March 2003 All Moto news (from the web)

* (April 30) From the MotoGP train-spotters: In finishing third in the South African Grand Prix, Italian Max Biaggi has overtaken Australia's Mick Doohan as the all-time leading point-scorer in the history of motorcycle GP racing. Doohan amassed 2298 points from 137 GPs, all of them in the 500cc category, while Biaggi's tally is now 2310 points, accumulated from 167 GPs - 87 in 250cc and 80 now in 500cc and MotoGP. Biaggi has won 39 GPs (29 in 250cc and 10 in 500cc and MotoGP) to Doohan's 54.

* (April 28) Interesting times for the Aussies following the MotoGP circus, with Ducati-mounted Troy Bayliss scoring a strong 4th on the new Ducati, but Andrew Pitt and Garry McCoy having a torrid time on the Kawasakis. Meanwhile Anthony West didn't score the hoped-for podium place, but got a respectable 6th. Casey Stoner scored 10th in the 125 event. MotoGP Race:1 Sete Gibernau, 2 Valentino Rossi, 3 Max Biaggi, 4 Troy Bayliss, 5 Alex Ukawa, 7 Nicky Hayden, 8 Norick Abe, 9 Carlos Checa, 10 Olivier Jacque (16 Pitt, 17 McCoy).

Australian race report: Bayliss on a high Troy Bayliss led a MotoGP at just his second start and finished a fine fourth, one place better than at his - and Ducati's - debut three weeks earlier. He's fourth in the world championship after the South African Grand Prix with 24 points, trailing only Valentino Rossi, who is on 45, Spaniard Sete Gibernau, on 38 after the emotional victory yesterday that he dedicated to his late teammate Daijiro Kato, and Max Biaggi on 36. It was yet another day of close finishes in all categories at Welkom, the high-altitude circuit in an old gold mining area in the Free State.

Gibernau's winning margin over Rossi was 0.363 seconds, San Marino's Manuel Poggiali beat Frenchman Randy De Puniet by 0.615 seconds in the 250cc GP, both of them on Aprilias, while Spaniard Daniel Pedrosa took the 125cc chequered flag 0.356 seconds ahead of Italian Andrea Dovizioso, both on Hondas, with German Steve Jenker only 0.192 seconds away in third on an Aprilia.

Young Aussies Anthony West and Casey Stoner opened their points accounts for the season, both riding Aprilias. Gold Coast rider West, 21, finished sixth in the 250cc GP, scoring 10 points, and the Hunter Valley's 17-year-old Stoner was 10th in the 125cc GP, collecting six points, after starting 19th on the grid. Bayliss started ninth on the MotoGP grid, even though he had been within 0.6 seconds of the pole position - and on the provisional front row when the gap was bigger. He made a lightning start, avoiding a four-bike crash as he rocketed to the lead yet wary after oil had been dropped on much of the racing line before the race by the Suzuki of 2000 world champion, American Kenny Roberts, causing a 50-minute delay. For 10 laps, more than a third of the race, the 2001 superbike world champion and 2002 runner-up headed the MotoGP field, but ultimately three Hondas overtook him, although he had a fierce dice with Rossi. Bayliss' fifth place at Suzuka in Japan and fourth at Welkom, along with teammate Loris Capirossi's third place in Japan (the Italian did not finish at Welkom), have given Ducati second place in the constructors' championship to Honda, leaving established GP bike manufacturers Yamaha and Suzuki - as well as Aprilia, Proton and Kawasaki - in the shade.

The Australians riding the Kawasakis, Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt, again finished outside the points - which are scored down to 15th. McCoy, who scored the first of his three 500cc wins at Welkom in 2000, finished a lap down this time in 17th and admitted it was "a struggle" and a "very frustrating" experience. Pitt, the 2001 supersports world champion, raced as high as 12^th and was hopeful of his first GP points finish but it was not to be as he lost tyre grip and slipped back to 16th.

