Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Vermeulen shatters opposition at Silverstone

Chris Vermeulen continued to destroy the competition in the World Supersport championship, winning round six at Silverstone by a stunning 12-second margin.

Vermeulen quickly negated his relatively poor qualifying by storming from his sixth position on the grid to lead the race by the end of the first lap. The young Australian then set off on a charge on his Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR that simply shattered the opposition. By the end of the race Vermeulen had 14 seconds in hand, enough for him to start his celebration wheelie as he exited the new chicane.

Behind him Jurgen vd Goorbergh got the better of a long battle with Vermeulen’s team mate Karl Muggeridge to secure second. But Muggeridge was happy to finally make it onto the podium in 2003 after a season of brilliant qualifying and poor luck in the actual racing.


World Supersport Race Results:

1. Chris Vermeulen, Honda, 19 laps, 37:21.429
2. Jurgen vd Goorberh, Yamaha
3. Karl Muggeridge, Honda
4. Thierry vd Bosch, Yamaha
5. Alessio Corradi, Yamaha
6. Christophe Cogan, Honda
7. Pere Riba, Kawasaki
8. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki
9. Matthieu Lagrive, Yamaha
10. Robert Ulm, Honda
11. Christian Kellner, Yamaha
12. Takeshi Tsujimura, Honda
13. Dean Thomas, Honda
14. Gianluca Nannelli, Yamaha
15. Werner Daemen, Honda

21. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha, -2 laps, DNF

25. Broc Parkes, Honda, -9 laps, DNF
26. Iain MacPherson, Honda, -16 laps, DNF
27. Fabien Foret, Kawasaki, -16 laps, DNF
28. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki, -16 laps, DNF
29. Simone Sanna, Yamaha, -17 laps, DNF

Fastest lap: Vermeulen, 1:56.459


World Supersport Championship Point Standings:

1. Vermeulen, 131 points
2. vd Goorbergh, 84 points
3. Fujiwara, 76 points
4. Chambon, 62 points
5. Kellner, 59 points
6. Corradi, 48 points
7. Muggeridge/Riba, TIE, 46 points
9. Cogan, 35 points
10. Teuchert/Parkes, TIE, 30 points


More, from a press release issued by Van Zon Honda TKR:

Silverstone set up problems for Van Zon Honda TKR

The Van Zon Honda TKR team struggled with the tough track conditions at Silverstone, with a combination of bumps, slow and fast turns and heat conspired to make qualifying a nightmare for the team.

It was only when the team tried a completely different tyre in the morning warm up.

“We’d struggled for grip all weekend,” explained Werner Daemen who finished a difficult race in 15th. “Then we found a tyre, one that won’t normally work here, that seemed to give us the grip we needed. Unfortunately we now had no time to tune the chassis to suit the new tyre so our race set up wasn’t right at all.

“The best I could do in the race was just try to hang onto the bike and finish the race.”

Iain MacPherson had the same problems, he’d found the grip but it had spoiled the feel of the bike and he was trying to ride around the problems when he crashed while in eight position.

“I was losing a lot of time in the new chicane,” explained the plucky Scot, “So I pushed harder around the back part of the circuit trying to make up the time. Obviously I pushed too hard!”

The team now have to pack up and drive straight to Italy for next weekend’s San Marino round at the Misano circuit.


More, from a press release issued by Chris Vermeulen’s publicist:

SOMEBODY STOP HIM

Chris Vermeulen has crushed his opposition and grabbed his third straight World Championship victory and in the process stolen a massive 47 point lead in the championship.

In the perfect prelude to his 21st birthday this week, the Honda rider started from 6th on the grid at Silverstone in England, but proved a class above the hot field, leading by part way through the 1st lap and going on to forge a 12 second lead.

“I wanted to get in front as soon as I could and get my head down for the win,” said Vermeulen after his fourth win of the year. “We’ve had a very difficult time in qualifying so it’s thanks to the team and the work they put in last night in getting the set-up right.”

Vermeulen has now won 4 of the 6 races decided, making this one of the most aggressive and dominant world championship performances ever seen in the World Supersport class.

“I couldn’t believe how far in front I was, the Honda was working so well. My fastest lap would have qualified me in 2nd spot, so that tells you how quick I was going,” Vermeulen commented.

“My full attention is now on winning the world championship and although I have a great lead there are still 5 races to go starting next week, so you can’t afford to rest.”

In front of a massive crowd of more than 80,000, the young Aussie has now moved to within 1 win of the all time season record of 5 trips to the top of the podium set in 1998.

“People are starting to say what are you doing next year. All I am worried about is this year.”

Round 7 of the World Supersport Championship takes place next weekend at Misano in San Marino


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Vermeulen takes emphatic Silverstone win

Chris Vermeulen took yet another win in the 2003 World Supersport championship, taking an emphatic win at round six in Silverstone.

