Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

On Friday, September 27, Daytona International Speedway officials announced that they were making changes to the 3.56-mile infield road course, including the chicane on the back straightaway. Reached Monday, September 30, Daytona International Speedway Director of Communications Glyn Johnston and track designer Alan Wilson provided Roadracingworld.com with more information about the changes.

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“There were a couple of things going on there,” said Johnston when asked about the original idea behind the changes. “Number one, there were some areas that were a bit rough at the transition from the tri-oval track and the chicane end and in turn six. We had been looking at doing that for a while. In doing so, we also looked at some of the changes to the chicane we felt made it a little more competitive.

“The entrance stayed the same, but the exit had always gotten to be a bit of a bottleneck. So we looked at it, and it’s actually a bit wider now as it enters back onto the (oval) track. So we were looking for the opportunity to make the chicane area a bit more competitive and just to do standard maintenance up in turn six and stuff. Just staying ahead of the curve and making it an acceptable racetrack for everybody, the surface acceptable for everybody.”

The exit of the chicane has been an area of controversy for two-wheeled racers in recent years beginning with F-USA competitors commenting on how slippery the chicane exit can be when wet. (F-USA deemed a portion of the pavement too unpredictable and actually coned it off during the March 2002 F-USA races.) NASCAR turn three, just after the exit of the chicane was the site of a terrible three-bike pile-up during the AMA Supersport race in March 2002. Yamaha’s Aaron Gobert suffered severe injuries in the crash, hitting the outside speedway wall and getting run over.

“I don’t think it was that kind of feedback on it,” said Johnston when asked if negative feedback from racers or safety issues had been any inspiration for the changes to the chicane.

Setting the changes into motion, Daytona officials contacted the AMA. “Anytime we make changes to the competitive areas out there — because the AMA, of course, is a sanctioning body, just as if we were to change something in the track that had to do with NASCAR or anything else — we certainly want to make the sanctioning bodies aware of things, that we are looking at a track both to help with competition and for any number of issues there,” said Johnston.

Upon contact from Daytona, AMA Pro Racing’s Ron Barrick brought Alan Wilson into the project. With Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-America Motorplex and many other racetracks to his credit, not only is Wilson the most active track designer in America, he also served as Race Director for several of the Daytona 24-hour sports car races in the late-1990s.

Saying that safety issues with the exit of the chicane were never mentioned to him by Barrick or the track, Wilson described the changes he designed at Daytona “looking ahead to the future, taking pro-active steps to meet the ever-increasing demands of cars and motorcycles, now and in the future, particularly bikes. I think it’s obvious that bikes are getting faster and faster, and the way that bikes are handling now is different than in the past. Plus, Daytona is always trying to improve and make their events better.”

Wilson said he added a more gradual and wider transition from the exit of the chicane up onto the banking by flattening the exit radius and said he thinks faster riders will now get held up less by slower riders, increasing competitiveness on the track. Even though it doesn’t change the length of the racetrack, Wilson thinks the new chicane will be slightly faster than the old chicane. The distance from the chicane’s entrance to the new exit, however, will be shorter, slowing the new chicane’s entry speed and, as a byproduct, the chicane’s braking zone will effectively be lengthened, again making it easier for riders to pass.

The chicane will have all new pavement “from the moment the bikes come off the oval to the moment they come back onto the oval”, said Wilson, but the old chicane pavement will remain in place.

The second main change Wilson did was adjust turn six, the turn that takes racers from the infield portion of the track onto the West banking of the tri-oval. Wilson said he tightened up the entry radius and apex of turn six, which increased run-off room “tremendously.” Then new pavement was added to the exit of the turn providing a smoother, more gradual transition onto the banking. The exit of turn six is now wider, which will hopefully reduce more traffic issues.

“I think the riders will like it, but you never know for sure,” said Wilson.

Johnston said that all of the work was completed before the press release was issued and the new pavement is being given “30-45 days to cure.” Johnston confirmed that participants in the October 16 Team Hammer Advanced Riding School will be the first men and women to try the new changes to Daytona International Speedway and that Formula USA and CCS riders will be the first racers to compete on the new track layout.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

More details of the deal to start up AFM South again, from an e-mail sent from AFM President Joe Montoya to an AFM member. (The e-mail is quoted with the permission of Montoya):

David Pyles and Larry Pointer, owners of Fastrack, approached us early this year with the proposal of reviving the South chapter. Since early this year we’ve met several times (in Oakland, at Buttonwillow, California Speedway and Sears Point) to discuss the deal. The first issue to make clear was that the chapter had to be completely separate from Fastrack. The second was that AFM South had to have a board of directors as set forth under our articles of incorporation and by-laws. This means that a full board will be appointed and regular elections will take place as the terms of the positions expire. Monthly meetings will be held.

At the last Sears Point weekend there were several Fastrack people learning how we do things. Some will also be at Thunder Hill next month. The idea is to do things the same in both chapters at all venues. Paddy’s crew, Barbara, Kevin C., Tom D. and I will be at the first few south races to assist, train and observe. After that they’ll be on their own to run the events. Entries for South races will be sent and received exactly the same as North entries, from and to the Concord address. Their books will also be kept by the same person who keeps ours.

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

PROTON SEEK SURPRISE FACTOR AT PACIFIC GP

Proton Team KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki are hoping to find some surprises at the Twin Ring Motegi, venue for the Pacific GP, and the first of a gruelling trio of far-flung flyaway races for the MGP circus.

