From a press release issued by the SBK press office:

Germany Round 11 -Oschersleben
29/30 August – 1 September 2002

After only two years on the World Superbike Championship campaign trail, Oschersleben, in the former East Germany, has already gained itself an awesome reputation as a scene of drama and confrontation, especially as it appears so close to the final denouement at Imola on September 29.Only three rounds and six races remain, with Oschersleben most likely to be a pivotal backdrop once more.

Oschersleben’s flat layout belies its tricky nature, with several decreasing radius corners waiting to catch out the unwary, and even negative cambers appearing on some bends. A good example is the first left, Hotel corner, taken blind and changing direction mid way through; making it the scene of quite a few bumping and barging incidents over the years.

A total of 80,000 souls can fit into Oschersleben on any one day; most of them close enough to the action to see the whites of the riders’ eyes.

At 3.667km long Oschersleben ‘Motopark’ is one of the shorter circuits on the campaign trail but still features seven right and seven left corners, making it a physical workout for the riders, with little opportunity for rest anywhere.

Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda) has taken three wins from four Oschersleben starts, and holds the current lap record on 1:27.988 (150.034 km/h). The only other man to have won a Superbike race in Oschers is Ruben Xaus, the second rider in the Ducati Infostrada team. His 2001 win came at the expense of Edwards.

In the qualifying stakes, the current Superpole record is owned by Neil Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) with a 1:27.325; the timed qualifying record to Ben Bostrom (L&M Ducati), on 1:27.610.

After a break of four weekends since the last World Superbike race at Brands Hatch, where Edwards scored his fourth and fifth wins of the year, Oschersleben will be a simple test of concentration and mental toughness for the top riders, as much as another opportunity to score points.

Edwards’ latest double at Brands reduced the deficit he has suffered to season-long championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) to a more manageable 39 points. With a possible 150 points left for any rider who can win every remaining race, the championship is far from over.

Not one but two Michelin-supplied Ducati Infostrada riders will be out to prevent an Edwards double win scenario, with Ruben Xaus, a winner at Oschersleben last season, keen to chalk up his first 2002 max point score.

In an unusual year, only three riders have obtained a winner’s trophy in 2002, Bayliss (14), Edwards (5) and Japanese Wild Card Makoto Tamada (Cabin Honda).

With only six more chances, this anomalous domination by basically two riders has not been lost on the rest of the permanent factory entrants in SBK.

Neil Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) has been a thorn in the tail sections of the Bayliss and Edwards duet, but on a year-old factory bike, and running different tyres from the Infostrada Ducati and Castrol Honda riders, he has had his work cut out this season to stay in contention. He has made the best fist of his Dunlop-shod peers, however, and has outpaced 2002 factory rider Ben Bostrom (L&M Ducati) more often than not.

Hodgson’s team-mate, James Toseland has been buoyed by the news that his HM Plant team will retain him for 2002, and he improves week-on week. He will be joined in 2003 by another Briton, Chris Walker, who will find Oschersleben something of a home race for his current factory Kawasaki squad, based as it is in Bavaria.

Like every other four-cylinder runner, even on factory bikes, Walker has found the big factory vee-twins tough nuts to crack this season, but will be hoping that a podium finish at least will not elude him all year.

Several others are in the same position. His own team-mate Hitoyasu Izutsu, third Oschersleben Kawasaki entry Eric Bostrom and factory Alstare Suzuki runner Gregorio Lavilla are three examples, plus everyone’s favourite former factory star, Pierfrancesco Chili (NCR Ducati).

One genuine Oschersleben threat who has stood on podiums this season, just not the top step so far, is Noriyuki Haga, the lone FGF Playstation2 Aprilia rider. Fourth overall pre-Oschersleben, he will be hoping more than most for a kind track surface, one willing to help his Dunlop-shod machine on the way to the last big points scores.

A top ten finish would demonstrate progress for the historically rich but currently outgunned Benelli factory, and Aussie pilot Peter Goddard.

Other riders to look out for include the privateers Lucio Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati), Broc Parkes (Parmalat NCR Ducati), Steve Martin and Alessandro Antonello (both DFX Pirelli Ducati) and Juan Borja (Spaziotel Ducati). Wild card riders in the form of Giuliano Sartoni (Ducati) and Teodor Myszkowski (Yamaha) will play their part as well.

Pick a winner from the top men?

