World Supersport – free practice – Saturday morning

1 Andrew Pitt Australia Kawasaki 1:36.915

2 Iain MacPherson GB Honda 1:36.990

3 Paolo Casoli Italy Yamaha 1:37.041

4 James Whitham GB Yamaha 1:37.048

5 Chris Vermuelen Australia Honda 1:37.053

6 Fabien Foret France Honda 1:37.153

7 Katsuaki Fujiwara Japan Suzuki 1:37.303

8 Karl Muggeridge Australia Honda 1:37.355

9 Stephane Chambon France Suzuki 1:37.402

10 Adam Fergusson Australia Suzuki 1:37.487

From an AMA press release:

AMA Denounces Stiff European Tariffs Proposed for Harleys

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has strongly denounced a proposal by the European Union to slap Harley-Davidson motorcycles with a stiff tariff in a trade war with the United States over steel.

To retaliate against tariffs recently placed on imported steel by the United States, Pascal Lamy, trade commissioner of the 15-nation European Union, is assembling a list of American goods that could be subject to heavy European tariffs. The list includes Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Tropicana orange juice, textiles and steel products.

If the proposal is approved by the European Union, Harleys could be hit with the tariff in about a year.

“There is no reason for motorcycles to be caught up in this trade war,” said Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “Tariffs would not only be detrimental to the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, but could make Harleys too expensive for European enthusiasts.

“Harley-Davidson is being made a pawn in a high-stakes international chess match,” Moreland added.

The AMA plans to work with European motorcycling groups to convince the European Union to drop the idea of tariffs on Harleys.

This isn’t the first time that motorcycles have been caught up in a trade war between the United States and Europe. Several years ago U.S. trade officials threatened to impose a 100 percent import duty on certain European motorcycles sold in the United States, which would have essentially doubled their price.

Those import duties were being proposed in retaliation for the European Union’s ban on the importation of hormone-treated American beef. U.S. officials drew up a list of products that would be subject to a 100 percent import duty, including European motorcycles ranging from 51cc to 500cc in engine displacement.

Thanks to the efforts of the AMA, its members and the motorcycle industry, U.S. trade officials decided against imposing the 100 percent import duty on the European motorcycles.

From a press release announcing an FIM rule change which will allow American Rick Murray to compete in the Superside Sidecar World Championship after all:

Friday 22 March 2002 – Age Ruling Overturned

FIM amends maximum age limit rule

Breaking News!


Age Ruling Overturned

FIM amends maximum age limit rule

The Superbike commission has issued an amendment to the 2002 Rulebook which states:

1.10.1 ELIGIBLE COMPETITORS

To amend the 4th paragraph as follows:


(…)
(START REMOVED TEXT)
The limit for the maximum age finishes at the end of the year in which the rider reaches the age of 50.
(END REMOVED TEXT)

Riders aged over 50 years must attach to their rider’s licence request a certificate of medical fitness (including a normal exercise tolerance electrocardiogram) issued by a doctor recognised by their FMN.
(…)


Superside Manangement is extremely happy with the decision, which paves the way for entry by teams such as Team RGM from the U.S. and Vince Biggs from the UK.

“We are very delighted with the decision, and happy that the FIM has amended this rule. We hope to continue our close working relationship with the FIM in the future for the betterment of the sport”, commented Superside General Manager, Gary Francis.

(Editorial note: Murray was surprised when he arrived at the first race of the season, at Valencia, and was told that due to a last-minute rule change, he was too old to compete. This revision corrects that obvious case of age discrimination.)

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Andrew Pitt, the reigning Supersport World Champion, took a last-minute pole position during qualifying for Sunday’s race.

Australian Pitt shoved Stephane Chambon off the top spot as the diminutive Frenchman sat in his pit garage swearing at the monitor. Chambon obviously thought his time of 1:35.812 wasn’t going to be beaten and had taken off his gloves and helmet and was then forced to watch Pitt grab the pole from him.

Chambon and Pitt bumped pole winner at Valencia Fabien Foret down to third. James Whitham qualified fourth, setting the scene for an explosive start for tomorrow”s race.

The front row features one bike from each of the big four Japanese manufacturers and Bontempi is in fifth place on a Ducati. Foret is the only rider using Pirelli on the front row, the other three are all riding on Dunlops. The first nine grid positions are covered only by a one-second gap in qualifying times.

World Supersport
Final qualifying times
Phillip Island, 23 March 2002

1: A Pitt AUS Kawasaki 1:35.777
2: S Chambon FRA Suzuki 1:35.812
3: F Foret FRA Honda 1:36.041
4: J Whitham GBR Yamaha 1:36.138
5: P Bontempi ITA Ducati 1:36.315
6: P Casoli ITA Yamaha 1:36.484
7: I MacPherson GBR Honda 1:26.975
8: J Teuchert GER Yamaha 1:36.676
9: C Vermeulen AUS Honda 1:36.815
10: J Ellison GBR Kawasaki 1:36.


