Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Neil Hodgson put in a sensational lap to clinch pole position for Sunday’s WSB races.

David Garcia who, right up until Hodgson took to the track on his Fila Ducati 999, was sitting at the top of the timesheet provided the surprise of the day. The former GP rider put in an excellent lap on his privateer Ducati 998 and was obviously pushing his bike absolutely to the limit.

Hodgson was just over a 0.1-second slower on the first split than Garcia and yet, by the time his lap was finished, he was an incredible 1.088-second ahead.

“To be honest I think the Hodgson luck must be back,” grinned Hodgson, “because when before I went out on my lap I could see that the wind was blowing everyone around and yet, when I was on my flying lap, the wind seemed to have dropped completely.”

Frankie Chili, who had qualified fastest prior to Superpole, also relegated Garcia a further place by taking second on the grid. But Garcia was nonetheless understandably pleased with his performance; “This was my first-ever Superpole,” explained Garcia; his crash in pre-Superpole warm-up at Valencia wrecked his only bike so he was forced out of Superpole at the first round. “So I am happy to be third on the grid for Sunday.” Garcia, who test rides for Kenny Roberts’ Proton MotoGP team, seems to have settled quickly into the WSB groove. “I like it here in WSB, for me the ambience is better than in MotoGP. I also love my Ducati, I have a good feeling with the bike, the engine is good and the chassis is perfect.”

There’s one weak link in Garcia’s game plan – tyres, “We are not supported by Dunlop, we are a customer so we don’t get the best tyres. I hope that because of today we will get good tyres for the race.”

HM Plant Ducati rider Chris Walker took the final front row position. Hodgson’s teammate Ruben Xaus didn’t make it to the end of the lap, instead cementing his reputation as a crasher by throwing his bike away on the lowside in the Hayshed. He, and his team, were obviously very disappointed to see Xaus drop to the back of the second row.

World Superbike Championship
Round 2, Phillip Island, Australia
Superpole result:

1. Neil Hodgson, GBR, Ducati, 1:33.030
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, ITA, Ducati, 1:34.118
3. David Garcia, ESP, Ducati, 1:34.184
4. Chris Walker, GBR, Ducati, 1:34.211
5. James Toseland, GBR, Ducati, 1:34.329
6. Troy Corser, AUS, Foggy Petronas, 1:34.512
7. Gregorio Lavilla, ESP, Suzuki, 1:34.585
8. Ruben Xaus, ESP, Ducati, Crashed
9. Steve Martin, AUS, Ducati, 1:34.598
10. Regis Laconi, FRA, Ducati, 1:34.712


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION

SECOND SUCCESSIVE POLE FOR HODGSON (DUCATI FILA) AT PHILLIP ISLAND – XAUS EIGHTH AFTER SUPERPOLE CRASH

Neil Hodgson (Ducati Fila) stormed to a second successive pole position in blustery conditions at Phillip Island with the factory Ducati 999. Crowd favourite Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) will line up alongside for tomorrow’s two 22 lap races, while NCR Ducati’s David Garcia, in his second ever World Superbike race, and HM Plant Ducati’s Chris Walker will join them on the front row.

With Garcia setting the benchmark at an impressive 1:34.185, Hodgson and Chili had it all to do as they set off in that order on their one-lap dash. Despite not running a perfect lap, Neil’s time of 1:33.030 was a full second quicker than the Spanish rider while Chili just edged Garcia out for second place.

“I think I was lucky because the wind wasn’t there for my Superpole lap” joked Hodgson after the session. “Seriously though, I had a couple of moments so it wasn’t perfect. It’s always windy when you come here so it’s really difficult to be consistent. I wasn’t relaxed on the qualifying tyres at all because I’ve done so many laps this weekend on race tyres, and when you put one on it provides you with a lot of grip and the front was moving around so much, so that’s why my lap looked more ragged than it should have done. I’m happy with the set-up and I did a race distance on a rear tyre this morning and it looked fine so I’m feeling really confident because the tyre has done the distance even though Phillip Island is a circuit where conditions can change really quickly.”

