From a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

SUZUKI LOOKING FOR SECOND AND THIRD

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Stephane Chambon and Katsuaki Fujiwara are looking to finish the season in second and third places in the championship. With Chris Vermeulen (Honda) taking the title in the last round at Imola, runner-up and third places are very much up for grabs. Magny-Cours hosted a round of the Superbike World Championship in 1991, but this will be the first time that a Supersport World Championship event will be taking place. The circuit was designed with Formula 1 in mind and is a difficult track for bikes – due in part to the number of slow corners. The 2003 Honda has been the bike to beat this season, but it is testimony to the skill of Chambon and Fujiwara and the hard work of the Alstare Suzuki team that second and third places are a very real possibility. Both riders are keen on finishing the season on a high and none more so then Chambon who will be competing in a World Championship race in front of his own fans for the very first time.

STEPHANE CHAMBON
It’s been a very long time (twelve years) since there was a World Superbike or Supersport Championship event in France and I hope we get a very good crowd. The Supersport class is very popular in France and I think it’s going to be a tremendous race. It’s going to be hard for sure – because of the nature of the track – but I really want to do well in front of my fans and I really want to end the season as runner-up in the championship.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA
The start of my season was better then the second part and now I want to end the year with a good result. Steph and I cannot win the title this year, but we have a chance of finishing second and third and that¹s what we¹ll be aiming for. The team have done so well to keep our bike competitive against all the other new bikes this year and I am hoping to reward them in the best possible way. A podium will be good, but a win will be better


FABRIZIO DETERMINED

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Michel Fabrizio knows that the 2003 European Superstock Championship title is his for the taking. He holds a fifteen point lead over his nearest rival – Lorenzo Lanzi – but is determined to use his head and do whatever is necessary to take the title. Fabrizio is taking nothing for granted and he and the team are preparing for Magny-Cours by not leaving anything to chance. It is the first time the European Superstock Championship is visiting France and hopefully it will be an occasion that will be remembered by Fabrizio and the team for some time to come.

MICHEL FABRIZIO
Lanzi’s mistake in the last round gave me just the chance I wanted. I pressured him throughout the race and he was unable to take it. I know that a 15-point advantage sounds a lot, but anything can happen in racing, so I’m not taking anything for granted. I aim to ride professionally and use my head throughout the weekend and hopefully getthe rewards at the end.


MAGNY-COURS TAKEN OVER BY SUZUKI

The weekend of 18-19th October at Magny-Cours is going to be one big Suzuki festival. Alstare Suzuki riders are competing at the highest level in all three championships, but also Magny-Cours will witness the final of the Suzuki GSXR750 World Cup. No less then 28 riders from 15 countries world-wide will compete on identically prepared GSXR750s in two races over the weekend – making it a true Suzuki-fest!


GREGORIO STILL CHASING

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla knows that time is running out for him to record a win this year. The last round of the championship takes place at Magny-Cours circuit in France, on 19th October and there are just two opportunities remaining for Gregorio to take victory on the GSXR1000 Suzuki. It is not going to be an easy task because the layout and design of Magny-Cours is unlikely to favour the GSXR1000 this year. All season, Gregorio and the team have struggled to get the bike to match the Ducatis exiting the turns and Mangy-Cours has plenty of slow-speed corners. The track was designed with Formula 1 in mind and has been modified from its 1989 layout this year. In 1991, Magny-Cours hosted the last round of the Superbike World Championship on French soil, with both races won by American Doug Polen (Ducati).

GREGORIO LAVILLA
We tested – like most teams – at Magny-Cours recently and we have an idea of what our weekend is going to be like – hard! It’s a circuit where overtaking is going to be difficult and so qualifying well is going to be important, though I say that about all circuits. Magny-Cours is what I call a ‘modern track,’ that is one built for cars and these type of circuits are never usually very good for bikes. There are quite a few slow corners, so it’s going to be very hard getting as good a drive out of them as the Ducatis. The GSXR1000 Suzuki is powerful enough to compete with the Ducatis at top speed normally, but we cannot get the power on to the track exiting the corners like they can at the moment. It’s something we have been working on all season. At some tracks it is more of a problem then others. But I know I’ve got two chances of being the first rider to win a WSBk race on a Suzuki GSXR1000 and I’ll be trying my hardest for sure – like I always do.

From a press release issued by Spectrum Motorsports of Lake Forest (Orange County), California:

SPECTRUM MOTORSPORTS FINAL OUTDOOR BIKE NIGHT

Spectrum Motorsports announces their last bike night of the season on Tuesday, October 14th from 6:00 PM till 8:00 PM.

The evening’s activities will include the following:

The September $150 gift certificate winner will be drawn.

Two hot dogs and a soda for a $1.00. “You can’t beat that at Wal-Mart” said Greg Guthrie, Sales Manager for Spectrum Motorsports.

There will be a Play Station Moto GP III competition for all that sign up. First place is a $75 gift certificate, second place $50 gift certificate, and third place is a $25 gift certificate. There will be four racers at a time viewed on Spectrums large screen TV.

The entire new 2004 Honda product introductions will shown on a video after the Moto GP III competition.

Attendees can take advantage of Spectrum Motorsports huge accessory and clothing sales with many items significantly below cost. Helmets, boots, outfits, etc. are all drastically reduced. Some savings are more than 65% off.

In addition at the conclusion of the event there will be a short ride for any that want to participate and the route will be announced that evening.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

By Trudy C. Ulrich
(AMA member #452000)
President and Publisher
Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

In an editorial posted October 6, racer Steve Atlas called for AMA Pro Racing to listen to the majority of the paddock and keep Thursday practice, saying that it is needed by the 90 percent of racers who aren’t on factory teams, and that AMA Pro Racing should adhere to Article II of the American Motorcyclist Association’s Code of Regulations, which states, “The purpose of the Corporation is to pursue, promote, and protect the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members.”

That sounds like a pretty good argument, Steve, except for one thing: AMA Pro Racing is not the AMA, and those aren’t AMA Pro Racing’s bylaws!

AMA, the non-profit organization, has an AMA Sports department that sanctions races, but about 10 years ago created a separate, for-profit subsidiary corporation, AMA Pro Racing, for the sole purpose of competing in motorcycle race promotion. Specifically, to compete with Roger Edmondson’s CCS/NASB after renouncing a joint venture with him.

AMA Pro Racing is a for-profit organization, with the stated purpose of making money, and the only time AMA Pro Racing is going to care about what the individual racer wants or needs is when it affects the bottom line. AMA Pro Racing, as a separate for-profit entity, has no obligation (nor inclination) to uphold the AMA’s bylaws.

There’s really not too much that AMA Pro Racing and the AMA have in common. AMA non-profit champions the rights of qualified individual members in good standing to participate in AMA-sanctioned races of their choice, and earlier this year disbanded an entire AMA District for denying entry in AMA Sports-sanctioned off-road races to a qualified member whose rights district officials didn’t take seriously.

In stark contrast, AMA Pro Racing recently denied the rights of three qualified individual members in good standing (Josh Hayes, Vincent Haskovec and Steve Rapp) to participate in AMA Pro-sanctioned races of their choice, in a botched last-minute attempt to keep Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates from using Formula Xtreme qualifying as Superbike practice. Instead of specifically targeting Mladin and Yates, AMA Pro Racing cast a needlessly-complicated, way-too-wide net restricting riders who were in the top 10 in points in either class from racing in both Superbike and Formula Xtreme, unless they were Jason Pridmore, who was granted a personal loophole (he was the only rider that loophole applied to). AMA Pro Racing did it without worrying about the impact on other riders, and wouldn’t reconsider, even when that impact was pointed out. When Rapp appealed, AMA Pro Racing stated that there was no compelling reason to allow him to compete in both Formula Xtreme and Superbike as he wished, and that he was not a serious Superbike competitor. No compelling reason? Not a serious competitor? What about his best finishes of fifth and sixth in AMA Superbike races in 2003, and of fourth in AMA Formula Xtreme races in 2003? What about individual rider rights? Oh wait! Nevermind. It’s not the AMA. It’s AMA Pro Racing, and they don’t worry about the rights of individual racers. And of course, nobody disbanded AMA Pro Racing for denying entry in AMA-sanctioned road races to qualified members who AMA Pro Racing didn’t take seriously.

