Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning’s Provisional AMA Superstock Practice Times:

1. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.105
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.231
3. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.274
4. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.350
5. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:27.581
6. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:27.706
7. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.718
8. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.775
9. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:28.027
10. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.117
11. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:28.129
12. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.391
13. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.990
14. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.101
15. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.141
16. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.170
17. Christian Pistoni, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.213
18. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.552
19. David Weber, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.834
20. Montez Stewart, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:32.809
21. Brian Hall, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.270
22. William Johnson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.161
23. James Kerker, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:36.964
24. Robert Deily, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.314

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Supersport Race Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 16 laps, 30:27.772
2. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 30:33.532
3. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 30:36.126
4. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 30:40.995
5. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 30:50.154
6. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R600, 31:03.316
7. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 31:03.410 8. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 31:03.458
9. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 31:03.967
10. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati 749R, 31:04.216
11. Mattieu Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, 31:04.854
12. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600RR, 31:10.882
13. Massimo Roccoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 31:12.152
14. Denis Sacchetti, Honda CBR600RR, 31:12.470
15. Diego Giugovaz, Honda CBR600RR, 31:17.852
16. Ron Van Steenbergen, Honda CBR600RR, 31:39.858
17. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 31:58.461
18. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, -3 laps, DNF

22. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, -8 laps, DNF
23. Nicky Wimbauer, Yamaha YZF-R6, -12 laps, DNF

26. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, -13 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap of Race: Muggeridge, 1:53.396


More, from a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

Date: Sunday, 16th May 2004
Circuit: Monza, 5,793 km
Race: 16 laps
Weather: sunny Temperature: air 27° C, track 45° C
Crowd: 50.000

JURGEN TAKES THIRD AFTER FABIEN IS DISQUALIFIED FROM SECOND PLACE!
Yamaha Racing Italia rider Fabien Foret rode a hard race – full of determination and grit – and crossed the line in second place, but was later excluded from the results when his R6 Yamaha suffered a technical infraction in the post race inspection. His R6 Yamaha’s engine did not cut out within the time limit when it was leant over, so Fabien saw his runner-up spot and trophy vanish from his grasp. Fabien’s loss was his team mate’s gain. Jurgen had finished fourth but, when Fabien was excluded, he was moved up to third. Yamaha Racing Italia had hoped to have both riders on the podium at their home event, but it was not to be.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH – 3rd
This is not the way I wanted to be third and I feel very sorry for Fabien and also the whole team – especially as this is our home race. This year, I didn’t have such a good feeling on the bike through the chicanes as I did last year and that hindered my progress. The race was very hard and I pushed really hard to sty in touch with the leaders. When I saw Curtain out, I decided to stay clam and take some very important points and maintain my championship lead.

FABIEN FORET – DISQUALIFIED
I am very disappointed, because it was so good to finish second at our team’s home race. My goal today was to win the race and give my team a lot of satisfaction and pleasure, but in the end second place was pretty good – that is until I was disqualified! It seems hard to penalise a rider for a very small technical failure, especially after riding so hard. It seems that my R6 wouldn’t cut out within a second when it was leant over. It did cut out, but it took just a little longer then the rules required and so my joy was dashed. What this has done is to badly affect my position in the points standing and that makes me unhappy.

Results
1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 2 Parkes (Aus-Honda), 3 VD GOORBERGH (NL-YAMAHA RACING ITALIA), 4 Charpentier (F-Honda), 5 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 6 Bussei (I-Ducati), 7 Guareschi (I-Ducati), 8 Lagrive (F-Suzuki), 9 Hanson (S-Honda), 10 Roccoli (I-Yamaha)

Points
1 VD GOORBERGH (YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 73, 2 Muggeridge 62, 3 Curtain 47, 4 Fujiwara 34, 5 Parkes 33, 6 Lanzi 31, 7 FORET (YAMAHA RACING ITALIA) 30, 8 Chambon 26, 9 Brookes 25, 10 Charpentier 24


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

Muggeridge and Parkes Go First and Second

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) overcame a poor start to blast his way to the race win at Monza, his second successive victory in the Supersport category. His team-mate Broc Parkes (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) rode strongly from his second row start to take third place, during an incident packed 16-lap Supersport race which featured revised results. Second place originally went to Yamaha rider Fabien Foret, with championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) fourth. After Foret and Suzuki rider Vittorio Iannuzzo were disqualified, Parkes was promoted to second.

