Motourage

Cal Crutchlow raced to a thoroughly deserved top-10 finish in yesterday’s GP Aperol di San Marino e Riviera di Rimini in hot and humid conditions at the Misano circuit as Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate Colin Edwards claimed his eighth successive top-10 finish, despite encountering an uncomfortable arm pump issue in the second half of the 28-lap race.

Sunday’s race proved to be a major test of physical endurance with hot and humid conditions dominating the 13th round of the World Championship. Super-fit Crutchlow needed to call on all his reserves of energy to claim his first top-10 finish since he was a brilliant seventh in the Catalunya round.

He was inside the top 10 on only the third lap, Crutchlow expertly navigating pockets of light rain that had started to fall on sections of the track while the riders formed on the grid.

The British rider put immense pressure on Alvaro Bautista for the opening 16-laps before he took ninth from Edwards on lap 21. Hector Barbera dropped him back to ninth on lap 25, but Crutchlow refused to settle for 10th position and he launched a sustained attack on the Spaniard in the closing stages. Crutchlow gave his maximum effort but couldn’t find a way by Barbera, who clinched ninth by just more than 0.2s.

Yesterday’s race turned out to be a difficult experience for Edwards, who battled with factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies for the first eight laps. The 37-year-old experienced a severe arm pump issue from lap 21 onwards. The demanding humidity and hard braking zones at the 2.626-mile circuit only made the issue worse for Edwards, who bravely rode on despite the considerable discomfort.

His courage and determination was rewarded with 13th position, a result which retains Edwards’ position as the leading non-factory rider in the standings heading to the Motorland Aragon in Spain.

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo put on a perfect performance yesterday at the Grand Prix of San Marino, leading from the start to claim an incredible race victory. The reigning world champion was quick off the line from second position, securing the front spot from championship leader Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner into the first corner. As the Australian put the pressure on, Lorenzo responded, delivering an untouchable pace to gradually increase his lead. His flawless performance also delivered the new track record for the circuit on his 12th lap with a 1’33.906. Lorenzo was joined on the podium by legendary Yamaha rider, three-time world champion Wayne Rainey, to accept the trophies. Rainey had made an emotional return to Misano this weekend for the first time in 18 years as part of Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary of Grand Prix racing.

Ben Spies worked hard as well, battling the hot and humid conditions with a less-than-perfect set up. Having started form fourth, the Texan initially dropped to seventh before slowly reeling in and passing local hero Marlboro Ducati’s Valentino Rossi. Having dispatched the Italian, the hunt began for fifth and sixth place riders Simoncelli and Dovizioso. Spies was able to close the gap to less than 0.2 of a second, but the battling Italians made it impossible to make a clean pass, finishing in sixth position.

Lorenzo’s stunning performance keeps the championship alive, reducing the gap to Stoner in first to 35 points with five races remaining on the calendar. Spies picked up 10 points and holds fifth as they head to Aragon in Spain for round 14 in two weeks time.

Jorge Lorenzo, 1st:
“Today has been an incredible day for us. I have delivered a good race; it was a very tough and long one. Most importantly we have won again and also reduced a little bit our gap to Casey. I want to dedicate this victory to Wayne who returned to Misano this weekend and I want to say thanks to all my team for their hard work. Now we have two weeks before Aragon, I hope to continue in this shape in my country. Tomorrow we will try the 1000cc Yamaha again; I am looking forward to riding my future bike. This has been one of the best days of my career!”

Ben Spies, 4th:
“We started out with an OK set up but we didn’t really go forward all weekend, struggling a lot with edge grip. I wasn’t having a great feeling with the front either so we tried something new in warm up this morning which was honestly a disaster. We changed the front end of the bike dramatically before the race which proved to be good but took a few laps to get confidence in as it was such a big change. Once I got around Rossi I got more comfortable and was able to get to the back of Dovi and Simoncelli but was still struggling with edge grip and couldn’t get close enough to strike. I tried as hard as I could but just didn’t translate into top five this time. I need to say thanks to the team for all their hard work trying to solve the issues this weekend.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager:
“It’s a very great feeling to win again. I think Jorge rode a fantastic race, the bike looked really good and consistent over the whole race. He was pushing it to the limit but he knew he would have to do that to still have a chance at the Championship. Now we can start thinking about the last races being 35 points behind instead of more. It was good that Dani came in between to give us some extra bonus points. We need to keep on winning now!”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director:
“A brilliant victory today, Jorge ran an unbeatable pace; this is the best possible finish to the weekend. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a really good set up for Ben here at Misano. He got good points finishing sixth which are important for the Championship. We’ll go away now and look at the data to make sure we come back fighting in Aragon in two weeks time. I have to thank the whole team who have worked extremely hard in really hot conditions here to do the best they can for both riders.”