After qualifying down in sixth, Vermeulen knew he’d have to make a good start to stand any chance of a race win – fighting through from the back of the pack late in a race just isn’t an option in the hard-fought Supersport class.

“I got a great start,” smiled Vermeulen, “then I got my head down for some fast laps. They came easily because the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR was an absolute dream today. I could have carried on reeling off the fast laps but when I looked back they’d all gone so there was no need to keep pushing so hard.”

While he claims to have cruised around in the final laps, Vermeulen kept the pressure on hard enough to win by over 12 seconds.

The day was one of double-joy for the Ten Kate Honda team after Karl Muggeridge got the result he’s been threatening to get in several races by coming home in third.

“I’m really happy to be on the podium today,” said Muggeridge. “I had a plan to get onto the outside at the first turn and just hope I could find some gaps. The first lap went exactly to plan and as soon as I got out of the first turn I slotted my way through quickly the pack. By the time I caught VD Goorbergh my tyres were pretty second hand and when I tried to battle with him things got really out of shape. I just didn’t want to risk another non-finish so was happy to take third.”

With so many victories in 2003, four from just six races, it’s getting hard for team manager Ronald ten Kate to come up with something new to say!

“It wasn’t an easy weekend but it’s ended perfectly,” he said. “Luckily, we realised last night that despite our struggles in qualifying we didn’t need to make an entire new bike to solve things. Instead we made some careful but small tweaks to the bike and it seems we got it just right. Heaps of the credit this weekend must go to Andre Stamsnijder of WP Suspension. This track has thrown so many challenges at him with its mix of very fast turns, very slow turns and big bumps. But between the team, WP Suspension and Pirelli tyres, we came up with a Honda CBR600RR race-bike that was as perfect as we could have hoped for. Now we just have to keep our heads out of the clouds and our feet on the ground because the championship isn’t over yet!”


More, from a press release issued by Team Yamaha Belgarda:

SUPER SECOND FOR JURGEN!
Team Yamaha Belgarda rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh took a superb second place in the sixth round at Silverstone today. He made a good start and was in second place at the end of the first lap behind Chris Vermeulen (Honda), but once the Aussie had made a break, he was unable to match the Honda rider’s pace. For the rest of the 19-lapper, Jurgen and Karl Muggeridge (Honda) battle for second place, but Jurgen rode harder and took runner-up spot by nearly two seconds. Jurgen’s team mate Simone Sanna also made a good start and was looking strong until a problem with his front brake caused him to pull out after just two laps. Vermeulen’s win was his fourth of the season, but Jurgen’s runner-up place today puts him second in the championship.

JURGEN VD GOORBERGH – 2ND
I’m not disappointed not to have won, because second today was, for me, a really good result. Once Vermeulen made the break and pulled away there was nothing I, or anybody else, could do about it. He was fast today and we just couldn’t match him. This was my first visit to Silverstone and I feel I’m getting to know the YZF-R6 Yamaha more and more each time out. I had a good fight with Muggeridge for most of the race, but I realised that I was quicker then him with about five laps to go. Anyway, I’m happy with my result and happy for the team. Now let’s see what we can do at Misano in the next round.

SIMONE SANNA – DNF
I’m angry and disappointed, because I really felt that this was where I was going to turn my season around. I felt strong and confident before the race, but on the warm-up lap, I felt there was a problem with the front brake. The lever wouldn’t operate smoothly and kept sticking. I tried it for a few laps, but it didn’t get any better, so I had to pull in. It was very frustrating, because I knew I could’ve managed a good result.


More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

World Supersport Championship 2003 – Round Six
Silverstone, Great Britain
13-15 June 2003

Weather: Warm, sunny; Air Temperature 25°C
Track: dry, 43°C
Attendance: 83,000 claimed all weekend

VERMEULEN TAKES FOURTH WIN IN DOMINANT STYLE

For the fourth time this season Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) scored not just a win but a demoralising blow to his rivals, pushing himself an unheard of 47 points clear of his nearest competitor in the championship standings. His margin of victory was a full 12.157 seconds at Silverstone, as he led every lap of the 17.

His team-mate Karl Muggeridge joined Vermeulen on the podium, finishing third behind the Yamaha of pole position starter Jurgen van den Goorbergh after a short battle at mid race distance. Christophe Cogan (BKM Honda CBR600RR) scored a fine sixth, fending off the close attentions of Kawasaki rider Pere Riba, and Robert Ulm (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) backed up his good showings in
qualifying with a tenth place.

Takeshi Tsujimura piloted his TSR Honda CBR600RR to 12th as a wild card entry, with another wild card Dean Thomas (Vitrans Honda CBR600RR) in 13th.

