Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Troy Bayliss is already looking unstoppable this season after winning again in the second race at Phillip Island on his Infostrada Ducati. Bayliss maintained a 100% record this season after another battle up front with Colin Edwards.

Before the weekend Bayliss hadn’t even won a Superbike race at Phillip Island, now he’s got himself into the record books as the first rider to win four races in a row at the start of the season. If he keeps up this form at Kyalami he could go ahead of Ben Bostrom and Carl Fogarty in the records, they are the only riders to have won five races in a row in the World Superbike championship 15 year history.

Edwards did everything he could to keep his Honda ahead of Bayliss after the two swapped places several times. But as the race entered the final stage Bayliss took the lead again and this time Edwards, or more precisely his tires, had no answer for the Australian.

Behind the pair was Ruben Xaus, again riding prudently and taking valuable points for another third-place finish. Fourth position was a hotly contested battle between Neil Hodgson, Noriyuki Haga, Ben Bostrom and Hitoyasu Izutsu. But things got too hot for Izutsu who lost the front end on his Kawasaki going into ‘MG’ and crashed out of the race. Hodgson just out-dragged Bostrom to the line after the pair exited the last corner neck and neck.

The four victories give Bayliss a commanding lead at a very early stage in the title race.

“Unbelievable!” exclaimed Bayliss. “If I’d won Superpole as well it would have been great, that would have made it a clean sweep.

“I took it easy on the next-to-last lap trying to keep something in reserve for the last lap. I expected a big thing from Colin as I came round to start the final lap but then saw my board telling me he was way back. So instead I just cruised around the final lap and took it easy.

“The Superscreen (TV) at Lukey Heights gave me a little trouble, I kept giving it a glance in race one to see where everyone was and then making a mistake.

“There’s still a long way to go and anything can happen. There’s a tough weekend ahead in South Africa, Colin is fast there, I go well there and so does Ruben.

“The start to the season has been much better than I could have expected and it might mean I can relax a bit at Sugo, a track I haven’t got a great history on.

“For some guys the way they’ve arranged the races this year must be tough (Australia followed by South Africa and then back to Japan) but for me it’s worked out OK. I’ve been able to base myself in Australia for a while and see my friends and family.”


“We knew after the first race that the tire would be on fine line over race distance,” said Edwards, “but then the temperature went up three or four degrees and tipped it over that line. I tried to make a break early in the race and fried up my tire, which was a mistake. By the end of the race I started to feel some vibration from the tires. So I took it easy, 20 points is better than no points.

“Changing the gearing after race one helped. I had an extra 120 revs, not much but it just made the difference between hitting the limiter and being able to slipstream past Bayliss.”


“I got a bad start and it took time to recover,” said Xaus. “Ben Bostrom was especially hard to pass and by the time I got by my tires were gone. I managed to recover one second on the leaders but couldn’t make up the rest. So I settled for another third place and some more championship points.”



World Superbike championship
Phillip Island, 24 March 2002

Race two result:

1: T Bayliss AUS Ducati 34:35.633
2: C Edwards USA Honda 34:38.105
3: R Xaus ESP Ducati 34:45.315
4: N Hodgson GBR Ducati 34:54.546
5: B Bostrom USA Ducati 34:54.577
6: N Haga JPN Aprilia 34:55.206
7: J Toseland GBR Ducati 35:08.589
8: G Lavilla ESP Suzuki 35:08.634
9: C Walker GBR Kawasaki 35:08.718
10: J Borja ESP Ducati 35:37.515



More, from a Castrol Honda press release:

ISLAND DOUBLE FOR BAYLISS

Reigning champion Troy Bayliss won both races of Sunday’s second round of the World Superbike championship as he and Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards–twice runner-up–did battle at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia.

The pair were locked in battle in both 22-lap races, Edwards making a mistake two laps from the end of the first race and suffering with a rear traction problem at the end of the second.

Bayliss’ wins pleased the 57,000 fans and keep him at the head of the championship while Edwards moved into second place with his pair of second places. “I wanted wins,” said Edwards. “Troy was on form, I missed a gear in the first race and lost grip in the second.”

