Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.



FIRST PERSON/OPINION

By John Joss

Laguna traffic has always been chaotic, with no one seemingly in charge or possessing a vision of how traffic should flow. You’d think that after 40+ years and millions of visitors they’d have it figured out by now. You’d be waaaay wrong.

Consider only the primary entrance/exit at Hwy 68. This entrance/exit is about 200 yards from a traffic light at Laureles Grade, but estimates by the CHP (interviewed by me earlier this year) indicate that it will take at least five years to put in the 200 yards of asphalt on the Laguna Seca property that would go far to relieve the entire mess, permitting eastbound traffic to Salinas to exit on the light while westbound traffic to Monterey could leave from the present road. This would feed relief back all the way to the track, where the exits are typically choked for an hour or more (much more) on the ‘big’ day, Sunday.

Five years!

In addition to freeing up the heavy exit traffic, it would also greatly reduce the cost of hiring CHP and Sheriff officers to manage the flow manually, which would in all probability offset the cost of the 200 yards of asphalt.

Five years!

From the great musical “My Fair Lady” (all together, now):
“Why is thinking something people never do?
Why is logic never even tried?
Fixing up their hair is all they ever do.
Why don’t they fix up … the mess that’s inside.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The FIM-sanctioned 2004 World Superbike, World Supersport and European Superstock Championships will run on spec tires and Superbike rules across the world will be “globalized,” according to FGSport Group, the organizers of the World Superbike Championship series.

The announcement came from Paolo Flammini, the Managing Director of FGSport Group, and Maurizio Flammini, the President of FGSport Group, in a special press conference held Friday, July 11 at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. The press conference was organized due to overwhelming demand from the media present at Laguna Seca for reaction to recent press releases from the FIM and MSMA regarding proposed 2004 World Superbike rules.

In the press conference Maurizio Flammini, who answered nearly all of the questions, confirmed that there would be spec tires used in the 2004 Superbike World Championship series. “We really would like to have the teams who compete with the same possibility to win,” said Flammini. “Maybe you remember three or four years ago, instead of three or four riders who can win, like today, we had 10, 12 even 14. This is something we really want to go back to.

“We like what Michelin, Pirelli and Dunlop are doing. Unfortunately, there are very different performance caused by the performance of the tires, not from the performance of the motorcycle or the performance of the rider.”

Flammini said the tire companies were only supplying one or two teams with the best tires while the rest of the field getting “bad tires, not good tires, not competitive tires. This is not a good thing.

“You know if you have an engine that is 20 horsepower better than the other you can win two tenths, three tenths on the lap. But if you have a tire that is better than the others you can win one second. So if you don’t have the tire you can’t win.”

Flammini did not say teams would be provided the spec tires free of charge but said the deal would significantly reduce the cost of racing for the smaller teams that have to buy tires. “We will solve a big problem for the medium-level/low-level team,” said Flammini. “You know that today a medium-level team spends a lot of money, lots of money on tires. And they will spend a lot less, that is for sure.

“We can tell you that next year the teams will spend 50 percent less than this year, which is very good news for them.”

Flammini also confirmed that spec tires, the same brand as World Superbike, would be used in the World Supersport Championship and the European Superstock Championship. “The tires in Supersport and Superstock…I believe that will be the same, will be spec tires for everybody,” said Flammini. “I believe it will be one brand for everybody, but I can’t say now (which brand it will be).”

Pirelli currently supplies spec tires for the European Superstock Championship.

Flammini said it was possible that several different compounds from one tire supplier would be available to all racers in 2004. “For sure you remember when Formula One had spec tires for a number of years,” said Flammini. “You have three or four or five kinds of tires. All the tires are for everybody.

“So in the end you can have different…you can choose a tires that fits better your bike than the other one, also the type of riding. If you’re an aggressive rider that needs a different tire.”

World Superbike insiders believe that FGSport Group is close to making a deal with Pirelli, if the deal hasn’t already been completed. Flammini implied that Michelin and Dunlop did not take Superbike World Championship management seriously up to this point, saying , “Maybe this is incentive enough for everybody. So maybe Dunlop will wake up finally, maybe Michelin will finally come.”

The Flamminis were then asked about the recent press releases, which, among other things, indicated that World Superbike would no longer use air restrictors in 2004. “This is correct,” said Flammini. “We will not have anymore. The performance balance will be obtained through different systems. Clearly the target is to have less tuning to the engines in order to keep the costs low.

“In order to get the performance (with air restrictors), you need to tune up the engine and make it very sophisticated and then you limit the performance through the limitation of the air you let into the engine. The way we would like, we will follow is that you don’t limit the air in the engine. In this way you will not need to have a sophisticated engine and therefore the cost.

“Until today everybody was concentrating on spending a fortune on tuning up the engine. Tomorrow this cost will be one-tenth of today.”

Then the Flamminis were asked to respond to the press release from the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association (MSMA), which, in a strongly-worded statement, said all of the factories were pulling their support from the World Superbike series as of 2004.

“Maybe the MSMA people are upset,” said Flammini. “We understand that. They are upset because we worked together for a number of years and we developed a regulation. And finally this regulation was approved the third of September 2001. There is a press release that says – that they signed – that this regulation was approved on condition that the manufacturers will not leave World Superbike in the next three years.

“We accepted this regulation at the time because of the promise of the manufacturer.

“We understand there was a number of problems, and the cost was the first problem.”

Flammini said costs got out of control because “part of the regulation implies full freedom in the engine. You can use very sophisticated materials, you can use technologies and you produce a lot of power.

“We accepted that because the manufacturers said, ‘we are going to produce bikes, we are going to produce bikes also for an affordable cost.’

“After three years we understood that the bikes are not available. In fact, at the last meeting with the MSMA, they said, unfortunately we can only guarantee you one manufacturer, not more than that. Not counting Ducati. Ducati already confirm that they were in the Championship. But between the Japanese, only one was going to confirm that.

“We understand that certainly the motorcycles were not available. Some motorcycles eventually available for a huge price. So practically World Superbike 2004 was not possible to be organized.

“And then we spoke to the teams, we spoke to the riders, we spoke with the manufacturers also, we spoke with the various organizations of the world – like AMA, like UK, like the Germans. We very quickly formed an agreement, and the agreement is based on having motorcycles available to the rider for an affordable price and that can be competitive, can be fairly competitive.

“To give you some idea about, the technical regulations will be very similar to the AMA and the UK. So it will be something in the middle.”

Flammini mentioned that Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki would all have new bikes in 2004 that should be competitive under the new regulations.

“We want to announce the new rules very soon, very, very soon,” said Flammini. “The goal is the end of the month, but we will announce the new rules together with our other organizers like UK, the AMA, Italy. So we want to coordinate everything.”

Flammini said the World Endurance Championship, which is managed by FGSport Group, will also use the new Superbike regulations in 2004.

