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.”

Kenan Sofuoglu and Michele Pirro will both start from the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s opening 2010 World Supersport championship race at Phillip Island in Australia.

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda riders set the second and third fastest times respectively in this afternoon’s final qualifying session, with Spain’s Joan Lascorz taking pole position and Ireland’s Eugene Laverty completing the front row as the third fastest Honda rider.

After struggling with grip and tyre durability in yesterday’s warm conditions at the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit, the World Supersport championship’s most successful team made progress in today’s cooler conditions and both riders are confident for tomorrow’s season-opening 21-lap race.

Kenan Sofuoglu – P2 1’34.116s

That wasn’t so bad and I am really much happier than I was after yesterday’s sessions. We have really improved our package today and I only hope that it stays cool for the race tomorrow. I think I could have gone faster but on both my fast laps I came across slower riders which took away my rhythm. I think maybe I could have taken three or four tenths off my time, but I am happy enough with a front row start. It’s important to get a good start tomorrow because I will try, of course, to win the race. We also found a way to get a longer life for the tyre today and I will do my best to save it for the end of the race tomorrow.

Michele Pirro – P3, 1’34.156s

Well, of course I am happy because I said yesterday that my target today was to get a front row start. We achieved this goal but I had some problems with grip at the front, especially on the corner exit. The bike is new for me this season so the race tomorrow will be my first. It’s difficult to know what to expect but, for sure, there are a lot of fast riders and they will be at the front in the race. I am looking forward to it, but the front row is a good place to start.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

Well, after the problems we had during the test here and yesterday, we put on a clean shirt today and made the improvements we needed.  Things really started to shape up for us today and I am delighted that both riders will start from the front row. Big compliments especially to Michele who has arrived immediately at the front in his debut for the team. Hopefully, both riders can finish the job off tomorrow.

2010 World Supersport championship, round 1 – Phillip Island, Australia (4.445km)

Final qualifying results:
1. Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki 1’33.847s
2. Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’34.116s
3. Michele Pirro (ITA) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’34.156s
4. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 1’34.300s
5. Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN) Kawasaki 1’34.494s
6. David Salom (ESP) Triumph 1’34.873s

Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s opening two races of the 2010 World Superbike championship from the second row of the grid after setting the seventh fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole qualifying session at Phillip Island, Australia.

In much cooler conditions than yesterday, the 23-year-old Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider from Northern Ireland saved his allocated qualifying tyres for the final two Superpole sessions, but experienced no significant improvement in grip or subsequent lap times.

Rea’s team-mate, Max Neukirchner, was eliminated after the first Superpole session after setting the 17th fastest time, but the German rider remains positive that improvements made in his CBR1000RR’s set-up will stand him in good stead for tomorrow’s two 22-lap races around the 4.445km Phillip Island circuit.

Jonathan Rea – P7, 1’31.912s

We’ve struggled all weekend to get the most out of putting a new tyre in the bike. We had exactly the same this afternoon in Superpole when we got no more grip from the qualifiers than we had from the race tyre. Of course, I’m frustrated and quite disappointed to be starting from the second row. However, the positive thing is that our race pace has been improving steadily and I’m really excited that the racing finally starts properly tomorrow. I’m looking forward to getting amongst it, pushing to the front and seeing what we can do.

Max Neukirchner – P17, 1’32.782s

I know it looks bad, and it’s not a great starting position, but I’m actually feeling quite positive. We made some improvements this morning and I went faster as well as being able to improve on the life of the tyre. We will make some more changes to follow that direction and try these in warm-up tomorrow morning. We have two long races tomorrow and I’m feeling very fit and positive. I don’t think I can win but it shouldn’t be so bad if we can keep making the progress we made today.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

The race pace for both riders is looking well and we’ve definitely moved forward there. On the qualifiers during Superpole we couldn’t go any faster, however, and that’s a little frustrating to deal with. For the race, with Jonathan, we should be in a position to fight for a podium. On Max’s side we’ve been changing the bike a lot – especially at the rear. For sure, tomorrow we need to try some other settings during warm-up because we’re too far off at the moment.

2010 World Superbike championship, round 1 – Phillip Island, Australia (4.445km)

Final qualifying results:
1. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki 1’31.229s
2. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1’31.245s
3. C Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1’31.642s
4. Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati 1’31.671s
7. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’31.912s
17. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’32.782s

Jonathan Rea set the seventh fastest time in this afternoon’s qualifying session at Phillip Island in Australia ahead of Sunday’s opening round of the 2010 World Superbike championship.

The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland cited bumps in the first and last turns of the 4.445km circuit as his main barriers in setting a faster lap time in today’s hour-long session, but is confident of improvement tomorrow.

Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner, endured a frustrating afternoon, setting the 18th fastest time as Spain’s Carlos Checa grabbed the provisional pole position slot with a time just 0.007s ahead of Michel Fabrizio.

Jonathan Rea – P7, 1’32.884s

It’s difficult to know where the problems are coming from, but at least we have two sessions tomorrow to try to find the source. I’m struggling to pull the pin for an entire lap and the main problems are in the first and last corners, where the bumps are really unsettling the bike. The bits in between those two corners aren’t too bad, but it’s been hard work today. I think we know which tyre we’re going to use in the race, but we definitely need more time on the bike before we’re ready for Sunday.

Max Neukirchner – P18, 1’33.960s

It’s really frustrating, because we made some good progress this morning, using old tyres. As soon as we put a new one in this afternoon, it was spinning all the way through the faster turns and making the bike shudder in other parts of the circuit. Exactly the same thing happened with the second new tyre we put in, but we’re not sure exactly where the problem is. I know I can go faster because I was during the test last weekend, so we’ve got some work to get through tomorrow I think.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

It’s been hard work to push the right buttons here at Phillip Island. With Jonathan we are moving forward with his race pace but struggling to get the most out of a fresh tyre. We’re a little more puzzled on Max’s side of the garage since his problems seem to be down to issues with the tyres. I think it’ll be a long night, but we’re determined to bring something fresh tomorrow morning.

