In one of the most-thrilling finishes ever at the Suzuka race circuit in Japan, Team Yoshimura Suzuki Racing lost out on victory by a whisker to rivals FCC TSR Honda in today’s third round of the World Endurance Championship. Just 38.7 seconds separated the two teams after eight hours and 217 laps of racing. And in an amazing triple-twist to add to the excitement for the 55,500 spectators, third-placed Musashi Honda finished on the same lap and less than 60 seconds behind the Japanese Suzuki GSX-R1000 mounted team of Yukio Kagayama, Josh Waters and Nobuatsu Aoki. Reigning World Champions, Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (SERT) finished in ninth position after starting 15th. Team riders Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Daisaku Sakai – all a last-minute entry in the race – earned eight points from the race, lost the series lead, but is only six points behind new series leaders BMW Motorrad France 99, who finished the race in fourth position, five laps down on the Yoshimura squad. The 34th “Coca-Cola Zero” Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race saw Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Kagayama get a great start from pole position and he took the lead on the first corner from SERT’s Daisaku Sakai – who started from 15th on the grid. An hour in, Kagayama was replaced by Australian Josh Waters, who moved into second place chasing Makoto Tamada (Honda). SERT rider Philippe was ninth at that stage. After three hours, Kagayama came back again and took the lead for Yoshimura Suzuki – and over the following laps, the lead changed several times as each team pitted; Nobuatsu Aoki holding second place for the Yoshimura Suzuki team before Kagayama took over again for the final stint. Suzuka 8 Hour Results: 1 FCC TSR Honda (Honda) 217 laps, 2 Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team (Suzuki GSX-R1000) – 38.765 seconds, 3 Musashi RT Harc-Pro (Honda) – 1’31.162, 4 BMW Motorrad France 99 (BMW) 212 laps, 5 Eva RT Test Type-01 Trickstar FRTR (Kawasaki) 211, 6 Crown Keibhosyou Racing (Honda) 210, 7 Yamaha Racing France GM94 iPhone (Yamaha) 210, 8 Teluru-HoneyBee Racing (Honda) 210, 9 Suzuki Endurance Racing Team (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 208, 10 Toho Racing Hiroshima Desmo (Ducati) 206. More, from a press release issued by Ryan Farquhar’s publicist: Successful day at Armoy for Farquhar Ryan Farquhar marked his return to the Irish National Road Races on Saturday with a successful day’s racing at Armoy. Competing at home for the first time since the Bush races back in June, the KMR Kawasaki rider took two wins, two seconds and two lap records from his five races, only a DNF caused by a holed radiator in the feature race preventing him from having a 100% finishing record. Ryan’s opening race of the day was the Supersport encounter where, after making repairs after Scarborough, he was back out on his ZX-6R Kawasaki. Michael Dunlop led the race from start to finish but, behind, Ryan enjoyed a good battle with Michael Pearson with little to choose between the pair. However, Ryan was able to edge away in the closing stages to finish second behind Dunlop but 1.3s clear of Guy Martin who also got the better of Pearson. Next up was the Open race where Dunlop again stole the early advantage before Ryan was able to sneak ahead. At the end of 4 laps there was just 0.3s between the front two but Dunlop slowly began to ease clear as Ryan found himself locked in another tussle with Pearson. Whilst Ryan was quicker in some places, Pearson was quicker in others and the positions changed on a number of occasions but, eventually, Ryan sealed second place for his second runner-up spot of the day. The 450cc race followed which was a much simpler affair for Ryan as he ran out victor by some 20.3s, also setting a new lap record of 89.561mph and that led into the feature ‘Race of Legends’ event. However, on the 3rd lap, a stone kicked up by one of the lead machines punctured a hole in Ryan’s radiator and he had little option other than to retire, his only DNF of the day. That just left the Supertwins race and Ryan took his second win of the day some 10 seconds ahead of John Burrows with another new lap record to his name, a lap of 94.881mph. Speaking later, a pleased Ryan said: “Everything’s been spot-on today and with the exception of the main race, I’ve had a really good day’s racing. I managed to get the 600 going again although I found that the filter in the fuel pump was blocked so that was holding me back a bit in practice but the bike was a lot better in the race. Michael Dunlop was flying and away with it so I had a good dice with Michael Pearson and managed to pull away from him towards the end. It was a similar story in the Open race and although I led on a couple of occasions, Michael was setting a fast pace and I had to let him go. The bike was running a bit rich and although I don’t think I could have beaten him, I think it would have been a bit closer had it not been for that.” “Instead, I had my hands full with Pearson again and whilst I was quicker in some parts, he kept getting by me on the brakes into Armoy village which subsequently held me up a bit as it was hard to find a way by in the section after that. However, I managed to put in a decent pass on him to take another second and followed that up with a good win on the 450. The main race was going well until the radiator got holed and even though we had stainless steel mesh covering it, the stone that got kicked