From a press release issued by Frank Angel:

BARNES FINISHES NINTH IN LAGUNA SUPERBIKE ROUND

Monterey, CA – Michael Barnes rode the Prieto Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a ninth place finish at the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. From twelfth place on the grid, Barnes immediately moved up to tenth position on the start, maintaining that position through the first half of the race. On lap fifteen, Barnes moved up to ninth, his eventual finishing position.

Barnes had been dragging his shift lever most of the race, and on lap twenty-three the lever gave up the fight, breaking off and falling into the belly pan. With some effort Michael was able to shift into fourth gear, and rode the last six laps of the race without a gear change.

Michael was once again the top Superbike finisher on Pirelli tires. “As I said before, the Pirellis have been absolutely fantastic all season. I can’t say enough good things about the confidence that they’ve been providing, they were so consistent from the start of the race to the finish that I couldn’t ask for more”, said Barnes.

Michael and Prieto Racing look forward to the next AMA Superbike round at Mid-Ohio.


More, from a press release issued by American Honda:

AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Series
Round 12: Monterey, California
July 12, 2003

Red Riders experience rough seas in Monterey

With over half of the 28-lap Laguna Seca Raceway Honda Superbike Classic in the books, it appeared that Erion Racing Honda’s Kurtis Roberts was a shoe-in for at least a runner-up finish in the premier AMA event. Starting from the second position on the front row, Roberts spent the opening laps in fifth place challenging Honda’s Ben Bostrom. The battle amongst teammates was classic, and Roberts eventually came out on top of the all-Honda RC51 scuffle for fourth place. After overtaking Bostrom, Roberts went on a charge that didn’t stop until the young Northern Californian reached second place. From there he spent several laps trying to minimize the lead of eventual race winner Mat Mladin, but on lap 24 Roberts was forced to pit row after his rear tire spun on the rim, causing a severe vibration.

“The rear tire started spinning on the rim,” explained a disappointed Roberts, who up until that point was bidding for his seventh podium finish in 12 Superbike rounds. After the tire change Roberts mitigated his damages by re-entering the racetrack and completing the final few laps to finish 11th. The disappointing result was still good enough for Roberts to maintain his fourth place standing in the points race.

Roberts wasn’t the only Honda rider to have tire difficulties. Bostrom, who has enjoyed much success at Laguna Seca Raceway in the past, qualified for the Superbike Final on the second row and admitted to a struggle in finding his form during practice and qualifying. When it came time to race, Bostrom finally found his form, but he also found out that his rear tire did not hold up to the temperature of the extremely warm California racetrack.

“The bike was working great during the race, the best that I had ridden all weekend,” said Bostrom, who maintained fifth place for a majority of the event. “Unfortunately the tire went bad and it was causing the bike to hop around a lot. There wasn’t much we could do. The positive thing that came out of it is that we ended up with a good motorcycle. So good that I feel I could have been up front.”

With Roberts out of contention, Bostrom advanced one spot to fourth, where he eventually finished. Meanwhile, Honda Road Racing’s Miguel Duhamel, himself a past Superbike winner at Laguna Seca, was trying to advance the #17 RC51 ahead of its sixth place qualifying position.

“I struggled with my set up over the weekend,” said Duhamel of his four-day weekend in Monterey. “We were zigging when we should have been zagging, but I take responsibility for that since I’m the guy that tells the crew what I want and they just try to give it to me. Unfortunately we couldn’t find the set-up we needed.

“We were up there for a few laps with Kurtis and Ben,” continued Duhamel, “but then it just got too dangerous to keep that pace with my set-up. I brought it home in sixth, got us some points and I’m looking forward to improving on that throughout the rest of the season.”

There’s no doubt that Duhamel, Roberts and Bostrom will all improve their results when the Red Riders head to Lexington, Ohio on July 25-27 for round 13 of the AMA/Chevy Trucks Superbike Series.


AMA/Pro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport Series
Round 8: Monterey, California
July 12, 2003

Zemke red hot at Laguna Seca

The Honda Superbike Classic dawned with a sea of Red Riders entered in the eighth round of the AMA/Pro Honda Oils 600cc Supersport Series at Laguna Seca Raceway. In addition to the Honda CBR600RR-mounted series regulars such as Miguel Duhamel, Jake Zemke, Roger Hayden, Alex Gobert and Marty Craggill, full-time Superbike racers Ben Bostrom and Kurtis Roberts stacked the Supersport class in support of the Honda-sponsored race weekend. Regardless of their presence, it was Zemke, not only a Supersport regular but also a class favorite, who headed the Red Rider effort. The 27-year old from nearby Paso Robles, California finished the 17-lap race in second place.

Zemke qualified for Friday’s Supersport race in the third position on the front row and his stellar spot on the grid, no doubt aided his first-turn holeshot to Laguna Seca’s famed Andretti Hairpin; both times. Before the 42-man field could complete a lap around the 2.238-mile circuit, a down rider forced a red flag and the event was restarted. The restart was no problem for Zemke, who again pulled ahead of the pack, but not every Red Rider was able to duplicate the results of their original start.

Bruce Transportation Honda’s Marty Craggill jumped the restart and was assigned a stop- and-go penalty, which prevented him from finishing better than 17th. Duhamel did the opposite of Craggill, not reacting quick enough to the restart.

“I really messed up the second start and then I got pinched out on the top of the hill (going into turn one),” said Duhamel, who qualified seventh and started well within the top ten before the restart. “I was 15th on the first lap.”

Duhamel, a three-time winner of the Supersport class at Laguna Seca since 1995, weaved his way through traffic to a seventh place finish behind teammate Bostrom. Bostrom too had to deal with the extra effort of advancing around traffic when the 29-year old failed to qualify better than eleventh. Combined with a tenth place start and the fact that he hasn’t raced a CBR600RR since the series kick-off in Daytona, Bostrom got caught behind a train of slower riders, forcing some scary moments at times.

“I ran off the track trying to pass them,” said Bostrom of his brief moment in the dirt. “Then I had to come back by all the guys that passed me. At that point it was too late to make anything happen.”

The youngest member of Erion Racing, 19-year old Gobert was slowed in the same group of riders as Bostrom. Once he was clear of the group, Gobert raced to a tenth place finish, which boosted Gobert to third place in the series points standings.

Ahead of Bostrom and Gobert, Erion Honda’s Zemke, Roberts and Hayden were making things happen. Zemke unfortunately lost his lead, but was defending second place valiantly. Meanwhile, Hayden silently lurked behind the lines waiting to pounce. As it turns out he capitalized from many of his competitors misfortunes, including one from his teammate Roberts. Roberts used the restart to get an eighth place start and then used the first four laps of the race to move to fifth place. Unfortunately Roberts’ charge would go no further than lap five.

“I leaned my bike over so far that I bounced the engine case on the ground,” said Roberts. “That lifted the bike off the ground and that’s never good.”

