SECOND ROW FOR MUGGERIDGE IN AUSTRALIA Karl Muggeridge will start tomorrow’s second round races of the 2005 World Superbike championship from the second row of the grid after setting the sixth fastest time in his first ever Superpole event this afternoon. Superpole allows one flying lap to the 16 fastest riders from qualifying to establish final grid positions. With Japanese rider, Yukio Kagayama, setting the fastest time, Muggeridge’s Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Chris Vermeulen, was ninth fastest and will start the two 22-lap races at the 4.4km Phillip Island circuit from the front of row three. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “Superpole is always an event in itself and I was very pleased with the way Karl handled his first, after a wet session at the first round in Qatar. He managed to improve his qualifying time by 0.8s and move up to the second row. We are a little surprised by Chris’s performance after he had been running so well earlier and qualified for Superpole in fourth place. But we’ll now concentrate on tomorrow’s two races for which I believe we have solved the puzzle of setting up the bike here. We’ll confirm a couple of things in warm-up tomorrow morning and I’m confident we can be up at the front in the races. Karl Muggeridge sixth fastest, 1m33.557s “I was pretty pleased with that Superpole lap because it’s always nice to get the track to yourself with a grippy qualifier. Having said that, I’m not sure I got the most out of it and may have gone into turn one a little cautious. I just tried to be smooth all the way round and it felt nice especially knocking that much off my qualifying time. The team’s been working really hard all weekend to get the front working properly and, after yesterday’s two options, I think we’ve found a good set-up for the race. I’ve said from the start that as long as we’re making steady improvements for Sunday, the results will come. We’ve made the improvements here so we’ll just have to go for the results tomorrow. Chris Vermeulen ninth fastest, 1m34.053s “It was strange because I was really struggling for grip out there in Superpole and I went almost as fast on a race tyre during earlier practice. It felt pretty smooth all the way round but I just wasn’t able to open the throttle properly. After the times I’d been doing earlier, I was pretty confident of being able to do a low 31s lap but hey, that’s Superpole for you. I know it makes good TV but I’m not a huge fan really; you can sometimes lose a little but other times lose a lot. I’ve got a good race set-up though and I’m confident of being able to run at the front at race pace I’ll just have to get a couple of good starts from where I am. World Superbike, Phillip Island final qualifying times: 1 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 1m33.241s, 2 Steve Martin AUS (Petronas) 1:33.301, 3 Max Neukirchner GER (Honda) 1:33.375, 4 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 1:33.398, 5 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 1:33.461, 6 Karl Muggeridge AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:33.557, 7 Garry McCoy AUS (Petronas) 1:33.676, 8 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 1:33.837, 9 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:34.053, 10 James Toseland GBR (Ducati) 1:34.068. CHARPENTIER MAINTAINS TEN KATE FORM Sébastien Charpentier will start tomorrow’s World Supersport championship second round race from pole position after setting the fastest time in today’s second qualifying session. After heading the practice and qualifying time sheets all weekend, it is the Frenchman’s second consecutive pole start in the series and the Ten Kate team’s ninth. In sunny but windy conditions, Winston Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Katsuaki Fujiwara, was fifth fastest today; the first round winner and championship leader will start tomorrow’s 21-lap race at the 4.4km Phillip Island circuit in Australia from the head of the second row. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “Once again, Sébastien has dominated practice and qualifying, just like in the first round in Qatar; but I have to say it is never boring to see him there all the time! We did a long run with him this afternoon, over more than half race distance, and there were no problems. He was looking like going even faster on his last lap but it’s always difficult to switch back to doing one quick lap. Katsuaki is still looking for the perfect set-up here but I think it’s always a question of compromising, especially with today’s strong wind. But I have no doubts that he’ll be absolutely fine in race conditions tomorrow.” Sébastien Charpentier pole position, 1m35.746s “The wind is very strange here today it can be very strong on one lap and then not so strong the next. It makes it very difficult, especially the left hander in turn two and then up the back of the circuit. But I was very happy doing consistent low 37s laps over half race distance and the front was just perfect. I don’t think I’ll have the problems that we found in Qatar. I was trying to go even faster on the last lap and I was up in the first two splits but then a slower rider finished the lap for me. It’s no matter though, I’m on pole again and looking forward to tomorrow.” Katsuaki Fujiwara fifth fastest, 1m36.524s “I have been trying my best all weekend to get the bike perfect all the way round the Phillip Island circuit but in the end we’re still not getting it to turn as well as I would like in the high-speed corners. But, I have a very good race set-up and, although I will be starting directly behind Sébastien, I really want another win here and I am confident for tomorrow’s race. After the problem I had on the start line in Qatar, I have practiced my start and I hope for no problem. I want to win the race from the front this time, not the back.” Phillip Island final qualifying times: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1m35.746s, 2 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 1:35.903, 3 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 1:36.230, 4 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 1:36.436, 5 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:36.524, 6 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 1:36.819, 7 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 1:37.388, 8 Johan Stigefelt SWE (Honda) 1:37.657, 9 Jurgen vd Goorbergh NED (Ducati) 1:37.820, 10 Javier Fores ESP (Suzuki) 1:37.915. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: LACONI AND TOSELAND ON ROWS 2 AND 3 FOR DUCATI XEROX TEAM AS SUPERPOLE PACE HOTS UP LACONI IMPROVES ON TOP SPEED RECORD WITH 318 KM/H! Phillip Island (Australia), Saturday 2 April: Régis Laconi and James Toseland (Ducati Xerox Team) will start tomorrow’s Australian Round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island from rows 2 and 3 of the grid respectively as a highly-competitive Superpole qualifying session produced a few surprises. Neither the Frenchman, seventh after the two qualifying sessions, nor his British team-mate, five places lower, were able to make much of a surge up the grid in the one-lap dash despite both shaving vital tenths from their times and they ended up eighth and tenth. Both riders are confident with their race set-up however and are convinced that the two 22-lap races will see a different outcome. “I didn’t do a good lap in Superpole, it wasn’t that bad because we got under the 1m34s mark but we were missing a bit everywhere” declared Laconi. “I’m on row 2 and I absolutely have to get a good start otherwise the others will get away. We are all more or less there, no one rider has that much of an advantage. Superpole is becoming more competitive race after race, it’s only a question of tenths, but remember that’s only in qualifying, the race is another thing”. After setting the top speed record of 316 km/h yesterday, Laconi went even quicker today, ending up at 318 km/h, an extraordinary performance from the twin-cylinder Testastretta-engine Ducati 999 that was achieved with the contribution of the special fuels and lubricants developed for the Factory ’05 machine by technical partner Shell. “Yesterday we were already quick at 316 km/h and today we went even faster. If we go any quicker tomorrow, at this rate we’ll be approaching the speed of the MotoGP bikes!” added Laconi. Toseland was clearly disappointed with his row 3 starting position, but is confident that his good race set-up will enable him to be up at the front tomorrow. “I don’t know what happened there with everyone in the 33s, I thought my 34 flat in the free practice would have put me second or third and I’m tenth on the grid” he declared. “I’m not happy, I really stuck my neck out even to do a 34 flat so we’ve got a bit more work to do on the bike. It’s going to be difficult from the third row of the grid, but we’ve been very consistent on race tyres and hopefully we can get into the low 34s to be there or thereabouts, but the main problem is if the leaders get away. It’s going to be a real endurance test tomorrow, the tyres will be a problem after half distance and whoever keeps it together will bring it home. It’s going to come round to grip in the end and who’s got the best race set-up and that’s what I’ve been concentrating on all weekend”. TIMES: 1. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m33.241s; 2. Martin (Petronas) 1m33.301s; 3. Neukirchner (Honda) 1m33.375s; 4. Corser (Suzuki) 1m33.398s; 5. Pitt (Yamaha) 1m33.461s; 6. Muggeridge (Honda) 1m33.557s; 7. McCoy (Petronas) 1m33.676s; 8. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1m33.837s; 9. Vermeulen (Honda) 1m34.053s; 10. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.068s; etc. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: CLIFF HANGER AS KAGAYAMA WINS SUPERPOLE AT PHILLIP ISLAND A Close Run Thing: In warm and balmy conditions the pace in Superpole proved to be frequently faster than that set in regulation qualifying. The eventual winner of the single fast lap Superpole competition, to determine the final grid positions for the top 16 qualifiers, was Japanese rider Yukio Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra). Only fifth last away, having been fifth fastest after regular qualifying, Kagayama had to wait for the best four regulation qualifiers to set their Superpole laps before he could be declared Superpole winner. It was his first such success, for a rider in his first full season of SBK competition, and came thanks to a time of 1:33.241 over half a second faster than his best time from previous sessions. Front Row Now Fixed: The remarkable Superpole contest delivered two major surprises and two minor ones. The first small surprise was that Troy Corser, Kagayama’s team-mate, did not capitalise on his qualifying pace. Corser had proved to be fastest man after both timed sessions but was beaten into fourth place on the grid after Superpole. The second small surprise was that SBK rookie Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda) took a superb third place, delivering on his good final qualifying pace – despite his lack of SBK, Superpole and Phillip Island experience. A major surprise was the performance of the Petronas triple, in the hands of Steve Martin. The rider may be an expert in the particular discipline needed for Superpole success, but with a largely outgunned machine under him, thanks to its 900cc engine capacity, Martin transcended all to go second fastest. The second major upset was that neither of the factory Ducati Xerox machines managed to get onto the front row, and indeed both Petronas machines were ahead of the Ducati pairing of eighth placed Regis Laconi and tenth finisher, James Toseland. Second Row Quartet: Yamaha’s rider line up in Superpole was headed by Andrew Pitt, who recovered from a serious collision with his own machine, after a huge highside exiting MG corner, He finished fifth fastest and heads the second row. Karl Muggeridge was the fastest Winston Ten Kate Honda pilot, sixth, while the joy for Petronas continued thanks to Garry McCoy, the diminutive Aussie screaming his triple to a seventh place, ousting Laconi by just over 0.15 seconds. Third Rank: Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) made a couple of small but significant errors in his Superpole lap, and thus starts the two SBK races on Sunday from row three, just ahead of tenth place Superpole qualifier James Toseland. Toseland’s race tyre lap speed is comparable with most of the best riders on display, and thus two good starts for the 2004 champion should see him and his team-mate Laconi stay in contention for what should be two exceptionally close races. Giovanni Bussei had the pleasure of being top Kawasaki rider, taking his Bertocchi machine to 11th, and thus keeping Norick Abe’s Yamaha Motor France R1 in 12th place. Superpole Wrap Up: Chris Walker (Kawasaki PSG-1) leads off the fourth row of the grid, one ahead of impressive SBK rookie Gianluca Vizziello (Team Lorenzini by Leoni), the Italian pilot showing the pace that made him the runner up in the European Superstock series in 2004. Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha DFX Extreme Sterilgarda), and Mauro Sanchini (Kawasaki PSG-1), completed the Superpole contest 15th and 16th respectively. Chili Out Injured: Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda) had a painful end to his qualifying push, breaking his left collarbone for the third time in his career, ruling himself out for the Aussie race and probably the next round at Valencia. Chasing his team-mate Neukirchner, and having just passed a slower rider, he fell at the fast turn three, after clipping the inside of the kerb. Another experienced rider, Noriyuki Haga, was well out of sorts in Phillip Island, only finishing 19th on his Yamaha Motor Italia R1. Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji), still not in possession of fully competitive equipment, was 23rd fastest, one place behind Spanish Superstar Fonsi Nieto, riding an SC Ducati 999RS. Lorenzo Lanzi, Nieto’s team-mate, was a disappointed 27th of the 29 riders on show. Supersport: For the second race in succession Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda) secured pole position, forming the head of a three-rider row of Honda pilots. Team Italia Megabike runners Michel Fabrizio and Fabien Foret ran out second and third respectively, but the top Yamaha rider on display was Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany). Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda) will start Sunday’s Supersport race from the first grid position on the second row, after setting a lap time some 0.8 seconds removed from the pole man. Stephane Chambon was sixth fastest on his Gil Motorsports Honda, with the best Ducati the SC machine of Gianluca Nannelli, despite the Italian charger suffering a late session fall. Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) slotted into tenth but is not certain to start the race on Sunday, after taking a battering in a high-speed crash. Suffering from compressed vertebrae after tumbling end-over-end, Parkes will make a decision on his inclusion on Sunday morning. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Italia rider Andrew Pitt will start tomorrow’s Yamaha-sponsored Australian round of the Superbike World Championship from fifth place after an impressive performance in his first ever one-lap superpole run. The local hero had been consistently in the top five all weekend but had to survive a scare during the pre-superpole practice session. The Australian was heading the time sheets when he highsided on the exit of turn 10 and was struck by his machine. Pitt was thankfully uninjured in the incident and was able to resume the session on his second machine. Pitt went into the superpole session as the third fastest rider from regular qualifying, but despite setting his fastest time of the weekend, a 1’33.461, on his flying lap the Australian found himself slipping back to fifth despite setting his fastest lap of the weekend. Norick Abe was another Yamaha rider who impressed in his first outing in the one-lap shootout. The Japanese rider gained four places on his position after regular qualifying and will start the race from 12th place and the third row of the grid. Pitt’s team-mate Noriyuki Haga was 19th fastest in qualifying, and did make the cut for the top-16 superpole shootout after failing to find a good suspension setting during the morning qualifying session. However Haga was able to set the 14th fastest time in the untimed afternoon practice session, giving hope of an improved performance in tomorrow’s races. Lining up behind Haga in 20th and 21st places respectively are European superstock champion Lorenzo Alfonsi, making his world superbike debut with the DFX Yamaha team, and Yamaha Motor France’s Sebastien Gimbert, although all three riders are likely to move up one place as 17th qualifier Pierfrancesco Chili (Honda) will not start after breaking his collarbone. Championship leader Yuki Kagayama (Suzuki) will start tomorrow’s races from pole position after setting a superpole time of 1’33.241, narrowly pushing out local ace Steve Martin (Petronas) and young German talent Max Neukirchner (Honda). Another Australian, Troy Corser (Suzuki), rounds out the front row in fourth. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “I’d have liked to have been on the front row but I did my best lap on the superpole so I feel that I did my best. We’ve got a good set-up and I have been up the front all weekend on race tyres, so this looks good for the race. I expect a good race tomorrow with many riders fighting for the lead. I am happy with the way my bike is, so hopefully I will be one of them!” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France) “I have been feeling sick all weekend so I am quite happy with my superpole performance – it was good fun! I have a good set up and was able to do a lot of consistent lap times, so I am looking forward to the races tomorrow.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “It’s been a difficult day and I do not really know why I was riding so slowly. We have had big chatter problems here all weekend. We tried so many changes and we made some improvements in the last session, so we will need to see how it goes tomorrow.” Sebastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France) “This is my first time here with the R1 and I made a small mistake with my suspension settings today. That is why I couldn’t go fast enough to get into superpole but we made some changes in the free practice session so I am sure that we will have a much better performance in the races tomorrow.” Massimo Meregalli (Team Coordinator Yamaha Motor Italia) “We are feeling very positive about tomorrow’s races. Andrew is running very strongly on race tyres and thankfully also he was uninjured in the crash. It was also good that he but in his best laps after the crash because, although a rider will always deny it, they usually lose some feeling in these events. With Nori I believe he can do a good job for us. He is always better on race day than on qualifying and I remember him, I think it was at Brands Hatch in 2000, starting in 16th and being second at the first corner, so we know what he is capable of doing.” Yamaha Motor Germany’s world supersport riders Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes had opposing fortunes on the final day of qualifying at Phillip Island today. Curtain put his YZF-R6 on the front row, in fourth place, but Parkes was forced to sit out the afternoon session after crashing during the morning’s free practice. Curtain improved his time by almost half a second during the second qualifying session with a best of 1’35.436, but was unable to eliminate the set-up problems which is causing excessive wheelspin and tyre wear on his YZF-R6. The experienced Australian, winner of this race in 2002, and his team will make further changes to the rear suspension in a bid to improve the settings for tomorrow’s 21 lap race. Parkes crashed heavily midway through the morning session and was taken to the medical centre after being highsided from the machine. Thankfully examinations revealed no broken bones and the rider was sent back to his hotel to rest. He is expected to take part in tomorrow’s race and, if fit, his Friday time of 1’38.021 will put him 12th on the grid. Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) will start on pole position after posting a time of 1’35.746. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) “I’m really glad to be on the front row at my home race. I rode as hard as I could on that lap but we’ve still got problems with the rear suspension. We tried a few things today to solve it but unfortunately it’s still there. We’re just spinning up coming out of the corner and that’s destroying the tyre and losing us drive down the straight. We’ll make some more changes for tomorrow and if we can get some good times in the warm-up I feel confident that we can get a good result.” Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) “I’m pretty badly beaten up but I intend to race tomorrow. My back is badly bruised and I’m very stiff just now, but I will have an early night tonight and hopefully will feel better tomorrow. It’s a shame as I felt that we had made some good improvements to the bike since yesterday. At least my Friday time was good enough for the third row, so that’s not as bad as it could have been.” More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi Ducati: BAD DAY IN AUSTRALIA FOR SC’s RIDERS (Phillip Island 2005, April 2) Once more a bad day at Phillip Island for the riders of Scuderia SC Caracchi, first of all in Superbike where the 999RS Ducatis of Lorenzo Lanzi and Fonsi Nieto ended the qualifying session out for the Superspole group. Today too better situation for the Supersport class, with the 749R Ducati ridden by Gianluca Nannelli earned the seventh place in the final starting grid. Sunny day with 32°C air temperature and 40°C on the track, once more with a strong wind. Lorenzo Lanzi, only 27th at the end of qualifying session, is specially mortified for his result. “yesterday we ended the practices sure to be able to get a better result today.” – commented disappointed the rider from Cesena. “That’s a mistery, but the bike looking yesterday afternoon to be a bit better this morning was no more performing. The weather conditions were actually the same and I don’t understand what happened. We controlled all the recorded data with other teams too and we didn’t found any anomaly. I’m really discouraged and it’s not enough that during the second free practice session, without the qualifying pression, I rode better, I’m still far not only from the top group but also from the second row riders. I’m really sorry for Maurizio Perlini, my chief-engineer, and the guys which have done a big work, but we’ve been not able to carry out all this work in a good result.” A bit better today Fonsi Nieto, also if his grid position, 22nd, isn’t actually exciting. The Spanish rider, as well with several setting troubles, improved steadily his performance during all the practice sessions and now is going to have a better feeling with his 999RS. “My bike is always in the highest top speed machine’s group”. – said at the end of the practices Fonsi Nieto. “That’s a comforting thought as well I’ve always improved my laptime, also if not with the improving rate I wish. Of course to start from the sixth row isn’t a happy situation, but finally it looks that, as well with some hesitation, we started to walk along the right way.” Once more Supersport Gianluca Nannelli on his 749R recorded a positive result, which could be however better. Nannelli focused his work on the race set up, finding a good final arrangement which, together a top speed of 287,5 kph, lat to be confident for tomorrow’s race. Unfortunately a stupid crash, without consequences, in the fast corner at the end of the finish line, forced him to an early stop in the final qualifying session. Luckily any injury for Gianluca and only small damages for the bike. “I’m very sorry for this mistake, but luckily the damages have been very small.” – related his mishap Gianluca. “I was catching the front row and with fresh tyres I hazarded more as allowed and I crash. However for the race I feel quite confident. During the early part of the final session I tried a long runand I could see that my 749R has a very good output. Thanks Franco Farnè and the guy’s work we recorded once more the best top speed, on this track that I love that cound be the absolute weapon.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Yukio Kagayama took his first ever World Superbike Superpole at Phillip Island today knocking over half a second off his previous best time in the process. His Superpole lap was not the smoothest in the world, due to a few slides, but he never looked out of control as he sped round the 4.45 kilometre Australian circuit. His team mate Troy Corser had been fastest in timed qualifying but a change of track temperature and the smallest of mistakes was enough to knock him off the top spot. But his time of 1:33.398 was good enough for a front row start, alongside Steve Martin (Petronas) and Max Neukirchner (Honda). Yukio Kagayama – 1st, 1:33.241: “I am a little surprised but happy with my Superpole lap. I went half a second faster than in normal qualifying, so that was a sign that we have made good progress today. My Superpole lap was not perfect because I had some slides, but there were no moments when I thought I was in trouble. Today we tried some changes but we did not make any big steps, so I went back to the set-up from yesterday and that seemed to work ok this afternoon. “Phillip Island is a very physical track because there are many changes of direction at high-speed, so you must be strong. My aim in Superpole was to equal or beat Troy’s time and when I did that, I was happy. I expected Troy would have been a bit quicker in Superpole but he is on the front row of the grid and that is the most important thing. At the moment I am happy, but this evening I will be thinking about the race tomorrow. That is more important then Superpole.” Troy Corser – 4th, 1:33.398: “I am a little disappointed not to win Superpole, but it’s what happens tomorrow that counts. I am on the front row and that’s good enough to go for a win or two. I felt that maybe I was a little cautious at the start of my Superpole lap and that, together with a small mistake at Siberia, was enough to drop me down the order a little. “It is so easy to either gain or lose a tad round here and that affects lap times considerably. Maybe there was a little