2010 World Superbike championship – round 1
Phillip Island, Australia – 4.445km
1. Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati 1’32.155s
2. Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1’32.162s
3. Leon Haslam (GBR) Suzuki 1’32.373s
4. Shane Byrne (GBR) Ducati 1’32.635s
7. Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’32.884s
18. Max Neukirchner (GER) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’33.960s

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) marked today’s announcement that they will continue with the team next season with solid third and fourth-place results in the San Marino Grand Prix held at Misano Adriatico, Italy.

Pedrosa enjoyed a strong ride this afternoon, spending the first quarter of the race out front, with Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo chasing hard. Ultimately, however, he didn’t have the pace to stay ahead throughout the race and he had to be happy with third for his seventh podium finish of 2009. The result also moved him into third place in the World Championship, ahead of the absent Casey Stoner (Ducati).

The race was run in hot, sunny conditions, though a cooling sea breeze kept temperatures lower than they had been on Friday and Saturday. Pedrosa once again got a great start, leading the pack into the first corner after a brilliant getaway from second on the grid. His RC212V’s awesome straight-line performance – once again he had the fastest bike of the weekend at 279.7km/h (173.8mph) – helped him stay in front for seven laps. He then ran second until lap 13, then third until the chequered flag. The race was won by series leader Rossi, who lives just 16km (10 miles) from Misano, with team-mate Lorenzo second.

Dovizioso rode a good race from the third row of the grid, completing the first lap in sixth place and then steadily working his way forward into fourth spot. During the later stages he enjoyed a spirited duel with Loris Capirossi (Suzuki), Dovizioso finally bettering his fellow Italian with a brilliant pass on the final lap. This was Dovi’s first race with Öhlins suspension.

Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) made great use of his second-row start to roar past Rossi into second place at the first corner. The hard-riding Spaniard then grabbed the lead from Pedrosa as they attacked the Carro hairpin for the first time, but he ran wide and Pedrosa immediately regained his position. From there Elias slipped behind the leading contest to finish a very respectable sixth, less than two seconds behind Capirossi and Dovizioso.

Team-mate Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) had a less happy day. The San Marino rider was involved in a turn two pile-up which sidelined him, Colin Edwards (Yamaha) and Nicky Hayden (Ducati). Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) was also involved in the melee, running off the track as he took avoiding action. The Frenchman, who broke his left ankle a month ago, regained the track in last position and had to work hard to come through to finish 12th.

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) made an excellent start to the race and ran with riders Marco Melandri (Kawasaki), Mike Kallio (Ducati) and James Toseland (Yamaha) for the first few laps. He ended the race feeling physically strong, convinced he has found a direction which will help him at the last four races of the year.

World 250 leader Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) fought like a lion in his 100th GP race, battling for third place with title rival Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) and the Spaniard’s team-mate Mike Di Meglio (Aprilia). The trio swapped places time and again, Aoyama finally getting ahead of both Aprilias in the final lap, only to lose out to Bautista in the dash for the line and the final podium place. With four rounds remaining, Aoyama’s points lead has been cut to 13 points. The race was won by Hector Barbera (Aprilia), with Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) second.

Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) produced a brave ride, just a week after suffering a partially dislocated left shoulder at Indianapolis. The Italian took eighth place at the end of a hectic race, crossing the line less than a second behind the factory-spec Aprilia of Alex Debon and just 11.3 seconds behind race winner Barbera.

Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) finished an excellent ninth despite a few issues with machine set-up and injuries. The Spaniard has suffered back problems in recent weeks and although he was seventh during the early stages of the Misano he was later handicapped by arm pump. He also found he lacked rear grip in today’s cooler conditions.

Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) rode superbly once again, fighting hard in the group contesting seventh place. The Thai rider slid off with just five laps to go after narrowly avoiding a collision with De Rosa.

Misano first-timer Shoya Tomizawa (Team CIP Honda) rode a good race to 12th, his best result since he finished 12th in May’s Spanish GP. Team-mate Valentin Debise (Team CIP Honda) also rode well, finishing 14th for his third consecutive World Championship points score. Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda) slid off unharmed on the fourth lap of the 26 lap race.

MotoGP :
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda: 3rd.
“A podium finish is a good result for us and I think it fulfilled our potential here this weekend. I made a good start and pushed to the maximum in the opening laps to stay ahead of the others. I was riding really hard and getting quicker every lap which allowed me to keep in front for quite a long time. First Valentino and then Jorge came past though, and they were able to brake harder and get through the corners a little better that me which meant I just couldn’t stay with them. I was actually quite lucky at the end because I ran out of fuel on the slowing down lap and had to hitch a ride back to the pits with Toni Elias. Third is OK here and there was no way I could follow the leader’s rhythm so I’m reasonably satisfied. I’ve moved into third in the championship, but with Casey not riding here it’s not an even situation so I’m not too concerned about that. This weekend I also re-signed with Honda and I’m happy about this. They know my potential very well and I know their potential too, and I’m sure we can work well together into the future.”

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 4th.
“I pushed 100 per cent in the first laps. I had a good feeling with the bike but unfortunately on lap seven I made a mistake at turn 11 and I lost contact with the front riders. This mistake compromised the race as after that I couldn’t stay with the leaders. In the last laps I had quite a battle with Capirossi for fourth place. He was braking very hard but in the end I passed him and closed every gap so that he couldn’t get past again. I’m happy with this weekend. This was the first weekend with Öhlins and of course we couldn’t have the perfect set-up but this is just the start and I’m very confident for the future. I’m happy too because I renewed my contract with Honda. This is my first year in the factory Honda team and I feel that I still haven’t shown my full potential. I know the machine better and we are working together in preparation for next year. Honda is working very hard and I believe in the project.”

