From a press release:
KSW Cycle Insurance/KSW Racing has secured a coporate sponsorship deal with one of its associate companies, Foremost Insurance.
Foremost Insurance, a leader in recreational products insurance, looks forward to addressing the coverage needs of both the fans and competitors at upcoming AMA Superbike events.
Veteran rider Anthony Fania Jr. will return for his fourth season on the KSW Suzukis.
From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION
HODGSON (TEAM DUCATI FILA) SMASHES LAP RECORD AT VALENCIA
Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus (Team Ducati Fila) wrapped up proceedings on the final day of official SBK Winter testing with the quickest times at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit in Spain. Hodgson in particular was in superb form, smashing the lap record which belonged to Bostrom (Ducati L&M), and leaving the mark at 1:34.01. Team-mate Xaus was eight-tenths of a second slower around the 4.005 km circuit, while the new Ducati 999 is already proving to be competitive in race trim.
“That was really good today” declared Neil. “I managed to find an excellent set-up on the bike and Michelin is providing me with some great tyres. I feel at one with the 999, it’s the way I like it. I really needed this test to get back in action after two months away from the track. I thought it would take longer to get to this point but it didn’t and now I’m feeling really confident for the start of the season.”
“I waited until the end of the day to try and attack Neil’s time, but there was a lot of humidity on the track and I slid off at turn 4” commented Ruben. “I’m pleased with the way the bike is working, the rear tyre is excellent, but I didn’t have enough time to choose the front for the race. I’m pretty sure conditions will be exactly the same when we come here for the first round next weekend.”
OFFICIAL TIMES: 1. Hodgson (Ducati Fila) 1:34.01; 2. Xaus (Ducati Fila) 1:34.80; 3. Laconi (Ducati NCR) 1:35.59; 4. Walker (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.46; 5. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.66; 6. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1:35.87; 7. Chili (Ducati) 1:35.91; 8. Corser (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.14; 9. Borja (Ducati DFX) 1:36.23; 10. Haydon (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.64.
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
World Supersport Championship
Valencia Pre-season Test
21 to 23 February 2003
Honda Men Top Valencia Test Times
The only official 2003 pre-season World Supersport test sessions culminated at the Valencia Circuit on 23 February, with Ten Kate CBR600RR Honda rider Chris Vermeulen setting the fastest time on the final day.
Vermeulen, who is chasing his first World Supersport win, said “I think that fast lap must have been mostly down to the tyres. We have tested a lot of race tyres this weekend and the bike is working very well considering it is so new. The main thing is the race next weekend, not this test.”
His best lap of 1:37.331 was merely the quickest of many top times set by the 20-year-old rider during a weather-affected test, and came after the track had dried on the final afternoon.
Rain appeared at lunchtime on the second day, ruining the testing plans of many teams, and making the final dry session on Sunday afternoon exceptionally fraught, as riders went all out to improve their standings on the final time sheet.
In third position overall Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) set his personal best lap of 1:38.253 on Friday, with the next fastest Honda rider proving to be Robert Ulm (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) in overall fifth.
Muggeridge spend considerable amounts of time trying out different chassis set-ups on his in-line four machine. “It’s mostly chassis with me this weekend. This bike is much more responsive than the previous model so one little adjustment has a great deal of effect. The feedback is very good and you can get a nice feel for the tyres.”
For Ulm the weekend proved to be tough but rewarding one, with his sixth fastest lap time of 1:38.495 underlining his consistent performance on race rubber. “I am quite happy with that even if I did put in a qualifying tyre at the end. I am not alone in doing so! We worked a lot on the set-up of the bike and it paid off at the end.”
Christophe Cogan from the BKM Honda team took his CBR600RR to seventh out of 26 riders, his team-mate Broc Parkes running out ninth.
Gianluigi Scalvini (BKM Honda CBR600RR) and Iain Macpherson (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) secured 12th and 13th places respectively, with Werner Daemen (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) running out 18th overall.
In the Superbike division Neil Hodgson (Ducati) outpaced his team-mate Ruben Xaus (Ducati) to take the fastest lap of the weekend, 1:34.016.
The first race of the year takes place at Valencia on 2 March, for both Supersport and Superbike classes.
Supersport Test Order
1: Chris Vermeulen (Honda) 1:37.331
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki) 1:38.157
3. Karl Muggeridge (Honda) 1:38.254
4. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) 1:38.419
5. Alessio Corradi (Yamaha) 1:38.433
6. Robert Ulm (Honda) 1:38.495
7. Christophe Cogan (Honda) 1:38.564
8. Gianluca Nannelli (Yamaha) 1:38.603
9. Broc Parkes (Honda) 1:38.819
10. Christian Kellner (Yamaha) 1:38.917
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Belgarda:
Team Yamaha Belgarda Newsletter
Date: Sunday 23rd February 2003
Circuit: Ricardo Tormo, Comunitat Valenciana, 4.005 kms- Day 3
TOP FOUR FOR JURGEN!
Team Yamaha Belgarda rider Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh successfully completed the three-day official World Supersport Championship test with the fourth fastest overall time. Throughout the three days, Jurgen and the team had been working hard to overcome minor problems and finally their persistence was rewarded in the final session. His team mate Simone Sanna also had minor problems during the test and chose to work on solving the problems rather then try and set a quick time. Chris Vermeulen continued his domination of the three days, ending up with a lap of 1:37.331.
JURGEN VD GOORBERGH (70 laps overall, best lap 1:38.419)
Today was a difficult day, but we finally got it together and I was able to post a good lap time. We’ve worked hard over the three days and although we encountered some little problems, we plugged away and got a lot of work done. I think we found a good base set-up and I’m satisfied with what we managed to do. I was a bit disappointed that I only did 70 laps in total, but I’m happy with the results. We’ve still got work to do on the suspension, but it’s improving all the time. As for the tyres, I’m surprised at how good the standard Pirelli tyres are now. I like this track and it’s one where you can make a little mistake in one corner without it upsetting your whole lap. I think we can make a good result next week.
SIMONE SANNA (97 laps overall, best lap 1:39.212)
I wanted to do a 1:38, but in the end I decided not to take any risks. I only used standard tyres during these three days and not really soft ones because I wasn’t really chasing a lap time. I am sort of happy with how it’s all gone and I think we’ve got 70 percent or so of a good base set-up. I’m very happy with the way the Pirelli tyres have performed and although we had some little problems in the three days, generally we’ve made progress OK.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Sears Point Changes Met With Mixed Reviews
By Michael Hannas
Motorcycles took to the revised Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point Raceway) for the first time Saturday, February 22, during a 3J’s Motorcycle Day. The revised Turn one, Turn 8a-9a section, and Turn 11 were all utilized for the first time. Those in attendance had mixed reactions to the changes.
The new Turn One layout is similar to the old AMA Turn One, circa 1996, which utilized orange cones in the middle of the dragstrip as the apex of a 90-degree left. The pavement at the end of the front straight has been extended 50 feet with cones similiar to the old AMA cones delineating the apex. The new turn is even tighter and slower than the old AMA Turn One and according to Infineon Raceway Vice President of Facilities Jere Starks, was designed to point the rider towards the middle of the straightaway underneath the Turn One bridge, away from the hillside.
The new Turn 8a-9a section, which was quickly being referred to as “The Bus Stop,” carries riders straight over the Turn 8a hillside parallel to the terraced grandstands, instead of bending to the right and into Turn Nine.
This means the rider does not have to let off the gas for Turn 8a as in the past, making for some nice wheelies in front of the grandstands for the fans. At the end of the short straight is a tight, second-gear, 90-degree right followed directly by an even tighter left that connects back onto the old track in between old Turn Nine and Turn 10. Now, the rider is accelerating through Turn 10, instead of letting off into the corner. The rider now accelerates through Turn 10 all the way until hitting the brakes for the new Turn 11, which turns directly behind the drag race tower, 40 feet closer than before.
The new Turn 11 is tighter than before and points the rider directly down the front straightaway, instead of towards the wall as in the past. Being 40 feet shorter than before, it causes the rider to brake almost as he or she is still leaned over to the right for Turn 10, at around the same point as in the past since the speed in Turn 10 is slower now.
Comments from the various local suspects who showed up were mixed. Most concerns centered around the new 8a-9a section, which creates a situation where a rider who either crashes or loses the brakes into the Turn 9 right-hander could cross into the path of a rider exiting the left-handed Turn 9a. Some felt this could create a bigger problem then the old Turn Nine or Turn 10 did. The old sections were fast and lined with walls, but didn’t cause very many accidents. The new chicane, it appears, could create more situations, albeit at a much slower speed. The transition from the old track onto the new section at Turn 8a is also bumpy, causing headshake and a wheelie.
Factory Kawasaki Supersport rider Tony Meiring said, “It needs a lot of work. I think it’s more dangerous for sure. If you crash going into that Bus Stop, if you tuck the front, your bike will slide into the guys on the other side. Turn One is fun but it is pretty tight. The first lap will be pretty hairy. The new Turn 11 is really tight, too. I don’t know, I liked the old track.”
2002 AMA Superbike Top Privateer Brian Parriott, out testing his new BMW Boxer Cup Replika on the new track in preparation for Daytona, also yearned for the good ol’ days. “I think it’s a bit safer, but not as fun. It’s gonna be a hard place to pass (the Bus Stop), there’s only one line through that chicane. The Turn 8a transistion is so bumpy even my Beemer wheelies. As for Turn 11, they should put it where it was before, last year. Or even split the difference between that and the old, old one. The way it is, it is hard to pass. Turn One, I think they should go back to wide-open, there’s plenty of space now. All these crybabies, ‘Waa, waaa, the hillside, the walls.’ They should put it back how it was, back in ’94. There used to be a fence you could hang your bike on in Turn Five.”
2002 AFM Overall #1 and Open Superbike Champion Dave Stanton seemed to like the changes more than others. “I like it. I think they’re moving in the right direction. It’s safer, and funner, more of a rider’s track. I think they’re working hard trying to improve the safety. Before I never really thought about safety. Now everyone is starting from scratch. It’s gonna be good, but bad for me- I’ll be giving up my local advantage. It’s gonna be great!”
2002 AFM #2 Ken Hill was concerned about the safety aspects of the new layout. “I think it’s fun and more of a rider’s challenge, but from a safety aspect there are still areas of concern. It tightens things up a lot. I think someone crashing into Turn Nine could take someone else out.”
