From a Superside press release:

Sidecar World Champion Steve Webster qualified fastest for tomorrow’s race, held in conjunction with the Superbike World Championship event at Oschersleben, Germany.

Points leader Klaus Klaffenbock, who was unable to make an impression in yesterday’s first qualifying session because of engine trouble, bounced back today to finish fourth-fastest in Saturday-morning qualifying for the seventh round of the Championship.

Klaffenbock and Webster, who shaved half a second off yesterday’s time, are running neck-and-neck at the top of the points standings.

But they both know that it will be difficult to have it their own way this weekend as Steve Abbott poses a major threat, having finished all three sessions in second place.

Jorg Steinhausen completed the front row on home territory by claiming third in the dying seconds of the sunny session.

British wildcards and multiple TT winners, Rob Fisher and Rick Long, dropped almost four seconds to qualify in sixth position.

Qualifying Results:

1. Webster/Woodhead, 1:32.428
2. Abbott/Biggs, 1:33.077
3. Steinhausen/Hopkinson, 1:33.885
4. Klaffenbock/Parzer, 1:34.538
5. Hanks/Biggs, 1:35.495
6. Fisher/Long, 1:35.792
7. Guy/Peach, 1:35.842
8. Muldoon/Crone, 1:36.823
9. Schroder/Waffler, 1:36.963
10. Van Gils/Van Gils, 1:37.078

By Glenn LeSanto


Things haven’t gone all Troy Corser’s way in recent months. After making the perfect start to the season with a double win in the first round at Valencia, Corser’s season been one of ups and downs. At one stage it got tricky for him with suggestions in the press that the Aprilia Team weren’t happy with Corser’s commitment. Corser countered by claiming that his tires were giving problems, something that didn’t at first register on Aprilia’s data loggers, and that he was as committed as ever. Then, the technicians found the problem and it was reported that Corser’s Dunlop tires weren’t true – they were more oval than round!

The problem seems to have been solved, given Corser’s performance today. The only rider to make it into the 1:27 bracket, he lapped at 1:27.868 to top the session ahead of Troy Bayliss on the Infostrada Ducati at 1:28.146.

“That wasn’t so bad,” commented Bayliss after the session. “but we’ve got more up our sleeves for tomorrow.”

Ben Bostrom, who admitted that he felt very rusty before getting on the bike soon loosened up to finish Friday qualifying in provisional third, just behind Bayliss on 1:28.146. Bostrom wasn’t 100 percent happy with his bike, though, saying “the bike isn’t doing exactly what I want it to do.”

Bostrom’s sparring partner in many of the recent races in the WSB series, Neil Hodgson, struggled in his first-ever visit to the track. Hodgson’s teammate, James Toseland, who also hasn’t been to Oschersleben before, finished the session 12th-fastest, one ahead of Hodgson. The GSE Team, which competed in British Superbikes last year, has never been to the track, near Magdeburg in Germany, so the crew men need to find settings and the riders need to learn the track. Last year was the first season WSB racing had visited the circuit.

Ruben Xaus showed he’s a young rider with potential finishing today in provisional fourth, just ahead of Superbike World Champion Colin Edwards with a time of 1:28.392 compared to Edwards’ 1:28.396. Tady Okada, who has said he learned a lot from riding the VTR at the recent Suzuka 8-hours race, was sixth-fastest today.

Superbike World Championship qualifying
Friday, August 31, Best times:

1. Troy Corser, Australia, Aprilia, 1:27.868
2. Troy Bayliss, Australia, Ducati, 1:28.146
3. Ben Bostrom, USA, Ducati, 1:28.268,
4. Ruben Xaus, Spain, Ducati, 1:28.392
5. Colin Edwards, USA, Honda, 1:28.396
6. Tady Okada, Japan, Honda, 1:28.493
7. Regis Laconi, France, Aprilia, 1:28.524
8. Stephane Chambon, France, Suzuki, 1:28.900
9. Gregorio Lavilla, Spain, Kawasaki, 1:28.907
10. Akira Yanagawa, Japan, Kawasaki, 1:28.923

Inside sources have confirmed that Yamaha is considering abandoning AMA Superbike unless Anthony Gobert re-signs for 2002.

