Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP riders at the March 27-29 IRTA test at Catalunya, Spain recorded top speeds averaging 15 mph faster than during testing at the same circuit March 16, 2003.

Speed increases varied from Makoto Tamada’s 21.2 mph increase on his Camel Honda to Troy Bayliss’ 11.0 mph increase on his Marlboro Ducati, 2004 top speed versus 2003 top speed, but the average increase in top speed among the 13 men who rode an updated version of last year’s bike was 15.0 mph.

There have been no alterations to the Catalunya Circuit.

2004 Top Speeds Vs. 2003 Top Speeds At Catalunya:

1. Loris Capirossi, 2004 Ducati 215.9 mph, 2003 Ducati 203.9 mph

2. Alex Barros, 2004 Honda 215.7 mph, 2003 Yamaha 195.7 mph

3. Makoto Tamada, 2004 Honda 215.2 mph, 2003 Honda 194.0 mph

4. Nicky Hayden, 2004 Honda 214.9 mph, 2003 Honda 197.4 mph

5. Max Biaggi, 2004 Honda 214.3 mph, 2003 Honda 196.7 mph

6. Colin Edwards, 2004 Honda 214.2 mph, 2003 Aprilia 193.6 mph

7. Sete Gibernau, 2004 Honda 212.8 mph, 2003 Honda 195.6 mph

8. Ruben Xaus, 2004 Ducati 212.5 mph, 2003 N.A.

9. Neil Hodgson, 2004 Ducati 212.1 mph, 2003 N.A.

10. Troy Bayliss, 2004 Ducati 211.6 mph, 2003 Ducati 200.6 mph

11. Carlos Checa, 2004 Yamaha 211.1 mph, 2003 Yamaha 196.5 mph

12. Valentino Rossi, 2004 Yamaha 211.1 mph, 2003 Honda 199.4 mph

13. Shin’ichi Itoh, 2004 Honda 210.1 mph, 2003 Honda 192.4 mph

14. Marco Melandri, 2004 Yamaha 210.0 mph, 2003 Yamaha 195.6 mph

15. John Hopkins, 2004 Suzuki 210.0 mph, 2003 Suzuki 195.7 mph

16. Norick Abe, 2004 Yamaha 207.8 mph, 2003 Yamaha 195.9 mph

17. Shinya Nakano, 2004 Kawasaki 206.6 mph, 2003 Yamaha 198.7 mph

18. Kenny Roberts, 2004 Suzuki 206.2 mph, 2003 Suzuki 193.0 mph

19. Vittoriano Guareschi, 2004 Ducati 206.2 mph, 2003 N.A.

20. Shane Byrne, 2004 Aprilia 205.9 mph, 2003 N.A.

21. Marcellino Lucchi, 2004 Aprilia 205.0 mph, 2003 N.A.

22. Nobuatsu Aoki, 2004 Proton (V5) 204.1 mph, 2003 Proton (V3) 179.1 mph

23. Jeremy McWilliams, 2004 Aprilia 204.0 mph, 2003 Proton (V3) 179.8 mph

24. Gregorio Lavilla, 2004 Suzuki 203.4 mph, 2003 N.A.

25. Alex Hofmann, 2004 Kawasaki 202.2 mph, 2003 Kawasaki 190.1 mph

26. Michel Fabrizio, 2004 Harris WCM 195.8 mph, 2003 N.A. (Chris Burns 2003 Harris WCM 183.6 mph)

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

125cc Grand Prix World Championship
Jerez, Spain
3/28/04
IRTA Test

Sunday’s Best Lap Times:

1. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:49.957
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:50.660
3. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:51.345
4. Alvaro Bautista, Aprilia, 1:51.548
5. Mirko Giansanti, Aprilia, 1:51.738
6. Casey Stoner, KTM, 1:51.922
7. Lukas Pesek, Honda, 1:52.013
8. Imre Toth, Aprilia, 1:52.107
9. Julian Simón, Honda, 1:52.207
10. Héctor Barbera, Aprilia, 1:52.573
11. Fabrizio Lai, Gilera, 1:52.767
12. Dario Giuseppetti, Honda, 1:52.783
13. Sergio Gadea, Aprilia, 1:52.869
14. Simone Corsi, Honda, 1:52.986
15. Gabor Talmacsi, Malaguti, 1:52.164
16. Mika Kallio, KTM, 1:53.185
17. Stefano Perugini, Gilera, 1:53.212
18. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 1:53.257
19. Mattia Pasini, Aprilia, 1:53.328
20. Marco Simoncelli, Aprilia, 1:53.355
21. Thomas Luthi, Honda, 1:53.535
22. Youichi Ui, Aprilia, 1:53.598
23. Vesa Kallio, Aprilia, 1:54.169
24. Georg Frohlich, Honda, 1:54.566
25. Jordi Carchano, Aprilia, 1:54.599
26. Raymond Schouten, Honda, 1:54.707
27. Mike di Meglio, Aprilia, 1:54.884
28. Robbin Harms, Honda, 1:55.144
29. Angel Rodriguez, Derbi, 1:55.192
30. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 1:55.539
31. Andrea Ballerini, Aprilia, 1:55.556
32. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 1:55.785
33. Gioele Pellino, Aprilia, 1:55.814
34. Mattia Angeloni, Honda, 1:56.273
35. Manuel Manna, Malaguti, 2:00.185


More, from a press release issued by KTM:

IRTA Test: 2nd day free practice 125cc, Jerez

The final day of the 2004 IRTA TEST continue for 125cc under the rain. Test ended again with Italian Roberto Locatelli first. KTM took the 6th result with Mika Kallio while Casey Stoner finished 8th .