The Bayliss story was much more positive. "My start wasn't so bad, but I only missed Shinya Nakano by millimetres after he seemed to stall," Bayliss said. "I was thinking, 'I shouldn't be out front just yet, maybe not for another couple of races!' "I took it a little steady, checking the mess from the oil, then it was just nice to be part of the action, because that's what it's all about. "I had a good go with Valentino. "It was good to be in the race. "The bike was working really well, the only problem was that we'd lifted the footpegs a little, and that was really uncomfortable for my knees. "I kind of cruised the last 10 laps because I knew then that I couldn't do any better than fourth. "The team's done a great job, we've still got some things to learn, but we're all looking forward to Jerez (the third round of the championship on May 11)."

* (April 28) There were mixed fortunes for Australian riders at the Sugo world superbikes round on the weekend, with Troy Corser crashing out in the first heat, but fellow Aussie Chris Vermeulen just holding on to his supersport champ lead with a 5th place.

* (April 20) Former world 250 champ Daijiro Katoh died in hospital this morning after suffering major injuries at the opening round of the MotoGP championship at Suzuka on April 6. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

* (April 17) Telecommunications giant Motorola is producing a mobile phone to commemorate Harley-Davidson's 100th anniversary. One of the ring tones on this model will be Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild.

* (April 17) Defending Japanese 250 champion Tekkyu Kayo is to make his World Supersport Championship debut in round three at Sugo, Japan (25-27 April).

* (April 16) Suzuki teams dominated the 26th Le Mans 24 Hour race last weekend, with the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) taking their GSX-R1000 to victory two laps ahead of the Suzuki Castrol Team's GSX-R1000. The SERT team riders, Brian Morrison from Scotland and Philippe Dobé and Vincent Philippe of France set a new lap record.

* (April 16) Assen's TT circuit says it has spent more than 700,000 Euro to ensure on safety improvements to retrieve its event permit, which was withdrawn by the international motorsport confederation (FIM) after a public invasion during the Dutch TT in 2002. "It is impossible for anyone in the world to imagine that there would be no Gauloises Dutch TT, and we have done everything possible to ensure that such an incident does not recur, so that we can continue a 75 year tradition on the last Saturday in June," said TT Chairman Jos Vaessen

* (April 13) Nikon Yamaha Racing Team rider Kevin Curtain continued his blazing form in 2003 with six more astounding race victories, this time at the opening round of the Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship at Mallala, South Australia. See this link.

* (April 11) It's a busy weekend for racing in Oz. The opening round of the national Shell road race champs happens at Mallala in SA. Yamaha's Nikon-backed team looks like the one to beat, while the Castrol Honda crew is down on strength thanks to some recent falls. Meanwhile riders have expressed dismay that the wall where Lliam Magee was killed last year has not been moved.

* (April 10) The Brass Monkey Rally, scheduled for early May, has been cancelled due to insurance problems. Meanwhile Brisbane riders with an interest in road safety issues up at Mt Glorious should see April 27 on our events calendar.

* (April 8) BMW's K1200GT is being launched in Australia this week. See www.bmw.com.au

* (April 8) You may be wondering why Alex Barros, the Yamaha rider widely tipped to be a hot contender in last weekend's MotoGP, finished a disappointing 8th. The explanation lies in a warm-up crash, just prior to the race.

* (April 8) MotoGP rider Diajiro Katoh, who suffered a serious crash last Sunday at Suzuka, is given only a slim chance of survival. Dr Claudio Costa, the GP circus doctor, has been quoted as saying that even if he does survive, Katoh is likely to be severely paralysed and will require a ventilator.

* (April 7) Mat Mladin celebrated a return to race winning form by taking his second race win of the weekend at the double header round of the 2003 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship being held at the California Speedway in Fontana, California. Mladin and his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 were the dominant force throughout the weekend, with the Australian claiming the additional championship point for setting the fastest time in qualifying, before taking the opening 28-lap Superbike race on Saturday afternoon, followed by yesterday's victory. With three rounds of the championship now completed, Mladin has moved to the top of the points table with a total of 99, seven clear of American Honda's Miguel DuHamel who finished today's race in third place.

