From a press release issued by Team Proton KR:


PROTON TAKES FIRST PROVISIONAL POLE IN GERMANY

Round 9: German GP, Sachsenring First Qualifying: Friday, July 19, 2002

Jeremy McWilliams: First, 1:26.067
Nobuatsu Aoki: 17th, 1:27,743

Nobody could beat Proton Team KR rider Jeremy McWilliams at the Sachsenring today. At the tortuous track where the three-cylinder lightweight 500cc two-stroke KR3 machine achieved its first good results, the Ulster rider set the pace, challenging in the later stages of the first timed session, then setting a blistering pole time at the end.

Team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki had the opposite experience, battling to find grip and ending up down the order, looking for solutions to improve his prospects in tomorrow’s second and final hour of qualifying.

This is not the first time McWilliams has put the lightweight Proton KR3 among the heavyweight opposition, but it is the first time he has been fastest. The result reflects not only that he likes the track – having twice finished on the rostrum here in the past, but also that the constant corners and changes of direction bring out the best in the sweet-handling machine.

McWilliams used the latest chassis for his fast run, after trying both the standard version and the new “wideline” frame, which is itself a development stage for the 990cc V5 four-stroke engine the team is developing for next season.

Ironically, McWilliams set the slowest speed through the trap at the end of the straight – 259.2km/h compared with Biaggi’s Yamaha at 278.2: proof of how the KR3 makes its time through the corners.

The Sachsenring is the third of the Big Four tracks that will most favour the Proton KR3 lightweight two-stroke, which sacrifices ultimate horsepower and top speed for better steering and roadholding.

Jeremy McWilliams
“This is one of the tracks that suit the bike. Our weight advantage is important here, and Bridgestone gave me a really good soft rear tyre at the end … I had my race tyre from Donington on the front. It was one of those laps. I made no mistakes, and everything went perfectly. I tried the standard and the new chassis today, and my best times came on the new chassis, so obviously that’s the one I’ll stick with from now on. It’s a little more physically difficult to ride, but a lot more stable. I’m slowest through the speed trap, but I’m making up time through the first two twisty sections. I used to prefer the old Sachsenring, but after today I’m beginning to like the new one!”


Nobuatsu Aoki
“Not so good today. I am having a couple of problems. One is lack of feeling from the front tyre when I am leaned far over, and the other is a similar lack of feeling from the rear when I open the gas. These are big problems at this track, where it is all corners. I think we can find a solution. It seems that the position of the swing-arm pivot is too high. We’ve been using this position for a few races, but at this track it seems too much. We’ll do some fine tuning to the chassis tonight, and I hope it will work well tomorrow.”

Chuck Aksland – Team Manager
“The top of the page is nice. Jeremy was knocking on the door at Donington, and now he’s done it. It was a great effort. He’s been trying both chassis, and he’ll stick with the development chassis for tomorrow. They have some work to do on Nobu’s side of the pit. He’s struggling for grip, but we have a few ideas on how to improve that.”



From a press release issued by Marlboro Yamaha:

GERMAN GP, SACHSENRING
First Qualifying, Friday July 19 2002

MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN CHASE SET-UP AT THE ‘RING
Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa were fifth and tenth in this afternoon’s first German GP qualifying session at the Sachsenring, chasing the right kind of set-up for this ultra-tight and complex racetrack.

As if to illustrate the very special demands of this unusual circuit, Jeremy McWilliams claimed provisional pole on his three-cylinder Proton KR3 two-stroke, the least powerful but lightest bike on the MotoGP grid.

“It’s interesting to see the two-strokes fighting back here,” said Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “This isn’t the easiest of tracks for the four-strokes. It seems more complicated than usual to find the right set-up, though, of course, this is only day one. Both our guys seem to be struggling with manoeuvrability and stability, so we’ve got to work at finding the best compromise. Max and Carlos were fastest on the ‘top speed’ sheets this afternoon but it’s lap times that count. We’ll keep working hard and see how we can improve things for tomorrow and Sunday.”


