Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

British Superbike Race One Results From Mallory Park:

1. John REYNOLDS, Suzuki, 30 laps, 26:15.170
2. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki, -0.133 second
3. Scott SMART, Kawasaki, -3.417 seconds
4. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, -3.498 seconds
5. James HAYDON, Yamaha, -5.247 seconds
6. Michael RUTTER, Honda, -5.948 seconds
7. Sean EMMETT, Ducati, -12.573 seconds
8. Dean THOMAS, Ducati, -14.241 seconds
9. John McGUINNESS, Kawasaki, -20.052 seconds
10. Dennis HOBBS, Suzuki, -28.226 seconds
11. Steve PLATER, Yamaha, -28.463 seconds
12. Kieran CLARKE, Yamaha, -30.097 seconds
13. Iain MacPHERSON, Ducati, -31.898 seconds
14. Gary MASON, Yamaha, -32.945 seconds
15. James ELLISON, Yamaha, -33.343 seconds


British Superbike Race Two Results From Mallory Park:

1. Scott SMART, Kawasaki, 30 laps, 27:40.337
2. John REYNOLDS, Suzuki, -1.932 seconds
3. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, -2.608 seconds
4. James HAYDON, Yamaha, -3.109 seconds
5. Sean EMMETT, Ducati, -8.231 seconds
6. Tommy HILL, Yamaha, -9.042 seconds
7. Gary MASON, Yamaha, -10.775 seconds
8. Dean THOMAS, Ducati, -11.501 seconds
9. John McGUINNESS, Kawasaki, -11.563 seconds
10. Steve PLATER, Yamaha, -11.624 seconds
11. Craig COXHELL, Honda, -12.529 seconds
12. Dennis HOBBS, Suzuki, -14.783 seconds
13. James ELLISON, Yamaha, -16.120 seconds
14. Iain MacPHERSON, Ducati, -17.457 seconds
15. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki, -21.851 seconds

21. Michael RUTTER, Honda, -11 laps, DNF


British Superbike Championship Point Standings:

1. REYNOLDS, 335 points
2. RUTTER, 262 points
3. SMART, 240 points
4. KAGAYAMA, 229 points
5. EMMETT, 226 points
6. THOMAS, 124 points
7. KIYONARI, 124 points
8. HAYDON, 111 points
9. HILL, 98 points
10. MASON, 85 points


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

REYNOLDS WINS AT MALLORY PARK!
Team Suzuki Press Office – July 18, 2004.

Rizla Suzuki’s John Reynolds raced to victory and a second place in today’s ninth round of the Think! British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park, Leicestershire and almost doubled his Championship lead.

In the first race, Reynolds and team mate Yukio Kagayama battled their way through a gaggle of fast riders to get to the front and once ahead, broke away from the chasing pack with ‘JR’ grabbing the lead with six laps to go, then held off Yuki on the last lap through the hairpin. The plucky Japanese ace, however, had the consolation of setting a new lap record of 51:741s.

Race two was interrupted with a red flag and two safety car appearances, but JR held his nerve to finish second on aggregate time behind Kawasaki’s Scott Smart. Yuki switched to his spare Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 just before the green light in a bid to improve his race pace. He was holding sixth and going for fifth when he ran off the tarmac at the super-fast Gerards bend, rejoining the race to finish 15th.

JR’s first and second place finishes made him the clear winner of the acclaimed `Race of the Year’ trophy – awarded to the Superbike rider with most points at the end of the meeting. His finishes nearly doubled his Championship lead from 38 to 73 points and maintain Rizla Suzuki’s string of podium finishes in every race so far this year. Suzuki is also streaking ahead in the manufacturers Championship with its GSX-R1000 production-based Superbike.

John Reynolds:

“Race one was a fantastic fight with Yuki for the top honours while race two ended up being interrupted and tested my concentration to the full. To be honest, I was glad to finish, as I don’t like my rhythm being interrupted and I really had to fight towards the end to keep second place.

“Winning the `Race of the Year’ trophy is a real bonus for me because this is a prize that has decades of history and heritage behind it. Thanks to my team for providing me with a brilliant GSX-R1000 this weekend and to my fans from Nottingham for making the trip and cheering me on.”

Yukio Kagayama:

“I am disappointed with the second race result. The first race was good fun riding with John-san at the front and he managed to outbrake me at the hairpin on final lap to win. I was hoping for similar race with me winning in race two but this was not possible. After the red flag I had to switch to my spare bike and the feeling is not so good, then near end I ran off the circuit while trying to overtake and ended up 15th.

“Now I go to the airport and fly to Japan to take part in the Suzuka 8-hour Endurance race for Suzuki. This is maximum important race and I will use my frustration to motivate best to win.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“We suspected the tight and twisty nature of Mallory Park would not suit JR’s smooth flowing riding style or the enormous horsepower of our Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. JR then went on to qualify on the front row, win a race, finish second in the next, win the `Race of the Year’ and virtually double his Championship points advantage to prove that theory very wrong indeed.

“Yuki did a bike swap for the second race and that didn’t pay off – he rode well and deserved a better result than 15th – but a small mistake at the end cost him dear. The team will rally round and give him its full support for the next round at Croft.

“There is still a long way to go in the Championship race and both JR and Yuki know there are a lot of points still to be won. We’ll be staying focussed in the month away from the racing and will be going to round 10 stronger and more determined than ever before to win races.”

There is now a mid-summer mini-break for the BSB competitors before the 10th round of the Championship at Croft on August 15th. The North Yorkshire venue is new t o BSB for 2004 and Rizla Suzuki will be visiting for a test session on August 5th.


More, from a press release issued by Team ViTrans:

Round 9 of the BSB Championship brought mixed fortunes for Team Vitrans, at the very local track the team are based at the Mallory Park Circuit, returning to the championship having won at the previous round in Scotland, everyone had great confidence for this event.

Craig Coxhell went to the event happy that this was a circuit he knew well, lack of track time has been a disadvantage for the Australian rider this season. His qualifying sessions were all good and very busy as usual, with the technicians changing many things throughout the weekend, Craig started the race from 12th position, he commented “we ran the qualifier too soon in the second session, the clouds came over and we thought it was going to rain, I am not unhappy with my position, we have a great race set up”.

Race one saw Coxhell make a reasonable start, his lap times throughout the race were very good “it’s all in the start remarked team owner Robbie Burns, if Craig can get the bike off the line he will be running consistently in the top six, we have had a problem since the start of the season with the clutch, we are making improvements every weekend”, Craig made a mistake going in to the hairpin on lap 16 and lost the front, he was uninjured, and the team worked non stop between the next 2 races to get it ready for race 2, this is Coxhell’ preferred bike. ” I made a little mistake going into the turn, and unfortunately lost the front said Coxhell, I’m ok and ready for the second race”

Race 2 was an eventful and spectacular one for riders and officials, with the pace car coming out and the race being stopped, it was run as a two part race, Craig made a great start in race one, and not so good in the second one, again the times were excellent again throughout the race with a final position of 11th, “this was my best ride so far, pirelli have provided me with the best rear tyre in the race said a very happy Coxhell, I am looking forward to getting to the WSBK round at Brands Hatch, we had to sit out Silverstone due to the cost of doing these world events, but for the next round my team owner has said we can do it”, although my last race at Brands was very wet I had a great race, and I know we already have the set up for it”

Coxhell is 13th in the championship after round 18.

