Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Aaron Yates won the 17-laps AMA Supersport race at California Speedway in Fontana, California, beating Anthony Gobert by 3.344 seconds. Tommy Hayden beat Damon Buckmaster for third, by 0.010-second.

Results follow:

1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki GSX-R600
2. Anthony Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, -3.344 seconds
3. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki ZX-6R, -5.322
4. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, -5.332
5. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R600, -17.020
6. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki GSX-R600, -20.178
7. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -23.686
8. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R600, -23.787
9. Mike Hale, Honda CBR600F4i, -24.236
10. Roger Hayden, Honda CBR600F4i, -26.199
11. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6R, -29.762
12. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600F4i, -35.219
13. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600F4i, -53.257
14. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki GSX-R600, -53.334
15. Ty Howard, Suzuki GSX-R600, -53.534
16. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R600, -54.900
17. Mark Ledesma, Honda CBR600F4i, -66.458
18. Owen Richey, Yamaha YZF-R6, -69.215
19. Scott Simpson, Kawasaki ZX-6R, -93.783
20. Tyler Wadsworth, Yamaha YZF-R6, -1 lap

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Damon Buckmaster held off an early challenge from Jason Pridmore and then ran off and hid from the Formula Xtreme field after Pridmore ran off the track. Buckmaster brought his Yamaha R1-power YZF-R7 across the line 19.694 seconds ahead of Pridmore’s Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Pridmore came back to finish second ahead of Jake Zemke. Tom Kipp, who ran with Buckmaster and Pridmore early-on, faded to seventh when the left seal in his aftermarket racing forks blew out and oiled up the footpeg and rear tire; the forks had less than 100 laps on them since they were new. Roger Lee Hayden, who also raced with Buckmaster and Pridmore, crashed after his Erion Honda’s exhaust system came loose and pivoted outward.

Results follow:

1. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R7/R1

2. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -19.694 seconds

3. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, -21.119

4. Mike Hale, Honda CBR9545RR, -25.699

5. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -36.893

6. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -37.700

7. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -40.051

8. Steve Rapp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -53.447

9. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR954RR, -54.911

10. Clint McBain, Suzuki, -62.581

Note: Officials docked Tom Kipp one position for cutting a chicane during the race. Kipp appealed the decision and said he was forced out of the chicane by a lapped rider.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

AMA Pro Racing Road Racing Operations Manager Gary Mathers confirmed to Roadracingworld.com that the Superbike race at Calfornia Speedway April 5-7 was his last event as an AMA Pro Racing employee.

“This is my last race,” Mathers told a reporter in the California Speedway media center Sunday morning. Mathers said that one of the reasons he was leaving was because he got in too much trouble for being open, answering questions honestly.

When asked if he would consider going back to his previous profession as a racing team manager, Mathers said that he had no such plans but would consider any proposals that seemed fun because his wife, an AMA Pro Racing registration worker, wanted to stay involved in racing.

When asked at Daytona about rumors that he would leave following the Fontana race, Mathers was evasive, demanded to know where a reporter had heard he was leaving, then denied talking to the source of the information. Asked directly whether he was leaving or not, Mathers said “I’m not saying anything. You can print anything you want.” For reference, see our post dated 03/10/02).

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Saturday Afternoon Supersport Practice Times:

1. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:30.539
2. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:30.551
3. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:31.240
4. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:31.502
5. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:31.520
6. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:31.549
7. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:31.568
8. Mike Hale, Honda, 1:31.851
9. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:32.002
10. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:33.336
11. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:33.841
12. Ty Howard, Suzuki, 1:33.858
13. Steve Rapp, Suzuki, 1:33.868
14. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:34.127
15. Clint McBain, Suzuki, 1:34.470
16. Michael Hannas, Kawasaki, 1:34.478
17. Troy Green, Yamaha, 1:35.746
18. Josh Hayes, Suzuki, 1:35.837
19. Jimmy Moore, Suzuki, 1:35.852
20. Scott Simpson, Kawasaki, 1:36.084

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Josh Hayes crashed during the Supersport practice and appeared to have injured his left wrist/hand.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Whitham and Chambon battle for pole

By Glenn LeSanto

Diminutive Frenchman Stephane Chambon stole pole position from James Whitham with a magnificent last lap in the dying seconds of the Supersport final qualifying session.

Whitham sat in his pit box after lapping the Kyalami circuit at 1:46.295, which was at the time a new outright fastest World Supersport lap at the track, probably thinking that he had pole wrapped up. But Chambon had other ideas and despite not being 100% happy with his bike went out and lapped even faster at 1:46.146 to claim pole for Suzuki.

The previous best qualifying lap of 1:47.293 was set by Ruben Xaus when the Supersport championship last raced here in 1999. Iain MacPherson holds the race lap record of 1:48.383 also from 1999 when he won the race. That record is unlikely to stand after Sunday’s race.

Reigning champion and winner of the previous race in Phillip Island, Andrew Pitt was third fastest at 1:46.414. Christian Kellner, who had spent much of the session in provisional pole slipped to fourth on the grid as the times tumbled.

Dunlop riders dominate the front row, and the next three riders on the grid–Fujiwara, Casoli and Teuchert–are also riding on Dunlop tires. The first man on Pirellis is Australia’s Chris Vermeulen who lapped at 1:46.913 and took the final second-row position in eighth.