BIAGGI A FRACTION FROM THE FRONT
Max Biaggi gave his all in the closing moments of this afternoon’s qualifier, forcing himself on to the provisional front row, only for Jeremy McWilliams to demote him to fifth quickest seconds later. The Marlboro Yamaha Team star, who won here on his YZR500 last year, ended the day fifth, a tantalizing 0.044 seconds outside the top four.

“For sure this track is very well suited to the two-strokes,” said Biaggi, who finished second in last weekend’s British GP and currently holds third overall in the 2003 MotoGP World Championship. “I’m finding the surface very bumpy in a few places, I want to brake deeper but at the moment it’s very difficult. I’m also finding the bike a bit difficult to turn. Halfway through the session I worked out what we need to do to the set-up to improve things but there wasn’t enough time to do what we needed, so we’ll change the settings for tomorrow. Then we’ll see if the four-strokes really have a disadvantage or advantage here. It will be difficult to get pole, but I’ll try everything I can to do that.”


CHECA HUNTS SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS
Carlos Checa ran inside the top four on several occasions this afternoon but slipped to tenth in the flurry of end-of-session lap times, albeit only 0.644 seconds off provisional pole. The Marlboro Yamaha Team rider, who led most of last Sunday’s British GP before sliding off, needs more front-end performance if he’s to challenge again this weekend.

“This track is quite hard work for us,” said Checa, runner-up here in 2001. “We’ve got more problems here than we expected, mostly front-end push, especially through some of the faster corners. We haven’t made any big changes to the set-up since Donington, so I suppose it’s the nature of the track that’s giving us the difficulties. So far we’ve not been able to find a good way around the problem, but we’ll sit down and examine the data, then decide which way to go for tomorrow’s sessions.”

LIGHTWEIGHT McWILLIAMS LEADS THE WAY
Hard-charging Briton Jeremy McWilliams was the surprise man on provisional pole, using his lightweight Proton KR3 to outpace Yamaha 500 V4 rider Olivier Jacque. “This track suits our bike, we’ve got a weight advantage,” he said. “I’m making all my time through the first two tighter sections, and I’ll need some help in the race through the last part of the track.”

Top four-stroke rider was Valentino Rossi (Honda) in third, with Honda 500 V4 man Alex Barros completing the provisional front row.


PROVISIONAL FRONT ROW
1. Jeremy McWilliams (GBR) PROTON Team KR (KR3) 1’26.067
2. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Gauloises YAMAHA Tech 3 (YZR500) 1’26.178
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Repsol HONDA Team (RC211v) 1’26.201
4. Alex Barros (BRA) West HONDA Pons (NSR500) 1’26.480
5. MAX BIAGGI (ITA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team (YZR-M1) 1’26.524
10. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team (YZR-M1) 1’26.711



From a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

Team Suzuki News Service

SUZUKI RIDERS PROMISE BETTER THINGS TO COME

Sachsenring, Germany – First Practice, Friday July 19th, 2002:

TELEFONICA MOVISTAR SUZUKI rider Sete Gibernau was 15th-fastest in today’s first practice session for Sunday’s German GP at the twisting 3.704km Sachsenring circuit outside Chemnitz, after an afternoon when he concentrated on identifying and solving set-up problems rather than going for a lap time.

Temporary team-mate Yukio Kagayama, standing in for the absent team regular Kenny Roberts Jr, was 16th, just one place down, in his first visit to the short and tight circuit outside Chemnitz. It was an impressive start. It is the factory rider’s first time at the track, and on Michelin tyres on the 990cc four-stroke prototype GSV-R racer, which he races in the All-Japan championship on Dunlop tyres.

Wild card entry Akira Ryo placed 19th, as he also gains familiarity with the track. The factory Suzuki rider has been enlisted to help with development of the GP machine.

Roberts is at home in California, recuperating from surgery earlier this week to his right arm, to cure compartment syndrome problems that had become severe over the last two races, causing his arm to pump up and considerably hampering his race performances.