The fastest AFM regulars were turning lap times in the 1:44 range by the end of the day. For comparison, Stanton turned 1:35s during the 2002 AMA Formula Extreme race en route to a top-10 finish. With the tighter layout, 600cc Supersport machines seemed to be able to lap at times very close to 1000cc Superbike-spec machines.
AFM officials on the scene displayed concern about the safety aspects of the new Turn 8a-9a section. The potential for bikes crashing and hitting other bikes was the concern, with the general feeling being that the old Turn Nine section didn’t present such a problem in the past. Officials later announced that the AFM would use the new Turn One, but use the old Turn Nine and Turn 11.
Infineon’s Starks noted the concern of the riders about the new section. According to Starks, the track is has plans to remedy the problem before the AMA Superbike Doubleheader, most likely in the form of a gravel trap that would attempt to stop crashed bikes before they could re-enter the track.
From a press issued by Yamaha:
POSITIVE CHECA AND MELANDRI THIRD AND FIFTH FASTEST IN JEREZ
Fortuna Yamaha Team duo Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri recorded the third and fifth fastest times at today’s final day of the three day MotoGP IRTA tests in Jerez, Spain. All fifteen of the MotoGP riders rode in long awaited sunny but slightly windy conditions, having lost a day to wet weather yesterday. Despite three tests since December at the Spanish circuit, this was just the third day that the Fortuna Yamaha Team were able to test in sunshine.
Checa continued testing his fuel injected Yamaha YZR-M1, setting his best lap time of the three days with 1:42.861. The Spanish rider concentrated on testing endurance tyres for Michelin in the latter part of the day and was satisfied with the progress made, “The lap time was not the most important thing for us today, as I was testing endurance tyres for Michelin for 16 laps. I still can’t find the feeling I want and need with the bike to win a race. I am having some problems with rear grip and overall balance. I would like to be able to control the rear tyre with the throttle, and at the moment I can’t do that. It’s quite hard to be optimistic now about this track, however we will keep working and I have confidence that we can improve in the areas we need to.”
Marco Melandri completed 68 laps with a best time of 1:43.2, bettering his time of 1:43.8 from Friday’s session.
“I have had a really good test,” commented the 250cc World Champion. “I am very happy with this weekend but I made a bit of a mistake right at the end. Until the last hour of the test we had used the same set-up of the fuel injection bike but towards the end of the session I wanted to try a change to the front geometry. I then felt too much weight at the front on turn 11 and took a tumble. It was also very windy at that moment inside the corner and so was easy for me to slide off. Generally I am extremely happy – with my time and with my feeling on the bike. I wasn’t focusing on the time but managed to improve on Friday’s time, and I felt better here than at all my previous tests with the M1. I even changed my riding line slightly today. Now we are going to Estoril where I think it will be quite difficult as there are many slow corners there, which were maybe easier on a 250cc bike than on a four-stroke.”
Melandri’s crew chief Fiorenzo Fanali was delighted with his new rider’s progress, “We have helped Michelin a lot today with tyre testing and were very happy to do so, then we decided to try something a bit different with the geometry in the last hour of the test. Unfortunately after we added more weight to the front Marco took a tumble so we will now go back to the old set-up for Estoril. I am quite happy with Marco’s performance in the last few days. He is sensitive to all the changes we make to the bike, and is good at communicating those feelings to us.”
Team Director Davide Brivio summed up the test positively, “Both riders have set good times, despite Marco’s small crash. Carlos has tried many different settings, we have faced some problems with the fuel injection system but at this stage of development it is quite normal. At the end of the session he was able to go consistently and at a good pace. We have a good base for him but there is room to improve more. Marco has now tested the fuel injection bike for the first time, and the new chassis. The next test will be useful for him to get more used to this bike. He was close in his times to all the top riders, so we are very pleased with the performance of both our riders today.”
The Fortuna Yamaha Team now travel to Portugal to take part in the next MotoGP IRTA group tests at the Estoril circuit on the 26th and 27th February.
LAP TIMES
1. Alex Barros, Gauloises Yamaha Team 1:42.640
2. Colin Edwards, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:42.818
3. Carlos Checa, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:42.861
4. Troy Bayliss, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:42.890
5. Marco Melandri, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:43.236
6. Shinya Nakano, D’Antin Yamaha 1:43.302
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:43.541
8. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:43.910
9. Noriyuki Haga, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:44.218
10. John Hopkins, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:44.740
More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha D’Antin:
YAMAHA D’ANTIN TESTS
JEREZ
February 23, 2003
GOOD WORK FOR TEAM YAMAHA D’ANTIN IN JEREZ
Today had concluded first IRTA tests, organized by the MotoGP teams association in Jerez circuit. Fortunately today, the last day, riders could ride their bikes with the sun shining, but the windy conditions has been the main problem in the way to get good lap times. Team Yamaha d’Antín leaves the Spanish track satisfied with the work done during the three days. They have improved the settings of the new Yamaha YZR-M1, the bike they will use in the opening GP next April 6 in Suzuka, Japan. The set-up of the electronic fuel injection system and chassis adjustments have been the main focus of the team during the three days.
Yamaha d’Antín Team Director, the former rider Luis d’Antín, was happy with the work done as he commented after the tests, “Overall, everything has gone quite well, the tests have been positive because it was the first time we had 2003 bike. Basically we have focused in set-up the injection and chassis, and also we have been testing many tyres from Michelin. We also have been getting used to the rider and vice versa. Our target is get the 100 percent for the opening race in Japan.”
During the three days of testing Shinya Nakano has completed almost 200 laps in Jerez circuit and he is happy with the progress. “The focus of these tests was the bike of 2003. Get the right chassis and injection set up was the hardest work, but yesterday we found a good set-up. Today I’ve been riding comfortable, but I still at 80 percent of my possibilities. We have to find the other 20%.”
Team Technical Director, Naoya Kaneko thinks the same as his rider. “We have test a lot of things and we have changed the settings many times, and now we know what we have to improve. Shinya has bettered his times in Jerez, but we still need a little bit to be prepared.”
The team Yamaha d’Antín now goes to Estoril circuit in Potugal to take part in IRTA tests session on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
NEW SUZUKI MEETS THE RIVALS AT JEREZ
Team Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins concluded three incident-free days of testing at the Spanish GP circuit of Jerez today – with the all-new 2003 GSV-R Suzuki racer making further progress in the fast-forward development programme before the start of the season on April 6.
It was only the third test for the radically changed V4 990cc racer, marking the halfway point of the six-test schedule that started in January, when the factory surprised the team with the all-new machine. Engine and chassis have both been significantly changed compared with last year’s first GSV-R, as the design evolves towards the goal of winning races again for the factory that claimed the premier-class World Championship in 2000.
2000 World Champion Kenny Roberts set his best time today, the third day of open-to-all testing, improving on his best race lap time set here last year, in spite of unfavourably cool and windy conditions. Hopkins set his best time on the first day of testing, which was cloudy and overcast. The second day was spoiled by rain. Today was sunny but still cool, with a strong wind giving riders problems and causing several crashes.
Roberts completed 68 laps today, to bring his overall total to 131 over the three days. The Californian son of a legend’s best lap time of 1:43.918, was less than a second off the circuit lap record. He was placed eighth-fastest.
Hopkins ran 65 laps today, and a total of 173, with a best time of 1:44.652. The rider from California (but of English parentage) is new to the Suzuki team and to the new-generation 990cc four-strokes. His debut season last year was on a 500cc two-stroke.
All the rival teams except Honda attended the tests. Suzuki move on now to private tests in Valencia before rejoining the final IRTA test at Catalunya in mid-March.
KENNY ROBERTS – 1:43.918
We’ve worked hard here, when the weather allowed it. I can’t say I’m happy with the lap time. We need to get the base settings right before we can start to use the bike to its full, and we need the factory to help us. We have more tests and more parts coming. The bike has the potential. We need to unlock it, and we’re all determined to do that.
JOHN HOPKINS – 1:44.652
We made some steps here, but we still have many things to sort out. We need to make bigger steps in the upcoming tests in order to be where we want to be for the first race. The bike is still so new, and there are still so many things to get set right. We’re concentrating on one thing at a time, and that one thing leads to another. Here my main difficulty has been that the bike doesn’t turn well. I’m losing time into the turns and in the middle of the corner. We need a good ground plan for the upcoming tests, but my crew chief Stuart Shenton, away sick, will be back, and that should help us. Though I have to say my guys worked 110 percent here. It’s a great team.
GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
This was only the bike’s third time out, and the first time with the rival machines. We learned a lot. Obviously there’s a lot of potential that we still need to find, and after the excitement of getting the new bike in January it’s a little disappointing. But we tested almost everything here that we needed to test. Now the factory will take the data and look for improvements in the areas we need. It’s never easy to take something so brand new and get the best out of it. It takes time, and we still have some more time. The factory has already proved how committed they are; the team feels the same. We’ll keep on working. This is gritty stuff for the riders. Doing development work at this sort of IRTA test where the others have their machines better sorted can be testing for a rider’s mental stamina.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
PRESS INFORMATION
BAYLISS ON RACE PACE, CAPIROSSI FALLS IN WINDY CONDITIONS
IRTA tests, Jerez, Spain
Sunday, February 23, 2003
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi battled strong, gusting winds at Jerez today as they completed their first group test session on the Desmosedici V4. Despite less than perfect weather throughout the three days – low track temperatures on Friday and rain yesterday – both men believe they have made important progress.
Bayliss was particularly happy at the end of the day, having completed an impressive race simulation with Michelin’s latest 2003 tyres. Capirossi however had a more torrid time, falling twice in the afternoon, the first when he was caught out by a gust of wind.
“We dedicated today to testing Michelin’s new tyres, doing almost no other work on set-up”, said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “Troy did a long run at a good pace but we weren’t so lucky with Loris. He lost the front twice. Both guys found the latest rear tyres very promising, and Troy also found a better front tyre.”
