From a press release issued by Yamaha Belgarda:

Big Changes At Yamaha Belgarda

Amsterdam, Netherlands
22/1/2003

Team Yamaha Belgarda have signed MotoGP star Jurgen van den Goorbergh to spearhead their 2003 Supersport World Championship campaign. The 33-year-old Dutchman attended last weekend’s team test in Valencia, Spain, where he showed great promise aboard the new 2003 YZF-R6.

The good news of Jurgen’s arrival comes at a sad time for the team as they learn of the departure of riders Paolo Casoli and Jamie Whitham, who will both be retiring from racing for health reasons.

Casoli has spent the winter months convalescing from a cranial trauma he sustained in a crash while testing last November. This week a full neurological examination by Professor Carlo Bollini at the Bellaria Hospital in Bologna has shown the 37-year-old Italian is completely over the trauma but retains some mild tissue damage (anencephaly) which, in the case of another crash, could lead to more serious complications. Casoli, who in all other respects can lead a normal, healthy life, has chosen to follow the advice of his doctors and retire from racing.

“The doctors have been very honest, they told me that if I crashed again I could have big problems and ruin my future; this is too much of a risk that I don’t feel like taking,” explained Casoli. “I am very sad to leave in this way after 20 years of racing at the highest level. In 2003 I would have had a very fast Yamaha, new tyres and the ambition to win the Supersport World Championship. I couldn’t wait to face this challenge. But I have to think about my family, too, they are my main reason for life. I have a son, a wife and wonderful parents who would have worried too much knowing the risks I was taking. So I prefer to stop.”

By an unlucky twist of fate, Paolo’s team-mate Jamie Whitham, another 20-year veteran of racing, has also seen his career cut short by health concerns: This time glaucoma of the left eye. At the end of last season he first encountered slight vision difficulties and sought medical treatment, though the full impact of the problem has only now become evident. Jamie maintains near normal vision for daily activities but the impairment becomes more acute during the stresses of top-level competitive racing and this has led to his decision to retire. Doctors have suggested that the cause of the problem may be the chemotherapy treatment that Whitham received in 1995 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease – a form of lymphatic cancer, from which he made a full recovery.

“I was aware of this problem at the end of last season and discussed it with the team,” said Whitham. “I didn’t notice it again during the first two winter tests when we were in the wet and riding quite slow, but it became a problem while I was testing at full speed in the dry last weekend. I just can’t give that last 10% with any confidence – and confidence is what racing is all about. I wouldn’t want to put myself or anyone else in danger, plus the guys at Belgarda are more like a family than a team and they deserve to have a rider who is 100% fit. I know the bike is going to be good – good enough to win the championship – so it’s important that they have the best possible rider. It’s been a really hard decision to make – I’ve been racing all my life and all my friends are in racing. I know I’ve got be philosophical but I’m really going to miss it.”

Claudio Consonni, Yamaha Belgarda’s racing director, admitted to feelings of both pleasure and pain by the developments: “I feel split down the middle today. I feel very sad to see two such great riders and friends as Paolo and Jamie leave. We are very close to them both and hope they will remain part of the Belgarda extended family. On the one hand it‘s very exciting for us to have signed Jurgen and I’m sure he will be give us a great chance at the title this year. He has the right skill and mentality and we are very optimistic.”

Asked about his move from MotoGP to Supersport, Jurgen had the following to say: “After MotoGP I think World Supersport is the most important and competitive race class, where all major manufacturers are represented. I have already tested the new R6 and have a very positive feeling for both the bike and the team. It can’t be easy for such a close team to lose both riders at once, I’m aware I have a big gap to fill and certainly hope I can meet the challenge.” Together with his army of enthusiastic Dutch race fans, Jurgen will be supported in his challenge of the 2003 Supersport World Championship title by Yamaha Motor Netherlands.

