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Neil
Hodgson (100) and Steve Martin (7) lead the field into turn one at Phillip
Island.
SBK
2003 World Superbike / Supersport Championship, Phillip Island AU Round
2
Weather:
Sunny. Air Temp: 20°C. Track Conditions: Dry, 37°C, Crowd: Estimate
45,000 all weekend
Hodgson
and Xaus Duplicate Ducati
Winning Streak with Double Win in Austratia
Neil
Hodgson and Ruben Xaus kept up Ducati Fila's winning streak with a 1-2
triumph in both Australian rounds of the World Superbike Championship
at Phillip Island.
Phillip
Island, Australia, March 28-30th: Hodgson battled with Chili
(PSG-1 Ducati) in the early laps of race 1, but when the Italian dropped
out with engine problems on lap 5, he maintained a healthy cushion to
the chequered flag. "I really wanted to win this race as a tribute
to Barry Sheene, who passed away recently", declared Neil. "I
just wanted to fly, lead and not let anyone attack, so I was surprised
when Chili came underneath me at the hairpin. I was pleased that he
was there, no one wants to be on their own in a race, and when Chili
dropped out I was disappointed, but I wasn't going to roll back the
throttle to make a show. I continued at the same pace and went for it."
In race 2, Hodgson was unable to pull out much of a lead from a group
of six riders and then had an exciting scrap for the win with team-mate
Xaus over the last eight laps. "I tried to break everyone early
on, got a bit of a lead, stayed consistent with a fast pace but then
Ruben started chipping away" he added. "When he got close
I decided to have a bit of a rest, that was my cunning plan. I knew
from all the other races today that everyone who led out of the last
corner won so that was in my mind at the end. My bike was so fast today
so I thought that if I could do that, then I would win."
Hodgson's victory today took on special importance for Ducati as it
came on the 50th anniversary of the Italian manufacturer's first ever
victory in a competitive race. On 30 March 1953 in fact Silvio Malaguti
won the first leg of the 1st Moto Giro d'Italia 1953 from Bologna to
Rome (443 kms) in the 50cc category of the up to 75cc class. The racing
debut in the Moto Giro that year saw Ducati finish an overall second
and third.
Xaus was involved in a superb scrap with Lavilla until lap 20 of race
1, when the Suzuki rider was forced to slow the pace due to tyre problems,
leaving Ruben in a comfortable second. "I did a really bad start
but took things calm during the race" said Ruben. "I was having
a good battle with Gregorio and this was good for me and for the championship."
Troy Corser clinched
a dramatic fifth place on the Foggy Petronas FP in the first race. His
team mate James Haydon completed the 22 laps of the Australian coastal
circuit in 15th place to seal a double points-scoring first for Foggy
PETRONAS Racing. Troy, who started from sixth in the grid, out-braked
four other riders to move from seventh to fourth going into the first
corner of the final lap, before being edged into fifth place by fellow
Aussie Steve Martin. Troy also recorded the top speed of the race when
the FP1 clocked 293.8kph.
Troy said: “I was just starting to catch the group in front of
me when they caught Chris Walker, who held
them up. I was actually hoping they would catch them there and I managed
to get a draught and beat
them on the brakes. Martin sneaked inside me at MG and, if I had known
it was the last lap, I would have
blocked him off. Fifth is not too bad as I just struggled a little with
acceleration but my set-up was good
and the Michelin tyre worked well.”
In hopes of giving
the other teams a chance, organizer SBK decreed that the Fila Ducati
team riders Xaus and Hodgson had to race with a handicap using just
one hand each. While entertaining, the controversial rule decision failed
to achieve its desired effect.
SUPERBIKE RACE TWO
The second race saw Ruben work his way up the field again to catch leader
Neil on lap 14 but he was unable to overhaul his team-mate as they flashed
across the line separated by 70/100ths of a second. "That race
was really good. I saw that Neil wasn't going so fast because its difficult
to set a pace when you're on your own. When I passed him I tried to
go but he broke my rhythm with different lines in some corners and then
it was impossible to pass him at the end of the race. At the last lap
I tried at Honda corner but Neil braked really hard and closed the door
and that was it. My bike was perfect today, a big thanks for my mechanics
who have worked enough this weekend for the rest of the year."
