From a press release:

DUCATI MOTOR HOLDING ANNOUNCES RECORD REVENUES FOR FIRST QUARTER 2002
DUCATI WORLDWIDE REGISTRATIONS UP 18% –

Bologna, Italy-–Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (NYSE: DMH, Milan’s Telematico: DMH), a leading manufacturer of high performance motorcycles, announced record consolidated revenues for the first quarter of 2002.

For the first quarter, revenues were Euro 106.3 million representing a growth of 5.7% over the same period in 2001. Revenues from Ducati motorcycles increased 4.3% to Euro 89.3 million and represented 84.0% of total revenues. Motorcycle-related products rose 14.6% to Euro 16.8 million versus the same period last year. Revenues grew mainly thanks to a positive product mix, despite a slight unit sales decline.

Motorcycle shipments worldwide declined 3.5%. This was mostly due to the re-organization of the US distribution network. Excluding the US, motorcycle shipments were up 2.4%.

While official world registrations data for the period are not yet available, the Company’s best estimates suggest that first quarter registrations grew 18% versus the same period last year, with particular strength in Japan (+32%), in the USA (+32%).

“The impressive increase in registrations for the period reflects the success of our strong product offering for 2002. The 998 Testastretta and the Monster 620 i.e. – introduced in September 2001 – are proving a real hit with dealers and customers alike and have been the main drivers of the growth in this quarter,” said Carlo Di Biagio, Ducati Chief Executive Officer. “As part of our restructuring efforts in the US, we have tailored a series of initiatives to support the sell-out of our products – and it is great to see such positive results .”

“We expect unit sales to pick up in the coming months and confirm our revenues growth target for the full year 2002 of high single digit growth with 16% EBITDA margin net of GP costs,” said Enrico D’Onofrio, Ducati Chief Financial Officer.

“In addition, our performance in the World Superbike Championship so far this year has been exceptional. Ducati’s Troy Bayliss, the 2001 title-holder, has opened this season with a record-breaking six consecutive wins. We could not have wished for a better start,” added Carlo Di Biagio. “We have just shown the first images of the powerful desmosedici engine and a highly aerodynamic vehicle which will enter the Moto GP next year. We are very excited about this project which is advancing in line with our plans.”

During the first quarter of 2002, Ducati continued to open new independent Ducati Stores exclusively selling Ducati motorcycles and accessories, including one in Rhein Sieg in Germany, Chia Yi in Taiwan and Marseilles in France bringing the total to 97 stores worldwide.

Founded in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized by unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence. Ducati has won ten of the last twelve World Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories than the competition put together. The Company produces motorcycles in four market segments which vary in their technical and design features and intended customers: Superbike, Supersport, Monster and SportTouring. The company’s motorcycles are sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, with a primary focus in the Western European and North American markets. For more information about the Company, please visit our web site at http://www.Ducati.com.

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, as described in the Company’s 2000 annual report, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 20-F, dated July 2, 2001.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Gabriel Trench

Reigning AMA 250cc Grand Prix Champion Jimmy Filice has decided that he will not compete in any more AMA 250cc races, instead concentrating all his available resources on his 600cc Supersport effort.

Filice showed up at California Speedway with both his ZX-6R Supersport bike and a TZ250. But after exploring the viability of campaigning two bikes, Filice has now decided to ride the 600 only.

Filice says that he rode the 250 at California Speedway for several reasons, all to do with his desire to produce exposure for long-time sponsor Corbin. “It’s hard when you are the owner and rider of the team. You have to look at the business side,” Filice said. “I’m trying to give back (to Corbin) as much as they have given me. I thought if I rode the 250 at Fontana and got results I could get them some exposure.” Filice DNF at Fontana, with a mechanical problem.

Ironically, it was a lack of sponsorship exposure that motivated Filice to give up his title defense and go 600 Supersport racing in the first place.

And James Siddall, who ran Filice’s 2001 250cc Championship effort and who planned to transition into four-stroke racing with Filice, decided to leave Filice’s program.

“James (Siddall) is a good guy, but he lacks experience with the 600s. He’s more into the 250s,” Filice said regarding the split up. “I’m more in the business end of the sport and the 600 class gets more publicity.

“We have been testing at Buttonwillow, and should be competitive by mid-season. But, I really want to expose myself to the 600s and gain experience,” continued Filice. “I need to understand them so I can try to build a team. I’d like to work with younger riders and give them some of the opportunities that I got. I’m talking with a couple riders now.”

Meanwhile, Siddall, the man behind the last three AMA 250cc Grand Prix Championships with his World Sports team, wasted little time getting back into 250cc racing and as of Monday morning, became the 250cc program manager for Team America Grand Prix Racing and rider Jason DiSalvo.

Team America GP racing’s owner, Jim DiSalvo, said that adding Siddall to the program is “a step in the right direction,” and that Siddall’s experience in winning three successive 250cc Championships–two with Chuck Sorensen and one with Filice–will “bring a whole new concept to the team.”

“My heart is in 250 racing and I wanted to get back to doing what I love, which is running a 250 program with winning potential,” said Siddall.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

AMA Pro Racing Director of Competition Merrill Vanderslice was recently quoted by a motorcycle publication as saying, in effect, that there was no controversy around teams running the Yamaha YZF-R7 chassis in Formula Xtreme for two years, and now suddenly it’s a problem. Vanderslice’s comment seemed aimed at dismissing the protests of Damon Buckmaster’s winning R1-engined YZF-R7 at Fontana by riders from five teams.

