September 2003 Race News Around the World c/o
mcnews
Victorian
Supermotard Championships 2003 - Round 1 - Morwell
September 3rd, 2003.
The 1st round of the
Victorian Supermotard Championship was kick started on 31 August 2003 in a car
park of the Gippsland TAFE, located east of Melbourne, in the middle of the
township of Morwell. With the weather not the best, a great turn up of
spectators makes a promising start to a three year plan for Latrobe's council
to hold a round of the Championship. "We want you back next year, this is
just great for our community" were the comments from the mayor of Latrobe
city council, Graeme Middlemiss.
Round 2 will be held
in Shepparton on October 12.
M.A.
and F.X. coming together in 2004
September 3rd, 2003.
There will be a
single national-level road racing championship in Australia from 2004 following
the signing of a landmark agreement between Motorcycling Australia (MA) and
Formula Xtreme Promotions.
The joint
collaboration between MA, the governing body for motorcycle sport in Australia,
and Formula Xtreme, a private promoter, represents a long-term commitment to
the prosperity of road racing at a domestic level, which will see both
organisations channel their resources and knowledge into the Australian
Superbike Championship and Formula Xtreme events.
BKM
Honda out of World Supersport
September 3rd, 2003.
The BKM Dark Dog
Honda team have announced their withdrawal from the Supersport World
Championship with immediate effect. The two-man team of Australian Broc Parkes
and Frenchman Christophe Cogan will not race at the Dutch round of the series
that takes place at Assen this coming weekend, September 5 – 7.
World
Superbike 2003 - Round 10 - Assen - Race 1
September 7th,
2003.
Gregorio Lavilla led
the first few laps aboard the restricted GSX-R1000 before he lost the front
entering a right hander. This left the Ducati freight train to dominate
with Ruben Xaus and Neil Hodgson swapping places at the front with amazing
regularity. Pierfrancesco Chili rode to a smooth third place but was challenged
in the final laps from a charging James Toseland. In the final laps Xaus
and Hodgson traded the lead numerous times before Xaus ending up taking the
win. Neil Hodgson's second place was enough to earn him the 2003 World Superbike
Championship crown.
World
Supersport 2003 - Round 9 - Assen - Race
September 7th,
2002 .
Muggeridge held on
after that last lap move to take the win while Fujiwara just managed to keep
out Chambon for 3rd. Vermeulen now only needs very mediocre results in the
final two rounds in order to lift the World Championship.
MotoGP
2003 - Round 11 - Estoril - 250 Race
September 7th, 2003.
The battle for
second in the closing laps was titanic and on the last lap Porto actually ran
in to Rolfo and took himself out while Porto ran wide but somehow kept it on
the track. Porto fell down but managed to remount and salvage 5th
place. Elias was the clear winner by over five seconds.
Marmont
clinches Australian Supercross Masters Championship
September 8th, 2003.
KTM’s rising star Jay Marmont clinched the
Australian Supercross Masters Championship in sublime fashion at the Adelaide
Entertainment Centre on Saturday, September 6 – with a start-to-finish victory
in the 20-lap final.
MotoGP
2003 - Round 12 - Rio - 125 Race
September 20th, 2003.
De Angelis slipstreamed Stoner down the back
straight for the lead with a lap and a half to run, Pedrosa right there in 3rd
also. As they started the last lap it was still De Angelis from Stoner
and that order stayed the same all the way down the straight before Pedrosa
relegated Stoner to 3rd place, but Stoner got him back at the next turn, on to
the long back straight Stoner right behind De Angelis and slipstreamed past but
Lorenzo got both of them, then Stoner back up to 2nd with Lorenzo in the lead
with only a couple of corners remaining. Lorenzo gets the win, Stoner 2nd in
what was a thrilling 125 race.
MotoGP 2003 - Round 12 -
Rio - 250 Race
September 20th,
2003
An exciting final couple of laps saw Poggiali
and Elias swapping paint at nearly every turn before Elias threw it away with a
couple of corners remaining leaving Poggiali to take the win. De Puniet
managed to get back on his heavily damaged bike to finish the race but scored
no points. West managed to make his way up to an 8th place finish.
MotoGP 2003 - Round 12 -
Rio - Race Report
September 20th, 2003.
Rossi just then kept his buffer to take a clear
win from Gibernau. Tamada a surprise third place while Biaggi managed to
hold off Hayden to take 4th place.
American Superbike - Round
18 - Superbike / Supersport / FX
September 21st, 2003.
Australian Mat Mladin became the first rider in
the history of the AMA Superbike Championship to have won four national titles
after a brilliant third place in today’s final race which was held in
treacherous wet conditions at the new Barber Motorsports Park, near Birmingham,
Alabama.
Aprilia announce their
dirty scheme
September
23rd, 2003
- By, Trevor Hedge.
In Milan last week Aprilia announced their plans
to enter the world of enduro and motocross. But utilising a fuel-injected
v-twin engine rather than the traditional single cylinder layout.
Gibernau signs a new deal
for 2004/2005
September
26th, 2003.
Telefónica MoviStar has renewed its sponsorship
deal with Sete Gibernau so that the rider can continue contesting the next two
seasons in the MotoGP World Championship with Team Telefónica MoviStar Honda.
World Superbike 2003 -
Round 11 - Imola - Race 1
September 28th, 2003.
As the two File Ducati men started the last lap
they encountered a gaggle of backmarkers as they continued their fight for the
win but they negotiated them safely for the most part before Hodgson was
baulked in to a downhill left-hander which he recovered from only to run off
the circuit a corner later handing Xaus the win.
World Supersport 2003 -
Round 9 - Assen - Race
September 28th, 2002 .
Muggeridge put a move on Vermeulen on the final
lap to take the win to make it a Ten Kate 1-2 and an Australian 1-2 and also
handed Chris Vermeulen the 2003 World Supersport Championship while Muggas took
the race win.
World Superbike 2003 -
Round 11 - Imola - Race 2
September 28th, 2002 .
With two laps remaining Hodgson out-braked
himself while tussling with Xaus and ran straight through a gravel trap but
regained the circuit in 5th place. Xaus took the win to make it a double, while
Hodgson regained a place to take fourth.