Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

1. Alex Barros, Honda RC211V, 2:04.487
2. Max Biaggi, Yamaha YZR-M1, 2:04.536
3. Daijiro Kato, Honda RC211V, 2:04.680
4. Loris Capirossi, Honda NSR500, 2:04.785
5. Carlos Checa, Yamaha YZR-M1, 2:05.031
6. Tohru Ukawa, Honda RC211V, 2:05.106
7. Jeremy McWilliams, Proton KR3, 2:05.170
8. Valentino Rossi, Honda RC211V, 2:05.188
9. Garry McCoy, Yamaha YZR500, 2:05.400
10. Jurgen v.d. Goorbergh, Honda NSR500, 2:05.671
11. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZR-M1, 2:05.800
12. Kenny Roberts, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:05.911
13. Nobuatsu Aoki, Proton KR3, 2:06.061
14. Tetsuya Harada, Honda NSR500, 2:06.148
15. Sete Gibernau, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:06.362
16. Shinya Nakano, Yamaha YZR-M1, 2:06.451
17. Olivier Jacque, Yamaha YZR-M1, 2:06.580
18. Akira Ryo, Suzuki GSV-R, 2:06.635
19. John Hopkins, Yamaha YZR500, 2:06.857
20. Regis Laconi, Aprilia RS3, 2:07.126
21. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZR500, 2:08.028
22. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki ZX-RR, 2:09.106


More, from a press release issued by Red Bull Yamaha WCM:

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
Saturday 12th October 2002

AUSTRALIAN Red Bull Yamaha rider Garry McCoy will start from ninth position on the grid for tomorrow¹s 21-lap Malaysian GP.

McCoy slipped slightly down the standings after yesterday¹s excellent performance, but his best time of 2:05.400 this afternoon still left him best of the Yamaha YZR500 two-strokes, and he ended up just 0.3s slower than newly-crowned world champion Valentino Rossi.

His best time came on his final lap of the one-hour session, and but for a small mistake he might have been starting from the second row. The 31-year-old though is predicting a tough race, with prime concerns focused around tyre choice for what is sure to be a punishing examination of both man and machine tomorrow.

Track temperatures at the stifling hot and humid Sepang circuit are several degrees higher than at any other track on the 16-round MotoGP calendar. As a consequence it makes the requirement for good tyre choice even more critical. Track temperatures this afternoon reached a high of 50 degrees, and McCoy and his engineers will be searching for a compromise between a tyre that will offer consistent grip and one that will have the endurance to survive the strenuous conditions.

American rookie John Hopkins found himself in the unfamiliar position of 19th on the grid. His best time of 2:06.857, which slashed 0.9s off his fastest from yesterday, might have been improved had he not slipped off his Red Bull machine on his last flying lap. Before he lost the front end at a slow left-hander, Hopkins was on course for his fastest lap after the first two sections of the 3.447 miles circuit.

GARRY McCOY ­ Ninth 2:05.400
“I thought there was a little bit more in my fastest lap. On my final run I made a small mistake coming out of the hairpin and that unsettled the bike, so I was expecting to be a little bit faster. Ninth is fine against all the four-strokes but it will be tough in the race. When I¹m pushing flat-out, they come flying by a 500 two-stroke like we are standing still. Our race tyre option depends on the track temperature. It was hotter this afternoon than yesterday and the race tyre did not feel as good. The heat seems to vary our tyre performance considerably.”

JOHN HOPKINS ­ 19th 2:06.857
“We spent most of the session playing around with the set-up of the bike trying to find some more grip. I put on a qualifier but I made a bad choice for the front tyre. Before I crashed the front had tucked a couple of times. I guess I just got in there too hot. It just didn¹t work out and all I can do is look forward to tomorrow.”

PETER CLIFFORD – TEAM DIRECTOR
“That was another good ride from Garry. He spent a lot of time working on his race set-up and that took the edge of the qualifying times, but it should pay off with a decent start tomorrow. It was bad luck for John. But for that slip off on his last lap he was going to be faster and a little bit higher up the grid.”


More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Yamaha:

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX, SEPANG
Final Qualifying, Saturday October 12 2002

MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN FIGHT BACK AT STEAMY SEPANG
Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa shrugged off withering heat and humidity at Sepang this afternoon to qualify second and fifth fastest for tomorrow’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

Both riders had struggled with machine set-up yesterday, clocking sixth- and 11th-fastest times in the first qualifier, but their crews have worked tirelessly since then to dramatically close the gap.