But the R7 question was a hot issue in the July 2000 edition of Roadracing World, which covered the controversy over Richard Stanboli not being allowed to enter his R1-engined YZF-R7 in Formula Xtreme at Sears Point. You can read about it in the July 2000 Inside Info story here.

Ironically, at the time, Stanboli wanted to race an R7 in Formula Xtreme and Graves didn’t want the R7 to be legal. Their roles in the current controversy are reversed, with Stanboli angry that Graves is now racing an R7 and Graves angry that anyone is questioning the R7’s legality.

At the heart of the matter is what involved parties say is a pattern of conflicting messages from AMA Pro Racing officials, who refused to accept protests of the R7 in 2001 and told potential protestors that the bike was being allowed to race in 2001 only and would be gone in 2002, while at the same time telling Graves that he could race an R7 in 2002.

But back to the origins of the controversy, as reported in the July 2000 issue of Roadracing World. Stanboli told Roadracing World at the time, “I told (AMA Technical Manager) Rob King what I intended to do. He admitted it was a gray area but within the spirit of the rules. When I got here he told me it wasn’t eligible. I think he’s had pressure from other teams–Chuck Graves and Erion. The AMA now says they want to keep Superbikes out of Formula Xtreme. Yamaha hasn’t backed us at all.”

AMA Pro Racing Communications Manager Bill Nordquist told Roadracing World, “They had a long conversation and many things were discussed. The R7/R1 situation came up,, along with other topics, but at no time did Rob (King) say it was a legal combination. The R7 is produced as a racebike, and is not supplied as a streetbike to customers.”

The report on the subject in Roadracing World continued, “There was little sympathy for Stanboli in the paddock. Chuck Graves vehemently denied that he had ever approached the AMA about the eligibility of the machine and summarized the feelings of his fellow competitors. Graves pointed out that the class had a good rule structure that shouldn’t be threatened by the introduction of Superbikes. As a case in point, he noted that Honda’s RC51 would be eligible for the class, but Honda chose the class to showcase the CBR929RR. Similarly, he felt it was a class for the Yamaha R1, not the R7. Graves noted that in an effort to keep Superbikes out of the field, the AMA specifically excluded the 996 Ducati in the rulebook. Finally, Graves wondered, if King had told Stanboli that the R7/R1 combination was legal, why hadn’t Stanboli asked for confirmation in writing before investing considerable time and expense to produce the hybrid?”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s Josh Hayes is having surgery today at the Cedar Lake Surgical Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, on the left hand that was seriously injured in a crash during practice at California Speedway April 6.

Hayes originally had six hours of surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center near Fontana, California to mend several broken bones in the hand and repair a nearly severed fifth finger.

In that April 6 procedure, four pins, a metal plate and pieces of surgical wire were inserted into Hayes’ damaged hand, but now Dr. Alexander Blevens is replacing two of the pins with metal plates and will fix an incorrectly aligned ring finger.

According to Hayes, the procedure should allow him to bend his finger joints and start rehabilitation sooner. Speaking via cell phone from the surgery center’s waiting room, Hayes said that while he wasn’t given a recovery time schedule, he hopes to return to action in time for the AMA National at Pikes Peak May 30-June 2.

In the meantime, his team has reversed an earlier decision not to put another rider on Hayes’ Formula Xtreme bike and is talking to former Australian Superbike and World Superbike competitor Marty Craggill.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Edwards wins his first race of 2002

Colin Edwards rode a cool race to take his first WSB victory since Oschersleben last year. Edwards narrowly beat the Cabin Honda Wild card rider Makoto Tamada after leading for most of the race.

Pole position man Noriyuki Haga mixed it with the leading bunch early in the race after Tamada took the holeshot. Neil Hodgson was also there, challenging Tamada for the lead in the early stages. But it was Colin Edwards who came through the strongest, winning an early battle with Tamada to take the lead. He then held off a strong challenge from Haga before the Aprilia rider faded back to finish third.

Tamada tried to attack Edwards in the last laps, but Edwards rode the wheels off his Honda to stay ahead. Mark Heckles crashed at the chicane just before Edwards and Tamada came through for the last time. With the yellow flags waving there was no way Tamada could make a pass there, losing his final overtaking chance and having to settle for second.

Edwards’ victory marks the first time a non-Japanese rider has won at Sugo since Fogarty in 1995. It also marks the first World Superbike victory for Michelin at the track since Fogarty’s win.

Noriyuki Haga struggled with grip late in the race but held it together enough to take third from Hodgson. World Champion and title leader Troy Bayliss came in fifth.

Bayliss now leads the championship by a reduced margin of 31 points.