More, from a Team ten Kate press release:

Foret starts from front row again

The Ten Kate Honda rider and championship leader Fabien Foret will start Sunday’s World Supersport championship race from the front row.

Foret was disappointed not to have made it two pole positions in a row after Andrew Pitt and Stephane Chambon just edged him out as the session
came to a close.

“I was on a fast lap right at the end of qualifying,” explained Foret, “my time through the first split was faster than Pitt’s. But then I made some mistakes in the second section. I am still very confident because we have a very good race set up and I’m still starting from the front row.”

Foret’s teammate Iain MacPherson continued his steady improvement on the Ten Kate Honda CBR600FS that he first rode two weeks ago in Valencia.

“The team have been making some more fine adjustments to make the bike fit my riding style,” commented the Scotsman. “I’m steadily improving my speed and while I would have liked to have pushed onto the front row, realistically I’m very happy to be on the second row it’s one more step forward from Valencia.”

Team Manager Ronald ten Kate was satisfied with both his riders, “Fabien was a little disappointed not to be on pole, but then we can’t expect to qualify fastest every race. The important thing for Foret is that he’s again starting from the front row. We have an excellent race set up with both the WP Suspension and his Pirelli tyres are working well as usual. The team is very confident that we’ll get a good result from both our riders on Sunday.”

Ronald ten Kate was full of praise for his new recruit Iain MacPherson, “Iain is a very professional rider and we always knew he had lots of potential. But he has surprised us with how quickly he is settling down in the team and he’s making brilliant progress. I know he will be a very competitive rider very soon.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Bayliss out front again

By Glenn LeSanto

Troy Bayliss is on provisional pole after the first qualifying session at Phillip Island, on Friday. Bayliss, who is from Australia, probably didn’t need home advantage to set the fastest time, such is his form on the Ducati at the
moment.

It nearly didn’t happen for Bayliss, though, as Pierfrancesco Chili was the surprise leader in the last few minutes of qualifying. But Bayliss,
who had spent much of the session fastest, put in an even faster lap on his final circulation of the Phillip Island circuit. His fastest time of
1:32.656 put him almost half-a-second clear of Colin Edwards, who also leap-frogged Chili in the last minute.

Chili, riding a privateer Ducati, ended up in provisional third, just ahead of Noriyuki Haga on the Aprilia. Ruben Xaus was next fastest on a
Ducati, with Gregorio Lavilla, who had been on provisional front row, relegated back to sixth on his Suzuki.

World Superbike Phillip Island
Qualifying times, Friday 22 March 2002

1: T Bayliss AUS Ducati 1:32.656
2: C Edwards USA Honda 1:33.064
3: P Chili ITA Ducati 1:33.291
4: N Haga JPN Aprilia 1:33.540
5: R Xaus ESP Ducati 1:33.626
6: G Lavilla ESP Suzuki 1:33.834
7: B Bostrom USA Ducati 1:33.846
8. N Hodgson GBR Ducati 1:34.022
9. J Toseland GBR Ducati 1:34.429
10: H Izutsu JPN Kawasaki 1:34.663


More, from a Honda press release:

BAYLISS SETS EARLY ISLAND PACE

Troy Bayliss set the fastest time in Friday’s opening qualifying session for round two of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island in Australia.

The Ducati rider pipped Castrol Hondaís Colin Edwards for the head of the leaderboard in the closing stages of the one-hour session at the sun-kissed circuit, south of Melbourne.

Edwards said: “I’m happy. That ís the fastest I’ve ever gone around here and we’ve still got tomorrow to go. And my best lap came when a rider had crashed at turn one and there was a bit of wind about.”

Pier-Francesco Chili took the third best time aboard his NCR Ducati with Aprilia’s Noriyuki Haga fourth. Bayliss’ teammate Ruben Xaus was fifth with Suzuki’s new signing Gregorio Lavilla sixth.

Ben Bostrom ended the first day of action in seventh place with former British Champion Neil Hodgson eighth and his teammate James Toseland ninth.


And now slightly different version, from Castrol Honda:

EDWARDS SECOND

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards took second place in today’s opening qualifying session for round two of the World Superbike Championship at
Phillip Island in Australia.

The 2000 World Champion remains in confident mood after the first one-hour session. His fastest-ever lap around the 2.76-mile circuit has left Edwards believing his first race win of the year could come on Sunday.

He said: “I’m happy. That’s the fastest I’ve ever gone around here and we’ve still got tomorrow to go. And my best lap came when a rider had crashed at turn one and there was a bit of wind about.

“I put my best lap in on a soft rear tyre that Michelin have made for us. We’ve got a really good race tyre too, we know it’ll do the job so we’re looking in good shape.

