World SuperBike 2001 - Round 3

Colin Edwards 1st - "That was one tough race. I knew I had to hit the front as soon as I could but I couldn't afford to make any mistakes in the traffic on that opening lap. And there was oil all the way down the start and finish straight from the sixth lap but at least you could see it in the wet. "It really would have been impossible to race (for race 2). It was getting dark and rivers were beginning to appear all around the circuit. It's very sad for the spectators, it's been wet all day for them and they've been robbed of a couple of races."

Tadayuki Okada 2nd - "It was a race I wanted to finish but in the wet weather anything can happen so I knew I had a chance of strong finish too, the machine was perfect and I was just glad to see the chequered flag after a disappointing start to this season. I started closing on Colin at the end of the race but I had a good idea he was taking it easy and making sure of the finish. To finish first and second for the Castrol Honda team - especially in those conditions - is fantastic."

Troy Bayliss 3rd - "I bumped into Colin Edwards at turn 1 and then didn't push too hard after Colin and Tady came past me because I knew Troy Corser was struggling. Out there it was as dangerous as you could make it today. It's been a strange weekend but the plan was to leave here in the lead of the championship and we've done so. I'm a rider and if a decision is taken not to ride then I don't go out. I feel unhappy for the spectators, but maybe they should think about moving this race to a different weekend".

Akira Yanagawa 4th - “This bike was the best I have ever ridden in the wet. I felt I could push a lot harder on the wet surface than I usually can. I could catch the leading riders even though I had a lot of wheel spin off the start; this is normally very difficult for me.”

Troy Corser - "What the hell were the organisers thinking today? The first race should not have taken place, but it did. Visibility was almost non-existent in some places and the wind was so strong it was moving my Aprilia off line. It was a matter of survival really. I just rode round and tried not to crash - there was nothing else to do. I can't remember when I've ridden in worse conditions. The rain was bad enough, but the wind was something else. I had real problems with grip and I was just slipping and sliding around all over the place. When I got back to the Aprilia pit after the race, I asked my Dunlop technician to cut extra grooves in the wet tyres, so that I might have extra grip for race two. But that never happened. The weather worsened and it became very dark. The rain and wind grew stronger and it was obvious to all of us that conditions were so bad that it would be dangerous to go out and race. But the organisers seemed to want us to go out and some of the riders took their bikes to the end of the pit-lane to do the inspection lap. In the end, after some discussion, the race was cancelled or abandoned, whatever. I'm glad that, in the end, common sense prevailed. I feel very sorry for all the brave fans who turned up today. I'd loved to have put on a show for them, but the weather put paid to all our plans. I hope next week at Sugo, Japan will be better."

Ruben Xaus - "I thought I was going pretty calmly in fourth place but obviously I wasn't, I don't really know what happened, I just ended up on the ground".

Ben Bostrom - "I high-sided while going into Lukey Heights, I was just going to follow Craggill through the corner and then get past him on the straight when it happened".