Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:43.927*
2. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:44.333
3. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:44.358
4. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:44.366
5. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:44.642
6. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:44.672
7. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:44.708
8. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:44.790
9. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:44.848
10. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:44.922
11. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:45.039
12. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:45.128
13. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:45.516
14. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:45.804
15. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:46.108
16. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki, 1:46.170
17. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:46.173
18. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:46.216
19. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:46.647
20. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1:46.950
21. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:47.037
22. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:47.473

*New Circuit Best Lap Record


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

FORTUNA YAMAHA IMPROVE DESPITE EXTREME CATALAN TEMPERATURES

With conditions getting even hotter for the second day of qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix today, very few riders were expected to improve on their provisional times. But as the hour-long session came to a close both Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri were able to do just that, bettering their initial performances by 0.792 and 0.257seconds respectively.

Checa, who was pushing hard in the scorching conditions, gained ground not only in relation to the stopwatch but also on the starting grid for tomorrow’s 25-lap main event. The Spaniard, who won his first ever 500cc Grand Prix at this very venue, will now start the sixth round of the 2003 season from the second row. Although Checa only gained a four-place advantage over his Friday performance – up from 12th on the grid to eighth – the 30-year-old is feeling more confident after today’s qualifying performance because of the progress made with the base chassis geometry by the team overnight.

Provisional polesitter Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1:43.927) was one of a few riders who were unable to improve on their provisional time, but still the defending MotoGP World Champion was able to retain his place at the head of the pack. The Italian will lead Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 1:44.333) and third fastest man Olivier Jacque (Gauloises Yamaha Team, 1:44.358) off the line once the lights go green – the Frenchman finding over one second today to place the YZR-M1 on the front row.

“We changed the balance of the bike overnight and it seemed to work,” explained local-boy Checa. “We saw yesterday that we hadn’t gone in the right direction with the bike’s balance so we made changes to the chassis. We lost a day but at least we’ve recovered a little today, and we’re starting from the second row. We’ve done a good job and I’m happy to have found my confidence with the bike.

“There’s no doubt that the race will be very tough. There are many competitive riders who can be up front and it’s good to see all the Yamaha riders improving. The most important point will be after 15 laps when we’ll see who can keep a good pace. I think Rossi seems to be OK, but I’m quite confident as well.”

Like his Fortuna Yamaha Team-mate, Melandri was able to improve on his provisional qualifying time but despite all efforts made by the team the 20-year-old rookie couldn’t advance any further up the grid – remaining 14th fastest on combined times. Although a little disappointed with the result Melandri is fully aware that the high temperatures have played a significant role in reducing drive he was able to get off the long turns.

“We’re having a difficult time,” admitted Melandri. “I just don’t have grip through the turns and can’t really open the gas. We’ve tried a lot of different things yesterday and today but nothing has really helped. Some things improve one area, but make another area worse. It’s hard, but we’ll be working tonight and looking to find something for tomorrow in the warm-up.”

“I’m very happy to see our riders moving in the right direction,” said Yamaha’s YZR-M1 project leader Mr Ichiro Yoda. “We’ve changed the balance of the bike slightly and worked on some suspension settings. I think Michelin obviously have some good tyres here that seem to suit the Yamaha.

“The conditions are very hot and that will make it pretty tough for the riders and the tyres in the race. It’s like an endurance race. This track is not an easy one, so I’m happy with where we are, which is more in the direction of what we expect. However, we are all still working hard to make sure we’re up front all the time.”


More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Sweltering Catalunya. Tamada on third row with yesterday’s time.

The burning heat made track conditions very different from yesterday’s in terms of grip. Only one of the four riders who made tomorrow’s front row managed to do so with today’s time. For the others, their best time remained yesterday’s. The same was true for Makoto Tamada, for he was unable to improve yesterday’s qualifying time and thus made tenth place, putting him on the third row of tomorrow’s grid.

The technicians’ thermometers recorded 54 °C on the tarmac today and the Pramac Honda Team opted for even harder tyres to test their endurance. If the temperatures during the race are similar to those of today, they might indeed jeopardise the endurance of the tyres, so the technicians concentrated on a number of targeted tests.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 10th – 1:44.922

“The change of temperature was unmistakable, and this is why we intensified our tests on the tyres. And it must be said, it’s not that easy to adapt the general settings of the bike, so we had plenty to do during the qualifying session this afternoon. If the heat keeps up like this tomorrow too, we can certainly expect a race in which it’s going to be essential to manage the tyres perfectly so as to keep up a good level of performance towards the end of the race as well. It’s not going to be that easy, but we’ll see. During the tests today, I wasn’t able to maintain a constant pace as I’d hoped, so now we’ll be working with the technicians to find the best strategy for the race.”


