Honda – Ten Kate – Stiggy – Riders Quotes – Monza Review | World SBK
- From: 'the Wire' | Published: May 11th, 2009 - 1:10 pm
World SBK – Honda Rider Quotes:
Ryuichi Kiyonari said:
“I am so happy to get these results for myself and for the team. We have worked very hard to find a good setting with the CBR1000RR this season but we have not always had good luck. My start was very bad in race one but I was able to fight back lap-by-lap during the race, although I was very surprised and happy when they told me I was third. In the second race I had a better start and I must say I am a little disappointed. I had the speed to catch Fabrizio but not quite enough to get past him. But this is my best result for a long time and I hope it indicates the start of a better part of the season for me and the team.”
Leon Haslam said:
“I went out on my second bike today, which I hadn’t been riding all weekend, and took a bit of a gamble with it. We had some issues with the fuelling and the suspension, but we decided to stay with the set up we used in Assen. It took me a few laps to get into it, but I was able to run a good pace. The pace in the end of the race was definitely good enough for a place on the rostrum. It was a tough weekend, with bad qualifying results and a disappointing first race. To finish the second race in seventh race place is a good enough result, so I am pretty happy.”
Jonathan Rea said:
“We just had a few problems with the bike in the latter stages of the race, I don’t know whether it’s the light fuel load or what, but it developed a bit of chatter which was quite hard to dial out after race one. I got busted by a pretty hard move by Laconi in that race and, by the time I’d got back past him, I’d lost touch with the leading group. In Race 2 I got a much better start and tried really hard to catch Fabrizio and Kiyo, but they had a little more left in the tank at the end. Still, I’ve equalled my best Superbike result and we’ve shown that we can race at the front now.”
Carlos Checa said:
“It is not so exciting to fight for tenth place but this is what it is at the moment. At the beginning things were not so bad, but we were carrying some of the limitations of before. Entry points and there was still some jumping in the rear, it was difficult to get side grip on throttle opening, and I was struggling to get to the front group.”
Tommy Hill said:
“Race one was really very difficult for us. Immediately after the start there was a big crash in the first chicane, someone bumped into my bike and I crashed. We were able to restart the race, as I did not injure myself, although I was forced to use my second bike & I struggled with the same problems I have found during the qualifying session. I tried to ride aggressive but I couldn’t really chase the riders in front of me and the only thing I could do was try and finish the race.”
Jake Zemke said:
“It is definitely not the weekend that I wanted to have. I want to thank the team for all the hard work they put. They bent over backwards to get to a point were I was happy on the bike, but we just never got there. Race one went a lot better then race two, we made some changes and thought they would help us, but they didn’t, and then the ride through penalty for cutting the chicane just finished the race for me.”
WSS – Honda Rider Quotes:
Eugene Laverty said:
“I wasn’t happy at the end of the race because on the last lap I thought I could have caught and passed the pair in front of me. I did all the hard work and then on the last corner was sucked in and ran wide. I simply didn’t have the confidence in my front tire to brake harder and take the inside line. It had folded a couple of times on me in the race. With hindsight I may have used a different front tire, the same as the riders around me, but that is down to experience at this circuit.”
Kenan Sofuoglu said:
“I can only say that I am really very disappointed with this weekend here in Monza. I had a very big crash in qualifying yesterday and, although I was not too badly injured, I lost quite a lot of confidence. I have some problems with braking and accelerating but we will work hard to put these right in time for the next race in South Africa. I know that I am in a very professional team and I trust the guys that I work with. I will also do my best to improve the rider performance and hopefully we can all get a good result next week.”
Andrew Pitt said:
“The bike was actually really good at the start of the race – the balance of the chassis felt fine and I was able to push at the front with the others. But, as the race progressed, it became clear that we were really over-working the rear tire. I had problems controlling the bike into and out of turns, especially the entry. In the end I was having to use the gearbox to slow down because if I used the brakes too much, the rear would just want to come round and overtake me. We’re definitely going in the right direction with the new bike, though, and just need to work on the rear setting a little to get a result next week.”
Anthony West said:
“We made some changes to the bike after the bad qualifying results, but starting from that position on the grid is it just hard to make some ground. My only choice was to go flat out, but then I pushed too hard and lost the front. I made a small mistake with big consequences. I’m very disappointed and would like to forget this weekend and look ahead to the next race.”