2011 MotoGP San Marino
Misano, San Marino 04/09/2011
1 Jorge Lorenzo	        Yamaha	ESP	44'11.877
2 Daniel Pedrosa	Honda	ESP	0'07.299
3 Casey Stoner	        Honda	AUS	0'11.967
4 Marco Simoncelli	Honda	ITA	0'17.353
5 Andrea Dovizioso	Honda	ITA	0'17.390
6 Ben Spies	        Yamaha	USA	0'18.092
7 Valentino Rossi	Ducati	ITA	0'23.703
8 Alvaro Bautista	Suzuki	ESP	0'30.678
9 Hector Barbera	Ducati	ESP	0'37.502
10 Cal Crutchlow	Yamaha	GBR	0'37.720
11 Hiroshi Aoyama	Honda	JPN	0'39.548
12 Karel Abraham	Ducati	CZE	0'40.506
13 Colin Edwards	Yamaha	USA	0'53.349
14 Randy De Puniet	Ducati	FRA	1'02.366
15 Toni Elias	        Honda	ESP	1'20.156

It was truly an unfortunate weekend for Pramac Ducati’s Loris Capirossi, who wasn’t able to finish the final Italian Grand Prix of his career at this afternoon’s GP Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano Circuit. The MotoGP veteran had to return to the garage almost immediately due to sprocket damage that was caused by the chain stretching. Once he was back on track, he realized that the gap to the others was extremely difficult to make up, and he dropped out of the race 20 laps from the finish. Randy De Puniet didn’t have the same feeling with the bike that he had at Indianapolis, and he finished the race in fourteenth place.

Marco Rigamonti, Randy De Puniet’s track engineer:
“We used the same bike that we did in qualifying yesterday, but in both the warm-up and the race, Randy didn’t find the right feeling, especially with the front tire. At least we made it to the finish. We don’t have many opportunities to try various solutions at the moment, so we have to be happy with what we have.”

Randy De Puniet, 14th:
“I’m disappointed. After Indianapolis, I thought things would go better, but this weekend was really negative in terms of my feeling with the bike. Even the heat didn’t help me, but what really didn’t work was the front end. I wanted to finish better, like in Indianapolis, where I was able to get into the top 10. I must forget this race in a hurry and think of Aragon, with the desire to do well.”

Loris Capirossi, DNF
“Today was another unfortunate day. We managed to do something good during the warm-up, but the race was really a disaster. I had a problem with the clutch on the start, and then another one with the chain as a result. I came back to the garage to try to fix the situation, but it was useless because the gap to the others had become huge in the meantime.”

Alessandro Andreozzi

19-year-old Alessandro Andreozzi continued his impressive form with two more wins in rounds three and four of the Italian CIV Moto2 Championship on his FTR M211 at the Misano Circuit on the Adriatic coast.

Andreozzi won Saturday’s race by four seconds from Davide Fanelli before a dominant win in Sunday’s second race with a winning margin of nine seconds over Danilo Marrancone.

The wins also rocketed Andreozzi to the top of the championship table, opening up a lead of nine points over Marrancone with four of the eight rounds remaining.

Federico D’Annunzio – on the second of the FTR machines – followed up his eighth-place finish on Saturday at Misano with fourth place on the IODA Team machine, narrowly missing out on a second podium finish of the year after being third in the Misano opening round in early April.

FTR’s Steve Bones:
“Since his non-finish in the opening round of the year at Misano Alessandro Andreozzi has never looked back, he’s now won the last three rounds is fast becoming a favorite for the 2011 inaugural Moto2 title in Italy.

“We’re really pleased with the way the FTR Moto2 machines are working in the national championships, especially in Italy, and the performance of Andreozzi will hopefully continue and take FTR to a first championship title.”

