Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Parts Unlimited PJ1 Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts was the fastest rider Sunday morning in AMA Superbike practice at Road Atlanta.

Roberts was forced to use rain tires on his Honda RC51; a mist fell at the start of the session and eliminated a dry line that had began to develop around the track. Roberts’ time of 1:35.794 led all riders.

A wet Superbike race could see some talented privateers run near the front as shown by Hooters Suzuki’s Mike Ciccotto turning the fourth-fastest time during the warm-up session on his Superstock Suzuki GSX-R750.

Other Superbike privateers who are local to Road Atlanta, specialize in rain racing and could possibly factor into the mix today include Prieto Racing’s Michael Barnes, first-year Expert Greg Moore and the Team Embry duo of Geoff May and Brian Stokes.

Sunday Morning’s AMA Superbike Practice Times:

1. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:35.794
2. Anthony Gobert, Ducati, 1:37.446
3. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:38.366
4. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, 1:38.376
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:38.572
6. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:38.732
7. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:38.995
8. Greg Moore, Suzuki, 1:40.487
9. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:41.004
10. Ben Bostrom, Honda, 1:41.045
11. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, 1:42.035
12. John Dugan, Suzuki, 1:42.399
13. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:42.620
14. Tom Wertman, Suzuki, 1:43.063
15. Jake Holden, Suzuki, 1:43.199
16. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, 1:43.410
17. Larry Pegram, Ducati, 1:43.450
18. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, 1:43.556
19. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:45.694
20. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki, 1:49.799

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin won his 19th career AMA Superbike race Sunday at Road Atlanta over Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom and Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts.

After surviving an incredible rear tire failure at over 170 mph in Saturday’s race, Mladin came back Sunday to steadily work his way into the lead and away from the field to take the win.

Eric Bostrom, Roberts, Ben Bostrom and Aaron Yates fought for second for nearly all 20 laps. Eric Bostrom gained a small advantage through traffic late in the race over Roberts, while Yates struggled with a well-worn rear tire to stay ahead of Ben Bostrom.

As the battles for second and fourth neared their conclusions, the race was stopped on lap 21 of 25 when two crashes occurred in the first section of the track. Scott Jensen laid his Suzuki down at the top of the hill in turn two; both Jensen and his Suzuki slid to a stop safely. Andy Deatherage crashed at the bottom of the Esses section. Deatherage needed medical attention near a wall on rider’s right, and his Suzuki GSX-R1000 lying on its side on the racing surface.

AMA Pro Racing officials reverted scoring back to the last lap complete, lap 20, which meant 80 percent of the race had been completed and the race could be called complete.

Mladin was declared the winner over Eric Bostrom, Roberts, Yates, Ben Bostrom, Attack Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore, Dream Team Ducati’s Larry Pegram, Ducati Austin’s Anthony Gobert, American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel and HSA Racing/Kaufman Trailers’ Shawn Higbee.

Provisional AMA Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 20 laps
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, -5.685 seconds
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -6.579 seconds
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -7.584 seconds
5. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -7.673 seconds
6. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -41.646 seconds
7. Larry Pegram, Ducati, -43.069 seconds
8. Anthony Gobert, Ducati, -51.934 seconds
9. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -57.056 seconds
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -62.513 seconds
11. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, -62.748 seconds
12. Eric Wood, Suzuki, -75.592 seconds
13. Jack Pfeifer, Suzuki, -78.933 seconds
14. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, -79.251 seconds
15. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, -81.971 seconds
16. John Dugan, Suzuki
17. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki, -83.622 seconds
18. John Haner, Suzuki, -1 lap
19. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap
20. Rich Conicelli, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. J.J. Roetlin, Suzuki, -1 lap
22. Scott Harwell, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -1 lap
24. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Tom Wertman, Suzuki, -1 lap
26. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki, -1 lap
27. Anthony Fania, Suzuki, -2 laps
28. Brian Stokes, Suzuki, -7 laps, DNF, crash
29. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki, -10 laps, DNF, mechanical
30. Geoff May, Suzuki, -15 laps, DNF
31. Greg Moore, Suzuki, -17 laps, DNF

Provisional AMA Superbike Points Standings:

1. Yates, 214 points
2. Mladin, 212 points
3. Eric Bostrom, 202 points
4. Ben Bostrom, 194 points
5. Kurtis Roberts, 189 points
6. Duhamel, 163 points
7. Pegram, 148 points
8. Higbee, 141 points
9. Haskovec, 127 points
10. Pridmore, 125 points
11. Barnes, 106 points
12. Szoke, 93 points
13. Ciccotto, 86 points
14. May, 83 points
15. Deatherage/Dugan, TIE, 82 points
17. Steve Crevier, 81 points
18. Pfeifer, 77 points
19. Anthony Gobert, 74 points
20. Scott Jensen, 69 points

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The AMA Supersport field is currently on pit lane choosing which tires to use for the upcoming 15-lap final on the damp Road Atlanta course.

AMA Pro Racing has declared the Supersport race a “wet” race, which allows competitors to use any tire with a molded tread pattern. In other words, riders cannot use tires with hand-cut tread.

When a race is declared “wet”, classes that normally use slick tires in the dry can use any tires, including hand-cut treads.

But once a “wet” race has started – even if it started in drying conditions – it will not be stopped if it starts raining during the race. This makes the riders’ tire choice more difficult, especially when it could start raining again at any moment, like today at Road Atlanta.

After making his sighting lap, Yamaha’s Damon Buckmaster said, “There’s no water running across the track. It’s just damp. Buckmaster and teammates Jamie Hacking and Jason DiSalvo all said the choice of tires is a “toss-up.”

Miguel Duhamel will not race in today’s AMA Supersport race at Road Atlanta.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Erion Honda’s Roger Lee Hayden topped Sunday morning’s wet AMA Supersport practice at Road Atlanta with a time of 1:37.882 on his rain-tire-shod CBR600RR.

It is not currently raining at Road Atlanta. It rained overnight at the track, and Sunday’s forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Sunday Morning’s Supersport Practice Times:

1. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:37.882
2. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, 1:38.242
3. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:38.469
4. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:38.647
5. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:38.731
6. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:38.895
7. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:40.596
8. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:40.782
9. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:40.922
10. Jamie Stauffer, Suzuki, 1:40.991
11. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:41.060
12. Marty Craggill, Honda, 1:41.101
13. Ty Howard, Honda, 1:41.523
14. Doug Chandler, Honda, 1:41.821
15. Jason Hobbs, Yamaha, 1:44.247
16. Matt Wait, Yamaha, 1:45.041
17. Steven Breckenridge, Triumph, 1:45.133
18. Jason Curtis, Honda, 1:45.443
19. Darrin Mitchell, Suzuki, 1:46.391
20. William Johnson, Suzuki, 1:47.328
21. David Guy, Suzuki, 1:47.695
22. Caesar Gonzales, Kawasaki, 1:47.867
23. Robert Hilliard, Yamaha, 1:48.287

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Graves Yamaha’s Jamie Hacking took the first AMA Formula Xtreme victory of his career in a action-packed contest Sunday at Road Atlanta.

Hacking got the holeshot at the start, but the lead was shuffled back and forth between Hacking, Erion Honda’s Jake Zemke, Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies and Hackings’ teammate Damon Buckmaster.

Buckmaster and Spies turned the race into a dual from lap four until lap nine when Spies ran off the track in the new, turn three chicane. Spies lost the rear in the wet grass and fell as he slowed to re-enter the track at turn four. Spies then slid face-down onto the track.

Hacking, Zemke and Marty Craggill took evasive action to avoid Spies, as Buckmaster jumped out to a new three-second lead.

Spies was not able to re-start his GSX-R1000.

Buckmaster was only able to enjoy his new lead for three laps, because on lap 12, the Australian’s Yamaha suffered mechanical troubles in turn two forcing him to pit and retire.

Hacking was promoted into the lead officially on lap 12 and crossed the line to finish lap 13 just before an incident in turn five stopped the race.

Television replays of the incident showed Roger Lee Hayden getting up from a crash at the exit of turn five. Hayden’s Erion Honda came to rest on the track just before Corona Extra Suzuki’s Adam Fergusson fell off the lowside in the same corner. Fergusson slid into Hayden’s bike and appeared to suffer an injury, but the Australian rider was able to walk away.