Stoner – While I was doing my second best time I crashed: it just happened! I anyway improved my yesterday time and it almost had no consequences. In the next days while I’m here in Jerez to watch MotoGP class I’ll visit the Mobile Clinic.

Kallio – The circuit was wet all day long a part few hours in the afternoon. I’m happy anyway because despite to the result I know that with good conditions and more time available I could be much faster.

Bartol – Only few hours without the rain in the afternoon didn’t permit to make big improvements, a part for Casey’s result. Unfortunately today with this weather conditions we couldn’t make anything better.

From an obituary issued by Tom M. Wages Funeral Home:

Teresa Elaine Rawlins (Fasola), age 47 of Flowery Branch, GA, died March 27, 2004. She is survived by:

Husband – Victor Fasola
Son – Jorge Fasola of Flowery Branch
Brothers – David Rawlins of Georgia, Mike Rawlins of Montana, Darryl Rawlins of Georgia
Several nieces and nephews

Mrs. Fasola passed away after a long illness.

Funeral services will be held Monday, March 29, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at Wages Snellville Chapel with Rev. Ron Cole officiating. The family will receive friends Monday from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, Inc.
Snellville Chapel
3705 Highway 78 West
Snellville, GA 30078
Phone: 770-979-3200
FAX: 770-979-3204
www.wagesfuneralhome.com

From a press release:

TAYLOR IS BACK WITH Z1 CYCLETECH DUCATI

Four-time Canadian National Champion Michael Taylor will be riding the 2004 Ducati 999S for Z1 Cycletech in the Parts Canada National Superbike series.

Recently returned from testing Ducatis in Spain for Cycle Canada magazine, Taylor declared himself completely fit and eager to go racing. “Five months ago I asked myself the question, will I be strong enough to compete? Indeed I will! My new team has the right bikes, the right people AND the right tires and I will be faster this year!”

Zaid Saleemi, owner of of Z1 Cycletech is also looking forward to the challenge. “Having someone of Michael’s calibre and experience certainly makes my job a lot easier. We’re all really excited about the 999, everyone knows it’s a great platform to go racing. And I think Canadian fans are going to appreciate seeing a Ducati. I’m sure in some ways this will be a learning year for both of us, but as the season progresses be prepared for some surprises.”

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, inc.

World Superbike
Phillip Island, Australia
Race One
3/28/04

1. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, 22 laps, 35:04.598
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, -7.145 seconds
3. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, -7.336 seconds
4. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, -7.417 seconds
5. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, -7.608 seconds
6. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -27.638 seconds
7. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, -27.724 seconds
8. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, -28.040 seconds
9. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 999RS, -35.840 seconds
10. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, -35.947 seconds
11. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -36.063 seconds
12. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, -62.342 seconds
13. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -68.910 seconds
14. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, -83.698 seconds
15. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap
16. Miguel Praia, Ducati 999RS, -1 lap
17. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNF
18. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, DNF
19. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, DNF
20. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, DNS
21. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, DNS

Fastest Lap of the Race: Laconi, 1:34.742

From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

British Superbike Championship
Round 1
Silverstone, Northants
27/28 March

FOURTH AND FIFTH FOR EMMETT, WHILST LAVERTY GETS THIRD

MonsterMob Ducati rider Sean Emmett got his season off to a start by scoring a fifth and a fourth place respectively at the opening round of the British Superbike Championship in front of a 23,500 crowd at Silverstone today.

The first race was marred with damp weather at the start, which meant a tough tyre choice for all the teams. Emmett led the race for the first couple of laps but then dropped back as he struggled with the track conditions, to end up in fifth place at the end of the 22 laps.

Race two saw the 34 year old Londoner finish in fourth place aboard the VK Vodka Kick and Cetelem (UK) supported Ducati 999 F04, after leading early on, but scored more important points in the 26 race series.

“I would have been satisfied with two rostrums today, but now I’ll have to be satisfied with a fourth and fifth instead. This circuit suits the four cylinder bikes but it is a difficult for the twin cylinder bikes, especially with it being a new bike as well. We’ve got some data from here and we can build on that and also the next round is at Brands Hatch which is a completely different circuit. There’s only one real corner here but I’ve got two finishes and we’re 17 points off the lead, but there is still a long way to go yet” said Emmett.

Team mate Michael Laverty scored an impressive third place in his first race aboard the Ducati 749 Supersport machine. The 22 year old from CountyAntrim enjoyed a race long battle to score 16 points and claim his third place in the Championship.

“I’m happy enough with the result but disappointed that I wasn’t closer to Karl Harris who won the race. But considering how things have gone this weekend I am pretty pleased with the result. We will get the bike set up better for Brands Hatch and start the challenge from there” said Laverty.

Penrith-based team boss Paul Bird was pleased with his team’s overall results.

“That’s a good start. We knew it was going to be tough and it definitely has been. The weather didn’t help in the first race, but overall that was two good starts. It’s a difficult circuit for the Ducati here at Silverstone but we’re happy enough. The Supersport result was perfect – top three was better than we could ask for” said Bird.