The circuit, carved out of the mountains an hour or two away from Tokyo, has a simple stop-and-go layout, that on the face of it favours machines with the emphasis on sheer horsepower and acceleration. That is not only the new-generation 990cc four-strokes, but also the four-cylinder 500cc two-strokes that also contest the class.

The Proton KR3, a lightweight three-cylinder 500cc two-stroke, takes the opposite approach, concentrating on good braking and very high corner speed, at the expense of brute power.

But at Le Mans, the somewhat similar venue for the French GP, the two silver Protons far exceeded downbeat expectations, achieving a pair of top-ten finishes, with Aoki in fifth, the best result of the season so far.

“You just don’t know what to expect, with the new series,” said team manager Chuck Aksland. “With the bike and our two riders going so well, we can definitely hope for another pleasant surprise at Motegi.

“This year, we’ve been on both sides of the surprises. We’ve had some good results at tracks where we didn’t expect to go well, but also some reliability problems that meant we haven’t always achieved the results we expected.

“Motegi is the home race for Nobu, and for Bridgestone tyres. Both will be putting in a special effort, and I’m sure Bridgestone will bring some good tyres for the track,” continued Aksland.

Both riders would be using the standard chassis, with the development chassis used in the middle of the season now consigned to the past. “That chassis was completely different in the approach to the rear suspension geometry. It had a lot of advantages, which we have been able to incorporate into the standard chassis.

“It also inspired a lot of thought and creativity with our engineers, and we learned a great deal from it … so it definitely served its purpose,” said Aksland.

The only question mark concerned Jeremy McWilliams, who sustained a collarbone fracture when he fell in wet conditions at the Rio GP in Brazil. With just two weeks between the races, the Ulster rider has been receiving intensive physiotherapy in a battle to be fit. He is determined to race, but even he was not certain whether he would be up to putting in 100 percent effort.

The Pacific GP is the second race of the season in Japan, and the 13th of 16 rounds this year. Racing goes on without a break over the next two weeks, with the Malaysian GP at Sepang one week after Motegi, and the Australian GP at Phillip Island the next weekend, before the season finishes at Valencia two weeks later.


JEREMY McWILLIAMS – I’LL GIVE IT MY BEST
“I’ve been doing physio every day since I got back from Brazil, but I still can’t do much with my arm. The best thing is I have an excuse to go to Japan a day later … to keep on with the physio. I can’t see that I’ll give it 100 percent, but I can’t really afford to miss a race. I’ll be riding, and I’ll be giving it my best. Even without the injury Motegi might have been tough for us. But I always push myself, and we’ll see what happens.”


NOBUATSU AOKI – THE JAPANESE MATERIAL WILL WORK
“Motegi is my second home GP, and also for Bridgestone. I hope all the Japanese material works well for my team! Unfortunately, Motegi could be pretty tough for the Proton. The corners are joined by drag-strips, and we need more push from the engine. But I hope the tyres will help, because our bike can go onto the straights faster than the other ones.”

From a press release issued by Marlboro Yamaha:

MARLBORO YAMAHA TEAM GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

PACIFIC GRAND PRIX, TWIN RING MOTEGI
October 4/5/6 2002

BACK TO JAPAN WITH HIGH HOPES OF MORE M1 GLORY

The Marlboro Yamaha Team returns to Japan this week with high hopes of further glory following stirring performances at the last three MotoGP World Championship events. Riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa have been at the forefront of the MotoGP pack since the sport’s summer break ended with the Czech GP, where Biaggi took pole position and scored the M1’s first victory. At the next race in Portugal it was Checa who started from pole, finishing the rain-soaked race in second place. And two weeks ago at Rio Biaggi was back on pole again, securing a second-place finish in that race to promote him to second overall.

Three consecutive pole positions suggest that the M1 is now the fastest bike out there, so the team is focusing all its efforts into turning that speed into more victories at the last four races of 2002. Motegi is an extra-special Grand Prix, since it takes place on Japanese tarmac, and there’s nothing the team would like to do more than win here to thank the Yamaha factory for their intensive input into the M1 project.

Motegi also commences a gruelling run of three back-to-back events, with the Malaysian Grand Prix following next weekend and the Australian GP on October 20. The first-ever four-stroke-based MotoGP World Championship concludes at Valencia, in Spain, on November 3.


M1 GETS MORE GO FOR STOP-AND-GO TRACK
No factory has worked harder during this year’s inaugural four-stroke-based MotoGP World Championship than Yamaha. Following a challenging run of preseason tests, the factory’s race department has used all its renowned expertise to develop the mighty YZR-M1 into a race-winning force. YZR-M1 project leader Ichiro Yoda and his dedicated crew of engineers have worked tirelessly to produce a steady flow of upgraded engine, chassis and electronics parts for the Marlboro Yamaha Team at pretty much every round of the series. And there are more new engine parts due at Motegi to improve the M1’s speed around this stop-and-go circuit.

“We plan to have some new engine internals for Motegi,” reveals Yoda. “These parts should give us a little more acceleration, which is very important at Motegi because it’s a stop-and-go track, all braking and acceleration. Our bike is already not so bad on braking stability, so we hope that improving acceleration will give us some advantage.

“We also plan to equip Carlos with another new chassis, so he’ll have both his bikes equipped with the same chassis, the first of which he received at Brno. He prefers this unit, while Max wants to continue with one of each, one new and one previous-spec chassis, because he finds that each has its good points for his style, depending on the track.

