Chris Vermeulen

In the tradition of Mick Doohan and Troy Bayliss, 21 year old Australian Chris Vermeulen has etched his name on a motorcycle world championship trophy, following a thrilling 10th round of the World Supersport Championship at Imola in Italy tonight.

The Honda rider needed just a solid finish to stitch up his maiden world championship. A hard fought 2nd behind his team mate Karl Muggeridge more than enough, after his nearest championship rival Katsuaki Fujiwara crashed out of contention.

“It’s unbelievable actually, it’s a completely different feeling than I expected but I am over the moon,” Vermeulen said after the race. “Obviously I was thinking more of the championship but I got a two out on my board, telling me Fujiwara was out of the race, so I thought now I can hang on.”

For the 2nd time in as many races Muggeridge and Vermeulen staged a stunning duel, with Chris attempting a last ditch passing move on one of the final corners, earning the wrath of his Dad, Peter who was on hand to witness his son crowned world champion.

Vermeulen’s rise to the top has been stunning. A former junior dirt bike champion, who was hand picked by Barry Sheene at the tender age of 18 to race in the British Championship. Three short years later he’s the world champion and in an ironic and fateful twist his CBR600RR Honda carried the number 7, a number made famous by the late Sheene.

“There is no doubting without Barry’s influence I wouldn’t be standing here today. I wish he was here to see it,” The Queenslander said.

Vermeulen is tipped to be moving into World Superbikes next year, but before that there’s the final round of the series in France in 3 weeks. Vermeulen chasing one more record before the year ends.

“The all time winning record in a year is five. I need one more to equal that.”

Ten Kate

Ten Kate Honda’s Karl Muggeridge chalked up his second successive win ahead of team-mate Chris Vermeulen, who in turn clinched the 2003 World Supersport championship following a gripping toe-to-toe battle involving the two yellow CBR600RR machines in Sunday’s 10th round of action at Imola, Italy.

“I am absolutely over the moon. I must admit it’s a completely different feeling to what I expected. I knew Karl was quick but I was thinking about the championship,” said Vermeulen, who becomes the youngest-ever Supersport World champion at 21 years, three months and nine days.

Muggeridge continued his rich vein of form following a win at Assen, Holland to record his third World Supersport win with a margin of 0.771s. “I am really happy. All credit to the guys. The tyres were working great and everything was perfect. I’ll do all I can to make it three wins in a row at Magny-Cours,” said Muggeridge.

Muggeridge got the holeshot – as he did at Assen – and led the race for 11 laps before being passed by Vermeulen. The 29-year-old, on the number 31 Ten Kate Honda, retook the lead with two laps to go and held on to the chequered flag.

As the battle between the two Australians intensified, Vermeulen tried to steal a march on his team-mate in a heart-stopping final lap manoeuvre.“ I didn’t expect Karl to pass me so early on. I just had a big run and couldn’t stop,” said the 21-year-old Brisbane-born racer.

Team manager Ronald ten Kate said: “I am on top of the world. Of course, our maiden win [Fabien Foret, 2001] was special but this year the sheer volume of work that was carried out by everyone was just immense.”

Ten Kate clinched their second consecutive World Supersport crown with both riders on the top two steps of the podium. “Every round we try to make things better,” added Ten Kate. It does not get much better than this.

HRC

Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) had to give best to his team-mate Karl Muggeridge in the 21-lap World Supersport Race at Imola but he nonetheless romped home in World Supersport Championship itself, winning the title with one race to go. It was Vermeulen’s first World Championship win, the second successive Rider’s title for Honda, to add to the Manufacturers’ crown this year.

For the entire race Muggeridge and Vermeulen set the pace, with Vermeulen making a play for the lead in the middle of the contest, and Muggeridge was content to let him go for a time. With Muggeridge passing Vermeulen once more with four laps to go, the last lap saw the 21-year-old Aussie re-take his compatriot Muggeridge on the descent to the first Rivazza, but braked too deep, allowing Muggeridge enough space to pass on the inside and hold his advantage to the flag.

It was Muggeridge’s second win in succession, and Honda’s sixth of the 2003 season so far. Dutchman Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) scored third place, and Vermeulen’s previous closest challenger Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki) fell out of contention at the final chicane on lap 19.

For Vermeulen the loss of the race win was sufferable compared to his season result. “Being world champion hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said in the post race press conference. “I was just enjoying the race, I made a mistake at the end and Karl got the better of me.”

He continued; “We knew right from the first test session that we had something special with the 2003 CBR600RR. Even just sitting on the machine felt good and we knew straight away that it had been built to win races.”

