From a press release issued by Team Castrol Honda:

CASTROL AND HONDA BREAKING NEW GROUND

Castrol Motorsport completed a debut double win in Sunday¹s 11th round of the World Superbike championship at Oschersleben, Germany as Castrol Honda team rider Colin Edwards took advantage of a new, four-stroke development oil.

The oil contains an anti-friction system, unique to Castrol, which offers increased power and improved clutch efficiency.

Following extensive tests at the Honda Racing Corporation in Japan and at Castrol’s own laboratories in the UK, the oil made its debut at the gruelling Suzuka 8 hours race on August 3, sharing success with technical partner Honda.

“We now hope that this technical contribution from Castrol will be able to further assist Colin Edwards’s efforts to regain the World Superbike title,” said Castrol’s Motorsport Technical Manager Lee Morton.

He added: “The Castrol Motorsport team constantly look for areas of improvement which could deliver that extra performance required for success. It is through these advances in technology that Castrol can provide maximum performance for road machines with its R4 Superbike product.”

Castrol Honda’s Edwards commented: “For the past few years Castrol has been testing with us and developing product and the performance of that product can only be judged by race results–it doesn’t get better than two wins with this new oil’s first World Superbike races.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Orion Motorsports Honda’s Kevin Lacombe led Sunday’s Parts Canada Superbike race at Shannonville Motorsports Park flag-to-flag on a Honda RC51 to score his first Superbike win.

Lacombe’s Superbike win made up for his disappointment from crashing out of the 600cc Sportbike race and title chase earlier in the day.

Kawasaki Canada’s Owen Weichel took second in the 15-lap final on a ZX-7RR, six seconds behind Lacombe.

Steve Crevier finished third on another Orion Motorsports RC51 Superbike.

Jordan Szoke crashed his Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Suzuki GSX-R1000 out of the race. Szoke clinched the 2002 Parts Canada Superbike Championship at the previous round of the series.

Parts Canada Superbike Shannonville Race Results:

1. Kevin Lacombe, Honda, 15 laps
2. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki
3. Steve Crevier, Honda
4. Benoit Pilon, Yamaha
5. Andrew Nelson, Honda
6. Darryn Wilbur, Yamaha
7. Ugo Levert, Suzuki
8. Philip Onisto, Suzuki
9. Bruce McDonald, Yamaha
10. John Brundl, Honda
11. Corey Warren, Yamaha
12. Gaston Labrie, Suzuki, -1 lap
13. Dave Hodge, Suzuki, -1 lap
14. Francis Martin, Suzuki, -1 lap, crash
15. Derek Vammus, Honda, DNF
16. Dave Young, Suzuki, DNF
17. Clint McBain, Suzuki, DNF
18. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki, DNF, crash
19. Jeff Sneyd, Yamaha, DNF, crash
20. Frank Trombino, Honda, DNF, crash
21. Jean-Francois Cyr, Yamaha, DNS
22. Joel McDonald, Yamaha, DNS
23. Jeff Williams, Suzuki, DNS
24. Michael Taylor, Yamaha, DNS
25. Thomas Elsaesser, Ducati, DNS
26. Victor Paiva, Kawasaki, DNS
27. Trevor Brooking, Yamaha, DNS

More, from a press release issued by series organizers:

LACOMBE WINS FINAL ROUND

SHANNONVILLE, ON – Kevin Lacombe dominated the final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park Sunday.

The Granby, QC rider grabbed the holeshot at the start of the 15-lap race and was never challenged en route to his first ever national Superbike win on his Orion Motorsports Honda RC51.

Huntington Beach, CA’s Owen Weichel placed second on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 5.714 secs. behind Lacombe. Outgoing class champion Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC took third on an Orion Honda RC51.

“I was so focused on the start, just waiting for the green light,” said the 19-year-old Lacombe. “Then I put my head down every lap and kept pushing.”

Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke had already clinched the Parts Canada Superbike crown. But the Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki rider saw his bid for a record sixth straight race win end when he crashed unhurt on lap 5 while lying third.

Weichel’s runner-up finish assured him of second place in the final standings. His closest rival, Sherbrooke, QC’s Francis Martin, fell on lap 10 while lying fifth. The Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider rejoined to finish 14th.

Frank Trombino was another of the frontrunners to hit trouble. The Kleinburg, ON rider crashed his Orion Honda RC51, without injury, on lap 10 while running third.

