From a press release issued by Castrol Honda:

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards took second place in today¹s second race of round five of the World Superbike championship here at Monza in Italy.

But the hard-riding American was forced to defend second place on the final 3.6-mile lap as held of the challenge of Neil Hodgson and Noriyuki Haga. The runner-up place, along with third place in the opening race, continued Edwards’ run of podium finishes–nine from this year’s 10 races.

Edwards said: “I was determined to try and make up for third place in the opening race by winning the second. I think Haga, Hodgson and me messed each other up and let Bayliss get away at the front.

“Monza is always a tactical battle out on the track and while I got into the middle of the fight for the lead Bayliss made the break, at exactly the same time. We’ve worked hard this weekend but, in the end, I suppose victory wasn’t to be.”

Edwards added: “Everyone’s getting worked up about the championship situation but there’s five of 13 rounds gone. At this stage last year I had 130 points, this year I’ve got 186 so I know I’m still capable of being world champion.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Bayliss makes it eight wins from ten races

The Ozzie Express continued to steam his way through World Superbike Championship today with another double win. Troy Bayliss took two wins to stretch his championship lead to 38 points, with Colin Edwards now looking an increasingly distant second.

Bayliss fended off a strong challenge from Neil Hodgson, Nori Haga and Edwards to take the second race win. It was Neil Hodgson who took the holeshot from his pole position grid slot, but Bayliss only waited until the exit of the first chicane to make his move into the front. The pair jostled for position over the next few laps but Bayliss kept his grip on the lead until lap nine when Edwards took a brief turn at the front.

Behind him Pierfrancesco Chili and James Toseland had a battle that ended badly when Chili’s Ducati vented oil took the pair down at the entry to the first chicane on lap seven. That let Haga in to join in the tussle up front between Edwards, Bayliss and Hodgson. The racing stayed incredibly tight up front, with the four riders continually competing for the same bit of track, swapping places several times a lap and even several times in one turn!

They continued to treat the crowd to some vintage World Superbike racing but Bayliss decided he’d had enough of swapping sponsor stickers and around lap 12 Bayliss took advantage of Haga, Edwards and Hodgson tripping each other up by stretching out in front. At the end of the race Bayliss was enjoying a lead of over two seconds.

Behind him the trio of world class riders continued to fight over the crumbs off of Bayliss’ table. Hodgson was by now almost losing a tail pipe, leaving him down on power. He used all his riding skills to keep up with Edwards and Haga, often outbraking both of them into the various Monza chicanes.

Edwards got the better of them both when it mattered, out of the final turn, to take second by the narrowest of margins. Haga just beat Hodgson to the line by about the width of a tyre valve, to secure the last step on the podium.

Behind them other personal scores were being settled as Gregorio Lavilla just beat Lucio Pedercini and Eric Bostrom to the line in a fierce battle that had lasted race distance. Broc Parkes showed the new promise of the Pirelli slicks as he stormed his Ducati into eighth just ahead of a disappointed Ben Bostrom. The pair only narrowly beat Chris Walker to the line. Steve Martin brought the next Pirelli-shod Ducati into eleventh.

Monza World Superbike Race Two Results:

1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 18 laps, 32:51.693
2. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, -2.226 seconds
3. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, -2.267
4. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01, -2.291
5. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, -21.844
6. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -21.958
7. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -22.333
8. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, -34.485
9. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, -34.542
10. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -34.622
11. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -42.748
12. Scarfino Foti, Ducati 996RS, -61.098
13. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -67.542
14. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -78.619
15. Alessandro Valia, Ducati 996RS, -81.925
16. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, -83.688
17. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, -97.105
18. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, -1 lap
19. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, -3 laps
20. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, -6 laps
21. Alessandro Antenello, Ducati 998RS, -9 laps
22. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -12 laps, DNF, crash
23. Christian Caliumi, Ducati 996RS, -12 laps, DNF
24. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, -13 laps, DNF, crash
25. Thierry Mulot, Ducati 996RS, -13 laps, DNF
26. Bertrand Stey, Honda RC51, -14 laps, DNF
27. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, -16 laps, DNF, crash


World Superbike Championship Point Standings:

1. Bayliss, 224 points
2. Edwards, 184 points
3. Hodgson, 131 points
4. Haga, 103 points
5. Ben Bostrom, 102 points
6. Xaus, 96 points
7. Toseland, 68 points
8. TIE, Lavilla/Walker, 58 points
10. Hitoyasu Itzutsu, 47 points

14. Eric Bostrom, 21 points


More, from an Aprilia press release:

HAGA ON THE PODIUM THRILLS 82,000 AT MONZA

Monza (Milan), Sunday 12 May 2002 – Noriyuki Haga made a spectacular performance in the second race of the Italian Superbike Grand Prix at Monza. The Japanese Playstation2-FGF Aprilia Team champ managed to snatch a fantastic third place, crowning his efforts in the most challenging weekend since the start of the Championship. This visit to the rostrum is the best result achieved by the Aprilia RSV Mille in the three times it has raced on this circuit. Haga and the twin-cylinder from Noale gave a taste of their potential as they were driven on by a huge public in Monza: 82,000 spectators. In the first race, a broken bearing in the water pump forced Haga out.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team rider) declared: “It was a tough race, because in the first leg we only went round a few times, so we had to start the second without any references about tyre wear. Then, after just a few laps, there was an incident on the first chicane which pushed me back from the leading pack. But I gave it all I’d got and managed to catch them up: I just had to make it onto the podium – I couldn’t let my thousands of Italian fans down.”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager, Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) commented: “All things considered, we’ve come away with a great result – third place is fantastic. Even so, we really did have a bit too many problems this weekend to be truly satisfied. We’ll be working flat out to be even more competitive in the next races.”


More, from an HM Plant press release:

Hodgson rides through problems to take fourth

Race two at Monza saw HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing rider Neil Hodgson miss out on a podium position by the narrowest of margins. After an epic race-long display of tactics, skill and courage, the #100 HM Plant Ducati crossed the line less than 0.07s from second-placed Colin Edwards and just 0.024s behind third-placed Noriyuki Haga. Hodgson’s team-mate James Toseland was unable to complete the 18-lap race after he fell victim to spilled fluid on the track and slid off his bike while on target for a fifth-placed finish.

Hodgson had fronted the contest in places, but it was Troy Bayliss who eventually eked out a lead that he was to maintain to the chequered flag. Behind him the race became a furious battle for the subsequent three positions and Hodgson rode remarkably throughout. After countless laps of astonishing overtaking and spectacular slipstreaming action, the final placings were decided on the very last corner.

“Something split in my exhaust system during the race and I lost a load of power,” explained Hodgson. “Nobody’s to blame for that happening – it’s just one of those things – but I suddenly found myself right down on acceleration. I was drafting past the other two pretty easily but I just couldn’t get the drive back out of the chicanes and that was what I needed right at the end. Although I’ve reinforced my third place in the championship standings, I’m more than a little disappointed in the way things turned out, mainly because I’m riding really well and potentially could have won both races.”

James Toseland: “I’m really frustrated not to have been able to finish the second race because I was right up there. The pace may have been slower than the first race, but I was well in touch with the leaders until I came off. Something was leaking from Chili’s bike and I don’t think he saw the black flags. I was trying to get past him and it was just really unfortunate that I hit some of the fluid at that exact point on the track. That aside, I’ve had a really encouraging weekend and picked up my best ever result in the process.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Bayliss wins after three-way scrap at Monza

Troy Bayliss took his seventh win of the World Superbike season after a nail-biting scrap with Neil Hodgson and Colin Edwards.

It almost didn’t happen for Bayliss after he ran off at the first chicane on lap 10. Hodgson, Bayliss and Edwards went into the chicane side-by-side in a game of ‘who brakes last and hardest wins’. Hodgson and his HM Plant Ducati won the game as Bayliss and Edwards took to the slip road, having outbraked themselves.

Chili, who had been hunting the trio down lap by lap, took full advantage of the situation to get in amongst the action. But as Edwards and Bayliss hauled themselves back into the fray the fight proved too hot for Chili. Edwards and Bayliss soon caught back up with Hodgson to produce a thrilling finale to a magnificent race. After the race Chili marched angrily into race control complain that the two weren’t penalized for cutting the chicane, an offence which many riders thought can carry a 10 second stop-and-go penalty.

As the race drew to a close the three were all using every ounce of their engines and tyres as they struggled to get drive out of the turns. Bayliss almost highsided out of the first chicane but kept it pinned. Hodgson had his own moments and Edwards joined in with some lurid rear-wheel slides.

As the three hammered round the final lap it was Bayliss who got the best drive out of Ascari and managed to break Hodgson out of his slipstream as they powered down the main straight. That gave Bayliss all the advantage he needed as they entered the super fast Parabolica–the final turn at Monza. On the exit Hodgson was just too far back to get the draft and Bayliss took win number seven in front of Hodgson and Edwards.

After the race Hodgson said he thought he had won the race, after seeing Edwards and Bayliss take to the slip road. “As far as I was concerned I had won the race,” he said, “but then when I came into the pits I was told I was second.”

Colin Wright, Hodgson’s Team Manager, also seemed to think his man had won and followed Chili up to race control to protest. When asked if his protest had been upheld he said; “No, but it’s not over yet.” The latest news is that the result stands because the pair gained no advantage from cutting the chicane. But had the slip road not been there the pair would have both ended in the gravel.