“It’s amazing what the team has been able to do,” said Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “Everybody – the riders, the engineers and the rest of the crew – have spent many hours in discussion since yesterday afternoon, working to find a solution to the problems. So, I have to say a big thank you to them all, now let’s keep going from here. Yesterday both Max and Carlos had struggled in the corners, so we’ve adjusted chassis geometry and suspension balance to give them the feeling they need to really attack the turns.”

Conditions were more gruelling than ever during today’s session, with 36-degree C ambient heat and 50-degree C track temperature. Tomorrow’s race is expected to run in similar conditions, making it the toughest event for riders and bikes on the 16-round MotoGP World Championship calendar.

BIAGGI FIVE HUNDREDTHS OFF POLE POSITION
Max Biaggi was in extraordinary form this afternoon, slicing a massive 1.375 seconds off his Friday best to lay his claim for pole position at Sepang. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man, who’s currently battling for second in the World Championship, went fastest with just two minutes of the session remaining, only for Alex Barros (Honda) to sneak pole away from him by just 0.049 seconds. But Biaggi was beaming after the session, certain he’d done his utmost and ready to challenge for another win tomorrow.

“First of all, my congratulations to Barros for pole, now he owes me a pizza because he was chasing me for his fastest lap!” grinned a sweat-drenched Biaggi after securing his tenth front-row start of the year.

“I felt I did my best out there today. We made some changes last night and then some more suspension adjustments this morning, which found us some competitiveness, though it’s always difficult to make the bike perfect. I used different compound front and rear tyres this afternoon and just tried my maximum for a good lap time. This race is going to be very tough on tyres, but I’m sure I can go well tomorrow.”



CHECA MISSES FRONT-ROW START BY A FRACTION
Carlos Checa also transformed his performance in Malaysia today, lapping 1.292 seconds faster than he’d managed in yesterday’s opening qualifying outing to lift himself to within a fraction of the front row. In fact The Marlboro Yamaha Team man did move up to fourth with an astounding end-of-session charge, but was demoted to fifth by Loris Capirossi (Honda)in the dying seconds. Like team-mate Max Biaggi, Checa’s revitalised speed was thanks to painstaking work from his technicians and a superb on-track effort.

“We worked all day towards the correct race-distance set-up, then we fitted new tyres at the end and went for it,” he said. “Today we made quite a few changes to the bike, back to stuff we know better. It was just slight modifications to geometry and suspension that improved the overall balance, which I feel confident will make a useful difference to our race performance. Maybe we can still make some more improvements – we’ll probably try a few more things in warm-up.”



BARROS SCORES FIRST MotoGP POLE POSITION
Just six days after scoring his first MotoGP victory in last Sunday’s Pacific GP in Japan, Alex Barros this afternoon scored his first MotoGP pole position. “Considering my team had no data for this track, I’m surprised to get pole,” said the Brazilian who’s riding an RCV four-stroke for only the second time. “The race will be tough, you get so much wheelspin here that you have to concentrate so hard.” World Champion and fellow RCV rider Valentino Rossi, who lost out to Barros in the last race, could only manage eighth today.


More, from a press release issued by Fuchs Kawasaki:

PITT QUALIFIED FOR FIRST GP

Australian Andrew Pitt qualified the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR comfortably inside the 107 percent cut-off for his first GP, after carving another 1.5-seconds off his best time of yesterday in today’s final qualifying session.

The 2001 World Supersport champion, in at the deep end after being drafted in to replace the injured Akira Yanagawa on the new Kawasaki MotoGP prototype, ended only his second day on the new machine in 22nd position, for a start on the sixth row of the grid.

Pitt (26) had never ridden a GP bike before yesterday, nor used carbon brakes.

The Kawasaki is in its second of four races this year as a wild card entry, in preparation for a first full MotoGP season next year. The 990cc prototype, which uses novel flat-slide fuel injection and striking aerodynamic bodywork, ran for the first time last month. Original rider, factory tester Akira Yanagawa, had been due to ride the machine, but suffered a crack to his pelvis at the Pacific GP at Motegi one week before.

Andrew Pitt – 22nd in 2:09.106:
“We made good progress on our set-up with race tyres, and I improved my lap time further on our first set of soft tyres towards the end of the session. The second set of soft tyres felt different, and I couldn’t go faster any more on my last run. All in all, it’s still a matter of learning the bike and the circuit, and step by step, we’re getting closer. The bike feels okay, and I’m looking forward to going out in the race tomorrow!”