change in the mapping when the temperature dropped as well, but in the end it’s no drama because I am on the front row.” World Superbike final qualifying: 1 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:33.241, 2 Martin (Aus-Petronas) 1:33.301, 3 Neukirchner (D-Honda) 1:33.375, 4 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:33.398, 5 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 1:33.461, 6 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1:33.557, 7 McCoy (Aus Petronas) 1:33.676, 8 Laconi (I-Ducati) 1:33.837, 9 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda) 1:34.053, 10 Toseland (GB-Ducati) 1:34.068. WORLD SUPERSPORT QUALIFYING: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javi Fores improved both his physical condition and his lap time today and finished a creditable tenth fastest overall. He achieved his target of a 1:37 lap and he maintained his position as the top Suzuki rider on the grid – all this despite being unable to give 100% yesterday due to illness. Frenchman Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) dominated qualifying and took pole position with a lap of 1:35.746. Second and third quickest today were the Hondas of Michel Fabrizio and Fabien Foret, with local hero Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) fourth fastest. Javi Fores – 10th, 1:37.915: “At least I felt good enough to ride the bike today. Yesterday was a bit of a waste – except that I did begin to learn which way the track went. Phillip Island is a great track to ride and I like it a lot. It’s very demanding and you have to know exactly where you are going if you want to make good lap times. I’m happy that I improved my lap time and I’m happy that I was the top Suzuki out there. “Starting fro m the third row is not going to be easy but the first turn is a long way off so it’s not so bad. Also, there are passing places, so I hope that I can get further up the order and challenge for a top six place.” World Supersport final qualifying: 1 Charpentier (F-Honda) 1:35.746, 2 Fabrizio (I-Honda) 1:35.903, 3 Foret (F-Honda) 1:36.230, 4 Curtain (Aus-Yamaha) 1:36.436, 5 Fujiwara (J-Honda) 1:36.524, 6 Chambon (F-Honda) 1:36.819. 10 Javi Fores (E-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:37.915. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: FRONT ROW FOR TROY A change in conditions and the smallest of problems in one corner were enough to deprive Troy of a Superpole win in front of his home fans. But although Troy was disappointed not to take Superpole, his lap was good enough for a spot on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s pair of 22-lap races. Troy had led normal timed qualifying, but in the end it was his team mate Yukio Kagayama to steal the glory in the sixteen rider Superpole shoot-out. Second was Steve Martin (Petronas), with Max Neukirchner (Honda) a surprising third quickest. TROY – 4th, 1:33.398 Of course I am a little disappointed today – not to win Superpole – but what happens in tomorrow’s 22-lap races is far more important. At this track it is so easy to lose a tad – or sometimes gain a tad – and that affects the whole lap and the lap time. I’m not at all bothered because I am on the front row and that’s all that matters really. Maybe I was a little cautious at the beginning of my Superpole lap and that, together with the fact that the bike didn’t seem to quite hook up as I expected at Siberia, was probably enough to lose a little time. It’s also possible that the drop in temperature changed the bike’s mapping a little, but we will not find that out for sure until we look at the telemetry this evening. There’s gonna be two long, hard races here tomorrow and I am confident that I can win at least one race. I don’t think any rider is going to break away from the rest. It’s going to be a real fight to the flag and I’m ready for that. More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing: Martin second on Phillip Island grid Steve Martin will start tomorrow’s second round races in the Superbike World Championship from second on the grid at his home circuit of Phillip Island, Australia. And Garry McCoy’s seventh-placed qualifying performance on the PETRONAS FP1 made it an exceptional day for the Foggy PETRONAS Racing team. Steve finished an agonising six hundredths of a second behind Yukio Kagayama on pole by slicing another half a second off his previous best time in a thrilling Superpole lap. Garry also took a huge 0.7 second chunk out of his fastest time after recording a series of impressively consistent times on race tyres during the preceding free practice session. And, despite a changeable weather forecast, both riders are now relishing the prospect of tomorrow’s race action in front of a partisan crowd. Steve said: “When I went out I thought it was possible too finish that high, but maybe not with that time! But it’s still frustrating to be just six hundredths off pole. The boys saying that I was sliding around but it felt fine to me! And I had a bit of pressure on me because Garry had just done a good lap and I thought `That’s going to be hard to beat.’ I have got a pretty good set-up for the race and I think it’s going to be exciting. If I can get away with the front guys then I think I can be on that pace. But the first aim is to finish both races, and it would be great if we could finish on the podium. The team is working excellently and PETRONAS are bringing the bike on really well – and we have more to come soon.” Garry said: “I’m never totally happy unless I am first but I was happy with my Superpole time, which was seven tenths faster than I had gone earlier. I did quite a few laps in free practice on a new soft rear tyre and I was doing pretty consistent times – so I’m ready to race! I wasn’t really pushing over the limit and I felt comfortable doing those times. I’m not sure how many laps the guys in front of me had done on their tyres but I felt I could pass them quite easily. The improvement came from just a little click adjustment here and there at the front and rear. I haven’t used this set-up in the wet so we really want it to stay dry for tomorrow. Whatever the weather, I think it’s going to be a packed out race.” Superpole results, Superbike World Championship round two, Australia: 1 Kagayama 1:33.241; 2 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +0.060; 3 Neukirchner +0.143; 4 Corser +0.157; 5 Pitt +0.220; 6 Muggeridge +0.316; 7 McCoy (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) +0.435; 8 Laconi +0.596; 9 Vermeulen +0.812; 10 Toseland +0.827; 11 Bussei +1.262; 12 Abe +1.501; 13 Walker +1.562; 14 Vizziello +1.698; 15 Cardoso +1.762; 16 Sanchini +1.891 Saturday morning qualifying times: 1 Corser (Alstare Suzuki) 1:34.793 (1:33.191); 2 Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda) 1:33.632; 3 Pitt (Yamaha Italia) 1:33.677; 4 Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:33.781; 5 Kagayama (Alstare Suzuki) 1:34.762 (1:33.787); 6 Martin (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:33.836; 7 Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1:34.291 (1:34.084); 8 McCoy (Foggy PETRONAS Racing) 1:34.304; 9 Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:35.125 (1:34.364); 10 Vizziello (Italia Lorenzini) 1:34.396 Saturday free practice times: 1 Corser 1:33.169; 2 Pitt 1:34.108; 3 Kagayama 1:34.183; 4 Muggeridge 1:34.424; 5 Toseland 1:34.602; 6 Neukirchner 1:34.609; 7 Vermeulen 1:34.710; 8 Laconi 1:34.872; 9 Cardoso 1:34.973; 10 Abe 1:35.035; 11 McCoy 1:35.208; 12 Martin 1:35.259

World Superbike Superpole Results: 1. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:33.241 2. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:33.301 3. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:33.375 4. Troy CORSER, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:33.398 5. Andrew PITT, Yam YZF-R1, 1:33.461 6. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:33.557 7. Garry MCCOY, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:33.676 8. Regis LACONI, Duc 999F05, 1:33.837 9. Chris VERMEULEN, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:34.053 10. James TOSELAND, Duc 999F05, 1:34.068 11. Giovanni BUSSEI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:34.503 12. Norick ABE, Yam YZF-R1, 1:34.742 13. Chris WALKER, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:34.803 14. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Yam YZF-R1, 1:34.939 15. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Yam YZF-R1, 1:35.003 16. Mauro SANCHINI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:35.132

