Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
Final MotoGP Qualifying Results:
1. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:31.919
2. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:32.325
3. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:32.477
4. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:32.509
5. Alex Barros, Honda RC211V, 1:32.572
6. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:32.592
7. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:32.849
8. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:32.889
9. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:32.918
10. Daijiro Kato, Honda RC211V, 1:32.927
11. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:32.927
12. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:33.116
13. Shinichi Itoh, Honda, 1:33.160
14. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:33.424
15. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:33.433
16. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:33.471
17. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:33.565
18. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:33.572
19. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 1:33.842
20. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:33.848
21. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, 1:34.447
22. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:35.317
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Yamaha:
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
Saturday 19th October 2002
Final Qualifying
MAGIC FROM McCOY
Australian, Garry McCoy attacked the 4.448 km Phillip Island track and in what has been the highlight of his season so far, secured a front row start for his home Grand Prix.
“The Slide King” sliced almost a full second off his qualifying time from yesterday and set a scorching time of 1:32.325 just 0.406-second off pole, set by two-stroke rival Jeremy McWilliams.
For the first time this year, the front row consists of only two-stroke machines, a factor that McCoy can’t quite explain.
“Its surprised me all weekend. I thought it being a fast flowing track with sweeping turns that it would suit the four-strokes. I really don’t know what’s happening,” said the 30-year-old Australian.
In 2001, McCoy started his “home” GP from the 4th row in 14th place and due to mechanical problems was unable to finish the race. He is making sure this weekend that his memory of Phillip Island is replaced by something far more positive.
Teammate to McCoy, 19-year-old American John Hopkins, found another 1.987-second improvement today from yesterday’s qualifying session and lines up tomorrow on the fourth row of the grid. Hopkins who is rounding off his rookie year in the Moto GP has been impressive and consistent all season. Four top-10 finishes under his belt so far with intentions to finish this, his first Moto GP championship, in the Top Ten.
GARRY McCOY 2nd 1:32.325
“It’s my best qualifying yet this Season and I’m happy to be on the front row. The two-strokes are working pretty well here and I think it’s going to be a tough race tomorrow. It will be good to see what’s going to happen with all the different tyre manufactures and different machinery. I’m pretty confident with the tyres for tomorrow although we have not done a full race distance yet.
“I’ve got a bit of a cold and I feel under the weather so I’d really like to feel ‘unsick.'”
JOHN HOPKINS 14th 1:33.424
“I thought I did quite well today and I am pretty happy with it. Yesterday my fastest time was a 35.4 so I’ve made a big improvement today and gained about 2 seconds. The wind is so strong and it just blows you around everywhere but I’ve just had to adapt to the conditons and learn the new track.
“The track has a lovely layout and we’re looking like we’ve got a pretty good set-up for the race. I felt good out there today and I’m pretty happy all in all.”
PETER CLIFFORD DIRECTOR OF RACING
“Brilliant ride from Jeremy. Damn him.
“Congratulations to the Roberts Team but I’m sure that Garry is going to make sure tomorrow does not come out the same way.
“On whole our team has put in a fantastic performance and its just shows that Garry and John are two of the best riders on the grid.”
More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Yamaha:
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX, PHILLIP ISLAND
Final Qualifying, Saturday October 19 2002
STRANGE DAY FOR MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN
Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa had another difficult day at windswept Phillip Island today, qualifying eighth and 20th for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix. The pair have struggled to assume their usual front-of-pack positions here but have high hopes of improving in the race, which will start with four 500 two-strokes on the front row for the first time in MotoGP.
“Strange results today, with an all-500 front row,” said Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “All the four-strokes seem to be suffering a little here, and I guess it’s the same for us. Today we continued working on adjustments, trying different suspension settings and engine mappings, but the wind doesn’t help and we’re still not there. Max could have a good race though, he’s on the second row and if the four-strokes are stronger over race distance, he’ll have a chance. But it will be tough for Carlos because he’s starting from the fifth row on the grid. He’s still not confident with the bike, so we’ll see what he can work out with his technicians this evening.”