New support classes, including a “naked” class, for the FGSport Group’s 2004 series are also being considered, according to Paolo Flammini.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

MBNA 250 Grand Prix rider Sean McNew (#161) of Tijeras, N.M., crashed in turn three in this morning’s 250 GP practice session. He was transported by ground to the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) for a precautionary CATSCAN. He is alert and awake and has no broken bones.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Ducati Corse may not field an official factory team in the 2004 World Superbike Championship due to the spec tire plan unveiled by FGSport Group, organizers of the World Superbike Championship.

That’s the word from Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Corse. “We have a long-lasting Michelin tradition,” said Domenicali Saturday in the paddock at Laguna Seca Raceway. “I think if we have to change it, we’ll have to think about it, you know?

“We have not been told who is the one tire manufacturer. I think it’s more possible it’s not Michelin.”

Asked if it is possible there may not a Ducati Corse team in World Superbike next year, Domenicali said, “Yeah, everything is changing, so we will plan next year when everything is more clear. We have a lot of interest in Superbike, World Superbike. So we would like to be present at a good level, but let’s see what happens.”

Domenicali said FGSport Group officials talked to him in detail about new Superbike technical rules but did not consult Ducati Corse about spec tires.

“We talked a lot about the regulation but not about the tires,” said Domenicali. “With the spec tire, it is too early to say. It is a brand-new concept, so we have to get used to it. We have to see how different people feel.

“On the sporting side, with one tire manufacturer it is possible to have more competitive race. On the other hand, the World Championship is used by tire manufacturers to develop product also. So you have to find the proper balance, you know?”

Domenicali also said that there will be a satellite MotoGP team in 2004 using 2003-spec Desmosedici machines, but “who will be riding where, we will not know this until the end of the month. We are in discussion with several teams and riders.”

Domenicali is attending the races at Laguna Seca rather than the British Grand Prix in order to attend meetings over Superbike technical rules proposed by FGSport Group.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Superbike:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:25.295
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:25.896
3. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:26.199
4. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:26.393
5. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati, 1:26.793
6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:26.889
7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:26.928
8. Ben Bostrom, Honda, 1:27.097
9. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki, 1:28.638
10. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:28.785
11. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:29.131
12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:29.440
13. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, 1:29.468
14. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:29.864
15. Chris Caylor, Suzuki, 1:30.700
16. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:30.885
17. James Randolph, Suzuki, 1:31.257
18. Jeremy Toye, Suzuki, 1:31.395
19. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, 1:31.423
20. Mike Sullivan, Suzuki, 1:31.610

AMA 250cc Grand Prix:

1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha, 1:31.140
2. Chuck Sorensen, Aprilia, 1:31.644
3. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, 1:33.224
4. Simon Turner, TSR Honda, 1:33.851
5. Ed Sorbo, Yamaha, 1:33.879
6. Colin Jensen, Aprilia, 1:35.154
7. Michael Montoya, Yamaha, 1:35.253
8. Mark Watts, Honda, 1:35.925
9. Greg Esser, Honda, 1:36.011
10. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, 1:36.267
11. Chris Pyles, Honda, 1:36.493
12. Barrett Long, Yamaha, 1:36.729
13. M. Ben Welch, Yamaha, 1:38.344
14. Wes Totsubo, Honda, 1:38.464
15. Steve Scott, Yamaha, 1:38.774
16. Billy Dalu, Yamaha, 1:38.871
17. John France, Honda, 1:38.887
18. Darren Fulce, Yamaha, 1:39.203
19. Nobi Iso, Aprilia, 1:39.264
20. Sandy Noce, Yamaha, 1:39.398

AMA Formula Xtreme:

1. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.834
2. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.297
3. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.566
4. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:27.653
5. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.777
6. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.906
7. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.476
8. Marty Craggill, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.481
9. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.341
10. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.545
11. Jason Curtis, Honda CBR954RR, 1:31.133
12. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.173
13. Corey Eaton, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.424
14. Tom Wertman, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:32.695
15. Tom Montano, Ducati 999S/R, 1:33.132
16. Garry Combs, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.183
17. Mark Ledesma, Honda CBR954RR, 1:33.493
18. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.886
19. David Bell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:34.261
20. Marco Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.359

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.


By Glenn Le Santo

Yoshimura Suzuki wild card rider Mat Mladin continued his total domination of the WSB weekend in Laguna Seca, USA by running off with the Superpole best lap in front of the WSB regulars at 1:25.561, slightly down on his best lap in qualifying.

Mladin held off Regis Laconi, the strongest WSB rider so far this weekend, to hang onto the pole he’s held all weekend. Frankie Chili was another World Superbike campaigner trying to take on Mladin, but he had to be content with third on the grid. Aaron Yates, Mladin’s teammate, was just able to hang onto his front-row spot, despite the efforts of Gregorio Lavilla, also on a Suzuki, to get on that all-important Laguna front row.

WSB regulars James Toseland, Ruben Xaus and Championship-leader Neil Hodgson completed the second row. Eric Bostrom, AMA Championship leader until today’s AMA Superbike race victory by Mladin ribbed him of the title lead, came home in 10th. Giovanni Bussei was the last wild card rider home, in 12th, behind Steve Martin.

World Superbike Superpole Results:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.561
2. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, 1:25.999
3. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:26.162
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.476
5. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.583
6. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, 1:26.622
7. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, 1:26.667
8. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, 1:26.838
9. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, 1:26.841
10. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:26.947
11. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.055
12. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.187
13. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.269
14. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:27.447
15. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:27.851
16. David Garcia, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.974

The rest of the grid:

17. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.446
18. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.501
19. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:27.644
20. James Haydon, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:28.472
21. Lucio Pedersoli, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.141
22. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda RC51, 1:29.489
23. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.774


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California, USA
SWC Qualifying and Superpole Report

WORLD SUPERBIKE POLE POSITION FOR MLADIN AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey, California, USA (Saturday, 12 July) – In a sensational final Superpole qualifying session, Australia’s Mat Mladin produced the quickest time of the 16-rider group and will start tomorrow’s two 28-lap Superbike World Championship races from pole position at Laguna Seca Raceway, California.

Mladin has been untouchable in both SWC qualifying sessions held this weekend and reproduced that form to score his first ever SWC pole position after scorching around the 3.610km (2.2miles) in a time of 1:25.561.

“It felt good to have gotten the win in the AMA Superbike race earlier today, leaving us with just one bike to focus on for the rest of the weekend,” said Mladin.

“So far this weekend everything has gone well with setting up the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 in SWC spec. The package with the bike and Dunlop tyres is working well, so after today’s efforts I feel that we are in a very good position for tomorrow.

“The World Superbike race is very difficult for us. Yes, I would like to win a race or two like everyone else does, but having to put some much effort into one race meeting has been hard for all of us in the team.

