Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sandy Noce was black-flagged while running sixth in the restarted MBNA AMA 250cc Grand Prix race at Mid-Ohio, came in to find no AMA Pro Racing official waiting for him on pit lane, cruised down pit lane and rejoined the race, and then was black-flagged again and told that he had been black-flagged for switching to a back-up bike during the red flag.

The trouble is, Noce did not switch to a back-up bike and AMA Pro Racing officials had mistaken him for someone else, black-flagging him based on machine color instead of rider number.

Official AMA Pro Racing results issued today show Noce as being credited with 24th position in the event.

An AMA Pro Racing official contacted at the racetrack declined to state on the record what would be done to reduce the impact of the error on Noce.

Besides being a racer, Noce is the Dunlop racing tire distributor in Canada.


This just in from racer Mike Walsh, who was at Mid-Ohio and who is also from Canada:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

Via e-mail

As a side note to your story, I informed an AMA official as soon as I saw and heard the reason for the black flag over the PA, that Noce’s backup bike was sitting in the trailer with rains on it, and that knowing he was by himself and being garaged facing the hot pit, I ran down to help Noce out during the red flag.

I told the official that I held Noce’s bike while he used the facilities and had some water and then pushed the same bike off for the restart.

At this point Noce still had not done his cruise-through, and I thought this mess could have been averted and possibly sorted out after the race. Obviously not!

Mike Walsh
Toronto, Canada

From a press release issued by RPM:

Supermoto is coming to the Rockies

DENVER, CO – RPM (Race Promotion Management) has added a special Supermoto race to the schedule for its CycleFest event, coming to Copper Mountain Colorado, August 22-24. Dubbed the Fay Myers Suzuki Supermoto Classic, the race will feature a double-header format with a main event on both Saturday and Sunday with riders competing in one 450cc class for an overall purse of $20,000. Along with the big purse the race will be aired on Speed Channel later this year, giving the event national exposure.

This race replaces the AMA event that was originally scheduled as part of the AMA Red Bull Supermoto Championship which was cancelled due to environmental and logistical concerns. “We were definitely disappointed about losing the AMA round but we felt that Supermoto would be such a strong addition to our CycleFest event that we kept at it and were able to secure a new location at Copper,” says Cameron Gray of RPM. The race will now be held in the Alpine Lot in the East Village at Copper Mountain with a track designed by Danny Walker of American Supercamp.

Many of the AMA series regulars are expected to attend and compete for the largest purse offered in a Supermoto race so far this year, as well as the title of Big Kahuna for the weekend. Spectators will be treated to a straight forward, easy to follow format that will be exciting for even the casual fan. Gray goes on to say, “We’re stoked to bring Supermoto to Colorado, the enthusiastic response we got at the first AMA round at Laguna Seca confirmed that Supermoto is back! It’s fan-friendly, action-packed motorcycle racing at its best.”

Riders interested in registering for the Fay Myers Suzuki Supermoto Classic should contact Kerri Gunderman of RPM at 303-377-3278.

CycleFest is the largest motorcycle event to hit the Colorado Rockies in years. All disciplines of motorcycling are invited to gather for a weekend of organized rides, motorcycle and ATV demos, new gear and accessory displays, live music and thousands of dollars of merchandise and equipment giveaways. For more information visit www.cyclefestco.com.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Wildcard Byrne takes debut WSB win

British Superbike runaway points leader, Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took his first ever World Superbike win in front of an enthusiastic and partisan 120,000-strong crowd in race one at Brands Hatch.

Neil Hodgson fought off a determined challenge from countryman Chris Walker for second to complete the second all-Brit podium for the season.

Reynolds got the holeshot from Walker, Regis Laconi and Byrne. But Byrne had worked his way to second by lap four. Ruben Xaus was spectacular, regularly backing his 999 Ducati into the Druids hairpin.

Reynolds stayed with Byrne until lap twelve, when he raised his hand at the back of the circuit and pulled into the pits with a mechanical failure.

Xaus also suffered mechanically with smoke pouring from the engine on lap fifteen. He pulled out after seeing his pit board with the word ‘box’ on it as he crossed the line to start lap sixteen, obviously disappointed to be out of the race.

Byrne pulled a comfortable gap and waved to the crowd as he took a popular win.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet!” exclaimed an excited Byrne.

“John Reynolds really pulled the pin early in the race. I chased him and caught him, but each time I looked at my board it was plus zero, then suddenly it was plus four. I’m happy now, I could do with going home.”



World Superbike Race One Results:

1. Shane Byrne, Ducati 998F02, 25 laps, 36:25.400
2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, -5.799 seconds
3. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, -5.938 seconds
4. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, -6.808 seconds
5. Sean Emmett, Ducati 998RS, -9.663 seconds
6. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, -9.926 seconds
7. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -10.370 seconds
8. Michael Rutter, Ducati 998F02, -32.485 seconds
9. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -32.724 seconds
10. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -36.218 seconds
11. Dean Ellison, Ducati 996, -45.798 seconds
12. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, -52.302 seconds
13. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -53.241 seconds
14. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -54.176 seconds
15. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -69.534 seconds
16. Alex Gramigni, Yamaha YZF-R1, -71.592 seconds
17. James Haydon, Foggy Petronas FP1, -90.467 seconds
18. Giancarlo De Matteis, Ducati 998RS, -1 lap
19. Luca Pedersoli, Ducati 998RS, -1 lap
20. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -3 laps, DNF
21. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, -10 laps, DNF
22. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, -12 laps, DNF
23. Leon Haslam, Ducati 998RS, -12 laps, DNF
24. John Reynolds, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -14 laps , DNF
25. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -14 laps, DNF
26. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -16 laps, DNF
27. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda RC51, -16 laps, DNF
28. Nick Medd, Ducati 998RS, -18 laps, DNF
29. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, -22 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap: Shane Byrne, 1:26.755


More, from a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Walker on top form at Brands

Chris Walker made it two podiums from the last two races when he scorched to a hard earned third place finish in race one at Brands Hatch. The HM Plant Ducati rider underlined his return to form with a spectacular battling display to join race winner Shane Byrne and Neil Hodgson on an all-British podium – much to the delight of the 120,000-strong crowd.

Walker got a good start to maintain his grid position of second and tucked in behind early race leader John Reynolds. However, wild card rider and runaway British Superbike Championship leader Byrne was a man on a mission and quickly forced his way past the pair and disappeared into the distance. Reynolds was the only other rider able to keep the pressure on Byrne and when he retired with mechanical problems – followed a little later by Ruben Xaus – Walker looked set for a second place finish.

Despite eventually being overtaken by Hodgson, the HM Plant Ducati rider kept second place in his sights right to the last, doggedly harrying the factory Ducati ace all the way to the line. The old rivals had the frantic British crowd on its feet as they diced all the way around the legendary GP circuit, with Hodgson eventually winning the drag to the line.