Yamaha Belgarda will test with 24-year-old Italian, Simone Sanna, on the 26th and 27th of January in Valencia. The ex-GP125 rider has already had trials on World Superbike machinery this past winter with impressive results.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh profile
Since making his grand prix debut in the 1991 250cc French Grand Prix, Jurgen van den Goorbergh has finished the top privateer in the 250cc and 500cc World Championships on four occasions. After accomplishing this accolade for two consecutive seasons in the 250cc class, he switched to the 500s in 1997 and subsequently achieved two pole position qualifications (Barcelona and Brno in 1999) and has started from the front row of the grid a total of seven times. For last year’s MotoGP season the Dutchman achieved his first full factory ride and despite season-long difficulties with tyre development, he finished inside the top ten on four occasions, qualified on the front row in Australia and finished an equal career best fifth at the same race. Van den Goorbergh’s extensive racing history and experience in bike development are expected to give Yamaha’s new YZF-R6 every opportunity for success in the coming season.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh biography
Date of Birth: 29 December 1969
Place of Birth: Breda, Holland
Resides: Monaco
Marital Status: Married to Misha
Height/Weight: 1.74m / 65kg
Hobbies: Training (cycling, running, weights), skiing, enduro, trials
Favourite Circuits: Suzuka, Phillip Island, Brno
First Race: 1988 Yamaha TZR250 Cup Race
GP Debut: 1991 French Grand Prix 250cc

Career
2003: Yamaha Belgarda World Supersport Team – YZF-R6
2002: MotoGP World Championship – 13th, 5th place in Phillip Australia
2001: World 500cc Championship – 13th
2000: World 500cc Championship – 13th
Best Privateer
1999: World 500cc Championship – 16th
Qualified on pole position in Barcelona & Brno
1998: World 500cc Championship – 15th
Best Privateer
1997: World 500cc Championship –19th
1996: World 125cc Championship – 11th
Best Privateer
1994: World 250cc Championship – 17th
World 250cc Championship – 12th
Best Privateer
1993: World 250cc Championship – 32nd
1992: World 250cc Championship – 25th
1991: First GP 250cc France – 18th
Dutch Championship 250cc – 1st
European Championship 250cc – 3rd
1990: Dutch Championship 250cc – 2nd (Yamaha)
European Championship 250cc – 5th
1989: Dutch Championship 250cc – third (Yamaha)
Benelux Championship 250cc – 1st
1988: First race: Yamaha TZR Cup – 3rd
1986: Started race training with a RD350cc
1973: First ride in trials (aged four)

From a press release issued by Honda Canada:

Honda Canada Inc. /Orion Motorsports announce Superbike plans for 2003

Orion Motorsports is pleased to announce, in conjunction with Honda Canada Inc., Parts Canada, Hindle Exhausts, Alpinestars and HJC plans for the 2003 racing season.

Honda Canada and Orion Motorsports have re-signed teenage sensation Kevin Lacombe of Granby, Quebec to ride for the team in 2003. 600 Sportbike champion runner-up in 2002, Lacombe will be back to compete on a new spec Honda RC 51 as well as the all new CBR 600RR. Lacombe has been spending the off-season racing his CR 250 and CRF 450 in the Quebec Ice Racing Championships.

Lacombe’s teammate for 2003 will be Queensland, Australia native Robbie Baird. Thirty-one year old Baird has also signed on to ride the new spec RC 51 and the all new CBR 600RR in 2003. Robbie is the reigning Australian Formula Xtreme champion (Australia’s version of Superbike) and blazed to an amazing seven wins and 4 pole positions during 2002. While he did not compete regularly in the 600 class, he still managed to show his 600 style by winning the Phillip Island Grand Prix round of the 600 Australian supersport championships.

Team manager Kevin Graham is very excited about the 2003 season. “I’m very happy with our line-up so far. Both, Kevin and Robbie were easy decisions for a team manager to make. Both riders are friendly, outgoing and very fast riders. Each is capable of displaying just how spectacular our Honda Sportbike line-up is for 2003. With the new spec RC 51 and all new CBR 600RR coming, we knew that we would have the bikes to beat and now we have the riders to do the job.”

Testing for the team will begin in late January at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Robbie and Kevin will test the new-spec RC 51 and all-new CBR 600RR.

The Honda Canada/Orion Motorsports team is very happy to announce the extension of its relationship with distributor Parts Canada. Both Kevin Lacombe and Robbie Baird will be sporting the new line of Alpinestar leathers, boots and gloves and will also be wearing HJC helmets in 2003.

Crew chief for Kevin Lacombe and team fuel injection specialist, Scott Petrie is back with the team for a second season. Honda 600 guru, Bill Rising will be spinning wrenches on Lacombe’s CBR 600RR in hopes of gaining another 600 championship for Honda Canada.

Andrew Cuttler will be head man for new recruit Robbie Baird. Andy is excited about working with the all-powerful RC 51’s and is elated to have the chance to work with the Aussie ace. Robbie’s 600 mechanic will be announced shortly. Tina Lewis will also be continuing with the team in 2003 assisting with logistics and maintaining the team’s web page.

