Updated Post: McCoy Beats Vermeulen, Chili In Race Two At Phillip Island

Updated Post: McCoy Beats Vermeulen, Chili In Race Two At Phillip Island

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Categories:

Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Superbike
Phillip Island, Australia
3/28/04
Race Two Results:

1. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, 22 laps, 35:10.023
2. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, -4.951 seconds
3. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -6.469 seconds
4. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, -8.829 seconds
5. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1, -11.824 seconds
6. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, -12.223 seconds
7. Mauro Sanchini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -19.236 seconds
8. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1, -19.323 seconds
9. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -19.478 seconds
10. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, -35.352 seconds
11. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -35.709 seconds
12. Gianluca Nannelli, Ducati 998RS, -36.279 seconds
13. Alessio Velini, Yamaha YZF-R1, -70.305 seconds
14. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -70.545 seconds
15. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, -3 laps, DNF
16. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, -8 laps, DNF
17. Lucio Pedercini, Ducati 998RS, -14 laps, DNF
18. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, -19 laps, DNF
19. Miguel Praia, Ducati 999RS, -20 laps, DNF
20. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -21 laps, DNF
21. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 998RS, DNS

Fastest Lap of the Race: McCoy, 1:34.514


World Superbike Championship Point Standings:

1. Toseland, 61 points
2. Chili, 56 points
3. TIE, McCoy/Vermeulen, 55 points
5. TIE, Haga/Borciani, 43 points
7. Walker, 39 points
8. Martin, 29 points
9. Sanchini, 27 points
10. Laconi, 25 points
11. Haslam, 24 points
12. Corser, 19 points
13. Nannelli, 18 points
14. Clementi, 14 points
15. Fuertes, 12 points


More, from a press release issued by FGSport:

World Superbike Championship 2004

Round Two – Phillip Island
26 – 28 March

Perfect weather draws Superbike fans to Phillip Island

With blue skies and temperatures in the low 30s, the second round of the 2004 World Superbike Championship attracted an excellent crowd. The provisional 3-day attendance figures for the Australian round are 48,000 – 50,000.


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Two Second Places For Vermeulen

Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR rider Chris Vermeulen used his new for 2004 machine to great effect at Phillip island, securing his first podium finish in race one and backing it up with another second place in the second 22-lap contest. The high track and air temperatures were no barrier to the progress of the CBR1000RR, a machine in only its second competitive event.

A raceday of contrasts for Vermeulen saw him fight hard in a four-way scrap for his eventual second place in the opener, but the second running was a more clear cut affair at the end.

Vermeulen’s pair of seconds gave him fourth overall in the championship, with James Toseland on 61 points, Chili (Ducati) on 56 and Vermeulen on 55, shared with second race winner Garry McCoy (Ducati).

For Vermeulen, the race weekend was a perfect homecoming, and reward for a weekend of toil. “The first race was a lot cooler and the track got a lot hotter in the second race so it made the tyres slide a lot – but we got on the podium for a second time in two races. The bike is getting better all the time; the team has done a great job. We’ve already had two podiums so we’ll wait and see what happens at the next few races. It’s been great today so I hope we can keep this up.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate put the win down to the hard work put in by all the team since the first race at Valencia. “It was almost the perfect result today,” he stated. “With an all new bike and a rider new to Superbike we have brought it home in second position twice. Especially in the first race, that was a good effort. We are learning every time out there, learning more and more about the bike. It also looks as if there is more to come.”

The next round for the Ten Kate Honda Superbike squad is at Misano, Italy, on 18 April.

World Superbike Championship
Round Two – Phillip Island
26 – 28 March 2004
Race Result

Race 1
1. R. Laconi, FRA, Ducati 999 F04
2. C. Vermeulen, AUS, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR
3. J. Toseland, GBR, Ducati 999 F04
4. S. Martin, AUS, Ducati 999 RS
5. G. McCoy, AUS, Ducati 999 RS

Race 2
1. G. McCoy, Aus, Ducati 999 RS
2. C. Vermeulen, Aus, Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR
3. P. Chili, ITA, Ducati 998 RS
4. M. Borciani, ITA, Ducati 999 RS
5. T. Corser, AUS, Petronas FP1

Parkes Fourth After Unpredictable Aussie Race

Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda) secured a safe fourth place after a home race of mixed fortunes for the Ten Kate pairing of Parkes and Karl Muggeridge. In a safe and steady third, Muggeridge suffered the heartbreak of slowing in the last two laps, finishing an eventual 12th, earning four points.

