Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Aprilia is releasing two, limited-edition 2003 models based on the Aprilia RSV1000 Mille R. The new bikes will be available through special order at Aprilia dealers and are scheduled to be delivered later this year.

---

---

The 2003 RSV 1000R Tuono Limited is basically a partially-naked Aprilia Mille R with a suggested retail price of $17,299. The bike retains the Mille R’s high end components; like the Ohlins shock and forks, Brembo four-piston Gold Line front brake calipers and the OZ forged aluminum wheels. The new Aprilia “street fighter” gets higher and wider handlebars and hand-made, carbon and carbon-Kevlar sidecovers that, together with the removal of the full bodywork, contribute to a 4.4-pound weight loss. There will only be 200 Tuono Limiteds produced worldwide, and the 50 that will be brought into the US should be available in November 2002.

---

---

---

Aprilia has also developed a RSV Mille R – Haga Replica. Meant to resemble the bike ridden by Aprilia World Superbike star Noriyuki Haga, the $18,999 limited-edition replica will get a special graphics package, Haga’s autograph engraved into the blue-anodized top triple clamp and an Akrapovic Titanium exhaust, with corresponding E-PROM computer chip. The exhaust is claimed to reduce weight by 6.6 pounds while adding 10 horsepower at 6500 rpm, producing a flatter power curve above 9000 rpm and allowing the Mille R Haga Replica to reach its torque peak 1700 rpm earlier. A full rear subframe comes standard, allowing the 300 worldwide Haga replica owners (50 in the US) to change their bike into a two-seater with a $297.95 kit from Aprilia. Orders for the Haga Replica are being accepted at Aprilia dealers now, and the bike will be delivered in July.

---

---

For more information, contact Aprilia USA at (770) 592-2261 or go to www.aprilia.com.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

At a little after 1:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon in a restaurant just behind London Bridge station the newest team in the World Superbike paddock was unleashed.

---

---

To the strains of ‘One Vision’ by Queen the spotlights dimmed and amidst the strobelights the world was given its first view of the Foggy PETRONAS Racing FP1.

The curtain rose to reveal Carl Fogarty standing arms outstretched in front of a stunning ice sculpture of the FP1, flanked by Troy Corser and James Haydon astride their actual race machines.

The bike looks sensational with a distinctively raked back black screen and waspish rear section with the triple exhaust exiting centrally under the seat. If it performs as well as it looks the team is definitely onto a winner. The turquoise and black color scheme with a red seat hump means that the bike will stand out on the track as well as the paddock.

Mr. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Azizan Zainul Abidin, the chairman of PETRONAS, took to the stage and formally launched the team and announced that PETRONAS had signed an agreement to sponsor the squad for five years. Carl Fogarty took the microphone and exclaimed how proud he was of the whole team and of the herculean effort they had all put in. He said that even up to this morning there were detractors in the press saying that the launch wouldn’t happen and the team would not meet any of the deadlines it had set. Obviously the detractors were wrong and with some testing scheduled for later this month the team says it will definitely be competing at Laguna Seca in July.

“I was walking around this morning with my race face on,” said Fogarty. “I don’t think I’ve been this nervous for a very long time. I can’t impress enough how proud I am of the whole team. The amount of work they have put in to meet the deadline has been amazing. They have been working weekends and bank holidays to ensure that we had everything ready.

“I want to say that we are going to go straight out and win, but that’s not going to happen. This year is a development year for us. We need to finish races and fine tune the bike. Next year I expect us to be right up in the points and hopefully winning races and after that the world championship.

“We’ve got two of the best riders around to ride the bike. Troy was World Champion in ’96 and was my teammate in ’99 and James is probably one of the hottest talents around at the moment.”

The FP1 was originally developed as a 998cc Triple for entry into the MotoGP series by PETRONAS and Sauber. However in late 2001 PETRONAS decided that they would contest the World Superbike series instead in conjunction with Team Foggy Racing Ltd, thereafter know as Foggy PETRONAS Racing. This change meant that a number of major changes had to be made to the machine for it to be eligible to race in 2002.

The first and most important was the reverse Inline Triple engine had to be reduced to 900cc to comply with the technical specifications for Triples in the Superbike class. This was then mated with a chassis that was designed and built in record time by the team. A state-of-the-art exhaust system was developed which features a unique three-into-one-into-two-into-three arrangement which allows the engine to make power at lower revs.