British Supersport

Last round winner Paul Young returned to his ‘home track’ in confident mood, “it’s great having a race track on your doorstep”, commented Young,

He had a good qualifying with 5th place, “I would have liked the front row and I really was not far off that” , the start was reasonable, Paul stayed safe for the first few laps with the ever exciting Supersport racing put on a tight and twist Mallory park this was definitely the best thing to do, he passed Craig Jones on lap 19 and was chasing Michael Laverty for 4th place, as they crossed the line Paul took 5th position, ” I am really happy with this, before the race my aims were to finish in the top 5 and be the first Pirelli runner home I have achieved both of these and got more points, I am now equal 10th in the championship which the team are very happy with having had such a bad start to the season”

Paul’s next outing is the Support Race at the British GP next weekend, ” I am confident Donington Park is one of my favourite tracks, and it will be good testing for the final BSB round in September”

Young’s team made Tom Tunstall had mixed fortune all weekend “Throughout practice and qualifying Tunstall was consistently inside the top 7 on both race and qualifying tyres The Vitrans rider was once again showing his true potential. After first qualifying Tom was provisionally 7th and although he improved his time in the final session he ended up 11th on the grid. Knowing how difficult it is to pass Tunstall was keen to make up places off the start. However things didn’t go to plan as Tom made his worst start of the season and instead of making places he dropped back to 20th position. Seeing the front riders getting away Tom was desperate to make back the lost positions however after already getting up to 15th, by the end of lap 6 disaster struck!

Halfway around the ultra-fast 5th gear Gerrards bend Tunstall lost the front causing bike and rider slid off the track at around 100mph, Tunstall commented ” I’m very disappointed. The start was terrible as the bike bogged off the line, leaving me with a lot of ground to make up. I was pushing hard and at that part of Gerrards I’ve been struggling to make the bike turn most of the weekend.


More, from a press release issued on behalf of JR Motorsport:

ROBINSON BACK IN THE POINTS AT MALLORY

After two wet races in which he failed to add to his points tally, JR Motosport team rider Jamie Robinson took maximum advantage of the dry conditions to record a battling 13th place finish in round nine of the British Supersport Championship at Mallory Park.

Having qualified on row four of the grid and less than one second slower than the pole position setter, Robinson had high hopes of a top ten finish and despite not getting a good start in the race, he started to make his way through the field around the tricky confines of the Leicestershire circuit.

Soon, the former 250cc British Champion was inside the top ten and looking to home in on the leading bunch but in typical Supersport action, half a dozen other riders had the same idea as they battled it out over 28 action packed laps.

In the end, the 28 year old Holmfirth rider had to settle for 13th position and at the rear of the group which was covered by just over a second but was relieved to get some more points on the board for only the third time this season.

“That was another bloody hard race and I know I keep saying it, but the racing is so tough this year. I’m glad in a way I’ve scored some more points but disappointed that I didn’t finish higher as I know I could have done but it’s a step in the right direction” said Robinson afterwards. “The bike was working well and I feel as though I’m riding it a lot better now and it’s all a lot more positive than it was earlier in the season. I’m really looking forward to Croft next month as we’ve tested there and got a good set up.”

Team mate Paul Veazey had a mixed weekend of fortunes at Mallory and after posting his best qualifying position of the season, the Middlesbrough teenager was hoping to reproduce that form and to claim his first championship points of the season. Despite a good start and some promising lap times, the 17 year old suffered a recurrence of the arm-pump problems that plagued him during the early part of the season but still ended up in 19th place at the finish.

“Everything was looking good and I was feeling pretty strong but as the race wore on, I really started to struggle as I couldn’t feel my arms. With all the heavy braking, the problems I suffered earlier in the year surfaced again and it was just a case of hanging on in the end” said Veazey who will be looking for a better result at his local track of Croft next month.

In the meantime, the JR Motosport team are hoping to ride in the one-off MCN Supersport Cup which takes place at the British Grand Prix at Donington this forthcoming weekend.


More, from a press release issued on behalf of Hobbs Racing:

DOUBLE DELIGHT FOR DENNIS

Hobbs Racing rider Dennis Hobbs rewarded his hard working team with not one but two victories as a double win kept his hopes of the THINK! British Superbike Cup well and truly alive after a masterful display at MalloryPark.

Riding the Scott Leathers backed 1000cc Suzuki, the 22 year old from Guisborough had not won a round all season but going into the Leicestershire circuit, he made his intentions clear as he set sixth fastest time overall during the early stages of final qualifying.

However, a minor gearbox problem put paid to his chances of a sensational row two start as Hobbs had to sit out the remainder of the session which resulted in him dropping back to tenth but still the top Superbike Cup rider.

With the rain of the previous two meetings thankfully behind him, Dennis relished in the dry conditions as he scrapped it out with a number of the factory stars around the technically demanding Mallory speedbowl during race one, eventually coming home in tenth place overall, just pipping the Virgin Mobile Yamaha’s of former Mallory winner Steve Plater and team mate Gary Mason as well as Kieran Clarke and the ex championship winning Ducati of Iain MacPherson.

Having sampled the top step of the podium in the opening race in front of yet another massive BSB crowd, Hobbs was keen to repeat the feat and despite a race stoppage and two pace car interventions – one of which controversially cost him a number of places – Hobbs stuck to the task and brought the machine home in 12thplace but more importantly, one place in front of series leader James Ellison.

As a result, Hobbs has cut the gap to just 39 points going into his home race at Croft in a month’s time whereby he is red hot favourite to add to his tally of race wins around the North Yorkshire circuit.

“I needed those wins but I was disappointed not to finish higher in the second leg as a number of riders overtook me before the green flag on the line when I was busy avoiding crashing into Kieran Clarke who went down at the Devils Elbow!” said Dennis. “Those were important points and I’m looking at reducing the gap even further at Croft”

THINK! Superbike Championship Cup Standings (after Round 9)

1, James Ellison (Yamaha) 333 pts

2, Dennis Hobbs (HobbsRacing Suzuki) 294 pts

3, Jon Kirkham (Suzuki) 261pts

4, James Buckingham (Suzuki)) 235pts

5, Sam Corke (Suzuki) 208pts

6, Chris Martin (Suzuki) 126pts

From a press release issued by series organizers:

BOWMANVILLE, ON Pascal Picotte continued his Parts Canada Superbike Championship winning streak at Mosport International Raceway Sunday by completing a sweep of the weekend Superbike doubleheader. Picotte led all seven laps of the restarted race on his Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 and finished 2.589 secs. ahead of the Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR of Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke.