Muggeridge, aware of having clutch glitches in previous starts at Monza, had a poor launch off the line and had to fight his way through from11th on lap one, hitting the front on lap four; Parkes was seventh after the first circuit, but equipped with their rapid Ten Kate tuned Honda 600s, each rider was able to pull through the pack.

For Muggeridge the win was hard taken, even if his margin of victory of 5.760 seconds was an impressive gap over his pursuers. It now leaves him second in the championship. “I’m happy with that. I had the worst start in motorcycle history. I lust flaked it off the line. The last couple of times I had clutch problems so this time I wasn’t going there at all. I wasn’t too concerned as long as I could get through the first chicane cleanly. We had a pretty good pace and that would help me work my way through. It was an excellent result for our championship.”

Parkes, who jumped to fifth in the championship thanks to his latest race result, stated, “It was awesome to get on the podium. After the disappointment of Misano I trained a lot to make sure I could run with all the boys. My bike was pretty fast and that helped. Now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favorite circuits.”

For Team Boss Gerrit Ten Kate the result was almost perfect. “I am very happy with this result, getting both riders on the podium. The times were a bit slower than last year but that may be due to the temperature on the track. I think Broc just wanted to finish the race at the end and not try any crazy things. For Karl it was even better because he is only eight points behind in the championship now.”


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

MUGGERIDGE WINS AT MONZA WITH PARKES SECOND

WSS Report
For the second Supersport race weekend in succession Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) outpaced the opposition, recording a clear 5.760 second margin of victory. The 16-lap Supersport race started badly for him as he went too easy on his clutch and he dropped to 11th place at the end of lap one. It took him only four laps to get to the lead and once there he rode almost unopposed by anything but the hot and cloying Monza air.

In third place in the original classification, Muggeridge’s team-mate Broc Parkes had his first podium finish of the year, again after a less than sparkling start from the second row. His fight the top deck of the results had moments of incident, and the points he earned made big changes for him in the championship table.

The early leader, Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was black flagged for a jump-start and had to enter the pits to receive his time penalty. Restarting in eighth, he fought hard to finish fifth overall, desperately disappointed at yet more misfortune after an excellent qualifying performance in second.

In a race with much legislative input, original second place finisher Fabien Foret (Yamaha) was excluded from the results for a technical infraction, promoting Parkes from third to second for a Ten Kate 1-2. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Suzuki) was also excluded from his original sixth place.

Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) originally equalled his rookie season best of eighth, after a multi-rider slipstreaming war throughout the latter parts of the race. The young German gave his best and he was further rewarded with a sixth place finish after the exclusion of Foret and Iannuzzo.

The Team Italia Megabike Honda riders experienced different results in their home race. A clash with Parkes ended Alessio Corradi’s race on the third lap, while Denis Sacchetti scored four points for his 12th.”

Muggeridge, aware of some bad luck at Monza before, explained his startline drama. “I’m happy with that. I had the worst start in motorcycle racing history. I lust flaked it off the line. The last couple of times I had clutch problems so this time I wasn’t going there at all. I wasn’t too concerned as long as I could get through the first chicane cleanly. We had a pretty good pace and I knew that would help me work my way through. It was an excellent result for our championship hopes.”

Parkes was delighted to finish third after some cruel luck this year. “It was awesome to get on the podium. After the disappointment of Misano I trained a lot to make sure I could run with all the boys. My bike was pretty fast and that helped. Now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favourite circuits.”

A bitter sweet race for Charpentier ended with the Frenchman almost speechless at his continuing misfortune, even if he did eventually finish fourth, earning invaluable championship points. “I just cannot believe or luck this year. I felt really good riding at the front so it is a very big disappointment to me to get black flagged.”

