From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

TESTING CONTINUES FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM AT JEREZ

Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 13 May 2003 – The Ducati Marlboro Team stayed behind at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit today for further testing, just two days after a superb podium finish at the Spanish GP.

Sunday’s race was characterized by a fantastic third place for Bayliss and a ‘close encounter’ between the team’s two riders during the warm-up lap. Capirossi bruised his left arm in the contact and was forced to retire after crashing out on lap 15.

In a climate of total collaboration, both riders carried out testing work on settings and made a number of modifications to the front and rear suspension geometry, allowing engineers to accumulate important data. Loris and Troy also went through a vast range of tyres, testing different compound Michelin fronts. Torrid heat (over 30° C air / 54° C track) meant that both tyres and engine components were put through their paces today.

At the end of the day the results, from a technical point of view, can be viewed as positive. “Today it was really hot out there – commented Corrado Cecchinelli, Ducati Marlboro Team technical director – and this allowed us to test the engine reliability and the Michelin tyres to their limit, in particular the front with different compounds. We are very pleased, everything worked well and the condition of both riders was more than satisfactory. Troy did a lot of laps and kept up a rapid pace. Loris got back on the bike after Sunday’s crash and used today’s test to the full. At this point we are already focussed and ready for the Le Mans race”.

Troy Bayliss completed a total of 85 laps, simulating a race distance and lapping at a constantly high pace. “Today was important because it allowed us to make a further step forward in the set-up of the bike. We are all fired up and what is more important, we are working really well. I’m really pleased with the way things are going”.

Loris Capirossi was also satisfied: “My arm is at 70% – he said – but I still managed to do 50 laps at a good pace, as well as test tyres and carry out a series of modifications to the suspension geometry. It was a positive and constructive day, which allowed the team to work in complete tranquillity. The heat was unbearable but everything worked out well”.

From a press release issued by Monstermob Ducati:

SHAKEY GOES FOR TRIPLE DOUBLE

Fresh from five back to back race victories in the 2003 British Superbike Championship, MonsterMob Ducati ace Shane Byrne is hoping to continue his dominance as the series heads north to Knockhill in Scotland for round five this weekend.

The 26 year old Kent rider has stamped his authority on the championship with six wins out of the eight races to date and with a brace of second places also for good measure ‘Shakey’ holds a 55 point advantage over nearest rival Michael Rutter (Ducati) going into the tight and twisty Fife circuit where he won last year.

Doubles at Thruxton and Oulton Park have given Byrne a commanding lead and if he could repeat the victories in the last two rounds, he would match the only other rider in the championship’s recent history – Niall Mackenzie – who achieved the feat of a ‘triple double’ back in 1997, ironically taking victories at Thruxton and Oulton Park also, before winning twice at Mallory on his way to the title.

Whilst confident, Byrne is keen to play down the hype and expectations: “I’m not bothered about history or records; I just want things to keep moving along as they have been for the past few races and it’s important we keep focussed on the task in hand which is winning races. Everything is working so well at the moment, I’m really enjoying things and despite some people saying I’m not good enough to win this title or that I’m having it all too easy, I aim to continue where I left off at Oulton” said the rider from Minster on the Isle of Sheppey.

For team mate Stuart Easton, racing on home soil has not been kind to him in the past and the 18 year old Hawick rider will be hoping for better luck this year as he bids to defend his Supersport crown. Second in the series standings and with just one victory to his name so far this year, the ‘Rat Boy’ is planning on scooping victory at his local circuit board his 748cc MonsterMob Ducati:

“We handicapped ourselves at Oulton with a poor qualifying session and you can’t give this class of riders two rows head start. Points are all well and good but I need to be winning again and I can’t think of anywhere better than Knockhill where a lot of my friends and family will be at” said the young Scot.

Team owner Paul Bird will be making the short trip across the Scottish border from his Cumbria home and naturally wants his team to give a good account of themselves:

“It’s always a bit of a lottery at Knockhill because the track is so short and the weather always seems to play a part. The main aim is to maintain our championship positions and if the wins come along then that would be a bonus” said the boss of the Penrith-based team.

From a press releease issued by Honda Racing Information:

HONDA RACING INFO

Results Spanish Grand Prix, Jerez, Spain.
Raceday Sunday May 11


ROSSI PUTS HEAT ON RIVALS WITH SPANISH WIN

A partisan crowd of 130,000 had to be disappointed with the early departures of their Spanish heroes Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) and Carlos Checa (Yamaha) in the first half of the race. But no one could begrudge Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V) his second win of the season in the searing conditions that saw the track temperature at 41 degrees.

Rossi won in style with a stand-up wheelie across the line while second-placed Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) and Troy Bayliss (Ducati) were slightly were more reserved in their celebrations of second and third places respectively.

The 27-lap MotoGP race began with a mad rush into the uphill right-hand turn one and it was Troy Bayliss (Ducati) who rocketed into the lead as the pack bumped and bored its way around the first circuit of the 4.423km track. His team-mate Loris Capirossi collided with him on the back straight and came off better in the altercation. He grabbed the lead.

But Rossi was already sizing up his Italian rival Capirossi having hoisted himself from seventh to second by the end of the first lap. Rossi’s ability to carve his way through the chaos of the opening lap gave him the impetus he needed to stalk Capirossi and then dive inside him at the final left-hand hairpin on lap four. And then he was gone.

Lap after lap he piled on the agony for his pursuers putting anything between two and four tenths of a second into the gap between his number 46 machine and the RC211V of his erstwhile antagonist Max Biaggi. Biaggi could easily maintain the second place he grabbed on lap six but he could make no impression on the rampaging Rossi.

With Biaggi out of Bayliss’ range in second and Bayliss similarly clear of the rest of the field, the action was concentrated on fourth place and beyond. It eventually went to Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211) from Alex Barros (Yamaha) but not without a huge fight from the inspired rookie Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) along the way.

Rossi, who set a new lap record of 1:42.788 on lap five on his way to GP win number 52, now has a tally of five wins at this happy Spanish hunting ground.

“I’m happy,” he said. “The biggest problem everyone had was traction and we knew we had to work on making the bike controllable even with large amounts of wheelspin. I had a bad start but I didn’t want anyone to get away and so I had to make a lot of places up before I got behind Capirossi. I had a bit more speed than him and that was it.”

Max Biaggi (Camel Pramac Pons RC211V) was more relieved than happy at securing a solid points haul when he was in danger of coming away with little or nothing in the early qualifying stages.

“I’m happy with this after the qualifying troubles,” he said. “On Friday I was down in 12th, then I was on the front row on Saturday and now today a podium. Everyone dreams of winning and riding with the number one plate but in these conditions you take what you can get. I had a lot of fun overtaking other riders in the early laps but it was quite lonely towards the end.”

Things got better as the race wore on for Tohru Ukawa (Camel Pramac Pons RC211) who wasted a front row grid slot with a sluggish start and then couldn’t push through the field until after mid-race distance.

“The bike was not giving me enough confidence to push at the start,” said the Japanese star. “Then as the race went on things actually got better and I could make up places, but it was too late to make decent progress. Maybe there’s a small problem with me too, I seem to take too long to get into a rhythm at the moment.”

