free practice when a mechanical problem triggered an engine oil fire. Although quickly extinguished by track marshals, the damage to major components was extensive.

As a result, Nakano was restricted to just one ZX-RR for the afternoon qualifying session, with the bike running in standard specification. Compounding Nakano’s frustration was a persistent gear-shifter problem that cost the popular Japanese rider almost 30 minutes of track time in qualifying.

For this race both Nakano and Hofmann have one each of their ZX-RR machines fitted with the latest Magneti Marelli fuel injection system, to enable back-to-back evaluation with their standard race bikes.

Additionally, both of Hofmann’s bikes are using the latest twin-exit exhaust system from Akrapovic.

The stop-go 4.8 kilometre Motegi track has a heavy concentration of first and second gear corners, eight out of 14 in fact, with an emphasis on braking stability and acceleration out of slow speed corners.

Alex Hofmann: 17th (1:48.885)
“I spent a lot of time finding a rhythm for this track and I still have some work to do, especially in the final sector through the fast chicane and onto the main straight. I’m sure I can find some time by changing my lines and style through his section. It is very competitive and I’m less than half a second outside of being 12th on the grid, so I’m feeling okay after my first day here in three years. The Magneti Marelli system has a smoother power delivery and feels more controllable and, while there is not a big difference at the moment, there is a lot of potential.”

Shinya Nakano: 19th (1:49.203)
“No luck for me today at my home race. The engine problem this morning meant I had only one bike for qualifying, but we just couldn’t find a solution to an electronic problem with the speed-shifter. I lost a lot time and I have done very little set-up work to find a good package for the race. But we have a lot of data, I know this track very well and I have a lot of confidence that the Kawasaki engineers will find some solutions. On the positive side the latest Bridgestone tyres are looking good here, as we saw with John Hopkins and Tamada-san in qualifying.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“Motegi is a difficult track for the Ninja ZX-RR at its current stage of development, and we suffer with our engine characteristic here with all the low gear corners. But we have an excellent range of Bridgestone tyres that are working well here, and that will be a strong point over race distance. It was a difficult day for Shinya, with an engine failure in the morning restricting him to one bike in the afternoon and then his back-up machine had a gearshift problem. Alex is doing an excellent job in his first visit here for three years, and I expect more from him once he settles into a rhythm on this difficult track.”


More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Hopkins storms to provisional pole at Motegi

John Hopkins topped a MotoGP qualifying session for the first time in his career today with a stunning provisional pole position for the Camel Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi. The Suzuki rider is in the form of his life, having clinched his highest grid and race positions at Estoril two weeks ago with sixth place in both instances, and today proved too much for current World Champion Valentino Rossi, who could only manage the second fastest time.

“I like this track, the hard braking really suits my style,” said Hopkins. We have a good base setting with the bike now and my aim is to be in the top five in every session. We have received some new engine parts here from Suzuki which have helped a lot and we’ve got the extra horsepower we were looking for. The bike has made a big step forward and so have the Bridgestone tyres – I’m having more fun riding than I have ever had!”

Hopkins and Rossi, riding the Yamaha, led an anti-Honda cavalry at the circuit famously owned by the Japanese factory, with Makoto Tamada their top rider in third place and completing the provisional front row. Tamada had looked closest to dislodging Hopkins at the top of the time sheets but ended up 0.420 seconds adrift after a hot lap from the youngster four minutes from the end left him clear of his rivals and out of touch of a late attempt from Rossi.

Whilst Tamada’s team-mate Max Biaggi qualified fourth fastest, Loris Capirossi made it four factories in the top five on the Ducati. Kenny Roberts, partner to Hopkins at Suzuki, clinched the final second row spot in sixth place, meaning the next highest Honda was Alex Barros in seventh, followed closely by his team-mate Nicky Hayden, who was riding for the first time since breaking his collarbone in a supermoto crash three weeks ago.

Sete Gibernau had a tough first day as he continues his quest to recover ground on Rossi at the top of the championship, qualifying tenth fastest behind Troy Bayliss. Colin Edwards was eleventh fastest ahead of Marco Melandri, who completes the provisional fourth row. Carlos Checa, the fastest man in the morning free practice, crashed twice in the afternoon but was uninjured and qualified in thirteenth place.

