From a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

MotoGP Heads to Europe for Spanish Showdown

This weekend will mark the start of the European ten race contingent of the MotoGP World Championship at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain. The Jerez event is one of the most exciting and popular in the MotoGP calendar, last year luring an audience of no less than 201,418 during the three days of qualifying and racing. The party atmosphere amongst the spectators and traditionally clement weather makes this one of the most appealing motorsport events in the world.

Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Carlos Checa is always one of the main attractions in Jerez, being one of just two Spanish riders in the MotoGP class. Catalunya-born Checa currently lies in joint-eighth place in the World Championship and will try to improve that position this weekend on his Yamaha YZR-M1. After a tricky start to the year, finishing tenth at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka and ninth at the Africa’s Grand Prix in Welkom two weeks ago, Checa is aiming to climb the podium again this weekend as he did at the Spanish Grand Prix three years ago.

Checa will be rejoined this weekend by his Fortuna Yamaha team-mate Marco Melandri, who has been out of action for the past two races due to leg injuries sustained during his first morning practice at the Japanese Grand Prix just over a month ago. Yamaha test rider Norick Abe stepped in as Melandri’s replacement for both of the first two races of the season but now hands the baton back to Melandri who will compete in Jerez.

The MotoGP paddock moves on to Le Mans after Jerez for the French Grand Prix on May 25, then to the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello on June 8.

Fortuna Yamaha Team Striving for Jerez Podium

The Fortuna Yamaha Team and its 8 tonnes of freight headed back to its Milan base in Italy last week where team members packed up yet again for their European mission. The team are no strangers to the Jerez circuit in southern Spain, having tested there three times during the winter for a total of nine days. Unfortunately wet weather conditions meant that only three of those nine days were beneficial for riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri to familiarise themselves to the Jerez circuit on their YZR-M1 machines.

The Yamaha four-stroke has changed a lot since it competed at Jerez in 2002, and Fortuna Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio has all confidence that the team, its bike and riders, are in a position to achieve a top result, “We were really unlucky with the weather in Jerez during our winter testing time there,” said Brivio. “But when we did have some good weather, for only three of our days there, both Carlos and Marco’s lap times were good.

“Carlos has not had a great start to the season and has not performed to his full potential. But we saw some improvements in Welkom already and we are working hard with him to improve his feeling on the bike, and hopefully Jerez will be the place this happens – it is always extra motivation for a rider at their home Grand Prix, and the atmosphere in Jerez is normally fantastic, Carlos has many fans there.

“We will be happy to have Marco back in Jerez but of course once again I would like to thank Norick for his great performance in Welkom two weeks ago. Obviously after just one month Marco’s injuries are not 100% healed. However he feels strong enough to ride and it is important for him not to have too long away from the racing environment. He needs to take things slowly and not push himself too hard too soon.”

Technically Speaking

Due to numerous hard braking areas, and countless camber changes, chassis balance will be the primary concern for the Fortuna Yamaha Team in Jerez. The front suspension will need to deal with the high braking loads while still offering movement when almost fully compressed, to ensure that the front forks absorb these bumps rather than only the front tyre. Increasing the spring rate will prevent the front of the motorcycle from diving too quickly under deceleration, while the fork compression damping will be set to allow enough high-speed movement to deal with the repetitive bumps.

“Now that we have a full season’s development under our belts one of our primary concerns last year, which was the braking stability of the bike into the hairpins, should no longer be an issue,” says YZR-M1 Project Leader Ichiro Yoda. “This is the result of a more neutral geometry provided by the 2003 Deltabox frame combined with an improved engine braking package than what we ran there in 2002.”

Meanwhile the rear spring rate will be set slightly firmer to prevent the bike squatting under power through the high cornering forces, while overall feel will be ensured with less compression damping – aimed at helping riders gain the best drive off the positive cambered turns.

Melandri will also benefit from the more aggressive M1 fairing package, first used by his team-mate Checa at the Suzuka MotoGP. The new fairing offers better aerodynamics which has also had a positive effect on not only the top speed, but the M1’s handling characteristics too.

