Having recently re-joined the International stage, German manufacturer BMW has wasted no time in tackling the biggest test of all with the announcement that an official manufacturer supported team will be contesting the Superbike and Senior Isle of Man TT Races in 2010, further increasing the number of manufacturers participating in this year’s event.

It was only 12 months ago that the Bavarian giant entered the World Superbike Championship for the first time but now, fresh from a stunning fifth place at last year’s Macau Grand Prix, German ace Rico Penzkofer will have a full Superbike-spec machine at his disposal for the two six-lap TT races. An official test rider for BMW, 34-year old Penzkofer has been part of the major development team of the S1000RR, a bike that has created headlines all over the world both for its design and performance.

It will be the first time since the late 70s that an official BMW team has contested the TT, when Helmut Dahne and Hans Otto Butenuth, both iconic riders from that era, raced on the Isle of Man. BMW has recorded 30 TT wins since their debut in 1937, with the majority of those coming in the sidecar class that they once dominated.

Penzkofer, meanwhile, made a strong debut at the TT last year when he contested the two Supersport races. He achieved a personal best lap of just under 120mph and left the Island with two bronze replicas. With a year’s experience around the Mountain Course, the Borna rider is sure to feature more prominently this year and the former World Endurance Championship race winner is relishing his return to the TT. He commented:

“To be representing BMW on their return to the TT is a tremendous honor for me and after my debut last year I can’t wait to return to the Mountain Course. Riding the Superbike will obviously present a new challenge but the bike is superb and that, combined with my own improved knowledge of the course, should see us able to make a good impression. Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus have proved in World Superbikes that the bike is competitive and we hope to do the same at the TT.”

Hon Martyn Quayle, MHK, Minister for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man Government, commented: “It’s really exciting to see the return of such a prestigious marque to the Isle of Man TT and their involvement in the 2010 races is a great boost to an already strong list of manufacturers – more evidence that the TT is going from strength to strength.”

2010 World Superbike Championship – Round 1

Phillip Island (Australia)
Circuit: 4,445 kms., Crowd: 65,500 (3-day)
Weather conditions: Dry, sunny/cloudy 18- 20 C.
Track temperature: 25 – 31 C.

Team Suzuki Alstare

Rider Leon Haslam recorded his first ever WSBK win in the first race of this year’s Superbike World Championship at Phillip Island today. He led the race from start to finish and took the flag, just four thousandths of a second ahead of Michel Fabrizio (Ducati). Leon has been very strong in the preseason tests and today’s results showed that his performances in testing have been no fluke and well deserved.

He and his Suzuki Alstare team mate Sylvain Guintoli then disputed the lead for most of the second race, but Leon’s dreams of a superb double were dashed right at the death by Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati). Nevertheless, Leon’s tremendous win in race one and runner-up spot in the second puts on the very top of the Superbike World Championship, nine points ahead of his nearest rival. Leon’s performances today, followed his Superpole victory yesterday showed that he and the Suzuki Alstare GSX-R1000 will be a potent combination this season.

Also very encouraging, from the team’s point of view, is Sylvain’s ability to run at the front and be in contention – especially in race two. The Frenchman led his team mate eight laps out of twenty-two and did not look out of place at all. This was his first race of the year, on a new (2010) bike, with a new team, but Sylvain has also showed that he too will be a force to be reckoned with this year. Although he missed out on the podium, he did receive a trophy – for the fastest lap of race two, so he did not leave Phillip Island empty handed.

Leon – Race 1: 1st, Race 2: 2nd
I am so happy to get my first WSBK win and it feels great! I want to thank the team and all the staff back at the workshop for all their support and hard work and I’d also like to thank Francis and Patricia Batta for having faith in me.

The first race was such hard work and it was impossible to relax for a second. I knew that I had Michel and Nori breathing down my neck, but I just kept concentrating on my lines and my braking points and tried to hold them off. I realised that Michel was in my wheeltracks going into the last turn and would try and use the draft to get past me, but I kept my head down and charged to the flag. At the end, I didn’t know if I’d won or not, but when I realised that I had, I was so unbelievably happy and it was such a fantastic feeling. All weekend I knew that a win was possible, but thinking about and it happening are two different things.

In race two, I had some problems with rear traction but I still thought I could win. I had a great fight with Sylvain and when I finally got ahead of him and made it stick, I thought he might act as a buffer between me and the rest. Then suddenly, Carlos was there. He dived under me just three corners from the end, on the last lap. I tried to get it back, but he managed to hold me off and take the flag. But, it feels good to take a win and a second in my first race with the team and it feels fantastic to be leading the Superbike World Championship.

Sylvain – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 4th
I have really enjoyed today and it’s been great fun. I can’t remember the last time I was leading a world champion ship race, so to lead quite a lot of race two was a great feeling and now I want to do it again. When I was in front, I felt comfortable and I knew I could keep up a good pace. Everything felt very smooth and it was all going to plan until I made a small mistake and Leon and then Carlos went through. Carlos and I touched in turn 8 when my elbow was in contact with his front wheel and then I tried a bit too hard to get back straightaway when perhaps I should’ve been a bit more patient and that;s where I lost ground.

I could’ve made a better result in the first race if I hadn’t had such a bad start. My pace was good, but I was too far off the leaders, but I am learning about WSBK race pace and also the fact that the races are longer than what I have been used to. I am very happy with all the work we’ve done and am enjoying riding this bike so much.

It was nice to get a trophy (for the fastest lap in race two) and I hope that it will just be the start of many to come. I am looking forward to Portimao and my next trophy.

Althea – Ducati

Cloudy sky and dry truck today in Phillip Island for the first World Superbike races of the season. The Althea racing team riders worked on the last minute adjustments of their Ducati 1198 bikes during the morning warm up, in order to be ready for the two 22-laps Superbike races. Due to yesterday Superpole upshots, today Carlos Checa lined up from the first row and Shakey Byrne from the fifth. In race one not a good start for Checa. The Spanish riders did not take advantage from his start from the first row of the grid. In the first few laps Checa was sixth and teammate Shakey, after quite a quick start, was seventeenth. Near to the middle of the race Checa was battling for fourth in a group of six riders while Byrne made up several places up to fourteenth. Checa ended the first race in seventh place and Byrne obtained the fourteenth position. Also in race two Carlos did not start quickly from the first row, ending the first lap in eighth place. Fifteenth place for Byrne in the first few laps. As the race proceed Checa was able to recover some position and near to the middle of the race he reached the first group of riders in fifth place. Also Byrne recovered quickly and in a few laps he was up tenth position, but caught up in the third group of riders, he was unable to make much progress and concluded in twelfth place. With few laps to go Checa moved up to fourth position and with some incredible overtaking he worked his way up through the field to pass Guintoli, Fabrizio and Haslam to take the lead on the very last lap snatching an extraordinary first victory for Althea racing team.

Carlos Checa :”The second race was perfect. In race one we chose a tire that was perhaps too hard for the conditions and I found it hard to brake. In race two we selected a better tire and I could brake much more strongly, I also had a very good pace and was able to pass riders fairly easily. My style of riding actually seemed to mean that tire wear was less of a problem for me than for some other riders. By the last lap I was up in second and I could finally get pass Haslam. I wanted to pass him earlier but it was impossible and he didn’t leave me space to pass until the very end. I am of course extremely happy with the result, it is my first race with the Althea team and on the Ducati 1198 and we have a good package with which to fight this season. My thanks go to the entire team for their hard work and dedication.”

Shane Byrne :” The first race I made it was very difficult for myself, I knew I had to make as many passes as possible to get near the front. I pushed to pass Guintoli and Sykes and couldn’t make it, so had to go straight. A small problem with the rear brake and it was hard to turn, but anyway I recovered and had good rhythm so I was happy with it, though not so happy with the result. The first thing to say about race two is congratulations to Carlos and to the whole team for the win. Genesio and the team have put together a very competitive machine. There are too many fast riders to be able to start from 18th and expect a good finish, but I got up as far as about tenth place which wasn’t so bad, having been caught up in battles with several riders. Today we have seen that there are many riders that can fight for

Xerox – Ducati

The crowds at Phillip Island were today treated to two spectacular Superbike races, the first of which resulted in the closest ever finish in Superbike history, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) crossing the line just 0.004 of a second behind Leon Haslam on the Suzuki. Less than a second behind Michel, in third place, was his team-mate Noriyuki Haga. Race 2 was also extremely hard fought and some very close racing which made for great viewing saw Michel battle his way to a third place finish with Nori just behind him in fifth.

This morning’s warm-up passed without incident for Michel, who registered the fourth fastest lap time but unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for his team-mate Noriyuki, victim of a 250 km/hour crash on entering in the first corner after being knocked from his 1198 by Xaus. The doctors of the circuit’s medical centre declared him fit to ride, although the Japanese rider had suffered some bruising to his back, as well as a severe blow to the right forearm which swelled to such an extent as to require an pain-relief injection before the race.

Despite the difficulties in warm-up, race 1 began very well for both Ducati Xerox riders, Michel holding second position and Noriyuki, fast as lightning in his start, making up several position, to rocket from tenth to third position through the first corners. Right from the second lap the gap between the leaders, Haslam, Fabrizio and Haga, and the chasing pack, led by Jonathan Rea, began to increase and by mid-race the top three had built a five second advantage over fourth placed Rea. In the final four laps Michel tried to find a way past the young Briton but it was not to be and a final charge to the finish line led to a photofinish, with the result being declared the closest ever finish in a Superbike race. Michel crossed the line a mere four thousandths of a second after Haslam, with Haga following less than a second behind to snatch the third spot on the podium.

Race 2 began in exactly the same way as the first, with Haslam, Fabrizio and Haga again off the line quickest to take an immediate lead. Haslam’s team-mate Sylvain Guintoli soon joined the fray, as did Carlos Checa mid-race, and a five-way battle for supremacy ensued. Nori, still suffering after the earlier crash, could not keep pace with the other four but held fifth position, taking home important points in the process. Checa, on board Althea Racing’s Ducati 1198, waited until the last lap before passing both Fabrizio and Haslam to take the lead, leaving the Italian and the Briton to battle it out for second.