Sugo World Superbike Race One Results:

1. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, 25 laps
2. Makoto Tamada, Honda RC51, +0.161 second
3. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, +4.486 seconds
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998, +12.255 seconds
5. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998, +21.313 seconds
6. Akira Yanagawa, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, +22.877 seconds
7. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998, +23.261 seconds
8. Yoshikawa, Yamaha YZF-R7, +26.359 seconds
9. James Toseland, Ducati 998, +29.082 seconds
10. Takeshi Tsujimura, Yamaha YZF-R7, +30.348 seconds
11. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, +31.022 seconds
12. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, +42.361 seconds
13. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, +43.368 seconds
14. Juan Borja, Ducati 998, +44.134 seconds
15. Yuichi Takeda, Honda RC51, +44.272 seconds
16. Pedercini, Ducati 998, +77.227 seconds
17. Steve Martin, Ducati 998, +79.973 seconds
18. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, +84.513 seconds
19. Kenichiro Nakamura, Honda RC51, +93.197 seconds
20. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, + 1 lap
21. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, +1 lap
22. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998, DNF, 17 laps
23. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998, DNF, 8 laps
24. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998, DNF, 4 laps
25. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998, DNF, 1 lap
26. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, DNS, 0 laps

World Superbike Point Standings After Race One:

1. Bayliss, 161 points
2. Edwards, 130 points
3. B. Bostrom, 86 points
4. Hodgson, 82 points
5. Xaus, 79 points
6. Haga, 76 points
7. Toseland, 52 points
8. Walker, 49 points
9. Izutsu, 47 points
10. Borja, 38 points

More from an HM Plant Ducati press release:

Superbike World Championship
Round four: Sugo, Japan
Sunday 21 April 2002
Race one

Hodgson and Toseland dialled in at Sugo

Race one of the Japanese round of the Superbike World Championship saw both HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing riders once more put in impressive performances and claim solid point scoring finishes. Britain’s number one Superbike rider Neil Hodgson finished a comfortable fourth and continued to show the kind of consistently strong performance that has now earned him fourth place in the championship standings. His rising star of a team-mate James Toseland rode intelligently to finish ninth.

After a strong start that had the #100 HM Plant Ducati running a close second to Makoto Tamada for the first two laps, Hodgson soon found a good rhythm and maintained a secure fourth place for the remainder of the race. Colin Edwards went on to take the win, but significantly Hodgson took the chequered flag almost ten seconds ahead of the reigning World Champion Troy Bayliss, and three places in front of factory rider Ben Bostrom.

“I felt really good out there,” said the Isle of Man-based rider. “The 13 points that I picked for fourth place are a great boost to my championship hopes. The team has been working really hard to get everything right and the set-up that I have now is excellent. I’m gaining more and more confidence in the HM Plant Ducati every time that I ride it, and during that race it felt better than ever. I now know that I can push the HM Plant Ducati even harder than before and I’ll be going into race two with no reservations whatsoever.”

James Toseland emerged victorious from his own battle. The Yorkshireman again displayed maturity beyond his 21 years to better his grid position by two places and cross the line well clear of his nearest challenger, local rider Tsujimura, and several other full factory-equipped riders.

“I’m pretty happy with that result,” said Toseland. “To be competitive around an incredibly technical circuit such as Sugo is an achievement in itself. To beat riders who have been here a lot more that I have, is even better. I’m now seventh in the world championship standings and that’s not a bad situation to be in after only seven races.”


More, from a Honda press release:

EDWARDS WINS IN HONDA 1-2 AT SUGO

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards took victory in today’s thrilling opening race of round four of the World Superbike championship here at Sugo in Japan.

Edwards, starting from fifth place on row two of the grid, was third into the first corner. He took second place from Neil Hodgson at the chicane on lap two before taking the lead from Honda wild card rider Makoto Tamada at the end of the back straight on the third lap.

Edwards briefly lost the lead to Noriyuki Haga but took over on lap nine and was never headed again in the 25-lap race as he took the 21st World Superbike win of his career and his first since the Oschersleben, Germany round in September last year.

Edwards’ victory was the first by a non-Japanese at the Sugo circuit since 1995. He was tailed in the closing stages of the race by Tamada as Honda celebrated its first 1-2 with the new SP-2 machine.

“I was confident of being able to win but when you¹ve got a couple of Japanese riders like Tamada and Haga tailing you it’s never going to be easy,” said Edwards.

He continued: “Since Friday here we¹ve known that we were in good shape as far as race set-up went. Michelin have really done their homework since the races here last year and it’s credit to them that I was in a position to win today.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Tohru Ukawa beat Valentino Rossi, who led most of the race with Ukawa shadowing him, to the finish line to win the South African Grand Prix at Welkom after Rossi twice slid the rear tire and ran wide on the last lap. Both rode Honda RC211V 5-cylinder four-strokes. Loris Capirossi ran just behind Rossi and Ukawa for much of the race.

American Kenny Roberts pitted for new tires and DNF and California teen John Hopkins was again in the points, finishing 14th despite running off the track once. The race marked Hopkins’ second GP on a Red Bull Yamaha YZR500.

South African Grand Prix MotoGP Results:

1. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 44:39.467, 28 laps
2. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, +0.932 second
3. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, +8.259 seconds
4. Daijiro Katoh, Honda NSR500, +26.962 seconds
5. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, +27.227 seconds
6. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR500, +27.889 seconds
7. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR500, +30.215 seconds
8. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR500, +30.781 seconds
9. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, +43.796 seconds
10. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, +45.501 seconds
11. Jurgen vd Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, +66.938 seconds
12. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, +79.560 seconds
13. Pere Riba, Yamaha YZR500, +79.857 seconds
14. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, +91.519 seconds
15. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, +92.725 seconds
16. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, + 1 lap
17. Alex Barros, Honda NSR500, +2 laps, DNF
18. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, +19 laps, DNF
19. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, +21 laps, DNF
20. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, +23 laps, DNF

MotoGP Point Standings:

1. Rossi, 45 points
2. Checa, 27 points
3. Ukawa, 25 points
4. Capirossi, 23 points
5. Akira Ryo, 20 points
6. Abe, 20 points
7. Katoh, 19 points
8. Shinichi Itoh, 13 points
9. Barros, 10 points
10. Jacque, 10 points
11. Aoki, 9 points
12. Laconi, 9 points
13. Harada, 9 points
14. Nakano, 8 points
15. Biaggi, 7 points
16. McCoy, 6 points
17. Hopkins, 6 points
18. V.d. Goorbergh, 5 points
19. Riba, 3 points.

