This weekend held no major riding for me, as I happily committed myself to breaking my eldest nephew into the fine art of burping, farting, and fishing. We invited him to his first "Man" outing. He is five years old. Myself, my son, father in law, brother in law and his 5 yr old went camping. Needless to say, we all had a blast. It was well worth forgoing a weekend ride.
Just to scratch the itch, I did hop on the bike for a cruise around the neighborhood (literally) last night.
So since I don't have much else to leave you with today, I give you ... "one liner biker wit"....
Loud pipes drown out the voices in my head.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Szoke wins again in Pro 600
By John Hopkins
CALGARY, AB -- Jordan Szoke scored his second straight win of the year in the Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike class at Race City Motorsports Park on Sunday on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Szoke beat the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 of Chris Peris by just 0.630 secs. in the race, which was shortened by 14 laps due to a crash by Jesse Sherstan.
Kevin Lacombe completed the podium in a close third aboard his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
Sherstan was not seriously injured in his fall.
Szoke took the lead for the first time on lap 3 and traded the top spot with a Lacombe a couple of times before moving ahead for good on lap 13.
"It sucks to win that way [with a red flag] but I feel we had the race in our hands," Szoke said. "I knew it would be tough at the end but I felt really good. I was comfortable with the pace."
After leading the first two laps Brett McCormick slipped to fourth on the second factory Kawasaki while Andrew Nelson completed the top five on his Nelson Racing Yamaha.
Nelson rode his NCR-Ducati 848 to victory in the 16-lap Canadian Thunder feature at Race City, beating the Ducati 749R of Calgary’s Chad Pasowisty by 2.520 secs. with New Smyrna Beach, FL’s Dave Estok third on the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R.
Nelson's teammate, opening round winner Valter Bartolini of Bologna, Italy crashed his NCR-Ducati 848 on lap 11 while in the lead.
"We kind of lucked out in that race," said Nelson, who started from pole but was fourth at the end of the first lap after a poor start. "I had a terrible start, I'm not very good at those, but the 848 is an unbelievable bike to ride."
Jim Proulx of Ottawa won the Canadian Sport Twins race on the Buell XB12R normally campaigned by his friend Dan Thomson. After troubles with his own bike, Proulx hopped on Thomson's machine just before the start.
His 18-second triumph over the Buell XB9R of Surrey, B.C.’s Olivier Spilborghs earned him his second straight Tirox Winning Big Award.
Jodi Christie of Keene, ON won the Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike race on his Yamaha YZF-R6, beating the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Calgary’s Patrick Marques by 4.909 secs. Marcel Irnie of Westbank, BC placed third riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Irnie claimed the Performance Under Gear Perfomer of the Race Award for his effort.
Superbike winner Clint McBain’s stepson Cody Matechuk completed a great day for the family by winning the Suzuki SV650 National Cup race, coming out on top of a battle for the victory with Burlington, ON rider John Jarvie. Matechuk edged Jarvie by 0.882 secs.
Nicky Poon of London, Ont. finished third.
CALGARY, AB -- Jordan Szoke scored his second straight win of the year in the Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike class at Race City Motorsports Park on Sunday on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Szoke beat the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 of Chris Peris by just 0.630 secs. in the race, which was shortened by 14 laps due to a crash by Jesse Sherstan.
Kevin Lacombe completed the podium in a close third aboard his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R6.
Sherstan was not seriously injured in his fall.
Szoke took the lead for the first time on lap 3 and traded the top spot with a Lacombe a couple of times before moving ahead for good on lap 13.
"It sucks to win that way [with a red flag] but I feel we had the race in our hands," Szoke said. "I knew it would be tough at the end but I felt really good. I was comfortable with the pace."
After leading the first two laps Brett McCormick slipped to fourth on the second factory Kawasaki while Andrew Nelson completed the top five on his Nelson Racing Yamaha.
Nelson rode his NCR-Ducati 848 to victory in the 16-lap Canadian Thunder feature at Race City, beating the Ducati 749R of Calgary’s Chad Pasowisty by 2.520 secs. with New Smyrna Beach, FL’s Dave Estok third on the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R.
Nelson's teammate, opening round winner Valter Bartolini of Bologna, Italy crashed his NCR-Ducati 848 on lap 11 while in the lead.
"We kind of lucked out in that race," said Nelson, who started from pole but was fourth at the end of the first lap after a poor start. "I had a terrible start, I'm not very good at those, but the 848 is an unbelievable bike to ride."
Jim Proulx of Ottawa won the Canadian Sport Twins race on the Buell XB12R normally campaigned by his friend Dan Thomson. After troubles with his own bike, Proulx hopped on Thomson's machine just before the start.
His 18-second triumph over the Buell XB9R of Surrey, B.C.’s Olivier Spilborghs earned him his second straight Tirox Winning Big Award.
Jodi Christie of Keene, ON won the Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike race on his Yamaha YZF-R6, beating the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Calgary’s Patrick Marques by 4.909 secs. Marcel Irnie of Westbank, BC placed third riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Irnie claimed the Performance Under Gear Perfomer of the Race Award for his effort.
Superbike winner Clint McBain’s stepson Cody Matechuk completed a great day for the family by winning the Suzuki SV650 National Cup race, coming out on top of a battle for the victory with Burlington, ON rider John Jarvie. Matechuk edged Jarvie by 0.882 secs.
Nicky Poon of London, Ont. finished third.
Redemption for McBain at Race City
By John Hopkins
CALGARY, AB -- Local hero Clint McBain gained redemption for his Calgary disappointment of last season by winning the second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsports Park in convincing fashion on Sunday.
The Cochrane, AB rider took the lead from Jordan Szoke on lap 5 of the 22-lap race and pulled away to claim his third victory on home turf.
Last year McBain seemed set to pick up a win in front of his home crowd only to crash a few corners from the finish.
"I'm really happy," said McBain. "It's like the feeling I had when I won my [Pro 600 Sport Bike] Championship [in 2002]. After what happened last year, to do this in front of everybody couldn't be better. It seemed like it was my turn."
McBain's Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 wound up 9.259 secs. ahead of the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R of Szoke, with Kevin Lacombe third on an overheating Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Despite taking the lead off the start Szoke knew he was in trouble early as he struggled with handling problems. The two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champ had elected to go with Pirelli's hardest tire and found it ill-suited to the conditions.
On lap 6 Szoke had a big moment exiting the final corner, which let McBain make a slight break. Szoke then had trouble getting through lapped traffic, which allowed McBain to increase his lead further.
"I'm not taking anything away from Clint, but I didn't have the set-up," Szoke said. "It's not like me to be slowing down near the end of the race."
Nevertheless Szoke increased his lead in the Parts Canada Superbike standings to 14 points over Lacombe, 99-85.
McBain, who missed the season opener due to a separated shoulder, moved into fourth in points with 55, four behind Francis Martin, who finished sixth in Calgary.
Szoke finished up about six seconds clear of Lacombe, who emerged on top of a nearly race-long four-way battle for the final podium spot.
Peris led this quartet most of the way on his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000, the Calgary rider getting a good start to even run in front of McBain briefly. But as the race entered its last 10 laps Lacombe started moving forward from sixth, and finally passed the Suzuki in turn 5 on lap 21.
"I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish the race," Lacombe admitted. "Right from the start I knew I had a problem. The temperature was at 108, 109, 110 degrees, and usually it's at 80. But in the last few laps I knew if I pushed hard the guys in front of me might have problems with their tires."
Peris settled for fourth and said he also struggled with the handling of his bike on the hard Pirellis.
Brett McCormick was fifth on the second Canadian Kawasaki Motors ZX-10R after passing Martin's Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Performance GSX-R1000 on the final lap.
Matt McBride was seventh on the third factory Suzuki, while Jeremy Stepper (Stepper Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000) came out on top of a racelong battle with fellow Calgary racer Dave Stokowski (Calgary Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R) for eighth.
Banff, AB's Peter Holzinger rounded out the top 10 on another Suzuki after his early race sparring partner Steve Crevier retired the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R with mechanical troubles.
Race Results
1. Clint McBain, Cochrane, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
2. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
3. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, Que., Yamaha YZF-R1, 22;
4. Chris Peris, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
5. Brett McCormick, Saskatoon, Sask., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
6. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, Que., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
7. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
8. Jeremy Stepper, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
9. Dave Stokowski, Calgary, Alta., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
10. Peter Holzinger, Banff, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
11. Karl Daigle, Granby, Que., Kawasaki ZX-6R, 22;
12. Andrew Dunlap, Truro, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
13. Franklyn Dominguez, Santo Domingo, D.R., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 21;
14. John-Ross MacRae, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R750, 21;
15. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, Que., Honda CBR1000RR, 21;
16. Ross Millson, Hamilton, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 21;
17. Brad Gavey, Calgary, Alta., Honda CBR1000RR, 21;
18. Andrew Carruthers, Millarville, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 21*
19. Terry Steeves, Dartmouth, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 21;
20. Richard Maurice, Okanagan Falls, B.C., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 21;
21. Todd Scott, Bedford, N.S., Suzuki GSX-R750, 21;
22. Karl Meema, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 20;
Did Not Finish
Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, B.C., Buell 1125R
Did Not Start
Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R600
Brian Blaauwendraat, Truro, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R
Steve Bourdeau, Verdun, Que., Suzuki GSX-R600
Jesse Sherstan, Stoney Plain, Alta., Yamaha YZF-R6
Margin of Victory: 9.259 secs.
Fastest Lap: 1:16.523 by McBain on lap 5
Point Standings
1. Jordan Szoke, 99;
2. Kevin Lacombe, 85;
3. Francis Martin, 59;
4. Clint McBain, 55;
5. Jeremy Stepper, 52;
6. Franklyn Dominguez, 38;
7. Steve Crevier, 37;
8. Ross Millson, 35;
9 tie. Chris Peris, 32;
Andrew Dunlap, 32;
11 tie. Brett McCormick, 31;
John-Ross MacRae, 31;
13. Matthew McBride, 25;
14. Csaba Werner, 23;
15 tie. Dave Stokowski, 21;
Chris Murray-Audain, 21;
17. Marie-Josee Boucher, 20;
18. Peter Holzinger, 19;
19. Karl Daigle, 17;
20. Matt Cooper, 15;
21. Brian Blaauwendraat, 13;
22. Zenon Nelson, 12;
23 tie. Dan Henri, 8;
Terry Steeves, 8;
25. Brad Gavey, 6;
26 tie. Andrew Carruthers, 4;
Steve Bourdeau, 4;
28 tie. Michael Barnes, 2;
Mark MacDonald, 2;
30 tie. Richard Maurice, 1
Cory Canfield, 1
CALGARY, AB -- Local hero Clint McBain gained redemption for his Calgary disappointment of last season by winning the second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsports Park in convincing fashion on Sunday.
The Cochrane, AB rider took the lead from Jordan Szoke on lap 5 of the 22-lap race and pulled away to claim his third victory on home turf.
Last year McBain seemed set to pick up a win in front of his home crowd only to crash a few corners from the finish.
"I'm really happy," said McBain. "It's like the feeling I had when I won my [Pro 600 Sport Bike] Championship [in 2002]. After what happened last year, to do this in front of everybody couldn't be better. It seemed like it was my turn."
McBain's Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 wound up 9.259 secs. ahead of the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R of Szoke, with Kevin Lacombe third on an overheating Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.
Despite taking the lead off the start Szoke knew he was in trouble early as he struggled with handling problems. The two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champ had elected to go with Pirelli's hardest tire and found it ill-suited to the conditions.
On lap 6 Szoke had a big moment exiting the final corner, which let McBain make a slight break. Szoke then had trouble getting through lapped traffic, which allowed McBain to increase his lead further.
"I'm not taking anything away from Clint, but I didn't have the set-up," Szoke said. "It's not like me to be slowing down near the end of the race."
Nevertheless Szoke increased his lead in the Parts Canada Superbike standings to 14 points over Lacombe, 99-85.
McBain, who missed the season opener due to a separated shoulder, moved into fourth in points with 55, four behind Francis Martin, who finished sixth in Calgary.
Szoke finished up about six seconds clear of Lacombe, who emerged on top of a nearly race-long four-way battle for the final podium spot.
Peris led this quartet most of the way on his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000, the Calgary rider getting a good start to even run in front of McBain briefly. But as the race entered its last 10 laps Lacombe started moving forward from sixth, and finally passed the Suzuki in turn 5 on lap 21.
"I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish the race," Lacombe admitted. "Right from the start I knew I had a problem. The temperature was at 108, 109, 110 degrees, and usually it's at 80. But in the last few laps I knew if I pushed hard the guys in front of me might have problems with their tires."
Peris settled for fourth and said he also struggled with the handling of his bike on the hard Pirellis.
Brett McCormick was fifth on the second Canadian Kawasaki Motors ZX-10R after passing Martin's Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Performance GSX-R1000 on the final lap.
Matt McBride was seventh on the third factory Suzuki, while Jeremy Stepper (Stepper Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000) came out on top of a racelong battle with fellow Calgary racer Dave Stokowski (Calgary Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R) for eighth.
Banff, AB's Peter Holzinger rounded out the top 10 on another Suzuki after his early race sparring partner Steve Crevier retired the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R with mechanical troubles.
Race Results
1. Clint McBain, Cochrane, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
2. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
3. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, Que., Yamaha YZF-R1, 22;
4. Chris Peris, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
5. Brett McCormick, Saskatoon, Sask., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
6. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, Que., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
7. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
8. Jeremy Stepper, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
9. Dave Stokowski, Calgary, Alta., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
10. Peter Holzinger, Banff, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22;
11. Karl Daigle, Granby, Que., Kawasaki ZX-6R, 22;
12. Andrew Dunlap, Truro, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22;
13. Franklyn Dominguez, Santo Domingo, D.R., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 21;
14. John-Ross MacRae, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R750, 21;
15. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, Que., Honda CBR1000RR, 21;
16. Ross Millson, Hamilton, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 21;
17. Brad Gavey, Calgary, Alta., Honda CBR1000RR, 21;
18. Andrew Carruthers, Millarville, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 21*
19. Terry Steeves, Dartmouth, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 21;
20. Richard Maurice, Okanagan Falls, B.C., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 21;
21. Todd Scott, Bedford, N.S., Suzuki GSX-R750, 21;
22. Karl Meema, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 20;
Did Not Finish
Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, B.C., Buell 1125R
Did Not Start
Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R600
Brian Blaauwendraat, Truro, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R
Steve Bourdeau, Verdun, Que., Suzuki GSX-R600
Jesse Sherstan, Stoney Plain, Alta., Yamaha YZF-R6
Margin of Victory: 9.259 secs.
Fastest Lap: 1:16.523 by McBain on lap 5
Point Standings
1. Jordan Szoke, 99;
2. Kevin Lacombe, 85;
3. Francis Martin, 59;
4. Clint McBain, 55;
5. Jeremy Stepper, 52;
6. Franklyn Dominguez, 38;
7. Steve Crevier, 37;
8. Ross Millson, 35;
9 tie. Chris Peris, 32;
Andrew Dunlap, 32;
11 tie. Brett McCormick, 31;
John-Ross MacRae, 31;
13. Matthew McBride, 25;
14. Csaba Werner, 23;
15 tie. Dave Stokowski, 21;
Chris Murray-Audain, 21;
17. Marie-Josee Boucher, 20;
18. Peter Holzinger, 19;
19. Karl Daigle, 17;
20. Matt Cooper, 15;
21. Brian Blaauwendraat, 13;
22. Zenon Nelson, 12;
23 tie. Dan Henri, 8;
Terry Steeves, 8;
25. Brad Gavey, 6;
26 tie. Andrew Carruthers, 4;
Steve Bourdeau, 4;
28 tie. Michael Barnes, 2;
Mark MacDonald, 2;
30 tie. Richard Maurice, 1
Cory Canfield, 1
Pitt wins again
From worldsbk.com
Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) scored his third World Supersport win in four races at Misano on Sunday, the Australian comfortably taking the chequered flag after his rival Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) crashed out on lap 9.
The top three podium places all went to Hondas, with Craig Jones (Parkalgar Racing) finishing ahead of Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate).
Fourth place went to Frenchman Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport), who missed out on a chance of fighting for the podium after going wide at the first corner and returning to the track in 16th place.
