2004
MotoGP Championship, Round 2 - Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez
June 1/2 2004
Preview: First MotoGP
race in Europe at Jarez
is Key to Tir\tle Ambitions in All Classes
Jerez,
Spain, May 30th -Welkom in South Africa, this season's
curtain-raising Grand Prix, is now consigned to the history
books, as Jerez looms large this weekend. Many riders believe
the World Championship begins for real in Spain at Jerez with
round two of this 16-race season. The first race sometimes
throws up a freak result due to the unfamiliar nature of Welkom,
which is visited only once a year by MotoGP teams (who don't
test there either).
Pre-season IRTA
tests have shown that in the hands of Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha
rider Valentino Rossi the M1 is capable of setting the fastest
time at Jerez, when required. Combined with Rossi’s
impressive result from the opening round there is an indication
that the M1’s revised chassis and engine package has
made the Yamaha more useable in the latter stages of the race
– a crucial advantage at Jerez.
But no
matter what the result of the first race, where four Honda
RC211Vs came home in the top five, the atmosphere at Jerez
when the bikes hit the grid on raceday is seldom matched anywhere
in the world for sheer volume and raw energy. More than 150,000
people will pack the Andalucian venue, a natural amphitheatre,
for what promises to be one of the high dramas of the 2004
MotoGP series.
Max Biaggi
(Camel Honda RC211V) lies second to reigning World Champion
Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) after a memorable battle with his
great rival two weeks ago. The Roman gladiator will be taking
the fight to Rossi here in Spain as he tries to close a five
point gap on the current points leader with a win.
For Sete Gibernau (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) Jerez
represents a chance to stamp his authority on this year's
title chase. He will want no repeat of last year's race where
he fell, throwing away valuable title points. While Alex Barros
(Repsol Honda RC211V) will use his vast experience to put
pressure on the three riders ahead of him in the title stakes
at this stage.
Nicky
Hayden (Repsol Honda RC211V) is now a year wiser and the young
American can really get his title challenge on track here
and turn up the heat on his rivals as the European rounds
gather momentum from here on. And Jerez is a typically European
track laid using the natural contours of the area to provide
a challenging test.
The Ducati
MotoGP Team comes to Spain looking forward to making more
progress with its new-for-2004 Desmosedici GP4. Riders Loris
Capirossi and Troy Bayliss gave the bike a promising race
debut in South Africa two weeks ago, with plenty more to come
from the 230-plus horsepower machine. Their new bike’s
debut race is always a learning exercise, and Ducati MotoGP
Team engineers learned plenty at Welkom, knowledge that they
aim to use to good effect at Jerez, traditionally the first
European GP of the season. The team was particularly pleased
with how the GP4 used its tyres over full-race distance, one
of the major aims of the 2004 redesign.
“At
this stage of the season we are just learning how to work
with the new bike in a race scenario,” says Ducati MotoGP
Team director Livio Suppo. “The first race showed some
of the bike’s potential and gave us a lot of data. Both
our guys were happy with the way the bike worked with the
tyres at the end of the race. We’ve made a big improvement
in this area, and that was one of the main goals of the GP4.
The bike’s heat management is also much better, which
was another of the big ideas for 2004. This weekend the machine
will be basically the same as it was at Welkom, then we stay
on at the track to continue development on Monday.”
Ducati
MotoGP Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli believes
that Jerez is a well-balanced circuit, where tyre management
is crucial. “It’s not an easy track for the right
side of the tyres, but it’s less demanding than Welkom,
and our rear tyres finished that race in perfect condition,”
he reveals. “It seems that the new bike uses its tyres
more consistently over race distance, and we’re pleased
about that. Jerez is difficult because it’s full of
fast corners. Riders need a lot of confidence to go through
these turns quickly, plus they need good power delivery because
you use a lot of gas through these corners. Riders also need
big confidence in the front end so they can attack the turns.
The track is a good mix – it’s got no long straights
but plenty of fast turns and some hairpins, so you need a
well balanced bike.”
Loris
Capirossi goes into round two with some confidence after his
promising ride to sixth at Welkom. The Italian Ducati MotoGP
Team man came back from a sluggish start to set the fifth
fastest lap of the race and finish just 0.28 seconds behind
fifth-placed Nicky Hayden (Honda). “We are working hard,”
he says. “I would say the new bike is at 85 to 90 per
cent of its potential, but we need to be at 110 per cent to
battle with the guys at the front. Jerez was great for our
team last year, even though I fell in the race. We were first
and second on the grid and Troy made the podium. I like the
track a lot, it’s got a lot of fast corners and it rises
and falls. But what I really like about Jerez is the people
– the fans are fantastic! And it’s always the
first race in Europe, so it’s the first time the paddock
really gets together.”
