Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mat Mladin sent a shot across the bow of his competition in the final 20-minute Superbike practice Saturday before the first of two 25-lap races this weekend by turning a 1:22.861.

The time is well under Nicky Hayden’s Road Atlanta lap record of 1:23.287 set last year. Mladin’s time on the revised course will not be recognized as an official lap record because it was not recorded during official timed qualifying.

Eric Bostrom nearly matched his fast time (1:23.944) from Saturday morning’s qualifying with a 1:23.988 in the final warm-up session.

Erion Honda’s Kurtis Roberts was third-fastest in the 20-minute sessions with his fastest time of the weekend, a 1:24.125.

Saturday Afternoon AMA Superbike Practice Times:

1. Mat Mladin, Suzuki, 1:22.861
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki, 1:23.988
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda, 1:24.125
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:24.862
5. Ben Bostrom, Honda, 1:25.111
6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda, 1:25.518
7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:26.406
8. Larry Pegram, Ducati, 1:26.772
9. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:27.174
10. Shawn Higbee, Suzuki, 1:27.997

16. Anthony Gobert, Ducati, 1:32.928

From a press release issued by the Parts Canada Superbike Series:

CREVIER LEADS SUPERBIKES

SHANNONVILLE, ON – Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC led the way on the opening day of practice for the first round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park on Friday.

In his Canadian debut with the Diablo Performance team the six-time national Superbike champion toured the 1.5-mile ‘Pro’ track in 1:07.559 on his Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Tom Kipp of Chardon, OH was second quickest on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-7RR at 1:07.699 and Toronto’s Michael Taylor placed third on the Orion Motorsports Honda CBR954RR with a time of 1:08.086.

Qualifying for Sunday’s Superbike feature race will run Saturday afternoon.

“We’ll make some small changes for tomorrow,” said Crevier, who holds the track lap record at 1:05.746. “I think we’ll need a second and a half tomorrow to stay on top. I think the record will be pretty easy to smash, just because the level of competition has gone up this year.”

Kipp is a late addition to the Canadian Kawasaki team. He was brought in after primary rider Owen Weichel broke his wrist in a crash in California two weeks ago.

“We were definitely able to get into a groove quicker than I expected,” said Kipp, who last raced at Shannonville in 1991. “I’m very happy with the Kawasakis.”

Taylor led a tight group of five riders within half a second of each other as new series rules, designed to even the playing field in the Superbike class made their debut.

“We made a lot of changes before the last session,” Taylor said. “I like the bike. We’ll have to keep it up for tomorrow.”

Defending race winner Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON was fourth on his Brooklin Yamaha YZF-R1 with a time of 1:08.168. He was followed by Taylor’s Orion Motorsports Honda teammates Kevin Lacombe and Robbie Baird.

Lacombe, from Granby, QC recorded a 1:08.205 on his Honda RC51 while Australian newcomer Baird managed a 1:08.220 on his similar machine.

Pascal Picotte was quickest in practice for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike national class. The Granby, QC rider set a time of 1:08.534 on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Kipp was second fastest at 1:09.241 aboard a Kawasaki ZX-6RR and Trombino placed third with a 1:09.242 on another Yamaha.

Bill Card of Wellesley, ON was quickest in the opening day of practice for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike division on his Honda CBR600RR with a time of 1:12.868. Richmond Hill, ON’s Eric Warren placed second with a 1:13.027 aboard a Suzuki GSX-R600 and Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON was third at 1:13.534, also on a Suzuki GSX-R600.

Qualifying for all three national classes will take place Saturday afternoon. Riders will be on the track at 8:30 a.m. with the first qualifying session slated for 1:00 p.m. Feature races will run Sunday.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Sunday, June 15 at 11:00 am EDT and later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hooters Suzuki’s Vaclav “Vincent” Haskovec came from behind to beat Attack Suzuki’s Josh Hayes in the run to the last corner to win the AMA Superstock race at Road Atlanta Saturday. It was 29-year-old Haskovec’s first AMA National race win, and the Czech Republic immigrant now leads the Superstock point standings.

Hayes got the holeshot and led every lap except for the last lap.

Haskovec was sixth after lap one; passed Adam Fergusson, John Haner and Tommy Hayden on the first lap; and battled with Chris “Opie” Caylor through the middle of the race.

