From a press release issued by Troy Bayliss’ publicist:

Round 9, 2002 Superbike World Championship
Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California, USA
Event preview

BAYLISS ANTICIPATES HOT RECEPTION AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey, California, USA (Monday, July 8) – The Superbike World Championship moves out of Europe and on to America this weekend, with Laguna Seca Raceway in California playing host to round nine of the championship on Sunday, July 14.

As is the case for every circuit that he races at, defending World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss sees the Laguna Seca circuit as another challenge. He may have won 13 of the 16 races held to date this season, but he never underestimates the performance of the local riders, especially when he heads to America.

He may not have won there in his previous two visits to the Californian circuit, but it was there that he scored his first ever SWC Superpole pole position on his first visit in 2000. Last year he finished fourth in each race, while Ducati teammate Ben Bostrom won both races in front of his home crowd. Bayliss expects the competition will be equally tough this time round, but will be pushing his Infostrada Ducati 998F-02 to its limit as he does every time that he takes to the track.

“I’m looking forward to going to the U.S. this weekend,” said Bayliss. “The weather should be nice and I just like the place. Laguna Seca is renown as a Dunlop track, so I guess it’s time for a change and put the Michelins on top. Things are going well for us this year, so I can’t see why we can’t run near the front at Laguna this weekend.”

Heading to America, Bayliss again sees arch rival Colin Edwards as not only his main threat during the weekends two 28-lap SWC races, but also stronger threat in his quest for winning a second consecutive SWC crown.

“I’d like to get a couple of wins there, but more importantly I’d like to finish a couple of places ahead of Colin (Edwards). From a championship point of view it would be nice to get a few guys between us so I can extend the gap between us on the points table that little bit further. But, as has been the case all year, I expect Colin to be there near the front as usual. Other than picking up two wins, the next best result would be to come away with an extended points lead over Colin.”

Laguna Seca always brings out the best in the wild card entrants. This year that list will be headed by the top two riders in this years American Superbike Championship, Nicky Hayden and Eric Bostrom. Further adding to the Australian presence in this years championship, two more Aussies in the form of three times American Superbike champion Mat Mladin and Anthony Gobert who are racing in America and are listed as wild card riders for the event. They will join Bayliss and fellow SWC regulars Steve Martin, Broc Parkes and Peter Goddard in a strong line up of Australian contenders.

“I think that there could be about six or seven guys going well there. I think aside from Colin, Ben (Bostrom) and Neil (Hodgson), there will be a number of wild card riders such as Nicky Hayden, Mat Mladin and Miguel DuHamel and Eric Bostrom who will be hard to beat. Laguna is one of the hardest places to win at because of the competitiveness of the local riders. It’s just like going to Sugo (Japan) or any of the rounds in England. It’s just going to be really hard and we have to come away with the best possible results to keep the momentum going in the championship.”

With eight rounds of this year’s championship completed, Bayliss heads to the American round with a total of 360 championship points, forty-nine clear of Edwards, with the pair well clear of third placed Neil Hodgson who has a total of 194.


LAGUNA SECA RACEWAY, SWC FAST FACTS

Circuit Length: 3.610km

2001 Superpole: Ben Bostrom (L&M Ducati) 1:25.705

Lap record: Anthony Gobert (Vance & Hines Ducati) 1:25.185 (1999)


2001 Race Results:

Race 1 / 28 laps
1. Ben Bostrom (L&M Ducati)

2. Neil Hodgson (GSE Ducati)

3. Troy Corser (Aprilia)

4. Troy Bayliss (Infostrada Ducati)


Race 2 / 28 laps
1. Ben Bostrom (L&M Ducati)

2. Troy Corser (Aprilia)

3. Neil Hodgson (GSE Ducati)

4. Troy Bayliss (Infostrada Ducati)



2002 World Superbike championship points (after 8 of 13 rounds):
1. T Bayliss 360; 2. C Edwards 311; 3. N Hodgson 194; 4. N Haga 182; 5. B Bostrom 165; 6. R Xaus 152; 7. J Toseland 107; 8. C Walker 97; 9. G Lavilla 84; 10. P Chili 77.

