From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

62nd ANNUAL DAYTONA 200 BY ARAI USHERS IN A NEW ERA IN THE AMA CHEVY TRUCKS U.S. SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – The 62nd running of the Daytona 200 by Arai on Sunday, March 9, at Daytona International Speedway will serve as a milestone in the evolution of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship. The 2003 edition of the race will feature a broad mix of motorcycles, including 1000cc four-cylinder machines, 1000cc V-Twins and traditional 750cc four-cylinder superbikes. All of this a result of new rules put in place by AMA Pro Racing reflecting the changing marketplace and to more closely align the race bikes with the respective street bike versions. The rules should help more teams field competitive superbikes. The impressive entry list for this year’s Daytona 200 is a positive sign that the changes brought about by the new rules will produce a more exciting race. This year marks the first major change in the bikes that race in the Daytona 200 since AMA Superbikes replaced the old AMA Formula One bikes in 1985. Additionally, an international field of riders representing nine countries will be present.

Based on pre-season testing, this year’s 200 could be one of the most competitive in years. One of the leading candidates to win this year’s race is Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin. The three-time AMA Superbike Champion was forced to miss last year’s race when he crashed and injured his elbow during a pre-Daytona 200 practice session. Prior to last year’s race, Mladin was the hottest rider on the high banks since Mr. Daytona himself, five-time winner Scott Russell. The Aussie Mladin won the celebrated race in 2000 and again in 2001. This year, he will ride Yoshimura’s new Suzuki GSXR1000-based superbike.

“The bike’s working good,” a confident Mladin told Roadracing World after testing in California last month. “Suzuki’s done a great job with the new frame and chassis. It steers better than the old 750 and everything. It feels like my 1999-2000 750 more than the (bike) we raced in 2002.”

It was Honda rider Nicky Hayden who won both the Daytona 200 and the AMA Superbike title last year. Honda moved Hayden up to contest the World Championship MotoGP circuit. While American Honda lost a great rider in Hayden, it comes to the table this season with former AMA Superbike champions Miguel Duhamel and Ben Bostrom, along with Kurtis Roberts, son of the legendary three-time Daytona 200 winner Kenny Roberts.

Veteran Miguel Duhamel is seeking his fourth victory in the 200. The Montreal native, who now lives in Las Vegas, won his first Daytona 12 years ago, yet feels he has a great shot at winning again in 2003. “I have a proven bike in the Honda RC51 and I have the best crew behind me,” said Duhamel, the all-time winningest rider in AMA Superbike history. “The competition for this year’s race is shaping up to be the best in years and I’m hoping I can rise to the occasion to keep the Daytona 200 title with Honda.”

1998 AMA Superbike champ Ben Bostrom is back racing in America after a successful three-year run in World Superbike. Bostrom was very fast in Daytona tire testing and is a good bet to improve on his previous best Daytona 200 finish of fourth in 1999.

Kurtis Roberts is coming into the prime of his racing career and is poised to become only the second rider to win the Daytona 200 after his father. Don Emde accomplished the feat in 1972, following in the footsteps of his father Floyd who won 24 years earlier. It’s been 19 years since Kurtis’ renowned dad, Kenny, won the 200.

Another pre-race favorite to win is Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom, younger brother of Ben. Eric has finished second in the AMA Superbike Championship the last two seasons and is more than ready to discard the title of bridesmaid. Bostrom is hoping to bring back the glory days of Kawasaki at Daytona, when the company won three times with Scott Russell in the early-to-mid 1990s. This will be Bostrom’s fourth appearance in the Daytona 200, and he’ll be riding one of the old school 750cc-based superbikes, a Kawasaki ZX-7RR. His previous best result was – as you might have guessed – second in 2001.

Ducati is easily the longest-suffering manufacturer in the history of the Daytona 200. Ducatis have raced in the event since 1966, but have never managed to come out on top. The Italian brand came agonizingly close in 1992, when Ducati-mounted Doug Polen was nipped at the finish line by Scott Russell in one of the closest races in the history of the 200. Ducati factory riders Troy Corser (1994) and Carl Fogarty (1995) both finished second, each to Russell, albeit not as close as Polen. Ducati is pinning its hopes this year on Anthony Gobert and Larry Pegram. This will be Gobert’s seventh start in the 200. He finished a career-best third last year. For Pegram it will be his 10th Daytona, with his top result of sixth coming in 2001.