Yoda, who commutes from Europe to Japan and back again between every Continental round of the series, is used to hard toil and working under the spotlight, and he doesn’t treat Japanese races any differently from other rounds of the MotoGP World Championship. “This is a home race for me but I don’t feel any more pressure competing in Japan,” he adds. “Maybe some of my bosses will come to Motegi but they will allow me to get on with my job, maybe they’ll come and say ‘Hello’ and ‘Good luck’ on race morning, but that’s all. The good thing is that I don’t have to take a plane to this race, just catch a train!”

Yoda can be optimistic about Motegi. His M1 scored a front-row start and podium finish at April’s season-opening Japanese GP and the bike is much improved since then. “We do have much bigger hopes than the last time we raced in Japan,” affirms Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “We’re in a much better position now, over the past few races we’ve always been up front, taking three pole positions in a row and finishing inside the top two every race. And Max is now second overall, so we’ll be working very hard to keep him there. We will also be working very hard to give Carlos his first MotoGP win and it would be fantastic to do that at Motegi, in front of so many Yamaha personnel. Carlos deserves to be higher than fifth in the championship, so we want to help him move up.

“Motegi also starts a busy run of three races. Things happen very fast over the next few weeks, so it’s vital that we maintain our focus. We don’t really get a single day-off during this period, it’s tough for everyone in the team, but we’re ready and we’re very motivated. Logistics are particularly crucial at the moment, so we’ve worked out a clever plan for engine maintenance, with some engines rebuilt at the factory in Iwata and others at our team base in Milan.”


BIAGGI MOVES UP TO SECOND OVERALL
Max Biaggi rode to a brilliant second-place finish at Rio a fortnight back and the Italian needs another good result at Motegi to boost his bid for second place in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship. After a difficult start to the season, the Marlboro Yamaha Team man has scored one victory, six podium finishes and three pole positions to move him eight points clear of rival Tohru Ukawa (Honda).

“Finishing runner-up in the World Championship isn’t as good as winning it, but second is the best I can do at the moment, so that’s what we’re focusing on,” says Biaggi, who now can’t overtake recently crowned World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda). “We have to work very hard over the last four races to make sure I can keep scoring more points than Ukawa. It won’t be easy but I’m determined to finish this season in the best-possible way, hopefully by winning another race or two.”

Biaggi knows how to perform at Motegi – he took pole here in 2000 and he led last year’s race before falling. Like most riders he’s not a great fan of the recently constructed circuit. “This is our second trip to Japan this year, first we go to a fantastic track, then we come here, to an okay track,” adds the former 250 king who crashed out of April’s wet Japanese GP at Suzuka. “There’s not so much to say about Motegi, it’s one of those so-so circuits, all stop-and-go corners. It’s not got many very fast sections where you can really enjoy yourself but it can be quite technical, with quite a few downhill corner entries where you have to be a bit clever.

“The weekend will be hard work because none of the full-time MotoGP riders ever really test there, so we’ll have a lot to do on set-up. Also, the weather can be unpredictable, which could lose us valuable dry-track time.”

Biaggi finished third at Motegi in 2000 and ninth in the track’s rain-affected inaugural World Championship event in April 1999.


CHECA AIMS AGAIN FOR HIS FIRST M1 WIN
Carlos Checa rode a remarkable race at Rio two weeks ago. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man didn’t even finish the rain-soaked event but his ride will live on in the memory of race fans for a long, long while. Dead last at the start, he rocketed through the pack, lapping at an astonishing pace that took him past World Champion Valentino Rossi into the lead, only for him to fall a few corners later. His best lap was just seven per cent off the track record, when 12-15 per cent is the usual wet-to-dry track difference! Nevertheless, the Spaniard wants a dry race at Motegi.

“We’ve had two wet races in a row, so I pray for some sunshine in the Land of the Rising Sun!” he smiles. “Anyway, I have to forget what happened at Rio, all I have to remember is that we have a great bike that is more than ready to win. Everyone at Yamaha has worked so hard this year, and it would be great to pay them back with a great result in their country. Racing in Japan is always important, so I want to do my very best.

“I like Motegi, there’s a lot of uphill and downhill action, so it’s quite fun. Also there’s a lot of hard acceleration, which is good when you’ve got a lot of power and I think our bike will be fast this weekend. The downhill braking sections are important and I feel that the M1’s computer-controlled engine-braking system keeps the rear end more stable than other bikes, though sometimes that can push the front into turns. This is a busy time for the championship but three back-to-back races is no problem for us, we’re fit and, anyway, all the races are in similar time zones.”

Checa finished last year’s Pacific GP in seventh place. He was fourth at Motegi in 2000 and sixth in the rain in 1999.


WHAT THE TEAM SAYS
Fiorenzo Fanali, Max Biaggi’s crew chief
“Max is now fighting for second overall and the best way to get more points to achieve his goal is to win more races, so we’ll be working very hard with him to give him the best-possible set-up. Yamaha plan to give us some new engine parts for this race and we look forward to trying them in first practice. The overall character of Motegi is heavy braking and hard acceleration, so more engine performance would be great. But the M1 is already very good, Max has taken pole at two of the last three races and he’s fast whatever the track, whatever the conditions. If things go okay, we’re always in the fight for victory. We learn more about the bike with every race, we now have a good base set-up which is so useful, especially when we’re racing at places where we’ve not tested.”