“We’ve had to prepare a complete new bike for this meeting so that it meets the rules of the SWC. The engine and the feel of the bike is different to that the one that we use here in the AMA Championship, but the overall performance of the bike isn’t that different.

“We are looking forward to tomorrow’s races and it would be nice to give Suzuki their first World Superbike win of the year.”

Joining Mladin on the front row of the grid will be Frenchman Regis Laconi, who was the only other rider to drop into the 1:25 mark setting a time of 1:25.999 aboard his NCR Ducati. His lap was 0.438 seconds off Mladin’s mark.

Third on the grid is Italian veteran Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati, 1:26.162), with Mladin’s teammate Aaron Yates completing the front row of the grid after setting a time of 1:26.476 on his flying lap.

Current World Superbike points leader Neil Hodgson (Fila Ducati) will start from position eight, while fellow Australians Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) and Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas) will start from positions eleven and fourteen respectively.


More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks:

Regis Laconi confirms second fastest at Laguna Seca

Also if the local hero Mladin will start tomorrow from the pole the American fans present at Laguna Seca for the US Round of World Superbike hot applauded Regis Laconi and his Ducati 998RS Caracchi NCR Nortel Network, that have been always attached “with the glue” to the AMA Superbike Championship leader. Mladin actually found a perfect set up with soft tyres, but with the race setting Laconi is very close to Suzuki’s rider and for the tomorrow’s races he is confident in a good result.

“I would like to thank grabbing the pole the team guys that yesterday night did extemporise a nice garage-party for my birthday.” – said Regis at the end of Superpole – “We know that on this track the presence of AMA Championship wild card riders will made things more difficult; more Mladin, at least in qualifying set up, was just rippin. I’ve not been able to grab the pole, but everyone in the team, and I’m the first, is really satisfied because in those conditions a second fastest is equivalent to a pole between the WSBK riders, and more in those two days we made a very, very good job. This morning’s crash happened because I was riding actually too hard for a last fast lap, my front end washed out in turn three and I biffed it. Turn three is actually unfaithful and slippery, but has been a fall without any consequence and the bike too had ridiculous damages; later during Superpole I badly skid at turn four, but I don’t believe that I could be able to be faster as Mladin. For tomorrow’s race we worked a lot on the set up and tyres and at the end we found a good solution; I made a 20 laps long run and the tyre performed perfectly. I feel that with race set up Mladin isn’t unapproachable and so I’m confident to fight to win tomorrow.”

David Garcia grabbed also in Laguna Seca the right to contest Superpole, and with the presence of four American wild card that a precious result; now he’s focused for the 28 laps of tomorrow’s races: “In practice I ride well, but now I must prepare myself for the races. I know that 28 laps are hard and I’m sure I’ll be not able to mantain a consistent race rhythm, because after a few laps I have hard pains in my left arm, but thank the help of Clinica Mobile staff I’ll try to do it.”


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy PETRONAS Racing were confronted by the challenges posed by the testing Laguna Seca circuit during qualifying for tomorrow’s races at round eight of the World Superbike championship in the USA.

With both riders struggling for grip, Troy Corser focused on the gearing for the FP1 – the Malaysian superbike – while James Haydon concentrated on his set-up.

Troy, who has recovered from a bout of acute food poisoning, was unhurt in an afternoon crash that robbed him of valuable track time in the countdown to Superpole. His one-off lap was 14th fastest, with local wild card Matt Mladin claiming pole position after winning the domestic AMA race earlier in the day. James qualified in 20th place, missing out on Superpole in his return to action after missing the two previous rounds through injury.

Troy said: “We tried a few different gearings today but every corner is different here, so it is really hard to get it right. You do have to compromise with gearing at Laguna but, at present, we don’t have enough torque to pull the bike through that compromise. I tried a new tyre and did quicker race times, although the lap times are still not great.

“I made a mistake through Corkscrew on my Superpole lap but it did not make too much difference. The crash during free practice was my fault. I was on a harder front and it was probably a bit too hard and I lost the front end without any warning. I wanted to use the same bike for Superpole, so the crash meant that I didn’t have the chance to try another qualifier before Superpole.”

James said: “I was almost starting from scratch today after a mistake with set-up yesterday sent us the wrong way, which explained why we were going round the houses in the afternoon. So we changed the bike back today and made a lot of set-up changes and I took two seconds off my time in the morning, but that was on a kamikaze lap!

“We still haven’t got to the crux of setting the bike up as I need it. In the afternoon, we changed gearing, head angle, offset, trail and rebound but my preferred bike could only do three or four laps. But the rest of the session did give us a better idea of how I will start tomorrow’s races. The team had felt they had made big steps forward with set-up over the last couple of rounds but those changes did not work for me and I now know that Troy’s set-up information is irrelevant for me. I never dreamed I would still be in this position at this stage of the season.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Ruben Xaus and Neil Hodgson will start from row 2 of the grid for the U.S. round of the World Superbike Championship at Laguna Seca after setting seventh and eight quickest time in this afternoon’s Superpole session.

Multiple AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin was on pole, followed by the two private Ducatis of Regis Laconi (Ducati NCR) and Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati), while Giovanni Bussei will start from the third row of the grid with the Ducati Austin 998.

Both Ducati Fila riders struggled to find a perfect set-up in today’s qualifying and free sessions, but remain cautiously optimistic for the races tomorrow.

“As always my Superpole lap was not so good,” declared Ruben. “The right hand corners here are difficult as soon as you get out onto the track and I made a mistake and didn’t lean into the curve enough, and that cost me some time. Free practice was much better; our race distance was good, so we think we are closer to the guys in front with race set-up. I hope to do a good start, because the race will be long. If the tyre I chose keeps going for 28 laps and is constant, then I know I will do a good job tomorrow.”

“We haven’t been able to find the right feeling with the bike,” declared Neil. “We’ve had a few problems with grip and we never really found the right front-end feeling we’re used to. I didn’t do a really good Superpole lap either – basically I didn’t get into the right rhythm. The tyres gave us some good indications during the afternoon free practice so I’m pretty confident for tomorrow because they are similar to the ones used last year, when they performed well in both races.”


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

HM Plant Ducatis on second and third rows

The top three riders in the 2003 Superbike World Championship were relegated to the second row of the grid in a day of surprises during qualifying for the eighth round of the series at Laguna Seca. With wild card rider Matt Mladin setting the pole position time of 1:25.561 at the Californian circuit, leading British riders James Toseland and Chris Walker qualified their HM Plant Ducatis in sixth and ninth places respectively for what should be one of the most closely contested events of the season to date.

