World Superbikes

Year: ALL

Heckles tests at Mallory

18 March 2003

Mark Heckles rode his new CBR600FS for the first time on March 19 at Mallory Park after driving to Belgium to pick it up and pay for it just five days before. The bike was bought for him by his dad...

Honda take top three at Daytona 200

04 March 2003

Honda riders filled the podium at the Daytona 200 race on Monday, March 10. The race was postponed from Sunday, when Daytona was blighted by torrential rain. Miguel DuHamel won the race on his Honda...

Double double for Fila Ducati

01 March 2003

The second race at Valencia quickly fell in to the pattern set by the first with factory Ducati 999 riders Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus leading HM Plant Ducati 998 riders James Toseland and Chris...

Fila Ducati 1-2 in Race 1

01 March 2003

Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus dominated the first race of the WSB season taking their Ducati 999’s to first and second place. Hodgson with a total time of 36:56.205 and Xaus four seconds behind at...

Hodgson on pole

01 March 2003

Neil Hodgson managed to better his qualifying time to get the pole position for tomorrow’s two races despite the blustery wind. Hodgson beat former team-mate James Toseland by 0.566 seconds and was...

Hodgson in line for pole position

01 March 2003

The second qualifying session has finished at Round 1 of World Superbikes in Valencia, with Neil Hodgson retaining the top spot. Hodgson only managed to come in 0.210 seconds under his Friday best...

Hodgson quickest after first day’s qualifying

25 February 2003

The times have come in for the first qualifying session in Valencia with only one second separating the top seven riders. Fila Ducati rider Neil Hodgson put in a fastest lap of 1:34.932, just 0.069...

BBC won’t show WSB live on Sunday

25 February 2003

The BBC will not be showing Sunday’s WSB round live. Instead all we’ll get is highlights on BBC 2 at 11:55pm. If you want to see it live you’ll need access to Eurosport which will show the races from...

The reasons behind the BBC decision

25 February 2003

Grandstand producer Belinda Rogerson explained the BBC’s decision to drop live WSB this Sunday. She Said: " Unfortunately, the scheduled date for the 1st round in Valencia was moved from March 9 to March 2 late in 2002. We had planned to show both of the races during the day on BBC TWO on March 9, however the schedule of sport that we were already committed to showing on March 2, including Rugby...

Laconi drops in on Ducati

18 February 2003

Regis Laconi cemented his arrival at Ducati by getting a taste of the racing heritage he is now a part of. He couldn’t resist getting his leg over Mike Hailwood’s Ducati 900, the bike that won him the...

Hodgson heads first day of Winter testing

18 February 2003

British rider Neil Hodgson made his intentions clear for 2003 by posting the fastest time on the first day of the official World Superbikes tests at Valencia. Hodgson and Fila Ducati team-mate Ruben...

Hodgson fastest at last test before WSB begins

18 February 2003

Neil Hodgson was on lap record pace when he went fastest at the WSB test in Valencia on Sunday. He put in a time of 1:34.01, 1.3 seconds under Ben Bostrom’s 2002 lap record. Check out this week’s MCN,...

Riders for WSB Valencia test announced

11 February 2003

The list of riders taking part in the official World Superbike and Supersport winter test at Valencia on February 21-23 has been announced. MCN will be bringing all the latest news and an exclusive...

Red Bull rookie switches to Boxer Cup

04 February 2003

Barry Burrell, one of the five riders chosen to go on to the next stage of the Red Bull Rookie search, has already reaped the benefits of the program by being picked to ride for the BMW Motorrad GB...

Another result for the Texan Tornado

21 January 2003

Colin Edwards and his wife Alyssia will be celebrating today, following the birth of a baby daughter, named Gracie. We’ll update this story with more news as it arrives. To congratulate the Edwards on...

Whitham announces his retirement

21 January 2003

World Supersport racer Jamie Whitham has quit racing for good. The 37-year-old is suffering from glaucoma, an eye disease which doctors fear may have been caused by the chemotherapy he underwent for...

Walker goes faster than Bayliss

21 January 2003

Chris Walker has set a time in testing, which is faster than Troy Bayliss managed on the same bike this time last year. Walker was testing at Almeria in Spain, and recorded a time of 1:36.9s That time...