Fifteenth place was an unlucky one for Werner Daemen (van Zon Honda CBR600RR), scoring just one single point after a tough weekend, and Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was 18th after two off track excursions.

For Broc Parkes (BKM Honda CBR600RR) and Ian Macpherson (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) good fortune was missing altogether, as each went out of the race – thanks to a retirement and a crash respectively.

Vermeulen’s almost immaculate season has only seen him fail to win twice in six attempts, although at Silverstone his vast margin of victory was unexpected, after experiencing some set-up issues in qualifying.

“The weekend didn’t start as we planned,” said the Australian rider. “Being on the second row was OK but I wanted to be up-front with Jurgen. We did a lot of work on the bike and Pirelli gave me a new tyre to try in warm-up, which worked well. In the race I got my head down and tried to get to the front group. Jurgen ran wide and I got the lead and then I pushed really hard and soon I was being given plus four and plus five on my pit board – it kept going up. Then from about half race distance I stayed smooth and concentrated on
getting it to the finish.”

Vermeulen’s compatriot and fellow Andorran resident Muggeridge finally received the result his talents and speed in qualifying frequently deserve, his podium finish proving to be his first of the year.

“I was really pleased with my start and didn’t expect to be so far up after one lap,” said Muggeridge. “I settled down and got past Stephane Chambon and onto the back of Jurgen. I felt comfortable but was losing out coming on to the start-finish straight. I got in front and tried to run the pace myself but was sliding around too much and Jurgen got by again. He put the hammer down and I tried really hard to stay with him but I had a bit of a moment and decided that third was a good result. It’s been a long time coming and it’s been a really tough weekend, so I’m happy.”

Cogan worked hard for his sixth place finish, but felt no love for the modified 5.036km circuit.
“We tried a lot of different set-ups in qualifying, in every single session, but we ended up back with the settings we had started with,” said the fast Frenchman. “I was having problems getting through the new chicane, and could not make a smooth line through there. It spoils the flowing circuit.”

Ulm’s weekend was another one he felt could deliver better. “I’m not really happy and I though a better result would be possible,” he
explained. “I did not have a very good feeling with the front and I’ve had a few crashes where I have lost the front so it was important for me to regain confidence to get a result in this race, but I had to go slower to avoid crashing. Now I want to complete one or two test days and then I am sure I can win.”

Daemen was out of contention at Silverstone, and scored the last point on offer.

“One point is OK but it could have been a lot more,” said a rueful van Zon Honda rider. “Just before the race we chose another race set-up and another rear tyre. The tyre is really good but the problem I had was that when the fuel tank became empty it was impossible for me to steer anymore as the bike just wanted to go straight on. After ten laps I was so tired and didn’t think I could make the end because the bike was so hard to ride, but in the end I got it to the finish.”

For Charpentier, so impressive since his induction into the Klaffi team at Sugo, the Silverstone race was a frustrating experience.
“I went straight on twice at that new chicane and after that I was out of the points,” he explained. “I tried as hard as I could but I could not get into contention.”

Parkes has suffered at the hands of misfortune this season and Silverstone carried on the trend.
“I had a problem with the front brake from the warm-up lap. It felt like the disc was warped or something and was making a hard knocking noise under braking,” said the young Aussie. “I though I could ride around and still get a decent finish, but it wasn’t possible and when I started to go backwards I pulled in.”

Riding fast and moving through the field in accomplished fashion in the early stages, Macpherson fell at his home race in the UK.
“I lost the front,” he said simply. “I was trying a bit too hard and crashed at the chicane out the back. We gambled on a set-up and it all felt OK in the race. There was a group of riders in front of me and I was trying to bridge the gap. I’ve been losing a lot of time at the ‘Mickey Mouse’ chicane so was having to try so hard everywhere else to make it up.”

Vermeulen’s impressive win puts him 47 points clear of van den Goorbergh, who is himself eight points clear of Suzuki rider Katsuaki Fujiwara. Muggeridge moves to seventh overall, with Cogan ninth.

In the World Superbike Championship Neil Hodgson (Ducati) took the win in race one, his tenth of the year, after a multi-rider battle for supremacy. Close combat at the final chicane saw Hodgson hold onto his advantage from James
Toseland (Ducati) and Ruben Xaus (Ducati). Regis Laconi was fourth, only 0.9 seconds down on the leader.

In race two an equally intense contest saw Hodgson recover from tenth on lap one to win yet another SBK race, and extend his championship lead to no fewer than 130 points. Harried by Gregorio Lavilla (Suzuki) on the final laps,
Hodgson won by the narrow margin of 0.493 seconds, with Xaus recovering from an off track excursion to finish third once more.

Hodgson now enjoys a points total of 295, from Toseland on 165, Xaus on 158 and Laconi on 145.

The next races in both Supersport and Superbike take place at Misano in Italy on June 22.