up still put a big hole in it and that was the end of the race for me. I was disappointed not to finish but I ended the day with a win and a lap record in the Supertwins race so I’m happy enough. The break has done me good and I feel like I’m riding as well as ever, which could be seen in the speeds as the lap records were broken in every class. I’m just focussing on enjoying my racing now and that’s exactly how this weekend has been so I’m really looking forward to more of the same next time out.” Ryan now heads to the Mid Antrim 150 road races with the meeting taking place on Saturday August 6th. More, from a press release issued by Team Honda Racing: A Valiant Effort at Suzuka 8 Hour 1 August 2011 Team Honda Racing riders Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer return home to Australia today after a grueling Suzuka 8 Hour event over the weekend. The Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda team performed well through the practice sessions and qualified in 9th place after the top 10 Superpole shootout with a time of 2’10.300 sec. The race itself saw the Australian riders holding their own as they battled the Suzuka heat and they climbed to 4th place rapidly on the time sheets. They maintained their strong race pace until close to the final hour of the 8 Hour event when an electrical issue forced them to retire from the race. Jamie had just climbed aboard the CBR1000RR to bring it home when he encountered an issue with the bike and it ground to a halt. At the Aussie duo’s base HQ in Melbourne, THR Team Principle Paul Free couldn’t be more proud of his riders’ efforts despite a DNF and knows their skill, experience and professionalism were exemplified by the fact that they were placed 4th on the time sheets for much of the race. Free: “I know that both Jamie and Wayne will be disappointed by not completing the 8 Hour event having made it almost to the final hour in 4th place, they should be proud of what they achieved as an all-Australian team, to be sitting in 4th at that late stage in the race shows just how strong and determined these Aussie boys are, and to think the 3 teams in front of them and the team right behind them at the 7th hour were 3-rider teams only emphasizes the physical strength of Wayne and Jamie. I am certain that the boys would have been giving it 110% right to the dying stages. Wayne and Jamie will now return their focus to the domestic Superbike championship which continues on August 20th and 21st at Queensland Raceway being held in conjunction with the V8 Supercars. More, from a press release issued by Toby Lynch/Fluid PR on behalf of the Australian Superbike Championship: Waters excels with Suzuka 8 Hour podium Suzuki frontrunner Josh Waters finished a close and commendable second place with Youshimura Suzuki teammates Yukio Kagayama and Nobuatsu Aoki at the weekend’s Suzuka 8 Hour in Japan. Teamed with the two vastly-experienced riders in the Yoshimura squad, Waters, from Mildura in Victoria, held his own and impressed in both of his race stints as he battled factory Honda riders. The 2009 Australian Superbike Champion has competed in two World Superbike events with the team this year and proved an asset from outset as a race setup was developed. Kagayama qualified the GSX-R1000 on pole and the team was in the running for much of the race. The eventual margin to winners TSR Honda was just 38.765 seconds after 207 gruelling laps, making the finish the closest in the iconic endurance race’s long and celebrated history. Waters said he was pleased to play a part in the team’s strong podium result and had learned a great deal from the experience. “It was a great weekend and the team did a fantastic job to be fastest every day leading up to the race,” said Waters. “Unfortunately we couldn’t bring home the win but feel we did a really good job against the two factory Honda teams. “In both of my stints I was up against the HRC team number 1 riders and my team set me the task of keeping up with them which was a challenge, but I was pleased to be able to come into the pits right on the rear wheel of the leader both times. “It looked like it might rain towards the end and, based on our testing results, the team had picked me to ride the final stint if the track was going to be wet. “I was dressed and ready to go but in the end Yukio, our polesitter, was chosen to finish the race as it stayed dry. “It’s been an awesome experience to be part of the event and race alongside two of the greats in Yukio and Nobi. I learned a lot from them and their experience in MotoGP and World Supers.” The Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda all-Aussie pairing of Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer were dealt a cruel blow while racing competitively within the top 5, with mechanical issues ending their charge. Maxwell and Stauffer had battled various setup issues in the initial stages of the Suzuka 8 Hour weekend and were understandably disappointed with the non-finish. The Aussie contingent will be back on track shortly at round 6 of the QBE Australian Superbike Championships at Queensland Raceway from the 19th-21st of August. It will mark the second consecutive ASBK round at the Ipswich venue, and Stauffer remains the man to beat following his clean sweep of pole and both races in June. 2011 Suzuka 8 Hour Results 1. F.C.C. TSR Honda: Kousuke Akiyoshi, Shinichi Ito, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) ” 2. Yoshimura Suzuki Racing Team: Yukio Kagayama, Josh Waters, Nobu Aoki (Suzuki) ” 3. Musashi RT Harc-Pro: Takumi Takahashi, Takaaki Nakagami, Ryota Kobayashi (Honda) ” 4. BMW Motorrad France 99: Sebastien Gimbert, Erwan Nigon, Damian Cudlin (BMW) ” 5. EVA RT Test Type-01 Trickstar FRTR: Osamu Deguchi, Tamaki Serizawa, Shin’ya Takeishi (Kawasaki) ” 6. Crown Keibihosyou Racing: Toshiyuki Hamaguchi, Koji Kitaguchi, Kazuma Watanabe (Honda) ” 7. Yamaha Racing France GMT94 IPONE: Matthieu Lagrive, Kenny Foray, David Checa (Yamaha) ” 8. Teluru HoneyBeeRacing: Iwata, Sekiguchi, Noda (Honda) ” 9. Suzuki Endurance Racing Team: Vincent Philippe, Freddy Foray, Daisaku Sakai, Anthony Delhalle (Suzuki) ” 10. TOHO Racing Hiroshima Desmo: Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Hiromichi Kunikawa, Ken Eguchi (Ducati) More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Team 38 PS-K: Kawasaki Team 38 PS-K Pleased with Suzuka Result Kawasaki Team 38 PS-K knew that the 34th annual Suzuka 8 hour race was going to be challenging from the very beginning. The addition of American rider, and Suzuka rookie, Derek Keyes meant that there would be little time to get him up to speed on the fast and difficult Suzuka circuit as well as set up the team’s all new Ninja ZX-10R in the process. The cancellation of Thursday’s first free practice due to heavy rain meant that the team would have less time and more pressure to prepare for race day. The team utilized every second of the lengthened second free practice to make sure both their new rider and the bike were up to speed. Derek was able to learn the track quickly, reducing his lap times every session on the bike and eventually matching the race pace of his veteran teammates. The qualifying sessions were used to focus on the race set up of the bike. Qualifying 34th was not the ideal situation for the team, but by finding a good race set up they were confident in a good result for the race. During the race some small issues hampered the team. During the 4th hour the rear suspension’s hydraulic pre-load adjuster was dislodged from the motorcycle when the bracket holding it broke off. This not only effected the bike’s suspension performance for the remainder of the race, but a lengthy pit stop to check that no fluid was leaking from the shock and to secure the hydraulic line put the team further behind. Each rider focused on turning consistent laps and fighting hard for the remainder of the race. Kawasaki Team 38 PS-K is pleased with the final result of 24th position, especially in light of all the difficulties endured during this year’s Suzuka 8 hour race. Kawasaki Team 38 PS-K would like to thank all their sponsors for the amazing support for the 34th annual Suzuka 8 hour race. The team would also like to thank all their crew members and riders for the hard working late nights put in over the weekend, and a special thanks to Ben Walters for lending a hand to the pit crew. More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport: Silverstone Frustration For PBM Kawasaki In what promised so much from their home round, the Penrith-based Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team of Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes experienced a weekend of disappointment when round nine of the World Superbike Championship took place at Silverstone over the weekend. Aboard the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, in race one, Lascorz rode brilliantly from 19th place on the grid to take seventh place. The Spanish rider made short work of passing other riders in the midfield once he had recovered from a start that saw him way down the order on lap one, then get to seventh place on lap ten of 18. He maintained this placing to the flag to go 11th in the championship. In race two Lascorz collided with three riders on the opening corner and ran off track but unknown to Joan his machine lost all its coolant and he went out on lap seven when his bike overheated. Yorkshireman Tom Sykes was forced to miss the race on Sunday at Silverstone, being unable to start due to sustaining an ankle injury in a free practice crash on Saturday. Sykes is now concentrating on getting himself fit and ready for the next round, at the Nurburgring in September. Joan Lascorz: “We had one good result and one unlucky one but my bike felt even better in the second race than the first one. It was unfortunate that James Toseland collided with me because his foot peg went into a water hose on my bike and it ran the cooling system dry which meant I could not finish. I think I could have had a top six if that had not happened. I was seventh in race one and that is not so bad having qualified 19th. We have to improve in qualifying but it is good to know that I can make a good race pace on the bike when things work out.” Tom Sykes: “I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a bus and because we do not want to cause any further potential damage to my ankle we decided not to race. I also have a lot of pain and stiffness in my neck, back and shoulders. After qualifying on the fourth row because I could not make it into Superpole, I was not going to get anything too much out of this weekend, and the risk was a little too much. I do not want to speculate on my ankle injury until I see a specialist this week.” Paul Bird, Team Owner: “I was hoping we might just get a little bit of luck to give us the break we needed but once again it’s not been our weekend and with just one result to show for all our hard work, it wasn’t to be. If this was going to happen, I’d sooner it be anywhere than our