For Sete Gibernau (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V) it was all a case of what might have been. “It was a real shame,” said the Spaniard. “When I was chasing Valentino the front end let go. I didn’t want to settle for second in front of this great crowd but I still have to adapt to this bike. We’re staying to test tomorrow and hopefully I’ll arrive at Le Mans with another chance of winning.”

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda RC211V) made his rookie tag look faintly ridiculous as he stormed to sixth in only his third MotoGP race and his first visit to Jerez. “I’m very satisfied,” he said. “A day like this really pumps up the motivation. This is what we need to move forward and I’m really looking to the Le Mans race although we need to remember not to get carried away with this result.”

Nicky Hayden (Respsol Honda RC211V) went out on lap nine. “My start wasn’t great,” he said. “Then I caught a good group and got into a rhythm before the engine felt a little slower. Then I fell off and I’m disappointed because I knew I was going to finish higher. I’m aching a bit now as it was a pretty fast fall.”

Rossi leads the points standings after three races with 70, Biaggi is second on 56 points with Bayliss on 40 and Gibernau with 38.

A scintillating 250 race was won by home-ground hotshot Tony Elias (Aprilia) who came out on top of a four-way last lap fight for the second 250 race win of his career. Roberto Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) grabbed second with Randy De Puniet third.

“We are starting to get somewhere,” said Rolfo. “I could ride round the outside of the Aprilias in the corners but just didn’t quite have the acceleration to get past them. I had to concentrate at 100% all through the race and when the rear tyre started to go off in the middle of the race I was worried but I guess it was the same for the others as I didn’t lose too much ground.”

Sebastian Porto (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS250RW) rode a typically gritty race to sixth carrying a painful injury. “This has been the worst weekend of my life,” said the Argentine. “I had engine problems and then I crashed and the bike ran over my neck in qualifying. I was in pain in the race and couldn’t turn my head very much at all. I’ll take the 10 points because these are the sort of rides you need to put in with a Championship at stake.”

Alex Debon (Troll Honda BQR RS250RW) finished ninth. “I am happy with my race,” he said. “The team did a great job. The bike was almost perfect, despite the hot conditions it only lost a little power. I hope this is the beginning of some good results for us.”

Manuel Poggiali (Aprilia) who finished fourth head the points table with 63, Rolfo lies second with 40 with De Puniet and Porto tied with 36 in third.

The 125 Grand Prix was won by Lucio Cecchinello (Aprilia) with Steve Jenkner (Aprilia) second and Alex De Angelis (Aprilia) in third. Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Junior Team RS125R) finished fourth after getting wrapped up in a fierce fight with Stefano Perugini (Aprilia) on the final two laps.

“I’m really not happy with the race,” said Pedrosa. “But the result will have to do. I know everyone’s expected to fight to the maximum but not the way Perugini did it picking impossible lines and generally losing us the chance of staying with group. And now I’ve lost the Championship lead.”

Andrea Dovisioso (Team Scot Racing RS125R) finished ninth after leading the early laps. “I chose a hard compound tyre for the front and rear,” he said. “The front was perfect but the rear started sliding early in the race and I could do nothing to stay with the leaders. Aprilia have been here testing several times and it helped them in the race.”

The world Championship points table now shows Jenkner on 52 points after three races, Pedrosa tied on 46 with Cecchinello and Dovisioso fourth with 38.

MotoGP
Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda, 1st :”I’m happy with the win. The biggest problem for everyone was traction and during the practice we worked hard on race set-up so that we could control the bike under spinning conditions. Racing at this track is always a dream for a rider to perform in front of so many people. It’s fantastic. At the start I lost time – I went wide to avoid a rider and lost time. Then I see Gibernau and Capirossi going away and I don’t want the same thing as South Africa so I push. I make a good lap and overtake four or five riders and arrive behind Capirossi. I was a little bit more fast and it was possible to go. 25 points is very important for me to take 100%.”

Max Biaggi, Camel Pramac Pons, 2nd :”I’m really pleaseed with my results because, even if a rider’s thought goes always to the win, looking where we were on Friday, the progress we made has been great. The race has been funny only in the first laps. Entering the first turn somebody touched me on the rear and made me loosing the best line. Everybody was really ‘hot’ looking only for going into the turn without thinkinh how to get out!. I remained calm even if I found myself in fifth position. I got my fan overtaking the others till I arrive in second position, after then the race becaime quite boring. The weather so warm made the pace quite slower compared to this morning and yesterday also. I think I got the 100% from my bike and that this result was the maximum I could hope for. The team has been great sorting out the problems we had on Friday and I wish to thanks them for this. We’ll go on working race by race without thinking to much to the future and we’ll try to take advantage of every occasions, if there will be some.”

Tohru Ukawa, Camel Pramac Pons, 4th :”at the start of the race the bike was sliding a lot and I did not feel to confident, but as the laps went by I started to feel better and in the end I had an excellent feeling on the bike. The same thing happened to me at Suzuka, but clearly this time it was too late in the race to challenge for the lead. The set-up was not perfect but you have to accept that not everything is perfect in the world of racing. I hope to make another important step forward in Le Mans and battle for a podium finish. So I think that the testing we will be carrying out there on suspensions and the engine will be a great help.”

Sito Pons, Team Manager: “We are very satisfied with the preformance of our riders, both on whom have once again shown their true class. Max tried everything and has achieved the best result that we could have hoped for here today, while Tohru finished very strongly. I would also like to highlight the enormous amount of work and dedication our technical team have put in to prepare the bikes for the race.”

Makoto Tamada, Pramac Honda, 6th :” A real uphill race, with a fight to reach the head of the pack. When it was time to make my attack, I was no longer able to deliver all the power down to the ground because I was losing grip at the rear. I got past Barros and Ukawa by shutting down the throttle at the very last moment and braking harder. Two fine duels. But then, after three laps in fourth place, I had to let them by. When I’m decelerating, I still get vibrations that make the saddle painful and riding extremely difficult. But if we can solve these little snags, we’ll be able to go even faster. But I’m very satisfied as it is. A day like this really pumps up the motivation. This is what we need to go forwards and get better and better. Now I can look forward to the Le Mans race with real confidence, even though I know we mustn’t overdo things: we’ve got to take one step at a time.”

Sete Gibernau, Telefonica Movistar Honda, dnf : “What can I say? It was a real shame. This weekend was difficult because we have had many changes. It was my first race on this machine, I made a good start up to second but when I was chasing Valentino the front end went from underneath me. We have loaded quite a lot of weight onto the front end of the bike and that made it difficult to turn. I still have to adapt to this bike but here in Jerez, in front of this great crowd, I did not want to settle for second place. I want to go for everything but it wasn’t to be. I am sorry for all the people who have come here to support me and for my team who have worked so hard. Tomorrow we will stay to test and hopefully will arrive at Le Mans with a chance of victory”.

