This just in from Gordy Lunde:

“The Steel Shoe Fund (a branch of the Wegman Fund) for injured dirt trackers is putting a check for $2900 in the mail tomorrow for the Dirt Track Air Fence Fund.”

(Lunde’s donation brings the Dirt Track Division of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund to $8700 in one day, enough for three sections of Air Fence for use at dirt track events.)

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

The Roadracing World Air Fence Fund is now collecting funds to buy Air Fence for use at dirt track events.

Dirt track fund donations will be accounted for and kept separate from the existing fund established for road racing use.

The dirt track division of the Fund was established after numerous requests from AMA professional dirt track racers who also road race or have road raced.

The possibility of establishing a dirt track Air Fence fund was initially discussed by dirt tracker (and former road racer) Greg Tysor and Roadracing World Air Fence Fund founder John Ulrich about two weeks ago.

Further discussions with racers and sponsors at Daytona this week led to Ulrich’s decision to charge ahead and establish the dirt track division of the fund, rather than continuing to talk about possibly doing something.

Kicking off the dirt track fund were donations of $2900 made on the behalf of Yuasa Battery, Inc. by John C. Driscoll, Director of Marketing along with another $2900 donated by AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr.

Yuasa sponsors Carr in AMA dirt track events and also sponsors the Blackmans Aprilia F-USA road racing team, which Carr is riding for this weekend at Daytona.

Donations to the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund can be made via credit card at www.roadracingworld.com or by calling (800) 464-8336 9:00-5:00 weekdays. Checks made out to Roadracing World can be mailed to Roadracing World Action Fund, P.O. Box 1428, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530. Contributors should specify whether they want their donation to go to road racing or dirt track applications.

All donations will be applied directly to the purchase, maintenance and deployment of Air Fence, and will be accounted for on www.roadracingworld.com.

The Roadracing World Air Fence Fund’s original efforts to obtain and deploy Air Fence for road racing use continue. So far the fund has contributed $104,000 to funding Air Fence for use at AMA Pro Racing events, the establishment of the Roadracing World Air Fence Fund followed by an additional $100,000 donated by Honda, Suzuki and Harley-Davidson.

The fund donated $10,000 worth of Air Fence for use at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas during CMRA and RPM events.

The fund also funded the deployment of 20 Alpina Air Fence modules at Formula USA races at Pocono in August, Portland in September and Daytona this week, as well as at next week’s WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta, using a combination of $10,000 cash along with an ad trade in Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology.

The fund is also donating 10 sections of Air Fence for use by Formula USA and CCS in 2002.

At Daytona this week, as of Sunday morning, about 8 riders had hit Alpina Air Fence modules, including one rider who highsided at the exit of the chicane, lost his helmet mid-air and hit the Air Fence backwards, head-first, without injury.

The WERA GNF at Road Atlanta next week will see a total of 55 sections of Air Fence deployed, including the 35 sections now in use by AMA Pro Racing along with the 20 sections rented for deployment at Pocono, Portland, Daytona and Road Atlanta. AMA Pro Racing officials agreed to deploy their 35 sections because WERA now has a loose affiliation with AMA Pro Racing and is hosting the final round of the 2001 AMA Pro Thunder Championship next Saturday. In a surprise move, AMA Pro officials also agreed to deploy their Air Fence on Sunday, October 21 in preparation for Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School sessions scheduled at Road Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday, before official WERA practice begins. WERA officials were coordinating deployment of the Air Fence at Road Atlanta Sunday.

Some observers at Daytona have been speculating that Speedway officials may require cooperative deployment involving Formula USA and AMA next March, with all available Air Fence deployed both during the F-USA/CCS weekend and the AMA Pro Racing weekend, which run back-to-back each spring.

From a press release issued by Team Proton KR:

Round 15: Malaysian GP, Sepang
Race Report: Sunday, October 21, 2001

Jurgen van den Goorbergh: Did Not Start
Kurtis Roberts: Did Not Finish

Proton Team KR ended a bad weekend early at today’s Malaysian GP, when Kurtis Roberts crashed out of his first ever 500-class GP on the third of 21 laps of the 5.548km Sepang circuit.

Regular rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh had already withdrawn from the race on medical advice, after suffering concussion in a crash in the final qualifying session the day before.

