World Superbike Race Two Results: 1. Chris VERMEULEN, Honda, 16 laps 2. Noriyuki HAGA, Yamaha, -0.085 second 3. James TOSELAND, Ducati, -3.318 seconds 4. Troy CORSER, Suzuki, -5.938 seconds 5. Andrew PITT, Yamaha, -6.394 seconds 6. Lorenzo LANZI, Ducati, -16.480 seconds 7. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Honda, -17.255 seconds 8. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Honda, -22.338 seconds 9. Norick ABE, Yamaha, -30.801 seconds 10. Ben BOSTROM, Honda, -34.071 seconds 11. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suzuki, -36.480 seconds 12. Garry MCCOY, Foggy Petronas, -36.658 seconds 13. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yamaha, -37.165 seconds 14. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Honda, -37.888 seconds 15. Giovanni BUSSEI, Kawasaki, -38.414 seconds 16. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas, -40.110 seconds 17. Jurgen VD GOORBERGH, Suzuki, -42.910 seconds 18. Alessio VELINI, Ducati, -76.543 seconds 19. Miguel PRAIA, Yamaha, -76.863 seconds 20. Michael NICKMANS, Yamaha, -96.225 seconds 23. Ivan CLEMENTI, Ducati, -5 laps, DNF, mechanical 24. Jiri MRKYVKA, Ducati, -6 laps, DNF, mechanical 25. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Yamaha, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Mauro SANCHINI, Kawasaki, -10 laps, DNF, crash 27. Lorenzo ALFONSI, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, crash 28. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Yamaha, -10 laps, DNF, mechanical 29. Lucio PEDERCINI, Ducati, -10 laps, DNF, mechanical More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Jurgen narrowly misses out on points at Assen RIZLA SUZUKI wild card racer Jurgen van den Goorbergh took two top 20-finishes at the ninth round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen in Holland today, improving on his qualifying position and narrowly missing out on scoring points. After a brilliant start from 23rd on the grid in the opening race, Jurgen clashed with Kawasaki’s Chris Walker early on while fighting for a top 10 position. Jurgen ran through the gravel trap and rejoined the race to finish a disappointed 20th. In the second race Jurgen enjoyed another good start and battled to the end for 15th place and the final points position, eventually finishing 17th. The 35-year-old Dutch ace was 21 seconds faster over race distance in the second event as he continued to build confidence in the WSB control tyres. Honda’s Chris Vermeulen won both races. Rizla Suzuki now returns to the UK where regular racers John Reynolds and James Haydon will take part in the 11th round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park next Sunday, September 11th. Jurgen: “The weekend has not gone as I hoped. I would have preferred to race with a tyre and bike that I was more familiar with and our lack of testing showed. I did the best I could with the package we were able to put together through practice and qualification, though I was unable to find complete confidence in the tyres and learn their limits. “I have enjoyed racing here in front of the Dutch fans again, I hope they enjoyed the show. Thank you to Rizla Suzuki for supporting me. For sure, with more time on the GSX-R1000 and a better understanding of the tyres I could have been fighting much further up the field, but for now I am just happy to have brought the bike home safely in both races.” Robert Wicks, Team Manager: “The results have not been great this weekend but given our starting point with the WSB control tyres and with Jurgen, the team has arguably done as well as could have been expected. Jurgen has been one of the most popular riders at the track and I am sure the 80,000 weekend crowd appreciated his and Rizla Suzuki’s efforts. “On a positive note, we have learnt more technically about our GSX-R1000 at one of the best race tracks in the world. Jurgen’s feedback on handling and on launching the bike from the start line has given us some further insights that we look forward to testing at Oulton Park next weekend. “Thank you to Suzuki Netherlands and Rizla for their efforts this weekend. Jurgen is the consummate professional racer and we have really enjoyed working with him over the last three days.” Race One Result: 1: C Vermeulen (Honda) 33:36.029, 2: J Toseland (Ducati) +3.396, 3: N Haga (Yamaha) +4.876, 4 T Corser (Suzuki) +6.815, 5: A Pitt (Yamaha) +10.075, 6: Y Kagayama (Suzuki) +12.526, 7: L Lanzi (Ducati) +12.661, 8: M Neukirchner (Honda) +20.595, 9: K Muggeridge (Honda) +20.872, 10: P Chili (Honda) +27.691, 20: JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1:03.44. Race Two Result: 1: Vermeulen 33:34.053, 2: Haga +0.085, 3: Toseland +3.318, 4: Corser +5.938, 5: Pitt +6.394, 6: Lanzi +16.480, 7: Neukirchner +17.255, 8: Muggeridge +22.338, 9: N Abe (Yamaha) +30.801, 10: B Bostrom (Honda) +34.071, 17 JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH (RIZLA SUZUKI) +42.910. Championship Points after nine rounds: 1: Corser 370, 2: Vermeulen 284, 3: R Laconi (Ducati) 214, 4: Haga 203, 5: Toseland 197, 6: Kagayama 187, 7: C Walker (Kawasaki) 130, 8: Chili 119, 9: Pitt 117, 10: Muggeridge 100. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: TOSELAND (DUCATI XEROX TEAM) SHOWS GREAT FORM WITH DOUBLE PODIUM FINISH AT ASSEN Assen (Netherlands), Sunday 4 September: James Toseland produced some aggressive racing on the Xerox-backed factory Ducati 999 to take two podiums in front of a massive 80,000 crowd at Assen as Chris Vermeulen (Honda) scored maximum points with the two wins. Right on the pace from the start of the weekend, 24-year-old Toseland held the flag high for the factory Ducati Xerox Team after team-mate Régis Laconi was forced to miss this weekend’s ninth round of the championship due to his high-side on Friday. Starting from second on the grid, the reigning world champion was involved in a thrilling five-rider battle in the early stages of the first race. Toseland then fought for the runner-up slot with Haga (Yamaha), eventually getting the better of his Japanese rival in the final couple of laps. “That was hard work, it was a great battle and I’m sure it was exciting to watch” Toseland said. “I always enjoy racing with Nori, we did the same here last year. I knew I could do a good race after Friday and Saturday and I’m just happy to be back on the podium after the disappointment of the last few weeks”. Another fantastic battle in race 2 involving Vermeulen, Haga and Toseland could have gone any way until the final few laps when the first two broke away and Toseland settled for the final podium slot. But Toseland’s early race performance was astonishing as he powered past Kagayama (Suzuki), Pitt (Yamaha) and Haga at the same place, the final chicane, on successive laps to move into the lead. “I’ve just ridden one of the best races I’ve ever ridden to finish third but fair play to Chris and Nori, they didn’t put a foot wrong. I know that because I didn’t make a mistake either!” commented Toseland. “I was pushing right to the end, losing the front, losing the rear, skipping about but I’m happy and that’s the first time I’ve been happy with third for a while because I know I rode hard and stuck my neck out. I’m just happy to have two podiums, which I’d like to dedicate to my manager and close friend Roger Burnett and to the family of young rider Chris Jones, who tragically got killed at Cadwell Park recently”. RACE 1: 1. Vermeulen (Honda); 2. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) ; 3. Haga (Yamaha) ; 4. Corser (Suzuki) ; 5. Pitt (Yamaha) ; 6. Kagayama (Suzuki) ; 7. Lanzi (Ducati SC) ; 8. Neukirchner; etc. (Honda); RACE 2: 1. Vermeulen; 2. Haga; 3. Toseland; 4. Corser; 5. Pitt; 6. Lanzi; 7. Neukirchner; 8. Muggeridge; etc. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after 9 of 12 rounds): Riders – 1. Corser 370; 2. Vermeulen 284; 3. Laconi 214; 4. Haga 203; 5. Toseland 197; 6. Kagayama 187; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 379 ; 2. Honda 300 ; 3. Ducati 293; 4. Yamaha 244; 5. Kawasaki 145; 6. Petronas 25. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2005 Round 9, Assen Netherlands Spectator attendance: 80,000 (weekend) 2 – 4 SEPTEMBER 2005 CHARPENTIER SECURES TITLE AFTER THRILLING HONDA 1-2-3 Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) entered the Assen race with realistic expectations to leave as champion and after a dramatic 16-lap race with his fellow countryman Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) he duly took Honda’s fourth Rider’s title in a row – thanks to the 20 points he earned for second place. All four of Honda’s championship wins have come from riders on Ten Kate prepared machinery, including Assen race winner Foret in 2002, when riding a CBR600FS. Since then, the CBR600RR has powered Chris Vermeulen (2003) and Karl Muggeridge (2004) to the title, with Charpentier’s 2005 domination making it a hat-trick of overall victories. This far Charpentier has scored 210 points from a possible 225, scored six wins from nine races, taken eight pole positions, and led for 154 race laps, out of a total of 186 completed to date. The Honda trio on the Assen podium was completed by Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) who rode well despite a gearchanging foot injury, suffered during one of his two qualifying falls. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) is now 83 points behind Charpentier; in second place overall, having finished fifth in today’s race. He twice ran wide when in a podium challenging position. A six-rider fight for the last top ten positions, involving WSS novice Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR), saw him battle with largely more experienced riders. He finished ninth overall, but second in his own warring group. Charpentier was understandably both relieved and ecstatic about his championship win, and had to show determination as well as speed in the face of a five-rider assault on the podium places for much of the race. “It is difficult for me to realise the situation right now,” stated Charpentier. “The race was great, very hard and Katsuaki passed me, as I thought he would. I