Bayliss, whose average pace during the race simulation was an impressive 1:43.5, was delighted with progress and keen to continue testing at Estoril next week. “The whole test has gone pretty good, we’ve kept moving forward,” said the former World Superbike Champion. “This is my third time at this track, so I expected some good times. We’ve made good progress and we’ve got some more ideas for the next test, and that’s what it’s all about. The track could’ve been better today, but I’m quite happy with the long run we did at the end of the afternoon. We’ve run Michelin’s new tyres and they feel good, the engine feels good too and we only did a little bit of playing around with the suspension today.”
Capirossi was happy enough with progress, despite two minor falls, the wind also claiming other victims during the day. “After two crashes I decided to concentrate on testing tyres and settings, because conditions weren’t right for trying to go really fast,” said the Italian, who nevertheless proved that he had lost none of his confidence by setting his fastest lap of the day on his penultimate lap. “Despite the crashes, everything has gone well from a set-up point of view, but unfortunately there was too much wind for me to give a good lap-time performance.”
Bayliss and Capirossi continue the Desmosedici test programme at Estoril, Portugal, next week, and then take Ducati’s MotoGP project to the next level at Catalunya, Spain, in mid-March, when they will ride their definitive 2003 bikes for the first time. The 16-round MotoGP World Championship commences at Suzuka, Japan, on April 6.
From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:
23 February 2003
2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Season Preview
NEW BIKE, NEW SEASON – MLADIN CHASES FOURTH AMERICAN SUPERBIKE CROWN
The off-season break has been a very good one for three times American AMA Superbike champion, Australian Mat Mladin as he prepares for the famous Daytona 200, the opening round of this year’s AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship on March 9.
The most significant change is that Mladin will compete in this year’s 18-round championship aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 rather than the GSX-R750 that took him to three AMA Superbike crowns and two Daytona 200s.
The move to the full 1000cc capacity has been met with a huge amount of enthusiasm by Mladin and Team Yoshimura Suzuki for whom he will be competing for a seventh year.
“We are definitely going in the right direction with the new Suzuki GSX-R1000,” said Mladin. “I think we’ve got a motorcycle that can be very competitive this year. The way the rules have been, we had a motorcycle that we were always playing catch up with and if you didn’t get it set up 100 percent on the day, it made it very hard. I think we have a chance to be very strong and we should do well this year.”
Since the announcement by the AMA late last year regarding the rule changes to the class, Mladin’s team has been busy preparing brand new machines from the ground up and undertaking a testing program that included time at Daytona, California Speedway in Fontana, Laguna Seca and a four-day test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
“We’ve done a fair bit of testing since Christmas, with a couple of days at Fontana, followed by four in Malaysia and then at Laguna Seca last week. It’s not a huge amount by any means in the way of days tested, I think we would need double the amount that we have done, but what we did do was very productive,” added Mladin. “It rained at the Daytona test before Christmas and then it rained again last week at Laguna, so who knows where we would have been if we didn’t go to Malaysia. The four days that we had there proved to be very good for us.”
Mladin has recorded a number of very fast lap times aboard the GSX-R1000 at each of the circuits that he has tested this year, providing his opponents in this year’s championship with the knowledge that he has been fast and is eager to win a fourth AMA Superbike title.
“Any time you can have as much, if not more horsepower than people that have had more than you in the past, is certainly encouraging. Besides the horsepower, the bike works well. It feels very good to me, I’m very comfortable on the bike and I’m riding a lot more relaxed than I have over the past couple of years. I had to change the way I rode the bike in the past two years to a point where I wasn’t comfortable anymore. Mistakes started to creep into my riding, just because I wasn’t sitting on the bike the way I wanted to, but it was the only way we could get the bike to turn. I really did love the GSX-R750 that I won the championship on in 1999 and 2000 and the new GSX-R1000 feels a lot like that.”
This week, Mladin and his team will complete their final preparations before leaving their base in California and head across to Florida for the opening round of the championship, which kicks off with Bike Week at Daytona.
Mat Mladin:
1992 Australian Superbike Champion
1999, 2000, 2001 American AMA Superbike Champion
2000, 2001 Daytona 200 Champion
2000 American AMA Pro Athlete of the Year
From press releases issued by Ducati Corse:
SECOND DAY OF SBK WINTER TESTING AT VALENCIA
INTERRUPTED BY BAD WEATHER
Ruben Xaus (Team Ducati Fila) headed the timesheets today on the second day of official SBK pre-season testing at Valencia. In the afternoon the two Ducati Fila riders, Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus did not go out onto the track after rain started to fall and two of the scheduled four sessions were not completed.
Spain’s Xaus completed a total of 55 laps on the Ducati 999, the Italian manufacturer’s new Superbike model, recording a time of 1:34.75, one-tenth of a second slower than the circuit record set by Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) and six tenths of a second quicker than his time recorded one month ago at the same track. Ruben tested new rear tyres made available by Michelin, and constantly lapped at this pace during his mini race simulation in the morning.
“Everything is going really well” declared Ruben at the end of the day. “We tried some new race tyres, even though we couldn’t complete the entire programme due to the rain. The team is working well, and I’m getting a better felling with the 999 all the time. I made a good step forward with the bike here at Valencia because my time of 1:34.75 is the best I’ve ever recorded around here.”
Neil Hodgson focussed mainly on bike settings, trying to eliminate weight transfer imbalance in braking and acceleration and the British rider completed 38 laps today, setting a best time of 1:35.04.
“I got caught out with the weather because I wanted to save my best time for the end of the day, but it’s the same for everyone” commented Neil. “Today we made some progress with the 999 after going back to the settings I used in December. The handling now feels much better and I have a lot more confidence so I’m sure I can improve again tomorrow.”
Tomorrow will see the third and final day of official SBK testing at Valencia.
OFFICIAL TIMES: 1. Xaus (Ducati Fila) 1:34.75; 2. Hodgson (Ducati Fila) 1:35.04; 3. Laconi (Ducati NCR) 1:35.68; 4. Chili (Ducati) 1:36.06; 5. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:36.06; 6. Walker (HM Plant Ducati) 1:36.12; 7. Corser (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.40; 8. Lavilla (Suzuki) 1:36.47; 9. Borja (Ducati DFX) 1:36.51; 10. Garcia (Ducati NCR) 1:36.87.
BAYLISS & CAPIROSSI PRAY FOR SUN AT RAINY JEREZ
IRTA tests, Jerez, Spain
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi continued to make excellent progress during the year’s first IRTA tests at Jerez today, despite heavy rain showers that forced them to spend much of the morning in the pits. Both men are hoping to make up for lost time during tomorrow’s final day, when the weather is expected to be better.
As yesterday, the Australian and the Italian focused on fine tuning chassis settings, even though the circuit was in poor condition throughout, the rain having washed dust and dirt onto the track.
“The work we’re doing here is very important,” said Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali. “We have a very precise schedule of work to do before the first race in April, with a lot to do in a short time. At the moment we have no real references at most of the GP circuits, so we have to work very efficiently, and losing half a day of a three-day test here could be critical. But we believe in the project and we believe in the enthusiasm and professionalism of the whole team. I’m particularly grateful to Troy and Loris today, because in spite of the conditions they both continued working to give us the maximum amount of information about the bike.”
Former World Superbike champ Bayliss, who has never raced at Jerez, managed to ride 47 laps today, usefully expanding his knowledge of the Spanish circuit. “I could’ve sat around and done nothing, but even though the track wasn’t in a great state, you never know what kind of conditions you’re going to have to race in,” he smiled. “Even at the end of the day a couple of the corners were still a bit sketchy, with a couple of guys going down, so I just hope we have a good day tomorrow. We’ve been mostly playing with chassis setting, plus I tried a few different front Michelins. I found a couple of things I liked today, so I’m feeling keen for tomorrow. I want a bit of sun, so I can do a lot of laps.”
Capirossi, who has been racing here since 1990, rode 24 laps today, preferring not to take risks in the tricky conditions. But he also ended the day in good spirits. “The track was very dirty after the rain, which compromised our work today, but we still managed to get a lot done,” he said. “We tried some new chassis solutions and different configurations, so we’ve kept moving ahead. But tomorrow we need sun!”
Tomorrow both riders plan to do their first serious tyre testing with Michelin’s range of 2003 tyres, weather permitting.
Lap times
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:45.640
Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:48.091
More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR:
LACONI ON THE TOP AND GARCIA GROWS UP
(Valencia 2003, February 22)
A soft rain stopped today test on Valencia circuit. But the two practice sessions on the dry track showed a great Regis Laconi. The French rider of 998RS Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks recorsed the third fastest overall, leaded only by the two Fila Ducati factory bikes.
“Today too we worked first to find the best set up,” – declared at the end of the test day Regis Laconi – “Handling and gearbox have been our aim today, and we rode immediately one second faster as yesterday laptime; then we set at the best the hand lever for rear brake that I asked to Stefano as I like it works, well, a classic test day, but the third fastest we score shows that we are in the right direction. It has a pity that the rain forced us to stop working, we must set at the best the gearbox ratio, but I’m really satisfied about the work we have done.”
David Garcia, always very quiet in the pit, goes on to upgrade recording the tenth fastest of today practice.
“The rain ruined everything,” – said a disappointed Garcia – “I need to stay on the bike and ride kilometers on the 998RS, and unfortunately in the afternoon we couldn’t practice at all. In the morning sessions I feel very well, the gearbox was running well and I’m confident that, if the practices could go on, I could be faster. I found a good feeling with the team and now I am confident in a good racing debut next week-end.”
Unfortunately also for tomorrow, Sunday February 23, closing test day, the weather forecast doesn’t show anything good.
Two days test – Overall results:
1.XAUS Ruben (Ducati) 1:34.755; 2.HODGSON Neil (Ducati) 1:35.044; 3.LACONI Regis (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:35.685; 4.WALKER Chris (Ducati) 1:35.842; 5.TOSELAND James (Ducati) 1:35.932 ; 6.MARTIN Steve (Ducati) 1:36.061; 7.CHILI Pierfrancesco (Ducati) 1:36.061; 8.CORSER Troy (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.408; 9.LAVILLA Gregorio (Suzuki) 1:36.477; 10.BORJA Juan Batista (Ducati) 1:36.516; 11.GARCIA David (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:36.877
From a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:
MotoGP pre-season IRTA Tests
Saturday 22 February 2003 (day 2 of 3)
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
CHECA AND MELANDRI HINDERED BY RAIN IN SPAIN
Poor weather conditions affected the second day of the Jerez IRTA tests in Spain today, soaking the track in the morning so much that it didn’t fully dry by the end of the day. Thirteen of the fifteen MotoGP riders present ventured out. Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Marco Melandri completed a total of just thirteen laps in the wet conditions while team-mate Carlos Checa chose to wait until the weather improves to ride his latest evolution of the Yamaha YZR-M1.
