From a press release issued by Belgarda Yamaha:

“WE WANT TO WIN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE TRACK!”

The historic Silverstone circuit is the venue for the next round of the Supersport World Championship. The news on the eve of the sixth round is the readmission of the six Honda riders who had been disqualified in the previous race at Oschersleben (Germany).

ALL AS BEFORE

The FIM technical inspectors enquired about the rear wheel axle’s difference in weight between the one used in racing and the one homologated by Honda themselves. The Oschersleben Race Directors had excluded six riders from the results, including the race winner Karl Muggeridge, but then an appeal was made to FIM Roadrace Stewards panel. Honda succeeded in demonstrating that the rear axle was identical to one used on the CBR-RR road bikes. The FIM therefore reinstalled Muggeridge and the five other disqualified riders, but fined Honda 35 million Swiss francs (approximately 23 million euros) and took away their manufacturers points for the race. Based on this decision, Muggeridge is back on top of the World Championship points standing, just five points ahead of Dutchman Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Yamaha Motor Italy).

OFFICIAL COMMENT

“We take notice of the FIM’s decision.” said Claudio Consonni, racing manager of Yamaha Motor Italy. “Muggeridge’s disqualification had given us a big advantage in the points standing, but Yamaha want to win the title by its own means – on the track. We have a very competitive package – bike, team, rider – and are aiming for the title. Jurgen van den Goorbergh has been in the forefront a lot in the races. Supersport is a wonderful championship, but it is necessary that the technical regulations and rules of homologation are completely understood and respected in order not to generate any doubts or suspicions. And then it can be the best!”

THE CLASSIFICATION (after five rounds of ten)
1 Muggeridge (AUS-Honda) 87; 2 Van den Goorbergh (NL-Yamaha R6) 82; 3 Parkes (AUS-Honda) 53; 4 Curtain (AUS-Yamaha R6) 47; 5 Fujiwara (J-Suzuki) 44; 6 Charpentier (F-Honda) 40; 7 Chambon (F-Suzuki) 39; 8 Lanzi (I-Ducati) 37; 9 Neukirchner (D-Honda) 31; 10 Foret (F-Yamaha R6) 30.

MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Yamaha 90; 2 Honda 84; 3 Suzuki 55; 4 Ducati 45; 5 Kawasaki 12.

GOOD MEMORIES
Silverstone has held Supersport World Championship races since 2002. Before that, the British round was run at Donington. The track is 5.094 kilometres in length and is world-famous for its F1 history. Silverstone used to be a RAF base, but then started motorsport activities after the second world war. The main straights are based on the takeoff and landing strips. It was therefore a very fast layout, but slower sections and a couple of chicanes have been added to make the track safer. In the two previous rounds at Silverstone, Yamaha Motor Italy has always has been the strongest competitor. In 2002, in torrential rain, James Whitham and Paolo Casoli were on their way to an extraordinary 1-2 finish, when they fell off (not far from each other) in sight of the victory flag. But Race Control decided to red flag the race and the results were wound back one lap to give Whitham and Casoli a perfect 1-2! In 2003, Yamaha Motor Italy celebrated Jurgen van den Goorbergh’s second place, behind Chris Vermeulen (Honda).

ON TV
The sixth round of Supersport World Championship (13th June) will be transmitted live on Eurosport News. The 1-hour time difference means it will be shown at 14.20 Italian time. La7 will show the race at 16.45. Eurosport will show the highlights at 19.30.