Haga had to retire his Aprilia after only two laps with a broken water pump. Peter Goddard on the Benelli Tornado scored championship points on Benelli Sport’s return to World Superbike racing. Ben Bostrom’s L&M Ducati succumbed to clutch problems early in the race and his brother Eric Bostrom survived a battering from Borciani as they fought for position. Unfortunately Chris Walker, who was also in the scrap, ended up in the gravel after contact with Borciani ending his race. James Toseland brought the other HM Plant Ducati into fifth position.

Race One Results:

1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998 F02, 18 laps, 32:34.429
2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998 F01, -0.259 seconds
3. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, -0.576
4. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -6.422
5. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, -18.860
6. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, -27.528
7. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, -38.264
8. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998RS, -38.642
9. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -38.745
10. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, -56.182
11. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, -64.410
12. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -88.651
13. Alessandro Valia, Ducati 996RS, -94.857
14. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, -98.868
15. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, -98.899
16. Christian Caliumi, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
17. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -1 lap
18. Thierry Mulot, Ducati 996RS, -1 lap
19. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, -3 laps, DNF, crash
20. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, -3 laps, DNF, crash
21. Scrafino Foti, Ducati 996RS, -5 laps, DNF
22. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -7 laps, DNF
23. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, -7 laps, DNF, mechanical
24. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, -10 laps, DNF
25. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS, -10 laps, DNF
26. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, -16 laps, DNF, mechanical
27. Bertrand Stey, Honda RC51, -17 laps, DNF


More, from a HM Plant Ducati press release:

Hodgson shows the way around Monza

HM Plant Ducat/GSE Racing rider Neil Hodgson once more confirmed his status as a championship contender by taking an outstanding second-placed finish after a thrilling first race at the Monza Autodrome. His team-mate James Toseland scored his best result ever onboard a Superbike – an emphatic fifth place – to make it a superb start to the day’s racing for the team.

After starting from pole position, Hodgson remained at the head of the field for the majority of the 18-lap race. The 28-year-old former-British Superbike Champion put in an incredibly strong showing, and dominated the frantic three-way battle for the lead that was to rage throughout the 104km contest. Troy Bayliss eventually emerged victorious from the struggle, despite both he and third-placed Colin Edwards cutting out the Prima chicane. The pair of world champions outbraked themselves at the end of the 190mph start/finish straight and were forced to straight-line the section and make use of the run-off road.

“I really thought I’d won the race,” said Hodgson. “A memo had gone around before the race saying that a ten-second stop-and-go penalty would be imposed if you cut out the chicane. On the last lap, I didn’t really try to get by Troy because, as far as I was concerned, I only had to worry about Chili getting past me. It turns out that the penalty wasn’t imposed. I’m disappointed, but I can’t take anything away from everybody else because they rode really well to catch me back up. I’m on pole for race two, I’m not at any real power disadvantage anymore and I have these fantastic Dunlop race tyres. I’ll be able to give it 100% again and see if I can get that win.”

James Toseland rode a commanding race to collect 11 valuable championship points, finishing well ahead of many factory riders, including Ducati’s Ruben Xaus.

“That was amazing,” said Toseland. “I got a good start which put me up into fifth. I was expecting to have a bit of a scrap with Haga for that position until his bike packed up. I was determined to keep fifth place, so from there on in I just kept my head down and rode as hard as I could. It’s been a great day for the HM Plant Ducati team so far, and I want more of the same in race two.”

From a press release:

Benelli returns to racing at historic Monza

After their unfortunate problems at Valencia earlier this year, which resulted in Benelli missing the last three rounds, Benelli Sport returned to World Superbike competition at Monza.

“It’s good to be back!” declared Team owner Andrea Merloni. “We have solved all the problems we had in Valencia. The reliability is back although we are a little disappointed with the results, we were faster here in testing on the 29th of April.”

Despite being given tyres specially made by Dunlop for Monza, the team struggled with severe chatter in qualifying. Peter Goddard managed to qualify in 24th place on Friday.

“Maybe it’s the tyres,” said Merloni. “Or maybe it’s a combination of suspension, tyres and even the weather, but we expected to be two seconds faster here today. We need another dry qualifying session to get a good grid position, unfortunately we can’t rely on the weather forecast, in Italy they are a lottery!”

In wet qualifying on Saturday, Goddard and the Benelli were competitive, ending up eighth-fastest in the session.

“We went really well in the wet and it felt good to be up in the top ten,” said Goddard. “The problem is we have been going in the wrong direction for our dry set-up. Now we’ve worked out where we’ve been going wrong, and if we have a dry free practice in the morning we’ll be able to try out our latest dry settings.”

Unfortunately for the team, Friday’s dry times, when Benelli were still struggling, have decided the grid positions. This leaves Goddard with a mountain to climb as he starts Sunday’s two races from back in 24th on grid.