More from an Aprilia press release:

MS Aprilia Racing Press Information
2002 MotoGP World Championship
Welkom (RSA) 19/20/21 April 2002
MotoGP – Sunday 21 April
Laconi and the RS Cube again in the points race. New data acquired for project development.
The Aprilia RS Cube ends the second race in its young life. Laconi brings it under the flag in 15th position. He thus earns one precious, encouraging point, despite taking it for two off-track rides. The team programme for a project like this also provides for development work during the Sunday competition, up against the others in the heat of a race. What is encouraging is the fact that the RS Cube was placed just 1.5 seconds from the sensational Valentino Rossi in yesterday’s test sessions, and fell behind today partly because it twice took an off-track excursion. Régis Laconi rode an aggressive race and, after twice going wide due to lack of grip at the front while braking, he got back onto the track and raced ahead with the same determination. Development work will be continuing at “home” : some test sessions are to be held before the next meeting in Jerez.

Laconi is 12th in the World Championship ratings with 9 points (8 in Suzuka) (1 in Welkom)
# 55 Régis Laconi – (MS APRILIA RACING) – 15th – 46’12.192
“Twice off track: the first on the penultimate corner, and then again on turn 2. I lost grip at the front when braking, got the bike under control with my arms and went straight. After a short trip off-track, I got back into the race on both occasions. What I wanted to do was to finish the race and be able to attack. I pushed as hard as I could, giving the tyres a rough time, and by the end I didn’t have much leeway. Even before the green light came on, we knew we might have some problems of grip at the front: this was caused by the tyre/fork setting, but I tried just to ride over the problem. I’m pleased I got through to the end: we got plenty of data for the development programme.”



And from a Red Bull Yamaha press release:


GRAND PRIX OF AFRICA SUNDAY 21st APRIL


GARRY McCOY ­ 10th place
World championship classification ­ 16th ­ Six points
“I made a good start and felt comfortable running in fifth place early in the race but going with the Hondas was not an option. About halfway through the race I had a couple of really big slides with the front tyre and it was hard work to hold on. With about 10 laps to go I started to get some pain from my right leg. From then on I decided what I needed to do was just get to the finish. Getting some points in the process was a real bonus. I haven¹t really done much for the last couple of months since I broke my leg in testing and I don¹t think my leg liked it out there too much.”


JOHN HOPKINS ­ 14th place
World championship classification – 17th ­ Six points
“I got a bit of a slow start but I got into the race and started to make a couple of passes. But on the fourth lap I thought I started to smell some oil from one of the four-strokes. I had just passed Tetsuya Harada when I went into the right-hander at the end of the back straight when I saw a shiny spot that you are always looking for when you think there is oil on the track. It must have just been a piece of rubber but I¹d already picked up the bike. By the time I tried to make the corner I was heading full blast into the grass. I lost around 10 seconds but started to push again. I saw Regis Laconi had also been off the track and we had a good battle. I went to pass him on the last lap but just as I got beside him I think he must have had a problem with his bike because he lifted his hand up and started to slow down. This track is one of the toughest of the season so to come away with some more points is pleasing.”


PETER CLIFFORD ­ TEAM MANAGER
“That was a heroic ride from Garry. He was obviously in a lot of pain at the end of the race judging by the expression on his face. He ran a superb pace in the early stages and just to bring the bike home at all and get some points in those circumstances is a fantastic achievement. It was great to see John in the points again. He had a bit of a moment in the early part of the race but he fought back and passed Regis Laconi superbly on the last lap.”



And now a Suzuki press release:

Team Suzuki News Service

SUZUKI MEN OUT OF THE POINTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Phakisa Freeway, Welkom – April 21, 2002.

TEAM Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki riders Sete Gibernau and Kenny Roberts left South Africa with no points today, after the second race of the new MotoGP season.

Strong in practice on the all-new 990cc four-stroke GSV-R machines, both had their hopes of reproducing the bold baritone machine’s podium success in the first race dashed when they had to call into the pits. In a 45-minute grand prix in such a competitive season, a pit stop spells disaster in terms of final results.

Kenny retired without finishing. Sete had been running as high as fourth, before running wide onto the trackside grass, rejoining further
down the field. He later pitted to change the rear tyre. He finished 16th, one place out of the points.

The race was won by Japanese rider Tohru Ukawa, after defending champion Valentino Rossi made an error and almost crashed on the final lap. It
was the second of 16 rounds in this year’s MotoGP championship.

SETE GIBERNAU – 16th
“I have no words. I can only say that I did my best. I was taught not to quit, and that’s what I did. Finishing at the back is not what I want.”

KENNY ROBERTS – Did Not Finish
“We knew there would be days like this, but after Suzuki’s great result at Suzuka in the rain, our expectations were a lot higher than today’s results.”

