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.”

Kawasaki World Superbike Team rider Broc Parkes recorded 14th in race two at Donington as a difficult race weekend finally delivered a couple of points for the team’s great efforts.  Parkes’ team-mate Jamie Hacking was out of the top 15 in race one, and was unfortunate to fall in the second 23-lap contest, running of track, toppling over in the sand on lap two and being unable to restart.

Parkes battled in the turns at Donington, and despite some tire choice issues in race two he came good in a multiple rider battle for the last points. The Aussie rider is 18th in the standings, on 27 points after nine of 14 events.

Hacking, replacing injured team regular Makoto Tamada once again, was racing at home in some regards as he was born in the UK and still has dual citizenship. His characteristic grit shone through in race one, going from 30th and last to 18th. Local wild card rider Simon Andrews used his track knowledge to score a top ten in race two, on his MSS Ninja ZX-10R.

After a test at Imola on July 15th and 16th, the team will go to Brno on July 24-26 for round ten of the series.

Broc Parkes: “We got some points at the end. The first race we got a really bad start but a good pace, and came from 29th to 18th. It was a difficult weekend chassis wise and we haven’t been able to find a set-up on the bike that handled well. Second race we had a much better start but in the middle it started jumping out of gear, selecting neutrals, coming in and out. I think I chose the wrong tire for race two compared to race one, because the lap times were not quite as good. That was just because of the slight change in track temperature, I think.”

Jamie Hacking: “In race one I wasn’t comfortable starting that far back after seeing how crazy the starts are, so I backed off a bit and was last away. I played catch up as far as I could and then I had really bad arm pump from hanging on so hard. I struggled from then on. We had some discussions about doing the approach to Coppice a different way in race two, and I gave it a try and the bike ran off the racetrack into the gravel trap. I had it pretty much saved but it finally spun out and toppled over.”

Lascorz Second In The Race And Fourth In The Points

During a warm and eventually sunny raceday at Donington, Joan Lascorz rode to a hard-fought and well-deserved second place in the 22-lap Supersport race. The Spanish rider added to his second place finish from Monza with his second 20-point score of the year, finishing five seconds from race winner Cal Crutchlow.

Lascorz had been in the running for a podium position in characteristically aggressive style, taking the lead for the first three laps until Crutchlow passed by. He held on for second in fine style, finishing almost ten seconds ahead of third place rider, Garry McCoy.

The early laps promised two top six positions for the Kawasaki Provec Motocard.com squad, as Katsuaki Fujiwara was on a good pace at the sharp end of the action, but a collision with another rider stopped him in his tracks when both crashed out early on.

Both Joan and Katsuaki were enthused by the increasing capabilities of their Ninja ZX-6R machines at this meeting, and expect even more advances for the next round at Brno, on July 26.

Joan Lascorz: “That equalled my best result this year, and the machine is working very well now, even better than Misano, so big congratulations to all the team. Halfway through the race Cal upped his pace a little bit and I was not able to go with him, so I had to settle for second place, but I am very happy anyway.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “I was behind Aitchison when we were going downhill into the Old Hairpin then he had a highside and went a bit loose, so I passed him. Then his bike gripped again and it jumped into my path. It was really easy to follow McCoy and he made a podium finish. So only bad luck today, the bike was very good and we are much more consistent with it now. It is all going forward, so Brno should be a good one for us again.”

Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Mercado Takes His Second Pro Win at Road America

Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Leandro Mercado swept the AMA SuperSport weekend by claiming the pole position and winning the race at Road America. Mercado was confident on the four-mile course considering the track was the location of his first win in America during the AMA Rookies Cup race last year. In the AMA Daytona SportBike race, both Jamie Hacking and Roger Hayden improved on their starting positions to finish ninth and 11th, respectively.

Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Hayden Runs Down Podium Finish

Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden had a day to remember getting his second podium of the season with an amazing run to the front from his 18th-place starting position during a rainy first race of the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class at Road America. Even with two separate caution periods that held the field’s positions for four of the 13 laps, Hayden made every lap count to take home second place. Teammate Jamie Hacking also worked from a starting position outside the top-10 to finish eighth.