After a promising
two days of qualifying, an expectant home crowd were willing local favourite
Troy Corser to challenge the Ducati domination at the front of the field.
And, with a daring braking manoeuvre that took him from seventh to fourth
going into turn one for the final time, a top four finish looked on
the cards before fellow Aussie Steve Martin was able to nudge Troy down
into a creditable fifth, with series leader Neil Hodgson again taking
both wins.
Troy quickly lost tow from the leading bunch in race two as he experienced
over-heating problems from
the FP1 engine throughout the race and he was content to guide the bike
home in eighth place. He said: “I was happy with the first race
and I guess that if someone had said six months ago that we would be
finishing fifth two races into the season, we would not have taken them
seriously. The bike was running well for half a dozen laps of the second
race but then the engine started to drop off and over- heat. I had lost
the front group and no-one was challenging from behind so I made sure
I finished the race in eighth. But we have scored points in both races
and have learnt a lot more about the engine here.”
It was a weekend of frustration for team-mate James Haydon. After running
wide at turn one on the second lap of race one, he was only able to
claw his way back into 15th. Then a problem with the clutch on the first
lap meant that he dropped from 10th to 19th. He was then unable to use
first gear at the slow Honda corner and endured a lonely race in 16th.
James said: “I take full responsibility for the bad luck of the
first race but I couldn’t do anything about the second race. I
changed down into first at Honda and had no slip from the clutch. It
was like standing on
the back brake and I had to pick the bike up, losing a lot of ground.
From then on I was unable to use first
so I haven’t had two races, just two lots of 22 laps of practice.
I am really disappointed but, when we have
the bike more like I need it, I know that as a world class rider I shouldn’t
ever be outside the top ten.”
RACE 1 (22 laps):
1. Hodgson (Ducati Fila); 2. Xaus (Ducati Fila); 3. Lavilla (Suzuki);
4. Martin (DFX Ducati); 5 Corser (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +18.353; 6
Laconi (NCR) +18.647; 7 Walker (HM Plant Ducati) +20.317; 8 D Garcia
(NCR) +29.731; 9 Borciani (DFX) +30.113; 10 Pedercini (Team Pedercini)
+30.226; 15 Haydon (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +1:05.711
RACE 2 (22 laps): 1. Hodgson
(Ducati Fila); 2. Xaus (Ducati Fila); 3. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati); 4. Laconi;
5. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati); 6. Walker (HM Plant Ducati).POINTS (after
2 of 12 rounds): Riders - 1. Hodgson 100; 2. Xaus 80; 3. Walker 48;
4. Lavilla 44; 5. Martin 41; 6. Toseland 40; etc. Manufacturers - 1.
Ducati 100; 2. Suzuki 44; 3. Petronas 32; 4. Kawasaki 18; 5. Yamaha
7.
Vermeulen
Scores First SuperSport Win On CBR600RR
After
Chris Vermeulen’s domination of qualifying, setting a new World
Supersport circuit record of 1:35.291 in the final timed session, the
20-year-old Australian took his Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR to its maiden
victory at his local Phillip Island track. Vermeulen’s win was
also his first in world championship racing, with the Queenslander in
the lead from first lap to last, outpacing his nearest rival Katsuaki
Fujiwara by 9.299 seconds. Vermeulen now shares the championship lead
with the Japanese rider, each having taken a first and second finish
this season.
Karl Muggeridge
(Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was the next best Honda rider in seventh place,
having formed part of the ten-rider battle for the final podium place
at one stage, a battle which featured frequent changes of running order.
Vermeulen was understandably delighted to have taken his first win in
front of his home crowd.
