Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Double for Xaus

By Glenn Le Santo

Ruben Xaus came back to top form at the San Marino round of the World Superbike championship to take a double, his first ever in the championship.

In a hard fought second race that featured several leaders, Xaus gradually moved up through the pack from his lowly grid position, 12th, to win a well-earned double.

The race at times looked more like a Supersport race than a Superbike race, with a lead group of eight riders in the early stages. But as the race wore on, mechanical and tyre attrition saw several riders drop back, or as in the case of James Toseland, retire from the race.

The pack boiled down to four riders, Regis Laconi, Neil Hodgson, Xaus and Frankie Chili. Laconi couldn’t keep the pace of the other three and was forced to drop back and settle for fourth.

There was no settling down for the lead trio, they fought hard and swapped places several times in the last quarter of the race. Tire wear got the better of Chili leaving Hodgson to battle the final laps with his Ducati Fila team mate, Xaus. Anyone expecting team orders to play a part were disappointed when Xaus pulled out and passed Hodgson at Tramonto on the final lap to take a brilliant win and the double.

World Superbike championship
Round seven, San Marino (Circuit Santa Monica, Misano, Italy)
June 20-21-22

Race two results:

1. Ruben Xaus, ESP, Ducati 999F03, 40:17.321
2. Neil Hodgson, GBR, Ducati 999F03, -0.244 second
3. Pierfrancesco Chili, ITA, Ducati 998RS, -6.896 seconds
4. Regis Laconi, FRA, Ducati 998RS, -13.814 seconds
5. Gregorio Lavilla, ESP, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -17.399 seconds
6. Lucio Pedercini, ITA, Ducati 998RS, -19.345 seconds
7. Vittorio Iannuzzo, ITA, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -24.651 seconds
8. Chris Walker, GBR, Ducati 998RS, -29.164 seconds
9. Steve Martin, AUS, Ducati 998RS, -32.310 seconds
10. Troy Corser, AUS, Foggy Petronas FP1, -33.516 seconds
11. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-7RR
12. Juan Borja, Ducati 998RS
13. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-7RR
14. Marco Borciani, Ducati 998RS
15. Alex Gramigni, Yamaha YZF-R1
16. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000
17. Paolo Blora, Ducati 996RS
18. Giuseppe Zannini, Ducati 998RS
19. Luca Pini, Suzuki GSX-R1000
20. James Toseland, Ducati 998F02, -11 laps, DNF, mechanical
21. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, -14 laps, DNF
22. Nello Russo, Ducati 998RS, -15 laps, DNF
23. Giovanni Bussei, Yamaha YZF-R1, -23 laps, DNF
24. Serafino Foti, Ducati 998RS, -23 laps
25. Walter Totoroglio, Honda RC51, -24 laps, DNF
26. Christian Zaiser, Aprilia RSV1000, DNS
27. David Garcia, Ducati 998RS, DNS

Fastest Lap: Xaus, 1:35.629


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

SUPERB DOUBLE WIN FOR XAUS (DUCATI FILA) IN MISANO ADRICATICO CAULDRON –

A CRASH AND A SECOND PLACE FOR HODGSON

Ruben Xaus (Ducati Fila) scored a superb double victory today in searing heat in the San Marino Round of the World Superbike Championship at Misano Adriatico, notching up the third and fourth wins of his career after two scintillating races with the Ducati 999 F03. Team-mate Neil Hodgson was less fortunate, the championship leader crashing out in race 1 but then taking the runner-up slot in race 2 after a superb battle with Xaus and ‘veteran’ Pierfrancesco Chili on a Ducati 998RS.

“It has been a great result for Ducati today with Ruben’s double win and Neil’s second place after he crashed in the first race” declared Ducati Corse Managing Director Claudio Domenicali. “Congratulations also to Pierfrancesco Chili who as always rode his heart out in front of his home crowd. For these wins we could once again count on the excellent support given by our technical partners, including Michelin and Shell, and then out on the track our two riders did the rest”.