The objective formbook says Edwards, the 2002 formbook says Bayliss, one chapter of the previous Oschers formbook says maybe Xaus, and the man with the most hunger and desperation appears to be Hodgson.

After the summer lay off, the job of picking winners and podium placers has become even more complicated, but the action is sure to be as close and eager as ever.

In the World Supersport Championship there are three races left, four main Championship contenders in the hunt, and any number of them able to win on any given weekend.

It’s racing without frontiers in this class, where the only predictable outcomes are that the competition will be superb, nine times out of ten.

Katsuaki Fujiwara (Alstare Suzuki) has had a recent run of real success (70 points out of a possible 75 really says it all) and it has brought him firmly into the gravitational pull of the championship’s unholy trinity; Stephane Chambon (Fujiwara’s team-mate in the Alstare Suzuki squad), current points leader Fabien Foret (Ten Kate Honda) and the reigning World Champion Andrew Pitt (Kawasaki Racing team).

Factory riders abound in World Supersport, but with strict regulations and limited engine and chassis tweaks allowed, almost anyone can build a competitive machine.

Factory Yamaha man James Whitham (Yamaha Belgarda) may be another in with some chance of a win, his Brands Hatch injuries allowing. As the lap record holder, with a best of 1:30.806, he has to be taken seriously, as will his vastly experienced team-mate Paolo Casoli, so close to being champion last year.

Other Yamaha riders who may make an impact are local heroes Jörg Teuchert and Christian Kellner, from Yamaha Motor Germany.

Honda men on a potential podium path include Karl Muggeridge, Chris Vermeulen and Iain Macpherson.

The only consistently rapid regular Ducati rider, Piergiorgio Bontempi, will be back in Germany, as will James Ellison, from the factory Kawasaki team.

The action starts on Friday, with all solo classes setting out on their first untimed and timed qualifying sessions, in readiness for final qualifying (Superpole for Superbikes) and then raceday proper on Sunday 1 September.



More, from a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Relaxed, refreshed and raring to go

Round 11 of the Superbike World Championship represents a call to arms for the SBK paddock after its month-long summer break from racing. For HM Plant Ducati riders Neil Hodgson and James Toseland, the journey to Oschersleben could not have come soon enough.

Hodgson has been one of the most consistent riders in the championship so far and currently occupies third place in the overall standings. His aim for the final three rounds of the season is to consolidate this impressive position with at least one race win.

“It was good to have some time off to relax,” said the 28-year-old Brit, “but I never stopped thinking about the championship. Oschersleben was a tough round for me last year but it definitely won’t be this time. It’s very difficult to overtake there, and if I want to crack it, I’m going to need a good start, then be fast into turn one and strong coming out of the final bend – the rest of the circuit is just ‘follow my leader’. I’m going to have to be at the top of my game if I want to stay third in the world and right now I feel very much like I am.”

James Toseland is relieved that the holidays are over. The 21-year-old from Sheffield is itching to get back in the saddle and truly relishes the prospect of tackling the 3.7km German circuit this weekend.

“Oschersleben was a good round for me last year,” he said. “I like the circuit and it seems to suit my riding style. The power characteristics and manoeuvrability of the HM Plant Ducati are also perfect for the combination of right and left handers. My main aim is to finish in front of my future team-mate Chris Walker. I’m only five points ahead of him at the moment and I’ve got a bit of a fight on my hands if I want to hold on to seventh place in the championship – I definitely won’t be hanging about this weekend.”

2001 results
Race one: 1. C. Edwards (Honda) 41:23.687; 2. R. Xaus (Ducati) +3.355; 3. B. Bostrom (Ducati) +15.312; 7. N. Hodgson (GSE Racing Ducati) +23.071; 10. J. Toseland (GSE Racing Ducati) +30.064

Race two: 1. R. Xaus (Ducati) 41:17.957; 2. C. Edwards (Honda) +9.938; 3. T. Bayliss (Ducati) +14.907; 10. N. Hodgson (GSE Racing Ducati) +32.821; 12. J. Toseland (GSE Racing Ducati) +33.121

Lap record: 1:27.988 C. Edwards (Honda) 2001

Superpole: 1:27.325 N. Hodgson (GSE Racing Ducati) 2001

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning Practice Times From Oschersleben:

1. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, 1:27.077
2. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01, 1:27.665
3. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, 1:28.228
4. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 1:28.286
5. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, 1:28.628
6. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.893
7. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.183
8. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.316
9. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, 1:29.457
10. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, 1:29.493
11. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.500
12. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.556
13. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.717
14. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:29.876
15. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.912
16. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, 1:30.166
17. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998RS, 1:30.893
18. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, 1:31.101
19. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:31.128
20. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:31.477
21. Serafino Foti, Ducati 996RS, 1:31.632
22. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, 1:31.788
23. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:32.488
24. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 996RS, 1:33.368
25. Yann Gyger, Honda RC51, 1:34.296
26. Thierry Mulot, Ducati 996SPS, 1:34.820
27. Giuliano Sartoni, Ducati 996RS, 1:34.890
28. Teodor Myszkowski, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:34.995

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday World Supersport Qualifying Results:

1. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600, 1:30.275
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:30.398
3. Christophe Cogan, Honda CBR600, 1:30.423
4. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR600, 1:30.499
5. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:30.522
6. Jörg Teuchert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.655
7. Iain MacPherson, Honda CBR600, 1:30.826
8. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:30.939
9. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600, 1:30.969
10. Paolo Casoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.053
11. Antonio Carlacci, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.145
12. Robert Ulm, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.145
13. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.180
14. Stéphane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.275
15. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600, 1:31.279
16. Michael Schulten, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.402
17. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600, 1:31.443
18. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati 748R, 1:31.604
19. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.771
20. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.854
21. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.896
22. Jürgen Oelschläger, Honda CBR600, 1:31.991
23. Gianluigi Scalvini, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.119
24. Robert Frost, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.164
25. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600, 1:32.177
26. John McGuinness, Honda CBR600, 1:32.195
27. James Ellison, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:32.325
28. Claudio Cipriani, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.981
29. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 748R, 1:33.007
30. Rico Penzkofer, Ducati 748R, 1:33.048
31. Brian Laurent, Honda CBR600, 1:33.825


More, from Ten Kate Honda:

Foret fastest ­ again!

Fabien Foret came back from the August break in fine form, going straight to the top of the time sheet in Friday’s timed qualifying. The Frenchman set a stunning pace lapping on his Ten Kate Honda CBR600FS at 1minute 30.275,already going faster than the pole position pace here last year.

Foret is keen to keep his winning ways going, he’s already won three times this year and leads the championship by 9 points. “It’s good to be racing again,” said Foret. “Qualifying is important here, but the team are working hard with Pirelli tyres and WP Suspension to get the best possible set up for the race.”

His team mate Iain MacPherson bounced back from a crash in free practice to finish the session seventh fastest. “I touched an engine casing down and that pitched me off,” said MacPherson.

Team Manager Ronald ten Kate was also relieved to get back into the swing of racing, “It’s good to see both riders shake of the cobwebs from the last few weeks and get straight back up to race pace,” he said. “Foret’s pace is unbelievable! We’ve all worked hard during the break, including some racing in Holland and, as usual, it seems that work is paying off. Qualifying is very important here as the track is twisty and difficult to pass on.”

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Parts Canada Superbike Practice Times:

1. Frank Trombino, Honda RC51, 1:47.038
2. Jordan Szoke, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:47.437
3. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:47.614
4. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:47.632
5. Benoit Pilon, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:48.823
6. Michael Taylor, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:49.181
7. Jeff Williams, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.312
8. Kevin Lacombe, Honda, 1:49.623
9. Andrew Nelson, Honda, 1:50.091
10. Steve Crevier, Honda RC51, 1:50.231
11. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:50.696
12. Ugo Levert, Suzuki, 1:51.043
13. Mike Desmarais, Suzuki, 1:52.389
14. Jean-Francois Cyr, Yamaha, 1:52.799
15. Bruce McDonald, Yamaha, 1:53.207
16. Dave Young, Suzuki, 1:53.387
17. Philip Onisto, Suzuki, 1:53.739
18. Francis Dubuc, Suzuki, 1:53.897
19. Corey Warren, Yamaha, 1:55.153
20. Darryn Wilbur, Yamaha, 1:55.395
21. Derek Vamus, Honda, 1:55.980
22. Joel McDonald, Yamaha, 1:56.331
23. Gaston Labrie, Suzuki, 1:56.959
24. Jeff Sneyd, Yamaha, 1:59.761
25. Jim Proulx, Yamaha, 2:00.388