Sebastian Porto continued his good run of qualifying form in the first practice session for the 250cc race at Motegi, clinching provisional pole with a lap just two tenths outside Shinya Nakano’s long-standing record from 2000. The Argentinean, who has qualified in the top two at the last six rounds, clocked his best time with twenty minutes of the session remaining and remained out of the reach of local wildcard Yuki Takahashi, who closed to within 0.088 seconds with his last lap.

Last year’s winner Toni Elias, who also took victory in the last round at Estoril, was third fastest whilst Alex de Angelis completes the provisional front row in fourth. Randy de Puniet qualified fifth fastest to head up the provisional second row from team-mates Hiroshi Aoyama and Dani Pedrosa, who leads the championship, and Anthony West.

Andrea Dovizioso dominated the first qualifying session for the 125cc class and hung onto provisional pole position after a late attack from Casey Stoner. Dovizioso made a clear statement of his intentions as he looks to defend a 29-point advantage over Aprilia’s Hector Barberá at the top of the standings. Barberá was third fastest today, whilst Mika Kallio joined KTM team-mate Stoner on the provisional front row.


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

Third quickest and provisional front row for Makoto Tamada
in Motegi, just ahead of Max Biaggi, fourth fastest

It was a positive first day for the yellow Camel Honda team in Motegi at the Camel GP of Japan weekend. Makoto and Max registered the 3rd and 4th fastest times in the first qualifying session, looking for a fast lap not only for a good starting position on the grid for Sunday’s race, but also to get a pace which could make the difference in the race. The bike’s set-up will be refined in the final two practice sessions tomorrow, when the last tyre choices will also be made for raceday.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)

“We finished with the 3rd and 4th fastest times and we have room to improve also. Today’s tests were important to prepare for tomorrow’s work, which we see us choose the tyres for Sunday’s race. So the first contact with Motegi today has seen our riders amongst the front four, and both Max and Makoto also got a good rhythm going, we will just continue in this way to make sure we are fighting for the win during the race.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 4th – 1:47.814

“I’m quite satisfied with this first qualifying practice because we seem to have set off on the right foot. With the race tyres I have quite good rhythm, but it wasn’t as fine with the qualifying tyres. The rubber was too soft, and though obviously you get better grip which gives you a big advantage on one side of the coin, in certain conditions it increases the chattering we get. It was because of that today that I was held back by two or three tenths, and I couldn’t make the most of them. As regards the rest of the bike, as I said it’s going quite well, apart from one section on the track, T2, where I’m losing four or five tenths every lap, but I should be able to improve that tomorrow.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)

“We’ve tried various settings but we still haven’t found the best solution, and we also have some new material from Bridgestone to test, so we’re still trying to find the right combination. With the data we have collected today we will decide our work schedule tomorrow, which will be important to make the jump forwards so we can fight with the leaders in the race. Makoto didn’t make the most of the soft tyres to get his lap time so tomorrow we’ll hope to get him further up the grid.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 3rd – 1:47.650

“We’ve made a few steps forwards in trying to eradicate the chattering problem I had in Estoril and we are also doing some good work on the tyre front. I need a better race rhythm to be competitive and tomorrow we will try various tyre combinations to get this sorted. I will also be looking to make the most of the soft tyres to get a better position on the start grid.”


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

AOKI BATTLES GREMLINS AT HOME GP

Nobuatsu Aoki: 22nd, 1:51.718

Proton Team KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki was 22nd fastest in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s Japanese GP, within the qualifying time should rain spoil tomorrow’s second and final session – but frustrated when he was forced to stop out on the circuit, reducing his chances of finding improvement.

The Japanese rider is again riding alone at his home race, with team-mate Kurtis Roberts recuperating from surgery last week, to a wrist fracture he suffered at Brno two races ago.

Fresh from highly promising tests after the last round with the prototype KTM V4 engine, built in Austria, Aoki was back on the team’s regular V5 motor, which lacks power compared with the best of the rest. While the fine handling from the carved-from-solid chassis can compensate at more technical tracks, the 4.801km Motegi circuit is more “stop-and-go”, with tight corners linked by short straights, and little opportunity to exploit high corner speeds.

Aoki had nonetheless hoped for better, after promising tests of new Dunlop tyres after the last round in Portugual … but his chances to assess the new rubber at this circuit were reduced when an engine ailment forced him to pull out by the trackside during this afternoon’s session, hitching a lift back to the pits on a marshal’s scooter to switch to his spare machine.