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Fila) crashed out for the third time this weekend when the front of his Ducati 999 slid away from beneath him during his Superpole lap and he will line up on the outside of row 2 in eighth position. “I’d like to apologise to the team for this, the guys have worked hard all weekend and it’s all my fault” declared Ruben. “The crash was the same as the one this morning. With the riding style I have, I came hard into the corner, braked too late and the front end just went away from me. Despite this, I have a good set-up on the bike, I did a good race pace on my long-run, and I feel confident for the races tomorrow.”


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

2003 World Superbike Championship
Round 2, Phillip Island, Australia, Saturday 29th March, Final Qualifying
Circuit: 4.450 kms, Weather: Dry, mostly sunny 23 C.

SECOND ROW FOR TROY
Troy had a slightly disappointing Superpole – by his high standards – and ended the day sixth quickest and will start tomorrow’s pair if races from the second row of the grid. After Valencia’s stunning performance when he qualified the new Foggy Petronas on the front row of the grid, expectations were high here today. The engine in Troy’s number one bike didn’t feel strong in the final untimed session, so Troy tried his number two bike for a few laps. But that felt marginally worse; so Troy had to use his number one instead. His Superpole lap time was almost a second slower then his best time in qualifying and that was enough to push him on to the second row. Series leader Neil Hodgson (Ducati) took Superpole, with a time of 1:33.030, with fellow Ducati riders Pierfrancesco Chili, David Garcia and Chris Walker alongside on the front row of the grid.

TROY – 6th, 1:34.512
I suppose expectations were a bit high – after Valencia – and this is my home track. Before the season started, nobody expected us to be so competitive so soon and now everybody is asking when we’re going to win a race! The engine in the bike I used in my Superpole lap just didn’t have the legs and I couldn’t go as fast as I had done in practice. I’d ridden it pretty much all weekend and it was the same one that’d done two races. It’s a shame, because it would’ve been good to be on the front row here at Phillip Island in front of my fans. But the whole package is working well and I’m really happy how it’s all going. The team are going to work on the mapping a bit more and make the bike a bit easier to ride, but in terms of chassis etc, it handles really well. I’ve chosen which race tyres I’m going to use and now all I need is a good start, get up with the leaders and see what I can do. Of course, I’m shooting for a podium and if all goes well, then it could happen.


More, from a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Front row start for Walker

Chris Walker qualified on the front row of the grid after a blistering Superpole lap at Phillip Island for the second round of the Superbike World Championship. He completed the 4.445km circuit near Melbourne in a superb time of 1:34.211, only 0.118 seconds ahead of his HM Plant Ducati team-mate James Toseland. Ducati Corse’s Neil Hodgson completed a good day for the British riders by taking pole position for the second consecutive event.

Walker had qualified for Superpole in fourth position, but unlike the last round at Valencia, he kept his cool for the nerve-wrecking one-lap qualifying session. “I was really disappointed with how Superpole had gone in Spain, so I was determined to do myself justice,” said the Nottingham rider. “Thankfully everything went according to plan and I can look forward to starting on the front row of the grid.

“I’d like to thank the HM Plant Ducati team who have worked tirelessly with me all weekend to find the best race set-up for this superb circuit. I’m really getting to grips with the bike and it makes such a difference not having to come and learn these tracks like I did last year. Hopefully I’ll be able to get two of my trademark good starts and blast off the line with the leading pack – it should be excellent viewing.”

Toseland thought that he had done enough to join his team-mate on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s two Superbike races, but there was a surprise in store. “I guess I’m a little bit disappointed not to be in the top four, but to be honest I gave it my best shot. I think we were all surprised by Garcia’s fast lap in Superpole and that was the difference between fourth and fifth for me.

“After analysing my performance on Friday, I knew which parts of the circuit I had to focus on. Thanks to my technicians I’ve been able to shave over half-a-second off my time and it’s looking good for the races. I’ve got a feeling that Chris and I may be battling for podium positions again tomorrow and I hope that we can carry on where we left off in Valencia.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Red Hot Chili stays on top

Frankie Chili stayed on provisional pole despite a strong challenge from Neil Hodgson in the final WSB qualifying session

After finishing first qualifying fastest on Friday, Chili modestly said; “I am surprised I am fastest, it must mean other riders have even more problems than I do.” But today’s performance, which included a 1:32.786 lap around Phillip Island in cool and cloudy conditions, proved it was false modesty. The truth is he’s on top because he’s the fastest rider on the track at the moment.