From a press release:

British Grand Prix, Donington Park
July 12/13/14 2002

HISTORY AWAITS AT DONINGTON PARK

History is ready to be made at Donington Park this weekend, because no mainland British GP has ever been won by a four-stroke. This year’s new-look MotoGP World Championship has been dominated by four-stroke machines and that domination is set to continue on Sunday, when Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 riders Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi aim to defeat World Championship leader Valentino Rossi (Honda) and the rest of the pack.

During GP racing’s first four-stroke era – from the inaugural World Championship season in 1949 to the mid-seventies – Britain’s world round was staged on the notorious Isle of Man street circuit. By the time the Island was deemed too dangerous for GP competition – the British GP moved to a mainland purpose-built track in 1977 – two-strokes had gained the performance edge.

Now, thanks to a change in technical regulations, four-strokes are back with a vengeance, and the lure of the four-stroke roar is bringing fans back to Donington in their droves. By last week more than 25,000 advance tickets had been sold by the Leicestershire venue, a dramatic turnaround from 2000, when the British GP attracted a total of 18,000 race-day spectators.

Race fans won’t be disappointed by the new breed of 200mph/322kmh four-strokes. These bikes sound as fast as they go – Yamaha’s M1 emitting a spine-chilling 14,000rpm scream, adding a great aural contrast to Honda’s growling RCV, Suzuki’s rumbling GSV-R and Aprilia’s booming Cube. But, of course, there’s still a bunch of 500 two-strokes out there, and the lighter 500s could go particularly well at Donington, where light weight and ease of handling is crucial for good lap times.

There’s no rest for the MotoGP circus after Donington, halfway point in this year’s GP series. The paddock packs up on Sunday night and heads to the Sachsenring in the former East Germany for next weekend’s German GP. After the ‘Ring, the sport has its summer recess, reconvening for the Czech GP on August 25.

MORE NEW PARTS FOR IMPROVING M1
Last month at Catalunya, Marlboro Yamaha Team man Max Biaggi scored the YZR-M1’s first pole position, proving that the inline four is getting faster and faster. And either Biaggi or team-mate Carlos Checa have been on the podium at each of the last four GPs, illustrating that the machine is also achieving consistent results.

“We’ve scored podium finishes at the last four races, which proves that our situation has really improved,” says team director Davide Brivio. “In fact, we’ve been on the podium at all but two of this year’s GPs, but I think our performance is much more consistent now than earlier in the season. We’ve had a good base set-up since we first used the new chassis at Mugello last month, now we’re making smaller improvements every race, but we must keep working to make the final step towards winning races. We have more new engine parts for Donington, so we hope these will help our riders go even quicker.”

During recent races the M1 has benefited from new camshafts, for extra performance, and new crankcases, for reduced oil-flow turbulence. This weekend Checa and Biaggi will have new crankshafts for increased acceleration.

“Over the last few races we’ve had many new internal parts which have all worked very well to increase engine performance,” says M1 project leader Ichiro Yoda. “The new crankshafts should improve acceleration, which is one aspect of performance that needed improvement and is especially important at Donington, where you need good low-gear acceleration from the last three corners.

“If we keep proceeding in the correct way, we know we can battle for victory with Rossi. Already, Carlos’ pace at the end of the Assen race wasn’t so far off Rossi’s, so we’re very confident about the next few races.

“Compromise is very important at Donington because the track has two parts with big contrast. You need good braking stability for the slow corners and good high-speed turning for the fast corners. You also need a bike that works well downhill, for the important Craner section, and our bike seems very good in downhill sections.”


HOME-BOY CHECA HAS BIG HOPES FOR DONINGTON
Donington is a memorable racetrack for Carlos Checa, some of those memories good, some bad. Back in 1996 the Spaniard made his premier-class GP debut at the track, subbing for injured Honda rider Alberto Puig (now mentor to 125 teen ace Danny Pedrosa). Checa ran well in his 500 GP debut until he was knocked down by a rival. Two years later, however, he had a big tumble through the 125mph/200kmh Craner Curves, suffering internal injuries that required the removal of his spleen. After a couple of steady years getting back on terms with the track, Checa scored a strong fifth-place finish last July.

