From a press release issued by the series organizers:

BAIRD TAKES FORMULA XTREME POLE.

Defending Formula Xtreme champion Robbie Baird will start from pole position for this weekend’s third round of the Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway after the completion of today’s two qualifying sessions.

Baird set a best lap of 1:34.083 in the first of the two sessions aboard his Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF R1, in what were very cold, but dry track
conditions. The cold track temperatures meant that all of the competitors were faced with difficult tyre choices as they battled to find a tyre suited to the conditions that would provide the level of grip that they were looking for.

“At this point in time we are quicker than we were when we were here at the opening round aborad the new 2002 model YZF R1,” said Baird. “I had a clear track during the first session and took full advantage of it. We made some changes on the front end of the bike for the second session, but that affected the steering of the bike and didn’t give us what we wanted. We’ll
try a few more things for the morning warm up tomorrow and hopefully will be right for the four races.”

Second fastest was the Bio Magnetics Yamaha YZF-R1 of Jamie Stauffer. The Kurri Kurri rider set a time of 1:34.296 and was one of the few riders who
were able to improve his time in the second session.

The front row of the grid will be completed by the Radar’s Team Yamaha pair of Kevin Curtain (1:34.316) and Craig Coxhell (1:34.378).

New Zealander Tony Rees will head Row two at this stage, but his place ontomorrow’s grid will depend on how he feels after crashing during the final qualifying session this afternoon. His time of 1:34.383 was fractionally faster than his morning time, but his highside at Turn Three on his seventh lap of qualifying has seen him suffer injuries to his right hip and leg.

Sixth fastest was Daniel Stauffer on the second Bio Magnetics Yamaha YZF-R1 with a 1:34.755, followed by Josh Brookes (Team Honda CBR954RR, 1:34.937), while Wayne Maxwell (Bob Muir Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000) will complete the second row of the grid after recording a time of 1:35.169.

Leading privateer for the weekend in Queenslander Luke Phillips. He was ninth overall aboard his RMS Competition Engines Honda CBR954RR with a best
lap of 1:35.237. Completing the top ten was the Ducati 996R of Wagga’s Craig McMartin 1:35.383.

The Formula Xtreme riders will be out of the track for four 8-lap races tomorrow with all of tomorrow action starting from 9:00am.

Along with qualifying for the Yamaha Formula Xtreme class, there were a total of nine races on today’s schedule.


YAMAHA SUPERSPORT

Bio Magnetics Yamaha YZF-R6 rider Jamie Stauffer proved to be the man to beat this afternoon, taking victory in both of today’s 6-lap supersport
races.

Starting from pole position he led each lap on his way to victory in race one, but was challenged for the lead by Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF R6 rider Kevin Curtain. Curtain was able to take the race lead on two occasions, but
Stauffer showed superior speed on his bike to slip stream past down the long main straight.

Even though Curtain was forced to settle for second in each race, he did come away with a new Supersport lap record with a time of 1:36.109 set on lap 4 of the first race.

Third and fourth races were shared between Cameron Donald (Team Brown Gouge Suzuki GSX-R600) and Russell Holland (Pirelli Tyres Suzuki GSX-R600). Donald got the nod in race one, before Holland reversed the order in race two.


BUELL NAKEDBIKES / STREETFIGHTER NK LITES
Just one Buell Nakedbike/Streetfighter NK Lites was held today and it was the unbeaten Craig Trinder aboard his Bio Magnetics Yamaha FZ1 who stretched his winning streak to nine from nine for the season.

The Queenslander was in blistering form, not only taking the race win, but also setting a new Buell NakedBike lap record with a 1:38.248 set on lap 3.

Second went to the Gulf Western Oils entry of Dave Butler (Yamaha FZ1) who trailed Trinder by 3.435 seconds at the flag. Michael Thomas (Wet 4U Racing Kawasaki ZRX 1100) held out Steven Fisher (Seaside Motorcycles Honda 900 Hornet) for third after a race long tussle.


FX PRO-TWINS
Defending champion Craig McMartin was in a determined mood today as he took out a clean sweep of the FX Pro-Twins events.

Starting from pole position, the Wagga Ducati 998S rider took victory in both 6-lap races in comprehensive style.

He won the opening race by 2.982 seconds from a battling pair of Dave Butler (BEAR’s Ducati F1 Race Team) and Mike Soderland (JSG Gowanloch Racing Aprilia RSV) and won the second by 6.286 seconds from a tremendous three-way battle between Peter Hinton (BEAR’s Ducati F1 Racing Ducati 998S), Butler and Soderland, that saw less than half a second covering the three.