Negotiations are currently underway to add a third rider to the team. A corporate partner will be named as title sponsor of the team and will be announced in the coming weeks. Please click on to www.orionmotorsports.ca and www.cdnsuperbike.ca for regular updates, photos and progress with the team.

From a press release issued by Pramac Honda Press Information:

Sepang – (Malaysia) – 20/21/22 January 2003

Private tests

Wednesday 22 January

Last day of tests for the Pramac Honda team in the heat of Sepang.

Despite the thunderstorms during the night, the heat was still scorching for the final day of tests in Malaysia, where Makoto Tamada and Shinichi Itoh have been making their debut on Bridgestone-tyred Honda RC 211Vs. The very damp track dried out only in the early afternoon, and almost all the riders at Sepang went out on their bikes only at 1:30 p.m. So it was a very intense afternoon for the Pramac Honda team and for Bridgestone, who nevertheless did manage to complete their programme. In view of the huge amount of data collected and the number of materials tested in the three-day session, the initial results are considered to be very positive. Tamada and Itoh also clocked up 165 and 170 kilometres respectively over the three days. It is as though they had both completed 8 Grand Prix races at Sepang, where the World Championship race is 21 laps.

Lots of kilometres and lots of data, which has made the Bridgestone technicians very happy, as Mr. Hiroshi Yamada, manager of the motorcycle racing division of the Japanese tyre manufacturer confirmed: “We’ve gathered some extremely important data that will let us proceed with development work on our MotoGP and four-stroke project. We now have a clear idea of Makoto Tamada’s style of riding. This will let us focus our research more precisely to adapt to his style and, in more general terms, to find the best way to make further progress. We tried out a number of solutions for the rear tyre and they showed that the new model created for the MotoGP has much better balance and far greater grip than what we were using last year. We haven’t done duration tests yet, but the first results are very interesting. We know we’ve got plenty of work to do at ‘home’ to prepare for the next tests, but it’s always like that when you’re developing a new project.”

Makoto Tamada: 2:06.5 – “I’m pleased with these three days of tests, even though I still haven’t found the perfect set-up for my bike. I’m not worried about it though, because I know my potential and these tests helped me get a better feeling for the bike and adapt it to my aggressive style of braking. We’ve got lots of information from these tests that will help us improve even further in the next sessions.”

Shinichi Itoh: 2:06.5 – “I tried out many different tyres and different solutions to get a good idea about everything we need to analyse. I think I’ve been able to do a good job, and we’ve sure got a huge amount of data. I think we’ll soon be able to bridge the gap between us and the leaders.”

The next session of tests for the Pramac Honda team will be in mid-February

Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Wednesday Morning’s Fastest Lap Times (as of 12:10 p.m. Pacific Time) From AMA Pro Racing Timing & Scoring):

1. Anthony Gobert, Ducati 998RS, 1:27.279
2. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:27.644
3. Kurtis Roberts, Honda RC51, 1:27.853
4. Ben Bostrom, Honda RC51, 1:28.176
5. Larry Pegram, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.876
6. Miguel Duhamel, Honda CBR600RR, 1:29.827
7. Jamie Hacking, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:29.960
8. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.102
9. Jason DiSalvo, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.190
10. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.347
11. Aaron Gobert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.560
12. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR600RR, 1:30.898
13. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR600RR, 1:31.505
14. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:31.951

From a press release issued by Yamaha:

Steady return for Checa and Melandri in cold and windy Jerez

Jerez, Spain
21/1/2003

The new Fortuna Yamaha Team pairing of Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri made a discreet start to their first tests of 2003 today in Jerez. In cold and blustery conditions the track temperature did not rise above 19 degrees Celsius during the first of three days of testing.

Spaniard Checa completed 55 laps and recorded a best time of 1:44.3, which is over a second slower than his qualifying time at last year’s Spanish MotoGP. Having worked on dialling-in the new fuel-injection system and suspension settings on his YZR-M1 he was prevented from having his usual run of fast laps towards the end of the day by a problem with one bike.

New-boy Melandri has again made good progress as he familiarises himself with the powerful Yamaha YZR-M1 four-stroke. The 20-year-old Italian has joined the Fortuna Yamaha Team in the premier MotoGP class having become the youngest ever winner of the 250cc World Championship in 2002. He completed a total of 50 laps today with a best time of 1:43.8.

The team is testing with black fairings and neutral leathers ahead of the 20th February launch of its new Fortuna Yamaha livery.

