A press release from the World Superside Championship series:

Talking with the first female American passenger

Dawna Holloway is an American dreamer, but unlike the rest of us, her dreams of racing in the Superside world championship have come to fruition through a lot of hard work and her gutsy determination.

She joined Roger Lovelock and the Diet Get Fit team at Misano and realised another chapter in the story that began with her watching club racing in the United States.

After a turbulent first day in world championship racing, Superside’s Rob Mader interviewed Dawna Holloway on the top step of the podium at Misano.

Althought never really interested in racing herself, Dawna would head along to motorcycle race meetings to support her solo racing friends. But her first experience with sidecars in America would be a memorable one.

“It was probably my third or fourth race, the sidecars made a special trip down for a fundraiser – It was the first time I’d ever heard of them and the first time they came around the corner I started laughing, like, what the hell are these?” she laughed.

“I was just kind of like in awe of what these things were. I had ridden streetbikes but I didn’t have any interest in racing and people would say ‘you should race’ because they’d seen me at the track. The second time out we rode to the back of the track and were watching from behind and without realizing, I found myself leaning from side to side. This guy walks up to me and says ‘see that sidecar over there, I think that’s a woman’ and I said ‘no it’s not, it’s me next year’. And I had no idea where that had come from…”

Changed from this moment, Dawna started racing in the US and started dreaming of more.

The next step on the path came at the Superside testing session at the start of the 2002 season at the Cartagena circuit in Spain.

“I came over to try and support Rick (Murray) and John (Scott) in their attempt for the first American team, but of course in the back of my mind I had hopes that perhaps an opportunity would come up for me to also passenger.”

That opportunity came at the end of the second day of testing, with an invite for a couple of laps with the affable Team Sand Seb 72 driver, Sebastien Delannoy.

“I had done a few laps with one of the French teams and the driver, Sebastien was really smooth and the outfit felt perfect. And then I asked Abbott to do a few laps. Actually it was pretty spontaneous, but in retrospect it was the greatest thing that I could have done because he’s pretty quick and he could say whether or not I was capable of doing it.”

Abbott was indeed quick, lapping within three or four seconds of his fastest test time with the American on the side!

“It actually just inspired me more to keep coming. I had such a great time doing those few laps with Abbott I that I thought that I have to come back for the next one. So rather than just helping for that practice, I booked another flight on the way home.”

The next world championship experience for Dawna was at the season opener at Valencia.

“That’s when I met Andy Dickinson (Diet Get Fit team manager), and just started talking to him. He thought he could just put the word out and so I just communicated back and forth with him, talking about different ideas. He runs Diet Get Fit so he talked to me about fitness and getting in shape – I was kinda winded when I went out with Abbott. So he talked to me about different fitness things and I’ve been working on that.”

Armed with some more information about training and diet, Dawna set about increasing her fitness while communicating back with Europe in the search for a team and the elusive ride.

The breakthrough came some months later with the Diet Get Fit team inviting Dawna back to Europe for the Misano round, with the possibility of signing for the rest of the season.

“They were having some suspension problems and they wanted to see if a different weight would have an effect, so they decided to give me a try”, she said.

From then on came the push to get everything organised in time after the round at Lausitz. Dawna had to organise the correct licence, flights, accommodation and make all of the briefings required by the FIM for a rookie on the world stage.

Then came the first session in the Misano heat.

The film crew from Scallywag Pictures captured every moment as Dawna donned her helmet and she and Roger set off.

“I talked about it with Roger, and I did a few laps on a pit bike with Andy Peach. When we went out for the first practice, Roger said ‘just do what comes naturally and we’ll talk about where to work from there’, so that’s what we did. I was afraid that the major concerns were going to be the heat, but we were just ironing out the kinks in the handholds, and we worked a little bit on that in the break.

“Roger is a great guy. I couldn’t ask for a better driver to have. He’s very calm and he’s got a kind look in his eye. He’s very calm and cool and his whole team are very encouraging and really willing. If I ask for a different handhold or anything they just take care of it. They’re actually not even letting me help in the pits, they just want me to take it easy, so I’m getting a little spoilt. There’s a really good dynamic between them and they are very welcoming – It’s great.”

Her face lit up when asked about the comparison between the competition in the world championship compares with the competition in America?

“Wow! It’s like, light years apart. The speeds that we are going at here… I haven’t ever been on the number one team in the US, so I haven’t had that experience, but this seems like a whole different world. Nobody goes this quick in the states!” she exclaimed.

Unfortunately, the second session didn’t go entirely to plan for the Diet Get Fit team… The final chicane (Variante del Parco) that leads onto the start finish straight requires the passenger to move from over the rear wheel of the machine across and out for the left as the machine squirms and slides under full acceleration on the exit.

After steadily increasing their lap times, Dawna was flung from the machine during this transition, but walked off of the track relatively unscathed.

“It’s the quickest transition on the circuit, and what I believe happened was that when I was pushing out for the left, my foot got caught. In any case, I was not making that transition as quickly as I needed to be. Roger still feels like he wants to keep going. I guess they feel that the suspension is feeling better”, she recalled, looking to her wrist, recently treated by the Clinica Mobile.

Dawna was back ready to go in final qualifying on Saturday, which saw them end up 17th as the lap times tumbled. But the potential was demonstrated in through the ideal times (the combination of the fastest time for each split), which had them up as far as 13th.

Ironically, the ever-reliable Suzuki let them down on lap seven of the race, leaving Roger and Dawna to consider what might have been.

“It felt really good despite the heat and I was really enjoying myself until the engine gave up,” said Superside’s only American passenger.

As they were leaving pit lane, the Scallywag Pitcures crew pulled Dawna in for another interview with compatriot, Ben Bostrom.

“It was sweet of Ben to come out and say hello, and I wished him luck for the race.”

Dawna will now return to the US to prepare for the next round at Brands Hatch, but rest assured that all of the Diet Get Fit team will be working hard in the lead up to the European round.

So take a moment to think about your goals and dreams as we return to the end of the interview on Friday night for Dawna’s last words.

“I don’t think we know the future, but sitting on the podium must be a good omen!” smiled the determined American as we watched the sun go down over the mountains from the number one spot at Misano.

From a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN BRING MOMENTUM TO THE CATHEDRAL

The Marlboro Yamaha Team and riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa come north to the Netherlands this weekend, gathering momentum after impressive performances at the last three GPs. The hard-working squad has scored a podium finish at each of the last three races, with Biaggi crowning the M1’s recent progress by achieving the bike’s first-ever pole position at Catalunya two weekends ago.