Luckily Roberts survived the ugly crash unscathed and headed back to the paddock to prepare for Saturday’s Superbike Final. Hayden hung in for the long haul and finished fifth, his best result since placing runner-up at a rain-soaked Road America circuit in early June.

The nail-biting race for second place came down to the final lap. Zemke, Damon Buckmaster and Ben Spies headed out on the 17th lap in a tight enough formation to throw a blanket over the trio. After completing the 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit and crossing the uphill sloped finish line Zemke and Spies put some breathing room on Buckmaster, but not between themselves. Zemke’s CBR600RR won the drag race for second place by 0.416-seconds. The result marked Zemke’s best Supersport finish in the series thus far, which has been full of ups and downs for the approachable racer.

As the series heads east to Lexington, Ohio’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 25-27, Zemke hopes to improve his round eight results by one step up on the podium, and he hopes to take a sea of Red Riders with him.


AMA/Chevy Trucks Formula Xtreme Series
Round 9: Monterey, California
July 13, 2003

Hayden just misses Formula Xtreme podium

Nestled within a hidden alcove in the oak-studded rolling hills of the Monterey Peninsula, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca basks in a storybook kind of setting immortalized by author John Steinbeck. However, like many things beautiful, Laguna Seca holds hazards and challenges aplenty beneath a skin-deep veneer. Undulating through the California countryside, the tight and technical track proved to be the undoing of many riders in the AMA Formula Xtreme race, as Erion Honda’s Roger Hayden battled to fourth, just off the podium, and Jake Zemke netted a seventh-place finish.

At the start, Ben Spies garnered the holeshot, with a thick knot of riders pressing right behind. As the running order sorted out, Zemke and Bruce Transportation Racing’s Marty Craggill found themselves in sixth and seventh place respectively, with Hayden close behind in tenth. Zemke began a ferocious charge to the front of the pack, taking over second place in convincing style on lap two. By the close of the next lap, Craggill took charge of fourth place, with Hayden trailing right behind in sixth.

But just as the three-man Honda brigade seemed poised to solidify their gains, things came unraveled. As Craggill pitched left and downhill into Laguna’s breathtakingly spectacular and justly notorious Corkscrew, a trailing rider centerpunched Marty’s rear wheel from behind, sending both riders tumbling to the tarmac. “I have no idea what that guy was doing,” Marty said later as he was having ice packs taped to his banged-up left wrist. “He didn’t offer any explanations or apologies.”

Double trouble struck the Red Riders on the same lap when AMA officials flagged Zemke for a stop-and-go penalty for jumping the start. The enforced delay relegated the number 98 bike to seventh place, which Zemke maintained all the way to the checkered flag.

The quick attrition left Hayden as the sole Honda front-runner, and he was engaged in a three-man battle for fourth place. The right to lead this group see-sawed back and forth a few times before Roger took over fourth place for keeps on lap 13 of the 17-lap race. “I felt pretty good towards the end of the race,” young Hayden recounted after the race. “I felt like I was getting faster during those last three laps. We got into some lapped traffic, and with one guy, Josh Hayes went inside and I went wide, which turned out to be the better way around the lapper. Then I used some more lappers to pull out a little gap, and it all worked out pretty good, at least good enough to give me a fourth-place finish.

“I’ve been working on smoothing out my riding style, and it’s been paying off pretty well. This is a good result, and now I want to build on my momentum and get on the podium at the next race.”


And now a question from a reader, via e-mail:

What’s the deal with tires spinning on the rims in AMA Superbike? I understand that the engines are powerfull, but MotoGP engines are even more, and I haven’t heard of this issue with them. One episode was blamed on hitting a curb. What about the others?

Andrew M. Cross, Jr.
Lexington, Kentucky


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

TREMENDOUS FIFTH FOR GREGORIO

Team Suzuki Press Office 14th July 2003.

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla took an extremely hard-fought-for fifth in the second race after a hard and painful crash in race one. The Spaniard was highsided at one of the fastest parts of the course and badly bruised his right hip (the one he broke in Monza a couple of years ago), right foot and hand and had difficulty in walking after the crash. Nevertheless he started the second race and amazingly got up into third place before he ran out of strength. He continued to fight for a podium, but could not prevent being overtaken by Chris Walker (Ducati) and Regis Laconi (Ducati) in the final part of the race. The first race was won by Italian Frankie Chili (Ducati) after Ruben Xaus (Ducati) and Regis Laconi crashed out. Second was series leader Neil Hodgson (Ducati), with young Briton James Toseland (Ducati) third. Ruben Xaus took command after just three laps and from then on in; he was never headed on the way to the chequered flag. Second was his team mate Hodgson, with Chris Walker (Ducati) third.

GREGORIO LAVILLA Race 1: DNF Race 2: 5th
I was so determined to get a result in the second race after my crash in the first. Nothing was going to stop me from a finish and although I was in third position for a while, I knew I couldn’t keep Walker and Laconi behind me. At the end of the race, I was dead! I hurt my right hip, foot and hand and gave myself a good battering all over. Because of this, I couldn’t move around on the bike like I wanted to. And Laguna Seca is a very physical circuit and you need to move around a lot. Because my number one was badly damaged in the first race crash, I had to use my spare bike and it was a bit different, so all in all I am pretty happy with such a good finish. In the first race, I had made a really good start (in the second start) and was comfortable in third place. But the bike was losing grip almost from the beginning ­ I had never ridden a bike quite like it ­ as it was spinning everywhere. Maybe we should’ve changed the rear tyre after the race was red-flagged on the first lap. Maybe the change of temperature affected it more then we realised. But I highsided and that was the end of the race for me. ­ A real pity because I was confident of a good result.

Yoshimura Suzuki USA rider Mat Mladin led the first race for six laps and looked a podium contender, but faded a little and ended up fourth. His team mate Aaron Yates was involved in the first lap five ­rider pile-up, but made the re-start and finished sixth. Mladin did not start the second race (under the weather and unable to give 100% -according to the Yoshimura Suzuki USA press release). Aaron Yates was in fourth place in race two, but crashed out of contention at the last corner after 24 laps.


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

2003 World Superbike Championship
Round 8, Laguna Seca, Usa, Sunday 13th July 2003
Crowd: 92,000 (3-day figure), Weather: Dry, mostly sunny 24 Deg C.

FRUSTRATION FOR TROY
Troy had a frustrating day at Laguna Seca, ending with a DNF in the second race after a hard-fought-for eighth in the first. Laguna Seca was always going to be a difficult track for Troy and the Petronas FP1, but after the first race, Troy was thinking of another top eight finish in the second. But a broken spark plug cap ruined Troy’s chances of a pair of good finishes and left him thinking of what could’ve been. Troy made a good start in race one, but was then involved in a five-rider melee at turn one and was forced to take to the gravel trap. His Petronas stalled and Troy appeared to be out of the race, but the red flag was put out and Troy was able to make the re-start. He rode consistently in the re-start and ended up eighth. Italian Frankie Chili (Ducati) won the 28-lapper after race leaders Ruben Xaus (Ducati) and Regis Laconi (Ducati) crashed out. Second was series leader Neil Hodgson (Ducati), with James Toseland (Ducati) third.