“There’s just something about Brands Hatch that makes every single second of the race special,” said Walker. “I really enjoyed scrapping with Neil too – each of us had sections of the track where we were faster than the other, but when I tried to get back past him at the end my rear tyre was spinning like mad and I had to settle for third. It feels great to be back on the podium at Brands and I’m really glad that we’ve still got another race to go.”

Things didn’t exactly go to plan for Walker’s team-mate James Toseland, who finished the race in sixth place. After losing out when the speeding pack barreled into Paddock Hill bend for the first time, he put on a determined show to claw back places and emerged victorious from an epic race-long battle with Gregorio Lavilla. The 22-year-old Yorkshireman refused to give up and was closing on wild card rider Sean Emmett for fifth place when the pair passed the chequered flag.

“I got a good start but then got boxed in on the first turn,” said Toseland. “The problem with starting on the inside of the grid at this track is that riders can blast by on the outside and block you into the turn. In the end it’s my fault because I didn’t qualify properly. But on the other hand, I beat my nearest championship rival, and the guy ahead of me in the points didn’t finish the race, so it’s not such a bad result. I was feeling pretty comfortable once I got past the riders that were holding me up and I’m hopeful of a better result in the next one.”



More, from Monstermob Ducati:

BYRNE BLASTS TO RACE ONE WIN AT BRANDS

British Superbike Championship leader Shane Byrne produced one of the performances of his life to take his debut win in the World Superbike Championship with a superb victory in the opening race at Brands Hatch today.

The 26-year-old from the Isle of Sheppey blasted from the front row to hit the front in the early stages as he and BSB rival John Reynolds pulled clear of the series regulars. Byrne took the lead and immediately pulled out a gap before Reynolds went out leaving ‘Shakey’ with a three-second lead.

Courtesy of a new lap record, Byrne piled on the pressure to increase his lead as series leader Neil Hodgson and fellow FO2 rider Chris Walker battled for the remaining rostrum places.

To the cheers of the 100,000 plus crowd, local boy Byrne ended up seven seconds to the good to claim his and the Paul Bird Motorsport team’s first ever World Championship victory in readiness for a full season in WSB next year.

“I can’t believe it, this is unreal. I just kept my head down and saw that I had a half second lead and then the next thing, it was three seconds and it kept going up from there. I saw I was catching James Haydon in the final laps and it must have distracted me as I nearly ran off the track but what a feeling, I’m absolutely made up” said Byrne.

Team owner Paul Bird was naturally elated at his team’s performance: “I’m going to remember this day for the rest of my life. What a superb result and all we have to do now is repeat that in the second race” said the Cumbrian Businessman.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 29 laps, 42:06.199
2. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, -0.150 second
3. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, -0.287 second
4. Sebastian Porto, Honda, -5.305 seconds
5. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, -13.097 seconds
6. Anthony West, Aprilia, -18.289 seconds
7. Toni Elias, Aprilia, -20.881 seconds
8. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, -20.927 seconds
9. Alex Debon, Honda, -45.171 seconds
10. Alex Baldolini, Aprilia, -48.701 seconds
11. Dirk Heidolf, Aprilia, -57.078 seconds
12. Chas Davies, Aprilia, -57.288 seconds
13. Jakub Smrz, Honda, -57.459 seconds
14. Erwan Nigon, Aprilia, -77.467 seconds
15. Max Neukirchner, Honda, -89.139 seconds

18. Katja Poensgen, Honda, -1 lap

125cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Stefano Perugini, Aprilia, 27 laps, 40:11.124
2. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, -0.212 second
3. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, -0.375 second
4. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, -0.774 second
5. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, -5.877 seconds
6. Gabor Talmasci, Aprilia, -11.791 seconds
7. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, -12.070 seconds
8. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, -12.212 seconds
9. Simone Corsi, Honda, -12.645 seconds
10. Mika Kallio, Honda, -16.369 seconds
11. Mirko Giansanti, Aprilia, -16.370 seconds
12. Marco Simoncelli, Aprilia, -16.825 seconds
13. Gioele Pellino, Aprilia, -21.622 seconds
14. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, -27.161 seconds
15. Fabrizio Lai, Malaguti, -41.028 seconds

26. Youichi Ui. Aprilia, -4 laps, DNF

28. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, -10 laps, DNF

More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Honda:

Roberto Rolfo Hands Fortuna Honda First Ever GP Victory

Sachsenring, July 27: Roberto Rolfo today gave his principle sponsor Fortuna and machine manufacturer Honda, who have helped push in the world championship his first victory of the season, after winning the German GP in majestic style. The victory was, however, not without a lot of hard work because the quality of the 29-lap race was exceptional. Rolfo knew how to defend his lead from the attacks of his rivals and rode a fantastic last lap to cross the line in the lead. The victory has brought him to just seven points of the lead in the championship.

“It is a great satisfaction to take this victory but it was very hard because all the riders raced hard from the very beginning without making any concessions to each other. The very fast rhythm of the race made me concentrate at maximum to avoid any errors that would condition my race, or penalise me at the end of the race.” Explained the Fortuna Honda rider.

“I had to concentrate totally for the entire race distance racing in the group. It was very important not to make one single mistake, that’s why I overtook Randy de Puniet with five laps to go because I thought it best to defend my lead from the attacks of my rivals and so it proved to be at the end of the race. This is the first victory of the season but in reality we can say, myself and the team, this is the point where the championship truly starts.” Said the German 250cc GP winner.

“The job the team has done this weekend, and in general, has been fantastic, a constant progression that has permitted us to get the results we’ve had, and this victory which has finally arrived.” Said an exaltant Roberto. Who added. “From the very start of practice I knew I would be fighting for the win. I also knew it would be very hard but the reward of this victory is the best feeling of a successful weekend in Germany.”

Dani Amatriain, Fortuna Honda Team Manager, was as excited as Rolfo at the end of the race. He said. “From my position I would like to thank Fortuna and Honda for their help and support of this project and, obviously, congratulate everybody in the team.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia Racing Press Information:

A RACE TO FORGET BUT POGGIALI IS STILL THE LEADER OF THE STANDING

This race was not lucky for Manuel Poggiali who made a bad start and slipped out in the 25th lap whilst he was 6th. The Aprilia rider rejoined the race with determination achieving the 8th position anyway . Manuel is still leading the world standing and Aprilia is also leading the Constructor standing with 82 points of advantage.

Manuel Poggiali: “I made many mistakes. My start was bad and then I did all my best with the rear tyre that was completely unknown. Because of the heat the temperature of the asphalt changed and we decided to use another rear tyre never tested in the practices. Then, I was too determined and went wide felling off in the grass. At the end Elias passed me easily cause I made a mistake: this is a race to forget. Now I need an holiday to think about my mistakes”.


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

Vincent Crashes, Locatelli 18th for KTM-Red Bull

Roberto Locatelli finished 18th for the KTM-Red Bull after a hot and tiring German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. Teammate Arnaud Vincent failed to finish after crashing out of a fiercely contested 27 lap race.