That success proved that the M1 now has pace-setting speed, all that remains now is for Biaggi or Checa to score the bike’s first victory in the new four-stroke-based MotoGP World Championship. Both men have high hopes for Assen, for the Dutch circuit is a rider’s track, known as the cathedral of bike racing, where they should be able to combine their riding talent with the M1’s ever-improving performance to devastating effect.

The first-ever Dutch TT of the new four-stroke GP era is a particularly significant event, for Assen is the most historic venue on the World Championship calendar. Even the event’s name is ages old – Assen is the only world round to use the suffix, TT for Tourist Trophy, the designation used for the earliest speed events of the last century. Originally based on public roads, the sinuous circuit is the only survivor from the inaugural 1949 world series, when four-strokes ruled the racetracks before two-strokes took control in the sixties and seventies. The fastest and longest GP circuit, Assen has seen bike racing change in all kinds of ways, both technically and commercially. Assen’s infrastructure has been hugely upgraded over the decades, 23 million euros invested in improving the track and facilities over the past three years alone.

Two things that haven’t changed, however, are the event’s unusual and traditional Saturday race day and its enormous popularity. Assen still regularly draws crowds of up to 150,000, many of them from around the Netherlands and Germany, even though these nations have few major-league GP stars to cheer. The Dutch TT is simply one of those unmissable races – with an atmosphere all of its own and a sense of history like few others.

Neither can this year’s event escape the realities of the outside sporting world. Saturday’s schedule has been changed to allow football fans to watch the World Cup’s third-place playoff. Instead of the usual 2:00 pm start, MotoGP action begins at 3:30 pm.

BIAGGI – READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL
Max Biaggi has every reason to approach the Dutch TT with a growing sense of optimism. Two weeks ago at Catalunya the hard-riding Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 rider scored his first pole position of the new MotoGP four-stroke era, outpacing the rival four-strokes from Honda, Suzuki and Aprilia. The artfully talented Italian has scored an amazing 49 pole positions in his 11-year World Championship career, one in MotoGP, 15 in 500 and 33 in 250.

But, as former Marlboro Yamaha World Champion Eddie Lawson (an Assen winner in 1987) once said: “There are no points for practice”. So, having proved that the M1 can be the fastest bike out there, Biaggi is now focused on taking the 200 horsepower-plus machine to the next level – race victory.

“Pole is only one lap but it does mean something and it’s a good morale booster for the rider and team,” says Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “Max is riding so hard at the moment and that pole position will give him even more motivation as he gets closer to winning his first race on the M1. He’s had three great GPs. He finished third at Le Mans, second at Mugello and then he got pole at Catalunya. He finished that race fourth and I’m sure he would’ve done better if he hadn’t had an unlucky problem in morning warm-up that forced him to race his number-two bike.”

Saturday’s Dutch TT could well be the event at which Biaggi achieves his next goal, for which he has been working so hard since the advent of the four-stroke MotoGP era. The former 250 World Champion has scored three wins at this most challenging of circuits, which rewards the kind of inch-perfect riding technique for which Biaggi is renowned. He won last year’s shortened 500 race at the track, following up his 250 successes there in 1994 and ’95.

“Assen is a very nice track, it’s fast and very hard work, but I enjoy it,” says Biaggi, who celebrates his 31st birthday the day before practice commences. “I don’t really know how it will be for the four-strokes because none of the tracks we’ve been to so far are anything like it, but it should be good, I think.”

Assen is different from modern purpose-built racetracks because it was once a winding public road. Even the straights aren’t straight. And unlike other tracks, many of the corners are cambered. Some riders find this awkward, even dangerous, but Biaggi’s super-smooth and flowing style works superbly at Assen.

“I don’t mind the camber,” he affirms. “You have to adapt your riding style because it’s a different kind of a racetrack, but then you have to slightly change your style for every circuit and I never have a problem doing that. The surface is also very grippy, one of the grippiest circuits we go to, but it’s been resurfaced for this year and the layout’s a little different, so maybe the grip has changed.

“The biggest concern at Assen is always the weather. It can be very changeable, which can rob you of dry-track time in practice, and you need all the set-up time you can get at Assen, because it’s such an unusual and complex circuit.”

Biaggi currently lies fourth overall in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship, equal on points with team-mate Carlos Checa but one position in front, thanks to his second place at the Italian GP, the M1’s best race result so far.

CHECA BACK UP FRONT AGAIN
Carlos Checa ended a run of three difficult GPs at Catalunya a fortnight back and comes to Assen determined to do even better than the third place he managed at the testing Spanish track. With his run of bad luck seemingly at an end, Checa was back up front and battling for victory with Honda rivals Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man led half the race on his YZR-M1 after starting from the second row, and though he ended up third, the result was a considerable boost to his morale.

“After three unlucky races, Carlos finally got a good result at Catalunya,” says Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “It was the best place for him to get back on track, and the local fans really loved him for what he did. We will need to improve the bike’s handling for Assen because it’s a high-speed circuit which demands ease of handling. Also, we should be able to try some different engine specs during the weekend.”

Checa and team-mate Max Biaggi have worked particularly hard this season, toiling with their crews and Yamaha engineers to bring the M1 up to speed after a difficult start to the year. Although Checa scored a third-place finish at the season-opening Japanese Grand Prix, it took a serious input from Yamaha to bring the M1 to full competitiveness. Since preseason testing the M1 has benefited from a whole raft of improvements to its engine, chassis and electronics, following input from both riders.

Yamaha have run two new chassis since the start of the season, the latest of which improves braking stability, solves chatter problems and offers better front-end feel. Engine upgrades have included modified camshafts, cylinder heads, crankcases and many other parts. Peak horsepower has increased by more than ten horsepower since April’s Japanese GP (at the Catalan GP the bike hit 315.8kmh/196.2mph, 12.1kmh/7.7mph faster than during preseason tests at the track).

Perhaps most interesting of all is the M1’s computer-controlled engine-braking system, which controls the bike’s slipper clutch to increase stability and thus improves rider control in the all-important corner-entry zone. Recent upgrades to the unit have included new software which operates via an increased number of engine and chassis parameters, like gear position, throttle position and brake pressure.

Both Biaggi and Checa have played their parts in the introduction of all these improvements, and are now more than ready to take advantage of the M1’s increased performance.

“The combination is now working really well,” says Checa, who currently lies fifth overall, equal on points with Biaggi. “We have come a long way since the start of the year, I feel much more comfortable on the bike and I think we now have a great opportunity for some good results. My feeling for the chassis is better, the engine-braking system gives us what we want into
corners and the engine is more powerful.