Mark Aitchison put in another good performance with the BE1 Racing Triumph 675, the Australian finishing ahead of seventh-placed Italian Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni), while title contender Joan Lascorz (Glaner Motocard.com Honda) also crashed out of contention on lap 17.
Alex Polita (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) and Davide Giugliano (Cruciano Moto Suzuki Italia) put on a great fight for the win in the Superstock 1000 race. The two Italians were heading for a sprint finish, but Giugliano crashed and left the way clear for his rival to take his first win of the year.
Second place went to Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) with third going to Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda), protegé of two-time WSS champion Sebastien Charpentier.
Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) could only finish fourth but the Australian gained a couple of points on championship leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) of Belgium, who rode a brave race with a broken collarbone.
Supersport Results
1. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 37:08.387 (150.198 km/h)
2. Jones C. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR +5.347
3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR +9.183
4. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 +13.784
5. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR +15.863
6. Aitchison M. (AUS) Triumph 675 +15.967
7. Roccoli M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 +21.689
8. Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 +24.070
Point Standings
1. Pitt (Honda) 113
2. Foret (Yamaha) 97
3. Parkes (Yamaha) 87
4. Brookes (Honda) 85
5. Lascorz (Honda) 81
6. Jones (Honda) 80
7. Rea (Honda) 67
8. Harms (Honda) 50
Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) scored his third World Supersport win in four races at Misano on Sunday, the Australian comfortably taking the chequered flag after his rival Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) crashed out on lap 9.
The top three podium places all went to Hondas, with Craig Jones (Parkalgar Racing) finishing ahead of Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate).
Fourth place went to Frenchman Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport), who missed out on a chance of fighting for the podium after going wide at the first corner and returning to the track in 16th place.
Mark Aitchison put in another good performance with the BE1 Racing Triumph 675, the Australian finishing ahead of seventh-placed Italian Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni), while title contender Joan Lascorz (Glaner Motocard.com Honda) also crashed out of contention on lap 17.
Alex Polita (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) and Davide Giugliano (Cruciano Moto Suzuki Italia) put on a great fight for the win in the Superstock 1000 race. The two Italians were heading for a sprint finish, but Giugliano crashed and left the way clear for his rival to take his first win of the year.
Second place went to Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) with third going to Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda), protegé of two-time WSS champion Sebastien Charpentier.
Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) could only finish fourth but the Australian gained a couple of points on championship leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) of Belgium, who rode a brave race with a broken collarbone.
Supersport Results
1. Pitt A. (AUS) Honda CBR600RR 37:08.387 (150.198 km/h)
2. Jones C. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR +5.347
3. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR +9.183
4. Foret F. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R6 +13.784
5. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR600RR +15.863
6. Aitchison M. (AUS) Triumph 675 +15.967
7. Roccoli M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R6 +21.689
8. Veneman B. (NED) Suzuki GSX-R600 +24.070
Point Standings
1. Pitt (Honda) 113
2. Foret (Yamaha) 97
3. Parkes (Yamaha) 87
4. Brookes (Honda) 85
5. Lascorz (Honda) 81
6. Jones (Honda) 80
7. Rea (Honda) 67
8. Harms (Honda) 50
Neukirchner, Xaus win at Misano
From worldsbk.com
Germany's Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) and Spain's Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) picked up the two wins in Sunday's eighth round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Misano World Circuit in front of 68,000 spectators.
With two third places, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) increases his lead in the championship to 49 points.
Neukirchner grabbed the win in the first race to take his second victory of the year. After playing a waiting game in the early laps, the German stepped up the pace in the second part of the race to catch and pass frontrunners Xaus and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), who went on to finish fourth and second respectively.
"My team did a really good job this weekend," Neukirchner said. "In the practice we changed a lot, up and down with the bike, and couldn't find the right settings, but in the race it was unbelievable.
"In the beginning it was not possible to get close to Bayliss and I had to push very hard, but then it was easier to find a good line. The other guys were a little bit slower than me, the two Troys, and I'm just so happy."
"I didn't make it easy for myself from the start of the race because I didn't get into the first corner too well, then I touched a few riders and was about sixth or seventh on the first lap," Corser said. "I pushed really hard, and maybe used my tire up a little bit because by the end of the race I had nothing left. I could see that I was a little bit faster than Bayliss and once I got past him, I pushed to catch Max, but just couldn't get him and once the tires are greasy it's easy to throw it away so I settled for second."
Third place on the podium after an inconsistent run went to points leader Bayliss.
"It was really hot like every year here," Bayliss said. "I was feeling pretty confident before the race and we ended up choosing the hardest tire in the rear. But I sort of struggled with it the whole race and then did my best laps towards the end, when it was too late, but can't take anything away from Troy and Max, they were riding really well."
Following a disappointing qualifying session, Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) managed to hold off the competitive privateer Ducatis of Lorenzo Lanzi (RG) and Jakub Smrz (Guandalini).
Nurburgring winner Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) had a difficult race, finishing 10th after starting from row 4, while Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) was taken out by Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) in a collision on lap 12.
The second race of the day saw a sensational and unexpected 1-2 win for the private Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati team. The 25 points went to Xaus, who took his first win of the year, ahead of Biaggi, who capitalized on a mistake by Bayliss to grab the second podium slot.
"It was a nice win but at the beginning it was hard," Xaus said. "We had three starts today and the last one was the worst. I think the clutch slipped a bit and I lost a little time. I wanted to recover because I knew that Corser and Bayliss would pull away.
"For the first 10 laps I had a lot of movement at the rear. Then my teammate attacked me twice, I closed the door and with 10 laps to go I started to do 37s, 37s, 37s."
"I think it was a pretty good race," Biaggi said. "I was so fed up after race 1 when Fabrizio hit me at the back and took me out. Too bad, I didn't expect that. I think this year is the most difficult or unlucky of my career, but I have to say that in Superbike we always have a second opportunity with race 2."
"Honestly I think this has been one of the hardest days of my career," Bayliss said. "I felt pretty good all weekend, but we thought the hard tire in the first race could have been the problem. We changed that for race 2 and it was a bit better, but towards the end I was struggling and the back was coming round."
Fourth and fifth went to the two Yamahas of Haga and Corser, with "Nitro-Nori" making amends for his disappointing race 1.
Lanzi again went well to finish sixth, while Neukirchner was unable to repeat his brilliant race 1 win. With his eighth place finish Checa has now been overtaken by Neukirchner in the points standings.
Race 1 Results
1. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 39:27.918 (154.197 km/h)
2. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.542
3. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 +2.249
4. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +3.028
5. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +5.408
6. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +5.518
7. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +6.202
8. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +18.279
9. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +19.072
10. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +19.132
11. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +28.098
12. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +34.385
13. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +34.572
14. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +34.902
15. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 +39.979
16. Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +44.669
17. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR +49.290
18. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR +59.304
RET Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08
RET Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08
RET Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
Race 2 Results
1. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 39:19.710 (154.734 km/h)
2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +1.035
3. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 +4.158
4. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +5.466
5. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 +6.759
6. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +13.468
7. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +15.221
8. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +16.687
9. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +17.030
10. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +17.681
11. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 +21.356
12. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +28.676
13. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +31.304
14. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +32.339
15. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +33.716
16. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 +34.171
17. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R +40.638
18. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR +41.136
19. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +49.699
RET Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1
RET Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR
Point Standings (courtesy Yamaha Racing)
1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 259
2. Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 210
3. Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 207
4. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 191
5. Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 185
6. Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 151
7. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 148
8. Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 117
9. Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 111
10. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 94
11. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 82
12. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 80
13. Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 75
14. Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 72
15. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 59
Germany's Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) and Spain's Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) picked up the two wins in Sunday's eighth round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at the Misano World Circuit in front of 68,000 spectators.
With two third places, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) increases his lead in the championship to 49 points.
Neukirchner grabbed the win in the first race to take his second victory of the year. After playing a waiting game in the early laps, the German stepped up the pace in the second part of the race to catch and pass frontrunners Xaus and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), who went on to finish fourth and second respectively.
"My team did a really good job this weekend," Neukirchner said. "In the practice we changed a lot, up and down with the bike, and couldn't find the right settings, but in the race it was unbelievable.
"In the beginning it was not possible to get close to Bayliss and I had to push very hard, but then it was easier to find a good line. The other guys were a little bit slower than me, the two Troys, and I'm just so happy."
"I didn't make it easy for myself from the start of the race because I didn't get into the first corner too well, then I touched a few riders and was about sixth or seventh on the first lap," Corser said. "I pushed really hard, and maybe used my tire up a little bit because by the end of the race I had nothing left. I could see that I was a little bit faster than Bayliss and once I got past him, I pushed to catch Max, but just couldn't get him and once the tires are greasy it's easy to throw it away so I settled for second."
Third place on the podium after an inconsistent run went to points leader Bayliss.
"It was really hot like every year here," Bayliss said. "I was feeling pretty confident before the race and we ended up choosing the hardest tire in the rear. But I sort of struggled with it the whole race and then did my best laps towards the end, when it was too late, but can't take anything away from Troy and Max, they were riding really well."
Following a disappointing qualifying session, Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) managed to hold off the competitive privateer Ducatis of Lorenzo Lanzi (RG) and Jakub Smrz (Guandalini).
Nurburgring winner Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) had a difficult race, finishing 10th after starting from row 4, while Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) was taken out by Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) in a collision on lap 12.
The second race of the day saw a sensational and unexpected 1-2 win for the private Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati team. The 25 points went to Xaus, who took his first win of the year, ahead of Biaggi, who capitalized on a mistake by Bayliss to grab the second podium slot.
"It was a nice win but at the beginning it was hard," Xaus said. "We had three starts today and the last one was the worst. I think the clutch slipped a bit and I lost a little time. I wanted to recover because I knew that Corser and Bayliss would pull away.
"For the first 10 laps I had a lot of movement at the rear. Then my teammate attacked me twice, I closed the door and with 10 laps to go I started to do 37s, 37s, 37s."
"I think it was a pretty good race," Biaggi said. "I was so fed up after race 1 when Fabrizio hit me at the back and took me out. Too bad, I didn't expect that. I think this year is the most difficult or unlucky of my career, but I have to say that in Superbike we always have a second opportunity with race 2."
"Honestly I think this has been one of the hardest days of my career," Bayliss said. "I felt pretty good all weekend, but we thought the hard tire in the first race could have been the problem. We changed that for race 2 and it was a bit better, but towards the end I was struggling and the back was coming round."
Fourth and fifth went to the two Yamahas of Haga and Corser, with "Nitro-Nori" making amends for his disappointing race 1.
Lanzi again went well to finish sixth, while Neukirchner was unable to repeat his brilliant race 1 win. With his eighth place finish Checa has now been overtaken by Neukirchner in the points standings.
Race 1 Results
1. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 39:27.918 (154.197 km/h)
2. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 +0.542
3. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 +2.249
4. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +3.028
5. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +5.408
6. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +5.518
7. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +6.202
8. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +18.279
9. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +19.072
10. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +19.132
11. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +28.098
12. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +34.385
13. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +34.572
14. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +34.902
15. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 +39.979
16. Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +44.669
17. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR +49.290
18. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR +59.304
RET Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08
RET Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08
RET Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
Race 2 Results
1. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 39:19.710 (154.734 km/h)
2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +1.035
3. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 +4.158
4. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +5.466
5. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 +6.759
6. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +13.468
7. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +15.221
8. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +16.687
9. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 +17.030
10. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +17.681
11. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 +21.356
12. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 +28.676
13. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +31.304
14. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR +32.339
15. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 +33.716
16. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 +34.171
17. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R +40.638
18. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR +41.136
19. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR +49.699
RET Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1
RET Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R
RET Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR
RET Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR
Point Standings (courtesy Yamaha Racing)
1. Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 259
2. Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 210
3. Carlos Checa, Honda, ESP, 207
4. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 191
5. Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 185
6. Fonsi Nieto, Suzuki, ESP, 151
7. Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 148
8. Max Biaggi, Ducati, ITA, 117
9. Michel Fabrizio, Ducati, ITA, 111
10. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, JPN, 94
11. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 82
12. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 80
13. Gregorio Lavilla, Honda, ESP, 75
14. Jakub Smrz, Ducati, CZE, 72
15. Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 59
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Corser gets another Superpole
From worldsbk.com
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) set the Misano World Circuit alight Saturday afternoon with a fantastic Superpole lap of 1 minute 35.993 seconds, the only rider to get under the 1m36s mark.
The Australian, who recorded his second Superpole win of the year and the 42nd in his career, had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox), who ended up just over one-tenth of a second adrift.
Ducatis dominated the day's proceedings, with six of the 1098 machines filling out the top seven places. The front row of the grid was completed by Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati), who made up a lot of time in the second split, and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), who is fast becoming a contender in the one-lap dash.
"We've been working a lot on the race set-up and the high temperatures here have been making a few problems for the front and rear tire, but most of them have been pretty consistent," Corser said. "For the Superpole we changed the bike slightly after the free practice and the bike was a bit better. With the qualifier a little bit of extra grip gives you more confidence so I pushed really hard and it was fantastic to add another pole to the record.
"To be honest I was sitting there and the fact that the Ducatis were up the front just made me try even harder to get in front and be the first Japanese bike. Now I've got to do it in the race tomorrow as well."
After showing good form in qualifying, Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) confirmed his performance in Superpole, the Italian just missing out on the front row by a fraction. Biaggi will be flanked by Lorenzo Lanzi (RG Ducati), Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) and the first Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse ZX-10R of Frenchman Regis Laconi.
Both second and third placed riders in the championship standings, Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki), were in difficulty Saturday and failed to get any higher than row 3.
Double Nurburgring winner Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) fared even worse, the Japanese rider struggling to 14th place on the grid for a fourth row start.
After dominating the first day of Supersport qualifying, Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) did the same again on the second day, the Australian setting pole position for Sunday's seventh round with a time of 1:39.398.
Once again Parkes' closest rival, almost half a second down, was Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), with Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) and Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda) also on the front row.
Three more Hondas were next up on row 2, Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport), Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate) and Russell Holland, making his debut for the Hannspree Honda Althea team in Supersport.
Australian Mark Aitchison was again on the pace with his Triumph Italia BE1 Racing 675, while former points leader Joan Lascoz was down in 10th on the Glaner Motocard.com Honda.
Qualifying for the Superstock 1000 race was dominated by Italian riders, with Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) getting the better of Davide Giuliano (Cruciani Moto Suzuki Italia) by a whisker. The front row was completed by Frenchman Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda) and Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team), who had been quickest on the opening day.
Championship leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) was 12th after completing the session with a broken right collarbone following a crash during the morning's free practice session.
Patrick Vostarek (Intermoto Czech Honda) scored a second win in a row in the European Superstock 600 Championship following his triumph at the Nurburgring two weeks ago. Starting from pole position, the Czech rider gradually increased his lead and took the flag for a comfortable victory.
The second podium slot went to Italian Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team), who managed to hold off the points leader, Frenchman Loris Baz ((YZF Yamaha Junior Team) in the final stages.
Superbike Qualifying Results
1. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:35.993
2. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1:36.106
3. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.189
4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1:36.403
5. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.506
6. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.609
7. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.652
8. Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:36.691
9. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:36.746
10. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:36.856
11. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.143
12. Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.183
13. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:37.243
14. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.395
15. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.950
16. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.962
17. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.830
18. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.874
19. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.891
20. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.133
21. Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.213
22. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.288
23. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.323
24. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.394
25. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:38.873
26. Brignola N. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:40.311
27. Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:40.395
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) set the Misano World Circuit alight Saturday afternoon with a fantastic Superpole lap of 1 minute 35.993 seconds, the only rider to get under the 1m36s mark.
The Australian, who recorded his second Superpole win of the year and the 42nd in his career, had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox), who ended up just over one-tenth of a second adrift.
Ducatis dominated the day's proceedings, with six of the 1098 machines filling out the top seven places. The front row of the grid was completed by Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati), who made up a lot of time in the second split, and Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox), who is fast becoming a contender in the one-lap dash.
"We've been working a lot on the race set-up and the high temperatures here have been making a few problems for the front and rear tire, but most of them have been pretty consistent," Corser said. "For the Superpole we changed the bike slightly after the free practice and the bike was a bit better. With the qualifier a little bit of extra grip gives you more confidence so I pushed really hard and it was fantastic to add another pole to the record.
