Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Marlboro Ducati MotoGP racer Loris Capirossi has launched a new website at www.loriscapirossi.net.

From a press release issued by the FIM:

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix

South African Grand Prix : entry list –
Welkom – 27/04/2003

125cc class –

No. Rider/Pilote Nation Machine Team

1 Arnaud Vincent FRA KTM KTM – Red Bull

3 Daniel Pedrosa SPA Honda Telefonica Movistar Junior Team

4 Lucio Cecchinello ITA Aprilia Safilo Oxydo – LCR

6 Mirko Giansanti ITA Aprilia Matteoni Racing

7 Stefano Perugini ITA Aprilia Abruzzo Racing Team

8 Masao Azuma JPN Honda Ajo Motorsport

10 Roberto Locatelli ITA KTM KTM – Red Bull

11 Max Sabbatani ITA Aprilia Abruzzo Racing Team

12 Thomas Lüthi SUI Honda Elit Grand Prix

14 Chris Martin GBR Aprilia Seedorf Racing

15 Alex de Angelis RSM Aprilia Racing World

17 Steve Jenkner GER Aprilia Exalt Cycle Red Devil

19 Alvaro Bautista SPA Aprilia Seedorf Racing

21 Leon Camier GBR Honda Metasystem Racing Service

22 Pablo Nieto SPA Aprilia Master – Mxonda –
Aspar Team

23 Gino Borsoi ITA Aprilia Racing World

24 Simone Corsi ITA Honda Team Scot

25 Imre Toth HUN Honda Team Hungary

26 Emilio Alzamora SPA Derbi Caja Madrid Derbi Racing

27 Casey Stoner AUS Aprilia Safilo Oxydo – LCR

31 Julian Simon SPA Malaguti Semprucci Angaia Malaguti

32 Fabrizio Lai ITA Malaguti Semprucci Angaia Malaguti

33 Stefano Bianco ITA Gilera Metis Gilera Racing

34 Andrea Dovizioso ITA Honda Team Scot

36 Mika Kallio FIN Honda Ajo Motorsport

41 Youichi Ui JPN Aprilia Sterilgarda Racing

42 Gioele Pellino ITA Aprilia Sterilgarda Racing

48 Jorge Lorenzo SPA Derbi Caja Madrid Derbi Racing

58 Marco Simoncelli ITA Aprilia Matteoni Racing

63 Mike di Meglio FRA Aprilia Free Soul Racing Team

78 Peter Lenart HUN Honda Metasystem Racing Service

79 Gabor Talmacsi HUN Aprilia Exalt Cycle Red Devil

80 Hector Barbera SPA Aprilia Master – Mxonda – Aspar Team

250cc class

No. Rider/Pilote Nation Machine Team

3 Roberto Rolfo ITA Honda Fortuna Honda

5 Sebastian Porto ARG Honda Telefonica Movistar Junior Team

6 Alex Debon SPA Honda Troll Honda BQR

7 Randy de Puniet FRA Aprilia Safilo Oxydo – LCR

8 Naoki Matsudo JPN Yamaha Yamaha Kurz

9 Hugo Marchand FRA Aprilia Equipe de France – Scrab GP

10 Alfonso Nieto SPA Aprilia Team Repsol Telefonica Movistar

11 Joan Olive SPA Aprilia Aspar Junior Team

13 Jaroslav Hules CZE Yamaha Yamaha Kurz

14 Anthony West AUS Aprilia Team Zoppini Abruzzo

15 Christian Gemmel GER Honda Kiefer Castrol – Honda Racing

16 Johan Stiegefelt SWE Aprilia Team Zoppini Abruzzo

18 Henk van de Lagemaat NED Honda Dark Dog Molenaar

21 Franco Battaini ITA Aprilia Campetella Racing

24 Toni Elias SPA Aprilia Team Repsol Telefonica Movistar

26 Alex Baldolini ITA Aprilia Matteoni Racing

28 Dirk Heidolf GER Aprilia Aprilia Germany

33 Hector Faubel SPA Aprilia Aspar Junior Team

34 Eric Bataille FRA Honda Troll Honda BQR

36 Erwan Nigon FRA Aprilia Equipe de France – Scrab GP

50 Sylvain Guintoli FRA Aprilia Campetella Racing

54 Manuel Poggiali RSM Aprilia MS Aprilia Team

57 Chaz Davies GBR Aprilia Aprilia Germany

96 Jakub Smrz CZE Honda Elit Grand Prix

98 Katja Poensgen GER Honda Dark Dog Molenaar

MotoGP class

No. Rider Nation Machine Team

3 Max Biaggi ITA Honda Camel Pramac Pons

4 Alex Barros BRA Yamaha Gauloises Yamaha Team

6 Makoto Tamada JPN Honda Pramac Honda

7 Carlos Checa SPA Yamaha Fortuna Yamaha Team

8 Garry McCoy AUS Kawasaki Kawasaki Racing Team

9 Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Proton KR Proton Team KR

10 Kenny Roberts USA Suzuki Suzuki Grand Prix Team

11 Tohru Ukawa JPN Honda Camel Pramac Pons

12 Troy Bayliss AUS Ducati Ducati Marlboro Team