It was role reversal for championship leader Neil Hodgson and his nearest challengers for the coveted title Ruben Xaus and Toseland. Hodgson and Xaus failed to beat Toseland’s Superpole time of 1:26.622 on their Fila Ducatis and will therefore line up behind the talented 22-year-old Sheffield rider for Sunday’s two Superbike races. Walker improved his time and position on Saturday, but just missed out on a second row starting position by a fraction of a second.

It was a day of mixed fortunes for the HM Plant Ducati team-mates as they sought to find their optimum race set-ups. Walker was happy with the progress that he had made: “I’d like to thank the team for all their hard work over the past two days. We have taken some positive steps forward in today’s sessions and I believe that we now have a good race set-up.

“It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to perform better in Superpole. I don’t think that my time and position are representative of where we should be for tomorrow’s races. I need to get a good start from the third row, because this is such a hard track to overtake if you get stuck in the chasing pack.”

Toseland was unable to fine-tune the settings of the HM Plant Ducati to his liking: “I’ve had quite a frustrating day as we’ve gone one way and then the other in our efforts to find the right balance. As I went into Superpole, the bike was a bit nervous at high speed and was prone to wheelies out of the slow turns.

“It’s a shame about my Superpole lap, because I had compensated well for these things up until the last corner. I was concentrating on keeping the front wheel down, but as I adjusted my body position, my foot slipped off the gear lever. That was the difference between the first and second row. I’m confident that we can change the bike and find the best compromise in warm-up before the races.”


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

SMALL MISTAKE COSTS TROY.

A small error on his Superpole lap cost Troy a chance of moving a row or two up the grid at Laguna Seca today. The mistake, at the Corkscrew, meant that Troy went four tenths of a second slower then his previous best lap time and left him with a fourth row grid place for tomorrow’s pair of races. Superpole was won by ‘wild card’ rider Mat Mladin (Suzuki), who posted a time of 1:25.561. Second is Regis Laconi (Ducati), with Frankie Chili (Ducati) third and another ‘wild card’ – Aaron Yates (Suzuki) fourth.

Laguna Seca is a renowned Dunlop track, so it was no great surprise that any of the Michelins riders (including Troy) were able to make much of an impact.

TROY – 14th, 1:27.447

I felt better today, but in the end I wasn’t particularly happy to end up on the fourth row of the grid – but I suppose it was more or less what we expected. Michelins never go as well here as Dunlops, but we had some other problems as well. We tried a few different gearings, but every corner is different here, so it’s really hard to get the gearing right. You have to make a compromise but, at present, our bike doesn’t have enough torque to pull the bike through the compromise. This afternoon I tried a new tyre and did quicker race times, but the times were not so great. I had a little crash in the free practice, when I lost the front end without warning at the last turn. We were using a harder front, so maybe that was why. Laguna Seca was always going to be hard for us and so far it has been. It’s going to be a very long day tomorrow.


More, from a press release issued by Alstare Corona Suzuki:

Gregorio misses front row by a whisker

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla missed out on a front row grid position by the narrowest of margins at Laguna Seca today. At the end of Superpole, Gregorio lost his front row spot by just one tenth of a second to one of the local ‘wild card’ riders – Aaron Yates (Suzuki Yoshimura). During today’s two sessions, Gregorio had improved considerably and had slashed over a second off his best time from yesterday. But, more importantly, he was happier with his GSXR1000 and so was able to push that much harder. But he still faces a big challenge tomorrow – especially from the two ‘wild card’ riders on the front row – the Suzuki teamsters Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates. Mladin used his extensive circuit knowledge – and a confidence-boosting win the AMA Superbike race earlier in the day – to take Superpole with a time of 1:25.561. Second fastest today is Regis Laconi (Ducati), ahead of Frankie Chili (Ducati), with Yates in fourth place.

GREGORIO LAVILLA – 5th, 1:26.583 I’m happier for sure and we are improving all the time, but we can still improve some more. We made some suspension and changes to the balance of the bike today and I was more comfortable with the bike. The GSXR1000 is a sensitive bike and sometimes it is not the bike I want and then we have to work to make it the bike I want. Some tracks are better then others and we get close to a good base set-up, then we go to another track and we have to almost start over again. I’ve more or less chosen which tyres I’m going to use – the front is no problem, but I still have to make a decision about the rear. I think, all of us will have tyre wear problems at some stage in tomorrow’s races – it’s normal. The two AMA Superbike riders, who are ahead of me on the grid, show what the GSXR1000 is capable of. They’ve put in many, many more laps of this track then me, and today they rode well. I’ve ridden well against strong, local Suzuki riders before, so it’s nothing so new for me. They have nothing to lose at all, so they’ll push very hard. It’s up to me to try and match them and get a pair of good results and that’s what I’ll be chasing tomorrow.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

THREE SUZUKI’S IN TOP FIVE AT LAGUNA

Team Suzuki Press Office 13th July 2003.
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla missed out on a front row grid position by the narrowest of margins at Laguna Seca today. At the end of Superpole, Gregorio lost his front row spot by just one tenth of a second to one of the local ‘wild card’ riders Aaron Yates (Suzuki Yoshimura).

During today’s two sessions, Gregorio had improved considerably and had slashed over a second off his best time from yesterday. But, more importantly, he was happier with his GSXR1000 and so was able to push that much harder. But he still faces a big challenge tomorrow especially from the two ‘wild card’ riders on the front row, The Suzuki teamsters Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates. Mladin used his extensive circuit knowledge and a confidence-boosting win with the AMA Superbike race earlier in the day to take Superpole with a time of 1:25.561. Second fastest today is Regis Laconi (Ducati), ahead of Frankie Chili (Ducati), with Yates in fourth place.

GREGORIO LAVILLA 5th, 1:26.583
I’m happier for sure and we are improving all the time, but we can still improve some more. We made some suspension alterations and changes to the balance and I was more comfortable with the bike. The GSXR1000 is a sensitive bike and sometimes it is not the bike I want and then we have to work to make it the bike I want. Some tracks are better then others and we get close to a good base set-up, then we go to another track and we have to almost start over again. I’ve more or less chosen which tyres I’m going to use the front is no problem, but I still have to make a decision about the rear. I think, all of us will have tyre wear problems at some stage in tomorrow’s races, it’s normal. The two AMA Superbike riders, who are ahead of me on the grid, show what the GSXR1000 is capable of. They’ve put in many, many more laps of this track than me, and today they rode well. I’ve ridden well against strong, local Suzuki riders before, so it’s nothing so new for me. They have nothing to lose at all, so they’ll push very hard. It’s up to me to try and match them and get a pair of good results and that’s what I’ll be chasing tomorrow.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki had over $14,000 worth of Superbike racing wheels stolen from their pit area in the Laguna Seca Raceway paddock Thursday night, July 10.