home round but we have to deal with this. Taking a positive out of it, Joan rode one of his best races of the season to claim seventh in race one and I think Tom would have been battling at the front also. Having one rider injured is one thing with Chris Vermeulen being out, but to have two missing is doubly frustrating.” Sykes’ injury means he is unlikely to ride at next weekend’s round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch where the team is making a guest appearance and if that is the case, the team will field a replacement rider, yet to be confirmed, alongside Lascorz in the three races. More, from a press release issued by Gino Rea’s publicist: Gino just misses podium in thrilling Silverstone World Supersport race Gino Rea qualified on the front row at his home race to make his trademark ‘Speedy G’ start and lead the first lap. Ten Kate’s Marino and Factory Yamaha’s Davies got past so Gino sat behind in 3rd spot, until Parkalgar’s Lowes ran into the back of Rea’s bike through the fast Maggots section of the Silverstone circuit. Almost throwing Gino off his bike at 110mph+, he was forced to run off the circuit. After re-joining he caught back up to the leading 4 riders only to run off track again, this time having to re-join in 9th position, 5 seconds off the leader… Rea put his head down and made some thrilling passes to push his way back into 5th. He then set track on closing down on the leaders, setting an incredible pace and riding over the limit at every corner. Rea made a pass on Ten Kate’s Marino for 4th, then caught up to 3rd place rider Foret, making a brief pass but not making it stick. It came down to the last corner where Gino lined Foret up for a pass, but as he turned into the final left corner the front slid out and Rea crashed into the gravel. Gino was able to get the bike up and re-join to finish in 11th place, not quite the podium he was so determined to get in front of the home crowd. Gino’s comments: “Well, I’m definitely disappointed. I had the pace to win that race but in the first few laps Lowes hit me from behind in a fast part of the circuit, I ran off track and lost loads of time to the leaders. It affected my rear wheel and after I caught back up to the leaders I ran off circuit again, this time loosing even more time and positions. I had to re-pass Parkes and 3 other riders until I got clear track to get my head down. The leaders were way out in front but I gave it my all to try and catch them, I was out of the seat and loosing the front every other corner, absolutely on the edge. I set a good pace and closed in on them, first passing Marino then closing down onto Foret on the final lap. There was no way after riding my heart out that I was going to settle for 4th at my home race, so I lined him up for a pass for the final right hander. But as I squared off the left corner I tucked the front and went down. I’m just sorry for everyone in the team and everyone watching, I really wanted that podium.” Still, we have to take the positives, to catch up with the leaders after running off circuit twice at World Championship level is a pretty big thing, especially when we are against all the factory bikes. Our package is improving at each race, but there’s still things we can improve. We have a break now till Nurburgring which is a shame, I want to get back out there and race at the front!” I’d like to say thanks to everyone who was watching and supporting in the stands around the circuit, their applauds and cheers on the cool down lap were amazing, I hope everyone enjoyed it at least!” The next World Supersport race will take place at the Nurburgring on Sept 4, where Gino finished 2nd to Eugene Laverty by 0.058 seconds in 2010. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: THE ENGLISH WEEKEND ENDS WITH A HALF SMILE FOR THE APRILIA ALITALIA RACING TEAM. AFTER THE UPS AND DOWNS OF RACE 1 (MAX ELEVENTH AND LEON FIFTEENTH) THE CORSAIR TAKES FOURTH PLACE IN RACE 2 FOLLOWED BY HIS TEAM MATE. Silverstone The English away match for the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team leaves only a “half smile”, in spite of the comeback in Race 2. World champion Max Biaggi, forced to start from the third row after the unfortunate Superpole yesterday, had to deal with a contact which bent the brake lever, so much that he almost had to take his hand off the handlebar to brake. Despite this inconvenience, the Corsair did not let up and ended the race in eleventh place, earning 5 important points. An unfortunate race for Leon Camier as well, a key player in the race until 3 laps from the end when a technical problem forced him to slow down just as he was attacking Laverty’s second position. With a fighting spirit the English rider gritted his teeth and rode the bike across the finish line in fifteenth place. The start of Race 2 immediately showed good progress from Max, who also put the fastest lap of the race on the boards. The Corsair finished at the foot of the podium with a consistent pace, but the chase forced him to wear his tyres. The Roman rider squeezed the most out of his RSV4 anyway, crossing the line in fourth place, just ahead of his team mate, Leon Camier, who rode an excellent race. Max sees the cup as half full: “Analysing the weekend and the first race, I can say that I’m satisfied with the fourth place in Race 2. It’s a shame I had to start from the back. I stressed the tyres in order to catch up with the leading pack and that prevented me from being incisive at the end even though I really