Vincent was unhurt when he fell on lap 10 after being bumped by Danish rider Robbin Harms while in 21st position after starting 24th on the sixth row. Starting 22nd Locatelli suffered in a first corner scramble and was pushed back to 28th at the end of the first lap and then faced the hugely difficult task of fighting his way back through the pack in what was always going to be a difficult race on a tight and compact track.

#1 Arnaud Vincent
DNF

My crash was because Robbin Harms came up the inside of me and bumped my bike and I had no room to recover and was forced off the track into the gravel trap. The race was going to be hard even without this so it is a very unsatisfactory way to end the race.

#10 Roberto Locatelli
18th

The first corner was crazy, I had sit and up and slow down after being bumped and I lost at least ten places on the first lap. After that I had a good race to pass a lot of riders and finally make 18th position on the final lap. The bike is improving slowly but we need more power so we have to continue to work hard for this.

Harald Bartol
Team Manager

Disappointing, what else is there to say. Arnaud is unhurt but now we must put all our efforts into Brno. We are preparing a fifth bike in the next couple weeks and this will be part of our increased test program. For the Brno race we also hope to have some different versions of our KTM motor to evaluate.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Race Results:

1. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 30 laps, 42:41.180
2. Valentino Rossi, Honda, -0.060 second
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, -13.207 seconds
4. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -16.521 seconds
5. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -16.563 seconds
6. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, -18.743 seconds
7. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, -18.885 seconds
8. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, -26.165 seconds
9. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, -28.281 seconds
10. Norick Abe, Yamaha, -29.159 seconds
11. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, -29.316 seconds
12. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, -30.427 seconds
13. Makoto Tamada, Honda, -49.580 seconds
14. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, -53.444 seconds
15. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, -57.512 seconds
16. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, -59.580 seconds
17. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, -65.240 seconds
18. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, -65.348 seconds
19. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, -1 lap
20. David De Gea, ROC Yamaha, -1 lap
21. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, -7 laps, DNF, crash
22. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -7 laps, DNF, mechanical
23. Alex Barros, Yamaha, -15 laps, DNF, crash
24. Max Biaggi, Honda, -23 laps, DNF, crash
25. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, -27 laps, DNF, crash

MotoGP World Championship Point Standings:

1. Rossi, 187 points
2. Gibernau, 158
3. Biaggi, 130
4. Capirossi, 97
5. Bayliss, 80
6. Ukawa, 66
7. Checa, 65
8. Nakano, 63
9. Barros, 62
10. Hayden, 57
11. Jacque, 50
12. Edwards, 42
13. Tamada, 40
14. Haga, 30
15. Abe, 24
16. Hopkins, 22
17. McWilliams, 18
18. Aoki, 17
19. Kiyonari, 13
20. Melandri, 9
21. McCoy/Hofmann, TIE, 8
23. Roberts, 7
24. Yukio Kagayama, 4
25. Pitt, 3

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN MAKE STUNNING ‘RING DEBUT

The Ducati Marlboro Team made a breathtaking debut at the awkward Sachsenring circuit today, riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi finishing third and fourth in a sweltering, crash-strewn race. The results strengthen the pair’s World Championship positions: Capirossi still fourth despite a fiery crash this morning, Bayliss fifth as the MotoGP circus heads into its brief summer break before next month’s Czech GP.

“I’m too happy!” beamed Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “To score a podium result at a track which we’ve never been to before and which everyone said would be bad for our bike is fantastic. I hope all our ‘bad’ tracks will be this good in the future! Troy rode a fantastic race. He had a great battle with Max (Biaggi) which pushed Max into a mistake. Loris was incredible. He was bruised everywhere after this morning’s crash and had to use his second bike. On paper there’s no difference between his two machines but maybe there’s a tiny difference and a slight psychological issue in racing your second bike. Also, he wasn’t in great physical shape for the race.”

Conditions were ultra-tough around this twisting, physically demanding circuit with ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees and track temperature reaching 40 degrees.

BAYLISS SCORES THRILLING SECOND MotoGP PODIUM

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss today scored a brilliant third-place finish in his first-ever race at the Sachsenring. The Aussie, riding with a shaved head, made a stunning start from the second row to muscle his way into third place. He protected that position from Max Biaggi with typical aggression, repassing the attacking Italian three times before Biaggi made the pass stick on lap 13, only to fall the very next lap. That left the Aussie in a safe third place, which he maintained to the chequered flag.

“It’s my first time here and my second MotoGP podium, so I’m very happy,” said a sweat-drenched Bayliss. “It’s been a very good weekend for us but it was a very difficult race around here. After Max went by and crashed I just tried to stay close to Sete (Gibernau) for as long as possible. I knew Max’s pace was really fast, so there wasn’t much I could do about him, then he crashed because he was pushing very hard. The last third of the race I was losing the back into turns off the throttle, so I just did my own thing and brought the bike home. I’m really happy for everyone in the team.”

CAPIROSSI FOURTH AFTER FIERY WARM-UP CRASH

Loris Capirossi finished a brave fourth place in Germany today, a remarkable result after a high-speed tumble in morning warm-up after which his Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici caught fire. The bike was badly damaged in the blaze, forcing the Italian to switch to his second machine for this afternoon’s race. Undaunted Capirossi rode superbly, battling long and hard with a bunch of rivals, eventually defeating Nicky Hayden for fourth place.

“I had to ride a defensive race because my second bike was a tiny bit different from the machine I crashed in warm-up,” said Capirossi who hurt his neck and suffered all-over bruising in the 200kmh crash. “I was quite bashed about in the accident, I’d say I was only feeling 80 per cent before the race. So, all things considered, I’m satisfied with the result, these points are very important for the championship. I’m very happy for Troy and I feel sorry for Marco (Melandri, who crashed late in the race while racing with Capirossi), he was riding really fast.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service, which reveals that the company has replaced the head of its racing department:

ROBERTS RETURNS TO THE POINTS IN GERMANY

Team Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts Jr. finished 15th in today’s German GP, fighting back ahead of former GP winner Garry McCoy to secure the last championship point in his first race for seven weeks, after missing three rounds while recuperating from injury.

Team-mate John Hopkins didn’t make the finish of the race, round 30 laps of the 3.671 km Sachsenring circuit, outside the city of Chemnitz (the former Karl Marx Stadt). The 20-year-old Anglo-American was two places behind Roberts with seven laps remaining when he was sidelined by a rare failure of the 990cc V4 Suzuki GSV-R engine.

Both riders had a difficult weekend, with the very twisty track and tight corners not kind to the powerful Suzuki; but both were making the most of their chances, in a close race in front of a crowd of more than 90,000 ardent fans in the former East Germany.

Rain would probably have suited them better, but forecast showers failed to materialise, and the race was run in blazing sunshine, with the temperature at 31 degrees.

The race was won by Sete Gibernau, his third victory of the nine-race-old season; with defending champion Valentino Rossi second.

The next race follows an abbreviated summer break in three weeks time, at the sweeping Brno circuit in the Czech Republic.