Both Suzuki riders were using the latest version of the GSV-R chassis, with revised stiffness ratios round the swing-arm pivot – another sign of progress in the fast-developing machine, which was rushed to the race tracks a full year earlier than originally planned, after the promise shown in early tests.

There is one more day of practice remaining before Sunday’s race, and if the present warm and dry conditions last as forecast, one more crucial chance to set a good lap time and gain a good starting position at the tightest and slowest track of the year, where overtaking is difficult and a good start very important.

Provisional pole position was set by Jeremy McWilliams, on a Proton.

SETE GIBERNAU – 15th Position, 1:27.475
“We have the new chassis, which seems good … but then I had some trouble with one bike that meant I wasn’t able to try everything we needed to test. I decided the best response was to stay out there with my other bike, and put in as many laps as possible. I wasn’t focused so much on lap times as trying to understand more clearly what we need to do. There was quite a bit of traffic and I was using race tyres. By staying out there, I think I understand what we need. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. We need to get a good grid position, because I know I can race okay, but at this track a good start is crucial, because there are so few opportunities to overtake.”

YUKIO KAGAYAMA – 16th Position, 1:27.688
“This is my first time with Michelin tyres on this bike, because we use Dunlops in the Japanese championship. It is my first time to see the course. I like the layout, but it’s bumpy and too slow, so these bikes have too much power. Maybe it would be easier to disconnect three of the four plug leads! The feeling from the Michelin tyres is not so bad, but at the moment my speed level is relatively low. To go faster will make a big risk, but that is what I have to do.”

WARREN WILLING – Technical Adviser
“The new frame doesn’t seem to have made much difference – yet. It’s a fairly small change, revising the stiffness around the swing-arm pivot. But our pace is the same, and the bike still feels heavy to change direction. We’ll try some different combinations to improve that.”

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
“This is a very hard track, and we have some work to do tomorrow before we can say we’ve got to grips with it. Sete’s been trying hard, and I’m sure he’ll make a jump tomorrow. Yukio’s performance has been fantastic, on a strange track and on unfamiliar tyres.”

FRIDAY OFFICIAL QUALIFYING TIMES SACHSENRING, GERMANY
1. J. McWillams (Proton) + 1’26.067,
2. O. Jacque (Yamaha) + 0.111,
3. V. Rossi (Honda) + 0.134,
4. A. Barros (Honda) + 0.413,
5. M. Biaggi (Yamaha) + 0.457,
6. D. Kato (Honda) + 0.501,
7. T. Ukawa (Honda) + 0.547,
8. S. Nakano (Yamaha) + 0.611,
9. T. Harada (Honda) + 0.619,
10. C. Checa (Yamaha) + 0.644,
15. SETE GIBERNAU (TELEFONICA MOVISTAR SUZUKI) + 1.408,
16. YUKIO KAGAYAMA (TELEFONICA MOVISTAR SUZUKI) + 1.621.


From a press release issue by Red Bull Yamaha:


GERMAN GP – SACHSENRING
Qualifying No. 1 Friday July 19th 2002

RED BULL LOOKING FOR MORE

Red Bull Yamaha riders, Garry McCoy and John Hopkins line up side by side on the provisional grid for the ninth round of the MotoGP World Championship at Sachsenring in Germany. McCoy who is riding in only his second GP since returning from a severe leg break, is finding form at the twisty, tight track and during the session briefly snatched 3rd place on the provisional front row. Team-mate, John “Hopper” Hopkins is looking again at scoring in his ninth consecutive MotoGP race.


John Hopkins:11th 1’26. 930
“I’m definitely not happy with how things went for me today, although I did manage to drag myself up the ranks towards the end of the session. We’ve got to change a few things with the set-up so I can continue to improve tomorrow and I’ve asked Colin my Crew Chief to look at getting me some more rear grip.

“This track is really tight, it¹s a strange place and to me it’s more like a go-kart track and nothing like what I’ve raced on this season so far. I rode here a few weeks ago on a R1 on an open day, to learn my way round this twisty tight place but everything is of course so different on the YZR 500. The track day definitely has helped me know my way around here, now I just need to find the right settings for the race bike.