gave it my all, so much that I was able to get in front of my team mate who is quite fast here. Even in Race 1 I could have done better, but with the bent brake lever and the technical problem with the clutch I had little choice but to grit my teeth and pick up as many points as I could”. “I’m just obviously so disappointed and really sorry for all the fans out there that came to support us – Leon said – I really thought a podium or two was on the cards for definite. I felt really strong in the first race, made up a load of places and was starting to think about passing Laverty for 2nd when we had an issue with the bike. I kept going and I know the fans were cheering me on every time I went past so thank you to them! Second race, start went well but had no grip at the end. I couldn’t hold my line and I was pushing and pushing to try and keep up but then I would make a mistake. So frustrating, especially at my home race, but that’s how it goes sometimes.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati: Carlos Checa takes Ducati’s 300th World Superbike race victory Carlos Checa’s victory at Silverstone’s round 9 of the 2011 World Superbike series in the UK on Sunday protected his lead in the Riders’ championship, maintained Ducati’s advantage in the Manufacturers’ title and marked an incredible 300 race win milestone for the famous Italian motorcycle brand from Bologna. Racing under Team Althea colors, Carlos Checa scored his 9th victory of 2011 aboard the Ducati 1198, underlining the Spaniard’s incredible form this year, the outstanding performance of his team and the continued competitiveness of Ducati’s iconic twin-cylinder production sport bike. Checa now enjoys a confident 50 point lead over Max Biaggi for the World Championship, while Ducati lead the race for the Manufacturers’ title by 330 points. Ducati’s historic achievement of 300 race wins in the World Superbike Championship started with victory for Marco Lucchinelli in the very first event at Donington Park, England in 1988 and continued as 25 more Ducati-mounted riders wrote themselves into the pages of motorcycle racing history. Riders such as Carl Fogarty, Doug Polen, Raymond Roche, Troy Corser, Giancarlo Falappa, Neil Hodgson, Piefrancesco Chili, Ben Bostrom, James Toseland, Noriyuki Haga and many others up until the legendary Troy Bayliss and latest World Championship leader, Carlos Checa. To complete the impressive collection of statistics, those 300 victories also generated 155 Ducati pole positions, 753 podiums, 13 Rider’s and 16 Manufacturers’ World Championship titles. Ducati results in World Superbike 1988 – 2011 (Silverstone, United Kingdom – 31 July, 2011) Total Ducati pole positions: 155 Race victories by Ducati riders: 300 “¢ Carl Fogarty (GB) 55 “¢ Troy Bayliss (AUS) 52 “¢ Doug Polen (USA) 26 “¢ Raymond Roche (F) 23 “¢ Troy Corser (AUS) 16 “¢ Neil Hodgson (GB) 16 “¢ Noriyuki Haga (JP) 16 “¢ Pierfrancesco Chili (I) 13 “¢ Giancarlo Falappa (I) 13 “¢ Carlos Checa (ES) 12 “¢ Ruben Xaus (ES) 11 “¢ Régis Laconi (F) 10 “¢ Ben Bostrom (USA) 7 “¢ John Kocinski (USA) 5 “¢ James Toseland (GB) 5 “¢ Michel Fabrizio (I) 4 “¢ Lorenzo Lanzi (I) 3 “¢ Shane Byrne (GB) 2 “¢ Mauro Lucchiari (I) 2 “¢ Marco Lucchinelli (I) 2 “¢ Stephane Mertens (B) 2 “¢ Anthony Gobert (AUS) 1 “¢ Garry McCoy (AUS) 1 “¢ Andreas Meklau (A) 1 “¢ John Reynolds (GB) 1 “¢ James Whitham (GB) 1 More, from a press release issued by Team Garnier Alpha Racing: FIM Cup Superstock 1000 Round 6 Silverstone (UK) July 31, 2011 Sixth position for Markus Reiterberger With four races to go in the FIM Superstock Cup, Markus finished at a good sixth place in Silverstone. He progressed in the championship standings, where he is now in eight position, and only four points behind the rider in sixth. This is a good result for this young rider who discovers this championship and the tracks, considering that his opponents are all familiar with them. Niccolò Canepa for instance won this championship in 2007. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Ducati) won his first ever Superstock 1000 race in England on Sunday, in front of Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia) and Niccolò Canepa (Lazio Motorsport Ducati). Two other riders were with them in the leading group, but unfortunately the championship leader Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati) and Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) crashed. Markus Reiterberger battled with Leandro Mercado from Argentina. He finished very near the Kawasaki rider in sixth position. The fifth place is the best result ever for Mercado in Superstock 1000. Markus was very consistent and fast all race long, which is great considering that it was his first time on the long and difficult Silverstone circuit. On September 4, the next race will be at the Nürburgring, the home race for Markus Reiterberger and his team. Beau Beaton was not very lucky, with another rider blowing up his engine in front of him. There was nothing Beau could do to avoid getting splashed by the oil and of course that didn’t help him. Randy Pagaud had to retire early in the race with gear selection problems. Michel Garnier (team owner): “Randy had some problems with the gearshift, like the day before. We told him that if it was not working properly, he could come back to the pits after the warm up lap. He started the race, but had to retire after three laps. It was too bad. Beau did his normal race. He finished 22nd, which is where he started from on the starting grid. Unfortunately, Ten