From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

SHAKEY HOPING FOR HISTORY AT HOME

After a five week break in the 2003 British Superbike Championship, MonsterMob Ducati rider Shane Byrne is eager to get back into race action as the series heads to the half way stage at Brands Hatch this weekend.

The Minster, Isle of Sheppey rider is hoping to continue his dominance having stamped his authority on the championship with eight wins out of the ten races held to date and with a brace of second places also for good measure ‘Shakey’ holds a massive 104 point advantage over nearest rival Michael Rutter (Ducati) going into revamped Kent circuit.

Seven of those wins have come in the last seven races including successive doubles at Thruxton, Oulton Park and in the last round at Knockhill and if the 26 year old can emulate another such feat, he will go into the record books as the only rider in the history of the championship to score four consecutive doubles in a season.

But despite his recent run, the local ace is under no illusions as to the task in hand, even though he can undoubtedly count on the support of thousands of his fans at his local track:

“Five weeks is a long time and I can’t wait to get back on my bike. Some of the other riders have been racing or testing since the last round but I’m confident we can get up to speed fairly quickly at Brands. I’m really looking forward to racing at my home circuit and hopefully I can give the fans something to cheer about” said Byrne.

Team mate Stuart Easton is also hoping for success at the circuit where he impressed at last season. The 18 year old Hawick rider won the corresponding Supersport race by over fourteen seconds last season and also posted a top ten placing in the World Supersport Championship round on the same track during 2002.

However, this season the young Scot has not had it all his own way and is desperate to get back to winning ways having taken just one victory all season aboard the 748cc MonsterMob Ducati but still lies second in the points table.

“I really need to win this weekend and hope that Karl Harris (series leader) drops some points so I can close the gap on him. We’ve suffered through various problems in the opening few races but when everything’s gone well, I’ve cleared off and I aim to do that again on Sunday” said the defending champion.

After masterminding a successful TT campaign for Ducati which saw them achieve a pair of rostrum places in the capable hands of John McGuinness, team owner Paul Bird is keen to carry on where the team left off at Knockhill in Scotland:

“Shakey knows we can’t rest on our laurels and he’ll be going all out to increase that championship lead this weekend. He’s under a lot of pressure to perform but he can handle that and if he keeps going the way he has been in recent weeks, there’ll be no stopping him. Stuart dominated here last year and he’s expecting another good result so hopefully we can come away with another hat-trick” said the Cumbrian businessman who promised at the start of the year that if both riders took their respective titles, the reward for the team would be an all-expenses paid trip to the Caribbean at the end of the season!

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Martin tops first qualifying in Misano heat

By Glenn Le Santo

Steve Martin took a surprise provisional pole at Misano in the first timed qualifying session ahead for round seven of the World Superbike championship.

The Australian has found it hard to make a mark in World Superbike racing on his Pirelli-shod DFX Ducati, struggling for grip on the development tires. But today Pirelli engineers provided him with a new tire to try, and it seems to have worked well for him.

“This is all new to me,” said Martin after the session, “but obviously I’m very happy to have press guys turn up at my garage for quotes for a change! Basically we’ve just tried a new compound, and importantly, a new carcass, and it worked really well!”

Although he’s doing well in qualifying, Martin admitted that things might not be quite so good for the race; “Everyone here will struggle on race tyres, and we’ve still got some work to do on our race set up.”

Pierfrancesco Chili took provisional second ahead of Regis Laconi. Ruben Xaus is the lone factory rider on the provisional front row. Runaway title leader Neil Hodgson languishes down in sixth, a strangely familiar position for him on a Friday, despite his brilliant form this season.