15 Sete Gibernau SPA Honda Telefonica Movistar
Honda

17 Norifumi Abe JPN Yamaha Fortuna Yamaha Team

19 Olivier Jacque FRA Yamaha Gauloises Yamaha Team

21 John Hopkins USA Suzuki Suzuki Grand Prix Team

24 David de Gea SPA Harris WCM WCM

35 Chris Burns GBR Harris WCM WCM

41 Noriyuki Haga JPN Aprilia Alice Aprilia Racing

45 Colin Edwards USA Aprilia Alice Aprilia Racing

46 Valentino Rossi ITA Honda Repsol Honda

56 Shinya Nakano JPN Yamaha D’Antin Yamaha Team

65 Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Ducati Marlboro Team

69 Nicky Hayden USA Honda Repsol Honda

88 Andrew Pitt AUS Kawasaki Kawasaki Racing Team

99 Jeremy McWilliams GBR Proton KR Proton Team KR

Out due to injury : Marco Melandri (replaced by Norifumi Abe), Daijiro Kato

No wild-card rider is entered for the South African Grand Prix.

From a press release issued by the World Superbike Championship press office:

Michelin: Sugo and tyres

“Our main challenge at Sugo is grip,” explains Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s chief of motorcycle competitions. “The track has about the same number of left-handers and right-hand corners. Traction is very important at Sugo. Both grip and traction are very im portant on the exit to the chicane just before the start/finish straight. If traction isn’t good enough there, the rider will loose ground. He won’t be able to overtake and that will end up costing him places. The track surface is different compared to other circuits we go to and that makes it difficult for us to find grip. To be fast at Sugo, riders have to be confident with the front, especially in the first part of the circuit. When it’s cold, the first left-hander always creates problems. So we need tyres that warm up fast, that give good grip and that last long.”

“Our first challenge is to beat the many Japanese riders using local tyres,” adds Nicolas Goubert. “They know the circuit like the back of their hands. The Japanese championship takes them racing there at least twice a year and of course they also race the world Superbike round.”

“The difficult thing for us is that we are unable to test there as much and as often as we’d like,” adds Jean Hérissé, Michelin’s Superbike manager.

Michelin and Sugo.

Michelin brings a total of 600 tyres (400 rears and 200 fronts), wet and dry, for this race. Sizes are 19 / 67-420 (16,5 inch) for rear slicks, rain tyres and intermediates. Front tyre sizes are 12/ 60-420 (16.5 inch) tyres.

From a press release issued by Yamaha Racing:

WSS R6 set-up report, round three: Sugo
Sugo, Japan

Race date: 27 April 2003
Track length: 3,737km
2002 WSS winner: Stephane Chambon (Suzuki)
WSS lap record: 1’33.015: Fabien Foret (Honda)

Originally built by Yamaha as a test track in 1975, Sugo not only features a fully functioning 3.737km road race layout but also a vast array of other motorsport and leisure facilities. A 40-minute drive from the city of Sendai in northeast Japan, the twisty and undulating circuit is located in a picturesque mountainside setting, making the Sugo experience as beautiful as it is challenging for the teams.

Featuring huge changes of elevation and some highly committed downhill corner entries, Sugo rewards a machine with excellent handling and high levels of corner exit traction. One peculiarity of Sugo is the power-sapping drive out of the Last Corner, featuring a long and curving uphill gradient towards the finish line.

Yamaha has a strong history at Sugo. In 2000, soon-to-be World Champion Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany) won the first World Supersport race to be held at the circuit, ahead of team-mate Christian Kellner. The following year saw a win for Paolo Casoli (Yamaha Belgarda Team) ahead of Teuchert.

