Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Friday’s MotoGP Qualifying Results:

1. Max Biaggi, Honda, 1:59.520
2. Valentino Rossi, Honda, 1:59.708
3. Loris Capirossi, Ducati, 1:59.739
4. Tohru Ukawa, Honda, 2:00.338
5. Sete Gibernau, Honda, 2:00.438
6. Nicky Hayden, Honda, 2:00.442
7. Carlos Checa, Yamaha, 2:00.682
8. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha, 2:00.800
9. Makoto Tamada, Honda, 2:00.835
10. Marco Melandri, Yamaha, 2:00.892
11. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha, 2:01.167
12. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, 2:01.203
13. John Hopkins, Suzuki, 2:01.263
14. Alex Barros, Yamaha, 2:01.334
15. Colin Edwards, Aprilia, 2:01.505
16. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton, 2:01.809
17. Alex Hofmann, Kawasaki, 2:02.270
18. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki, 2:02.371
19. Garry McCoy, Kawasaki, 2:02.376
20. Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia, 2:02.498
21. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 2:02.661
22. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki, 2:03.589
23. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton, 2:04.033
24. David De Gea, ROC Yamaha, 2:05.896
25. Chris Burns, ROC Yamaha, 2:06.667


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service:

HOPKINS AIMS FOR TOP TEN AT BRNO

Team Suzuki rider John Hopkins made a good start in the first day of practice for Sunday’s Czech Republic GP, running fast times from the start of the session as he enjoyed the sensation of riding the ultra-powerful Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP machine round the sweeping curves of his favourite circuit.

Hopkins spent most of the session in the top ten of the list, dropping to a close 13th towards the finish, in a batch of very close times. With the three fastest riders below the two-minute barrier, the next 11 were all within one second of each other, with the Anglo-American rider in the thick of the group. With a few small changes to the machine, Hopkins was confident he could hope to add another top ten finish in the development season of the 2003 version of Suzuki’s 990cc V4 prototype racer.

Team-mate Kenny Roberts was some way back, after a difficult first day of practice. The 2000 World Champion ended up 22nd overall, expecting for a big improvement in tomorrow’s final sessions.

The Brno race follows the first part of a truncated summer break, and the factory race department has been busy in the interim, with a number of new solutions to try. However these are untested, and prudently are being kept for two-day tests at the Brno circuit on Monday and Tuesday after the race.

Today’s first qualifying took place in dry sunny conditions in the afternoon, but free practice in the morning was on a damp track after drenching rains overnight. There is one more day of qualifying before Sunday’s race.

Footnote: French motorcycle racing superstar and current Suzuki Endurance Racing Team rider Jean-Michel Bayle was back in the Suzuki pit, and will be joining the team for the two-day test next week. Bayle brings not only extensive GP experience and an analytical and intelligent approach to the task of developing the GSV-R, but also has the advantage of being able to test without having to bear the next GP in mind.

JOHN HOPKINS – 13th Position, 2:01.263
The biggest thing for me is this track. This was where I rode a GP bike for the first time, and I love the layout and everything about it. I went right out this afternoon and got straight into the 2:01s. That helps the confidence. One thing I’m struggling with is rear grip on race tyres. That’s costing me time on the tighter turns, and also on the corner exits, which spoils your speed down the following straights. We need to improve that, and I hope we can with setting changes, so I’m hoping for some dry sessions tomorrow. If all goes well, another top ten finish would be possible, and that’s what we really need now.

KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – 22nd Position, 2:03.589
The break was not long enough from the last race for the factory to respond with new stuff for this race, so the situation is the same as in Germany – to try and make the best of what we have. I tried a new chassis today, which weights the front differently, but it didn’t really have much effect either way, so I have no idea now if I will race it or not.

