By Glenn Le Santo

The line-up for World Superbike Superpole at Assen was decided by Friday’s times, after a short-but-heavy shower soaked the track at the start of Saturday’s final qualifying. If
the track stays wet, then Superpole will be run in the ‘wet’ format, as used in Oschersleben, where each rider has 50 minutes to turn a maximum of 12 laps. The rider’s fastest lap decides his grid position.

The rain means that Ruben Xaus, who was fastest in Friday’s dry qualifying, hangs on to provisional pole in front of Troy Corser. Everything can, and probably will, change during Superpole. Akira Yanagawa recorded the fastest
time in the wet on his Kawasaki, lapping at 2:13.679. Neil Hodgson was second fastest in the wet, he lapped at 2:14.947 compared to
third-fastest Ruben Xaus at 2:15.311. Xaus lapped at 2:02.409 in the dry on Friday.

Fastest times in Saturday final qualifying, (These are times set today in wet, Friday’s faster times decide Superpole qualification):

1. Akira Yanagawa, Japan, Kawasaki, 2:13.679
2. Neil Hodgson, Great Britain, Ducati, 2:14.947
3. Ruben Xaus, Spain, Ducati, 2:15.311
4. Troy Corser, Australia, Aprilia, 2:16.192
5. Troy Bayliss, Australia, Ducati, 2:16.546
6. James Toseland, Great Britain, Ducati, 2:16.807
7. Colin Edwards, USA, Honda, 2:16.875
8. Steve Martin, AUS, Ducati, 2:17.259
9. Pierfrancesco Chili, Italy, Suzuki, 2:18.155
10. Ben Bostrom, USA, Ducati, 2:19.115

Unlimited Superbike Practice Times:
1. Brian Parriott, Suz GSX-R750, 1:07.842
2. Michael Barnes, Suz GSX-R750, 1:07.859
3. Lee Acree, Suz GSX-R750, 1:07.876
4. Shawn Higbee, Suz GSX-R750, 1:08.131
5. Grant Lopez, Suz GSX-R750, 1:08.370
6. Michael Ciccotto, Suz GSX-R750, 1:08.436
7. Craig Connell, Duc 996, 1:08.679
8. Alan Schmidt, Suz GSX-R750, 1:08.731
9. Ty Howard, Kaw ZX-9R, 1:08.870
10. Ken Chase, Suz GSX-R750, 1:08.969
11. Tray Batey, Apr RSV1000R, 1:09.058
12. Eric Wood, Suz GSX-R750, 1:09.377
13. Josh Bryan, Suz GSX-R750, 1:09.510
14. Michael Himmelsbach, Apr RSV1000R, 1:09.526
15. John Dugan, Suz GSX-R750, 1:09.574


Pro Sportbike Practice Times:
1. Lee Acree, Suz GSX-R600, 1:09.216
2. Brian Parriott, Suz GSX-R600, 1:09.242
3. Michael Barnes, Suz GSX-R600, 1:09.330
4. Michael Ciccotto, Suz GSX-R600, 1:09.490
5. Paul Harrell, Yam YZF-R6, 1:09.773
6. Clint McBain, Suz GSX-R600, 1:10.166
7. Ty Howard, Yam YZF-R6, 1:10.309
8. Shan Ball, Suz GSX-R600, 1:10.485
9. Eric Wood, Suz GSX-R600, 1:10.657
10. Stoney Landers, Suz GSX-R600, 1:10.893


Buell Lightning Series Practice Times (All on Buell 1200s):
1. Jeff Vermeulen, 1:14.829
2. Bryan Bemisderfer, 1:15.618
3. Tripp Nobles, 1:16.148
4. Jason Smith, 1:16.544
5. Daniel Bilansky, 1:16.572
6. Brian Bodine, 1:16.824
7. Steve Luxem, 1:17.008
8. Jeff Johnson, 1:17.255
9. Darren James, 1:17.422
10. Brian Frank, 1:18.073

Michael Barnes, the fastest Buell racer in Friday practice, did not ride Saturday morning.

Aprilia Cup Challenge Practice Times (All on Aprilia RS250s):
1. Jeff Wood, 1:15.686
2. Shannon Silva, 1:15.959
3. Josh Sortor, 1:17.813
4. Dan Fischer, 1:17.938
5. John Lemak, 1:18.182
6. Brent Prindle, 1:24.888

Aprilia Cup racer Thad Halsmer was not using his timing transponder during Saturday morning practice.

The hottest racetrack rumors have former World Superbike pilot Mike Hale returning to AMA Pro Racing in the Formula Xtreme and 600cc Supersport class for Erion Honda, teamed with Roger Lee Hayden, who is apparently moving up from the Bruce Transportation Group satellite team. Alex Gobert, youngest of the Gobert brothers, seems destined for the Bruce team, with an un-named teammate, maybe Jake Zemke, maybe not.