This is nothing new: AMA Pro Racing not only often fails to hold up the ideals of AMA non-profit, AMA Pro Racing often actively works against the ideals of AMA non-profit.

AMA is supposed to be an organization to benefit all motorcyclists, while AMA Pro Racing seeks to produce an elitist, non-inclusive series with minimal input from participants at large.

AMA is supposed to be an organization to benefit motorcyclists, yet when it comes to the safety of racers, AMA Pro Racing has often had to be forced to take action.

AMA sells memberships and takes donations on the premise that it will uphold its bylaws to benefit motorcyclists, and these funds are then used to support AMA Pro Racing, a for-profit organization that has yet to turn a profit while paying its executives handsomely. (AMA’s publicly available tax statements call these cash infusions “investments.” In my personal opinion, they’re about $2 million in “misappropriated member dues.”)

AMA is supposed to be an organization to benefit motorcyclists, but a federal court found that AMA Pro Racing engaged in unlawful activity to steal the assets of Edmondson’s motorcycle racing organization (CCS/NASB), and ultimately the AMA settled a resultant lawsuit that cost the Association an estimated total of about $6 million.

Non-profit AMA and for-profit AMA Pro Racing not only work against each other, one, in fact, cannibalizes the other, with AMA Pro Racing eating away at the AMA’s money, reputation, and everything that AMA is supposed to stand for.

It’s ironic, because what really gives AMA Pro Racing a leg-up in the racing business is its close association with AMA non-profit. From the instant it was created, AMA Pro Racing had a benefit not afforded other racing organizations: The name AMA, and all it stands for; all its resources; the momentum of 60 years of existence; AMA’s goodwill, status and reputation in motorcycle industry; the support of motorcycle manufacturers; and its membership of 260,000 people.

Besides the financial backing, all those intangibles were appropriated by the for-profit organization, AMA Pro Racing. It was a gift, a benefit to a single for-profit corporation, by a non-profit organization, and I’m not sure how that can even be legal (where non-profit law is concerned.)

If someone wanted to start Joe’s Race Club, Inc., competing in the harsh business environment of race promotion, it would be pretty hard to do. But give Joe’s Race Club the name AMA and suddenly, it’s world class.

In my opinion it’s a gift that AMA, the non-profit organization, should NOT have been able to give, because AMA Pro Racing has taken all the benefits of its association with AMA non-profit and none of the obligations or accountability.

AMA Pro Racing does not exist for the benefit of you, Steve, or any other racer in the paddock. It is a for-profit corporation, and the only thing that matters is the bottom line. (Silly boy! What were you thinking?)

So when stuff goes wrong, you have nothing to complain about and no one to complain to.

So, what can be done? Over the last two years, a status-quo majority on the Board of Directors of AMA non-profit has failed to support attempt after attempt to make AMA Pro Racing truly accountable to the AMA Board and responsive to members. That status-quo majority recently blocked an attempt by a reform minority to take direct control of AMA Pro Racing and ensure that racing business conducted under the AMA banner be held to AMA standards and to the AMA Code of Regulations requiring that AMA “protect the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members.”

It’s up to the AMA Board of Directors to sort this out–and it’s up to the members to replace any director who stands in the way. The AMA Board must ensure that non-profit assets will never again be given to a for-profit entity. Those assets appropriated by AMA Pro Racing–the financial backing of AMA non-profit, and those valuable intangibles, in particular, the name AMA, which in itself holds the goodwill of the non-profit entity–belong to AMA members and cannot be gifted to a for-profit company.

AMA Pro Racing’s event sanctioning and all related business activities must return to direct control of AMA non-profit, as a department of the Association. AMA Pro Racing as a separate entity must be dissolved.

Complicating the situation is the fact that only six of 12 seats on the Board of AMA non-profit are elected by the 260,000 individual members. The other six are elected by the representatives of about 16 corporations, in a once-a-year vote held at the Indy trade show. This February, those corporations must be held accountable for how their representatives cast their votes.

It’s time for members to take back the AMA. (Sound familiar?)

See related posts:

10/6/2003 Opinion: Time For AMA To Consider Paddock Majority
9/22/2003 Attempt To Dissolve Pro Racing Board Fails
10/10/2003 About Duhamel And That Rock-throwing Deal At Barber…
10/8/2003 Updated Post: Racers Comment On Those AMA Speeding Tickets, And Inconsistent Officiating…
10/7/2003 AMA Pro Racing Penalties: $100 For Speeding On Pit Lane, $0 For Throwing Rocks On Live Racetrack
8/29/2003 Apparently, AMA Pro Racing Officials Involved In Writing And Enforcing Rules Are Not Required To Be Proficient In The English Language
8/21/2003 AMA Pro’s Own Rulebook Says A Regulation Is A Rule
8/15/2003 AMA Semantics 101: No Comment Period Needed Because A Regulation Is Not A Rule, And The Factory Few Demanded Something Be Done Immediately About Mladin
8/13/2003 Updated Post: New Rule Was Never Discussed By AMA Pro Road Racing Advisory Board
8/13/2003 New AMA Rule Will Penalize Hayes In Superstock Championship Battle
8/12/2003 Updated Post: Haskovec Banned From Formula Xtreme By New AMA Pro Rule
8/12/2003 Pick One: AMA Pro Racing Limits Superbike/FX And Supersport/Superstock Entries

From a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Thommo plots winter action

Foggy PETRONAS Racing chief engineer Steve Thompson has already set his sights on a number of areas of focus for his efforts in improving the performance of the FP1 for the next World Superbike season.

New technical regulations for the 2004 season allow triples to increase engine capacity to 1000c. But Thommo will spend the winter getting the best out of the existing 900cc triple, as a change in engine capacity would have meant the need to rehomologate the bike.

He said: “The new regulations are designed to make competition closer and more of a spectacle. For instance GP engines have become noisier so the increased noise limit to 107dB will be popular. But the other changes do not really affect us too much. It is all designed to provide a level playing field and you can argue the pros and cons of each individual change all day long. I suppose one change that might put us at a slight disadvantage is the unified minimum weight of 162kg. The triples used to be lighter than the two-cylinders, which can now be the same weight.

“But there are plenty of areas that we know we can make progress with. These include combustion chamber performance, the clutch, injector bodies, gearbox options, throttle transition, conrod links and water pump efficiency. We can also reduce blowby which may, unfortunately, see the end of the much-loved and much-photographed flame-out! But we are confident that we can extract more performance out of the current engine and be more competitive next season.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mark Kruger took his Kawasaki ZX-6RR to the 2003 WMRC British Columbia Road Race Series Overall Champion. Kruger also won the Pro 600cc Supersport, Open Supersport, and the premiere Pro Open Superbike Championships and was awarded the Tom Walther Memorial Trophy in recognition of his Pro Open Superbike Championship.

WMRC runs a four-round series held at Mission Raceway Park in British Columbia.

