Fujiwara on pole at home round

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Japanese World Supersport rider Katsuaki Fujiwara will start Sunday’s
World Supersport race from pole position.


Fujiwara claimed pole after winning a fierce qualifying battle with Suzuki team mate Stephane Chambon, who finished second fastest. Last year’s race winner Paolo Casoli will start from third on the grid and Honda UK rider Karl Muggeridge claimed his first front row start of the season.

Fabien Foret was pushed back onto the second row after a day spent struggling with chattering problems. Another rider suffering from chatter was Yamaha rider James Whitham who qualified back in ninth. “It feels like I’ve got a square back wheel, I could get off and push it around some corners faster!” grumbled the British rider.

Wild Card rider Tatsuya Yamaguchi collided with Iain MacPherson and won’t start tomorrow’s race. MacPherson was unhurt but after three crashes in one weekend he’s down to one bike for Sunday’s free practice and race. Christian Kellner is also doubtful for the race after a massive crash in qualifying.

World Supersport Final Qualifying Times:

1. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, 1:32.334
2. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 1:32.369
3. Paolo Casoli, Yamaha, 1:32.506
4. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, 1:32.607
5. Fabien Foret, Honda, 1:32.853
6. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 1:32.890
7. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati, 1:32.989
8. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, 1:33.079
9. Jamie Whitham, Yamaha, 1:33.155
10. Werner Daemen, Honda, 1:33.161
11. Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Honda, 1:33.371
12. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha, 1:33.375
13. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 1:33.384
14. Iain MacPherson, Honda, 1:33.402
15. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha, 1:33.437
16. David De Gea, Honda, 1:33.880
17. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha, 1:33.925
18. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha, 1:34.175
19. Antonio Carlacci, Yamaha, 1:34.460
20. James Ellison, Kawasaki, 1:34.613

More from a Ten Kate Honda press release:

Ten Kate Honda still searching for ideal Sugo set up

Things didn’t go according to plan for the Ten Kate Honda team at Sugo today. After a successful first day’s qualifying the team took a step
backwards as unexpected problems beset the last session of qualifying.

“We all expected a little more from final qualifying,” admitted Team Manager Ronald ten Kate. “Iain MacPherson had bad luck today, he had
only ridden three laps before an unfortunate collision with one of the Wild Card riders wrecked his bike. We had hoped to get him into a rhythm so he could build up to a good qualifying performance but the crash threw those plans out of the window. With only one bike and not a lot of
time left in the session it was a real struggle for Iain.”

MacPherson confirmed Ronald ten Kate’s sentiments, “I’m just not having any luck this weekend,” said MacPherson. “I haven’t been able to
complete as many laps as I needed to all weekend. In final qualifying I only managed three laps before I got tangled up with Yamaguchi and
crashed.” Later, on his spare bike, MacPherson looked set for the front row as he raced through the first three splits only marginally off the
pole pace. Unfortunately a big slide stopped his charge. This time MacPherson’s luck held and he saved the slide without crashing.

Fabien Foret just missed a front row start when fellow Honda rider Karl Muggeridge pushed him off the front row late in the session.

“We took a step backwards on set up today,” observed Foret. “Yesterday things seemed to be going in the right direction but the changes we made today reversed our progress. I would have liked to have got on the front row but the race is the important thing. Now we need to work hard to try to get things right for the race.”

Ronald ten Kate realises there’s plenty of work still to be done before Sunday’s 25 lap race, “We want to give our riders the best possible set
up for the race so they can both show their true potential. We have a great package, the two riders, the Pirelli tyres, the WP Suspension and
the Honda CBR600FS bikes, they are all first class components. But we just need to find the set up that allows them all to work together
properly. You can be sure the whole team will work very hard to achieve that goal.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

First to 19th separated by 1.5 seconds!

Final MotoGP Qualifying Times:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:34.660
2. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:34.692
3. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:34.875
4. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:35.064
5. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:35.378
6. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:35.396
7. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:35.476
8. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:35.508
9. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR50, 1:35.554
10. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:35.560
11. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:35.695
12. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:35.717
13. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:35.718
14. Daijiro Katoh, Honda NSR500, 1:35.728
15. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:35.804
16. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:35.995
17. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:36.092
18. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:36.161
19. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:36.164
20. Pere Riba, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.623


More, from an Aprilia press release:

MS Aprilia Racing Press Information
2002 MotoGP World Championship
Welkom (RSA) 19/20/21 April 2002
MotoGP – Saturday 20 April – qualifying sessions