Kurtis’s race crash came when the American rider was lying in 18th place, getting settled to start working on improving his position. Entering the track’s first corner for the third time, the front wheel tucked under, and he fell without injury.

The race was won by new 500cc World Champion Valentino Rossi.

There is one GP remaining – at Rio de Janeiro in two weeks – before the end of the 2001 season, the last in the classic 500cc class. From next year, the premier category will be open also to 990cc four-strokes.


KURTIS ROBERTS

“Everything seemed good for the first one-and-a-half laps, then I had some problem shifting and I went into Turn Four in too high a gear. That meant I lost touch with Aoki and Cardoso on one of the V4s. I was going fine again, and I went into Turn One the same way and the same speed I have all weekend, or maybe one or two km/h faster than the lap before, when the front tucked. If you do the same thing, then the bike should behave the same way, but it didn’t. It’s down to a lack of set-up time. It could be a little because of the full tank, but it’s more that we just didn’t have a chance to get the bike right for me. I use a lot of front anyway, and this time it let go”.

KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner
“He pushed the front, and that was the end of that. The reason is that we threw the whole thing together at the last moment, and we were really short of set-up time for various reasons, including the weather. We came here unprepared, and we’re leaving unprepared. You have to expect these things under those 500 now, and he knows a bit more about it; and at circumstances. At least Kurtis has ridden a GP least Jurgen got away without any serious injuries after a heavy crash”.



More on the Malaysian Grand Prix, from a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX, SEPANG
Race Day, Sunday, October 21, 2001

A DIFFICULT DAY FOR THE MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN

Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa had another torrid day at stifling hot Sepang today, Biaggi crashing out and Checa coming home tenth in the penultimate round of the 2001 World Championship. The difficult conditions claimed a number of victims, while the race was won by recently crowned champ Valentino Rossi (Honda).

“It’s been a totally frustrating and disappointing day,” said Marlboro Yamaha Team manager Geoff Crust. “We did a lot of testing here last winter but that didn’t give us any advantage. Max’s crash was one of those racing incidents, but it must’ve been very disappointing for him. We never quite got a set-up with Carlos, he had chatter all weekend. Now we’ve got a week to clear our heads before Rio, where our main goal will be to help Max keep hold of second place in the World Championship.”

BIAGGI TUMBLES OUT
Max Biaggi was battling hard in the leading bunch when he tumbled out on lap four while trying to make a move on 2000 World Champion Kenny Roberts
(Suzuki). The Marlboro Yamaha Team man ran up the inside of the American, making contact with the RGV and sending them both to the ground. Never one to give in easily, Biaggi tried to restart but his YZR had lost a handlebar.

“I was coming through a little too fast,” explained Biaggi, who had qualified third fastest for this race. “Kenny was going for his line and I ran into him. There’s not much else to say except I’d like to give my apologies to Kenny.”

Neither rider was hurt in the incident and Biaggi will travel to Brazil next week to battle for second overall in this year’s World Championship.

CHECA TAKES TENTH
Carlos Checa ended a difficult weekend at Sepang with a dogged tenth-place finish aboard his Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR500. The Spaniard had struggled to find a set-up throughout the two days of practice, his efforts not helped by early morning rain on both days, which effectively wiped out Friday’s and Saturday’s morning sessions. Starting from the fourth row, Checa ended the first lap in tenth place, slipped to 12th and spent the later stages of the race back in tenth.

“I got a good start, that’s all I could do,” he said. “The bike was chattering and if it wasn’t chattering it was jumping around. The problems would start every time I flicked into a turn and laid the bike on its side. We tried everything to try and get around the problem and it’s hard to know what was wrong, perhaps the chatter was something to do with the engine spec we were running, I just don’t know. It’s been a frustrating weekend.”

ROSSI WINS TENTH GP
One week after securing his first 500 World Championship, Valentino Rossi took his tenth win of the year in typically emphatic style, after an entertaining early stages tussle with Loris Capirossi (Honda) and Garry McCoy (Yamaha). “I’ve had bad luck here on both the 250 and 500, so I wanted to win,” said the Italian. “I missed second gear away from the start, so the first lap was a nightmare. When I arrived behind Loris and Garry, it was hard to race with Garry because his style is so different, then I got ahead and put in four laps at a good rhythm. But the end was still tough, because the heat makes the tyres slide around so much, that’s just the way you have to ride here.”