Kruger won the Pro 600cc Supersport Championship over Zlock Racing’s Oliver Jervis by a mere two points. Kruger claimed two wins, one second and one third, while Jervis took two wins and two thirds on the season. Troy Burstyk ended the season third in class with top-five finishes at every round, including a third in the season opener.

In Open Supersport Kruger once again won the Championship by only two points. This time Pacific Yamaha’s Steve Dick was second. Kruger was able to take three wins, but a third at the fourth and final round, combined with Dick’s three second place finishes and final round win, kept it close. Despite a DNF, Troy Burstyk again finished third.

Kruger claimed the coveted Pro Open Superbike crown from Dick, who finished seven points down, with Jervis third, five points behind Dick. Both Kruger and Dick took multiple wins (Pro Open Superbike is run twice per weekend) but Dick’s two DNF’s vs. Kruger’s one DNF gave Kruger the title.

In addition to the Pro classes, WMRC also has Amateur 600cc Supersport, Formula Two, Formula Three and B.O.T.T. Suzuki SV650 Cup support classes.

Jonathon Jeske won the Amateur 600cc Supersport title, Paul Ludwig took the Formula Two and Formula Three titles, while Brian Steidle won the Suzuki SV650 Cup Championship.

2003 WMRC Final Points Standings from www.wmrc.com:

Pro Open Superbike
1. Mark Kruger, 141 points
2. Steve Dick, 134 points
3. Oliver Jervis, 129 points
4. Scott Borthwick, 104 points
5. Troy Burstyk, 103 points
6. Japhy Goldman, 41 points

Pro 600cc Supersport
1. Mark Kruger, 88 points
2. Oliver Jervis, 86 points
3. Troy Burstyk, 53 points
4. Steve Dick, 52 points
5. Jason Hughes, 34 points
6. Japhy Goldman, 21 points

Open Supersport
1. Mark Kruger, 93 points
2. Steve Dick, 91 points
3. Troy Burstyk, 42 points
4. Scott Borthwick, 40 points
5. Jason Hughes, 37 points
6. Jonathon Jeske, 36 points

Amateur 600cc Supersport
1. Jonathon Jeske, 87 points
2. John Parker, 79 points
3. Gio Acchione, 42 points
4. Steve Erlendson, 41 points
5. James Nadolny, 34 points
6. Justin Kemp, 21 points

Formula Two
1. Paul Ludwig, 103 points
2. Brian Steidle, 72 points
3. Ken Botham, 61 points
4. Misti Hurst, 50 points
5. Rick Earle, 43 points
6. Bart Brown, 32 points

Formula Three
1. Paul Ludwig, 108 points
2. Trevor Smith, 55 points
3. Scott Pontiuk, 45 points
4. Brian Ens, 43 points
5. Bart Brown, 40 points
6. Tom Fayle, 31 points

B.O.T.T. Suzuki SV650 Cup
1. Brian Steidle, 101 points
2. Kathy Hubble, 79 points
3. Misti Hurst, 56 points
4. Hank Visser, 35 points
5. Shawn Becker, 26 points
6. Justin Frederic, 26 points

For complete results go to www.wmrc.ca.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Race Classification
MARLBORO MALAYSIAN MOTORCYCLE GP
125cc Grand Prix
19 laps, 105.4 kilometers, 65 miles

1. Daniel PEDROSA, Honda, 43:07.647

2. Mika KALLIO, KTM, -2.658

3. Jorge LORENZO, Derbi, -2.750

4. Thomas LUTHI, Honda, -3.006

5. Masao AZUMA, Honda, -5.032

6. Alex DE ANGELIS, Aprilia, -7.242

7. Mirko GIANSANTI, Aprilia, -9.549

8. Hector BARBERA, Aprilia, -10.908

9. Pablo NIETO, Aprilia, -11.197

10. Roberto LOCATELLI, KTM, -12.874

11. Marco SIMONCELLI, Aprilia, -14.926

12. Stefano BIANCO, Gilera, -15.443

13. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Honda, -15.576

14. Gabor TALMACSI, Aprilia, -22.889

15. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Aprilia, -24.161


DNF

Lucio CECCHINELLO, Aprilia, -4 laps

Casey STONER, Aprilia, -7 laps

Steve JENKNER, Aprilia, -7 laps

Max SABBATANI, Aprilia, -15 laps

Stefano PERUGINI, Aprilia, -16 laps

Gioele PELLINO, Aprilia, -16 laps



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

Daniel Pedrosa 125cc World Champion

Young Spaniard Daniel Pedrosa is the new 125cc World Champion. The precocious eighteen year-old from Castellar del Valles raced his Telefonica MoviStar to brilliant victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, at Sepang today to clinch the prestigious world crown with two rounds still remaining in the 16-round series.

Pedrosa is the youngest Spaniard ever to take the title following in the footsteps of former Spanish grand prix giants Angel Nieto, Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, and Alex Criville.

Pedrosa went into the 19-lap (105.412km) race knowing the title would be on its way to Spain if he won the race and closest rival, Stefano Perugini, finished lower than eighth place. Pedrosa is a winner and wanted nothing less than a race victory to put the seal his magnificent season. He did not disappoint. He led from start to finish to take his fifth win of the campaign to take his first world title.

“It was a very hard race. When I woke up his morning I thought the race situation would not be easy for me because it was raining. In the race I got a good start and pushed hard but the track was very slippery but I managed to open a gap on the others and held it. When I finally crossed the finishing line I was very tired. I started crying and I still can’t believe what has happened to me, its fantastic, I have no words to describe it.” Said the new 125cc World Champion.

“Since I was a little boy my ambition was to be a rider, and now I have been proclaimed World Champion. I guess I will need a little time to be able to explain what it’s like to be a World Champion.” Beamed Pedrosa.

“I can only thank everybody who has supported me. Telefonica MoviStar because they gave me the opportunity to be here, to Honda for all the years we have been working together. To my team for the excellent job they have done in teaching me how to work, and to my family for always supporting me. But especially I have to thank Alberto (Puig), because from him I have learned everything. Without all these people I would be sitting at home watching the races on my sofa in front of the television.”

Pedrosa, Telefonica MoviStar Honda and the team manager Alberto Puig, have been synonymous since 1999 when the 14-year-old Pedrosa was selected by Puig to contest the MoviStar Active Joven Cup series. The bold innovative series he launched, which was supported by MoviStar and Honda, to discover and develop talented young riders from raw novices to grand prix riders.

Pedrosa’s career took off when he entered the 1997 Spanish Pocket Bike Championship, aged 11. He finished third in his debut season and went on to win the championship a year later. But the youngster did not have the funds necessary to continue his career and his meeting with Puig was a Godsend to the youngster.

Puig took Pedrosa under his wing providing his young charge with the means that allowed him to fulfil his true potential. Pedrosa finished eighth in the Joven Cup and followed that with fourth place in the 125cc Spanish Championship, starting four races from pole position, proving he had the speed if not consistency.

The shy 15-year old arrived on the grand prix scene in 2001 his hard charging style immediately attracting attention. It came as no surprise when he finished the season in eighth place claiming two podium places in the last four races of the season. Under the guidance of Puig Pedrosa had added consistency to his fast growing range of talents.

He confirmed his credentials in 2002 with three race victories, the first at no less a venue than motorcycle racings most difficult race track the 6.027km Assen circuit in Holland, know to all riders as the ‘Cathedral’ of motorcycle racing. Pedrosa ended the season with third place in the championship and went into 2003 as the favourite of many to lift the world crown.

The 17-year old went to the line for the first GP of the year with his apprenticeship completed. He was ready to race, determined to make the 2003 season his and repay the faith shown in him by Puig, Telefonica MoviStar and Honda.