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

CATALUNYA GP/ SECOND QUALIFYING SESSION

MONTMELO’ – Fast and determined since this morning free session, Colin Edwards lost the front row for a hair’s breadth. A good start for an exciting race. Some difficulties for the Japanese rider on Aprilia RS Cube who is trying to find the right feeling with the front after the last crashes in Mugello. But the Japanese usually improved his performance during the race. In the meantime the technical staff is checking the situation…

COLIN EDWARDS: “I am angry cause I lost the front row for a hair’s breadth but if I am able to make a good start tomorrow the situation will easily improve. The choice of the tyres is the most difficult problem to solve! Everybody is complaining about it but I feel ready as I have already made my choice. Moreover the setting found by Marcellino Lucchi at Mugello changed completely my RS Cube. I feel ready for the race! I think I can easily stay with the firsts and there will be a lot of surprises tomorrow. They told me that the track surface is about 45 degrees: no problem as 45 is my favourite number!

NORIYUKI HAGA: “I have some problem in the braking but I think it’s my fault. I do not want to find any excuse: last crashes in Mugello reduced my feeling with the front. Anyway the bike is quite good: I have just to clarify a setting problem. I will solve it tomorrow during the warm up session.

GIGI DALL’IGNA (Project Leader): “The gap with the firsts is very small. This means that we are working in the right way. We have already chose the tyres with Michelin staff and I think we will be very competitive tomorrow. After the tests made in Mugello we improved the engine supply it works well with the tyres. I am sorry for Nori because he has not been able to exploit these days in the best way. We will d our best to give him a competitive bike after the warm up. Colin has been very good today”.


More, from a press release issued by Suzuki:

HOPKINS BRAVES PAIN FOR FOURTH-ROW START

Circuit de Catalunya, Spain– Saturday, June 14, 2003:
Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins took a break from treatment for back injuries to qualify 13th-fastest for tomorrow’s GP of Catalunya, to lead the fourth row of the grid for the sixth race of the season.

Hopkins is the sole Suzuki rider for the race, with team-mate Kenny Roberts Junior sidelined by injuries sustained at last weekend’s Italian GP. Roberts flew back to the USA today for treatment to his chest injuries; but Hopkins had the benefit of top-level advice, with not only test rider Jean Michel Bayle observing from the trackside, but also 1993 Suzuki World Champion Kevin Schwantz.

But 20-year-old Anglo-Californian Hopkins has more problems than just the usual concerns of setting up the machine chassis and suspension, and selecting racing tyres good enough to survive blazing sunshine and track temperatures that today soared to 55 degrees. Continuing pain and stiffness in his back drove him to take the advice of team physiotherapist Dean Miller and consult Clinica Mobile chief Dr Claudio Costa yesterday. Costa diagnosed back injuries, although no fractures, and after today’s final hour-long session Hopkins returned to the Clinica to check for soft tissue damage.

Hopkins feels the pain and awkwardness of movement while he is riding, but declined the offer of painkillers. “I’d rather feel the pain than have them messing with my head in this heat,” he said.

Hopkins was one of a handful of riders who did not improve his lap time of yesterday in this afternoon’s session, but he had already proved in free training in the morning that he can go faster, and was not dismayed. Although the single fast lap proved elusive this afternoon, he was pleased with overall progress that put him in better shape for the race.

Today’s simmering heat is expected to continue tomorrow, promising a second successive race in punishingly hot conditions. Huge crowds are expected to flock to the 4.727km circuit outside Barcelona.

Team Suzuki is staying on at the Montmelo circuit on Monday and Tuesday for two days of intensive testing. Hopkins will be joined not only by factory tester Akiyoshi but also French motorcycling legend and Suzuki endurance racer Jean Michel Bayle.