Parkes And Hacking Team Up For Miller Superbike Round

Broc Parkes finds himself partnered with another fast local rider for a long-haul WSB championship round, as Jamie Hacking joins the Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team for the Miller race weekend.  Last time out, at Kyalami in South Africa, local Kawasaki competitor Sheridan Morais put in two strong performances as a stand-in for injured team regular Makoto Tamada, and the team hopes that the fast and experienced Hacking will also be able to make a quick transition to the World Superbike scene at one of his home tracks.

Parkes, who was still suffering from the lingering effects of a testing injury in South Africa, expects to be much closer to 100% fit for the American round. He found the bumpy and intensely physical Kyalami circuit a difficult place to make his comeback, and is glad to have had a weekend off to allow his body to return to normal before heading to the US for raceday on 31 May.

Hacking is a well-known and well-respected force in American racing and having been a Kawasaki rider for the past few seasons, he has memories of riding the Ninja ZX-10R at Miller in the AMA Superbike class last year. Rider and team are both keen to get to work this coming weekend and have positive expectations, despite the vast strength-in-depth of World Superbike racing in 2009.  Hacking, the AMA Supersport and Superstock champion in 2006, has raced WSB on two previous occasions, as a wild card at Laguna Seca in 1998 and 1999. He posted a best single result of seventh.

Broc Parkes: “I’m grateful to have a two week rest between Kyalami and Miller to give my body a break and to get back to a decent fitness level as I really struggled in Kyalami. I’m looking forward to seeing how we go when I’m back to myself as the bike has been improving each race and we’re showing good progress with solid points scoring finishes. I didn’t race at Miller in World Supersport last year so this will be my first visit but I’m looking forward to it and also welcoming another new team-mate who is a local and will have experience he can bring to the team.”

Jamie Hacking: “I rode World Superbikes back when I first started racing at Laguna Seca. Obviously a lot has changed and I have more experience. I can’t really say what a realistic expectation would be without riding the bike, but Miller does seem to suit my style. Last year, it was our best track on the ZX-10R and I hope that we can try for a top ten.”

Another New Challenge For Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Riders

The first World Supersport Championship race to be held at Miller Motorsport Park in America will be a new experience for the Provec Motocard.com Kawasaki duo of Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara.  Last year only the World Superbike teams made the trip to America, and for the vast majority of the World Supersport field the circuit will be all-new, adding yet another complication to what will surely be an intense and competitive race weekend.

In the overall championship fight Lascorz is a creditable fifth after six rounds, in his first season as a Kawasaki rider, having scored two podium places on the new Ninja ZX-6R already.

Fujiwara looks forward to another weekend when he can move up the order, as he now sits 13th, only five points from a top ten placing despite two early season no scores. His immediate target is to beat his season best of fifth, which he took at the Valencia round last month.

The Miller circuit, like the previous round at Kyalami, is a high altitude location, and at 4.907km in length, it is also relatively long by modern standards. The state-of-the-art facility was a popular place for the WSB class to visit last year, and the track layout itself features a wide variety of elevation changes and corner designs.

Miller will be the turning point of the season in one way at least, with the seventh round signifying the end of the first half of the 14 round season. After Miller, the next round takes place at Misano, on June 21.

Joan Lascorz: “It was frustrating to get so close to a podium at Kyalami then just miss out, but we have another chance to improve on that this weekend. Most of the riders in WSS have never been to Miller before, just like us. We have made improvements in the race set-up since the start of the year and I want that to continue in America.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “We didn’t get the kind of result in the race at Kyalami we were aiming for so I am looking forward to a better finish in America. It is a new track for us but that will be the same for most of our competitors. We should be starting the weekend on an even level. I will give my best, as always.”

Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Leandro Mercado – Nails Down A Solid Second Place

Sonoma, Calif. – Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Leandro Mercado earned second overall in his third AMA Pro SuperSport race of the year during an exciting 18-lap, bar-to-bar battle at Infineon Raceway. The race temperature was in the mid-90s as the young riders raced fearlessly around the 11-turn course. In the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race, both Jamie Hacking and Roger Hayden had small crashes. Hacking was able to come back for 13th, while Hayden was unable to continue.