Commenting on the day, team director Davide Brivio said: “Both riders needed today just to get back into riding after the long Christmas break. We were doing some work on the fuel-injection with Carlos but Marco was just concentrating on riding and suspension settings. The weather forecast is not great for our three days here but I hope the rain stays away.”

Lap times

Carlos Checa, (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 1:44.3
Marco Melandri, (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 1:43.8

Alex Barros, (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1:42.9
Olivier Jacque, (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1:47.8

Shinya Nakano, (d’Antin Yamaha) 1:45.2



More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM TESTS
Jerez, Spain
21 January, 2003

FRUITLESS DAY FOR FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM AS WEATHER PUTS A STOP TO TESTING

Rainy conditions last night and for most of the day today meant that the Jerez track in Spain was not able to dry out properly. Although the sun broke through late in the afternoon, the Fortuna Yamaha Team was unable to continue their second day of testing at the Spanish circuit.

“The forecast for tomorrow is not great either, unfortunately,” commented Team Director Davide Brivio. “We just have to hope that Carlos and Marco get a chance to do some more laps. It’s one of those things that you have no control over.”

The Fortuna Yamaha Team are scheduled for one more day of testing in Jerez tomorrow, and they will then move to Valencia where they will test for 25, 26 and 27 January.

From a press release issued by AMA Pro Racing:

AMA PRO RACING ANNOUNCES ALL NEW U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing will debut an all new motorcycle racing championship in 2003 based on the popular supermoto format. The series is scheduled to begin in late Spring and AMA Pro Racing plans a complete press conference and introduction during Daytona Bike Week in March.

According to Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing, the new series already has the support of the major OEMs as well as a number of national sponsors.

“It’s apparent that the marketplace is ready for this championship and AMA Pro Racing is pleased to take the leadership role in its development,” said Hollingsworth. “Supermoto, with its combination of road racing, motocross and flat track elements, is a fantastic platform for manufacturers to showcase new product and expand their marketing opportunities. Plus, there’s no better way to demonstrate rider versatility. To succeed in this series competitors will have to master several racing disciplines.”

A cross section of national caliber riders has expressed interest in competing in the series including reigning AMA Progressive Insurance U.S. Flat Track Champion Chris Carr, two-time X-Games gold medalist /freestyle motocross star Mike Metzger, five-time Daytona 200 winner Scott Russell and former World GP Champion, Kevin Schwantz. Bringing riders together from differing racing backgrounds will ensure not only a good show but broad fan appeal as well.

Races will run in conjunction with already-established AMA professional races or as stand-alone events in a number of major markets nationwide. One of the goals of the series is to offer as many riders as possible the opportunity to compete. Complete series details, including class structure and rules will be announced in March. In the meantime, anyone interested in obtaining more information should contact AMA Pro Racing’s Andy Leisner at [email protected]

From a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM – PRESS INFORMATION
SEPANG (Malaysia)
21 January 2003

BOTH CAPIROSSI AND BAYLISS IMPROVE ON SECOND DAY OF DUCATI DESMOSEDICI TESTING AT SEPANG

The second day of testing for the Ducati Marlboro Team at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia mainly revolved around set-up work on the Ducati Desmosedici. Both Capirossi and Bayliss completed a similar number of laps, 56 for Loris and 57 for Troy.

The high temperatures (air 33° C / 51° C track) enabled the team to verify the performance of the bike in difficult conditions, and confirmed the validity of the technical solutions applied so far by Ducati Corse engineers.

Both riders slightly improved their times today. Capirossi, who felt more at home on the Malaysian track, got down to a time of 2:04.4, while Bayliss continued his learning curve, but improved on yesterday’s performance to end the day with a time of 2:06.1.

“I’m pleased with the way testing went today” commented Troy at the end of the session. “My aim is above all to learn the track and establish the right feeling with the bike and the results so far show that we are on the right track. Today we concentrated on finding the best set-up for these temperatures and this type of track surface. I feel that we’ve still got a lot of room for improvement, but at the moment I prefer to concentrate on testing and set-up. As well as the Michelin tyres, today I also tried a number of different fairings, due to the high temperatures, and new gear ratios. We have to take advantage of every lap of the track to understand the bike and we’ll be doing the same sort of work tomorrow.”

“Today we did a really good job” declared Loris. “We managed to resolve many of the doubts that we had yesterday, in particular regarding grip. We tested lots of front and rear tyres and by the end of the day we had sorted out the problems of traction and spinning at the rear. This enabled me to improve on yesterday’s time and I finished with 2:04.4. We mustn’t forget however that we are only here to do testing and tomorrow will also be dedicated to the tyres and accumulating as much experience as possible because inexperience will be our worst enemy. The results that we are obtaining day after day are most satisfying and give us cause for hope. In addition these four-stroke bikes are really enjoyable to ride, the Desmosedici slides around easily, it’s great fun!”