This weekend the Marlboro Yamaha Team man hopes for much more from Donington, especially since this is yet another ‘home’ GP for him. Checa contests three GPs in Spain but Britain is now his official base. Away from the tracks Checa is a lover of the quiet life and the great outdoors, which is why he now lives in Yorkshire, where he can walk down the street without being mobbed by fans and enjoy trekking on the nearby North Yorkshire moors.

Third at the last two races, at Catalunya and Assen, Checa has shown that he is gaining pace and confidence on his YZR-M1, following a luckless run at the Spanish, French and Italian GPs. And he’s having big fun on the user-friendly 200 horsepower four.

“I’m having more fun on the four-stroke because Yamaha are so involved with this project,” he says. “The bike is great to ride too – the new chassis suits my style and the power is much more progressive than it used to be with my old 500. I can feel the limit with this bike, so I can push hard all the time, which is why I’m now running consistently fast.

“I think we can have a good weekend at Donington, but it won’t be easy. The circuit is quite strange, with two very different parts. The first, from Redgate to the back straight, is fast and flowing, but the last part is stop and go, which isn’t so much fun. It could be an interesting battle between the four-strokes and two-strokes, because the 500s are lighter, which gives them good high-speed turning for the fast part and makes them easier to stop for the hairpins. But the four-strokes have more grip at full lean, which is very important at Donington because the circuit isn’t so grippy, especially if the weather’s cold.”


BIAGGI LOVES DONINGTON’S CONTRASTS
Second in last year’s final 500 World Championship and second in the 2001 British GP, Max Biaggi comes to Donington this week aiming for his first victory of the new four-stroke MotoGP era. Last month at Catalunya the Marlboro Yamaha Team star scored his first pole position on the YZR-M1, but poor luck on race day, and again at Assen two weeks ago, has so far prevented him from turning his qualifying speed into race-day success.

Biaggi finished fourth at Catalunya and at Assen, poor rewards for his super-determined riding, and he’s aiming to get back up front at Donington, where he won the 1995 and ’96 British 250 GPs.

“I like the track a lot,” says Biaggi, whose best result of 2002 is a close-run second-place finish at June’s Italian GP. “There’s a lot of contrast in the various corners, which makes it fun, interesting and challenging. First of all, you have some very fast corners, then you have very hard braking for the last three turns. Also, there’s a lot of gradient changes, uphill through McLeans and Coppice, and downhill through Craner, which is a very critical corner. You need the best-possible chassis set-up and tyre choice for that section. Also, Donington isn’t very grippy. Some people say that’s because of planes dropping fuel as they fly over the track from East Midlands airport, but I’m not sure why.

From a press release issued by Michelin:

The Colin and Troy show

Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda-Michelin) plays at home this weekend as the World Superbike show comes to America’s Laguna Seca. But this year, the whole championship has come down to a straight duel between Edwards and championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada-Michelin). Edwards has been on particularly consistent form scoring 15 podiums in a row (his worst result this year is 4th!). But Bayliss is the undisputed king of the series so far. The 2001 World Champion has won an incredible 13 times this year and holds a 49 point advantage on Edwards in the current standings. Both men tower over the rest of the field, with third placed rider Neil Hodgson a numbing 166 points down on Bayliss.

The 2002 season still has ten races left and Bayliss is right on target to beat American Doug Polen’s win record (17 wins in 1991 on a Ducati). Bayliss is already up there with another World Superbike legend, Briton Carl Fogarty (Ducati-Michelin) who took 13 wins in 1995.

The two championship leaders’ current form is also a reflection of the high performance of their Michelin tires. Since the World Superbike championship’s birth in 1988, Michelin has won 239 races (out of 353) and 9 out of 13 world titles.

This year alone, Michelin has won 15 of the 16 races run so far. Michelin riders have taken all three podium positions 7 times and 35 of this year’s 48 podium finishers were Michelin men.