Shy to a degree Pedrosa’s choirboy looks hide a steely determination. In his short career Pedrosa has mastered the intricacies of 125cc two-stroke machine set up, learned how to nurse home an ailing machine and developed a race craft that belies his tender age.

Pedrosa lay the foundations of his title win in the first half off the season dominating the 125cc field in superb style, scoring three victories and a second place along the way. At mid-season point he faltered slightly, but his race craft saw him through a difficult time. The Telefonica MoviStar Honda team regrouped and struck back with a fine victory at the Czech GP, at Brno in August and the title was again Pedrosa’s to lose.

Two fourth places, at Estoril and Rio were followed by a brilliant ride at Motegi when, after leading the race by almost 10 seconds, a steering damper problem forced him to nurse the Honda home to sixth place and set up the title winning ride at Sepang today.

Pedrosa has earned the respect of all who have watched his career develop and all expect him to flourish in 250cc championship he is scheduled to contest in 2004.

An emotional Puig, team manager and mentor to Pedrosa said: “You have no idea how happy I am with this championship title. We started this project together five years ago, with Dani, MoviStar and Honda and today we are World Champions. When I was forced to stop racing through injury I swore I would help a young rider to win a world title and we have reached our goals.

“I truly believed in Dani from the very beginning and we have watched him grow to be a champion, it’s just a perfect day. He’s a real World Champion – he won it from the front, he’s a real winner. We have to thank Honda for all the support they have given us, and of course Telefonica MoviStar. I am very proud of this team and what they have done.” Added Puig.

Puig went on to say. ” We are going to move up to the 250cc class next season and we will approach 250 racing as we did the 125 class. We will need time to adjust in the first year. After that we hope to be in a really good position, able to fight for the championship ”

Daniel Pedrosa.

Date of birth : 29.9.1985.

Birthplace : Castellar del Valles – Spain

First race : 1997 Pocket bike racing.

Grand Prix debut : 2001

First Grand Prix podium : Valencia 2001.

First Grand Prix win : Assen 2002.

Total podium places : 20

Total wins : 8

World titles : 1. 2003 on a 125cc RS125W Honda.


Career Highlights – Daniel Pedrosa

1997 : 3rd Spanish Championship Pocket Bikes

1998 : Spanish Pocket Bike Champion

1999 : 8th MoviStar Activa Joven Cup

2000 : 4th 125cc Spanish Championship

2001 : 8th 125cc World Championship

2002 : 3rd 125cc World Championship – 3 victories

2003 : 125c World Champion – 5 victories



More, from another press release issued by Honda Racing:

Spanish teenager Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS125R) secured his first ever World Championship with a win here at Sepang. His main title rival Stefano Perugini (Aprilia) dropped out of the race on lap four and that eased the pressure on the 18-year-old.

Mika Kallio (KTM) was second and the young Finn has now given the Austrian factory its first podium finish in its debut year of competition. Jorge Lorenzo (Derbi) was third after a compelling dice with Masao Azuma (Ajo Motorsports Honda RS125R), Thomas Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) and Alex de Angelis (Aprilia).

Australian Aprilia rider Casey Stoner was also in the hunt after getting a poor start from the front row of the grid. He lay 12th in the opening laps, but clawed his way back to second setting fastest lap of the race on lap 12 before crashing a lap later.

But Pedrosa was totally in control from the off. He led into turn one on the opening lap and worked his advantage remorselessly. Two laps from the end he held a seven second lead over his pursuers who had little hope of catching him, so engrossed were they in their own fight for the podium positions.

“I don’t really have any words to describe how I feel,” said an emotional Pedrosa. “I just want to thank everyone who helped me towards this, everyone who gave their maximum to achieve this Championship: the Movistar Team, Honda, Alberto Puig and all the people in the team.”

There are still the remaining World Championship positions to be disputed and with Pedrosa home clear with an unassailable 223 points, the rest of thetable shows Perugini on 159, de Angelis with 157 and Andrea Dovisioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R), who finished 13th here, with 149.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

125cc:

Dani Pedrosa, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Jnr Team, 1st: “It was a very hard race. When I woke up his morning I thought the race situation would not be easy for me because it was raining. In the race I got a good start and pushed hard but the track was very slippery but I managed to open a gap on the others and held it. When I finally crossed the finishing line I was very tired. I started crying and I still can’t believe what has happened to me, its fantastic, I have no words to describe it.”

Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda, 4th: “The start was perfect I was third, or fourth at the first corner but I braked too early and a few riders got passed me. That left me fighting hard in the group behind the leaders. My rhythm was not good early on but when I found it I got faster and faster then caught Kallio and Lorenzo after about eight laps. But it was hard work in the temperature and high humid conditions. I have to thank my team for this result the bike was perfect today, engine, suspension and tyres. I hope I can have many more races like that one.”

Masao Azuma, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 5th: “I’m satisfied with the way the race went for me today. My gearing was a little short today. I was not sure if it would rain or not and geared the bike for acceleration off the corners. That meant I was low on top speed and had to leave my braking very late. We got the best result possible today and I’m in good shape for Phillip Island.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Honda, 13th: “I’m really disappointed with today’s race. The rear end started sliding after only four – five laps. I just don’t understand it at all, we ran the same tyre as in qualifying and changed nothing on the bike. We have to work it out before Phillip Island.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Valentino ROSSI, Honda, 43:41.457

2. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, -2.042 seconds

3. Max BIAGGI, Honda, -7.644

4. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, -13.733

5. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, -13.789

6. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, -20.567

7. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, -23.449

8. Shinya NAKANO, Yamaha, -26.740

9. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, -32.149

10. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, -40.556

11. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, -43.863

12. Noriyuki HAGA, Aprilia, -44.613

13. Colin EDWARDS, Aprilia, -54.667

14. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, -62.687

15. Alex BARROS, Yamaha, -63.006, crashed, restarted

16. Andrew PITT, Kawasaki, -66.128

17. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Proton, -70.916

18. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, -71.344

19. Garry McCOY, Kawasaki, -77.205

20. Akira RYO, Suzuki, -101.315

21. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, -109.094


DNF
David DE GEA, Harris WCM, -3 laps

Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, -9 laps


DNS
Olivier JACQUE, Yamaha



MotoGP World Championship Points
(With two races remaining in 2003 MotoGP series)

1. Valentino ROSSI, 307 points

2. Sete GIBERNAU, 244

3. Max BIAGGI, 215

5. Loris CAPIROSSI, 141

6. Troy BAYLISS, 119

7. Nicky HAYDEN, 114

8. Tohru UKAWA, 112

9. Carlos CHECA, 104

10. Shinya NAKANO, 92



And now, some team press releases, posted in order of receipt, starting with a press release issued by Harris WCM:

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX

Race Day
Sunday 12th October 2003

DAVID DE GEA: DNF
“Peter Clifford saw my bike smoking and called me in a few laps from the end of the race. I guess he thought it was too dangerous for me to continue when he saw the smoke. So now, I look forward to Australia and to a good finish there.”

CHRIS BURNS: DNF
“Yet another disappointing day for me, after such a promising two qualifying days. I high-sided this morning in warm-up but felt fine to race.

“After a few good laps at the beginning of the race, I got called into the pit for a 10-second penalty for a jump-start; I must of just creped forward a bit.

“Up to pulling into pit lane, I had a good first few laps however it all went wrong when I re-joined the race. I felt the clutch slipping on the re-start and the next 6 ­ 7 laps I was getting slower and slower. So I pulled into the garage and hope that the problem with the clutch is fixed by the Australian GP.”


PETER CLIFFORD ­ (Team Manager)
“I think Chris is saving up all his good luck so he can win in Valencia because otherwise these things that keep happening to him don¹t make any sense.

