Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 45:14.993, 25 laps
2. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, -14.040 seconds
3. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, -33.511 seconds
4. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, -54.252 seconds, crash
5. Alex DEBON, Honda, -66.895 seconds
6. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, -66.943 seconds
7. Erwan NIGON, Aprilia, -73.421 seconds
8. Jaroslav HULES, Honda, -82.119 seconds
9. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, -82.163 seconds
10. Johan STIGEFELT, Aprilia, -85.303 seconds
11. Toni ELIAS, Aprilia, -101.591 seconds
12. Lukas PESEK, Yamaha, -169.682 seconds, crash
13. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, -1 lap
14. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, -1 lap, crash
15. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, -1 lap, crash
16. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, -1 lap
17. Henk vd LAGEMAAT, Honda, -2 laps
18. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, -3 laps
19. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, -2 laps, DNF, crash

22. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, -9 laps, DNF, crash
23. Sebastian PORTO, Honda, -20 laps, DNF, crash
24. Katja POENSGEN, Honda, -21 laps, DNF, crash

26. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, -23 laps, DNF, crash
27. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, -25 laps, DNF, crash


250cc Grand Prix World Championship Point Standings (after 15 of 16 rounds):

1. POGGIALI, 233
2. ROLFO, 226
3. ELIAS, 206
4. DE PUNIET, 183
5. NIETO, 183
6. WEST, 145
7. BATTAINI, 140
8. PORTO, 117
9. MATSUDO, 114
10. GUINTOLI, 88

More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda:

Australian Victory carries Rolfo closer to World Championship title

Phillip Island – Australia

Roberto Rolfo scored a clear and very convincing victory in the 250cc Australian Grand Prix and in the process took a very important step towards the 250cc world title. Rolfo is now just seven points adrift of the series leader. The Team Fortuna Honda rider rode an impeccable race from start to finish. In the pre-race warm up he saw the difficult conditions he would face and knew he would be one of the clear favourites for the race. Rolfo had the situation under control all the way and when he saw Australian Anthony West was closing the gap between them he simply upped the race pace to extend his lead making it impossible for his rivals to catch him.

“In the warm up I could see that I would be very fast in the conditions we would face, the bike was really good and the work we had done over the weekend was more than adequate. Even then I knew it would be very complicated.” Explained Rolfo.

“The race went very well, right from the beginning. I made a very good start but even then the first lap was very complicated but everything came good for me and I saw I could go fast and get away, and that’s what I did. I was concentrating at maximum so as not to make a single mistake and keep the situation under control.” Said the Team Fortuna Honda rider.

“Over the closing laps I knew West was closing the gap between us, that’s why I changed my rhythm and increased the pace, I didn’t want things to get complicated in the last couple of laps. I wanted a ‘No worries’ gap between us. The bike worked perfectly all the way and that’s the result of the great job done by the team and it has brought us closer to the world championship than ever. This is a very important result in regard to the championship. With only one race to go we are in a position to fight until the end, and that’s the most important thing of all.” Concluded Roberto Rolfo

Dani Amatriain: “In the name of Fortuna Honda and all the team staff I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Roberto for the race he put in today. But more than anything for his professionalism and the performances he has given all through the season.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Magny-Cours, France
World Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, 23 laps, 39:02.330
2. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, 39:12.765
3. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, 39:12.912
4. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 39:24.583
5. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 39:37.894
6. Leon Haslam, Ducati 998RS, 39:38.195
7. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 39:59.049
8. Sebadtien Gimbert, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 40:03.143
9. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 40:04.637
10. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 40:05.786

16. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, -1 lap

18. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, -3 laps, DNF

20. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -19 laps, DNF
21. James Haydon, Foggy Petronas FP1, -19 laps, DNF
22. David Garcia, Ducati 998RS, -19 laps, DNF

24. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -23 laps, DNF


World Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 24 of 24 races):

1. N. Hodgson, 489
2. R. Xaus, 386
3. J. Toseland, 271
4. R. Laconi, 267
5. G. Lavilla, 256
6. C. Walker, 234
7. P. Chili, 197
8. S. Martin, 139
9. L. Pedercini, 112
10. M. Borciani, 111


More, from a press release issued by FGSports:

FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Round 12 – France – Magny Cours,
16 October – 19 October 2003

The World Superbike finale at the new venue of Magny Cours in France was as incident packed as anyone could have expected, and proved to be a happy hunting ground for the Ducati Fila riders, Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus – although Xaus left France the happier rider.

Hodgson made a brisk start in race one, coming off the line from a front row grid position, before tangling with his old HM Plant Ducati team-mate James Toseland. The latter had won his first career Superpole the day before the races, and was in determined form. He was to slip down the order to fifth after his tyre choice proved fallible. Xaus had shaken of a less than perfect start to run out second, shadowing but not quite able to reach Hodgson. Hodgson had the bizarre experience of his boot fastenings coming loose mid race, although the distraction proved unimportant to the final result.

Each factory Ducati rider set a new lap record in the final stages of the first race, with Hodgson taking the best at this new Magny Cours track layout, with a 1:41.227 on lap 22 of 23. He would later improve that in race two to the new race best of 1:41.219.

A dust-up between Chris Walker (Ducati) and Gregorio Lavilla (Suzuki) went the way of Walker in the opener with Lavilla fourth. Lavilla was once more easily the best four-cylinder rider in the field.

Race two gave Xaus his seventh race win of the 2003 season, riding from a terrible start to the win by ten seconds. His constant late race companion Hodgson crashed, shortly after setting his new lap record in his pursuit of a fleeing Xaus.

James Toseland’s second place finish in race two gave him third overall in the title race, after local rider Regis Laconi (NCR Ducati) scored sixth and a no score for 16th. Laconi pitted in race two and ended up back out with the leaders, albeit one lap down.

Toseland’s team-mate Chris Walker took his second third place finish of the day in the second leg, from Lavilla and privateer rider Steve Martin (DFX Ducati 998RS). Martin’s finish matched his best of the season at Valencia, using a new type of Pirelli tyre.

In the World Championship Hodgson’s 13 wins have contributed massively to his final total of 489 points, with Xaus second on 386, having taken seven wins. Toseland – with one glorious Oschersleben win to his credit – has 271, and Laconi dropped from third to fourth overall with 267 points and no wins.

Walker rode his heart out for his podium finishes, securing sixth in the championship, while Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) suffered the agony of a double DNF and remained on the 197 points he came to France with. He finished seventh overall – although he has the personal satisfaction of a race win nestling in his list of 2003 results.

Steve Martin’s season in SBK delivered him eighth overall placing, from Pedercini Ducati rider Lucio Pedercini and Martin’s own team-mate Marco Borciani.

The bizarre happenings at Magny Cours included a crash on the second race warm-up lap for Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas FP-1). His eight place in race one was encouraging for his team but James Haydon, in his last races for the Anglo-Malaysian race team, crashed after Ivan Clementi clashed with him in race one, and then fell in a single rider incident later in race two.

Corser finished the championship in overall 12th, losing out to Borciani and Mauro Sanchini on the final day of action in the 2003 season

In the 11th and final round of the Supersport World Championship, Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) scored another race win, his third straight success after victories in Assen and Imola. His team mate, and new champion, Chris Vermeulen, took second, and achieved his personal ambition of going over 200 points, with a total of 201.

Third in the race went to the forceful Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda), who regained overall third in the series with his last gasp overtake of Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR).

Stephane Chambon (Alstare Suzuki) took fifth and thus second in the series, ahead of van den Goorbergh and final fourth placed Karl Muggeridge. Such was the closeness of the fight for second that Chambon’s total was 137, van den Goorbergh’s 136 and Muggeridge’s 134.

