Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128224
World Superbike Championship Round B: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca up, so that's why I was riding crap." Walker gave the HM Plant team Pedercini (Pedercini Ducati) the last few points scorers. two different riders in podium posi- Haydon was speared out of action tions, while Laconi scored fourth place after a less eventful race than the opener. by a crashing Walter Tortoroglio (Wet Honda) at the top of the Corkscrew and hurt his right leg. No fracture was "It's been a good day for the team; everyone is working so hard to get me evident. After bei'ng baited by the wild on the pace on the Ducati, so that is cards, the World Superbike boys came good, in what was a weird afternoon even by World Superb ike standards. Once more the politics, the worries about the future, and all other considerations were forgotten when the flag dropped on Sunday. good," Walker said. "I couldn't get into race one, and it's really annoying when you can see it unfolding just in front of you. Well-chuffed with a podium." Alstare Suzuki's Gregorio Lavilla was hurting from a first-race crash but was a' Despite battling fifth nonetheless, his bashed ribs and body seemingly in worse condition than the missing Mladin. Xaus' win, Hodgson extended his impressive lead even more and left Laguna with 355 off the track and down the slope of points, with four rounds remaining. That gives him a gigantic differential of 122 points, with only a possible the Corkscrew in the later stages. He will find out soon if he has a ride in 200 left - even if Xaus is perfect from now on. Lucio Pedercini (1 :27.269); 13. Troy Corser Xaus is second with 233, Toseland third with 201 and Laconi fourth on 187. Lavilla is fifth. Another Laguna gone, another Laguna full of incident 17. Marco Borciani (1:27.501); 18. Ivan Clementi (1:27.644); 19. James Haydon (1:28.472); 20. L. Pedersoli (1:29.141): 21. W. Tortoroglio (1:29.489); 22. Jiri Mrkyvka (1:29.774). RACE ONE: 1. Pier-Francesco Chili (Due); 2. Neil Hodgson (Due): 3. James Toseland (Due); 4. Mal Mladin (Suz); 5. Chris Walker (Due); 6. Aaron Yates (Suz); 7. Giovanni Bussei (Due); 8. Troy Corser (Pet); 9. Mauro Sanehini (Due); 10. Marco Boreiani (Due); 11. JUo/ln Borjl:! (Due); 12. W. Tortoroglio (Hon); 13. L. Pedersoli (Due). Time: 40 min., 35.653 sec. Distance: 28 laps. 60.6 miles Average speed: 92.62 mph Margin of victory: 3.068 sec, RACE TWO: 1. Ruben Xaus (Due); 2. Neil Hodgson (Due); 3. Chris Walker (Due); 4. Regis Laeoni (Due); 5. Gregorio Laville (Suz); 6. Giovanni Another race full of incidents for Bussei put him sixth, despite running the Austin Ducati team for the rest of the season, and if he does, his AMA career will take him to Mid-Ohio in two weeks. Only 10 riders finished an even more combative and crash-ridden race than the first, with Juan Borja (DFX Pirelli Ducati), Mauro Sanchini (Kawasaki Bertocchi), Marco Borciani (DFX Pirelli Ducati) and .Lucio and unpredictability. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California Results: July 13, 2003 [Round 81 QUALIFYING: 1. Mat Mladin (1 :25.56\): 2. Regis Laconi (I :25.999); 3. Pier-Francesco Chili (1 :26.162); 4. Aaron Vates (I :26.476); 5. Gregorio Ulvilla (\ :26.583): 6. James Toseland (1 :26.622): 7. The Laguna Seca paddock was left reeling under a barrage of proclamations and press releases one day before the start of any AM-class track action. The first shots from the media scattergun came from the FIM. who released an initially vague press release regarding the new World Superbike rules, with the twist in the tail coming with the news that the 2004 series would be a one·make tire affair, but without any more details of who and more importantly why the promoters FGSpoit had instigated the move. Answers about why were forthcoming, but despite no official confirmation of which tires are to be used. Pirelli are known to be the source of the tires, although there is more to the story than that. The next was a blast from the MSMA promising - not merely threatening - to pull the plug on World Superbike on terms of participation of the majOrity of teams that were due to return to the fray in 2003. This was even before the tire news, but as the MSMA release indicated, the manufacturers apparently have abdicated from the SBK commission (a regulatory body comprising them, the Team's Representative, FGSport and the FIM representative). Or as one paddock wag announced, they had sacked themselves