Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Formula Xtreme Practice Times:

1. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda CBR954RR, 1:25.019
2. Ben Spies, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.344
3. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha YZF-R7/R1, 1:25.427
4. Jake Zemke, Honda CBR954RR, 1:25.485
5. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:25.591
6. Marty Craggill, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.192
7. Tom Kipp, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:26.775
8. Mike Hale, Honda CBR954RR, 1:26.858
9. Adam Fergusson, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:27.133
10. Lance Isaacs, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:27.697
11. Alex Gobert, Honda CBR954RR, 1:28.896
12. Geoff May, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:28.920
13. Jason Curtis, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:29.724
14. Mark Crozier, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:29.936
15. James Compton, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:30.743
16. Scott Carpenter, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:31.001
17. Jeff Bostrom, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:32.122
18. Jamie Thompson, Suzuki, 1:33.127
19. Chuck Allen, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:33.426
20. James Kerker, Honda, 1:35.259

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

MotoGP Final Results From Le Mans:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 34:22.335, 22 laps
2. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, -0.217 seconds
3. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, -0.604
4. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, -1.701
5. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, -8.464
6. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, -10.212
7. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, -12.437
8. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, -15.231
9. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, -17.155
10. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, -21.847
11. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, -25.121
12. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, -25.919
13. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, -26.227
14. Jean-Michel Bayle, Yamaha YZR500, -27.011
15. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, -30.342
16. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, -36.574
17. Daijiro Kato, Honda NSR500, -10 laps, DNF, crashed
18. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, -11 laps, DNF, retired
19. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, -11 laps, DNF, retired
20. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, -13 laps, crashed

World Championship Point Standings:
1. Rossi, 95 points
2. Ukawa, 61 points
3. Capirossi, 45 points
4. Abe, 43 points
5. Kato, 39 points
6. Barros, 29 points
7. Aoki, 28 points
8. Checa, 27 points
9. Biaggi, 23 points
10. Ryo, 20 points
11. Roberts, 19 points
12. Laconi, 18 points
13. TIE, Jacque/Harada, 15 points
15. Hopkins, 14 points
16. Itoh, 13 points
17. TIE, Nakanao/Gibernau/Goorbergh, 11 points
20. McCoy, 7 points
21. McWilliams, 6 points
22. Riba, 3 points
23. Bayle, 2 points


More, from an Aprilia press release:

Laconi and the Cube ninth past the chequered flag at Le Mans.

Régis Laconi’s record holds: for the 28th time in a row, he made the points zone in motorcycling’s leading class.

The Cube and Régis made points again today, coming in ninth. Régis made a further step forward with his personal record by making the points zone for the 28th consecutive time in the number one class.

The MotoGP race was stopped by rain on the 21st lap, five laps before the scheduled end. Laconi rode as spirited a race as ever, urged on even more by the presence of his home public. At the end of the race, the 135,000 spectators at Le Mans roared a spectacular “OLA” for Régis, who was called to the podium to greet the crowd. After a rather poor start, Laconi immediately started fighting his way past the others. He gradually worked his way up to ninth place, 17 seconds from Rossi, the winner, with the best result obtained so far by the RS Cube on a dry track. An indication of the progress being made day by day by the project team.

# 55 Régis Laconi – (MS APRILIA RACING) – 9th – 34:39.430
“The rain came during the closing stages of the race and it was right for it to be stopped. The curbing is used a lot on this track and when the first drops came down, they started getting very slippery. It would have been a pity to ruin a great race like the one today in France. I didn’t make a fast start at the green light, and let the clutch slip too much: I was last round the first curve and it was hard work making my way up towards the heart of the pack. On this track, it isn’t easy to get past opponents while braking, so it was pretty tough. At the start, I felt the weight of the full tank and sensed that this was making the front tyre less stable. Even so, I did all I could to ride fast and aggressively. Today, the Cube distilled the results of all the work we’ve done here at Le Mans over the past few days. The configuration’s good and it let me get the best result with the Cube so far on a dry track. The team did a really great job. After the pressure I felt racing on my home track, we’re now off to Mugello, another venue where I’ll have to do my best: it’s the track of my second home – Italy.”


