Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Top Speeds Recorded During Friday’s Qualifying Session at Estoril:

1. Max Biaggi, Honda, 212.4 mph
2. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 211.5 mph
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 209.5 mph
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 208.8 mph
5. Colin Edwards, Honda, 208.2 mph
6. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 207.2 mph
7. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 206.7 mph
8. Alex Barros, Honda, 206.7 mph
9. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 206.4 mph
10. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 206.2 mph
11. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 206.0 mph
12. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 205.2 mph
13. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 204.3 mph
14. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki, 204.1 mph
15. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 204.1 mph
16. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 203.2 mph
17. Michel Fabrizio, Aprilia, 201.3 mph
18. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 201.0 mph
19. Kenny Lee Roberts, Suzuki, 200.8 mph
20. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 200.8 mph
21. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, 192.6
22. James Ellison, Harris WCM, 192.0 mph

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning MotoGP Practice Times:

1. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:39.829
2. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:40.203
3. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:40.215
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:40.361
5. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:40.376
6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:40.401
7. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:40.543
8. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:40.593
9. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:40.830
10. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:40.957
11. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:41.024
12. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:41.049
13. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:41.146
14. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:41.299
15. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:41.711
16. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:42.216
17. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:42.491
18. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:42.946
19. Michel FABRIZIO, Aprilia, 1:43.363
20. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:43.801
21. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:45.995
22. James ELLISON, Harris WCM, 1:46.058

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel drew one point closer to the 2004 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship by taking the pole position – and the bonus point that comes with it – during qualifying Friday at overcast Road Atlanta.

Riding a Dunlop-shod CBR600RR, Duhamel turned a 1:26.120 late in the 30-minute session to top Championship rival Jake Zemke, who qualified second with a 1:26.362 on his Dunlop-equipped Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda CBR600RR. Zemke’s bike suffered a mechanical failure late in the qualifying session.

Duhamel now leads Zemke 321 to 275 points, unofficially, and only needs to finish third or better in Saturday’s 15-lap final to clinch the Formula Xtreme Championship.

Vincent Haskovec came back from a big crash in Friday morning practice to qualify third with a 1:27.229 on his Michelin-fitted Valvoline EMGO Suzuki GSX-R600.

HMC Milwaukee Ducati’s Doug Chandler earned the final starting spot on the Formula Xtreme front row with a 1:27.288 on his Dunlop-sponsored 749R.

Kosco Buell’s Michael Barnes crashed out of the session, was relatively uninjured and ended up qualifying eighth with a 1:28.573 on his Pirelli-tired XB12R Superbike.

SPEED Channel on-air personality Greg White lowered his lap times by five seconds Friday but unofficially did not make the 112 percent qualifying cut-off for the class (1:36.454), turning a 1:37.072 on a Hal’s Performance Buell XB12R.

Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Qualifying Results:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR600RR, 1:26.120
2. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR600RR, 1:26.362
3. Vincent Haskovec, Suz GSX-R600, 1:27.229
4. Doug Chandler, Duc 749R, 1:27.288
5. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R600, 1:27.979
6. Alex Gobert, Hon CBR600RR, 1:28.165
7. Mike Ciccotto, Buell XB12R, 1:28.284
8. Michael Barnes, Buell XB12R, 1:28.573, crash
9. Larry Pegram, Yam YZF-R6, 1:28.926
10. Chris Caylor, Suz GSX-R600, 1:29.124
11. Heath Small, Yam YZF-R6, 1:30.118
12. Mike Smith, Yam YZF-R6, 1:30.277
13. Logan Young, Suz GSX-R600, 1:30.561
14. Blake Young, Suz GSX-R600, 1:30.617
15. Chris Peris, Suz GSX-R600, 1:30.757
16. Jason Farrell, Kaw ZX-6RR, 1:31.247
17. Perry Melneciuc, Yam YZF-R6, 1:31.710
18. Nathan Hester, Yam YZF-R6, 1:31.753
19. Carlo Gagliardo, Yam YZF-R6, 1:32.318
20. Nicky Moore, Hon CBR600RR, 1:32.649
21. Darin Eli Edwards, Suz GSX-R600, 1:32.688
22. Tom Montano, Hon CBR600RR, 1:32.729
23. Joseph Arico, Yam YZF-R6, 1:32.856
24. John Waters, Suz GSX-R600, 1:33.167
25. Eric Pinson, Suz GSX-R600, 1:34.159
26. Tim Knutson, Yam YZF-R6, 1:35.632
27. Jeremiah Johnson, Suz GSX-R600, 1:35.899

