Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Grand Prix of Valencia
Valencia, Spain
Saturday Afternoon MotoGP Qualifying Results:
1. Valentino ROSSI, Honda, 1:32.478
2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:33.148
3. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:33.275
4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:33.348
5. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:33.454
6. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:33.575
7. Colin EDWARDS, Aprilia, 1:33.984
8. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:34.247
9. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, 1:34.286
10. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:34.398
11. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:34.467
12. Shinya NAKANO, Yamaha, 1:34.677
13. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:34.742
14. Garry McCOY, Kawasaki, 1:34.912
15. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Proton, 1:34.975
16. Andrew PITT, Kawasaki, 1:35.125
17. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:35.178
18. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:35.269
19. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:35.439
20. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, 1:35.572
21. Olivier JACQUE, Yamaha, 1:35.816
22. Noriyuki HAGA, Aprilia, 1:37.850
23. David DE GEA, Harris WCM, 1:36.604
24. Chris Burns, Harris WCM, no time, DNQ
More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:
Tamada thirteenth, but ready to race
The Japanese Pramac Honda Team rider put in an intense day of work today, with two entire sessions dedicated to testing tyres for the race. After yesterday’s changeable weather conditions, Makoto agreed with the team
technicians that it would be best to ride solely with the race configuration, leaving aside the settings and tyres for the fast lap for the pole. So his 13th place will put him on the fourth row of the grid, but the final choice of tyres to maintain a good rhythm in the race has indeed been found.
The team technicians also worked to make Makoto’s bike more suitable for the special characteristics of the Valencia circuit, making it easier to handle and more efficient when braking – this means that if the weather conditions during the race are like today’s, or even warmer, Tamada should be pretty competitive. But the Japanese rider will have to do all the rest, since his starting position is none too favourable: Makoto will have to bring all his customary skill to bear if he is to battle his way up.
MAKOTO TAMADA (PRAMAC HONDA TEAM): 13th – 1:34.742
“We’ve tried out lots of tyres and now, after the endurance tests, we’ve got the definitive solution for the race. I refrained from trying out softer qualifying ones to get a fast lap time so that I could get better references for the race configuration, and all went well. Even so, I think the first few laps of the race won’t be too easy as the tyres reach best performance
only after a certain distance, so especially if it’s hotter tomorrow, I should be OK. Today we concentrated our work on the race configuration, so I wasn’t able to get a good lap time for the starting grid. But I’ll try to make up for that by going flat out right from the start.”
More, from a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:
HOPKINS HEADS UP FIFTH ROW AT VALENCIA
VALENCIA, Spain (Nov. 1, 2003) – John Hopkins rode his Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP motorcycle to a time of 1:35.178 in the final qualifying session for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Valencia. Hopkins will head up the fifth row of the starting grid.
His Suzuki teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr., will start along side him. Hopkins turned his best qualifying time very late in Saturday’s after suffering gearbox problems throughout much of qualifying. While Hopkins was focused on turning in a solid performance in the series finale, his thoughts were also on friends and family back home in Southern California, where devastating wildfires reached his hometown of Ramona this past week.
Hopkins was able to trim over a second off his qualifying time from Friday, despite spending much of Saturday’s final qualifying in and out of the pits.
“We had electrical problems that affected the gearbox,” Hopkins said. “The bike would shift out of sync and the team was chasing the problem the entire session. I went to the B bike, but it has a totally different chassis and set-up so it was not happening. Finally they made a band aid fix on the A bike’s gearbox and I went back out with 10 minutes to go and put my head down for five laps and was fortunate to get the time I did.”
Hopkins said a proper set-up is crucial on the demanding four-kilometer Valencia circuit.
“This track is one of the most tight and technical in the series,” he explained. “Everything has to be precise here and unfortunately our bike was far from it today. We’re hoping to solve the shifting issues tonight and be ready for the race tomorrow. I’m confident that if the bike is working that I can have a decent result here.”
Hopkins kept his eye on the news via TV and the internet and was in close touch with his family last week during the Southern California wildfires.
“People I know and went to school with lost their houses,” said Hopkins. “My family was evacuated and the fire came within a mile of my place. It looks like the danger is over in the Ramona area, but I have a sister who lives in the high desert north of L.A. and they’re still not totally out of danger. I nearly flew home so I could save what I could, but fortunately everything was brought under control. When something like that happens it really puts things into perspective.”
