Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) was one of five riders to get under the 1m50s mark, putting his 998 F02 on the provisional front row of the grid with fourth-quickest time of 1’49.444. “We tried lots of different things in that session, but now we need to come up with something better if we’re going to get closer to Colin in qualifying”, declared Troy. “It’s hard to be happy when someone is going a second faster than you but I’m sure me and the guys will find something extra tomorrow. I’m missing something in the third split so that’s where we’re going to have to work and find a setting that will help me go over the bumps, because the bike feels quite harsh”.

After his excellent performances here in 2001, Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) again showed his liking for the Imola track with second-quickest time of 1’49.256, just under one second slower than Edwards. “My lap time wasn’t so good today, last year we were riding much faster here”, commented Ruben. “It was a tough practice with red flags twice, then oil, then when I got out with a qualifier I always found someone else in the middle, which made me lose concentration. I was waiting for a second qualifying lap but then there was a big crash somewhere else and there were yellow flags in three corners. Although the surface is pretty rough it has good grip, but when it gets oily then it becomes quite hairy. I improved a lot in the afternoon and tomorrow I hope to be there with Colin.”

Bostrom (Ducati L&M) set ninth quickest time in 1’50.408 on his twentieth lap of the session but crashed on the exit of the final chicane just yards after the start-finish line, at the very end of that lap, bruising his left hand and right foot. The Californian then sat out the final ten minutes of the session. “I went to accelerate out of the corner and for some reason the bike accelerated, then spun really quick and spat me off”, explained Ben. “That was my quick lap and I was sliding across the finish line. I wasn’t even trying to push on that lap either, my quick lap was going to be the next one. My left hand slapped down so hard at first I couldn’t feel it, but it’s OK now”.

GSE Report

Neil Hodgson and James Toseland started the last round of the 2002 Superbike World Championship at Imola as they mean to go on. The HM Plant Ducatis ended the first official qualifying session by finishing in third (Hodgson) and fifth (Toseland) positions respectively, with the former a fraction outside Troy Corser’s existing lap record (1:49.398).

While media attention will focus on the battle between Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards for the title, Hodgson and Toseland will be gearing up for their own respective showdowns to confirm their third and seventh positions in the championship overall. With this in mind, both riders were happy with their qualifying performances in preparation for tomorrow afternoon’s one-lap Superpole qualifying session and Sunday’s two races.

Hodgson was second behind Edwards in this morning’s free practice, but his progress was halted when he collided with Ruben Xaus in the afternoon session. “I was feeling really good out there until Xaus came under me at the Rivazza and knocked me off,” said the 28-year-old who is competing in his last race for the team after four years with GSE Racing.

“I had to complete the remainder of the session on my number two machine, but I was reasonably happy with my time under the circumstances. With the pace that Edwards is setting already, I know that I have to get down to the 1:48 barrier to make more progress tomorrow.”

Toseland was elated with one of his best qualifying performances of the year: “My objective is to finish ahead of Chili and Walker in the battle for seventh overall and so I am delighted to be ahead of them on time – even at this early stage of the weekend. I’m feeling positive after making it on to the podium at Assen and hope that I can carry that form through the rest of the weekend.”