Team owner Andrea Merloni admitted he was hoping for a pair of wet races, “We’ve got a great wet set up and today proved the potential of the Tornado. This is essentially our first race of the season and we’ve got a lot of work still to do. We seem to have found the problems with our dry set up, we’ll have a chance to test our direction if it is dry during Sunday morning’s free practice. Our engine is better than our grid position. We want to get 100% out of our bike but it’s going to take lots more work and commitment.”

Sig. Merloni expressed his confidence in his rider, “Peter is a talented rider and his performance in the wet has proved he has what it takes to race with the best riders in World Superbike racing.”

Away from racing there was good news for Benelli, the beautiful Tornado road bike is in full production and Benelli expect to start the first deliveries to dealers in a little over a week.

“We already have many orders for the new road bike,” confirmed Merloni. “That makes me very happy.”

Reaction to the Benelli Tornado has been positive since the first time the bike was shown to the public, and the factory have managed to bring the bike from prototype to production while remaining faithful to the original design. The bike looks set to become an instant Italian classic!

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Vermeulen takes pole and a place in the history books

By Glenn LeSanto

Van Zon Honda TKR rider Chris Vermeulen snatched pole away from Fabien Foret late in today’s qualifying session and wrote his name into the
history books. At only 19 years of age Vermeulen is the youngest rider ever to qualify on pole in a World Supersport race.

“It’s not only my first ever pole in World Supersport it’s also my first ever front row! I didn’t even know I was on pole,” said Vermeulen. “We had problems with the lap timer all session so I didn’t know how fast I was going. It wasn’t a hard lap. I got a tow of Werner Daemen down the straight and then went for it. I knew it was my quickest lap but I didn’t realize I had gone pole. The first corner here is important, either being at the front or being at the back is the best place for that first lap, first corner. My game plan is to get a good launch off the grid and just go for it. Hopefully then I can avoid the action, but we’ll see what happens. This place makes for unreal racing, there will probably be eight or ten guys at the front drafting for the lead. Nobody can know who’ll win until the end of the race.”

“I’m very proud to be a friend of Chris,” said Eddie Roberts from Pirelli, “He’s the youngest rider ever to make pole in Supersport. He
gives great feedback to us, his riding is good, his information is good and the guy has good manners. He’s a nice guy and he deserves it, I
think his future is very bright.”

Fabien Foret was also pleased for Vermeulen, “It’s good for Chris,” said Foret, “I am very happy for him. But I am very tired after my crash yesterday. I tried to do my best but I didn’t push so much because I wasn’t feeling so good, I need to sleep! But it was easy to go fast because the Honda is so good and the Pirelli tyres are excellent as always. I like to be on pole, especially here. But I am on the front row, so I am confident for tomorrow. I am hoping for good weather, it is better for everybody if it is dry. But we will see.”

Suzuki pairing Stephane Chambon and Katsuaki Fujiwara will join the two Hondas on the grid for the race after spending most of the session
towing each other around the circuit. Fujiwara eventually bettered his teammate’s time to go third.

Final World Supersport Qualifying Times From Monza:

1. Chris Vermulen, Honda CBR600F, 1:53.127
2. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600F, 1:53.457
3. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:53.622
4. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:53.661
5. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.756
6. Paolo Casoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:53.845
7. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati 748R, 1:54.055
8. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600F, 1:54.222
9. James Whitham, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.260
10. Christophe Cogan, Honda CBR600F, 1:54.325
11. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:54.424
12. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.461
13. James Ellison, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:54.602
14. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:54.775
15. Iain MacPherson, Honda CBR600F, 1:54.806
16. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.117
17. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600F, 1:55.188
18. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:55.412
19. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600F, 1:55.585
20. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 748R, 1:55.866

More from a Ten Kate Honda press release:

Vermeulen takes pole in front of Foret

Van Zon Honda TKR rider Chris Vermeulen snatched pole away from Fabien Foret late in today’s qualifying session.

The Van Zon Honda TKR is a Ten Kate Honda satellite team, with the bikes prepared by Ten Kate Racing. So no surprise then that Team Manager
Ronald ten Kate was happy to have given pole away to Vermeulen, “If we have to give up the pole to anyone I am definitely happy that we give it
to Chris Vermeulen,” he said. “I am happy for him, to see Vermeulen’s performance going up. I am happy for Fabien, being in second spot, a
front row start is important here. But we’ve seen a lot of crazy races around here and if it is dry we will see the same again. With Iain I am
a little puzzled as to why he is still struggling, although he didn’t get a really good draft down the straight and when on his fast lap he ran in to some traffic. It’s going to be one of those famous races with first corner mayhem ? maybe Chris and Fabien are in the right place! I
hope we can use the speed of the bikes in the race, and maybe Chris and Foret can make a little escape in the front.”