Harald Eckl – Team Manager:
“It doesn’t look good when you are four seconds behind, but I’m still satisfied with our progress. Andrew has done a good job, he has improved consistently, and he stayed in the seat safely throughout the four sessions. Our next goal is to take another 1.5 or even 2 seconds off the gap to the fastest guys in Phillip Island, and maybe another second in Valencia, and then we are where we want to be. I am also happy with the bike. We improved the set-up step by step, and we didn’t have a mechanical problem whatsoever. The engine runs like clockwork, and our topspeed of 293 kph is on the same level as the speed of Suzuki, and they have been tuning their bike all year long, where it is only our fifth full day out there. All we need tomorrow is to cover the full race distance!”



More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

MotoGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2002
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX, SEPANG
Final Qualifying, Saturday October 12th, 2002

BARROS TAKES POLE WITH FINAL QUALIFYING LAP

A superb ride in the final seconds of qualifying gave Brazilian Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500) his fourth career pole position, in only his second race weekend on the all-conquering Honda RC211V four-stroke. His best time of 2:04.487 was 1.2 seconds quicker than the previous 500cc qualifying record, set in the 2001 season, a perfect indication of the performance differential between the new breed of four-strokes and the old guard of 500cc two-strokes.

Barros’ ride to the top of the combined qualifying time sheets maintains his confidence on a high level after his recent race win in Japan, although Barros did not expect to perform quite so well in the steamy Malaysian heat – especially against many riders who have enjoyed Sepang experience on their four-stroke machines during winter test sessions.

“I am surprised to take pole position but I think my team of mechanics made a very good job because we had no data for this track, unlike the other Honda four-stroke riders,” said a delighted Barros, enjoying the status of pole position. “We have started with a base of zero so I am especially surprised to take the pole position. The main problem on the track itself is that the rear tyre is spinning too much, so I will have to concentrate very hard when it comes to the race.”

Daijiro Kato, who was in pole position for much of the final session, was deposed by Barros, although the diminutive Japanese was in his usual competitive form in qualifying and eventually took third place for a first row start. He nonetheless laboured under a small handicap in the final session, in pain from a previous crash.

“I am a lot happier today than yesterday and I have found good settings for both the machine and the tyre selection,” he stated. “My only regret is that I could have been a lot faster towards the end of the session, but my neck was hurting after my Friday crash. Considering this, third was not too bad I think, and I am concentrating on tomorrow now.”

Once more Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500) performed heroics on his two-stroke, almost stealing pole right at the end after setting the fastest split times on the first three sections. The extended full throttle sprints along Sepang’s two long straights dropped him to fourth overall, but his earlier cornering prowess was arguably the highlight of the final session.

“I worked so hard all day today,” said Capirossi. “I was much faster in the T1, T2 and T3 splits but the straights in the last part of the track are too long and I lost a lot of time there. Anyway, I got on the front row but tomorrow it will be very difficult to be competitive on a two-stroke, even harder than at Motegi – but I will try my best.”

For new World Champion Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V) qualifying at Sepang was not a straightforward exercise, with the Italian rider looking fast and smooth but only taking the last place on the second row, after setting eighth best time, a significant 0.701 seconds behind Barros.

“We were not able to make the bike work better than it did this morning,” said Rossi of the day’s proceedings. “We have made a lot of changes to the bike but we don’t seem to have got anywhere. I was waiting for a special tyre towards the end of the session. I came in and had a different one fitted so I couldn’t improve! I am not satisfied with how we work. A lot of the problems we have are just like in Motegi.”

Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V) outperformed his teammate to go sixth on the time sheets, after his usual display of determination on the brakes and intense riding input. On provisional pole on Friday, Ukawa was even more pleased to have found a good set-up, rather than go all out for a single fast lap time in the frantic final session.

Said Ukawa: “From where we were on Friday morning the bike is 100 times better. I’ve got no problem with the clutch, the suspension set-up feels good and the tyre wear is constant. We have a good package for the race.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500), was just over a second off the pole position pace, and tenth fastest in qualifying; two impressive statistics for the NSR rider, who is still undergoing development work for Bridgestone tyres during the racing season.

“I think we did a pretty good job today. The morning free practice was not so good, when we were chasing a better balance of front and rear. I tried a different shape rear tyre and it had better grip but upset the balance. In the afternoon we tried two tyres, both for seven laps, and I could run 2:07s with both. Overall I’m more than happy with tenth place against all the four-strokes.”

Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500) fell in the second session, without injury, but lost any chance to improve on his 14th best qualifying position. A total of 22 riders qualified for Sunday’s 21-lap MotoGP race.

Robby Rolfo (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) was once more the top placed NSR Honda qualifier in the quarter litre division, just over 1.5 seconds behind the pole position rider Fonsi Nieto (Aprilia) and in sixth position on the grid.

“We have a strange situation where I am fast in the first two splits but slower in the second two,” said a bemused Rolfo. “It’s not speed really, it’s more like feel from the front end. Also we may change the gearbox ratios tomorrow morning.”

A less fruitful day for his team-mate Emilio Alzamora (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR250) put him 13th overall, thanks to his Friday time, after a turbulent second qualifying session.

“We have big problems with traction from the rear end, stated the Spaniard, “it is not the tyre, more the set-up of the suspension I think.”

Haruchika Aoki (DeGraaf Grand Prix Team Honda RS250R/W) scored 15th best position on the time sheets, taking a fourth row start on his ‘evolution’ spec machine. Jason Vincent (By Queroseno Racing Honda RS250R/W) and his team-mate Leon Haslam both scored top 20 places, with Vincent 18th and Haslam 20th. Jakub Smrz (DeGraaf Grand Prix Team Honda RS250R/W) ended the qualifying sessions 23rd from 24.

Daniel Pedrosa (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) was poised in a good position to take pole position before a huge highside crash, with five minutes of the final session remaining, relegated him to an eventual third. His high-speed impact on the Sepang tarmac left him with a severely bruised lower back.

“I was trying to set my best lap and when I opened the throttle out of a corner the bike slid and spat me right over the top,” said Pedrosa, through gritted teeth. “The impact was very hard. Luckily the X-rays confirm that the only consequence is a contusion on my lower back. Nothing is broken so I hope I will be recovered for tomorrow’s race.”

Joan Olive (Telefonica Movistar Jr Team Honda RS125R) fought hard at the long and technical Sepang circuit, taking the last place on the fourth row thanks to his 16th fastest time. The 17-year-old Spaniard battled hard to move up the grid but was held back by grip problems in the intense heat.

“The high track temperatures meant that the bike slid constantly,” confirmed Olive. “I took the maximum risk and I am feeling satisfied because I gave it everything I had, riding to my limit. StilI, I wasn’t able to open the throttle when I wanted, so out of the turns the other riders accelerate faster than me.”

Rio GP winner Masao Azuma (Tribe by Breil Honda RS125R) used Honda power to take a top ten finish in ninth, with Klaus Nöhles (PEV Moto ADAC Sachsen Honda RS125R) two places lower, in 11th. Mika Kallio (Red Devil Honda RS125R) scored 14th, Mirko Giansanti (Scot Racing Team Honda RS125) 15th.

HONDA TEAM QUOTES:

MotoGP:

Alex Barros, West Honda Pons: 1st: “I am satisfied and surprised because I must admit that I did not expect to be in pole position today. The team put in some great work as we started from zero here, without any previous references from the circuit, unlike the other Honda four-stroke riders. I would like to thank all the team for their excellent work which has given me the opportunity to be the quickest here today. Regarding the race, I have a lot of confidence because I am lapping fast and clearly the goal is to repeat the victory here. The key thing will be the tyres and the winner will be the rider with the most grip during the last laps.”

Daijiro Kato, Fortuna Honda Gresini, 3rd: “I am very happy because we found the perfect race set up, and I have a good feeling with my RC211V. This morning I had whiplash and my neck was locked. Luckily the Doctors could get me back into good shape. This injury held me back a little bit but I’m really hopeful and very concentrated for tomorrow.”

Fausto Gresini: “I saw my rider really determined out there, despite the whiplash, but I’m satisfied, also with the work of the team: they worked very hard to improve the feeling of the bike for Kato. We are still learning, in a really difficult class, but I think that Daijiro will have a really good race. I’m sorry that we didn’t totally exhaust the possibility of the tyre that we put in at the end of practice: we had only two laps and this kind of tyre gives maximum performance only on the third lap. But I don’t worry because Kato made his time without difficulty. Tomorrow it will be a hard race, with really hot weather, but I hope to be celebrating.”

