Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Corser Leads Valencia Testing pain of his recently dislocated thumb for 2 1/2 days, cutting short his participation in the finalsession to allow him time to get back for a dinner meeting in London with Ducat! Motor Holdings president and CEO Federico Minoli. Before his exit, Toseland stated, "Vale ncia is a good place to go testing . I cracked a bone in my right thumb last week, so I've been in a bit of discomfort these days. But these things happen, and it won't be an issue in the future . Even though I only had one full day on the 2ooS-spec bike, the changes make it feel quite different . The front forks are one of the biggest improvements, and the electronics are also a step in the right direction. So now I am looking forward to a full test at Jerez ." Laconi, Toseland's teammate, shared the testing duties on the sole 2ooS-spec 999F05, the rest of the time working on modified 2004 machines. "I gave my best , and these three days we really did a lot of work," Laconisaid. "We are already faster with this bike than the 2004 version, and everybody is working hard to make it even faster. With the new Ohlins front forks, the feeling is already very good . Pirelli brought along a new front tire for everyo ne that was a big help. It was exactly what Iwant ed . I wasn't surprised to see Corser up at the front, but I wanted to get as close as possible to him by the end of the tests ." The 200S model featu res full factory Ohllns front suspen sion, only available to factory teams, with rebound and compression damping in each fork leg, and adjustable from outside. Only major changes in damper action and spring rate now require the fork to be opened, and the action in use is said by the riders to be an improvement. An all-new electronics package features mapp ing settings in each gear to reduce the midrange torque's effect on the Pirelli rear tires, and according to Toseland, it allows the slipper clutch to work better during each downshift. The retention of the electric starter, as fitted on the original streetbike, has been possible due to the 2004 bike requiring ballast to meet the weight limits. Keeping the electric starter was deemed desirable after several incidents in the past when engine cutout switches have patently not functioned when required - thus the rider can now restart the bike in the event of a tumble, something Ducati riders of previous years could not do . Laconi was faster than the injured Toseland, I:36. 1 to Toseland's 1:36.9, but Laconi did resort to qualifiers. Ten Kate Honda, down to one man after Chris Vermeulen was sent home to recove r, had its other walking wounded Aussie, Kari Muggeridge, riding to a best of 1:37.2. Suffering wrist ligament damage, as well as a mild bump on the head, Muggeridgecould pull the hand from the socket by around Iem (such was the condition of his stretched tendons) . "We are bit behind in the workload we expected to do , but there's nothing we can do about it," Muggeridge said. "The crash bashed me around and crushed my head. This morning my wrist was worse, and now it swells and stops the power. You can deal with the pain but not with a lack of feeling or lack of strength." Venneulen, with an outland ishly large screw in his wrist, said. "It's just the pain that's stopping me from going more than an out and in lap. I also don 't want to risk re o injuring it when there is a screw in there, holding my scaphoid together." In what is rapidly becoming an Aussie Champ ionship, Andrew Pitt, flying solo for the time being, tested his Yamaha RI race bike and ran Nissin brakes while getting used to his new-for-200S machine , setting a I:37.S on race tires and a I:36.9 on qualifiers. "The bike fee ls quite good , although it's obviously very early yet, " Pitt said. "The only problem is the response of the bike off the very bottom - from a closed throttle. It just jumps, and that makes it difficult. After that, the midrange is good, no holes or anything. The biggest difference from other bikes I've ridden recently is the tires . They keep bringing out different ones , but they are all just varying degrees of the same thing." The Yamaha Motor France team , testing race kit parts for the 200S Yamaha customers, saw Sebastien Gimbert tum in a 1:37 .2, working his way through setup and component·proving chores. Chris Walker and Mauro Sanchinl (Kawasaki PSG· I) tested Bitubo suspension on their new-for-200S machines, with Walker returning to Ohlins units on the final day. He set a I:39.0, with Sanchini in the I:39.3 range. "I haven't set the world alight timewise , but it is basically a superstock bike at the moment," Walker said. "Everything has worked well, but the team and I have an awful lot of work to do to be competitive. But we 've gone quicker than the Hawk Kawasaki guys, who