International Motorcycle Supershow Open Sportbike Practice Times:

1. Frank Trombino, Honda CBR954RR, 1:49.238
2. Kevin Lacombe, Honda, 1:49.446
3. Jeff Williams, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.543
4. Clint McBain, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.552
5. Francis Martin, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:49.829
6. Andrew Nelson, Honda, 1:49.838
7. Michael Taylor, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:50.089
8. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki, 1:50.174
9. Steve Crevier, Honda, 1:50.242
10. Benoit Pilon, Yamaha, 1:50.837
11. Mike Desmarais, Suzuki, 1:51.775
12. Matthew McBride, Honda, 1:51.886
13. Darryn Wilbur, Yamaha, 1:52.200
14. Jean-Francois Cyr, Yamaha, 1:52.214
15. Dave Young, Suzuki, 1:52.330
16. Jim Proulx, Yamaha, 1:52.685
17. Ugo Levert, Suzuki, 1:52.762
18. Philip Onisto, Suzuki, 1:53.208
19. Francis Dubuc, Suzuki, 1:53.277
20. Corey Warren, Yamaha, 1:53.866
21. Gaston Labrie, Suzuki, 1:54.532
22. Joel McDonald, Yamaha, 1:54.573
23. Chris Peris, Honda, 1:54.763
24. Victor Paiva, Kawasaki, 1:56.672
25. Jeff Sneyd, Yamaha, 1:57.090
26. Derek Vamus, Honda, 1:57.162
27. John Brundl, Honda, 3:26.397


Yoshimura 600cc Sportbike Practice Times:

1. Jeff Williams, Suzuki, 1:49.743
2. Kevin Lacombe, Honda, 1:49.941
3. Clint McBain, Suzuki, 1:50.332
4. Owen Weichel, Kawasaki, 1:51.224
5. Andrew Nelson, Honda, 1:51.351
6. Steve Crevier, Honda, 1:51.437
7. Matthew McBride, Honda, 1:54.334
8. Francis Dubuc, Suzuki, 1:57.406
9. Chris Peris, Honda, 1:57.810
10. Jean-Francois Cyr, Yamaha, 1:59.192
11. Corey Warren, Yamaha, 2:00.757
12. Bruce McDonald, Yamaha, 2:02.107

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. plans to import 125 636cc ZX-6Rs and race the bike in the 2003 AMA Superstock Series.

That’s the word from a Kawasaki race team contractor who claims to have knowledge of the plan.

According to the contractor, the bulk of Kawasaki ZX-6R imports in 2003 will be of the 600cc model, and the company’s factory team will compete in AMA Supersport aboard that version as well as in Superstock aboard the 636cc version.

Kawasaki Racing Manager Mike Preston could not be contacted for comment on the report at post time; according to his voice mail, he will be out of the office until next week.

This just in from Roger Lyle:

There will be one last Motorcycle Tune & Test Day at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia on Thursday, September 5, 2002.

All racers are welcome and will receive hours of track time. The cost is $150 per racer. This is your last opportunity to get some good track time in before CCS.

Space is limited. More info can be obtained from Roger Lyle at 301-933-2599 or email [email protected]

This correction just in from AMA Pro Racing:

In the previous announcement of R02133, AMA Pro Racing stated that (Brian) Livengood was the highest finishing privateer in the final standings since Paul Harrell in 1997.

Brian Parriott with White Tip Racing, who finished 6th in the (2002) final points, was actually the top-finishing privateer.


(Editorial note: Remember this day. AMA Pro Racing actually admitting and attempting to correct a mistake is a rarity. As an example, consider the racers who pre-entered the entire road racing series in 2001 and 2002, weren’t told they were supposed to get a free guest pass with series pre-entry, and still haven’t been contacted or offered any rebate or future guest pass–or passes–to make it good.)

From a press release issued by series organizers:

Road Race & Dirt Trackers battle for top positions

FORMULA USA GRAND NATIONAL SERIES

Fort Worth, TX–Halfway through the Formula USA Grand National Series, which consist of 5 selected National Road Race and Dirt Track events with a $50,000 points fund, riders and teams have been working on a strategy to gain an advantage.

Riders such as Larry Pegram of Team Hooters/Mountain Dew Suzuki, Cory West on the Synergy Honda Team and Matt Wait have combined both their road race and dirt track skills to stay at the top of the point standings.