Today’s first qualifying sessions took place in mainly sunny conditions, though there was a light shower of rain in the morning. There is the chance of rain tomorrow, the second and final day of qualifying before Sunday’s race. The Japanese GP is the 12th of 16 World Championship rounds this year, and the first of a quartet of “flyaway” GPs before the final round at Valencia at the end of October.

NOBUATSU AOKI

Not a good day. This track is very hard work for us, because it is stop-and-go, and we are lacking horsepower. Now we have a big gap from the top of more than four seconds, which is not so nice. This afternoon I had a problem with one bike – I’m not sure what, but it started making a lot of smoke, and I had to pull over. We were making improvements to the chassis and suspension, and the latest tyres seem to be working better … but the engine problem meant a lack of time to test them properly. Should be better tomorrow.

KENNY ROBERTS – Team Principal

Our tests with the KTM engine went very well. We knew it had good power and performance, but we were very surpised with how well it worked round the race-track … but it will take time to get it into race trim. We should be better here with what we have, but it’s not showing up. The speed is okay. I’m not really sure why we’re not on the pace.


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

ROUGH AND SMOOTH ON THE FIRST DAY AT MOTEGI

JAPANESE GP – 1st qualifying session

The Telefónica MoviStar Honda MotoGP team had a more difficult start than expected to the Japanese Grand Prix. Sete Gibernau suffered from the same set-up problems as at Estoril two weeks ago and even though his time is not far off the provisional pole effort of John Hopkins, he is not convinced by either his grid position or his feeling with the Honda. Sete completed 21 laps in the afternoon session with a best lap of 1:48.947, nine tenths off the American Suzuki rider. Colin Edwards took delivery of a new chassis at Motegi which has considerably improved his feeling. The American flirted with the front row until the end of the session when he returned to fit qualifying tyres but was held up by traffic and dropped to eleventh place.


SETE GIBERNAU (10th, 1:48.195): “Obviously the weekend has not started in the best possible way, but hopefully it’s only today. We have gathered a lot of data but we have the same problem as in Estoril. We spent Monday there to solve it but we’ve found the same thing again today. The positive thing is that we still have two sessions ahead of us and there is time to react. We need to improve the grid position and work on the race rhtyhm, which we don’t have at the moment”.


COLIN EDWARDS (11th, 1:48.221): “Honda have brought the new chassis for me here and I have felt comfortable with it from the start. Now I can turn much easier and control the bike better. We have made a lot of changes over the course of the day and improved with each one. I have a good rhythm on race tyres and went into the mid 47s on a qualifying tyre without too much difficulty, although maybe we should have waited a little longer before going out because there was a lot of traffic. I’m looking forward to making more improvements tomorrow”.


FAUSTO GRESINI (team manager): “It wasn’t a positive day for us today. Both Sete and Colin are quite low down although the positive news is that neither of them are too far from pole. The team will give their maximum as always to try and solve the problems in the two sessions we have left tomorrow”.


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

A HOPEFUL START

The d´Antin MotoGP riders were pleasantly surprised after their first contact with the Motegi circuit today. Neil Hodgson finished fourteenth, with Rubén Xaus in eighteenth on the provisional grid, on a first day of practices where temperatures soared to around 30ºC.

NEIL HODGSON: “I’m happy, because it’s my first day here, and the feeling is good both with the bike-tyre combination and the circuit. I’m confident of fine-tuning a few things and lowering my time, although everyone is going quick here and the times are very tight, meaning it will be tough to make up too many positions on the grid. We have to be happy with being amongst the top twelve or fourteen on the grid, but I’m hopeful it can be better. The circuit surprised me, because having seen the races on the television I thought it would be boring, but it’s quite exciting to ride. I enjoyed myself, especially going under the bridge because that was a new experience for me!”

RUBÉN XAUS: “The overall result today is quite pleasing because this is the first time I’m riding on this track, although I had a problem with the rear brake and if it hadn’t been for that I could have got a better result. We have to keep refining the set-up because this is a circuit in which you get into hard braking zones very quickly, and I think we can improve a lot there. The area before the entry into the final straightaway is crucial and I know that I have to be more effective there, but I like the track and what we have to do is keep working and improving.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

HOPKINS ON MOTEGI POLE!
Team Suzuki Press Office, Motegi, Japan – September 17, 2004:

Team Suzuki MotoGP rider John Hopkins rode his Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP prototype to the fastest time in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s Japanese GP, underlining his pace by running fastest on race tyres with ten minutes left, then fastest again when all riders fitted soft-compound qualifying tyres at the end of the session.