JOHN HOPKINS – 13th Position, 1:45.416: I was quicker this morning, but I think that’s a temperature issue. Right now I’m riding to the ability of the bike with the low grip here. This afternoon I was concentrating more on race tyres, and putting together a good number of laps with consistent times. I put in a new tyre at the end, but I just didn’t get the lap time I wanted. But I’m feeling pretty confident for the race. This morning I did a bunch of sets of laps consistently, and where yesterday I couldn’t do 1:47s with race tyres, today it was easy. We’ve made an improvement from yesterday to today. It just didn’t show on the lap times.

KEVIN SCHWANTZ – 1993 World Champion: It seems like the bike runs good, and I think it can be a competitive with the engine it has. We need to concentrate on handling. Watching John today, he’s having trouble getting into the turns, and getting back on the throttle on the way out. He’s on the power a metre and a bit later than the others.

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager: John dug really deep today, putting the pain out of his mind, and concentrating on the job. He’s had a lot of help from Dean Miller and from Dr Costa, but in the end he’s the one who is going through the pain barrier.


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

With temperatures only increasing during the second day of qualifying for the Catalunya Grand Prix, held June 14, very few riders were expected to better their provisional times, but as the hour-long session came to a close Olivier Jacque (Gauloises Yamaha Team) produced a stunning lap to find a 1.011 second improvement over his provisional qualifying time. The Frenchman produced a 1:44.358 in the final few minutes of the session to lift himself up from tenth on the time sheets to third – a front row start for tomorrow’s 25-lap race and Jacque’s first this season. Although much of the gain came from the team’s effort at improving the M1’s overall balance, Jacque admits the slipstream provided by defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda) helped.

In an impressive team performance Jacque’s Gauloises Yamaha Team-mate Alex Barros set the third fastest time of the day, a 1:44.642, to feature well on the front row until Sete Gibernau (Honda, 1:44.366) relegated the Brazilian to fifth. Meanwhile fellow Yamaha rider Shinya Nakano (d’Antin Yamaha Team, 1:44.672) was unable to hold onto his provisional fourth place and, despite improving his qualifying time, finished the combined session sixth fastest.

Checa, who was pushing hard in the scorching conditions, made up ground in relation to the stopwatch and on the starting grid for tomorrow’s 25-lap main event. The Spaniard, who won his first ever 500 race at this venue will now start the sixth round of the 2003 season from the second row. Although Checa only gained a four-place advantage over his Friday performance – up from 12th on the grid to eighth – the 30-year-old is feeling more confident since the progress made by the team with the base geometry.

Provisional polesitter Rossi (1:43.927) was one a few riders who were unable to improve on their provisional time, but still Rossi was able to retain his place at the head of the pack ahead of fellow Italian Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 1:44.333).

Gauloises Yamaha Team
Olivier Jacque 3rd, 1:44.358: “I didn’t intentionally wait for Rossi to come by, but being behind him undoubtedly helped – not in terms of trajectory – there wasn’t any big difference in our lines – but in terms of slipstream. At a circuit like this, for example, with a very long straight, you can gain significantly in top speed when you are tucked in behind someone. Obviously though, even to be able to do that your bike needs to be good and we have worked well here since the start of the weekend. Our set-up isn’t radically different from Mugello but we have made a number of small improvements that together make the bike more competitive. As far as the race is concerned tyre choice is going to be crucial. Whatever happens it is going to be a tough one, but hopefully starting from the front row I will be able to stay with the front runners and put in a good result.”

Alex Barros 5th, 1:44.642: “We have worked well since the start of practice and I’m quite happy with how everything has gone. The bike is better than it was at Mugello. We have tried a lot of different tyres and have managed to improve the amount of feedback I am getting from the front-end. If I hadn’t made a couple of little mistakes on my fastest lap I could have maybe gone 1/10th of a second faster, but still I think my grid position is good enough, and my bike fast enough to be able to stay with the front group. For the race the crucial factor is going to be tyre choice. We need to find the right compromise between grip and durability and at the moment have narrowed it down to three possibilities.”

D’Antin Yamaha Team
Shinya Nakano 4th, 1:44.765: “Today was a difficult day to try and improve, mainly because of the heat. Unfortunately I couldn’t keep my place on the front row, but I’m still confident for the race as I have a good pace and there aren’t big time differences between the front guys. Tomorrow we’ll be working in the warm-up to improve some things further with the suspension and I’m confident we’ll be able to do it.”