Neil Hodgson, fresh from a double win at Valencia, put in a determined charge to overhaul the Italian – but couldn’t get down below 1:33 so now has to settle for second going into this afternoon’s Superpole session.

Hodgson’s Ducati Fila teammate, Ruben Xaus, was third fastest despite a low-speed spill at the Honda hairpin, just in front of HM Plant Ducati rider Chris Walker. Troy Corser lost a little ground to the Ducatis, dropping back to fifth from his fourth place on Friday.

But with Superpole still to come and the weather changeable, the front row will likely change again yet.



Provisional Combined World Superbike Qualifying Results From Phillip Island:

1. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:32.786
2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, 1:33.432
3. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, 1:33.603
4. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, 1:33.662
5. Troy Corser, Petronas Foggy FP1, 1:33.674
6. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, 1:33.941
7. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, 1:34.027
8. David Garcia, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.051
9. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:34.108
10. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.354
11. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.365
12. Nello Russo, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.411
13. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:34.440
14. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:34.559
15. James Haydon, Petronas Foggy FP1, 1:34.643
16. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.648
17. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:34.760
18. Giovanni Bussei, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.952
19. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda RC51, 1:35.639
20. Steven Cutting, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.669
21. Jay Normoyle, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:38.780
22. Davide Messori, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:39.061
23. Alistar Maxwell, Honda CBR954RR, 1:39.212

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Neil Hodgson has launched a new website at www.neilhodgson.com.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Belgarda Yamaha World Supersport racer Jurgen van den Goorbergh and his wife Misha had a daughter, Quincy Tamara, March 8 in Monaco.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

PRIDMORE OPENS LOCKHART PHILLIPS USA FORMULA XTREME TITLE DEFENSE AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – Jason Pridmore will be gunning for his second Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme title starting at the series opener on April 6, at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The 2003 season promises to be the most competitive in the seven-year history of the series. The traditional top teams of Formula Xtreme – Attack Suzuki, Valvoline Suzuki and Erion Honda will all be present, but a new chapter will be written into the series this year with the addition of Yoshimura Suzuki and its rider Ben Spies. Since the inception of the championship the factories have competed with one another via supported teams, but this year marks the first direct factory entry into Formula Xtreme.

Pridmore, 33, of Ventura, Calif., won a tight championship battle last year over Bruce Transportation Honda rider Jake Zemke. The two actually finished tied in the final point standings, but Pridmore won the title by virtue of having earned more race wins. Pridmore had Spies as a teammate last year on the Attack Suzuki squad and Pridmore helped the young Spies along as he moved up the ranks. Pridmore even said that he felt that Spies would be a champion one day, but he’s now hoping that it won’t be this season that Spies picks to break through and wins his first AMA championship.

“Ben is going to be tough for sure, but the whole series has taken a big leap forward,” said Pridmore, son of three-time AMA Superbike champion Reg Pridmore. “This year we have top Superbike riders like Doug Chandler and Jamie Hacking coming into Formula Xtreme in addition to the strong field we’ve always had in the series. Fontana is great for me since it’s just an hour-and-a-half drive from home. So I’ll have a lot of friends and family there to support me.”

Three-time AMA Superbike Champion Doug Chandler comes to Formula Xtreme for the first time riding for No Limit Honda. Chandler’s presence in the championship immediately adds to the prestige of Formula Xtreme and the Salinas, Calif., native should be a serious contender for the title. Hacking will also add spice to an already tasty series lineup. He comes in as part of Yamaha’s stepped up commitment to Formula Xtreme and joins the always competitive Damon Buckmaster, who happens to be the winningest rider in Formula Xtreme over the last two years and winner of the season opener at Fontana last April.

Two-time AMA Superstock champ Jimmy Moore also joins Formula Xtreme this year riding for the Corona Suzuki squad to add to the list of top-name riders.