‘El Toro’ Hopes for Spanish Boost

Carlos Checa is hoping that a return to his native country and performing in front of the generally huge and enthusiastic Jerez crowd will give him the boost he needs to really start his 2003 campaign. Checa is now in his ninth season in the premier class. He has proved on numerous occasions that he has talent, speed and guts but has lacked a consistent run of results to take him to the number one spot. The affable Spaniard is not happy with his start to the season and believes that the expected crowd of 130,000 plus people at Jerez on Sunday will give him a boost.

“We definitely struggled in Japan,” admitted Checa. “That carried over to the opening day in Welkom but on the Saturday I felt much happier with the bike and as a result I felt more comfortable. Unfortunately I just wasn’t able to push as much as I wanted in the race.

“If I’m happy with the base on Friday in Jerez then I think we can have a good weekend. Everybody continues to work very hard and it’s frustrating for all of us to finish tenth and ninth. I’m feeling very motivated now and I love racing in front of the Spanish fans. Jerez is a very special place and it makes you feel good to see so many people enjoying the party atmosphere. In the past we could hear the crowd during the race but they’ll have to shout pretty loud to be heard above the M1 now!”

Melandri Looking Forward to his return to MotoGP

Italian youngster Marco Melandri is well on the road to recovery after his fall during the Friday morning practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix one month ago forced him to sit out the season’s first two races. Melandri suffered a double fracture of his ankle and a small chipped fracture of the femur in the high-speed crash, as well as a broken nose. He flew back to Italy after Suzuka, where he has spent the past month in rehabilitation.

Although now a UK resident, Melandri is fortunate enough to have received medical treatment from the MotoGP Championship’s Clinica Mobile doctors in Imola which is based close to his home town Ravenna. The Clinica Mobile staff have kept a close eye on Melandri during his recovery and along with Melandri’s management, the Fortuna Yamaha Team, and Yamaha, they feel that he is now sufficiently recovered to make his return in Jerez.

“Now I don’t feel too bad in general and my body condition is okay to ride again,” said Melandri of his progress. “I would say my fitness level is about 60% right now but at this stage the best training is to ride the bike again. Since Suzuka I have been working a lot in physiotherapy, and this has been my only focus. I have stayed in Imola at my sister’s house, and on Doctor Costa’s advice I have been swimming and cycling for about six hours each day. After Suzuka I was hoping to be ready to ride in South Africa but then I chose not to race there because it would have been too risky.

“I watched the race in Welkom and was really sad because I was so far from the track. I tried to stay positive and convince myself that it was better to stay at home and to focus on working on my ankle and getting it better for Jerez. Anyway my leg has healed quicker than was expected and I cannot personally say exactly how well it is until I ride again. I rode a Yamaha R6 in Monza last week for a short time but Jerez will be like training again for me and I know that I must take things slowly, as if I’m starting all over again. Physically speaking, the muscles around my femur are still not perfect but the bone itself is okay. The main problem is my ankle but I’m lucky because I injured my right ankle and with the four-strokes you can use
the rear brake a bit less if you choose to.”

Melandri has had some productive pre-season testing time with the M1 at the Spanish circuit of Jerez. Although two of the Fortuna Yamaha Team’s winter tests there were badly affected by rain, the 250cc World Champion had the chance at the IRTA test in February to accustom himself to the circuit with
his four-stroke Yamaha machine, and set an impressive best lap time of 1’43.236 – the circuit’s best lap was 1’42.193 set by Valentino Rossi in 2002.

This time around Melandri will benefit even more from a new aerodynamic fairing for his M1, which team-mate Checa has been using since Suzuka. The more aggressive Yamaha YZR-M1 fairing features a narrower frontal area, improvements to the unique M1 flexible air-intake system and a hard-lined rear seat cowling. Melandri is looking forward to the chance to ride at Jerez again, “I never liked the Jerez circuit particularly until I rode the M1 there this winter,” said the Italian. “I prefer it much more with the four-stroke rather than the two-stroke because the engine braking helps me to turn into the fast corners. It rained a lot during our winter testing there but I finally got some good practice in during the IRTA test. I’ve never ridden particularly well there in my two-stroke days but I hope that will change. I will know after the practice sessions how strong I will be physically for the race. I think for sure it will be hard because I haven’t been able to train properly since my accident in Suzuka.”