Haskovec turned the fastest lap of the race, 1:26.801 on lap five, passed Caylor in turn one on lap six, pulled within striking distance of Hayes on lap 12 and even sized up Hayes for a pass in turn 10 on lap 14. Haskovec spun up his rear at the exit of turn seven on the final lap, allowing Hayes to pull an advantage down the back straight. Hayes still protected the inside of turn 10, while Haskovec set up for a drive out of 10 and up the hill. Haskovec got the power down up the hill, and Hayes spun up and ran wider over the hill than he wanted. Haskovec rubbed up inside Hayes coming down the hill to turn 12 and took the win by less than a bikelength.

Caylor finished a close third.

Hayden’s 636cc Kawasaki ZX-6R was overpowered by the 750cc machines down Road Atlanta’s straightaways. The situation became worse in lapped traffic, but Hayden held on to finish fourth.

Haskovec’s teammate Mike Ciccotto put in a late-race charge to move from eighth up to finish fifth.

Eric Wood, Fergusson, Jimmy Moore, Haner and Yamaha YZF-R6-mounted Jason DiSalvo rounded out the top 10.

Mike Smith and Jordan Szoke both pulled out of the race with mechanical problems. Smith was third when he slowed on the back straight on lap two. Szoke was ninth when his engine apparently blew on the front straight on lap 13.

AMA Superstock Race Results:

1. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 15 laps
2. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, -0.108 second
3. Chris Caylor, Suzuki GSX-R750, -0.851 second
4. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, -7.654 seconds
5. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, -10.716 seconds
6. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, -11.310 seconds
7. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R750, -12.255 seconds
8. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, -14.657 seconds
9. John Haner, Suzuki GSX-R750, -15.885 seconds
10. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, -15.961 seconds
11. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, -17.139 seconds
12. Matt Furtek, Suzuki GSX-R750, -17.812 seconds
13. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R750, -20.178 seconds
14. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, -25.809 seconds
15. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, -30.569 seconds

Provisional AMA Superstock Point Standings:

1. Haskovec, 120
2. Hayden, 118
3. Fergusson, 109
4. Hayes, 100
5. Meiring/Caylor, TIE, 93
7. DiSalvo, 92
8. Moore, 90
9. Haner/Ciccotto, TIE, 77
11. Ulrich, 65
12. Furtek, 56
13. Wood/Szoke, TIE, 54
15. Acree, 52


More, from a press release issued by Marietta Motorsports:

1-888-FASTLAP’S CAYLOR FINISHES 3RD IN 750 SUPERSTOCK AT ROAD ATLANTA

BRASELTON, Ga.- 1-888-FASTLAP rider Opie Caylor stood on the podium in front of his friends and family at his home track of Road Atlanta after taking third in the 750 Superstock race on his 1-888-FASTLAP/Team EMGO Taiwan Suzuki GSX-R750.

Caylor started the race from the second row after qualifying sixth. In the opening two laps, he worked his way into second. For the remainder of the 15-lap race, Caylor battled with Vincent Haskovec as the two tried to chase down race leader Josh Hayes.

Haskovec passed Caylor on lap six, but the two slowly began to close the gap that Hayes had gotten. The three riders stayed close to each other for the remainder of the race in what many fans declared the most exciting race of the day.

Caylor was able to pull away from Kawasaki’s Tommy Hayden, who tried to challenge him for third. Caylor ran unchallenged in the closing laps, earning his first podium of the season.

“It seems like it’s always hardest to do good at your home track,” reflected Caylor. “I went to California Speedway and qualified with a better position than I did here. But we ended up on the box today and it’s great.”

1-888-FASTLAP rider Brian Stokes finished 16th on the Team Embry Suzuki GSX-R750. He battled with Rich Conicelli for the entire race. “Conicelli is a good rider and we had fun. It gave me something to do. I hit a couple of false neutrals on the back straight, so my speed back there wasn’t as high as the other bikes. But we did well today and it was a fun time.”