Footnote: The new head of Suzuki’s racing department, Masahito Imada, was at the race. Imada-san brings a long and extensive racing experience: he was part of the original design team of the serially successful Suzuki RG500 of the Seventies and early Eighties, and headed up the Superbike racing project.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – 15th
The most fun I had this weekend was after the race, when Olivier Jacque stopped on the cool-down lap to do a rear tyre burn-out … and high-sided right in front of me! (The French rider was not injured.) The race was super disappointing. I can’t use any of my ability to ride the bike – the rider can’t make much difference, and the bike is at its limit at the moment. The easiest thing to say is that my team-mate from last year, who was competitive with me, won the race, so congratulations to Sete.

JOHN HOPKINS – Retired
My Michelins were working good, but soon after the start I started dropping back. I’ve been around 20th all weekend, so I knew it wasn’t going to stop today. But I felt comfortable, though Kenny and Garry McCoy started to get away from me a bit, because my bike wasn’t handling well. Then I got behind Alex Hofmann, and we both started to pick up the pace a bit. I didn’t think I’d be able to get into the points, but we were closing up some on Kenny and Garry, and I wanted to be ahead of Hofmann. Then suddenly the engine had a problem: the throttle seemed to stick open and there was smoke everywhere, and I had to stop. I’m looking forward to some improvements.

GARRY TAYLOR – TEAM MANAGER
It’s good to have Kenny back on the bike again, though one point is not a lot to show for all the therapy and training he’s gone through to get fit. John gave it everything he could, as always, but in the end it came to nothing. It always looked as though this was going to be a tough weekend. I wish we’d been able to get a better result for our new race department boss, Mr. Imada.

More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MCCOY JUST MISSES POINTS FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI IN GERMANY

Fuchs Kawasaki’s Australian slidemaster, Garry McCoy, overcame two scary off-track excursions to come within a whisker of scoring points in today’s fiercely contested German Grand Prix at Sachsenring.

Kawasaki’s trio of Ninja ZX-RR riders all finished the energy sapping race, with McCoy eventually crossing the line in 16th place, just two seconds adrift of former World Champion Kenny Roberts. Home race hero Alex Hofmann was 17th, while Andrew Pitt, who also had a high speed off-track excursion, finished in 19th place.

McCoy made a good start aboard the Ninja ZX-RR, but a scary moment while flat-out in fifth gear, as he attempted a pass on the Aprilia of Colin Edwards, and another off-track detour as he exited the final turn, cost him both time and positions. Comfortable with increased grip levels from Dunlop’s new rear slick, McCoy recovered to charge past both the factory Suzuki’s of John Hopkins and Roberts, moving into a points scoring position with six laps remaining. However, two laps later, fading grip levels meant the Australian could not respond to a late race challenge by the former World Champion.

Baulked in the first corner, wild card rider Hofmann fought his way back to finish 17th in his home Grand Prix, after passing both the factory Suzuki of Hopkins and Kiyonari, team-mate of eventual race winner Sete Gibernau, in the last third of the race.

Starting from the sixth row of the grid meant Pitt faced a massive task if he was to fight his way through the field, especially on a circuit with very few overtaking places such as Sachsenring. Still suffering set-up problems after a qualifying crash robbed him of valuable testing time, Pitt’s troubles were compounded when he ran on at the first turn at mid race distance and had to traverse the gravel trap to return to the track.

Garry McCoy – 16th
“It was a bit scary early in the race; I was off the track twice in one lap! I ran onto the grass in fifth gear on the downhill back straight trying to pass Edwards, and then I was off again at the final corner. But the bike felt good and I got to 15th and really wanted to stay in the points, but when Kenny got past again his bike wasn’t sliding as much as mine and I just couldn’t go with him. Towards the end it was pretty greasy for me and I couldn’t carry enough corner speed; I had some big two wheel drifts going, even on corner entry. It was quite hairy really.”

Alex Hofmann – 17th
“The happiest I was all weekend was when I had my helmet on and the visor down. I never found a 100 per cent set-up like my earlier wild card races, mainly through losing time to problems and a crash in qualifying. So, doing more than this today was impossible.”

Andrew Pitt – 19th
“When I locked it up into turn one and ran off the track about halfway through it was just a matter of bringing it home. Since Friday I’ve had trouble pushing the front and while we improved the set-up a lot we never really dialled it out completely. I lost some side grip on the rear tyre towards the end, but overall the new Dunlops are a big step in the right direction.”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
“Points would be nice, but I’m happy with this result because we have shown that we are still making progress with the bike, however small the steps may be. Today we were very close to our friends at Suzuki, who have a one year head start on us in MotoGP. With this in mind, we can now set some goals to motivate the team and riders for the rest of the season.”

More, from Desiree Crossman, with John Hopkins:

Well, today was eventful. It didn’t rain today which was good, I think it’s coming tonight, though.

In the warm-up session, Loris’ bike went up in flames. When he crashed, the bike went flipping and the gas tank exploded, so all the gas was flying out. Then, as the cornerworkers were trying to get the bike out of the gravel, it engulfed in flames, nearly getting the cornerworkers. It took awhile to get the bike under control, alot of extinguishing going on. Colin’s bike acted up again, and again. He went out and the bike he was on had some problems, and then his second one had some, too.

During the race, it was real entertaining. Max was doing really well, he was fighting hard to get up with Valentino and Sete. Valentino was in a good lead while some of the others were trying to catch up. Marco was in the pack as well keeping up with the rest of the bunch. I guess Max was trying too hard to catch up and he ended up crashing out. He was in 3rd, and when he did, we were all like, “what are you doing?” I’m sure if he had a similiar bike like Rossi’s though, he wouldn’t have to try so hard. I’m not a big Biaggi fan, but I think he deserves a better Honda.

Anyway, Marco ended up crashing out as well, so slowly the battle was going away. Haga crashed out, too. A funny part was when the cornerworkers were trying to get him to go another way back to the pits, but Haga refused. Instead, he ran across the track. The cornerworkers were trying to grab him and pull him but he basically told them to piss off. Alex Barros ended up crashing too, he’s had some bad luck this year. It will be good to see him up there were he belongs battling it out.

John and Kenny…well, at least Kenny got a point from this race. Both of them were fighting to get into the top 15 for most of the race. John’s bike was having some grip problems I guess and his bike ended up dying on him–smoke coming out of it. It’s really frustrating fighting for the top 15 or even 20, but it’s even worse when the damn bike breaks on you too. Not cool. I got really upset about it and when I saw him, he was just laughing about it. He said he’s so fed up that that’s all he can do about it now, it’s pointless getting pissed anymore.

Garry did really well today. Seems like things are coming around slowly for him, good to see him up there a little more then where he has been. And Troy did great, too. Gave Ducati another podium finish. Nicky got into the top 5 finally, it’s about damn time!