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PEGRAM RACING ADVANCES TWO CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS AT INFINEON RACEWAY

A pair of aggressive rides reward rider Larry Pegram with sixth overall in the American Superbike Championship

Sonoma, Calif. (18 May 2009) – As a productive weekend comes to an end, Team Foremost Pegram Racing leaves Infineon Raceway with two top five finishes, advancing rider Larry Pegram to sixth overall in the championship.

Following Saturday’s race one battle to third position, rider Larry Pegram set his sights on overall advancement in the American Superbike Championship. As the crew made several changes to his Ducati 1098 R Superbike, Pegram set a goal of leaving Infineon sixth in the championship.

Sunday’s race two was held in comparable heat to Saturday’s scorcher, and when the flag dropped Pegram immediately propelled his Ducati 1098 R to fourth position- riding aggressively in pursuit of the number one spot. A failed overtaking maneuver on Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden enabled Geoff May and Josh Hayes to sneak through; dropping Pegram to sixth place. Pegram then twisted the throttle on his Ducati and put his head down, enabling a pass on Geoff May for fifth position. Once the Ducati got past May there was a significant gap to Hayes in fourth, which Pegram fought to the end to close. When the checkered flag fell Pegram took fifth position, and more importantly reached in his goal of sixth in the championship.

“Needless to say I’m really happy with what we have accomplished this weekend,” commented Pegram. “My team has been great and the Ducati ran strong all weekend. Leaving Infineon a solid sixth in the championship is a great feeling, and I’m ready to start fighting for fifth at Road America!”

Team Foremost Pegram Racing now heads back to their Ohio race shop, where the Ducati 1098 R will be rebuilt in preparation for round six of the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike Championship.

The next race will be held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin June 5-7.

For more information on Team Foremost Pegram Racing please visit www.pegramracing.com. To learn more about Ducati’s line of racing inspired motorcycles please visit www.ducatiusa.com.

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M4 Suzuki’s Cardenas Cards Another Daytona SportBike Sweep at Infineon

M4 Suzuki’s DiSalvo brings home 2nd place in Sunday’s race

Round 5 – AMA Daytona Sportbike Series
Sonoma, California
Infineon Raceway
May 15-17, 2009

Team M4 Suzuki’s Martin Cardenas won both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races and took over the points lead in the AMA Daytona SportBike class at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, this weekend. This feat is Cardenas’ second AMA Daytona SportBike sweep in a row, and the result also marks his fifth win in the series this year. M4 Suzuki teammate Jason DiSalvo also celebrated an impressive weekend. The rider set the fastest lap time in Superpole and picked up pole position for both races and then he finished up in second place in Sunday’s event. Currently, DiSalvo is in fourth place overall in the AMA Daytona SportBike points chase.

Martin Cardenas – 1st place, Race 1 (Saturday) & Race 2 (Sunday):
“The weekend was good. At the beginning, it was a little bit tough because the pace that these guys were running was a little too much but then in every practice session we were able to close in a little bit. In Saturday’s race, the M4 Suzuki GSX-R600 worked awesome and I knew I could win. Today, it was a little bit the same. The bike was great, I think had a little bit of an issue with grip but for everybody it was the same because the tires were spinning a lot. But the Suzuki worked great all weekend and it’s been working awesome for three races and I want to thank the M4 Suzuki team for that.”

Jason DiSalvo – 2nd place, Race 1 (Sunday):
“We really wanted that number-one spot on Sunday and after (crashing) yesterday I was really gunning for it but Martin ran an incredible race. The last lap was flawless by him, actually by both of us. But we were just so evenly matched, that there was no place to make a move. Congratulations to both sides of the garage, they’ve really been working hard and they deserve this, and it’s great to see M4 Suzuki one/two on the podium today.”

M4 Suzuki Racing will race next at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, over the weekend of June 5-7, 2009.