“As for David, I was watching out on the track and I could see a puff of smoke coming from the right hand side of his bike as he shut off going into the corners. It was nothing too desperate but there is every reason to be cautious with such things, so I went back to the pits and asked the guys to pull him in.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang
Race Day
Sunday, October 12 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM 6th & 9th IN DEBUT SEPANG GP

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss scored sixth- and ninth-places finishes in today’s Marlboro Malaysian Grand Prix. This was the squad’s first competitive outing at this demanding track, and the past three days have taught team engineers lessons that will be vital as the outfit looks towards the 2004 season.

“We got a lot out of this weekend,” said Ducati Marlboro Team director Livio Suppo. “Although we did test here last winter, that was nine months ago, so plenty has changed since then and this was our first race here anyway. We learned plenty and confirmed what we knew already, that we need to work to improve our set-up for slippery tracks like this. Both guys rode good races today, they did the best with what they had and we go to Phillip Island in positive mood.”

Today’s race – run in humid, cloudy conditions – was won by Valentino Rossi (Honda), who secured the 2003 MotoGP riders’ title in the process. Ducati still holds second place in the constructors’ World Championship.

CAPIROSSI SIXTH IN LEARNING RACE
Loris Capirossi came home in sixth place at Sepang this afternoon, reinforcing his fourth position in the MotoGP World Championship. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider made a great start from the second row to race into second place at the first turn. But the first few laps weren’t kind to the Italian who slipped back a little before upping his pace and enjoying and entertaining tussle with Nicky Hayden (Honda) and Carlos Checa (Yamaha).

“I made a great start, lost some time, then pushed hard to recover that time,” said Capirossi after what is the most gruelling race of the season. “We knew we didn’t have the set-up 100 per cent here but the race was better than Motegi. This track is very slippery in the heat, so I was sliding around a lot. We don’t lack power, just traction because we didn’t have perfect settings for this circuit. But this is our first year, a learning year, and we’re learning plenty. Finally, my congratulations to Valentino for winning the championship, he rode a great season.”

BAYLISS RUNS OUT OF TRACTION
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss rode to ninth place in his Sepang debut today, running a good pace during the early stages but slipping back as he lost traction in the later laps. At half distance he had been looking good for a seventh-place finish.

“It was actually quite a good race, I was feeling okay,” said Bayliss, who had started from the third row of the grid. “But even when things were good the bike was lacking something, then the set-up we used wrecked the rear tyre. From two-thirds distance, even before, the rear was coming around as I rolled into turns and I was losing the rear on the gas. I was just sitting on the bike and not going anywhere. But we’ll learn from this, I’ll be having a long debrief with my guys this evening.”


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

Malaysian Grand Prix
Sunday, 12 October 2003
Sepang, Malaysia

ROSSI CLINCHES MOTOGP TITLE; CHECA PERSISTS TO FINISH FIFTH

Honda rider Valentino Rossi today claimed his third consecutive MotoGP World Championship title after a dominating performance at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The flamboyant Italian was in a confident position for the title, as it would only have taken a second place finish behind a win from his main championship rival Sete Gibernau (Honda) to clinch the number one plate. Yet Rossi steamed past the competition including Gibernau to cross the line 2.042 seconds ahead of the Spaniard. Rossi finished today’s race with a 63-point lead over Gibernau, with just two rounds of the championship remaining.

Having qualified second behind pole-sitter Rossi for today’s 21-lap race, Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Carlos Checa produced a solid start and entered turn one in third place. He trailed Gibernau and Ducati rider Loris Capirossi on the opening lap before fending off a challenge from the champion elect Rossi. Checa maintained his focus and made a string of fast and consistent laps but eventually relinquished second to the determined Rossi. Undeterred, the soon to be 31-year-old Checa continued to chase race leaders Gibernau and Rossi, before coming under the attack of Honda riders Max Biaggi and Nicky Hayden. Checa finished a respectable fifth and retains his eighth place in the championship standings.

“I had a reasonable start but immediately noticed I had much less grip than I have had all weekend,” said Checa. “I’m not sure why but we think it was probably because of the rain earlier today and the change in track temperature. I didn’t have enough traction with the rear, or enough front feeling. It became more and more noticeable during the race. I managed to hold out in fourth position as long as possible, but then Hayden overtook me right at the end. There was also a bit of chatter when I was braking hard, especially towards the end of the race. We don’t yet know exactly what the problem was but it’s a shame as we’ve had one of our most positive weekends of the season. Thanks anyway to my crew, who have worked so hard in these three days.”

Fellow Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Marco Melandri was not so fortunate after suffering from a lack of grip for the duration of the race. In addition to a poor qualifying result and a difficult start to the race, the 250cc World Champion concluded the 14th round of the season with a disappointing 11th place.

“Today was just a continuation of the problems I’ve been having all weekend,” said the despondent Melandri. “I never really found any grip and today I had a few engine problems. It was a constant battle for eleventh place with Haga on the Aprilia, who overtook me on the straight on almost every lap. In the end I managed to keep in front of him. Anyway I’m not happy with eleventh place, especially after a fifth place in Motegi last weekend. We have to look ahead to Phillip Island and make sure that this grip issue is resolved for there.”

Davide Brivio, team director, commented, “I think we have showed some good progress this weekend, with Carlos able to qualify and race up front. The changes in track conditions since yesterday stopped him from achieving his qualifying pace, and he suffered from a lack of traction but he held out until the end. Anyway the bike is generally more competitive now and with just two more races to go I think Carlos can aim for a podium finish. Marco couldn’t find any grip, the same problem he had in Rio, and we’re still trying to work out why. This weekend has been incredibly tough on the team so well done to everyone for their perseverance.”



More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 14 – MARLBORO MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
12TH OCTOBER 2003 – MOTOGP RACE RESULT

PITT RIDES TOUGH FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI IN ANNIVERSARY RACE

Fuchs Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Andrew Pitt, completed his first year of MotoGP competition aboard the Ninja ZX-RR with a hard fought sixteenth place in a humid and energy-sapping Malaysian Grand Prix today.

Only a late race charge by Brazilian Alex Barros, who had crashed at turn two on lap one, pushed Pitt out of fifteenth place and what would have been a deserving World Championship point.

On his GP debut with Kawasaki a year ago at this race Pitt finished 19th and, today, demonstrated his dramatic improvement by lowering his race time for 21 laps by a massive 62 seconds, almost three seconds per lap.

Meanwhile, Garry McCoy finished 19th as he struggled with late race rear-end grip levels on a hot Sepang track, which had been washed clean by heavy morning rain. McCoy had made a strong start from the fourth row and despite going wide to miss the fallen Barros he pushed forward to be 15th on lap eight. He was quickly followed by Pitt in 16th place.

But as grip faded McCoy could not respond in the second half of the race to challenges from Pitt, a hard riding Jeremy McWilliams and the surging Barros.
Both Pitt and McCoy now head to Phillip Island for their home race, the Australian Grand Prix.

Garry McCoy – 19th
“I got a good run off the line and down into turn one, but then in turn two Barros was down and I had to go wide to miss him. For eight or ten laps everything felt fine and I got up to fifteenth, although it was hard work racing McWilliams as he pulled some strange moves; we nearly hit a couple of times especially late in the race when he chopped across in front of me. I pushed as hard as I could and the bike had plenty of power, but by the end I was backing in under braking big time as the rear grip went away. It was bloody hot; hopefully it will be bit cooler at Phillip Island next week and that should help us.”