"I've been hanging out for a win and I'm really, really happy,"
he affirmed at the post race press conference. "I rolled the throttle
off with four or five laps to go and I kept it calm - but gee, it seemed
to take a long time to the finish! There is still a lot of work to do
but I'm looking forward to Sugo and I think the Honda CBR600RR can get
better and better."
For Muggeridge,
another local hero, his early lap competitiveness did not deliver his
much-desired podium finish on home soil - but not for the want of trying
in the first half of the race. “I struggled with the front suspension,
running wide then having to roll off the throttle. In the end I thought
it was better to bring it home in the race than on the back of a trailer!”
Robert Ulm (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was the final top ten finisher, after
a race spent fighting front-end chatter in the early stages: “I
had too much chatter in the first few laps but I think it was just the
full fuel load.
Apart from that the bike ran perfectly.”
Three times a crasher
in practice Christophe Cogan (BKM Honda CBR600RR) hung onto the tail
end of the second group for a 13th place finish in this particularly
tough race: “I’ve had a poor weekend here and I was expecting
better after having finished fourth at Valencia. I rode as hard as I
could.” Werner Daemen (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) slotted in behind
Cogan in 14th, the last factory Honda rider to finish the 21-lap race:
"The race seemed to last for a long time but it was probably due
to having front end problems, in the early part of the race and then
rear trouble at he end. We probably could have done better with the
suspension settings."
Broc Parkes (BKM
Honda CBR600RR) retired with mechanical problems on lap six, ending
a strong run and challenge for the podium places in only his second
World Supersport race. “I was running with the top group of riders
and feeling confident. We’re not sure what he problem was but
it just started losing water.”
The third round of the World Championship takes place at Sugo, Japan
on April27.
600cc Supersport Race Results (Laps 21 = 93,345 Km)
Pos/Rider/Team/Gap
1/C. VERMEULEN/Ten Kate Honda/Honda/34m 03.675s; 2/K.
FUJIWARA/Alstare Suzuki/Suzuki/9.299; 3/J. VD GOORBERGH/Yamaha Belgarda/Yamaha/14.762;
4/S. CHAMBON/Alstare Suzuki/Suzuki/16.008; 5/K. CURTAIN /Nikon Yamaha
Racing/Yamaha/16.106; 6/J. TEUCHERT/Yamaha Deutschland/Yamaha/18.686
7/K. MUGGERIDGE /Ten Kate Honda/Honda/18.834; 8/P. RIBA/Kawasaki R.T.
KRT/Kawasaki/22.666; 9/A. CORRADI/Italia Spadaro F.R./Yamaha/22.685;
10/R.ULM/Team Klaffi Honda/Honda/22.791
Fastest Lap : 2° Katsuaki Fujiwara 1'36.642 165,580 Km/h
World Supersport championship points after two of 11 rounds: 1 Vermeulen
and Fujiwara 45, 3 Van den Goorbergh and Corradi 23, 5 Teuchert 21,
6 Muggeridge 19, 7 Cogan 16, 8 Chambon and Riba 13, 10 Christian Kellner,
Germany (Yamaha) 12. 12 Parkes 9. 13 Daemen 8. 15 Ulm 6.
Manufacturers points: 1 Honda and Suzuki 45, 3 Yamaha 32, 4 Kawasaki
13.
2003
MotoGP World Championship Preview
Ducati Marlboro Team Set To Open a New Era
In Moto GP this coming weekend at at Suzuka Japan
March 28 2003: The Ducati Marlboro Team opens
a new chapter in Grand Prix history at Suzuka this weekend.
The legendary Italian marque, which has dominated World Superbike
for the past decade or so, now embarks on its first attempt
at conquering GP racing’s premier championship. The 2003
MotoGP season will be a period of development for the brand-new
Desmosedici, even if the machine has already showed stunning
speed in preseason testing and looks like being a real force
when the racing starts on Sunday. Last month, Ducati Marlboro
Team rider Loris Capirossi topped the official MotoGP prologue
test session at Catalunya in Spain (time 1.44”634; all-time
record at 328.2kmh/203.9mph), with team-mate and MotoGP newcomer
Troy Bayliss also showing impressive speed (time 1.44”
893, 322.8 kmh/200.6 mph).