112 percent of fast time: 1:36.454

28. Lance Yeager, Yam YZF-R6, 1:36.595
29. Greg White, Buell XB12R, 1:37.072
30. Robert Deily, Suz GSX-R600, 1:37.412
31. Jim Davis, Yam YZF-R6, 1:38.864
32. Marcus Winfree, Suz GSX-R600, 1:39.268


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

HASKOVEC THIRD IN ROAD ATLANTA QUALIFYING

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki were back on track on Friday following a month long break in the AMA roadracing calendar. This weekend sees the team attacking the challenging Road Atlanta road course for the tenth venue on the eleven-stop schedule.

Vincent Haskovec was quickly on the pace around the same 2.54-mile track that saw him earn his first career AMA road race victory in dramatic fashion last season. Underlining his skill on the 12-turn course, the Czech Republic-native qualified his Michelin-shod GSX-R600 into the third slot on front row for Saturday’s Formula Xtreme contest despite a practice crash and electrical problems that caused him and his crew a few headaches on the day.

While his impressive time of 1:27.229 has made Vincent a popular pick by the pundits to take third behind only the factory Hondas tomorrow, he has his sights set even higher. With the memory of last season’s last-corner triumph still fresh in his mind, only another Road Atlanta victory would be completely satisfying.

“I’m happy with third place so far,” Haskovec said after qualifying. “Last year was incredible, but I have to say the conditions were a bit strange and everything came together for me. This year it’s going to be a little bit different because now I’m racing against the top-notch factory guys as opposed to mostly support riders — this is a little bit higher level of racing.”

“If we can challenge them, I will be very happy,” he continued. “I’ll be going for it hard, you can bet on it.”

Besides a busy day in FX, Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki also took part in single, hour-long free practice sessions in the Superstock and Supersport classes.

Continuing with the strategy of using agile and more tire-friendly GSX-R750s against the fire-breathing 1000s, Haskovec and his teammate, Steve Rapp, ranked eleventh and thirteenth on the Superstock timesheets, respectively. Haskovec’s best lap was a 1:27.010, while the Californian clocked a 1:28.496; both men earned spots in Saturday’s ‘fast’ group in the split qualifying procedure due to their efforts.

Rapp and third Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki rider Chris Peris did the same during the Supersport free practice. Rapp ran 10th quick on Friday aboard his GSX-R600 at 1:29.426, while the young Canadian struggled a bit down in 21st (1:32.052), but was still fast enough to rank in the top half of the 43-man field.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin was on his A-game Friday at the Suzuki Superbike Showdown AMA event at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia.

Mladin started Friday afternoon’s 30-minute qualifying session by stringing together eight consecutive laps in the low-to-mid-1:23 bracket (breaking the old lap record of 1:23.520 on three consecutive laps) on a possible race tire, before mounting a Dunlop qualifier to lower the lap record to 1:22.917 and taking provisional pole for the double-header Superbike event.

“This is the best GSX-R1000 I’ve ridden in the last two years,” confidently said Mladin. “The engine is now as good as we had last year. It took us 12 months to get it there, but we’re back to where it was before the rule changes. Suzuki and Yoshimura have been working hard to get the most out of this motorcycle.”

Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura wouldn’t go into the specifics of what was changed on Mladin’s GSX-R1000 between the Mid-Ohio and Road Atlanta rounds, saying, “It’s the combination of a lot of little upgrades.”

The most noticeable change to Mladin’s Suzuki is a new fairing with smaller, reshaped ram-air intake openings which are designed to provide “more consistent airbox pressure,” but Sakakura said the gain from the new intakes was “very minimal.”

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel was second-fastest with a final lap of 1:23.010 on his works CBR1000RR, just two ticks quicker than his teammate Ben Bostrom, who was third-quick with a 1:23.354. Bostrom spent most of the session second behind Mladin.

Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke earned the final spot on the provisional front row with a 1:23.575 on his CBR1000RR.