If Ducati is the hard-luck manufacturer, then Doug Chandler claims that title among riders. Chandler first raced the classic in 1988. He’s finished on the podium four times, including runner-up twice. Now at 37, Chandler realizes his chances of ever winning the biggest motorcycle race in America are quickly fading. He returns for yet another try this year, riding a No Limit Motorsports Honda CBR954RR, one of the new breed of superbikes.

Others to watch in this year’s 200 include Yoshimura Suzuki youngster Ben Spies and his veteran teammate Aaron Yates. Suzuki will also have strong entries from the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki squad with Chris Ulrich and Steve Rapp, and Attack Suzuki’s Jason Pridmore. The race will be broadcast live on Speed Channel. The pre-race show begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern and live flag-to-flag coverage of the Daytona 200 starts at 1:00 p.m.

From a press release:

Rising motorcycle star Chris Vermeulen launched his new web site www.chrisvermeulen.com.

With thousands of fans world wide, the 20 year old saw the need to be able to interact with his fan base.

“Season 2003 will be the most exciting of my career and I thought it was important to be able to share it with the people who have supported me the most, the fans!” Vermeulen said from Spain on the eve of the first race of the championship.

“Chris Vermeulen.com will keep you up to date every step of the way as I travel around the world in search of that all important championship. All the latest news will be posted and I’ll be letting you in on as much behind the scenes information as I can,” the Honda rider added.

The site was designed by Jean Paul Pallandre of the dynamic Acura Multimedia.

Please add to links www.chrisvermeulen.com

From a press release:

RACE FUEL SALES SERVICE

Nutec Fuel will be available at Daytona Bike Week February 26th through March 8th.

Nutec will be accepting pre-orders through February 25th at 10% off (Call Daniel at 310-641-8015) and will be on site from the 26th through the 8th Cell phone in Daytona 310-902-4258

Special 5 * Pro-MX * GP-2 * Pro-Jet in 5 gal. rails and 15 gal. drums

We believe you deserve the best to WIN!

For a dealer near you or any other information check us out on the web www.nutecdivision.com or call 310-641-8015

From a press release:

Aprilia USA announces 2003 contingency program


Woodstock, GA Tuesday: Aprilia USA has announced its 2003 racing contingency program for the Aprilia RS250, RSV Mille Class Motorcycles and AMA 250 GP.

Aprilia USA is posting its 2003 contingency program for the RS250 Aprilia, RSV 1000 Mille / Mille R (including Tuono and Falco series) and 250 GP racing machines in multiple racing organizations including AMA, WERA, CCS, FUSA, AFM, OMRRA and WSMC.

“This is our second year posting a contingency for the Mille,” Says Aprilia USA Motorcycle Product and PR Manager, Robert Pandya. “We have expanded our programs to include the Tuono and Falco machine that may also see racing duty. In honor of AMA 250 GP champion Chuck Sorensen and others racing Aprilia 250cc GP machines in the AMA, we have expanded our program to cover the most pure road racing class in the US.”

For additional information on contingency amounts, specific paying races and rules, see the included program outline or log on to www.apriliausa.com, and enter the “news” section.

Aprilia USA, Inc. is a subsidiary of Aprilia S.p.A., a privately owned Italian motorcycle design and manufacturing company employing over one thousand seven hundred people and recording annual sales in excess of 300,000 units. As such, Aprilia USA Inc. is the exclusive importer of Aprilia brand motorcycles, scooters, apparel and accessories. For more information, consumers can visit Aprilia USA’s web site at www.apriliausa.com or phone toll free (877) 277-4542.

From a press release:

KSW Cycle Insurance/KSW Racing has secured a coporate sponsorship deal with one of its associate companies, Foremost Insurance.

Foremost Insurance, a leader in recreational products insurance, looks forward to addressing the coverage needs of both the fans and competitors at upcoming AMA Superbike events.

Veteran rider Anthony Fania Jr. will return for his fourth season on the KSW Suzukis.

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI CORSE PRESS INFORMATION

HODGSON (TEAM DUCATI FILA) SMASHES LAP RECORD AT VALENCIA

Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus (Team Ducati Fila) wrapped up proceedings on the final day of official SBK Winter testing with the quickest times at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit in Spain. Hodgson in particular was in superb form, smashing the lap record which belonged to Bostrom (Ducati L&M), and leaving the mark at 1:34.01. Team-mate Xaus was eight-tenths of a second slower around the 4.005 km circuit, while the new Ducati 999 is already proving to be competitive in race trim.