Hayden was demoted in the running order because he causeed the red flag, results reverted to the lap-12 running order and Hacking was awarded the win over Zemke and Craggill.

Buckmaster, who did cross the timing and scoring loop on pit lane, was scored as finishing 12th.

AMA Formula Xtreme Race Results:

1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 12 laps
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, -2.004 seconds
3. Marty Craggill, Honda, -3.083 seconds
4. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, -4.030 seconds
5. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -18.413 seconds
6. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -19.223 seconds
7. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki, -26.230 seconds
8. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, -33.415 seconds
9. Geoff May, Suzuki, -36.154 seconds
10. Ty Howard, Suzuki, -36.309 seconds
11. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, -41.246 seconds
12. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -44.752 seconds
13. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, -52.835 seconds
14. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, -77.970 seconds, crash
15. Doug Duane, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki, -1 lap
17. Nathan Hester, Suzuki, -1 lap
18. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -4 laps, crash
19. Chuck Allen, Suzuki, -4 laps
20. Doug Chandler, Honda, -5 laps, DNF, mechanical
21. David Guy, Suzuki, -5 laps
22. Jason Curtis, Honda, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical


Provisional AMA Formula Xtreme Point Standings:

1. Zemke, 96 points
2. Spies, 89 points
3. Hayes, 78 points
4. Buckmaster, 75 points
5. Rapp, 74 points
6. Fergusson, 73 points
7. Craggill, 72 points
8. Aaron Gobert, 70 points
9. Moore, 64 points
10. Howard, 61 points
11. Ulrich, 57 points
12. Hacking, 56 points

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Yoshimura Suzuki’s Ben Spies led Sunday morning’s AMA Formula Xtreme warm-up session with a time of 1:29.161 on his works GSX-R1000.

It’s unclear what type of tire Spies used to turn his fastest time, but he had a hand-cut rear slick on his machine at the end of the session.

Annandale Honda’s Craig Connell did not participate in the warm-up session.

Connell crashed and tangled with his Honda CBR954RR as he fell in turn five during Saturday’s Formula Xtreme qualifying session. Connell told Roadracingworld.com Sunday morning that he didn’t break any bones in his right foot but injured it badly enough that he didn’t feel he would race.

Adam Fergusson also did not ride during Sunday morning’s FX practice because of the wet conditions.

A mist began to fall at the end of the Formula Xtreme practice and beginning of Superbike practice erasing the dry line that had developed around the track.

Sunday Morning’s AMA Formula Xtreme Practice Times:

1. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:29.161
2. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:30.810
3. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, 1:31.267
4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:32.200
5. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha, 1:32.943
6. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:33.643
7. Ty Howard, Honda, 1:34.059
8. Marty Craggill, Honda, 1:34.117
9. Doug Chandler, Honda, 1:35.406
10. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:36.211
11. Jason Curtis, Honda, 1:37.123
12. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:37.211
13. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki, 1:37.686
14. Nathan Hester, Suzuki, 1:40.953
15. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:43.201
16. Kevin Hanson, Suzuki, 1:43.955
17. David Guy, Suzuki, 1:44.721
18. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:44.850
19. Geoff May, Suzuki, 1:53.082

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Seven from Seven for Hodgson

Neil Hodgson maintained his perfect score in 2003 by dominating the first Superbike race at Monza. He kept out of the melee for second place as Regis Laconi, Gregorio Lavilla, James Toseland and Frankie Chili battled for the remaining honours.

Hodgson got the jump on his Fila Ducati and led the pack in the drag race to the first chicane. Laconi and the two Alstare Suzukis of Vittorio Iannuzzo and Lavilla followed him in.

James Toseland improved quickly on lap two from his fifth position in turn one, moving to third as Ruben Xaus missed his braking point and ran on at the Ascari curves.

Laconi and Lavilla had managed to overhaul Hodgson, but the Brit was in no mood to sit behind and wait. Instead he took Laconi on the brakes into the first chicane on lap three and started a duel which saw the pair swap the lead three times during the lap.