“Hopefully it is dry tomorrow and I can improve some more.”


Garry McCoy: 12th – 1’26.982
“I’m still working on building up to the rhythm of qualifying and racing and its getting better every day. I was up there for a little while and I had a few good laps behind Barros. It was my first real opportunity to get behind someone who is up there at the moment. I didn’t get the opportunity in Donington to see anyone up close. Barros blocked me at a couple of places and I didn’t realise we were going so quick.

“On my quick lap at the end of the session, I caught Cardoso, but it was going to be a bit dodgy to try and pass him, so I let him go and I think I was only two-tenths slower than my best lap time. Friday is not the time to do anything silly.

“On my qualifier, I went two-tenths faster and really you should go a half a second quicker. I’ve still got to get the best out of the qualifying tyre, so I’m working on that.”


Peter Clifford – Team Manager
“It’s completely ridiculous that we can be a little disappointed that John is “only” 11th fastest and 0.8 seconds from pole on his first day here, but, we’ve already come to expect so much from him.

“Garry is obviously working his way back up to speed and I think both guys have got more to come tomorrow.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:26.067
2. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:26.178
3. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:26.201
4. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:26.480
5. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:26.524
6. Daijiro Kato, Honda NSR500, 1:26.568
7. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:26.614
8. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:26.678
9. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:26.686
10. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:26.711
11. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:26.930
12. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:26.982
13. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:27.210
14. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:27.357
15. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:27.475
16. Yukio Kageyama, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:27.688
17. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:27.743
18. Jurgen v. d. Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:27.821
19. Akira Ryo, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:28.036
20. Alex Hofmann, Honda NSR500, 1:28.195
21. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, 1:28.606

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Open Sportbike/Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Practice Times:

1. Frank Trombino, Honda CBR954RR, 1:23.881
2. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.198
3. Larry Pegram, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.324
4. Craig Connell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.363
5. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.581
6. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.656
7. Jeff Williams, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.692
8. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.887
9. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:24.927
10. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.341
11. Chris Murray-Audain, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:25.435
12. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:25.715
13. Michael Himmelsbach, Aprilia RSV1000R, 1:25.977
14. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:26.283
15. Benoit Pilon, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:26.487
16. Matt Wait, Honda CBR954RR, 1:26.546
17. Ugo Levert, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.608
18. Joeseph Temperato, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.159
19. Darryn Wilbur, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.363
20. Joe Spina, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.616

From a press release issued by Suzuki:

Team Suzuki News Service

ROBERTS “READY TO RACE HARD AGAIN” AFTER SUCCESSFUL SURGERY

KENNY ROBERTS JR. is promising to get his best result of the season when he returns to MotoGP racing at the Czech GP at Brno in August.

Roberts is missing this weekend’s German GP at Sachsenring – a one race forced absence – as he recovers from surgery on his right arm, which has been troubling him all season with the phenomenon nicknamed “Racers’ Wrist”.

In Kenny’s case, this was expressed as compartment syndrome in the muscles of his right forearm, after years of strain of operating the throttle, brake and steering of a motorcycle at racing speeds. It caused his arm to pump up while riding, and though the rider kept his problems private, he had been suffering from the start of the season.

The painful problem became acute at Assen and Donington Park at the last two GPs, triggering the decision to put planned surgery forward by a week, missing the German GP with the aim of ensuring more than complete recovery when the season resumes at Brno.

“I’d been planning to have the surgery privately during the break – but the problem was just getting too bad,” explained Roberts, who flew home directly from last weekend’s British GP.

The surgery was performed in California by well-known sports surgeon Dr. Arthur Ting, who has also treated (among others) five-times champion Mick Doohan.

Dr. Ting pronounced the operation a complete success. “Kenny had compartment syndrome of the forearm, commonly referred to as ‘arm pump’,” said Ting. “This causes excruciating pain, making if difficult if not impossible for a rider to hold on to the bike.