GARRY TAYLOR – Team Manager
“A big disappointment after Suzuka. We were ready for a lot of eventualities, and also to make the most of our possibilities. Kenny retired when he rode into the garage. As for Sete, I have no words either. He persisted and kept trying even after changing his tyre. You can’t ask for more. Keeping going under these circumstances shows the determination of our riders.”

This e-mail actually came in from Mat Mladin on Friday but we were out at the racetrack instead of attending to website business, so it’s getting posted a little late:

WHOA! All this over a few test times.

I’ve read slightly different versions of Anthony’s (herein referred to as “MY HERO”) story on different web sites so I will try to cover all bases.

I turned my phone on as I got off the plane to the tune of a full voice mailbox. I called one of the people back and he ran me through a few things that were said. I erupted in laughter and said I would go home and take a look and e-mail my thoughts. Here they are.

FACT 1: “MY HERO” did win the 1994 Australian Superbike Championship. Half way through the season at the West Australian round of our championship I visited the local hospital in an ambulance where they did a few X-rays of my back and said everything was OK. After getting the good news I was lifted into the team’s rental car by my then Team Manager and now Crew Chief Peter Doyle where I spent most of the night in the hot tub trying to limber up for Sunday’s race. It was raining on Sunday morning which was great relief to me because racing in the rain is nowhere near as physical as racing in dry conditions. The first race was run on a damp but drying track. I was lifted onto my bike for both races by Pete and my then crew chief Wayne Smith and finished sixth in the first race. I was very happy with that especially with how I felt. I got lucky in the second race as it rained heavily and was a completely wet track. I then got lucky for a second time won the second race and beat “MY HERO”. I mean it’s the only way I’ve could ever beat him. I had just bought a house and was living by myself and wasn’t able to walk for the next two weeks let alone leave the house, when one day after I had passed out on the bathroom floor after having a bath, I managed to get to the phone and call my now wife Janine to come and help me because something was wrong with my back. Not to make the story too long, I had some C T Scans done of my back and they showed Thoracic number 6 through 10 were fractured severely and wedging occurred of Thoracic 6, 7 and 8. They said that if I had tumbled at the race again I would have more than likely now been in a wheelchair. The next few months were a little hard but I continued to race with a very big safety margin and ended up 2nd in the championship behind who else but “MY HERO”.

FACT 2: I’ve been hard on “MY HERO” because he has won the 1994 Australian Superbike Championship. Congrats. After I won my first championship in 1999 I somehow recall “MY HERO” saying how easy it was over in the U.S. and how fat he was and still winning races. Not that easy on an inline, hey big boy?

FACT 3: I would have to say that “MY HERO” is telling little lies (didn’t your mummy or mommy in the U.S. tell you not to lie?), as he had factory supported bikes in 1994 the same as me.

FACT 4: After Honda busted their butts to help “MY HERO” win the championship he defected the very next week to race for Kawasaki in the World Supers round at Phillip Island, whilst contracted to Honda.

FACT 5: I’m not sure what I’ve said bad about “MY HERO” all year but something has obviously upset him. I don’t recall saying anything about “MY HERO” that wasn’t true.

FACT 6: Jim Allen (Dunlop Tires) gave us two qualifying tires to test because a few of us riders complained about them at Fontana. Jim wanted to give us the chance to make sure they were OK and if not Dunlop will look at getting something different. From our team’s perspective on lap times everybody found time on the Q’s except Jamie. He didn’t seem to like his which I can fully understand because our race tires are getting very good. We thought Nicky went 23.5 on his Q and 23.7 on his race tire, I think we were pretty close. You can only judge on how many laps are being done in a stint and if I remember rightly I saw a 23.5 and then a 24.something and he was in. So we guessed that was his Q, but you never really know. Aaron found a little time but not much. We felt “MY HERO” found more time than anyone on the Q. 23.5 compared to a best lap of 24.3 on race rubber, again just a guess from our teams watches. Now to me being “FULL OF S–T” (don’t like those three words, got me in a lot of trouble once). I also had two Q’s to use at the end of the day but if you read the press release where I said I only tested for two and a half hours on the last day because of my elbow playing up, it was true. Anybody who has kept an eye on qualifying over the last few years knows that I don’t leave much on the table once they bolt a Q in the back of the big SUZI. My elbow was the reason I didn’t want to do the test Jim asked us to do as I wouldn’t have been able to give 100%. I apologized to Jim for not getting it done and he said he fully understood the situation. The bottom line being, Aaron got one of my Q’s and I think Jamie got the other one after I said I wasn’t going to use them.

FACT 7: I have called Jim and left a message for him to call into you guys and to put “MY HERO’s” mind at rest to tell you which tire I used to go 23.5. Hint! the same one I used last year to go 22.7 and get the pole in Atlanta but now in a bigger profile. Now that’s really going to upset him.

FACT 8: Anyone who knows Nicky and the team of guys he has working with him, know they wouldn’t waste five Q’s at a test. Merlyn (Nicky’s Crew Chief) has been around a long time and knows how handy they can be.

FACT 9: Obviously my press guy is going to need to be clearer and spell things out better just so “MY HERO” doesn’t get his panties in a knot in the future.

FACT 10: Oh I almost forgot. You are not only a better rider than me, you are MY HERO

Any proof “MY HERO” needs of my C T scans from ’94, lap times or anything else, he can come to my dealership in Australia MAT MLADIN MOTORCYCLES, he knows where it is, the same place that I sold him a 2002 SUZUKI RM250 at cost price late last year. I didn’t have to do it at cost but I thought for a racer and all, I would look after him. STUPID ME. Yes it’s the truth.