Loris Capirossi, West Honda Pons, 4th: ” I am very happy because I risked everything on the last lap and it came off. I have set a really great time today but tomorrow I will find it difficult up against the four-stroke bikes. I am able to go extraordinarily fast over the first two sections of the track, but when I get the two long straights I lose half-a-second immediately. I have to accept the fact that in Sepang it is impossible to beat the four-strokes.”

Sito Pons: “Every single member of the West Honda Pons team is extremely satisfied because it seems like we are on a winning streak. Our riders have once again demonstrated supreme professionalism and were able to put into practice on the track all the great work of the team. I hope that we continue the progress tomorrow and that we can repeat the last week’s results in Motegi.”

Tohru Ukawa, Repsol Honda Team: 6th: “It does sound a little strange after holding provisional pole and being fastest this morning to say that I’m not unhappy at a second row start because I’m not really. From where we were on Friday morning the bike is 100 times better. I’ve got no problem with the clutch, the suspension set-up feels good and the tyre wear is constant. We have a good package for the race. We had a little chatter from the front this morning but not so much now. Nearly every start I’ve had this year has been on the second row and my position in the championship is not that bad. Tomorrow morning in warm-up we will confirm our race set-up and make any final adjustments but they will only be very minor. I’m looking forward to the race!”

Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda Team: 8th: “We were not able to make the bike work better from this morning. We have made a lot of changes to the bike but don’t seem to have got anywhere. I was waiting for a special tyre towards of the end of the session. I came in and had a different one fitted so I couldn’t improve! I am not satisfied with how we work. For me the problem was the long run we made at the beginning of the session. We lost too much time to make any improvements. We still have some problem with the clutch system. I fight also with the brake. We seem to have lost all our advantage in braking from the test here. Now I have to brake much earlier. We changed the off-set to improve the braking from this morning but it makes no difference. Many of the problems we have are just like in Motegi. We will have a busy evening looking at data and an important session tomorrow morning working on race set-up. We have a great team who, like me, are very motivated. We like the fight and we will be ready for the battle tomorrow!”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Team Kanemoto Honda, 10th: “I think we did a pretty good job today. The morning free practice was not so good, we were chasing a better balance of front and rear. I tried a different shape rear tyre, it had better grip but upset the balance. In the afternoon we tried two tyres, both for seven laps and I could run 2m 07s with both. I have to choose one of the two for thee race but I’m confident with both. I put in a softer tyre for the end of the session and went faster than yesterday, almost one full second. I’m more than happy with 10th against all the four-strokes. My race pace will be more than one second faster than I expected, so I’m looking forward to it. If I’m in the top ten after two corners then the race will really be on for me.”

Team owner – manager Erv Kanemoto: “It was just as we predicted yesterday, the indications were good and final qualifying went very well. Jurgen rode really well, and the race tyres performed well as we kept the temperatures low. Everything is working well in the high-temperatures we get here. Bridgestone have been working hard to improve the they give us for all conditions and the indications are that all their hard work is paying off – but there is still a way to go yet. We are happy with the bike, which is really running well in the extremely hot air conditions. There is not a whole lot to do to the bike overnight, we’re pretty much ready to race. We just hope the conditions stay within 3 – 4 degrees of the last two days.”


More, from a press release issued by MS Aprilia:

Laconi to start from fifth row in Sepang

On the scorching tarmac, which today reached 56°C, the problems faced yesterday by Régis Laconi and the Cube showed no signs of going away. In the opening minutes of today’s timed sessions, Régis improved on yesterday’s speeds and a few moments later had sliced another second off his lap time. A further improvement in the closing stages gave him the 2’07.126 that places him in twentieth position, on the fifth row of the starting grid tomorrow. Régis worked hard on the settings of the Cube, finding a number of good solutions but the lack of grip prevented him from getting a better time.


# 55 Regis Laconi – (MS APRILIA RACING) – 20th – 2’07.126

We’ve made a number of improvements to the bike. The gears are now well suited to the Sepang circuit and adjustment of some details of the frame have given some good results. But I just don’t have grip – I keep sliding on the asphalt. There’s no grip on the corner of the tyre and it’s hard to keep the bike up against the edge of the curve, and then I can’t open up the throttle as I come out. The bike tries to go sideways. In any case, I think I’ve got a very good solution for the front tyre, but we’ve still got to try out a few things tomorrow for the rear before making our final decision. Unfortunately, grip isn’t something you can just invent, so I’m doing all I can to find a good solution for the race.”