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Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mladin Wins Infineon AMA Superbike Race 2

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Hayden gets another Infineon podium

Round 5 – AMA Superbike Series, Race 2
Sonoma, California
Infineon Raceway
May 15-17, 2009

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mat Mladin returned to his race-winning ways in the second AMA Superbike race of the double-header weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, on Sunday afternoon. The six-time AMA Superbike Champion started from pole position on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000, got into the lead immediately and created a gap to take the win. This victory marks Mladin’s eighth win (out of a possible nine) this season and his 80th career AMA Superbike victory. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Tommy Hayden celebrated two podium positions this weekend, thanks to a third-place finish on Sunday that followed up his second-place finish on Saturday. This impressive result is Hayden’s sixth AMA Superbike podium finish of the 2009 season. Finally, Rockstar Makita Suzuki rookie Blake Young opted to sit out this race weekend after injuring his hand at the previous round at Barber Motorsports Park. Young hopes to be back racing at the next event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Mat Mladin:
“It was a tough one today. I had nothing left out there at the end of the race. I just went as hard as I could on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 and kept going and going and going. Toward the end, I just tried to keep it clean and that’s that.”

Tommy Hayden:
“It was good to get two podiums this weekend. I kind of bounced back after a couple of rough races and I feel like we’re going in the right direction now. Today, it was a hard race. From the beginning, I got a pretty good start on my Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 and I was just trying to hold on. It was tough to run the pace but toward the midway point, it got a little easier. I was just kind of hanging there, though a couple of times I was able to close up on them in traffic but I made a mistake with a couple laps to go and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to close it back up after that.”

Blake Young:
“I got injured at Barber and I got off my pain killers and finished up my antibiotics to make sure I didn’t get an infection. I got back on the bicycle and started training. My finger felt really good, motion was coming back better and better every day. So I decided to come on out here and see what we could do because every day was getting so much better. Maybe we’d have a chance to ride the bike. But when I got to the track, I realized that if I tried to ride at this point I would just damage my hand. So we’re going to sit out this weekend and then go back to the doctor and keep it healthy and get it healed up for Elkhart Lake.”

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race next at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the weekend of June 5-7, 2009.

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Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Hacking Sneaks  On To Podium with Last Lap Pass

Sonoma, Calif. – Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking made a spectacular last lap pass to finish second during a hot AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race at Infineon Raceway. Hacking’s run for his fifth podium of the season didn’t come easy as he had to make his way through the pack after a caution restart. Teammate Roger Hayden moved up and down in the running order, eventually finishing one spot better than his starting position in ninth.

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Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Hayden Back on the Podium at Infineon Superbike Race 1

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Mladin brings home fifth place

Round 5 – AMA Superbike Series, Race I
Sonoma, California
Infineon Raceway
May 15-17, 2009

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Tommy Hayden picked up his fifth AMA Superbike podium position of the 2009 season in the first race of the double-header weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, on Saturday afternoon. The Kentucky native started the 22-lap race from the front row, thanks to a strong superpole showing. He ran up front and brought home second place. Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Mat Mladin started the weekend strong by taking his fifth (out of a possible five) pole position of the year. In the race, the six-time AMA Superbike Champion got a great start and was out front but struggled a bit and wound up finishing in fifth position. Finally, Rockstar Makita
Suzuki rookie Blake Young opted to sit out this race weekend after injuring his hand at the previous round at Barber Motorsports Park. Young hopes to be back racing at the next event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Tommy Hayden:
“It feels good to get second place at Infineon. The last few races haven’t gone as well as the first few. Now I’m starting to feel like I’m getting back where I started the season at, and that feels good. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 was working great out there, it was hot and greasy for everyone but I felt like we had a good set-up. I’m happy with the result. I think we’ll have to improve and go faster on Sunday if we want to get this kind of result, so we’ll make a plan and try to go a little bit faster.”

Mat Mladin:
“Obviously, we’ve had better days. But, as I’ve said a few times, when you win as much as we have — as a team and as I have personally — there’s only one place to go if you have a bad day and you can’t go better than a win. So, today we struggled a bit and that’s the way it goes. Congratulations to Josh (Hayes), who’s been working hard – good on him. They deserved it today.”

Blake Young:
“I got injured at Barber and I got off my pain killers and finished up my antibiotics to make sure I didn’t get an infection. I got back on the bicycle and started training. My finger felt really good, motion was coming back better and better every day. So I decided to come on out here and see what we could do because every day was getting so much better. Maybe we’d have a chance to ride the bike. But when I got to the track, I realized that if I tried to ride at this point I would just damage my hand. So we’re going to sit out this weekend and then go back to the doctor and keep it healthy and get it healed up for Elkhart Lake.”