More, from a press release issued by Alice Aprilia:
SECOND ROW FOR EDWARDS
A good work and a big effort at the Alice Aprilia Racing Team box thus Colin Ewdards put his RS Cube in the second row today after an exciting qualifying session. Unfortunately Haga was not able to equal his team mate performance because of the loss of feeling with the bike. Ivano Beggio, the Aprilia President, watched the session at the box together with the whole team: “I am satisfied about Colin’s result – said the President – and I still feel excited when I attend the races after many years. I hope to feel the same emotion for the race tomorrow”.
COLIN EDWARDS: “I am very satisfied as we work hard and find the right balance to stay with the firsts. The setting for the race is quite good.. maybe it’s too late but I want to get a great result for Aprilia”.
NORIYUKI HAGA: “I am very sorry but was not able to get the right feeling on this track. I made a big confusion trying to find the right setting with the soft tyre. Thus I lost too much time. ”
GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “A positive day without any doubt: the bike is pretty suitable to this track and Colin made a good work with the qualifying tyre. We found the right pace in order to fight for the podium”.
More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:
FUCHS KAWASAKI RIDERS MAKE DRAMATIC SURGE AT VALENCIA
Fuchs Kawasaki riders, Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt, ignored illness and injury to record impressive final qualifying performances for tomorrow’s season ending Valencia Grand Prix.
Both riders sliced nearly two seconds from their Friday times to surge forward onto the fourth row of the grid. Just two tenths of second separated the hard riding Australian pair, with McCoy to start from 14th and Pitt 16th for the 30 lap race at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Pitt’s qualifying effort is his best for the season.
Following intense cortisone treatment at the Clinca Mobile for an asthma attack, McCoy’s health improved dramatically today after he had considered withdrawing from racing yesterday afternoon.
McCoy, who is making his final GP appearance for Kawasaki tomorrow, used the morning free practice session to spend time fine tuning the set-up on the revised “softer feel” Ninja ZX-RR chassis made available for the final GP of the season. McCoy has elected to race this machine, after posting his fastest qualifying lap on the bike, which also features modified engine mountings.
Putting aside bruising and minor ligament damage in his right shoulder Pitt made an early surge in final qualifying and held an impressive 12th on the grid for much of the session. As the pressure mounted late in the session the Australian responded with an even faster lap time and, although slightly disappointed not to make the most of his final qualifying run, he was happy with an effort that knocked 1.7s from his Friday time.
Garry McCoy – 14th – 1:34.912
“I’ve been to the Clinica for cortisone treatment after every session and I felt a whole lot better today. Yesterday was tough, I nearly stopped riding. In the morning session we were able to de-bug the set-up on the softer chassis option and it felt more comfortable than the standard ZX-RR, so that’s the bike I’ll race. Tomorrow is my last day of work with Kawasaki and I’d like to make it a good race, especially at this track where I’ve won the GP, been third on the podium and qualified on the front row; I’ll be giving it a big go as usual. The only thing to do in the morning is a back-up run on some race tyres and hopefully we’ve got one for 30 laps.”
Andrew Pitt – 16th – 1:35.125
“That’s my best qualifying so far in MotoGP for Kawasaki so I’m pleased about that; although I was hoping to go a couple tenths quicker on my last run and stay in front of Gaz. On my final hot lap I came across a bunch of guys through turn one and that upset my rhythm. On race tyres I punched out some good laps mid-session, and if the tyres stay consistent over 30 laps, then we might surprise ourselves in the race; twelfth like last year would be good, although the depth of competition is much tougher this time around. My shoulder is no problem while I’m riding, although it’s a bit sore off the bike.”
Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“The trend of recent races with the Ninja ZX-RR coming closer to the front of the field has been confirmed, and again we are ahead of many of our more experienced factory rivals. Both Andrew and Garry did a good job today and made a big step forward from Friday; now we just need to back this up with both riders finishing in the points, it should be possible.”