The race was won by the charging local rider Josh Brookes, the only remaining wild card in the field, who held off the challenge of WSS regular Kevin Curtain (Yamaha).

For Parkes, it was a tough home race, but one marked by his first points core of the season, which leaves him in eighth place overall. “The set-up wasn’t quite right all weekend,” admitted the young Aussie. “It got better but we didn’t quite know what to do to improve it enough. We tried lowering it and raising it at both ends but because we were in Valencia, and did a lot of testing before this race, I think maybe it was something internal in the suspension we could have changed. But it could have been a lot worse. At least we got some points this time.”

Sitting in pole position for the second race in succession, Muggeridge was philosophical about his raceday fate. “The engine just stopped,” he said. “We’re down but not out. I was having some trouble with the front end but coming into this race I was determined to bring it in strong for a good finish. Third was mine, even if Jurgen was a little bit behind – but far enough back for me to handle in the last laps.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate stated, “There was a sudden drop in power, and now we are taking out the data from the machine. There was no leak, no breakage, but the power was gone and he had to back it off quite a lot to make sure he could bring it to the line to get those couple of points. They might make all the difference. I think a podium for Karl would have been a fairer result.”

The next round of the championship takes place at Misano, Italy, on 18th April.


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

2004 World Superbike Championship
Round 2, Phillip Island (Australia)
Sunday 28th March
Circuit: 4.445 kms
Weather: dry, sunny
Crowd: 50.000 (3-day figure)

TROY TAKES A HARD FOUGHT FOR FIFTH
After a troublesome first race, when he finished thirteenth, Troy bounced back in race two and took a superb fifth place at Phillip Island today in front of a large partisan crowd. After his problems in the opening race, Troy was able to ride much harder in the second and actually have a battle with a group of riders all chasing a top five finish. The first race was comfortably won by Regis Laconi (Ducati), with Chris Vermeulen (Honda) second and James Toseland (Ducati) third. Troy’s Petronas FP1 overheated virtually from the start of the first race and slowed as the race progressed. Troy could’ve pulled in, but he kept going and managed to grab three points. Regis Laconi dominated the start of race two, but blotted his copybook with an unexpected crash after fourteen laps. Ducati riders Steve Martin and Garry McCoy then fought tooth and nail for the lead, with Martin looking the stronger as the race neared its conclusion. Martin looked to have it in the bag, but then his bike blew up with just three laps remaining, leaving McCoy to stroll to victory. Chris Vermeulen wrapped up a good day by taking runner-up spot for the second time, with Frankie Chili (Ducati) taking third.

TROY Race 1: 13th, Race 2: 5th
It was a mixed day really, but I am happy enough with my performance in race two. The bike overheated more or less on the start line in the first race and then just got slower and slower. I could’ve pulled in, but I kept riding as hard as I could and managed to get some points. Race two was better. The bike still ran hot, but it ran at a consistent temperature and so I was able to have a bit of a real race. The bike was slow on the straights, so I had to do a lot of work on the brakes and in the turns, but at least I was competitive and able to battle. I enjoyed having a dice again and having a bit of fun. Towards the end, I though Haga was going to pass me, but I was a lot quicker through the Hayshed and then I didn’t let him get past me on the run on in to the flag.


More, from a press release issued by FGSport:

World Superbike Championship 2004
Round Two – Phillip Island
26 – 28 March

Raceday

Laconi And McCoy Run Out Phillip Island Winners

Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999F04) shook off the ghosts that haunted him in the first round at Valencia and secured a fine win in the first 22-lap Superbike race, streaking to a clear 7.145 margin of victory over his closest challengers. With Superpole winner Laconi in a class of his own after an early race dust up with his team-mate James Toseland and Steve Martin (DFX Ducati), a superb four-way battle for second place supremacy was played out on the final circuits of the first race.

The home crowd and Honda fans could hardly contain their delight when Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) pounced to secure his first podium finish in Superbike, and in second place to boot. Behind him, the hard charging James Toseland, who was leaving huge plumes of tyre smoke in his wake as he attacked the throttle, despite with an imperfect bike set-up, ended his first race in third place.