“That was really good today” declared Neil. “I managed to find an excellent set-up on the bike and Michelin is providing me with some great tyres. I feel at one with the 999, it’s the way I like it. I really needed this test to get back in action after two months away from the track. I thought it would take longer to get to this point but it didn’t and now I’m feeling really confident for the start of the season.”

“I waited until the end of the day to try and attack Neil’s time, but there was a lot of humidity on the track and I slid off at turn 4” commented Ruben. “I’m pleased with the way the bike is working, the rear tyre is excellent, but I didn’t have enough time to choose the front for the race. I’m pretty sure conditions will be exactly the same when we come here for the first round next weekend.”


OFFICIAL TIMES: 1. Hodgson (Ducati Fila) 1:34.01; 2. Xaus (Ducati Fila) 1:34.80; 3. Laconi (Ducati NCR) 1:35.59; 4. Walker (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.46; 5. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:35.66; 6. Martin (Ducati DFX) 1:35.87; 7. Chili (Ducati) 1:35.91; 8. Corser (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.14; 9. Borja (Ducati DFX) 1:36.23; 10. Haydon (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.64.


More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

World Supersport Championship
Valencia Pre-season Test
21 to 23 February 2003

Honda Men Top Valencia Test Times

The only official 2003 pre-season World Supersport test sessions culminated at the Valencia Circuit on 23 February, with Ten Kate CBR600RR Honda rider Chris Vermeulen setting the fastest time on the final day.

Vermeulen, who is chasing his first World Supersport win, said “I think that fast lap must have been mostly down to the tyres. We have tested a lot of race tyres this weekend and the bike is working very well considering it is so new. The main thing is the race next weekend, not this test.”

His best lap of 1:37.331 was merely the quickest of many top times set by the 20-year-old rider during a weather-affected test, and came after the track had dried on the final afternoon.

Rain appeared at lunchtime on the second day, ruining the testing plans of many teams, and making the final dry session on Sunday afternoon exceptionally fraught, as riders went all out to improve their standings on the final time sheet.

In third position overall Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) set his personal best lap of 1:38.253 on Friday, with the next fastest Honda rider proving to be Robert Ulm (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) in overall fifth.

Muggeridge spend considerable amounts of time trying out different chassis set-ups on his in-line four machine. “It’s mostly chassis with me this weekend. This bike is much more responsive than the previous model so one little adjustment has a great deal of effect. The feedback is very good and you can get a nice feel for the tyres.”

For Ulm the weekend proved to be tough but rewarding one, with his sixth fastest lap time of 1:38.495 underlining his consistent performance on race rubber. “I am quite happy with that even if I did put in a qualifying tyre at the end. I am not alone in doing so! We worked a lot on the set-up of the bike and it paid off at the end.”

Christophe Cogan from the BKM Honda team took his CBR600RR to seventh out of 26 riders, his team-mate Broc Parkes running out ninth.

Gianluigi Scalvini (BKM Honda CBR600RR) and Iain Macpherson (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) secured 12th and 13th places respectively, with Werner Daemen (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) running out 18th overall.

In the Superbike division Neil Hodgson (Ducati) outpaced his team-mate Ruben Xaus (Ducati) to take the fastest lap of the weekend, 1:34.016.

The first race of the year takes place at Valencia on 2 March, for both Supersport and Superbike classes.

Supersport Test Order
1: Chris Vermeulen (Honda) 1:37.331
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki) 1:38.157
3. Karl Muggeridge (Honda) 1:38.254
4. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) 1:38.419
5. Alessio Corradi (Yamaha) 1:38.433
6. Robert Ulm (Honda) 1:38.495
7. Christophe Cogan (Honda) 1:38.564
8. Gianluca Nannelli (Yamaha) 1:38.603
9. Broc Parkes (Honda) 1:38.819
10. Christian Kellner (Yamaha) 1:38.917


More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Belgarda:

Team Yamaha Belgarda Newsletter

Date: Sunday 23rd February 2003
Circuit: Ricardo Tormo, Comunitat Valenciana, 4.005 kms- Day 3

TOP FOUR FOR JURGEN!
Team Yamaha Belgarda rider Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh successfully completed the three-day official World Supersport Championship test with the fourth fastest overall time. Throughout the three days, Jurgen and the team had been working hard to overcome minor problems and finally their persistence was rewarded in the final session. His team mate Simone Sanna also had minor problems during the test and chose to work on solving the problems rather then try and set a quick time. Chris Vermeulen continued his domination of the three days, ending up with a lap of 1:37.331.