But, as team personnel are keen to point out, testing is not
racing, which is why the sense of anticipation around this year’s
season-opening Grand Prix is arguably greater than any other.
Everyone is waiting to see how the Desmosedici performs in anger
for the first time, an extra gravity attached to the event because
the race will unfold on Japanese tarmac.
While Ducati’s involvement has sparked new interest in
MotoGP, there’s also unprecedented interest in Japan,
with more top-grade riders contesting the championship than
ever before. This year there are ten world champions fighting
for MotoGP glory – current MotoGP king Valentino Rossi,
former 500 champ Kenny Roberts Junior, World Superbike winners
Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss, 250 champs Max Biaggi, Loris
Capirossi, Marco Melandri, Daijiro Kato and Olivier Jacque and
World Supersport winner Andrew Pitt.
Sunday’s Japanese GP is the first of 16 that constitute
the first all-four-stroke MotoGP World Championship. The fixtures
continue with the South African GP on April 27 and then the
Spanish GP, which starts the European season on May 11.
DOMENICALI’S EARLY SEASON PREDICTIONS
Months of anticipation end when the Ducati Marlboro Team lines
up for its MotoGP debut this weekend at Suzuka, one of the fastest
tracks on the GP calendar. The squad’s Desmosedici bike
has already proved that it lacks nothing in the way of speed
– at Catalunya last month, Capirossi and Bayliss headed
the top-speed charts, the Italian establishing an all-time record
at 328.2kmh/203.9mph, Bayliss not far behind at 322.8 kmh/200.6
mph.
The bike’s 220-plus horsepower output will be vital on
Suzuka’s two long straights, but Ducati Corse managing
director Claudio Domenicali isn’t making any great predictions
for Sunday’s race, because he knows his crew is only just
embarking on its long journey down the MotoGP road.
“All I can say is that we are reasonably happy and that
our engineers have good reason to be very proud of what they’ve
done so far,” says Domenicali. “We are only at the
start of this project and we are already at a reasonable level
of performance. We’ve done some good development work
and we know that the bike has a very high potential, but we
need more time to fully understand it and to extract its full
potential. At the moment I’d say that the engine is only
at 80 per cent of its capability.”
The Ducati Marlboro Team have been helped in their successful
search for speed by fuel and lubricants partner Shell, who have
worked closely with Ducati Corse since 1999. “The Desmosedici’s
incredible speed at Catalunya was helped by Shell,” reveals
Domenicali. “We used a new fuel called V-Power RD 0502,
which had already showed promising results on the dyno, with
an increase in peak power of almost one per cent.
“Every month we should be able to make the bike faster,
but others are also getting faster. Our results will also depend
upon how much room our rivals have for improvement, so it’s
very difficult to predict results for the first few races.
“At the moment there’s no clear area in which the
bike is lacking, it’s just a case of achieving a good
overall balance, which will only come with time. The bike is
still very young, we still need to achieve the best-possible
balance and then learn how to achieve that balance at every
track. We are on a steep learning curve, we still have a lot
of small steps to take before we are really good!”
And yet the pre-season mood in the Ducati Marlboro Team is high
expectation tinged with optimism. Most of all though, the mood
is happy, as team director Livio Suppo points out: “It’s
a happy team and that’s important to us. We have a tough
season ahead, so we need to enjoy ourselves, we like to have
a good feeling about the way we go racing.”
CAPIROSSI’S
FIRST FOUR-STROKE RACE
Three-time World Champion Loris Capirossi hits the big ‘Three
Oh’ at Suzuka on Friday – the day he officially
commences his first-ever four-stroke GP season. The Italian’s
30th birthday provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on
his career so far, as well as taking a peak into his future.