“Everyone knows how difficult it is to start from row 3 here at Misano” declared a jubilant Ruben Xaus when he stepped off the podium. “Neil tried to push the pace too early and crashed. After that I knew I could win and gave my everything until the end. I knew I had the quickest bike from the Carro curve to the Tramonto so I was sure I could win. I enjoyed the two races today and finally I felt that the 999 was ‘mine’ after all the work done by my mechanics this weekend” he added. “I didn’t have any problems on race-day, just in practice and Superpole. In race 2 I easily passed Chili and as I knew Neil would have braked on the inside of Tramonto, I just went round him on the outside”.

Hodgson crashed on lap 2 of the first race at the Carro curve but then rode a brilliant race 2 to take the runner-up slot behind Ruben. “It was a strange crash, I wasn’t doing anything different to what I normally do at the Carro, I just lost the front and went down”, said Neil. “I feel frustrated not to have won but I know I gave my best out there today. Finishing second only motivates me to train harder and go faster. I knew Ruben was really fast round the back part, I thought I’d covered the line but I hit the brakes too early and he came round me on the outside”.



RACE 1 : 1. Xaus (Ducati Fila); 2. Toseland (HM Plant Ducati); 3. Laconi (NCR Ducati); 4. Lavilla (Suzuki); 5. Walker (HM Plant Ducati); 6. Martin (DFX Ducati).

RACE 2 : 1. Xaus; 2. Hodgson; 3. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati); 4. Laconi; 5. Lavilla; 6. Pedercini (Ducati).


More, from a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Mixed fortunes for HM Plant Ducati!

It was a tough second race for HM Plant Ducati team mates James Toseland and Chris Walker at Misano circuit in San Marino. After a fantastic first race performance where he finished in second place behind Ruben Xaus (who went on to win both races) Toseland was forced to retire from the second race after a fuel line split on his Ducati.

“It’s been an eventful weekend for lots of different reasons,” said Toseland. “I was so pleased with my podium finish in race one, especially as I was feeling pretty beaten up after yesterday’s crash, but to have to retire from race two is very disappointing. I came to Misano second in the championship and now I’m 23 points behind Ruben Xaus after his double victory. Apart from that it has been a positive weekend in many ways. I just hope that this is my bad luck over for the season and that now it’s out of the way!”

Toseland’s HM Plant Ducati team mate, Chris Walker finished race two in eighth place – a remarkable achievement considering the fact that he started from the fourth row of the grid, due to a missed gear in his all-important Superpole qualifying lap yesterday.

“I’m just glad to have secured points in each race and to keep my sixth place in the championship,” said Walker. “It was baking out there today and I knew fitness would play a part in the tremendous heat but I tried my best and made sure that I scored as many points as possible. Hopefully I’ll be completely free from injury for the next round at Laguna Seca where I’ll be determined to do my best for the HM Plant Ducati team.”


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Top ten double for Corser and FPR in Misano

Troy Corser completed the first top ten double for a Foggy PETRONAS Racing rider by following his seventh place in the morning race at Misano with tenth place in the afternoon.

And after the races, both won by Spaniard Ruben Xaus from the third row, Troy flew by helicopter straight back to Monaco where fiancée Sam Davies was already in hospital expecting their first child.

Starting from eighth on the grid, Troy made two good starts and, in the first race, capitalised on mistakes by Neil Hodgson, Vittorio Iannuzzo and Frankie Chili to make progress through the field for his best finish since the second round at Phillip Island. In the afternoon race Troy just lost out in a long battle with fellow-countryman Steve Martin for ninth place, despite a top speed difference of 15kph.

Troy said: “I am very happy with these results, especially considering the problems we had on the first day here. I got a good start in both races but lost a few places when bikes came past me down the back straight in the early laps. The FP1’s chassis was ideal – it did everything I wanted and I reckon I was making up between half a second and a second in the corners. The bike was never struggling on the brakes, my difficulty was in powering out of the corners. My front Michelin tyres were great and the rears were very consistent. The races were physically very demanding but I guess the hard work starts now when the baby arrives!”