CAPIROSSI SECOND
Loris Capirossi took a strong second, just in front of Yamaha riders Garry McCoy and Shinya Nakano, to close to within four points of Max Biaggi with one race to go. “This was a very important race for me,” said Capirossi who hit the front for a while on lap three. “I pushed very hard to get away but it was impossible because Valentino and Garry were riding so hard. I’m happy with second though.”

RESULTS
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Nastro Azzurro HONDA 44:46.652
2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) West HONDA Pons +3.551
3. Garry McCoy (AUS) Red Bull YAMAHA WCM +4.722
4. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Gauloises YAMAHA Tech 3 +5.005
5. Tohru Ukawa (JPN) Repsol YPF HONDA Team +8.807
6. Alex Criville (SPA) Repsol YPF HONDA Team +12.192
7. Alex Barros (BRA) West HONDA Pons +15.682
8. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar SUZUKI +18.772
9. Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Red Bull YAMAHA WCM +27.012
10. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team +28.829
DNF – MAX BIAGGI (ITA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Valentino Rossi 300
2. MAX BIAGGI 203
3. Loris Capirossi 199
4. Alex Barros 169
5. Shinya Nakano 148
6. Norick Abe 127
7. CARLOS CHECA 117
8. Sete Gibernau 115
9. Alex Criville 111
10. Tohru Ukawa 107


And now a press release from Team Suzuki:


KENNY SKITTLED, SETE IN TOP 10 IN MALAYSIA

World Grand Prix, Round 15, Race Result, Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, October 21.

Team Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki rider Sete Gibernau was eighth in today’s Malaysian GP, claiming the position in spite of mysterious electrical problems that had mechanics still working on his bike on the starting grid.

Team-mate Kenny Roberts, however, had his hopes of a rostrum finish at a track where he has won the last two races dashed when he was knocked off on only the fourth of 21 laps of the 5.548km Sepang circuit close to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Roberts had led the first two laps, and was fighting to maintain his position, moving to re-pass eventual winner Valentino Rossi, when he was hit from behind by Max Biaggi, and knocked flying. Although not seriously hurt, the 2000 World Champion suffered bangs, bruises and pulled muscles, and left the track to return home to the USA, to begin treatment so he can be fit again for the next race, the Rio GP in two weeks.

Gibernau’s race – his whole day – was packed with drama. In the morning warm-up, his bike developed a mysterious electrical problem that cut his session short. The team changed the ignition, but the problem struck again on the sighting lap, and mechanics worked frantically to replace the ignition once again on the starting line. The bike ran without further problems for full race distance, while Sete found himself engaged in fierce fighting from the first lap to the last. Thirteenth at the end of lap one, he made it as high as sixth in the middle stages of the race, trading places back and forth with rival factory riders until the finish.

The Malaysian GP was the 15th of 16 championship rounds, and the second-last race ever in the classic 500 class, to be replaced next year with a mixed formula which opens the premier GP class to 990cc four-strokes as well.

SETE GIBERNAU – Eighth Place

“After all the drama and replacing parts on the grid, the bike wasn’t great, and I also made some mistakes with the chassis – I could have had it set up better. I got a bad start, but I was able to make up some places. After that, I just rode it as hard as I could. I was almost crashing all the time, making up for the speed I was losing on the straights. I think I was on the floor four or five times, but somehow managed to get up again. I guess today just wasn’t meant to be our day.”

KENNY ROBERTS – Did Not Finish

“That was really disappointing. That was the most comfortable I’ve been with the bike and the tyres for a long while, and I wasn’t having any trouble with the pace. I believe I could have had a top-three rostrum finish. I led the first couple of laps, and when I got knocked off, Rossi had just passed me. He got into the turn a bit hot, and I squared it off, thinking I could get back underneath him again. But Max also got in a bit hot, and he couldn’t do anything to avoid hitting me. I was in the right place, but at the wrong time. I’ve pulled a couple of muscles in my elbow, but hopefully I can be fit for the next race.”

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager

“Sete did extremely well to keep his concentration after a recurrence of the electrical problem that cut short his warm-up in the morning. He rode aggressively, stayed in touch with the others, and did what he could with what he had. Kenny made a magnificent start, and appeared quite comfortable running with the leaders. The crash happened as he went to go inside Rossi, who ran a bit wide. Both guys rode their hearts out today, and got little or nothing in return. That makes it hard for everyone.”