* (April 6) Reigning MotoGP champ Valentino Rossi cleaned up the opening Suzuka round today, ahead of arch-rival Biaggi who was also mounted on a Honda. The big surprise was the new Ducatis which, in their first-ever round, survived an incident-packed race to place third (Loris Capirossi) and fifth (Australian Troy Bayliss). Sete Gibernau filled out fourth on another Honda. Daijiro Katoh suffered a severe crash and was last reported to be in intensive care.

* (April 5) MotoGP qualifying, Suzuka: 1. Rossi, 2. Biaggi, 3. Ukawa, 4. Checa, 5. Tamada, 6. Giberanau, 7. Roberts, 8. Barros, 9. Edwards, 10. Nakano. Australians: 13. Bayliss, 20. McCoy, 24. Pitt. See www.motogp.com for full details.

* (April 4) The MotoGP circus is getting into full swing for the opening round this weekend. Meanwhile former 250 champ Marco Melandri has seen his start in the headline class delayed after breaking his leg in practice. And KTM, which has Australian tuner Warren Willing in its road GP debut line-up, unveiled its 125 GP racer today.

* (April 4) Australian 125 GP contender Casey Stoner on the opening round of the MotoGP season this weekend: "I can't wait until tomorrow (the first practice and qualifying sessions on his 125cc Aprilia at the Japanese Grand Prix, the opening round of the motorcycle world championships at the Suzuka track). I can finally see how fast I have to go against all the other riders I will be racing this year. Testing went much better than expected. The team are working very well together and I found that I was able to reach the times necessary to be competitive with the established 125 riders, without the risk of crashing. Riding and working with Lucio (Cecchinello, Stoner's Italian team boss and winner of three 125cc GPs last year) has been a great help. His experience in the 125 class helps me find the right setting for the suspension, engine and gearbox more easily, so that I can concentrate on learning to ride the 125. It is hard to ride a 125 after riding the 250 all last year, but every time I ride the 125 it becomes easier and I am getting faster. I am very positive about the session. My aim is to finish races in the best possible positions. I would like to get on the podium and in this way hope to show that the faith that Lucio Cecchinello, Aprillia, Safilo Oxydo and all my supporters and sponsors have in me is justified."

* (April 3) The Tasmanian state government is asking for the opinions of riders on how to improve bike safety. Be wary of interpreting the stats in the introduction, as bike tourism has grown in that state in recent years and some of the numbers are too small to be reliable. But this does represent an opportunity to state your opinion.

* (April 3) Wanted: A red hot electronics engineer in Melbourne with a passion for motorcycling, a desire to do good things for riders world wide and some time to spare. We may even make some money.

* (April 3) Yamaha has released its WR450F, its interesting weapon in the hot mid-weight electric-start enduro and trail bike war. See this link.

* (April 1) From American Motor.com: Due to legal difficulties obtaining the unencumbered rights to the Norton brand, Norton Motorcycle Co has changed its name to Viper Motorcycle Co. Viper intends to be a full-line manufacturer of high-end motorcycles, having four distinctive models by year's end. See this link.

* (April 1) Chinese scooter maker Hong Jaiing, located in that country's vehicle manufacturing base of Wuhan in central China, has just signed a deal with the prestigious US tuning house Power 1 to manufacture a range of in-line twins, triples and fours loosely copying the modular engine concept used by Triumph in its revival during the early 1990s. In this case, the engine capacity will run from 500cc for the twin through to 1000cc for the premium product, all of them road bikes with liquid-cooled five-valve powerplants and branded Power 1.

* (March 30) Neil Hodgson and Rueben Xaus ruled the superbike roost today at Phillip Island. Meanwhile Aussie Chris Vermuelen carried on with his sparkling form by winning the supersport race. See this link for full results.