Team-mate Kenny Roberts Jr. was less than seven tenths of a second slower, to slot into sixth overall, with the 2000 World Champion promising more to come if the team can find overnight solutions to some small but costly machine balance difficulties.

Hopkins’s only problem came when his extreme lean angle and hard riding style meant he touched down his elbow on one of the all-action circuit’s kerbs, giving himself a momentarily painful but fortunately not injurious bang.

The 21-year-old Anglo-American’s time puts him in line for his first pole position, if the threat of rain for tomorrow comes to reality. If so, today’s dry times will determine the grid, with Hopkins at the head of it. His strong qualifying performance comes just two weeks after a career-best sixth place at the last round, the Portuguese GP at Estoril.

Both Suzuki teamsters are enjoying the benefit of new exhaust pipes and associated engine settings at the traditional racing manufacturer’s home GP. Although top-end power remains as before, the new pipes have brought a very significant boost to mid-range power. This not only improves the GSV-R’s overall rideability, but also the machine’s acceleration. This is important at the 4.801km Twin-Ring Motegi circuit, which has a “stop-and-go” character, with a number of relatively slow corners linked by short straights.

The Japanese GP, 12th of 16 World Championship rounds, is the first of four “flyaway” GPs, before the final round back in Europe, at Valencia at the end of October. Today’s first practice sessions took place in mainly fine weather, with just a few spots of rain in the morning. It was not enough to wet the track, but there is a chance of heavier rain tomorrow.

JOHN HOPKINS – First position, 1:47.230:

“I like this track, with all its hard braking, and we have a really good base set-up now, and for the past few races I’m disappointed if I’m not in the top five. Here we have some new engine parts that have given us some more horsepower, and everything is working out great. The power is in the middle of the range, and while it does improve the throttle connection and make the bike easier to ride, the main advantage is just in having more grunt. The bike has made a big improvement, and so have the Bridgestone tyres – both the race tyres and the qualifiers. We were struggling with a bit of chatter on the race tyres, but this is normal and we’ve already made it better. We’ll do more if it’s dry tomorrow. At the moment, I’m having more fun riding than I’ve ever had.”

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – Sixth position, 1:47.929:


“I’m not really happy with the way the bike is set up on race tyres at the moment. That is our biggest concern. I’m doing mid to low ‘49s on race tyres, and that is not going to be enough to stay with the top or even the second group. Our main consideration for tonight is to get the bike balanced on race tyres. If we do that, then the qualifier will work better. We have some ideas floating around. Suzuki has really come up with a lot of new stuff that is in the right direction. I think it is just the beginning stage of what you’re going to see for the duration of this year and early next year. They have a lot of great plans in place to keep improving the bike, and both John and myself have a lot of new parts here. It definitely helps us ride easier and go faster.”


GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager:


“John just keeps on getting better and bette r. He was particularfy impressive at the end, the way he just kept reeling off red helmets (fastest section time of session) when nobody else could do it. Kenny is looking for that elusive perfect setting. Wait and see what happens tomorrow … he should have more to come, as long as it doesn’t rain.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

POSITIVE START FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM RIDERS AT MOTEGI

Motegi (Japan), Friday 17 September 2004 – The Ducati Marlboro Team returned to the Motegi circuit after its one and only appearance in last year’s Pacific GP and completed the first day of qualifying for the Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi with a positive fifth quickest time for Loris Capirossi and ninth place for Troy Bayliss.

Both engineers and riders of the Italian team expressed satisfaction over today’s results but are ready to resume set-up work on the Ducati Desmosedici GP4 tomorrow morning with a fresh set of data accumulated during today’s session, which saw American John Hopkins emerge as the provisional pole-sitter.

“The result was quite positive for the first day at this circuit, which we know very little about” commented Livio Suppo, director of the Ducati Marlboro Team. “On paper the Motegi track didn’t look very friendly for us, instead today our riders lapped quite well on both qualifying and race tyres. Clearly the general balance of the Desmosedici GP4 has improved a lot: of course we still have more work to do but we are certain we can improve and today is a good starting-point”.