Ruben Xaus took third place in both races as the only three factory Michelin tyre riders dominated the podium. Neil Hodgson lost out to Ben Bostrom in a first race battle for fourth place but the Ducati duo reversed their finishing positions in race two.

Second race result: 1 Bayliss 34:35.633
2 Edwards 34:38.105
3 Xaus 34:45.315
4 Hodgson 34:54.546
5 Bostrom 34:54.577
6 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Aprilia) 34:55.206
7 Toseland 35:08.589
8 Lavilla 35:08.634
9 Walker 35:08.718
10 Juan Borja, Spain (Ducati) 35:37.515

World Superbike championship points after two of 13 rounds:
1 Bayliss 100
2 Edwards 69
3 Bostrom 53
4 Haga 50
5 Hodgson 45
6 Xaus 43
7 TIE, Izutsu/Walker 29
9 Toseland 27
10 Lavilla 25

Manufacturer points:
1 Ducati 100
2 Honda 69
3 Aprilia 50
4 Kawasaki 36
5 Suzuki 25

From an FIM press release:

2002 FIM World Champions’ Awards
December 21,2002 – St. Vincent

The 2002 FIM World Champions’ Awards Ceremony, organised by Dorna, will be held at the Palais St-Vincent in St-Vincent, Va; d’Aosta (Italy) on December 21. In the presence of FIM delegates and many guests, sponsors and VIPs, the 2002 World Champions in Road Racing, Motocross, Trial Enduro and Track Racing will receove their medals and trophies. Representatives of the Manfacturers’ World Champions will receive their diplomas.

The first 2002 World Champions have already won their titles: the Spanish rider Albert Cabestany, aged 21, is the Indoor Trial World Champion, and the Swedish rider Per-Olov Serenius won his second Individual Ice Racing World Championship title. Aged 54, Serenius took part for the 25th consecutive year in the Individual Ice Racing World Championship finals. He is also a member of the Swedish team, together with Stefan Svensson and Ola Westlund, who won the Team Ice Racing World Championship.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

About 40 friends and family members gathered Saturday afternoon at a GP Send-off party for young American John “Hopper” Hopkins, who leaves next week for Japan and the first MotoGP race of the 2002 season.

The party was hosted by Hopkins’ mother, Linda, at the family’s home in Ramona, California.

A film crew was on hand to interview notable figures in Hopper’s racing career, for a film project documenting life on the Grand Prix circuit.

Attendees included Barry McMahan, Hopkins’ mechanic during his AMA-Championship-winning 2000 (750cc Supersport) and 2001 (Formula Xtreme) race seasons, who flew in from Alabama for the event. Also present were Doug Gonda, Hopkins’ manager; Al Lyons, the 50cc, 80cc, 125cc and 250cc team owner who took John Hopkins under his wing following the death of Hopkins’ father, Roy, when Hopkins was about 12 years old; John Ulrich, owner of Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki, the team Hopkins rode for in 1999, 2000 and 2001; Iain MacLean, representing Red Bull Yamaha; racers Leigh Crawford and Chris Ulrich; and many family friends and associates from Hopkins’ days as a young motocross racer.

A Red Bull bar was on site for the gathering.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Bayliss Goes Three for Three

By Glenn LeSanto

Troy Bayliss powered his way to his first ever World Superbike win at his home circuit of Phillip Island. The Australian got the better of a race-long battle with Colin Edwards after the American made a mistake on lap 19 while the pair were locked in battle.

Bayliss got the holeshot, pulling a huge wheelie as he blasted away from the grid in front of pole-sitter Edwards. Noriyuki Haga soon joined the pair on his Aprilia and for a while it was a three-man fight up front. But then Ruben Xaus began to close on the trio to join in the fun.

Then Haga’s bike expired on lap 10, leaving Bayliss and Edwards with only Xaus to get between them and a titanic scrap for the lead. As the race wore on and the tires wore out Xaus was unable to keep the pressure on and dropped back for a safe third.