Troy made a good start in the second race, but his Petronas FP1 started running hot after about three or four laps. He tried to carry on, but when the bike went onto two cylinders he knew his race was over, so he pulled into the pits to avoid further damage. Ruben Xaus won the race, after taking command after three laps, with team mate Hodgson second and Chris Walker (third).

TROY Race 1: 8th Race 2: DNF
I feel a bit frustrated because I really thought I could leave here with a pair of top eight finishes and that would’ve been a good result considering qualifying. I suppose I was fortunate that the first race was red-flagged because that would’ve been a no-score otherwise. I had nowhere to go in the pile-up, but I kept the bike upright and went into the gravel. The bike stalled and I couldn’t get it started again, so it’s just as well there was a re-start. The gear lever had to be replaced because it was so badly bent, but that was all. The tyres worked consistently, but I was losing the back end running into corners, so it took me a few laps to change my lines and adapt. I got a good start in race two and overtook a few riders into turn one, but it wasn’t long – maybe three or four laps – that the temperature gauge began moving erratically. The water temperature went up to about 115 C and some of it sprayed over me, but I wanted to keep going. The suddenly the bike went onto two cylinders and slowed dramatically, so I had no choice but to pull in. It was a shame because I’m sure I could’ve had another top eight finish.



More, from a press release issued by Yoyodyne:

Bravo Frankie, Bravo!

Morristown, – Marvic and Yoyodyne congratulate Pier Francesco Chili on his Superbike win at Laguna Seca. Frankie’s Ducati, equipped with Marvic Piuma magnesium wheels, finished ahead of the nearest competitor in the race by 3.06 seconds.

With this win, Marvic now has wins in World Championship 125cc, 250cc and Superbike racing. In the US, Marvic recently added wins in Prostar Drag racing.

In order to celebrate this World Superbike win, Yoyodyne will include $306 worth of Carbon Fiber or Rearsets with every set of Marvic Magnesium wheels purchased now through the end of July.

About Marvic and Yoyodyne. Marvic is Italy’s oldest manufacturer of Magnesium racing wheels. Wheels are produced for motorcycles ranging from 125cc GP bikes to Big Bore Drag bikes. Yoyodyne is the North American agent for Marvic, as well as a manufacturer/distributor of motorcycle racing products.


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

CORONA EXTRA SUZUKI SHINES AT LAGUNA SECA AMA AND WORLD SUPERBIKE EVENT

In front of the world Superbike Series media and an estimated 90,000 fans, Corona Extra Suzuki rider Adam Fergusson put both of his GSXR race bikes on the podium at a beautifully sunny Laguna Seca this weekend. The Team was without the services of Jimmy Moore who is recovering from injuries sustained at the last event in Brainerd.

In the Formula Extreme race, Fergusson, starting from number two on the grid, got a good start, settling into third spot after the first lap. The three leaders quickly opened a gap on the rest of the field. Second place Jake Zemke had jumped the start and had to pull in for a stop-go penalty which he did on lap three leaving Adam in second but with a fair deficit to make up on the leader Ben Spies. Though he started to close the gap Fergusson just was not able to make a challenge by the finish. A clearly happy Fergusson said; ” I didn’t try too hard to get by Jake (Zemke) because I saw the meatball flag for him (which tells the rider they have a penalty) so knew he was going to pull in. But by the time he did Ben (Spies) had just too big a gap on me. Still I am very pleased to put the GSXR1000 on the box and make it a 1,2,3 for Suzuki!” Fergusson remains 5th in the Formula Extreme championship but is now tied for points with fourth place Zemke. Moore is 11th.

The sunny weather also shone on Jordan Szoke in the Superbike event where Jordan got his best result of the season – 7th. Szoke, who qualified 9th, got a good start and started mixing it up with a number of riders. He passed four or five then set out on a lonely quest for the next, but they had already got away. Jordan said; “I worked my through a bunch of guys but by the time I got clear I couldn’t see the guy in front so I settled down to ride my own race”. Szoke is currently 11th in the Superbike championship.

In the Superstock event, Fergusson qualified in third and after a good start quickly worked up to second. He held second until lap 10 when a number of front-end slides slowed him down and costing him the position. He settled down into a rhythm and rode to the finish well clear of fourth. Fergusson said; “After about 10 laps the front end started sliding slowing my corner speed. After Tommy (Hayden) got passed I tried to hang with him but kept losing the front end so decided that third was OK rather then falling off trying for second!” Fergusson is 4th in the Suzuki Genuine Accessories Superstock championship. Moore is 10th.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The following is the contract status of various AMA road racers in America as of Sunday, July 13. The status of each rider listed here has been been confirmed by the rider, their personal manager or their current team manager.


Riders Who Are Now (Or Were) On Honda Teams
Miguel Duhamel – available
Ben Bostrom – options with Honda for 2004
Kurtis Roberts – available
Jake Zemke – signed with Honda through 2004
Roger Lee Hayden – available
Alex Gobert – available
Marty Craggill – available
Craig Connell – available
Ty Howard – available
Chris Rankin – available
Jason Curtis – available
Lance Isaacs – available
Doug Chandler – available


Riders Who Are Now (Or Were) On Suzuki Teams
Mat Mladin – signed with Suzuki through 2005
Aaron Yates – available
Ben Spies – options with Suzuki for 2004
Jamie Stauffer – available
Steve Rapp – available
Chris Ulrich – available
Matt Furtek – multi-year options with Valvoline EMGO Suzuki
Jordan Szoke – available
Adam Fergusson – available
Jimmy Moore – available
Jason Pridmore – available
Josh Hayes – available
Mike Ciccotto – unknown
Vincent Haskovec – available
Lee Acree – available


Riders Who Are Now On Yamaha Teams
Damon Buckmaster – signed with Yamaha through 2004
Jamie Hacking – available
Aaron Gobert – available
Jason DiSalvo – options with Yamaha for 2004
Matt Wait – available
Mike Hale – available


Riders Who Are Now On Kawasaki Teams
Eric Bostrom – signed with Kawasaki through 2004
Tommy Hayden – available
Tony Meiring – signed with Kawasaki through 2004


Riders Who Are Now (Or Were) On Ducati Teams
Giovanni Bussei – available
Larry Pegram – available
Anthony Gobert – available

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom got the worst of the first-lap, turn-two, five-rider pile-up in the first World Superbike race at Laguna Seca Sunday, but the AMA Superbike Championship hopeful says his injuries are actually minor, despite the ominous information released by the Laguna Seca press office shortly after the crash.