More information about 1-888-FASTLAP, including information about Caylor and Stokes, can be found on the Internet at www.1888FASTLAP.com.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning AMA Superstock Practice Times:

1. Vincent Haskovec, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.907
2. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.166
3. John Dugan, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.183
4. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.210
5. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.468
6. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.560
7. Matt Wait, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.597
8. Jamie Stauffer, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.696
9. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.762
10. Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.800
11. Jason Peters, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.356
12. Mike Smith, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.470
13. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:31.797
14. Jacob Holden, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.853
15. Hawk Mazzotta, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.284
16. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.300
17. Tom Wertman, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.516
18. Thad Halsmer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.960
19. Darren Luck, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:35.321
20. Jeff Muskopf, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:35.858
21. Chuck Ivey, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.412
22. Mike Scruggs, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:38.224
23. William Johnson, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:38.758
24. Nathan Hester, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:38.818
25. Chris Greer, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:40.416
26. David Bell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:40.866
27. Robert Hilliard, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:41.988

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha, 1:27.936
2. Simon Turner, TSR Honda, 1:30.443
3. Chris Pyles, Honda, 1:33.361
4. Colin Jensen, Aprilia, 1:33.463
5. Ed Sorbo, Yamaha, 1:33.699
6. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, 1:33.997
7. Darren Fulce, Yamaha, 1:34.465
8. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, 1:34.937
9. Greg Esser, Honda, 1:35.401
10. Sean McNew, Honda, 1:35.546

Chuck Sorensen, the defending AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion, did not participate in Saturday’s qualifying session at Road Atlanta due to an injury suffered in a crash on Friday.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Trevor Hedge, www.mcnews.com.au

The opening stages of the second round of the Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship were played out under cloudy skies at Victoria’s magnificent Phillip Island circuit today.

Shawn Giles (Suzuki) signaled his intentions in first qualifying by going 1.5 seconds under the previous Australian Production Superbike qualifying record and over half a second under the race lap record. Nobody could beat that mark in final qualifying which put Giles on pole position for tomorrow’s three races.

Yamaha’s Kevin Curtain dominated the opening encounter of the five round championships at South Australia’s Mallala Motorsport Park last month with a perfect record of race wins in both the Superbike and Supersport classes. At that meeting Giles was still suffering the effects of a case of severe food poisoning which hindered his performance.

But Giles proved he is back, and fit, after conquering those ills to take pole on his GSX-R1000 Suzuki. Curtain piloted his Yamaha YZF-R1 to a 1:35.244 in the final qualifying session which was good enough for fourth on the grid.

Curtain’s team-mate and fellow Novocastrian, Daniel Stauffer, was the second fastest man in final qualifying and will take his place next to Giles at the front of the grid. Daniel is the brother of Jamie Stauffer who recently filled the Suzuki AMA Supersport seat vacated by Aaron Yates.

Also on the front row is 20-year-old Shepparton rider Craig Coxhell. He is the youngest rider on the front row of the grid and is partner to reigning Australian Superbike Champion Shawn Giles in Team Suzuki Australia.

But Kevin Curtain did manage to top the tables in the 600cc Supersport category, the 26-year-old needed only one of the two qualifying sessions to secure pole. Second on the Supersport grid is young Brendan Clarke, who, like Curtain, also rides a Yamaha YZF-R6 for the Nikon Yamaha Team. Both riders are back riding in Australia after stints riding on the world championship stage. Curtain rode World Supersport on a Honda while Clarke was the youngest ever 500 Grand Prix competitor when he rode for the Shell Advance Grand Prix squad two years ago.

The tyre rules for Australian Supersport mean that riders have only two sets of tyres to last them through the qualifying sessions, and the three eight lap races scheduled over the weekend. With this in mind both the Nikon Yamaha riders only did the absolute minimum laps needed to ensure their places at the front of the grid.

The first of the weekend’s three Supersport races was run today with Kevin Curtain storming away to an easy victory. The battle for second was hard and fast with Brendan Clarke, Shannon Johnson, Josh Brookes and Glenn Allerton all taking turns at leading the fight. Honda team-mates Josh Brookes and Shannon Johnson rubbed fairings, and elbows, down the main straight in the final run to the line but it was Brookes who held on to take second, but the call was close enough for the video evidence to be called upon to back up the timing system. Both the Honda riders had a talking to about their antics down the main straight which nearly resulted in Brookes rubbing the wall at around 240kph.