Built
in 1986, Jerez hosted its first Grand Prix the following year
and has remained on the World Championship calendar ever since.
The track is a true measure of rider talent as much as a test
of machine performance. Most of the 4.423km track's corners
merge into each other requiring a neat, flowing style from
the riders and a solid all-round performance from the motorcycle.
Jerez
is a track with a little bit of everything - short, medium
and long turns, uphill braking, and downhill braking. The
Spanish track is used by many teams for MotoGP testing precisely
because of the all-round demands it makes on machine set-up.
And it puts a premium on front tyre grip.
Max Biaggi
knows this season is his big chance to lift the premier class
crown that has so far eluded him. "I like the Jerez track
because it's technical, fairly difficult and very complete,"
he said. "In the sense that there are many different
types of corner, from rapid sweeps to medium-slow, with a
number of pretty abrupt braking points. There are no particular
ups and downs but otherwise there's everything it takes to
ensure plenty of fun. The chassis settings are fundamental
on this type of track and we'll certainly be starting out
with the ones we used in Welkom which proved to be very effective."
Barros
is equally upbeat. "I'm looking forward to racing at
Jerez. My physical condition is coming better all the time.
Welkom was a hard race; the most physical effort I have placed
on my shoulder since the operation and it was good. Every
day I'm stronger. I will need to be to fight for the World
Championship this year. The competition will be very tough
and every point will be important. The machine felt good at
the tests earlier this month and I look forward to the weekend."
Nicky Hayden is simply itching to get going. "It was
great to be back in a race atmosphere again after what seemed
like a long winter break," he said. "It wasn't the
easiest weekend but we got some points and we have to look
forward to the next race. Jerez wasn't great last year. Qualifying
was difficult and the bike broke in the race so I didn't finish
- my only non-finish of last year. We tested there a few weeks
back and the 2004 bike felt real good - when we were riding,
as the weather was so bad. I've just got to get my head down
this weekend and focus on getting a good result."
Makoto
Tamada (Camel Honda RC211V) riding on Bridgestone tyres is
eager to get his season up and running. "I'm anxiously
awaiting the second round of the world championship at Jerez.
I'm very pleased with the bike, the 2004 RC211V is much more
powerful than last year's but despite this improvement in
performance, it's still very easy to handle and ride. I love
the Jerez de la Frontera circuit and I'm hoping to find the
right weather conditions so that I can work well. What we're
aiming for is to get the package of bike-plus-new-tyres really
balanced so we can stay out in front and make it up to the
podium."
Colin
Edwards (Telefonica MoviStar Honda RC211V) is ready to meet
the challenge head-on. "This is one of the best racetracks
in the world," said the Texan Tornado. "We'll solve
the problems we had at Welkom, and even then we were fighting
for a podium, and I think we'll be very competitive. I'm confident."
Which
leaves home favourite Sete Gibernau to put Jerez in perspective.
"You need balance in the settings but the front end is
the most important," he said. "The bike needs to
turn well and give you good feeling. There are the two fast
rights before the main straight and the bike needs to turn
well at a high lean angle. The other big thing is getting
the rear set up so you can get on the throttle early out of
the turns."
The 250
class will see Danny Pedrosa (Telefonica MoviStar Junior Team
RS250RW) endeavour to repeat his astonishing performance at
Welkom where he won first time out on his graduation to the
quarter-litre class."Winning at Welkom was a special
experience for us and a happy result but this is a learning
year for me in 250 racing," he said.
"We
don't yet know what the maximum potential is for us in the
250 class. I did 2,000 kilometres in pre-season testing but
have had only one race. The team policy is a step by step
approach, no pressure and we will keep to our plan. I'm not
yet 100% fit, I can walk but not run. I like racing at Jerez
and of course love the atmosphere the fans create, it's like
no other in racing. This year will be special for me because
so many fans gave me their support while I was recovering
during the winter and I will do my best to thank them at Jerez."
Pedrosa's teammate, Hiroshi Aoyama, the reigning All Japan
250 Champion, makes his European debut at Jerez, only his
second race outside Japan.