“I’m looking forward to getting to Assen to try out the changes they’ve made to the track. That shouldn’t be a big job because most of the layout is the same as before, though it’s been resurfaced and that could change things. Assen is a very different circuit, it’s unique really. Even the straights aren’t really straight and most of the corners are banked and very fast.
Also, there’s very little room between the white lines and the grass, which means you’ve got to be perfect with your lines. I like the layout a lot and I appreciate riding on different kinds of tracks, it’s great to have some variety, it stops me getting bored! Assen should be good for the four-strokes because it’s fast and you carry a lot of speed all round the lap.”

WHAT THE TEAM SAYS
Davide Brivio, Marlboro Yamaha Team director
“We’ve now had three GPs in a row at three different tracks – Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya – in which we’ve been right there. That’s an important sign of the M1’s increasing competitiveness. And Catalunya confirmed that the bike is still getting better and better; Max did brilliantly to give the M1 its first pole position and Carlos led half the race and got back on the podium. We are on the pace, now we just need to make that next step towards winning. It’s been a hard few months since the start of the season but the whole team has reacted incredibly well. Everyone has given their all and I’m delighted that we’re now getting some results. Now we need to keep working just as hard to get our first win!”

Fiorenzo Fanali, Max Biaggi’s chief engineer
“Assen is a very unusual racetrack, you have to change the chassis settings to cope with the banked corners. It’s also a track with no real straights, the rider is always turning one way or another, so easy handling is very important. It’s a fast circuit where riders keep their rolling speed, it’s not at all stop and go, which could help the two-strokes. The M1 gets better every weekend but we need to continue working to maintain the progress we’ve made since preseason testing.”

Antonio Jimenez, Carlos Checa’s chief engineer
“Assen’s character is high speed with banked corners, but it’ll be a little different this time because the layout has changed slightly and the track has been resurfaced. In the past it’s always been extremely grippy, which means you run a really hard rear spring because of the high g-forces, to prevent the bike from running wide on the gas. But we’ll have to wait and see this time. Catalunya was great for Carlos, and, all being well, I think he’ll be fighting for the podium at every race from now on. We’ve just got to keep working to improve the bike some more, and if we do that I’m fully confident that we will win a race before long.”

THE TRACK
Assen is the only remaining MotoGP circuit based on public roads and that explains both its singular layout and its unusual surface. The track is also the fastest on the current GP calendar, though revisions to part of its layout may change that. Assen is still the longest venue in GP racing, despite losing 22 metres.

Unlike purpose-built tracks, which feature wide straights and mostly slow to medium-fast corners, Assen is a narrow, meandering circuit, dominated by high-speed corners and rapid direction changes. Its surface is also special, because it is crowned like a public road for improved drainage, whereas other racetracks are flat.

The crown poses a particular problem to riders, who must cope with four changes of camber as they enter and exit each corner. As they head towards the apex they enjoy positive camber and that continues as they start to accelerate, but as they drift wide on the exit they cross the crown in the centre of the track, and suddenly they must contend with negative camber and an immediate loss of traction. Engineers run stiffer-than-usual suspension springs to cope with the cornering forces, so the bikes don’t ‘unload’ so violently as they cross the centre crown.

The layout underwent a major change in 1984, adapted from the original Circuit Van Drenthe constructed in the fifties, and has been changed slightly for this year. Assen’s first 500 TT was run on another nearby street loop on July 1949.


ASSEN: 6.027km
New circuit, lap record to be established

MARLBORO YAMAHA TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS
MAX BIAGGI
Age: 31. Lives: Monaco
Bike: Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 37 (8 x 500, 29 x 250)
First GP victory: South Africa, 1992 (250)
First GP: France, 1991 (250)
GP starts: 155 (6xMotoGP, 62×500, 87×250)
Pole positions: 49 (1xMotoGP, 15×500, 33×250)
First pole: Europe, 1992 (250)
World Championships: 4 x 250 (’94, ’95, ’96, ’97)
Assen 2001 results. Grid: 2nd. Race: 1st

CARLOS CHECA
Age: 29. Lives: Yorkshire, England
Bike: Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125)
GP starts: 126 (6xMotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 1 (500)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Assen 2001 results. Grid: 7th. Race: DNF

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

The day was hot, the pace was hot and the race was hot. But Fabien Foret kept his cool to take his third win of the season. The race was a typical World Supersport race, with plenty of fairing-bashing action.

After a flurry of activity to decide who took the holeshot, Stephane Chambon emerged at the head of the pack on his Alstare Suzuki. He then started to make what was for Supersport an almost impossible breakaway up front. But his glory was all-too brief, on lap three he threw it away at Curva Del Rio. Iain MacPherson also landed in the dirt on the same lap when he lost the front end of his Ten Kate Honda.

That left Andrew Pitt, Katsuaki Fujiwara, Paolo Casoli, James Whitham and Foret in front. Pitt pushed his way through the gaggle of riders to take the lead just after Chambon binned it, but his lead was also short lived. Foret was on him immediately and got by on the brakes going into Curve Del Tramonto. On lap six Jorg Teuchert joined the growing list of riders in the kitty litter.

Andrew Pitt fought his way back into the lead on lap seven and by now it was only too apparent that several riders were already having tire problems. On lap eight Casoli made a move and followed Foret through as the Frenchman passed Pitt. Then Casoli tried to barge past Foret – almost banging fairings on the way through but Foret resisted the pressure. Pitt got past Casoli again, only to find Casoli almost buried in his fairing at the next turn. Then the battle got too hairy for Pitt who took to the grass after touching fairings with Whitham going into Variante Arena.

With Pitt demoted back down the field and Chambon a long way back after remounting, the fight was between Foret in the lead, Fujiwara in second and the two Belgarda Yamahas. Casoli had another moment of glory when he took the lead on lap 15, but again it was short lived, Foret soon reclaimed first place and made an attempt at a breakaway. But in the intense heat and with all the bikes so closely matched on performance it was unlikely that any rider was going to be able to get any distance out in front.

On lap 17 Foret made a small mistake that allowed Fujiwara back into the lead. Foret then followed him for the next four laps before taking to the front again. Behind them Whitham had dispensed with teammate Casoli and was now fighting for second, or even first, with the lead duo. Christian Kellner had latched himself on the front runners several laps earlier and got in front of Casoli as the Italian began to fade.

