July 2003 Race News Around the World c/o mcnews

 

World Superbike tyres confirmed to be Pirelli only in 2004 and 2005

(Rome, July 31) In its continuing development efforts for the Superbike World Championship, the FG Sport Group, Organiser of the Championship, in collaboration with Pirelli, has defined a program for supplying tyres for the three categories in the Championship: Superbike, Supersport and Superstock. Starting with the forthcoming season, Pirelli will be the exclusive supplier of tyres for all the teams that take part in the 45 races in 10 countries for the title of World and European Championship.

Superbike Champion Hislop dies in crash

(July 30th) Reigning British Superbike champion Steve Hislop has been killed in a helicopter crash in Southern Scotland according to media reports. The 41 year old, who has won 11 races at the Isle of Man TT and was British 250cc champion in 1990, moved from Ducati to Yamaha after winning last years title.

 

MotoGP 2003 - Round 9 - Sachsenring - 125 Race

(July 27th) Tight 125 race saw the lead change nearly every lap.  Stoner led plenty of laps and kept his head together to finish 2nd.

 

MotoGP 2003 – Round 9 – Sachsenring – 250 Race

(July 27th) Race Results 1st Rolfo, 2nd Nieto, 3rd De Puniet, 4th Porto, 5th Battaini, 6th West

 

MotoGP 2003 - Round 9 - Sachsenring - Race Report

(July 27th) Rossi put his bike alongside Gibernau on the final lap and got the line for the next turn and looked to have it wrapped up but Rossi messed up the run on to the main straight a little which was all that Gibernau needed to take the advantage and the win by the narrowest of margins.  Bayliss came home third with a smoky sideways slide on to the main straight. Nicky Hayden nearly got 4th but Capirossi got the better of him on the last lap

World Supersport 2003 - Round 8 - Brands Hatch – Race

(July 27th) Chambon took a clear and easy win from Van Der Goorbergh in what was perhaps not the most exciting World Supersport race.

World Superbike 2003 - Round 9 - Brands Hatch - Race 1

(July 27th) Shane Byrne was handing the World Superbike regulars an embarrassing lesson in riding a 998 Ducati by extending his lead to a full 5-seconds over Walker and Hodgson. Hodgson got the advantage for 2nd place over Walker on the penultimate lap while Byrne had rubbed further salt in to the wounds of the WSBK regulars with his clear 7.5 second lead.

World Superbike 2003 - Round 9 - Brands Hatch - Race 2

(July 27th) Byrne and Reynolds continued nose-to-tail up front while Toseland was trying valiantly to stay with them and leaving large smoky slides behind his 998 but he couldn’t hang with the two British Superbike regulars out in front.  Xaus also struggling for grip had drifted to a slightly more distant 4th with Neil Hodgson becoming a threat.

American Superbike 2003 - Mid Ohio – Saturday

(July 26th) Three-times American Superbike champion Mat Mladin scored his eighth race win of the season and as a result has extended his AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship points lead after a thrilling days racing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Ohio. Mat Mladin emerged from this weekend’s double-header AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with maximum points after scoring his second AMA Superbike national race win in two days at the Ohio circuit.

World Superbike 2003 - Round 8 - Laguna Seca - Race 1
(July 13th) Hodgson could not close down Chili for the lead and the Italian held on for the race win. Hodgson a clear 2nd, Toseland 3rd and Mladin home 4th.  Troy Corser brought the Foggy Petronas machine home in 8th place

World Superbike 2003 - Round 8 - Laguna Seca - Race 2
(July 13th) Xaus took a dominant win while Hodgson  2nd place, Chris 3rd place on the podium.

 

MotoGP 2003 - Round 8 - Donington - 125 Race
(July 13th) “Fifth position is a positive result especially after three bad races. I had a good pace and maybe I could go faster but I had not enough feeling with the front. Anyway I feel very satisfied.” Casey Stoner.

 

MotoGP 2003 - Round 8 - Donington - 250 Race
(July 13th) In-form Australian rider Ant West recovered from a near-crash on the opening lap to finish third in today’s 250cc British Grand Prix at Donington Park.

 

MotoGP 2003 - Round 8 - Donington - 250 Race

(July 13th) Anthony West recovered from a near-crash on the opening lap to finish third in today’s 250cc British Grand Prix at Donington Park. West continued his excellent form, his third consecutive podium, after a hard fought battle with Toni Elias.

 

MotoGP 2003 - Round 8 - Donington - Race Report

(July 13th) Max Biaggi had pole position for the race after recording the fastest ever lap of Donington by a motorcycle during the final qualifying session. After a dramatic race on the track at Donington Park this afternoon the action continued behind closed doors as Valentino Rossi was docked 10 seconds for overtaking under yellow flags and victory at the Cinzano British Grand Prix was handed to Max Biaggi

 

Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss scored a hard-won fifth-place result this afternoon, working his way back through the pack after a difficult first few laps. After three laps he was ninth but the Aussie rode with typical doggedness, getting up to fifth at mid-distance and then enjoying a see-saw lap-time contest with team-mate Capirossi. McCoy brought his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR home in 16th place, with his Fuchs Kawasaki team-mate Pitt finishing one place further back in 17th.


Curtain does it again – Formula Xtreme

(July 13th) In a season that has been dominated by the Nikon Yamaha Factory Racing Team it was a fitting result at the final round of the 2003 Yamaha Formula Xtreme Tri-State Trophy Series at Eastern Creek today (Jun 13) when the team won all eight races contested. Lead rider Kevin Curtain from Toronto (NSW) proved what a veritable talent he is when he successfully defended his Formula Xtreme and 600cc Supersport crowns taking three wins in each class. Final Formula Xtreme points score after five rounds 1. K. Curtain (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1), 340 pts; 2. D. Stauffer (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1) 336; 3. B. Clarke (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R1 210; 4. C. Donald (Yamaha) 165; 5. B. Archibald (Yamaha R1) 162. FX Supersport points after four (of five rounds): 1. K. Curtain (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R6) 375; 2. B. Clarke (Nikon Yamaha YZF-R6) 365; 3. R. Holland 287; 4. G. Allerton 231; 5. W. Maxwell 190

 

MotoGP 2003 - Round 8 - DoningtonGrid

(July 12th) The ‘Roman Emperor’ lies third in the championship behind Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau and waited until the very end of the final qualifying practice to extinguish both of their pole chances with a time of 130.740 after the factory Honda pair had dominated the session. It was a day of mixed fortunes for Fuchs Kawasaki ZX-RR riders Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt at Donington Park, with the Australian duo qualifying in 18th and 21st places respectively for tomorrows 30-lap British Grand Prix. Ducati Marlboro Team riders Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi ended up on the second row of the grid in today’s final Donington Park qualifier, just three tenths off pole position and confident that they have the right set-up for tomorrow’s British Grand Prix.

 

World Superbike 2003 - Round 8 - Laguna Seca - Qualifying 1

(July 11th) Mladin created havoc for the international riders from the start of the one-hour session recording his fastest time on only his third full flying lap on the Laguna Seca circuit, Monterey, California. His time of 1-min 25.608-secs stood for the remainder of the session and left him as the only rider to drop into the 1:25 bracket.