The leaders were four-wide into the first chicane on lap five, with Toseland passing Laconi and allowing Hodgson to make a break.

Hodgson’s lead increased over the next few laps as the battle behind intensified. Toseland and Lavilla passed each other five times in five laps going into the Parabolica.

Traffic came into play with two laps to go, with Hodgson slowed considerably as two backmarkers showed a distinct lack of professionalism in the sight of waving blue flags. The chasing pack continued to fight hard, running four-wide down the main straight and passing time after time through the Ascari curves and into the Parabolica.

A lapped rider, Lorenzo Mauri, held up Laconi, Lavilla, Toseland and Chili as they entered Variante della Roggia. The gap to Hodgson had closed to only 1.2 seconds.

Everything was set for the last lap challenge into the Parabolica. The pack closed on Hodsgon, who was completely unaware that his two-second lead had been reduced almost to nil. But he held out for his seventh win of the season by 0.352 second from Laconi. As he celebrated his win his team celebrated Ducati’s 200th WSB win.

Toseland lost out in a photo finish to Lavilla by less than half a bike length as they crossed the line, with both riders given the same time in the final standings.

“I am very fast in the first chicane but not so fast in the Parabolica,” commented Lavilla. “I was held up by a backmarker before Ascari and it made me angry and I messed it up.”

Frenchman, Laconi was pleased with second place, “I am very happy,” he said after the race. “My bike is very good but not as fast as the 999.”

Winner Hodgson had some harsh words for the back markers: “On the last lap I got held up by the backmarkers who were very unprofessional. They were looking at each other and even banging into each other. When I finally got past, I relaxed a little bit too much on the last lap.

“As I went over the line and closed the throttle, suddenly four bikes went past me, and I thought, shit, I nearly got caught with my pants down there!”

World Superbike Race One Results:

1. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, 18 laps, 32:38.264
2. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, -0.352 second
3. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -0.389 second
4. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, -0.396 second
5. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -1.617 seconds
6. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, -4.138 seconds
7. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, -10.889 seconds
8. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, -11.609 seconds
9. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -12.877 seconds
10. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -15.902 seconds
11. Alex Gramigni, Yamaha YZF-R1, -21.700 seconds
12. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -25.872 seconds
13. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -34.204 seconds
14. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -53.406 seconds
15. Serafino Foti, Ducati 998RS, -67.704 seconds
16. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -71.924 seconds
17. Lorenzo Mauri, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
18. Marco Masetti, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
19. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -2 laps, DNF
20. James Haydon, Foggy Petronas FP1, -4 laps, DNF
21. Giovanni Bussei, Yamaha YZF-R1, -6 laps, DNF
22. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda RC51, -16 laps, DNF

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

Corser 13th in first Monza race for Foggy PETRONAS racing

Foggy PETRONAS Racing rider Troy Corser finished in 13th place of the first race in round four of the World Superbike championship at Monza. The Australian, starting from 11th on the grid, recorded a best lap time of 1:50.849 in the seventh successive race won by championship leader, Neil Hodgson. Corser’s FPR team-mate, James Haydon, retired from the race after 14 laps, while lying 18th. Corser said: “I will be trying a softer tyre for the second and am hopeful of achieving our pre-race target of making the top ten.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mystery School Yamaha’s Rich Oliver took his 64th career AMA 250cc Grand Prix win by a runaway margin of 60 seconds Sunday at Road Atlanta.

Priority Racing’s Simon Turner chased Oliver closely for one lap before crashing out of the race in turn two on the second lap.

Tom Colins Racing’s Colin Jensen came back from a poor start to catch and pass Ed Sorbo for second place – his first AMA podium finish.

Bridgestone’s Sorbo also collected his first AMA podium finish by holding onto third place in front of Chris Pyles, fourth by 0.4 second. Perry Melneciuc took fifth. Ed Marchini scored sixth after a race-long battle with Greg Esser and Darren Fulce. Canadian Sandy Noce and teenager Barret Long rounded out the top ten.

Defending AMA 250cc GP Champion Chuck Sorensen did not race due to an injury to his right hand suffered in a crash on Friday.

