Scuderia SC Caracchi DRAMA FOR NANNELLI UNDER SILVERSTONE’s FLOOD (Silverstone 2007, May 27) Drama today at Silverstone for Team SC Caracchi. Under the frozen and continuous rain Gianluca Nannelli suffered a dramatic crash outing the Ireland corner, just before the fastest straight of the circuit. It was a normal crash, but the rider’s body get speed sliding on the wet grass and he hardly slipped under the airfence, probably not well fixed at muddy ground, and crashed badly against the hard rail. The injured rider has been immediately bring to the Circuit Medical Centre and, together with the Clinica Mobile medical staff assistance, they found a bad sprain of the left knee, with damage of ligaments too. After the first aid the rider has been moved to Northampton Hospital, where he had a surgery operation to recover the damaged organs and tomorrow will be probably discharged, with a tutor equipment at the damaged knee, to rejoin home. The physical recover will be, thanks the strong structure of the Italian rider, about two months long. The doctors however excluded at all the presence of any fracture at the injured leg. No lucky for Jakub Smrz in Superbike too. He crashed during the 18th lap in race-1 while he was fighting with a group that at the end finished in seventh position. Race-2, owing the atrocious weather conditions, has been cancelled for safety reasons. “It has been actually a bewitched day.” commented Jakub Smrz hearing the race-2 will be cancelled. “First the Gianluca’s accident, them my crash during the race, while I was fighting for a position between seventh and ninth position, a result that would be very important for the team. It’s a pity, I took a good start and I was hardly riding with Polita, Xaus, Neukirchner, and after a few laps Lanzi too, after a bad start. The first to crash has been Polita, then unfortunately, after we got some advantage to Neukirchner, has been mi time to crash, The bike lost grip at the rear, to get it suddenly, and I’ve been throw away for a classic highside. When we made the sighting lap for race-2 the track was actually in terrible conditions, I believe that to cancel the race has been very wise.: Superbike Race-1 (28 laps = 99,708 kms) Pl. Rider Nat. Bike Time/gap Average 1 BAYLISS Troy AUS Ducati 999 F07 46’02.875 at 129,919 kph 2 HAGA Noriyuki JPN Yamaha YZF R1 at 2.035 3 CORSER Troy AUS Yamaha YZF R1 at 4.568 4 ROLFO Roberto ITA Honda CBR 1000RR at 50.039 5 LACONI Regis FRA Kawasaki ZX 10R at 1’09.634 Championship standing: 1st TOSELAND James (Honda) 237 points; 2nd HAGA Noriyuki (Yamaha) 214; 3rd BIAGGI Massimiliano (Suzuki) 201; 4th BAYLISS Troy (Ducati) 189; 5th CORSER Troy (Yamaha) 151;…14th SMRZ Jakub (Ducati SC Caracchi) 44 More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra news 2007 Superbike World Championship Round 7, Silverstone, GB, Sunday, 27th May, 2007 Crowd: 55.000 (3-day). Circuit: 3.561 miles Conditions: Rainy 12C. MAX DEFIES PAIN AND RAIN TO TAKE SIXTH. Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi had to fight pain and atrocious conditions but still managed to take a gritty sixth place in the first WSBK race at Silverstone today. The pain happened as a result of a dramatic highside in the race. Max went up into the air, but somehow was able to land back on the bike. But as he did, his right leg hit the footpeg with such force that the peg was broken! He also hit the inside of his left leg on the fairing and was in discomfort for the rest of the race. In the event, that was Max’s only action for the day, as the second race was cancelled on safety grounds. The riders went out on their inspection lap for race two, but standing water and a risk of aquaplaning was enough for the start to be delayed. After a 30 minute delay, the organisers decided that conditions had not improved and so cancelled the race. It was not a good day for Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama. He crashed in the race and hurt his lower back in the process, forcing him to retire. The first race featured a three-way fight between Troy Bayliss (Ducati) and the Yamaha duo of Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser. Corser led the first part of the race, but once Bayliss got in front that was more or less it. Haga and Corser fought him all the way, but it was Bayliss who splashed his way to victory after 28 difficult laps. Haga took runner-up spot, with Corser third. MAX – Race 1: 6th, Race 2: Cancelled I think it was the right decision to cancel the second race because there was a lot of standing water on the track and the spray made it very hard to see where you were going. At the start of the first race I was behind Yukio and I could see he was having a lot of problems when he was on the gas . The bike kept going sideways – especially compared to the other riders. I nearly crashed myself and was lucky to get away with it. I highsided and the bike went one way and then the other. When I came back down on the bike, my right leg hit the footpeg with such force that it broke it. Today I brought the bike home and that is a big result for me. At the moment, I want to be able to race at the front, but we need to do more work on the bike and I hope we can improve it soon. YUKIO – Race 1 : DNF after 20 laps. Race 2: Cancelled That was a very disappointing day and to end it with no points and a very sore back is no good. Where is my luck? Today my bike felt strange and I had many slides. My crash was also not a normal one. Because the bike felt strange, I changed my style and tried to ride smoothly. I wanted to understand what was going on. I knew if I pushed hard I would crash, so I rode more slowly and then suddenly I was highsided! If I had been going fast, I would’ve understood, but I wasn’t. I hit the ground hard and injured my lower back and because it was so painful, I knew that I couldn’t keep going. And with the second race cancelled, it meant I didn’t score any points today, which makes me disappointed and a bit frustrated. Results Race 1: 1 Bayliss (Aus-Ducati), 2 Haga (J-Yamaha), 3 Corser (Aus-Yamaha), 4 Rolfo (I-Honda), 5 Laconi (F-Kawasaki), 6 MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 7 Lanzi (I-Ducati), 8 Toseland (GB-Honda), 9 Xaus (E-Ducati), 10 Neukirchner (D-Suzuki), YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) DNF, Points: 1 Toseland 237, 2 Haga 214, 3 MAX BIAGGI (I-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 201, 4 Bayliss 189, 5 Corser 151, 6 Lanzi 116, 7 Xaus 113, 8 Rolfo 90, 9 Neukirchner 87, 10 Laconi 62, 11 YUKIO KAGAYAMA (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 60, More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: Sunday May 27 2007 Raceday BAYLISS (DUCATI XEROX) TAKES ONLY SUPERBIKE WIN OF THE DAY AT SILVERSTONE – RACE 2 CANCELLED AFTER HEAVY RAIN Silverstone (UK), Sunday 27 May: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) took the only win of the day at a rain-lashed Silverstone circuit as appalling weather conditions caused the second race to be called off. This was the third time a Superbike race has been cancelled due to bad weather, following previous events at Phillip Island in 2001 and Imola in 2005. Troy battled throughout the 28-lap race with the Yamaha pair of Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser for his third win of the year, which enabled him to make up 17 points on leader James Toseland (Honda), who crashed but remounted to finish eighth. “Of course we’re very happy for our team, Xerox, Shell and all of our sponsors because the first race went really well today” declared Troy. “It’s a shame about the second one, it looked as if it was easing off a bit but the track’s got a lot of water in some of the corners, mud and everything. They pushed it off but the water keeps coming back and I’m sure there are going to be some disappointed people here today. We’re sorry for everybody but that’s racing sometimes. The first part had a lot of water and when you arrive at that chicane, it’s in fifth gear and you’re not in control when you arrive there aquaplaning. That’s just silliness! Anyway now we move on and we’re happy to have closed the gap down on James a little bit with the win. Also I’m disappointed because I feel very good and confident on the bike and it’s possible I could have taken another win, who knows? Because sometimes it’s days like this when the championship can turn around….” Lorenzo Lanzi started from the front row of the