Road racers Michael Barnes, Craig Connell and Lee Acree are doing it only on the pavement, while dirt trackers Glen Schnabel Jr., Terry Poovey and Joe Kopp run at the front each week at the Dirt Track Nationals.

“The Grand National Point battle is beginning to heat up,” said Mike Kidd of Clear Channel Motor Sports. “I expect you will see more road racers dirt tracking and dirt trackers road racing before it’s over. The remaining rounds will certainly be interesting to see the cross-over.”

Top 20 Grand National Point Standings after of 5 of 10 rounds.
1. Larry Pegram 63
2. Michael Barnes 56
3. Matt Wait 49
4. Craig Connell 48
5. Lee Acree 43
6. Cory West 40
7. Glen Schnabel Jr. 38
8. Ray Bowman 32
9. Eric Wood 28
10. Terry Poovey 26
11. Joe Kopp 26
12. Andrew Nelson 24
13. Scott Greenwood 24
14. Rich King 22
15. Kenny Coolbeth 16
16. Bryan Bigelow 16
17. Brett Landes 15
18. Aaron Creamer 14
19. Trenton Bailey 14
20. Scooter Vernon 14

Remaining Rounds
RR Sept 6-8 Portland, Oregon
DT Sept 14 Sacramento, California
DT Sept 21 Tacoma, Washington
DT Oct 6 Del Mar, California
RR Oct 18-20 Daytona Beach, Florida

$50,000.00 Point Fund
1st $20,000.00
2nd $10,000.00
3rd $7,000.00
4th $4,500.00
5th $3,000.00
6th $2,000.00
7th $1,250.00
8th $1,000.00
9th $750.00
10th $500.00

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday Morning World Supersport Practice Times:

1. Fabien Foret, Honda CBR600, 1:30.684
2. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:31.029
3. Jan Hanson, Honda CBR600, 1:31.160
4. Paolo Casoli, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.304
5. Christophe Cogan, Honda CBR600, 1:31.337
6. Jörg Teuchert, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.417
7. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR600, 1:31.475
8. Iain MacPherson, Honda CBR600, 1:31.683
9. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:31.742
10. Christian Kellner, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:31.760
11. Stéphane Chambon, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:32.046
12. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.059
13. Antonio Carlacci, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.061
14. Sebastien Charpentier, Honda CBR600, 1:32.160
15. Michael Schulten, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.231
16. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR600, 1:32.379
17. Gianluigi Scalvini, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.632
18. Jürgen Oelschläger, Honda CBR600, 1:32.679
19. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.683
20. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati 748R, 1:32.909
21. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:32.978
22. Werner Daemen, Honda CBR600, 1:32.991
23. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.023
24. Robert Ulm, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.198
25. Rico Penzkofer, Ducati 748R, 1:33.634
26. John McGuinness, Honda CBR600, 1:33.636
27. Robert Frost, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:33.671
28. James Ellison, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:33.961
29. Claudio Cipriani, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:34.158
30. Brian Laurent, Honda CBR600, 1:34.635
31. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 748R, 1:35.237
32. James Whitham, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:38.781

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

EDWARDS MEANS BUSINESS

Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards took provisional pole at Oschersleben in Germany on Friday Afternoon, dipping more than a second under the existing lap record.

The Texan was fastest for most of Friday as he fought to keep his Championship chances alive. “HRC have certainly done their homework and improved the SP-2 motor,” said Edwards. “There’s no doubt that the championship is still alive for me and Castrol Honda and I want to prove that with two wins on Sunday.”

His rival, and title leader, Troy Bayliss was second-fastest and the only other rider inside the 1:26 barrier. Bayliss waited until his last flying lap before moving up from eighth on the leaderboard to second place, 0.3-second down on Edwards.

Neil Hodgson ended up third-quickest after holding second place for most of the session on his HM Plant Ducati.

Bayliss’s Ducati teammate Ruben Xaus completed the provisional front row for Sunday’s two races with the third factory Ducati of Ben Bostrom fifth.