Round five of the Italian Championship is at Mugello on July 23.

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Broc Parkes rode a perfect race at Misano yesterday to take his first World Supersport victory for Kawasaki and take the team’s first race win of the season. Parkes also seized the lead in the Riders’ Championship standings.

Having qualified fourth, Parkes was in line for a good result, and his first win in Kawasaki colors came at one of his favorite circuits, after making a change to the machine setup that worked well in real race conditions over all 22 laps.
Broc now leads the championship by five points from Chaz Davies, who led the race for a time, before Parkes swept past on lap five.

David Salom almost joined Parkes on the podium at Misano, finishing fourth, less than half a second from his teammate. He was third early on but dropped to sixth before rallying in the later stages and passing another rider on the last lap to go into the top four. Salom is fifth in the championship, one point out of fourth place.

The next round at Aragon is in Salom’s home country of Spain, where he can count on some solid support from the crowd.

Broc Parkes:
“Unreal to win. It felt really good and I got a good start from fourth place on the grid. I was really concerned how the set-up would be for the race, because we made quite a big change for the start, so we did not know exactly where we were. It was a little bit of a gamble but it paid off in the end. I got out in front, got to the lead and looked back to see who was behind me. I could see he was not a championship contender, so I had to think about points as well. But I wanted a win, I really wanted to win so much, and at the end we took it. I could see some other guys were coming, but I just had to stay relaxed and control the race. First Kawasaki win for me and it feels good, and a great job from all the team.”

David Salom:
“Not a bad race to finish in fourth position, it’s good, and it was a strong race for the championship. However, I was really looking for a podium. It was not possible in this race because of a back marker, as it was not possible to pass him at the right time. But I had a good race with Sam Lowes and I am happy for the team because they did a good job this weekend.”

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Michel Fabrizio bounced back from a heavy fall in the first race of yesterday’s World Superbike Championship round at Misano to take sixth in the second race – despite riding with a suspected broken scaphoid bone in his wrist.

Fabrizio had pushed a little too hard on the opening lap of the first race, and was high-sided exiting turn three, landing heavily on his right arm. He went to the Medical Centre and was diagnosed with a suspected fracture, but he started race two in determined fashion, and was carving his way up through the field from the third row of the grid when the race was red-flagged after 11 laps.

Race two then became a 14-lapper and Fabrizio charged his way up through the field on his way to sixth place.
Series leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) consolidated his hold on the Championship with another double victory – his third of the season. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) was runner-up in both races with Marco Melandri (Yamaha) third in race one and Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia) third in race two.

Michel Fabrizio – Race 1: DNF (1 lap), Race 2: 6th:
“Actually I feel a bit disappointed this weekend – and not because of my injury really. The wet weather ruined my Superpole and any chances of a good grid position. I had been third in regular qualifying and then 13th in Superpole and that meant I was way down the grid and needed binoculars to see the lights.

“In race one, I charged off the line as hard as I could because I didn’t want the leaders to open a big gap straight away, but I pushed a bit too hard and high-sided in turn three, hurting my right arm in the process. I went to the Clinica Mobile and was told that I had probably broken my right scaphoid, but that it would take a day or two to confirm it. I thought that I might as well try and start race two and that’s what I did. I fought my way up and passed quite a few riders and was in about seventh place, I think, when the race was stopped.

“Race two then became a 14-lap race and although I tried my best, I just didn’t have the strength to keep the throttle at full gas when I wanted to. I lost out a lot on acceleration as a result and that’s what prevented me from progressing further up the field – that and the fact that I ran out of laps. I would have preferred a straight 24-lap race because that would’ve given me time to do lots of overtaking.

“Without the injury I think I could’ve mounted a podium challenge – even with my grid position. But really, yesterday’s rain ruined everything and today’s crash in race one didn’t help. I will go and see a specialist on Tuesday and further X-rays will be taken. For me, it doesn’t really matter if I have broken my scaphoid or not, because I will be racing at Aragon next weekend for sure. If I have to have some sort of protective cast on my arm to race, then that’s what I’ll do. But one thing is for sure: I will be on track again next weekend.”