Benoit Pilon of St-Jerome, QC took advantage of the attrition to finish fourth on his Paquin Yamaha YZF-R1 ahead of Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson on a Honda CBR600F4i.

In other action at Shannonville, Martin claimed the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike title with a sixth place finish in the feature race. He edged Calgary’s Clint McBain on the Blackfoot Suzuki and the Brooklin Yamaha of Joliette, QC rider Jean-Francois Cyr, who placed fourth and third, respectively, in the 12-lap event.

Trombino led all the way to win the race aboard his Orion Honda CBR954RR. Nelson was second on his Honda CBR600F4i.

McBain clinched the Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike title with a sixth place finish at Shannonville Sunday. He was assured the crown when Lacombe crashed his Orion Honda CBR600F4i on lap 2.

Weichel won the race on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-6R. Lorraine, QC rider Ugo Levert was second on a Diablo Suzuki GSX-R600 and Szoke placed third on a second Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R600.

This weekend’s action will be televised on TSN Sunday, Oct. 13 at 3:30 p.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. Extended hour-long coverage will air on the Outdoor Life Network on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6:00 p.m eastern.

Results of Sunday’s seventh round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park, showing finishing position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle, laps completed and reason out, if any:

1.Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Honda RC51, 15 laps; 2. Owen Weichel, Huntington Beach, CA, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 15; 3. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Honda RC51, 15; 4. Benoit Pilon, St-Jerome, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 15; 5. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda CBR600F4I, 15; 6. Darryn Wilbur, Maple, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 15; 7. Ugo Levert, Lorraine, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 15; 8. Philip Onisto, Bolton, ON, Suzuki GSX-R750, 15; 9. Bruce McDonald, Mt. Albert, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 15; 10. John Brundl, Toronto, ON, Honda CBR954RR, 15; 11. Corey Warren, Oakville, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 15; 12. Gaston Labrie, Brossard, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 14; 13. Dave Hodge, Ballinafad, ON, Suzuki TL1000S, 14; 14. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 14 DNF.Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Honda RC51, 10, Crash; DNF. Jeff Sneyd, Mississauga, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 9, Mechanical; DNF. Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 5, Mechanical; DNF. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 4, Crash; DNF. Dave Young, Woodstock, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 4, Mechanical; DNF. Derek Vammus, Orangeville, ON, Honda RC51, 3, Mechanical

Time of Race: 28:30.000
Margin of Victory: 5.714 secs.
Fastest Lap: Owen Weichel, 1:45.600 on lap 5

Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings following the final round at Shannonville Motorsport Park Sunday, showing position, rider name and point total:

1.Jordan Szoke, 320; 2. Owen Weichel, 256; 3. Francis Martin, 204; 4. Kevin Lacombe, 200; 5. Benoit Pilon, 159; 6. Frank Trombino 146; 7. Michael Taylor, 138; 8. Jean-Francois Cyr, 132; 9. Ugo Levert, 127; 10. Philip Onisto, 126; 11. Darryn Wilbur, 115; 12. Bruce McDonald 108; 13. Steve Crevier, 73; 14. Gaston Labrie, 50; 15. Tim Easton, 49; 16. Jeff Williams, 48; 17. John Brundl, 48; 18. Geoff May, 29; 19. Andrew Nelson, 29; 20. Dave Young, 27; 21. David Klassen 27; 22. Dave Hodge, 25; 23. Nick Ienatsch, 21; 24. Michael Leon 21; 25. Matthew McBride 19; 26. Jerome Plourde, 18; 27. Corey Warren, 17; 28. Greg Boki, 15; 29. Clint Hines 15; 30. Tony Bouffard, 12; 31. Mike Desmarais 10; 32. Joel McDonald, 4; 33. Jim Proulx 4; 34. Pauly Sherer, 1

From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM

Round 11- 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park

Saturday 31st August/Sunday 1st September 2002

Another MonsterMob Double

The MonsterMob Ducati team recorded another double victory at Oulton Park with both MCN Superbike Championship leader Steve Hislop and MB4U.com Supersport Championship leader Stuart Easton taking a win a piece to increase their respective advantages.

But the team’s success was tempered with frustration when Hislop suffered crank sensor failure whilst leading race two with just two laps remaining – his first machine failure in two years – forcing him out.

Having shattered the lap record on his way to a comfortable victory in the opening leg, pole setter Hislop was made to fight during race two when the 998 Testastretta spluttered to a halt.