"To be honest I was sitting there and the fact that the Ducatis were up the front just made me try even harder to get in front and be the first Japanese bike. Now I've got to do it in the race tomorrow as well."
After showing good form in qualifying, Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) confirmed his performance in Superpole, the Italian just missing out on the front row by a fraction. Biaggi will be flanked by Lorenzo Lanzi (RG Ducati), Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) and the first Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse ZX-10R of Frenchman Regis Laconi.
Both second and third placed riders in the championship standings, Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki), were in difficulty Saturday and failed to get any higher than row 3.
Double Nurburgring winner Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) fared even worse, the Japanese rider struggling to 14th place on the grid for a fourth row start.
After dominating the first day of Supersport qualifying, Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport) did the same again on the second day, the Australian setting pole position for Sunday's seventh round with a time of 1:39.398.
Once again Parkes' closest rival, almost half a second down, was Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), with Fabien Foret (Yamaha World Supersport) and Craig Jones (Parkalgar Honda) also on the front row.
Three more Hondas were next up on row 2, Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport), Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate) and Russell Holland, making his debut for the Hannspree Honda Althea team in Supersport.
Australian Mark Aitchison was again on the pace with his Triumph Italia BE1 Racing 675, while former points leader Joan Lascoz was down in 10th on the Glaner Motocard.com Honda.
Qualifying for the Superstock 1000 race was dominated by Italian riders, with Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni) getting the better of Davide Giuliano (Cruciani Moto Suzuki Italia) by a whisker. The front row was completed by Frenchman Maxime Berger (Hannspree IDS Ten Kate Honda) and Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team), who had been quickest on the opening day.
Championship leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) was 12th after completing the session with a broken right collarbone following a crash during the morning's free practice session.
Patrick Vostarek (Intermoto Czech Honda) scored a second win in a row in the European Superstock 600 Championship following his triumph at the Nurburgring two weeks ago. Starting from pole position, the Czech rider gradually increased his lead and took the flag for a comfortable victory.
The second podium slot went to Italian Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team), who managed to hold off the points leader, Frenchman Loris Baz ((YZF Yamaha Junior Team) in the final stages.
Superbike Qualifying Results
1. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:35.993
2. Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1:36.106
3. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.189
4. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1:36.403
5. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.506
6. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.609
7. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:36.652
8. Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:36.691
9. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:36.746
10. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:36.856
11. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.143
12. Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.183
13. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:37.243
14. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.395
15. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.950
16. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.962
17. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.830
18. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.874
19. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.891
20. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.133
21. Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.213
22. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.288
23. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.323
24. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.394
25. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:38.873
26. Brignola N. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:40.311
27. Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:40.395
Lacombe fastest in Pro 600
From Professional Motorsports Productions
CALGARY, AB -- Kevin Lacombe qualified on pole for Sunday’s Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike round at Race City Motorsports Park with a time of 1:17.524 on his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Yamaha YZF-R6.
Canadian Kawasaki Motors teammates Jordan Szoke and Brett McCormick placed second and third with times of 1:17.585 and 1:17.947, respectively on their Kawasaki ZX-6Rs.
Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson qualified on pole for the Canadian Thunder class on his NCR-Ducati 848 with a time of 1:19.196 ahead of teammate Valter Bartolini of Bologna, Italy, who recorded a best lap of 1:19.583.
New Smyrna Beach, FL’s Dave Estok was third fastest with a 1:21.258 on the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R.
Olivier Spilborghs of Surrey, BC was fastest in the Canadian Sport Twins class with a time of 1:25.877 on his Ruthless Racing Buell XB9R. Mississauga, ON’s Patrick Chartrand was second at 1:28.559 aboard the NCR-Ducati PS1000LE and A.J. Simiana of Bowmanville, ON was third with a 1:29.690 on his Ducati S2R.
Keene, ON’s Jodi Christie qualified fastest in the Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike class with a time of 1:21.980 aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6. Calgary’s Patrick Marques was second at 1:22.477 riding a Suzuki GSX-R600 and Marcel Irnie of Westbank, BC was third with a 1:23.076 on a Kawasaki ZX-6R.
John Jarvie of Bulrington, ON qualified fastest for the Suzuki SV650 National Cup with a time of 1:27.132, just edging Cochrane, AB’s Cody Matechuk, who turned a 1:27.164. London, ON’s Nicky Poon was third quickest at 1:27.859.
CALGARY, AB -- Kevin Lacombe qualified on pole for Sunday’s Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike round at Race City Motorsports Park with a time of 1:17.524 on his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Yamaha YZF-R6.
Canadian Kawasaki Motors teammates Jordan Szoke and Brett McCormick placed second and third with times of 1:17.585 and 1:17.947, respectively on their Kawasaki ZX-6Rs.
Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson qualified on pole for the Canadian Thunder class on his NCR-Ducati 848 with a time of 1:19.196 ahead of teammate Valter Bartolini of Bologna, Italy, who recorded a best lap of 1:19.583.
New Smyrna Beach, FL’s Dave Estok was third fastest with a 1:21.258 on the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R.
Olivier Spilborghs of Surrey, BC was fastest in the Canadian Sport Twins class with a time of 1:25.877 on his Ruthless Racing Buell XB9R. Mississauga, ON’s Patrick Chartrand was second at 1:28.559 aboard the NCR-Ducati PS1000LE and A.J. Simiana of Bowmanville, ON was third with a 1:29.690 on his Ducati S2R.
Keene, ON’s Jodi Christie qualified fastest in the Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike class with a time of 1:21.980 aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6. Calgary’s Patrick Marques was second at 1:22.477 riding a Suzuki GSX-R600 and Marcel Irnie of Westbank, BC was third with a 1:23.076 on a Kawasaki ZX-6R.
John Jarvie of Bulrington, ON qualified fastest for the Suzuki SV650 National Cup with a time of 1:27.132, just edging Cochrane, AB’s Cody Matechuk, who turned a 1:27.164. London, ON’s Nicky Poon was third quickest at 1:27.859.
Szoke edges McBain for pole
From Professional Motorsports Productions
CALGARY, AB – Two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champion Jordan Szoke edged Cochrane, AB’s Clint McBain for the fastest time in qualifying for the second round of the national series, sponsored by Blackfoot Suzuki, at Race City Motorsport Park on Saturday.
Riding his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R the Brantford, ON rider turned a lap of one minute, 15.900 seconds around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) Race City road circuit in the Pirelli SuperPole session.
McBain, who was the last rider on the track in the single-bike qualifying session, could only manage a 1:15.970 on his Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 after breaking the track record with a 1:15.751 in pre-qualifying.
It was Szoke’s first pole position of the 2008 season after he was narrowly edged to the top spot at the season opener at Calabogie Motorsport Park by Kevin Lacombe last month. He claimed the $500 Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award and earned four points toward the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, extending his series lead.
“I really wanted that,” said the 29-year-old Szoke, who has won more Superbike nationals at Race City than any other racer. “After losing by so little at Calabogie it’s nice to win by a little.
“I was surprised. My lap felt slow. I wasn’t as aggressive on the throttle as I could have been in a few places but I think I was carrying good corner speed. But it’s awesome; I can’t complain.”
McBain will be making his first start of the 2008 Parts Canada Superbike season in Sunday’s 22-lap feature race after missing the season opener with a separated shoulder.
“I left a lot on the table,” admitted the two-time Race City Superbike race winner. “I wasn’t sure how much to push into turn 1 and I braked too much. I know I could have gone faster, I did this morning. But one lap doesn’t win a race, or a championship.”
Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe qualified third on his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Yamaha YZF-R1 with a time of 1:15.992 and Saskatoon’s Brett McCormick will complete the front row for Sunday’s race after recording a time of 1:16.446 on the other Canadian Kawasaki Motors ZX-10R.
“I had a problem going into the bowl, my bike stayed in second gear,” said Lacombe. “I went off line and I wasn’t able to get into the right gear for the last turn. Without that mistake I’m sure I could have got the SuperPole.”
Calgary’s Chris Peris placed fifth on the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:16.529. He will be joined on the second row for Sunday’s race by teammates Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, QC and Mississauga, ON’s Matthew McBride.
The Calgary duo of Dave Stokowski on his Calgary Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R and Jeremy Stepper riding the Stepper Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 qualified eighth and ninth, respectively. Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Steve Crevier completed the Pirelli SuperPole qualifiers in 10th on his Deeley Harley-Davidson / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R.
Superbike Qualifying Times
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:15.900
2. Clint McBain, Cochrane, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:15.970
3. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:15.992
4. Brett McCormick, Saskatoon, SK, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:16.446
5. Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:16.529
6. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:17.167
7. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:17.479
8. Dave Stokowski, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:18.067
9. Jeremy Stepper, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:18.884
10. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Buell 1125R, 1:19.621
11. Peter Holzinger, Banff, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:19.386
12. Karl Daigle, Granby, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:20.004
13. Andrew Dunlap, Truro, NS, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:20.606
14. John-Ross MacRae, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:20.860
15. Ross Millson, Hamilton, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:21.124
16. Brad Gavey, Calgary, AB, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:21.251
17. Franklyn Dominguez, Santo Domingo, D.R., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:21.318
18. Jesse Sherstan, Stoney Plain, AB, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:21.508
19. Terry Steeves, Dartmouth, NS, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:21.833
20. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, QC, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:21.834
21. Andrew Carruthers, Millarville, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:21.910
22. Richard Maurice, Okanagan Falls, BC, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:22.206
23. Steve Bourdeau, Verdun, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:22.679
24. Todd Scott, Bedford, NS, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:22.864
25. Karl Meema, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:23.007
26. Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:24.236
27. Brian Blaauwendraat, Truro, NS, Kawasaki ZX-10R, No Time
CALGARY, AB – Two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champion Jordan Szoke edged Cochrane, AB’s Clint McBain for the fastest time in qualifying for the second round of the national series, sponsored by Blackfoot Suzuki, at Race City Motorsport Park on Saturday.
Riding his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R the Brantford, ON rider turned a lap of one minute, 15.900 seconds around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) Race City road circuit in the Pirelli SuperPole session.
McBain, who was the last rider on the track in the single-bike qualifying session, could only manage a 1:15.970 on his Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 after breaking the track record with a 1:15.751 in pre-qualifying.
It was Szoke’s first pole position of the 2008 season after he was narrowly edged to the top spot at the season opener at Calabogie Motorsport Park by Kevin Lacombe last month. He claimed the $500 Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award and earned four points toward the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, extending his series lead.
“I really wanted that,” said the 29-year-old Szoke, who has won more Superbike nationals at Race City than any other racer. “After losing by so little at Calabogie it’s nice to win by a little.
“I was surprised. My lap felt slow. I wasn’t as aggressive on the throttle as I could have been in a few places but I think I was carrying good corner speed. But it’s awesome; I can’t complain.”
McBain will be making his first start of the 2008 Parts Canada Superbike season in Sunday’s 22-lap feature race after missing the season opener with a separated shoulder.
“I left a lot on the table,” admitted the two-time Race City Superbike race winner. “I wasn’t sure how much to push into turn 1 and I braked too much. I know I could have gone faster, I did this morning. But one lap doesn’t win a race, or a championship.”
Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe qualified third on his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Yamaha YZF-R1 with a time of 1:15.992 and Saskatoon’s Brett McCormick will complete the front row for Sunday’s race after recording a time of 1:16.446 on the other Canadian Kawasaki Motors ZX-10R.
“I had a problem going into the bowl, my bike stayed in second gear,” said Lacombe. “I went off line and I wasn’t able to get into the right gear for the last turn. Without that mistake I’m sure I could have got the SuperPole.”
Calgary’s Chris Peris placed fifth on the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:16.529. He will be joined on the second row for Sunday’s race by teammates Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, QC and Mississauga, ON’s Matthew McBride.
The Calgary duo of Dave Stokowski on his Calgary Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R and Jeremy Stepper riding the Stepper Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 qualified eighth and ninth, respectively. Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Steve Crevier completed the Pirelli SuperPole qualifiers in 10th on his Deeley Harley-Davidson / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R.
Superbike Qualifying Times
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:15.900
2. Clint McBain, Cochrane, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:15.970
3. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:15.992
4. Brett McCormick, Saskatoon, SK, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:16.446
5. Chris Peris, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:16.529
6. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:17.167
7. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:17.479
8. Dave Stokowski, Calgary, AB, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:18.067
9. Jeremy Stepper, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:18.884
10. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Buell 1125R, 1:19.621
11. Peter Holzinger, Banff, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:19.386
12. Karl Daigle, Granby, QC, Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:20.004
13. Andrew Dunlap, Truro, NS, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:20.606
14. John-Ross MacRae, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:20.860
15. Ross Millson, Hamilton, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:21.124
16. Brad Gavey, Calgary, AB, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:21.251
17. Franklyn Dominguez, Santo Domingo, D.R., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:21.318
18. Jesse Sherstan, Stoney Plain, AB, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:21.508
19. Terry Steeves, Dartmouth, NS, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:21.833
20. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, QC, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:21.834
21. Andrew Carruthers, Millarville, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:21.910
22. Richard Maurice, Okanagan Falls, BC, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:22.206
23. Steve Bourdeau, Verdun, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:22.679
24. Todd Scott, Bedford, NS, Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:22.864
25. Karl Meema, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:23.007
26. Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:24.236
27. Brian Blaauwendraat, Truro, NS, Kawasaki ZX-10R, No Time
Sykes takes first pole
From Team Suzuki
Tom Sykes took his first pole position for Rizla Suzuki at the sixth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park Saturday and has vowed he can go even faster.
The Yorkshire ace had been in contention during every practice session and put on a domineering performance in qualification. He led from the start and even a mid-session switch to his spare bike didn't upset his composure as he continued to go faster, securing pole position with only moments left on the clock.
"I came round with two minutes to go in qualifying and my dash told me I recorded a 56.2s lap," Sykes said. "I was so close to pole I decided to get my head down and go for it. I had to try hard but a pole is a pole and I am delighted.
"I could have gone even quicker; a 55-second lap was possible but my spare bike was backing in and we didn't have time to dial in new settings so I wasn't quite able to go as fast as I wanted. The good news is that we can go faster with my number one Rizla Suzuki and that'll be ready for tomorrow, so bring on the racing."
Rizla Suzuki's double Japanese Superbike Champion Atsushi Watanabe showed an impressive turn of pace on his first visit to the twisty and short 1.41-mile circuit, ending up 12th on the grid and less than three-quarters-of-a-second away from his teammate in pole position.
Qualifying Results
1. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) 56.005
2. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +0.104
3. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +0.122
4. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +0.130
5. Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.229
6. Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.331
7. Karl Harris (Yamaha) +0.430
8. Tristan Palmer (Honda) +0.489
9. John Laverty (Ducati) +0.529
10. Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +0.530
Tom Sykes took his first pole position for Rizla Suzuki at the sixth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park Saturday and has vowed he can go even faster.
The Yorkshire ace had been in contention during every practice session and put on a domineering performance in qualification. He led from the start and even a mid-session switch to his spare bike didn't upset his composure as he continued to go faster, securing pole position with only moments left on the clock.
"I came round with two minutes to go in qualifying and my dash told me I recorded a 56.2s lap," Sykes said. "I was so close to pole I decided to get my head down and go for it. I had to try hard but a pole is a pole and I am delighted.
"I could have gone even quicker; a 55-second lap was possible but my spare bike was backing in and we didn't have time to dial in new settings so I wasn't quite able to go as fast as I wanted. The good news is that we can go faster with my number one Rizla Suzuki and that'll be ready for tomorrow, so bring on the racing."
Rizla Suzuki's double Japanese Superbike Champion Atsushi Watanabe showed an impressive turn of pace on his first visit to the twisty and short 1.41-mile circuit, ending up 12th on the grid and less than three-quarters-of-a-second away from his teammate in pole position.
Qualifying Results
1. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) 56.005
2. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +0.104
3. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +0.122
4. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +0.130
5. Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.229
6. Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.331
7. Karl Harris (Yamaha) +0.430
8. Tristan Palmer (Honda) +0.489
9. John Laverty (Ducati) +0.529
10. Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +0.530
Stoner scores second straight win
From motogp.com
Casey Stoner gave himself, Ducati and Bridgestone a first premier class Assen victory with a superb breakaway from pole on Saturday.
