Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Monza World Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 18 laps, 32:48.901
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 33:01.293
3. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 33:07.182
4. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 33:08.304
5. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 33:23.512
6. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 33:29.566
7. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 33:30.157
8. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, 33:31.386
9. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, 33:37.837
10. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 33:37.913
11. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 33:39.943
12. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 33:51.222
13. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 33:58.417
14. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, 33:58.474
15. Horst Saiger, Yamaha YZF-R1, 34:09.774

18. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, -12 laps, DNF
19. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -13 laps, DNF

22. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -18 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap of Race: Laconi, 1:48.773

World Superbike Championship Point Standings:

1. Laconi, 120 points
2. Toseland, 113 points
3. Vermeulen, 103 points
4. Chili, 97 points
5. McCoy, 84 points
6. Haga, 69 points
7. Walker, 68 points
8. Borciani, 67 points
9. Corser, 65 points
10. Haslam, 62 points
11. Martin, 61 points
12. Sanchini, 38 points
13. Clementi, 28 points
14. Nannelli, 26 points
15. Bontempi, 24 points
16. Fuertes, 22 points
17. Pedercini, 14 points
18. Saiger, 12 points
19. Alessio Velini, 10 points
20. Warwick Nowland, 8 points


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy describes Monza bonanza as `best yet’ for FPR

Carl Fogarty described his team’s four top ten finishes in the fourth round of the Superbike World Championship at Monza, Italy, as their greatest achievement to date.

Troy Corser capped an encouraging day with sixth place in the second race of the day, two ahead of team-mate Chris Walker. In the day’s opening action, Chris was again eighth, beating Troy by just one place.

Four-times World Superbike champion Foggy, himself four times a winner at Monza, said: “In some ways that could be described as our best round yet. In the other rounds, when we have made the podium, we were relying on the performance of the riders and also the conditions. This time, while the riders rode well again, the bike performed better than I thought it would. I honestly thought we would be struggling to make the top ten today. So it is absolutely fantastic to have four top ten finishes. I would say that this is the first big step forward we have had for more than a year and it has been a very promising start for the new PETRONAS engine development team.”

Entering the two races at the monstrously fast circuit of Monza on the back of two podium finishes in the first three rounds, Foggy PETRONAS Racing were relying on a new stage of development to cope with the stresses placed on the engine by the three long straights.

And, having only managed to finish one of the four races, in 13th place, on their first visit to the historic Italian circuit last season, the initial twin aims of increased reliability and consistency from the engines, were both comfortably achieved.

While the demands of Monza took their toll on other bikes – both races saw ten riders failing to finish – Chris and Troy were able to capitalise on the handling of the FP1 through the corners in order to stay with their respective packs during each race, as well as taking part in the frequent drafting manoeuvres so typical of the fastest track on the calendar.

Troy said: “I think the bike was as good as it was going to be here. The engine for the second race seemed better off the bottom and I had changed gearing to the same as Chris had used as I had been on the limiter all the way down the straight in the first race. I also tried to find new braking points as I had looked at the telemetry from the first race and Chris was braking later. I had been braking as late as possible so I think that might have been down to the clutch, as the bike was definitely more stable on the brakes in the second race and so my average top speeds were a lot higher. I didn’t make it too easy for myself off the start and got bottled up at the first corner. When Borciani was in front of me he was just pulling away enough that I couldn’t out-brake him, but he was actually holding me up going in on the brakes. I needed a run out of the last chicane to be on his exhaust through Parabolica so that I could out-drag him through start-finish. We have had minimal problem s this weekend and the engines were definitely more consistent, with better mapping too. So we now have a better base to move forward from, as this was always going to be our toughest round.”

Chris said: “If someone had told me I would finish the weekend with two eighth places I would have been very happy. The bike has run really well all weekend, so respect to the new engine development team. I got a good start but was maybe a little too cautious because of the first corner and it is the wrong side of the grid to be on. I managed to get past a few but at one stage I lost the tow when I came out of my seat coming out of Ascari and it was difficult to catch Borciani from there. I was happy with the first race but probably wouldn’t have had to work so hard – I was on the edge all the time – if I had not suffered a slipped clutch at the start.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI (DUCATI FILA) DOMINATES MONZA WORLD SUPERBIKE ROUND WITH DOUBLE WIN – TWO SECOND PLACES FOR TOSELAND – DUCATI FILA RIDERS HEAD THE POINTS
TABLE

Monza (Italy), Sunday 16 May 2004: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) dominated the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, taking two clear wins aboard his Ducati 999 F04. The first double win of the 28 year-old Frenchman’s career powers him into the lead of the championship with 120 points.

Team-mate James Toseland, who is just three points behind in the table, took home two podiums: the British rider first had to hold off a determined Vermeulen (Honda) in the first race, in which he finished second, and then McCoy (NCR Ducati) in race 2, where he finished third. With the disqualification of the Honda rider after race 2, Toseland’s third became another runner-up slot.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend in Monza, which is a very important race for Ducati” declared Laconi. “I’m so happy for them and for me because I take the lead of the championship. Thanks for my team, they did a great job to make me go so fast today so this win is for them. Once again I didn’t make such a good start, but the bike was perfect, we chose the same tyre as race 1 and although I didn’t brake as aggressively as I did in the first race, everything turned out fine.”

“McCoy was riding hard in that second race but luckily we had a good set-up at the front and we were able to brake a bit deeper than him and that’s what made all the difference for me really” declared Toseland. “He had more grip on the right-handers and me on the left, but it was an even and fair battle and a fantastic race. Well done to Chris and also to Regis, he’s been awesome this weekend. The championship is now looking good, Regis and I are first and second. It has been fantastic racing around here, I was just a bit disappointed in having a few problems early in the weekend, but we managed to get it all together for the races.”


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 4, Monza (Italy), Sunday 16th May
Circuit: 5.793kms
Weather: dry, sunny 26° C.
Crowd: 86.000 (3-days figure)

TROY TAKES A FIGHTING FIFTH IN RACE TWO
Troy took a hard fought for fifth in the second race at Monza today and was happy to leave the Italian circuit on a positive note. In the first race, his gearing was a bit off and had to battle it out with Fuertes (Suzuki), Borciani (Ducati) and team mate Walker, before finally ending up ninth. He changed gearing for the second race and was able to contest sixth position without any trouble. Although he crossed the line sixth, he was bumped up to fifth after the disqualification of second placed Vermeulen (Honda). Frenchman Regis Laconi (Ducati) dominated both 18-lappers and took his first ever double victory. In race one, His team mate Toseland took runner-up spot, with McCoy (Ducati) third. Vermeulen took runner-up spot in race two, with Toseland third, but a technical infraction caused him to be excluded from the results and allowed McCoy to inherit third.