Kevin Lacombe of Granby, QC completed the podium on his Lacombe Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 after making a last lap pass of the Coors Light Racing / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 ridden by Craig Connell.

Picotte’s victory was his fourth in succession and he strengthened his bid for a second straight national title. He now has a commanding lead of 89 points, 259-170 over Szoke with three rounds remaining in the eight-race series. Picotte also swept both ends of a doubleheader at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park.

“I didn’t have the greatest start the first time,” said Picotte after claiming his 12th career national Superbike race win. “For the restart we had new tires and I knew I had to get away quickly.”

Picotte, Szoke, Lacombe and Connell were involved in a thrilling four-way scrap for the lead for the first part of the race, which was originally scheduled for 16 laps. Szoke was leading when the red flag came out on lap 8 for a crash involving Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier.

But on the restart Picotte surged into the lead and was never under threat. He led by almost one second after the first lap and more than two seconds after four.

A poor start left Szoke fourth on the restart but he passed Lacombe on lap 3 and moved into second on lap 6 to score his best finish of the season.

Crevier suffered a minor concussion and bruised back in his fall and did not rejoin the race.

In other action at Mosport, Picotte also stretched his lead in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship with his second victory of the weekend on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Crevier was second, 3.037 secs. behind on a Suzuki GSX-R600 and Connell completed the podium aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600.

North Vancouver’s Darren James won a dramatic International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike feature on his Ruthless Racing Inc. Yamaha YZF-R6, edging Mississauga, ON’s Rudy Raposo and Guelph, ON rider Tyler Kennedy in a last lap shootout.

The Parts Canada Superbike Championship continues at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS Aug. 6-8.

This weekend’s events will be televised on TSN on Aug. 7 and Sept. 11 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Sept. 12 at 12:00 p.m. and Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m. The action will also appear in one-hour format later this summer on TORONTO1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.


More, from a press release issued by Fast Company:

BOWMANVILLE, ON The Honda Canada / Fast Company racing team enjoyed its best outing of the 2004 Parts Canada Superbike Championship season as Jordan Szoke scored a pair of podium finishes at Mosport International Raceway last weekend.

The Brantford, ON rider took his Honda CBR1000RR to a second place finish in Sunday’s second Superbike race of the doubleheader weekend, while a day earlier he scored a third in the first of two Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike races.

Szoke had a fourth in the opening Superbike race at Mosport and ended the weekend second in the Parts Canada Superbike standings after five of eight events.

“I consider Mosport one of my favourite tracks,” said Szoke. “We were so close today. It’s sad we didn’t get it [the win].”

Szoke was race winner Pascal Picotte’s closest challenger on the CBR1000RR and was in front when a red flag halted action after seven of a scheduled 16 laps.

He didn’t get as strong a start when action resumed but fought his way up from fourth at the end of the opening lap to move into second two laps from the end.

Szoke is 89 points behind Picotte, 259-170 with three races remaining in the Parts Canada Superbike season but the CBR1000RR, which debuted this year is starting to show its abundant potential.

Teammate Andrew Nelson of Kars, ON had a ninth and a sixth in the two Superbike races on his Honda CBR1000RR. In the second race he took advantage of an excellent start after the red flag to run fifth after one lap, but was in a fierce five-way battle for the spot. He is now seventh in the Parts Canada Superbike standings with 121 points.

Szoke also challenged for the lead in the first Pro 600 Sport Bike race at Mosport and ran at the front for five of the 14 laps on his Honda CBR600RR before settling for third. Nelson, who had qualified second was forced out after only two laps with a rare mechanical problem.

On Sunday, Szoke and Nelson set the early pace in the wet conditions on the CBR600RR’s, with Nelson leading the first five laps. But as the track dried their rain tires started to wear and they slipped to sixth and seventh at the finish, Nelson ahead of Szoke.

Szoke is now fifth in the Pro 600 Sport Bike standings, just 15 points out of second, while Nelson is sixth.

The Honda Canada / Fast Company team will be back in action at Nova Scotia’s Atlantic Motorsport Park Aug. 6-8.

From a press release issued by WERA West:

WERA West Roadracing 2004 Format Change


The remaining WERA West Roadracing Sportsman series events will go to a one day sixteen class race format beginning August 1st at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. The Saturday before the Sunday Sportsman Series races will become a track day put on by Fastrack Riders.

The schedule for the balance of the season is:

Sunday, August 1st @ Buttonwillow Raceway Park

Sunday, August 29th @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway 2.3 mile Interior Road Course. Air cooled garages will be available for all riders.

Sunday, October 3rd @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the exterior Classic Course. The same layout used for the May WERA West event.

Fastrack Riders has added the following track days to the schedule before each remaining WERA West event.

Friday & Saturday, July 30th & 31st @ Buttonwillow Raceway Park

Saturday, August 28th @ LVMS Interior Road Course

Saturday, October 2nd @ LVMS on the exterior Classic Course. Same layout at used at the May WERA West event.

Register for WERA West events by going to www.wera.com or call 770-720-5010 and Fastrack Riders track days by going to www.fastrackriders.com or call 877-560-2233.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

125cc Grand Prix Results From Sachsenring:

1. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 27 laps, 40:03.511
2. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, -0.165 second
3. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, -0.706 second
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, -0.715 second
5. Mika KALLIO, KTM, -1.073 seconds
6. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, -1.176 seconds
7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, -1.283 seconds
8. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, -1.459 seconds
9. Julian SIMON, Honda, -9.636 seconds
10. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, -11.821 seconds
11. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, -17.967 seconds
12. Simone CORSI, Honda, -20.307 seconds
13. Gioele PELLINO, Aprilia, -31.798 seconds
14. Sergio GADEA, Aprilia, -31.927 seconds
15. Stefano PERUGINI, Gilera, -37.556 seconds


125cc GP World Championship Point Standings:

1. DOVIZIOSO, 138 points
2. LOCATELLI, 131 points
3. BARBERA, 129 points
4. Casey STONER, 104 points
5. Pablo NIETO, 88 points
6. GIANSANTI, 71 points
7. LORENZO, 68 points
8. JENKNER, 63 points
9. SIMONCELLI, 59 points
10. TIE, KALLIO/BAUTISTA, 40 points

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

Tray Batey won the most WERA National Challenge Series races during round five at Grattan Raceway Park in Grattan, Michigan, finishing first in Heavyweight Twins, 750cc Superstock and Formula One.

Batey has been nearly impossible to beat on his Vesrah Suzuki SV1000 in the Heavyweight Twins Superstock class, and the scenario at Grattan was no different as Batey won both the Superstock division and overall. Brian Gibson finished second overall on his Suzuki SV1000 but took home the Superbike division win.

In 750cc Superstock, Batey put his Suzuki GSX-R750 into the lead on the first lap and pulled away to win by 8.753 seconds over John Jacobi, who was also on a Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R750. Formula One was much the same as Batey, again on his GSX-R750, beat Jacobi by 8.748 seconds.