Antonio Jimenez, Carlos Checa’s crew chief
“Since Brno we’ve found a good base set-up with the new chassis, which is very important to us. And we should have both bikes fitted with this chassis for Motegi, which will be a big help during practice and qualifying. Carlos and the M1 are now ready to win, wet or dry. As usual we will work smoothly on Friday and Saturday, aiming to get the bike right for this track, which means good braking stability and good speed out of the corners. We don’t know how grippy the track will be, but after Estoril and Rio that shouldn’t be a problem for us. I’m really looking forward to the last few GPs because I know Carlos is so close to winning his first race on this bike. My whole focus is to give him a perfect set-up to help him fight for pole from Friday, because if you’re in the fight for pole, the bike is ready to win.”


THE TRACK
Twin Ring Motegi is stop-and-go in character with few high-speed corners, unlike fast and flowing Suzuka, venue for April’s Japanese GP. Motegi features plenty of slow turns linked by medium-length straights which put the emphasis on braking and acceleration performance. Unlike Suzuka, most riders don’t feel the track tests their riding skills to the limit. Motegi’s topography and this event’s autumn date make for unpredictable weather conditions. The venue’s inaugural World Championship round, the 1999 Japanese GP, was run in pouring rain. Since then Motegi has hosted the Pacific round of the series.

The circuit, christened Twin Ring Motegi because it features both a Grand Prix track and an Indy oval, is one of the newer circuits on the Grand Prix calendar. Constructed by Honda in 1998 to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, the venue is located in the hills to the north west of Tokyo, between the cities of Mito and Utsonomiya. Motegi’s construction entailed a massive civil engineering project that included the razing of seven hills and the filling of two valleys.

Lap record: Valentino Rossi (Honda), 1:50.591 156.283kmh/97.110mph (2000)
Pole position 2001: Loris Capirossi (Honda), 1:49.800

MARLBORO YAMAHA TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS
MAX BIAGGI
Age: 31. Lives: Monaco
Bike: Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 38 (1xMotoGP, 8×500, 29×250)
First GP victory: South Africa, 1992 (250)
First GP: France, 1991 (250)
GP starts: 161 (12xMotoGP, 62×500, 87×250)
Pole positions: 51 (3xMotoGP, 15×500, 33×250)
First pole: Europe, 1992 (250)
World Championships: 4 x 250 (’94, ’95, ’96, ’97)
Motegi 2001 results. Grid: 2nd. Race: DNF

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: 132 (12xMotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 2 (1×500, 1xMotoGP)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Motegi 2001 results. Grid: 11th. Race: 7th

Reports from the Tri-State Series at Eastern Creek, sent to us by Trevor Hedge of MCN Australia:

Race 1

The Stauffer brothers got flyers from the start to lead the field through the first turns. Craig McMartin fell heavily at turn two but looked okay. Kevin Curtain was in 3rd from Mat Mladin. Craig Coxhell and Josh Brookes tussling over fifth. Curtain got through on Jamie Stauffer for 2nd on lap 2 and then took the lead from Daniel crossing the line to start lap 3.

Mladin pounced at turn 2 by taking Jamie Stauffer, and also showed a wheel to Daniel. Daniel was not intimidated though and pulled a few bikelengths back on Mat almost immediately.

Jamie also got through on Mat a lap later as young Josh Brookes caught on to the back of Mladin and started showing the three-time American champion a wheel at every turn, he then got under Mat in to turn 2 with a couple of laps remaining.

Up front Kevin Curtain was under the lap record and was just managing to hold off the Bio-Magnetic Stauffer duo. Quite a distance back to Josh Brookes and Mat Mladin battling for 4th.

As they got the last lap board Josh Brookes was holding down a clear fourth from Mladin, Mat was also being chased down by another teenage sensation, Craig Coxhell.

Daniel Stauffer got Kevin Curtain for the lead around the back of the circuit on the final lap, then Kevin slid out of contention leaving the Bio-Magnetic boys to take a brilliant 1-2, Daniel the victor. Curtain managed to climb back aboard and salvage 10th spot.

1.. D Stauffer
2.. J Stauffer
3.. Brookes
4.. Mladin
5.. Coxhell
6.. Baird
7.. Rees
8.. Maxwell
9.. Bugden
10.. Curtain
11.. Kruck
12.. Cutting
13.. Atlee
14.. McIntyre
15.. Barton
16.. Taylor
17.. Henderson
18.. Clark
19.. Pobjoy
20.. McClue
21.. Landells
22.. Wicks
23.. Davis
24.. Spence





Race 2
Daniel Stauffer took the first race win for the day and went straight in to the transporter for some massage work on his injured shoulder, his niggling injury causing some problems on the change of direction. Kevin Curtain had the pace in race 1 but the last lap fall put an end to his chance of victory, the series leader will be out to make amends for that in race 2.

Jamie Stauffer got a great start again, followed by Kevin Curtain and Daniel Stauffer. Daniel had to stand it up in turn 2 though after clipping the back of another rider. Jamie Stauffer and Kevin Curtain immediately then set about building a buffer on the fight for 3rd which was being waged between Brookes and Coxhell. Brookes got the better of Coxhell on lap 2 and tagged on to the back of Kevin Curtain.

But Curtain responded to the Brookes challenge by slipping past Jamie Stauffer for the lead on the run in to turn 1 on lap 3. The leading five, Curtain, Jamie, Brookes, Coxhell, Baird had a significant gap over Dan Stauffer, Mat Mladin and Tony Rees. Jamie Stauffer fell on lap 3 which left Curtain to fight it out with Josh Brookes for the win. Robbie Baird in a clear 3rd spot, Daniel Stauffer and Mat Mladin running 4th and 5th with a couple of laps remaining, Coxhell 6th.