It all looked set for a last-lap decider when Edwards made a mistake going into Siberia and ran wide on lap 20. This effectively handed the race to Bayliss who just kept his head down and maintained his cool to win the race by 2.4 seconds

Ben Bostrom just beat fellow Ducati rider Neil Hodgson to the line passing him on the last lap to grab fourth.


World Superbike Championship
Race One, Phillip Island
Race result:
1 Troy Bayliss, Australia (Ducati) 34:30.102
2 Colin Edwards, USA (Honda) 34:32.571
3 Ruben Xaus, Spain (Ducati) 34:40.162
4 Ben Bostrom, USA (Ducati) 34:51.234
5 Neil Hodgson, GB (Ducati) 34:51.320
6 Hitoyasu Izutsu, Japan (Kawasaki) 35:08.025
7 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Suzuki) 35:08.111
8 James Toseland, GB (Ducati) 35:11.240
9 Chris Walker, GB (Kawasaki) 35:20.981
10 Lucio Pedercini, Italy (Ducati) 35:31.648


World Superbike Championship
Race One
Rider Quotes

Race winner:
Troy Bayliss, Ducati, Michelin tires:

“It feels good to get a win here in front of my friends, family and home supporters. And there’s still one more race to go!

“The bike, tires and suspension are all working well despite the heat.

“Both Colin Edwards and Ruben Xaus were up there and putting on the pressure. I made a mistake after trying to run into a ‘Honda’ too hard and the tire just couldn’t take it.

“In some places Colin was quicker than me and in others I was faster. I reckon we both stood a chance for the win but it turned out best for me
in the end.

“If the worst comes to the worst in race two I’ll just sit on the back of Colin and see how it goes.”


Second place:
Colin Edwards, Honda, Michelin tires:
“I made a mistake and lost the chance to win the race. It was all going good and I was trying to get in close for a pass when I got neutral coming out of ‘Honda’ and thought ‘what the f–k’s going on!’ It took about a minute to hook up second again and by then Troy was gone.

“As for the tires, just look at the hats on the podium, all Michelin.

“In race two I want it to be in the reverse order, that greedy bastard! (Bayliss)

“I need to change my sixth gear for Race Two, I was hitting the limiter when I was running up behind Bayliss.”


Third place:
Ruben Xaus, Ducati, Michelin tires:
“I wanted a podium. There was a big gap back to fourth and I had a lot to gain and a lot to lose so third was the best for me and the championship.

“I also need to change my sixth gear in race two.”

From Castrol Honda:

AUSTRALIAN POLE POSITION FOR EDWARDS

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards grabbed pole position for Sunday’s second round of the World Superbike championship with a sensational lap in aturday’s Superpole final qualifying session here at Phillip Island, Australia.

Edwards repeated his best lap from the qualifying sessions to take his first pole position since the German round at Oschersleben in September 2000. It was the 28-year-old American’s 11th pole position in World Superbike.

“Everything’s gone well for two days,” explained Edwards. “I knew I had the fast lap in me but you never know what the opposition have got in reserve. It’s great to be on pole again after so long.

“Getting a race setting has been so important here, we’ve done that and all despite the wind changing regularly which means you’ve got to adjust braking points and some lines.

“We’ve got two 22-lap races tomorrow and that’s a totally different story. Troy (Bayliss) just had a bad lap today and he’ll be right there tomorrow. I’m confident enough for the races but so much will depend on the temperature and how the tyres stand up.”


From Fuchs Kawasaki:

POLE POSITION FOR DOMINANT PITT AT PHILLIP ISLAND

Andrew Pitt, dominated proceedings in front of his home crowd at Phillip Island today. The Fuchs Kawasaki rider finished fastest in free practice this morning, before blitzing his way to his first ever World Supersport pole position during this afternoon’s second and final qualifying session.

The final ten minutes of supersport qualifying are usually frenetic, and today was no exception. Winner of the opening round, Fabien Foret, made the early running before being ousted from pole position by former champion, Stephane Chambon. With just 90 seconds left of the session to run, Pitt made his move; stopping the clock at 1:35.777 to claim pole position as his own. Britain’s Jamie Whitham took the final front row place on the grid for tomorrow’s Supersport race.