Fortuna Yamaha Team
Carlos Checa 8th, 1:44.790: “We changed the balance of the bike overnight and it seemed to work. We saw yesterday that we hadn’t gone in the right direction with the bike’s balance so we made changes to the chassis. We lost a day but at least we’ve recovered a little today, and we’re starting from the second row. We’ve done a good job and I’m happy to have found my confidence with the bike. There’s no doubt that the race will be very tough. There are many competitive riders who can be up front and it’s good to see all the Yamaha riders improving. The most important point will be after 15 laps when we’ll see who can keep a good pace. I think Rossi seems to be OK, but I’m quite confident as well.”

Marco Melandri 14th, 1:45.804: “We’re having a difficult time. I just don’t have grip through the turns and can’t really open the gas. We’ve tried a lot of different things yesterday and today but nothing has really helped. Some things improve one area, but make another area worse. It’s hard, but we’ll be working tonight and looking to find something for tomorrow in the warm-up.”


More, from John Hopkins’ publicist:

HOPKINS QUALIFIES FOR GRAND PRIX OF CATALUNYA DESPITE INJURY

MONTMELÓ, Spain (June 14, 2003) – Suzuki’s John Hopkins qualified 13th for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Catalunya in spite of serious back pain that lingers from his crash suffered last week in the Italian Grand Prix. Hopkins turned a time of 1:45.516 on the factory Suzuki GSV-R during Friday’s qualifying. He was unable to better the time during Saturday’s session. Defending World Champion Valentino Rossi took the pole with a time of 1:43.927.

Hopkins will be the sole Suzuki entry this weekend. His teammate Kenny Roberts, Jr., will miss the GP due to injuries he sustained last week when he lost control of his bike and collided with Hopkins at Mugello.

“The pain I had in my neck migrated down my back,” Hopkins explained. “Fortunately Desiree (Hopkins’ girlfriend) is a certified massage therapist and she gets a lot of credit for helping me to get to the point of being able to ride this weekend.”

The heat was oppressive at Catalunya Circuit on Saturday. Hopkins said the team concentrated on working towards a good race set up.

“We just ran the race settings today to try to make the bike as controllable as possible,” Hopkins said. “I’m just happy to be out here racing after looking at the tape of the crash last week. I like this circuit. It has a good combination of fast corners, tight corners and elevation changes.”

Hopkins will head up the fourth row on Sunday’s grid. He added that a clean race was what he was aiming for this weekend. Hopkins hopes to work back into the top 10 in the world championship standings over the next few rounds.

His 13th qualifying position matches his starting spot last year at Catalunya. He went on to finish 11th in that race.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final 125cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:51.043
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, 1:51.220
3. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 1:51.281
4. Hector Barbera, Aprilia, 1:51.349
5. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 1:51.417
6. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:51.453
7. Youichi Ui, Aprilia, 1:51.686
8. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 1:51.971
9. Stefano Perugini, Aprilia, 1:52.011
10. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 1:52.076
11. Jorge Lorenzo, Derbi, 1:52.295
12. Gabor Talmacsi, Aprilia, 1:52.386
13. Gioele Pellino, Aprilia, 1:52.954
14. Thomas Luthi, Honda, 1:52.994
15. Mike DiMeglio, Aprilia, 1:53.052
16. Simone Corsi, Honda, 1:53.111
17. Arnaud Vincent, KTM, 1:53.122
18. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 1:53.148
19. Mika Kallio, Honda, 1:53.160
20. Fabrizio Lai, Malaguti, 1:53.387

From a press release issued by FGSPORT GROUP:

Grid Positions and Race Warm Up

Zongshen first and second – Yamaha Austria third – Phase One fourth

Final Qualifying

As predicted, the cooler temperatures allowed many riders to improve on yesterday’s times. Zongshen No.1’s Warwick Nowland shaved 0.17 seconds off his fastest lap time to hold pole position with a lap time of 2:06.624 .

Piergeorgio Bontempi moved the Zongshen No.2 bike up into second place only a tenth of a second behind Nowland, and third place on the grid has gone to Yamaha Austria’s Karl Truchsess with a time of 2:06.949 – almost 1.5 seconds faster than yesterday.

Phase One have managed to hold onto fourth place despite a crash by Jason Pridmore in the closing laps of his session. Their spare bike was prepared in time for Jimmy Lindstrom to go out in the following session; Lindstrom immediately declared the “T” bike significantly better than the one that was crashed.