Pere Riba (Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-6RR) rode assuredly on a fading rear tyre to take sixth in France, his team-mate Foret having pulled in to retire. The Kawasaki duo ended the season with Foret ninth and Riba 11th in the title chase.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Australian Grand Prix
Phillip Island, Australia
MotoGP Race Results:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Honda, 41:53.543, 27 laps, 10-second penalty
2. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -5.212 seconds
3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -12.039 seconds
4. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -12.070 seconds
5. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, -12.294 seconds
6. Olivier JACQUE, Yamaha, -28.017 seconds
7. Shinya NAKANO, Yamaha, -28.044 seconds
8. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -40.112 seconds
9. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -41.410 seconds
10. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -49.902 seconds
11. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Proton, -51.260 seconds
12. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, -54.101 seconds
13. Garry McCOY, Kawasaki, -54.779 seconds
14. Noriyuki HAGA, Aprilia, -61.520 seconds
15. Andrew PITT, Kawasaki, -66.080 seconds
16. Colin EDWARDS, Aprilia, -66.630 seconds
17. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -74.003 seconds
18. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -1 lap
19. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, -1 lap
20. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, -1 lap
21. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -13 laps, DNF, crash
22. Alex BARROS, Yamaha, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical
23. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -24 laps, DNF, crash
24. David DE GEA, Harris WCM, -27 laps, DNF, crash

World Championship Point Standings (after 15 of 16 rounds):

1. ROSSI, 332*
2. GIBERNAU, 257
3. BIAGGI, 215
4. CAPIROSSI, 161
5. HAYDEN, 130
6. UKAWA, 123
7. BAYLISS, 119
8. CHECA, 112
9. NAKANO, 101
10. BARROS, 91
11. TAMADA, 81
12. JACQUE, 71
13. EDWARDS, 54
14. HAGA, 46
15. MELANDRI, 45
16. HOPKINS, 26
17. Norick ABE, 24
18. McWILLIAMS, 23
19. KIYONARI, 20
20. AOKI, 19
21. ROBERTS, 17
22. McCOY, 11
23. Alex HOFMANN, 8
24. Alira RYO, 6
25. Yukio KAGAYAMA, 4
26. PITT, 4

* Clinched World Championship

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

V5 Eleventh in OZ

McWILL snags V5’s best finish

Jeremy McWilliams: 11th
Nobuatsu Aoki: 18th

Proton Team KR rider Jeremy McWilliams finished 11th in today’s Australian GP, his first points on the radical new four-stroke KR V5, and the best finish so far in the machine’s ninth race. Two races ago, team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki took the 990cc machine’s first points, finishing 14th in Japan.

McWilliams had started from the third row of the grid – another best-so-far for the howling England-built independent racer, and fought almost throughout the race with the factory Suzuki of John Hopkins and the factory Kawasaki of Garry McCoy, before outpacing them both at the finish.

The result shows the rapid progress made by a machine that had not even seen a race-track until five months ago. But the team’s pleasure was tempered by problems faced by his team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki, who finished the race close to collapse. Only the Japanese rider’s courage and determination enabled him to bring the machine home, to add another double finish to the record books.

Aoki was suffering a painful neck after a crash on the first day of qualifying. As a result he started hyperventilating during the race. In the last laps, his left arm went numb – a classic symptom, according to team physiotherapist Dean Miller. Nonetheless he struggled to the chequered flag, but by the time he reached the pits was seriously debilitated and unable to speak. Miller helped him to control his breathing to drop the over-boosted oxygen levels in his blood, and he recovered fully over the next half-an-hour.

The race was run over 27 laps of a dry track, after heavy morning-long rain cleared just in time for the start of the main event. It was won by an inspired 2003 champion Valentino Rossi (Honda) in spite of a ten-second penalty for overtaking under the yellow caution flags. There is one more round remaining, the Valencia GP in two weeks.

Jeremy McWilliams
It was good getting to race for the points again, and I enjoyed it. As always, it could have been better. I had a fuelling problem in the early stages and the engine kept pushing with the throttle closed. I nearly came into the pits, but I didn’t skittle anybody because of it, and on about the third lap it came better. I was having a big battle with McCoy and Hopkins. It was very frustrating to get passed on the straight, and have to battle it all back at the hairpins. Unfortunately Tamada came through on the Honda, and I couldn’t do anything about him. But I managed to lose the other two. I enjoyed the race, and it’s good to have some points and see the guys in the team happy, after all their hard work. Maybe it will even bring a smile to the Old Bugger’s face! (Team owner Kenny Roberts, who was not in Australia.)

Nobuatsu Aoki
After about 15 laps I started to breath very fast. Because of my neck pain, I forgot to breath regularly. Dino (Miller) told me that it meant I had too much oxygen. After that my left had became numb, and it got very very hard. But there were only five laps to go, so I thought maybe I could make it. When I came to the pit box I was really bad, and I couldn’t speak. Again, Dino helped me a lot. This weekend has not been good for me, but I did my job and got the finish. For the race, I chose the wrong rear tyre, with too soft a compound. I thought because the track was cold it would be better. That was a mistake, and I struggled with that all race long.

Chuck Aksland – Team Manager
Nobu had a bad weekend that really knocked the spunk out of him. It was such a brave ride. He should really have pulled in, but that’s not the kind of character he is. Jeremy had a great ride. It was really good to see our bike up there racing with the group, and finishing ahead of them. I don’t think he had much chance to get bored! It was a good result, and we’re pretty happy with the way our bike had dealt with the three flyaway races without problems, and getting our first points. Next year we’ll be back with a much better bike.

More, from a press release issued by Alice Aprilia:

Against the wind

Both Aprilia RS Cube bikes completed the race at Phillip Island but it was very tough for Edwards and Haga because of the loss of the feeling in the front due to the strong wind in the straight and in the entrance of the corners.

Colin Edwards: “I had a bad start and in the first corner I was in the middle of an incredible bagarre . Riders everywhere and I was not able to fight with pluck cause I had no feeling with that bike. I am sorry but I could not do more than this … I had no feeling with the front”.

Noriyuki Haga: “I had a good start and did all the best. The wind annoyed me very much moving my bike in different positions so I made a few mistakes. It was not easy to ride in those conditions and I had a scarce feeling with the front”.

Gigi Dall’Igna (Project Leader): “The day started badly cause one technical damage on Colin’s bike no. 1 forced him to use the second one but the front fork was not tested often so we did not achieve any good result. Nori hada good start but the wind complicated the rest of his race. It’s a pity as he was at 100% this week end”.

More, from a press release issued by Camel Pramac Pons:

Camel Pramac Pons secures the runner-up spot in the World Championship for Teams

The fifteenth race of the MotoGP season, the Australian Grand Prix, finally got underway this afternoon on Phillip Island in very different conditions to those in the morning warm-up as the torrential morning rain gave way to clear skies and allowed for a dry race but with slippery track conditions. Tohru Ukawa battled in the leading group for third place right up until the final lap when he made contact with Nicky Hayden and had to settle for fifth spot. The Italian Max Biaggi, who crashed when he was unable to avoid dirt on the track kicked up by Australian Troy Bayliss who had crashed moments before, did not manage to finish in the points. The MotoGP World Championship now returns to Europe after four overseas races for the deciding round in Valencia on November 2nd. The Camel Pramac Pons team will head into this race having secured the runner-up spot in the World Team Championship at today’s race.

5th Tohru Ukawa:
“I bumped into Hayden at the start of the last lap which made me lose contact with him and this meant I lost all chance of finishing third. I am not unhappy with the race as I stayed among the leading group and I enjoyed the racing. However, I expected more. It was very windy and the track was dirty from the rain that fell before and, halfway through the race when I was following Capirossi and Gibernau, a stone was thrown up and broke the windshield on my bike”.

17th Max Biaggi:
“I made a great start and entered the first corner in first place, but at the second the bike moved too much, perhaps because the tyre was cold, and I was overtaken by some riders. When I was at the back of the leading group Bayliss crashed out and as a result there was dirt on the track just at my braking point. I blocked the two wheels, but I came off the brakes and continued straight on to avoid falling. However, I fell when I hit the wet grass. It was a shame because I had a good rhythm and could have fought for a podium finish”.