World Superbike championship
Round seven, San Marino (Circuit Santa Monica, Misano, Italy)
June 20-21-22

First timed qualifying, best lap times:

1. Steve Martin, AUS, Ducati, 1:35.276
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, ITA, Ducati, 1:35.290
3. Regis Laconi, ITA, Ducati, 1:35.365
4. Ruben Xaus, ESP, Ducati, 1:35.422
5. Lucio Pedercini, ITA, Ducati, 1:35.571
6. Neil Hodgson, GBR, Ducati, 1:35.781
7. James Toseland, GBR, Ducati, 1:36.022
8. Chris Walker, GBR, Ducati, 1:36.066
9. Mauro Sanchini, ITA, Kawasaki, 1:36.094
10. Gregorio Lavilla, ESP, Suzuki, 1:36.225


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

XAUS AND HODGSON (DUCATI FILA) FOURTH AND SIXTH AT SCORCHING MISANO – EIGHT DUCATIS LEAD THE FIELD

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Fila) set fourth quickest time today in first qualifying for the San Marino Round of the World Superbike Championship at a scorching hot Misano Adriatico circuit. The Spanish rider was two places ahead of team-mate and championship leader Neil Hodgson as eight Ducatis from six different teams filled the top eight positions on the provisional grid.

“That was not so bad, much better than Oschersleben and Silverstone for sure” commented Ruben, who was just one-tenth of a second away from provisional polesitter, the surprising Steve Martin (DFX Ducati). “It’s really hot out there and the new surface is not so ‘grippy’ so it’s sure to be a hard weekend. For me what is important is the race, not running quick tomorrow morning or even in Superpole. We did a lot of work today and I’ll be testing a lot more things tomorrow morning because I need to know the bike better and the only reference we have is from last year. The front is a lot better than this morning, but I still need to work a lot to get the right feeling”.

Hodgson was half-a-second away from the provisional pole time but was not too disappointed to be in sixth position after Friday qualifying.

“Everything feels pretty good” he declared, “and I’m consistent on race tyres which is important. Now it’s just a case of fine-tuning the 999 and getting the right gearing for this circuit because it’s a bit of a compromise really. Today has been better than usual, probably the best Friday I’ve had since Valencia, that’s how confident I am. I only ran on race tyres today, I’ve already chosen the front now I’m down to the rear selection. After the morning session I will have the final choice and then I’ll choose after the long-run in the afternoon. With this temperature the track feels greasy, but tomorrow morning I’m sure I can improve because it’ll be cooler and I’m not yet on the limit”.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Racer Woody Deatherage, who broke his back when he crashed and slid into a bare concrete wall at Road Atlanta last month, hopes to return to AMA Superbike racing at Mid-Ohio July 25-27.

Reached by phone on Friday, June 20, Deatherage said that his doctor had cleared him to start working out in a swimming pool and on a stationary bike, and that he had gotten a new frame and was rebuilding his racebike.

Deatherage said that he hopes to see safety improvements at various tracks hosting AMA Superbike races, including Mid-Ohio.

“We’re thinkin’ about comin’ back, and safety is a big thing,” said Deatherage. “Like at Mid-Ohio, I’d like to see them grind down the edges of the concrete patches, the lips that people are always losing the front end on. And that back section where you wheelie over the hill and they have all those trees back there, I’d like to see them rip all that stuff out and make the sand trap bigger. And take out that bridge abutment.

“Sometimes I try to talk to (AMA Pro Racing’s) Ron Barrick but he always gets so defensive about it. I’d like to be able to sit down with him and maybe some track owners and see what we can do to make things better. I’ll go to tracks, take a ride around the course with them, talk about some things that can be done to make it safer.”

Meanwhile, Deatherage’s friend Michael Sturdevant has made a $100 donation to the Roadracing World Action Fund for dirt track Airfence, stating that he made the donation to “convince Woody to go to Lima” to watch the upcoming AMA dirt track race.

“We have to get Woody out of the house,” said Sturdevant in an e-mail to Roadracingworld.com.

“Leverage” donations to the Action Fund are a great way to convince people to do things.

Total donations to the Roadracing World Action Fund for dirt track have reached $18,697. The Action Fund deployed Airfence soft barriers at the recent IMDA-promoted AMA Springfield Mile as part of an education program demonstrating the safety and economic advantages of using soft barriers at motorcycle races.

Readers who wish to encourage Woody Deatherage to go to Lima, or to comment on his planned return to Mid-Ohio and his hope to open a dialog with AMA Pro Racing and track owners on improving safety, can e-mail him at [email protected].

From a press release issued by Proforma:

STAR MOTORCYCLE SCHOOL TO AWARD FREE SCHOOL TO WERA 600 SUPERSTOCK NOVICE POINTS LEADER AT TALLADEGA

Round five of the 2003 WERA National Challenge Series will be held this weekend, June 20-22, at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway. One of the highlight races of the weekend has to be the STAR School 600 Superstock Novice event, where four riders are in contention to win a free day at a STAR Motorcycle School of their choice, which will be awarded to the class points leader following this round.