Toni Elias, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 6th.
“I have mixed feelings about that race because sixth place is a decent result but after making such a good start it could have been so much better. The team have done a great job with the bike over the weekend after a terrible first day but for some reason it wasn’t quite right today after only a few laps. We have to look at why that was because once again we have shown the pace to run with the very best in this class. We have a bit of a break now which is not ideal for me because I’d like to get back on track as soon as possible, but we will try to use it as best we can and look forward to going to Estoril, a circuit where I have great memories thanks to my MotoGP victory with the Gresini team in 2006 and where we will look to recover even more points.”

Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 12th.
“We expected a better result here. I was unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m happy because at least I escaped unhurt from the turn two incident. We have had three difficult race weekends since my injury, but we were able to score some more points here and that’s a positive. We made a great job in spite of my ankle injury, and although I’m not yet fully fit we improved our lap times over the three days and we are back in the mid-pack. The coming three weeks off will give me a chance to recover from my injury, so I will try to improve my World Championship position once we return to action in Portugal.”

Gabor Talmacsi, Scot Honda: 14th.
“That was a three-part race for me. I was strong at the beginning, when I was able to catch Melandri, then the middle part of the race was not good. Finally, the last part was better, I was able to improve my lap times and I felt physically good all the way to the finish.”

Alex De Angelis, San Carlo Honda Gresini: DNF.
“I got a decent start and thought I could make some more ground up on the inside in the second turn but I went in too deep. Colin cut in front of me and I braked as hard as I could to avoid him but the front folded and I hit him. Unfortunately Nicky was hit as well and I apologise to both of them. Unfortunately these things happen in racing and I am desperately disappointed because this is my home race, there were a lot of people here supporting me and I wasn’t able to deliver a good result. It is especially frustrating because we had the potential to put a really good race together here after another excellent weekend but we’ll take the positives out of it and try to continue with our recent progress at Estoril.”

250cc :
Hiroshi Aoyama, Scot Honda: 4th.
“My rhythm was better than Bautista’s but he put up a great fight, and overtaking him was very difficult. I was so close to getting a podium finish, the difference between the two of us at the finish line was determined by the difference in power. Anyway, it was a good race for us.”

Raffaele De Rosa, Scot Honda: 8th.
“Not bad, considering what happened in practice when we suffered an electronic gremlin which we only managed to fix during morning warm-up. That meant we did not have enough time to work as we wanted on chassis set-up, so we couldn’t do better than eighth, even though the tires were quite good today.”

Hector Faubel, Valencia CF-Honda SAG: 9th.
“In the morning we had an issue with the engine and we lost too much time fixing it to test some new chassis settings for today’s lower track temperature. I couldn’t exit corners at 100 per cent because the rear would not grip, so I couldn’t hold on to the fourth place I had early on. As if that wasn’t enough, I could not physically perform at my best because I had some arm pump in the later stages.”

Shoya Tomizawa, Team CIP Honda: 12th.
“That was a great race for me, and it feels very good to get some more points. To get a good result here was important because I found this track really difficult for my riding style – most of the corners are so tight and slow. Now I go home to Japan where I will keep training hard to be ready for Portugal next month.”

Valentin Debise, Team CIP Honda: 14th.
“I’m mostly happy with that race. My lap times were pretty consistent throughout and we got some more points, my third score in a row. We had a few issues with machine balance here – this is a very ‘front-end’ circuit, which means you focus on the front, and then maybe you lose a little rear performance.”

Ratthapark Wilairot, Thai Honda PTT-SAG: DNF.
“It was a shame to fall down and finish another race without scoring points. I did not want to finish tenth again and so I tried my hardest to pass other riders. When I passed Faubel I lost a position to De Rosa and later when I had to avoid crashing into him I lost the rear, and that was the end for me. I’ve got some abrasion to my lower back but I’m mostly just disappointed because I expected to get a great result. Now I go to Thailand to recover physically and mentally, and I hope to finish higher up in the last four races of the season.”

Bastien Chesaux, Racing Team Germany Honda: DNF.
“I’m very disappointed with my crash. I got a good start, then lost a few places when things got hectic in the first two laps, then crashed on the fourth lap. I got on the gas hard and lost the rear. It’s a real shame but the important thing is that I was fighting hard – I really wanted some more points.”

In today’s 11th round World Superbike championship races at Nurburgring in Germany Jonathan Rea won the second race after placing fourth in the first outing. It was his and the team’s second World Superbike victory of the season and his fifth podium finish.

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Carlos Checa, also enjoyed a successful day with two third place finishes – the first behind new championship leader, Ben Spies, who was second in race two.

Rea’s first race was affected by technical difficulties after it was red flagged on the second lap. His CBR1000RR Fireblade had not been giving him the correct level of engine braking so he swapped to his number two machine for the restart.

In the second encounter, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman had to fight through to the lead on lap four after a sluggish start. Japan’s Noriyuki Haga fought back and the pair appeared to touch on the exit the first corner, the Ducati rider crashing out. Rea went on to hold off a late challenge from Spies and was even able to break the Nurburgring lap record on his final lap.

Checa meanwhile had to force his way past his team-mate in the opening 20-lapper after starting from eighth on the grid. The Spaniard also put moves on Fabrizio, Biaggi and Corser to grab his third podium of the season.

A delighted Checa enjoyed a better start to race two and even led briefly on lap three before settling for third behind Rea and Spies.