EXEL APRILIA CHALLENGE
Veteran Queenslander John Allen (Aluma Lite Racing) was out to show all of his younger rivals the quick way around Eastern Creek and did so by taking out the two 6-lap EXEL Aprilia Challenge races held today.

The order was the same for both races, with Allen outpacing Dustin Goldsmith (Ian Altona & Associates) and Lachlan Elder. It was tight in the opener with Allen getting there by just 0.6 of a second, but he had a stronger advantage
in race two, taking the win by 4.12 seconds.


FORMULA OZ
Defending Formula Oz champion John Allen had a mixed day of fortune aboard his Aluma Lite Racing Honda NSR-V500 during today’s two 6-lap races.

A deflating rear tyre forced Allen to slow his pace in race one and he was unable to apply any pressure to race winner Alistair Maxwell (Kawasaki
ZX-7R). With the problems solved for race two he reversed the finishing order with Maxwell in a thrilling race that saw the existing lap record held by Allen, beaten by Maxwell who set a new mark of 1:35.477.

Third in both races was Mark Stanley aboard his Stu Avant Team MSR Honda RS250.


FORMULA XTREME
Qualifying
1. Robbie BAIRD, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.083
2. Jamie STAUFFER, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.296
3. Kevin CURTAIN, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.316
4. Craig COXHELL, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.378
5. Tony REES, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.383
6. Daniel STAUFFER, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:34.755
7. Josh BROOKES, Honda CBR954RR, 1:34.937
8. Wayne MAXWELL, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:35.169
9. Luke PHILLIPS, Honda CBR954RR, 1:35.237
10. Craig MC MARTIN, Ducati 996R, 1:35.383

Lap Record: Josh Brookes (Honda CBR929RR) 1:33.365 (08/07/01)

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Anthony Gobert sustained a clean fracture of his right fibula, a few inches above his foot, in his crash during Superbike qualifying at Road Atlanta on Friday. Gobert is scheduled to fly back to California Saturday and seek further evaluation by Dr. Arthur Ting on Monday.

Yamaha Team Manager/Crew Chief Tom Halverson said Saturday that Gobert was treated and released from Northeast Georgia Medical Center very quickly Friday evening with a plaster half-cast around the back portion of his leg to keep his foot immobilized. Meanwhile, Gobert’s X-rays were overnighted to Dr. Ting.

“The doctors there said that the break is close enough together that it could heal naturally and that it would be tricky to get to anyway because it is surrounded by muscle,” said Halverson.

Halverson said of Gobert, “He said he knew he was going in feet-first. So he was trying to steer himself and turn around so he would hit on his side. He didn’t get turned in time and his right foot got trapped under him when he hit.

“He said he felt some impact with the Air Fence, but he saw the bike hit first. He thinks the bike must have deflated it some already because he definitely felt that he hit the haybales pretty hard. He said he knew it was broken right after the impact.”

When asked if Yamaha was considering putting Damon Buckmaster on Gobert’s YZF-R7 Superbike, Halverson said, “We thought about that because we know that Damon is fully capable of riding the bike, but that would be putting two other Championships (Supersport and Formula Xtreme) in danger.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R7/R1, 1:24.288
2. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:24.737
3. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.103
4. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:25.116
5. Roger Hayden, Honda CBR9545RR, 1:25.515
6. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.746
7. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.997
8. Mike Hale, Honda CBR954RR, 1:26.177
9. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.398
10. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR954RR, 1:26.986
11. Lance Isaacs, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.825
12. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.386
13. Mark Crozier, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.550
14. James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.870
15. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.900
16. Jason Curtis, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:29.985
17. Michael Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 1:31.523
18. Chuck Allen, Suzuki, 1:32.185
19. Kevin Pate, Suzuki, 1:32.628
20. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki, 1:32.732

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Final MotoGP Qualifying Results From Le Mans:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:36.046
2. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:36.122
3. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:36.193
4. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:36.223
5. Daijiro Kato, Honda NSR500, 1:36.349
6. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:36.507
7. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:36.515
8. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:36.525
9. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:36.617
10. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:36.714
11. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:36.752
12. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:36.771
13. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:36.785
14. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:36.933
15. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:36.997
16. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:37.130
17. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:37.186
18. Jean-Michel Bayle, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.311
19. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.707
20. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, 1:38.261


More, from a Red Bull Yamaha press release:

FRENCH GRAND PRIX

SATURDAY 18TH MAY – OFFICIAL QUALIFYING

Jean- Michel Bayle 18th 1.37.311
“I lost a bit of time at the start of the session as I had some problems with my front brake lever as the position was not right for me. I then rode the second bike and it all seemed okay. I am pretty happy with the engine and chassis set up, my main concern however is with the tyre choice and we are working hard to find the right compound for tomorrow. At the moment we are working to match the tyres and bike setting and find the best solution that will suit me for tomorrow.”