"Welkom
was my first GP outside Japan and it was so different to anything
in the Japanese championship. The racing was absolutely a
different experience for me. I am discovering a lot of new
things about GP racing. I am racing a prototype machine and
constantly testing and evaluating new parts. That's sometimes
good, sometimes not so good. But I have tested at Jerez so
I will not lose a day finding a base set up and my way around
the track and that will help me. The team has told me how
exciting Jerez can be so I'm looking forward to the race."
Said Aoyama.
Roberto
Rolfo (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) is aiming to keep up his astonishing
record of consistency, having scored points in every round
last season -and so far this season too. "I like racing
the Jerez circuit and the bike ran okay at the IRTA test down
there," said the genial Italian. "But we can see
from the Welkom result that we have a lot of work to do before
we get there. We have to analyse the performance at Welkom
and try and find a base to work from. In South Africa we had
a lot of front-end problems. The race will be very hard, that's
for sure."
Tony
Elias (Fortuna Honda RS250RW) said, "We have a lot of
work to do before we get to Jerez. It's a track I like very
much and I hope to go well there, not just because we are
in Spain. I was not happy after my result at Welkom. The bike
ran OK at the IRTA test at Jerez but we will have to make
it a lot better before we go there to race. I love the spectators
who come to Jerez, they are super enthusiastic and they give
me extra motivation."
Alex
Debon (Wurth Honda BQR RS250R) is ready to take on all-comers.
"I am very motivated for Jerez after the race in South
Africa," he said. "The bike was great at Welkom
the kit is so much better than last year. The engine has more
pull and both the frame and suspension are really good. We
did good work at the IRTA test and I am confident I will do
well at Jerez, I have been fast there in the past."
In the
125cc category, which is so close to Spain's sporting heart,
Andrea Dovizioso (Team Scot Honda RS125R) leads the point's
standings after his storming win at Welkom. "I like Jerez
but it's a track I never ride well," he said. "Last
year I was ninth but didn't ride as well as I can. Now with
the bike running as well as it is and the Showa suspension
working really well in the way I need it to, I will go there
'with a different head on.' I will race with much more confidence
this time."
Thomas
Luthi (Elit Grand Prix Honda RS125R) is hoping for a big result
here. "I have raced at Jerez four times and I like the
circuit, it has a good variety of corners and I have always
been able to find a good rhythm at that track. After what
happened to me at Welkom I will hope to have a much better
race. I was 12th in the Jerez race last year and I'm confident
I can improve on that."
2004
American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship
Rounds 4 & 5 – Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California,
USA
Matt Mladin Aims to
Continue His
Superbike Winning Streak at Infineon Raceway This Weekend
Event Preview: Samona, CA, May 25th
- After taking victory in the opening three races of this
years American AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship, Mat Mladin
and his Yoshimura Suzuki team will be out to maintain their
race-winning intensity as the championship heads to this weekend’s
double-header round at Infineon Raceway, north of San Francisco.
With this year’s 18-race championship in its early stages,
the four-times American Superbike Champion knows the importance
of stringing together a number of strong race finishes to
lay the foundations for his title defence.
“The next two double header rounds of the championship
at Infineon and then Barber Motorsports Park are both very
important weekends for us,” said Mladin. “If we
can get a couple more wins at those tracks, we can extend
our points lead out to the equivalent of a race win and after
five or so races in the championship that would be a nice
position to be in. This weekend is a very important weekend
and that’s how we’re treating it.”
Mladin arrives at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California,
holding a 24-point lead over Honda’s Jake Zemke (112
- 88), with Miguel DuHamel a further three points adrift in
third.
Last year’s corresponding round of the championship
was affected by poor weather during qualifying before Mladin
emerged victorious in both Superbike nationals. These results,
plus his early season form in 2004 leave him and his crew
in a strong position prior to the commencement of practice
this Friday.
The tight 2.2 miles (3.54km) circuit contrasts the fast Daytona
and California Speedway circuits that the championship has
already appeared at, offering little in the way of fast straightaways,
instead linking together a range of twists and turns that
will have all of the teams searching for the best engine /
chassis combination to suit the conditions over the weekend.
“I do like the Infineon circuit,” Mladin added.
“They’ve made a lot of improvements to it since
we last raced there which have helped the safety side of things,
plus the track surface is also better. They still have a bit
more to do to make it 100 percent safe for motorcycles, but
they’re well on their way to doing that.”