By Glenn Le Santo

Assen, Holland, Saturday September 8

Without doubt the Superpole is one of the most exciting spectacles in motor racing today. The sight of 16 riders going flat-out, and completely alone, for one lap to try to grab a good grid position for the next day’s races is something every motor racing fan should witness first hand. Sadly, those watching the Superpole at Assen, or on the television from the comfort of their homes, missed the spectacle today. Rain gave the organizers no choice but to declare the Superpole ‘wet’, which meant the 16 fastest qualifiers from the previous two qualifying sessions had 50 minutes and a maximum of 12 laps each to produce the times to decide the grid for Sunday’s two races.

Unlike at Oschersleben, when the ‘wet’ Superpole format was played out on a dry track, the rain came down hard before, during and after the Superpole at Assen, ensuring that the 16 riders had to ride the whole session in full-wet conditions. It was Australian Troy Bayliss who came out of the session on top, his time of 2:10.922 just fast enough to put him on pole, ahead of his Ducati Infostrada teammate Ruben Xaus. They will line up their Ducatis on the front row on Sunday next to Akira Yanagawa on his Kawasaki and Pierfrancesco Chili on his Suzuki.

Colin Edwards just squeezed himself onto the second row, where he is joined by James Toseland, whose fifth place is the highest grid position the young British rider has had in his debut World Superbike year. Toseland’s teammate and winner of four Superpoles already this year, Neil Hodgson, will have to start the race from the fourth row, a very unfamiliar place for the GSE Ducati rider.

Superpole (wet) best times:

1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 996, 2:10.922
2. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 996, 2:11.126
3. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 2:11.382
4. Pierfrancesco Chili, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:13.776
5. James Toseland, Ducati 996, 2:14.047
6. Gregorio Lavilla, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 2:14.058
7. Troy Corser, Aprilia RSV1000, 2:14.120
8. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, 2:15.296
9. Tadayuki Okada, Honda RC51, 2:15.770
10. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RSV1000, 2:15.985
11. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 996, 2:16.627
12. Juan Borja, Yamaha YZF-R7, 2:16.647
13. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R750, 2:16.892
14. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 996, 2:17.581
15. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 996, 2:17.937
16. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 996, 2:18.257

FIM Grand Prix Qualifying From Estoril, Portugal:

500cc Final Qualifying Results:
1. Max Biaggi, Yamaha, 1:40.076
2. Loris Capirossi, Honda, 1:40.258
3. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:40.324
4. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 1:40.531
5. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Proton, 1:40.540
6. Alex Barros, Honda, 1:40.670
7. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki, 1:40.713
8. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 1:40.752
9. Garry McCoy, Yamaha, 1:40.894
10. Norick Abe, Yamaha, 1:40.901
11. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 1:40.969
12. Alex Criville, Honda, 1:41.037
13. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, 1:41.139
14. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 1:41.520
15. Oliver Jacque, Yamaha, 1:41.583
16. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha, 1:41.887
17. Haruchika Aoki, Honda, 1:42.130
18. Anthony West, Honda, 1:43.173
19. Leon Haslam, Honda, 1:43.645
20. Johan Stigefelt, Sabre, 1:43.715
21. Barry Veneman, Honda, 1:44.446
22. Brendan Clarke, Honda, 1:45.593

Max Biaggi’s pole-position-winning time is over 2.1 seconds faster than Valentino Rossi’s pole position time from 2000.

500cc Top Speeds:
1. Ukawa, Honda, 183.6 mph (295.6 kph)
2. Capirossi, Honda, 182.5 mph (293.7 kph)
3. Biaggi, Yamaha, 181.9 mph (292.8 kph)
4. Rossi, Honda, 181.8 mph (292.7 kph)
5. Criville, Honda, 181.6 mph (292.3 kph)
6. Barros, Honda, 180.7 mph (290.9 kph)
7. Haga, Yamaha, 180.7 (290.9 kph)
8. McCoy, Yamaha, 180.3 mph (290.3 kph)
9. Jacque, Yamaha, 179.8 mph (289.4 kph)
10. Gibernau, Suzuki, 179.5 mph (289.0 kph)
11. Nakano, Yamaha, 178.8 mph (287.8 kph)
12. Checa, Yamaha, 178.7 mph (287.6 kph)
13. Roberts, Suzuki, 178.6 mph (287.5 kph)
14. Goorbergh, Proton, 176.2 mph (283.7 kph)
15. Abe, Yamaha, 176.29 mph (283.7 kph)
16. Cardoso, Yamaha, 175.9 mph (283.2 kph)
17. Haslam, Honda, 174.3 mph (280.5 kph)
18. Aoki, Honda, 170.4 mph (274.3 kph)
19. Stigefelt, Sabre, 168.0 mph (270.5 kph)
20. Veneman, Honda, 167.5 mph (269.7 kph)
21. West, Honda, 167.3 mph (269.3 kph)
22. Clarke, Honda, 166.6 mph (268.2 kph)