More, from a Red Bull Yamaha press release:

FRENCH GRAND PRIX – LE MANS – SUNDAY 19TH MAY RACE DAY

Red Bull Yamaha rider, John “Hopper” Hopkins, a newcomer to the Moto GP this year, finished his 4th GP of the Season with his best result to date, in 11th place. Hopkins was competing against 19 other riders who on a combined average have 104 GPs each so Hopper with only 4 starts has excelled in his performance today. Hopkins teamed up this weekend with the 2002 Red Bull Test Rider, the legendary Jean-Michel Bayle who finished the race in 14th place after only riding in the Saturday practice and qualifying session due to Garry McCoy’s withdrawal on Friday evening. The race was red – flagged on the 21st of 28 laps due to rain.

John Hopkins – 11th Place
World Championship Classification 15th – Fourteen points

“I felt really good racing today and on the starting grid I had my sights set on catching the guys 2 rows ahead of me. I had a really good start and it all got a bit wild going into the first chicane but I just put my head down and worked my way through the field. I had Jean-Michel on my tail in the first early laps but I was focused on the riders in front of me and I started to chase down McWilliams. I moved up to 12th position and I was determined to chase down Sete Gibernau. I thought I could take him on the back double apex so I planned my move, got a good early line, held it tight and just flew on by. I am finding that my strongest point on the bike is under braking. I am so happy again to have scored points for Red Bull Yamaha. This is my best ever result in the Moto GP and only my 4th GP ever. I turn 19 next week so it looks like the week is off to a good start for me.”

Colin Davies (Race Engineer – John Hopkins)

“We are pleased with John’s performance today and we are really happy with the race set up we have found for him. He continues to improve each race and this is his best result of the year, so, yes, I am pleased with the progress we are making.”

Jean-Michel Bayle – 14th place – scoring 2 points

“I had some trouble at the beginning of the race with the grip of the tyres but as the race progressed I was getting faster and able to slide the bike some more. As I did not ride on Friday I was short on set-up time but it’s good that I finished in the points. I really need some more time to set this bike up for myself and some more time on the track. Today though, I did not want to do anything crazy or crash and I wanted to improve on my time each lap. It is not so bad, 2 points but we still have some work to do with the bike and tyres.”

Christophe Bourguignon (Race Engineer – Jean- Michel Bayle)
“Very delighted with today’s session. It took him a few laps to get into the race but after lap 10 he improved almost every lap, catching the riders in front of him. Today Jean-Michel raced with a soft front and a medium rear Dunlop.”

Peter Clifford – Team Manager
“A wonderful ride from both guys. Not only was John Hopkins’ result excellent but his race pace equalled even those in front of him as it did at the last race at Jerez. So this is real solid progress for John.

“Jean-Michel Bayle had a great ride today also and he clocked his fastest lap of the race on Lap 18 at 1:38.336 which shows he was getting quicker as the race progressed. We are obviously very happy to continue with Jean-Michel Bayle as our test rider for the remainder of the year.”


More, from a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

FRENCH GRAND PRIX, LE MANS
Race Day, Sunday May 19 2002

MARLBORO YAMAHA MAKE ‘HUGE PROGRESS’ AT LE MANS
Marlboro Yamaha Team riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa played a starring role in today’s wet ‘n’ dry French Grand Prix at Le Mans. Benefiting from crucial improvements to the YZR-M1’s computer-controlled engine-braking system, the pair ran up front until Checa tumbled out, leaving Biaggi to briefly lead before finishing third.

This was the best weekend so far for the mighty M1, with Checa and Biaggi qualifying second and third quickest, and Biaggi’s bike the fastest in the race, clocking 297kmh on Le Mans’ uphill start/finish straight, 2.2kmh faster than winner Valentino Rossi’s Honda RCV.

“The bike looked okay here, we were more competitive,” said Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “We didn’t get the win but we were close to the winner. I hope this weekend will prove to be a restart for our team, just like Le Mans was last year when Max won and Carlos got second. We showed that the bike is fast and we’ve started to close the gap on the Honda, which is huge progress since the last race. The new parts for the engine-braking system made a big difference and we have a new chassis on the
way for both riders for the next race at Mugello. The aim is to improve handling and turning, though Max and Carlos will start the Italian GP weekend with one new chassis and one existing chassis each, because we aren’t able to go testing before the event. Max’s result was a real boost for the team and the factory, so my thanks go to everyone: our crew, the Yamaha engineers and Michelin, too.”

BIAGGI LEADS FRENCH GP, FINISHES THIRD
Max Biaggi scored a first podium finish with his Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 in tricky conditions at Le Mans this afternoon. The Italian rode hard
throughout, chasing the leading Honda duo of Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa and moving ahead when drizzle began to fall at the top of the circuit. For several laps the trio were more than a second off their usual pace, Biaggi then slipping to second as Ukawa went in front. When heavier rain began to fall the race was red flagged, six laps short of full distance, Biaggi credited with third place, just 0.604 seconds behind winner Rossi.