Foggy happy with Phillip Island test

14 January 2003

The Foggy Petronas team completed a successful three-day test at Phillip Island, leaving boss Carl Fogarty feeling positive. The team would not release official times, but Troy Corser was running 1:34...

Supermoto champ on Supersport pace

07 January 2003

World Supermoto champ Thierry van den Bosch shocked his new rivals in World Supersports by matching lap record pace in his first test of Yamaha’s latest R6. He lapped Spain’s Almeria circuit as fast...

Foggy on A Question of Sport

07 January 2003

Carl Fogarty, the four-times World Superbike champion, and boss of Foggy-Petronas racing, will appear on BBC’s A Question of Sport this Friday, January 17. He’ll be joining team captains Ally McCoist...

Updated 2003 WSB and Endurance calendar

01 January 2003

The Malaysian round of World Superbikes will not be taking place this year, but there will still be 12 rounds of action, plus eight World Endurance races, and the three Masters of Endurance events at...

No Malaysian round for World Superbikes

09 December 2002

The Malaysian round of next year’s World Superbike championship has been axed. A race was due to be staged at Sepang on May 4, but the FIM confirmed last week that the calendar has been cut from 13...

First pictures: Whitham’s new baby

25 November 2002

World Supersport rider Jamie Whitham has a new woman in his life – he’s just become the proud father to Ruby, his first child. Ruby weighed in at 6lb 14oz, and both baby and mother Andrea are doing...

Exclusive: First HM Plant Ducati pictures

25 November 2002

MCN has been granted exclusive access to the HM Plant Ducati squad just days ahead of its first round of pre-season testing in Valencia, Spain. This is the first time its riders James Toseland and...

2003 World Superbike regulations

11 November 2002

The governing body that regulates the World Superbike and World Supersport series, the FIM, has introduced a series of new regulations designed principally to bring down the cost of a season’s...

Walker under the knife again

11 November 2002

Chris Walker has undergone a second operation to re-pin his broken left leg and ankle. Walker, injured during the Mettet supermoto race in Belgium last month, is battling to be fit in time for his...

Whitham to miss supersport test

11 November 2002

Jamie Whitham is set to miss the start of close-season testing for the 2003 World Supersport championship. He has elected to stay in the UK to see a specialist about his knee injury, and will be...

Your chance to bid for WSB history

01 November 2002

Fancy owning some top Neil Hodgson and James Toesland World Superbike memorabilia and help a good cause at the same time? Well, here’s your chance. Log onto www.hmplantducati.com, the official website...

Edwards signs for Aprilia

28 October 2002

Colin Edwards has signed for Aprilia to ride its RS3 in MotoGP next year. There is no word yet on whether he will partner Regis Laconi in a two-man team. We will bring your more details very soon.

Walker test hopes dented

28 October 2002

Chris Walker’s race for fitness in time for his GSE Racing WSB squad’s important first test looks bleak. The pins in the ankle he damaged earlier this month in a supermoto race in Mettet, Belgium have...

Xaus confirmed at Ducati WSB

21 October 2002

Ruben Xaus has just been confirmed as Neil Hodgson’s teammate at the factory Ducati Corse WSB squad on the new 999. He renews his commitment to the factory after a torrid 2002 in World Superbikes,...

Scott Russell could be back in WSB

21 October 2002

Scott Russell could be set for a dramatic return to World Superbikes after an absence of five years. He last rode in the 1998 championship on a Yamaha YZF750, but he has been testing recently with AMA...

Scott Russell in comeback test

21 October 2002

Former WSB champ Scott Russell is on the verge of an amazing racing comeback, despite nearly being killed at the Daytona 200 in 2001. He has been secretly testing for HMC Racing, an AMA Superbike...

Officials settle on new AMA Superbike rules

14 October 2002

From next year the American superbike (AMA) series will run on broadly similar lines to the British domestic championship after officials finally settled on a framework to allow teams to run...

Walker breaks leg in Supermoto race

14 October 2002

Chris Walker has been diagnosed as having a broken ankle and tibia of his left leg after crashing out of a supermoto race in Mettet, Belgium at the weekend. He was due to start testing with his new...

Honda set to quit WSB

14 October 2002

Honda is set to quit WSB despite winning the 2002 World Superbike championship. You can read more on this story in the latest issue of MCN, out October 16. There had been rumours that GSE Racing would...