From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM

Round 6 – 2003 British Superbike Championship powered by HALLS, Brands Hatch

Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd June 2003

FRONT ROW FOR BATTERED BYRNE

MonsterMob Ducati rider Shane Byrne overcame the pain barrier to record fourth fastest time in the Dunlop Super 12 in readiness for round six of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch today.

The 26 year old from Minster, Isle of Sheppey crashed in Friday’s practice injuring both ankles but apart from severe bruising, was passed fit enough to race.

“I feel knackered but hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow and I can try for the race wins. I’m sore but there’s no point in just riding round for points, I’ll be hoping to keep up the recent run” said Shakey.

Byrne leads the championship by 104 points after seven successive victories and will be looking to add to that tally in front of his home crowd.

Team mate Stuart Easton emulated Byrne by slotting the 748 Ducati onto the front row of the Supersport grid also.

The 18 year old from Hawick posted fourth fastest time prior to Sunday’s race whewre he hopes to emulate last year’s win at Brands.

“I got held up on my fast laps but a front row start is what matters. The race will be a different matter and hopefully I can run at the front” said the young Scot.

Superbike Qualifying

1. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 1:26.184
2. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 1:26.616
3. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 1:26.679
4. Shane Byrne (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:26.805
5. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1:26.818
6. Steve Hislop (Yamaha) 1:26.975
7. Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 1:27.333
8. Gary Mason (Yamaha) 1:27.505
9. Steve Plater (Honda) 1:27.835
10. Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 1:28.540
11. John McGuinness (Ducati) 1:28.655
12. John Crawford (Ducati) 1:28.680

Supersport Qualifying
1. Dean Thomas (Honda) 1:29.587
2. Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1:29.688
3. Karl Harris (Honda) 1:29.693
4. Stuart Easton (MonsterMob Ducati) 1:29.753
5. Tom Sykes (Yamaha) 1:29.973
6. Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:30.137
7. Jamie Robinson (Yamaha) 1:30.407
8. John Crockford (Honda) 1:30.713
9. Barry Veneman (Honda) 1:30.823
10. Danny Beaumont (Kawasaki) 1:31.001

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Hodgson on pole

Neil Hodgson ignored the heat to take the pole position once again in the 2003 World Superbike Championship.

After his by-now-familiar slow start to the weekend Hodgson scorched his way to the front on his Ducati Fila 999. The runaway leader of the Championship was the only rider to break into 1:34 laps.

While Hodgson’s a very familiar sight on the podium, young Vittorio Iannuzzo is definitely a newcomer to front-row life. He qualified fourth, just behind James Toseland in third and Frankie Chili in second spot. It’s all the more amazing when you bear in mind that the young Italian isn’t riding a full-factory bike like Gregorio Lavilla, but a Yoshimura Suzuki. The situation is forced upon the team because of lack of parts for the full-factory specification machines.

Steve Martin, another rider bringing out the surprises this weekend, was just pushed back into fifth. Regis Laconi, Juan Borja and Troy Corser join him on the second row. The Petronas doesn’t seem to be struggling with the heat as much, despite the temperatures being probably the highest witnessed all season.

Superpole Results:

1. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, 1:34.586
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.920
3. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, 1:35.124
4. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.261
5. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:35.286
6. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, 1:35.297
7. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:35.808
8. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:35.835
9. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.808
10. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:36.140
11. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:36.165
12. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, 1:36.227
13. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, 1:36.496
14. Giovanni Bussei, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:36.564
15. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:36.572
16. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:36.877

The rest of the grid:

17. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, 1:36.623
18. David Garcia, Ducati 998RS, 1:36.780
19. Nello Russo, Ducati 998RS, 1:36.796
20. Alex Gramigni, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:37.291
21. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:37.675
22. Serafino Foti, Ducati 998RS, 1:37.843
23. Luca Pini, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.164
24. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda RC51, 1:38.228
25. Christian Zaiser, Aprilia RSV1000, 1:38.350
26. Giuseppe Zannini, Ducati 998RS, 1:38.796
27. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, 1:39.099
28. Redamo Assirelli, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:39.936


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION

HODGSON (DUCATI FILA) UNBEATABLE IN SUPERPOLE WITH SIXTH POLE OF THE SEASON AHEAD OF CHILI (PSG-1 DUCATI) – THIRD ROW START FOR XAUS

British rider Neil Hodgson (Ducati Fila) once again crushed the opposition in a World Superbike Superpole session.

Pole #6 of the season for the championship leader came at Misano Adriatico, when he went half-a-second quicker than Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) in the one-lap dash and then watched in the garage as local hero Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) just missed out in front of his home crowd.