World Supersport Final Qualifying Results: 1. Sebastien CHARPENTIER, Hon CBR600RR, 1:35.746 2. Michel FABRIZIO, Hon CBR600RR, 1:35.903 3. Fabien FORET, Hon CBR600RR, 1:36.230 4. Kevin CURTAIN, Yam YZF-R6, 1:36.436 5. Katsuawki FUJIWARA, Hon CBR600RR, 1:36.524 6. Stephane CHAMBON, Hon CBR600RR, 1:36.819 7. Gianluca NANNELLI, Duc 749R, 1:37.388 8. Johan STIGEFELT, Hon CBR600RR, 1:37.657 9. Jurgen VD GOORBERGH, Duc 749R, 1:37.820 10. Javi FORES, Suz GSX-R600, 1:37.915 11. Christopher COGAN, Suz GSX-R600, 1:37.916 12. Broc PARKES, Yam YZF-R6, 1:38.021 13. Alessandro ANTONELLO, Kaw ZX-6RR, 1:38.810 14. Tatu LAUSLEHTO, Hon CBR600RR, 1:39.252 15. David GARCIA, Kaw ZX-6RR, 1:39.378

Saturday’s World Superbike Qualifying Results: 1. Max NEUKIRCHNER, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:33.632 2. Andrew PITT, Yam YZF-R1, 1:33.677 3. Chris VERMEULEN, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:33.781 4. Steve MARTIN, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:33.836 5. Regis LACONI, Duc 999F05, 1:34.291 6. Garry MCCOY, Foggy Petronas FP1, 1:34.304 7. Gianluca VIZZIELLO, Yam YZF-R1, 1:34.396 8. Jose Luis CARDOSO, Yam YZF-R1, 1:34.401 9. James TOSELAND, Duc 999F05, 1:34.428 10. Giovanni BUSSEI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:34.437 11. Chris WALKER, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:34.678 12. Norick ABE, Yam YZF-R1, 1:34.725 13. Yukio KAGAYAMA, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:34.762 14. Troy CORSER, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:34.793 15. Ivan CLEMENTI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:34.905 16. Noriyuki HAGA, Yam YZF-R1, 1:34.927 17. Mauro SANCHINI, Kaw ZX-10R, 1:35.001 18. Pierfrancesco CHILI, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:35.097 19. Karl MUGGERIDGE, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:35.125 20. Lorenzo ALFONSI, Yam YZF-R1, 1:35.136 21. Fonsi NIETO, Duc 999RS, 1:35.400 22. Ben BOSTROM, Hon CBR1000RR, 1:35.524 23. Alessio CORRADI, Duc 999RS, 1:35.561 24. Sebastien GIMBERT, Yam YZF-R1, 1:35.668 25. Marco BORCIANI, Yam YZF-R1, 1:35.685 26. Lorenzo LANZI, Duc 999RS, 1:36.082 27. Andrew STROUD, Suz GSX-R1000, 1:36.292 28. Lucio PEDERCINI, Duc 999RS, 1:36.317 29. Miguel PRAIA, Yam YZF-R1, 1:36.843 World Superbike Qualifying Results Heading Into Superpole: 1. CORSER, 1:33.191 2. NEUKIRCHNER, 1:33.632 3. PITT, 1:33.677 4. VERMEULEN, 1:33.781 5. KAGAYAMA, 1:33.787 6. MARTIN, 1:33.836 7. LACONI, 1:34.084 8. MCCOY, 1:34.304 9. MUGGERIDGE, 1:34.364 10. VIZZIELLO, 1:34.396 11. CARDOSO, 1:34.401 12. TOSELAND, 1:34.428 13. BUSSEI, 1:34.437 14. SANCHINI, 1:34.676 15. WALKER, 1:34.678 16. ABE, 1:34.725 17. CHILI, 1:34.775 18. CLEMENTI, 1:34.905 19. HAGA, 1:34.927 20. ALFONSI, 1:35.136 21. GIMBERT, 1:35.178 22. NIETO, 1:35.400 23. BOSTROM, 1:35.524 24. CORRADI, 1:35.561 25. PEDERCINI, 1:35.565 26. BORCIANI, 1:35.685 27. LANZI, 1:35.976 28. STROUD, 1:36.292 29. PRAIA, 1:36.843

Orange County, California District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has charged WSMC racer Ruben Munoz, Jr. with 15 felony counts involving stolen vehicles and operation of a chop shop. Munoz is currently awaiting arraignment later this afternoon on the charges in Department 7 of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange, North Justice Center. According to a copy of the Felony Complaint obtained from the DA’s office by Roadracingworld.com, the charges against 27-year-old Munoz involve a 1991 Toyota, a 2003 KTM 125SX, a 2001 Kawasaki, a 2004 Honda, a 2005 Suzuki, a 2003 Suzuki, a 2003 Kawasaki, a 2002 Suzuki, a 2001 Suzuki and a 2005 Kawasaki. Munoz is also charged with possession of a stolen laptop computer and possession of methamphetamine. Munoz runs WSMC #714. Included in the list of bikes involved in the case is one belonging to WSMC #812, Calvin Beck, and stolen from Willow Springs Raceway about a year ago. The investigation is continuing and additional persons may be involved, according to a spokesman from the Anaheim, California Police Department. Persons with information regarding the case should contact Detective Dave Herman at (714) 765-1821. More information will be published as it becomes available.

PROGRESS IN AUSTRALIA FOR MUGGERIDGE AND VERMEULEN Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen set the fifth and sixth fastest times in this afternoon’s opening qualifying action for round two of the World Superbike championship at Phillip Island. Enjoying the support of family and friends, the two Australian riders continued to improve their lap times on the Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR Fellow Aussie, Troy Corser, grabbed provisional pole position for Sunday’s two 22-lap races around the fast and undulating 4.4km Phillip Island circuit but both team and riders are confident of further progress in tomorrow’s practice and qualifying sessions. Ronald ten Kate team manager: “I’m extremely happy with the steps forward we have made here today, even though we are a little further back on lap times than we would want to be. We have a lot of work to do on the bikes tonight but we have found the direction we need to go in to close the gap tomorrow. Every single lap at Phillip Island is important to the riders because it is such a fast and technical circuit. Unlike some other teams, we didn’t test here before the season started so Karl and Chris are having to use each lap to become familiar with its characteristics once more.” Karl Muggeridge fifth fastest, 1:34.364: “My first lap here on a superbike this morning was really funny! I came down the start-finish straight thinking: ‘When is this thing going to stop accelerating?’ It was kind of mad and makes the 600 feel like you could make a cup of tea going down the straight. The power lifts the front wheel as you go over the crest and then the wind wants to send it sideways, so it’s kind of interesting! The bike’s great but we’ve worked on two different fork settings today and I’m looking for something between the two; so we’ll aim for that tomorrow.” Chris Vermeulen sixth fastest, 1:34.405: “It’s so fast at Phillip Island and I haven’t ridden here for a year so you have to spend a while reminding yourself just how quick you can go. You think you’re at the edge and then find that there’s still more there. We came with a range of suspension settings: from Phillip Island last year, the first race at Qatar and the test at Valencia. We’re definitely going in the right direction but I didn’t really make the most of the grip from the qualifying tyre today. But I put in some consistent quick laps on a race tyre so I’m pretty happy with that.” World Superbike, Phillip Island provisional qualifying times: 1 Troy Corser AUS (Suzuki) 1:33.191, 2 Yukio Kagayama JPN (Suzuki) 1:33.787, 3 Regis Laconi FRA (Ducati) 1:34.084, 4 Andrew Pitt AUS (Yamaha) 1:34.094, 5 Karl Muggeridge AUD (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:34.364, 6 Chris Vermeulen AUS (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:34.405, 7 Garry McCoy AUS (Petronas) 1:34.491, 8 Steve Martin AUS (Petronas) 1:34.499, 9 Mauro Sanchini ITA (Kawasaki) 1:34.676, 10 Pierfrancesco Chili ITA (Honda) 1:34.775. More, from a press release issued by FGSport Group: GLORIOUS WEATHER FOR OPENING DAY OF PHILLIP ISLAND QUALIFYING Phillip Island 1st April – Round Two Begins: With temperatures nudging 30°C and a stiff breeze from the landward side, the 29 riders present at Phillip Island found the first day of track action a challenge on several levels. The leading lights from the opening Qatar round, Alstare Corona Extra Suzuki riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama, went 1-2 on the early leader board, after the usual final flurry of attempts to be the overnight leader. With Kagayama leading the series, and Corser just behind, it is currently shaping up to be another good round for the Suzuki pairing. Corser’s best lap of 1:33.191 was fully 0.596 seconds faster than his team-mate, and only the top four where within one second of the 1996 World Champion. Regis Continues Good Form: 2004 season runner up, Regis Laconi (Xerox Ducati 999F05) secured third place on day one, underlining his current form as the fastest Ducati rider around. His team-mate, James Toseland, has struggled in his bid to make a fast single lap of qualifying thus far, thus he is languishing in 15th place. He is more competitive on race tyres, rather than the qualifiers most riders adopted in the final stages. Toseland even led the times at one point of the first qualifying hour, as did Chris Walker (PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R) Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia R1) and Steve Martin (Petronas FP-1), before Corser hit the top and stayed there to the end. Aussie Home Rules: A solid entry of Australian riders gave the top of the time sheets a top-heavy local feel. Corser was the lead rider in that regard, but he is joined on the provisional front row by fourth place rider Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia). From fifth to eight, the second provisional row of qualifying is an unbroken wall of Aussie talent, with Winston Ten Kate Honda riders Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen fifth and sixth – SBK rookie Muggeridge 1.173 seconds behind Corser. An outstandingly competitive showing by the Petronas pairing of Garry McCoy and Steve Martin has them seventh and eighth after one day. Sanchini Leads Kawasaki Charge: Despite Chris Walker’s early good showings he was to be upstaged by the late run of his PSG-1 Kawasaki team-mate Mauro Sanchini, who scored ninth fastest time with a 1:34.676. Walker ended day one 14th, as the last laps witnessed many a rider make a personal best on a qualifying tyre. Experience Shows: Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda) took the last top ten time, heading off the Yamaha Motor France pairing of Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert. Although not quite up to the standard of his first Qatar qualifying sessions, Jose Luis Cardoso (Yamaha DFX Sterilgarda Extreme) was 13th, ahead of both Walker and Toseland. The last of the top 16 riders proved to be an Italian rider in an Italian squad, Giovanni Bussei (Bertocchi Kawasaki). Top Riders In Middle Places: Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda KOJI) battled against a still not 100% race ready machine to record 19th fastest time, not helped by a technical problem at one stage. Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) struggled hard to record his 20th place finish, fully 2.5 seconds behind Corser. The Scuderia Caracchi Ducati squad of Lorenzo Lanzi and Fonsi Nieto were toiling under the strain of day one pressure, recording times only good enough for 22nd and 29th respectively. Lone wildcard rider Andrew Stroud to his Suzuki to 26th place, with stand in for Alessandro Velini (Pedercini Ducati) proving to be Alessio Corradi, a rider who is still recovering from injury. Supersport: Winston Ten Kate Honda pilot Sebastien Charpentier started his Phillip Island qualifying campaign the way he left his pre-race Qatar preparation in a dominant top slot. His lap time of 1:35.999 outpaced his closest challenger, Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda) by 0.328, with the top Yamaha runner Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) almost one second off Charpentier’s best. Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda) and Qatar race winner Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda) sit fourth and fifth respectively, with Swedish rider Johan Stigefelt (Stiggy Motorsports) sixth on his Honda. On Saturday 2 April the final qualifying sessions for Superbike and Supersport take place, with Superpole on the Superbike class following on at 4pm local time. On Sunday 3rd, two 22-lap SBK rounds sandwich a 21-lap Supersport outing. More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: RECORD TOP SPEED OF 316 KM/H FOR DUCATI XEROX RIDERS AT PHILLIP ISLAND: LACONI THIRD AS TOSELAND FOCUSES ON RACE SET-UP Phillip Island (Australia), Friday 1 April: Régis Laconi turned in the third quickest time in today’s opening qualifying session for the second round of the World Superbike Championship at Phillip Island as his team-mate James Toseland concentrated on gaining a good set-up for Sunday’s two races. Both Ducati Xerox Team riders showed blistering speed on their factory 999 machines today, Laconi establishing an outright WSBK championship record of 316 km/h around the spectacular 4.4 km island track in the morning, a top speed that was equalled later in the day by Toseland. Despite running a fever throughout the day, the 29 year-old Frenchman’s time of 1:34.084 put him on the provisional front row of the grid behind the two Suzukis of Aussie Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama from Japan but a fraction in front of a clutch of five more Australian riders on their home circuit. “I am quite pleased with what we did today, we got through a lot of work” declared Laconi. “I did a lot of laps but I have no more strength left in me because I’ve had a high temperature since this morning. Nothing to worry about however because I don’t feel sick. Our 999 bikes are going really quick here but we know that in top speed we are second to no one. Still a few more things to do to get the bike the way I like it but I’m sure we’ll make further progress tomorrow. At the end I put on a qualifying tyre, just to be on the safe side because you never know what the weather will be like tomorrow. We didn’t come testing here this winter and the bike is very different from last year’s so we virtually have to start from scratch. I really love this track, I might not be Australian but let’s just pretend that I am, OK?”. Toseland was the only top rider not to fit a qualifying tyre at the end of the session and ended up fifteenth quickest, but the reigning champion was not too concerned, having preferred to focus on his set-up for Sunday’s two races. “It looks worse than it is because on race tyres we are in the top 3!” he joked. “We haven’t used a qualifier, everyone else in front of me did so I’m feeling pretty good. I just stayed out there on a race tyre and put the work in. Around here you’ve got to know what the bike is going to do underneath you, and I remember from previous years that qualifying is one thing but the last six laps are another. I’ve worked hard today, I put a lot of laps together and my consistency is really good so I am happy. Ignore the timesheet, we can put a qualifier in at any time tomorrow and beat those times. I’m feeling good, every time I cross the line, I’m pleasantly surprised with the times I’m doing”. TIMES: 1. Corser (Suzuki) 1m33.191s; 2. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1m33.787s; 3. Laconi (Ducati Xerox) 1m34.084; 4. Pitt (Yamaha) 1m34.094s; 5. Muggeridge (Honda) 1m34.364s; 6. Vermeulen (Honda) 1m34.405s; 7. McCoy (Petronas) 1m34.491s; 8. Martin (Petronas) 1m34.499s “¦ 15. Toseland (Ducati Xerox) 1m35.344s. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama grabbed first and second places in the first day of qualifying for Sunday’s World Superbike Championship second round at Phillip Island, Australia. Corser was in superb form and blitzed his way round the 4.45 km circuit with a time of 1:33.19, almost six-tenths-of-a-second faster than Kagayama. Third quickest was Frenchman Regis Laconi (Ducati) with Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) just behind. Current World Champion James Toseland (Ducati) had a disappointing opening day and could only manage the fifteenth quickest time. Troy Corser – 1st, 1:33.191: “I knew my quick lap would be good, but I didn’t expect it to be as fast as it was. I was sort of expecting somewhere in the mid 1:33s, but 1:33.191 came as a bit of a surprise – especially as I wasn’t really pushing very hard. We had a bit of clutch problem this morning, but that was fixed and it’s been ok ever since. The wind was a bit of a problem this morning, but in the afternoon it was more consistent. “Today, each time I went a bit quicker all the other riders seemed to improve as well. I didn’t want to go any faster today – I’ll keep that for tomorrow. The GSX-R1000 is working really well and I’m having fun riding it. The bike is good enough to win a championship, so it’s up to me and Yukio to try and do that.” Yukio Kagayama – 2nd, 1:33.787: “I’m very happy today and I want to thank all my team for giving me a good bike to work with. We still have some work to do though because I would like to improve the bike some more. At the moment I think we can improve the handling and the way it goes though the turns, so tomorrow we will make some small suspension adjustments and see if we can make it better. “I had some problems with the wind this morning, but it was not so much of a problem in the afternoon and that was when I think we all improved our lap times. Troy-san knows his way round here very well but I aim to chase him all the way round to the flag on race day.” Friday World Superbike Qualifying: 1 Troy Corser (Aus-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:33.191, 2 Yukio Kagayama (J-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:33.787, 3 Laconi (F-Ducati) 1:34.084, 4 Pitt (Aus-Yamaha) 1:34.094, 5 Muggeridge (Aus-Honda) 1:34.364, 6 Vermeulen (Aus-Honda) 1:34.405, 7 McCoy (Aus-Petronas FP1) 1:34.491, 8 Martin (Aus-Petronas FP1) 1:34.499, 9 Sanchini (I-Kawasaki) 1:34.676, 10 Chili (I-Honda) 1:34.775. WORLD SUPERSPORT QUALIFYING: Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Javi Fores struggled with sickness today and could only manage the12th fastest time in first qualifying. The Spanish rider decided to get on his GSX-R600 so that he could start to learn his way round the challenging circuit, but in the afternoon, he was so unwell he was physically sick in his helmet. Frenchman Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) topped the standings with a time of 1:35.999, three tenths of a second ahead of Michel Fabrizio (Honda). Third fastest was Aussie Kevin Curtain (Yamaha), with Fabien Foret (Honda) fourth. Javi Fores – 12th, 1:38.922: “I felt rough this morning and really didn’t feel much better later in the day. Phillip Island is a very hard track when you are 100%, so I found it very tough out there today. I suppose that 12th today is not so bad for my first time here, but realistically I must make a big improvement tomorrow. My first target will be a 1:37 lap and we will see how we will go from there. I hope I feel better tomorrow so I can attack this track much harder. It is a great track, so I really want to ride it well.” Friday World Supersport Qualifying: 1 Charpentier (F-Honda) 1:35.999, 2 Fabrizio (I-Honda) 1:36.327, 3 Curtain (Aus-Y amaha) 1:36.932, 4 Foret (F-Honda) 1:37.075, 5 Fujiwara (J-Honda) 1:37.177, 6 Stigefelt (S-Honda) 1:37.912. 