From a press release issued by Corona Extra Suzuki:

NECK INJURY SIDELINES CRAGGILL

Corona Extra Suzuki Superbike rider Marty Craggill, who placed eighth in Race 1 of the AMA Superbike at Fontana and crashed out in race 2, has undergone surgery and will miss the upcoming event at Infineon Raceway.

After returning to Australia following Fontana, Craggill had a continuing pain in his neck. X-rays revealed nothing but after a week of persistent discomfort, a requested CAT scan revealed a fracture in his C6 vertebra. Marty was admitted for surgery earlier this week. The vertebra was pinned and a bone graft undertaken. Marty is recovering after the successful operation. His return to racing fitness will be determined following doctor review in May.

We all wish Marty a speedy recovery.

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Provisional Saturday Morning AMA Formula Xtreme Practice Times:

1. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:28.930
2. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.260
3. Doug Chandler, Ducati 749R, 1:30.680
4. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.870
5. Michael Barnes, Buell XB9R, 1:32.378
6. Larry Pegram, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.627
7. Ty Howard, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.944
8. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.955
9. Blake Young, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.229
10. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:33.465
11. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:33.514
12. Heath Small, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.539
13. Jason Farrell, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:34.676
14. Derek Keyes, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.484
15. Jason Mathiason, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.735
16. Mike Shreve, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.814
17. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:35.875
18. Ben Walters, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.008
19. Nathan Hester, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.770
20. Doug Duane, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.229

From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

MonsterMob Ducati British Superbike and Supersport Championship Team

British Superbike Championship
Rounds 5/6
Snetterton
24th/25th April

FRONT ROW FOR EMMETT

MonsterMob Ducati rider Sean Emmett will start rounds five and six of the THINK! British Superbike Championship at Snetterton from the front row of the grid after a dramatic final qualifying session this afternoon.

Having set fastest time in this morning’s first timed qualifying, the 34 year old Londoner was holding provisional pole position when with around ten minutes of the session to go, the red flag came out when James Haydon’s ETI Ducati blew an oil seal.

Despite the pain of a broken finger sustained in a race crash at Brands Hatch over Easter, Emmett was bumped back in the dying throes and despite setting a faster time, clung on to third place for an all important front row start. Remarkably, Emmett and Suzuki rival John Reynolds set identical times but Emmett got the nod by virtue of the fact that his second fastest lap was quicker than Reynolds’.

“I’m quite satisfied with that and it seems that me and Michael (Rutter) were the quickest on race tyres. However, one lap of qualifying is always a lottery as there are always those guys who can do one quick lap but doing twenty five of them is a different matter. The front row is what we wanted so I’m happy” said Sean.

Meanwhile, Emmett’s team mate Michael Laverty will have to battle through from row three of the grid having posted ninth fastest time during British Supersport qualifying. The 23 year old Ulsterman was comfortably in fifth place for much of the session but missed out late in the session.

“It would have been good to start the race from further up but we were concentrating on perfecting our race set up rather than doing one fast lap. We managed to do OK from even further back at Brands so I’m feeling confident about tomorrow’s race” said Laverty who won at Snetterton last season.

Superbike Qualifying
1, Michael Rutter (Honda) 1:05.713
2, Dean Thomas (Ducati) 1:05.766
3, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:05.909
4, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 1:05.909
5, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1:06.098
6, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 1:06.150
7, Steve Plater (Yamaha) 1:06.407
8, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 1:06.449
9, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 1:06.492
10, James Haydon (Ducati) 1:06.947


Supersport Qualifying
1, Karl Harris (Honda) 1:08.673
2, Luke Quigley (Suzuki) 1:08.721
3, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) 1:08.840
4, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 1:08.967
5, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1:08.971
6, Tom Tunstall (Honda) 1:09.077
7, Jay Vincent (Honda) 1:09.095
8, Leon Camier (Honda) 1:09.099
9, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:09.101
10, Iain MacPherson (Honda) 1:09.135


More, from a press release issued by MSS Discovery Kawasaki Team:

British Supersport/National Superstock Championships
Round three ­
Snetterton, April 25 2004

Saturday April 24 2004

RIBA SCOOPS FIRST FRONT ROW START ON MSS DISCOVERY KAWASAKI

Pere Riba will make his first front row start on the MSS Discovery ZX-6RR Kawasaki after taking third place in Saturday¹s British Supersport Championship qualifying at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk.