FAUSTO GRESINI, Team Manager: “It was a real shame. I think we had a chance of making the podium. Crashes, like so many other things that happen during a race, are part of this sport. That’s racing…”

Nicky Hayden, Repsol Honda, dnf :”I’m really pretty disappointed because after a difficult couple of qualifying days we actually had the bike going quite good. My start was not so great and in all the jockeying for position in the first corner I got knocked by someone and my whole brake lever system got twisted round. I then out-braked myself and managed to get sorted and got into quite a good rhythm and began to work my way forward. I caught up a good group and picked up a few places and then felt the engine slow a little. I fell off pretty quick – not really too sure what happened – all I do know is I’m disappointed as I knew I was going to finish higher and I’m aching a bit now – it was a fast place to fall.”

250cc race:
Roberto Rolfo, Fortuna Honda, 2nd: ” We are starting to get somewhere with the engine, it was not so bad today. But we need more acceleration. The team worked really, really well here and the chassis was near perfect. We continue to improve all the time. In the race could ride around the outside of the Aprilia’s in the corners but couldn’t get in front of them. The difference is only the lack of acceleration. I had to concentrate at 100% all through the race. When the rear tyre started to go off in the middle of the race I was a ittle worried but I stayed with them and it paid of at the finish.”

Sebastien Porto, Telefonica MoviStar Honda Junior Team, 6th: “This is the worst weekend of my racing life. I am happy it’s over. We have been having problems with the engine and then my crash when the bike ran over my neck. It was very painful and uncomfortable in the race, I couldn’t turn my head at all. Still, it was important to race as hard as I could and finish with some points. I’m happy with sixth position, and the 10 points. That is the important thing, take points for the championship classification.”

Alex Debon, Troll Honda BQR, 9th: “I am happy with my race and thank my team for this good result, they did a great job. The bike was almost perfect, despite the hot conditions it only lost a little power. I hope this result is the first in a line of good results for us.”

125cc race.
Daniel Pedrosa, Telefonica Movistar Junior Team, 4th :”I am not happy at all with this race, not just with the result but with the real reason for it, which was the attitude of Perugini. I know that you have to fight to the maximum in the races, but not in this way. It was in both our interests to push hard and make sure the lead three didn’t escape, and maybe try something on the last lap – not try and pick impossible lines with three laps still remaining and risking a crash for both of us. At the start I tried to escape but when I saw it was not possible I dropped back to try and control my rivals. The bike was going well and I thought I had a chance. But I wasn’t counting on the actions of Perugini. The result is that I have lost the leadership and I was unable to fight for the victory as I would have liked”.

Andrea Dovizioso, Scot Racing Honda, 9th: “I chose a hard compound tyre for the front and rear. The front was perfect but the rear started sliding early in the race and I could do nothing to stay with the leaders. Aprilia have been here testing several times and it helped them in the race. Still, the main problem today was the sliding rear tyre.”

Masao Azuma, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 11th: “We changed many things on the suspension for the warm up. In the race I tried to follow the top group but they had too much acceleration and I could not. It was very hot today and that was the problem, my engine was just not quite perfect. It was a very hard race in these conditions.”

Thomas Luthi, Elit Honda, 12th: “My start was perfect I caught four guys on the first lap. Later in the race I ran wide and let three of them back passed me but fought back to lead the group. On the last lap I knew Azuma was right behind me so I chose a line that would keep him there but I had a big slide and he got passed.”

Mika Kallio, Ajo Motorsports Honda, 16th: “My start was not so bad but I got hit by another rider on the first lap and he pushed me wide. A lot of guy’s came passed me and I just lost too much time. I was sliding really badly Lorenzo was in front of me and he was not having the same problem so I tried to use his lines but it made no difference.”

Simone Corsi, Scot racing Honda, 21st: “I didn’t have a good feeling at all in the race. I was in some pain from my crash in practice and decided not to push too hard.”

RESULTS RACE :

MotoGP

Race Classification MotoGP: (27laps=119.421)

Pos/Rider/Nation/Team/Motorcycle/Time/Km/h

1/Valentino ROSSI /ITA /Repsol Honda /HONDA/46m50.345/152.976

2/Max BIAGGI /ITA /Camel Pramac Pons /HONDA/46m56.678/152.632

3/Troy BAYLISS /AUS /Ducati Marlboro Team /DUCATI/47m02.422/152.321

4/Tohru UKAWA /JPN /Camel Pramac Pons /HONDA/47m06.531/152.100

5/Alex BARROS /BRA /Gauloises Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/47m08.975/151.968

6/Makoto TAMADA /JPN /Pramac Honda /HONDA/47m14.498/151.672

7/John HOPKINS /USA /Suzuki Grand Prix Team /SUZUKI/47m21.304/151.309

8/Shinya NAKANO /JPN /d’Antín Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/47m21.563/151.295

9/Nobuatsu AOKI /JPN /Proton Team KR /PROTON KR/47m26.347/151.041

10/Olivier JACQUE /FRA /Gauloises Yamaha Team /YAMAHA/47m27.911/150.958

11/Noriyuki HAGA /JPN /Alice Aprilia Racing /APRILIA/47m34.098/150.630

12/Jeremy McWILLIAMS /GBR /Proton Team KR /PROTON KR/47m34.239/150.623

13/Kenny ROBERTS /USA /Suzuki Grand Prix Team /SUZUKI/47m39.236/150.360

14/Colin EDWARDS /USA /Alice Aprilia Racing /APRILIA/47m42.473/150.190

15/Andrew PITT /AUS /Kawasaki Racing Team /Kawasaki/47m58.524/149.352

Fastest Lap: Valentino ROSSI /1m42.788 /154.909 km/h

World Championship Positions:
1 ROSSI 70, 2 BIAGGI 56, 3 BAYLISS 40, 4 GIBERNAU 38, 5 BARROS 30, 6 UKAWA 23, 7 NAKANO 20, 8 HAYDEN 18, 9 CAPIROSSI 16, 10 HOPKINS 15, 11 ABE 13, 12 CHECA 13, 13 JACQUE 13, 14 EDWARDS 12, 15 TAMADA 12.