“It’s good for Chris Vermeulen,” said Fabien Foret, “I am very happy for him. But I am very tired after my crash yesterday. I tried to do my best but I didn’t push so much because I wasn’t feeling so good, I need to sleep! But it was easy to go fast because the Honda CBR600FS is so good
and the Pirelli tyres are excellent as always. I like to be on pole, especially here but I am on the front row, so I am confident for tomorrow. I am hoping for good weather, it is better for everybody if it is dry. But we will see.”

MacPherson will have his work cut out in the race, “It didn’t quite come together for me,” said Ian, “maybe I’m trying to hard. I’m losing a bit of time on the brakes and having trouble getting it set up for the chicanes. But I was on the third row last year and yet I finished 0.8
seconds off the winner so anything’s possible.”

From a press release:

Klaus Klaffenbock narrowly defeated arch-rival Steve Webster in a stunning Superside battle at Monza.

After 14 action-packed laps Klaus Klaffenbock crossed the finish line only 0.142-second ahead. The pair were locked in a titanic battle for the final laps after Klaffenbock hunted Webster down to produce a thrilling finish.

Earlier in the race Markus Schlosser fought with Webbo and Klaffi in a sensational three-way dice that often saw them three abreast heading into the Parabolica curve. The three swapped the lead and seemed incredibly closely matched, with Schlosser even out-dragging Webbo down the long Monza main straight. At one point they even swapped the lead three times in one corner!

But the battle proved too hot for Schlosser, who started to drop off the pace as his motor waned. His Suzuki mill eventually gave up the ghost on lap 13 leaving Klaffi and Webbo to fight amongst themselves over the result.

Webster was dealt a few blows on the final laps when backmarkers baulked him as the leaders started to lap slower outfits. But he recovered all the ground he lost carving through the backmarkers to close down on Klaffi for the final-lap decider. The two were nose-to-tail as they entered the final turn. Then, as they raced onto the final straight, Webbo pulled out of Klaffi’s slipstream and only missed out on victory by a matter of centimetres.

“It was a fair race,” said Webster afterwards, “and it was also a great race!”

Klaffi also enjoyed himself; “That was pure fun! It’s a shame that not all the races are so enjoyable.”

Klaffi’s passenger joined in the spirit of things saying; “We couldn’t have had better race for our first win of the season!”

During the race Klaffi seemed able to outbrake Webster at will, using the lower weight of his R1/LCR combination to full advantage. The surprise came when he also showed he could power past Webster on the main straight. “My engine was sensational – I was able to overtake all the other outfits when I pulled out of their slipstream,” he said.

After the race Webster’s Liveonscreen.com team admitted that they had lowered the compression ratio on his Suzuki engine in order to avoid a repeat of the reliability problems he had suffered in qualifying.

Steve Abbott moved steadily through the field after an appalling start to grab a useful third place. “I thought I stood a good chance of winning the race today if I got a good start,” said Abbott. “Unfortunately I got a terrible start!”

Jorg Steinhausen and passenger Trevor Hopkins bounced back from their spot of upside-down grass-tracking earlier in the day to finish a creditable fourth.

Liveonscreen.com’s Stuart ‘Spotty’ Muldoon was another victim of the intensity of battle, or at least his motor was. They were forced to retire after only six laps with engine failure. The team found the remains of an inlet valve seat in his airbox after the race. That the part was fired out through the carburettor suggested that Muldoon had the throttle pinned wide open at the time of the failure!

The thrilling race, undoubtedly the best of the season so far, will go down in history as one of Superside’s all-time classics.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Edwards masters the wet at Monza

By Glenn LeSanto

Colin Edwards on the Castrol Honda VTR looked smooth and in control in wet conditions at Monza for the final Superbike qualifying.

With the track wet from an earlier rain shower and light drizzle continuing to fall during the session, no riders could better Neil Hodgson’s pole time set on Friday in the dry.

Troy Bayliss was second fastest in the wet on his Infostrada Ducati, with Chili a surprise third, despite still nursing his shoulder injury from Kyalami. Chris Walker took fourth fastest in front of his former British Superbike rival Hodgson.

Benefiting from the wet conditions was Peter Goddard on the Benelli Tornado who finished the wet session in eighth, behind Haga, sixth and
Xaus, seventh.

The weather is forecast to be changeable for the rest of the weekend, if Superpole is wet, the riders have 50 minutes to complete a maximum of
twelve laps with the fastest deciding their grid position. Because Xaus was unable to improve on his time from Friday, he didn’t make Superpole.