FRIDAY OFFICIAL QUALIFYING TIMES BRNO, CZECK REPUBLIC

1. Max Biaggi (Honda) 1:59.520


2. Valentino Rossi (Honda) + 0.188


3. Loris Capirossi (Ducati) + 0.219


4. Tohru Ukawa (Honda ) + 0.818


5. Sete Gibernau (Hondai) + 0.918


6. Nicky Hayden (Honda) + 0.922


7. Carlos Checa (Yamaha) + 1.162


8. Shinya Nakano (Yamaha) + 1.280


9. Makato Tamada (Honda) + 1.315


10. Marco Melandri (Yamaha) + 1.372


13. John Hopkins (Suzuki Grand Prix Team) + 1.743

22. Kenny Roberts (Suzuki Grand Prix Team) + 4.069


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Czech GP, Brno
First Qualifying
Friday, August 15 2003

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM MEN BACK TO WORK AT BRNO

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss were back to work at Brno today following their brief midseason break, the pair clocking third and 12th fastest times in this afternoon’s opening Czech GP qualifying session.

The team has a batch of new bodywork and chassis parts to evaluate here, but changeable weather has so far prevented the riders from making any real conclusions about the chassis parts. The gear includes a new fairing, designed to improve engine performance and rider comfort, a new chassis with optimised rigidity and new front fork and triple clamps. Both riders have one bike fitted with the new chassis/fork combination and one with the existing unit combination.

“It rained this morning, which effectively lost us the first session, so we’ve not had any time to work on the new chassis and fork,” said Ducati Marlboro Team technical director Corrado Cecchinelli. “Even in good conditions there’s never much time to test new parts at a GP anyway, you can end up confusing your riders and wasting time. Anyway, the parts aren’t hugely different from what we’ve got already, so there’s no great hurry to introduce them. We test here on Monday, so that might be a better time to evaluate the new chassis and forks. Loris went well today, we’re trying a few small changes to the set-up we ran when we tested here last month. Troy is still learning his way around here, and we’ve been working on his gearbox and front end.”

CAPIROSSI THIRD, JUST 0.219 SECONDS OFF POLE
Loris Capirossi was in the thick of an entertaining battle for provisional pole position at Brno today, the Ducati Marlboro Team man ending up third fastest, just two tenths of a second off pole. The Italian’s best lap was less than a tenth inside last year’s Czech GP pole time – an impressive pace for day one.

“I’m happy with what we’ve done so far,” said Capirossi. “We’re on the pace, the times are fast and the bike is good. Last month’s tests were so useful – we know exactly what we need to do for the bike here. I used the new fairing throughout today but the weather spoiled this morning’s session, so I preferred to spend most of my time riding with the existing chassis which we know so well. I did do a couple of laps with the new chassis, it could be good but it’s too early to say. Everything has gone really well today, third is a good result for day one and I think we already know what we need to do tomorrow.”

BAYLISS 12th AND WORKING ON FRONT END
Ducati Marlboro Team rider Troy Bayliss was second quickest in this morning’s tricky damp session but slipped to 12th in this afternoon’s dry outing, run in warm, dry conditions. The Australian has never raced at Brno before, though he did take part in a two-day test at the track last month.

“It’s good to be back at a race, though I’ve been busy during the break – first doing some PR work with Ducati in Austria, then at the Zandvoort Marlboro Masters,” said Bayliss. “This morning was good in the sketchy, damp conditions, but I knew we’d struggle a bit in the dry. I’m struggling with the front, I don’t really feel comfortable on the bike. At some tracks we find a good front set-up, which we think will work everywhere, but really we seem to end up with a different plan for every racetrack. I’ve tried both bikes, but so far there doesn’t seem to be a huge difference between the new and the old chassis.”



More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2003
ROUND 10 – GAULOISES GRAND PRIX CESKE REPUBLIKY
15TH AUGUST 2003 – QUALIFYING PRACTICE 1

DEVELOPMENT WORK PAYS DIVIDENDS FOR KAWASAKI TRIO

Development work carried out on the Ninja ZX-RR engine during the recent summer break paid dividends for Fuchs Kawasaki’s trio of riders at Brno today, with Alex Hofmann, Andrew Pitt and Garry McCoy all improving on lap times set during a two day test at the Czech circuit back in July.