Alex Cudlin took the Superstock win by the narrowest of margins over Alex Tomassetti after the duo had a great battle. Leigh McKenzie was the star performer at the previous Mallala round but at the ultra fast Phillip Island circuit the Victorian could only take third behind the two New South Wales riders.

Mildura’s Josh Waters got a shocker of a start in the 125 Grand Prix race but quickly worked his way up to the front. The 16-year-old had a ding-dong battle for the win with multiple time Australian Champion Peter Galvin. Waters took the win by two-tenths of a second after both himself and Galvin continually lowered the lap record. While Waters eventually recorded the win, it was Galvin who set the new record with a 1:41.632. Waters also did times in the 1-minute-41 bracket but the best of the rest could only managed 1-minute-44s.

Western Australia’s Peter Taplin took the win in 250 Grand Prix to continue his perfect record so far this year. Mark Stanley challenged him at times but Taplin eventually took the win by two seconds, while Stanley just managed to hold off Chris Wilkie to take second place.

Caleb Stalder continued to be the class of the field in the dwindling 250 Production ranks. This class sees basically standard Aprilia RS250 machines go head to head with each other and the class has produced champions such as Troy Corser, Mat Mladin, Robbie Baird, Kevin Curtain, Broc Parkes, Anthony West and Aaron Gobert.

But at this stage of the game the 250 Production class is definitely only a shadow of its former self, with grids quite often numbering less than 15. Some rule changes were introduced this year which puts riders on a Michelin Pilot Sport control tyre. The riders have petitioned this move and want to get the rule changed so they can ride on the more track focused ‘Pilot Race’ tyres.

The main factor in tomorrow’s three Superbike races could well turn out to be the notorious Phillip Island weather. ‘A few showers’ are forecast but there is also a chance that the weather could turn nasty. This could really throw a spanner in the works as it has been a long time since a Shell Advance Australian Superbike experienced inclement weather so many of the top riders have not ridden in the rain for a couple of years.

If it is dry, the top four Superbike riders are all on Dunlop rubber but compound choices could be where it is won or lost in regards to the overall round win. Australian Superbikes get two sets of tyres each for them to complete three races on, so one set has to be used in two races. If it is wet Michelin have previously proven to be superior which could allow Honda riders such as Shannon Johnson and Josh Brookes figure more in to the equation. But Dunlop are rumoured to have some great new wets available in Australia this year. If it does turn wet I guess we will find out…

But come rain, hail, or shine the action will be fierce as Australia’s fastest motorcycle racers battle it out around the 4.45km circuit on Sunday to see who comes away the victor from this second round of the Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning AMA 250cc Grand Prix Practice Times:

1. Rich Oliver, Yamaha, 1:30.573
2. Ed Sorbo, Yamaha, 1:35.287
3. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, 1:38.068
4. Simon Turner, TSR Honda, 1:38.275
5. Greg Esser, Honda, 1:38.275
6. Darren Fulce, Yamaha, 1:39.878
7. Chris Pyles, Honda, 1:40.048
8. Colin Jensen, Aprilia, 1:40.933
9. Barrett Long, Yamaha, 1:41.311
10. Stephen Bowline, Honda, 1:41.321
11. Nobi Iso, Aprilia, 1:41.368
12. Sandy Noce, Yamaha, 1:41.511
13. Ed Marchini, Yamaha, 1:41.946
14. Rick Merhar, Yamaha, 1:41.946
15. Jeremy Bonnett, Yamaha, 1:42.241

Note: Stargel Aprilia’s Chuck Sorensen missed Saturday morning practice while getting his right hand examined by doctors. Sorensen crashed in the newly-added turn three chicane section Friday.

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Jeremy’s First Ride

McWill throws a leg over his new bike

Proton Team KR works rider, Jeremy McWilliams had his first taste of the team’s new four-stroke V5 on Wednesday afternoon. The motorcycle, which is still in development was rolled out at the Turweston airstrip near the team’s base in England.

McWilliams did several high speed passes getting familiar with the clutch and gear change.

The development team has been working day and night to get the Proton KR V5 ready for it’s circuit debut, which is hoped to be next weekend at Le Mans.