With the 2003 R6 featuring 90 per cent new components, the Yamaha teams will have to use previous Sugo set-up data as a guide, rather than a work of reference. The teams have also been developing the bikes since the last race in Australia, as Maio Meregalli, Team Manager of Yamaha Belgarda Team explains. “We have a new close-ratio gearbox and we will use shorter overall gearing. We are also preparing an extra bike for wild-card rider Tekkyu Kayo. It has already been dyno tested and will soon be on its way to Japan.”

Yamaha Motor Germany riders Teuchert and Kellner will be utilising a new gearbox of their own, in addition to making some chassis changes, as Team Manager Terrell Thien explains: “We will be bringing some new rear shocks to try and aid rear traction. We also changed the front fork internals because there are a lot of stop-go corners at Sugo, whereas Phillip Island is very fluid. Sugo is very technical so there will be more fork travel available but with firmer settings to help under braking.

“We have just taken delivery of some newly developed front discs from our supplier, Braking, and we have changed to SBS brake pads for reasons of performance and longevity. We have no problems with the midrange engine performance but since Phillip Island we have also found something new with our Motec EFI system giving us a little bit more top end power.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Barber Motorsports Park General Manager Vickie Abbott said Thursday that a deal to host a 2004 MotoGP event at the new track near Birmingham, Alabama is not a done deal.

Abbott made her remarks in reponse to a Roadracingworld.com post that quoted Barber Motorsports Park Event Manager Crystal Trammell as saying “If it does come, tentative dates would be early April. I can say that. Besides that, it’s a very strong possibility. We’ll put it that way. It’s in very heavy discussion. I have a feeling it would be very soon that you would know. I don’t have a specific time you would know. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”

In a phone call to Roadracingworld.com following the original post, which was headlined “U.S. MotoGP Very Strong Possibility For April 2004, Announcement Could Come Very Soon,” Abbott said that Trammell handled club events at the track and was not authorized to comment on the track’s MotoGP plans.

In a separate phone call to Roadracingworld.com, Trammell said that she did not know that she was talking to a reporter and specifically stated that she was not to be quoted.

In fact, Roadracingworld.com Assistant Editor David Swarts called Trammell, identified himself, and, when asked, told Trammell that he was looking for information for a roadracingworld.com post. Trammell gave Swarts her name and title, and at no time stated that she was not to be quoted.

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has said an announcement on the location of a 2004 U.S. Grand Prix could come as soon as May 9 during the Grand Prix at Jerez. Ezpeleta also mentioned Barber as a possible location but expressed concerns over Barber Motorsports Park’s infrastructure, specifically a lack of garages at the $54 million facility. Trammell said that the track could build garages to address that concern.

“It is what it is,” Abbott said. “Everybody in the industry knows that Dorna is looking at Barber Motorsports Park as well as Homestead, and that they very much want the MotoGP to return back to the States in 2004, and more than likely it will be one of the two facilities. And yes, we would very much like to have it, but that decision has not been made as yet.

“I can say that the dates they are looking for for 2004 are in early spring, but that could be here or it could be at Homestead,” said Abbott.

From a letter issued by Bruno Event Team on behalf of Barber Motorsports Park:

As I am sure you are aware, the official statement from the Barber Motorsports Track is as follows:

In observance for the Easter weekend, Cornerspeed School/WERA open practice on Friday, April 18 and the WERA weekend event has been postponed until further notice. The 2003 WERA Sportsman Series is a motorcycle club series that was originally scheduled for this weekend, April 19-20. Rescheduling options are being discussed.


I would like to add the following:

We greatly regret that we have had to postpone the WERA event scheduled for April 18-20, 2003. This decision was made after much thought and consideration, and after discussions with WERA that covered approximately one week’s time. We regret that our final decision was made so close to the date.

We are currently working with WERA to reschedule this event. In addition, we will be offering both WERA and its members a special package for this rescheduled date. We hope very much that WERA will reschedule this event. At the moment, we have offered 2 separate weekends. Neither was acceptable to WERA, but we will keep trying and find a weekend that works.

There have been many rumors flying. Please do not speculate that there is anything more into this than what we have said in our official statement, because there is not.

To address just a few of the concerns and comments we have heard:

We are indeed a purpose built track for motorcycles, and we allow cars to run on our motorcycle track. We have had motorcycles on the track and we will continue to have motorcycles on the track.