The latest information turns what had been a rumor into a fact. Final word on what Gobert will do – and the fate of Yamaha’s Superbike program – is expected later today.

This press release from Team Ten Kate Honda reveals the benefit of stand-alone test sessions for well-funded teams. Which may also explain why AMA Superbike teams have been testing at Willow Springs this week.

The press release follows:

Ten Kate Honda reap the benefits of a month’s hard work

While the Supersport circus took a month off from racing Team Ten Kate Honda stayed hard at work, developing the bikes, testing both on the bench (dyno) and at the track. The results are plain to see today as both Fabien Foret and Pere Riba have made it into the top three in first qualifying.

“This is the result of all our hard work in testing,” commented Team Manager Ronald ten Kate. “We are already 95% sorted due to testing here twice already in the past month. Now we are trying to find that last 5% to make it perfect.”

Fabien Foret was happy to have qualified in provisional second. “It always seems that when I am first on Friday I go backwards for the rest of the weekend, but I’ll be fighting for that pole position in tomorrow’s session,” said the Frenchman, who along with his teammate Pere Riba has already signed to ride for the team for next year.

“I’m happier now it’s dry,” said Foret after the dry qualifying session. “I think I can go another half-a-second faster on Saturday as the bike wasn’t set up perfectly. But we’ll have the settings worked out for the morning.”

Pere Riba was also happy with his qualifying time, saying “Testing has paid off, we have made a good start today and we can do more tomorrow.” He was also very pleased to sign again to race with Ten Kate Honda for the 2002 World Supersport Championship. “I am happy to ride for such a professional team again next year.”

The team also entered their former Superstock rider, Kyro Verstraeten, in the Supersport competition. “We are taking it step by step with Kyro,” said Ronald ten Kate, “we don’t want to rush things. But already he is getting on the pace and we are happy with his progress.”

The entire team are full of confidence for the rest of the weekend, ready to build on the strong platform that there efforts in testing have given the team.

Rain has moved over Memphis Motorsports Park in Millington, TN, site of this weekend’s WERA National Endurance Series and National Challenge Series event.
Very few racebikes are on the course this morning for practice on the Memphis course, which consists of a dragstrip and return roads.

From a press release issued by Benelli:

After a month-long break the Benelli Sport Superbike team is back in action with the Tornado Superbike this weekend at Oschersleben, near Magdeburg in Germany. The team is already making steady progress, despite never having been to the track before.

“For every race it’s the same situation for us at the moment,” commented rider Peter Goddard. “Each track is completely new to us and this leaves us at a disadvantage compared to most teams, who have been here before and have set up data to work from. This means we spend the first sessions finding a base setting to work from, and that means Saturday’s final qualifying comes around all too quickly. But that’s how it is and we knew it would be like this, so we have to try learn as much as we can so we can start from a better level next year.”

Team members haven’t been idle since the last race a month ago at Brands Hatch in England. “We’ve been working to get both our bikes up to the same level,” explained Team Manager Max Zani. “We won’t be doing anything that involves big changes to the bike before the end of the season, we’ve concentrated on reliability for now. But when the season ends we have many new parts and engineering solutions to try, but these things need time and that’s what we don’t have so much of at the moment. When we have more time we can test everything thoroughly and we hope to make some big gains in performance for next season. We already have lighter wheels and radial brakes to try, but we haven’t used them yet.”

Both bikes have run perfectly so far this weekend, so it looks like the hard work during the recess has paid off. But the pressure is on the team to perform; Goddard scored points in both of the last two meetings so the racing world is looking for a continuation of that form. “That puts a lot of pressure on us all,” said Goddard. “If we go away without scoring more points people will think we’re slipping!”

The weather at Oschersleben has been changeable, with the track being wet for free practice in the morning but dry for qualifying. “I’d prefer it to stay dry,” said Goddard. “The track feels very slick when it’s wet.”