Jonathan Rea – 4th and 1st

Apart from the issues with my number one bike in the first part of race one, I had a real problem with turn three and messed up the race. I was a bit disappointed with fourth and was really motivated to ride better in race two. The guys sat me down in between races and gave me an instruction manual on how to win. We changed nothing on the bike and I tried to ride my own race and mind my own business. I got a really bad start and had to get a bit aggressive on pe! ople in turn one. Haga ran quite wide and I went on the inside and, although I didn’t see him I felt a big bang and only found out he crashed after the race. I’m sorry for that but don’t think it was my fault and I wouldn’t blame him. I gave it all I could in the race and the package was very strong today so I can’t thank the team enough. I knew I had to make no mistakes on the last lap because Ben was so close, so breaking the lap record then was great. But it’s really a testament to how strong the bike is now and hopefully we can take this momentum on to the next race.

Carlos Checa – 3rd and 3rd

We knew it would be tough going into turn one and in the first race I just tried to catch the top guys. I got up to Johnny and had a good fight with him but right up to the last turn I didn’t know what would happen. I made a really great start to race two – I couldn’t believe it. Got into another battle with Haga early on but I could see Johnny was strong when he passed me. I tried to stay with Ben Spies and lost a few meters in the middle of the race but it was very good to keep third for me and for the team. It’s been a really satisfying weekend.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

All in all, we’ve had some good results this weekend. Jonathan had some problems to resolve after the race but, to his credit, he solved them himself – we didn’t change anything on the bike. Going back to his number one machine for race two would have helped and our congratulations to him on the win. Also to the whole staff who have worked so hard over the last couple of weeks to keep us where we are. Jonathan’s win in race two maybe overshadowed Carlos’s results, but fair play to him for two brilliant podiums. He has worked and ridden really well this weekend and we’ll now try to improve the bike even more for Imola.

Ryuichi Kiyonari took 14th and seventh place finishes in today’s two races of the 11th-round World Superbike championship race at Nurburgring in Germany.

The races were won by America’s Ben Spies and Kiyonari’s Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Jonathan Rea, as the Japanese rider continues his adaptation to new suspension components which he has been using since the last round at Brno in the Czech Republic.

After qualifying in 18th place yesterday, Kiyonari had sluggish starts to both races, but continued improvements to his Ohlins suspension allowed him to climb several places to seventh in race two

Ryuichi Kiyonari – 14th and 7th

Race two was a big improvement for me and I felt more comfortable on the bike. It had a better feeling and balance and I was able to push a little harder in the second race and pass quite a few riders. Of course, there is still a lot of work to do but I am looking forward to see how much more we can improve in the final three races of the season.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

Unfortunately, Kiyonari-san was unable to make very much progress in the first race, even though we made some improvements to the bike overnight. The changes seemed to work better in race two and Kiyo was able to improve his lap time as well as passing some other riders for a solid top ten finish. We will continue working as a team to find some more improvements when we reach Imola, which is a circuit Kiyonari knows after our test there earlier in the summer.

2009 World Superbike championship, round 11 – Nurburgr! ing, Ger many (5.13km, 2 x 20 laps) results:

Race one:
1 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 39’04.818s
2 Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati +3.850s
3 Carlos Checa (ESP) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +6.990
4 Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +7.109
5 Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +12.825
6 Leon Haslam (GBR) Honda +13.243
14 Ryuichi Kiyonari (JPN) Ten Kate Honda Racing +31.188

Race two:
1 Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 39’01.561
2 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha +0.786s
3 Carlos Checa (ESP) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +4.993
4 Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia +8.191
5 Leon Haslam (GBR) Honda +10.907
6 Troy Corser (AUS) BMW +17.152
7 Ryuichi Kiyonari (JPN) Ten Kate Honda Racing +19.743

Championship points after 11 of 14 rounds:
Spies 364, Haga 346, Fabrizio 289, Rea 244, Biaggi 224, Haslam 201, Checa 177, Tom Sykes (GBR) Yamaha 165, Shane Byrne (GBR) Ducati 134, Kiyonari 130.

WSS

Kenan Sofuoglu crashed out of a comfortable second place in today’s 11th-round World Supersport championship race at Nurburgring in Germany – a race won by series leader Cal Crutchlow. Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Andrew Pitt, was seventh.

Starting from second place on the grid, Sofuoglu challenged Crutchlow on the opening laps, breaking the lap record on lap two. However, as drizzle began to fall on the 5.13km Nurburgring circuit, the Turkish rider slid off at the tight first corner.

He lost his right footpeg in the crash but was able to remount in eighteenth place and move up to 10th place before a small bolt that he was resting his right foot on worked itself loose, leaving a bitterly disappointed Sofuoglu unable to continue.

Pitt, meanwhile, got a good start from his 10th place on the grid but was affected by the rain in the early stages, when his lap times dropped. The Australian rallied in the second part of the race, however, and climbed as high as sixth before dropping back to seventh at the flag.

Andrew Pitt – 7th

I was basically just too cautious when it was wet and lost too much time. I saw a couple of other riders go down and just took it steady for a couple of laps but came back strong at the end, when my lap times were better and I was able to get into a rhythm. We still need to do some work on improving the way the bike turns – I’m just having to wait too long to get on the gas. But we’re going in the right direction and making small steps forward. We’ll have a good base to start with at Imola and know what we have to do.

Kenan Sofuoglu – DNF

I am so disappointed because I was in a good position when I crashed. I felt I had to push to stay with Crutchlow, but I just pushed too hard. I lost the footpeg but the rest of the bike was OK and I was able to do some good lap times before the bolt ! fell off and I had no alternative but to pull in. I’m sorry for the team who worked so hard to give me a good bike this weekend and I will try to make up for it at Imola.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

It’s a shame of course, but second position seemed secured until Kenan’s little off. The positive is that we had made a big step forward this weekend and in our small tests during the break. Andrew’s first half was slow, but in the second part of his race he seemed to be quick enough for maybe fourth place. However, we are moving in the right direction and look forward to continuing at Imola.