When Sete caught up with Vale, it was an intense battle! Sete passed Rossi with about 7 or 8 laps to go. Then on the last lap, Rossi overtook Sete in the second to last corner, but on the last corner, Sete pushed hard and beat Rossi by a tire length. They were neck-and-neck for half of the race. The crowd was going crazy, you could hear the other teams shouting, it was a good finish.

More, from a press release issued by WCM:

GERMAN GP,­ SACHSENRING
RACE DAY, SUNDAY, JULY 27TH, 2003

David de Gea, 20th
“I think it’s a good day for me and also for the team, so many races all the year, that we don¹t start. So it’s good to finish the race. Lap by lap my time was consistent and I feel good after the 30 laps.”

Peter Clifford,­ Team Manager
“Greatest respect to David for his riding through the infield during the race where he was only losing two-tenths. All the rest of the damage was done on the horsepower section of the track. At least we have now finished a race, a sad reflection on the season perhaps but I am sure things will get better from here.”

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda.

Makoto Tamada: 13th in the race, 13th in the ratings

In 20th place at the end of the first lap, but 13th when he went under the chequered flag, Makoto Tamada again attempted one of his customary comebacks, struggling throughout the race with a lack of confidence for the front end of the bike – something that had been a constant throughout the two days of practice prior to the race.

In the warm-up this morning, the technicians made a further change to the adjustment of the front fork of his RC211V, and this did indeed give Makoto a better feeling. Entering the race with a hard front tyre and a medium-hard rear, the gutsy Japanese inched his way up with some good passes and ended the race in the points zone.

But the fact remains that the Sachsenring proved not to be congenial to the Pramac Honda Team rider and the few hours of tests were not sufficient to reach the right level of confidence to be truly competitive. Even so, there is no reason not to be optimistic for the next world championship event on 17 August at Brno. A circuit where Makoto recently posted some good lap times during two days of tyre test, when he was able to get to know the track. So, unlike just about all the other times this year, he will be going to race a world championship on a track he has at least seen once.

The two-week break will not only afford the rider a bit of well-deserved rest, but it will also make it possible to do an in-depth analysis of all the data acquired during the recent races and in the test sessions, in order to try to raise the overall level of performance before the final part of the championship gets underway.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 13th – 43:30.760

“Lack of feeling, lack of grip. A race in which I just didn’t find the wherewithal to make a real attack. And it was like that all weekend. A bit demoralising. We tried out a new setting for the front fork that gave me greater grip for the entire duration of the race, but it wasn’t enough to be really aggressive and give me what I needed to make a fierce attack. Now I’m looking forward to Brno and hope the days we spent testing the tyres will give me an objective advantage: I want to be more competitive and get up closer to the leading riders.”

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

HOPKINS SUFFERS DNF IN GERMAN GRAND PRIX

HOHENSTEIN-ERNSTTHAL, Germany (July 27, 2003) – Sachsenring was not John Hopkins’ favorite circuit to begin with and this weekend’s performance in the German Grand Prix is not likely to make the Californian any fonder of the place. Hopkins dropped out of the race with six laps to go when the motor on his Suzuki GP machine expired. It marked the second straight year of heartache for Hopkins in Germany. Last year he broke his hand during qualifying and missed the race.

“Nothing much exciting to report,” said a discouraged sounding Hopkins after the race. “We ran near the back of the pack all weekend and the race was no different. I was battling with Alex Hofman and Garry McCoy there for a while.
And even though I was back battling for 17th the motor decided to let go.”

The motor problem led to the third DNF of the season for Hopkins. This was the first DNF caused by a mechanical problem. The other two DNFs were the result of crashes. By scoring no points in the German round he dropped to 16th in
the world championship point standings after nine of 16 rounds.

“Obviously we were hoping for better,” said Hopkins, speaking for himself and the factory Suzuki team. “Our bike has a lot of new and unproven technology and when you’re pushing the envelope like that I guess things like this are
bound to happen.”

Hopkins will return home to Southern California during the MotoGP mid-season break and work on staying race ready and getting into even better shape.

“I plan on training and riding my motocross bike,” Hopkins said. “I’m going to be sharp for the second half of the season. When we get things figured out on the bike I want to be ready to take advantage. Thee first half of the year has been more than a little discouraging, but I’m hopeful that we can still turn things around.”

The next round of MotoGP is at Brno in the Czech Republic on August 17.

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

AN HARD-FOUGHT WEEKEND

Sachsenring – After two days of practices, disturbed by two crashes, just Colin Edwards ended the german GP although a loss of oil and a difficult technical situation: he had to start with the bike no. 2 (the no. 1 has been damaged by a slip in the warm up) but the feeling was not enough. A very short race for Haga because he fell off in the 7th lap. Before going to Brno the team will keep on testing for the improvement of RS Cube.

COLIN EDWARDS: “A bad weekend and a bad race as well. In the warm up session I damaged the bike no. 1 with the new chassis and the right setting. We tried to transfer those regulations to the bike no. 2 with the old chassis but I did not get enough feeling. Now I am going back home so I will be at 100% for the next race”.

NORIYUKI HAGA: “My race has been very short : I had a good pace and was recovering several positions then I lost the front felling off in the gravel. It’s a pity because the chattering problems we had were almost solved”.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “This weekend has been very hard for us. Unfortunately the crashes did not allow us to follow the development plan of our bikes. Colin had to use bike no. 2 but the feeling was not the same and he had also a problem with a loss of oil in the left size of the bike. He did all his best. Haga fell off after a few laps. Now we must work during the break in order to be more competitive at Brno.”

More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

CHECA RIDES TO STEADY EIGHTH; NO POINTS BUT A BRILLIANT EFFORT FROM MELANDRI

History repeated itself in today’s German Grand Prix when Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Marco Melandri showed his marvellous potential as he fought with the race leaders but unluckily crashed out of contention at the Sachsenring circuit. The young Italian tumbled off his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine and out of fourth place in the closing stages of the battle, a similar outcome to his last race outing at Donington two weeks ago. Twenty-year-old Melandri, who won the German 250cc race here last year, produced a lightning start to charge through the Sachsenring field from 12th on the grid to fifth by turn one. Carrying this impressive momentum further, the 250cc World Champion then slipped forward into fourth by the end of lap one. His stampede continued while entering the penultimate turn, pouncing momentarily to second place in the following lap with an audacious double pass of Loris Capirossi (Ducati) and eventual race winner Sete Gibernau (Honda).

Melandri then slipped back behind Gibernau until lap five when Troy Bayliss (Ducati) shot through to take third. Settling into what was a comfortable fourth place, the MotoGP rookie looked set to claim a well deserved 13 points when his M1 slipped out from beneath him. Melandri could not get his M1 into gear entering the tight turn 12, with less than six laps remaining, bringing his solid performance to a premature end.

Up front Rossi and Gibernau set a scorching pace that eventually saw both riders finish more than 13 seconds ahead of third-placed Bayliss and the rest of the field. Rossi had taken early control of the race before Gibernau made a move on lap 20. The Spaniard, who has already claimed three victories this year, was well positioned to take his fourth race win when Rossi made his pass on the final lap. Although the move initially stuck Rossi made a mistake on the crucial final turn, handing the win to Gibernau by a mere 0.060 seconds.