Christophe Bourguignon(Race Engineer – Jean- Michel Bayle)
“We had problems early on with the front brake lever setting so we lost some time there early on but after this was adjusted we basically followed our plan for the qualifying. Jean-Michel has done a fantastic job and it would be interesting to see what could be done if had more time on the bike. Tonight we will try to improve the set-up so he is more comfortable on the bike for the race tomorrow.”


John Hopkins – 19th 1.37.707
“I was really pleased with my practice this morning but that did not convert to the afternoon session. The mechanics have fixed the front – end problems from yesterday by lifting the rear suspension to give the front more weight so I am happy with how that feels. I have found a harder compound Dunlop tyre which suits me here and I rode most of the session on that tyre today. I need to work on the last section of the track and I aim to finish in the points again tomorrow.”


Colin Davies (Race Engineer – John Hopkins)
“We have found a good tyre choice for the race and we have found a solution to the front end problems from yesterday. We are happy that John has improved on his time from yesterday and this morning and of course we would have liked him to qualify a bit higher but we are happy that he is always improving.”


Peter Clifford – Team Manager
“An absolute superb effort from Jean-Michel Bayle. I certainly did not think he could step on the motorcycle and be a mere 1.2 seconds from pole after only having half as much practice time as everyone else has. It shows not only that he is a superb motorcycle rider but that the motorcycle and the tyres have great potential. We of course wonder what Garry could do with this machine on the top of his form.

“John Hopkins made a great qualifying session this morning and was 13th for the hour, but it did not quite come together for him the same way this afternoon. I am sure he will have a great race tomorrow.”

For more information visit www.redbull-yamaha.com


More, from an Aprilia press release:

Régis Laconi and the Cube 9 tenths from today’s pole

A good qualifying session for Régis Laconi and the Cube, coming in just 9 tenths from Rossi’s pole position. After the free practice in the morning on a track which was still wet in some places, Laconi went flat out in the afternoon and achieved an important result for the new four-stroke project from Noale: the Cube shortened the gap from the time needed to win the pole. It is going to be essential to make a good start tomorrow from fourth row.

# 55 Régis Laconi – (MS APRILIA RACING) – 14th – 1:36.933
“It was a good qualifying session, and my fast lap at the end was fine. I was behind Rossi and I gave it all I’d got, taking the Chapelle corner very aggressively. A good lap: I took it to the limit and put myself in provisional eleventh place. Then other riders moved up the ratings and I lost the third row of the starting grid. We worked hard, late into the evening yesterday, to get the bike right. We’ve eliminated the instability when braking which penalised me a bit yesterday, and the calibration of the engine brake has been put right. The gap separating us from the pole – nine tenths – shows we’ve made huge progress. Now we need to choose the best tyres for the race: I’ve got a few ideas but we haven’t made the final choice yet. And, of course, I’ll need to make a good start. Tomorrow we’ll be approaching the first curve at high speed – about 250 kph – so it won’t be easy to obtain a good position in order to gain ground right from the start, but I sure want to do a good race on my home track.”



More, from a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

FRENCH GRAND PRIX, LE MANS
Final Qualifying, Saturday May 18 2002

MARLBORO YAMAHA M1’s BEST-EVER GRID PERFORMANCE
Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi played a starring role in this afternoon’s enthralling final qualifying session at Le Mans, qualifying a superb second and third quickest for tomorrow’s French GP.

The pair were in brilliant form as the sun came out at the legendary French venue, Checa twice snatching pole from Valentino Rossi (Honda) and
ending the session a tantalising 0.076 seconds behind the series leader. Biaggi was also flying, ending the day just 0.071 seconds off his team-mate. This is the M1’s best-ever qualifying performance and the first time both riders have made the front row together. Checa qualified fourth in Japan, Biaggi fourth in South Africa.