Team Director Davide Brivio commented: “We are not too worried to have lost one day as we still have some time to prepare for the first race. Carlos didn’t go out because the track still wasn’t totally dry. He has already tested in wet conditions so it’s better that he doesn’t take any risks this close to the start of the Championship. There isn’t much point him testing now unless he can push the bike to its maximum limit. Marco did some laps to get used to the wet because he still needs to practice this on the M1.”
Spaniard Checa recorded the second fastest time of 1:43.2 in yesterday’s action, and Italian Melandri recorded the fifth fastest time of 1:43.8. Better weather conditions are forecast for tomorrow’s action.
LAP TIMES (WET CONDITIONS)
1. Shinya Nakano, D’Antin Yamaha 1:45.214
2. Troy Bayliss, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:45.640
3. Colin Edwards, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:47.982
4. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team, 1:48.091
5. Garry McCoy, Fuchs Kawasaki Racing 1:48.263
6. Noriyuki Haga, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:48.314
7. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:48.488
8. John Hopkins, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:48.709
9. Alex Hoffman, Fuchs Kawasaki Racing 1:48.875
10. Andrew Pitt, Fuchs Kawasaki Racing 1:49.851
Marco Melandri, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:56.7 (13 laps)
More, from a press release issued by D’Antin Yamaha:
YAMAHA D’ANTIN TESTS, JEREZ
February 22, 2003
NAKANO FASTEST RIDER OF THE SECOND DAY
Most of the winter tests celebrated in Jerez circuit had the same protagonist, the rain. In this second day of IRTA test, and confirming the forecast rain has appeared in the morning and no team had been able to test how they would like. In the afternoon the track was getting dry and the riders could take more track time.
Yamaha d’Antín team rider, Shinya Nakano has completed fifteen laps in the morning session, but with wet tarmac he didn’t managed to ride comfortable. Some riders as Brazilian Alex Barros (Yamaha) –the fastest yesterday- decided not to go out this afternoon. And in the last two hours, Nakano put on his leathers, taking advance of drying tarmac. In just five laps he has bettered his morning lap times in almost six seconds and has finished the session with a best lap of 1:45.214. The best lap time of the day.
“The conditions today weren’t so good. In the morning was raining heavily, later it stopped and when the track was drying, more rain. In the afternoon was better, but the track surface wasn’t completely dry and some parts were wet,” said the Japanese, who will start this year his third season in the premier class. “I’m happy because we have found good setting for the rear end that improve grip and turning. It has been a strange day, and although I’ve get the fastest lap time we have to consider that this afternoon too much rider didn’t go out. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Forecast for Sunday are not so optimistic and everything says that the weather will be similar as today.
From a press release:
22/02/03
Rain Stops Play
A light fall of rain during the second afternoon of official pre-season World Superbike and Supersport practice sessions brought an early end to the day’s meaningful action. With a wet track surface persisting in the cold ambient weather conditions most teams elected to sit out the final few hours in the pit garage, rather than risk disaster on a slick, but not quite fully wet, 4.005km track.
The first two session of the day were enough to allow Ruben Xaus (Fila Ducati 999) to take the fastest time of the test so far, thanks to his 1:34.755 – making him the only rider inside the 1:35 mark so far. Warmer track conditions would have allowed Xaus and the other top runners to mount greater attempts to beat the circuit best of Ben Bostrom, a time of 1:34.649.
Neil Hodgson also pushed his time towards that of Bostrom, despite spending a large number of laps chasing a better base set-up in vain. His best of 1:35.044 came shortly before the rains invaded the east coast of Spain, engulfing the Valencia circuit.
Superbike race winner Regis Laconi, drafted into the NCR Nortel Ducati team this season, pulled out all the stops to go third fastest over the two-day test, with a 1:35.685 lap.
Chris Walker’s 2002 specification factory Ducati was not able to deliver the Englishman a better time than his opening day best of 1:35.842, despite setting a high overall lap count.
His HM Plant team-mate James Toseland was held back somewhat by his still-healing right hand injury, and he could not improve on his Friday time, leaving him fifth fastest overall.
Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) was one of the few riders to venture out in the wet conditions, to evaluate his Pirelli tyres on a slick Valencia circuit, while PSG-1 Ducati rider Pierfrancesco Chili went almost one second faster today than yesterday, securing an overall seventh fastest time over two days.
Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas Racing) took 0.6 seconds off his best time at Valencia, moving to eighth fastest overall.
Gregorio Lavilla was once more the top four-cylinder 1000cc runner, despite suffering a huge highside crash. Another local rider, Juan Borja, took his DFX Ducati twin to the top ten, one place ahead of Almeria rider David Garcia (NCR Ducati) and two ahead of British rider James Haydon (Foggy Petronas Racing).
The two top Supersport times from the opening day proved to be the best after the second day’s sessions as well, leaving Ten Kate Honda riders Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge clear at the top of the timesheets.
Another factory Honda rider, Christophe Cogan (BKM Racing Team) scored an excellent lap time of 1:38.564, a huge improvement over his first day performance. The majority of the Supersport riders scored faster times on the second day than on the first, with Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki) fourth quickest, Gianluca Nannelli (Lorenzi by Leoni Yamaha) fifth and Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Spadaro) sixth.
The top Kawasaki rider once more proved to be Pere Riba, in 11th place. Despite a suspected broken rib World Supermoto Champion Thierry van den Bosch continued to ride his Yamaha Motor France machine on day two, securing a time of 1:1:39.185, good enough for a top ten ranking.
The tests reach their conclusion tomorrow, with the first race of the season scheduled for Sunday 2 March, also at Valencia.
From a press release issued by Road Atlanta:
ROAD ATLANTA MAKES COURSE CHANGES FOR MOTORCYCLE RACERS IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY
BRASELTON, GA (Feb. 21, 2003) — Road Atlanta has taken proactive steps to increase rider safety during its professional and amateur motorcycle races by re-designing the Turn 3-4 complex of its 2.54-mile Grand Prix course.
Photo by David Allio/Road Atlanta.
Motorcycle racers will use the new 550-foot section of the course. Sports cars will continue to use the original course. Official length of the new motorcycle course has yet to be determined. The new course will be used during the AMA Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Dark Dog May 15-18, the WERA Regionals July 5-6 and the WERA Grand National Finals Oct. 29-Nov. 2. The new course will also be used for the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School.
“Responding to concerns of riders and AMA Pro Racing, Road Atlanta has taken these proactive steps to increase safety and provide the riders a more exciting venue,” says Mike Swaine, President and General Manager of Road Atlanta. “We have worked closely with AMA Pro Racing in order to build a new portion of the track that addresses the safety concerns.”
Instead of taking the fast, wide sweeping turns through Turns 3-4, motorcycle racers will now make a quick left-hand turn just past the apex of Turn 2, then continue with a right and left-hand turn combination going down the hill before blending back into the original track in Turn 4. The new portion of the track, paved in the wide grassy area between the original track and the retaining wall well away from the racing surface on the left, is 36 feet wide and substantially increases the runoff room on riders’ right.
“The changes have taken the wall at Turn 4 out of the picture and make for safer racing,” says Kevin Schwantz, the 1993 500cc World Champion and member of the AMA Pro Racing Board who also runs the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School at Road Atlanta. “I feel that Road Atlanta is one of the really great road courses on the (AMA Superbike) schedule and to make changes for safety reasons is a good idea. Turns 3-4 have been a point of concern over the past couple of seasons.
“I think the changes that are being made will add another passing area, and make racing safer. It will be a more technical section. You’ll get on the brakes going into the new Turn 3A, and you’ll accelerate going down the hill. You’ll be able to pass under braking coming out of 3A. It’s not just a silly chicane everybody has to just follow through the bike in front. If you’ve got a good bike, it will make you win by more. If you’ve got a bad bike, it will make you struggle more to keep up.”
For more information visit www.roadatlanta.com.
From a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
RADICAL NEW SUZUKI MAKES PUBLIC DEBUT AT JEREZ
Team Suzuki Press Office. February 21st 2003
The radical new Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP prototype made its first public appearance at the Spanish GP circuit of Jerez today, meeting the opposition for the first time at the open-to-all IRTA test sessions.
The all-new bike, still in the early stages of development and at only its third test, proved close to the overall pace, but with some ground to make up before the start of the season on April 4.
But the mood of team and riders remained positive, with two more days at Jerez, plus two more European tests to go before the return to Japan, and yet more testing before the first race.
“It’s an interesting weekend,” said team manager Garry Taylor. “Some of our major opposition is here, though not all of it, and it’s a chance to assess the potential of the new bike.
“There is still a lot of work to do, and a lot more testing to come. We’re in this for the long haul,” he concluded.
The new GSV-R, code-named XRE1, uses last year’s first ever MotoGP four-stroke prototype as a basis, but with sweeping changes from front to rear. The new machine retains the DOHC 990cc V4 format, but with major revisions to the fuel-injected unit, including a wider 65-degree Vee angle (from 60 degrees). The chassis is also considerably changed, clothed in minimalist carbon-fibre bodywork with a sophisticated aerodynamic profile to the nose.
These are part of a redesigned package offering the potential for major improvement, warmly greeted by both riders – former World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. and Suzuki new boy John Hopkins – when they saw the new bike for the first time in Malaysia in January.
KENNY ROBERTS: LOOKING FOR THE BASE
We’re still looking for a good base setting at this time, then we can move the bike forward from there. At the moment, it’s a bit like when you’re lost, and you feel really hopeless … then suddenly you see a signpost, and suddenly everything’s okay again. We’re looking for that signpost now, but I’m sure we’ll find it.
JOHN HOPKINS: LEARNING TO CRAWL
There’s a long way to go, but also a long way before the start of the season. Today I did find a good set-up, and that gives us a basis to improve, so we can work round the fine-tuning from there. At the moment we’re learning to crawl, before we can walk.