Friday Afternoon Qualifying Results:

1. Colin Edwards, Honda RC51, 1:26.609
2. Troy Bayliss, Ducati 998F02, 1:26.984
3. Neil Hodgson, Ducati 998F01, 1:27.164
4. Ruben Xaus, Ducati 998F02, 1:27.698
5. Ben Bostrom, Ducati 998F02, 1:27.736
6. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:28.053
7. James Toseland, Ducati 998F01, 1:28.138
8. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.138
9. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.188
10. Gregorio Lavilla, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:28.253
11. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia RSV1000, 1:28.331
12. Steve Martin, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.349
13. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.396
14. Eric Bostrom, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:28.601
15. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, 1:28.948
16. Broc Parkes, Ducati 998RS, 1:29.214
17. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:29.736
18. Peter Goddard, Benelli Tornado 900, 1:29.947
19. Alessandro Antonello, Ducati 998RS, 1:30.096
20. Serafino Foti, Ducati 996RS, 1:30.199
21. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:30.225
22. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 1:30.233
23. Mark Heckles, Honda RC51, 1:30.571
24. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 996RS, 1:32.739
25. Thierry Mulot, Ducati 996SPS, 1:33.131
26. Yann Gyger, Honda RC51, 1:33.210
27. Giuliano Sartoni, Ducati 996RS, 1:34.053
28. Teodor Myszkowski, Yamaha YZF-R7, 1:34.302


More, from Ducati Corse:

BAYLISS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) SECOND QUICKEST BEHIND EDWARDS (HONDA) IN FRIDAY QUALIFYING – XAUS (DUCATI INFOSTRADA) AND BOSTROM (DUCATI L&M) FOURTH AND FIFTH

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) and Honda rival Colin Edwards continued their season-long battle in the first qualifying session today for Round 11 of the World Superbike Championship at Oschersleben, Germany. The two riders were the only ones to dip below the 1m27s mark and Troy’s time of 1:26.984 was just three-tenths of a second slower than the Texan, who set a new best lap around the 3.667 km circuit. Ducati Infostrada team-mate Ruben Xaus, a winner here last year, was also impressive, the Spanish rider slotting into fourth behind HM Plant Ducati’s Neil Hodgson, with a time of 1:27.698, while Ducati L&M’s Ben Bostrom also moved up to within striking position of the leading group with fifth quickest time of 1:27.736.

Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) set his quick time at the end of the session as he sliced a full second off to move closer to pole-sitter Edwards. “Everything is going OK, we have done a lot better than what we did here last year at the moment” declared Troy. “We’re still missing a little bit to get closer to Colin, but we’ll just work on the bike and hope we can improve tomorrow. There’s not much more to come here, I’d like to get a little closer but I can’t see us going any faster than that tomorrow so now I just want to improve on my race tyre. We’ve got a couple of little things to try out and then I’ll be happy. I feel a bit rusty too, it’s been a long month off the bike”.

Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) lost time trying out the set-up from last year, when he won race 2, but then changed to this year’s configuration to record fourth quickest time. “The session was OK” commented Ruben, “but we lost some time with the front tyre because I tested the one from last year, which was not working how I wanted it to. We then went back to this year’s tyre in the front and tested that solution with a good rear I found, so tomorrow I hope to have a good set-up for the race tyre. It is important to do good laps with the race tyres because it’s a long, difficult and physical race and setting a good time on race tyres is more important than qualifying”.

Bostrom (Ducati L&M) took some time to get settled in but then pulled out a quick lap right at the end of the session to finish provisional fifth. “I definitely feel better than this morning now that I’ve got the bike dialled in” said Ben. “Oschersleben is a fun little circuit and I plan to just push hard and put in the best result I can. I miss that feeling of racing up front so that’s my target for this weekend. I think we have a lot more work to do because we are a bit off on race tyre time so we need mostly to work on the bike until we are up front. The hardest part of this circuit is that you have got these big round corners and you’ve got to make the time through the corners, whereas for me it’s easier to make up time on the brakes”.



More, from HM Plant Ducati:

Optimism high at Oschersleben

The HM Plant Ducati team of Neil Hodgson and James Toseland have qualified in third and eighth positions respectively on the provisional grid for the 11th round of the Superbike World Championship at Oschersleben. Colin Edwards set the fastest time of the day with Ducati’s reigning World Champion Troy Bayliss just taking second position from Hodgson in the closing stages of today’s first official qualifying session.

The pole position time set by Hodgson in Superpole at last year’s corresponding round (1:27.325) has been eclipsed by the top three riders on the first day of qualifying. However, there are still many laps to cover around the 3.667km circuit with everything still up for grabs in the championship overall.