A very strong start for the Ducati Xerox Team as far as the championship standings are concerned, Michel in second position with 36 points, Nori fourth with 27 and their combined performances today putting Ducati in joint first place with Suzuki in the manufacturers classification.

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – 2nd , Race 2 -3rd)
“I had a great battle with Leon in Race 1. In the last four laps I tried to understand where I could attempt to get past him but it wasn’t easy so I pushed on right to the finish line and, to tell the truth, I thought I’d done enough! Leon and I were right there together as we crossed the line, and on the big screen I could see my wife celebrating in the box – but the result was decided by the photofinish and I had to settle for 20 points this time. The great thing about the Superbike championship however is that there are two races…. My team did not make any changes to the bike before the second race and I was again able to make a good start but it was a very difficult race. I stayed there with the leading pack but I realized it would be very hard to win, and in the last four laps it became more difficult to fight. I am very happy with today’s results, which put me in second place on the leaderboard after round 1. It will be a very long and challenging season but we’ve made a good start today.”

Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 – 3rd , Race 2 – 5th)
“My result in Race 1 was really good as far as I’m concerned as I had had a crash during the warm-up and suffered from a bit of arm-pump during the race. I was confident that I could make a good start from 10th position and I did so and then I tried to keep up with Michel and Leon but my arm led me to make a few small mistakes. Anyway I really enjoyed the race and the points I made in the race are definitely a good start for the championship. In the second race my arm played up more and it became harder to brake, I felt very tired physically. But all in all, with regard to the classification and bearing in mind this morning’s accident, it didn’t go too badly; I finished third and fifth and we take home some good points.”

Aprilia

Race 1 of the first SBK round of the 2010 season took place against the splendid backdrop of the Australian track at Philip Island. The weather was a bit dubious, with cloudy skies and strong winds – quite different from what the drivers encountered in recent days. And it was Leon Haslam, on his Suzuki, who won this first race in a photo-finish just ahead of Fabrizio and Haga, both on Ducati Factories.

It was also a good race for Max Biaggi, who, after a slow start, moved into tenth position during the first lap. The Roman driver then set an excellent pace and caught up to Rea and Checa who were fighting it out for fourth place. The duel with the Brit continued until the end of the race, with the two drivers passing each other nonstop at the end of the straightaway and at the entrance to the final curve during the last six laps. In the end Max lost out to Rea and had to settle for fifth place.

Leon Camier also had a good run at his debut here at Philip Island. The young English driver started off well, already recovering four positions by the end of the first lap. Leon set a good pace and during the tenth lap managed to catch up with Biaggi, Rea and Checa in the little group battling it out for fourth place. Unfortunately, an error just six laps from the end of the race which caused him to overshoot the first curve left him out of the running and set him back to fourteenth position. Nevertheless, Camier managed to stay focused and kept pushing forward, crossing the finish line in eleventh place.

Something quite similar also occurred in Race 2. This time both Biaggi and Camier paid their dues for running of the track (during the fourth lap for Max and during the ninth for Leon). Despite the severe handicap, both re-entered the tight group that was following the five leaders and battling it out the sixth to twelfth positions, and managed to race once again after setting excellent paces. The race ended with Biaggi in eighth position and the young Brit finishing eleventh.

The results left somewhat of a bitter taste, but they also provide some important points in a world championship that even this early on is proving to be extraordinarily balanced.

“It didn’t go very well,” stated Biaggi. “In Race 2, I went straight for the little curve, where Camier went off the track twice, because I was at my limit, and in these situations, a mistake is right around the bend. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I’m not going away disheartened or discouraged because we are aware of our own potential and we know we can surely do better when once we have eliminated these problems.”

“I’m very sorry about all of the mistakes I made,” said Camier. “In Race 1 I tried to pass the other drivers at the little curve, but I overshot a bit while braking and in order to avoid hitting Max, I went off track. Then I really pushed to recover as many positions as possible. During the second race, I started off quite well and I was with the lead group right behind Checa, who immediately passed Toseland. When I attempted to pass, we ended up a bit wide. Then I shifted into the wrong gear and overshot at the same curve as in Race 1. I’m disappointed because I ran with very good times and seeing how the race ended, I could have had an excellent result. We’ve improved a lot, but I wasted a good opportunity. Now we’re headed to Portimao, a track that I know well and where I intend to keep up with the leaders. But, there’s still a lot of work to do and I especially have to improve during the Superpole.”

Ten Kate – Honda

Jonathan Rea took fourth and sixth place finishes in today’s two World Superbike championship races at Phillip Island in Australia, as Leon Haslam and Carlos Checa took the wins.

After struggling to find the right set-up for the fast 4.445km circuit, Rea started both 22-lappers from the second row, moving up to fourth place in race one. The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland fought off the advances of Max Biaggi to cross the line in fourth.

Rea began race two in similar vein after his crew made some changes to the front of his CBR1000RR Fireblade. However, a mistake at turn four on the opening lap left him on the grass and Rea rejoined in last place before fighting his way back through the field.

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, was relatively satisfied with 12th place in race one, having experienced problems during qualifying which resulted in 17th place on the starting grid.

The German also ran on at turn four in the second outing but was unable to make up enough places to get back into the points, eventually finishing in 16th place.

Jonathan Rea – 4th and 6th

We’ve had problems all week, really, from the test last weekend, right through this one. We knew it would be hard, so, if fourth and sixth is a bad weekend, I’ll take it. I was pretty happy with fourth, because I had to fight for it all the way. We changed the front a bit for the second race and I think it caught me out as I braked for the hairpin on the first lap. I had to let off the brake and by the time I got back on track I was last. It gave me a pretty strong motivation actually, and I really enjoyed riding through the field and passing I think maybe 16 other riders, which was a lot of fun. Now we’re looking forward to getting back to some tracks where we know the bike works and to fighting for some podiums again.

Max Neukirchner – 12th and 16th

Well, it hasn’t been a fantastic weekend and we struggled to find the right direction from the very start. We made some more progress during warm-up this morning and in race one I was able to make up some places from my grid position. We made a big change to the rear of the bike for race two and it felt pretty good for the early part of the race. I was following Biaggi quite closely in his slipstream and ended up braking a bit late for turn four and losing maybe 20 seconds. I had a bit of a lonely ride after that and it was a disappointing finish to the weekend. We came here to do a better job than this and we’ve got some more work to do to get back on course at the next round.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

I think Jonathan probably got the maximum out of the weekend that was possible. He rode very well in race one but the bike was a little bit off and his crew did a great job for race two when it was very competitive. A little mistake at Honda corner gave Jonathan some work to do but to come back from last to sixth was a marvellous job. However, only wins and podiums count so we’ll be chasing them once again when we return to Europe. Max has had a tough first weekend and its probably one to forget. The only positive is that the changes made for race two got him up to speed but, once he had run off the track, it was a difficult race.

BMW

A dramatic opening round of the 2010 World Superbike Championship in Australia resulted in a day of mixed fortunes for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. During the final warm-up at Phillip Island circuit, team rider Ruben Xaus collided with Ducati Xerox’s Noriyuki Haga. Neither of the riders suffered any serious injuries but Ruben felt disoriented after the collision, so after consultation with team doctor Vincenzo Tota and team management, he decided not to participate in today’s races.

This left Troy Corser to fly the flag for BMW Motorrad Motorsport at his home circuit, and he did so in style, finishing both 22-lap races in the top ten, with a great seventh place finish in race two.

At the same track where he has enjoyed seven victories, Corser made an excellent start to race one on his BMW S 1000 RR, moving up to seventh place from the fourth row of the grid. However, the likeable Aussie was forced to take avoiding action on lap three, when James Toseland crashed right in front of him. This allowed several riders past and left Troy with a lot of work to do.

By half race distance, Troy was in 10th position and was only 10 seconds behind leading rider Leon Haslam. Consistently posting quick laps, Corser moved up into ninth when Leon Camier went off the track on lap 15. The BMW factory rider managed to hold this position until the end of the race, eventually finishing just 20.291 seconds behind winner Haslam, who scored his maiden victory in probably the closest finish in WSBK history, beating Michel Fabrizio by just four thousandths of a second.

Race two was equally entertaining, with Troy up to 11th place after another good start on his BMW S 1000 RR. Before long he had caught a group of seven riders and proceeded to move through the pack. He passed Cal Crutchlow on lap 6, and then gained several places in quick succession when Jacob Smrz, Leon Camier and Chris Vermeulen all made mistakes. Before long, he had James Toseland in his sights, and passed the double WSBK champion to move into sixth place, with just eight laps remaining.

With a five-way battle for the lead up front, Troy’s terrific ride on the S 1000 RR continued and he succeeded in pulling a small gap on Yamaha riders Toseland and Crutchlow. However, with just three laps remaining he was surprised by a challenge from Jonathan Rea, who slipped by and held a lead until the chequered flag. Nevertheless, Corser finished this dramatic race in seventh place – just 12.026 seconds behind winner Carlos Checa – moving himself up to eighth in the points table.

Troy Corser: “I had a good start in the first race and gained a couple of positions but unfortunately the tire dropped quite quickly and I was unable to push as much as I wanted but I was still a good result. We changed the settings on the bike before the start of the second race and things were a lot better. The grip was a lot better immediately, and it was easier to do consistent lap times. I was able to push and fight in the second race like I wanted to in race one. I had to work really hard to pass James Toseland towards the end of race two but I did and managed to pull away slightly. Overall, we can be happy with what we achieved here today at Phillip Island.”

Berthold Hauser: “The weekend was like a rollercoaster and we had a lot of difficulties to overcome. We had to manage the pressure on the team, deal with some technical issues and of course I feel sorry for Ruben who decided not to race due to his crash in today’s warm-up session. However, the team kept focussed and did a fantastic job. We are definitely closer to the top teams than last year. Thanks to everybody in the team, and thanks to Troy who had a great second race. We can now travel back to Europe with our heads held high. Also congratulations to Reitwagen Racing who did a really good job this weekend.”

Sterilgarda – Yamaha

It wasn’t an easy start for Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland today at the season opening race in Phillip Island Australia. Race one saw both riders crash out, Crutchlow losing the front having run wide on onto a dirty section of track on lap two and Toseland highsiding on the fifth lap.

