World Superbike Race Two Results From Brno: 1. Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha YZF-R1, 20 laps 2. Troy Corser, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -3.233 seconds 3. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, -11.012 seconds 4. Norick Abe, Yamaha YZF-R1, -12.268 seconds 5. Pierfrancesco Chili, Honda CBR1000RR, -12.361 seconds 6. Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati 999RS, -13.511 seconds 7. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F05, -14.141 seconds 8. James Toseland, Ducati 999F05, -16.439 seconds 9. Karl Muggeridge, Honda CBR1000RR, -16.820 seconds 10. Chris Walker, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -19.737 seconds 11. Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -24.777 seconds 12. Fonsi Nieto, Ducati 999RS, -25.244 seconds 13. Ivan Clementi, Ducati 999RS, 26.700 seconds 14. David Checa, Yamaha YZF-R1, -28.119 seconds 15. Giovanni Bussei, Kawasaki ZX-10R, -42.082 seconds 16. Steve Martin, Foggy Petronas FP1, -43.952 seconds 17. Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha YZF-R1, -48.776 seconds 18. Ben Bostrom, Honda CBR1000RR, -54.908 seconds 19. Alessio Velini, Ducati 999RS, -56.372 seconds 20. Lorenzo Alfonsi, Yamaha YZF-R1, -56.694 seconds 21. Miguel Praia, Yamaha YZF-R1, -83.029 seconds 22. Michel Nickmans, Yamaha YZF-R1, -124.091 seconds 23. Milos Cihak, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -1 lap 24. Jiri Trcka, Ducati 999RS, -1 lap 25. Andrew Pitt, Yamaha YZF-R1, -2 laps, DNF, mechanical 26. Adam Badziak, Suzuki GSX-R1000, -8 laps, DNF, crash 27. Max Neukirchner, Honda CBR1000RR, -8 laps, DNF, mechanical 28. Jiri Mrkyvka, Ducati 999RS, -10 laps, DNF, crash 29. Jose Luis Cardoso, Yamaha YZF-R1, -15 laps, DNF, crash 30. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS, -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 31. Gianluca Vizziello, Yamaha YZF-R1, -18 laps, DNF, mechanical 32. Jiri Drazdak, Yamaha YZF-R1, -20 laps, DNF, mechanical World Superbike Championship Point Standings (After 14 of 24 races): 1. Corser, 299 points 2. Vermeulen, 205 points 3. Laconi, 187 points 4. Kagayama, 158 points 5. Toseland, 152 points 6. Haga, 122 points 7. Chili, 108 points 8. Walker, 106 points 9. Abe, 83 points 10. Pitt, 76 points 11. Muggeridge, 75 points 12. Neukirchner, 52 points 13. Lanzi, 50 points 14. Bussei, 46 points 15. Nieto, 32 points 16. Sanchini, 27 points 17. Gimbert, 26 points 18. Bostrom, 23 points 19. Clementi, 21 points 20. Checa, 16 points More, from a press release issued by Winston Ten Kate Honda: VERMEULEN MAKES AMENDS WITH CZECH PODIUM Winston Ten Kate Honda rider, Chris Vermeulen, made up for a disappointing race one result at Brno with his seventh podium of the 2005 World Superbike campaign in race two. The Australian fought back from a difficult start to take third place after 20 laps of the 5.4km circuit in the Czech Republic. The race was won by Japan’s Noriyuki Haga with series leader Troy Corser second. Vermeulen’s team-mate, Karl Muggeridge, slipped back from second place in the early laps to take ninth place at the flag. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “After our disappointing results in the first race here I’m very happy with that podium from Chris and, particularly, the way he took it. He had to come back from eleventh place after the first lap and really put his head down and seemed to get better as the race went on. We managed to get the front end of Karl’s bike working a little better than in race one but we sacrificed a serious amount of rear end grip, meaning he couldn’t hold on to his good start. We’re heading from here and going straight to the Eurospeedway at Lausitzring to do some testing where we have a lot of new things to try.” Chris Vermeulen – “I didn’t get off the line too badly but the front wheel started to lift and I had to roll off a bit. I came together with Nori (Haga) in the first turn and got a big wobble on and then found myself with a lot of fast riders who were difficult to pass. A couple of incidents cost me places that I’d worked hard to get but eventually I got into a good rhythm and put in some good laps towards the end of the race. We’d lifted the front a little between the races and that helped me to hold lines a lot better. But we also had a bit of a voltage problem and I was getting some weird signals from the dash. I’m happy with the podium though, considering this was our first time here it’s a good reward for all the team’s hard work.” Karl Muggeridge – “Well, we got the front working better after race one but suddenly found I had no grip at the rear. I could brake and run into corners with everyone in the fast group I was with but just lost out when we accelerated away. The bike was definitely better overall so it’s a little frustrating that we found another problem, which got worse as the race went on. We’re off testing at Lausitzring this week and it’s something that we really need. It was uphill a bit for us here in Brno because none of us has been here before and you could tell the teams that had. The test should put us in good shape for Brands Hatch and the races after that.” World Superbike, Brno race two results (20 laps, 108.060kms): 1 Noriyuki Haga JPN (Yamaha) 41m43.525s, 2 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) +3.233s, 3 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) +11.012, 4 Norick Abe JPN (Yamaha) +12.268, 5 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) +1.361, 6 Lorenzo Lanzi ITA (Ducati) +13.511, 7 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) +14.141, 8 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) +16.439, 9 Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) +16.820, 