Gianluca Vizziello said:
“I had a good start from my 18th place on the grid. I touched another rider in the chicane and had to get off the gas for a second. The rhythm was good today, but I was lacking some acceleration coming out of the corners. My crew have worked hard this weekend, and I am happy with the set up of my bike. I am convinced this is the way forward for me to improve my results, and hope I can continue my progress in the next race.”
Miguel Praia said:
“I got a good start and up to around 12th or 13th but was held up at the Parabolica and dropped back four places avoiding Vizziello. I got my head down to recover as many places as I could and battled with Veneman. He was playing with me and over-taking when I felt if he had followed me we would have caught up with Battaini. The pace was fantastic with all laps in the 1min 52s which is very good. On the last lap I had a near huge highside and was not able to catch Battaini. It is good points and a result that I needed.”
Mark Aitchison said:
“At the beginning it was a tough race and I was able to remain in the first group of riders also if my rhythm was not perfect. Starting from the sixth laps I found a very good pace when I crashed in Parabolica curve. I was not pushing too hard but probably I entered that curve just a little too fast, I lost my front wheel and I crashed. Not very much I can say….I ended my race for a small mistake that probably cost me the podium.”
Matthieu Lagrive said:
“Because of a bad start I pushed extremely hard from the beginning and I was able to reach the riders in front of me. I tried to move forward in combat with Pitt and Fujiwara but I ran out in a curve and crashed. I rejoined the race trying to collect some points for my championship standing but I obtained only the sixteenth place. I’m very disappointed because with a better start I could have fought for the victory.”
Jesco Günther said:
“It was important to finish the race but I am not completely satisfied with my 20th place. We have some good feedback now from the machine and it felt much better than in the previous two races. I need to get back some race pace and I am sure that this weekend has been a good start to that end. I am happy that the next event is coming up very soon, so we can keep on improving. I want to thank my team for the work that they have done this weekend, and I hope I can give them something to cheer about in Kyalami. I also hope Robbin is fit enough to race again with our team.”
Arie Vos said:
“Again I had to fight hard so as not to finish right at the back, and that doesn’t feel good. It is hard to say why my results are so disappointing at the moment. I know that part of it is that I am struggling on the bike, but the bike itself is not as easy to ride fast as I would like. I don’t know if we can solve this in a short period because the next race is just seven days away. We don’t have time to work on the machine in between these two races so we just have to see how it goes when we get there, and what we can do to improve matters. Nevertheless my team worked hard this weekend and I hope we will have a better result in Kyalami.”
Robbin Harms said:
“I had my surgery on Saturday at 2pm and it took more than two hours, but everything went well. The doctors put a plate on my fracture and I don’t have much pain anymore. Because of the surgery the muscles in my neck and shoulder have shortened, and I feel very stiff now. It can take up to a few months before this gets back to normal, but I am working on it already! As for the crash, I am not sure what happened, and the bike doesn’t show any signs of technical failure. In a moment my back tire slipped away and the bike had a huge high-side. It happened really quickly and I didn’t even have time to react to prepare for the fall. I am happy that the surgery went well, however, and that I am able to ride next week. I will at least try to finish the race in South Africa!”
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda Racing CBR1000RR) followed a third place qualification in Superpole with two third place finishes in the Word Superbike races at Monza, in a day full of drama and upset in the championship fight.
The first Superbike race was stopped after a first chicane incident which led to three separate but related crashes involving five riders, one of whom was 21st place qualifier Tommy Hill (Honda Althea CBR1000RR). The subsequent one-hour delay caused further changes of schedule through the day, although race two started on time.
Once more Kiyonari led the Honda charge, having his best day of the year so far in WSB, and moving into the top ten overall.
Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a fifth in race one and a fourth in race two, the latter an impressive result, just seven seconds from the winner after starting in sixth position on the grid.
A day of contrast for Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR), now fourth in the overall championship, came after he improved from a qualifying place of 17 in Superpole, but was forced out of race one with a fuel problem, while in race two he rallied well and took a fine seventh.
Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) suffered a lack of outright competitiveness after earning a gird slot of ninth, finishing ninth in race one and tenth in the second leg of the meeting.
In race one Jake Zemke (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR), riding as a substitute for the injured John Hopkins, overcame a qualifying place of 25th to ride to 18th in race one, but was unable to keep that pace in race two, and was classified 20th.