“I can’t believe it, that is so frustrating. I was well in control and looking towards another double when the bike just slowed. Still, I’ve increased my championship lead but not by as much as I would have liked” said the Scot.

With main rival Sean Emmett only scoring a 9th in race one and 6th in race two due to a wrist injury, Hislop still increased his lead to 56 points with four races left.

Teammate Stuart Easton returned to winning ways aboard the MonsterMob 748 after four races without a win.

The 18 year old from Hawick hit the front on lap 2 and was never headed, despite a late challenge from Irishman Michael Laverty.

The end result means that Easton needs just 3 points from the final two races to be sure of the crown.

“I’m pleased to win again but I’m still going to go for it at Mallory as I need the prize money!” said Easton.

Team boss Paul Bird was philosophical about his team’s luck.

“They say luck evens itself out over a season, well we must be due some in the final two races. Today was not the day we wanted to record our first Superbike DNF in two years due to a breakdown but at least both riders have increased their leads.”

Results:

MCN British Superbike Race One:
1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 29:15.791
2. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 29:18.086
3. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 29:18.483
4. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 29:33.054
5. Karl Harris (Suzuki) 29:33.089
6. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 29:33.619
7. John Crawford (Suzuki) 29:34.441
8. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 29:40.034
9. Sean Emmett (Yamaha) 29:41.231
10. Dean Thomas (Ducati) 29:41.292

MCN British Superbike Race Two:
1. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 27:48.010
2. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 27:48.322
3. Simon Crafar (Yamaha) 28:07.023
4. Karl Harris (Suzuki) 28:10.549
5. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 28:10.735
6. Sean Emmett (Yamaha) 28:13.555
7. John Crawford (Suzuki) 28:18.230
8. Dean Thomas (Ducati) 28:20.097
9. Paul Young (Suzuki) 28:33.441
10. Gary Mason (Honda) 28:33.707

MCN British Superbike Standings:
1. Steve Hislop 395pts
2. Sean Emmett 339pts
3. Michael Rutter 316.5pts
4. Shane Byrne 257.5pts
5. John Reynolds 244.5pts
6. Steve Plater 229pts
7. Paul Brown 159.5pts
8. Simon Crafar 157pts
9. Glen Richards 140.5pts
10. Dean Thomas 112pts

Supersport:
1. Stuart Easton (MonsterMob Ducati) 24:22.360
2. Michael Laverty (Honda) 24:22.594
3. Scott Smart (Honda) 24:28.934
4. Jeremy Goodall (Suzuki) 24:31.656
5. Callum Ramsay (Suzuki) 24:40.126
6. Danny Beaumont (Yamaha) 24:43.003
7. Pete Jennings (Kawasaki) 24:44.903
8. Douglas Cowie (Kawasaki) 24:45.212
9. Ben Wilson (Honda) 24:45.639
10. Gary May (Yamaha) 24:45.997.

Supersport Championship Standings:
1. Stuart Easton 228pts
2. Scott Smart 181pts
3. Michael Laverty 124pts
4. Pete Jennings 99pts
5. Jeremy Goodall 98pts
6. Tom Tunstall 96pts
7. Ben Wilson 89pts
8. Simon Andrews 80pts
9. Callum Ramsay 70pts
10. Chris Bishop 61pts

The next round is at Mallory Park, Leicestershire on Saturday 14th September/Sunday 15th September.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Tortoroglio back to winning ways

Last year, using Suzuki power, Walter Tortoroglio enjoyed several wins in the European Superstock Championship and finished the season in second. This year, using Honda power, Torto’s season hasn’t been nearly so impressive. But he got back to his winning ways at Oschersleben leading the race from start to finish.

Tortoroglio got the holeshot and soon built up a commanding lead as Koen Vleugels, Andy Notman, Vizziello and Nebal banged fairings in a pitched battle for second place. Vleugels eventually finished third, despite crashing out and causing the red flag to be waved to stop the race on lap 15. Vizziello was second on the track with Notman fourth, but Vizziello was later disqualified for an airbox rules violation.

Championship leader Vittorio Iannuzzo managed to race despite the broken leg and shoulder sustained in the horrific crash at Brands Hatch. He finished 6th to score 10 valuable Championship points and to keep his title hopes open. Romanelli, his Alstare Suzuki teammate, crashed out early in the race when Alfonsi dropped his DFX Ducati and skittled Romanelli’s Suzuki.