250cc

Race Classification 250cc: (26 laps = 114.998 km)

Pos/Rider/Nation/Team/Motorcycle/Time/Km/h

1/Toni ELIAS /SPA /Team Repsol Telefonica Movistar /APRILIA/46m10.793/149.413

2/Roberto ROLFO /ITA /Fortuna Honda /HONDA/46m11.314/149.385

3/Randy De Punet /FRA /Safilo Oxydo-LCR /APRILIA/46m11.332/149.384

4/Manuel POGGIALI /RSM /MS Aprilia Team /APRILIA/46m11.400/149.380

5/Anthony WEST /AUS /Team Zoppini Abruzzo /APRILIA/46m22.841/148.766

6/Sebastian PORTO /ARG /Telefonica Movistar jnr Team /HONDA/46m24.997/148.651

7/Fonsi NIETO /SPA /Team Repsol Telefonica Movist /APRILIA/46m33.256/148.211

8/Naoki MATSUDO /JPN /Yamaha Kurz /YAMAHA/46m48.633/147.400

9/Alex DEBON /SPA /Troll Honda BQR /HONDA/46m53.613/147.139

10/Joan OLIVE /SPA /Aspar Junior Team /APRILIA/46m59.614/146.826

11/Franco BATTAINI /ITA /Campetella Racing /APRILIA/47m02.978/146.651

12/Alex BALDOLINI /ITA /Matteoni Racing /APRILIA/47m05.497/146.520

13/Eric BATAILLE /FRA /Troll Honda BQR /HONDA/47m06.882/146.448

14/Christian GEMMEL /GER /Kiefer Castrol-Honda Racing /HONDA/47m08.501/146.364

15/Dirk HEIDORF /GER /Aprilia Germany / APRILIA/47m14.226/146.069

Fastest Lap: Manual POGGIALI / 1m45.350s / Lap2

World Championship Positions:
1 POGGIALI 63, 2 ROLFO 40, 3 DE PUNIET 36, 4 PORTO 36, 5 ELIAS 33, 6 BATTAINI 32, 7 NIETO 28, 8 MATSUDO 22, 9 WEST 21, 10 AOYAMA 20, 11 TAKAHASHU 16, 12 GUINTOLI 13, 13 DEBON 12, 14 OLIVE 9, 15 BALDOLINI 8.


125cc

Race Classification 125cc : (23 laps = 101.729km )

Pos/Rider/Nation/Team/Motorcycle/Time/Km/h

1/Lucio CECCHINELLO /ITA /Safilo Oxydo-LCR /APRILIA/41m52.177/145.779

2/Steve JENKNER /GER /Exalt Cycle Red Devil /APRILIA/41m52.265/145.774

3/Alex De ANGELIS /RSM /Racing World /APRILIA/41m52.555/145.757

4/Daniel PEDROSA /SPA /Telefonica Movistar jnr Team /HONDA/41m53.562/145.699

5/Stefano PERUGINI /ITA /Abruzzo Racing Team /APRILIA/41m53.684/145.692

6/Casey STONER /AUS /Safilo Oxydo-LCR /APRILIA/42m03.579/145.121

7/Hector BARBERA /SPA /Master-MXOnda-Aspar Team /APRILIA/42m03.673/145.115

8/Youichi UI /JPN /Sterilgarda Racing /APRILIA/42m07.754/144.811

9/Andrea DOVIZIOSO /ITA /Team Scot /HONDA/42m10.781/144.708

10/Mirko GIANSANTI /ITA /Matteoni Racing /APRILIA/42m11.074/144.691

11/Masao Azuma /JPN / Ajo Motorsports / HONDA/42m15.709/144.426

12/Thomas LUTHI /SWI /Elit Grand Prix /HONDA/42m15.777/144.422

13/Gino BORSOI /ITA /Racing World /APRILIA/42m15.987/144.410

14/Marco SIMONCELLI /ITA /Matteoni Racing /APRILIA/42m.16.385/144.388

15/Jorge LORENZO /SPA /Caja Madrid Derbi Racing /DERBI/42m17.316/144.335

Fastest Lap: Stefano PERUGINI / 1m47.766s / 147.753 Km/h /Lap6

World Championship Positions:
1 JENKNER 52, 2 PEDROSA 46, 3 CECCHINELLO 46, 4 DOVIZIOZO 38, 5 PERUGINI 36, 6 UI 31, 7 GIANSANTI 27, 8 DE ANGELIS 26, 9 NIETO 20, 10 STONER 16, 11 KALLIO 14, 12 BORSOI 14, 13 BARBERA 12, 14 AZUMA 12, 15 LUTHI 11.

From a revised press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:

MLADIN CHASES THIRD DOUBLE RACE VICTORY THIS WEEKEND AT ROAD ATLANTA

The 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship heads to Georgia this weekend for the third of this season’s double-header Superbike rounds at the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, with Australian Mat Mladin eyeing another pair of race wins.

Mladin, a three-times American AMA Superbike champion, has made a sensational start to his 2003 season, winning four of the five Superbike rounds and leads the championship by 24-points from Yoshimura Suzuki teammate Aaron Yates as they head into the weekend’s sixth and seventh rounds of the series.

Mladin took out the double race win at Road Atlanta in 2000 and made it three wins at the Georgian circuit with another race win in 2001. Earlier this year, Mladin, along with a number of other AMA competitors, tested at Road Atlanta and came away with the fastest time recorded at the three-day test showing his liking for the 4.087km (2.54miles), 12-turn layout.

“We’re looking forward to the race that’s for sure and hopeful we can continue on with winning some races,” said Mladin. “I like the race track. It’s got a lot of different aspects about it that makes it interesting. It’s a good event where the fans get right into it, so it’s always nice to do well there.

“As for the weekend, we have to go there and play smart, win a couple of races and extend the points gap. With thirteen races remaining, there is a huge amount of the season left to go. At the moment we have a full race worth of points break over fourth place in the championship and it would be nice to leave Atlanta with that same margin over second place.”

The Atlanta round will also mark the first of a hectic four-round schedule that will see Mladin and his fellow competitors criss-cross America before returning to California in July.

“After this round, we’ll be on the road for a couple of months living out of the motorhome, for the upcoming rounds at Pikes Peak (Colorado), Road America (Wisconsin) and Brainerd (Minnesota), before heading back to California for the combined World Superbike / AMA round at Laguna Seca on July 13. It’ll be good fun, it allows us to get out and see a bit of the country as well as giving us some different training routines as we prepare for each of those particular rounds. It’s a time of the year that I actually look forward to.”

Qualifying for this weekend’s double header round begins on Friday, with final qualifying scheduled for Saturday morning followed by the opening 28-lap Superbike national on Saturday afternoon. The second of the 28-lap Superbike races takes place on Sunday afternoon.



ROAD ATLANTA – FAST FACTS

Circuit length: 4.087km (2.54miles), 12-turn
2002 Pole position: Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 1:23.287mins

2002 Results:

Race 1:
1. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
2. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda)
3. Aaron Yates (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki)

5. Mat Mladin (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki)

Race 2:
1. Nicky Hayden (American Honda)
2. Eric Bostrom (Team Kawasaki)
3. Miguel DuHamel (American Honda)

6. Mat Mladin (Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki)

Superbike lap record: Nicky Hayden (American Honda) 1:23.287mins (2002)

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship (points after 5 of 18
rounds)
1. M Mladin 174
2. A Yates 150
3. B Bostrom 142
4. E Bostrom 138
5. K Roberts 131
6. M DuHamel 121
7. L Pegram / S Higbee 99
9. V Haskovec 94
10. J Pridmore 91.

From a press release issued by John Hopkins’ publicist:

HOPKINS TOP AMERICAN IN MOTORCYCLE GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN

JEREZ, Spain – Suzuki’s young GP ace John Hopkins, of Ramona, Calif., earned his best finish of the season by taking seventh at the Grand Prix of Spain in Jerez. Hopkins built on his reputation as a fast starter by running as high as third during the initial stages on his factory GSV-R. His seventh-place finish matches his best-ever result in Moto GP. He finished seventh last year, as a rookie, in Assen, Netherlands. Hopkins was the leading American finisher in Sunday’s Grand Prix in front of 128,000 fans. Defending world champion Valentino Rossi won the race on a Honda.