Riders Matt Lynn and Diego Rojas are currently tied for the points lead in the class, each with 57 points and identical results in the first four
rounds of the series. Adam Durham is a close second with 52 points, while Eddie Robinson, with 38 points, still has a mathematical chance of winning should the three riders ahead of him falter at this event.

In addition to its sponsorship of the WERA National Challenge Series 600 Superstock Novice class, STAR Motorcycle School will award a free school day to the points leader of the class at the mid-point of the season. The winner will be able to attend one of the upcoming STAR schools on the 2003 schedule with no tuition fees, and get one-on-one instruction from 2002 AMA Formula Xtreme champion Jason Pridmore and the rest of the STAR school staff.

“I’m not surprised that the points battle is this tight,” said Evelyne Clarke, president of WERA. “The 600 Superstock Novice class always has new up-and-coming riders that want to show what they can do. Having the STAR School involved is a great incentive for these guys, with an opportunity to attend a free school day and work on making their riding skills even better.”

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Larry Pegram’s shot at riding a spare 998RS for Ducati Austin at Brainerd was derailed by a tire problem, sources close to the situation say.

Specifically, sources said, Dunlop would not supply tires for Pegram, who finished on the podium in the second Superbike race at Road America two weeks ago using Michelin tires.

The fact that Pegram recently put it on the box on Michelins was one factor, and the other is that Dunlop’s racing budget is already stretched, the Goodyear-owned company holding a virtual monopoly on the AMA Superbike grid.

Ducati Austin team owner Terry Gregoricka declined to comment when asked about the situation.

Pegram is looking for a ride because Dream Team Ducati has imploded. “I’ll ride anything, Superstock, whatever,” said Pegram. “I just don’t want to go to Brainerd and stand around.”

Pegram said he has physical possession of the Dream Team Ducati truck, trailer, bikes and equipment at his home in Ohio and is seeking a lien toward contract payments he says the team owes him.

In related news, Pegram said that the team has not yet paid Mitch Hansen for the semi-trailer, which Dream Team Ducati took possession of last year. Pegram said that he bought the tractor himself, and has also not been reimbursed.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Insiders say that Ducati North America and Ducati Corse want to support a two-rider team in the AMA Superbike Series in 2004, providing the company is able to homologate the short-stroke 999R.

Ducati’s 2003 season with the Dream Team Ducati and Ducati Austin customer teams has been a disaster so far: Dream Team Ducati imploded after putting Larry Pegram on the podium at Road America, and Ducati Austin replaced podium-less Anthony Gobert with Italian Giovanni Bussei after Road America.

Pegram sought legal advice after Road America, saying he hadn’t been paid, and blamed the team’s financial problems on LLC partner DeVeaux Hill cutting off promised funding.

Meanwhile, Gobert declared Ducati Austin’s 998RS “unrideable” after parking it mid-race several times, while his crew repeatedly said that there was nothing wrong with the motorcycle.

One Gobert associate said after Road America that “Valentino Rossi would finish fourth or fifth on that bike, it’s so badly prepared.”

From a press release issued by Ducati:

DUCATI 999R FILA

200 victories in the World Superbike Championship

200 999R FILA: a winning emotion

Misano Adriatico, June 20th 2003 – Ducati introduces today at the Santamonica racetrack the limited-edition Ducati 999R FILA to celebrate 200 wins in the World Superbike Championship. Only 200 units of the new bike in the official livery of Team Ducati Fila 2003 will be available.

Top level components, sophisticated aerodynamics and a winning tradition, the 999R FILA offers all “ducatisti” the chance to experience the same emotions as the Ducati factory riders on the track.

The F03 racing Superbike was in fact designed simultaneously with the 999R road version, thus guaranteeing the right characteristics to turn a high-performance machine into a race bike.