Some of the other technical changes made include:

– Changing the bore and stroke to increase drivability at the torque curve

– Increasing the size of the gears to improve life

– A redesign of the cylinder head and crankcases

– A vertical split in the headstock of the air intake

– A change of injector bodies and increase in powertrain weight to improve drivability

– An improved lubrication circuit

All of these adaptations have been made in an unprecedented short timeframe.

Haydon and Corser only saw the completed machine in its final livery this morning and both of them were delighted with the finished product.

“To see it like this, I just can’t wait to ride it. It has been an absolute nightmare watching the guys racing this year and not being able to be out there, but now we can look forward to the rest of the year,” said Haydon.

Although he broke his shoulder about five weeks ago in a go-cart accident he doesn’t feel that his injury will prevent him testing and racing the bike. “I’ve just got to be careful and make sure that the bone has healed, but I should have just enough time.”

Corser had spent about four hours this morning just sitting on his bike and he really didn’t want to get off it, but we managed to pry him away for a few words.

“Since I’ve got here I just don’t want to get off it. Everything feels right, the handlebars are in the right position and the footpegs are good. I’m looking forward to hearing the engine and seeing how it goes. All the reports are good about how the engine has run on the dyno. There haven’t been any major problems, we’ve had a few small problems but considering that they have built the engine from scratch, not bad.

“This year we probably won’t be chasing results it will be more about the set-up and development of the bike to get ready for next year. It’s not going to be easy to beat anyone out there but I feel confident that we have got the package and we’ll see how it goes.

“PETRONAS have given us a five year investment and by the end of that we want to be World Champions. I obviously hope it won’t take that long. My aim is that in 2003/2004 we will be there challenging for a race win every weekend and then the championship will come after that.”

Asked about the rule changes for next year that will allow 1000cc four-cylinder machines into the series, Troy had this to say. “I think it is a good thing, it will make the competition closer and hopefully it will bring back some of the other manufacturers.”

From a press release:

NHIS COOLER POLICIES & PARKING HOURS FOR THE LOUDON CLASSIC

(LOUDON, N.H.) — Fans attending the Loudon Classic at New Hampshire International Speedway from June 14 to June 16 are reminded that all coolers brought to the Speedway should not exceed the standard 14 inch measurement as per the usual Speedway policy. All coolers brought on Speedway property are subject to inspection.

For the convenience and comfort of all of the guests in the grandstand areas, NHIS management has set the 14 inch cooler standard to insure easy placement beneath a grandstand seat.

The Speedway will also continue the policy of not allowing glass containers in the grandstand areas.

The Speedway’s free overnight parking will open on Friday, June 14 at 7:00 am to guests possessing a VIP weekend ticket. As always, all RVs and campers must be self-contained.

For race and ticket information, please call Speedway Guest Services at (603) 783-4931.

From an e-mail:

This is some info on Competition Accessories. Thought it might be useful for other racers to be aware of if it’s not common knowledge already:

I ordered a Shoei helmet from CA on 4/6/02. I called 2 weeks later to check on status, was told it was on backorder, would ship in a week. I called back again 5/8/02, was told to call back in a week to check on status. I tried to call several times the week of 5/14/02 and could not get through. I canceled the order via their website.

5/25/02 I received a letter saying that CA was forced to turn all of their assets over to their secured lender, and they were unable to credit anything billed prior to 4/24/02. They had billed me for the helmet on 4/16/02 (I had just received my credit card statement and hadn’t opened it yet when I got their letter).

So they never had the helmet in their hands, never shipped it, but they charged my credit card and won’t refund it — so I’m out $441. I’m in New Orleans, and they’re in Ohio — if it was closer, I’d try to get a face-to-face (I doubt they sent many letter to locals, knowing they be pretty po’d and not too much fun in person).

My credit card company, and Alan Blair with RPM are trying to get the money back. But CA is still in business today and taking orders, as far as I can tell (website operational, phones hooked up, but I still haven’t gotten through during business hours).

In hindsight, I was pretty stupid to not cancel the order as soon as they said it was backordered, and locate another supplier. And I’ll be a lot more cautious in general ordering high $ items via the mail — planning to use my local mc dealer more often and pay the extra bucks/extra time. But I didn’t give CA a second thought when I was ordering the helmet, worrying that they’d rip me off — thought they were one of the biggest around.