One of only a handful of riders to have won GPs in three classes
– 125, 250 and 500s – Capirossi has been a major-league
star since 1990 when he won the 125 world title at his first
attempt, aged just 17. Over the past two seasons he has fought
bravely on now uncompetitive 500cc machinery – in 2002
he was one of only two riders capable of running with the four-strokes
on his ‘old’ 500 two-stroke. This year he is finally
back where he deserves to be.
Some people wondered whether Capirossi would be able to adapt
to the four-stroke Ducati Marlboro Desmosedici after a career
spent exclusively on two-strokes, but he soon dispelled those
doubts, breaking lap records within weeks of his first ride
on the Italian V4.
“The four-stroke is great – much more comfortable
than the two-stroke, so you can have a lot of fun spinning the
rear tyre!” smiles Capirossi, who’s never ridden
anything as powerful as the 220-plus horsepower Ducati. “The
bike is already at a very good level, our lap times from winter
testing tell us that, but we have a lot more work to do before
we can properly claim to have the best bike. Anyway, it’s
coming better step by step, and I’m really excited because
I think we can fight for some good results from the very first
race.”
Suzuka is a particularly special event for Capirossi for two
reasons: firstly because it’s always a privilege to race
an Italian bike in Japan, and secondly because he adores the
high-speed circuit with its unique figure-of-eight layout. Capirossi
started the 2001 Japanese GP from pole and was second quickest
in qualifying last year, even though his 500 had 30 less horsepower
than the fastest four-strokes.
“Suzuka is a lovely track, one of the best in the world,”
he affirms. “And, of course, it’s a very important
race for Ducati, like Ferrari in the Suzuka F1 car GP! I think
it could be good for our bike because it’s not the kind
of circuit where you get a lot of wheelspin. Everyone can see
that we’ve got a lot of horsepower, so we are working
to reduce wheelspin, and we’re making good progress with
different solutions, both on engine and chassis set-up.
“I don’t have any big expectations for the first
race. Much will depend on how the pre-race tests go. They will
be especially important for us, because unlike the other factories,
we haven’t been to Suzuka before. If we can fix the set-up
during the tests, I think we can have a good race.”TROY’S
BIG NEW CHALLENGE
The Ducati Marlboro Team isn’t alone in opening a new
chapter in racing history at Suzuka this weekend – rider
Troy Bayliss is also embarking on a new adventure. After five
years on Superbikes the easygoing Aussie is making the move
to MotoGP, and he’s not underestimating the magnitude
of the challenge.
Winner of the World Superbike crown in 2001 and a nail-bitingly
close runner-up last year, Bayliss may have shown great promise
during winter testing with the Desmosedici, but he’s got
plenty to learn once the racing gets underway. Not only has
he got to learn a whole new class of racing and get to know
a grid-full of new rivals, but he’s also got to compete
on 13 tracks where he’s never raced before, starting on
Sunday.
“There’s no way I’m going to go to Suzuka
and win,” says Bayliss with refreshing frankness and honesty.
“Then we go to Welkom, which is another racetrack I haven’t
seen, so I just want to get a couple of half-decent races under
my belt, see what I can do, then hopefully my real season will
start when we get back to Jerez, where I’ve tested a bit
and where I feel pretty comfortable. The bike’s starting
to come good, it’s just a matter of taking it step by
step.”
Bayliss had never even see Suzuka before he rolled up for the
all-team test session on March 30 (when he celebrates his 34th
birthday), at least not in reality, but he had ridden a few
laps on his PlayStation, racing against his seven-year-old son
Mitchell. “Anything we do that’s not to do with
racing he beats me!” smiles Bayliss. “I usually
do a few laps on the PlayStation before I go somewhere new,
it just shows you which way the track goes.”
Renowned for his awesome on-track aggression and radically spectacular
riding style, Bayliss can’t wait for the racing to get
under way for real. “I’m excited, after all, I’m
a racer!” he adds. “I think a lot of riders feel
the same way after a long winter of testing. But I know the
first few races won’t be easy because it’s hard
to find the limit at any track you don’t know. At tracks
you do know it’s easier to find little things with the
bike, so you can improve its performance. The Desmosedici is
already not too bad, we’re pretty much where we expected
to be at this stage. Early on, we know we’ll have some
good days and some bad days, but we’re making progress
and that’s what we want to do.”
Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix will be the second GP of
Bayliss’ career – he made his GP debut with a one-off
ride in the 1997 Australian 250 GP.
THE
TRACK
Suzuka was constructed by Honda in 1962 as Japan’s first
international-standard racetrack and still rates as one of the
world’s best motorsport venues. The circuit staged its
first World Championship rounds in ’63, ’64 and
’65 but those events only catered for the smaller-capacity
classes and it wasn’t until 1987 that Suzuka hosted a
premier-class GP.
Since then the fast, varied and supremely challenging track
has gained a reputation for serving up some of the closest,
most thrilling GP encounters. Suzuka is the longest circuit
on the GP calendar and unique for its figure-of-eight layout
which gives a good mix of left and right-handers, varying from
fast sweepers to the dead-stop chicane and hairpin. It is also
one of the few current GP tracks where MotoGP riders can give
full rein to their 200-plus horsepower machines.
TROY BAYLISS Age: 34 (date of birth March 30 1969) Lives: Monaco
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici First GP: Australia,
1997 (250) World Superbike victories: 22 World Championships:
1 (Superbike: 2001) Suzuka 2002 results: DNS
LORIS CAPIROSSI Age: 30 (date of birth April 4 1973) Lives:
Monaco Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici
GP victories: 22 (2x500, 12x250, 8x125) First GP victory: Britain,
1990 (125) First GP: Japan, 1990 (125) GP starts: 184 (14xMotoGP,
59x500, 84x250, 27x125) Pole positions: 33 (5x500, 23x250, 5x125)
First pole: Australia, 1991 (125) World Championships: 3 (125:
1990, 1991, 250: 1998) Suzuka 2002 results. Grid: 2nd Race:
9th
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Foggy
PETRONAS Racing
made further steps forward in round two of the World Superbike
championship at Phillip Island, Australia, with Troy Corser finishing
fifth and eighth in the two races.
Team-mate James Haydon also completed both races on the FP1, in
15th and 16th places respectively, as
the team built on their recent debut performance at Valencia.
And team owner Carl Fogarty, who had stayed at home in England
to honour family commitments, was
quick to pinpoint the positives from the weekend. He said: “We
have moved forward again as we finished
all four races and Troy improved on his previous best of seventh.
As long as things are progressing, and
carry on that way, then we are happy. The next race in Japan will
be a real test for us, though, we haven’t
tested at Sugo and there are always a lot of fast wild card local
riders.”
After a promising two days of qualifying, an expectant home crowd
were willing local favourite Troy Corser to challenge the Ducati
domination at the front of the field. And, with a daring braking
manoeuver that took him from seventh to fourth going into turn
one for the final time, a top four finish looked on the cards
before fellow Aussie Steve Martin was able to nudge Troy down
into a creditable fifth, with series leader Neil Hodgson again
taking both wins.
DUHAMEL
LEADS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE AMA CHEVY TRUCKS U.S. SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
COMING INTO FONTANA DOUBLEHEADER
Miguel Duhamel is in his 15th season of AMA professional racing,
but the 34-year-old native of Montreal shows signs of being in
the racing form that enabled him to win the 1995 AMA Superbike
title. Duhamel, the all-time AMA Superbike wins leader, is coming
off his 26th-career victory in the season opener, the Daytona
200, at Daytona International Speedway on March 10. Duhamel and
the rest of the AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike competitors are
heading to California Speedway, in Fontana, Calif., on April 4-6,
for the Yamaha Superbike Challenge, rounds two and three of the
18-race championship.
This is the first time in four years that Duhamel has been atop
the AMA Superbike standings. The veteran factory Honda rider is
hoping to keep his momentum going as the series comes to Southern
California.