TROY
I was much happier in the second race then the first. I think we had the wrong gearing in race one and once we looked the telemetry from my bike and Chris’s, we changed mine and it worked a lot better. I was on the limiter down the start straight in the first race, so I knew something had to be changed. In race two, I think the bike was as good as it was going to be here. The engine seemed stronger in race two right from the start, but I didn’t make my own life easy because my start wasn’t so good and I got bottled up going into the first corner. But the bike felt better and more stable on the brakes, so I was able to ride it harder. Borciani held me up for while and I knew I had to get a good run out of Ascari and be right on his exhaust pipes going into the Parabolica, so that I could out-drag him on the run to the chequered flag. We’ve had minimal problems this weekend and the engines have been more consistent, and with better mapping, so now we have a better base to move forward from. This was always going to be our toughest race, so to come out with a fifth, makes me happy.


More, from a press release issued by FGSport:

LACONI DOUBLES AT MONZA

First Among Equals: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999F04) added to his 2004 race wins score in perfect fashion at Monza, taking two front running wins on his Ducati Fila machine. He was untouchable and in each race he won by a margin that underlined why he is the only rider to have secured more than one win so far this year. His total now stands at four and he leads the World Championship by three points from Toseland, with a total of 120. In a day of much regulatory discussion, Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda) was excluded from second place after his engine cut-out switch, devised to kill the engine in the event of a fall, did not function when tested.

Race 1: With Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998) experiencing an engine failure from his first choice machine, pulling out on the warm-up lap and swapping to his 999 machine in pitlane, the way was open for Chris Vermeulen to take an early advantage. He could not make his early speed stick for the entire race, as he dropped back to finish fourth. Regis Laconi ran away to a clear win, by 9.8 seconds over the hard charging James Toseland, his own team-mate. The Fila Ducati 1-2 was followed on by a third place for Aussie privateer Garry McCoy, on the first Xerox Scuderia Caracchi 999RS. Aussie Chris Vermeulen was fourth, in a race that was to deliver his only points scoring finish of the day.

Race 2: After Vermeulen was excluded from race two, having had a clear race in the vacuum of the disappearing Laconi (some 12 seconds ahead), James Toseland was promoted to second and Garry McCoy bagged himself a pair of third places – making each podium finish a carbon copy of the other. In fourth, Leon Haslam belatedly had his best ever SBK result, earning 13 additional points.

Chili Calamity: The beaten but unbowed figure of Pierfrancesco Chili left Monza with no race finishes to his name, the championship leader before Monza having two mechanical failures in race one and a crash in race two. A Monza crowd up 14,000 from last year – to a total of 86,000 – was behind Chili’s attack from the start, on a day when Superbike racing offered a feel good factor off the scale at the revamped Monza.

Petronas Perseverance: Despite a lack of power in comparison to the big twins and fours in SBK, the recently re-engineered Petronas machines of Chris Walker and Troy Corser battled around what will maybe be their worst circuit if the year. Each scored strong top ten finishes; Corser was ninth and fifth, with Walker eighth and seventh. Walker was especially combative, running all over the back tyre of Marco Borciani’s DFX Ducati in race one, with Borciani seventh and eighth.

Supersport Race: Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) once more bulldozed the Supersport competition, winning from Fabien Foret (Yamaha Italia) – another rider who was later excluded for a technical infringement – again a non-functioning engine cut-out switch. Muggeridge’s team-mate Broc Parkes was thus promoted to second and championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh to third. Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda) took fourth despite a time penalty for a jump-start. In the championship van den Goorbergh leads with 73, Muggeridge is second with 62. Retiree Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) is third, some way back with 47.


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

TROY TAKES A FIGHTING FIFTH IN RACE TWO

Troy took a hard fought for fifth in the second race at Monza today and was happy to leave the Italian circuit on a positive note. In the first race, his gearing was a bit off and had to battle it out with Fuertes (Suzuki), Borciani (Ducati) and team mate Walker, before finally ending up ninth. He changed gearing for the second race and was able to contest sixth position without any trouble. Although he crossed the line sixth, he was bumped up to fifth after the disqualification of second placed Vermeulen (Honda). Frenchman Regis Laconi (Ducati) dominated both 18-lappers and took his first ever double victory. In race one, His team mate Toseland took runner-up spot, with McCoy (Ducati) third. Vermeulen took runner-up spot in race two, with Toseland third, but a technical infraction caused him to be excluded from the results and allowed McCoy to inherit third.

TROY
I was much happier in the second race then the first. I think we had the wrong gearing in race one and once we looked the telemetry from my bike and Chris’s, we changed mine and it worked a lot better. I was on the limiter down the start straight in the first race, so I knew something had to be changed. In race two, I think the bike was as good as it was going to be here. The engine seemed stronger in race two right from the start, but I didn’t make my own life easy because my start wasn’t so good and I got bottled up going into the first corner. But the bike felt better and more stable on the brakes, so I was able to ride it harder. Borciani held me up for while and I knew I had to get a good run out of Ascari and be right on his exhaust pipes going into the Parabolica, so that I could out-drag him on the run to the chequered flag. We’ve had minimal problems this weekend and the engines have been more consistent, and with better mapping, so now we have a better base to move forward from. This was always going to be our toughest race, so to come out with a fifth, makes me happy.


More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks/Scuderia Caracchi:

Garry McCoy in Monza twice onto the podium

Garry McCoy earned the podium in both the races here in Monza, for the fourth round of World Superbike, and leaves the Italian circuit in fourth position of the pointstanding. Actually the race-2 result put McCoy in fourth position under the chequered flag, after a close fight with Toseland that send to the seventh heaven the 86.000 spectators present in Monza, but late in the check area, during the inspection by Technical Stewards, the bike of the second arrived, Vermeulen, was excluded from the classification for infraction against the FIM Technical Rules.

“I’m happy to ride my 999RS Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks twice onto the rostrum here in Monza, in Italy.” – said a smiling Garry McCoy at the end of the race – “I’m Australian, but all the team has made by Italian people and I’m sure that everybody has a special attention for this race. This couple of third places are the award for the work made by all the team, first Marco Mozzone together with all the guys, everybody made his best in all the week end. In the final part of race-1 I overtook Toseland for the second position, the a small stone entered the fuel injection area, disturbing the throttle movement. By chance it didn’t enter the engine and stopped early to disturb. In the race-2 the bike had some bumping in the rear, but nothing very bad. I believe that the fight with Toseland has been very nice for the public as well it has been for us. In the final lap I tried to pass at the first chicane, but we had different ways to manage that corner and I arrived very close to James when I started release the brakes and he was still braking, so I must brake once more and I’ve lost the correct line, allowing to James to get a decisive advantage.”

Very black day for Miguel Praia, out of the race for technical problems in the early stages in bot the legs, and the young Portuguese rider was actually with his hearth under the shoes at the end of the day.