Rockstar Makita Suzuki Factory Racing will race again today at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California

World Superbike returns to Kyalami and South Africa for the first time since 2002 and this up-and-down circuit full of contrasting corners should offer good opportunities for Broc Parkes. Parkes had a strong weekend back in WSB at Monza after a recent testing injury interrupted his early-season push, taking his Ninja ZX-10R to a fantastic top ten finish in race one and a second points scoring finish in race two, despite not being at full fitness yet.

Parkes acknowledges that Kyalami will be a very physical circuit to race around, but the tough Aussie is looking forward to the experience all the same after exceeding his own expectations at Monza last Sunday.

Makoto Tamada will miss the Kyalami race after breaking his left wrist in a race one crash at Monza, and thus Parkes is scheduled to fly solo at this much-anticipated meeting.

Kyalami is an old friend to World Superbike, although there will be small modifications to one area of the track compared to the version last used in WSB. Some of Parkes’ main rivals have tested at Kyalami recently, which makes the early practice sessions particularly important for Broc, so he can give a good account of himself in Sunday’s two WSB races.

Broc Parkes: “Monza was our best weekend so far. I think Kyalami will be a little bit harder on my body but I have another four or five days to get fitter again, and every day I am getting better. We didn’t test there so we are going to start a little bit behind, but it was the same at Monza. Hopefully by Sunday we will be there to fight again for good points.”

Strong recent results for Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara have put each rider’s confidence at a high level as the Kyalami round approaches this weekend. Lascorz took his Provec Motocard.com Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R to a fine second place at Monza last time out, while team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara was sixth in the Italian race, held on May 10th.

The new model Ninja ZX-6R has proved its credentials already and with ever-improving set-up and a greater pool of data to draw on, the fact that Kyalami is a new track for the team does not reduce their combined confidence and determination to succeed.

Joan Lascorz: “We had a good result at Monza despite my early problems in the first laps, and that gives me and the team a good feeling that we can have even more positive results from now on. Kyalami is another new track for us but there are points at stake, so we will be out to improve our championship position yet again.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “Our base setting has been much improved at the last races and it was good for me to run near the front at Monza, for some of the race at least. One of our rival teams has tested at Kyalami in the winter, so we will have to make the most of our practice time. I have raced at Kyalami before, so that will help us if I can remember it well when I get there.”

Broc Parkes returned from injury to post 13th best time in Superpole on his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and start the 18-lap races at Monza from the fourth row of the grid. In regular qualifying Parkes was 16th and only 1.452 seconds from the fastest time in the pre-Superpole session, and after the first of three Superpole sessions, he and his team made a good job of getting into the second elimination round.

Parkes is still not back to his full best in terms of his physical condition following his big crash in testing, and was well down the order on day one. On the latest specification of machine today, which featured some upgraded parts for the Monza round, he was a force to be reckoned with, heading off Assen podium finishers Leon Haslam and Jakub Smrz in Superpole

Makoto Tamada was unable to reach the top 20 qualifying level and therefore enter the Superpole contest, and he now starts 23rd on the grid.

The 5.973km Monza circuit is the fastest one on the WSB calendar, with Parkes setting an average lap speed in his best Superpole lap of 196kmph.

Broc Parkes: “Pretty much race I have been at I have made it into the second sector of Superpole, so I’m really happy about that again. But I think I have three 13th places on the grid already so it would have been nice to have made that next step up to the third row. After yesterday I didn’t expect to be so high up the grid but my fitness was a bit better today. Physically, I am still struggling a lot but to be 13th out of 29, I’m happy. My shoulder doesn’t feel too good but the bike was easier to ride today and I could ride it the way I wanted to, but I still couldn’t move around on it like I would normally. I think it will be tough tomorrow, but I think I will feel a little bit better again.”

Makoto Tamada: “I just could not get comfortable on the bike today and that meant our qualifying did not turn out the way we wanted. I hope we can find something more for tomorrow because normally like this track.”