“Bike setup here will be at a premium, speed really
doesn’t help too much. We think we’ll be in good
shape, we know what the motorcycle can do there, obviously
the results from last year and the test we had there earlier
this year have given us a lot of information, so we’re
heading there with no less expectation than to win a couple
of races.”
Practice and qualifying for this weekend’s double-header
AMA Superbike round commences on Friday, followed by the final
qualifying session and opening Superbike race on Saturday.
Sunday’s program will feature the second 28-lap Superbike
national.
MotoCreations
to premier new Ducati based Sport Cruiser
at LA Calendar Motorcycle Show July 17-18th
April 30th, Los Angeles, CA - FastDates.com
is excited to announce that designer and race car fabricator
Mark Savory of MotoCreations.com
based in Chandler, Arizona, will use the Los Angeles
Calendar Motorcycle Show, held the July 17-18th 2004
weekend at the Queen Mary in Long Beach,CA, to premier in
public his exciting new MotoCreations.com sport cruiser prototype
bike based on Ducat'si venerable Monster with the new DS1000
engine.
Most
Ducati and custom Harley owners are affluent enough to have
more than one bike in thier garage, and many owners have bikes
from both genres. However, the current motorcycle cruiser
market has little to offer in a bike with the attibutes and
advantages of both generes: a cool looking cruiser for bike
night with your buddies and crusin' the strip, along with
the performance and reliability and sound of a V-Twin production
based sportbike. Savory decided to start his new company MotoCreations.com
to create the right type of bikes the market was missing.
The new MotoCreations Ducati based Sport Cruiser concept bike
offers that in spades, and potentially at a very affordable
price should it be put into limited production by Savory or
mass produced by a manufacturer like Ducati.
You can
see the world premier of the new MotoCreations Ducati based
cruiser at the July 17-18th LA Calendar Motorcycle Show, along
with many other sportbike attractions including the Jardine
West Coast Horsepower Dyno Shootout, and The Las Vegas Extremes
stunt riding team starring Pauly Sherer and beautiful JoJo
Farmer. Complete information is available at http;//www.FastDates.com/BIKESHOW.HTM
COUNTING
DOWN TO WORLD DUCATI WEEK 2004
The events program for WDW 2004 nearly
ready.
Bologna, 9th April 2004
- At its base in Borgo Panigale near Bologna, Ducati is busy
putting the finishing touches on the program for the fourth
world meeting of Ducati riders and enthusiasts. One thing, however,
is certain already. The packedand varied events list is going
to make these 7 days an absolutely unforgettable week for everybody
who shares Ducati’s passion for motorcycling.
Numbers
are rocketing, with registrations pouring in from all over
the world. It looks as if Ducati fans are responding in mass,
determined to book pole position for what looks like a week
to remember. And don’t forget that this year the meeting
is open to all motorcyclists, whether they ride Ducatis or
other brands. So everybody who is passionate about riding,
whether they own a Ducati or not, can enjoy this great festival
of motorcycling.
WDW2004
takes place from the 17th to the 23rd of May at the Santa
Monica circuit in Misano Adriatico. This year’s event
is completely new and for the first time in its history will
include an entire week of track events from Monday right up
to Sunday.
In many
ways, this year’s edition centres on track events thanks
to the unique and unrepeatable opportunity of having the world
famous Santa Monica circuit at our disposal every day of the
week. You will be thrilled by a whole series of special track
events, including demonstration rides by Ducati’s official
riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi, incredible motorcycle
acrobatics from rider and stuntman Christian Pfeiffer, plus
dragster exhibitions.
What
is more, this year for the first time 3.4 kilometres of the
track is being set aside (from Tuesday to Sunday) for testing
Ducati’s latest models, from the legendary 999 to the
breathtaking Multistrada and 749. All makes of bike, not only
Ducatis, will be allowed on the track. The paddock itself
will house a technical area, where participants will have
the chance to get their bikes tuned to perfection by real
experts. Engine and frame maintenance courses will be organized
for women interested in improving their technical knowledge.