Grass roots is what makes racing, we know and support this.

There is no turmoil between the Barber Motorsports Park and WERA. Nor any turmoil between the Bruno Event Team and WERA. WERA did not upset any of us, but we do understand WERA and its members being upset with us.

The decision to postpone the event was made by Barber Motorsports Park, not Bruno Event Team.

Our focus is, and has been for quite some time, to complete all the construction in the Park. We have 3 buildings that we are completing within the next week, and we are still working hard to complete the Musuem and a fiber optics race control system. Thus, with our focus on completing the facility, we have not paid close attention to the day to day operations, and we should have. We sincerely apologize for our over-site and the necessity to postpone this event.

We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,
Jeff Ray
The Barber Motorsports Park

A transcription of a teleconference arranged by Infineon Raceway:

AMA Teleconference April 16, 2003
Hosted by Infineon Raceway

AMA U.S. Chevy Truck Superbike riders Eric Bostrom (Kawasaki) and Ben Bostrom (Honda) participated in a teleconference on Wednesday, April 16, in advance of the AMA Supercuts Superbike Challenge, presented by Honda of Milpitas, at Infineon Raceway, May 2-4.

Q. Eric, Suzuki took both Superbike race victories at Fontana were you surprised by that? What problems might Suzuki encounter at Infineon Raceway due to not testing here?

A. Well, I wasn’t too surprised that they had such good results there (Fontana) because the track is real fast and they tested so well there. Right now, they just seem to have motor advantage on the rest of the field, but we’re all the same going into Infineon Raceway. I’m pretty sure that their advantage with the motor won’t matter there. We haven’t raced a tight track yet this year, from Daytona to Fontana, and Infineon’s always been best for my bike. For some crazy reason I’ve never won a doubleheader yet, and that’s definitely my goal.

Q. Ben, how’s the transition been from World Superbike?

A. It’s been a bit of a struggle. I thought it would come easier. Your brain gets used to a fast moving tracks, and you come back to Superbike and the turns are a bit slower. Fontana is a bit of a stop-and-go racetrack. Obviously I’m not finishing up front, so I need to get my brain in gear. I’m riding a great bike, so hopefully that will move me up front.

Q. How great is it for the two of you to be racing together again? Obviously, with Ben in Europe quiet a bit, it must be great to see each other and compete against one another.

A. Eric – It’s really been special because for the last three years I’ve been kind of lonesome. Ben’s been awesome and I just haven’t had a good partner to play with and train with. Even today, we got to the track down here and we were off checking out some boulders down south of Atlanta, doing a little climbing. It’s really special to have someone to do that with. The racing’s great too, because we’re both really competitive. To have someone you know so well is almost a good benchmark. You think, I’ve really got to put it to my brother.

Ben – It’s been great to be back with your brother and your friends. It’s almost like I took a break from my life (when in World Superbike). On the track, Eric’s as competitive as ever and it’s nice to have someone who doesn’t mind having you follow them around. At some of the tracks we just go around together to try to figure things out. It’s just great to be back with my brother.

Q. Ben, how do you look back on your experience in World and what made you decide to come back?

A. The experience was second to none and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The first two years were great, but the third year was tough. I needed to come home to recharge and remember where I came from. When a seat opened up, I wanted to come back home to Honda and the fantastic company. And it’s just nice to remember the good things in life.

Q. Ben, did you get to test yet at Infineon?

A. We did. I went up there for a couple days and tested. It was strange because I couldn’t wait to get back on the Honda and do some laps. But, at the end of the day we were a second or two behind the group. I was riding with Nicky’s transmission, but he’s a different rider, so that was hard. It’s a fantastic track – much, much safer and they’ve made some great change. Now I believe it’s a safe place to race and they’ve provided for more passing spots.

Q. Last year, there was lots of flap about the race and the safety issues. Obviously the track has spent some money on changing things, what are your thoughts on the improvements?

Eric – Basically, there were several issues at the track last year, but I think Infineon’s the first track we’ve ever been to that’s asked the riders for feedback. They brought us all up to the track there a few months ago to get our input. It really shows their commitment and how much this event means to them. We came up with some pretty good options that made the track safer and made more passing opportunities. I’m looking forward to going back. I think it’s the first time I’ll be able to ride that track to my fullest ability. I’m looking forward to a good race. (Turn 1, 8-10 and 11 to address concerns).