think he maybe had a problem changing gears, as he had many rear wheel slides. It was a tough race with Fabien, great fun and it was a perfect day for me. It was also sometimes difficult for me to change gear today, but I was happy to finish second on the final lap. I had realised that Katsuaki was behind, and it was not necessary to push right at the end.” Foret was emotional at his first 2005 race win, but took time to congratulate his friend and countryman on his championship triumph. “I would like to say first of all that Sebastien and I are friends and I am very pleased for him and his win, He was the best this year and deserves his title,” said Foret. “For me this year has been very difficult in places and this was a good moment to bring home our first win. I hope we can do well in the next three races. Our bikes are very close to the Ten Kate ones, and anyway, the bikes are still Hondas, strong enough to win today.” Fabrizio paid tribute to his team for his third place at Assen, with the entire Megabike squad maturing as the season has progressed. “We are a young squad and there was a gap at the beginning of the year because we were racing with the dominant team in the championship,” said the Italian. “Our situation is now good and now there has been the first win with Foret. I think now the team is in a very good situation. And I have to thank them because twice on Saturday I fell and they had to rebuild the bike on two occasions.” Fujiwara was disappointed not to have taken at least a podium finish at his team’s home race, after making a couple of slip-ups at key times. “I had a couple of moments,” said Fuji. “The second time I missed my gearchange, found neutral and almost crashed. First time, I outbraked myself, so a couple of mistakes cost me a place in the podium, which is what I expected to achieve today. It would have been great to be up there with Sebastien. Congratulations to him, he has had a fantastic season.” Lauslehto enjoyed his race, citing it as one of the hardest of his career. “I had the ambition to finish in the top ten this weekend and I did it, after a really hard race against so many different riders,” he said. “This is my favourite track and that helped me but I am exhausted now!” In the overall Championship table, Charpentier has 210 points, Fujiwara 127, Yamaha rider Kevin Curtain 122, with the Team Italia Megabike duo of Foret and Fabrizio fourth and fifth, on 110 and 98 points respectively. Lauslehto is tenth, with 49 points. World Superbike Round 9 of 12 ASSEN THE SCENE OF VERMEULEN’S FIRST 2005 DOUBLE WIN Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored a superb double win at the classic SBK venue of Assen, after two very different 16-lap races. He had the perfect start to his race preparations at Assen, taking his and his Ten Kate team’s first Superpole win since each started out on the 1000cc class in 2004, thanks to a superb 2’04.179 lap time. This mark was some 0.7 seconds better than second placed rider James Toseland’s Ducati. In the first race, Vermeulen eventually translated his Superpole supremacy to a comfortable win, having led by over five seconds at one stage, before easing up for his second 2005 season win. Second went to Toseland and third to Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), both of whom Vermeulen had ridden in company with at some stage. Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) fell in Superpole but starting from 12th on the grid, he overcame a fading Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) and his own team-mate Pierfrancesco Chili, with the trio finishing 8th to tenth. Ben Bostrom’s first race of the day put him 18th, still struggling with the lingering after-effects of his testing crash. In the second race, Vermeulen had a less effective start, finishing lap one in fifth place, and taking eight laps to get to the lead. He then had an often-tactile battle with Haga, as they slowly dropped Toseland from the pace. Vermeulen had done enough on the penultimate lap to stop Haga attacking him on the final corners, and he took a popular double win with the Dutch crowd. Max Neukirchner outdid Muggeridge for seventh in race two, with Bostrom a truly gritty tenth – and suffering throughout. Chili had severe set-up problems in each race, despite changing settings from race one, and finished 14th. Vermeulen paid tribute to the team’s effort and his opponents, and refuses to believe that he cannot catch championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki). Corser was fourth in each race, his first off podium finishes all year, leaving the points gap now 86 back to Vermeulen. “James and Nori made me work for it today, but it’s a great weekend for the team, and we took a good double,” said Vermeulen. “From half season onwards we started to get some results and there are six races left. Troy still has a big lead, but I will be trying my best to pull it back.” Neukirchner was the second most effective Honda rider on display at Assen, and was glad to rack up two good points scores, after some recent bad luck. “I