Josh Brookes was really pushing the Honda-Dunlop combination hard to try and make a move on Curtain. Daniel Stauffer was pressuring Baird for 3rd, Mladin not far behind in 5th, Coxhell close also in 6th but the fight for the win was clearly a battle between two riders, Kevin Curtain and 19-year-old Joshua Brookes.

Brookesy did a great move under Curtain on the brakes to take the lead and immediately pulled a couple of lengths over Kev, maybe the series leader is not game to tussle with young Brookes when the title is on the line? Taking nothing away from Brookes though as he has been putting the lap times in and pushing extremely hard.

But it was Curtain who got the draft on to the straight and powered past Brookes to take the win on the line. A disappointment for Brookes but he did come away with a second place and a new lap record.

1.. Curtain
2.. Brookes
3.. Baird
4.. D Stauffer
5.. Mladin
6.. Coxhell
7.. Rees
8.. Bugden
9.. Maxwell
10.. Barton
11.. Taylor
12.. Kruck
13.. McIntyre
14.. Clark
15.. Henderson
16.. Pobjoy
17.. Davis
18.. Spence
19.. Landells
20.. Wicks
21.. Vece
22.. Boengkih
23.. Hill
24.. Ferguson
25.. Smith



Race 3
Daniel Stauffer took the first race win, Kevin Curtain just managed to get Josh Brookes on the line for the second race win. The battle was well and truly set for an exciting race three. Mat Mladin got a good start this time and led them through turn 1, the Stauffer boys close behind with Curtain, Baird and Brookes. Curtain quickly moved through on Jamie Stauffer for 3rd.

Daniel Stauffer an wide in turn 1 on lap 2 but gathered it back up, Jamie Stauffer moved past Curtain for 3rd, Brookes did the same to take 4th. Mladin was still holding the advantage on lap 3, followed closely by the Stauffer brothers and Josh Brookes. Jamie had moved past Daniel for 2nd.

Jamie Stauffer got through on Mladin for the lead at half race distance, Daniel also got through a corner later relegating Mladin to 3rd. Brookes and Baird immediately started pressuring Mladin also. Coxhell and Curtain were running 6th and 7th respectively.

Daniel took the lead from Jamie the next lap around, Brookes right on the Bio-Magnetic pair, Mladin still close in 4th. Jamie takes the lead again on the next time down the main straight after Daniel touched some dirt. Josh Brookes then squeezed under Daniel at turn 3 in a forceful move to take 2nd. Brookes looking determined to take a win.

Josh Brookes took the lead around the back of the circuit, then Jamie Stauffer got him straight back. It was still Jamie from Josh and Daniel as they got the last lap board. Josh lighting up the Fireblade on the exit of the corners to try and challenge Jamie, then he went around the outside in the sweeper to take the lead, an awesome move and leads on to the straight, the bigger capacity Yamaha powered past on the straight to take the win by one-hundredth of a second. Fantastic race, and one in which Brookes was pipped on the line for the win once again.

Kevin Curtain’s seventh place finish was enough to clinch him the FX Tri-State Series. He had already wrapped up the 600 SuperSport title earlier in the weekend which means he has taken out both titles, a magnificent performance all year from Kevin Curtain. But not only that he put in some great showings up the front in World SuperSport. He has definitely been clocking up plenty of frequent flyer miles this year and gaining plenty of seat time. Well done Kevin Curtain.

1.. J Stauffer
2.. Brookes
3.. D Stauffer
4.. Mladin
5.. Coxhell
6.. Baird
7.. Curtain
8.. Rees
9.. Bugden
10.. Kruck
11.. Barton
12.. Taylor
13.. McIntyre
14.. Clark
15.. Pobjoy
16.. McClue
17.. Davis
18.. Spence



Race 4
Kevin Curtain took the lead straight away in the final Xtreme race for the year. If Josh Brookes gets a good result in this final race he may be able to take the round win.

As they commenced lap 2 the race order was; Curtain, Mladin, J Stauffer, Brookes, D Stauffer. Mladin took the lead from Curtain early on lap 2. Jamie Stauffer took 2nd from Curtain on lap 3.

Jamie Stauffer got Mladin for the lead on the main straight at half race distance. Josh Brookes took 3rd from Kevin Curtain a lap later.

Mladin offering a much stronger showing in the final race, Josh Brookes all over the back of him with a couple of laps remaining though.

Brookes tried to get under Mat in to turn 9, but Mat shut the door on him, which was fair, and Josh had to stand it up which lost him a little ground and allowed Daniel Stauffer and Kevin Curtain to close right on his tail.

Mat Mladin thought he better get away from the young Brookes so decided to go past Jamie Stauffer for the lead. Mladin pushing hard. Jamie got under Mladin at turn 9, Mat looked to have trouble at the tight turn 9 all weekend with the Suzuki wanting to run wide.

Robbie Baird then came from nowhere to get past Brookes for 3rd and attached himself to the back of Mladin’s Suzuki. Jamie Stauffer had a couple of bike lengths on Mladin as they got the last lap board. Daniel Stauffer got Josh Brookes for 4th early on the penultimate lap.

Baird took Mladin for 2nd, Daniel Stauffer also started to challenge Mladin. Jamie Stauffer took the win from Robbie Baird, Dan Stauffer 3rd, Mladin 4th, Curtain 5th and Josh Brookes 6th.