“Maybe a win was too much to ask for today because our last race was a real struggle,” smiled Biaggi, who had had a luckless start to the season, including an exclusion from the Spanish GP two weeks ago. “I’m very pleased with today’s result, though it was a very difficult race with the rain coming and going and making the track very slippery in places. It was also great to follow Rossi and Ukawa, though they seemed to have an advantage in the slower corners and that’s what we must work on next. I’m also pleased for Yamaha and I’d like to thank everyone within the factory and the team for their work.

CHECA OUT OF LUCK AGAIN
Carlos Checa was looking good for his second podium finish of the year until he crashed on gravel that had been scattered on to the Chemin aux Boeufs chicane by a rival’s earlier off-track excursion. At the time the Marlboro Yamaha Team man had been shadowing team-mate Max Biaggi, Ukawa and Rossi, waiting for the race to develop before deciding on his late-race strategy.

“Rossi had slowed a little which allowed me and Max to close the gap,” said a bitterly disappointed Checa after his second DNF in a row. “As I went to flick the bike right in the chicane I saw Max move a little, like he was avoiding something, but it was too late for me to change the line, so I hit the gravel and lost it. I never saw any warning flags, so I didn’t know there was a problem at that corner. It was very bad luck, especially since everything had been going so well; the bike felt good and I felt
comfortable. It’s a real shame, but we must keep looking forward to the next race.”



ROSSI WINS AGAIN TO EXTEND LEAD
Valentino Rossi won his third race of the year today, beating team-mate Tohru Ukawa by just 0.217 seconds. Starting from pole position, the Italian led the first half of the race before slipping to third as drizzle fell, then fighting back to take the lead just before the red flags came out. “The rain made that very difficult,” said Rossi. “It only rained on one part of the track and some laps it was more slippery than others. I started to push again near the end and I was lucky to be ahead when the race was stopped.”

Daijiro Kato (Honda) fell victim to the rain while chasing the leaders, tumbling spectacularly at the first chicane. He was unhurt.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Le Mans 125cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 24 laps, 42:09.029
2. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, -0.076
3. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, -0.604
4. Arnaud Vincent, Aprilia, -0.865
5. Masao Azuma, Honda, -0.943
6. Pablo Nieto, Aprilia, -1.618
7. Stefano Bianco, Aprilia, -3.769
8. Mika Kallio, Honda, -8.680
9. Andrea Dovizioso, Honda, -8.915
10. Gino Borsoi, Aprilia, -9.534

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.



First Person/Opinion

By John Ulrich

Anthony Gobert was definitely helped by Alpina Air Modules when he crashed in turn three at Road Atlanta on Friday.

That’s the conclusion I reached after seeing videotape of the crash replayed frame-by-frame by Race Promotions Management’s Dan Murphy in the AMA trailer at Road Atlanta.

Although two sections of Air Modules pulled apart at the bottom after Gobert’s hit, and even though the sections then flew upwards, the Modules could be seen absorbing energy and deforming as Gobert contacted them.

It’s impossible to know, however, if Gobert would have fared even better if the Modules were properly secured at the bottom, as specified by the manufacturer, Alpina Safety Systems. Tying the Modules off at the bottom as well as at the top could have theoretically kept the Modules on the ground and together longer during the impact sequence.

The Alpina Modules feature tie-off points on both the top and bottom of the back side, at each end. The crew assigned to tie off the Modules after they had been inflated and positioned were not told the Modules had tie-off points on the bottom, and, as result, only tied the Modules off at the top.

The Modules in question are part of 36 Alpina Air Module and Air Fence sections owned by AMA Pro Racing. The AMA Pro Racing sections were deployed on Thursday night.

An additional 20 Alpina Modules deployed at Road Atlanta were rented from Dan Lance, whose Flag Services company now owns and operates Alpina’s U.S. rental service, and came with a deployment and maintenance crew. Those Modules were deployed Monday night, prior to the start of several days of track operations by the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki School, and were secured both top and bottom at each end. In areas where the Alpina Modules were deployed in front of concrete walls, the Alpina crew drilled holes into the concrete and installed expanding nuts and eyebolts to secure the Modules.

The rental fee for the 20 Alpina Modules was split between the race promoter (Race Promotion Management), Road Atlanta and American Suzuki. The Roadracingworld.com Action Fund also offered to help fund the program and guaranteed that Alpina’s rental fee would be paid despite the absence of a signed contract at the time of deployment.