Carlos Checa : Information
Age: 30
Lives: Great Ayton, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125)
GP starts: 138 (18 x MotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 2 (1 x MotoGP, 1 x 500)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Jerez 2002 results. Grid: 5th, Race: DNF (retired on last lap)

Marco Melandri Information
Age: 20
Lives: Derby, England
Bike: Fortuna Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 17 (10 x 250, 7 x 125)
First GP victory: Assen, 1998 (125)
First GP: Brno, 1997 (125)
GP starts: 76 (42 x 250, 34 x 125)
Pole positions: 8
First pole: Sachsenring, 1998 (125)

From a press release issued by FGSPORTGROUP:

Imola 200 Race Result

Zongshen First, Phase One Second, Yamaha Austria Third

The Zongshen No.1 Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Warwick Nowland and Stephane Mertens has won the Imola 200, the San Marino round of the World Endurance Championship. Suzuki GB Phase One’s Olivier Four and James Ellison were second, and Yamaha Austria’s Saiger, Wilding and Truchsess were third.

Olivier four led the opening laps of the race, chased by Zongshen 2’s Igor Jerman and Zongshen 1’s Warwick Nowland. The trio broke away from the pack, with only Trackdaze’s Mike Edwards able to match the 1:55 pace and keep them in sight.

Jerman took the lead briefly on lap 14, followed a lap later by Nowland as the Phase One bike began to suffer from tyre wear. After the first round of pit stops the Zongshen 1 bike was 20 seconds ahead of Zongshen 2, with Phase One some 30 seconds behind in third place.

Yamaha Austria had closed to fourth place after Trackdaze lost two laps in the pits, and Endurance Moto 38 had moved up to fifth.

Police Nationale, in their first race using a Suzuki GSX-R1000 began to challenge the two Yamahas in the final thirty minutes, Paolo Blora lapping faster than either Yamaha Austria or Endurance Moto 38 could manage.

The race came alive in the closing laps when the Zongshen No.2 bike’s clutch failed, dropping them down the standings and ultimately causing them to retire. Yamaha Endurance Moto 38 also failed to record a finish after the bike ran low on fuel in the closing laps. This allowed Phase One to move up to second place, Yamaha Austria’s untried superbike specification R1 moved up to third, and Police Nationale inherited fourth.

Fifth place went to Bolliger Team, the only Kawasaki in the race, sixth to GMT94 and seventh to the highest placed non-permanent team – the No. 101 DRE Ducati 999.Fabi Corse took eighth place, Bergamelli ninth and KFM Herber were tenth.


Quotes:

Warwick Nowland, Zongshen No.1: It’s a very good feeling to have won but it’s only the first race. My thanks go to the organisers, the team and Dunlop who have all worked hard to help get us consistent lap times. I saw Olivier go and chased him. Everything went well. This result is just the start. My thanks to Stephane Mertens for being a good team mate.

Stephane Merten, Zongshen No.1s: Thanks to the organisers for a fantastic track; this was my first time here and I enjoyed it. I am sorry for the second Zongshen bike which had a technical problem, but I’m pleased that the team did well.

Olivier Four, Suzuki GB Phase One No.3: I thought we could win but our rear settings were not good and caused tyre wear. I was pushing from the start but the bike was always moving, moving, moving at the rear. I kept trying.

James Ellison, Suzuki GB Phase One No.3: All the lads here are quick. I was surprised that Warwick and Stephane were doing the same lap times as I was two years ago in my superstock race here. I was expecting to be fast but was brought down to earth. It was a good race.

Erwin Wilding, Yamaha Austria: We go very rapidly with our bike and it was the best we could do.

Karl Truchsess, Yamaha Austria: Fifth or sixth would have been good but third was perfect.