10 Chris Walker GBR (Kawasaki) +19.737. Championship points after seven of 12 rounds: 1 Corser 299, 2 Vermeulen 205, 3 Laconi 187, 4 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 158, 5 Toseland 152, 6 Haga 122, 7 Chili 108, 8 Walker 106, 9 Abe 83, 10 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 76, 11 Muggeridge 75. Next round: Sunday 7 August Brands Hatch, GB More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: MIXED FORTUNES FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT BRNO: DOUBLE PODIUM IN RACE 1 AND DOUBLE DISAPPOINTMENT IN RACE 2 Brno (Czech Republic), Sunday 17 July: The Ducati Xerox Team pairing of James Toseland and Régis Laconi had mixed fortunes in the Czech Round of the World Superbike Championship at Brno, where the two wins went to Troy Corser (Suzuki) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha). In race 1 both riders rode storming races to put their Ducati 999F05 machines on the podium, Toseland finishing in second place ahead of Laconi after a terrific scrap with Walker (Kawasaki). “It was a hard race, I had a problem with the clutch at the start and that spoiled my whole race, but when I was catching everyone I could see that their tyres were going off, so I had to catch them before mine did as well and so I rode really aggressively. I enjoyed the race but I’m a bit disappointed Troy won again because we just can’t afford to finish second.” “I am so happy to be on the podium because being ninth in Superpole was not so good” declared Laconi. “I pushed very hard, I chose the softer tyre at the front and the last few laps were very difficult. I tried to follow James but he was faster than me at the finish and so I settled for third, but I am happy because I took some points from Vermeulen and that’s what I need for today.” Laconi and Toseland could only manage seventh and eighth in the second appointment of the day after fading away from the leaders due to tyre problems. This race, rerun over the full 20 laps and not on aggregate, had to be restarted after a delay of 45 minutes to clean up oil on the track following an incident but in the two laps before the red flags came out, Laconi had made a blistering start to head the field and was leading from Corser and Toseland before the interruption. Toseland continued: “In the first start the tyres were unbelievably good and after all the effort we’d made I would have won that race for sure, but there’s nothing good I can say about the second race. After lap 3, the tyres were just not performing as well and there was nothing I could do. It’s a pity because with Corser’s results today it looks as if we’re not going to be able to win this championship now.” Laconi added: “I struggled a bit with the gearing over the weekend, that was my fault but we made a change and it was a lot better. After two laps I found myself in the lead and that was fantastic but on the restart after half distance the front started to slide a lot. I was trying my best just to stay on the bike, because it was so hard. I finished seventh, which means I’m disappointed for myself and Ducati because they’ve done a good job. Now I’m already thinking about the next race, I will take my fight to Brands and do much better. The only positive thing from this weekend is that I gained one point on Vermeulen!” RACE 1: 1. Corser (Suzuki); 2. Toseland (Ducati Xerox); 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox); 4. Walker (Kawasaki) ; 5. Chili (Honda) ; 6. Lanzi (Ducati SC); 7. Haga (Yamaha); 8. Vermeulen (Honda); etc. RACE 2 : 1. Haga (Yamaha) ; 2. Corser; 3. Vermeulen (Honda); 4. Abe (Yamaha); 5. Chili; 6. Lanzi; 7. Laconi; 8. Toseland; etc. POINTS (after 7 of 12 rounds): Riders – 1. Corser 299; 2. Vermeulen 205; 3. Laconi 187; 4. Kagayama 158; 5. Toseland 152; 6. Haga 122; etc. Manufacturers – 1. Suzuki 308; 2. Ducati 230; 3. Honda 221; 4. Yamaha 163; 5. Kawasaki 119; 6. Petronas 17. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: WSB : First win for R1 as Nitro Nori burns up Brno Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Date: 17 July 2005 Crowd: 31000 Temp: 30ºC Weather: Sunny Noriyuki Haga rode a sensational race two at Brno today to give Yamaha’s YZF-R1 its first victory in the Superbike World Championship, the brand’s first since officially returning to the series this season. The Japanese Yamaha Motor Italia star gave a magical display to charge through from 16th place on the grid to take a lead he would never lose on lap seven, overtaking series leader Troy Corser (Suzuki) and establishing more than a three second lead at the chequered flag. Haga’s win, Yamaha’s first in the class since the same rider won race two at Assen in September 2000 on the YZF-R7, came after a troubled weekend in qualifying that saw him starting way down the grid. However, even despite missing out on superpole the 29-year-old maintained that the settings of his R1 were ideal for race conditions. A lack of grip held him back as he raced to a still impressive seventh in the opening race, before using exactly the same set-up and tyre combination to blast to victory in the second. Yamaha Motor Italia team-mate Andrew Pitt had a troubled weekend. Struggling for front end grip he came home 10th in race one, before a clutch problem forced him out of a points scoring position in the second, which had been restarted due to an oil spill in the opening laps of the initial running. Yamaha Motor France’s Norick Abe almost made it two R1s on the podium in race two, narrowly missing out on third when passed by Chris Vermeulen (Honda) with two laps remaining. It was the Japanese rider’s best finish of his short superbike career and equaled his best result at the Czech circuit, matching his fourth place finish in the 2001 500cc Czech Grand Prix. Earlier in the day Abe finished ninth while team-mate Sebastien Gimbert, still struggling with an injured leg from a crash at Silverstone, was 19th and 17th. Despite his win, Haga remains sixth in the championship – albeit with a reduced gap to defending world champion James Toseland (Ducati) in fifth place. Abe moved up to ninth, one place ahead of Pitt. Corser continues to lead the championship with an extended advantage over second placed Vermeulen. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I am very happy for this win. I had some problem in the first laps when I touched Chris (Vermeulen) and this made my brake lever go up in the air. I had to hit it to put it back in place and this cost me some time but I was able to make some very good lap times. All season I have been asking for more engine power and I think that we will have a new engine with more power for Brands Hatch. I won twice there last year so now I am very much looking forward to going there.” Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We had the same problem in race two as we did at Misano. The clutch was slipping so I was losing drive and although I was able to make some time going into the corners the acceleration was not strong enough and eventually I had to retire. I also didn’t have enough grip from the front in either race which made for a tough weekend.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “It certainly helped that I have been here before but the main difference between race one and race two was not even the start but the fact that we put more weight on the back of the bike to improve traction and a harder front tyre. The changes almost allowed us to take a podium, but in the last five laps the performance of my front tyre went down, and I could not push it any harder. I still had a lot of spinning from the rear but we made the bike much better in race two.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “In race two my brakes were not working properly and I discovered that it was the adjuster on the left handlebar which was reducing our braking power. I stopped, adjusted it back then jammed the adjuster by hitting it, so that the brake would work. After that I was a second a lap faster.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator – Yamaha Motor Italia) “You have to ask Noriyuki about this race because I have no idea how he did it! Maybe the temperature change had something to do with it because he had the same set up on the machine from race one to race two. Obviously this is a huge morale boost for the whole team and we will go back to Italy tonight very happy and motivated for the next race.” Martial Garcia (Team Manager – Yamaha Motor France) “The secret with our bike is to manage the lap times of the bike even when the tyre is not brand new. Abe did this better in the second race and we almost got a podium. This shows our level of potential performance.” Race classification WSB Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Circuit Length: 5403 Lap Record: 2′ 3.747 (Noriyuki Haga, 2005) Race: 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 41′ 42.829 2 J. Toseland Ducati GBR +6.592 3 R. Laconi Ducati FRA +7.477 4 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +9.060 5 P. Chili Honda ITA +9.183 6 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +10.778 7 N. Haga Yamaha JPN +13.760 8 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +15.069 9 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +16.320 10 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS +19.676 11 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +21.822 12 F. Nieto Ducati ESP +24.782 13 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +25.830 14 M. Neukirchner Honda GER +27.486 15 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +31.003 16 J. Cardoso Yamaha ESP +32.625 19 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +50.526 21 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA +57.136 22 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA +57.196 23 M. Praia Yamaha POR +1′ 24.067 Race 2: 20 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 41′ 43.525 2 T. Corser Suzuki AUS +3.233 3 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS +11.012 4 N. Abe Yamaha JPN +12.268 5 P. Chili Honda ITA +12.361 6 L. Lanzi Ducati ITA +13.511 7 R. Laconi Ducati FRA +14.141 8 J. Toseland Ducati GBR +16.439 9 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS +16.820 10 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR +19.737 11 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN +24.777 12 F. Nieto Ducati ESP +25.244 13 I. Clementi Ducati ITA +26.700 14 D. Checa Yamaha ESP +28.119 15 G. Bussei Kawasaki ITA +42.082 17 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA +48.776 20 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA +56.694 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 2′ 3.747 Championship standings WSB Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Troy Corser Suzuki AUS 299 2 Chris Vermeulen Honda AUS 205 3 Regis Laconi Ducati FRA 187 4 Yukio Kagayama Suzuki JPN 158 5 James Toseland Ducati GBR 152 6 Noriyuki Haga Yamaha JPN 122 7 Pierfrancesco Chili Honda ITA 108 8 Chris Walker Kawasaki GBR 106 9 Norifumi Abe Yamaha JPN 83 10 Andrew Pitt Yamaha AUS 76 11 Karl Muggeridge Honda AUS 75 12 Max Neukirchner Honda GER 52 13 Lorenzo Lanzi Ducati ITA 50 14 Giovanni Bussei Kawasaki ITA 46 15 Fonsi Nieto Ducati ESP 32 17 Sebastien Gimbert Yamaha FRA 26 Manufacturers standings WSB Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Suzuki 308 2 Ducati 230 3 Honda 221 4 Yamaha 163 5 Kawasaki 119 6 Petronas 