Sito Pons:
“We did not have much luck today. Biaggi was definitely in the running for the race – he was in the leading group, had a lot of pace and all weekend he had been very competitive. On the other hand Ukawa had a good race. He battled aggresively from start to finish, but a collision on the last lap prevented him from finishing on the podium”.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Ducati Marlboro Team takes another podium finish and secures second place in constructor’s World Championship

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi scored a superb second-place finish in today’s Australian GP to secure second position in the 2003 MotoGP constructors’ World Championship for Ducati. But the factory’s delight at achieving this success during its first GP campaign in more than three decades was tempered by an accident involving Capirossi’s team-mate Troy Bayliss. The Australian suffered mild concussion in the fall and has been airlifted to Melbourne hospital for check-ups.

“This has been an up and down weekend for us, but the main thing for us is that Troy isn’t badly hurt,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “His crash was a real shame because without it I think we could have put both guys on the podium today. But that’s racing, and, as I said, we’re just happy that Troy seems okay. Loris rode a great race, enough to give us second place in the constructors’ World Championship. I think this is a great achievement in our first MotoGP campaign, so I’d like to offer my thanks to everyone involved for their incredible work over the past couple of years: Loris, Troy, the team, the factory and our technical partners including Shell Advance and Michelin. Now we go to Valencia in positive mood, hoping for a great end to the season.”

Capirossi rides to best result since Catalunya
Loris Capirossi rode a storming race to second place at Phillip Island today to secure fourth spot in the 2003 riders’ World Championship. Contesting his 199th Grand Prix, the Ducati Marlboro Team rider ended the race five seconds down on winner Valentino Rossi (Honda) who won despite incurring a ten-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags. During the early stages Capirossi was involved in a frantic five-man battle behind Rossi but the Italian was able to make good his escape for his fifth top-three finish of 2003, which was also his best result since his victory at June’s Marlboro Catalan GP.

“I didn’t really know what was going on with Rossi’s time penalty,” said Capirossi who had started from second on the grid. “This was the first time that I’ve been in this situation, so I was a bit confused by my pit board. The board was correct but it was just difficult to understand because this was the first time such a thing had happened. We also need to think about the yellow flag situation – when you’re riding at 300kmh with ten other riders it’s very difficult to see a yellow flag by the side of the track, and even if you do see the flag it’s difficult to brake right there.”

“All I do know is that the early laps were very difficult because everyone was being very aggressive, so I couldn’t find my rhythm. Then when I overtook Melandri for second Rossi was maybe six seconds ahead on the road, so I knew I couldn’t beat him. But second is very good for me and the team, especially after the last three races that weren’t so great for us. The bike worked really well here all weekend, only one Honda was faster than us, so we’re very happy. When I finished the race the first thing I wanted to know was Troy’s condition. I’m very happy he’s pretty much okay.”

Bayliss suffers mild concussion in heavy tumble
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss is recovering in Melbourne hospital from a heavy fall during this afternoon’s Phillip Island GP. The Australian was battling for the lead when lost control at the entry to the low-speed Honda hairpin on lap four. Bayliss fell heavily, immediately receiving trackside assistance before being taken to the track medical centre where he was conscious and able to talk, though he had no memory of the crash or of the race. He has no broken bones but was helicoptered to Melbourne hospital for precautionary checks.

More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

Brave effort from Melandri; persistent ride from Checa

Today’s Australian Grand Prix proved to be one of the closest and most hard fought races of the season, and Fortuna Yamaha rider Marco Melandri stole the limelight by leading much of the 27-lap race. Unfortunately Melandri’s daring efforts to remain in the top three riders were shattered when he highsided and fell off his YZR-M1 on an unlucky 13th lap. His team-mate Checa rode to a steady eighth, having been stuck behind a group for most of the contest.

Melandri made impressive and immediate progress in the opening stages, slipping into fourth by turn one, third by the end of the first lap, then clinching the lead on lap two. The Italian held on to the lead until lap four, after some sensational passing moves, when Ducati rider Troy Bayliss ran into the back of Melandri’s M1, forcing the 250cc World Champion back to third. Melandri recovered to cross the line in second place on the following lap, and was set to pursue race leader Valentino Rossi, when he highsided exiting the penultimate turn. Melandri, who technically led the race at the beginning of that 13th lap after Rossi received a 10 seconds penalty for passing under the yellow flag, limped away from the incident with a dislocated right shoulder and haematoma to his left heel.

“I was so happy with that race until I fell,” said the gutsy Melandri, who last year won his 250cc title at the Australian circuit. “I wanted to use a softer rear tyre but nfortunately it wasn’t possible. I didn’t start as well as I would have liked, but up until the first corner the other riders seemed slower than me and then braked earlier than me at the first corner. I guess they were more cautious because of the track conditions, and I managed to overtake a few very quickly.

“When Bayliss fell he touched me and I very nearly lost it, but I managed to recover. Once Valentino was in front it was impossible to catch him but I really enjoyed racing with Hayden, Capirossi and Gibernau. My bike felt a bit more nervous during the race than it has during qualifying here, and I kept losing grip in the long corners. Finally it resulted in a highside. I knew straight away that I had dislocated my shoulder, and when I arrived at the circuit clinic they pushed it back in. Anyway it’s not hurting too badly now, and it was a fantastic chance to race up front, my best of the season.”

With the top ten covered by less than two seconds during the first five laps it looked as though any one of the lead group could have taken the race win. After a difficult start Checa found himself at the rear of this pack before gradually working his way through to feature in the battle for the final podium place. It was a charge between Honda riders Nicky Hayden, Sete Gibernau and Tohru Ukawa. The trio eventually finished third, fourth and fifth respectively, after Checa ran off the circuit at MG corner and rejoined to finish eighth.

“I was able to follow the second group of riders for most of the race and tried to pass them but couldn’t,” said Checa. “I kept analysing where would be the best place to pass, and trying to improve in the areas where I wasn’t as quick as them, especially exiting the corners. At one point I lost the front completely going uphill and slid all the way down downhill, finally releasing the brake and going onto the grass. It was hard to turn it around and even harder to get it back onto the track, but I managed to. To finish eighth was better than not finishing at all, and I felt my pace was quite good. I couldn’t catch the others but I had a good rhythm, and was relieved to finish and get some points in such difficult track conditions.”

Team Director Davide Brivio said, “Marco rode such a fantastic race, and it was entertaining for everyone. Unfortunately he didn’t make it to the end but I think he really showed his great potential today. We’ll evaluate his health in the coming week and see whether he’ll be fit for Valencia. Carlos was stuck behind a group but made a reasonable race. Valencia will be his last race in front of the home crowd so we wish him all the best for there.”

Despite Rossi’s 10 second penalty the recently crowned 2003 MotoGP World Champion put in a dominating performance to cross the line 15.212 seconds ahead of second-placed Ducati rider Loris Capirossi. The on track advantage allowed Rossi to take the win by 5.212 seconds.

More, from a press release issued by Harris WCM:

David de Gea: DNF
“I am very disappointed to have crashed on the first lap. We have some technical problems that my crew chief will look into. All I can say is I hope for much better things in Valencia. It really has not been a good weekend for me.”

Chris Burns: 19th
“It feels alright to finish my first GP of the year, I wanted to finish for the guys on the team but to be honest it¹s not where I want to finish. After five laps, the tyre dropped off and I was sideways, spinning it up. I was about 2 seconds down on my lap time from yesterday but just had to bring it home and finish the race. I really could not ride the wheels off it, I¹m had to take it really easy and bring it home. It’s my last chance in Valencia.”

Peter Clifford ­ (Team Manager)
“Very pleased to see Chris finish his race and he was mixing it well with the factory bikes in the opening laps. Valuable experience for him, a good ride and I am sure he is looking forward to Valencia.

As far as David’s first lap incident is concerned its quite strange, we are yet to find out what actually happened.”

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

Rossi wins race of the season despite ten second penalty

As an onshore wind blew across the Bass Strait in southern Australia, Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) stormed to his eighth win of the season in front of an enthralled 45,000 crowd. The World Champion was unmatched in speed and determination as he decimated the field and the 10 second penalty he was given for overtaking under yellow flags. Loris Capirosssi (Ducati) was second with Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) third.