JURGEN VD GOORBERGH (70 laps overall, best lap 1:38.419)
Today was a difficult day, but we finally got it together and I was able to post a good lap time. We’ve worked hard over the three days and although we encountered some little problems, we plugged away and got a lot of work done. I think we found a good base set-up and I’m satisfied with what we managed to do. I was a bit disappointed that I only did 70 laps in total, but I’m happy with the results. We’ve still got work to do on the suspension, but it’s improving all the time. As for the tyres, I’m surprised at how good the standard Pirelli tyres are now. I like this track and it’s one where you can make a little mistake in one corner without it upsetting your whole lap. I think we can make a good result next week.


SIMONE SANNA (97 laps overall, best lap 1:39.212)
I wanted to do a 1:38, but in the end I decided not to take any risks. I only used standard tyres during these three days and not really soft ones because I wasn’t really chasing a lap time. I am sort of happy with how it’s all gone and I think we’ve got 70 percent or so of a good base set-up. I’m very happy with the way the Pirelli tyres have performed and although we had some little problems in the three days, generally we’ve made progress OK.

From a press issued by Yamaha:

POSITIVE CHECA AND MELANDRI THIRD AND FIFTH FASTEST IN JEREZ

Fortuna Yamaha Team duo Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri recorded the third and fifth fastest times at today’s final day of the three day MotoGP IRTA tests in Jerez, Spain. All fifteen of the MotoGP riders rode in long awaited sunny but slightly windy conditions, having lost a day to wet weather yesterday. Despite three tests since December at the Spanish circuit, this was just the third day that the Fortuna Yamaha Team were able to test in sunshine.

Checa continued testing his fuel injected Yamaha YZR-M1, setting his best lap time of the three days with 1:42.861. The Spanish rider concentrated on testing endurance tyres for Michelin in the latter part of the day and was satisfied with the progress made, “The lap time was not the most important thing for us today, as I was testing endurance tyres for Michelin for 16 laps. I still can’t find the feeling I want and need with the bike to win a race. I am having some problems with rear grip and overall balance. I would like to be able to control the rear tyre with the throttle, and at the moment I can’t do that. It’s quite hard to be optimistic now about this track, however we will keep working and I have confidence that we can improve in the areas we need to.”

Marco Melandri completed 68 laps with a best time of 1:43.2, bettering his time of 1:43.8 from Friday’s session.

“I have had a really good test,” commented the 250cc World Champion. “I am very happy with this weekend but I made a bit of a mistake right at the end. Until the last hour of the test we had used the same set-up of the fuel injection bike but towards the end of the session I wanted to try a change to the front geometry. I then felt too much weight at the front on turn 11 and took a tumble. It was also very windy at that moment inside the corner and so was easy for me to slide off. Generally I am extremely happy – with my time and with my feeling on the bike. I wasn’t focusing on the time but managed to improve on Friday’s time, and I felt better here than at all my previous tests with the M1. I even changed my riding line slightly today. Now we are going to Estoril where I think it will be quite difficult as there are many slow corners there, which were maybe easier on a 250cc bike than on a four-stroke.”

Melandri’s crew chief Fiorenzo Fanali was delighted with his new rider’s progress, “We have helped Michelin a lot today with tyre testing and were very happy to do so, then we decided to try something a bit different with the geometry in the last hour of the test. Unfortunately after we added more weight to the front Marco took a tumble so we will now go back to the old set-up for Estoril. I am quite happy with Marco’s performance in the last few days. He is sensitive to all the changes we make to the bike, and is good at communicating those feelings to us.”

Team Director Davide Brivio summed up the test positively, “Both riders have set good times, despite Marco’s small crash. Carlos has tried many different settings, we have faced some problems with the fuel injection system but at this stage of development it is quite normal. At the end of the session he was able to go consistently and at a good pace. We have a good base for him but there is room to improve more. Marco has now tested the fuel injection bike for the first time, and the new chassis. The next test will be useful for him to get more used to this bike. He was close in his times to all the top riders, so we are very pleased with the performance of both our riders today.”