Top Ten Positions:

1. Suzuki Zongshen 1 (CHN) (Nowland – Mertens) – 66 laps, 2:09:23.578

2. Suzuki GB Phase One (GBR) (Four – Ellison) + 1:12.386

3. Yamaha Austria (AUT) (Saiger – Wilding – Truchsess) – 1 lap

4. Suzuki Police 22 (FRA) (Giabbani – Blora) – 1 lap

5. Kawasaki Bolliger (SUI) (Kellemberger – Jerzenbech – Nystrom) – 1 lap

6. Yamaha GMT 94 (FRA) (Scarnato – Guyot) – 1 lap

7. Ducati DRE 101 (ITA) (Tessari – Mauri) – 1 lap

8. Suzuki Fabi Corse (ITA) (Capriotti – Fabi) – 2 laps

9. Suzuki Bergamelli Racing (ITA) (Battisti – Bosetti) – 2 laps

10. Suzuki KFM Herber (GER) (Herber – Bursa) – 2 laps

17 Other Finishers were classified.

Fastest Lap: Nowland in 1’54″914 with an average speed of 154.540 kmh (95.415 mph)

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mat Mladin won the second Superbike race at Infineon Raceway in much the way he won the first, quickly pulling away and building a lead of almost 10 seconds before cruising to the finish.

Aaron Yates finished second, 7.5 seconds behind, with Ben Bostrom third, another 9 seconds behind, after challenging Yates for second at one point.

Miguel Duhamel, third in the first Superbike race, did not start, having crashed in the Supersport race and either breaking or not breaking his collarbone, depending upon who you believe.

As Mladin crossed the finish line, the AMA Pro Racing timing & scoring system, which had been acting strangly from the start of practice, started varying the splits between riders.

Results
1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 28 laps
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, -7.8 seconds
3. Ben Bostrom, Honda, -16.379
4. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, -25.6
5. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, -33.6
6. Larry Pegram, Ducati, -57.1
7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, -74
8. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki, -79
9. Steve Crevier, Suzuki, -81
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, -83
11. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki, -86
12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki, -1 lap
13. Lee Acree, Suzuki, -1 lap
14. Geoff May, Suzuki, -1 lap
15. Jake Holden, Suzuki, -1 lap
16. James Randolph, Suzuki, -1 lap
17. Francis Martin, Suzuki, -1 lap
18. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki, -1 lap
19. Jeremy Toye, Suzuki, -1 lap
20. Dean Mizdal, Suzuki, -1 lap
21. Scott Jensen, Suzuki, -1 lap
22. Clint McBain, Suzuki, -1 lap
23. Brian Livengood, Suzuki, -1 lap
24. Jack Pfeifer, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Rob Mesa, Suzuki, -1 lap
26. Alan Schmidt, Suzuki, -1 lap
27. Rob Christman, Suzuki, -1 lap
28. John Wilson, Suzuki, -1 lap
29. Chris Voelker, Ducati, -1 lap
30. Marco Martinez, Suzuki, -1 lap
31. Garry Combs, Suzuki, -1 lap
32. Tom Wertman, Suzuki, -2 laps
33. Kim Nakashima, Suzuki, -5 laps
34. Anthony Gobert, Ducati, -19 laps, DNF, mechanical
35. Jeff Williams, Suzuki, -19 laps
36. Andy Deatherage, Suzuki, -23 laps, DNF

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Accurate Timing & Scoring remains an unfullfilled dream at Infineon Raceway this morning, with riders who cut part of the course being scored as if they had done legitimate laps.

At this point, all we can do is post our best guess as to which times that show up on the timing & scoring monitors are legitimate. As an example, Gary Jaehne is currently shown as being the fastest rider in the Superstock sessions, at 1:17.431, followed by Tommy Hayden at 1:37.742. Both those times defy the laws of physics, as does J. Knupp’s 1:31.702 in Formula Xtreme.

Supersport
1. Damon Buckmaster, 1:39.032
2. Jamie Hacking, 1:39.234
3. Ben Spies, 1:40.032
4. Aaron Gobert, 1:40.250
5. Marty Craggill, 1:40.376
6. Jake Zemke, 1:40.384
7. Miguel Duhamel, 1:40.451
8. Jason DiSalvo, 1:40.635
9. Alex Gobert, 1:40.636
10. Doug Chandler, 1:40.915


Superstock
1. Jason DiSalvo, 1:39.895
2. Opie Caylor, 1:40.540
3. Adam Fergusson, 1:40.540
4. Alex Gobert, 1:40.808
5. Josh Hayes, 1:41.295
6. Vincent Haskovec, 1:41.499
7. Jimmy Moore, 1:41.550
8. Chris Ulrich, 1:41.695
9. Jamie Stauffer, 1:42.252
10. Tony Meiring, 1:42.269