On the final two laps Fujiwara pulled the pin and almost crashed. He looked like he was pushing his tires beyond the limit as he traded places with Foret. On the last lap Foret decided it was time to go and upped the pace just slightly. Fujiwara was having real trouble holding on and almost highsided not once but twice, getting right out of the saddle on the first occasion. This gave Foret just the advantage he needed and took the win by just 0.086-second. The win also put Foret back into the Championship lead, with a three point advantage over Chambon who eventually finished 13th. Whitham held onto fourth in front of Kellner.

“Fabien was just too fast for me on the last lap,” admitted Fujiwara.

“That was just the result we needed after Lausitzring,” said Foret, referring to his disqualification after winning there. “It was a very hard race but my tires were excellent and that helped me push hard all the way to the end. I’m very happy to take the win, all my team put 100% effort into this and to be in the Championship lead also is fantastic.”

“The race was hot and hard,” said Whitham. “It looked like everyone was struggling with tires from very early on.”

The Supersport Championship misses the next round in Laguna Seca, to return at the end of July in Brands Hatch, England.

World Supersport race results:

1. Fabien Foret, Honda, 23 laps, 38:24.180
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, -0.086
3. James Whitham, Yamaha, -0.794
4. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, -0.839
5. Paolo Casoli, Yamaha, -6.574
6. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, -8.107
7. Christophe Cogan, Honda, -8.588
8. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, -11.357
9. Robert Ulm, Honda, -14.901
10. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha, -16.819
11. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha, -16.960
12. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha, -26.966
13. Stéphane Chambon, Suzuki, -28.923
14. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati, -30.407
15. Camillo Mariottini, Yamaha, -30.926
16. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, -31.434
17. James Ellison, Kawasaki, -40.391
18. Christian Zaiser, Yamaha, -51.521
19. Robert Frost, Yamaha, -52.581
20. Cristian Magnani, Yamaha, -52.756
21. Norino Brignola, Suzuki, -61.843
22. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda, -75.545
23. Claudio Cipriani, Yamaha, -81.869
24. Diego Giugovaz, Yamaha, -82.124
25. Antonio Carlacci, Yamaha, -2 laps
26. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha, -15 laps
27. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati, -16 laps
28. Nigel Arnold, Honda, -16 laps
29. Jörg Teuchert, Yamaha, -18 laps
30. John McGuinness, Honda, -20 laps
31. Iain MacPherson, Honda, -21 laps

Supersport World Championship points:

1. Foret 118

2. Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) 115

3. Pitt 113

4. Fujiwara 104

5. Kellner 78

6. TIE, Whitham/Casoli 71

8. Vermeulen 66

9. Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha) 60

10. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Italy (Ducati) 48



Manufacturers points:
1. Suzuki 148
2. Honda 138
3. Yamaha 124
4. Kawasaki 113
5. Ducati 51

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Iannuzzo loses out to Vizziello in last lap

By Glenn Le Santo

Vittorio Iannuzzo and Gianluca Vizziello thrilled the Misano crowd with a display of typical hard fought Superstock riding. The pair swapped places
several times in the last few laps while battling over the top step on the podium.

It was Vizziello who played the ace card on the last lap, just a few corners from the end. He ran hard into the turn on the brakes, grabbed the inside line and forced Iannuzzo to give way. It was a fair maneuver and there was nothing Iannuzzo could do, he had to change his line and that meant he had to momentarily shut the throttle. That gave Vizziello all the advantage he
needed to take his Yamaha R1 to the flag in front of Ianuzzo’s Suzuki GSX-R1000.

There were several fallers in the race, run in very hot conditions at the Italian circuit. Another Italian, Lorenzo Alfonsi was third, riding a Ducati.

European Superstock Championship
San Marino Round
Results:

1. Gianluca Vizziello, Yamaha YZF-R1, 15 laps, 25:18.940
2. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -0.467
3. Lorenzo Alfonsi, Ducati 998S, -4.675
4. Ilario Dionisi, Aprilia RSV1000, -16.602
5. Alessandro Brannetti, Honda CBR900RR, -18.047
6. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda CBR900RR, -19.320
7. Andy Notman, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -31.728
8. Benjamin Nabert, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -33.478
9. Marco Tessarolo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -34.076
10. Sergio Ruggiero, Ducati 998S, -34.488
11. Didier Vankeymeulen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -35.573
12. Ciro Ranieri, Yamaha YZF-R1, -35.782
13. Giacomo Romanelli, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -37.965
14. Roberto Lunadei, Aprilia RSV1000, -38.075
15. Robert De Vries, Ducati 998S, -44.022
16. John Bakker, Ducati 998S, -56.284
17. Marco Tonini, Aprilia RSV1000, -57.128
18. Christian Nau, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -63.443
19. Declan Swanton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -64.730
20. Geoffrey Naze, Yamaha YZF-R1, -78.062

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Troy Bayliss took the win in race two at Misano for another double and to rack up an incredible 13 wins from 16 races.

At the start it actually looked as if we would have a different result as Neil Hodgson got the holeshot followed by Colin Edwards and then Bayliss. Edwards and Hodgson traded positions a couple of times on the opening laps and with Ben Bostrom looking to join the fray we had a battle on our hands.

Bayliss waited patiently until lap seven when he went past Edwards to take the lead. Edwards however was not going to give up easily and on the next corner in a breathtaking move he threw his Honda up the inside of Bayliss to retake first position.

Bayliss paced Edwards around the circuit and on lap 15 then passed the Texan again to take the lead. The Honda rider briefly took the lead once more on lap 17 but on the next lap Bayliss resumed his habitual place in front. The Australian then pulled the pin and put his head down for a charge to the line. Edwards rode the wheels off his machine but it just wasn’t enough to beat the wonder from down under.

Nori Haga improved on his race one finish. He battled past Ruben Xaus and Ben Bostrom in the opening laps and then had a huge scrap with Neil Hodgson before he finally broke the English rider with a stunning move on lap 13.

Hodgson had ridden a mature ride and stayed with the leaders for the first 10 laps. He then started to drop back and once Haga had passed him he could do nothing to answer Haga¹s pace.

Meanwhile Xaus put it in the kitty litter for the second time that day, at the same turn, this time on lap six.

Ben Bostrom duplicated his race one result with a fifth and Gregorio Lavilla rounded out the top six as the best performing rider on a four-cylinder machine in race two after winning a race-long fight with Chili.