“I banged up my shoulder and my back, but I’ll be alright. Just take it easy for a couple of weeks and get ready for Mid-Ohio,” Bostrom said Sunday evening while sitting in the Kawasaki transporter with his right arm in a sling.

Bostrom suffered a dislocated right shoulder in the incident, but the shoulder was relocated into its socket in the medical center at Laguna Seca. Although he has no broken bones, Bostrom plans to visit famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting Monday for an MRI scan “to be safe.”

Originally, Bostrom said he did not have a good chance to do well in the World Superbike races on his less powerful 750cc machine, but those feelings changed during Sunday morning warm-up at Laguna Seca. “We made a lot of really good changes to the bike that I wish we would’ve known about yesterday,” said Bostrom. “I felt like we had a bike that could run 1:26s for a long time. I’m disappointed.”

Update: At about 1:15 p.m. Monday, Bostrom was undergoing an MRI at Dr. Art Ting’s office in Fremont, California.

Chris Ulrich underwent an MRI at Dr. Ting’s office Monday morning and was awaiting analysis of the MRI when Bostrom arrived for his MRI.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz was back in action in the inaugural AMA Red Bull Supermoto event at Laguna Seca, racing his Yoshimura Suzuki DR-Z400 for the first time since breaking his left hand when he crashed in a Super TT race at Fontana, California in April.

Asked if his left hand was 100 percent, Schwantz said, “It hasn’t been 100 percent for 15 years.”

Schwantz did not make the AMA Supermoto main event at Laguna Seca; he crashed in his heat race (and was credited with getting 16th while the top five transferred) and was taken out and eventually finished fifth in his semi (while the top two transferred).

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Three-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin drew the names of 16 winners in the 2003 Roadracing World Reader Survey contest on Saturday evening at Laguna Seca.

The contest featured 16 prizes, including rearsets from GP Tech, fork valves and springs installed by Traxxion Dynamics, an Arai Corsair helmet, a Wiseco road race piston kit, a Flo-Commander carb kit from Performance Design, a Tourmaster Cortech GX riding suit, Daytona Evo Sports boots from Helimot, a set of Pirelli Diablo tires, a set of Metzeler Sportec tires, Champion Equipment front and rear stands from BRP, a Helimot TLV back protector, a case of Motul oil, a Teknic jacket from KWS, a set of Michelin Pilot Race 2 tires and a 2003 Suzuki SV650S.

The names of the contest winners will be announced after they are notified by phone. Assuming they return the messages we left.

Except for one prize winner from Charlotte, North Carolina, who did not include his phone number on his survey form but who lives on Marbury Road. He should call us, at 909-245-6411.

A total of 2219 readers–1725 subscribers and 494 newsstand buyers–returned survey forms and entered the contest.

The odds of winning a prize were about 1 in 139.

Stay tuned.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc GP Race Results:

1. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 27 laps, 42:58.011
2. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, -0.269 second
3. Anthony West, Aprilia, -2.558 seconds
4. Toni Elias, Aprilia, -2.933 seconds
5. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, -2.934 seconds
6. Sebastian Porto, Honda, -25.030 seconds
7. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, -27.663 seconds
8. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, -31.591 seconds
9. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, -50.348 seconds
10. Alex Debon, Honda, -53.337 seconds
11. Jay Vincent, Aprilia, -58.098 seconds
12. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, -60.050 seconds
13. Chas Davies, Aprilia, -60.250 seconds
14. Jakub Smrz, Honda, -70.355 seconds
15. Dirk Heidolf, Aprilia, -71.666 seconds

19. Katja Poensgen, Honda, -1 lap
20. Joan Olive, Aprilia, -8 laps, DNF, crash
21. Erwan Nigon, Aprilia, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical

23. Johan Stigefelt, Aprilia, -19 laps, DNF, mechanical

27. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, -26 laps, DNF, crash


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

A WORTHY SECOND POSITION

Manuel Poggiali achieved a worthy second place behind Fonsi Nieto and maintaining the lead of the standing. Now Poggiali has got 15 points of advantage from Nieto. The race was very hard fought with three riders in the head group fighting for the victory: Elias, Poggiali and Nieto who took the lead of the race during the 20th lap. But Manuel kept on pushing hard in order to overtake the Spanish rider. But Fonsi was too determined and the San Marino rider got the second position. Moreover Manuel achieved the fastest lap today.

Manuel Poggiali: “My race has not been perfect because of the mistakes made in the practices. The three crashes got off to much time and the chassis setting of my bike was not at 100%: I had problems in the rear above all. In these conditions I was unable to do better that’s why I feel satisfied about my second position. My half-season has been very positive and I did not expect to lead the standing. Anyway my objective is not the world title but the experience. I still need to learn many things on different circuits that I have never tested with a 250 bike like Donington. Now I am the reference rider for this class but I just want to improve my riding avoiding any stupid mistake. The team is helping me and I want to thank Aprilia for this great opportunity. Congratulations to Nieto: he was very fast today”.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The start of the first World Superbike race at Laguna Seca Raceway was aborted after a multi-bike crash in turn two on the first lap.

The chain-reaction crash was set off when Yoshimura Suzuki’s Aaron Yates crashed on the inside of the track at the entrance of the corner. Yates’ sliding GSX-R1000 knocked down Pierfrancesco Chili and Eric Bostrom. Neil Hodgson fell over on top of the other bikes, and Troy Corser stalled his Foggy Petronas FP1 trying to avoid the incident and his bike had to be trucked back to the pits.

Yates told officials he thought he hit something on the track, but television replays of the incident show that Yates may have been squeezed up on the inside curbing, causing him to crash.

All riders made the re-start except for Eric Bostrom, who, according to a Laguna Seca spokesman, is being treated for a dislocated right shoulder and a thorax compression, which caused him to have difficulty breathing.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

125cc Race Results:

1. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 25 laps, 41:25.907
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, -0.605 second
3. Stefano Perugini, Aprilia, -2.597 seconds
4. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, -9.170 seconds
5. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, -11.692 seconds
6. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, -15.898 seconds
7. Mika Kallio, Honda, -21.004 seconds
8. Arnaud Vincent, KTM, -21.756 seconds
9. Gabor Talmacsi, Aprilia, -22.212 seconds
10. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, -23.642 seconds
11. Mirko Giansanti, Aprilia, -23.812 seconds
12. Gioele Pellino, Aprilia, -34.153 seconds
13. Masao Azuma, Honda, -35.552 seconds
14. Alvaro Bautista, Aprilia, -35.873 seconds
15. Mike Di Meglio, Aprilia, -36.203 seconds

27. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, -1 lap, DNF
28. Emilio Alzamora, Derbi, -1 lap, DNF
29. Roberto Locatelli, KTM, -3 laps, DNF

31. Youichi Ui, Aprilia, -20 laps, DNF

33. Max Sabbatani, Aprilia, -24 laps, DNF
34. Jorge Lorenze, Derbi, -24 laps, DNF

37. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, -25 laps, DNF


More, from a press release issued by KTM:

Vincent Eighth: Best Result for New KTM-Red Bull Team

The KTM-Red Bull team scored the best result of their debut season with Arnaud Vincent finishing eighth in a crash-strewn British 125cc Grand Prix. The race was watched by a near capacity crowd of 72,000 spectators at a sun-drenched Donington circuit.