Results: Race 1: 1 Checa (ESP-Ducati), 2 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 3 Melandri (ITA-Yamaha), 4 Sykes (GBR-Kawasaki), 5 Laverty (IRL-Yamaha), 6 Camier (GBR-Aprilia), 7 Guintoli (FRA-Ducati), 8 Badovini (ITA-BMW), 9 Lascorz (ESP-Kawasaki), 10 Berger (FRA-Ducati).  Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Alstare Suzuki) DNF.

Race 2: 1 Checa (ESP-Ducati), 2 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 3 Haga (JPN-Aprilia), 4 Badovini (ITA-BMW), 5 Haslam (GBR-BMW), 6 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Alstare Suzuki), 7 Guintoli (FRA-Ducati), 8 Xaus (ESP-Honda), 9 Lascorz (ESP-Kawasaki), 10 Vermeulen (AUS-Kawasaki).

Championship Points: 1 Checa 245, 2 Biaggi 173, 3 Melandri 150, 4 Laverty 123, 5 Haslam 106, 6 Camier 101, 7 Michel Fabrizio (ITA-Alstare Suzuki) 95, 8 Rea 94, 9 Smrz 83, 10 Guintoli and Badovini 72.

The Misano World Circuit was host to a dramatic race day yesterday, with both highs and lows for the Yamaha World Superbike Team.

There were no easy points to be had on the Italian race track today for Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty. After initially falling back to fifth from his fourth place start on the grid in race one, Melandri hastily regained position, tucking in behind Haslam and awaiting the opportunity to push to third. Struggling to maintain the pace, the Italian was unable to fight for a victory and crossed the checkered flag in third place with a much desired podium at his home race. Teammate Laverty completed the first race of the day in fifth place, just losing out on fourth position in the final stages of the last lap as Sykes took advantage of the Irishman’s struggle with gradual tire wear.

Race two was filled with drama as Melandri and Camier crashed out in the tenth lap, causing the race to be red flagged. Both riders were unable to re-enter the pit boxes with their machines in the time required by the regulations in order to be permitted to participate in the 14 lap second part of race two. Teammate Eugene Laverty also experienced a tough second race. Following a perfect start off eighth place on the newly formed grid, Laverty shot into fourth place. After just one lap the Irishman overtook Haslam to take third place behind Carlos Checa, winner of the previous race, before he unfortunately lost the front of the machine, causing him to crash out. Unhurt Laverty returned to the track and completed the race in 13th place.

Following the difficult race day in Misano, Marco Melandri will head to Aragon this coming weekend sitting in third place in the World Superbike standings with 150 points, 95 points behind Checa in the lead. Laverty still occupies fourth place with a total of 123 points, 17 points ahead of Haslam in fifth.

Marco Melandri, Yamaha World Superbike Team – 3rd, DNS
“It was a very difficult day, one to be forgotten. Not due to the crash, but mainly for the inability to compete. Even in Race two I was too slow to be as competitive as I should be. This morning I had difficulty riding the bike and struggled to get the podium. We made some changes prior to race two but that didn’t improve anything. The bike seemed to be completely lacking in grip from the beginning and I just suddenly lost the front.”

Eugene Laverty, Yamaha World Superbike Team – 5th, 13th
“We took a gamble with the rear tire in race one and it was ok until about four laps to go. The left side of the tire was completely worn which is very strange considering it’s a right handling track. I was very disappointed to lose fourth position just at the end. In race two once the red flag came out, I changed tire choice and used the same tire as in race one and immediately had better feeling with the bike. I thought I could fight with Checa and Biaggi in the lead but most importantly I wanted to pull away from the bunch behind and get a clear third. Unfortunately I lost the front and crashed out. We just have to forget what happened and look forward to Aragon. It’s a track we tested just recently and we should be strong.

Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“A difficult race day today even if we managed to get a podium in race one with Marco and could have had the opportunity to be back on the podium again in race two before he unexpectedly crashed mid race due to possible traces of fluid on the track . It was a pity to have lost out on vital points for the Championship. Eugene, after experiencing an issue with the rear tire in race one and the first part of race two was unable to demonstrate his potential, follow the leaders and earn a well-deserved podium. Unfortunately he lost the front of the bike and was unable to carry on as he aimed. We expected Biaggi to be strong and competitive and also Checa and Ducati who have won more than 75 per cent of the races here in the last ten years but we can expect the coming four race tracks to suit our machine better. We have to work harder than ever and be more competitive in the next round in Aragon, where we have good data from recent tests. We are leaving Misano knowing that we could have fought for a podium with both riders and with bitterness for the points lost and the further gap created with the leaders.”