Attack Kawasaki’s Josh Hayes was fifth with a 1:23.974 on his factory-supported ZX-10R. Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates turned the sixth-fastest time of 1:24.127 on his GSX-R1000. Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom was seventh with a 1:24.357 on his Michelin-shod Ducati 999. The final spot on the provisional second row and top privateer honors went to Prieto Racing’s Geoff May, who turned a 1:25.559 on his Pirelli-equipped Suzuki GSX-R1000.


Friday Afternoon’s Provisional AMA Superbike Qualifying Results:

1. Mat Mladin, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:22.917*
2. Miguel Duhamel, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:23.010
3. Ben Bostrom, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:23.354
4. Jake Zemke, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:23.575
5. Josh Hayes, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:23.974
6. Aaron Yates, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:24.127
7. Eric Bostrom, Duc 999F04, 1:24.357
8. Geoff May, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:25.559
9. Larry Pegram, Yam YZF-R1, 1:25.776
10. John Haner, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:25.821
11. Shawn Higbee, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:26.210
12. Jason Pridmore, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:26.714
13. Lee Acree, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:26.885
14. Brian Stokes, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:27.220
15. Chris Caylor, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:27.491
16. Marty Craggill, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:27.611
17. Mike Smith, Yam YZF-R1, 1:27.649
18. Chuck Sorensen, Yam YZF-R1, 1:27.817
19. Eric Wood, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.433
20. Jake Holden, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.451
21. David Weber, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.485
22. Scott Greenwood, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.658
23. Jeff Tigert, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:28.514
24. Jeremy Toye, Yam YZF-R1, 1:28.601
25. Byron Barbour, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.607
26. Jesse Janisch, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:28.957
27. Andy Deatherage, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:29.061
28. Heath Small, Yam YZF-R1, 1:29.121
29. Cory West, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:29.590
30. J.J. Roetlin, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:29.813
31. Ruben Frankenfield, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:29.911
32. Jason Curtis, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:29.985
33. C.R. Gittere, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:30.030
34. Roger Bell, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:30.069
35. Matt Lynn, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:30.234
36. Scott Jensen, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:30.581
37. Mark Ledesma, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:30.595
38. Dean Mizdal, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:30.721
39. David Bell, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:31.096
40. Anthony Fania, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:31.288
41. James Kerker, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:31.320
42. Kevin Pate, Yam YZF-R1, 1:32.374
43. Jeremiah Johnson, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:33.448
44. Lenny Beckman, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:33.690
45. Roland Williams, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:33.734
46. James Bonner, Yam YZF-R1, 1:37.676
47. Chris Ulrich, Suz GSX-R1000, no time
48. Jimmy Moore, Suz GSX-R1000, no time


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

NEW LAP RECORD EARNS MLADIN ROAD ATLANTA AMERICAN SUPERBIKE PROVISIONAL POLE POSITION

Braselton, Georgia, USA (Friday, September 3) – With a string of sub lap record times, Australian Mat Mladin controlled the opening qualifying session for this weekend’s double header round of the American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship and emerged with provisional pole position for the event.

Thirty two year old Mladin lowered his own track record setting a new mark of 1-min 22.917-secs for the 4.087km (2.54miles) Georgian circuit, well under his previous best of 1:23.520 set last year.

The four times American Superbike champion and current points leader proved to be the man to chase as he powered his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 to the fastest time during the morning’s free practice session, before returning later in the afternoon to dominate the afternoon’s opening 30-minute qualifying session.

“Everything worked out well for us today,” said Mladin. “The team has put a very good package together for us today, with a lot of that being credit for a lot of hard work that they have put in over the past six-week break.”

“We had a good test here after the last round at Mid-Ohio and they made further improvements to the bike and those results showed today. We felt confident after that test, so it’s always a good thing to know that you have been able to go away, make some changes and see that they work.”

“We also have to give Suzuki a lot of credit as they are getting right behind us now, which is great leading into these final two rounds.”

“As for today, we went through a number of tyres that gave us some very good results, but that won’t stop us chasing a few more things in tomorrow morning’s session.”