“I really had to go out and beat James’ time today” declared Hodgson. “I’ve not been concentrating on qualifying tyres at all so I was a bit rusty and that’s why I was slow in the first split. I had to be more aggressive on the second and third parts so I just turned the throttle up. I thought Frankie was going to beat me, but he didn’t.

“Before I would have used about 15 qualifiers, end up fastest but have no race set-up but now I concentrate on getting a good race set-up and then concentrate on Superpole. It looks like I’ve got a slight advantage on the race tyres, but it’s going to be hard work out there tomorrow because of the heat” he added.

Team-mate Ruben Xaus slipped down from fifth after the two qualifying sessions to an eventual 12th place after a disappointing Superpole lap.

“I did a bad Superpole and that cost me a lot of places on the grid” said Ruben. “I’m so angry with myself because the first split was so bad and all weekend I was so good there, losing eight-tenths of a second. A lot of riders are going well but I noticed they didn’t do that many laps, it’s just Neil and Laconi doing a good pace on race tyres. I’m able to be there as well, I just have to get a good start in the races.

“This afternoon we made a few changes and I wasn’t entirely happy, so tomorrow morning in the warm-up I’ll revert to the settings I had in the morning and then I’ll be ready for the race” he added.


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

Toseland on the front row!

James Toseland and Chris Walker will start tomorrow’s two Superbike World Championship races at Misano circuit from third and 13th respectively on the grid following a Superpole session that took place in scorching conditions. Former HM Plant Ducati rider Neil Hodgson took pole position, with Pier Francesco Chili and Vittorio Iannuzzo joining Toseland on the front row of the grid for round seven of the 2003 series.

Toseland recovered from a horrific crash during Superpole warm-up (in which he destroyed his number one HM Plant Ducati) to post a superb Superpole lap of 1:35.124 and go third on the grid.

“That was one of the scariest crashes I have ever had,” said the 22-year-old Yorkshireman. “I had a coming together with another rider at turn two at about 120 mph and he left me with nowhere to go but off the track. I was lucky to escape injury but I was badly shaken up and it took me a while to get myself together for Superpole. I got my head down though and produced my best time of the weekend. I was on provisional pole for a while and only Neil Hodgson and Frankie Chili have bettered my time, so I’m feeling confident for tomorrow’s races.”

His team mate Chris Walker was unable to improve on his best time set yesterday (1:36.066) and posted a Superpole lap of 1:36.496 . This puts him in 13th place on the grid for tomorrow’s two 25-lap races at the Autodromo di Misano circuit.

“I’m disappointed to be this far down the grid because my Superpole lap was almost half a second down on my second qualifying session time. I made a mistake coming onto the straight when I missed a gear and at this level you get punished for it. It cost me a lot of time so I just had to make sure the rest of the lap was as tidy as possible. I won’t be giving up though and will be looking to make a couple of my demon starts tomorrow!”


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

Second row start for Corser and Foggy PETRONAS Racing

Troy Corser will start tomorrow’s races for round seven of the World Superbike championship at Misano from the second row of the grid after an encouraging day for Foggy PETRONAS Racing.

Following yesterday’s team difficulties, Corser provided a welcome boost in achieving his highest qualifying position since the third round of the series in Japan. Having qualified ninth fastest in a time of 1:36.050 in the morning qualifying session, the Australian went one better in Superpole with his fastest lap of the weekend of 1:35.835.

Corser said: “That has been our best day for a while and the bike is handling great. This is where I thought we could and should be at the start of the day. There are a few more corners at this circuit where I can make up a bit of time. But it is going to be a hard race because it is difficult to pass other riders, even when I have a tow down the straights. The front Michelin tyre is great and I have done two-thirds of a race distance on the rear, and the lap times were not too bad. So I think the top ten will be a good and achievable result.

“I have changed the internal gearbox from yesterday, making second longer and that was definitely better. It was also good to have three bikes available, as I could try two slightly different set-ups on my own bikes, with two or three differences on the third. So that made it easier to get through everything we needed to try within a few laps. The bike was also running cooler than it did for qualifying at Silverstone. And the team has also been working on the mapping, resulting in the throttle connection being the best it has ever been.”


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

Laconi in seconda fila nella battaglia di Misano

Regis Laconi on the Ducati 998RS Caracchi NCR Nortel Network will start tomorrow from the second row in the seventh round of World Superbike here at Misano Adriatico. Fourth fastest after the two qualifying sessions Laconi had some riding uncertainty during the Superpole “all or nothing” lap and lost the possibility to start from the front row tomorrow.