Three 3.5 x 16.5-inch front and two 6.0 x 16.5-inch rear forged magnesium Marchesini wheels fitted with brake rotors, axle spacers, bearings and Dunlop development slicks were stolen from a “wheel tree” located under the Yoshimura Suzuki pit canopy, according to Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had a problem like this,” said Sakakura. “Now I don’t have a secure feeling leaving the racetrack. It’s disappointing with the security here. I thought they would have a better handle on things.”

Sakakura valued the wheels at between $2800 and $2900 each, not counting the tires, but the wheels are virtually useless to whoever stole them.

“People don’t know the fitment,” said Sakakura. “The rears are set up for a captive spocket set-up. Even the front rotor spacing, it’s for our triple clamp pitch. It would be difficult for anyone to retrofit them to something else.”

Ed Nichols, the Press Officer for Laguna Seca Raceway, confirmed the theft and said that it was under investigation. However, Nichols pointed out that even though the track provides security, Laguna Seca is “not responsible for lost or stolen items.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Combined Times
World Superbike Qualifying
Laguna Seca Raceway

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:25.219
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:25.518
3. Regis Laconi, Ducati, 1:25.881
4. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati, 1:26.061
5. James Toseland, Ducati, 1:26.109
6. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati, 1:26.138
7. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, 1:26.216
8. Chris Walker, Ducati, 1:26.290
9. Neil Hodgson, Ducati, 1:26.294
10. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:26.382
11. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki, 1:26.507
12. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati, 1:26.695
13. Troy Corser, Petronas, 1:27.012
14. Steve Martin, Ducati, 1:27.098
15. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki, 1:27.216
16. David Garcia, Ducati, 1:27.368
17. Juan Borja, Ducati, 1:27.446
18. Marco Borciani, Ducati, 1:27.501
19. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki, 1:27.644
20. James Haydon, Petronas, 1:28.472
21. Luca Pedersoli, Ducati, 1:29.141
22. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda, 1:29.489
23. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati, 1:29.774






Note: Laconi crashed just before the end of the session.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Final Qualifying Results:

1. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:30.740
2. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:30.862
3. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:30.926
4. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:30.938
5. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:31.035
6. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:31.036
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:31.067
8. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:31.241
9. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:31.354
10. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:31.385
11. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:31.614
12. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:31.776
13. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:31.779
14. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:31.877
15. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:31.962
16. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:32.526
17. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 1:32.573
18. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:32.793
19. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:32.802
20. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:33.288
21. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:33.705
22. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:34.364
23. Chris Burns, ROC Yamaha, 1:34.400
24. David De Gea, Sabre, 1:36.851


Final 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:33.859
2. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:34.215
3. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:34.386
4. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:34.398
5. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:34.572
6. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:34.743
7. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:34.781
8. Sebastian Porto, Honda, 1:34.856
9. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, 1:34.995
10. Anthony West, Aprilia, 1:35.182
11. Jay Vincent, Aprilia, 1:35.591
12. Alex Debon, Honda, 1:35.730
13. Eric Bataille, Honda, 1:35.833
14. Johan Stigefelt, Aprilia, 1:35.937
15. Erwan Nigon, Aprilia, 1:36.193
16. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, 1:36.249
17. Chaz Davies, Aprilia, 1:36.290
18. Joan Olive, Aprilia, 1:36.390
19. Hugo Marchand, Aprilia, 1:36.411
20. Alex Baldolini, Aprilia, 1:37.000

27. Katja Poensgen, Honda, 1:40.088


Final 125cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Stefano Perugini, Aprilia, 1:37.984
2. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:38.078
3. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:38.143
4. Simone Corsi, Honda, 1:38.370
5. Mika Kallio, Honda, 1:38.386
6. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 1:38.417
7. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 1:38.609
8. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 1:38.652
9. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 1:38.680
10. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:38.754
11. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 1:38.792
12. Thomas Luthi, Honda, 1:38.845
13. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 1:38.943
14. Gabor Talmacsi, Aprilia, 1:38.960
15. Gioele Pellino, Aprilia, 1:38.999
16. Youichi Ui, Aprilia, 1:39.003
17. Arnaud Vincent, KTM, 1:39.012
18. Alvaro Bautista, Aprilia, 1:39.037
19. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 1:39.053
20. Mirko Giansanti, Aprilia, 1:39.100


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

HOPKINS FEELING AT HOME, QUALIFIES 15TH FOR BRITISH MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX

DONINGTON PARK, England (July 12, 2003) – John Hopkins felt welcomed at his home away from home as he qualified his factory Suzuki GSV-R Grand Prix machine 15th at Donington Park in preparation for Sunday’s British Motorcycle Grand Prix. Hopkins, whose parents were born in England, felt encouraged about the way his high-tech Suzuki GSV-R Grand Prix machine was performing in the cooler temperatures of Saturday morning’s practice session. The tracked heated up in the afternoon and many of the same issues he’s been challenged by all season cropped up again in qualifying.

“The team received some new parts for the bike,” Hopkins said. “It seemed to make it a little more natural to ride. In the morning practice I was encouraged after being seventh fastest and clicking off an easy string of 1:32 lap times. By qualifying the track temperature came up and we struggled a bit. It’s the same issues of the front end pushing and not being able to make the turns and the rear end locking up entering corners. Still, this is the best I’ve felt on the bike in a while.”

Hopkins qualified at a time of 1:31.962 on the four-kilometer (2.5-mile) Donington Park circuit. It was a very competitive session with the top 17 qualifiers bunched within two seconds of one another. Italian GP veteran Max Biaggi was the leading qualifier with a time of 1:30.740. Hopkins’ teammate Yukio Kagayama, filling in for the injured Kenny Roberts Jr., qualified 17th.

“I think when the track temperature comes up the lack of grip hurts us more than most of the other teams,” Hopkins theorized. “So I’m hoping for a cool, overcast day. Those would probably be ideal conditions for our bike.

“I have a lot of support here with friends and family. The fans seem to have adopted me and it feels good to have support like that. I want to go out on Sunday and get a good start and do the best I can. The team has found some improvement, and I’d love for them more than anything else, to get a good result.”



More, from a press release issued by WCM:

BRITISH GP – DONINGTON

Final Qualifying
Saturday, July 12th 2003

In warm and breezy conditions in the British Midlands, WCM rider Chris Burns enjoyed his first ever Saturday qualifying session of the Season.

The superbly fit, 23 year old from Newcastle was delighted with how he qualified for his home GP after clocking up only 240 km in total on the ROC two stroke Yamaha.

It will be a memorable day for Chris in his Saturday debut performance in the Moto GP class and his time of 1:34.400 makes his ride today the quickest ever that a 500cc, 4-cylinder, two-stroke private machine has recorded at the Donington track.

Team-mate to Burns, the 25 year old Spaniard, David De Gea, had a spectacular highside crash in free practice this morning and was eager to get back on the track for the final qualifying session. Unfortunately the ROC Yamaha could not be repaired in time for the final session so David reluctantly watched his mechanics strip and rebuild his bike.