Tommy Hill finished the restarted race one in 20th place, in race two he came home 16th, just one place away from a point. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) finished race one 21st, but was forced out of race two.
Ten Kate:
Ryuichi Kiyonari scored two third place finishes in today’s fifth round World Superbike championship event at Monza in Italy, the scene of his first WSBK podium a year ago.
The two races were won by Michel Fabrizio and Ben Spies during an eventful schedule that was delayed by a first turn crash in race one, when several riders were injured and oil spilled on the circuit.
Starting from third place on the grid, Kiyonari dropped back to 17th place at the restart but fought his was back into contention. Entering the last lap in fifth place Kiyonari benefited from Spies running out of fuel and Max Biaggi’s 20s penalty for cutting a chicane.
Kiyonari had already returned to his pit-box before being ushered back for the podium ceremony.
In the second 18-lapper around the historic 5.8km Monza circuit, Kiyonari got a better start and was battling in the leading group throughout the race before securing his second podium of the day.
Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea just missed a podium finish by taking fourth place in race two at today’s fifth round World Superbike championship event at Monza in Italy.
Starting from sixth place on the grid, Rea was fortunate to avoid the first corner melée in the first 18-lap outing which led to an hour’s delay in the schedule. In the restart, won by Italian Michel Fabrizio, Rea dropped to 11th before fighting back through the field to take fifth.
The Northern Ireland rider went one better in the second outing at the legendary 5.8km Monza circuit, as Ben Spies took his fifth win of the campaign. Rea put in his fastest lap in the second half of the race, vindicating the recent changes made to his CBR1000RR by his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda crew.
Rea’s team-mate, Carlos Checa, finished in ninth and tenth places in the two outings after starting from ninth place on the grid.
Ryuichi Kiyonari – 3rd and 3rd
I am so happy to get these results for myself and for the team. We have worked very hard to find a good setting with the CBR1000RR this season but we have not always had good luck. My start was very bad in race one but I was able to fight back lap-by-lap during the race, although I was very surprised and happy when they told me I was third. In the second race I had a better start and I must say I am a little disappointed. I had the speed to catch Fabrizio but not quite enough to get past him. But this is my best result for a long time and I hope it indicates the start of a better part of the season for me and the team.
Jonathan Rea – 5th and 4th
We just had a few problems with the bike in the latter stages of the race – I don’t know whether it’s the light fuel load or what, but it developed a bit of chatter which was quite hard to dial out after race one. I got busted by a pretty hard move by Laconi in that race and, by the time I’d got back past him, I’d lost touch with the leading group. In Race 2 I got a much better start and tried really hard to catch Fabrizio and Kiyo, but they had a little more left in the tank at the end. Still, I’ve equalled my best Superbike result and we’ve shown that we can race at the front now. I didn’t quite achieve a podium today but hopefully the results are some reward for all the hard work the team has put in over the last few weeks.
Carlos Checa – 9th and 10th
Both races were pretty much the same for me – I had quite bad chatter on the entry into corners and a lack of side grip on the exit, but the entry problem was worse. It was a little better in race two and I was able to stay with the leading riders a little longer. But then I started to lose a few tenths here and there, and then I got tangled with a few other riders and made some mistakes. We will check the settings of the other guys in the team and see where we can improve things in time for next weekend in Kyalami.
Ronald ten Kate – team manager
I am more than satisfied with Kiyo-san’s two podium finishes today, although I must honestly say that, especially in race one, there might have been the chance of a win if not for his bad start. Dropping from third on the grid to seventeenth on the first lap is quite exceptional, but what is more exceptional is fighting back again to third place! It’s good to get confirmation of our set-up and electronics changes and hopefully we can be even more competitive in Kyalami next weekend.
Those were two solid results for Jonathan which are a reward for and credit to all the hard work that the crew has put in to find a new development of the bike since we left Valencia. We will have to look at Carlos’s particular issues but we are definitely moving forward and aim to take the next step in South Africa.
Stiggy:
Leon Haslam took a risk in the Superpole Qualifying yesterday, by opting for a soft race tire, and unexpectedly found himself pushed out of the first session. Starting from a fifth row on the grid, it seemed hard to capitalise on the potential of the Stiggy Superbike on raceday, but Haslam proved he can run the pace, and dug deep in both Superbike races today.