‘I knew I could get into the low 36’s, but I didn’t think I was going to be able to get into the 35’s on my last flying lap,’ said a jubilant Pitt. ‘It was a pretty crazy lap to be honest. I had to shut off slightly to avoid running into someone at the first turn, so I just went for it over the rest of the lap. This is my first world championship pole position and I couldn’t think of a better circuit at which to do it.

‘It’s real good to get pole but it doesn’t really give you such a big advantage in World Supersport, as the races invariably come down to a last lap battle between 9 or 10 riders. I’m sure that’s the way it will go tomorrow and I’ll definitely be in there looking to come out of the last lap sort out in first place.’

With a qualifying time that would have put him on pole position at this round last year, James Ellison was happy to finish tenth fastest in only his second outing on the Kawasaki ZX-6R, securing himself a third-row start. Less than a second off the front row, the 20-year-old Fuchs Kawasaki rider is confident of making up places from the start when the 21-lap race gets underway tomorrow.

‘We found a good set-up during preseason testing here at Phillip Island, and that definitely helped today,’ said Ellison. ‘Everything seemed to come good this afternoon; the bike was going well and I’m definitely a lot more confident in the front end now. I’ll be looking to make a good start tomorrow and, if I can latch onto the back of the leading group on the first lap, then I’m confident that I can stay with them over full race distance.’


From Fuchs Kawasaki:

SECOND ROW FOR IZUTSU AS EDWARDS CLAIMS POLE

Colin Edwards claimed pole position at Phillip Island this afternoon, following two mistakes by Australian Troy Bayliss on his Superpole lap. Bayliss will start from second place on the grid, with Nori Haga and Neil Hodgson making up the remainder of the front row.

After highsiding his Kawasaki ZX-7RR at Lukey Heights in the final ten minutes of the warm-up session, Fuchs Kawasaki rider, Hitoyasu Izutsu was forced to wheel out his number two bike for Superpole; not an ideal situation when you only get one shot at a qualifying lap. Despite the switch, the former Japanese Superbike Champion qualified seventh fastest and will start from the second row of the grid tomorrow.

‘Crashing ten minutes beforehand probably isn’t the best way of preparing for Superpole, especially when it stops you from using your number one bike for the flying lap,’ said Izutsu. ‘Despite having to make the switch, I was happy with my Superpole lap, but I’m looking forward to getting back onto my number one machine for tomorrow’s race.’

He’s well known for his lightening starts, but even Chris Walker will have his work cut out barging his way through from 14th place of the grid tomorrow. The 29-year-old British rider erred on the side of caution during his Superpole lap, and paid the price with a fourth row starting position.

‘Superpole was disappointing,’ said Walker. ‘I was a bit too cautious on the bike, went half-a-second slower than I had done in regular qualifying and left myself with a lot of work to do tomorrow. But, I’ve been putting in some good times on race tyres today and, although I’d have obviously preferred to be starting from higher up the grid, if I can get a good start then I should be able to turn in a decent result tomorrow.’




From Troy Bayliss’ publicist, Steve Reeves:

EDWARDS EDGES BAYLISS OUT OF POLE POSITION AT PHILLIP ISLAND

After heading the time sheets at the conclusion of today’s second qualifying session, Troy Bayliss was unable to reproduce his brilliant lap time from yesterday in the afternoon’s all important Superpole session, where he will start from second place on the grid alongside American Colin Edwards.

Edwards was the second last of sixteen riders who qualified for the Superpole session and posted a lap time of 1-min 32.767-secs around the 4.448km Phillip Island circuit. Bayliss was the last man out onto the circuit and felt confident prior to his lap starting. A change in wind direction on the fast run into the right-hand Honda Corner saw him run wide and lose valuable time for the next section through Siberia, before he again ran wide at the tight MG corner, which foiled any chance that he had of grabbing his second pole position in this year’s Superbike World Championship.