Giancarlo De Matteis recorded a very good 12th position in race-1, earning 4 points for World Championship, the in race-2 a crash without any consequence at Parabolica corner put him out of the race: “The result of race-1, earned at my debut on the 999, has been beatyful, it’s a pity that a mistake in race-2 didn’t allow me to repeat a good result, as I was able to do.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning’s Provisional AMA Superbike Practice Times:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.136
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:26.515
3. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:26.557
4. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:26.670
5. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.864
6. Josh Hayes, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:27.707
7. Eric Bostrom, Ducati 999F04, 1:28.125
8. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.507
9. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.890
10. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.205
11. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.380
12. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:29.744
13. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.229
14. Opie Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.362
15. Jeremy Toye, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:30.401

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Superbike Race One Results From Monza:

1. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 18 laps, 32:53.859
2. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, 33:03.659
3. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 33:05.750
4. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 33:27.914
5. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, 33:31.880
6. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 33:35.839
7. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, 33:35.976
8. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, 33:36.264
9. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 33:38.842
10. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 33:51.074
11. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 33:51.267
12. Giancarlo De Matteis, Ducati 999RS, 34:03.907
13. Horst Saiger, Yamaha YZF-R1, 34:11.918
14. Ivan Sala, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 34:27.207
15. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -3 laps, DNF
16. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, -8 laps, DNF
17. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, -9 laps, DNF
18. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, -12 laps, DNF
19. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 999RS, -14 laps, DNF
20. Miguel Praia, Ducati 999RS, -14 laps, DNF
21. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, -14 laps, DNF
22. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, -15 laps, DNF
23. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -16 laps, DNF
24. Paolo Blora, Ducati 999RS, -18 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap of Race: Laconi, 1:49.110


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Top ten double for Foggy PETRONAS Racing in Monza opener

Chris Walker and Troy Corser made an encouraging start to the fourth round of the Superbike World Championship with a top ten double in the first race at Monza.

Chris recovered from his worst start of the season to climb from 14th place up to 8th, while Troy finished just one place behind in ninth, in a race won comfortably by Regis Laconi.

And with both riders in touching distance of sixth place, despite giving away almost 20kmh on top speed to the 1000cc bikes, the team were able to draw a number of positives from the first race outing of the latest stage of engine development and at such a demanding circuit where 10 of the 24 starters failed to finish.

Chris said: “My clutch slipped at the start and I thought `Race over!’ but it was okay after three more corners and perfect for the rest of the race. The bike was slightly over-heating while I was slip-streaming but whenever I was on my own it was running in the mid-90s. I thought I was doomed when I looked at who was around me on the first lap as the 1000s do have an edge here. Early on I thought I had made the wrong choice of tyre in choosing the harder compound but it came good after about three laps and was consistent when the others were starting to slide towards the end. I was happy with the race but probably wouldn’t have had to work so hard – I was on the edge all the time – if I had not suffered that start. And I was pleased to have done my fastest lap while I was on my own without a tow!”

Troy said: “I got a good start but got stuck on the outside at the first chicane and had to pick the bike up slightly and run into the gravel. The bike felt sluggish on top speed and everyone, including Chris, was pulling away from me coming out of the corners. The tyre slid a little towards the end but was fine generally and a top ten finish is a definite improvement on last year already.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final 125cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:42.608
2. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 1:42.990
3. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 1:43.086
4. Roberto LOCATELLI, Aprilia, 1:43.190
5. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, 1:43.282
6. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 1:43.324
7. Youichi UI, Aprilia, 1:43.379
8. Mike DI MEGLIO, Aprilia, 1:43.421
9. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 1:43.441
10. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 1:43.458
11. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, 1:43.515
12. Simone CORSI, Honda, 1:43.956
13. Casey STONER, KTM, 1:43.975
14. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, 1:44.194
15. Gino BORSOI, Aprilia, 1:44.261

More, from a press release issued by Red Bull-KTM:

Despite the sunny day at Le Mans, KTM riders didn’t manage to improve their yesterday time. Stoner finished 18th, 13th in the combined practice; Kallio 21st, 20th in the combined practice. The pole position is going to the Italian Andrea Dovizioso.

Stoner – I just crashed…My biggest problem today was my injured shoulder: this afternoon it was even worst than this morning even if I had a pain killer injection before the qualifying practice. I think that tomorrow it will be very hard to be competitive as I can be, but I’ll try my best!

Kallio – I couldn’t find a good feeling with the bike, even if there is not something wrong in particular. We change the setting we had this morning, trying to improve the results but it was worst. Therefore tomorrow we will go back to the solution I had before.

Bartol – Of course I’m not really happy with the today results: both riders didn’t managed to finished in the front rows. Mika was one second slower than this morning and Casey crashed again.

From a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Byrne withdraws from French MotoGP

British rider Shane Byrne has been forced to withdraw from tomorrow’s French MotoGP in Le Mans.

The MS Aprilia Racing rider is still suffering severe pain from a broken bone in his right hand after a crash at the Spanish GP in Jerez 13 days ago. After consultation with GP doctor Claudio Costa and Aprilia’s management, it was decided that the 27-year-old would take no further part at the Bugatti circuit after this morning’s free practice session.

Shakey had bravely tried to ride through the pain yesterday and again in this morning’s free practice session after he’d received intensive physiotherapy and pain-killing injections. But the broken hand was restricting his riding too much, and he has decided to sit out tomorrow’s 28-lap race in order to try and regain full fitness before Aprilia’s home race at the Mugello circuit in Italy on June 6.

“I just can’t ride the bike like I want. At best, I’m riding at only 80 per cent of my potential and it is best that I try and make a full recovery for Mugello, which is an important race for me and Aprilia, “said the reigning British superbike champion.

Byrne will visit Italy next week for further consultations with Dr Costa to help the recovery process. Aprilia’s Jan Witteveen said: “We thought that it was better for Shane to stop now and have more treatment so that he is back to his best for the Mugello GP.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.



Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke passed and held off American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel to win the AMA Formula Xtreme race at Barber Motorsports Park. Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Vincent Haskovec, who started from pole, raced with and passed both Zemke and Duhamel several times in the first half of the race, at one point briefly leading, before his rear tire went off and he went backwards. Erion Honda’s Alex Gobert passed Haskovec for third late in the race.

1. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR
2. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, -0.0160 second
3. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, -11.40 seconds
4. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, -13.505
5. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -25.862
6. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R6, -27.172
7. Mike Smith, Yamaha YZF-R6, -27.839
8. Jake Holden, Suzuki GSX-R600, -33.471
9. Mike Ciccotto, Buell XB12R, -49.622
10. Michael Barnes, Buell XB12R, -56.549
11. Nicky Moore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -67.562
12. Danny Eslick, Suzuki GSX-R600, -68.189
13. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, -68.254
14. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, -69.949
15. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, -86.865

16. Carlo Gagliardo, Yamaha YZF-R6, -1 lap
17. Joseph Arico, Yamaha YZF-R6, -1 lap
18. William Johnson, Suzuki GSX-R600, -1 lap
19. Derek Keyes, Yamaha YZF-R6, -1 lap
20. Adrian Jones, Suzuki GSX-R600, -1 lap
21. Darin Eli Edwards, Suzuki GSX-R600, -3 laps, DNF


AMA Formula Xtreme Championship Point Standings (after 4 of 11 races):

1. Duhamel, 143 points
2. Zemke, 132 points
3. Gobert, 112 points
4. Holden, 97 points
5. Haskovec, 81 points
6. Pridmore, 80 points
7. Pegram, 74 points
8. Hester, 68 points
9. Melneciuc, 66 points
10. Corey Eaton, 65 points
11. Eslick, 62 points
12. Small, 50 points
13. Barnes, 44 points
14. Ciccotto, 42 points
15. Ben Bostrom, 33 points


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

HASKOVEC CHALLENGES IN BIRMINGHAM FORMULA XTREME

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki scored several strong results on Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park. Still, the team was left wanting even more following Friday’s performances that saw the team’s riders fastest in their respective classes.