Iannuzzo now leads Vizziello by 116 points to 96. Tortoroglio is third with 90 points.

European Superstock Championship Oschersleben Race Result:

1. Walter Tortoroglio, Honda CBR900RR, 14 laps, 21:38.350
2. Koen Vleugels, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -4.608 seconds
3. Andy Notman, Suzuki GSX-R1000. -4.794 seconds
4. Stefan Nebel, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -4.859 seconds
5. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -10.308 seconds
6. Riccardo Chiarello, Ducati 998S, -11.926 seconds
7. Didier Vankeymeulen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -12.584 seconds
8. Luke Quigley, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -12.741 seconds
9. Lorenzo Mauri, Yamaha YZF-R1, -15.773 seconds
10. Alessandro Brannetti, Honda CBR900RR, -20.779 seconds

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Chris Carr won the Springfield Mile Sunday, and Nicky Hayden finished eighth in the restarted race.

So no AMA Grand Slam for young Hayden at this point.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Orion Motorsports Honda’s Steve Crevier won Sunday’s Yoshimura 600cc Sportbike race at Shannonville Motorsports Park in Ontario, Canada, but Blackfoot Suzuki’s Clint McBain wrapped up the 600cc Championship with a sixth-place finish.

Crevier’s teammate, Kevin Lacombe, was only three points behind McBain in the Championship standings, but Lacombe crashed on lap two of the race, handing the title to McBain.

In post-race dyno checks, Crevier’s Honda CBR600F4i was found to be 0.8-horsepower over the class’ 110-horsepower limit, giving the official race win to Kawasaki’s Owen Weichel.

Crevier’s penalty does not change the outcome of the Championship.

Canadian 600cc Sportbike Race Results:

1. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki
2. Ugo Levert, Suzuki
3. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki
4. Andrew Nelson, Honda
5. Clint McBain, Suzuki
6. Matthew McBride, Honda
7. Bruce McDonald, Yamaha
8. Jeff Williams, Suzuki
9. Jean-Francois Cyr, Yamaha
10. Joel McDonald, Yamaha
11. Corey Warren, Yamaha
12. Zenon Nelson, Suzuki
13. Kevin Lacombe, Honda, DNF, crash
14. Steve Crevier, Honda, DQ, over horsepower

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Fujiwara ends Foret’s pole run

By Glenn LeSanto

Prior to coming to Oschersleben it looked like Frenchman Fabien Foret was going to make pole position his permanent address. He’s qualified pole five times this year, and four of them came in a row. But Fujiwara put in a stunning lap to claim the Breil pole-winner’s watch this weekend. Foret ended qualifying second on the grid riding his Ten Kate Honda.

“The most important thing is the race,” Foret said. “OK, I always like to make it into pole position but I am on the front row and that¹s important here. I made some mistakes on my two fastest laps, which cost me time, I think I would have claimed pole without them. My race set up is very good, as always my Ten Kate Honda CBR600FS is very fast but the race will be close again. I will try to conserve my tyres and my energy for a strong finish in the race.”

Fujiwara’s teammate Stephane Chambon put another Suzuki on the grid qualifying third just in front of Christian Kellner on a Yamaha R6. Chris Vermeulen was fifth, Iain MacPherson and Karl Muggeridge eighth. All three ride bikes with Ten Kate power, making it four Ten Kate bikes in the top eight. Christian Cogan put his BMK Honda between them in seventh.

Final World Supersport qualifying times:
1. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:29.920
2. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600, 1:29.963
3. Stéphane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.037
4. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.164
5. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR600, 1:30.280
6. Iain MacPherson, Honda CBR600, 1:30.334
7. Christophe Cogan, Honda CBR600, 1:30.346
8. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600, 1:30.464
9. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.522
10. Robert Ulm, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.541
11. Jörg Teuchert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.655
12. Paolo Casoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.685
13. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600, 1:30.697
14. Michael Schulten, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.874
15. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.878
16. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600, 1:30.905
17. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600, 1:30.926
18. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.043
19. Antonio Carlacci, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.145
20. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati 748R, 1:31.313
21. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.355
22. James Ellison, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.650
23. Jürgen Oelschläger, Honda CBR600, 1:31.823
24. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.854
25. Robert Frost, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.954
26. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 748R, 1:32.116
27. Gianluigi Scalvini, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.119
28. Rico Penzkofer, Ducati 748R, 1:32.124
29. John McGuinness, Honda CBR600, 1:32.195
30. Laurent Brian, Honda CBR600, 1:32.707
31. Claudio Cipriani, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.981

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Hodgson on pole, Eric Bostrom Hurt

By Glenn LeSanto

Neil Hodgson smashed the best lap time at Oschersleben, lapping at 1:26.502 to take pole for Sunday¹s races. Colin Edwards, second-fastest, was the only other rider to make a lap in the 1:26 bracket.