Bayliss stopped the clocks with a 1:33.316 aboard his Infostrada Ducati 998R, a time that was 0.66 of a second off that set during Friday’s opening
qualifying session.

“It’s been a great weekend so far, but I did make a couple of mistakes that I wasn’t happy with on my Superpole lap,” said Bayliss. “The wind direction must have changed from our last session to the Superpole and I think that may have contributed to me running wide at Honda Corner. That definitely mucked me up for the next section and I made another mistake, running wide at MG Corner that ruined the lap for me. I guess I was trying to hard out there as I did want to be on pole here at the Island.”

After setting the fastest time yesterday, Bayliss was able concentrate on finding a tyre and chassis set up that will suit tomorrow’s two 22-lap races.

“I was able to do a couple of long runs this morning, including a 16-lap run and I feel that we have a tyre good for the job,” Bayliss added. “The Michelins we have tried here have worked extremely well and it’s interesting that Colin (Edwards), who also runs on the same tyre, has been very consistent this weekend. I think for sure there will be a lot of guys in the lead group early in tomorrow’s races, but I think there will only be two or three battling for the lead when it’s important, at the end.”

“As for today, I’m happy. We got a lot done and I’m now just looking forward to tomorrow’s races.”

Joining Edwards and Bayliss on the front row of the grid are Japan’s Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia), who moved from sixth to third with a time of 1:33.560, and British rider Neil Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) with a time of 1:33.629.

The World Superbike riders take to the circuit at 9:20am, with the first race scheduled for 12:00pm and race two at 3:30pm.


From Yamaha Belgarda:

FRONT ROW FOR JAMIE
The final qualifying session at Phillip Island was a hectic one, where the lead changed hands several times in the last five minutes, but when the dust settled Team Yamaha Belgarda rider Jamie Whitham had done enough to secure himself a position on the front row. Whitham lapped the 4.445 kilometre circuit in 1:36.138, just three tenths of a second slower than pole-setter Andrew Pitt (Kawasaki). Second quickest today is Stephane hambon (Suzuki), with series leader Fabien Foret (Honda) third. Conditions at the picturesque circuit were almost ideal today and, as the temperature increased the lap times began to fall. Whitham’s Yamaha Belgarda team mate Paolo Casoli was very close to a position on the front row of the grid, but a small mistake on his ‘hot’ lap dropped him to sixth overall and so he will start from the second row.

JAMIE WHITHAM ­ 4th, 1:36.138
I’m happy to be on the front row of the grid for a change and really I wasn’t far off pole because I lost time when I got put off line a little. But my time, even with that, was a good one. I feel that we’ve got a good set-up and also decent tyres for the race. It’s going to be a hard race for the tyres and I think we’ve got as good a tyre set-up as anybody. We haven’t altered the Yamaha much since we arrived here and everything has gone pretty well really. Being on the front row means that tomorrow will be a bit more relaxed ­ I won’t have to fight my way through a pack of riders just to see the leaders. I don’t think anybody is going to get away tomorrow, so it’s going to be a long, hard twenty-one laps. It’s going to be right hectic, but I aim to be there at the end.

PAOLO CASOLI ­ 6th, 1:36.484
I’m happy, even though I’m only on the second row ­ it’ll be good enough. I could’ve been on the front row for sure, but I made a mistake in the last turn when I was on my quick lap. I ran wide and lost a little time and that was enough to put me on the second row. Today we went in the right direction with our settings and it was so much better then yesterday afternoon. In the warm-up tomorrow, we’re going to try just a little adjustment to the bike to see if we can get an improvement, but it doesn’t matter too much because I am happy with what we’ve got anyway. If I can make a good start, there’s no reason why I can’t be challenging the leaders straightaway. That’s what I’ll be trying for.


From Ducati Corse:

FRONT ROW START FOR BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) AT PHILLIP ISLAND

BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) AND XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) LINE UP ON ROW 2

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) powered his Ducati 998 Factory to second place on the grid for tomorrow’s Australian World Superbike Championship round at Phillip Island as his Honda rival Colin Edwards took pole. The reigning champion, who had been quickest all weekend at his home track, was last out for the one-lap dash, but could only manage a time of 1:33.316 around the 4.445 km circuit. The Australian had to settle for second best behind Edwards, the only rider to dip under 1:33 during Superpole.