The first Superbike race was red flagged in the early seconds after a pile-up in the first chicane took no less than six riders down. After a 30 minute delay, the race was re-started and Fabrizio, Spies and Haga immediately compiled a leading group. After Neukirchner was unable to restart the race due to injury, Haslam moved up to 16th on the grid and came through the first lap in 13th. He gradually worked his way forward through the field, but had to retire, due to an unexpected technical problem, on the ultimate lap of the race.
After a less than perfect start in the second race, Haslam once again pushed hard to make his way to the front, and claimed no less than 11 positions in the 18 lap race. His performance highlighted a tough weekend for the Stiggy Racing Team, as he converted his 16th position at the lights to a superb seventh place at the flag.
American Formula Extreme Champion Jake Zemke stepped in to replace the injured John Hopkins, and gave it his all in his first World Superbike race. He struggled to adapt to the Stiggy Racing Honda machine on the Pirelli tires through qualifying. Zemke claimed 18th place in race one, and took 20th in the second race in his maiden appearance for the team.
Leon Haslam, Race 1 – DNF, Race 2 – 7th :
” I went out on my second bike today, which I hadn’t been riding all weekend, and took a bit of a gamble with it. We had some issues with the suspension, but we decided to stay with the set up we used in Assen. It took me a few laps to get into it, but I was able to run a good pace. The pace in the end of the race was definitely good enough for a place on the rostrum. It was a tough weekend, with bad qualifying results and a disappointing first race. To finish the second race in seventh race place is a good enough result, I am pretty happy “.
Jake Zemke, Race 1 – 18th, Race 2 – 20th:
” It is definitely not the weekend that I wanted to have. I want to thank the team for all the hard work they put. They bent over backwards to get to a point were I was happy on the bike, but we just never got there. I struggled to get the bike to turn, and we failed to find the solution in such short time. My team did a great job, but I just didn’t bring the bike to a place where we could all be satisfied. Race one went a lot better then race two, we made some changes and thought they would help us, but they didn’t, and then the ride through penalty for cutting the chicane just finished the race for me.
Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager:
” It has been such an unfortunate weekend for us here in Monza. Leon was running for seventh when his bike stopped due to a technical problem, with just one lap to go. Jake was here to learn, but he is a bit disappointed he struggled to get further up. The bike and the team are capable of doing so, but we know it was hard for him to just come here and race for a top 15 place.
Leon’s seventh place in race two was a good result. He has shown again that he can run the same lap times as the front runners, but from his starting position on the fifth row combined with a bad start, it was hard to go forward. If it wasn’t for that, I am sure he would have been able to finish in the top 3 again “.
In the overall rankings, Noriyuki Haga is still leading, on 200 points, Monza race two winner Ben Spies is second on 146, race one winner Michel Fabrizio is third with 125. Haslam holds fourth place only 22 points behind, the last rider with over 100 points after ten individual races. Rea is eighth with 77 and Kiyonari tenth with 65.
WSS:
Laverty Fourth After Tough Monza Race-day
Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) repeated his qualifying position of fourth in today’s race at Monza, making him the first Honda rider home.
He was only 0.064 seconds from a podium finish in a race he looked capable of winning at one stage, but a first chicane contact with another rider on the final lap pushed him back and he could not make up enough ground to grab a top three finish in the very last corner.
A delayed start to the 16-lap World Supersport race was the result of a restart for the first Superbike race of the day, and this contributed to a nervous first few laps for most riders.
Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was seventh in qualifying but improved to fifth in the race itself, despite suffering from a lack of rear traction. Pitt’s team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) was with the leaders in the early lap rankings, but slipped back to finish ninth, three places behind his qualifying place.
Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) went from 15th on the grid to 12th in the race, the fourth Honda rider home, and the only other Honda points scorer was Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR), 14th and two places better than qualifying.
Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) was mystified to qualify 20th yesterday and today he lasted only two laps, crashing on the third when simply pushing too hard.
West is now fifth in the championship, one below Pitt and one above today’s second place rider Joan Lascorz. Cal Crutchlow won the race, from Lascorz and Fabien Foret.
Mark Aitchison (Althea Honda CBR600RR) had high hopes at Monza after a positive recent test at the classic 5.973km circuit. Despite starting inside the top five, and running strongly for a time, he fell at the Parabolica and had to retire. His team-mate Matthieu Lagrive (Althea Honda CBR600RR) was 11th in qualifying but after crashing and restarting, he was only one place from a point, 16th.