“I’m really disappointed because in the first part of my flying lap I’ve lost a lot of time and so un the fastest line I’ve been actually not fast too.” – commented Regis back at the pit garage after the Superpole – “Then in the second slip I recovered a lot, but at that point my gap was too heavy. Despite that my Superpole laptime has been the best of the two practice day. The tyres worked well and the bike in race set up look to be OK. Today the track was very slippery for the hot temperature and if weather conditions tomorrow will be the same we’ll have a very hard race and we’ll take care how to manage the tyres.”

David Garcia has been faster in the final qualifying session, recording the 18th fastest. The Spanish rider will try during the morning warm up tomorrow his fitting and will take a decision about the race start.

“This morning I’ve been really faster and I missed by a whisker the Superpole admission. Unfortunately the practice session has been stopped by red flag less at ten minutes to go and at the restart I hadn’t any time for a new last assault. Today we tested a new rear arm in magnesium, realised by the team and that should have a better twist characteristics. But at the moment I’m not able to give a correct evaluation because I can’t push hardly, but today’s test has given however interesting results.”


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

IANNUZZO ON THE FRONT ROW! LAVILLA NINTH

It was a day of mixed fortunes for Team Alstare Corona Extra at Misano today. Vittorio Iannuzzo grabbed a superb front row grid place in the Superpole shoot-out, but regular Alstare Suzuki rider Gregorio Lavilla had a heavy fall in the morning session and was run over by another rider. He was nowhere near fully fit, but still managed to take part in the afternoon untimed session and Superpole, finishing a very creditable ninth. Iannuzzo is a ‘wild card’ here at Misano and surprised everybody by having the audacity to lead the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out until Neil Hodgson (Ducati) and Frankie Chili (Ducati) went quicker in the final moments. Chili had been the fastest in normal qualifying, but Hodgson once more pulled one out of the bag to take his sixth pole position of the season. Chili ended up second, with James Toseland (Ducati) third and Iannuzzo a well-deserved fourth.

GREGORIO LAVILLA ­ 9TH, 1: 35.892
In the morning session, I had a very slow speed fall ­ a bit like the one I had at Silverstone last week ­ and then my head was run over by another rider. I don’t know why I crashed, ­ the front just tucked in and I couldn’t do anything about it. Unfortunately, somebody’s front wheel (Gramigni maybe?) ran over my head. I went to hospital for a check-up, but I was OK, so I carried on this afternoon. I must say that I didn’t feel quite with it and there seemed to be an empty space where my head should be. Obviously, I couldn’t push my hardest and I finished as best I was able.

VITTORIO IANNUZZO ­ 4TH, 1:35.261
I am so happy to be on the front row of the grid! Especially after my crash last week in Silverstone, because I was disappointed with my race results. Today has gone a long way to a making up for that and it is great to be on the front row ahead of so many regular riders. Of course, the races tomorrow may be different, but I am looking forward to them so much. The tyres are probably going to be a problem towards the end, and I’m sure they’re going to be sliding around a lot, but it’ll be the same for everybody. At the start of the season, I said I’d be happy to get top ten finishes in my ‘wild card’ rides this season, but if I can get a top six this weekend, I will be so happy.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Sanna goes pole in Misano Supersport

Simone Sanna took a popular pole position in front of a delighted Italian crowd in the final qualifying session ahead of tomorrow’s World Supersport championship race.

Sanna took pole late in the session, forcing Chris Vermeulen to fit another qualifier to respond. Vermeulen was on course, going through the first two splits ahead of Sanna’s time. But when the runaway leader of the championship arrived at the final chicane he found several riders on the racing line but not on racing speed, apparently awaiting a tow from a faster rider. The obstruction may have cost Vermeulen pole.

Ten Kate Honda team manager, Ronald ten Kate had plenty to say about the incident;

“We seem to have riders in this championship who aren’t sufficiently confident in their own abilities to lap alone,” he said. “Instead they hang around, often blocking the racing line, waiting for a faster rider to give them a tow. When Chris came to the final chicane he was lapping under Sanna’s time and on his way to pole position. Instead of pole he found several riders just rolling around, not at racing speed but on the racing line. He had to dive underneath another rider to get through the turn. It’s just not acceptable behaviour from professional racers.”

The pair are joined on the front row by Sanna’s Belgarda Yamaha team mate Jurgen van den Goorbergh and Suzuki Alstare pilot Katsuaki Fujiwara.

World Supersport championship
Round seven, San Marino, June 20 – 21 – 22
Final qualifying practice, fastest laps:

1. Simone Sanna, Yamaha, 1:36.846
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 1:36.996
3. Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Yamaha, 1:37.005
4. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki, 1:37.022
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, 1:37.065
6. Alessi Corradi, Yamaha, 1:37.069
7. Broc Parkes, Honda, 1:37.359
8. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:37.526
9. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, 1:37.644
10. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, 1:37.848


More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA’S VERMEULEN SECOND AS SANNA SCOOPS POLE

Honda CBR600RR rider Chris Vermeulen will start from second place on the grid after narrowly missing out on pole position to Simone Sanna during Saturday¹s frantic final qualifying session for Sunday’s seventh round of the World Supersport championship at Misano, San Marino.