The Fortuna Yamaha Team now travel to Portugal to take part in the next MotoGP IRTA group tests at the Estoril circuit on the 26th and 27th February.


LAP TIMES
1. Alex Barros, Gauloises Yamaha Team 1:42.640

2. Colin Edwards, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:42.818

3. Carlos Checa, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:42.861

4. Troy Bayliss, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:42.890

5. Marco Melandri, Fortuna Yamaha Team 1:43.236

6. Shinya Nakano, D’Antin Yamaha 1:43.302

7. Loris Capirossi, Ducati Marlboro Team 1:43.541

8. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:43.910

9. Noriyuki Haga, Alice Aprilia Racing 1:44.218

10. John Hopkins, Suzuki Grand Prix 1:44.740


More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha D’Antin:

YAMAHA D’ANTIN TESTS
JEREZ
February 23, 2003

GOOD WORK FOR TEAM YAMAHA D’ANTIN IN JEREZ

Today had concluded first IRTA tests, organized by the MotoGP teams association in Jerez circuit. Fortunately today, the last day, riders could ride their bikes with the sun shining, but the windy conditions has been the main problem in the way to get good lap times. Team Yamaha d’Antín leaves the Spanish track satisfied with the work done during the three days. They have improved the settings of the new Yamaha YZR-M1, the bike they will use in the opening GP next April 6 in Suzuka, Japan. The set-up of the electronic fuel injection system and chassis adjustments have been the main focus of the team during the three days.

Yamaha d’Antín Team Director, the former rider Luis d’Antín, was happy with the work done as he commented after the tests, “Overall, everything has gone quite well, the tests have been positive because it was the first time we had 2003 bike. Basically we have focused in set-up the injection and chassis, and also we have been testing many tyres from Michelin. We also have been getting used to the rider and vice versa. Our target is get the 100 percent for the opening race in Japan.”

During the three days of testing Shinya Nakano has completed almost 200 laps in Jerez circuit and he is happy with the progress. “The focus of these tests was the bike of 2003. Get the right chassis and injection set up was the hardest work, but yesterday we found a good set-up. Today I’ve been riding comfortable, but I still at 80 percent of my possibilities. We have to find the other 20%.”

Team Technical Director, Naoya Kaneko thinks the same as his rider. “We have test a lot of things and we have changed the settings many times, and now we know what we have to improve. Shinya has bettered his times in Jerez, but we still need a little bit to be prepared.”

The team Yamaha d’Antín now goes to Estoril circuit in Potugal to take part in IRTA tests session on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

NEW SUZUKI MEETS THE RIVALS AT JEREZ

Team Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and John Hopkins concluded three incident-free days of testing at the Spanish GP circuit of Jerez today – with the all-new 2003 GSV-R Suzuki racer making further progress in the fast-forward development programme before the start of the season on April 6.

It was only the third test for the radically changed V4 990cc racer, marking the halfway point of the six-test schedule that started in January, when the factory surprised the team with the all-new machine. Engine and chassis have both been significantly changed compared with last year’s first GSV-R, as the design evolves towards the goal of winning races again for the factory that claimed the premier-class World Championship in 2000.

2000 World Champion Kenny Roberts set his best time today, the third day of open-to-all testing, improving on his best race lap time set here last year, in spite of unfavourably cool and windy conditions. Hopkins set his best time on the first day of testing, which was cloudy and overcast. The second day was spoiled by rain. Today was sunny but still cool, with a strong wind giving riders problems and causing several crashes.

Roberts completed 68 laps today, to bring his overall total to 131 over the three days. The Californian son of a legend’s best lap time of 1:43.918, was less than a second off the circuit lap record. He was placed eighth-fastest.

Hopkins ran 65 laps today, and a total of 173, with a best time of 1:44.652. The rider from California (but of English parentage) is new to the Suzuki team and to the new-generation 990cc four-strokes. His debut season last year was on a 500cc two-stroke.

All the rival teams except Honda attended the tests. Suzuki move on now to private tests in Valencia before rejoining the final IRTA test at Catalunya in mid-March.