Grattan marked Joe Gill’s return to the WERA National Challenge Series after a two-year absence, and he started things off by winning both 600cc Superstock and 600cc Superbike on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Gill took the lead away from Larry Pegram, who was on a Yamaha YZF-R6, on the final lap of 600cc Superstock for the win. Mark Junge crashed out of an early lead in 600cc Superstock when he hit a damp patch of the track.

Gill won the 600cc Superbike race by over eight seconds.

Triangle Cycles Yamaha’s Pegram was able to win Open Superstock on his Yamaha YZF-R1, edging past Batey on a Suzuki GSX-R750 at the start of lap four. Pegram held Batey off until a red flag ended the race early, on lap eight.

Derek Keyes rode his Suzuki SV650 to the win in both Formula Two and Lightweight Twins Superbike. Keyes got the overall win in Lightweight Twins, as well, while Eddie Kraft earned the Superstock division win on his Suzuki SV650.

Eric Spector crossed the finish line first in 750cc Superbike, but the Suzuki GSX-R750 rider was not credited with the win until he agreed to pay a $100 fine for not having a transponder on the bike. Spector’s other option was to be disqualified.

Water seeping onto the track from rain late last week caused a number of riders to crash, resulting in more crashes than usual in the Expert ranks.

From a press release issued by MSS Discovery:

MSS DISCOVERY’S RIBA MISSES OUT ON THIRD PLACE AFTER CRUEL BLOW

MSS Discovery’s luckless Pere Riba was forced out of third place in round nine of the British Supersport Championship at Mallory Park, Leics on Sunday.

Riba, starting from third place on the grid, rocketed into the leading group at the start of the 28-lap race. By the third lap Riba was ahead of Michael Laverty to take third, only for the machine to stop seven laps later.

“I don’t know what went wrong,” explained Riba. “It’s not the engine but something electrical. It’s really disappointing, I’d gone for a harder compound rear tyre knowing it was a long race so I know there was more to come.

“I’m unhappy for the team too, we’ve had a really good run in the eight rounds before here, retiring from a race is not something you ever want but I suppose it can happen now and then.”

After missing out on a finish in Saturday’s seventh round of the National Superstock championship, MSS Discovery’s Steve Allan suffered further dismay as he crashed out of Sunday’s eighth round.

Allan was holding eighth place when he crashed at the sweeping, right-hand Gerrards corner with eight of the 25 laps remaining.

“It’s a bad end to a bad weekend,” admitted Allan. “I thought everything had picked up for us when we made some changes overnight and I topped the times in the Sunday morning warm-up.

“The crash was simply down to me pushing too hard when I should have settled for a safe finish, it was a big highside though, and hurt! It’s a blow for me and the team but we’ve got five races left so I’m sure I can still get some good out of the rest of the season.”

Allan suffered a broken left collarbone and will now miss next Sunday’s Supersport support race at the Cinzano British Grand Prix. MSS Discovery’s Riba will be the team’s sole entry at Donington Park.

British Supersport Championship, round nine result (28 laps ­ 38.92 miles):

1 Karl Harris, Honda, 25:04.525 ­ 93.12mph
2 Jay Vincent, Honda, 25:04.803
3 Leon Camier, Honda, 25:09.600
4 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 25:17.073
5 Paul Young, Honda, 25:19.408
6 Matt Llewellyn, Ducati, 25:22.022
7 Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 25:24.612
8 Adrian Coates, Suzuki, 25:25.639
9 Tom Sykes, Suzuki, 25:27.525
10 Kieran Murphy, Honda, 25:29.587

Championship points after nine of 13 rounds: 1 Harris 181, 2 Laverty 145, 3 Vincent 117, 4 Pere Riba (MSS Discovery Kawasaki) 101, 5 Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 76, 6 Luke Quigley (Suzuki) 70, 7 Camier 65, 8 Sykes 54, 9 Crutchlow 50, 10 Craig Jones (Triumph) 49.

Next round: Croft ­ August 18.


National Superstock Championship, round eight result (25 laps ­ 34.75 miles).

1 Tristan Palmer, Suzuki, 22:37.785
2 Ben Wilson, Suzuki, 22:38.413
3 Danny Beaumont, Yamaha, 22:38.590
4 Marshall Neill, Suzuki, 22:38.655
5 Howie Mainwaring, Yamaha, 22:45.889
6 John Laverty, Yamaha, 22:47.794
7 Ryan Rainey, Yamaha, 22:48.703
8 Les Shand, Yamaha, 22:53.381
9 Lee Jackson, Yamaha, 22:53.606
10 Craig Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 23:02.563

Championship points after eight of 13 rounds: 1 Palmer 147, 2 Andy Tinsley (Suzuki) 123, 3 Wilson 119, 4 Beaumont 117, 5 Shand 84, 6 Steve Allan (MSS Discovery Kawasaki) 59, 7 Mainwaring 44, 8 Laverty 39, 9 Kelvin Reilly (Ducati) 38, 10 Neill 37.

Next round: Croft ­ August 15.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Grand Prix Results From Sachsenring:

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 29 laps, 41:37.239
2. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, -4.279 seconds
3. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, -16.403 seconds
4. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, -16.769 seconds
5. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, -16.966 seconds
6. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, -18.135 seconds
7. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, -32.141 seconds
8. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, -32.766 seconds
9. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, -37.726 seconds
10. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, -38.088 seconds
11. Alex DEBON, Honda, -50.782 seconds
12. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, -50.934 seconds
13. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, -60.946 seconds
14. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, -62.410 seconds
15. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, -62.527 seconds
16. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, -62.554 seconds
17. Taro SEKIGUCHI, Yamaha, -78.235 seconds
18. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, -78.386 seconds
19. Erwan NIGON, Yamaha, -81.155 seconds
20. Johan STIGEFELT, Aprilia, -81.574 seconds

22. Toni ELIAS, Honda, -1 lap, DNF, retired
23. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, -10 laps, DNF, retired

28. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, -23 laps, DNF, crash



250cc World Championship Point Standings:

1. PEDROSA, 155 points
2. DE PUNIET, 130 points
3. PORTO, 108 points
4. ELIAS, 86 points
5. Fonsi NIETO, 83 points
6. DE ANGELIS, 80 points
7. ROLFO, 67 points
8. AOYAMA, 64 points
9. POGGIALI, 63 points
10. WEST, 55 points

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Race Results From Sachsenring:

1. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 30 laps, 42:23.287
2. Alex BARROS, Honda, -0.349 second
3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -4.293 seconds
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, -4.500 seconds
5. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, -16.137 seconds
6. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -16.482 seconds
7. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -18.477 seconds
8. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -23.335 seconds
9. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -30.705 seconds
10. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -40.540 seconds
11. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, -43.712 seconds
12. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, -52.791 seconds
13. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, -53.690 seconds
14. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, -73.215 seconds
15. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, -80.050 seconds
16. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, -1 lap
17. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, -4 laps, DNF, retired
18. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, crash
19. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, crash
20. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -20 laps, DNF, crash
21. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -21 laps, DNF, crash
22. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -22 laps, DNF, crash
23. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -26 laps, DNF, crash
24. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -27 laps, DNF, crash