Championship leader Vermeulen reported: “I was heading for pole position on my very last lap but there was a couple of riders wobbling through the last chicane and I lost too much time trying to avoid them.”

The Ten Kate Honda rider continued: “Starting anywhere on the front row of the grid is OK and we’ve got a really good race set-up with the RR. Pirelli have come up with some good race tyres for Misano which is never that easy to do–it’s a tricky circuit and a strange surface.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh–Vermeulen’s nearest challenger in the championship chase–will start from third while defending world champion Fabien Foret is fourth to complete the front row of the grid.

Suzuki’s Katsuaki Fujiwara took the fifth best time as no fewer than 23 riders bettered the existing lap record in the sweltering heat at the Adriatic coastal venue.

Alessio Corradi bounced back from a crash eight minutes into the session to take sixth place on the grid while promising Australian Broc Parkes was seventh on his BKM Honda, Parkes commented: “That’s not bad considering I’m still learning how to qualify ­ I’m hopeless at it! But I’m really happy with the rear race tyre so I may be on for a good finish tomorrow.”

Stephane Chambon completes the second, in eighth place, with Christian Kellner ninth and Ten Kate Honda¹s Karl Muggeridge 10th.

“I’ve struggled all weekend, a bit like last week at Silverstone but we sorted that on Saturday night and I finished third so let’s hope we can do the same here,” said Muggeridge.

Klaffi Honda’s Robert Ulm picked himself up from a crash at the end of the Misano straight to take 14th place on the grid, the Austrian rider commented: “I took my spare machine out after the crash and went quicker so I probably got away with it and I feel confident for the race ­ Misano is a circuit I like.”

Ulm will be joined on the fourth row by Van Zon Honda¹s Werner Daemen and BKM Honda¹s Christophe Cogan. Daemen took 15th place and said: “I should have been in the top 10 but two Italian riders got in my way at the chicane and I had to close the throttle before I knew which way they were going. I feel OK for the race but it will be a tough one ­ especially in this heat.”

Cogan, in 16th, commented: “I’ve paid the price for not being organised with tyre selection yesterday but I qualified in 13th place in Valencia and finished fourth so I know it is possible.”

A frustrated Sebastien Charpentier took 17th place on his Klaffi Honda, the Frenchman admitted: “I’ve not been doing my job this weekend, I have to work harder. I just need to try and find a good rear race tyre in the morning and then I’ll be ready.”

Van Zon Honda’s Iain MacPherson was disappointed with his 19th place, the Scottish ace reported: “I got held up badly on my fast lap by two riders messing about in the chicane. I feel in much better shape than yesterday and the race set-up is good but starting from the fifth row is a bit of a nightmare.”


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

FUJI JUST MISSES POLE
It was a hot and difficult day for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra at Misano, which culminated in a dramatic end to the final timed qualifying session. During the last ten minutes the lead changed hands several times and Team Alstare Suzuki rider was in contention for a front row grid place. Then, with just a couple of minutes remaining, Simone Sanna (Yamaha) put in an unexpected flyer of a lap and took pole position. Sanna’s lap of 1:6.846 was enough to bump Fujiwara down the order to fifth place and a spot on the second row of the grid. Second is series leader Chris Vermeulen (Honda), ahead of van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) and reigning champion Fabien Foret (Kawasaki). Fujiwara’s team mate struggled with suspension problems in the today’s timed session and ended up eight quickest and will line up at the other end of the second row line to his team mate.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA ­ 5TH, 1:37.065
I am very disappointed not to be on the front row of the grid and now I know I must make a very good start tomorrow. But the lap times are very close, so it’s not all that bad. In the morning warm-up we’ll try a little change to the gearbox and see if we can improve third gear. I’m still not completely sure about which tyres to use, because I’m sure it’s going to be very hot again tomorrow and that will affect tyre wear. I hope I can conserve my tyres in the early part of the race and then push hard later on, but whatever happens, I really want a podium place.

STEPHANE CHAMBON ­ 8TH, 1:37.526
I could be happier. I had some (suspension) problems this afternoon in middle of the corners and I couldn’t get a really good drive out. The race is going to be very hard, long and hot, so tyre choice is going to be critical. I’ll talk with or Dunlop technicians and we’ll try and come up with the right package for the race. I’m disappointed not to be on the front row, but I promise I will be better in the race tomorrow.