Neukirchner, after another assured qualifying, said of his fall, “I was very happy to finish eighth because when I spoke before the race I said I would be happy to have a top 15 in my first race here. It was a very big fight all through the race! This equals my best previous result of eighth and I didn’t really expect that. Then when the other riders were excluded, it made me sixth.”

Corradi, bitterly disappointed at the circumstances surrounding a crash in his home race, said. “When I went into the Roggia section I cut the chicane. I looked back to make sure I did not pass Foret, because the rules forbid it. When he passed me I was hit by Parkes. I am not really injured but I’m very disappointed.”

Sacchetti, who worked hard in the heat, said “I came here hoping to get into the top 15 so I am satisfied with finishing 14th over the line.” he continued, “It was a hard weekend for me and we made a big improvement from qualifying. I managed to get away with a group and that was important, so that I could work my way forward.”

In the Championship itself, van den Goorbergh still leads on 73 points, but Muggeridge jumped to second with 62. Parkes sits fifth overall, with 29 points.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

ALSTARE UPBEAT DESPITE NO SCORE
Team Alstare Suzuki newcomer Vittorio Iannuzzo was excluded from today’s World Supersport sixth round on a technicality after racing through from 24th to sixth as team mates Katsuaki Fujiwara and Stephane Chambon failed to finish.

But the Corona Extra team is positive with the developments made to improve the all-new, faster GSX-R600 race machine – and their riding today.

Iannuzzo was an innocent victim of the technical regulations when his bike failed to cut out when it was leant over in the post race inspection and was excluded from the results – a similar fate suffered by second-placed Fabien Foret (Yamaha).

Fujiwara was 11th and mounting a challenge for second place when his bike suffered a mystery engine problem just three laps from the end; a similar glitch hitting Chambon’s bike after just three laps.

Aussie Karl Muggeridge (Honda) won the race; Broc Parkes inherited second from the excluded Foret and third went to Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha).

VITTORIO IANNUZZO – EXCLUDED:

“I am not so happy to be excluded of course, especially after fighting my way up to sixth place from 24th! I worked really hard today and sixth would’ve been great for the team, but it didn’t work out in our favour. Although our team didn’t get the luck or the results today, we feel very positive about the future. ‘Kats’ showed that he could compete with the fastest bikes out there today and so that’s very, very positive. After the start to season we have had, it’s good to know that we can improve and we are all looking forward to that in the next round.”


KATSUAKI FUJIWARA – DNF:

“I am very happy because today I could catch and pass the Hondas and the Yamahas! It’s the first time this season that I could do this and so now I am very optimistic about the rest of the season. My bike also felt more stable under braking, so I think we have managed to find some solutions to some of our problems and maybe now we can be much more competitive. I was only 11th at the end of the first lap but I stayed calm and gradually worked my way up the field, It was not so hard and I was enjoying myself a lot. Maybe I could’ve taken second place today because I was catching Foret, but then we suffered a problem and I was forced to stop. But, I am happy and looking forward to the next race.”

STEPHANE CHAMBON – DNF:

“My race only lasted three laps, so it’s a bit hard to tell how the bike was today. I think there is an improvement and I hope to find out more in the next round. I know that I probably have to adapt my riding style also, but I am happy to try and do that if the bike needs it. The most important thing is that we are improving and that gives us all a lot of hope.”

Results:

1 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 2 Parkes (Aus-Honda), 3 VD Goorbergh (NL-Yamaha), 4 Charpentier (F-Honda), 5 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 6 Bussei (I-Ducati), 7 Guareschi (I-Ducati), 8 Lagrive (F-Suzuki), 9 Hanson (S-Honda), 10 Roccoli (I-Yamaha), FUJIWARA – DNF, CHAMBON – DNF, IANNUZZO – Excluded

Championship Points (after 4 rounds): 1 VD Goorbergh (Yamaha) 73, 2 Muggeridge 62, 3 Curtain 47, 4 FUJIWARA (J-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 34, 5 Parkes 33, 6 Lanzi 31, 7 Foret (Yamaha) 30, 8 CHAMBON (F-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 26, 9 Brookes 25, 10 Charpentier 24, 13 IANNUZZO (I-ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA) 20,

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Contrary to early reports from AMA Pro Racing officials that Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster was declared medically unfit to race at Barber Motorsports Park, Buckmaster may indeed race Sunday.