“I performed a cutting and releasing of the fascia sheath. This was done because the muscle under the sheath was getting too big to be contained by the sheath. The normal recovery period is five to six weeks, but in Kenny’s case recovery should be much quicker.”

Roberts explained that the new 990cc four-stroke Suzuki GSV-R had exacerbated the problem, because it is heavier than the 500 on which he won the championship, and requires for the throttle to be blipped while braking.

“I’d been having trouble ever since we started testing the new bike. I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike without the psychological and physical baggage the arm pump created,” he said.

“This should be an immediate and complete solution. I look forward to being able to ride as hard as I can at Brno, and I expect to have my best performance and finish so far this year at that race,” he concluded.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hi everyone!

Well, another lovely day in Germany. LOL! I have to say it was better then the first day that we arrived. Torrential rains, flooding, the usual….But now the sun is out and the weather is moderate.

John qualified 11th and Gaz was 12th. Pole was not to Rossi this time, it was Jeremy McWilliams! On Proton KR followed by Olivier Jacque. It’s a 2-stroke track and to let you in on a little secret, it’s a bleeding weird track. Very different from the others, tight and alot of elevation changes. Plus it’s short, so hard braking. All is well and will get back to you tommorrow.

Cheers,

Des

From a press release issued by Yamaha:

As a result of the broken left tibia and fibula MotoGP rider Pere Riba suffered during the British MotoGP (July 12), Antena 3 Yamaha d’Antin Team owner Luis d’Antin has decided to temporarily replace the Spaniard with former team rider José Luis Cardoso. Cardoso, who is due to ride at this weekend’s German MotoGP (July 21) will ‘fill-in’ for Riba for the second time this season – previously the opportunity arose at the French MotoGP where Cardoso was attending as a spectator.

Immediately after the high-speed crash, which will leave Riba out of action for a minimum of five weeks, the former Supersport rider was flown to Madrid for surgery. The operation was considered a success – Doctor Villamor fixing two metallic plates over the fracture – and Riba is expected to start his rehabilitation program in an effort to be fit enough to contest the Czech MotoGP, due to be held on August 23-25.



From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Proton Riders Eye The Potential Of The Sachsenring

The German Sachsenring circuit is the third of a quartet of tracks that Proton Team KR have been looking forward to this year – and the hope is that both riders can equal or improve on Nobuatsu Aoki’s strong top ten finish at the last round at Donington Park.

The German circuit crams 2.302 miles (3.704km) into a small area on the edge of an industrial estate. That means lots of corners and not many straights. And that is Proton territory, where the lightweight three-cylinder 500 two-stroke can use all the agility and nimble handling to the full, without paying the penalty with a relative lack of out-and-out speed.

“The top speed is not high here, and there are a lot of second-gear and third-gear corners,” explained Chief Race Engineer Tom O’Kane.

“The KR3 is at its best on faster corners, but the lighter weight and good handling still pay dividends on slower turns,” he said.

The Proton’s other strength, compared with the heavier V4 500cc two-strokes and the even heavier 990cc four-stroke MotoGP prototypes, comes in braking – but the nature of the Sachsenring gives only one opportunity to exploit this. The only hard braking on the track comes at the end of the pit straight, into the treacherously looping downhill first turn. It is another point where the British-built machine will claim ground.

“This year, we have a much better engine package than ever before,” continued O’Kane.

“Last year we raced the Big Bang firing order for the first time, and had some difficulties during that transitional phase. This year the engine is well proven and developed.”

As at Assen and Donington Park, where the last two rounds were held, the team is hoping to serve up some surprises at Sunday’s German GP.

The track is close to the MZ factory at Zschopau, where Dr. Walter Kaaden pioneered the modern racing two-stroke, laying the foundation for a type of racing machine that came to dominate GP racing. This year’s new MotoGP class has handed the advantage back to four-strokes … but it would be poetic justice if the Sachsenring brought the first (and possibly only) two-stroke victory of the season. And especially sweet if it came from the Proton team, which like MZ is a relatively small-scale independent challenge to the major factories.