It was further disappointment for Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Carlos Checa who, after an initially promising provisional qualifying performance, ended the German Grand Prix in a lowly eighth place. Plagued by a lack of grip throughout the weekend, Checa was unable to find a solution by race day and struggled to make any improvement over his eventual seventh place qualifying performance.

“It’s a similar situation here to Donington, and we tried many things to improve rear stability,” said Checa, who retains his seventh position in the championship standings. “That’s been my biggest problem at these past two races. We have moved away quite a lot from the set-up we had in Catalunya and Assen where I had stronger finishes. I managed to gain some places but couldn’t get any further forward. It’s frustrating because I was hoping to improve my position in the championship, and because we had a fairly good weekend here for qualifying. I am going to have a rethink with my engineers and crew to see in which area we should now go in terms of set-up. The next race will be in Brno, and we had a test there before coming to Germany so we will have a good base to start the weekend with.”

Checa’s team-mate Melandri was customarily philosophical about his performance today; “I started well and was able to overtake early on but at the same time I wasn’t able to give gas as much as I would have liked,” said the Italian, who has fought in the leading group at the past two races. “After a few laps I decided it was better not to force things but wiser to stay behind Bayliss and to keep my own pace. At the beginning the soft tyres gave me some problems even though I had a good start but then after a few laps my pace improved and I was certain that I could finish the race in fourth or fifth position. I was in the downhill turn and normally I change down from fifth to third gear there. But this time I changed from fifth to fourth, I couldn’t engage third gear, and I fell off.

“It’s a shame because I was having such a great race, and that mishap could have been avoided. At one point I could see I was getting closer and closer to Bayliss and I really thought I would finish the race well. Anyway now I know I can be competitive at all the races because I was able to fight with the top riders in Donington and here. I am close to the best riders, and now my aim is to finish a race.”

Davide Brivio, the Fortuna Yamaha Team’s Director, summed up the day with the following comments, “It’s a day of mixed emotions really because we again saw the great potential of Marco, who has had two very strong races fighting among the top riders. But then it’s also disappointing that he was not able to finish, and most of all frustrating for him. He knows and we know now what his capabilities are and he should be able to fight for the podium at every race in this second half of the season. Carlos did not start so well but managed to overtake several riders and scored some valuable points. He is not completely happy with the set-up choices he made this weekend and is going to review them for Brno with his team. We just all have to keep working until we get what we’re all hoping for, a podium result.”

More, from Honda Racing:

GIBERNAU ROBS ROSSI OF WIN IN LAST TURN LAST LAP THRILLER

Sensational Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) scored his fourth win of the season at a sun-kissed Sachsenring in eastern Germany in front of an appreciative 92,000 crowd. Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) had to settle for second after making a critical error on the final turn which Gibernau pounced on for his victory. Troy Bayliss (Ducati) was third.

Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) looked to be the dominant force here this weekend after setting a pole time for the second successive race. He also set the fastest lap of the race before crashing out while chasing down the leading duo of Gibernau and Rossi.

Biaggi wasted his pole position with a dreadful start that sunk him to tenth on the first lap. Rossi howled into turn one ahead of the Ducati duo of Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss with Gibernau in close pursuit. Marco Melandri (Yamaha) made good early running, going as high as second momentarily after a robust double overtaking move that disposed of Gibernau and Capirossi. But he couldn’t make it stick.

By lap five Rossi had pulled out a 2.5 second advantage over Gibernau who was now in a solid second place with Bayliss third. Biaggi was moving up the field with serious intent and by lap ten he was ready to put Bayliss behind him and work on the leaders. But Bayliss had other ideas and made it hard work for the Roman.

Biaggi and Bayliss swapped places three times on lap 11 as their private battle raged and a lap later the faster Max had finally put the determined Australian behind him. But on lap 14 Max lost the front of his RC211V at turn ten and with it his chance of a win, or at least a hefty points haul.

It was now down to Gibernau to take the challenge to Rossi and the Spaniard was more than up to it. At the halfway stage of the 30-lap race he had cut the deficit to 0.7 seconds and on lap 21 he made his move on the champ into the tight turn one at the end of the start/finish straight.

Rossi followed closely, seemingly getting the measure of his rival before making a decisive play for the lead at his leisure – but there was nothing at all leisurely about the way he had to ride to keep Gibernau within striking distance. Rossi left it until the last lap before he struck.

On the rapid downhill right approach to the penultimate turn, Rossi fired his RC211V around the outside of Gibernau and was then on the inside of the lefthand turn that followed – and ahead. There was only the final righthand corner to go and Rossi looked poised for victory.

But he overcooked his entry, and with his machine out of shape, Gibernau seized his chance and squared off the turn to shoot his bike up the inside of the floundering Rossi and broach the line six hundredths of a second ahead of the Italian.

“That was hard race,” said a delighted Gibernau. “Both mentally and physically. I had no plan for the last lap because when you have a plan and it doesn’t work, you’re in trouble. I used a bit of dirt-track experience in the last turn – if you want to pass someone on the way out – do the work on the way in.”

Rossi was honest about his error. “I made a big mistake,” he said. “I try to go away at the start but it was impossible. So I stay with Sete and wait for the last lap. I don’t know why I went so tight into the final turn because it’s difficult to pass there. But I went in too tight, lost the front and had to wait too long before I could get on the throttle.”

Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) rode a great race to fifth in his rookie year, just allowing Loris Capirossi to steal fourth from him, and the American was understandably delighted. “That was fun,” he said. “I really needed that race and I’ll take fifth. I was fourth at one point but on the last lap on the last couple of corners I rode a little too conservatively and Capirossi just snuck by. Hats off to my guys. They worked real hard for me all year.”

Things improved a little for Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) who was sixth. “The result is a bit below my expectations,” he said. “But not too bad. I had a bit of trouble in the early laps with my tyre spi

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former World Superbike racer Lance Isaacs suffered a double fracture of his right tibia and re-broke his right forearm in a crash during Saturday’s AMA Superstock race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

“It’s a pretty clean (leg) break. Everything is straight in line. It should take about three or four weeks to heal, so I should be ready for Virginia (International Raceway, the next round of the AMA series August 29-31),” said No Limit Motorsports Honda’s Isaacs while signing autographs Sunday at Mid-Ohio. “I don’t need surgery, but I’m going to see Dr. Ting this week to see what I need to do.”

Isaacs also re-broke his three-week-old broken right forearm but felt it would also be fine in time for VIR without the need for surgery.

“I’m not sure who crashed in front of me, but I didn’t have any room to go anywhere,” said Isaacs when asked about his crash. “I hit his bike straight in the side.”