That’s the word from Yamaha Team Manager Tom Halverson. “Damon wants to race,” Halverson told Roadracingworld.com. “We, the team, are trying to determine if it’s safe for him to race or not, if he has the grip strength or not.

“There’s nothing broken. He just has a hole in his right elbow; something punctured there. And he was some soft tissue damage in his right shoulder. He must have landed on it or something, but he feels he can ride.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

George Barber, patron of Barber Motorsports Park, said this afternoon that he is serious about having a MotoGP race at the track.

Asked if MotoGP officials had expressed any concerns about the size of the track and its lack of any substantial straightaways, Barber said “No.” He did acknowledge that the track keeps riders very busy on a lap.

He added that MotoGP officials were “very happy with the safety of the track” and with the facility, and then talked about the park-like setting and the adjacent museum.

When a reporter wished him good luck in his quest to host a MotoGP race, Barber said that it will take some luck to put together a MotoGP race at the facility.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Spaniard Sete Gibernau increased his MotoGP Championship point lead with a win Sunday in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans. It was Gibernau’s second win of the 2004 season, the seventh of his career and his second consecutive win at Le Mans.

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha’s Carlos Checa took the holeshot and led the first 11 laps over Gibernau, but one small mistake, running wide at the exit of a right-hander, gave Gibernau the only opportunity he needed. Gibernau drove past Checa and held on to win by a small but stable margin.

Late in the race, Checa came under pressure from Camel Honda’s Max Biaggi, who grew stronger through the race, passing Checa’s teammate Valentino Rossi for third on lap 13.

Pressure from Rossi, a few mistakes and lapped riders in the final corner of the race inhibited Biaggi from taking second place from Checa.

Rossi rode hard, swapped position with Biaggi several times (nearly making contact with his rival more than once) but made mistakes of his own that prevented him from doing better than fourth.

Gibernau’s Telefonica Movistar Honda teammate Colin Edwards finished fifth after passing Checa’s young teammate Marco Melandri in the fast first part of the track late in the race.

American Kenny Lee Roberts finished eighth on his factory Suzuki GSV-R.

Respol Honda’s Nicky Hayden ran off the track once during the race and struggled to finish 11th.

Kurtis Roberts scored his first-ever MotoGP points with 15th, one lap down, on the Proton Team KR V5.

D’Antin Ducati’s Neil Hodgson crashed on the first lap, taking out Suzuki’s John Hopkins and Yamaha’s Norick Abe, according to Abe.

According to an incident report issued by MotoGP, Hopkins suffered a fractured left thumb, and Hodgson broke two ribs, in the crash.

Gibernau’s win extends his MotoGP World Championship point lead to 10 over Biaggi.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 28 laps, 44:22.750
2. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -1.671 seconds
3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -1.908 seconds
4. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, -4.272 seconds
5. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, -15.755 seconds
6. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -18.225 seconds
7. Alex BARROS, Honda, -27.656 seconds
8. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -31.530 seconds
9. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -33.164 seconds
10. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -39.512 seconds
11. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -47.625 seconds
12. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -72.140 seconds
13. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, -83.391 seconds
14. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, -1 lap, crash
15. Kurtis ROBERTS, Proton, -1 lap
16. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, -1 lap
17. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -1 lap
18. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, -12 laps, DNF
19. Chris BURNS, Harris wCM, -14 laps, DNF
20. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, -23 laps, DNF
21. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -28 laps, DNF, crash
22. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -28 laps, DNF, crash
23. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, -28 laps, DNF, crash

Note: Hodgson crashed on the first lap, knocking down Hopkins and Abe.