Troy Bayliss could only manage sixth-fastest, leaving him with plenty to do in Sunday’s two Superbike races. Oschersleben is a tough place to pass at, making a front-row start all the more critical. Bayliss had a lucky escape when he ran very wide early in his lap. He ran right over the rumble strips onto the dirt but despite getting very sideways he managed to keep his Infostrada Ducati upright to complete his lap.

Ruben Xaus had one of his better Superpole rides to take the final front-row spot.

Ben Bostrom was happy to make it onto the front row, running third behind Edwards. But his brother Eric hasn’t had such a good day–he was forced to withdraw from Superpole with a suspected cracked wrist sustained in a crash during the morning qualifying session. This allowed Antonello to have a go at Superpole.

Juan Borja also couldn’t compete, having thouroughly trashed his bike in free practice just prior to Superpole. His cash-strapped team was unable to repair it in time for Superpole.

Superpole Results:

1. N Hodgson, GBR, 1:26.502

2. C Edwards, USA, 1:26.595

3. B Bostrom, USA, Ducati, 1:27.166

4. R Xaus, Spain, Ducati, 1:27.391

5. N Haga, Japan, Aprilia, 1:27.645

6. T Bayliss, Aus, Ducati, 1:27.664

7. P Chili, Italy, Ducati, 1:28.183

8. J Toseland, GBR, Ducati, 1:28.208

9. G Lavilla, Spain, Suzuki, 1:28.382

10. C Walker, GBR, Kawasaki, 1:28.640

11. S Martin, Aus, Ducati, 1:28.977

12. B Parkes, Aus, Ducati, 1:29.074

13. L Pedercini, Italy, Ducati, 1:29.122

14. M Borciani, Italy, Ducati, 1:29.732

15. A Antonello, Italy, Ducati, 1:30.143



More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda:

SECOND PLACE FOR EDWARDS

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards will start from second place on the front row of the grid in tomorrow’s crucial 11th round of the World Superbike championship here at Oschersleben in Germany.

Edwards set the second fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole final qualifying competition, just 0.09s behind polesetter Neil Hodgson.

Texan Edwards commented: “I got my best lap of the weekend in Superpole but it just wasn’t enough to topple Neil. I thought a 1:26.5 lap would be good enough but I didn¹t bank on Neil getting one too!”

Edwards continued: “I can’t say enough about the effort being made to win the championship. Honda have done their job with the new motor, Michelin are constantly giving us new, improved tyres and the new oil from Castrol has carried on from our success with it at the Suzuka 8 hours.”

SP-2 rider Edwards is chasing a 39-point deficit to championship leader Troy Bayliss and believes tomorrow’s races could help him close that gap. Edwards goes into tomorrow’s races having won the last three races, one at Laguna Seca, USA and a double victory at Brands Hatch five weeks ago.

“We’ve got a good race set-up,” added the 28-year-old. “If I can get a good start in both races I’ll be looking for a double here then move onto Assen next week and keep the pressure on.”


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

ROW 2 FOR BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) AS HODGSON (HM PLANT DUCATI) GRABS POLE – FRONT ROW START FOR BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) & XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA)

Championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) could only manage sixth-quickest time in the Superpole qualifying session for the German Round of the World Superbike Championship at Oschersleben, as Britain’s Neil Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) smashed the outright circuit record to grab pole. Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) was the quickest factory Ducati rider today in third, closely followed by Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) while Troy’s chief rival Colin Edwards (Honda) will line up on the grid directly ahead of the Australian on the front row.

Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) was third quickest after the two qualifying sessions, but put his Ducati 998’s wheels on the grass in the first split and then hit the ripple-strip immediately after, which ruined his Superpole lap. The Australian set a time of 1:27.664 and will line up on the second row, alongside Haga (Aprilia) and directly behind Edwards. “Row 2 is obviously not where I wanted to be for the race tomorrow and I find myself in a position similar to last year. I’ve still got a few more things to try in the Sunday morning warm-up, which is a bit of a pain, but you can’t have it all your own way. These things bring out the best in you, so hopefully we’ll come up with something in the morning. I’m not entirely satisfied with my race set-up, all I can do is try and improve and keep Colin within striking distance tomorrow”.