17 WSS : Brno woe for Yamaha Germany Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Date: 17 July 2005 Crowd: 31000 Temp: 28ºC Weather: Sunny What looked like being the Yamaha Motor Germany world supersport team’s best weekend of the season quickly turned to disaster as both Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes failed to finish today’s seventh round at Brno. Curtain led the early laps and was shaping up for a head-to-head dual for the victory with championship leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) when he crashed out uninjured on lap 15 of 18, a bitterly disappointing end to a weekend where he looked likely to overhaul the absent Katsuaki Fujiwara for second in the championship. Curtain’s retirement came just three laps after the end of Parkes’ race. The 23-year-old had been closing in on Michel Fabrizio (Honda) for the final podium position when he was forced to retire after his rear shock absorber started leaking oil on lap 12. The race was won by Charpentier with Fabrizio second and Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati) third. Charpentier’s championship lead extends to 59 points over Fujiwara, with Curtain 72 adrift in third and Parkes slipping back one place to sixth in the championship. Kevin Curtain “I felt that I was faster than Charpentier through all of the fast corners at the back of the circuit and although I’d lost the front end a few times in the laps before I went down, I had never had any problems at the corner where I crashed. The bike was absolutely perfect this weekend, we couldn’t have made it better, but in the end I pushed the front tyre too hard and paid the penalty.” Broc Parkes “I really believe that I could’ve won here this weekend. The race was going good, I was saving my tyres and catching the front guys when the oil from the shock started going on my back wheel. It’s really disappointing but I can only look ahead to the next race with a positive attitude. The lowest I was all weekend was fourth in qualifying and in the race I was sure I’d at least make the podium, so other than the result it has been a good weekend for us.” Race classification WSS Round: 7 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Circuit Length: 5403 Lap Record: 2′ 7.316 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2′ 6.283 (Sebastien Charpentier, 2005) Race: 18 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 38′ 44.765 2 M. Fabrizio Honda ITA +4.429 3 G. Nannelli Ducati ITA +5.366 4 R. Harms Honda DNK +7.973 5 X. Fores Suzuki ESP +9.589 6 C. Jones Honda GBR +9.782 7 S. Chambon Honda FRA +18.814 8 A. Corradi Ducati ITA +22.238 9 W. Daemen Honda BEL +22.409 10 B. Veneman Suzuki NED +24.494 11 J. Stigefelt Honda SWE +25.446 12 T. Lauslehto Honda FIN +25.762 13 C. Migliorati Kawasaki ITA +36.836 14 M. Lagrive Suzuki FRA +38.506 15 S. Le Grelle Honda BEL +41.909 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 S. Charpentier Honda FRA 2′ 7.316 Championship standings WSS Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Sebastien Charpentier Honda FRA 165 2 Katsuaki Fujiwara Honda JPN 106 3 Kevin Curtain Yamaha AUS 93 4 Fabien Foret Honda FRA 74 5 Michel Fabrizio Honda ITA 62 6 Broc Parkes Yamaha AUS 60 7 Gianluca Nannelli Ducati ITA 56 8 Stephane Chambon Honda FRA 55 9 Xavi Fores Suzuki ESP 47 10 Tatu Lauslehto Honda FIN 40 11 Barry Veneman Suzuki NED 33 12 Johan Stigefelt Honda SWE 27 13 Robbin Harms Honda DNK 18 14 Alessio Corradi Ducati ITA 16 15 Sebastien Le Grelle Honda BEL 15 Manufacturers standings WSS Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Honda 175 2 Yamaha 93 3 Ducati 67 4 Suzuki 58 5 Kawasaki 21 European Superstock : Gritty Sofuoglu makes stunning comeback Round: 5 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Date: 17 July 2005 Crowd: 31000 Temp: 31ºC Weather: Sunny Yamaha Motor Germany rider Kenan Sofuoglu made a heroic return from injury to finish second and keep his hopes of lifting the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup alive at Brno. Still suffering the effects of the broken left hand he sustained a month ago, the 21-year-old Turk was not confident he could complete race distance, let alone finish on the podium. Typically, the young superstock riders put on a great show for the Czech fans with Sofuoglu and fellow Yamaha riders Massimo Roccoli (Team Lorenzini by Leoni) and Belgian rider Didier van Keymeulen (Yamaha Motor Germany) pulling away from the pack at over a second a lap, leaving only Australian Craig Coxhell (Suzuki) able to maintain the pace of the R1s. Pole sitter Van Keymeulen led for most of the race but the result was decided by a frantic last two laps what saw Coxhell intelligently pick his way through to take the win, with the unfortunate Belgian shuffled back to fourth. With half of the ten rounds completed Roccoli leads the series with 90 points, ahead of Sofuoglu on 86 and Coxhell a further four behind in third. Van Keymeulen remains in contention for the title with 77 points. Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motor Germany) “Those last three laps were very hard work. I’ve not been able to train since my injury and it was not just my hand that hurt, my whole body was aching at the end. I did feel that I could pass Coxhell on the last lap, but I got involved in a fight with Roccoli and Didier which made the gap too big. But I am very happy to finish on the podium because I was not sure I could last the race distance. Now I am just four points behind Roccoli and I know that if I win the next race then I will move back into the championship lead.” Massimo Roccoli (Team Lorenzini by Leoni) “I knew that here would be difficult as Brno is a local race for Yamaha Germany. Again I slid around a lot under acceleration; this is the usual problem as I am too light for the power of the R1! I gave it my best and I wanted to win, or at least be in front of the other Yamahas, but I cannot complain because I am still leading the championship and will be ready to attack in Brands Hatch!” Didier van Keymeulen (Yamaha Motor Germany) “Having been fastest all weekend I’m disappointed to finish fourth. The other guys seemed happy to follow me for most of the race and then make their move on the last lap. In the end I got tripped up by Kenan and Roccoli and that gave Coxhell some space. But I’m not disappointed like I was in Silverstone. There I had a gap between me and the leaders but here I have proved to myself I have the speed. I won’t be changing my style or my tactics because I know that if I keep riding like this I can win races.” Race classification FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Round: 5 – Czech Republic Circuit: Brno Circuit Length: 5403 Lap Record: 2′ 6.980 (Didier Van Keymeulen, 2005) Fastest Lap Ever: 2′ 6.461 (Didier Van Keymeulen, 2005) Race: 12 Laps Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 C. Coxhell Suzuki AUS 25′ 42.576 2 K. Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR +0.649 3 M. Roccoli Yamaha ITA +0.830 4 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL +0.902 5 P. Solli Yamaha NOR +16.085 6 A. Polita Suzuki ITA +16.539 7 R. Chiarello Suzuki ITA +16.857 8 I. Dionsi Suzuki ITA +16.988 9 E. Rocamora Suzuki ESP +18.645 10 R. Cooper Honda GBR +18.709 11 W. De Angelis Yamaha ITA +18.842 12 A. Badovini MV Agusta ITA +23.157 13 A. Martinez Yamaha ESP +25.144 14 V. Iannuzzo MV Agusta ITA +25.626 15 L. Scassa Yamaha ITA +26.464 Fastest Race Lap: Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Total Time 1 D. Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 2′ 6.980 Championship standings FIM Superstock 1000 Cup Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. Points 1 Massimo Roccoli Yamaha ITA 90 2 Kenan Sofuoglu Yamaha TUR 86 3 Craig Coxhell Suzuki AUS 82 4 Didier Van Keymeulen Yamaha BEL 77 5 Riccardo Chiarello Suzuki ITA 47 6 William De Angelis Yamaha ITA 37 7 Alessandro Polita Suzuki ITA 36 8 Vittorio Iannuzzo MV Agusta ITA 30 9 Alex Martinez Yamaha ESP 28 10 Ilario Dionsi Suzuki ITA 27 11 Denis Sacchetti Kawasaki ITA 22 12 Richard Cooper Honda GBR 21 13 Fabrizio De Marco MV Agusta ITA 18 14 Luca Scassa Yamaha ITA 18 15 Enrique Rocamora Suzuki ESP 17 More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: NANNELLI THIRD AT BRNO; SUPERB PERFORMANCES ALSO FOR LANZI AND NIETO Golden day today in Brno for Scuderia SC Caracchi: Gianluca Nannelli grabbed the third position in the Supersport event while in Superbike Lorenzo Lanzi has been one of the heroes of the day with two great performances that have carried it twice to the sixth final place. Good results for Fonsi Nieto too, twice in the points to the shoulders of Kagayama that fight in both races still under the chequered flag. “I am very happy, it has been a beautiful day and the team has worked a lot and very well during all the week end.” commented Lorenzo Lanzi at the end of race-2, where he has been the best one of Ducati riders to the finish. What a pity for that stupid trouble yesterday during my Superpole lap: this morning in the warm up session I have recorded a beautiful 2′ 03″8 lap time with race tyres, to testimony that without the incredible misfortune yesterday I could be a couple of rows behind in the grid and we could have headed to a podium step. I started a little prisoner of the group in both races because people behind me were closing all the passages, first Abe in race-1 and I had difficulties to pass him because the 4 cylinders have a greater acceleration, even if in top speed Ducati is often quicker. During race-2 the problem has been repeated because in warmer conditions the 4 cylinders are favoured; today afternoon as the Xerox Ducatis as mine have been approximately a second slower and the fours not. However I am actually very happy: I have been the first of Ducati bikes in race-2, I couldn’t ask more as that.” Also Fonsi Nieto is satisfied. Despite of the fifth row in the starting grid that has forced him to untie itself in the group iin the early laps Fonsi ended to points in both races to the shoulders of one of the championship heroes like Kagayama. “During the morning’s warm up we have verified that we could ride with the best ones”. said at the end of the day Fonsi Nieto. “Unfortunately in the early laps I had too many riders that slowed down my action, even if have started rather well. At the final laps in both races I tried to pass Kagayama, but in race-1 he had a good reaction and during race-2 we found a parked rider just in the last corners, he was able to pass but hen he closed the way to me and I have had to renounce. However I am quite satisfied of this day.” Gianluca Nannelli rejoined onto the rostrum in Supersport after Monza’s event; the Florentine rider has performed a splendid race after to be remained bridled at the start in the middle of the group, finishing to a breath from the runner-up. “After some problem yesterday I did not expect to go up onto the rostrum”. has said a smiling Nannelli. “This is indeed a strange track, when it’s fresh has a good grip while when is warmer the bike is sliding everywhere. Fortunately the thunderstorm of last night has carried a bit of fresh air and today the bike went well, only slipped a bit in the rear, but we had made a good tyres selection watching most to the final laps. The engine push strongest as always and the team has made a very good job. Unfortunately at the start I remained “captive” in the group, at the holeshot I