am a lot happier because of the points we made this weekend,” said the young German rider. “In practice things were not so bad, even in Superpole, when we had a crash. It was not enough to make too bad an effect on our race weekend. I needed some points and we got them.” Karl Muggeridge was unhappy with his raceday luck, feeling that he could have had better results in different circumstances. “My right hand, the one I broke at Brands Hatch, went numb in race one,” said Muggeridge. “I couldn’t feel the throttle too well, but in race two it was fine. The problem was that the rear traction just dropped off right away and I had no chance to go faster in the race than I did.” Ben Bostrom was in severe pain and discomfort all weekend, his back and digestive system still not functioning properly, making his second race tenth something of a miracle ride. “Things got worse all weekend, as I rode the bike more,” said a drained Bostrom. “By the time I got on the bike in the second race I had never felt so sick in my life. I kept throwing up during the race and that was burning my throat and making my eyes water. That made vision a problem but at least I had someone in front to follow. We got points in one of the races, and that’s why we stayed out. The bike is good now, it was just the condition of the rider that was the problem.” For Pierfrancesco Chili, Assen was forgettable, and he sits eighth in the championship. “Even in Brands we had problems and maybe I am way out in getting the setting of this bike right. I cannot ride like this, for no points, for no enjoyment and we are not in a good situation right now. We tried to make some modifications in the second race but it was just the same. The clutch did not start the way I wanted again either, so we are far away from where I want to be.” Lausitzring hosts the next Championship round, next weekend. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: FRUSTRATION FOR TROY AT ASSEN Troy had his first difficult weeklend of the championship today at Assen, but still leads the points standing by a healthy margin. Problems with wheelspin in both races kept Troy off the podium for the first time this season. Chris Vermeulen (Honda) won both races, which featured wheel-to-wheel action throughout the two 16-lappers. James Toseland (Ducati) took second in race one, with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) third. In the second race, the positions were reversed with Haga taking runner-up spot ahead of Toseland. TROY – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 4th I knew we were due a duff weekend sometime this season and I guess this was it. But at least I finished both races and didn’t drop too many points. I’m not disappointed – just a bit frustrated. All weekend we had wheelspin problems and yesterday afternoon we changed an engine and I think maybe we lost our way a little. In both races today, I just couldn’t keep with the guys up front because I couldn’t get on the gas whilst the bike was leant over. I had to wait until it was more upright before I could get on the gas properly and that lost quite a bit of time. We changed the set-up of the bike for the second race and it was heaps better, but I still couldn’t gas it like normal. I was really pushing the front end hard in both races and if I’d pushed any harder, I’m sure I would have crashed. It was better to finish the races and take as many points as possible and that’s what I did. Hopefully, things will be back to normal next weekend at Lausitzring. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Noriyuki Haga moved up to fourth place in the 2005 Superbike World Championship with two podium finishes at Assen today. The Japanese rider finished third and second in the day’s two thrilling 16 lap races at the classic Dutch circuit, duelling it out for second place behind world champion James Toseland (Ducati) in the opener and race one winner Chris Vermeulen (Honda) in the second. Race one proved to be an easy win for Vermeulen, but the crowd was thrilled by the battle behind. Toseland and Haga traded places throughout, with the young Englishman pulling away to take second in the closing laps. The second outing proved equally as thrilling with Haga and Vermeulen battling for the lead, this time the Aussie getting to the line less than a tenth of a second ahead of the Yamaha man. Race two marked Haga’s 150th in the class and his 100th racing Yamaha equipment. Following the race, the popular Japanese was reunited with the YZF750 and YZF-R7 machines he rode with such success as Yamaha Motor Italia’s racing manager Claudio Consonni raised a champagne toast to the brand’s most successful world superbike racer. Haga’s Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt had his best collective pair of races of the season, taking home 22 points for a brace of fifth places. The Australian rode strongly throughout, battling with the leading trio and championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) in both races, before succumbing to tyre chatter and ending settling for his welcome fifths. Yamaha