“I got a good start and ran up there with the Ducatis for awhile,” Hopkins said. “Then Rossi motored by my on the back straight and I tried to hang with him. That’s when I had a problem with the rear-set on the bike. A bolt came out and it caused a problem shifting with the whole rear set flopping around. I lost positions while I was trying to figure out how to shift the thing. I’ve ridden bikes that were broken before, so I just made it work.”

Late in the race the Gauloises Yamaha of Shinya Nakano moved up to challenge Hopkins.

“I knew Nakano was coming so on the last lap I just braked as late as I could and was able to stay ahead of him,” Hopkins added.

Hopkins is now 10th in the world championship point standings after three of 16 rounds.

The Suzuki GP team now turns to testing this week in Barcelona to build on the successes of Jerez. “We’re getting some help from a lot of people in this coming test,” Hopkins explained. “It shows the commitment Suzuki has to continue improving on the GSV-R. I just want to keep moving up in the standings. This weekend showed what kind of potential we have.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Lee Acree will ride a Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-R750 in the Superstock race during next weekend’s AMA National weekend at Road Atlanta.

According to Acree’s agent, Bill Syfan of Proforma, Acree has a one-race Superstock deal with the Birmingham, Alabama-based team.

Syfan would not comment on a rumored-to-be-pending Ducati Superbike deal for Acree, which led to Arclight Suzuki co-owner Chuck Warren replacing Acree last week.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

CCS Florida racer Dave McEnery and wife Heather had a daughter, Megan McEnery, May 12 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Copyrigh 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning MotoGP Warm-up Times:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:42.352
2. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 1:42.476
3. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:42.931
4. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:42.982
5. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 1:43.030
6. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:43.032
7. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 1:43.107
8. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:43.166
9. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 1:43.190
10. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:43.401
11. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 1:43.408
12. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 1:43.435
13. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 1:43.437
14. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 1:43.634
15. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 1:43.731
16. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 1:43.768
17. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 1:43.769
18. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 1:43.951
19. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 1:44.045
20. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:45.071
21. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 1:45.830
22. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 1:46.544

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Grand Prix Race Results:

1. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 26 laps, 46:10.793
2. Robert Rolfo, Honda, -0.521 second
3. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, -0.539 second
4. Manuel Poggiali, Aprilia, -0.607 second
5. Anthony West , Aprilia, -12.048 seconds
6. Sebastian Porto, Honda, -14.204 seconds
7. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, -22.463 seconds
8. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, -37.840 seconds
9. Alex Debon, Honda, -42.820 seconds
10. Joan Olive, Aprilia, -48.821 seconds
11. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, -52.185 seconds
12. Alex Baldolini, Aprilia, -54.704 seconds
13. Erc Bataille, Honda, -56.089 seconds
14. Christian Gemmel, Honda, -57.708 seconds
15. Dirk Heidolf, Aprilia, -63.403 seconds

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Jerez MotoGP Race Results:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 27 laps, 46:50.345
2. Max Biaggi, Honda, -6.333 seconds
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, -12.077 seconds
4. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, -16.183 seconds
5. Alex Barros, Yamaha, -18.630 seconds
6. Makoto Tamada, Honda, -24.153 seconds
7. John Hopkins, Suzuki, -30.959 seconds
8. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, -31.218 seconds
9. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, -36.002 seconds
10. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, -37.566 seconds
11. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, -43.753 seconds
12. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, -43.894 seconds
13. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, -48.891 seconds
14. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, -52.128 seconds
15. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, -68.179 seconds
16. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, -68.372 seconds
17. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, -91.010 seconds
18. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, -1 lap
19. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, -15 laps, DNF, crash
20. Nicky Hayden, Honda, -19 laps, DNF, crash
21. Sete Gibernau, Honda, -21 laps, DNF, crash
22. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, -24 laps, DNF, retired


MotoGP World Championship Point Standings:

1. Rossi, 70 points
2. Biaggi, 56 points
3. Bayliss, 40 points
4. Gibernau/Barros, TIE, 38 points
6. Ukawa, 23 points
7. Nakano, 20 points
8. Hayden, 18 points
9. Capirossi, 16 points
10. Hopkins, 15 points
11. Norick Abe/Checa/Jacque, TIE, 13 points
14. Edwards/Tamada, TIE, 12 points
16. Aoki, 11 points
17. Haga, 9 points
18. Roberts, 6 points
19. McWilliams, 4 points
20. Pitt, 1 point


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

PROBLEMS FOR UNLUCKY CHECA; GRITTY RETURN FOR MELANDRI

Marco Melandri made a gutsy MotoGP race debut aboard the Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1 at the third round of the MotoGP World Championship, held today in Jerez, Spain. The young Italian, who missed the opening two races of the year due to his Suzuka crash where he suffered a double fracture to his ankle and a chipped femur, made an impressive start to the 27 lap race – filtering through the field to feature well within the top ten before fatigue took its toll just after mid-race distance.

Melandri, who was 15th after the first lap, showed maturity that belied his minimal MotoGP experience. The young Italian was in ninth position by the 10th lap, before making a mistake by under braking and running off the circuit. Although the 20-year-old kept the bike upright he had lost seven places before he rejoined the race and eventually finished the day 17th.

Melandri’s team-mate Carlos Checa had a disappointing day at his home MotoGP race when his YZR-M1 suffered electrical problems and stopped on the third lap, only moments after the Spaniard had confidently taken sixth place from John Hopkins (Suzuki) while chasing, at that time, the fifth-placed Max Biaggi (Honda).

The race win initially looked set to be a six way encounter between Loris Capirossi (Ducati), Sete Gibernau (Honda), Troy Bayliss (Ducati), Valentino Rossi (Honda), Max Biaggi (Honda) and Checa. But as fate would have it both Capirossi and Gibernau crashed, following the demise of Checa, leaving Rossi to stamp his authority on the race with a 6.333 second win over Biaggi and third-placed man Bayliss.

“I am quite pleased with today,” said Melandri. “I enjoyed the start of the race for the first few laps, although I did knock my ankle again when I fell in this morning’s practice session. I then got into quite a good position but when I was in ninth place my back started to hurt a bit so I had to slow down slightly. I tried to get in front on the outside corner but I went too wide and went off the track at the first curve. Even though I dropped right back to almost last position I was determined to finish the race. If I can do the next races as I did at the start of this one, I think I can do okay.”

Carlos Checa was understandably disappointed with the day’s outcome, having put in a strong start to the race. The Fortuna Yamaha Team rider hopes to continue that good form at the team’s forthcoming Mugello test (May 14-15) and at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans in two weeks.

“We lost a big opportunity to get a good result today,” lamented the Spaniard. “The race was going pretty well for me. The bike felt good, I had passed a few people and I felt comfortable with the pace. I really believed I had a chance to get a good result and I just could not believe it when the engine just died.