The result is a mid-season boost for the KTM team which has worked to develop a new grand prix machine during the racing season without the benefit of any pre-season testing. While Vincent and the team celebrated there was no joy for Italian teammate Roberto Locatelli whose biked stopped with engine problems while in 19th position with three laps remaining. Reigning world champion Vincent started 17th and was 12th on lap one before settling into a smooth race rhythm. He was tenth midway through the 25 lap race and just failed in his bid to overtake Mika Kallio for seventh place on the final lap. Qualifying had been difficult for both KTM riders and Vincent’s eighth place a reward for hard work by everyone in the KTM squad.

#1 Arnaud Vincent
8th

I’m happy for this result as it has allowed me to show that I’m still a good rider, especially after the problems in qualifying. On the final lap I thought I had a chance to overtake Kallio but I was baulked by a lapped rider . I knew this track would be good for the KTM because it is not as fast as recent circuits we have raced at. The chassis balance was excellent today and we know we need more engine performance for the faster tracks in the second half of the season but this is a good motivation to take another step forward after the summer break.

#10 Roberto Locatelli
DNF

The rear wheel locked up and I had to grab the clutch, I don’t know why, it just stopped suddenly. This hasn’t been a good weekend for me with a poor qualifying and in the race I didn’t find a comfortable pace before the bike stopped.

Harald Bartol
Team Manager

After the way qualifying went for us this is a very satisfying result and I’m happy for Arnaud, he did a lot of consistent laps and raced strongly. It is never easy to race and develop a new bike at the same time and this result is something positive for us.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning Practice Times:

MotoGP:

1. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:31.123
2. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:31.310
3. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:31.445
4. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:31.503
5. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:31.635
6. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:31.907
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:31.938
8. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:31.982
9. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:32.029
10. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:32.089
11. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:32.168
12. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:32.192
13. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:32.212
14. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 1:33.196
15. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:33.368
16. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:33.451
17. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:33.756
18. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:34.105
19. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:34.314
20. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:34.686
21. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:34.783
22. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:34.895
23. Chris Burns, ROC Yamaha, 1:36.518
24. David De Gea, Sabre, 1:37.115


250cc:

1. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, 1:35.171
2. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:35.175
3. Anthony West, Aprilia, 1:35.193
4. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:35.577
5. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:35.626
6. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:35.733
7. Sebastian Porto, Honda, 1:36.066
8. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, 1:36.443
9. Joan Olive, Aprilia, 1:36.490
10. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:36.706
11. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:36.712
12. Jakub Srmz, Honda, 1:36.725
13. Jay Vincent, Aprilia, 1:36.727
14. Alex Debon, Honda, 1:36.791
15. Hugo Marchand, Aprilia, 1:36.956

125cc:

1. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:38.843
2. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:38.854
3. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 1:38.855
4. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 1:39.081
5. Simone Corsi, Honda, 1:39.086
6. Gioele Pellino, Aprilia, 1:39.134
7. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:39.256
8. Thomas Luthi, Honda, 1:39.455
9. Mika Kallio, Honda, 1:39.562
10. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 1:39.563
11. Mirko Giansanti, Aprilia, 1:39.578
12. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 1:39.597
13. Alvaro Bautista, Aprilia, 1:39.630
14. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 1:39.637
15. Youichi Ui, Aprilia, 1:39.702

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Repsol Honda’s Valentino Rossi was the first rider across the finish line in Sunday’s MotoGP race at Donington Park in England, but the defending Champion was penalized 10 seconds for passing under a waving yellow flag during the 30-lap race. The race win was awarded to Biaggi, who originally took second, several seconds behind Rossi.

Rossi’s penalty promoted Sete Gibernau to second.

Rossi was scored as finishing third.


MotoGP Race Results:

1. Max Biaggi, Honda, 30 laps, 46:06.688
2. Sete Gibernau, Honda, -7.138 seconds
3. Valentino Rossi, Honda, -8.794 seconds
4. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -13.041 seconds
5. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, -16.269 seconds
6. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, -27.065 seconds
7. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, -27.662 seconds
8. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -32.012 seconds
9. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, -34.799 seconds
10. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, -35.001 seconds
11. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -48.165 seconds
12. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, -60.423 seconds
13. Makoto Tamada, Honda, -66.160 seconds
14. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, -74.866 seconds
15. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, -90.291 seconds
16. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, -1 lap
17. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, -1 lap
18. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, -12 laps, DNF, crash
19. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, -17 laps, DNF, mechanical
20. David De Gea, Sabre, -21 laps, DNF, mechanical
21. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, -26 laps, DNF, crash
22. Chris Burns, ROC Yamaha, -29 laps, DNF, crash
23. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, -30 laps, DNF, crash
24. Alex Barros, Yamaha, DNS


MotoGP World Championship Point Standings:

1. Rossi, 167 points
2. Gibernau, 133 points
3. Biaggi, 130 points
4. Capirossi, 84 points
5. Bayliss, 64 points
6. Barros, 62 points
7. Checa, 57 points
8. Ukawa, 56 points
9. Nakano, 54 points
10. Hayden, 46 points
11. Jacque, 43 points
12. Edwards, 40 points
13. Tamada, 37 points
14. Haga, 30 points
15. Hopkins, 22 points


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

HOPKINS SCORES SECOND-BEST FINISH OF THE SEASON AT BRITISH GRAND PRIX

DONINGTON PARK, England (July 13, 2003) – Suzuki’s John Hopkins scored his second-best result of the 2003 Motorcycle Grand Prix season by finishing 11th at the British Grand Prix at Donington Park on Sunday. Hopkins raced in front of 72,000 British racing fans, many of who cheered for the American with deep British roots.

Hopkins, who started 15th on the grid, darted his way into the top-10 early in the race on the factory Suzuki GSV-R. He battled back and forth in the race and ran as high as 10th and as far back as 12th during the 30-lap race. In the end Hopkins finished 11th, about 13 seconds behind the battle for ninth between Shinya Nakano and fellow American Colin Edwards. Defending World Champion Valentino Rossi won the race on a Honda. Hopkins’ Suzuki teammate Yukio Kagayama finished 12th.

“I got out right away with a good launch,” said Hopkins, who moved up four positions on the first lap. “I just barely made it through a little gap between Nakano and Ukawa right at the start. I almost got sandwiched. That might have been pretty ugly if I didn’t make it. I had a decent run early and hung with a group that included Nicky (Hayden), Colin (Edwards) and Olivier Jacque for nearly half the race.