CHRIS BURNS: 23rd, 1:34.400, Saturday Qualifying Time
“Well it was hard work out there today and I guess I got something out of it, with setting the non-factory team two-stroke, four-cylinder lap record here. I’ve got a pretty good set-up for tomorrow and the first qualifier tyre was really good.

“I was disappointed that I had a stupid crash this morning in practice, I wheelied out of the hairpin and the front just folded underneath me. I lost about 25 minutes practice because of that.

“So we have to make the best of what we have got and I am really looking forward to tomorrow.”

DAVID DE GEA: 24th, 1:36.851, Friday Qualifying Time
“Well I am having lots of problems with the engine and I really have not had enough time on the bike to get the feel for it at all. I’ll see how I go in the warm up tomorrow but I really feel ready to race, I’m hungry for it. In the crash, I only hurt my lower back, but it feels okay and Dr. Costa has given me the okay to ride”

PETER CLIFFORD ­ (Team Manager)
“Today did not start well as David made an appearance on East Midlands Airport radar and gave us a huge fright, but very luckily although extremely sore, he did not break anything.

“There was enough damage to the bike to prevent him from riding in the afternoon but as a team we are thrilled by what Chris has achieved. A big thanks to Dunlop for the tyres that enabled him to do that and we are confident we can give him a stronger engine for the race.”



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

SUZUKI RIDERS CUT TIMES FOR BRITISH GP

Team Suzuki Press Office Saturday, July 12, 2003.

Team Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Yukio Kagayama will start tomorrow’s British GP from the fourth and fifth rows of the grid, after both riders cut their previous best lap times round the sun-soaked 4.023km parkland circuit outside Derby.

Hopkins slashed almost a full second off his qualifying time yesterday, and had gone even quicker in free training in the morning. The Anglo-American racer ended up 15th in a very close bunch of times, just over a second off pole position. Kagayama, in his first ride on the full Donington Park circuit and his second on the 990cc Suzuki GSV-R prototype, shaved three tenths off his time, but blamed his own excessive enthusiasm and consequent errors for not making an even bigger improvement.

Both riders were making the most of new engine and chassis parts, which have taken the all-new 2003 version of the factory’s four-stroke GP racer another step towards the target – of unleashing the 200-plus horsepower racing machine’s full potential, and regaining a position to challenge for race wins.

Donington Park applies an extra pressure. It is the home race for the team, based in Kent south of London, and also the closest it comes for Hopkins. The 20-year-old was born in the USA, but to an all-English family, and he is entertaining a large contingent of relatives at this race.

Kagayama is currently also a resident of England – based here to race a Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the British Superbike series. Kagayama is having a second GP as substitute for the injured Kenny Roberts Junior, who is expected back for the German GP in two weeks. The Japanese Suzuki factory rider claimed a double win at last weekend’s BSB round on the Rizla Crescent Suzuki; the British GP is the fifth of nine consecutive weekends of racing for the popular 29-year-old.

Today’s practice took place in warm sunshine, with track temperatures rising to 31 degrees in the afternoon. Similar conditions are predicted for tomorrow’s race.


JOHN HOPKINS – 15th Position, 1:31.962
We’re not as close as I’d like to be, and we were running stronger and in a better position this morning. All year we’ve been struggling with the fact that when the temperature goes up, our machine performance drops. We have the same problems, but they get worse when it’s hot. All the same, we’ve worked with different gearing and a few small changes, and we found almost a second. The new engine and chassis parts make it easier to ride at the limit, but the limit is still more or less the same as before. I’ll be looking for a good start then hang with the pack and see what happens. I really want to get the best possible result, with my Mom and all my relations here.


YUKIO KAGAYAMA – 17th Position, 1:32.573
At Assen last week, I didn’t think the top ten was possible in qualifying. Now we have some new parts and the bike has a much better feel, so I thought it was possible I made that my target in the last session, but I think I was aiming too high. I was riding too hard, and making many little mistakes, and that spoiled my lap time. So my qualifying position is the same as in Assen, and I am a little unhappy. But it was my mistake. We have a few small changes to try tomorrow, and I believe we can have a good race.


GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
A sniff of some progress has increased everyone’s motivation even more than usual, and both riders tried very hard today. They’d have done better, except for some reason our bike seems to go off the boil as the temperature rises. It’s another part of a rich puzzle, and we’re working towards the final solution.



More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

British Grand Prix
Saturday, 12 July 2003
Donington Park, UK

FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM-MATES FIGHT FOR DONINGTON FRONT ROW START

Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Marco Melandri and Carlos Checa produced a brilliant performance aboard their Factory Yamaha YZR-M1s during the final qualifying session for the British Grand Prix today at the historical Donington Park circuit. Both riders rode strongly during the hour-long session before finally fighting it out for a front row start with only minutes remaining.

As the competition made a last effort to secure their grid positions for tomorrow’s 30-lap race, the talented Melandri produced a sensational flying-lap around the 4023m venue. The 20-year-old Italian, who won the 250cc race at Donington last year, placed himself on the front row for a second time today but this time it was a laptime of 1;30.926, which secured third place for the MotoGP rookie. The result came after the 250cc World Champion steadily improved the overall balance of his M1, increasing both drive off the turns and feel from the front-end, to close the day only 0.186 seconds shy of pole position.

In the final rush to the flag it was Max Biaggi (Honda) who claimed the number one slot with a 1:30.740, relegating Sete Gibernau (Honda) to second place – the Spaniard posting a 1;30.862 to be a mere 0.064 seconds ahead of Melandri. Provisional pole sitter and defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1:30.938) completed the front row, with Checa set to lead the second row charge in fifth position on the grid.

Melandri was delighted to take his second front row start of the season for tomorrow’s race. “I’m really happy,” beamed the young Italian. “When I saw my lap time I was quite surprised because the start of my final lap was quite slow as Sete was in front of me for a moment. My bike was so good today though; it felt much better than ever before – a big thanks to my team because they worked so well. They changed the set-up again slightly since yesterday and it really worked. It will be very difficult tomorrow but I’ll do my best. Physically I feel in the best condition since my accident in Suzuka. My arms have ached a bit after the end of each qualifying session since then until now but they don’t at all today. It’s really good to feel normal at the end of the session, and now of course to be starting from the front row!”

Checa, who produced a ‘text book’ performance during today’s session in an effort to defend the provisional front row start he achieved yesterday, was eventually dislodged from the top four despite repeatedly producing the times needed. The UK resident, who enjoys racing at the Donington circuit, eventually set a best time of 1:31.035 to head the second row of the Donington Grand Prix starting grid. Although Checa still needs to finalise his choice of race tyres, and despite the closeness of the qualifying times – one second covering the top 13 – the 30-year-old is confident about the main event.