Cube makes progress with each session. Eighteenth place does little justice to painstaking work by technicians and Régis Laconi

Eighteenth place on the starting grid hardly does justice to the enormous work done by Régis Laconi and the technicians who have been working with such dedication on the RS Cube. Yet progress has been made in every session over the last two days. The top speed recorded today in the final qualifying sessions – 1:36.161 is just 1.5 seconds from Rossi’s pole. It is worth noticing how, after Suzuka, today’s grid has all the competitors grouped within a bare 2.9 sec. Just the slightest improvement on the fast lap would make it possible to move up some precious places. During the free practice in the morning, Régis immediately lowered yesterday’s qualifying time and, on a number of occasions, he went flat out for the fastest lap time. In his penultimate attempt, after a few in which he was held up by heavy traffic, he managed to squeeze into 15th provisional place. Unfortunately he did not manage to make the final rush he needed to ensure a better starting position.
# 55 Régis Laconi – (MS APRILIA RACING) – 18th 1:37.536
“Yet again we improved on the morning, taking off over a second, but it still wasn’t enough to claim a better place on the grid tomorrow. I needed just a few wee tenths to move up the ratings. Sometimes a bit of traffic, but never a really good group to latch onto and make use of for the fast lap. I prepared the bike for the race with very hard tyres: they give a bit less grip at the outset, but last much better over long distances. The work we’ve done on the set-up is great, and the Cube behaved perfectly over the rough track, even when entering the second curve in the sector where you’re breaking all the way. In view of tomorrow’s race, today’s performance was positive: we’re one and a half seconds from the pole, which just shows we’re able to make excellent progress. The warm-up will be useful to get the last few details sorted out. Then the Cube will be off on the second race in her still very young life.”


And now this from John Hopkins:

“I’m very happy with the time that I got today. It’s amazing how close the times are and I’m excited because I’m only 1.4 seconds off pole which is my best yet. I’m improving little by little. This morning, we tested the tires and found what we were going to use for the race. Set up wise, we tested here and there but decided to use the same original set up from yesterday
afternoon. This morning’s session, we did half of a race distance on the tire we chose for the race and Garry and I actually decided on the same one. I got down to a pretty descent lap time. I went a bit faster then the Friday session. The track is getting better now that we’ve been on it more. When we first got on it Friday, it had about a half inch of dirt all around. It’s a key element to stay on line cause’ there is a good chance you could go down. It’s going to be really hard to pass, so a good start will lead to a good
race.

“During the qualifying session, the last 25 minutes, we were using softer and softer tires until I got a good rythm going. I was able to put in a strong lap time on a qualifier on the last lap which was completely by myself. The track is as bumpy as Loudon, without riding on the oval yet similar to Willow Springs. All in all, the tests have been good, and looking forward to tomorrows race.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Qualifying Times:

1. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:37.604
2. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, 1:38.066
3. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:38.118
4. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:38.134
5. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:38.185
6. Raul Jara, Aprilia, 1:38.542
7. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:38.546
8. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 1:38.624
9. Alex Debon, Aprilia, 1:38.657
10. Naoki Matsuda, Yamaha, 1:38.792
11. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, 1:38.798
12. Sebastian Porto, Yamaha, 1:38.814
13. Horuchika Aoki, Honda, 1:38.943
14. David Checa, Aprilia, 1:39.152
15. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:39.304

125cc Qualifying Times:

1. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:42.522
2. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, 1:42.580
3. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, 1:42.588
4. Arnaud Vincent, Aprilia, 1:42.614
5. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 1:42.852
6. Steve Jenkner, Aprilia, 1:42.975
7. Angel Rodriguez, Aprilia, 1:43.152
8. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 1:43.164
9. Jaroslav Hules, Aprilia, 1:43.216
10. Stefano Bianco, Aprilia, 1:43.219

More from an Aprilia press release:

MS Aprilia Racing Press Information
2002 MotoGP World Championship
Welkom (RSA) 19/20/21 April 2002
250 Class – Saturday 20 April – Qualifying Sessions
Marco Melandri second fastest in qualifying sessions. Eight Aprilia 250s in top nine places.
Right from the early stages of the free practice in the morning,
an all-out battle was fought for the very top end of the ratings. Marco Melandri repeated the feat he managed to pull off yesterday, making the quickest time in the session. Then came the afternoon qualifying sessions but, near the end, intense traffic prevented Macio from bringing to bear all the potential at his disposal and he failed to make first place. So Marco is second. He was fastest on race tyres and will be out on the front row of the grid tomorrow.
Pole goes to Franco Battaini (Aprilia) – 3rd Rolfo (Honda) – 4th De Puniet (Aprilia).
Marco Melandri # 3 (MS APRILIA RACING) – 2nd – 1’38.066
“I did the last ten minutes of the session in first gear. What I mean is I was often blocked by a number of other riders. That’s when things get really hot and everyone’s trying to climb up and go even faster, then they slow down, try to tailgate those in front, and then shoot off again. In these conditions – on the borderline of fair play – it’s hard to find a free piece of track and go for pole. The bike’s fine – I’m really pleased, because the indications we picked up yesterday were right and got us working in the right direction. The bike in its race configuration is all set to go, so I’m confident about tomorrow. This is an important race: the best riders didn’t post that many points in Suzuka, so we’ll be starting off about level.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Haga makes it two home riders on pole in Sugo

By Glenn Le Santo

Noriyuki Haga set the fastest Superpole time at Sugo to join Japanese Supersport rider Fujiwara on pole for tomorrow’s racing.

Haga put in a sensational lap at 1:28.806 to finish Superpole just ahead of provisional pole sitter Neil Hodgson, who was a fraction behind at 1:28.823. The Ducati riders appeared to be losing time at the chicane, Hodgson had been a couple of hundredths of a second up on Haga until the final spilt.

Hodgson had his own unique explanation for his slight loss of time in the last split, “I did a race simulation in the warm up, a full 25 laps. Consequently I got into the habit of just taking it slightly easier out of the chicane. In Superpole I didn’t open the throttle quite hard enough–as if I was on race tyres. That probably cost me pole position.”

Haga is in determined mood for the race, “It’s very important for me to win here at my home track,” said ‘Nitro’ Nori who says he has no problems with the chicane, “I love chicanes, I’ll be really aggressive there and try to win the race that way.”

Makato Tamada made it two Japanese riders on the front row by taking third on the grid. Tamada won both races on his Cabin Honda last year and declared that he’ll do his best to repeat that performance again this year.

Ben Bostrom was fourth fastest to make it two Ducatis on the front row. Ben’s brother Eric finished Superpole down in eighth on his Kawasaki.

Ruben Xaus had another disastrous Superpole, coming 12th and behind teammate Troy Bayliss, who’s seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s races.

World Superbike Superpole
Sugo, Japan 20 April 20, 2002

Superpole times:

1. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000 1:28.806
2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998, 1:28.823
3. Makoto Tamada, Honda RC51, 1:28.861
4. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998, 1:29.216
5. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, 1:29.259
6. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.545
7. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998, 1:29.626
8. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.914
9. Takeshi Tsujimura, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:29.981
10. Wataru Yoshikawa, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:30.188
11. James Toseland, Ducati 998, 1:30.287
12. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998, 1:30.377
13. Yuichi Takeda, Honda RC51, 1:30.745
14. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:30.796
15. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:30.918
16. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998, 1:31.291

And the rest of the grid:

17. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.612
18. Juan Borja, Ducati 998, 1:30.593
19. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998, 1:30.762
20. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, 1:31.620
21. Kenichiro Nakamura, Honda RC51, 1:31.830
22. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998, 1:32.012
23. Steve Martin, Ducati 998, 1:32.117
24. Ivan Clementi, Kaw ZX-7RR, 1:32.190
25. Broc Parkes, Duc 998, 1:32.226
26. Mauro Sanchini, Kaw ZX-7RR, 1:32.573


More, from an Aprilia press release:

SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – Fourth Round

JAPAN – Sugo Circuit, 3,737 m. – Second Qualifying Sessions

APRILIA IN POLE POSITION FOR JAPAN GP

SUGO (Japan), Saturday 20 April 2002 – Sensational pole position for Aprilia in the Japan GP, in the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship in Sugo. On the home circuit of the Japanese manufacturers, all officially participating in the production-bike championship, Noriyuki Haga took the Playstation2-FGF Aprilia Team RSV Mille to top spot in the ratings with a fantastic 1’28″806 lap, seven tenths from the official track record. For Aprilia, in the Superbike championship since 2000, this is the first pole at Sugo, and its eighth overall. Noriyuki Haga scores the second pole in his career, his first at home. The others on the front row will be Hodgson (Ducati), Tamada (Honda) and Bostrom (Ducati). World champion Bayliss (Ducati) made seventh time and will be launching his bike from second row.