KENNY ROBERTS – 1:43.918
We’ve worked hard here, when the weather allowed it. I can’t say I’m happy with the lap time. We need to get the base settings right before we can start to use the bike to its full, and we need the factory to help us. We have more tests and more parts coming. The bike has the potential. We need to unlock it, and we’re all determined to do that.


JOHN HOPKINS – 1:44.652
We made some steps here, but we still have many things to sort out. We need to make bigger steps in the upcoming tests in order to be where we want to be for the first race. The bike is still so new, and there are still so many things to get set right. We’re concentrating on one thing at a time, and that one thing leads to another. Here my main difficulty has been that the bike doesn’t turn well. I’m losing time into the turns and in the middle of the corner. We need a good ground plan for the upcoming tests, but my crew chief Stuart Shenton, away sick, will be back, and that should help us. Though I have to say my guys worked 110 percent here. It’s a great team.


GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
This was only the bike’s third time out, and the first time with the rival machines. We learned a lot. Obviously there’s a lot of potential that we still need to find, and after the excitement of getting the new bike in January it’s a little disappointing. But we tested almost everything here that we needed to test. Now the factory will take the data and look for improvements in the areas we need. It’s never easy to take something so brand new and get the best out of it. It takes time, and we still have some more time. The factory has already proved how committed they are; the team feels the same. We’ll keep on working. This is gritty stuff for the riders. Doing development work at this sort of IRTA test where the others have their machines better sorted can be testing for a rider’s mental stamina.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

PRESS INFORMATION

BAYLISS ON RACE PACE, CAPIROSSI FALLS IN WINDY CONDITIONS

IRTA tests, Jerez, Spain
Sunday, February 23, 2003

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi battled strong, gusting winds at Jerez today as they completed their first group test session on the Desmosedici V4. Despite less than perfect weather throughout the three days – low track temperatures on Friday and rain yesterday – both men believe they have made important progress.

Bayliss was particularly happy at the end of the day, having completed an impressive race simulation with Michelin’s latest 2003 tyres. Capirossi however had a more torrid time, falling twice in the afternoon, the first when he was caught out by a gust of wind.

“We dedicated today to testing Michelin’s new tyres, doing almost no other work on set-up”, said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “Troy did a long run at a good pace but we weren’t so lucky with Loris. He lost the front twice. Both guys found the latest rear tyres very promising, and Troy also found a better front tyre.”

Bayliss, whose average pace during the race simulation was an impressive 1:43.5, was delighted with progress and keen to continue testing at Estoril next week. “The whole test has gone pretty good, we’ve kept moving forward,” said the former World Superbike Champion. “This is my third time at this track, so I expected some good times. We’ve made good progress and we’ve got some more ideas for the next test, and that’s what it’s all about. The track could’ve been better today, but I’m quite happy with the long run we did at the end of the afternoon. We’ve run Michelin’s new tyres and they feel good, the engine feels good too and we only did a little bit of playing around with the suspension today.”

Capirossi was happy enough with progress, despite two minor falls, the wind also claiming other victims during the day. “After two crashes I decided to concentrate on testing tyres and settings, because conditions weren’t right for trying to go really fast,” said the Italian, who nevertheless proved that he had lost none of his confidence by setting his fastest lap of the day on his penultimate lap. “Despite the crashes, everything has gone well from a set-up point of view, but unfortunately there was too much wind for me to give a good lap-time performance.”

Bayliss and Capirossi continue the Desmosedici test programme at Estoril, Portugal, next week, and then take Ducati’s MotoGP project to the next level at Catalunya, Spain, in mid-March, when they will ride their definitive 2003 bikes for the first time. The 16-round MotoGP World Championship commences at Suzuka, Japan, on April 6.

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin Motorsports:

23 February 2003

2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship
Season Preview

NEW BIKE, NEW SEASON – MLADIN CHASES FOURTH AMERICAN SUPERBIKE CROWN

The off-season break has been a very good one for three times American AMA Superbike champion, Australian Mat Mladin as he prepares for the famous Daytona 200, the opening round of this year’s AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship on March 9.

The most significant change is that Mladin will compete in this year’s 18-round championship aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 rather than the GSX-R750 that took him to three AMA Superbike crowns and two Daytona 200s.

The move to the full 1000cc capacity has been met with a huge amount of enthusiasm by Mladin and Team Yoshimura Suzuki for whom he will be competing for a seventh year.