BIAGGI STAYS ON ISLAND SECOND ROW
Max Biaggi, winner of last Sunday’s Malaysian GP, will start tomorrow’s Phillip Island GP from the second row of the grid after qualifying eighth fastest, 0.970 seconds off pole position. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man, who has had ten front-row starts this year, including three poles, needs another good result here to boost his bid for runner-up spot in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship.
“For sure the situation is not so rosy for us here,” said the Italian, a close second here last year and the Island winner in 2000. “I gave my maximum today, just like I do when I fight for pole, but this time I couldn’t do better than eighth. Being on the second row is a bit strange! My main problem is lack of confidence in keeping the front wheel on the tarmac, so the wind is troublesome. It’s also quite cold here, but I trust Michelin for the race, their tyres are the best and the future. Also, it’s strange to see four two-strokes on the front row but I think the race will be quite different.”
CHECA FASTER BUT ON FIFTH ROW
Carlos Checa improved his speed during today’s final Australian GP qualifying session, lapping the high-speed track 0.660 seconds faster than yesterday, but it wasn’t enough to move him up the grid. He will start the race from the fifth row of the grid after posting 20th-quickest time. This hasn’t been a normal weekend for the Marlboro Yamaha Team star who has scored six front row starts so far this year, including one pole position.
“It’s a shame this isn’t like go-kart racing, when they start the quickest guys from the back of the grid and the slowest guys from the front, because that way I might have a chance tomorrow!” said a philosophical Checa, extracting some humour from the situation. “My main problem is that I can’t carry enough speed through the fast sections, especially the run towards Lukey Heights. I can flick into turn one, no problem, but the bike doesn’t want to turn when I’m on the gas, it wants to stand up. We’ll try some more things in warm-up and see what we can do in the race.”
McWILLIAMS’ SHOCK POLE POSITION
Jeremy McWilliams amazed the Australian GP paddock by scoring the first-ever pole position for King Kenny Roberts’ Proton Team KR squad. Riding the slowest but lightest bike on the grid, MotoGP’s oldest rider used the KR3’s superior corner speed to devastating effect. “Corner speed is everything at Phillip Island,” said the 38-year-old Briton. “I’ve been pole here before, so I knew it was possible but I never expected to go that quick.”
FRONT ROW
1. Jeremy McWilliams (GBR) PROTON Team KR (KR3) 1:31.919
2. Garry McCoy (AUS) Red Bull YAMAHA WCM (YZR500) 1:32.325
3. Nobuatsu Aoki (JPN) PROTON Team KR (KR3) 1:32.477
4. Jurgen vd Goorbergh (NED) KANEMOTO Racing (NSR500) 1:32.509
8. MAX BIAGGI (ITA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team (YZR-M1) 1:32.889
20. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team (YZR-M1) 1:33.848
More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:
PROTON’S FIRST POLE AND DOUBLE FRONT ROW IN AUSTRALIA
Round 15: Australian GP, Phillip Island Final Qualifying: Saturday, October 19, 2002
Jeremy McWilliams: First, 1:31.919
Nobuatsu Aoki: Third, 1:32.477
Proton Team KR riders produced the best qualifying performance in five years for legendary former champion Kenny Roberts’s team and his lightweight three-cylinder motorcycle, claiming pole position and third place so that both will start from the front row in tomorrow’s Australian GP at the scenic seaside circuit of Phillip Island, south of Melbourne.
McWilliams, overcoming a top speed deficit of almost 30km/h with his blinding corner speed, and had already set the fastest ever two-stroke lap of the 4.448km circuit with ten minutes of the final session to go. Then he was knocked off the top of the listing, and went out again to raise the standard still higher, and put his name back on top by a significant four tenths of a second.
Aoki had also been pushing hard throughout the session, and he too waited until the end for his best, slashing 1.3 seconds off his previous best time to slot into third place on the first all-two-stroke front row of the first season of the MotoGP class, which opens the premier motorchycle racing series also to 990cc four-stroke prototypes.