MORALE AT ALL-TIME HIGH – Haga sliced six tenths off the fastest lap Aprilia had made on this track in 2001, demonstrating the remarkable progress made on the V2 from Noale. The Japanese ace also notched up some great laps in race configuration – the battle will be fought out in two 25-lap legs on the 3,737-metre Sugo circuit.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team rider) said: “I’d already made pole in Spain, in ’98, but the session was a bit mixed up by the rain: I rode on the dry, and all the others in the wet. So I really consider this as my first time. Making pole at Sugo, my home track, is just fantastic. I’d like to dedicate this pole position to Aprilia, to my team and to my family who’ve come out in force. Now we need to concentrate on the race: I’ve never won two legs on the same day, and I’d just love to have the satisfaction…”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager, Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) commented: “We’re very excited about this result: we’ve done our utmost to get it since the season kicked off with some difficulties. The key to the race is in the tyres: we’re trying to find a set-up that’ll let us keep up a fast pace throughout the race. We’ve done some tests and we’re pretty satisfied. We have two different tactics to choose from: a really fast start to get out ahead, or we keep the tyres for the final fight, which we think is going to be very tough. Even so, we’re under no illusion: it’s going to be a very hard race. We’ll make the finishing touches during the warm-up to give Noriyuki all the potential he needs.”


More, from a HM Plant Ducati press release:

Superbike World Championship
Round four: Sugo, Japan
Saturday 20 April 2002
Qualifying/Superpole

Hodgson scorches to second placed start at Sugo

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing star Neil Hodgson clocked an incredible time of 1:28.823 in his flying Superpole lap around the 3.74-mile Sugo circuit to claim second place on the grid for Sunday’s races. His team-mate James Toseland made a solid improvement upon his earlier times and will start from 11th.

Hodgson was just edged out of the prime starting position by home turf rider Noriyuki Haga – the margin was just 0.017s. After topping the timesheets during the second practice session, and in the process setting the second fastest ever lap time at the track, the HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing rider stormed to Superpole glory aboard his Ducati 998 F 01.

“Sugo is extremely technical but also massively rewarding,” said the 28-year-old Burnley-born rider, “and the chicane is totally unique. Some of the turns also have a useful camber, so I’m carrying a huge amount of speed through them. Roberto [Bonazzi], my Chief Engineer from Ducati Corse has been fantastic – he’s managed to help me find a great set-up that works really well on race and qualifying tyres. Dunlop has also done a really good job here. This all combines to give me a feeling of total confidence in the HM Plant Ducati. The wild cards test here all the time, so to be going faster than them is a great achievement. It’s been a good weekend so far and I certainly don’t intend to let anyone down tomorrow.”

James Toseland was disappointed not to fair better, but still managed to pick up seven places during the day. Toseland is in only his second season aboard a Superbike, and is already showing signs of greatness. “The pace is incredibly hot this season and I’ve improved a lot since yesterday,” said the 21-year-old from Sheffield. “My race set-up is spot-on and I’ve got a lot of grip, so I’ll be looking for a top eight finish. I’ve been running really well recently and I fully intend to keep up this high level of performance.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

250cc Qualifying Session One Times:

1. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, 1:38.408
2. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, 1:38.463
3. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:38.723
4. Alex Debon, Aprilia, 1:38.737
5. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, 1:39.149
6. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, 1:39.151
7. Toni Elias, Aprilia, 1:39.165
8. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, 1:39.324
9. Sebastian Porto, Yamaha, 1:39.366
10. Raul Jara, Aprilia, 1:40.008
11. Shahrol Yuzy, Yamaha, 1:40.023
12. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:40.265
13. David Checa, Aprilia, 1:40.465
14. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:40.507
15. Vincent Philippe, Aprilia, 1:40.756
16. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:40.762
17. Hugo Marchand, Aprilia, 1:40.788
18. Haruchika Aoki, Honda, 1:40.966
19. Dirk Heidolf, Aprilia, 1:41.011
20. Jay Vincent, Honda, 1:41.012
21. Taro Sekiguchi, Yamaha, 1:41.099
22. Leon Haslam, Honda, 1:41.250
23. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, 1:41.264
24. Jarno Janssen, Honda, 1:41.720

More from an Aprilia press release:

MS Aprilia Racing Press Information
2002 MotoGP World Championship
Welkom (RSA) 19/20/21 April 2002
250 Class – Friday 19 April – qualifying sessions
Marco Melandri makes second best time and provisional front row. Quickest qualifying time achieved by Franco Battaini (Aprilia).
Marco Melandri, who led the way in the morning’s free practice, came second in the timed laps. A tough track even for the 250s: bumps and unevenness put the riders’ skills to the test – this can be clearly seen in the times, markedly lower than those posted last year. Marco worked on setting up his RSW 250 but, more than anything, he concentrated on finding the right front tyre for Sunday’s race.
Marco Melandri # 3 (MS APRILIA RACING) – 2nd: 1’38,463
“There’s no end of potholes on the track: you have to follow the trajectories you know. If ever you stray, you risk finding a new one you haven’t come across before. Things weren’t quite right, or at least we weren’t getting the most out of it. We’ve still got a few more tests to do. More than anything, I want to find a more efficient front tyre solution, and we’ve still got some comparative tests to do on the rear one. The one I liked best after trying it out in the two sessions today almost certainly wouldn’t get me through the entire race. The frame isn’t the same as last year’s, so we still need to do some work on the settings: each track this year’s going to need new adjustments to suit this new component.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hodgson Goes On Top Before Superpole

By Glenn LeSanto

Britain’s Neil Hodgson nipped into provisional pole in the last moments of final World Superbike qualifying in Sugo.

It means Hodgson will have the luxury of knowing exactly what he needs to do in Superpole as the fastest qualifying rider does his flying lap last, after watching all the other riders do their laps.

As the session ended Ruben Xaus crashed at the third corner, followed shortly by Noriyuki Haga. Oil flags were then waved, slowing the session and ruining all chance of posting faster times by any riders who had been saving their best for last.

Before Hodgson’s lap Makato Tamada and Colin Edwards had been scrapping over provisional pole. Usually, it’s the riders on Dunlops doing well at Sugo, which is a Dunlop test track, but Edwards, like eighth-fastest Troy Bayliss, is a Michelin rider.

Hitoyasu Izutsu finished with the sixth fastest time, despite not riding at all today after breaking his arm in a crash yesterday. His time becomes void and all the riders behind him will move up a place, giving Juan Borja, who was 17th-fastest, a Superpole place.


Combined qualifying times:

1. Neil Hodgson, GB, Ducati, 1:28.778

2. Colin Edwards, USA, Castrol Honda, 1:28.949

3. Makoto Tamada, Japan, Honda, 1:29.208

4. Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Aprilia, 1: 29.416

5.Ben Bostrom, USA, Ducati, 1:29.423

6.Hitoyasu Izutsu, Japan, Kawasaki, 1:29.612

7.Wataru Yoshikawa, Japan, Yamaha, 1:29.723

8.Troy Bayliss, Australia, Ducati, 1: 29.773

9.Akira Yanagawa, Japan, Kawasaki, 1:29.823

10.Yuichi Takeda, Japan, Honda, 1:29.909


Superpole still to come.


World Supersport
Saturday morning free practice
Sugo, Japan

1. Paolo Casoli, Italy, Yamaha, 1:33.022
2. Stephane Chambon, France, Suzuki, 1:33.232
3. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan, Suzuki, 1:33.265
4. Christian Kellner, Germany, Yamaha, 1:33.616
5. Andrew Pitt, Australia, Kawasaki, 1:33.807
6. Alessio Corradi, Italy, Yamaha, 1:33.875
7. Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Japan, Honda, 1:33.892
8. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Italy, Ducati, 1:33.900
9. Fabien Foret, France, Honda,1:33.903
10. James Whitham, GB, Yamaha, 1:33.921
11. Karl Muggeridge, Australia, Honda, 1:33.978

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Loris Capirossi was fastest and American teen John Hopkins was 13th-fastest in the first MotoGP qualifying session for the African Grand Prix, at Welkom, South African.

In his first time at the track, Hopkins improved dramatically from the first practice session to the first qualifying session. He turned a best lap of 1:40.660 in the first practice, and was 19th fastest ahead of only Pere Riba.

The MotoGP format features one practice session and one qualifying session for each class on Friday and Saturday, a warm-up practice on Sunday morning, and races on Sunday afternoon.

Former 500cc World Champion Kenny Roberts was sixth-fastest in qualifying.