“I’m feeling as strong as ever and my team has my
Honda RC51 dialed in so well,” Duhamel said. “It’s
going to be tough because of the great competition in the series,
but I think I have a real shot at winning the championship this
year. It’s been eight years, so I think it is about time
I win it back.”
If Daytona was any indication, this year’s series could
be the most competitive in years. In the series opener, six riders
led the race on three different brands. One of those riders who
led at Daytona was Anthony Gobert. Gobert won the Saturday Superbike
race last year in Fontana and is looking to get his season back
on track after engine problems forced him to retire at Daytona.
“I’m looking forward to Fontana,” said Gobert,
a former Australian Superbike champ who rides for Ducati Austin.
“We’ve got some points to make up after Daytona, but
with 18 rounds this year, we have plenty of races to catch up.
My goal is to go out and start winning races. If I do that then
everything should fall into place for us.”
Duhamel’s Honda teammate Ben Bostrom is back in the AMA
Series after three years in World Superbike. “I can’t
wait for a race where we have to hang it out the entire way,”
said Bostrom, referring to the normal 62-mile length of AMA Superbike
races, versus the 200 miler at Daytona. “I haven’t
raced at Fontana, but we have tested there. I came out of Daytona
second in the points, so I feel good about where I am heading
into the rest of the season.”
Kurtis Roberts has been close many times, but has yet to win his
first AMA Superbike race. The 24-year-old son of legendary multi-time
world champion Kenny Roberts, finished a very close third at Daytona
and he is more than ready to get his first win in the books. He
rides a Honda RC51 factory Superbike for Erion Racing.
While the factory Honda riders and Gobert are good bets at Fontana,
the wildcards are factory Suzuki riders Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates,
and Kawasaki’s Eric Bostrom. Mladin and Yates are riding
the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbikes. The new Suzukis were mega-fast
at Daytona, but with so much power on tap, the challenge was to
manage tire wear. Yates had the equation figured out at Daytona
and was running in the lead group before an attempted pass on
a lapped rider went awry forcing Yates to run off the track.
Eric Bostrom is riding one of the established Kawasaki ZX-7-based
Superbikes. Bostrom’s bike is a nimble handling machine
and both rider and bike are proven winners. Eric, the younger
brother of Ben, comes to Fontana ranked fifth in the standings.
He thinks he’ll be able to improve on that after the California
Speedway doubleheader. Plus, Eric’s coming off an extremely
successful session at Infineon Raceway where top riders tested
several track changes. That momentum should bode well for Eric
at Fontana.
Another rider to watch at Fontana is Larry Pegram, who won an
AMA Superbike race in Southern California in 1999. Pegram is on
the Dream Team Racing Ducati.
Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 has proven to be the Superbike choice
of top privateers. Formula Xtreme champ Jason Pridmore could easily
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Fortuna
Yamaha Preview of MotoGP World Championship 2003 Season Kickoff
in Japan
April 4/5/6 2003: The 2003 MotoGP World Championship will commence
this weekend at Suzuka in Japan. No less than eight manufacturers
and 24 MotoGP riders will take their places on the starting grid
on Sunday 6th April to start the championship that will span eight
months and visit 13 countries.
Fortuna Yamaha Team riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri are
looking forward to the challenge that faces them on their Yamaha
YZR-M1s. It willbe Spaniard Checa's second year riding the Yamaha
four-stroke in the premier
motorcycle racing class in the world. For Italian teammate and
250cc World Champion Melandri, this is the moment he has always
dreamed of as he contests his first race on a MotoGP bike. Both
riders have been working hard through the winter to develop the
M1 at a host of private European tests. The testing programme
concluded in a series of group IRTA tests, the last of which took
place last weekend in Suzuka.
The MotoGP championship will reach a dizzy height of competition
this
weekend. The mix of Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Aprilia,
Ducati and Proton machinery will make this race the fastest and
no doubt most entertaining Grand Prix the sport has ever seen.
The Japanese race is the first of sixteen races in total; after
this weekend the MotoGP circus moves to the Welkom circuit in
South Africa before the European rounds commence in
Jerez, Spain on 11th May.