The second 22-lap event was held in different conditions, still dry and warm, but each of the factory Ducati runners was to find ill fortune awaiting in the gravel, traps, as first early leader Laconi and then Toseland fell. The battle for second between Steve Martin (Ducati DFX) and Garry McCoy (Xerox NCR Ducati) was thus eventually a battle for the win, and was decided in McCoy’s favour when Martin’s bike blew up.

Despite the second place finish enjoyed once more by Vermeulen, the second race itself proved to be a completely different animal to the opener, as Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1) Ducati ripped to third place, having jumped from his first race 999 machine to his more familiar 998. Outside the podium places the Phillip Island race proved to be a fascinating contest, with many and various participants writing their names on the scoreboard. The first race sort-out for second place saw Martin fourth and Garry McCoy fifth.

It was a satisfying event for the all-new Kawasaki Bertocchi machine of Mauro Sanchini, who held off the determined challenge of Marco Borciani and Valencia race winner Noriyuki Haga to take sixth. Borciani’s own luck, thanks to the crashes up the front in race two, just got better and he finished race two in fourth place, an excellent result for a rider maturing into a real force to be reckoned with.

Chili, riding his 999 with a single sided swingarm in race one was a lowly ninth, while Chris Walker once more was the fastest Petronas rider in tenth. Four non-finishers included the flying Leon Haslam, the early lap leader in the opener.

The minor places in race two were as closely contested as any others, with Troy Corser beating the out-of-sorts Haga to take fifth. Sanchini, Walker and Ivan Clementi (Kawasaki Bertocchi ZX-10) battled for seventh, the Italian taking the upper hand. Tenth place went to Haslam, a poor reward for his front row starts.

In the World Championship itself, Toseland is still the leader, although his race two DNF allowed Pierfrancesco Chili to creep up to within five points of his leading total of 61. One point behind, race winner McCoy shares his 55 points with Chris Vermeulen, but leads in the table because of his single race win.

SUPERSPORT

Wildcard Wildchild Rocks The Old Guard at Home

After another dramatic and unpredictable measure of Supersport racing a raw rookie, 20-year-old Aussie wild card rider Josh Brookes (Castrol Honda) stole the limelight from the WSS establishment, winning his first ever World Supersport race. An Aussie championship regular, Brookes, diced for the lead throughout, finishing off WSS regular Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) on the last sector of the last lap. It was a close run thing, with the gap at the end only 0.025 as Curtain attempted to slipstream on Phillip Island’s long front straight.

Jurgen van den Goorbergh, the Valencia race winner, extended his championship advantage by mounting a steady charge to third, as the challenge of the Ten Kate Honda riders, Broc Parkes and Karl Muggeridge faded. Parkes was an eventual fourth, but engine problems for Muggeridge put him down in 12th, losing a seemingly certain podium finish.

Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda) roared to a fifth place finish, with van den Goorbergh’s team-mate Fabien Foret in sixth. Lorenzo Lanzi, the only Ducati finisher, rode through problems with the front to finish ninth. The top Suzuki was that of Stephane Chambon (Alstare Suzuki) with Katsuaki Fujiwara, in 11th. Van den Goorbergh now leads the table on 41 points, with Foret second on 30 and Curtain third, on 27.

The next round for both championships takes place at Misano on Sunday April 18.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

LACONI TAKES FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR AT PHILLIP ISLAND BUT BOTH FILA DUCATI RIDERS CRASH OUT IN RACE 2

Phillip Island (Australia), Sunday 28 March: Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila) finally got his championship season off to the best possible start with a convincing win in race 1 of the second round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island, but then blotted his copybook with an unexpected crash on lap 14 of the second race while leading comfortably. Team-mate James Toseland fared little better in today’s two 22-lap races, the British rider taking the final podium slot in the first after a terrific scrap with Vermeulen (Honda) and Martin (DFX Ducati), and then crashing out on lap 3 of the second. In his first-ever Superbike season, Australian Garry McCoy (Xerox Ducati) took his first win in race 2 in front of a 50,000 strong home crowd.

“I am so happy to win my first race with Ducati Fila. That’s what I wanted in Valencia but it didn’t come there. I didn’t push so hard because the track temperature was very warm, I just preserved my tyre and tried not to destroy it,” declared Regis after race 1. “I didn’t make a good start, I had to pass Leon (Haslam) and also James but I think I made a good race. In the second race I just lost the front, I don’t understand what happened because I was pushing hard and riding to keep the distance from the next bike. It was very strange because I’m beginning to know the tyres quite well, maybe I was pushing too hard, maybe the temperature was cooler, but for sure I’m not happy with what I did today in race 2.”