There was an almost tangible intensity to this penultimate round of the sixteen race World Championship and when Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) fired his machine into the lead at turn one from the second row of the grid, the action never let up for a second.

After two days of qualifying in bright sun and dry conditions, raceday began with a heavy rainfall. The 125 race was run in a downpour, the 250 Grand Prix on a wet track that began to dry in the final laps, and the MotoGP showdown on a dry but dirty surface that was to cause riders enormous trouble.

No one suffered more than Aussie hopeful Troy Bayliss (Ducati) who crashed heavily on lap four and lay frighteningly motionless at the trackside before recovering consciousness in the medical centre. He was then sitting-up and talking, but was airlifted to Melbourne for a thorough check-up, where he was pronounced fit and well.

Rossi took the lead in the chaotic aftermath of the crash, relieving early leader Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) of his second place and then early lap leader Marco Melandri (Yamaha) of his leadership on that same lap. But it was to cost him a ten second penalty.

Biaggi, who relinquished the lead at turn two on the opening lap when he ran wide, also crashed when Bayliss’ debris of dust and smashed machine temporarily obscured his vision. He was to remount and finish a distant 17th after losing two laps while struggling with his crashed machine in the grass run-off area at Honda Corner.

Rossi meanwhile was working his way through his punishment with measured speed. He reeled off fastest lap after fastest lap in his successful bid to put 10 seconds between himself and Capirossi in second. On lap seven the gap was 1.3 seconds. By lap 23, with four to go, the gap was 10.4 seconds and the champ had put in the fastest lap of the race on lap 18 at 1m 31.421 seconds.

“That race was incredible,” said Rossi. “I knew I had a good rhythm, perhaps better than the others. It was dangerous because everyone was very aggressive at the start and with the strong wind the bike was very difficult to control. I saw my pit board and saw ‘less 10′ and didn’t know what it meant. Afterwards I thought yellow flag, but I didn’t see any flag. I’ve never ridden a race like that at 100% all the time.”

Hayden was overjoyed with his achievement of a podium in his first year of MotoGP. “I really wanted a legitimate podium and now I’ve got one,” he said. “I wanted to go with Valentino and Capirossi, but I just couldn’t match their speed. But I got Ukawa and then Gibernau on the last lap. Hopefully the best is yet to come.”

Gibernau was intent on wrapping up second place in the World Championship – which he did with his fourth place. “Obviously I would have liked to be on the podium,” he said. “But I am very satisfied. All season I’ve taken each race as it comes, but here I was thinking of the bigger picture, especially as we had such a tough weekend crashing in qualifying.”

Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) finished fifth after getting in among the fast men early in the race and contributing massively to the three-way dust-up for third place that had the enthusiastic Aussie crowd enraptured for the second half of the race.

“I had a coming together with Hayden on the last lap and that ruined my chances of a podium,” said the Japanese. “I really wanted that podium, but I’m not that unhappy because my start was okay (at last) and it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to be in contact with the front runners.”

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) finished tenth after finding it difficult adjusting to the strong wind here. “I’ve never ridden in a wind like that,” said the Japanese rookie. “And that first bend after the start when everyone was bunched up was quite something. I chose a front tyre that was a bit too soft thinking the lower temperature would bear out the decision. But I made some mistakes in my riding and that’s why I didn’t do better.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) had a tough time down in 19th place. “I knew it would not be an easy race today,” said the Japanese rookie. “I had a good set-up but the race conditions were different to qualifying. Anyway I’ve picked up some more experience and I gave it everything I could.”

Honda Team Quotes:

MotoGP:

Valentino Rossi , Repsol honda Team: 1st: “The race for me was incredible. I knew I had a good rhythm. Perhaps a little bit better than the others. I make a bad start and had to fight a lot at the beginning. It was very dangerous because everyone was very aggressive. A lot of heavy braking and with the strong wind the bike was difficult to control. I attacked and after seven or eight laps I see on my board “less 10”. I didn’t understand what it meant. Next time I see ‘P8’. I say to myself ‘f*** what happened?’ After I thought the yellow flag but I don’t remember. I didn’t see any flag. Two victories with the yellow flag in one year is incredible. I don’t have a problem with the points so I close my eyes for the last 10 laps. I never make a race at 100% before all the time. Maybe today is the first time.
I make the number 7 flag in respect for my friend Barry Sheene. He was a magic person; much more than a world champion. He changed a little bit the whole sport. When I come back here we have a strange feeling. I understand he’s gone so we make a flag using a sheet from the hotel. I’m sorry hotel!”

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda Team: 3rd: “You gotta’ crawl before you can walk! I’ve been movin’ up recently and really startin’ to fight with the top guys over the last few races. I really wanted to get a legitimate podium and now I got one. We were all goin’ at it out there; some real scrappin’. It was good to lead my first GP of a time. I wanted to go with Valentino and Capirossi but couldn’t match their speed. I made a little mistake in the rocks where Bayliss fell and lost a few spots. I just kept workin’ forward. I got Ukawa and then managed to get Gibernau on the last lap. I’m so happy and am real pleased my dad was here to see it. I’d like to thank all the team, Honda and my sponsors. Hopefully the best is yet to come!”

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda: 4th: “All season I have taken each race as it comes, but here I was thinking about second spot in the championship. We were having a tough weekend – my crash yesterday meant we lost a lot of time and after crashing again in the warm-up I had to go out on the second bike. I made a good start but had a problem changing down through the gears and decided to race for the championship. Obviously I would have liked to be on the podium but I am very satisfied. Now I am looking forward to the last race at home I will be relaxed in Valencia, ready to fight for the podium and hopefully to put on a good show for the crowd “.

Fausto Gresini, Team Manager: “It has not been an easy weekend. Sete had two crashes and it was important for him to finish the race today and seal the runner-up spot in the championship. Mission accomplished, I am very happy and congratulations to Sete. He had a great race and he kept his concentration despite the crashes. We know what we have to do to improve and we will be working on it. Now we are a bit more relaxed heading to Valencia and I hope Sete has fun in front of his crowd”.

Tohru Ukawa , Camel Pramac Pons: 5th “No podium and I´m not happy about that. The start was okay and it´s a long time since I´ve been with the leading group and fighting for position. It was a lot windier than yesterday and that didn´t help anyone, but when I was with Gibernau and Hayden, they had slightly more traction. And after me and Hayden touched on the last lap at turn two I was out of the fight.”

Makoto Tamada, Pramac Honda Team: 10th: “I’ve never ridden in a wind like that. The first bend after the start, when everyone was bunched up, it was quite something. I tried to get a good pace and move up, but possibly I chose a front tie that was a bit too soft – but then the much lower temperature than in the previous days did seem to bear out this decision. The tyres were actually very good, even at the end of the race. So I’m satisfied, especially for the experience I got of riding in the strong wind that flayed the circuit today. I maintained a good pace but I also made some mistakes and that’s why I didn’t do better.”

Max Biaggi, Camel Pramac Pons, 17th: I crashed soon after Bayliss. I couldn´t see a thing through all the sand, grit and debris so I just braked as hard as I could, but I ran onto the grass and crashed off track, there wasn´t much I could do to save it. That was real shame because I was right up there after a
great start. That turn two episode lost me the lead, but I was still in contention until the crash.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Team: 19th: “I knew it wouldn’t be an easy race today. I had a good set-up but the race conditions were very different than in qualifying. It was very cold and the wind made it hard to control the bike. Anyway, I think I picked up some good experience and I gave everything I could”.

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

Tamada makes top ten in penultimate round

After two not exactly easy days, Makoto Tamada ended the Australian world championship race at Phillip Island in tenth place. However the rain that never stopped coming down from the warm-up through to the 250 race spared the MotoGP as a strong south-westerly wind blew away all the clouds. Tamada started out seventeenth on the grid and had to deal with strong gusts of wind on the more exposed parts of the track. So the race was in the dry, with an air temperature of 15 degrees (59 °F) and a ground temperature of 21 (70 °F). Yesterday’s settings were used for Makoto’s RC211V, with a medium front tyre and a medium-hard rear.