Riba, second in the Championship points standings, was just 0.1s away from a debut pole position in the class and is confident of a first podium finish after taking fourth place in the previous rounds at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

“I’m very, very happy with what we’ve achieved today,” said Riba. “The machine and tyres feel better than they have done at any point this year. Everything continues to improve with the new ZX-6RR and this weekend feels like a major step forward in that development.”

Riba added: “There are some good, quality riders in the Supersport class so to be third on the grid, and on my first visit to Snetterton, is good. We also have a good race tyre – I was only 0.3s slower on the race tyre than the soft compound Metzeler we use for qualifying.”

Riba’s team-mate Rob Frost will start from 19th place on the grid, escaping injury after he crashed on the final lap of the qualifying session.

Frost explained: “We’d tried just about everything in the session in an effort to get the machine set-up right. Eventually we got the front end of the machine working good but it began bringing the rear around, going sideways on me.

“That’s exactly what happened with the crash, it came around and I knew it was my final lap so there was no way I could roll the throttle off. The race will be a battle but I’m ready for it and Snetterton is a good, open circuit for racing.”

The team’s National Superstock Championship rider, Steve Allan will start from 18th place on the grid after a qualifying day to forget for the Scotsman who took pole position for the opening round of the series four weeks ago at Silverstone.

Allan, less than one second off a front row start, said: “Everything about the ZX-10R is great–it’s the circuit which is causing us trouble this weekend. We’ve had trouble with the brakes since we got here. It’s the same
for every rider out there and it’s just how you can handle it best.

“The characteristics of Snetterton and its long straights mean you’re travelling from 160 mph down to about 30 mph as quick as you can, with
standard brakes it takes its toll. The team have got some ideas though and I’m hopeful we’ll get around the problem by the morning warm-up.”

British Supersport Championship final qualifying times:

1 Karl Harris, Honda, 1:08.673
2 Luke Quigley, Suzuki, 1:08.721
3 Pere Riba, Kawasaki, 1:08.840
4 Tom Sykes, Suzuki, 1:08.967
5 Simon Andrews, Yamaha, 1:08.971
6 Tom Tunstall, Honda, 1:09.077
7 Jay Vincent, Honda, 1:09.095
8 Leon Camier, Honda, 1:09.099
9 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 1:09.101
10 Iain MacPherson, Honda, 1:09.135
19 Rob Frost, Kawasaki, 1:09.779


National Superstock Championship final qualifying times:

1 Tristan Palmer, Suzuki, 1:08.047
2 Andy Tinsley, Suzuki, 1:08.147
3 Ben Wilson, Suzuki, 1:08.371
4 Mark Heckles, Yamaha, 1:08.433
5 Les Shand, Yamaha, 1:08.494
6 Danny Beaumont, Yamaha, 1:08.557
7 Marshall Neill, Suzuki, 1:08.725
8 Ryan Rainey, Yamaha, 1:08.880
9 John Crockford, Suzuki, 1:08.881
10 Aaron Zanotti, Suzuki, 1:08.949
18 Steve Allan, Kawasaki, 1:09.431



More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

BSB Championship, Round 3, Snetterton, Norfolk

Track length: 1.952 miles

Weather: dry, bright sunshine, slight breeze, 24° C

Track: 36° C

COMBINED QUALIFYING

TRAFFIC ROBS SMART OF FRONT ROW START

Hawk Kawasaki’s Scott Smart missed out on a front row start for tomorrow’s two BSB races at Snetterton, Norfolk, by two tenths of a second when he was baulked by slower traffic on his final few laps of qualifying.

Smarty held a strong third position for more than half of the sun-drenched second session and was looking to guarantee a front row start with a flying lap in the closing minutes of qualifying. Unable to avoid slower riders, Scott was forced to settle with sixth quickest time and a second row grid position.

“I had to back off on my last three laps when I was trying for a quick time,” he said afterwards. “It wasn’t the other riders’ fault, they were just mid-corner when I was trying to get through the turn faster and that’s just the way your luck runs sometimes. I ran a .61 and it could have been a .59 no problem if I hadn’t been slowed and that would have been good enough for the front row of the grid.”