Bostrom (Ducati L&M) was unfazed by a late crash in the afternoon’s free practice session to move up from fourth in qualifying to an impressive third in Superpole with a lap time of 1:27.166. “Every time we’re on the front row I’m happy” declared Ben. “This is a good spot, the boys did a great job after I crashed in the session before Superpole. The lap was good, the bike felt great and tomorrow’s a new day. At the start of the week I had a lot on my mind, but I’ve been getting more confident as the days go by. Now I realise I just have to ride the bike, a big thanks to the guys in my L&M team because it is just getting better and better all the time.”

Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) also moved up the starting-grid with an excellent time of 1’27.391, which earned him the outside slot on row 1 for tomorrow’s two races. “My Superpole lap was quite good, the quickest I have been all weekend, so it’s better late than never and it’s good to be on the front row” commented Ruben. “My long-run times were not perfect but not bad and I think I can gain some places in the race. In my last laps of my long-run I was doing the same times as in the early laps so that means that in the races I can try to ride at the end like I will at the beginning. The start will be important and I will try and follow Colin like last year and try to push him as much as possible, maybe even try to win!”



More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

NORIYUKI HAGA TAKES APRILIA UP THE RATINGS

Oschersleben (Germany), Saturday 31 August 2002 – Noriyuki Haga made fifth quickest time in the final qualifying session of the German Superbike GP to be raced at Oschersleben. The Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team are back again among the top rankers. Making his debut on this circuit with the RSV, Haga’s eleventh place in Friday’s qualifying let him to get to grips with the trajectories of this track and with the set-up of his bike. The Japanese ace learnt fast and today’s result means he will be starting from second row, gunning for one of the top spots in the two 28-lap races on Sunday.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team rider) – “Oschersleben is a slow and strange track. To get a good time, you’ve got to jump on and off the curbs, and that’s not a way of riding that comes all that naturally to me. There’s a very tight and slow chicane where we lose a lot of time: the Aprilia is a bit heavy when changing direction, so we’re working to make it easier to ride, especially in that area.

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager of the Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) – “We’ve made huge strides since Friday. We haven’t turned the bike inside out: it wasn’t necessary. But we have made a few changes to the settings. Haga rode almost always alone so he could study the points where the behaviour of the bike needed attention, and so that he could find the best trajectories. At the end of the day, the results are very positive and the speed on race tyres is extremely promising. We’ll do a couple of tests on the suspension during the warm-up and then I think we’ll be ready for the challenge.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

World Superbike, Saturday Qualifying

Despite not bettering his Friday time, Colin Edwards held onto the provisional pole position, ahead of this afternoon’s World Superbike Superpole at Oschersleben. Neil Hodgson put Edwards under plenty of pressure; the HM Plant Ducati rider improved on his Friday time and was the fastest rider in today’s session, lapping at 1:26.688. Hodgson, second fastest overall, was the only rider making lapping in the 1:26 bracket today.

Ben Bostrom pulled his way up through the ranks, he improved his lap time to go fourth on the grid behind Troy Bayliss, whose Friday time kept him in the top four.

James Toseland looks on form this weekend, currently running fifth-fastest just in front of Ruben Xaus. Steve Martin showed that the development of the Pirelli slicks is coming along, he was seventh quickest.

World Superbike – Oschersleben, Germany – combined qualifying times

1. Colin Edwards,Honda RC51, 1:26.609
2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01, 1:26.688
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 1:26.984
4. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, 1:27.293
5. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, 1:27.368
6. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, 1:27.449
7. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.644
8. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, 1:27.711
9. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:27.857
10. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:28.053
11. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.122
12. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.138
13. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.188
14. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.572
15. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:28.601
16. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.819
17. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.912
18. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.736
19. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, 1:29.947
20. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:30.075
21. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, 1:30.144
22. Serafino Foti, Ducati 996RS, 1:30.199
23. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:30.233
24. Yann Gyger, Honda RC51, 1:31.026
25. Thierry Mulot, Ducati 996SPS, 1:31.797
26. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 996RS, 1:32.581
DNQ. Teodor Myszkowski, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:33.294
DNQ. Giuliano Sartoni, Ducati 996RS, 1:34.053