Thanks
Bill Way


(Editorial comment: Dispute the bill with your credit card company.)

From a press release issued by HMC Ducati:

Race 2 Report: AMA Chevy Trucks Superbike Round 6

Date: June 9, 2002

Circuit: Road America, Elkhart Lake WI

HMC Ducati rider Doug Chandler finished Road America’s fast and furious second race in sixth position, latching on to the front pack from the start where he stayed until a lack of grip slowed his pace. The race was restarted after a delay with the starting light caused confusion with the riders.


The heat forced riders to concentrate on tire preservation for the early stages of the race and Chandler feels he left it a little too late to step up the pace.


“I should have tried to get by Mat (Mladin) sooner,” said Chandler. “It wasn’t until Aaron (Yates) came through that I knew it was time to really go. Once I did try to go it seemed like I didn’t have the right grip. The rear tire was really spinning and sliding, causing me to lose time coming out of the corners. Yesterday we had chatter problems but the grip wasn’t so bad. Today the bike was feeling good but we didn’t have any grip. I don’t know if we got tricked chasing the chatter problem or short changed ourselves as far as the set-up went.


The bike felt good and apart from the chatter yesterday the set-up was perfect. Early on, when the bike had more grip, I could really make time through the Carousel and places where I had a tough time yesterday, but then it seemed like the tire really started to slip and I couldn’t do anything.”



From a press release, issued by Austin/Bleu Bayou Ducati:

Picotte and Austin/Bleu Bayou Ducati Nab Dual Sevenths at Road America

Picotte Fifth in AMA Superbike Points

Austin/Bleu Bayou Ducati racer Pascal Picotte finished seventh in both Road America US Superbike rounds held this weekend in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The Canadian rider was cheered on by many of his countrymen who came south of the border to root for Pascal in beautiful weather as he took on the AMA Superbike stars. Fellow Canadian Miguel DuHamel won both races for Honda.

While he finished the same seventh place in both races, Sunday’s event was much more competitive. The Austin/Bleu Bayou team, only a Ducati squad for a mere few months, set up the 998RS to Pascal’s liking for the four mile lap at the famed Road America circuit.

“Actually, today was much better than yesterday,” Pascal said. “We didn’t improve much as far as position in the race, but we really found some things that will help us for the rest of the season. The Michelin tire we picked worked all the way to the end. The suspension worked better, and the brakes were good.”

The only problem Pascal had in the race was an intermittent electric shifter. When he turned it off and began shifting manually halfway through the race, his pace picked up dramatically and he turned his fastest laps of the weekend.

“I saw Mat Mladin in front of me and started running him down,” Pascal said. “I closed the gap on Jamie (Hacking), then passed Jamie. If I’d have figured out to turn off the electric shifter a little earlier, I might have had something for Doug (Chandler).”

Pascal thanked his team for all their hard work. “Everyone worked hard all weekend long to make the bike better and improve race set-up. I’m happy. I know we’ll be a much tougher rival for the next race at Brainerd.”


From a press release issued by American Honda:

Honda Storms Wisconsin
Weather: 25 degrees, Sunny
Crowd: 25,000

American Honda’s Miguel DuHamel won both legs of the AMA Superbike double-header at Road Atlanta in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, scoring his first career double and extending his Superbike win record. Teammate Nicky Hayden fought him valiantly on Sunday, coming up just 0.069 seconds short after a fourth place finish on Saturday. The weekend’s tally of points allowed Hayden to stretch his championship points advantage to 40 over challenger Eric Bostrom, with six rounds of the championship remaining.

DuHamel’s win on Saturday was his first in nearly two years, and his first at the Road America circuit since 1995. More importantly, it added to his career total of 24 Superbike wins, the most by far of any rider. Sunday made it 25, but it was hard fought. He and Hayden took turns leading, the power of the Honda RC-51 unmatched on one of the longest straightaways in AMA Superbike racing. The wily 35-year-old DuHamel, who considerably upped the race pace on Sunday, used a bold move on the inside of his teammate halfway into the final lap around the four-mile circuit in the woods of Wisconsin to take over the lead. Hayden, 20, counter-attacked, making a strong run to the checkered flag, only to lose out by inches.