His Hawk Kawasaki team-mate, Glen Richards, was also forced to abort his final few flying laps when his ZX-10R developed an miss-fire, leaving the Aussie unable to best his time of 1:06.492. He starts tomorrow’s tow races from ninth.

“It’s really frustrating,” said Glen. “I know I could have gone faster but my number one bike started cutting out and there was nothing I could do. It’s going to be hard starting from the third row, so my aim now is to get away as cleanly as I can.”

Smart’s speed aboard the team’s new Kawasaki ZX-10R surprised many – even Hawk Team Principal Stuart Hicken. “I was concerned about speed, but people said we wouldn’t do anything with the 750 and we did, and we’ve proved that again today with a new bike,” he said. “It’s also nice to see our bikes pass others in a straight line, rather than on the brakes. Being able to do that makes life much easier.

“Overall I’m really happy because it’s very, very close at the top. Scott thought he could’ve gone quicker, Glen definitely could have gone quicker but we were a little bit unlucky to get a miss-fire at the end of the session on Glen’s number one bike. The good thing is that through the speed trap on the back straight we were second and third.”

From a press release issued by d’Antin Ducati:

RUBEN XAUS SUPPORTS THE ONG “MOTOS SOLIDARIAS”

The d’Antin MotoGP rider Ruben Xaus has been appointed honour member of the “Motos Solidarias” organization during a function celebrated in the NH Podium Hotel in Barcelona.

“Motos Solidarias” is the Spanish branch of “Riders for Health” ONG founded in the year 1989 and devoted to saving lives supplying means of transport to canalise medical resources in different African countries. This ONG is dedicated to intensify its actions at present.

Spain is a very caring country and the passion for the two tyres sports takes root. That is why all the actions undertaken by “Motos Solidarias” have been a success in the same way it has happened in Great Britain.

The main World-Championship rider’s involvement is complete and this week Ruben Xaus went along with other riders such as Sete Gibernau and Carlos Checa to pick up the organization’s honorary member award from one of the main responsible hands, the ex-rider Randy Mamola.

Xaus is pride of having a chance to help to the development of this project: “I am very glad that they have counted on me and I can assure that my implication is going to be complete. I will attend as many acts called by Motos Solidarias as I can and I will contribute as much as I can taking part in the auctions or in any other activities. I think that even giving little help we can not lose the chance of doing so”.

From a press release issued by Ducati North America:

THREE TIME AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPION DOUG CHANDLER TO RACE DUCATI 749R IN AMA FORMULA EXTREME

HMC Ducati Milwaukee Racing pairs up with Ducati and three time AMA Superbike champion Doug Chandler for their 2004 Formula Extreme effort.

Doug Chandler will race a Ducati 749R in the AMA Formula Extreme championship for 2004. The 749R was released last month and is the most technologically advanced Ducati ever.

HMC Ducati Milwaukee Racing is excited to be involved with both Chandler and Ducati. Mitch Hansen, team owner of HMC, has a history of winning with Ducati. In 1999 and 2000, HMC raced a 748RS in the now extinct AMA Pro Thunder class, winning the championship in 1999 with Shawn Conrad. In 2002, Doug Chandler rode a Ducati 998RS for HMC finishing the season with 3 podiums. Excited about the future of the new team, Mitch Hansen said, “I feel that the team we assembled with Doug and the 749R is capable of getting on the podium and winning consistently through the year. We’ve entered the season late but we know that anything can happen in racing and we hope to pull off the championship”

The 39-year-old California resident, Chandler, is a well-respected, accomplished racer. He has already won the AMA Superbike Championship three times and raced four years in Grand Prix. Chandler says he is excited to be on a Ducati again, “I’m really looking forward to Barber, its too bad we didn’t get to start the season in Daytona but I know we can go out there and win races. And I’m really excited to be back to roadracing especially on the Ducati.” Chandler’s first race with the 749R will be at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama on May 14-16.

The Ducati 749R is technically the most advanced twin-cylinder bike ever produced. It features a short stroke engine and the revolutionary testastretta head design. This bike was designed to mark Ducati’s return to World Supersport racing but will be extremely competitive in the US-based Formula Extreme class.

HMC Ducati Milwaukee Racing is sponsored by Dunlop, Options Italia, Silkolene, D.I.D., Dowco, Bucci, and EBC.