1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 25 laps, 40:07.599
2. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, -3.329
3. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, -8.447
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01, -14.089
5. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, -21.484
6. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750Y, -36.166
7. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -36.544
8. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -44.766
9. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -60.252
10. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, -66.518
11. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -74.551
12. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -76.338
13. Michele Malatesta, Ducati 996RS, -85.295
14. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, -88.068
15. Bertrand Stey, Honda RC51, -1 lap
16. Marjan Malec, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
17. Giuliano Sartoni, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
18. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, -10 laps, DNF
19. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -11 laps, DNF
20. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, -15 laps, DNF
21. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, -17 laps, DNF
22. Serafino Foti, Ducati 996RS, -19 laps, DNF
23. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, -20 laps, DNF
24. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, -21 laps, DNF
25. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998RS, -23 laps, DNF
26. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, -23 laps, DNF
27. Alessandro Valia, Ducati 996RS, -25 laps, DNF

World Superbike Championship Standings:

1. Bayliss, 360 points
2. Edwards, 311 points
3. Hodgson, 194 points
4. Haga, 182 points
5. Bostrom, 165 points
6. Xaus, 152 points
7. Toseland, 107 points
8. Walker, 97 points
9. Lavilla, 84 points
10. Chili, 77 points

More, from HM PLant Ducati:

Mixed fortunes for the HM Plant Ducatis

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing’s Neil Hodgson just missed out on his second podium finish of the day at Misano after a superb display of aggressive riding against title rivals Troy Bayliss, Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga. Team-mate James Toseland retired his HM Plant Ducati on the fifth lap after a case of mistaken identity! The 21-year-old Yorkshireman was awarded a stop-and-go penalty, but mistook his signal for a black flag and pulled off the track at the first available opportunity.

As he had promised at the end of the first leg, Hodgson mixed it with the leading pair of Bayliss and Edwards from the start of the race. The 28-year-old HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing star got the holeshot and participated in a tight tussle for the lead. Eventually he had to give way to the ‘Texan Tornado’ and the reigning World Champion, with Bayliss taking the chequered flag for his 13th win from 16 starts in 2002. While Hodgson was unable to sustain the pace set by the leaders, he disputed the last rostrum position with a rejuvenated Haga until the closing stages of the race.

“I really enjoyed that race,” said Hodgson after 25 gruelling laps. “I was determined to get off the line and prove that I could match the pace set by the front two [Bayliss and Edwards]. I’m at my best when the racing is as close as that at the front of the field, but I couldn’t keep with them when they got by. Then, I ended up in a dogfight with Haga, which was better than riding around by myself as I had done in race one. Overall, I’m pleased with the progress that we’ve made this weekend and I’ve made up for the points that I lost at Lausitzring last time out.”

Toseland’s retirement came at the end of a day that had promised so much: “After qualifying fifth in Superpole, I was aiming to replicate that level of achievement in the races. Unfortunately, I was undone by my eagerness to get off the line quickly in the second race. I was penalised for a jump-start, but the guy holding the board with my number on gave me the impression that it was a black flag. I didn’t want to fall foul of the officials, so I quickly turned off the track as a safety precaution.”


More, from Aprilia:

NORIYUKI HAGA AND APRILIA MAKE ROSTRUM AT MISANO

Misano (Rimini), Sunday 23 June – Noriyuki Haga came third in the second leg of the San Marino Superbike GP which took place at Misano in front of 68,000 spectators. The Japanese ace made his sixth podium this season. Haga rode the hundredth Superbike race in his career on the Adriatic circuit, strengthening his hold on fourth place in the World Championship ratings. In the first race, Nitro-Nori came fourth and, at the end of the day, he proved to have been the fastest rider on Dunlop tyres. The most exciting moment of the day was in race 2, when he managed to make sure British rider Neil Hodgson stayed off the rostrum with a spectacular pass on the Parco chicane. Both races took place in sweltering heat: 33 degrees in the air, 55 on the tarmac.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team rider) – “I was just knocked out by the effort – all I want to do now is to get back home and recoup in time for the USA GP on 14 July. The tarmac was boiling and halfway through the race the engine started giving off an overwhelming amount of heat. But that wasn’t all: when I was in his slipstream, Hodgson’s exhaust was blowing scorching air at me. Even so, I very happy. We tried out a new rear tyre from Dunlop which gave us some encouraging results.”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager, Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) – “We mounted a tyre we’d only received on Saturday morning. It didn’t appear great in the tests, but then we changed the settings and things got much better. Now we’ve got some good groundwork done, so we’ll be using what we’ve learnt for the next race at Laguna Seca. Being on the rostrum is always exciting but it’s not enough. We’re doing all we can to get back into top spot.”


More, from a Honda press release:

BAYLISS DOUBLE AT MISANO AS EDWARDS CONTINUES CHARGE IN SEASON-LONG DOUBLE ACT

Defending world champion Troy Bayliss won both races of Sunday’s eighth round of the World Superbike championship as Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards kept up the pressure on the Australian with two runner places after leading both 25-lap races.

Edwards set the early pace in the opening race, passing Bayliss at the third corner of the first lap. The SP-2 rider controlled the race until lap 10 as Bayliss took up the running and set about recording his 12th victory of the year all on his spare machine. His team were forced to roll his number one machine off the starting grid with a technical problem.

Edwards maintained the pressure on Bayliss in the sweltering Misano heat and crossed the finish line just 2.9s behind. Edwards said: “There wasn’t really any more I could do. I wanted to make the break at the start but that didn’t come off and when Troy came by I sat with him and had a look at what his machine and tyres were doing.”

He continued: “As the race went on the heat took its toll on the tyres and there was nothing I could do to get close to Troy. I made a mistake on the lap that Troy passed me and that unsettled me a little. I missed a gear through a left-hander and I knew Troy was right behind me so he can’t have been far from clipping my rear wheel.”

Bayliss and Edwards once more showed the 2002 superiority of the Michelin tyres with Edwards crossing the finish line 12 seconds ahead of the private Ducati of Neil Hodgson.

Hodgson held third place throughout and was followed home by the twin-cylinder machines of Aprilia’s Noriyuki Haga and Ducati’s Ben Bostrom. Veteran Pier-Francesco Chili took sixth place while Kawasaki’s Chris Walker won a race-long battle with James Toseland for seventh.

Edwards was again quick to hit the front in the second outing, passing holeshot rider Hodgson on lap two, only for the British rider to hit back. Edwards edged Hodgson out for the second and final time on the fifth lap and immediately eased open a gap.

The lap six action included Ruben Xaus crashing the factory Ducati lasting two laps longer than he did in the opening race, both times the Spaniard escaped injury. Bayliss and Edwards then swapped places a lap later but it was a determined Edwards who maintained the lead until the 15th lap when Bayliss once more took over.