On the
opening day (Monday, 17th May) the circuit will host the Ducati
Riding Experience (DRE). DRE is the Ducati organised riding
course that places all the experience and professionalism
of the world’s top instructors at your disposal to perfect
your riding techniques in maximum safety. In addition, if
you purchase a full week pass before the 18th of April (whether
you are a Ducati owner or not), you will be entered in a drawing
to win an exclusive dinner in the company of all of Ducati
Corse’s official riders. The legendary Loris Capirossi,
Troy Bayliss, Regis Laconi and James Toseland have promised
to give the lucky winners a truly memorable evening. And whoever
succeeds in the auction organised by humanitarian organisation
Riders for Health also wins the once in a lifetime chance
to ride a few circuits on the two-seat version of the super-fast
Ducati Desmosedici as passenger of Randy Mamola.
But even
if you are not one of these lucky winners, don’t despair,
because you’re certain to bump into great ex-champions
like Marco Lucchinelli or Giancarlo Falappa or one of today’s
legends, Troy Bayliss, Loris Capirossi, James Toseland or
Regis Laconi, plus reknown FastDates.com Calendar photographer
Jim Gianatsis, strolling around the circuit and they will
all be happy to oblige with an autograph.
But above
all else WDW2004 will be a time for fun and entertainment!
Fitness oriented riders will find a gym area fitted out with
the latest Technogym equipment, and a beach area dedicated
to beach games, beach soccer and beach volley. And there will
be an authentic Mexican style chiringuito where you can relax
to great music and savour a range of colourful cocktails.
The week
will also have its own relaxation area where you can chill
out and listen to music, or de-stress under the expert hands
of Incorporesano’s professional masseurs.
And this
year again of course, there will be plenty of tours through
some of the most beautiful riding country of Emilia Romagna,
organised in conjunction with the “Curve e Tornanti”
motorcycling guide. You can choose from three types of tour,
designed to match the needs of everybody who wants to discover
the exceptional beauty of this region of Italy. The DAY TOURS
are full days out, riding through some of the most classic
of all Apennine motorcycling routes. The HAPPY AFTERNOON TOURS
are lazier rides to one of the many small towns in the Romagna
Apennines, stopping for an aperitif or some great local food.
Finally, if your aim is to perfect your road riding, you can
opt for one of the SAFE ROAD RIDING TOURS that start with
a theory lesson at the Curve & Tornanti stand at the Misano
circuit and conclude with a practice ride on twisting Apennine
roads.
More
technically oriented participants at WDW2004 will be able
to listen to the experts of DUCATI UNIVERSITY expounding the
latest theories of design and mechanics, with specific reference
to the technical and tactical aspects involved in winning
the world motorcycle championship. This is just the place
to pick up hints on how to design the world’s most beautiful
bikes and to listen to Ducati’s team riders confess
their own little secrets on how to make the most of the Misano
circuit.
And that’s
not all! Another area (the biggest single area in WDW2004)
will be geared up to welcome over 2000 official club members
from all over the world to take part in a whole range of music,
food and exhibition events. The wildest, craziest riders in
the world will be “on show” here to guarantee
entertainment for all!
On Friday,
the 21st of May, Ducati riders from all over Italy will meet
up in Rome, Piacenza and Bologna to ride together, two by
two, to Misano in the “Big Red Snake”, a massive
red line winding its way to the Santa Monica circuit. The
idea for the “Big Red Snake” dates back to 1998
and the
Desmodromiclub of Rome. By 2002 the “Snake” had
already grown to a length of 190 motorcyclists!
While
all this is happening a Mangusta helicopter, the latest helicopter
deployed by the Italian armed forces will hover in the skies
above the circuit. A team of parachutists will then drop from
an incredible height and land with pinpoint precision right
in the middle of the circuit.
To register
your own participation and to obtain the latest, most complete
events programme, visit the WDW2004 website at www.wdw2004.com
. Every evening, the STAGE will host shows and concerts to
keep all WDW2004 participants happily entertained. Event sponsor:
Regione Emilia Romagna, Alice, FILA, AMD, Danese, Shell
Advance, Grembo, Adler, Alfa Romeo, Malaguti, Ventaglio.
Founded
in 1926, Ducati builds racing-inspired motorcycles characterized
by
unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering
and overall
technical excellence. Ducati has won eleven of the last thirteen
World
Superbike Championship titles and more individual victories
than the
competition put together. The Company produces motorcycles
in five market
segments which vary in their technical and design features
and intended
customers: Superbike, Supersport; Monster, Sport Touring and
Multistrada.
The Company’s motorcycles are sold in more than 40 countries
worldwide, with
a primary focus in the Western European and North American
markets. For more
information about the Company, please visit our web site at
http://www.ducati.com.