1.. J Stauffer
2.. Baird
3.. D Stauffer
4.. Mladin
5.. Curtain
6.. Brookes
7.. Coxhell
8.. Bugden
9.. Maxwell
10.. Rees
11.. Kruck
12.. Barton
13.. McIntyre
14.. Taylor
15.. Clark
16.. McClue
17.. Pobjoy
18.. Landells
19.. Wicks
20.. Spence
21.. Vece
22.. Boengkih
23.. Hill
24.. Ferguson


More, from a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist, Steve Reeves:

MLADIN INSPIRES LOCAL RIDERS AT FORMULA XTREME FINALE

Round 6 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State series
Eastern Creek Raceway, NSW

Race report

MLADIN INSPIRES LOCAL RIDERS AT FORMULA XTREME FINALE


Mat Mladin may not have celebrated his first Australia national race meeting with a win, or even a podium finish for that matter, but his presence at the sixth and final round of the 2002 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State at Eastern Creek, did add spice to the meeting which produced some of the best Formula Xtreme race action ever seen in Australia.

Mladin completed the four 8-lap races with three fourths and a fifth aboard his Mat Mladin Motorcycles / Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000. The overall win for the day went to the Bio Magnetics Sport Yamaha of Jamie Stauffer who tied on points for the day with teammate and elder brother Daniel, but with two race wins to his credit, took the top honours. Kevin Curtain (Radar’s Team Yamaha) scored sufficient points over the day, including a win in race two, to win his fourth Formula Xtreme title in five years.

The early conclusion to this year’s American Superbike Championship, where Mladin races for Team Yoshimura Suzuki, allowed the three-times American and former Australian Superbike champion to return home and take part in the weekend’s race.

As a key figure for the meeting, Mladin used the opportunity to promote his business interests in Australia, Mat Mladin Motorcycles in Narellan, south west of Sydney and Yoshimura Performance products, for which he is the Australian distributor. He and his small team of mechanics have prepared the Suzuki GSX-R1000 over the past month and have got the bike to a level of performance that has impressed Mladin.

“While everyone may have expected me to win today, for the package that we have put together with the bike this weekend, really shows that you do not have to be with one of the factory teams to put together a really good motorcycle,” said Mladin. “There are a lot of people spending more money on their bikes than we did for the weekend and were less competitive, so that really shows that you can get a very good package with a moderately small budget.

“I was surprised as to how competitive we actually were, given that we only had three test days with the bike before the meeting. We tried to keep it as much like a privateer team as possible, where we didn’t have any suspension technicians or people like that helping us. It was basically the mechanics from my dealership and myself. All in all I think it was an impressive result. You can purchase all of the parts that are on my bike from our dealership and there is nothing ‘special’ about it.”

Mladin was also full of praise for the level of ability that the current crop of riders have in Australia at present, but still stressed that there is a lot of work to be done in bringing the level of motorcycle racing up to a much higher and unified standard.

“I think that the Australian racing scene is very healthy at the moment. I think there are a few guys within the class that could fit into a number of international teams around the world. The only thing that we appear to be suffering from here in Australia is that we don’t have all of the distributors here racing in the same series and the ones that are missing out the most are the fans. The fans would like to see all of the top riders in the same series at the same time, not split between two series as they are at the moment.”


RESULTS – FORMULA XTREME

Race 1
8 laps

1. Daniel STAUFFER, Yamaha YZF-R1, 12:33.569

2. Jamie STAUFFER, Yamaha YZF-R1, 12:33.632

3. Josh BROOKES, Honda CBR954RR, 12:36.172

4. Mat MLADIN, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 12:38.819

5. Craig COXHELL, Yamaha YZF-R1, 12:38.847

6. Robbie BAIRD, Yamaha YZF-R1, 12:42.514

7. Tony REES, Yamaha YZF-R1, 12:43.910

8. Wayne MAXWELL, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 12:51.671

9. Robert BUGDEN, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 12:55.451

10. Kevin CURTAIN, Yamaha YZF-R1, 12:58.248

Fastest lap: Kevin Curtain (Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:33.166 on lap 3


Race 2
8 laps

1. CURTAIN, 12:35.123

2. BROOKES, 12:35.142

3. BAIRD, 12:37.803

4. Daniel STAUFFER, 12:37.927

5. MLADIN, 12:38.167

6. COXHELL, 12:38.824

7. REES, 12:44.451

8. BUGDEN, 12:47.908

9. MAXWELL, 12:48.387

10. Nicholas BARTON, Kawasaki ZX-9R, 13:00.708

Fastest lap: Josh Brookes (Honda CBR929RR) 1:33.018 on lap 2 (New lap record)


Race 3
8 laps

1. Jamie STAUFFER, 12:35.455

2. BROOKES, 12:35.469

3. Daniel STAUFFER, 12:35.534

4. MLADIN, 12:35.907

5. COXHELL, 12:36.178

6. BAIRD, 12:36.354

7. CURTAIN, 12:37.174

8. REES, 12:43.171

9. BUGDEN, 12:52.381

10. Roland KRUCK, Yamaha YZF-R1, 12:52.818

Fastest Lap: Kevin Curtain (Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:33.278 on lap 3


Race 4
8 laps

1. Jamie STAUFFER, 12:33.956

2. BAIRD, 12:34.334

3. Daniel STAUFFER, 12:34.850

4. MLADIN, 12:34.866

5. CURTAIN, 12:36.149

6. BROOKES, 12:36.198

7. COXHELL, 12:45.645

8. BUGDEN, 12:46.465

9. MAXWELL, 12:46.862

10. REES, 12:48.915

Fastest Lap: Robbie Baird (Yamaha YZF-R1) 1:33.198 on lap


Yamaha Formula Xtreme, points after 6 of 6 rounds (Provisional)

1. K Curtain 435
2. R Baird 402
3. J Stauffer 338
4. D Stauffer 324
5. C Coxhell 287
6. J Brookes 269
7. T Rees 199
8. R Bugden 153
9. W Maxwell 109
10. C McMartin 103

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Ice cool Foret is Champion

By Glenn Le Santo

Fabien Foret is the new Superspor World Champion after riding with his head at Imola for a fifth-place race finish.