Bayliss took advantage as Edwards began to lose traction and the Australian sealed his second win of the day by three seconds. Edwards’ second place once more proved that the pairing were in control at the head of the field.

Edwards said: “I’m trying everything I know out there and I feel like I’m riding as well as I ever had. Maybe I just need that little bit of bottom end power that I lacked in Germany two weeks ago. I couldn’t do much in the last 10 laps, the rear tyre was sideways out of every corner.”

He continued: “Once Troy got in front I was intent on staying with him and it worked for a while but I’d cooked the rear tyre and it was spinning off the corner where his wasn’t. I don’t know what it is I have to do to get the better of Troy but I’ll never stop trying. We’ve got my home round at Laguna Seca next and I’m planning on winning there.”

Noriyuki Haga took his first podium finish for three rounds with third place, overhauling Hodgson as the Briton took fourth to defend his third place in the championship. Bostrom repeated his fifth place of the earlier race while Suzuki’s Gregorio Lavilla improved from an opening race 10th to take sixth.

Lavilla’s sixth place came after he held off the charging Chili who made an unsuccessful, daring last corner move on his Spanish rival. Walker took eighth while his first race challenger Toseland misread a ‘stop-and-go’ penalty instruction for a jump start and stopped on the circuit, believing he had a technical problem with his machine.

HRC kit SP-2 rider Mark Heckles took 19th place in the first race but was forced out of race two on the ninth lap with a broken footrest on his Castrol Honda Rumi machine.


Ten Kate Honda team’s Fabien Foret made up for the disappointment of the last round as he rode into the lead of the World Supersport championship with victory in a sensational race at Misano.

Foret was one of six riders to lead the 23-lap battle including championship leader before Misano, Stephane Chambon who crashed while leading on the second lap, remounted in 30th place and finished 13th.

Victory for Foret was his third of the year as he pipped Suzuki’s Katsuaki Fujiwara by 0.086s. James Whitham took third place on a Yamaha after the first three plus Paolo Casoli and Christian Kellner were locked in a five-way tussle for most of the race.

Winner Foret said: “After winning the last round in Germany then being excluded on a minor technicality I wanted revenge today. I tried to makethe break at the start of the race but, after a while, I realised there was nothing I could do to get away. I then sat in there and waited for the closing stages of the race.”

Kellner finished fourth with Casoli dropping back to a lonely fifth place. Reigning champion Andrew Pitt was relegated from first to fourth place halfway around the eighth lap before the Australian then ran wide and lost his chance of victory, eventually finishing sixth.

CBR600 Hondas filled the next three places with BKM’s Christophe Cogan seventh, van Zon team’s Chris Vermeulen eighth and Cogan’s team-mate Robert Ulm ninth.


More, from a release issued by Bayliss’ publicist:

BAYLISS EXTENDS WINNING STREAK WITH A DOUBLE VICTORY IN ITALY

Misano, Italy (Sunday, June 23) – In front of an emphatic Italian crowd, Australia’s defending World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss has won both races at today’s San Marino round of the Superbike World Championship, taking his tally of race victories for the season to thirteen from the sixteen races held to date.

Today’s victories see him equal multiple World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty’s tally of thirteen wins in one season, the second highest and closing on the all-time season record of seventeen wins in one season, held by American Doug Polen on his way to winning the 1991 World Championship.

More importantly for Bayliss is that he now leads the Superbike World Championship with a total of 360 points, forty-nine clear of arch rival Colin Edwards, who finished second to Bayliss in both 25-lap races today.

The double race victory, his sixth of the season, capped off another dominant weekend for the Infostrada Ducati rider. He secured his fourth pole position of the year, by shattering the lap record by almost two seconds, before setting a new Superbike lap record on lap two of the opening race with a time of 1-min 34.913-secs around the 4.060km circuit.

With temperatures rising to the mid thirties with the track temperature rising to above 50ºC, Bayliss battled with Edwards in the opening laps of the first race before taking the race lead on lap ten with a slipstreaming move down the fast back straight. Once in the race lead he slowly worked away at building a buffer over Edwards and at the conclusion of 25-laps was 2.906 seconds clear of the American, with Britain’s Neil Hodgson third aboard his HM Plant Ducati.

Race two saw Bayliss trailing Hodgson and Edwards in the opening laps before passing first, Hodgson on lap six and then Edwards a lap later to take the race lead momentarily. He ran wide at the end of the fast back straight allowing Edwards to regain the race lead. The pair began to battle closely until lap 18 when Bayliss took the race lead and applied the pressure once more and eased away to his second win of the day by 3.329 seconds from Edwards. Japan’s Noriyuki Haga (Playstation2 Aprilia) took third ahead of Hodgson, with Ben Bostrom (L&M Ducati) making it a pair of fifths for the day.

“Everything worked out perfect today, it was a really good result and it’s always great to win in Italy especially in front of so many fans,” said Bayliss. “The conditions here have also made it a very hard weekend for us. With the temperature so high, it’s not to be caught behind others out on the track as the fumes and heat from the exhausts make it quite difficult to breathe. You can stay behind someone for a little while but not too long.

“There was a bit of a problem on the start line of the first race when the bike wouldn’t start, but the Infostrada Ducati team is working so well that my other bike was ready in pit lane with the exact same settings as I had on the other bike and I barely felt the difference once the race started. For me the second race was a lot more interesting. Colin was trying very hard in the early laps to break away and I was back in third behind him and Neil Hodgson. The fumes and the heat started to get to me as I followed them, so I pushed harder to get by and it was better out in front. I used the same tyre as I did in the first race, but had to work harder as the track was about 10ºC hotter made things a bit more slippery. We also had the bike set up slightly different than normal with a shorter wheelbase so that it would steer quicker. The only problem with that was that the rear of the bike was snapping around a lot more than usual, but it was OK.”

The Superbike World Championship has a three-week break before taking to the Laguna Seca Raceway in California for round nine of the championship on July 13 – 14.


More, from a Ducati press release:

BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) BRAVES MISANO HEAT TO TAKE SIXTH DOUBLE WIN

BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) TWICE BATTLES TO FIFTH – XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) CRASHES OUT

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) continued his extraordinarily successful season with his sixth double win of the year, in round 8 of the World Superbike Championship at a scorching Misano Adriatico. In front of a record 68,000 fans, the Australian world champion had to beat off the challenge from Honda’s Colin Edwards, who twice finished runner-up. Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) started from the second slot on the grid but had to make do with two fifth places, while Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) had an unhappy weekend, crashing out early in both races. Britain’s Neil Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) was third in the first race while the final podium place in race 2 went to Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia).