200 Ducati wins have been reached in 16 years of racing in the World Superbike Championship, and the current leader of the series Neil Hodgson is one of 18 riders to have won riding a twin-cylinder from Borgo Panigale. The 200th win for Ducati was achieved by the British rider on May 18, 2003 on the Monza circuit with the Ducati 999F03, while the 100th Ducati victory went to Carl Fogarty in Austria in 1995. After achieving this prestigious goal there were even more wins to come: the Ducati 999 won again at Oschersleben in Germany two weeks later, allowing Hodgson to equal the record of 9 World Superbike wins in a row.

The 999R FILA, available in exactly the same colours as the Ducati 999F03 that races in the World Superbike Championship, and the Fila-Ducati clothing collections reflect the great sporting tradition and “made in Italy” spirit shared by the two companies.

---

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Specifications:

Sporting the same graphics as the Team Ducati-Fila 999 F03 bikes, the new Ducati 999R FILA becomes even more stylish and aggressive.

The 999R FILA powered by the 139 HP 999cc Testastretta (with 104 mm bore instead of the 100 mm bore of the 999 and 999S models) features:

* Forged racing wheels: straight from Ducati Corse, they have a much better stiffness/weight ratio

* Radial brake pump and callipers for higher rigidity between the calliper and its mounting point. This improves the general efficiency of the braking system.

* Fully adjustable Titanium nitride coated (Tin) upside-down Ohlins fork with radial calliper mounting. Allows the rider to adjust the suspension to suit individual riding styles or road conditions. The titanium-nitride stanchion treatment (as used in racing forks) minimises friction and improves overall suspension efficiency. Truly the best for racing performances.

* Headlight assembly in magnesium alloy, a racing material used to make the overall bike lighter

* Fairing entirely made from carbon fiber, a light, strong material which reduces the overall weight and gives the bike a unique racing look.

* Red frame

* Black rear frame

* Personalised graphics

* Two-colour wheels (front: red, rear: blue).

The bike comes with a Racing Kit including:

* a cat-free race exhaust system, using a special 102 Db no-cat exhaust mono-silencer and a front cylinder no-cat exhaust middle section. The overall exhaust is 3 kg lighter than the standard system. With a specially remapped CPU (included) the bike will achieve a higher power output.

* rear stand

* bike cover

All the bikes built for the European and world markets, complete with numbered plates and authenticity certificates, can be booked at your local Ducati Store or Ducati Dealer.

HODGSON TAKES DUCATI’S 200th WIN
Ducati’s 200 wins come in 16 years of World Superbike racing and Neil is one of 18 riders to win on a twin-cylinder machine from the Borgo Panigale factory. Carl Fogarty scored Ducati’s 100th win in Austria in 1995 with a Ducati 916 bearing the #1 in honour of his championship win the previous year, while fellow Brit Hodgson has now taken Ducati’s 200th win at Monza with the #100 plate.

The full list with number of wins is as follows:
Carl Fogarty (GB) 55
Doug Polen (USA) 26
Raymond Roche (FRA) 23
Troy Bayliss (AUS) 22
Troy Corser (AUS) 16
Giancarlo Falappa (ITA) 13
Pierfrancesco Chili (ITA) 11
Neil Hodgson (GB) 10
Ben Bostrom (USA) 7
John Kocinski (USA) 5
Ruben Xaus (ESP) 2
Mauro Lucchiari (ITA) 2
Marco Lucchinelli (ITA) 2
Stephane Mertens (B) 2
James Whitham (GB) 1
Andreas Meklau (A) 1
Anthony Gobert (AUS) 1
John Reynolds (GB) 1

The wins have been achieved in the following years:
1988 – 2
1989 – 5
1990 – 9
1991 – 23
1992 – 20
1993 – 19
1994 – 12
1995 – 20
1996 – 14
1997 – 9
1998 – 10
1999 – 16
2000 – 5
2001 – 15
2002 – 14
2003 – 7 (until Monza race 1)

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Anthony Gobert, Doug Chandler and Larry Pegram will participate in a multiple-rider test at Road America, June 23 and 24, to try for a spot on one of HMC KTM’s two AMA Supermoto teams, according to HMC owner Mitch Hansen.

When Roadracingworld.com reached Hansen by phone on Friday, June 20, he was unsure if current HMC rider Scott Russell will continue due to still-pending insurance issues, which Hansen said he previously thought had been resolved.

Russell received a disability insurance settlement when he retired from road racing with severe injuries.