Race two saw a fiercely contested battle for points with both riders fighting off riders including Biaggi, Corser and others to stay within the top ten. Combined with a less than perfect set up on both bikes and struggling for grip the riders put in an incredible ride to bring their bikes home in the points, Crutchlow in ninth and Toseland tenth.

Crutchlow moves on to round two in Portimao in 12th position in the championship on seven points, team-mate Toseland sits just behind in 13th with six points.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (DNF, 9th)
“Race one was unfortunate, I felt we had good pace and were running up in the top five quite comfortably, I just made a little mistake. I was a bit better than Rea into the hairpin so had to run wide to avoid him and lost the front on the dirt. The second race was hard, I felt like I had no grip from the start and still some chattering. If we had better grip we could have pulled more out of it. We need to go back to the drawing board and work some stuff out.”

James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team (DNF, 10th)
“I really needed to finish the second race after the crash in the first. To only finish 14 seconds from the front with the issues we’ve had this weekend is not so bad. I was really disappointed with the first race, with my injury on Friday I wanted to have two good finishes today. Full credit to the team they’ve tried so hard but unfortunately we haven’t had the software here to solve the issue. We know what the problem is and I’ve given enough feedback and input to give the guys a direction to go in. We’ve got a lot of work to do, no doubt, but even with all the problems we’re not actually that far away. The package, the power, the balance and the suspension have come on leaps and bounds. On to Portimao now, it’s a long season so we can do it.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“It was definitely a really tough weekend for us. We solved some problems, and some we still have to work on. As we spent the two day test and the first day of the race weekend resolving the chatter issue, qualifying and race day was our first opportunity to really test the 2010 bike set up. We’ve seen that we have the potential to do well so we will go home and start working on the solutions to be ready to fight for the Portimao races. The team have worked really hard over the last few days to try and solve the issues and both Cal and James have given 100% to meet the challenges.”

Kawasaki

Kawasaki Racing Team riders Tom Sykes and Chris Vermeulen found the opening race weekend a challenging one, but Sykes got into the points in the first leg after qualifying on row three.

Sykes was a fighting 13th in the 22-lap race, but Vermeulen fell while trying to move forward from seventh, crashing out on lap four. Tom was forced out of the second race when a small technical issue caused him to enter the pits, restart, and finally retire.

Chris fell in race two after being in fourth for a period of time, sliding off at high speed at the Hayshed corner on lap eight.

Chris was checked over by the track medics, and was found to have suffered heavy bruising to his right leg and had also damaged a finger.

The team now goes to Portimao for the next round knowing that it has made great progress in real terms on track, and hoping for a change in raceday fortunes. The team has previously tested at Portimao, which will help their pre-race preparations greatly.

Tom Sykes: “In race one we made some changes to the set-up and but it didn’t suit the tire we used. In race two we got a good launch, but got boxed in and pushed out on to the dirty stuff, along with another couple of riders. So I went from thinking I would be sixth to being 15th. The bike was feeling good but when I went into the final two corners it felt like someone was pushing me from behind. I came back in and checked the bike, then went back out again before retiring. It was just a ten cent o-ring for the steering damper, causing the steering to feel strange sometimes. Otherwise, the bike was very good and giving me a strong race pace in race two. This whole Australian experience has been a good test period for us and I know that we go to Portimao having learned a lot. I would like to thank Kawasaki and the team for the amount of effort they have put in.”

Chris Vermeulen: “I was feeling positive for the race after our two-day test and qualifying sessions. In both races I had really good starts but in the first race I lost the front early on when lying 7th and in race two I had a problem that resulted in a high-speed crash. I’m bruised and battered but am feeling OK, considering the speed of the crash. I had heavy impact on my lower right leg and my finger is pretty smashed up. The preliminary X-rays have shown no breaks but for a precaution I am heading to Melbourne for a more detailed MRI scan. I’m glad we have a month before Portimao, so I can ensure that I am back to full fitness.”

Troy continued working on developing the bike and finding a good race set-up in today’s free practice and qualifying sessions, instead of going for lap times and ended the day 16th quickest overall.

Spaniard Carlos Checa (Ducati) topped the standings in this afternoon’s first qualifying, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) second and Leon Haslam (Suzuki) third.

Troy – 16th, 1:33.512
At the moment, there is a lot of work to do and we are trying our best to get the bike working the way we want and get the most out of it at the same time. We are sorting out what we need to do to improve grip and this morning we decided to use a different clutch and I preferred the change, though we then had some new problems to solve because the bike turned quicker and so I had to adjust the bike to suit.

Obviously a different clutch affects how the bike feels and I was only really happy with the bike in the afternoon qualifying when there was fifteen or so minutes left. Then I felt more confident in pushing, but before that I didn’t.

I am definitely feeling more confident with our new brake system, though once again, it is a matter of learning and understanding how it works and this is not a quick process. I feel that the new system is better, but we just need more time with it. I had a little get-off this afternoon, when I lost the rear at the bottom of Lukey Heights. It was on a new tire and I guess that was part of the reason why I fell. No big drama, though I did bang two of the knuckles of my right hand. I’ll get some ice on it, but I don’t see it being a problem tomorrow, where the first goal will be to make sure we get into Superpole. The track felt more slippery and greasy today, but that’s quite normal when the temperature goes up a lot. I think a lot of people got caught out when they pushed a bit too hard and I just happened to be one of them.
See ya,
Troy

The tenth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship takes place at the Autodromo Brno circuit on 26th July and both Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser are eager to find out if the results of the recent Imola tests are going to bear fruit. As expected, the season has not been an easy for the new team but the whole crew are looking forward to Brno and hopeful of a return to their early season form. The sweeping nature of the 5.403 kilometre track should be better suited to the S 1000 RR and Ruben and Troy would like to finish the last race before the summer break with good results.

Ruben
Our recent tests have gone well and the bike is definitely working better now. It is more rideable and I am much more happy about the prospect of racing it in Brno. The track is a good track and I think that all riders enjoy it a lot. Although there are some slow corners, it is a flowing track and I think that our bike will go well there. It has been a long, hard season so far, but I feel positive that Troy and I can do well in Brno. Afterwards we have five weeks or so before the next race, so it would be great to leave Brno with some good results.

Troy
After the Imola tests, I feel that the bike is more easy to ride and the things we tried are definitely in the right direction. So I am looking forward to Brno because the track should suit us and we should be able to get something positive out of the races. It’s not been an easy season so far and my injuries have not helped, but my hand is no problem now and my right shoulder is nearly fully OK. I like Brno and am hoping that we can leave there with two good results and then enjoy our summer break.

Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director)
We saw some positive signs in our recent tests and are very hopeful that Brno will be a good event for us. Certainly, Ruben and Troy have given us very positive and encouraging feedback about what we tried in the recent tests and now we have to see what will happen in Brno. The track should be good for us and we are all looking forward to a positive weekend before the summer break. The team have worked hard and long all year and I think we all need a bit of break, some time to rest and consider all the things that have happened since we began this great adventure. This is the hardest year in WSBK history and the challenge is very tough, but all of us are happy to be in this big fight and be sure we will do the very best we can.

The new spec engine from BMW in Imola was a significant improvement straightaway and Troy was looking forward to two full days working with it and making good progress. But the new engine blew a head gasket yesterday and Troy had to revert to the older engine which was not so easy to ride.

In his brief spell with the new engine, Troy found the bike easier to ride and control and a very positive improvement all round. But after the problem, Troy was forced to soldier on with the older engine and just do the best he could.

Troy – 17th, 1:50.486
That was a big shame, because I found that the new engine much better at once and I wanted to put in the laps and make progress. It has been a bit of a tough time for us all recently, but the signs are now looking positive again. What the new engine is giving us is rideability and making everything a bit easier. Going back to the older engine has made us all realise that the new engine is the way to go and this is what the mechanics will be working on so that we can approach Brno in much better shape.
It’s frustrating having a nice engine and then not having it and I can’t tell how much better it feels then the old one. But you can see what affect the new engine is having on Ruben and his lap times are much closer to the top guys then ever before. I can’t wait for the next time out with the new engines and being able to fight with the fast guys again.

2009 Superbike World Championship Preview: Round 9, Donington, GB

“A bit of a problem today (Friday) a bit frustrating because I can get to a certain level without too much of a problem, but then it is difficult to go faster. At the moment, I feel that pushing the bike is harder work than it should be and it’s difficult to get comfortable and go faster. The bike’s rear is spinning a lot and that means we can’t get good grip. If we could solve that problem, we’d be able to go a lot faster for sure. The bike has good power and it’s just a case of finding a way of using it the way we want. The potential is there, we just have to unlock it and that takes time and experience.”

“It’s funny to think that I broke the lap record, lapped faster here than ever before, but still ended up in 15th place! So once again it’s row four of the grid and two good starts required tomorrow.”

“We had some new stuff to try today and I think the early signs are quite positive. Certainly it feels more easy to use the throttle and some of the hesitation has gone. The bike is a bit easier to control and I think we will be able to get a better set-up more quickly. Of course, there’s a lot of work to do, but it’s encouraging and good that we are moving in a positive direction.”

“I am getting a bit disappointed and frustrated because I am unable to get back to the kind of form we showed earlier in the season. OK, I am not yet 100% fit, but I expected more this weekend, even allowing for the condition of my shoulder. Today was terrible for me and most, if not all, of it was down to the fact that I had no grip. It is difficult to ride fast when you have no grip, but at the moment, the bike is not so easy to ride and you have to concentrate every second of the race and that is exhausting – physically and mentally.”

“Although we changed a few things in this morning’s warm-up, the bike didn’t feel comfortable then, or in the races and it’s difficult to push hard when you don’t know where the limits of the bike are. Fortunately we have some tests coming up and I am hoping that we will be able to sort out what’s going on and make some good improvements.”  – Troy Corser
Round nine of this year’s Superbike World Championship took place at Donington Park, GB The 4.023 kilometre circuit hosted the first ever WSBK race back in 1988 and is currently undergoing several modifications for the F1 race in 2010.

At the moment, Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport are not having a good run of luck, though Ruben Xaus leading in the damp at Misano last weekend provided the team with a ray of sunshine, in what became a difficult weekend. But, with Misano just a memory, it’s time for Ruben and Troy to think ahead, get back to business and battle for the top ten once more this weekend.