“I feel very sorry for everyone in the team because we had worked very well here. Even though my grid position was not good, the times were very tight and we had worked well to get the bike feeling good. But there is no point talking about what might have been. I have to remain positive and concentrate on carrying on all that good work to Le Mans. We need to keep going in this direction and I believe we can be competitive there. It’s amazing to have a problem again in Jerez. Last year it happened on the last lap and this year I couldn’t believe it happened again. Last year it was the only bike failure we had in the season so I hope that’s true again this year!”

Fortuna Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio said, “We’re very happy to have Marco back and for him to finish his first race. He made a small mistake and lost time when he ran off the track but until then he was fighting with riders who have a lot of MotoGP experience. Of course he is not at his best, physically, but he did a good job.

“It’s a great shame for Carlos and I’m very sorry for him because I think he could have been on the podium. His preparation this weekend has been very good and he got away well. We found a good base for the bike and he’s riding well. So we’re hoping for a good result in Le Mans. We are going to test in Mugello on Wednesday and Thursday. We have a few new things to try as well as preparing for Le Mans and Mugello. We have to check on Marco’s condition during the next couple of days to see if he should test or whether it will be better for him to rest.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI MARLBORO MAN BAYLISS SCORES FIRST MotoGP PODIUM

Troy Bayliss crowned a great weekend for the Ducati Marlboro Team with a brilliant third-place finish in today’s Marlboro Spanish GP, one day after team-mate Loris Capirossi scored the factory’s first-ever pole position in the premier GP class.

Unfortunately Capirossi was less lucky in the race, tumbling out of third place shortly before half distance. The Italian was riding with some difficulty, having collided with Bayliss during the warm-up lap.

Today’s result, plus yesterday’s one-two qualifying performance, with Bayliss second and just one hundredth down, continues an amazing run of results since the Ducati Marlboro Team started its MotoGP GP adventure last month. So far the team has led all three races, scored podiums at two and taken two front-row starts including one pole.

“Overall it’s been a fantastic weekend,” said Ducati Motor Holdings CEO Federico Minoli, who watched the race along with another 130,000 fans. “Maybe we might’ve expected more from today after yesterday’s performance, but we take things day by day, and before we started racing in MotoGP we never dreamed we’d obtain such results so soon. I feel sorry for Loris, but Troy was amazing. His progression of results – fifth in Japan, fourth in South Africa and third here – means we can dream of him winning at Mugello! But really, this year’s goal was always to learn for next year, and so far I think we’re learning okay!”

Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli added: “I think this is our best weekend so far – pole position and a podium. Loris was unlucky, Troy rode a great race – very consistent with the same lap times as Biaggi, even though the race pace was slower than we expected.” The Ducati Marlboro Team stay at Jerez to test the Desmosedici on Tuesday.

BAYLISS LEADS AGAIN, FINISHES THIRD
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss rode a superb race today, scoring his first MotoGP podium in front of a massive and appreciative Spanish crowd. Racing for the first time at Jerez, the former World Superbike champion dived into the lead at the start, then quickly settled into second place behind team-mate Capirossi. Relegated to fourth at one point, he regained third place when Capirossi fell and spent much of the race rather alone.

“It was a long day for everybody, but I was aiming for the podium and that’s what we got, so it’s been a very good weekend,” smiled Bayliss, now third in the points chase. “I got a good start and got into a rhythm, but I just couldn’t go any faster. I was slipping and sliding around the place, so I couldn’t make better progress. We’ll keep working on the bike, doing this and that, and take it from here.”

Bayliss rode in some pain following his warm-up-lap collision with Capirossi, the Italian’s left handlebar making contact with the Australian’s right leg at speed on the back straight. “Everyone in front was suddenly going slower,” he explained. “So I slowed, then all the guys behind came past on my left, except Loris and another guy. I’ve done something to the leg, but nothing too bad.”

CAPIROSSI LEADS THEN TUMBLES
Loris Capirossi had high hopes of another podium finish today after riding the fastest-ever lap of Jerez during yesterday’s qualifying session. The Ducati Marlboro Team rider, who finished third at the season-opening Japanese GP, led the first three laps but then slipped to third, crashing out of the action on lap 13. Capirossi had hurt his left hand on the warm-up lap and bent his bike’s left handlebar, making his machine difficult to control.

“What happened on the warm-up lap was quite scary,” he said. “I was doing maybe 250kmh when two riders just ahead of me suddenly moved apart and I found myself racing towards Troy, who seemed to be going much slower. I tried to brake but it was too late to avoid him – I hurt my arm, bent the ‘bar and damaged the fairing. I got a good start but after a few laps it became difficult to ride the bike, because the riding position was a little strange, so maybe I had some tendon problems. I really hurt the arm in the crash, I thought it was broken but it’s not, it just needs a lot of ice.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

Hopkins Takes First Top Ten for New Suzuki at Jerez

Jerez de la Frontera, Spain – Sunday, May 11, 2003: Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins claimed the best result of the year so far in today’s Spanish GP, consolidating a second-row starting position with a fast and determined ride to seventh place on the all-new 2003 Suzuki GSV-R.

Team-mate Kenny Roberts Jr. put a difficult two days or qualifying behind him to move through to 13th place from near the back of the starting grid, putting both Suzukis in the World Championship points again for the third race of the 2003 season.

Hopkins’s result equalled his personal best, achieved last year in his first GP season. More impressive still was that the 19-year-old rider from Ramona, California, rode for all but the first of the 27 laps of the 4.423km Jerez circuit with his left footrest assembly loose. One of the two bolts holding the footpeg and gearshift unit sheared on the second lap, and Hopkins had to find a way to shift gears while also holding the assembly in place with his left foot.

Hopkins qualified seventh, and took a flying start, third in the brawl into the first corner, and was still fourth at the end of that lap. As the capacity crowd of 130,000 basked in baking sunshine, Hopkins dropped a few positions as he came to terms with his loose footrest, putting him at the back of a four-bike group disputing fifth position. Another problem early in the race was a jagged three-inch hole in the exhaust tail pipe, probably caused by contact in the early laps, taking the edge of the powerful V4 990cc engine.

From there to the finish he ably defended his territory, giving no inkling of the difficulties he was experiencing.

Roberts ran into set-up problems in the final practice session, and was condemned to a fifth-row starting position. This left him boxed in from the start, and he finished the first lap 16th, already out of touch with the front runners. Roberts rode fast and consistently for race distance, catching and overtaking old American 250 rival Colin Edwards to lead him over the line by better than three seconds. Roberts was 500cc World Champion in 2000, Edwards won a second World Superbike title in 2002.

The race was won by defending champion Valentino Rossi, with his fellow-Italian Max Biaggi second and Australian Troy Bayliss third. The next race is the French GP, at Le Mans in two weeks.

John Hopkins – Seventh Position
My footpeg came loose on the second lap. Normally I take my foot off the peg to shift up, but I had to keep my heel planted, and it took a few laps to get used to that. Apart from that, everything went pretty much to plan. I wanted to get a good start, and I got a good start. Then I did what I had to do to maintain position. A couple of people came by, but that gave me something to chase. Overall I’m pretty happy with the result. I wanted to improve, and we did.
Finally, happy birthday to my Mom, and also happy Mothers Day to her and to Desiree’s mom.