WSS

Joan Lascorz yet again showed the prowess of both his Ninja ZX-6R Kawasaki and himself with another impressive qualifying session in the WSS class, going second on the pre-race timesheets. In five races so far Lascorz has been second fastest in qualifying four times, and the latest success in finding a competitive set-up on an all-new bike allowed him to compete for pole once again. He also has strong race pace, and is looking forward to showing himself as a potential winner yet again in Sunday’s 16-lap competition.

Katsuaki Fujiwara encountered some problems in the lone qualifying session this afternoon and therefore he will commence the races in tenth place, starting from the third row of the grid.

Lascorz has opted to use the engine spec with a greater top end output for Sunday’s race, and posted impressive top speed figures on his way to second overall ranking.

Lascorz: “A front row start again which is good, and the times at the top are very close. We have already made our tire choice and we are happy with the speed of the bike in a straight line and our race pace. We had a small problem with our set-up this morning, but we found our way later in the day and set a good spread of lap times, despite the red flag interrupting the session. We have two engine specs this weekend, and we have decided on which one to use tomorrow.”

Fujiwara: “There was a small problem early on in the session with the exhaust so I had to come in and change bikes, made a good time but not quite as good as the others. Then when I went out again there was a red flag, which disturbed my rhythm, so I lost a bit of concentration. Now I only have one small problem, in the rear suspension to fix for tomorrow but the team is very confident they know how to fix it.”

Makoto Tamada finished the best-placed Kawasaki rider in race one at Assen after a tough weekend at ‘The Cathedral’ of racing, but he missed out on a chance to increase his points score. Stuart Easton, who is standing-in for injured regular rider Broc Parkes, secured a finish in the opening 22-lap race, one place behind Tamada. The Japanese rider was 17th and the Briton 18th.

In race two neither rider finished, after Tamada was forced to retire due to a technical problem with his clutch and Easton slid off while pushing hard on the brakes.

Qualifying form dictated much of the raceday fortune for the Kawasaki pairing, with Easton starting from row six and Tamada from row seven.

The next round is Monza, a race which Broc Parkes is hoping to be fit for, after suffering a collarbone injury in testing.

Makoto Tamada: “Not such a good weekend for me. From Friday I had not a good feeling at all from the bike. We tried many different settings but I did not manage to find a solution or a good direction. Even during warm-up I was still not happy with the settings but we made some last minute changes for race one and this was a little better. I had a good start in race one but in race two I wasn’t so lucky off the line and touched another rider and lost a few places. We then had some problems with the clutch around lap eight and this eventually put me out of the race on lap 10. It has been a very frustrating weekend for me and the team and I really hope that we can do better in Monza.”

Stuart Easton: “I was doing almost as good a time at the end of the first race as I did at the start. That was unusual, but I should have been a bit quicker early on. The tire was quite consistent at the end of the race. In race two I just went into the last chicane a bit quicker, trying to gain time on the brakes, because that is where the bike felt quite strong. I just pushed the front a bit and was late on the brakes, so as soon as I touched the throttle I folded the front. I have to say thanks the for the chance to come and ride for a big factory team; I have enjoyed the experience.”

Lascorz Takes First 2009 Podium For Kawasaki

Joan Lascorz raced his Ninja ZX-6R Kawasaki to a fine podium finish of third today, having led for nine of the 21 race laps at a warm and sunny Assen circuit. Lascorz was in the lead as the final chicane came into view but he could not stop Eugene Laverty and Cal Crutchlow outbraking him and passing him across the line. Lascorz was only 0.178 seconds from the win.

Joan found his machine had an advantage at some parts of the track, less of one at others, but his fully competitive form is a good sign for the team to take into the next race at Monza.

Katsuaki Fujiwara was riding strongly from a 15th place grid start, and even a leaking radiator hose could not stop him from collecting two points for his 14th place finish. He had been as high as 11th before his problems struck, and allied to his strong performances before qualifying it was a positive weekend in general for the experienced rider from Japan.

In the championship standings, Lascorz is eighth on 27 points, while Fujiwara is 14th, on 13 points.