Ruben

It was a great feeling leading a race last weekend, even though the final result was not the best. Last Friday’s practice in Misano was definitely a positive day for us and it is a pity that the weather did not allow us to continue our progression on Saturday and Sunday.  But we learned a lot more about the bike and have some ideas about what has to be done. Unfortunately, having another race so soon does not give our team enough time to prepare some solutions and new ideas and we will have to use Friday afternoon to try out many things. But that’s the way it is at the moment and it is up to me and Troy to do the best we can and think positively about the way ahead.

Troy
The best thing I can do is forget Misano and concentrate on Donington and that’s what I am doing. Crashing out before the first race in Misano was very unfortunate because I think I would’ve managed OK in the wet on the bike. Donington is a tough track and it’s certainly going to give us something to think about, especially in the first two sessions. We have a lot of work to do, as usual, but if we can get a good set-up early on and qualify better in Superpole, then we can chase a far more positive result.

TOUGH START FOR RUBEN AND TROY

Friday qualifying, June 26th, conditions: dry, then damp 21C.

Ruben and Troy finished 17th and 20th in a tough qualifying at Donington today, but the lap times are close and a fraction of a second less would’ve placed Ruben in the top ten. The untimed first session took place in the dry, but the second (timed) session started with a damp track, causing many riders to wait and see if conditions improved. The track did dry out and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) took provisional pole, with Leon Haslam (Honda) second, Ben Spies (Yamaha) third and Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) fourth.

Ruben – 17th, 1:32.186
Before we weren’t able to go fast in the wet, but today I was leading the standings for quite a long time. Then, when the track dried I was overtaken, but the lap times are close and I am happy because I went one second a lap faster here today than I did last year. At the moment, I can get down to quite a good lap time without too much of a problem, but when I want to faster, it is hard to do so. Troy, I and the team are working our hardest and we just need to find that next step up to be more competitive. I am convinced that this bike has potential and it will be great once we can show it.

Troy – 20th, 1:32.476
You cannot just ride this bike, you have to think it and work at it. I can get to a point fairly easily, but then it is a struggle to go just that bit faster. It’s not a new problem, but it’s just something that we have to work on and improve if we want to be challenging more easily for the top ten. It’s kind of frustrating, because we are not that far off and if we can just make that small leap, we’ll be able to fight for the top ten again.

TROY AND RUBEN TOGETHER ON ROW FOUR

final qualifying, Saturday June 27th, conditions: mostly overcast, some rain, 17-19C

Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus finished Superpole with the 15th and 16th fastest laps and will start alongside each other on the fourth row of the grid at Donington tomorrow.  The team had some new parts from Munich to evaluate, so most of the day was used working with these instead of chasing lap times.  At the end of the day, both Troy and Ruben were happy with the new material and are looking forward to more time on the bike and further improvement.  American Ben Spies (Yamaha) took his eighth Superpole of the season in a rain-affected Q3, with Max Biaggi (Aprilia) second, Shane Byrne (Ducati) third and Shinya Nakano (Aprilia) fourth.

Troy – 15th, 1:30.916
We had some new stuff to try today and the first signs are encouraging. It was a bit more easy to use the throttle and a bit of an improvement in set-up. Everything feels a bit more fluid and, although there’s still a lot of work to do, I am looking forward to further progress.  This series is the hardest and most competitive it has ever been and there are so many strong teams out there all fighting for positions. Considering the level of competition this year, I think we’re doing pretty well at this stage of our development.

Ruben – 16th, 1:31.120
I am going two seconds or so a lap faster than last year and that makes me happy. The new parts have had an impact on me straightaway and I think we can improve the bike quite a bit as we carry on the good work. This series is tough for sure, and it’s interesting to realise that today’s lap times are so much faster than last year. I had a bit of a problem with the brakes on one of my bikes today, otherwise I think I could’ve pushed harder in Superpole. But the important thing is that we are all working hard. Today has given us all something to work towards because we can see the possibilities better.

TOP TEN FOR RUBEN.

Sunday June 28th, Crowd: 61,000 (3-day). Conditions: Dry, overcast first, then sunny, 20-23C

Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Ruben Xaus took a superb ninth place in the second Superbike World Championship race at Donington Park this afternoon. In sunny conditions, Ruben fought his way up through the field from the fourth row of the grid to take his third top ten finish of the season. This followed his 15th place in race one and showed that he and the team have recovered from their recent poor results. Ruben’s team mate Troy did not enjoy such a good day. A crash in race one, when he found a false neutral, and general lack of grip meant a real struggle in race two. But despite the grip problems, Troy kept going and managed to finish the race, albeit outside the points. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) won both 23-lap races today and closed the gap on series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) to just fourteen points. And with Haga injured in race two, and facing a possible lengthy layoff due to a back injury, Spies should be able to take advantage of the situation in the next few races. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) took runner-up spot in race one, with Haga third and and Leon Haslam (Honda) fourth. Second to Spies in a race two was Haslam, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Shane Byrne (Ducati) fourth.

Ruben – Race 1: 15th, Race 2: 9th
That was a tough weekend and I really know that I have done two hard races today. At the moment, the bike is very demanding physically and mentally and it requires a lot of concentration. I am happy to get a top ten finish, but I would be more happy if Troy and I would be getting top six finishes for sure. Today our bike was good in the fast corners, but we lost out on the slow ones. My riding style is more aggressive than Troy and for that you have to be 100% fit. Troy is not 100% fit yet, so he is having a harder time getting the bike round the track at the speeds he would like to do. I see positive signs ahead and I am looking forward to the next two tests.

Troy – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 20th
For me, it was a terrible day and not such a good weekend. All weekend, I have being having a problem because of the lack of grip and today it was as bad as it has ever been. The bike felt hard to ride today and I got a lot of wheelspin and found it hard to stop it wheelieing. In race one, the bike just jumped out of gear when I tried to backshift from third to second and I was forced into the gravel and had to lay the bike down. Fortunately, I didn’t hurt myself at all, but it was an unnecessary crash. Race two was all about grip, or lack of it. But I kept going, even though I was losing places, because I wanted to give the team as much telemetry info as possible.

Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director)
This weekend has given us a lot of surprises. We were surprised that the weather was not as expected, or forecasted. Happily the conditions were dry for both races, which means that we have a huge package of information and data to take back to our workshops. Regarding the results: we know where we are in the rankings. We know what technical issues we have to improve and we will address them for the next tests.  I am happy that Ruben managed a top ten and would like to compliment Troy on bringing the bike home in race two despite difficult crcumstances. We don’t have any deep disappointment this weekend. We realise that we have a lot of work to do and we need to keep improving every time Ruben and Troy go out on the bike.

Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport, Director)
The new parts seem to give the bike better rideability and now we need to do more work and analyse the results. Our bike works normally on race rubber, but it seems quite sensitive when it is on very soft tires and then it requires different settings. We decided to use this weekend more as a test, then look at the data and go for further improvements at the next two tests. Our positions today are not wonderful, but consider that both our riders are quicker than last year’s lap record. That shows how competitive and hard this series is this year. I don’t think this championship has ever been so tough, but we’re ready for the fight and feel positive about the future.

Round 7 of this years Superbike World Championship takes place at the Miller Motorsport Park, near Salt Lake City in USA and hopefully will produce better results for Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport than the last round in South Africa. This is the second year that the Superbike World Championship visits the 4.907 kilometre Miller Motorsport Park in Utah and is the last flyaway race of the year before a busy June and July. After his absence in Kyalami, BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Troy Corser is keen to get back into action and eager to get good results at a track where he finished runner up in the first race last year.

Ruben
Kyalami was such a big disappointment for me and the team because we all felt we could get some good results there. To be taken out once is bad, but to be taken out twice was incredible! But we have to forget about Kyalami and focus on USA.  Miller racetrack is very different o Kyalami and has hardly any change of elevations. It is fairly flat and the run-offs are big, so it is a safe circuit.  Although Troy and I raced there last year, we are now both on new bikes so will have to start the race weekend afresh. We have no data with our bike at this track and will have to try and get a good set-up as soon as we can. If we can find good set-ups quickly, do well in Superpole and get on to the third or even maybe the second row of the grid that would be a good base for the races.

Troy
Missing Kyalami has given my hand a chance to get better and although I dont like missing any races, I think it was the right decision because Kyalami is such a physical circuit. Its going to take a bit of time for the hand to heal fully, but at least Miller is not such a demanding track. That doesnt mean that it is an easy track, just that it is not so bad as some others.  At Miller, we will have the usual problem of racing at a circuit from which we have no previous data for our bike. Its our usual disadvantage and we have to try and get a good set-up for the race, a good set-up for Superpole, and qualify better. We have been having to work so hard in the early part of the races so far, because of our grid positions, so it would interesting (and a nice change) to see what would happen if we could qualify on the second or third row of the grid.

Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director)
Another new track for us and a lot of work to do – as usual. We are happy to welcome back Troy and hope that he and Ruben can keep our improvement going in the right direction. Kyalami was a weekend to forget, regarding the race results, but our technicians received a lot of feedback and information from both Ruben and Steve and this helps our good progress to continue. At the moment, our improvement is not reflected in our results in Superpole qualifying and that is something that we have to work on. We have been very close to getting on to the second or third rows of the grid and if we could manage that, Im sure the results would be better.

Rea On The Podium For The First Time In 2009

The most positive weekend of the year so far for Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) saw him take fourth place in the first race at Kyalami, then follow that up with his first podium of the 2009 season, in third place in race two. The 24-lap races at the bumpy and physical 4.246km circuit were a challenge for all riders, but Rea was in the vanguard throughout, qualifying fifth in Superpole and up as high as second in race two. He had to fight off pressure from behind, in the shape of Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR), to take his third place, riding tactically on occasion, but in doing so he went fifth in the championship table, only one place behind Leon Haslam.

Leon had a crash on lap 15 of race one, simply by pushing too hard on an imperfect front set-up in an effort to recover from a starting position of tenth on the grid. In the second 24-lap contest his pace was sufficient to hold off Max Biaggi, if not quite enough to pass Rea. In taking fourth and 13 points, he is still the top ranked Honda rider in the standings, fourth, with 116 points to Rea’s 106.

Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) made significant set-up changes to his machine during this race weekend and found rewards, earning seventh in Superpole and then sixth in each race. He displaced his Ten Kate team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda Racing CBR1000RR) by moving to tenth place in the championship standings, 73 points to 72.

‘Kiyo’ had a tough time at Kyalami, in qualifying as in the race, starting from12th and riding to 12th in the opener and 13th in race two, never really able to match his riding style to the peculiarities of Kyalami.

Tommy Hill (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) was disappointed not to be able to make the required set-up changes he needed to be a points scoring force in either race. He was the last rider who qualified into the top 20 for Superpole, then 19th in race one and 17th in race two.

Noriyuki Haga left Kyalami as the double race winner, and now he has 250 championship points to Michel Fabrizo’s 165, after the Italian rider placed second in each Kyalami race. Ben Spies was third in race one and was forced to retire in race two, and is now third overall, on 162.

The next round is at Miller Motorsports Park, in Utah, USA, on May 31.

WSS:

Laverty’s Triple Treat Reduces Crutchlow’s Championship Lead

Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) today took his third World Supersport win from the six races held to date this season, leading for all but the first of 23 laps of the 4.246km Kyalami circuit in South Africa.

The race was held in dry conditions, allowing Laverty to capitalize on his third place grid slot, and the work put in by rider and team to find a strong race set-up to cope with the bumpy track conditions.

He set a new lap record on the recently altered circuit near Johannesburg, a 1m 41.053s, taken on lap three as he made an escape from the frequently warring factions behind him.

Laverty is still second in the championship, but made up some ground on championship leader Cal Crutchlow, who was second in the Kyalami race. Crutchlow has 119 points, Laverty 106, with eight rounds remaining.

Mark Aitchison (Althea Honda CBR600RR) went from eighth in qualifying to third in the race, capitalizing on a coming together on the final lap between Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) and Joan Lascorz to record his first podium.

Sofuoglu recovered for fifth place, not the podium he was in line for, while his team-mate Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) slipped back down the order from an early second place to finish a disappointed sixth. Both Ten Kate riders had been on the front row, Sofuoglu second and Pitt fourth.

A tough time in qualifying left Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) in 16th place but a battling ride took him to eighth in the race. The top ten order in today’s race was completed by 13th place qualifier Matthieu Lagrive (Althea Honda CBR600RR).

Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) just missed a single point by finishing 16th; Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) was 17th in a day when all the supported Honda riders finished the race at this bumpy, intense, circuit.

Behind the series top two, Sofuoglu has 83 points, Pitt 64 and West, now in sixth place overall, has 60.

WSB Rider Quotes:

Jonathan Rea said:
“This feels really good and I was hoping it might have come sooner but we had a pretty slow start to the season. In fact, you could say the season started three rounds before we did. But the development is going really well now and I’d like to thank the whole team for working so hard to move things in the right direction. I’d also like to apologise to all their wives for the late nights they’ve been putting in at the workshop. The crew were giving me great signals through the second race and I knew I was coming under a bit of pressure. I actually knocked the pace off a bit to keep Haslam and Biaggi behind me so that I had a bit in reserve in the last few laps. It’s a great feeling and the first of many, I hope.”

Leon Haslam said:
“It was a bit of a gamble to go out on my second bike today after crashing my number one bike in the first race. My first race was really strange, I don’t know whether is was the front tire, but from the first lap in the first race I kept losing the front, resulting in a crash. The second bike has a totally different gearbox and suspension set-up to the other bike, but it worked straight away. I was a lot happier now that I could battle with the front group, but for whatever reason there was nothing left in my rear tire, and I couldn’t fight with Johnny Rea for third.”

Carlos Checa said:
“In race two I could not use all the grip I had at the beginning because I had a bit of jumping from the rear wheel, but a few laps later I could move forward. As the grip decreased I was able to go faster, made up a lot of time on the other guys in front, and then of course Johnny pushed a lot to keep his position. Considering our year so far, I think this is our best weekend, the most positive one. But, we are not doing the best, because Johnny is in front of us. For us he is our closest reference. But this race was a good one to get our confidence back and now we will try to catch-up.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari said:
“It’s been a difficult day and a difficult weekend. We changed the tire for race two but really we knew that this was not the problem. Kyalami is a very difficult circuit for me, very bumpy and it needs a completely different riding style to Monza last week. I guess I didn’t quite find the right style. We had a lot of problems so it’s difficult for me to know which one we should really concentrate on. I can only hope Miller will be better for me. It was not so good last year, but we will try hard again and hope for better things.”

Tommy Hill said:
“We start out OK at the beginning of weekends, even on the tracks that are all new for me, and we are around 14, 15th. But then we don’t make any progress. In race two my grip went after about ten laps and it was very difficult from then on. I am doing all I can to move forward but we don’t seem to resolve the problems.”

WSS Rider Quotes:

Eugene Laverty said:
“Thank you to my Parkalgar Honda team for giving me a bike that was simply perfect. After warm-up this morning I knew we had the capability to win and that’s down to the team effort. During the race I was aware of the gap between Cal and myself and it wasn’t as easy to maintain as it may have looked. With someone like Cal behind pushing as hard as he does, on the limit to win, you can never relax. The gap went back and forward and it was a hard race – it was difficult to control because Cal had the same pace as me, if he hadn’t been held up at the start then it would have been a fight. It’s nice to keep the 50 per cent win record.”

Mark Aitchison said:
“It was my luck that I was able to pass Sofuoglu and Lascorz in the last lap but we actually put a couple of good laps down in the last few laps, and I was already hoping that I could bridge the gap to them. I hoped they might get in the way of each other and it worked out that way. Obviously you don’t want to get on the podium like that, but at the moment – I’ll take it.”

Kenan Sofuoglu said:
“Lascorz made an attack on me and before the last corner he made a mistake, he lost the corner and I looked to pass him. But he leaned towards me and I had to avoid him, taking a completely different line and I missed the podium. But for me the bigger problem was that there was quite a big gap between us and the top two riders, which is not normal. It’s just not normal to be slow like this, because nothing changed from yesterday when everything was OK.”

Andrew Pitt said:
“We seem to be finishing our tires too quickly for some reason. We were pushing the front even from the early laps and I couldn’t go with Eugene’s pace. He was doing qualifying pace all race and we needed it to be a bit slower than qualifying pace, but it wasn’t. We just can’t fight the way it is at the moment and Eugene was in a class of his own today. We’ve got to somehow get to that level.”

Anthony West said:
“The team seems happy with my results today, but I’m rather disappointed myself. I expected to do a lot better here, and hoped to put the tough times of the last races behind me, but it didn’t really work out. Hopefully, for America we can change everything around, and start from the front again. It is a bit ridiculous finding myself in the position I am in at the moment, I can do a lot better. It’s rather embarrassing. I am happy with the work the team have put in, we are still trying and will try and find the improvement for the next race.”

Matthieu Lagrive said:
“I got boxed in at the start and it was impossible to break out of the group of slower riders for some time. When I got away I was immediately four tenths faster than them, and West came with me. I was surprised that he passed me but when he did he held me up a bit as well. I was slower than him in one section of the track, the last one, and I can’t understand why when I was faster everywhere else.”

Miguel Praia said:
“We tried many things in warm-up this morning to find an extra half-second of pace to get into the top 10, but nothing worked. We went back to yesterday’s settings and we should have been able to compete for 12th or so but mid-race, when normally we get stronger, this time we lost pace for some reason. It has been a tough weekend and now I want to forget it and move on.”

Gianluca Vizziello said:
“I was struggling with my tires today. I couldn’t really control the bike sliding on the track, and had to close the gas too soon. I was rather angry with myself after the qualifying sessions, and am not very happy with the results of the race. We just couldn’t work out what was wrong and where we had to find the improvement. I hope that I can make a step forward in the next round in America.”

———————————————————————————-

Kiyonari takes Kyalami points

After his double podium last weekend at Monza in Italy, Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari was frustrated to finish in 12th and 13th place in today’s two sixth round World Superbike championship races at Kyalami in South Africa.

The two races were won by series leader Noriyuki Haga, but, starting from 12th place on the grid, Kiyonari never settled into a comfortable rhythm on his Honda Genuine Accessories-backed CBR1000RR Fireblade.

The Japanese ace struggled to find a comfortable setting during the championship’s first visit to Kyalami in seven years, despite testing at the 4.24km circuit near Johannesburg with the rest of the Ten Kate team last December.

Ryuichi Kiyonari – 12th & 13th

It’s been a difficult day and a difficult weekend. We changed the tire for race two but really we knew that this was not the problem. Kyalami is a very difficult circuit for me – very bumpy and it needs a completely different riding style to Monza last week. I guess I didn’t quite find the right style. We had a lot of problems so it’s difficult for me to know which one we should really concentrate on. I can only hope Miller will be better for me – it was not so good last year, but we will try hard again and hope for better things.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

On the Hannspree side of the garage, we have had a good result with Jonathan Rea on the podium today and, of course, Kiyo-san was there himself last week in Monza. It’s strange that on some tracks he is flying and on others he seems to struggle. We’ll regroup before travelling to the USA and everyone will work as hard as they can to give him a bike that he is comfortable with there.

Debut podium delight for Rea

Jonathan Rea scored his debut World Superbike podium in race two of the sixth round at Kyalami in South Africa today. It was also the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team’s first visit to the rostrum this season.

Both of today’s 24-lap races at the 4.24km circuit near Johannesburg were won by Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga, with Rea also taking an impressive fourth place in race one, absorbing pressure all the way from Aprilia rider, Max Biaggi.

In race two, Rea got another good start from fifth place on the grid and ran in second place behind Haga before the Japanese rider’s team-mate, Michel Fabrizio slid past. In the latter stages of the race, Rea held off the attentions of fellow Honda CBR1000RR-mounted Leon Haslam before crossing the line for his first podium in his rookie WSBK season.

Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Carlos Checa, put in two solid performances today for a pair of sixth place finishes. Starting from seventh on the grid, the Spaniard battled rear grip problems and chatter to record his best overall results of the season thus far.