The rider who fell in Isaacs’ path was first-year Expert Greg Moore. Moore broke an arm in the incident, was treated and released from Mansfield Medical Center in nearby Mansfield, Ohio; Moore left the racetrack Saturday night and was not available for comment at post time.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Brands double for Byrne

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne fought off the persistent challenges from his British Championship rival John Reynolds to take an historic double win at Brands Hatch. World Superbike regular James Toseland completed the second all-Brit podium of the day with third place.

Sean Emmett stole the start, leaping from seventh on the grid to lead into the first turn. Officials were quick to rule against his start, charging him with jumping the lights and asking him in for a stop and go penalty. When he failed to come in, he was black-flagged out of the race.

Chris Walker, Byrne, Reynolds, Regis Laconi and Toseland followed Emmett into Druids for the first time, with the huge crowd cheering as another wildcard led the way around Brands Hatch. Emmett was black-flagged on lap six after failing to comply with the stop-and-go penalty.

Walker tried hard to stay in the top three, but crashed on lap 16 after a succession of passes had him down in sixth place.

Ruben Xaus threatened Toseland for third but the continual sideways action of his Ducati 999 must have taken its toll on his tyres in the final laps and he dropped off the pace.

The last lap saw Reynolds in with a chance of the win but as they headed in to Clearways for the final time Reynolds seemed to have lost time somewhere in the back section. Byrne took victory number two while Reynolds crossed the line in second.

The result means that Hodgson still hasn’t tied up the title race, although it would take a supreme effort from Xaus and a total disaster on Hodgson’s part for him to lose the title; the championship is still open to dispute.




World Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Shane Byrne, Ducati 998F02, 25 laps, 36:25.639
2. John Reynolds, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -0.539 second
3. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, -2.891 seconds
4. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03
5. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03
6. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000
7. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS
8. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS
9. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki GSX-R1000
10. Leon Haslam, Ducati 998RS
11. Alex Gramigni, Yamaha YZF-R1
12. Dean Ellison, Ducati 996
13. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR
14. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS
15. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR
16. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS
17. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000
18. Michael Rutter, Ducati 998F02, -4 laps, DNF
19. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, -8 laps, DNF
20. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, -11 laps, DNF
21. Nick Medd, Ducati 998RS, -12 laps
22. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, -16 laps, DNF
23. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda RC51, -17 laps, DNF
24. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -18 laps, DNF
25. Luca Pedersoli, Ducati 998RS, -18 laps, DNF
26. Sean Emmett, Ducati 998RS, -19 laps, DNF
27. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -22 laps
28. James Haydon, Foggy Petronas FP1, -23 laps, DNF
29. Giancarlo De Matteis, Ducati 998RS, -24 laps, DNF

Fastest Lap: John Reynolds, 1:26.767


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

HODGSON (DUCATI FILA) CLOSER TO WSBK TITLE WITH SECOND AND FIFTH AT BRANDS HATCH – DUCATI CLINCHES TWELFTH MANUFACTURERS’ TITLE

Brands Hatch (England), 27 July 2003: Neil Hodgson edged closer to the 2003 World Superbike title with a second and a fifth place in the two races at Brands Hatch, as Shane Byrne picked up both race wins for Monstermob Ducati. Team-mate Ruben Xaus retired from race 1 with an oil leak then finished fourth in race 2. It was a triumphant day for Ducati however as they won the World Superbike Manufacturers’ title for the twelfth time.

“I was a bit nervous before the start of race 1 because I was feeling the pressure here at Brands” declared Neil. “When you’ve had such a bad weekend in qualifying you still have to go out and do it in the race and pass everyone when you are eleventh on the grid. With six laps to go when I was behind Chris, and Shakey had gone, I thought this is what the crowd had come to see, Hodgson versus Walker so I couldn’t let my fans down!. Race 2 was also really difficult because the pace was hotter and the other riders didn’t break down. I was catching up on the leaders but then I hit a false neutral two times into the corner off the back straight and had to back down. We were at a bit of a disadvantage on this circuit, not having tested here and with very little dry weather track time and the wild-cards were always going to be a threat because they know the circuit so well. Now I’m looking forward to Assen to take that title.”

Ruben Xaus retired from race 1 with an oil leak but then battled for a hard-fought fourth place in the second race. “I was going to be second for sure” he commented after race 1 “because Walker was slower than me in some parts of the circuit. It’s a real pity because I was feeling good and the bike was going really well. Race 2 was not bad even though I didn’t get as good a start. The only problem was that the tyres started losing grip six laps before the end when I was close to the lead and after that I was sideways all the time.”

TWELFTH MANUFACTURERS’ TITLE FOR DUCATI: With a double-win by Byrne today at Brands Hatch, Ducati have clinched a record twelfth World Superbike Manufacturers’ title. The full-house of 450 points that took Ducati to its twelfth world title in 16 years of World Superbike racing have been scored by the Ducati Fila duo of Neil Hodgson (11 wins) and Ruben Xaus (3 wins), together with Byrne (2 wins), Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) and Chili (PSG-1 Ducati), who took one win apiece. Ducati have dominated this year’s championship, winning all 18 races so far, with the victories being shared by three different models:

– Ducati 999 Factory ’03 exclusively ridden by Hodgson and Xaus

– Ducati 998 Factory ’02 ridden by Toseland and Byrne

– Ducati 998RS ridden by Chili

In creating the new-for-2003 Ducati 999, which was mated to the successful Testastretta engine, Ducati engineers have continued the Italian firm’s winning tradition that started with the 888, the first Ducati to clinch both Manufacturers’ and Riders’ titles (with Doug Polen) back in 1991.



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

MISERABLE DAY FOR TROY
Troy had a miserable raceday at Brands Hatch in the ninth round of the 2003 Superbike World Championship today ending with a pair of no-scores. A spark plug problem out him out of the first race with just three laps to go. In the second, his Petronas FP1 suffered an oil leak and he took to the gravel trap rather then risk crashing on the exit of the turn. The weekend’s difficult and varying weather conditions didn’t help Troy and the team either ­ and they were well short of good dry set-up time in the four sessions. But in the end, the weather played no part in Troy’s misfortunes today and for the second time this season he was unable to score any points. Both races today were won by local rider Shane Byrne (Ducati), with Britons completing all the other podium positions in the two 25-lappers. Series leader Neil Hodgson (Ducati) took second in the first race, with Chris Walker (Ducati) third. The second race featured a superb dogfight between Byrne and fellow ‘wild card” John Reynolds (Suzuki), with Reynolds taking runner-up spot. Third went to James Toseland (Ducati) to complete a tremendous day for the 120,000 home crowd.

TROY Race 1: DNF, Race 2 ­ DNF
Today (and the whole weekend) was very frustrating and I’m not very happy. The weather didn’t do us any favours in qualifying, but little did I know that worse was to come. In the first race I was twelfth with three laps to go and on course to get a few points at least, when the spark plug went and that was that. In race two, I felt that something wasn’t quite right in the double right-hander but initially I thought that the tyres weren’t warm enough, but when the back end came round again I knew it was an oil leak. At least I was T Druids, so I knew I could just run the bike off then the track rather then risk going round a corner and crashing. It’s been a very frustrating weekend especially considering all the hard work the team has put in.