Muggeridge underlined his and his machine’s potential once more at one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar. The pole position rider paid tribute to Vermeulen’s success and knew he was in a fight, despite obliterating the previous circuit best in qualifying with a 1:51.592.
“We had no team orders,” affirmed Muggeridge. “Our team boss, Ronald Ten Kate trusts Chris and I enough, and we respect each other’s riding enough, not to do anything too crazy. Ronald just told us to go out there and put on a good show so that’s what we did.”

Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) could have been part of a Honda 1-2-3 on the podium but a couple of big rear wheel slides dropped him down the order, although he fought back to a furious fifth.

“It’s the first time at Imola for me. I tried very hard for the podium but when Fujiwara San crashed I nearly hit him and I lost a lot of time to the leading group. It is OK though and I am happy with a top five.”

British rider Ian Macpherson (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) swept to a fine eighth place after a poor qualifying.

“I’ve really struggled this weekend so to get a top ten is really good. It doesn’t sound so good given my past results but the team worked hard and I gave 100% and pulled the result out of the bag.”

Robert Ulm toiled to 13th, having survived some dramas in the pre race build up. “This weekend I have had two crashes so I was not very relaxed for the race. At the start I had a good feeling but as it progressed I had a small problem with the front end, which made it difficult.

Werner Daemen (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) had a repeat of some earlier technical problems and retired. “The engine management seemed to chime in at the top end again, limiting out top speed and revs. One rider passed me, then another, then another and I knew I should just come in.”

Vermeulen now sits on 181 points, with Stephane Chambon (Suzuki) on 126, van den Goorbergh on 120 and Fujiwara on 119. Muggeridge has risen to fifth, and is a slender ten points from fourth place, with the last race of the year coming at Magny Cours on October 19.

Yamaha

Yamaha Belgarda Team rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh bounced back to top form at Imola with a third place after 21 laps of the classic undulating Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit. An intense Supersport race was once more full of incident, the penultimate round of the 2003 season proving to be a costly affair for some of the Yamaha riders as the final laps ticked by.

The Dutchman was held up slightly when Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki) crashed on lap six, an incident that allowed fast starting Honda team-mates Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen to make a break, but Van den Goorbergh’s podium finish, his fifth of the season, moves him ahead of Fujiwara and into third in the championship.

Kevin Curtain and Yamaha Motor Germany team-mate Christian Kellner both slipped from potential top five places in the closing stages. Curtain was in sensational form in his one-off ride as he scythed through to fifth place. He broke the lap record on lap 16 but was forced to retire a few laps later when a gear selection problem meant that he was unable to change ratios.

Kellner was as high as sixth but, like Curtain and Van den Goorbergh, was held up by the Fujiwara crash. On the last lap he ran into the gravel and fell, but remounted to finish 12th.

A strong ride to recover from a bad start gave 21-year-old Tekkyu Kayo (Yamaha Belgarda Team) seventh in his first race outside of Japan, while team-mate Simone Sanna rode into the points at his home race in tenth.

Matthieu Lagrive (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) was 11th, just ahead of the disappointed Kellner. Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany) secured 14th place after experiencing a mid-race crash of his own.

Thierry van den Bosch (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) did not start, fighting with fitness in his injured right arm. Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro) could not start the Imola event either, after breaking his kneecap in qualifying, although he hopes to be fit enough to compete in the final race of the year.

Chris Vermeulen’s second place finish behind his team-mate Karl Muggeridge (Honda) gave him the Supersport title and he sits on an unassailable 181 points. Fujiwara's fall put Stephane Chambon second on 126 and promoted Van den Goorbergh to third, with 120. Van den Goorbergh will now be going all out to score second in the series overall at the final round in Magny Cours on October 19.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda Team) - third “I wanted to stay with Vermeulen and Muggeridge but I got stuck behind Chambon and Charpentier in the first laps. When I had clear track sometimes I was able to close but then I would lose time elsewhere. I am reasonably happy to finish third and I want to go for second overall in France.”

Tekkyu Kayo (Yamaha Belgarda Team) – seventh “This is a good race but a so-so result for me. I made a small mistake at the start and that made it difficult for me to go with the leaders. Everyone is so fast in this class that it was hard work to make passes. This has been my first race outside of Japan and I found that the Imola circuit is very different to those at home. It is a difficult track to learn but I have enjoyed the experience very much.”

Simone Sanna (Yamaha Belgarda Team) – tenth “I got a very bad start and that was the main problem. I tried very hard to gain some more positions but it was impossible for me to finish higher than tenth for me today.”


Matthieu Lagrive (Yamaha Motor France) – 11th “It’s a good result for myself and the team, we have all worked very hard and I hope to ride for the team next year. The chassis is very good on the bike and the only problem I have is that it is very difficult to overtake.”

Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany) – 12th “My start was good and my lap times were fast. The first problem I had was when Fujiwara crashed in front of me and I lost time. On the last lap I pushed too hard and ran onto the grass and hit the barrier. I ended up finishing down in 12th which was very frustrating as I gave 110 per cent.”