World Superbike
Monza
Second qualifying session

1. C.Edwards, USA, Honda, 1:56.394
2. T.Bayliss, AUS, Ducati, 1:56.426
3. P.Chili, ITA, Ducati, 1:56.696
4. C.Walker, GBR, Kawasaki, 1:56.717
5. N.Hodgson, GBR, Ducati, 1:57.401
6. N.Haga, JPN, Aprilia, 1:58.533
7. R.Xaus, ESP, Ducati, 1’59.135
8. P.Goddard, AUS, Benelli, 2:00.055
9. J.Toseland, GBR, Ducati, 2:00.561
10. B.Bostrom, USA, Ducati, 2:00.981

Superpole entry list (Friday’s qualifying times)
1. N.Hodgson, GBR, Ducati, 1:48.282
2. C.Edwards, USA, Honda, 1:48.612
3. T.Bayliss, AUS, Ducati, 1:49.036
4. B.Bostrom, USA, Ducati, 1:49.052
5. P.Chili, ITA, Ducati, 1:49.082
6. J.Toseland, GBR, 1:49.335
7. C.Walker, GBR, Kawasaki, 1:49.671
8. G.Lavilla, ESP, Suzuki, 1:49.923
9. M.Borciani, ITA, Ducati, 1:50.127
10. E.Bostrom, USA, Kawasaki, 1:50.175
11. N.Haga, JPN, Aprilia, 1:50.271
12. J.Borja, ESP, Ducati, 1:50.279
13. S.Martin, AUS, Ducati, 1:50.434
14. L.Pedercini, ITA, Ducati, 1:50.459
15. A.Antonello, ITA, Ducati, 1:50.737
16. B.Parkes, AUS, Ducati, 1:50.737

This just in, from racer John Jewett:

CCS racer Matt Hartlieb seriously injured

Arizona resident Matt Hartlieb remains in ICU at Las Vegas University Medical Center after a crash during a CCS sprint race at the Las Vegas Classic Road Course Sunday May 5. Matt crashed and was struck by another rider, causing a multi-bike pile-up. Matt was unconscious and transported to UMC. Matt had a serious head injury with bleeding of the brain in two areas, but did not require emergency surgery. He remained in an induced coma and on a ventilator until Thursday.

As of Friday he is doing much better. Doctors have cut back on the meds and taken him off of the ventilator. His girlfriend, mother and friends are by his side supporting him. Doctors hope to transfer him soon to Phoenix to complete his recovery. Matt was having a great weekend, having just won Expert Unlimited GP on his Suzuki 600.

Friends have set up an account for anyone wishing to help defray the costs of travel, hospital, ect. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

Wells Fargo Arizona acount # 1006123929

Friends are also planning to raffle an electric go-ped at the next CCS race at Firebird May 18-19, to raise additional funds.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Hodgson takes pole in thrilling Superpole

Neil Hodgson has dominated the World Superbike class all weekend. He kept up that domination by taking pole in a thrilling Superpole.

After two days of rain the sun broke through, dried off the Monza Tarmac and the Superpole was declared dry. Hodgson took full advantage of the conditions and rode an aggressive but controlled lap to grab pole.

Behind him Troy Bayliss was just beaten by Colin Edwards, the difference between Bayliss and Edwards was only two-thousandths of a second or when measured in distance only 21cm!

“It was very close,” said Bayliss, “I did everything I could but I made one little mistake. On a lap like that you can’t make a mistake and it just wasn’t good enough. I’m happy to be on the front row and depending on what the weather does tomorrow it’s going to be an exciting race.”

Asked if he had a good setup in the wet and dry Bayliss replied: “For both conditions we are happy with the way things have gone, it’s bit more competitive this year. Last year it was really only Colin and myself, we were just having a bit of a battle between ourselves, but it’s going to be very different tomorrow and it should be great for everybody.”

“I want to be out front and leading them all,” said Edwards. “Hodgson’s obviously riding real good. I think it was Sugo where he decided to wake up but wherever, he’s going to give us a run for our money. It’s good to have him back up here. It’ll be the three of us for sure and a few more guys from the pack ain’t far behind. I don’t have a race plan; we all have the same goal in mind and we’ll just have to see how it pans out.”

Hodgson admitted it had taken him a couple of races to wake up this season. “I don’t know why but at Valencia I wasn’t really riding at my hardest. It’s taken me a little time to gel. But now I am riding really hard and I’m enjoying my racing.”

Hodgson was obviously happy to be at Monza, “I really enjoy it here it’s one of my favourite circuits. There’s the long back straight where you can have a bit of a rest, I like to go past all the people hanging on the walls.”

Asked how the circuit was on his Dunlop tyres Hodgson replied; “It might come as a shock but we have a race tyre! Dunlop have been working very hard, it’s much better, it goes the distance and also there’s no chatter. My plan tomorrow is I have no plan, I’m just going to ride as fast as I possibly can from the green light”

Pierfrancesco Chili bounced back from his injury to snatch the final front row position.

Broc Parkes had to re-do his Superpole lap after somebody ran in front of him on the track as he started his lap! Unfortunately it was all too much for his Ducati which ground to a halt a short while into his second attempt at a flying lap.