Andrew Pitt – 16th
“That was hard work in the heat. I don’t wish Alex Barros any harm but I guess if he’d have stayed down I might a got a point, but that’s racing; we’ll just keep pushing for better results. I thought I may have struggled for grip, but the tyres stayed consistent today, especially the front. After about five laps the rear dropped off a little but I was able to stay on the pace when McWilliams was challenging, after he’d almost hit Garry when I was following them! It’s a good feeling to get through my first year of GP racing, I’ve learnt a lot and made a big step forward; now to Phillip Island and my home race!”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“I was expecting the race to be tough on tyres for our guys, but in the end Dunlop did a good job. Andrew rode very consistently and it was a pity that Barros got past him very late in the race for a championship point. Since he started in his first Grand Prix race a year ago Andrew has made an excellent improvement. Garry rode strongly after a good performance in qualifying, but it seems his rear grip went away more than Andrew’s. This ends our first 12 months of racing the Ninja ZX-RR; we can now see some light at the end of the tunnel and look forward to making a big step forward for 2004.”



More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

MORE POINTS FOR ROBERTS AT SEPANG

Team Suzuki Press Office
Sunday, October 12, 2003.

Team Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts Jr. finished 14th in today’s Malaysian GP, holding his own in a fierce battle in the closing laps with Alex Barros. Roberts ran his fastest times of the afternoon in the last laps, to finish three tenths ahead of the Brazilian rider.

But the 2000 World Champion was disappointed not to have the chance to fight for better places after qualifying in the top ten at the track where he has twice before won the GP on a Suzuki. A vexing technical problem with the engine’s advanced technology meant his guns were spiked from the start. Today’s victory went to Valentino Rossi, who tied up his third successive championship in the process.

Temporary team-mate Akira Ryo, switched from a wild card entry to replace Suzuki full-time rider John Hopkins, finished 20th, losing ground in the second half of the race as he suffered the penalty of choosing too soft a tyre compound. The Tokyo rider is full-time factory MotoGP tester. Last weekend’s Pacific GP was his first race of 2003; this was his last race. Ryo was again riding an experimental development version of the Suzuki GSV-R V4 MotoGP racer, testing ideas and equipment to push the project forward.

Hopkins was absent from the track after he was controversially disqualified, after a first-corner incident in the last race at Motegi. The Anglo-American rider’s Number 21 bike remained park silent in the pit.

Today’s race was run in slightly cooler weather than two baking days of practice, with air temperature at 30 degrees and the track temperature 41 degrees. But conditions were still typically punishing around 21 laps of the 5.548km Sepang circuit south of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Humidity peaked at 63 percent.

Next weekend the Suzuki team joins the MotoGP rivals in very different cool conditions at Phillip Island for the Australian GP, the third in a trio of gruelling back-to-back flyaway races before the season closes at Valencia in Spain two weeks later.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – 14th Position
We had some problems that are really not worth talking about. It would just sound the same as all year. Basically I was prohibited from racing round in the 2:06s and 2:05s like I wanted to, so our situation is the same as it’s been. We have to improve so greatly at this point it’s difficult for me to comprehend what we have to do. Comparing my bike with Ryo’s experimental bike, there’s not a big difference. It seems that’s the case whatever we do. We need a whole new package. We have to improve a lot.

AKIRA RYO – 20th Position
We made a very big mistake with tyre choice. We went to too soft a compound, but our chassis was set up for a harder tyre. The first five laps went well. I was comfortable and running at a good pace, in the 2:06 bracket. After that, I was riding Rossi-style – sliding sideways everywhere, but at a much slower pace. We did learn something to help development. I discovered what is the weakest point in the bike’s chassis performance. This was only my second race all year, so we lack experience of the Michelin tyres and of MotoGP racing. Perhaps next year will be better for me.

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
Kenny did his best under difficult circumstances with niggling technical problems, and we can be happy that he scored some points. He did his fastest laps at the end of the race when he was battling with Barros, which showed the tyres were still good. That’s a tribute to Michelin. Akira had an unfortunate day, his lack of experience let to a less than perfect tyre choise.



More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Sepang – (Malaysia)
Round 14- 10/11/12 October 2003
Sunday – Race

Tamada tenth at Sepang

The Pramac Honda Team’s Japanese rider ended the 14th and ante-penultimate race of the championship in tenth place. The warm-up session in the morning should have been an opportunity to work out the final choice of tyres, but the track was wet – whereas during the race it was dry.

So the warm-up could not be used to make the final decisions, and a good compromise was sought for the race. With a tarmac temperature of 12 degrees centigrade less than yesterday, the team technicians and the rider opted for medium-hard tyres at both front and rear. But the rear tyre proved to be too soft for the race conditions today and Makoto Tamada was not able to make an incisive attack in the middle of the race and at the end.

The race: starting from third place on the first row, Tamada was not quick off the mark and ended the first and second laps in 11th and 12th place. He then made two fine passes and got up to 10th but from that moment on was no longer able to move up towards the group out in front. His problem was that he did not have the traction he needed in the parts of the circuit where he could have attacked. The opportunity to settle the score and confirm Tamada in the top positions of a race could come in the next race at Phillip Island, a circuit where Bridgestone did very well last year and where Makoto raced in a series of winter tests and built up a good feeling for the Australian track.

MAKOTO TAMADA (PRAMAC HONDA TEAM): 10th – 44:22.013

“The first few metres after the start were OK, when you let the clutch go and shoot off. But in the middle of the straight I no longer had the traction I needed and then ended up in the confusion at the first corner. I lost ground and tried to move back up but, after overtaking Haga and Melandri, when I was tenth, I realised there wasn’t much more I could put into it. I didn’t have grip and the bike was difficult to handle round the corners. The tyre we chose proved to be too soft and it wore out very quickly. It was a pity we didn’t have time to work things out better this morning as it was raining, but now the only thing I can do is to concentrate on Phillip Island. I do know it a bit and I want to do better there than I did today.”



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

PROTON RIDERS FINISH LINE ASTERN AT SEPANG

Round 14: Malaysian GP, Sepang
Race: Sunday, October 12, 2003

Jeremy McWilliams: 17th
Nobuatsu Aoki: 18th

Team Proton KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki finished one place higher than their qualifying positions in today’s Malaysian GP, home race for the Proton KR V5’s major sponsors.

Both riders overcame various problems with the still-developing new 990cc V5 MotoGP racer, designed and built in England as the only fully independent machine on the grids. Overall, however, the general reliability of the eight-race-old machines was impressive in the punishingly hot conditions at the 5.548km Sepang circuit, south of the capital of Kuala Lumpur. Although today was overcast, humidity was 63 percent, and the temperature still 30 degrees.

McWilliams started strongly in 16th position, challenging for the top 15 and more points for the radical racer. However he ran into gearshifting problems that meant all his concentration was required just to maintain progress, and it was impossible to think about racing other riders as well. But for that, he felt confident of giving the Proton KRV5 some home-race points.

Aoki had similar problems, for different technical reasons. He dropped to 19th in the early part of the race, but was able to regain one place to finish just half-a-second behind McWilliams, the five-cylinder pair thrilling the Malaysian crowd as they howled past the chequered flag in front of the grandstands.

Next weekend, the Australian GP ends a gruelling trio of back-to-back “flyaway” races, with the season finishing two weeks later in Valencia in Spain. Last year, the Proton pair qualified on the front row of the grid at the Australian Phillip Island circuit, with McWilliams on pole position; and both finished in the top ten in the race.


JEREMY McWILLIAMS
I think we made that race more difficult for ourselves than it needed to be. My quick-shifter mechanism failed on the second lap. But for that, I’m confident I could have got a couple of points. It’s almost impossible to shift gears with this bike without the quickshifter, there is so much spinning mass to slow down that it makes it very difficult. I was losing a second on every straight, missing gears and getting neutrals. It was very frustrating. The rear tyre also lost grip – it was spinning the rear 50 km/h faster than the front. We chose too soft a compound.