The Pramac Honda Team rider was in 19th place at the end of the first lap but slipped back to 21st in the fourth before he got his feeling for the race. Then he started battling his way up through the pack the way we are used to seeing him do. Duels and passes, all the way through to the 21st lap when he got into tenth place – a position he held until the end of the race.

A result that was deemed satisfactory since the rider had to deal with changeable weather conditions, and especially because he had never raced in such strong wind. Another important chapter in the experience he has been gaining in his first year of the world MotoGP championship.

Makoto Tamada is now 11th in the overall standings, just ten points from 10th place.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda ): 10th – 42’43.445
“I’ve never ridden in a wind like that. The first bend after the start, when everyone was bunched up, it was quite something. I tried to get a good pace and move up, but possibly I chose a front tie that was a bit too soft – but then the much lower temperature than in the previous days did seem to bear out this decision. The tyres were actually very good, even at the end of the race. So I’m satisfied, especially for the experience I got of riding in the strong wind that flayed the circuit today. I maintained a good pace but I also made some mistakes and that’s why I didn’t do better.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

Roberts gets best of year as Suzuki take double points

Phillip Island, Australia – Sunday, October 19, 2003: Team Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins both finished in the points at today’s Australian GP, with Roberts taking his best finish of the year with a strong ninth place. He was only 1.3 seconds away from an even better finish, as he closed on Carlos Checa in the last of the 27 laps of the 43.448km Phillip Island circuit.

Roberts had started well, and maintaine

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Magny-Cours, France
European Superstock Race Results:

1. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 999S, 14 laps, 24:38.017
2. James Ellison, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 24:38.405
3. Enrique Rocamora, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 24:54.093
4. Michael Fabrizio, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 24:55.799
5. Riccardo Chiarello, Ducati 999S, 24:56.258
6. Bernat Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 24:56.632
7. Ilario Dionisi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 24:56.933
8. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, 24:57.254
9. Pierrot Vanstaen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 25:00.558
10. John Laverty, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 25:04.647

European Superstock Championship Point Standings (after 9 of 9 rounds):

1. M. Fabrizio, 140
2. L. Lanzi, 137
3. J. Ellison, 112
4. L. Alfonsi, 98
5. R. Chiarello, 95
6. G. Vizziello, 79
7. I. Dionisi, 78
8. E. Rocamora, 75
9. B. Martinez, 72
10. W. De Angelis, 50

Via e-mail:

Emily Jean Mladin was born on Sunday 19th October at 1:40 p.m. Both mother and baby are doing well and expect to be home soon. Janine and myself would like to thank everybody for their well wishes throughout the year and look forward to seeing you all again next year.

Mat Mladin

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Magny-Cours, France
World Supersport Race Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 23 laps, 40:24.892
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR600RR, 40:28.435
3. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 40:31.230
4. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600RR, 40:31.457
5. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 40:33.629
6. Pere Riba, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 40:39.338
7. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha YZF-R6, 40:47.934
8. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 40:48.800
9. Christophe Cogan, Yamaha YZF-R6, 40:49.030
10. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600RR, 40:55.572 11. Simone Sanna, Yamaha YZF-R6, 40:55.869
12. Julien Da Costa, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 41:03.120
13. Gianluca Nannelli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 41:15.604
14. Michael Schulten, Honda CBR600RR, 41:16.228 15. Ludovic Holon, Yamaha YZF-R6, 41:17.419

21. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, -4 laps

24. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, -13 laps
25. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, -13 laps


World Supersport Championship Point Standings (after 11 of 11 rounds):

1. C. Vermeulen, 201
2. S. Chambon, 137
3. J. Vd Goorbergh, 136
4. K. Muggeridge, 134
5. K. Fujiwara, 119
6. C. Kellner, 90
7. S. Charpentier, 72
8. A. Corradi, 68
9. F. Foret, 64
10. J. Teuchert, 60
11. P. Riba, 59
12. C. Cogan, 51
13. B. Parkes, 47
14. I. MacPherson, 31
15. G. Nannelli, 31
16. M. Lagrive, 31
17. S. Sanna, 29
18. W. Daemen, 26
19. R. Ulm, 26
20. T. Kayo, 22

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

125cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Andrea BALLERINI,Honda, 43:41.886, 23 laps
2. Masao AZUMA, Honda, -8.849 seconds
3. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, -14.187 seconds
4. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, -14.752 seconds
5. Arnaud VINCENT, Aprilia, -16.387 seconds
6. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, -22.852 seconds
7. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, -23.167 seconds
8. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, -39.210 seconds
9. Gabor TALMACSI, Aprilia, -45.888 seconds
10. Robbin HARMS, Aprilia, -48.500 seconds
11. Youichi UI, Gilera, -67.473 seconds
12. Julian SIMON, Malaguti, -68.499 seconds
13. Fabrizio LAI, Malaguti, -85.817 seconds
14. Emilio ALZAMORA, Derbi, -106.395 seconds
15. Stefano BIANCO, Gilera, -110.845 seconds
16. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, -1 lap
17. Michele DANESE, Honda, -1 lap, crash

19. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, -4 laps, DNF, crash

21. Stefano PERUGINI, Aprilia, -6 laps, DNF, crash
22. Gino BORSOI, Aprilia, -6 laps, DNF, mechanical
23. Lucio CECCHINELLO, Aprilia, -9 laps, DNF, crash
24. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, -9 laps, DNF, crash
25. Roberto LOCATELLI, KTM, -11 laps, DNF, crash
26. Mika KALLIO, KTM, -14 laps, DNF, crash
27. Max SABBATANI, Aprilia, -15 laps, DNF, mechanical
28. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, -16 laps, DNF, crashed twice
29. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, -17 laps, DNF, crash
30. Casey STONER, Aprilia, -18 laps, DNF, crash


125cc Grand Prix World Championship Point Standings (after 15 of 16 rounds):

1. PEDROSA, 223*
2. DE ANGELIS, 166
3. PERUGINI, 159
4. DOVIZIOSO, 149
5. BARBERA, 148
6. NIETO, 139
7. JENKNER, 131
8. CECCHINELLO, 105
9. STONER, 100
10. KALLIO, 88

*Clinched World Championship

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Australian Grand Prix
Phillip Island, Australia
Final Qualifying Results:

MotoGP:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Honda, 1:30.068
2. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:30.496
3. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:30.676
4. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 1:30.683
5. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:30.863
6. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:30.993
7. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:31.227
8. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, 1:31.280
9. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:31.302
10. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Proton, 1:31.367
11. Shinya NAKANO, Yamaha, 1:31.444
12. Garry McCOY, Kawasaki, 1:31.572
13. John HOPKINS, Suuzki, 1:31.705
14. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:31.742
15. Olivier JACQUE, Yamaha, 1:31.759
16. Alex BARROS, Yamaha, 1:31.802
17. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:31.806
18. Colin EDWARDS, Aprilia, 1:31.938
19. Noriyuki HAGA, Aprilia, 1:32.145
20. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:32.460
21. Andrew PITT, Kawasaki, 1:32.555
22. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, 1:33.900
23. David DE GEA, Harris WCM, 1:34.246
24. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 1:34.858


250cc:

1. Toni ELIAS, Aprilia, 1:33.771
2. Sebastian PORTO, Honda, 1:33.851
3. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, 1:33.999
4. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, 1:34.085
5. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, 1:34.188
6. Sylvain GUINTOLI, Aprilia, 1:34.446
7. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, 1:34.672
8. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, 1:34.703
9. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, 1:35.206
10. Jaroslav HULES, Honda, 1:35.280
11. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, 1:35.325
12. Erwan NIGON, Aprilia, 1:35.508
13. Alex DEBON, Honda, 1:35.738
14. Eric BATAILLE, Honda, 1:35.750
15. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, 1:35.927
16. Hector FAUBEL, Aprilia, 1:36.031
17. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, 1:36.086
18. Lukas PESEK, Yamaha, 1:36.118
19. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, 1:36.188
20. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, 1:36.220