AMA 250cc Grand Prix Race Results:

1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha, 15 laps
2. Colin Jensen, Aprilia, -60.224 seconds
3. Ed Sorbo, Yamaha, -72.115 seconds
4. Chris Pyles, Honda, -72.583 seconds
5. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, -84.277 seconds
6. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, -93.531 seconds
7. Greg Esser, Honda, -94.037 seconds
8. Darren Fulce, Yamaha, -94.078 seconds
9. Sandy Noce, Yamaha, -1 lap
10. Barret Long, Yamaha, -1 lap

AMA 250cc GP Point Standings:

1. Oliver, 150
2. Melneciuc, 102
3. Pyles, 98
4. Sorensen, 96
5. Marchini, 95
6. Turner, 87
7. Jensen, 86
8. Sorbo, 82
9. Fulce, 70
10. Noce, 65

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Heroic Vermeulen rides to Monza win

Chris Vermeulen rode with a badly broken thumb to a demonstrative victory on the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR at Monza. Jurgen VD Goorbergh came through to second on the Belgarda Yamaha YZF-R6, while Iain MacPherson on the Van Zon Honda TKR returned to form with third.

Vermeulen lead from the start with Ten Kate team mate Karl Muggeridge in tow. The pair pulled out an incredible 1.6-second lead from the pack in the first half lap.

Muggeridge held second for a while but he had burnt out his clutch making his start for the warm up lap and he faded back through the field before being forced to retire. The data from the bike download after the race showed that he over revved it getting away for the warm up lap.

Newcomer Sebastien Charpentier brought the Klaffi Honda through to as high as second on lap three, but then fell back to sixth at the end of the race. VD Goorbergh emerged from the pack on his Belgarda Yamaha R6 to take second but couldn’t reel in the flying Australian. Vermeulen went on to win by 9.1 seconds.

“I don’t know how I did that,” said Vermeulen after the race. “But I got a good start and when I looked around nobody was there. I don’t know what happened to everybody but obviously I was happy to be leading,” said Vermeulen, before heading to the Clinica Mobile to have his injured thumb reset.

MacPherson received his first points for the season at Monza, and is looking forward to the next round in two weeks time. “It’s about time I got on to the podium,” said the plucky Scotsman. “I put in much more effort into this weekend but I’m not 100% there yet, maybe more like 80%. I’m trying so hard to want to race and hopefully I can keep on getting better.”

Vermeulen’s win saw him increase his championship lead to 29 points on a day when his nearest rival Katsuaki Fujiwara struggled and finished back in tenth. VD Goorbergh’s second place raises him from fourth to third in the championship, just a point behind Fujiwara.


World Supersport Race Results:

1. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 16 laps, 30:16.092
2. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Yamaha, -9.120 secondsBR>3. Iain MacPherson, Honda, -12.236 seconds
4. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, -12.251 seconds
5. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki, -13.529 seconds
6. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda, -13.817 seconds
7. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, -14.249 seconds
8. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha, -14.562 seconds
9. Pere Riba, Kawasaki, -15.277 seconds
10. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, -16.066 seconds
11. Robert Ulm, Honda, -16.962 seconds
12. Christophe Cogan, Honda, -22.577 seconds
13. Barry Veneman, Honda, -29.549 seconds
14. Simone Sanna, Yamaha, -30.447 seconds
15. Broc Parkes, Honda, -38.193 seconds
16. Alessandro Polita, Yamaha, -38.258 seconds
17. Werner Daemen, Honda, -38.336 seconds
18. Ivan Goi, Yamaha, -41.214 seconds
19. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha, -48.719 seconds
20. Didier Vankeymeulen, Kawasaki, -58.120 seconds

26. Thierry vd Bosch, Yamaha, 12 laps, DNF
27. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, -12 laps, DNF


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

Brave victory for battered Vermeulen at Monza

Despite going into the race with badly damaged ligaments in his right thumb from his Friday crash, Australian Chris Vermeulen won by a massive margin of 9.1 seconds on his Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR at Monza in the World Supersport championship.