The HM Plant Ducati riders are engaged in their own private battles for third (Hodgson) and seventh (Toseland) in the 2002 series. Both are looking good at this early stage to maintain their position thanks to the meticulous preparations of the Ducati Corse-supported team.

“I don’t know what’s changed about this place, but I already like it much more than I did last year,” explained Hodgson. “Everyone is complaining about the bumps and ripples, but after the motocross training I’ve been doing over the summer break, it feels great to me!

“I’m finding a lot of grip on the HM Plant Ducati thanks to the work that Dunlop have put into developing two new tyres for this demanding circuit. I’ve managed to put in some consistent lap times and I haven’t been pushing too hard on a qualifying tyre. I’m already looking forward to Superpole tomorrow.”

Those sentiments were echoed by team-mate James Toseland who said, “I’m really enjoying the experience of riding around the Oschersleben circuit this year. Everything is working really well on the HM Plant Ducati and that is having a positive effect on my confidence.

“After finishing third in this morning’s free practice, I know that I could have been further up the provisional grid, only to have messed up my fastest lap on a Dunlop qualifying tyre. I’ll certainly be looking for an improvement on Saturday.”


More, from Playstation2-FGF Aprilia:

HAGA FINDS HIS WAY IN FIRST OSCHERSLEBEN TESTS

Oschersleben (Germany), Friday 30 August 2002 – The Superbike World Championship is back on track this weekend at Oschersleben in Germany. With three rounds to go, the season will wind up at Assen (Holland, 8 September) and Imola (29 September). Noriyuki Haga is making his debut on this circuit with the Aprilia RSV, so today was spent working on the settings and accumulating data. For the moment, the Japanese rider is placed eleventh.

NORIYUKI HAGA (Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team rider) – “I’ve only raced once on this track, in 2000, on a different bike. I really can’t remember much about it, and what I do remember is of no use since the Aprilia is totally different. We’ve been trying out an entirely new set-up compared with previous races, but I don’t think the initial results are as good as we were hoping for. The bike’s fine, but the tyres and suspension still need sorting out.”

GIACOMO GUIDOTTI (Technical Manager of the Playstation2 – FGF Aprilia Team) – “Here with Haga we have no references, and we knew the first day would be spent getting used to the circuit. Sure, in terms of times and rating, we’re a bit further back than we were expecting. We had a few tyre problems, mainly with vibrations at front and rear. This could of course be because we haven’t got the suspension quite right yet. At the end of the session, we did an in-depth analysis of the 2001 data, when we had different riders, to see if there were any references that might be of use.”


More, from Benelli:

Difficult start for Benelli Sport

After a month away from racing it was back to work for Benelli Sport at the Oschersleben circuit in Germany. But it proved to be a tough return for the team to competitive racing after the August holiday.

“We’ve struggled again here today,” admitted rider Peter Goddard. “Although things are better than last year, we’re still down on power.”

Unfortunately, testing scheduled for August had to be cancelled, losing the team valuable time on the track to develop new parts recently introduced.

Goddard finished the session down in 18th place, “I hope we can improve on that as I’d really like to make it into Superpole before the end of the year!”

The team hope to make some more changes and improvements to the Benelli Tornado superbike before the last round at Imola in Italy.



More, from a press releases issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

SECOND ROW FOR WALKER ON OSCHERSLEBEN DEBUT

Chris Walker stormed back from the summer break, to take his Fuchs Kawasaki ZX-7RR to an impressive sixth position during the opening day of qualifying for round eleven of the World Superbike Championship at Oschersleben, Germany.

On his first visit to the 3.667Km circuit, Walker quickly got the Fuchs Kawasaki dialled in, to once again finish as the highest qualifying four-cylinder machine; ahead of many of the favoured twins around the technical German track.

‘I struggled to get into it a bit this morning, but I think everyone was feeling a bit rusty after the four-week layoff,’ said Walker. ‘It was only halfway through this afternoon’s qualifying session that everything started to fall into place. I set my fastest time of the day when I managed to hook in behind Colin Edwards. I think he was actually on a warm-up lap, so big respect is due to him for that!’

‘It’s the usual story out there. We’ve got two legends in Colin and Troy up front and everyone else has to ride out of their skin just to keep up. But it’s my first time at this circuit, so I’m confident that there will be a few places where I’ll find some more time tomorrow. We’ve got a couple of race tyres to choose from, so I’ll also have to spend a bit of time finding out which one works best,’ continued Walker.