Conditions were windy again today, and McWilliams joined a handful of other riders in a novel solution – with technicians drilling a variety of different-sized holes in his machine’s fairing. Aoki preferred to stick with full bodywork and look for a solution to the instability by improving suspension settings.
Tomorrow’s race is the 15th of 16 rounds in the MotoGP world championship. Next season, Proton Team KR will be fielding their own V5 990cc four-stroke for the same pair of riders.
JEREMY McWILLIAMS
“This is what makes racing fun. That wasn’t by any means a perfect lap, but I’ll take it, even if I was a little bit ragged. I sort of expected it all weekend. There’s been a problem with a wind throughout, but it just dropped enough in the last seven minutes that I could get a run at it. It showed us how to get some improvements, especially to the gearbox, because I was over-revving at some places. The fairing holes create a negative pressure, and it’s just not so bumpy in the crosswinds. I feel that in my head, so at least they are better psychologically. For the race, I need a much better start than usual. Our problem is we get eaten on the straights. I just need to get a break. I might have to be a bit harsh getting through them. It might be a contact sport tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”
NOBUATSU AOKI
“I don’t care about fairing holes. I will ride with or without. The most important thing is to find a good set up. This morning I was struggling a little bit, but some changes to the front fork made it a lot better. Yesterday I was good on fast corners but not the slow turns. Now it’s better on the slow turns, and still okay on the fast. For the race, I can make consistent lap times, and even on the harder rear tyre I could do the times. I’m surprised – maybe everyone is surprised – to see three Bridgestone bikes on the front row, but the tyres are working very well here.”
KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner
“We were on pole for a couple of seconds in Germany three years back, but another rider was following Kenny on our bike, and went faster right away. Now our theories seem to be working. This year we have the corner speed we’ve needed all along. Some of that’s the Bridgestone tyres, some of it is the riders. The race will be very difficult for us. There are a lot of fast trackers out there, and it’s hard for our guys to find their way round them. It will be down to how the tyres last, and our tyres are working pretty good. It’s going to be an exciting race. Especially for the riders.”
More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki:
MOTOGP 2002
ROUND 14 – PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
19TH OCTOBER 2002 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 2
ANDREW PITT 19TH ON THE GRID FOR HOME GP
Australian GP novice Andrew Pitt put his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR 19th on the starting grid in only his second ride on the brand-new Green Machine, equalling his qualifying position for last week’s debut Malaysian GP, and taking the prototype another step closer towards its full-time debut next year.
Pitt dug deep into his home circuit knowledge, able to concentrate on working on the machine settings, gearing and suspension without also having to learn his way round a new track. The result was a steady improvement over two days and four hours of qualifying, with Pitt slashing almost two seconds off his lap time from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon.
The New South Wales rider, who won the 2001 World 600 Supersport Championship on a Kawasaki, was drafted in at short notice last weekend to replace injured factory tester Akira Yanagawa. The 990cc in-line four-cylinder prototype is by far the most powerful bike he has ever ridden, and he has also had to adapt to carbon brakes and re-adapt to slick tyres.
But his primary role is to move the Ninja ZX-RR down the road of development. The bike ran for the first time in current lightweight-chassis fuel-injected form only in September, and is taking part in the final four GPs of this season in preparation for a full season in 2003.
Andrew Pitt – 19th in 1.33’842: I was able to cut another six tenths of a second off yesterday’s lap time, and I’m happy about the fact that we made further progress, even though I dropped one row further back on the starting grid. I think I could have gone even faster in the end, but we tried a supposedly quicker way of starting the engine for my last run in order to save a few seconds, but instead I missed the last run altogether. No worries though – we improved our lap time, I managed to ride around a few problems that we’ve had, and I know that I can ride with a few of the other guys in the race. It would be great to get some points!