was just 11th, but I have early begun to recover. When finally after a few laps I have been able to pass Chambon and Fores, that stopped me for some lap, I am quickly arrived to be fourth, but at that moment the gap to the leaders was too large. When Curtain, under pressure, has fallen I start to see Fabrizio in front of me and has tried also to catch it, but I have only been able to approach him. I am very happy, I thank the guys who made a splendid work, this success is to share with all the team.” More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Information: CHARPENTIER AND HONDA WIN FIRST BRNO WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) secured his fifth win of the season after a tough race around the magnificent environs of Brno in the Czech Republic. The Frenchman had some stiff competition from several quarters and was not able to the repeat the immediate front running adventures which have characterised much of his 2005 season. One by one his rivals fell, retired or dropped their pace, and he took the win by a clear 4.429 seconds, setting a new lap record of 2’07.316 to go with his pole position success in qualifying. He also extended his championship lead by a further 25 points over his injured team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR), with his new total of 165 comparing favourably with Fujiwara’s 106. Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) led on lap one, but eventually dropped off Charpentier’s pace as the race wound down to its 18-lap completion, and the young Italian finished second. He was just under a second ahead of Ducati runner Gianluca Nannelli, and private Honda entrant, Robbin Harms (Stiggy Motorsports CBR600RR). Fujiwara’s temporary replacement Craig Jones (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR), a front-runner on a Honda in the British Supersport series, was sixth, only losing his chance of a podium finish in the last section of the race, when his front tyre performance dropped off. Finnish rider Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) lost grip from the rear earlier than anticipated and ended 12th, scoring four championship points. Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) was forced to retire. Charpentier had to work hard for his win, alternating the lead between himself and eventually faller Kevin Curtain (Yamaha), before leading the last eight laps effectively unchallenged. “It was a difficult race and a good battle with Kevin from the start,” said this year’s leading Supersport force. “It was not such a good race after he crashed out I prefer a fight but the result has given me a good position in the championship. With my pole position qualifying time and fastest lap of the race, it’s been a complete weekend for me. The grip went off towards the end of the race today but it’s our first visit here, so it feels good to beat the other teams that have tested here already.” Fabrizio did his championship position a great favour at Brno, going fifth on 62 points, only 12 behind his team-mate Foret. “This was a good result for us and it has also helped our championship position a lot,” said a relived Fabrizio. “It has helped me in my ambition to finish inside the top three. I tried hard to stay with the leaders but in the last five laps the performance of the front tyre went down very fast. So I closed the gas and just controlled the gap back to Nannelli for the last few laps.” Jones, in his first ride for Winston Ten Kate, was in a competitive position almost throughout the entire 18 laps of the 5.403km circuit, and felt he could even have challenged podium rider Nannelli. “Everything was fine until the last few laps when I lost grip from the front end,” said Jones, who was otherwise happy with his weekend’s work. “In the race I was pushing hard and carrying a lot more corner speed. I think it was possible to run with Nannelli, but I preferred to bring it home. The race was longer than a normal British Championship event but I had no problems with that, just the drop in front tyre grip.” Lauslehto expected at least a top ten from his Brno weekend, but the fates conspired against him from the start. He now sits on 40 points, in tenth position overall. “Like every weekend we had a hard race but the main problem was not such good grip from the rear and other riders had more,” said the Finn. “I was losing out on the exit of every corner. I expected a little bit more here but without the same grip as everyone else, I had no chance.” Foret was disappointed in particular with the mysterious end to his race, as he pitted for a new rear, thinking his tyre was deflating, before finally retiring on lap nine. He had been hit from behind by Charpentier earlier in the race, but no damage was evident to tyre or machine. “I felt that my tyre deflated and I don’t know why,” said Foret. “There was nothing to do. I had a collision early in the lap and I thought the bike was leaking oil at first, that’s why I was looking behind me all the time, so we need to find out exactly what happened.” World Superbike Round 7 of 12 VERMEULEN GIVES A PODIUM TO HONDA AFTER BRNO BATTLES Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) scored the best individual result of the Brno weekend for Honda, with a third in race two, after a bruising battle for bikes and riders. Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) had good results from bad starts, scoring fifth on two occasions as the weekend crowd of 31,000 were treated to some classic racing for the final podium places. In the first of the afternoon’s 20-lap races, held in dry and sunny conditions of 26°C ambient temperature, Troy Corser (Suzuki) scored a clear start-to-finish victory, from Ducati runners James Toseland and Regis Laconi. In the second 20-lapper, Noriyuki Haga took the win on his Yamaha, from Corser and Vermeulen. The second race was delayed by almost an hour after a competitor’s engine put oil on the track after only two laps of what was a subsequently aborted race. Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was 13th and ninth, and had to fight hard in a melee of sometimes eight riders behind the leaders. Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) had another hard raceday, after a dazzling third place Superpole qualification. Only 14th in race one, then a retiree from race two, the German rider is 12th in the championship overall. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji CBR1000RR) was 27th in qualifying, and battled all the way to finish 20th and 18th, unable to match the speed he expected to have. Vermeulen’s recovery from a first race disappointment was marked, but still came the hard way. “I didn’t get of the line too badly in race two but the front wheel started to lift and I had to roll off a bit,” said Vermeulen after his race two podium. “I came together with Nori Haga at the first turn and then I found myself in with a lot of fast riders, who were all difficult to pass. Another couple of incidents cost me places that I had to work hard to get, but I eventually got into a good rhythm, and put in some fast laps towards the end of the race. We lifted the front end a little between the races and that helped me to hold lines a lot better. I’m happy with the podium though, considering it’s our first time here. It’s a good reward for all the team’s hard work.” Chili’s charges to the front were both hampered by his qualification in 17th position, missing out on Superpole, making for two starts way behind the leading players. Carrying injuries from a practice crash, the 41-year-old rider even had time for a joke or two. “It is fun for me to make a push up from the middle of the pack,” laughed Chili after two hard races in warm conditions. “I am only a young rider so when I learn to start then the races may be different! I am very happy because after the practice I was not sure I could finish the race. Either I would crash pushing or I would have to retire. But we made modifications for the race today and they were good. My left foot has ‘gone to sleep’ but otherwise I am fine, just tired.” Muggeridge had set-up issues in each race, causing different results neither of them the top fives he had taken in Superpole. “I got the front working better after race one but I suddenly found I had no grip at the rear,” said ‘Muggas.’ “I could brake and run into corners with everyone in the fast group, but just lost out when we accelerated away. The bike was definitely better overall so it was a bit frustrating to find another problem, which got worse as the race went on.” Neukirchner was particularly disappointed not to make a better points haul in front of many of significant numbers of German fans, who had travelled over to the Czech Republic for the weekend. “I had the same problem in both races,” stated Neukirchner, “a lack of front grip only on right hand corners. The bike also went wrong in race two, I don’t know why yet. The thing that I don’t understand is that we chose the same front tyres in practice and I did 17-18 laps on one of them with no problems. In the race, after five laps, I could push no more.” Bostrom was mystified at his overall raceday performance. “I’ve been going slow all day,” he said in summation. “The bike feels horrible but is that because I’m riding poorly or because the bike is not set-up well? It’s just not possible to go that slow, I don’t care what bike you are riding.” After the relative novelty of Brno, an old WSS and SBK favourite occupies the next place on the calendar Brands Hatch. The second British-based event of the year is held at the historic and undulating Kent venue on August 7th. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Troy Corser increased his World Superbike Championship lead aboard the GSX-R1000 with a superb win in the first race at Brno in the Czech Republic today followed by runner- up spot in the second. After his success in Superpole yesterday, Corser wanted to get back to winning ways and that’s exactly what he did. And, if it had not been for a technical problem in race two, he might have left with a double victory. Corser led the first race from start to finish and ran out the winner by over six seconds. Reigning Champion James Toseland took second, ahead of his Ducati team mate Regis Laconi, with Chris Walker (Kawasaki) fourth, Frankie Chili (Honda) fifth and Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati) sixth. The second race was red-flagged after two laps – due to an oil spillage – and Corser decided to use his number two bike as he had felt that his number one bike was running a bit slow. The number two bike had only completed a handful of laps all weekend, so it was a bit of a gamble but the team had set it up almost the same as his number one bike. He led from the restart but was passed by Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) after six laps. He kept in contention, but a slight electronic problem prevented him from catching and passing the Japanese rider, so he settled for runner-up spot and 20 valuable points instead. Third went to Chris Vermeulen (Honda), ahead of Norick Abe (Yamaha), Chili and Lanzi. It was not such a good day for Troy’s team mate Yukio Kagayama. The problems with grip – especially in the rear – he had in qualifying continued despite him making big changes to the bike. In the end, he finished with a pair of 11th places. Troy Corser – Race 1, 1st, Race 2: 2nd: “I’m pretty happy with how the day worked out -especially after the problems we had in the first day and a half. Once we found a good set-up, I knew a win or two was possible. I made a good start and had clear track ahead of me and that’s what you need at Brno if you are to have a good race. Although no race is ever easy, that was one of the more comfortable races I’ve had this year and it was good to get back to winning ways. My bike’s engine felt a bit slow at the start of the second race, so I guess I was fortunate that it was red-flagged and I was able to jump on my spare for the restart. The set-up was very close – and I have to thank the team for doing such a good job – but there was a bit of an electronic problem and I feel that stopped me from catching and passing Nori. But we came here to increase our points and that’s what we did, so I’m pretty wrapped.” Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 11th, Race 2: 11th: “There’s not much to say except that all weekend I’ve had problems with grip and today was no better then the past two days. This track is very difficult if you do not have a good set-up – and I did not have a good set-up – probably because we did not have so much time on the bike to test different things. We made big changes from yesterday, but I don’t think the bike worked any better. I am disappointed of course, but I must look forward. The next race is a circuit I know and like – Brands Hatch – and I want to get on the podium in both races there for myself and all my British fans.” Race 1:1 Troy Corser (AUS-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 2 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 3 Laconi (FRA-Ducati), 4 Walker (GB-Kawasaki), 5 Chili (ITA-Honda), 6 Lanzi (ITA-Ducati), 7 Haga (JPN-Yamaha), 8 Vermeulen (AUS-Honda), 9 Abe (JPN-Yamaha), 10 Pitt (AUS-Yamaha). 11 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Race 2: 1 Haga (JPN-Yamaha), 2 Troy Corser (AUS-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 3 Vermeulen (AUS-Honda), 4 Abe (JPN-Yamaha), 5 Chili (ITA-Honda), 6 Lanzi (ITA-Ducati), 7 Laconi (FRA-Ducati), 8 Toseland (GB-Ducati), 9 Muggeridge (AUS-Honda), 10 Walker (GB-Kawasaki). 11 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). World Superbike Points: 1 Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 299, 2 Vermeulen 205, 3 Laconi 187, 4 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 158, 5 Toseland 152, 6 Haga 122, 7 Chili 108, 8 Walker 106, 9 Abe 83, 10 Pitt 76. WORLD SUPERSPORT: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javier Fores recorded his best result of the season so far with a superb fifth place at Brno today. For most of the race he was involved in a multi-rider battle and had to fight hard for his position. In the end, fifth place was a just reward for all the effort the Spaniard had put in and is a great boost to his morale before the next round at Brands Hatch. Series leader Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) once again took the spoils of victory – his fifth of the season – but this time he had to fight for it. Aussie Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) was his main challenger, but Curtain crashed out on lap 14 and from then on in, Charpentier had an easier ride. Second went to Michel Fabrizio (Honda) with Gianluca Nannelli (Ducati) third and Robert Harms (Honda) fourth. Javi Fores – 5th: “My best result this season so I am quite happy. I made a good start and then got involved in a big fight with a group of riders. That’s ok but here you need a bit of a clear track to lap really quickly and smoothly. When you are in a group, you cannot choose your own lines so easily and that means you wear out the tyres more quickly. But I’m happy for the result and hope I can build on it for the next round.” World Supersport Results:1 Charpentier (FRA-Honda), 2 Fabrizio (ITA-Honda), 3 Nannelli (ITA-Ducati), 4 Harms (DEN-Honda), 5 Javi Fores (ESP-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra), 6 Jones (GB-Honda), 7 Chambon (FRA-Honda), 8 Corradi (ITA-Ducati), 9 Daemen (BEL-Honda), 10 Veneman (NED-Suzuki). World Supersport Points: 1 Charpentier 165, 2 Fujiwara 106, 3 Curtain 93, 4 Foret 74, 5 Fabrizio 62, 6 Parkes 60, 7 Nannelli 56, 8 Chambon 55, 9 Fores (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 47, 10 Lauslehto 40. SUPERSTOCK 1000: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Riccardo Chiarello suffered grip problems at Brno today and could do no better then seventh place at the end of the 12-lap, fifth-round race. He had found a good set-up yesterday in final qualifying but today’s different temperature conditions played havoc with the settings and once again, grip was the issue. He was a solid fifth in the opening stages, but once he started losing grip, he could not hold the position and lost two places. The race was won by Craig Coxhell (Suzuki), who passed long-time leader Kenan Sofuoglu (Yamaha) on the very last lap with Massimo Roccoli (Yamaha) taking third. Riccardo Chiarello – 7th: “The grip today was very different to yesterday – maybe because of the overnight rain – and I just couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to. If I had pushed harder, I would’ve crashed for sure. I hope for better things in the next round.” Superstock 1000 Results: 1 Coxhell (AUS-Suzuki), 2 Sofuoglu (TUR-Yamaha), 3 Roccoli (ITA-Yamaha), 4 Van Keymeulen (BEL-Yamaha), 5 Solli (NOR-Yamaha), 6 Polita (ITA-Suzuki), 7 Chiarello (ITA-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Superstock Points:1 Roccoli 90, 2 Sofuoglu 86, 3 Coxhell 82, 4 Van Keymeulen 77, 5 Chiarello (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 47, 6 de Angelis 37.
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