MAT MLADIN

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Tamada wins action packed race two at Sugo

By Glenn Le Santo

Makoto Tamada powered to a win in race two at Sugo, and incredibly set a new lap record on the seventeenth lap.

Britain’s Neil Hodgson headed the pack for the first two laps before Haga pushed his way past. Then Hodgson got back in front of Haga to lead for a further eight laps until Tamada reeled him in on lap 16. Once Tamada was in front there was no stopping him.

Colin Edwards also got by Hodgson but just couldn’t catch Tamada. Meanwhile behind them Bayliss had started to close in on the leading group. But Bayliss couldn’t find enough steam to get past fellow Ducati rider Hodgson and had to settle for a fourth place finish, but that was probably far more than he expected before the start of the weekend. The result leaves Bayliss 24 points in front of Edwards.

Ben Bostrom looked on for a good finish early in the race but slipped back to seventh. Noriyuki Haga again started well and yet again faded as the race wore on, leading to speculation that his fitness is not what it might be for such fierce world championship competition.

Sugo World Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Makoto Tamada, Japan, (Honda), 37:26.628s,
2. Colin Edwards, USA, (Honda), 37:29.925s,
3. Neil Hodgson, GB, (Ducati), 37:30.097s,
4. Troy Bayliss, Australia, (Ducati), 37:30.308s,
5. Noriyuki Haga, Japan, (Aprilia), 37:34.084s,
6. Akira Yanagawa, Japan, (Kawasaki), 37:36.190s,
7. Ben Bostrom, USA, (Ducati), 37:39.361s,
8. Wataru Yoshikawa, Japan, (Yamaha), 37:47.325s,
9. Ruben Xaus, Spain, (Ducati), 37:54.849s,
10. Takeshi Tsujimura, Japan, (Yamaha), 37:55.163s.

14. Eric Bostrom, USA, (Kawasaki), 38:05.139

Championship points after four of 13 rounds:
1. Bayliss, 174 points
2. Edwards, 150 points
3. Hodgson, 98 points
4. B. Bostrom, 95 points
5. Haga, 87 points
6. Xaus, 86 points
7. Toseland, 57 points
8. Walker, 52 points
9. Hitoyasu Izutsu, 47 points
10. Tamada, 45 points.

More from an Aprilia press release:

SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – Fourth Round

JAPAN – Sugo Circuit, 3.737 m. – Race (two 25-lap legs)

APRILIA MAKES PODIUM IN SUPERBIKE JAPAN GP

SUGO (Japan), Sunday 21 April 2002 – Noriyuki Haga scored a third-place finish in the first leg of the Japan GP, in the fourth round of the Superbike World Championship. The Playstation2-FGF Aprilia Team ace had secured a brilliant pole position in the qualifying sessions, placing the Aprilia RSV Mille for the first time ever ahead of the entire pack on the home circuit of Japan’s industrial giants. In the second leg, Haga had some problems with grip and came in fifth. Nevertheless, Aprilia was out in front for nine laps, showing off its potential in the most difficult round of the season. As in the test sessions, the RSV once again proved to be the fastest bike on the track with a speed of 276.9 kph.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team rider) said: “I wanted to win, and after I took the pole in the qualifying sessions, I was sure I had the potential to do it. Making the podium is a great result, but I’d have liked to do better. The Aprilia RSV Mille has a great engine but we’ve got to do more on the settings to climb up even higher than we did today.”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager, Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) commented: “We decided to start out with a different tyre from the one used by the winner, Tamada: we didn’t know it and didn’t want to make a shot in the dark. In the first leg, Haga pushed really hard and held the lead for many laps. He came in just four seconds from victory. So in the second leg, we opted for the same choice of tyres, making just a few tweaks to the set-up. Haga had never ridden Aprilia on the circuit, and just four test sessions weren’t enough to accumulate the same number of references available to Honda, which is on its home track here. Outright victory would have incredible, but third place is still a great result.”

More from a HM Plant Ducati press release:

Superbike world Championship
Round four: Sugo, Japan
Sunday 21 April 2002
Race two

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing take to the podium

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing star Neil Hodgson scored his best result of the year so far in race two of the fourth round of the Superbike World Championship at Sugo, Japan. The 28-year-old Briton rode an incredible race to take his first podium of 2002. With this impressive third placed finish, Hodgson moves up to third place in the championship standing. His team-mate James Toseland rode a well-judged race and picked up five points for his 11th placed finish to maintain a solid seventh placed championship ranking.

After leading the race for ten of the 25 laps, Hodgson showed remarkable composure and strength of character as he fought tooth-and-nail to hang on to the 16 points that his position carried. The race was eventually won by home-turf wild card Makoto Tamada, but not before the lead had been valiantly contested for by the rider of the #100 HM Plant Ducati and another Japanese rider, Noriyuki Haga.

Hodgson rocketed to the head of the field after getting a great launch from the line. The next 15 laps became a high-speed game of cat-and-mouse in which the Burnley-born rider acquitted himself admirably. A commanding display of aggressive and defensive riding kept Hodgson on point, and it wasn’t until lap 16 that Tamada was able to pass the orange Ducati 998.