Joan Lascorz: “Our race was good, I was comfortable at the pace but we had a little bit of chatter with the front suspension, so there were some places on the track where I could not really push. The bike is good now, it makes fast laps and strong results, but we need to be able to fight more in some corners. On the final chicane I braked as hard as I could but Laverty passed me inside. I know I braked hard but Laverty could brake harder on his bike, and when he went inside Crutchlow also came through. The finish of the race was good for the show but not so good for me! We have improved a lot since the start of the year but I feel we should have more points than we have.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “From lap ten I had a bit of a problem when the temperature went up a little and that lost me a bit of power. I think we lost some water, because there was a small hole in one of the hoses when we came in after the race. The engine was good, because it kept going and I was even able to continue to ride hard and earn some points.”

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Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner just missed out on a front row grid place in Superpole and will start tomorrow’s pair of 22-lap races from row two of the grid.

He was the fastest rider in Superpole 1, nearly four tenths of a second ahead of his nearest rival, but lapped two tenths of a second slower in Superpole 2 and eventually managed the sixth quickest time in Superpole 3. His team mate Yukio Kagayama suffered a crash in the free practice and had to use his number two bike in Superpole. The number two bike was set up slightly differently and Yukio was unable to qualify for Superpole 3, despite turning in a lap of 1:38.288 – a time that would’ve qualified him just off the front row. Instead he will start the races from the third row. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) continued his run of good form by taking pole position this afternoon, with Jakub Smrz (Ducati) second, Leon Haslam (Honda) third and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) fourth.

Max – 6th, 1:38.353
I think we are in good shape on race tires and although the bike is not 100 per cent, it’s quite good. We’ve improved the bike since the last round in Valencia and if we can improve it a bit more, maybe we’d be able to risk using race rubber in Superpole 1 and keep our two qualifying tires for Superpole 2 and 3. I had no big problems today, but we’ll try a little suspension change in the morning warm-up tomorrow and see if we can improve the bike. The track felt better today and I was also able to do some good practice starts, so I am pretty confident of being up with the leaders at the beginning. The start is important here because otherwise you get held up round the first three or so turns.

Yukio – 9th, 1:38.288
This new Superpole system is a bit funny really, because I went faster than Max, but he’s on the second row of the grid and I am on the third! I was hoping to keep my position on the front row of the grid, but I crashed my number one bike in the free practice and had to use my number two bike in Superpole qualifying. It was set up a bit differently and I could not lap as confidently with it as my number one bike. There was no time to change the number two bike to the same settings as the number one bike, but we can do this OK for tomorrow. I am not sure why I crashed this afternoon. It was very sudden and I had no warning at all. My engineers will look at the data and then tell me if there was a problem or not. Fortunately I was not hurt at all, so I am in good condition for the races tomorrow. I need a podium!

Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner endured a difficult day in the fourth round of the Superbike World Championship at Assen, but still managed to take a hard-fought for ninth place in the second race. Earlier in the day, he had crashed on lap seven, whilst in sixth, but grittily remounted and got back into the race. He fought his way up through the field to finish 13th.

In race two, he used the same bike and tires, but the bike was harder to ride. Despite the problems, he kept attacking and ended with 9th position. His team mate Yukio Kagayama also endured a hard day. He crashed on lap two of race one and was unable to get back on his bike. In race two he suffered problems, but still managed to finish 12th.

Max – Race 1: 13th, Race 2: 9th
Race one was good until the crash of course! The chassis was not quite 100 per cent perfect, but I really wanted to get a good result so I was pushing quite hard. I lost the front in the the chicane before the start finish straight and although I got back on the bike and started again, I was down in 22nd place. I decide to keep going and fight for some points and I managed to end 13th and get a few points, so I think the effort was worth it. We used the same bike and the same type of tires for the second race, but the bike didn’t work as well. It was harder to ride and more difficult to brake late. It was also not so easy in the turns and so I found it a bit frustrating, but I am only five points behind Fabrizio in the standings, so I know that I can improve a lot.

Yukio – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 12th
I am not sure why I crashed in race one because it seemed to be a bit of a strange crash. Normally you lose the front end, on the brakes, going into turns, but this time I was exiting the turn and just getting on the gas when the front just suddenly went without any warning. I wasn’t hurt, but I was a bit angry.