Loris Capirossi ended the first day of qualifying at the Motegi circuit in fifth position, which earned him a provisional row 2 grid slot for Sunday’s race. The Italian, who scored the last-ever podium finish for a two-stroke 500 GP bike at this circuit in 2002, was quite pleased with his performance today and is convinced he can further improve on Saturday.

“I’m pleased with the way things went today, fifth quickest time on this track is not bad at all” declared Loris. “Unfortunately I was not able to do many laps because I had a few minor problems that prevented me from setting the bike up exactly the way I wanted, but all things considered we’re not in a bad position and even with race tyres we have quite a good pace. However we must improve and we’ve still got a few more ideas for tomorrow’s two hours of practice and qualifying”.

Ducati Marlboro team-mate Troy Bayliss, with ninth quickest time today, holds a provisional third row grid position.

“I am pretty happy, we made good progress for the first day and that’s the best qualifying I’ve done for a while” declared Troy. “I felt comfortable on the bike and the race tyre was really good. I made a little mistake in my quick lap because one split was not so good. Hopefully I can improve the feeling at the front a bit more to make a little step further forward tomorrow and then I’ll be feeling quite good about the race on Sunday.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:


Tough start at the Twin Ring for Aprilia duo

MS Aprilia Racing duo Jeremy McWilliams and Shane Byrne had a troublesome opening day as the Japanese GP got underway at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.

The stop/start nature of the 4.8km circuit, dominated by a series of brutal heavy braking points and low-gear acceleration caused McWilliams a frustrating day. He was left fighting a persistent chatter problem on his Cube three-cylinder machine and he ended the opening qualifying session with the 21st fastest time. He clocked a best lap of 1.49.700s and though disappointed not to have been higher up the provisional grid, he is confident that overnight set-up changes will see him in a more challenging position for Sunday’s 24-lap MotoGP encounter.

“It was a tough day, “said the experienced 40-year-old. “We just haven’t been able to find a quick fix some to some of the problems but hopefully the team will find something to help tomorrow. This circuit is just a lot of straights linked by short turns and hairpins. You come from high speed to first and second gear tight turns and that’s where I’m having problems. It is in the second and third time sections that you need to make up a lot of time, but I’m struggling because of the chatter.

Today proved a tough return to action for Byrne after he missed the last round in Estoril, Portugal. Shakey suffered a badly dislocated left wrist in a crash at last month’s Czech Republic GP at Brno. Having undergone intensive laser and physiotherapy treatment during his one-month lay-off, he returned to post the 23rd fastest time. He managed to set a best time of 1.51.928s, and only completed 15 laps with the wrist still not 100 per cent fit. Shakey’s main problem is under heavy braking, and he said: “I was struggling a bit out there. I’m fine once I’m in the corner and accelerating out, but braking and turning in is causing me a big problem. No amount of physio can prepare you for the sensation of riding a MotoGP bike.” Shakey’s engineers modified his seat to help him sit lower to protect some of the intense forces placed on the wrist under braking. This afternoon he had foam fitted to either side of his Cube’s fuel tank to help him grip the bike with his legs and ease some of the pressure on his wrist.

This weekend’s race, round 12 of the world championship, is the start of a gruelling round the world-the-world jaunt that takes the paddock to Qatar, Malaysia and Australia before the final round in Valencia.


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

HOPKINS EARNS PROVISIONAL POLE IN JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

MOTEGI, Japan (Sept. 17) – Suzuki MotoGP rider John Hopkins scored the provisional pole Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi. It marked the latest milestone in the recent upsurge in Hopkins’ racing career.

Hopkins rode his Suzuki GSV-R to a time of 1:47.230 on the 4.8-kilometer Motegi circuit. He clocked in just ahead of world champion Valentino Rossi and home country rider Makoto Tamada.

“I like this track, with all its hard braking, and we have a really good base set-up now, and for the past few races I’m disappointed if I’m not in the top five,” Hopk

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday’s Provisional 250cc GP Qualfiying Results:

1. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:52.550
2. Yuki TAKAHASHI, Honda, 1:52.638
3. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:52.645
4. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:52.809
5. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:52.817
6. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:53.082
7. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:53.179
8. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:53.642
9. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:53.786
10. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:53.835
11. Shuhei AOYAMA, Honda, 1:53.893
12. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:54.256
13. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:54.289
14. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:54.326
15. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:54.664
16. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:54.788
17. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:54.846
18. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, 1:54.867
19. Erwan NIGON, Aprilia, 1:55.065
20. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, 1:55.135

From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

RAIN CUTS SUZUKI BSB PRACTICE

Rizla Suzuki’s John Reynolds and Yukio Kagayama were eager to get out and play in today’s practice sessions for the 13th and final round of the Think! British Superbike Championship at Donington Park, but wet conditions cut their on-track time short.