“We are definitely going in the right direction with the new Suzuki GSX-R1000,” said Mladin. “I think we’ve got a motorcycle that can be very competitive this year. The way the rules have been, we had a motorcycle that we were always playing catch up with and if you didn’t get it set up 100 percent on the day, it made it very hard. I think we have a chance to be very strong and we should do well this year.”

Since the announcement by the AMA late last year regarding the rule changes to the class, Mladin’s team has been busy preparing brand new machines from the ground up and undertaking a testing program that included time at Daytona, California Speedway in Fontana, Laguna Seca and a four-day test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

“We’ve done a fair bit of testing since Christmas, with a couple of days at Fontana, followed by four in Malaysia and then at Laguna Seca last week. It’s not a huge amount by any means in the way of days tested, I think we would need double the amount that we have done, but what we did do was very productive,” added Mladin. “It rained at the Daytona test before Christmas and then it rained again last week at Laguna, so who knows where we would have been if we didn’t go to Malaysia. The four days that we had there proved to be very good for us.”

Mladin has recorded a number of very fast lap times aboard the GSX-R1000 at each of the circuits that he has tested this year, providing his opponents in this year’s championship with the knowledge that he has been fast and is eager to win a fourth AMA Superbike title.

“Any time you can have as much, if not more horsepower than people that have had more than you in the past, is certainly encouraging. Besides the horsepower, the bike works well. It feels very good to me, I’m very comfortable on the bike and I’m riding a lot more relaxed than I have over the past couple of years. I had to change the way I rode the bike in the past two years to a point where I wasn’t comfortable anymore. Mistakes started to creep into my riding, just because I wasn’t sitting on the bike the way I wanted to, but it was the only way we could get the bike to turn. I really did love the GSX-R750 that I won the championship on in 1999 and 2000 and the new GSX-R1000 feels a lot like that.”

This week, Mladin and his team will complete their final preparations before leaving their base in California and head across to Florida for the opening round of the championship, which kicks off with Bike Week at Daytona.


Mat Mladin:
1992 Australian Superbike Champion
1999, 2000, 2001 American AMA Superbike Champion
2000, 2001 Daytona 200 Champion
2000 American AMA Pro Athlete of the Year

From press releases issued by Ducati Corse:

SECOND DAY OF SBK WINTER TESTING AT VALENCIA
INTERRUPTED BY BAD WEATHER

Ruben Xaus (Team Ducati Fila) headed the timesheets today on the second day of official SBK pre-season testing at Valencia. In the afternoon the two Ducati Fila riders, Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus did not go out onto the track after rain started to fall and two of the scheduled four sessions were not completed.

Spain’s Xaus completed a total of 55 laps on the Ducati 999, the Italian manufacturer’s new Superbike model, recording a time of 1:34.75, one-tenth of a second slower than the circuit record set by Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) and six tenths of a second quicker than his time recorded one month ago at the same track. Ruben tested new rear tyres made available by Michelin, and constantly lapped at this pace during his mini race simulation in the morning.

“Everything is going really well” declared Ruben at the end of the day. “We tried some new race tyres, even though we couldn’t complete the entire programme due to the rain. The team is working well, and I’m getting a better felling with the 999 all the time. I made a good step forward with the bike here at Valencia because my time of 1:34.75 is the best I’ve ever recorded around here.”

Neil Hodgson focussed mainly on bike settings, trying to eliminate weight transfer imbalance in braking and acceleration and the British rider completed 38 laps today, setting a best time of 1:35.04.

“I got caught out with the weather because I wanted to save my best time for the end of the day, but it’s the same for everyone” commented Neil. “Today we made some progress with the 999 after going back to the settings I used in December. The handling now feels much better and I have a lot more confidence so I’m sure I can improve again tomorrow.”

Tomorrow will see the third and final day of official SBK testing at Valencia.

OFFICIAL TIMES: 1. Xaus (Ducati Fila) 1:34.75; 2. Hodgson (Ducati Fila) 1:35.04; 3. Laconi (Ducati NCR) 1:35.68; 4. Chili (Ducati) 1:36.06; 5. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati) 1:36.06; 6. Walker (HM Plant Ducati) 1:36.12; 7. Corser (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.40; 8. Lavilla (Suzuki) 1:36.47; 9. Borja (Ducati DFX) 1:36.51; 10. Garcia (Ducati NCR) 1:36.87.