It would have taken a brave man to bet against Stoner achieving a second consecutive victory after his phenomenal form in practice, qualifying and the Saturday warm-up, and the Australian set out his stall early in Assen.
The circuit record was passed over to the Ducati Marlboro rider after just two laps, and he improved incrementally as the race went on to take the win.
"We´ve known that we had the pace to do it, but it makes you even more nervous knowing that the only thing that can go wrong is you," Stoner said. "It managed to stay dry for the race, and I´m happy with that."
Stoner´s task was made slightly easier by the absence of Valentino Rossi from the battle for supremacy, the Fiat Yamaha rider crashing on the opening lap after losing the back end of his bike and careering into Randy de Puniet. Rossi returned to action, at times bettering the pace of the frontrunners with the exception of Stoner, but even if he had stayed on track the 2007 World Champion would almost undoubtedly have proved too fast to catch.
Dani Pedrosa was also unable to prevent a second Stoner breakaway in as many races, the Repsol Honda rider going round in isolation after being passed for the lead by his rival. Second place – combined with Rossi´s misfortunes - puts the Spaniard into the lead in the World Championship.
"It was important to finish in front, second is a very good result," Pedrosa said. "We had struggled a little, and in the race it was impossible to follow Casey. He was so fast, so I just tried my best to push. I am happy with this result, with returning to the podium and with the championship position."
As at last year´s race in the Netherlands, the A-Style TT Assen was set to be Nicky Hayden´s return to the podium in 2008. Untroubled by other riders whilst unable to keep up with the man immediately in front, it had looked to be a cruise to the line for the former World Champion and Assen race winner. However, in an almost tragicomic turn of events, the RC212V used by the Honda factory rider to such good effect gave out on him, and he could only limp over the line in fourth as Colin Edwards took a second podium of the year.
Edwards started from the second row, dropped down the field and then made a comeback on the Tech3 Yamaha. Having lost out in a 2006 to Hayden on the last lap, passing his rival on the home straight was a sweet reward for the `Texas Tornado´.
"What can you say? `What comes around goes around, he who laughs last´ etc., whatever you like," Edwards said. "I thought I got a good start, but I got to the first corner and it found out that I didn't. Valentino crashed in front of me and I had to practically stop the bike. I got closer and closer to Nicky and Dani, but there was nothing that I could really do, then we had some luck at the place that got me two years ago. I´m really happy to be on the podium, especially with my wife and kids here to see it."
Andrea Dovizioso benefitted the most from some hard overtaking moves from Jorge Lorenzo, which broke up a tussle for fifth place. The JiR Team Scot rider eventually took the spot ahead of his Spanish rival, with Chris Vermeulen and Shinya Nakano losing ground.
There were crashes for Kawasaki´s Anthony West and San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alex de Angelis in the race, whilst early faller Rossi managed to pass both Marco Melandri and subsequently Toni Elias for 11th place.
Race Results
1. C. STONER AUS (Ducati Marlboro Team) 42:12.337
2. D. PEDROSA SPA (Repsol Honda Team) +11.310
3. C. EDWARDS USA (Tech 3 Yamaha) +17.125
4. N. HAYDEN USA (Repsol Honda Team) +20.477
5. A. DOVIZIOSO ITA (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) +27.346
6. J. LORENZO SPA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +28.608
7. C. VERMEULEN AUS (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +32.330
8. S. NAKANO JPN (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +34.892
9. J. TOSELAND GBR (Tech 3 Yamaha) +38.566
10. S. GUINTOLI FRA (Alice Team) +38.817
11. V. ROSSI ITA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +46.025
12. T. ELIAS SPA (Alice Team) +48.213
13. M. MELANDRI ITA (Ducati Marlboro Team) +59.594
Not classified
A. WEST AUS (Kawasaki Racing Team) 19 Laps
Not finished 1st lap
R. DE PUNIET FRA (LCR Honda MotoGP)
A. DE ANGELIS RSM (San Carlo Honda Gresini)
Point Standings
1. Dani PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team) 171
2. Valentino ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team) 167
3. Casey STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 142
4. Jorge LORENZO (Fiat Yamaha Team) 114
5. Colin EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha) 98
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) 79
7. Nicky HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team) 70
8. James TOSELAND (Tech 3 Yamaha) 60
9. Chris VERMEULEN (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 57
10. Shinya NAKANO (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 57
11. Loris CAPIROSSI (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 51
12. Toni ELIAS (Alice Team) 33
13. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team) 32
14. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team) 32
15. Alex DE ANGELIS (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 25
16. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Alice Team) 24
17. Randy DE PUNIET (LCR Honda MotoGP) 22
18. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki Racing Team) 16
19. Ben SPIES (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 2
20. Tadayuki OKADA (Repsol Honda Team) 2
Casey Stoner gave himself, Ducati and Bridgestone a first premier class Assen victory with a superb breakaway from pole on Saturday.
It would have taken a brave man to bet against Stoner achieving a second consecutive victory after his phenomenal form in practice, qualifying and the Saturday warm-up, and the Australian set out his stall early in Assen.
The circuit record was passed over to the Ducati Marlboro rider after just two laps, and he improved incrementally as the race went on to take the win.
"We´ve known that we had the pace to do it, but it makes you even more nervous knowing that the only thing that can go wrong is you," Stoner said. "It managed to stay dry for the race, and I´m happy with that."
Stoner´s task was made slightly easier by the absence of Valentino Rossi from the battle for supremacy, the Fiat Yamaha rider crashing on the opening lap after losing the back end of his bike and careering into Randy de Puniet. Rossi returned to action, at times bettering the pace of the frontrunners with the exception of Stoner, but even if he had stayed on track the 2007 World Champion would almost undoubtedly have proved too fast to catch.
Dani Pedrosa was also unable to prevent a second Stoner breakaway in as many races, the Repsol Honda rider going round in isolation after being passed for the lead by his rival. Second place – combined with Rossi´s misfortunes - puts the Spaniard into the lead in the World Championship.
"It was important to finish in front, second is a very good result," Pedrosa said. "We had struggled a little, and in the race it was impossible to follow Casey. He was so fast, so I just tried my best to push. I am happy with this result, with returning to the podium and with the championship position."
As at last year´s race in the Netherlands, the A-Style TT Assen was set to be Nicky Hayden´s return to the podium in 2008. Untroubled by other riders whilst unable to keep up with the man immediately in front, it had looked to be a cruise to the line for the former World Champion and Assen race winner. However, in an almost tragicomic turn of events, the RC212V used by the Honda factory rider to such good effect gave out on him, and he could only limp over the line in fourth as Colin Edwards took a second podium of the year.
Edwards started from the second row, dropped down the field and then made a comeback on the Tech3 Yamaha. Having lost out in a 2006 to Hayden on the last lap, passing his rival on the home straight was a sweet reward for the `Texas Tornado´.
"What can you say? `What comes around goes around, he who laughs last´ etc., whatever you like," Edwards said. "I thought I got a good start, but I got to the first corner and it found out that I didn't. Valentino crashed in front of me and I had to practically stop the bike. I got closer and closer to Nicky and Dani, but there was nothing that I could really do, then we had some luck at the place that got me two years ago. I´m really happy to be on the podium, especially with my wife and kids here to see it."
Andrea Dovizioso benefitted the most from some hard overtaking moves from Jorge Lorenzo, which broke up a tussle for fifth place. The JiR Team Scot rider eventually took the spot ahead of his Spanish rival, with Chris Vermeulen and Shinya Nakano losing ground.
There were crashes for Kawasaki´s Anthony West and San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alex de Angelis in the race, whilst early faller Rossi managed to pass both Marco Melandri and subsequently Toni Elias for 11th place.
Race Results
1. C. STONER AUS (Ducati Marlboro Team) 42:12.337
2. D. PEDROSA SPA (Repsol Honda Team) +11.310
3. C. EDWARDS USA (Tech 3 Yamaha) +17.125
4. N. HAYDEN USA (Repsol Honda Team) +20.477
5. A. DOVIZIOSO ITA (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) +27.346
6. J. LORENZO SPA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +28.608
7. C. VERMEULEN AUS (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +32.330
8. S. NAKANO JPN (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +34.892
9. J. TOSELAND GBR (Tech 3 Yamaha) +38.566
10. S. GUINTOLI FRA (Alice Team) +38.817
11. V. ROSSI ITA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +46.025
12. T. ELIAS SPA (Alice Team) +48.213
13. M. MELANDRI ITA (Ducati Marlboro Team) +59.594
Not classified
A. WEST AUS (Kawasaki Racing Team) 19 Laps
Not finished 1st lap
R. DE PUNIET FRA (LCR Honda MotoGP)
A. DE ANGELIS RSM (San Carlo Honda Gresini)
Point Standings
1. Dani PEDROSA (Repsol Honda Team) 171
2. Valentino ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha Team) 167
3. Casey STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 142
4. Jorge LORENZO (Fiat Yamaha Team) 114
5. Colin EDWARDS (Tech 3 Yamaha) 98
6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) 79
7. Nicky HAYDEN (Repsol Honda Team) 70
8. James TOSELAND (Tech 3 Yamaha) 60
9. Chris VERMEULEN (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 57
10. Shinya NAKANO (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 57
11. Loris CAPIROSSI (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 51
12. Toni ELIAS (Alice Team) 33
13. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki Racing Team) 32
14. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team) 32
15. Alex DE ANGELIS (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 25
16. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Alice Team) 24
17. Randy DE PUNIET (LCR Honda MotoGP) 22
18. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki Racing Team) 16
19. Ben SPIES (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) 2
20. Tadayuki OKADA (Repsol Honda Team) 2
Friday, June 27, 2008
McCormick fastest at Race City
From Professional Motorsports Productions
CALGARY, AB – Sixteen-year-old Brett McCormick set the pace on the opening day of practice for the second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, sponsored by Blackfoot Suzuki, at Race City Motorsports Park on Friday.
The Saskatoon rider turned a fastest time of one minute, 16.546 seconds on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) road course.
“We’ve been trying to figure out a race set-up,” said McCormick, the 2007 HJC Pro Rookie of the Year in the national series. “We’ll be working hard tonight trying to figure stuff out. We changed the springs from this morning to give ourselves a little bit more to play with.”
Kevin Lacombe of Granby, QC was second fastest at 1:16.768 on his Team Toyota Yamaha/Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 and McCormick’s Kawasaki teammate Jordan Szoke was third with a 1:16.840.
Lacombe said his team made a big improvement between Friday’s morning practice session and the afternoon.
“We sorted some things out and we were able to do some good lap times at the end with used tires,” said Lacombe, who qualified on pole for the season opener at Calabogie Motorsports Park in Calabogie, ON and finished second in the race. “We have a lot of work to do tonight but I’m sure we’ll be there in qualifying and I’ll try to go for two poles in a row.”
Szoke, the two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champion, won the opening round of the 2008 season and leads the point standings. He won both ends of a doubleheader at Race City last year.
“Here it’s all about getting a good, comfortable set-up,” the Brantford, ON rider said. “You don’t need to worry about the fast times as much as being consistent. Qualifying is always close but in the race you’ll see a couple of guys break away.”
Cochrane, AB’s Clint McBain was fourth fastest on his Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:17.077 and Matt McBride of Mississauga, ON was fifth with a 1:17.200 on the Team Suzuki/Blackfoot/Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Action at Race City resumes on Saturday morning with official pre-qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike Championship competitors, which will lock in the top 10 for the afternoon’s Pirelli SuperPole session.
Qualifying for all national classes will be held Saturday afternoon, with racing set for Sunday.
CALGARY, AB – Sixteen-year-old Brett McCormick set the pace on the opening day of practice for the second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, sponsored by Blackfoot Suzuki, at Race City Motorsports Park on Friday.
The Saskatoon rider turned a fastest time of one minute, 16.546 seconds on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) road course.
“We’ve been trying to figure out a race set-up,” said McCormick, the 2007 HJC Pro Rookie of the Year in the national series. “We’ll be working hard tonight trying to figure stuff out. We changed the springs from this morning to give ourselves a little bit more to play with.”
Kevin Lacombe of Granby, QC was second fastest at 1:16.768 on his Team Toyota Yamaha/Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 and McCormick’s Kawasaki teammate Jordan Szoke was third with a 1:16.840.
Lacombe said his team made a big improvement between Friday’s morning practice session and the afternoon.
“We sorted some things out and we were able to do some good lap times at the end with used tires,” said Lacombe, who qualified on pole for the season opener at Calabogie Motorsports Park in Calabogie, ON and finished second in the race. “We have a lot of work to do tonight but I’m sure we’ll be there in qualifying and I’ll try to go for two poles in a row.”
Szoke, the two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champion, won the opening round of the 2008 season and leads the point standings. He won both ends of a doubleheader at Race City last year.
“Here it’s all about getting a good, comfortable set-up,” the Brantford, ON rider said. “You don’t need to worry about the fast times as much as being consistent. Qualifying is always close but in the race you’ll see a couple of guys break away.”
Cochrane, AB’s Clint McBain was fourth fastest on his Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:17.077 and Matt McBride of Mississauga, ON was fifth with a 1:17.200 on the Team Suzuki/Blackfoot/Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Action at Race City resumes on Saturday morning with official pre-qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike Championship competitors, which will lock in the top 10 for the afternoon’s Pirelli SuperPole session.
Qualifying for all national classes will be held Saturday afternoon, with racing set for Sunday.
Sykes fastest at damp Mallory
From Team Suzuki
Tom Sykes put his Rizla Suzuki into the number one spot during second free practice at a damp Mallory Park Friday ahead of round 6 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
The first free practice session was in full dry conditions and Sykes completed that in a strong third place, while Honda's Cal Crutchlow set the fastest time. The difficult conditions in the afternoon reduced the lap times but should it rain on race day, the wet weather preparation will stand by Sykes.
"Free practice one was good as it was bone dry and I was putting in consistent lap times on old tires," Sykes said. "We made some geometry changes to the suspension and that helped matters too, so I'm feeling confident in our dry settings for Mallory Park.
"The second session was wet and we have made some big changes to our wet set up so it was good to get on track and try them. I felt very comfortable and confident, we will just have to wait and see what the weather brings."
Two-time Japanese Superbike Champion Atsushi Watanabe rode to a much improved sixth place during second free practice having been 17th in the dry. He is still learning the circuit and would have benefitted from more dry track time.
The singular 50-minute qualifying session takes place on Saturday with both races Sunday.
Free Practice 1 Results
1. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 56.698
2. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +0.095
3. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +0.151
4. Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.337
5. Leon Camier (Ducati) +0.351
6. Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.882
7. Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +0.900
8. Karl Harris (Yamaha) +0.953
9. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +0.996
10. Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +1.049
Tom Sykes put his Rizla Suzuki into the number one spot during second free practice at a damp Mallory Park Friday ahead of round 6 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
The first free practice session was in full dry conditions and Sykes completed that in a strong third place, while Honda's Cal Crutchlow set the fastest time. The difficult conditions in the afternoon reduced the lap times but should it rain on race day, the wet weather preparation will stand by Sykes.
"Free practice one was good as it was bone dry and I was putting in consistent lap times on old tires," Sykes said. "We made some geometry changes to the suspension and that helped matters too, so I'm feeling confident in our dry settings for Mallory Park.
"The second session was wet and we have made some big changes to our wet set up so it was good to get on track and try them. I felt very comfortable and confident, we will just have to wait and see what the weather brings."
Two-time Japanese Superbike Champion Atsushi Watanabe rode to a much improved sixth place during second free practice having been 17th in the dry. He is still learning the circuit and would have benefitted from more dry track time.
The singular 50-minute qualifying session takes place on Saturday with both races Sunday.
Free Practice 1 Results
1. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 56.698
2. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +0.095
3. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +0.151
4. Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.337
5. Leon Camier (Ducati) +0.351
6. Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.882
7. Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +0.900
8. Karl Harris (Yamaha) +0.953
9. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +0.996
10. Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +1.049
Bayliss on Misano provisional pole
From worldsbk.com
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) powered to provisional pole position in Friday's first WSBK qualifying session at the Misano World Circuit. After setting the second quickest time in the morning's free practice, the Australian made his decisive move five minutes from the end of the afternoon session to grab pole with a time of 1 minute, 36.863 seconds.