NOBUATSU AOKI
Another tough race! I had a gearshifting problem … maybe gearbox or clutch, I don’t know. Anyway, it was really hard to make downshifts – where I was going down the gearbox to second I would end up in third. It meant I really had to pay a lot of attention to gearshifting. That was all through the race. The Bridgestones also seemed to lack some side grip, and I was going sideways everywhere. I was struggling with those things. It meant I couldn’t race … just ride the bike.


KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner
We’re another 100 metres down the road. These three races are useless for us. We’re developing the bikes, but there’s no time to do anything. Even if we can make new parts, it’s hard to get them to the track. We had new exhaust pipes here, but the brackets had a design fault and they broke, so we couldn’t use them for the race. We’re not racing. We’re testing, so just finishing is a big plus.



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang
Raceday Sunday October 12

Track temperature: 41 degrees C
Humidity: 63%
Ambient temperature: 30 degrees C, cloudy

ROSSI TAKES PREMIER CLASS TITLE NUMBER THREE WITH WIN

Rain changed everything here in steamy Sepang when a heavy early morning fall altered track conditions on raceday – but it couldn’t change the destiny of Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) who won in style. In front of a 30,000 crowd he won his seventh MotoGP race of the season, his third premier class title and his fifth title in all classes. Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) was second and Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) third.

The 24-year-old Rossi is now elevated to the top five all-time Grand Prix winners with his tally of 57 wins: 12 in 125, 14 in 250 and now 31 in the big class. He currently stands head and shoulders above the competition and Honda’s remarkable RC211V has now won 13 of the 14 races held so far in 2003.

This was not an easy win, few are in the white heat of MotoGP competition, but it was still a dominant performance by any standards. Rossi had already pulverised the opposition with his qualifying performance (a stunning 2m 02.480 second lap) and he was in no mood to let the title slip from his grasp with three rounds to go. He badly wanted to wrap it up here – and it showed.

Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) got the holeshot and the Spanish title challenger gave it his all from the lights to try and get away from Rossi while the Italian was lodged in fourth place on the opening lap. But on lap two Rossi was on the move and he dealt first with Loris Capirossi (Ducati) for third and then Carlos Checa (Yamaha) for second.

By lap six he was right up with Gibernau and although he had posted the fastest lap of the race at 2m 03.822 seconds on lap three in his bid to keep Gibernau within range, he could clearly afford to sit back and plan his attack. He put his plan into action on lap eight when he slipped past on the brakes into a medium-speed left-hander.

That was it for Gibernau’s persistent title challenge. Although he gamely kept the Italian in sight, Rossi worked his advantage without taking any unnecessary risks and when Gibernau sailed wide at turn one Rossi opened up the gap. By mid-race distance Rossi was 1.2 seconds ahead and by the end of the race he had just over a two second cushion.

There was plenty of action behind the leading trio of Rossi, Gibernau and Biaggi. Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) fought hard for fourth, taking Carlos Checa (Yamaha) on the penultimate lap and the American rookie has impressed in his first season of MotoGP.

Rossi was understandably delighted. “This is like a dream, this fifth title,” he said. “It was a very hard race – just like all season, but very good fun. Sete put me under a lot of pressure and I had to work hard. I think we won overall because of our consistency and we fought hard for every win. I want to thank Honda for the constant development of the bike that’s made this possible.”

Gibernau was fulsome in his praise for the Champion. “We’ve tried to push Valentino the whole season,” he said. “We knew he was quick here and Max was a top man here too. Overall we knew we could win races and just tried to push. It’s been a great season and there are still two races to go, but congratulations to Vale, and to Max – Vale deserves this.”

Max too was generous and typically realistic. “I couldn’t close the gap with the first two,” he said. “The start was not brilliant for me and I had a lonely race. Rossi is a great rider and he’s had a top-level season. He’s having a ‘gold period’ as we say in Italy. And we’ll try to make sure that he has a less easy time in 2004.”

Nicky Hayden now lies sixth in the World Championship standings after his fourth place here. “That was great,” he said. “I got a good start and made up a few places. I wanted to go with Biaggi but got into a fight with Capirossi. Then I got past him and got past Checa and made the pass stick. When I tested here I really struggled – I’ve definitely learned a lot since then.”

Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) was seventh. “It was hard to match the pace of the leaders,” he said. “Once again I didn’t get a great start but I lost a few places, then got them back, but didn’t have enough time to catch Capirossi. The rear tyre was spinning-up and it’s a problem we’ve had all year, but there are only two races left to find a solution.”

For Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) who started on the front row, his tenth place was a disappointment. “I didn’t have grip and the bike was hard to handle in the turns. The tyre we chose proved to be too soft and it wore quickly. It was a pity we didn’t have time to work things out better this morning as it was raining.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) struggled. The Japanese rookie qualified 21st and finished 21st. “I’m not happy with the whole weekend,” he said. “I couldn’t give my maximum in qualifying and I paid for it the race. Now I’ve got to Australia and try and make up for this.”

The Repsol Honda Team has now secured the Team title, but the all-important second-place finish in the World Championship is still up for grabs. Rossi is out of sight on 307 points, but with Gibernau on 244, Max is still in a position to make a fight of it on 215 – and he will.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

MotoGP:
Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team, Win: “This is like a dream the fifth title. It was a very hard race just like the whole season but also very good fun. Sete put me under much pressure and I have to work hard. I think we win over the season because we were more constant. We fight for the victory every race. We are always on the podium and we always take points and it’s possible to make the championship here. I say thank you to my team. We have a great group of people from all over the world. I thank Honda for the constant development of the bike that makes it possible to win. Tonight we make a party with the fan club!”

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica MoviStar Honda, 2nd: ” We have been fighting face to face for the world championship and the title went to Vale. My idea was to get a good start and get away but when Valentino passed me I couldn’t follow his pace. Second is good for me now. I will now concentrate hard for each of the last two races. Dani Pedrosa’s title did not come by accident, it is the results of a job well done and very well planned. I congratulate him on what must be a very special day for him.”

Fausto Gresini: Sete ran a very good race today without errors and at a very high rhythm. Once again he has shown he is in very good form and I congratulate him on his performance. We have to be conscious that we are racing against the World Champion.

Max Biaggi, Camel Pramac Pons, 3rd: The beginning of the race was complicated for me. I did not make a good start and it took me a couple of laps to get on the pace when, by that time, the leaders had gained enough of an advantage to escape and I could not make contact with them. It was quite a difficult race. I gave everything I had as always, but I must congratulate Rossi on winning the Championship. This season has been more difficult for Valentino than last season and I hope that next year will be even more difficult for him.”

Sito Pons: I am very happy because we have achieved another podium finish which reflects the competitiveness of both Max and the team. Max and Tohru both made poor starts, but they fought their way back through the field well.I hope that we manage to maintain the high level of performance shown in the last two races of the season. Finally I would like to congratulate Valentino Rossi and Honda on winning another World Championship.”