From a press release issued by MotoEvents:

The Racing Continues

MotoEvents has renewed their commitment to quality road racing in British Columbia with the WMRC (Westwood Motorcycle Racing Club) for the 2003 British Columbia Road Race Series. Although it has taken some time, we are happy to announce the ’03 race and practice schedule. This year has a few additions to the program to add more excitement and race time for all involved.

We are able to expand our race series to 4 events at Mission Raceway. On 3 select Monday Test & Tune practice days there is the addition of a 2-hour Mini-Endurance series.

Visit www.wmrc.ca or www.motoevents.ca for more information and current releases.

2003 Schedule
T&T = Test & Tune Practice days. Admission free to spectators
Race Events = $10 admission
TBC = To Be Confirmed

April 22 – T&T / New Rider School – TBC
May 26 – T&T / Endurance Race
June 30 – WMRC Race R.1 – TBC
July 7 – T&T / Endurance Race
July 26-27 – WMRC Race R.2
Sept. 8 – T&T / Endurance Race
October 3-5 – WMRC Double HeaderRace Weekend R. 3-4

From a press release issued by Pramac Honda Press Information:

Sepang – (Malaysia) – 20/21/22 January 2003

Private tests

Tuesday 21 January

Second day of tests at Sepang. Bridgestone development work progressing, Tamada and Itoh improve their performance.

Assisted by perfect weather – clear skies and searing heat – the Pramac Honda team completed another substantial part of their work programme scheduled for these three days of test sessions. Makoto Tamada got a much better feeling for the Sepang circuit, which he went out on yesterday for the first time ever. The good weather also let the Bridgestone technicians get some excellent work done in their test programme.

Tamada tried out a number of different settings to find the best configuration that would enable him to get to grips with the track, while Itoh tried out a number of different types of front tyre. The two riders constantly exchange opinions and today they also swapped bikes in order to compare some different technical options. This is the true debut for the two riders on their Bridgestone-shod RC 211Vs and these three days are the first step in preparation for the forthcoming tests to be held here in Sepang next month.

Makoto Tamada: 61 laps – 2:07.1 – “Very hot, and a huge amount of work. As the weather was good, we went round almost non-stop all day. After a bit, you get to feel the fatigue, but this initial stage of work is very important, and I haven’t yet found the perfect settings to build up a really fast speed. Itoh and I exchange data and information, and this helps us make progress.”

Shinichi Itoh: 76 laps – 2:05.6 – “I tried out many different tyre solutions, because what we want to do is to come back here in Sepang for another session of tests in mid-February. The work we’re doing now will help us make an initial selection and make even finer choices the next time we take to the track. The solutions we tried today led to better lap times, so I very pleased with the way things are going. It’s a painstaking job but it’ll soon bear fruit.”

Maximum ground temperature: 49° C

Last day of tests tomorrow at Sepang

From a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HRC Winter Test Sepang, January 21, 2003.
Day 2 of 3 day test.

Lap Times Tumble on Second Day of HRC Sepang Test

Day two of the HRC winter test at the Sepang circuit, in Malaysia, saw all Honda RC211V riders lower their lap times from yesterday’s opening session. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi set a scorching pace on his Repsol Honda while testing tyres for team supplier Michelin. In the searing temperatures and high humidity of Sepang Rossi set a lap time 1.6 seconds faster than his best lap time during the grand prix held at Sepang October of last year.

Valentino Rossi: “Basically very happy with the results of today. The bike now seems stable and we have no chatter. It is now possible to go very fast and to keep regular fast laps. The engine feels strong and I have good traction without having to slow to stop spinning. We will keep all the settings the same for tomorrow. We have worked hard on the front today with nine different compound Michelins. Tomorrow we will work more on the rear.”

Rossi’s Repsol Honda teammate, American Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden, was feeling more at home on day two of the test. The American put in an amazing 84 laps of the circuit, lowering his lap time by over a second from yesterday as he familiarised himself with both the changes to he RCV and the Sepang circuit.

Nicky Hayden: “I’m feeling a lot more comfortable on the bike which is good but the track has taken me a lot longer to learn than I’m used to; certainly longer than the other GP tracks I’ve ridden on. It’s such a long lap time and so much wider. Although we got a faster lap time it’s been a little frustrating today and at times we seem to be going round in circles – I guess hardly surprising – it’s still early days. Tomorrow we’ll do more work with suspension setting and with tyres. Step by step!”


