Karl Muggeridge

Ten Kate Honda’s Karl Muggeridge nailed his third win in a row at the final round of the World Supersport Championship at the frosty Mangy Cours circuit in France.

Muggas got an excellent start of his fourth place on the grid und took the lead by 0.5 seconds after the first lap and steadily increased it lap by lap up to 4 seconds. The 29 year old Australian, who was also battling for third place in the championship, was setting the fastest time on lap 10 with 1.44.643.

It was looking good to take also third place of the Championship, for Muggas and the Ten Kate team until the last lap where Jurgen Vd. Goorbergh passed CBR rider Charpentier and grabbed third place on the rostrum and in the final point ranking. However, Muggas couldn’t have done any better than finishing with another glorious victory.

Muggas comments: “I got a really good start, which I didn’t expect at all, and got away really quick. I was planning to just settle in for the first five laps to see who is quick in which corners and then go from there. But then when I saw on my pit board that the gap was increasing every lap and by lap 11 I was leading by over 3 seconds I decided to slow down and just try to keep this gap between Chris and me. I’m really happy to finish the season with the third win in a row; it’s a good way to go into the winter break. But on the other hand, I feel a sorry for Broc, he was doing an excellent race and it would have been awesome to have the three of us on the podium plus it would have also secured me third place in the Championship, on which I missed out only by a couple of points.”

Chris Vermeulen

Chris Vermeulen’s amazing 2003 World Supersport season has ended with a 2nd place finish at the magnificent Magny Cours circuit in France.

It was the World Champion’s fourth runner-up performance of the year and comes the day after announcing his move to the Superbikes in 2004.

“I would love to have finished the year with a win, but I am satisfied with what I achieved in 2003 and now am totally focussed on the job of winning a World Superbike title,” Vermeulen said after the race.

The Aussie set, what is regarded as the tightest class of racing in the world, alight this year. He became the youngest to ever win the world title, the youngest ever Australian world motorcycle champion and his 201 points for the year breaks the previous best points tally by almost 20 points.

The Queenslander had four wins and four seconds for the year and only missed points in one race out of the 11 event championship. Vermeulen and his Tenkate Superbike team will start testing for the new season almost immediately.

Ten Kate

Ten Kate Honda’s Karl Muggeridge notched up his third consecutive win of the year in the 11th and final round of the World Supersport championship at Magny-Cours in France.

The 29-year-old Australian, aboard the yellow CBR600RR number 31 machine, equalled team-mate Chris Vermeulen’s run of three victories in a row, to crown another memorable day for the Niewleusen-based team, who finish the year with seven wins from 11 races.

“I am very happy to have won my third race of the season. I had glandular fever at the beginning of the year and I let it get the better of me. It cost me the first half of the season,” said Muggeridge who leapt up to fourth in the overall standings.

Vermeulen had to play second fiddle to his fellow Australian for the third race running but the recently-crowned 2003 World Supersport champion – who will switch to the World Superbike championship aboard the CBR1000RR machine – was very pleased.

“I really wanted to win my last race in World Supersport after three years in the series but Karl rode really well. The team has worked really hard and I’m happy with second. I am ready for World Superbikes and the CBR1000RR looks a great machine,” said Vermeulen.

Broc Parkes, marking his debut race for the Ten Kate team, was vying for a podium position until disaster struck on lap 20. “I just tried too hard. I got excited at the prospect of an all-Ten Kate podium,” came the honest appraisal from the young Australian who clocked the fastest speed of the race – 266.6km/h.

Team manager Ronald ten Kate was thrilled with the team’s third consecutive one-two finish after the results at Assen, Holland and Imola, Italy. “It’s been a fabulous year with Chris winning the title and Karl doing so well. It was a shame for Broc,” said Ten Kate.

As well as becoming the youngest-ever World Supersport champion at 21 years, three months and nine days [when he took the title at Imola, Italy], Vermeulen also hit the double century mark for points scored in a season – a record 201.

“It’s been a perfect season. We’re looking forward to the step up into World Superbikes as well as defending our World Supersport title,” said team owner, Gerrit ten Kate.