“It felt good to run in the top 10. We sort of knew that would be possible, but we also knew that it would be important to make a good showing early before the tires went off. It was warm and not a cloud in the sky, which is unusual for Britain, and predictably the tires went off and it was difficult to do anything but hold my position late in the race. I lost touch of the group in front of me and finished pretty much by myself.”

Hopkins added that the team found a good base setting in England and hoped that they could build from that in the next few rounds.

Hopkins scored five points Sunday and moved up one position to 15th in the world championship standings at mid-season. The second half of the 2003 campaign begins in two weeks at the German Grand Prix in at the Sachsenring.


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

BRITISH GRAND PRIX/RACE

Donington – Spectacular and hard-closed race for both Aprilia RS Cube bikes of Alice Aprilia Racing Team. A good performance on the british track for Colin and Nori getting the top ten although some strange mishaps.. Anyway the good result did not brake the hard work of the team: in fact the whole team the riders and the bikes are going to test in Brno next week in order to develop the Italian three cylinders bike.

COLIN EDWARDS: “This was a very difficult race! During the start I had a small problem with the clutch then another rider touched me and I had a bad collision with Ukawa’s bike (Colin’s fairing is the proof of the collision). So I decided to start my recover overtaking Hopkins, Hayden and Jacque easily. When I passed the French Yamaha Rider I beat the my right knee against the white line loosing the slider. Then I have been forced to change my riding: in the left corners I normally used the knee but in the right corners I was unable to touch the asphalt. The problem is that there are only 3 left corners here!”

NORIYUKI HAGA: “I am happy to end a difficult race with a high temperature and 30 laps. It was not easy because after 5 laps the beads of sweat were going down into my eyes and the visibility was not perfect. I did not make a correct start but I was very determined in the first corner achieving many positions. I enjoyed the fight with Hayden very much: firstly I studied his trajectories and then I passed him. I thought to make the same thing with Checa but my rear tyre was almost finished so I preferred to avoid any stupid mistake. For sure I made some exciting slides but its better to keep the wheels glued to the surface”.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “It was a positive race with a difficult start: in the warm up session we had a technical problem in the clutch so Colin used the bike no. 2. The one with the “old” chassis. We used the tested material for both riders even if they decided to get different tyres for the race. Colin lost the slider and he was not able to ride as he likes whilst Haga has been simply great. In any case we got a good result on this track that is not so suitable to our bikes”.


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

DISAPPOINTING ‘HOME’ GRAND PRIX FOR FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM-MATES

After an ultimately close combined qualifying session for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park, with only one second covering the top 13 contenders, expectations were already high for a close MotoGP main event today. Yet despite an initially promising opening few laps into the race, both Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri ended their dopted ‘home’ Grand Prix disappointed – the former riding a lonely race outside the top five, while 20-year-old Melandri crashed out of contention.

Checa, who qualified fifth for today’s race, timed the lights well and leapt off the grid for a solid run into turn one. His charge was unfortunately interrupted when his team-mate Melandri tumbled on lap five and Checa swerved to avoid hitting him. By mid-race distance the Spaniard was unable to mount any serious challenge for a podium result and was left languishing back in a lonely sixth place. The 30-year-old also suffered from a lack of grip from the notoriously slippery Donington circuit.

“My start was good and I was able to follow the top group,” said Checa. “Then Marco had an unfortunate fall, which broke my pace. I kept pushing and then lost stability with the rear, which was difficult to manage. Towards the end of the race I’d got used to it and I kept a constant pace but I was hoping for a better race pace consistency. At the moment this problem with the rear is my weakest area so now it is my target to improve that and to maintain a good pace throughout the following races.”

It was further frustration for MotoGP rookie Marco Melandri who began today brimming with confidence, following his best ever qualifying performance in the premier class. The Fortuna Yamaha rider started from third place and just 0.186 seconds shy of pole, only to end the day prematurely. The 250cc World Champion said he felt more comfortable on his 220-plus horsepower YZR-M1 in qualifying at Donington Park than he had all season, and was looking forward to challenging for a podium place in the 30-lap race, when the weekend took a turn for the worse on lap five.

Melandri, who won the 250cc race here last year, launched off the line like a veteran, entering turn one fourth before taking third only a few corners further on. The 20-year-old then remained in the top four as the lead group pulled away from the competition, then misfortune struck when Melandri lost the front of his machine entering Fogarty Esses. The Honda trio of Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau then broke away from the pack even further and finished the race first, second and third respectively.

“I made a little mistake on the fifth lap,” said the Ravenna-born rider. “I had a bit of a problem when I rode with a full tank because it seemed to unsettle the rear of the bike. I braked a bit too late, maybe, and I think that the front may have touched the white line. I’m so sad because I was going so fast and really thought that I might have a chance. What can I say – I’m so sad. Though at least I can see that I have the capability of doing very well in a race.”

Team Director Davide Brivio had this to say following the race: “Carlos tried his best – sixth position is at least a chance to get points. It’s been three races now that he’s fought in the top group so we’ve improved since the start of the year.

“It’s a big shame for Marco, but I think overall a positive weekend for him because he had a front row start and was up with the top riders in the first few laps. I think he could have stayed with Sete. Marco crashed because of a small mistake, not because he was pushing too hard. He could have kept the same pace and that’s a positive notion for us to take away. We know he has great potential and for sure another opportunity will come.”


More, from a second press release from Fortuna Yamaha:

BRITISH GRAND PRIX RESULTS CHANGED DUE TO ROSSI OVERTAKE ON YELLOW FLAG

The MotoGP Race Direction has chosen to impose a penalty of 10 seconds to Valentino Rossi for overtaking under yellow flags during the race. He made the manoeuvre after fellow Honda rider Tohru Ukawa had fallen in the first lap and the yellow flags were out. Please find below the revised race classification and revised championship standings.


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

Makoto Tamada: thirteenth at Donington Park

Makoto Tamada finished the weekend in England in thirteenth place after a race that revealed some of the difficulties he had encountered during the three days at Donington. The temperature today was higher than yesterday and the day before and this influenced the choice of tyres: a medium compound at the front and medium-hard at the rear. This meant that Makoto Tamada had good grip at the beginning of the race but, the rider stated afterwards, it proved not to have been quite so successful towards the end of the 30 laps. In any case, it was a good compromise after this weekend’s intense work, in which the Japanese rider tried to get to grips with the frame of his RC211V and with the new compounds that Bridgestone had prepared for this round of the championship.

Use of the new frame was postponed until some time in the near future and, in the very short time available, the technicians concentrated on finding the right geometry for the bike to give Tamada a better feeling at the front: something that is absolutely essential on the technical English circuit. In actual fact, the Japanese rider had not acquired sufficient self-assurance and was not able to attempt a comeback during the race.