Q. Ben, you mentioned earlier that when you were testing you were on Nicky’s transmission on the Honda. What do you like about the Honda? What are you doing to make the bike more comfortable for you? What are the differences?

A. Basically we’re putting laps on it. Every time we go test I try to stay out and put as many laps in as I can. Anytime we change the bike too much it seems to get worse. Nicky and I had a slightly different set up, so we’re running a different front end and transmission. The transmission is so important because it changes the back pressure of the tires through the corner. Minor tweaks to the chassis mean a lot, too – it results in a major, major change for the motorcycle. I’m still just trying to get comfortable on the bike.

Q. Is it a frustrating process to try to dial in the bike week-to-week now that the season’s started?

Ben – It’s really frustrating. We went to a test, our first good-weather test, and we were so far off the pace I couldn’t believe it. Riding these bikes is supposed to be fun, and it’s not an opportunity you get too often. You want to just put your head down, but when you’re not comfortable you can’t do that. It’s not any fun to run in the back, so when we get to Infineon we hope we’ll be excited and ready to go. I think the results will get better as the year goes on.

Q. Thinking back, what made you want to try World Superbike?

Ben – Initially, it was something new to try. We raced for Ducati in 1999 and I wanted to stay with Ducati in 2000, but they wanted us to come over to World Superbike. I didn’t think I was ready to go, but I was excited to try something new, ride fast tracks and see the world. I have the goal of being the World champion and there’s only one way to get it – that’s what pulled me.

Q. Can you compare the fan following and travel between World and AMA Superbike?

Ben – Traveling is much better now. You’re at home, climbing, surfing, whatever. You climb on an airplane and within five hours you’re at the track. You get there on Thursday, get on your bike and by Monday you’re back home, sleeping in your bed. The first year in World is fantastic – there’s lots to see, lots to learn, the food, motorcycles are a way of life over there and it’s great. You go into a restaurant and people stand up and clap – you almost can’t get a free moment. It’s great in the states because there are so many sports, nobody knows who you are. It’s kind of nice.

Q. Ben, you mentioned climbing and surfing. Where do you call home?

Ben – Las Vegas, but we’re in the middle of working on a house there. When you want to surf, you go to California (near San Diego). When you want to climb, you go to Las Vegas.

Q. What are you thoughts on some of the local (Central Valley) riders – Kurtis Roberts and Tony Meiring?

Eric – Tony is an up and comer. Good kid. Basically he’s still trying to pound his way through the ranks and he’s doing a good job, coming up quick. He’s currently in 600 Supersport and 750 Superstock. I don’t compete against him, but his results continue to get better. He had really fantastic results down in Fontana.

Kurtis is another competitor and son of a world champion. He’s a great rider, but sometimes he’s up and down with his results. He’ll put in fantastic results one week and really be a threat, and the next week he’ll just fade out. They’re both good guys to compete against.

Q. Ben, are you headed back to World Superbike in 2004?
Ben – No, with the manufacturer’s taking a year off to rebuild their bikes, they’ll return in 2004 and I think the series will be fantastic again. I have no plans right now. I just need to get back on my feet and learn to ride the Hondas and relearn the winning ways.

Q. What are your thoughts on racing a pair of guys (Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards) who are now in Moto GP? What does it mean for Moto GP to have those guys moving to that series?

Eric – It’s great to watch Nick and Colin. They’re both fantastic riders. It’s cool to judge yourself against them because you’ve raced against them. You know they’re trying hard and adjusting to new tracks and new teams. It’s exciting. I’d definitely like to get a chance to join them in the not-too-far distant future and get back to racing against great competitors.

Ben- They’re both fantastic riders. I think, for Nick, he was champion last year and he wanted to go try something new. With World Superbike taking a break this year, Colin was world champion and wanted to try something new, too. It’s great to have some Americans over in the series and to have someone to root for.

Q. Ben, Honda has certainly dominated at Infineon raceway with nine Superbike wins. Is there a reason why Honda would do so well here?

Ben – I think they’ve had some really great riders in the past, like Hayden (he’s a charger and likes a track like that) and Miguel Duhamel (another charger and comfortable there). I’m hoping this year, Honda will take it again.

Q. Eric, how is the Kawasaki built for a track like this?

Eric – This track suits our bike really great. Last year it seemed like we should’ve given Nicky a better run for his money. The bike didn’t work very well with the tires last year. This year, Dunlop fixed the problem for us and the track really suits our bike well. I was disappointed to not be a threat last year.