Kenny Roberts Jr. – 13th Position
I had a tentative start. I wasn’t really sure where I needed to be to stay out of trouble in the first couple of turns, and I slipped the clutch a bit too much off the line, so we were a little bit slow away. Basically I just tried to ride my own race and stay out of everybody’s way, because I still don’t feel comfortable on the bike, especially under braking. The only real interesting part of the race for me was getting up to Colin, and then I was able to get by him. That was about it.

Garry Taylor– Team Manager
John managed to keep his concentration through a difficult weekend – we had far more problems than you could expect. He rode a great race, with very consistent times despite a loose footrest and an exhaust with a three or four-inch hole, probably the result of contact in the early laps. Kenny’s day was messed up by having to start that far down the grid. His race times were very reasonable and consistent, but after getting hung up in the early laps he really had no chance to make a big impression. Now we are going testing in Barcelona, with factory riders Akioshi and Ryo joining Jean Michel Bayle and our two regular riders.


More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

Pitt Claims Kawasaki’s First Points

Jerez, Spain– Sunday, May 11, 2003: Andrew Pitt claimed Kawasaki’s first point of the 2003 season after a tough scrap with fellow ZX-RR rider Alex Hofmann in this afternoon’s sun-drenched Spanish GP. The Australian scored a hard-earned 15th position and beat determined wild card Hofmann by just 0.2s after the pair had been locked together for most of the 27-lap race. It was Hofmann, racing in his first GP for 10 months, who held the upper hand from laps 17 to 25, before Pitt made his decisive move in front of 130,000 fans. Pitt’s result confirms the potential of the ZX-RR and with more intensive development to come in the next few months, starting in Barcelona later this week, Kawasaki is confident of mounting a regular challenge for points. Pitt and Hofmann certainly benefited from a range of new generation Dunlop tyres. Although there is ample scope for improvement, the new rubber meant grip levels were more constant, allowing the riders to run at a consistent pace despite the tough track conditions caused by high temperatures. Garry McCoy endured a long and lonely race to finish 18th.

Andrew Pitt – 15th
“It was good to get some points on the board for Kawasaki for the first time this season. Even though I made a good start I lost three places at the first corner after Jeremy McWilliams T-boned me. Once I got going I tried to stay with the group in front and I probably used the tyres up a bit early in the race. Even so I was able to run consistent lap times throughout the race. I picked a slightly different rear to tyre to Garry and Alex which helped my lap times so we made some progress there. I had a good battle with Alex but when he got past I let him lead some laps and waited until the end of the race and with three laps to go I just put my head down and concentrated on pulling a gap to the finish.”

Alex Hofmann – 16th
I’m almost happy. I really wanted to be in the points today at my first race in such a long time. It wasn’t easy from the start. I lost a lot of time with Nicky Hayden and it took me about ten laps to catch up to Andrew whose bike was running a different throttle body than mine which I think helped him. It makes it more difficult going into the corners under braking. I’m sure if I had tried to pass him for one more time we would have touched. But it was a good racing with Andrew, we came close a couple of times, especially in the final laps. I was able to run consistent lap times with him and it was great to be back racing.

Garry McCoy – 18th
I’m very disappointed, I don’t really want to get used to finishing at the back like this. It was a pretty lonely race, I just couldn’t get any forward speed going. My set-up and style is different from the other guys and as in qualifying I was getting wheelspin which was probably a good show for the crowd. On one bike in the morning warm-up I felt like I had too much engine braking so I switched for the race. Now I’m just looking forward to making some progress at the Barcelona test next week. At the moment for me testing is better than racing.”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager
This is our first point and that is a pretty good result for us in terms of development. We’ve made a step forward and come closer to our competitors. Alex had a very good race and a good battle with Andrew. We definitely made an important step with the tyres. We had new front tyres and compared to the last race in South Africa, the loss of grip from the rear was much less. I think we are heading in the right direction and hopefully we can challenge for the points again in Le Mans.


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:

Barros takes a respectable fifth in tough Jerez MotoGP

Alex Barros (Gauloises Yamaha Team) made up for a poor qualifying performance to finish the third round of the MotoGP World Championship, held in Jerez, Spain (May 11), in a respectable fifth place. The Brazilian, who’d qualified 15th for the 27 lap race, was understandably cautious on the first circuit before cutting through the 22 bike field at a steady pace. He was fifth by lap seven, and then fourth by lap 13th. As the race progressed Barros found himself in a three-way tussle with Tohru Ukawa (Honda) and Makoto Tamada (Honda) before Ukawa made the most of the situation on the final lap and clinched fourth place by 1.5 seconds.



Marco Melandri made it a gritty MotoGP race debut aboard the Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1. The young Italian, who missed the opening two races of the year due his Suzuka crash where he suffered a double fracture to his ankle and a small fracture to the femur, produced an impressive start before filtering through the field to feature well within the top ten. Soon after, however, fatigue took its toll. Melandri, who was 15th after the first lap, showed maturity that belied his minimal MotoGP experience to be ninth by the tenth lap, before making a mistake under brakes and running off the circuit. Although the 19-year-old kept the bike upright he’d lost seven places before he rejoined the race and eventually finished the day 17th.

Shinya Nakano (d’Antin Yamaha Team) finished the day eighth, while Carlos Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team) had a disappointing home MotoGP when his YZR-M1 suffered an electrical gremlin and stopped on the third lap. Adding insult to injury, the technical problem occurred only moments after the Spaniard had confidently taken sixth place from John Hopkins (Suzuki) while chasing down Italian Max Biaggi (Honda).

The race win initially looked set to be a six way encounter between Loris Capirossi (Ducati), Sete Gibernau (Honda), Troy Bayliss (Ducati), Valentino Rossi (Honda), Max Biaggi (Honda) and Checa. But as fate would have it both Capirossi and Gibernau crashed, following the demise of Checa, leaving Rossi to stamp his authority on the race with a 6.333 second win over Biaggi and third-placed man Bayliss.

Gauloises Yamaha Team
Alex Barros 5th: “I made quite a good start, but then in the second corner some riders touched in front of me, forcing me to brake and lose four or five places. After that everyone settled down and I was able to concentrate on racing back towards the front, eventually getting up to fourth place. For a while I was catching Bayliss but then I started to run into problems with grip. Ukawa and Tamada were able to get past me, though; fortunately for me Tamada made a mistake and I managed to pass him back. Later I tried to take Ukawa back but eventually I had to back off and settle for the points. The last ten laps were really hard. Now we are going testing in Mugello next Wednesday and Thursday, where we will have lots to do. We need to work on grip, power and stability under brakes. Hopefully we’ll find some solutions that will allow us to be more competitive at Le Mans.”