Motor France pairing Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert had differing fortunes, although both left the Netherlands each with seven more points to their name. Abe retired from the opener but came back to take ninth in race two. Gimbert had his best outing since round three in the Valencia with 12th in race one and 13th in the second. Haga’s 36 point haul moves him up to fourth place in the title race, ahead of countryman Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) and just nine points behind third placed Regis Laconi (Ducati), who was absent through injury. Pitt remains in ninth place in the standings, albeit with a reduced gap to eighth. The Australian is just 11 points shy of Pierfrancesco Chili (Honda), with Abe slipping back to 11th. Corser continues to lead the standings, with an 86 point advantage over second placed Vermeulen. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We made great races with James and Chris. I was a little bit disappointed with the final result of both races because if I had lasted one more lap I would have tried something more to push. It was hot and sweat was already affecting my eyes after three laps. In the last two or three laps I felt like I was going to give up but I didn’t and the result I know is not so bad.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “It’s getting better. We are starting to fight with them now but we’ve just got to get on that podium! We used the regular engine spec, because we know where the position of the bike has to be now and when you’ve got the confidence to just grab the brakes and fire it into corners it really helps. At this moment I don’t want to change too much on the machine.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “In the first race we had a broken engine so we had to change the motors. But I think that the clutch on that engine was already no good. So I could not make a good start. In the race it was very difficult to shift down – so we had some bad luck. Knowing Assen from MotoGP helps a little but when the bike is completely different from the one before, it makes the whole experience very different.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “A good race for me and for my team. I had a little difficulty with the set-up, the balance of the motorcycle, but it was not so bad. The leg is still causing me a little problem but it should be a lot better for next week.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “In Brno we said, ‘ok, maybe we are lucky,’ but to win also in Brands Hatch and be so close to the wins here means we are close to the best. Noriyuki used the new engine, so we were a little bit worried, took a big risk, but in the race it was ok. I am happy for both our riders because Andrew made a good race today, close to Troy Corser and was always trying to overtake him.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor France) “We lost Abe from the first race because of a stone holing the radiator, so the engine boiled. He did not see the increasing engine temperature, unfortunately. We put in the spare engine and the clutch was too hard, so he lost the start – that’s why he stayed in ninth position. Sebastien seems better, took some points and moved up a position. The main thing is that his confidence is coming back.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: GREAT LORENZO LANZI AT ASSEN Once more Lorenzo Lanzi showed at Assen his rigth to the Superbike’s Gotha citizenship clinching two excellent results in today’s races. “I was confident to get something more”. declared Lorenzo Lanzi at the end of the day. “Unfortunately the start position penalized me. At race-1 start all take the start as rockets, as at the holeshot I was just eleventh, the I found Kagayama that is very hard to pass; when I was leading we rode a bit faster, but Yukio is a fighter and when he was leading we lose some space from the leaders. At the end he’s been able to resist at all my attacks and I finished in seventh place. At race-2 start I keep a good start, but at the first corner I was outside of Martin when the Petronas changed his line, nearly setting me out of the track, so at the holeshot I was 1,5 seconds behind. Then I started to recover positions until sixth place, but it was too late for any attempt to do better. Anyway I’m quite satisfied about the week end’s result,with such a crew of champions it’s a good result.” The black week end of Gianluca Nannelli ended in the early laps of morning warm up. Gianluca had a contact with Fujiwara in the fastest point of the circuit and finished in the grass with a bad crash and a heavy landing: the bike is quite destroyed and he suffered a dislocated fracture of the fifth metatharsal bone that forced him to miss the race. “That’s actually a week end to forget.” said Gianluca Nannelli. “During the second lap of the warm up I had a contact at the end of the finish line with Fujiwara and I landed in the grass. It has been a bad shot and the doctors preferred to declare me unfit to race. I’m confident to recover for German round next