Times follow:

1. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:35.393
2. Daijiro Katoh, Honda NSR500, 1:35.818
3. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:35.985
4. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:36.027
5. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:36.456
6. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:36.589
7. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:36.640
8. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:36.866
9. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:36.907
10. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:36.930
11. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:37.000
12. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.031
13. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.101
14. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:37.218
15. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.242
16. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:37.249
17. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.473
18. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:37.526
19. Jurgen v.d. Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:37.747
20. Pere Riba, Yamaha YZR500, 1:38.652


More, from a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

AFRICA’S GRAND PRIX, WELKOM
First Qualifying
Friday April 19 2002

MARLBORO YAMAHA WORKING HARD AT WELKOM
Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa made steady progress during today’s first practice and qualifying sessions at Welkom, ending the day fifth and seventh fastest and confident of further improvements tomorrow.

This is the YZR-M1’s first visit to this challenging and now very bumpy circuit, which means the team crew commence their work from a base line of minimum knowledge, then work from there. This is a process they will become accustomed to whenever they race at tracks that are new to Yamaha’s new four-stroke MotoGP racer.

“This track was totally new to the bike this morning, but we learned a lot from that session and then started making adjustments,” explained M1 project leader Ichiro Yoda. “The main factors we’re working on are chassis set-up and adjustment to the engine-braking system. This track is very bumpy, which means we need less engine braking than we had at Suzuka, for example. On the chassis side we’re adjusting geometry and suspension to create more traction front and rear, and we’re also working to improve turn-in.”

BIAGGI JUST OFF FRONT ROW

Max Biaggi ended day one at Welkom just off the provisional front row, making good progress in his first visit to the track with his Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1s. The Italian, who qualified a fraction of a second off the front row at Suzuka two weeks ago, was fifth fastest this afternoon, 0.4 seconds off the provisional front row.

“Me and the team are working very hard, there’s good energy within our pit box,” said the four-time 250 World Champion, who won the 1999 500 GP at Welkom. “We’re working towards a generally better set-up and we have a good idea of what we need to do to achieve that and of where to start from tomorrow. In the few places where we’re losing time we need better rear suspension settings and also improved adjustment of the engine-braking system. There’s one very, very bumpy section here which makes the bike very unstable, the bike’s moving around too much, but I guess it’s the same for everyone.”

CHECA UP TO SPEED AFTER STEADY START

Carlos Checa made a steady start to practice at Welkom this morning, gathering information to help his engineers carry out adjustments to his bikes’ chassis and engine-braking systems. Once those improvements had been made it took the Marlboro Yamaha Team man just a few laps of afternoon qualifying to dramatically raise his pace and briefly lead the session. He ended the outing seventh.

“Today is only the first day but already the whole picture seems quite good and we can improve from here,” said the Spaniard. “This morning I didn’t feel so confident in the front end and we didn’t have the right amount of engine braking, so we fixed that and the chassis settings for the afternoon. We improved the front-end contact feeling to improve corner entry, which in turn helps corner exit. The track’s grip level is okay but some parts are incredibly bumpy, worse even that any go-kart track I’ve driven around.”

CAPIROSSI & KATOH BEAT FOUR-STROKES

The Honda 500cc two-strokes of Loris Capirossi and Daijiro Katoh were first and second fastest at Welkom today, just ahead of the Honda four-strokes of Tohru Ukawa and Valentino Rossi. This is no surprise since the two-stroke teams started today with three years of Welkom data behind them while the four-stroke teams started with no circuit data specific to their machines.

“The track is so much more bumpy than last time we came here, so it’s really difficult to ride but I still like the layout,” said Capirossi, who battled long and hard for provisional pole with Rossi, the pair swapping the lead no less than six times. “On my fastest laps I made the difference through the fast rights at the end of the lap.”



More from a Suzuki press release:

SUZUKIS TAME THE BUMPS AT WELKOM

Phakisa Freeway, Welkom
Friday, April 19, 2002

TEAM Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki rider Kenny Roberts Jr set sixth-fastest time during today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s South African GP, putting the new four-stroke GSV-R Suzuki in a threatening second-row position on the provisional starting grid.

Team-mate Sete Gibernau had challenged for pole earlier in the session, moving up to second fastest. Then a minor tumble spoiled the rest of the session and though he continued to improve his speed, the time he’d lost meant that he had lost overall position as the battle for the front row saw lap times slashed throughout the thrilling hour-long session.

Practice began in perfect sunny conditions at the tortuous 4.242km Phakisa Freeway circuit outside the small mining town of Welkom, where the 1.350 metre altitude saps engine horsepower. Past problems of poor grip seemed less acute, with lap times already below the previous race record, and with one more day of practice remaining. Complaints this year concentrated on the worsening bumps at the circuit, with some riders almost thrown out of the saddle at certain points.

The Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki riders also felt the bumps, but to a lesser degree – the chassis set-up and suspension of the all-new 990cc four-stroke GSV-R racer giving both Roberts and Gibernau a relatively smooth ride.

KENNY ROBERTS – Sixth Position, 1:36.589
“I can feel the power loss compared with Suzuka because of the lower air pressure. The four-stroke is not so sensitive as the two-stroke, though. The main problem for me is that I have to open the throttle wider, which puts me in a more awkward position coming out of the turns. Today was one of those days of trying to get through tyres and get a good set-up. The track is extremely bumpy. Through most of the session I stuck with kinda lazy settings, that gave a softer ride – but lap times and overall grip were not so good. At the end we tried something that steered better and had more grip, and the time was better. The flip side is the bike was more nervous and harder to ride. We need a bigger window, to give more margin for error. We’ll try to find that with chassis settings that will improve the grip.”

SETE GIBERNAU – 11th Position, 1:37.000
“I had a tumble that spoiled my session and cost me time. We also had a lot of things to test, which made it harder. All the same, we kept on getting better through the afternoon and we have finished most of the routine testing. The main thing is I was not hurt and we can try to keep on improving tomorrow. It’s hard to know what is the best for the bumps. We’ll try it again both ways – the bike hard and soft – and see which will be best for the race.”

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
“Neither Kenny nor Sete were really complaining about the bumps, which is surprising. When I went out to watch on one of the bad spots, where they start braking into the first tight corner, it really didn’t look too pleasant. Our bike seemed to cope better than the others – so thanks to Ohlins for the good suspension.”

More from an Aprilia press release:

Régis Laconi and race-configuration RS Cube make good progress. Fast-lap performance needs improving for the starting grid.

Régis Laconi and the RS Cube did not manage maintain the morning’s positive trend when Régis came eighth in the free practice, 1.3 seconds from race leader Rossi. Régis wasn’t entirely satisfied with the tyres long used in the qualifying sessions, and made 18th best time on race tyres. The first taste of the new race tyres, with a taller tread and new profile, gave positive results. It was also necessary to work on the settings to make sure the Cube was able to follow the considerable ruggedness of the occasionally very uneven Welkom circuit. Tomorrow’s tests will focus on finding the ideal set-up for the race, but also on better use of the qualifying tyres, which failed to provide the five or six tenths improvement required to move up the timing screens. Provisional pole goes to Loris Capirossi, followed by Katoh, Ukawa and Rossi.
# 55 Régis Laconi – (MS APRILIA RACING) – 18th 1’37.536
“My first impression of these new race tyres is good”, said Régis Laconi. “I was using them when I made eighth quickest time this morning and the fast lap in today’s qualifying sessions. The tyres which worked well up to the second intermediate time were not so good in the final stages of the fast lap. Times were constant, and thus satisfactory for the race, but there’s time yet to get a good place on the grid. The engine certainly notices the altitude, and response comes a little late. There’s a bit of acceleration missing – but the situation’s the same for everyone. With the wind and sand, the track isn’t perfectly clean, but on the most used and “clean” trajectories, you can avoid part of the problem. I’m happy with the race configuration of the RS Cube: it didn’t take too much to set it up for the unevenness of the track – just a few careful tweaks to the Suzuka setting made it perfectly rideable. Now we need to work on improving the fast lap time to get a better place on the grid than we got today.”

From a press release:

Superside opens the door to new entrants

Often attending a first World Championship meeting or even trying to get an impression about what a world championship is all about, can be a huge hurdle for teams. Not only is the whole environment foreign, but also a number of questions or problems can plague new entrants.

To combat these problems, Superside has launched a three-pronged plan of attack.

“Welcome Packs” will be posted (mailed) prior to the event to all teams entered. These contain content information on how to get to the event, where to park, how to get tickets, the location of services such as technical and race control, answering questions before teams leave home.

Superside General Manager, Gary Francis comments: “These welcome packs might seem quite trivial but often teams who haven’t been in a championship year before or who are attending as non permanent entrants need a lot of information that hasn’t been previously prepared. Our welcome packs are now a regular feature of each race meeting. These will direct the teams to tracks, to the paddock itself, bring them up to date on news concerning the event and highlight issues of importance before each race meeting.”

To assist new teams and budding hopefuls, Superside has introduced two different mentoring programs for the teams to enjoy and take full advantage of also.

First time entrants to the championship, will be assigned a permanent or top team for the entire race meeting. Having mentors from the permanent paddock to look after new teams will provide assurance for technical questions. Questions about set-up, general guidance about the circuit, what to expect or how to get around the track faster will greatly assist first time non permanent entrants, get to grips a lot faster.