Superbike Race One Result
1, Michael Rutter (Honda) 36:18.615
2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) -2.874
3. John Reynolds (Suzuki) -21.065
4, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) -33.099
5, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) -45.732
6, Marty Nutt (Yamaha) -50.747
7, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) -51.751
8, Dean Thomas (Ducati) -51.808
9, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) -53.367
10, Craig Coxhell (Honda) -61.019

Superbike Race Two Result
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 32:10.864
2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) -0.510
3, Michael Rutter (Honda) -1.340
4, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) -12.504
5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) -17.619
6, Dean Thomas (Ducati) -22.764
7, Stuart Easton (Ducati) -36.684
8, Gary Mason (Yamaha) -43.615
9, Steve Plater (Yamaha) -57.525
10, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) -59.826

Supersport Race Result
1, Karl Harris (Honda) 30:24.585
2, Craig Jones (Triumph) -2.708
3, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) -3.002
4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) -5.571
5, Leon Camier (Honda) -10.240
6, Kieran Murphy (Honda) -11.248
7, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) -17.950
8, Jay Vincent (Honda) -26.889
9, Adrian Coates (Suzuki) -33.820s
10, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) -35.092



Superbike Championship Standings (after Round 1)
1, Michael Rutter (Honda) 41 pts
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 41 pts
3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 40 pts
4, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) 24 pts
5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 21 pts
6, Dean Thomas (Ducati) 19 pts
7, Stuart Easton (Ducati) 14 pts
8, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 13 pts
9, Craig Coxhell (Honda) 12 pts
10, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 11 pts


Supersport Championship Standings (after Round 1)
1, Karl Harris (Honda) 25 pts
2, Craig Jones (Triumph) 20 pts
3, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 16 pts
4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) 13 pts
5, Leon Camier (Honda) 11 pts
6, Kieran Murphy (Honda) 10 pts
7, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 9 pts
8, Jay Vincent (Honda) 8 pts
9, Adrian Coates (Suzuki) 7 pts
10, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 6 pts



BSB 2004 Dates
Mar 28: Silverstone, Northamptonshire.
Apr 12: Brands Hatch Indy, Kent.
Apr 25: Snetterton, Norfolk.
May 3: Oulton Park, Cheshire.
May 23: Mondello Park, Ireland.
Jun 6: Thruxton, Hampshire.
Jun 20: Brands Hatch, Kent.
Jul 4: Knockhill, Fife, Scotland.
Jul 18: Mallory Park, Leicestershire.
Aug 15: Croft, North Yorkshire
Aug 30: Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire.
Sep 12: Oulton Park, Cheshire.
Sep 19: Donington Park, Leicestershire


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

British Supersport/Superstock Championships ­ Round one ­ Silverstone

Sunday March 28 2004

RIBA AND ZX-6RR SECURE SOLID FINISH FOR MSS DISCOVERY KAWASAKI AT SILVERSTONE

Hard-charging Pere Riba grabbed a fourth place finish in Sunday’s opening round of the British Supersport Championship at Silverstone, Northants as the MSS Discovery Kawasaki team launched its campaign in determined fashion.

Riba¹s ride, from seventh place on the grid, came in contrast to the fortunes of his team-mate Rob Frost, a second-lap faller after being hit by another rider. Frost escaped injury in the Woodcote corner crash.

Riba, after his British Championship debut, commented: “I’m really, really pleased with fourth place. We knew before the weekend that it would be tough but we are so close now to a perfect setting. The engine is very strong and the tyres are excellent. Once we find that base setting for the chassis and suspension I will be able to win races.”

Spaniard Riba added: “I worked so hard to keep fourth place but I was convinced I may be able to get onto the podium so there was no way I wanted to lose sight of the third place rider. But as soon as riding this machine becomes really enjoyable I will start to challenge for victories.”

Frost blasted through the field on the first lap and had moved from 18th place on the grid to 11th when he fell, after a tangle with another rider on lap two.

“I’m not even sure who it was who hit me,” said Frost. “I was peeling into Woodcote and minding my own business, next thing I knew I was down. I’m as frustrated about the lack of a result as I am about the crash. The team worked really hard overnight on my set-up and the machine felt brilliant.

“I knew the race would be tough from 18th on the grid but I got a great start and was into 13th place by the first corner. It’s disappointing but I know we have a good enough package in the ZX-6RR for me to be able to challenge for wins in the next few rounds.”

Steve Allan completed the day with a podium finish for the MSS Discovery team as the Scotsman took the ZX-10R to third place in its debut in the National Superstock Championship.

Allan grabbed the holeshot and led until lap 13 of the 18-lap affair ­ breaking the lap record along the way ­ before accepting a comfortable third place.

“I knew that I needed to finish the race and, beforehand, I was confident that I’d be in the top six ­ just from the performance of the ZX-10R in pre-season testing,” explained Allan.

He continued: “I could only go at a pace I was comfortable with and after crashing yesterday in the final qualifying session the last thing I needed to do was give the team another load of work. Third place will do and we’ll build on that. To take a podium finish in the first race for the new machine is perfect.”