MotoGP World Championship Point Standings:

1. ROSSI, 139 points
2. BIAGGI, 138 points
3. GIBERNAU, 126 points
4. BARROS, 79 points
5. EDWARDS, 75 points
6. HAYDEN, 70 points
7. CHECA, 62 points
8. MELANDRI, 57 points
9. CAPIROSSI, 55 points
10. TAMADA, 54 points
11. TIE, XAUS/ABE, 41 points
13. NAKANO, 36 points
14. Kenny Lee ROBERTS, 29 points
15. HOFMANN, 24 points
16. BAYLISS, 23 points
17. HODGSON, 18 points
18. HOPKINS, 14 points
19. BYRNE, 12 points
20. McWILLIAMS, 10 points
21. FABRIZIO, 8 points
22. AOKI, 6 points
23. Andrew PITT, 2 points
24. Kurtis ROBERTS, 1 point

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

ROSSI REINFORCES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT SACHSENRING

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider and reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi entered today’s German Grand Prix in Sachsenring with a share of the World Championship lead, finally finishing in fourth place. After a dramatic and changeable race, he now carries a single point advantage over race winner Max Biaggi (Honda) to the next round at Donington Park in one week’s time.

Rossi’s fourth place came after an incident-filled race, and his team mate Carlos Checa was one of many riders who did not make the finish. The Spaniard tumbled out on lap five, shortly after passing a string of riders. Rossi encountered his own challenges in the final laps, running wide on two corners and experiencing a violent weave as he tipped into the fast left hand curve at the top of the hill, losing places on each occasion.

Rossi chased the eventual race winner Max Biaggi in the early laps, sitting second and harrying his fellow Italian throughout. Sete Gibernau (Honda) closed in on the pairing until he fell from third place on lap eight, allowing fellow Honda riders Nicky Hayden and Alex Barros to move in on the act. Rossi broke Biaggi’s lead on lap 16, 0.7 seconds ahead at one stage, heading the order for a total of six laps. The young Italian’s challenge for maximum points faded, however, when he lost places consecutively to Biaggi, Barros and finally Hayden.

Rossi hounded Hayden right up to the finish line to take 13 valuable Championship points. The Yamaha rider now sits on a total of 139 points, with Biaggi on 138 and Gibernau on an unchanged 126 in third. Checa lies in seventh place with 62 points.

VALENTINO ROSSI (4th, 42:27.787)

“It’s a real shame that I fell off in Rio because I could have been 14 points ahead now. We made changes to the set-up before the race because we understood what the problem was at that time. The bike was going really well but the tyres were wearing on the left hand side and I would have risked crashing if I had pushed any harder. It was difficult to steer the bike towards the end. Honda has made another step forward and we are a bit behind. We need at least another race to make improvements, however we have still taken a present of some points today. Life is always a surprise. Max did really well and this has turned out to be one of Honda’s tracks. Our bike consumed the tyres more than the Hondas here.”

CARLOS CHECA (DNF, fell on lap 5)

“I lost the front but I was already on the gas. I simply did not have enough traction and I was carrying a lot of lean angle, so there was just not enough contact. It was my mistake. I need to be able to feel when I am on the limit but in a race situation this is not always easy to judge. I’m looking forward to Donington and I think we have taken a lot of good things from this weekend.”

DAVIDE BRIVIO – TEAM DIRECTOR

“Today we made some progress, and Valentino was good. He was fighting for more than half the race in front, keeping pace with Max and it was a perfect strategy. He passed Biaggi and tried to make a break but then in the last laps he could not keep the pace. This fourth place is very important when you look at the championship. We are back on top alone, even if only by one point. Carlos was going very well, as he did in morning warm up. In the race he was ready to stay with the top group. It’s a big shame he fell off. During the weekend we made some good progress with our set-up. We have little time to think about this weekend now because we go straight to Donington.”

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

CHEMNITZ, Germany (July 18, 2004) – It was a good day in Germany for John Hopkins and for Suzuki.

Hopkins, the 21-year-old Californian, took ninth in Sunday’s German Motorcycle Grand Prix on the Sachsenring circuit. It marked the first top-10 finish of the season and his best result since taking a seventh at Jerez, Spain, early in 2003. Hopkins finished directly behind teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr., putting both factory Suzuki GSV-Rs in the top 10.

Hopkins came into Sunday’s race having suffered an allergic reaction to a bee sting prior to Saturday’s qualifying session. He ended Saturday in a medical care center with an IV in his arm to treat the swelling in his left hand. Hopkins said the medicine caused some difficulties in getting a full night’s sleep, but he reported his hand was 100 percent better by race time.

Hopkins was happy with his result in Germany.

“We finally got into the top-10,” said the third year GP rider. “I didn’t get a great start and that cost me early in the race. I was trying to work my way through the field and I got stuck behind (Troy) Bayliss. He has totally different lines and his Ducati had just enough power to make it really tough to pass. He lost the front end and went down. Then I had a clear track and turned some good laps in the 24s. I caught up to a big group of riders that were having a good battle.”

The race was marked by high attrition and one of the accidents nearly caught up Hopkins.

“(Marco) Melandri high-sided and hit (Nori) Abe,” Hopkins explained. “I had to sit up and wait for the bikes to slide off the track. I then had a good little race with Kenny, but the charging I did to catch the group earlier in the race used up my tires a bit and I started to get a front end push. I had a big gap back to Alex Hofmann, a lot of people were going down and I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks trying to pass Kenny so I brought it home in ninth.”

Hopkins doubled his world championship points and jumped up to 18th in the standings. He’s hoping the finish in Germany will propel him to even better results in the near future.

“Everything is starting to come together,” Hopkins said. “We’re going to build on this top-10 result and hopefully shoot for a top five at Donington next week”

The second half of the MotoGP season kicks off next weekend, July 25, at the British Grand Prix in Donington Park.

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

NAKANO AND HOFMANN DELIVER SEASON BEST RESULT

Brilliant performances by Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann delivered a season best result for the Fuchs Kawasaki team in their home race at Sachsenring.

For the first time in two days there were smiles in the Fuchs Kawasaki pit box, to celebrate both riders finishing in the top ten for the first time this season.

Nakano was a fast-finishing seventh, just over two seconds behind fifth placed Honda rider Colin Edwards, while team-mate Hofmann was tenth.

In his home race 24-year-old Hofmann, the only German rider in the top flight MotoGP series, equalled his previous best MotoGP result, which he scored as a wild card at Sachsenring two years ago.

The result was a dramatic turnaround, after engine and set-up problems during Friday’s first practice and qualifying sessions cost the team valuable time.