Foret’s Championship rival Katsuaki Fujiwara did all he could to try and to wrestle the crown out of Foret¹s hands at the final round by taking a
convincing win. But with Foret enjoying the benefit of a 17-point cushion at the front of the Championship that just wasn¹t enough. Foret’s fifth place secured the title, 184 points to Fujiwara¹s 181

The victory means that the Number One plate will remain on the front of a Kawasaki for yet another year. Foret has quit the Ten Kate Honda team to ride for Kawasaki in 2003.

There was a nervous moment for the Ten Kate team when Chris Vermeulen caught Foret during the middle of the race. The two looked set to battle it out for the rest of the race until Foret remembered just what was at risk and sensibly
allowed the young Van Zon Honda rider, who was obviously on a mission to get a podium
finish, past.

Fujiwara’s team mate Stephane Chambon also tried to assist in the title race, he protected Fujiwara for the entire race and finished second, despite a last-lap challenge by Vermeulen. The young Australian will run
alongside Karl Muggeridge in the Ten Kate Honda squad in 2003. Vermeulen posted the fastest lap in the race on lap 16 when he was trying to catch Chambon.

Britain’s Jamie Whitham was fourth after Vermeulen got the better of a race-long battle with the Yamaha rider.


More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA GEARS UP FOR CBR600RR SUPERSPORT CAMPAIGN

After leading the Championship assuring exciting and impressive performances, Fabien Foret was crowned “2002 WSS World Champion, at the end of today’s final race.

Honda wishes to thank Fabien, for the great result achieved, and the whole Ten Kate team, together with the mechanics, for their efforts and for the precious teamwork assured during the season.

Honda started four years ago to support the Supersport World Championship with the CBR600. The sportive life and the market image of the current version have culminated in the World Championship activities.

We are now ready to start the forthcoming season with the new version that has just been presented to the public at Intermot in Munich.

Honda is pleased to announce an exciting and comprehensive programme for its new CBR600RR in the 2003 World Supersport championship.

Four supported teams will represent Honda in the championship, all armed with the much anticipated new 600cc machine, the 2003 plan includes joining forces with:

The G. Ten Kate Racing Team
The Van Zon Racing Team
The BKM Racing Team
The OPCM Racing Team

Honda Europe Senior Manager Silvio Manicardi comments: “We’re very pleased with the level of consistency given to Honda by our supported teams this year and we’re certain they can contribute to success in 2003 for the new CBR600RR”.

He adds: “Judging by the response to the launch of the CBR600RR I think 2003 should be an exciting year. Supersport is one of the closest classes of racing in the world and we know we will have to work hard to be successful”.

Of the teams supported by Honda in the 2003 campaign, the following riders are confirmed:

TEAM, TEAM MANAGER, RIDER

Ten Kate, Gerrit Ten Kate, Karl Muggeridge, Chris Vermeulen

Van Zon, Jamar Ludo, I.MacPherson, W.Daemen

BKM, Michael Bartholemy, C.Cogan, B.Parkes

OPCM, Klaus Klaffenböck, Kevin Curtain, Robert Ulm



More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda:

HONDA’S FORET TAKES SUPERSPORT CROWN

Honda’s Fabien Foret won the World Supersport title at Imola in Italy on Sunday after taking a calculated fifth place in a race won by Katsuaki
Fujiwara.

Fujiwara won the 12th and final round of the year but it was Frenchman Foret second for much of the race ­who dropped back to fifth to secure his first world title and a first for his Dutch Ten Kate Honda team.

New world champion Foret commented: “I’ve won races this year without putting as much thought in as I did into today’s race. Katsuaki knew he had to win and he did that, I knew I could afford eighth place so I did what I had to do.”

Fujiwara¹s team-mate Stephane Chambon finished runner-up while young Australian Chris Vermeulen put in a late burst of speed, setting the fastest lap of the race, as he moved through from fifth to take his second podium finish of the year in third.

Briton James Whitham battled to fourth place with German Jorg Teuchert taking sixth behind Foret. Honda UK¹s Karl Muggeridge retired with brake problems while his team-mate Michael Laverty took 16th on his world championship debut.

World Supersport race result:
1 Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki) 40:15.186
2 Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) 40:18.847
3 Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Honda) 40:19.746
4 James Whitham, GB (Yamaha) 40:23.246
5 Fabien Foret, France (Honda) 40:24.336
6 Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha) 40:26.036
7 Antonio Carlacci, Italy (Yamaha) 40:33.051
8 Iain MacPherson, GB (Honda) 40:40.547
9 Stefano Cruciani, Italy (Yamaha) 40:55.509
10 Christophe Cogan, France (Honda) 40:56.252

Final world championship points:
1 Foret 184
2 Fujiwara 181
3 Chambon 162,
4 Paolo Casoli, Italy (Yamaha) 162
5 Andrew Pitt, Australia (Kawasaki) 126
6 Christian Kellner, Germany (Yamaha) 94
7 Whitham 93
8 Vermeulen 90
9 Teuchert 89
10 MacPherson 82

Manufacturers’ points:
1 Suzuki 229
2 Honda 209
3 Yamaha 194
4 Kawasaki 133
5 Ducati 61

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Edwards stretches out his lead to six points

By Glenn Le Santo

Colin Edwards took an important win in the first Superbike race of the day at Imola, Italy – leaving Troy Bayliss with an uphill task in race two.

