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World Superbike Championship Round 2: Phillip Island, Australia The charging Jurgen van den Goorbergh on his Yamaha Belgarda James Toseland had to pull out of the first race when the fairing lowers of his HM Plant Ducatl fell off. The Brit came back in the second race to finish fifth. eventually fought his way to third place after an excellent recovery from a lowly 15th reversal on lap one, thanks to an overheated clutch. Local Aussie wild card rider (and former World Supersport race winner) Kevin Curtain finished in an impres- Piergiorgio Bontempi's lap record wins out of another six national races he rode in over the weekend. One place behind came former time, set in 2002, went on lap two, as Fujiwara chased down Vermeulen. The new best mark of 1:36.642 was proof of the close competition inherent in this class, and with many of the new machines being slowly improved since Valencia, there were eVidently was with unexpected twists around WORLD SUPERSPORT Having threatened to win in Valen- both races, finishing outside the points in the follow-up, and not too cia one month previously, Ten Kate Honda's Chris Vermeulen ripped his happy once more. In the second and last Superbike race at Phillip Island this year, Lavilla scored seventh, from Corser, Martin the flag in the World Supersport final at Phillip Island. In this instance, his and Borciani. The last points on offer were dished out to Clementi, Sanchini, Nello Russo, Pedercini and Borja. there, on his supposed local circuit, and on the pipe from start to finish, way to a nine-second advantage at home flag. On one of the qUickest bikes out Vermeulen was the only man with a chance after the initial threat of Katsuaki Fujiwara was shaken off by a pretty much everyone it appears, were happy to see Superbike return ream of consistent, fast laps. This was Vermeulen's first career to a form of genuine contest, even if the races were run at slower speeds than in previous years. A combination of factors are responsible for that, including limited rear tire num- World Supersport win and Honda's bers, weather conditions, and the increasingly less abrasive track sur- first win with its new CBR600RR, a small landmark but a significantly distant one from the chasing Fujiwara. Pirelli also took its first 2003 scalp thanks to young, brave Vermeulen. The two-man contest at the front face. If that is the case all year but the may make it sound like this was one racing is genuinely battled out among more bikes and more riders, no one is of the duller World Superport races, but not a bit of it was. going to care. Four wins from four from Hodgson, Fujiwara's teammate Stephane Chambon had to settle for fourth after four second places for Xaus, but the whole race weekend at Phillip Island was far from predictable, laden as it sitting in third for much of the race, battling through to this place in the 16 n APRIL 9, 2003' cue I e den Goorbergh was starting his run up and down the order. the Island's undulating turns. Bussei and James Haydon filled out the points-scoring slots in the opener. Haydon suffered clutch problems in The people who expected to have a repeat of the Valencia race results, and lain Macpherson were sixth and seventh, while the rapidly moving van sive fifth place, adding to three race World Champion Jorg Teuchert, who struggled in qualifying as usual and had to fight throughout the entire race. Ivan Clementi (top 750cc runner), Juan Borja, Mauro Sanchini, Giovanni By lap two Vermeulen was .6 of a second ahead, with Fujiwara, Fabien Foret, Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes filling out the top five. Old World Supers port rivals Chambon early laps. e _ s Everyone expected some kind of repeat of the results from Valencia, but it was the most bizarre couple of days of offiCial qualifying, in dry conditions anyway, imaginable. A double DNF at Valencia was no precursor to the form shown by Pier-Francesco Chili, who topped the timing lists in both official pre-Superpole sessions. Not bad for the oldest man on track, on a private machine, with no full support tire contract. Youth, top speed and Michelins finally told, however, in the single lap discipline of Superpole, and factory Ducati rider Neil Hodgson doubled his total of Superpole wins of the 2003 season after a charging ride on his Fila Ducati 999 F03. "The Hodgson luck is back because I had a couple of little moments in my Superpole lap," Hodgson said. "The new tire rule hasn't affected us at all this year. If they wanted to make it really challenging, they could have made the limit eight, but at the moment we have easily