Mladin led a trio of Honda’s who make up the provisional front row of the grid. Miguel DuHamel posted the second fastest time of the session with a 1:23.010, pushing teammate Ben Bostrom (1:23.354) to third in the closing minutes. Completing the front row is Jake Zemke with a best of 1:23.575

With just four races remaining in this year’s championship, Mladin heads into tomorrow’s first Superbike national of the weekend holding a 21-point advantage at the top of the points table over Zemke. With the AMA awarding additional points for earning pole position and then for the rider who leads the most number of laps in the race, every point is critical at this stage of the season.

Qualifying wraps up tomorrow morning with another 30-minute session, before the field takes to the circuit for the opening race later that afternoon.


More, from a press release issued by Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin:

BOSTROM ON PROVISIONAL SECOND ROW AT ROAD ATLANTA

Braselton (Georgia) – September 3, 2004: Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin’s Eric Bostrom qualified seventh at Road Atlanta, setting a time of 1:24.357 in the half-hour afternoon session in the Georgia heat. The fan favorite had been fifth in the morning’s hour-long session at the 2.54 mile (4.09 km) track located just outside of the metro Atlanta area, but dropped two spots in qualifying.

“We were off to a little bit of a slow start, but we’re working to get it sorted out,” said the 27-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada. “I thought we had a good base setting from when we tested here.

“In the qualifying session we found a setting that worked pretty well and the tires were great. They offered some more suspension damping and held their own in the turns and we could do mid-1:24 on race tires. Still, I want more. I think we need to drop about a half second with a better set-up for tomorrow.” Bostrom tried a different front end suspension setting today at Road Atlanta.

“We’re looking to cut some time for tomorrow, but things look promising,” said Racing Manager Tom Bodenbach. “We’ll think about it tonight and see what we can come up with.”

Final qualifying concludes tomorrow morning with race 1 (25 laps – 100 km) of the weekend doubleheader scheduled for 4:00 EDT.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning 250cc GP Practice Times:

1. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:42.234
2. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:42.713
3. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:43.019
4. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:43.051
5. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:43.116
6. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:43.126
7. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:43.286
8. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:43.919
9. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:43.962
10. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:43.973
11. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:44.030
12. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:44.065
13. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:44.161
14. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:44.590
15. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:44.917
16. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, 1:45.097
17. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, 1:45.332
18. Johan STIGEFELT, Aprilia, 1:45.368
19. Gregory LEBLANC, Aprilia, 1:45.730
20. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 1:45.897

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:38.036
2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:38.067
3. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:38.215
4. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:38.342
5. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:38.609
6. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:38.710
7. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:38.738
8. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:38.822
9. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:39.071
10. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:39.078
11. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:39.163
12. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:39.279
13. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:39.677
14. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:39.751
15. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:40.049
16. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:40.259
17. Michel FABRIZIO, Aprilia, 1:40.586
18. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:40.623
19. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:40.714
20. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:42.286
21. James ELLISON, Harris WCM, 1:42.530
22. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:43.293

From a press release:

STEINHAUSEN HEADS EASTERN AIRWAYS GRID AT ASSEN

Rampant German Jorg Steinhausen and passenger Trevor Hopkinson rocketed to pole position for this weekend’s seventh round of the Eastern Airways Sidecar Championship at Assen in Holland.

Steinhausen topped both qualifying sessions on Friday afternoon, clipping 0.8s off his previous best Assen lap.

“We had a problem in the first session and when we changed motors for the second session I felt like we had 200cc and two gears more than earlier in the day ­ the difference was incredible,” said Steinhausen.

He added: “The races on Saturday and Sunday will be no formality ­ I know a definite challenge will come from Derek Brindley.”

Brindley and Neil Miller qualified their Readymix Suzuki in second place with Greg Lambert and James Sirrell third on their Dalepak Suzuki.

Brindley said: “I’ve been trying out new-style handlebars and it halted my progress a bit today but I’ll be right with Jorg in tomorrow’s race.”

The Eastern Airways Championship will enjoy a 13-lap race on Saturday, repeated on Sunday, around the 3.7-mile circuit near Groningen in the north of Holland.