HRC

Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) secured the race win and the new lap record at the 4.411km Magny Cours circuit, in a race held in exceptionally cool ambient and track conditions. Starting from the front row, after his team-mate Chris Vermeulen had secured pole position, Muggeridge was unchallenged throughout, winning his third successive race by three seconds. His best lap of 1:44.643 came on the tenth lap out of 23; an indication of how cold the track surface was as this stop-start French circuit.

With Vermeulen installed as champion after the last race at Imola, and Honda already holders of the Manufacturers’ Crown, Muggeridge was determined to finish third in the championship as race day drew near. He proved to be untouchable in the race, and like Vermeulen before him this season, scored three race wins in a row. Despite his best efforts and his 25 point score this weekend he was only two points from third overall, and an agonizing three points from second place.

Sebastien Charpentier’s dramatic home event on his Klaffi Honda CBR600RR saw him as low as eighth on lap one, climb back to a seemingly certain podium finish of third, then be passed on the last lap to take fourth in the race and seventh overall.

Despite rib injuries from a practice crash, Werner Daemen (van Zon Honda CBR600RR) scored tenth place, battling heroically against visible pain and lack of mobility on the machine.

Muggeridge was in ebullient form during and after his latest victory, despite just missing out on a higher final placing. “I really wanted to win here and the bike felt great,” said the happy Aussie. “The temperature made our tyre selection difficult but we got it right. I was just watching my pit board and was able to maintain the gap at the front.”

Vermeulen had a lonely race to second place, his eighth podium finish in 11 attempts. The 21-year-old Aussie, who is signing off from Supersport duties this weekend, suffered just a little disappointment after a year of almost winning at will. “It was a good race and Karl rode really well,” said Vermeulen, still suffering from the effects of a head cold. “I’m moving to WSB next year so I really wanted to win my last race in World Supersport - but it just wasn’t to be.”

Unluckiest man of the weekend proved to be Charpentier – pipped for pole, then pipped for a podium after a weekend on the pace at his home circuit. His disappointment was tempered by the memories of an excellent season since his induction into the championship at Sugo. “I am very happy because I have finished seventh in the championship even though I didn’t ride in all the races. I am just disappointed today because I did not finish on the podium, Jurgen came past but it was too late for me to do anything about it. I’d like to thank Honda and the Klaffi team for their faith in me and look forward to riding for them again next year.”

For Daemen Magny Cours proved to be a challenge but one that left him smiling through the pain.
“It turned out OK, but it was a vary painful race for me. Crashing and hurting my ribs in qualifying did not help me today, and it made me very tired. We had a good fight and I am happy to be top ten in this race.”

Broc Parkes was inducted into the Ten Kate Honda team for the Magny Cours race and was on top form until he fell while concentrating on to scoring a podium finish at all costs. “I was just trying too hard. I saw the chance to get an all yellow podium for the Ten Kate team and that overcame my brain.”

Frederic Bolley (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) fell in the race, after a weekend in at the deep end of Supersport racing. “This has been a good experience for me, but I made a stupid mistake and I am really disappointed not to finish the race.”

Robert Ulm did not start the race; two practice crashes having a telling effect. Iain Macpherson fell in qualifying and sustained a concussion severe enough to keep him in hospital for two nights. Released for race day, Macpherson was in attendance at the track to cheer on his Honda colleagues.

Vermeulen cracked the 200 points barrier at Magny Cours, with a final total of 201. Stephane Chambon (Suzuki) completed his year second overall on 137, van den Goorbergh third on 136 and Muggeridge top four with 134.

In the 12th and final round of the World Superbike Championship, race one proved to be a display of consistent, if not too distant, front running from Neil Hodgson (Ducati). Hodgson shot off the line from a front row start position, winning an early fight with first time Superpole winner James Toseland.

Ruben Xaus (Ducati) went from third on lap one to an eventual second following Hodgson all the way to the flag. Each factory Ducati rider set a new lap record in the later stages of the race, with Hodgson taking the best at this new track layout, with a 1:41.227 on lap 22 of 23.

A race-long battle between Chris Walker (Ducati) and Gregorio Lavilla (Suzuki) went the way of Walker, with Lavilla fourth and Toseland a slowing fifth.