In a repeat of his recent performance at Miller Motorsports Park, the Althea Ducati Racing team and rider Carlos Checa were able to celebrate two race wins, two fast laps and also a new lap record this afternoon at the Misano World Circuit. A result made even sweeter by the fact that is was obtained at the team’s home track, in front of the Italian public.

In Race 1, starting from second position, Checa found himself fourth at the end of lap one, behind Biaggi, Haslam and Sykes.  After only a few laps, Checa had got past both Sykes and Haslam and went after Biaggi who had already built a one-second gap. On lap five Checa made the quickest lap of the race overall (1m36.660), and on the eleventh he passed Max to take command of the race. From that point on, his rhythm was relentless and his riding impeccable right to the finish line. Carlos won the first race 0.9” ahead of Biaggi and an impressive 17.1 seconds ahead of Melandri in third.

In race two, Checa managed to take the lead after just two laps, and by lap nine he had a one-second advantage over Biaggi who followed him in second. Unfortunately for Checa, a crash by Aprilia’s Leon Camier resulted in oil on the track and a red flag. Restarting part two of the race from pole position (according to the order of arrival in part one), Althea Racing’s flag bearer was second after the first  corners but immediately found strong pace, recording the race’s fastest lap, a 1m36.520, which is also a new lap record. Checa was 0.2” from Biaggi for several laps before he managed to get past his Italian rival on lap seven. The Spaniard remained the fastest rider on track until the finish line, winning the race 1.4” ahead of Biaggi.

The Althea Racing team has won eight out of 12 races in 2011. Thanks to these impressive results, Checa has increased his championship lead and holds 245 points to Biaggi’s 173. Ducati leads the manufacturer’s championship with 252 points to Aprilia’s 212.

Carlos Checa:
“What a great result today. In the first race, I didn’t make a great start, losing some ground through the first corners. Max was strong at the start and it wasn’t easy to pass him but once in front, I was able to find good rhythm and build a small advantage. I’m extremely satisfied also because the tire began to slide in the final laps and it was very hot today. We changed tire for race 2 and it seems we made the right decision.  Max was strong again in race 2 and both he and I had a strong pace, stronger than the other riders, but I perhaps had an extra couple of tenths over him. When I took the lead I managed the race well and took the second win of the day.  We knew that Misano could be favorable to us, after results during testing here in May, but I didn’t expect the double win. Fantastic, and perhaps even more important that the Miller wins because we knew we could do well there while here it was far from easy and so even more special.”

Genesio Bevilacqua, General Manager, Althea Racing:
“A fantastic day for the Althea team as we achieved our objective, and won in both the Superbike and Superstock categories. With regard to SBK, Carlos was able to make the most of that which we had prepared for him during the week; a top bike, a good tire choice, a calm team even in the difficult moments. In all of our tire choices, Carlos was able to demonstrate his superiority in terms of lap times and, in Race 2, when he found himself close to Biaggi, he was able to control the situation, even from behind, putting pressure on his rival. This was surely the secret to his success because once Max made a mistake Carlos had no further problems. Even though we have a good advantage in the standings, we will stay very attentive to our rivals’ inevitably strong performances in upcoming races. I would like to thank the entire team; the boys have worked night and day to obtain these results. I also thank Carlos, Ducati and all of our sponsors, especially Unibat, for their continued support.”

RESULTS:
Race 1 – 1. Checa (Ducati); 2. Biaggi (Aprilia); 3. Melandri (Yamaha).
Race 2 – Checa (Ducati); 2. Biaggi (Aprilia); 3. Haga (Aprilia)
CLASSIFICATION:
Riders – 1. Checa (Ducati) 245; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 173; 3. Melandri (Yamaha) 150; 4. Laverty (Yamaha) 123; 5. Haslam (BMW) 106; 6. Camier (Aprilia) 101; 7. Fabrizio (Suzuki) 95; 8. Rea (Honda) 94
Manufacturers– Ducati 252; Aprilia 212; Yamaha 190;  BMW 138; Honda 111; Suzuki 99; Kawasaki 89

Althea Ducati Superstock 1000 riders Davide Giugliano and Lorenzo Baroni have made a strong start to the weekend’s campaign on their home track in Misano, but both agree more improvements are possible.