Jeremy McWilliams:
I’m really impressed with the smoothness of the engine. It feels bloody quick. When I give it throttle it just takes off. Since it was my first time on the bike I wanted to get acquainted with it, so I just ran it up and down to get a feel of the engine and systems. I can’t wait to get it to the race track, because it feels like it’s going to be everything it was designed to be.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Muggeridge smashes records to go pole at Monza

Karl Muggeridge blasted his way to pole position in the Supersport at Monza, beating his Ten Kate Honda team mate Chris Vermeulen by nearly a second and going 1.7 seconds under the existing best lap time.

When Karl Muggeridge returned to the pits and looked at the lap times, his first words were quite simple: “Some gap!” said the Australian as he glanced at the timing monitors.

It wasn’t the easiest of qualifying session for Muggeridge as riders hung around waiting for a slipstream partner.

“The hardest part of that was traffic,” he explained. “At one point I had to actually stop on the track because so many people were waiting for a tow, and the problem with that is that your tyres go cold.”

Still suffering from a thumb injury from the first free practice on Friday where he snapped the ligaments in his right thumb, Chris Vermeulen was very happy with second on the grid.

“I did the same time on race tyres as I did on qualifiers because of my thumb injury, I just couldn’t make use of the extra grip.

“The pain is worse on the brakes and that is going to make it hard to pass people in the race. But with the Ten Kate Honda I might get away with using the power to pass riders.”

Kawasaki’s Pere Riba moved back from MotoGP after a disastrous season and has had some teething problems with the new model Kawasaki ZX-6RR. But the Kawasaki France team have been working hard and improvements at the last two rounds saw him qualified third.

“At the beginning of the season I wasn’t happy with the bike,” explained the Spaniard and former Ten Kate rider. “In Japan we made big changes to the chassis and suspension and here in Monza we have made some modifications to in the engine to find more power.”

Alstare Suzuki of Katsuaki Fujiwara edged out Scotsman Iain MacPherson by 0.08 second to snatch the final front row start.



Final World Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, 1:51.480
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 1:52.311
3. Pere Riba, Kawasaki, 1:52.570
4. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, 1:52.922
5. Iain MacPherson, Honda, 1:53.003
6. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:53.159
7. Werner Daemen, Honda, 1:53.255
8. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Yamaha, 1:53.331
9. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha, 1:53.332
10. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki, 1:53.246
11. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda, 1:53.639
12. Robert Ulm, Honda, 1:53.667
13. Simone Sanna, Yamaha, 1:53.742
14. Gianluca Namelli, Yamaha, 1:53.755
15. Christophe Cogan, Honda, 1:53.769
16. Alessandro Polita, Yamaha, 1:53.830
17. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, 1:53.846
18. Barry Veneman, Honda, 1:53.876
19. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha, 1:54.283
20. Broc Parkes, Honda, 1:54.315


More, from a press release issued on behalf of Ten Kate Honda:

Ten Kate Honda dominate final qualifying at Monza

Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen showed the dominance of the Ten Kate Hondas by taking the top two grid positions for Sunday’s race at the historic Monza circuit.

Muggeridge blew the opposition into the weeds going almost a full second quicker than Vermeulen and more than a second faster of Pere Riba in third.

But it wasn’t all easy for Muggeridge. “There was so much traffic out there it made it tough,” he explained. “Riders were slowing down in the middle of the track to wait for a tow. It didn’t only mean that the lap was ruined but also let the tyre go cold. The Honda CBR600RR is great and the Pirelli tyres are fantastic here. Getting pole is a real confidence booster for me because it’s taken a few races to adjust to the new bike.”

While Karl’s performance was impressive his team mate Chris Vermeulen’s second on the grid is nothing short of incredible considering his thumb injury.

“Braking is very painful,” said Chris after the session. “My time on qualifying tyres was the same as on race tyres because I couldn’t make use of the extra grip due to my thumb. In the race passing on the brakes will be difficult, but if I can’t pass on the brakes I’ll have to use the power of the Ten Kate Honda instead.”

Team manager Ronald ten Kate was obviously pleased to see both his riders at the top of the timesheet.