The points leader was the only rider to break into the 1:36 bracket, ending up three-tenths of a second ahead of Jakub Smrz, who continued his positive qualifying form on the Guandalini Ducati.
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) was in third while Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) recorded a resurgence in form to complete the front row of the grid in fourth.
Row 2 is headed by Nurburgring double winner Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), followed by Frenchman Régis Laconi on his San Marino-liveried Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse machine, who was immediately on the pace at the team's home race. The final two places on the second row, making it five 1098 machines in the top eight, went to Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) and Lorenzo Lanzi (RG Ducati).
Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) was slightly down on the pace this time round in ninth place, the German quite literally a fraction ahead of Karl Muggeridge (DF Racing Honda).
Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) were in some difficulty Friday, down in 14th and 15th positions.
The first Supersport qualifying session was a close-fought affair, with the top 10 riders separated by eight-tenths of a second. The quickest rider on the day, earning him provisional pole position, was Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport), just ahead of points leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Yamaha World Supersport teammate Fabien Foret.
Fourth place went to Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), the top two Yamaha and Honda factory teams monopolizing the front row.
Surprise of the day was again the Australian Mark Aitchison (Triumph Italia BE1 Racing), who is getting closer to the front at every race. A good performance also came from Matthieu Lagrive (Intermoto Czech Honda), with fellow Honda runners Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport) and Joan Lascorz (Glaner Motocard.com) right behind.
Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) set the quickest time in first Superstock 1000 qualifying, despite a crash in the morning's free practice session in which he picked up a nasty blow to his groin area. The Australian headed a trio of Italian riders, made up of Davide Giugliano (Cruciani Moto Suzuki Italia), Alessandro Polita (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) and Fabrizio Perotti (Cruciano Moto Suzuki Italia).
The second row is headed by one of the favourites, Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni), in front of points leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) from Belgium.
In Superstock 600, Nurburgring winner Patrick Vostarek (Intermoto Czech Honda) left it late to grab the provisional pole position from Italian Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team). The other two places on the front row of the grid went to Italian Giuliano Gregorini (Lorini Honda) and championship leader, 15 year-old Loris Baz (YZF Yamaha Junior Team) from France.
Superbike Qualifying Results
1 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1:36.863
2. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.139
3. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.224
4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.477
5. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.542
6. Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.574
7. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.618
8. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.710
9. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:37.751
10. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.752
11. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:37.759
12. Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.819
13. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.871
14. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1:38.076
15. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.189
16. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.202
17. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.206
18. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.392
19. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.493
20. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:38.636
21. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.652
22. Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.774
23. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.843
24. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.895
25. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:39.768
26. Brignola N. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:40.311
27. Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:40.395
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) powered to provisional pole position in Friday's first WSBK qualifying session at the Misano World Circuit. After setting the second quickest time in the morning's free practice, the Australian made his decisive move five minutes from the end of the afternoon session to grab pole with a time of 1 minute, 36.863 seconds.
The points leader was the only rider to break into the 1:36 bracket, ending up three-tenths of a second ahead of Jakub Smrz, who continued his positive qualifying form on the Guandalini Ducati.
Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB) was in third while Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) recorded a resurgence in form to complete the front row of the grid in fourth.
Row 2 is headed by Nurburgring double winner Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB), followed by Frenchman Régis Laconi on his San Marino-liveried Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse machine, who was immediately on the pace at the team's home race. The final two places on the second row, making it five 1098 machines in the top eight, went to Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) and Lorenzo Lanzi (RG Ducati).
Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) was slightly down on the pace this time round in ninth place, the German quite literally a fraction ahead of Karl Muggeridge (DF Racing Honda).
Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) and Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) were in some difficulty Friday, down in 14th and 15th positions.
The first Supersport qualifying session was a close-fought affair, with the top 10 riders separated by eight-tenths of a second. The quickest rider on the day, earning him provisional pole position, was Broc Parkes (Yamaha World Supersport), just ahead of points leader Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Yamaha World Supersport teammate Fabien Foret.
Fourth place went to Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), the top two Yamaha and Honda factory teams monopolizing the front row.
Surprise of the day was again the Australian Mark Aitchison (Triumph Italia BE1 Racing), who is getting closer to the front at every race. A good performance also came from Matthieu Lagrive (Intermoto Czech Honda), with fellow Honda runners Joshua Brookes (Hannspree Stiggy Motorsport) and Joan Lascorz (Glaner Motocard.com) right behind.
Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) set the quickest time in first Superstock 1000 qualifying, despite a crash in the morning's free practice session in which he picked up a nasty blow to his groin area. The Australian headed a trio of Italian riders, made up of Davide Giugliano (Cruciani Moto Suzuki Italia), Alessandro Polita (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) and Fabrizio Perotti (Cruciano Moto Suzuki Italia).
The second row is headed by one of the favourites, Michele Pirro (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni), in front of points leader Xavier Simeon (Alstare Suzuki) from Belgium.
In Superstock 600, Nurburgring winner Patrick Vostarek (Intermoto Czech Honda) left it late to grab the provisional pole position from Italian Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Motor Italia Junior Team). The other two places on the front row of the grid went to Italian Giuliano Gregorini (Lorini Honda) and championship leader, 15 year-old Loris Baz (YZF Yamaha Junior Team) from France.
Superbike Qualifying Results
1 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 1098 F08 1:36.863
2. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.139
3. Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.224
4. Biaggi M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.477
5. Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:37.542
6. Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.574
7. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.618
8. Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 1098 RS 08 1:37.710
9. Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:37.751
10. Muggeridge K. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1:37.752
11. Nieto F. (ESP) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:37.759
12. Tamada M. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.819
13. Badovini A. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:37.871
14. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098 F08 1:38.076
15. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.189
16. Lavilla G. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.202
17. Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.206
18. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.392
19. Aoyama S. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.493
20. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:38.636
21. Nakatomi S. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.652
22. Gimbert S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.774
23. Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:38.843
24. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR1000RR 1:38.895
25. Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1:39.768
26. Brignola N. (ITA) Yamaha YZF-R1 1:40.311
27. Pridmore J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 1:40.395
Vermuelen on his own at Assen
From motogp.com
On his own for Rizla Suzuki in qualifying for the A-Style TT Assen, Chris Vermeulen took eighth on the grid whilst Loris Capirossi plotted his comeback on Friday.
Capirossi, ruled out of the A-Style TT Assen after a crash and forearm injury in Thursday´s second practice session, was in attendance but playing no further part in proceedings, whilst Donington stand-in Ben Spies had politely declined a second opportunity due to a lack of available track time and the unpredictability of the weather. Thus, the team was down to just Vermeulen in the garage at what is a key race for its main sponsor.
As the sole Rizla Suzuki rider on track, Vermeulen put himself on the third row for the Saturday race. He did so after a difficult qualifying session in which some extra data would perhaps have aided his cause.
"In the qualifying session we got a little bit lost with set-up because we tried so many things, and in the end we went back to what we ran yesterday and that seemed to work well," said the Australian, poleman at last year´s race.
"At least we are up there and if we get a good start and a strong first few laps, I think we can be competitive and fight for at least a top five finish," he added.
"It was the same in Donington. With no disrespect to Ben, we couldn´t get a lot of data whilst he was learning the bike and the track and everything. I hope we can get Loris back soon because together I think that we can make this bike a winning package."
Capirossi is aiming to return to competition at the German round of the MotoGP World Championship in two weeks time, after undergoing immediate surgery in the Clinica Mobile. He also expects his previous hand injury from Catalunya to have recovered 100% by the time he next rides the Suzuki machine.
On his own for Rizla Suzuki in qualifying for the A-Style TT Assen, Chris Vermeulen took eighth on the grid whilst Loris Capirossi plotted his comeback on Friday.
Capirossi, ruled out of the A-Style TT Assen after a crash and forearm injury in Thursday´s second practice session, was in attendance but playing no further part in proceedings, whilst Donington stand-in Ben Spies had politely declined a second opportunity due to a lack of available track time and the unpredictability of the weather. Thus, the team was down to just Vermeulen in the garage at what is a key race for its main sponsor.
As the sole Rizla Suzuki rider on track, Vermeulen put himself on the third row for the Saturday race. He did so after a difficult qualifying session in which some extra data would perhaps have aided his cause.
"In the qualifying session we got a little bit lost with set-up because we tried so many things, and in the end we went back to what we ran yesterday and that seemed to work well," said the Australian, poleman at last year´s race.
"At least we are up there and if we get a good start and a strong first few laps, I think we can be competitive and fight for at least a top five finish," he added.
"It was the same in Donington. With no disrespect to Ben, we couldn´t get a lot of data whilst he was learning the bike and the track and everything. I hope we can get Loris back soon because together I think that we can make this bike a winning package."
Capirossi is aiming to return to competition at the German round of the MotoGP World Championship in two weeks time, after undergoing immediate surgery in the Clinica Mobile. He also expects his previous hand injury from Catalunya to have recovered 100% by the time he next rides the Suzuki machine.
Hopkins out after Assen fall
From motogp.com
John Hopkins is to fly home to the US to recuperate after suffering ankle and tibia fractures in a high-speed qualifying crash at the A-Style TT Assen on Friday afternoon.
Hopkins´ difficult debut season with Kawasaki took a decided turn for the worse in the Netherlands when the Anglo-American lowsided his Ninja ZX-RR at high-speed at the Ramshoek corner, smashing into the advertising hoarding and tire wall.
A broken bone (internal medial malleolus) in his left ankle and two tibia fractures have already been confirmed - and an additional knee injury is being examined - meaning Hopkins is to miss the races at Assen, Sachsenring and possibly Laguna Seca.
Already riding in some discomfort due to a back injury sustained at Catalunya earlier this month there were worrying scenes as he was stretchered away after the crash, initially without moving. Though he was later seen walking on his way into the Clinica Mobile he is certainly out of luck given his recent series of DNFs, in addition to this crash which could see him miss his home race in California.
Kawasaki´s competiton manager Michael Bartholemy told motogp.com, "He has a break in the ankle and two fractures in the tibia, one old fracture that has opened again and one new. At the moment they have put on a cast and said he should not move his foot for 20 to 25 days. There may also be some damage to his knee so there will be another scan shortly.
"Sachsenring will not be possible for him, so I hope that we will be back for Laguna Seca, but anyway we want to wait until he is 100% fit because he is still carrying the Barcelona injury and I would prefer that he comes back at 100%."
Kawasaki will now analyze its data from Friday´s Assen qualifying session to determine the cause of Hopkins´ crash and will make a decision on whether to field a replacement rider at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in the coming days.
John Hopkins is to fly home to the US to recuperate after suffering ankle and tibia fractures in a high-speed qualifying crash at the A-Style TT Assen on Friday afternoon.
Hopkins´ difficult debut season with Kawasaki took a decided turn for the worse in the Netherlands when the Anglo-American lowsided his Ninja ZX-RR at high-speed at the Ramshoek corner, smashing into the advertising hoarding and tire wall.
A broken bone (internal medial malleolus) in his left ankle and two tibia fractures have already been confirmed - and an additional knee injury is being examined - meaning Hopkins is to miss the races at Assen, Sachsenring and possibly Laguna Seca.
Already riding in some discomfort due to a back injury sustained at Catalunya earlier this month there were worrying scenes as he was stretchered away after the crash, initially without moving. Though he was later seen walking on his way into the Clinica Mobile he is certainly out of luck given his recent series of DNFs, in addition to this crash which could see him miss his home race in California.
Kawasaki´s competiton manager Michael Bartholemy told motogp.com, "He has a break in the ankle and two fractures in the tibia, one old fracture that has opened again and one new. At the moment they have put on a cast and said he should not move his foot for 20 to 25 days. There may also be some damage to his knee so there will be another scan shortly.
"Sachsenring will not be possible for him, so I hope that we will be back for Laguna Seca, but anyway we want to wait until he is 100% fit because he is still carrying the Barcelona injury and I would prefer that he comes back at 100%."
Kawasaki will now analyze its data from Friday´s Assen qualifying session to determine the cause of Hopkins´ crash and will make a decision on whether to field a replacement rider at the Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland in the coming days.
Stoner on Assen TT pole
From motogp.com
Casey Stoner fought off all comers in qualifying for the A-Style TT Assen on Friday, smashing the pole position record along the way.
The fastest lap ever recorded by a motorcycle at Assen gave Stoner a third consecutive pole position in preparation for round nine of the MotoGP World Championship, continuing his outstanding performances of the past seven days.
The Australian was in a class of his own in the first practice sessions for the A-Style TT Assen, but qualifying saw him having to dig even deeper as his two biggest rivals upped their game and lowered their times. A 1:35.520 lap, nearly a second quicker than the existing pole position record eventually won out for the reigning World Champion, gunning for his second victory in seven days.
"This afternoon was a lot windier than yesterday and the rain this morning meant that the track conditions weren´t at their optimum," Stoner said. "The front was pushing in a lot of corners where you really have to rely on it, so that made life 10 times more difficult than it should be.
"The softer rear put even more pressure on the front and I almost lost it on several occasions during the last three laps. To have qualified on pole despite all those things is fantastic."
A final lap from Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa very nearly spoiled the party for the Ducati rider, but the Spaniard fell short by just 0.032 as he marked his spot on the front row. Pedrosa now leads Stoner by three points in the BMW M Award for combined qualifying results.
The final piece of the front row puzzle was current series leader Valentino Rossi, the first to trouble Stoner during the session. His final shot, with a new set of Bridgestone qualifiers, was not quite enough, and in the end only 0.139 separated the front row trio.
Nicky Hayden, the 2006 Race winner, will head the second line in Saturday´s race, ahead of LCR Honda´s Randy de Puniet and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards. The front two rows all rode round under the previous 1:36.411 pole record.
Second Fiat Yamaha man Jorge Lorenzo is accompanied by 2007 poleman Chris Vermeulen and 2006 race runner-up Shinya Nakano on the third row.
Toni Elias looks set to start his first ever MotoGP race at Assen after completing the qualifying session without incident.
The only crashes were a pair of falls by John Hopkins, the latter a particularly high speed lowside.
Qualifying Results
1. C. STONER AUS (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:35.520
2. D. PEDROSA SPA (Repsol Honda Team) +0.032
3. V. ROSSI ITA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +0.139
4. N. HAYDEN USA (Repsol Honda Team) +0.455
5. R. DE PUNIET FRA (LCR Honda MotoGP) +0.465
6. C. EDWARDS USA (Tech 3 Yamaha) +0.758
7. J. LORENZO SPA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +1.012
8. C. VERMEULEN AUS (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +1.248
9. S. NAKANO JPN (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.284
10. S. GUINTOLI FRA (Alice Team) +1.303
11. A. DOVIZIOSO ITA (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) +1.379
12. A. DE ANGELIS RSM (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.428
13. J. TOSELAND GBR (Tech 3 Yamaha) +1.458
14. T. ELIAS SPA (Alice Team) +1.767
15. J. HOPKINS USA (Kawasaki Racing Team) +2.123
16. A. WEST AUS (Kawasaki Racing Team) +2.273
17. M. MELANDRI ITA (Ducati Marlboro Team) +3.206
Casey Stoner fought off all comers in qualifying for the A-Style TT Assen on Friday, smashing the pole position record along the way.
The fastest lap ever recorded by a motorcycle at Assen gave Stoner a third consecutive pole position in preparation for round nine of the MotoGP World Championship, continuing his outstanding performances of the past seven days.
The Australian was in a class of his own in the first practice sessions for the A-Style TT Assen, but qualifying saw him having to dig even deeper as his two biggest rivals upped their game and lowered their times. A 1:35.520 lap, nearly a second quicker than the existing pole position record eventually won out for the reigning World Champion, gunning for his second victory in seven days.
"This afternoon was a lot windier than yesterday and the rain this morning meant that the track conditions weren´t at their optimum," Stoner said. "The front was pushing in a lot of corners where you really have to rely on it, so that made life 10 times more difficult than it should be.
"The softer rear put even more pressure on the front and I almost lost it on several occasions during the last three laps. To have qualified on pole despite all those things is fantastic."
A final lap from Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa very nearly spoiled the party for the Ducati rider, but the Spaniard fell short by just 0.032 as he marked his spot on the front row. Pedrosa now leads Stoner by three points in the BMW M Award for combined qualifying results.