Interview Colin Edward:
Q: Colin, how do you feel about going to Laguna Seca?
A: “I am excited about it. I mean this is probably the only year going to Laguna where I am confident about winning. It has always seemed to be a struggle. You show up and there is a lot of family and friends, you have to catch up with a lot of people you have not seen in years. It’s tough. A lot of that going on is tough. This year the bike is working great, tires are working awesome, so I am excited.”

Q: This season, you’ve been on the podium 15 times in 16 races. Did you expect the fight for the Championship lead to be so hard?
A: “I knew it was not going to be easy. It’s tough every weekend. Since I have been in World Superbike, the saying has been that if you can beat the fastest Ducati, you can win the Championship. And there always seems to be a fast one. It can be Fogarty or Bostrom or Bayliss or whoever it is, if you can beat the fastest one, you can win the Championship. So we keep pushing like we are doing.”

Q: Did you expect this kind of situation, with the championship dominated by two riders, you and Troy?
A: “No. I actually expected a lot more from Xaus, Haga, Bostrom and Hodgson. But I think to be honest, Michelin tire development has gone miles ahead of Dunlop. I think we have an advantage now. I’m sure we have an advantage, no question. At the beginning of the year, I thought it would be the six of us always together. You win some, you lose some. But it turned out to be quite different.”

Q: Last year at Sugo the Michelins did not work so well. This year they won, thanks to you. Could this also happen at Laguna Seca?
A: “I am certain that it can. There is no question of ‘maybe’ or ‘I hope so’, it’s definitely going to be much better. I mean the development that Michelin has done makes the tires work everywhere. For instance, in Germany at Lausitz, on the first lap and the last lap the tire was exactly the same, there was no drop off in performance. When you have a tire like that, it makes it a lot easier. It will be good for Laguna, no question.”


Laguna Seca and tires

“Laguna is a hard place for us because we don’t go there very often,” says Nicolas Goubert, Michelin’s motorcycling competitions chief. “This year, we’re racing in the AMA Superbike championship with Pascal Picotte but we didn’t do the winter tests because we only started working with Pascal after Daytona. So we haven’t worked with Superbikes at Laguna since last year’s World Championship event. But we know that we’ve made a great deal of progress since then. Our front tires have improved a lot and that’s important in the Corkscrew. Plus, when you’re working with riders like Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards, you know success is never far away.”


Troy Bayliss: “I never had so much success here. I like the circuit, it’s a great circuit, but it just hasn’t been kind to me yet, even if I had my first pole position here in World Superbikes. I’m looking forward to improving on what we did here last year.”

Colin Edwards : “I like the track. It’s a bit hectic when you get a lot of people here, like old racing friends, when you’re trying to catch up, and a lot of pressure being one of the two Americans. But it’s definitely a good track. I don’t think Michelin has ever been the best here, but this year we are starting fresh.”

Ruben Xaus: “It’s a very interesting circuit but the local riders have a lot of experience here. The American championship is a really good series. Colin Edwards, Troy Bayliss and Noriyuki Haga have more experience than me here. I rode here for the first time last year. The Dunlop guys know this track well but I also know that Michelin has worked very hard. Laguna Seca is very technical and I expect to be in the top five here.”

Laguna Seca Raceway was built in 1957 by SCRAMP, acronym for the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula. A very difficult circuit, this track is a real challenge for tire manufacturers. Laguna Seca has many types of corners, very slow ones like Turn 2, an 80 kph left hander, and much faster ones. The section after the infamous Corkscrew is special because it’s all downhill. Laguna Seca is a hilly circuit with a maximum downhill slope of 30%. In 1988, the length of the track was increased from 2.9km to 3.6km (1.9 miles to 2.2 miles) to ensure world championship homologation. Laguna Seca hosted GPs from 1988 to 1994 and has been a World Superbike venue since 1995.

For Michelin, part of the challenge at Laguna Seca is the local knowledge other manufacturers enjoy there and the number of riders using other brands of tires. Most of the top American superbike teams use Dunlop products (Dunlop is part of the American Goodyear group). Dunlop riders clock many more test miles in America than do the Michelin men and also have the advantage of racing at Laguna Seca during the American Superbike round held there. With a limited number of riders using Michelin tires in America, development is not as brisk as it could be.