SUNDAY RACE SEPANG, MALAYSIA: 1. V. Rossi (Honda) 44’46.652, 2. L. Capirossi (Honda) + 3.551, 3. G. McCoy (Yamaha) + 4.722, 4. S. Nakano (Yamaha) + 5.005, 5. T. Ukawa (Honda) + 8.807, 6. A. Criville (Honda) + 12.192, 7. A. Barros (Honda) + 15,682, 8. SETE GIBERNAU (TELEFONICA MOVISTAR SUZUKI) + 18.772, 9. N. Haga (Yamaha) + 27.012, 10. C. Checa (Yamaha) + 28.829, DNF. KENNY ROBERTS (TELEFONICA MOVISTAR SUZUKI)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS after the 15th round of 16: 1 – V. Rossi 300, 2 – M. Biaggi 203, 3 – L Capirossi 199, 4 – A. Barros 169, 5 – S. Nakano 148, 6 – N. Abe 127, 7- C. Checa 117, 8 – S. Gibernau 115, 9 – A. Criville 111, 10 – T. Ukawa 107, 11 – K. Roberts 97.




250cc Results
1. Daijiro Katoh, Japan, Honda, 43:22.487
2. Tetsuya Harada, Japan, Aprilia, -14.893 seconds
3. Fonsi Nieto, Spain, Aprilia, -15.892
4. Roberto Locatelli, Italy, Aprilia -19.748
5. Jeremy McWilliams, Great Britain, Aprilia, -35.867
6. Franco Battaini, Italy, Aprilia, -46.364
7. Naoki Matsudo, Japan, Yamaha, -46.408
8. Alex Hofmann, Germany, Aprilia, -46.731
9. Sylvain Guintoli, Aprilia, -56.513
10. Roberto Rolfo, Italy, Aprilia, -58.914
DNF, Katja Poensgen, Germany, Honda, DNF, crashed, -11 laps


125cc Results, 19 laps
1. Youichi Ui, Japan, Derbi, 43.21.269
2. Manuel Poggiali, San Marino, Gilera, -2.078 seconds
3. Lucio Cecchinello, Italy, Aprilia, -2.196
4. Daniel Perdrosa, Spain, Honda, -3.161
5. Gino Borsoi, Italy, Aprilia, -3.987
6. Toni Elias, Spain, Honda, -4.265
7. Arnaud Vincent, France, Honda, -4.468
8. Masao Azuma, Japan, Honda, -5.123
9. Mirko Giansanti, Italy, Honda, -30.026
10. Max Sabbattani, Italy, Aprilia, -30.292

Grant Lopez won the first F-USA Unlimited Superbike race at Daytona, dueling with teammate Josh Hayes until Hayes crashed in the infield dogleg on lap nine and destroyed his GSX-R750. Hayes was unhurt.

Meanwhile, points leader Shawn Higbee encountered mechanical problems, with a leaking countershaft seal, and retired on lap three.

Eric Wood finished second, weaving wildly up and down the banking from the chicane to the finish line to hold off Lee Acree, who finished third and took over the points lead with only this afternoon’s second Unlimited Superbike race still to run in the series.

Results, Unlimited Superbike Race One, 12 laps (All Suzuki GSX-R750 unless indicated)
1. Grant Lopez, fastest lap 1:53.396
2. Eric Wood, -11.102 seconds, fastest lap 1:54.118
3. Lee Acree, -11.177, fastest lap 1:53.468
4. Brian Parriott, -11.353, fastest lap 1:54.123
5. Chris Carr, Aprilia RSV1000R, -11.901, fastest lap 1:54.976
6. Mike Himmeslach, Aprilia RSV1000R, -16.076, fastest lap 1:54.902
7. Michael Barnes, -16.096, fastest lap 1:54.930
8. Chuck Chouinard, -18.237, fastest lap 1:54.565
9. Tray Batey, Aprilia RSV1000R, -19.625, fastest lap 1:54.837
10. Chris Ulrich, -23.745, fastest lap 1:54.709
11. Marco Martinez, -29.226, fastest lap 1:55.095
12. Roland Williams, -37.939, fastest lap 1:54.650
13. Mike Fitzpatrick, -47.553, fastest lap 1:57.022
14. Mark Ledesma, Aprilia RSV1000R, -47.593, fastest lap 1:57.012
15. Mike Ciccotto, -58.276, fastest lap 1:54.664 (crashed)
16. John-o Bowman
17. Dr. Jeff Purk, DDS
18. Robert Presby, Kawasaki ZX-7R
19. Ray Bowman
20. Pete Freidman
21. Dale Dandrea
22. Michael Hanley, -1 lap
23. John Porlier, Honda RC51, -1 lap
24. Nelson Suarez, Ducati 748, -1 lap
25. Josh Hayes, -4 laps, DNF, crashed