For the second time this year, Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) had to change bikes just minutes before the start after a clutch problem developed, but after trailing Colin for the first 9 laps, he then powered past the Texan before the Curva del Tramonto. “Everything went well for me at the end but we had to throw a little bit of drama in on the start-line when I had a clutch problem and had to switch bikes. That’s no real problem as I can’t tell them apart and I came to the start grid last and kept nice and cool” declared Troy. “I followed Colin for a while, it was really hot behind the exhausts and it takes your breath away so I didn’t think it was a good idea to stay there for too long. I got past Colin and then had another little drama when my left-hand handgrip was working its way off but I’m happy with the result”.

In race 2 Bayliss and Edwards again traded places at the front with several spectacular passing moves at the Tramonto but the Australian eventually got the better of the Texan on lap 18 and made it stick until the chequered flag with an impressive series of quick laps, taking his thirteenth win of the season. “Maybe my winning streak will stop at Laguna, where I’ve never had any really good results!” he added. “But I’m looking forward to going there this year because Michelin are coming out with some great tyres. It’s been a really hot and hard weekend here at Misano, Colin rode a couple of fantastic races but what I’m looking forward now more than anything is a cold beer!”.

A wrong choice of tyre in race 1 left Bostrom (Ducati L&M) struggling throughout the 25 laps. “I picked the wrong tyre, different to Neil and Nori and I couldn’t even lean the bike over the way I want to. I was sure I could have got onto the podium but after the first lap the tyre started to get real hot and I thought ‘that was that’.

“I changed the tyre for the second race and rode really hard but unfortunately the result was the same, I was just spinning the rear wheel coming out onto the back straight. I gained two-tenths in every lap and I was riding so hard but as the race went on I was having less and less grip. Pity, I was really looking forward to this race, now it’ll have to be Laguna”.

Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) had a difficult weekend, crashing out on lap 4 of race 1 and then lap 6 of the second race. “There’s nothing to say, I just lost control in both races and crashed and I’m very disappointed. I was hoping to get some more points on the board and move up the table”.


More, from a Suzuki press release:

SIXTH PLACE FOR LAVILLA IN SAN MARINO

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Gregorio Lavilla recorded a superb sixth place at the San Marino round of the Superbike World Championship at Misano today.

The Spaniard had a tremendous race-long battle with former Suzuki Alstare rider Pierfrancesco Chili during the second race, and would not let the Italian get away from him. Instead, Gregorio emerged the stronger and deservedly took sixth place by nearly half a second.

A tyre problem in the first race prevented Gregorio from getting a good result. Despite many lurid slides, he kept going and finished tenth.

Both races today were won by Troy Bayliss (Ducati).

GREGORIO LAVILLA – Race 1: 10th, Race 2: 6th

“I’m happy to get my best result of the season in the second race after a great fight with Chili. It was good fun! And maybe I could’ve got a good result in the first race as well, if it was not for a tyre problem. It was very hard work, especially in these very hot conditions. I made a good start in the first race but very soon my tyre behaved a bit strangely and I it didn’t work as well as the same one yesterday. I nearly highsided a couple of times! I lost touch with the leaders and that was that. In race two, we used the same set-up and the same tyre and it worked really well and I lapped over a second a lap quicker. I’m really pleased with the weekend’s results.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

We all knew after Troy Bayliss’ record breaking Superpole lap yesterday that a double win for him today was inevitable. That double is now even more likely after Bayliss cruised to yet another win in what is proving to be an incredible season for the Infostrada Ducati rider. Today’s win came after Troy was forced to swap bikes after the sighting lap. Colin Edwards put Bayliss under some early pressure, and even held the lead for a few laps, but Bayliss wore him down to take the win.

Bayliss got the holeshot but Edwards dived inside at the first turn. But Bayliss was back at him in the next corner. The pair struck away out front with Edwards again in the lead, leaving Neil Hodgson, Ruben Xaus, Ben Bostrom and Nori Haga to fight over their crumbs. The battle got too hot for Xaus who stepped off on lap four exiting the chicane.

Hodgson made sure of third with some spirited riding. It was perfectly obvious just how hard he was pushing it ­ his HM Plant Ducati was doing its best to swap ends out of turns. Even Bayliss was having his moments, he saved a near highside early in the race, but it didn¹t slow him down at all. All Edwards could do was watch Bayliss ride off to a win. Hodgson settled down to take third in front of Haga in fourth and Bostrom in fifth. All three riders were alone for much of the race.

Pierfrancesco Chili broke away from a scrap with Chris Walker and James Toseland to take sixth.

With the result decided, bar a mistake on Bayliss’ part, the attention turned to a titanic scrap going on between Toseland and Walker for seventh place. Walker lived up to his nickname, The Stalker, stalking Toseland for several laps before making his move on the last lap. He drove past Toseland’s Ducati, wringing every ounce of power out of his Kawasaki. Both riders were leaving massive black lines out of every turn as their battered tires struggled with the heat and the pace. They swapped the position three or four times on that lap before Toseland got in a big slide a few turns from the end. He kept it pinned to try to keep his pace up and grabbed too much throttle coming out of the Variante Arena turn. The bike slipped, gripped and tossed the young British rider high into the air. Toseland kept hold of the bars, landed in the saddle and rode momentarily onto the grass. By the time he got the plot back under control, Walker had made seventh his.

First race results:
1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 25 laps, 40:04.994
2. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, -2.906
3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01, -14.095
4. Noriyuki Haga,Aprilia RSV1000, -19.000
5. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, -33.644
6. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -42.275
7. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -47.899
8. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, -49.885
9. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -53.545
10. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750Y, -57.204
11. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, -63.071
12. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -70.073
13. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -75.226
14. Serafino Foti, Ducati 996RS, -86.304
15. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, -93.220
16. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS,-1 lap
17. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -1 lap
18. Alessandro Valia, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
19. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, -1 lap
20. Bertrand Stey, Honda RC51, -1 lap
21. Marjan Malec, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
22. Michele Malatesta, Ducati 996RS, -20 laps, DNF
23. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, -21 laps, DNF
24. Giuliano Sartoni, Ducati 996RS, -21 laps, DNF
25. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, -22 laps, DNF, crash
26. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, -22 laps, DNF
27. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998RS, -25 laps, DNF

More, from a HM Plant Ducati release:

Hodgson back on the podium at Misano

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing’s Neil Hodgson finished third in the first race at Misano behind Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards after 25 scorching laps of the 4km circuit near Rimini. Team-mate James Toseland was eighth on his HM Plant Ducati after a blistering battle with fellow British rider Chris Walker.