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

GREGORIO FIGHTS FOR TOP SEVEN SPOTS

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla fought his way up superbly from the fourth row of the grid to take sixth and seventh places in today’s ninth round of the Superbike World Championship. Despite being somewhat less than 100%, due to his injuries sustained in the last round at Laguna Seca, Gregorio rode with tremendous determination in both the 25-lappers today. A poor start hampered his progress in race one and he lost touch with the leaders, but he managed to take seventh place, setting the third quickest lap of the race in the process. The race was won by ‘wild card’ Shane Byrne (Ducati), with fellow Britons Neil Hodgson (Ducati) and Chris Walker (Ducati) second and third.

Gregorio made a much better start in race two and was at the rear end of the six-rider battle for the lead for all but three or four laps from the end. Then a backmarker got in his way, causing him to lose touch with Hodgson, and he couldn’t recover. He finished sixth, with Hodgson in sight, and had been waiting to make his move until the slow rider upset plans. Shane Byrne once again won, but this time fellow ‘wild card’ John Reynolds (Suzuki) took second, with James Toseland (Ducati) third. Both Byrne and Reynolds have already raced at the revised Brands Hatch circuit and their extra knowledge and dry track time during the British Superbike Championship round proved crucial to their success.

GREGORIO LAVILLA Race 1: 7th, Race 2: 6th
The start of the first race was not good for me, but my lap times were quite good. It was very difficult top pass James (Toseland) because we both had a very good rhythm and he didn’t make any mistakes. I think if we had been able to get more set-up time in the dry, we would’ve been in a much better position for today’s races. In the second race, I got a better start and I was catching the leading group. I spent a long time with Walker, but when he crashed in front of me I lost some time. Then I managed to catch Hodgson and I thought I could get past him. But with about four laps to go, I got held up by a backmarker and by the time I passed him Neil had pulled out a small advantage. After that there wasn’t enough time to catch him again, so I had to settle for sixth place. I’m happy that John (Reynolds) got second place today in one of the races. He and the other ‘wild cards’ have had a lot more dry track time here then the rest of us and it certainly helped them. But, with John finishing second, I still have a chance to be the first Suzuki GSXR1000 rider to win a World Superbike race.


More, from a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

BYRNE DOUBLES UP!

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne made unique history at Brands Hatch today when he became the first ever British wild card rider to score a double victory when he added a thrilling race two win to his first ever World Superbike Championship triumph in front of another massive crowd.

The leader of the British Superbike Championship followed up an easy win in the opening leg with a harder fought victory in race two to outline his class and more importantly, show the series regulars he means business when he makes the jump to a full time berth in the world championship next season.

The Minster, Isle of Sheppey rider took the lead on lap eleven and had to fend off a concerted late challenge from fellow wild card John Reynolds on his Suzuki to claim another fantastic win, this time by a mere half a second but understandably, he was ecstatic with the performance of his career to date:

“This has to be one of the best days I can remember. I knew it would be hard but it was tougher than I expected, especially in race two but I’m absolutely made up. It was vitally important to do well and I’m glad the weather held out but this is going to stay with me for a long, long time” said Byrne who led home yet another all British rostrum.

Team boss Paul Bird was overjoyed at his rider’s performances which he said ranked alongside the highlights of his own illustrious career.

“Days don’t come any better than this. This has got to be up there with the best and I’m so pleased for Shakey and the team as well. They all did a fantastic job under a lot of pressure and it just goes to show how good our team is at this level” said the Penrith poultry magnate.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies ran away from the field to win the Formula Xtreme race at Mid-Ohio, on a GSX-R1000.

Jake Zemke finished second on his Erion Honda and Jason Pridmore was third on his Attack Suzuki after running sixth on the first lap; the FX race ran immediately after the second Superbike race and left Pridmore exhausted.

Movers in the last half of the race included Attack’s Josh Hayes and Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking.

Steve Rapp pitted, rejoined the race and finished 12th. Roger Lee Hayden pitted and did not rejoin the race.

1. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 16 laps
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, -4.092 seconds
3. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -6.610
4. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki, -7.409
5. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, -7.601
6. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, -8.833
7. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -10.37
8. Marty Craggill, Honda, -26.784
9. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, -43.037
10. Geoff May, Suzuki, -56.066
11. Jason Curtis, Honda, -65.364
12. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -67.323
13. Doug Duane, Suzuki, -76.233
14. Mike Scruggs, Suzuki, -90.028
15. James Kerker, Honda, -1 lap

Provisional, Unofficial Point Standings
AMA Formula Xtreme
1. Spies, 250 points
2. Buckmaster, 229
3. Zemke, 217
4. Hayes, 215
5. Fergusson, 212
6. Hacking, 204
7. Rapp, 176
8. Pridmore, 172
9. Craggill, 167
10. Hayden, 135

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke took his first AMA Supersport race win of the season and the second of his AMA career in a hard-fought battle Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Series point leader Jamie Hacking fought back on the final lap to bring his factory Yamaha YZF-R6 home second and extend his point advantage over title rival and teammate Damon Buckmaster, third Sunday.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies raced with the leaders for the second half of the contest but was bumped back to fourth by an aggressive pass by Buckmaster through lapped traffic in the next-to-last corner.

Pascal Picotte finished fifth on his Picotte Yamaha YZF-R6. Yamaha’s Jason DiSalvo faded back from the front group to finish sixth. Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden led early-on before fading to seventh in front of Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert and Kawasaki teammates Tony Meiring and Tommy Hayden, ninth and 10th respectively. Alex Gobert finished 11th.

Bruce Transportation Group Honda’s Marty Craggill and American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel both crashed out of the race.

Darren Luck raced Chris Rankin and Chris Peris for 12th before crashing; Jason Curtis was 14th and Dirk Sanchez 15th.

Provisional AMA Supersport Results:

1. Jake Zemke, Honda, 16 laps
2. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, -0.597 second
3. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -0.651 second
4. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -0.770 second
5. Pascal Picotte, Yamaha, -2.211 seconds
6. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -6.558 seconds
7. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, -7.754 seconds
8. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -8.239 seconds
9. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, -10.154 seconds
10. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -10.253 seconds
11. Alex Gobert, Honda, -22.479 seconds
12. Chris Rankin, Honda, -40.782 seconds
13. Chris Peris, Honda, -40.876 seconds
14. Jason Curtis, Honda, -52.340 seconds
15. Dirk Sanchez, Kawasaki, -65.537 seconds


Provisonal AMA Supersport Point Standings:

1. Hacking, 285 points
2. Buckmaster, 254 points
3. Spies, 202 points
4. Alex Gobert/Zemke, 198 points
6. Roger Lee Hayden, 189 points
7. Meiring, 187 points
8. Aaron Gobert, 185 points
9. Tommy Hayden, 181 points
10. DiSalvo, 180 points