A relative of a racer also offered a donation after spreading a false rumor among racers and media representatives that there would be no Air Fence or Air Modules in use at Road Atlanta, and that the race promoters would be using haybales only. While the race promoters bought 2200 haybales to supplement the soft barriers, the AMA’s soft barriers were always going to be used.

Dan Lance of Flag Services/Alpina Safety Systems said that he received a check for the full amount of the rental fee from Mike Swaine of Road Atlanta on Tuesday prior to the race weekend, after completing installation of the Modules as per the agreement.

I’ve suggested that a simple installation instructions sheet, complete with diagrams showing the tie-off points and how to route ropes securing the sections, be produced and issued to everyone involved in installing soft barriers owned by AMA Pro Racing in the future.

Ultimately, the embankment outside turn three at Road Atlanta needs to be moved back far enough make room for adequate run-off room and a gravel trap, allowing them to slow down or stop before contacting any soft barriers.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning MotoGP Practice Times From Le Mans:

1. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 1:36.524
2. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 1:36.902
3. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:37.237
4. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 1:37.296
5. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 1:37.441
6. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 1:37.558
7. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 1:37.597
8. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.600
9. Daijiro Kato, Honda NSR500, 1:37.711
10. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 1:37.771
11. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:37.799
12. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, 1:37.869
13. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, 1:38.019
14. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 1:38.035
15. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 1:38.184
16. Jean-Michel Bayle, Yamaha YZR500, 1:38.295
17. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, 1:38.344
18. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 1:38.595
19. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, 1:39.420
20. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 1:39.629

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Le Mans 250cc Grand Prix Results:

1. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 26 laps, 43:41.140
2. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, -0.252
3. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, -6.431
4. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, -6.604
5. Roberto Rolfo, Honda, -11.527
6. Toni Elais, Aprilia, -13.157
7. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, -13.870
8. Sebastian Porto, Yamaha, -20.077
9. Alex Debon, Aprilia, -28.557
10. David Checa, Aprilia, -28.684
11. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, -28.892
12. Taro Sekiguchi, Yamaha, -35.148
13. Shahrol Yuzy, Yamaha, -35.344
14. Hector Faubel, Aprilia, -56.484
15. Jay Vincent, Honda, -56.894

22. Casey Stoner, Aprilia, -17 laps, DNF, crash
23. Franco Battaini, Aprilia, -17 laps, DNF, crash
24. Haruchika Aoki, Honda, -22 laps, DNF, retired
25. Leon Haslam, Honda, -24 laps, DNF, retired

More from an Aprilia prass release:
Marco Melandri second. An all-Aprilia podium with Nieto first and De Puniet third.

The last two laps of the 250 were dominated by a hard-fought duel between Marco Melandri and Fonsi Nieto. Macio paved the way for the closing stages of the race as from the 12th lap when he overtook De Puniet and Locatelli, before going after Nieto who was getting ready to break away. Once he had made contact with the Spaniard, the two riders battled it out making one lap record after the other. A rapid cut and thrust which took them to the finishing line just two tenths apart. Nieto was victorious, and the first four places were all Aprilia.


Marco Melandri # 3 (MS APRILIA RACING) – 2nd – 43’41.392


“When I saw Nieto all set to move out ahead, I decided to go for it: I slipped past De Puniet and then Locatelli and headed out to catch the leader. I must say I had some difficulty in the last part of the track. This was a race I really didn’t want to lose, so on the penultimate lap I decided to draw up a strategy for the end of the race, and I found a place where I could get past Nieto. I wasn’t going to run the risk of making contact and waste a good result. Fonsi braked in the chicane, so I too had to touch the brakes while the bike was down. I lost ground and time: five metres which was hard to recoup, partly because I wasn’t so fast when I came out of the Dunlop.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Sunday Morning Supersport Practice Lap Times:

1. Aaron Yates, Suzuki, 1:27.469
2. Jamie Hacking, Suzuki, 1:27.691
3. Ben Spies, Suzuki, 1:28.117
4. Tommy Hayden, Kawasaki, 1:28.144
5. Tom Kipp, Suzuki, 1:28.208
6. Roger Lee Hayden, Honda, 1:28.371
7. Damon Buckmaster, Yamaha, 1:28.489
8. Jason Pridmore, Suzuki, 1:29.134
9. Andrew Nelson, Honda, 1:29.366
10. Tony Meiring, Kawasaki, 1:29.878
11. Mike Hale, Honda, 1:30.043
12. Alex Gobert, Honda, 1:30.225
13. Jimmy Filice, Kawasaki, 1:30.629
14. Jake Zemke, Honda, 1:31.068
15. Michael Hannas, Kawasaki, 1:31.235
16. Ty Howard, Suzuki, 1:31.468
17. Tyler Wadsworth, Yamaha, 1:31.534
18. Jeff Muskopf, Suzuki, 1:33.006
19. James Stroud, Suzuki, 1:34.032
20. Kevin Pate, Suzuki, 1:34.155

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

After riding in Sunday morning AMA Superbike practice, HMC Ducati’s Doug Chandler has decided that he will not race today at Road Atlanta.

“The bruises on his left foot aren’t allowing him to move around on the bike like he wants to,” said HMC Ducati Press Officer Wendy Hogg. “He doesn’t want to aggravate it further and wants to be ready for Pikes Peak.”

Hogg also said that, despite his bruises, a sprained thumb and a sprained ankle, Chandler was really happy that he hit inflatable soft barriers.

“I thought the Air Fence did a really good job. When I hit it, I just bounced off,” Hogg quoted Chandler as saying.

More, from a medical update released by Road Atlanta:

Doug Chandler will miss today’s Superbike race. He has a very bruised left hip, and a sprained left ankle ankle from his crash in Saturday’s qualifying. He missed yesterday’s race as well.

More. from a HMC Ducati press release:

HMC Ducati Rider Doug Chandler will not compete in today’s AMA Superbike race at Road Atlanta due to injuries sustained in a crash during yesterday’s final qualifying session. Despite considerable pain, Chandler rode in this morning’s warm-up session but was forced to retire early. His injuries, which include a dislocated right thumb, a bruised left foot and bruising to the left hip, are all relatively minor but are severely restricting his movement on the bike.

Chandler was running fourth fastest in the qualifying session when he high sided in turn three, coming down hard on his left side before tumbling into the air fence. X-rays at the local hospital showed no sign of bone damage but both rider and team feel it best not to aggravate the injuries and concentrate their attention on Colorado in two weeks.

“I was really happy with the bike’s set-up and handling in the qualifying session,” said Chandler. “We were on a new tire and I was trying to do a good lap. I got a good drive up the hill and got through the kink but I must have been carrying more speed than I normally would have, which is a shame because I already had it in the back of my mind not to mess with that corner, but I was already going through there too fast and the back let go. There’s no room for error [in turn three] and I’d already backed it off a notch, but it obviously wasn’t enough.

“Of all the points to hurt these are the worst ones. Your right hand is your throttle and brake. I can’t lift my leg on the shifter and it’s difficult to move around properly on the bike, so it’s best to leave it for this race and get ready for Colorado.”

From a press release issued by race promoters Formula Xtreme Promotions:

BAIRD AND CURTAIN SHARE XTREME SPOILS AT EASTERN CREEK

Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway provided race fans with some of the best action seen in this year’s series, which was evident by the number of class lap records that were broken.

One lap record that wasn’t broken was that of the premier Formula Xtreme class. That didn’t mean that the pace wasn’t there, quite the contrary actually as the battle for supremacy came down to a battle between the two major Yamaha teams competing in this years series, Radar’s Team Yamaha and Bio Magnetics Sport.

At the end of the day it was the Radar’s Team Yamaha pair of defending champion Robbie Baird and former three times champion Kevin Curtain who came away with two wins apiece from the four 8-lap Formula Xtreme races held.

Baird’s two wins and two second place finishes saw him take out the round win, plus an extended lead in the series points chase as he now totals 259. Curtain continues to hold second overall with 235 points courtesy of his two race wins which followed a fourth and fifth in the opening two races.

The pair were challenged all the way by the Bio Magnetics Sport Yamaha YZF-R1 rider, Daniel and Jamie Stauffer. Daniel offered the strongest challenge and was in the thick of the action all day in what has been his best ride for the team this year. He finished the weekend with two seconds and two thirds.

Leading privateer riders on the day were: A Grade – Luke Phillips (RMS Performance Engines Honda CBR929RR); B Grade – Brendan McIntyre (Western Motorcycles Suzuki GSX-R1000); C&D Grade – Glenn Warland (Yamaha YZF R1)


Buell NakedBikes/Streetfighter NK Lites
Arriving at Eastern Creek this weekend, Craig Trinder (Bio Magnetics Sport Yamaha FZ1) was the only rider in the Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State series that remained unbeaten after two rounds of the series.