grid but got a bad start and was swamped by the field. The Italian recovered to finish seventh. “I got a bad start and at the first corner I made contact with someone. Five or six riders passed me and I couldn’t see a thing ahead of me. From the mid-point on I managed to recover from 16th to 7th place” said Lorenzo. “The track for race 2 was very difficult, not exactly as bad as Imola in 2005 but it wasn’t far off and the race direction made the right decision to cancel the race. It’s true that the track conditions improved immediately after, but if it had started to rain again it would have been the same after a few minutes. All the riders would have wanted to race, that’s what we’re here for, but the decision to call it off was also taken for our safety”. Race 1: 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox); 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Corser; 4. Rolfo (Honda); 5. Laconi (Kawasaki); 6. Biaggi (Suzuki); 7. Lanzi (Ducati Xerox); 8. Toseland (Honda); 9. Xaus (Ducati); 10. Neukirchner (Suzuki). Race 2: Cancelled Points (after 7 of 13 rounds): Riders – 1. Toseland 237; 2. Haga 214; 3. Biaggi 201; 4. Bayliss 189; 5. Corser 151; 6. Lanzi 116; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 251; 2. Yamaha 237; 3. Ducati 234; 4. Suzuki 201; 5. Kawasaki 88. More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: World Superbike Championship Round seven: Silverstone, UK Sunday 27 May 2007 Race report Rain stops play at Silverstone Wet weather played havoc with the racing at the seventh round of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at Silverstone today, with the second race of the day being cancelled. In spite of this, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Toseland maintained his championship lead, while team-mate Roberto Rolfo continued his recent good form with another impressive performance. Race one took place in treacherously heavy rain that caused nine riders to crash out during the 28-lap contest. Just three laps in, Toseland parted with his CBR1000RR after losing the rear end at Priory corner. Despite spilling all the water from the bike’s engine and damaging the right handlebar, the British rider re-joined the race in last place and proceeded to battle his way through the pack. He put up a truly admirable fight to secure an eighth place finish, collecting an invaluable eight points towards his standings tally. Team-mate Rolfo – who is known for his strength in wet conditions – started the race from thirteenth on the grid and by lap three had already secured fourth position. The Italian rider maintained station for the remainder of the race with an impressive display of skilful wet weather riding. He picked up 13 points to climb to eighth place in the championship standings. Troy Bayliss, Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser took first, second and third places respectively. Following careful assessment of the track conditions, it was deemed too dangerous for race two to go ahead. The results of race one therefore determine the current standings, with Toseland in first and Rolfo in eighth position. Ronald ten Kate: “The weekend started positively for us but it’s ended on quite a low. James came here hoping to get the double, or at least good results for his home crowd. Instead of this he didn’t even get to race two races. I am behind the decision that has been made because in this sport, safety must come first and if safety is an issue then we have to stop. James crashed out early in the race, but as he picked up the bike everyone could see that the cooling water had come out and he rode the rest of the race with no coolant in the engine. The engine managed to last until the end, which is a success in itself. James managed to climb up the ladder to eighth place, which is even more admirable because he had a broken handlebar as well. “Roby was really on it in the first race. He had to come from quite a bit behind but he managed to get to the front. We had made some small changes to his bike for the second race in the hope of getting to the podium, so for him it is even more frustrating. Anyway, he has shown that he is a great wet weather rider. Now we are all looking forward to Misano and hopefully some good weather!” James Toseland: “I made a mistake in race one, but I was determined to re-mount the bike and claim as many points as possible. My handlebar was loose and I lost all the water from the engine because the water pipe came off. It was tough going but in the end I got eight crucial points and I still have the lead. Of course I am disappointed about race two – I am a racer and I was ready to race and get back the points lost in race one. However, I know that safety has to come first and I respect the decision of the organisers.” Roberto Rolfo: “I am very happy about the results of race one because I found a very good feeling on the bike. Unfortunately I lost a lot of time in the last ten laps and couldn’t quite catch the front runners to fight for the podium. Of course I am disappointed about the second race but this has happened and there is nothing we can do. In any case, it was not a bad result. I think we have done well – I have improved a lot on a difficult track so thanks to the team for that. I want to go to Misano and continue the standard of riding I found in Monza.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport: 2007 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® SILVERSTONE – 7th ROUND – 25th, 26th and 27th May RACE REPORT Silverstone, Sunday 27th May 2007 BAYLISS WINS BUT BRITISH WEATHER HAS THE LAST SAY REIGNING CHAMP OVERCOMES THE RAINS OF ENGLAND Heavy rains made for an unpredictable first race at Silverstone but at the time of its completion no one knew that race two would also have to be cancelled because of the atrocious weather. The only eventual race winner was also the Superpole winner, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) who took a margin of victory over Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) of two seconds. Third on the podium was early leader, Troy Corser (Yamaha Motor Italia), four seconds down after some great games of high risk between the leading trio in treacherous conditions. ROLFO FOURTH ONCE MORE BUT TOSELAND LOSES GROUND Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) rode with great style and pace in the wet to score fourth position, but his team-mate James Toseland was not in such a happy condition, crashing on lap three and finishing an eventual eighth. Toseland’s recovery from the crash was remarkable in itself, as his throttle side handlebar had come loose, his engine lost all its cooling water immediately and he had rejoined the race down in 18th place. LACONI THE RAIN MASTER GOES FIFTH Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki) proved as adept in rain conditions as always, taking fifth place, albeit finishing far from the leading riders. It was his best result of the year. Max Biaggi (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) went sixth, unhappy in the rain and experiencing a near high side so violent that he broke his footpeg with his leg when he landed back on his machine. The last rider not to be lapped by the flying Bayliss was his own team-mate, Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati Xerox), seventh. XAUS ANOTHER FALLER WHO RESTARTED TO SCORE POINTS Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) fell on lap 24, allowing Toseland through, but he restarted to finish ninth, one place up on Superpole faller from Saturday, Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany). Only 13 riders finished the race at Silverstone, not all of them on the same lap totals. Stand-in PSG-1 Kawasaki rider Vittorio Iannuzzo won the battle of the Italian privateers when he outpaced Luca Morelli (Honda DXF Corse) to secure 11th spot. The last finisher was a brave one, Shinichi Nakatomi (Yamaha YZF Team) who rode with injured toes from a previous crash. He was two laps down on Bayliss but scored points for his persistence in the shockingly wet conditions. TOSELAND STILL IN CHARGE BUT WITH REDUCED LEAD In the current championship chase Toseland is still leading, with 237 points, Haga is second on 214, while Biaggi is now on 201. Bayliss did himself a favour with his maximum points score, and now has 189 points. Corser is fifth, on 151. POS NO. RIDER COUNTRY BIKE TIME 1 21 Bayliss T. (AUS) Ducati 999 F07 46’02.875 (129,919 kph) 2 41 Haga N. (JPN) Yamaha YZF-R1 2.035 3 11 Corser T. (AUS) Yamaha YZF-R1 4.568 4 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 50.039 5 55 Laconi R. (FRA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’09.634 6 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7 1’20.982 7 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 999 F07 1’33.061 8 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1 lap 9 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Ducati 999 F06 1 lap 10 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Suzuki GSX-R1000 K6 1 lap WORLD SUPERSPORT – WEST TAKES MAIDEN WSS WIN Anthony West (Yamaha World SSP Racing) handled the poor conditions on raceday with great aplomb, scoring a fabulous win in only his second 2007 season WSS race, proving to be the clear victor by some 33 seconds from Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports Honda). A red flag finally ended the race six laps early, when a fallen machine blocked the racing line. Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda) was the final podium finisher after a mid-race tussle with two other riders, and problems with water ingress to his engine and helmet visor. Championship leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) fell on lap one and was ruled out of the points for the first time this year. In a race of attrition, several top riders also failed to finish, but Fabien Foret (GIL Kawasaki) was fourth, and he reduced the advantage of Sofuoglu to 45 points. Sofuoglu now has 145, Foret 100, Fujiwara 69 and Harms 59. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – ROBERTS TAKES FIRST WIN The first win for Brendan Roberts (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) was the second for the 1098 Ducati, but the race itself – shortened to ten laps because of heavy rains – was of more importance for the championship fight. Sixth in the race, Matteo Baiocco (Umbria Bike Yamaha) lost his lead to second place Silverstone man Mark Aitchison (Celani Suzuki), who now has 78 points to Baiocco’s 70. Matej Smrz (MS Racing Honda) was third at Silverstone, while third in the championship, Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox Junior Team), was only 13th in England. The Superstock 600 race at Silverstone, scheduled in after the Superbike race, was also cancelled. More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing: World Supersport and Superbike Championships 2007 Round 7. Silverstone Great Britain Silverstone Race Report 25 May – 27 May 2007 Attendance 50,000 all weekend Temperature: Air: 10°C Ground: 12°C Conditions: Fully wet. World Supersport Round 7 of 13 SOFUOGLU CRASHES OUT AS HARMS AND FUJIWARA SCORE PODIUMS On Saturday at Silverstone Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) had lost a thrilling battle for pole position to his team-mate Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) but on Sunday even worse fortune awaited in the race when he ran off the fully-wet track at turn one, fell, and was subsequently forced to retire. Despite his no score in England, the Turkish rider still has an impressive championship lead of 45 points over Fabien Foret, who was fourth in today’s race. Despite a high rate of attrition thanks to the terrible raceday weather, two Honda riders climbed the Silverstone podium in a race which was shortened from its original 28-lap distance to 22, after an early stoppage caused by a crashed machine lying on the wet racing line. Robbin Harms took second place on his Stiggy Motorsports Honda CBR600RR while Katsuaki Fujiwara (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) battled hard to finish third, having been third on lap one, then finding himself down as low as ninth on lap eight. Fujiwara is still third overall, now on 69 points, some 76 from Sofuoglu. Lorenzo Alfonsi (Althea Honda Team CBR600RR) was lapped but still finished the race eighth overall, equalling his season best result. Having been only 21st in qualifying he was justifiably happy to have finished the race in the top ten. Charpentier could not complete the Silverstone race due to lack of confidence in such comprehensively wet conditions, and retired on lap eight. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Harm’s second place contributed to the fact that Honda now leads by an extended margin of 55 points. Sofuoglu was disappointed in his ultimate luck but knows his championship lead was not hurt too much by his first corner incident. “I have worked very hard this weekend and I was fast on Friday, Saturday and in the warm-up today,” said Kenan. “I had a great feeling on the bike in the warm up lap so I felt really positive on the grid and was thinking that I had a good chance to get on the podium or even win. But then it all went wrong on the first corner, I just lost the rear of the bike. I think the problem was that I went too fast in the warm up lap and my tyres warmed up and then cooled down while I was on the grid. Anyway, it would have been better to stay on the bike – but some things are not meant to be. I am still leading so I am happy.” Fujiwara’s aggression in wet conditions delivered him a superb and ultimately secure third, bringing his season back to life. “It was so cold and wet on the track today,” said the Japanese rider. “The situation was good at the start but during the first laps my visor fogged up and the spray started to get sucked into the engine. When I sorted out the problem with my visor I was able to lap fast again and I took a lot of other riders. The bike was very good, I made a good choice of tyre and suspension set-up, and we had a strong result for the championship.” Charpentier’s new pole record of 1’26.706, set on Saturday’s dry second session, was an astonishing two seconds better than his own previous circuit best, but the dry weather from practice failed to materialise on raceday, deciding all for the 2005 and 2006 champion. “The positive point about today is the good results we had during qualifying,” said the 2005 and 2006 champion. “This is really important for me because I think we have reached a good place with the bike, which I hope will stay on for the rest of the season. I want to be able to finish the championship in a good position and also help out my team-mate. I just had very bad luck again in the race after about eight laps I think everyone in the team preferred me to stop because I just had no feeling and no grip in the front and rear. The conditions were so bad on track. Anyway, I hope the next race is better.” Alfonsi’s mature ride put him into the top ten in the championship, with 34 points, and came thanks to changes in set-up to suit his wet condition. “I started today with a rain setup from Valencia but it was too rainy compared to then,” said Alfonsi. “During warm-up I changed the set-up and it was perfect. After half the race the bike was becoming too hard to flick from side to side fast so I just made sure I would get it home to take a good finish.” World Superbike Round 7 of 13 TOSELAND CRASHES BUT RECOVERS TO KEEP CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) kept his championship lead after a highly unpredictable Silverstone race weekend, despite only having one race to run and crashing on the treacherous track conditions, caused by persistent rain on raceday. In the only Superbike race of the day, run over 28 rain-affected laps, Roby Rolfo (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was the top Honda finisher, equalling his season best of fourth around the short International Silverstone layout. Toseland fell at Priory Corner on lap three, dropped to 18th, but fought his way back to eighth at the flag. His machine had lost all its cooling water in the crash and the right hand handlebar was loosened off, making his eventual finish in the top ten a testimony to the integrity of his CBR1000RR’s engine and his own determination to defend his championship lead at all costs. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) and Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) each crashed on lap one, while Josh Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda CBR1000RR) was looking set for a top six finish until he too fell and had to retire from what was an exciting but unpredictable 28-lap contest, which had only 13 finishers from 21 starters. Luca Morelli (DFX Corse Honda CBR1000RR) kept going in the rain to finish 12t after his debut DFX Honda ride at Silverstone. After qualifying third fastest in Superpole, Toseland had started well and after his astonishing fightback on a damaged bike, he now leads the championship by 23 points from second place Silverstone rider Noriyuki Haga. Max Biaggi is still overall third, on 201. Silverstone race winner Troy Bayliss is fourth, on 189. In the manufacturers’ Championship, Honda now leads by 14 points. Toseland, who was out to take his first ever career double win in Superbike, knows that the points lead he continues to have is the main thing to take from the Silverstone weekend. He, like many other riders, wished to continue but the extreme rains that hit Silverstone shortly before the start of race two, added to the non-stop shower which had been falling all day, was enough for Race Direction to call the event to a halt at 1600hrs. “I made a mistake in race one, but I was determined to re-mount the bike and claim as many points as possible,” said the English rider, WSB champion in 2004. “My handlebar was loose and I lost all the water from the engine because the water pipe came off in the crash. It was tough going but in the end I got eight crucial points and I still have the lead. Of course I am disappointed about race two I am a racer and I was ready to race and get back the points lost in race one. However, I know that safety has to come first and I respect the decision of the organisers.” Rolfo, 13th in Superpole, was back to full pace once more, and is now eighth overall, on 90 points. “I am very happy about the results of race one because I found a very good feeling on the bike,” said Rolfo. “Unfortunately I lost a lot of time in the last ten laps and couldn’t quite catch the front runners to fight for the podium. Of course I am disappointed about the second race but this has happened and there is nothing we can do. In any case, it was not a bad result. I think we have done well I have improved a lot on a difficult track so thanks to the team for that. I want to go to Misano and continue the standard of riding I found in Monza.” Fabrizio was the first rider to go down on the slick Silverstone surface, and because of this he is now 12th in the standings. He was 15th on the grid, after a tough Superpole. “I fell when braking, all on my own,” said Fabrizio. “As soon as I closed the throttle and hit the brake the back felt like it pushed a bit and I fell right away.” Muggeridge – who was ninth in Superpole – was unlucky to fall after coming together with his team-mate, Josh Brookes, and doubly frustrated not to get a second race to make amends. “I wanted to get a second race in today and it was a shame to collide with Josh on the first lap after we got closed in,” said the 2003 World Supersport Champion for Honda. “There are others who have had bad weekends like me, so if we consider just this weekend on its own then we can move on from here.” For Brookes, a possible top six dissolved in the rain, as he fell – ironically – while trying to avoid a bigger crash. He had been tenth in Superpole, but after scoring no points today, he is still 15th, one place up on Muggeridge. “I went into the first couple of bends a little fast and ran a bit wide, so I wasn’t coping with the amount of water on the track that well,” said Brookes, who rode confidently and effectively in the wet until his crash. “I was trying to catch Laconi and I realised I was going to go wide so I stood the bike up. It hit the corner of the ripple strip at an angle and that flicked the back out. A crash was inevitable but it sucks to have been in good condition, be comfortable, and then lose sixth place. I wasn’t riding desperately but I still fell off by getting caught out.” For Morelli his first weekend in DFX Corse Honda colours was a success, and he fought well to take his four points and go 21st overall. “I have to be very happy with that,” said 19-year-old Morelli. “That was my first race at Silverstone, my first with full wet tyres and my first for Honda. So to finish and get points make me very happy. The bike was good and the team also.” Round eight, for both WSS and WSB classes, will be held between 15th and 17 June, at the new-look Misano circuit in Italy, which is now run in reverse direction from previous seasons. Results SUPERSPORT: RACE : (Laps 22 = 78,342 Km) Pos /Rider /Nat. /Team / Time /Gap 1 / A. WEST / AUS / Yamaha World SSP Racing / 39’16.245 / 2 / R.HARMS / DEN / Stiggy Motorsport Honda / 39’49.722 / 33.477 3 / K. FUJIWARA / JPN / Althea Honda Team / 40’04.302 / 48.057 4 / F. FORET / FRA / Team Gil Motor Sport / 40’08.022 / 51.777 5 / G.VIZZIELLO / ITA / RG Team / 40’10.540 / 54.295 6 / M.LAGRIVE / FRA / Intermoto Czech / 40’17.824 / 1’01.579 7 / J. FORES / ESP / HP Racing / 40’53.821 / 1’37.576 8 / L. ALFONSI / ITA / Althea Honda Team / 41’08.351 / 1’52.106 9 / J. ENJOLRAS / FRA / Tati Team Beaujolais Racing / 41’09.429 / 1’53.184 10 / B. VENEMAN / NED / Pioneer Hoegee Suzuki Racing / 39’16.868 / 1 Lap 11 / M.PRAIA / POR / Racing Team Parkalgar / 39’26.330 / 1 Lap 12 / S. GIMBERT / FRA / Yamaha – GMT 94 / 39’36.066 / 1 Lap 13 / J. GÃœNTHER / GER / CRS Grand Prix / 39’49.023 / 1 Lap 14 / G.LEBLANC / FRA / Vazy Racing Team / 40’44.006 / 1 Lap 15 / J. LASCORZ / ESP / Glaner Motocard.com / 40’51.121 / 1 Lap Fastest Lap 6° Anthony West 1’44.188 123,043 Km/h Lap record: 2006 2005 S.Charpentier 1’29.027 144,000 Km/h Best Lap: 2007 S.Charpentier 1’26.706 147,850 Km/h Riders Championship Standings: 1 SOFUOGLU 145, 2 FORET 100, 3 FUJIWARA 69, 4 HARMS 59, 5 VENEMAN 47, 6 NANNELLI 43, 7 WEST 41, 8 PITT 40, 9 SALOM 34, 10 ALFONSI 34, 11 ROCCOLI 33, 12 RIBA 30, 13 PARKES 27, 14 CURTAIN 25, 15 JONES 25. SUPERBIKE Race 1 : (Laps 22 = 78,342 Km) Pos / Rider / Nat. / Team / Time / Gap 1 / T. BAYLISS / AUS / Ducati Xerox Team / 46’02.875 / 2 / N.HAGA / JPN / Yamaha Motor Italia / 46’04.910 / 2.035 3 / T. CORSER / AUS / Yamaha Motor Italia / 46’07.443 / 4.568 4 / R. ROLFO / ITA / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 46’52.914 / 50.039 5 / R. LACONI / FRA / Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse / 47’12.509 / 1’09.634 6 / M.BIAGGI / ITA / Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra / 47’23.857 / 1’20.982 7 / L. LANZI / ITA / Ducati Xerox Team / 47’35.936 / 1’33.061 8 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / 46’06.015 / 1 Lap 9 / R. XAUS / ESP / Team Sterilgarda / 46’15.898 / 1 Lap 10 / M.NEUKIRCHNER / GER / Suzuki Germany / 46’20.019 / 1 Lap 11 / V. IANNUZZO / ITA / Kawasaki PSG-1 Corse / 46’34.206 / 1 Lap 12 / L. MORELLI / ITA / D.F.X. Corse / 46’34.786 / 1 Lap 13 / S. NAKATOMI / JPN / Yamaha YZF / 46’40.240 / 2 Laps Fastest Lap 27° Noriyuki Haga 1’37.005 132,154 Km/h Race 2: Cancelled due to weather conditions Riders Championship Standings: 1 TOSELAND 237, 2 HAGA 214, 3 BIAGGI 201, 4 BAYLISS 189, 5 CORSER 151, 6 LANZI 116, 7 XAUS 113, 8 ROLFO 90, 9 NEUKIRCHNER 87, 10 LACONI 62, 11 KAGAYAMA 60, 12 FABRIZIO 59, 13 NIETO 46, 14 SMRZ 44, 15 BROOKES 40. More, from a press release issued by event organizers: 2007 Suzuki GSX-R European Cup Round 4, Silverstone, GB Circuit: 3.561 miles. Crowd: 55,000 (3-day) Conditions: Wet EMERIC JONCHIERE WINS IN RAIN-SODDEN SILVERSTONE. Frenchman Emeric Jonchiere mastered appalling conditions in the third round of the Suzuki GSX-R European Cup at Silverstone today. The race had been cut from 12 laps to 10 because of the very wet conditions and there was a big surprise when series leader, and pole sitter, Dominic Lammert crashed out before completing a lap. Italian Simone Saltarelli led the opening two laps chased by Swiss rider Patric Muff and Jonchiere. Jonchiere took the lead on lap 5 and from then on in he was never headed on his way to victory. At the end, he finished over three seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Muff. Third went to Hungarian Gabor Rizmayer, with Raphael Chevre fourth, Pete Ward fifth and Lee Hodge sixth. Emeric Jonchiere – 1st Conditions out there were very difficult today and the track was very slippery, so I am very happy to take the win. When you were behind another rider there was a lot of spray and not easy to see where you were going a lot of the time. It was a shock to see Lammert go out so early, but today it was so easy to crash I am not too surprised. It was hard keeping concentration because of the conditions, but I was determined not to do anything silly. I wanted to get the bike back in one piece – and that’s what I did.