Vincent Haskovec started from the pole in the Formula Xtreme race on his Michelin slick-shod GSX-R600 and diced for the lead over the first half of the 17-lap event. However, warmer than expected weather meant that the hard-riding Haskovec was not able to maintain his pace for full distance, costing him a possible win and a probable podium placing.

He eventually finished fourth, a result that moved him up to fifth in the title chase.

In qualifying for Sunday’s 60k Supersport and Superstock finals, the squad picked up two top ten qualifying positions in each class. Unfortunately, more was expected after dominating the top of the charts on Friday.

Steve Rapp qualified seventh fastest in both classes and will twice start from the second row on Sunday. He posted best laps of 1:27.411 on the GSX-R750 in Superstock and 1:28.934 on the GSX-R600 in Supersport.

Haskovec will line up on the third row to start the Superstock final after qualifying tenth best with a 1:27.474. Chris Peris will start from the same position in the Supersport race thanks to his 1:29.679.

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki Crew Chief Keith Perry summed up the day. “We wanted more,” he said. “You always want more. We know Vincent’s capable, and we know the bike’s capable, but things just haven’t fallen our way yet. We thought this was going to be one of our turning points, and I still think it is. We’re starting to show what we’re able to do against factory competition.

“We faded a little bit over the last half of the race,” said the team’s Crew Chief. “It was a little warmer than we thought it was going to be. Vincent rode his heart out, but the combination just wouldn’t allow him to keep up the pace we needed him to.”

Perry is optimistic about tomorrow’s races. “You never know what the weather is going to do. In one respect, Michelin has such outstanding rain tires that we wouldn’t mind if it rained. But if it’s dry, our tires should be the best ones out there in the last half of the race.”

From a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

HODGSON AND XAUS BOTH START FROM ROW FIVE



Le Mans (France), 15.05.04 The d´Antin MotoGP riders today showed some positive progress on a sunny second day of qualifying where temperatures reached 23ºC

Both riders suffered small crashes although there was no serious damage from either, with Neil and Rubén now starting together on the fifth row of the grid in tomorrow’s French Grand Prix.

The Brtion and the Spaniard, will finish off the final touches to their set-up in warm-up first thing tomorrow morning, focused on finishing for the first race this year.

NEIL HODGSON was clearly optimistic about his chances on Sunday: “Things went much better today than yesterday. I managed to get my times down and I would have gone even quicker if I hadn’t fallen in the last few minutes. I had just done my quickest lap and I then pushed too hard. I came out on the other bike, but there were scarcely three minutes left. The most important thing is that I felt much more comfortable and although I will start from the fifth row I am confident of getting away well and finishing in the top ten. I like the circuit and the truth is I need a good result.”

RUBEN XAUS also suffered a fall, but in his case it was during the free session in the morning: “I fell this morning and that hindered me as I could only use one bike in the afternoon. The truth is that I was not comfortable at all and I believe my times could have been a lot better but maybe I lacked a little confidence on that bike. I still have to decide which tyres I will use, but whatever happens it will be important for me to get a good start.”


TIMES:

1st S.GIBERNAU 1.33.425
2nd C.CHECA 1.33.575
3rd M.BIAGGI 1.33.579
4th V.ROSSI 1.33.668
5th C.EDWARDS 1.33.870

14th NEIL HODGSON 1.34.526
15th RUBÉN XAUS 1.34.578


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

McWilliams qualifies Cube in 18th for French GP

Jeremy McWilliams will start tomorrow’s 28-lap French GP at Le Mans from 18th position on the grid.

The MS Aprilia Racing rider knocked almost 0.3s off his best time from yesterday’s opening qualifying session and ended with a fastest lap of 1.35.371 at the newly resurfaced French venue. Despite improving his lap time, the experienced British rider dropped one place from his provisional grid position.

Today’s final hour-long session was run in warm and bright conditions,

and with forecasters predicting more of the same on Sunday, McWilliams is confident that he can score his first world championship points of the season on the Aprilia Cube. “We have working for the race and I’m not too bothered about the grid position. I have been concentrating on working on some parts of the track to help us go faster. I’m confident and positive, “said McWilliams.

Aprilia’s RS Cube three-cylinder machine was once again among the fastest bikes in the field, McWilliams clocking over 300kmh this afternoon. He said: “The bike is very fast and powerful in some parts of the track. In some places you are in fifth gear and the bike still wheelies.” Aprilia though are making big forward strides with the RS Cube, evident today as McWilliams’ best time was almost two seconds quicker than the best set last year at Le Mans with Noriyuki Haga. McWilliams’ chief engineer Pietro Caprara said: “Compared to last year the RS Cube is growing very well. We can produce a much better lap time when the bike runs without any problems and Jeremy is really looking forward to the race.”

McWilliams will be Aprilia’s lone representative in tomorrow’s race at the famous Bugatti circuit, with team-mate Shane Byrne unfortunately withdrawing from the race with a hand injury sufffered at the Spanish GP earlier this month. McWilliams said: “I felt alone today without Shane but if he decided with Aprilia that he couldn’t continue then he made the right decision. This track is very physical with some very hard braking points and a lot of changes of direction.” Tomorrow’s race is round three of the 2004 MotoGP world championship, with the next race taking place at Aprilia’s home circuit at Mugello in Italy.


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

NAKANO DISAPPOINTED WITH FOURTH ROW AT LE MANS

Shinya Nakano will start tomorrow’s 28-lap French Grand Prix from the fourth row of the grid, after a difficult final qualifying session at Le Mans this afternoon saw the Fuchs Kawasaki rider slip down the timesheet to 12th place.

Although disappointed with his grid position, Nakano only had to look across the Fuchs Kawasaki pit box at his teammate to see how much more frustrating racing at this level can be. After a difficult day yesterday, Alex Hofmann bounced back this morning with a much improved set up on his Ninja ZX-RR and, having matched his best qualifying time from yesterday on race tyres, the 23-year-old German rider looked all set to improve further during this afternoon’s final qualifying session. But mechanical problems with both his Ninja ZX-RR machines sidelined the luckless Hofmann, forcing him to sit out the session after completing just four laps of the 4.2km Le Mans circuit.

While not quite as serious as those of his teammate, Nakano also suffered problems during this afternoon’s final qualifying session, with a rise in temperature adversely affecting the handling of the Fuchs Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR that had worked so well around the Le Mans circuit in the cooler conditions of morning practice. Riding around the problem as best he could, the 26-year-old Japanese rider still managed to improve slightly on his time from yesterday, but it wasn’t enough to stop him slipping one row further down the grid.

Qualifying may not have matched expectations, but Fuchs Kawasaki Team Manager, Harald Eckl, remained confident in the ability of both his riders to fight their way through the field in tomorrow’s French Grand Prix.