Team boss Nigel Bosworth said: “I think Troy rode even better in the second race than he did in the first. He has done a fantastic job this weekend and he has promised us he will win races on the FP1, if we can find him some extra power. These results have given everyone a big lift, at a time when it was needed. We feel like we are fighting again and hopefully we can maintain this progress for the rest of the season. We now have better reliability so the focus is on performance and Suter Racing Technology are working flat out to find more power.”

Chief engineer Steve Thompson said: “We have overcome major difficulties to run reliably in this heat so, after our start at Valencia, this has been our most satisfying weekend. The cooling efficiency was helped by increasing the pressure in the cylinder heads by putting restrictors in the outlets, thereby increasing the temperature at which the water boils. The wind tunnel work we have carried out has also helped and the Micron titanium cans have helped dissipate the heat in the exhausts. We are still running too hot, but nearly everyone was here.”


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

TOP TEN FINISHES FOR TROY

It was a good raceday for Troy at Misano today, ending with a seventh place in race one and a tenth in race two. After the teams bad luck this weekend, when reserve rider Mauri put himself out of the race after breaking his leg, the team needed a pair of solid results from Troy and that’s what they got. Troy knew that the very hot conditions would be hard for his Foggy FP1, but was determined to bring the bike home in both races – and he succeeded. Spaniard Ruben Xaus (Ducati) won both races today to record his first ever double in the championship. He had to work hard for his fifty points tally though. After series leader Neil Hodgson (Ducati) crashed out after one lap, he had to battle James Toseland, Frankie Chili and Regis Laconi before he could take victory. Chili fell on the last lap, so Toseland took second and Laconi third. Troy made a good start and ended seventh – his best result since the second round at Phillip Island. He also made another good start in race two and finished tenth, despite his Foggy FP1 having considerably less power than its rivals. The race for victory was a three-way fight between Xaus, Hodgson and Chili, but once more the Spaniard prevailed to take win number two on the day. Hodgson took second – just two tenths of a second behind – with Chili third.

TROY

I’m very happy with these results, especially considering the problems we had on the first day here. I got good starts in both races, but lost a few places on the back straight when bikes came past me in the early laps. The FP1’s chassis was really good – it did everything I wanted and I reckon I was making up between half a second and a second in the corners. The bike was never in trouble on the brakes; my problem was powering out of the corners. The front Michelins worked great and the rears were very consistent. The races were physically very demanding and now I’m dashing off to Monaco where my fiancée Sam is already in hospital waiting for our baby to be born. Wish me luck!

More, from a press release issued by Scuderia Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks:

Laconi once more onto the rostrum at Misano

Also at Misano, in a very hot day only mitigated by a light wind, Regis Laconi on his Ducati 998RS Caracchi NCR Nortel Network climbed onto the winner rostrum. It happened in race-1: the French rider, who leaded the early stages of the race, remained with Xaus, Toseland and Chili in the leading quartet until five laps to go, when an heavy slide at Variante Arena Esses suggested him to slow down. Regis has been right when Chili crashed at Tramonto corner and Laconi claimed the third position on the rostrum. In race-2 later, running faster and at about 5°C higher track temperature, the bike started early to slide and Regis liked content himself for the fourth place, looking at the Championship standing.

“It has been a positive day, also if we could get something more.” – said at the end of the day Regis – “After two races I’m the rider scoring the most of points for the championship today, excluding Xaus of course, and I approached now the third position. Today as been a very very hot day and the track temperature was more as 50°C; In those conditions tyres have been very important. I started very fast in race-1 and I leaded for several laps the race; then, five laps to go, I’ve seen that Toseland, Chili and me we have grip troubles and, despite a very bad slide, I preferred to stay calm and wait, I was sure that something could happen! Race-1 has been really terrible, and I ended it very tired. During the interval I could recover and the second race has been better. Unfortunately at race-2 start we have done a bad evaluation for tyre pressure. I rode about half a second faster and the asphalt was hotter: at the middle of the race my bike hadn’t anymore grip and I’ve been forced to renounce to fight. However looking at the championship the fourth place is a good result, but I could grab something better.”

On the contrary David Garcia renounced to start and back in Spain he’ll start an intensive activity as for physiotherapy as for bike training to be ready for next round in Laguna Seca, July 13th .