World Supersport Championship Round seven: Silverstone, UK Sunday 27 May 2007 Race report Sofuoglu maintains lead at Silverstone The rain poured down at Silverstone today for the seventh round of the 2007 World Supersport Championship. The wet weather made riding conditions treacherous as seven riders – including HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu – crashed out of the 28-lap race. Sofuoglu’s team-mate Sébastien Charpentier retired from the contest after eight laps. Sofuoglu secured a good start to the race and took an early lead, only to crash out almost immediately at the first corner when he lost the rear end of the bike. Despite this, the Turkish rider still maintains an impressive lead in the championship with 145 points – 45 points clear of nearest rival Fabien Foret. Team-mate Charpentier struggled to get to grips with his CBR600RR in the wet conditions and was forced to retire from the race a third of the way through. He is now placed eighteenth in the overall standings. The adverse weather caused the race to be stopped on the 22nd lap after it was deemed too dangerous for the remaining riders to continue. Anthony West took the victory, followed by Robbin Harms and Katsuaki Fujiwara Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Race day hasn’t given us what we were hoping for after the brilliant performance of the riders yesterday. For sure this sport was not invented to be carried out in these conditions, but in the end there has got to be a winner. Kenan was unlucky today. His feeling on the bike was really good during the sighting and warm up laps, but then he lost it immediately after the start of the race. It’s a pity, but he was maybe pushing a bit too hard. Sébastien just couldn’t get a good feeling on the bike. So that’s it. We pack up here as championship leaders and move on to the next race.” Kenan Sofuoglu: “I have worked very hard this weekend and I was fast on Friday, Saturday and in the warm-up today. I had a great feeling on the bike in the warm up lap so I felt really positive on the grid and was thinking that I had a good chance to get on the podium or even win. But then it all went wrong on the first corner, I just lost the rear of the bike. I think the problem was that I went too fast in the warm up lap and my tyres warmed up and then cooled down while I was on the grid. Anyway, it would have been better to stay on the bike but some things are not meant to be. I am still leading so I am happy” Sébastien Charpentier: “The positive point about today is the good results we had during qualifying. This is really important for me because I think we have reached a good place with the bike, which I hope will stay for the rest of the season. I want to be able to finish the championship in a good position and also help out my team-mate. I just had very bad luck again in the race – after about eight laps I think everyone in the team preferred me to stop because I just had no feeling and no grip in the front and rear. The conditions were so bad on track. Anyway, I hope the next race is better.” Race results: 1. Anthony West 39’16.245 2. Robin Harms + 33.477 3. K. Fujiwara + 48.057 4. Fabien Foret + 51.777 5. G. Vizziello + 54.295 6. M. Lagrive + 1’01.579 7. J. Fores + 1’37.576 8. L. Alfonsi + 1’52.106 9. J. Enjolras + 1’53.184 10. B. Veneman + 1 lap – K. Sofuoglu DNF – S. Charpentier DNF Championship standings: 1. K. Sofuoglu 145 2. F. Foret 100 3. K. Fujiwara 69 4. R. Harms 59 5. B. Veneman 47 6. G. Nannelli 43 7. A. West 41 8. A. Pitt 40 9. D. Salom 34 9. L. Alfonsi 34 18. S. Charpentier 23

1. Troy Bayliss (Duc 999F07), 1:24.558 2. Nori Haga (Yam YZF-R1), 1:24.577 3. James Toseland (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:24.621 4. Lorenzo Lanzi (Duc 999F07), 1:24.810 5. Troy Corser (Yam YZF-R1), 1:25.164 6. Ruben Xaus (Duc 999F06), 1:25.299 7. Yukio Kagayama (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.597 8. Max Biaggi (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:25.866 9. Karl Muggeridge (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:25.886 10. Josh Brookes (Hon CB1000RR), 1:26.116 11. Fonsi Nieto (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.175 12. Jakub Smrz (Duc 999F05), 1:26.365 13. Roberto Rolfo (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:26.488 14. Regis Laconi (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.661 15. Michel Fabrizio (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:26.933 16. Max Neukirchner (Suz GSX-R1000), no time, DNF, crash Non-Superpole Qualifiers 17. Vito Iannuzzo (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.909 18. Shinichi Nakatomi (Yam YZF-R1), 1:26.970 19. Alessandro Polita (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.982 20. Luca Morelli (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:27.983 21. Dean Ellison (Duc 999R), 1:29.070 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: World Superbike Championship Round seven: Silverstone, UK Saturday 26 May 2007 Superpole Front row start for Toseland at Silverstone Following the second day of World Superbike qualifying at Silverstone today, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s James Tosleand will start tomorrow’s 28-lap race from the front row of the grid. Team-mate Roberto Rolfo qualified in thirteenth position for a fourth row start. As the predicted rain held off, Toseland continued his good form of yesterday by setting the fastest lap four times in this afternoon’s second qualifying. The last of these set a new best Superbike lap at Silverstone with an impressive time of 1’24.999. Troy Corser just got the better of Toseland in the closing minutes by two tenths of a second. The British rider entered the Superpole one-lap dash as the second fastest rider and put in an impressive performance to secure third place on the grid. His lap time was 1’24.621 – just 0.063 seconds behind pole sitter Troy Bayliss. After a good start to the weekend yesterday, team-mate Rolfo was less fortunate today and starts tomorrow’s race from the fourth row of the grid. However, the Italian is confident that he can fight his way to the front to secure two good results for HANNspree Ten Kate Honda. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “We have moved up the grid compared to last year when James started from fourteenth. We had a wet Superpole and it didn’t work out, then we had a dry race. Now we are facing a different challenge with today being dry and rain forecast for tomorrow. Anyway, we are happy with the results achieved. For Roberto, it’s a pity we just couldn’t get the package dialled in. We have seen some good results in the rain from him already so let’s just wait and see what happens when we open the garage tomorrow morning.” James Toseland: “I am happy with the front row. In the end I was only 0.063 seconds off pole so it’s not a bad result. We have a great set-up for the race and fingers crossed the weather will hold out for another day, although I’m expecting the worst. If it does rain, we are all in the same boat – I just have to take it as it comes.” Roberto Rolfo: “It’s been a bit frustrating for me today because I couldn’t get the feeling right on the bike. After Monza I felt very good, but I am not sure what has happened today. Anyway, I have been able to get up to the front from the back rows in previous races so hopefully I will be able to do this tomorrow. The forecast is for rain and I am usually quite strong in the wet, but I just have to wait and see what happens.” More, from a press release issued by HANNspree: Super gifts from HANNspree A tense Superpole session decided the grid positions for round seven of the 2007 World Superbike Championship at Silverstone today. Troy Bayliss put in the fastest lap to secure pole position for tomorrow’s 28-lap race. The Ducati Xerox rider will be awarded a special gift from series sponsor HANNspree. The innovative LCD TV manufacturer will present Bayliss with a HANNS.golf TV – a 9.6″ screen with a golfing theme. The Australian rider will receive his gift from the HANNSgirls on the grid at the beginning of race one. HANNspree will also award a television to Sébastien Charpentier as the pole sitter for the World Supersport Championship race. For his achievement this weekend the Frenchman will receive a HANNSz.lion television – a fun design with a cuddly lion-shaped surround. President of HANNspree’s European operations Kevin Chang explains why the company is keen to offer the prize: “I am happy to present two televisions from our very popular Sports and Fantasy ranges. These models are fun, exciting and stylish and they are a perfect representation of our philosophy.” For more information on all HANNspree products, please visit www.hannspree.com. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: BAYLISS TAKES POLE FOR DUCATI XEROX AT SILVERSTONE WITH LANZI ON THE FRONT ROW Silverstone (UK), Saturday 26 May: Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) powered his way to a sixteenth Superpole win with a blistering new circuit best lap of 1m24.558s at an overcast Silverstone today. Slightly down on the first two sectors, Troy then went green in the final split to edge out Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) from the top slot by a fraction. Team-mate Lorenzo Lanzi has also been on the pace throughout the weekend and he crowned a good qualifying performance with the fourth quickest time of 1m24.810s which puts him on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s two races. “Actually it’s been a little bit up and down for me all weekend” declared Troy. “We’ve been going around in circles a little bit, but now I’m back inside the circle and I’m starting to feel more confident on the bike again. I’ve been struggling really on the first split which is not such a difficult section but we finally got it right this afternoon. It’s possibly going to rain tomorrow and that throws a spanner in the works for everybody. Our bike is working OK but we can only really use one race tyre, the hardest one, and honestly the grip’s down on that. If anyone can get away with using the softer one it’s going to make it difficult for us but I honestly think that after 15 laps anyone who chooses that tyre is going to be going backwards pretty quick.” “I’m really pleased with my performance today, here it’s very important to start from the front row because there aren’t many places to overtake on this circuit and it’ll probably rain tomorrow which will create some more problems for everyone” said Lorenzo. “Over the past two days we’ve prepared well for the race in dry conditions, but haven’t had much chance to try a wet weather setting. For the moment let me enjoy this front row position, which for me is very important. I felt that I went through that chicane in the second sector in a truly spectacular way, the feeling with the bike was perfect and I’m feeling confident about the races tomorrow”. More, from a press release issued by Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra: 2007 Superbike World Championship Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra news Round 7, Silverstone, GB Circuit: 3.561 miles Conditions: Dry, sunny/cloudy 13-16C Final qualifying, Saturday 26th May, 2007 SECOND ROW FOR YUKIO AND MAX Team Alstare Suzuki Corona EXtra riders Yukio Kagayama and Max Biaggi qualified seventh and eighth quickest in the 16-rider Superpole shoot-out and will start tomorrow’s pair of 28-lap races from the second row of the grid. Both riders had set-up problems and were unable to get completely comfortable with their bikes in practice, but know that the their performances in the races are likely to be quite different. Yukio , Max and the team have been working hard throughout the season to develop their bike as quickly and as smoothly as possible – especially as some of their competitors seemed to have made greater leaps in progress. Reigning champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati) stormed to Superpole this afternoon, taking over one and a half seconds off the lap record in the process. Second fastest in Superpole was Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), with local favourite James Toseland (Honda) third and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) fourth. YUKIO – 7th, 1:25.597 I am not happy with the set-up of my bike and that makes it difficult to push hard and also have some fun. For me, the bike is a bit difficult to control at the moment and I cannot get a good feeling exiting the corners. It is just not happening for me at the moment and this is a bit frustrating, but this is my job and I must do it as well as I can. I know everybody is working hard to help me and improve the bike, so I must do my best – as usual. MAX – 8th, 1:25.866 On my Superpole lap I tried to brake deeper in a couple of places to make up some time, but my experience of this track is not as good as most of the other riders and I was not able to set a faster time. For me some parts of the track are not so bad and other parts are OK. It’s quite bumpy and that doesn’t help trying to get a good set-up. At the moment, I feel that the potential of the machine has to be raised and that’s what we are all working towards. At the start of the season it was easier to go over the problem, but others have improved, maybe faster then we have. I always give my best and as the races are very long tomorrow, I am not to worried about starting on the second row of the grid. There will be enough time and laps for me to improve my position. I hope it doesn’t rain though, because my experience of this track in the wet is very little. Also I don’t think it would be good for the fans. More, from a press release issued by Team YZF Yamaha: Saturday qualifying Nakatomi with courage Despite two broken toes, Shinichi Nakatomi qualified for the Silverstone races that will take place tomorrow. After a difficult Friday, Nakatomi enjoyed a dried track on the British circuit to finally qualify for the starting grid. So he will start both races tomorrow and try to earn some points for the World Championship. The weather forecast is not very good and there may be some heavy rain for the event on Sunday. Martial Garcia (team manager): “Our rider did show a lot of courage. Happily, the track was dry for the second qualifying practice session. Shinichi Nakatomi did a good job qualifying. So we have hope that he will do good races tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by FGSport: 2007 SBK CORONA EXTRA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP® SILVERSTONE – 7th ROUND – 25th, 26th and 27th May SUPERPOLE Silverstone, Saturday 26th May 2007 BAYLISS FASTEST EVER AT SILVERSTONE INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT FABULOUS CONTEST THE SEVENTH CLOSEST SUPERPOLE IN HISTORY Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) edged out Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) to win the seventh closest Superpole contest in the history of the SBK championship, with his 1’24.558 also proving to be the best ever Superbike lap of the 3.561km circuit in Northamptonshire. Bayliss’ best, using qualifiers in Superpole, was over half a second faster than the best ever BSB Superbike qualifying time. The best Pirelli race tyre time of the weekend so far (1’24.731, for Troy Corser and Yamaha Motor Italia) was also well under the BSB best for both race tyre and qualifiers. The overall improvement in times is even more impressive when you consider that the mass-produced Pirelli race tyres are designed to do 28 laps of Silverstone, not the 18 or so required for National race events, which use prototype racing tyres. TOSELAND ON THE FRONT ROW AT SECOND HOME RACE OF 2007 James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) had a successful qualifying, eventually scoring third best time in Superpole to take his place on the front row for Sunday’s 28 lap contests. The last place on the front row was earned by Bayliss’ team-mate, Lorenzo Lanzi, who was only 0.252 seconds down on the Australian. CORSER FIFTH AFTER GOING QUICKEST OF ALL ON RACE TYRES Corser was not to repeat his trick of going fastest in regulation qualifying, as he only finished fifth after making a mistake in the middle of his Superpole lap. Corser was impressive nonetheless as he prepares to try and take his first win of 2007. Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Ducati) was in the top group once more, going sixth in the rankings after using a race tyre in Superpole. The last two places on row two for Sunday’s races will be filled by Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Yukio Kagayama and Max Biaggi. This was Biaggi’s first visit to Silverstone, and he took some time to get up to full speed. ALTO EVOLUTION HONDAS TOP ROW THREE Karl Muggeridge (Alto Evolution Honda) and Josh Brookes (Alto Evolution Honda) slotted in ninth and tenth after Superpole, as both improved on their previous bests at the English circuit. They were followed in the standings by Fonsi Nieto (PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki) and Jakub Smrz (team Caracchi Ducati SC). FOURTH ROW FEATURES LACONI Despite a strong qualifying time into Superpole, Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Corse Kawasaki) dropped to a fourth row start, behind the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda of Roby Rolfo. Michel Fabrizio (DFX Corse Honda) was 15th in Superpole but not last, as the crashing Max Neukirchner (Suzuki Germany) lost his chance to improve his grid start – doing the opposite in fact – by being relegated to 16th, having fallen on the fast Copse Corner. WORLD SUPERSPORT – INTERNAL TUSSLE BRINGS FINAL REWARD The inter-team rivalry between Sebastien Charpentier (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) saw them exchange new circuit records, with the new all-time best of 1’26.706 finally going to Charpentier. This class uses only race tyres, even in qualifying, making the new best an astonishing achievement for rider, team and tyres, as it was over two seconds better than Charpentier’s previous pole record. Joining Charpentier and Sofuoglu on the front row are Yamaha riders Broc Parkes (Yamaha World SSP Racing) and Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha Lorenzini by Leoni). Fabien Foret (Gil Kawasaki) overcame a fast crash earlier in the day to score fifth fastest time and a second row start. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP – PIRRO THE MAN ON FORM Michele Pirro (Yamaha team Italia) was the pace man in Superstock qualifying, going top with a 1’28.300 – less than four seconds slower than Bayliss in Superbike. Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) was second, some 0.156 from Pirro. Claudio Corti (Team Lorenzini by Leoni Yamaha) was third with the top MV being that of Ayrton Badovini (Biassono Racing Team) in fourth. SUPERSTOCK 600 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – BERGER ON POLE Maxime Berger (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) stayed on top of the 600 rankings thanks to his Friday time, while Domenico Colucci (Ducati Xerox Junior Team) was second fastest. More, from a press release issued by event organizers: 2007 Suzuki GSX-R European Cup Round 4, Silverstone, GB Circuit: 3.561 miles Conditions: Damp Final qualifying, Saturday 26th May RAIN PUTS A DAMPER ON PROCEEDINGS A rain shower before final qualifying this afternoon upset the conditions at Silverstone and many of the Suzuki GSX-R Cup riders were unable to put in many laps. The session began wet, but although the track started to dry out, some parts were still damp and that meant difficult tyre choices for the 26 competitors. As the 3.561 mile circuit did not dry out completely and no riders improved their lap times, it means that the grid for tomorrow’s 12-lap race will be formed from yesterday’s dry qualifying session. So, German rider Dominic Lammert is on pole, with ‘wild card’ Ian Lowry second, Patric Muff third and Simone Saltarelli fourth. Dominic Lammert – Pole Well there’s not much to say because I only did three laps this afternoon because of the track conditions. It wasn’t wet enough for wet tyres and it wasn’t dry enough for dry tyres. It is always difficult when the track is half wet and half dry and if that happens tomorrow it’s going to be a very difficult race. I am hoping that it will either be dry or wet, not a bit of both. At least that way, we’ll all be on the same tyres and can just get on and race.