Race two gave Xaus another chance of a win and despite his slow pace to start, he rode to a clear victory after Hodgson had crashed in the attempt to stay on his tail in the last two laps. Hodgson improved his own lap record pace at 1:41.219.

James Toseland’s second place on his Ducati gave him third overall in the championship standings, after local hero Regis Laconi (Ducati) scored a 6th and a no score for 16th. Toseland’s team-mate Chris Walker took his second third place finish of the day.

In the World Championship Hodgson finishes with 13 wins and 489 points, with Xaus second on 386. Toseland’s has 271, and Laconi 267.

Yamaha

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda Team) rode a spirited 23-lap World Supersport race at Magny Cours, overhauling Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) to take third in an incident packed final round of the championship. Waiting until the final lap, the Dutchman pounced on the entrance to the Adelaide Hairpin and put enough distance between himself and his French rival to take a sixth podium finish of the season. His ride also promoted him to third in the championship.

Local team Yamaha Motor France IPONE pleased the fans when Matthieu Lagrive scored a fine seventh, one place ahead of Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany). Yamaha Motor France wildcard rider Christophe Cogan was ninth and Simone Sanna (Yamaha Belgarda Team) 11th.

Jörg Teuchert was due to enter his final World Supersport race for the Yamaha Motor Germany team at Magny Cours but could not start after breaking his shoulder in practice. The 2000 world champion was a hapless victim, doing down on another rider’s cooling fluid at 175kph just three laps into the opening free practice session.

Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro) was also unable to race. The former European champion bravely tried to ride despite breaking his kneecap in Imola three weeks ago. He rode in Friday’s free practice session but took no further part in the meeting. Even so the Italian finished the year eighth in the overall standings.

Thierry van den Bosch (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) retired from the race with a shoulder injury.

Karl Muggeridge (Honda) won the race ahead of his team-mate, new world champion Chris Vermeulen, who had already tied up the title in Imola. Stephane Chambon (Suzuki) finished fifth to take second in the championship – just one point ahead of Van den Goorbergh. Muggeridge and Katsuaki Fujiwara (Suzuki) finished fourth and fifth overall, with the consistent Kellner a clear sixth on 90 points.

With the season now complete Yamaha turns it’s attention to the 2004 campaign. Three riders have already been signed: Van den Goorbergh will remain with Yamaha Belgarda Team while Kevin Curtain will be joining Christian Kellner in the Yamaha Motor Germany squad. Nine-times Australian champion Curtain recently made an impressive one-off appearance for the team at Imola, where he set a new lap record, making him a natural choice to join the team on a permanent basis.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda Team) – third “Before the start of the race I knew what I had to do, so with Karl leading I realised I had to finish third to go third in the series. I had to fight from the back of my group but I waited until the last moment, when my tyres went off, because that’s when I’m at my best. I am a little sorry for the French crowd, passing Charpentier at the end, but it was a fair move and I had to do it. After a disastrous practice third was the best place I could get today.”

Matthieu Lagrive (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) - seventh “That was a team effort and a good result for us in the last race of the year. Obviously it helps that I have done many laps of this circuit and it was a great feeling to race at home, especially as I had my best race of the year.”

Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany) – eighth “The problem for me was that I could get past Lagrive on the brakes in the slower corners but he could always take a tighter line on the way out and re-pass me. It was another tough race but we finished top six in the championship.”

Christophe Cogan (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) - ninth “This was my first ride on the bike and there was a lot to get used to in practice. I am pleased with the result given the circumstances as I didn't want to ride too hard and risk crashing.”

Simone Sanna (Yamaha Belgarda Team) – 11th “In the start of the race it was very confused, with so many riders coming together. After it settled down a bit I rode my best and I think the race was not so bad for me.”

Thierry van den Bosch (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) - DNF “My shoulder was painful - the one I hurt in my practice crash this weekend was worse than the one I hurt earlier in the year. I was going slower and slower so I came into the pits to retire.”    

FG Sport

In the 11th and final round of the Supersport World Championship, Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) scored another race win, his third straight success after victories in Assen and Imola. His team mate, and new champion, Chris Vermeulen, took second, and achieved his personal ambition of going over 200 points, with a total of 201.

Third in the race went to the forceful Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Belgarda), who regained overall third in the series with his last gasp overtake of Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR).