Final qualifying times: 1 Jorg Steinhausen, Q8 Suzuki 2m 10.738s, 2 Derek Brindley, Readymix Suzuki 2m 12.784s, 3 Greg Lambert, Dalepak Suzuki 2m 14.323s, 4 Bill Philp, 155 Media Yamaha 2m 15.075s, 5 Ben Birchall, Richards Yamaha 2m 15.602s, 6 Paul Steenbergen, Yamaha 2m 15.957s, 7 Chris Founds, Yamaha 2m 16.245s, 8 Andy Peach, Readymix Suzuki 2m 17.150s, 9 Steve Norbury, Lockside Yamaha 2m 17.168s, 10 Stuart Muldoon, Ringway Suzuki 2m 17.496s.



Assen news in brief

SMILING Steve Norbury was ninth quickest in Friday’s opening qualifying session. After his Assen debut run he climbed from his Lockside Yamaha to reveal: “What a fantastic circuit ­ even if I didn’t do two laps on the same lines!”

CONCERNED Jorg Steinhausen switched engines between the two qualifying sessions on Friday afternoon after the German Q8 Suzuki ace struggled to get within three seconds of his 2003 time at the Dutch track.

SUZUKI rider Mike Ibbotson was celebrating a new sponsor at Assen after picking up backing from Hull haulage firm A.R. Lunn.

PASSENGER Kevin Burt celebrated his 37th birthday at Assen on Friday by riding with Mike Salmon as the pair celebrated their debut in the Eastern Airways Championship.

155 MEDIA Yamaha pairing, Bill Philp and Rick Long blasted into third place after Friday’s opening qualifying session with Philp beating his 2003 Assen qualifying time.

GEARBOX trouble struck Gary Horspole and Jason Miller on their second lap at Assen on Friday after the gear linkage shaft snapped on their Suzuki.

RICHARDS Yamaha pair Ben and Tom Birchall used Friday’s opening qualifying session at Assen to test a new exhaust silencer with Ben reporting improved power from the cone-shaped part.

A NEW spec engine was used by the Readymix Suzuki team of Derek Brindley and Neil Miller. Brindley’s last visit to Assen was in 1997 when he finished fourth in the Dutch GP.

PAIN from the left knee he burnt badly during the Brands Hatch last round restricted Greg Lambert’s charge in Friday’s opening qualifying session on his Dalepak Suzuki.

ENGINE improvements since last year forced a stunned Andy Peach into making a gearing change to his Readymix Suzuki between Friday afternoon’s qualifying sessions at Assen.

BEAMING Mike Ibbotson was impressed with his debut on the Assen circuit, his first ever foreign event, he quipped: “I’ve done the Isle of Man TT before, that’s as far as I’ve ever been!”

CHEEKY scouser Chris Founds was using a new Maxton gas suspension unit at Assen on Friday, offering additional settings to his previous model.

SPECTACULAR Ben Birchall tipped his Richards Yamaha upside down in Friday afternoon’s final qualifying session at Assen, launching his diminutive brother Tom 15 feet in the air. Both escaped injury and will start Saturday’s race.

MOVING his sidecar wheel forward, on its choice of four adjustments, helped Mike Ibbotson clip more than five seconds off his previous best lap time at Assen as he qualified in 11th place.

EAGER Bill Philp ended his final qualifying session early after spinning out and into an Assen gravel trap. Philp and passenger Rick Long escaped injury.

TROUBLED Steve Norbury will make changes to his kneeler tray before Saturday’s race at Assen after suffering with a numb leg in Friday’s qualifying action.

DETERMINED Greg Lambert is aiming to improve on his previous best finish of 10th place at Assen, in the 2001 World Championship race.

A TROUBLED Stuart Muldoon is looking to cure a misfire before Saturday’s Assen race; “It’s like riding a three-and-a-half cylinder slug at the moment,” he reported.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:41.638
2. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:41.645
3. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:41.679
4. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:41.814
5. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:42.226
6. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:42.709
7. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:42.835
8. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:43.029
9. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:43.078
10. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:43.191
11. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:43.298
12. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:43.461
13. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:43.481
14. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:43.491
15. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, 1:43.803
16. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:43.810
17. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:44.039
18. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, 1:44.088
19. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:44.136
20. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 1:44.265

From a press release issued by series organizers:

Pascal Picotte has one more shot at a share of Canadian Superbike history at Shannonville Motorsport Park this weekend.