2009 World Supersport championship, round 11 – Nurburging, Germany (5.13km, 19 laps) results:
1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 37’56.481s
2 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda +10.109s
3 Joan Lascorz (ESP) Kawasaki +10.250
4 Massimo Roccoli (ITA) Honda +31.980
5 Fabien Foret (FRA) Yamaha +34.575
6 Mark Aitchison (AUS) Honda +34.724
7 Andrew Pitt (AUS) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda +36.632

Championship points after 11 of 14 rounds: Crutchlow 210, Laverty 188, Lascorz 138, Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 128, Foret 99, Anthony West 96, Pitt 94

Next round: Imola, Italy – 25-27 September

Jonathan Rea will start tomorrow’s two 11th-round World Superbike championship races from the front row of the grid after setting the second fastest time in this afternoon’s Superpole session at Nurburgring in Germany.

It looked as though Rea might take his first WSBK pole start but Japan’s Noriyuki Haga pipped the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland with his final lap, beating Rea to the top slot by two hundredths of a second.

Rea has been running at the top of the timing sheets all weekend but he lost almost 20 minutes of the free practice session just before Superpole. His main bike developed a technical problem and Rea then crashed his spare machine, cutting his left index finger and thumb. However, his technicians were able to repair his number one bike in time for Superpole.

His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team mate, Carlos Checa, progressed to Superpole 3 this afternoon and will start from the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s two 20-lap races.

Jonathan Rea – P2, 1’55.749s (Superpole 3)

I put a pretty good lap in at the start of the last Superpole session and thought it would be enough. But all credit to Nori – it was a really good lap on a not exactly 100% qualifying tire. But my package was working really well and I’m glad the guys didn’t go to sleep during the summer break. We’ve come here with some really good development parts for the bike and I can’t thank the boys enough for digging deep. I really love this circuit but didn’t ride so well in the Supersport race here last year but this is a new year and I think our race package is pretty good. I can sleep solidly tonight and really look forward to tomorrow.

Carlos Checa – P8, 1’56.699s (Superpole 3)

We changed a little bit for the last run and I thought I would be able to do a low 56 or even a high 55, but it did not come. I am pre! tty happ y with the race tire, though and the package is feeling good, even though I am still struggling a little in the first sector. I wasn’t feeling so good today – a headache and maybe a little temperature. So we’ll hope for more tomorrow, both from me and the bike.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

I think we can all be quite happy with the results achieved today. It’s good to see that the work we did during the summer break has paid off. We honestly thought that Jonathan had secured pole position and I think Haga’s lap caught everyone in the paddock by surprise! Anyway, we are quite ready for the races tomorrow with both Jonathan and Carlos strong on race tires. So hopefully we’ll get some good results to maintain our recent progress.

Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari qualified for Superpole after this morning’s qualifying session for tomorrow’s two 11th-round World Superbike championship races at Nurburgring in Germany.

However, the Japanese ace was not able to find the right feel with his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade in order to progress beyond Superpole 1 from which the 16 fastest riders proceed to the final two sessions.

A disappointed Kiyonari finally qualified 18th fastest on the fifth row for tomorrow’s two 20-lappers at the 5.13km Nurburgring.

Pole position was taken by his fellow Japanese Noriyuki Haga with Kiyonari’s Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Jonathan Rea, taking the runner up slot.

Ryuichi Kiyonari – P18, 1.57.522s

I am very disappointed with today’s qualifying sessions and Superpole because yesterday it felt like we were making some good progress with the bike and I had a good feeling in the wet. Today in the dry the feeling was not so good and I’m not so sure what we can do to improve things. But we will look at everything again later to see where we can improve the bike and maybe the rider. Of course, I will try my best in tomorrow’s races and hope for a better result than today.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

We felt that we were making some good progress with Kiyonari-san’s new suspension set up yesterday, but he appears to have lost some of that good feeling today. I strongly believe that we are still moving forward, however, so the Superpole result today is a real shame. Kiyo is a fighter though, and we all know he will give it his best shot in the races tomorrow.

2009 World Superbike championship, round 11 – Nurburgring, Germany
Final qualifying results:

1 Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati 1’55.489s
2 Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’55.749s
3 Leon Haslam (GBR! ) Honda 1’55.776s
4 Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 1’55.927s
5 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 1’55.938s
6 Troy Corser (AUS) BMW 1’56.296s
7 Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia 1’56.440s
8 Carlos Checa (ESP) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’56.699s
18 Ryuichi Kiyonari (JPN) Ten Kate Honda Racing 1’57.552s

WSS

Kenan Sofuoglu will start from the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s 11th-round World Supersport championship race at the Nurburgring in Germany after setting the second fastest time in this afternoon’s qualifying session.

The Turk lapped the famous 5.15km circuit in a time of 1’59.201 as Britain’s Cal Crutchlow took pole position for tomorrow’s 19-lap race.

Sofuoglu’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Andrew Pitt, will start from the third row after setting the tenth fastest time, but the Australian’s renewed confidence in his Honda CBR600RR continues to grow.

Kenan Sofuoglu – P2, 1’59.201s

It wasn’t too bad today and we are definitely improving the bike each time we go out. I went a second faster than this morning, which shows the progress we are making, and second place on the grid is a good place to start. Of course, Crutchlow was very fast today but P1 in the race is the one that counts. I think I will be racing with him and Laverty tomorrow. The team has worked so hard and I am able to hold a line when I open the gas, which is a big improvement. We will look to make another step forward in warm-up tomorrow.