Jörg Teuchert (Yamaha Motor Germany) – 14th “I got pushed right out to the white line at the start and was hit by another rider. This pushed my front brake lever up and I lost a lot of time sorting out the problem. I recovered from this and was pushing very hard to close the gap to Kellner but I was too fast into Tosa and crashed. The bike was not damaged so I was able to continue and score some points but I am very disappointed.”

Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) – DNF “What a shame. Every lap I was getting more and more familiar with the bike and I was comfortably putting in fast laps. I got held up a little bit when Fujiwara crashed in front of me, but I could see exactly what was happening and was able to take avoiding action. I had a plan and felt I could continue making up places but I had to stop due to the selection problem.”    

FG Sport

In the World Supersport Championship Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Honda took the Riders’ and Manufacturers’ crowns respectively after Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) won the race and Vermeulen finished second.

It was Muggeridge’s second straight win, following up on his devastating pole time, although another Aussie, wildcard rider Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany R6) took the new race lap record of 1:53.122 before retiring with a worn out gear linkage.

Vermeulen is now the youngest ever rider to win the championship, at the tender age of 21.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda R6) returned to third in the championship after scoring third in the Imola race but for the Alstare Suzuki pairing of Stephane Chambon (fourth) and Katsuaki Fujiwara (a retiree through crashing) Imola marked the end of their championship aspirations. Chambon now sits second overall, on 126, with van den Goorbergh third on 120 and Fujiwara static on 119.

The final 2003 round of both SBK and Supersport series takes place at Magny Cours in France, on October 19.

Kawasaki

The Kawasaki Racing Team had a disappointing race day at Imola with both Fabien Foret and Pere Riba retiring from the race with technical problems. Both riders were focussed on solid point scoring finishes at the penultimate round of the championship to improve their championship positions. Each was denied the opportunity, making it a frustrating weekend for the riders and the team.

After qualifying in ninth position Frenchman Fabien Foret made a solid start and stayed in contention with the leading group throughout the opening lap. However on the second lap of the race, whilst holding 11th position, Foret was forced to retire when a water hose came loose causing the Kawasaki Racing team ZX6-RR to overheat.

The 2002 world champion said: "It is very disappointing, I was very pleased with my lap time in qualifying but had to push myself to the limit to achieve that. My race plan was to make a good start, fight hard and get more championship points. But on the second lap one of the water hoses came off and my race was over."

Hard charging Spaniard, Pere Riba overcame a fifth row grid position to fight his way up the leader board and into a point scoring finish. With lap times faster than the competitors around him, Riba fought hard but with 11 laps to go two big rear wheel slides forced him top slow his pace and eventually retire from the race.

"I had a bad feeling with the rear of the bike," explained Riba. "I had two big slides and it did not feel safe to continue and I was forced to retire. The weekend has been difficult but I was giving it my all in the race. With the set-up I had it was always going to be hard to even challenge for the top ten and this is very frustrating for me."

The final round of the World Supersport Championship takes place at Magny Cours in France on 17 - 19 October 2003. The Kawasaki Racing Team competed in a round of the French National Championship at the circuit and will be going all out for a strong finish to their debut season..

Suzuki

The overcast and cloudy conditions at Imola were a not a happy hunting ground for Team Alstare Suzuki Corona today, though Stephane Chambon did get fourth place after a very determined performance. Team mate Katsuaki Fujiwara was in contention in the early stages but crashed out of contention when he fell at the final chicane on the seventh lap. Karl Muggeridge and his Honda team mate Chris Vermeulen finished 1-2 today, with Vermeulen's twenty points enough for him to be crowned 2003 Supersport World Champion. Chambon is now second, just six points ahead of van den Goorbergh, who is only one point ahead of Fujiwara, with one round of the championship remaining, so Magny-Cours is going to be very, very interesting indeed.

STEPHANE CHAMBON - 4th: I am not so happy to be fourth in some ways, because I could've done with something a bit better. A podium would've been nice and that would have made my charge for runner-up in the title a bit easier. But Imola was always going to be tough today and that's how it was. There are not so many places to pass here and in the end, I had to be patient and see what I could pick up. Now there's going to be a lot to do in the last round and I cannot afford any mistakes.

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA - DNF: I am very unhappy to crash today, because my chances of finishing second in the title race are now much harder. Of course there are only seven points between me and Stephane, but it's a lot to catch up because he normally is quite consistent. But I am not going to give up until it is all over at Magny-Cours. I'm going to fight and fight and do my best to get a podium and leave the rest to fight each other. I think I touched a whiter line today, because the crash happened so quickly. There was no possibility of saving it at all - one minute I was OK, next minute I was on the floor.