Race Build Up

In the warm-up session that followed an hour after qualifying, Zongshen 1 were again the fastest, with Phase One second, Zongshen 2 third, Police Nationale fourth and Ducati DRE fifth. The warm-up is probably more representative of the performance teams can expect during the race as final adjustments are made to suspension and tyres, and the bikes are tested with full fuel loads.

The weather may well play a part in this evening’s first race session. Heavy showers are forecast for between six and seven o’clock – around the time when the first rider changes will be taking place. None of the teams have been able to test in wet conditions this weekend, so the timing of pit-stops and the ability of the riders to adapt to the conditions could have a big impact on the race result.

At the end of this evening’s three hour race session the bikes will be left overnight in a parc-ferme before the race restarts tomorrow. The grid for the race restart will be based on the positions at the end of the first race session.

2003, June 14

Rider Quotes

Warwick Nowland – Zongshen 1: We didn’t get the right tyre for qualifying, but the race tyres seem good so we can do consistent 2:08s or maybe 2:07s. I hope we can improve our pit stops. The main threat will be Phase One; the other teams are catching up so I need to go quicker, but I don’t think anyone can run with us…”

Piergeorgio Bontempi – Zongshen 2: “We have tried to improve the set up today, and I hope the bike will come even better in the race. A tenth of a second is only a small gap behind pole position – I feel a little bit lucky today, so maybe we can win.”

Christophe Guyot – GMT94: “I think we can battle with the number 2 Zongshen bike – we are improving the Yamaha step by step.”

Jason Pridmore –Suzuki GB Phase One: It’s been a bad day. The team have accepted responsibility for the crash but it’s my fault as well. I was so intent on trying to get some good lap times in the last ten minutes that I didn’t check the brakes myself. I can’t do the start because my legs are hurt, so Olivier will do the first session. He’s going well today and we’re both on the same pace.”

Karl Truchsess – Yamaha Austria: “Yesterday I was doing 2:08s okay – I knew today would be faster. When we got the set-up right we put a qualifier on and went for it. I know the circuit well – I’ve been racing here for 18 years – and I think we can get a podium.”

Michael Bursa – KFM Herber Endurance: “Everything is working well this morning; the track is good, the weather is good and the bike is good.”

Gwen Giabbani – Police Nationale: “We still have problems with the set-up, we won’t be able to fix it before the race. It’s either the frame or suspension; at Assen it was okay but here we have big problems. I hope we do some testing between here and Albacete but there’s not much time.”

Bernard Cuzin – Yamaha Endurance Moto 38: “Six hours is a better race distance for us than 200 miles. We will do well in this race. Albacete is twelve hours, so we will be even better there.”

Dario Marchetti – DRE Ducati: “I’m very satisfied with Garcia’s time, but the chain broke during the last session so we couldn’t improve. Our engine loses power compared to the Suzuki 1000s but it is easier to ride so I think in the race we will be okay.”

Olivier Four – Suzuki GB Phase One: “We’ve only used race tyres and I could do consistent 2:07s this morning on the replacement bike. I think the race will be very close…”

Top ten grid positions:

1st: Zongshen No.1 – Warwick Nowland – 2:06.624

2nd: Zongshen No.2 – Piergeorgio Bontempi – 2:06.728

3rd: Yamaha Austria – Karl Truchsess – 2:06.949

4th: Suzuki GB Phase One – Jason Pridmore – 2:06.982

5th: GMT94 – William Costes – 2:07.510

6th: Police Nationale – Gwen Giabbani – 2:07.575

7th: Trackdaze 11 – Mike Edwards – 2:08.110

8th: Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 – Laurent Brian – 2:08.139

9th: Ducati DRE – Marc Garcia – 2:08.602

10th: KFM Herber Endurance – Michael Bursa – 2:09.533

From a press release issued by series organizers:

Albacete Illuminations

130 Megawatts of Light Show the Way

The Albacete track debuted their newly installed circuit illumination system on Wednesday
night this week. The lights were switched on by Pedro Antonio Ruiz Santos, President of
the Albacete Province and Circuit Director Andres Sanchez Marin.

The system delivers 130,000 kw of power through more than 200 lamps positioned around
the full circuit. Albacete will be the first circuit in Europe to offer full-coverage
illumination (the only others are Motegi and Suzuka in Japan) and represents a major
investment by the track in the future of endurance racing at Albacete.

