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/128385
Troy Corser took Superpole with a time of 1:35.330, .355 of a second faster than Chris Vermeulen. The front row was thus Corser, Vermeulen, Regis laconi and Karl Muggeridge, with Max Neukirchner missing out on even a second-row start. He blamed a less-than-predictable rear qualifier. Chris Walker and Ben Bostrom shared the worst two positions in the top 16. Out of SuperpoIe were most of the Yamaha runners, with Noriyuki Haga blaming his rear qualifier's performance and Norick Abe chopping and changing setup to try to get some traction. Rear drive in general was Yamaha's tale of woe, and not for the first time this year. In total this year, Kagayama has scored three poles, Corser two, and laconi a single, at Losail. Corser extended his record of Superpole wins to 32, now II more than Carl Fogarty. A whopping 34 riders qualified for the The opening qualifying session was a truly dramatic one for two rider.; at least, as Jose Luis Cardoso and Yukio Kagayama came to blows in the pits after a confrontation on track. Kagayama was incensed at what he saw as Cardoso's cutting his line in the session, and as he passed, he threw him the "single digit" signal, Cardoso, obviously still listening to IlDcky soundtracks before going out in qualifying, aimed a well-placed kick at Kagayama shortly thereafter, while still lapping on track. Kagayama, now riled beyond measure, went into the pits, made a beeline for Cardoso, and - helmets and leather.; still in place - he and Cardoso started laying boots and fists into each other, with team members prying them apart- Both rider.; were called in front of the race committee; both were given a $1 000 fine. Kagayama was given his for starting the pit-lane ftght (or, as the committee put it, "He has shown an unfair behavior towards rider number 30], Cardoso."), while Jose "Macho Camacho" Cardoso was given his fine for what was described as "an unfair attack against the bike of rider number 71, Y. Kagayama" Troy Corser set the fastest time of the opening session, and then promptly crashed at post four. He had used up his rear qualifier too much, and as he braked, the rear came around, loaded up the front, and he feU, without injury. Or was it the fact that his first split time was more than four-tenths of a second up on his previous best time? No maner, he had been balked by another rider on his first fast lap in any case, and yet Corser installed himself in a good position for the rest of the toil in the sunshine. Kawasaki's offICially supported Superbike and Supersport development program, headed up by Christian Bourgeois, may not have any official involvement in World Superbike or Supersport this year (and is not expected to next year, either), but they have a nice new fadlity to work out of, in Annemasse, just inside France but very close to Geneva. The relocation allows them to have all their development equipment and working areas in-house, increasing their control and also keeping any secrets doser to their chests. The new facility is on the same road as the old ROC team, in a solid engineering area of franee. Continued on page 27