In race two,I used the asme bike and same tires, but found it hard getting the bike to stop. It’s possible that there was a small problem with the clutch, but we will not know for sure until we get back to the workshops, look inside the engine after seeing all the data. I kept going and had the chance to pass Xaus on the last corner but there were yellow flags out, so I could not make my move.
I am hoping for better things in Monza, because I need some good results.

A return to Europe and Valencia for the third round of the WSB Championship sees Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada hoping track conditions will mirror those that graced a recent test session. Although Tamada was still recuperating from a big warm-up crash at the previous round in Qatar when the recent Valencia test took place, his team-mate Parkes made steps in the right direction to maximise the race-long abilities of his WSB-Spec Ninja ZX-10R.

Tamada will also benefit from Parkes’testing experiences, of course, despite missing out on useful track time around the 4.005km Spanish circuit. Makoto knows the track layout very well in any case, after many years of MotoGP racing and his ‘rookie’ WSB season in Kawasaki Superbike colours in 2008. Makoto will be out to repeat or better last year’s top ten finish at Valencia, when he was ninth in race one.

The last race at Losail in Qatar marked Broc’s 50th race start in the WSB class, but after spending the last few years in World Supersport this will only be Parkes’ third meeting as a Kawasaki factory Superbike rider.

Once more the official Ninja ZX-10R-mounted pairing face the prospect of the new-for-2009 three stage Superpole qualifying system, making their immediate goal getting into the top 20 after regulation qualifying, then going for final grid placings in three ‘knockout’ sessions from then on. Thanks to a change in the schedule from this weekend onwards, there will be two afternoon track sessions at Valencia on Friday, one free and one timed.

Broc Parkes: “It’s been great to test in Valencia prior to the race next weekend. We’ve tried and tested so many things and had quite a few positive things to report back. The bike should be better over a race distance but we still have a lot of work to do on set-up. I’m getting more and more comfortable on the bike each time I ride it. We are all working hard, the team and myself, and we’re confident that we can aim for some points in the races and being in the top ten would be a bonus.”

Makoto Tamada: “I missed the race at Qatar and also the test last week so I can’t wait to get back on the track at Valencia. My injuries were not as bad as I first suspected. I am recovering every day, and I will be ready and fit for the Valencia race. It is my intention to get points at Valencia, and get back what I missed at Qatar.”

Lascorz Makes Himself At Home

Spaniard Joan Lascorz approaches his home round at Valencia in good spirits for two good reasons, while memories of past Valencia glories will also be a boost for his team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara. Last year Lascorz scored his first WSS class victory at Valencia, and after a strong showing in recent tests there, on his continually developing 2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, he is once more aiming high at his home race.

For the more experienced Fujiwara, Valencia has also been a successful venue, with a win in 2003 one of a total of four podium finishes taken by the popular Japanese at this tight and challenging 4.005km circuit.

With their new machine still in its early stages of development this year, the official Kawasaki duo were particularly happy to test the latest range of changes and settings on Wednesday and Thursday last week, in particular the new engine specifications arrived at by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and its technical partner, Akira.

Lascorz’s best Valencia testing time improved on last year’s best qualifying pace, while Fujiwara set a time well under his own lap record of 1’37.570, set in the 2007 season. Race simulations during last week’s test also brought about positive results, with each rider consistently inside the 1’37 barrier.

Joan Lascorz: “We tried out a lot of different things during the Valencia test, in the front forks, with the overall chassis geometry and some new engine developments. We still have some work to do but we were able to set fast lap times. We reached a good compromise in our set-up and we were able to try out different tires as well. We went the wrong way with our set-up at Qatar in the last race weekend because we did not have the chance to test this new bike there before practice. Hopefully our Valencia test will allow us to improve this weekend.”

Katsuaki Fujiwara: “We had a chance to use new engine developments and I prefer one spec of engine, Joan the other one, so now we will work out how to maximise the advantages of both. We also tried out some clutch modifications to reduce rear-end chatter and it helped. The most important thing is that our race simulations were fast and consistent, so hopefully we can find the same conditions on raceday. I like Valencia, it suits my riding style, so I hope we can have a really good result there.”