“I don’t know how I did that,” said Vermeulen, obviously in a great deal of pain from his injury after a gruelling race. “I got a great start and when I saw my board a couple of laps later I couldn’t believe how far ahead I was. My team worked really hard all weekend to give me this victory – as did the guys in the Clinica Mobile! Pirelli came up with some brilliant tyres once again and the WP guys gave me a great raced set up. All I had to do was hang onto the bike for the race distance!”

Vermeulen didn’t realise at the time that his team mate Karl Muggeridge had been forced to retire. “I didn’t think I’d done anything differently at the start,” said Muggeridge after the race. “But when we looked at the data it seems I burnt the clutch out making my start for the warm up lap.”

Muggeridge can take heart from his performance this weekend having dominated qualifying and only missing out in the race because of a small mechanical problem.

Team manager Ronald ten Kate was full of praise for both his riders, “I’m delighted and I must admit somewhat amazed to see Chris win like that. There was a time this weekend when it looked like Chris wouldn’t even be fit to race. Not only did he ride but he took the victory in fantastic style and increased his championship lead to 29 points.

“I consider Karl as a winner also this weekend,” added ten Kate. “He may have had some bad luck in the race but he proved to everybody in qualifying that he is a real force in the World Supersport championship.”


More, from a press release issued on behalf of Van Zon Honda TKR:

Good and bad for Van Zon Honda TKR at Monza

It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for the Van Zon Honda TKR team in the Monza round of the World Supersport championship.

Iain MacPherson powered his way back to form on his Honda CBR600RR with a superb third place, after a race-long battle with Stephane Chambon. The fiery Scot out-rode the diminutive Frenchman to grab the final podium place by a margin of just 0.015 seconds.

“It’s about time I got a decent finish,” said MacPherson after the race. “I’ve put more effort into my racing this weekend, although I feel I’m still not going at 100%, maybe more like 80%. I’m trying really hard to want to race, I’m working on my motivation and hopefully I can keep on improving. I’ve been thinking about my racing, walking the circuit and even listening to Pink Floyd before the races to keep my heart rate down!”

His team mate Werner Daemen had a completely different race. After qualifying well his race started disastrously when his bike cut out on the warm up lap. He rushed back to the pits to collect his spare machine and was forced to start from the pit lane. Unfortunately he suffered similar problems on his number two Honda but soldiered on to finish a creditable seventeenth.

“I’m very, very disappointed,” said Daemen after the race. “I had such a good race set up, the WP suspension guys had worked hard with us to get the chassis working perfectly and the Pirelli tyres have been absolutely superb here all weekend. So to be beaten by a stupid electrical fault like this is terrible luck.”

Hopefully everything will be sorted by the next race in Oschersleben and both riders will be able to show their true potential on the German circuit for round five of the World Supersport championship.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

CHAMBON MISSES PODIUM BY A WHISKER

2003 Supersport World Championship ­ Round 4, Monza, Italy Sunday 18th May
There were no podium places today for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Stephane Chambon and Katsuaki Fujiwara,­ though Chambon came very close. Aussie Chris Vermeuelen blasted his Honda into the lead right from the start and was headed on his way to a second win of the season. Van de Goorbergh (Yamaha) had a fairly lonely ride for second, but there was a tremendous multi-rider fight for third place which had the sun-blessed crowd jumping up and down with every lap. Fujiwara and Chambon were both involved in this dog-fight early in the race, but Fujiwara’s Suzuki began falling back through the field. Chambon managed to stay with the pack and was in third place until the last lap when Briton Iain MacPherson went past and held on by less then three hundredths of a second. Fujiwara eventually finished tenth.

STEPHANE CHAMBON ­ 4TH
Well today was the best day of the weekend because we had some problems in practice for sure. Today my Alstare Suzuki GSXR600 felt much better. The acceleration was good, the Showa suspension worked well and the Dunlops were good throughout the race. We knew that this would be a difficult track for us ­ because of the need for top end speed ­ but in the end fourth wasn’t too bad. Third would’ve been better of course!

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA ­ 10TH
I am disappointed today and my title challenge has slipped a little. My start was good, but as the race wore on, I could not stay with the leaders and I lost place after place. To finish tenth makes me unhappy, because I know I should’ve finished higher. I will try and make up for it in the next round at Oschersleben.