Stephane Chambon (Alstare Suzuki) took fifth and thus second in the series, ahead of van den Goorbergh and final fourth placed Karl Muggeridge. Such was the closeness of the fight for second that Chambon’s total was 137, van den Goorbergh’s 136 and Muggeridge’s 134.

Pere Riba (Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-6RR) rode assuredly on a fading rear tyre to take sixth in France, his team-mate Foret having pulled in to retire. The Kawasaki duo ended the season with Foret ninth and Riba 11th in the title chase.

Kawasaki

The Kawasaki Racing Team put in a strong performance on home round completing the season in competitive form. Hard charging Spaniard Pere Riba put in a brilliant start to finish ride to secure sixth position, whilst teammate Fabien Foret looked on target for a podium position before a technical problem ruled him out of contention.

Starting from the second row of the grid Riba was relentless in his charge through the field and had a tough race long battle with Stephane Chambon, Sebastian Charpentier and Broc Parkes. In the end he finished at the back of the battle for third just 2.5 seconds off a podium place. This impressive result was achieved despite struggling with severe tyre wear in the closing stages of the race.

"I put in a really good race and I am happy with my performance. I enjoyed it a lot but from about lap 15 my rear tyre was completely used up," said Riba. "It was crazy because the rear was sliding so much and I am surprised to still be able to finish so high. I think with the right tyre choice I could have been on the podium, especially as I wasn't that far behind third place anyway. It's good to finish the season this way and it gives me a lot of confidence as a rider."

Fabien Foret made the most of his front row start and put in a scintillating move at the Adelaide hairpin on lap one to storm in to third position. His pace continued and he made the most of the fine handing Kawasaki ZX6-RR to hold a potential podium position throughout the opening laps. Unfortunately the bike developed a glitch and the talented Frenchman retired from the race on lap ten.

"I pushed hard in the first few laps but step by step I began to lose power," Said Foret. "This is not the way I wanted to end my season and I am very disappointed for it to be like this."

During the 2003 World Supersport Championship the French based Kawasaki Racing Team have secured impressive results, including a superb race win for Foret at Misano in June. This has been achieved while continuously developing the new for 2003 Kawasaki ZX6-RR. At the end of the season Frenchman Fabien Foret secured ninth in the overall championship standings with Pere Riba taking a hard earned 11th place finish.

Suzuki

Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Stephane Chambon used all his experience at Magny-Cours today, resisted the pressure and did enough to end the season as runner-up in the Supersport World Championship. The Frenchman was involved in a four-rider battle for most of today's 23-lapper, but watched his pit-signals carefully before bringing his GSXR600 Suzuki home in fifth place enough to clinch runner-up spot by one point! Before Friday's heavy fall, Chambon's team mate Katsuaki Fujiwara was also in contention for a top three finish, but the left hip he injured in the fall prevented him from riding the GSXR600 Suzuki hard and getting the points he needed. Fujiwara had to have painkillers before the race today, but after ten laps the pain was so great he was forced to pull in.

The Australian Honda duo of Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen controlled the race from the front, with Muggeridge taking a comfortable victory by over three seconds. Dutchman Jurgen VD Goorbergh was third a further three seconds down on Vermeulen, with Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) fourth.

STEPHANE CHAMBON 5th - "Before the race I wanted a podium, but more then that I wanted to finish second in the championship, so I used my head. I had really good pits-signals from my team, so I knew exactly what Jurgen was doing and what I needed to do. It's always hard to run a race like that, because you have to control your instincts and think of the end result not just the race. Our GSXR600 is the oldest bike in the championship, so I think our team has done superbly to finish second. Next year Suzuki will have a new 600 and I'm hoping that I'll be on it and taking it to a world title at the end of the year."

KATSUAKI FUJIWARA DNF - "Yesterday I was feeling very sore, but I thought the pain would become less and I would be able to ride OK today. I had some painkillers before the race, but it wasn't long before the pain in my hip was so much that it was hard to concentrate on riding the bike. I stayed out for ten laps and by then I knew that if I carried on, I might have been a danger to other riders, so I decided to pull in. It's not the way I wanted tom end the season, because before we came here, I really thought I'd be fighting for second place if things went my way. It was not to be and so my season ended with a DNF my second one of the year."