12 Javi Fores (E-Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra) 1:38.922. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Local hero Andrew Pitt gave his home fans something to cheer today, placing his Yamaha Motor Italia YZF-R1 fourth in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s round two of the Superbike World Championship at the Phillip Island circuit. The 29-year-old from New South Wales, fifth in the championship after the first round, started the session using settings gained during January’s three-day test at the Australian venue. Warm and sunny conditions, combined with a strong tailwind down the long main straight, led to fast times and high top speeds in the opening session, allowing Pitt to post a number of consistent laps in the 1’36 bracket while working his way methodically through a number of set-up changes to improve the set-up of his R1. Pitt fitted qualifying tyres in the closing stages of the session to post a best of 1’34.094, less than a second behind provisional polesitter Troy Corser (Suzuki). Yamaha Motor France’s Norick Abe found himself as high as second on the timesheets, before a late charge by his rivals saw him shuffled back down to 11th at the end of the session. The hard working Japanese once again racked up more mileage than his rivals, completing 24 laps of the 4.5km circuit with a best of 1’34.775, despite feeling the effects of a fever which left him short of energy. Abe’s team-mate Sébastien Gimbert steadily improved his pace throughout the weekend, to finish just behind, in 13th place with a best of 1’35.178. However, Pitt’s team-mate Noriyuki Haga however found himself in an uncharacteristically low 20th place on the grid after suffering from chatter problems. The Japanese ace will need to improve by at least four places in tomorrow morning’s second session to qualify for the superpole session. Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia) “We got through a lot of work today, comparing the changes we’ve made with the bike to the data we got from our test here earlier in the year and eliminating a few little problems we had there. We’ve found the best front tyre to use in the race and we’ve got the rear down to a choice of two, so that’s obviously important for Sunday. Sure, I’d like to have gone a little quicker but that time should get us into superpole and we have some improvement still to make.” Norick Abe (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) “I have had a very bad fever this week so I was not feeling so good today. My time was quite good but it is normal that the other riders come out and do a fast lap on a qualifier late on. But overall my feeling is ok in the conditions. I will go to my hotel early and get some rest, so hopefully I will be able to give some more tomorrow.” Sébastien Gimbert (Yamaha Motor France IPONE) “This is our first time here with the R1 so there was no need to ride crazily today. I am happy because we have found some good settings. Tomorrow we can work on making some more improvements and going for some faster lap times.” Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Motor Italia) “Today, yes, what can I say? We have a very bad chatter problem and this means I cannot push like I want to. We are working with the Ohlins technician to look to solve the problem. We will improve things tomorrow and that will make our lap times better.” Massimo Meregalli (Team coordinator, Yamaha Motor Italia) “Andrew has done a good job here at his home circuit. I could see that he is very motivated to do well here this weekend and this is also motivating for the whole team. Hopefully we can continue to make good progress tomorrow and give him the best chance of a good result. For Noriyuki, he likes this circuit and I am sure that when he solves this problem he will be back at the front.” Round: 2 – Phillip Island Circuit: Phillip Island Circuit Length: 4448 Lap Record: 1′ 33.019 (Troy Corser, 2001) Fastest Lap Ever: 1′ 32.193 (Troy Corser, 2001) Date: 1 April 2005 Temp: 42ºC Session 1 : Pos. Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying 1 T. Corser Suzuki AUS 1′ 33.191 2 Y. Kagayama Suzuki JPN 1′ 33.787 3 R. Laconi Ducati FRA 1′ 34.084 4 A. Pitt Yamaha AUS 1′ 34.094 5 K. Muggeridge Honda AUS 1′ 34.364 6 C. Vermeulen Honda AUS 1′ 34.405 7 G. McCoy Petronas AUS 1′ 34.491 8 S. Martin Petronas AUS 1′ 34.499 9 M. Sanchini Kawasaki ITA 1′ 34.676 10 P. Chili Honda ITA 1′ 34.775 11 N. Abe Yamaha JPN 1′ 34.960 12 S. Gimbert Yamaha FRA 1′ 35.178 13 J. Cardoso Yamaha ESP 1′ 35.237 14 C. Walker Kawasaki GBR 1′ 35.282 15 J. Toseland Ducati GBR 1′ 35.344 16 G. Bussei Kawasaki ITA 1′ 35.381 20 N. Haga Yamaha JPN 1′ 35.715 21 L. Alfonsi Yamaha ITA 1′ 35.787 23 M. Borciani Yamaha ITA 1′ 36.130 24 G. Vizziello Yamaha ITA 1′ 36.556 More, from a press release issued by Scuderia SC Caracchi: On the Australian circuit of Phillip Island practices have not started at the best for Scuderia SC Caracchi riders, with a strong wind which hindered the setting operations as well lighted the temperature of a splendid end of summer day, with 32°C of the air and 42°C on the track. The 999RS Ducatis of Lorenzo Lanzi and Fonsi Nieto are, at the moment, out of the group of riders allowed to run the Superpole session. Better made the Supersport, with the 749R Ducati 749R ridden by Gianluca Nannelli in 9th position after a first free practice session spent to look for the best set up for the quick and technical Australian track. “It has been a strange day, with good moments as well with other less happy.” – has been the final comment of Gianluca Nannelli. “We made a great work with the team looking for a good set up, first of all in the rear, and I believe that we found a good result. But both during the free practice in the morning and during the afternoon qualifying the bike had a technical trouble hich forced me to stop before the session’s end. So i haven’t the possibility to earn some position in the grid. Now we are investigating to understand what happened and remove the trouble. The bike is very fast, we recorded the second quickest top speed and I feel that we could be faster and faster and earn a better starting grid position. I like this track and I’m confident to record a better lap time.” Less tranquillity in Superbike crews, where Lorenzo Lanzi suffered the same problems he got in Valencia during the last test session, increased by the stong wind which distorted the rider’s sensibility to evalue the different setting to test. Lanzi recorded so only the 22nd qualifying fastest. “The machine is always in the group of the faster bikes”. – said at the end of the practices Lorenzo Lanzi, disappointed for the final result. “The situation is quite the same as in Valencia, I have any feeling, as well during the afternoon session I increased my performance. We have also to take into consideration that we worked only with race tyres and, until the moment that everyone set the soft tyres we were in 10th – 12th position. We decided to work only with race tyres because, with only two tyrs available for the week end, we preferred to spare them for tomorrow, hoping to get a small advantage looking the other rider who used soft tyre today. Actually it’s a pity my feeling’s missing, first of all on this track that I love. With Maurizio Perlini we are working for a solution and tomorrow I’m confident to increase my position in the grid.” Really nervous Fonsi Nieto who went out in the gravel during the qualifying session, damaging the better machine and forced to stop for long time in the garage, ending early the qualifying session. “Unfortunately I went out in a corner, in the gravel.” – said Fonsi Nieto after the practices. “I didn’t crash, but something entered the engine installed on the better machine and I must join the pit. In the morning free practice, as well I rode just to set the bike, I was quite satisfied. Then I lost a lot of precious time joining the pit and setting the spare bike, so I’ve been not able to score a better result, while my main problem is just that I need to practice and practice with this bike. Now we must be totally focused in the tomorrow’s final qualifying.”