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

VERMEULEN TAKES OUTSTANDING WIN AT MONZA

Making a perfect start from the front row after qualifying second on the grid, World Championship leader Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) took an immediate and unchallenged advantage in the 16-lap Supersport race, outpacing the entire field to secure a record breaking victory at Monza.

His fastest lap of 1:52.635 was a new record by almost 1.5 seconds, and Vermeulen enjoyed a 9.120 second margin of victory over Yamaha rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh.

Pole position man Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) looked to be in position to score a Honda and Ten Kate 1-2 but he was forced to retire from the race on lap five, after dropping from second to last place with a burnt out clutch. Nonetheless, another Honda rider, Iain Macpherson (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) secured third place, his first podium of the season.

A strong ride at the head of the first tailing group could not be maintained by Sebastien Charpentier (Team Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) but the Frenchman picked up a useful ten points for his sixth place finish. Charpentier’s team-mate Robert Ulm scored 11th, with the distant Christophe Cogan (BKM Honda CBR600RR) overcoming the pain of a pre-race crash to finish one place behind in 12th.

Cogan’s fellow BKM rider Broc Parkes was 15th, Werner Daemen 17th after he could not get his engine to rev out on the straights.

Vermeulen now sits on 81 points in the championship standings, 29 clear of Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki), with van den Goorbergh and Christian Kellner (Yamaha) on 51 and 46 points respectively.

For Vermeulen his second Supersport victory was as sweet as his first Phillip Island win, even if he did downplay his personal performance.

“My start was pretty good and I was expecting Karl to come past but I didn’t see anyone. I read my pit board after about four laps and I had plus six so I turned around and there was no one there. I wondered what had happened and if the whole field had been wiped out or something. The team have worked really well this weekend with my injury and Pirelli gave us the perfect tyre for the race. The Ten Kate Honda is always fast and it was really quick here so all I had to do was sit on it and ride it around.”

Macpherson’s weekend was easily his best of the year. “It was a very difficult race, right from the first lap to the last lap I had to keep fighting and fighting as much as I could,” said the rejuvenated Scotsman. “I only looked behind me once in the race and had a bit of gap over Foret and knew that I was going to finish third or fourth. Fortunately I was able to get on the podium and beat Chambon.”

For Charpentier in sixth only his physical conditioning came between him and a challenge for a podium slot. “At the start of the race everything was great and the work the team has put in really counted,” stated Charpentier after 16-laps of the 5.793km circuit. “My problem is basically seven months off a racing motorcycle, with the exception of Sugo. I could not keep the stamina in my arm muscles to move the bike around. But I am very pleased that we showed we can be competitive even on the fastest tracks.”

Austrian Robert Ulm survived a close call with another rider to earn his 11th place. “I had a bit of a problem with Sanna at one point and another problem with the bike set-up at the double rights at the Lesmo. Other than that the bike was very fast and I am happy with that.”

A quick day in the park for Christophe Cogan was also a painful one. “The crash I had in practice meant I was in a lot of pain and it affected my strength in the race and my concentration.”

Broc Parkes found Monza a particular challenge. “It was a very difficult race today because I had reduced power and it was impossible to make a pass,” stated the young Aussie rider. “We don’t know what the problem is but we have had four races like this and knew that if we came here like this it would be very hard. It seemed to be that whatever we changed it didn’t make a difference and if I was able to put in a pass on the brakes I was being out dragged down the straights.”

For Werner Daemen, who was often impressively quick in practice, the race was much less enjoyable. “I think my top speed was about 250kmph and it should be around 30kmph more. I don’t know what was wrong but the bike refused to rev properly on the straights.”

The cruellest luck of all was held by Karl Muggeridge, who set a new track Supersport best in qualifying, 1:51.480, yet lost all chance of his first race win of the 2003 season. “I burnt the clutch out on the start and I knew that it was pointless riding around so I retired. It’s a big disappointment when I knew I could have won.”

In the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship, the first race of the day was taken by Neil Hodgson (Ducati), his seventh straight race win this season. A close four way fight for the two remaining podium places went to Regis Laconi (Ducati) and Gregorio Lavilla (Suzuki). Hodgson’s three-second lead was whittled down to only 0.3 seconds at the flag, after the intervention of backmarkers. Hodgson’s win was Ducati’s 200th in SBK racing.