Neither racer was keen on riding with rain and puddles making the surface treacherous at every turn. Resurfaced since the last time the Championship visited here one-year ago, the track is now unpredictable and slippery in the wet.

Reynolds brought his Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 home in fourth place on the time sheets after completing just eight laps. Kagayama carefully tiptoed his way round for 15-laps to finish sixth. Both riders are happy with their wet set-ups but are hoping for better weather for qualifying tomorrow and the racing on Sunday.

Rizla Suzuki is hoping to clinch the British Superbike Championship title with Reynolds this weekend as he leads the series by 43-points with just 50-points left to score. Kagayama is third in the overall standings and aims to retain that position to put two Rizla Suzuki’s on the Championship podium. Rizla Suzuki is already the newly crowned Think! British Superbike Manufacturers Champion with its awesome GSX-R1000.


John Reynolds:

“The new surface is very slippery in the wet and it is also inconsistent. Pick any corner and as you go through it the bike will grip, slide, grip and then slide again – it is very difficult to gauge the level of grip available.

“With that in mind, I didn’t fancy pushing myself today and took it easy for a few laps before calling it quits. My Rizla Suzuki feels good and there isn’t much to do to improve our wet set-up, so we will be competitive if we have to race in these conditions. I do hope it is dry tomorrow and Sunday though. As for the Championship race, I won’t even start thinking about that until Sunday evening!”

Yukio Kagayama:

“This circuit surface is much different from last time I raced here for Suzuki on the MotoGP bike. I think in dry conditions this is much faster, but in the wet, very, very slippery.

“I prefer dry conditions for qualifying and the race and hope this is case for the rest of weekend. My family is coming to watch from Japan and I do not want them to think it only ever rains in UK. That is what they see on television at home in Japan, but I hope we prove it wrong.”

Friday Practice times:


1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1:44.591, 2: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.970, 3: Dean Thomas (Ducati) +2.385, 4: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +2.756, 5: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +2.862, 6: YUKIO KAGAYMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +3.175, 7: Jon Kirkham (Suzuki) +4.155, 8: Kieran Clarke (Yamaha) +4.380, 9: John McGuinness (Kawasaki) +4.633, 10: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) +4.677.


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

MSS DISCOVERY TRIO LOOKING TO FINAL ROUND GLORY

MSS Discovery’s three riders are looking to end the season on a high note in Sunday’s final round of the British Supersport Championship and National Superstock Championship at Donington Park, Leics.

Supersport star Riba fastest in Friday’s free practice at Donington believes he has the perfect opportunity to take his first win of the year.

“Donington Park is a circuit I know well and I’m convinced we can get the ZX-6RR Kawasaki dialled in for victory,” says Riba. “I don’t think the year has been too bad but I really would like to get a race win for the team.”

Riba adds: “Donington offers a different challenge, it’s a fast, sweeping circuit yet heavy on the brakes so the all-round set-up of the machine is crucial.”

MSS Discovery Kawasaki Superstock regular Steve Allan is once again joined by French sensation Julien da Costa.

Allan set the pace with the fastest time in Friday’s opening qualifying session and is ready for the challenge ahead as the final round offers a double-header, two-race format for the Superstock riders.

“At times we’ve never quite got the settings right this year but I’m very confident that Donington Park will suit the ZX-10R and I think the opening qualifying session, albeit wet, has proven that,” reckons Allan.

Da Costa is unbeaten this year from his two Superstock races so far ­ at Croft and Cadwell Park. He missed the last round at Oulton Park as he contested the Bol d’Or 24-hour race.

And da Costa’s two wins, added to Allan’s Knockhill victory, means the MSS Discovery squad could end the season with five wins from 13 rounds should they top the podium in both races at Donington Park.

“Winning both races is a tall order but that is what I’m here to do,” says a determined Da Costa, fifth fastest in Friday¹s opening qualifying action. “I’ve never raced at Donington Park before so it’s a new challenge but one that I am ready for.”