World Supersport Championship Round seven: Silverstone, UK Saturday 26 May 2007 Qualifying report two Charpentier hits the Silverstone hat-trick HANNspree Ten Kate Honda’s Sébastien Charpentier secured a hat-trick of Silverstone pole positions today ahead of tomorrow’s 28-lap World Supersport Championship race. His team-mate Kenan Sofuoglu qualified second fastest to secure the next best spot. The second qualifying session was dominated by the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda riders as they put on an incredible display of consistently fast riding. The duo set the new Silverstone best lap an impressive six times between them, swapping places between first and second on the timesheet for the entire 45 minutes. Charpentier was the first to smash yesterday’s fastest lap with a time of 1’27.824 just five minutes into the session. Sofuoglu followed this up by setting two new best laps in quick succession, two tenths of a second faster than his team-mate. Charpentier then proceeded to shave off another four tenths with a time of 1’27.239. Ten minutes later and Sofuoglu set another new best lap, but Charpentier was determined to claim the pole position and pushed his CBR600RR to the limit in order to do so. With five minutes left to go, the Frenchman secured an incredible lap time of 1’26.706 – the first ever Silverstone Supersport lap under one minute 27 seconds and a full two seconds faster than his previous best lap of 2005. With riding like this, tomorrow’s race promises to be one of the most thrilling of the season so far. Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager: “Most of the time my opinion of the riders is a modest ‘not so bad’, but actually now I have to say that that was very close to perfect and at the very least brilliant! We could see the boys were pushing each other quite a bit as they swapped new best laps six times. We could feel the atmosphere changing in the middle of the session, not to unfriendly, but certainly competitive. This is probably one of the most enjoyable sessions I have seen – similar to Imola last year, but even better. If we put the times in the context of today’s Superbike laps, they really are just amazing. The riders have taken it to a new level. Anyway, the most important thing is tomorrow’s race. We have a really good set-up for the bikes, not just for single fast laps but for consistent fast laps. I hope it is dry, but rain or dry, we are ready to race.” Sébastien Charpentier: “After the crash yesterday afternoon I didn’t have the chance to try for a fast lap because the rain came in. We got some good information from the first session yesterday and now the team understands the situation for me with my riding style and my feeling on the bike. We have a great set-up and I am aiming for the podium tomorrow. I hope the weather stays dry, but this is England so you can never be sure! I want to say thank you to my team because we had a great strategy today. The Pirelli tyres are unbelievable – there seems to be no limit and to get this time on a race tyre is very impressive. I am two seconds faster than last year, which is incredible. I am very, very happy – I have a good, strong feeling with the bike and everyone is really happy for me. Thank you for the support of the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda family.” Kenan Sofuoglu: “I achieved my ambition of the front row, although pole position would have been better. Anyway, I am really happy because I have a good average speed. I had a little crash this morning and I didn’t want that to happen again even though I was still pushing really hard. Anyway, I have the consistency and this is the most important thing for tomorrow. I am ready for the race” Qualifying times: 1 S.Charpentier 1’26.706 2 K. Sofuoglu 1’27.111 3 B. Parkes 1’27.761 4 M. Roccoli 1’27.793 5 F. Foret 1’27.843 6 Y. Tiberio 1’27.887 7 K. Fujiwara 1’27.975 8 G. Nennelli 1’28.080 9 R. Harms 1’28.161 10 P. Riba 1’28.343

MICHELIN MOTOGP MUGELLO PREVIEW Michelin goes into the Italian Grand Prix determined to strengthen its position in the 2007 MotoGP World Championship. Currently Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) lie second and third in the points chase and both riders love the Mugello racetrack ? last year Michelin man Rossi won his fifth successive premier-class race there while Pedrosa finished fourth, just two seconds behind the winner. Both riders were also very strong in the dry stage of the French GP at Le Mans two weeks ago. Mugello is arguably the most glorious venue on the MotoGP calendar ? a technically demanding racetrack surrounded by breathtaking scenery and a massive and enthusiastic crowd. MICHELIN AND THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE OF MUGELLO “This is a very busy period for Michelin, with seven MotoGP races over ten weekends and also the Le Mans 24 hour car race,” says Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “Manufacturing processes and logistics become very important at this time, from mid-May to mid-July everyone’s on the go, our production plant is working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “At Mugello the front tire is extra important, so it should be good for our new 16-inch front that allows our riders to be very aggressive into the turns. We are confident the tire will work well at Mugello because there are a lot of downhill corner entries where riders need confidence and grip to attack the turns. We designed this tire to deliver confidence and grip by maintaining the same contact patch all the way to maximum lean, so even when a rider is being very aggressive, going into corners very late on the brakes, the contact patch stays the same, so he is more confident because he always knows what he’s dealing with. “The other advantage of the 16 is that it allows faster changes of direction, which is very important at Mugello because there are a lot of high-speed direction changes. The 16 is five percent lighter than the 16.5 when it’s on the rim, so there’s less inertia which makes the bike more nimble. “Mugello is also quite demanding on the rear tire. There are a lot of corners, so riders spend a lot of time on the edge of the tires. Corner speed is very important at this track. Riders need good edge grip and stability on the edge to maintain high corner speeds, and the more stability they have through corners, the better they can prepare the exit to get maximum speed out of the corners. “The track’s undulating nature means extra stress for the tires. The front gets a lot of load into the downhill corners, like Materassi, Casanova, Savelli, Scarperia, Correntaio and the final turn, so we use hard fronts for this track, similar to what we use at Shanghai. Mugello and Shanghai are very different but they both stress the front ? at Shanghai it’s the long periods of very heavy braking, at Mugello it’s the downhill corner entries, with so much load on the side of the tires. “There are also a few uphill corner exits, like the first turn, Arrabbiata 1 and Arrabbiata 2, which put extra load on the rear, especially because the positive camber gives the riders more confidence and grip, so they can open the throttle harder. We use medium rears at Mugello, and we are still working on the new rear casings we introduced in China, so the data we got from Shanghai and from Le Mans will be very important for Mugello. “So far this year our riders have had a very good front/rear balance and that’s particularly important at Mugello because the uphill and downhill sections make mass transfer very important, the difference in front/rear transfers is much bigger than at most tracks.” MICHELIN IN ITALY Michelin employs about 5500 people in Italy and has been present in the country since the turn of the last century. Michelin’s first Italian production facility, the Torino Dora in Turin, began producing tires in 1907 and was the first plants to manufacture tires for scooters after WW2. Motorcycles have always been popular in the country, 750cc and 1000cc naked bikes currently selling very well. MUGELLO DATA Lap record: Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:50.195, 171.351km/h-106.473mph (2006) Pole position 2006: Sete Gibernau (Ducati Marlboro Team) 1:48.969 Recent winners of the Italian GP 2006 Valentino Rossi (Camel Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 42:39.610 2005 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 42:42.994 2004 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 12:06.803 (race shortened due to rain) 2003 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), 43:28.008 2002 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), 43:40.837 2001 Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500-Michelin), 49:26.006 (wet race) 2000 Loris Capirossi (Emerson Honda Pons NSR500-Michelin), 44:04.200 1999 Alex Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 44:05.522 1998 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 43:55.307 1997 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 44:06.442 1996 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 44:04.252 Michelin’s 2007 MotoGP riders Carlos Checa (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin) Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda RC212V-Michelin) Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC212V-Michelin) Kenny Roberts Junior (Team Roberts KR212V-Michelin) Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) Three questions to Jean-Philippe Weber What can you tell us about the start of the 2007 MotoGP season? Quite frankly, the results so far aren’t up to our expectations. The last race at Le Mans is the best example. We chose relatively hard compounds for the wet part of the French Grand Prix which didn’t pay off. To be quite clear, we gambled with our partners that the rain would gradually stop. We opted for a hard compound rain tire for the majority of our riders. It turned out that the rain increased drastically, so Valentino (Rossi) was unable to fight with his opponents. However, Dani (Pedrosa) chose a softer tire that proved more competitive in the closing stages of the race, so he was able to climb back to fourth position. Given our initial hypothesis and the change of weather, we now know that our riders could have raced with at least one notch softer compound. However, this disappointment shouldn’t hide all the good work we have done since the beginning of the season, notably with the new 16-inch front, which gets praise from all our riders. We will pursue our development to increase rear tire performance. The early stages of this season have also shown a redistribution of roles amongst the premier class role-players. Is it possible to say that Michelin has been destabilized? Not destabilized, but things have changed. For sure the 800cc hierarchy is totally different today compared to the 990cc era. From a machine performance point of view, one can say that the Japanese manufacturers are all on a similar level after the