The Granby, QC star comes into the final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship poised to score his fifth win of the season. Should he manage the feat he would join Steve Crevier and Jordan Szoke as the only racers to have won five national Superbike rounds in a single year.

Picotte wrapped up his second straight Parts Canada Superbike crown two weeks ago at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. He took his Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 to four straight wins earlier in the year but was foiled in his bid for five in a row at Atlantic Motorsport Park.

Both Crevier and Szoke won five races in succession in establishing the current record for victories in a season. Crevier pulled off the achievement in 1992 while Szoke duplicated it in 2002.

Picotte is also coming off a win in last weekend’s non-championship Parts Canada Superbike Invitational that ran as part of the Molson Indy Montreal.

The champ will face tough competition in his bid for his share of Canadian racing history. Szoke comes into the race on the 2.5-mile, 15-turn ‘Long Track’ as arguably the strongest rider over the second half of the season on his Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR. The Brantford, ON ace scored his first win of the season at Mont-Tremblant after placing second in the two previous races.

Another Granby racer, Kevin Lacombe broke Picotte’s win streak at AMP and is battling Szoke for second in the final Parts Canada Superbike point standings. The Lacombe Racing / Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1 rider has 249 points to Szoke’s 266.

Crevier comes to Shannonville as the winningest rider at the Ontario track in national Superbike history. The Maple Ridge, BC rider, a six-time Canadian champion scored his 10th win at the venue in this year’s season opener riding the DXS Diablo Racing Team Suzuki GSX-R1000.

The challengers also include Francis Martin, rider of the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. The Rock Forest, QC racer has won the Shannonville season finale twice, including last year.

Action at Shannonville will also include the final round of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship, which Picotte has also clinched, and the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Championship.

The Amateur class features a tight title battle, with North Vancouver Yamaha rider Darren James hanging onto a four-point edge over fellow Yamaha racer Rudy Raposo of Mississauga, ON, 175-171. Also in the thick of the fight is Levis, QC’s Dominic Lavoie with 161 points. Lavoie won the last race on his Kawasaki.

Qualifying for all three national classes will take place Saturday afternoon with feature races on Sunday.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2:00 p.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. Action from Shannonville will also air later this fall on Toronto1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.

From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

GIBERNAU ON FORM AS CLOSING RACES DECIDE TITLE

Perhaps the biggest test for Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) is this next race in Portugal. For this is where the Spanish title contender needs to build on his win in The Czech Republic and seize the psychological advantage over his rivals. He lies second to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in the points table by a mere 17 points with 150 points up for grabs at the remaining six races.

But he now has the chance to work an advantage on Rossi by notching back-to-back wins when it really counts in the closing stages. He did it earlier in the season when he won at Jerez in Spain and then Le Mans in France, but Rossi put three crucial consecutive wins together mid-season at Mugello in Italy, Montmelo in Catalunya and Assen in The Netherlands to steal a march on Gibernau.

And while the focus might be on the Gibernau/Rossi struggle, Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) remains in contention in third only 26 points behind Rossi and just nine short of Gibernau’s tally. The Roman has huge experience of tight title deciders too. Two of his four 250cc World Championship titles were decided at the final round and twice Biaggi rode to title victory.

Estoril has only been on the calendar since 2000 and in those years since it’s arrival Rossi has finished third in 2000 and won there for the last three years in the premier class. Biaggi finished second last year, while Gibernau has never really shone there in a race. Now is his chance to rectify that at this fast but wind-lashed track.

Estoril lies 20 miles west of Lisbon and the track itself is close to the town of Sintra. The 4.182km track features a balance of turns with nine rights and four lefts. Built in 1972 the surface is now bumpy in parts and some riders are unsure over the asphalt’s ability to provide dependable grip over a race weekend.

Nevertheless the track offers a significant challenge regardless of grip issues. The slowest turn is a chicane that is the slowest in MotoGP racing requiring patience and a smooth style to avoid catastrophe. On the other hand a long, fast right onto the start/finish straight, the ‘Parabolica’ is one of the great corners in racing and loved by the best riders.

Turn one at the end of the 986m straight is a favourite overtaking spot and so is turn six, the ‘Parabolica interior’ behind the pits complex. The rest of the track is fairly unremarkable requiring no out-of-the-ordinary machine set-ups. But the wind blowing off the Atlantic Ocean is always a concern.