However, both Nakano and Hofmann delivered superb, come-from-behind race performances to back-up the technical revisions made to their bikes on Saturday.

Nakano dropped from fifth on the grid to 12th at the end of lap two, after making a poor start. Just before the lights went out to start the race Nakano was distracted by liquid that had spilled onto his right boot, and he was uncertain if either water or oil may be leaking from his bike.

Having established his bike was running perfectly, Nakano began his surge forward. He caught and passed Suzuki rival Kenny Roberts on lap 18 for ninth position, which placed him in a tight group battle that included Makoto Tamada, Marco Melandri and Norick Abe.

Nakano narrowly avoided being involved in the spectacular crash that ended Melandri’s and Abe’s race, and finished strongly over the final laps for seventh place.

Hofmann also started slowly from 16th and ran wide during a crowded first lap on the tight Sachsenring circuit. That put him behind Spaniard Ruben Xaus, and it was lap ten before Hofmann found a way through on the difficult-to-pass track.

Free of bike problems, Hofmann rode fast and consistently over the next 20 laps, to secure a deserving tenth place finish. A capacity crowd of just over 93,000 spectators watched a race run in sunny and warm conditions, with a track temperature of 34 degrees.

Shinya Nakano: 7th
“This is a good result, which I did not really expect after the first day at the track. Even after qualifying my technicians were making a lot of changes to the bike, so I must thank them for their hard work and dedication. On the start line I looked down and saw liquid on my right boot and lost concentration just as the lights went out. I was back in 12th and just kept pushing until I was able to pass Roberts on the Suzuki, and then I had some luck when Melandri and Abe crashed right in front me. It’s great to see the team so happy after the problems we had on Friday and Saturday.”

Alex Hofmann: 10th
“I’m happy for the first time this weekend, and it is such a good feeling to be top ten again at my home race. I didn’t make a fast start and lost two places on the first lap, and then I took at least eight laps to get past Xaus; it took too long, and by then the group in front of me had opened a gap. I just concentrated on getting a good result to try and make up for the all the troubles of the previous two days. I wasn’t very confident after qualifying, but this shows that you should never give up in racing.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“I am absolutely delighted with the performance of the riders and the rest of the Fuchs Kawasaki team today. As always in racing you have to finish to be in the points, and both Shinya and Alex in the top ten is an excellent result considering the problems we have overcome. Friday was almost completely lost and our technicians made major revisions to the engine management components – plus chassis set-up – on Saturday. This result is because of all that hard work.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Biaggi back in the title hunt after Sachsenring win

Max Biaggi lies just one point behind MotoGP World Championship leader Valentino Rossi after taking his first win of the season at the Veltins Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, where Rossi took fourth place and Sete Gibernau crashed out for the second Grand Prix in succession. In another sensational race which marked the halfway point of the season, Alex Barros challenged Biaggi all the way to the line and clinched second place, with Nicky Hayden completing an all-Honda podium after passing Rossi in the closing stages and holding off a late attack from the World Champion. Gibernau’s crash sees him slip to third in the championship, twelve points adrift of Biaggi, and the Italian made no attempt to quell his delight.

“This is a fantastic result for me and really important for the championship,” said Biaggi, who had not won since October 2003 at Motegi. “It was a tough race because there are no long straights here to relax on and 30 laps of constant corners is hard work. But we did a good job here and I have to say thanks to my team and to Michelin. Now we have to keep working like this for the rest of the season.”

Gibernau’s crash came on the ninth lap of a hectic opening half of the race, with compatriot Carlos Checa having slid out of third place in front of him just four laps previously. Loris Capirossi provisionally moved up into what seemed to be a jinxed final podium position before also crashing out, with Marco Melandri adding to the crash tally with a spectacular high speed fall which also took out his team-mate Norick Abe.

The chaos aided Hayden’s charge through the field, with the American youngster recovering from twelfth place on the first lap to move up to third by lap ten before being joined by Barros in the hunt for breakaway leaders Rossi and Biaggi. Rossi led for six laps but began to encounter tyre problems as he tried to escape in the second half of the race and was powerless to resist the attacks of Biaggi, Barros and Hayden.

Colin Edwards clinched fifth place in the decimated field to hang on to fifth in the championship despite the growing threat of Hayden, with Makoto Tamada recovering from a bad start to make it five Hondas in the top six. Shinya Nakano took his best finish of the season in seventh place, just ahead of Suzuki pair Kenny Roberts and John Hopkins, with Kawasaki team-mate Alex Hofmann completing the top ten to the delight of the capacity 93,408 home crowd.

Dani Pedrosa strengthened his grip on the 250cc World Championship with the third win of his rookie season in a dominant performance. The young Spaniard took the lead on the second lap and immediately set a lightening pace to break up a tight lead group, with only Sebastian Porto able to give chase. Toni Elias crashed out as he also tried to push, leaving a fight for the final podium position between Alex De Angelis, Roby Rolfo, Hiroshi Aoyama and Randy De Puniet. Pedrosa’s pace was too hot for Porto and the pair both ran solitary races to the top two positions, with De Angelis sealing his first podium position in the class ahead of Aoyama. Fifth place for De Puniet means he now lies 25 points adrift of Pedrosa in the championship, with Porto a further 22 points behind in third.

Like Biaggi in the premier-class, fellow Italian Roberto Locatelli demonstrated that his championship challenge is far from over with his second victory of the season in the 125cc race. Locatelli burst from the second group in the final stages of the race to contest victory with Hector Barberá, Pablo Nieto and Andrea Dovizioso after Marco Simoncelli was ruled out of the fight for victory with a ride through penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag. Barberá eventually claimed second place, with Nieto edging out Dovizioso by 0.009 seconds for the final podium slot. Locatelli moves back ahead of Barberá to second in the championship by two points, with Dovizioso hanging on to his series lead by seven.