British Supersport Championship, round one result (20 laps ­ 44.26 miles):
1 Karl Harris, Honda, 30:24.585
2 Craig Jones, Triumph, 30:27.293
3 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 30:27.587
4 Pere Riba, Kawasaki, 30:30.156
5 Leon Camier, Honda, 30:34.825
6 Kieran Murphy, Honda, 30:35.833
7 Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 30:42.535
8 Jay Vincent, Honda, 30:51.474
9 Adrian Coates, Suzuki, 30:58.405
10 Tom Sykes, Suzuki, 30:59.677

Championship points after one of 13 rounds: 1 Harris 25, 2 Jones 20, 3 Laverty 16, 4 Riba 13, 5 Camier 11, 6 Murphy 10, 7 Crutchlow 9, 8 Vincent 8, 9 Coates 7, 10 Sykes 6.

Next round: Brands Hatch ­ April 12

National Superstock Championship, round one result (18 laps ­ 39.83 miles):
1 Ben Wilson, Suzuki, 27:20.577
2 Andy Tinsley, Suzuki, 27:21.476
3 Steve Allan, Kawasaki, 27:21.737
4 Tristan Palmer, Suzuki, 27:24.830
5 Les Shand, Yamaha, 27:28.918
6 Jamie Morley, Suzuki, 27:33.095
7 Danny Beaumont, Yamaha, 27:33.213
8 Craig Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 27:47.091
9 Kevin Reilly, Ducati, 27:52.829
10 Mark Heckles, Yamaha, 27:58.894

Championship points after one of 13 rounds: 1 Wilson 25, 2 Tinsley 20, 3 Allan 16, 4 Palmer 13, 5 Shand 11, 6 Morley 10, 7 Beaumont 9, 8 Fitzpatrick 8, 9 Reilly 7, 10 Heckles 6.

Next round: Brands Hatch ­ April 12


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

BSB Championship, Round 1
Silverstone
Race 1 & 2

Sunday March 28
Track length: 2.2130 miles
Track temperature: 12 C
Air temperature: 7 C

SMART TAKES SUPERB FIFTH IN ZX-10R’s FIRST BSB ROUND

Hawk Kawasaki rider Scott Smart took a superb fifth place in the second BSB race at the opening round at Silverstone today. The number 88 rider’s excellent showing backed up his hard-fought seventh place in the first race, secured on a drying track when he pipped Ducati-mounted Dean Thomas to the line by just one tenth of a second.

“It was a pretty good result because I made an error on the last lap and I was quite a way back on Dean,” said Scott of his first race finish. “I knew I was much quicker through the last two corners so I had a go and passed him cleanly, although it was probably a bit of a surprise to him. I had a massive moment near the beginning when Glen and Dean got past me. I could see Kagayama and Reynolds and thought, ‘right I’m going to have them’ but I went though the second chicane and my feet were off the pegs and I ran onto the grass. I managed to drag it back onto the track and got a good result in the end though. We ran wets because it was declared a wet race and they were destroyed at the end. I was trying higher gears in the hope it’d hook up better but all it did was spin more. It didn’t matter though in the end because both Glen and Dean were in the same boat.”

Smart’s fifth in the second race upped his weekend’s points haul to 21, and fifth place in the points table. “It’s a lot harder in the dry than it is in the wet and the bike is very aggressive near the limit,” he said. “You’ve just got to be really gentle with it all the time. I’m pleased because I’ve come away with two good results, but also gutted because if I’d found a tenth of a second a lap I could have beaten Emmett in the second race. I was hanging on, hanging on, missed a couple of gears and then thought, ‘must bring it home’, plus I so nearly hit Glen when he crashed. We’ve now got a good base point and we just want to start finishing a few places further up.”

Smart’s team mate, Glen Richards, had a more challenging first outing on the ZX-10R, finishing ninth in the first race, due to badly worn wet tyres, and crashing out of a potential fifth in the second race. “The rear wet that we had was fairly soft so after half a dozen laps it wasn’t real good, but most people’s tyres were no good by then,” explained the Aussie of the first race. “Because of that we didn’t have any grip at the back. The bike wasn’t too bad but I if I’d tried to go any faster I think I would have crashed and after the day that I had yesterday I was determined to make it to the finish.” Sadly he fell in the second race, although fortunately was uninjured from the spill.

Smart’s strong finishes aboard the ZX-10R delighted Hawk Team Principal Stuart Hicken, especially as there is so much more to come from the new machine. “We were running very close to the leading pack using an almost stock motor – we’ve still got an ignition key on the bike,” he said. “Glen could have done without that tumble, but Scott’s adapted to the bike quickly which is good. I’m very pleased with how close we are to the leaders. To see that halfway through the race we’re still on the start/finish straight with the leading pack is real important because we have a tremendous amount to come at the moment. We’re looking forward to getting the Motec ignition on and doing more work on the bikes.”

The next BSB round is at Brands Hatch from April 10-12.