“Many of the new teams find the entire paddock environment quite imposing and often are not sure where to go to get help on sometimes quite simple matters. Factor this with a paddock full of the heroes of this sport and for new comers it can become quite unnerving. The purpose of this mentoring program is to support first time entrants to the championship, with the goal ultimately of helping them achieve the best race result possible, first time up!” explained Francis.

“This structure of mentoring program will now be introduced in Monza where Bill Philip Racing will be mentored by liveonscreen.com. Both parties are keen to see the Superside mentoring program enhance the overall professionalism of the Superside experience. Superside will be monitoring this trial carefully and bringing forward progress news during the Monza event”.

As a second phase in the mentoring program and maybe even more importantly, Superside has made an offer to all permanent teams in the championship. Encouraging them to foster more growth in the sport outside of the world championship.

Permanent teams are now supported to bring new potentials in to the World Championship paddock. Superside will issue three-day and hospitality passes to “stars of tomorrow” coming to the events with the permanent teams.

We wish to open up the World Championship in a new way” said Gary Francis.

“The championship should be a place that young teams can come and gain some experience. By opening up the paddock in this manner we are hoping that young riders and passengers will take the opportunity to contact the permanent teams to experience the World Championship events. This should have two spin-off effects”, says Francis.

“Firstly young teams can come and experience the entire race weekend, taking in all of the feelings and atmosphere of the championship and secondly team managers can use this mentoring program as a way of looking for fresh young talent to groom towards the World Championship.”

“The excellent part about mentoring young riders and passengers in this way”, says Francis, “is that existing teams can look into their country’s competitor pool and bring talent from many different languages and countries to the championship. We now have teams from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Germany, France, Holland, and Austria. Using existing teams therefore helps to bridge the gap a lot more quickly than we could ever do”.

Look forward to the young guns of tomorrow at the next round in Monza.

And for future reference, send press releases to [email protected]. Now the press release:

Press Release from the Central Roadracing Association

April 14, 2002

On April 12-14, 2002, the Central Roadracing Association held its first racing event of the year, which was a huge success, at the new Midamerica Motorplex facility, located in Pacific Junction, Iowa. The CRA hosted 159 racers with a total of 704 race entries. Racers from all over the Midwest, including AMA Superstock Racers Robert Jensen and Eric Dooeyma along with Larry Denning, ventured out to Iowa to race the new track.

The facility, which is located along the state border of Nebraska, provided CRA racers a road course with 2.23 miles for total length and 15 corners. Nestled in between many acres of farmland, the track surprised many racers with both the technical configuration and gripping tire surface, unusual for new tracks.

On Saturday the day was dominated with Supersport races and Trophy Dashes. The competition was tough and close for racers chasing contingency dollars and trophies. AMA Superstock Racer and CRA #1 plate holder, Robert Jensen of Chaffee ND, dominated both the Middleweight (600) and Heavyweight (750) Supersport races, along with strong finishes by Larry Denning of Shawnee, KS, Jeff Kramer of St Louis, MO, and Wes Good of Independence, MN. In late afternoon, a grueling 20 lap Trophy Dash was dominated by Jason Hobbs of Brooklyn Center, MN. Bryan Soberg and Kurt Schuschke dominated the lightweights along with Shane Butts dominating the 250 GP classes.

On Sunday afternoon, Grand Prix and Superbike races pushed the envelope for the newly set track record of 1:33, which was established by Jeff Kramer along with Steve Johnson of Savage, MN, posting a close second fastest time. In the Grand Prix races, Scott Ruehle of St Cloud, MN, and Larry Denning dominated the classes along with Steve Johnson and David Wappler of Onalaska, WI. In the Superbike races, once again Larry Denning and Jeff Kramer cleaned up all the wins, along with strong finishes by Paul Mason of Blue Springs, MO, and Scott Ruehle.

CRA would like to thank all of the racers, workers, and sponsors, who supported the event. CRA another 5 races on the schedule for the remainder of the year and include:

May 3-5, Brainerd Intl Raceway, MN
June 21-23, Brainerd Intl Raceway, MN
July 26-28, Brainerd Intl Raceway, MN
August 16-18, Midamerica Motorplex, IA
September 13-15, Brainerd Intl Raceway, MN

For more information on how to race or become a cornerworker with the CRA, check out www.cra-mn.org or call the CRA Hotline at (612) 332-4070.