The Benelli Tornado was 20th-fastest in timed qualifying with a time of 1:29.768. Goddard finished only 0.256-second outside of a provisional place in the Superpole.

This just in:


AMA OBJECTS TO KRAFT ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), prompted by inquiries from a number of its members, has asked Kraft Foods to reconsider its portrayal of motorcyclists in a current Nabisco advertising campaign. The
following article, entitled “The Devil, Prison…and Motorcyclists?” was published today on the Association’s website, AMADirectlink.com.

If you ride a motorcycle, then you just may be keeping some pretty interesting company, at least according to Nabisco and Kraft Foods. Nabisco’s `Corn Gone Wrong’ promotion, hoping to give its Cornnuts snacks a new image, shows cartoonish characters in three `hardcore’ scenes: as the devil, as criminals in jail, and in one more example of something `gone wrong’: on motorcycles.

After a number of AMA members contacted us to voice their objections, the AMA spoke with Nabisco officials. Nabisco is part of Kraft Foods, a company that markets everything from Maxwell House coffee to Oreo cookies, Kool-Aid and
Jell-O. Elisabeth Wenner, speaking for Kraft Foods, said this in a written statement: “We certainly did not mean to offend anyone with this ad. The intent of the ad was to celebrate the independent spirit and freedom of motorcyclists
and was in no way intended to discourage motorcycling.”

The motorcycling ad features three tough-looking cartoon characters riding down the road on choppers, while a wide-eyed rabbit flees being crushed under the front wheel of the lead bike. The tag line reads: `Surprisingly hardcore…in
seven mean flavors.’ The other two `Corn Gone Wrong’ ads feature a character dressed as the devil, and another of several of the characters in jail.

“Kraft and Nabisco have targeted a young market with these ads, in magazines like Teen, Spin, Marvel Comics and others,” said Tom Lindsay, the AMA’s public information director. “We’re concerned about the message this sends to kids,
and we find Kraft’s explanation sorely lacking.

“We suggest motorcyclists go to http://www.cornnuts.com/cn_cgw.htm and see for themselves,” Lindsay continued, “and then send a polite e-mail expressing their opinion to Michael Mudd, Senior VP for Corporate Affairs at Kraft Foods ([email protected]). We hope that Nabisco and Kraft will reconsider their decision to include motorcyclists in this promotion, and any future campaign that equates motorcycling with `going wrong.'”

By Glenn Le Santo


Round 11 of the World Superbikes has started at Oschersleben in Germany after a one-month summer break in the series. Australian Troy Bayliss goes into the round leading the Championship by 53 points, ahead of the reigning World Champion Colin
Edwards.

Bayliss has been the most consistent rider this season; he’s finished in every race and taken five wins on his Infostrada Ducati.

Meanwhile, Edwards had reliability problems with his Honda VTR/RC51 early in the season but insists he’s still in with a chance to retain his title. “I won both races here last year and the track really seems to suit the VTR Honda,” said Edwards before the weekend, “so I’m hopeful of a repeat of that. As far as the Championship goes, well, there’s little more I can do other than win as many of the last six races as possible, hopefully starting on Sunday.”

Unlike his Ducati-riding competitors, Edwards has spent the last month hard at work–he co-rode to victory in the pretigious Suzuka 8-hours with Valentino Rossi on the VTR/RC51.

Ben Bostrom, winner of the last five World Superbike races, can’t be discounted, even though he hasn’t swung a leg over his bike all month. “I’m gonna be a little rusty,” said the talented American, “but I’ll soon get dialed back in and I am confident I am in with a chance to win the title.” Bostrom’s incredible run of success recently has turned him from an also-ran to a genuine title contender. He’s now 56 points back from Bayliss and only three points behind fellow American Edwards.

British fans have still got something to shout about, despite the retirement of Carl Fogarty. Neil Hodgson’s form has been good all year and recently the World Superbike series has become the Ben and Neil show with Bostrom and Hodgson entertaining the crowds with some classic racing duels at the front of the pack. Hodgson, riding a year-old Ducati 996, stands fifth in the title and is rapidly catching fourth-place man Troy Corser, the Australian whose form has deteriorated recently after tire troubles on his Aprilia.