Formula Xtreme
1. Ben Spies, 1:37.983
2. Mat Mladin, 1:38.251
3. Aaron Yates, 1:38.747
4. Jake Zemke, 1:38.984
5. Damon Buckmaster, 1:39.130
6. Marty Craggill, 1:39.163
7. Adam Fergusson, 1:39.411
8. Jamie Hacking, 1:39.547
9. Steve Rapp, 1:39.830
10. Aaron Gobert, 1:40.051
11. Jimmy Moore, 1:40.402
12. Doug Chandler, 1:40.568
13. Jason Pridmore, 1:40.744
14. Craig Connell, 1:40.979
15. Lee Acree, 1:41.168
16. Chris Ulrich, 1:41.924
17. Josh Hayes, 1:42.628

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha
2. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, -0.4 second
3. Jake Zemke, Honda, -12.3 seconds
4. Ben Spies, Suzuki, -13.1
5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, -15.4
6. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha, -20.3
7. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha, -30.9
8. Alex Gobert, Honda, -33.3
9. Doug Chandler, Honda, -33.6
10. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, -39.7
11. Ty Howard, Honda, -42.6
12. Steve Crevier, Suzuki, -43.0
13. Jamie Stauffer, Suzuki, -49.7
14. Chris Peris, Honda, -56.4
15. Craig Connell, Honda, -62.0
16. Jason Curtis, Honda, -72.2
17. Chris Siglin, Suzuki, -76.8
18. Francis Martin, Suzuki, -82.8
19. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha, -95.9
20. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, -1 lap
21. Brien Whitlock, Suzuki, -1 lap
22. Heath Small, Yamaha, -1 lap
23. Oliver Jervis, Kawasaki, -1 lap
24. David Lambert, Suzuki, -1 lap
25. Lance Williams, Yamaha, -1 lap
26. Quentin Wilson, Yamaha, -1 lap
27. Charlie Hewitt, Kawasaki, -1 lap
28. Scott Simpson, Suzuki, -2 laps
29. Mark Degross, Honda, -2 laps
30. Chris Velarde, Kawasaki, -2 laps
31. Marty Craggill, Honda, -3 laps, DNF, crash
32. Michael Leon, Suzuki, -3 laps
33. Hector Romero, Yamaha, -4 laps
34. David Guy, Suzuki, -11 laps
35. Jeff Williams, Suzuki, -14 laps
36. Andy Carman, Honda, -15 laps
37. Nate Wait, Kawasaki, -15 laps


Note: Miguel Duhamel crashed out of the race for third on the last lap and, according to Honda spokesman Ken Vreeke, broke his left collarbone.

But Infineon Raceway’s John Cardinale then said that Vreeke’s announcement that Duhamel had a broken collarbone “was premature.”

At about 4:30 Cardinale announced that Duhamel had been X-rayed at Sonoma Valley Hospital and, according to Dr. Robert Cohen of the Infineon Raceway medical center, Duhamel did indeed break his left collarbone.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mat Mladin battled Miguel Duhamel early on but then pulled away to win the first AMA Superbike race of the weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

Duhamel faded to 3rd behind a charging Aaron Yates.

Eric Bostrom was 4th ahead of Ben Bostrom, Steve Rapp, Kurtis Roberts and Larry Pegram.

Jason Pridmore, who had caught and passed Ben Bostrom, ran out of fuel on the last lap and pushed his bike across the line in 9th.

Lee Acree was 10th ahead of Jordan Szoke, Vincent Haskovec, Steve Crevier, John Dugan and Jeremy Toye. Haskovec was the last rider on the lead lap.

Rapp came from row 11 on the grid while Acree came from row 10.

Complicating things was a light drizzle on parts of the track mid-race.

Anthony Gobert pulled off the track and parked his Ducati against a barrier, while running behind Rapp, a little after the halfway point.