Point Standings
1. Acree, 144
2. Higbee, 139
3. Parriott, 130
4. Lopez, 123
5. Craig Connell, 82

Josh Hayes ended up on top of F-USA Unlimited Superbike qualifying at Daytona Saturday. Hayes and Lee Acree actually tied on time, both turning a best lap in 1:53.198, but Hayes’ second-fastest lap beat Acree’s second-fastest lap, 1:53.588 to 1:53.629.

Shawn Higbee, who turned a 1:52.994 backed up with a 1:53.302, was disqualified when his bike exceeded the 145-horsepower limit in post-qualifying dyno tests. Tony Fania (1:56.182), John Ashmead (1:57.619), Mike Ciccotto (1:58.174)and James Compton (1:59.433) also were disqualified for exceeding the horsepower limit.

Official qualifying times follow:

1. Josh Hayes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.198
2. Lee Acree, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.198
3. Grant Lopez, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:53.361
4. Eric Wood, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.185
5. Brian Parriott, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.514
6. Michael Barnes, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:54.651
7. Chris Carr, Aprilia RSV1000R, 1:54.755
8. Mike Himmelsbach, Aprilia RSV1000R, 1:55.576
9. Chris Ulrich, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.772
10. Tray Batey, Aprilia RSV1000R, 1:55.920
11. Chuck Chouinard, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:55.957
12. Roland Williams, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.396
13. Byron Barbour, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:56.490
14. Carlos Macias, Ducati 996, 1:57.274
15. Marco Martinez, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.556
16. Mike Luke, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:57.776
17. Mark Ledesma, Aprilia RSV1000R, 1:57.809
18. Mike Fitzpatrick, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:58.633
19. Kevin Pate, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:59.087
20. Darian Polach, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:59.087
21. John-o Bowman, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:59.799
22. Ray Bowman, Honda, 2:00.767
23. Robert Presby, Kawasaki ZX-7R, 2:00.832
24. Dr. Jeff Purk, DDS, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:00.995
25. Pete Friedman, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:03.767
26. Dale Dandrea, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:04.574
27. David McEnery, Honda RC51, 2:04.700
28. John Porlier, Honda RC51, 2:04.900
29. Nelson Suarez, Ducati 748, 2:05.495
30. Michael Hanley, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:06.759

Times Disqualified
Shawn Higbee, Suzuki GSX-R750
Tony Fania, Suzuki GSX-R750
John Ashmead, Suzuki GSX-R750
Mike Ciccotto, Suzuki GSX-R750
James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R750

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

Round 15: Malaysian GP, Sepang
Final Qualifying: Saturday, October 20, 2001

Jurgen van den Goorbergh: 15th Position, 2:08.547
Kurtis Roberts: 18th Position, 2:09.221

Proton Team KR rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh is a doubtful starter for tomorrow’s Malaysian GP, after suffering concussion in a heavy crash early in the final qualifying session. Although not otherwise injured, the Dutch rider was taken to hospital in Kuala Lumpur for observation, and the results of the medical examination will determine whether he will be fit to take part in tomorrow’s race.

One-race teammate Kurtis Roberts reversed his fortunes after crashing out of yesterday’s first timed session. Today he improved steadily as he gained familiarity with a track he has never seen before, and a motorcycle he has never ridden before. By the end of this afternoon’s final timed session he had slashed four seconds off his best time of yesterday, and was beginning to get on terms with motorcycle racing’s premier class, and to start thinking about ways to adapt the motorcycle to suit his riding style.

The Malaysian GP – 15th of 16 World Championship rounds this season – is a second home race for the Proton KR3. The team and the factory are based in England, but the Malaysian connection goes beyond just sponsorship, with the Malaysian car company’s engineers and engineering facilities an important part of the joint effort.