Olivier Jacque 10th: “The start of the race wasn’t too bad and I could fight hard, but our set-up, which worked fine in practice, turned out not to be suited to the race conditions. After a few laps the rear tyre was spinning everywhere and I couldn’t attack for lack of grip. Then towards the end, when I rode less aggressively, my times actually improved as I spun less. It is the same problem as we had at Welkom and we need to sort it out in Mugello this week.”

D’Antin Yamaha Team
Shinya Nakano 8th: “Overall I am happy with this result. My start was pretty good, even though it was very difficult in the beginning to set a good pace with so many riders bunched up. Then as the field thinned out, and my rear tyre settled in, I was able to improve. Once I managed to pass that group I caught up to Hopkins and we had a good race before we touched, and I nearly crashed. Once that had happened I thought it better to finish a safe eighth than end up falling on my rear.”

Fortuna Yamaha Team
Marco Melandri 17th: “I am not too disappointed with today. I enjoyed the start of the race for the first few laps, although I did knock my ankle again when I fell in this morning’s practice session. I then got into quite a good position but when I was in ninth place my back started to hurt a bit so I had to slow down slightly. I tried to get in front on the outside corner but I went too wide and went off the track at the first curve. Even though I dropped right back to almost last position I was determined to finish the race. If I can do the next races as I did at the start of this one, I think I can do okay.”

Carlos Checa DNF: “We lost a big opportunity to get a good result today. The race was going pretty well for me. The bike felt good, I had passed a few people and I felt comfortable with the pace. I really believed I had a chance to get a good result and I just could not believe it when the engine just died. I feel very sorry for everyone in the team because we had worked very well here. Even though my grid position was not good, the times were very tight and we had worked well to get the bike feeling good. But there is no point talking about what might have been. I have to remain positive and concentrate on carrying on all that good work to Le Mans. We need to keep going in this direction and I believe we can be competitive there. It’s amazing to have a problem again in Jerez. Last year it happened on the last lap and this year I couldn’t believe it happened again. Last year it was the only bike failure we had in the season so I hope that’s true again this year!”


More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

BRAVO MAKOTO!

A great day for Makoto Tamada at Jerez The Japanese ace who is making his debut this year in the MotoGP clearly showed today how determined he is to make his mark in the world’s most demanding championship. Slightly slow off the mark after ending the first lap in 17th place, Makoto embarked on a thunderous battle up through the ranks that took him up towards the head of the race. Then he started a struggle against two great “official” riders, Ukawa and Barros, and forced his way through to fourth place, which he kept for three laps.

Loss of grip on his rear tyre forced him to give way to the two riders he had overtaken a short time before. Makoto ended the race in sixth place, an extremely important result that will spur the team on in their most taxing development work.

The Bridgestone team came away with great satisfaction. “We opted for medium-hard front and rear tyres, and it proved to be the ideal choice,” said Hiroshi Yamada, director-general of the Japanese giant’s Motorcycling Division. “The tarmac conditions weren’t easy for anyone today, and Tamada’s loss of grip towards the end of the race was just one part of a day that has been very important for us. Today’s result gives us great encouragement to continue working as we have been doing so far – if anything, we’re even more motivated than before.”

MAKOTO TAMADA (PRAMAC HONDA TEAM): 6TH – 47:14.498

“A real uphill race, with a fight to reach the head of the pack. When it was time to make my attack, I was no longer able to deliver all the power down to the ground because I was losing grip at the rear. I got past Barros and Ukawa by shutting down the throttle at the very last moment and braking harder. Two fine duels. But then, after three laps in fourth place, I had to let them by. When I’m decelerating, I still get vibrations that make the saddle painful and riding extremely difficult. But if we can solve these little snags, we’ll be able to go even faster. But I’m very satisfied as it is. A day like this really pumps up the motivation. This is what we need to go forwards and get better and better. Now I can look forward to the Le Mans race with real confidence, even though I know we mustn’t overdo things: we’ve got to take one step at a time.”


More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Brilliant Aoki Takes Proton from last to Ninth


Nobuatsu Aoki: Ninth
Jeremy McWilliams: 12th

Proton Team KR rider Nobuatsu Aoki overcame a first-lap shoving match that put him in last place at the first corner to pull the lightweight 500cc two-stroke through the field of more powerful 990cc four-strokes, fighting his way through a pack of factory riders to lead his group over the line by well over a second, in spite of a top speed disadvantage of more than ten mph.

Team-mate Jeremy McWilliams might have done much the same, but for a gearshift problem that meant he lost touch with the same group in the later stages of the race, leaving him little chance to exploit the Proton’s better braking and cornering performance over the faster machines.

Aoki’s ride thrilled the crowd of almost 130,000, enjoying blazing sunshine on the hills and grandstands of the 4.423km circuit outside the sherry capital of Jerez – but it went unnoticed by the millions of worldwide TV viewers. Cameras lingered on long-time race leader and eventual winner Valentino Rossi and the riders following him at regular intervals, ignoring the fine fighting ride by the Japanese star.

He had regained three places by the end of the first lap, and then moved steadily forward to 12th by the mid-point of the 27 lap race. In the heat, all the riders’ tyres were losing grip, and now was his chance to attack, and he set about the factory machines around him with a vengeance, moving through to ninth by lap 20, and then continuing to outpace the pursuit.

McWilliams had been ahead of him, but a false neutral at the hairpin meant he lost contact, and though he did catch Haga’s factory Aprilia, in the end he was just over a tenth of a second behind.

Now both riders hope to test Proton’s own powerful new 990cc V5 four-stroke before the next race, the French GP in two weeks time. The machine is undergoing almost continual bench testing in England, and should be ready for rolling tests and then track tests within days.

Nobuatsu Aoki
I put more than 100 percent effort into the race, but I think we took the wrong tyre for the conditions. I chose a medium-hard front and rear, but they were still too soft, and they didn’t work well. That made it even harder to pass the four-strokes. We have to do it under braking and into the corners, but I lacked the confidence I needed, so I had to wait for my opportunities. After half distance, I could see the others were starting to struggle with grip, and I thought that now was the time to pass them. I was also struggling with tyres, but basically we had such a good race settings for chassis and brakes, so I could get by. I’m really, really happy with that top ten.

Jeremy McWilliams
This is a very difficult way to make a living! Sometimes you ask yourself if it’s worth it. But we beat a lot of guys we were not supposed to beat, and I did my best and got points. I had a problem getting a false neutral beyond first. It happened going into the hairpin, and then there was an almighty crunch, and I thought my race was over. It wasn’t, but that was when I lost touch with the group fighting for ninth. My other problem was tyres … my choice wasn’t what Bridgestone recommended, and they were too soft. Nobu did a great job. He was faster than me all weekend, and he deserved the top ten finish.

Kenny Roberts– Team Owner
Our team did really well today – but you couldn’t tell that from the TV. But there’s nothing we can do about that. Nobu did a fantastic job. We’ll never be able to make the four-stroke go round the corners like this bike, but we will be able to give them some more speed. We hope to test at an airfield in England tomorrow, and then with both riders at a circuit during the weekend – but the plans are day by day. We have a problem with the oil pick-up during acceleration, but we hope to fix that with sump baffles, and if possible bring the bike to Le Mans.