James Toseland leaves Phillip Island with his championship lead intact but also disappointed with his performance. “After a few laps I was finding it difficult to put the power down in the first race but by the time Martin had caught up and passed me he was having similar problems” declared James. “I hung on to him, made a mistake with six laps to go, then Chris (Vermeulen) took Steve (Martin) and left a gap for me to pass him for third. It was a fantastic race, the last few laps were speedway-style!.

“We made a slight modification to the set-up at the rear for race 2, which gave me a much better feeling. I was a bit too confident however because I went into Siberia, the rear grip wasn’t there, I pushed the front too hard and it went away from me. The only thing I’m happy about in that second race is that we are getting there with the bike and I’m still leading the championship.”

RACE 1
1. Laconi (Ducati Fila)
2. Vermeulen (Honda)
3. Toseland (Ducati Fila)
4. Martin (DFX Ducati)
5. McCoy (Xerox Ducati)
6. Sanchini (Kawasaki)

RACE 2:
1. McCoy
2. Vermeulen
3. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati)
4. Borciani (DFX Ducati)
5. Corser (Petronas)
6. Haga (Renegade Ducati)


POINTS: (Riders)
1. Toseland 61
2. Chili 56
3. McCoy 55
4. Vermeulen 55
5. Haga 43
6. Borciani 43
10. Laconi 25.

(Manufacturers)
1. Ducati 100
2. Honda 55
3. Petronas 42
4. Kawasaki 27
5. Suzuki 18
6.
Yamaha 13.


More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:

ROUND 2 – PHILLIP ISLAND 26-28 MARCH
Race Report

Phillip Island, 28th March 2004 – Day of change at Phillip Island where the World Superbike weekend was eventually blessed with sunshine, as the track temperatures and the track action heated up in sometimes-unpredictable fashion. Podiums were shared among five different riders, on factory and private twin-cylinder bikes – and a four-cylinder machine.

RACE 1
TRACK CONDITIONDRY
TRACK TEMPERATURE 39°C
AIR TEMPERATURE27°C

After his disappointments at Valencia pole position man Regis Laconi (Ducati Fila 999) ran away with the first race in Australia, winning by a margin of almost five seconds. His closest challenger was the SBK rookie, Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda), enjoying his best ever finish of second after a last lap charge ahead of three other riders. Despite some spectacular race long tail sliding from James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999) he fought his way back to a third place finish. Long time second place rider Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) was ultimately fourth, holding off his countryman Garry McCoy (Ducati). Mauro Sanchini gave the Bertocchi Kawasaki team its best finish of the season, a close sixth place in a man-to-man fight with DFX Ducati rider Marco Borciani.

RACE 2
TRACK CONDITIONDRY
TRACK TEMPERATURE 32 C
AIR TEMPERATURE25°C

In Race 2 McCoy capitalized on the ill fortune of leader Laconi, who fell with eight laps remaining, losing the front on his factory Ducati. Steve Martin looked set for his first race win in SBK, but his machine expired with only three laps to go, allowing McCoy a clear run. Vermeulen proved his race one finish was no fluke by scoring second place once more. Having ridden his 999 Ducati, complete with single-sided swing arm, in race one Pierfrancesco Chili secured his second podium of the year, and thus went second in the championship, just five points shy of race two crasher Toseland.

Giorgio Barbier (Pirelli Racing Manager): “There was a significant difference in track temperature from the first to the second race but the problem is not that but the intensity of the sun. The power of the UV rays from the first race to the second is different because it was cloudy in the afternoon. All the riders made a conservative front choice than in race one, they used a ‘C’, the hardest one, and for sure some of them had problems in these conditions. The back pushes the front more. Guys like McCoy, who used a ‘B’ compound, had the advantage in the second leg whereas the factory Ducati guys went for a ‘C’ compound. The tyres performed quite well, even in the second race. We have not had so much time to test in pre-season with the four cylinders, because the Honda and Kawasaki machines only arrived in February, and yet we can see the four-cylinder bikes on the podium with the twins. So the tyres can work with either type of engine and that is very pleasing.”