More, from a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

SIMONE ON POLE! JURGEN THIRD
Team Yamaha Belgarda riders Simone Sanna and Jurgen van den Goorbergh had a superb final qualifying at Misano today, ending with the Italian taking pole position.

The last ten minutes of final were dramatic, with the lead changing several times, but with less then three minutes remaining Simone Sanna suddenly found something extra and blasted his way to the top of the leaderboard.

Sanna’s time of 1:36.846 was nearly two tenths of a second quicker then his nearest rival and was so late in the session that nobody else had time to respond. Sanna’s team mate Jurgen van den Goorbergh also had a tremendous final session, finishing third quickest after shaving nearly half a second off his previous best time. Both Simone and Jurgen are also happy with the set-ups and are looking forward to tomorrow’s 23-lapper and will be chasing Yamaha Belgarda’s first win of the year.

SIMONE SANNA ­ 1ST, 1:36.846
I know I left it late ­ but better late then never! Having tested here before helped me and the team and I like this track a lot, so I was comfortable from the start. I’m very happy with my YZF-R6 and now I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow. It feels like a good result has been a long time coming for me, but it has been hard for me to adjust to this type of bike after riding a 125 GP bike. I’m very happy to be on pole, but what really matters tomorrow is for me to get a good start and finish on the podium. It’s important for me and the team and for all my fans who have come here to support me.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH ­ 3rd, 1:37.005
I’m happy to be on the front row for the race and I’m happy because I think we found a good bike set-up. I also know which tyres to use, so I’m ready to race. Pole would’ve been nice, but a front row place is all I needed and that’s what I’ve got. We tested here and that has helped us a little and this weekend has gone pretty well so far. I think a podium is possible for sure and a win would be great.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Australia:

2003 Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship
Round 3, Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria
Event preview

YAMAHA STARS REJOIN THE BATTLE AT WINTON

The past two months have proven to be a very difficult time for a number of the leading Yamaha stars, but this weekend, they will all be aiming to get their championship prospects back in order as they head to the third round of the Australian Superbike Championship at the northern Victorian Winton Motor Raceway.

Nikon Yamaha stars Kevin Curtain and Daniel Stauffer were involved in a horrifying high-speed fall at the last round of the championship at Phillip Island and after sacrificing points lost in the second and third races of that round, will be aiming to get their Yamaha YZF-R1s back amongst the major points over this weekend. The month’s break between rounds has allowed both riders to recuperate as best they can, but both are looking forward to getting back aboard their bikes once more.

Curtain currently holds down third place overall, just six points shy of points leader Shawn Giles (107 – 101), while Stauffer sits in fifth place with a total of 62 points.

Another in search of a good result will be Stafford Yamaha’s Stephen Tozer. The Victorian veteran has been in good form this year, but like Curtain and Stauffer suffered injury at the Island. Currently ninth on the table, he is recovering from a broken wrist but will be fit to give the young guns another run for their money.

The Australian Supersport Championship features a quality line up of Yamaha supported riders at this event. Leading the way once more is Curtain as he continues to double up his race duties where he currently holds a handy 15-point lead in the championship chase aboard his Nikon Yamaha YZF R6.

He will be ably supported by a strong contingent of youngsters aiming to do well. On the second Nikon Yamaha R6, Queensland teenager Brendan Clarke sits third in the championship, one place ahead of Sydney Yamaha privateer Glen Allertion, who is growing in confidence after taking a race win from Curtain at the Island and then took victory at the last Formula Xtreme round in Queensland two weeks ago.

Three more Yamaha runners lie in the top ten of the championship at this stage, with Sydney’s diminutive Shaun Geronimi (Procycles Yamaha) seventh, one place ahead of Queensland’s Judd Greedy, while Melbourne’s Glen Holland (Geoff Taylor Yamaha) rounds out the top ten.

Not to be overlooked by those in the top ten, will be South Australia’s Michael Brenton (Yamaha World), Victorian brothers Deon (Gary O’Brien Yamaha) and Jordan Coote (Pakenham Yamaha) and New South Wales hard charger Mark Stanley (Lismore Motorcycles). Each are more than capable of running within the top ten at Winton and could spring a surprise amongst their more fancied rivals.

Taree teenager Alex Cudlin (Fineline Motorcycles) trails Leigh McKenzie by 47 points as they head to the third round of the Australian Superstock Championship. The 16-year-old has shown a huge amount of potential in what has been his debut season of senior road racing. He continues to improve with each outing and will eat into McKenzie’s early points advantage.

Qualifying for the weekend’s round commences on Friday morning, before racing commences on Saturday afternoon, followed by a full program of action on Sunday.

AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP (Points after 2 of 5 rounds)

1. S Giles (Suzuki) 107; 2. C Coxhell (Suzuki) 105; 3. K Curtain (Yamaha) 101; 4. S Johnson (Honda) 71; 5. D Stauffer (Yamaha) 62; 6. B George (Honda) 56; 7. S Charlton (Honda) 39; 8. A Maxwell (Honda) 37; 9. S Tozer (Yamaha) 37; 10. J Taylor (Honda) 36.


AUSTRALIAN SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP (Points after 2 of 5 rounds)

1. K Curtain (Yamaha) 122; 2. S Johnson (Honda) 107; 3. B Clarke (Yamaha) 88; 4. G Allerton (Yamaha) 85; 5. R Holland (Kawasaki) 57; 6. J Brookes (Honda) 54; 7. S Geronimi (Yamaha) 51; 8. J Greedy (Yamaha) 45; 9. M Aitchison (Suzuki) 28; 10. G Holland (Yamaha) 25.


AUSTRALIAN SUPERSTOCK CHAMPIONSHIP (Points after 2 of 5 rounds)

1. L McKenzie (Suzuki) 119; 2. A Cudlin (Yamaha) 72; 3. A Tomasetti (Kawasaki) 65.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Vermeulen hot in scorching Misano

By Glenn Le Santo

Chris Vermeulen went into provisional pole for Sunday’s San Marino round of the World Supersport championship.

The young Australian battled with heat and hangers-on to take the provisional pole with a time of 1:36.996. Vermeulen reckoned he could have gone quicker on his Ten Kate Honda but on his last fast lap he found himself towing several other riders around the circuit.

“I had about 20 guys trying to get a tow off me so I rolled around trying to get a bit of clear track,” said Vermeulen, “but by the time they cleared off my tires had gone cold.”

Alessio Corradi took second on the provisional grid on his Yamaha R6, a popular showing from the flamboyant Italian at an Italian circuit. He’s just 0.073-second down on Vermeulen. Fujiwara was beaten down to third by Vermeulen and Corradi, the Japanese rider recorded a best time of 1:37.427 on his Alstare Suzuki. Jurgen VD Goorbergh joins them all on the provisional front row.

World Supersport championship
Round seven, San Marino, June 20 – 21 – 22
First qualifying practice, fastest laps:
1. Chris Vermeulen, AUS, Honda, 1:36.996
2. Alessio Corradi, ITA, Yamaha, 1:37.069
3. Katsuaki Fujiwara, JPN, Suzuki, 1:37.427
4. Jurgen can den Goorbergh, NL, Yamaha, 1:37.459
5. Simone Sanna, ITA, Yamaha, 1:37.615
6. Broc Parkes, AUS, Honda, 1:37.758
7. Stephane Chambon, FRA, Suzuki, 1:37.834
8. Pere Riba, ESP, Kawasaki, 1:37.893
9. Karl Muggeridge, AUS, Honda, 1:37.977
10. Fabien Foret, FRA, Kawasaki, 1:38.044


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA’S VERMEULEN STRIKES IN MISANO HEAT

Honda CBR600RR rider Chris Vermeulen set the pace with the fastest time in Friday afternoon’s opening qualifying session for round seven of the World Supersport championship at Misano, San Marino ­ almost two seconds inside the lap record.

Championship leader Vermeulen was in dominant mood as he put the new Ten Kate CBR600RR through its paces on its Misano debut and in blistering heat at the 2.52-mile (4.06km) circuit.

“I managed my best lap mid-session but I’m really struggling to get a clear lap ­ there’s a load out there waiting to follow me and it makes it tricky ­ and a bit dangerous,” said Vermeulen.

He continued: “I got faster and faster as the machine set-up got better and better. As we’ve never tested here it’s all credit to the team.”

Alessio Corradi on a Yamaha was second quickest with Suzuki’s Katsuaki Fujiwara third and Dutch Yamaha rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh fourth to
complete the provisional front row for Sunday’s race.

Van den Goorbergh’s team-mate Simone Sanna leads the provisional second row after the Italian took fifth place while BKM Honda¹s Broc Parkes ­ fastest in the morning’s free practice session ­ was sixth.

Parkes said: “My best laps today came on a rear race tyre so I’m looking forward to getting the machine set up a little better for tomorrow then
we’ll try a softer compound rear tyre for the fast lap.”

Stephane Chambon took seventh while Kawasaki¹s Pere Riba bounced back from a morning practice crash to take eighth. Ten Kate Honda’s Karl Muggeridge was a frustrated ninth while Riba¹s team-mate Fabien Foret completes the top 10.

CBR600RR ace Muggeridge commented: “I was in a bit of a rush towards the end of the session and just failed to make it around to start a fast lap but, there’s always tomorrow!”