More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:
CHECA EDGED OFF FRONT ROW BUT REMAINS CONFIDENT
Fortuna Yamaha riders Carlos Checa and Norick Abe rode a steady final qualifying session this afternoon to keep their respective fifth and
eleventh positions on the starting grid for tomorrow’s Valencia Grand Prix. The Spanish round marks the last of the sixteen races that have formed the 2003 MotoGP World Championship. Both Checa and Abe, the latter this weekend replacing injured Fortuna Yamaha regular Marco Melandri, improved on yesterday’s lap times in significantly better weather conditions than yesterday.
Checa entered the usual last minute battle for the top grid spots and improved his time to a fastest lap of 1:33.454. In almost a repeat performance of yesterday, Checa looked set to secure a front row start but was knocked to the front of the second row in the closing minutes of the session by Honda rider Nicky Hayden. Checa used his morning practice session to test Yamaha’s latest evolution of the M1’s Deltabox chassis, as well as setting some times aboard his current spec bike. This afternoon the Spaniard opted for the latest spec, having found it gave him an overall better feeling, and will continue to use it for tomorrow’s practice session and 30-lap race.
“The new chassis gave me a much better feeling this morning, and this afternoon it felt a bit better,” explained Checa. “We still need a little time to set the chassis up for the race, and so tomorrow morning we will have the chance to test it further in the warm up. The main benefit I have felt today from the latest chassis is that I can keep the front on the
ground more and control the rear when the bike is on its side We’ve made one step in its set-up, and now we need to make another to be ready. I think the race will be a very demanding 30 laps, and it will be very tough on tyres.”
Checa’s temporary team-mate Norick Abe, who the Fortuna Yamaha Team has drafted in to replace Marco Melandri, also improved on yesterday’s time, setting a fastest lap of 1:34.467. Melandri is still recovering from a shoulder operation he underwent earlier in the week. Abe also tested the new M1 chassis today, and having found immediate benefits from it this morning, continued working on set-up this afternoon.
“I compared the current and the new chassis this morning and finally decided to use the new one because it gave me better feedback,” explained Japanese Abe. “I also used a slightly different engine spec, which we set up with the new chassis. Towards the end of this afternoon’s session it finally felt good and that is the package I used to improve my time. It was the same position as yesterday, and I’m a little disappointed as I wanted to improve. Anyway I hope to make a good start tomorrow. I normally get away quickly and I hope to be able to fight with the top riders.”
Team Director Davide Brivio said, “We’re pleased that both riders have been able to test the new chassis today. The initial feedback from both is positive, and they will both use the new development again tomorrow. Carlos is quite confident and has set some consistent times, and Norick is also doing a good job. We hope both riders will have a good race tomorrow and then preparation for next year will begin almost immediately with a two-day test to further work on the new chassis.”
MotoGP’s 2003 World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda) took pole position as well as breaking the circuit record with a time of 1:32.478, followed by Spaniard Sete Gibernau (Honda) who also improved on his provisional time, with 1:33.148. Ducati’s Loris Capirossi and Honda rider Nicky Hayden complete the front row.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:
ROSSI SETS POLE WITH FASTEST EVER VALENCIA LAP
The high winds that had marked the first day of qualifying at Valencia abated to some degree, and the warmer track conditions allowed world Champion Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) to secure pole position, his ninth of the year, with a superb time of 1:32.478. Rossi is now well placed to score an equal number of race wins, his total currently halted on eight after his most recent success in Australia.
This fastest ever lap of the 4.005km circuit came late in the session, after two of Valentino’s great championship rivals from the early season, Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati) had beaten his previous best from the first qualifying session on Friday, temporarily displacing Rossi to third on the timesheets. Rossi had regained the advantage near the end yet still pushed to the edge even at the very end of the session, to ensure his pole position.
Gibernau, guaranteed second in the championship already, matched his finishing position by securing second in qualifying, with Capirossi third and Rossi’s ever-more impressive team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) in fourth spot. Hayden had been fast all weekend, and was the biggest threat to Rossi for the majority of the two hours of timed qualifying. He was also the first of the top riders to secure a time faster than his Friday best, after only ten minutes of the final hour.
Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) was the only rider out on the same final lap as the late charging Rossi, but could make no impact on the front row places, finishing sixth, behind top Yamaha rider Carlo Checa. Colin Edwards (Aprilia) and Alex Barros (Yamaha) went seventh and eighth, in a field of 23 riders.