The final piece of the front row puzzle was current series leader Valentino Rossi, the first to trouble Stoner during the session. His final shot, with a new set of Bridgestone qualifiers, was not quite enough, and in the end only 0.139 separated the front row trio.
Nicky Hayden, the 2006 Race winner, will head the second line in Saturday´s race, ahead of LCR Honda´s Randy de Puniet and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards. The front two rows all rode round under the previous 1:36.411 pole record.
Second Fiat Yamaha man Jorge Lorenzo is accompanied by 2007 poleman Chris Vermeulen and 2006 race runner-up Shinya Nakano on the third row.
Toni Elias looks set to start his first ever MotoGP race at Assen after completing the qualifying session without incident.
The only crashes were a pair of falls by John Hopkins, the latter a particularly high speed lowside.
Qualifying Results
1. C. STONER AUS (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:35.520
2. D. PEDROSA SPA (Repsol Honda Team) +0.032
3. V. ROSSI ITA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +0.139
4. N. HAYDEN USA (Repsol Honda Team) +0.455
5. R. DE PUNIET FRA (LCR Honda MotoGP) +0.465
6. C. EDWARDS USA (Tech 3 Yamaha) +0.758
7. J. LORENZO SPA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +1.012
8. C. VERMEULEN AUS (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +1.248
9. S. NAKANO JPN (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.284
10. S. GUINTOLI FRA (Alice Team) +1.303
11. A. DOVIZIOSO ITA (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) +1.379
12. A. DE ANGELIS RSM (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.428
13. J. TOSELAND GBR (Tech 3 Yamaha) +1.458
14. T. ELIAS SPA (Alice Team) +1.767
15. J. HOPKINS USA (Kawasaki Racing Team) +2.123
16. A. WEST AUS (Kawasaki Racing Team) +2.273
17. M. MELANDRI ITA (Ducati Marlboro Team) +3.206
Riders for Health MotoGP Day of Champions 2008
Just put a fantastic 100 flash picture slideshow of the 2008 Riders for Health MotoGP Day of Champions event at Donington Park on the 19th June. on http://www.inter-bike.co.uk/.
The highlight of which is the Riders for Health acution, which raised a staggering £77,000.
Ride safe
Jon Booth
Email: webmaster@inter-bike.co.uk
Got Cake?
Yesterday evening, I was watching Food T.V., and caught an episode of the Ace of Cakes. I am glad I have DVR or I wouldn't have been able to stop the T.V. show, and get my digital camera, and rewind to capture these pictures.
Being an artist, I can really appreciate some of the stuff these folks create on this show with cake. Duff and his crew made a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Motorcycle cake!
Friggin cool! Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Please excuse the poor quality, these are pictures of my television , not pictures captures from the Web.
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Being an artist, I can really appreciate some of the stuff these folks create on this show with cake. Duff and his crew made a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Motorcycle cake!
Friggin cool! Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Please excuse the poor quality, these are pictures of my television , not pictures captures from the Web.
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Thursday, June 26, 2008
Stoner dominant in Assen practice
From motogp.com
Casey Stoner was three-tenths of a second quicker than the pole position record in practice for the A-Style TT Assen. The reigning World Champion put on an absolute masterclass in both Thursday MotoGP sessions, in particular the afternoon run at the historic Dutch track.
A 1:36.087 lap, three tenths of a second faster than John Hopkins´ pole position record from 2006, was the latest demonstration of Stoner and Ducati´s potential to fight for victory at this crucial phase of the season. Even a brief wobble seemed not to faze the 22-year-old.
"We´re very happy with the fact we´ve come to another circuit and the new set up is working as well as it did at Catalunya and Donington," Stoner said. "There don´t seem to be any bad points to it and it is helping me ride like I want to again. I´m able to use harder compound tires again and I´m just getting a better feel for the whole bike in general, without it bucking and weaving everywhere.
"We had a couple of moments today where it thought about trying to spit me but nothing to worry about. If you watch the race last year you can see the bike moving around a lot and we were struggling, whereas if you saw me ride today you can see what a huge step forward we´ve taken.
"In fact, maybe with the exception of Donington, this is probably the first time since Qatar where I can say that this bike is better than last year´s. Today we´ve gone faster than the pole record on a race tire so we´re delighted with how everything is coming together."
Doing his best to keep up with his rival, Fiat Yamaha´s Valentino Rossi came closest to matching Stoner´s marker. The winner of last year´s Assen showdown in a breathtaking battle between himself and Stoner, current World Championship leader Rossi was seven-tenths of a second down on the fastest lap of the day.
Colin Edwards also managed to keep within a second of Stoner´s time, onboard the Tech3 Yamaha version of the M1 at a track where he has maybe his best chance of victory this season. The rider who prevailed in their 2006 duel, Repsol Honda´s Nicky Hayden, was just behind him in fourth place.
Alex de Angelis and Shinya Nakano trailed Hayden as the next fastest Honda riders, competing for the San Carlo Honda Gresini satellite outfit. LCR Honda man Randy de Puniet and Kawasaki´s John Hopkins also separated Hayden from teammate and title contender Dani Pedrosa in the combined practice classification.
Tenth placed Chris Vermeulen had a small run-off during the afternoon session, but his was a minor setback in comparison to that of Rizla Suzuki teammate Loris Capirossi. The returning veteran -absent from Donington with a hand injury- suffered a brutal highside that ended with the Italian nursing a cut forearm in the Clinica Mobile.
He played no further part in the session, and his replacement in Britain Ben Spies is on-hand in the Netherlands should his services be required.
Practice session 2 Results
1. C. STONER AUS (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:36.087
2. V. ROSSI ITA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +0.732
3. C. EDWARDS USA (Tech 3 Yamaha) +0.844
4. N. HAYDEN USA (Repsol Honda Team) +0.925
5. A. DE ANGELIS RSM (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.039
6. S. NAKANO JPN (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.050
7. R. DE PUNIET FRA (LCR Honda MotoGP) +1.100
8. J. HOPKINS USA (Kawasaki Racing Team) +1.164
9. D. PEDROSA SPA (Repsol Honda Team) +1.193
10. C. VERMEULEN AUS (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +1.195
11. A. DOVIZIOSO ITA (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) +1.239
12. S. GUINTOLI FRA (Alice Team) +1.270
13. J. TOSELAND GBR (Tech 3 Yamaha) +1.751
14. J. LORENZO SPA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +1.873
15. A. WEST AUS (Kawasaki Racing Team) +2.326
16. T. ELIAS SPA (Alice Team) +2.569
17. L. CAPIROSSI ITA (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +2.580
18. M. MELANDRI ITA (Ducati Marlboro Team) +3.127
Casey Stoner was three-tenths of a second quicker than the pole position record in practice for the A-Style TT Assen. The reigning World Champion put on an absolute masterclass in both Thursday MotoGP sessions, in particular the afternoon run at the historic Dutch track.
A 1:36.087 lap, three tenths of a second faster than John Hopkins´ pole position record from 2006, was the latest demonstration of Stoner and Ducati´s potential to fight for victory at this crucial phase of the season. Even a brief wobble seemed not to faze the 22-year-old.
"We´re very happy with the fact we´ve come to another circuit and the new set up is working as well as it did at Catalunya and Donington," Stoner said. "There don´t seem to be any bad points to it and it is helping me ride like I want to again. I´m able to use harder compound tires again and I´m just getting a better feel for the whole bike in general, without it bucking and weaving everywhere.
"We had a couple of moments today where it thought about trying to spit me but nothing to worry about. If you watch the race last year you can see the bike moving around a lot and we were struggling, whereas if you saw me ride today you can see what a huge step forward we´ve taken.
"In fact, maybe with the exception of Donington, this is probably the first time since Qatar where I can say that this bike is better than last year´s. Today we´ve gone faster than the pole record on a race tire so we´re delighted with how everything is coming together."
Doing his best to keep up with his rival, Fiat Yamaha´s Valentino Rossi came closest to matching Stoner´s marker. The winner of last year´s Assen showdown in a breathtaking battle between himself and Stoner, current World Championship leader Rossi was seven-tenths of a second down on the fastest lap of the day.
Colin Edwards also managed to keep within a second of Stoner´s time, onboard the Tech3 Yamaha version of the M1 at a track where he has maybe his best chance of victory this season. The rider who prevailed in their 2006 duel, Repsol Honda´s Nicky Hayden, was just behind him in fourth place.
Alex de Angelis and Shinya Nakano trailed Hayden as the next fastest Honda riders, competing for the San Carlo Honda Gresini satellite outfit. LCR Honda man Randy de Puniet and Kawasaki´s John Hopkins also separated Hayden from teammate and title contender Dani Pedrosa in the combined practice classification.
Tenth placed Chris Vermeulen had a small run-off during the afternoon session, but his was a minor setback in comparison to that of Rizla Suzuki teammate Loris Capirossi. The returning veteran -absent from Donington with a hand injury- suffered a brutal highside that ended with the Italian nursing a cut forearm in the Clinica Mobile.
He played no further part in the session, and his replacement in Britain Ben Spies is on-hand in the Netherlands should his services be required.
Practice session 2 Results
1. C. STONER AUS (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:36.087
2. V. ROSSI ITA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +0.732
3. C. EDWARDS USA (Tech 3 Yamaha) +0.844
4. N. HAYDEN USA (Repsol Honda Team) +0.925
5. A. DE ANGELIS RSM (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.039
6. S. NAKANO JPN (San Carlo Honda Gresini) +1.050
7. R. DE PUNIET FRA (LCR Honda MotoGP) +1.100
8. J. HOPKINS USA (Kawasaki Racing Team) +1.164
9. D. PEDROSA SPA (Repsol Honda Team) +1.193
10. C. VERMEULEN AUS (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +1.195
11. A. DOVIZIOSO ITA (JiR Team Scot MotoGP) +1.239
12. S. GUINTOLI FRA (Alice Team) +1.270
13. J. TOSELAND GBR (Tech 3 Yamaha) +1.751
14. J. LORENZO SPA (Fiat Yamaha Team) +1.873
15. A. WEST AUS (Kawasaki Racing Team) +2.326
16. T. ELIAS SPA (Alice Team) +2.569
17. L. CAPIROSSI ITA (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) +2.580
18. M. MELANDRI ITA (Ducati Marlboro Team) +3.127
Xaus to race BMW in 2009
From BMW Motorrad Motorsport
BMW Motorrad Motorsport is delighted to announce it has agreed terms with Ruben Xaus and he will ride the all-new BMW S1000 RR in the Superbike World Championship in 2009.
The contract between BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Xaus is for two years and is the first step in BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s entry into World Superbikes.
Xaus was born in Sant Cugat des Valles in Catalunya, Spain and now resides with his wife (Mariona) and daughter (Julia) in Andorra. He has been a WSBK regular since 1998 and has taken 34 podiums, including 10 victories.
"Ever since we announced that we would enter the 2009 Superbike World Championship, there has been a lot of speculation about and interest in our bike and our riders," said Peter Mueller, executive vice president, development and model lines. "Everybody has already had some information about our new S1000 RR bike, and today we can reveal one of the riders who will join us in this great adventure next year.
"Ruben is a strong and combative rider, full of enthusiasm and with a passion for racing. This fits our philosophy completely and together we will take on this new challenge. We know that the Superbike World Championship is a very hard and competitive series, but we are not entering it just to make up the numbers: we will be taking part because we want to win. Of course, we are starting with a brand new bike but, together with Ruben, we believe we can progress quickly and maybe surprise a few people along the way."
"When I met the BMW guys, I was very impressed by their commitment, their passion for racing and their ideas about the future," Xaus said. "We discussed how the WSBK project was going and I realized that I wanted to be a part of it straightaway. It is not often that you get the chance to start a completely new project, but I am really looking forward to the challenge. Although it’s going to be tough racing a new bike, I believe BMW will give me a good bike and great support and that’s all I ask for."
BMW Motorrad Motorsport is delighted to announce it has agreed terms with Ruben Xaus and he will ride the all-new BMW S1000 RR in the Superbike World Championship in 2009.
The contract between BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Xaus is for two years and is the first step in BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s entry into World Superbikes.
Xaus was born in Sant Cugat des Valles in Catalunya, Spain and now resides with his wife (Mariona) and daughter (Julia) in Andorra. He has been a WSBK regular since 1998 and has taken 34 podiums, including 10 victories.
"Ever since we announced that we would enter the 2009 Superbike World Championship, there has been a lot of speculation about and interest in our bike and our riders," said Peter Mueller, executive vice president, development and model lines. "Everybody has already had some information about our new S1000 RR bike, and today we can reveal one of the riders who will join us in this great adventure next year.
"Ruben is a strong and combative rider, full of enthusiasm and with a passion for racing. This fits our philosophy completely and together we will take on this new challenge. We know that the Superbike World Championship is a very hard and competitive series, but we are not entering it just to make up the numbers: we will be taking part because we want to win. Of course, we are starting with a brand new bike but, together with Ruben, we believe we can progress quickly and maybe surprise a few people along the way."
"When I met the BMW guys, I was very impressed by their commitment, their passion for racing and their ideas about the future," Xaus said. "We discussed how the WSBK project was going and I realized that I wanted to be a part of it straightaway. It is not often that you get the chance to start a completely new project, but I am really looking forward to the challenge. Although it’s going to be tough racing a new bike, I believe BMW will give me a good bike and great support and that’s all I ask for."
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Seguin leads points chase
By John Hopkins
Jeff Seguin leads the Expert 600 standings after the opening two rounds of the CMA National Dirt Track Championships.
The Welland, ON rider has a second and fourth in the two races held so far, both at Welland's Niagara Raceway, giving him 36 points.
Honda's Doug Lawrence is second in the Expert 600 standings with 32 points and Yamaha rider Mike Labelle sits third with 29 after winning the second round on June 14.
Defending champ Donald Taylor sits fourth in the standings. The Suzuki rider won the season opener but did not score in the next event.
Lawrence leads the Expert 450 rankings with 40 points thanks to a pair of runner-up finishes. Labelle is second with 34 points, and Seguin and Kawasaki's John Parker are tied for third with 26.
Taylor and Jon Cornwell (Honda) have the two race wins.
Jeff Orosz of Caistorville, ON leads the Speedway standings thanks to victory in the first two rounds, with 46 points to the 40 of Aaron Hesmer.
In Intermediate classes, London, ON's Colin Heggarty rode his Kawasaki to victory in the first two races to lead the 600 standings, while Honda rider Steve Ball of Waterloo, ON is perfect in 450.
Medina, NY's Becky Traxler has only been beaten once in either Novice 600 or 450 and leads the points in both classes, while other division leaders are Sam Manyon in Veteran, David Dent in ATV, Tyler Seguin in 85cc Youth, Blake Aina in 65cc Youth and Dustin Lambert in 50cc Youth.
Jeff Seguin leads the Expert 600 standings after the opening two rounds of the CMA National Dirt Track Championships.
The Welland, ON rider has a second and fourth in the two races held so far, both at Welland's Niagara Raceway, giving him 36 points.
Honda's Doug Lawrence is second in the Expert 600 standings with 32 points and Yamaha rider Mike Labelle sits third with 29 after winning the second round on June 14.
Defending champ Donald Taylor sits fourth in the standings. The Suzuki rider won the season opener but did not score in the next event.
Lawrence leads the Expert 450 rankings with 40 points thanks to a pair of runner-up finishes. Labelle is second with 34 points, and Seguin and Kawasaki's John Parker are tied for third with 26.
Taylor and Jon Cornwell (Honda) have the two race wins.
Jeff Orosz of Caistorville, ON leads the Speedway standings thanks to victory in the first two rounds, with 46 points to the 40 of Aaron Hesmer.
In Intermediate classes, London, ON's Colin Heggarty rode his Kawasaki to victory in the first two races to lead the 600 standings, while Honda rider Steve Ball of Waterloo, ON is perfect in 450.
Medina, NY's Becky Traxler has only been beaten once in either Novice 600 or 450 and leads the points in both classes, while other division leaders are Sam Manyon in Veteran, David Dent in ATV, Tyler Seguin in 85cc Youth, Blake Aina in 65cc Youth and Dustin Lambert in 50cc Youth.
Romero Grand Marshal at Vintage Days
From the American Motorcyclist Association
PICKERINGTON, OH -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is proud to announce that 1970 Grand National Champion Gene Romero will be a grand marshal at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, July 25-27, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in central Ohio.