two per session. Can I also apologize for having a factory Ducati? It is like this thing that is held above me all the time. I have worked hard over the last few years to get one. Now I finally get one, and I am getting some grief for having one. And the tires as well?! I think the race will be pretty hectic, and I think there will be four or five of us at the front." Hodgson's lap of 1:33.030 was enough to displace the PSG-1 Ducati of Chili, who had been sitting on top of the Superpole pile after yet another strong single ride on his privateer 998RS machine. Chili's best regulation lap of 1:32.786 was not beaten in Superpole, underlining the somewhat unexpected tum of speed Chili has displayed after his double no-score in the opening round at Valencia. "I really enjoyed the final timed session when I broke my lap record at this track, sixtenths faster than last year," Chili said. "I spoke for a long time with Neil trying to ask him not to push so hard, because I wanted to make Superpole! Neil made a very good lap time, and I am very happy for him because he had a very good championship last year, and he is the right place to have a good chance to win. I still enjoy racing when I am fast. For me the limit does not exist when you work to be fast; that is your job, what you like to do, and for me that is like a trophy itself, We have to do the best with each bike we have." Hodgson's Superpole lap was his personal fastest of the weekend, an ominous sign for those who will aim to displace him from the position of pre-race favorite. World Superbike new boy David Garcia jumped to the front row after a dramatic and committed lap on his NCR Nortel Ducati (single exhaust and all) earning his first front row start at only his second attempt. He is another fast Ducati man, proving that the 998RS is a weapon in the right hands. "The Superbike championship has a very different ambience to GPs," Garcia said. "I like everything here; I love my team, because this is only the second race for me, and yet this is my first Superpole and front row start, so it has all gone well and hope will get even better. With the Ducati I feel that chassis is good, and I think the engine is like the other Ducatis, with the exception of Hodgson and Xaus. I love my Ducati. Phillip Island is my favorite track, and I think that because of this I am sitting here now!" HM Plant Ducati rider Chris Walker scored the final place on the front row for the pair of World Superbike races. taking his first career front row start in the series. HM Plant Ducati's James Toseland almost displaced his teammate Walker but failed by only .2 of a second, finishing up fifth quickest after a somewhat quiet and subdued couple of days. The local crowd has been used to seeing a genuine potential race winner at Phillip Island each lime World Superbike comes to town, but this time - on Superpole and qualifying's results at least - that may be a big ask this time around. The top local proved to be Troy Corser, not quite able to replicate his Valencia front row start on his Petronas triple. The 1996 World Champion has scored some of his bestever career performances at Phillip Island, and with top level Michelins seeming to come with increasing frequency, he may be a factor pre-race. The first of the fours was ridden by Gregorio Lavilla, with the Spanish star running out seventh in the Superpole order, after a sterling effort on the throttle of his Corona Extra Suzuki GSX-RIOOO. The ever-explosive Ruben Xaus secured the last space on the second row, despite crashing his Ducati Fila 999 on his Superpole lap_ His crash was another of his inexplicably fast comer entry ones, and it occurred at such a pace that the rider nearly hit the tire barrier on the outside of the Hayshed, and the bike itself actually reached it, dropping back toward the Spaniard. Lucky for Xaus, race regulations state than any crashing rider can only be relegated to the rear of the row behind the one he originally qualified on. Having been in a front-row start position before Superpole, Xaus thus started only from the back of the second row, in eighth place. Steve Martin was the best of the Pirelli-supported riders on show, pushing his DFX Ducati to ninth, ahead of proven World Superbike race winner Regis Laconj's NCR Ducati. Lucio Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati) and Marco Borciani (DFX Ducati) completed the third row of the grid. after a dramatic Superpole session, held in sometimes-breezy conditions. After the dire pre-race at Valencia, Phillip Island at least delivered some welcome variety at the sharp end, even if the best previous times were not really threatened.