250cc Final Qualifying Results:
1. Tetsuya Harada, Aprilia, 1:41.993
2. Daijiro Katoh, Honda, 1:42.205
3. Jeremy McWilliams, Aprilia, 1:42.251
4. Fonsi Nieto, Aprilia, 1:42.588
5. Marco Melandri, Aprilia, 1:42.706
6. Emilio Alzamora, Honda, 1:42.775
7. Naoki Matsudo, Yamaha, 1:42.836
8. David Checa, Honda, 1:42.997
9. Roberto Locatelli, Aprilia, 1:43.019
10. Alex Debon, Aprilia, 1:43.273
11. Roberto Rolfo, Aprilia, 1:43.298
12. Randy De Puniet, Aprilia, 1:43.495
13. Lorenzo Lanzi, Aprilia, 1:43.544
14. Taro Sekiguchi, Yamaha, 1:43.751
15. Alex Hofmann, Aprilia, 1:43.949

29. Katja Poensgen, Honda, 1:47.808

Tetsuya Harada’s time is a new track record and his fifth consecutive pole position.

125cc Final Qualifying Results:
1. Manuel Poggiali, Gilera, 1:45.923
2. Youichi Ui, Derbi, 1:46.045
3. Simone Sanna, Aprilia, 1:46.439
4. Lucio Cecchinello, Aprilia, 1:46.651
5. Toni Elias, Honda, 1:46.676
6. Angel Rodriguez, Aprilia, 1:47.095
7. Jakub Smrz, Honda, 1:47.153
8. Daniel Pedrosa, Honda, 1:47.246
9. Alex De Angelis, Honda, 1:47.293
10. Jaroslav Hules, Honda, 1:47.301

Manuel Poggiali’s time not only earned him his first pole position, but was also 1.35 seconds faster than the 2000 pole time.

By Glenn Le Santo

Friday’s provisional World Supersport front row at Assen was undisturbed by Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session. Only Karl Muggeridge and Fabrizio Pirovano were able to force their way into the top 10, squeezing in a fast lap each early in the session when the track was drying out. The final qualifying was another case of wet-or-dry as mechanics struggled to keep pace with the changing weather. Typical of the day was Fabien Foret’s experience, as the track finally dried out he sat astride his bike, newly set-up for a full dry session, only for a heavy rain shower to fall on the circuit before he could turn a dry wheel. Foret, no fan of wet racing, got off the bike and took no further part in the session.

Meanwhile, Foret’s teammate Pere Riba gave the rest of the paddock a lesson in professional racing. While the rest of the riders sheltered from the high wind and heavy rain, Riba asked his team to give him a bike in full wet set-up and went out to complete some valuable laps in the rain. He also took the opportunity presented by the empty track to try some wet starts. His efforts could well pay off as the weather looks likely to remain changeable.

Tomorrow’s race, in which Suzuki’s Katsuaki Fujiwara will start on pole, could well turn into a tire lottery if the weekend’s weather so far is anything to go by.

Final Supersport qualifying times, Saturday:

1. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan, Suzuki, 2:08.497
2. Pere Riba, Spain, Honda, 2:08.553
3. Paolo Casoli, Italy, Yamaha, 2:09.015
4. V. Ianuzzo, Italy, Suzuki, 2:09.123
5. Karl Muggeridge, Australia, Suzuki, 2:09.141
6. Andrew Pitt, Australia, Kawasaki, 2:09.149
7. C. Cogan, France, Yamaha, 2:09.211
8. Kevin Curtain, Australia, Honda, 2:09.276
9. Iain MacPherson, Great Britain, Kawasaki, 2:09.317
10. P. Bontempi, Italy, Yamaha, 2:09.737


Marty Nutt was fastest in Superstock Qualifying. Times follow:
1. Marty Nutt, Great Britain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:25.145
2. Mark Heckles, Great Britain, Honda CBR929RR, 2:25.187
3. Paul Mooijman, Holland, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:26.447
4. James Ellison, Great Britain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:27.188
5. Dario Tosolini, Italy, Ducati, 2:27.203
6. Andy Notman, Great Britain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:27.489
7. Markus Wegscheider, Italy, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:27.812
8. Koen Vleugels. Germany, Yamaha YZF-R1, 2:28.706
9. Robert de Vries, Holland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:29.065
10. Didier Vankeymeulen, Germany, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 2:29.401

From an AMA press release:

MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT CLASS OF 2001 THIS WEEKEND

WHEN
Reception: Friday, September 7, 2001, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Induction ceremonies: Saturday, September 8, 2001 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE
The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, Pickerington, Ohio.