Laguna Seca is in California, 185 km south of San Francisco and 480 km north of Los Angeles. It’s about 15 km east of Monterey, near Carmel and Pebble Beach.

Laguna Seca stats

Official practice record (2001)
1:25.248 Ben Bostrom (Ducati), 152.449 kph average speed

Superpole record (2001)
1:25.705 Ben Bostrom (Ducati), 151.636 kph average speed


Lap record (fastest race lap 1999)
1:25.185 Anthony Gobert (Vance & Hines Ducati), 152.560 kph average speed

From an AMA press release:

AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship
Presented by Parts Unlimited

Honda International Superbike Classic Schedule of Events

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca July 11-14, 2002

Wednesday, July 10th
Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests (in paddock at race information), 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Tech Inspection: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM


Thursday, July 11th

Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests (in paddock, race information), 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Tech Inspection: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Practice (in the following order): 8:30 AM – 11:50 PM
1. Buell Pro Thunder
2. Chevy Trucks Superbike
3. Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme
4. Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport

Lunch Break/FIM Track/Medical Inspection, 11:50 AM – 12:50 PM

Mandatory Rider Briefing for All Classes, 12:10 PM

Buell Pro Thunder Qualifying, 12:50 PM – 1:40 PM

Chevy Trucks Superbike Qualifying, 1:50 PM – 2:50 PM

Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Qualifying, 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM

Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Qualifying, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM



Friday, July 12th

Registration: Riders, Crew, Sponsors & Guests (Embassy Suites, Seaside), 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Tech Inspection, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Practice (in the following order): 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
1. Buell Pro Thunder
2. Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport
3. Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock

FIM Track/Medical Inspection, 10:00 AM

WSBK Practice, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Lunch Break, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Pro Honda Oils U.S. Supersport Final (60k – 17 laps), 12:30 PM

MBNA 250 Grand Prix Practice, 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM

WSBK Qualifying, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM

Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Qualifying, 3:20 PM – 4:10 PM

Buell Pro Thunder Final (60k – 17 laps), 4:30 PM



Saturday, July 13th

Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests (Embassy Suites, Seaside), 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Tech Inspection, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

MBNA 250 Grand Prix Practice, 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Chevy Trucks Superbike Practice, 9:10 AM – 9:50 AM

Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Practice, 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM

FIM Track/Medical Inspection, 10:40 AM

WSBK Qualifying, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Lunch Break, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM

Stunt Show (Front Straight), 12:00 PM – 12:15 PM

FINAL EVENTS (in the following order)

Chevy Trucks Superbike (100k – 28 laps), 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme (60k – 17 laps), 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

WSBK Practice, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM

WSBK Superpole, 4:00 PM

MBNA 250 Grand Prix Qualifying, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM



Sunday, July 14th

Registration: Crew, Sponsors & Guests (Embassy Suites, Seaside), 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Tech Inspection Opens, 8:30 AM

MBNA 250 Grand Prix Practice, 8:40 AM – 9:00 AM

FIM Track/Medical Inspection, 9:05 AM

WSBK Warm-up, 9:20 AM – 9:40 AM

Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Practice, 9:50 AM – 10:20 AM

Fan Ride/Keith Code Lap, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Stunt Show (Front Straight), 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM

WSBK Race #1(100.856k – 28 laps), 12:00 PM

Lunch Break/Stunt Show (Turn 4), 12:50 PM – 1:30 PM

Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Race (60k – 17 laps), 1:30 PM

MBNA 250 Grand Prix (60k – 17 laps), 2:20 PM – 3:00 PM

WSBK Race #2 (100.856k – 28 laps), 3:30 PM

Stunt Show (Front Straight), 4:30 PM

From a press release issued by Suzuki’s press service:

Spa 24 hours. Belgium.
July 6/7 2002.

Suzuki’s World Champion SERT Team won the non-championship Spa 24 hour race today ahead of the Junior Team LMS and the UK based QB Phase One team. All three podium machines were Suzuki GSX-R1000s.

RRW, Here are the specials we are running for the following events. We will not be holding any racing events through the balance of this year’s schedule. Please post on website.