A highly interesting Supersport race delivered an almost incredible result, as wild card rider Josh Brookes (Castrol Honda) rode his heart out to win his first ever World Supersport race, using Pirelli tyres for the first time. His personal duel with countryman Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Germany) was won on the very last section of the last lap, with championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh running out third after a stalk and pounce race. Front row starter Broc Parkes secured fourth place for Ten Kate Honda, but pole position rider Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda) lost power and finished only 12th. Sebastien Charpentier gave the Klaffi team a fifth place, with Yamaha Italia pilot Fabien Foret running out sixth.

Giorgio Barbier: “It was really interesting to see this young Aussie guy, who was not as used to our tyres, win the race. This wildcard showed that to take the attitude of our tyres is very easy. In four sessions he understood the tyres. The podium in Supersport was very interesting because the three riders on the podium used completely different tyres. ‘C’ for the winner, ‘B’ for second and ‘A’ for the third placed rider.”


More, from a press release issued by Honda:

HONDA RACING INFORMATION

World Supersport Championship 2004 Round 2
Phillip Island Race Result
26 – 28 March 2004
Attendance 48,000 weekend

PARKES FOURTH AS WILDCARD BROOKES TAKES AUSSIE WIN

With the sun beating down on the 23-rider Supersport field the unpredictable nature of the Supersport class was underlined once more, with favourites falling by the wayside and an unexpected winner, Castrol Honda Racing wildcard Josh Brookes – competing first ever World Supersport race. He took his victory after a race long battle with his fellow countryman Kevin Curtain (Yamaha).

With the Ten Kate Honda pairing of Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes first and third after qualifying, and fully competitive in the early laps of the race, it looked like a bumper day for the Dutch team’s Aussie pairing. Each was, however, to suffer misfortune, compounded when championship leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha) finished third, extending his championship lead.

Parkes slowed as his imperfect race suspension set-up told in the later laps, but the young protégé of former World Champion Wayne Gardner secured fourth place and his first points of the year. Muggeridge had an as yet undiagnosed engine problem in the last few laps, slowing from third to finish 12th.

The Klaffi Honda pairing of Sebastien Charpentier and Max Neukirchner fared somewhat better against the hot track and the hotter competition, with Charpentier the third Honda rider in the top five; teenager Max Neukirchner a brilliant eighth on his first visit to the fast and challenging 4.445km circuit, in the state of Victoria.

The Honda Italia Megabike teamsters, Alessio Corradi and Denis Sacchetti, were unsatisfied with their day’s work, with the ever combative Corradi seventh, his younger and less experienced team-mate 17th and out of the points.

Parkes, despite his third place qualifying, was unhappy with his inability to stay on terms after a sparkling start to the race. “The set-up wasn’t quite right all weekend,” he stated. “It got better but we didn’t quite know what to do to improve it enough. We tried lowering it and raising it at both ends but because we were in Valencia, and did a lot of testing before this race, I think maybe it was something internal in the suspension we could have changed. But it could have been a lot worse. At least we got some points this time.”

Charpentier’s weekend was a tough one, but one which lifted his spirits after a round one disqualification. “For me it was very important to finish the race because of the no score in Valencia,” said the Frenchman. “I pushed very hard in the middle of the race but two or three laps from the end I had to relax. The race was not very easy for me but I finished with good points.”

Corradi, looking for his first Honda podium, stated: “My race was not so good because I had the same problem as in the qualifying session yesterday. The temperature was so high and my chassis set-up was not good. In the free practice the time is not so bad but when the temperature is high I push and push and think I am going fast – but the lap time is bad.”

Pure joy was the reaction of German rookie Neukirchner to his eighth place. “My second World Supersport race and I finished in eighth position! I like tracks with fast and flowing nature,” explained Max. “Valencia was more stop-start but this was a better track for me.”

In 12th, Muggeridge was disappointed not to take what seemed a sure podium. “The engine just stopped,” he explained. “We’re down but not out. I was having some trouble with the front end but coming into this race I was determined to bring it in strong for a good finish. Third was mine, even if Jurgen was a little bit behind – but far enough back for me to handle in the last laps.”

Sacchetti, determined to score some points, said “I have not had any experience at Phillip Island before, but still I am not happy. However, I finished the race, which is more than I can say for the opening round at Valencia. I had a few problems throughout the race, and I know that I am capable of a much better result.”

Arguably the star of the Phillip Island show proved to be the unlikely figure of Brookes, who commented on his win. “At the start I felt pretty comfortable but then after a few laps I started to feel tired and got passed by a few of the guys,” he declared. “I knew that to have a any chance of winning I needed to stay with the front two and once I got into second Curtain was setting a hot pace and we were able to break away. This has been a dream of mine for years – to win a world championship event.”