Shinya Nakano: 12th (1’34.362)
“We had a good package for free practice this morning, and my times on race tyres were pretty consistent. But the temperature went up this afternoon and the bike felt very different to ride. The weather is likely to be the same for tomorrow’s race, so we will have to see if we can improve the chassis balance for these conditions tonight. I ran into traffic on my first flying lap this afternoon, but was able to improve slightly on yesterday’s time right at the end of the session. The lap times of the top guys are pretty close, so the race will be tough tomorrow. Starting from the fourth row of the grid will make it doubly difficult for me, but I think that a top ten finish is a real possibility, and that’s exactly what I’ll be aiming for tomorrow.”

Alex Hofmann: 19th (1’35.718)
“What can I say? It’s disappointing enough when you miss out on part of a qualifying session due to a small problem with the bike, but to miss virtually the whole of this afternoon’s session is so frustrating. Worse still is the fact that we’d make big steps forward with the bike during free practice this morning, to the point where I was able to match my qualifying times from yesterday on race tyres. Obviously we were looking to build on these improvements during final qualifying this afternoon, but mechanical problems put paid to that idea. Starting from so far down the grid there will be no room for a race strategy tomorrow; it’s just going to be a case of getting my head down and going as hard as I can from the off if I am to finish in the points.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“To say it’s been an unlucky weekend so far for Alex would be a bit of an understatement. He hit traffic on all his flying laps in qualifying yesterday, and then today he’s sidelined with two mechanical problems early on in the timed session. I just hope these problems haven’t knocked his confidence too much, because I’m confident that he is still capable of fighting his way up to a points scoring finish tomorrow. Traffic was also a problem for Shinya in qualifying today, with the result that he’s ended up further down the grid than he’d hoped for. The front of the field are all pretty close on lap times, so the race tomorrow will be far from easy, but I remain confident that Shinya is capable of giving the team another top ten finish here.”

QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2 – COMBINED TIMES
1. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 1’33.425; 2. Carlos Checa (SPA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.150; 3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Honda Team +0.154; 4. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.243; 5. Colin Edwards (USA) Telefonica Movistar Honda +0.445; 6. Marco Melandri (ITA) Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha +0.495; 7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda +0.541; 8. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Camel Honda Team +0.632; 9. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.670; 10. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team +0.786; 11. Alex Barros (BRA) Repsol Honda +0.917; 12. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team +0.937; 19. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki Racing Team +2.293


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

Max Biaggi on front row at Le Mans

Max Biaggi ended the final day of qualifying at Le Mans with the third fastest time and a front row position for the Grand Prix de France. It was another close session, in conditions which were much warmer than yesterday, and featured an intruiging battle between a group of riders who will no doubt be battling forvictory tomorrow. Max gradually improved his performance from yesterday and forced his way onto the front row of the grid, whilst a good day all round for the Camel Honda team was confirmed by the eighth fastest time for Makoto Tamada, who enjoys this track and is confident of a good race.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“I am happy – with Max we have found a level of performance which we need to be fighting for victory. After finding a good race set-up for his bike we were able to concentrate on a fast lap which puts him on the front row. I am sure that Makoto will have a good race and that the yellow colours of the Camel Honda RC211V machines will shine at the front tomorrow”.

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 3rd – 1:33.579
“We have found a good set-up for the race, although the perfect bike doesn’t exist. I am satisfied with the bike at this track and I don’t think we will see the high rhythm from today repreated in tomorrow’s race, although the rhythm will still be very high. The team have done a great job, the bike was much better than yesterday and we are making progress”.

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“The technicians and Makoto have worked hard to move forward and give him a chance of being in the lead group in the race – Makoto is a fast and hard rider, especially in a race. Because of the way he was concentrating on selecting a good tyre for the race, he wasn’t able to make the most of a soft compound for his qualifying lap, but there will be a high rhythm in the race and it is a case of being up there with the lead riders and setting a competitive pace”.

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 8th – 1:34.057
“I am satisfied with the set-up of the bike and with the tyre we have chosen for the race. I wasn’t able to get a good lap in with the soft tyre which would have moved me up the grid, which is a shame. We need to make a few final adjustments to improve the handling of the bike in the corner and I will be ready for a great race”.


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

CHECA ON LE MANS FRONT ROW AS ROSSI MOVES UP TO FOURTH

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Carlos Checa will start from the front row of the grid for the second race in succession tomorrow after finishing today’s final French Grand Prix qualifying session second fastest. World Champion Valentino Rossi will start from fourth, heading the second row less than one tenth of a second behind his team-mate. The first six riders were within half a second of each other today, promising a close fight for the French fans tomorrow.

After oil on the track suspended the session for fifteen minutes, action restarted with 50 minutes left on the clock. One of the first riders to improve on his time from yesterday, Checa remained in third until Biaggi moved up the rankings and pushed him down to fourth. With ten minutes to go Checa took pole, only to be overtaken by Honda riders Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi. In the closing stages he improved his time once more and finished the session in second with a final fastest time of 1:33.575. The Spaniard was just a fraction slower than Championship leader Gibernau, who took pole for the first time this year with a time of 1:33.425. Completing the front row is Max Biaggi, who posted a time of 1:33.579. Meanwhile Rossi put in some fast laps in the closing stages of the session, his best time of 1:33.668 good enough to see him head the second row tomorrow. He is joined by Colin Edwards (Honda – 1:33.870) and Marco Melandri (1:33.920), the third Yamaha in the top
six.

CARLOS CHECA (2nd – 1:33.575)

“I am quite satisfied with today! The team has done a great job all weekend and we have been at the top in all the practices. I feel that we are ready now for the race tomorrow. Of course, I always want to improve more, but I have arrived with some good form and I am feeling happy. Now I need to have a good start tomorrow. Of course to stay at the front for the whole race will be very hard but I will try and I’ll see what happens! I feel confident that we will be able to fight at the front. I really hope I can put on a good show and make people happy tomorrow.”

VALENTINO ROSSI (4th – 1:33.668)

“The situation has been better than yesterday but we are still behind. This morning we went quite well but we didn’t make so much progress this afternoon. We are still having problems with the braking and it’s difficult to control. We’ve tried many different things with the suspension and we’ve solved some problems but not all. I went quite well on the qualifying tyres and finally was fourth, but I think it will be quite different tomorrow with the race tyres. Biaggi, Gibernau, Checa and Edwards are all very strong and it will be difficult. For sure the level this year is higher and all the races are going to be hard. Carlos went well and was faster than me. I hope that in the warm-up tomorrow we can make some improvements before the race.”

ANTONIO JIMENEZ – CARLOS CHECA’S CREW CHIEF

“We kept pretty much the same base that we had yesterday and for this morning’s practice and we are happy with the results. Today we’ve worked mostly on the tyres; keeping things simple and not making too many changes. We are now looking forward to tomorrow. There are more than two or three riders who can be there tomorrow so it will be a close race. Carlos already has an advantage starting from the front row and I think he can have a good start; he has a chance to do well. We’ll see tomorrow; we don’t know until the light is green but we are optimistic!”