The final stages of the competition saw Hodgson just pipped to second place by Colin Edwards, but he would not let the American get away and it certainly could not detract from Hodgson’s fantastic achievement. “That was unbelievable,” said the Englishman. “I was so pleased to get the lead – it relaxed me – and to be the top Ducati rider in both races is really encouraging. I’m very happy with the HM Plant Ducati, my Chief Engineer understands me perfectly now and I have the kind of set-up I need to begin to push the bike hard. The team has gelled really well and my confidence levels are sky-high, so I can’t wait to get to Monza and get on with it.”

James Toseland rode a good race, again holding off the challenges of more experienced riders. “I’m really pleased for the team, ” said the 21-year-old from Sheffield, “we’ve had four rounds and eight decent point-scoring finishes. Things aren’t going to be any easier on our return to Europe, but it’ll be good for everyone not to be away from home for as long. Personally, I know that I have to go faster from the start and that’s what I’ll be working on for the next round.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
By Beth Wyse

Vesrah Suzuki won the second round of the WERA/G.M.D. Computrack National Endurance Series, a 6-hour race at North Florida Motorsports Park Saturday, by two laps. Army of Darkness finished second. The riders for Vesrah included Mark Junge, Tray Batey and John Jacobi.

The 32 teams entered in the race had to deal with hot and humid weather, with temperatures near 90 degrees.

Army of Darkness finished second overall and first in the Mediumweight Superbike class on a Suzuki GSX-R600 with Jim Williams and Mark Crozier sharing the riding duties.

Third overall and second in Mediumweight Superbike was the Vesrah Suzuki II team of Mark Junge, Brian Stokes, David Yaakov and Darryl Saylor. The team finished a lap down from Army of Darkness, and was already a lap-and-a-half down when Junge was hit by another rider bike in turn one, knocking out the Vesrah II bike’s rear axle pin. The team lost more time when officials required the team to make an extra stop with Saylor on board, to replace the missing pin.

Jesse Basille and Jerry Russell of J&J Motorsports won in the Heavyweight Superstock class entry, finishing fifth overall on a Suzuki GSX-R750.

The Lightweight Superbike class was won by MB Motorsports, which finished sixth overall and seven laps ahead of the second-place Lightweight Superbike team. Bradley Champion, Bernie Hunt, Rich Conicelli and Brian Livengood were riding the MB Motorsports Suzuki SV650.

Seventh overall and first in Mediumweight Superstock class was taken by the Team Velocity Suzuki GSX-R600 ridden by Paul Aalderks, Chuck Ivey, Steven Breckenridge and Scott Gardner. The riders attributed their victory to the pit crew, which changed the rear wheel in less than 90 seconds.

Batey started the race on the Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R1000 Heavyweight Superbike entry. He battled during the early part of the race with Mike Smith on the Team Xtreme Suzuki GSX-R750 before pulling a small gap over the field.

By lap 7, the leaders had already caught lapped traffic on the 2.0-mile course.

The first red flag came out in the third hour of the race for a bike lying on the track. It was quickly cleaned up, a new grid was formulated, and the race continued, with Vesrah Suzuki again taking the lead.

The race was red-flagged a second time with 40 minutes left to go, and the race was called complete when clean-up could not be completed prior to the last 30 minutes of the race.

RESULTS:
1. Vesrah Suzuki, Suzuki GSX-R1000, HSB, 226 laps

2. Army of Darkness, Suzuki GSX-R600, MSB, 224 laps

3. Vesrah Suzuki II, Suzuki GSX-R600, MSB, 223 laps

4. Team Xtreme, Suzuki GSX-R750, HSB, 221 laps

5. J&J Motorsports, Suzuki GSX-R750, HSS, 215 laps

6. MB Motorsports, Suzuki SV650, LSB, 215 laps

7. Team Velocity, Suzuki GSX-R600, MSS, 215 laps

8. Team Chicago, Yamaha YZF-R6, MSS, 214 laps

9. 14k The Movie, Suzuki GSX-R600, MSB, 214 laps

10. Team Life, Yamaha YZFR6, MSS, 213 laps

POINTS AFTER ROUND TWO, OVERALL:
1. Vesrah Suzuki, 217.34
2. Army of Darkness, 186.4
3. Team Xtreme, 170.62
4. J&J Motorsports, 159.24
5. Vesrah Suzuki II, 156.66



In National Challenge Series sprint races on Sunday, 11 races had 11 different winners.

Mike Smith won the Open Superstock race on board a Suzuki GSX-R1000 after a red flag on lap four. Smith was riding with Team Xtreme for the weekend. During the race, Smith set a new track record of 1:17.20, but was later protested for running Showa GSX-R750 forks instead of the stock Kayaba GSX-R1000 forks.

Vesrah Suzuki’s John Jacobi took the win in the Dunlop 600cc Superstock race on board his Suzuki GSX-R600. Jacobi had a gap over the rest of the field, leaving Scott Harwell and Lee Acree to battle for second place. After several laps of close racing, Harwell took second.

Bradley Champion won the Lightweight Twins race on the MB Motorsports Suzuki SV650 endurance bike. Champion crashed in morning practice and was loaned the endurance bike for his sprint race.

In the 125cc GP race, Jason Peters won by a big gap over Brian Kcraget, both riding RS125 Hondas. Kcraget had made some suspension changes to the bike just before the race and was unable to ride as well because of them.

John Haner passed Tray Batey at the halfway point in the 750cc Superstock race and went on to win.