“Colin did a really good job today and it just didn’t happen for me”, said Bayliss, who will be aiming for his first-ever WSBK win at Phillip Island tomorrow. “I made a couple of mistakes coming down into Honda and turn 11 and that was about it but I’m pretty happy to be on the front row for tomorrow. We did a long run today and that was OK so we’re feeling confident for the race. The weather forecast is very hot for tomorrow but that doesn’t worry me in the least. The weekend has been going great so far, am I feeling the pressure here at home? No, the only pressure I’ve got is in my tyres, I can handle it!”.

Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) will line up in fifth place on the grid for tomorrow’s two races after setting a time of 1:33.715, but the Californian felt he could have improved on that time after a good performance in the afternoon free practice session.

“The Superpole lap went wrong because I lost the front so bad through the 5th gear left-hander and my heart dropped!” said Bostrom. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything set up for tomorrow but we didn’t really manage to do a good long-run on the race tyre. We only really have one option for the race, so we’ll use that tyre tomorrow. The good thing today was my performance on the Q-tyre at the end of the second free session, when I set a time of 1:33.1”.

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) will start one place behind Bostrom in sixth after his Superpole lap was hampered when his gear-shift remained in neutral. The young Spanish rider was happy to set a time of 1:33.954 and will start tomorrow’s races from row 2.

“My Superpole lap would have gone well but I missed a gear and it stayed in neutral for three seconds at the Honda Corner” commented Xaus. “Despite that I’m pretty happy about my lap, even though I wanted to be on the front row of the grid. Today I felt good on the bike, the preparations for the race have gone well, I lapped under 1:34 on my race tyre and if I hadn’t made that mistake in Superpole for sure I would have set a great time”.



From Playstation2-FGF Aprilia:

HAGA AND APRILIA SNATCH FRONT ROW

Noriyuki Haga has made his mark on the Superpole, which mapped out the starting grid for the Australia GP, in the second round of the Superbike World Championship currently underway at Phillip Island. The Playstation2-FGF Aprilia Team ace made third-quickest time and shoots to front row in the two races slated to take off when in Europe, ten time zones behind, it will be the nighttime (the races start at 2 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. CET).

PHILLIP ISLAND BURNING – The Superpole was hit by decidedly high temperatures: air 28°C and ground 45°C. If the temperatures are the same for the races, the choice of tyres is going to be decisive: the rubber is truly put to the test on the Australian circuit, especially on the left side – and making it all the way to the end with sufficient adherence is essential. And this is precisely what Haga and the Playstation2-FGF Aprilia Team technicians concentrated on throughout the day. The RSV recorded an amazing top speed: Haga flew by at 290.3 kph during the Superpole.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2-FGF Aprilia rider) said “I’m pleased with my starting position. Even so, I’m still not fully satisfied with any of the tyres we’ve tried out so far. I hope we’ll be able to find the right solution during the warm-up, because I’m just raring to win!”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager, Playstation2-FGF Aprilia): “Today we concentrated just about all our efforts on the tyres. We’ve got two options: one gives us great performance at the beginning, but somewhat less after mid-race, while the other is more constant. We’ll see what the weather’s like and what race tactics Haga decides to adopt. The tyres Noriyuki likes best are both evolution models, a sure sign that Dunlop’s been working very hard and there’s a good chance of improvement. It’s very encouraging for the future.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Pitt makes the most of Yamaha’s misery

By Glenn LeSanto

Andrew Pitt took a popular win in front of his home crowd at Phillip Island in the World Supersport Championship. Yamaha rider Paolo Casoli
lost the front end in Siberia on lap 20 while leading Pitt. Casoli’s teammate James Whitham had also crashed out of the lead on lap two.

The win was Pitt’s first ever World Supersport victory; despite winning the Championship last year the Australian had never previously won a Supersport race at World Championship level.