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

Proton Team KR riders up the pace at Le Mans

Nobuatsu Aoki: 20th, 1:36.044
Kurtis Roberts: 21st, 1:36.373

Proton Team KR riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Kurtis Roberts put the small but vexing problems of yesterday behind them in today’s final qualifying session, with both cutting their previous best time, and each moving up one place on the starting grid.

The Proton KR V5 is celebrating its first birthday, after making its track debut in practice for last year’s French GP. The latest machine, changed in all areas for 2004, is developing fast, with two new engine configurations in action today, and for tomorrow’s race.

Nobu Aoki is using only the changed firing order engine, run for the first time at tests less than two weeks ago. Performance is improving day by day, as engineers iron out the inevitable teething troubles, getting closer every session to unleashing the full potential. The Japanese rider cut almost eight tenths of a second off his best time of yesterday as a result.

Kurtis Roberts is using an even newer engine, that arrived only yesterday. This combines the new firing order with revised internal dimensions, with the engine’s stroke increased and the bore reduced. The second son of team principal Kenny Roberts, who missed pre-season testing and the first GP after injuring his shoulder in a testing crash, improved by a massive 1.4 seconds.

Today’s qualifying at the 4.1870km Bugatti circuit took place in fine, sunny conditions, with the fine weather forecast to continue for tomorrow’s third round of the season. Pole position was set by points leader Sete Gibernau, with yesterday’s provisional pole man Colin Edwards pushed to fifth in a very close grid. With the full track resurfaced, pole time of 1:33.425 was more than three seconds inside the previous lap record.

Nobuatsu Aoki
We made the full session without any significant problems, using the new firing order, which feels better. The performance is getting better every session. I think I have found a good race tyre. I tried a tyre with a compound that was too soft for the new surface. I prefer a tyre which is a little harder. Unfortunately I used up that tyre in the middle of the session, and there were no more left for me. Anyway, things are improving all the time.

Kurtis Roberts
Today was the first time I rode on a soft qualifying tyre since December at Valencia, so I was a little hesitant trying to learn its character. In fact, I’m still learning the track! I tried the new bore and stroke as well as the old, both with the new firing order, and the new one was a little faster, so I’ll probably be racing that tomorrow. But I’m still so new to it that it takes a few laps to get affirmation. I need to make up more time as a rider than the bike needs to do. I need to go out there and pull off a race finish tomorrow.

Kenny Roberts – Team principal
When you’re testing new stuff, as we are, every day is going to be better. The new bore and stroke engine had never seen a chassis before yesterday. Now it’s done 18 laps. The reason for building it was for more reliability and a more even power delivery. We’re going to see a lot more engine improvements over the coming months. The horsepower is there, and we’re starting to find out how to get it.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:


Ducati Marlboro men improve at Le Mans

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss improved their pace in this afternoon’s final qualifying session at warm and sunny Le Mans to secure starts on the third and fourth rows of the grid. Working closely with their engineers, the pair refined suspension and front-end geometry settings to get their Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP4s working better, especially in race trim.

“We’re improving,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “Each time we go out we get to know the bike better and it’s now responding to our input. We have improved the set up today, so our race pace is not so bad now. I’d like to say a big thank you to the riders for their efforts to speed up development of the new bike.”

Capirossi one second faster than friday
Loris Capirossi will start tomorrow’s French GP from the third row after bettering his Friday pace by 1.1 seconds. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider moved up to ninth fastest at the end of the session and is confident of a strong race here.
“I’m happy,” smiled Capirossi, now just 0.6 seconds off pole. “Not only have we improved our qualifying pace from yesterday, but I was able to get into the 34s with race tyres. We made some important improvements to suspension set-up and front-end geometry, so the bike is now more rideable with Michelin’s 16.5in front tyre, which I will race for the first time here. The 16.5 is very different from the 17 I usually use – it helps you to flick into corners much quicker. This race will be difficult but also very important. I’m confident of a good ride, though maybe we aren’t yet ready for a podium finish.”

Bayliss just misses out on row three
Troy Bayliss was also in a positive mood after moving into the top ten today. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider improved his Friday pace by 0.8 seconds and nearly made the third row.
“I tried as hard as I could and we certainly improved from yesterday,” said Bayliss. “We’ve just been working on little things and we’ve got the bike going pretty good on race tyres. My fast lap was good but it could’ve been better because I lost the front through turn one on that lap. I nearly made the third row, only got bumped off right at the end. Now I’m tenth and I’ve got a smile on my face, which shows how hard we’ve been getting it. I didn’t finish at Jerez, so if I can get a race under my belt here and a half-decent result, I’ll be happy.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

HOPKINS SLASHES TIME AT LE MANS
Team Suzuki Press Office – Le Mans, France –May 15, 2004:

Team Suzuki MotoGP riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins will start tomorrow’s French GP from 13th and 16th positions after a warm and dry final qualifying session in which both improved on their best times of yesterday.

Roberts shaved a tenth of a second off his Friday time, ending up just over a second off pole time on a very close starting grid, the first 12 riders within a second of pole.

Hopkins made a massive improvement, slashing almost a full second to move up to within just over a tenth off his team-mate, though without improving his grid position. Almost all riders went faster today than yesterday, as the fully resurfaced 4.180km circuit gained grip through use.

Today’s session was interrupted for some 15 minutes after German rider Alex Hofmann’s engine blew up and spilled oil on the entry to the fastest corner on the circuit.

Most of the Bugatti circuit, sharing only pits and the front straight with the famous 24-hour car circuit, is made up of slow corners linked with short straights, putting a huge premium on acceleration and braking rather than cornering ability and riding skill.

Pole position for the third race of the season went to points leader Sete Gibernau, fully 3.2 seconds inside the official lap record.


KENNY ROBERTS Jr: 13th Position, 1:34.459:

“The guys on the team and the engineers here at the track did a great job preparing the bike for race trim. We had it pretty well sorted out by the end of this morning’s session. Tomorrow I’ll try and get a decent start and see what happens, but on days like today and tracks like this we could really use some help from the factory with some better performance.”


JOHN HOPKINS: 16th Position, 1:34.597:

“Today went great and I made a big improvement. Too bad everyone else improved too! Right now we’re struggling with drive grip out of the corners and I’m really looking forward to improving that. I think we can suss it out with chassis adjustments, though we’re not going to turn the bike on its head overnight. Our times on race tyres seem okay, then on qualifying tyres I got behind some guys and improved almost a second on yesterday, so I’m happy with that.”




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

LE MANS CONTINUES TO BE THORNY FOR HOPKINS
Young American qualifies 16th for French MotoGP

LE MANS, France (May 15, 2004) – John Hopkins qualified a disappointing 16th for Sunday’s French Motorcycle Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Californian rode his factory Suzuki GSV-R to a best time of one minute, 34.597 seconds on the 4.2-kilometer, 13-turn Le Mans circuit.

His poor showing in Saturday’s qualifying at Le Mans continues a streak of hard luck on the famous racetrack. At the French GP last year Hopkins crashed three times and left the weekend battered and bruised.