Fausto Gresini’s Telefonica MoviStar Honda team riders, Daijiro Kato and Sete Gibernau, put in 114 laps of the 5.548km circuit. Both men improving on their times of yesterday. Kato continued his work on the RCVs suspension throughout the day, while teammate Gibernau was learning about his new mount and the team of technicians who will work for his this season.


Daijiro Kato: “I am feeling better after being a little ill over the past two days. We worked some more on the suspension today, because while we don’t have a new bike yet, we have some parts, which have been improved, and it is up to me to put them through their paces. At the moment we are focusing on both sets of suspension, and I feel we have certainly made improvements. The weather was very hot today, and this meant that we worked in short sets of laps so we could rest more and not get tired so easily.”


Sete Gibernau: “I am happy with how things are going so far, and I’m certainly happy with my time, it’s the best I have ever done around this circuit. Obviously things are very new for all the team, because this is the first time we are getting together, so we are trying to work towards forming good habits, so that we do the right things week in week out. Once we have a set way of doing things, then we can move on to a better level. The bike is very well balanced, you know what it is going to do, and that means you can concentrate more on what you as a rider are doing, and how your body works and reacts to it.”

Tohru Ukawa, the most experienced RC211V rider of all present at the test, worked hard all day aboard his Honda Pons RCV. Ukawa tested Michelin tyres, and spent time fine tuning the fuel injection system of the five-cylinder four-stroke.

Tohru Ukawa: “Today we did the tyre testing we were unable to work on when the rain came yesterday, and after having worked solidly all day we have made good progress with them. We are also making improvements to the fuel injection, but this is just one of the new areas we are aiming at making even better. I still need to do a lot more laps on the bike because we have been working so much on the suspension before this, and while it may be still too early to say much about the season. I am confident that although there may be even more competition this season, I can still win races.”

Pramac Honda team rider Max Biaggi looked much more comfortable today than in previous outings on the RCV. The Italian has found a base set up to suit his style and he will now begin the serous work in preparation for the season.

Max Biaggi: “Today we took a great step forward. We have found a good machine balance, and the riding position is good. We only have new parts for one machine so we concentrated on that bike but we still managed to get in 47 laps. Finding the base set up and riding position has taken up two days, we didn’t event start with the Michelin test yet. Tomorrow we will see what we can do with the tyres Michelin have ready for us to test. The team are working really well and we are beginning to understand the motorcycle and each other. I have not been looking for a lap time, we have been looking for the set up to suit me and adjust the riding position.”

The Bridgestone tyre-testing programme continues to gather pace and Pramac Honda rider Makoto Tamada and HRC Honda test rider Shinichi Itoh worked hard all day. Tamada was learning the circuit while tyre testing at the same time; he lapped the Sepang circuit 2.1 seconds faster today than on the opening day of the test.

Makoto Tamada: “Very hot, and a huge amount of work. As the weather was good, we went round almost non-stop all day. After a bit, you get to feel the fatigue, but this initial stage of work is very important, and I haven’t yet found the perfect settings to build up a really fast speed. Itoh and I exchange data and information, and this helps us make progress.”

Near veteran Itoh was also faster than yesterday but the multi-talented racer and tester was more concerned about evaluating tyre performance with an eye on the future rather than a fast lap time at Sepang.

Shinichi Itoh: “I tried out many different tyre solutions, because what we want to do is to come back here in Sepang for another session of tests in mid-February. The work we’re doing now will help us make an initial selection and make even finer choices the next time we take to the track. The solutions we tried today led to better lap times, so I very pleased with the way things are going. It’s a painstaking job but it’ll soon bear fruit.”



Testing times Sepang January 21, 2003.

Valentino Rossi, ITA Repsol Honda, 2:03.5, 65 laps

Nicky Hayden, USA Repsol Honda, 2:06.6, 84 laps

Daijiro Kato, JPN Telefonica MoviStar Honda 2:04.3 56 laps

Sete Gibernau, SPA Telefonica MoviStar Honda 2:04.9, 58 laps

Tohru Ukawa, JPN Honda Pons, 2:04.9

Max Biaggi, ITA Pramac Honda Team, 2:04.5, 47 laps

Makoto Tamada, JPN Pramac Honda Team, 2:07.1, 61 laps

Shinichi Itoh, JPN HRC Honda, 2:05.6, 76 laps 76 laps