Napel broke his engine just in front of him. He received a lot of oil on his face, on the bike and the tyres, everywhere. So he couldn’t do any better. Luckily he didn’t crash. Markus did a very good race. We are very happy. He tried to pass the Kawasaki that was in front of him. Overall, we are satisfied with this weekend, even if it’s too bad for Randy. And congratulations to our friend Maxime Berger who did a beautiful race in the first Superbike heat.” Markus Reiterberger: “It was really good. I was in seventh position during most of the race, with fast lap times. I was always behind Leandro Mercado and his Kawasaki. In the last lap, I tried to pass him but it was very difficult in the last corners. I finished in sixth position, and that was a good ending for the weekend.” Race result: 1- Danilo Petrucci Barni Racing Team Ducati 1098R 2- Lorenzo Zanetti BMW Motorrad Italia BMW S1000RR + 3.431 3- Niccolò Canepa Lazio MotorSport Ducati 1098R + 3.465 4- Lorenzo Baroni Althea Racing Ducati 1098R + 12.047 5- Leandro Mercado Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 14.270 6- Markus Reiterberger Garnier Alpha Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 14.715 7- Andrea Antonelli Team Lorini Honda CBR 1000RR + 18.739 8- Sheridan Morais Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-10R + 19.371 9- Eddi La Marra Team Lorini Honda CBR 1000RR + 21.321 10- Jeremy Guarnoni MRS Yamaha Racing France Yamaha YZF R1 + 23.655 11- Marco Bussolotti Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 23.868 12- Bryan Staring Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 25.719 13- Fabio Massei Team Piellemoto BMW S1000RR + 28.520 14- Danny Buchan GoEleven Kawasaki ZX-10R + 31.149 15- Matthieu Lussiana Team ASPI BMW S1000RR + 37.464 “¦ 22- Beau Beaton Garnier Alpha Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 53.308 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup provisional standings: 1. Giugliano 115; 2. Zanetti 104: 3. Petrucci 94; 4. Barrier 65; 5. Canepa 64; 6. Baroni 46; 7. Antonelli 44; 8. Reiterberger 42; etc. 7th round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup: Nürburgring (Germany) on September 4 More, from a press release issued by Honda: FIM SUPERBIKE / SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 09 SUNDAY JULY 31 SILVERSTONE, GREAT BRITAIN Weather: Dry, Sunny Temperature: Ambient 20/23 degrees C / Track 31/38 degrees C Attendance: 64,000 LOWES FINDS MISFORTUNE AT HIS HOME RACE In his second meeting as a replacement for the injured Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes (Castrol Honda) was unable to finish a race at round nine of the FIM Superbike World Championship held at Silverstone. In contrast World championship leader Carlos Checa (Ducati) extended his lead in the points standings with a double win, while Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) and his team-mate Marco Melandri took identical double podium finishes of second and third respectively. Lowes started each 18-lap race in 18th position on the grid, but Lowes was to fall on lap six of race one, and then retire in race two after finding he could not lap competitively on his spare bike, which had some different settings from his crashed number one machine. Regular rider Ruben Xaus was unable to compete at Silverstone due to injury, and when original planned replacement Karl Muggeridge was ruled out of the running, Fabrizio Lai (Castrol Honda) was drafted in as a late substitute. He worked diligently in practice and qualified 21st, but was to fall in race one at turn six after losing the front. He posted a finish in 16th place in race two, but just missed out on a point by one place. With Max Biaggi only 11th and then fourth today, Checa extended his championship lead to 62 points over Biaggi, 343 to 281. Melandri has 272 points, Laverty 208. Jonathan Rea is now 12th overall with 94 points, Xaus 16th with 44 points. FORET THIRD IN THE SILVERSTONE RACE AND THE POINTS STANDINGS Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) got involved in a fight for the podium places at Silverstone after qualifying sixth on the grid and finished 2.449 seconds from his first win of the season, in a race taken by championship leader Chaz Davies (Yamaha) from David Salom (Kawasaki). This was Foret’s fifth podium of 2011. Some top riders, including Brno race winner Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda) were to fall during the usual intense supersport contest, with Rea particularly unfortunate to first collide with fellow CBR600RR rider Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) in the early laps and then work his way back to a potential podium, only to crash trying to pass Foret. Gino remounted to take 11th in the race, and go seventh in the championship standings. He had qualified fourth, for a front row start. Lowes crashed out after his collision with Rea, rejoining for a time, but being forced to retire with a damaged machine. Balasz Nemeth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) made a remarkable run through the field from his 21st place on the grid, going seventh at the flag and in doing so proving to be second best Honda rider on the day. The 26-year-old Hungarian rider jumped up to 14th in the championship with his best finish to date. Robbin Harms (Harms Benjan Racing Honda) set the fastest lap of the day on the second circuit, but fell from third place on lap four. The Dane had been fifth in qualifying. Silverstone is a favourite circuit of Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda) and he went eighth in the race, one place up on young French rider Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda). Marino had been impressive in the lead in the early laps, but lost traction and several positions as the race counted out over all 16-laps. He had qualified an impressive third. James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) slotted into the last place in the top ten, having been 16th on the grid and then being unable to make up crucial early places in the first few corners. The last Honda rider in the points was Alexander Lundh (Cresto Guide Racing Team Honda), 13th after qualifying in 12th. Vladimir Ivanov (Step Racing Team Honda) went 16th, Imre Toth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) 17th, and Ondrej Jezek (SMS Racing Honda) 18th. Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka PTR Honda) fell while pushing on from 16th place. Chaz Davies is now in a strong championship position with 146 points, Salom has 104, Foret 101 and Broc Parkes (sixth today on a Kawasaki) 95. Honda rider comments: Alex Lowes (Castrol Honda) Race result: DNF /DNF Championship position: 30th “Race one was going OK, even though I made a bad start. I made some passes on other riders, was really enjoying it. I went into one of the corners a little bit fast, and slowed down too much in the middle of the corner, then got on the gas too much on the exit, so it was really my fault. It was a big crash and I felt pretty beaten up. In race two I had not much confidence and feeling on the second bike. The team worked really well and in some parts of the weekend we were pretty fast, but at the end of the weekend crashing out never helps a lot. The team and bike deserve to be a lot higher up, but I am taking some positives away because we had some positives.” Fabrizio Lai (Castrol Honda) Race result: DNF / 16th Championship position: 31st “It was a very difficult weekend because it is the first time at Silverstone, first time with this team this bike and all of it was very complicated. Today in race one I used a soft tyre and, before I fell, it was not giving me the best grip even after three laps. In race two I chose a harder tyre and it as very good in the corners, but then the problems was in the rear and I did not have the traction I wanted. I used more traction control to finish the race. I am sorry for this result for the team, all the people and myself.” SUPERSPORT Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) Race result: 3rd. Championship position: 3rd “The bike was OK, obviously good enough to take a podium, and my team worked hard. We did not find the best base setting ever this weekend, but the bike was good. It was really good in some areas in others I was struggling a bit. I think maybe I took the wrong tactics, as I felt I could have gone out in front at one stage, but I decided to wait. Then, I could not change my rhythm again, making a few mistakes. At the end I could not make it and I am a little sorry not to perform better this race, even if the bike set-up was not as good as I would have liked.” Balasz Nemeth (Team Hungary Toth Honda) Race result: 7th. Championship position: 14th “We started quite far back because I had some problems in qualifying with my set up so I could not do one good fast lap. In the race I made a good start and I could gain some positions in every lap. In the last few laps I saw I had some chances to catch the riders before me and I pushed more. In the last two laps it was a bit hard with some overtaking and I was on the gravel sometimes, but in the end it was a very good result.” Gino Rea (Step Racing Team Honda) Race result: 11th. Championship position: 7th “Fabien went in pretty tight into a left hander at the end and I just went in a bit wide to get underneath him on the right, and the front just tucked. It was a weird crash, but maybe the tyre had just gone off. I did not have the same feeling from the bike after Sam hit me from behind, so maybe it had buckled the rear wheel a bit and it made the bike react differently, making me run on after lots of backing-in. I lost loads of time and it was frustrating just to have to re-pass people and try to catch up to the front guys. I’m a bit disappointed in myself so I feel sorry for the team and we could have had a strong result. Had I not run off twice we could have definitely been on the podium.” Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) Race result: 9th. Championship position: 11th “I had a good start, but if I tried to run a big lean angle at the end to make the bike turn I started to close the front and I was not getting grip. When the rear tyre was OK, I was OK. At the end I was almost crashing every lap so I had to slow down. I was feeling good at the beginning but near the end I was two or three seconds slower than the pace I could do.” James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda) Race result: 10th. Championship position: 12th “I had a bit of a plan in the race, to go inside at the first corner and use a part of the kerb, but a few others had the same plan! I needed to get past at least four people to get with the fast guys, but I couldn’t because of the other riders around. It was an uphill battle, but the bike felt pretty good all weekend, and we have changed only clicks here and there on suspension. We lost a bit of practice time with crashes and being taken out, so we were lacking a bit of track time on it.” Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) Race result: DNF. Championship position: 6th “I have to apologise to everyone for the non finish, my team especially, and the fans out there. From the pace the race was run at I know I could have done a good job, but that is all ifs and buts and you do not get anything for that. Congratulations to Chaz on his win, but we are really disappointed. I just made a mistake and that is racing.” RESULTS SUPERSPORT RACE : (Laps 16 = 94,432 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / C. DAVIES / GBR / Yamaha ParkinGO Team / Yamaha YZF R6 / 34’55.198 2 / D. SALOM / ESP / Kawasaki Motocard.com / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 1.085 3 / F. FORET / FRA / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / Honda CBR600RR / 2.449 4 / R. TAMBURINI / ITA / Bike Service R.T. / Yamaha YZF R6 / 8.319 5 / M. ROCCOLI / ITA / Lorenzini by Leoni / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 11.283 6 / B. PARKES / AUS / Kawasaki Motocard.com / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 12.308 7 / B. NEMETH / HUN / Team Hungary Toth / Honda CBR600RR / 14.011 8 / M. PRAIA / POR / Parkalgar Honda / Honda CBR600RR / 14.814 9 / F. MARINO / FRA / Hannspree Ten Kate Honda / Honda CBR600RR / 14.906 10 / J. ELLISON / GBR / Bogdanka PTR Honda / Honda CBR600RR / 17.635 11 / G. REA / GBR / Step Racing Team / Honda CBR600RR / 25.109 12 / L. SCASSA / ITA / Yamaha ParkinGO Team / Yamaha YZF R6 / 25.23 13 / A. LUNDH / SWE / Cresto Guide Racing Team / Honda CBR600RR / 25.43 14 / R. QUARMBY / RSA / Suriano Racing Team / Triumph Daytona 675 / 33.084 15 / V. IANNUZZO / ITA / Lorenzini by Leoni / Kawasaki ZX-6R / 43.631 Fastest Lap: Robbin Harms Lap 2 2’09.771 163,728 Km/h Lap Record: 2010 K. Sofuoglu 2’08.717 165,070 Km/h Best Lap: 2011 D. Salom 2’08.527 165,310 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE: 1 DAVIES 146, 2 SALOM 104, 3 FORET 101, 4 PARKES 95, 5 SCASSA 83, 6 LOWES 73, 7 REA 62, 8 HARMS 59, 9 TAMBURINI 56, 10 ROCCOLI 51, 11 MARINO 51, 12 ELLISON 42, 13 PRAIA 32, 14 NEMETH 25, 15 IANNUZZO 22. SUPERBIKE RACE1 : (Laps 18 = 106,236 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / C. CHECA / ESP / Althea Racing / Ducati 1098R / 38’06.477 2 / E. LAVERTY / IRL / Yamaha World Superbike Team / Yamaha YZF R1 / 3.304 3 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / Yamaha World Superbike Team / Yamaha YZF R1 / 4.782 4 / L. HASLAM / GBR / BMW Motorrad Motorsport / BMW S1000 RR / 7.116 5 / J. HOPKINS / USA / Samsung Crescent Racing / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 11.057 6 / S. GUINTOLI / FRA / Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing / Ducati 1098R / 21.899 7 / J. LASCORZ / ESP / Kawasaki Racing Team / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 22.308 8 / M. BERGER / FRA / Supersonic Racing Team / Ducati 1098R / 22.734 9 / T. CORSER / AUS / BMW Motorrad Motorsport / BMW S1000 RR / 25.491 10 / A. BADOVINI / ITA / BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team / BMW S1000 RR / 25.725 11 / M. BIAGGI / ITA / Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 25.844 12 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team / BMW S1000 RR / 45.578 13 / R. ROLFO / ITA / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 51.65 14 / J. KIRKHAM / GBR / Samsung Crescent Racing / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 57.31 15 / L. CAMIER / GBR / Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 1’36.457 Fastest Lap: Carlos Checa Lap 5 2’06.045 168,568 Km/h Lap Record: 2010 C. Crutchlow 2’05.259 169,630 Km/h Best Lap: 2011 J. Hopkins 2’04.041 171,290 Km/h RACE2: (Laps 18 = 106,236 Km) POS / RIDER / NAT. / TEAM / MOTORCYCLE / GAP 1 / C. CHECA / ESP / Althea Racing / Ducati 1098R / 38’03.361 2 / E. LAVERTY / IRL / Yamaha World Superbike Team / Yamaha YZF R1 / 2.274 3 / M. MELANDRI / ITA / Yamaha World Superbike Team / Yamaha YZF R1 / 3.675 4 / M. BIAGGI / ITA / Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 3.96 5 / L. CAMIER / GBR / Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team / Aprilia RSV4 Factory / 4.405 6 / S. GUINTOLI / FRA / Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing / Ducati 1098R / 10.958 7 / J. HOPKINS / USA / Samsung Crescent Racing / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 11.387 8 / L. HASLAM / GBR / BMW Motorrad Motorsport / BMW S1000 RR / 11.496 9 / M. FABRIZIO / ITA / Team Suzuki Alstare / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 12.247 10 / A. BADOVINI / ITA / BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team / BMW S1000 RR / 19.705 11 / J. SMRZ / CZE / Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing / Ducati 1098R / 19.753 12 / M. BERGER / FRA / Supersonic Racing Team / Ducati 1098R / 21.582 13 / J. TOSELAND / GBR / BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team / BMW S1000 RR / 27.235 14 / M. AITCHISON / AUS / Team Pedercini / Kawasaki ZX-10R / 30.702 15 / J. KIRKHAM / GBR / Samsung Crescent Racing / Suzuki GSX-R1000 / 42.579 Fastest Lap: Max Biaggi Lap 2 2’05.525 169,267 Km/h Lap Record: 2010 C. Crutchlow 2’05.259 169,630 Km/h Best Lap: 2011 J. Hopkins 2’04.041 171,290 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE: 1 CHECA 343, 2 BIAGGI 281, 3 MELANDRI 272, 4 LAVERTY 208, 5 HASLAM 158, 6 CAMIER 146, 7 FABRIZIO 141, 8 BADOVINI 118, 9 GUINTOLI 109, 10 HAGA 99, 11 LASCORZ 97, 12 REA 94, 13 SMRZ 93, 14 SYKES 84, 15 CORSER 62. NEXT EVENT: ROUND 10 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 04, NURBURGRING, GERMANY.