The RES Software Veidec Honda riders experienced mixed fortunes over the weekend. Robbin Harms did not race due to injuries sustained in practice while team mates Jesco Gunther and Arie Vos overcame persistent front end problems in qualifying to finish the race in 18th and 20th places respectively.
Ten Kate:
Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Andrew Pitt rode to fifth place in today’s fifth round World Supersport championship race at Monza in Italy, which was won by Cal Crutchlow.
Starting from seventh place on the grid, Pitt battled hard with the other leading riders in the early stages of the 16-lap race around the iconic 5.8km Monza circuit. However, Pitt slipped back at the Parabolic turn on lap seven and was unable to get back into contention for podium honours.
His Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Kenan Sofuoglu, took his CBR600RR to ninth place at the flag after struggling with corner entry and exit issues. The Turkish ace, who won the opening race of the season at Phillip Island, is confident of improvements for round six, however, which takes place at Kyalami in South Africa next Sunday.
Andrew Pitt – 5th
The bike was actually really good at the start of the race – the balance of the chassis felt fine and I was able to push at the front with the others. But, as the race progressed, it became clear that we were really over-working the rear tire. I had problems controlling the bike into and out of turns, especially the entry. In the end I was having to use the gearbox to slow down because if I used the brakes too much, the rear would just want to come round and overtake me. We’re definitely going in the right direction with the new bike, though, and just need to work on the rear setting a little to get a result next week.
Kenan Sofuoglu – 9th
I can only say that I am really very disappointed with this weekend here in Monza. I had a very big crash in qualifying yesterday and, although I was not too badly injured, I lost quite a lot of confidence. I have some problems with braking and accelerating but we will work hard to put these right in time for the next race in South Africa. I know that I am in a very professional team and I trust the guys that I work with. I will also do my best to improve the rider performance and hopefully we can all get a good result next week.
Ronald ten Kate – team manager
It’s been a challenging weekend for us again here at Monza, but we can take a positive from the fact that, during the first half of the race, Andrew’s bike felt OK for him – something we could see from the way he was riding. We can use his data to prepare for next weekend’s race in Kyalami, because it’s about time that we start to bring home some results if we want to play an active role in the outcome of this championship.
Stiggy:
The struggle continued for the Stiggy Racing Honda team in the fifth round for the Supersport World Championship in Monza today. Although the good atmosphere at the famous track, and high number of spectator attendance seemed a promise for a good day, the team once again found the unlucky charm, that influenced the results since the first practice sessions on Friday, on their side.
Anthony West struggled throughout the Monza qualifying sessions and had to start today’s race from a disappointing 20th place on the grid. The disappointed Australian – who came close to taking his first win of the season in Valencia – started his race determined to make up for ground lost.
West got off to a good start from his fifth row position, and came through the first lap in 12th place. He seemed to have found some flow he had been looking for early on in the weekend, and recorded a top speed of 289 km/h aboard his CBR600RR. While pushing hard to firm a connection with the fast group from his 11th position, West lost the front of his machine and went down on the third lap of the race.
Vizziello, who had qualified in 18th position, managed to gradually improve throughout the race, and took two points home as he crossed the line in 14th place.
Gianluca Vizziello, 14th:
“I had a good start from my 18th place on the grid. I touched another rider in the chicane and had to get off the gas for a second. The rhythm was good today, but I was lacking some acceleration coming out of the corners. My crew have worked hard this weekend, and I am happy with the set up of my bike. I am convinced this is the way forward for me to improve my results, and hope I can continue my progress in the next race “.
Anthony West, DNF:
” I had a crap weekend here in Monza. We made some changes to the bike after the bad qualifying results, but starting from that position on the grid is it just hard to make some ground. My only choice was to go flat out, but then I pushed too hard and lost the front. I made a small mistake with big consequences. I’m very disappointed and would like to forget this weekend and look ahead to the next race”.
Johan Stigefelt, Teammanager:
” Unfortunately, Anthony ran off the track and crashed his bike. It was the end of a bad weekend, probably one of the worst races for our Supersport team in many years. Luckily, Gianluca managed to grab two points here, so we don’t leave empty handed. It was a good reward for his crew after they struggled through a difficult series of qualifying sessions. I’m looking forward to the next race in South Africa, and definitely hope we can achieve some better results there “.
Crutchlow leads the series going into Kyalami next weekend, 99 points to Laverty’s 81. Sofuoglu is on 72 points, Pitt 54 and West an unchanged 52.