KURTIS ROBERTS

“I’ve never seen this track before yesterday, so it was good to have a full dry session without any trouble. We haven’t even scratched the surface yet. This bike has been developed around Jurgen, and my riding style is quite a bit different, from my experience riding Superbikes, especially in the way I load the front. We’ve got some changes to make tomorrow, and if I can get the bike to do what I want it to do, I believe I can get into the 2:08 bracket, and maybe even a bit quicker. Then I hope I can get among some of the four-cylinders, and have some fun in my first 500-class GP”.


CHUCK AKSLAND – Team Manager

“Jurgen suffered some concussion, and he is under observation. We’ll have to see how he responds tonight, and decide about racing tomorrow. Kurtis is picking up the pace. He’s only had one hour-long dry session, and already he’s just 3.5-seconds off pole time, and less than three tenths off Cardoso’s factory V4 Yamaha. We’re also starting to understand his riding style, and his braking technique, and we’ll make some improvements to the bike overnight to suit that. Considering he’s never seen the place before, he’s going good”.



And now a press release from Marlboro Yamaha:

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX, SEPANG
Final Qualifying, Saturday, October 20, 2001

MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN HAVE TORRID DAY AT BOILING SEPANG

Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa had a fraught final qualifying session at boiling-hot Sepang this afternoon, Biaggi slipping to third following a tumble and Checa struggling to 13th.

In withering heat and humidity the pair did their best to prepare for the Malaysian GP, despite another morning session run mostly in the damp. Tomorrow’s race, round 15 of the 2001 World Championship, is likely to be their toughest physical challenge of the year. “Today wasn’t such a good day, so we have a lot of work ahead of us tonight,” said Marlboro Yamaha Team Director Hiroya Atsumi. “It looked like Max got the front end bouncing on some bumps going into the final hairpin, that’s why he fell. His set-up is so-so but Carlos seems to have more of a problem here. It’s strange because he finished second at the last two races at this track but he doesn’t feel happy with the balance of his bike at the moment.”

BIAGGI THIRD AFTER FALL
Second-fastest yesterday, Max Biaggi slipped to third in this afternoon’s final Sepang qualifier after a minor tumble 20 minutes before the chequered flag. The Marlboro Yamaha Team rider was able to continue the session but unable to improve on his Friday best. Nevertheless he has qualified almost a second faster than he qualified for this event last year.

“I was trying to get myself into a good rhythm but the bike was moving around and I lost the front going into the final turn,” said the Italian. “It’s been a difficult day, this track is pretty slippery in the heat but I tried my best, so I’m a little angry after the crash. Anyway, I got back to the pits and waited until my bike was ready but I’d lost some confidence, so I wasn’t able to improve on yesterday’s time. But we’re still on the front row and that’s good.”

CHECA SLIPS TO ROW FOUR
Carlos Checa didn’t have the best of Saturdays at Sepang. Struggling to get comfortable around the sweeping Malaysian track, he slipped to 13th quickest.

“We’ve tried various different settings to improve things but I just don’t feel good on the bike here,” said the Marlboro Yamaha Team man who had been tenth in the opening qualifying session here. “Yesterday was bad and we thought we’d make some progress today. I’m still getting quite a bit of chatter in a few corners and that’s not helping. We’ll see what we can do with the set-up in the morning warm-up but I’m not expecting any miracles. I’ll just go out and get the most points I can.”

CAPIROSSI STAYS ON POLE
Loris Capirossi was one of many riders unable to improve on their Friday lap times today, but the Honda rider had been fast enough yesterday to give him his fourth pole position of 2001. Once again Italians dominate here, with Capirossi first, Valentino Rossi (Honda) second and Max Biaggi third.

“Because this morning’s session was damp I spent this afternoon testing race settings and tyres, I only stopped twice in the session,” he said. “I did have one go with soft tyres at the end but it didn’t work out.”

ROSSI SO CLOSE
Valentino Rossi may have secured his first 500 World Championship last weekend but that didn’t stop him having a last-minute go at pole position today. The Italian ended up second, just 0.075 seconds shy of Capirossi. “My guys did a great job, the bike set-up is much better today,” he said. “I could’ve got pole but I made a little mistake exiting the final corner, running up and over the kerb, which lost me some time.”