Saturday’s qualifying session was hotter than Friday’s and Hopkins complained of a lack of rear tire grip in the heat.

“We’re having some challenges finding traction out of the corners with the higher track temperatures,” he said. “We spent a lot of time working on our race set-up so hopefully that will pay off Sunday.”

Despite the lack of success so far in France, Hopkins remains positive about his prospects.

“Even though I didn’t qualify where I wanted I’m only a few tenths out of the top 10,” Hopkins said. “Maybe I need to really stretch out on the tank down the straights and maybe I can pick up a tenth or two. I’m going to charge right from the start in the race and try to make up as many positions as possible. It should be a good, tight race.”

Hopkins survived a major scare during Friday’s session when his bike threw a chain in the middle of a fifth gear turn.

“I took a pretty wild triple-digit speed ride out to the gravel trap,” Hopkins explained. “That was more excitement than I care to have.”



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

French Grand Prix, Le Mans
Final Qualifying, Saturday May 15, 2004

GIBERNAU POWERS TO FIRST POLE OF 2004 AS TITLE RACE HOTS UP

After his wet win in Spain two weeks ago Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) put even more momentum into his title challenge by recording his first pole since the South African Grand Prix of 2003. In dry, sun-kissed conditions here at Le Mans, he proved that he has the means to find speed whatever the weather and sandwiched between his RC211V and that of Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) who qualified third, lies the Yamaha of Carlos Checa in second.

The hour long session was red-flagged after Alex Hofmann’s Kawasaki dropped oil on the 190mph right turn on the uphill start/finish straight. And after 15 minutes the session restarted only for the hapless German to suffer another malfunction on his spare ZX-RR Ninja machine.

Colin Edwards (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) looked like the rider in form for most of the session. The Texan had been looking smooth and controlled all weekend and with twenty minutes of the session left he headed the timesheet. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) was up there in second, but neither of them would retain a front row slot as the pace hotted up.

Carlos Checa made a determined bid for pole with ten minutes to go and fired his machine around the 4.180km track as fastest Yamaha – faster than Rossi, who was struggling somewhat in seventh at this stage. Max was making steady progress and with three minutes to go he elevated himself to second place before being dislodged by Checa.

Edwards had to settle for a second row start alongside Rossi who qualified fourth and heads the second row of the new three-rider-per-row grid. Nicky Hayden heads row three in seventh with Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres alongside him in eighth. Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) qualified 11th.

“I’m very happy with pole,” said Gibernau. “I’ve got a fever at the moment which doesn’t help, but the pole is what counts. Today we felt the benefit of the testing we completed at Jerez after the race. We know a lot more about the bike now even though we’ve still got a bit of chatter now and again. But we’re in good shape for tomorrow’s race.”

Max Biaggi is ready to race too. “We worked well today and made some good steps forward. We’ve had some wheelie problems out of the turns that we’re trying solve. But the perfect bike doesn’t exist and the best we have so far is not bad at all. The race will be run at a slower pace than in qualifying too.”

Gibernau’s team-mate Edwards failed to make the most of the final session. “The tyre we chose in the morning didn’t work the same way because it was eight degrees hotter this afternoon. We didn’t realise what the problem was until we’d done a 45-minute endurance test – on the wrong tyre. And then I got baulked on my hot lap on a qualifying tyre.”

Hayden was deflated by this afternoon’s events. “Pretty disappointing after such a good day yesterday,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I had the confidence in the rear like yesterday. Hopefully we can try a few things in warm-up tomorrow because we just can’t afford to let the guys on the front row get away.”

Tamada was more upbeat about his eighth spot on the grid. “I’m very happy with the set-up and the tyre,” he said. “We’ve decided on a race tyre and now we just need to try some more set-up work in the morning to improve the bike on the entrance to turns. Then we’re ready for a good race.”

Barros was plagued by front-end trouble. “We’ve been really trying to work on the front end of the bike,” he said. “Things improved a little but we’re having trouble on the brakes and in the turns. I didn’t get a good run on my qualifying tyre either and now we’ve got a tough battle from the fourth row tomorrow.”

Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) reinforced his meteoric arrival in the 250cc class with his first pole on a 250 – and this is just two races after his maiden victory at Welkom in April. But the young Spaniard had to fight hard with local man Randy de Puniet (Aprilia) who qualified second fastest.

Sebastian Porto and Manuel Poggiali (both Aprilia) complete the front row in third and fourth respectively. But Porto held pole for two minutes as the final stages of the qualifying battle unfolded. Pedrosa, de Puniet and Porto were the three main protagonists as the clock ticked down and Porto crashed with tow minutes to go while trying to dislodge Pedrosa from pole.

The 250 class is proving a tight and competitive category this season with last season’s World Championship runner-up Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) only able to qualify eighth on row two. The Italian will be relying on his considerable race craft to compensate in the 26-lap race tomorrow. Tony Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) qualified in fifth and heads row two.

“That’s a good result for us,” said Pedrosa. “Porto and de Puniet were very fast and all the top riders will be quick tomorrow. I did all I could do out there today and I think I have a good rhythm for the race.”

Elias is honest about his chances in tomorrow’s race. “I’m happy enough with my grid position, but not my time,” said the Spaniard. “I’m one second off pole and the problem is the bike pitching when I turn into the corners. We’ll have to find a solution tomorrow for me to be competitive in the race.”

The 125 final qualifying session belonged to Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) – just like it had yesterday. The Italian Honda frontrunner put in a final lap of 1m 42.608s to claim pole and send a firm signal of his intent for tomorrow’s race. Jorge Lorenzo qualified second fastest with Hector Barbera third and Roberto Locatelli (all Aprilia) completing the front row in fourth.

Dovizioso smashed his 2003 pole time by just under a second to take the fight to his Aprilia pursuers in tomorrow’s 24-lap race. This is his third career pole position and comes soon after his maiden Grand Prix victory in South Africa earlier this year.

But he is short of support at the sharp end of the grid. The best any of the other Honda riders could manage here was a 12th from Simone Corsi (Team Scot Honda RS125R) and a 14th from Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final World Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 1:51.624
2. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 1:52.651
3. Fabien Foret, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:52.671
4. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:52.824
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:52.842
6. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.121
7. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.192
8. Alessio Corradi, Honda CBR600RR, 1:53.587
9. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 749R, 1:53.698
10. Cristiano Migliorati, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:53.802
11. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 749R, 1:54.024
12. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:54.087
13. Vittoriano Guareschi, Ducati 749R, 1:54.280 14. Stefano Cruciani, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:54.281
15. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR600RR, 1:54.357
16. Walter Tortoroglio, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:54.569
17. Matthieu Lagrive, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:54.575 18. Denis Sacchetti, Honda CBR600RR, 1:54.601
19. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.617
20. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:54.699


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

CHAMBON ON THE PACE AT MONZA
World Supersport Friday Qualifying, Monza, Italy – May 14, 2004.

Stephane Chambon took a provisional seventh place in today’s first day of qualifying for Sunday’s World Supersport fourth round at Monza, Italy as team mates Katsauki Fujiwara and Vittorio Iannuzzo claimed places just outside the top ten.