There will be a test session this week on the Brno circuit and it should be an excellent opportunity for Makoto to work calmly on getting to know the new frame. Shinichi Itoh, the official Pramac Honda Team test rider will also be going to the Czech Republic to make his contribution towards the development of new Bridgestone materials.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 13th – 47:12.848

“I never managed to get the right feeling for the front of the bike during the last three days here in Donington. We worked on the settings and tried out a number of tyre solutions, but I didn’t get the confidence I needed to be competitive. Still, I’m not going lose my cool or try to cross my bridges before I come to them, and I’m looking forward to the tests in Brno – one by one, we’re going to be examining all the details I want to understand. I wasn’t able to be aggressive in the race precisely because I didn’t have the right feeling for the front of the bike, and that’s really important here, so the lack of grip I had in the closing stages of the race meant I could only maintain my position. But it’s not going to get me down and I’ll be concentrating all I can on the work that needs to be done.”


More, from a press release issued by Team KR:

Aoki 15th at Donington
Two-Stroke returns to points


Nobuatsu Aoki: 15th
Jeremy McWilliams: DNF – Retired

Team Proton KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki made a last-minute switch to the old 500cc two-stroke for today’s British GP after teething problems with the new 990cc four-stroke – and in spite of minimal set-up time he brought the machine home in 15th place, in the world championship points.

Team-mate Jeremy McWilliams also made the same decision, after problems with his preferred four-stroke in the morning. His set-up difficulties were compounded by gearshifting problems, however, and after battling near the back of the field he retired to the pits, the risks not worth the potential rewards.

This would have been the fourth race for the all-new V5 four-stroke, but the hectic schedule since it ran on a circuit for the first time only seven weeks ago meant that an accumulation of teething problems finally took its toll. The team is still awaiting a batch of redesigned crankshafts, to solve a string of earlier failures, and more problems in practice at Donington Park finally meant the back-up two-strokes would be brought out for one more race.

Aoki decided this morning not to risk a non-finish on the four-stroke and to switch back to the trusty Proton KR3 lightweight three-cylinder machine on which they started the season. Even though the bike was not at its best, he finished in the points.

McWilliams was keen to race the radical new 990cc V5 four-stroke, but another small problem in morning warm-up tipped the decision in favour of the two-stroke for him as well.

Today’s race attracted a record crowd of 72,000, enjoying baking sunshine at the parkland circuit outside Derby. The race was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi (Honda).

Footnote: Dire Straits lead guitarist and vocalist Mark Knoppfler was a guest of Proton Team KR today, and presented the manufacturers trophy after the race.

Nobuatsu Aoki
That was such a tough race. We had to use the set-up from last year, because I only had six or seven laps on the two-stroke yesterday. You really need that fine tuning … the tyres are different now, and the temperature and other things. I decided on the two-stroke this morning. It seems there are still many small problems with the four-stroke, so we thought there would be a better chance of finishing on the two-stroke. It was hard even to get 15th. It’s very difficult to overtake any four-strokes, and I also had a problem with the clutch in the last five laps. It wouldn’t disengage, and backshifting without a clutch was really horrible. I think I did the best I could today, and I must thank my whole team – they have been working very hard on both types of machine this weekend.

Jeremy McWilliams
I really wanted to race the four-stroke today, but there was an oiling problem, and I wasn’t sure it could make the finish. Then it broke in morning warm-up, so the two-stroke was the obvious choice. I’d only had about ten laps on it in practice, and the set-up wasn’t right. Then I got a backshifting problem going into the chicane, so I pulled in. To be honest, I didn’t feel like busting my balls to get 18th on a bike that we won’t be racing for the rest of the year. I’d prefer to work hard to make the four-stroke work.

Chuck Aksland – Team Manager
Jeremy was set to race the four-stroke, but with a problem in morning warm-up there just wasn’t the time to fix it and test it, and we couldn’t have any confidence in it. We have plenty of big issues to solve with the four-stroke, but first we need to get it to the point where we aren’t still having niggling little problems. There just hasn’t been time for development work since it arrived. We haven’t had a single day of testing – just one race after another. Now we are going testing in Brno next week, and things will be different when we bring the bike back here next year.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

BOTH SUZUKIS IN THE POINTS AGAIN AT GP

Team Suzuki Press Office Sunday, July 13, 2003.
Team Suzuki riders John Hopkins and Yukio Kagayama finished 11th and 12th in today’s British GP, both improving on their qualifying positions, although narrowly missing the top ten in the blazing hot race.

Both made a good start from the sun-soaked grid, but while Kagayama was slowed when another rider fell under his front wheel in the first corner, Hopkins finished the first lap tenth after qualifying 15th.

The Anglo-American rider, who was entertaining a large contingent of his British family at the race, started from the fourth row of the grid, and held tenth for the first seven of 30 laps, holding his own even while starting to battle problems as the tyres got hot on a 38-degree track.

At that point Nori Haga on an Aprilia found his way past, and though Hopkins wasn’t able to stay with him, he lost only one more place by the end of the race, finishing 11th.

Kagayama recovered almost immediately from his first-corner problems, but by then he had lost a lot of positions. The Japanese factory rider, substituting for team regular Kenny Roberts, finished the first lap 14th, and was 12th at the finish.

Record crowds flocked to the 4.023km parkland circuit outside Derby, with 72,000 fans enjoying a day of hot sunshine and high quality racing. That is four times the gate in 2000, a clear indication of the rise in popularity of MotoGP racing. The race was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi.

JOHN HOPKINS – 11th Position
It went pretty much as I predicted yesterday. I accomplished my goal to get a good start, and I had a good run with the boys for the first laps. We had the bike a tad better here, but as I said, once the tyres go off the handling problems come out. That happens with every bike, but more so with this one. After that I kept on and tried to stay consistent. I thought I might get a top ten until Nakano came past and I lost touch. After that I decided I’d better settle for what I had, and bring the bike home.

YUKIO KAGAYAMA – 12th Position
That was a very hard race. My start was so-so, quite okay – but in the first corner Ukawa fell off right in front of me, and I had to brake so hard I almost stopped. Many riders came past me. After that I tried to push hard, but I wasn’t able to catch the others, and I was lonely for the whole race. By the end the engine feeling changed a little, so it was more difficult to open the throttle. I tried my best, and I am happy to finish in the points. That was only my second ride on this bike, and though I need more time to get used to it, I really enjoyed it.

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
Once again, both our riders did their best, and there has been a small step forward with the bike, so we’re at least beginning to help them out. Both got a great reception from the crowd … everyone could see they were trying really hard. Now we think of the next race, and trying to make another step forward.


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Donington disappointment for the Yamaha camp

After an ultimately close combined qualifying for the British Grand Prix, with only one second covering the top 13 contenders, expectations were high for a close MotoGP main event, held July 13, at Donington Park. But despite an initially promising opening few laps the Yamaha Factory contingent ended the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship with little more than disappointment following the demise of the first of three riders today.