According to Hansen, the upcoming test will also feature current KTM dirt trackers Kenny Coolbeth and Joe Kopp, as well as up-and-coming young riders Chris Filmore and Ben Carlson, along with a couple other riders invited by KTM, whose names Hansen did not yet know.

The riders will be trying out for a spot on what Hansen called HMC KTM Team One and Team Two, with each team fielding five riders. Hansen also said that all 10 spots may not be permanent and there would be some “musical chairs” going on with guest riders sent from the KTM World Team.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

American Honda’s Ben Bostrom is disappointed that the team doesn’t plan to participate in the World Superbike races at Laguna Seca Raceway July 10-13.

“I don’t really have much to say about it except that I’m a rider, and I just want to ride,” said Bostrom Thursday from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. “It’s not my decision, but I hope they change their mind. I think it would be great for the sport.”

Bostrom said that he partly understands American Honda’s marketing reasons for not running the World Superbike races, “But I can see the other side of it, too, where it’s just a Honda in general. I think, right now, we have such a good chance of winning.

“It’s starting to get better on the bike. Even though it looked like a disaster there at Road America, believe it or not we learned quite a bit, and we were actually pretty fast. We just did terrible, maybe made a couple of bad decisions on tires and things, but I know by the time we get to Laguna we should be in it.

“With the way the AMA’s going and World Superbike, the (AMA) boys are on pace. It would be neat to see the AMA guys sweep the podium.”

Asked about the possibility of riding in the AMA Supersport race at Laguna Seca, Bostrom laughed as he said, “It’s not quite the same. One, you’re riding in a World event. The other, you’re riding in Supersport. It’s not the same.

“I would definitely ride the bike. I’m there to support Honda. The CBR600RR is a great little bike, but honestly, I would like to ride World Superbike, also.”

Bostrom has started the last 10 World Superbike races at Laguna Seca, winning three, and has finished on the podium a total of six times with a worst finish of eighth.

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts has never run the World Superbike races at Laguna Seca but is more concerned about his AMA Superbike Championship position.

“I want to do whatever they want to do, as far as the team, and whatever is going to keep them happy,” said Roberts. “We have a Championship run to concentrate on. If that’s throwing too much stuff into the mix, then that’s fine with me. I didn’t sign a contract with them to do World Superbike. I signed it to do the AMA Superbike.

“I had already talked to them a little bit about it prior, especially to my Crew Chief (David McGrath) and whatnot. And that’s their decision. I could care less, really.”

American Honda’s Miguel Duhamel could not be reached for comment at post time.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Chris Rankin will ride the Supersport-class Annandale Honda–left vacant by injured rider Ty Howard–at Brainerd International Raceway June 27-29 and Laguna Seca Raceway July 10-13.

Howard fractured his hip and suffered a deeply abraded arm, both of which required surgery, in a crash during the AMA Formula Xtreme race at Pikes Peak International Raceway May 31.

Rankin, a 30-year-old racer from Bastrop, Texas, was already a member of the Annandale Honda team, working as Howard’s Formula Xtreme mechanic.

“We’re real excited about Chris,” said Annandale Honda Team Manager Anna Johnston. “He was kind of like a natural fit, because he was already on our team. So he knew us, he’s from the area and he’s traveling with us anyway. Also we’re excited about it because he’s a really talented rider. He’s ridden on Ty’s big bike here (at the MotorSport Ranch in Cresson, Texas) a few times and was running really good lap times and was competent on the bike.

“This last weekend Chris went out on the CBR600RR for the first time. He went down to Texas World Speedway and participated in a few (CMRA/CCS) sprints there and a GTU race. He won the GTU race and got three seconds and a third (finishes) in the sprints he was in, and he was starting from the back of the grid. He said he loves the bike and loves the Michelin tires. I don’t know the official 600cc lap record, but I’m told it’s a low-1:45. And he did some 1:45.6s.”

Howard, who expects to return to action at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course July 25-27, not only approved of his replacement, he actually recommended Rankin.

“It was something I had in mind,” said Johnston, “but when I went to see Ty in the emergency room in Colorado Springs, one of the first things he said was, ‘Hey, I think Chris Rankin should fill in for me while I’m out.'”