Hodgson, riding for the British GSE Ducati Team is the highest-placed privateer in the series, and is ahead of many factory riders in the title chase, including veteran Pierfrancesco Chili. Hodgson’s teammate, the young Yorkshireman James Toseland, is the second-highest privateer, back in 13th in the title. The GSE pairing have scored more points between them than the factory Suzuki pairing of Chili and Stephan Chambon, which speaks volumes for Hodgson and Toseland’s talents, as well as the professionalism of the GSE team.

By Glenn Le Santo

Australian Adam Fergusson has taken provisional pole with a solid performance in the opening timed qualifying session at the Oschersleben
round of the World Supersport Championship.

Fergusson hasn’t had the best season so far and needs a good result this weekend as the end of the season, and contract renegotiation time approaches. “I need to turn a few heads this
weekend,” admits Fergusson, “otherwise I’ll be out of a job for next season.”

Fegusson currently rides a Honda CBR600F4i for the Alpha Technik Team. The team tested here earlier in the month, Fergusson admitted, telling a reporter, “Testing here has helped me as I’ve never ridden here before so I’ve been able to learn the track before this weekend. Now we are concentrating on getting the settings right for the conditions. There’s not much rubber down so the track’s not as grippy as it was, but as the weekend passes and the rubber gets laid down that should change.”

There was heavy overnight rain, which served to ‘clean’ the track as well as giving the riders the chance to select some wet settings when
they went out for free practice this morning on the still-wet track.

The Ten Kate teamsters, Fabien Foret and Pere Riba, don’t have Fergusson’s job worries. They’ve both already been re-signed to contest next season
aboard the CBR600F4i with the Dutch-based Ten Kate Honda team. “I am very happy to be riding with Ten Kate again next year,” said Riba. “I had some offers from non-factory teams to ride in WSB but I would rather stay here with a team I know where I can ride for wins, rather than have to start again with a privateer Superbike team.”

Foret was also pleased to have his next season
secure already, saying “I can concentrate on my job, which is to win races.”

The two Ten Kate riders get on well together, an advantage for both them and the team. “Working another year with Pere Riba is great, I couldn’t wish for a better colleague,” said Foret. “Pere is the most experienced Honda rider in the Supersport scene, and we work together perfectly.”

Foret and Riba were second and third in the qualifying session, respectively.

Brands Hatch winner Jorg Teuchert struggled in the session. The championship points leader is suffering from an injury he picked up in practice at Brands and can’t wrestle the bike through the final chicanes as hard as he needs to stay on the pace. He finished ninth in the session. His teammate Christian Kellner was fourth with Piergorgio Bontempi in fifth.

Supersport first qualifying
Friday, August 31, best times:

1. Adam Furgusson, Australia, Honda, 1:30.894
2. Fabien Foret, France, Honda, 1:31.005
3. Pere Riba, Spain, Honda, 1:31.128
4. Christian Kellner, Germany, Yamaha, 1:31.265
5. Piergorgio Bontempi, Italy, Yamaha, 1:31.411
6. Andrew Pitt, Australia, Kawasaki, 1:31.520
7. James Whitham, Great Britain, Yamaha, 1:31.613
8. Cristoph Cogan, France, Yamaha, 1:31.688
9. Jorg Teuchert, Germany, Yamaha, 1:31.719
10. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan, Suzuki, 1:31.749

It has continued to rain this afternoon at Memphis Motorsports Park, with few riders braving the tricky dragstrip-and-return-roads course during practice for this weekend’s WERA National Endurance Series and National Challenge Series races.

Riders are routed through the drag-strip staging lanes, turn sharply onto the dragstrip, and then must stay within four or five feet of the near wall to avoid the ultra-slippery rubber built-up on the drag strip.

Among the few brave men currently on track is Shane Clarke, who is in the process of making his return to road racing after nearly a season off working as a race mechanic and engine builder.

Clarke is riding a GSX-R1000 carrying number 119.