Piergiorgio Bontempi was promoted to second by Casoli’s misfortune, without which he would have had to settle for third.

The race continued despite Karl Muggeridge suffering a huge engine failure on the main straight and pulling off in a cloud of oil smoke. Muggeridge managed to get off the racing line and left the circuit before reaching the turn-in point for turn one. He was fighting for fourth in a pack of riders at the time.

Stephane Chambon kept his cool to win that particular battle for fourth. Valencia race winner Fabien Foret ran off the track during the battle, forfeiting his chance to stay in the scrap. Foret was hit from behind by another rider and was very angry after the event. Kellner also dropped off the pace on the same lap as Foret’s incident and lost sight of the Chambon, Fujiwara and Teuchert, who went on to finish in that order.

Pitt and Chambon now share the series points lead.

World Supersport Championship
Phillip Island, March 24 2002
Race result:

1 Andrew Pitt, Australia (Kawasaki) 34:18.694

2 Piergiorgio Bontempi, Italy (Ducati) 1:34.22.657

3 Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) 34:26.855

4 Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki) 34:27.225

5 Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha) 34:28.978

6 Christian Kellner, Germany (Yamaha) 34:33.750

7 Christophe Cogan, France (Honda) 34:35.976

8 Iain MacPherson, GB (Honda) 34:36.004

9 Fabien Foret, France (Honda) 34:38.841

10 Alessio Corradi, Italy (Yamaha) 34:40.515


World Supersport championship points after two of 12 rounds:
1 TIE, Pitt/Chambon 36
3 Foret 32
4 Kellner 26
5 Bontempi 25
6 Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Honda) 18
7 Corradi 15
8 Fujiwara 13
9 Teuchert 11
10 James Whitham, GB (Yamaha) 10

Manufacturer points:
1 TIE, Kawasaki/Suzuki 36
3 Honda 34
4 Yamaha 27
5 Ducati 25

Next round: April 7 – Kyalami, South Africa


More, from a Fuchs Kawasaki press release:

FIRST WIN FOR FUCHS KAWASAKI’S ANDREW PITT

Andrew Pitt blitzed the opposition at Phillip Island today, crossing the line with a clear four-second advantage to secure his first race win in the ultra competitive World Supersport championship. The victory moves both Pitt and Kawasaki to the top of the championship standings, with ten rounds of the series left to run.

With Pitt battling hard with Paolo Casoli for 18 laps of the 21-lap race, the result looked destined to be decided on the very final lap. But, as the two riders entered Siberia corner for the 19th time – with Casoli leading and Pitt applying pressure from behind – the experienced Italian made an uncharacteristic mistake and crashed out, leaving the Australian with a clear run to the chequered flag. Piergiorgio Bontempi trailed Pitt in to take second place, with Stephane Chambon claiming the final podium position in third.

‘What a fantastic weekend.’ declared a jubilant Andrew Pitt. ‘To claim my first World Supersport pole position at my home circuit was good, but to back that up with my first win in the series was awesome – I still can’t quite believe it.

‘It was a hectic battle with Casoli, but I knew that if I was going to make a pass stick, then I’d have to pull out a decent advantage; to stop him just drafting past me on the start finish straight. I’d identified a few places where I was going to have a go at him in the last couple of laps, but in the end I didn’t need to. He’d started riding a defensive line a couple of laps earlier and I think he just held onto the brakes a bit too long going into Siberia and lost the front on the bump on the way in.

‘From then on it was just a case of trying to stay focussed for the last two laps. I could see the team and the crowd cheering as I came round to take the chequered flag and I’d like to say thanks to both; the team for all their hard work and the crowd for their fantastic support. Let’s just hope this is the first win of many this season.’

Things didn’t go quite so well for Pitt’s young teammate, James Ellison. The 20-year-old European Superstock Champion didn’t manage to get away with the leading group from the start and then was pushed wide and onto the dirt at Honda corner by another rider. After rejoining the race dead last, Ellison fought his way through the field to eventually finish in 15th place, and score another championship point to add to the one he collected in the first round of the series at Valencia.