A determined performance from Hitoyasu Izutsu saw the former Japanese Superbike Champion secure seventeenth position aboard the Fuchs Kawasaki ZX-7RR this afternoon. Although still suffering the effects of a badly broken wrist, sustained at his home round in Sugo, the 31-year-old Japanese star is happy to be back on the bike and racing in World Superbikes once again.

With minor changes made to the bike during the interval, Izutsu set his fastest lap of the day on a race tyre, after encountering a problem with the rear qualifier on his flying lap.

‘I hoped to be a bit higher up the grid today, but we had a few minor problems,’ said Izutsu. ‘We’ve made some changes to the front and rear suspension today, and I’m confident that I’ll be able to improve on my qualifying position tomorrow.’

Eric Bostrom, riding the Kawasaki ZX-7RR, put in a brave performance to secure fourteenth place on the provisional grid, despite riding with injuries sustained in a boating accident seven days ago. Like Walker, this was Bostrom’s first ride at the Oschersleben circuit, which makes today’s performance all the more impressive.

‘Right now my body is so sore from the boat crash and I almost can’t ride the bike,’ explained the American, who finished a close second in this year’s AMA Superbike Championship just two weeks ago. ‘I had some injections from our team physio and my chest is definitely better, but the problem now is my back, which feels like I have a knife stuck in it.’

‘I actually really like the track, there are a couple of places where you seem to spend too much time on the side of the tyre, but I’m getting used to that. We have some improvements to make to the bike but, if I was fit, I could ride it how it is, so I just hope that my body improves before tomorrow,’ added the 26-year-old Californian.


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

TOP TEN FOR LAVILLA

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Gregorio Lavilla ended the first day of qualifying in tenth position, just two tenths of a second off sixth place.

Today’s qualifying in the Motopark Oschersleben was closer than usual but all that could change tomorrow.

Gregorio has fully recovered from the injuries he sustained two rounds ago at Laguna Seca and is able to ride at full strength. He will be going all out to do a good Superpole tomorrow afternoon.

Colin Edwards (Honda) topped the standings today, with a time of 1:26.609.

GREGORIO LAVILLA ­ 10TH, 1:28.253
“I’m quite happy with how today went and I hope we will continue to improve tomorrow. This morning we had a bit of work to do and it was hard to go really fast. In the afternoon we made some suspension changes and I found I could go quite a bit quicker. Tomorrow we’ll start from where we finished today and just make small changes and see if we can improve. Today I set my fastest time on qualifying rubber, but I’m happy because I only went one tenth of a second slower on normal race rubber. My target tomorrow is to make a really good Superpole and try and get a good grid place for Sunday.”

Friday qualifying
1 Edwards (Honda), 2 Bayliss (Ducati), 3 Hodgson (Ducati), 4 Xaus (Ducati), 5 Bostrom (Ducati), 6 Walker (Kawasaki), 7 Chili (Ducati), 8 Toseland (Ducati), 9 Borciani (Ducati), 10 LAVILLA
(ALSTARE SUZUKI CORONA EXTRA)

FUJIWARA’S GOOD FORM CONTINUES

World Supersport Championship – Round 10, Oschersleben, Germany, August 30, 2002.

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Katsuaki Fujiwara continued his run of good form with a strong second place at the end of the first day of qualifying at Oschersleben today.

The Japanese rider posted a time of 1:30.398 ­ just one tenth of a second slower then provisional pole-setter Fabien Foret (Honda).

It was not such a good opening day for team-mate Stephane Chambon. He finished 14th today but is certain his final qualifying position will be much higher up the grid.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA ­ 2ND, 1:30.398
“I’m pretty happy at the moment. I am generally feeling good after my win at Brands Hatch in the last round and feel more comfortable. The bike felt more or less OK when we started, but because Oschersleben is so flat we soon decided to go for a softer rear spring. Now we will probably have a good look at the gearing, because I feel that 2nd, 3rd and 4th are not quite right for this track. If that works out well, then I’m sure I can challenge Foret for the pole.”

STEPHANE CHAMBON ­ 14TH, 1:31.275
“My Suzuki felt good today, so the only thing wrong was me! The arm I injured at Brands Hatch feels OK and it certainly doesn’t cause me any problems when I’m on the bike. Today I didn’t get a good feeling with my bike, but I’m sure that things will improve tomorrow and I’ll be much further up the grid.”