“All the riders have been very close during this qualifying session, so I think the race tomorrow will be very good, but quite difficult because it is a 30 lap race” said the Catalan. “We have worked so hard all weekend and the results have been consistent. I feel confident for the race tomorrow and hopefully the weather will be OK again! We’ve been keeping a good pace during the day. The only thing we are not sure about is the tyres so we will decide about them for sure in the morning.”

“This is a great way to start the race,” said Fortuna Yamaha Team Director Davide rivio. “Both riders and their teams have been working incredibly hard and we have a lot to prove. Marco’s second front row start of the season is just what he needs to increase his confidence as he has had some difficulties at the last few races, especially at the last race in Assen. He deserves to do well and now he’s in a position to get a great start and hopefully keep the momentum during the whole race.

“Carlos has worked equally hard this weekend; he is showing the consistency that he has craved so much and says he feels good on the bike. He needs to check which tyres to use for the race and will use the morning warm-up tomorrow to do so. The usual suspects are up at the front and there is not much time between them, so I hope it’s going to be a great race tomorrow, for everybody in the team.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

British GP, Donington Park
Final Qualifying
Saturday, July 12 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO MEN ON ROW TWO & RACE READY

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi ended up on the second row of the grid in today’s final Donington Park qualifier, just three tenths off pole position and confident that they have the right set-up for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix. Donington is one of the slipperiest GP tracks, so this afternoon the Australian and Italian focused on choosing Michelin race tyres that will offer them the best race-long traction, rather than using softer rubber for quicker one-off qualifying laps.

“I think we have found the right tyre choice,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “We tried several different options this afternoon which took more or less all the time we had, so we had no time to go for the fastest-possible laps, but we’d decided that it was better to be sure about our race-tyre choice. We haven’t made many other changes today, because we wanted our riders to get a many laps as possible to help us choose the best tyres.”

Lap times were tantalisingly close in today’s warm, sunny conditions, with the fastest 15 riders covered by just 1.2 seconds. Pole position was an impressive 0.8 seconds inside last year’s pole time.

BAYLISS SCORES BEST GRID SLOT SINCE JEREZ
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss, who tore a muscle in his left arm when he fell at Melbourne hairpin yesterday, ended qualifying in sixth spot for his best grid position since May’s Spanish GP. The Aussie was just 0.098 seconds off a front-row start.

“Everything’s good but everyone’s going so quick,” said Bayliss, who is undergoing extensive physio on his arm injury. “We’re fast but you’re never happy until you’re fastest or you’re winning, you always want more. This place is always a bit of a compromise because there’s some real fast corners and some real slow turns. And the gearing’s so low that the bike wheelies a lot. How do we fix that? By leaning over the front and by putting your foot on the rear brake – we do that a lot now because these bikes have got so much horsepower! The arm should be okay for the race, it’s a bit weaker than usual but it won’t effect me.”


CAPIROSSI SEVENTH AND FOCUSING ON THE RACE
Loris Capirossi will start tomorrow’s British GP from seventh on the grid, his first non-front-row start since the season-opening Japanese GP. But the Ducati Marlboro Team man is happy enough because he’s been putting all his effort into race set-up at this tricky, tortuous circuit.

“We’re all very close and we’re all very fast,” said the little Italian. “I’m very quick in the first and second sections but I’m losing time in the final part of the track – I’m not 100 per cent happy with braking and turning into the hairpin corners when I’m on the limit. Today we worked towards the race – running a very fast rhythm for many laps. But maybe we will try some small adjustments to improve things in the final section. It’s going to be a long and hard race, but I like this track and I’m getting fantastic support from everyone around me.”



More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda Team:

Donington Park
(Great Britain) Round 8
11/12/13 July 2003

Saturday – Qualifying

Makoto Tamada improves lap time but will be starting from fourth row tomorrow

A slight improvement on yesterday’s lap time, but not enough to give Makoto Tamada a good starting position. So it’s going to be an uphill race tomorrow, starting out from the fourth row of the grid. Makoto still has difficulty getting the right feeling for the Donington circuit, and reports a lack of grip on the front wheel of his RC211V. His inability to maintain good contact with the ground, and especially on the front wheel, certainly did not help him build up the right level of confidence in some of the more technical sections of the circuit.

The way things are at the moment means it is difficult to know which frame to use for the race, so Tamada has opted for a somewhat conservative choice and has agreed with his technicians to race tomorrow on the “old” frame – if that is what it can be called. The solution he knows best should actually put him in the best position, from a psychological point of view too, to attempt to make one of his customary dramatic comebacks.

Cheering him on will be a special guest at the Pramac pits, Fabrizio Ravanelli, one of the great aces of Italian football, who has been in the Derby County first-division English team for a couple of years and who is a great motorcycling fan.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 16th – 1:32.526
“The main problem is the lack of grip at the front of the bike. And lack of grip means lack of confidence. We worked really hard, trying out all the best possible solutions but we still haven’t achieved the results we were expecting. So I didn’t get the lap time I was hoping for and I’ll be starting out from a not exactly brilliant position. I’ve decided to go onto the grid tomorrow with the frame I used in previous races and I’ll leave all the comparative tests on the new-configuration frame till we try it out next week in Brno.”



More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 8 – CINZANO BRITISH GRAND PRIX
12TH JULY 2003 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2

MIXED FORTUNES FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI’S MCCOY AND PITT

It was a day of mixed fortunes for Fuchs Kawasaki ZX-RR riders Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt at Donington Park, with the Australian duo qualifying in 18th and 21st places respectively for tomorrow’s 30-lap British Grand Prix.

McCoy made a dramatic improvement to slash 1.6s from his first qualifying time, while Pitt’s bid to move up the grid was hampered when a technical problem with his number one bike saw the radiator drained of coolant during this afternoon’s hour long final qualifying session.

McCoy responded to a run of disappointing qualifying performances to move up three places on the grid – just two seconds off pole, in what was a record breaking qualifying session. Meanwhile his Australian team-mate Pitt was forced to make up for lost time adjusting to the set-up of his spare Ninja ZX-RR, which left just enough time for a last lap qualifying burst.

The front end ‘wheelie’ problem which affected the Fuchs Kawasaki pair yesterday was improved overnight, with both riders reporting that front end lift, while still present, was more manageable in final qualifying.

Today McCoy concentrated on fine tuning the earlier, more flexible and longer version of the ZX-RR chassis, which he will race for first time this season tomorrow. McCoy’s technicians used a combination of revised engine mapping settings to alter power characteristics and taller gear ratios to reduce the front end lift around the tight Melbourne Loop.

The 30 laps of the compact and physically demanding Donington circuit in predicted warm and sunny conditions are expected to make the British GP a tough mid-season test for riders.