Larry Pointer

Fastrack Riders Assoc.

877-560-2233



July 12th, 13th, & 14th:
California Speedway Infield Course for only $125 per day, per rider. (Normally $215)

New Riders Safety Orientation School only $50 (Normally $100)

There will be no races that weekend, just three track days to improve your riding skills in a safe environment.

Wide screen TV to watch races @ Laguna Seca on Speed Channel.

FREE GARAGES FOR EVERYONE!



August 2nd, 3rd, & 4th
California Speedway AMA Course for only $175 per day, per rider (Normally this is $245)

New Riders Safety Orientation School only $75(Normally $100)

Lunch provided for all riders!

New Riders Safety Orientation School is mandatory if you have never attended a FASTRACK RIDERS event before!

REGISTER ON LINE: www.fastrackriders.com

From a press release issued by Monstermob Ducati:

MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM

Round 8 – 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship, Knockhill
Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th July 2002
Race Report

High Drama for Hizzy at Knockhill

MonsterMob Ducati rider Steve Hislop left his native Knockhill with his 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship lead still intact despite another dose of high drama at round eight of the thirteen round series.

The Hawick born rider won a thrilling race one ahead of the Ducatis of Michael Rutter and Sean Emmett to increase his lead to 18 points at the head of the series but it was in the second race that the drama unfolded.

Leading going into the final hairpin Hislop turned into the corner only to be upended as title rival Michael Rutter cannoned into the rear of Hizzy depositing them both in the gravel.

Hislop managed to extract himself and claimed seventh at the flag but with Emmett finishing third, the Isle of Man based rider’s lead was reduced to 11 points.

“I lost some time on the final lap with the backmarkers but I knew if I held a tight line at the hairpin, I had the win. The next I knew, Michael hit me from the rear and I was rolling through the gravel” said Hislop who, in a show of true sportsmanship, gave Rutter a lift back to the paddock. Hislop was then checked over by the medics who revealed he had a suspected crack in his right collarbone but the championship leader has vowed to be back in the next round at Thruxton in five weeks time.

Supersport team mate Stuart Easton suffered a weekend of frustration after a crash in qualifying saw him start from row seven on his Monstermob 748.

The 17-year-old from Hawick was up inside the points when he slid off on lap seven and with title rival Scott Smart winning, Easton’s lead has been reduced to 29 points.

“I’m still leading the series and that’s the important thing but I need to get back to winning ways at Thruxton. This weekend’s been a disaster.”

Team owner Paul Bird was left ruing what might have been:

“We should have been leaving here with a 32 point increased lead in the Superbikes but as it is, we’ve had it reduced to just 11. People say it’s a racing incident but I’m not feeling that charitable at the moment” said the Penrith businessman.

Race One Result
1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 26m59.545s, 2. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 27m01.955s, 3. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 27m03.054s, 4. Paul Brown (Ducati) 27m04.225s, 5. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 27m06.187s, 6. Simon Crafar (Yamaha) 27m07.152s, 7. David Jefferies (Suzuki) 27m13.043s, 8. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 27m13.134s, 9. Paul Jones (Yamaha) 27m19.888s, 10. Dean Ellison (Ducati) 27m21.353s.

Race Two Result
1. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 25m21.236s, 2. Paul Brown (Ducati) 25m28.997s, 3. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 25m29.560s, 4. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 25m29.845s, 5. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 25m30.112s, 6. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 25m35.455s, 7. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 25m37.771s, 8. Dean Thomas (Ducati) 25m41.375s, 9. Simon Crafar (Yamaha) 25m44.662s, 10. Dean Ellison (Ducati) 25m55.926s.

Supersport Result
1. Scott Smart (Honda) 23m10.528s, 2. Michael Laverty (Honda) 23m12.079s, 3. Craig McLelland (Suzuki) 23m12.929s, 4. Callum Ramsay (Suzuki) 23m15.766s, 5. Ben Wilson (Honda) 23m34.202s, 6. Torquil Paterson (Suzuki) 23m36.572s, 7. Les Shand (Honda) 23m36.706s, 8. Douglas Cowie (Kawasaki) 23m37.162s, 9. Mark Davies (Kawasaki) 23m39.700s, 10. Chris Bishop (Honda) 23m41.174s.