Takashi Yasui – Staff Officer, Kawasaki Research & Development Division: We made a mistake when we tried to push-start our bike for Andrew’s last run instead of using the auxiliary engine, and we missed our last time attack. No big problem – just another valuable experience for our crew!
Harald Eckl – Team Manager: Progress happens in small steps, and I’m happy with what we’ve achieved. In Malaysia, Andrew was two seconds behind the field, now he has closed the gap, and next time, it will be even better again!
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:
ROWS THREE AND FOUR AS SUZUKI MEN SLASH THEIR TIMES
MotoGP, Round 15, Final Qualifying, Phillip Island, Australia – Saturday, October 19, 2002:
TEAM Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and Sete Gibernau placed 12th and 15th in the final qualifying session for tomorrow’s Australian GP. Both riders slashed their lap times by more than a second apiece, and improved overall positions on a close grid, with Kenny starting from the third row, and Sete one row behind.
Roberts cut 1.2-seconds off his previous best time, and was less than a second off a surprise pole, set by 500cc two-stroke rider Jeremy McWilliams. His three-cylinder Proton headed an unusual all-two-stroke front row, the first this year. All four front row qualifiers were on other makes of tyre than the class-leading Michelins used by the Suzuki team, and Roberts was barely half-a-second slower round the 4.448km circuit by the sea than the fastest Michelin runner, fifth-placed Alex Barros.
Gibernau was in turn a quarter of a second down on Kenny after a similar improvement, but interestingly the two riders followed very different technical routes in finding the way to make the machine more stable in the gusty crosswinds that continued to sweep the island circuit south of Melbourne.
Roberts and several other riders cut holes in the fairing flanks to minimise the effect of the cross-winds, while Gibernau preferred to work on suspension changes to find the stability needed for the inch-perfect corner lines on the fast sweeping turns of Phillip Island.
The Australian GP is the penultimate round in the 2002 MotoGP season, the first year of opening the 500cc class to 990cc four-stroke prototypes like the V4 Suzuki GSV-R. Now nearing the end of what was always scheduled as a race-development season, the machines are more competitive than ever, and at the same time are yielding more data for the engineers to build in to next year’s Mk2 version, already well advanced at factory race-shop headquarters in Japan.
KENNY ROBERTS – 12th Position, 1:33.116
“We did some consistent laps with race tyres, but there are some corners out there that are pretty hard with this wind, and that’s where I’m losing time, so we’re going to keep working on those areas for tomorrow. The fairing modifications we made to help it cut through the wind do seem to me to be an improvement. They keep the front more stable when it’s leaned over. There’s definitely something there for us to learn from, and hopefully the factory can find out why, and build in an even bigger improvement in that area for next year’s bike, to go one step further with a standard fairing. We’re suffering a little on top speed, but honestly it’s been so windy here I haven’t been able to tell my guys anything about the set-up. They’ve just been making it better, and I’m riding it. The guys are carrying me along this weekend. I’m on the third row, so hopefully I can get a good start, and be somewhat competitive tomorrow.”
SETE GIBERNAU – 15th Position, 1:33.433
“Not too bad. Again we’re chipping away at things. My chassis settings are much better today. I’m still having some aerodynamic problems into Turns One and Two. We need to work on that, but I’m not convinced that the fairing changes will solve the problem. I haven’t tried them yet.”
GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
“In real terms were just six tenths behind the top Michelin rider, and I believe that Michelins will be the tyres to be on tomorrow. As part of the process, following Kenny’s suggestions, we cut substantial parts out of his fairing to try and stop it acting like a sail in these strong winds. His ideas seem to be right, and the skeleton fairing has made a significant contribution to stability, but rather surprisingly no reduction in top speed. That tells us something about our fairing, and is food for thought for the Japanese engineers. Sete has been gradually improving also, and I’m sure they’ll both do everything they can in the race. If we can’t be on pole, it’s good to see Proton there, so congratulations to Kenny’s father’s team.”