“I don’t like Estoril that much,” said Gibernau. “I always qualify well and race well there, but never seem to get the right results. For the last three years I’ve been in a podium or winning position but never got there in the end. But this year I’m ready to do better at every track I go to it’s not important whether I like it or not. My goal at the start of the season was to get better at every race.”

“I like Estoril,” said Biaggi. “Last year I got onto the podium and if we get the bike working well we can do even better this year. In Brno we did a lot of work in the two test days after the race and even if we haven’t got all the answers we were looking for, we will give everything to be competitive on this track from Friday onwards. The track is okay, it reminds me a little of Spain’s Jarama circuit; not fast, apart from the main straight, but quite technical. The only thing I really don’t like is the asphalt, because it’s very bumpy in places.”

Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) lies fourth overall, but 80 points behind Rossi. “I really like this track,” said the Texan. “Especially the first three turns. Set-up is important because you have a few bumps to deal with and you can be aggressive here, but never too aggressive because it’s a track that can bite you. The slow section is the uphill chicane which is first gear and you have to be careful.”

Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) is ready to get his season going again. “I’ve not had much luck here in the last few races,” said the Brazilian. “So far this season has been pretty disappointing. The team has worked hard and there are times when the bike feels really good. I’m 100% fit and can run with the fast guys, I just need to keep the pressure up all race and get us what we deserve. There are six races left and we need to attack all of them really hard.”

His team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is unsure whether he will ride after breaking a collarbone last weekend while training on a Supermoto machine. “I’m hoping to ride but will leave the decision to Doctor Costa’s team and my race team. I feel good but we’ll take a check on Thursday. I was just getting some good training in and the accident happened. I’m kicking myself.”

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres said, “I quite like the Estoril track, or should I say there’s a part I really like, with the fast turn leading onto an even faster straight, and a slow part, which I don’t like so much. It doesn’t matter though, if the weather is good and we manage to get both the bike and the tyres in a good shape in practice, we can do an even better race than in Brno.”

In the 250 category, Dani Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) leads with 196 points, with Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) second on
166 and Sebastian Porto (Aprilia) in third with 153 as the 11th round gets underway.

“I’ve never liked Estoril too much,” said Dani. “It has a long straight, it’s narrow and bumpy. As if that isn’t enough, it’s always really windy and that makes it difficult to ride. It was a problem with the 125 and it will be with the 250 as well. The good thing about Estoril is the fans it’s close for us and there are always a lot of Spanish fans there. That’s always an extra motivation.”

Dani’s rookie team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team RS250RW) is having a strong first season and said, “Everybody I ask about Estoril tells me about the wind. They don’t tell me if it’s difficult or easy, just that it’s windy. I don’t know much about the place, but it seems that is one thing I can be sure of. Hopefully at least we can get some normal practice sessions in. I feel better every time and everybody is reminding me that we are almost in Japan, but I would like to think that I can also do well at Estoril.”

Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) currently lies fourth overall and said, “During the two day team test at Brno we tested new parts for the chassis and learned a lot about the bike. We will take what we learned to Estoril where we will decide after first practice which is the best set-up to concentrate on for the race. I’m looking forward to Friday because I really like the track. So I should because last year things could not have worked out better for me, I took pole and won the race a great memory.”

Roberto Rolfo rides the second Fortuna Honda at Estoril. The Italian has yet to show his very best form this year but recent tests have resulted in a more positive feeling with the front end of his machine. Rolfo said. “We found a better front end setting for the Brno race then the team improved still during the two day test. I now have a better feeling running into the corners and that’s important at Estoril.”

The 125cc-title race currently belongs to Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) and the young Italian has won three races this season, and perhaps even more importantly, has finished in the points in all of them. He has 183 points to Aprilia rider Roberto Locatelli’s 147.

“The next two races, at Estoril and Motegi, are very important to us,” he said. “It’s very important we get the best possible we can from both races to set up a good finish to the Championship. Luckily I like both tracks a lot and enjoy racing at them. I’m in good shape, concentrating on the job, the bike is running really well and the team is giving me a lot of support. My fan club has also given me great support and last week they held a big club event for me at Cesena. The whole day boosted my confidence and I go to Portugal with a really good feeling.”