Quickest today was Aussie Karl Muggeridge ahead of Fabien Foret (Yamaha) and Sebastien Charpentier (Honda).

STEPHANE CHAMBON – 7th, 1:54.521:

“When we tested here, we tried many, many different things to try and find some solutions and good ideas. Today we carried on that work and we will continue to try and find the best way forward. At the moment, I cannot find a good compromise between the bike and me and so it’s impossible for me to push harder. I think the bike is better then it was at the test, but we are still working on improving it.”

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA – 11th, 1:54.689:

“A slight technical problem cut short my time in this afternoon’s qualifying session and so maybe my end result was not as good as it should’ve been. At the moment we need slightly more speed, but I can only do my best and that’s exactly what I am doing. I will fight all the way to the flag for sure and hope for a good result.”

VITTORIO IANNUZZO – 14th, 1:55.164:

“Recently we’ve changed many things and tried many things and we are carrying on trying to get the best setting for the bike. I had a little problem with stability today, so I couldn’t push as hard as I would’ve liked. I want to do well on Sunday in front of my fans, so I will be trying my very best for sure.”


More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group:

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) continued his domination of the Supersport class at Monza with pole position to add to his provisional pole from Friday. The Aussie’s best lap of 1:51.624 was fully a second faster than closest chaser Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda), with Yamaha rider Fabien Foret (Team Italia) third quickest. The front row for Sunday’s 16-lap race will be completed by Foret’s team-mate, championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh. Katsuaki Fujiwara gave the Alstare Suzuki team a top five finish, with Ten Kate Honda rider Broc Parkes in sixth. Aussie Kevin Curtain rode his Yamaha Germany machine to seventh and the top local rider is Italia Megabike Honda rider Alessio Corradi, last man on the second row. On home soil, Italian manufacturer Ducati placed rider Lorenzo Lanzi ninth, not an ideal start for the 16-lap Supersport event.


More, from a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

Date: 14th May 2004
Circuit: Monza, 5.793 km

Final Qualifying
Weather: sun
Temperature: air 24° C track 45° C
Crowd: 25,000

FABIEN AND JURGEN READY!
Yamaha Racing Italia riders Fabien Foret and Jurgen van de Goorbergh finished final qualifying in third and fourth positions and are well poised to go for podium places tomorrow. Fabien and Jurgen are confident that they can get the better of the Hondas tomorrow and are looking forward to the green light at the start of the sixteen lapper.

FABIEN FORET ­ 3rd, 1:52.671
I mainly worked towards a good race set-up today and I am really happy with what we tried. I also did a long distance run with consistent times, so I am very confident for the race. Tomorrow morning we will try just a small change to the gearbox but, apart from that, we’re ready to race and fight the battle of Monza.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH – 4th, 1:52.824
I think I could’ve ended with the second fastest lap today, but when I was really on the gas, I found Baiocco in my way and I lost a few fractions of a second. But, the main thing is that I am on the front row and that’s what counts here. Muggeridge set some impressive times today, but the race is another matter. I am confident that we can get a really good result tomorrow.

SILVANO GALBUSERA (Technical Director)
We’re very confident about the race tomorrow because of all the things we have done today. Our riders put in consistently fast laps and now all we need is for them to make good starts. I think they can do that because of all the work we have put into the new clutch. We’re looking forward to a good day tomorrow.


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

Muggeridge On Pole Again

Ten Kate Honda rider Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) continued his run of unrivalled form to take his tenth career pole position, lapping the 5.793km Monza circuit in 1:51.624. His quickest lap of the weekend was fully one second faster than his nearest challenger Sebastien Charpentier (Honda), in what is normally the closest racing class in World Championship competition.

Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) improved his time over the first day of qualifying, but remained on the second row of the grid, starting from sixth place. He experienced some chassis set-up concerns during the final session, finally cured in the last minutes of qualifying.

Muggeridge was satisfied by restrained in his summation of the day’s events. “I can do the times I did yesterday with more ease now. To go faster again today was just as hard as taking provisional pole yesterday, but the bike is really improving. We got it to handle better over the bumps and tried a few things with the brakes. The biggest advantage I have here is having ridden during most previous years with a slower bike. Now I have the fastest bike I ride the corners like before but in the straights I’m going faster. I don’t care where the other guys are here, I just want to race my own race.”

Parkes, aware that slipstreaming plays a huge part in any Monza race, stated, “We played with a lot of things to try and get a better set-up but it’s not quite right at the moment. I was a little bit slow since I got here and I was hoping to get a front row. I’m not too down about our chances in the race. I think Karl can get away on his own but I think I can run with the second place pack. We will be working on final tyre choice tomorrow morning.”

For Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate the session was a game of two halves. “The session started quite well for Broc but then he had some strange problems with the handling on the bike, which we could not explain at first. We were puzzled a bit by that but towards the end we found what it was. He did a lap together with Karl and that put him back on the second row of the grid. For Broc we know he is a better racer than a qualifier so if he goes with the bunch in front he can stay with them. Karl looked to be keeping an eye on how fast the competition is around here and every time someone came close to him he could react immediately with a faster time.”

World Supersport Championship
Round Four – Monza, Italy
14 – 16 May 2004, Final Qualifying
1. K. Muggeridge, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’51.624
2. S. Charpentier, FRA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’52.651
3. F. Foret, FRA, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’52.671
4. J.vd Goorbergh, NED, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’52.824
5. K. Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki GSX 600R, 1’52.842
6. B. Parkes, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR, 1’53.121
7. K. Crtain, AUS, Yamaha YZF R6, 1’53.192
8. A. Corradi, ITA, Honda CBR600RR, 1’53.587
9. L. Lanzi, ITA, Ducati 749 R, 1’53.698
10. C. Migliorati, ITA, Kawasaki ZX6 RR, 1’53.802

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Supersport Championship leader Tommy Hayden took pole position during qualifying Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park with a new lap record time of 1:27.636 on his factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR.

Not only did Hayden’s time surpass Damon Buckmaster’s lap record of 1:28.143, it was 0.6-second faster than the next-fastest Supersport qualifier and even faster than the Superbike qualifying time of factory Ducati rider Eric Bostrom (1:27.647).

“That was a really good lap,” Hayden told reporters. “That’s the first time all week I’ve put every section of the track together good. It was a good lap. I was able to hit all my marks.”

Provisional AMA Supersport Qualifying Results;

1. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.636
2. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:28.262
3. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:28.348
4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:28.375
5. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:28.510
6. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:28.574
7. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:28.934
8. Roger Lee Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.952
9. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:29.071
10. Chris Peris, Suzuki, 1:29.679
11. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:29.798
12. Michael Barnes, Yamaha, 1:29.837
13. Ben Attard, Suzuki, 1:29.958
14. Lee Acree, Suzuki, 1:30.782
15. Blake Young, Suzuki, 1:31.367
16. Jason Perez, Yamaha, 1:31.441
17. Danny Eslick, Suzuki, 1:31.625
18. Michael Sanchez, Yamaha, 1:32.221
19. Darren Luck, Suzuki, 1:32.366
20. Heath Small, Yamaha, 1:32.399