In other support racing action at Fontana, Tommy Hayden leads the Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Series after winning at Daytona on Kawasaki’s new ZX-6R (aka the 636). It marked the first time a machine with less than 750cc displacement won the Daytona Superstock race. Hayden hopes to make the Kawasaki the first non-750 to win the AMA Superstock title. He won the Fontana Superstock race last year.

Rich Oliver, of Auberry, Calif., leads the MBNA 250 Grand Prix Series coming into Fontana. Oliver, a 23-year AMA Pro Racing veteran and Team Oliver Yamaha owner, announced at Daytona that this will be his final season of pro racing and he hopes to go out with a fifth AMA 250 GP title. Oliver last won the series in 1997. He’s sure to face a serious challenge from defending champion Chuck Sorensen who rides for Stargel Aprilia.

The Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme race will be televised on Speed Channel at 10:20 p.m. and, 3:20 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, April 15, and again at 5 p.m. on the 22nd.

From a press release issued by Octagon Motorsports UK through the World Superbike Championship press office:

SILVERSTONE AND BRANDS HATCH SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS

With reference to the various rumours and speculations referring to the Silverstone and Brands Hatch homologation for the forthcoming Superbike World Championship rounds Octagon Motorsports UK would like to clarify the following:

· The Silverstone track is already homologated by the FIM for 2003.

· At Brands Hatch the FIM Circuit Inspector Claude Danis will make a visit to the track in April in order to check the modifications already completed at Dingle Dell corner and Stirling’s bend. He will also examine the works to be carried out at Paddock Hill bend in order to issue a new homologation license.

In this respect, Octagon UK management has no cause to have any concern that the regulatory process will not proceed as planned and the annual Superbike World Championship meeting take place as usual.

NOTES:

Octagon is the global marketing-led sports and event marketing company. It offers worldwide expertise across all eight major sports and event marketing disciplines: athlete representation, event management, consultancy, property representation, TV rights sales and distribution, TV production and archive, interactive and licensing and merchandising.

Octagon is part of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), the world’s largest advertising and marketing communications group. The Interpublic Group is the only marketing communications and services group with a global sports marketing capability. Octagon employs over 1500 people in 24 countries on all major continents. For further information please visit: www.octagon.com or www.octagonmotorsports.com

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning World Supersport Practice Times:

1. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.305
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:36.747
3. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.805
4. Broc Parkes, Honda CBR600RR, 1:36.822
5. Gianluca Nannelli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:36.823
6. Pere Riba, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:36.869
7. Jurgen Vd Goorbergh, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.084
8. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:37.144
9. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:37.201
10. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.240
11. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.308
12. Christophe Cogan, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.345
13. Iain MacPherson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.394
14. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.542
15. Simone Sanna, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.638
16. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600RR, 1:37.814
17. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:37.984
18. Robert Ulm, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.201
19. Thierry Vd Bosch, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.243
20. Shannon Johnson, Honda CBR600RR, 1:38.251
21. Kai Borre Andersen, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:38.994
22. Gianluigi Scalvini, Honda CBR600RR, 1:39.073
23. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:39.245
24. Stefano Cruciani, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:39.340
25. Didier Vankeymeulen, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:39.835

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM – PRESS INFORMATION
March 28 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM SET TO OPEN A NEW ERA IN MotoGP

The Ducati Marlboro Team opens a new chapter in Grand Prix history at Suzuka this weekend. The legendary Italian marque, which has dominated World Superbike for the past decade or so, now embarks on its first attempt at conquering GP racing’s premier championship.

The 2003 MotoGP season will be a period of development for the brand-new Desmosedici, even if the machine has already showed stunning speed in preseason testing and looks like being a real force when the racing starts on Sunday. Last month, Ducati Marlboro Team rider Loris Capirossi topped the official MotoGP prologue test session at Catalunya in Spain (time 1:44.634; all-time record at 328.2kmh/203.9mph), with team-mate and MotoGP newcomer Troy Bayliss also showing impressive speed (time 1:44.893, 322.8 kmh/200.6 mph).

But, as team personnel are keen to point out, testing is not racing, which is why the sense of anticipation around this year’s season-opening Grand Prix is arguably greater than any other. Everyone is waiting to see how the Desmosedici performs in anger for the first time, an extra gravity attached to the event because the race will unfold on Japanese tarmac.