Iain MacPherson was 14th fastest on his Van Zon Honda, the British rider said: “I didn’t really get a good lap on my soft rear tyre. I was held up on the warm-up lap and my tyre wasn’t hot enough. I had a couple of slides in the first few corners and decided to call it a day.”

Just 0.1s down on MacPherson was his team-mate Werner Daemen, on the second of the Van Zon CBR600RRs. Daemen commented: “Forgetting the lap time, the main achievement is the improvement of the machine. We’ve got rid of a front end problem I had this morning which was a major concern.”

Robert Ulm spent the day chasing a race set-up on his Klaffi Honda and the Austrian rider, who celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday, said: “The machine is really starting to feel good but I made a mess of what should have been my fast, qualifying lap.”

Parkes’ team-mate Christophe Cogan, on the second of the BKM Hondas, ended the opening day in 22nd place, he said: “I was busy testing race tyres and getting dialled into the circuit ­ it’s a difficult track for me. There’s no panic though, I know I can get a much faster time tomorrow.”

A troubled Sebastien Charpentier, on the Klaffi team machine, was 26th, he admitted: “Misano has always been a difficult circuit for me. I struggle for feel on the fast left-handers onto the back straight and they are crucial to a fast lap. We’ll have a good look at everything tonight and work it out for tomorrow.”

Friday’s World Supersport championship qualifying times:
1. Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Honda) 1:36.996
2. Alessio Corradi, Italy (Yamaha) 1:37.069
3. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki) 1:37.427
4. Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Holland (Yamaha) 1:37.459
5. Simone Sanna, Italy (Yamaha) 1:37.615
6. Broc Parkes, Australia (Honda) 1:37.758
7. Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) 1:37.834
8. Pere Riba, Spain (Kawasaki) 1:37.893
9. Karl Muggeridge, Australia (Honda) 1:37.977
10. Fabien Foret, France (Kawasaki) 1:38.044
14. Iain MacPherson, GB (Honda) 1:38.439
16. Werner Daemen, Belgium (Honda) 1:38.580
19. Robert Ulm, Austria (Honda) 1:38.810
22. Christophe Cogan, France (Honda) 1:39.002
26. Sebastien Charpentier, France (Honda) 1:39.628

Friday qualifying
Superside (Sidecar) World Championship
Misano Adriatico, San Marino:
1. Steve Webster, GB, Suzuki, 1:39.374
2. Jörg Steinhausen, Germany, Suzuki, 1:39.815
3. Steve Abbott, GB, Suzuki, 1:40.310
4. Klaus Klaffenböck, Austria, Yamaha, 1:41.328
5. Tom Hanks, GB, Yamaha, 1:41.363
6. Martien van Gils, Holland, Suzuki, 1:42.160
7. Mike Roscher, Germany, Suzuki, 1:43.873
8. Sepp Doppler, Germany, Yamaha, 1:45.047
9. Bill Philp, GB, Yamaha, 1:45.071
10. Richard Gatt, GB, Yamaha, 1:45.323

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Giovanni Bussei has a two-race deal with Ducati Austin and may or may not continue with the team after Brainerd and Laguna Seca. And the private Yamaha World Superbike team he currently rides for will wait and see what happens before making plans to replace him.

“Giovanni may, or may not, still be riding for us at the end of the year,” said one team source. “But for his own good the team decided to release him for this very good opportunity in his career.”

From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

SHAKEY HOPING FOR HISTORY AT HOME

After a five week break in the 2003 British Superbike Championship, MonsterMob Ducati rider Shane Byrne is eager to get back into race action as the series heads to the half way stage at Brands Hatch this weekend.

The Minster, Isle of Sheppey rider is hoping to continue his dominance having stamped his authority on the championship with eight wins out of the ten races held to date and with a brace of second places also for good measure ‘Shakey’ holds a massive 104 point advantage over nearest rival Michael Rutter (Ducati) going into revamped Kent circuit.

Seven of those wins have come in the last seven races including successive doubles at Thruxton, Oulton Park and in the last round at Knockhill and if the 26 year old can emulate another such feat, he will go into the record books as the only rider in the history of the championship to score four consecutive doubles in a season.

But despite his recent run, the local ace is under no illusions as to the task in hand, even though he can undoubtedly count on the support of thousands of his fans at his local track:

“Five weeks is a long time and I can’t wait to get back on my bike. Some of the other riders have been racing or testing since the last round but I’m confident we can get up to speed fairly quickly at Brands. I’m really looking forward to racing at my home circuit and hopefully I can give the fans something to cheer about” said Byrne.

Team mate Stuart Easton is also hoping for success at the circuit where he impressed at last season. The 18 year old Hawick rider won the corresponding Supersport race by over fourteen seconds last season and also posted a top ten placing in the World Supersport Championship round on the same track during 2002.