BSB Race 1
1) Michael Rutter, Honda. 2) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda. 3) John Reynolds, Suzuki. 4) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki. 5) Sean Emmett, Ducati. 6) Marty Nutt, Yamaha (P). 7) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki. 8) Dean Thomas, Ducati. 9) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki. 10) Craig Coxhell, Honda. 11) Stuart Easton, Ducati. 12) James Ellison, Yamaha (P). 13) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P). 14) Tommy Hill, Yamaha. 15) Sam Corke, Suzuki (P)

Fastest lap: Michael Rutter, Honda: 1:37.543

BSB Race 2
1) John Reynolds, Suzuki. 2) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda. 3) Michael Rutter, Honda. 4) Sean Emmett, Ducati. 5) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki. 6) Dean Thomas, Ducati. 7) Stuart Easton, Ducati. 8) Gary Mason, Yamaha. 9) Steve Plater, Yamaha. 10) Tommy Hill, Yamaha. 11) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P). 12) Craig Coxhell, Honda. 13) Dennis Hobbs, Suzuki (P). 14) Dean Ellison, Ducati. 15) James Ellison, Yamaha (P)

Fastest lap: Michael Rutter, Honda: 1:26.890

BSB Championship after 1 round
1) Michael Rutter, 41. 1=) John Reynolds, 41. 3) Ryuichi Kiyonari, 40. 4) Sean Emmett, 24. 5) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 21. 6) Dean Thomas, 19. 7) Stuart Easton, 14. 8) Yukio Kagayama, 13. 9) Craig Coxhell, 12. 10) Tommy Hill, 11. 11) Gary Mason, 9. 12) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki, 8. 13) Steve Plater, 7. 14) Kieran Clarke, 4. 15) Dean Ellison, 4

Manufacturers Championship after 1 round
1) Honda, 45. 2) Suzuki, 41. 3) Ducati, 24. 4) Kawasaki, 21. 5) Yamaha, 14

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP World Championship
Catalunya, Spain
3/28/04
Combined Best Lap Times Of IRTA Test:

1. Valentino ROSSI, Yamaha, 1:44.571
2. Alex BARROS, Honda, 1:44.631
3. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 1:44.634
4. Colin EDWARDS, Honda, 1:44.653
5. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 1:44.669
6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 1:44.871
7. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 1:45.046
8. Ruben XAUS, Ducati, 1:45.073
9. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 1:45.171
10. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 1:45.196
11. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 1:45.226
12. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 1:45.519
13. Neil HODGSON, Ducati, 1:45.520
14. Shinya NAKANO, Kawasaki, 1:45.654
15. Alex HOFMANN, Kawasaki, 1:46.007
16. Shane BYRNE, Aprilia, 1:46.170
17. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:46.182
18. Shin’ichi ITOH, Honda, 1:46.212
19. Gregorio LAVILLA, Suzuki, 1:46.227
20. John HOPKINS, Suzuki, 1:46.329
21. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 1:46.620
22. Norick ABE, Yamaha, 1:47.429
23. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Aprilia, 1:48.391
24. Marcellino LUCCHI, Aprilia, 1:49.489
25. Michel FABRIZIO, Harris WCM, 1:50.114
26. Vittoriano GUARESCHI, Ducati, 1:50.186

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former AMA factory pilot Mike Smith took three wins Sunday during the opening round of the WERA National Challenge Series at Jennings GP in Jennings, Florida.

Riding a Suzuki GSX-R1000, Smith beat Yamaha YZF-R1-mounted Larry Pegram to win in Open Superstock. Smith then used his GSX-R750 to beat Vesrah Suzuki’s Tray Batey in 750cc Superstock and Formula One.

Pegram won the 600cc Superbike race on his Triangle Cycles Yamaha YZF-R6, and Batey defended his Heavyweight Twins National Championship with a win on his SV1000S.

First-year Expert Ben Thompson won the 750cc Superbike race on his Racersupply.com Suzuki GSX-R600.

Michael Killingsworth beat Roger Bell in the Lightweight Twins sprint. Both racers rode Suzuki SV650s.

Mark Brown won the Formula Two race on another Suzuki SV650.

From a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2004
IRTA TEST – CIRCUIT DE CATALUNYA
28TH MARCH 2004

FUCHS KAWASAKI’S NAKANO CLOSES THE GAP ON THE LEADERS

Fuchs Kawasaki’s Shinya Nakano took maximum advantage of a break in the weather to post the 13th fastest time in today’s 40 minute timed practice session, during the final day of the IRTA test at the Circuit de Catalunya.

More important than his finishing position was the fact that the 26-year-old Japanese rider ended the session just over one second behind reigning World Champion, and today’s pole position finisher, Valentino Rossi. For Kawasaki, this was the closest they have been to a dry pole position time since returning to the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the 2002 season. And, while today may have been only a practice session, with a BMW car on offer to the fastest rider, competition was as intense as for any race.

Preferring to continue with his planned test programme, rather than abandoning it in favour of chasing a one-off flying lap, Alex Hofmann still managed to finish today’s timed session 15th fastest, just over three tenths of a second behind his more experienced teammate.

The 23-year-old German rider waited until the chequered flag came out to end the timed practice, before putting in his fastest lap with just seconds to spare. For the remainder of the day, Hofmann continued to work with his crew to refine the set-up of his Fuchs Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR, in preparation for the opening race of the season, which takes place on 18th April at Welkom in South Africa.

The Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team head for Jerez in Southern Spain tomorrow, for a further two days of intensive testing.

Alex Hofmann: 15th (1:46.007)
“We concentrated today on completing our test programme, after losing so much time to bad weather during the first two days, rather than building up for a fast lap in the timed session. We used this afternoon’s session to test some softer compound tyres and it was these tyres on which I set my fastest lap. I’m pretty happy with how things went today, although we know we still have some work to do with the bike. The chassis and tyres look to be a lot closer to our rivals in terms of performance in the turns and on the brakes, but the difference in top speeds on the main straight today is a good indication of where we need to concentrate our development effort. We need to find some more power from the engine, but we also need to be able to control this power better if we are to stop the bike from spinning up and trying to lift the front wheel out of the turns.”