DuHamel also had his way on Saturday, leading a four-rider pack into the final corner and powering to victory. Hayden was in his draft, but had to check up at the last minute and was forced wide. By the time he was able to get back on the power, he was down in a shadow fourth place, only 0.457 seconds behind DuHamel.

Erion Racing’s Mike Hale earned his first podium in the Formula Xtreme race, riding his Honda CR-954 to second behind race winner Jason Pridmore (Suzuki).

Bruce Transportation Group’s Jake Zemke came fourth in the Pro Honda Oils Supersport race. Zemke also made his Superbike debut, riding the Honda RC-51 of the injured Kurtis Roberts. After a tentative start on Saturday, Zemke finished a strong fifth on Saturday. Roberts is expected back for the next race, at Brainerd, Minnesota, in three weeks time.

Miguel DuHamel, Day One, First Place Nicky (Hayden), he just went really strong in the last corner on the outside of me trying to get me because he knew I was going to protect the inside and go tight, which I did. Then he just shot on the outside and the I saw on the left side of my eye, I’m like, ‘Whoa, if he turns that thing around he’s going to be coming pretty quick.’ But I think he had trouble turning it around. And there was a couple of lapped riders and I split those guys coming up to start-finish and by then with the Honda RC-51 I knew nobody was going to come by. The only guy that had the chance was pretty much Nicky and he blew it in that last corner and he made a mistake and it worked out good.

Nicky Hayden, Day One, Fourth Place
The last corner, going in there, Miguel (DuHamel) broke pretty early and I had to chuck it to the left to avoid from hitting him and by the time I was able to get on the brakes I was way too high. I tipped it in and kind of just kind of lost the drive. I was right there, but didn’t really have anything special for him. The last lap he gave me a couple of opportunities and I didn’t capitalize on them. It’s a little bit frustrating to be right there and end up fourth, especially when I had such a good shot to win.

Miguel DuHamel, Day Two, First Place
Yesterday everybody was just checking everybody out. It wasn’t all out racing. It was like, who’s got what? At least from my part. I was trying to not let anybody break away. I was a little fearful of Eric (Bostrom) and Nicky. When they get the lead they can put their head down and go, they were fastest in qualifying. Yesterday was playing like that. Today I knew it was going to be just go. We didn’t have the bike to do that yesterday.

Nicky Hayden, Day Two, Second Place
We came in there into turn five on the brakes and I got in there pretty good and Miguel got on the inside of me. I was going to go ahead and lean it in and I heard his tire, he was on the brakes real hard, you could hear it skipping across the ground and I kind of stood it up. Didn’t want to take us out. Stood it up gave him a little bit of room and thought I might try to square him up, going down into Canada Corner, whish is really the last place to pass because I didn’t think I could get him up the front straightaway. Came up on a lapper on the outside and Miguel went to the inside so there wasn’t really a whole lot of options to go.



Chuckie Is Big Cheese At Road America

Studying the AMA 250cc GP schedule before the season began, Team Stargel Aprilia felt that the high speed straightaways and flowing corners of Road America would be well suited to their Aprilia RSV250. With some flawless riding from Chuck Sorensen, this theory proved to be true.

As has been the case of every track they travel to this year, Sorensen had logged no time at Road America on the Aprilia. Thursday and Friday’s
practice sessions were vitally important as the team tried various engine and chassis combinations to make the motorcycle as effective as possible. With every practice session, the Aprilia performed better, lap times came down,
and Sorensen gained confidence. As an added incentive, longtime rival, Rich Oliver, was turning record setting lap times in Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions.

The Team Stargel Aprilia crew, performed their now customary Saturday late night R&D session in an effort to extract even more performance from their motorcycle. Their labor bore fruit Sunday morning, when Sorensen bettered his qualifying time and moved to the top of the time sheets for the first time during the week.

The race proved to be a masterful performance by Sorensen. The San Jose, California rider passed for the lead on the first lap and would never look back. Displaying machine like consistency and an iron will, Sorensen turned nothing but 2:16 lap times from lap two through lap nine. The long straights at Road America once again showcased the team’s Aprilia RSV250 as being in a class by itself.

Team Stargel Aprilia has now completed all six races entered, winning four. Their point total stands at 203, 45 points ahead of their nearest competitor. The team looks forward to the next race at Brainerd, Minnesota on June 30th.