Donald Tingle, Jr. won the Formula 2 race on is Yamaha TZ250, with Kcraget again finishing in second. Peters had a clutch failure on the start and did not complete the race.

Shogun rider Adam Coco won the 600 Superbike race after being loaned a Suzuki GSX-R600 by Crazy Cajun Racing. Coco crashed his bike in practice the day before the race.

In Heavyweight Twins, Tray Batey won by the length of the entire front straight on his Suzuki TL1000R. Batey was happy to get the win after having taken second in 750 Superstock.

Ken Snyder won the 750 Superbike race on his Suzuki GSX-R750. He had an early battle with David Yaakov, who was also on a GSX-R750. In the final laps of the race, Yaakov barely held off Andy Caldwell to take second.

Formula One was the final race of the day, and Geoff May finished first on his Suzuki GSX-R1000. Keith Holleman got the lead on the first lap, but May had the first spot by lap three and held onto it for the rest of the race.

Because of the extremely hot weather during the event, pieces of the track were coming up through some of the tighter sections. Riders were having problems running through the holes left by the asphalt coming up and with running over the little pieces of pavement left lying on the track.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Chambon takes championship lead at Sugo

By Glenn Le Santo

Stephane Chambon fought off his teammate Katsuaki Fujiwara to take his first win of the World Supersport season. With Andrew Pitt finishing down in seventh the result means that Chambon now leads by seven points.

In a crash-packed race Chambon quickly got to the front of the pack which turned out to be the safest place as an incident in the chicane saw two riders crash out on the second lap. Piergiorgio Bontempi and Chris Vermeulen both fell after Fabien Foret touched the back of Vermeulen’s Honda in the middle of the chicane. As Vermeulen went down he swept Bontempi away with him.

Fujiwara almost crashed late in the race as he pushed hard for a home win. After the slide he calmed down realising that second was better than a trip to the kitty litter.

Paolo Casoli led the race for four laps after passing Chambon the fourth lap. But a mistake at Rainbow Corner cost him the lead. He didn’t crash but his impromptu grass tracking put him back several places. He finished fourth, better than his team mate James Whitham who crashed out of the race.

Behind Chambon and Fujiwara, Fabien Foret recovered from the chicane incident to set a new lap record on lap four as he hunted down Karl Muggeridge. Foret caught and passed Muggeridge to finish third. Both Casoli and Kellner got by Muggeridge in the final stages of the race; although Kellner left it until right on the line to claim fifth place.

Sugo World Supersport Race Results:

1. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, 25 laps
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki, +0.282 second
3. Fabien Foret, Honda, +5.995 seconds
4. Paolo Casoli, Yamaha, +8.194 seconds
5. Christian Kellner, Yamaha, +12.435 seconds
6. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, +12.436 seconds
7. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, +27.086 seconds
8. Werner Daemen, Honda, +29.190 seconds
9. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha, +29.588 seconds
10. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha, +29.603 seconds
11. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha, +35.778 seconds
12. David De Gea, Honda, +39.306 seconds
13. James Ellison, Kawasaki, +45.962 seconds
14. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha, +46.413 seconds
15. Antonio Carlacci, Yamaha, +63.777 seconds
16. Mark Willis, Yamaha, +73.917 seconds
17. Diego Giugovaz, Yamaha, +74.168 seconds
18. Robert Frost, Yamaha, DNF, 18 laps
19. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati, DNF, 7 laps
20. Jamie Whitham, Yamaha, DNF, 2 laps
21. Iain MacPherson, Honda, DNF, 2 laps
22. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati, DNF, 1 lap
23. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, DNF, 1 lap


More, from a Ten Kate Honda press release:

Brilliant podium finish for Foret after a tough weekend in Japan


Fabien Foret showed his true form at Sugo today when he set a new lap record on his way to a third place finish.

Foret recovered from a poor start and an incident in the chicane on the second lap to power his way through to the podium. On lap two his bike touched Chris Vermeulen’s in the chicane. Unfortunately Vermeulen crashed, taking Bontempi down with him.

“It was a racing accident,” said Team Manager Ronald ten Kate after the race, “with twenty riders pouring through a tight chicane early in the race it’s just the sort of thing that can happen.”

“The chicane cost me my chance of fighting for a race win,” said Foret. “I had a bad start and was battling my way back through the field when it happened. I lost a bit of time and that allowed the two Suzuki’s to escape at the front. There was too much time for me to make up after that.”

After a weekend when the team struggled to find a good race set up third, and the lap record, was a brilliant result. “We took a little longer to find a good race set up than we would have hoped for,” admitted Ronald ten Kate. “But we studied the data really hard on Saturday night and came up with a set up that worked very well in the morning warm up, and subsequently in the race.”

“The result keeps me in touch with the championship leaders,” said Foret. “Now we are going back to Europe and to some of my favourite tracks, so I am very confident for the rest of the season.”

Foret’s team mate Iain MacPherson didn’t have such a good weekend, crashing out of the race when he ran over dirt left on the track by a previous crasher, “Iain must have had more than his share of bad luck by now,” commented Ronald ten Kate. “But hopefully it’s all behind him now and he’ll have better luck on our return to Europe. Despite all his misfortune in qualifying Iain was fast in the morning warm up and that proves his real potential.

“We’re all looking forward to the next race at Monza. We have great race tyres from Pirelli, superb suspension from WP and a very fast Honda CBR600FS. We are aiming to break the 300kph barrier at Monza.”