Shinya Nakano: 13th (1:45.654)
“After so much rain over the past two days I was glad to get in some dry laps on the bike today. My first run in the timed session felt good, and I was pretty confident that I’d be able to improve my lap time on my second run. Unfortunately, I had a problem with clutch slip on the main straight and, while the bike sounded real fast, I wasn’t able to get the power down and hit top speed on my flying lap. Even so, we ended the timed session just over a second off pole position, so I’m reasonably happy overall. But, although we are closing the gap I think there is still room for improvement, especially out of the turns where the bike still spins up the rear too easily. We will continue to work on solving this problem during the two day test at Jerez next week.”

Harald Eckl: Team Manager
“Today we closed the gap on the leading riders in the championship, which makes all the hard work during the winter months worthwhile. Of course, development work will continue, especially on the engine, and I am confident that there is still a lot more to come yet, both from the new bike and from Shinya and Alex.”


More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

IRTA MotoGP tests Barcelona, third and final day, Sunday March 28 2004

Track temperature: 16 degrees C
Ambient temperature: 14 degrees C
Humidity: 45%

HONDA RIDERS RIGHT ON THE PACE ON FINAL DAY AT BARCELONA

The sun finally shone on the last day of this three-day test session at the Montmelo track near, Barcelona in Spain. Honda’s six full-time MotoGP riders made the most of the dry track time and spent a full day circulating the 4.427km circuit as it warmed up to a more accommodating 16 degrees C from a low of seven yesterday.

A sizeable crowd of 30,000 thronged the grandstands for the morning session and spectator interest peaked as a special 40-minute sprint, with a sports car as the prize for the fastest rider, began in the early afternoon. But after only ten minutes of action the session was red-flagged as Aprilia rider Jeremy McWilliams crashed and then four other riders went down on fluid lost from his machine.

The four riders, Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V), Carlos Checa (Yamaha) and Ducati duo Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss, emerged relatively unscathed and continued testing. On the restart Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) rocketed himself into the reckoning and then headed the timesheet with a 1:45.224 lap.

The Texan then carved that time down to 1:45.167 with Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi 0.192 seconds shy of his time in second place with fifteen minutes of the session to go. In the final five minutes Capirossi catapulted himself to second spot with Rossi now heading the rankings with a 1:44.716 lap.

But Edwards was by no means done yet and bested Rossi’s time with a 1:44.653 lap in the final minute – but with other riders on their final ‘hot’ laps his slender advantage was always under threat and Rossi pulled out a 1:44.571 lap time on his final tour.

Among the top ten riders overall today were four Honda men: Barros in second, his team-mate Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) in third, Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) fourth and Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) fifth.

Alex Barros put in some steady work in the remaining hours of the day and thus climbed to second overall by mid-afternoon when the more serious business of prolonged testing resumed. His 1m 44.631s time reflecting the undoubted speed the experienced Brazilian will show this season on his return to the Honda fold after a troubled season with Yamaha.

Fastest laps:
1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1:44.571
2. Alex Barros (Repsol Honda RC211V) 1:44.631
3. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) 1:44.634
4. Colin Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) 1:44.653
5. Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) 1:44.689
6. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) 1:44.871
7. Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) 1:45.046
8. Ruben Xaus (Ducati) 1:45.073
9. Carlos Checa (Yamaha) 1:45.171
10. Marco Melandri (Yamaha) 1:45.196

Riders quotes

Alex Barros: “A day of highs and lows,” said second fastest man Alex Barros. “We were looking good in the morning when we checked that everything was OK for the sprint for the car. But early on I went down on the oil from someone else’s crash. I was first to hit the spill and then the others. By the time any of us saw the flag it was already too late. I started again but then there was too much traffic and then the tyres went off. All the bad stuff happened at the same time! But we got going again in the afternoon and things are looking better now.”

Nicky Hayden: “We had a bit of trouble with a disc when we went to fit a qualifier in the sprint and that hampered us a bit. But overall we’ve got lots of resources and I’m confident we’re going to find the answers. But it’s not all about the bike. My expectations from last year have changed and I have to aim high, but I feel like I’ve really learned stuff today.”

Colin Edwards: “We didn’t get a lot of track time to test the new chassis. We only had two hours on Friday, we made some changes but you always need more time to get things right and we didn’t have it. Things are OK overall and I just concentrated on some tyre endurance tests towards the end of the day – and then it’s Jerez next week.”

Sete Gibernau: “We tested as much as we could under the circumstances and today was not a bad day for us. The new chassis and the Michelins we tried were working well even if the conditions weren’t great. The sprint was a little tough on everyone and I was on a fast lap right at the end before I hit traffic, but the main thing is the work we did overall.”

Makoto Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) was 11th fastest: “We had many things to try – and not a lot of time to try them in. And the problems with the cold and the wind only went away on the last day. We have a big test programme to complete and we’re running out of time to complete it, but we have made a new plan to use at Jerez and we’ll take things from there.”