“I’m very happy, everyone has been working so hard and things are now going well for us,” said YZR-M1 project leader Ichiro Yoda, who has been returning to Japan after each race to continue M1 development. Last week he returned with new parts for the bike’s radical electronically controlled engine-braking system which the riders tested at Mugello in Italy. “This is the area we have especially been working on and this is why both our riders can now do good lap times. Also, this track is good for Yamaha’s chassis. Last year Max and Carlos got first and second here and our set-up info from that weekend helped us get the best chassis settings today. People say this is a Yamaha track because it’s a ‘heavy braking’ circuit but in fact that isn’t the case because there are a lot of downhill corner entries, so riders can’t brake so hard. Now I’m looking forward to the race, both our riders times’ were consistent today and thanks to Michelin both have good tyre choices.”


CHECA A FRACTION OFF POLE
Carlos Checa continued his awesome Le Mans form today, battling with Valentino Rossi for pole position throughout a thrilling final qualifying session. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man was ahead with just one minute to go, then Rossi squeezed ahead by a fraction. Fastest yesterday, Checa is confident that he will be fighting for the YZR-M1’s first victory in tomorrow’s race.

“I feel more comfortable on the bike, that’s why I’m able to ride fast,” said Checa who has been ultra quick and super consistent throughout the past two days. “We’ve been working very hard to improve the engine-braking system, so now I’m able to ride into corners more consistently and with more control and therefore faster. That’s why I was able to fight for pole, like I did in Japan, and that’s why we will be able to fight for victory tomorrow; I think the race will be very open. This is also a good track for our chassis.”



‘HUGE IMPROVEMENT’ FOR BIAGGI
Max Biaggi was delighted with his second front-row start of the season, just 0.177 seconds shy of pole position. Like team-mate Checa the Marlboro Yamaha Team man is making the most of engine braking system developments introduced during the team’s two-day test session at Mugello last week. Biaggi’s bike is the fastest, clocking 295.2kmh, 2kmh quicker than Rossi’s RCV.

“This is a huge improvement from the previous Grand Prix, thanks to the new parts we received ten days ago,” said Biaggi, who outpaced Rossi’s team-mate Tohru Ukawa by 0.030 seconds. “The improvements in engine braking make the bike better in every way, so we can now use the machine how we like to use it. We weren’t able to ride like this until we got these parts and
the great thing is that we can now continue working to make even more progress. I was losing some time in the third intermediate, but we’ve an idea of how to improve on that for tomorrow. We’re certainly more competitive now but winning will still be difficult.”


ROSSI TOPS CLOSEST-EVER GRID
Valentino Rossi took his fourth-successive pole position today, but this is the hardest he’s had to fight all year. The times were incredibly close, with less than two tenths of a second covering the front row and an all-time record of 2.215 seconds covering the entire 20-rider grid. “Today was difficult because the times are so close,” said the Italian. “And I think tomorrow will also be very difficult because the Yamaha has improved so much; it will be a hard fight.”

French star and 2002 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Jean-Michel Bayle returned to GP action today, replacing injured Yamaha rider Garry McCoy. The former Supercross king last rode GPs in 1999 and qualified 18th today.

Supersport Qualifying

1. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:27.096
2. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:27.240
3. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:27.290
4. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.344
5. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:27.619
6. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:27.896
7. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:28.430
8. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:28.693
9. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:28.776
10. Mike Hale, Honda, 1:28.887
11. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:29.483
12. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:29.506
13. Ty Howard, Suzuki, 1:30.014
14. Andrew Nelson, Honda, 1:30.158
15. Tyler Wadsworth, Yamaha, 1:31.377
16. Scott Hermersmann, Suzuki, 1:31.551
17. Ted Cobb, Suzuki, 1:31.760
18. Jimmy Filice, Kawasaki, 1:31.961
19. Jeff Muskopf, Suzuki, 1:32.089
20. Michael Hannas, Kawasaki, 1:32.285
21. Chuck Ivey, Suzuki, 1:32.564
22. Paul Aalderks, Suzuki, 1:32.944
23. Justin Blake, Suzuki, 1:33.161
24. James Stroud, Suzuki, 1:33.477
25. Ceasar Gonzales, Kawasaki, 1:33.655
26. Ray Bowman, Honda, 1:33.765
27. James Kerker, Honda, 1:33.894
28. Kevin Pate, Suzuki, 1:34.051
29. Richard Ford, Suzuki, 1;34.236
30. Ronny Camilo, 1:34.373
31. Giovanni Rojas, Triumph, 1:35.238
32. Lance Yeager, Suzuki, 1:35.304
33. A. Cammack, Suzuki, 1:36.477

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Morning Practice Times:

Formula Xtreme:

1. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.800
2. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.265
3. Tim Falcone, Suzuki, 1:35.002
4. Jamie Thompson, Suzuki, 1:35.891
5. Robert Hilliard, Suzuki, 1:36.699
6. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:37.571
7. Michael Hanley, Suzuki, 1:38.139
8. Kenyon Kluge, Suzuki, 1:41.971


250cc Grand Prix:

1. Jason DiSalvo, Honda, 1:40.832
2. Perry Melneciuc, Yamaha, 1:43.974
3. Barrett Long, Yamaha, 1:52.356
4. Simon Turner, Yamaha, 1:56.805
5. Shawn Murray, Honda, 2:03.567
6. Ty Piz, Yamaha, 2:04.644
7. Glen Christianson, Yamaha, 2:04.712
8. Chris Wallington, Yamaha, 2:05.676
9. Michael Deblanco, Yamaha, 2:06.888


Superstock:

1. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.560
2. Mike Smith, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.105
3. Andrew Nelson, Honda CBR600F4i, 1:33.433
4. Shane Clarke, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:33.519
5. Byron Barbour, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.003
6. Robert Jensen, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:37.286
7. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:37.735
8. Jamie Thompson, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:45.129
9. Andy Caldwell, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:47.231


Supersport:

1. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:43.083
2. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:44.326
3. Paul Aalderks, Suzuki, 1:50.366
4. Chuck Ivey, Suzuki, 1:56.823
5. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 2:01.841
6. Jimmy Filice, Kawasaki, 2:04.423

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Grand Prix Practice Lap Times:

1. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:40.158
2. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 1:40.173
3. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:40.238
4. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:40.410
5. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:40.530
6. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:40.595
7. Sebastien Porto, Yamaha, 1:40.878
8. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:40.923
9. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, 1:40.968
10. Alex Debon, Aprilia, 1:41.254
11. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, 1:41.563
12. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:41.645
13. Shahrol Yuzy, Yamaha, 1:41.793
14. Taro Sekiguchi, Yamaha, 1:41.803
15. Haruchika Aoki, Yamaha, 1:41.830

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday 250cc GP Qualifying Results:
1. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:38.903
2. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:39.391
3. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:39.506
4. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, 1:39.570
5. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:39.673
6. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:39.811
7. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 1:39.872
8. Haruchika Aoki, Aprilia, 1:40.233
9. Sebastian Porto, Yamaha, 1:40.234
10. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:40.340
11. Alex Debon, Aprilia, 1:40.450
12. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:40.666
13. Taro Sekiguchi, Yamaha, 1:40.791
14. Shahrol Yuzy, Yamaha, 1:40.910
15. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, 1:40.928

More from an Aprilia press release:

Marco Melandri makes front row with fourth fastest time.

Aprilia 250s take up the first seven places on the starting grid tomorrow.

The closing session of timed tests was truly exciting. Marco Melandri grabbed a place on the front row just as time was running out, in a battle against the other Aprilia riders who conquered the first three places, in the following order: Nieto, De Puniet and Locatelli.

Marco Melandri # 3 (MS APRILIA RACING) – 4st – 1’39.570

“We’ve solved some of the problems we’ve had in these first two days, but others remain. I’m finding it difficult to make direction changes and I’m beginning to think it must be because of the new frame. I’ve got this idea as today I felt and saw that I’m slower than in last year’s races, when I was also held up by shoulder pain. In the previous races, there were some variations, such as the Welkom track which was slower than previously, and this prevented me from thinking I may truly have a problem with the new frame. As for my ankle, it’s still bothering me, but if I do have problems, they’ll only appear after mid-race. Even so, I think I’ll be starting without resorting to pain-killers.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday’s 125cc GP Qualifying Times:
1. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, 1:44.002
2. Masao Azuma, Honda, 1:44.251
3. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:44.257
4. Lucio Ceccheinello, Aprilia, 1:44.264
5. Arnaud Vincent, Aprilia, 1:44.389
6. Alex De Angelis, Aprilia, 1:44.403
7. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:44.681
8. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 1:44.718
9. Angel Rodriguez, Aprilia, 1:44.798
10. Youichi Ui, Derbi, 1:45.055

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

LeMans Friday Morning MotoGP Practice Times:

1. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:37.444
2. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:37.466
3. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.541
4. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.768
5. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:37. 811
6. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:37.852
7. Daijiro Kato, Honda NSR500, 1:37.908
8. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:37.943
9. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:38.004
10. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:38.041
11. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:38.290
12. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:38.539
13. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:38.550
14. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:38.604
15. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:38.801
16. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:38.836
17. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:38.864
18. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:39.753
19. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, 1:40.007
20. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:40.129