The win puts Edwards on 527 points compared to Bayliss’ tally of 521. Now, in race two, Edwards simply has to follow Bayliss home to secure his second World Superbike title.

The race was red flagged due to an incident involving Peter Goddard and the Benelli Tornado. Goddard went down after oil escaped onto his back tire. Michele Malatesta was the next rider down, followed a lap later by Britain’s Neil Hodgson. The officials then decided it was time to halt the race.

In the restart Edwards started with a half second advantage putting the pressure onto Bayliss. The two fought it out lap-after-lap, swapping places several times before the checkered flag. After pulling off a brave overtaking move at the final chicane on the penultimate lap, Bayliss got his head down and pushed really hard to try to make up the deficit. But it was to no avail, Edwards was right on his exhaust pipes as they exited the final corner to cross the line for the checkered flag. Second on the road, Edwards was still a-half-second ahead on aggregate time to snatch that crucial five-point advantage and take him to a total of six points ahead of Bayliss.

Ruben Xaus was third ahead of Neil Hodgson in fourth. Nori Haga was fifth. Haga and Hodgson had been involved in a scary battle with Hodgson in the first leg of the race that almost ended in tears several times as the pair each refused to budge an inch.


1. Colin Edwards, USA (Honda) 38:17.324

2. Troy Bayliss, Australia (Ducati) 38:17.838

3. Ruben Xaus, Spain (Ducati) 38:25.975

4. Neil Hodgson, GB (Ducati) 38:37.719

5. Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Aprilia) 38:38.137

6. James Toseland, GB (Ducati) 38:54.814

7. Pier-Francesco Chili, Italy (Ducati) 38:58.724

8. Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Suzuki) 39:00.125

9. Broc Parkes, Australia (Ducati) 39:00.320

10. Ben Bostrom, USA (Ducati) 39:06.705


More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda:

EDWARDS WINS THRILLING IMOLA OPENER

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards took victory in today’s dramatic opening race of the nerve-wracking final round of the World Superbike championship here at Imola in Italy.

Tension increased as light rain fell on the 3.04-mile circuit 10 minutes before the race. The rain soon cleared and one of the most dramatic races of the year developed.

Edwards had a lead of 0.7s over title rival Troy Bayliss when the race was stopped on lap 12 due to oil on the circuit. Edwards led most of the second part, 10-lap race but eventually followed Bayliss across the line to win on aggregate time by 0.5s.

“That was pretty close,” said Edwards. “It was difficult to know what to do at times. I knew I could let Troy through but then I couldn’t afford him pulling away more than 0.7s.

“In the first part of the race I was comfortable running the times and holding the lead but then I saw the oil flags and I was held up at the chicane by a lapped rider so Troy closed in again. It’s still all to do in the second race”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Iannuzzo finishes the season on a high

By Glenn Le Santo

Despite still being sore from his big crash earlier in the year, and despite already having wrapped up the title one round earlier at Assen, Vittorio Iannuzzo pushed hard to take another race win at the final round at Imola. Italy.

Lapping almost two seconds faster than the rest of the pack, Iannuzzo smashed the lap record on the way to an emphatic victory. He finished 17
seconds clear of second place-man Aleandro Martinez. Andy Notman got the better of a race-long battle with Gianluca Vizziello and Ilario Dionisi to grab third place.



Race result:

1. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R1000

2. Aleandro Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R1000

3. Andy Notman, Suzuki GSX-R1000

4. Ilario Dionisi, Suzuki GSX-R1000

5. Gianluca Vizziello, Yamaha YZF-R1

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Whitham excluded from Supersport result

By Glenn Le Santo

Jamie Whitham was excluded from the result of the final World Supersport race in Imola today. His Yamaha YZF-R6 once more failed to start after the race; ­all Supersport machines must start using the electric starter after each race to conform to the rules.

His exclusion lifted the new World Champion Fabien Foret up into fourth in the race, increasing his Final Championship points from 184 to 186.


World Supersport race result (revised)

1. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki), 40:15.186

2. Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki), 40:18.847

3. Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Honda), 40:19.746

4. Fabien Foret, France (Honda), 40:24.336

5. Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha), 40:26.036

6. Antonio Carlacci, Italy (Yamaha), 40:33.051

7. Iain MacPherson, GB (Honda), 40:40.547

James Whitham, GB (Yamaha), 40:23.246, (finished fourth but excluded due to technical infringement)

Final world championship points:
1 Foret 184
2 Fujiwara 181
3 Chambon 162
4 Paolo Casoli, Italy (Yamaha) 162
5 Andrew Pitt, Australia (Kawasaki) 126
6 Christian Kellner, Germany
(Yamaha) 94
7 Whitham 93
8 Vermeulen 90
9 Teuchert 89
10 MacPherson 82



Manufacturers points:
1 Suzuki 229
2 Honda 209
3 Yamaha 194
4 Kawasaki 133
5 Ducati 61