The circuit hosts its first round of the World Endurance Championship on the 28 th and 29 th
of June. The race is a twelve hour event which will run through the night from nine o’clock
on Saturday evening to nine o’clock on Sunday morning.

A web-cam link from the front page of the world endurance web site – www.WorldEdurance.com – will allow browsers to watch the action throughout the event.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Yamaha take pole in Silverstone World Supersport qualifying

Jurgen vd Goorbergh put his Yamaha R6 on pole with only four minutes to go, setting a time of 1:56.096 that proved too quick for the chasing Suzuki’s to match.

Stephane Chambon and Katsuaki Fujiwara pushed the Yamaha-mounted Dutchman hard right up until the session timed out but were unable to budge him from pole. Chambon’s 1:56.543 earned him second ahead of Fujiwara who recorded a best lap of 1:56.586. Simone Sanna is the surprise addition to the front row with a best time of 1:56.622, joining his Belgarda Yamaha team mate vd Goorbergh at the front.

Noticeable by their absence from the front row are the two Ten Kate Hondas of Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge. The pair struggled with traffic and found themselves down in sixth and 13th respectively. They blamed traffic on their fast qualifying laps for their relatively poor grid position.


World Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Yamaha, 1:56.096
2. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:56.543
3. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, 1:56.586
4. Simone Sanna, Yamaha, 1:56.622
5. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha, 1:56.681
6. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 1:56.719
7. Robert Ulm, Honda, 1:56.801
8. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki, 1:56.808
9. Pere Riba, Kawasaki, 1:57.037
10. Thierry vd Bosch, Yamaha, 1:57.073
11. Broc Parkes, Honda, 1:57.075
12. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha, 1:57.370
13. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, 1:57.432
14. Werner Daemen, Honda, 1:57.475
15. Iain MacPherson, Honda, 1:57.489
16. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda, 1:57.496
17. Christophe Cogan, Honda, 1:57.674
18. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, 1:57.889
19. Stefano Cruciani, Kawasaki, 1:58.087
20. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha, 1:58.475


More, from a press release issued on behalf of Ten Kate Honda:

Heavy traffic keeps Ten Kate Honda off front row

For only the second time this season the Ten Kate Honda team will start a World Supersport race without a rider on the front row of the grid.

Both riders, championship leader Chris Vermeulen and his team mate Karl Muggeridge complained of heavy traffic ruining their fast qualifying laps.

“It’s not usual for us to be off the front row,” admitted team manager Ronald ten Kate. “I’m not happy that we’ll have to start from so far back tomorrow, but at least I know our lads can go quick on race tyres – before the qualifiers started going in we were consistently in the top four. We have some work to do before the race fine tuning our set up and I’m sure we’ll be treated to an explosive start to the race.”

The riders confirmed ten Kate’s view. “The Honda CBR600RR is fast and working really well on both race and qualifying tyres,” said Vermeulen. “But as soon as I got my qualifying tyre on I got caught in traffic.”

“I had just the same problems, the bike was going good and both Pirelli and WP Suspension had worked really hard to find a set up that could cope with the mix of fast turns and slow, bumpy turns.” confirmed Muggeridge. “But when I came around on my fast lap there were about eight riders coming out of the pit lane and I got caught behind them for next few turns.”


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Jurgen van den Goorbergh grabbed the first pole position of his Supersport career with a sensational lap at Silverstone today.

Despite having no previous experience of the fast English circuit, the Yamaha Belgarda Team rider was in blistering form, setting a time almost half-a-second faster than second-placed Stephane Chambon (Suzuki).



After a day learning the circuit on Friday, the Dutchman set the fastest time in the Saturday morning free practice session. He remained calm in the final qualifying session, using most of the 45-minute session to test tyres. Despite a big slide, his first flying lap, set with around ten minutes remaining, moved him from 18th place to pole. He was able to improve the time further after pitting for a new rear tyre.

“I really like this track,” declared Van den Goorbergh. “There are some great, fast corners and I have learned the lines quickly. The bike is excellent, really fast, and I’m confident that we have found a good race tyre for tomorrow.”

Joining Jurgen on the front row is his team-mate Simone Sanna. The Italian shrugged off a crash early in the second qualifying session to qualify fourth in what is only his sixth race on a four-stroke machine.