From a press release:
KSW Cycle Insurance/KSW Racing has secured a coporate sponsorship deal with one of its associate companies, Foremost Insurance.
Foremost Insurance, a leader in recreational products insurance, looks forward to addressing the coverage needs of both the fans and competitors at upcoming AMA Superbike events.
Veteran rider Anthony Fania Jr. will return for his fourth season on the KSW Suzukis.
From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION
HODGSON (TEAM DUCATI FILA) SMASHES LAP RECORD AT VALENCIA
Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus (Team Ducati Fila) wrapped up proceedings on the final day of official SBK Winter testing with the quickest times at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit in Spain. Hodgson in particular was in superb form, smashing the lap record which belonged to Bostrom (Ducati L&M), and leaving the mark at 1:34.01. Team-mate Xaus was eight-tenths of a second slower around the 4.005 km circuit, while the new Ducati 999 is already proving to be competitive in race trim.
“That was really good today” declared Neil. “I managed to find an excellent set-up on the bike and Michelin is providing me with some great tyres. I feel at one with the 999, it’s the way I like it. I really needed this test to get back in action after two months away from the track. I thought it would take longer to get to this point but it didn’t and now I’m feeling really confident for the start of the season.”
“I waited until the end of the day to try and attack Neil’s time, but there was a lot of humidity on the track and I slid off at turn 4” commented Ruben. “I’m pleased with the way the bike is working, the rear tyre is excellent, but I didn’t have enough time to choose the front for the race. I’m pretty sure conditions will be exactly the same when we come here for the first round next weekend.”
OFFICIAL TIMES: 1. Hodgson (Ducati Fila) 1:34.01; 2. Xaus (Ducati Fila) 1:34.80; 3. Laconi (Ducati NCR) 1:35.59; 4. Walker (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.46; 5. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.66; 6. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1:35.87; 7. Chili (Ducati) 1:35.91; 8. Corser (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.14; 9. Borja (Ducati DFX) 1:36.23; 10. Haydon (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.64.
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
World Supersport Championship
Valencia Pre-season Test
21 to 23 February 2003
Honda Men Top Valencia Test Times
The only official 2003 pre-season World Supersport test sessions culminated at the Valencia Circuit on 23 February, with Ten Kate CBR600RR Honda rider Chris Vermeulen setting the fastest time on the final day.
Vermeulen, who is chasing his first World Supersport win, said “I think that fast lap must have been mostly down to the tyres. We have tested a lot of race tyres this weekend and the bike is working very well considering it is so new. The main thing is the race next weekend, not this test.”
His best lap of 1:37.331 was merely the quickest of many top times set by the 20-year-old rider during a weather-affected test, and came after the track had dried on the final afternoon.
Rain appeared at lunchtime on the second day, ruining the testing plans of many teams, and making the final dry session on Sunday afternoon exceptionally fraught, as riders went all out to improve their standings on the final time sheet.
In third position overall Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) set his personal best lap of 1:38.253 on Friday, with the next fastest Honda rider proving to be Robert Ulm (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) in overall fifth.
Muggeridge spend considerable amounts of time trying out different chassis set-ups on his in-line four machine. “It’s mostly chassis with me this weekend. This bike is much more responsive than the previous model so one little adjustment has a great deal of effect. The feedback is very good and you can get a nice feel for the tyres.”
For Ulm the weekend proved to be tough but rewarding one, with his sixth fastest lap time of 1:38.495 underlining his consistent performance on race rubber. “I am quite happy with that even if I did put in a qualifying tyre at the end. I am not alone in doing so! We worked a lot on the set-up of the bike and it paid off at the end.”
Christophe Cogan from the BKM Honda team took his CBR600RR to seventh out of 26 riders, his team-mate Broc Parkes running out ninth.
Gianluigi Scalvini (BKM Honda CBR600RR) and Iain Macpherson (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) secured 12th and 13th places respectively, with Werner Daemen (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) running out 18th overall.
In the Superbike division Neil Hodgson (Ducati) outpaced his team-mate Ruben Xaus (Ducati) to take the fastest lap of the weekend, 1:34.016.
The first race of the year takes place at Valencia on 2 March, for both Supersport and Superbike classes.
Supersport Test Order
1: Chris Vermeulen (Honda) 1:37.331
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki) 1:38.157
3. Karl Muggeridge (Honda) 1:38.254
4. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) 1:38.419
5. Alessio Corradi (Yamaha) 1:38.433
6. Robert Ulm (Honda) 1:38.495
7. Christophe Cogan (Honda) 1:38.564
8. Gianluca Nannelli (Yamaha) 1:38.603
9. Broc Parkes (Honda) 1:38.819
10. Christian Kellner (Yamaha) 1:38.917
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Belgarda:
Team Yamaha Belgarda Newsletter
Date: Sunday 23rd February 2003
Circuit: Ricardo Tormo, Comunitat Valenciana, 4.005 kms- Day 3
TOP FOUR FOR JURGEN!
Team Yamaha Belgarda rider Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh successfully completed the three-day official World Supersport Championship test with the fourth fastest overall time. Throughout the three days, Jurgen and the team had been working hard to overcome minor problems and finally their persistence was rewarded in the final session. His team mate Simone Sanna also had minor problems during the test and chose to work on solving the problems rather then try and set a quick time. Chris Vermeulen continued his domination of the three days, ending up with a lap of 1:37.331.
JURGEN VD GOORBERGH (70 laps overall, best lap 1:38.419)
Today was a difficult day, but we finally got it together and I was able to post a good lap time. We’ve worked hard over the three days and although we encountered some little problems, we plugged away and got a lot of work done. I think we found a good base set-up and I’m satisfied with what we managed to do. I was a bit disappointed that I only did 70 laps in total, but I’m happy with the results. We’ve still got work to do on the suspension, but it’s improving all the time. As for the tyres, I’m surprised at how good the standard Pirelli tyres are now. I like this track and it’s one where you can make a little mistake in one corner without it upsetting your whole lap. I think we can make a good result next week.
SIMONE SANNA (97 laps overall, best lap 1:39.212)
I wanted to do a 1:38, but in the end I decided not to take any risks. I only used standard tyres during these three days and not really soft ones because I wasn’t really chasing a lap time. I am sort of happy with how it’s all gone and I think we’ve got 70 percent or so of a good base set-up. I’m very happy with the way the Pirelli tyres have performed and although we had some little problems in the three days, generally we’ve made progress OK.
Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Sears Point Changes Met With Mixed Reviews
By Michael Hannas
Motorcycles took to the revised Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point Raceway) for the first time Saturday, February 22, during a 3J’s Motorcycle Day. The revised Turn one, Turn 8a-9a section, and Turn 11 were all utilized for the first time. Those in attendance had mixed reactions to the changes.
The new Turn One layout is similar to the old AMA Turn One, circa 1996, which utilized orange cones in the middle of the dragstrip as the apex of a 90-degree left. The pavement at the end of the front straight has been extended 50 feet with cones similiar to the old AMA cones delineating the apex. The new turn is even tighter and slower than the old AMA Turn One and according to Infineon Raceway Vice President of Facilities Jere Starks, was designed to point the rider towards the middle of the straightaway underneath the Turn One bridge, away from the hillside.
The new Turn 8a-9a section, which was quickly being referred to as “The Bus Stop,” carries riders straight over the Turn 8a hillside parallel to the terraced grandstands, instead of bending to the right and into Turn Nine.
This means the rider does not have to let off the gas for Turn 8a as in the past, making for some nice wheelies in front of the grandstands for the fans. At the end of the short straight is a tight, second-gear, 90-degree right followed directly by an even tighter left that connects back onto the old track in between old Turn Nine and Turn 10. Now, the rider is accelerating through Turn 10, instead of letting off into the corner. The rider now accelerates through Turn 10 all the way until hitting the brakes for the new Turn 11, which turns directly behind the drag race tower, 40 feet closer than before.
The new Turn 11 is tighter than before and points the rider directly down the front straightaway, instead of towards the wall as in the past. Being 40 feet shorter than before, it causes the rider to brake almost as he or she is still leaned over to the right for Turn 10, at around the same point as in the past since the speed in Turn 10 is slower now.
Comments from the various local suspects who showed up were mixed. Most concerns centered around the new 8a-9a section, which creates a situation where a rider who either crashes or loses the brakes into the Turn 9 right-hander could cross into the path of a rider exiting the left-handed Turn 9a. Some felt this could create a bigger problem then the old Turn Nine or Turn 10 did. The old sections were fast and lined with walls, but didn’t cause very many accidents. The new chicane, it appears, could create more situations, albeit at a much slower speed. The transition from the old track onto the new section at Turn 8a is also bumpy, causing headshake and a wheelie.
Factory Kawasaki Supersport rider Tony Meiring said, “It needs a lot of work. I think it’s more dangerous for sure. If you crash going into that Bus Stop, if you tuck the front, your bike will slide into the guys on the other side. Turn One is fun but it is pretty tight. The first lap will be pretty hairy. The new Turn 11 is really tight, too. I don’t know, I liked the old track.”
2002 AMA Superbike Top Privateer Brian Parriott, out testing his new BMW Boxer Cup Replika on the new track in preparation for Daytona, also yearned for the good ol’ days. “I think it’s a bit safer, but not as fun. It’s gonna be a hard place to pass (the Bus Stop), there’s only one line through that chicane. The Turn 8a transistion is so bumpy even my Beemer wheelies. As for Turn 11, they should put it where it was before, last year. Or even split the difference between that and the old, old one. The way it is, it is hard to pass. Turn One, I think they should go back to wide-open, there’s plenty of space now. All these crybabies, ‘Waa, waaa, the hillside, the walls.’ They should put it back how it was, back in ’94. There used to be a fence you could hang your bike on in Turn Five.”
2002 AFM Overall #1 and Open Superbike Champion Dave Stanton seemed to like the changes more than others. “I like it. I think they’re moving in the right direction. It’s safer, and funner, more of a rider’s track. I think they’re working hard trying to improve the safety. Before I never really thought about safety. Now everyone is starting from scratch. It’s gonna be good, but bad for me- I’ll be giving up my local advantage. It’s gonna be great!”
2002 AFM #2 Ken Hill was concerned about the safety aspects of the new layout. “I think it’s fun and more of a rider’s challenge, but from a safety aspect there are still areas of concern. It tightens things up a lot. I think someone crashing into Turn Nine could take someone else out.”