World Superbike Championship Final Qualifying Results From Monza:

1. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998 F01, 1:47.913
2. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, 1:48.413
3. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998 F02, 1:48.415
4. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998 RS, 1:48.662
5. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, 1:49.206
6. James Toseland, Ducati 998 F01, 1:49.541
7. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998 RS, 1:49.800
8. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:50.009
9. Steve Martin, Ducati 998 RS, 1:50.035
10. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998 F02, 1:50.091
11. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998 RS, 1:50.402
12. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998 RS, 1:50.577
13. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:50.945
14. Juan Borja, Ducati 998 RS, 1:50.958
15. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.002
16. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998 RS, 1:50.737
17. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998 F02, 1:50.994
18. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:51.835
19. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996 RS, 1:51.926
20. Serafino Foti, Ducati 996 RS, 1:52.975

24. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, 1:54.128



More, from a Castrol Honda press release:

SECOND FOR EDWARDS

Castrol Honda¹s Colin Edwards will start from second place on the grid in tomorrow¹s fifth round of the World Superbike championship here at Monza, Italy despite beating his own lap record by more than half a second in the Superpole final qualifying.

Edwards starts on the front row, alongside polesetter Neil Hodgson and American SP-2 rider Edwards believes the two races will be a three-way tussle between himself, Hodgson and third-on-the-grid, Troy Bayliss.

“Monza is not easy to put the perfect lap together,” said Edwards. “It’s about the longest circuit we use and you have to be perfect through all three chicanes ­ I made a mess of the second one on my Superpole lap.

“I know that Neil (Hodgson), Troy (Bayliss) and myself will be near the front in tomorrow¹s races but I wouldn’t be surprised if Chili or someone else is up there too.

“We’re in good shape with the race set-up although, if it is wet tomorrow, that will count for nothing. We could have done with a little more dry weather testing but that’s the same for everyone.”



More, from Troy Bayliss’ publicist:

FRONT ROW START FOR BAYLISS AT MONZA WORLD SUPERBIKE ROUND

Monza, Italy – The changing weather conditions at the Monza Circuit continued to play havoc for the teams and riders as they worked their way through a wet final qualifying session, before the weather cleared for the Superpole session which determined the starting order for tomorrow’s fifth round of the 2002 Superbike World Championship.

With rain falling during this morning’s final qualifying session, defending World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss along with everyone else was unable to improve on their lap times set during Friday’s opening qualifying session. All attention was then drawn to the afternoon’s grid position determining Superpole, which was fortunately held in dry conditions.

On his Superpole lap Bayliss was able to improve on his previous best time to record a 1-min 48.415-sec around the famous 5.793km Italian circuit. His time however was eclipsed first by Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards (1:48.413) and finally by Neil Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) who smashed the lap record to grab pole position for the event with a stunning time of 1:47.913. Hodgson’s time was a full second under Edwards’ existing Superbike lap record set at last year’s event.

“My Superpole lap was OK but it wasn’t perfect,” said Bayliss. “I ran a bit wide at the Ascari bends, plus I don’t think that I was as aggressive as I could have been. Both Neil (Hodgson) and Colin (Edwards) have been on the pace all weekend, so I’m not too surprised by the times, but it would have been nice to have been on pole, but it is still good to be on the front row of the grid anyway. Because of the high speeds around Monza we have had to switch from a front tyre that I would normally use to another type due to the heat that is generated. I think a few of the other guys have had a similar problem, it’s a case f different tyres suiting different tracks I guess.

“The weather has made things very difficult around here that’s for sure,” Bayliss added. “The track dries quickly which is good and with the mixture of wet and dry sessions that we’ve had, we have been able to set the bike up well to cope with either condition.

“As for the race tomorrow I expect them to be tough as usual. There could be about six or so different guys in the lead group, so the plan will be to stay with them and keep out of trouble in the first eight laps or so and see what happens from there. I did a lot of laps on the race tyre that we will likely use tomorrow, so I’m confident that we will have a good package for the race.”

Completing the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s two 18-lap World Superbike races is local favourite and four times SWC race winner at Monza, Pierfrancesco Chili. The NCR Ducati rider posted a time of 1:48.662 in what is his comeback ride after missing the last two rounds of the championship with a broken collarbone.

Row two will be headed by Japan’s Noriyuki Haga (Playstation2 Aprilia) who was the big improver in the session, moving from eleventh to fifth on the grid after setting a time of 1:49.206. Joining Haga on row two are James Toseland (HM Plant Ducati, 1:49.541), Lucio Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati, 1:49.800) and Eric Bostrom (Fuchs Kawasaki, 1:50.009). Australian Steve Martin (DFX Ducati, 1:50.035) was ninth and will head row three one place ahead of Ben Bostrom (L&M Ducati, 1:50.091) who rounds out the top ten.


From a Fuchs Kawasaki press release:

BOSTROM BLITZES HIS WAY ONTO THE SECOND ROW AT MONZA

Eric Bostrom blitzed his way around his Superpole lap at Monza this afternoon, recording his best time of the weekend to claim a second row start for tomorrow’s two 18-lap Superbike races.