Max Biaggi: “These three days have not been positive for us. We are still very far away from our best set-up. The bike feels heavy during changes of direction and the weather has been a problem – but for everybody else too. At Sepang and Phillip Island we got close to our best set-ups quite quickly – but here we struggled. Let’s hope we can do better at Jerez.”


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

Catalunya IRTA Tests
Montmelo circuit, Catalunya
Sunday 28th March

ROSSI TOPS THE TIME SHEETS ON FINAL DAY AT BARCELONA IRTA TESTS

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi recorded the fastest lap of the weekend as an intense fight saw the top 13 MotoGP riders, including Rossi’s team-mate Carlos Checa, finish the Barcelona IRTA Test with times inside one minute of each other. Today’s MotoGP riding agenda entailed three sessions, and with a prize of a BMW Z4 up for grabs during the 45-minute afternoon official practice, Italian Rossi prevailed at the last minute with a time good enough to keep him at the top of the combined standings throughout the final free practice later on. After an early fall along with five other riders due to oil on the track, Carlos Checa finally finished the test ninth fastest at his home circuit, pleased with his progress and feeling positive for Jerez next week. The incident interrupted the first half of the early afternoon session, as the red flags were put out whilst track officials cleaned up the oil.

The leader board was dominated in the early afternoon by American Colin Edwards, who put in a string of consistently fast laps on his Honda machine. With seven minutes left on the clock, Rossi took the lead with a flying lap, only to relinquish it again to Edwards a few minutes later. Returning to the pits for a brief tyre change, Rossi took the lead again on his last lap with a time of 1:44.571. This was enough for him to claim the BMW prize, despite last minute charges from Edwards again (1:44.653) and fellow Honda rider Sete Gibernau (1:44.669.) Checa, slightly shaken up from his earlier brush with the tarmac, was happy to post the eighth fastest time of 1:45.171.

Rossi stayed on top for the rest of the day but the final leader board altered slightly during the last session of the test, when Honda team-mates Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden put in hot laps of 1:44.631 and 1:44.634 respectively to take them second and third fastest of the test. Checa had another unfortunate fall at the same corner as earlier, caught off-guard by tyres which were slightly too hard. However he was not hurt and continued to work on the set-up of Yamaha’s latest engine spec, which he first tested on Friday.

Valentino Rossi (1:44.571)
“This is really satisfying! I am really sincerely very happy to win this car, to have got this time and to have put in more than one fast lap. The whole day has been a brilliant surprise and we’re all very happy. I think this year will be great for the Championship as a whole because it’s going to be very competitive. Everyone has put in so much hard work – the team and the Yamaha engineers – and we’ve done a great job so far. There is still a lot of work to do and a long way to go, but we’ve made a good performance. This year is going to be a great challenge; let’s see if we can continue as we have started today.”

Carlos Checa (1:45.171)
“The moment I went out on the track for the qualifying session I felt there was some oil on the track, and before I could do anything about it there were six bikes on the ground. The new engine spec I’m trying works quite well with this chassis but we need to alter the set-up a bit more; I still have a long way to go. Valentino did a great job today and it’s very motivating to have him as a team-mate; it’s a great challenge for me to see how close I can get.

Davide Brivio, Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team Director
“We didn’t win a race and we didn’t get any points but it’s nice to win this first prize. I’m very happy that we can offer today’s results to everyone involved in the project. We are having a very busy winter and it’s very satisfying for everyone on days like today. This will give us more motivation to continue working hard with the target to be competitive in a race situation as soon as possible.”


The next MotoGP Official IRTA Tests take place in Jerez, Spain on Wednesday 31 March and Thursday 1 April.


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

THE FIRST PROTON TO TOP 200MPH

Montmelo, Spain – March 28, 2004: Proton Team KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki joined the 200mph club at the Catalunya GP circuit today, the third of three days of official group tests for the forthcoming GP season. It is thought to be the first time this speed has been attained by any Proton, on two or four wheels.

Riding the second-generation Proton KR V5, with a revised engine and an all-new high-tech chassis, Aoki clocked 204.12 mph in the final session, in what was virtually a shake-down test for the latest machine.

With the engine still not yet fully set up, the new chassis fitted with a brand-new swingarm for the first time, and the team still gaining familiarity with their new Dunlop tyres, it was a clear proof of progress for the machine, and an endorsement of the confidence in its ultimate potential.

The new Proton is the first to bear the stamp of ex-F1 engineering guru John Barnard. Novel and super-accurate chassis construction techniques, culled from aerospace and F1 technology but never before seen on a motorcycle, take the all-independent England-built racer a clear step forward in the fight against the factories.

“We know we need more engine power, and we’re working on that. But we also know these are very early days for the new bike, and that everything is getting better all the time,” said team principal Kenny Roberts, a former triple World Champion, and racing legend.

The three-day tests were hit with bad weather, with the first day cut short by rain and the second all but drowned out completely …only a handful of riders went out, with Aoki running just three laps. The third was cold, with fresh snow on the mountains surrounding the circuit outside Barcelona, but dry and sunny. Aoki completed 52 laps, to place 22nd in the session.

Team-mate Kurtis Roberts was not at the tests, after dislocating his shoulder at earlier tests a fortnight ago in Valencia. He is recuperating at home in the USA, and is expected to be fit in time for the first race, the South African GP on April 18.