Unofficial Results:
1. Mat Mladin, GSX-R1000, 28 laps
2. Aaron Yates, GSX-R1000, -8.3 seconds
3. Miguel Duhamel, RC51, -16.2
4. Eric Bostrom, ZX-7RR, -43.3
5. Ben Bostrom, RC51, -59.1
6. Steve Rapp, GSX-R1000, -67
7. Kurtis Roberts, RC51, -85
8. Larry Pegram, 998RS, -90
9. Jason Pridmore, GSX-R1000, -91
10. Lee Acree, GSX-R750, -93
11. Jordan Szoke, GSX-R1000, -97
12. Vincent Haskovec, GSX-R1000, -100
13. Steve Crevier, GSX-R1000, -1 lap
14. John Dugan, GSX-R, -1 lap, -12.8 seconds
15. Jeremy Toye, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -13.2 seconds
16. Geoff May, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -24.9
17. Shawn Higbee, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -27
18. Brian Livengood, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -28
19. Mike Ciccotto, GSX-R750, -1 lap, -33
20. Alan Schmidt, GSX-R750, -1 lap, -35.6
21. Dean Mizdal, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -36.8
22. Clint McBain, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -37.2
23. Jake Holden, GSX-R750, -1 lap, -37.4
24. Francis Martin, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -45.9
25. James Randolph, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -69.7
26. Rob Mesa, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -70.1
27. Michael Barnes, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -71.9
28. Jack Pfeifer, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -73.3
29. John Wilson, GSX-R750, -1 lap, -75.0
30. Rob Christman, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -83
31. Chris Voelker, 998, -1 lap, -83.9
32. Garry Combs, GSX-R1000, -1 lap, -95
33. Jeff Williams, GSX-R1000, -2 laps
34. Marco Martinez, GSX-R1000, -2 laps
35. Tom Wertman, GSX-R1000, -2 laps
36. Anthony Gobert, 998RS, -9 laps, DNF, mechanical
37. Kim Nakashima, GSX-R1000, -14 laps
38. Andy Deartherage, GSX-R1000, -17 laps, DNF, crash
39. Scott Jensen, GSX-R1000, DNF

From a press release issued by Yamaha Australia:

2003 Yamaha Formula Xtreme TT Series
Round 3, Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria
Race Report

CURTAIN CONTINUES HIS DOMINATION OF XTREME AND SUPERSPORT CLASSES AT WINTON

Like a good red wine, Kevin Curtain continues to get better with age as he swept all before him once again at round three of the 2003 Yamaha Formula Xtreme TT Series held at Winton Motor Raceway in northern Victoria.

Curtain and his pair of Nikon Yamaha Racing Team Yamahas won all four races in both the Xtreme (YZF-R1) and Supersport (YZF-R6) classes, smashing lap records in each category during his rampage at Winton.

His only blemish for the weekend, if you can call it one, was that he was bumped off pole position in the final moments of the Xtreme qualifying session by teammate and current series point’s leader Daniel Stauffer.

A quartet of second place Xtreme finishes for Stauffer still has him leading the points table for the premier class by six points over Curtain who rebounded in exemplary style after leaving the previous round of the series with two dnf’s from four starts.

While he appears to under considerable pressure to retain his Xtreme title, Curtain has already built up a healthy 95-point break over his nearest rival in the FX Supersport class, courtesy of 12 consecutive race wins to date.

“I was very happy with what I was able to achieve today,” said Curtain at the conclusion of the days racing. “It is a nice feeling to come away with a bag full of race wins and a couple of lap records, but it wasn’t as easy for me as it appears. I had four very good hard races in the Xtreme against Daniel and he was riding very well all weekend. I had to work hard to get past him and each time I did I wanted to make the move as clean as possible. He was able to make some very starts in each of the races and I had it all to do if I wanted to get the win. In the end it all worked out well and I’ve been able to bridge the points gap to him after the bad round that I had at Oran Park a few weeks ago.

“With the Supersport class, all I can say is that the Yamaha YZF R6 is just getting better and better. I’m getting a lot more comfortable on the bike and we are dialling in the suspension settings in a way that it is steering and doing everything that we want it to. It’s a great bike. I did expect to be challenged a bit more though, but for some reason I was just on it this weekend and everything just felt right.”

In Xtreme, Yamaha riders filled six of the top ten placings, while they fill eight of the top ten in the overall series points, proving yet again the performance of the Yamaha YZF R1.