Andrew Pitt – P10, 2’00.455s

It doesn’t look such a great result from the outside, but my confidence is growing all the time and I think we probably have a top five package at the moment. I did a couple of laps with Kenan this afternoon and I’m having to keep the throttle closed just a little bit longer than him, which I think is down to the balance of my bike. But we’re definitely making progress and we’re closer than we’ve been for a while. It’s tough in the first three turns and then at the end of the lap, but we’re seeing problems better and fixing them. There’s some work to do but it’s all going in the right direction.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

We definitely found a way forward this afternoon but unfortunately we were not in a position that allowed Andrew to capitalise but Kenan is going pretty well. Of course, we need to go faster, so we have some more work to do tonight and in the morning in order to challenge for a win tomorrow.

2009 World Supersport championship, round 11 – Nurburgring, Germany
Final qualifying results:

1 Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Yamaha 1’57.866s
2 Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 1’59.201s
3 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Honda 1’59.373s
4 Garry McCoy (AUS) Triumph 1’59.716s
5 Michele Pirro (ITA) Yamaha 1’59.765s
6 Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN) Kawasaki 1’59.779s
10 Andrew Pitt (AUS) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2’00.455s

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea set the fastest time in today’s wet opening qualifying session for Sunday’s 11th-round World Superbike championship races at Nurburgring in Germany.

The 22-year-old spent most of the hour-long session – some of which was held in torrential rain – at the top of the timing sheets with a comfortable 1.5-second margin. The gap was reduced to half a second by Britain’s Tom Sykes right at the end of the session, but Rea remained comfortably the fastest rider today.

His team mate, Carlos Checa looked to be heading for a provisional front row slot with his final lap. He was slowed by another rider at the final chicane but remains comfortable in the progress made in today’s sessions.

Jonathan Rea – P1, 2’11.278s

I thought the guys in the team would have rested during the summer break but it seems they’ve been working right through, developing new things to try. We’ve been working on how the rear behaves on corner entry and the work they’ve done has helped a lot, especially in the wet today. We did a lot of laps to confirm things but I really think we’re just scratching the surface of the potential we have – it really is working. I’m feeling really at ease on the bike and with the whole way the team is working together. If I have a problem, I come in, we fix it, and I go faster again. It’s feeling really good.

Carlos Checa – P1, 2’13.550s

We worked on wet settings throughout today and the important thing is that the balance of the bike, the overall feeling on the brakes was all good. I didn’t want to risk too much in the conditions today but the last lap was OK until I got to the final chicane where another rider almost high-sided and crashed in front of me. I though I might get another lap in but the flag was down. I hope we can get some dry! track t ime tomorrow because the forecast for Sunday is for dry conditions.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

It was good to see both riders up to speed today. Jonathan was clearly on it from the very first moment with his bike and some new settings and he fully attacked Friday! Tomorrow may be a different ball game with some dry track time and Sunday is showing a fully dry forecast. It’s good to see that the progress we were making before the summer break is being maintained here and we look forward to some more tomorrow.

2009 World Superbike championship, round 11 – Nurburgring, Germany
Friday qualifying – results:

1 Jonathan Rea (GBR) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2’11.278s
2 Tom Sykes (GBR) Yamaha 2’11.781s
3 Troy Croser (AUS) BMW 2’12.086s
4 Michel Fabrizio (ITA) Ducati 2’12.354s
5 Noriyuki Haga (JPN) Ducati 2’12.635s
6 Shane Byrne (GBR) Ducati 2’12.819s
12 Carlos Checa (ESP) Hannspree Ten Kate Honda 2’15.863s

Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari earned himself a provisional top ten grid position for Sunday’s two 11th-round World Superbike championship races at Nurburgring by setting the ninth fastest time in today’s opening qualifying session.

Provisional pole position was taken by Kiyonari’s Ten Kate Honda team-mate Jonathan Rea but the Japanese ace worked steadily with his crew today to make improvements to his Honda Genuine Accessories backed CBR1000RR Fireblade.

The 5.13km Nurburgring circuit in Germany is the second circuit at which Kiyonari has used the team’s new Ohlins suspension and he and his crew declared themselves satisfied with the progress made today.

Ryuichi Kiyonari – P9, 2’13.215s

My lap timer stopped working towards the end of the qualifying session but I think my last lap was looking OK until I nearly highsided at the final chicane and I was lucky not to crash. We made some progress today and the feeling is definitely continuing to improve, step by step. The new suspension is still a challenge, especially in the conditions we had today, but we are making forward steps – maybe two steps forward and then one back. But it is in the right direction!

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

Kiyonari-san is definitely showing that he is getting to grips with the new components a lot better now. During the summer break we spent a lot of time analysing data and creating new suspension settings. The work definitely paid off for Kiyo today and we’re looking for further improvements tomorrow.

WSS

Kenan Sofuoglu and Andrew Pitt were happy with the pace of their Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RRs at a wet Nurburgring in Germany today after the first practice session for Sunday’s 11th World Supersport championship round.

Pitt was eighth fastest at the rain-lashed 5.13km circuit, as series leader Cal Crutchlow edged Sofuoglu into second place on the leader board by just three tenths of a second.

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team has been working through the recent summer break, including undertaking two recent tests at Assen and Nurburgring itself, the latter during a general track day.

The Ten Kate pairing have a further free practice session tomorrow morning before the afternoon qualifying session to determine the grid for Sunday’s 19-lap race.

Kenan Sofuoglu – P2, 2’13.480s

I am quite happy with the performance for our first day here. I had a crash early in the session at the slow second corner when I got on the gas a little too early. It was a sign of some rear grip problems that we had early on but we managed to make some steps towards solving that problem. I could have gone faster for sure, but I prefer to keep making small steps forward and save a quick lap for tomorrow’s qualifying. But wet or dry, I’m happy with where we are and very happy to be back on the bike.