“My only worry is a little bit of chatter in the front suspension, if we can get that sorted then the SP-2 will be about as close to perfect as you’re going to get.”



And now a press release from Bayliss’ publicist, Steve Reeves:

TROY BAYLISS Racing – Media Information
For immediate release
Friday, 22 March 2002

Round 2, Superbike World Championship
Phillip Island, Australia
First Qualifying session report

BAYLISS THE MAN TO CHASE AFTER OPENING SUPERBIKE QUALIFYING SESSION

In near perfect conditions, Troy Bayliss has set the fastest time in the opening qualifying session for this weekend’s second round of the Superbike World Championship at Victoria’s Phillip Island circuit.

The defending world champion reeled off a lap time of 1-min 32.656-secs aboard his Infostrada Ducati 998R to take provisional pole position for Sunday’s two 22-lap World championship races.

The pace of the Australian Ducati rider was blistering, with his best time faster than that of the existing 500cc Grand Prix lap record of 1:32.742, held by former World Champion Kenny Roberts Jnr.

Bayliss was consistently one of the fastest riders around the 4.45km circuit during the opening qualifying session and remained at the top of the timesheets, even after the flurry of the closing minutes of the session when the teams fit soft compound qualifying tyres.

“That definitely was a good time around here and I’m happy with it for today,” said Bayliss. “Even though there was a slight cross wind, I don’t think that it slowed us much at all today. As usual we worked our way through a few different settings with the bike, but what has made me happier is that I’ve got a front tyre that gives me a lot of confidence. It’s always a good idea to make sure that you’ve got a good lap time locked away after Friday’s first session. Even though the forecast is for good weather here tomorrow, you just never know what they’ll be like tomorrow.

“Phillip Island has a reputation for being hard on tyres and this weekend is no exception,” Bayliss added. “Michelin have been very busy as usual and we tested a number of tyres today and still have a few more for tomorrow to try. The best thing though is that I’ve got a front tyre that I like and is suiting the track very well.”

Second fastest in today’s qualifying session was Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards (1:33.064), followed by Italian privateer Ducati rider Pierfrancesco Chili (1:33.291). Completing the provisional front row of the grid was Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia, 1:33.540).

The World Superbike competitors take to the track again tomorrow morning at 11:00 am for the second qualifying session. The top sixteen riders at the conclusion of qualifying will then take part in the grid-determining ‘Superpole’ one-lap dash.

Bayliss has had a sensational start to his title defence after winning both races at the opening round of the championship at Valencia, Spain, two weeks ago, where he also secured pole position for the event.

From a Triumph press release:

STATEMENT REGARDING HRH THE DUKE OF YORK’S VISIT TO TRIUMPH MOTORCYLES IN HINCKLEY

NEWNAN, Ga., March 22, 2002 — His Royal Highness The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, visited the fire damaged Triumph motorcycle factory in Hinckley, Leicestershire on Thursday, March 21, 2002 in his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. He met with company representatives and staff at the factory on Jacknell Road, which had part of one of the manufacturing facilities damaged by fire last Friday.

The Duke’s activities in this new role will be in support of British Trade International (BTI), the government body set up to support UK companies trading internationally and encourage foreign investment.

Triumph Motorcycles America, Ltd., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triumph Motorcycles, the manufacturer of Triumph motorcycles and accessories. Triumph Motorcycles America is located in Newnan, Georgia and services the Triumph dealer organization throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

AMS Ducati’s Jeff Nash and Ricky Lundgren are trying to build an AMA Superbike team with sponsorship from Yahoo! Sports. Thanks to a relationship he has with a marketing consultant, AMS’s Lundgren raced in Pro Thunder at Daytona wearing Yahoo! Sports’ graphics, colors and advertising slogans as a test bed for Yahoo becoming involved in two-wheel racing.

“This buddy of mine, we used to play college hockey together,” explained Lundgren. “He pretty much controls the advertising purse strings of Visa, Charles Schwab and Yahoo. He sets up sponsorship deals for golf tournaments and other sporting events all the time.

“They feel like they’ve really missed out on getting involved with Supercross and the X Games-type stuff. But I can’t just go to him and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to throw all of this money into road racing because we think it’s the greatest sport.’ We have to show them something.”

Lundgren said that he and Nash were trying to arrange more rides for himself and Daytona Pro Thunder winner Kirk McCarthy in classes with more television exposure this season in hopes of attracting enough sponsorship from Yahoo! Sports to run a full 2003 season of AMA Superbike on Ducatis.

Nash recently told Roadracingworld.com that moving AMS to a larger facility over the off-season was the first step toward expanding his race team.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Colin Edwards stayed in control as he blasted out a Superpole lap at Phillip Island today. His reward was the pole position for Sunday’s two World Superbike Championship races.