The fastest AFM regulars were turning lap times in the 1:44 range by the end of the day. For comparison, Stanton turned 1:35s during the 2002 AMA Formula Extreme race en route to a top-10 finish. With the tighter layout, 600cc Supersport machines seemed to be able to lap at times very close to 1000cc Superbike-spec machines.
AFM officials on the scene displayed concern about the safety aspects of the new Turn 8a-9a section. The potential for bikes crashing and hitting other bikes was the concern, with the general feeling being that the old Turn Nine section didn’t present such a problem in the past. Officials later announced that the AFM would use the new Turn One, but use the old Turn Nine and Turn 11.
Infineon’s Starks noted the concern of the riders about the new section. According to Starks, the track is has plans to remedy the problem before the AMA Superbike Doubleheader, most likely in the form of a gravel trap that would attempt to stop crashed bikes before they could re-enter the track.
From a press issued by Yamaha:
POSITIVE CHECA AND MELANDRI THIRD AND FIFTH FASTEST IN JEREZ
Fortuna Yamaha Team duo Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri recorded the third and fifth fastest times at today’s final day of the three day MotoGP IRTA tests in Jerez, Spain. All fifteen of the MotoGP riders rode in long awaited sunny but slightly windy conditions, having lost a day to wet weather yesterday. Despite three tests since December at the Spanish circuit, this was just the third day that the Fortuna Yamaha Team were able to test in sunshine.
Checa continued testing his fuel injected Yamaha YZR-M1, setting his best lap time of the three days with 1:42.861. The Spanish rider concentrated on testing endurance tyres for Michelin in the latter part of the day and was satisfied with the progress made, “The lap time was not the most important thing for us today, as I was testing endurance tyres for Michelin for 16 laps. I still can’t find the feeling I want and need with the bike to win a race. I am having some problems with rear grip and overall balance. I would like to be able to control the rear tyre with the throttle, and at the moment I can’t do that. It’s quite hard to be optimistic now about this track, however we will keep working and I have confidence that we can improve in the areas we need to.”
Marco Melandri completed 68 laps with a best time of 1:43.2, bettering his time of 1:43.8 from Friday’s session.
“I have had a really good test,” commented the 250cc World Champion. “I am very happy with this weekend but I made a bit of a mistake right at the end. Until the last hour of the test we had used the same set-up of the fuel injection bike but towards the end of the session I wanted to try a change to the front geometry. I then felt too much weight at the front on turn 11 and took a tumble. It was also very windy at that moment inside the corner and so was easy for me to slide off. Generally I am extremely happy – with my time and with my feeling on the bike. I wasn’t focusing on the time but managed to improve on Friday’s time, and I felt better here than at all my previous tests with the M1. I even changed my riding line slightly today. Now we are going to Estoril where I think it will be quite difficult as there are many slow corners there, which were maybe easier on a 250cc bike than on a four-stroke.”
Melandri’s crew chief Fiorenzo Fanali was delighted with his new rider’s progress, “We have helped Michelin a lot today with tyre testing and were very happy to do so, then we decided to try something a bit different with the geometry in the last hour of the test. Unfortunately after we added more weight to the front Marco took a tumble so we will now go back to the old set-up for Estoril. I am quite happy with Marco’s performance in the last few days. He is sensitive to all the changes we make to the bike, and is good at communicating those feelings to us.”
Team Director Davide Brivio summed up the test positively, “Both riders have set good times, despite Marco’s small crash. Carlos has tried many different settings, we have faced some problems with the fuel injection system but at this stage of development it is quite normal. At the end of the session he was able to go consistently and at a good pace. We have a good base for him but there is room to improve more. Marco has now tested the fuel injection bike for the first time, and the new chassis. The next test will be useful for him to get more used to this bike. He was close in his times to all the top riders, so we are very pleased with the performance of both our riders today.”
The Fortuna Yamaha Team now travel to Portugal to take part in the next MotoGP IRTA group tests at the Estoril circuit on the 26th and 27th February.
LAP TIMES
1. Alex Barros, Gauloises Yamaha Team 1:42.640
2. Colin Edwards, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:42.818
3. Carlos Checa, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:42.861
4. Troy Bayliss, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:42.890
5. Marco Melandri, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:43.236
6. Shinya Nakano, D’Antin Yamaha 1:43.302
7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:43.541
8. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:43.910
9. Noriyuki Haga, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:44.218
10. John Hopkins, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:44.740
More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha D’Antin:
YAMAHA D’ANTIN TESTS
JEREZ
February 23, 2003
GOOD WORK FOR TEAM YAMAHA D’ANTIN IN JEREZ
Today had concluded first IRTA tests, organized by the MotoGP teams association in Jerez circuit. Fortunately today, the last day, riders could ride their bikes with the sun shining, but the windy conditions has been the main problem in the way to get good lap times. Team Yamaha d’Antín leaves the Spanish track satisfied with the work done during the three days. They have improved the settings of the new Yamaha YZR-M1, the bike they will use in the opening GP next April 6 in Suzuka, Japan. The set-up of the electronic fuel injection system and chassis adjustments have been the main focus of the team during the three days.
Yamaha d’Antín Team Director, the former rider Luis d’Antín, was happy with the work done as he commented after the tests, “Overall, everything has gone quite well, the tests have been positive because it was the first time we had 2003 bike. Basically we have focused in set-up the injection and chassis, and also we have been testing many tyres from Michelin. We also have been getting used to the rider and vice versa. Our target is get the 100 percent for the opening race in Japan.”
During the three days of testing Shinya Nakano has completed almost 200 laps in Jerez circuit and he is happy with the progress. “The focus of these tests was the bike of 2003. Get the right chassis and injection set up was the hardest work, but yesterday we found a good set-up. Today I’ve been riding comfortable, but I still at 80 percent of my possibilities. We have to find the other 20%.”
Team Technical Director, Naoya Kaneko thinks the same as his rider. “We have test a lot of things and we have changed the settings many times, and now we know what we have to improve. Shinya has bettered his times in Jerez, but we still need a little bit to be prepared.”
The team Yamaha d’Antín now goes to Estoril circuit in Potugal to take part in IRTA tests session on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
NEW SUZUKI MEETS THE RIVALS AT JEREZ
Team Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins concluded three incident-free days of testing at the Spanish GP circuit of Jerez today – with the all-new 2003 GSV-R Suzuki racer making further progress in the fast-forward development programme before the start of the season on April 6.
It was only the third test for the radically changed V4 990cc racer, marking the halfway point of the six-test schedule that started in January, when the factory surprised the team with the all-new machine. Engine and chassis have both been significantly changed compared with last year’s first GSV-R, as the design evolves towards the goal of winning races again for the factory that claimed the premier-class World Championship in 2000.
2000 World Champion Kenny Roberts set his best time today, the third day of open-to-all testing, improving on his best race lap time set here last year, in spite of unfavourably cool and windy conditions. Hopkins set his best time on the first day of testing, which was cloudy and overcast. The second day was spoiled by rain. Today was sunny but still cool, with a strong wind giving riders problems and causing several crashes.
Roberts completed 68 laps today, to bring his overall total to 131 over the three days. The Californian son of a legend’s best lap time of 1:43.918, was less than a second off the circuit lap record. He was placed eighth-fastest.
Hopkins ran 65 laps today, and a total of 173, with a best time of 1:44.652. The rider from California (but of English parentage) is new to the Suzuki team and to the new-generation 990cc four-strokes. His debut season last year was on a 500cc two-stroke.
All the rival teams except Honda attended the tests. Suzuki move on now to private tests in Valencia before rejoining the final IRTA test at Catalunya in mid-March.
KENNY ROBERTS – 1:43.918
We’ve worked hard here, when the weather allowed it. I can’t say I’m happy with the lap time. We need to get the base settings right before we can start to use the bike to its full, and we need the factory to help us. We have more tests and more parts coming. The bike has the potential. We need to unlock it, and we’re all determined to do that.
JOHN HOPKINS – 1:44.652
We made some steps here, but we still have many things to sort out. We need to make bigger steps in the upcoming tests in order to be where we want to be for the first race. The bike is still so new, and there are still so many things to get set right. We’re concentrating on one thing at a time, and that one thing leads to another. Here my main difficulty has been that the bike doesn’t turn well. I’m losing time into the turns and in the middle of the corner. We need a good ground plan for the upcoming tests, but my crew chief Stuart Shenton, away sick, will be back, and that should help us. Though I have to say my guys worked 110 percent here. It’s a great team.
GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
This was only the bike’s third time out, and the first time with the rival machines. We learned a lot. Obviously there’s a lot of potential that we still need to find, and after the excitement of getting the new bike in January it’s a little disappointing. But we tested almost everything here that we needed to test. Now the factory will take the data and look for improvements in the areas we need. It’s never easy to take something so brand new and get the best out of it. It takes time, and we still have some more time. The factory has already proved how committed they are; the team feels the same. We’ll keep on working. This is gritty stuff for the riders. Doing development work at this sort of IRTA test where the others have their machines better sorted can be testing for a rider’s mental stamina.
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
PRESS INFORMATION
BAYLISS ON RACE PACE, CAPIROSSI FALLS IN WINDY CONDITIONS
IRTA tests, Jerez, Spain
Sunday, February 23, 2003
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi battled strong, gusting winds at Jerez today as they completed their first group test session on the Desmosedici V4. Despite less than perfect weather throughout the three days – low track temperatures on Friday and rain yesterday – both men believe they have made important progress.
Bayliss was particularly happy at the end of the day, having completed an impressive race simulation with Michelin’s latest 2003 tyres. Capirossi however had a more torrid time, falling twice in the afternoon, the first when he was caught out by a gust of wind.
“We dedicated today to testing Michelin’s new tyres, doing almost no other work on set-up”, said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “Troy did a long run at a good pace but we weren’t so lucky with Loris. He lost the front twice. Both guys found the latest rear tyres very promising, and Troy also found a better front tyre.”