Jonathan Rea – 4th and 3rd

This feels really good and I was hoping it might have come sooner but we had a pretty slow start to the season. In fact, you could say the season started three rounds before we did. But the development is going really well now and I’d like to thank the whole team for working so hard to move things in the right direction. I’d also like to apologise to all their wives for the late nights they’ve been putting in at the workshop. The crew were giving me great signals through the second race and I knew I was coming under a bit of pressure. I actually knocked the pace off a bit to keep Haslam and Biaggi behind me so that I had a bit in reserve in the last few laps. It’s a great feeling and the first of many, I hope.

Carlos Checa – 6th and 6th

It’s not easy seeing your team-mates getting this success – Kiyo in Monza last week and Jonathan today. But I must say that this is probably the most positive weekend we have had this season. We’re now a bit closer to something we can work with to move in the right direction, which is back to the front. It’s good timing for Miller in the US where we go next and I have some good memories of winning there last year. Today’s results are, of course, really positive for the team and congratulations to Johnny who rode very well today.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

It’s nothing new to say that we’ve had a rough and tough start to the season. The route we have taken since Valencia has taken a few rounds to dial in but it’s clear to see that we’re on the up again. Today’s podium for Johnny is a big bonus and reward for the whole team effort. On a twisty and bumpy track like Kyalami, it shows the great work of everyone involved. Big compliments to Johnny, who rode very intelligently today. Carlos is definitely moving forward again, too, and hopefully the steps we’ve made will give him a good confidence boost as we head to Miller where we have good memories from last year.

No joy for Ten Kate Supersport team

Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt finished in fifth and sixth places respectively in today’s sixth round World Supersport race at Kyalami. The race was won by fellow Honda-mounted Eugene Laverty in emphatic style.

Starting from the front row, Sofuoglu leaped into an early lead but very quickly found himself lacking grip both at the front and rear of his CBR600RR. Pitt, too, made a good start and ran in third place before forcing his way past his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate on lap three.

Sofuoglu slipped down the leading pack to sixth but rallied later in the race and looked like achieving a podium finish after Fabien Foret crashed out of third place. However, the Turkish ace clashed with Joan Lascorz in the last two corners – allowing Honda rider Mark Aitchison to snatch third.

Pitt meanwhile suffered the same grip problems as his team-mate from early in the race and could only manager sixth place at the flag.

Kenan Sofuoglu – fifth

I had a good start and the first lap or two was not so bad. But I started to lose grip very quickly and, when Andrew came past, I lost some rhythm and went backwards. It wasn’t a very good move from Lascorz at the end and it cost me third place, but we were very slow today and maybe didn’t deserve a podium. It’s just not normal to be slow like this, because nothing changed from yesterday when everything was OK.

Andrew Pitt – sixth

I saw after a couple laps that Laverty was disappearing and had to put a move on Kenan, but even then I nearly crashed I had so little grip. It was like that every lap for the rest of the race – like riding on ice. I was losing the front everywhere, the back was coming round on me under braking. We tried something different in warm-up this morning, but that didn’t work so we went back to yesterday, which was pretty good. I don’t know what’s happened since then, but it was all I could do to bring it home.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

We are obviously quite upset by these results, because yesterday both riders managed to do a lot of 1m41s laps. Today, in the race, Kenan and Andrew had to give everything just to stay in the 42s. If you’re off the pace all weekend, you cannot expect podium finishes. But this is quite the opposite and it just doesn’t reflect the pace that we have shown in free practice and qualifying.

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Mixed fortunes for Yamaha riders Spies and Sykes in Kyalami

The first race saw Yamaha rider Ben Spies drop back to fourth from the pole position start as they left the line. He recovered quickly and took second position back as they turned into the first corner, diving up the inside of Biaggi to tuck up behind championship rival Noriyuki Haga. Halfway round the first lap he was passed by Michele Fabrizio and settled into third position behind the two Ducatis as they battled for the lead for the majority of the race.

With seven laps to go, Spies dived passed Fabrizio on the last corner coming on to the start finish straight to take second. As the lap unfolded Fabrizio passed briefly but was taken straight again by Spies as the powerful Yamaha out dragged the Ducati from the corner. An unfortunate tank slapper coming out of Clubhouse allowed Fabrizio passed again, and as the tires had now gone off it was impossible for Spies to catch up so he settled for third and a well deserved podium.

Race two saw disaster strike for Spies, having dropped to third off the start, he again passed Biaggi on the inside for the second place spot and coming round for lap three took Haga in a fantastic move for the lead. No sooner had he done this than his shit linkage broke, making it impossible to change gear and forcing him to retire from the race.

Team-mate Tom Sykes had a less than perfect start to race one, dropping from his eighth position start on the grid to 16th as they headed into the first corner. With ten laps to go he’d moved up to 11th position with a steady race pace and then swiftly took Lavilla for the tenth spot. Although maintaining a good race pace he couldn’t get up to ninth so settled for 10th. Race two saw a better start, dropping initially to 10th, he worked hard to take two places and move up to the eighth spot which he held until briefly before the finish when Suzuki rider Kagayama took back the spot, relegating him to ninth.

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (3rd,DNF)
“We were struggling to hang in there in race one, it was a good race for all three of us up at the front. When I passed Michel I tried to reel in Nori and then unfortunately made a mistake. I was really strong in parts of the track but giving up too much time in some corners and couldn’t get in there. The second race was very unfortunate, I was feeling good and had secured an early lead, then obviously had the technical problem and had to retire, I’m really disappointed about it. I’m looking forward to going home to the USA for the next round and seeing if we can make it up.”

Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team, (10th, 9th )
“I got away badly in the first race and initially dropped down to sixteenth which was a shame as I felt I could have been more consistent. The second race I got away ok from the start and was closing in on Checa and a couple of the boys, but the last five laps or so I was really struggling. If we could have found a bit more grip it would have been better. We struggled on the power this weekend as well which was tough on this circuit. I’m looking forward to getting to Miller as I think the track will suit the R1 really well, and I want to close the gap and get up into fourth place as I think it’s possible.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager
“Both riders did really well in the first race as we have been having issues here with the tires, making it hard to be consistent throughout the race. For Ben in race two we had a problem with the shift linkage so he was unable to change gear and had to retire. We knew from practice that it was going to be tough racing here but both Ben and Tom did their best. The Ducati engine was stronger here on the day. ”

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Crutchlow maintains championship lead in South Africa

Yamaha World Supersport rider Cal Crutchlow had a tough race in Kyalami today missing out on the race win after being held up by the pack at the start of the race. The British rider initially dropped to sixth position from the start, behind team-mate Fabien Foret. The pair stayed together, following Sofuoglu until a mistake by the Honda rider on the 3rd lap allowed Crutchlow past. He then passed his team-mate on the fifth lap, before swiftly taking Lascorz and Pitt to move into second behind race leader Laverty. By this point Laverty had extended a considerable lead, and although Crutchlow worked hard to close the gap he had to settle for a second place finish and another podium.

Team-mate Fabien Foret had a better start and lead Crutchlow for a while before following him through to take up third place. He gradually built up a good lead over fourth placed rider Lascorz but a momentary lapse of concentration going into a corner too hot four laps from the end saw the French rider lose the front end and crash out.

Crutchlow leaves South Africa still leading the championship on 119 points, 13 ahead of second placed Laverty. Foret is in eighth on 44 points.

Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Supersport Team (2nd)
“It was a really tough race, the beginning was a proper dog fight. It took me a long time to get through the pack and start working on breaking down Laverty’s lead. By the time I got clear in second he had a big gap and I just couldn’t keep it consistently quick enough to catch him. I made a couple of small mistakes which cost me some time so had to settle for the second spot on the podium. A big thank you to the Yamaha team again for working so hard this weekend.”

Fabien Foret, Yamaha World Supersport Team, (DNF)
“I’m really disappointed with myself. It was a big fight at the beginning of the race and I did well to get through. I had a really good race pace and was feeling confident to keep pushing on. I had built up a good lead in third but just lost a moment’s concentration going into the corner and went down on the front.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha World Supersport Team
“We lost the fight for the race win two seconds into the first lap when both riders got held up by the main pack, by the second lap Eugene was too far away to challenge. Cal was looking like he was able to catch him but he had to push hard and made one or too small mistakes. At the moment the championship lead is very close and podiums are very important. It was very disappointing not to have two podiums, Fabien had a good pace and was as fast as Cal but was a bit too hot into the corner and crashed. It was a shame as he had a good lead and didn’t need to push so hard.”

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Haslam fourth in Kyalami race

After an unfortunate crash in the first race, Stiggy Racing Honda’s Leon Haslam mounted another fresh charge at a top position in the second race, and took a well earned fourth place at the South African track of Kyalami today.

Haslam had firmly placed himself in the top 5 of the timing sheets throughout the qualifying session at the 4.246m Kyalami track.

Despite his misfortune in the first race, Haslam made a competitive performance in the second Superbike race while out on his second bike.

Haslam came through the first lap in seventh place from his tenth position on the grid, and quickly made a pass on Carlos Checa, before moving up another place as Spies took and early retirement from the race due to a technical problem.

Biaggi tried to close the door in front of Haslam, but struggled to keep him off his tail, and found the fast Englishman flying passed him in the second half of the race. Unfortunately, further progress to the front of the field, and a place on the rostrum was halted by fellow Honda rider Johnny Rea, and a worn of rear-tire.

Haslam took no further risks and passed the checkered flag in fourth place, taking 13 valuable championship points home.

Ducati team mates Haga and Fabrizio produced a carbon copy of their first Kyalami finish, pulling away from the rest of the field to take first and second place respectively, twice over today.

Haslam leaves the sixth round of the Superbike World Championship with 116 points to his name, and currently sits best Honda at fourth place in the Standings.

Leon Haslam, Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 4th:
” It was a bit of a gamble to go out on my second bike today after crashing my number one bike in the first race. My first race was really strange, I don’t know whether is was a dodgy front tire, but from the first lap in the first race I kept losing the front, resulting in a crash. The second bike has a totally different gearbox and suspension set-up to the other bike, but it worked straight away. I was a lot happier now that I could battle with the front group, but for whatever reason there was nothing left in my rear tire, it felt like a piece of jelly towards the end of the race, and I couldn’t fight with Johnny [Rea] for third. I’m glad I managed to hold on till the end on that tire, and bring the bike back home safely in fourth place “.

Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager:
” Leon’s performance was unbelievable today. He suffered a big crash in the first race, and completely destroyed his bike, but managed to come back in the second race while out on hi second bike. He had not been riding that bike all weekend, and then to set a results like this is just amazing. It goes to show what a class rider and fighter he is. We are all very happy with him setting such a good result here for the team today. It feels good to leave Kyalami with a fourth place in our pocket, and prepare for the next overseas race in America “.

West battles to Eight in Kyalami Race

After a tough two days of qualifying, Stiggy Racing’s Anthony West was finally finding form again, and claimed an eight place in the sixth round of the World Supersport Championship at Kyalami today.

The sunny South African track hosted the World Supersport Championship for the first time this year, and proved the perfect scene for another battle of the 600’s. Eugene Laverty took the win today – his third one this season – , after leading most of the 23-lap race.

Anthony West faced a tough race from his 16th place on the grid, but securely made his way forward trough the pack, and tussled with Pirro for tenth position on the sixth lap. The gap to the faster group in front proved hard to close, and West seemed set in tenth position for the remainder of the race, but crashes in the ultimate laps of the race took Foret and Nannelli out, and enabled West to bring his bike through in eight place.

West is finally regaining confidence aboard his Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR after lack of competitiveness troubled him in the Assen and Monza rounds. His performance toady shows the Australian rider is on the up, ahead of the next fly-away round in America in two weeks time.

West took eight points home in today’s race, and currently holds a tied fifth place in the Supersport Championship Standings.

Team mate Gianluca Vizziello started the race from a disappointing 20th place on the grid, but managed to improve his position by three places, taking 17th at the line.
Anthony West, 8th:
” The team seems happy with my results today, but I’m rather disappointed myself. I expected to do a lot better here, and hoped to put the tough times of the last races behind me, but it didn’t really work out. Hopefully, for America we can change everything around, and start from the front again. It is a bit ridiculous finding myself in the position I am in at the moment, I can do a lot better. It’s rather embarrassing. I am happy with the work the team have put in, we are still trying and will try and find the improvement for the next race “.

Gianluca Vizziello, 17th:
” I was struggling with my tires today. I couldn’t really control the bike sliding on the track, and had to close the gas too soon. I was rather angry with myself after the qualifying sessions, and am not very happy with the results of the race. We just couldn’t work out what was wrong and where we had to find the improvement. I hope that I can make a step forward in the next round in America.”

Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager:
” I am happy with Anthony’s result here. At least he went out there and had a fight with some riders again, and he didn’t give up despite the tough qualifying sessions. It was another tough weekend for him, but will just keep on working and improving. We need to find the right way to set up his bike for him. His confidence is coming back step by step. Finishing in eight position is obviously not what we came here for, but he is on the right way, and am sure he will improve. Vizziello had a bad weekend and rode a disappointing race. He failed to make up any positions in the race, and we are all disappointed by his performance, and hope he will do better in the next round “.

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Points For Kawasaki Riders At Kyalami

Regular Kawasaki World Superbike Team rider Broc Parkes and stand-in rider Sheridan Morais each scored points in the sixth round of the championship, with Morais taking a best of 11th in race two. Given the fact that Parkes was still suffering with a significant degree of pain and weakness due to his recent testing crash, and that Morais was not only new to WSB but new to slick tires, their points scores in each race are highly creditable.

The Ninja ZX-10R proved to be a useful machine around the bumpy and relatively old Kyalami tarmac, with Morais making light of his first ride in such illustrious company. He was running top ten for a period then posted a 13th place in race one, followed by an even more impressive 11th.

Parkes had to admit that Kyalami was a particularly tough test for his battered body despite his determination proving strong enough to secure a 15th place in race one and then a 14th place in the second 24-lap Superbike contest.

Parkes now has 20 points in the championship, and is 18th, while Morais joins the points scoring club at this level with eight, and is 21st overall.

Broc Parkes: “My body has had enough. I knew it would be tough here but I also struggled all weekend with set-up. I think a lot of my problems have come down to fitness because of my crash in testing and a recent operation on my shoulder. I have a few more problems that way than I thought I would. We had a better second race, but it was a little bit like Monza, my body is still not ready. I have short break before the next round at Miller and I think that is going to do me the world of good. I tried my best but I just didn’t have the strength at the end. Even at the start I could not put my body on the line like I want to. To come out of here with points is not a bad effort, I think.”

Sheridan Morais: “That was a race! The first one I was fighting but went backwards. Such small changes on these World Superbikes obviously make a crucial difference. We made like a tiny adjustment to the bike for race two and it was a different bike to ride. So I could really race. I missed a top ten by one place but I absolutely rode my heart out. The team did a fantastic job and I am pretty happy.”

Fourth Place For Lascorz In Africa

Joan Lascorz found himself battling for a podium spot at Kyalami but had to settle for fourth after a last lap packed with drama in the only World Supersport round to be held in Africa this season. The Spanish rider was looking set for fourth place at best before Fabien Foret crashed out, suddenly making Lascorz’s man-to-man fight with Kenan Sofuoglu a podium struggle.

As Lascorz and Sofuoglu attempted to gain the advantage in an action-packed last few corners, they were caught by following rider Mark Aitchison, who took the final podium place, behind race winner Eugene Laverty and Cal Crutchlow.

Lascorz improved his current overall championship placing to fifth, on 60 points.

Lascorz’ Provec Motocard.com Kawasaki team mate Katsuaki Fujiwara rode his Ninja ZX-6R to 13th in the race, having chosen the wrong gearing for raceday. He is now 13th, on 26 points.

Joan Lascorz: “The last lap was a very big fight and Sofuoglu got past me again, then I went inside, only for Aitchison to come past us both. I did not know Aitchison was so close behind. The bike was pretty much like yesterday, because we tried a new thing in the warm-up this morning, but it didn’t work, so we went back to what we knew. It’s a shame to miss out on the podium when we got a chance late in the race.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “Our bike was a bit better today and the engine was stronger. We changed the gearing a bit because we were running too high revs a lot yesterday but we went a bit too long with it and it did not push so hard up the hills. The start of the race wasn’t so bad but then the rear started chattering and then it was difficult to keep the line. It was also tough under hard braking.”

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Team Sterilgarda:

Team Sterilgarda takes ninth place in South Africa after a great recovery by Shane Byrne in race 1. The British rider started fourteenth on the grid but at the second corner got in the eleventh position and kept it until lap 12. However, by the half of the race the bike started chattering in the back due to the tire spinning on the wheel. He kept his cool as he managed to gain two more positions and finished the race ninth after overtaking the other English rider, Sykes but was first among the non-official riders.
In race 2 the Englishman was forced to return to the pits as the accelerator wire unbelievably broke and prevented him from scoring another good result. In spite of that, the team is confident and hopes to improve in the next round when the WSBK will move to the USA, on the Miller Park track in fifteen days time.

SHANE BYRNE – Ducati 1098R – 9th, retired: “I’m satisified with race 1 although my performance was influenced by a problem I had with the back tire that was chattering. It was completely destroyed at the end of the race!!! I did however score a good result that I could’ ve replicated in race 2. Unfortunately, another problem forced me to get back to the pits”.

MARCO BORCIANI – team manager: “In this early stage of the season, it seems like we’re not lucky at all. I’ve never heard of an accelerator wire to break in the middle of the race but it did happen today and so we couldn’t finish race 2. However, Shane has proven once again he is a great rider despite the fact that he returned to the pits with a completely destroyed tire. We did well today but we just hope to get rid of the bad lucky we keep having lately”.

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Yukio fights for a pair of eights. Fonsi gets a 15th

Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Yukio Kagayama battled his way to two eighth places in the sixth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship today in Kyalami, RSA. Despite problems with the bumpy track, Yukio kept attacking and managed to bring his GSX-R1000 K9 home not so far from the leaders in both 24-lappers.

His team mate Fonsi Nieto, standing in for the injured Max Neukirchner, has never raced at Kyalami before, but managed to finish 16th in race one and 15th in race two.

Today’s races took place in superb conditions and were both won by Noriyuki Haga (Ducati). In race one, he was a comfortable winner, nearly a second ahead of team mate Michel Fabrizio, with Ben Spies (Yamaha) third. After taking the lead on lap three of race two, he was never headed on the way to his double. Fabrizio pushed him hard, but ended just three tenths of a second behind at the flag. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took third place after holding off Leon Haslam (Honda) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) in the closing stages.

Yukio – Race 1: 8th, Race 2: 8th

This weekend, I had trouble with the bumps at this racetrack and we were not able to find a good solution to make the bike easier to ride over these bumps. We tried many things, but it is not so easy to understand the character of this bike and I would like more testing time.This bike is all new this year and so we have had to start to work with it and try and understand it. If we could understand the bike completely, we could improve it quickly and that would mean that I could challenge for the podium in every race. I am hoping that Miller will be good for us and I am looking forward to fighting for the top spots again.

Fonsi – Race 1: 16th, Race 2: 15th

I am happy to be here, but I am not happy about the results. The team have been great and it’s as if I have never been away. The bike is new to me and so is the track, but I don’t like this track because of all the bumps. This bike is not working so well with the tires we have and if we could improve in that area, we would be able to fight for better results for sure. Now I have some time to think about the bike and talk to the team about some ideas for the next race in USA. At least I have raced at that track before, so I will not be starting with such a big disadvantage as this weekend.

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KYALAMI, RACE 2: BIAGGI FIFTH AGAIN AND NAKANO SEVENTH

The temperature dropped for Race 2 of the South African Superbike round. The numerous spectators who came to Kyalami participated in a grand show with great warmth. Haga makes it a double win, at his sixth victory of the season, hounded right down to the last turn by his team mate Fabrizio and Rea, third, on the Honda at a gap of 8″936.
Haga started off fast followed by Spies and Biaggi. The Japanese and the American try to begin the chase straight off, but in the third lap Spies breaks his gear shifter and is forced to pull out. From behind the fight for the podium heats up with Fabrizio, starting off badly, recovering positions, together with Rea, Biaggi and Haslam trying to catch up the leader. But the Ducati rider is keeping another pace and at the halfway point he manages to join his team mate and stay with him straight through to the final push. So only three are left to battle for the third step of the podium. Rea leads the pack, managing to fend off Biaggi’s attacks with Haslam awaiting the right moment, which arrives in the thirteenth lap when he slips the RSV4 past with an impossible manoeuvre. The situation did not change until four laps from the end when Rea increased his advantage slightly; Haslam isn’t able to respond as he tries to hold off Biaggi’s continuous attacks, defending fourth position until the finish, while Max is unable to slipstream past him, finishing with the same position as Race 1.