While Ducati’s involvement has sparked new interest in MotoGP, there’s also unprecedented interest in Japan, with more top-grade riders contesting the championship than ever before. This year there are ten world champions fighting for MotoGP glory – current MotoGP king Valentino Rossi, former 500 champ Kenny Roberts Junior, World Superbike winners Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss, 250 champs Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Marco Melandri, Daijiro Kato and Olivier Jacque and World Supersport winner Andrew Pitt.

Sunday’s Japanese GP is the first of 16 that constitute the first all-four-stroke MotoGP World Championship. The fixtures continue with the South African GP on April 27 and then the Spanish GP, which starts the European season on May 11.

DOMENICALI’S EARLY SEASON PREDICTIONS
Months of anticipation end when the Ducati Marlboro Team lines up for its MotoGP debut this weekend at Suzuka, one of the fastest tracks on the GP calendar. The squad’s Desmosedici bike has already proved that it lacks nothing in the way of speed – at Catalunya last month, Capirossi and Bayliss headed the top-speed charts, the Italian establishing an all-time record at 328.2kmh/203.9mph, Bayliss not far behind at 322.8 kmh/200.6 mph.

The bike’s 220-plus horsepower output will be vital on Suzuka’s two long straights, but Ducati Corse managing director Claudio Domenicali isn’t making any great predictions for Sunday’s race, because he knows his crew is only just embarking on its long journey down the MotoGP road.

“All I can say is that we are reasonably happy and that our engineers have good reason to be very proud of what they’ve done so far,” says Domenicali. “We are only at the start of this project and we are already at a reasonable level of performance. We’ve done some good development work and we know that the bike has a very high potential, but we need more time to fully understand it and to extract its full potential. At the moment I’d say that the engine is only at 80 per cent of its capability.”

The Ducati Marlboro Team have been helped in their successful search for speed by fuel and lubricants partner Shell, who have worked closely with Ducati Corse since 1999. “The Desmosedici’s incredible speed at Catalunya was helped by Shell,” reveals Domenicali. “We used a new fuel called V-Power RD 0502, which had already showed promising results on the dyno, with an increase in peak power of almost one per cent.

“Every month we should be able to make the bike faster, but others are also getting faster. Our results will also depend upon how much room our rivals have for improvement, so it’s very difficult to predict results for the first few races.

“At the moment there’s no clear area in which the bike is lacking, it’s just a case of achieving a good overall balance, which will only come with time. The bike is still very young, we still need to achieve the best-possible balance and then learn how to achieve that balance at every track. We are on a steep learning curve, we still have a lot of small steps to take before we are really good!”

And yet the pre-season mood in the Ducati Marlboro Team is high expectation tinged with optimism. Most of all though, the mood is happy, as team director Livio Suppo points out: “It’s a happy team and that’s important to us. We have a tough season ahead, so we need to enjoy ourselves, we like to have a good feeling about the way we go racing.”


CAPIROSSI’S FIRST FOUR-STROKE RACE
Three-time World Champion Loris Capirossi hits the big ‘Three Oh’ at Suzuka on Friday – the day he officially commences his first-ever four-stroke GP season. The Italian’s 30th birthday provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on his career so far, as well as taking a peak into his future.

One of only a handful of riders to have won GPs in three classes – 125, 250 and 500s – Capirossi has been a major-league star since 1990 when he won the 125 world title at his first attempt, aged just 17. Over the past two seasons he has fought bravely on now uncompetitive 500cc machinery – in 2002 he was one of only two riders capable of running with the four-strokes on his ‘old’ 500 two-stroke. This year he is finally back where he deserves to be.

Some people wondered whether Capirossi would be able to adapt to the four-stroke Ducati Marlboro Desmosedici after a career spent exclusively on two-strokes, but he soon dispelled those doubts, breaking lap records within weeks of his first ride on the Italian V4.

“The four-stroke is great – much more comfortable than the two-stroke, so you can have a lot of fun spinning the rear tyre!” smiles Capirossi, who’s never ridden anything as powerful as the 220-plus horsepower Ducati. “The bike is already at a very good level, our lap times from winter testing tell us that, but we have a lot more work to do before we can properly claim to have the best bike. Anyway, it’s coming better step by step, and I’m really excited because I think we can fight for some good results from the very first race.”