Bayliss, whose average pace during the race simulation was an impressive 1:43.5, was delighted with progress and keen to continue testing at Estoril next week. “The whole test has gone pretty good, we’ve kept moving forward,” said the former World Superbike Champion. “This is my third time at this track, so I expected some good times. We’ve made good progress and we’ve got some more ideas for the next test, and that’s what it’s all about. The track could’ve been better today, but I’m quite happy with the long run we did at the end of the afternoon. We’ve run Michelin’s new tyres and they feel good, the engine feels good too and we only did a little bit of playing around with the suspension today.”
Capirossi was happy enough with progress, despite two minor falls, the wind also claiming other victims during the day. “After two crashes I decided to concentrate on testing tyres and settings, because conditions weren’t right for trying to go really fast,” said the Italian, who nevertheless proved that he had lost none of his confidence by setting his fastest lap of the day on his penultimate lap. “Despite the crashes, everything has gone well from a set-up point of view, but unfortunately there was too much wind for me to give a good lap-time performance.”
Bayliss and Capirossi continue the Desmosedici test programme at Estoril, Portugal, next week, and then take Ducati’s MotoGP project to the next level at Catalunya, Spain, in mid-March, when they will ride their definitive 2003 bikes for the first time. The 16-round MotoGP World Championship commences at Suzuka, Japan, on April 6.
From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:
23 February 2003
2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Season Preview
NEW BIKE, NEW SEASON – MLADIN CHASES FOURTH AMERICAN SUPERBIKE CROWN
The off-season break has been a very good one for three times American AMA Superbike champion, Australian Mat Mladin as he prepares for the famous Daytona 200, the opening round of this year’s AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship on March 9.
The most significant change is that Mladin will compete in this year’s 18-round championship aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 rather than the GSX-R750 that took him to three AMA Superbike crowns and two Daytona 200s.
The move to the full 1000cc capacity has been met with a huge amount of enthusiasm by Mladin and Team Yoshimura Suzuki for whom he will be competing for a seventh year.
“We are definitely going in the right direction with the new Suzuki GSX-R1000,” said Mladin. “I think we’ve got a motorcycle that can be very competitive this year. The way the rules have been, we had a motorcycle that we were always playing catch up with and if you didn’t get it set up 100 percent on the day, it made it very hard. I think we have a chance to be very strong and we should do well this year.”
Since the announcement by the AMA late last year regarding the rule changes to the class, Mladin’s team has been busy preparing brand new machines from the ground up and undertaking a testing program that included time at Daytona, California Speedway in Fontana, Laguna Seca and a four-day test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
“We’ve done a fair bit of testing since Christmas, with a couple of days at Fontana, followed by four in Malaysia and then at Laguna Seca last week. It’s not a huge amount by any means in the way of days tested, I think we would need double the amount that we have done, but what we did do was very productive,” added Mladin. “It rained at the Daytona test before Christmas and then it rained again last week at Laguna, so who knows where we would have been if we didn’t go to Malaysia. The four days that we had there proved to be very good for us.”
Mladin has recorded a number of very fast lap times aboard the GSX-R1000 at each of the circuits that he has tested this year, providing his opponents in this year’s championship with the knowledge that he has been fast and is eager to win a fourth AMA Superbike title.
“Any time you can have as much, if not more horsepower than people that have had more than you in the past, is certainly encouraging. Besides the horsepower, the bike works well. It feels very good to me, I’m very comfortable on the bike and I’m riding a lot more relaxed than I have over the past couple of years. I had to change the way I rode the bike in the past two years to a point where I wasn’t comfortable anymore. Mistakes started to creep into my riding, just because I wasn’t sitting on the bike the way I wanted to, but it was the only way we could get the bike to turn. I really did love the GSX-R750 that I won the championship on in 1999 and 2000 and the new GSX-R1000 feels a lot like that.”
This week, Mladin and his team will complete their final preparations before leaving their base in California and head across to Florida for the opening round of the championship, which kicks off with Bike Week at Daytona.
Mat Mladin:
1992 Australian Superbike Champion
1999, 2000, 2001 American AMA Superbike Champion
2000, 2001 Daytona 200 Champion
2000 American AMA Pro Athlete of the Year
From press releases issued by Ducati Corse:
SECOND DAY OF SBK WINTER TESTING AT VALENCIA
INTERRUPTED BY BAD WEATHER
Ruben Xaus (Team Ducati Fila) headed the timesheets today on the second day of official SBK pre-season testing at Valencia. In the afternoon the two Ducati Fila riders, Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus did not go out onto the track after rain started to fall and two of the scheduled four sessions were not completed.
Spain’s Xaus completed a total of 55 laps on the Ducati 999, the Italian manufacturer’s new Superbike model, recording a time of 1:34.75, one-tenth of a second slower than the circuit record set by Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) and six tenths of a second quicker than his time recorded one month ago at the same track. Ruben tested new rear tyres made available by Michelin, and constantly lapped at this pace during his mini race simulation in the morning.
“Everything is going really well” declared Ruben at the end of the day. “We tried some new race tyres, even though we couldn’t complete the entire programme due to the rain. The team is working well, and I’m getting a better felling with the 999 all the time. I made a good step forward with the bike here at Valencia because my time of 1:34.75 is the best I’ve ever recorded around here.”
Neil Hodgson focussed mainly on bike settings, trying to eliminate weight transfer imbalance in braking and acceleration and the British rider completed 38 laps today, setting a best time of 1:35.04.
“I got caught out with the weather because I wanted to save my best time for the end of the day, but it’s the same for everyone” commented Neil. “Today we made some progress with the 999 after going back to the settings I used in December. The handling now feels much better and I have a lot more confidence so I’m sure I can improve again tomorrow.”
Tomorrow will see the third and final day of official SBK testing at Valencia.
OFFICIAL TIMES: 1. Xaus (Ducati Fila) 1:34.75; 2. Hodgson (Ducati Fila) 1:35.04; 3. Laconi (Ducati NCR) 1:35.68; 4. Chili (Ducati) 1:36.06; 5. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:36.06; 6. Walker (HM Plant Ducati) 1:36.12; 7. Corser (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.40; 8. Lavilla (Suzuki) 1:36.47; 9. Borja (Ducati DFX) 1:36.51; 10. Garcia (Ducati NCR) 1:36.87.
BAYLISS & CAPIROSSI PRAY FOR SUN AT RAINY JEREZ
IRTA tests, Jerez, Spain
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi continued to make excellent progress during the year’s first IRTA tests at Jerez today, despite heavy rain showers that forced them to spend much of the morning in the pits. Both men are hoping to make up for lost time during tomorrow’s final day, when the weather is expected to be better.
As yesterday, the Australian and the Italian focused on fine tuning chassis settings, even though the circuit was in poor condition throughout, the rain having washed dust and dirt onto the track.
“The work we’re doing here is very important,” said Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali. “We have a very precise schedule of work to do before the first race in April, with a lot to do in a short time. At the moment we have no real references at most of the GP circuits, so we have to work very efficiently, and losing half a day of a three-day test here could be critical. But we believe in the project and we believe in the enthusiasm and professionalism of the whole team. I’m particularly grateful to Troy and Loris today, because in spite of the conditions they both continued working to give us the maximum amount of information about the bike.”
Former World Superbike champ Bayliss, who has never raced at Jerez, managed to ride 47 laps today, usefully expanding his knowledge of the Spanish circuit. “I could’ve sat around and done nothing, but even though the track wasn’t in a great state, you never know what kind of conditions you’re going to have to race in,” he smiled. “Even at the end of the day a couple of the corners were still a bit sketchy, with a couple of guys going down, so I just hope we have a good day tomorrow. We’ve been mostly playing with chassis setting, plus I tried a few different front Michelins. I found a couple of things I liked today, so I’m feeling keen for tomorrow. I want a bit of sun, so I can do a lot of laps.”
Capirossi, who has been racing here since 1990, rode 24 laps today, preferring not to take risks in the tricky conditions. But he also ended the day in good spirits. “The track was very dirty after the rain, which compromised our work today, but we still managed to get a lot done,” he said. “We tried some new chassis solutions and different configurations, so we’ve kept moving ahead. But tomorrow we need sun!”
Tomorrow both riders plan to do their first serious tyre testing with Michelin’s range of 2003 tyres, weather permitting.
Lap times
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:45.640
Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:48.091
More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR:
LACONI ON THE TOP AND GARCIA GROWS UP
(Valencia 2003, February 22)
A soft rain stopped today test on Valencia circuit. But the two practice sessions on the dry track showed a great Regis Laconi. The French rider of 998RS Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks recorsed the third fastest overall, leaded only by the two Fila Ducati factory bikes.
“Today too we worked first to find the best set up,” – declared at the end of the test day Regis Laconi – “Handling and gearbox have been our aim today, and we rode immediately one second faster as yesterday laptime; then we set at the best the hand lever for rear brake that I asked to Stefano as I like it works, well, a classic test day, but the third fastest we score shows that we are in the right direction. It has a pity that the rain forced us to stop working, we must set at the best the gearbox ratio, but I’m really satisfied about the work we have done.”
David Garcia, always very quiet in the pit, goes on to upgrade recording the tenth fastest of today practice.
“The rain ruined everything,” – said a disappointed Garcia – “I need to stay on the bike and ride kilometers on the 998RS, and unfortunately in the afternoon we couldn’t practice at all. In the morning sessions I feel very well, the gearbox was running well and I’m confident that, if the practices could go on, I could be faster. I found a good feeling with the team and now I am confident in a good racing debut next week-end.”
Unfortunately also for tomorrow, Sunday February 23, closing test day, the weather forecast doesn’t show anything good.
Two days test – Overall results:
1.XAUS Ruben (Ducati) 1:34.755; 2.HODGSON Neil (Ducati) 1:35.044; 3.LACONI Regis (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:35.685; 4.WALKER Chris (Ducati) 1:35.842; 5.TOSELAND James (Ducati) 1:35.932 ; 6.MARTIN Steve (Ducati) 1:36.061; 7.CHILI Pierfrancesco (Ducati) 1:36.061; 8.CORSER Troy (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.408; 9.LAVILLA Gregorio (Suzuki) 1:36.477; 10.BORJA Juan Batista (Ducati) 1:36.516; 11.GARCIA David (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:36.877
From a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:
MotoGP pre-season IRTA Tests
Saturday 22 February 2003 (day 2 of 3)
Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
CHECA AND MELANDRI HINDERED BY RAIN IN SPAIN
Poor weather conditions affected the second day of the Jerez IRTA tests in Spain today, soaking the track in the morning so much that it didn’t fully dry by the end of the day. Thirteen of the fifteen MotoGP riders present ventured out. Fortuna Yamaha Team rider Marco Melandri completed a total of just thirteen laps in the wet conditions while team-mate Carlos Checa chose to wait until the weather improves to ride his latest evolution of the Yamaha YZR-M1.