However, this season the young Scot has not had it all his own way and is desperate to get back to winning ways having taken just one victory all season aboard the 748cc MonsterMob Ducati but still lies second in the points table.

“I really need to win this weekend and hope that Karl Harris (series leader) drops some points so I can close the gap on him. We’ve suffered through various problems in the opening few races but when everything’s gone well, I’ve cleared off and I aim to do that again on Sunday” said the defending champion.

After masterminding a successful TT campaign for Ducati which saw them achieve a pair of rostrum places in the capable hands of John McGuinness, team owner Paul Bird is keen to carry on where the team left off at Knockhill in Scotland:

“Shakey knows we can’t rest on our laurels and he’ll be going all out to increase that championship lead this weekend. He’s under a lot of pressure to perform but he can handle that and if he keeps going the way he has been in recent weeks, there’ll be no stopping him. Stuart dominated here last year and he’s expecting another good result so hopefully we can come away with another hat-trick” said the Cumbrian businessman who promised at the start of the year that if both riders took their respective titles, the reward for the team would be an all-expenses paid trip to the Caribbean at the end of the season!

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Martin tops first qualifying in Misano heat

By Glenn Le Santo

Steve Martin took a surprise provisional pole at Misano in the first timed qualifying session ahead for round seven of the World Superbike championship.

The Australian has found it hard to make a mark in World Superbike racing on his Pirelli-shod DFX Ducati, struggling for grip on the development tires. But today Pirelli engineers provided him with a new tire to try, and it seems to have worked well for him.

“This is all new to me,” said Martin after the session, “but obviously I’m very happy to have press guys turn up at my garage for quotes for a change! Basically we’ve just tried a new compound, and importantly, a new carcass, and it worked really well!”

Although he’s doing well in qualifying, Martin admitted that things might not be quite so good for the race; “Everyone here will struggle on race tyres, and we’ve still got some work to do on our race set up.”

Pierfrancesco Chili took provisional second ahead of Regis Laconi. Ruben Xaus is the lone factory rider on the provisional front row. Runaway title leader Neil Hodgson languishes down in sixth, a strangely familiar position for him on a Friday, despite his brilliant form this season.

World Superbike championship
Round seven, San Marino (Circuit Santa Monica, Misano, Italy)
June 20-21-22

First timed qualifying, best lap times:

1. Steve Martin, AUS, Ducati, 1:35.276
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, ITA, Ducati, 1:35.290
3. Regis Laconi, ITA, Ducati, 1:35.365
4. Ruben Xaus, ESP, Ducati, 1:35.422
5. Lucio Pedercini, ITA, Ducati, 1:35.571
6. Neil Hodgson, GBR, Ducati, 1:35.781
7. James Toseland, GBR, Ducati, 1:36.022
8. Chris Walker, GBR, Ducati, 1:36.066
9. Mauro Sanchini, ITA, Kawasaki, 1:36.094
10. Gregorio Lavilla, ESP, Suzuki, 1:36.225


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

XAUS AND HODGSON (DUCATI FILA) FOURTH AND SIXTH AT SCORCHING MISANO – EIGHT DUCATIS LEAD THE FIELD

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Fila) set fourth quickest time today in first qualifying for the San Marino Round of the World Superbike Championship at a scorching hot Misano Adriatico circuit. The Spanish rider was two places ahead of team-mate and championship leader Neil Hodgson as eight Ducatis from six different teams filled the top eight positions on the provisional grid.

“That was not so bad, much better than Oschersleben and Silverstone for sure” commented Ruben, who was just one-tenth of a second away from provisional polesitter, the surprising Steve Martin (DFX Ducati). “It’s really hot out there and the new surface is not so ‘grippy’ so it’s sure to be a hard weekend. For me what is important is the race, not running quick tomorrow morning or even in Superpole. We did a lot of work today and I’ll be testing a lot more things tomorrow morning because I need to know the bike better and the only reference we have is from last year. The front is a lot better than this morning, but I still need to work a lot to get the right feeling”.

Hodgson was half-a-second away from the provisional pole time but was not too disappointed to be in sixth position after Friday qualifying.

“Everything feels pretty good” he declared, “and I’m consistent on race tyres which is important. Now it’s just a case of fine-tuning the 999 and getting the right gearing for this circuit because it’s a bit of a compromise really. Today has been better than usual, probably the best Friday I’ve had since Valencia, that’s how confident I am. I only ran on race tyres today, I’ve already chosen the front now I’m down to the rear selection. After the morning session I will have the final choice and then I’ll choose after the long-run in the afternoon. With this temperature the track feels greasy, but tomorrow morning I’m sure I can improve because it’ll be cooler and I’m not yet on the limit”.