A good race for Nakano who, after having missed the train at the start, is able to find a decent pace until arriving only two seconds behind Biaggi’s pack in the final laps, finishing once again in seventh place.

“These two fifth positions are the most we could have gotten – stated Biaggi – The result is good enough, but we suffered quite a bit with the vibrations in the turns and coming out of them we didn’t have a lot of grip and that forced us to use softer tires. Compared to November, the RSV4 has grown quite a bit, but the competition here in Superbike is merciless”.

“I did much better in the last two rounds – said Nakano – where I had some bad trials and inconsistent races. This time it went much better, even if I still need to improve my feeling with the bike in the first five laps where I lose quite a lot. Anyway, I’m happy to have come back up front and I hope to improve even more in the race in the USA”.

KYALAMI, RACE 1: BIAGGI FINISHES IN FIFTH PLACE, NAKANO IN SEVENTH

The sun shines brightly on the Kyalami racetrack for Race 1 of the South African Superbike round. Haga wins, on the official Ducati, in front of his team mate Fabrizio, Ben Spies third on his Yamaha.

Haga starts off well from fourth position and straight away forms a train of 6 riders which begins a chase including Fabrizio, Spies, Rea, Checa and Biaggi, with Nakano trying to catch up. In the second lap Fabrizio takes the lead and increases the pace, and in the sixth lap the group begins to break up. Halfway through the race, Haga takes command and begins to widen the gap, riding all alone until the chequered flag; behind him, Spies and Fabrizio are locked in a heated fencing match for second place, with the Ducati rider getting the better of the American, pulling away four laps from the end.
Biaggi, starting off well from the third row, stays in the lead group in sixth place until Fabrizio’s push. In the eighth lap, Biaggi engages Checa, slower than he, in a duel and manages to overtake him only two laps later. Max throws himself into chasing down Rea, in fourth place, with an impressing pace, equalling that of the three lead riders. In the nineteenth lap, Max catches up the American, who is visibly slower, and tries to attack him any way possible on this stretch where it is extremely difficult to overtake. Rea closes all the doors and Biaggi tries anything and everything in the last turn, but goes too wide and has to settle for fifth place at a disadvantage of only 0″105.

Nakano, starting from the ninth row, recovers two positions straight away at the start and tries to stay with the lead group, but in the second lap he is already more than a second behind. Shinya fends off attacks by Morais and Kagayama with a good pace, pulling away from them halfway through the race and trying to catch Checa and Biaggi. Five laps from the end he is able to catch up the Spaniard, attempting repeatedly to overtake him. Unfortunately, his attempts are in vain and he crosses the finish line in seventh place.

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DISAPPOINTMENT FOR TEAM BMW MOTORRAD MOTORSPORT IN KYALAMI.

The sixth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship in Kyalami will not be remembered with much affection by Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The weekend had started with promise, but ended without either or Ruben or Steve scoring any points in the two twenty-four lap races. Ruben was pushed off the track twice and completed just three laps in total. Steve managed to finish both races, ending 22nd in race one and 18th in race two.

Both today’s races, which took place in superb conditions, were won by Noriyuki Haga (Ducati). In race one, he was a comfortable winner, nearly a second ahead of team mate Michel Fabrizio, with Ben Spies (Yamaha) third. After taking the lead on lap three of race two, he was never headed on the way to his double. Fabrizio pushed him hard at the end, but ended just three tenths of a second behind at the flag. Jonathan Rea (Honda) took third place after holding off Leon Haslam (Honda) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia) in the closing stages.

Ruben – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: DNF
There’s not much to say when you have only done three laps in two races and I am disappointed for myself and the whole team because we had the potential to get goods results today. I am a bit angry because I know I did a good job this weekend and it’s not good getting nothing back. In race one I think I was nudged off by Smrz and I have got a funny feeling that he was also involved in the race two crash as well. In that race, I was just going into the last turn and suddenly my bike shot out from under me. I am not sure exactly what happened, but it was crash number two and a big shame because the bike is improving and I’m sure I could’ve got a couple of top ten finishes.

Steve – Race 1: 22, Race 2: 18th
It has been a great honour to be on the S 1000 RR this weekend. I never expected to race at the top level in WSBK again but I am very grateful to get the chance. My job this weekend was not to be Troy (Corser), but to try things the team do not normally get the chance to try during a race weekend and give us much info and feedback as possible. The team gave me 100% this weekend and helped me really enjoy the whole experience. Of course, I am not happy with the results, but I’m happy to be on the track in a WSBK race and happy to help the team.

Rainer Baeumel (Team Manager-BMW Motorrad Motorsport)
The dramas started yesterday in Superpole when we had the potential to be on the second or third row of the grid. When you start from the fourth or fifth row, there are always going to problems getting through the pack and it’s easy to get pushed or shoved. One of our objectives must be to qualify better and try and avoid these kind of problems. I think we are all a bit disappointed because Ruben had the potential to finish seventh, eighth or ninth.

Steve gave us a lot of information and feedback and it was definitely the right decision asking to him the race here this weekend. On a positive note, we’ve found some good ideas and directions to use in the next race.

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Pirelli:

At 1465 Metres above sea level, the 4.246km long Kyalami circuit offered the World Superbike and Supersport competitors a unique challenge in several ways. It is a new track for most, as it was last used by WSBK in 2002, although many of the top Superbike teams and one World Supersport Team tested at the circuit in the Gauteng region of South Africa last December, during tire and machine development session. Since then the removal of the final chicane, to be replaced with a right-hander over the crest of a hill, has changed the track length to 4.246km, and made it naturally faster, but the sheer pace of the qualifying sessions at Kyalami was impressive all the same.

Ben Spies, who has been making headlines and history since he first arrived in WSB this year, wrote his name into granite in the record books again in qualifying, and he now shares the record for six consecutive pole position wins with his fellow Texan, Doug Polen. He set a new track best of 1’37.288 in Superpole three to head up a front row qualifying order of Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing) and championship leader, Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox). Spies was only one thousandth of a second ahead of Fabrizio in Superpole three.

Several riders were replaced for this race, because of injury, with Fonsi Nieto, Gregorio Lavilla, Sheridan Morais, Steve Martin and Shaun Whyte taking their place on the grid for the first time this year. Regis Laconi (DFX Ducati) crashed at high speed in the first session of the weekend, and suffered serious head, spinal and lung injuries. He condition is now improving and he is set to have an operation on Tuesday to fix his broken vertebrae in place, and the other neurological problems resulting from the crash are also showing positive results.

After the feedback received from the tests in December, Pirelli shipped 4,365 tires from Europe in February, to suit the needs of Kyalami racetrack. The old, scarred and bumpy asphalt at Kyalami means the riders need a lot of grip to recover their ideal racing lines. The track temperature during the current South African winter has been less warm than the extremes of over 50°C experienced in testing. That has allowed the use of softer tires than a normal WSB weekend.

RACE 1

AIR HUMIDITY     31%     AIR TEMPERATURE     21°C
TRACK TEMPERATURE     25°C     TRACK CONDITION     Dry

Haga and his team-mate Fabrizio disputed the race one win at Kyalami with Spies and his Yamaha, until the later stages of the race, when Haga asserted his authority and Spies dropped off to finish 3.391 seconds from the win. Fabrizio leaves the new Kyalami layout with the new lap record, which also survived race two, a 1’38.548, set on lap three. The Ducati-Yamaha battle was joined by a Honda and an Aprilia in fourth and fifth places, with Jonathan Rea ahead of Max Biaggi. The pace of the various leaders was high throughout, as the Kyalami circuit proved quite suitable for the leading twin cylinder riders than those on fours.

RACE 2

AIR HUMIDITY     26%     AIR TEMPERATURE     20°C
TRACK TEMPERATURE     31°C     TRACK CONDITION     Dry

Haga scored his second double win of the 2009 season when he won a last lap battle with his team-mate Fabrizio, even although the Italian rider seeming determined to take another race win to add to his recent Monza success. Haga took an early lead, only to be passed by Spies, but on lap three the American rider was forced out of contention, with a broken gear linkage. That left Haga free at the front but he was pressurised from behind by Fabrizio and on the last lap Haga had to re-pass Fabrizio to exit the final corner ahead, and take a win by only 0.322 seconds. Rea held off Haslam for third place, his first podium of the 2009 season, Max Biaggi went fifth on the top Aprilia, as he had in race one. The top riders were once more able to race to competitiveness with a different set of tire solutions, with Haga opting for a soft ‘A’ front and a medium ‘B’ rear. His team-mate started with medium front and back in race one, before swapping to a softer front to almost win race two. Spies and Biaggi each went for a ‘B’ front and rear solution, while Rea was even able to use a ‘C’ front and a ‘B’ rear to take his podium.

Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Troy Corser will not be travelling with the team and racing in Kyalami this coming weekend. The Aussie took a severe battering in two hard crashes in Monza last weekend and it was felt that it would be better for him to give the South African round a miss and get fully fit for the USA round at the end of the month.

Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director)
After the races in Monza on Sunday, Troy and the team sat down together and jointly made the decision that it would be better for him to sit out Kyalami and get fit for USA. Troy suffered a horrific crash at the start of the first race in Monza and was hit in the back of the neck and head by another bike. He then had a high speed tumble in the restart and was probably a little dazed. He was already riding with a cracked bone in his left hand and had to have painkillers and special strapping in order just to compete in Monza.

Kyalami is a very physical track, very bumpy in places and this would’ve not have helped Troy’s hand get any better. So, with everything that happened in Monza, together with the condition of his hand, the decision was made that Troy would give Kyalami a miss.

However the team will still have two riders on track in Kyalami as Troy’s place will be taken by BMW Motorrad Motorsport test rider Steve Martin.