Andrew Pitt – P8, 2’15.863s

I’ve actually got a smile on my face because the bike is working really well and the feeling is coming back. My last lap was going to push me up the leader board but it got a little messed up by a slower rider. Kenan tried a new engine mapping to improve acceleration, which is an! area wh ere we’ve been struggling. He seems really happy with it, so we’ll try that on our bike tomorrow and see how that goes. But the important thing is my confidence is growing with every lap and I’m enjoying riding the bike again.

Ronald ten Kate – team manager

It’s a promising start to the weekend and it seems that we’re definitely making some good steps forward with our electronics and suspension set up. The recent tests have been very important for that. Both Kenan and Andrew are smiling again at the end of a session, which is a strong indicator of the amount of progress we have made.

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) scored his first ever MotoGP podium with a strong second place finish to race winner Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) in the surprising Indianapolis Grand Prix at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The San Marinese took second place on the tenth of 28 laps when Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha) suffered a rare race crash out of second place. From there he withstood constant pressure from Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro). It was only in the final ten laps that De Angelis was able to pull away from Hayden to secure his first podium by a comfortable 3.7s.

De Angelis was ecstatic with the result, which comes on the heals of three finishes in the top eight, including a previous best fourth at Donington Park two races earlier. The podium for De Angelis makes it two in a row for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, which celebrated teammate Toni Elias’s first podium of the season in Brno two weeks ago.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) put in a determined charge to try to take the final podium spot. Dovizioso had started the race mid-pack before his own momentum and the misfortune of others allowed him to climb up the lap charts. The pass for fourth came at the mid-point of the race and the final 14 laps were spent pursuing Hayden. Dovizioso closed to within .289s on the final lap, but couldn’t find a way past.

Elias had less to celebrate today than in Brno. The Spaniard was forced off the track in the first corner by a MotoGP debutante and completed the first lap in 17th place, nearly 14s behind race leader Dani Pedrosa, who was among the unfortunate in Indianapolis. Elias never gave up and fought his way to a ninth place finish, just in front of Dani Pedrosa.

Pedrosa was in the lead on the fourth lap when his front end washed away and he crashed in the penultimate turn on the fourth lap. Undeterred, the gritty Spaniard picked up his Honda RC212V and soldiered on. Cautious on his first laps, and riding with a damaged handlebar and foot peg, Pedrosa gradually sped up and worked his way up to tenth, and six valuable championship points. A seventh place or better in next week’s race in Misano will elevate Pedrosa into third in the championship.

Randy De Puniet (LCR Honda) overcame the pain of his still healing left ankle to finish 12th on the predominantly left-handed track. More troublesome than the ankle was his tire choice. The Frenchman chose the harder of the two rear tire options and knew from the start he didn’t have enough grip on the left side of the tire. He ran wide in turn two with seven laps to run and was passed by two riders was in tenth when a mistake on the 16th lap dropped him to his final finishing position.

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) was the last of the 14 finishers. The Hungarian rider spent the race continuing to learn yet another new racetrack in his debut season in MotoGP. Though he improved over the course of the weekend, he felt that going any faster would have been imprudent and he struggled to finish 14th.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda) extended his 250 World Championship lead with a determined ride to second place. Aoyama moved into second on the fourth of 26 laps and immediately began pressuring race leader Marco Simoncelli (Metis Gilera). The Japanese rider was able to keep the gap under .3s until the 22nd lap when a slight bobble in turn 11 cause him a moment’s hesitation. That gave Simoncelli the impetus he needed to speed up. The Italian set the fastest lap of the race on the 24th and Aoyama had no answer. Instead he protected his second place finish, and the 20 points that go with it.

With five races remaining, Aoyama leads Alvaro Bautista (Mapfre Aprilia), third today, by 16 points, 192 to 176.

Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG) and Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG) were battling mid-race before they went in their separate directions. Wilairot moved up as high as fifth place before a heartbreaking mechanical issue took him out of the race with less than five laps to run. Faubel was also on the move when he had a moment that wrenched his back. The Spaniard lost a few positions and wasn’t able to reclaim then.

That Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda) even rode is a testament to his determination. The Italian had to take a trip to a local hospital after crashing in Saturday qualifying. The damage was a slight separation of his left shoulder and a bruised left leg. Weakened by injuries, De Rosa didn’t have the confidence to race at 100% and finished 11th.

Today was a mixed blessing for Team CIP Honda. French rider Valentin Debise equaled his best result of the season with a 13th place finish, which is better than it looks. Debise unavoidably ran into another rider off the start, tearing off his front fender and sending him backwards. Then came the resurgence that steadily moved him up the order. Had he not been handicapped at the start, he surely would have scored a career best finish. Team-mate Shoya Tomizawa didn’t race today. The Japanese rider damaged the chassis on his lone Honda RS250R on Friday and the team couldn’t find a replacement. Now they have a short week to return to their base in France to prepare a new machine for next week’s race in Misano Adriatico.

Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda) lowered his lap time in the morning warm-up, but wasn’t able to put the set-up improvement to use in the race. The Swiss rider was the victim of another rider’s exuberance and he crashed on the first lap.

MotoGP Riders Quotes:

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini), second-place finisher, said:
“I have to thank the team for the incredible job they have done this weekend – the bike has been fantastic ever since we unpacked it on Friday and we have gone from strength to strength over the course of the weekend. They also gave me a lot of confidence this morning and honestly I think they had more belief that I would be on the podium today than I did! It is a fantastic result, but it is no fluke because we have been in great form over the last five races. It is a long time since I was on the podium back in the 250cc class and I had almost forgotten what a great feeling it was. Now I want to enjoy it and celebrate with another good performance at my home race next weekend.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda), fourth-place finisher, said:
“After the warm-up today we made a radical change to the set-up and I have to say that my team has worked really well because, thanks to this modification, my feeling with the machine improved a lot in the race. I could ride faster than during the practice sessions and my rhythm in the race was also consistent. Considering how the weekend had gone up to this point, finishing fourth is quite positive result. We still have to improve though of course. I was close to Nicky and I tried to overtake him several times by taking big risks. It’s a pity to finish fourth because the podium was not impossible. The important thing is that we have taken an important step forward. We are close the podium and we will start again in Misano building on this good base.”.”

Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini), ninth-place finisher, said:
“Ninth place is not what we had hoped for before we came here, but I can’t complain because after making a bad start to the weekend we have made continual improvements and we were in good shape for this race. Unfortunately I was pushed onto the grass by Aleix (Espargaro) into the second turn and it ruined my race. He came to apologise at the end of the race and I told him not to worry – it has happened to all of us in the past! It is a shame because I think we could have been on the podium today, or at least in the top five, but to take ninth under the circumstances is still a positive result.”

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), tenth-place finisher, said:
“This result was a real shame but sometimes it happens – it’s racing. We did a great job all through practice and qualifying, I was confident for the race and of course I was hoping to win today. I was pushing very hard at the start of the race and perhaps I pushed too much. There was some cloud cover today and maybe the front tire was a little cooler than before, but whatever the reason, I made a mistake and lost the front. I’m sorry for the team because they’ve worked really hard for me, and also to the fans who’ve given me great support. I wanted to win in American again but it wasn’t to be. There was some damage to the bike – the handlebar was bent inwards and the footpeg was worn away quite badly, but actually I was able to recover and ride at a fast pace to take some points at the end. Looking on the positive side, we’ve been very fast here and that means we can take a lot of confidence to Misano next weekend.”

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda), 12th-place finisher, said:
““In yesterday’s qualifying I felt better on a hard rear tire and that was my choice for today’s 28-lap race. But obviously it has been the wrong decision. From the beginning I had not enough grip on the left and I could not open the throttle where I would like. I thought that the grip would have improved after a few laps, but it did not happen and I struggled for the whole race. At seven laps to go I also went wide on turn two and (Toni) Elias and (Chris) Vermeulen were faster than me today. The ankle aches a lot like in Brno but I think that Misano race track will suite me better than Indy.”

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda), 14th-place finisher, said:
“Session by session we improved – and this is OK. At the beginning of the race I was in a condition to attack, ad operated a few overtaking, and I enjoyed it. But to do so I had to ride constantly over the limit. In the second part of the race it was a struggle. This is what worries me most: We have to find something big to improve.”

250cc Riders Quotes:
Hiroshi Aoyama (Scot Honda), second-place finisher, said:
“All in all, I’m satisfied. My crash in the morning was not huge, but the bike was badly damaged in some parts, and my crew had to show all their ability to fix it. Nevertheless, we lost time and were not able to check all the aspect of the new set-up that we had prepared for the race. So, in the last laps, when I saw that to get the victory I had to risk a mistake, I decided that getting these 20 points was too important. Yes, it is a very good result”.

Hector Faubel (Valencia CF-Honda SAG), eighth-place finisher, said:
“Today I started really good. In the beggining I was in the top six, but in the second corner of the second lap a piece of a bike hit me and I nearly crashed and I lost a lot of positions. After this I caught the riders in front of me and I passed (Lucas) Pesek, but after this I made a mistake opening the throttle too fast and I made a whiplash that hurts my back. After this I couldn’t ride the bike at the maximum and I was losing a lot of positions. It is a pity because I thought that I could fight for the top five in this race. Anyway, I’m happy because I get good point for the championship and I’m not losing the option of finishing the championship in the top five.”

Raffaele De Rosa (Scot Honda), 11th-place finisher, said:
“The shoulder was not a problem, but my left leg was. Bruised and battered as it was, I could not use it as I wanted. I was forced to take no risks. It was a pity because my feeling with the bike was great and my Honda was very strong on the brakes. But I was not in the condition to take advantage from it. In my opinion, in a normal situation, a fifth, sixth place could be mine.”

Valentin Debise (Team CIP Honda), 13th-place finisher, said:
“I had quite a good start and I went on the outside, but unfortunately I had (Alex) Baldolini in front of me and it looked like Baldolini jumped on the brakes, so I couldn’t avoid him. So I touched him and I just tore off the front mud guard. And then I lost some time, so I was about ten seconds behind the guys then had to catch up a little bit. Fortunately, as the race goes on, some riders crashed and I was able to move up. But from lap four the rear was sliding around and to the end it was like this. So it was quite a difficult race.”

Ratthapark Wilairot (Thai Honda PTT-SAG), DNF, said:
“I made a very good start and I was riding between the seven first riders, but when (Jules) Cluzel crashed, I nearly crashed because all the pieces of the bike were hitting me. And after this I touched (Alex) Debón, and also I nearly fell down. But at this moment it seems that the exhaust pipe was a little bit damaged and also I was riding with the carburetion at the limit and all of these handicaps made that the second cylinder lose the performance. It is a pity because the bike was working really good in terms of chassis and engine. Also I was riding really good and confortable and I could predict to be in the top five. Now we must study what happened and look forward to the next race.”

Bastien Chesaux (Racing Team Germany Honda), DNF, said:
“The morning warm-up was really good. I was 18th. Sure it would be better at the beginning to start in 18th place, but it’s like that. So I was happy about that. The race was really difficult, because I take a good start. I was all the way on the outside on the start and I was on the inside in the first corner and somebody crashed just behind me and I go out and my motorcycle was broken. It was very difficult, because we had a new setting with the bike and I can’t say now if it’s better. Not the American dream.”