first five races. At the moment only Ducati seems to have a distinct advantage. Also, the seven riders equipped by Michelin haven’t been spared by race turmoil. The Turkish Grand Prix is the best example. We had the three fastest qualifying times at Istanbul but the first lap collision seriously hurt us, taking out Dani and Colin (Edwards). One can say that so far circumstances have not been favorable to us. However, our global performance is quite competitive. You need only look at Valentino’s performances, especially in Qatar or China. Despite his top-speed deficit he kept contact with Casey Stoner’s Ducati at Shanghai and did everything he could to put pressure on Casey. At Jerez we achieved a hat trick both in practice and in the race. At Le Mans we had three riders in the first four on the starting grid, including Colin on pole position. How do you approach the rest of the season? With a calm and focused attitude. There are still 13 Grands Prix to go. Our goal at Michelin is clear: we must concentrate on our mission to give each of our riders the best possible product. This championship is extremely competitive in every way ? for the riders, for the bike manufacturers and for the tire manufacturers ? which in my opinion shows the excellence of MotoGP. In racing as elsewhere, hard work always pays off? More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ITALIAN CLASSIC BECKONS FIAT YAMAHA TEAM HOME The sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship welcomes the Fiat Yamaha Team to their ‘home’ circuit of Mugello this weekend and the mouth-watering prospect of another classic race at the legendary venue. Already one of the most eagerly anticipated dates on the calendar, this year’s visit to Tuscany has the extra spice of an Italian manufacturer leading the World Championship whilst the homecoming of Valentino Rossi to his adoring fans always guarantees an electric atmosphere and a performance to match from the mercurial 28-year-old. Rossi has satiated the partisan local crowd’s appetite for entertainment and end-product for the past five seasons, putting together a run of victories previously unsurpassed by any one rider at their local track. ‘The Doctor’ has not been beaten on Italian soil since 2001, when he crashed out in a wet race, and his past three victories for Yamaha are unequalled in measures of brilliance and bravery. Mike Hailwood, who won the Isle of Man TT for five consecutive seasons in the 1960s, is the only rider in history to have held such a firm stronghold over his home Grand Prix. Colin Edwards’ record at Mugello is somewhat less spectacular but the Texan has every reason to look forward to this weekend. After qualifying on the front row of the grid at four of the first five races Edwards has been denied a mammoth points haul merely through sheer bad luck – the latest chapter in a catalogue of misfortune coming in France, where the heavens opened as the grid formed on an otherwise dry circuit and denied him the chance to shoot for victory from pole position. A continuation of his excellent practice form and another top performance in qualifying should finally bear fruit this Sunday. The Mugello circuit is one of the fastest on the calendar, with the front straight almost certain to entice the new 800cc machines towards their highest top speed of the year. Measuring 1,141m, it is 61m shorter than the back straight of Shanghai, the longest in the championship, but the faster final turn and longer entry into the straight means the riders can get on the gas early, shift up through the gears and still have time to get the throttle wide open in sixth, potentially edging past the 337.5km/h set by Casey Stoner in China. Mugello differs from other fast circuits in its frequent changes of gradient and the speed of its chicanes. There is a mix of slower and high-speed corners, although even the slowest corners are wide, allowing several ‘ideal’ lines and putting the emphasis on rider skill as well as chassis set-up precision. Valentino Rossi “SOMETHING INCREDIBLE” As well as his five MotoGP victories at Mugello, Valentino Rossi also won the 125cc race there in 1997 and the 250cc race in 1999 – making him easily the most successful rider at the circuit across all classes of Grand Prix racing. It promises to be another special weekend for the Italian and he is optimistic that his chances won’t be spoiled, as they were in France, by the rain. “We hoped that Le Mans would be a place where we might have been able to win back some points on Stoner, but unfortunately the weather played against us,” says Rossi, who trails the Australian by 21 points in the current rider standings. “We stayed in France for two days of testing and we made a lot of progress, especially with the tyres. We also tried some new engine modifications, just small details, which we think will help us in Mugello. “As everyone knows I have a very special relationship with Mugello. I have won there many times, including the last three years with Yamaha, and I’ve had some of the greatest races of my life there. Even though I will have a second home race this year at Misano, Mugello is something incredible and the fans and atmosphere there are always unbelievable. It’s a fantastic track but of course the straight is very long and we know we’re going to have a very hard battle on our hands. At least we can rely on the weather… I hope!” Colin Edwards “CRAZY IN A GOOD WAY!” In stark contrast to the fortunes of Valentino Rossi at Mugello, for Colin Edwards it is one of his least successful circuits – with a best ever result of ninth place in both 2003 and 2005. However, Edwards’ pace aboard the YZR-M1 at every kind of circuit so far this season gives him plenty of reason to think that he can end that barren run this Sunday. “Mugello hasn’t been one of my best GP tracks and I’ve never had a really great race there, but we’re aiming to turn that around this time,” affirms Edwards. “Le Mans was a massive disappointment for everyone, especially after getting pole, but it was good to get back to work straight away and try to find out why it happened instead of sitting stewing over it for ten days. We know our bike is working brilliantly when we get everything right – qualifying is proving that at every race – but we really need to translate that to race conditions and to do this we need to make the most of every minute of practice. “Mugello is an incredible place and the Italian fans are completely crazy, in a good way! The countryside is beautiful and you can’t help but be inspired by the atmosphere. This is really crunch time now – six races in eight weeks with the first being Valentino’s home race and the last, in the US, being mine. Let’s hope we can kick the run off to a good start with a double podium in Mugello, finish it off in the same way at Laguna and try to do the same thing at all the ones in between too!” Davide Brivio Fiat Yamaha Team Director “AN INTERESTING SCENARIO” Fiat Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is eagerly anticipating a battle royale this weekend as his riders prepare to tackle Ducati at their home circuit. The Italian factory have won three of the first five races so far this season and are sure to make life difficult for Rossi and Edwards at Mugello. Brivio, however, is confident that the overall performance of the YZR-M1 will give his riders every chance of success. “Of course Mugello is a very important race for us – firstly because it is in Italy and secondly because it comes at a key part of the season, at the start of six races in eight weeks,” says Brivio. “Valentino has a great record there and at Yamaha we have been able to win with him for the past three seasons but this year it will be very difficult. We’re working hard to improve the package available to both our riders and we’ll see if that pays off here. I think we will be competitive but in racing you never know. “For Colin the challenge is to convert his obvious potential in practice into a top result in the race. We know Mugello is not his favourite track but we’ve worked hard in recent weeks to give him a package he is happy with everywhere so hopefully that proves to be the case once free practice starts on Friday morning. It is an exciting weekend for the team and especially for Valentino because it is in Italy but it is also the home of Ducati and they will be very motivated, I’m sure. It’s a very interesting scenario.” Valentino Rossi : Information Age: 28 Lives: London, UK Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 GP victories: 85 (59 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 179 (119 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 48 World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP) Colin Edwards: Information Age: 33 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Yamaha YZR-M1 First GP: Japón, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 71 x MotoGP World Championships: 2 World Superbike Mugello: Lap Record M. Biaggi (Honda) 2005, 1’50.117 Mugello: Best Lap S. Gibernau (Ducati) 2006, 1’48.969 Grand Prix Results: Mugello 2006 1. V. Rossi (Yamaha) 42’39.610 2. L. Capirossi (Ducati) +0.575 3. N. Hayden (Honda) +0.735 12. C. Edwards (USA) Yamaha +30.678

THUNDERDUC RACING LAUNCHES – NEW TEAM WITH RETRO STYLE Douglassville, PA With the rapidly approaching CCS/ASRA weekend at Summit Point West Virginia, Pennsylvania road racer Chris Gorel brings ThunderDuc Racing to the holiday party. The ThunderDuc started as a 2006 Ducati Sport Classic off the showroom floor of Martin Motorsports, Chris Gorel’s 8 year and growing employer. When Ducati NA offering 50 limited race kits for the Sport Classic this past February, Chris abandoned the Suzuki GSXR camp as he headed into his first expert season and took on the project of building a bike most would never consider race ready by any stretch. Rebuilding the bike from scratch through the key help from inside and outside the industry was essential as the machine had to be ready for testing quickly to make an impact on the season. After successful testing the ThunderDuc will be ready for the Lightweight and Thunderbike grids this Memorial Day weekend in all it’s retro-style race livery. For those familiar with the Ducati Paul Smart limited editions, this Sport Classic racer will be an eye-catcher for sure. Chris has been feverishly preparing and documenting the buildup and will be making the fun reachable to all at his fans and followers through the team’s newly launched website www.ThunderDuc.com opening this weekend. “To do what other’s say is impossible” is the team’s motto and their prime motivation to keep the machine and it’s essence vintage yet competitive. Capitalizing on modern aftermarket parts and accessories is something Chris is well versed at for those familiar with his previous projects. ThunderDuc Racing will be making select races for the remainder of the 2007 season with WERA and CCS, as well as eastern trackday events with sponsor Shadow Video Production’s.