In the World Supersport Championship, van den Goorbergh leads on 41 points, with Fabien Foret (Yamaha) on 30, Curtain on 27 and Josh Brookes on 25. Parkes is the highest placed regular Honda competitor, in eighth place with 13 points.

World Superbike Races Regis Laconi (Ducati) followed up his Superpole win in qualifying with his first points score of the season, a perfect 25, in the first 22-lap World Superbike race at Phillip Island. Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) rode the all-new privately entered Fireblade to its first World Superbike podium finish, after a long recovery from ending lap one in seventh place.

Laconi’s team-mate James Toseland had to dig in deep to secure third place, after a lack of rear traction had seen him lose an earlier duel with long time second place man, Steve Martin (Ducati), who was an eventual fourth.

After early second race leader Laconi crashed out of contention and new leader Martin’s machine broke down Garry McCoy (Ducati) took his maiden victory on home soil, followed at a 4.9 second distance by Vermeulen and the more remote 6.4 seconds to Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati).

In the World Championship itself, Toseland leads despite his second race crash, on 61 points to Chili’s 56 and Vermeulen’s 55.

Next race for both Superbike and Supersport classes takes place at Misano in Italy, on 18 April.


More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks – Scuderia Caracchi:

Triumph for Garry McCoy at Phillip Island!

Garry McCoy earned a superb victory on his home track at Phillip Island in race-2, after a thrilling duel with his compatriot Steve Martin, inflaming the 50.000 spectators who visit the Australian circuit. Garry finished race-1 in fifth position after a bad start that did hide him in the group in the early laps, followed by a fantastic ____ on the four riders which were fighting for the second position. The decision to return to the Friday’s set up on the front, when Garry recorded the second fastest in practice, has been positive and the bike got the lost handling. The Xerox Ducati 999RS Nortel Networks machine of Scuderia Caracchi, tuned by da Marco Mozzone’s crew, recorded during Race-1 the highest top speed ever reached in a World Superbike event, 314,3 kph under the trap at the end of the Phillip Island’s finish line. McCoy recorded also, during Race-2, the fastest lap of the race day. At the end of the race, after the winner press conference, Garry McCoy submit himself to the shaving cerimony, as he promised at the eve of the race.

“Well, I’m not a rookie and I won several races in grand prix too.” – said a joyful Garry McCoy during the press conference – “But every win is always splendid and is a great enjoyment like the first one, over all this victory, arrived just at my second attempt in Superbike, on a bike that I used for the first time less as two months ago. The team has been fantastic and all the work made to return at the right set up has get the best handling. I must say that I was hoping for this win, or at least a good result, on my home round and in front of my fans, so I focused myself totally on the bike during all the week end. As you know everything is quite new for me, the characteristics of the bike, the tyres and the week end tactics that to use this tyres imposes, so I’m very happy. I must say that today I’ve been lucky too; I can easily understand how feel now Steve Martin, Australiano like me, who has seen his victory dream fly away when just ten kilometres to the finish line were missing. But Steve is a very good rider and his turn to win is not far. Now we’ll find some circuit unknown for me, probably I’ll have a lot of work to do during practice time, but after this success I’m confident in a top season.”

Bad luck on the contrary for Miguel Praia, who missed for a position to enter in the points in Race-1 and crashed in Race-2. Back in the pit box Miguel said: “Today the track was warmer as the past days, so we choice a harder tyre, but the bike was sliding out of the corners, so I finished on the gravel and I crashed. It has been a pity, I coud earn some point looking at the final result.”

Latest Posts

WorldSBK: Bulega Undergoes “Arm Pump” Surgery In Italy

Nicolò Bulega underwent surgery for compartment syndrome Nicolò Bulega underwent...

How To Identify Real Vanson Leathers

Vanson has been producing jackets, riding/racing suits, and other...

Kato Named New President Of Yoshimura Japan

Editorial Note: Yohei Kato is the grandson of Yoshimura...

Suzuki Hayabusa Anniversary Celebration Scheduled April 27 In Concord, NC

SUZUKI HAYABUSA ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION COMING TO CONCORD, NC “Hayabusa Homecoming”...

Oxley Bom Podcast: Hanging With Jorge

Roadracing World MotoGP Editor and Isle of Man TT winner...