NOBUATSU AOKI – best time 1:48.128
I am happy with the new chassis and swingarm. We worked very hard and adjusted many things … it was like a shakedown this weekend. Now the bike is getting to the point where we have good base settings and can concentrate on fine running the suspension and so on. The new engine is not working properly yet. The top-end power is the same as last year, but the mid-range is not good at all. It makes the engine very peaky. When you touch the throttle at 10,000 rpm it hesitates a lot, and is inconsistent. The engine shop has to work to make it easier to ride. It was our first official time on Dunlop tyres, and though the qualifying tyres are very good, there is a lot of work to do. We have to cooperate to improve things, and I hope I have given them a lot of ideas.

CHUCK AKSLAND – Team Manager
I believe that’s the first time any Proton has done more than 200 mph! All in it was a pretty positive end to the test. Nobu went faster than last year, and we still don’t have a lot of experience on the Dunlop tyres, or with the new bike. With the little bit of testing we’ve done, we know where we’re at. We need more engine performance, and to establish our relationship with Dunlop. And to keep moving forward.


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

Closing day of tests in Catalunya
IRTA sessions to continue in Jerez


This was the last of three days of IRTA tests on the Montmelò circuit before the second round gets underway in Jerez on Wednesday and Thursday next. The pale sun that came out in the early hours of the morning made it possible for the tests to carry on all day long, also making it possible to put in 40 minutes of “official” tests. This was the only good opportunity to gather data and information after the entire scheduled work programme had been put on hold.

Yellow-blue Camel Honda riders Max and Makoto were trying out the new frames on their
RC 211Vs, and work on achieving top performance was carried out during the official tests, when the tarmac temperature was slightly higher than during the rest of the day. Like this morning, the ground temperature was only 8°C (46.5°F) in the late afternoon.

A pity for Max for, just when he made his decisive sortie, at the end of the 40 “official” minutes, he had a loss of pressure in his rear tyre and was unable to make the best of this opportunity to move up towards the sharp end of the ratings.

Sito Pons – Camel Honda (Team Principal)
“The very difficult weather conditions of the past two days meant we could only really work well today. The riders had to try out the new frames and they didn’t have enough time to gather all the necessary information to ensure the best possible settings. So we had to make up for lost time, considering the potential that the other contestants showed today. So this week’s tests in Jerez will be really important for us to get ready for the first World Championship race.”

Max Biaggi – Camel Honda (Michelin tyres) – 12th – 1’45.519
“These three days in Catalunya have not been all that easy. We still haven’t found the perfect settings for my bike and I feel it’s very heavy when changing direction. So we’ve still got to discover the right way to get the very best out of this new frame. Then misfortune stepped in when it was time to go for the fast lap in the official tests. The others were faster than us, and this simply means they were better then we were. We’ve still got two days’ tests in Jerez and I’m confident that we’ll be able to improve.”

Gianluca Montiron – Camel Honda – (Makoto Tamada Team Manager)
“We had a number of different materials to try out, and very little time for the huge amount of work we had planned to do. The bad weather undoubtedly complicated matters, so we didn’t concentrate as much on going for top performance in the fast lap as finding out the right direction to work in so that we can get to Jerez with the right programme that will let us recoup the time we’ve lost during this first session of IRTA tests.”

Makoto Tamada – Camel Honda (Bridgestone tyres) – 11th – 1’45.226
“So many things to try out, and so many details to examine. I mean: new tyres, new frame and hardly any time available, because yesterday and the day before it really seemed it was midwinter. We’ve examined all the work we did today in order to get ready for Jerez with a work programme and ideal settings for those two very important dates, so we can prepare for Welkom.”


More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda/Gresini Racing:

Edwards and Gibernau second and third fastest respectively during the sprint on day three

Test Irta – Catalunya, day Three
Real action started around 12.00 on a cold but dry track at the Circuit of Catalunya.
Colin Edwards went out around 11.45 lapping with the new bike, while Sete Gibernau went out 30 minutes later for some laps with the new bike before the timed session of the day.
The sprint of 45 minutes to win the BMW Z4 offered by BMW was hard-fight until the end of the session when Sete and Colin missed the pole for a handful of thousandths: only 0.082 the gap between Colin and Valentino, the fastest of the session and 0.016 the gap between Sete and Colin.

Colin Edwards (1’44″653).: “we had not so much track times here because, during the previous days, rain spoiled the testing programme. I’m ok but I could do better.”

Sete Gibernau (1’44”.669): “with these temperatures it was hard for everyone, during the last lap I was doing very well but I found a bit of traffic and I missed the pole. All in all, I’m satisfied, my compliments to Valentino.”

Tested continued during the afternoon. Both Telefonica MoviStar riders lapped with the new bike. Work was mainly focused on developing the new chassis and the new fork, moreover some tyre testing for Michelin was carried out.

Sete Gibernau: “I’m satisfied with the work we did today, I did two small endurance tests and worked with Michelin testing some tyres.”

Colin Edwards: “we lapped with the new bike but these weather conditions are not good for finding the best setting. We need to do more laps. We also did some tyre testing with Michelin.”

Fausto Gresini, Team Manager: “Today’s practices have demonstrated that we are competitive. We missed the pole for a few thousandths. We aim at finding the best setting for the new bike. I hope to find better weather conditions next week in Jerez.”

At the end of the day Colin and Sete finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The team move onto Jerez for the second session of Irta Test schedul! ed for next Wednesday and Thursday