24. Katja POENSGEN, Honda, 1:39.122


125cc:

1. Stefano PERUGINI, Aprilia, 1:37.342
2. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, 1:37.455
3. Mika KALLIO, KTM, 1:37.644
4. Casey STONER, Aprilia, 1:37.787
5. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, 1:37.802
6. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, 1:37.824
7. MirkoGIANSANTI, Aprilia, 1:37.828
8. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, 1:37.958
9. Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, 1:37.967
10. Lucio CECCHINELLO, Aprilia, 1:38.038
11. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, 1:38.088
12. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, 1:38.125
13. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, 1:38.190
14. Gabor TALMACSI, Aprilia, 1:38.268
15. Robbin HARMS, Aprilia, 1:38.291
16. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, 1:38.409
17. Masao AZUMA, Honda, 1:38.641
18. Fabrizio LAI, Malaguti, 1:38.835
19. Roberto LOCATELLI, KTM, 1:38.919
20. Youichi UI, Gilera, 1:39.039


More, from a press release issued by Team KR:

V5 Grids in Top 10

Best grid position for McWill and V5 Yet

Jeremy McWilliams: 10th, 1:31.367
Nobuatsu Aoki: 20th, 1:32.460

Proton Team KR rider Jeremy McWilliams will start tomorrow’s Australian GP from the third row of the grid – by far the Proton KR V5’s best qualifying position yet, at the circuit where he was last year on pole position on the 500cc two-stroke Proton KR3.

More significant still than the excellent starting position was the fact that the lap time was faster than his fastest-ever two-stroke lap of the 4.448km circuit. This is another first for the rapidly improving machine, lining up for only its ninth race tomorrow. Until now, the all-too-public development of the radical England-built machine has seen lap times lagging behind the now obsolete two-stroke.

McWilliams has been strong all weekend, at a favourite track where engine performance is less important than handling and high corner speed. McWilliams’s top speed today was 305.9km/h, 24km/h slower than the fastest, recorded by Loris Capirossi’s Ducati. His lap time was less than a second slower.

Team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki was playing catch-up, after missing yesterday afternoon’s timed session. He had fallen in the morning, and doctors insisted on precautionary X-rays to a painful neck. However, equipment at the track was not up to the job, and Aoki was obliged to endure a long road trip to Dandenong hospital, and lengthy waiting time there, missing out on a full hour in which to gain track knowledge and work on tyre choice and machine set-up. His top speed was 312.4km/h, and though his lap time was another second off that of his team-mate, he was still less than 2.5-seconds off pole position time, set by 2003 World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda).

The weather stayed fine and mild for a second day at the seaside circuit south of the Victoria state capital of Melbourne, notorious for the biting winds that can blow off the Bass Strait. Conditions for tomorrow may be less benign, with the possibility of showers. The Australian GP is the third in a trio of back-to-back flyaway races, following the Pacific GP in Japan, and the Malaysian GP. There is one more round in two weeks time, at Valencia in Spain.

Jeremy McWilliams
I’m really happy, though it would have been even better to stay on the second row. We don’t really deserve to be where we are. I can’t imagine how much easier it would be riding a machine with 40 more horsepower than we have. We’re doing the best we can with what we’ve got, and this position probably surprised all of us . me included. My fast lap was a bit risky, but thankfully it all stayed together. I can definitely race with them, though we have a worry over rear tyre duration, and I’m not sure we can overcome that overnight. Some tracks suit the Bridgestone tyres, but we haven’t had the time to test here, and it shows. But I’m getting points tomorrow, no matter how I have to do it.

Nobuatsu Aoki
I had painkillers and treatment from Dean Miller, so pain from my neck was not really a problem. I am a full hour behind in testing, and also I had gearbox problems all session. I was getting a lot of neutrals when I was trying to shift up, from first to second and from second to third. It happened twice even on my best lap, otherwise I could have been at least half a second quicker. We still have a lot of things to do before the race tomorrow.

Chuck Aksland – Team Manager
Jeremy really worked for that. That’s why he fits so well in this team, where everybody works hard. Nobu also did well. He missed a session yesterday, and he’s still not in perfect condition, but he’s only two-and-a-bit seconds off pole. It’s more than we expected of both. Our two-stroke set the fastest ever two-stroke lap round this track, and this is the first time the four-stroke has been quicker than the two-stroke. We weren’t optimistic about these three flyaways, and even wondered whether to bring the two-strokes – but our new engine has run well and consistently for all three weekends, the package is working, and we’ve improved every weekend.


More, from a press release issued by Alice Aprilia Racing:

AUSTRALIA GP/2nd QUALIFYING SESSION

A TOUGH SESSION

A tough second qualifying session for both Alice Aprilia Racing Team riders and an uphill race tomorrow. Colin and Nori improved their yesterdays lap time but for two different reasons they were unable to do better. A clutch problem for the Japanese rider whilst Edwards found an obstacle in the middle of the track during his fastest lap time.

COLIN EDWARDS: “I feel very angry because Biaggi ruined my fastest lap on qualifying tyres. He was coming in and should leave the way free. It’s not the first time. So he ruined my plans and have to start from the 18th position tomorrow. Anyway I feel confident because my bike is quite competitive”.

NORIYUKI HAGA: “Today we worked hard making many changes but the feeling is not the same. Maybe I made a bit of confusion. Moreover I had a clutch problem and lost the major part of the session. It’s a pity!”

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “Races are very strange: when we found the best setting and were expecting a good lap time for Colin someone ruins our plans. Haga had some clutch problems loosing half of the session”.


More, from a press release issued by Camel Pramac Pons:

Max Biaggi and Tohru Ukawa to start the Australian Grand Pix from the second row on Phillip Island

Max Biaggi and Tohru Ukawa will start tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season taking place at Phillip Island, from the second row of the starting grid. The second day of qualification was run under cloudless skies in mild temperatures, but rain is forecast for the race tomorrow. The two Camel Pramac Pons riders qualified in sixth and eighth place and both riders maintain their chances for the race victory.

6th Max Biaggi
“We have not made any progress with the bike set-up although we have not gone backwards either which explains why today’s time is similar to yesterday’s. I tried to change some things to improve the performance of the chassis and the engine but it didn’t work out and I must ride with what I have. I hope, however, that I can have a good race, although there are two points on the track where I lose a lot of time. The important thing is to make a good start and also we will see what the weather is like, if it is wet or dry, although normally I ride well when it is wet”.

8th Tohru Ukawa
“I made a considerable improvement compared to my times from Friday, but the track conditions were excellent and all the riders made similar improvements so everything has stayed more or less the same. To start from the second row of the grid, having spent nearly all season starting from the third row, is not too bad. When you start so far back it is difficult to enter the leading group, but if I start well tomorrow I will try and make contact with the leaders because I have a good rhythm. We have made some improvements to the mapping of the engine, but not enough because the bike still slides in the corners, especially coming onto the main straight. Anyway, I think that it is a problem that we are all suffering from. I hope that the race is a dry one”.

Sito Pons:
“It is obvious that we have not set good times for the starting grid, but the race is different and Max has a good rhythm. Biaggi is a rider that always rises to the occasion and I am convinced that he will take his chances tomorrow in the race. For Tohru, it is important that he makes a good start and sticks with the leaders. The weather forecast is for rain, which will change everything, but we will continue to work on optimizing the settings for a wet race”.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Ducati Marlboro men confirm front-row starts
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss will start tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix from the front row of the grid after storming rides in this afternoon’s final qualifier at Phillip Island. In unusually warm conditions the pair ended the session second and fourth quickest, giving the team high hopes of running up front in the race, the penultimate round of the 2003 MotoGP World Championship.

“We’re very happy because both our riders have a good race pace and they’re both on the front row, which is where we need to be,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “This is the toughest track for tyres, it’s especially hard on the left side, so this is the kind of place where you can’t choose your race tyre based purely upon performance.
Both Loris and Troy used the last hour to test race tyres with their bikes set the same as this morning. Both did more than half-distance endurance runs, then when we felt we could get pole, both had a go on qualifiers.”