from SBK. or not. There seem to be three basic questions that all in' the paddock seem to be expreSSing about why the organizers would be considering such a move, There is the "why?" There is the "why now?" And there is the "why (as expected) Pirelli and not any of the others?" The why could be simply money for the organizers, a genuine attempt to level the playing field for all, or the organizers' having no choice in the matter. Rumors have been circulating about the continued involvement of Michelin and Dunlop in SBK racing in 2004, but those arguments are counterpointed by the fact that Michelin was talking about a return to World Supersport (possibly to supply Ducati's 749) and that Dunlops are the most numerous tires in the paddock and presumably make money from selling tires and/or technical services to the teams it supplies. Thus there could be the case for FGSport having no choice in the matter, if it suspected that either of the big two is about to walk out of the series, or this move safeguards at least one big manufacturer in the class. That point brings us to the question of why now - especially at such an important crossroads for World Superbike. With the latest in a long line of new rule changes, the departure of the factory teams from even the idea of returning to World Superbike, and an already shaky public image for SBK in general, now hardly seems a good time for another small upheaval and more controversy. Another release from FGSport on Friday gave the news that rules had been harmonized among the FIM Superbike. Endurance. AMA Superbike. British Superbike. Italian Superbike and probably the German DMSB - although no news had been released quite yet as to what the rules would be, despite everyone having a pretty good idea that it will be a cross between the AMA rules and BSB rules, with the three-cylinder and twins left pretty much as they are. The idea is to allow each engine format to produce around 2oobhp, making for parity from all competitors. The one-make tire rule provoked a reaction at the top end of the Richter scale, with Dunlop and Michelin apparently stunned by the revelation, claiming to have found out at the same time as everyone else in the paddock. The thinking behind the rules is that one of the problems in World Superbike in recent years has been the pre-eminence of one particular type of tire - Michelin and the fact that these tires - or even the best Dunlops according to some - are frequently limited to the top teams. Pirelli, for its part, has made no lasting impression in World Superbike, playing catch-up with itself rather than the other two tire companies on most weekends. FGSport's solution. after the claim that it had had discussions with the tire manufacturers about how to make things more even in the past. is to have one manufacturer - which has to be Pirelli according to information at Laguna . supply the tires to the entire field, so that the periormance of each tire brand JULY 23,2003' cue I e n e _ (1:27.447); 14. Mauro Sanchini (1:27.851): 15. David Garcia (1:27.974); 16. Juan Borja (1:27.446); at anyone time and the supposed problem with availability of tires Is taken out of the equation. The only ones to benefit from such a rule - it appears - are the middle- and bottom-level teams, as the top teams generally have no problem getting the best of the rubber on display and paying for either none of it or some of it. A straw poll of terms in the paddock found few that were overly concerned about tires or their availability, despite the protestations of the FGSport management. Foggy Petronas has had issues with Michelin all year, and some sources close to that team even claim that their Michelin deal was a one-season wonder, as Michelin would be shipping out of involvement in 2004 In any case. The new costs - despite the fact that the deal has not been finalized yet - are claimed to be anything up to 50-percent less for a typical team, which would therefore now spend around $40,000 or so per season on a two-rider team. Possible negatives about the tire problems are myriad, not least from the point of. view of the status of the championship itself. One-make tire series, using spec tires, have never caught on in world racing classes. and although even Fl tried it and MotoGP is the virtual domain of Michelin at present. the tire wars are one fascinating part of World Superbike's attraction to spectators, on trackside BRIEFLY••• 12 eN Ruben Xaus (\:26.667); 8. Neil Hodgson (1:26.838); 9. Chris W