In the second 18-lap SBK event, a race-long, four-rider battle between Hodgson, Laconi, Lavilla and Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati) went the way of Hodgson, holding off Lavilla by a mere 0.044 seconds. Pierfrancesco Chili sent the partisan crowds wild with his third place finish, running home right on the heels of Lavilla.

With Hodgson’s closest championship challenger Ruben Xaus (Ducati) only scoring nine points at Monza, Hodgson sits 85 points ahead, 200 to 115.

Lavilla closed in on Xaus with his new total of 111 and Regis Laconi moved to fourth overall on 96.

The next race for both Supersport and Superbike classes takes place at Oschersleben, Germany, on June 1.


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

Jurgen van den Goorbergh moved up to third in the World Supersport championship after finishing second in round four at the Monza circuit in Italy today.

The Dutchman, riding a Yamaha YZF-R6 for Yamaha Belgarda Team, was forced to work hard for his second podium of the season after being held up in a tight first corner.

He fought his way quickly from eighth to second, but by that time eventual race winner Chris Vermeulen (Honda) had built up an unassailable lead.

Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany), overcame a fifth row start to finish in a strong seventh place, holding off Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro). Kellner’s machine topped the speed trap figures at Monza, with 281.7kph down the main straight, continuing the R6’s record of being the fastest Supersport machine in each round this season.

Simone Sanna (Yamaha Belgarda) had an eventful ride to 14th after a slight clutch adjustment problem led to difficulties changing gear. Matthieu Lagrive (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) finished in 19th place.

Thierry van den Bosch (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) crashed out of a points scoring position on lap five while Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany) pulled in after experiencing problems on the final lap.

Vermeulen extended his championship lead. Van den Goorbergh and Kellner are in championship contention. They lie third and fourth in the championship, with 51 and 46 points respectively. The next round takes place at Oschersleben, Germany, on June 1.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh – Yamaha Belgarda – second
“It was very important for Belgarda Yamaha to get a good result here as they are based so close to the track. It’s probably the most pressure I’ve ever been under but I handled it. For me it is just another race and another part of my career but it’s good for the team to do well here. We were struggling a little bit in practice but we made a few more changes after warm-up and it has worked out quite well. We are improving every weekend and the Pirelli tyres were working great here at Monza. We basically had no problems.”

Christian Kellner – Yamaha Motor Germany – seventh
“There was no problem with the bike at all in the race, just our position from practice. Starting from the fifth row makes things very difficult. I was pushed off line badly at the first corner when another rider went over the kerbs. I am happy with my speed and the speed of the bike, even if this is not my favourite kind of racetrack. I prefer places like Sugo or Oschersleben, and this also makes things more difficult for me at Monza.”

Alessio Corradi – Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro – eighth
“I made a perfect start but at the first chicane I was passed by many riders who cut the corner and went over the other side of the kerb. As a result I was 16th on the first lap. I pushed hard but the gap was too big to the next group. I am disappointed with the result because we are in Italy and I wanted to do better at my home race.”

Simone Sanna – Yamaha Belgarda – 14th
“I had a clutch problem in the race and it made things very difficult under braking. I made two mistakes and was off the track twice, once when I was battling with Robert Ulm and the second time on my own at Ascari. I had some grip problems at the end of the race as well which made it very hard for me.”

Matthieu Lagrive – Yamaha Motor France IPONE – 19th
“I think it is the same story as Sugo. We are making the bike better and the team and I are working very hard. We have to take it step-by-step and at the moment it is not possible for us to qualify high enough and lap fast enough to score points. I hope in three or four races time it will be much better.”

Jörg Teuchert – Yamaha Motor Germany – DNF
“I was leading my group and went in at the same speed as usual but I had a rear wheel slide at the second Lesmo, maybe water on the rear tyre but I am not sure yet. On the exit the engine was getting slower and I had to stop. That’s racing, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”

Thierry van den Bosch – Yamaha Motor France IPONE – DNF
“I didn’t have a perfect set-up and because of this I was having to do a lot of work on the brakes. I tangled with Broc Parkes under braking but I think it was just a racing accident.”