From a press release:

Team Suzuki News Service

CATALUNYA IS STAGING POST FOR SUZUKI

MotoGP, Preview, Round Six, Catalunya GP, Montmelo – June 16, 2002

THE Catalunyan GP, the sixth race in the stunning new Suzuki GSV-R four-stroke racer’s first season, is an important staging post for the machine, the team and for Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki riders Kenny Roberts Jr. and Sete Gibernau.

As well as the team regulars, both on the track and in the pits, a full squad of Japanese race-department engineers and a blindingly fast Japanese rider – Akira Ryo – will be adding to team strength, helping to consolidate their ever-improving position.

The youngest of the new-generation Japanese MotoGP four-strokes has shown great promise and very impressive progress in the first five rounds, even though it still in the early stages of development, boosted by a superb second place in the first race.

Roberts and Gibernau stayed on for further successful tests following the last race, the Italian GP at Mugello, where they were able to try the new 2002 Michelin rear tyres for the first time after switching to the French brand after the first two rounds.

The results were highly promising. Added to the continuous stream of new components and ideas from the factory, the tests were another boost both to machine performance and team morale.

For the Catalunyan race, the second of three rounds in Spain, there will be yet another shot in the arm. As well as the latest round of technical improvements, a full squad of factory engineers and factory racer Ryo will join the team regulars at the Montmelo circuit outside Barcelona.

Among their number will be Kunio Arase, the designer of the powerful four-camshaft V4 motor. Arase’s portfolio includes the ultra-successful GSX-R1100. His latest engine – the Suzuki factory’s first high-performance V4 – proved so successful in early tests that the factory decided to release the GSV-R into competition a full year earlier than planned.

Rider Ryo is also an important addition to Suzuki’s strength. Reigning Japanese Superbike champion, Ryo claimed second place in the opening round at Suzuka, as a wild card entry, and will join Roberts and Gibernau in the same capacity for the next three GP rounds.

“Ryo is a strong racer in his own right – but he also not only has extensive test-track experience with the new four-stroke, but also has access to newer evolutions of the GSV-R,” said team manager Garry Taylor.

“With Ryo on the track and Mr. Arase in the pits, this will be a valuable chance to cross-reference between the GP team and the factory engineers. Obviously we work in close contact all the time, but the programme is moving rapidly ahead, and there’s nothing like face-to-face contact,” said Taylor.

Meantime, the tyre tests at Mugello had been very positive, continued Taylor. “Both riders had the chance to try the latest rear Michelin tyres for the first time, and both said they can see what everyone else is raving about.

“The tyres minimised some problems we’ve been having with development parts, and were very consistent in endurance tests. We’re looking forward to the time when we will be able to use the full Michelin range for races,” he said.

The team switched tyre brands after two races, but because of the late decision have so far used only 2001 tyres, while the French company increases production to meet the new demand.

Roberts won the wet Catalunyan GP in 2000, but in 2001 was out of luck, crashing out in the early stages while challenging the leaders, after setting a lap time even faster than he had in qualifying. The race was a triumph for Sete Gibernau, in his first season with the Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki team, with a strong fifth place. Gibernau went on to win the next race in Spain later in the season, the Valencia GP.


KENNY ROBERTS Jr. – OUT OF THE DARKNESS
“The tests of the 2002 Michelins were interesting. They certainly have an advantage over last year’s tyres, and when we can use them I’d anticipate much more consistent performance over race distance. We’re going to Catalunya with the same plan as the last race – get a good start, pass as many people as possible, and wait and see what comes. Jerez was our first race back on Michelins, and France was better again. At Mugello we were kind of caught up with the 2001 tyres; the new rubber will be another added advantage. We’re improving all the time as far as development stuff goes. We’ll have to wait and see what the factory has for us at Catalunya.”


SETE GIBERNAU – HOME AGAIN, AND HARD ON THE GAS
“Everybody can see that the bike is new, and that we’re working on development. Of course that’s frustrating. I want to be fighting for the top positions, and after winning in Spain last year, it’s hard to be patient. I hope that for the next race the work the team and the factory have been doing will pay off and I can get a better result. Riding at home puts on extra pressure, but that can also work in your favour. Our tests after Mugello went a long way to making me more optimistic. As I said, it’s just hard to wait.”


