Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn Le Santo

Katsuaki Fujiwara was beside himself with disappointment after crashing at the chicane while in a championship leading position in the World Supersport championship race in Sugo.

At the time of the crash Fujiwara was chasing wild card and race leader Ryuichi Kiyonari. He didn’t need to win the race to take home a championship lead, because rival Chris Vermeulen was back in fifth at the time. But Fujiwara was determined to take the race win in front of his home crowd and the Suzuki officials. His determination proved his undoing when he lost the front in the first turn of the chicane and crashed out on lap nine. He later blamed a last-minute set-up change for the crash.

With Fujiwara out of the way Kiyonari must have thought the race was his to win. But he failed to consider the efforts of Christian Kellner who passed Stephane Chambon, caught Kiyonari and engaged him in battle, Supersport style. Although Kellner passed Kiyonari a couple of times the Japanese Honda rider kept the lead for nine laps – only to lose it when it mattered – right at the end of the last lap! Kiyonari’s disappointment was so severe he was almost in tears after the race despite taking second place.

Chambon finished third in front of another wild card rider, Tekkyu Kayo. Chris Vermeulen took fifth and a 10-point championship lead. Fujiwara re-mounted his bike to pick up a single championship point that could possibly prove crucial when the season draws to its conclusion in October.



More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing:

HONDA MOVES AHEAD AFTER SUGO BATTLE

Honda’s new CBR600RR sits at the head of the World Supersport championship after a dramatic third round race at the Sugo circuit in Japan on Sunday.

BKM Honda wild card rider Ryuichi Kiyonari led for 18 of the 25 laps, only to be passed on the final lap by eventual winner Christian Kellner.

Runner-up Kiyonari, who started from 13th place on the grid, said: “I tried as hard as I could on the last lap to stay in front but I’m gutted to lose the race with four corners to go.”

Stephane Chambon ­ last year’s Sugo race winner ­ took third place after watching his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara crash out on the ninth lap. Fujiwara remounted to take 15th place. Wild card rider Tekkyo Kayo took fourth with Ten Kate Honda’s Chris Vermeulen fifth.

Fifth place was enough for Vermeulen to open up a 10-point gap over Fujiwara at the head of the championship while Kiyonari’s second place takes Honda to the head of the manufacturers’ points standings.

Vermeulen commented: “It was a tough race. The temperature increased by 15 degrees from yesterday which made tyre choice difficult. I chose the wrong front tyre but, for a point-scoring ride, I’ll take fifth.:

Vermeulen was followed home by team-mate Karl Muggeridge, finishing sixth after leading in the early stages, he said: “When I was in front I wanted to slow the race down but it was inevitable that someone was going to pass me.”

Broc Parkes rode to a brave seventh place on his BKM CBR600RR despite suffering from a virus. “We improved the machine a lot and I wasn’t too unhappy with the finish but for the first six or seven laps I couldn’t see properly and it was so difficult to concentrate.”

Dutchman Jurgen van den Goorbergh finished eighth despite running wide on the fourth lap with Kawasaki’s Pere Riba ninth and Italian Alessio Corradi 10th. Battling Christophe Cogan completed the trio of BKM Honda finishers, in 11th place, after qualifying in 19th spot, Cogan admitted: “I made a mistake in the early stages of the race and it lost me time but it’s not a
disappointing finish considering my qualification place.”

Werner Daemen was the first of the Van Zon Honda team finishers in 12th place despite suffering a near crash, he explained: “Jorg Teuchert crashed in front of me, I had to run wide and I lost a lot of time. Overall the race was a good one for me after struggling in qualifying.”

His team-mate Iain MacPherson was not so lucky despite finishing 17th, after two crashes in practice the damage took its toll in the race, MacPherson admitted: “The crash in the warm-up this morning left me guessing settings on the other bike for the race ­ but at least I didn¹t crash in the race!”

A debut 19th place was Sebastien Charpentier¹s reward for perseverance, he admitted: “It was my first race for six months and I always knew it would be difficult. I wanted to finish and after one or two more races I¹m sure I will be in the top 10.”

Charpentier’s Klaffi Honda team-mate Robert Ulm crashed out on the seventh lap, the Austrian recalled: “I really wanted to push for a good result today but I braked too hard going into the first corner and my race was over. I am really disappointed for the team more than myself.”

World Supersport race result (25 laps ­ 93.425km):
1 Christian Kellner, Germany (Yamaha) 39:19.896
2 Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Honda) +0.243
3 Stephane Chambon, France (Suzuki) +3.192
4 Tekkyu Kayo, Japan (Yamaha) +10.334
5 Chris Vermeulen, Australia (Honda) +14.272
6 Karl Muggeridge, Australia (Honda) +16.326
7 Broc Parkes, Australia (Honda) +16.532
8 Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Holland (Yamaha) +17.596
9 Pere Riba, Spain (Kawasaki) +18.516
10 Alessio Corradi, Italy (Yamaha) +28.626
11 Christophe Cogan, France (Honda) +30.582
12 Werner Daemen, Belgium (Honda) +37.443
17 Iain MacPherson, GB (Honda) +51.550
19 Sebastien Charpentier, France (Honda) +1m 16.875

World Supersport championship points after three of 11 rounds:
1 Vermeulen 56
2 Fujiwara 46
3 Kellner 37
4 Van den Goorbergh 31
5 Muggeridge, Chambon and Corradi 29
8 Cogan and Jorg Teuchert, Germany (Yamaha) 21 10 Kiyonari and Riba 20
12 Parkes 18
14 Daemen 12
18 Ulm 6.

Manufacturers points:
1 Honda 65
2 Suzuki 61
3 Yamaha 57
4 Kawasaki 20

Next round: May 18 ­ Monza, Italy.



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

ANOTHER PODIUM FOR CHAMBON

Team Alstare Suzuki rider Stephane Chambon took a hard-fought fight for a podium in the third round of the Supersport World Championship at Sugo today. But it could have been both Alstare Suzuki riders on the podium ­ just like last year ­ until Fujiwara crashed on lap nine and had to restart from dead last. Up to then he had been in third place, closing in on the two front-runners and looking strong enough to take the win he so desperately wanted in front of his home fans. Fuji’s fall came at the chicane, but he remounted and then remorselessly tore his way up through the field and managed to score a valuable championship point. The race was won by Christian Kellner (Yamaha), who shadowed ‘wild card’ rider Ryuichi Kiyonari’s Honda for the second half of the race, before outbraking him on the last lap. He took the flag by just two tenths of a second, with Chambon three seconds further back.

STEPHANE CHAMBON ­ 3rd
I’m happy to be on the podium ­ especially after the difficulties with the weather on the opening day. The temperature was hotter today, but I used the same tyre as yesterday and maybe it wasn’t the best choice. There was no way I could catch the front two, so I just rode steadily for third place. This championship is very long and the level of competition is very high, so it’s important to score points whenever you can. I’m very happy with my Alstare Suzuki ­ it’s a good all-round package.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA ­15th
My start was not so good and I was in fourth position at the end of the first lap. I then began to push hard because I didn’t want the front three to get away. On the ninth lap I fell at the chicane, when I lost the front end. We had made a small suspension change before the race and although the rear felt better, the front was pushing a bit and I think I was caught out. I got back on the bike and rode as hard as I could and I was happy to score a point, because you don’t know how valuable it may be at the end of the season. I’m disappointed for all my family and fans who came here to see me get a good result, but I’ll make up for it as soon as I can ­ maybe in the next round at Monza.