Garry McCoy – 18th – 1:32.793
‘I haven’t seen the first page of the timing computer for a while, so that was a good feeling at the end of the session. The taller gearing helped the wheelie problem and I felt a lot more comfortable on the bike today, using the softer frame specification. We made a good step forward in the morning session, so I decided just to stick with one bike and concentrate on that set-up and just go for it. The warmer track has probably opened up our options for a race tyre, so we’ve still got some thinking to do before making a final choice.’

Andrew Pitt – 21st – 1:33.705
‘I spent most of the session getting the feel of my spare bike, which definitely didn’t feel the same as the one that stopped, and so it took a while for me to get back up to speed. Then right at the end I had a good lap going but ran wide on the second last corner and that cost me some time. The wheelie thing was more manageable today, but it’s still a problem. I think we have a good race tyre choice here, so hopefully things will run a bit smoother tomorrow.’

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
‘Garry made a very good step forward with the different chassis set-up we have for him at Donington and this is a positive result for both him and team. Doing a lot of laps has helped Garry understand the ZX-RR a little better and adjust to the bike. Andrew’s problems came at the worst time for qualifying, but even so we have an opportunity here for both riders to challenge to be in the points in the race; our Dunlop race tyres are consistent and performing as we expected they would here.’


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

BRITISH GP / SECOND QUALIFYING SESSION

Donington – The race tomorrow will be hard fought cause the gap amongst the firsts is very low. The Alice Aprilia Racing Team will start with two different bikes: Colin will ride a RS Cube with a new chassis already tested in Clemont Ferrand whist Haga will use the “old” setting. This choice has been made to avoid too many rebus. Anyway the real problem is the choice of the tyres: today the Aprilia riders made a lot of laps trying to find the right solution but the temperature can easily rise and it’s not so easy.

COLIN EDWARDS: “I am very close to the pole and I feel rather satisfied. Anyway the race will be hard-closed like in the Supersport Championship. Moreover the laps are 30 and the stage tricks won’t miss. Today I used the new chassis: it’s not a revolution project just an evolution of the old one. For me it’s better cause I feel more comfortable. The bike is easier to ride and the performance is still the same. The electronic work we made improved as well. The pace of the race will be 1’32 but it depends also on the tyres and the temperature of the asphalt. Today I also made some good starts”.

NORIYUKI HAGA: “I still think that the bike is to “nervous” in the second part of the track but it’s not a big problem. I was surprised about the difference between the medium and soft tyres: the bike is completely different. So we must choose the right tyres and set up the bike in order to be fast. Today I made many laps with the same tyres to understand the duration. The most important thing is a good start to avoid the traffic of the big group”.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “Unfortunately we did not test enough the new chassis in France: a couple of laps are not sufficient. So we took the risk to give Colin the new chassis whilst Haga will used the “old” one. The geometry is different in order to have more nimbleness. We will use it tomorrow but we are going to test it also in Brno. If both riders are happy we will keep on using it in Sachsenring as well. The pace for the race will be 1’32 more or less but I think someone will be at 100% becoming more competitive. Anyway the tyres are going to make the difference: tomorrow the temperature will rise about 20 degrees more than yesterday. We worked hard to find the right solution”.


More, from a press release issued by Team KR:

Donington Park Final Qualifying

Proton KR consider their options

Jeremy McWilliams: 19th, 1:32.802
Nobuatsu Aoki: 22nd, 1:34.364

Team Proton KR riders were considering their options, after both riders switched between the new 990cc four-stroke prototype and the old-model 500cc two-stroke today. The two-strokes were here only as back-up machines, but a combination of teething troubles and a shortage of spare parts for the new machines have left them with a dilemma.

The two-strokes set faster lap times, although an engine problem caused Aoki to crash without injury, but development of the four-stroke is a higher priority. They will decide overnight which machines to use in the home race.

This only the fourth race for the radical (and gloriously vocal) new V5 four-stroke, which is still in first prototype form. Step by step, and in full public view, Proton Team KR have been ticking off the inevitable teething problems, and they are currently awaiting a batch of redesigned crankshafts, to solve a string of earlier failures. At present the V5s are using the same first crankshafts, and are still prone to giving trouble in that area.

Development takes place on a day-to-day basis. Another spare engine arrived overnight, bringing overall strength up to four of the new machines at Donington Park, and giving McWilliams a spare bike. Yesterday, he had just one four-stroke.

“We’re still giving the bike its first tests. This isn’t the racer … it’s a test prototype,” said team owner Kenny Roberts.

Today’s practice took place in hot sunshine, with similar conditions forecast for tomorrow’s race, the eighth of 16 World Championship rounds. Pole position went to Max Biaggi (Honda).

Jeremy McWilliams
I’ve been riding everything today. We wanted to get the two-stroke set up in case we have to run it, because we haven’t had it out here yet, so the idea was to get that set up, then switch to the four-stroke. Unfortunately my first four-stroke engine is getting a little tired, and we had a little oiling problem with the other engine that arrived today, so I was back on the two-stroke again. And we were trying in vain to get it right. I’d imagined I could jump back on a bike that I know really well and start catching them up. The reality today shows that is not possible. I’d prefer to race the four-stroke, because we need the development and the data. The problem is that we haven’t really had enough time on either of the bikes – just not enough laps.

Nobuatsu Aoki
I started the afternoon with the two-stroke, and it was going pretty good. Then after a few laps the engine seized suddenly. That is why I fell. Then I had to go back to the four-stroke, but I am having many problems with it here, with the slipper clutch and the electronics. Finally, my time on the two-stroke was better. But the two-stroke is finished, and the four-stroke is the way forward, so I hope to race the four-stroke tomorrow even if it is more difficult to get a result.

Chuck Aksland – Team Manager
We’ve been going session to session, and we’ll sit down and discuss what we’re going to do tomorrow. We get a better lap time from the two-stroke, but our future is the four-stroke. But we still have some reliability issues, and though the problems aren’t serious, they are time consuming when you’re trying to get ready for a race. We have to look at the long-term and be patient, but it’s easy to understand that the riders can be impatient.


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

A superb Max Biaggi on pole position at Donington Park

Max Biaggi produced a stunning performance on the second day of qualification for the eighth race of the season, the British Grand Prix taking place tomorrow at the Donington Park Circuit. The Italian rider sits on pole position after showing impressive form towards the latter stage of the session when he constantly improved on his fastest lap time. Biaggi, who was in pole position in the 2001 British Grand Prix and who has finished second in the last two seasons here, and who also won the 250cc race in 1995 and 1996, spent the whole day working on the set-up of the new chassis he used for the first time yesterday and the progress has been remarkable. Tohru Ukawa, meanwhile, steadily improved on his times from the first day of qualification, but will start the race tomorrow from the third row of the grid since the first thirteen riders are separated by only one second, thus demonstrating the competitiveness of the race which looks as though it will be run in fine weather.

1st Max Bi