MotoGP World Championship Point Standings (after 3 of 16 races):

1. GIBERNAU, 66 points
2. BIAGGI, 56 points
3. ROSSI, 51 points
4. BARROS, 38 points
5. CHECA, 36 points
6. EDWARDS, 29 points
7. HAYDEN, 27 points
8. CAPIROSSI, 20 points
9. TIE, MELANDRI/TAMADA, 15 points
11. TIE, Kenny ROBERTS/ABE, 12 points
13. NAKANO, 11 points
14. BAYLISS, 10 points
15. FABRIZIO, 6 points
16. HOPKINS, 4 points
17. TIE, McWILLIAMS/HOFMANN, 3 points
19. TIE, XAUS/AOKI, 2 points
21. TIE, Kurtis ROBERTS/Shane Byrne 1 point

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Vermeulen disqualified from second Monza race

Chris Vermeulen’s disqualification from the second race at Monza left Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Troy Corser in fifth place and Chris Walker seventh.

The Ten Kate Honda rider was stripped of his second place when a random post-race FIM inspection of tilt-switches, a safety measure designed to cut the engine when the bike is on its side, found that Vermeulen’s switch was not working.

And that provided an added bonus for PETRONAS, who retained their second position in the manufacturer’s standings as a result.

Revised race two results, Superbike World Championship round 4, Monza, Italy: 1 Laconi (Ducati Fila); 2 Toseland (Ducati Fila) +18.281; 3 McCoy (Xerox Ducati) +19.403; 4 Haslam (Renegade Ducati) +34.611; 5 Corser (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +40.665; 6 Borciani (DFX) +41.256; 7 Walker (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +42.485; 8 Martin (DFX) +48.936; 9 Sanchini (Kawasaki Bertocchi) +49.012); 10 Clementi (Kawasaki Bertocchi) +51.042; 11 Bontempi (Zongshen) +1:02.321; 12 Pedercini (Team Pedercini) +1:09.516; 13 Velini (UnionBike) +1:09.573; 14 Saiger (Life Haus) +1:20.873

Manufacturer standings (after 4 of 11 rounds): 1 Ducati 200; 2 PETRONAS 90; 3 Honda 83; 4 Kawasaki 48; 5 Suzuki 47; 6 Yamaha 22

Rider standings: 1 Laconi 120; 2 Toseland 113; 3 Chili 97; 4 McCoy 87; 5 Vermeulen 83; 6 Haga 69; 7 Walker 69; 8 Borciani 68; 9 Corser 66; 10 Haslam 64



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

Muggeridge and Parkes Go First and Second

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) overcame a poor start to blast his way to the race win at Monza, his second successive victory in the Supersport category. His team-mate Broc Parkes (Ten Kate HondaCBR600RR) rode strongly from his second row start to take third place, during an incident packed 16-lap Supersport race which featured revised results. Second place originally went to Yamaha rider Fabien Foret, with championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) fourth. After Foret and Suzuki rider Vittorio Iannuzzo were disqualified, Parkes was promoted to second.

Muggeridge, aware of having clutch glitches in previous starts at Monza, had a poor launch off the line and had to fight his way through from11th on lap one, hitting the front on lap four; Parkes was seventh after the first circuit, but equipped with their rapid Ten Kate tuned Honda 600s, each rider was able to pull through the pack.

For Muggeridge the win was hard taken, even if his margin of victory of 5.760 seconds was an impressive gap over his pursuers. It now leaves him second in the championship. “I’m happy with that. I had the worst start in motorcycle history. I lust flaked it off the line. The last couple of times I had clutch problems so this time I wasn’t going there at all. I wasn’t too concerned as long as I could get through the first chicane cleanly. We had a pretty good pace and that would help me work my way through. It was an excellent result for our championship.”

Parkes, who jumped to fifth in the championship thanks to his latest race result, stated, “It was awesome to get on the podium. After the disappointment of Misano I trained a lot to make sure I could run with all the boys. My bike was pretty fast and that helped. Now we go to Oschersleben, which is one of my favorite circuits.”

For Team Boss Gerrit Ten Kate the result was almost perfect. “I am very happy with this result, getting both riders on the podium. The times were a bit slower than last year but that may be due to the temperature on the track. I think Broc just wanted to finish the race at the end and not try any crazy things. For Karl it was even better because he is only eight points behind in the championship now.”