“Incredible! I’m literally speechless,” was all he could say at first after qualifying. But then he found words to describe his riders’ efforts. “Being on pole is great but to see Karl smash the best lap record by 1.7seconds is amazing. It shows that we are constantly improving the new bike and that we have two very capable riders. Chris did so well today despite his injury and I’m sure that in the race he’ll be running on pure adrenaline.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

FRONT ROW FOR KATS

2003 Supersport World Championship ­ Round 4, Monza, Italy. Final qualifying, Saturday 17th May.
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Katsuaki Fujiwara made a dramatic improvement at Monza today to earn himself a place on the front row of the grid.

Kats posted a lap of 1:52.22 after changing almost everything on his GXSR600 Alstare Suzuki. Fujiwara’s team mate Stephane Chambon also improved his lap times considerably and ended up sixth quickest.

The final qualifying was dominated by the ultra-fast Hondas of Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen. Both had topped yesterday’s standings and today was just the same. Aussie Muggeridge took nearly a second off his best time yesterday to take pole position ahead of his team mate Vermeulen. Third quickest was Spaniard Pere Riba (Kawasaki), just two tenths of a second faster then Fujiwara.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA ­ 4th, 1:52.922: We made many changes after yesterday: Suspension, gearbox and the balance of the bike and it all worked much better. This morning I felt under a lot of pressure to qualify better, so now I am much happier that we are on the front row of the grid. It’s very important to be on the front row here and make a good start, because the first chicane is very tight and you don’t want to get caught up in a pack. The Hondas are very fast here and it’s not possible to draft them and then pull out and pass, so tomorrow’s race is going to be very, very hard.

STEPHANE CHAMBON ­ 6th, 1:53.159: We changed many settings from yesterday, including the gearbox and I’m happy that it made an improvement. Yesterday I was struggling a lot with a front-end problem, but today was much better. I don’t really get on with this track, so I know I’m in for a very difficult race tomorrow. A good start is important ­ especially from my second row grid position ­ because the first chicane is so difficult and tight.

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Hodgson wins the battle of two Superpoles

Neil Hodgson kept his head in difficult conditions after rain stopped the first Superpole session and forced the organisers to restart the session as wet Superpole.

In wet Superpole the riders have 50 minutes to complete 12 laps. Although called wet, by the time the riders got back out on track the circuit was more-or-less dry so all riders were using slicks. But after about 20 minutes the light rain intensified slightly, forcing the riders back into their pit boxes.

When the rain eased off again, with just under 10 minutes remaining, Britain’s James Toseland stormed into provisional pole. This prompted Hodgson and Frankie Chili to get back into the saddle. With just minutes to go Chili took pole, only to return to his pit box just in time to see Hodgson finish a fantastic lap and snatch pole.

Toseland was demoted to third, with Regis Laconi completing a all-Ducati front row. Ruben Xaus, who wasn’t allowed to start the session due to concussion suffered as a result of his earlier crash, went to the back of the third row.

Because of the unique conditions, all riders who had already completed a Superpole laps were allowed an extra tyre, 14 instead of the regulation 13.


World Superbike Superpole Results From Monza:

1. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 999F03, 1:46.981
2. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:47.096
3. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, 1:47.502
4. Regis Laconi, Ducati 998RS, 1:47.537
5. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:47.964
6. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:48.281
7. Chris Walker, Ducati 998F02, 1:49.003
8. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.350
9. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:49.829
10. Alex Gramigni, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:50.172
11. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:50.244
12. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:50.903
13. Giovanni Bussei, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:51.417
14. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.714
15. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 999F03, no time
16. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, no time

17. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:50.579
18. Serafino Foti, Ducati 998RS, 1:50.990
19. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:51.039
20. James Haydon, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:51.399


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Third row start for Foggy PETRONAS Racing at Monza
Foggy PETRONAS Racing’s Troy Corser will start from the third row of the grid for tomorrow’s two races in round four of the World Superbike championsip at Monza.

On a challenging day for the team at the fast Italian circuit, a combination of mechanical trouble and misfortune resulted in team-mate James Haydon failing to qualify for the Superpole battle for the top 16 grid positions. That Superpole session was restarted in the Wet format in light rain, with riders allowed 12 laps in which to post their best time, but only after Corser had already posted one lap under Dry Superpole conditions. That lap left him set for a minimum 10th place qualifying position and although he was able to set his best time of the weekend 1:50.320 during the re-start, he slipped to 11th place on the grid.