Bayliss got the holeshot into turn one only to be passed by Edwards midway through the first lap, with Hodgson holding a watching brief in third. The top three then pulled away from the rest of the field, with the only change in position recorded when Bayliss outbraked Edwards into Tramonto on lap ten. The remainder of the race was processional with Bayliss, Edwards and Hodgson finishing in their overall championship running order.

“I was able to get off the line well and got towed along by the leading duo for the first seven or eight laps,” said 28-year-old Hodgson after his fourth rostrum position of the season. “After that I had a lonely but enjoyable ride and was even able to conserve my energy for the second leg over the last five laps. There was nothing that I could do about Troy or Colin. They’ve been fast all the way through testing and I knew that it would be difficult to beat them. I’ll have to try harder – if that’s possible – and see if I can get in between them in the next race.”

The other two top British contenders in the World Superbike field had a close dice for seventh, but Toseland made a critical and ultimately decisive mistake on the last lap: “I was leading Chili and Walker in the early stages of the race, before Chili got passed me and pulled away. That left me fending off Walker and I thought I had seventh in the bag until the last lap. I overcooked it on the chicane, the back end came round and I had to back off, letting him through to take the flag.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss fought over provisional pole under the burning Italian sun at Misano. The pair pushed each other harder and harder as the session wore on, but in the end it was again Bayliss who prevailed, holding onto provisional pole with a time of 1:34.420 compared to Edwards’ best effort of 1:34.561.

Ben Bostrom was also up there on the timesheet but couldn’t match the lead duo. He finished the session third on 1:34.669, just ahead of Neil Hodgson who made a late charge into fourth.

The provisional second row features Pierfrancesco Chili, Noriyuki Haga, Ruben Xaus and James Toseland. Steve Martin was just edged off the second row by Toseland in the closing stages.
Martin’s first Pirelli rider, qualifying for this afternoon’s Superpole in ninth.

The grid will be final decided in the heat of Superpole at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon.

World Superbike
Misano, San Marino
Combined qualifying times

1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 1:34.420
2. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, 1:34.561
3. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, 1:34.669
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01,1:34.717
5. Pierfrancesco Chili,Ducati 998RS, 1:34.802
6. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, 1:35.110
7. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, 1:35.390
8. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, 1:35.464
9. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS,1:35.641
10. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:35.689
11. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:35.767
12. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:36.144
13. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:36.210
14. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:36.276
15. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:36.963
16. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998RS, 1:36.995
17. Serafino Foti, Ducati 996RS, 1:37.016
18. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, 1:37.273
19. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900,1:37.296
20. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:37.774
21. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:37.811
22. Michele Malatesta, Ducati 996RS, 1:38.746
23. Alessandro Valia, Ducati 996RS, 1:38.855
24. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, 1:39.069
25. Bertrand Stey, Honda RC51, 1:39.123
26. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, 1:39.322
27. Giuliano Sartoni, Ducati 996RS, 1:40.153
28. Marjan Malec, Ducati 996RS, 1:40.883
NQ. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 996RS, 1:41.065
NQ. Yann Gyger,Honda RC51, 1:41.229
NQ. Cristian Caliumi, Ducati 996RS, 1:42.055

From a press release:

The heat is on at Misano

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing’s Neil Hodgson and James Toseland flew the Union Jack proudly at Misano by recording their fastest ever lap times, but it wasn’t enough to beat reigning World Champion Troy Bayliss in an incredible Superpole. Bayliss hammered his Ducati 998 F02 around the 4km track in an amazing time of 1:33.525, just over 0.5 seconds faster than team-mate Ben Bostrom, Colin Edwards, Hodgson and Toseland.

The heat was certainly on during qualifying for the eighth round of the Superbike World Championship with scorching afternoon sunshine providing the ultimate test for the riders, superbikes and tyres. However, the Ducati riders responded to dominate the final grid positions – eight of the top ten riders will line-up on the Italian machines for Sunday’s two races on home soil.

Neil Hodgson’s fastest lap of 1:34.356 was almost a full second inside his pole position time from last year. The HM Plant Ducati star was delighted with his time and is looking forward to race day: “I achieved my objective of going under the 1:35 barrier this morning and knew that I could go even faster with a qualifying tyre on a clear track. That’s the way it turned out, but fair play to Troy who seems to have an awesome set-up here at Misano.

“HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing has had a good practice day and haven’t really had any problems. We’ve worked hard to get the best out of the HM Plant Ducatis and I’m confident that I’ll be able to jump back on to the podium tomorrow. My main aim is to consolidate my third position in the championship and maybe take some points off the front two [Bayliss and Edwards] if I have the opportunity.”

Fifth position represented Toseland’s best qualifying position in the series and he was delighted with his breathtaking Superpole lap: “I’ve often performed well in qualifying, only to make a mess of my Superpole lap. So, I’m over the moon to have made it on to the front of row two. A good start is imperative at Misano and I’m in a good position to achieve it. I said at the start of the season that I’d be hoping for the odd rostrum finish, so that has got to be my goal tomorrow.”

From a Ten Kate Honda press release:

Foret has the pole position habit

Fabien Foret withstood temperatures in the upper thirties to take his third pole position in three races here at Misano today.

While other riders wilted in the heat or suffered from bike problems, Foret kept his cool to head the pack again. “I could have gone faster still,” said Foret, “but there were no other riders putting pressure on me so I didn’t see the point of pushing even harder in this heat. But my bike feels great, I have a very good race set up and am confident that my Pirelli tyres and WP Suspension can cope with the extreme conditions.”

His team mate Iain MacPherson dropped down the order late in the session to finish ninth on the grid after a freak incident. MacPherson banged his knee so hard on the kerb while running a fast lap late in the session that he found he couldn’t shift gear. “I ran off the track and then just sat on my bike trying to let the pain pass,” explained MacPherson. Doctors trackside thought he was suffering from heat exhaustion and hussled him onto a stretcher. MacPherson, who is from Scotland, couldn’t make his real predicament understood until he arrived back at the medical centre. By the time he was released, the session was over.

Team Manager Ronald ten Kate was happy again to see one of his riders in pole position. “The problem at Misano is very specific heat! We’re spending a lot of time and effort on keeping the riders cool with ice and fans and the bikes cool with blowers.”

He was also full of praise for the Honda CBR600FS, “This bike is cool, literally! The race tomorrow will be very hard on bikes, tyres and riders, but I am confident we have the best combination of all three.”