Biaggi’s team-mate, Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) finished 1.808 seconds from pole in ninth position, and the Bridgestone shod RC211V of Makoto Tamada was an unlucky 13th.
For Rossi the Valencia circuit has seldom been kind but this year he has made his intentions clear from the outset.
“The last lap was very, very good,” said the understated Rossi. “I used two qualifiers, the first wasn’t so good but the second one was very good. Usually I find this track harder than the others but so far so good and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Gibernau, who has won four races so far this season, put in his usual fighting performance, and is pleased with his work so far on one of his home circuits.
“We are pushing hard and fighting to win,” said Gibernau. “The bike is working very well but tomorrow’s race will be difficult. We are fighting for a podium at every race so we are doing OK. I have mixed emotions because I have already got second place in the championship but the home crowd will stop me from relaxing and keep me pushing.”
Hayden was delighted with his front row start, a new landmark in the rookie rider’s GP experience.
“I am taking it one day at a time,” said Hayden, “The bike is working good on a track that I don’t know that well. But it is a track that I am sort of used to – tight and twisty – and you’ve got to let it all hang out. This is our first front row and I had my first P1 in this morning’s unofficial session too and that has never happened before. I’m getting stronger all the time.”
Biaggi was mystified by the lack of lap time but looks to the race itself for salvation. “I’m not very happy today,” said the four-time 250cc champion. “Compared to the winter tests we did here, our time is worse. It’s not that I don’t like the track because last year I was on pole. Tomorrow I’ll have to try really hard to stay in contention but at least the tyre choice is already made.”
Ukawa struggled throughout qualifying, and was also unable to understand why previous performances at Valencia could not be matched. “That was no good,” said the disappointed Japanese. “We didn’t even improve on the lap time from last year. We have some problems getting out of the turns and also acceleration is not as good as I would like. I tried many things but this programme of changes we made was not working for me. Tomorrow I must try some more options and maybe take a gamble on some things. On the upside – tyre choice is almost made for the race.”
A tough day for the recently pre-eminent rookie Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) saw him in 13th place, much to his chagrin. He was nonetheless happy to have made progress in tyre choice. “Today we concentrated our work on the race configuration, so I wasn’t able to get a good lap time for the starting grid. I’ll try to make up for that by going flat out from the start. We’ve tried a lot of tyres and now, after the endurance tests, we’ve got a definitive solution for the race.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) improved on his Friday performance and qualified 20th for the race, ahead of three other riders. “This is my first time here, and I like the circuit,” stated Kiyonari, “The bike is running really, really well. This is my last MotoGP race and I want to leave with a good memory, so I hope for a good result tomorrow.”
The pre-race balance of power in the 250 championship swung towards points leader Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia) as Honda hopeful Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) could only finish tenth, despite some valiant and frequent efforts to join Poggiali on the front row. Two other Honda riders, Alex Debon (Troll Honda BQR RS250RW) and Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Jnr. Honda RS250RW) scored grid places ahead of him, in fifth and ninth respectively.
Randy De Puniet (Aprilia) took pole with a time of 1:36.499, 1.611 seconds up on Rolfo. Tony Elias (Aprilia) went into second place on the grid, ahead of Sylvian Guintoli (Aprilia) and Poggiali.
For Rolfo, a front-end feel problem held back his lap times. “I cannot get the feel I want from the front end,” said Rolfo, “and that makes the bike feel heavy – difficult to turn into corners naturally. It’s not the way I want it to feel.”
Porto had similar experiences across the weekend so far. “In both qualifying session we had problems with the suspension,” said Porto. “I cannot understand this because we already had a base setting we had used before – but the bike was unrideable. We have changed virtually every item on the cycle parts but nothing seems to eradicate it.”
World Champion Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS125R), recuperating from the injuries he sustained in qualifying at the Phillip Island Grand Prix, knows he had no chance to compete in his home GP. Nonetheless, he will watch the race from trackside on Sunday.
After Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) went to the top of the time sheets with just under ten minutes left of the final qualifying session the blue flame was lit under the leading pack, as half a dozen riders swapped the pole position between them until the final seconds had elapsed.
Alex De Angelis (Aprilia) secured the start from the prime position after overcoming the high winds on his final lap, with a best time of 1:40.440. Such was the competition that the previous pole time of Pedrosa, 1:39.426, would have been under serious threat, but the high winds conspired to keep speeds down.