‘The bike bogged down off the line and I ended up stuck in the middle of the pack going into the first corner,’ said Ellison. ‘But then it got worse! I don’t know who it was, but someone kept putting block passes on me, before forcing me off the track at Honda corner. I was right out on the dirt, so I couldn’t brake, and had to run on until I’d slowed down enough to turn the bike round and rejoin the track. From then on it was simply a case of getting my head down and clawing back as many places as I could. Although I managed to pick up another point, I’m disappointed with the result and I’ll definitely be looking to make amends in South Africa.’

‘I’m very happy for both Andrew and the team,’ said Fuchs Kawasaki Team Manager, Harald Eckl. ‘The win proves Andrew’s ability and, with all the hard work he’s put in over the past two seasons, it’s also well deserved. The fact that it came at Andrew’s home circuit just makes the win even better.’


Yet more, from a Ten Kate Honda press release:

Two top ten finishes in Phillip Island for Ten Kate Honda

Ten Kate Honda scored two top ten finishes in a hard-fought World Supersport race in Phillip Island today.

Fabien Foret was looking set for a top five finish when he felt the rear of his machine get nudged by another rider’s front tyre. Although he was pushed off the track in the incident, Foret managed to stay upright and finished ninth.

“I am not very happy as I know I could have finished in the top five,” said Foret after the race. “That would have left me at the top of the championship. But another rider collided with my swingarm in the middle of the last turn and it pushed me off the track.”

His teammate Iain MacPherson recovered from a poor start and fought his way up through the pack for an eighth place finish and his first championship points on the Ten Kate Honda CBR600FS.

“I’m getting settled in with the bike each time I ride it,” explained MacPherson. “We’re working to tailor the bike to my riding style and I’m very impressed with the hard work that the Ten Kate Honda team, Pirelli tyres and WP Suspension have all put in for me.”

Team Manager Ronald ten Kate tried to stay positive after the race, “At least Foret managed to save it and didn’t actually crash. But it’s a shame that the incident happened because he looked capable of finishing in front of the group he was battling with at the time. Because Casoli fell off at the end of the race that could have meant a third place and a big championship lead for Fabien.”

Ronald ten Kate also praised the continuing progress being made by his new rider Iain MacPherson. “Iain’s still improving and getting to know the bike and the Pirelli tyres. There are some tracks coming up that suit him and I reckon he’ll be really quick at them.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Edwards sets fastest time in Saturday qualifying

By Glenn LeSanto

Colin Edwards was the fastest rider around the Phillip Island circuit during Saturday morning’s final World Superbike qualifying session. However, the Texan was unable to match Troy Bayliss’s time from the Friday session, so Bayliss remains at the top of the timesheet as the riders head for Superpole later today.

In bright sunshine, a welcome contrast to last year’s monsoon conditions, Edwards whittled away almost three tenths from his Friday time. Bayliss was unable to better his own time of 1:32.656 set Friday and circulated at 1:33.240 during the session.

Ruben Xaus also improved on his Friday time, going up from 1:33.626 to 1:33.032, making him third-fastest overall. Ben Bostrom also went faster today, moving into fourth-fastest with a time of 1:33.268. Noriyuki Haga slipped to sixth-fastest despite improving his time.

Most teams were admitting they were struggling to find a race tire that could run the full race distance

World Superbike – final qualifying – Saturday morning

1 Troy Bayliss Australia Ducati 1:32.656

2 Colin Edwards USA Castrol Honda 1:32.738

3 Ruben Xaus Spain Ducati 1:33.032

4 Ben Bostrom USA Ducati 1:33.268

5 Pier-Francesco Chili Italy Ducati 1:33.291

6 Noriyuki Haga Japan Aprilia 1:33.369

7 Lucio Pedercini Italy Ducati 1:33.677

8 Gregorio Lavilla Spain Suzuki 1:33.834

9 Steve Martin Australia Ducati 1:33.982

10 Hitoyasu Izutsu Japan Kawasaki 1:33.998

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.)