ABOUT THIS RACE
Motorcycle GP racing was inaugurated at Montmelo in 1992, as the European GP. The annual race took the name of Catalunya in 1996, a second race in Spain, reflecting the growing national passion for the sport. Now there are three Spanish races, and another in Portugal, and the fans come in vast numbers to cheer their local heroes, like Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki rider Sete Gibernau – who achieved a landmark fifth with a heroic ride at last year’s race. Gibernau can count on further Spanish adulation at this race, close by his Catalunyan home. The track is fast, and riders will be chasing a lap-time average of more than 100 mph in the race.


ABOUT THIS TRACK
The Montmelo circuit, built with no expense spared in the early Nineties to coincide with the Barcelona Olympics, is still a state-of-the-art facility, with spacious paddock buildings and facilities, extensive grandstands, and a variety of viewing areas. It also plays host to Spain’s F1 car grand prix, and is a popular testing track for the cars. With the immense braking and cornering forces generated, this has caused some damage to the track surface, while another wave-like deformation from the track’s construction is also a factor, especially on the straight. At 1.4 kilometres it is the longest of the season, and the new four-strokes will be likely to exceed 200 mph again, as a handful did two weeks ago at Mugello.



GP DATA
Montmelo Circuit

Circuit Length: 2.937 miles / 4.727 km

Lap Record: 1:46.619 – 99.175 mph / 159.607 km/h. V Rossi (Honda) 2001

2001 Results
Race Winner: V Rossi (Honda)
Race Average: 44.57.142 –98.011 mph / 157.733 km/h.
Pole Position: Rossi 1:45.507

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By Glenn LeSanto

Foret Stripped of race win and championship points

Just when he thought he’d taken the lead in the World Supersport championship along came the scrutineers and everything changed…

Fabien Foret was stripped of his race win at Lausitzring when his rear wheel was found not to be a homologated part. James Whitham and Paolo Casoli were also excluded. Casoli was excluded because his bike was underweight and also failed to start with the electric starter after the race, a stipulation of the rules. Whitham’s bike was the correct weight, however it also failed to start.

Katsuaki Fujiwara was handed the race win, and Stephane Chambon regained his title lead.

REVISED LAUSITZRING WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE RESULTS:

1. Katsuaki Fujiwara, Suzuki
2. Andrew Pitt, Kawasaki
3. Stephane Chambon, Suzuki
4. Christian Kellner, Yamaha
5. Chris Vermeulen, Honda
6. Jorg Teuchert, Yamaha
7. Kevin Curtain, Yamaha
8. Stefano Cruciani, Yamaha
9. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Ducati
10. Iain MacPherson, Honda


REVISED WORLD SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS:

1. Chambon, 112
2. Pitt, 103
3. Fabien Foret, 93
4. Fujiwara, 84
5. Kellner, 65
6. Paolo Casoli, 60
7. Teuchert, 60
8. Vermeulen, 58
9. James Whitham, 55
10. Bontempi, 46


More, from a Van Zon Honda TKR release:

Mixed weekend for Van Zon Honda TKR at Lausitzring

For Werner Daemen the weekend at Lausitzring will be an event he’ll hope to forget. During practice a pin inserted into his injured shoulder after his recent crash at Monza popped out under heavy braking. He’s due for more surgery on Tuesday 11 June and won’t know until then if he’ll be fit to race at Misano.

His team mate Chris Vermeulen finished the race sixth, but was then moved up to fifth after race winner Fabien Foret was excluded for a technical infringement.

The 19-year-old started the race from ninth on the grid and found himself embroiled in a race long battle with Jamie Whitham. Vermeulen got the better of Whitham late in the race, partly due to the superior late-race performance of his Pirelli tyres.

“My Pirelli tyres were working really well at the start of the race, and even better at the end!” commented Vermeulen.

“I got a pretty good start and got up to seventh and then got into a real battle with Whitham, which I won!” Vermeulen said.

The result leaves the Queenslander eighth in the championship.

The Van Zon Honda TKR rider added, “I’ve gone up one place in the championship battle and it’s very close. We tested well at Misano a few weeks ago, so I’m confident that in the race there I can get back on the podium.”

Fabien Foret took his third win of the year, before the technical exclusion.

The championship continues on June the 23rd at San Marino, Misano.