World Supersport Championship
Round Four – Monza, Italy
14 – 16 May 2004
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR
2. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 8.354
3. J. Vd Gorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6, 13.223
4. S. Charpentier, FRA, CBR600RR, 22.382
5. C. Kellner, GER, Yamaha YZF R6, 35.638
6. M. Neukirchner, GER, Honda CBR600RR, 35.686
7. G. Bussei, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 36.195
8. V. Guareschi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 36.444
9. M. Lagrive, FRA, Suzuki GSXR 600R, 37.082
10. J. Hanson, SWE, Kobutex Honda CBR600RR, 43.110


Vermeulen Second Then Excluded at Monza

Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was originally credited with fourth and second place finishes in each of the 18-lap Monza Superbike races, held at the classic and high-speed circuit of Monza in Northern Italy. With the air temperatures approaching 30°C, and track temperatures nearly 50°C Vermeulen changed his tyre options for race two and thought he had secured his third podium of what is his and the CBR’s rookie SBK season. He was later excluded from the second race when his machine was found to have a non-functioning automatic cut-out switch, designed to stop the engine in the event of a crash.

In race one Vermeulen rode hard from the start, having duel with eventual race winner Regis Laconi (Ducati), retiree Noriyuki Haga (Ducati), then second place man James Toseland (Ducati) and ultimately third placed Garry McCoy. Vermeulen was to finish fourth, experiencing some clutch slip problems to add to his tyre choice concerns.

In race two a harder compound tyre helped Vermeulen to flee the chasing pack and take a well-earned second place, with only the factory Ducati of Laconi ahead. He was disappointed to be excluded but was philosophical. “I’m happy with changes we made between the races, going for the harder tyre choices and it’s weird that we have been excluded for something that we would be happiest of all to see working, because we can restart a fallen bike with the starter button. I’m looking forward now anyway, not back.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate, described a hot afternoon’s work. “I respect the rule and the team respects the rule, and right now we do not know why the cut-out didn’t work. The ironic thing is that we are the only people with a starter motor still on the bike – so there is no need for us to sabotage the cut-out! We can pick up the bike and restart it on the button. The switch on the second bike is functioning well so we will find out back at the workshops what happened with the race bike.”

World Superbike Championship
Round Four – Monza, Italy
14 – 16 May 2004

Race Results 1
1. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04
2. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 Fo4, 9.800
3. G. Mccoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 11.891
4. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR, 34.055
5. L. Haslam, GBR, Ducati 999 RS, 38.021

Race Results 2
1. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04
2. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 Fo4, 18.281
3. G. Mccoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS, 19.403
4. L. Haslam, GBR, Ducati 999 RS, 34.611
5. T. Corser, AUS, Petronas FP1 40.665

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

George Barber is apparently seeking government help to come up with the 7-figure sanctioning fee required for a MotoGP race at Barber Motorsports Park.

According to a report in the Sunday edition of The Birmingham News, Barber is looking for financial aide from city, county and state government.

The newspaper quoted George Barber as saying “We think we can land it. When you see what this would be to Birmingham, we can’t miss this opportunity.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Slightly fewer spectators attended the 2004 AMA Superbike event at Barber Motorsports Park, compared to the inaugural event in September of 2003.

Last year, the AMA event drew 8000 fans on Friday, 17,000 on Saturday and 23,000 on Sunday for a three-day total of 48,000.

In 2004, the AMA event drew 7000 fans on Friday, 19,000 on Saturday and 21,000 on Sunday for a three-day total of 47,000 fans.

Rain was forecast well in advance of the 2004 event at Barber, but little rain actually fell during the three-day event and all the races were run on a dry track.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster will not start this afternoon’s Supersport race at Barber Motorsports Park, according to his crew.

Buckmaster injured his left ankle, left wrist, right elbow and right shoulder when he crashed in Sunday morning Supersport practice. He started the Superstock race and ran with the lead group early on, before fading to a pained ninth place, about 37 seconds behind winner Jamie Hacking.