CHARPENTIER FASTEST ON THE ISLAND Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Sébastien Charpentier set the fastest time in today’s first qualifying session for Sunday’s second round World Supersport championship race at Phillip Island in Australia. His Japanese team-mate and championship leader, Katsuaki Fujiwara, was fifth fastest. In warm sunshine, Frenchman Charpentier continued his recent good form, lapping the 4.4km circuit near Melbourne in a time of 1:35.999 the only rider to break the 1:36 barrier and was 0.3s faster than his nearest challenger, Honda-mounted Michel Fabrizio. Ronald ten Kate team manager: We’re pretty happy with the way things have been going on our first day here at Phillip Island. We’ve still got some more work to do to improve the bike for both Sébastien and Katsuaki but we’re progressing in the right direction. There are a lot of areas where we can improve the bike a little bit, like gearing, suspension and geometry. Phillip Island is also very technical, very much a riders’ circuit, and I’m sure we’ll see both riders improve their times as they get more laps under their belt. Sébastien Charpentier fastest, 1:35.999 Yes, it’s all going OK and I really enjoy riding here at Phillip Island. We’ve been working on different tyre and suspension combinations today and it’s going fine. We have a few more things to try but I think we’re pretty close to deciding what tyres we want to use in the race. We’ll try to give that set-up a longer test tomorrow and try to get pole position like we had at the first round in Qatar. Katsuaki Fujiwara fifth fastest, 1:37.177 We’re trying to get the right feeling for the bike and I think we have lots of work to do tonight and tomorrow. It’s a good circuit but the wind is blowing quite hard and it pushes the bike wide when we go through the long left-hander at turn two. Apart from that we have some more time tomorrow but it is really Sunday that counts so, as long as I can start near the front, it should be OK. World Supersport, Phillip Island provisional qualifying times: 1 Sébastien Charpentier FRA (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:35.999, 2 Michel Fabrizio ITA (Honda) 1:36.327, 3 Kevin Curtain AUS (Yamaha) 1:36.932, 4 Fabien Foret FRA (Honda) 1:37.075, 5 Katsuaki Fujiwara JPN (Winston Ten Kate Honda) 1:37.177, 6 Johan Stigefelt SWE (Honda) 1:37.912, 7 Christophe Cogan FRA (Suzuki) 1:37.983, 8 Broc Parkes AUS (Yamaha) 1:38.021, 9 Gianluca Nannelli ITA (Ducati) 1:38.242, 10 Stephane Chambon FRA (Honda) 1:38.424. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Yamaha Motor Germany’s Australian duo Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes enjoyed a productive first day in preparation for their home round of the Supersport World Championship, finishing the day’s opening qualifying session in third and eighth place respectively despite not finding the ideal suspension set-up for their YZF-R6s. Sunny conditions allowed the local heroes to spend the day working on set-up of their R6s ahead of Sunday’s 21 lap race, with Curtain setting his best time of 1’36.932 midway through the session, despite not being totally happy with grip levels from the rear of his machine. Parkes also struggled to find a good setting on his R6 and finished just over a second behind his team-mate, with a 1’38.021 on his final lap pushing him up to a provisional second row spot. Fastest rider of the day was Frenchman Sebastien Charpentier (Honda) with a lap time of 1’35.999. Final qualifying to determine Sunday’s grid position takes place tomorrow afternoon at 13:45 local time. Kevin Curtain (Yamaha Motor Germany) “We’re really struggling for rear grip today and it’s quite strange as it just shouldn’t be the case with the improvement we made to the bike. Last year we struggled all year for front grip and struggled with the rear, but here it is the opposite: the front is great but the rear grip isn’t what we expected. I was following Charpentier for about a lap, until his team put out the board to say I was following and he let me past. I could keep up with him until the exits of turn 11 and turn 12, where I was just sliding. That’s a big problem here because if you can’t get good drive out of the last corner you’re going to get hosed down the straight. That shouldn’t be the case on a new tyre so we’re going to have to have a long think about it now to try and find a solution for tomorrow.” Broc Parkes (Yamaha Motor Germany) “Not the best qualifying I’ve had. We’ve not quite had the set-up today and it’s a bit of a surprise after the improvements we made at the last test in Valencia. I was actually faster when we tested here in January so I know that I can go faster tomorrow – I have to, because the front few guys were really on it today.”

Familiar territory for FPR at Phillip Island Foggy PETRONAS Racing riders Garry McCoy and Steve Martin intend to capitalise on their familiarity with the Phillip Island circuit when Superbike World Championship action resumes in Australia this weekend. The Aussie pair, who were involved in a head-to-head battle for the second race win last year before a blown engine ended Steve’s challenge and opened the door for Garry’s first World Superbike victory, made significant progress on the PETRONAS FP1 during a two-day test at their home circuit last weekend. The riders were also able to carry out further valuable set-up at a test in Spain earlier in the month and, with further engine developments imminent, are confident of working their way up through a competitive championship field. Team owner Carl Fogarty, who is returning to the circuit where he suffered his career-ending crash in 2000 for the first time, said: “I am definitely hoping for better results than those we had at Qatar – and I think we will be able to achieve that. Steve and Garry have now had more time on the bike and tested here just last weekend, so top ten finishes are now realistic targets. We already know how tough the competition is going to be this season but we are confident that we are moving in the right direction.” Steve, who was on pole position last year, said: “I am really excited about this weekend. I hope we can keep the ball rolling after the test we had here as I am very happy with the direction in which we are going. This is my home track but there are a lot of Aussies out there and a lot of the other guys have tested here, so I am not sure there will be that much home advantage. It’s a fantastic circuit to ride and will suit our bike better than Qatar, as there are not so many stop-start corners. If we can get a good start anything can happen and, while I am hoping for a dream result, a top six finish would be an achievement.” Garry said: “Our test last weekend went pretty well and we were able to sort a few things out. It was important to get quite a few laps under my belt and get the bike more comfortable for my riding style. While I am still not 100 per cent comfortable, I am happy with the way things are going. The team is still working on the development of the bike and I am sure there is still a lot more to come.” Circuit information: Phillip Island, Australia Best lap: Troy Corser, 1:32.193 (Superpole, 1999) Lap record: Troy Corser 1:33.019 (1999) Best lap on PETRONAS FP1: Steve Martin 1:34.27 (2005 test) Pole position: Left Circuit length: 4.445km Corners: 7 left, 5 right Corner radius: 20m maximum, 23m minimum Maximum slope: 57m uphill