In a good day’s work for the YZF-R6 riders Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro) qualified fifth, while Yamaha Motor France IPONE riders Thierry van den Bosch and Matthieu Lagrive also had their best qualifying of the season, 10th and 12th respectively.

Of the regular Yamaha runners, only the Yamaha Motor Germany team were disappointed with their positions. Christian Kellner and Jorg Teuchert battled to find ideal suspension settings for their machines and will start tomorrow’s 19-lap race from 18th and 20th on the grid.

From a press release issued by the State of California:

New California OHV Noise Regulations To be Strictly Enforced

The California Department of Parks and Recreation announced that effective July 15, 2003, new noise regulations will be strictly enforced for all off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles that are operated at all State Vehicular Recreation Areas.

The new regulations bring California’s off-road noise emissions levels down from one of the worst in the nation to one of the best, reducing the maximum decibel level standard from 101 decibels to 96 decibels.

“The importance of this can’t be underscored enough. Noise is the most threatening aspect to California’s Off-Highway Vehicle program,” said Tony Perez, Chief of California State Parks’ Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. “That is why the Division intends to be very aggressive in dealing with this issue.

“We’ve already started testing and the results so far have been very positive. After 10 months of testing 3,190 off-highway vehicles at the Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area, the Division found that 84 percent of the vehicles tested passed,” Perez added.

The following noise requirements will be strictly enforced:

If your OHV was manufactured before January 1, 1986, the noise limit is 101 decibels.

If your OHV was manufactured after January 1, 1986, the noise limit is 96 decibels.

If your “competition” OHV was manufactured before January 1, 1998, the noise limit is 101 decibels.

If your “competition” OHV was manufactured after January 1, 1998, the noise limit is 96 decibels.

According to the standards, “competition” off-highway vehicles are those that are not manufactured to comply with EPA noise or California emission standards.

For information on the designation of your OHV, refer to your owner’s manual or contact your local dealership.

The new noise law is a key element of AB 2274, signed into law by Governor Gray Davis in September 2002 and which went into effect January 1, 2003. AB 2274 represents the most sweeping reform of California’s off-highway vehicle program in its 30-year history. It drew bipartisan support in the Legislature, and won the support of both environmental organizations and off-road recreation groups.

From a press release:

WEBSTER UNTOUCHABLE IN QUALIFYING

Steve Webster continued his recent dominance with provisional pole after the first two qualifying sessions at Silverstone for round four of the World Superside championship.

Webster said: “We tried a brand new engine here in order to increase top-end speed and everything else is going to plan.”

Tom Hanks and passenger Phil Biggs achieved a season’s best second and the Halton Fabrications team is on a charge, having finished in fourth place at Oschersleben, Germany in the previous round.

Klaus Klaffenböck and Jörg Steinhausen posted the third and fourth fastest times respectively while reigning champion Steve Abbott could not improve on his earlier time due to a water pump problem.

The modifications made to the track have caused no end of problems for the sidecar teams as they try to negotiate the tricky Luffeld chicane.

“We tried various lines through the chicane, different systems. It has not been easy,” added Webster.


Friday’s Superside World championship qualifying times:
1 Steve Webster, GB (Suzuki) 2:00.419
2 Tom Hanks, GB (Yamaha) 2:01.776
3 Klaus Klaffenböck, Austria (Yamaha) 2:01.900
4 Jörg Steinhausen, Germany (Suzuki) 2:01.902
5 Martien van Gils, Holland (Suzuki) 2:02.721
6 Steve Abbott, GB (Suzuki) 2:02.910
7 Mike Roscher, Germany (Suzuki) 2:03.297
8 Jock Skene, GB (Suzuki) 2:03.618
9 Bill Philp, GB (Yamaha) 2:04.818
10 Gerhard Hauzenberger, Austria (Yamaha) 2:06.717

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Chambon leads Supersport at Silverstone

By Glenn Le Santo

Stephane Chambon took provisional pole at Silverstone as the World Supersport Championship riders got their first look at the controversial new chicane at Silverstone.

Many riders complained about the very tight chicane built in place of the fast final Woodcote turn. The modifications were forced upon the track because the original turn doesn’t have enough run-off to satisfy homologation rules. But the feeling is amongst most riders that the chicane is a ‘Mickey Mouse’ answer to a problem better solved with some obviously more expensive remodelling.