Kawasaki Racing Team engineers used the summer break to evaluate a revised ZX-RR motor on the transient dynamometer located within the research and development centre of exhaust fabricator and team partner, Akrapovic. Revisions to a number of internal components allowed more power to be liberated from the 990cc inline four motor, an improvement that all three Kawasaki riders used to good effect around the fast Brno circuit today.

German wild card, Alex Hofmann, was once again the fastest of the three Kawasaki riders, ending this afternoon’s opening qualifying session 17th fastest. With such a long break since his last outing at the German Grand Prix, Hofmann struggled to find his rhythm on the Ninja ZX-RR today, but is confident that he can improve his qualifying position with more time on the bike tomorrow.

Andrew Pitt spent both of today’s hour long sessions refining the set-up of his Ninja ZX-RR, but still managed to improve on his previous best time by over a second to qualify within of a tenth of a second of his German team-mate on race rubber. The Australian ran two very different set-ups on his Ninja ZX-RR today, but will make a decision on which to concentrate on for the rest of the weekend during tomorrow morning’s free practice session.

The front end chatter problems that plagued Garry McCoy during the recent test at Brno reappeared during free practice this morning and, although his crew were able to improve the situation somewhat, they were unable to dial out the problem completely during qualifying. McCoy eventually qualified in 19th place on the provisional grid, just 0.005s behind team-mate Pitt, after being baulked on his final flying lap by a slower rider.

Alex Hofmann: 17th – 2:02.270
“I’m running a different chassis to the one I ran here during the test and the rain this morning meant we didn’t get as much time as we’d have liked to set it up for this afternoon’s qualifying session. Also, I’m not totally back up to speed after the break, but I’m sure things will be better with more time on the bike tomorrow. The changes to the engine have made a difference when I’m riding the bike; the data will tell us more, but it definitely feels like we have more power available than we did before. Overall I’m quite happy with the progress we’ve made today and I’m looking forward to further improvements tomorrow.”

Andrew Pitt: 18th – 2:02.371
“Overall that was a good session, although I ran out of time towards the end and didn’t get a chance to put in a flying lap on a qualifying tyre. One of my bikes is set up as it was for the test here, while the other is set-up exactly how it finished the race at Sachsenring. The Sachsenring bike is more neutral and feels more stable on the brakes, but the other bike definitely steers better. Hopefully we’ll be able to arrive at a set-up during tomorrow’s free practice session that combines the strengths of both bikes, ready for final qualifying in the afternoon.”

Garry McCoy: 19th – 2:02.376
“The revised engine made a noticeable difference today; it’s definitely a step in the right direction, even if it hasn’t yet had a major impact on lap times. Front end chatter has been a real problem here, just as it was when we tested at Brno last month. Even so, I felt I was capable of putting in a good qualifying lap. Unfortunately, as I came through the last turn to start my flying lap the rear spun up and I lost quite a bit of time. I think I was probably a bit too easy on the out lap and didn’t get enough heat into the qualifying tyre. Half way round the lap I had to overtake Nori Haga – never an easy task – and that lost me even more time. Hopefully we’ll be able to improve things tomorrow.”



More, from a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

UPGRADED PROTON KR TAKES A STEP FORWARD

Round 10: Czech Republic GP, Brno First Qualifying: Friday, August 15, 2003

Jeremy McWilliams: 16th, 2:01.809
Nobuatsu Aoki: 23rd, 2:04.033

Team Proton KR riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobu Aoki were back on the radical new 990cc four-stroke KR V5 at the sweeping Brno circuit, and enjoying a package of minor but significant revisions that have addressed teething troubles found in the bike’s first few races, as well as unleashing more of the potential horsepower of the new machine

Changes include reworked crankshaft design and construction, to improve strength and endurance of that crucial component; as well as revisions to engine breathing that have increased the power output somewhat. But the bike is still in its infancy, and still in first prototype form – this tenth round of the season is only the machine’s fifth GP, after it was brought out for shake-down tests at the French GP, with the season already well under way.