MCN British Superbike Championship Standings
1. Steve Hislop (280pts), 2. Sean Emmett (269pts), 3. Michael Rutter (228.5pts), 4. John Reynolds (177.5pts), 5. Shane Byrne (166.5pts), 6. Paul Brown (159.5pts), 7. Steve Plater (158pts), 8. Simon Crafar (111pts), 9. Glen Richards (102.5pts), 10. Dean Ellison (90.5pts)

MB4U.com Supersport Championship Standings
1. Stuart Easton (170pts), 2. Scott Smart (141pts), 3. Tom Tunstall (80pts), 4. Pete Jennings (77pts), 5. Jeremy Goodall (73pts), 6. Ben Wilson (62pts), 7. Simon Andrews (60pts), 8. Michael Laverty (54pts), 9. Chris Bishop (52pts), 10. Jim Moodie (45pts)



From a press release issued by Scott Smart:

KENT-based national supersport racer Scott Smart has taken his second win of the year at Knockhill this afternoon despite starting from 12th place on the grid and has moved to within 29 points of series leader Stuart Easton.

The 26-year-old, from Wateringbury, had an average time during qualifying as conditions were either wet or damp across Friday and Saturday, and there were a lot of Knockhill “specialists” in the field. However, Smart managed to get his Norwood Adam-backed Honda into the midfield and was looking forward to a good race.

“I got quite a good start and managed to make up about eight places on the first lap,” said Smart. “After that, it was a case of plugging away, putting in good lap times to catch the guys in front. I had quite a good battle with Callum (Ramsay) for a couple of laps. I managed to get by him, and then it was a case of chasing down Laverty for the lead.

“It wasn’t easy though, as I thought at one point I had oil on my tyre as it was getting a bit squirrely, but the Pirellis held up well and I was able to get by Michael after I ran into one turn too hot, he went wide and I didn’t look back.

“After that I just took it steady, kept to a good lap pace and pulled away.”

Team manager “Tiny” Tony Weaver was heard to say: “Yesssssss” just for a change.

Smart is now looking forward to mixing it with the big boys at Brands Hatch on July 28. He has a wildcard entry and is looking forward to dicing with the best in the world.

“I think we can do well at Brands, it’s my home circuit, we’ve got some good settings and some good tyres so I’m really looking forward to a good dust up.”


Race result:
1. Scott SMART, Honda, Norwood Adam Honda, 23:10.50

2. Michael LAVERTY, Honda, Millar Racing, 23:12.079

3. Craig McLELLAND, Suzuki, Swona/McLelland Racing 23:12.929

4. Callum RAMSAY, Suzuki, Team Vitrans/CR Racing, 23:15.766

5. Ben WILSON, Honda, Dave Seidel Racing, 23:34.202

6. Torquil PATERSON, Suzuki, Alvins.com/YPE Powered, 23:36.572

7. Les SHAND, Honda, M & S Motorcycles, 23:36.706

8. Douglas COWIE, Kawasaki, SBT Racing, 23:37.162

9. Mark DAVIES, Kawasaki, AMD Racing, 23:39.700

10. Chris BISHOP, Honda, BikeShop Faversham/Equia, 23:41.174

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

HOME TRACK BECKONS PROTON TEAM

The British GP, eighth of 16 round in the new MotoGP World Championship, is in many ways the race of the year for Proton Team KR.

England is home to the team, with the manufacturing base not far down the road in Banbury.

One of the two riders, Jeremy McWilliams, is from Northern Ireland – and is the top British motorcycle racer in the top class of motorcycle racing.

Finally the nature of the Donington Park circuit is especially suited to the attributes of the unique lightweight three-cylinder Proton KR3.

All these factors make it a big race for the team – with all the pressure, the promise and the pleasure that implies.

Donington Park is the second of a quartet of circuits that McWilliams and team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki have been looking forward to throughout a season in which the lightweight bike has produced a string of top ten results even at tracks that were not expected to favour the specialised lightweight 500 two-stroke.