FRONT ROW
1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) West HONDA Pons 2:05.637
2. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Nastro Azzurro HONDA 2:05.712
3. MAX BIAGGI (ITA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team 2:05.842
4. Garry McCoy (AUS) Red Bull YAMAHA WCM 2:05.961
13. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) Marlboro YAMAHA Team 2:07.751



Saturday 500cc Grand Prix Qualifying Times:
1. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 2:05.712
2. Garry McCoy, Yamaha, 2:05.961
3. Loris Capirossi, Honda, 2:06.265
4. Alex Barros, Honda, 2:06.465
5. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 2:06.686
6. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki, 2:06.736
7. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 2:06.755
8. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 2:06.877
9. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 2:06.905
10. Alex Criville, Honda, 2:06.984
11. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 2:07.055
12. Max Biaggi, Yamaha, 2:07.152
13. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 2:07.751
14. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, 2:07.796
15. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha, 2:08.936
16. Kurtis Roberts, Proton, 2:09.221
17. Anthony West, Honda, 2:09.383
18. Haruchika Aoki, Honda, 2:09.705
19. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Proton, 2:09.845
20. Barry Veneman, Honda, 2:11.695

Saturday 250cc Grand Prix Qualifying Times:
1. Daijiro Katoh, Honda, 2:08.151
2. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 2:09.024
3. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, 2:09.358
4. Roberto Rolfo, Aprilia, 2:09.531
5. Tetsuya Harada, Aprilia, 2:09.699
6. Roberto Locatelli, Aprlia, 2:09.813
7. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, 2:09.872
8. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 2:09.901
9. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 2:09.920
10. Shahrol Yuzy, Yamaha, 2:10.348
26. Katja Poensgen, Honda, 2:14.568

Saturday 125cc Grand Prix Qualifying Times:
1. Youichi Ui, Derbi, 2:15.516
2. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 2:15.615
3. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 2:15.683
4. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, 2:15.981
5. Angel Nieto, Jr., Honda, 2:16.054
6. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, 2:16.165
7. Toni Elias, Honda, 2:16.409
8. Simone Sanna, Aprilia, 2:16.533
9. Arnaud Vincent, Honda, 2:16.706
10. Jaroslav Hules, Honda, 2:16.759



Final 500cc Grid:
1. Capirossi, 2:05.637
2. Rossi, 2:05.712
3. Biaggi, 2:05.842
4. McCoy, 2:05.961
5. Barros, 2:06.465
6. Nakano, 2:06.489
7. Jacque, 2:06.686
8. Gibernau, 2:06.736
9. Kenny Roberts, 2:06.755
10. Abe, 2:06.877
11. Criville, 2:06.984
12. Ukawa, 2:07.055
13. Checa, 2:07.751
14. Haga, 2:07.796
15. van den Goorbergh, 2:08.547
16. Aoki, 2:08.899
17. Cardoso, 2:08.936
18. Kurtis Roberts, 2:09.221
19. Anthony West, 2:09.383
20. Veneman, 2:11.695
21. Leon Haslam, 2:11.932
22. Stigefelt, 2:11.998
23. Brendan Clarke, 2:12.903

Copyright 2001, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Aprilia USA will not sponsor the Aprilia Challenge Cup as a National Series in 2002 and will instead support local contingency programs and a season-ending final, along the lines of the Suzuki Cup Finals.

The change was announced in a press release issued by Aprilia on October 17. The release quoted Aprilia USA General Manager Tom McDonald as saying, “The Aprilia Cup will shift to more of a local series with contingency money posted in local clubs. Aprilia’s reputation has been built on racing, and we still want local racers to have contingencies available closer to home, and perhaps involve their local Aprilia dealerships in their racing programs.”

A season-ending National Championship round for the Aprilia Cup series may be organized with the top local racers competing for $20,000 in purse and show money. Aprilia USA Marketing Coordinator Robert Pandya is quoted in the release as saying that possible specialty categories, such as the Heavyweight Division in the 2001 season, are being considered “to allow greater parity for Aprilia Cup racers.”

Aprilia USA says that final details of the program will be announced at a later date along with contingency information for Aprilia Mille racers.

Formula USA’s Bill Syfan said that Aprilia USA has already approached him about hosting the season-ending Aprilia Cup Final.