Suzuka is a particularly special event for Capirossi for two reasons: firstly because it’s always a privilege to race an Italian bike in Japan, and secondly because he adores the high-speed circuit with its unique figure-of-eight layout. Capirossi started the 2001 Japanese GP from pole and was second quickest in qualifying last year, even though his 500 had 30 less horsepower than the fastest four-strokes.

“Suzuka is a lovely track, one of the best in the world,” he affirms. “And, of course, it’s a very important race for Ducati, like Ferrari in the Suzuka F1 car GP! I think it could be good for our bike because it’s not the kind of circuit where you get a lot of wheelspin. Everyone can see that we’ve got a lot of horsepower, so we are working to reduce wheelspin, and we’re making good progress with different solutions, both on engine and chassis set-up.

“I don’t have any big expectations for the first race. Much will depend on how the pre-race tests go. They will be especially important for us, because unlike the other factories, we haven’t been to Suzuka before. If we can fix the set-up during the tests, I think we can have a good race.”


TROY’S BIG NEW CHALLENGE
The Ducati Marlboro Team isn’t alone in opening a new chapter in racing history at Suzuka this weekend – rider Troy Bayliss is also embarking on a new adventure. After five years on Superbikes the easygoing Aussie is making the move to MotoGP, and he’s not underestimating the magnitude of the challenge.

Winner of the World Superbike crown in 2001 and a nail-bitingly close runner-up last year, Bayliss may have shown great promise during winter testing with the Desmosedici, but he’s got plenty to learn once the racing gets underway. Not only has he got to learn a whole new class of racing and get to know a grid-full of new rivals, but he’s also got to compete on 13 tracks where he’s never raced before, starting on Sunday.

“There’s no way I’m going to go to Suzuka and win,” says Bayliss with refreshing frankness and honesty. “Then we go to Welkom, which is another racetrack I haven’t seen, so I just want to get a couple of half-decent races under my belt, see what I can do, then hopefully my real season will start when we get back to Jerez, where I’ve tested a bit and where I feel pretty comfortable. The bike’s starting to come good, it’s just a matter of taking it step by step.”

Bayliss had never even see Suzuka before he rolled up for the all-team test session on March 30 (when he celebrates his 34th birthday), at least not in reality, but he had ridden a few laps on his PlayStation, racing against his seven-year-old son Mitchell. “Anything we do that’s not to do with racing he beats me!” smiles Bayliss. “I usually do a few laps on the PlayStation before I go somewhere new, it just shows you which way the track goes.”

Renowned for his awesome on-track aggression and radically spectacular riding style, Bayliss can’t wait for the racing to get under way for real. “I’m excited, after all, I’m a racer!” he adds. “I think a lot of riders feel the same way after a long winter of testing. But I know the first few races won’t be easy because it’s hard to find the limit at any track you don’t know. At tracks you do know it’s easier to find little things with the bike, so you can improve its performance. The Desmosedici is already not too bad, we’re pretty much where we expected to be at this stage. Early on, we know we’ll have some good days and some bad days, but we’re making progress and that’s what we want to do.”

Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix will be the second GP of Bayliss’ career – he made his GP debut with a one-off ride in the 1997 Australian 250 GP.


THE TRACK
Suzuka was constructed by Honda in 1962 as Japan’s first international-standard racetrack and still rates as one of the world’s best motorsport venues. The circuit staged its first World Championship rounds in ’63, ’64 and ’65 but those events only catered for the smaller-capacity classes and it wasn’t until 1987 that Suzuka hosted a premier-class GP.

Since then the fast, varied and supremely challenging track has gained a reputation for serving up some of the closest, most thrilling GP encounters. Suzuka is the longest circuit on the GP calendar and unique for its figure-of-eight layout which gives a good mix of left and right-handers, varying from fast sweepers to the dead-stop chicane and hairpin. It is also one of the few current GP tracks where MotoGP riders can give full rein to their 200-plus horsepower machines.