The first of the Big Four was Assen, where the Dutch TT promised much for the team, but delivered only heart-break, with both riders retiring with unprecedented gearbox failure.

It makes them all the more eager to make up for it at the British round, and the team has put together an unprecedented effort for their home GP. There will be no less than six complete motorcycles available for the two riders, offering a choice of the standard chassis, and the all-new “wide-line” chassis – which combines radically different tyre-friendly geometry with dimensions that mean it can also be used for the new V5 four-stroke engine planned for next year.

Donington favours the KR3 for one major reason – two-thirds of the 2.5-mile lap distance is smooth, flowing and fairly fast. Complex corner combinations reward accurate steering and faithful handling … two areas where the lightweight machine excels. But what the track gives, it also takes away. The final third comprises a slow chicane and two hairpins, linked with drag strip straights. While the KR3 performs well also under hard braking, the light weight a positive asset, its weaker area is acceleration, where the brute power of the heavier and clumsier four-cylinder 500s and the new heavyweight 990cc four-strokes comes into its own.

But this year has been full of surprises for Team Proton KR. Le Mans in France mainly comprises U-turns and drag-strip straights, and far from the bad results they had expected, both riders finished in the top ten, with Aoki claiming sixth, his best finish of the year.

KENNY ROBERTS – “BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE”
Wet weather would favour us, but I hope it’s dry, because I believe our motorcycle can go round Donington better than ever before, but we can’t prove it in the rain.

The standard chassis is pretty good; but the new chassis offers a different avenue of development. It’s better in ways it needs to be better for more horsepower, when we have our 990cc four-stroke motor. We will have one example of the new chassis for each rider, and I have the feeling that it will be very good round Donington – that depends on how much dry time we get and how many setting changes we need to make. But we won’t be changing from one chassis to another every five laps. We need the dry time to establish the direction early on, and stick with it.

Donington is a very unique track. We should do well there – we have the riders, and the tyres, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. But I’ve been disappointed at Donington in the past. We have to prove that we can be good there, not just say it, and it’s important to us as a small engineering company to do that.


JEREMY McWILLIAMS – “A BIG RACE”
We have a choice of bikes – it will be up to the riders to choose their weapons. We got the standard chassis working so well at Assen that it might not be clear-cut which is better. Donington is two tracks in one, so it’s hard to predict which will work better. In the past, I’ve always concentrated on getting the bike right for the fast sections, then get through the hairpins any way you can. I’ll probably start with the standard chassis, and see how it goes. I hope it’s dry. The important thing is to make the decision early, and concentrate on one bike – not to be stuck in a dilemma on Saturday night. Donington is a big race for me, with a lot of pressure from the crowd. I believe I’m able to handle that better now than in the past. It’s definitely worth half-a-second a lap.


NOBUATSU AOKI – “I WANT TO SEE THE FLAG THIS TIME”
My season started really well, but I’ve had three non-finishes in the last three races with mechanical problems. My main thought for the British GP is to get to the finish, and I need some good luck for a change. I tried the new chassis after Barcelona, and it had some really good things about it. At the same time, I’ve been getting on well with the standard chassis, which I have slightly different from Jeremy. I also tried a 16.5-inch front tyre at Assen, which solved some front-end grip problems I’ve been having. The track should be good for our bike. I hope to give the team a good result at home.

From a press release:

HMC’s New Look

HMC Ducati Racing is proud to launch their new website created by designers Mojotown.com, the virtual agency specializing in e-business innovations. The all-moving, all-racing site covers the team’s history from its start to present day and has the coolest picture of team boss, Mitch Hansen, you’ll ever see.

HMC Racing would like to thank Robert Bullivant, Brian J Nelson and Joseph Wierzbicki for their assistance with photography that is, in our opinion, second to none. We are also in great debt to Max Media’s Mollie Wagner for helping collate the project and to Mojotown for making us look so good.

The site will post preview and race reports for the next three rounds, has a short bio on each team member and gives a basic technical overview of the Ducati Testastretta.

Please take the time to visit us at www.hmcracing.com