have a proven bike and a year's worth of experience. It was a tough triple day of turmoil for the intrepid Foggy Pet ronas team . New signings Garry McCoy and Steve Mart in had glum looks aplen ty, with McCoy crash ing on both day one and day three. His latest tumble left him with a suspected broken ankle, though as yet tests have been inconclusive, and he is expected to be fit soon. Martin's softer approach delivered him a best time of I:37.3, with McCoy only turning a 1:39.6. New Smyrna Beach, was found to have about 170 marijuana plants in a mobile home on his property when police raided his res idence early on the morning of Thursday, November IB.The street value of the marijuana plants, some as tall as three feet, was est imated at $150 ,000 by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Agents of the Volusia Bureau of Investigation, who raided the property, also found roughly 50 grams of cultivated mar ijuana and 2 1 {2 OxyContin tablets. Estok was charged with three felony offenses - cultivation of marijuana. possession of marijuana and possession of OxyContin • and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, the website reported. He was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach on $1 I,SOO bond , according to the website report. The 32-year-old Estok has been under investigation for several months, according to the we bsite . Estok won four F-USA Thunde rbike race s on the Evo -Twin Racing/Harding Harley-Davidson team and came second in the championship to teammate Bryan Bemisderfer, 12 points back. For 2005, Estok was expected to race for a new team being fonned by Richie Morris. It didn't take long far Troy Corser to get used to his Suzuki GSX-Rl000. T he sun shined for all at Valencia In Spain but was the brightest for Alstare Corona Suzuki's Troy Corser, the Australian proving to be the fastest rider on each of the three days of the World Superbike/World Supersport test . Corser rode his 2oo3 -spec Suzuki GSXRIOOO to a time of I:36.0, even though he experienced a crash on his final outing on the big Suzuki. An inconsistent throttle response saw him lose the front on the entrance to the first uphill, infield left-hand comer, and he was just unable to save it. ''As I turned into it, it started to slide the front, " Corser said. "It was on my knee for a bit, but I just couldn't save it. It was the last session anyway, and we were trying a new front qualifier. The lap time was going to be a bit quicker. It's weird though , because it seems as the temperature goes up here, the grip goes down. I'm really happy with the way we all communicate and understand each other. They understand what the telemetry says and always go forward. " Uninjured, Corser retired from track action and only Fila Ducati's Regis Laconi as able to get close to his best time . ''I'm com fortable, feel part of the bike," Corser said. "The difference between this and the Petronas Is that this feels a bigger, bulkier bike, and going from the outside to the inside of the corner takes more effort. I've got blisters on my hands from the effort of pushingthe bike. But the lap time is there." James Toseland, the 2004 World Superbike Champion, suffered with the Estok Arrested David Estok , the 2003 Formula USA Thunderbike Champion and 2004 series runner-u p, faces numerous drug charges after law enforcement officials found an indoor marijuana growing operation on his property, according to a posting on the website of a Florida radio station . WNDB I 150 has reported that Estok, of 12 DECEMBER 1, 2004 • C YCL.E N EWS 40th Anniversary to Lorenzo Lanzi, an AHA runner at one stage this year, had a satisfying three days on the Scuderia Ducati ex.Mlguel Praia 999RS, setting a best of I:37.3, while new World Supersport rider Glanluca Nannelli secured a I:39.9 on the 749R. The Ten Kate Supersport pairing of Sebastien Charpentier and Katsuaki Fujiwara , the only regular four-cylinder 600cc runners on show, each set a I:3B.0 lap. "Everything on this bike feels pretty much the same as the previous Honda , just a bit better," Charpentier said. British Championship hopefuls GSE Racing and Hawk Kawasaki (with GSE on Dunlops and Hawk forced, temporarily, to use Pire llls) were also at Valencia. James Haydon fell twice from his ex-james Toseland 999F04, while Leon Haslam worked his way clear to a 1:3S.7Iap tlme with Haydon on a I:37 flat, setting race simulations on the final day. The Hawk riders , Dean Thomas and Glen Richards, set a I:39,2 and I:39.3, respec tively. The unprecedented three straight days of brilliant clear skies allowed all riders and teams to make their best showings possible. Of all the riders on show, only Laconi, Pitt and Martin were credited with setting their best times on qualifying tires. Gor don Ritchie

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