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

Fantastic victory for Max at the Sachsenring

It was a second consecutive victory for the Camel Honda team today. After Makoto’s win in Rio this time it was the turn of Max on the tortuous twists of Sachsenring, at the exact halfway point in the 2004 season. Once again there was a yellow RC211V ahead of the rest and this time it shoots Max to within a point of the championship lead at this crucial stage of this fantastic season. Alongside Max’s victory came a solid 6th place for Makoto Tamada, making a fightback during the race, and this completed a positive day for the Camel Honda team.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“I’m delighted, it’s the second consecutive triumph for the Camel Honda team and the first for Max this year. It’s a fantastic reward for the entire team and for Honda, Camel, and all our partners. I want to thank every single person in the Camel Honda team, they have all done a brilliant job. Now the championship is entering a really important phase. Max is just one point off the top, and today’s victory is an important confidence boost for Max and for the team, and we will continue to work immediately as we prepare for the British race in a week’s time.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin Tyres) – 1st – 42:23.287
“This is an incredibly important victory that I dedicate to a person that I shared a garage with for a year and a half, Antonio Cobas. I have wanted to dedicate a race to him for a long time, but I never got the chance: it needed to be a triumph. I’m obviously delighted, these 25 points change the standings and they fire us into an important second half of the season, which should be very hard fought. For this reason it’s better to keep our feet on the ground and to continue to work as we have done so far. The bike is improving, the relationship with the team is unbeatable and with both Honda and Michelin we are working superbly. The whole weekend went well, from the work we did on Friday, Saturday and also in the warm up this morning. I worked then on the suspension for the second half of the race, which I was more interested in. In fact, when Valentino passed me, I gritted my teeth and waited to attack. I caught my breath for a couple of laps and then returned the favour by waiting for a moment of weakness. Then on the last lap I closed all the doors on Barros, I didn’t want to lose it in the last metres after such a great race, that would have been awful. And it all paid off.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“Makoto made a good comeback through the race today, making sixth by the finish line after having crossed in 17th place after the first lap, and being unable to give 100%. Makoto said he had some chattering problems in the rear tyre that the technical staff are looking at now. We gave everything we could in the situation we were in, and we will certainly do better next week. I’m happy about Max’s important victory and for the all-Honda podium.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone Tyres) – 6th – 42:39.769
“I tried to fight back as much as possible, but there were a lot of crashes in front of me. I think I did well considering the shape we were in, and it was a good duel with Colin Edwards. In the end he was stronger and if I’d have tried any harder to go past him, for sure I would have ended up crashing out. We need to understand the rear tyre vibrations that also made the front unstable too. Anyway, it was a great race, and I like the track a bit better now.”

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

SETE CRASHES AGAIN, GOOD 5th POSITION FOR COLIN

Sete Gibernau fell for the second consecutive race in the German GP. The Telefonica Movistar Honda MotoGP rider lost control of his front wheel on the eighth lap when placed third behind Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi. Sete cut a dispondent figure as he made his way to the box, but team-mate Colin Edwards rode a good race to finish fifth after starting on the fourth row.

SETE GIBERNAU (fell): “There’s not much I can say now. We had another good weekend until the final part. I want to try and take it calmly, analyse excatly what happened and leave Germany remembering that there is still a lot of the championship left and hope that my bad luck will come to an end at Donington. It’s going to be very important to recover mentally, to arrive in England thinking that nothing has yet been decided and that we can continue to be strong.”

COLIN EDWARDS (5th, + 16.137): “Yesterday we found a good set-up for the race but, even so, we made a few small changes which I felt better with in the warm-up. I got a good start and tried to push forward, but the traffic got in my way. The front end dtarted to tuck from the third lap and it was really difficult to control the bike through turns 5, 6 and 7. I would like to be fighting for the podium but after starting from so far back, fifth place is a good result.”

FAUSTO GRESINI (Team manager): “It is Sete’s second consecutive crash and the truth is that it doesn’t help at a time when it is important to score points, but that’s racing. Now we have to analyse why it happened and keep working as we have done up to now. There’s no need to give up, we have lost a battle but not the war. We are still in with a great chance in the championship and, even though this is a tough time, I have confidence in the team and I’m sure they’ll be back where they belong”.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI MARLBORO OUT OF LUCK AT THE ‘RING

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss had high hopes for today’s German GP at the Sachsenring but both men were out of luck, tumbling out of a crash-strewn race that claimed a total of seven victims, almost one-third of the original grid. None of the riders were badly hurt in the accidents, which were attributed to the track offering less grip than it had throughout the five practice, qualifying and warm-up sessions.

Despite the Ducati Marlboro Team’s luckless day – its first double DNF since last year’s French GP – the squad leaves Germany convinced that it is continuing an upward trend in performance. Both Bayliss and Capirossi had been amongst the fastest riders in race trim on Friday and Saturday, further confirmation that the factory’s new Twin Pulse engine is improving machine performance.

“That was a very disappointing race,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “All weekend both our riders had run a very good race pace, which made us very confident that we could run close to the front. And that’s exactly what Loris was doing – he was third and less than two seconds behind the leaders when he slid off. Troy had a bad start and was recovering from that when he fell. The track had less grip than at any other point of the weekend, there were many more crashes than is usual. But despite today’s result, we showed that we are competitive again, and that’s the most important thing.”

Today’s race, watched by 93,000 fans, was won by Max Biaggi, the Italian’s first win of 2004 bringing him to within one point of series leader Valentino Rossi, who could only manage fourth.

CAPIROSSI THIRD, THEN FALLS
Loris Capirossi was riding a storming race when he fell at one-third distance while chasing the leaders. The Ducati Marlboro Team man had worked his way up from seventh on lap one to move into third on lap nine when joint World Championship leader Sete Gibernau slid off ahead of him. The next lap Capirossi was also down, between turns 1 and 2.

“I was going okay,” said Capirossi, somewhat bemused by his crash. “I was running a fast pace and when I saw Sete fall I knew I was third, just a couple of seconds behind Max and Valentino. I was trying to catch them when I lost the rear. That’s racing.”

BAYLISS’ HOPES SPOILED BY TUMBLE
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss had set a superb pace in qualifying, running always very fast in race trim during all the practices and in the Sunday morning warm up. The Australian was confident of achieving his best result of the year so far. But it was not to be. A bad start left him 13th at the end of the first lap and he slipped another place on the next lap before starting a steady recovery. Then he fell on lap 12 at the last curve before the straight.

“I didn’t feel good on the bike this afternoon,” explained Bayliss. “I didn’t feel the same as I’d felt in practice and qualifying, then the bike let go. I’m not happy.”

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

Mission accomplished

The Sachsenring circuit saw an exciting race today in which the d´Antin MotoGP team met their objectives and continued to pick up vital championship points. After a tough time in qualifying both Hodgson and Xaus prepared for their first race at the tight and twisty circuit with the intention of scoring top fifteen finishes, with Rubén crossing the line eleventh and Neil two places behind.

The result means the Spaniard and the Brit both gain a place in the championship, with the next round at Donington Park in a week’s time.

RUBÉN XAUS : “I am happy, although I know it could have been better. I was losing eight tenths in one section of the track and I couldn’t work it out in qualifying. If I hadn’t had problems in that section then I’m sure I could have been fighting for seventh or eighth. But I finished well, I wasn’t tired and I gathered experience. Basically, it was a tough race but I finished and I scored points. After getting through Brazil and Germany, I’m looking forward to getting back to more familiar surroundings at Donington.”

NEIL HODGSON: ” It was a tough race and a difficult weekend, like Brazil. In the twisty section of the circuit it was hard for me to steer the bike where I wanted to but that is a problem we’ve had all weekend and we knew that our objective today was to finish the race and score points. We’ve managed that and know I can say that I know this circuit, although I have suffered over the last two races. The next one is my home race and I am looking forward to getting to Donington.”