The Californian, standing in for regular Fuchs Kawasaki rider, Hitoyasu Izutsu, hadn’t even seen Monza before arriving at the circuit on Thursday, but that didn’t stop him backing his factory Kawasaki ZX-7RR into almost every turn on his way to setting the eighth fastest time in Superpole. Despite wowing the crowd with his hang it all out style, the reigning AMA Supersport 600 champion was surprised to learn he’d qualified so far up the grid.

‘I don’t feel I belong on the second row, because my Superpole lap didn’t really feel all that good,’ said Bostrom. ‘This is a tough track at which to get into a groove; it’s not so bad when you string a few laps together, but it’s difficult to go out cold and put in one fast lap when you don’t really know the place that well. The track flows, so if you mess up in one turn, it affects your whole lap, and I think that’s what happened to quite a few riders out there this afternoon. We’ve not been that much faster on qualifying rubber compared to race tyres, so I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to continue the improvement we’ve seen in each session so far during the races tomorrow.’

Chris Walker saw any chance of a high grid position disappear when a missed gear and a near highside at Ascari lost him valuable time on his Superpole lap. Walker will start tomorrow’s two races from the fourth row of the grid – or the barbeque row as he refers to it; ‘…because you always get smoked at the start.’

‘My Superpole lap started out well, but then I missed a gear going into the left-hander, ran in way too deep and then ran wide on the exit. I got on the gas early at the next turn, trying to make up time, but the back end stepped out and had me out of the seat; game over,’ said Walker. ‘It’s going to be tough starting from the fourth row tomorrow. This is a real fast track at which slipstreaming plays a vital part and once the leading group manage to get away, they’re never going to come back to you. It’s just going to be a case of head down and go for it tomorrow I guess.’

More from an Aprilia press release:

HAGA UP IN SUPERPOLE RATINGS

Monza (Milan), Saturday 11 May 2002 – Noriyuki Haga took the Aprilia RSV Mille into fifth place in the final qualifying sessions of the Italian round at Monza. The Japanese ace gained no fewer than six places compared with Friday’s tests and reduced the gap separating him from the fastest lap time. Despite the changing weather and track conditions which complicated the development work, the Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team is back in the running for a prestige result. Noriyuki Haga is increasingly an idol for the Italian public: throughout the entire day, Nitro-Nori’s pits were besieged by fans.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Team Aprilia rider) declared: “We made the greatest progress during the warm-up for the Superpole, the session we use for preparing for the race. I found some solutions which let me maintain a good pace for several consecutive laps. As far as the tyres are concerned, I’ve got some pretty clear ideas. We now need to see what’s going to happen tomorrow as far as the weather’s concerned. This is the first time I’ve raced at Monza: we started from scratch but we’re sure catching up with the competition.”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) commented: “The biggest problem on Friday was again the vibrations at the rear – we worked long and hard but we’re still not quite there. On the other hand, we have made some progress. We’ve still got tomorrow’s warm-up session to carry on getting things right.”

More an HM Plant Ducati press release:

Hodgson on pole at Monza

HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing rider Neil Hodgson obliterated his own outright lap record at the Monza Autodrome, to take pole position for Sunday’s Superbike races. His Superpole lap time of 1:47.913 was over 0.3s faster than his best time from Friday’s qualifying session, 0.5s quicker than that of his nearest rival, and almost 0.7s quicker than the previous lap record. His team-mate James Toseland will start from sixth place on the grid after putting in an extremely impressive 1:49.541 Superpole lap.

Colin Edwards (second) and Troy Bayliss (third) will line up next to Hodgson on tomorrow’s grid. The pair of world champions were simply unable to match the devastating speed of the #100 HM Plant Ducati.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic to be on pole,” said Hodgson, “and to have done it so convincingly makes it all the sweeter. I feel totally at one with my bike at the moment and would like to thank the HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing team for all their hard work. A lot of the credit also has to go to Dunlop. They’ve dedicated a lot of time to me for this round and the fantastic tyres that I now have at my disposal complete the awesome package that we now have. For the first time this season I feel like I’m in a position to take race wins and I’ll be giving it everything to make sure that that’s exactly what I do.”

James Toseland’s sixth-placed start tops-off a glorious day for the HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing team. The young Sheffield-based star excelled around the ultra high-speed 5.79km circuit, putting himself firmly among the front-runners for tomorrow’s competition.

“I feel really strong right now and I think that my qualifying performance reflects that. My confidence in the HM Plant Ducati is at an all-time high and I feel like I’m in a good position to make my presence felt during the races. I truly believe that this is my best chance yet of making it onto the podium.”

Should the British pairing realise their aims, it would be the first time in SBK history that both riders from a non-factory team have made it onto the same podium.