Chambon might not have been able to retain his provisional top spot if it hadn’t been for a big pile-up at the end of the session that put paid to the flying laps of the Ten Kate Honda duo, Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen. Both were out on qualifiers for a stab at pole when a three-bike pile up left the circuit covered in debris. The incident involved Sebastien Charpentier, Didier Vankeymeulen and Dean Thomas, and no-one was hurt.

World Supersport Championship
Round six, Silverstone, 13-14-15 June 2003

First Qualifying, best times:
1. S Chambon, FRA, Suzuki, 1:57.354
2. K Muggeridge, AUS, Honda, 1:57.432
3. B Parkes, AUS, Honda, 1:57.487
4. T VD Bosch, FRA, Yamaha, 1:57.580
5. S Sanna, ITA, Yamaha, 1:57.584
6. P Riba, ESP, Kawasaki, 1:57.775
7. C Vermeulen, AUS, Honda, 1:57.806
8. A Corradi, ITA, Yamaha, 1:58.071
9. R Ulm, AUT, Honda, 1:58.079
10. I MacPherson, GBR, Honda, 1:58.116


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA’S MUGGERIDGE ON PACE AT NEW-LOOK SILVERSTONE

Honda CBR600RR rider Karl Muggeridge continued his pace-setting style as he took second place, behind provisional pole position man Stephane Chambon, in Friday afternoon’s opening qualifying session for Sunday¹s sixth round of the World Supersport championship at Silverstone, GB.

Muggeridge, fastest for much of the session, is looking for a third successive pole position and the Australian is confident his Ten Kate CBR600RR can help him achieve that.

“I reckon I could have gone fastest but I was too aggressive, trying too hard,” Muggeridge admitted. “But I’ll take second from the opening day. We¹ve got a few small changes to make for tomorrow and try a few different suspension settings but we’re not far away from a good race set-up now.”

BKM Honda’s Broc Parkes was third quickest, the CBR600RR ace said: “I never qualify that well so to get on the front row on a Friday is good news ­ especially as I know what lap time I can do on a race tyre. Tomorrow we’ll be chasing the perfect race set-up.”

Yamaha’s Supermoto world champion Thierry van den Bosch completes the provisional front row in fourth place. Simone Sanna recorded the fifth best time with Kawasaki’s Pere Riba sixth and championship leader Chris Vermeulen seventh.

Vermeulen commented: “We had a bit of a play around with some suspension changes but I ran out of time. On what should have been my best lap there was a crash and grass on the track everywhere.”

Italian Yamaha rider Alessio Corradi was eighth with Austrian Robert Ulm, aboard the Klaffi team’s CBR600RR Honda, ninth. Ulm said: “This is my first time at Silverstone so I’m pleased with today¹s performance. I seem to be pretty quick through the new, final chicane which is where many riders are struggling.”

Iain MacPherson completes the provisional top 10, on his Van Zon Honda, the Scotsman said: “The final chicane is my only real problem. I feel like I’m losing a lot of time there, other than that everything is really good.”

MacPherson’s team-mate Werner Daemen took 13th spot, he admitted: “I got held up at the final chicane on my fast lap so I know there’s around half-a-second to come off my time yet. I was really worried this morning about set-up but we’ve got the machine working much better this afternoon.”

Sebastien Charpentier ended the day 14th fastest on his Klaffi Honda despite crashing in the closing stages of the 45-minute afternoon qualifying session.

Charpentier said: “There must have been oil down or something. I was flat out in fifth gear and the next thing I knew I was down. I’m OK though so I should be OK to improve tomorrow.”

BKM Honda’s Christophe Cogan was another victim of the crash at the end of the session, even though he stayed upright the fit-again Frenchman missed out on his final, flying lap.

“My attempt at a fast lap was ruined by yellow flags but other than that I feel pretty confident,” said Cogan. “The injuries from my Monza crashes are healed now and I¹m hoping for a good finish on Sunday.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

RE: Miss Communication and Ron Barrick, AMA

“Ron Barrick stated the cornerworkers never communicated that Rapp’s bike hit the wall.”

I found this quite ironic since an AMA official posting times the morning after the event handed me a flyer regarding Livengood’s updated condition. I asked at that time also about Rapp and the official proceeded to give me a detailed account of his accident, including that he hit the wall.

Diana Nash
Statesboro, Georgia