April
Sombre mood for Welkom GP
22 April 2003
This weekend’s second round of the MotoGP world championship at the Phakisa Freeway in Welkom, South Africa, will not have the usual celebratory atmosphere. Instead the sport will collectively bow its...
Rossi takes provisional pole at Welkom
22 April 2003
Valentino Rossi has continued his dominance at the Welkom GP by taking the provisional pole at the end of the first qualifying session. The factory Honda rider – who was wearing a black armband in...
Burns’ WCM fails FIM inspection
22 April 2003
Chris Burns’ GP dream has been dealt another blow this weekend after his Harris WCM machine was banned from taking part in the South African GP. An FIM technical team inspected the R1-derived...
Gibernau honours Kato with pole
22 April 2003
Sete Gibernau offered a fitting tribute to his team-mate Daijiro Kato by taking the pole position at the second round of the MotoGP championship in Welkom, South Africa. Gibernau continuously improved...
McWilliams fifth fastest on two-stroke at Welkom
22 April 2003
Jeremy McWilliams has taken his two-stroke Proton KR3 to the fifth fastest time in the first practice session at the Welkom MotoGP on what is potentially the last appearance of a two-stroke bike in...
Gibernau honors Kato with Welkom win
22 April 2003
Sete Gibernau took the win at the second round of the MotoGP world championship as a fitting memorial to his late team-mate Daijiro Kato. The start of the race was delayed by 50 minutes after Kenny...
Kato succumbs to injuries
15 April 2003
Daijiro Kato, the former 250cc World Champion, has died in hospital in Japan. Kato passed away at 00:42 local time today, Sunday April 20, in the Yokkaichi Central Hospital. Kato, 26, had been in a...
Mugello test for Ducati GP team
15 April 2003
Ducati is continuing its policy of getting closer to the public after opening the gates to its latest private test at the Mugello circuit in Italy this week. More than 500 fans watched Ducati riders...
Ukawa releases statement on Kato
08 April 2003
The Camel Pramac Pons team have issued a statement to the press on behalf of rider Tohru Ukawa, which mysteriously retracts his earlier statements about the crash which seriously injured Daijiro...
Kato shows slight improvement
08 April 2003
Daijiro Kato is still in a serious condition after his horrific crash in the early stages of the first MotoGP race on Sunday. The hospital has not made any official statement but it is known that the...
Kato stable, Gibernau to race on
08 April 2003
Daijiro Kato showed some signs of improvement yesterday but is still in a critical condition after his accident at the first round of MotoGP on Sunday, in Suzuka, Japan. With the rider making it...
Rossi grabs provisional pole
01 April 2003
The first round of the MotoGP world championship kicked off the struggle for supremacy with Italian rivals Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi finishing the opening qualifying session separated by just 0.2s on Friday. The morning’s free practice saw Ducati rider Loris Capirossi topping the time sheets with a time of 2:04.604, 0.02s ahead of Valentino Rossi. All that changed for the qualifying session...
Rossi tops first GP qualifying session
01 April 2003
First official practice and qualifying for the opening round of this season’s MotoGP championship has just finished in Suzuka, Japan Valentino Rossi has provisionally qualified on pole with a time of...
Capirossi crashes, Rossi goes quickest
01 April 2003
Valentino Rossi topped the time sheets at the final pre-season IRTA test at Suzuka, beating his own lap record with a 2:04.17s. There were a number of crashes throughout the test, including Ducati’s...
Rossi wins at Suzuka
01 April 2003
Reigning Champion Valentino Rossi staked his claim to this year’s MotoGP world championship title with an impressive win at the first round in Suzuka, Japan, today. The Italian stormed away from the...