McWilliams was happy with the improvement, but had mixed feelings. He knew he could be faster at this technical circuit on the old 2002 500cc two-stroke, but at the same time is dedicated to pushing the new project forward, even at the cost of short-term race results. He was frustrated also by just missing the chance for one last fast lap on qualifying tyres, after crossing the start line just seconds after the chequered flag was displayed, denying him the chance of one more lap.

Aoki also appreciated the power boost, but was struggling today with rear tyre grip on the way into corners, which hurt his lap time.

Today’s first practice took place in dry and sunny conditions, after heavy rains overnight and in the morning. There is one more day of qualifying remaining, with one hour-long timed qualifying session tomorrow afternoon to determine final grid positions.

JEREMY McWILLIAMS
I missed my chance at the end, when we took a little bit too long to get a qualifying tyre on. I could have gone a little bit faster. But the times show that we have definitely improved. In tests here a few weeks ago we were doing 2’03s. I thought we would be a second quicker, so I am pretty happy to be in the 2’01s. The bike feels much the same as before at the top end, but it’s definitely better mid-corner and on the exit. I’m struggling a bit with suspension settings, but I hope that can be fixed just with spring changes, pivot position and oil levels. I know I could get below 2:00 on the two-stroke, and I will probably ask if I can ride it. But that wouldn’t really help us in the big picture.

NOBUATSU AOKI
The engine has got a little better in the summer break, but I’m having a big struggle with rear grip under hard braking. I’m going into all the corners sideways, which is not so good. It’s a matter of engine braking, but I think the slipper clutch is working okay, and that it will have to be solved with engine management in the long term. For tomorrow we will try changing the weight distribution, with a higher front ride height to put more weight on the rear.

KENNY ROBERTS – Team Owner
We’re not as far off as we were, though we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see how far we’ve really progressed. Today went good, and I’m pleased we’ve made a step forward.


More, from a press release issued by Pramac Honda:

Brno – (Czech Republic)
Round 10 – 15/16/17 August 2003
Friday – qualifying sessions

Makoto Tamada just inches from second provisional row

In the first day of qualifying for the tenth round of the world championship, Makoto Tamada came within a hairsbreadth of the second provisional row. In eighth place during the very last stages of the official sessions, he was then nudged back into ninth by a final dash made by Nicky Hayden. Even so, it was a good result on the Czech Republic circuit: this is a track that the Japanese rider of the Pramac Honda Team is already on good terms with, since he was able to get a feeling for it during the recent tests in July. It is a result that promises well for the qualifying round for pole position and for Sunday’s race.

During the session, Makoto used the same configuration he had tried out during the tests, though he had to deal with a level of grip that was different from last month’s. The fact that there was a different degree of adherence to the tarmac was probably due to the fact that it rained during the night and in the early hours of the morning in Brno. Initial tests were made on the choice of tyre for the race, even though the real, in-depth studies will be made tomorrow.

Tamada did not use the latest version of the frame, as the comparative tests on the new component are slated for next Monday, again here in Brno, in a further session of tests.

Makoto Tamada (Pramac Honda Team): 9th – 2:00.835
“The rain ‘washed’ the track so the grip was different from what it was like in the tests in July. But it doesn’t matter: we just need to adapt and make sure we make the right choices for the race. I really like this circuit, though I can’t quite say why, but it’s fun to ride and I’ve got a great feeling for it. I also feel it makes the best of the characteristics of our tyres. I left Japan after a short holiday with the determination to do well, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Tomorrow we’ll have time to work out all the details and choose the right tyres for the race. We’ll see how it goes.”