The track has undergone several safety improvements in recent years, including two major changes carried out for this weekend’s race. The daunting 130R corner at the end of the back straight has been modified, as has the chicane that precedes the start-finish straight.


DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM DATA LOGS

TROY BAYLISS
Age: 34 (date of birth March 30 1969)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici
First GP: Australia, 1997 (250)
World Superbike victories: 22
World Championships: 1 (Superbike: 2001)
Suzuka 2002 results: DNS

LORIS CAPIROSSI
Age: 30 (date of birth April 4 1973)
Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici
GP victories: 22 (2×500, 12×250, 8×125)
First GP victory: Britain, 1990 (125)
First GP: Japan, 1990 (125)
GP starts: 184 (14xMotoGP, 59×500, 84×250, 27×125)
Pole positions: 33 (5×500, 23×250, 5×125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125)
World Championships: 3 (125: 1990, 1991, 250: 1998)
Suzuka 2002 results. Grid: 2nd Race: 9th

From a press release issued by California Speedway:

Yamaha Superbike Challenge Pre-Race Party

The official kick off to the Yamaha Superbike Challenge weekend will take place on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 7-9 p.m. at the new Hooters in Ontario (725 N. Milliken Ave. 909-989-2209).

The SpeedFreaks, heard locally on Sunday nights on ESPN Radio 710 AM, will host the “Freakin’ Superbike Party,” which will feature AMA pro racing riders, ticket giveaways and promotional item giveaways.

Riders scheduled to appear include Rich Oliver, Doug Chandler, Jason Curtis, Jason Pridmore, Josh Hayes, Craig Connell, Ty Howard and Jimmy Moore. (Riders subject to change without prior notification).

The Yamaha Superbike Challenge is scheduled for April 4-6 at California Speedway.

Tickets for the 2003 Yamaha Superbike Challenge are available by calling 1-800-944-RACE (7223) or purchase your tickets online.

Single-day tickets for Saturday and Sunday are $30. Tickets for Friday are $10. Children 12 and under are free for this event in the general admission areas.

A great way for fans to purchase tickets is through participating Yamaha dealers. The dealers are offering $5 off a Saturday and/or Sunday ticket.

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

The 2003 season begins at Suzuka in Japan on April 6. For Proton Team KR it has come a little bit too early. With their all-new V5 four-stroke still undergoing tests back at base in Britain, MotoGP racing’s only truly independent manufacturer will race field last year’s 500cc KR3.

Riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki will be on the only two-strokes in the class. But the distinction need not be negative. Bad weather could play into their hands in terms of race results, since their lighter weight and lower power would become an advantage rather than a drawback.

More importantly, not only the riders but also the latest Bridgestone tyres will be gaining track time and getting polished up, ready for the arrival of the radical new four-stroke in the near future.

“We always knew there was a chance we would run the two-stroke at the first race, and at this stage I’m not going to put a date on when the four-stroke will be ready,” said team owner Kenny Roberts.

“We won’t run the four-stroke until we are confident it is ready. That doesn’t mean we’ve ruled it out for the second race,” the former triple champion and racing legend continued.

“The project always did have a crazy time scale,” “We’re just a little behind at this point. With the engine on the test bench, we found some details that are taking time to get settled. So while the engineering team carries on work in England, for this race we’ll be giving everyone a last chance to look at a racing two-stroke 500 – I guess we’re the last of the breed.”

The Japanese GP is the first of 16 rounds in the 2003 MotoGP World Championship. The next race is the South African GP on April 27, with the European season starting at Jerez in Spain on May 11.

Jeremy McWilliams: Underdog again
Obviously it’s disappointing to be on the old bike when we’re all looking forward to the new one. The four-strokes have so much speed in a straight line, and though we had some fun last year beating them through the corners, we were always the underdog. Same again for Suzuka. But look on the bright side: we’re out there racing again, and you never know what might happen on the day, if it’s rainy, or if the weather changes during the race.

Nobuatsu Aoki: Home track Runner
This is the first of two home GPs for me, and there will be a lot of friends and family and fans there. As always, I will try to give us all something to be happy about. For sure the race will be hard if it is dry. Last year, we had some results that surprised us, as well as other people, so I never say there is no chance. I’ll do my best, and see what happens.