LUIS D´ANTIN : “This was a new circuit for both our riders and it was almost as tough as Brazil, but both Neil and Rubén are riders who know how to get the most out of themselves in any situation and today their sights were fixed on finishing in the points. They are both getting over obstacles and I think we have to be satisfied and think about the next race, which will be really important for the whole team and especially for Neil.”

More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Brave McWilliams claims best yet for Cube

MS Aprilia Racing rider Jeremy McWilliams rode through the pain barrier in today’s sun-soaked German GP to claim his best MotoGP result of the 2004 season.

The British rider finished in 12th place as he overcame excrutiating pain from a back injury suffered in a crash yesterday to score points for the third successive race. McWilliams doubted whether he’d be fit to ride his three-cylinder Cube machine over 30 punishing laps as he hardly slept overnight as a result of the final qualifying tumble. McWilliams had been stuck on the back by his bike yesterday afternoon, but with typical grit and determination, he battled on and was rewarded with Aprilia’s second best result of the year in front of 93,000 sun-drenched fans.

Jeremy said: “That really was hard work because physically I’m a bit beaten up. I have to say a big thanks to Doctor Costa because he worked wonders on me. Last night I didn’t think I could race. I didn’t get much sleep because I’d taken such a big bash on my back. The race was tough because the one tyre I really liked I was told wouldn’t last the race distance by Michelin. The tyre I liked I’d been doing consistent 1.25 laps on in qualifying, and was doing those times after a 20-lap endurance run which is the longest I’ve done on the Aprilia. In my condition, I was happy to let Michelin make my choice. Considering my condition I’m happy to have scored some more points and finished top British rider. I’m sure I’ll be feeling better next weekend for my home race at Donington, which is obviously a big weekend for me.”

Shane Byrne scored two world championship points as he finished in 14th position after what proved to be a tough race for the reigning British superbike champion. Plagued by a front end traction problem, Shakey said: “This circuit is all about being confident in the front end. Going through the downhill section at the start of the lap, the front just kept washing out. There is nothing else I could have done to go one-tenth faster. If I had have done I would have crashed. I have just to re-group and get myself ready for my home race at Donington.”

Today was the first time this season that both McWilliams and Byrne have finished in the points together, highlighting the hard work and effort Noale engineers have been putting in to improve the Cube.

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

Proton Riders find bad luck in Germany

Nobuatsu Aoki: DNF – crash
Kurtis Roberts: DNF – retired

Proton Team KR riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Kurtis Roberts both failed to finish in today’s German GP, with Aoki crashing out early in the race, and Roberts pitting towards the finish to retire, after running in to several problems that conspired against him after earlier battling for a position in the points.

Aoki’s crash came eight minutes and three laps into the race, after a good start saw him swapping places with World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson’s Ducati. The rueful Japanese ace, unhurt in the tumble, admitted later that his strong start had tempted him to “push too hard”.

Roberts had been running well, holding his place in a battle for the last championship points. Then a wheel vibration and clutch problems slowed his progress, and he pulled into the pits with four of the 30 laps remaining.

It was a disappointing end at a twisty circuit that minimised the developing Proton KR V5’s top speed deficit, and played to the good handling of the state-of-the-art chassis.

The race was watched by a massive crowd of more than 93,000 people, basking in hot sunshine and packing the grandstands of the Sachsenring circuit, the shortest track of the year, built to replace the classic public-roads circuit last used for GPs in the Seventies.

It was won by Max Biaggi (Honda), the Italian rider’s first win of the year. Title rival and defending champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) could manage no better than fourth, while erstwhile points leader Sete Gibernau (Honda) was won of a number of riders to crash out on the tight bends.

Nobuatsu Aoki
My race seemed to be going okay. I got a good start, and once I passed Hodgson’s Ducati I thought I might be able to battle with him for the race. Actually, that was not the case, and I think I pushed too hard. The back end slipped away and I crashed.

Kurtis Roberts
Early in the race, my engine developed a misfire, with the ignition cutting out at high revs. That was gradually getting worse, then with 17 laps to go I started to get a vibration as well. Then the clutch started to go. When I got into Turn One and I had no lever left, I was pretty sure that with all the problems I wouldn’t ge

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:25.236
2. Sebastian PORTO, Aprilia, 1:25.277
3. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 1:25.633
4. Toni ELIAS, Honda, 1:25.930
5. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:25.977
6. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:26.024
7. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:26.091
8. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:26.195
9. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:26.256
10. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Honda, 1:26.300
11. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:26.413
12. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, 1:26.511
13. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:26.519
14. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:26.530
15. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:26.723
16. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:26.728
17. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:26.798
18. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, 1:26.868
19. Jakub SMRZ, Honda, 1:27.290
20. Taro SEKIGUCHI, Yamaha, 1:27.403


Final Combined 250cc Qualifying Results:

1. S.PORTO, 1:25.078
2. A.DE ANGELIS, 1:25.236
3. R.ROLFO, 1:25.386
4. R.DE PUNIET, 1:25.535
5. D.PEDROSA, 1:25.633
6. M.POGGIALI, 1:25.652
7. T.ELIAS, 1:25.719
8. F.NIETO, 1:25.783
9. N.MATSUDO, 1:26.195
10. F.BATTAINI, 1:26.256
11. S.GUINTOLI, 1:26.260
12. H.AOYAMA, 1:26.300
13. A.DEBON, 1:26.353
14. A.WEST, 1:26.405
15. D.HEIDOLF, 1:26.511
16. J.OLIVE, 1:26.530
17. C.DAVIES, 1:26.714
18. A.BALDOLINI, 1:26.720
19. Klaus NÖHLES, 1:26.795
20. Hugo MARCHAND, 1:27.133

From a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki:

CORONA EXTRA SUZUKI WELCOMES BACK JIMMY MOORE

Jimmy Moore, who won back-to-back national SuperStock championships for Corona Extra Suzuki in 2001 and 2002, will return to AMA competition with the team. Jimmy, whose ambition to win a 3rd straight title was dashed in a freak Turn One incident at Brainerd in 2003, feels ready to resume racing. He’ll rejoin the fray at Road Atlanta and race the Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R1000 SuperStock bike in the final two rounds of AMA Championship racing. Jimmy said; ” I am really pleased to be back on Corona bikes. I feel strong enough to race at Mid-Ohio but don’t want to come back until I’m 100 percent. If I wait until Road Atlanta, it’ll give me almost two months of lifting weights and riding my dirt bike so I can be as ready as I’ve ever been!”

Needless to say, the Team’s stoked to have the former champ heading back to Corona. Team principal Landers Sevier said; “We can’t wait to get Jimmy back on the bike. We’ve got a bunch of lost time to make up since Brainerd last year – Jimmy won a load of races for us before and we can do it again! Look for fireworks in Braselton, GA!

Look for Jimmy in the final four rounds of AMA Superbike as well. He wants all the track time he can get and both Road Atlanta and the final at V.I.R. are Superbike double-headers so he can get plenty of practice and back up to speed!