From a press release issued by Suzuki:

MOTORCYCLE CO-DEVELOPED BY SUZUKI AND KAWASAKI

Tokyo – Suzuki Motor Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that they would start distributing their co-developed motorcycle to the worldwide market in September 2003.

On August 29, 2001, Suzuki and Kawasaki announced an agreement on their business alliance. As a first step of this alliance, in February 2002, they started mutually supplying motorcycle and ATV OEM models in the Japanese domestic and overseas markets.

The first co-developed motorcycle is a motocross model with 250cc 4-stroke motor. It is jointly designed by both companies and will be produced at Kawasaki factory in Japan. Sales of this model will be done separately through each brand’s own dealer network as Suzuki and Kawasaki product respectively. Both companies will also utilize All Japan Motocross Championship starting this April as a final test around and research by letting their supporting racers ride the prototype of this model.

By fully utilizing both parties’ combined resources, Suzuki and Kawasaki made it possible to co-develop new product in a short period. This is another milestone accomplished by both companies through their business alliance next to on-going mutual OEM products supply.

Both companies are going to get the practical synergy out of this alliance by positively promoting further OEM supply, co-development of future products and commonizing parts and components.

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

17 APR: Phakisa Freeway

Proton Team KR : Welkom Preview

Is Welkom the Die-Hard Two-Strokes’ last stand?

The South African GP sees Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki in what they hope will be their last time in the role of David against several Goliaths.

The pair of racers played a valiant role last year, harrying the 500cc two-stroke rivals and now-and-then teasing the ultra-powerful new 990cc four-strokes at tracks where the lightweight KR3’s handling made up for the power deficit.

They will do so again at the South African GP, at Welkom’s Phakisa Freeway circuit, next Sunday.

At the same time, riders and team are also coming to the end of a waiting game. Even before they left for South Africa, Proton Team KR’s own V5 990cc four-stroke was fast reaching the stage of shake-down track tests, with both riders and team owner Kenny Roberts standing by for their first taste of the future.

All being well, the team still targets a race debut two weeks after the South African round, at the Spanish GP at Jerez.

This puts a different complexion on the South African round, which could be the last ever race to see a 500cc two-stroke in action. The type dominated the premier class for more than 25 years, but they were swamped by the power of the 990cc MotoGP machines introduced last year.

“I hope this will be the last GP our riders are the slowest down the straight,” said Kenny Roberts, the driving force behind the team, as well as the enormous project to design and build the all-new V5 racer.

The twisting Phakisa Freeway, at a power-sapping altitude of more than 4,500 feet, has some peculiarities that counteract the inferior speed of the two-stroke die-hards, which last year were 13 km/h slower at the Phakisa straight.

The 2.6-mile track has no less than 14 corners, where the nimble KR3 can regain lost ground; while the surface is littered with bumps both large and small – another situation where the lighter weight pays dividends.

“There’s not much to say about this race,” said team manager Chuck Aksland. “We’re playing a waiting game, really. But we’ll have a full pit crew, and we’ll do the best we can. It’s a track where the field gets spread out, and if we can keep the bikes running right both our guys have a chance of getting in the points.”

But at least part of the everybody’s minds will be back at base in Banbury, England, where the fresh new howl of the racing V5 signals a new start in the near future.

The South African round signals the end of the season-opening “flyaway” races. Two weeks later, the fortnight treadmill of the European season begins in earnest at the Spanish GP at Jerez.

Jeremy McWilliams
This track’s nothing like Suzuka. The difference with the four-strokes won’t be so great. They’re really strong the way they catapult out of corners as well as just straightline speed, but there’s some sections at Welkom that are flowing, and we’re alright there. We were holding our own quite well last year, before I had gearbox trouble. I’m hoping to have ridden the V5 before the race, so if that feels good straight away then it will be more frustrating to be back on the two-stroke. But we need to test the new bike at a circuit before we can race it. We have to do it process by process.

Nobuatsu Aoki
This was my second race last year, and once we started I was able to be quite competitive, until something leaked. Welkom is not like any other circuit. It’s more like a pocket-bike track, with one fast section. The two-stroke is quite good in the technical sections. I will be trying to make sure to finish, and hope to get some points. Of course it’s a race, and I always try my best. I will be thinking about the four-stroke as well, and how quickly we can make that ready for racing.