One thing that adds hope is that this is one of rider Jeremy McWilliams’s best tracks, where he has claimed several good results – including his first GP rostrum, finishing second in the 250 class in 1998, and third on the 500cc Aprilia lightweight in 2000.

After this race, the GP circus breaks up for the summer break, resuming racing at the end of August at the Czech Republic GP at Brno … another track with faster corners where the KR3 has the opportunity to excel.

Jeremy McWilliams – A Track To Remember
“This is where I got my first rostrum finish – on a 250 in 1998, and again on a lightweight 500 in 2000, so naturally I have good feelings about it. It’s a really physical circuit that seems to suit my style, and puts more emphasis on riding skill and bike handling than sheer horsepower. It’s one of the tracks we’ve been looking forward to, and the Proton KR3 should be good. But this year it’s really hard to make predictions with the new four-strokes. You just don’t know how they’ll go. If we are going to be able to give them a hard time, this should be one place where we can do it.”

Nobuatsu Aoki – Back To The Pocket-Bike Track
“I started racing on pocket-bikes in Japan, and this track reminds me of those circuits. I don’t much like it, especially on a 500cc GP bike. That’s my worry … just my personal dislike of the circuit. But I know the KR3 should be suitable, and I hope that will improve my feeling, and give me the chance to finish well up in the top ten again.”

From a press release issued by series organizers, with two questions left begging, 1. Are Nicky Hayden and Eric Bostrom Canadians? and, 2. Where does a guy who can’t figure out how to cross the U.S./Canadian border without getting in trouble get off saying anything about anybody?:

BORDER BATTLE SET TO GO

BOWMANVILLE, ON – Canada’s top motorcycle racing stars face off against some the best talent in the United States in this weekend’s Coors Light Canada vs. USA Match Races at Mosport International Raceway.

The event features the fourth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship as well as the fourth event in the Formula USA Lockhart Phillips Superbike series.

The Lockhart Phillips Superbike class will run a two-leg feature Saturday afternoon in conjunction with the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike national support category.

The Parts Canada Superbike class will run Sunday afternoon. Many of the visiting U.S. riders are expected to compete in that event as well.

Canadian and U.S. racers will also go head-to-head in a combined Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike race Sunday.

“It’s good for our Canadian series,” said Parts Canada Superbike points leader Jordan Szoke of Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki. “Americans know Canadians are the fastest riders. This will prove it.”

Szoke comes to Mosport gunning for his fourth consecutive Parts Canada Superbike win. No one has ever won four in a row in a single season.

The Brantford, ON rider leads the series standings with 206 points to the 138 of Canadian Kawasaki’s Owen Weichel. Kevin Lacombe of Orion Motorsports Honda is third with 123 points.

Szoke’s teammate Francis Martin leads the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike standings with 130 points to the 108 of Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki’s Clint McBain.
McBain is first in Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike with 150 points. He is followed by Lacombe on 133.

Millenium Suzuki’s Shawn Higbee leads the Lockhart Phillips Superbike standings with 72 points. Michael Barnes of Hooters Suzuki is second with 64.

Barnes leads the Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike rankings with 37 points.

Qualifying for the combined Lockhart Phillips Superbike and International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike event will take place Friday at 5:30 pm. Saturday’s action also includes qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike class, as well as the combined Pro Honda Oils 600 Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike division.

This weekend’s races will be televised on TSN Saturday, Aug. 10 and Saturday, Aug. 24. Start time for both shows is 11:30 am EDT. Action from Mosport will also be shown later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Marlboro will sponsor Marlboro Ducati’s MotoGP effort in 2003.

That’s the word from a Marlboro insider following the cigarette giant’s decision to end its association with Yamaha.

The source inside the company said Marlboro will move its funding to “a rider doing very well on a Ducati” for 2003, and that rider will specifically not be Ben Bostrom.

Which leads one to believe it could be Troy Bayliss on the MotoGP Ducati.