Nicky Hayden , Repsol Honda Team, 4th: “That was great. I got a pretty good start off the jump. Valentino didn’t make such a great start and I had to go round him I turn 1. I made up a few spots that was good. I wanted to go with Biaggi. I went with Capirossi and outbraked myself then he got me back – he was so fast. I then got him and made the pass stick. Then managed to catch Checa. He upped the pace a little and I eventually got him in the end. Pretty committed overtakin’! When I tested here I really struggled. The track didn’t suit my style. I’ve definitely learned a lot since then, especially about pickin’ the bike up when the tyres have gone away. Really pleased to have moved up another spot!”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Grand Prix
Sepang, Malaysia
20 laps, 111 kilometers, 69 miles

1. Toni ELIAS, Aprilia, 43:15.925

2. Manuel POGGIALI, Aprilia, -9.931 seconds

3. Fonsi NIETO, Aprilia, -9.942

4. Roberto ROLFO, Honda, -25.839

5. Randy DE PUNIET, Aprilia, -34.060

6. Franco BATTAINI, Aprilia, -36.004

7. Naoki MATSUDO, Yamaha, -49.445

8. Sebastian PORTO, Honda, -53.955

9. Anthony WEST, Aprilia, -57.165

10. Alex BALDOLINI, Aprilia, -63.700

11. Dirk HEIDOLF, Aprilia, -64.419

12. Chaz DAVIES, Aprilia, -66.349

13. Hugo MARCHAND, Aprilia, -67.487

14. Joan OLIVE, Aprilia, -68.008

15. Jaroslav HULES, Honda, -78.180



250cc World Championship Points

1. Manuel POGGIALI, 226

2. Toni ELIAS, 201

3. Roberto ROLFO, 201

4. Randy DE PUNIET, 183

5. Fonsi NIETO, 167

6. Franco BATTAINI, 127

7. Anthony WEST, 125

8. Sebastian PORTO, 117

9. Naoki MATSUDO, 104

10. Sylvain GUINTOLI, 88



More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda:

Rolfo happy with his result–but unhappy about missing a podium finish

Sepang – Malaysia, October 12, 2003. Roberto Rolfo finished fourth at the 250cc Malaysian GP today happy with his result but unhappy because he was unable to fight for a place on the podium. But the fact is he is happy to have overcome the problems that plagued him in qualifying, happy with the way the race turned out for him.

In spite of starting from the third row of the grid Rolfo was with the championship leaders as they reached the first corner, courtesy of his late braking skills at the end of the straight. Rolfo doggedly hung on to them as only he can. But on the long straights of the Sepang circuit he could not stay in the slipstream off his championship rivals and decided to concentrate on consolidating his fourth place and take the best result possible in the circumstances. The result leaves him still in with a fighting chance in the championship. He is now joint second with Spaniard Toni Elias behind leader Manuel Poggiali.

“I’m not very satisfied with that result but I have to recognise that how things have gone for us this weekend the result is not so bad, it has left me optimistic that I can continue to fight for the world championship. Bt it was not good that I could not fight for the podium as we have done in previous races.” Explained Rolfo.

“I got a very good start and I quickly caught the leading championship contenders but when Elias opened a slight advantage I tried to stay in Poggiali’s slipstream but when we got into fifth and sixth gear on the last long straight of the circuit the gap was too big to hold him and at the end it was impossible for me to hold him. That’s when I decided to run at my own pace and make sure Randy de Puniet could not overtake me.” The Fortuna Honda rider said.

“The bike had improved a lot for the race, in respect to qualifying but I still could not go t 100% comfortably. The lack of top speed held me back and I had to rely on late braking and a high corner speed. That was the bass of our problems in practice. In general I have to be happy with the race, even if I was not on the podium.” Concluded the Altadis rider.



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

In the 250cc class it was form-rider Tony Elias (Aprilia) who won by nearly ten seconds from World Championship points leader Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia) who was second. Fonsi Nieto (Aprilia) was third.

Elias had utterly dominated qualifying, lapping just under a second quicker than his rivals – but he wasted his pole start and was fourth on lap one. But he didn’t waste any time hoisting himself into second place at the end of the opening lap – and then taking the lead on lap four from early pace-setter Nieto.

Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) had a torrid time in qualifying and began this 20-lap race from tenth on the grid. But Rolfo is nothing if not determined and he fought tooth and nail to collect as many vital points as he could here, with only two World Championship rounds remaining. The Italian eventually finished fourth to garner 13 valuable points.

Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) endured a jump-start penalty of ten seconds and pitted on lap six to receive his punishment. He rejoined the race in 21st place and the gritty Argentine refused to lie down and languish at the back, working his way back to finish eighth at the flag.

The fight for second place that developed between Poggiali and Nieto was the high-point of the contest and although Poggiali had nailed Nieto by lap eight, the Spaniard held onto his tail and wouldn’t let go. Nieto went past and led on the last lap, but Poggiali waited until the final turn before diving inside on the brakes to win by 0.011 seconds across the line.

“I’m not very satisfied with the result,” said Rolfo. “But I have to recognise that the way things have gone for us this weekend, the result is not so bad. It’s at least left me optimistic that I can still fight for the World Championship. But it was less good that I couldn’t get into the fight for the podium positions as we have done in previous races.”

“I don’t think I moved at all,” said Porto. “I’m upset about it and I’ll look closely at the replays of the start to see. It’s a real pity because once I got back in the race I found a really good rhythm and was riding well.”

The World Championship points classification shows Poggiali in the lead with 226, Elias and Rolfo tied on 201 with French Aprilia rider Randy de Puniet on 183.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

250cc:

Roberto Rolfo, Fortuna Honda, 4th: “I’m not very satisfied with that result but I have to recognise that how things have gone for us this weekend the result is not so bad, it has left me optimistic that I can continue to fight for the world championship. Bt it was not good that I could not fight for the podium as we have done in previous races.”

“I got a very good start and I quickly caught the leading championship contenders but when Elias opened a slight advantage I tried to stay in Poggiali’s slipstream but when we got into fifth and sixth gear on the last long straight of the circuit the gap was too big to hold him and at the end it was impossible for me to hold him. That’s when I decided to run at my own pace and make sure Randy de Puniet could not overtake me.”

“The bike had improved a lot for the race, in respect to qualifying but I still could not go at 100% comfortably. The lack of top speed held me back and I had to rely on late braking and a high corner speed. That was the bass of our problems in practice. In general I have to be happy with the race, even if I was not on the podium.”

Sebastian Porto, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Jnr Team, 8th: “I’m very unhappy about the penalty, I don’t think I moved at all. I will have to wait and see the film of the start. It was a great pity because once I got back into the race I had a very good rhythm and was riding fast. We will have to make up for this in Australia next week. But I will leave here an unhappy man.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Sete GIBERNAU, Honda, 2:18.437

2. Max BIAGGI, Honda, 2:18.472

3. Valentino ROSSI, Honda, 2:19.074

4. Alex BARROS, Yamaha, 2:20.149

5. Nicky HAYDEN, Honda, 2:20.576

6. Kenny ROBERTS, Suzuki, 2:20.610

7. Garry McCOY, Kawasaki, 2:20.769

8. Marco MELANDRI, Yamaha, 2:20.876

9. Noriyuki HAGA, Aprilia, 2:21.441

10. Tohru UKAWA, Honda, 2:21.577

11. Colin EDWARDS, Aprilia, 2:21.728

12. Troy BAYLISS, Ducati, 2:21.750

13. Makoto TAMADA, Honda, 2:22.230

14. Akira RYO, Suzuki, 2:22.335

15. Andrew PITT, Kawasaki, 2:22.481

16. Chris BURNS, Harris WCM, 2:22.481

17. Jeremy McWILLIAMS, Proton, 2:23.059

18. Nobuatsu AOKI, Proton, 2:23.130

19. Carlos CHECA, Yamaha, 2:23.309

20. Loris CAPIROSSI, Ducati, 2:23.505

21. Shinya NAKANO, Yamaha, 2:23.805

22. David DE GEA, Harris WCM, 2:26.301

23. Ryuichi KIYONARI, Honda, 2:26.428