Team Director Davide Brivio commented: “We are not too worried to have lost one day as we still have some time to prepare for the first race. Carlos didn’t go out because the track still wasn’t totally dry. He has already tested in wet conditions so it’s better that he doesn’t take any risks this close to the start of the Championship. There isn’t much point him testing now unless he can push the bike to its maximum limit. Marco did some laps to get used to the wet because he still needs to practice this on the M1.”
Spaniard Checa recorded the second fastest time of 1:43.2 in yesterday’s action, and Italian Melandri recorded the fifth fastest time of 1:43.8. Better weather conditions are forecast for tomorrow’s action.
LAP TIMES (WET CONDITIONS)
1. Shinya Nakano, D’Antin Yamaha 1:45.214
2. Troy Bayliss, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:45.640
3. Colin Edwards, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:47.982
4. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team, 1:48.091
5. Garry McCoy, Fuchs Kawasaki Racing 1:48.263
6. Noriyuki Haga, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:48.314
7. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:48.488
8. John Hopkins, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:48.709
9. Alex Hoffman, Fuchs Kawasaki Racing 1:48.875
10. Andrew Pitt, Fuchs Kawasaki Racing 1:49.851
Marco Melandri, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:56.7 (13 laps)
More, from a press release issued by D’Antin Yamaha:
YAMAHA D’ANTIN TESTS, JEREZ
February 22, 2003
NAKANO FASTEST RIDER OF THE SECOND DAY
Most of the winter tests celebrated in Jerez circuit had the same protagonist, the rain. In this second day of IRTA test, and confirming the forecast rain has appeared in the morning and no team had been able to test how they would like. In the afternoon the track was getting dry and the riders could take more track time.
Yamaha d’Antín team rider, Shinya Nakano has completed fifteen laps in the morning session, but with wet tarmac he didn’t managed to ride comfortable. Some riders as Brazilian Alex Barros (Yamaha) –the fastest yesterday- decided not to go out this afternoon. And in the last two hours, Nakano put on his leathers, taking advance of drying tarmac. In just five laps he has bettered his morning lap times in almost six seconds and has finished the session with a best lap of 1:45.214. The best lap time of the day.
“The conditions today weren’t so good. In the morning was raining heavily, later it stopped and when the track was drying, more rain. In the afternoon was better, but the track surface wasn’t completely dry and some parts were wet,” said the Japanese, who will start this year his third season in the premier class. “I’m happy because we have found good setting for the rear end that improve grip and turning. It has been a strange day, and although I’ve get the fastest lap time we have to consider that this afternoon too much rider didn’t go out. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
Forecast for Sunday are not so optimistic and everything says that the weather will be similar as today.
From a press release:
22/02/03
Rain Stops Play
A light fall of rain during the second afternoon of official pre-season World Superbike and Supersport practice sessions brought an early end to the day’s meaningful action. With a wet track surface persisting in the cold ambient weather conditions most teams elected to sit out the final few hours in the pit garage, rather than risk disaster on a slick, but not quite fully wet, 4.005km track.
The first two session of the day were enough to allow Ruben Xaus (Fila Ducati 999) to take the fastest time of the test so far, thanks to his 1:34.755 – making him the only rider inside the 1:35 mark so far. Warmer track conditions would have allowed Xaus and the other top runners to mount greater attempts to beat the circuit best of Ben Bostrom, a time of 1:34.649.
Neil Hodgson also pushed his time towards that of Bostrom, despite spending a large number of laps chasing a better base set-up in vain. His best of 1:35.044 came shortly before the rains invaded the east coast of Spain, engulfing the Valencia circuit.
Superbike race winner Regis Laconi, drafted into the NCR Nortel Ducati team this season, pulled out all the stops to go third fastest over the two-day test, with a 1:35.685 lap.
Chris Walker’s 2002 specification factory Ducati was not able to deliver the Englishman a better time than his opening day best of 1:35.842, despite setting a high overall lap count.
His HM Plant team-mate James Toseland was held back somewhat by his still-healing right hand injury, and he could not improve on his Friday time, leaving him fifth fastest overall.
Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) was one of the few riders to venture out in the wet conditions, to evaluate his Pirelli tyres on a slick Valencia circuit, while PSG-1 Ducati rider Pierfrancesco Chili went almost one second faster today than yesterday, securing an overall seventh fastest time over two days.
Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas Racing) took 0.6 seconds off his best time at Valencia, moving to eighth fastest overall.
Gregorio Lavilla was once more the top four-cylinder 1000cc runner, despite suffering a huge highside crash. Another local rider, Juan Borja, took his DFX Ducati twin to the top ten, one place ahead of Almeria rider David Garcia (NCR Ducati) and two ahead of British rider James Haydon (Foggy Petronas Racing).
The two top Supersport times from the opening day proved to be the best after the second day’s sessions as well, leaving Ten Kate Honda riders Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge clear at the top of the timesheets.
Another factory Honda rider, Christophe Cogan (BKM Racing Team) scored an excellent lap time of 1:38.564, a huge improvement over his first day performance. The majority of the Supersport riders scored faster times on the second day than on the first, with Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki) fourth quickest, Gianluca Nannelli (Lorenzi by Leoni Yamaha) fifth and Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Spadaro) sixth.
The top Kawasaki rider once more proved to be Pere Riba, in 11th place. Despite a suspected broken rib World Supermoto Champion Thierry van den Bosch continued to ride his Yamaha Motor France machine on day two, securing a time of 1:1:39.185, good enough for a top ten ranking.
The tests reach their conclusion tomorrow, with the first race of the season scheduled for Sunday 2 March, also at Valencia.
From a press release issued by Road Atlanta:
ROAD ATLANTA MAKES COURSE CHANGES FOR MOTORCYCLE RACERS IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY
BRASELTON, GA (Feb. 21, 2003) — Road Atlanta has taken proactive steps to increase rider safety during its professional and amateur motorcycle races by re-designing the Turn 3-4 complex of its 2.54-mile Grand Prix course.
Photo by David Allio/Road Atlanta.
Motorcycle racers will use the new 550-foot section of the course. Sports cars will continue to use the original course. Official length of the new motorcycle course has yet to be determined. The new course will be used during the AMA Suzuki Superbike Showdown presented by Dark Dog May 15-18, the WERA Regionals July 5-6 and the WERA Grand National Finals Oct. 29-Nov. 2. The new course will also be used for the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School.
“Responding to concerns of riders and AMA Pro Racing, Road Atlanta has taken these proactive steps to increase safety and provide the riders a more exciting venue,” says Mike Swaine, President and General Manager of Road Atlanta. “We have worked closely with AMA Pro Racing in order to build a new portion of the track that addresses the safety concerns.”
Instead of taking the fast, wide sweeping turns through Turns 3-4, motorcycle racers will now make a quick left-hand turn just past the apex of Turn 2, then continue with a right and left-hand turn combination going down the hill before blending back into the original track in Turn 4. The new portion of the track, paved in the wide grassy area between the original track and the retaining wall well away from the racing surface on the left, is 36 feet wide and substantially increases the runoff room on riders’ right.
“The changes have taken the wall at Turn 4 out of the picture and make for safer racing,” says Kevin Schwantz, the 1993 500cc World Champion and member of the AMA Pro Racing Board who also runs the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School at Road Atlanta. “I feel that Road Atlanta is one of the really great road courses on the (AMA Superbike) schedule and to make changes for safety reasons is a good idea. Turns 3-4 have been a point of concern over the past couple of seasons.
“I think the changes that are being made will add another passing area, and make racing safer. It will be a more technical section. You’ll get on the brakes going into the new Turn 3A, and you’ll accelerate going down the hill. You’ll be able to pass under braking coming out of 3A. It’s not just a silly chicane everybody has to just follow through the bike in front. If you’ve got a good bike, it will make you win by more. If you’ve got a bad bike, it will make you struggle more to keep up.”
For more information visit www.roadatlanta.com.
From a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
RADICAL NEW SUZUKI MAKES PUBLIC DEBUT AT JEREZ
Team Suzuki Press Office. February 21st 2003
The radical new Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP prototype made its first public appearance at the Spanish GP circuit of Jerez today, meeting the opposition for the first time at the open-to-all IRTA test sessions.
The all-new bike, still in the early stages of development and at only its third test, proved close to the overall pace, but with some ground to make up before the start of the season on April 4.
But the mood of team and riders remained positive, with two more days at Jerez, plus two more European tests to go before the return to Japan, and yet more testing before the first race.
“It’s an interesting weekend,” said team manager Garry Taylor. “Some of our major opposition is here, though not all of it, and it’s a chance to assess the potential of the new bike.
“There is still a lot of work to do, and a lot more testing to come. We’re in this for the long haul,” he concluded.
The new GSV-R, code-named XRE1, uses last year’s first ever MotoGP four-stroke prototype as a basis, but with sweeping changes from front to rear. The new machine retains the DOHC 990cc V4 format, but with major revisions to the fuel-injected unit, including a wider 65-degree Vee angle (from 60 degrees). The chassis is also considerably changed, clothed in minimalist carbon-fibre bodywork with a sophisticated aerodynamic profile to the nose.
These are part of a redesigned package offering the potential for major improvement, warmly greeted by both riders – former World Champion Kenny Roberts Jr. and Suzuki new boy John Hopkins – when they saw the new bike for the first time in Malaysia in January.
KENNY ROBERTS: LOOKING FOR THE BASE
We’re still looking for a good base setting at this time, then we can move the bike forward from there. At the moment, it’s a bit like when you’re lost, and you feel really hopeless … then suddenly you see a signpost, and suddenly everything’s okay again. We’re looking for that signpost now, but I’m sure we’ll find it.
JOHN HOPKINS: LEARNING TO CRAWL
There’s a long way to go, but also a long way before the start of the season. Today I did find a good set-up, and that gives us a basis to improve, so we can work round the fine-tuning from there. At the moment we’re learning to crawl, before we can walk.