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

SMARTY FIFTH FASTEST IN WET DONINGTON PRACTICE

Hawk Kawasaki star Scott Smart ignored the pain of a badly bruised shoulder to set the fifth fastest time during free practice for the thirteenth and final round of the THINK! British Superbike Championship, at Donington Park today.

Smarty, still battered and bruised from two crashes at Oulton Park last weekend, set a time of 1:47.453 around the 2.5 GP track in the wet and slippery conditions, but is sure there’s far more to come from the Hawk Kawasaki at the Leicestershire circuit.

“It’s not the grippiest place around here in the wet, especially on this new circuit,” he said. “But I really like the place and am looking forward to seeing what I can do in the dry. During the MotoGP weekend they discovered that this new surface is really grippy in the dry, but dodgy as hell in the wet. I’m still a little sore after last weekend, but as long as I’m gentle with the shoulder and don’t fall on it it’ll just give me mild discomfort – and once the adrenaline’s pumping it won’t be that bad.”

John McGuinness was also feeling the effects of the last round, in which he was taken out by Kieran Clarke, but ended the day in a strong ninth place: “In the first session I was still suffering a bit from my Oulton Park crash,” explained John. “When I’m walking about it’s not a problem, but when I got in the crouch position and stuck my legs out for the corners I got these really, really sharp pains in my pelvis, so I had to abort the first session. I saw the physio in between sessions and it’s much better now. Within five minutes of the second session I could turn-in a reasonably competitive lap. I don’t mind the rain and although it’s pretty slippy out there it’s progressively slippy, so you know where you are. Overall I feel pretty good. If I can qualify on the front two rows tomorrow I’ll be over the moon.”

His team-mate, Glen Richards, ended the day just one place behind the Lancastrian in tenth.

“I had a little bit of a tootle around today because it’s wet and we’ve not done any laps around here on the ZX-10 before,” said Richards. “The bike feels pretty good and I think I could go quicker still because I’m not at full speed yet – it is only Friday, after all. We’ve got a few things up our sleeves which we’ll try tomorrow and we should be right there on the pace.”

Hawk Kawasaki National Superstock Cup star Peter Hickman rode maturely in the damp conditions, building his pace steadily to eventually end first qualifying in a strong third position.

“That was good fun,” he said. “Right from the start the rear tyre was spinning with anything more than half throttle. Early on I got caught behind a few people who weren’t as fast through the turns, so I slowed down to get a faster run of the track. After that I was able to get a rhythm going. I was shutting off early for the corners, hardly using the brakes so I could hold the corner speed. That way I didn’t have to accelerate hard and upset the rear tyre. The rear we used wasn’t soft enough, but we should be able to get a better tyre tomorrow. I’m faster than Simon Wright at the moment and that was my aim, so I’m happy.”


BSB PRACTICE

1) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:44.591. 2) Michael Rutter, Honda, 1:45.461. 3) Dean Thomas, Ducati, 1:46.976. 4) John Reynolds, Suzuki, 1:47.347. 5) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 1:47.453. 6) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 1:47.766. 7) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P), 1:48.746. 8) Kieran Clarke, Yamaha, 1:48.971. 9) John McGuinness, Hawk Kawasaki, 1:49.224. 10) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki, 1:49.268. 11) Gus Scott, Suzuki (P), 1:49.372. 12) Stephane Mertens, Yamaha, 1:50.975. 13) Howie Mainwaring, Honda (P), 1:50.985. 14) Gary Mason, Yamaha, 1:51.065. 15) James Buckingham, Suzuki (P), 1:52.052

(P) = Privateer

NATIONAL SUPERSTOCK CUP PRACTICE

1) Paul Shoesmith, Yamaha, 1:51.253. 2) John Fisher, Suzuki, 1:51.306. 3) Peter Hickman, Hawk Kawasaki, 1:52.026. 4) Mark Turner, Kawasaki, 1:52.349. 5) Charles Reynolds, Kawasaki, 1:52.974. 6) Phil Stewart, Yamaha, 1:52.995. 7) Stu Wilson, Suzuki, 1:53.177. 8) Graham Seward, Suzuki, 1:53.358. 9) Dan Stewart, Suzuki, 1:53.548. 10) Simon Wright, Yamaha, 1:53.730