Romero will be honoured as grand marshal along with seven-time AMA Grand National Enduro Champion Bill Baird. Each racing star rose to prominence riding Triumph motorcycles, the Marque of the Year for this summer's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.
Now in its 16th year, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is expected to attract 60,000-plus motorcycling fans from throughout the Midwest and both coasts to view scores of classic motorcycles, finagle good deals at the world's largest vintage swap meet and rub shoulders with fellow riders. And many will seek out an autograph from the affable Romero, nicknamed "Burrito" in his heyday for his love of Mexican food.
Romero was a force to be reckoned with in the 1960s and '70s. Not only was he a terror on dirt ovals, he also saw success on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, where he won the 200-miler in 1975. Not surprisingly, he gives credit to Triumph.
"Riding for Triumph was really cool, they were wonderful," recalled Romero. "I had been on multiple brands with factory rides, but I kind of grew up around the Triumph thing, and I have some really fond memories of them. It's funny. The real hell-raisers were kind of thought to be on the Triumphs, and that suited me just fine."
All proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefit the non-profit Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in nearby Pickerington, OH. Advance tickets to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days can be purchased at www.midohio.com or by calling (800) MID-OHIO. For more information, visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001przLTOHPMScWrI6WAPbcyHcmQoiUJdPCwMzrvGo2qQY7ElLQD8qcUi456zKHOFdTfB95xI0HarlFFcyaegaT_ixrGUlX2xu3CzbfEymT9EApgWkNnmIF3E_I5MXlCE8K2rI8AKy_f9w=.
PICKERINGTON, OH -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is proud to announce that 1970 Grand National Champion Gene Romero will be a grand marshal at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, July 25-27, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in central Ohio.
Romero will be honoured as grand marshal along with seven-time AMA Grand National Enduro Champion Bill Baird. Each racing star rose to prominence riding Triumph motorcycles, the Marque of the Year for this summer's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.
Now in its 16th year, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is expected to attract 60,000-plus motorcycling fans from throughout the Midwest and both coasts to view scores of classic motorcycles, finagle good deals at the world's largest vintage swap meet and rub shoulders with fellow riders. And many will seek out an autograph from the affable Romero, nicknamed "Burrito" in his heyday for his love of Mexican food.
Romero was a force to be reckoned with in the 1960s and '70s. Not only was he a terror on dirt ovals, he also saw success on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, where he won the 200-miler in 1975. Not surprisingly, he gives credit to Triumph.
"Riding for Triumph was really cool, they were wonderful," recalled Romero. "I had been on multiple brands with factory rides, but I kind of grew up around the Triumph thing, and I have some really fond memories of them. It's funny. The real hell-raisers were kind of thought to be on the Triumphs, and that suited me just fine."
All proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefit the non-profit Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in nearby Pickerington, OH. Advance tickets to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days can be purchased at www.midohio.com or by calling (800) MID-OHIO. For more information, visit http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001przLTOHPMScWrI6WAPbcyHcmQoiUJdPCwMzrvGo2qQY7ElLQD8qcUi456zKHOFdTfB95xI0HarlFFcyaegaT_ixrGUlX2xu3CzbfEymT9EApgWkNnmIF3E_I5MXlCE8K2rI8AKy_f9w=.
VIR receives County Improvement Award
From VIRginia International Raceway
DANVILLE, VA – VIRginia International Raceway was honoured this week with the “Keep Halifax Beautiful” award from the Halifax County Improvement Council.
In presenting the award to Charles “Pee Wee” Thompson, the track’s director of maintenance, Council Business and Industry subcommittee Shirley Whitlow cited the track’s constant work in maintaining its park-like appearance.
Track general manager Josh Lief congratulated the entire Maintenance team, commenting that their “efforts are what keep VIR looking the way it does.”
Thompson, in accepting the plaque, joked that he would tape it “inside the rear window of his truck, so everyone will see it” as he makes his rounds of the facility. Racers and spectators alike have commented in the past that: “it was an amazing race track. The most beautiful track I’ve ever been to. It’s a classy race track.” John Linster, an amateur car racer from Calgary, had that comment after last year’s 13-hour SCCA race.
Reopened in 2000, VIR hosts a wide range of professional and amateur auto and motorcycle racing and track events. In addition to its historic 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America's first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park and Motorsports Technology Park, which includes the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (“VIPER”); and the Plantation Valley Kart Track, a 5/8 mile paved natural terrain karting circuit.
The next big event at VIR is the AMA Big Kahuna Superbike National on Aug. 15-17.
DANVILLE, VA – VIRginia International Raceway was honoured this week with the “Keep Halifax Beautiful” award from the Halifax County Improvement Council.
In presenting the award to Charles “Pee Wee” Thompson, the track’s director of maintenance, Council Business and Industry subcommittee Shirley Whitlow cited the track’s constant work in maintaining its park-like appearance.
Track general manager Josh Lief congratulated the entire Maintenance team, commenting that their “efforts are what keep VIR looking the way it does.”
Thompson, in accepting the plaque, joked that he would tape it “inside the rear window of his truck, so everyone will see it” as he makes his rounds of the facility. Racers and spectators alike have commented in the past that: “it was an amazing race track. The most beautiful track I’ve ever been to. It’s a classy race track.” John Linster, an amateur car racer from Calgary, had that comment after last year’s 13-hour SCCA race.
Reopened in 2000, VIR hosts a wide range of professional and amateur auto and motorcycle racing and track events. In addition to its historic 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America's first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park and Motorsports Technology Park, which includes the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (“VIPER”); and the Plantation Valley Kart Track, a 5/8 mile paved natural terrain karting circuit.
The next big event at VIR is the AMA Big Kahuna Superbike National on Aug. 15-17.
non biker related joke
This not biker related, but a friend just shared this with me, and I felt I should pass it along.
Ben Franklin once said: "In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria." In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli,(E. Coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer or tequila, rum, whiskey, (other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting. Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. It is my duty as your friend and also because of my deep concern for your health.
Ben Franklin once said: "In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria." In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli,(E. Coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer or tequila, rum, whiskey, (other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting. Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. It is my duty as your friend and also because of my deep concern for your health.
Yamaha pair aim for title lead
From Yamaha Racing
For the past two years Yamaha World Supersport riders have proved unbeatable at the Misano circuit, and that fills Broc Parkes and Fabien Foret, from the Yamaha World Supersport Racing Team, with confidence as they attempt to go from championship contenders to championship leaders again.
After a somewhat disjoined first half of the season, despite both riders having already tasted victory on the all-new Yamaha YZF-R6, the championship lead is within touching distance for both Parkes and Foret.
The current championship standings show how close the 2008 WSS contest is shaping up to be, with Andrew Pitt on 88 points, Foret second on 84, Josh Brookes on 83 and Joan Lascorz and Parkes locked together on 81 points.
Three no scores have kept Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) in the lower reaches of the top 10 so far, but as the race winner at Misano on 2006, Roccoli is fully motivated to return to the top step at one of three Italian-based races on the 2008 calendar.
Foret had to settle for an off-podium finish in the Nürburgring race in mid-June, but the 2002 champion sees Misano as the perfect place to get back into the lead.
"I hope for better things at Misano than I had at the Nürburgring and it is one of the better tracks for me anyway," he said. "Most of the time I have had a good result there and even with the new track and riding a different bike things were not so bad last year. I feel confident and I am going to try and win the race."
Parkes, now recovered fully from some painful early season injuries, said, "It would have been fantastic to have won at Nürburgring, and I felt we had done enough to get the victory there. We lost a bit of drive in the last few laps, and I had to take third. The main thing to remember is that we ran at a really high pace in that race and we will be out to make sure we can do it again at Misano, only finish on top this time."
David De Gea (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) is still looking for points as he recovers from injury but David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) is still looking to come back to the fray after missing Germany.
For the past two years Yamaha World Supersport riders have proved unbeatable at the Misano circuit, and that fills Broc Parkes and Fabien Foret, from the Yamaha World Supersport Racing Team, with confidence as they attempt to go from championship contenders to championship leaders again.
After a somewhat disjoined first half of the season, despite both riders having already tasted victory on the all-new Yamaha YZF-R6, the championship lead is within touching distance for both Parkes and Foret.
The current championship standings show how close the 2008 WSS contest is shaping up to be, with Andrew Pitt on 88 points, Foret second on 84, Josh Brookes on 83 and Joan Lascorz and Parkes locked together on 81 points.
Three no scores have kept Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Team Italia Lorenzini by Leoni) in the lower reaches of the top 10 so far, but as the race winner at Misano on 2006, Roccoli is fully motivated to return to the top step at one of three Italian-based races on the 2008 calendar.
Foret had to settle for an off-podium finish in the Nürburgring race in mid-June, but the 2002 champion sees Misano as the perfect place to get back into the lead.
"I hope for better things at Misano than I had at the Nürburgring and it is one of the better tracks for me anyway," he said. "Most of the time I have had a good result there and even with the new track and riding a different bike things were not so bad last year. I feel confident and I am going to try and win the race."
Parkes, now recovered fully from some painful early season injuries, said, "It would have been fantastic to have won at Nürburgring, and I felt we had done enough to get the victory there. We lost a bit of drive in the last few laps, and I had to take third. The main thing to remember is that we ran at a really high pace in that race and we will be out to make sure we can do it again at Misano, only finish on top this time."
David De Gea (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) is still looking for points as he recovers from injury but David Salom (Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team) is still looking to come back to the fray after missing Germany.
Corser and Haga roll to Misano
From Yamaha Racing
After incredible rides at the Nürburgring in Germany both Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) will be relishing another chance to compete for top honours at round 8 of the World Superbike Championship at the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast of Italy this weekend.
Despite suffering from a broken right collarbone, plated and pinned before the Nürburgring race, Haga won both races in the German round, only just beating his teammate Corser in race two. Arguably Corser looked favourite for the win until the track surface started to become wet, but it was still a miracle for Haga to be anywhere near a double win so soon after his big crash in America.
Both Haga and Corser have recent podium experience at Misano, each taking a second place finish on their Yamaha YZF-R1 machinery last year. Corser is a previous Misano race winner, but despite breaking the barrier of 30 individual WSB race victories last time out, Haga has still to add Misano to his list of winning venues.
After some tough early rounds Corser has been reborn as a potential winning force in the championship following strong podium results in both America and Germany. At Misano he was a double winner in the 2000 season on what used to be a predominantly left-handed circuit.
Last year the Misano venue underwent massive overhauls in almost all regards, with the most obvious one being a new track layout in places, allied to a complete change in the direction of racing. Previously Misano was an anti-clockwise circuit, featuring several long left-hand corners. In the new era it is a layout dominated by a succession of right-handers at the end of the back straight, which runs parallel to the nearby Autostrada.
Haga is aware that every performance counts as he tries to make up ground on championship leader Troy Bayliss.
"So far so good," he said. "The double win in Germany, after my injury and operation in America, has made me a bit more relaxed. My first aim in Germany was to not crash and get some points, so to get a double win was a surprise. I was riding a little bit carefully because everyone around me over the weekend was saying 'don't crash.' So I was not riding too hard, but we still had a very successful outcome."
Corser's winning pedigree has been proven many times in his long WSB career, and he came close to his first Yamaha win at Misano last year.
"Misano should be good and the bike is coming along fine," he said. "It will be better than last year and we got a good result at Misano then, so it should be good. I do like the track and it's good to be going in the opposite direction to the old version. It's like a completely different circuit. There have been a few races there since the tarmac went down and the track surface is pretty much bedded in now. Last year it was very new and pretty 'green'."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Team YZF) is currently in the same 20th position he has monopolized for some time, while Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) and David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) maintained 23rd and 24th places overall after the Nürburgring races.
After incredible rides at the Nürburgring in Germany both Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team) will be relishing another chance to compete for top honours at round 8 of the World Superbike Championship at the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast of Italy this weekend.
Despite suffering from a broken right collarbone, plated and pinned before the Nürburgring race, Haga won both races in the German round, only just beating his teammate Corser in race two. Arguably Corser looked favourite for the win until the track surface started to become wet, but it was still a miracle for Haga to be anywhere near a double win so soon after his big crash in America.
Both Haga and Corser have recent podium experience at Misano, each taking a second place finish on their Yamaha YZF-R1 machinery last year. Corser is a previous Misano race winner, but despite breaking the barrier of 30 individual WSB race victories last time out, Haga has still to add Misano to his list of winning venues.
After some tough early rounds Corser has been reborn as a potential winning force in the championship following strong podium results in both America and Germany. At Misano he was a double winner in the 2000 season on what used to be a predominantly left-handed circuit.
Last year the Misano venue underwent massive overhauls in almost all regards, with the most obvious one being a new track layout in places, allied to a complete change in the direction of racing. Previously Misano was an anti-clockwise circuit, featuring several long left-hand corners. In the new era it is a layout dominated by a succession of right-handers at the end of the back straight, which runs parallel to the nearby Autostrada.
Haga is aware that every performance counts as he tries to make up ground on championship leader Troy Bayliss.
"So far so good," he said. "The double win in Germany, after my injury and operation in America, has made me a bit more relaxed. My first aim in Germany was to not crash and get some points, so to get a double win was a surprise. I was riding a little bit carefully because everyone around me over the weekend was saying 'don't crash.' So I was not riding too hard, but we still had a very successful outcome."
Corser's winning pedigree has been proven many times in his long WSB career, and he came close to his first Yamaha win at Misano last year.
"Misano should be good and the bike is coming along fine," he said. "It will be better than last year and we got a good result at Misano then, so it should be good. I do like the track and it's good to be going in the opposite direction to the old version. It's like a completely different circuit. There have been a few races there since the tarmac went down and the track surface is pretty much bedded in now. Last year it was very new and pretty 'green'."
Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha Team YZF) is currently in the same 20th position he has monopolized for some time, while Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha GMT94) and David Checa (Yamaha GMT94) maintained 23rd and 24th places overall after the Nürburgring races.
Glider Rider's response to yesterday's post is really F'n funny!
Lady Rides a lot, A.K.A Glider rider http://ladyridesalot.blogspot.com/responded to yesterday's post with the three stages in a man's life. Really Funny!
.
Got to check it out. LMFAO!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Nickerson sweeps AM125 at Shannonville
From RMP Racing
SHANNONVILLE, ON – RMP Racing’s development rider Steven Nickerson (Hamilton, ON) took top spot on the podium in both the Amateur 125 GP and CBR 125 CUP classes at the fourth round of the 2008 RACE SuperSeries last weekend.
On Saturday, Nickerson was joined by Pro Canadian Superbike Rider and RMP Racing team owner Ross Millson (Hamilton, ON) who coached and helped Nickerson set up his bikes' suspension for qualifying. During the morning’s test sessions, Nickerson put the rebuilt RS125 engine to the test and put in a best lap time of 1:15.727.
The AM125 GP test session was soon followed by the regional CBR 125 CUP practice session where Nickerson logged an impressive 1:12.469.
In the Saturday afternoon heat races Nickerson turned it up a few notches and put in a time of a 1:12.551 in AM125 GP and a solid 1:13.607 in the CBR 125 CUP, earning himself a first in the AM125 GP, first in the CBR 125 Cup and second in the AM250 GP.
Starting from pole in Sunday’s AM125 GP final, Nickerson got off the line well and was in first before the end of the opening lap. Nickerson held the spot for the balance of the race. This win keeps Nickerson first in the RACE AM125 GP Championship standings by one point.
Next up on Sunday’s schedule for Nickerson was the Regional CBR 125 Cup final. Once again starting from pole position he launched off the starting line to grab the holeshot. Nickerson held the lead for the entire race, dropping his lap time down to a blistering 1:09.647 on the final lap.
The 13-year-old up and comer crossed the finish line to take first, almost a full 15 seconds ahead of the second place bike. Nickerson currently sits at the top of the overall point standings in this class.
Opting for some additional track time, Nickerson took his RS125 back out on the track to compete in the AM 250 GP class where he put in another solid performance to earn his third podium of the day with a second place finish.
"Besides my motor blowing up on Friday and being stung by a bee on the first lap of Sunday's CBR 125 Cup final, my entire weekend went very well,” Nickerson said. “I have to thank Ross for the suspension help and advice on my upcoming race at Road America.”