That run came to an end this weekend, when the veteran Queenslander was forced to share two wins apiece with the Gulf Western Oils Yamaha FZ1 of Lithgow’s Dave Butler.

The two emerged equal on points for the round after four closely fought races that had the pair split by just 0.051 of a second in race 3 and 0.064 of a second in race four. The two also swapped new lap records with Trinder setting the new mark with a 1:37.665.

Third overall on the day went to Michael Thomas (Wet4U Racing Kawasaki ZRX 1100) who scored three thirds and a fifth, while Leo Cash (Pirelli Yamaha FZ1) was fourth after scoring a third, two fourths and a sixth.

The Streetfighter NK Lites class saw Victorian rider Rob Hermans take the overall round win with four wins aboard his Buell Dealer Team Buell X1. The wins further extend his points lead in the category and he is a clear leader over Mick Matheson (Performance Streetbike Honda 600 Hornet).

Matheson continues to improve on the Honda and finished the day with two seconds, a third and a fourth. Third home was Sam Lucchetti aboard the Blacktown Harley & Buell X1.

FX PRO-TWINS
Defending champion Craig McMartin was again the man to beat as he debuted a brand new Ducati 998S and made full use of the new bike.

He dominated the round taking a clean sweep by taking pole position for the opening race, before taking to the track and grabbing four straight wins.

He is now in a commanding position in the class with 283 points, well clear of Peter Hinton (BEARs Racing Ducati 998S) and Mike Soderland (JSG Gowanloch Aprilia RSV)

Second overall today was Dave Butler aboard his BEAR’s Racing Ducati who finished the day with three seconds and a third.

Third overall went to Peter Hinton, making it a trifecta for the Ducati riders as they held off the advances of a horde of Aprilia’s Honda’s and Suzuki’s.

YAMAHA SUPERSPORT
The Yamaha Supersport races were four of the most hotly contested of the weekend, even though it was essentially between two riders.

The fierce battle was held between current points leader Kevin Curtain (Radar’s Team Yamaha YZF R6) and Jamie Stauffer (Bio Magnetics Sport Yamaha YZF R6).

Starting from pole position, Stauffer was in a determined mood and was not keen to give Curtain a sniff of the race lead. He confirmed his speed by taking three race wins, with Curtain scoring just one. Stauffer was also credited with a new lap record (1:35.973), the day after Curtain set the new mark.

With three rounds now complete, Curtain holds a handy points lead with a
total of 259, with Jamie Stauffer second with 185. Third overall is Victorian Cameron Donald with a total of 140.


EXEL APRILIA CHALLENGE
Queensland veteran John Allen has become a regular in recent rounds of the EXEL Aprilia Challenge and was out to show the young up and coming riders of the sport the quick way around.

He was in great form aboard his Aluma Lite Racing Aprilia, winning the opening three races. He looked to be in a position to make it four from four but tangled with Dustin Goldsmith (GC Performance Aprilia) on the final lap and crashed after running off the circuit at Turn Four.

Goldsmith went on to take the race win and the overall win for the day after he finished second to Allen in each of the first three races.

Third overall was Cameron Dale who scored a second, two thirds and a fourth.

Goldsmith now takes the series points lead with 218, pushing Josh Forster to second with 198, with Allen moving to third with 168.


FORMULA OZ
Kawasaki Superbike rider Alistair Maxwell proved to be the man to beat in the Formula Oz class this weekend. The Albury rider took pole position during qualifying before taking to the track aboard his ZX-7R and taking three race victories from the four races.

John Allen chased hard all weekend aboard the Aluma Lite Racing Honda NSR500V GP bike, finishing the weekend a win and three seconds.

Maxwell holds the series lead ahead of Allen with 250GP rider Mark Stanley third after scoring three thirds and an eighth.


GULF WESTERN FORMULA X UNLIMITED
Michael Wright made it three consecutive race wins in the Gulf Western Formula X Unlimited aboard his Honda CBR929RR.

The race brings together the best C&D Grade riders of the weekend in an opportunity to show their skills without the distraction of having a host of quicker A&B grade riders in attendance.

Second in today’s race was Steve Vece aboard his Doin’ Bikes Honda CBR929RR, with James Spence third aboard his Circuit Breakers Yamaha YZF R1.

The next round of the 2002 Yamaha Xtreme Tri-State will be held at Queensland Raceway on June 29 & 30.