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Rossi/Hon,
Barros/Yam
Quickest at MotoGP IRTA Final Pre Season Tests
at Suzuka
Sunday 30 March 2003 (day 1 of 2)
Suzuka, Japan
In unexpectedly sunny conditions the Fortuna Yamaha Team completed
its first day of a two day test at the Suzuka circuit in Japan
today. Riders Marco Melandri and Carlos Checa familiarised themselves
with the track for the first time since they raced here last year
amongst the other 22 MotoGP riders and other wildcards. A crowd
of local spectators also took advantage of the weather to get
a sneak preview of what to expect at the first Grand Prix of the
year, which will take place at the circuit one week from today.
The Japanese
track has changed slightly since last year, with a new chicane
at the last section of the track causing the riders to slow down
and use their lowest gears before entering the start/finish straight.
Another modification for the riders to get to grips with is the
now faster R130 corner before the new chicane.
Fortuna Yamaha rider Marco Melandri was not daunted by the changes
and rode at a fairly consistent pace in his debut aboard the YZR-M1
at this circuit. The Italian concentrated on finding a good setting
rather than lap times. Team-mate Carlos Checa tested new electronic
components which caused him to stop at one point, losing him some
valuable track time and the chance to tryfor a top lap time.
The Suzuka IRTA test continues tomorrow, followed by a three day
gap before the action recommences on Friday 4th April for Grand
Prix first qualifying.
LAP
TIMES:
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Repsol Honda 2'05.060
2. Alex Barros (BRA) Gauloises Yamaha Team 2'05.250
3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Camel Pramac Pons 2'05.293
4. Daijiro Kato (JPN) Telefonica Movistar Honda 2'05.397
5. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team 2'05.529
6. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Telefonica Movistar Honda 2'05.847
7. Tohru Ukawa (JPN) Camel Pramac Pons 2'06.363
8. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda 2'06.704
9. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki Grand Prix Team 2'06.764
10. Norick Abe (JPN) Yamaha Racing Team 2'06.810
17. MARCO MELANDRI (ITA) FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM 2'07.404
19. CARLOS CHECA (SPA) FORTUNA YAMAHA TEAM 2'07.583
Barros
bounces back at Suzuka IRTA test
Suzuka,
Japan 30/3/2003 Although misfortune stuck Yamaha riders Alex Barros
(Gauloises Yamaha Team) and Carlos Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team)
during the early stages of the Suzuka IRTA test – held March
30 – the former bounced back to produce the second fastest
time of the day. Soon after the session began Barros found himself
in the gravel trap after fellow competitor Andrew Pitt (Kawasaki)
collected the rear end of the #4 M1 as the pair entered the circuit’s
new chicane. Although both riders recovered from the incident
unhurt, Barros was forced out of action for a portion of the morning
session as preparations were made to his number two machine. Barros’
determination shone through, however, when the Brazilian ended
the day with a 2’05.250 – produced on his final lap,
while sampling the new ‘R series shaped’ M1 fairing
for the first time. Barros completed only a handful of laps with
the new bodywork but was full of praise for Yamaha’s efforts,
especially as he was only 0.045 seconds behind Valentino Rossi
(Honda, 2’05.060) after a less than perfect day.
For Checa it was an intermittent electrical gremlin
that hindered his progress, although the cause is still to be
confirmed. As a result Checa was also forced out of action for
most of the morning session while preparations were made to his
second bike. He concluded the day with a 2’07.583 (19th).
His Fortuna Yamaha Teammate Marco Melandri went slightly faster
with a 2’07.404 to be 17th quickest. Gauloises Yamaha Team
Alex Barros 2nd, 2’05.250: “I very happy with the
new fairing, the feeling is much better because of the improved
aerodynamics. It was a big effort for Yamaha to produce this in
time for this test, because its not a simple case of just putting
a new fairing on, you need to change many small things so that
it fits well. But it was well worth the effort because now it
looks much faster – and as you can see looks count for a
great deal.
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