Nickerson will spend the rest of the week preparing for the second round of the Can-Am series held in conjunction with the USGPRU at Road America, WI July 4-6.
SHANNONVILLE, ON – RMP Racing’s development rider Steven Nickerson (Hamilton, ON) took top spot on the podium in both the Amateur 125 GP and CBR 125 CUP classes at the fourth round of the 2008 RACE SuperSeries last weekend.
On Saturday, Nickerson was joined by Pro Canadian Superbike Rider and RMP Racing team owner Ross Millson (Hamilton, ON) who coached and helped Nickerson set up his bikes' suspension for qualifying. During the morning’s test sessions, Nickerson put the rebuilt RS125 engine to the test and put in a best lap time of 1:15.727.
The AM125 GP test session was soon followed by the regional CBR 125 CUP practice session where Nickerson logged an impressive 1:12.469.
In the Saturday afternoon heat races Nickerson turned it up a few notches and put in a time of a 1:12.551 in AM125 GP and a solid 1:13.607 in the CBR 125 CUP, earning himself a first in the AM125 GP, first in the CBR 125 Cup and second in the AM250 GP.
Starting from pole in Sunday’s AM125 GP final, Nickerson got off the line well and was in first before the end of the opening lap. Nickerson held the spot for the balance of the race. This win keeps Nickerson first in the RACE AM125 GP Championship standings by one point.
Next up on Sunday’s schedule for Nickerson was the Regional CBR 125 Cup final. Once again starting from pole position he launched off the starting line to grab the holeshot. Nickerson held the lead for the entire race, dropping his lap time down to a blistering 1:09.647 on the final lap.
The 13-year-old up and comer crossed the finish line to take first, almost a full 15 seconds ahead of the second place bike. Nickerson currently sits at the top of the overall point standings in this class.
Opting for some additional track time, Nickerson took his RS125 back out on the track to compete in the AM 250 GP class where he put in another solid performance to earn his third podium of the day with a second place finish.
"Besides my motor blowing up on Friday and being stung by a bee on the first lap of Sunday's CBR 125 Cup final, my entire weekend went very well,” Nickerson said. “I have to thank Ross for the suspension help and advice on my upcoming race at Road America.”
Nickerson will spend the rest of the week preparing for the second round of the Can-Am series held in conjunction with the USGPRU at Road America, WI July 4-6.
Slow start for Barkley
From EB Speed
With the 2008 Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association (CMDRA) season under way, rider Ethan Barkley is in pursuit of his fifth straight Pro Street championship aboard his record holding turbocharged 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000. He is also striving for his third consecutive Street championship riding the all new 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa.
Team EB Speed’s Pro Street GSX-R1000 underwent a major overhaul during the winter months in preparation for the 2008 season, with most of the attention focused on the chassis. Changes were made to add more forward weight bias and a lower centre of gravity.
For the Street class, the new Hayabusa supplied by Suzuki Canada made 175 hp out of the box on the Walt Healy Motorsports Dyno. Barkley added a new Brock’s Performance exhaust system, Dynojet Power Commander along with clutch mods and a lowered stance. With the modifications, Walt Healy Motorsports tuner James Carlin was able to get an incredible 186 hp and 110 ft.lbs of torque from the lightly modified Busa.
The Suzuki Canada Walt Healy Motorsports EB Speed team had a rough start to the season at the CMDRA’s opening round in Ashcroft BC. After many long nights leading up to the event, the team arrived at the track with high hopes.
The Power Up Lubricants sponsored Pro Street class had 11 contenders, a new record for the class, which is now in its fifth year. Unfortunately the track was in poor shape, and was unable to handle the high powered Pro Street bikes. In the first round of qualifying, Barkley’s GSX-R1000 spun the tire at the line, resulting in a slow 9.69 @ 150 mph. The next two rounds resulted in similar times, leaving the returning champion and record holder in unfamiliar territory by qualifying in sixth place.
During the third qualifying pass, the GSX-R’s motor pushed some oil out of the breather cover. After examining the datalogger back in the pits, Barkley decided not to make any more passes on the bike until the motor problem could be properly diagnosed back at the EB Speed shop.
Things went slightly better for Barkley in the Mission Springs Brewing Co. Street Class. With almost no seat time on the new Hayabusa prior to the event, Ethan managed to run a 9.6 @ 150 mph in the morning test session. With 19 competitors qualified, Barkley landed in ninth spot with a solid 0.077 reaction time.
On Sunday the team concentrated on the Street class. Barkley decided to run a conservative 9.75 dial in the first round and got around Wayne Keim on his Honda CBR1000RR. Ethan succeeded in the next two rounds to make it to the semifinals. There he met up against fellow Calgarian George Dumonier aboard his 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000. Both riders ran under their times, but unfortunately Ethan went a little bit quicker on his run, breaking out with a 9.69 on a 9.80 dial in.
With the 2008 Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association (CMDRA) season under way, rider Ethan Barkley is in pursuit of his fifth straight Pro Street championship aboard his record holding turbocharged 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000. He is also striving for his third consecutive Street championship riding the all new 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa.
Team EB Speed’s Pro Street GSX-R1000 underwent a major overhaul during the winter months in preparation for the 2008 season, with most of the attention focused on the chassis. Changes were made to add more forward weight bias and a lower centre of gravity.
For the Street class, the new Hayabusa supplied by Suzuki Canada made 175 hp out of the box on the Walt Healy Motorsports Dyno. Barkley added a new Brock’s Performance exhaust system, Dynojet Power Commander along with clutch mods and a lowered stance. With the modifications, Walt Healy Motorsports tuner James Carlin was able to get an incredible 186 hp and 110 ft.lbs of torque from the lightly modified Busa.
The Suzuki Canada Walt Healy Motorsports EB Speed team had a rough start to the season at the CMDRA’s opening round in Ashcroft BC. After many long nights leading up to the event, the team arrived at the track with high hopes.
The Power Up Lubricants sponsored Pro Street class had 11 contenders, a new record for the class, which is now in its fifth year. Unfortunately the track was in poor shape, and was unable to handle the high powered Pro Street bikes. In the first round of qualifying, Barkley’s GSX-R1000 spun the tire at the line, resulting in a slow 9.69 @ 150 mph. The next two rounds resulted in similar times, leaving the returning champion and record holder in unfamiliar territory by qualifying in sixth place.
During the third qualifying pass, the GSX-R’s motor pushed some oil out of the breather cover. After examining the datalogger back in the pits, Barkley decided not to make any more passes on the bike until the motor problem could be properly diagnosed back at the EB Speed shop.
Things went slightly better for Barkley in the Mission Springs Brewing Co. Street Class. With almost no seat time on the new Hayabusa prior to the event, Ethan managed to run a 9.6 @ 150 mph in the morning test session. With 19 competitors qualified, Barkley landed in ninth spot with a solid 0.077 reaction time.
On Sunday the team concentrated on the Street class. Barkley decided to run a conservative 9.75 dial in the first round and got around Wayne Keim on his Honda CBR1000RR. Ethan succeeded in the next two rounds to make it to the semifinals. There he met up against fellow Calgarian George Dumonier aboard his 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000. Both riders ran under their times, but unfortunately Ethan went a little bit quicker on his run, breaking out with a 9.69 on a 9.80 dial in.
Meklau closes the gap
From Team Suzuki
Two podium places at Sunday's Sachsenring round put Andreas Meklau closer to the lead in the International German Superbike Championship (IDM).
The 40-year-old Austrian, who rides for Team Suzuki International Europe, qualified for the front row of the starting grid. In the first heat he took third place behind Jorg Teuchert (Yamaha) and Martin Bauer (Honda) and in the second, Meklau was in the lead and looked all set for his first win of the season until Belgian Suzuki rider Werner Daemen crashed and the race was stopped.
After the restart, nine more laps had to be completed. Meklau chose a softer tire mix for the second half of the race but was unable to catch Teuchert. Third place went to the Swiss Suzuki rider Roman Stamm.
Choosing the correct front tire mix was a game of chance," Meklau said. "Jorg Teuchert reaped the benefit. In the first heat my tires were better, but later he made good a lot of ground in a very short time. Everything was OK in the second heat until it was restarted and I chose the wrong tires. But we were very close to success."
Heat 1: 1. Jörg Teuchert (D, Yamaha), 2. Martin Bauer (A, Honda), 3. Andy Meklau (A, Suzuki), 4. Werner Daemen (B, Suzuki), 5. Kai-Borre Andersen (NOR, MV Agusta), 6. Roman Stamm (CH, Suzuki), 7. Dominic Lammert (D, Suzuki), 8. Dario Giuseppetti (D, Ducati), 9. Chris Zaiser (A, Ducati), 10. Gábor Rizmayer (H, Suzuki)
Heat 2: 1. Jorg Teuchert (D, Yamaha), 2. Andy Meklau (A, Suzuki), 3. Roman Stamm (CH, Suzuki), 4. Werner Daemen (B, Suzuki), 5. Chris Zaiser (A, Ducati). 6. Kai-Borre Andersen (NOR, MV Agusta), 7. Olivier Depoorter (B, Suzuki), 8. Gábor Rizmayer (H, Suzuki), 9. Christian Kellner (D, Ducati), 10. Günther Knobloch (A, Ducati)
Championship points: 1. Bauer 170, 2. Meklau 130, 3. Teuchert 130, 4. Daemen 118, 5. Stamm 81, 6. Lammert 54, 7. Zaiser 52, 8. Depoorter 47, 9. Andersen 45, 10. Kellner 41
Two podium places at Sunday's Sachsenring round put Andreas Meklau closer to the lead in the International German Superbike Championship (IDM).
The 40-year-old Austrian, who rides for Team Suzuki International Europe, qualified for the front row of the starting grid. In the first heat he took third place behind Jorg Teuchert (Yamaha) and Martin Bauer (Honda) and in the second, Meklau was in the lead and looked all set for his first win of the season until Belgian Suzuki rider Werner Daemen crashed and the race was stopped.
After the restart, nine more laps had to be completed. Meklau chose a softer tire mix for the second half of the race but was unable to catch Teuchert. Third place went to the Swiss Suzuki rider Roman Stamm.
Choosing the correct front tire mix was a game of chance," Meklau said. "Jorg Teuchert reaped the benefit. In the first heat my tires were better, but later he made good a lot of ground in a very short time. Everything was OK in the second heat until it was restarted and I chose the wrong tires. But we were very close to success."
Heat 1: 1. Jörg Teuchert (D, Yamaha), 2. Martin Bauer (A, Honda), 3. Andy Meklau (A, Suzuki), 4. Werner Daemen (B, Suzuki), 5. Kai-Borre Andersen (NOR, MV Agusta), 6. Roman Stamm (CH, Suzuki), 7. Dominic Lammert (D, Suzuki), 8. Dario Giuseppetti (D, Ducati), 9. Chris Zaiser (A, Ducati), 10. Gábor Rizmayer (H, Suzuki)
Heat 2: 1. Jorg Teuchert (D, Yamaha), 2. Andy Meklau (A, Suzuki), 3. Roman Stamm (CH, Suzuki), 4. Werner Daemen (B, Suzuki), 5. Chris Zaiser (A, Ducati). 6. Kai-Borre Andersen (NOR, MV Agusta), 7. Olivier Depoorter (B, Suzuki), 8. Gábor Rizmayer (H, Suzuki), 9. Christian Kellner (D, Ducati), 10. Günther Knobloch (A, Ducati)
Championship points: 1. Bauer 170, 2. Meklau 130, 3. Teuchert 130, 4. Daemen 118, 5. Stamm 81, 6. Lammert 54, 7. Zaiser 52, 8. Depoorter 47, 9. Andersen 45, 10. Kellner 41
Ducati hits halfway stage
From Marlboro Ducati
Just hours after Casey Stoner's stunning victory in the British GP, the Ducati Marlboro Team was back on the road with the sat-nav systems set for Assen, where the 78th edition of the Dutch TT takes place this Saturday.
The legendary road race was chosen to form part of the inaugural World Championship back in 1949 and it has remained an integral part of the calendar ever since.
Last Sunday's success represented Stoner's 40th podium from 103 career starts, 19 of which have been victories. It is a ratio the Australian youngster would love to improve as he continues to work from an improved base set-up that he hopes can give him another shot at the podium in Holland.
The main target for Marco Melandri, who is a particular fan of Assen, is to put Sunday's difficult race behind him and to start off on the right foot in this Thursday's free practice sessions.
Stoner finished second in the Dutch TT last season, having already tasted the podium champagne there in the 125cc class back in 2004.
"I've had good results at Assen in the past and the track, at least before they made the alterations, was spectacular," Stoner said. "Then they got rid of what was my favourite corner in the world, the 'De Bult' - a long off-camber left - which has been completely changed.
"Anyway, I still like the track and last year we found a good set-up for the bike, so I hope it's the same this year and that we can fight for the podium again. The team are working really hard and now we've got a base setting that we're a lot happier with. I really hope that all this hard work also bears fruit at this circuit."
Melandri has even sweeter memories, having taken his first ever win at Assen in the 125cc class in 1998, a success he repeated in 2002 on a 250. In MotoGP the Italian has made two podium appearances here, with third place in 2004 and second place in 2005.
"Assen is a circuit I really like even though they've shortened and modified it so much that it isn't really the same circuit it once was," Melandri said. "It is still a fun and flowing track, though, and I'd like to start out well from Thursday morning and then make progress for the rest of the weekend. I know that Holland isn't the best place to pin your hopes on stable weather but that would definitely make life easier."
Assen is the only circuit that has stayed as part of the World Championship since the first season back in 1949. In 2006 it under went major alterations, with the removal of the majority of the Northen Loop section, making way for the TT World fans' area. The rest of the circuit retains much of its original character, making it one of the most technical and physically demanding circuits on the calendar.
Unlike a lot of other circuits, which feature long straights and medium-fast corners, Assen is tight, flowing and characterized by high-speed corners and quick changes in direction. Even the surface is unusual, cambered as it is in the style of a public road to aid drainage.
Just hours after Casey Stoner's stunning victory in the British GP, the Ducati Marlboro Team was back on the road with the sat-nav systems set for Assen, where the 78th edition of the Dutch TT takes place this Saturday.
The legendary road race was chosen to form part of the inaugural World Championship back in 1949 and it has remained an integral part of the calendar ever since.
Last Sunday's success represented Stoner's 40th podium from 103 career starts, 19 of which have been victories. It is a ratio the Australian youngster would love to improve as he continues to work from an improved base set-up that he hopes can give him another shot at the podium in Holland.
The main target for Marco Melandri, who is a particular fan of Assen, is to put Sunday's difficult race behind him and to start off on the right foot in this Thursday's free practice sessions.
Stoner finished second in the Dutch TT last season, having already tasted the podium champagne there in the 125cc class back in 2004.
"I've had good results at Assen in the past and the track, at least before they made the alterations, was spectacular," Stoner said. "Then they got rid of what was my favourite corner in the world, the 'De Bult' - a long off-camber left - which has been completely changed.
"Anyway, I still like the track and last year we found a good set-up for the bike, so I hope it's the same this year and that we can fight for the podium again. The team are working really hard and now we've got a base setting that we're a lot happier with. I really hope that all this hard work also bears fruit at this circuit."
Melandri has even sweeter memories, having taken his first ever win at Assen in the 125cc class in 1998, a success he repeated in 2002 on a 250. In MotoGP the Italian has made two podium appearances here, with third place in 2004 and second place in 2005.
"Assen is a circuit I really like even though they've shortened and modified it so much that it isn't really the same circuit it once was," Melandri said. "It is still a fun and flowing track, though, and I'd like to start out well from Thursday morning and then make progress for the rest of the weekend. I know that Holland isn't the best place to pin your hopes on stable weather but that would definitely make life easier."
Assen is the only circuit that has stayed as part of the World Championship since the first season back in 1949. In 2006 it under went major alterations, with the removal of the majority of the Northen Loop section, making way for the TT World fans' area. The rest of the circuit retains much of its original character, making it one of the most technical and physically demanding circuits on the calendar.
Unlike a lot of other circuits, which feature long straights and medium-fast corners, Assen is tight, flowing and characterized by high-speed corners and quick changes in direction. Even the surface is unusual, cambered as it is in the style of a public road to aid drainage.
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