week.” After the unlucky race in Assen, where Gianluca Nannelli couldn’t start due the injuries suffered in the warm up fall, and where Lorenzo Lanzi showed once more his great potentialities, Stefano Caracchi, owner of the Scuderia SC Caracchi would like to thanks all the people who have been closed to him and to the Team for all this difficult but satisfactory season. “A special thanks to Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Superbike Director, who gave to our Team the highest support. A special thanks as well to GA Ricambi, that supported Lorenzo Lanzi’s season, showing a big affection to Lorenzo and all the Superbike World. I’d like to underline something that make me really happy: the fact to have in my Team two Italian riders. In special way I’m really happy to have given to Gianluca Nannelli the possibility to get the best results of his career in the World Superbike and Supersport series and to have initiate to the Superbike Championship a young and good rider such Lorenzo Lanzi. I must confess that I hope in a final surprise, with a sport “present” for Franco Farnè, the man who made flight Gianluca Nannelli’s bike, giving to the 749R the best results of its life. Franco is a 70’s year old man whi is demonstrating once more his big and never ending talent.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser continues to hold a healthy lead in the World Superbike Championship despite a missing the podium for the first time this season at today’s ninth round at Assen in Holland. The Australian suffered with wheelspin problems that dogged him throughout practice and during today’s two races and that prevented him from putting his GSX-R1000 on the podium, although he still managed to pick up a pair of fourth places and takes an 86-point lead to the next round. Team mate Yukio Kagayama struggled a little from set-up problems in the first race and rear-end chatter in the second and ended up sixth in race one and 11th in race two. Young Aussie Chris Vermeulen won both 16-lappers today, but he was made to fight hard for both of them with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and James Toseland (Ducati). Toseland took runner-up spot in the first race with Haga third, but the positions were reversed in race two. Troy Corser – Race 1: 4th, Race 2: 4th: “Today was a bit frustrating really, but I suppose if you had to have an off weekend, this one was not too bad. All weekend we’ve had problems with wheelspin and yesterday afternoon we changed an engine and that affected the set-up of the bike. Perhaps we lost our way a little then, but in the morning warm-up today things were pretty good, so we thought we’d be ok. But in both races I had problems with wheelspin and I couldn’t get on the gas unless the bike was more or less upright. That cost me a lot of time each lap – enough for me not to be able to stay with the leaders. I pushed the front as hard as I’ve ever pushed it – any more and I would’ve crashed – but at least we got a couple of fourths. I would have liked to have left Assen with a few more points in the bag but that’s the way it goes sometimes.” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: 11th: This is not how I planned the weekend! Before today, I believed that a podium or two was possible, so I am not so happy. In race one, it took me five laps to find my rhythm, but by then the front group had gone. My bike’s balance was not perfect, but I think I lapped as fast as the leaders in the second part of the race, but it was too late. I had big problems in the second race with rear end chatter after five laps. I had started well in third and was fighting hard, but when the chattering started I couldn’t keep my position. In the end, all I could do was keep going and bring my bike home.” Dutch Wild Card rider Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh scored 20th and 17th places on a one-off ride aboard a British Superbike Championship Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. World Superbike Results: Race 1:1 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda), 2 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 3 Haga (J-Yamaha), 4 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha), 6 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 7 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 8 Neukirchner (D-Honda), 9 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda), 10 Chili (I-Honda). 20: Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh (NL-Rizla Suzuki). Race 2: 1 Vermeulen, 2 Haga, 3 Toseland, 4 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 5 Pitt, 6 Lanzi, 7 Neukirchner, 8 Muggeridge, 9 Abe (J-Yamaha), 10 Bostrom (USA-Honda), 11 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). 17 Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh (Rizla Suzuki). Championship Points: 1 Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 370, 2 Vermeulen 284, 3 Laconi 214, 4 Haga 203, 5 Toseland 197, 6 Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 187, 7 Walker 130, 8 Chili 119, 9 Pitt 117, 10 Muggeridge.