Despite not faring well in qualifying Pirelli engineers remain upbeat for the race as their riders were as fast as the Dunlop guys on race tires during qualifying. But with seven Dunlop riders in the first seven places on the grid the riders that are using Pirellis will have their work cut out at the start of Sunday’s race.

World Supersport Championship
Final Qualifying
Kyalami, 6 April 2002

Best lap times:

1 S Chambon FRA Suzuki 1:46.146
2 J Whitham GBR Yamaha 1:46.295
3 A Pitt AUS Kawasaki 1:46.414
4 C Kellner GER Yamaha 1:46.471
5 K Fujiwara JPN Suzuki 1:46.780
6 P Casoli ITA Yamaha 1:46.860
7 J Teuchert GER Yamaha 1:46.866
8 C Vermeulen AUS Honda 1:46.913
9 A Corradi ITA Yamaha 1:47.025
10 F Foret FRA Honda 1:47.093

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Valentino Rossi qualified the new Honda RC211V V5 on pole for the first MotoGP race, scheduled for Sunday at Suzuka Circuit. But Rossi and the 990cc V5 four-stroke didn’t romp away from every two-stroke; Loris Capirossi was just 0.183-second behind on a Honda NSR500 two-stroke. Shinichi Itoh was third-fastest on another Honda V5, ahead of Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi on Yamaha YZR-M1 four-strokes and Daijiro Katoh on another NSR500.

Former 500cc World Champion Kenny Roberts was 10th-fastest on his Suzuki GSV-R four-stroke and American teenager John Hopkins was 18th on his YZR500 Yamaha two-stroke after final qualifying.

The only riders to not improve on their first qualifying session time were Jurgen van den Goorbergh on a Honda NSR500, who went slower in the second session, and Pere Riba, who didn’t record a time in the second session after turning a 2:15.140 in the first session, more than two seconds slower than the qualifying cut-off time of 107% of pole.

Times follow:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 2:04.226

2. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 2:04.409

3. Shinichi Itoh, Honda RC211V, 2:04.435

4. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 2:04.450

5. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 2:04.456

6. Daijiro Katoh, Honda NSR500, 2:04.491

7. Akira Ryo, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:04.746

8. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 2:04.953

9. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 2:05.098

10. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:05.122

11. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 2:05.141

12. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 2:05.145

13. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 2:05.387

14. Steve Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:05.977

15. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 2:06.094

16. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 2:06.112

17. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 2:06.193

18. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 2:06.302

19. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 2:06.379

20. Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 2:06.731

21. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 2:07.130

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:25.099
2. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:25.428
3. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:25.436
4. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:26.368
5. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:26.863
6. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:27.063
7. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 1:27.290
8. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:27.570
9. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:27.609
10. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:27.642
11. Shinichi Itoh, Honda RC211V, 1:28.905
12. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:29.029
13. Akira Ryo, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:29.174
14. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:30.242
15. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:30.746
16. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:31.449
17. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:32.258
18. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:32.274
19. Daijiro Katoh, Honda NSR500, 1:41.312
20. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:41.372
21. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:46.315

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Beth Wyse

Vesrah Suzuki’s Mark Junge, Tray Batey and John Jacobi won the first WERA/G.M.D. Computrack National Endurance Series race of the season, a 4-hour event at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, Louisiana, on a Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Finishing first in the Mediumweight Superbike class and second overall were RPM regional Champions Bent Racing, with Jim Bishop, Ty Stranger-Thorson and Pete Martins riding a Suzuki GSX-R600. Third overall and second in Heavyweight Superbike were Mark Morrow and Tim Kephart of Northern Getaway, riding a Suzuki GSX-R750.

The race started late due to a red flag on the warm-up lap when two bikes made contact in turn one. Mark Junge on the Vesrah Suzuki had a 10-bike lead by the end of the first lap.

The second red flag came out just 20 minutes into the race and there was a lengthy delay while the new grid was put together. The third and final red flag of the day came out with a little over 40 minutes left in the race, but the race was called complete and was never restarted.

The J&J Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R750 won the Heavyweight Supersport class. Riders Jesse Basile and Jerry Russell finished sixth overall. The top Mediumweight Supersport finisher was Garage Tech’s Honda CBR600F4, ridden by ridden by Lee Fugler and Lloyd Hebert to a ninth-place overall finish. Team Info Tech Racing’s Terry Teske, Jurgen Wimbauer and Bobby Miosek finished
seventh overall and first in Lightweight Superbike on a Suzuki SV650.

Overall Results

1. Vesrah Suzuki, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Heavyweight Superbike, 123 laps

2. Bent Racing, Suzuki GSX-R600, Middleweight Superbike, 121 laps

3. Northern Getaway, Suzuki GSX-R750, Heavyweight Superbike, 120 laps

4. Army of Darkness, Suzuki GSX-R600, Middlweight Superbike, 120 laps

5. Team Xtreme, Suzuki GSX-R750, Heavyweight Superbike, 119 laps

6. J&J Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R750, Heavyweight Superstock, 118 laps

7. Team Info Tech Racing, Suzuki SV650, Lightweight Superbike, 118 laps

8. Maryland Motorsports, Suzuki SV650, Lightweight Superbike, 117 laps

9. Garage Tech, Honda CBR600F4, Middlweight Superstock, 117 laps

10. 14K, Suzuki GSX-R600, Middleweight Superbike, 117 laps