This is the second time that both Ducati Marlboro Team men have qualified on the front row in the Desmosedici’s debut season. In May Capirossi and Bayliss qualified first and second quickest for the Marlboro Spanish GP at Jerez.
Capirossi second quickest and consistent

Loris Capirossi was delighted with his pace in today’s two sessions. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider made excellent progress with his race set-up, leaving himself enough time to have a tilt at pole position, using a soft Michelin qualifying tyre for his final run. He ended the day 0.458 seconds off pole in second spot for his 11th front-row start from the year’s first 15 races.

“I’m very satisfied because today’s sessions have confirmed that the bike is behaving well over race distance,” said Capirossi who has started from pole position on three occasions this season. “I used the same rear tyre throughout the final session and I ran a good race pace, only fitting a qualifying tyre at the very end. The fact that both Troy and I are on the front row here confirms that the bike has improved a great deal since we tested here ten months ago. I’d like to thank the team because they’ve worked so well this weekend. I think we can use what we’ve done here as a reference point, a direction in which to work for the future. I have only one worry for tomorrow – that it will rain…”

Bayliss spills, retains fourth on the grid
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss gave his enthusiastic home crowd what it wanted today – a top-four qualifying performance that gives the Aussie his first front-row start since May’s Spanish Grand Prix. Bayliss achieved fourth-fastest time this afternoon despite a mid-session spill at Lukey Heights which left him nursing minor grazes and bruises.

“This is the first time in a while that I’ve been up front in qualifying and I’m feeling pretty good,” said Bayliss who is currently fifth overall in the World Championship and top-placed rookie. “My race pace is good, not as good as some guys but I think we should go all right tomorrow. I want to finish in front of Hayden and Ukawa to help me in the championship, anything more than that will be a bonus. The crash happened when I was testing a harder front tyre – I was trying hard, the conditions were a little windier today, so it didn’t work out. And maybe I could’ve been a bit quicker on my run with a qualifying tyre but I’d used the tyre by the time I got to the last two lefts.”


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

Melandri and Checa strong on day two ‘down under’
Fortuna Yamaha Team pair Marco Melandri and Carlos Checa substantially improved their Friday provisional qualifying times in virtually perfect conditions during this afternoon’s final qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Both Melandri and Checa put up a hard fight in the effort to clinch a strong start for tomorrow’s main event and eventually finished seventh and ninth respectively, after the final ten-minute qualifying reshuffle.

Twenty-one-year-old Melandri made a big improvement over his Friday performance by 1.400 seconds with a lap time of 1:31.227. The young Italian and his crew rectified some of the grip issues he suffered from yesterday during hard braking and acceleration. Melandri contributed some of the improvement to the chassis’ overall suspension balance but felt that the main gain came from improved throttle response and slightly modified gearbox ratios.

“I’m very happy,” said Melandri, who won the 250cc World Championship at the Phillip Island circuit last year. “Since yesterday we’ve changed the chassis setting slightly and improved my confidence with the front. This is really important at this circuit because of the high speeds here. My team have worked so hard and I’m really grateful. The rear grip felt better today and I can use the throttle more than yesterday. I found a good rhythm this afternoon and think I can find a good pace for the race. I’m happy.”

In an effort to improve on yesterday’s performance, Checa opted for a modified chassis geometry today, which eventually proved less effective than initially hoped. Despite the slight setback the Spaniard still made a 0.252 second improvement on his provisional time, setting a fastest lap time of 1:31.302. Checa is confident that his Friday package, to which the team will revert, will be competitive during the main event tomorrow.

“We’ve changed so many things today but basically didn’t improve,” said a philosophically upbeat Checa. “My mistake was to not go back to yesterday’s setting today, as I was more confident with that. We will now go back to that setting for tomorrow. I still think I can make a good race with the pace and confidence I had yesterday, as long as it’s dry. If not of course it will be a different story! We tried something different today but didn’t improve but that’s normal, sometimes you improve from changes, sometimes you don’t.”

Team Director Davide Brivio said, “Marco had a good improvement today compared to yesterday, not only his lap times but also his pace. I think he can do well tomorrow if it doesn’t rain. Carlos is there as well, and I think both can do a good job at this circuit. Both of their crews have made quite a few changes to the bikes this weekend and both have improved their times since yesterday.”


More, from a press release issued by Harris WCM:

David de Gea: 23rd 1:34.246
“Tomorrow I think will be good for me, we have good settings on my bike and I have found a race tyre that I am very happy with. Maybe it will rain tomorrow but for me, I think that¹s okay.”

Chris Burns: 24th 1:34.858
” I am a lot happier with the bike this afternoon, we had a few problems this morning so I am feeling much more confident now for the race. It would seem that the problems with the clutch are finally solved and I ran half race distance in the qualifying session today and everything seemed to work well and I put in some consistent lap times. We tried a new swing arm also and it is much more stable when you come out of the turns. Overall I’m happy enough and I¹m getting faster all the time. All I want for is to put in some consistent lap times tomorrow and to finish the race for me and the team.”

Peter Clifford (Team Manager)
“Great job from the entire team today. All four bikes are running well and both guys are improving their times. If the others would just wait up a minute we’d catch up.”


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

Makoto Tamada on fifth row at Phillip Island
Right at the beginning of today’s practice sessions, Makoto Tamada was able to slice almost a second of the time he posted yesterday, and he made a further step forward in the qualifying session for tomorrow’s grid. But not enough to achieve the pace set by the leaders, who raced at giddy speeds. Tamada came in 1.734 [seconds] from Rossi’s pole time but, although the gap is not that huge, he will be starting from fifth row.

Further tests were carried out on the tyres in the two sessions today in order to make the final choice for the race tomorrow. In the end, a rear tyre was found that gives the rider better confidence and handling on the technical circuit of Phillip Island. In terms of endurance too, this rear tyre was considered very good for conditions like today’s. The unknown factor remains the weather, as rain is forecast for tomorrow – and that would thwart all the efforts made yesterday and today. Even so, the beautifully clear sky of this late afternoon would appear to dispel any such fear.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 17th – 1:31.806
“I can’t say we’ve got everything perfectly right, but I am confident about tomorrow. Unlike the others, I didn’t use soft tyres but concentrated entirely on the race configuration of the bike and this is why I didn’t get a really fast time for the pole. But I think I’m able to set a good pace, even though tomorrow’s race is going to be an uphill struggle as I’m starting back on row five. We’ve chosen some tyres that’ll work well even over the entire distance of the race and this means I’m not at all worried about tomorrow. The real enigma is the weather: if it decides to rain, everything’s going to be that much more complicated. We haven’t ridden much in the wet and we really don’t have that much experience.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

Hopkins and Roberts side by side for third row start

Phillip Island, Australia – Saturday, October 18, 2003:

Team Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts Jr. will start tomorrow’s Australian GP from the third and fourth rows of the grid, after both riders cut close on a full second off their previous best times in an all-action final qualifying session for tomorrow’s Australian GP.

Hopkins is on a mission, after he was controversially disqualified from the last round, the Malaysian GP, following a first-corner incident in the previous round at Motegi in Japan … Australia is the third of a trio of back-to-back flyaway races. The 20-year-old Anglo American rider is focused on proving that the suspension was not only unfair and demeaning, but also a disproportionate punishment for a rider who has impressed all year with the consistency of his effort and performance.

Roberts’s aim is equally clear. Firstly, it is to get the best result possible from a machine that is still not capable of the race-winning form that the 2000 500cc World Champion showed on the old 500cc two-stroke. Secondly, he means to give the clearest possible information to factory race-department staff about problem areas that still remain. In this way, engineers can take lessons from this year’s machine into account while still at the design stage of next year’s Suzuki GSV-R.

Roberts asked team supervisor Yasuo Kamomiya to watch at particular corners today, for a live demonstration of problems he is having with engine braking and overall control.