BAYLISS & CAPIROSSI PRAY FOR SUN AT RAINY JEREZ

IRTA tests, Jerez, Spain
Saturday, February 22, 2003

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi continued to make excellent progress during the year’s first IRTA tests at Jerez today, despite heavy rain showers that forced them to spend much of the morning in the pits. Both men are hoping to make up for lost time during tomorrow’s final day, when the weather is expected to be better.

As yesterday, the Australian and the Italian focused on fine tuning chassis settings, even though the circuit was in poor condition throughout, the rain having washed dust and dirt onto the track.

“The work we’re doing here is very important,” said Ducati Corse CEO Claudio Domenicali. “We have a very precise schedule of work to do before the first race in April, with a lot to do in a short time. At the moment we have no real references at most of the GP circuits, so we have to work very efficiently, and losing half a day of a three-day test here could be critical. But we believe in the project and we believe in the enthusiasm and professionalism of the whole team. I’m particularly grateful to Troy and Loris today, because in spite of the conditions they both continued working to give us the maximum amount of information about the bike.”

Former World Superbike champ Bayliss, who has never raced at Jerez, managed to ride 47 laps today, usefully expanding his knowledge of the Spanish circuit. “I could’ve sat around and done nothing, but even though the track wasn’t in a great state, you never know what kind of conditions you’re going to have to race in,” he smiled. “Even at the end of the day a couple of the corners were still a bit sketchy, with a couple of guys going down, so I just hope we have a good day tomorrow. We’ve been mostly playing with chassis setting, plus I tried a few different front Michelins. I found a couple of things I liked today, so I’m feeling keen for tomorrow. I want a bit of sun, so I can do a lot of laps.”

Capirossi, who has been racing here since 1990, rode 24 laps today, preferring not to take risks in the tricky conditions. But he also ended the day in good spirits. “The track was very dirty after the rain, which compromised our work today, but we still managed to get a lot done,” he said. “We tried some new chassis solutions and different configurations, so we’ve kept moving ahead. But tomorrow we need sun!”

Tomorrow both riders plan to do their first serious tyre testing with Michelin’s range of 2003 tyres, weather permitting.

Lap times
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:45.640
Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:48.091


More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR:

LACONI ON THE TOP AND GARCIA GROWS UP

(Valencia 2003, February 22)

A soft rain stopped today test on Valencia circuit. But the two practice sessions on the dry track showed a great Regis Laconi. The French rider of 998RS Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks recorsed the third fastest overall, leaded only by the two Fila Ducati factory bikes.

“Today too we worked first to find the best set up,” – declared at the end of the test day Regis Laconi – “Handling and gearbox have been our aim today, and we rode immediately one second faster as yesterday laptime; then we set at the best the hand lever for rear brake that I asked to Stefano as I like it works, well, a classic test day, but the third fastest we score shows that we are in the right direction. It has a pity that the rain forced us to stop working, we must set at the best the gearbox ratio, but I’m really satisfied about the work we have done.”

David Garcia, always very quiet in the pit, goes on to upgrade recording the tenth fastest of today practice.

“The rain ruined everything,” – said a disappointed Garcia – “I need to stay on the bike and ride kilometers on the 998RS, and unfortunately in the afternoon we couldn’t practice at all. In the morning sessions I feel very well, the gearbox was running well and I’m confident that, if the practices could go on, I could be faster. I found a good feeling with the team and now I am confident in a good racing debut next week-end.”

Unfortunately also for tomorrow, Sunday February 23, closing test day, the weather forecast doesn’t show anything good.

Two days test – Overall results:

1.XAUS Ruben (Ducati) 1:34.755; 2.HODGSON Neil (Ducati) 1:35.044; 3.LACONI Regis (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:35.685; 4.WALKER Chris (Ducati) 1:35.842; 5.TOSELAND James (Ducati) 1:35.932 ; 6.MARTIN Steve (Ducati) 1:36.061; 7.CHILI Pierfrancesco (Ducati) 1:36.061; 8.CORSER Troy (Foggy Petronas) 1:36.408; 9.LAVILLA Gregorio (Suzuki) 1:36.477; 10.BORJA Juan Batista (Ducati) 1:36.516; 11.GARCIA David (Caracchi NCR Ducati Nortel Networks) 1:36.877