Edwards looked cool on his Honda as he lapped at 1:32.767 and beat reigning World Superbike Champion and native Australian Troy Bayliss back into second on the grid.

Bayliss only had himself to blame after making a couple of mistakes on his lap and slipping off provisional pole into second spot.

Britain’s Neil Hodgson made a big improvement on his qualifying position, jumping from a provisional 11th to the front row to take fourth spot. He’ll line up alongside Noriyuki Haga who also moved up the grid, from sixth to third.

Ruben Xaus, who crashed in free practice just before Superpole, slipped from third to sixth. Pierfrancesco Chili was another crasher in practice, and he also dropped down the grid from fifth to ninth.

World Superbike Superpole times
Phillip Island, 23 March 2002

1: Colin Edwards USA Honda 1:32.767
2: Troy Bayliss AUS Ducati 1:33.316
3: Noriyuki Haga JPN Aprilia 1:33.560
4: Neil Hodgson GBR Ducati 1:33.629
5: Ben Bostrom USA Ducati 1:33.715
6: Ruben Xaus ESP Ducati 1:33.954
7: H Izutsu JPN Kawasaki 1:33.961
8: Juan Borja ESP Ducati 1:34.018
9: Pierfrancesco Chili ITA Ducati 1:34.383
10: James Toseland GBR Ducati 1:34.672
11: Brock Parkes AUS Ducati 1:34.685
12: L Pedercini ITA Ducati 1:34.909
13: Steve Martin AUS Ducati 1:34.992
14: Chris Walker GBR Kawasaki 1:35.081
15: Gregorio Lavilla ESP Suzuki 1:35.145
16: M Borciani ITA Ducati 1:35.752


Superpole rider quotes

Superpole winner Colin Edwards, Honda, Michelin tires: “I’ve had to listen to the radio telling everyone to come to Phillip Island to support two Aussie World Champions and to be honest that’s really been pissing me off. They’re reminding me that I’m not the Champ while I’m on my way to and from the circuit everyday.

“Things are looking good for tomorrow, though, we’ve done 16 and then 22 laps on race tires and I’ve gone faster on race rubber than ever before here.

“I like the track, it’s got everything, off-camber turns, on camber turns, undulations, a long straight and even some wind–everything you need to make a real rider’s circuit

“Riders seem to lose time in sector two and I think that’s only because it’s much longer than the other two sectors. But to go fast here your bike needs to be working well in sector two.

“I don’t think it will be a runaway start for any one rider in the races. You get a real big draftt here, if you’re sat behind two guys you get such a big pull you can put your feet up and smoke a cigarette!”


Second on the grid, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, Michelin tires

“I made a couple of mistakes on my lap, I think I was trying too hard.

“But I’ve had a good weekend so far and I’m generally happy and I’m on the front row.

“It’s looking good for the Michelin guys, although I think the Dunlop riders have been struggling.

“The only pressure I’ve got this weekend is in my tires!”


Third place on the grid, Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, Dunlop tires:

“I like the circuit but speaking in English is difficult!

“I came here in February testing and didn’t have such a good set-up then. I still don’t have a perfect set-up and we have a few small problems.

“I think it’ll be a struggle for the tires to make race distance.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Now that HMC Ducati has announced that Doug Chandler has officially joined the team, we called team owner Mitch Hansen to find out if they have added any new personnel to their crew.

“We’re gonna add one person, but I’m talking to two people right now,” said Hansen, reached Friday at his dealership in Wisconsin. “We’re really close, but it’s not a done deal. I’d like to have the new guy at Laguna next week to work with Doug. Hopefully, it will come together quickly.

“It’s been a rough week. I’ve been hammered in the press. Now, I’m starting to get hammered by Pascal’s (Picotte) fans. I made the decision that I felt in my heart was right, and I’m going to have to live with it. I’ll tell you this, it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. Pascal is a quality rider and a quality person, but things just didn’t gel like they needed to and that’s important.”

Sources inside the HMC Ducati team have said that conversations between current Kawasaki engine development chief and former Chandler crew chief Gary Medley have taken place.

From a Castrol Honda press release:

World Superbike – free practice – Friday morning

1 Troy Bayliss Australia Ducati 1:32.997

2 Colin Edwards USA Castrol Honda 1:33.640

3 Noriyuki Haga Japan Aprilia 1:34.186

4 Ben Bostrom USA Ducati 1:34.194

5 Ruben Xaus Spain Ducati 1:34.235

6 Pier-Francesco Chili Italy Ducati 1:34.691

7 Neil Hodgson GB Ducati 1:35.020

8 James Toseland GB Ducati 1:35.057

9 Steve Martin Australia Ducati 1:35.071

10 Hitoyasu Izutsu Japan Kawasaki 1:35.257