Althea Ducati's Davide Guigliano

Giugliano immediately found good feeling in this morning’s free practice session, recording some very fast laps claiming the #1 position before the close of the session. He was the only rider to lap at less than 1’40” this morning, with a best time of 1’39.939”. Baroni improved throughout the thirty-minute session, closing with a best lap time of 1’40.691”, which positioned him sixth on the final timesheet.

Later in the day, in first qualifying, both riders set out with determination, with Giugliano recording a best time of 1’39.550”. A mid-session off fortunately did him no harm but did mean that he lost precious time. Despite this, Giugliano managed to close the session in second position overall. Baroni improved on his morning times by several tenths of a second, but, unable to complete a clean lap, he concluded the qualifying in tenth place.

Davide Giugliano
“This morning we worked well during practice, and then in the afternoon we were able to lower our times even further which was good news. We are working to perfect suspension settings that I’m not yet one hundred percent satisfied with, but all things considered, I’m happy with today’s results and am sure that we will continue to improve tomorrow.”

Lorenzo Baroni
“I’m really disappointed. Someone was in my path during my fast lap, and I threw away both a fast time and the tire. It shouldn’t happen that riders sit in the middle of the track when others are trying to make a fast time. Tomorrow we of course have to improve.  We still have more work to do, especially regarding the rear settings of my bike but I am confident that we will be able to lower our times tomorrow. I’m just hoping for a dry track.”

TIMES (Qualifying):
1. Petrucci (Ducati) 1’39.1
2. Giugliano (Ducati) 1’39.5
3. Barrier (BMW) 1’39.7
4. Antonelli (Honda) 1’38.9
5. Canepa (Kawasaki) 1’39.9
6. Zanetti (BMW) 1’40.0
7. Morais (Kawasaki) 1’40.2
8. Magnoni (BMW) 1’40.3
9. Bussolotti (Kawasaki) 1’40.3
10. Baroni (Ducati) 1’40.3

In warm and humid conditions, Althea Racing’s Carlos Checa, the current World Superbike Championship points leader, took to the Misano World Circuit and continued to impress his rivals, concluding both practice and qualifying in first position and recording some extremely fast lap times in the process.

Carlos Checa currently leads the WSBK title chase ahead of Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi

In this morning’s free practice, the potential podium contenders immediately made their presence felt, but it was Checa, ahead of Biaggi and Corser, who dominated the timesheets for the entire session. He recorded a fastest lap of 1’36.4” in the final stages, thus improving on the already fast lap he had made much earlier on in the session.

During qualifying, which took place on an even hotter track, the Althea Racing flagbearer consistently lapped at sub-1’37” times. He recorded his overall fastest time in the latter stages of the session; a 1’36.024” which permitted him to close in first position overall, an important result also considering the chances of wet weather tomorrow. At the end of this first day, Checa and his team declared themselves satisfied with the work completed and the provisional pole obtained.

Carlos Checa:
“We’ve made a good start today and we maintain the speed and rhythm of previous events; I feel I am able to ride the bike more or less at the limit. We had good feeling with the bike at Miller and also have useful information from the testing we did here at Misano a month ago so those factors have surely helped us here today. We saw some positive results during testing and those have given us a good base. Today it was important to test the tires on the dry track as tomorrow rain is forecast and we need to know how the tires behave in all conditions. We perhaps had a small advantage today but we know that Biaggi and Melandri will be there on Sunday and the races will be tough. Anything could happen come Sunday but the important thing is that we know we are competitive.”

TIMES (Qualifying):
1. Checa (Ducati) 1’36.0
2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1’36.1
3. Melandri (Yamaha) 1’36.4;
4. Fabrizio (Suzuki) 1’36.5
5. Corser (BMW) 1’36.6
6. Laverty (Yamaha) 1’36.6
7. Smrz (Ducati) 1’36.7
8. Haga (Aprilia) 1’36.7