More, from a press release issued by Fortuna Yamaha:

Czech Grand Prix
Friday, 15 August 2003
Brno, Czech Republic

CHECA HOPES PROVISIONAL SEVENTH WILL LEAD TO MORE

The 2003 MotoGP World Championship returned from its scorching three week summer break to a hot Brno circuit in the Czech Republic for the tenth race of the 16-round season. For Fortuna Yamaha team-mates Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri it was the first time aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 since the Sachsenring Grand Prix last month, and the pair are hopeful of producing a reputable result at a circuit which has traditionally favoured Yamaha.

Checa kicked off proceedings with a respectable performance, featuring well on the time sheets during the hour-long session before eventually finishing the opening day seventh fastest. The Spaniard’s time of 2:00.682 left him just over a second behind provisional polesitter and Brno expert Max Biaggi (Honda, 1:59.520). Second fastest was defending MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda, 1:59.708), with Loris Capirossi (Ducati, 1:59.739) and Tohru Ukawa (Honda, 2:00.338) completing the front row.

“I am fairly satisfied with this for the first day,” said Checa. “I’ve done the same lap time as I did when we tested here last month, after Donington. The problem I’m having is with the braking and then flipping the bike into the turn. I don’t have enough front grip when the bike’s on its side. Our main target is to have a more stable front and more side grip and then I’ll be able to do 1:59s.

“This morning’s damp conditions were a shame, but you can always take something positive from time on the bike in whatever conditions. We were able to try a few things. Tomorrow I’ll continue to work and do my best. I have confidence in Yamaha and my team. Unfortunately we only have two hours to solve the problem, but we’ll keep working together and the results will come.”

For Melandri, his start to the second half of the 2003 season didn’t proceed as planned, with the MotoGP rookie tumbling off during the first third of the opening qualifying session. Although the Fortuna Yamaha Team rider was unaware of exactly why he lost the front of his 220-horsepower machine, Melandri was able to return to the fray, unhurt, on his second bike.

It was not the 20-year-old’s first time lapping the 5403m Czech layout on the high tech M1 four-stroke – the Fortuna Yamaha Team tested in Brno for two days in July. Therefore the likeable Italian was hopeful of a more promising result than the tenth place he eventually closed proceedings with today. Although his time of 2:00.892 was respectable, Melandri is confident that there is a great deal of room to improve.

“I’m a bit sad because we worked so hard at the test here last time, but for some reason we’re having problems this time and I don’t feel as comfortable as I did then,” said Melandri, who won last year’s 250cc race here on his way to becoming the youngest ever 250cc World Champion. “I had a very slow tumble this afternoon – I didn’t feel very good with the bike and when I tried to take the left hand seventh turn, I did it too slowly and fell off. I’m going to spend as much time as I can for the rest of today talking with my team about the best way to improve my set-up by making any necessary changes. I’m sure that we can improve for tomorrow. “

Team Director Davide Brivio said, “This morning’s weather was a shame and it was good to see the sun return this afternoon. Neither rider is completely happy but it’s a matter of set-up and we’ll just have to work to make the bike better for them. They’ve already done the same times as they did when we tested here so that’s a start.”


More, from a press release issued by WCM:

CZECH REPUBLIC GP
FRIDAY QUALIFYING SESSION

David de Gea – 24th 2.05.896
“Our bike doesn’t really suit this track, it’s just too slow. On Monday we are testing the 4 stroke, so we will have some more speed by Portugal.”

Chris Burns ­ 25th 2.06.667
“My collarbone that I injured in Donington is quite sore after today¹s session and I am struggling to change direction, anyway I just have to get on with it. I’ve raced here before in ’97 on the 125’s so at least I know which way to go around here. We had some problems today and I lost horsepower mid-way during the session and then had problems with the rear disc, which cut my session short and I didn’t have the opportunity to go out on any qualifying tyres. We were doing well during the wet in practice, I think at one stage I was about 5th so I am hoping for rain on Sunday.”

Peter Clifford ­ Team Manager
“We always knew this was going to be the toughest of the 3 races for the 2-stroke, The climb back to the pits is a real killer for the dear old girl. The guys are dealing with it as best they can and we are all looking forward to running our 4-stokes for the rest of the Season.”