WHAT
The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2001 includes 28 legendary figures in the history of American motorcycling — racers, tuners, engineers, and media figures.

Among this year’s inductees are Mike Baldwin, five-time AMA road-racing champion; Mark Barnett, winner of four motocross and Supercross championships; Charles Clayton, who developed Cycle News into America’s weekly news magazine of motorcycling; Erv Kanemoto Jr., who helped Freddie Spencer and others win world road-racing championships; Larry Maiers, race announcer and TV personality; and Joe Parkhurst, founder of Cycle World magazine.

The goal of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, located on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio,, is to tell the stories and preserve the history of motorcycling. The Motorcycle Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed notably to the sport, and three major exhibitionhalls showcase the machines and memorabilia that have shaped motorcycling.

For more information, visit the Museum’s website at www.motorcyclemuseum.org, or call (614) 856-2222.

From a Ducati press release:

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 12 – ASSEN (NED)
7-9 September 2001

PREVIEW

One week after Oschersleben, World Superbike heads to the daunting, ultra-fast Van Drenthe TT Circuit at Assen in the Netherlands and Ducati Corse arrives at the penultimate round of the championship after clinching a record tenth Constructors’ title in Germany, its fourth on the run.

With 100 points still up for grabs, the situation is hotting up in the battle for the Riders’ crown, where Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) saw his 53-point lead over reigning champion Colin Edwards (Honda) reduced to 24 after he recorded his first DNF this year. “We had a clutch problem in Oschersleben but sometimes you’ve got to put these things behind you and continue”, declared Bayliss. “I enjoy riding around Assen, whether it’s dry or wet and I’m looking forward to this weekend. I’ve only been here once and I had good intentions last year but I probably tried too hard and got undone a couple of times, but this time round it’s going to be different. Every time I come away I try and win but when I can’t, I just take what I can get. The plan is to get good points and go to the last round with a better lead than what I’ve got now”.

Another talking-point in Germany was the emerging talent of ‘rookie’ team-mate Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada), who made it onto the podium and then triumphed in the second race. The 23-year-old is the first Spanish rider to win a WSBK race and with interest in Spain at an all-time high, Xaus is aiming for another prestigious result at a circuit where he tasted victory in the Supersport race last year. “For sure, my races at Oschersleben were incredible, it’s nice and I want to repeat it as soon as possible. It’s good to have Troy, Colin or Ben next to me on the podium and I want to get more used to it”, commented Xaus. “I will just try and do the same here at Assen, concentrate, be relaxed and do what I can do – ride my bike as well as possible. I like all tracks, the weather will probably be not so good but I will try and improve on my eighth position in the championship this weekend”.

After five wins on the run, Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) scored a podium finish in race 1 at Oschersleben and he followed this up with fourth place in the second race. The 27-year-old from Redding, California is 43 points adrift of Bayliss at the top of the table, but just 19 behind Edwards and will be doing everything possible at Assen to help Ducati take a possible 1-2 finish in the Riders’ championship. “I rode well at Oschersleben, the bike set-up was really good but we were just missing one key ingredient and were not quite there”, said Bostrom. “Last year I was enjoying the tracks and learning, this year I’m serious and I want to go out there and win. If I can’t win here at Assen, I’ll try and finish on the podium. I haven’t done too well in the wet so far, but if it rains, I’ll push hard and try not to lose my grip on third place in the championship”.


FOGARTY AWARD

On Sunday, four-times World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty is to be presented with a special award by the Assen TT Circuit. The award will be made to the Ducati legend, who won 12 out of the 16 Assen races he took part in, and Carl will also make a lap of honour of the circuit on a Ducati Monster Fogarty street-bike.

THE ASSEN CIRCUIT

The TT circuit, 2 km south-west of Assen, has been the home of the Dutch Round of the World Superbike Championship since 1992. Two years ago, it undertook a full modernisation of its facilities and the second of its three scheduled phases is now completed. The circuit now includes a new Race Control tower, 34 pit-garages, a new Media Centre and TV commentary booths, as well as an impressive 6200-seat grandstand. Track safety has also been improved, with new run-off areas at five corners.

CIRCUIT RECORDS

Lap Record, 2:03.914 (175.740 km/h) Fogarty (Ducati) 1999

Superpole, 2:02.678 (177.509 km/h) Edwards (Honda) 2000

Qualifying, 2:02.936 (177.136 km/h) Chili (Suzuki) 2000