In a bizarre twist of fate Alex Barros (Gauloises Yamaha Team) was the victim of a raceday warm-up collision, which resulted in the Brazilian crashing out of the session and breaking the metacarpal bone in his right hand. The incident took place in turn one, mid way through the session and only seconds after Barros had exited the pits. Suzuki ‘wildcard’ rider Yukio Kagayama had overshot his braking point and collided with the side of the Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 sending Barros into the gravel trap and ending any chance of him contesting the British Grand Prix.

Although it was more positive story for Carlos Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team), who qualified fifth for today’s race, the end result was still short of what the he and the bike are capable of. Timing the lights well he leapt off the grid for a solid run into turn one, but by mid race distance the Spaniard was unable to mount any serious challenge for a podium result and was left languishing back in a lonely sixth place. The 30-year-old’s setback was the result of a lack of grip from the notoriously slippery Donington circuit.

It was further frustration for MotoGP rookie Marco Melandri (Fortuna Yamaha Team) who began today brimming with confidence following his best ever qualifying performance in the premier class – qualifying third, 0.186 seconds shy of pole – only to end the day prematurely. The 2002 GP250 World Champion openly said that he felt more comfortable on his 220-plus horsepower YZR-M1 than he had all season, and was looking forward to challenging for a podium place in the 30-lap race, when his weekend took a turn for the worse on lap five.

Melandri, who won the 250 race here last year, launched off the line like a veteran, entering turn one fourth before taking third only a few corners further on. The 20-year-old then remained in the top four as the lead group pulled a gap on the competition, only for the Italian to lose the front of his machine entering Fogarty Esses. This left the Honda trio of Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau to break away and finish the race first second and third respectively. However, a protest made against Rossi for passing under the yellow flag on the start of lap two has seen the defending MotoGP World Champion incur a 10 second penalty – dropping the Italian back to third in the official results.

Olivier Jacque (Gauloises Yamaha Team) also ended his weekend without any points following a highside on the exit of Melbourne Hairpin, which left Shinya Nakano (d’Antin Yamaha Team) as the second and final Yamaha to cross the finish line – in ninth.

Fortuna Yamaha Team
Carlos Checa 6th: “My start was good and I was able to follow the leaders. Then Marco had an unfortunate fall, which broke my pace. From that point the gap was too big and I couldn’t catch up with the group again. I kept pushing but lost stability with the rear, which was difficult to manage. Towards the end of the race I’d got used to it and I kept a constant pace but I was hoping for better. At the moment this problem with the rear is my weakest area so now it is my target to improve that and to maintain a good pace throughout the following races.”

Marco Melandri DNF: “I made a little mistake on the third lap. I had a bit of a problem when I rode with a full tank because it seemed to unsettle the rear of the bike. I braked a bit too late, maybe, and I think that the front may have touched the white line. I’m so sad because I was going so fast and really thought that I might have a chance. What can I say – I’m so sad. Though at least I can see that I have the capability of doing very well.”

D’Antin Yamaha Team
Shinya Nakano 9th: “It was a difficult race. I touched a rider at the start and after that Ukawa crashed in front of me. It took me some laps to find a good pace but then I was behind Hopkins. I managed to pass him and push harder. At the end I caught Edwards and enjoyed the fight for ninth place. I’m not so happy with this result, but next round is in Sachsenring, my favourite track so I’m looking forward to that.”

Gauloises Yamaha Team
Olivier Jacque DNF: “The start of the race was difficult, I got stuck behind Bayliss and struggled to find my rhythm with a full tank of fuel. Then around the mid-race point the bike became a little easier to ride and I was attacking harder to try and get past Checa. Unfortunately I gave it a little too much throttle coming out of a corner and the bike let go suddenly and I high-sided off. I hit my head pretty hard and feel a bit dizzy. My left big toe is also hurting, but I should be OK for the German GP.”

Alex Barros DNS: “During this morning’s warm-up Kagayama missed the brakes at the end of the straight and hit me as I was coming out on to the track. I went to see Dr Costa straight after the crash and he told me I’d broken the fifth metacarpal in my right hand and that it was impossible to ride today. He has put my hand in a short plaster so that I don’t lose too much muscle strength in my forearm. He also told me to move my arm as much as possible so as to accelerate the calcification process. I will have to wait to see Dr Costa a week on Wednesday before I know if I can race in Germany. I’m extremely disappointed – this is the first time I haven’t been able to race due to injury since 1992, when I broke my collarbone at Magny Cours.”


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

DONINGTON PROVES A TOUGH CHALLENGE FOR KAWASAKI DUO
Fuchs Kawasaki’s Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt battled bravely to finish just outside the points in today’s British Grand Prix at Donington Park, held in front of a record crowd of 72,000 sun soaked race fans.

McCoy brought his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR home in 16th place, with his Fuchs Kawasaki team-mate Pitt finishing one place further back in 17th.

Both riders made excellent starts in the race, quickly improving on their qualifying positions, but while McCoy was able to carry the momentum into an all-out 20-lap contest with Nobuatsu Aoki, Jeremy McWilliams and Ryuichi Kiyonari for 15th place, Pitt struggled under braking with a full fuel load on board his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR. An off-track excursion at the end of the back straight on lap 11 cost Pitt valuable time and he completed a lonely race to 17th place.

Kawasaki technical director Hamish Jamieson watched much of the 30-lap race from various points around the circuit and was able to confirm the effects of the set-up and engine compromises made to meet the unique challenge of the Donington Park circuit.

The Kawasaki Racing Team will travel to Brno in the Czech Republic next week to complete an important three-day midseason test session.

Garry McCoy – 16th
“The first half of the race was great. I was in amongst Nobu, Jezza and Kiyonari and actually racing, when in the past I’ve been mostly riding around on my own. I did my best to stay 15th and in the points, but then I started to lose grip with about ten laps to go and had to back off and try and conserve the rear tyre and Nobu and Kiyonari passed me back. The set-up and wheelie problem was much better for the race, although I had some chatter over the final five laps. The bike felt pretty loose and, at times, it felt like the rev limiter was cutting in early.”

Andrew Pitt – 17th
“I got a good start, but I was struggling to get the bike stopped in the early stages of the race and actually ran on and up the escape road at the end of the back straight at one point. That mistake lost me a lot of time. The tyres went off a bit towards the end of the race, but overall the set-up was pretty good and will provide a good starting point for our Brno test next week.”

Hamish Jamieson – Technical Director
“We had to make some compromises with set-up and gearing to counter the wheelie problem the riders have been experiencing this weekend. Unfortunately, these compromises didn’t do us any favours in the engine performance department. From watching both riders from trackside I could see that they were losing out on acceleration because of the taller gearing we’ve been forced to run here. Both riders also lost some rear tyre grip towards the end of the race, but we suspected that this may well be a problem, as we spent so much time on set-up during practice and qualifying that we didn’t have the opportunity to complete all the race endurance tests we originally had planned.”