Team manager Nigel Bosworth said: “We knew that Monza would pose a tough challenge, as we do not yet have the high speeds necessary for this circuit. To be on the third row was probably as much as we could have hoped for here. It has been a frustrating day, especially for James.”

Troy said: “I have improved my set-up today and the bike is handling better, although the gearing still has big jumps. I have done 11 or 12 laps on a race tyre and was doing better times than on a qualifier. So hopefully I will be able to run in the second group in the races and achieve a realistic goal of a top ten finish. I have not however been able to concentrate fully on my laps as I have had a problem with oil leaks and this is the last place where you want that to happen.”

James said: “I know we will get there but right now I am struggling with my own limit and the bike’s limit. I need to get my rear suspension working for me, so that I can ride on deteriorating tyres and slide on them. Today’s crash, at the last corner, was the first when I was really pushing the front. It’s one thing to crash when you are dicing for a win, but another thing when you feel you are off the pace. I was feeling battered after yesterday’s crash – now I just feel a bit more battered and my confidence is low. This morning’s events did not help, although I had my one moment of luck this weekend when my gearbox jumped and I looked down to see the engine smoking. If I had gone round the next corner I would have been off. I then had to use my second bike, which had a problem with gear selection internally, causing me to run wide. When this happened at the first corner I tried to cut through the bales at the chicane but a marshall grabbed my arm off the clutch, the bike stalled and they refused to give me a push start.”

Team owner Carl Fogarty was disappointed in the decision to switch the rules from a Dry Superpole to Wet session. He said: “If the Superpole session starts under Dry rules, it should stay under those rules. If it had rained harder then the later starters might have suffered, so it looked to me that the organisers were trying to make sure the Ducatis were on the front row.”


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

FRUSTRATION FOR TROY

Small problems made the final day of qualifying at Monza a very frustrating day for Troy. Throughout the two days, Troy had experienced some oil leaks and so never completely managed to push his hardest and set a really quick lap time. The bike was down on acceleration as well and Troy found it very hard top match the lap times of his rivals at the super-fast 5.793 kilometre circuit. A slight sprinkling of rain three quarters the way through the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out, caused all the laps up to then void and the riders were then given a ‘Wet Superpole’ session. All the riders were given fifty minutes in which to complete a maximum of twelve laps and Troy ended up eleventh on the grid. Series leader Neil Hodgson (Ducati) stole pole position from local hero Frankie Chili just two minutes from the end of the session with a lap of 1:46.981 ­ the faster two-wheeled lap of Monza ever recorded.

TROY- ­ 11th, 1:50.244

It has been a very frustrating couple of days and I never had a chance to really go for it. Our bike is losing out on acceleration and taking too long to get to its top speed and that’s hurting us a lot. I’ve been having to try and make up for that by riding flat-out in the corners. We’ve changed the gearbox ratios, but so far I haven’t found exactly what I’m looking for. Also, I’ve had some oil leaks and that caused me to lose my confidence in the bike a little. Monza is not the kind of track I would want to have a crash. The plus side is that I did my best time on a race tyre and that I know what tyres I will use in tomorrow’s races. This bike has never been here before, so we had no information or data from before. We have to just try and catch up as best we can. Tomorrow is going to be a long, hard day.


More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks:

Laconi at Monza set front row once more

998RS Ducati Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks rider Regis Laconi set front row for Sunday’s fourth round of World Superbike championship at Monza with the fourth fastest time in the Superpole. After recording the fourth fastest laptime in the morning’s final qualifying session, Laconi confirmed his position also in a Wet Superpole, a 50 minutes session with a maximum of 12 laps availables. The session to define the starting grid for the tomorrow’s 16 laps two races has been a suffered session for the French rider: Superpole really started as Dry Superpole, but just during Regis’ timed lap started raining and Laconi has been stopped by red flag. After the 15 minutes of interval following the FIM procedure started a new Wet Superpole, but actually the track was dry and only a bit more slippery for a few rain drops, anyway to use soft tyres to grab a fast laptime.