Pablo Nieto (Aprilia) attacked the course to secure second place, with Marco Simoncelli (Aprilia) and Hector Barbera (Aprilia) completing the front row.
Despite his impressive determination throughout, Dovizioso starts from the second row, in fifth place, with the next best Honda rider Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) commencing his Valencia GP on row five, having set 20th best time.
“I tried very hard to hang onto my front row slot,” said Dovizioso, “but when I went out at the end I couldn’t find anyone else to run with. The bike is good, we only have a small problem with the front suspension to deal with in the morning warm up.”
For Luthi a small crash dropped him down the starting order. “I had a little crash and that meant that I didn’t get in as many laps as I wanted,” said the Swiss teenager. “The first half of final qualifying was OK, I came in to get a new rear tyre and when I went out I had no one to run with, setting a lap on my own.”
Veteran Masao Azuma (Ajo Motorsports Honda RS125R) qualified 31st in his final 125c race.
HONDA TEAM QUOTES:
MotoGP:
Valentino Rossi , Repsol Honda, 1st: “The last lap was very, very good. I had two qualification tyres for use today as I didn’t use either yesterday. The first one was already good (32.8) but then we try for the second one. We cut right before the flag. We ride very well and use 100% of the qualification tyre and it is possible to make a fantastic time. I’m very happy because I find this track much more difficult than the others but today we ride very well. We wait for tomorrow and hope for good weather. There are already very many people here. We hope to make a good show tomorrow.”
Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 2nd: “We have worked very well today. We maintained a good rhythm throughout the majority of the session, lapping in 1’33 on race tyres. We have met our objective of a front row start and this is important for tomorrow’s race. Obviously I would have liked to be on pole position but in the end it wasn’t to be. Tomorrow will be a long race in which tyre wear will be crucially important. I’m sure the fans here will be in great voice as always and I want to give everything back to them and put on a good show”.
Fausto Gresini, Team Manager: “The team did a great job today – we start tomorrow from the front row. Sete looks to be in good form and it would be very nice for him to conclude a fantastic season with another victory”.
Nicky Hayden , Repsol Honda 4th: “I’m takin’ one day at a time but today felt pretty good. I need a little more speed but the pace feels good. I came to this track no really knowing it but it’s kinda’ what I’m used to. Tight and a little scrappy. Gotta’ hang it out round here. I’m havin’ a lotta’ fun at the last race of the year. I’ve got no reason to hold anything back. I’ve gotta’ go for it and try and finish the year strong. This mornin’ I was P1 and now a front row. That’s two things that have never happened in GP before. I never expected it to be easy. Just a little more time and we’re going to be dangerous!”
Max Biaggi, Camel Pramac Pons, 6th: : “I´m not very happy today. Compared to the winter tests we did here, our time is worse. It´s not that I don´t like the track because last year I was on pole. Tomorrow I´ll have to try really hard to stay in contention. But at least the tyre choice is already made.”
Tohru Ukawa, Camel Pramac Pons: 9th: “That was no good. We didn´t even improve on the lap time from last year. We have some problems getting out of the turns and also acceleration is not as good as I would like. I tried many things but this programme of changes we made was not working for me.
Tomorrow I must try some more options and maybe take a gamble on some things. On the upside – tyre choice is almost made for the race.”
Makoto Tamada, Pramac Honda Team, 13th: “We’ve tried out lots of tyres and now, after the endurance tests, we’ve got the definitive solution for the race. I refrained from trying out softer qualifying ones to get a fast lap time so that I could get better references for the race configuration, and all went well. Even so, I think the first few laps of the race won’t be too easy as the tyres reach best performance only after a certain distance, so especially if it’s hotter tomorrow, I should be OK. Today we concentrated our work on the race configuration, so I wasn’t able to get a good lap time for the starting grid. But I’ll try to make up for that by going flat out right from the start.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 20th: “We have done a good job with the set-up of the bike and I am ready to push to the maximum in my last MotoGP race. I hope to get a good start and go on to take my last points”.