Today’s final practice took place on a second consecutive day of benevolent conditions, with warm sunshine and relatively still air. The notorious biting ocean winds that often sweep the picturesque seaside circuit stayed away. But tomorrow’s weather forecast is uncertain, with a possibility of rain.

Tomorrow’s race, round 27 laps of the 4.448km circuit, is the penultimate round in a World Championship that has already been decided in favour of defending World Champion Valentino Rossi.

John Hopkins– 13th Position, 1:31.705
That was a pretty good session. We figured out this morning what we wanted to run, and made maybe one minor change, and confirmed what I want to use as my race tyre. I’m feeling good about the race. In a tow (a slip-streaming pack of machines), we’re able to do pretty good. After what’s happened, I’m determined to take points, and try to make it into the top ten. I had a mental boost when I used a qualifying tyre at the end of the session. I was hoping to get a tow down the straight, but I was on my own instead … and that was my best lap. That made me feel good.

Kenny Roberts Jr. – 14th Position, 1:31.742
There are some places around this track where you can visibly see things that are costing a lot of time on this bike. We had Mr Kamomiya go out and watch the last section, so he could see some things I was describing that we need to improve. As far as qualifying goes, I ran around on some race tyres at the beginning. The lap times are nothing flash … probably a couple of seconds slower than on qualifying tyres. The times are so much faster than last year and in my opinion it’s all down to Michelin, and tyres that have so much grip. There were some minor electrical glitches that didn’t allow me to really trust the machine to put a lot of effort into a fast lap, but again we’re just trying to get in the points, so it doesn’t really matter to me where we’re starting. The lap times are either going to be good enough for points, or they’re not. We just have to wait and see what the weather does, get a decent start, and stay out of any first-lap trouble.


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

HOPKINS RETURNS AND QUALIFIES 13TH FOR AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia (Oct. 18, 2003) – Suzuki’s John Hopkins qualified 13th for Sunday’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix with a time of 1:31.705 on the 4.4-kilometer Phillip Island Circuit. Hopkins will head up the fourth row in Australia on returning to action after a controversial one-race suspension. Hopkins shaved nearly a second off of his time from Friday’s qualifying session. His Suzuki teammate Kenny Roberts will start alongside in 14th position. Newly crowned world champion Valentino Rossi won the pole with a time of 1:30.068.

The Australian Grand Prix, the 15th round of the 16-race series, marks the return of Hopkins to the championship. Phillip Island is a track Hopkins is very familiar with since Suzuki did off-season testing there. He said all systems were go on Saturday.

“We got a pretty good run in today,” Hopkins explained. “The weather’s been cooperating and we’ve found a pretty consistent race setup. I turned in my best lap with about a minute to go. I was hoping to get on the third row, but we just missed it. I seem to be able to run with most of the Yamaha riders this weekend so it could be an interesting race.”

Hopkins was happy with the big improvement from Friday’s time. “We found a better setup and I rode harder,” he remarked.

The time spread between top qualifier and the rest of the field was closer than at many races. The top 20 qualifiers are separated by less than 2.4 seconds. Hopkins said there was good reason for that. “It’s contract time and a lot of guys are pushing it pretty hard here.”

Hopkins added there would be no change of strategy for Sunday’s race. “I’m going to be aggressive early like always, but this time I’m hoping to remember where the front brake lever is,” he joked, referring to the first-turn crash in Motegi, Japan, a few weeks ago that brought on his penalty. “One thing is for sure, I’m not going to ride with my tail between my legs.”

Hopkins qualified 13th for the Australian Grand Prix last year and finished 16th.


More, from a press release issued by Tech 3 Yamaha:

Motivated as ever, Valentino Rossi put in a class performance to hold onto the pole for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix, going more than 4/10ths of a second quicker than his closest challenger, Ducati mounted Loris Capirossi. Spaniard Sete Gibernau will start the penultimate GP of the season in third place just ahead of local favourite Troy Bayliss.

Further back down the grid Gauloises Yamaha riders Olivier Jacque and Alex Barros will line up on the fourth row, side by side in 15th and 16th position. With rain forecast for tomorrow afternoon the final result is far from being a foregone conclusion…

Olivier Jacque –15th (at 1.691)
“Unfortunately my bike stopped on my fast lap and I wasn’t able to take advantage of my qualifying tyres, meaning my grid position isn’t as good as it might have been. Apart from that we had a good session, posted regular ‘low 32′ laps and managed to improve our time on race tyres. As far as tomorrow is concerned I think it will be very tight. Often the bikes stay grouped here and it may well be possible to work up through the field a little. A lot will depend on tyre endurance, and in that respect I think we have made the best compromise possible.”

Guy Coulon (Olivier Jacque’s Race Engineer)
“Despite the fact that a technical problem meant that Olivier wasn’t able to exploit his qualifying tyres, I’m reasonably satisfied with how everything went today. We managed to improve the feel of the bike quite considerably – notably the front-end, which was giving us so many problems yesterday. While being on the fourth row will make it difficult for Olivier to get in among the ‘right’ group, the fact that the riders often stayed bunched up here could help us. If it rains, as forecast, set-up choices are going to be a real gamble and anything could happen.”

Alex Barros – 16th (at 1.734)
Sixteenth place wasn’t really how I wanted to celebrate my birthday, but even if we are still far down the grid we managed to improve the bike a lot. The problem is that, once again, we are effectively a day behind and have no time left to ‘polish’ the set-up. Hopefully we can continue to improve the package during warm-up and choose the right rear tyre. At the moment I have narrowed it down to one safe choice and one slightly more risky option. If we get it right I will be able to fight in the second group and have a reasonable result. If it rains I should be able to close the gap on the leaders a little more, though the race risks being something of a lottery.”

Gilles Bigot (Alex Barros’ Race Engineer)
“This morning we completely changed the geometry of the bike, going back to a solution we used at the beginning of the year and which appears to give Alex more confidence with the front-end. Now all we lack is a little bit of speed and a little bit of time. If it rains tomorrow I think it will be to our advantage – as long as we give Alex a wet set-up that provides him sufficient feedback to find the bike’s limits.”

Herve Poncharal (Team Manager)
“Even if both riders progressed in terms of set-up their grid positions are disappointing. Olivier came back from injury and worked well throughout the weekend only for a technical problem to deprive of him his fast lap and the place on the grid he merited. For his part, I’m sure Alex would have liked to have been able to celebrate his birthday with a place a little further towards the front of the pack.”


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

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island

Final Qualifying Saturday October 18

THE ROSSI SHOW SHAKES RIVALS AGAIN AS VALE NOTCHES POLE

Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) rode to his eighth pole position of the season here at Phillip Island on the wild southern coast of Australia. In the sun and the refreshing sea breeze blowing off the Bass Strait, he set a 1:30.068 lap that was to end up a full 0.42 seconds faster than anything his rivals could manage. Loris Capirossi and his Aussie team-mate Troy Bayliss put their Ducatis in second and fourth place respectively, while Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) qualified third.

With second place overall in the MotoGP World Championship still left to fight for, Gibernau showed he still has the spirit for the struggle. After watching his title challenge, which looked so strong in the mid-part of the season, finally wither and die during these three ‘flyaway’ races which push riders, teams and machines to the absolute maximum, Gibernau still has the challenge of Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) to fend off.

Gibernau seemed almost to ‘ghost’ to his third place on the grid. While most eyes were on Capirossi and Bayliss, who had headed the timesheets yesterday, until Rossi spoint the party with a last gasp 1:30.632 lap. The red riders looked in good enough shape today to do further damage to Rossi’s time.

But they reckoned without Rossi’s canny approach to using qualifying tyres. At Sepang last week Rossi opted to fit the super-sticky Michelin rubber halfway through the final session. Here he pitted with ten minutes to go and fired in the 1:30.068 time that looked in no danger of being bested. Riders were trying hard, but the clock showed the futility of their efforts.

“Our work here was good,” said the newly-crowned and now three times World Champion in the premier class. “We’ve got a good set-up and I think we’ll be able to get into a good rhythm. The race will