“It has been some chaos moment, because in such conditions it’s always a lottery to adopt the right racing tactics and the right moment to start for a fast lap.” – said at the end of the day Regis Laconi – “When they stopped me in my time lap with the red flag I was very angry thinking that this stop ruined my precious marked soft tyres. At the end of the session I got only four laps available, so I must decide if I could use a soft tyre for a couple of laps or a race tyre to complete the session, but thank to the Dunlop help we could have a new soft tyre to mark, and so I preferred the first tactics. Actually at the end I’ve been able to do only a fast lap because during the second fast lap, when I got in the first split the fastest time, I found at Roggia’s chicane a doubled rider: he let me pass correctly, but anyway I must move a bit from the right line and with the soft tyre at the second lap I hadn’t a complete feeling and I preferred slow down. But I’m satisfied because, despite all the difficulties, we grabbed at the end the front row and on such fast track like Monza that’s very important. The guys have been perfect and never lose the control of the situation, thi bike runs well and for tomorrow I’m confident in a couple of good results.”

Satisfaction for Marco Masetti too and tomorrow he’ll start from the sixth row after upgrading his laptime today too.

“Very slowly I’m getting a better feeling and today I made less mistakes.” – commented Masetti – “When I’ve been able to stay behind some one of the good I could learn a lot of things and at the end I’ve seen the result. For tomorrow I’m confident to get something good.”


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

SECOND ROW FOR GREGORIO

2003 Superbike World Championship – Round 4, Monza, Italy. Friday qualifying, 16th May.
Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla ended the first day of qualifying at Monza in sixth place, but knows that a front row grid position is still a possibility. Gregorio is the first non-Ducati rider in the top six and will have to find a bit more pace, if he’s to challenge the front-runners here at the ultra-fast Monza track.

Briton James Toseland set the day’s fastest time, with a lap of 1:47.713 – just three tenths of a second outside the official lap record set by Troy Bayliss last year.

Former European Superstock Champion Vittorio Iannuzzo joined Gregorio at Monza for this event. Iannuzzo was riding a very standard bike, with a Yoshimura kit and qualified a very creditable twelfth place.

LAVILLA – 6th, 1:48.371: Everything went pretty much OK today. We had one bike with some good things and some bad things and the other bike had different good things and bad things. So we’ll try and put the best things on both bikes into one bike for tomorrow and hopefully we’ll improve. Hodgson’s Ducati is very fast through the first split and that’s where we’re all losing time to him. We’re going to try and get closer to him there or it’s going to be two very long, hard races for sure. They’re going to be hard races anyway because Monza is like that. We’ve still some work to do and we’ll have to see how tomorrow pans out and then go hard on race day.

IANNUZZO – 12th, 1 min 49.946: I’ve had very limited time on a GSXR1000 this year – just one test session and one race in the Italian Championship. We’ve lots of work to do and many changes to make here, but I’m enjoying riding against the best Superbike riders in the world.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Neil Hodgson took his third pole position of the year in the final minute of the Superpole session this afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s Italian World Superbike Round at Monza. In a session declared wet but mainly run in the dry, the 29-year-old Ducati Fila rider just edged out Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati) with a record lap of 1’46.981, setting up a classic showdown between the championship leader and the local crowd favourite.

“It’s not going to be easy tomorrow,” declared Neil, “because the unexpected can always happen on this track. I don’t think anyone will be able to pull away at the front, but hopefully I can get Ducati’s 200th win. I’ve not got a strategy for tomorrow and I won’t have until the race starts. What will be important are the last few laps and I know for sure we’re looking good on our race tyre.”

Ruben Xaus was forced to miss Superpole after an incident just a couple of minutes into the morning’s final qualifying session. Xaus slammed into Clementi’s Kawasaki on the track after the Italian had crashed seconds before. Ruben remained unconscious on the track for about one minute before being taken to the circuit medical centre with concussion and chest trauma, as well as a cut on his inner thigh which required a few stitches. He returned to the Ducati garage to watch the end of Superpole and a decision will be taken tomorrow morning on whether Ruben can race. He will eventually line up on row 4.

“Unfortunately I found a Kawasaki on the track in front of me at the Ascari chicane and I just couldn’t see a thing through all the dust that had been thrown up,” declared Ruben , “so I ended up hitting him. For some time I couldn’t remember much about the incident but I’ve had a rest and feel OK now and I’ll be on the grid tomorrow for the two races.”