250cc:
Sebastian Porto, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Jnr Team, 9th : “In both qualifying session we had problems with the suspension,” said Porto. “I cannot understand this because we already had a base setting we had used before – but the bike was unrideable. We have changed virtually every item on the cycle parts but nothing seems to eradicate it.”
Roberto Rolfo, Fortuna Honda, 10th: “We could not solve all our problems in the final qualifying session today. The front end feels too heavy going into the corners and that restricts me from riding naturally and safely, in the way I should.”
“We’ve been talking over a lot of aspects and have tested two possible solutions but neither was adequate. We have more ideas to try and we have to push hard to find answers to the questions. Anyway we are not far from where we need to be and we must not loose our concentration.”
“We have been in this position on several occasions and I think, just like before, that we will find the solutions we need. The most important thing is for me to be alert and make a good start when the lights go on. After that the race will decide where the title goes but we are going to give everything we have and fight for the title to the very last corner.”
125cc:
Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Racing Honda, 5th: “I was hoping I would hold my position on the front row but I couldn’t find anybody to run with over the last couple of laps. The bike is good, just little problem on the front suspension but we can fix that for the warm up. The engine is good, the only real question is which race tyre we choose, we will decide after the warm up in the morning.”
Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda, 20th: “This morning I had a small crash and didn’t get in as many laps as I wanted to. In qualifying the first half went OK and I came to the pit to take fresh tyres. When I went out I had time for five or so laps but the fast guys were at the other side of the circuit so I had to try for a time alone. The engine and suspension are good the only thing we have to decide is which tyres to race with. Down in 20th place I will need a good start if I am to take anything from the race.”
Masao Azuma, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 31st: “We have many problems with the engine and the suspension. Everything was close yesterday but today I just have no feeling with the bike. At the moment I don’t know where we have to start work to get ready for the warm up.”
Simone Corsi, Scot Racing Honda, 33rd: “I have a problem with the front suspension I cannot hold my line in the corners otherwise not so bad. We have to decide which tyre to run after the warm up, the weather might change. My leg is not giving me any real pain but it was a little bit difficult on the bike today in a couple of places.”
Andrea Ballerini, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 32nd: “The bike isn’t working as good as yesterday. I had a shifter problem from first to second gear that cost me time around here. The front tyre was not working well at all. That is really confusing because the temperature is not high enough to cause us a problem. Not a very happy qualifying session.”
More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:
Proton KR riders overcome spare-bike blues
Jeremy McWilliams: 15th, 1:34.975
Nobuatsu Aoki: 19th, 1:35.439
Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki will start tomorrow’s final 2003 GP from the fourth and fifth rows of the starting grid, after a final qualifying session when both slashed around one second off their best times of yesterday, even though both had problems with the better of their pair of Proton KR V5 machines.
McWilliams slipped off his bike at one of the 4.005km circuit’s many tight corners. He was unhurt, vaulting athletically over the tyre barrier to get a lift back to the pits. But the accident forced him to switch to his spare bike, with less amenable settings and feel for this circuit, and also left him short of time to work on improving his qualifying position.
Aoki had an engine problem with his preferred machine and also switched to his spare, with similar difficulties of imperfect feel. All the same, he finished the session with a much-improved time.
Tomorrow’s race is the last of the 16-race season, and the tenth for the radical 990cc four-stroke Proton KR V5, which came racing as a rough prototype after the start of the year. Steady progress has seen the machine achieve not only much-improved reliability but also better power and speed. But it was never more than a development machine, and already the team is looking ahead to next year’s machine to take them closer to becoming fully competitive.
Testing for the 2004 machine starts two days after the final race, at the Valencia circuit, when both riders will test a brand-new chassis. The chassis arrived from the England base by road yesterday.
Today’s practice took place in mild sunshine, after cold and very gusty conditions yesterday. 2003 champion Valentino Rossi (Honda) claimed pole position.
Jeremy McWilliams
My better bike stopped after I fell, so I had to get a lift back to the pits and jump on the spare, without much time left to work on a lap on soft tyres. I’m not particularly happy with the time – still in double figures in terms of position, and a bit lower than yesterday. My spare bike doesn’t feel as good as the other, and I believe on that I could have got onto the third row. But it’s not the worst thing in the world, and tomorrow’s what matters. I think I can score points.
Nobuatsu Aoki
We got a better chassis setting than yesterday