SATURDAY OFFICIAL QUALIFYING TIMES PHILLIP ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
1. J. McWilliams (Proton KR) 1:31.919,
2. G. McCoy (Yamaha) +0.405,
3. N. Aoki (Proton KR) + 0. 558,
4. J. vd Goorbergh (Honda) + 0.590,
5. A. Barros (Honda) + 0.653,
6 T. Ukawa (Honda) + 0.673,
7. V. Rossi (Honda)+ 0.930,
8. M. Biaggi (Yamaha) +0.970,
9. L. Capirossi (Honda) + 0.999,
10 D. Kato (Honda) + 1.008,
12. KENNY ROBERTS (TELEFONICA MOVISTAR SUZUKI) + 1.197,
15. SETE GIBERNAU (TELEFONICA MOVISTAR SUZUKI) + 1.514.
More, from a press release issued by Honda:
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2002
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX, PHILLIP ISLAND
Final Qualifying, Saturday October 19th
VAN DEN GOORBERGH TAKES FRONT ROW START
The most unusual qualifying result of the 2002 season delivered an all-500cc two-stroke front row at Phillip Island, with the top Honda runner proving to be Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500), in fourth place. Equally unexpectedly, there were no Michelin runners on the front row, with three Bridgestone and one Dunlop-supplied riders in the top four spots.
Held in largely the same windy conditions that plagued day one of qualifying, the final timed session was a frantic affair on the final laps, as the winds eased by a small degree and all the top riders embarked on one last gasp effort to take pole.
Van den Goorbergh, quick all weekend long, was happy with his entire package in qualifying, and feels he can put in a good race performance as well.
“Maybe this result has got more to do with the fact that we have got softer qualifying tyres than Michelin at the moment, but nevertheless I think that in terms of race lap times we are also competitive,” said the Dutch rider. “All weekend long we have been around fifth or sixth. It is nice to be here and back at the front again because it has been such a frustrating year. Until now it has not been going that well, and I don’t think it’s my fault either, so it is good to have this chance to show I can be successful.”
Alex Barros (West Honda Pons RC211V), pole for much of the session, went fifth overall, the top 990cc four-stroke rider on show once more.
“I think that the front row is a bit of a mirage,” said Barros, wryly. “I am happy because I am the first rider on Michelin tyres and also the first four-stroke pilot. Obviously I would have liked to be on the front row, but I am lapping quickly and I have a lot of confidence in the bike’s settings and the tyre choice.”
A numerical Honda domination of the top ten positions continued with Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V) in sixth, scoring a second row start after making ground on the second day.
“I am pretty happy with the result in these conditions,” affirmed Ukawa. “We have a good balance of the machine and the tyres are showing constant wear, which is important for the race. The tyres are moving a little on the gas but the whole package feels fine. Starting from the second row is no big deal.”
New World Champion Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V) went pole with 18 minutes of the final one-hour session remaining, dropping to seventh at the end, unable to get another perfect lap in before the final hour elapsed. If Rossi does repeat his 2001 success at Phillip Island it would be his 50th GP win in all classes.
“Generally the feeling of the bike is good,” said Rossi. “The place I know I need to be faster is the hairpin, the feeling from the bike is not so good there. The front doesn’t feel too solid and right in the middle of the corner there is a little chatter before the power comes on. Our bike is heavier and it needs a lot of effort to move it around in these conditions. For the race it will be very important to look after the tyres to be competitive.”
The first place on the third row of the grid was earned by Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), with the two-stroke rider running in tandem with his four-stroke equipped team-mate Barros for long periods of qualifying.
“This second day of qualifying has gone better than the first,” said a relieved Capirossi. “I think we are going about it in the right way to be competitive. I am lapping quickly and I can be up with the leaders tomorrow.”
Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini RC211V) took his wailing V5 to the final top ten spot, making it six Hondas in the top ten places. His troubles with the wind were more pronounced than most other riders’, simply due to his physique.
“I had great difficulty to ride in this wind,” said the small and slightly-build Kato. “In some points it moves the bike around and I have to use my maximum strength to hold it because I am very light. It is not my favourite way to ride…”
Wild card rider Shinichi Itoh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500), was up in fifth spot at one stage, ending his one-off race qualifying 13th out of 22 after the last 20 minutes of the session saw much movement in the combined qualifying sheets.
Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) ran out 18th, not being able to stay at the qualifying pace of some other Dunlop runners.
Like many other riders Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) struggled in the gusty winds that plagued qualifying, and had other factors to overcome to go ninth on the grid.
“I am not so happy because I did not improve on my first qualifying time,” said Rolfo. “We had a small technical problem on my number one bike. My team fixed it so that I could ride ‘my’ bike again in the final session, but we lost some time.”
Emilio Alzamora (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) finally improved his first day qualifying time to go 11th fastest on his works machine, 1.883 seconds from pole.
“We had a lot of problems with the front pushing and that held back our times,” stated the former 125cc World Champion.
Splitting the Fortuna NSRs, young Brit Leon Haslam qualified an excellent tenth, using high corner speed to make up time on his production RS250R/W against the faster factory machines.
Haruchika Aoki (DeGraaf Grand Prix Team Honda RS250R/W) took a top 15 finish on his evolution spec machine, with Haslam’s team-mate Jason Vincent (By Queroseno Racing Honda RS250R/W) 17th. Jakub Smrz (DeGraaf Grand Prix Team Honda RS250R/W) was the final Honda qualifier, 22nd out of the 25 riders that made it to the grid.
Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R), close to a front row start on day one, ended his qualifying sessions in tenth place, earning a third row start, much to his chagrin as he races to keep his slender championship hopes alive in the last two races of the year.
He was plainly unhappy with his lot after practice, especially as a short fall of rain robbed all the riders of some vital time at the beginning of the qualifying session.
“I can’t be happy with that qualifying without any doubt the worst of the season,” said the disappointed Spaniard. “This position is not correct for me; my worst start for more than a year. I can’t pin down the problem exactly; it’s a sum of different problems. The bike wouldn’t go where I wanted it to go, and I couldn’t do any more. I was bouncing a lot in the fast corners, which is precisely where you make a good lap time. Instead I had to back off the throttle. I am confident we will find an improvement in warm-up tomorrow, so I am able to make a good race.”
Joan Olive (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) will start the 125 race from the outside of the fourth row, taking 16th fastest time overall.
“The rain at the start of the session ruined all our plans,” explained Olive.” I had a good tyre, with just one lap on it, so we decided to stick
with it until the closing stages. When I started to improve I got tied up in a big group that prevented me from getting a better time. My bike is much better overall than yesterday, and I think our settings are good for tomorrow.”
The top qualifying Honda rider proved to be Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Racing Team Honda RS125R), one place ahead of Pedrosa in ninth, and two places ahead of flying Finn Mika Kallio (Red Devil Honda RS125R). Masao Azuma (Tribe by Breil Honda RS125R) rode to 17th, Gabor Talmacsi (PEV
Moto ADAC Sachsen Honda RS125R) to the last position in the top 20.
And one last thing, from Desiree Crossman, on the scene with John Hopkins:
Well the weather held up today for MotoGP, but it was still very windy and cold, though the sun stayed out with some scattered clouds.
It’s a 2-stroke first row with Jeremy McWilliams taking pole, then Gaz, Nobu Aoki, and Jurgen Vd Goorbergh. Gaz had pole in the last minute but Jeremy snatched it. It was a good session. The four strokes are on the second row, Barros, Ukawa, Rossi, and then Biaggi.
John had a good session, too. He was 21st until about 4 minutes to go and then he jumped to 11th. He pulled into the garage with around 2 minutes to go and was dropped down to 14th. We are all very happy, though. It was good. John jumped alot of places and Gaz stayed on the top.
That’s all I have to say. Abe crashed out in the first session and was taken to the hospital. We don’t know if he’s alright because it was pretty bad. It’s his first time on the 4-stroke so I’m sure that was part of the reason.
A good day down under with a great Aussie crowd. Alot of people.
Des