Along with Curtain and Stauffer, Victorian privateer Cameron Donald (Gary O’Brien Yamaha) had his best result of the year, finishing third overall in Xtreme and pushing young Queenslander Brendan Clarke on the third of the Nikon Yamaha’s back to fourth. Stephen Tozer (Stafford Yamaha) finished seventh overall, with Queensland’s Ben Attard ninth aboard his Aluma-Lite Racing Yamaha.

Curtain’s pace in the Xtreme class showed as he not only smashed the existing Xtreme lap record, but set a new motorcycle lap record for the 3.00km Victorian circuit with a 1:24.428 in the fourth and final Xtreme race.

A trio of Yamaha’s led the Supersport field for overall honours with Curtain on top from teammate Clarke and Sydney privateer Glen Allerton, who had a best finish of third in race two. Procycles Yamaha rider Shaun Geronimi also had a solid consistent weekend, finishing fifth overall.

Sixteen-year-old Alex Cudlin moved to the top of the Superstock points table thanks to four race wins aboard his Fineline Motorcycles Yamaha YZF R6. He now holds an eleven-point lead in the class over Alex Tomasetti.

Round four of the 2003 Yamaha Formula Xtreme TT Series will be held at Queensland Raceway on the weekend of May 31 – June 1.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Tommy Hayden fought off a strong challenge from Vincent Haskovec–who took the lead at one point–to win the Superstock race at Infineon Raceway. Adam Fergusson was third.

Results
1. Tommy Hayden, ZX-6R, 17 laps
2. Vincent Haskovec, GSX-R750, -2.721 seconds
3. Adam Fergusson, GSX-R750, -9.5
4. Jason DiSalvo, YZF-R6, -15.6
5. Jimmy Moore, GSX-R750, -17.1
6. Josh Hayes, GSX-R750, -19.9
7. Tony Meiring, ZX-6R, -20.2
8. Opie Caylor, GSX-R750, -20.3
9. Jordan Szoke, GSX-R750, -26.6
10. John Haner, GSX-R750, -26.9
11. Mike Ciccotto, GSX-R750, -37.7
12. Jeremy Toye, GSX-R750, -40.9
13. Chris Ulrich, GSX-R750, -46.4 (crashed)
14. Alan Schmidt, GSX-R750, -52.3
15. Jake Holden, GSX-R750, -52.56
16. Matt Furtek, GSX-R750, -53.05
17. Brian Stokes, GSX-R750, -54.31
18. Michael Hannas, GSX-R750, -68.98
19. Danny Eslick, GSX-R750, -69.19
20. Jeff Bostrom, GSX-R750, -80.51
21. Hawk Mazzotto, GSX-R750, -89.49
22. J.J. Roetlin, GSX-R750, -89.63
23. Doug Pitcock, GSX-R750, -97.46
24. Mickey Lane, GSX-R750, -1 lap
25. Chad Rolland, GSX-R750, -1 lap
26. Tom Wertman, GSx-R750, -1 lap
27. Jason Chisum, GSX-R750, -1 lap
28. Corey Sarros, GSX-R750, -1 lap
29. Bryan Edginton, GSx-R750, -1 lap
30. Michael Dantonio, GSX-R750, -1 lap
31. Mark Degross, CBR600RR, -1 lap
32. Jay Jacobson, GSX-R750, -1 lap
33. Paul Timman, GSX-R750, -2 laps
34. Rocky Caceres, GSX-R750, -2 laps
35. Rich Conicelli, GSX-R750, -2 laps
36. Mark Simon, GSX-R750, -7 laps
37. Jason Peters, GSX-R750, -11 laps
38. John Dugan, GSX-R750, -15 laps, DNF, crash

From a press release:

Barry Gilsenan has formed a new race team for 2003 under the title of Team Celtic Racing with riders Des Conboy and JJ Walsh.

Conboy will be running the full Formula USA series and select LRRS events on Suzuki GSX-R600s while Walsh will run the full LRRS schedule.

Joining the team as crew chief will be Mark Rosema.

Current sponsers include Pirelli, Hindle, The Olde Village Inne, Markbilt racebikes, Vortex, Innovative Motorcycle Research, Street & Comp and Suzuki of Ramsey.